Dose: Greinke Beats Bumgarner
Great pitching matchups don’t always live up to the hype. This one did.
Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke and Giants southpaw Madison Bumgarner did battle Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Greinke emerged victorious, outdueling Bumgarner for his 15th win of the year. The Dodgers ace surrendered just one run in 7 1/3 brilliant innings. It was the 19th time in 27 starts Greinke has allowed one run or less.
Bumgarner was almost as dominant, scattering two runs and eight hits over seven innings. Greinke and Bumgarner struck out a combined 13 hitters while handing out only two free passes.
The difference was Joc Pederson. His solo shot in the seventh inning put Los Angeles ahead for good. It was Pederson’s fourth home run of the second half, a disappointing number considering the 20 round-trippers he creamed before the All-Star break.
It’s a tough year to be a National League Cy Young contender. Greinke, Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, and Jake Arrieta have all made compelling cases. Though Arrieta has the edge in wins and Kershaw is clearly the best strikeout guy of the bunch, it’s hard to ignore Greinke’s 1.59 ERA. We haven’t seen one that low since Greg Maddux posted a 1.56 ERA en route to his third Cy Young Award in 1994. Greinke was nine years old when that happened.
The rule gets broken from time to time (Corey Kluber last year, for example), but making the postseason is usually a prerequisite for winning the Cy Young Award. The Dodgers hold a five-and-a-half game lead over the Giants in the NL West, a comfortable but not insurmountable advantage. These teams will meet five more times before the end of the season.
What people forget about Greinke and Bumgarner is that they’re also good hitters. Bumgarner leads all major league pitchers with five home runs this year while Greinke has two blasts of his own. Both pitchers batted eighth on Tuesday, though neither one could muster a base hit. Greinke finished 0-for-3 with a strikeout while Bumgarner went 0-for-2 with a pop-out and a fly to center. Giants third baseman Matt Duffy robbed Greinke of a hit down the left field line that surely would have gone for extra bases.
Encarnacion’s Streak Ends at 26
The Beatles broke up. Blockbuster closed. Adam Sandler stopped being funny.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, nothing lasts forever. Tuesday against the Indians, it was time. Edwin Encarnacion’s hitting streak had to end, one way or another.
The Toronto slugger went 0-for-2, capping his hitting streak at 26 games. That’s the second-longest streak in team history and the longest in the major leagues this year. The streak spanned 97 at-bats and 37 calendar days.
Encarnacion hit .412 during the streak with 11 homers, 35 RBI and a stellar .897 slugging percentage. The 32-year-old’s average sat at .234 when the streak started. Now it’s up to .273.
More importantly, Toronto was a game above .500 (50-49) when the streak began on July 26. Today, the Jays are 18 games over and have built a game-and-a-half lead over the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Barring an epic collapse, the Blue Jays are headed to the playoffs for the first time in 22 years.
Though he didn’t contribute any hits on Tuesday, Encarnacion still chipped in with a sac fly in the first inning, scoring Josh Donaldson from third base. Encarnacion’s RBI total is up to 92, third highest in the American League behind Donaldson and Chris Davis.
When you’re hot, you’re hot. The Blue Jays just keep finding new ways to win. Dalton Pompey, one of many players throughout baseball who got called up to the majors on Tuesday, wasted no time causing chaos on the base paths. Pinch-running for Justin Smoak, Pompey swiped two bases and scored on a sac fly by Kevin Pillar, putting Toronto ahead 3-2 in the seventh inning. Cleveland came back to tie it in the ninth on a home run by Yan Gomes but as usual, the Blue Jays had the last laugh. Ryan Goins, he of eight career home runs, sent Toronto to a 5-3 victory with a walk-off blast in the 10th inning.
Goins and Pompey were the heroes Tuesday, but it’s obvious who the Blue Jays will be leaning on down the stretch. Encarnacion’s .407 average in August was the highest for any month of his career. So were his 35 RBI. The 32-year-old is as locked in as he’s ever been. He’ll look to start a new hit streak Wednesday in the series finale.
