NATIONALS SLUGGER JAMES WOOD JOINS RONALD ACUÑA JR., CAL RALEIGH AS PARTICIPANTS IN HOME RUN DERBY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby.
The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 33 homers, in the contest.
Wood has 22 homers this season. He’s the third Nationals player to take part in the Home Run Derby, joining Juan Soto (2022) and Bryce Harper (2013 and ’18).
The 22-year-old Wood has 12 homers that have been hit harder than 110 mph. It’s the second most in the league behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 13. Wood also has four dingers that have been launched longer than 445 feet.
Wood was acquired from San Diego in August 2022 as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Soto to the Padres.
ASTROS SLUGGER YORDAN ALVAREZ’S SETBACK NOT AS SERIOUS AS FIRST FEARED, GM SAYS
DENVER (AP) — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez’s setback to his recovery from a fractured right hand is not as serious as first feared, general manager Dana Brown said Thursday.
Alvarez, who suffered the injury on May 2, was shut down after experiencing pain in his right hand. He had taken some swings at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday and when he arrived there on Tuesday the area was sore.
He was examined by a specialist, who determined inflammation was the issue and not a setback with the fracture.
“It had nothing to do with the fracture, or the fracture not being healed,” Brown said before Houston’s game at Colorado. “The fracture at this point is a non-factor, which we’re very glad about. And so during the process of him being examined by the specialist, we saw the inflammation, and Yordan did receive two shots in that area.”
Alvarez first experienced issues with his hand in late April but stayed in the lineup. He was initially diagnosed with a muscle strain but a small fracture was discovered at the end of May.
Brown said there has not been an update on the timetable for Alvarez’s return but said with the latest update it “could be in the near future.”
“Yordan is going to be in a position where he’s going to let rest and let the shot take effect, and then as long as he’s starting to feel better, we’ll put a bat in his hand before we start hitting, but we’ll just let him feel the bat feels like,” Brown said. “And then we’ll get into some swings in the near future, but I felt like it was encouraging news. Now, with this injection into the area that was inflamed, we feel a lot better.”
Alvarez, who averaged 34 home runs over the previous four seasons, has just three in 29 games this year and is batting .210. He was the 2021 ALCS MVP for the Astros and finished third in the AL MVP voting for 2022.
DODGERS 3B MAX MUNCY (KNEE) SET TO UNDERGO MRI
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy will undergo an MRI on his left knee Thursday after he was injured during Wednesday’s win against the Chicago White Sox.
Muncy departed iafter a collision while tagging out Chicago’s Michael A. Taylor on a stolen-base attempt in the sixth inning. The play immediately preceded Clayton Kershaw’s 3,000th career strikeout.
Taylor also left the game with a contusion on the back of his left shoulder.
After initial concerns, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was hopeful the injury was not serious.
“A lot of the tests that they did right now, we feel optimistic,” Roberts said. “And I think that our hope is that it’s a sprain. So obviously, for the next few days, I’m sure he’ll probably be down, but the MRI will show more.”
Muncy, 34, is batting .250 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 81 games. He was a Phase 2 finalist for a starting spot in the All-Star Game but lost out to the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado.
In 10 major league seasons, eight of which have been with the Dodgers, Muncy is a two-time All-Star and a career .230 hitter with 208 home runs and 592 RBIs.
His 203 home runs with the Dodgers are tied for seventh all-time in franchise history with Matt Kemp. Duke Snider leads the franchise with 389 home runs and Eric Karros is the all-time leader in its Los Angeles tenure with 270.
GUARDIANS RHP LUIS ORTIZ PLACED ON LEAVE BY MLB
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through the end of the All-Star break due to an ongoing investigation, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.
Ortiz, 26, had been slated to start against the host Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
“The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation,” the team said in a statement. “The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”
The Athletic and ESPN both reported that the MLB probe is related to gambling.
Ortiz is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season. The native of the Dominican Republic was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part a three-team trade that included the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 10.
Ortiz owns a 16-22 record with a 4.05 ERA in 75 career games (50 starts) with the Pirates (2022-24) and Guardians.
Left-hander Joey Cantillo (1-0, 3.81 ERA) will get the nod in place of Ortiz and make his first start of the season on Thursday. Cantillo, 25, has yet to face the Cubs in his career.
MLB ROUNDUP: JAYS SWEEP YANKEES, MOVE ATOP AL EAST
George Springer hit two homers and four RBIs and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting New York Yankees 8-5 Thursday night to complete a four-game series sweep.
Springer had four homers in the series as Toronto moved into first place in the American League East, one game ahead of the Yankees.
The Blue Jays’ Addison Barger added three hits with a homer and two RBIs, and Nathan Lukes had three hits and two RBIs. Chris Bassitt (8-4) fanned nine while throwing 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball. Jeff Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 21st save.
