New York – Steven Kwan singled home the tiebreaking run with two outs in the seventh inning, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the slumping New York Mets 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Kyle Manzardo and Gabriel Arias each had an RBI single off starter Clay Holmes in the fourth as the Guardians erased an early 2-0 deficit. They won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 18-7 since snapping a 10-game losing streak on July 7. Cleveland trails Detroit by seven games after the Tigers lost 6-3 to the Twins.
Pete Alonso had a sacrifice fly in the first for the Mets, who have dropped seven of eight and are 1-4 on their six-game homestand. They fell 2 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.
Alonso remained at 251 career homers, one shy of Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record.
Mark Vientos doubled leading off the second and scored on Tyrone Taylor’s single, but New York’s offense went silent after that against starter Logan Allen and four relievers.
Matt Festa (3-2) struck out two in a perfect sixth, and Cade Smith worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.
Cleveland broke a 2-all tie by stringing together three consecutive soft singles off Tyler Rogers (4-4) with two outs in the seventh.
Crochet, Story lead Red Sox to seventh straight win
Boston – Garrett Crochet scattered four hits over seven innings and Trevor Story hit a blooper into center field to break a sixth-inning tie on Tuesday night and led the Boston Red Sox to their seventh straight win, 6-2 over the Kansas City Royals.
Crochet (13-4) struck out eight to win his ninth consecutive decision and help Boston win for the ninth time in 10 games. Story drove in two runs in the sixth and and added another RBI single in the three-run seventh, when the Red Sox took a 6-2 lead.
Ryan Bergert (1-1) gave up two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out two in 5 2/3 innings. He walked Alex Bregman with two outs in the sixth, then Angel Zerpa came in and gave up a double to Wilyer Abreu before Story lofted one over the second baseman’s head to make it 3-1.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh on two walks and Jarren Duran’s single off the shortstop’s glove. Abreu hit a popup that fell between the out-sprinting second baseman and hard-charging right fielder to score two runs, then Story singled in another run to make it 6-2.
The Red Sox are 13 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2021 season.
The teams finish the series and the Red Sox go for their second straight sweep when trade deadline acquisition Dustin May (6-7, 4.85 ERA) makes his Red Sox debut against Kansas City’s Michael Wacha (5-9, 3.38).
Athletics’ Langeliers homers three times
Washington – Shea Langeliers homered three times and finished with five hits in his first game batting in the leadoff spot, and the Athletics pounded the slumping Washington Nationals 16-7 on Tuesday night.
Langeliers opened the game with a drive to center off MacKenzie Gore for his 20th homer. The 27-year-old catcher hit another leadoff shot in the fifth and the seventh.
Langeliers scored four times and finished with 15 bases. He became the fourth catcher with multiple three-homer games in a career – joining Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Gary Carter, and Travis d’Arnaud. Langeliers and d’Arnaud are the only two to hit three from the leadoff spot.
Langeliers also connected for three homers in a 4-3 victory at Texas on April 9, 2024.
MLB contenders watch for fatigue
Chicago – At age 34, former Tiger Matthew Boyd is going back to what was once familiar territory for the left-hander. He has logged 130 2/3 innings so far in his first season with the Chicago Cubs, more than he totaled in the previous two years combined.
It’s a workload jump that goes against what had become conventional wisdom in the majors, where teams have frequently capped pitchers’ innings in hopes of keeping them healthy.
“Things have been going great,” Boyd said. “And I think it’s like none of us know what’s ahead. And that goes for everybody.”
Boyd’s workload is worth watching as the Cubs try to rally in the NL Central race and go on a deep October run. He is among a group of pitchers going through a spike in innings in the heart of the playoff picture.
After spending most of his career as a reliever, Clay Holmes has 117 1/3 innings going into his 23rd start for the Mets on Tuesday night. Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo is up to 127 innings after he finished with 66 2/3 last year. All-Stars Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox and Bryan Woo of the Mariners also are progressing toward major increases.
