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Today’s Headlines
Yoshida Goes Yard
In Sunday’s game between Milwaukee and Boston, the Red Sox entered the top of the eighth inning behind, 4-3, and exited that half-inning with a 12-4 lead. Masataka Yoshida was both the 2nd hitter and the 11th hitter that inning. In his first at-bat, the outfielder pulled a 108.9 mph solo homerun off Matt Bush and followed that up with a grand slam off of Javy Guerra in his second at-bat of the inning. Yoshida is the first Red Sox player to homer twice in an inning since David Ortiz did so in 2008.
Since opening day, Yoshida has struggled mightily to adjust to Major League pitching, hitting numerous weak ground balls; entering Sunday, 65.4% of his batted balls were hit on the ground. Luckily for Boston, his adjustments appear to have been effective, enabling him to be the reliable mid-order bat the team needs. Sunday’s win left the Red Sox with a 12-11 record. They are in last place in the AL East but would be tied for first place in the NL West.
Masataka Yoshida's second homer of the inning was SLAMMED to right! 😱 pic.twitter.com/ySDpYYy01V
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2023
Pirates Win 7th Straight
With their seventh straight win, the Pittsburgh Pirates hold not only the best record in their division but also the third-best record in MLB as a whole. Vince Velasquez was the hero for the Pirates on Sunday. The righty dominated Cincinnati’s lineup, going seven shutout frames and allowing just four baserunners and two hard-hit batted balls. Pittsburgh’s bullpen kept the shutout going with David Bednar closing it out and lowering his ERA to 0.82.
Over the last seven days, Pittsburgh ranks third in both runs scored and OPS among all MLB teams. Furthermore, during that span, its pitching staff has struck out an MLB-leading 71 batters, while holding the second-best ERA. Jeff Passan rightly pointed out that Pitsburgh’s recent wins have been against some unimpressive teams. Regardless, it is still something special for an organization that has failed to field a competitive product for so many years.
The Pittsburgh @Pirates:
-Have won 7 straight games
-Are 16-7
-Starting pitchers have a 2.15 ERA over their last 13 games (best in MLB) pic.twitter.com/qbgeYMZt3f— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2023
Orioles Walk Off into their 6th Straight Win
At least pitching-wise, the Orioles have been right up there with the Pirates over the last week and it has paid off. There was not much offense to be found between the Tigers and the Orioles on Sunday. Detroit racked up seven hits and Baltimore just three. Although Grayson Rodriguez lasted just five innings, this game was very much a pitchers’ duel. Eduardo Rodriguez dominated Orioles hitters through seven scoreless, one-hit frames.
Each lineup managed a run in the eighth inning off either bullpen and the score remained tied heading into extras. Baltimore executed the fundamentals to a tee in the bottom of the tenth. Pinch hitter Terrin Vavra led off the inning by laying down a sacrifice bunt to move the ghost-runner, Adam Frazier, over to third base. That bunt took almost no time to pay off as a pitch to the next batter skipped away from the catcher, allowing Frazier to score the winning run.
What a WILD ending!!! pic.twitter.com/4OT7REujyg
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 23, 2023
Best Moments From Yesterday
Finally Called Up
After playing in 1,115 minor league games since being drafted in 2010, Drew Maggi was finally given a shot at making his MLB debut on Sunday. It is impossible not to feel for Maggi when watching him enter the Pirates’ clubhouse for the first time as a Major Leaguer.
Never give up on your dream. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/rRlenZBSZn
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 23, 2023
Homering Halos
For all of the roster’s faults, the Angels’ one-two-three punch is something special. Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani’s back-to-back-to-back home runs on Sunday powered Los Angeles past the Royals and back to a .500 record.
Three straight homers for the @Angels!
Taylor Ward, @MikeTrout, and Shohei Ohtani take the Sunday stroll back-to-back-to-back. pic.twitter.com/LEXLPs93VA
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2023
Injuries and Other Moves
Triston McKenzie (shoulder) began a throwing program on Monday.
Kris Bryant (lower body) was held out of Sunday’s lineup and is considered day-to-day.
Javier Báez was removed from Sunday’s game with a swollen finger and is day-to-day.
Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder) will miss 4-6 months with a torn labrum.
Articles You Should Read
Baseball Has Changed — Matthew Cullen, The Athletic
Diagnosing What’s Going Wrong with Baseball’s Most Disappointing Teams — Daniel Fox, Pitcher List
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)