Early Game Recaps
The Pirates took down the Brewers 2-1: In the first game of a double-header today between these two teams the Pirates were able to squeak out the win. Pittsburgh got a strong effort from its bullpen with four relievers combining for 4.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts. Felipe Vázquez slammed the door on Milwuakee to pickup his 22nd save of the year. All of the Pirates offense came in the first inning with back-to-back home runs off the bats of Starling Marte and Grégory Polanco . The best performance from the Brewers side came from Christian Yelich who finished 2-for-4 with a RBI.
The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 6-2 in 10 innings with a walk-off grand slam by Xander Bogaerts : Bogaerts finished the day 2-for-5 with the grand slam, four RBI, and two runs. He now has 15 home runs through 306 at-bats after hitting just 10 last season in 571 at-bats. He has also already matched his RBI total from last season of 62. Some other notable performances from the Red Sox side include Mookie Betts , J.D. Martínez , and Eduardo Rodríguez . Betts finished 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and a steal. Martinez smacked his 29th home run of the year with his lone hit of the day. Rodriguez tossed 5.1 shutout innings and struck out five.
The Royals beat the White Sox 5-0: Danny Duffy had one of his best outings of the season as he pitched seven shutout innings and struck out eight. Duffy continues his up-and-down season with lights out performances and outings where he gets blasted for five or more runs. On the offensive side of things, Jorge Bonifacio , Salvador Pérez , and Whit Merrifield were the standouts. Bonifacio finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. Perez smacked a two-run home run and added in a single. Merrifield stayed hot with another multi-hit effort and also stole his team-leading 17th bag.
The Rays pounded the Twins 19-6: They scored five runs in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings and had 20 hits as a team. Jake Bauers stuffed the stat sheet as he finished 2-for-5 with a home run, double, a walk, four RBI, and four runs scored. The rookie brought his average up to .264 and now has five home runs. C.J. Cron didn’t start the game but still managed to smack his team-leading 19th home run of the year and despite not having a season of 20 home runs to this point in his career, he looks well on his way to going above the 30 mark. Some other notable Rays include Mallex Smith , Adeiny Hechavarria , and Matt Duffy collecting three hits and Carlos Gómez swatting a home run.
That Just Happened
Clay Holmes provided the Pirates with six shutout innings in a spot start today and is currently in line for the win with his team leading 3-0 in the eighth inning. He struck out six and lowered his ERA from 7.11 to 3.65.
Zack Greinke hurled 7.2 shutout innings against the Braves today and struck out seven. He gave up four hits and didn’t issue a walk. The Diamondbacks are currently leading 3-0 in the ninth inning.
The Astros are leading over the Tigers 9-1 in the eighth inning currently. Gerrit Cole tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball and struck out eight. Alex Bregman continues to be a hard out as he is 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a RBI, and two runs scored.
Michael Conforto smacked his eleventh home run of the year and the Mets are leading over the Nationals 7-4 in the eighth inning. Zack Wheeler pitched 7.2 innings yielding four runs while striking out seven. He cruised through seven innings of one-run baseball before getting touched up a bit in the eighth.
Hot Streaks
*Last 7 days, entering today
Mookie Betts – 17-for-30 (.567), one home run, one steal, eight RBI, and eleven runs scored.
Wil Myers – 10-for-28 (.357), six home runs, two steals, nine RBI, and six runs scored.
Justin Smoak – 10-for-25 (.400), four home runs, zero steals, seven RBI, and six runs scored.
Alex Bregman – 11-for-29 (.379), four home runs, zero steals, eight RBI, and eight runs scored.
Starling Marte – 12-for-29 (.414), three home runs, three steals, five RBI, and six runs scored.
José Ramírez – 9-for-27 (.333), four home runs, one steal, 10 RBI, and five runs scored.
Burning Questions
Andrew Heaney got the win over Alex Wood and the Dodgers in his last start on July 8; will we see more of the same in a rematch today?
Mike Clevinger and the Indians vs. CC Sabathia and the Yankees; who comes out on top?
Jon Gray makes his return to MLB, how will he fair tonight against the Mariners?
How many runs will the Cubs score against Luis Perdomo ? It looks like a great spot to stack.
Stay tuned.