By Ron Kaplan, contributor

Alex Bregman was 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI as the Houston Astros (57-31) beat the host Texas Rangers in 10 innings, 5-4.

Joc Pederson was 0-for-4 with a walk as the LA Dodgers (47-39) beat the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-4.

Ryan Braun entered the game in the 8th inning as a pinch-hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers (51-35) and struck out. He remained in the 3-2 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins without another trip to the plate.

Ian Kinsler did not appear for the LA Angels (44-43) in their 7-4 win over the host Seattle Mariners.

Kevin Pillar did not appear for the Toronto Blue Jays (40-46) in their 6-3 loss to the visiting NY Mets.

Robert Stock — who was just written up in his local newspaper — did not appear for the San Diego Padres (37-51) in their 4-2 loss to the host Oakland A’s. Here he is at age 6:

Robert Stock, future San Diego Padre, at age 6

Max Fried did not pitch for the Atlanta Braves (49-36) in their 6-2 loss to the host NY Yankees. He’s scheduled to make the start tonight against the Brewers.

Gabe Kapler’s Philadelphia Phillies (47-37) beat the visiting Baltimore Orioles (24-61), 4-1. Danny Valencia lined out as a pinch-hitter to lead off the ninth. Considering their start, could Kapler really be a candidate for Manager of the Year?

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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