Jewish Baseball News

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Well, that was quick: Ian Kinsler walked and scored a run on Friday as the host Boston Red Sox (79-34, first in AL East) started a four-game sweep of the NY Yankees with a 4-1 win, thanks to a one-hitter by Rick Porcello. But Kinsler ended up on the 10-day disabled list, ironic since he was acquired to replace Dustin Pedroia, who has spent most of the year on the DL. By the way, is it kosher for a Jewish player to have a hamstring problem?

Bryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers (65-50, second in NL Central): Flied out as a pinch-hitter in Friday’s 5-3 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies; 2-for-3 with his 12th home run (solo shot in the third) and an additional RBI and run scored in an 8-4 win on Saturday; and 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases in a 5-4, 11-inning loss on Sunday. The stolen bases were Braun’s first since recording career #200 on June 16.

Alex Bregman, Houston Astros (71-42, first in AL West): Was 0-for-3 in a 2-1 win over the host LA Dodgers on Friday — a rematch of last fall’s World Series participants; 0-for-4 with a run scored and a walk in a 14-0 win on Saturday; and 1-for-2 (double) with a walk in a 3-2 loss on Sunday. He also briefly entered the political fray with a tweet in support of LeBron James and critical of President Donald Trump:

Joc Pederson, LA Dodgers (62-51, tied for first in NL West with Arizona Diamondbacks): Provided the only run for his team on Friday with his 17th home run — which led off the game — for his only hit in four at-bats; did not play on Saturday; and was 0-for-3 with a run scored on Sunday.

Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays (51-60, fourth in AL East): Returned from the DL on Friday, batting in the ninth spot and going 0-for-3 with a sac fly in a 7-2 win over the host Seattle Mariners; 2-for-4 with his 28th double and 12th stolen base in a 5-1 win on Saturday; and 1-for-3 in a 6-1 loss on Sunday.

Danny Valencia, Baltimore Orioles (34-78, fifth in AL East): Did not appear in Friday’s 11-3 loss to the host Texas Rangers; was 0-for-4 in a 3-1 loss on Saturday; and was 0-for-4 again in 9-6 win on Sunday.

Robert Stock, San Diego Padres (44-70, fifth in NL West): Gave up one hit — a home run — and struck out one in two innings of work in Friday’s 5-4 loss to the host Chicago Cubs, his only appearance for the weekend.

Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves (60-49, second in NL East) in their weekend series against the host NY Mets. He is expected to start one of the games in Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Nationals.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies swept the visiting Miami Marlins to improve their first place NL East record to 63-48. Yet a befuddled local columnist still wonders whether Kap is a “visionary,” a “kook,” or both.

Yesterday, the Oakland A’s designated pitcher Jeremy Bleich for assignment. Bleich, 31, appeared in two games, giving up two runs in just 1/3 of an inning. He made his debut on July 13 (Friday the 13th, of course) and gave up two runs without retiring a batter. He was better his next time out, retiring one of the two batters he faced. At least that gave him an ERA. By the way, I had been mispronouncing the name: I thought it was Blych (as in chai), but it’s really Blysh.

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 July 30-August 5, 2018:

Wielansky

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Michael Wielansky

SS Michael Wielansky (Astros/A-short-season) hit .417 (5-for-12) last week, with 2 doubles, an RBI and a .462 on-base percentage.

Kaminsky

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Rob Kaminsky

• Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA), a former starter and first-round draft pick whose career has been hobbled by injury, tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief across 2 games and earned his first-ever save on August 4, inducing a flyout with the bases loaded to preserve a 9-8 win.

Mazel tov

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA) was added to FanGraphs’ Fringe Five list, a weekly tally of “baseball’s most compelling fringe prospects.”
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A) was named to the Northwest League’s All-Star roster.
• P Jon Moscot (Reds) tweeted this update on August 5: “I’ve been MIA for a long time…3 surgeries and 2 missed seasons in Arizona rehabbing will test you. But I’m happy to say that the arm is coming back finally and I will pitch again. If you’ve reached out in support I thank you. I’m real excited to play this game again.”

