Daily Dose: Captain Kirk!
Kirk Nieuwenhuis returned to the big leagues on July 6 when he had his contract purchased by the Mets. Prior to Sunday, he had appeared in 42 games at the big league level between the Mets and Angels this season, slashing an abysmal .106/.192/.182 with zero home runs, three RBI and a 27/7 K/BB ratio in 112 at-bats. He had owned a grand total of 13 home runs in his major league career, and had hit more than one long ball in a game only once, against the Rays in June of 2012.
It's safe to say, no one could have seen Sunday's outburst coming.
Starting in center field for the Mets and hitting fifth against opposing right-hander Rubby De La Rosa, Nieuwenhuis got the Mets on the board in the second inning, launching an opposite-field shot for his first home run of the season. He repeated the feat with a man on board the following inning, again to the opposite field, increasing the Mets' advantage to 4-1. And if that wasn't enough, he capped off his career-best performance by lining a ball off the foul pole in right off Randall Delgado in the fifth inning.
The fairy tale came to an end in his final at bat, as he went down swinging. Nieuwenhuis became the first player in Mets history to record a three-homer game at home.
Nieuwenhuis isn't going to become mixed league relevant all of a sudden, and isn't likely to see a big increase in playing time in the Mets’ outfield after his monster performance. For one day though, he got to take a curtain call in front of the home town crowd and enjoy a day that he'll certainly remember for the rest of his life.
Finishing Strong
Jake Arrieta finished his first half on an extremely high note on Sunday, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out nine in a complete game gem against the White Sox. He also contributed to the Cubs' offensive attack by launching a solo home run.
The right-hander heads into the break with a terrific 2.66 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 123/25 K/BB ratio over 121 2/3 innings. He has been especially dominant in his last five starts, registering a microscopic 1.13 ERA and 34/4 K/BB ratio in 39 2/3 frames. He has been the true ace of the Cubs rotation in the first half.
On the American League side of the ledger, All-Star right-hander Sonny Gray wrapped up the first half with his finest start of the season. Gray allowed just a pair of singles over nine scoreless innings against the Indians, earning his first shutout of the 2015 campaign.
Now 10-3 on the season, he heads into the break with a league-leading 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 108/30 K/BB ratio in 123 2/3 innings of work. The 25-year-old has firmly established himself as one of the top hurlers in all of baseball.
Gray skies heading toward Colorado
Nick Groke of the Denver Post believes that Jon Gray, the second overall selection from the 2013 draft, could be called up to make his major league debut this week. With an opening in both their rotation and on the 40-man roster, the Rockies have the space available and certainly the need for an upgrade to their starting rotation.
The 23-year-old right-hander owns a 4.58 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 84/33 K/BB ratio over 96 1/3 innings at Triple-A Albuquerque. While those numbers look awful at a glance, keep in mind that it's the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and that the Isotopes play in a bandbox.
While he's unlikely to carry mixed league value for the remainder of the season, he could be worth a look as a matchup play away from Coors Field and should be added in all NL-only formats.
National League Quick Hits: Miguel Montero (thumb) will be re-evaluated on Friday before deciding whether he'll require a trip to the disabled list ... Dee Gordon (thumb) isn't expected to go on the disabled list, and could be ready to return as early as Friday ... Max Scherzer picked up his 10th victory with a dominant effort against the Orioles ... Paul Goldschmidt connected on his 21st home run of the season in a loss to the Mets ... Tyson Ross fired 6 2/3 shutout innings in a win over the Rangers... Adrian Gonzalez's 18th home run of the season led the Dodgers past the Brewers ... Carlos Gonzalez was forced to leave Sunday's game due to fatigue in his legs ... Kyle Schwarber was named MVP of the Futures Game as the U.S. squad topped the World team 10-1 ... Gregory Polanco's RBI single in the 10th inning propelled the Pirates to their second consecutive extra-inning walk-off victory against the Cardinals.
American League Quick Hits: Dustin Pedroia will return to the Red Sox on Friday without going out on a rehab assignment first ... Jose Abreu sat out Sunday's game with minor hand and back injuries ... Asdrubal Cabrera was placed on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring ... Steven Souza (hand) is expected to be activated from the disabled list when first eligible on July 21 ... Adam Jones blasted a pair of solo home runs off Max Scherzer in a losing effort Sunday ... Jose Quintana fanned nine in a losing effort against the Cubs ... Rob Refsnyder blasted his first career home run in a victory over the Red Sox ... Kendrys Morales clubbed a three-run home run in Sunday's win, giving him 61 RBI in the first half of the season ... Andrew Heaney delivered another impressive outing, hurling seven shutout innings in a win over the M's.
