Blue Jays C Alejandro Kirk lands on 7-day concussion IL
Kirk, 26, was struck in the mask by a foul tip in the second inning of Saturday's 6-1 road win against the Detroit Tigers.
The two-time All-Star is batting .304 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 88 games this season.
Toronto recalled catcher Ali Sanchez, 28, from Triple-A Buffalo to replace Kirk on the 26-man roster.
--Field Level Media
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18 minutes ago
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Astros look to get back to winning ways at home vs. Nationals
July 28 - The Astros capped another week of variance on Sunday by losing the finale of a four-game series against the Athletics 7-1, which sent Houston to its ninth loss in its last 10 home games. The Astros were swept for the third time this season, with all three of those series coming at home. Houston will continue its seven-game homestand on Monday against the Washington Nationals, seeking solutions for an offense that repeatedly came up short against the Athletics. The Astros finished 3-for-29 with runners in scoring position and stranded 22 baserunners in the series. "We have to make adjustments for the next series," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "We have to go through our game planning and be better in certain spots where we have people on base." The Astros won the final four games of a six-game road trip that preceded their return home. They surrendered that momentum as quickly as they generated it against a last-place team, with another cellar dweller on tap. "It's a series that we've got to put behind us, quickly," Espada said. "We walked, we got some people on base, we just couldn't get that bit hit. So we've got to flush that one out and get ready for the Nationals." Left-hander Framber Valdez (11-4, 2.67 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Monday. He allowed one run on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over seven innings in a 3-1 road win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Valdez is unbeaten over his last 13 starts at 10-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 92 strikeouts across 87 innings. The Astros have won all 13 of those contests. Valdez is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in two career starts against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision of a 5-4 home win on June 14, 2023, after allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts over seven innings. Rookie right-hander Brad Lord (2-5, 3.39) is scheduled to start the series opener for the Nationals. He allowed one run on six hits with one strikeout over four innings on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds but did not factor into the decision of a 6-1 home win. It marked his first start since May 6, when he allowed three runs on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over six innings in a 9-1 home loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Lord made 26 consecutive relief appearances and went 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Lord is 1-4 with a 4.15 ERA in 30 1/3 innings over seven starts. Lord will make his first career appearance against the Astros. He is 1-1 with a 4.08 ERA across 11 career games (one start) against the American League. The Nationals won the rubber match of their three-game road series with the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Sunday. The Nationals have won consecutive series for the second time in four weeks. "It shows that we're beating good teams and that we're a good team ourselves," said Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, whose leadoff home run in the first inning provided the ignition. "Just keep things going and bring it to Houston." --Field Level Media
Reuters
an hour ago
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Matchup of All-Stars, NL's top teams when Cubs, Brewers open series
July 28 - It seems only appropriate that a three-game series between the teams with the two best records in the National League begins on Monday with a stellar pitching matchup. The Chicago Cubs will send All-Star left-hander Matthew Boyd (11-3, 2.20 ERA) to face the host Milwaukee Brewers, who will send All-Star right-handed rookie Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.45) to the mound. The teams are tied atop of the NL Central with identical 62-43 records. Chicago took two of three from the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, while Milwaukee avoided a three-game sweep with a 3-2 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Cubs have won three of the teams' first five meetings this season, including two of three in Milwaukee in early May. Chicago left fielder Ian Happ is looking forward to this week's return trip. "It'll be a great atmosphere," Happ said. "We're going up there just trying to play our game and good baseball. And I think there'll be a lot of noise around it. But we're just gonna play another series in July." Boyd will take the mound after tossing seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals last Tuesday. The 34-year-old Boyd enters Monday's contest with a career-best run of 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is the longest active streak in the majors. "Somehow he's just gotten better in this stretch, and he's just overwhelming hitters," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "It's just quality pitch after quality pitch. I think anytime you get in a streak like this, that's what you're doing. There's no let up. No matter what's going on, it's a