By Scott Barancik, Editor
Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 24-30, 2020:
Mazel tov
- Ryan Sherriff (Rays) earned a win in his Tampa Bay Rays debut on August 26, pitching a perfect inning of relief on 11 pitches, 10 of them strikes. It was the Team Israel veteran’s first MLB appearance in more than 2 years. A February 2020 profile detailed Sherriff’s hardscrabble childhood and his grandparents, who were concentration-camp survivors.
Stats to share
- Max Fried (Braves) continued to achieve new heights last week:
- According to ESPN.com, Fried is ranked #2 in the race for the N.L. Cy Young award, one slot behind Yu Darvish (Cubs).
- Fried’s 1.35 ERA is tied for the Major League lead, as is his 2.5 Wins Above Replacement (see rankings).
- After giving up 21 HRs and throwing 11 wild pitches in 2019, his first full season in the Majors, Fried has yet to yield a single one in 2020.
- The hardest-hit home run in the Major Leagues this season was struck by Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) on August 20. The 429-foot shot left his bat at an exit velocity of 117.4 mph (see list). Tellez’s longest home run this season was a 459-footer on August 12.
- Rob Kaminsky (Cardinals), who was called-up for the second time this season on August 29, shares the dugout with two teammates who have Jewish fathers but don’t identify as Jewish: Paul Goldschmidt, and Harrison Bader.
At the plate
- OF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .286 (4-for-14) with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, a hit-by-pitch, and a .333 OBP.
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .267 (4-for-15) with 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, and a .353 OBP. Both home runs came during a 3-for-4 performance on August 26 (see video).
- OF Kevin Pillar (Red Sox) hit .250 (5-for-20) with a 435-foot home run (see video), triple, double, 2 RBIs, and a .250 OBP.
- OF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .118 (2-for-17) with a home run, double, 3 RBIs, and a .167 OBP.
- C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) played two innings as a defensive replacement on August 24 but did not get to the plate.
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) is on the disabled list with an injured right hamstring.
On the mound
- Max Fried (Braves) improved his record to 5-0 on August 26, yielding one earned run on 4 hits and one walk over 6.0 innings while striking out 5 (see video).
- Richard Bleier (Marlins) went 1-1 with a 20.25 ERA across 3 appearances, yielding 3 earned runs on 3 hits and zero walks across 1.1 combined innings while striking out one. Bleier’s August 25 win was an interesting one: he tossed only one pitch in the game, inducing a groundout.
- Robert Stock (Red Sox) pitched 2 innings of relief on August 28, yielding an earned run on 3 hits and a walk.
- Rob Kaminsky (Cardinals) did not pitch last week.
Injured list
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros), since August 20.
Minor League notes
- Because the 2020 minor-league season was cancelled, some teams are letting players play elsewhere. Among those taking advantage of the opportunity is Kansas City Royals prospect Alex Katz (P), who is playing for the independent New Jersey Blasters. Joining Katz are teammates Zach Racusin (OF) and Zach Lipshitz (IF).
- Ryan Lavarnway (Marlins) is at Miami’s alternate training site.
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