Jewish Baseball News

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights from the week of August 27-September 2, 2018:

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Zack Kone (Pirates)

Kone

SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A-short-season), a 2018 draftee, hit .433 (13-for-30) with 4 doubles, one triple, an RBI, 2 stolen bases, and a .514 on-base percentage.

Rosenberg

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Kenny Rosenberg (Rays)

P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/High-A) won 2 games last week to improve his season record to 11-2. His best performance came September 1, when he gave up one earned run on 5 hits and zero walks over 6 innings while striking out 7.

Mazel tov

• OF Zach Borenstein* (Mets/AAA) was named his team’s Most Valuable Player by its coaching staff.

Other highlights

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA) hit .500 (4-for-8) with a double, 5 RBIs and a .363 on-base percentage.
• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A) went 4-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and 2 RBIs on September 1.
• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics/AAA) pitched 4 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.
• P RC Orlan* (Indians/AAA) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. He hasn’t given up an earned run since July 24.
• P Dean Kremer* (Orioles/AA) — recently interviewed by the Baltimore Sun — gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings on August 31 while striking out 10. He leads all minor leaguers with 178 strikeouts.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/High-A) pitched 3 perfect innings across 2 games, striking out 2.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/A) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, giving up a hit and 2 walks while striking out 8 batters and earning his 10th save in 11 chances. His average of 15 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks among the Top 5 minor leaguers.
• P Andy Rohloff (Giants/rookie) pitched 2 perfect innings of relief and struck out 3 on August 27.

Transactions

• P Zack Weiss, who made his MLB debut earlier this season but struggled afterward in the minors, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on September 1.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA) came off the disabled list on August 31.
• P RC Orlan* (Indians/AAA) was promoted to Triple-A on August 29.
• P Max Fried (Braves/AAA) was reassigned to Triple-A on August 27.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA) came off the disabled list on August 27.

Free agents

• Major- and minor-leaguers believed to be seeking employment include Ryan Sherriff, Danny Valencia, Zack Weiss, Scott Feldman and Adrian Spitz.

Disabled list

• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA), since August 6.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA), since August 3.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• LF Zach Kapstein (White Sox/rookie), since June 15.
• P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/High-A), since April 9.
• P Gabe Cramer* (Royals/High-A), since April 4.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Players who represented Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic are marked with an asterisk.

Get your Jewish baseball news via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Alex Bregman hit his AL-leading 43rd double plus a single while walking twice on Wednesday, scoring one run and driving in another as the Houston Astros (82-51) beat the visiting Oakland A’s, 5-4, on a walk-off homer. One of Bregman’s walks came with the bases loaded in the fourth to give the Astros a 4-3 lead. The hits raised his batting average to .293, and his 86 RBIs with a little more than a month to go gives him a legitimate shot at 100. Now some might say that BA and RBIs aren’t great indicators of offensive value, but I leave it to you to decide. The win, coupled with the Seattle Mariners’ loss gives Houston a 2.5 game lead for first in the AL West.

Robert Stock did not pitch for the San Diego Padres (52-83) in their 8-3 win over the visiting Mariners.

Ian Kinsler’s single drove in one of the 11 seventh-inning runs scored by the Boston Red Sox (92-42) en route to a 14-6 win over the visiting Miami Marlins. Kinsler had already doubled (#22) in that inning. He scored twice in the contest.

Kevin Pillar hit his 11th home run — a solo shot in the second — and singled in four at-bats as the Toronto Blue Jays (60-73) were doubled up by the host Baltimore Orioles, 10-5. There were about 12,000 people in attendance at Camden Yards, very few of whom seemed to be in the left field stands when his ball went out

Ryan Braun was 1-for-5 and long gone by the time the Milwaukee Brewers (74-60) managed to hold off the host Cincinnati Reds, 13-12, in 10 innings.

Joc Pederson was a defensive replacement as the LA Dodgers (72-61) beat the host Texas Rangers, 3-1. The Dodgers — who won their fifth in a row — made MLB history by becoming the first team to record three home runs and a triple without picking up a single or double in a game.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (71-62) beat the visiting Washington Nationals, 8-6.

Saturday opens the last month of the regular season, a time when rosters can expand to 40 players. Will there be any MOTs among the call-ups? Scot Barancik of JewishBaseballNews.com offers his take on the possibilities.

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Scott Barancik, Editor

On Saturday, Major League teams will have the option to begin expanding their 25-man rosters to up to 40 players as the minor-league season nears an end.

No Jewish prospect is a lock for a call-up. But according to responses from our first-ever Jewish Insiders Poll, several players may have a shot.

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA)

Rowdy Tellez

Drafted straight out of high school in 2013, Tellez struggled last year and early this season, perhaps in part due to preoccupation with his mother’s battle against brain cancer (although he would be the last to make excuses). But the 23-year-old power hitter has rallied of late, hitting .309 in July and .318 so far in August with a combined 7 home runs and 21 RBIs.

Tellez already is on Toronto’s 40-man roster, a prerequisite for September call-ups, “so it’s an easy roster move for a team that is out of contention,” said Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com’s prospects writer and a producer of the award-winning film Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel.

Chances of getting called-up: 50 percent.

