Category: Sports News

Well just as Drake Baldwin seemed to be nearing his return, the Braves will now be without Ronald Acuna for at least 10 days, with a hamstring strain. The Braves just can’t seem to get all of their stars healthy and playing well together at once, even as they are performing extremely well this season. It does seem like Ronald’s hamstring strain is fairly mild, so hopefully it will be a short absence and we can witness a fully healthy Braves’ offense in July. On the pitching side, the Braves are finally getting a look at veteran James Karinchak, who had an impressive spring and an impressive start to the season in the minors, as well as another look at JR Ritchie. While my preference would be to move Grant Holmes to the bullpen, the Braves may not yet trust Ritchie enough to hand the keys to a rotation spot until Hurston Waldrep or AJ Smith-Shawver can hopefully return successfully from their respective surgeries to quality performance.

Braves News

Ronald Acuna hit the IL, with Rowdy Tellez taking his place on the roster, as Ronald has a mild hamstring strain.

JR Ritchie returned to the majors, as James Karinchak also joins the Braves, with Carlos Carrasco DFA’d and Tyler Kinley hitting the IL with elbow inflammation.

The Braves lost the first two games of a series for the first time this season, as they fell 2-1 to the White Sox, with the offense struggling without Baldwin and Acuna.

MLB News

The Tigers and Brewers made a minor trade involving pitching depth.

The Orioles picked up former Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp on a minor league deal.

Oniel Cruz hit the IL with hand fractures and is expected to miss at least a month.

Box Score

It was a solid night for Brandon Sproat in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, but the Brewers were unable to pick up the series win, as the offense faltered after putting up an early lead and Chad Patrick struggled out of the bullpen.

Christian Yelich started the evening off with a walk, and after moving to second on a groundout by Brice Turang, came around to score and give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead on Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single.

Nick Kurtz started things off with a single in the bottom of the first, but he was wiped out on a double play from Tyler Soderstrom, and Sproat was through the first with an unconventional 1-2-3.

Gary Sánchez doubled Milwaukee’s lead in the second, slugging a leadoff homer over the wall in left to make it 2-0. David Hamilton also had a one-out double, but he was ultimately stranded at third.

Sproat picked up a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout in the second, and Jackson Chourio tacked on another run with a leadoff homer in the third, his sixth of the season and fourth this month.

Sproat got into his first real trouble in the third, as he allowed a single, a steal, and a walk to put two runners on with no outs. He was able to get out of it, though, as Alika Williams hit into a 6-4-3 double play on a tough play made by Joey Ortiz, and Sproat followed with a strikeout of Kurtz after a well-timed mound visit by Sánchez.

Things quieted down for both sides from there, as the Brewers got a two-out double from Yelich in the fourth before both teams traded 1-2-3 innings through the end of the fifth.

In the sixth, the Brewers once again threatened against reliever Luis Medina. Sánchez led off with a single, and Sal Frelick followed with another single that maybe should have been caught and probably should have been a double if anybody other than Sánchez was running in front of him.

Neither Sánchez nor Frelick would move from their spots, though, as Hamilton struck out and Ortiz hit into an inning-ending double play.

The homer bug finally bit Sproat in the bottom of the sixth, as Alika Williams hit his first career homer just over the wall in left, cutting the Brewers’ lead to 3-1. Sproat escaped the inning without any more damage, allowing a two-out single but nothing else as he was through six innings on just 68 pitches.

Even with the low pitch count, Sproat was done after six, as Pat Murphy went to Chad Patrick for the seventh. Sproat went six frames, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, striking out three. This was arguably Sproat’s best start of his career, and just the second quality start for him this season (he went 6 2/3 innings with one run allowed against the Blue Jays on April 16).

Unfortunately, Murphy’s move didn’t work out great, as Patrick — who had allowed just one run in his last 21 1/3 innings dating back to early May — allowed a leadoff homer to Carlos Cortes, a double to Zack Gelof, and another homer to Lawrence Butler, flipping the scoreboard to a 4-3 A’s lead before Patrick recorded an out. That marked the end of the night for him, as he threw just eight pitches (four strikes) and gave up three runs on three extra-base hits.

After Aaron Ashby took over and got out of the inning, the Brewers put together another rally in the eighth via a pair of hits by Frelick and Rengifo, who pinch-hit for Hamilton. With one out and the tying run on second and the go-ahead run at first, Murphy used William Contreras as a pinch-hitter for Ortiz, but Contreras hit into a double play to end the rally.

