The July 31 trade deadline swiftly approaches, and as usual we've rounded up the hottest rumors of the day.
The big news item of the day had the Mets acquiring Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays. On the field, Trevor Bauer had a meltdown, Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, and Albert Pujols made some history.
You can read about all that and more by checking out our nightly recap below.
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Baseball schedule/scores for Sunday, July 28
- Phillies 9, Braves 4 (box score)
- Rays 10, Blue Jays 9 (box score)
- Marlins 5, Diamondbacks 1 (box score)
- Reds 3, Rockies 2 (box score)
- Mets 8, Pirates 7 (box score)
- Nationals 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)
- Cubs 11, Brewers 4 (box score)
- Twins 11, White Sox 1 (box score)
- Astros 6, Cardinals 2 (box score)
- Royals 9, Indians 6 (box score)
- Athletics 6, Rangers 5 (box score)
- Angels 5, Orioles 4 (box score)
- Mariners 3, Tigers 2 in 10 (box score)
- Giants 7, Padres 6 (box score)
- Yankees 9, Red Sox 6 (box score)
Yankees avoid sweep against Red Sox
The Yankees did not have a nice weekend in Boston. They entered Sunday's finale of the four-game set having dropped the first three games by at least four runs each, including Thursday's 19-3 whooping. Yet the Yankees did avoid the sweep.
New York's lineup touched up Chris Sale to the tune of six runs on five hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. Didi Gregorius and Austin Romine both hit two-run homers, while Gio Urshela contributed two doubles. In fact, the Nos. 7-9 hitters in the Yankees order -- Urshela, Cameron Maybin and Romine -- combined for five hits and four runs batted in. That'll play.
Domingo German, meanwhile, held the Red Sox to three runs over 5 1/3 innings. He fanned nine, throwing 57 of his 77 pitches for strikes.
The Yankees again have a nine-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East race.
Mets acquire Marcus Stroman
In case you hadn't seen the big news of the day, the Mets acquired starter Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays in exchange for two pitching prospects. You can read more about the deal here, more about the ramifications of the deal here, and more about the prospects here. Oh, and you can check out Stroman's reaction to the trade here.
Schwarber hits longest slam of Statcast era (and that's not all!)
Here's a grand slam off the bat of Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber that probably should've counted for five runs:
That pitch by Zach Davies did not perform as intended, and Schwarber made him pay dearly for the mistake. Some relevant digits:
Yes, that wasn't a cheap one. Less authoritative but still worth three whole runs was Schwarber's shot his next time up:
He pretty much just flicked his hands at that one, but the lively ball of 2019 is such that it was good for an opposite-field homer. That gives Schwarber 24 home runs on the season, and he's now got a slash line of .226/.313/.483. Schwarber is now also the first Cub to have a grand slam and a three-run shot in the same game since Derek Lee in 2009. And there's this:
The Cubs were trying to avoid a road sweep at the hands of the Brewers, so Schwarber's early blows were important ones.
Strasburg dominates Dodgers
The Nats avoided a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and remained in the thick of the NL wild-card race with their easy Sunday win. Anthony Rendon and Victor Robles each had three hits, and Brian Dozier and Juan Soto each homered. The big story, though, was the dominance of Stephen Strasburg:
Mind you, he authored those numbers against an L.A. offense that leads the NL in OPS and runs scored and came into this one with a slash line of .267/.349/.485 against right-handers, of which Strasburg is one. Peep the filthy changeup:
Strasburg's occasionally hittable and has had his health issues, but his stuff remains some of the nastiest in baseball. Speaking of which, with that gem Strasburg now has a 3.26 ERA in 140 2/3 innings this season with 168 strikeouts against 34 walks.
Bauer heaves ball over outfield wall in mound tantrum
The Indians on Sunday barged to a 3-0 lead over the Royals in the first inning. With the ace-ish Trevor Bauer on the mound, it figured to be a good day for Cleveland as the team looked to pull even with the Twins in the AL Central. Instead, here's how Bauer's day wound up:
More notable than the numbers is how Bauer comported himself upon being pulled from the game in the fifth inning. The summary:
And here are some relevant moving pictures:
Impromptu long toss! Visible frustration on the mound isn't all that uncommon when a pitcher is being pulled from the game, but this is on another level. He could've hurt someone, as the story goes. Speaking of which, infielder Mike Freeman seemed to fear for an instant that he was in the line of fire:
We have more on the outburst from Bauer -- a rumored trade candidate -- here.
Ray looks strong in last start before deadline
Trade rumors have swirled about Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, and it's looking increasingly likely that Arizona will deal him before Wednesday's trade deadline. On cue, Ray crafted a strong outing against the Marlins on Sunday:
Of Ray's 101 pitches on the day, an impressive 81 went for strikes. That effort gives Ray a 3.91 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 129 innings this season. The 27-year-old Ray also isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season, so any team that acquires him gets more that just a stretch-drive rental.
The D-Backs are within range of wild-card position in the NL, but it's a crowded fray and the front office may determine that a sell-off is in the organization's best long-term interests. Ray may have helped that particular cause with his Sunday outing.
Stat of the day: Pujols makes history
Albert Pujols hit home run No. 650 on Sunday, making him the sixth player to ever reach that mark. Yet Pujols was the first to a different milestone -- the first with 650 homers and 650 doubles:
Pujols may not be what he once was, but tidbits like this remind you how incredible he used to be.
Quick hits
- The Rays have reportedly acquired INF/OF Eric Sogard from the Blue Jays. Read more here.
- The Rays have also reportedly traded RHP Ian Gibaut to the Rangers for a player to be named later.
- The Yankees have placed LHP CC Sabathia on the 10-day IL with right knee inflammation.
- The Twins have designated RHP Carlos Torres for assignment.
- The White Sox have designated INF Jose Rondon for assignment.
- The Reds have designated C Ryan Lavarnway for assignment.
- The Athletics have released C Nick Hundley.