Royals, who absolutely suck on offense this season, scored in every inning (8) today in a 15-1 victory over the Phillies. The last time that happened in the majors was in 2016, by the White Sox against the Indians.
Reading an old preview for 2026 today and saw that the Guardians hit their nadir a year ago today with their 10th consecutive loss.
I still think the Guardians are the class of the AL Central. They should start to pull away and I think the ChiSox will fade.
Tigers 7.5 games out and they should probably narrow that by the All Star break to have any chance.
And the bullpen almost blew it again. The front office ignored the bullpen in the off season, and now the moves they’re making reek of desperation.
Yesterday the Royals beat the Phillies 15-1. Tonight they came back from a 9-4 deficit to beat the Mets 16-12. And, oh by the way, over the course of the last 3 games, Tyler Tolbert, a second-year outfielder/utility man, got a hit in 12 straight plate appearances, which tied a major league record. He went 2 for 2 on Sunday, 5 for 5 yesterday, and 5 for 5 today before flying out in the ninth inning to break his streak.
Prior to starting that streak he was 7-for-35, so it might have kept him in the big leagues.
The Yankees have made history again.
Coupled with their game yesterday, they’ve become the first team in history to strike out 17 times each in consecutive 9 inning games.
The Brewers swept a day-night doubleheader against the Cardinals today; they now have a 7 game lead in the NL Central over the Cubs.
In the opener, Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski went 7 innings, only giving up three hits, while striking out 11 and walking none. However, he gave up three earned runs, as all three of the guys who got hits scored (two of the three hits were home runs). He’s now at 10-4 for the season, with an ERA of 1.62, a WHIP of 0.76, and leading the majors with 167 strikeouts (30 more than the guy in second place).
A few more details: Tolbert is 28 and has fewer than 100 plate appearances in his two seasons in the majors. His career batting average, before this streak, was .247. He hit 2 of his 3 career home runs in the last two games. He raised his batting average this season from .200 to .404 during the streak, but it fell to .396 when he flied out in the ninth. 3 of his 5 hits yesterday were infield hits, one on a checked swing.
Detroit Tigers third base coach Joey Cora has left the team over “philosophical differences.”
We’re number1! We’re number 1!
Pitcher Justin Verlander has announced that he plans to retire at the end of this season.
Verlander, who returned to the Tigers – the team for which he played his first 12+ seasons – this past off-season, is currently the oldest player in the majors, at age 43. He’s only pitched once this season (on March 30th), and has spent most of the season on the IL, with a series of injuries.
He’s been named to next week’s All-Star Game roster as a “Legend” pick by the commissioner, though given his injury status, it seems unlikely that he’ll actually play in the game.
Verlander is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame: three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and a Triple Crown (wins, strikeouts, and ERA). He ranks 8th all-time in strikeouts, and #24 overall in pitcher bWAR.
Toronto’s Dylan Cease is pitching a no hitter through eight.
Whatever happens in the bottom of the ninth, he’s one of the few things that have gone right for them this year. He wasn’t great for San Diego last year but they have him a $210 million contract based on previous demonstrated talent, and he has been excellent, and is deservedly on the All-Star team.
Former MLB pitcher and longtime pitching coach Phil Regan has died at 89.
I was kinda rooting for Verlander (266) to reach 300 wins. I know it’s a ‘dead’ stat but it’s still a cool milestone. The only other active player with more than 200 wins is Max Scherzer (222) and after him comes Gerrit Cole with 156.
I guess Randy Johnson will be the last member to join that club.
The Athletic said the exact same thing this morning. You should call them and ask for a job.
I had to look it up. I thought it was Glavine.
That’s fitting, as his childhood friend Russell Wilson just retired from the NFL.
(Justin and Russell played Little League together.)
Do you have a cite for that last bit? Both of them are from Richmond, Virginia, but Verlander is 5 1/2 years older than Wilson, and at that age spread, they wouldn’t have played together – Little League is for 9 to 12 year olds, and other youth leagues also tend to limit their players to an age range of 2 to 3 years. By the time that Russell was 9, and old enough to play in Little League, in 1997, Verlander was already 14.
They might have played for the same league, but it would have been at different times, and/or different age divisions.
You know, you’re right. They are childhood friends, and in fact grew up right next to each other.
But he played baseball with Justin’s brother, and Justin played baseball with his brother. That was what I misremembered.
The Pro Bowl quarterback, who once considered a career in baseball himself, told reporters on Thursday that he’s cheering for the Astros over the Los Angeles Dodgers because of his relationship with Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who he lived down the street from while growing up.
“My brother actually played baseball with him ever since we were little,” Wilson said. “I played baseball with Ben, his little brother. We grew up together and played baseball together. . . so I think at this point, I’m probably rooting for Houston because of him and our friendship.”
So you’re right that they are too far apart in age to have played together on the same team, but they are close and played with each others’ brothers.
That’s still really cool!