Another Lost Season for Hamilton
It’s official: Josh Hamilton is the most expensive pinch-hitter in baseball.
The Rangers activated Hamilton from the disabled list Tuesday, though it’s obvious his knee is far from 100 percent. Rosters expanded from 25 players to 40 on Tuesday, so the Rangers can afford to keep Hamilton around while he heals up. Just don’t expect a miraculous recovery. The Rangers have already said Hamilton will be limited to pinch-hitting cameos down the stretch.
Hamilton will earn $23 million by the time this year is over. So what exactly did the Rangers pay for? Well, not much. Remember the Angels are still paying most of his salary. That’s how badly they wanted Hamilton out of their clubhouse.
It wasn’t long ago that Hamilton was a perennial 30-home-run threat. This year, he’ll be lucky to make it to double digits (six homers in 142 at-bats). That’s not to say Hamilton is completely finished. We said the same about Albert Pujols last year and here he is, among the league leaders with 34 homers and 77 runs batted in. But the clock is ticking.
The Rangers already have players chomping at the bit to replace him. Will Venable has been at least as good as Hamilton since joining the team in August and power-hitting curiosity Joey Gallo could also see time in left field. Prince Fielder’s days of playing first are over (except when the Rangers play in NL parks), which makes it harder for Hamilton to get regular at-bats at DH.
Despite Hamilton’s uncertain future, the Rangers are a game up on Minnesota for the final AL Wild Card spot. If the playoffs began tomorrow, the Rangers would play the Yankees, a team they swept back in May. Keep in mind the Rangers have done all this without the help of their top starting pitcher, Yu Darvish (Tommy John surgery).
Quick Hits: Astros right-hander Scott Feldman left Tuesday’s start with shoulder discomfort. He’ll have an MRI on Wednesday … Rays catcher J.P. Arencibia drove in six runs in Tuesday’s victory over Baltimore. He was called up last week to replace Curt Casali (strained hamstring) … Rays left-hander Drew Smyly piled on 10 strikeouts in Tuesday’s win. He needed one more to tie a career-high … Cal Ripken threw out the first pitch at Camden Yards on Tuesday. The Orioles were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the day Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played … Want to watch Elvis Andrus steal home? Sure you do … Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said the team “might take a look” at other options in the ninth inning after Jean Machi’s shaky outing against the Yankees on Monday … Golfer Jordan Spieth threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park on Tuesday. He threw out the first pitch at Globe Life Park in Texas last month … The Red Sox announced that Hanley Ramirez won’t play outfield again this season. If Hanley does play again (he’s been out with a shoulder injury), it will be at first base … Rick Porcello notched a career-high 13 strikeouts on Tuesday. The right-hander has posted a 0.60 ERA since coming off the disabled list on August 26 … Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday that he will not reinstate disgraced slugger “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Sorry, Joe. You’re not getting into the Hall of Fame … Two players on the Royals, Alex Rios and Kelvin Herrera, are out with chicken pox. They could miss up to two weeks … Mark Reynolds left Tuesday’s game in the third inning after getting hit by a pitch. X-rays on his injured wrist came back negative … Darin Ruf led the Phillies with a career-high six RBI in Tuesday’s win … Yoenis Cespedes homered to end an 0-for-16 dry spell … Javier Baez, arguably this year’s most anticipated September call-up, went 0-for-4 in his first game back with the Cubs … The Dodgers are sending Jake Arrieta the pitching rubber from his no-hitter on Sunday night. He’ll also receive dirt from the pitcher’s mound he used … To say the Braves have hit a rough patch would be putting it lightly. Atlanta has lost seven in a row and 14-of-15 to fall 19 games behind the Mets in the NL East … The Rockies pulled off a rather anticlimactic triple play against the Diamondbacks. Check it out.
