The Weekly Rundown: 5/26/24 - 6/1/24
Celebrating Angel Hernandez's departure, mourning Ronald Acuña's injury, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
The weather is heating up and so is the 2024 MLB season as the contenders start to separate themselves from the pretenders. The Yankees and Orioles are dominating the AL East, the Guardians remain red-hot atop the AL Central, the Mariners are maintaining their AL West lead, the Phillies and Brewers are pulling away in the NL East and NL Central, and the Dodgers remain the class of the NL West.
It was an eventful week in baseball for a variety of reasons both on and off the field. That means it’s a loaded rundown this week, so without further ado, let’s jump in…
Adios, Angel
Rejoice, baseball fans: the worst umpire in MLB history has retired.
Angel Hernandez announced his retirement on Monday in the following statement:
"Starting with my first Major League game in 1991, I have had the very good experience of living out my childhood dream of umpiring in the major leagues. There is nothing better than working at a profession that you enjoy. I treasured the camaraderie of my colleagues and the friendships I have made along the way, including our locker room attendants in all the various cities.
"I have decided that I want to spend more time with my family. Needless to say, there have been many positive changes in the game of baseball since I first entered the profession. This includes the expansion and promotion of minorities. I am proud that I was able to be an active participant in that goal while being a Major League umpire."
Hernandez has been the sport’s most controversial umpire for over two decades. He ranked dead last in correct call rate last season and was 67th out of 85 umps this year. According to reports, he and Major League Baseball reached a financial settlement in order for him to call it a career.
To celebrate Hernandez’s departure, here are his worst calls ever, courtesy of GiraffeNeckMarc on YouTube:
Acuña Out For Season
One of baseball’s biggest stars is out for the year with yet another devastating injury.
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuńa suffered a torn left ACL last Sunday, three years after tearing the ligament in his right knee. The Braves star was emotional as he discussed the injury and the support he has received from fans and peers:
“The amount of support has been absolutely incredible from the teammates to the coaches, the fans, the entire organization,” he said. " The amount of support has been overwhelming. All that support is — finds me crying at home by myself, and the reason that’s happening is because I feel like I’m the one abandoning the team. It feels like I’m the one letting everyone down, but there’s nothing I can do. Just continue to work hard, continue to heal. The last time this happened, the team won the World Series. So that’s the that’s the goal right there.
Acuńa was in the midst of a down season by his standards, hitting just .250 with four homers and a .716 OPS. Still, this is a tremendous loss for Atlanta and Major League Baseball. Even when he’s struggling, few players strike more fear in opposing pitchers than Acuńa.
This is just the latest blow to the Braves roster. They’ve been without ace Spencer Strider for most of the year due to Tommy John surgery. They’re 32-24 on the season, 7.5 games behind the NL East-leading Phillies.
The Jorge Lopez Saga
If the 2024 Mets haven’t hit rock bottom, they’re pretty damn close.
They enter Sunday with a dismal 24-34 record despite boasting the biggest payroll in baseball. Making matters worse, they made headlines for one of their players’ controversial actions and comments on Wednesday.
Reliever Jorge Lopez was ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers after arguing with the third base umpire over a check swing. Lopez tossed his glove into the stands as he walked off the field. You can watch below:
Speaking to reporters after the game, Lopez said he didn’t regret his actions. He also appeared to tell the media that he played for “the worst team in the whole fucking MLB.”
However, Lopez later clarified his comments in a statement. He actually called himself the “worst teammate,” and didn’t call the Mets the worst team in baseball.
Lopez was later designated for assignment. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza made it clear his pitcher went too far.
"We have standards here," Mendoza said on Thursday. "When you're not playing well, guys will show emotions. There's frustrations, but there's a fine line and yesterday went over that line."
Lopez released the following statement via Instagram:
"I feel that I let them down yesterday, both on and off the field," Lopez said. "I also want to clarify my post-game remarks, because I had no intention of disparaging the New York Mets organization. During that interview, I spoke candidly about my frustrations with my personal performance and how I felt it made me 'the worst teammate in the entire league.'
