Tim Anderson Gets Revenge Against The Royals

Yahoo sports reports:

It’s safe to say that Tim Anderson and the Kansas City Royals aren’t big fans of each other.

Benches cleared during an April 17 game when Royals pitcher Brad Keller plunked the Chicago White Sox shortstop.

The move was in response to Anderson flipping his bat after hitting a home run earlier in the game.

MLB suspended both players — Keller for the plunking and Anderson for reportedly calling Keller a “weak-ass f------ n-----,” a claim that Anderson confirmed later in April.

Anderson plunked again

On Wednesday, the two teams met for the third game of a three-game set. Anderson had missed the prior two games of the series nursing a wrist injury.

But he was back in the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale. And in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning, he took an 86-mph pitch to the head from Royals starter Glenn Sparkman.

Anderson’s helmet flew off, and he glared at Sparkman after gaining his composure.

Sparkman tossed

Home plate umpire Mark Carlson immediately walked toward the mound to signal that Sparkman’s day was done.

Royals catcher Martin Maldonado protested the ejection and was joined by manager Ned Yost to plead Sparkman’s case. But it was to no avail, obviously. Carlson was clearly aware of the history between the two teams and took no chances that things would escalate.

Benches don’t clear this time

Unlike the April 17 incident, cooler heads prevailed. The benches remained intact, and Anderson took first base after the arguing had concluded.

The Royals were presumably making the case that Sparkman’s pitch was an errant one and that he didn’t intend to hit Anderson.

Even if true, that’s tough case to make considering the history between the teams and the fact that it was Anderson’s first at-bat of the series. If Sparkman didn’t mean to hit him, that’s a whopper of a coincidence.

Regardless, Carlson couldn’t let it fly and got the situation under control in quick fashion.

Anderson hits game winner

Anderson went on to break a 7-7 tie in the 8th inning with an RBI double that provided the final score of Chicago’s 8-7 victory.

“I think it was just bad timing,” Anderson said of the pitch. “But it happened and I was able to get the hit to win the game. So it was a little payback.”

Dodgers Pitching Sensation Ryu Continues To Dominate In May

Yahoo sports reports:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hyun-Jin Ryu was all but untouchable in May.

His final start of the month was no different Thursday night as the left-hander pitched four-hit ball into the eighth inning of his latest dominant outing, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 win over the New York Mets.

Chris Taylor tripled off hard-luck loser Jason Vargas to start the bottom of the first and scored when Max Muncy followed with a double. That was all the offense for either team until Kike Hernandez singled home an insurance run with two outs in the eighth.

Ryu (8-1) struck out seven and walked one in 7 2/3 innings, lowering his major league-best ERA to 1.48. Kenley Jansen got four outs for his 16th save as the NL West leaders took three of four in the series.

Ryu went 5-0 in six May starts with a 0.59 ERA, 36 strikeouts and just three walks.

''The month of May was incredible,'' he said through a translator. ''I've always told everyone how I wanted to do my job as a starting pitcher, meaning I wanted to throw six to seven innings and put the team in a position where we can win. I've always said that, but I haven't necessarily executed the way I wanted. This month of May I was able to do that. I do feel that's unbelievable.''

Ryu's 0.59 ERA is the lowest by a Dodgers starter in any month since Clayton Kershaw had a 0.27 ERA in July 2015.

Mike Trout And The Angels Manhandle The Mariners In 9-3 Win

Yahoo sports reports:

Mike Trout returned to the lineup after missing a game with a sore right foot and went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the host Seattle Mariners 9-3 Thursday night.

Trout sat out Wednesday after fouling a ball off his foot Tuesday night at Oakland.

Cesar Puello and Kole Calhoun hit solo home runs for the Angels, who won their third in a row.

The Angels' Felix Pena (3-1) came on in the second after fellow right-hander Luis Garcia pitched the opening inning. Pena allowed three runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings, with three walks and eight strikeouts.

Tim Beckham hit a two-run homer for Seattle, which lost its third straight. The Mariners dropped to 6-21 this month and clinched the worst May in franchise history.

The Angels scored in each of the first five innings in building an 8-0 lead.

Mariners rookie left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (3-3), who got his first major league victory against the Angels on April 20, lasted just 3 1/3 innings. He allowed six runs on 10 hits with two walks and no strikeouts.

Kikuchi walked the first two batters of the game before Albert Pujols grounded a run-scoring single to left.

