Brewers Star Christian Yelich Out For Rest Of Season Due To Fracturing Kneecap

UPI.com reports:

Milwaukee Brewers star -- and reigning National League MVP -- Christian Yelich will miss the remainder of the 2019 season after sustaining a knee injury during a win against the Miami Marlins in Miami.

The Brewers announced Yelich would miss the rest of the season due to a fractured kneecap after the 4-3 victory Tuesday at Marlins Park. There is no time frame for his return. 

Yelich was at the plate for his first at-bat of the game when the injury occurred. The Brewers right fielder settled in against Marlins starter Elieser Hernandez during the exchange. Yelich eyed a 1-1 slider before fouling the pitch off of his right knee. He immediately fell to the ground. Yelich attempted to get back to his feet, before going back down. Yelich was tended to by the Brewers' medical staff before walking off the field on his own power and heading to the clubhouse.

"Yeah, he's down," Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters. "He's disappointed. He's crushed. It's awful news. 

Read more HERE.

Dodgers Slugger A.J. Pollock Hits Three Homers Against The Giants

MLB.com reports:

A.J. Pollock slugged three home runs on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, but a 5-4 loss to the Giants only underscored how the starting rotation is just as instrumental in the Dodgers’ success as all of those big flies.

And that rotation is in a slump. Clayton Kershaw made his shortest start of the year in the loss, the latest data point in a disturbing trend as the Dodgers straddle divergent goals of winning every game and preparing for the postseason.

• Box score

The preparation includes moving Kenta Maeda from the rotation to the bullpen, moving Julio Urias from the bullpen to the rotation, skipping a turn for struggling Cy Young candidate Hyun-Jin Ryu, giving Walker Buehler extra rest and activating 39-year-old Rich Hill next week because he’s back in the picture.

“A lot of our momentum all year long has been starting pitching,” said manager Dave Roberts. “When you have good, consistent starting pitching, guys that go deep in games, that’s contagious and gives you a chance to win on a nightly basis. Look at the last two weeks -- the common factor is our starters haven’t been consistent.”

No Dodgers starter has reached the sixth inning since Buehler on Aug. 27. In the past 14 games, Dodgers starters have a 5.67 ERA and the team is 7-7, which included a four-game win streak snapped with Friday’s loss. Kershaw is 13-5, with a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2015. He said pitching, like hitting, can be contagious, good and bad.

Aristides Aquino Named MLB Player Of The Month For August

NBC Sports reports:

The rookie phenom has 15 homers... and now an award to go with all those dingers.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino were named the Players of the Month for their respective leagues for the month of August, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

Bregman, 25, hit .404/.487/.747 with 14 doubles, six home runs, 31 RBI, and 27 runs scored across 117 plate appearances in August. He has filled in at shortstop while Carlos Correa has been on the shelf, allowing Abraham Toro and Aledmys Díaz handle third base in the interim. Bregman’s Astros are currently tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball at 90-49.

Aquino, 25, made his major league debut on August 1. Over the following month, he would hit .320/.391/.767 with 14 home runs, 33 RBI, and 22 runs scored in 115 trips to the plate. With every home run, he is setting a new record. Aquino already set the new NL rookie record for home runs in a month.

Other award winners for the month of August:

Pitchers of the Month

• AL: Mike Clevinger, Indians: 5-0 (six starts), 1.96 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 11 walks in 36 2/3 innings
• NL: Jack Flaherty, Cardinals: 4-1 (six starts), 0.71 ERA, 47 strikeouts, nine walks in 38 innings

Rookies of the Month

• AL: Yordan Álvarez, Astros: .309/.425/.670, nine HR, 26 RBI, 23 runs in 120 PA
• NL: Aquino

Relievers of the Month

• AL: Aroldis Chapman, Yankees: 11 appearances, 0.00 ERA, nine saves, 20 strikeouts, five walks in 11 innings
• NL: Felipe Vásquez, Pirates: 10 appearances, 0.87 ERA, three saves, 11 strikeouts, one walk in 10 1/3 innings

Gary Sanchez Sets Yankees Record For Most Homers Hit By A Catcher In A Season

NY Daily News reports:

Yogi Berra. Jorge Posada. Gary Sanchez. The Yankees’ 26-year-old catcher put himself back among the big names that have played the position for the Yankees. With two home runs in the Bombers 10-1 win over the Rangers Tuesday night, Sanchez set a new franchise record for home runs by a catcher in a season with 34.

“For me it’s an honor, understanding all the great catchers this organization has had over the years. For my name to be next to those guys, it’s an honor,” Sanchez said through team interpreter Marlon Abreu. “Try to do my job and let those homers come on their own.” 

Sanchez, in fact, is already considered among the great hitters that have played in pinstripes. He surpassed his own record of 33 homers, set in 2017, Tuesday night. Posada had 30 in 2003.

“This is what he’s capable of. The homer to right, that’s about as good a swing as you’ll see from anyone,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s as pure as you can hit a ball to where he hit it. This is what he’s capable of. When he’s locked in, when he’s controlling the zone, he’s as deadly as anyone. It’s good to see him doing that.”

