TJ Rumfield hits three-run homer in comeback try

Gonzalez was bumped off the White Sox’ big league roster on Friday with the return of Munetaka Murakami after slashing .244/.323/.360 with two homers and 17 RBI in 97 plate appearances. Passan notes that the Pirates plan to play Gonzalez at shortstop while Konnor Griffin is shelved. Eisert also adds a veteran arm to a bullpen that is in desperate need of reinforcements.

This was a special home run for Alvarez. First off, because he’s the first player in the American League to reach 30 on the season. Also, it was the 200th of his career. Lastly, he absolutely clobbered it. At 455 feet it was the furthest home run he’s hit this season and he took a moment to stare and admire it. His pursuit of a triple crown wages on with 30 home runs, 68 RBI, and a .312 batting average with two games left before the All-Star break.

Brown didn’t look right this entire start. He set the tone poorly by walking Joc Pederson to start the game which led to a two-run Rangers rally in the first. From there, his command was a complete mess. He never found the feel for either his knuckle-curve or slider and really had to grit his teeth to fight out of some jams. Still, he turned in a quality start and gave his team a chance to win the game.

Peters was at the heart of this White Sox blowout win over the Athletics. First, he contributed a run-scoring single during their four-run outburst against Aaron Civale. Then, he helped break it open with a two-run home run as they poured it on in the seventh inning. The White Sox managed to bat around in that inning and Peters came to the plate next needing a triple to complete the cycle. He yanked a ball down the first base line, got on his horse, and slid into third safely as the crowd roared. That was the first cycle by a White Sox player since José Abreu – yes, really – in 2017. This is a fantastic exclamation point on a stellar first half for Peters’ with a .303/.357/.484 slash-line to go along with six home runs and five stolen bases.

Burke was dominant here from the get-go. He was perfect through the first 13 batters and when Jacob Wilson finally singled in the fifth, he was immediately erased by a double play. His fastball was the star of the show, forcing 10 of his 16 total swings-and-misses and sitting at 96 mph, more than a full tick above its season average. That pitch was so lethal that Burke used it more so as his put-away pitch while mixing his slider, knuckle-curve, and sinker more so early in counts. He had it all going on and ended the first half on a heater not giving up more than two runs in any of his last five starts. Altogether, he’ll head into the All-Star break with a stellar 3.41 ERA, 115 strikeouts, and 33 walks through 105 2/3 innings.

At the time, it seemed like Soderstrom had hit a meaningful home run. He cut the White Sox’s lead to 4-1 in the top of the seventh and there was a whiff of momentum in the air. Then, the White Sox responded with an eight-run bottom of that inning and the rout was on. Alas, that was Soderstrom’s 14th home run in a first half where he had to battle a couple of injuries.

Civale was bumped from the rotation to both help acquiesce Jacob Lopez’s return and also because of his own struggles lately. Coming in after Lopez retired the first five batters of the game on 12 pitches, Civale had a few easy innings before being hit hard in a four-run fifth. He hasn’t been effective in over a month, doesn’t miss many bats, and should not be considered a serious option in even the deepest of leagues. Pay attention to Lopez’s workload though, as he went from 63 pitches in his first start off the injured list to again, just 12 in this one.

Kittredge allowed a one out double to Michael Massey in the ninth but retired the next two batters he faced to close out the frame and secure the win. Kittredge has now been called upon to close out games in back-to-back days for the Orioles, and could become a part of the team’s closer committee for as long as Ryan Helsley remains sidelined.

Suzuki was responsible for two of the four hits the Cubs registered on a night where the offense was completely shutdown by Reds starter Hunter Greene. Suzuki doubled to kick off the start of the second inning but couldn’t come around to score after Greene locked in to retire the next three batters he faced via strikeout. Suzuki has now hit safely in three-straight games and has had at least one extra-base hit in each of those games.

De La Cruz broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, sending his 15th homer of the season into the stands to put the Reds up 1-0. He would later triple in the bottom of the seventh inning and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Sal Stewart to put the Reds up 2-0. Elly continues to go on a tear since returning from injury and is slashing .286/.390/.543 on the month with a few days to go before the All-Star Break.