LEADING OFF: J-Rod hurt, Judge rules, Mets rolling
Jul 30, 2022, 11:34 AM | Updated: 11:36 pm
New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker throws against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader in Chicago, Saturday, July 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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FINGERS CROSSED
The playoff-hopeful Seattle Mariners are holding their collective breath that All-Star rookie Julio Rodríguez isn’t seriously injured.
Rodríguez was hit on the back of his right hand near the wrist as he swung awkwardly at a pitch in the eighth inning Saturday night at Houston. He struck out, but played defense in the bottom half before exiting in the ninth.
Seattle manager Scott Servais said the outfielder would get X-rays later Saturday.
“He did not feel comfortable with a bat in his hand,” Servais said. “So, we’ll pray that it is not broken.”
Abraham Toro pinch-hit for Rodríguez and delivered a two-run single with two outs in the ninth as the Mariners rallied for a 5-4 victory.
The 21-year-old Rodríguez, who was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, is batting .274 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs.
ALL RISE
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been on an incredible tear since the All-Star break, hitting .436 with nine homers and 21 RBIs in 10 games. He went deep again in Saturday’s victory over Kansas City, becoming the second-fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs.
Judge’s 200th homer came in his 671st career game. Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard achieved the feat in 2009 in his 658th game.
Eligible for free agency after the season, Judge has 42 homers and is on pace for 67. He is tied with Sammy Sosa and two behind Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for the most before Aug. 1 in MLB history. Bonds holds the season record with 73 homers in 2001.
The American League-leading Yankees try for a four-game sweep. They’ve won seven straight against the Royals and 10 of the last 11.
BEST OF THE METS
Taijuan Walker (8-2, 2.67 ERA) and the NL East-leading New York Mets go for their sixth straight victory and a three-game sweep in Miami when they take on Pablo López (7-5, 3.03) and the Marlins.
Through 100 games, the Mets (63-37) have the second-best record in club history. The 1986 World Series championship team was 68-32 at the same point.
The Marlins lost their sixth in a row at home. They have not homered in their own ballpark since July 5 — a stretch of 11 games.
E-ROD EMERGES
Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will report to Detroit’s spring training facility in Florida and could pitch for Class A Lakeland next week.
Rodriguez signed a $77 million, five-year contract last November but hasn’t pitched for the Tigers since May 18, when he left a game against Tampa Bay in the first inning with sprained ribs. He was then placed on the restricted list June 13 due to personal reasons.
The ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher is 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA in eight starts. The Tigers spent big on him and shortstop Javier Báez last winter but have struggled this season, going into Sunday’s game at Toronto 41-61.
OUCH!
Holding a slim lead in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins will be without two dangerous hitters for a while.
The team placed outfielder Max Kepler and infielder Miguel Sanó on the 10-day injured list Saturday, a big setback for a squad with playoff aspirations.
Sanó’s return to the IL with left knee inflammation is particularly tough because he had returned just four days earlier from missing 75 games after having surgery in May to repair torn meniscus in the knee. He apparently aggravated the knee during his recent rehab assignment.
The Twins say he will undergo an MRI when they return to Minneapolis after a weekend series at San Diego.
Sanó went 0 for 6 in his three games back.
Kepler broke the fifth toe on his right foot when he was hit by a pitch at Detroit last Sunday. He had gone through workouts and the Twins hoped to keep him on the active roster but decided to shut him down.
Kepler was hitting .244 with nine homers and 39 RBIs.
GUARD DOWN
Guardians breakout slugger Josh Naylor is sidelined and set to meet with team doctors after experiencing numbness in the same right ankle he severely injured in June 2021.
Naylor was scratched from the lineup Saturday before a 6-4 loss to the Rays, and manager Terry Francona said Naylor will be evaluated when the team returns home after Sunday’s series finale.
“He was on his way to go get loose and said it went numb on him and it was hard for him to walk,” Francona said. “It’s hard to imagine that something significant happened when he was on his way to get loose, so that’s hopeful.”
In a game at Minnesota on June 27, 2021, Naylor was in right field and chasing a shallow flyball when he collided with second baseman Ernie Clement on Jorge Polanco’s single.
Naylor is hitting .282 with 14 homers, 53 RBIs and an .846 OPS in 70 games this season.
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