Read more HERE.

Angels Slugger Mike Trout Hits 44th Homer, Ties MLB Lead

MLB.com reports:

Even though the Angels have been scuffling for more than a month, the 2019 home run race featuring Mike Trout should be fun to watch down the stretch.

Trout didn’t waste any time joining Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso for the Major League lead with 44 homers on Tuesday, as he crushed the first pitch he saw from A’s right-hander Mike Fiers for a solo shot in the first inning of a 7-5 loss in the series opener. It’s a tight race that also features the Brewers’ Christan Yelich, who has 43 long balls on the year.

• Box score

"I look at it, for sure,” Trout said of the home run leaderboard. “I can't tell you I go up there looking for a homer. It just happens. But I'm definitely aware where other guys are at. I'm obviously pulling for them. It's pretty cool down the stretch."

Trout, who hadn’t homered since Aug. 27, jumped all over an 87-mph fastball from Fiers that was right down the middle. It left the bat at 109.7 mph and went a projected 437 feet to left field, per Statcast.

Trout doesn’t usually swing at the first pitch, but when he does, he does plenty of damage. Trout has put the first pitch in play 42 times this season, hitting .476 with five homers and four doubles.

"Just getting a fastball and I didn't miss it,” Trout said. “Every time I face him, it's tough. He throws all his pitches for strikes. He goes up and down with the fastball.”

Trout, aiming for his third American League MVP Award, has already set a career high in homers, surpassing his previous high of 41 blasts set in 2015. The club record for homers is 47 by Troy Glaus in 2000. Trout has never finished a season leading the AL in homers but now leads the Royals’ Jorge Soler by five blasts.

Trout, though, lamented his chance to do further damage in the third, when he struck out with David Fletcher at first after a leadoff single. Trout fouled a 1-1 fastball over the middle from Fiers and then struck out on a slider away.

"I think I missed my pitch in my second at-bat,” said Trout, who went 1-for-3 with a walk. “He threw me a good slider. Guys like that, you can't miss your pitch. We had opportunities to get a lead but we just fell short."

The Most Historic Rookie Debut: Aristides Aquino - 14 Homers Sets New Mark

ESPN.com reports:

"Aquino got the scoring started in the first inning with a two-run home run off Robert Dugger, scoring Joey Votto in the process. He later tied the game up in the eighth with an RBI single, scoring Votto once again. With the long ball, the 25-year-old becomes the fastest ever to 14 home runs, passing Rhys Hoskins. He also set a new rookie record with 14 home runs in a single month, surpassing Cody Bellinger, who tallied 13 in June 2017. In terms of Cincinnati's record books, the slugger tied the 14-homer mark in a calendar month set by Greg Vaughn and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson..." - CBS Sports

One month ago, few baseball fans outside of prospect hounds or regular followers of the Louisville Bats had heard of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino. That's not a criticism. Aquino had made some minor waves on prospect lists a few years ago, but after hitting .216 at Double-A in 2017 and .240 while repeating the level in 2018, he had fallen off the radar.

In fact, for 24 hours last offseason, any team could have signed Aquino. He had appeared in one game for the Reds in August and struck out in his lone plate appearance but wasn't called back up when rosters expanded in September. On Nov. 30, the Reds non-tendered Aquino, needing space on their 40-man roster for other moves. The Reds let him know they wanted to bring him back, but he was technically a free agent and could have signed with any other team.

"When you take a guy off the roster, you are exposed," Reds general manager Nick Krall told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this month. "We told him we were going to take him off, but we also expressed, 'Hey, we want to bring you back.' It was pretty quick. We signed him that night."

Astros Ace Justin Verlander Throws His 3rd No Hitter

Chron reports:

Justin Verlander tracked the throw across the diamond, raised both arms in the air and sunk to his knees. The Astros poured from the third-base dugout to dogpile the greatest pitcher any of them have ever played alongside, who again authored another awe-inspiring effort in his Hall of Fame career.

Bo Bichette's groundout in the ninth inning finished the third no-hitter of Verlander's career. The Astros beat the Blue Jays, 2-0, climbing on the shoulders of their ace during his best start of the season.

Verlander struck out 14 and allowed only one baserunner. He threw 120 pitches, overpowering a Toronto order littered with rookies and unfamiliar faces.

The Blue Jays starting nine on Sunday had 29 combined at-bats against Verlander. Justin Smoak accounted for 26 of them. The top three hitters in their lineup were all rookies — Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. They combined to finish 0-for-10 with three strikeouts.

A first-inning walk to Biggio was Verlander's lone mistake. His four-seam fastball was fabulous, generating 15 of his 23 swings and misses. Verlander required less than 20 pitches to finish every inning but the first. He sailed through the fifth, sixth and seventh on only 27.

Only six other major league pitchers have thrown three or more no-hitters. Verlander threw two as a member of the Detroit Tigers, including another in Rogers Centre on May 7, 2011. The Tigers beat the Jays 9-0 that day. Run support on Sunday was not so plentiful. A two-run home run from Montreal native Abraham Toro in the ninth inning was its extent.