The Weekly Rundown: 6/18/23 - 6/24/23
Gerrit Cole's finger wag, Wander Franco gets benched, and much more.
Good morning!
We’re halfway into the 2023 MLB season and we have plenty to get to, so I won’t waste your valuable time with a lengthy intro. I will, however, give my weekly reminder that subscribing to The Ledge is free and much appreciated. You can do so below.
Thanks! Let’s jump in.
Gerrit Cole gets heated
The most entertaining moment of the week came during Tuesday’s Mariners-Yankees game in the Bronx.
Jose Caballero, a light-hitting utility man for the Mariners, got under Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s skin throughout the matchup. In each of his at-bats, Caballero took his sweet time getting in the batter’s box and attempted to disrupt Cole’s rhythm by calling timeouts.
Cole grew more frustrated with each of Caballero’s plate appearances. In the seventh inning, he reached his breaking point and intentionally threw an absurdly high pitch all the way to the netting behind home plate.
Caballero eventually struck out and Cole stared him down on his walk back to the dugout before adding a hilarious finger wag that immediately turned into a meme.
Jomboy broke it down perfectly, so you can watch the entire thing below:
During his postgame press conference, Cole said he was wagging his finger at Mariners manager Scott Servais.
"Their manager had some choice words for me coming off the field," Cole said. "That's the first time an opposing manager has wagged his finger at me."
A pissed-off Gerrit Cole finished with only one run allowed on four hits while striking out eight in 7 1/3 innings. The Yankees went on to win, 3-1.
Rays bench Wander Franco
Wander Franco is one of the brightest young stars in baseball. He’s top five in both bWAR and fWAR this season. He’s a huge reason why the Rays are the best team in baseball at the midway point.
But all of that talent does not mean he’s above being benched. Rays manager Kevin Cash sat Franco on Thursday and Friday because of how he has handled his frustrations.
“Wander is a really good kid, really good person. He's a young player that is learning and dealing with the challenges of being a Major League player and some of the frustrations that come with it,” Cash said. “Over the course of this season, there's been probably multiple times that the way he has handled his frustrations have not been the way that we ask our players to uphold being the best teammate.”
A little bit of tough love never hurts, so this shouldn’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of things. There’s a reason Cash is a two-time Manager of the Year. He knows how to get the best out of his players and I’d expect Franco to learn from this situation and come back even better. He’s just a 22-year-old kid, after all. The future is bright.
Joey Votto is BACK
The Reds had been without the face of their franchise, Joey Votto, since August 2022 due to a shoulder injury. He made his long-awaited return to Cincinnati’s lineup on Monday and immediately made his presence felt, crushing a solo shot against the Rockies at Great American Ball Park.
The real fun came on Friday vs. the Braves. Votto belted a game-tying homer in the fourth inning, followed by a three-run go-ahead homer in the fifth.
Between Votto’s return, all of the young talent including Elly De La Cruz (see below), and an NL Central lead fueled by a 12-game win streak, it’s a hell of a time to be a Reds fan. Hell, even if you aren’t a Reds fan, this team is must-watch material right now.
Cycle in Cincinnati
Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz has taken the league by storm. Just over two weeks into his MLB career, he already is making the leap to superstardom.
While Votto had himself a night against the Braves on Friday, De La Cruz was busy hitting for the cycle. He capped off the cycle with an electrifying RBI triple in the sixth inning.
He accomplished the feat in just his 15th career game — the third-fewest since 1900. It’s the first Reds cycle since 1989.
Rockies get rocked
The Angels put a beating on the Rockies on Saturday. They went up 23-0 in the top of the fourth inning. Thirteen of those runs came in the third and eight more came in the fourth. Every Angels starter had at least one hit.
They went on to win, 25-1. Highlights of the massacre below:
Ejection of the Year
The Nationals stink, but that won’t stop manager Davey Martinez from passionately defending his players.
Martinez took issue with the home plate umpire’s strike zone on Thursday night and put on a show before earning his ejection. Just watch below and enjoy (4:35 mark).
Somewhere, Lou Piniella watched that clip and smiled.
All-Star voting update
Phase 1 of the fan vote for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game has concluded. Below are the starter finalists for both leagues.
The one glaring issue is the overwhelming presence of Blue Jays players who were named finalists. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a star, but he isn’t having an All-Star season. Whit Merrifield is not an All-Star. Kevin Kiermaier is having a good year, but All-Star starter? Nope. Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman are deserving. No complaints there.
Phase 2 of the voting will run from Monday to Thursday.
The IL
James McCann, C, Baltimore Orioles
The O's placed McCann on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.
Jorge Lopez, RHP, Minnesota Twins
Lopez was placed on the 15-day IL due to mental health reasons.
Alex Cobb, RHP, San Francisco Giants
Cobb is on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain.
Anthony Rendon, 3B, Los Angeles Angels
Rendon was placed on the 10-day IL due to a left wrist contusion.
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Kirk is on the 10-day IL due to a laceration on his left hand.
Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Greene was placed on the 15-day IL due to right hip pain.
Reese McGuire, C, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox placed McGuire on the 10-day IL with a strained oblique.
Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals
Robles was placed on the 10-day IL due to lower back spasms.
Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Reynolds is on the 10-day IL due to low back inflammation.
Willie Calhoun, OF, New York Yankees
Calhoun has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a left quad strain.
MIke Yastrzemski, OF, San Francisco Giants
Yastrzemski landed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Oakland Athletics
Laureano has been placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured right hand after being hit by a pitch.
