Living it up in London

Jolly Old London Town

The inaugural game of the London Series provided plenty of fireworks on Saturday as the Yankees and Red Sox combined for an absurd 30 runs scored and 37 hits as the Yankees held off the Red Sox 17-13.

It was the second highest scoring game in the history of the rivalry between the two clubs.
To say that Saturday’s starting pitchers -- Rick Porcello and Masahiro Tanaka -- struggled, would be a massive understatement. This was a dumpster fire of epic proportions.

Dumpster Fire of Epic Proportions

Porcello took the hill first, and the Yankees went wild against him in the top half of the first inning. After a DJ LeMahieu leadoff single, Porcello got Aaron Judge to fly out to center. That would be the only out that he would record. Gary Sanchez followed with a walk, and then three consecutive run-scoring doubles from Luke Voit, Didi Gregorius and Edwin Encarnacion gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Aaron Hicks then crushed a two-run homer, ending Porcello’s miserable afternoon.
Pitching with a six-run lead, Tanaka didn’t fare any better in the bottom half of the first inning. Mookie Betts got the Red Sox started with a single, followed by an RBI double from Rafael Devers. After back-to-back walks to Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez loaded the bases, Tanaka retired Andrew Benintendi on a pop out to the shortstop. That was followed by a sacrifice fly from Christian Vazquez, an RBI single from Brock Holt and a three-run blast by Michael Chavis to tie the game at 6-6 and send Tanaka to the showers.
The Yankees then roared back, with two runs in the third inning on a two-run blast by Brett Gardner. They added six more in the fourth -- capped off by a two-run shot from Aaron Judge -- and another three in the fifth to give them a 17-6 lead.
The Red Sox didn’t quit though. Jackie Bradley homered in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 10 runs, then Michael Chavis smacked his second three-run homer of the day in the seventh to make it 17-10 The Red Sox would push across three more runs in that frame, but that would be as close as they would get.

DJ LeMahieu also had a terrific day at the plate in the ballgame, going 4-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and five RBI.
Overall, everything about the first regular season MLB game played on European soil seemed to be a resounding success -- played in front of a crowd of nearly 60,000 people at Olympic Stadium. The cozy dimensions of the park --385 feet to center field -- certainly played a role in the offensive explosion that we witnessed on Saturday. So naturally -- because baseball -- we’re going to be treated to a 2-1 pitcher’s duel while sports betters around the globe jam the sky-high over/under that’s set at 16.5 runs.

The Yankees also may have lot a key cog to their offense on Saturday, as Luke Voit was removed from the game due to tightness in his lower abdominal region. He’ll likely undergo an MRI on Sunday (or Monday) to determine the extent of the injury, but it would be mildly surprising if he didn’t require a trip to the injured list.

The Red Sox weren’t immune to the injury bug either, as Xander Bogaerts was pulled from the contest with a strained calf. Fortunately for the Red Sox though, his departure appeared to be more of a precautionary measure. He’s considered day-to-day and could return to the lineup on Sunday.

Young Brendan

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Have a Day, McKay

Rays’ fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of left-hander Brendan McKay ever since he was selected with the fourth overall selection in the 2017 draft.
He had been absolutely dominant across two minor league levels this season, compiling an absurd 1.22 ERA, 0.795 WHIP and 88/15 K/BB ratio over 66 ⅔ innings in 13 appearances between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.
With absolutely nothing left to prove in the minor leagues, the Rays turned him loose on Saturday as he made his big league debut against the Rangers in Tampa Bay. Things couldn’t have gone much better for him.
McKay needed just 11 pitches to set the side down in order in the first inning. Then he retired the Rangers in order in the second inning as well. Then the third. Nothing changed when the lineup flipped over again in the fourth inning, as McKay again mowed down the top of the Rangers’ lineup.
With one out in the fifth inning, he struck out Joey Gallo swinging to record his first big league strikeout. Then he whiffed Logan Forsythe looking.
Finally, after retiring the first 16 batters that he faced in order, Danny Santana broke up the bid for perfection with a single into right field. McKay also allowed a two-out walk to Shin-Soo Choo before striking out Delino DeShields Jr. to end the inning.
All told, he threw just 81 pitches (55 of them for strikes) over six scoreless innings -- allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He also earned his first MLB victory for his efforts. Not bad for a debut.
So what happens now from a fantasy perspective? Obviously, McKay is going to be the big ticket item in FAAB bidding on Sunday, but just how high should you go?
It’s unlikely that there will be a better pitching prospect that will be in a position to make a greater impact over the second half of the season than McKay can do. There’s one possible reason to pump the breaks though before blowing your entire remaining free agent budget here.
It seems highly likely that the Rays are going to limit McKay’s innings this season. He threw a total of just 78 ⅓ innings during the 2018 campaign and is already close to eclipsing that total in 2019 -- sitting at 72 ⅔ innings after Saturday’s brilliant debut. Obviously the Rays are going to extend him beyond that this season, but how far will they go. An increase of 50 innings seems reasonable, putting him around 130 innings total on the season. That would give him around 9-10 starts with the Rays in the second half, which is more than enough to make a significant impact.
They may skip a start here and there, or even move him to the bullpen for a while to keep his innings down, but this kid is the real deal and needs to be owned immediately in all fantasy formats.

