Jewish Baseball News

MLB news

• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler is one shy of 300 career doubles. He doubled in a run Saturday for his 299th ***
• Kinsler is homerless in 148 at-bats this season, but he’s hitting .311 — well above his .274 career average — and leads the A.L. with 18 multi-hit games ***
• In case you missed it, Kinsler hit a walk-off single Tuesday to give the Tigers a 2-1, extra-inning win over the Twins ***
• Houston’s Scott Feldman struck out 10 and held Toronto scoreless for 5.2 innings Saturday after a rough 1st inning to win 6-5 ***
• The Astros’ mascot goofed around with Toronto’s Kevin Pillar before Sunday’s game ***
• At the quarter-season mark, Joc Pederson is the leading candidate for N.L. Rookie of the Year ***
• Pederson leads all MLB rookies in Wins Above Replacement ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis hurt his left quadriceps running the bases and has been placed on the 15-day D.L. ***

Minor-league news

• On Saturday (5/16/2015), Arizona prospect Zach Borenstein (AA) hit for the cycle for the 2nd time in 13 months. He’s hitting .391 since being reassigned to the Mobile BayBears ***
• Brewers prospect Ben Guez (AAA) homered twice Thursday (5/14/2015), including this blast to left. He’s hitting .289 with 6 HR and 19 RBI and is 8-for-8 in stolen bases. His .403 OBP ranks 6th in the Pacific Coast League ***
• Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) gave up 2 earned runs in a 7-inning start Saturday. Though he didn’t get the win, he’s 5-0 this season with a 2.39 ERA and has 4 hits in 8 at-bats ***
• After holding opponents scoreless in his first 12 appearances, Reds prospect Zack Weiss (AA) has yielded an earned run in each of his last two games, but he’s 7-for-7 in save opportunities ***
• Nats prospect Jeremy Bleich (AA) went 6 innings for the win Sunday, yielding one earned run on 7 hits. He’s walked just two batters in 36.1 innings this season ***
• Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum (A+) is hitting just .224 this season but has managed an impressive 11 RBIs in just 58 at-bats ***
• CBS-El Paso produced a 4-minute segment on the colorful Cody Decker (AAA), who also happens to be the Padres’ career minor-league HR leader. Best quote: “I don’t know how to change a tire but if you see a car broken down and someone says, ‘Quick we need help! Does anyone know anything about Married with Children?’ Well, maybe I can be of some service” ***
• Ex-Nats prospect Cameron Selik has signed a contract to serve as pitching coach of the Klamath Falls Gems, a collegiate summer team ***
• Giants rookie prospect Adam Sonabend has written an insightful blog post about life in extended spring training. Read it here ***
• Dodgers prospect Jeremy Rathjen is getting his first taste of AA ball with the Tulsa Drillers ***
• Atlanta has assigned second-year prospect Mitchell Osnowitz to the Rome Braves (A) ***
• The A’s have reassigned second-year prospect Michael Fagan to extended spring training ***
• The Pirates have reassigned prospect Henry Hirsch to extended spring training ***

Other baseball news

• Dean Kremer, star pitcher for the Israeli national team, has accepted a scholarship offer from UNLV. Currently pitching for the San Joaquin Delta College Mustangs, the nation’s #1-ranked junior college baseball team, Kremer is 12-1 with a 2.00 ERA ***
• The so-called Jewish World Series of Orthodox high schools was scheduled to begin Sunday in Columbus, OH (5/17/2015)

In other sports

• Our condolences to the family of Justin Zemser, a 5’8″ wide receiver on the U.S. Naval Academy’s sprint football team who died in last week’s Amtrak crash ***

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By Scott Barancik, Editor
When Ryan Braun launched two home runs Friday (5/15/2015), it left him a dozen short of 250.
Only 15 active players, and just 210 of the more than 17,000 who have worn a Major League jersey throughout baseball history, have hit 250 or more HRs.

Still not impressed? From 2007 through the present, a total of 1,391 players made their MLB debut and appeared at least once at the plate. The group includes sluggers like Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Hunter Pence and Giancarlo Stanton. Who among them has the most HRs over that period? Ryan Braun, with 238.

If you expand that list to include all players between 2007 and 2015, including those who debuted earlier, Braun’s home-run count during that period ranks 8th. (Top-ranked Miguel Cabrera has hit 296 dingers from 2007 through the present.)

Braun’s been on a bit of a home-run binge lately. Friday’s pair marked his second two-HR game in 16 days. He has 22 multi-homer games so far in his career.