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA)

A 25-year-old backstop who has tossed out 44% of attempted base-stealers this season, Stubbs does not hit for power (4 HRs), but he leads all Pacific Coast League catchers in average (.308) and ranks #2 in on-base percentage (.374).

MLB.com’s Mayo thinks a call-up is possible. “The Astros will have to add him to the roster this offseason” anyway, he said. And giving Houston an extra catcher in September would allow its regulars to “get some rest down the stretch as they prepare for the postseason.”

Added the anonymous baseball exec: “If [Brian] McCann is delayed in getting back, I can see the Astros calling [Stubbs] up for C depth; great season in Fresno.”

Chances of getting called-up: 33 percent.

LF Zach Borenstein (Mets/AAA)

Now in his eighth minor-league season, Borenstein is making a solid case for promotion. The 28-year-old Team Israel alum ranks among Pacific Coast League leaders in home runs (24) and RBIs (86), and his 78 walks have helped build a healthy .358 OBP.

There are some negatives. One that Borenstein can’t control is his age. One that he can is his strikeouts — he leads the league with 175.

In the outfield, Borenstein has 9 assists this season and just one error.

Chances of getting called-up: 25 percent.

P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AAA)

A 2016 draft pick out of Georgia Tech, Gorst has rocketed through Boston’s farm system in 2018. After going 1-2 with a 1.59 ERA and a perfect 8 saves in 8 chances at High-A, the right-hander was promoted to Double-A, where he went 2-0 with a save and a perfect 0.00 ERA in 20.1 innings. A step-up to Triple-A on July 31 may have been a bit premature, but Gorst has made the best of it, going 0-2 with a 2.81 ERA and limiting opposing teams to just 1.00 hits/walks per inning.

The anonymous baseball executive wasn’t optimistic about Gorst’s chances for making the bigs in 2018, however.

“Great rise through their system, but [Boston’s] bullpen depth is strong enough to make a call-up unlikely,” he told Jewish Baseball News.

Chances of getting called-up: 20 percent.

# # #

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By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Ian Kinsler gave the Boston Red Sox (91-42) a 1-0 lead with a single in the bottom of the second inning on Tuesday. He added another hit and scored a run as the Sox beat the visiting Miami Marlins, 8-7. The Marlins scored five times in the eighth to take the lead, but Boston came back with three of their own to regain, including Kinsler’s scamper across the plate on a wild pitch which gave them the (brief) lead. Miami scored in the ninth to tie before the Sox won the darn thing on a walk-off error on a made-to-order double play ball.

Alex Bregman hit his 42nd double to go along with a single in four at-bats and drove in two-thirds of the Houston Astros’ (80-53) runs in a 4-3 loss to the visiting Oakland A’s. There’s been a fair amount of talk about Mike Trout of the LA Angels being the new “face of baseball,” but could it be Bregman?

Kevin Pillar was 2-for-5 with an RBI as the Toronto Blue Jays (60-72) lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 11-3.

Joc Pederson was 2-for-6 with a run scored as the LA Dodgers (71-61) beat the host Texas Rangers, 8-4.

Ryan Braun– who is having a hot August — was 1-for-3 as the Milwaukee Brewers (73-60) lost to the host Cincinnati Reds, 9-7. He came out of the game on a double switch in the bottom of the sixth. Look for his name to pop up fairly regularly while stories about the new book, Baseball Cop: The Dark Side Of America’s National Pastime, continues to be newsworthy because of Braun’s use of PEDs. Funny — and sad — how people seem to gravitate to the “dirt side” of things.

Robert Stock did not pitch for the San Diego Padres (51-83) in their 2-1 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Gabe Kapler‘s Philadelphia Phillies (70-62) lost to the visiting Washington Nationals, 5-4, when their runner left second base too soon, trying to advance on a fly ball in the ninth inning. Double play, game over.

Friday marks the last day a player can join another team and be eligible for the post-season. With that in mind, Danny Valencia — who was released earlier this month by the Orioles — is still out there. But it seems his reputation is preceding him. In an article from Inquisitor.com about rumored moves, the writer notes that the limbo-ed player “is available and can hit, but not a single GM has inquired about him as he is seen as a bad clubhouse presence. He would be extremely cheap to acquire, but the rumor on him is that his juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”

Get it? Because Valencia is a type of orange?

:: Crickets ::

Anyway, I thought that was funny. Here’s a piece from 2017 that goes into Valencia’s difficulties a bit more.

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Limited action, as per usual for a Monday.

Alex Bregman was a triple shy of the cycle Monday night: two singles, his 41st double (to lead the American League; he almost had another but was thrown out at second), and his 25th home run made for a nice line in the box score. The opposite-field homer drove in three runs to help the Houston Astros (81-50) cruise to an 11-4 win over the visiting Oakland A’s.

Kevin Pillar — who has just one hit in his last 12 at-bats — did not appear for the Toronto Blue Jays (60-71) in their 7-0 loss to the host Baltimore Orioles.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (70-61) lost to the visiting Washington Nationals, 5-3. Kap’s kids have lost seven of their last 10.