Ouch for Ozuna

The Cardinals officially placed Marcell Ozuna on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a fractured finger.
Ozuna has small fractures at the base of the third and fourth fingers on his right hand. He suffered the injuries while diving headfirst back into first base as he was picked off during Friday’s game against the Padres.
Tyler O’Neill and Lane Thomas were recalled from Triple-A to add outfield depth while Ozuna is sidelined, but his departure is a massive blow to the Cardinals’ lineup -- and to their potential playoff hopes in the National League Central.
The 28-year-old slugger has been a consistent run-producer in the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup this season, slashing .259/.331/.515 with 20 homers, 52 runs scored, 62 RBI and eight stolen bases.

American League Quick Hits: Luis Severino (lat) is still unable to throw off of a mound due to continued soreness. … Byron Buxton (wrist) and Marwin Gonzalez (hamstring) returned from the injured list to rejoin the Twins’ lineup on Saturday. … Yordan Alvarez (knee) remained out of the Astros’ lineup on Saturday. A.J. Hinch is on record as saying he won’t put him back into the lineup until he’s fully healthy… Marcus Stroman was forced to leave Saturday's start against the Royals in the fifth inning due to a left shoulder pectoral cramp. The right-hander is hopeful that he’ll be able to make his next scheduled start. … Hunter Pence (groin) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Monday. He’s expected to return to the Rangers on Wednesday. … Mariners manager Scott Servais confirmed Saturday that Mitch Haniger (groin) won't return from the injured list until after the All-Star break. … Blake Treinen (shoulder) is on track to return from the injured list when he's first eligible on Wednesday, though it remains to be seen if he’ll immediately return to his closing duties. … Khris Davis (hand) missed another game, as he’s having difficulty gripping a bat. The A’s are hopeful that he’ll be able to return on Sunday. … Dee Gordon left Saturday’s game with a minor quad injury. He’s considered day-to-day. … Stephen Piscotty suffered a right knee sprain in Saturday’s victory over the Angels. He’s expected to undergo an MRI on Sunday, but it’s likely that he’s heading for the injured list… Michael Pineda fanned eight over six innings of one-run baseball in a victory over the White Sox. … Nelson Cruz and Max Kepler each swatted two home runs to power the Twins in that victory. … Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs on Saturday as the Tigers rallied to beat the Nationals. … Cavan Biggio swatted his first career grand slam in a win over the Royals. … Danny Jansen blasted a walk-off two-run homer to seal that one. … Andrew Cashner struck out six over seven shutout innings as the Orioles shut out the Indians for the second consecutive game. … Renato Nunez lead the attack on offense there, with a pair of homers and four RBI in a second straight 13-0 shellacking. … Yuli Gurriel delivered a walk-off RBI double in the 10th inning against the Mariners, the second straight game that he has come through with the walk-off winner. … Brett Anderson fired 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball in a victory over the Angels.

National League Quick Hits: The Cubs designated veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez for assignment. They’re hopeful that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and report to Triple-A Iowa. … Cole Hamels (oblique) will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his strained left oblique.… Ozzie Albies was pulled from Saturday’s game as a precautionary measure after being drilled by a pitch in his elbow. He’s considered day-to-day. … Hunter Renfroe missed his second straight game due to illness. ... Francisco Mejia was pulled from Saturday’s game after being hit on the elbow by a pitch. ... Jose Quintana fired six shutout innings on Saturday as the Cubs topped the Reds. … Javier Baez smashed a grand slam homer to lead the Cubs’ attack in that one. … Luis Castillo fanned six over seven innings of one-run ball in a tough-luck loss. … Nick Markakis and Austin Riley smacked back-to-back game-tying and go-ahead homers in the eight inning on Saturday, leading the Braves past the Mets. … Charlie Blackmon clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer as the Rockies beat the Dodgers. … Eric Thames homered, tripled and drove in two runs as the Brewers topped the Pirates. … Kevin Newman extended his hitting streak to 19 games in a losing effort in that one. … Brandon Woodruff became the first National League hurler to 10 wins, striking out seven over 7 ⅔ innings of one-run baseball against the Pirates… Zack Greinke fanned six over seven shutout innings in a victory over the Giants. … Drew Pomeranz twirled five scoreless innings of his own - while striking out seven - in a no-decision there. … Manny Machado and Franmil Reyes each blasted a pair of home runs as the Padres throttled the Cardinals in San Diego. … Chris Paddack racked up eight strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball in that victory. ... Neil Walker homered and drove in three runs on Saturday, leading the Marlins past the Phillies.