"Unfortunately, my efforts to address the media in English created some confusion and generated headlines that do not reflect what I was trying to express. I wish the team the best and hope that God continues to give me strength and guidance in my personal and professional life."
Lopez, an All-Star in 2022, has a 3.76 ERA through 28 appearances this season.
Dominant on the Bump
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 4 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. New York Mets
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 2 BB vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Tyler Megill, New York Mets
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB vs. NewYork Mets
Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 2 BB vs. Atlanta Braves
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. San Francisco Giants
Luis Gil, New York Yankees
8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers
6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Big Bombs
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki hit a pinch-hit game-tying homer vs. the Brewers. Suzuki also hit game-tying a grand slam against the Reds.
Orioles star Gunnar Henderson hit a go-ahead grand slam against the Red Sox.
Diamondbacks' slugger Christian Walker crushed a grand slam against the Mets.
J.P. Crawford belted a grand slam for the Mariners against the Angels.
Aaron Judge hit a 464-foot blast against the Giants for his league-leading 21st homer.
Web Gem of the Week
Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger robbed the Brewers’ Willy Adames of a homer to preserve Ben Brown’s no-hitter.
Welcome to the Show
Australian left-hander Jack O’Loughlin made his MLB debut for the A’s, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two Astros hitters in three scoreless innings.
Rangers righty Gerson Garabito made his big-league debut against the Twins and allowed one run on two hits and four walks while striking out two in 3.2 innings.
Braves pitching prospect Spencer Schwellenbach allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five in his five-inning MLB debut vs. the Nationals.
Tigers pitching prospect Keider Montero allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five in 4.1 innings in his MLB debut vs. the Pirates.
Notable Injuries
The Royals placed second baseman Michael Massey on the 10-day injured list due to a ligament sprain in his lower back.
The Astros placed right-hander Cristian Javier on the 15-day IL with forearm discomfort.
The Pirates placed left-hander Martín Pérez on the 15-day IL due to a left groin strain and catcher Joey Bart on the 10-day IL with a left thumb injury.
The White Sox placed right-hander Mike Clevinger on the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation.
The Rangers placed rookie outfielder Evan Carter on the 10-day IL due to back tightness.
The Tigers placed outfielder Kerry Carpenter on the 10-day IL due to a lower back injury.
The Mets placed right-handed closer Edwin Díaz on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement.
The Red Sox placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day IL due to right knee inflammation.
The Braves placed left-hander A.J. Minter on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his left hip.
Rays top prospect Junior Caminero was placed on the minor league injured list due to a quad strain and will miss four to six weeks.
The Yankees placed right-hander Clarke Schmidt on the 15-day IL with a right lat strain. Schmidt has been shut down for four to six weeks.
The Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been placed on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain.
The Diamondbacks placed right-hander Zac Gallen on the 15-day IL due to a right hamstring strain.
Orioles pitchers John Means and Tyler Wells will undergo season-ending elbow surgery.
The Blue Jays placed closer Jordan Romano on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his right elbow.
The Padres have placed pitchers Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation and a left groin strain, respectively.
The Red Sox placed second baseman Vaughn Grissom on the 10-day IL due to a hamstring strain.
Rapid Fire
The Red Sox signed righty Brad Keller, who was designated for assignment by the White Sox last week.
The Braves DFA’d infielder Joey Wendle after acquiring him last week.
The Nationals DFA’d outfielder Victor Robles. Robles was Washington’s No. 1 prospect from 2017 to 2019 and was once ranked as the No. 5 MLB prospect by Baseball America.
The Diamondbacks released veteran infielder Kolten Wong.
The Braves signed outfielder Ramón Laureano to a minor league deal.
The Mets DFA’d catcher Omar Narvaez.
The Guardians DFA’d outfielder Estevan Florial.
Nick Pivetta’s eight consecutive strikeouts in Thursday’s game vs. Detroit tied a Red Sox record set by Roger Clemens in 1986.
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