Trevor Megill replaced Ashby in the bottom of the inning, and despite allowing a leadoff double to Shea Langeliers, he was able to keep the deficit at one as the Brewers looked to mount a comeback in the ninth.

The comeback was not to be, though, as Yelich struck out, Chourio grounded out, and Turang struck out.

For the second consecutive night, the Brewers couldn’t do much of anything against the A’s bullpen. While they had plenty of baserunners tonight via 11 hits and three walks, they left nine runners on base and went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Chourio, Vaughn, Sánchez, and Frelick had two hits each, and Chourio and Sánchez had the big hits via solo homers. Sánchez and Vaughn also added a walk each, while Yelich reached twice via a double and a walk.

The pitching staff looked solid outside of Patrick, as he took his third loss of the season. Ashby and Megill each worked a scoreless inning, while Sproat held his own over six frames, allowing just the one run on a solo homer.

While this was a fun series for those who love seeing the ball fly out of the ballpark, I’m sure Brewers fans and the Brewers themselves are happy for the Crew to return home. They’ll get a much-deserved day off on Thursday before returning to action this weekend against the Phillies. Jacob Misiorowski will start opposite Andrew Painter in that one, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

The Cubs released right-hander Jeff Brigham. Brigham was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason but was injured in Spring Training and never actually pitched for Iowa or any other minor league team.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were locked in a cave by the Louisville Bats (Reds), 20-5. Yikes.

Jordan Wicks started and took the loss. Wick gave up eight runs on eight hits over 3+ innings. However, only four of the eight runs were earned. Still, it was Wicks’ own error that opened the floodgates to four of the five runs scored in the third. Wicks walked three and struck out just one.

Shortstop Ben Cowles went 2 for 2 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly. He scored twice and had two total RBI.

Third baseman James Triantos was 2 for 4 with a double and one run scored.

Left fielder Justin Dean went 2 for 3 with a double and he was hit by a pitch. Dean had two RBI.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies split a doubleheader with the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), losing game one 10-6 and winning game two 10-8. Although the doubleheader was played in Montgomery, the Smokies were the home team in game two.

Connor Schultz started game one, gave up two runs in the second and five in the third and took the loss. The final line on Schultz was seven runs, six earned, on five hits over 2.1 innings. Schultz walked four and struck out three.

Catcher Owen Ayers continues to tear up the Southern League. In game one, he went 4 for 4 with three doubles and three runs batted in.

Yenrri Rojas started game two, pitched two innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Erian Rodriguez threw the next 2.1 innings and gave up four runs on four hits. Still, that was good enough for the win. Rodriguez struck out three, hit two batters and walked two.

Vince Reilly pitched the final 2.2 innings and collected the save. Reilly allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out three and didn’t walk anyone.

Left fielder Edgar Alvarez tied the game 5-5 in the third inning with a two-run home run, his seventh. Alvarez was 1 for 4.

DH Owen Ayers didn’t slow down much in game two. In the first inning, he hit an RBI single. In the bottom of the sixth, he hit a two-run home run, giving the Smokies two insurance runs that they would end up needing. It was Ayers’ 17th home run this year and 11th for the Smokies. He finished game two going 2 for 4.

After a slow May when Ayers hit .191, albeit with six home runs, in his first full month in Double-A, Ayers is hitting .586/.657/1.138 over eight games in June. He has seven doubles and three home runs in those eight games.

Shortstop Karson Simas went 2 for 3 with a sacrifice fly. He scored one run and had three RBI.

Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was 2 for 3 with two steals. He scored one run.

First baseman Cameron Sisneros went 2 for 3 with an RBI double in the third inning. He scored twice.

A two-run single for Simas.

The Edgar Alvarez home run.

And here’s Ayers going deep for the 17th time this year already.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs fired the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 5-3. This lowers the Cubs magic number for a first-half division title down to three.

Tonight’s game started two hours and 19 minutes late because of rain, so it was played as a seven-inning affair.

Eli Jerzembeck allowed two runs in the top of the first to put South Bend down early. He finished with giving up two runs on four hits over two innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Kevin Valdez threw the final five innings, allowing just one run on three hits. Valdez walked no one and struck out eight batters, which tied his career-high.

Center fielder Josiah Hartshorn tied the game in the third inning with a two-run home run, his tenth overall and fifth with South Bend. Hartshorn was 1 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly to give him three total RBI.

DH Kane Kepley went 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk. He scored twice.