Braun ranks 3rd in career HRs among Jewish ballplayers, behind Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328).

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Alex Bregman, a junior at No. 1 ranked Louisiana State University and the team’s star shortstop (see bio), is projected to be picked no later than 7th overall in next month’s MLB amateur draft.

Four top prognosticators have weighed-in on the draft in recent days, and all of them repeated the rumor that the Boston Red Sox are eager to land the 21-year-old New Mexico native with the 7th pick of the 1st round. Whether Bregman will last that long remains to be seen.

• MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo — himself a Member of the Tribe — wrote May 12 that he thinks Boston will get their long-held wish with pick #7. The Red Sox chose Bregman in the 29th round of the 2012 draft when he was fresh out of Albuquerque Academy
• Baseball America agreed with Mayo in a May 8 article
• Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs predicted on May 8 that the Minnesota Twins would grab Bregman with the #6 pick
• In a May 11 piece, Christopher Crawford of Baseball Prospectus guessed that the Houston Astros would nab Bregman with the #5 pick

The last Jewish draftee in the Top 10 was high-school pitcher Max Fried, who earned a $3-million bonus when the San Diego Padres made him the #7 overall pick in 2012.

Alex Bregman

So far this season, the 6’0″, 186-pound Bregman is hitting .335 with 8 HRs (tied for #2 on the Tigers), 42 RBIs (#3), 22 doubles (#1), a .422 on-base percentage (#1), a .584 slugging percentage (#1), and 29 stolen bases (#1).

Marc Normandin of SB Nation wrote May 11 that Bregman is “the kind of player who could make a few all-star teams in their day, if things break right.”

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JBN roundup

• After going hitless for three games, Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 2-for-4 Monday with his 10th double — tying him for third most in the A.L. — and 6th stolen base in a 5-2 loss to Baltimore ***
• Speaking of doubles, Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-2 with his 9th two-bagger in Monday’s 5-4 loss to Boston ***
• Joc Pederson went 1-for-3 Monday with an RBI single and a walk but struggled on the basepaths in L.A.’s 5-3 win over Miami. The rookie was caught stealing for the 4th time in six tries and was doubled off first base. The fact that Pederson is hitting well is somewhat remarkable. According to this article, pitchers are throwing in Pederson’s strike zone less than 40% of the time, the 2nd-lowest percentage in baseball. How is getting around it? Partly by being patient: Pederson is ranked 4th in the Majors in most pitches per plate appearance, at 4.37. And he is drawing walks a best-in-baseball 22.8% of the time ***
• Houston’s Scott Feldman pitched well enough to win Sunday, but his teammates managed just one hit in a 3-1 loss to the Angels. In a 7-inning stint, Feldman gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out five ***
• Nats prospect Richard Bleier (AA) pitched a 7-inning gem on Monday, yielding 2 earned runs on 4 hits and no walks while fanning 3. Impressively, Bleier tossed just 72 pitches, and 51 of them for strikes ***
• Robert Stock didn’t last long after being selected No. 1 last month in the independent Frontier League draft last month. The 25-year-old pitcher, who was released by the Cardinals in late 2014 and the Astros in April 2015, has signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates ***
• Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) raised his record to 5-0 with a 2.35 ERA after a masterful 8-inning performance Sunday. The 23-year-old yielded 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 ***
• Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) has been playing pro ball since 2009, and until last week he had collected only two 4-hit games. But on Friday (5/8/2015), the first baseman went 4-for-5 with a grand-slam HR and a two-run shot, and on Saturday he did it again, going 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI single. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Decker was just named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week  ***

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Today’s news

• Ian Kinsler went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a 2-run single, and a rare walk-off bunt single in Detroit’s 6-5 win Friday over the Royals. The victory eased the Tigers into 1st place in the A.L. Central, half a game ahead of Kansas City ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun reached base 4 out of 5 times and hit a 3-run HR with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th Friday, but the Cubs squeaked out a 7-6 win. The double was Braun’s first of 2015, an odd stat for a player who has hit as many as 45 in a season ***
• Jew vs. Jew: Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in Friday’s 7-0 win, but Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow won the battle of the Jews, striking out Pillar during a perfect 8th inning ***
• Joc Pederson went 0-for-2 with a walk and his second stolen base in five attemptsas L.A. beat Colorado 2-1 on Friday ***
• Oakland’s Sam Fuld went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base while teammate Ike Davis went 1-for-3 with his 8th double in a 4-3, extra-inning loss to Seattle ***
• Cincinnati’s Jason Marquis starts Game 2 of today’s doubleheader against the White Sox. He’s won three starts in a row for the first time since June 2013 ***
• Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) went 4-for-5 with a 2-run HR and a grand-slam HR on Friday as the El Paso Chihuahuas ended the Las Vegas 51s’ 14-game winning streak by a 10-6 score. The grand slam was Decker’s second in 4 games, and his 6 RBIs matched a personal record that had been set on 4/15/2011. Decker is tied for 8th in the Pacific Coast League with 20 RBIs in just 72 at-bats ***
• Reds prospect Zack Weiss earned a save Friday in his second game since being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA) ***

