Home To First: June 26th MLB News and Notes
June 26, 2017
Minnesota Twins Reclaim 1st Place: After sweeping the Indians on Sunday behind a gutsy performance from their ace Ervin Santana (10-4), the Twins have overtaken the Indians for 1st place in the AL Central. However, look for this race to go back and forth for the rest of the year.
Ray’s Bullpen Woes: In each of the last three Rays losses, their starter has left the game with the score either tied or with the lead. However, in each of these losses, the bullpen has surrendered at least 4 runs burying any chances of a win in the late innings. With their bullpen ERA now 19th best in the MLB they will need to fix these problems to have a shot at a wild card.
Giancarlo Stanton: What a pleasure it is too see this guy on the field. If he could always avoid injuries as he mostly has this season, he would be a sure bet Hall Of Famer. Yet even so, on Sunday he homered for the 20th time in 2017 making that 8 years in a row of at least 20 Home Runs to begin his career. Absolute Stud.
Detroit Tigers Officially Sellers: The Tigers have attempted to win with the relatively same formula of position players, but at 9 games under .500 it appears like their curtain has closed and it might be officially time to blow it up. J.D. Martinez is among those likely to be dealt, but could Victor Martinez or Justin Upton also be potentially moved to a team in need of another bat? Are any of their pitchers desirable (Jordan Zimmerman)
Astros Take 2 of 3: The Astros claimed the rubber match of the three game series on Sunday with the entire lineup contributing top to bottom. While the likes of Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, and George Springer often get the attention, under the radar performances from Josh Reddick and Jake Marisnick have helped them bounce back after a brief slide.
Cody Bellinger: A week after setting the MLB record for fastest player to reach 20 Home Runs (51) Bellinger has kept his torrid pace going. Shawn Green 2.0 is here an smacking multi Homer games as he did on Sunday. Bellinger is running away with ROY honors…and in the end what really matters his team is winning. The Dodgers have now won 10 straight.
Sonny Gray: Sonny Gray had a strong performance Sunday against the White Sox in Chicago turning in 7 innings of 7 SO 2 ER ball. It has been an up and down season for Gray, but performances like these reflect why he will be one of the highest priced deadline targets. Expect clubs like the Astros, Yankees, and even Cubs to make a strong push for him come late July.
Written by Paul McGovern