Other highlights

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA) hit .438 (7-for-16) with a home run, 3 RBIs and a stolen base, highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance on August 1.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA) hit .400 (10-for-25) with a home run, double, three RBIs and a .464 OBP.
• C Ryan Lavarnway* (Pirates/AAA) hit .375 (12-for-32) with a home run, 3 doubles, 4 RBIs and a .394 OBP. He leads the Indianapolis Indians in slugging percentage (.502) and ranks #2 in OBP (.380).
• 2B Ty Kelly* (Mets/AAA) hit .286 (4-for-14) with a home run, two doubles, 4 RBIs and a .333 OBP.
• C Mitchell Kranson (Twins/AA) hit .333 (4-for-12) with one RBI and a .385 OBP. He is hitting far better at the Double-A level (.297 average, .365 OBP) than he did at High-A (.240 average, .288 OBP).
• C Jason Goldstein (Athletics/AA) went hitless in his first five games at the Double-A level. But the Midland RockHounds were patient, and so was Goldstein, who doubled on August 3 and went 2-for-5 on August 5.
• 2B Adam Walton (Diamondbacks/High-A) hit .357 (5-for-14) with 2 RBIs and a .400 OBP.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AAA) yielded no earned runs in his first three appearances at the Triple-A level, although he got hit with a loss and a blown save on August 2.
• P Dean Kremer* (Orioles/AA) pitched 5 scoreless innings on August 3 to earn his 8th win of the season, yielding 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
• P Zack Weiss (Reds/AA) pitched 4.2 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 and earning a win.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/AA) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 3 hits and no walks while fanning 2.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA) pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 4, retiring the side on 13 pitches.
• P Brandon Gold (Rockies/High-A) earned his third straight win on August 1, pitching 7 innings of one-run ball on 6 hits, a walk, and a career-tying 8 strikeouts.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/A) pitched 4 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 5. He is striking out an average of 13.98 batters per 9 innings, #4 in the Midwest League.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/A) pitched 3 scoreless innings in his Single-A debut, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 5 and earning a save. The 2018 draftee has yet to give up an earned run in his 24 innings as a pro.
• P Andy Rohloff (Giants/rookie) pitched 2.1 perfect innings on July 30, striking out 3.
• P Tyler Cohen (Rangers/rookie), an undrafted free agent who signed with Texas in 2018, pitched a scoreless inning of relief on August 4, yielding one hit and zero walks while striking out one.

Transactions

• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AAA) was promoted to Triple-A on July 31.
• P Alex Katz* (Orioles/High-A) was promoted to High-A on July 30.
• 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A) was promoted to High-A on August 1.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/AA) was promoted to Double-A on August 2.
• P Jason Richman (Dodgers/AA) was promoted to Double-A on August 2.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/A) was promoted to Single-A on August 2.
• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA) was placed on the 7-day disabled list on August 3.

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

• C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA), since August 3.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• 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.

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By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Ian Kinsler, batting in the fifth spot, singled twice and doubled (#21) in six at bats for the Boston Red Sox in a 15-7 drubbing of the visiting NY Yankees on Thursday, thanks in part to three home runs by Steve Pearce. Kinsler also stole his 10th base, scored twice, and drove in a pair. He wasn’t too shabby with the glove, either.

Danny Valencia got into the game for the Baltimore Orioles (33-76) in their 17-8 loss to the host Texas Rangers in an unusual fashion — as a pitcher. Impressively, he struck out Joey Gallo, the only batter he faced, on a 91-mph fastball.

According to Bob Wechsler, author of The Jewish Baseball Card Book, “Other Jewish position players who have pitched in relief: Sam Fuld (2013), Ike Davis (2015), Milt Galatzer (1936), Jeff Newman (1977) and Sam Mayer (1915). Fuld decided one relief appearance was enough. When told that his career 0.00 ERA was lower than Sandy Koufax’s, Fuld said, ‘Yeah, and I’m going to sit on it, too.’” Wechsler added: “Valencia, Fuld, Davis and Newman all have 0.00 career ERAs. Davis pitched two innings over two games — the rest tossed one inning or less in one appearance. Galatzer pitched six innings in his one appearance and gave up three earned runs. Mayer faced two batters and walked them both. He has no registered ERA.”