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Today’s news

• A blogger for ESPN Los Angeles has compiled a list of Joc Pederson‘s amazing feats so far this season, Ten Fun Facts About Joc Pederson. Among the highlights: of all MLB players with 5 or more HRs this season, Pederson’s have averaged the second-longest, at 420.3 feet. The only player with longer HRs? Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, at 422.6 feet. Also, Pederson has made eight plays classified by Baseball Info Solutions as “good fielding plays,” 2nd most among MLB outfielders. Who’s first? Toronto’s Kevin Pillar, with 12 ***
• Oakland’s Nate Freiman, out since Opening Day with a bad back, is three games into a rehab assignment with the club’s Triple-A team ***
• Well, that was inevitable: Reds prospect Zack Weiss has been promoted to AA. In 9 games and 11.2 innings at A+, the 22-year-old righty was 5-for-5 in save opportunities, gave up just 2 hits, and struck out 22 while walking one ***
• The Angels have promoted prospect Charlie Cutler to AAA ***

In other sports

• Pro surfer and Hawaii native Makuakai “Makua” Rothman is ranked #1 on the World Surf League’s 2015 Big Wave Tour. Check out his website here **

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

When Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson hit home runs #8 and #9 against the Brewers last night, it wasn’t just the first multi-dinger night of his young career. The two jacks also marked a remarkable run of power: all seven of Pederson’s hits since the 6th inning of an April 27 game have been home runs, six of them solo, one a grand slam.

The 23-year-olds’s nine home runs left him tied for the N.L. lead with Dodgers teammate Adrian Gonzalez and Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier. On average, Pederson has homered every 9th at-bat this season, tops in the league.

Pederson’s overall performance since his seven-homer streak began is a microcosm of what the center fielder was expected to bring to the plate in Los Angeles, and what he has brought to date. Over that period, Pederson came to bat 34 times, hitting 7 HRs, knocking in 10 runs, walking 6 times, and striking out 13 for a batting average of .250.

That style — feast (HR), famine (K), or something in-between (BB) — led one columnist to joke that Pederson was the reincarnation of Dave Kingman, a notorious homer-or-whiff king from the 1970s, except for the walks. More importantly, Pederson’s game has landed him on the N.L. leaderboard in multiple offensive categories.

• At-bats per HR: 9.0 (1st)
• On-base plus slugging, or OPS: 1.090 (2nd)
• Slugging: .667 (2nd)
• Walks: 21 (3rd)
• Strikeouts: 34 (4th)
• Offensive Wins Above Replacement, or WAR: 1.4 (6th)
• RBI: 18 (7th)
• OBP: .423 (9th)

Of course, as anyone who watched his catch at the wall in last night’s two-homer game might suspect, Pederson also has starred on the field. He is tied for 3rd among N.L. center fielders in assists (3) and total zone runs (5).

Perhaps the only respect in which Pederson has fallen short of expectations so far is base-stealing. Though he stole 30 in Triple-A last year, he has failed in 3 of 4 attempts in 2015.

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Dear Subscriber,

Good news! Our daily Jewish Box Score is back! A player’s stats will usually appear within an hour after his game has ended.

To see the box score, click on the Jewish Baseball News home page, or visit our mobile website. Thanks for your patience!