“That’s something we always monitor and watch,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I know we’re in constant communication in-between starts.”
The days of predetermined innings limits, especially when it comes to young prospects and pitchers on losing teams, aren’t going away anytime soon. But more organizations appear to be going with a case-by-case approach.
“I think the reason why it’s changed a little bit and we don’t look at that either percentage increase or fixed innings increase is because it wasn’t working,” said David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for the Mets.
“I think more and more we’re trying to treat each pitcher as an individual. And if a pitcher feels good both subjectively and objectively, we try not to artificially shut them down.”
Crochet, 26, helped show what might be possible last year. The 6-foot-6 left-hander, who had Tommy John surgery in April 2022, began last season with 73 innings in 72 appearances spanning four seasons with the White Sox.
He made his first big league start on opening day. With the White Sox closely monitoring his workload in the last part of the season, he finished with 32 starts and 146 innings. He is tied for the major league lead with 141 1/3 innings going into Tuesday night’s start against Kansas City.
“I think that I really set myself up for this season to go out there and for there really to be no leash necessary,” said Crochet, who was traded to the Red Sox in December and then agreed to a $170 million, six-year contract. “I’ve been feeling really good throughout the season and the five days in between my starts I really feel like I’m prepared and doing a lot to get my body in the right position to have success and to continue to give length throughout the year.”
Boyd was recovering from Tommy John surgery when he signed with Cleveland last year. He returned to the majors last August and went 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts and 39 2/3 innings for the Guardians. He also pitched 11 2/3 innings for the AL Central champions in the playoffs.
That was enough for Chicago to give Boyd a $29 million, two-year contract in free agency. And he has delivered so far, making the NL All-Star team while going 11-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 22 starts.
Boyd pitched a career-high 185 1/3 innings for Detroit in 2019, but he hasn’t approached that territory since. The Cubs gave him nine days off between starts over the All-Star break, and Boyd has frequent conversations with manager Craig Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy about his workload and how he is feeling.
The Cubs also have rookie right-hander Cade Horton, who is up to 102 2/3 innings this season – including his time with Triple-A Iowa – after he totaled 34 1/3 innings in the minors last year.
“This is an area where the industry has not maybe figured out the answer, so you’re just trying to keep getting better answers,” Counsell said. “I think in the past, we were just relying on history. I think now we’re relying on the data we collect from the actual player.”
Communication is one thing, but an array of metrics and biomechanical analysis is at the center of the decision-making process when it comes to pitchers and rest.
“There’s tangible things that you just keep an eye on,” Boyd said. “You have your spin data, you have your velocity. We have biomechanics tracking. It’s like, ‘Hey, the mechanics are getting out of whack. … Is there something we need to address? How do you address that?’
“There’s so many different avenues you can go down and levers you can pull if you will. And it’s not as cut and dry as like 20% increase, 50% increase (in innings).”
Orioles to pay nearly $8.5 million for deadline deals
Baltimore will be sending nearly $8.5 million to four teams as part of five deals made ahead of the trade deadline.
The Orioles will give San Diego $3,324,300 along with All-Star first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano, who were dealt last week for right-handers Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith, left-hander Boston Bateman, infielders Brandon Butterworth and Cobb Hightower and infielder/outfielder Victor Figueroa.
O’Hearn was owed $2,537,634 of his $8 million salary and Laureano $1,268,817. Baltimore will pay two installments of $1,662,150 on Sept. 15 and 30, according to trade details obtained by The Associated Press. The money reduces San Diego’s expense to $482,151, which comes to a prorated share of the $760,000 minimum for each.
Baltimore will send Detroit $2,758,065 on Sept. 30 as part of the trade that sent right-hander Charlie Morton to the Tigers for minor league left-hander Micah Ashman. Morton was owed $4,758,064 of his $15 million salary, and the cash reduces his cost to the Tigers to $2 million. In addition, the Orioles will send the Tigers $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire left-hander Dietrich Enns.
