Listed below are three issues we’ll be maintaining a tally of all through the baseball world this weekend…
1. Adam Jones honored in Baltimore:
The Orioles introduced late final month that longtime Baltimore star Adam Jones will formally retire as a member of the O’s on Sept. 15. Jones can be honored in a pre-game at Camden Yards tonight, giving Baltimore followers that rooted him on as the center and soul of many contending O’s golf equipment — and all through his heroics for Crew USA within the 2017 World Baseball Traditional — to bid farewell to a franchise favourite. Jones made 5 All-Star groups, gained 4 Gold Gloves and captured a Silver Slugger Award as an Oriole. From 2008-18, the middle fielder performed in 1613 video games as an Oriole, batting .279/.319/.459 with 263 dwelling runs and 90 steals. He helped gasoline postseason runs in 2012, 2014 and 2016 and performed a serious position within the Orioles being one of many American League’s winningest groups throughout his peak years in Baltimore. Following an 11-year stretch with the O’s, Jones performed a yr with the D-backs (2019) and spent two seasons (2020-21) with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball, however he’ll at all times be remembered as an Oriole.
2. Cy Younger candidates on the hill:
There are nonetheless a number of viable Cy Younger candidates in each the American League and Nationwide League, and this weekend’s slate of video games will see a number of of them take the hill as they make one in every of their closing instances for that {hardware}. Friday will see American League innings (187) and ERA (2.79) chief Gerrit Cole take the mound in opposition to his former group in Pittsburgh. Minnesota’s Sonny Grey, who ranks second within the AL with a 2.96 ERA, will take Sunday in opposition to the visiting White Sox. His teammate Pablo Lopez — fourth in innings pitched, seventh in ERA, second in strikeout price and driving a blistering second-half scorching streak (1.89 ERA) — will look to proceed his personal late bid Saturday in opposition to the ChiSox. Astros lefty Framber Valdez, second in innings (181 2/3) and fifth in ERA (3.32) will host the Royals on Sunday.
Within the Nationwide League, Cubs lefty Justin Steele (2.49 ERA) can be on the bump for tonight’s recreation in opposition to the Diamondbacks. He ranks simply fifteenth within the NL in innings pitched however is second to Blake Snell in ERA amongst certified hurlers. Baseball’s innings chief, Logan Webb (193), might cross the 200-frame threshold as we speak versus the Rockies and can look to drop his fifth-ranked 3.40 earned run common in an ominous Coors Discipline setting.
3. The wild NL Wild Card chase:
The Nationwide League Wild Card race is as tightly contested because it’s been at any level this season, with every of the D-backs, Reds and Giants in a three-way tie for the third and closing spot. That trio of groups is 2.5 video games behind the Cubs for the second spot. Because it occurs, the D-backs and Cubs are set to kick off a three-game collection this weekend that’ll be significantly pivotal for Arizona, the place the Diamondbacks’ playoff odds have dwindled after a torrid begin to the season. A D-backs sweep might flip the script and catapult them into the second Wild Card spot, whereas a collection defeat or sweep by the hands of the Cubs could possibly be a backbreaker for his or her playoff hopes.
Each Cincinnati and San Francisco will tackle groups with dropping information, because the Reds play host to the Mets and the Giants go to the Rockies at Coors Discipline. San Francisco’s weekend collection can be significantly notable with regard to the playoff race, as they’ll play a doubleheader tomorrow to make up for yesterday’s rainout.
The Marlins, in the meantime, are simply half a recreation behind the Reds, D-backs and Giants — however they’re in for the hardest problem in baseball this weekend as they tangle with a juggernaut Braves membership that’s presently 46 video games over the .500 mark with a staggering +239 run differential.
There’s sufficient time left on the schedule that this weekend gained’t utterly decide the postseason discipline, however we’ve reached the purpose within the calendar the place each collection — in some instances each particular person video games — can swing the playoff odds in important trend.
