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Today’s Headlines
Maddux to the Max
Max Fried hadn’t had the best start in Atlanta’s rotation, as he entered his fifth start of the season with a 7.71 ERA. It was all forgotten today, as Fried pitched an absolute gem to deliver a 5-0 win for the Braves against the Marlins. Most notably, he went the distance in less than 100 pitches, which was the specialty of franchise legend Greg Maddux. In fact, it has also become a trademark for Fried, who has now pitched three such gems in his career. In a game that lasted only one hour and 54 minutes, the Atlanta starter was efficient to a fault, with 69 strikes over his 92 total pitches, allowing zero walks and zero outs in the air.
Max Fried. 92 pitches.
The third Maddux of his career! pic.twitter.com/sM6djaQ7Ax
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
Webb Gem
After a somewhat tough start for Logan Webb, the NL Cy Young runner-up has quickly righted the ship, and today he delivered another fantastic start, shutting out the Mets over eight innings. The righty scattered six hits and a walk while striking out four and inducing 15 ground ball outs. He was supported by an acrobatic catch in left field by Michael Conforto, while the offense broke through in the fifth after Luis Severino had pitched four perfect innings to start the game. Webb’s strong outing has increased his scoreless streak to 19 innings, as he is now 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA for the season.
Logan Webb throws 8 scoreless innings in the @SFGiants' win! pic.twitter.com/Q8MzY0QGI5
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
Double-Digit Snakes Strike Again
In what has become a theme for Arizona, the Dbacks posted their fourth double-digit run contest in only 25 games and added to their league-leading total with a 14-1 win over the Cardinals. While Steven Matz was given an early lead and posted a couple of scoreless innings to start the game, Arizona broke through with a four-run frame in the third and then exploded for ten extra runs between the fifth and sixth. The Dbacks ended the day with 15 hits, including homers for Christian Walker, Kevin Newman, and Pavin Smith, while starter Tommy Henry cruised to an easy win with a one-run, six-inning effort. St. Louis’ plan of revamping their rotation with spotty veterans is certainly not going as planned, but probably going as expected.
The @DBacks get the win with a 14-run night! pic.twitter.com/P5Xln52Qcg
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
Best Moments From Yesterday
Capital H HOMER
Despite the Nationals owning a pedestrian 10-12 record, they have become a nuisance for many teams in this young season and even took a road series from the Dodgers last weekend. In the immediate cross-country rematch, a close game was blown wide open late by the Dodgers, with an exclamation point homer by Shohei Ohtani. Clocked at nearly 120mph and going 450 feet, the blast was the first hit by Ohtani in Nationals Park, and it will be one that fans in the nation’s capital will never forget.
450 FEET FROM SHOHEI! pic.twitter.com/vgzPH7A8Ve
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
Trout Leads by Example
A day after striking out looking with the bases loaded in the ninth, Mike Trout wasted no time in getting his comeuppance. Batting at the top of the order for the first time since 2020, Trout hit his first lead-off homer since 2012, setting the tone for what would become a 7-4 win by the Angels. Los Angeles thus broke its five-game losing streak, as Trout joined Andrew McCutchen in the former MVP hitting a lead-off homer club for this Tuesday.
Mike Trout has his 9th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/rkiNeQwAYF
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
The Joy of Facing the White Sox
At this point of the season, it should be no secret that opposing teams are salivating at every chance of playing the Chicago White Sox. With a 3-20 record and nursing a five-game losing streak, the Sox have become almost a guaranteed win for the opposition. Today, it all seemed like it could change, as Chicago chased Pablo López early and held a 5-2 lead into the eighth, where the bullpen is arguably their only strength. Alas, Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and then Byron Buxton hit his first dinger of the season to tie it in the ninth. With two outs and a runner on third, Alex Kirilloff completed the comeback and walked it off for the Twins, adding a new layer to Chicago’s nightmare year.
The @Twins score twice in the 9th for the #walkoff win! pic.twitter.com/Q3YwUSkEGy
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
An Elly Moonwalk
During these days when full moons are all the rage, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz honored the occasion with a bit of showboating, giving us his best moonwalking impression, followed by an emphatic bat toss. While the Reds already had a comfortable lead when the homer occurred, it served as an exclamation point for an eventual 8-1 victory, which snapped Philadelphia’s seven-game winning streak. When you are having a season like Elly’s, you are allowed to strut a bit.
Elly Swag 😤
(MLB x @SportClips) pic.twitter.com/yLaHbuWm5l
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024
Every Dog Has its Day (in the booth)
Most teams nowadays host at least one yearly Bark at the Park event at their stadiums, and they usually produce a good number of adorable photo ops and smiles around baseball. Today, the Nationals broadcast team took it to a new level, with play-by-play man Dan Kolko bringing in his rescue dog Pablo (awesome name, by the way) and fitted it with a headset. Unofficial reports suggest that Pablo was better than at least a few human announcers.
the dogs back at the park will never believe this one pic.twitter.com/foucMgldk9
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 24, 2024
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ The Cubs moved two veteran pitchers to the 15-day IL, as Kyle Hendricks suffered a lower back strain and Drew Smyly has a hip impingement. Hendricks, who has been dreadful and sports a 12.00 ERA over five starts, will probably be covered by Hayden Wesneski in the rotation. Meanwhile, Smyly’s spot in the bullpen will be taken by Luke Little, who was called up in a corresponding move.
⚾ Following an initial placement on the 10-day IL, Boston slugger Triston Casas is likely to be transferred to the 60-day variety, as an MRI revealed a left rib fracture. He now joins the list of Red Sox players facing a lengthy absence, along with Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, Vaughn Grissom, and Nick Pivetta. With Casas out, most of his at-bats should go to Bobby Dalbec, who owns a career .224/.291/.434 career slash line.
⚾ The Mets announced that catcher Francisco Alvarez had surgery on his injured left thumb, which will effectively sideline him for up to eight weeks. While Alvarez had originally been placed on the 10-day IL, he will probably be moved to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. In the meantime, Tomás Nido will serve as the primary catching backup.
⚾ Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu was all set up to start a rehab assignment today, but it went as poorly as it could. The veteran was only able to play one inning on defense and take one at-bat, leaving the game with right foot soreness. While it may have been a precautionary measure, it is likely that LeMahieu’s absence will be longer than expected.
Articles You Should Read
The Dodgers are Struggling out of the Gate – Again — Jay Jaffe, Fangraphs
The Retirement of a Very Good Boy — Rob Terranova, MLB.com
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