Jose Leclerc, RHP, Texas Rangers
Leclerc is on the 15-day IL due to a sprained right ankle.
Dominant on the Bump
Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox
7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 16 K, 2 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 3 BB vs. New York Yankees
Max Scherzer, New York Mets
8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Houston Astros
Merril Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Daniel Lynch, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 2 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
Eury Perez, Miami Marlins
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. New York Mets
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 12 K, 2 BB vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. Baltimore Orioles
Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Blake Snell, San Diego Padres
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. San Francisco Giants
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
9.0 IP (CG), 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Braxton Garrett, Miami Marlins
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 13 K, 0 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Jesus Luzardo, Miami Marlins
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Big Bombs
Mike Yastrzemski recorded Splash Hit No. 102 at Oracle Park to give the Giants a walk-off win over the Padres.
Shohei Ohtani absolutely crushed one for the 150th homer of his career.
Thursday vs. the Red Sox, Byron Buxton became the first player to hit multiple 460-foot home runs in a single game since Mike Napoli last did it on May 1, 2013.
Jo Adell blasted a 514-foot homer for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees.
Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani went back-to-back TWICE in the last week.
Web Gem of the Week
Mariners star Julio Rodriguez robbed O’s first baseman Ryan O’Hearn of a homer on Saturday.
Welcome To The Show
Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick by the Pirates in 2021, made his big-league debut on Monday night and recorded a double down the left field line for his first career hit.
He notched his first MLB homer on Thursday night vs. the Marlins.
Guardians prospect Bo Naylor collected the first hit of his big-league career Wednesday vs. the A’s and his big brother/teammate Josh Naylor was hyped.
Gavin Williams, the Guardians’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 16 prospect on MLB's Top 100, also made his big-league debut Wednesday vs. the A’s. The right-hander allowed four runs on four hits, struck out four and walked three in 5 2/3 innings.
David Hamilton earned his first MLB hit, a single, on Thursday vs. the Twins.
Another Red Sox prospect, Brandon Walter, made his MLB debut on Thursday. The left-hander allowed three runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings of relief.
Quick Takeaways
The Reds are the best story in baseball right now. I don’t know if this is sustainable, but let’s enjoy it while it lasts. It’s awesome to see Reds fans filling the park again and embracing the most fun team they’ve had in decades. Their 12-game win streak was snapped on Saturday but I feel like the fun is just beginning.
The Giants came out of nowhere to reel off 10 consecutive wins. That streak was snapped on Thursday by the Padres, but they now are only 2.5 games behind the first-place D’Backs in the NL West and a half-game ahead of the Dodgers.
The Pirates are losing steam after a surprisingly successful first two months of the campaign. They finally ended a 10-game losing skid on Friday. The good news for Pittsburgh is it’s still only 5.5 games back in the NL Central. The Reds just have to stop winning every single game.
Shohei Ohtani is doing Shohei Ohtani things. He leads the majors in pretty much every offensive category and is the clear frontrunner for AL MVP. The Angels are only a half-game back in the AL Wild Card race so barring a collapse, it doesn’t look like the two-way superstar will be moved at the trade deadline. As long as we see him and Mike Trout in the postseason, I’m cool with it.
Luis Arraez is back in the race to .400. He’s currently hitting .401 after another ridiculous week at the plate. I’m starting to think he can do this.
Rapid Fire
The Twins signed veteran left-hander Dallas Keuchel to a minor-league contract
The Dodgers signed outfielder David Dahl to a minor-league deal.
Angels third baseman Gio Urshela is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a pelvic fracture. He was placed on the IL last week.
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck will undergo surgery on the facial fracture he suffered after being struck by a comebacker last week. He is expected to return this season, though the team is uncertain of when.
Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie will be shut down for several weeks due to a UCL sprain. He landed on the IL last week.
The Rangers released catcher Sandy Leon.
The Reds designated veteran first baseman/outfielder Wil Myers for assignment.
The Angels acquired infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Mets in exchange for minor-league pitchers Landon Marceaux and Coleman Crow.
But wait, there’s more! The Angels also acquired veteran infielder Mike Moustakas from the Rockies for minor-league righty Connor Van Scoyoc.
Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson is undecided on whether he will play in 2024. “I don’t know,” the 37-year-old told Brendan Kuty The Athletic. “It kind of just depends on how I feel going through this year and this season and all of that and talking to my family.”
It turns out Aaron Judge’s toe injury actually included a torn ligament, not just a sprain. Yankees manager Aaron Boone wouldn’t even 100% rule out Judge being out for the season. Not great for a Yankees team that has been mediocre at best without their star.
Julio Rodriguez will participate in the Home Run Derby, so that’s one player checked off the list for my Dream Home Run Derby lineup.
The Rumor Mill
The Reds want to add pitching ahead of the trade deadline if they’re still in contention, which is almost a certainty at this point. With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo both on the injured list, that seems like a no-brainer if they want to keep this train rolling. A couple of potential fits: Lucas Giolito and Blake Snell
Despite their recent slide, the Pirates reportedly are open to buying ahead of the trade deadline. They clearly feel optimistic about the direction the team is heading in, and it’s tough to blame them considering the promising strides they’ve made this year. They should be on the lookout for big bats and starting pitching help.
Big NL Central week! The Cubs are “buyers right now,” according to Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts. It makes sense since they’re only three games behind in the wide-open NL Central race and have won nine of their last 11 games. The bullpen and corner infield spots are areas that need improvement. If they end up selling, Marcus Stroman is an obvious trade candidate.
That’s it for now. Have a great week and I’ll catch you next Sunday.