Games played Monday (May 4, 2015)

MLB

• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 1-for-4 with a single and stole his 5th base, tying him for 10th in the A.L., in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Yankees. On Sunday, Pillar was caught in a rundown between 3rd base and home plate and amazingly escaped it  ***
• Jew vs. Jew: L.A. rookie Joc Pederson smashed a leadoff homer, his 7th round-tripper of the year, but Milwaukee won 4-3 Monday thanks to a go-ahead infield single by former MVP Ryan Braun   ***
• Boston’s Craig Breslow pitched 2 scoreless innings in Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Rays, yielding one hit and no walks ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-3 in Monday’s 8-7 loss to the Twins ***
• Hitless Monday: Danny Valencia (0-4)

Minors

• Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) belted a towering grand-slam HR on Monday ***
• Milwaukee prospect Ben Guez (AAA) went 3-for-5 with a double on Monday ***
• Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) not only earned his 4th win Monday but went 2-for-3 with a 2-run single ***
• White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg (A+) pitched a perfect inning of relief on Monday, striking out one ***

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Games played Friday (May 1, 2015)

MLB

• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar did it again Friday, hitting a 2-run triple and robbing the Indians’ Jason Kipnis — who has a Jewish father but is a practicing Catholic — of extra bases with a leaping grab at the outfield wall. Cleveland won 9-4 ***
• Don Mattingly’s decision to move Joc Pederson from the back of the batting order to the leadoff spot is looking pretty smart. The 22-year-old rookie hit a grand-slam on Friday, his 5th HR of the season, in L.A.’s 8-0 win over Arizona. He also saved a run with this nice catch and was interviewed after the game ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 0-for-2 with 2 walks Friday in a 4-1 loss to the Royals ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-2 and teammate Sam Fuld went 0-for-5 in a 7-5 win Friday over Texas ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went hitless in Friday’s 1-0 loss but tossed out a Cubs runner trying to advance from first base to third on a single ***

Minors

• Milwaukee prospect Ben Guez (AAA) offered a balanced attack Friday, going 2-for-5 with a 2-run HR, an RBI single, a walk and a stolen base. The 8th-year player, who has never gotten a call-up to the Bigs, ranks first in the Pacific Coast League with 16 walks ***
• Angels prospect Charlie Cutler (AA) went 3-for-4 Friday with a 2-run double and an RBI single, both of which came with two outs ***
• Oakland prospect Nick Rickles (A+) went 1-for-4 with an RBI single on Friday ***
• Pirates prospect Richard Bleich (AA) pitched a scoreless inning Friday, walking one batter and striking out another ***

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Zack Weiss

Games played Thursday (April 30, 2015)

MLB

• Another day, another brain-rattling catch and run-producing double for Toronto CF Kevin Pillar, who is NOT on the 2015 All-Star ballot. Playing alongside RF Danny Valencia, who had his own RBI single Thursday, Pillar hit a 2-run double in the 4th inning and ran head-on into the wall in right-centerfield in the 5th to catch a Brandon Moss rocket as the Blue Jays beat Cleveland 5-1. Pillar’s 8th double tied him for the A.L. lead. He was interviewed after the game ***
• After giving up infield singles to the game’s first three batters and allowing 2 runs in the inning, Scott Feldman (2-2, 4.31) settled down and didn’t allow another run over the next six innings Thursday as first-place Houston beat Seattle 3-2 in extras for its 7th straight win. Feldman retired 10 of last 11 batters he faced ***
• Sam Fuld‘s RBI single in the 9th drew Oakland within a run of the Angels, but Ike Davis made the final out in Thursday’s 6-5 loss. Fuld went 1-for-4 with a walk, and Davis went 1-for-5.
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 0-for-3 with a walk and was robbed of an extra-base hit in an 8-1 loss Thursday to the Royals ***

Minors

• Milwaukee prospect Ben Guez (AAA) was perfect at the plate Thursday, going 2-for-2 with a 435-foot solo HR and 2 walks ***
• Reds prospect Zack Weiss (A+) continued his domination of Florida State League hitters Thursday, striking out 2 in a perfect inning of relief for his 4th save. Weiss’s crazy season totals: in 10.2 innings and 8 appearances, Weiss has given up 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 20, or nearly 2 per inning ***
• Braves prospect Alec Grosser (A) earned his first win of the season Thursday with 5 innings of one-run ball ***
• San Diego prospect Cody Decker (AAA) stroked a pinch-hit double Thursday ***
• White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg (A+) pitched a scoreless inning of relief Thursday ***

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Games played Wednesday (April 29, 2015)

MLB

• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun hit 2 HRs, including a grand slam, in an 8-3 win over the Reds. Click here for more details ***
  