Shortstop Ty Southisene was 1 for 2 with a walk and a hit by pitch. He also stole two bases and scored one run.

Hartshorn’s home run.

Here’s Kepley’s triple, Hartshorn’s sac fly and a two-run double by Jose Escobar. Escobar was 1 for 3.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans swatted the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves), 5-2. The win snapped an eight-game Pelicans losing streak.

Braylon Myers made only his second start of the season and pitched three scoreless innings. Myers allowed just one hit and issued three walks. He struck out four.

Hayden Frank tossed the next four innings and got the win after surrendering just one run on three hits. The one run came on a seventh inning solo home run. Frank walked two and struck out one.

Right fielder Eli Lovich was 2 for 3 with a walk and one run scored.

Highlights.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Kodai Senga could be back on the mound as soon as Thursday after a minor injury setback.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Senga “felt good” after playing catch Tuesday, which is an encouraging update in the wake of his scratching from a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday due to ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm.

“He was supposed to play catch [again] today, I haven’t heard anything,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ 9-2 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field on Wednesday night. “We’ll see how he goes after he plays catch today. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s pitching in a game tomorrow or the next day.”

The right-handed starter is in the midst of his recovery from lumbar spine inflammation.

Landing on the 15-day injured list April 28 (retroactive to April 27), Senga returned to New York and played catch off the mound before the Mets opened the series against the Cardinals.

He cited increased mechanical work and practice as the reasoning for his irritation, calling it “minor” and even straying away from labeling it as an injury.

“I got some treatment and the treatment effects were a little bit greater than I anticipated,” he said through a translator. “It became a little bit more loose, so that caused the nerve sensations. It’s not like it’s inflamed, I wouldn’t say this is an injury. Going back to what I said earlier, continuing to strive for those mechanics, striving for health and getting back to the field I don’t think is too far.”

The 33-year-old had made three rehab starts — one at Single-A St. Lucie and two at Triple-A Syracuse — before he was scratched. Over those three starts, Senga posted a 5.25 ERA and allowed at least two runs in each outing.

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Not only did he walk or hit a batter in every appearance, but Senga was also unable to make it past the fourth inning in the first two starts.

RHP Jonathan Pintaro was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, while RHP Joey Gerber was returned following Tuesday night’s game.

Pintaro pitched three innings, giving up one hit — a home run to Alec Burleson — while striking out two in Wednesday’s loss.

Mendoza said the changed starting pitching rotation of Austin Warren on Wednesday and Christian Scott on Thursday was nothing more than getting hurlers like Nolan McLean an extra day.

While Scott was initially slated to start Wednesday, Mendoza said the plan was “something that we discussed over the weekend.”

“It got out that Scotty was pitching today, but they knew the plan, the Cardinals knew the plan that we were going bullpen game today, Scotty tomorrow and then Noah,” Mendoza said. “Just kind of giving those guys an extra day this early on the stretch that we’re about to go here with 22, 23 days.

“We thought it was best coming off an off-day on Monday.”

Infielder Ronny Mauricio, who is currently on the injured list recovering from a fractured right thumb, has resumed baseball activities.

“He’s now on that phase where he’s doing a lot of the baseball stuff,” Mendoza said.

This was a game that was initially defined by excellent pitching, but the bats came alive for Colorado in the final two innings, resulting in a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Chicago Cubs.

The Rockies have secured the series victory and improved to 26-42 on the season, thanks largely in part to a strong start on the mound and some late-game heroics from the rookies.

Lorenzen rebounds nicely

After a string of rough starts, Michael Lorenzen delivered exactly the type of start he needed to, not just for himself but for the Rockies in general.

Lorenzen’s night started simply as he enjoyed a quick 1-2-3 top of the first inning with a pair of strikeouts. The second inning was more of the same, as he got a couple of quick outs and a strikeout. The third inning then featured another two strikeouts as part of another 1-2-3 inning. Perfect through three, it was the second straight start for Lorenzen in which he had five strikeouts through the first three innings.

His luck ran out in the top of the fourth inning when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a towering ball to center field that kicked off the wall for a triple. Moisés Ballesteros grounded a ball to first base to score PCA to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead.

However, unlike previous outings, Lorenzen didn’t let things spiral out of control. He got Michael Busch to ground out, issued a walk to Alex Bregman, and then struck out Ian Happ to end the inning.

