MLB Monday (August 10-16, 2020)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 10-16, 2020:

Mazel tov

P Rob Kaminsky was called up by the COVID-depleted St. Louis Cardinals on August 15 and made his MLB debut the following day. A 1st-round pick out of St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, NJ) in the 2013 draft, the 25-year-old southpaw has accumulated a 29-21 record with 6 saves and a 2.82 ERA over seven minor-league seasons with St. Louis and the Cleveland Indians. Kaminsky is the 11th Jewish player in the Majors this season and the sole rookie.
The Boston Red Sox called up P Robert Stock on August 11 and put him on the mound the same day. A 30-year-old flamethrower, he compiled a 2-1 record with a 4.11 ERA for the San Diego Padres in 2018 and 2019.

Stats to share

With a 1.24 ERA this season, Max Fried (Braves) leads the National League and ranks #2 in the Majors. He also is one of just two MLB pitchers with 3 pickoffs in 2020, including this one on August 15. Meanwhile, Fried has yet to yield a home run.
Collectively, Jewish pitchers are 3-0 this season with a 1.25 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 36 innings. Major League pitchers overall have a combined 4.40 ERA.
Kevin Pillar (Red Sox), playing in his first season with Boston, leads the team with a .313 batting average.
Joc Pederson (Dodgers) is the only Jewish player to steal a base so far this season. Kevin Pillar (Red Sox), Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays), and Garrett Stubbs (Astros) each tried once but were tossed out.

At the plate

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .444 (8-for-18) last week with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a whopping .600 OBP. Houston won 5 of 6 games during the stretch.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .412 (7-for-17) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, and a .412 OBP.
OF Kevin Pillar (Red Sox) hit .320 (8-for-25) with a home run, triple, double, hit by pitch, and a .393 OBP.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Marlins) hit .333 (1-for-3) with a .333 OBP.
Back from the injured list, LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .188 (3-for-16) with 2 doubles, one RBI, and a .235 OBP.
OF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .056 (1-for-18) with a .150 OBP.
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) hit .000 (0-for-1).

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) pitched 6.1 scoreless innings on August 15, holding the Marlins to 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7 on 103 pitches (see video). Fried didn’t get credit for the 2-1 win, however.
Rob Kaminsky (Cardinals) pitched a perfect inning of relief in his MLB debut on August 16, striking out one (see video) and retiring all three batters on a total of just 8 pitches.
In his Red Sox debut on August 11, Robert Stock tossed 1.1 innings of relief, yielding 2 walks, 3 hits, and no earned runs while striking out 3, all on a total of 42 pitches.
Richard Bleier (Marlins) remained on the injured list with a left triceps strain.

Injured list

Miscellanea

Former L.A. Dodgers star Shawn Green used to toss his batting glove into the stands after a home run. Click here to read the origin story.
Lou Gehrig was of German heritage and not Jewish. But in 1938, the New York Yankees great spoke before 20,000 at a Madison Square Garden fundraiser for Jews fleeing Hitler. “I’m glad to be in a country where I can wear the World’s Fair emblem on my sleeve and play baseball, and not in a country where I’d have to wear the swastika,” Gehrig said.
Last Ride of the Iron Horse author Dan Joseph discusses the event in this interview.

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