Welcome to a different version of 5 Issues I Appreciated (Or Didn’t Like) this week. I’m unsure if that is by design or just a scheduling coincidence, however this week was stuffed with compelling matchups between present rivals. The Cubs and Cardinals squared off. So did the Yankees and Orioles. The Guardians and Mariners aren’t precisely rivals, however their collection rocked too, and I’m unhappy I couldn’t discover a method to squeeze them on this week. That stated, there’s a ton to speak about, so let’s get to it, after our standard nod to Zach Lowe of ESPN, who is definitely having fun with a well-deserved trip after the conclusion of the NBA season. To baseball!
1. Willie Mays
I nearly didn’t write about Willie Mays this week. I really feel unqualified. What do you say in regards to the biggest baseball participant of all time? Mays was like one thing out of fiction, the platonic preferrred of an outfielder. Everybody who noticed him play knew it instantly: This man was simply totally different. Statistics alone are a woefully insufficient means of describing him, however these statistics are comical. He hit 660 residence runs, batted .301, and walked as usually as he struck out. He’s in all probability one of the best defensive heart fielder of all time. He racked up greater than 3,000 hits, received two MVPs, made 24 All-Star groups; the checklist goes on and on.
That’s probably not the story of Willie Mays, although. The story of Willie Mays, for me, is the common admiration that each baseball participant had for him. I’ve by no means heard a nasty phrase about Mays. He was an idol and a mentor on the similar time. He transcended eras, coasts, fanbases; he wasn’t a well-known Giants participant, he was a well-known baseball participant. Which may even undersell it – he was one of many largest celebrities within the nation. Even almost 60 years after his heyday, defenders need to be like him. He was the best, one of the best. That by no means stopped being true.
Loads of different individuals have written touching Mays tributes (tons of hyperlinks). I cherished Jay Jaffe’s encapsulation of what Mays meant each on and off the sector. I don’t have a lot so as to add that hasn’t already been stated. However I couldn’t speak in regards to the week in baseball with out paying my respects. Willie Mays was an enormous in each doable definition of the phrase. Effectively, aside from bodily stature, which makes his total excellence all of the extra spectacular. There’ll nearly definitely by no means be one other baseball participant like him. I see echoes of Mays in each over-the-shoulder catch, each play on the plate, each stunning day sport in San Francisco. Might his reminiscence dwell on perpetually.
2. Hunter Greene Hitting Corners
Hunter Greene’s profession has been a blended bag thus far. He burst onto the scene within the halcyon days of (checks notes) 2022, earlier than each single starter appeared to throw 100 mph. He’s the final beginning pitcher prospect I can consider whose standout software was pure velocity. It hasn’t labored that means within the majors, which is a part of why he has a profession 4.36 ERA and 4.21 FIP. It looks like velocity alone simply received’t do it anymore.
Greene has largely survived by leaning on his slider. This 12 months, although, he’s made some promising fastball modifications. The pitch is extra vertical than earlier than, which provides him extra leeway to assault the zone with out falling into the dreaded line of normality that hitters are so adept at attacking.
That’s the how. I’m extra within the wow, although. I’ve been having velocity fatigue; now that everybody throws so onerous, it’s simply not enjoyable. However, recognizing 100 mph on the corners is pleasant. Greene put collectively a masterful begin on Wednesday – 6 1/3 innings, 9 strikeouts, no runs – and his fastball was a key a part of it. He got here out fastball-heavy and began carving instantly. Nick Gonzales is an effective hitter, however nobody’s hitter in opposition to this:
Rowdy Tellez spoiled one other gem:
Greene had the ball on a string, working his fastball down within the zone when he needed to:
He caught the underside edge to catch Tellez wanting:
Andrew McCutchen struck out on an ideal pitch:
Even when the umpire didn’t agree, this one was nice too:
This isn’t the primary time Greene has seemed to be on the verge of a breakout, however on earlier events, his slider was doing the heavy lifting. This time, he’s shelling out with the flexible stuff and profitable with fastballs. I’ve been responsible of shopping for into Greene breakouts too quickly earlier than, however what can I say? Right here I’m, once more, able to consider. The mix of nice location and overpowering stuff is simply an excessive amount of to disregard.
