The Weekly Rundown: 7/7/24 - 7/13/24
Big week for Paul Skenes, gearing up for the All-Star break, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
The All-Star break will commence after today’s slate of games. We’ll have the MLB Draft tonight, the Home Run Derby on Monday, and the All-Star Game on Tuesday. All of that will be covered in next week’s rundown, so be sure to subscribe to the newsletter below if you haven’t yet.
We had plenty of action to wrap up the first half of the season. Let’s dive in…
Full All-Star rosters
Below are the full rosters for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game set to take place on Tuesday night. Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for he National League. The American League starter is TBD.
National League
Catcher: William Contreras, Brewers
First base: Bryce Harper, Phillies
Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
Third base: Alec Bohm, Phillies
Shortstop: Trea Turner, Phillies
Outfield: Christian Yelich, Brewers
Outfield: Jurickson Profar, Padres
Outfield: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Pitchers: Ryan Helsley/Cardinals, Jeff Hoffman/Phillies, Shota Imanaga/Cubs, Reynaldo Lopez/Braves, Tanner Scott/Marlins, Paul Skenes/Pirates, Matt Strahm/Phillies, Ranger Suarez/Phillies, Robert Suarez/Padres, Logan Webb/Giants, Zack Wheeler/Phillies, Hunter Greene/Reds, Cristopher Sanchez/Phillies, Max Fried/Braves
Backup position players: CJ Abrams/Nationals, Pete Alonso/Mets, Luis Arraez/Padres, Mookie Betts/Dodgers, Elly De La Cruz/Reds, Freddie Freeman/Dodgers, Teoscar Hernandez/Dodgers, Ryan McMahon/Rockies, Jackson Merrill/Padres, Marcell Ozuna/Braves, Heliot Ramos/Giants, Bryan Reynolds/Pirates, Will Smith/Dodgers
American League
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Second base: Jose Altuve, Astros
Third base: José Ramírez, Guardians
Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees
Outfield: Juan Soto, Yankees
Outfield: Steven Kwan, Guardians
Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
Pitchers: Tyler Anderson/Angels, Corbin Burnes/Orioles, Emmanuel Clase/Guardians, Garrett Crochet/White Sox, Logan Gilbert/Mariners, Clay Holmes/Yankees, Tanner Houck/Red Sox, Seth Lugo/Royals, Mason Miller/Athletics, Cole Ragans/Royals, Tarik Skubal/Tigers, Kirby Yates/Rangers, Andres Munoz/Mariners.
Reserves: Carlos Correa/Twins, Jordan Westburg/Orioles, Jarren Duran/Red Sox, Anthony Santander/Orioles, David Fry/Guardians, Riley Greene/Tigers, Josh Naylor/Guardians, Isaac Paredes/Rays, Salvador Perez/Royals, Marcus Semien/Rangers, Bobby Witt Jr./Royals
NOTE: Rafael Devers (Red Sox), Jose Altuve (Astros), Kyle Tucker (Astros), and Tyler Glasnow (Dodgers), Ranger Suarez (Phillies), Logan Gilbert (Mariners), and Chris Sale (Braves) were selected as All-Stars but will not participate.
Home Run Derby participants
Below are the eight players participating in Monday’s Home Run Derby.
Pete Alonso, Mets
Alec Bohm, Phillies
Adolis García, Rangers
Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers
Marcell Ozuna, Braves
José Ramírez, Guardians
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
My pick: Teoscar Hernandez
Pirates pull Paul Skenes
There was a time when I was unimpressed with no-hitters. They were a dime a dozen. There have been 323 no-hitters in MLB history and only 24 perfect games. Wake me up for one of those, I used to think…
These days, worries over elbow injuries have made no-hitters increasingly rare. If a pitcher has a no-no through seven innings but is anywhere near 100 pitches, his odds of finishing the game are slim to none. The days of tossing 120+ pitches are all but over.
We watched this play out during Thursday’s Pirates-Brewers matchup. Paul Skenes, a 22-year-old rookie phenom, was up to 99 pitches through seven no-hit innings. He was untouchable, striking out 11 and walking just one Milwaukee hitter. Yet, after finishing the seventh, he was pulled.