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

MOT of the Weekend honors go to Alex Bregman. The Houston Astros’ All-Star was 4-for-11 with two doubles (putting him at 40, good for a first-place tie in the American League). He walked three times, scored four runs, and drove in one as the ‘Stros (80-50, first in AL West) swept the visiting LA Angels. Weird fact: yesterday, “A-Berg” (remember the players were wearing the nicknames on their uniforms this weekend) extended his road on-base streak to 45 games. The things they keep track of…

Ryan Braun was 2-for-7 on Friday as the Milwaukee Brewers (73-59, third in NL Central) beat the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 in 15 innings. Pittsburgh took a 6-4 lead in the top of the 15th, but the homeys scored three in the bottom of the frame for the “W.” Braun didn’t play on Saturday but was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Sunday’s 7-4 win. There’s a new expose about the dark underbelly of baseball. In a Sports Illustrated excerpt from Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime, we learn “why Braun got caught using PEDs.”

Joc Pederson did not appear in Friday’s game for the LA Dodgers (70-61, third in NL West) against the visiting San Diego Padres (50-83, fifth in NL West), and he grounded out as a pinch-hitter on Saturday. On Sunday, Pederson walked and scored a run, again as a pinch-hitter, as the Dodgers completed the three-game sweep. His playing time was evidently reduced further due to a knee contusion he suffered from a foul ball.

Robert Stock appeared in all three games. On Friday, he threw one shutout inning (one walk, two strikeouts). Saturday’s contest was truly bizarre. Stock took the mound in the bottom of the 12th inning of a 4-4 tie. He walked the first batter. That was followed by a sacrifice to move the runner to second. With the score tied at 4-4 in the 12th inning, the lights went out for 21 minutes. When play resumed, Stock returned to the hill (kind of surprising to me, but what do I know?) and induced Justin Turner to hit a pop up on the first pitch that fell into the Bermuda Triangle between first, second and right field for the unlikely game-winning hit. So Stock’s line was 1/3 of an inning, one hit, one run, and his first Major league loss. Oh, and he pitched another shutout inning the next day, allowing one hit. It is the first time he has pitched on three consecutive days.

Ian Kinsler was 2-for-10 as the Boston Red Sox (90-42, first place AL East) were swept in their three-game series by the host Tampa Bay Rays.

Kevin Pillar, whose future in Toronto’s outfield is said to be secure (see article), was 1-for-12 with a run scored as the Blue Jays (60-70, fourth in AL East) took two of three from Gabe Kapler‘s Philadelphia Phillies (70-60, second in NL East). Pillar moved up in the lineup each day: sixth on Friday, fifth on Saturday (when he got his sole hit), and clean-up yesterday.

The St. Louis Cardinals (73-58, second in NL Central) have released pitcher Ryan Sherriff, currently on the disabled list. Didn’t even know you could do that. Seems especially cold-hearted, but, hey, it’s a business. From CBSSports.com

Sherriff underwent Tommy John surgery in early June, but the Cardinals needed to create space on the 40-man roster for the return of Dominic Leone (biceps) from the 60-day disabled list, prompting the move. Sherriff will be unable to pitch at least through the first half of the 2019 season as he enters free agency at an unfortunate juncture.

And this, from Rotoballer.com:

Atlanta Braves (73-57, first in NL East) starting pitcher Max Fried (groin) was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Monday and was then optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Fried has been good for the Braves this year, going 1-4 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings over 10 appearances (five starts). He’ll be an option for spot starts next month and can be utilized in deeper leagues as a streamer if the matchup is right.

Danny Valencia, designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles, is still available.

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights from the week of August 20-26, 2018:

Wiseman

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Rhett Wiseman

RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/High-A) hit .526 (10-for-19) with 3 doubles, a triple, 4 RBIs, a stolen base and a .625 on-base percentage. Although he did not appear in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, he did play for Team Israel in the tournament’s qualifying round.

Kremer

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Dean Kremer*

• P Dean Kremer* (Orioles/AA), Baltimore’s #16 prospect, wowed fans with two wins last week, both due to 6-inning shutout performances. The 22-year-old Israeli-American yielded a combined 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 14. His 168 strikeouts this season rank #4 among all minor-league pitchers.

Mazel tov

• R.C. Orlan and Rob Kaminsky have a lot in common. Drafted one year apart, the pair are Jewish, southpaws and relievers. In addition, both recently joined the bullpen of the Akron RubberDucks (Indians/AA), where they are getting some well-deserved attention for their “lights-out” pitching (see article).
• Jonathan de Marte, a pitcher with the Normal CornBelters of the independent Frontier League, has been identified as Jewish.

