Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Seemingly unbreakable
On Tuesday, the Orioles celebrated the upcoming 20th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,131st consecutive game (the team will be on the road on Sept. 6, the official anniversary). Ripken, who was honoured for his remarkable achievement at Camden Yards and tossed the ceremonial first pitch, told reporters on Tuesday that he believes his record of 2,632 consecutive games can be broken.
Arencibia’s back—and contributing?
While the Orioles may have had a pre-game celebration in honour of Ripken, there was no post-game celebration for Baltimore’s team—and that’s thanks in large part to J.P. Arencibia. The 29-year-old backstop, who was released by the Orioles in the spring and signed a minor-league deal with Tampa in April, was called up from the triple-A Durham Bulls last week, and believe it or not, on Tuesday he was excellent. Arencibia homered and drove in six runs in his performance, just his sixth major-league game this season. Along with a solid pitching performance from Drew Smyly, the Rays crushed the Orioles, 11–2.
What’s wrong with Johnny Cueto?
The Tigers defeated the Royals, 6–5, on Tuesday. Justin Verlander pitched another solid game, while Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler homered and drove in three runs. Johnny Cueto started for the Royals; he gave up four runs on nine hits in the first four innings. The right-hander has been shaky lately, which has caused people to wonder: Is it time to worry about Cueto?
Greinke still boss
Dodgers righty Zack Greinke faced off against Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday night. In a tough matchup, Greinke nabbed the win; he pitched into the eighth, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts, and his ERA is now just 1.59. The Dodgers remain first in the NL West, while the Giants sit second, 5.5 games back.
Meanwhile, L.A. rookie Joc Pederson, who’s been in a bad slump, homered off Bumgarner and couldn’t contain his glee. It’s possible the 23-year-old is getting some of his mojo back.
Marlins making changes
According to a report from the Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer, the Marlins, at the behest of owner Jeffrey Loria, have already started to implement “sweeping changes” in their organization. Spencer notes that current manager Dan Jennings is unlikely to return as the team’s manager next season. Jennings, formerly the club’s GM, could return to the front office, though Spencer notes that he could also end up outside the organization, with the Mariners, for one, looking to hire a new GM.
