By Scott Barancik, Editor
Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 29-August 4, 2019:
Mazel tov
- C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from Triple-A on August 2 to provide back-up for starter Robinson Chirinos, who reported soreness in his left shoulder. In an earlier stint with Houston this season, Stubbs hit .160 (4-for-25) with a double, 2 RBIs, a stolen base, and a .192 on-base percentage across 6 starts. The rookie also threw out one of two base stealers and made no errors.
Stats to share
- Of MLB’s six division-leading teams, three have Jewish players: Dodgers (Joc Pederson), Astros (Alex Bregman), and Braves (Max Fried).
- Max Fried (Braves) is hitting .205, good enough to rank #6 among N.L. pitchers with at least 30 at-bats.
- LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) is quietly outplaying many of his younger Jewish peers this season. In his 13th MLB season, the 35-year-old Braun is hitting .274 (#1) with 16 HRs (#3), 52 RBIs (#3), a .324 OBP (#2), and 8 stolen bases (#2).
At the plate
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) rebounded from his worst week of the season, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with a home run, triple, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .462 OBP.
- LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .333 (6-for-18) with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and his 8th stolen base in 9 attempts.
- CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .333 (5-for-15) with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and his 9th stolen base in 12 attempts. He also had a scary run-in with an outfield wall while tracking a home run.
- LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) had a tough week. He hit .053 (1-for-19) with a double, RBI, and a .100 OBP. Meanwhile, the Dodgers ended what the Los Angeles Times described as Pederson’s “error-plagued experiment at first base.”
- 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), currently riding the bench, was 0-for-1 with a walk. His career hit total remains at 1,998.
On the mound
- Max Fried (Braves) improved his record to 12-4 with a 6-inning beauty on August 1, yielding one earned run on 4 hits and zero walks while striking out 4.
- Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA across 3 appearances, yielding 5 hits and zero walks across one combined inning while striking out one.
- Robert Stock (Padres) remains on the injured list, having last pitched July 2.
Staying close by
- C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) sure knows how to make an entrance, as one article put it. In his July 19 debut with Cincinnati, Lavarnway went 3-for-4 with 2 HRs and a double. And in his August 1 debut with the Louisville Bats, he went 3-for-3 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs.
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) had another strong week, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 11 RBIs, and a .533 OBP.
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