Other highlights

• C Jason Goldstein (Athletics/AA) hit .429 (3-for-7) with 2 RBIs and his first Double-A home run.
• 2B Adam Walton (Diamondbacks/High-A) hit .385 (5-for-13) with 2 HRs, a double, 4 RBIs, 2 stolen bases in 3 attempts, and a .429 OBP.
• 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A) hit .280 (7-for-25) with a home run, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs and a .308 OBP.
• C Scott Manea (Mets/A) hit .300 (6-for-20) with 2 HRs, a double and 7 RBIs. His .377 OBP ranks #2 in the South Atlantic League.
• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A) hit .313 (5-for-16) with a home run, 3 RBIs and a stolen base.
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A-short-season) hit a game-winning single in the 11th inning on August 11. He finished the night 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and 2 walks.
• SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A-short-season), a 2018 draftee, had perhaps the best game of his young career on August 21, going 1-for-1 with his first professional home run, 3 walks, 3 RBIs and a stolen base.
• OF Albee Weiss (Twins/rookie), a 2018 draftee, went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI on August 26. It was his first pro game with more than 2 hits.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AAA) pitched 4.2 innings of one-run ball across 2 appearances, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 4.
• P RC Orlan (Indians/AA) pitched 2.1 perfect innings across 2 games, striking out 2 and earning his first 2 saves with the Akron RubberDucks.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/High-A) pitched 2.1 perfect innings across 2 games, striking out 2 and earning his 8th save.
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/High-A) pitched 2 perfect innings on August 24, striking out one. He is 6-2 with a 5.58 ERA as a starter this season, and 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA as a reliever.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/A), a 2018 draftee, continued his remarkable rookie season with 3 innings of scoreless relief across 2 games. He yielded zero hits and a walk while striking out 6.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/A) bounced back from a rough outing with a stellar one on August 25, striking out all 6 batters he faced. So far this season he is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA, 9 saves in 10 chances, and 92 strikeouts in 56 innings. Among Midwest League players with at least 50 innings pitched, he ranks #2 with 14.8 strikeouts per 9 innings.
• P Spencer Kulman (Padres/A-short-season) pitched 5 shutout innings across 2 games, yielding 3 hits and a walk while striking out 7.
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/rookie) was dominant in an August 24 start, pitching 6 shutout innings on 3 hits and zero walks while fanning 6.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched 1.2 scoreless innings on August 25, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out one. So far this season, the Florida Atlantic alum is 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA, one save, 25 strikeouts and just 2 walks.

Free agents

• Major- and minor-leaguers believed to be seeking employment include Ryan Sherriff, Danny Valencia, Scott Feldman, Elliott Barzilli, Dalton Blumenfeld, Mike Meyers*, Troy Neiman* and Adrian Spitz.

Disabled list

• P Zack Weiss (Reds/AA), since August 16.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA), since August 6.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA), since August 3.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• LF Zach Kapstein (White Sox/rookie), since June 15.
• P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/High-A), since April 9.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Players who represented Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic are marked with an asterisk.

Get your Jewish baseball news via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Ryan Braun came on as a defensive substitute in the sixth inning, batting ninth. He had a single and an RBI double in two at-bats, but the Milwaukee Brewers (70-58) lost to the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 9-7. Braun’s double — a two-strike bullet into the gap — tied the game at 7-7 in the eighth.

Kevin Pillar hit his 35th double, his only hit in four at-bats, as the Toronto Blue Jays (57-69) beat the visiting Baltimore Orioles, 8-2. Pillar scored one of those runs.

Ian Kinsler was 0-for-3 with an RBI as the Boston Red Sox (88-39) were doubled up by the visiting Cleveland Indians, 6-3.

Robert Stock picked up his first Major League hold on the strength of a perfect 1.1 innings of relief as the San Diego Padres (50-78) held off the host Colorado Rockies, 4-3. Nice piece on him in the San Diego Union.

Alex Bregman was 1-for-4 as the Houston Astros held off the host Seattle Mariners, 3-2, despite hitting into six double plays, including one by our boy. The Astros have lost seven of their last 10 and are deadlocked with the Oakland A’s for first in the AL West.

Joc Pederson was 1-for-5 as the LA Dodgers lost to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2. The Dodgers have lost seven of their last 10.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (68-57) lost to the host Washington Nationals, 10-4. Like the Brewers, they are 4-6 over their last ten games. The dog days of summer are messing with “our” teams’ playoff chances.

He’s not a Member of the Tribe, but this Anthony Rizzo home run is worth a look:

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Kevin Pillar had two doubles in four at-bats, scored a run, and drove in another as the Toronto Blue Jays (56-69) beat the visiting Baltimore Orioles, 5-3. Sorry, but why is he getting so much grief over his baserunning blunder on Saturday against the Yankees? Am I just too sensitive about it? Yes, agreed, it was not a smart move. But it’s not like that one play cost the Jays the pennant. Chill.

Ryan Braun was 1-for-3 with a run scored as the Milwaukee Brewers (70-57) beat the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 5-3.

Alex Bregman had one of the Houston Astros’ five hits in their 7-4 loss to the visiting Seattle Mariners. He also scored a run. The ‘Stros (75-50) are now tied with the Oakland A’s for first place in the AL West. By the way, Bregman (38) and Pillar (34) are in the top 10 AL hitters in doubles. In addition, Braun is 18 shy of 1,000 runs scored.

Ian Kinsler was 1-for-5 as the Boston Red Sox (88-38) fell to the visiting Cleveland Indians, 5-4.

Joc Pederson walked as a pinch-hitter for the LA Dodgers (67-59) in their 5-3 loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

Gabe Kapler‘s Philadelphia Phillies — who are pursuing what would be their first N.L. East title since 2011 — had the day off, as did Robert Stock and the San Diego Padres.

I’m going away for a few days, so it’s possible you won’t receive these daily updates for a bit.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Ian Kinsler returned to the lineup for the Boston Red Sox (88-37, first in the AL East with the best record in baseball), going 0-for-6 with a walk and an RBI as his team took two of three from the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Alex Bregman was 4-for-13 including his 23rd and 24th home runs, three RBIs and three walks, but the Houston Astros dropped two of three to the hard-charging Oakland A’s. Prior to #23, Bregman hadn’t hit a long ball in 19 days, leading arched eyebrows over the Home Run Derby “curse.” The Astros are 75-49, in first place in the AL West by one game over the A’s, having lost seven of their last nine games.

