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Good
morning.
- Jeff Passan has some newly-found video of Ted Williams talking hitting. Passan breaks down five points Williams makes and how Williams’ points apply today.
- Last night, Fernando Tatis Jr. robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam. He also hit two home runs himself.
Here are the two home runs and the stolen HR.
- The owners unanimously approved the sale of the Padres to the husband and wife team of José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones for $3.9 million.
- Buster Olney argues that the sale of the Padres completes the legacy of their former owner, the late Peter Seidler.
- Cole Bradley explains how strong production from role players got the Padres back in the playoff hunt.
- And in the bad news for the Padres, Oswaldo Pirela, their minor league catching coordinator, has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list after he failed to show up for a game in Boston.
- We still don’t know much of what’s going on with Marte, but he’s reportedly returning to Phoenix for an MRI. Steve Gilbert with the story.
- Sticking with the NL West, Ryan Blake explains how the Dodgers, as a team, are slumping right now.
- No one is slumping worse that former Cub Kyle Tucker, as he’s being booed at Dodger Stadium. Matt Snyder explains how bad it has been for Tucker.
- Tucker did snap an 0 for 26 hitless streak with an RBI double in Colorado last night.
- Dodgers high-priced closer Edwin Díaz has also struggled, and now he’s going on the injured list with neck inflamation.
- The Dodgers have some off-the-field issues as well as their owner Mark Walter is selling off his other sports holdings as he struggles to pay off loans ahead of a federal investigation. (The Athletic sub. req.) Melody Gutierrez tries to explain how Walter got into this predicament, although it should be noted that he has not made any moves to sell the Dodgers. Just the Lakers and Chelsea.
- The Brewers are not slumping as they beat the Mariners 22-0 last night, matching the most lopsided shutout win since 1887.
- It’s been a year since Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a regular-season home run in Toronto. Andy Backstrom examines Guerrero’s power outage.
- Guerrero is one reason that Dayn Perry gives as he explains how the Blue Jays went from two outs away from a World Series title to outside the playoffs looking in.
- Yankees left-hander Max Fried is going back on the injured list. Matt Snyder looks at how the Yankees can manage during his absence.
- Dan Szymborski looks at which teams have lost the most production through injuries this year. No, the Cubs are not at the top of the list. They’re tied for seventh.
- Will Leitch has five teams that sold at the deadline that are still in the playoff hunt. Of course, the mediocre race for the third American League Wild Card is keeping a lot of teams’ hopes alive.
- Jake Mintz looks at the strength of schedule for the rest of the season for all the teams battling for a Wild Card. (Don’t bother looking for the Cubs. Mintz thinks they’re already a lock for at least a Wild Card so he doesn’t look at their schedule.)
- Bradford Doolittle does, however, examine the chances of a All-Chicago World Series, both this year and every year since 1901.
- Jeff Passan looks at the huge impact that the late Tommy John has had on baseball.
- Jay Jaffe also examines the career of the Tommy John with a piece that looks at Tommy John the pitcher more than Tommy John the eponymous surgery guinea pig.
- Guardians outfielder Jo Adell hit a 455-foot home run on Tuesday after fouling a pitch off his kneecap. He left the game after the home run.
- Here’s that Adell home run.
- Neil DeMause explains why the proposed new stadium for the Royals is “a world-historically terrible agreement for taxpayers.”
- Former Cub and former Comeback Player of the Year Trey Mancini has retired.
- Cody Stavenhagen notes that White Sox catcher Jake Rogers has played for four different teams in a record 21 days. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Nationals infielder C.J. Abrams says he’s “not thrilled” about moving from shortstop to second base, but he’ll make the move to help the team win. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- The rating for the Field of Dreams game was way down this year at just 1.66 million. Well, don’t put it on Netflix then.
- The Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees are all getting their own special edition comic books. Max Ralph with the details.
- Is it getting really loud at a ballpark near you? That’s because the players want it that way. Jorge Castillo explains how and why MLB stadiums keep pumping up the volume.
- Shlomo Sprung looks at the secret, hidden speakeasy at the Mariners T-Mobile Park where they serve limited edition, one-of-a-kind drinks.
- Sam Blum looks at how the promises of a park where the old Yankee Stadium stood have been unfulfilled. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- And finally, Mark Sheldon explains how Russian tennis superstar Daniil Medvedev became a huge Cincinnati Reds fan.
