Hope in Beantown

[OmahaBaseball]

What a month it was for New York Yankee pitcher Nestor Cortes, as the crafty lefty earned American League Pitcher of the Month honors. In posting a 4-2 record, Cortes had a 1.74 ERA with 55 strikeouts and just 8 walks in 46 2/3 innings of play. On the month, Cortes accumulated 1.4 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

Apparently, winning the NL's Rookie of the Month award was not enough for Colorado rookie sensation Adael Amador, as the budding star also nabbed National League Batter of the Month honors. As previously noted, Amador went 39 for 98 (.398 batting average) with 11 Doubles, 3 Triples, 5 Homeruns, 24 Runs, 18 RBI, 15 Walks, and 2 Stolen Bases for a slashline of .398/.482/.724 that generated 2.2 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

New York Yankee slugger Aaron Judge had an outstanding month of hitting. In earning AL Batter of the Month honors, Judge smoked the ball to the tune of a .295 batting average (26 for 88) with 5 Doubles, Triple, 10 Homeruns, 18 Runs, 23 RBI, and 16 Walks for a slashline of .295/.404/.716 for 1.7 WAR.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at the American League standings heading into August. The races are still very close and the Wild Card battle will be a fun one to watch.

[OmahaBaseball]

While the Phillies continue to run away with the NL's best record, there are a few Wild Card scenarios that should prove to be rather competitive.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at who is leading the American League in batting categories. It will be fun to watch how the AL MVP battle plays out between Henderson and Witt Jr.

[OmahaBaseball]

Players leading the NL in hitting categories. It is interesting to see how tight the WAR race is between Mookie Betts, Corbin Carroll, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Bryson Stott.

[OmahaBaseball]

American League pitching leaders.What a trio of pitching the Kansas City Royals have with Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, and Brady Singer.

[OmahaBaseball]

National League pitching leaders:

[OmahaBaseball]

Talk about a stacked farm system, the Seattle Mariners are loaded with 5 players in the top-20 prospects list.

[OmahaBaseball]

A look at how the Boston Red Sox sit heading into August baseball. For the month of July, the team played just .500 ball (12 Wins, 12 Losses); by far the worst month of the season so far. On the batting front, the team puts the ball in play but there is a lack of power at times. Defensively, the team is struggling and I need to be more diligent in improving the team. Pitching is solid, but can always be better.

[OmahaBaseball]

A difficult month at the plate for Boston's big hitters of Devers, Duran, and O'Neill. Happy to see Grissom generate a solid month of hitting.

[OmahaBaseball]

A fine month of pitching from Jack Flaherty (4-0; 2.33 ERA) and a dominate series of relief appearances from Liam Hendriks (10 for 10 in save opportunities) are the bright sports for the Red Sox pitching staff.

[OmahaBaseball]

A much-needed victory came on the road in the Lone Star state. On the day, the Boston Red Sox (60-49) bested the Texas Rangers (59-51) by an 8 to 1 score to maintain a slim lead in the American League East race.

This was a nice outcome for Boston pitcher Kutter Crawford (9-8), as he permitted just 1 earned run on 6 hits and 3 walks while getting 8 strikeouts in 8 innings of play; Game Score 71. Nick Pivetta pitched a scoreless/hitless final inning. At the plate, Tyler O'Neill (1 for 3, Homerun, Run, 4 RBI, Walk, Stolen Base), Reese McGuire (2 for 3, Homerun, 2 Runs, 3 RBI), and Vaughn Grissom (2 for 4, Double, 2 Runs, Walk, 2 Stolen Bases) had a productive day.

Jacob deGrom (13-6) was tagged with the loss after he served up 6 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 in 5 1/3 innings of work; Game Score 36. Shintaro Fujinami covered 2 2/3 innings in relief, but his defense let him down as 2 unearned runs scored on 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batsman. Andrew Heaney pitched a perfect final inning in relief. The Rangers limited offense was generated by Adolis Garcia (1 for 3, Double, Walk) and Evan Carter (1 for 3, RBI, Sacrifice Bunt).

Player of the Game: Kutter Crawford (Season: #9)

AL East Standings: 1st Place, 1 Game Lead

[OmahaBaseball]

What a day at the plate for Tampa Bay Rays 1B Yandy Diaz. Despite seeing his team fall to the Houston Astros by a 8 to 6 score, Diaz had a tremendous showing in which he went 5 for 5 with 2 Doubles, Run, and 2 RBI.