The Orioles also are sending Toronto $1.75 million on Sept. 30 as part of the July 29 trade that sent right-hander Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown – a deal announced between games of a doubleheader between the teams. Domínguez had $2,645,161 left from his $8 million salary at the time of the trade.
Baltimore is giving Houston $520,000 along with infielder Ramón Urías, who was dealt for minor leaguer right-hander Twine Palmer. The money is due in equal payments on Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Urías was owed $1,016,129 of his $3.15 million salary.
Money in the five trades totals $8,452,365. Baltimore opened the season with a $169 million payroll, 15th among the 30 major league teams.
Minnesota is paying $33 million to Houston in the July 31 trade that returned All-Star Carlos Correa to the Astros for minor league left-hander Matt Mikulski, by far the largest amount among 14 deadline trades involving cash transactions. That covered a significant portion of the $103,419,355 remaining in the contract of the three-time All-Star, who left the Astros to sign with the Twins ahead of the 2022 season. Houston gets $3 million this year and $10 million each in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with installments due each Dec. 15.
Arizona will pay Milwaukee $5,258,000 as part of the July 31 trade that sent right-hander Shelby Miller and left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the Brewers for a player to be named or cash. Arizona will send the money in four installments of $1,314,500 on Aug. 15, Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30. Montgomery was owed $7,137,097 of his $22.5 million salary and Miller $317,204 of his $1 million salary.
Milwaukee is sending San Diego $2,169,000 as part of the trade that sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and minor league infielder Jorge Quintana to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. That offsets part of the $2,410,753 remaining from Cortes’ $7.6 million salary. The Brewers will send $361,500 each on Aug. 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26 plus $723,000 on Oct. 10.
Cincinnati is paying Pittsburgh $1,935,484 as part of the July 30 trade that sent left-hander Taylor Rogers and minor league shortstop Sammy Stafura to the Pirates for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. The cash covers half the $3,870,968 Rogers was owed from his $12 million salary, and the Reds paid $435,484 on Aug. 1 and owe $500,000 each on Aug. 15, Sept. 1 and Sept. 15.
Rogers was dealt the following day to the Cubs for outfielder Ivan Brethowr, and Pittsburgh agreed to give the Cubs $1,903,226. That offset half the $3,806,452 then left on Rogers’ salary after the $64,516 he earned during his one day with Pittsburgh, for whom he never threw a pitch. The Pirates pay $423,226 on Aug . 15 and owe $500,000 installments on Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.
San Francisco will give Kansas City $1,934,100 as part of the trade that sent outfielder Mike Yastzemski to the Royals for right-hander Yunior Marte. Yastzemski was owed $2,934,140 of his $9.25 million salary, and the Giants will make four payments of $483,535 on Aug. 15. Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.
Tampa Bay is sending Milwaukee $1.1 million in the July 28 trade that sent catcher Danny Jansen to his hometown Brewers for minor league infielder Jadher Areinamo. Jansen was owed $2,833,333 of his $8.5 million salary. The Rays will make six payments of $183,333, on Aug. 1, 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26, and Oct. 10. Tampa Bay agreed to send an additional $500,000 if a $12 million mutual option for 2026 is declined, which carries a $500,000 buyout.
St. Louis agreed to pay Atlanta $2.28 million as part of the July 27 trade that sent right-hander Erick Fedde to the Braves for a player to be named or cash. Fedde was owed $2,455,645 from his $7.25 million salary. The Cardinals will make equal payments of $1.14 million on Aug. 11 and Sept. 22.
Detroit will pay Texas $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire right-hander Codi Heuer.
Guardians’ Enright earns emotional first save
New York – The first career save for Nic Enright was a particularly meaningful one.
Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-6 win over the New York Mets.
“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”
Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 – 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft.