3. The Immortal Kyle Hendricks
By all rights, Kyle Hendricks must be unhealthy by now. He’s at all times been a type of “I’m unsure how he does it, however he does it” guys, and he’s been trending much less and fewer efficient in recent times. He began this season with the type of 10-game stretch that normally will get you despatched to the phantom IL: 9.38 ERA, solely 30 strikeouts and 15 walks in almost 200 batters confronted, and the type of contact high quality that makes you go “Oh proper, he throws 85.” Actually, he did get despatched to the IL midway by way of that streak, and continued to scuffle upon returning. It felt like a tragic swan track for one of the vital fulfilling Cubs of this era.
The Cubs have struggled mightily with pitching this 12 months, which signifies that Hendricks didn’t utterly disappear; he merely moved to the bullpen. His first three appearances have been hardly the stuff of legends – 10 innings, 5 strikeouts, 4 walks, 4.50 ERA, 4.65 FIP – however they have been definitely much less disastrous than his preliminary beginning run. Possibly he may very well be a bulk center reliever and end out the 12 months that means?
Solely, there was excellent news coming within the type of unhealthy information. Jordan Wicks suffered a fluke damage within the second inning of the June 14 Cardinals-Cubs conflict at Wrigley Area. When Craig Counsell seemed out to his bullpen, there was outdated dependable Hendricks, prepared to come back in and take in some innings. Longtime Hendricks heads know that he merely can not lose in opposition to St. Louis. The one means he might personal the workforce extra totally can be if he married into the DeWitt household. In his profession heading into this sport, he had a 2.68 ERA in opposition to them over 167 2/3 innings. The Playing cards are batting .244/.285/.377 in opposition to him. They don’t get on base or hit for energy in opposition to him. It’s uncanny – they merely can’t clear up him, no matter who’s on the roster.
Clearly, the streak continued. Hendricks isn’t lacking bats as of late – not that he was ever an enormous strikeout man, however he’s working a career-low strikeout price and career-high stroll price. He didn’t miss many bats in opposition to the Redbirds – one strikeout in 15 batters confronted – however once more, they only can’t hit him. They popped the ball up:
They hit it into the bottom:
They took awkward examine swings:
They missed middle-middle 88-mph fastballs by a mile:
Hendricks left this outing with the primary actual momentum he’s had all 12 months. Counsell instantly added him to the rotation – there had been an damage, in any case. He got here again and put a spell on the Giants: 5 2/3 innings pitched, eight (!!) strikeouts, two hits, and a solitary earned run.
Hendricks seemed utterly damaged. He couldn’t purchase an out; every little thing he threw was getting tattooed. Then he confronted his favourite opponent, and now he’s again higher than he’s been in years. It appears like we’ll get another probability to benefit from the pleasant sight of a Hendricks slowball turning hitters into pretzels. I can’t even be mad. Good work, Cardinals – you’ve rekindled one of the vital pleasant flames in trendy baseball.
4. The Go-Go NL Central
I really like steals, and I do know I’m not alone in that. Baseball can drag, even for me, when it’s all strikeouts and walks. Including a burst of athleticism and high-stakes shut performs to the proceedings is invariably thrilling. I’m glad that the league was capable of regulate the incentives sufficient to convey steals again into the limelight – and the NL Central is definitely glad too.
The Reds have essentially the most stolen bases within the majors. The Brewers are proper behind them in second. The Cubs are within the high 10 in baseball and third in runs added by way of steals as a result of they’ve been caught solely 12 instances. This week, all three teams of speedsters have been as much as their standard tips, inflicting havoc on the basepaths and protecting my eyes glued to them.
The Reds acquired issues began, as they so usually do, with Elly De La Cruz. He’s the runaway main league chief in steals, and he ripped off three in three video games, starting Saturday in opposition to the Brewers. He can steal in largely uncontested spots, in fact: Down three within the ninth inning, Milwaukee primarily gave him second base as a participation trophy. He can stroll, steal second, after which take two extra bases on an errant pickoff throw:
And he can steal off of fellow phenom Paul Skenes, although Skenes managed to choose him off earlier within the sport:
The Brewers undertake extra of a workforce method. They stole not less than two luggage in each sport of their set in opposition to the Reds, with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich main the best way. Turang is an outright burner; solely De La Cruz has extra steals. Yelich is extra attention-grabbing to me – he’s 32, and never fairly as quick as he was at his athletic peak, however he’s been an absolute demon for the reason that introduction of the pickoff-throw restrict final 12 months: 43 steals, 4 caught stealings. Yeah, that’ll do. Even Willy Adames has 10 swipes this 12 months. The Brewers are one of the best baserunning workforce in baseball, and it’s as a result of they run nicely from the highest of the roster to the underside.