[OmahaBaseball]

Yes it is only 1 game, but the local media and fans are already taking the Red Sox front office to task after the strong showing of former pitcher Garrett Whitlock. In his recent start, Whitlock tossed a gem for his new Seattle Mariners teammates in which he allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 12 in a complete game victory over the visiting Philadelphia Philles; Game Score 95. OUCH!

[OmahaBaseball]

I have several players who I stand to lose in free agency after this season, so I have started to explore extension offers. My first success is with RF Tyler O'Neill who agreed to a 4-year, $65.6M offer that allows him to opt out following the 2026 season. While this is a significant pay jump for him, I really like O'Neill's defensive skills, power, and speed. I was purposeful in not including a no-trade clause, so if I see something come along in the future (and it is right for the team) I will move him. On the season, O'Neill has a slashline of .236/.308/.469 that has generated 2.4 WAR in 451 plate appearances.

2025	Age 29	$19,000,000
2026	Age 30	$17,000,000 
2027	Age 31	$15,800,000
2028	Age 32	$13,800,000

MVP Award Bonus    $550,000
All-Star Bonus 	   $150,000
Player Opt Out after 2026 Season
Promised Role: Starting Lineup

[OmahaBaseball]

A great pitching duel through the first 7 innings, starter Bryan Bello ran out of gas and was roughed up the bottom of the 8th. In rewarding the home crowd to a 3 to 0 victory, the Texas Rangers (60-51) topped the visiting Boston Red Sox (60-50) through the terrific pitching of ace Max Scherzer.

In picking up the win, Scherzer (12-7) scattered 5 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batsman in the complete-game shutout that saw him fan 10 batters; Game Score 85. Leading the Rangers offense was Corey Seager (1 for 4, Homerun, Run, 3 RBI) and Wyatt Langford (1 for 3, Run, Walk).

Boston starter Brayan Bello (11-10) was tagged with the loss after he permitted 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 in 7 2/3 innings of work; Game Score 65. Nick Pivetta was ineffective in his 1/3 inning of play, as he allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit (homerun), with both of the inherited runners scoring. Success at the plate was tough to come by today, as only Tommy Edman (2 for 2, Double, Stolen Base, Sacrifice Bunt) and Tyler O'Neill (1 for 4, Stolen Base) did anything noteworthy.

Player of the Game: Max Scherzer

AL East Standings: 1st Place, 1 Game Lead

[OmahaBaseball]

A nice back bounce victory for the visitors, as the Boston Red Sox (61-50) topped the Texas Rangers (60-52) by a 10 to 2 margin.

Rumor circulating in the Boston newspapers is that the front office and Jack Flaherty are in contentious extension discussions. While there may be some truth to those rumors, Flaherty (12-6) did not let it bother him, as he twirled a fine outing in which he allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6 in 7 1/3 innings of play; Game Score 63. Justin Slaten covered the final 1 2/3 innings in a scoreless/hitless relief appearance. Leading the Red Sox offense were Masataka Yoshida (2 for 4, 2 Runs, 3 RBI, Sacrifice Fly), Rafael Devers (1 for 2, Run, RBI, Walk, 2 Stolen Bases, Sacrifice Fly, Hit-by-Pitch), Tristan Casas (2 for 4, Homerun, 2 Runs, RBI, Walk), and Tyler O'Neill (1 for 2, Run, 3 Walks).

Ranger starter Tyler Mahle lasted just 4 innings, as he was tagged for 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batsman; Game Score 33. Sean Newcomb's relief performance was a disaster, giving up 4 earned runs on 2 hits, 1 walk, and a hit batsman in 2 1/3 innings. David Robertson lasted 1 2/3 innings after he surrendered 1 earned run on 2 hits and 2 walks. Tayler Saucedo pitched the final inning without allowing any further damage. With limited offense on the day, only Luis Taveras (2 for 4, Double, Run, RBI) and Nathaniel Lowe (1 for 3, Run, Walk) make the byline.

Player of the Game: Jack Flaherty (Season: #10)

AL East Standings: 1st Place, 1 Game Lead

[OmahaBaseball]

Make that 9 weeks in a row, as the Philadelphia Phillies (117.2 points) continue to lead MLB's Power Rankings list. The Baltimore Orioles (104.2 points) have leaped into the 2nd spot, with the Boston Red Sox (104.0 points) securing the 3rd place ranking. The Washington Nationals (64.1 points) pulls up in the final spot.

Previous week's rankings: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...&postcount=330