What’s with these ridiculous scores lately? The LA Dodgers (61-49) crushed the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, 21-5 (this, just two days after the Washington Nationals handed the NY Mets their most lopsided loss in franchise history: 25-4). Joc Pederson had two home runs — 16 on the season — in six at-bats, including one to lead off the game. The second was part of a nine-run seventh inning. Pederson scored three and drove in four. Maybe that will change the Dodgers mind about a rumored plan to reduce his playing time.

Ryan Braun had a double (16) in four at-bats for the Brewers (63-49).

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (60-48) beat the visiting Miami Marlins, 5-2.

Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves in their 4-2 win over the host NY Mets. Robert Stock did not appear for the San Diego Padres in their 6-1 win over the host Chicago Cubs.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Pillar seems to be ahead of schedule in plans to return from the disabled list.

Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros were off. You know you’ve gone beyond the sports pages when FiveThirtyEight.com does a story on you. The statistics-heavy website describes Bregman as “the best player on the 2018 Astros” and his play this season as “MVP-caliber.”

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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

Danny Valencia was 2-for-5 with a run scored on Thursday as the Baltimore Orioles (33-75) beat the host NY Yankees, 7-5.

By Ron Kaplan, contributor

In his first game for the Boston Red Sox (75-34), Ian Kinsler was 1-for-4 in a 3-1 loss to Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (59-48). By the way, a belated happy birthday to Kapler, who turned 43 yesterday.

Alex Bregman, playing shortstop, was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored as the Houston Astros (68-41) beat the host Seattle Mariners, 5-3. His 34 doubles are tied for #2 in the American League.

Robert Stock allowed two hits and walked a batter in his one inning of relief but escaped without allowing a run as the San Diego Padres (42-68) lost to the visiting San Francisco Giants, 3-2, in 10 innings. It was his first MLB walk in 11.2 innings, during which he has struck out 15.

Ryan Braun singled as a pinch-hitter in the eighth for the Milwaukee Brewers (63-47), who made one run stand up in a 1-0 win over the host LA Dodgers (59-49). Joc Pederson appeared as a pinch-hitter in the same inning but popped out.

Danny Valencia did not appear for the Baltimore Orioles (32-75) in their 6-3 loss to the host NY Yankees.

Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves (57-47) in their 11-6 win over the visiting Florida Marlins.

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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

Well, the big news is that Ian Kinsler will be joining the first-place Boston Red Sox. The four-time All Star and 2016 Gold Glove winner was acquired in a trade with the LA Angels, who in turn had acquired him from the Detroit Tigers during the 2017-18 offseason. Possessing a combination of power and speed, Kinsler has 247 home runs and 234 stolen bases over his 13 seasons, ranking him 4th among Jewish players in the former category and 1st in the latter.

From MLB.com:

“We’re very happy to get Ian,” said Dombrowski. “We also got cash considerations in the deal. Very happy. We were looking at trying to upgrade our club anyway we possibly can. He’s been playing extremely well for an extended time period. He’s been hitting well. He’s a winning-type player. He’s a very good defensive player, still has good instincts.

“We think he makes us a better ballclub, because he goes into second base and is in a spot where he can play basically every day. He’s a good offensive player and a good defensive player, so we think he makes us a better club.”

On Monday night, the Red Sox handed Gabe Kapler‘s first-place Philadelphia Phillies their fourth loss in a row, 2-1. Boston has the best record in the Majors at 75-33.

Alex Bregman — who reportedly may be angling to become more of a home-run hitter — had one of the suddenly struggling Houston Astros’ four hits in their 2-0 loss to the host Seattle Mariners. The ‘Stros (67-41) have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Ryan Braun was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored as the Milwaukee Brewers (62-47) beat the host LA Dodgers (59-48), 5-2. Joc Pederson was 1-for-3 as the Dodgers’ starting left fielder and came out of the game for a pinch-hitter in the sixth.

