Mazel tov
- P Scott Effross (Cubs) became the first Jewish player this season to make his Major League debut. After a 6-year sojourn in Chicago’s farm system, the 27-year-old reliever was called up on August 28 and made his first appearance the following day. It probably wasn’t the most satisfying experience; Effross hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, and gave up a 2-run HR over 0.2 innings. But he hardly stood out among a Cubs pitching staff that gave up 13 runs that day. And Effross did record his first MLB strikeout, making 2B Cesar Hernandez (White Sox) swing and miss on a 90.8-mph sinker.
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) returned to play after two months on the injured list.
Stats to share
- So far this season, Jewish batters are striking out less often than Major League batters overall (20.1% of all plate appearances versus 23.4%). But they are walking slightly less often, too (7.7% versus 8.7%).
Weekly overview
- Jewish batters hit a combined .241 (14-for-58) last week, with 3 HRs, a double, 7 RBIs, a stolen base, 6 walks, 17 strikeouts, and a .338 OBP (on-base percentage). The performance kept their collective batting average steady at .241, versus the Major League average of .242.
- Jewish pitchers went 0-0 with one hold and a 5.00 ERA last week, yielding 8 hits, zero walks, and 3 hit batters over 9 combined innings while striking out 8. The performance raised their collective ERA from 4.60 to 4.61, versus the Major League average of 4.08.
At the plate
- SS Alex Bregman (Astros) returned to the lineup August 25 after two months on the injured list. For the week, he hit .357 (5-for-14) with a double, one RBI, an OBP of .471, and a .899 OPS (on-base plus slugging). No doubt Houston is happy to have Bregman’s glove back, with plays like this and this.
- CF Kevin Pillar (Mets) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a .455 OBP and a 1.455 OPS. The highlight came on August 28, when he stroked 2 solo HRs, the second one a score-tyer. It was Pillar’s second double-HR game of the season and sixth of his career.
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) hit .227 (5-for-22) with a home run, 3 RBIs, a .261 OBP, and a .625 OPS.
- LF Joc Pederson (Braves) hit .100 (1-for-10) with an RBI, a .286 OBP, and a .386 OPS. He also sealed teammate Max Fried’s August 27 win over the Giants with a fantastic game-ending catch.
- C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) struck out in his sole at-bat, on August 29.
On the mound
- Max Fried (Braves) pitched six innings in an August 27 win but did not end up with the decision. He yielded 3 earned runs on 5 hits, zero walks, and a hit batter over 6 innings while striking out 5. Fried had won all four of his previous outings.
- Richard Bleier (Marlins) earned a hold and maintained a 0.00 ERA over three appearances. In 2.1 combined innings, he yielded 2 hits and zero walks while hitting one batter and striking out 2.
- Scott Effross (Cubs) tossed 0.2 innings of relief on August 29, yielding 2 earned runs on a hit, zero walks, and a strikeout.
Players to watch
- C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/Double-A/Hillsboro Hops) made the most of his Double-A debut on August 25, going 2-for-3 with a 3-run HR, 4 RBIs, and a walk. For the week, Yerzy hit .273 (3-for-11) with a hit-by-pitch and a remarkable 6 walks, giving him on OBP of .556.
- C Mike Rothenberg (Tigers/Low-A/Lakeland Flying Tigers), a 2021 draftee, hit .385 (10-for-26) with a home run, 3 doubles, 5 RBIs, and an .892 OPS.
- P Josh Wolf (Indians/Low-A/Lynchburg Hillcats) had quite a start on August 9. In 4 shutout innings, he limited the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers to 2 hits and 2 walks while fanning 9 batters, including 6 in a row. Kannapolis C Shawn Goosenberg went 0-for-2 against Wolf.
- P Noah Davis (Indians/High-A/Spokane Indians) earned a win in pretty spectacular fashion on August, yielding 2 earned runs on 4 hits over 6 innings and striking out 11 with zero walks. Davis’s 104 strikeouts rank #5 among all High-A pitchers.
- P Kyle Molnar (Angels/High-A/Tri-City Dust Devils) tossed 4.1 scoreless innings over 2 appearances, yielding 4 hits and zero walks while striking out 6.
- P Zack Weiss (Mariners/Triple-A/Tacoma Rainiers) tossed 2 scoreless innings over 2 games, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 5.
- Two Jewish pitchers are among the Top 10 in High-A for strikeouts per 9 innings. Ben Gross (Minnesota/High-A/Cedar Rapids Kernels) ranks #3 at 11.63, while Noah Davis (Indians/High-A/Spokane Indians) ranks #9 at 9.68.
Transactions
- C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from the minors on August 29.
- P Scott Effross (Cubs) was called-up from the minors on August 28.
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) came off the injured list on August 25.
Injured list
- P Robert Stock (Mets), right hamstring strain, since July 21. Out for the season.
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