The Weekly Rundown: 8/25/24 - 8/31/24
Dylan Crews has arrived, one month to go in the regular season, and more.
Good morning and happy September!
We didn’t have much MLB news over the last week, but there was no shortage of dominant performances and clutch moments. Some had real postseason implications with only one month left in the regular season.
We’ll get to all of that in this week’s rundown, plus a standings update to show where the playoff races stand for the final stretch. First, a friendly reminder that you can subscribe to the newsletter below:
Thanks! Now let’s jump in.
Standings update
One month to go! Here’s a look at the standings as teams continue to battle for a postseason spot.
American League
National League
Corbin Carroll shows off the wheels
No slide necessary for Corbin Carroll on his inside-the-park homer vs. the Dodgers on Saturday night. The Diamondbacks star hit one off the wall in dead-center and rounded the bases with blazing speed, ending back at home plate standing up.
Dominant on the Bump
Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners
6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox
8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros
7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 4 BB vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 2 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Bowden Francis, Toronto Blue Jays
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 0 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Aaron Civale, Milwaukee Brewers
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. San Francisco Giants
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 3 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB vs. Atlanta Braves
Yusei Kikuchi, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 12 K, 0 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Big Bombs
Rafael Devers recorded the 200th home run of his career.
Aaron Judge belted his 50th and 51st homers of the season in the same game.
Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton went back-to-back-to-back against the Rockies.
Salvador Perez hit two homers vs. the Guardians, including a grand slam.
Dansby Swanson hit a grand slam vs. the Pirates.
Yordan Alvarez blasted three homers in a game.
A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler had a three-homer game of his own.
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman went back-to-back-to-back for the Dodgers.
Web Gem(s) of the Week
Yep, we’ve got two this week. Couldn’t choose just one.
Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowski made one of the plays of the year, robbing White Sox slugger Andrew Vaughn of a walk-off homer with a ridiculous grab.
Braves outfielder Michael Harris II made one of the greatest home run robberies you’ll ever see.
Welcome to the Show
Nationals top prospect Dylan Crews, the No. 2 ranked prospect in MLB, recorded a double for his first career hit and added his first two homers over his next two games. Crews was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft behind LSU teammate Paul Skenes.
Tigers pitching prospect Ty Madden made his big-league debut Monday vs. the White Sox. The 24-year-old righty allowed one run in four hits and three walks while striking out two batters in five innings.
Marlins outfield prospect Griffin Conine went 2-for-3 with a double and a triple in his MLB debut Tuesday vs. the Rockies.
Reds pitching prospect Rhett Lowder debuted Friday vs. the Brewers. The 22-year-old righty allowed one run on two hits and four walks while tallying six strikeouts in four innings.
Angels pitching prospect Samuel Aldegheri made his MLB debut Friday vs. the Mariners. The 22-year-old lefty allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks in five innings while striking out three.
Notable Injuries
The Royals placed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.
The Mets placed right-hander Paul Blackburn on the 15-day IL due to a right-hand bruise.
The Pirates placed catcher Joey Bart on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain.
The Orioles placed first baseman Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day IL with wrist soreness.
The Giants placed left-hander Robbie Ray on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain.
The Reds placed left-hander Nick Lodolo on the 15-day IL due to a left middle finger sprain.
The Angels placed reliever Matt Moore on the 15-day IL with an elbow issue.
The Red Sox placed relievers Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia on the 15-day IL with a lat strain and elbow inflammation, respectively.
The Giants placed right-hander Jordan Hicks on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation.
The Royals placed right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the 15-day IL due to a strained left hamstring.
Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino will miss six to eight weeks with a broken thumb.
The Rays placed left-hander Colin Poche on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
The Dodgers placed left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the 15-day IL with a bone spur in his toe.
Rapid Fire
The Mets released veteran outfielder Eddie Rosario.
The Red Sox designated left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez for assignment.
The White Sox DFA’d infielder Nick Senzel.
The A’s DFA’d infielder Abraham Toro.
The Astros signed Jason Heyward after the veteran outfielder was released by the Dodgers.
The Giants released lefty reliever Tyler Matzek.
The Rangers placed outfielder Travis Jankowski on waivers.
The White Sox placed infielder Nicky Lopez on waivers
The Angels DFA’d Johnny Cueto.
The Cubs released catcher Tomas Nido.
The Royals DFA’d catcher Austin Nola and infielder CJ Alexander.
The Royals claimed outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers from the Cardinals and Rangers, respectively.
The Royals acquired first baseman Yuli Gurriel from the Braves for cash considerations.