Robert Stock did not appear for the San Diego Padres (42-67) in their 12-inning, 5-3 loss to the visiting San Francisco Giants.

No game for Danny Valencia and the Baltimore Orioles (32-74).

Toronto Blue Jays (48-57) outfielder non-nonpareil Kevin Pillar is making progress as he tries to come back from the DL.

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

Another down-and-dirty wrap, due to the lateness of the hour.

Ian Kinsler had the weekend honors as top MOT thanks to his 3-for-3 performance — including a double, a walk, three runs scored, and two RBIs — in the LA Angels’ 11-5 win Saturday over the visiting Seattle Mariners. He had one other hit in six at-bats in the other two games.

A close second was Ryan Braun, whose two RBIs made the difference for the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday in their 3-1 win over the host San Francisco Giants. He hit his 11th home run Sunday in an 8-5 loss.

Alex Bregman had just one hit in nine at-bats for the Houston Astros amid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, but it was his 21st home run, good for two RBI in Saturday’s 7-3 loss. He had one more ribbie and walked three times. More importantly, he was named winner of Houston’s 2018 Heart and Hustle Award.

Danny Valencia was 4-for-8 for the Baltimore Orioles in the Friday (15-5) and Saturday (11-2) wins over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays with two runs scored and an RBI. He did not appear in Sunday’s 11-5 win. It was the first three-game winning streak since time immemorial.

Joc Pederson was 0-for-7 in one start and two other appearances for the LA Dodgers, who took two of three from the Atlanta Braves after winning the Thursday series opener. Atlanta pitcher Max Fried pitched well on Saturday, allowing just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven. Unfortunately, that run came at a bad time and he wound up taking the loss in the 5-1 outcome, dropping his record to 1-4 but with an excellent ERA of 3.51.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies lost three in a row to the host Cincinnati Reds, but they remain in first place by 1.5 games over the Braves

Kevin Pillar remains on the DL for the Toronto Blue Jays. Same for Richard Bleier of the Orioles.

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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 July 23-29, 2018:

Kranson

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Mitchell Kranson

C Mitchell Kranson (Twins/AA) hit .364 (4-for-11) with a home run, triple, 2 RBIs and a .588 on-base percentage last week. Since his promotion to Double-A on June 8, Kranson is hitting .293 with 2 HRs, 14 RBIs and a .363 OBP.

Kulman

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Spencer Kulman

• Spencer Kulman (Padres/A-short-season), an undrafted free agent who signed with San Diego in 2017, pitched 5.1 scoreless innings across 2 games last week, yielding 2 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway* (Pirates/AAA) hit .368 (7-for-19) with 2 HRs, a triple and 2 RBIs.
• LF Zach Borenstein* (Mets/AAA) hit .273 (6-for-22) with a home run, triple, double, 7 RBIs, a stolen base and a .407 on-base percentage. The highlight: a 3-run, walk-off home run on July 25 (see video). Borenstein ranks fourth in the Pacific Coast League in doubles (25), third in home runs (22), second in RBIs (77), and first in runs scored (74).
• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 2 doubles, an RBI and a .333 OBP.
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season) hit .368 (7-for-19) with 3 RBIs and a .400 OBP.
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/rookie) had a career day on July 27, going 3-for-5 with two bases-loaded hits and 6 RBIs in a 12-8 win.
• 2B Zack Kone (Pirates/rookie), a 2018 draftee, went 4-for-5 on July 24 with a double, 3 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AA) tossed 5.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 3 hits and a walk while striking out four. In 20.1 innings since being promoted to Double-A, he has held opposing teams to a .141 batting average and has yet to surrender an earned run.
• P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 4 and earning his first win of the season. He has given up just one earned run over his last 9 appearances, slimming his ERA from 19.29 to 4.26.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson  (Rays/A-short-season), a 2018 draftee, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings across 2 games and earned 2 saves. In 21 innings since Tampa Bay drafted him, the Harvard alum is 1-1 with 5 saves in 6 chances, has struck out 33 batters while walking just 4, and has not given up an earned run.
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/rookie) pitched 5 innings of one-run ball on July 29, yielding 4 hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 7 batters.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched 1.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and zero walks while striking out 2. He is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA, one save, 14 strikeouts, and 2 walks across 10 innings.
• P Zack Leban (Marlins/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched a perfect inning of relief on July 25 for his 4th straight scoreless outing.