• Batting at the top of the lineup for the first time, L.A.’s Joc Pederson homered on the second pitch he saw and made a diving grab Wednesday in a 7-3 win over the Giants. He also drew his 17th walk, second-highest in the N.L. Pederson had batted either 7th or 8th until manager Don Mattingly reconfigured the batting order ***
• Speaking of Joc Pederson, guess which rookie the Dodgers nominated to play in this year’s All-Star Game?
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-5 with a double in Wednesday’s 10-7 win over the Twins ***
• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 1-for-4 with a double in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Red Sox. The double was Pillar’s 7th, tying him for 2nd in the A.L. ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and teammate Sam Fuld went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Angels ***

Minors

• Oakland prospect Nick Rickles (A+) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo HR on Wednesday, his first HR since 9/4/2013. Rickles sat out all of 2014 due to injury ***
• In only his third start for the Syracuse Chiefs and on just two days’ rest, Nationals prospect Richard Bleier (AAA) pitched one of the best games of his career Wednesday. Over 6 innings, the 28-year-old southpaw yielded one earned run on 6 hits, walking none and striking out three in a 5-1 win ***

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Today was a big day for Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. The 31-year-old left fielder went 3-for-5 with 2 HRs, including a grand-slam off Cincinnati’s Jumbo Diaz in the 8th inning of an 8-3 win. Braun had another home run yesterday and now has four for the season.

It was the 21st multi-HR game of Braun’s career. The last one came 364 days ago — a three-dinger performance on 4/30/2014.

Today’s grand slam was Braun’s 4th since his 2007 debut and first since 2010. His career HR total is now 234.

As recently as Sunday and Monday, Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke held Braun out of the lineup in favor of hotter hitters.

# # #

Games played Tuesday (April 28, 2015)

MLB

• Jew vs. Jew: Boston’s Craig Breslow retired Toronto’s Danny Valencia and Kevin Pillar, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an 11-8 Red Sox win Tuesday. Pillar went 3-for-4 with his 6th double, a walk and a stolen base. Valencia went 1-for-5. Breslow yielded a solo HR to Jose Bautista ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 1-for-4 with a solo HR, his second round-tripper of 2015, in a 4-2 loss Tuesday to the Reds ***
• Don Mattingly sat Joc Pederson and other lefties so the Dodgers could face Giants ace Madison Bumgarner with an all-righty lineup Tuesday. Pederson did come in as a pinch-runner, but the Giants prevailed 2-1 ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis and Sam Fuld went a combined 0-for-7 in Tuesday’s 6-2 win over the Angels, but Fuld was credited with his 2nd outfield assist ***

Minors

• Oakland prospect Mike Fagan (A) achieved a rare feat Tuesday when he struck out 4 batters in one inning. One of the 4 struck out swinging on a wild pitch and reached first base safely ***
• Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) raised his record to 3-0 with a 5-inning start Tuesday. His 2.16 ERA in 16.2 innings this season is a fraction of the 5.71 ERA he recorded in 17.1 innings of Triple-A ball last year ***
• Reds prospect Zack Weiss (A+) pitched 2 scoreless innings Tuesday, yielding 2 hits and striking out 3 ***
• Cardinals prospect Rob Kaminsky (A+) is 2-0 after a five-inning start Tuesday **
• Pittsburgh prospect Henry Hirsch (A+) pitched a perfect inning of relief Tuesday, striking out 2 of 3 batters ***
• Pittsburgh prospect Jeremy Bleich (AA) pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday, giving up one hit while striking out two ***
• Seattle prospect Scott Dececco (AA) struck out 6 over 4.2 innings of relief on Tuesday ***
• Milwaukee prospect Ben Guez (AAA) went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and stolen base Tuesday ***
• Reds farmhand Josh Satin (AAA) and Blue Jays prospect Scott Silverstein (A+) have been placed on the disabled list ***

Other

• Five Israelis will try out next week in Prague for MLB’s 40-man European Elite Camp ***

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Games played Monday (April 27, 2015)

MLB

• Monday’s highly-anticipated matchup between Reds starter Jason Marquis and nemesis Ryan Braun of the Brewers didn’t happen. Braun — whose .536 career average vs. Marquis is tops among all hitters with at least 25 ABs against the 36-year-old righty — sat on the bench until the 9th inning, when he pinch-hit against a reliever. Meanwhile, Marquis starved Milwaukee hitters over 8 innings, limiting them to two earned runs in a 9-6 win that raised his record to 2-1 (see his post-game interview). A fine hitter, Marquis stroked an RBI single that snapped the Reds’ 0-for-20 streak with men in scoring position ***
• Joc Pederson starred at bat and in the field Monday as the N.L. West-leading Dodgers beat the Giants 8-3. The 23-year-old CF — dubbed “Joc of all trades” by MLB.com — went 2-for-3 with a solo HR, an RBI double. Pederson also earned Top 5 Plays of the Day honors with a nifty double play, robbing Angel Pagan with an over-the-shoulder catch and doubling-off Nori Aoki at first (see his post-game interview). The outfield assist was his second in two days and third this season, tying him for 2nd place in the N.L. ***
• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 2-for-4 Monday with a double and an RBI single in a 6-5 loss to Boston ***
• Ian Kinsler went 1-for-5 on Monday as the A.L. Central-leading Tigers beat Minnesota 5-4 ***

