In Atlanta, we’re starting the Dom Smith for MVP campaign.
Gerald Chaney, a singer leading the Jackie Robinson celebration at the Rays-White Sox game, collapsed on the field while performing.
Reports say that Chaney is doing well while still being evaluated.
Mike Trout has, at least for the moment, found the fountain of youth.
In a four-game series at Yankee Stadium this week, he hit five home runs; overall, the Angels hit 13 homers during the series.
Speaking of the Angels, career Angels hit leader Garrett Anderson has died at 53. No cause of death given.
According to TMZ:
Not much more in the way of detail, but it sounds like it was something sudden, rather than stemming from an ongoing illness.
Ugh. Most of the Cubs games I watch are the Friday afternoon home games, and it appears this year they will be marking those hallowed occasions by wearing horribly ugly powder blue jerseys that evoke the 80s Expos, with some weird throwback or psuedo-throwback logo on the cap.
As an aside, it’s the second inning and, since 1901, the Cubs have now hit 9997 home runs in day games.
The Padres are on the verge of being sold to investment banker Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, singer and entrepreneur Kwanza Jones, for a reported sale price of $3.9 billion dollars. Feliciano is also co-owner of the English Premier League team Chelsea FC.
After the death of team owner Peter Seidler in 2023, a legal battle over ownership of the team ensued, which ultimately led to the decision to sell the team.
The sale will, of course, need to approved by the other MLB owners.
Well, they’ll never have to hire anyone to sing the national anthem.
Royals team captain and world’s most lovable human Salvador Perez had the day off today, with manager Matt Quattaro saying that he needed a “little mental breather”. (Salvy’s bat has been ice cold this season.)
Salvy on Twitter: “I don’t need a mental breather.”
I’ve liked Q since he was hired, but it’s clear he’s lost the team this season.
To pour gasoline on this grease fire, the Royals called up a third catcher from AAA after the game.
Lord, Jeff Hoffman sucks.
I don’t think it’s the same Jose Feliciano who sang a memorable version of the national anthem on October 7, 1968. 1968 WS Gm5: Jose Feliciano performs natonal anthem
You are correct. I suspect that the investment banker who is buying the Padres uses his middle initial as part of his name to differentiate himself from the singer.
In the “it can’t be worse” category, after losing 10 straight the Mets decide to sit David Peterson and pitch Tobias Myers instead. Peterson is 0-3 with a 6.42 ERA. It looks like it will be a bullpen game so it’s possible they bring in Peterson after Tobias is through the line up once. The Mets have made it clear that Peterson is not injured.
Who the heck is Jose Soriano?
5 Starts, 32.2 IP, 11 Hits, 1 Run, 39 Ks, 0.28 ERA.
2.2 WAR. Which is kinda nuts, baseball-reference. Fangraphs has him 1.1 WAR.
They are both from Puerto Rico, and have the same first and last names.
But they are not the same person, although I admit that I did a double-take when I read who is purchasing the Padres.
Yankee fans are saying “I told you so” as Devin Williams blows a save for the Mets. Going into the 9th they were up 1-0 and could have broken their losing streak. It’s now 11 straight losses.
If I’ve done the math correctly, in those 11 games the Mets have scored 19 runs. Historicslly bad.
The Mets’ offensive futility is a continuation (and acceleration) of the ineptitude that caused their middle to late-season collapse last year.
On paper at least, there’s a lot of power in that lineup*, but they can’t get on base. After hot starts, Luis Robert Jr. and Francisco Alvarez have cooled off’; Robert is trending back towards the .220+ batting averages of his past two seasons.
*no doubt their exit velocities are a thing to behold.
And of course Juan Soto has been out injured for 14 games. It looks like he will be back by the end of the month.
Yeah, it’s easy for a team to struggle offensively when their primary OBP weapon is out. Certainly that isn’t their only issue, since he can certainly blow hot-and-cold, but I don’t think the Mets lineup is nearly as bad as the past two weeks have made it look.
In happier news (for me at least), the Cardinals swept the struggling Astros and look to be an actually fun team this year. The pitching isn’t going to be nearly good enough to sustain a run towards the playoffs, but the lineup has some decent bats in it and JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn (as well as the resurgent Jordan Walker) at least give them a few players that are worth tuning in to watch.
Walker is an interesting case in that he was largely proclaimed a bust after his first few disappointing seasons in the big leagues. But he’s only 23 (Wetherholt is also 23!) so perhaps he just came up “too soon”.