4/17-4/18 MLB Newsletter

American League

East (Only division each team is at least .500)

• Yankees (13-6): A top-of-the-ninth comeback led by a Giancarlo Stanton solo shot sparked this team to score four runs in that half-inning, winning them the game and avoiding their fourth consecutive loss.
  

• Orioles (12-6): The O’s walk it off for the third time this season as Cedric Mullens crushed a 2-run game-winner to finish the sweep of Minnesota and their fourth straight win. 🚀

• Rays (11-9): After a Pete Fairbanks blown save that he described as an all-encompassing suck, Ryan Pepiot came out on Thursday with seven strikeouts over six innings on a one-run ball to split the series with the Angles.
  

• Blue Jays (10-9): Kevin Gausman bounced back after two tough starts with five innings of one-run ball. Unfortunately, the bullpen cost them a series sweep.
  

• Red Sox (10-10): Tanner Houck threw a complete game shutout on 94 pitches that took just 1 hour and 49 minutes, the shortest nine-inning game since 2010. After a couple more errors on Thursday, which led to a loss, the Sox now have an MLB-leading 20 errors committed.

Central

• Guardians (13-6): Winning their first series in Boston since 2019, Cleveland won three of four games, thanks partly to two RBIs by Andrés Giménez on Thursday.
  

• Royals (12-7): Playing a doubleheader on Wednesday due to a rainout on Tuesday, the Royals split the day with the White Sox, largely thanks to a two-run tater by Salvador Perez in the top of the eighth of the first game. Five hits in the second game weren’t enough to win. 🪓

• Tigers (10-9): On Thursday, Detroit scored seven runs for just the third time this season, but it wasn’t enough to win. Detroit lost the potential series-splitting game partly because Kenta Maeda pitched only 2.2 innings and allowed five earned runs.

• Twins (6-11): The O’s walk-off win on Wednesday secured a series sweep. Minnesota has a four-game losing streak for the second time this season, and they currently hold the lowest team hit total and batting average in MLB at a lowly .193. 📉
  

• White Sox (3-15): Trying to overcome baseball’s largest run differential, at -54, the White Sox split a doubleheader on Wednesday, with the Royals only adding -1 to that total. Starting pitcher standout Garrett Crochet will take the mound on Friday as Chicago goes for its longest winning streak of the year at two.

West

• Rangers (11-9): Highly anticipated prospect Jack Leiter debuted on Thursday and struck out the first batter he saw on three pitches. It didn’t get any easier from there, ultimately allowing seven earned runs through 3.2 innings, but the offense had his back, hitting three homers and scoring nine runs to win the series against Detroit.

• Angels (9-10): The Halos won Wednesday night after a dramatic comeback in the eighth and ninth innings. At the start of the ninth inning, they were down one run but scored two and took the lead by one. They held on to this lead and won the game. Giving up two runs in the bottom of the first on Thursday, the offense couldn’t overcome that deficit as they split the series with Tampa Bay.

• Mariners (9-10): Seattle finished a sweep of Cincinnati on Wednesday. Brycle Miller pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out seven, and Seattle extended its longest winning streak of the year to three. 🔥

• Athletics (8-11): After a highly debated demotion, Esteury Ruiz returned with a vengeance, hitting his second dinger since being recalled from Triple-A just a few days ago. A three-run fourth inning given up by Paul Blackburn ended his scoreless inning streak at 22.1, a new franchise record to open the season. After this win, Blackburn still holds a top-5 ERA among AL starting pitchers.

• Astros (6-14): Having lost their second of only two extra innings games this season on Tuesday night, the Braves swept the Astros. This was their third time getting swept this season. The pitching staff, toting the second-worst ERA in baseball, will get help Friday as Justin Verlander will make his season debut.

Source

National League 

East

• Braves (12-5): Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted his first tater of the year in Wednesday’s extra-innings win, which finished the sweep of Houston, extending their win streak to four. Marcell Ozuna is the RBI leader in MLB with 23 and is the NL HR King at 8. 📈
  

• Phillies (11-8): For the first time this season, the Phils scored 5+ runs in back-to-back games. They swept the Rockies thanks to two Schwar-bombs on Wednesday and 10 Ks from Cristopher Sánchez.

• Mets (10-8): The Mets unveiled their City Connect jerseys this morning. Tyrone Taylor, who scored three runs and batted in another two on Wednesday, is an essential piece to this team as the Mets completed the sweep of the Pirates, winning their fourth straight game. 🔥

• Nationals (8-10): As everyone predicted, the Nats shut out the Dodgers on Wednesday to win the series. Jake Irvin pitched 6 IP, striking out six and allowing just four hits.

• Marlins (4-15): On Wednesday, the Marlins were held to just six hits and one run, a solo shot from Bryan De La Cruz in the series loss to the Giants. They were rained out against the Cubs on Thursday, which will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Central

• Brewers (11-6): After MLB stolen bases leader Brice Turang swiped his ninth bag of the season, he was knocked in on an RBI single. The bullpen helped lead the charge to victory with 5.1 scoreless innings. 💨

• Cubs (11-7): Being called up from Triple-A on less than a day’s notice, Hayden Wesneski made his season debut with a clutch performance, holding the Dbacks to four scoreless innings and one hit, enough for the Cubs to hold on to the series victory. 📈

• Pirates (11-8): Losing five of their last seven, the Mets swept the Bucs after scoring just one run on five hits on Wednesday, as the bullpen gave up seven earned runs. 🫣

• Reds (9-9): As Seattle swept them, they were held to a combined two runs and five hits in their last two games while striking out 21 times. This three-game losing streak is currently the longest of the season. 📉

• Cardinals (9-10): After having a one-run lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning, Stephen Matz allowed three runs, bringing his total to five allowed on the day, and could not overcome that deficit. They’ll head home for a six-game home stand to try to get things right.

West

• Dodgers (12-9): After getting shutout Wednesday, it was the first time LA had failed to score a run since late last July. Held to just five hits and going 0-7 with runners in scoring position, LA will look to bounce back against a Mets team that’s won four straight.
  

• Padres (11-10): After winning three straight, they were held to a shutout on Wednesday despite Michael King's performance of 7.2 IP with 10 Ks and one run allowed.

• Diamondbacks (9-11): Jordan Montgomery will make his season debut tonight against Blake Snell. He hopes to get the Dbacks back on track, as they’ve been just 6-10 since the start of April. Last night, it was an unplanned bullpen day for the Snakes, as Ryne Nelson left after getting hit on the wrist with a ball at the end of the second inning.
  

• Giants (9-11): Logan Webb (Gems) pitched seven scoreless innings last night, sitting five down on strikes and allowing only two hits. After scoring just one run until the eighth inning, the Giants add four more to secure the first game in a series with Arizona.
  

• Rockies (4-15): On Wednesday, they scored their most runs since last Friday, but it wasn’t enough to avoid losing their fifth straight game their longest season streak. This team has the NL's worst -41 run differential. ⏬

🥔 Tater’s Top Three

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