Fan Interference

Prof: It’s all about Power today. Today’s athlete is better, faster, and stronger. It’s part of how the game is evolving. On Braves Twitter, there is an ongoing conversation about how Josh Donaldson – bringer of rain and on a hot hitting streak – is a vegan. Makes you wonder…how many of the great baseball players of ye olde times would be doing wheatgrass shots and iso training if they were playing today? Throw out some names, I’m curious about your thoughts. Personally, I think that Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams would have been on the forefront of scientific training.

---

Angels 3, Dodgers 2 – Scouts: LA completed the sweep thanks in no small part to Kole Calhoun’s RBI double in the first and homer in the 4th.

Red Sox 2, Rays 3 – Prof: Dirty tricks? Or head games? Either way, the Red Sox were unhappy with some Tampa lineup moves and played under protest. No matter; the Sea Creatures won anyway. Charlie F’n Morton went seven innings and struck out eleven, handing David Price his fourth loss of the season. The biggest surprise of the night? Travis d’Arnaud, hitter deluxe, went 0-2.

 

Rockies 2, Nationals 3 (Game 1) – Scouts:  Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon homered while the Nats bullpen was able to fend off Colorado at home.

Rockies 0, Nationals 2 (Game 2) – Scouts: Patrick Corbin gave the Nats 6 much needed dominant innings as the Rockies were shut out and shut down in game 2.

Phillies 4, Tigers 0 – Scouts: The Phillies are feeling pretty confident about their chances, but then again they did just get done playing the Tigers, so maybe we should see how things go against a professional ball club before we get too excited huh?

 

Reds 4, Brewers 5 – Prof: For a hot minute, it looked like the Reds were gonna do it to ’em in Milwaukee. My small son, former Brewer Scooter Gennett hit an RBI double in the first inning to put Cincinnati up by two, but then Ryan Braun hit a two run homer to tie it up. Joey Votto and Josh VanMeter had them up by four, only to run up against Keston Hiura and Yasmani Grandal in the fifth. Josh Hader sat them down in relief and the Brew Crew squeak out the win.

Athletics 2, Astros 4 – Prof: Justin Verlander is one of the greatest pitchers of this generation. It’s funny, though, because if you say “Name a great pitcher that you would go to hell and back with” people are saying Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale. But Verlander consistently strikes out double digits, can go deep into games, and on a good night his fastball is even better in the sixth or seventh inning than in the first. That’s some robot energy. Anyway, JV did his usual JV thing last night, going six innings and striking out eleven. The Littlest Second Baseman Who Could and George Springer both hit two run homers in support.

 

Orioles 2, Diamondbacks 5 – Prof: Remember when Adam Jones held it down for the Orioles? The players do, too; AJ10’s Instagram featured a picture of him on his way out of town and there were so many Orioles players commenting their love and support for him underneath that you would have thought he didn’t just help defeat them mere hours prior. My dude Trey Mancini, who should have been an All-Star but got royally hosed, hit a monster home run in the sixth inning.

Yankees 10, Twins 7 – Scouts: Is there a team in the league that looks any better than the Yankees at this point?  LA is a good contender if they can avoid their tendency to streak, Houston is up and down, Minnesota seems to be fading slightly, and with a 10 game lead on the division, the Yanks can pretty much put things into cruise control for the next two months.

Cubs 4, Giants 1 – Prof: A quick one (under three hours) and still the Cubs found time to crush hopes and dreams and put the San Francisco Win Trolley on the skids. Jon Lester was scheduled to start but he became ill, so he was replaced by a host of Cubs pitchers, most notably Tyler Chatwood. Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, and Albert Almora Jr. all went yard.

Rangers 3, Mariners 5 – Prof: In what looks increasingly like two pieces of trade bait going against each other, it was Mike Leake versus Mike Minor with Leake getting the W. Daniel Vogelbach hit two solo home runs.

Cardinals 14, Pirates 8 – Prof: Nine runs in the second inning alone. Adam Wainwright didn’t even need to pitch a good game to get the win with firepower like that. Paul DeJong hit a career best three dingers, and even Waino himself got in on the action with an RBI sac fly.

 

Spiders 4, Blue Jays 0 Prof: – Let’s test your knowledge of pop music. Shane Bieber isn’t Sorry that he pitched his second career complete game. Baby, the young pitcher is Somebody To Love. I would Never Say Never but he’s fast becoming the ace of the staff, striking out ten batters. He’s a bit of a Heartbreaker. What Do You Mean, you ask? I’ll Show You. Mark My Words and Trust…Shane Bieber is out here saying, “I’m The One.”

Padres 7, Mets 2 – Prof: Well, the Mets are gonna Mets, I guess. First of all, they put a first baseman in left field. Granted, the person they have playing first is Super Rookie Pete Alonso, so, you know, duh. And I know that there are other teams out here doing that same thing (Hi, Orioles, hi Trey Mancini). But do you really want to pattern your diamond after the Orioles? Even if you’re the Mets? No, you don’t. Anyway, because of this switcharoo, the 1B-turned-outfielder ended up making some serious back to back errors which allowed two runs in the third inning. Thor pitched a pretty good game, honestly – seven innings, eight K – but his teammates’ inability to do anything but hit singles and ground outs when they have RISP is just sad.

Royals 2, Braves 0 – Scouts: Atlanta has a decent division lead, but man these are the game you really need to be winning.  The Royals complete the sweep thanks to Brad Keller’s 7 innings of shutout ball.

Marlins 2, White Sox 0 – Scouts: You know, I don’t recall the last time the White Sox won a ball game.  It seems like everytime I write up one of their recaps, they are getting beaten by a terrible team.  The latest outing featured the Marlins’ Zac Gallen allowing just two hits over 7 shutout innings.