MLB News & Moments You Should Know - 7/18

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

Yes, the Mariners are Still Doing the Damn Thing

When you are as hot as the Seattle Mariners, the last thing you want is a break. Nevertheless, that is what the Mariners are getting after winning 14 straight ballgames. They got into the biggest brawl baseball has seen in a while, then they picked up a mostly overlooked, veteran first baseman in Carlos Santana, and suddenly the Mariners are within a half-game of the top wild-card spot.

The Mariners were paired up with the Rangers to play their final series heading into the all-star break, and Seattle completed the sweep on Sunday with ease. Chris Flexen pitched 3.2 innings of one-run-ball before Scott Servais began giving the bullpen some work heading into the four-day break.

Julio Rodríguez, produced the usual J-Rod experience, going 2-for-4 with a two-bagger and a pair of RBI. Newly-named all-star, Ty France connected for a solo shot, and Cal Raleigh, who has reached base at a .310 rate over his last 15 games, managed a two-run shot.

As for the Rangers, despite their big-name signings prior to the season, they seem to be going nowhere anytime soon.

Another Day, Another Blowout in the Bronx

After scoring four runs in three separate innings on Saturday, the Bombers returned to the ball-yard on Sunday and put up an eight spot in the fourth inning to go ahead and beat the Red Sox 13-2, winning the series, and heading into the break on a high note. There was no single hero in Sunday’s lineup, rather it was a combined effort with every member of New York’s starting lineup reaching base at least once and combining for 14 hits.

Gerrit Cole pitched a gem, punching out 12 batters; the only blemish having been Jeter Downs‘ first big league home run. Furthermore, after Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone spoke on his pitching staff’s inability, at times, to get Rafael Devers out, New York’s pitching staff held Boston’s slugger to an 0-for-3 performance along with two strikeouts.

Boston’s situation has been deteriorating over the last couple of weeks and may have hit a low point in the bottom of the first when Chris Sale exited after an Aaron Hicks line drive hit his hand. Sale was diagnosed with a fractured finger later in the game and his timeline is unclear at this point. With so many great players entering free agency following this season, Boston’s future is also unclear heading into the all-star break.

The White Sox are Back at .500

The White Sox may be having a mediocre year, but they still have some stellar players on their roster. Dylan Cease seems to have come into his own recently and truly shined against the first-place Twins on Sunday. Cease threw just 94 pitches over seven innings shutout innings, striking out eight, and allowing just one hit and a pair of walks. The righty was so dominant that the Twins whiffed on nearly half of the pitches at which they swung.

Chicago’s bats were similarly on their game on Sunday, having scored 11 runs on 16 hits. Yoán Moncada, Andrew Vaughn, and Josh Harrison highlighted the team’s offensive efforts, combining for three homers, seven hits, and eight RBI.

Heading into the break, despite the loss, the Twins maintain a two-game lead over the Guardians. With their win, the White Sox now find themselves at .500, in third place, and just three games back of the Twins. If Chicago finds some heat as the second half begins, they can be expected to buy before the trade deadline. While a deep playoff run may be out of the question, a serious run at the division is definitely attainable.

Best Moments From Yesterday

Draft Day’s Best Moments

Draft day on Sunday evening brought with it a few emotional moments. One such moment was when the Blue Jays selected left-handed pitcher, Brandon Barriera. As he was fighting back tears, he told MLB Network’s Lauren Gardner exactly what was on his mind.

"Those 22 teams before me, they're going to regret this." – @BrandonBarriera #MLBDraft | @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/iD1Owe989O

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 18, 2022

Nineteen picks earlier, the Pirates selected infielder, Termarr Johnson. Johnson was brought to tears as he embraced several of his family members and slipped his new jersey over his suit and tie.

The Pirates select Termarr Johnson at No. 4! pic.twitter.com/iDfWAIvLLu

— ESPN (@espn) July 17, 2022

The Ump Show Strikes Again

After getting beat by the Mets last week, Atlanta welcomed a series against the Nationals. Trying to complete the sweep on Sunday, Atlanta received no help from home plate umpire, Jose Navas, as he called this outside pitch to Matt Olson, strike three.

Jose Navas rings up Matt Olson on a ball way outside of the zone. pic.twitter.com/V0AeTLmSNI

— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) July 17, 2022

If you just thought to yourself, “well, it doesn’t get much worse than that,” you would, unfortunately, be wrong. At least Steve Cishek’s pitch to Olson above was close enough to the strike zone that Keibert Ruiz framed it. José Alvarado’s pitch, on the other hand, was so beneath the zone that J.T. Realmuto made no effort to make that pitch look like a strike. Nevertheless, Ron Kulpa called this pitch to Bryan De La Cruz a strike.