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Today’s Headlines
Ronald Acuña Jr. steals 60th base
And sure, why not, he also went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBI. He needs one more home run to join some historic company.
60 STOLEN BASES FOR RONNIE ??
Ronald Acuña Jr. is one home run away from HISTORY.
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/tVSzbA83KV
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 29, 2023
Acuña is one homer away from becoming the first player to ever have 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season. The only two players to have 30 HR and 50 SB are Barry Bonds and Eric Davis.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 29, 2023
The Red Sox promote Ceddanne Rafaela
Ranked as Boston’s number three prospect, Ceddanne Rafaela, a shortstop, and outfielder, entered last night’s 13-5 blowout loss to the Astros as a late-game substitute and recorded his first hit. He was hitting .302 with a .870 OPS, 20 home runs, and 36 stolen bases across 108 games in Double-A and Triple-A.
First at-bat, first swing, first hit.@RedSox No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 77) Ceddanne Rafaela deposits a single into right field for his first Major League knock: pic.twitter.com/meDndtNeyg
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 29, 2023
José Altuve hits for the cycle
Only two weeks after becoming the third Astro in MLB history to total 2,000 hits, the Venezuelan star second baseman torched the Red Sox for his first career cycle. In 30 games since returning from the IL on July 26th, he’s slashing .380/ .460/ .579.
Jose Altuve homers to complete the cycle!
The first @Astros cycle since 2013. ? pic.twitter.com/5uoxu9kjBf
— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2023
Rangers promote Evan Carter to Triple-A
A top-ten prospect, Carter slashed .284/ .411/ .451 in 97 games with the Rough Riders. Do the Rangers call him up this year?
Happy Birthday, Evan Carter, here’s a promotion.
The #TexasRangers are expected to send MLB’s No. 8 overall prospect to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, his 21st birthday.
Scouting report and more on the OF: https://t.co/wrxz7dtPKZ pic.twitter.com/qEWOZoVyfU
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 28, 2023
Kyle Harrison dominates
The rookie left-hander made his Oracle Park debut and put on a show tallying 11 strikeouts over six and a third scoreless innings while earning his first career victory. He is scheduled to face the Padres this upcoming weekend.
Kyle Harrison has seven strikeouts through three innings. He became the first Giants starter since Randy Johnson in 2009 to open a game with five straight.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 29, 2023
Kyle Harrison, 95mph ⛽️
10th K thru 5. pic.twitter.com/ISipxn40oZ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 29, 2023
Julio Rodríguez is en fuego
Last year’s AL Rookie of the Year went yard for the third straight game and totaled four hits in a 7-0 win over the A’s. He’s hitting .544 with 20 RBI over his last 12 games. Meanwhile, the Mariners are 9-1 over the last ten and have won a club record 20 games in August while surging to the top spot in the AL West with a one-game lead over the Rangers. So much for being sellers at the deadline.
Julio Rodríguez’s five 4+ hit games are the most by a player in a 10-game span since 1900
READ THAT AGAIN
!!!
h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/ObB7rZIfW1
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 29, 2023
Julio Rodríguez’s 28 hits in his last 10 games are the most by a player in a 10-game span since Kenny Lofton in 1997
only players with MORE hits in a single-season 10-game span since 1901:
1997 Lofton
1933 Heinie Manush— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 29, 2023
Best Moments from Yesterday
What the…
Okay, probably not a best moment but certainly a bizarre one: Three fans ran onto the field in last night’s Rockies game to get a closer look at Ronald Acuña Jr. and knocked right into him. Thankfully, nothing serious happened.
Multiple fans in Colorado ran onto the field and tangled up with Ronald Acuña Jr. in right-center before being detained by security. pic.twitter.com/jaFxadmm8v
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) August 29, 2023
Johan Oviedo goes the distance
The 25-year-old Cuban right-hander led the Pirates to a 5-0 win over the Royals with a brilliant pitching performance and finished the night by getting Salvador Perez to ground out.
Final line for Johan Oviedo:
9.0IP 2H 0ER 2BB 5K
Thank you, Cardinals
— Kody Duncan (@KodyDuncanPGH) August 29, 2023
Injuries and Transactions
RHP Tony Gonsolin will undergo Tommy John Surgery.
Rockies IF Brendan Rodgers was scratched before last night’s game with an illness.
LAD DH J.D. Martinez is looking at next week’s road trip as a potential return date.
The Twins optioned RHP Bailey Ober.
Rockies OF Kris Bryant had a splint removed from his injured index finger. He’s making progress but doesn’t have a return timetable yet.
The Reds placed rookie SS Matt McLain on the IL with an oblique strain.
WSN OF Stone Garrett had surgery on both his ankle and fractured left fibula.
The Padres placed RHP Yu Darvish on the IL retroactive to August 26th with right elbow inflammation.
The Blue Jays placed Matt Chapman on the 10-day IL with a right middle finger strain.
Bo Bichette missed last night’s game with a quad injury and was scheduled to have an MRI.
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