Minors

• Cheers to Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum (A+), who had a walk-off single Monday to give the Charlotte Stone Crabs a 6-5 win over the Bradenton Marauders ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday. He’s tied for 4th in the Florida State League with 13 RBI ***
• Oakland prospect Nick Rickles (A+) went 2-for-5 Monday with a two-run single and an RBI double. A catcher, he erased one of four stealing attempts and allowed a passed ball ***
• Angels prospect Zach Borenstein (AAA) went 2-for-3 with an RBI single ***
• Milwaukee prospect Ben Guez (AAA) went 1-for-3 with a single ***

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Games played Sunday (April 26, 2015)

MLB

• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead single and a walk in an 8-6 win over Cleveland. The all-time Jewish stolen base leader also earned his 3rd steal of the season and is tied for 26th place in the A.L. with 10 RBI. Sunday’s win launched the Tigers into first place in the A.L. Central division ***
• Jew vs. Jew: Baltimore’s Ryan Lavarnway went 2-for-5 in Sunday’s 18-7 laugher over the Red Sox, but he struck out against fellow Yale alum (and former Red Sox batterymate) Craig Breslow. Breslow had little success otherwise, yielding three hits and his first earned run of 2015 over 0.2 innings ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a nice grab in Sunday’s 7-6 loss to Houston, while teammate Sam Fuld went 0-for-4 with a sacrifice bunt that led to a run ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson went 0-for-3 in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Padres, but his throw to a cutoff man saved a run and earned him an outfield assist ***
• Hitless Sunday: Kevin Pillar (0-3)
• Check out this adoring video that a fan made about Toronto’s Kevin Pillar

Minors

• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 3-for-5 with a stolen base Sunday ***
• Pirates prospect Henry Hirsch (A+) pitched a scoreless inning Sunday, yielding one walk ***
• Nats prospect Richard Bleier (AAA) gave up 3 hits and an earned run over 1.1 innings of relief Sunday ***

Games played Saturday (April 25, 2015)

MLB

• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a walk in Saturday’s 4-1 win over Cleveland. The all-time Jewish stolen base leader also earned his 2nd steal of the season. Detroit’s win brought it within one game of the A.L. Central-leading Royals ***
• Jew vs. Jew: Houston’s Scott Feldman earned his 2nd win in a 9-3 victory Saturday over Oakland. The 6’7″ righty lasted 6.2 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while fanning 6. Oakland’s Sam Fuld was 0-for-3 against Feldman, while Ike Davis singled to go 1-for-3 ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 5-3 loss Saturday to St. Louis. Afterward, Braun was interviewed about his recent hitting struggles ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson reached base 4 of 5 times Saturday in an 11-8 win over San Diego. He singled, walked twice, and was hit on the foot ***
• Hitless Saturday: Kevin Pillar (0-3)

Minors

• Pirates prospect Jeremy Bleich (A+) pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief in his 2015 debut, allowing one hit while striking out three ***
• Reds prospect Zack Weiss (A+) faced one batter Saturday and earned a save ***

Games played Friday (April 24, 2015)

MLB

• Toronto’s Danny Valencia went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single in Friday’s 12-3 loss to Tampa Bay, while teammate Kevin Pillar went 0-for-4 ***
• Boston’s Craig Breslow suffered his second blown save of the season Friday, although the Sox went on to beat Baltimore 7-5. He yielded an intentional walk, sacrifice bunt, and sacrifice fly over 0.2 innings ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis and Sam Fuld both had pinch-hit singles in Friday’s 5-4 loss to Houston. Davis is hitting .353, while Fuld is at .305 ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson went 0-2 but walked and had a sac fly in Friday’s 3-0 win over San Diego ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-2 with 2 walks in Friday’s 13-1 loss to Cleveland ***
• Hitless Friday: Ryan Braun and Kevin Pillar (0-4)