After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May.
He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus.
The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for November.
“I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn’t going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life,” Enright said. “It’s something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, (it shows) I haven’t just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time.”
Enright made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation.
Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right.
“I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan (Jones) kind of keep running,” Enright said. “But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.”
Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room.
“I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,” Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. “I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.”
Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card.
“Really, really cool,” Enright said. “These last couple of years, especially, I’ve gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that’s gone on. And so for me, it’s being able to reflect on those in these moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down. Because it hasn’t exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.”
Brewers consider more alumni home-run derby events
Milwaukee – Maybe the Home Run Derby doesn’t have to be limited to All-Star weekend.
The Milwaukee Brewers had Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and several other former players competing in an alumni home run derby that followed a game with the Miami Marlins last month. The promotion helped draw a sellout crowd of 41,944 fans, with nearly all of them sticking around to watch the postgame event.
Other clubs noticed, too.
“I thought it was a great idea and applaud them,” Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said. “I believe all of us will be considering something similar.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy is among those already has been conjuring up ways to expand on this idea.
“I think it just opens the door,” Murphy said. “Can you imagine the Brewers versus the Cubs home run derby – their three legends versus legends of ours. You know what I mean? Can you imagine that happening around the league?”
The Brewers’ home run derby occurred 11 days after Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby and 10 days after the All-Star Game was decided on a swing-off. With the game tied 6-6 after nine innings, three batters from each league took three swings and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber homered three times to give the NL a 4-3 victory.
Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said a half-dozen MLB teams reached out after their alumni home run derby to get information on how well it had worked.
Milwaukee’s promotion was part of a 25th-anniversary celebration of American Family Field. Keon Broxton, who played for the Brewers from 2016-18, won the event and recreated Fielder’s most famous home-run celebration by standing tall at home while the teammates surrounding him fell back like a collection of bowling pins.
“It was awesome,” Broxton said afterward.
Milwaukee wasn’t the first team to do this kind of promotion. The Houston Astros staged their own alumni home run derby events in 2018 and 2019. The Atlanta Braves had an alumni softball home run derby last year.
The format represents a different way to welcome back former players rather than having the traditional Old Timers’ Day games from yesteryear. The New York Yankees are holding their first Old Timers’ Day game since 2019 on Aug. 9, and the New York Mets are having an alumni game Sept. 13.
But the Brewers’ event last weekend generated plenty of national attention, particularly when highlights aired showing how the stands stayed packed throughout the event.
“The guys that were all here, we all said we’d be back for anything like that, whether it’s something like what Murph suggested or even keeping it in house and playing a couple-inning game … maybe guys from 2005-10 against guys from 2010-15,” said Casey McGehee, who played for the Brewers from 2009-11 and participated in the home run derby. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity for some really cool stuff to come from it.”
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said he didn’t get a chance to watch the alumni derby that followed his team’s game in Milwaukee, but he liked Murphy’s idea about branching it out.
“A big part of the beauty of our sport is how you remember those who played before, the history of our game and had success for your organization or those who made impacts throughout the league,” McCullough said. “So anytime we get a chance to celebrate those who did meaningful things, I’m all for it.”
The trick in putting together an alumni home-run derby is finding the right participants. They must be old enough to have finished playing but remain young enough to still manage to hit batting-practice pitches out of a major league stadium.
The Brewers didn’t put up makeshift fences in the outfield for this event to make home runs easier, and the former players’ swings weren’t leaving the ballpark as often as when they were in the big leagues.
McGehee believes future home run derby promotions could feature more power than what the ex-Brewers showcased last weekend. McGehee said he tried working on his swing before last week’s event, but family obligations got in the way.
If he gets another invitation, McGehee expects to be more prepared.
“I think knowing what we know now, the product would probably even get better because we saw how cool that was,” McGehee said. “I think people would be carving out pretty significant parts of their days to get themselves ready to roll.”
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