Welcome to theScore's roundup of everything you need to know from around MLB. Here we'll touch on the notable storylines, biggest trends, most shocking plays, and some other cool things from the week. Let's dive in!
What everyone's talking about 👇
Ronald Acuña Jr. is back: The 2023 NL MVP returned with a bang after being sidelined for almost a year because of a second ACL tear. Acuña homered on the first pitch that came his way in a memorable season debut. Read more ...
Pirates won't trade Paul Skenes: The future of Pittsburgh's young ace is coming into question as the Pirates' season spirals. But GM Ben Cherington poured cold water on thoughts of a trade. Read more ...
Juan Soto's lack of hustle: The Mets' superstar felt the spotlight of New York as every columnist, analyst, and radio personality talked about how he spent too long admiring a long fly ball off the wall. The pressure will continue to mount until he starts producing like he can. Read more ...
Who's hot? 🔥
Angels' bats: Los Angeles recorded at least two homers in a franchise-record seven consecutive games during an eight-game win streak, which was the longest for the club since 2014. Taylor Ward played a large role, making team history with an extra-base hit in 10 straight contests.
Seiya Suzuki: The Cubs star leads the majors with 49 RBIs after driving in another 10 with three long balls and a 1.552 OPS over his past six games.
Rafael Devers: Devers was one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past week, slashing .308/.419/.692 with three homers, a grand slam, 10 RBIs, and one walk-off single.
Who's not? 🥶
Andrew Vaughn: It's been a rough go for the former No. 3 pick. Vaughn went 4-for-25 in his past seven games before being optioned to Triple-A and owns the lowest fWAR among qualified hitters.
Ceddanne Rafaela: The Red Sox outfielder went 1-for-22 this past week with six strikeouts and an error that played a role in the Orioles' Little League homer.
Rockies: This week, Colorado entered the record books by clinching the worst record through a team's first 50 games in the modern era.
Player who deserves more attention 🔎
White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth has made quite the impression during his first two months in the majors. The 23-year-old is hitting .305 thanks to a 12-game hitting streak that's seen him string together six multi-hit contests. He's owned in 34% of Yahoo! Fantasy leagues.
You love to see it 😍
Oneil Cruz made a young Pirates fan's day by gifting him his bat after ripping a game-winning triple. The boy said he got the souvenir because they made a deal.
Guardians reliever Nic Enright recorded his first strikeout during his MLB debut after pitching in the minors while going through cancer treatments after a December 2022 diagnosis.
Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz played a big-league game in front of his parents for the first time Thursday, and he made them proud by lacing an RBI double.
Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer was pumped after being informed that he's going to the big leagues.
We can't believe this happened 🤯
In one of the worst displays of baserunning in baseball history, Atlanta's Eli White inexplicably ran back to second base on Ozzie Albies' ninth-inning single, instantly killing his team's rally.
The Triple-A Reno Aces earned a walk-off win on a bases-loaded double ... despite interference by one of their players who ran out of the dugout prematurely to celebrate.
Cruz's 432-foot homer Sunday left PNC Park at 122.9 mph. That's the hardest-hit ball of the Statcast era - and it broke his own record.
Arizona's Ketel Marte was captured deep in conversation with his bat. This happened in the middle of an eight-game hitting streak, so perhaps others should be copying Marte's motivational tactics.
After Alex Cora broke the bullpen phone following his ejection Tuesday, the Red Sox went on a homer barrage - and the remnants of said phone were there to celebrate.
Sound smart among your friends 🧠
Tarik Skubal's missing bats like never before. The Detroit ace's 34.8 whiff percentage prior to Sunday was already the highest by a qualified pitcher since 2023 before he twirled a historic shutout against Cleveland. He's also on pace to post only the fifth K/BB ratio above 10 (he's now at 13.14) in history.
They said what? 🗣️
Mets left-hander David Peterson isn't intimidated after striking out Shohei Ohtani three times: "He's just another hitter. One of nine in their lineup."
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge still doesn't believe he's locked in despite his phenomenal start: "I don't feel too great at the plate. Always a work in progress."
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor rooted for Walker Buehler and Alex Cora's ejections to get a competitive edge: "It stretches the bullpen. It puts the (Red Sox) at a disadvantage. And as a competitor, I want all of the advantages possible."
Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi discussed what manager Ron Washington said during a mound visit: "I wasn't exactly sure what he was saying. There were lots of slangs that I was not familiar with. So I just gave it my all out there."
What to watch this week 📺
World Series rematch: It's Yankees versus Dodgers for the first time since L.A. beat New York in five games in October. It's Judge versus Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. Need we say more?
Braves-Phillies showdown: This NL East rivalry is always tense. The Braves have recovered somewhat from their disastrous 0-7 start and have Acuña back, but they continue to hover around .500 heading into this series. Can they gain some ground by cooling down the red-hot Phils?