Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
+

MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/9/2024

Pedro Grifol's exit marks a changing of the guard for the White Sox.

Christian Otteman
MLB Morning News 8/9/2024

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

 

White Sox Fire Grifol, Sizemore Takes Over

 

The Chicago White Sox have produced one of the worst seasons in MLB history this year. After flirting with the record for the longest losing streak in major league history, it’s no surprise that big changes were soon to come on the South Side of Chicago. One such change was announced Thursday morning as manager Pedro Grifol was relieved of his duties by the team:

Grifol’s tenure with the White Sox was not a successful one, but to his credit, the organization did not do much to put a competitive roster around him. While the team won’t name a long-term manager until sometime this off-season, they announced former all-star Grady Sizemore as the interim manager for the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as several other changes to the coaching staff.

While he’s spent this season as part of the White Sox coaching staff, this is Sizemore’s first shot at a full-time managing gig in the majors. Sizemore’s journey to this role is an interesting one, as his coaching career began with a $15-an-hour internship with the Diamondbacks. It won’t be an easy task, but Sizemore has a chance to showcase his knowledge and managerial abilities for the last months of the season.

With the Grifol era over in Chicago, the winds of change are starting to brew in the Windy City. While the future is uncertain for the White Sox, a change can do great things for a franchise. Whether any future changes involve shake-ups at the higher level or a relocation to another city is yet to be seen, but at least fans of this historic franchise can look forward to something different.

 

Brewers Surge to Sweep in Atlanta

 

The Milwaukee Brewers went berserk in their first two games at Truist Park this week, and the onslaught continued on Thursday with a 16-7 beatdown of Atlanta. Milwaukee recorded 20 hits on Thursday, including a pair of home runs by red-hot rookie Jackson Chourio:

Milwaukee was the first team since 2016 to record 16 hits or more in every game of a three-game series, putting their surprisingly elite offense on display for 27 innings straight. The victory sent Milwaukee to 65-49, good enough for a 6.5 game lead in the NL Central, while Atlanta falls to 60-54, putting them officially outside of the playoff picture for the first time in over two years:

The Brewers will head home to Milwaukee to play host to the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, while Atlanta will head to Coors Field to try and get back on track against a very hittable Rockies pitching staff.

 

Alonso’s Onslaught Leads Mets past Rockies

 

Atlanta has fallen outside of the Wild Card race, which means one team had to overtake them and take that oh-so-coveted third spot. Following an offensive outbreak on Thursday, that spot belongs to the New York Mets, thanks largely in part to Pete Alonso’s destruction of a couple of baseballs:

 

Just how hard were those baseballs hit? Well… see below. Baseballs travel far in Coors Field, don’t they?

 

With eight extra-base hits in Thursday’s contest, the Mets move to seven games above .500 at 61-54 and put themselves in a prime position to make a run at the playoffs. They’ll travel even farther West this weekend as they face the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series.

 

West Coast Walk-Off

 

While many in the Eastern Time Zone were sound asleep, there were likely some Detroit Tigers fans who stayed up to watch them take on the Seattle Mariners. Taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers had Will Vest on the mound to close things out against Mitch Haniger. Down to his last strike, Haniger slapped a ball to right field, and the rest is history:

 

 

It wasn’t your stereotypical walk-off (Ryan Vilade would be the first one to tell you he should have kept the ball in front of him), but it was a big win for the Mariners as they try to keep pace with the Houston Astros in the AL West. Currently tied at the top of the division, the Mariners will host the Mets this weekend in a tougher test, while the Tigers will travel South to the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco Giants.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Defensive Wizardry

 

The Mets got the last laugh in Thursday’s contest but it was the Colorado Rockies that turned in the defensive highlight of the game, thanks to a wacky double play courtesy of Ezequiel Tovar:

 

Rizzo Rules

 

There are few better human beings in the world of baseball than Anthony Rizzo. Case in point:

 

Vladdy Hits 20

 

One of the summer’s hottest players, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 20 games with an opposite-field double in the first inning of Thursday’s game. He’d add a home run and a double to fall just shy of the cycle:

 

Changing of the Guard

 

In today’s edition of random baseball tidbits:

 

A Presidential Day Off

 

The Texas Rangers were one of a handful of teams with the day off on Thursday, though it was still an eventful day for the defending champs. The Rangers visited the White House to celebrate their World Series victory, giving us plenty of great photos and moments:

 

 

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Pirates sent standout rookie SP Jared Jones on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. It’ll likely be a couple of weeks before we see Jones with the big-league club again, but this is a step in the right direction.

⚾ Pirates placed RP Colin Holderman on the 15-day IL with a right wrist sprain and also designated OF Edward Olivares for assignment.

⚾ Atlanta designated OF Eddie Rosario for assignment.

⚾ Red Sox activated SS Vaughn Grissom from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.

⚾ Atlanta recalled SS Eli White from Triple-A Gwinnett.

⚾ Rays activated RP Richard Lovelady from the 15-day injured list.

⚾ Mariners activated OF Dominic Canzone from the 10-day injured list.

⚾ Yankees SS Anthony Volpe fouled a ball off of his foot and left the game Thursday, but X-rays thankfully came back negative.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Bryan Sammons’ long journey to the majors embodies the soul of the game — Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic

5 fascinating storylines in baseball right now — Will Leitch, MLB.com

Dear Hitters: It’s Okay to Take a Break — Kiri Oler, Fangraphs

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Christian Otteman

Christian Otteman is a hopelessly optimistic Cubs fan living in Milwaukee just looking to share his love of this beautiful game with others. He is especially a fan of the wild and weird things that only a game like baseball can produce. While he's not watching baseball, Christian is playing golf, hosting trivia, and working on his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Marquette University.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Account / Login