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Happy Fourth of July!
Today’s Headlines
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Mike Trout hurt his wrist.
It happened while swinging at an 0-2 pitch from Nick Martinez in the eighth inning of last night’s game against the Padres.
Mike Trout exits the game after appearing to injure his hand during his at bat pic.twitter.com/uddgYTAqCX
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 4, 2023
Mike Trout said his left wrist is still in a lot of pain. He’s waiting on the results of the X-ray. Said he’s hoping it’s just a sprain but acknowledged he’s concerned right now.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) July 4, 2023
Atlanta keeps winning.
Their 4-2 win over the Guardians pushed their win streak to nine games and they now have a nine-game cushion over the Marlins for the top spot in the NL East. Bryce Elder held the Guardians to just two runs over six and two-thirds innings. Last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, Michael Harris II, continued his hot hitting with two more home runs. The second one came on an 0-2 pitch and was hit the opposite way to left.
Michael Harris II – Atlanta Braves (9) pic.twitter.com/OAvrmoXRfc
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 4, 2023
The Braves’ ninth-place hitter Michael Harris II hit two homers tonight. Over 24 games going back to June 7, he leads MLB with a .416 batting average and ranks second with a 1.166 OPS, trailing only Shohei Ohtani’s 1.444 OPS
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 4, 2023
A pitcher’s duel between Logan Webb and Bryan Woo
Logan Webb was brilliant and totaled eleven strikeouts over six while limiting the Mariners to two runs over six and two-thirds innings. His counterpart, Bryan Woo, was equally impressive and struck out seven while keeping the Giants to two runs over six innings. With the game tied 2-2, Camilo Doval struggled in the ninth and allowed four runs. The Giants nearly came back in the bottom half, but Paul Sewald sealed the M’s 6-5 win by striking out Brandon Crawford for the final out.
Logan Webb, K’ing the Side. ?️
8th, 9th and 10th Ks. pic.twitter.com/3JhJK9ekPv
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 4, 2023
The Astros win a wild one in Texas.
The Astros boat raced the Rangers early and chased Martín Peréz from the game after only four outs. However, Cristian Javier also struggled and allowed eight runs on nine hits before leaving with two out in the fifth. The Rangers took an 11-10 lead into the ninth, but their closer, Will Smith, coughed up the lead by giving up back-to-back doubles to José Abreu and Chas McCormick. After their 12-11 win, the Astros are only three games in back of the Rangers in the AL West. Abreu also hit his 250th career home run.
José Abreu – Houston Astros (7)
pic.twitter.com/shxmrreNbT— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 3, 2023
The Mets and Mariners make a (very) small trade.
The Mets acquired RHPs Trevor Gott and Chris Flexen in exchange for lefty Zach Muckenhirn. The Mets DFA’d Flexen right after the trade; The move unloaded Flexen’s salary from the Mariners. Gott has a 4.03 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 29 innings with the Mariners. Muckenhirn debuted in May and only pitched six innings for the Mets. The 28-year-old also had a 0.88 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 15.7% K rate in 30.2 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.
June Players of the Month
Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. made it an easy decision. It’s Ohtani’s third Player of the Month Award, having also won in June and July of 2021. It’s also Acuña Jr.’s third. Blake Snell and James Paxton won the Pitcher of the Month Awards.
Shohei Ohtani: .394 AVG, 1.444 OPS, 15 HR, 29 RBI, 25 XBH
Ronald Acuña Jr.: .356 BA, 1.111 OPS, 9 HR, 22 RBI, 14 SB
Your AL and NL @Chevrolet Players of the Month for June! pic.twitter.com/UiTw8LxU80
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2023
Best Moment from Yesterday
Joey Votto feels young again.
Votto’s two-run home run helped lead the Reds to a 3-2 win over the Nationals. The Reds are tied with the Brewers atop the NL Central. The team’s elder statesman had some fun after the game.
Joey Votto: young & hip, confirmed ?
(via @Reds)pic.twitter.com/kwVJJYSg01
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 4, 2023
Ronald Acuña Jr. Steal No. 40
No, you’re not dreaming; It’s the Fourth of July, and we’ve got quite a bit of baseball left to play. He hurt his shoulder on the slide but, fortunately, stayed in the game and said he was fine afterward.
With his 40th steal, @ronaldacunajr24 just made history! pic.twitter.com/UqwLmzuE4m
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2023
Harrison Bader comes up big for the Bombers.
With the game tied 3-3 in the eighth, Harrison Bader blasted a go-ahead, three-run home run off reliever Danny Coulombe. Funnily enough, Yankee skipper Aaron Boone had called for Bader to bunt. However, Yankee fans are probably glad he took the bunt sign off.
Master of his craft, Harrison Bader. pic.twitter.com/YKLfgiAe2r
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 4, 2023
Injuries and Transactions
Riley Greene will start a rehab assignment; He’s been out since late May with a stress fracture in his left leg.
The Seattle Mariners place Bryce Miller on the 15-day IL with a blister on his pitching hand; Darren McCaughan was the corresponding call-up.
Royce Lewis was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of his left oblique.
Josh Naylor left last night’s game with right wrist soreness and is expected to undergo imaging today; The wrist soreness has lingered since he stole third base on May 31st at Camden Yards.
Dusty Baker said that Michael Brantley’s recovery from his shoulder injury has “plateaued.”
The Dodgers placed Clayton Kershaw on the IL with left shoulder soreness; He received a cortisone shot earlier this week.
Articles You Should Read
Vibe City: Positional Flexibility Adds to Excitement of Cincinnati Reds. – Randy Holt
Rosenthal: Fernando Tatis Jr.’s All-Star absence sends a message, plus other snubs. – Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic.
Fantasy Baseball
The List 7/3: Top 100 Starting Pitchers- Week 14 Fantasy Baseball 2023
Sit/Start Week 14: Reviewing All Starting Pitcher Matchups from 7/3 – 7/9
Hitters to Start and Avoid in Week 14 (7/3 – 7/9)
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)