5 Issues I Preferred (Or Didn’t Like) This Week, June 20

Welcome to a different version of 5 Issues I Preferred (Or Didn’t Like) this week. I’m undecided if that is by design or just a scheduling coincidence, however this week was filled with compelling matchups between present rivals. The Cubs and Cardinals squared off. So did the Yankees and Orioles. The Guardians and Mariners aren’t precisely rivals, however their sequence rocked too, and I’m unhappy I couldn’t discover a approach to squeeze them on this week. That mentioned, there’s a ton to speak about, so let’s get to it, after our regular nod to Zach Lowe of ESPN, who is definitely having fun with a well-deserved trip after the conclusion of the NBA season. To baseball!

1. Willie Mays
I nearly didn’t write about Willie Mays this week. I really feel unqualified. What do you say concerning the best baseball participant of all time? Mays was like one thing out of fiction, the platonic supreme of an outfielder. Everybody who noticed him play knew it instantly: This man was simply completely different. Statistics alone are a woefully insufficient means of describing him, however these statistics are comical. He hit 660 house runs, batted .301, and walked as typically as he struck out. He’s in all probability the most effective defensive heart fielder of all time. He racked up greater than 3,000 hits, gained two MVPs, made 24 All-Star groups; the checklist goes on and on.

That’s not likely the story of Willie Mays, although. The story of Willie Mays, for me, is the common admiration that each baseball participant had for him. I’ve by no means heard a nasty phrase about Mays. He was an idol and a mentor on the identical time. He transcended eras, coasts, fanbases; he wasn’t a well-known Giants participant, he was a well-known baseball participant. That may even undersell it – he was one of the biggest celebrities in the country. Even practically 60 years after his heyday, defenders wish to be like him. He was the good, the most effective. That by no means stopped being true.

Loads of different individuals have written touching Mays tributes (tons of hyperlinks). I liked Jay Jaffe’s encapsulation of what Mays meant each on and off the sector. I don’t have a lot so as to add that hasn’t already been mentioned. However I couldn’t discuss concerning the week in baseball with out paying my respects. Willie Mays was an enormous in each attainable definition of the phrase. Nicely, aside from bodily stature, which makes his general excellence all of the extra spectacular. There’ll nearly definitely by no means be one other baseball participant like him. I see echoes of Mays in each over-the-shoulder catch, each play on the plate, each lovely day recreation in San Francisco. Could his reminiscence dwell on endlessly.

2. Hunter Greene Hitting Corners
Hunter Greene’s profession has been a combined bag to this point. He burst onto the scene within the halcyon days of (checks notes) 2022, earlier than each single starter appeared to throw 100 mph. He’s the final beginning pitcher prospect I can consider whose standout device was pure velocity. It hasn’t labored that means within the majors, which is a part of why he has a profession 4.36 ERA and 4.21 FIP. It looks like velocity alone simply gained’t do it anymore.

Greene has largely survived by leaning on his slider. This 12 months, although, he’s made some promising fastball modifications. The pitch is extra vertical than earlier than, which provides him extra leeway to assault the zone with out falling into the dreaded line of normality that hitters are so adept at attacking.

That’s the how. I’m extra within the wow, although. I’ve been having velocity fatigue; now that everybody throws so onerous, it’s simply not enjoyable. Then again, recognizing 100 mph on the corners is pleasant. Greene put collectively a masterful begin on Wednesday – 6 1/3 innings, 9 strikeouts, no runs – and his fastball was a key a part of it. He got here out fastball-heavy and began carving instantly. Nick Gonzales is an efficient hitter, however nobody’s an excellent hitter in opposition to this:

Rowdy Tellez spoiled one other gem:

Greene had the ball on a string, working his fastball down within the zone when he needed to:

He caught the underside edge to catch Tellez trying:

Andrew McCutchen struck out on an ideal pitch:

Even when the umpire didn’t agree, this one was nice too:

This isn’t the primary time Greene has seemed to be on the verge of a breakout, however on earlier events, his slider was doing the heavy lifting. This time, he’s shelling out with the flexible stuff and successful with fastballs. I’ve been responsible of shopping for into Greene breakouts too quickly earlier than, however what can I say? Right here I’m, once more, able to consider. The mix of nice location and overpowering stuff is simply an excessive amount of to disregard.

