During the wild game which ensued between the Phillies and the Cubs, the projected win percentage took many turns with Chicago outlasting Philadelphia on a walk-off grand slam by Jason Heyward . After completing a 12-for-28 road trip, Heyward raised his average from .224 to its present .261 and he’s recorded two three-hit games and a four hit outing since his return from the disabled list with 18 strikeouts and 15 walks. Of more importance, Heyward hit second on Thursday evening.
Back to the outcomes of this game. Both Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek saw their homerless streaks snapped in which they ranked first and third in the majors. Cishek had not allowed a home run his previous 53 innings before Aaron Altherr launched one in the sixth inning. Then, with the game in the balance, Morrow only worked one-third of an inning serving up a two-run home run to rookie Dylan Cozens , Morrow’s first homer allowed in 71 innings. Not to be lost in this game, Seranthony Dominguez surrendered his first walk and earned runs (two) as a major league pitcher when Kyle Schwarber walked to leadoff the ninth and Albert Almora Jr. singled off of him prior to his leaving after 1.1 innings of work.
That Just Happened
Bartolo Colón tied Juan Marichal for the most wins by a pitcher born in the Dominican Republic with 243 for their careers. Big Sexy ties the Dominican Dandy could have been the headline, but took the high road. As for Colon, he’s one win from setting the record and one strikeout from 2,500 which he could reach in his next start.
Angels rookie sensation, Shohei Ohtani , left his start after four innings due to a blister. There’s no official word if he needs to miss any starts going forward or if Ohtani will not hit as a result. But, Ohtani’s the first player in major league history to have hit at least six home runs or more with 60 pitched strikeouts prior to the end of June after last night.
Matt Kemp keeps defying the odds going 3-for-4 in Pittsburgh with two doubles, his 10th home run and driving in five during the Dodgers eventual loss. Kemp leads the National League in batting average (.353) and over his last 18 games has 13 runs, nine doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI.
For those who gave up on Ian Desmond , it may have been too soon. Desmond launched his 11th home run and he’s 10-for-30 with eight runs, three home runs and 10 RBI in his last nine games.
Eduardo Rodríguez won his seventh game and Boston’s 11 - 1 when he starts this year. Rodriguez has a 2.14 ERA his last six starts spanning 33.2 innings. Fun fact, Rodriguez is only three months older than Jalen Beeks who will make his major league debut today.
Teammate Andrew Benintendi stayed hot hitting a double and a home run (10) while driving in two during Boston’s win. During his last 20 games, Benintendi’s 29-for-77 (.377) with eight home runs.
Yuli Gurriel extended his personal hit streak to 12 games in which he’s 17-for-41 (415) and drove in two runs last night. Alex Bregman has reached base safely in his last 18 games and scored 14 runs.
A tale of two different home runs. Giancarlo Stanton hit the hardest home run this year with an exit velocity of 119.3 MPH and a launch angle of 15 degrees. As they say, one could hang their laundry on this trajectory. Evan Gattis crushed his ninth home run at 108 MPH off the bat but at a 44 degree launch, the second highest of his career. This registers as a moon shot. By the way, Kris Bryant has not homered in his last 92 plate appearances.
Entering last night’s action six for his last 34, Jurickson Profar hit cleanup and responded with three hits, two home runs and five RBI. Since April 11th, Profar’s slashing .257/.310/.500 and proving himself to be an everyday player. There will be some ups and downs as he adjusts, but Profar looks to be one of the few bright spots for the Rangers this season. Joey Gallo homered for the third straight game in Arlington raising his total to 17. Ronald Guzman hit his seventh and is 15-for-51 (.294) over his last 16 games with five home runs in his last 14 starts.
Flying well below the radar, Tim Anderson recorded two hits and stole his 13th base on Thursday. He’s one of three major league players with double digits in home runs and steals. Anderson’s pacing towards 30 home runs and 36 stolen bases in 159 games this year with 11 homers and 13 steals thus far. The other two players? Mike Trout (19 HR/13 SB) and Mookie Betts (17 HR/11 SB) seem like good company to be in.
Héctor Rondón notched his first save for Houston and first since July 24th of 2016, the day prior to the Cubs trading for Aroldis Chapman . Rondon did give up two hits in 1.1 innings but the Astros did not use Ken Giles even though he was rested. Stay tuned.
Ian Kinsler finished with two more hits including his sixth home run with two RBI. Kinsler’s hit safely in seven of his last nine games with a .341 average and four home runs in seven games with seven RBI. Justin Upton launched his 10th home run since the start of May and his 10 hits over his last 21 at-bats has raised his average from .237 to .259 in the process. He’s a streaky hitter, so ride the wave.
Burning Questions
How will Jalen Beeks fare during his Red Sox debut? Has Cody Bellinger turned the corner and due for a power surge? Do the Cardinals need to change their manager? Is tonight’s start a showcase for Cole Hamels with contenders as he faces Houston? Should deep league owners track the start by Paul Blackburn ? Can fantasy owners trust Jason Heyward ?
So many questions which will need to be resolved. Be sure to check back later for tonight’s Closing Bell in which Justin Mason will address the latest happenings in baseball to keep you ahead of your competition.
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com
Fangraphs.com
Baseball-Reference.com
BaseballSavant.co