MLB Player News

It took Kurtz just two pitches in the game to extend his on-base streak to 33 games, knocking a double off Shane Baz and coming around to score on a base hit. He drew a walk and scored in the third, then doubled and scored again in the fifth. The 23-year-old slugger is now just three games behind Nick Swisher’s 36 for the longest single-season on-base streak since 2000. He still has a way to go to reach Mark McGwire’s team record of 62 set in 1996.

Lewis hit a 419-foot homer off Ryan Johnson in the second and later crushed a liner to left in the seventh. Both hits left the bat at 107-108 mph. He’s 5-for-12 with two homers the last three days, pushing his OPS up to .699. That’s the highest he’s been since late April. He’s hit .270/.328/.508 with seven homers in 31 games since returning from Triple-A.

Ryan left with a one-run lead, which was blown in the seventh by Tommy Nance in his Twins debut. So, he finishes the first half 6-5 with a 2.85 ERA. Ryan has produced 11 quality starts, which doesn’t count a couple of outings in which he pitched five-plus scoreless innings.

Gómez has his first full-inning save since June 28. He also recorded saves on June 29 and July 7, but those saw him pick up just one out each time. Gómez allowed a single to Mike Trout and walked Nolan Schanuel with one out in the ninth today, but he got Jorge Soler to pop out and struck out Vaughn Grissom to end the game. He still hasn’t blown a save this season.

The runs came in the second, which featured two walks and a two-run homer from Royce Lewis. The rally might have lasted longer, but Tristan Gray made the third out of the inning on an odd delayed steal attempt that saw him thrown out pretty easily at second base. Johnson walked three in all and struck out just one. With a 6.75 ERA in six starts and three relief appearances, his spot shouldn’t be assured in the second half.

Meidroth also had a single in the contest. With the White Sox having Caleb Bonemer on the way and adding another elite infield prospect in Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick in today’s draft, one wonders if Meidroth might eventually become obsolete in Chicago, in spite of his very solid play to date. It’s not an issue for this year, though. He’s batting .272/.345/.383 through 388 plate appearances.

Feddy came in for the third after Bryan Hudson and Chris Murphy pitched scoreless first and second innings, respectively, and allowed one hit with three strikeouts through the sixth. He started the seventh by giving up a double to Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, leading to his exit, but Sean Newcomb came in and stranded the runner. It’s Fedde’s fifth win, all of which have come since the beginning of June. He has a 4.15 ERA in nine starts and 10 appearances as a bulk guy.

Taylor took over with the tying run on third and one out in the eighth, putting him in prime position for a cheap blown save. However, he got out of the jam by striking out Shea Langeliers and getting Jonah Heim to ground out. He then walked one in a scoreless ninth that was made easier because the A’s took out decent left-handed hitters for weaker right-handed bats while trying to score off Sean Newcomb in the seventh. Seranthony Domínguez again went unused today, and Taylor is the pretty clear favorite for saves in Chicago, even if he’ll occasionally work earlier in games sometimes.

It was a nice rebound outing for Jump, but with the A’s getting shut out, he dropped his third start in a row anyway. While Jump was roughed up in his previous two outings, this makes five times in nine major league starts that he has allowed one or no runs. He’ll take a 3-4 record and a 3.51 ERA into the All-Star break. It’s likely that he’ll face the Nationals next weekend.

Langeliers was on the short list of the AL’s best players a month and a half into the season, but his production fell off in mid-May and has really hit the skids lately; he’s hitting .172 with one extra-base hit and 24 strikeouts in his last 16 games, 13 of which have been A’s losses. Maybe it’s the usual assortment of catching bumps and bruises piling up, but he doesn’t look like an All-Star right now.

That’s relatively good news. Helsley will keep resting for now and then aim for a return down the stretch. One imagines he’ll be down for at least another month, and since the Orioles might get Félix Bautista back in September, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to hold on to Helsley in shallow leagues. Andrew Kittredge seems to have supplanted Tyler Wells as the favorite for saves in Baltimore’s pen for now. The team could trade for another option before the deadline.