By Ron Kaplan, contributor
A Danny Valencia sighting! He got the start in right field and was 1-for-2 with his 15th home run, a a three-run blast to center in the seventh that helped the Seattle Mariners (77-81) beat the host Oakland As, 6-3. It was Valencia’s first home run in almost a month (8/28), but that’s mostly because his playing time has been cut so deeply since the arrival of Yonder Alonso.
Alex Bregman was 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs as part of an 18-hit attack by the Houston Astros (97-50) in a 14-3 romp over the host Texas Rangers. Bregman has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
Kevin Pillar also was 3-for-5 as the Toronto Blue Jays (75-83) beat the host Boston Red Sox, 9-4.
Ian Kinsler was 2-for-4 and drove in the only run for the Detroit Tigers (62-95) in their 2-1 loss to the host KC Royals. He was also caught stealing.
Ryan Braun was 0-for-4 with a walk, but the Milwaukee Brewers (83-74) kept their Wild Card hopes alive with a 7-6 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds. They trail the Colorado Rockies by a game and a half for the second NL spot.
Joc Pederson had a pinch-hit walk and remained in the game in centerfield for the LA Dodgers (101-57) in a 9-2 win over the visiting San Diego Padres.
Craig Breslow gave up one run on one hit (and one strikeout) in 0.2 innings as the Minnesota Twins scored four in the final two frames for an 8-6 win over the host Cleveland Indians (98-59). I may be biased, but I don’t know how they can expect a pitcher to stay sharp when he’s used so infrequently. Minnesota is one game ahead of the LA Angels for the final Wild Card spot in the American League
Richard Bleier did not appear for the Baltimore Orioles (75-83) in their 10-1 loss to the host Pittsburgh Pirates.
Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves (71-86) in their 4-3, walk-off loss to the host NY Mets.
Ryan Sherriff did not appear for the St. Louis Cardinals (82-75) in their 8-7 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.
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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