The bats were hot Thursday, as hitters paced the league with 39 homers and a .185 batting average. Tigers Rookie Eduardo Valencia went deep in his first major league at bat, season Mike Yastrzemski he hit a big ninth inning for the Braves. Matt Olson he also returned to Atlanta on the day he tied the franchise record with his 740th consecutive game for the club. However, it was the Yankees’ Ben Rice who was the star of the day. Two days after signing up to compete in the Home Run Derby, Rice enjoyed his first home run of the season, hitting two against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
1. Giant bats are coming back
Wyatt Langford rejoined Rangers yesterday after missing two weeks with a pulled hamstring. Although he went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, his one hit came when it mattered most. Langford crushed a long pitch to deep left field, scoring Alejandro Osuna from the second and out game to Texas. With the win, the Rangers moved up into first place in the AL West. There is no question that having a healthy Langford in their lineup will be crucial as they fight to hold onto the top spot.
At least one dangerous bat will return from the injured list today, with Munetaka Murakami he is expected to rejoin the White Sox. The star rookie hasn’t played in a month. It looks like Minnesota could work Ryan Jeffers this evening; no announcement has been made, but Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reported that Jeffers returned to the clubhouse yesterday. The Twins selected an outfielder Kyler Fedko after their streak against the Rangers ended, leaving an open spot on their roster. Jeffers, one of MLBTR’s top trade prospects, was enjoying a strong start to the season before the Hamate fracture closed in mid-May.
2. Luzardo wins pitchers’ duel in Cincinnati
The Phillies beat the Reds 1-0 on Thursday in a game that featured excellent runs from both sides. Jesus Luzardo he went through seven scoreless innings on 96 pitches. He gave up just two hits (both singles), two walks, and a hit-by-pitch. The southpaw also struck out 11, marking his fourth double-digit hitting game of the season. Only Jacob Misiorowski again Dylan Cease have more. Luzardo was recently named an All-Star for the first time in his career, replacing him Max Meyer in the list.
Brady Singer almost dominated the Reds. He also went through seven scoreless frames, but the Phillies eventually made it to the eighth. The righty was the only starter to work past the seventh inning yesterday, and he did so on just 89 pitches. Singer, an upcoming free agent, is one of MLBTR’s Top 35 Trade Candidates. His last two starts have been solid games against the Phillies and Brewers. That didn’t really hurt his trade value.
3. Marlins keep winning
No one has been better the past few weeks than Fish. The Mariners’ sweep moved them 10 games over .500 and increased their run differential to +31, which is seventh-highest in sports. The Marlins have now won 16 of their last 20 games, tying the record for most wins in a 20-game stretch. It’s only the second time they’ve had such a run in a season, and the first time since 2004. A cynic will point out that more teams have had more 16-4 runs recently than Miami (all 29 other clubs have done it at least once since 2015), but a less pessimistic person would have to admit that a 16-4 run is always impressive. At the very least, the Marlins will enter the All-Star break tied for a Wild Card spot, and it looks as they may be real buyers during the last trading session.
