Bases Covered is a roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Bryce Harper met with a group of Little Leaguers in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. The Nationals outfielder had some advice for the youngsters: “No participation trophies, OK? First place only.”
The Nationals will face the Giants on Monday in the first game of a three-series California road trip.
Trout ‘bummed’ after injuring thumb
Mike Trout left Sunday’s matchup between the Angels and the Marlins in the sixth inning after spraining his left thumb on a head-first slide.
The Angels lost that game 9–2, but losing Trout to injury would be much worse news. The team is waiting for the results of an MRI on Monday to determine how badly the two-time MVP and five-time all-star is hurt.
“It’s just sore,” Trout told reporters after the game on Sunday. “It’s a scary thing. We did X-rays and there’s no fracture, so that’s relieving. We’ll come in tomorrow and see how it feels.”
Trout, who added that he’s “bummed out,” has never spent time on the DL. Here’s why losing him would be devastating.
No rest for the weary
Tampa Bay starter Erasmo Ramirez got the save on Sunday in his team’s 8–6 win over the Minnesota Twins–a game that lasted 15 innings. He isn’t getting much time to reflect on his performance, though.
The 27-year-old right-hander took to the mound in the final inning of the game after the Rays had gone through six relievers. He threw only 12 pitches to get the final three outs, so the Rays have opted to let make his scheduled start on Monday, when he’ll face the Texas Rangers in the series opener.
Big presence, big expectations
New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge hit the first grand slam of his MLB career on Sunday. It also happened to be his 16th home run of the season, tying Trout for the major-league lead.
Judge’s bomb, which arrived in the third inning versus the Athletics, helped lift his team to a 9–5 victory.
The towering 25-year-old earned chants of “MVP!” from the crowd at Yankee Stadium for his impressive feats. Here’s why the thought of Judge as an MVP candidate isn’t so farfetched.
He’s in a funk
Chris Davis had himself a pretty lousy weekend, and some fans are starting to wonder: What’s wrong with the first baseman? Not only did the Baltimore Orioles suffer a sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros, but Davis went 1-for-12 with eight strikeouts in the series at Minute Maid Park.
“I’m not seeing a whole lot,” Davis told reporters following Sunday’s loss. “I think the last game at home, I kind of started to feel a little bit better, and obviously get down here and just having to battle a number of things. I’m just not picking up the ball, and that’s going to make hitting pretty tough. I’m looking forward to getting home and getting back to an environment where I’m comfortable and where I’ve had a lot of success.”