quality pitch. It just keeps coming at you. Milwaukee first baseman Andrew Vaughn is a career 1-for-8 against Boyd, who is 1-1 with a 9.95 ERA in 12 2/3 innings over three career starts versus the Brewers. Chicago third baseman Matt Shaw enters the game on a tear after struggling in the weeks before the All-Star break. Shaw extended his hitting streak to a career-high nine games on Sunday and is batting .444 (12-for-27) with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs during that span. The rookie will look to continue the hot streak against Misiorowski, who is making his seventh career start. Misiorowski, 23, struck out seven over 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners last Tuesday. He was pulled after 64 pitches, and manager Pat Murphy said the team is monitoring his workload. "Obviously, I want to go six or seven (innings)," Misiorowski said. "But they're looking deeper, season-wise. I'm always going to be competitive and want to get as deep as I can, but it is what it is." Misiorowski is making his first appearance against the Cubs. He has 40 strikeouts in his first six starts covering 29 1/3 innings. "He's just broken the shell, man," Murphy said. "He's just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He's still got gooey stuff coming off him. He's something special." While the Brewers' starting rotation is overflowing with talented options, the team's offense has also risen to the occasion. Center fielder Jackson Chourio, 21, extended his hitting streak to 20 games on Sunday, becoming the 13th major leaguer 21 years or younger since 1901 to have a 20-plus game hit streak. The franchise record is Paul Molitor's 39-game hitting streak in 1987. --Field Level Media
Reuters
2 hours ago
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After beating Dodgers, Red Sox turn attention to Minnesota
July 28 - The Boston Red Sox will try to boost their playoff chances when they square off against the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series Monday night in Minneapolis. Boston is coming off back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers during the weekend. The victories gave the Red Sox a 4-5 record during a grueling stretch after the All-Star break that included series against the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and the Dodgers. They enter Monday a half-game up on the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers for the second wild-card spot, and one back of the New York Yankees. Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised his players for how they handled the challenge. "The environment was great," Cora said after Sunday's home win over the Dodgers. "It was very similar to Philly -- in between pitches, very quiet, like everybody was expecting something big to happen. A big pitch, a big play, a big swing. That's what it's all about. "We've got a young team. We know that. For how big of a deal people were making Chicago and the Phillies and the Dodgers, it was a great learning experience for them regardless of the results," the manager continued. "Because of these nine games, they're going to be better. I don't think the stage is too big for them. But we made some mistakes. We didn't win too many games. We're going to keep learning." The next step in Boston's learning curve will take place against the Twins, who are reeling after dropping back-to-back home games to the Washington Nationals on Saturday and Sunday. The Twins are 3-6 since the All-Star break and are bracing themselves for the possibility that they will be sellers as Thursday's trade deadline approaches. Twins outfielder Harrison Bader, one of the players mentioned in trade rumors, said he and his teammates continue to give their best effort even if the results lag. Bader spoke after the Nationals beat the Twins 7-2 in the series finale. "We hit a lot of balls at some guys and it just didn't fall," Bader said. "It happens. I'm pleased with the process behind the scenes. Guys want it, and sometimes it just doesn't shake out the way you want." The Twins will try to find their groove at the plate against Red Sox rookie right-hander Richard Fitts (1-4, 4.86 ERA), who is set to make his 10th start of the season. The 25-year-old Auburn product will try to bounce back from a bumpy outing in which he allowed four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the host Phillies on Tuesday. Fitts pitched five scoreless innings in his only other appearance against the Twins. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three but earned a no-decision on Sept. 20, 2024. Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.14) is set to make his 16th start. He lasted only three innings in his most recent start, a 10-7 win over the Dodgers in which he allowed three runs on two hits and five walks and did not receive a decision. This will be Woods Richardson's first career start against the Red Sox. Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton is unlikely to play in the series opener after the team announced Sunday that he has cartilage irritation on the left side of his rib cage. The diagnosis represented good news for the team, which will not put him on the injured list for now. Bader, filling in for Buxton, went 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored. "To be day-to-day with what (Buxton) left the game with (Saturday), it's a good thing," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday. "We'll measure him out, get him looked at by the trainers each day, get him a lot of treatment and, hopefully, he'll be back very soon." --Field Level Media
