The pennant races are heating up in baseball as we enter the stretch run. Teams made some of their final moves (there is still the waiver deadline of August 31st mind you) towards contention and the player movement could allow new opportunities for players. There is still two months of baseball to go, but from here on out each game will definitely have a playoff atmosphere for the hunters and the hunted. It’ll be fun to see if the leaders can hang on or if a late season surge can propel a team deep into October. Without further ado, here are the top five plays that defined the week that was in baseball.
5. Lucas Duda Has Got The Power
Remember a time Mets fans when the brass was debating between Lucas Duda and Ike Davis at first base? Nowadays, Duda has just hit 9 home runs in 8 games (the third player in the last 10 years to do so) for the suddenly first place Mets. Davis? Well, he’s struggling with the last place A’s hitting just 3 home runs ALL YEAR. Clearly, the right call was made. No moment embodies the disparity between the two more than Duda’s game against the Padres last Wednesday. It may have been one of the Mets’ two losses in their last ten, but Duda provided all the offense with three beastly home runs off starter Tyson Ross and relievers Kevin Quackenbush and Marcos Mateo. The eerie part of Duda’s stat line though is that the last Met to score all the team’s runs with three dingers was…Ike Davis. Duda did his work at Citi Field though, a much tougher ask.
4. Royals Infielders Show Their Cohesion
The AL Central middle infielders sure do love making extra work for the team’s official scorekeeper. The Royals are the class of the American League these days, but they nearly carbon copied a play made by their divisional brethren Chicago to preserve their game from Tuesday. Eric Hosmer had just given the Royals a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth against the Indians with a solo home run with two outs. Greg Holland was on for the save. Holland’s second pitch of the inning was sent bounding up the middle by Indians catcher Roberto Perez. Omar Infante would have had to possess a crossbow for an arm to make the play as he faded towards the left field grass. Instead, he flipped the ball to shortstop Alcides Escobar who barehanded the toss and delivered a baseball laser beam for the out. The Royals would go on to win by the 2-1 score and extend their division lead.
3. Daniel Norris Makes A Good First Impression
David Price was one of the biggest pieces to move at the July 31st trading deadline. His trade from Detroit in many pundits’ eyes all but signaled the Tigers sending up the white flag to surrender the 2015 season. While 2015 may be done and dusted for Detroit, they surely got themselves somebody to be excited about for the future. That was because unlike Tampa Bay, Detroit was able to pry a top prospect from the organization that they were trading Price to. That player is left hander Daniel Norris. Norris, a top 20 prospect in the preseason, made his first start for Motown on Sunday against the Orioles and it was quite the show. Not only did he go 7 1/3 innings and only allow four hits and one run, Norris showed off his athleticism on a bunt attempt in the bottom of the second inning. With Baltimore threatening with men on first and second and none out, J.J. Hardy attempted to bunt the runners over. He failed as he popped the ball up on his attempt. The ball sort of fell into a no-man’s land area of the infield though as neither catcher James McCann nor first baseman Alex Avila stood a chance of catching it. Instead, Norris would burst off the mound and lay out for the catch. The next batter would hit into a double play and it would be smooth sailing from there in a 6-1 Tigers victory.
2. Sam With The Fuld Extension Catch
It’s been a while since the A’s have been just flat out bad. They did collapse at the end of last season, but they still were able to make the Wild Card game. This season will have no such occurrence. Nevertheless, the A’s have had some pretty stellar glove work from their outfielders. Billy Burns was the first, but Sam Fuld may have been the best. In last Wednesday’s game against the NL West leading Dodgers, the A’s had taken the lead with a big seventh inning. In typical 2015 A’s fashion, they gave that right back and then some in the bottom half of the frame. One inning later though, Dan Otero was in to face slugger Scott Van Slyke. The outfield was playing deep as Van Slyke doesn’t carry the reputation for hitting bloopers. Alas, he did just that as he popped a shot towards the shallow left field line. Fuld made sure this anomaly wouldn’t fall for a hit though as he laid out at the end of a full sprint to record the out and even hold Alberto Callaspo at first.
1. Jose Altuve Is A Vacuum With A Glove
Jose Altuve should be the hero of every underdog kid growing up today. The diminutive Astros second baseman is generously listed at 5’6″ yet is a three time All-Star, Silver Slugger, and reigning AL batting champion. Oh yeah, he’s got himself one hell of a glove too. In Wednesday’s game between the ‘Stros and the team chasing them, Los Angeles, Lance McCullers was in cruise control. He hit a potential bump in the road in the top of the seventh when C.J. Cron hit a liner back up through the box. But, the sarcastically dubbed Gigante came up huge. Altuve made a diving stop and was able to get the out at first even as he tumbled to his back side. Houston has gone from the top of the draft order to the top of the AL West this season. For this week though, they just have the man at the Top of the Heap.
