Bats were hot on Thursday, as hitters around the league combined for 39 homers and a .185 isolated power. Tigers rookie Eduardo Valencia went deep in his very first big league at-bat, while Mike Yastrzemski hit a ninth-inning grand slam for the Braves. Matt Olson also homered for Atlanta on the same day that he tied the franchise record with his 740th consecutive game played for the club. Yet, it was the Yankees’ Ben Rice who was the star of the day. Two days after he signed up to compete in the Home Run Derby, Rice enjoyed his first multi-homer game of the season, launching two against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
1. Big bats return
Wyatt Langford rejoined the Rangers yesterday after missing two weeks with a hamstring strain. Although he went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts, his one hit came when it mattered most. Langford crushed a long single to deep left field, scoring Alejandro Osuna from second and walking off the game for Texas. With the win, the Rangers climbed into first place in the AL West. There’s no question that having a healthy Langford in their lineup will be critical as they fight to hold on to the division lead.
At least one more dangerous bat will return from the injured list today, with Munetaka Murakami expected to rejoin the White Sox. The star rookie hasn’t played in over a month. It also looks like Minnesota could activate Ryan Jeffers tonight; no announcement has been made, but Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reported that Jeffers was back in the clubhouse yesterday. The Twins optioned outfielder Kyler Fedko after their series finale against the Guardians, leaving an open spot on their active roster. Jeffers, one of MLBTR’s top-ranked trade candidates, was enjoying a great start to the season before a hamate fracture shut him down in mid-May.
2. Luzardo wins a pitchers’ duel in Cincinnati
The Phillies beat the Reds 1-0 on Thursday in a game that featured excellent pitching on both sides. Jesús Luzardo cruised through seven scoreless innings on 96 pitches. He gave up just two hits (both singles), two walks, and a hit-by-pitch. The southpaw also struck out 11, marking his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season. Only Jacob Misiorowski and Dylan Cease have more. Luzardo was recently named an All-Star for the first time in his career, replacing Max Meyer on the roster.
Brady Singer was nearly as dominant for the Reds. He also made it through seven scoreless frames, but the Phillies finally got to him in the eighth. The righty was the only starter to work past the seventh inning yesterday, and he did so on just 89 pitches. Singer, an impending free agent, is one of MLBTR’s Top 35 Trade Candidates. Two of his last four starts have been strong outings against the Phillies and Brewers. That certainly hasn’t hurt his trade value.
3. Marlins keep winning
No one has been better over the past few weeks than the Fish. A sweep of the Mariners brought them 10 games above .500 and increased their run differential to +31, the seventh highest in the sport. The Marlins have now won 16 of their last 20 games, tying the franchise record for most wins in a 20-game span. It’s only the second time they’ve had a run like this within a season, and the first time since 2004. A cynic would point out that most teams have had many more 16-4 runs much more recently than Miami (all 29 other clubs have done it at least once since 2015), but someone less negative would have to acknowledge that a 16-4 run is always impressive. At the very least, the Marlins will enter the All-Star break tied for a Wild Card position, and it looks like they could be real buyers at the trade deadline.
