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Rockies’ De La Rosa Earns 100th Career Win in Majors

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa earned the 100th win of his career over the weekend by picking up the victory in Saturday’s 7-2 drubbing of the New York Mets, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

He allowed two runs (both earned) on six hits and two walks over six innings, also striking out four batters in a solid performance that pushed his record to 7-7 for the season.

De La Rosa’s 5.51 ERA and 1.60 WHIP suggest he’s rather fortunate to have as many wins as losses, even after considering that six of his 15 starts (and all three of his relief appearances) have come at Coors Field.

In fact, the 35-year-old southpaw actually has a reputation for having mastered his difficult home ballpark, as he posted a 3.59 home ERA (235.2 innings) and 4.21 road ERA (265.1 innings) from 2013 to 2015.

The unusual split hasn’t shown up this year, with De La Rosa now struggling both at home (5.65 ERA) and on the road (5.40 ERA).

Per Elias, the lefty is just the sixth player in major league history to have both a winning record and career ERA above 4.50 at the time he earned his 100th career victory.

Saturday’s win left De La Rosa with a 100-82 career record and 4.61 ERA, which is actually quite good for a pitcher who’s spent the vast majority of his career with the Rockies.

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Pujols Becomes 17th MLB Player with 15 20-Homer Seasons

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols hit his 20th home run of the season during Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox, becoming the 17th player in MLB history to record 15 or more seasons with 20 or more home runs, per Sportsnet Stats.

This one took the aging slugger a bit longer than usual, as the 36-year-old is still only on pace to finish the season with 31 home runs, which would represent the fourth-worst single-season total of his 16-year career.

Pujols fell shy of 31 in three of his first four seasons with the Angels after slugging at least 32 homers in each of his 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals.

On a more optimistic note, the Hall of Famer has looked more like his old self of late, finishing July with six home runs, 31 RBI and a .297 batting average in 26 games.

The recent surge has pushed Pujols’ batting average to a respectable .260, with his on-base percentage (.331) and slugging percentage (.439) also solid by the standards of most players.

Of course, Pujols typically isn’t subjected to the same standards, as he’s now in the fifth season of a 10-year, $240 million contract that already looks like a horrible mistake for the Angels.

Though still capable of launching more than his fair share of homers, Pujols has just 11 doubles in 396 at-bats this season after recording only 22 in 602 at-bats last year.

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Yankees’ Rodriguez Makes History with Golden Sombrero at Age 41

New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez struck out in each of his four at-bats during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, becoming the first batter in major league history to record a four-strikeout performance in both his teens and forties, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

The 41-year-old continues to struggle in what may be his last season, but Saturday’s showing was notably bad even by the reduced standards, with Rodriguez seeing just 17 pitches in four at-bats while recording a golden Sombrero.

Rays starter Drew Smyly fanned Rodriguez three times, including on his final pitch of a six-inning, two-run performance that improved the lefty’s record to a still-unsightly 3-11.

Rays relief pitcher Alex Colome later struck out Rodriguez to begin the ninth, eventually striking out the side to earn his 24th save of the year.

Reduced to a part-time role due to his poor performance on a team that was a clear seller at the trade deadline, Rodriguez followed Saturday’s showing by striking out in his only at-bat during Sunday’s 5-3 loss, making a brief appearance as a pinch-hitter.

Even after Saturday, the 41-year-old Rodriguez has impressively recorded just seven four-strikeout performances in his 2,779-game career, per ESPN Stats & Info.

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Morneau Becomes 14th Active Player to Homer Against All 30 Teams

Chicago White Sox first baseman Justin Morneau became the 14th active player to hit a home run against each of MLB‘s 30 franchises, finally crossing his longtime former team (the Minnesota Twins) off the list during Saturday’s 6-5 victory, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Morneau began his career in Minnesota, playing for the Twins from 2003 until mid-2013, with his tenure notably including an MVP award in 2006 and a second-place finish in 2008.