Transactions

• P Zack Weiss (Reds/AA) was reassigned to Double-A on July 28.
• 2B Ty Kelly* (Mets/AAA) was reassigned to Triple-A on July 26.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA) was activated from the disabled list on July 27.
• SS Scotty Burcham* (Rockies/AA) was activated from the disabled list on July 26.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA) entered the disabled list on July 23.

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

• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA), since July 23.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• 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

Ian Kinsler was a triple shy of a cycle as he helped the LA Angels (52-52) beat the visiting Chicago White Sox, 12-8. He drove in two runs, scored three, and walked. The home run was #14 and broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth. The double was his 19th of the year.

Danny Valencia was 2-for-3 with a walk as the Baltimore Orioles (28-74) dropped a 4-3 decision to the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Joc Pederson was 2-for-5 with his 21st double, a run scored, and an RBI as the LA Dodgers (57-46) beat the host Atlanta Braves, 8-2.

Ryan Braun’s pinch-hit single drove in the run that gave the Milwaukee Brewers (59-46) a 3-2 lead over the host San Francisco Giants in the eighth inning. The Brewers went on to win, 7-5. Braun remained in the game in left field and was hitless in a subsequent at-bat.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (58-44) beat the host Cincinnati Reds, 9-4.

No game for Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros (67-37). Bregman was the subject of a segment on Thursday’s Pardon the Interruption which highlighted his reaction to being called out when a fan interfered with his fly ball in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. After the game, Bregman went into a profanity-laced tirade against the review officials.

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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fBy Ron Kaplan, contributor

Joc Pederson singled and doubled in four at-bats out of the lead-off spot as the visiting LA Dodgers (56-46) fell to Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (57-44), 7-3.

Alex Bregman was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored as the Houston Astros (67-37) lost to the host Colorado Rockies, 3-2. On the bright side, the Houston Chronicle put together a slide show of Bregman’s career highlights.

Ryan Braun did not appear for the Milwaukee Brewers in their 7-3 loss to the visiting Washington Nationals. But he did reunite with former teammate Prince Fielder.

Ian Kinsler did not appear for the LA Angels (51-52), who clobbered the visiting Chicago White Sox, 11-3.

Robert Stock did not appear for the San Diego Padres (42-63) in their 6-3 loss to the host NY Mets, who designated Ty Kelly for assignment the day before.

Kevin Pillar remains on the disabled list for the Toronto Blue Jays (46-55), who lost to the visiting Minnesota Twins, 12-6. What lies in the future for the defensive wizard?

The game between Danny Valencia‘s Baltimore Orioles and the visiting Boston Red Sox was rained out.

And from Talkingchop.com, an Atlanta Braves-centric site, “Max Fried was dominant in his latest minor league rehab start and could very well be on his way back into the Braves rotation as soon as the team feels he’s 100%.”

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

Lots of extra time and good performances yesterday…

Robert Stock had the best game of his young Major League career, tossing three scoreless innings for the San Diego Padres (42-62) in a 6-3 loss to the host NY Mets (41-57). Stock struck out five — including Jose Bautista, who whiffed on a 97-mph fastball — and allowed no walks and just one hit, a double to opposing pitcher Zack Wheeler.

Ty Kelly did not appear for the Mets and later was designated for assignment.

Alex Bregman got the festivities started with his 21st home run, a two-run job in the first inning to give the Houston Astros (67-36) an early lead over the host Colorado Rockies. He added a single and a walk in his five trips to the plate as the Astros won 8-2 in 10 innings, scoring six times in the top of the frame. And all this after a one-hour rain delay.