3. The Immortal Kyle Hendricks
By all rights, Kyle Hendricks must be unhealthy by now. He’s all the time been a type of “I’m undecided how he does it, however he does it” guys, and he’s been trending much less and fewer efficient in recent times. He began this season with the sort of 10-game stretch that often will get you despatched to the phantom IL: 9.38 ERA, solely 30 strikeouts and 15 walks in practically 200 batters confronted, and the sort of contact high quality that makes you go “Oh proper, he throws 85.” Actually, he did get despatched to the IL midway by means of that streak, and continued to scuffle upon returning. It felt like a tragic swan track for one of the crucial fulfilling Cubs of this era.

The Cubs have struggled mightily with pitching this 12 months, which signifies that Hendricks didn’t fully disappear; he merely moved to the bullpen. His first three appearances have been hardly the stuff of legends – 10 innings, 5 strikeouts, 4 walks, 4.50 ERA, 4.65 FIP – however they have been definitely much less disastrous than his preliminary beginning run. Possibly he could possibly be a bulk center reliever and end out the 12 months that means?

Solely, there was excellent news coming within the type of unhealthy information. Jordan Wicks suffered a fluke damage within the second inning of the June 14 Cardinals-Cubs conflict at Wrigley Subject. When Craig Counsell seemed out to his bullpen, there was outdated dependable Hendricks, prepared to return in and take in some innings. Longtime Hendricks heads know that he merely can’t lose in opposition to St. Louis. The one means he might personal the group extra completely could be if he married into the DeWitt household. In his profession heading into this recreation, he had a 2.68 ERA in opposition to them over 167 2/3 innings. The Playing cards are batting .244/.285/.377 in opposition to him. They don’t get on base or hit for energy in opposition to him. It’s uncanny – they merely can’t remedy him, no matter who’s on the roster.

Clearly, the streak continued. Hendricks isn’t lacking bats nowadays – not that he was ever an enormous strikeout man, however he’s working a career-low strikeout charge and career-high stroll charge. He didn’t miss many bats in opposition to the Redbirds – one strikeout in 15 batters confronted – however once more, they only can’t hit him. They popped the ball up:

They hit it into the bottom:

They took awkward verify swings:

They missed middle-middle 88-mph fastballs by a mile:

Hendricks left this outing with the primary actual momentum he’s had all 12 months. Counsell instantly added him to the rotation – there had been an damage, in spite of everything. He got here again and put a spell on the Giants: 5 2/3 innings pitched, eight (!!) strikeouts, two hits, and a solitary earned run.

Hendricks seemed fully damaged. He couldn’t purchase an out; the whole lot he threw was getting tattooed. Then he confronted his favourite opponent, and now he’s again higher than he’s been in years. It appears like we’ll get yet one more likelihood to benefit from the pleasant sight of a Hendricks slowball turning hitters into pretzels. I can’t even be mad. Good work, Cardinals – you’ve rekindled one of the crucial pleasant flames in trendy baseball.

4. The Go-Go NL Central
I like steals, and I do know I’m not alone in that. Baseball can drag, even for me, when it’s all strikeouts and walks. Including a burst of athleticism and high-stakes shut performs to the proceedings is invariably thrilling. I’m glad that the league was capable of alter the incentives sufficient to deliver steals again into the limelight – and the NL Central is definitely glad too.

The Reds have probably the most stolen bases within the majors. The Brewers are proper behind them in second. The Cubs are within the high 10 in baseball and third in runs added by way of steals as a result of they’ve been caught solely 12 instances. This week, all three teams of speedsters have been as much as their regular tips, inflicting havoc on the basepaths and maintaining my eyes glued to them.

The Reds received issues began, as they so typically do, with Elly De La Cruz. He’s the runaway main league chief in steals, and he ripped off three in three video games, starting Saturday in opposition to the Brewers. He can steal in largely uncontested spots, in fact: Down three within the ninth inning, Milwaukee basically gave him second base as a participation trophy. He can stroll, steal second, after which take two extra bases on an errant pickoff throw:

And he can steal off of fellow phenom Paul Skenes, although Skenes managed to choose him off earlier within the recreation:

The Brewers undertake extra of a group strategy. They stole at the very least two luggage in each recreation of their set in opposition to the Reds, with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich main the way in which. Turang is an outright burner; solely De La Cruz has extra steals. Yelich is extra attention-grabbing to me – he’s 32, and never fairly as quick as he was at his athletic peak, however he’s been an absolute demon because the introduction of the pickoff-throw restrict final 12 months: 43 steals, 4 caught stealings. Yeah, that’ll do. Even Willy Adames has 10 swipes this 12 months. The Brewers are the most effective baserunning group in baseball, and it’s as a result of they run properly from the highest of the roster to the underside.