Minors

• Angels prospect Charlie Cutler (AA) went 2-for-5 on Friday ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 1-for-2 and walked twice ***
• Reds farmhand Josh Satin (AAA) went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a walk ***
• Tigers farmhand Josh Zeid (AAA) pitched 3 scoreless innings Friday, yielding a hit and a walk ***

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Games played Thursday (4/23/2015)

MLB

• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar and Danny Valencia were bookmarks in more ways than one Thursday. In Valencia’s second start of the season, the pair played right field and left field, respectively, and surprisingly, it was Valencia — in his first career game in left — who made the highlight-reel catch in a 7-6 win over Baltimore. Both players also walked and hit RBI doubles. Pillar went 2-for-3 with a two-run double that knocked in Valencia, and Valencia hit a one-run double. Valencia has made the most of his 14 plate appearances this season, hitting .538 with 3 doubles, 4 singles, 1 walk and a stolen base ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 2-for-4 and stole his first base of 2015 in a 4-2 win Thursday over Cincinnati ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-4 and Sam Fuld went 0-for-4 in a 2-0 loss to the Angels ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Giants ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 0-4 in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Yankees, and manager Brad Ausmus was ejected for arguing a balk call ***
• Hitless Thursday: Ryan Lavarnway (0-4)

Minors

• Happy Birthday to Oakland prospect Jeff Urlaub (AAA), who turns 28 today! ***
• White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg (A+) had his best relief outing of 2015, striking out the side in a one-inning stint Thursday ***
• Second-year Oakland prospect Mike Fagan (A) pitched 2 perfect innings Thursday ***
• Cardinals prospect Corey Baker (AA) pitched a shutout inning Thursday, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out one ****
• Padres prospect Cody Decker had the only Jewish hit in the minors Thursday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk ***

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Games played Wednesday, 4/22/2015

MLB

• Dynamic duo: Oakland’s Sam Fuld went 2-for-4 with a walk, stolen base, and three runs scored in Wednesday’s 9-2 win over the Angels. Teammate Ike Davis, playing in his 600th MLB game, went 3-for-5 with an RBI ***
• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a 4-2 win Wednesday over Baltimore. Meanwhile, MLB Network used its new Statcast technology to break down Pillar’s recent home-run-robbing catch, which an anchor called “the play of the year defensively” ***
• Boston’s Craig Breslow entered Wednesday’s game against the Rays with the bases loaded and no outs. Despite retiring three of the four batters he faced, he earned a ‘blown save.’ Breslow’s ERA remains 0.00 ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Reds ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 0-for-4 Wednesday, dropping his average to a season-low .279 ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson flied out in a pinch-hit appearance Wednesday ***

Minors

• Brewers prospect Ben Guez (AAA) went 1-for-3 with a walk and a 2-run HR ***
• Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) went 1-for-3 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and 3 runs scored ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 2-for-4 with a walk ***
• Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) went 6 innings for a win Wednesday, yielding 2 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 6. Teammate Josh Satin went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a walk ***
• Dbacks prospect Zach Boresnstein (AAA) went 1-for-4 with an RBI double ***
• For the second straight day, Reds prospect Zack Weiss (A+) struck out the side in a one-inning relief stint. In 7.1 innings this season, he’s allowed no hits, no runs and one walk while fanning 15 ***
• Cardinals prospect Rob Kaminsky (A+) went 5 innings for a win Wednesday, giving up 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while fanning 6 ***
• Pirates prospect Henry Hirsch (A+) pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief Wednesday, striking out 7 while hitting one batter and giving up 2 hits and a walk ***
• Mariners prospect Scott Dececco lasted just 0.2 innings in Wednesday’s start, giving up 4 earned runs on 2 hits and 3 walks ***

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Games played Tuesday, 4/21/2015