That leaves the Cubs, and I’ll stage with you: They’re the explanation I needed to write down this merchandise. The Cubs have solely two gamers with double-digit steals. Certainly one of them, Pete Crow-Armstrong, has a 51 wRC+, so he’s not precisely keying their offense. As a substitute, that is an ensemble effort. They choose their spots and assault opposing weaknesses. This week, that weak point was the Giants’ defending in conditions with a number of runners on base. The Cubs ate their lunch:
Curt Casali didn’t even throw right here, as a result of there was merely no shot. Seiya Suzuki timed Tyler Rogers too nicely. Then it occurred once more:
That was simply straightforward cash, and the Cubs have been solely too pleased to simply accept it. The subsequent day, they stored it going:
Once they noticed the Giants weren’t throwing by way of, they only ran it again:
And when the Giants lastly did throw by way of, they couldn’t even make a tag:
Wait, what? Right here’s a better look:
That’s what you have to be doing! These bases have been free. The Cubs merely needed to ask politely. Extra of this, please. In case your opponent received’t cease what you’re doing, why would you cease doing it? I’m unsure that that is what the league imagined when it carried out the brand new guidelines, however I really like watching it, simply as a lot as I’m positive catchers hate it.
5. The Battle of the Bronx
The Orioles and Yankees have been circling one another all 12 months. Whereas the Guardians acquired off to a sizzling begin, neither AL East workforce was ever far off the tempo for one of the best file within the AL, and every shot previous Cleveland in June. The 2 golf equipment boast the 2 greatest run differentials within the majors. They rank first and second within the AL in each runs scored and runs allowed. They’re additionally neck and neck for the division title and the bye that comes with it.
The primary time the 2 met this 12 months, the O’s took three out of 4 to tug a sport forward of New York within the standings. The Yankees took first place again within the interim, however this has the sensation of a race that may stay shut all 12 months. This week’s three-game set mattered each for the fast division lead – an Orioles sweep would give them sole possession of first – and head-to-head tiebreakers. The groups solely meet twice extra this 12 months: as soon as in July, as soon as in September. If the Orioles received this week’s collection, they’d have to win solely two of these final six video games to safe the tiebreaker.
These video games lived as much as the billing. On Tuesday, the Yankees jumped out to an early lead earlier than Aaron Choose left after being hit within the hand by an errant Albert Suarez pitch. Nestor Cortes went six shutout innings to again that early offense, and even a two-run homer within the ninth couldn’t convey the Birds again. Choose escaped severe damage and returned to the New York lineup after lacking only one sport, luckily sufficient.
That set issues up properly for the Yankees. That they had their pitching arrange in addition to it has been all 12 months. Gerrit Cole’s first begin of the season was Wednesday, and he seemed sharp in 4 innings of labor. 4 innings, although, put a ton of stress on the bullpen, they usually couldn’t fairly preserve issues collectively. The New York offense didn’t do sufficient in opposition to Baltimore starter Cade Povich – the Yankees scored a single run regardless of strolling 5 instances and hanging out solely as soon as. They rallied late to ship the sport to further innings, however Choose’s absence damage, and the O’s scored two within the tenth to knot the collection at one.
On paper, Luis Gil in opposition to Cole Irvin stacked up nicely for New York within the climactic sport of the collection. However the O’s jumped throughout Gil proper from the beginning. He didn’t escape the second inning, and shortly Baltimore led 8-1. The Yankees managed to battle again finally, however the Orioles feasted on the center of the New York bullpen within the meantime and put the sport utterly out of attain. By the point it ended at 17-5, Jose Trevino was lobbing in knuckleballs and each groups’ stars have been taking early showers.
It’s unlikely that this week’s skirmish would be the final phrase on the AL East race. The Yankees are nonetheless in entrance, in any case, and there’s loads of baseball left to be performed. That didn’t make the collection any much less intense, although, or make both workforce need it much less. These are the sorts of baseball video games that get my coronary heart pumping even in the midst of June. Extra, please.