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It finally happened this week. With four straight losses, the Cincinnati Reds dropped to 31-33, breaking the run of having all the NL Central teams at .500 or above. The last time a team in the division was below .500 was when the Chicago Cubs were 8-9 on April 14. The Reds have a chance to fix that when they travel to the San Diego Padres to begin the week. Still, quite a remarkable feat.
Today’s Headlines
McGonigoggles? McGonigoggles! McGonigle Walks It Off
A young Detroit Tigers fan named Cece may have started the newest fad. And this one is cool. Sorry, tarps off dolts. Cece was seen sporting her homemade McMcGonigoggles in support of her favorite player, Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle. And as fate would have it, McGonigle hit a home run moments later. To cap things off, McGonigle then hit a two-run walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners. It was his first MLB walk-off. That capped a comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning. The Tigers scored twice in the seventh on a Wenceel Pérez triple. McGonigle gave Cece a shoutout postgame (wait until the end). We sense a big run on clear plastic cups in Metro Detroit.
Controversial Call Fuels Jays’ Rally, Victory Over Orioles
Ernie Clement was out if you are a Baltimore Orioles fan. He was safe if you are a Toronto Blue Jays fan. The only opinion that counted, however, was that of the umpires, who ruled Clement safe on a pivotal play sixth-inning play that led to four more runs to score in a 6-4 Jays victory. The play in question came with one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth and the Orioles holding a 4-1 lead, with one run already in that frame. Brandon Valenzuela hit a slow chopper that Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson ranged past second base to field, made a slight effort to tag Clement, the runner on first trying to advance to second, but never touched him as Clement swerved to avoid the tag and threw to first for the out. According to rule 5.09(b)(1), “A runner’s base path is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely.” A runner is allowed to move 3 feet to either side of that line. The Orioles were incensed at the call, which would have ended the inning had it been a double play. A run scored on the play, with three more to follow before the Orioles could get out of it. The Orioles had their thoughts, so did the Blue Jays and, of course, the umpires.
Witt Exits With Knee Soreness, But Royals Prevail
The Kansas City Royals are already hurting. They are now hoping not to be hurting severely. Superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.. left Sunday’s game with right knee soreness, but Starling Marte hit a three-run homer as the Royals upended the Minnesota Twins 6-5. Witt, who struck out three times and committed an error, and the Royals have the day off today before facing the Texas Rangers at home beginning Tuesday. The Royals will see what the status of Witt’s knee is then, with the possibility of another day off. Royals left-handed starter Noah Cameron struck out seven over six strong innings, allowing one unearned run and three hits. Marte, meanwhile, was expected to bring some right-handed pop to the Royals’ lineup this year, but Sunday’s blast was his first in 29 games he has played. His three-run homer came in a four-run fifth inning that put the Royals up 5-1. But the Twins put together a four-run ninth inning, including a three-run shot by Josh Bell.
Harris Comes Off Bench In Nick Of Time For Atlanta
Michael Harris II didn’t have to do much Sunday. He was out of the lineup for the second day in a row as he deals with back discomfort. But the situation was right for Harris to come in and do some damage. Harris delivered a pinch-hit bases-clearing double in the bottom of the seventh to account for all of Atlanta’s runs in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, completing a three-game sweep. This was a game Atlanta stole as the offense produced just three hits, but an error and two walks set up Harris’ go-ahead hit.
Homers, Rookie Spark A’s Before Week In Vegas
For the first time since announcing the team was moving to Las Vegas, the Athletics will be playing two home series in Sin City this week. But before that, they needed to build a little momentum. That came as Brent Rooker and Nick Kurtz homered and rookie left-hander Gage Jump pitched 6⅓ shutout innings as the A’s avoided a sweep by blanking the Houston Astros 5-0. Now, the A’s head to Vegas to face the Milwaukee Brewers for three games and then the Colorado Rockies for three more. The games will be played at their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, in the suburb of Summerlin as their new MLB stadium continues to be built on the Strip. Kurtz hit a two-run blast in the third inning, his 12th this season, while Rooker had a solo shot in the fifth, his 10th. Jump, meanwhile, kept the Astros silent, giving up three hits and three walks while punching out three. Three relievers combined to allow one hit and strike out four.
By The Numbers
4 Gary Sánchez hit his first homer since April as the first four batters of the sixth inning hit for the team cycle in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 12-4 win over the Colorado Rockies to complete a three-game sweep.
8/10/2019 Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka went seven innings for the first time since Aug. 10, 2019, in a 5-1 win over the Washington Nationals, preventing a three-game sweep.
11-for-11 The bottom four hitters in the Los Angeles Angels‘ lineup began the game 11-for-11 and finished 13-for-15 in a 13-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. That included a 5-for-5, six-RBI performance by backup catcher Sebastián Rivero. It is the first time in the expansion era (1961) that hitters in those spots even went 10-for-10 to begin a game.
5 New York Mets rookie Carson Benge became the third-youngest player in team history with five or more hits in a game. Benge went 5-for-5, including a homer, in the Mets’ 7-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
Best Moments From Yesterday
D’Backs Wear Native American-Painted Cleats
While the City Connect uniforms are a fun way of bonding with the community, teams often do other things to make sure to honor certain segments that are important to the region. The D’backs wore hand-painted cleats on Native American Recognition Day. The painting was done by Native artists.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Tigers ace left-hander Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, made his first rehab appearance after having a new surgical procedure to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow. Pitching at High-A, Skubal went five scoreless innings, throwing 54 pitches. His target was 75, which he accomplished with a bullpen session after coming out of the game.
⚾ Los Angeles Angels right-handed starter Jack Kochanowicz (right elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list and called up left-hander Sam Aldegheri from Triple-A.
⚾ Outfielder Max Kepler, currently serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, has signed a one-year contract with the D’backs. Since he is still under suspension, he doesn’t count toward the 40-man roster, but he could begin a 20-day rehab assignment.
Articles You Should Read
Dusty Baker goes deep: A baseball lifer opens up about his triumphs and tragedies — Daniel Brown, The Athletic
Passionate Contreras hopes his fire, leadership can reignite Red Sox’s playoff hopes — Peter Abraham, Boston Globe
Dodgers show courage by permanently honoring LGBTQ+ pioneers — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times
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