By Ron Kaplan, contributor
Star honors for the weekend go to Ryan Braun, who was 5-for-13 with his 16th homer. He also had two doubles (24) and his second triple of the year. He drove in two, scored three, and walked twice as the Milwaukee Brewers (79-70) took two of three from the host Miami Marlins.
Ian Kinsler was 3-for-11 with two walks and two runs scored and his 14th stolen base as the Detroit Tigers (62-87) split their four-game series with the visiting Chicago Cubs. Among the hits was his 23rd double of the year.
Kevin Pillar had just one hit in nine at-bats for the Toronto Blue Jays (70-80), but it was a home run (#16) and put his team on the scoreboard in an eventual 4-3 win over the host Minnesota Twins. Pillar also walked twice in that one and scored another run. All told, he struck out four times over the weekend. Now, I haven’t seen every great defensive play of the year, but I have a hard time believing none of Pillar’s web-gems were not worthy for consideration in this made-up award orgy. Getting a bit tire of every single thing being “brought to you” or sponsored by some business entity.
Alex Bregman was 1-for-14, but the Houston Astros (91-58) nevertheless swept the visiting Seattle Mariners. Perhaps he’s still hobbled by that nagging hamstring injury. Danny Valencia‘s only appearance came as the starting first baseman in the middle game; he was 0-for-1 with a walk before being lifted for a pinch-hitter.
Speaking of Kinsler, Pillar and Bregman: only 24 Major Leaguers have 16+ home runs this season combined with 14+ stolen bases. Guess which three Jewish players are on that list?
Joc Pederson struck out two of the three times he came to bat between Friday’s and Saturday’s games. The LA Dodgers (96-53) won two of their three games against the host Washington Nationals.
Richard Bleier had a so-so weekend for the Baltimore Orioles (73-77), who lost three of four to the host NY Yankees. Bleier appeared twice, tossing two scoreless innings on Friday (two hits, including a home run, and two strikeouts) and retiring the only batter he faced on Sunday to earn his third hold.
Ryan Sherriff retired the only batter he faced for the St. Louis Cardinals (77-72) against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The Cubs swept the three-game series.
The Cleveland Indians saw their winning streak stopped at 22 at the hands of the visiting KC Royals on Friday. Craig Breslow did not appear in that one. In fact, he hasn’t pitched since Sept. 9. Which is kind of surprising, given that Breslow is second among active Major League southpaws in total games pitched, with 573.
Max Fried did not appear for the Atlanta Braves (67-81), who dropped two of three to the visiting NY Mets.
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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