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MLB Morning News – 6/14/23

Get caught up on everything you need to know from Tuesday's games.

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 6/14/2023

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

Tuesday gave us an incomplete slate (Braves-Tigers was postponed for Wednesday), including a statement game in Oakland and plenty of blowouts. Let’s get into it!

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Oakland wins, fans make a statement

 

Following weeks of planning and anticipation, Oakland fans came through with the aptly named “reverse boycott,” packing the Colosseum to the tune of 27,000 fans. Many of them wore “SELL THE TEAM” t-shirts that were made possible by a fan-driven effort, as the game gave us an almost playoff-like atmosphere in the stands. While everything points to the A’s moving to Las Vegas (an important legislative hurdle was passed earlier in the day), it is clear that the fans will not go away quietly. On the field, Oakland kept its improbable winning streak going, defeating the league-leading Rays with a late comeback. The final out was cathartic for a lot of people, and the A’s are no longer owners of the worst record in the league.


Yankees strike first in Subway Series

 

Despite being staked to an early 5-1 lead, Max Scherzer was unable to deliver a win for the reeling Mets. The right-handed ace seemed to be in control heading into the fourth inning, but it all collapsed as he allowed six of the seven Yankees he faced to reach base. Scherzer was removed and the Mets would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, but the Yankees manufactured a run in the sixth to take a lead that would not be relinquished. Closer Clay Holmes came in with the bases loaded and only one out in the eighth, but he was masterful and retired five Mets in a row to earn the save. The loss dropped the Mets to a 31-36 record, now four games out of the NL wild card race.

 

 

Angels continue their ascent

 

Following Monday’s exciting game, the Angels delivered yet another comeback win against their division foe Texas, ultimately winning by a 7-3 score. Hunter Renfroe and Zach Neto delivered pivotal homers, while the bullpen limited the Rangers to 0 runs and only three baserunners over 5.2 innings. Shohei Ohtani reached base five times, with two hits and three walks. While it may be early to declare the Angels as true contenders, they have won eight of their last 10 and are only 4.5 games behind the Rangers in the AL West.

 

Kirby devours Marlins 

 

George Kirby had hit a bit of a snag as of late, with a terrible outing in San Diego in which he allowed 11 hits in less than 4 innings. Today’s home outing against the Marlins went much better, with Kirby tossing 6 innings while allowing only an unearned run and striking out 10 batters. Early run support allowed him to cruise, and Miami simply had no response for his pinpoint control and devastating breaking balls. The Mariners have now won seven of their last 10 and climbed back to .500, though they still have a ways to go in both the wild card and AL West races. Luis Arraez went 0-for-5, lowering his average to .382 and making the dream of .400 all the more unlikely.

 

 

Tony Gonsolin dominates White Sox

 

Following up his breakout 2022 season appeared to be impossible for Tony Gonsolin, who came out of nowhere to go 16-1 with a 2.14 over 24 starts. Today, he continued to prove that maybe it was not a fluke after all. Gonsolin needed only 90 pitches to cruise through six scoreless innings against the White Sox. The outing lowered Gonsolin’s era to 1.93, which would lead the league if he had enough innings to qualify. The righty owns a career 30-7 record, as the Dodgers inched one game closer to division-leader Arizona. The offense was led by Will Smith, who hit a first-inning homer on his bobblehead night.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Kyle Schwarber gets things started

 

Despite a batting average well below the Mendoza line, Kyle Schwarber has managed to be a net positive for Philadelphia’s offense, as he continues to draw walks and hit for power. Exhibit A: yet another lead-off homer. On a 2-2 count, Scharber teed off Arizona starter Zach Davies, walloping a 450-foot bomb that set the tone for an eventual 15-3 win for the Phillies. The slugger now has 18 homers for the season and continues to be a monster when the calendar flips to June—his career slugging during June is a whopping .604.

 

Correa walks it off

 

The Twins entered the bottom of the ninth with a 5-3 deficit and were facing arguably the best closer in the league. Devin Williams was a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities, having allowed only one run over 21.2 innings. Improbably, Williams would not record a single out, and instead allowed four consecutive Twins batters to reach. The damage started when Michael A. Taylor hit a solo homer to close the gap, followed by a walk, stolen base, and a Donovan Solano single to tie the game. A clearly rattled Williams hung a 1-1 changeup to Carlos Correa, who proceeded to deliver a signature win for the Twins.

 

Orioles offense finds early balance

 

The early box score for the Orioles-Blue Jays game gave us a quirky look: by the end of the third inning, all Orioles batters had precisely one hit. The score was 4-1 at that point, but the early offensive prowess was a premonition of things to come, as Baltimore ended the game with 17 hits in a dominating 11-6 win over Toronto. The Orioles have been Toronto’s nemesis in 2023, winning all four meetings while scoring 31 runs.

 

Injuries

 

The Blue Jays have placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list with left hamstring inflammation. The move is retroactive to June 11, when the lefty first experienced the injury. While Toronto boasts some of the most dynamic bats in the AL, Belt had been on a tear recently, bouncing back from a poor start to hit .323/.452/.527 since May. Following his departure from the Giants, Belt signed a one-year deal with the Jays, who are expecting that this IL stint will represent only a minor issue for the oft-injured Belt.

Speaking of the Giants, today they experienced a painful blowout win, as they left the game without two of their top players. It all started with third baseman JD Davis, who hurt his ankle while sliding into third base. Just a few seconds later, outfielder Mitch Haniger was hit on the forearm by an errant pitch from Jack Flaherty. While Davis’s injury may require a trip to the IL, his status is still uncertain, as he could be back on the lineup shortly. Haniger’s case, however, is way worse—he was diagnosed with a fracture in his right forearm and is certain to miss several weeks. These injuries could represent a major blow for the Giants, though at the same time, it is likely that we will see the call-up of prized prospect Luis Matos.

Liam Hendriks received a bit of good news, as it was revealed that there is no structural damage in his pitching elbow, following his placement on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation. Hendriks has been one of the top stories of the season, coming back to the mound after being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma last December. There is no timetable for his return, as the White Sox are likely to be cautious with his recovery.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Batting Average is for Suckers – Michael Baumann, Fangraphs

Brandon Crawford relishes Pitching Debut – Alyson Footer, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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