Joc Pederson had four hits, including two doubles, in seven at-bats as the LA Dodgers (56-45) fell to Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (56-44), 7-4, in 16 innings thanks to a three-run, walk-off homer by Trevor Plouffe. Pederson scored one run and drove in another.

Danny Valencia had two singles in four at-bats for the Baltimore Orioles (29-73) in their 7-6 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox.

Ian Kinsler had a single and double and scored a run in four at-bats, but the LA Angels (50-52) lost to the visiting Chicago White Sox, 4-2.

Ryan Braun doubled and scored a run as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning as the Milwaukee Brewers (58-45) beat the visiting Washington Nationals, 5-4, in 10 innings.

Max Fried, on the DL, will make a rehab start for the Atlanta Braves’ AA affiliate today.

Jeremy Bleich did not appear for the Oakland A’s (59-43) in their 13-inning, 13-10 win over the host Texas Rangers.

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By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Apologies for no weekend update.

In last night’s action…

Joc Pederson hit his 14th home run of the year to help the visiting LA Dodgers (56-44) withstand Gabe Kapler’s  Philadelphia Phillies (55-44), 7-6. The blast — his first since July 3 — came in the fourth inning with the bases empty. As the saying goes, it got out of there in a hurry. Pederson also had a single and a walk and scored another run.

Ty Kelly failed to get a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt down — popping out to the catcher — in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on first as the NY Mets (40-57) lost to the visiting San Diego Padres, 3-2.

The Padres brought back pitcher Robert Stock from AAA on Friday, but he might be going right back down. He allowed four runs on six hits and struck out one in just two-thirds of an inning in the Padres’ 11-5 loss to the Phillies that night.

The Milwaukee Brewers (57-45) activated Ryan Braun from the DL on July 21. He was 0-for-4 batting out of the cleanup spot and played first base in last night’s 6-1 win over the visiting Washington Nationals. Braun has one hit in 11 at-bats since his return.

Ian Kinsler was 0-for-3 with a walk as the host LA Angels (50-51) lost to the Chicago White Sox, 5-3.

Danny Valencia did not appear for the Baltimore Orioles (28-73) in their 5-3 loss to the visiting Boston Red Sox. Bear in mind he might not be with them much longer as the trading deadline looms. Reliever Richard Bleier remains out for the year following lat surgery.

Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves (54-43) in their 12-1 win over the host Miami Marlins, but he was dominant in a Double-A rehab game yesterday, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings in which he gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out 10.

No game for Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros yesterday. But be sure to check out this article on his growing excellence and pursuit of perfection.

Kevin Pillar remains on the DL for the Toronto Blue Jays (46-53), who lost to the visiting Minnesota Twins, 8-3.

The Oakland As sent pitcher Jeremy Bleich back to the AAA Nashville Sounds on Sunday.

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 July 16-22, 2018:

Tellez

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA) hit .370 (10-for-27) last week, with 4 HRs, 2 doubles, 8 RBIs, a stolen base and a .414 on-base percentage.

Gold

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Brandon Gold

• Brandon Gold (Rockies/High-A) earned his seventh win on July 21, yielding one earned run on 5 hits and zero walks over 7 innings while striking out 7.

Mazel tov

• C Michael Barash (Angels/AA), a 2016 draftee out of Texas A&M, voluntarily retired from baseball on July 18 to complete his degree and pursue coaching (see tweet). Barash finished his playing career on a high note, homering in 2 of his last 3 games and ending on a 7-game hitting streak. We wish him the best in his new endeavors.