Ryan Braun struck out as a pinch hitter on Friday and was 0-for-3 yesterday after sitting out Saturday’s contest as the Milwaukee Brewers (69-57, second in the NL Central by 3.5 games) dropped two of three to the host St. Louis Cardinals.

Kevin Pillar was 4-for-12 with his 32nd double, a run scored, and two RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays (55-69, fourth in the AL East) were swept by the host NY Yankees. He took some heat from his manager John Gibbons following an ill-timed and unsuccessful stolen base attempt in Saturday’s loss.

Joc Pederson was 0-for-9 with two walks and a run scored as the LA Dodgers (67-58, third in the NL West) took two of three from the visiting Seattle Mariners.

In his only appearance of the weekend, Robert Stock struck out three, walked one, and allowed a hit in 1.1 innings on Friday for the San Diego Padres (49-78, fifth in the NL West) in their 9-4 loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Check out this link for an emotional radio interview.

Max Fried looked a little rusty in his rehab start for the Gwinnett Stripers (AAA) on Friday. He gave up three runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings in what was ultimately an 8-0 loss to the Buffalo Bisons. He’s scheduled to make one more rehab start before a possible return to the Atlanta Braves.

The visiting NY Mets took two of three contests against “fascinating” Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (68-56, second in the NL East by a half game) following a doubleheader split on Aug. 16.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights from the week of August 13-19, 2018:

Scotty Burcham

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Scotty Burcham*

SS Scotty Burcham* (Rockies/AA) hit .500 (9-for-18) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and a .571 OBP. And after stealing only one base in three attempts all season, Burcham stole 2 on August 18 and another 2 the next day.

RC Orlan

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: RC Orlan*

• RC Orlan* (Indians/AA) pitched 4.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 3 hits and a walk while striking out 6. His season ERA across High-A and Double-A is 0.73, with 34 strikeouts in 24.2 innings and just 5 walks, 2 of them intentional.

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway* (Pirates/AAA) hit .400 (6-for-15) with 3 doubles, 3 RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage, including a 4-for-4 performance on August 15. With a few more at-bats, Lavarnway would rank among the International League’s top 5 hitters in average (.304) and on-base percentage (.392).
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 5 RBIs and a .407 OBP, highlighted by a two-homer game on August 14. Tellez has hit .333 so far in August.
• C Scott Manea (Mets/A) hit .500 (9-for-18) with a home run, double and 2 RBIs. His .380 OBP ranks #3 in the South Atlantic League.
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season) hit .318 (7-for-22) with a .423 OBP, highlighted by a 4-for-5, 2-homer performance on August 19 (see article).
• OF Albee Weiss (Twins/rookie), a 2018 draftee, hit .364 (4-for-11) with a double.
• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics/AAA) pitched 2 perfect innings across 2 games, striking out one and lowering his season ERA to 2.78.
• P Craig Breslow* (Blue Jays/AAA) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out 4.
• P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 2 and earning his 3rd save in 3 chances.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA) tossed 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 3.
• P Jason Richman (Dodgers/AA) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on August 17, yielding zero hits and a walk while striking out one. He also had a bunt single in his 1st and only at-bat after 4 years as a pro.
• P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/A), a 2018 draftee, pitched 4.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 7. He has given up just one earned run in 32.2 innings this season, with 52 strikeouts and 7 walks.
• P Spencer Kulman (Padres/A-short-season) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out one and earning his first win of the season.
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/rookie) pitched 5 innings of one-run ball on August 18, scattering 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 to earn his 2nd win of the season.
• P Tyler Cohen (Rangers/rookie), a 2018 signee, pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 15, striking out one.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 15, striking out 2.
• P Andy Rohloff (Giants/rookie) pitched 2 no-hit innings on August 17, yielding one walk and striking out 3.

Transactions

• Tyler Benson (Padres/A-short season) was promoted on August 19.
• P Sean Bierman, a former prospect with four MLB franchises, signed with the Sussex County Miners of the independent Can-Am League.

Free agents

• Former major- and minor-leaguers believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, Scott Feldman, Elliott Barzilli, Dalton Blumenfeld, Mike Meyers*, Troy Neiman* and Adrian Spitz.

Disabled list

• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA), since August 6.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA), since August 3.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• LF Zach Kapstein (White Sox/rookie), since June 15.
• P Ryan Sherriff (Cardinals/AAA), since May 18. Out for season with Tommy John surgery.
• P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/High-A), since April 9.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Members of Team Israel’s 2017 squad are marked with an asterisk.

Get your Jewish baseball news via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Not much action, as is not unusual for a Thursday…

Kevin Pillar was 2-for-4 with his 30th double of the year, but the Toronto Blue Jays (55-66) fell to the host KC Royals, 6-2.

Robert Stock threw one shutout inning of relief (two walks, two strikeouts) as the San Diego Padres lost to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-1.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies had an epic game in the opener of their doubleheader with the visiting NY Mets, and not in a good way. In fact, things were so bad in a 24-4 loss — a Mets record for most runs — that: a) New York’s leadoff batter homered on the first pitch of the game; b) one pitcher gave up seven runs in one inning, none of them earned; and c) the Phillies had not one but two position players take a turn on the mound. On the bright side, the Phillies (67-54) won the nightcap, 9-6.

