Mostly MLB Notes: Danny Espinosa and a look around the league
During this weekend’s four-game series against the Reds, Danny Espinosa went 7-for-18 with five homers and 15 RBI (and three curtain calls). He entered May 26 with a .199/.300/.281 line. Since then, he’s clubbed 15 homers over 115 at bats, raising his OPS 239 points over that span. I’ve given manager Dusty Baker as hard of a time as anyone, but he deserves credit for being so patient with Espinosa (also for removing Stephen Strasburg during a no hitter Sunday). Espinosa has 14 homers from the No. 8 spot in the lineup this season. No other player has more than six. The switch-hitting shortstop suddenly is on pace to finish with 35 home runs and 96 RBI (with eight steals). He’s obviously playing over his head, and batting average will remain a problem, but Espinosa is 29 years old, so he’s still in his prime. Trea Turner’s best chance of contributing in the big leagues this year now appears to be as a center fielder (although Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon are both injury prone). Espinosa is still somehow available in half of Yahoo leagues, and his 18 homers are the second most in baseball by a shortstop.
These LA metro PSAs are absolutely savage.
Headlines of the Week: Ronald McDonald Gunned Down At Sonic Restaurant…German Court Restarts Trial After Judge Repeatedly Nods Off…Meet Sweepee Rambo, Officially The ‘World’s Ugliest Dog’…Robot Lawyer Overturns 160,000 Parking Tickets In London And New York.
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Quick Hits: During Tuesday’s game, Melvin Upton hit a 465-foot homer (the longest at Petco Park since 2009), stole a base and made this terrific catch. Upton has robbed an MLB-high three homers this season, and later in the week, he hit a walk off jack against Andrew Miller. Upton is now on pace to finish with 26 homers and 38 steals…Half of Curtis Granderson’s 14 home runs have come in the first inning…Justin Turner is hitting .340/.381/.681 with eight homers over his past 94 at bats…Kendrys Morales is batting .531 with seven homers and 21 RBI over his past 49 at bats. He’s raised his OPS 190 points over this span and is still available in more than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues…After a huge second half last year, Joey Votto’s OPS sat at .697 entering May 30. Since then, he’s hit .330/.458/.604 with seven homers over 106 at bats. His troll game also remains on point.
This movie looks perfectly normal.
Police Blotter: Cops Find $24M Stashed In Suspect’s Wall…Police, Firefighters Called In After Flat Earth Debate Turns Heated…Police: Man Ticketed Again For Hiding Under Cars, Touching Women’s Feet…‘Moose Rider’ Caught On Video Charged.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Jeurys Familia, Zach Britton, Alex Colome and Fernando Rodney are a combined 87-for-87 during save opportunities this season. A.J. Ramos was 24-for-24 before blowing his first of the year Friday, which happened to be the first game in which new teammate Rodney set him up…Despite having Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances, the Yankees’ bullpen ERA (3.88) ranks 14th in baseball…Baltimore’s starters have an ERA of 5.07, and the team is 14 games over .500…Despite pitching in Kauffman Stadium, which has decreased homers by 15 percent over the past three years (second only to Oakland in the AL over that span), Chris Young has allowed 22 home runs over 57.2 innings, which has to be some sort of record…Stephen Strasburg looked good during his return Sunday (he got Joey Votto to pop out for the first time this season while showing strong velocity), and Lucas Giolito will stay in the majors with Joe Ross headed to the DL…Danny Duffy’s 23.6 K-BB% would rank sixth-best among all starters if he qualified. He’s still available in more than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues.
This optical illusion is pretty crazy.
Song of the Week: Fever Ray – “If I Had A Heart”
Longread of the Week: The Fugitive, His Dead Wife, and the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory That Explains Everything
Bonus Longread of the Week: How The $100 Million ‘NYPD Blue’ Creator Gambled Away His Fortune
Quick Hits Part Tres: Jake Lamb leads the National League in slugging percentage. He deserves to make the All-Star team…The Diamondbacks are 23-17 on the road and 14-30 at home this season…Here’s Adam Wainwright nearly hitting a bird with a curveball…Bud Norris hasn’t allowed a homer in 54.0 straight innings and gets a boost now joining the Dodgers. He has a 1.78 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP with a 35:5 K:BB ratio over his last five starts (30.1 innings) and is still available in 70 percent of Yahoo leagues…This Denard Span leaping grab was legit…Let’s hope Justin Bour’s sprained ankle isn’t serious, as he’s hit 14 homers with a .966 OPS over his past 150 at bats…Good thing I blew a bunch of FAAB on Ryan Buchter, as it appears San Diego prefers Brandon Maurer (and his 5.82 ERA) to act as the team’s new closer…Here’s the worst swing of the year…Eduardo Nunez is the No. 4 ranked fantasy shortstop and has been a top-30 player in 2016…Tim Anderson has a bright future, but the leadoff hitter is sporting a 33:1 K:BB ratio over 98 at bats…Max Kepler is widely available and an intriguing add for those in need of outfield help.