The Cubs threatened in the fifth inning with a one-out double from Nico Hoerner and a two-out walk to Dansby Swanson. PCA then stepped up to the plate but thanks to the height of Kyle Karros at third base, was robbed of a hit on a line drive that would have scored another run if Karros had not leaped to make the grab.

Feeling good at 84 pitches, Lorenzen didn’t come out for the sixth. He went five innings, allowing just one run on two hits with two walks and a season-high seven strikeouts. What aided his success was being able to get ahead of the Cubs’ hitters. He threw a first-pitch strike about 65% of the time while also avoiding barrels. The balls the Cubs put in play had an average exit velocity of 77.1 mph.

Hopefully, the success of this outing will give Lorenzen the much-needed confidence moving forward to turn things around on the mound.

Shota shuts things down

While Lorezen was dealing for the Rockies, Shota Imanaga was matching him for the Cubs.

The Rockies first threatened in the first inning after TJ Rumfield threw out a single and Hunter Goodman drew a walk with two outs. However, Imanaga escaped the jam with a strikeout of Ezequiel Tovar.

He then struck out the side in the second inning, while also allowing a two-out walk to Braxton Fulford. A 1-2-3 third inning was then followed by a lead-off single for Goodman and three quick outs. The fifth inning also followed suit as the Rockeis went down in order.

Imanaga allowed just two hits over five innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. The Rockies took some length at-bats and made him work as he threw 90 pitches. However, Imanaga did what he often does best and threw a lot of strikes and limited hard-hit balls.

In fact, there was only one hard-hit ball through the first five innings of the game for either team, the first time that happened in MLB this season.

Welcome back, Jeff Criswell

After Lorenzen departed, the bullpen continued to give the Rockies offense a chance to win. Brennan Bernardnio fired a scoreless sixth inning, followed by a clean seventh by Juan Mejia.

But the highlight of the night for the pen was the big-league return of Jeff Criswell.

After a long recovery from Tommy John surgery, Criswell finally stood on a major league mound as he took the ball for the eighth inning. The first batter he faced was Swanson, and he blew a fastball by him for a strikeout. He then got PCA to line a ball to right field for the second out of the inning.

But nothing comes easy.

Carson Kelly, who had entered the game in the sixth inning, drew a walk, followed by a soft-hit single by Busch. Bregman stepped up to the plate and, after a lengthy battle, popped the ball up to first base to end the inning. After nearly 18 months, Criswell managed to keep the game close in an awesome moment and was reaching about 96 mph with his fastball.

Keep on threatening

The Rockies continued to threaten the Cubs’ bullpen in the sixth inning after a pair of two-out singles from Goodman and Tovar. However, the Rockies couldn’t get a run when Cole Carrigg popped out to the catcher after launching a long foul ball to left field.

Shut down again in the seventh, the Rockies finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning after the hot-hitting Edouard Julien collected a pinch-hit single with one out. Perhaps frustrated by an earlier strikeout, Rumfield stepped up to the plate and swung at a first-pitch changeup from Jacob Webb and tucked it into the right field seats. The two-run homer was the first go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later, allowing the rookie first baseman to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead.

Ninth-inning drama

Unfortunately, the parallels of the game continued as Happ launched a solo home run on the second pitch of the ninth off Antonio Senzatela to tie the game 2-2. Senzatela rebounded nicely to escape the inning without further damage, leaving it up to the offense to look for some magic once again.

Facing Daniel Palencia, Troy Johnston managed to draw a leadoff walk. The Rockies then turned to a left-handed pinch hitter in Brett Sullivan. Sullivan attempted to bunt twice but failed and continued to battle to line a base hit into right field on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.

With runners on the corners, Sterlin Thompson was called upon to pinch hit. He fouled off the first pitch at 101.3 mph. Down 0-1 and with the infield playing in, Thompson roped a 100.4 mph fastball through the right-side hole for a base hit to drive in Johnston and secure the 3-2 walk-off victory.

He became just the fourth Rockies rookie to ever have a pinch-hit walk-off hit, the first since Ben Paulsen in 2015.

The Rockies ended up out-hitting the Cubs 9-5 while striking out 11 times and drawing just three walks. They went just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position, but that ended up being all that they needed.

Up next

The Rockies and Cubs conclude the series with an afternoon affair. Ryan Feltner (2-1, 4.22 ERA) takes the mound for the Rockies, looking to continue his string of strong starts. Edward Cabrera (3-3, 4.99 ERA) will do the pitching for the Cubs in his second start since coming off the injured list on June 5.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm MDT.

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