Even after a few years spent traveling around the league, Morneau has still hit 90.9 percent (221 of 243) of his career home runs in a Minnesota uniform.

Between interleague play and his solid 2014 campaign for the Colorado Rockies, the aging slugger managed to cross all the National League teams off his home run list, leaving only his former squad as unfinished business.

That came to an end Saturday night, with Morneau hitting a solo shot off Twins pitcher Tommy Milone in the sixth inning to extend Chicago’s lead to 4-1.

Morneau also had an RBI double earlier in the game, but his strong performance was almost rendered meaningless when the Twins rallied for four runs between the seventh and eighth innings, turning the 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

However, the White Sox bounced back to tie the game in the ninth inning and then plated the winning run in the 10th. 

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Phillies Bat Around in 8th Inning Without Recording a Hit

The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished an unusual feat during Saturday’s 9-5 road win over the Atlanta Braves, sending all nine batters to the plate in the eighth inning without recording a single hit during the frame, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Entering the inning with a 5-3 lead, Phillies outfielder Tyler Goeddel drew a lead-off walk as a pinch hitter, and shortstop Freddy Galvis bunted into a fielder’s choice that put Goeddel out at second and Galvis safe at first. 

After a walk by infielder Taylor Featherston and subsequent double steal, Braves reliever Hunter Cervenka intentionally walked second baseman Cesar Hernandez to load the bases.

Cervenka then walked outfielder Odubel Herrera to bring in the inning’s first run, but the real damage occurred when the next two batters reached on errors, pushing the lead from 6-3 to 8-3 while still leaving the bases loaded with one out.

Braves reliever Ryan Weber then hit outfielder Aaron Altherr with a pitch to drive in the inning’s fourth and final run, but Weber did induce a ground-ball double play from catcher Cameron Rupp to finally end the ugly frame.

The Phillies thus batted around the lineup without a hit for the first time since July 17, 1992, a run that lasted more than 24 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

If not for the inning-ending double play, the Phillies might have even sent 10 or 11 batters to the plate without recording a single hit.

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Padres Home Run Streak Ends at 25 Games, 2 Shy of MLB Record

The San Diego Padres lost 6-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, marking the end of a National League record-tying streak of 25 consecutive games with at least one home run as a team, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Padres eked out just five singles and a double in Friday’s ugly home loss, allowing Reds starter Brandon Finnegan (six innings) to improve his record to 6-8 and ERA to 4.68.

Padres starter Edwin Jackson (1-2) took the loss, giving up six runs (all earned) on 10 hits and two walks over five innings.

The team needed just two more games to tie the all-time record of 27 straight games with a home run, set by a 2002 Texas Rangers squad that featured sluggers Alex Rodriguez (57 homers), Rafael Palmeiro (43) and Ivan Rodriguez (19 in 104 games).

The Rangers still only won 72 games that year, which is about where the Padres (44-59) seem to be headed.

Although the recent power surge has led to some long-awaited excitement regarding the team’s young batters, San Diego still only went 11-14 during the streak, largely due to poor pitching.

Still, the team has to be thrilled to finally possess some building blocks on the offensive side, with 25-year-old first baseman Wil Myers the most promising of the bunch.

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Nationals Turn 1st Triple Play Since Moving to Washington

The Washington Nationals turned a triple play in Friday’s 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, marking the first time the franchise has done so since moving from Montreal to Washington in 2005, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Montreal Expos last had one on September 9, 2002, leaving the franchise with a drought that lasted nearly 14 years.

Friday’s triple play was a great way to start, as it erased a bases-loaded, no-out rally in the eighth inning of a three-run game against a team the Nationals could very well end up fighting for playoff position.

It was also unique for the way it was turned, with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman catching a low line drive and stepping on the bag before firing over to third baseman Anthony Rendon for the first 3-3-5 triple play in MLB history, per MLB on Twitter.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was the batter, but the real mistake was made by outfielder Denard Span, who for some reason ran from third base to home plate on contact, even though the ball was hit in the air.

