It is still weird to see the Astros at the top of the standings in the American League West. It is equally as odd to see the Oakland Athletics at the bottom of them. The National League West is turning into a contest to see who can lose the most and still make the postseason. As you may be able to infer by this little cold open, all of this week’s top performances came from the two Western divisions of Major League Baseball. Who will be the metaphorical Will Smith in this Wild, Wild West edition of Top of the Heap? Well, you’re just going to have to mosey on down the page now won’t you? Without further ado, here are the top five plays that defined the week that was in baseball.
5. Carlos Gonzalez Hates Bloopers
The Rockies have been a staple here on Top of the Heap for the majority of this season. That could be viewed as a silver lining because the rest of their 2015 has been downright miserable. One Rockies player who has yet to grace the hallowed halls of the Heap though is Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo put an end to that with a show of pure athleticism in last Thursday’s game against the Nationals. It was the top of the eighth when Jayson Werth stepped up to the plate to face reliever Scott Oberg. Yohan Flande had befuddled the Nats all evening and they needed a spark, fluke or not, to get going. That spark was nearly lit when Werth went inside-out on a towering pop-up into right field. Gonzalez was playing deep to compensate for Werth’s power as well as preventing extra base hits being up a run late on in the game. Nevertheless, Gonzalez made a Usain Bolt-like sprint from the nether regions of right-center field to the foul line to make a diving catch to record the out. The Rockies would go on for a rare win and Gonzalez would finally crack our vaunted top five.
4. The MVP Goes Full Globetrotter
The Dodgers have been in rough shape lately. The bullpen has continually squandered games for their aces. When the pen isn’t the culprit, the bats go into early hibernation. Sometimes, both maladies rear their ugly heads in the same game like they did last Tuesday against Oakland. In that game, Kershaw worked seven innings of one run ball only to see the game get blown in the eighth and lost in the tenth. The Dodgers were only able to scratch out one run against afterthought southpaw Felix Doubront, who walked six on the night. Though they lost, Kershaw was able to secure a place here on Top of the Heap. In the bottom of the second down a run, Eric Sogard found a way to connect with a signature Kershaw curve. The ball went right up the middle behind Kershaw who was in the midst of his follow through. The reigning NL MVP didn’t get the strikeout, but he’d get his out with a Flash-like swipe behind his back with his glove. You could see Sogard slow considerably once he saw what Kershaw had done. Sogard got his revenge in the ninth though as he started a threat killing double play, allowing the A’s to win in 10 innings.
3. Billy Burns Does It Again
Billy Burns has all the makings of a multiple-time Gold Glove recipient. He’s only made the Top of the Heap one other time, but trust that he’s been the final cut on more than one occasion. Burns made a name for himself in the Minors with his speed. Whether said swiftness was displayed on the basepaths or in the field, Burns was recognized as a future star in the running department. Burns had to turn on the afterburners this past Saturday against Tampa Bay. Sonny Gray started off his seventh inning by giving up what looked like a double, at the minimum, to Logan Forsythe. Billy had to move quickly as the ball started to tail away from him as it descended towards the left-center gap. Burns was completely parallel with the ground as he robbed Forsythe, earning a cap tip from Gray. Remember when I said Burns was often just on the cusp of the countdown? Well, old Burnsy had our “#6” this week as well.
2. Amarista and Gyorko Make It Look Too Easy
We go back to the NL West for our number two play. The Padres have been a colossal flop after a free-wheeling offseason. Two spots where there were no wholesale changes made coming into 2015 were up the middle at shortstop (Alexi Amarista) and second base (Jedd Gyorko). While San Diego tries to scrape back to .500, those two infield incumbents combined on one hell of a play in last Wednesday’s ballgame versus the Braves. The Pads were down 1-0 in the top of the sixth as Adonis Garcia came to the plate with a man on first and no outs. He got bat to ball on 89 MPH fastball from Tyson Ross, sending the ball up the gut. Amarista got to the ball but wasn’t in the best of positions to feed Gyorko for a twin killing. Instead of playing it safe for one guaranteed out, Amarista flipped the ball underbackhanded (word patent pending) to Gyorko who completed the double play brilliantly. The San Diego announcers even recognized that the play would more than likely make the highlight reel rounds. They’d go on to win the game 3-2.
1.Mike Fiers Shows He’s More Than Just a Throw-In
The trading deadline always has its hidden gems. That one guy who was either a salary dump, surplus to requirements for his old team, or just a player that was underwhelming who could use a change of scenery. In essence, all these guys would be lumped into the derogatory “throw-in” group of deadline day. Mike Fiers was viewed as a throw-in with Carlos Gomez in the trade between the Brewers and the Astros. Gomez was the centerpiece of the deal, but Fiers paid dividends first in Friday’s game against the Dodgers. Fiers scattered three walks over the full nine and struck out ten Dodgers, including 2015 All-Stars Yasmani Grandal and Joc Pederson twice each. He may have had some “aid” in his efforts, but until said accusation is fully proven, he’s the latest no-hit man in the Majors (fifth of the season) and this week’s Top of the Heap.