Calhoun led off the second with a home run. Trout added a run-scoring single later in the inning to make it 3-0.

Puello homered in the third, a day after hitting his first major league home run.

The Angels scored twice more in the fourth to knock Kikuchi out of the game. Dustin Garneau and Luis Rengifo led off the inning with back-to-back singles. An out later, Trout hit a two-run double to left for a 6-0 lead.

Right-hander David McKay allowed two runs in the fifth, with only one earned after Beckham fumbled a potential double-play grounder at shortstop. Rengifo drove in both runs with a double.

Beckham finally got the Mariners on the scoreboard with his two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth.

Seattle scored in the seventh as Mitch Haniger led off with a walk and Jay Bruce hit a one-out double. Beckham drove in the run on a groundout.

Calhoun added a run-scoring single in the ninth for the final margin.

Derek Dietrich Hit 3 Homers Against The Pirates

The Pirates have a nemesis, and his name is Derek Dietrich.

During the Reds’ 11-6 victory on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park, Dietrich had a career night with three home runs and six RBIs. It gave him seven homers in 2019 against Pittsburgh. Like the way Milwaukee’s Eric Thames burned Cincinnati for 14 homers over the 2017-18 seasons, does Dietrich have a good feel for Bucs pitching?

“Other than they probably don’t really like me, no,” Dietrich said. “I don’t treat it any differently, honestly. It just so happens that I’m kind of hot right now. I didn’t go up there with any extra expectations or anything like that.”

• Box score

Signed to a Minor League deal on Feb. 19, after Spring Training opened, as a free agent languishing on the market, Dietrich already has a career-high 17 home runs in 52 games and 118 at-bats. In 2018 for the Marlins, he hit 16 homers over 149 games and 499 at-bats. Each of his past six hits has been a home run.

Statcast shows that Dietrich has far exceeded his previous barrel percentages with 17.2 this season; his previous high was 9.0 percent in 2015. He also has increased his launch angle from 15.5 degrees last season to 20.2. But he attributes his success to the teammates and people around him.

“[It's about] how comfortable I feel here," Dietrich said, "and how the Reds just let me be myself and do what I’ve always known I’m capable of doing from day one when I stepped into the big leagues. They believe in me and have given me an opportunity. Really, I think that’s all I really needed along the way.”

Alex Bregman Sets Astros Mark For Homers In May With 12

MLB.com reports:

Never one to be the least bit satisfied, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has been working on a few swing adjustments in recent days. And just in time for the Astros.

Bregman, starting at designated hitter, blasted a pair of home runs -- giving him a club-record 12 for the month of May and an American League-leading 17 -- to lead the Astros to a 9-6 win over the Cubs on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.

• Box score

“I’m pumped we’re winning games,” said Bregman, whose team has won back-to-back series against the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox and ‘16 champion Cubs.

The win was also No. 500 in Astros manager AJ Hinch’s career, including 411 with Houston.

Bregman homered to right field off Cubs starter Jon Lester in the third inning to cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2, and he hit the first pitch from reliever Brad Brach in the sixth to the same spot in the right-field seats for a two-run homer to break a 6-6 tie.

Bregman was more concerned about his two at-bats that resulted in outs. He struck out in the fourth and popped out to first base in the eighth. He also walked and scored in the first inning.

“I’m trying to hit the ball hard,” he said. “I really just want to figure out a four-seam fastball, because I’m popping them out on the infield. I must be leading the league in infield popups. If we can figure that out, then we’ll be on a good track.”

Zack Greinke Reaches 2,500 Strikeouts

On Tuesday night, Zack Greinke reached a big time milestone.

Greinke, 35, recorded the 2,500th strikeout of his career during a 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The right-hander became the 37th pitcher all time to gain entry into that exclusive club with his third strikeout, when he the Padres’ Franmil Reyes in the fourth inning.

“We all need to sit back and appreciate what that means and who we have throwing for us every fifth day,” D’backs manager Torey Lovullo told mlb.com of Greinke. “He’s a very special, special pitcher.”

Greinke finished with five strikeouts, giving him 2,502 for his career.

“I haven’t thought about it at all,” Greinke told mlb.com of the milestone. “I didn’t even know that it happened.”

Among active pitchers, only CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals have more strikeouts than Greinke. Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez has 2,501 career strikeouts.

Greinke went seven innings, allowing three runs and four hits. He took the loss, falling to 6-2 with a 2.89 ERA.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Rookie Keston Hiura Hit His First MLB Homer

Keston Hiura hit a home run on Sunday, his first in the big leagues.

