A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
PACKING A PUNCH
Odubel Herrera tries to homer in his fifth straight game when the Phillies begin a three-game series at Washington. ”What he’s doing is special Authentic Joe Thornton Jersey ,” Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler said. ”It’s elite.” Herrera is batting .419 (13 for 31) with two doubles, five homers and eight RBIs in the last seven games. Seven of his 12 homers have given the Phillies a lead. ”He’s a different breed,” pitcher Jake Arrieta said. ”When he gets hot, he’s fun to watch.”
ONE-DIMENSIONAL PLAYER
A sprained right index finger is expected to keep Angels star Mike Trout from playing the outfield during a four-game series against Toronto. Trout, who has reached base in 31 of 47 plate appearances over his last nine games, was the designated hitter Thursday night during an 8-5 victory over the Blue Jays. The two-time MVP went 0 for 2 with three walks in his 1,000th career game, ending his hitting streak at eight games. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said the injury isn’t serious and it won’t hinder Trout’s ability to grip or swing the bat.
BASHING THE BUCS
Jon Jay and the Diamondbacks look to keep feasting on Pirates pitching when the teams square off in Pittsburgh again. Arizona has scored 35 runs in going 3-1 against the Pirates this season. Jay doubled in each of the first two innings Thursday night, when the Diamondbacks cruised to a 9-3 victory. The center fielder is hitting .340 in 13 games since being acquired from Kansas City in a June 6 trade. Ivan Nova (4-5 Authentic Logan Couture Jersey , 4.42 ERA) will try to slow down Arizona – the right-hander has won both starts with a 1.54 ERA since being activated from the disabled list June 10. He missed two weeks with a sprained right ring finger. Patrick Corbin (6-5, 3.48) gets the ball for the Diamondbacks. The lefty is 1-2 with a 5.90 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates.
ICHI-WHO?
Keep an eye on the Mariners‘ dugout at Fenway Park for a mysterious, mustachioed visitor when Seattle opens a series in Boston. Associated Press photographer Bill Kostround spotted Ichiro Suzuki hiding on Seattle’s bench Thursday at Yankee Stadium wearing a fake mustache, sunglasses and a hoodie. Officially, Suzuki isn’t allowed to be in the dugout during games under Major League Baseball rules after moving to the team’s front office in early May. But the 44-year-old outfielder channeled former Mets manager Bobby Valentine to sneak his way onto the bench – Valentine donned a fake mustache and sunglasses and returned to the dugout after being ejected from a game in 1999. ”He was perfect. I never would have known it was him,” Valentine texted to the AP.
DOUBLE DIP
The Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox are set to play a single-admission doubleheader after Thursday night’s scheduled game in the Windy City was postponed because of rain. It was the 40th postponement in the majors this season, already one more than all of last year. James Shields (2-8, 4.63 ERA) and Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19) will start for Chicago Authentic Brent Burns Jersey , which has lost seven straight to match a season high and is a season-low 25 games under .500. Oakland will send Sean Manaea (6-6, 3.56) and Chris Bassitt (0-2, 2.45) to the mound.
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Buster Posey certainly thought he got hit by a pitch in retaliation.
Manager Bruce Bochy is still disappointed the Marlins plunked Evan Longoria last week and the third baseman is now recovering from surgery on his left hand.
Miami’s Don Mattingly insists nobody on either side was intentionally hit and became upset that the umpires warned both teams too quickly.
Posey homered in the first, Gorkys Hernandez hit a two-run drive in the second and an RBI double later, and the San Francisco Giants held their lead this time to beat the Marlins 6-3 on Tuesday in another night of plunking by both pitching staffs.
Marlins starter Dan Straily and Mattingly were automatically ejected in the second after Straily hit Posey on the left arm with a pitch. Both sides had been warned by plate umpire Andy Fletcher the previous inning after Giants rookie starter Dereck Rodriguez beaned Lewis Brinson as tempers flared for a second straight game.
Whether it was intentional by Straily, Posey said: ”I don’t know. It sure seemed that way.”