The Boston Red Sox are expected to reinstate Ian Kinsler from the disabled list for Friday’s game against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers were hopeful they would not have to put Ryan Braun on the DL following the rib injury he sustained trying to make a catch. Max Fried makes a rehab start tonight for the Atlanta Braves’ AAA affiliate.

Former JML Nate Freiman is now serving as ex–Major Leaguer in residence for FanGraphs.com, a stats-intensive website on baseball.

Finally, here’s something you don’t see every day.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

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By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Here we go again. Just when things were looking up for him, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun had to leave Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the visiting Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning after injury his rib cage on this play. He was 0-for-2 before coming out for a pinch hitter in the fifth.

I wouldn’t be totally shocked if Braun was DL- bound…again. In the meantime, this food for thought: should the Brewers (68-55) retire his number 8 when the time comes? Personally, I think that’s a tad premature.

Alex Bregman hit his 38th double in four at-bats, scoring one run and driving in another on a sacrifice fly as the Houston Astros (74-47) beat up the visiting  Colorado Rockies, 12-1. With 74 ribbies, he has a legitimate shot at 100.

Kevin Pillar was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk, and drove in the first two runs — one in the second inning and another in the fourth — as the Toronto Blue Jays (55-65) beat the host KC Royals, 6-5. Hard to believe, but Pillar is currently the longest-serving player on his team.

Joc Pederson drove in a run the first fun of the game on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the sixth inning as the LA Dodgers beat the visiting San Fransisco Giants, 4-3, in 12 innings.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (66-53) beat the visiting Boston Red Sox (86-36), 7-4. Look for the Sox to activate Ian Kinsler from the DL tomorrow.

Robert Stock did not appear for the San Diego Padres (48-75) in their 3-2 loss to the visiting LA Angels.

Five days after designating him for assignment, the Baltimore Orioles released Danny Valencia, making him a free agent. At least two sources suggest the Yankees should snatch him up quickly.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Unfortunately, these things are getting easier between the MOTs designated for assignment (Ty Kelly, Danny Valencia) and the disabled list (Ian Kinsler, Max Fried, Richard Bleier, Ryan Sherriff).

Braun bops! Ryan Braun hit two home runs in his first two at-bats to help the Milwaukee Brewers (68-54) beat the host Chicago Cubs, 7-0, on Tuesday. The initial blast came in the first with a runner on. The next — a 443-foot bomb that gave Braun 14 on the year and 35 at Wrigley over his career — came in the third, also with one on.

Kevin Pillar hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning that gave the Toronto Blue Jays (54-65) a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the host Kansas City Royals. The dinger was Pillar’s 10th, making him the fifth Jewish player to reach double-digits this season. He also had a two- RBI single in the third.

Alex Bregman was 0-for-3 with a walk as the Houston Astros (73-47) continued to sputter, losing to the visiting Colorado Rockies, 5-1.

Robert Stock gave up an unearned run on one hit, a walk, and a strikeout in two innings as the San Diego Padres (48-74) lost to the visiting LA Angels, 7-3.

Joc Pederson came on as a defensive replacement and was 0-for-1 one as the LA Dodgers (64-57) were edged, 2-1, by the visiting San Francisco Giants.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (65-53) lost to the visiting Boston Red Sox, 2-1, after shaking up the lineup a bit.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

In limited MOT action…

Kevin Pillar was 0-for-3 as the Toronto Blue Jays (53-65) lost to the host KC Royals, 3-1. But let’s not forget his go-ahead slide to the plate on Sunday:

Joc Pederson grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and remained in the game in left as the LA Dodgers lost to the visiting San Francisco Giants, 5-2.

Robert Stock — who’s 100-mph pitches are generating buzz in among Padres fans and media — did not appear for San Diego in their 10-inning, 6-3 loss to the visiting LA Angels.

Max Fried is nearing a rehab assignment for the Atlanta Braves, who swept a doubleheader from the Miami Marlins, 9-1 and 6-1.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Alex Bregman, Houston Astros (73-46, first in the AL West), was 2-for-4 with his 37th double and one of the two runs his team scored in a 5-2 loss to the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday. The next day he was 1-for-3 with a walk in a 3-2 loss. On Sunday, Bregman — who participated in this meet and greet —  singled twice and walked in four official at-bats, scored one run and drove in another as the Mariners completed a series sweep that began on Thursday. Houston’s lead over the Seattle is down to 2.5 games.

Joc Pederson, LA Dodgers (64-55, second in the NL West), was 0-for-5 on Friday in a 5-4 loss and 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in a 4-3 loss on Sunday to the host Colorado Rockies. He did not play on Saturday.

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers (67-54, second in NL Central), did not play in Friday’s 10-1 loss to the host Atlanta Braves. He was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI the next day in a 4-2 win and made this catch, which the announcer opined might be the best of Braun’s career (note the “catch probability” stat). He was 2-for-5 with a double (#18) on Sunday in an 8-7 loss.

Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays (53-64, fourth in AL East), was 0-for-3 in a 7-0 loss to the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday; 0-for-3 in a 3-1 loss on Saturday; and had a pinch-hit double (#29) and scored what proved to the the deciding run  — upheld upon review — in a 2-1 win on Sunday. He was unsuccessful in a subsequent at bat.

Robert Stock, San Diego Padres  (48-72, fifth in NL West), gave up two hits and struck out four in 2.2 shutout innings on Saturday in a 5-1 loss to Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (65-52, tied for first NL East). He also tossed a pitch 100.3-mph, fastest for a Padre since 2016. (Click here to see him pitch 99-mph, 99-mph and 100-mph to one batter.)

Ian Kinsler remains on the DL for the Boston Red Sox. Likewise for Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves. Not mentioning the other two MOTs who are out for the rest of the year. Oh, all right: Richard Bleier (Baltimore Orioles) and Ryan Sherriff (St. Louis Cardinals).

Finally, the Orioles designated utility man Danny Valencia for assignment on Sunday. He had nine hone runs and 28 RBIs in 282 plate appearances over 78 games, during which time he played third base, right field, first base, designated hitter, and even had a turn on the mound. If Valencia  gets picked up, he could be playing for his eighth team in nine seasons. What does that say about him? That no team wants to hold on to him for an extended period, or that so many want him?

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights from the week of August 6-12, 2018:

Kelly

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Ty Kelly*

2B Ty Kelly* (Mets/AAA) hit .300 (6-for-20) with 2 doubles, 6 RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage. His 49 RBIs rank #3 on the Las Vegas 51s.

Gorst

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Matthew Gorst

• Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AAA) extended his remarkable scoreless streak to more than 37 innings with a 2-inning relief appearance on August 10. After recording a 1-2 record with 8 saves in 8 chances and a 1.59 ERA in High-A, Gorst has not yielded a single earned run in 13 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Mazel tov

• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/short season) participated in the Northwest League’s Home Run Derby, hitting 5 round-trippers in the first round (see article).
• P Noah Davis (Reds/unassigned), an 11th-round pick in the 2018 draft, has signed with Cincinnati for a $127,500 bonus. According to Baseball America, Davis was “one of the top pitching prospects in the [2018] draft class…but injuries limited him to just two starts this spring and he had Tommy John surgery in March…He won’t be ready to pitch again until summer 2019.”
• RF Blake Gailen*, a 5’9″ fireplug who played in three MLB farm systems, has 22 home runs for the Lancaster Barnstormers, tops in the independent Atlantic League.
• P Tyler Herron*, a former 1st-round draft pick who spent time in four MLB farm systems, is seeing success with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent CanAm Association (see article).
• P Kenny Koplove, a former Phillies and Marlins farmhand, is turning heads in the independent CanAm Association with his over-the-top, sidearm and submarine deliveries (see article).

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway* (Pirates/AAA) hit .357 (5-for-14) with a home run, 3 doubles, 3 RBIs and a .438 on-base percentage.
• SS Michael Wielansky (Astros/short season), a 2018 draftee, hit .278 (5-for-18) with 2 doubles, an RBI and a stolen base. He’s had at least one hit in 7 of his last 8 games, raising his batting average 18 points.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 5.
• P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a while while striking out 2 and earning his 2nd save in 2 chances.
• P Zack Weiss (Reds/AA) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 8, yielding zero hits and a walk while striking out one.
• P Jason Richman (Dodgers/AA) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 10, yielding zero hits and one walk while striking out 3.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/AA) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/High-A) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
• P Alex Katz* (Orioles/High-A) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 8, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out one.
• P Keith Weisenberg (Braves/A) pitched 5.1 scoreless innings in an August 9 start, striking out 7 and scattering 4 hits and 2 walks to earn a win.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/A) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and a walk while striking out 3, earning a save, and dropping his ERA to 1.99. The highlight: inducing a bases-loaded, game-ending groundout on August 10 to preserve a 1-0 win.
• P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/A) finally gave up his first earned run as a professional on August 11. But he still earned a save and finished the week with a season ERA of 0.32 across 28.1 innings.
• P Spencer Kulman (Padres/short season) pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 12, yielding zero hits or walks while striking out one.
• P Zack Leban (Marlins/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched 2 perfect innings of relief on August 9, striking out 2.

Transactions

• 3B Danny Valencia (Orioles) was designated for assignment on August 10.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA) entered the disabled list on August 6.
• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics/AAA) was designed for assignment on August 6 and sent outright to Triple-A on August 10.
• P Alex Fishberg signed with the Watertown Bucks of the independent Empire Professional Baseball League.
• 1B Evan Hirschbaum signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the independent Pecos League.
• LF Zach Kapstein (White Sox/rookie) was placed on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to June 15.

Free agents

• Former major- and minor-leaguers believed to be seeking employment include Scott Feldman, Elliott Barzilli, Dalton Blumenfeld, Mike Meyers*, Troy Neiman* and Adrian Spitz.

Disabled list

• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA), since August 6.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA), since August 3.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• LF Zach Kapstein (White Sox/rookie), since June 15.
• P Ryan Sherriff (Cardinals/AAA), since May 18. Out for season with Tommy John surgery.
• P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/High-A), since April 9.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Members of Team Israel’s 2017 squad are marked with an asterisk.

