Photo by: Colin Lloyd on Unsplash
MLB 2022 Weekly Preview: News, scores, and upcoming games
To help get you up to speed on all that’s happening in the 2022 baseball season, read everything from the MLB right here.
All-Star votes are coming in thick and fast and we’ll soon know which players will be competing in the ASG. Is your favorite player there? Make sure you vote to help him reach the All-Star Game and represent his team.
MLB important headlines
- Braves’ rookie Spencer Strider with 12 SOs and two hits
- Padres’ left fielder Profar leaves game after collision with Abrams
- Yankees’ Judge and Rizzo sit out matchup against Red Sox
- Mets trounce Marlins with huge 10-0 victory
- Yankees get better of old Boston rivals, 6-5
- Tigers surprise White Sox with 2-1 win
- Mariners send home Blue Jays with convincing 8-3 triumph
- Aaron Judge and Ronald Acuna Jr. headline as All-Star starters
- Atlanta’s Jordan Hicks throws fastest pitch of 2022 at 103.8mph
- Judge leads MLB in home runs with 30
Game of the week
New York Yankees – 6 @ Boston Red Sox – 5 on Thursday, July 7th
This was a statement win for the Yankees against their old foes, the Red Sox, but on a night without Judge or Rizzo in the New York lineup, it was down to pitcher Gerrit Cole to save the day. And save it he did.
Cole was instrumental in the win by taking out eight of nine Boston hitters, which paved the way for a tense 6-5 win against the Red Sox on their home turf.
That’s not to say that it was all smooth sailing for the Yankees, as Boston’s third baseman, Rafael Devers, homered twice and picked up two crucial hits when it looked like the Red Sox could pull off the victory. Devers already has six career home runs against Cole, so this looks like a solid rivalry brewing already.
While Cole was pitching brilliantly on the mound, it still took a mammoth effort from the Yankees’ Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks to help seal the game. Both hitters earned themselves two pivotal home runs, even if they came amid “Yankees suck!” chants from the faithful Boston crowd.
As of now, the Yankees are 60-23 and first in the American League, while the Red Sox are fifth in the AL with a record of 45-38. The Red Sox have lost three in a row and hope to turn their season around after a pretty slow start to the year.
The Yankees’ dominance is twofold, as Cole is crushing it as the chief pitcher with 124 strikeouts and 3.26 ERA in 17 games played. On the batting side of things, Judge has an average of .287 and 30 home runs (best in the league).
Judge surprisingly turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension with the Yankees before the start of the season. He will become a free agent at the end of the MLB campaign and is expected to discuss a contract with several teams, including the Yankees.
Judge is having an all-time MVP season and if he keeps this up, he’ll be the unanimous choice when the voting begins. The Yankees are most likely the team to keep Judge, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a star player like Judge will leave New York for more money.
If the Yankees do win the World Series for the first time since 2009 and Judge walks away happy with one title, then it could certainly happen that he’ll field offers from other teams, even ones far away in terms of talent than the Yankees, if the price is right for him.
MLB Power Rankings 2022
Here are the best teams in the MLB right now.
1. New York Yankees: 60-23
It’s hard to find something bad to say about the best team in baseball right now, especially when the Yankees have gone 7-3 in their last 10. Sure, the cloud of Judge’s contract is hanging over the team somewhat, but if everyone can simply focus on this season and the upcoming World Series, then the Yankees will be just fine. There are rumblings of a trade for another outfielder, so look out for that.
2. Houston Astros: 54-28
The Yankees are rolling, but the Astros are so hot right now. Their road record is almost as good as their home record, which bodes well for the World Series down the line when away crowds can potentially swing the balance of a game. Bregman, Alvarez, and Verlander are the squad’s Big 3 at this moment, and what’s more, the team’s schedule looks much easier in the second half of the season.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers: 53-29
The Dodgers are 8-2 in their last 10, but some of that great news is a little bitter now that we know Chris Taylor will be out for some time due to a left foot fracture. L.A. has the pieces to handle his absence sure enough, but with Treinen, Hudson, and Buehler also on the sidelines because of injury, we won’t be surprised if the Dodgers are active at the trade deadline to help fill some gaps.
4. New York Mets: 52-31
The Mets were already solid before Max Scherzer’s return to the lineup (upon his reappearance he allowed two hits over six scoreless innings), but now the team is only getting to get better. This is scary for the rest of the league and may cause the Yankees to look over the shoulder at their league neighbor. It’s quite frankly great to see the Mets this good.
5. Atlanta Braves: 49-35
The current World Series champions continue to pick up win after win, and while it’s still hard to say if they’ll repeat for a title in 2022, they’re certainly close. Swanson and Turner are putting in All-Star efforts on the field and are worthy of inclusion to the ASG. Both of these star players will be free agents at the end of the season, so hopefully the Braves are able to keep both, or at least one, for a championship-level team.
Must-see upcoming MLB game
Check out the following matchup on the MLB schedule.
Washington Nationals @ Atlanta Braves on Friday 8th July
Likely first pitchers:
Nationals – Erick Fedde
Braves – Charlie Morton
Both starting pitchers are playing out of their skin at this moment, and we’re psyched to see which one will come out with the win. This will be the first of a three-game series in Atlanta.
The Braves’ Morton (4.34 ERA) and Nationals’ Fedde (4.29 ERA) are both veteran right-handed pitchers who have been in the game long enough to know a few tricks that can bamboozle hitters.
The Nationals have been languishing near the bottom of the National League with a record of 30-55, but they’ve still got Josh Bell for opposing teams to worry about. Bell has hit 12 homers and has a batting average of .310, so if the Braves can at least take care of him quickly, the Nationals will be left reeling.
For Atlanta, pitcher Morton has 101 strikeouts over the course of the season, and even pitched seven scoreless innings against the Reds last Sunday. If the Braves will win, which they likely will), it’ll be because of Morton putting in another huge effort on the mound.
Of course, the matchup between these two teams will be headlined by young and talented stars like Ronald Acuna Jr. from Atlanta and Juan Soto from Washington. Acuna has looked better lately, as he went 2-17 against St. Louis and seemed out of sorts. His last home run was back on June 21st. However, we trust Acuna to look improved against Washington.
We’d have to go with Atlanta picking up the first two games, then taking their foot off the pedal and allowing Washington to get the last game in the series.
Author: Joe Garland
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