The third weekend of August is over. This is the stretch drive action of Major League Baseball. So let’s catch up on this weekend’s action.
Weekend highlights: Arenado’s latest miracle
Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado continues to be one of the top defenders at every position, and Saturday’s big win over the Diamondbacks was a reminder of his status. In the sixth, Arizona’s Alec Thomas hit a high chopper in midfield and Arenado pulled it off with a bare-handed charge from third.
Thomas has great speed, so there was little room for error. And we can’t talk about this play without Paul Goldschmidt’s expert scoop.
As for Arenado, the nine-time Gold Glove winner is now 31, but eyesight tests and top-notch advanced metrics show he’s still best-in-class when it comes to defending hot corners. is shown. Saturday night’s play was a stark reminder of that fact.
The New York Yankees won 4-2 at home on Sunday, avoiding what would be a devastating 4-game sweep at the hands of divisional rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees held a 2-1 lead through the seventh inning thanks to strong pitching from starter Nestor Cortez, but the Jays were able to break through the tying run against the bullpen. Andrew Benintendi made it upper tank with a two-run go-ahead home run.
That timely blast was not only Benintendi’s first home run as a Yankee, but his first in 50 (!) games. Fellow Deadline addition Lou Trivino pitched 2 1/3 innings scoreless to end the game and give New York the win.
In retrospect, Saturday will mark the low point for a team that once set the pace to set an all-time record for most wins in a season. After an aggressive performance, manager Aaron Boone expressed growing frustration.
The loss dropped the Yankees to an MLB-worst 4-14 record in August, at which point the Yankees were 9-20 after the break from a 64-28 record in the first half. The result also meant that the Yankees had suffered his six-game losing streak for the first time since 1995. For that matter, his 15½-game lead in the American League East on July 8 was down to seven games. lead.
As for the Yanks’ struggles on offense, here’s Saturday’s nugget:
Sunday’s win improved all of those metrics, but the Yankees are still looking for a sustained run that looks like a team that got off to an impressive start early in the season. Perhaps unfortunately for the Yankees, the Mets are next in the crosstown schedule, with Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom scheduled to start.
Pujols continues attack on 700
Entering 2022, veteran Krautman Albert Pujols seemed unlikely to hit 700 home runs before his planned retirement after this season. caught in a general pattern of decline and faced an uncertain and possibly very limited role in St. Louis. He also recorded his 21 home runs, just short of the record achieved by his three players.
But as we worked our way into September, Pujols pushed the matter in surprising ways. His latest odds-and-age challenge was against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, when he hit 12 homers and his 13th in the season, and he hit 691 and his 692 in his career. Here is No.692:
Pujols will be in the lineup whenever a lefty starts for the opposition, and when he’s not in the lineup and a lefty reliever is in the game, he’ll be the first resort pinch hitter for Ori Marmol. He is also sometimes seen against right-handed pitchers. In other words, he will get some opportunities. Likewise, this is not a lazy compilation by Pujols. He’s been a very productive hitter so far in 2022, and his strong batting metrics suggest he can stay that way. there is.
And if he doesn’t? Don’t bet that he will come back in his 2023 and achieve notable benchmarks. “693, 696, 700, whatever I hit, I’m going to retire,” Pujols told Bob Nightingale on Saturday. If you said you would be this close, I would have said you were crazy.My career has been great.
Eight more. Pujols was not in Marmol’s starting lineup on Sunday, as right-handed Meryl Kelly was on the Arizona mound in the series finale.
Mets maintain Phillies dominance with come-from-behind victory
Sunday’s game between the Mets and the Phillies was one of the craziest of the season. The Phillies led 4-0 after the first inning and 7-4 after the fourth. It has been postponed due to rain. In the 7th inning, Mark Kana hit a three-run shot to tie the game at 7. Jean Segura put the Phillies up with a solo shot in the eighth inning. Kanya hit another home run in the top of the ninth, this time on a two-run shot to give the Mets a 9–8 lead.
Brandon Nimo followed with an insurance home run, and they needed it as the Phillies got a run in the ninth.
This meant that the Mets took 3 of 4 in the series, which, combined with the Braves’ loss, added to their lead in the NL East. The Mets now lead four games.
The Mets and Phillies have finished their regular season matchup, which looks like good news for the Phillies. The Mets won 14 of his 19 wins in his series on the season, beating the Phillies 100-63.
Dustin May shines in 2022 debut
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May returned from Tommy John surgery Saturday against the Miami Marlins. He did not disappoint:
The Marlins without Jazz Chisholm have one of the worst offenses in baseball, but May’s results are still pretty impressive considering it was his first big-league start in 476 days. Pitchers out of Tommy John are often the last ones in charge, but the 24-year-old May showed little rust, especially after the opening frame. May capped the night by striking out half of the 18 batters he faced and retiring 13 times in a row. If I hadn’t hit the 75-pitch limit imposed at the start, I definitely could have practiced much deeper.
The Dodgers are by far the best team in baseball right now, but their rotation needs what May can give. The club recently learned that ace Walker Buehler will miss the rest of the season, while franchise legend Clayton Kershaw is still working his way back from a back injury.
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