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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 7/15/2024

Preparing for the HR Derby, nine players hit multi-homer games.

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 7/15/2024

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

Today’s Headlines

 

At the Top? From Down Under

 

With all games finishing early, the stage was set up for the MLB Draft in prime time. There were few surprises among the top picks, with second baseman Travis Bazzana, an Australian native, going first to the Guardians. He was followed by Chase Burns and his impressive strikeout totals to the Reds, while reigning Golden Spikes winner Charlie Condon was selected third by the Rockies. Among other notable picks, the Royals took two-way sensation Jac Caglianone, the Pirates took a flier on high-school speedster Konnor Griffin, and switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje headed to Seattle with the 15th pick. While these players will probably need months and even years of preparation to reach the majors, the dream has officially begun.

 

 

Yankee Collapse

 

In what had been a tense battle atop the AL East, the Yankees had a prime chance to sweep the Orioles and take all the momentum towards the All-Star break. It all started as a low-scoring affair that had Baltimore leading 3-2 following an Anthony Santander homer in the fifth, and with the score remaining intact until the ninth, closer Craig Kimbrel coughed up the lead in tough fashion, as a Ben Rice three-run blast had the Yankees back in the driver’s seat.

With Clay Holmes coming in, a shaky outing saw him load the bases with two outs, and that is when New York began one of the roughest defensive sequences you’ll ever see. Facing an 0-2 count, Ryan Mountcastle hit a harmless grounder to short, but Anthony Volpe booted the ball and everyone was safe. Holmes buckled up and appeared to dominate Cedric Mullins on a routine fly ball to left, where Alex Verdugo one-upped Volpe in dramatic fashion, as he misjudged the ball and slipped, allowing the tying and winning runs to score. This is how the Yankees turned a memorable comeback into a devastating loss, while the Orioles will go into the break as the best team in the AL East.

 

 

Little League Walk-Off, Snell’s Bells

 

To end the first half of the season, the Giants completed a 3-3 homestand that keeps them within striking distance of a playoff spot. Two of those wins came via walk-offs, with Tuesday’s being a wild pitch and today’s featuring an ill-advised dive followed by an even more ill-advised throw to third base.

As Mike Yastrzemski hit a long fly ball to center field, Minnesota’s Manuel Margot tried to make a highlight catch and came up short, allowing Yaz to go for third in what appeared to be an easy triple. As he slowed down to step on the bag, rookie Brooks Lee took the ball as the cut-off man and threw erratically to third, sending the ball straight to the dugout and allowing the Giants to score the winning run. This whole sequence was only made possible by a Camilo Doval blown save, denying Blake Snell of a much-deserved win. Snell delivered his second straight vintage start, this time retiring the first 18 batters and leaving with only one hit allowed over seven innings, with eight strikeouts. While the win was certainly big for San Francisco, a possible Snell resurgence may end up becoming the true highlight of today’s game.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Little League Walk-Off Part II

 

As the Tigers prepared for a bullpen game against the mighty Dodgers, a three-run ambush in the first inning against opener Beau Brieske seemed perfectly logical and expected. However, LA’s bats cooled off from there, managing only three singles and three walks for the rest of the game, as five Detroit relievers hung zero after zero. Simultaneously, Dodger pitchers, also in a bullpen game, were almost as stingy, limiting the Tigers to six hits and two runs entering the ninth.

With Yohan Ramírez taking the mound for a second inning of work as the closer du jour, it all went south quickly. A Zach McKinstry triple opened the inning, and was quickly followed by a Justyn-Henry Malloy single that tied the game. Dave Roberts somehow stuck with Ramirez, who made a fielding error on a sac bunt to give Detroit two men on base, and followed it up with a throwing error that gifted the Tigers a win. Good thing that the high-leverage Dodger relievers can finally get some rest.

 

 

Vlad the Heartbreaker

 

In a season of cynicism and disappointment, the Blue Jays appeared en route towards yet another crippling loss. Starter Yusei Kikuchi was staked to an early 7-0 lead after foe Zac Gallen had a rare hiccup, punctuated by a Kevin Kiermaier grand slam that appeared to secure the win.

Instead, Kikuchi could not survive the fifth, allowing four hits, three walks and a hit batter, as the Dbacks shockingly tied the game with an impressive seven-run barrage. Despite all this momentum and facing the maligned Toronto bullpen, Arizona would not score again, as five Jays relievers combined for 5.1 scoreless innings. In the top of the seventh, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who could become this year’s most coveted trade target, reminded us of his prodigious power, hitting a game-winning monster homer that not even the Arizona humidor could stop.

 

 

YCPB

 

In one of the most inexplicable sequences of the year, the 37-61 A’s just took a road series against the 62-32 Phillies, with the rubber game becoming a nightmare for Philadelphia. It started innocently enough, with a Trea Turner solo homer giving the Phils a 1-0 lead that carried into the fourth inning, before Oakland suddenly became unstoppable. The A’s scored at least twice during each of the final six frames, finishing with 18 runs and 11 extra-base hits, including multi-homer efforts from Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, and Lawrence Butler. The 18-run explosion has given the A’s the three highest-scoring games of the season, which is as you-can’t-predict-baseball as it comes. In their other 95 games in 2024, they have averaged 3.5 runs.

 

 

Michael Three-oglia

 

It is usually hard to find positive Rockies highlights, but today it seems that they decided to have an internal competition in headline-generating performances. It all started with Germán Márquez, who became the all-time strikeout leader for the franchise, even as Colorado remains the only team without a career 1,000-strikeout pitcher. Then Ezequiel Tovar hit a couple of two-run homers, with both swings becoming the most important plays of the game in terms of win probability added. However, Michael Toglia took it a step further, hitting three solo long balls to add the final exclamation point for the eventual 8-5 victory that secured a series win in Queens. During the three games, the Rockies established a new franchise record by hitting 12 homers, which appears hard to believe considering their home stadium.

 

 

A Trout Sighting

 

Mike Trout is inching closer to his return in 2024, as the Angels have announced that the former MVP has resumed baseball activities and should take the field within the next month. Before that happens, the usually attention-averse Trout has made a rare commercial appearance, appearing in a promo for the movie Twisters. As hardcore fans know, Trout is a true weather buff, and it is likely that the 90’s hit movie Twister played a role in that. With the remake/sequel set to hit theaters, this collaboration was probably too obvious to ignore.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Carlos Correa was not available for a second straight game, and what had originally been disclosed as a bruised right heel has now been announced as plantar fasciitis in Correa’s right foot. The star shortstop had similar issues in 2023, though they affected his left foot, and led to a disappointing first year in Minnesota. Even as Correa has downplayed the severity of this injury, he will be held out of the All-Star Game, with Corey Seager serving as his replacement. In more Twins’ news, José Miranda was placed on the 10-day IL due to a lower back strain, though he should return right after the break. 

⚾ Following a brief stint trying to revive his career, lefty Dallas Keuchel has been designated for assignment by the Brewers. He posted a 5.40 ERA over four starts, which were not enough to keep a spot on the roster over other internal options, and now his spot will be taken by reliever Joel Kuhnel. Keuchel will probably elect free agency and try to sign with another pitching-needy team, especially if he can find a long relief role. 

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Are Delayed Steals Coming More Quickly? — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs0

Home Run Derby FAQ — Manny Randhawa, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

Week 16: The Stash List

Week 16 FAAB Insights

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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