I get it. The Pirates are protecting their prized first overall pick, who has the potential to become the best pitcher in the game. Hell, he may already be.
But no matter what I used to think about no-hitters, pulling a pitcher when he’s on the verge of completing a historic milestone just doesn’t sit right with me. Now, if he was up to 120 pitches at the end of the eighth, that would be a different story. Skenes is the kind of pitcher who could have finished that game in short order. No one would have questioned Pittsburgh’s decision-making had the club put him out there for at least another frame.
Fortunately, this won’t be the last time we watch Skenes flirt with history. The kid is special.
Tempers flare in Yankees-Orioles
In this week’s edition of “Hold Me Back, Bro”…
Benches cleared during Friday night’s Yankees-Orioles matchup after Yankees closer Clay Holmes drilled Orioles youngster Heston Kjerstad in the head with a pitch. The situation escalated when O’s manager Brandon Hyde charged toward Yankees catcher Jose Trevino and the Yankees dugout.
No punches were thrown. The only entertaining part of the ordeal was Aaron Judge towering over everyone else on the field while breaking things up.
Watch the fracas below:
Dominant on the Bump
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 13 K, 0 B vs. Cincinnati Reds
Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. New York Yankees
Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Colorado Rockies
Jose Quintana, New York Mets
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB vs. Washington Nationals
Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers
8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. Baltimore Orioles
Michael Kopech, Chicago White Sox
Immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) vs. Minnesota Twins)
Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 3 BB vs. Atlanta Braves
Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 1 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Big Bombs
Phillies star Trea Turner hit a grand slam against the Dodgers
Reds rookie Rece Hinds hit his first grand slam vs. the Marlins.
Jose Altuve tied Jimmy Wynn for the most homers in Astros history with his 223rd.
Shohei Ohtani belted his 200th career homer.
Web Gem of the Week
Rays infielder Jose Cabellaro finished off a win over the Yankees with a sensational over-the-shoulder grab.
Welcome to the Show
Reds prospect Rece Hinds has done nothing but rake since making his MLB debut on Monday. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a homer in his debut and notched his first grand slam on Friday. He has five homers with a 1.951 OPS through his first six games.
Diamondbacks pitching prospect Yilber Diaz made his big-league debut against the Braves on Monday. The 23-year-old allowed just one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts through six innings.
Phillies pitching prospect Tyler Phillips made his MLB debut on Sunday vs. the Braves. The 26-year-old allowed one run on three hits and didn’t walk anyone while striking out seven in four innings.
Notable Injuries
The Pirates placed left-hander Bailey Falter on the 15-day injured list with left posterior arm discomfort.
The Dodgers placed right-hander Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day IL with lower back tightness.
The Cubs placed outfielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day IL with a fractured left middle finger.
The Orioles placed outfielder Heston Kjerstad on the 7-day concussion IL.
The Yankees placed catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day IL due to a left quad strain.
The Rockies placed outfielder Nolan Jones on the 10-day IL due to a low back strain.
The Twins placed third baseman Jose Miranda on the 10-day IL with lower back tightness.
Rapid Fire
Veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar told USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale he plans to retire after this season.
The Reds have acquired outfielder Austin Slater from the Giants in exchange for left-hander Alex Young.
The Angels designated infielder Miguel Sano for assignment.
The Giants DFA’d shortstop Nick Ahmed.
The Mets acquired right-hander Phil Maton from the Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The Blue Jays placed veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier on waivers.
The Phillies released veteran utility man Whit Merrifield.
The Nationals traded reliever Hunter Harvey to the Royals for third baseman Cayden Wallace and a competitive balance draft pick (39).
The Rumor Mill
The Phillies are “keeping a close eye on” A’s outfielder Brent Rooker ahead of the trade deadline, according to Bob Nightengale.
The Braves are looking to bolster their outfield depth at the trade deadline, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports there’s a “growing belief” the Marlins will trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Astros are looking to add at least one starting pitcher and a first baseman.