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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/30/2024

Check out the top MLB news from 8/29

Steve Drumwright
MLB Morning News 8/30/2024

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

While questions might surround the future of Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington, fans in the Steel City are unlikely to get their wish of owner Bob Nutting selling the team. At least that is the opinion of Mark Cuban, the Pittsburgh native and billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Cuban tried to purchase the Pirates in 2005, but was thwarted by then-owner Kevin McCarthy. Cuban claims the Pirates make a profit of $25 million a year by keeping their payroll low, among other things. How much will that change with a superstar young pitcher on the roster? This offseason will be very telling.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Phillies Maintain Control In Opener

 

In what amounts to a last chance for Atlanta to have a shot at winning a seventh straight National League East title, Matt Olson flexed his muscles with a pair of homers and staked the team to a 4-0 lead in the opener of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the Phillies still had time for a comeback. Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth and Nick Castellanos followed with a two-run shot in the seventh that sent the Phillies to a 5-4 triumph over Atlanta. That boosted the Phillies’ lead over Atlanta in the NL East to six games with each team having 28 games left, but none following this series. The good news for Atlanta is it is still holds the last NL wild-card spot, three games clear of the New York Mets, who had a big win (details below).

 

Mets Rally In Desert

 

After a tough loss the night before, the Mets found themselves in one of those games that seems to define a run at a playoff spot. Jose Iglesias grounded a go-ahead single off the glove of shortstop Angel Perdomo with two outs in the top of the ninth as the Mets knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2. It gave the Mets two wins in the three-game series against the D’backs, who are the No. 1 NL wild-card team. Edwin Diaz, who walked two and gave up a go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll in an 8-5 loss Wednesday, pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save of the season.

 

Francis Fires Another Gem

 

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis jumped onto everyone’s radar when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning Saturday. He might stay there if he continues to keep pitching this way. Francis tossed another 5.1 hitless inning to spark the Blue Jays to a 2-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. Francis allowed just a one-out single to Nick Sogard in the sixth during his seven shutout innings. After striking out 12 last start vs. the Los Angeles Angels, Bowden added five more strikeouts against Boston. It continued a streak of four scintillating starts for Bowden.

 

Dodgers First To 80 Wins

 

It hasn’t been easy for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. But no one has sympathy for the team with the highest payroll in MLB history. Now, with the calendar about to turn to September, everything becomes more meaningful. So with a 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, one of the top teams from the AL, the Dodgers head into a big series with the D’backs this weekend. It gave the Dodgers an MLB-best 80 wins, just one more than the Phillies. Following a 7-2 homestand, the Dodgers have a four-game lead over the second-place D’backs and five over the third-place San Diego Padres.

 

Butler’s Hat Trick Not Enough As Reds Upend A’s

 

Unlike much of 2023, there are several positives that are emerging during this Oakland A’s season. First, they aren’t the laughingstock of the American League, nor their division. Some of that can be attributed to the offense provided by right fielder Lawrence Butler. In his second year in the majors, Butler had his second three-homer game of the season. But it came in a game in which the A’s blew 5-0, 6-1 and 9-7 leads, getting walked off by TJ Friedl and the Cincinnati Reds 10-9. Friedl grounded a hard single to right field between two diving A’s defenders to score two runs for the win. Butler had five homers in the three-game series and has 19 on the season.

 

Waiver-palooza!!! (Refined Era)

 

No team went to the extremes that the Los Angeles Angels did last year, placing a handful of players on waivers and hoping they would get claimed in an attempt to get under the luxury tax (it was just barely successful). But Friday was the last day to put players on waivers so they could get claimed and be eligible for the postseason since Sunday is Sept. 1. Players have to be in an organization before Sunday in order to be on a postseason roster. This year’s last-minute additions to the waiver wire, according to various reports, include St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham, Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez, and a pair of players from the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, outfielders Travis Jankowski and Robbie Grossman.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Whiff Of A Mountain

 

In case you didn’t hear, left-hander Rich Hill is back in the majors with the Boston Red Sox. After posting an 8.23 ERA in 2023, things could have been over. But in what might be his final hurrah, the 44-year-old made his season debut, striking out two in 1.1 innings of a 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. That prompted the folks running MLB social media to dig out career strikeout No. 1, Carlos Delgado of the Florida Marlins, in 2004 and put it next to the first batter he faced Thursday, Daulton Varsho of the Toronto Blue Jays, whom he also struck out.

 

Round-number Alert

 

Reigning World Series MVP Corey Seager of the Rangers clobbered his 200th career home run, a solo shot vs. the Chicago White Sox in what would be a 2-1 Texas victory. He became the first left-handed-hitting shortstop to accomplish the feat. It was his 30th homer this season.

 

Commissioner Castellanos Says …

 

What would players do if they could be commissioner of MLB for a day? The Phillies’ Nick Castellanos has a very unique idea.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Rangers ace right-hander Jacob deGrom (Tommy John surgery) will make his next rehab start Sunday. It could be his last rehab appearance before rejoining the Rangers’ rotation.

⚾ Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow (right elbow tendinitis) will play catch Friday in an attempt to return this season.

⚾ San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (strained right oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list. Catcher Andrew Knapp was designated for assignment.

⚾ Right-hander Casey Kelly, the 34-year-old who made his first MLB appearance since 2018 last weekend, was DFA’d by the Cincinnati Reds.

⚾ The Los Angeles Angels are calling up two top prospects to make starts this weekend. Left-hander Samuel Aldegheri, 22, will go Friday and become the first MLB player to be born and raised in Italy. Right-hander Caden Dana, 20, the Angels’ No. 1 prospect, will start Sunday.

⚾ Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker is being moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

After struggling in minors, Myers emerges to key Brewers — Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic

When they score: Part 1, Innings — Rob Mains, Baseball Prospectus

Diamondbacks primed to take down Dodgers again — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times

Morton has hit most batters of active pitchers, yet opposing players love him — Daniel Brown, The Athletic

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Steve Drumwright

Steve Drumwright is a lifelong baseball fan who retired as a player before he had the chance to be cut from the freshman team in high school. He recovered to become a sportswriter and have a successful journalism career at newspapers in Wisconsin and California. Follow him on Bluesky and Threads @DrummerWrites.

One response to “MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/30/2024”

  1. J.C. Aoudad says:
    August 30, 2024 at 11:55 AM

    Tony Clark seems nice enough … but the next head of the MLBPA must have establishing a salary floor as an objective.

    Reply

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