The Weekly Rundown: 4/7/24 - 4/13/24
Jackson Holliday arrives, pitcher injuries piling up, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
A couple of weeks into the 2024 MLB season, we’re starting to see the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders. We have a handful of clubs off to surprisingly strong starts and others who have seen their offseason moves pay off through the first 15 or so games.
The Pirates and Royals fall under the “surprisingly strong” category with 10-5 records entering today. The Yankees, now with Juan Soto in the mix, are a league-best 12-3. The Brewers have benefitted from a red-hot offense and are atop the NL Central with a 10-3 record.
As for the early disappointments, the Marlins are just 3-12 after starting 0-9. The Astros are shockingly 5-11, their worst start since 2013. Or course, it’s a long season, so counting anyone out (except the A’s, White Sox, Rockies…) at this point would be foolish.
We’ve got plenty to get to from the past week in baseball. So as usual, grab your morning coffee and let’s jump into the rundown..
Elly is Electric
Elly De La Cruz reminded the world why he’s considered one of the game’s most exciting up-and-coming players with an electrifying inside-the-park homer vs. the Brewers.
De La Cruz is off to a strong start in 2024 after experiencing some growing pains as a rookie. Through 14 games, he’s slashing
Ohtani/Ippei Update
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was officially charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing $16 million from the Dodgers star. Mizuhara turned himself in and had a court hearing on Friday.
Here’s the statement from his lawyers:
"Today Mr. Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered, made his initial appearance, and was released on bond as agreed to with the government. He is continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility. He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family. As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling. We have no further comment at this time, but Mr. Mizuhara will be providing further comment as the legal process proceeds."
The investigation revealed Mizuhari admitted to stealing from Ohtani in text messages to his bookmaker.
"Technically I did steal from him," he wrote in a text after the news of the scandal broke in late March, per the criminal complaint. "It's all over for me."
Mizuhara also pretended to be Ohtani during a phone call with a bank employee and claimed he was attempting to wire funds for a car loan. The bank froze the account, but Mizuhara was able to get it unfrozen with a call to a separate bank employee — again impersonating Ohtani.
The complaint unveiled other damning texts from Mizuhara to his bookmaker:
"I'm terrible at this sport betting thing huh? Lol . . . Any chance u can bump me again?? As you know, you don't have to worry about me not paying!!" Mizuhara wrote in Nov. 2022.
"I have a problem lol" Mizuhara allegedly wrote in June 2023.
"I'm gonna be honest, I ended up losing a lot of money on crypto the last couple years and I took a huge hit obviously with the sports too...Just wanted to ask, is there any way we can settle on an amount? I've lost way too much on the site already...of course I know it's my fault," Mizuhara wrote in Nov. 2023.
There will be some who still believe Ohtani had involvement in the scandal, but the complaint makes it pretty clear he was the victim in this case. Hopefully, this is the last we hear of it.
Benches Clear in Baltimore and L.A.
Tempers flared in Friday’s Brewers-Orioles matchup and in Saturday’s Padres-Dodgers showdown.
In Baltimore, O’s catcher James McCann said something to Willy Adames as the Brewers shortstop stepped to the plate. Whatever he said, it didn’t sit well with Adames, who confronted McCann causing the benches and bullpens to empty.
In L.A., Padres outfielder Jurckson Profar took exception to an up-and-in pitch by Gavin Stone. Profar and Dodgers catcher Will Smith exchanged words, and the benches and bullpens cleared.
Not much came out of either benches-clearing event. No punches, shoves, or players ejected. Yawn.
Dominant on the Bump
Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay Rays
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. Colorado Rockies
Nestor Cortes, New York Yankees
8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 14 K, 0 BB vs. Minnesota Twins
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds
5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Big Bombs
A’s catcher Shea Langeliers belted three homers in a game against the Rangers.
Tyrone Taylor hit a grand slam during the Mets’ 16-4 demolition of the Braves.
Shohei Ohtani tallied the 17th home run of his MLB career, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player.
Elly De La Cruz blasted a three-run bomb 449 feet.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed one 459 feet.
Christopher Morel hit a grand slam for the Cubs against the Padres.
Daulton Varsho put the Blue Jays up big on the Rockies in the first inning with a grand slam.
Web Gem of the Week
Reds right fielder Stuart Fairchild robbed Willy Adames of a homer.
Welcome to the Show
The Orioles finally promoted MLB’s No. 1 prospect Jackson Holiday to the big leagues. The 20-year-old middle infielder made his debut Wednesday at Fenway Park, going 0-for-4 with an RBI.
Holliday, the son of Rockies great Matt Holliday, is still looking for his first career hit. He entered today 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts.
Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez, signed by the Blue Jays this past offseason after three years in Japan, made his MLB debut on Saturday against the Rockies.
The 27-year-old looked solid, allowing one run on four hits and two walks in 3.2 innings while striking out six.
Notable Injuries
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
The Red Sox placed right-hander Nick Pivetta on the 15-day IL with a flexor strain.
The Rangers placed righty reliever Josh Sborz on the 15-day IL with a strained right rotator cuff.
Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo has a torn meniscus that will require surgery and sideline him for at least a month.
Astros lefty Framber Valdez was placed on the 15-day IL with elbow soreness.
The Nationals placed righty Josiah Gray on the 15-day IL with a flexor strain.
White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada will miss three to six months with a left adductor strain.
The Rays placed second baseman Brandon Lowe on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain.
Brewers catching prospect Jefferson Quero will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Braves ace Spencer Strider is officially out for the season after undergoing UCL surgery.
The Twins placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day IL with an oblique injury.
The Dodgers placed pitcher Bobby Miller on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation.
The Yankees placed utility man Jon Berti 10-day IL with left groin strain.
Rockies closer Daniel Bard will miss the rest of the season after undergoing flexor tendon surgery.
Rapid Fire
The Rays released veteran right-hander Jake Odorizzi.
Diamondbacks lefty Jordan Montgomery fired his agent Scott Boras after failing to find a new home in free agency until the end of March. He will now be repped by Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock of Wasserman.
The Red Sox signed Ceddanne Rafaela, the No. 4 ranked prospect in their system, to an eight-year extension worth $50 million.
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