Hiura, the Brewers' top prospect and the No. 15 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, lined an 83 mph slider from Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz over the left-field wall in the fifth inning. The solo home run gave the Brewers a 2-1 lead.

MORE: Watch 'ChangeUp,' a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN

Hiura, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2017, entered the day hitting .200 in his first 20 at-bats since being called up early last week from Triple-A San Antonio. The second baseman has been hailed for his offensive potential since leading the NCAA in batting average (.442) as a junior at UC Irvine in 2017. The 22-year-old right hander hit 28 home runs with a .914 OPS in 202 minor league games, and sprayed hits all over the field.

Yasiel Puig Crashes Into Wall Making Catch, Exits Game With Injury

MLB.com reports:

One of the precious few good moments the Reds had during Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the Dodgers ended up having some negative consequences.

In the top of the sixth inning, right fielder Yasiel Puig made a fantastic leaping catch in foul territory. But the impact of landing on the ground left him with a sprained right shoulder. He batted in the bottom of the sixth and left the game before the eighth inning. He is considered day to day for a return.

“I’m feeling a little bit tight and hurt in my right shoulder,” Puig said. “I took that AB and after that, I told them all I don’t feel good and I’m coming out of the game. The doctor checked my shoulder.”

As reliever Michael Lorenzen was in a bases-loaded situation with two outs, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu lifted a foul ball. Running at full speed toward the right-field line, Puig crashed into the wall as he jumped for the inning-ending catch while reaching over into the seats.

After he landed back on the dirt, Puig appeared to be grabbing at his left elbow.

“I hit my elbow on the concrete, but I feel fine from that part,” Puig said.

Puig softly grounded a ball back to Ryu for the second out in the bottom of the sixth.

“The time I swung, I felt it a little bit more after the swing than the beginning,” Puig said.

Jesse Winker moved from left field to right field to replace Puig while Jose Peraza went from second base to left field.

Cody Bellinger Hits 17th Homer, Still Batting Over .400

Bellinger's 17th HR pads Dodgers' lead 

Cody Bellinger's 17th home run of the season is a two-run shot that gives the Dodgers a 4-0 lead over the Reds.

Watch video HERE.

The biggest differences between the Bellinger of last season, which he ended playing in a platoon, and his MVP-level production so far this season are his increased contact and hard-hit rates. Entering Wednesday, Bellinger was making contact on 82.2% of his swings — up from 72.4% last year. His swinging strike rate has dropped from 12.3% to 7.5%. In 2018, he hit the ball hard 40.1% of the time. This year, that number has jumped to 52.8%.

The combination generated one of the best starts in major league history. Bellinger won the National League player of the month award for March and April. He was the best player in baseball. He led the majors in an assortment of categories. He banged 14 home runs. And then he stopped hitting them. He admitted that would’ve spelled trouble last year, when he performed below expectations, particularly against left-handed pitchers. “I think it was just, ‘Oh, what do I got to do today to get hits, hits, hits, hits, hits,’” Bellinger said, “When you don’t get hits it’s depressing. So it’s a different mind-set.” Source: LA Times

Vladimir Guerrero Jr Hits First Homer... And Then Does It Again In Same Game

MLB.com reports:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s pregame line of questioning revealed his intentions Tuesday night.

During batting practice, he quizzed Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo about the ground rules for Oracle Park’s right-field wall that distinguished balls hit in play from home runs.

Obviously, power was on Guerrero’s mind. And he established it in awe-inspiring fashion, belting the first two home runs of his Major League career as the Blue Jays thumped the San Francisco Giants, 7-3.

Guerrero’s performance reinforced what the baseball world sensed long before his April 26 debut: This is no ordinary rookie.

• Box score

At 20 years and 59 days old, Vladito is the youngest player to homer in Blue Jays history. Danny Ainge went deep at 20 years, 77 days old on June 2, 1979. Guerrero also became the third-youngest player in Major League history to hit his first two career home runs in the same game. Only Brian McCall in 1962 (19 years, 248 days) and Manny Machado in 2012 (20 years, 35 days) achieved this more quickly.

Coincidentally, Guerrero returned to the site of one of his father’s greatest slugging feats. It was here at Oracle Park where the elder Guerrero, playing for the Angels, defeated Toronto’s Alex Rios to win the Home Run Derby preceding the 2007 All-Star Game.