Other highlights

• LF Zach Borenstein* (Mets/AAA) hit .385 (10-for-26) with his 21st home run, 3 doubles, a triple, 8 RBIs and a .500 on-base percentage.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA) hit .571 (4-for-7) with a home run, double, RBI and a .625 on-base percentage.
• C Mitchell Kranson (Twins/AA) hit .308 (8-for-26) with 3 doubles, 6 RBIs and a .379 on-base percentage. He had two hits in each of his last four games.
• C Scott Manea (Mets/A) hit .318 (7-for-22) with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs and a .400 on-base percentage. His .392 on-base percentage ranks #2 in the South Atlantic League.
• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A) hit .300 (6-for-20) with his first home run of the season, 2 doubles and 7 RBIs.
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short season) hit .320 (8-for-25) with a home run, 4 RBIs and a .346 OBP.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA) extended his scoreless streak to 13 games. Since being traded by the White Sox in early June, Goldberg is 2-1 with a 0.64 ERA, has converted 4 saves in 5 chances, and has held opposing hitters to a .087 batting average.
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA) earned a win in his first start with the Baltimore franchise on July 22, yielding one earned run on 4 hits and 3 walks over 6 innings while striking out 6.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AA) pitched 3 scoreless innings on July 17, yielding 3 hits and a walk while striking out one. In 15 innings since being promoted to Double-A, he has yet to yield an earned run.
• P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA) pitched 2 shutout innings across 2 games, yielding 4 hits and zero walks while striking out 3.
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/High-A) earned his seventh straight win on July 20, pitching 5 innings of one-run ball while yielding 5 hits and 4 walks and striking out 6. After beginning 2018 with a 5.40 ERA in April, he reduced his ERA to 4.66 in May, 4.18 in June, and 2.00 so far in July.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/High-A) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 5. He hasn’t given up an earned run since June 26.
• P Jason Richman (Dodgers/High-A) pitched 5 innings of one-run ball across 2 games, yielding 4 hits and no walks while striking out 5 and earning a save.
• P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A), a 2018 draftee, pitched 3.1 innings of near-perfect relief on July 20, yielding zero hits and one walk while striking out 5. He has yet to give up an earned run in 18.2 innings and has struck out 44.3 percent of the batters he has faced.
• P Keith Weisenberg (Braves/A) pitched well in a losing cause on July 21, yielding one earned run on 5 hits and a walk over 6 innings while striking out 8.
• P Tyler Cohen (Rangers/rookie), an undrafted free agent who signed with Texas in 2018, pitched a perfect inning of relief on July 19, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched an inning of scoreless relief on July 22, yielding a walk and no hits while striking out one.

Transactions

• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics/AAA) was reassigned to Triple-A on July 22 after two relief appearances with Oakland.
• 1B Cody Decker* (Diamondbacks/AAA) entered the disabled list on July 21.
• C Michael Barash (Angels/AA) voluntarily retired on July 18.
• SS Scotty Burcham* (Rockies/AA) played just one game before returning to the disabled list on July 17.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/High-A) was reassigned to High-A on July 18.
• P Jason Richman (Dodgers/High-A) was reassigned to High-A on July 16.

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 July 21.
• SS Scotty Burcham* (Rockies/AA), since July 17.
• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• 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.

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By Ron Kaplan, contributor

They call the All-Star break the midpoint of a baseball season. It’s not really, since teams have played well over half of their 162 games. But it’s still a good time to look back and see how everyone is doing.

As you know, Alex Bregman killed it at the All-Star Game, winning MVP honors for his go-ahead home run in the 10th inning. And that’s on top of what so far has been a very good season both for the second baseman and his Houston Astros, who have the second-best record in the American League at 64-35 and lead the Western Division by five games over the Seattle Mariners.

Bregman’s stats so far, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com:

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights from the week of July 9-15, 2018:

Rickles

Jewish Baseball News Hitter of the Week: Nick Rickles*

C Nick Rickles* (Phillies/AAA) hit .500 (4-for-8) last week with 2 HRs, a double and 5 RBIs.

Delaplane

Jewish Baseball News Pitcher of the Week: Sam Delaplane

• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/A) tossed 5 scoreless innings across 3 games last week, yielding 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 and earning 2 saves in 2 chances. Delaplane is 3-0 this season with a 2.21 ERA, 7 saves in 8 chances, and 63 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.