Trent Grisham hit a solo homer for the Yankees, and Jasson Dominguez added four hits. Reliever Clayton Beeter (0-1) was tagged for three runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Marlins 4, Twins 1
Eury Perez pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven, as host Miami defeated Minnesota.
Perez (1-2) earned his first win since June 25, 2023. Ronny Henriquez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his fifth save of the season. Agustin Ramirez had Miami’s big hit, a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.
Matt Wallner supplied Minnesota’s offense with a seventh-inning homer. David Festa (2-3) gave up four runs in six innings.
Rockies 7, Astros 6
Thairo Estrada homered, singled twice and drove in four runs as Colorado held on to beat Houston in Denver.
Rockies leadoff hitter Tyler Freeman had two hits to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. Jordan Beck and Estrada drove in runs in the seventh to break a 5-5 tie. Juan Mejia (1-0) got his first major league win despite yielding two runs in his lone inning. Seth Halvorsen allowed a run but picked up his seventh save.
Cam Smith had three hits and three RBIs and Isaac Paredes, Jake Meyers and Jose Altuve contributed two hits each for the Astros. Jordan Weems (0-1) allowed the go-ahead runs in the seventh.
Giants 7, Diamondbacks 2
Robbie Ray tossed his second career complete game while leading San Francisco to a victory over Arizona in Phoenix, giving the Giants a split of the four-game series.
The left-hander retired the first 12 batters he faced, gave up only three hits and a walk and struck out seven. Ray (9-3) needed just 102 pitches to go the distance. Willy Adames and Mike Yastrzemski each had three hits for the Giants.
Eugenio Suarez and Ketel Marte homered for the Diamondbacks. Brandon Pfaadt (8-6) gave up four runs on six hits over six innings.
Mets 3, Brewers 2
Juan Soto ripped a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth and David Peterson tossed 6 2/3 strong innings, fueling host New York over Milwaukee.
Brandon Nimmo belted a homer for the second straight day and Pete Alonso added an RBI double for the Mets, who won their second consecutive contest to spoil the return of former teammate Jose Quintana (6-3). Peterson (6-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits.
Andruw Monasterio launched a solo homer in the seventh inning and Caleb Durbin had an RBI single for the Brewers, who have lost three of four. Quintana permitted three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Nationals 11, Tigers 7
James Wood had five hits, including his 23rd home run, Paul DeJong added a three-run blast and host Washington hung on to defeat Detroit, taking the rubber game of the three-game series.
Alex Call had three hits and drove in three runs for Washington, which has won three of four. Wood had four singles, scored three runs and drove in two. Jake Irvin (7-3) survived a shaky first and went six innings, allowing three runs on three hits. Nationals manager Dave Martinez won his 500th game.
Spencer Torkelson had a three-run homer for the Tigers, and Gleyber Torres had two hits. Dietrich Enns (1-1) allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits in four-plus innings.
Angels 5, Braves 1
Jose Soriano threw seven scoreless innings and Zach Neto singled, doubled and homered as the visiting Los Angeles beat Atlanta in the decisive game of a three-game series.
The Angels have won six of their past nine games overall. The Braves fell for the sixth time in the past eight.
Soriano allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven. Neto, who finished 3-for-5, scored three runs and drove in one. The Braves got a ninth-inning homer from Jurickson Profar. Bryce Elder (2-6) gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings.
Cubs 1, Guardians 0 (10 innings)
Matt Shaw hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to help Chicago beat visiting Cleveland and sweep the three-game series.
In the 10th, automatic runner Nico Hoerner moved to third on Michael Busch’s groundout against Emmanuel Clase (4-2) and scored on Shaw’s deep fly to center field. Chris Flexen (5-0), one of four Chicago relievers, pitched a scoreless 10th inning for the win.
Cleveland lost its season-high seventh straight game despite outhitting the Cubs 7-3. The Guardians have scored a total of 12 runs during their skid.
Royals 3, Mariners 2
Vinnie Pasquantino’s two-run single broke a tie in the seventh inning as Kansas City defeated host Seattle to earn a split of a four-game series.
Seth Lugo (6-5) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings for the Royals, who won for just the third time in 12 games. He allowed one run on six hits. Carlos Estevez got the final four outs for his 24th save despite permitting three hits, including Dominic Canzone’s leadoff homer, in the ninth.
Jorge Polanco went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a homer for the Mariners. Seattle starter Logan Evans, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the day, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Dodgers 6, White Sox 2
Dustin May pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his career as Los Angeles finished off a three-game sweep with a victory over visiting Chicago.
Freddie Freeman had two doubles and three RBIs and Michael Conforto and Mookie Betts each hit a home run as the Dodgers won for the ninth time in 10 games. May (5-5) retired the first 16 batters he faced and matched a season high with nine strikeouts over seven-plus innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk.
Brooks Baldwin spoiled May’s shutout bid with a two-run homer in the eighth. Aaron Civale (1-5) allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits over five innings.
