George Springer (TOR): 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
After spending a year and a half splitting “home” games between Buffalo and Florida, the Toronto Blue Jays finally returned to Rogers Centre last week. Since then, George Springer has gone on an absolute tear, quickly endearing himself to the Blue Jays faithful. Since his debut in Rogers Centre, Springer has posted a ridiculous slash line of .560/.571/1.240. Last night he was just a triple shy of the cycle, finishing the game with a line of 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Baseball is a repetition-based sport, and when a player is not getting consistent reps it may take him a while to get comfortable at the plate. After missing the early portion of the season with leg problems, Springer seems to finally be feeling right at the dish. He has also cherished his role as the leadoff man, saying “I was groomed to hit first my whole career. I understand it’s the same thing as any other at-bat. I just happen to hit first” (TSN). Springer has hit leadoff home runs in his last five games and is hitting .375 as the leadoff batter for Toronto.
When asked about the impact of playing in front of home fans, Springer said “We’re energized, to have the guys that we do on our roster now, to be back home and in our home ballpark with our home fans. That’s obviously huge. I just think that our team understands every game is important, and we’re playing for our lives every single day. We have to bring the same attitude, the same aggression every single day” (MLB). The combination of Springer getting healthy, moving to the leadoff spot, and being reinvigorated by the Toronto fans makes him a prime candidate to go on a tear to finish the season.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Wednesday
Jonathan Schoop (DET): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, 2 BB.
With his seventh-inning solo home run, Schoop was responsible for the only Tigers run of the game last night in Detroit’s loss to Boston. Last night’s home run was his eighteenth of the year, but just his third since the beginning of July. He now has a four-game hit streak after his sixteen-game hit streak was broken on July 30.
Kyle Tucker (HOU): 2-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB.
Houston looked dead in the water last night, facing a 7-1 deficit to the defending champion Dodgers early in the game. Tucker and the team fought back, but it was not enough as Houston fell 7-5 to Los Angeles. Tucker picked up an RBI with a single in the fourth and hit a two-run home run in the ninth to cut the Dodgers lead to two runs.
Dansby Swanson (ATL): 4-4, 3 R, SB.
The former first overall pick showed why he was such a highly-touted prospect coming into the league last night, Swanson was a perfect 4-4 on the night with a stolen base for Atlanta. The shortstop has been red hot recently; he is slashing .382/.424/.573 with four homers, 16 RBI, 12 runs, and two steals in his last 14 games.
Nolan Arenado (STL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Arenado was most of the offense for St. Louis last night; his home run in the first inning brought in three of the four runs the Cardinals would score in the game. The home run was his 21st of the season. While his power numbers remain strong, Arenado has been a less productive hitter this season than in years past.
Bryan Reynolds (PIT): 2-2, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB.
Reynolds scored Pittsburgh’s only two runs in the Pirates 4-2 loss to Milwaukee last night. He reached base in each of his four plate appearances with a single, a triple, and two walks. The 26-year-old is having an exceptional season in all phases of the game. He ranks in the 98th percentile in defensive outs above average, the 87th percentile in sprint speed, and the 92nd percentile in xwOBA.
Luis Arraez (MIN): 3-3, 2B, R, 2 BB.
Arraez did everything he could to keep his team in the game last night, but the Twins would fall just short in a 6-5 loss to the Reds. He reached base all five times he stepped up to the dish, with two singles, a double, and two walks. Arraez is a tough out because unlike many of the league’s top players, Arraez’s has a whiff rate of just 10.3%, meaning you will rarely catch him swinging and missing.
Oscar Mercado (CLE): 4-5, HR, 2 R, RBI.
Down 8-0 going into the eighth inning, it looked like last night’s game between Cleveland and Toronto would be a laugher. Then, Cleveland rallied back with four runs in the eighth, and Mercado hit a two-run blast in the ninth to make it 8-6. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the comeback effort would stop there, but Mercado finished the night with four hits.
Bryce Harper (PHI): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
Harper once again beat up on his former team in the Phillies’ 9-5 win over the Nationals. Harper scored twice and drove in two runs in his three-hit performance. He now has a five-game hit streak and is 8-16 to start the month of August, with 6 of those 8 hits going for extra bases.
DJ LeMahieu (NYY): 3-5, 2B, R, 4 RBI.
LeMahieu had a clutch performance for the Yankees last night. He drove in at least one run with each of his three hits, including RBI singles in the fifth and seventh to tie the game and give the Yankees the lead. This is the first time LeMahieu has had multiple hits in consecutive games since June 26-27.
Thoughts on Edward Olivares?