By Ron Kaplan, contributor
It’s been a rough few days for the boys, several of whom have been hit by the injury bug.
Ian Kinsler and Ryan Braun missed all of the Detroit Tigers’ and Milwaukee Brewers’ games, respectively, over the weekend. Kinsler is suffering from a slightly pulled hammy (anathema to the MOTs) while Braun is dealing with a sore wing. Neither were put on the disabled list, which meant their ball clubs have been short a player during this time. The Tigers (15-15) lost two of three to the host Oakland A’s while the Brewers (15-17) dropped two of three to the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Braun might be back as early as Tuesday, the same “prognosis” as Kinsler.
Joc Pederson, who rejoined the LA Dodgers (17-14) on Friday following his stint on the DL, was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in his return, an 8-3 win over the host San Diego Padres. On Saturday, Pederson entered the game as a defensive replacement, was hit by a pitch, and scored a run as the Dodgers add a deuce to the previous day’s score, beating the Padres 10-2. The Sunday game was postponed by rain, contrary to the song.
Major Mazel goes to Scott Feldman, who pitched perhaps one of the best games of his career yesterday, blanking the visiting San Francisco Giants for his third career shutout, 4-0. Feldman, who has alternated between decent and terrible starts for as long as I can remember, struck out five and gave up four hits and a walk for his for second win against three losses as the Cincinnati Reds (17-14) completed the sweep. It was their first complete game of the year
Kevin Pillar hit his ninth double and singled twice, with a run scored and an RBI, to help the Toronto Blue Jays (11-20) double up on the host Tampa Bay Rays, 8-4, on Friday. He was 0-for-4 the next day in a 6-1 loss, then finished up the series by hitting his 10th two-bagger and scored the game-tying run in what would end as a 2-1 Blue Jays win. It was his only hit in three official at-bats. He also walked and stole his fourth base.
Danny Valencia was 1-for-6 in the Seattle Mariners’ 3-1, 13-inning loss to the visiting Texas Rangers on Friday. He singled in four at-bats the next day, scoring one run and driving in two in an 8-4 win on Saturday, and he appeared as a pinch-hitter on Sunday, knocking in two more runs to tie the Rangers, 3-3. The M-Men (15-17) went on to win, 4-3, on a Kyle Seager home run in the eighth. Valencia didn’t make the start because of — you guessed it — a slight hamstring issue. He is batting over .350 in his last nine games.
Alex Bregman sat out Friday’s game for the Houston Astros (21-11), a 7-5, 10-inning win over the host LA Angels. He was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Saturday in a 2-1 loss and 1-for-3 with his sixth double and a run scored in a 5-3 win on Sunday. The Astros are tied with the Washington Nationals for most wins in the Majors.
The Boston Red Sox beat up on their host, the Minnesota Twins (15-13), on Saturday, 11-1. Craig Breslow came away unscathed, allowing one hit in an inning of relief. It was his only appearance on the weekend.
Ron Kaplan (@RonKaplanNJ) hosts Kaplan’s Korner, a blog about Jews and sports. He is the author of three books, including The Jewish Olympics: The History of the Maccabiah Games and the forthcoming Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.
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