The Weekly Rundown: 5/5/24 - 5/11/24
Paul Skenes' MLB debut, Elly De La Cruz approaching Ronald Acuńa territory, and more.
Good morning, happy Sunday, and happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.
A few memorable Mother’s Day moments to start your day off…
The “Mother’s Day miracle at Fenway Park
Bill Hall walks it off for the Brewers with a pink Mother’s Day bat:
Dallas Braden’s perfect game:
Now for everything you need to know from the last week in baseball…
Paul Skenes has arrived
Pirates prospect Paul Skenes made his big-league debut on Saturday, and it was the most anticipated pitching debut since Stephen Strasburg’s in 2010.
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, dominated at Triple-A with a 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. The 21-year-old makes hitters look foolish at the plate with a fastball that hovers around 101-102 mph and a filthy slider.
Facing the Cubs at PNC Park, Skenes looked the part. He struck out the first two batters he faced and although he had some issues with his command, it was clear from the beginning that this kid is the real deal.
Skenes finished with three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and an HBP in four innings. Pittsburgh’s bullpen hurt those numbers, walking in two runs on 12 straight balls. Skenes had one earned run prior to that.
A weather delay dampened Skenes’ debut, but it still was a day he and the Pirates fanbase won’t soon forget. You can watch the highlights below:
Dominant on the Bump
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Cincinnati Reds
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
9.0 IP (CG), 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 1 BB vs. San Francisco Giants
Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 2 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins
6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Michael King, San Diego Padres
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 3 BB vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers
7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 2 BB vs. San Diego Padres
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 2 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. Cleveland Guardians
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 3 BB vs. New York Mets
Big Bombs
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. demolished a grand slam vs. the Nationals.
Pittsburgh’s Edward Olivares hit a grand slam of his own against the Angels.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge crushed a 473-foot bomb against Astros reliever Ryan Pressly.
Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez led L.A. to a win over San Diego with a grand slam.
Giants third baseman Matt Chapman crushed a grand slam against the Reds.
Mark Canha hit a grand slam as part of Detroit’s seven-run inning vs. the Astros
Mets slugger J.D. Martinez broke up the Braves’ no-hit bid with a homer with two outs in the ninth inning:
Web Gem of the Week
Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ran 129 feet to make a sick sliding catch vs. the Angels.
Welcome to the Show
First baseman Kyle Manzardo, the No. 2 ranked prospect in the Guardians organization, recorded a single for his first MLB hit against the Tigers on Wednesday.
Right-hander Mason Black, the 10th-ranked prospect in the Giants system, made his big-league debut on Monday vs. the Phillies. He allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four in 4.1 innings.
Brewers pitching prospect Robert Gasser allowed just two hits with no walks in six scoreless innings while striking out four Cardinals in his MLB debut on Friday.
Quick Takeaways
The Oakland A’s are…. fun?! They’re 19-22 and only three games back in the AL West. It took them until June 13 to win 19 games last season. Mason Miller is the most electrifying closer in baseball right now. Brent Rooker is enjoying another All-Star-caliber season. Regression is likely right around the corner, but this team is surprisingly worth your attention until then.
Elly De La Cruz is on pace for a Ronald Acuña Jr.-like season. The Reds phenom is already up to nine homers and 25 stolen bases. The scary part? He’s only 22 years old. He’s just getting started.
Phillies southpaw Ranger Suarez isn’t getting nearly enough love for what he’s done so far this season. He boasts a 7-0 record with the second-best ERA in MLB at 1.50 through eight starts. He’s been in the “Dominant on the Bump” section almost every week — including this week. He’s a big reason why Philadelphia is the best team in baseball right now.
Notable Injuries
The Dodgers placed right-hander Evan Phillips on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring strain.
The Rangers placed rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford on the 10-day IL with hamstring tightness.
The Padres placed right-hander Joe Musgrove on the 15-day IL due to right elbow inflammation.
The Guardians placed outfielder Steven Kwan on the 10-day IL with hamstring tightness.
The A’s placed righty Joe Boyle on the 15-day IL due to a lower back strain.
The Dodgers placed righty Joe Kelly on the 15-day IL with a posterior shoulder strain.
The Cardinals placed catcher Willson Contreras on the 10-day IL with a fractured left forearm. Contreras suffered the injury when he was hit by a J.D. Martinez swing and is expected to miss approximately 10 weeks.
The Rangers placed right-hander Dane Dunning on the 15-day IL due to a right rotator cuff strain.
The Marlins placed right-hander Edward Cabrera on the 15-day IL due to a right shoulder impingement.
The Rays placed right-hander Ryan Pepiot on the 15-day IL with a leg injury. Pepiot was hit in the leg by a comebacker on Sunday.
The Giants placed Jorge Soler on the 10-day IL due to a shoulder strain.
The Cubs placed shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day IL due to a right knee sprain.
The Pirates placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day IL with low back inflammation.
The Tigers placed right-hander Kenta Maeda on the 15-day IL with a viral illness.
Rapid Fire
Former MLB infielder Sean Burroughs passed away at 43. USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale reports he collapsed while coaching his son’s Little League game. Burroughs played seven big-league seasons with the Padres, Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, and Twins.
The Red Sox traded infielder Zack Short to the Braves for cash considerations.
The Braves traded infielder Luis Guillorme to the Angels for a player to be named later or cash.
The Pirates acquired right-hander Daulton Jefferies from the Giants in exchange for outfielder Rodolfo Nolasco,
The Giants traded right-hander Mitch White to the Brewers for cash considerations.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe below to get these MLB recaps delivered to your email every Sunday.