The other player involved was Nationals relief pitcher Sammy Solis, who only faced the one batter and needed just two pitches to record three outs.

 

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Rougned Odor Reaches 20 Home Runs for 1st Time in 3-Year Career

Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor hit his 20th and 21st home runs of his year in Friday’s 8-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, reaching the 20-homer barrier for the first time in his three MLB seasons.

He had just nine homers in 386 at-bats as a rookie in 2014 but improved to 16 (in 426 at-bats) last season, with 12 of those coming after the All-Star break.

The 22-year-old has built on last year’s strong finish for a true breakout campaign in 2016, and he is on pace for 33 home runs, 84 RBI and 100 runs in 608 at-bats.

Also boasting a .282 batting average and .508 slugging percentage, Odor’s only weakness has been his inability to draw walks, with just nine in 96 games limiting his on-base percentage to .301.

He was frequently used as the team’s lead-off hitter early in the year, but the Rangers have wisely deployed him from the 5-, 6- and 7-slots over the past couple months, which makes far more sense for a player with Odor’s unusual high-slugging, low-OBP profile.

In any case, Odor has repeated the feats of Ian Kinsler and Alfonso Soriano to become one of only three batters in franchise history to record 20 or more home runs in a season while primarily playing second base, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Kinsler accomplished the feat three times in eight years with the Rangers, topping out at 32 in 2011. Soriano did it twice in just two seasons with the franchise, including a 36-homer campaign in 2005.

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Twins’ Max Kepler Becomes 3rd Rookie with 8 Homers in July

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler recently hit his eighth home run during the month of July, making this the first month in MLB history in which three rookies recorded eight or more homers, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

The 23-year-old lefty slugger did the honors during Thursday’s 6-2 home win over the Baltimore Orioles, smacking a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning off of Orioles reliever Odrisamer Despaigne to tie the contest at two apiece.

Kepler then played a role in a four-run rally the very next inning, with his RBI single bringing home Twins first baseman Joe Mauer to extend the lead to 4-2.

Kepler would later come around to score on a triple by outfielder Eddie Rosario, extending Minnesota’s advantage to 6-2, which ended up being the final score.

The other rookies with eight or more homers in July are San Diego Padres second baseman Ryan Schimpf (nine) and Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (eight), the latter of whom leads the National League with 27 home runs this season.

While Story’s magnificent campaign has him in pole position for Rookie of the Year honors in the National league, Kepler will have a tough time earning AL honors, as he has only been a regular starter for the Twins since the beginning of June.

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Desmond Becomes 4th Player to Hit 20 Homers as Both SS and CF

Texas Rangers outfielder Ian Desmond hit his 20th home run of the season during Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics, becoming just the fourth player in major league history to record 20-homer campaigns as both a primary shortstop and center fielder, per MLB Stat of the Day (h/t MLB.com’s Ryan Posner).

Mostly a shortstop while playing for the Washington Nationals from 2009 to 2015, the 30-year-old Desmond has made a seamless transition to the outfield in his first seasons with the Rangers, making 74 starts in center field and 27 starts in left field (101 total) through the team’s first 103 games.

Although he’s committed five errors in center and three more in left, Desmond has more than made up for the miscues with his impressive range and even more impressive batting.

His current batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.359) and slugging percentage (.525) would all represent career-best marks, and he’s also on pace for 31 homers, 98 RBI and 115 runs—all of which would be career highs.

Playing home games in Arlington has certainly helped, with Desmond sporting a 1.001 OPS at home compared to a much more modest .786 mark on the road.

In any case, the last player to accomplish Desmond’s recent feat was Milwaukee Brewers superstar Robin Yount, who proved highly effective as both a center fielder and shortstop for long stretches of his 20-year Hall of Fame career.

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