MLB

• Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 2-for-5 with a two-run single in Tuesday’s 13-6 win over Baltimore. But what earned him another MLB.com ‘play of the day’ honor was his incredible diving catch of an Adam Jones liner, after which he quickly popped up and doubled a runner off of second base for his MLB-leading 4th outfield assist. MLB.com even compiled a highlight reel of his recent catches. Can you say ‘Gold Glove’? ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis made his MLB pitching debut in Tuesday’s 14-1 drubbing by the Angels. He was no slouch, inducing all three hitters he faced in the 8th inning to ground out. Davis was the first A’s position player to pitch since 2000 and only the fifth Jewish position player to pitch in 143 years, the last being teammate Sam Fuld, who pitched for the Rays in 2013. According to MLB.com, Davis tossed five changeups and three 4-seam fastballs, all between 86mph and 88mph, and a 78mph slider ***
• Jew vs. Jew: Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 2-for-5 with an RBI single Tuesday, but Cincinnati starter Jason Marquis earned the win in a 10-16 slugfest. Marquis gave up 9 hits and 5 earned runs over 5 innings but walked none and struck out 8 ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson went 1-for-2 Tuesday with 2 walks in a 6-2 loss to the Giants ***
• Oakland’s Sam Fuld went 1-for-1 in a 14-1 drubbing by the Angels ***
• Hitless Tuesday: Ian Kinsler (0-4)

Minors

• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI single and a walk Tuesday. He ranks 2nd in the league with 5 doubles and 12 RBI ***
• Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum (A+) went 1-for-4 with a 2-run double and a bases-loaded walk Tuesday ***
• Nats prospect Richard Bleier (AAA) lost Tuesday, yielding 2 earned runs and 6 hits over 4 innings ***
• Second-year Reds prospect Zack Weiss (A+) continued to impress Tuesday, striking out all 3 batters he faced to earn a save. Since being promoted to A+, Weiss has pitched 6.1 near-perfect innings, striking out 12 batters while yielding zero hits and one walk ***
• Detroit farmhand Josh Zeid (AAA) earned a save Tuesday, striking out 2 batters over two perfect innings ***

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Games played Monday, 4/20/2015

MLB

• Happy birthday to L.A.’s Joc Pederson, at 23 the N.L.’s third-youngest player so far this season ***
• Could you ask any more from a leadoff batter? Oakland’s Sam Fuld went 1-for-3 Monday with a double, walk, sac fly, stolen base, outfield assist and highlight-reel catch in a 6-3 win over the Angels ***
• Duo: Oakland’s Ike Davis plated teammate Sam Fuld with a sac fly in Monday’s win ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 1-for-4 with his first HR of the season, a solo shot in Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Reds ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-4 in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Yankees ***

Minors

• Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk Monday ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 1-for-5 with a bases-loaded double, tying him for 2nd in the league with 11 RBIs ***

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Games played Sunday, 4/19/2015

MLB

• Batting 7th, Joc Pederson went 2-for-4 with a solo HR and an RBI double as L.A. beat Colorado 7-0, but he was caught stealing for the third straight time ***
• Joc Pederson was interviewed on MLB Network ***
• Boston’s Craig Breslow yielded just 2 hits over 3 scoreless innings and struck out 3 against Baltimore ***
• Houston’s Scott Feldman beat the Angels 4-3, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings and fanning 3 ***
• Scott Feldman was interviewed after Sunday’s win ***
• Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-4 with a double and a single in Sunday’s 9-1 win over the White Sox ***

Minors

• Arizona prospect Zach Borenstein (AAA) went 1-for-4 with an RBI single ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 1-for-4 with a walk and a 2-run HR. His 8 RBIs are tied for 4th in the Florida State League ***

Games played Saturday, 4/18/2015

MLB

• Toronto’s Danny Valencia made the most of his only complete game this season, going 4-for-4 with 2 doubles. He also stole a base, no small feat for the 2nd-worst base-stealer in Jewish baseball history ***
• Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in a 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh ***
• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-3 and walked in a 5-0 win over Kansas City ***
• Three players went hitless but drew a walk: Kevin Pillar, Sam Fuld and Joc Pederson ***

Minors

• Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum (A+) went 2-for-5 with a 2-run double and an RBI single ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk ***
• Cardinals prospect Corey Baker (AA) earned a win with 2 scoreless innings of relief ***

Games played Friday, 4/18/2015

MLB

• Oakland’s Ike Davis went 2-for-4 with a solo HR in a 6-4 loss to Kansas City ***
• L.A.’s Joc Pederson went 0-2 with 2 walks in a 7-3 win over Colorado ***

Minors

• San Diego prospect Cody Decker (AAA) went 1-for-3 with a 2-run HR and a bases-loaded walk ****
• Dbacks prospect Zach Borenstein has been promoted to AAA after hitting .438 in AA ***
• Brewers prospect Ben Guez (AAA) went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a sacrifice ***
• Cardinals prospect Mason Katz (A+) went 1-for-2 with a double and walk ***
• Tigers farmhand Josh Zeid (AAA) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, walking one batter and striking out 2 *** 

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