Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz extended his single-season on-base streak to 47 games with a third-inning single on Sunday. He’s now tied for second in franchise history. Kurtz can tie Mark McGwire for the A’s record tonight against the Mariners.
1. Dodgers relievers continue scoreless streak
The L.A. bullpen only had to cover two innings on Sunday with Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossing seven frames. Will Klein and Tanner Scott got the job done, combining for two perfect innings with four strikeouts. The Dodgers’ relievers have now delivered 38 consecutive scoreless innings, a franchise record in the modern era. It’s the longest leaguewide streak since Cleveland’s bullpen posted zeroes for 38 2/3 innings in 2017 (h/t Sarah Langs of MLB.com). The Dodgers’ bullpen has done it without star closer Edwin Diaz, who underwent elbow surgery in April.
2. Mariners swap piggyback roles on Monday
Mariners right-handers Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo tag-teamed in their last appearance. Miller covered the first 5 2/3 innings, then Castillo went 2 1/3 innings in relief. The starters got some help from relievers Jose A. Ferrer and Andres Munoz along the way. Seattle is flipping the order on Monday against the A’s. It’ll be Castillo making the start with Miller coming in relief, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. It’s an interesting choice considering Miller’s strong work this season. The righty has allowed just two earned runs over 11 frames since returning from an oblique injury. Castillo has an ERA well above 6.00.
3. Detmers dominates Rangers
Angels left-hander Reid Detmers racked up 14 strikeouts on Sunday against Texas. He allowed just one hit over eight innings, a solo homer by Jake Burger. It was a much-needed outing after Detmers was tagged for eight earned runs in his last start. The lefty’s return to the rotation has had some bumps, but he’s pitched better than his 4.57 ERA. Detmers has a 2.87 xERA. His xFIP and SIERA are below 3.50. He’s been unlucky with a 59.4% strand rate. That number is 69.1% for his career. If Detmers can emerge as a reliable rotation option, he’ll provide a nice 1-2 punch with Jose Soriano. He could also be an attractive trade piece.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