Mazel tov

• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics) was called-up to the Majors on July 13 and made his MLB debut on July 13 after 10 years of minor-league and independent-league ball.
• P Ty Kelly* (Mets) was called-up by the Mets on July 9.
• After pitching a complete-game shutout in his Double-A debut, Dean Kremer* was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week for July 2-8.
• Three Jewish players were on the field in the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 11: LF Zach Borenstein* (Mets/AAA), C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA) and C Ryan Lavarnway* (Pittsburgh/AAA). Borenstein’s RBI double in the 2nd inning put the Pacific Coast League in the lead for good. He also participated in the home run derby, one of just three Pacific Coast League players to receive that honor.
• Former New York Mets prospect Jeremy Wolf has formed an organization dedicated to increasing the wages of minor-leaguers and giving them union representation.

Other highlights

• LF Zach Borenstein* (Mets/AAA) hit .400 (4-for-10) with a home run, 2 doubles, an RBI and a .538 on-base percentage.
• C Mitchell Kranson (Twins/AA) hit .375 (3-for-8) with a home run and 2 RBIs.
• RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/High-A) hit just .143 (3-for-21), but all three hits were for HRs, and his 7 walks led to an OBP of .357. Wiseman’s 18 HRs are tied for #2 in the Carolina League, and his .519 slugging percentage is #4.
• C Scott Manea (Mets/A) hit .316 (6-for-19) with 4 doubles, 4 RBIs and a .381 OBP.
• SS Michael Wielansky, a 2018 draftee, hit .300 (6-for-20) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and a .364 OBP.
• C Albee Weiss (Twins/rookie) — a 2018 draftee who hit 20 HRs for Cal State-Northridge this year, tying him for #7 among Division I hitters — popped two HRs on July 10 and another on July 13.
• P Robert Stock (Padres/AAA) tossed a perfect inning of relief on July 14 to lower his ERA to 1.65. Opposing Triple-A batters have managed to hit just .163 against him this season.
• P Craig Breslow* (Blue Jays/AAA) tossed 2 perfect innings of relief on July 12, yielding no hits or walks while striking out one.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AA) threw three 3 scoreless innings on July 14, yielding one hit and 2 walks while striking out 2 and earning a win. In 12 innings since being promoted to Double-A, Gorst has yet to yield an earned run.
• P Brad Goldberg* (Diamondbacks/AA) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a walk and no hits while striking out 3 and earning his second win.
• P R C Orlan* (Indians/AA) pitched 2 scoreless innings on July 14, yielding one walk and zero hits while striking out one and earning a win. It was his first game back at Double-A after a dominating rehab stint.
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/High-A) earned 2 wins in 2 starts to improve his record to 7-1. Rosenberg yielded a total of 2 earned runs on 9 hits and 2 walks over 11 innings while striking out 10.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/High-A) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings across 4 games, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 4 and earning 2 saves in 2 chances.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/A-short-season), a 2018 draftee, struck out the side in an inning of relief on July 13 to earn his third save in four chances. In 15.1 innings this season he has struck out 26 batters, walked just 3, and not given up a single earned run.
• P Zack Leban (Marlins/rookie), a 2018 draftee, pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and no walks.
• P Tyler Cohen (Rangers/rookie), an undrafted 2018 signee, pitched a perfect inning of relief on July 15 and struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

Draft update

• SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A-short-season), a 2018 draftee, made his pro debut on July 13 and got his first pro hit, a double, on July 15.

Transactions

• 2B Ty Kelly* (Mets) was called-up from Triple-A on July 9.
• P Jeremy Bleich* (Athletics was called-up from Triple-A on July 13.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA) was activated from the temporarily inactive list on July 14.
• C Jason Goldstein (Athletics/AA) was promoted to Double-A on July 9.
• P R.C. Orlan* (Indians/AA) completed a rehab assignment with Cleveland’s rookie-league teams and was promoted to Double-A on July 14.
• SS Scotty Burcham* (Rockies/AA) came off the disabled list on July 14.
• P Tyler Herron*, who played minor-league ball with four MLB franchises from 2005-16, has signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent American Association.
• C Justin Cohen, a former Miami Marlins prospect, has signed with the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association.

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

• SS Preston Grand Pre (Dodgers/rookie), since June 29.
• 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