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We are about to step knee-deep into the pennant races. For instance, the Cincinnati Reds are facing a huge week at home as the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers come to town. The Reds have won four of their last six and are just 1.5 games out of the final NL wild-card berth. Another key series will see the Boston Red Sox visit the Houston Astros. The Red Sox hold the No. 2 AL wild card, while the Astros remain atop the AL West. Losses will seem to hurt more as the season goes along for teams in playoff battles.
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Today’s Headlines
Collins’ Walk-Off HR Gives Brewers 9th Straight Win
The opponent and the opposing pitcher almost don’t seem to matter. The Milwaukee Brewers just do what they do — win ballgames. Down 5-0 in the fourth inning, the Brewers climbed all the way back and won it on Isaac Collins‘ walk-off homer leading off the bottom of the ninth inning for a 7-6 win over the New Y0rk Mets. Collins’ blast, his first walk-off hit in MLB, came off Mets closer Edwin Diaz and not only completed a three-game sweep by the Brewers, but extended their winning streak to nine games. With the Chicago Cubs losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers now lead the second-place Cubs by six games in the NL Central. William Contreras hit a pair of homers to spark the Brewers’ largest comeback win of the season, while left-hander DL Hall shut down the Mets with 3⅔ innings of hitless relief. Collins’ blast was the first run allowed by Diaz since June 2. The loss was the Mets’ seventh straight and 11th in their last 12 games, and they now trail the first-place Philadelphia Phillies by 5.5 games in the NL East.
Pawol Makes More History, Debuts Behind Plate
A day after becoming the first woman to umpire an MLB game, Jen Pawol added to her weekend of milestones by going behind the plate to call balls and strikes. The 48-year-old, who was called up from Triple-A as an extra umpire for the Miami Marlins-Atlanta doubleheader Saturday, was the umpire at first base for the first game Saturday and at third base for the nightcap. She made her Triple-A debut in 2023, the first woman to reach that level since Pam Postema in 1989.
Raleigh Ties Bench Mark With 45th Homer
Cal Raleigh might have lost a little following his Home Run Derby triumph during All-Star Game festivities, but the Seattle Mariners‘ catcher appears to be regaining steam. The Big Dumper hit his MLB-leading 45th homer of the season, while Josh Naylor also homered and Bryan Woo turned in another quality start as the Mariners completed a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays with a 6-3 win. The Mariners have won seven straight, pulling within a half-game of the AL West-leading Houston Astros. For Raleigh, it was another noteworthy homer. His two-run homer in the first inning matched Hall of Famer Johnny Bench (1970) for the second-most homers by a catcher in MLB history. Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals holds the record with 48, well within reach of Raleigh. Naylor hit his fourth homer since coming over at the trade deadline. Woo, meanwhile, continues to be a workhorse for the Mariners. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out nine. He has gone at least six innings in all 23 starts this season, becoming the first pitcher since Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019 to do so.
Late Homers Help Jays Avoid Sweep By Dodgers
The Toronto Blue Jays, with the best record in the AL, were on the verge of being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first-place team in the NL West. But then their bats woke up from what was at that point an uneventful weekend and paved the way for a 5-4 victory. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a tying homer in the eighth inning, and Addison Barger made it back-to-back with a go-ahead shot. But the Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the eighth on Freddie Freeman’s bases-loaded walk. The Jays, though, got their biggest hit of the weekend when Ernie Clement went deep in the top of the ninth. Shohei Ohtani led off the bottom of the first with his NL-leading 41st homer, and Freeman also homered in the first.
By The Numbers
⚾ San Francisco Giants right-hander Justin Verlander recorded the 3,500th strikeout of his likely Hall of Fame career during an 8-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. He is the 10th player in MLB history to hit that plateau. Verlander entered the game three short of the milestone and got there by striking out three in the top of the first, including Nathaniel Lowe, to reach the mark. Verlander finished the day with six strikeouts.
⚾ Jose Altuve of the Astros hit his 250th career homer, a solo shot off left-hander Max Fried in the first inning of a 7-1 win over the New York Yankees. The milestone homer put Altuve one double shy of 250 homers, 300 steals, and 450 doubles. He will be the 11th player in MLB history to reach those numbers on his next double.
⚾ With an MLB-worst .349 slugging percentage in the second half entering Sunday, Cincinnati got home runs from Miguel Andujar, Spencer Steer, and Noelvi Marte in a 14-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Defensive Rangers
Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis García nearly came up with one tremendous catch, which instead was snared by center fielder Wyatt Langford. So Garcia had one to himself and made sure his stood out.
Keaschall Walks It Off; Fitzgerald’s First
One of the few benefits of selling off half your MLB roster is seeing young players take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself. Just look at Minnesota Twins rookie Luke Keaschall, who hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3. There was another moment worth mentioning as another Twins rookie, third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald, got his first MLB hit with a two-run homer in the third inning. That came after almost 3,000 minor-league at-bats.
Ryan Fitzgerald gets his first career MLB hit and it's a 2 run HR to put the Twins in front
Not Amphibious, It is Ambidextrous (IYKYK)
Athletics rookie Carlos Cortes pulled off an unusual feat for a position player. Cortes entered the game against the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement in right field. In the ninth inning, he shifted to third base. While that isn’t unusual, Cortes is a left-handed thrower in the outfield, yet switched to a right-handed thrower at third. The A’s won 3-2.
From 51 To 51
A day after the Mariners retired Ichiro Suzuki’s No. 51, the new Hall of Famer threw out a ceremonial first pitch to another Hall of Fame No. 51, Randy Johnson. Ichiro in full uniform was spectacular, as was the Big Unit donning catcher’s gear.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene will return to the starting rotation Wednesday. The flame-throwing right-hander has been out since sustaining a strained right groin on June 3, the same injury that sidelined him in May.
⚾ Philadelphia Phillies right-handed reliever David Robertson, the 40-year-old who signed just before the trade deadline, was called up from Triple-A after getting into game shape.
⚾ Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling went on the 10-day IL with a strained left oblique, putting into question whether he will make it back before or even for the postseason.
⚾ New York Yankees infielder-outfielder Amed Rosario is on the 10-day IL with a sprained sternoclavicular joint in his left shoulder.
Articles You Should Read
Living fast: Brewers keep pushing opponents to terminal velocity — Matt Trueblood, Brewer Fanatic
Rangers’ Eovaldi having his best season at 35: Here’s why — Eno Sarris, The Athletic
A’s Kurtz developing into superstar one year after pro debut — Martin Gallegos, MLB.com
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