That leaves the Cubs, and I’ll degree with you: They’re the explanation I needed to jot down this merchandise. The Cubs have solely two gamers with double-digit steals. One in all them, Pete Crow-Armstrong, has a 51 wRC+, so he’s not precisely keying their offense. As an alternative, that is an ensemble effort. They choose their spots and assault opposing weaknesses. This week, that weak point was the Giants’ defending in conditions with a number of runners on base. The Cubs ate their lunch:

Curt Casali didn’t even throw right here, as a result of there was merely no shot. Seiya Suzuki timed Tyler Rogers too properly. Then it occurred once more:

That was simply straightforward cash, and the Cubs have been solely too comfortable to just accept it. The subsequent day, they stored it going:

Once they noticed the Giants weren’t throwing by means of, they only ran it again:

And when the Giants lastly did throw by means of, they couldn’t even make a tag:

Wait, what? Right here’s a better look:

That’s what you have to be doing! These bases have been free. The Cubs merely needed to ask politely. Extra of this, please. In case your opponent gained’t cease what you’re doing, why would you cease doing it? I’m undecided that that is what the league imagined when it carried out the brand new guidelines, however I like watching it, simply as a lot as I’m certain catchers hate it.

5. The Battle of the Bronx
The Orioles and Yankees have been circling one another all 12 months. Whereas the Guardians received off to a sizzling begin, neither AL East group was ever far off the tempo for the most effective report within the AL, and every shot previous Cleveland in June. The 2 golf equipment boast the 2 greatest run differentials within the majors. They rank first and second within the AL in each runs scored and runs allowed. They’re additionally neck and neck for the division title and the bye that comes with it.

The primary time the 2 met this 12 months, the O’s took three out of 4 to drag a recreation forward of New York within the standings. The Yankees took first place again within the interim, however this has the sensation of a race that may stay shut all 12 months. This week’s three-game set mattered each for the quick division lead – an Orioles sweep would give them sole possession of first – and head-to-head tiebreakers. The groups solely meet twice extra this 12 months: as soon as in July, as soon as in September. If the Orioles gained this week’s sequence, they’d must win solely two of these final six video games to safe the tiebreaker.

These video games lived as much as the billing. On Tuesday, the Yankees jumped out to an early lead earlier than Aaron Judge left after being hit within the hand by an errant Albert Suarez pitch. Nestor Cortes went six shutout innings to again that early offense, and even a two-run homer within the ninth couldn’t deliver the Birds again. Choose escaped critical damage and returned to the New York lineup after lacking only one recreation, happily sufficient.

That set issues up properly for the Yankees. That they had their pitching arrange in addition to it has been all 12 months. Gerrit Cole’s first begin of the season was Wednesday, and he seemed sharp in 4 innings of labor. 4 innings, although, put a ton of stress on the bullpen, they usually couldn’t fairly preserve issues collectively. The New York offense didn’t do sufficient in opposition to Baltimore starter Cade Povich – the Yankees scored a single run regardless of strolling 5 instances and hanging out solely as soon as. They rallied late to ship the sport to further innings, however Choose’s absence damage, and the O’s scored two within the tenth to knot the sequence at one.

On paper, Luis Gil in opposition to Cole Irvin stacked up properly for New York within the climactic recreation of the sequence. However the O’s jumped throughout Gil proper from the beginning. He didn’t escape the second inning, and shortly Baltimore led 8-1. The Yankees managed to battle again finally, however the Orioles feasted on the center of the New York bullpen within the meantime and put the sport fully out of attain. By the point it ended at 17-5, Jose Trevino was lobbing in knuckleballs and each groups’ stars have been taking early showers.

It’s unlikely that this week’s skirmish would be the final phrase on the AL East race. The Yankees are nonetheless in entrance, in spite of everything, and there’s loads of baseball left to be performed. That didn’t make the sequence any much less intense, although, or make both group need it much less. These are the sorts of baseball video games that get my coronary heart pumping even in the midst of June. Extra, please.