Three players were hit and both benches warned early, upsetting Mattingly that the warning came after only his player had been hit.
”I think everybody knows if you give one warning after one guy then you’re asking for trouble out of the blue,” Mattingly said.
He added: ”I’m sure Rodriguez didn’t mean to hit Brinson and Straily didn’t mean to hit Buster. … If they thought there was going to be something going on they should have given both teams warnings before the game. If they thought it was intentional on their part, (Rodriguez) should have been out of the game.”
The tension began during Monday’s series opener when Hunter Strickland took exception to Brinson’s celebration following his tying RBI single in the ninth off the Giants closer Authentic Jaden Schwartz Jersey , who blew the save and took the loss. Brinson appeared to say something to the reliever on his way to first. Brinson was at third when Strickland was pulled and the two exchanged words.
The Giants closer later broke his pitching hand punching a door in frustration and had surgery Tuesday.
Rodriguez (2-1) struck out six over five innings. He hit Derek Dietrich in the fourth but it wasn’t considered intentional so he was safe from being tossed from his fourth career start. He had a no-decision in a 16-inning Giants win against the Marlins last Thursday.
Straily was ejected for the first time in his career while Mattingly got tossed for the 35th time as both player – seven times – and manager.
”My response I guess would be: Were they throwing at Longoria? (Kelby Tomlinson) got hit in the back last night, so that’s my response, were they throwing at him?” Bochy said.
Elieser Hernandez relieved Straily (2-3), who had been 4-0 with 2.82 in his initial six starts against the Giants.
Andrew McCutchen immediately singled and Brandon Belt drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Giants up 4-0 – the same lead they held in the early innings Monday only to squander it and fall 5-4 as Strickland gave it up and lost his cool. He will be out six to eight weeks.
JT Riddle hit a two-run triple in the fourth following singles by Starlin Castro and Miguel Rojas. Brian Anderson’s RBI double four batters later snapped an 0-for-10 stretch over his previous three games.
The Giants added on in the fifth with consecutive RBI doubles by Alen Hanson, his second of the night, and Hernandez.
Posey sent the first pitch he saw from Straily midway up the bleachers in left-center before Hernandez – who didn’t hit a single homer all last season and now has eight – connected following Hanson’s double leading off the second.
The Marlins left the bases loaded in the second after Rojas reached on second baseman Joe Panik’s one-out throwing error and Riddle singled before Brinson was plunked.
STRICKLAND’S (LATEST) PUNCH
An X-ray after Monday’s game revealed the break of Strickland’s pinkie, similar to what sidelined lefty ace Madison Bumgarner to begin the season after he was hurt in his final spring training start.
Strickland, who apologized on social media Tuesday, had shown Bochy maturity since his fight with Nationals star Bryce Harper in late May of last year.
Bochy said after the game Sam Dyson would be his regular closer. Dyson came in to relieve Will Smith and record the final two outs on a double play for his second save.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: 1B Garrett Cooper (bruised right wrist) played four innings for a second straight game at Class A Jupiter and was set to continue his rehab with Triple-A New Orleans.
Giants: SS Brandon Crawford is expected to rejoin the team from paternity leave Wednesday and play again Thursday. … All went as expected with Longoria’s surgery on his hand and he was accompanied by athletic trainer Dave Groeschner at the procedure in Los Angeles. Longoria was headed to Arizona and is in a soft cast for a few days then is scheduled to rejoin the Giants in the Bay Area on Friday or Saturday. … RHP Johnny Cueto Authentic Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey , who threw a 40-pitch, two-inning simulated game Monday, is likely headed out soon to begin a rehab assignment as he works back from inflammation in his pitching elbow. … RHP Pierce Johnson was on his way from Triple-A Sacramento to take Strickland’s roster spot.
UP NEXT
Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (2-8, 4.18 ERA) looks to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season and build off his best outing of 2018. He tossed eight shutout innings Friday at Baltimore.
Giants: LHP Derek Holland (4-7, 4.48), coming off a loss last Friday at the Dodgers, pit