Get your Jewish baseball news via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Joc Pederson’s pinch-hit home run gave the LA Dodgers (64-52) a 2-1 lead over the host Colorado Rockies in the seventh. It was the 18th long-ball this season for Pederson, who remained in the game and struck out to end the ninth after the Dodgers scored three for an 8-5 win.

Kevin Pillar was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base as the Toronto Blue Jays (52-62) broke the visiting Boston Red Sox’s (81-35) winning streak with an 8-5 win.

Alex Bregman was 1-for-5 out of the leadoff spot as the Houston Astros (73-43) lost to the Seattle Mariners, 8-6. Here’s a nice story on “Astros’ Leader In Helping Others? The Alex Bregman He Won’t Let You See.”

Ryan Braun was 0-for-4 as the Milwaukee Brewers (66-52) lost to the visiting San Diego Padres, 8-4. Robert Stock did not appear for the Padres (46-71). Here’s a not-so-nice story asking if Braun should be reduced to a part-time player. Sad.

Danny Valencia did not appear for the Baltimore Orioles (35-80) who lost to the host Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4.

Gabe Kaplers Philadelphia Phillies were off yesterday.

On the DL:

• Ian Kinsler, Red Sox (expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend)
• Max Fried, Braves
• Richard Bleier, Orioles
• Ryan Sherriff, Cardinals

One of MLB’s newer attempts to separate fans from their money is this “Player’s Weekend” thing, in which the athletes wear jerseys with their nicknames. Some are inventive, others are just lazy. Here are the one’s we’re interested in:

• Richard Bleier: Dickie-B
• Ryan Braun: Ocho (I assume because he wears number 8)
• Alex Bregman: A-Breg
• Max Fried: Maximus
• Ian Kinsler: Boostie (I like that one; old school)
• Joc Pederson: King
• Kevin Pillar: KP (eye roll)
• Robert Stock: Crecth
• Danny Valencia: Slugger (eye roll redux)

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Kevin Pillar was 1-for-4 with a run scored on Wednesday as the Toronto Blue Jays (51-62) lost to the visiting Boston Red Sox, 10-5. He also made a nice catch and throw on this play, all the more impressive considering his recent collarbone injury.

Danny Valencia was 1-for-3 with a walk as the Baltimore Orioles (35-79) beat the host Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4. He came out of the game for a pinch-runner in the ninth.

Joc Pederson was 0-for-4 as the LA Dodgers (63-52) lost to the host Oakland A’s, 3-2.

Neither Ryan Braun nor Robert Stock appeared for the Milwaukee Brewers  (66-51) or San Diego Padres (45-71), respectively, as the former beat the latter, 8-4. Braun is doing better in August, going 7-for-18 with a slash line of .389/.476/.667 and two stolen bases in one game, the first time he’s done that since April 14, 2017, according to FOXSports.com.

No game for Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (64-50) were shut out by the host Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-0.

DL Review:

• Ian Kinsler, Red Sox
• Max Fried, Braves
• Richard Bleier, Orioles (out for season)
• Ryan Sherriff, Cardinals (out for season)

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Are you kidding me?? Two innings into the first game of their doubleheader against the host Washington Nationals, Atlanta’s Max Fried gets hit by a line drive off the bat of  Spencer Keiboom (Kaboom?) and winds up on the disabled list!

(Damn, he’s thin.) Fried allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two in his two-inning appearance. You may remember he just came off the DL, but you could be forgiven if you didn’t because so many MOTs have been there this season. The Braves (61-49) lost that game 8-3, but won the nightcap 3-1.

Too bad it couldn’t have been a five-run homer. Kevin Pillar (who came off the DL last week) launched a two-run job in the bottom of the 10th against the visiting Boston Red Sox (sans Ian Kinsler, who’s on the –shocker — DL). The Toronto Blue Jays (51-61) ended up losing 10-7 after Boston (80-34) put five across in the top of the frame. It was the only hit for Pillar in five at-bats.

By the way, Pillar received the top nod for MLB.com’s best defensive play of the year (so far, of course).

Ryan Braun (also on the DL in 2018) doubled in two official at-bats and walked as the Milwaukee Brewers (65-51) lost to the visiting San Diego Padres, 11-5. He came out of the game after the seventh in some pitching/defensive changes.

Robert Stock pitched a scoreless inning for the Padres (45-70), allowing a walk, a hit, and striking out one.

Alex Bregman was 1-for-5 batting out of the leadoff spot as the Houston Astros (73-42) beat the host San Francisco Giants, 2-1.

Joc Pederson doubled as a pinch-hitter, stayed in the game, and struck out in a subsequent at-bat as the LA Dodgers (63-51) beat the host Oakland As, 4-2.

Danny Valencia did not appear for the Baltimore Orioles (34-79) in their 4-3 loss to the host Tampa Bay Rays.

Gabe Kapler‘s Philadelphia Phillies (64-49) beat the host Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2.

Dean Kremer — the first Israeli-born ballplayer to be signed by a Major League team — gets a nice write-up here. He was in the recent trade that sent him and four other prospects to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Manny Machado. (Editor’s note: Ryan Braun’s father was born in Israel.)

Could 37-year-old Craig Breslow — now in the Blue Jays’ minor league system — be on his way back to the bigs? Hope so. If not with Toronto, then somewhere else.

# # #

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 Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via e-mail