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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 5/17/2024

Elly's run for the history books continues.

Christian Otteman
MLB Morning News 5/17/2024

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

Thursdays always give us a short schedule, but that just means we can focus harder on the best moments of the day. Here are some of the top headlines and best moments from Thursday’s action:

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Elly Runs Wild (Again)

 

Beginning a road series in Los Angeles, the Cincinnati Reds had their work cut out for them as they faced Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Reds had a weapon of their own, and that weapon’s name was Elly De La Cruz.

Elly was unstoppable on Thursday night, reaching base five times and collecting a career-high four steals in the contest. When he’s on base, he’s going to run. You know it, I know it, and everybody in the stadium knows it, yet it’s still extremely difficult to stop him. Unfortunately for the history books, De La Cruz was thrown out in an attempt to steal his fifth base of the night and set a Reds franchise record for thefts in a game. Still, Elly sits at a jaw-dropping 30 steals through 44 games, a feat accomplished only five other times since 1901. To save you a little math, that means he’s on pace for 110 steals. He’s making some of his preseason projections look downright silly at this point:

The Reds managed to take the first game of this four-game set 7-2, and the young speedster was a big reason for their success last night. They’ll play the second game of the series late on Friday night, so be sure to cancel any outstanding plans.

 

Schmidt Dazzles, Judge Stays Red-Hot as Yanks Sweep Twins

 

You have to feel for the New York Yankees‘ broadcasting staff, who had the near-impossible task of choosing yesterday’s player of the game as the Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 5-0 for a second consecutive shutout to complete a series sweep. On one hand, you have Clarke Schmidt, who had arguably the best outing of his career with eight shutout innings:

On the other hand, you have Aaron Judge, who followed up Wednesday’s four-hit performance by hitting two more doubles on Thursday, one of which just missed clearing the fences. Either way, it was a dominant performance from the Bronx Bombers, who became the first team in the American League to reach 30 wins. They’ll look to stay hot while they host the Chicago White Sox for a weekend series at home, while the Twins will look to get things back on track during a road series against their division rivals, the Cleveland Guardians.

 

Mets Split Series with Extra-Innings Win

 

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies completed an extended four-game two-and-two series on Thursday night, with veteran hurlers Jose Quintana and Taijuan Walker squaring off against each other. The Mets jumped out to an early lead with this Pete Alonso bomb:

After plenty of back-and-forth throughout the night, Bryson Stott came off the bench and played the hero in the ninth for the home team by singling in Brandon Marsh to tie things up. In the 11th inning, it was J.D. Martinez who put the Mets ahead for good with this single to right field:

The Mets would tack on one more, which was just enough to earn them a 6-5 road win and a series split with the Phils. Both teams will continue to weekend divisional series, with the Phillies hosting the Washington Nationals and the Mets heading down to the 305 to take on the Miami Marlins.

 

Pirates Top Cubs Ahead of Skenes’ Second Chance

 

Paul Skenes is surely the Pirates rookie getting the most press this season, but Jared Jones is turning in a fantastic rookie campaign of his own. In the first of a four-game set at Wrigley Field, Jones tossed another Quality Start and earned the Win as the Pirates beat the Cubs 5-4.

Skenes made his MLB debut against the Cubs last week in a bizarre game with a lengthy rain delay, but he’ll make his second start on Friday in a rematch against the same club. The Pirates have scuffled as of late, so hopefully their rookie phenoms can get them back on track against a solid team this weekend.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Shohei Makes Young Fan’s Night

 

Thursday night was bobblehead night for Shohei Ohtani, meaning the fans showed out in droves to get a souvenir of baseball’s biggest star. An already-special night became a lifelong memory for a young Dodgers fan, who received a surprise he’ll never forget:

Man, that’s the good stuff right there. Well done, Shohei. Who’s cutting onions in here?

 

A Big Gift from Big Papi

 

Let’s keep the good feelings rolling, this time with a gift from David Ortiz:

 

Fletcher the Knuckleballer

 

I’m not quite sure what’s going on here, but David Fletcher appears to be making a campaign to become a reliever by way of the knuckleball. I’m sickened, but curious.

 

A Menace on the Basepaths

 

This kid’s going places. Maybe not the major leagues, but places indeed.

 

Strider’s Vinyl Night

 

If you find yourself in Atlanta on August 7th, it might be a good idea to head over to Truist Park and take advantage of this awesome promotion with Spencer Strider:

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Mets sent SP Joey Lucchesi back to Triple-A Syracuse after making a spot start on Wednesday.

⚾ The Angels activated utility man Luis Rengifo from the 10-day Injured List. Expect him back in the lineup on Friday.

⚾ The Angels acquired P Roansy Contreras from the Pirates for cash considerations.

⚾ The Athletics acquired P Brandon Bielak from the Astros for cash considerations.

⚾ Brewers P DL Hall was sent to their High-A affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, to begin a rehab assignment. Minor league team names are just the best.

⚾ Brewers OF Joey Wiemer also began a rehab assignment but will do so with Triple-A Nashville.

⚾ Dodgers P Emmet Sheehan had surgery on his right UCL, ending his season. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

⚾ Mets OF Brandon Nimmo was scratched from Thursday’s lineup with a stomach bug. He’s considered day-to-day but shouldn’t miss too much time. Tyrone Taylor took Nimmo’s usual spot as the leadoff man.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

6 MLB prospects who are major-league-ready and just waiting for the call — Jim Bowden, The Athletic

Could MLB nationalize its media rights? Why some clubs are pushing to end local TV deals — Evan Drellich, The Athletic

Mock draft: Big college bats stir things up at the top — Jim Callis, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Christian Otteman

Christian Otteman is a hopelessly optimistic Cubs fan living in Milwaukee just looking to share his love of this beautiful game with others. He is especially a fan of the wild and weird things that only a game like baseball can produce. While he's not watching baseball, Christian is playing golf, hosting trivia, and working on his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Marquette University.

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