Jake Arrieta (P/Chicago Cubs) – Arrieta pitched against the Rockies on June 11. He pitched 4 1⁄3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 and struck out 3. The Cubs won 7-5.
On June 17, the Cubs were in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Arrieta pitched 4 2⁄3 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, including 1 home run. He walked 2 and struck out 7. The Cubs were down 2-1 in the 5th when Arrieta came up to bat hit his first home run of the season. That tied the game 2-2. The Cubs still managed to lose 4-3.
#PitchersWhoRake @JArrieta34 just went deep! https://t.co/ej3Se2Fwbe
— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2017
Jake Arrieta helps his own cause in a BIG way pic.twitter.com/KROVV4sgyc
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 18, 2017
There’s been so much talk about what has affected Arrieta’s pitching this season. First, it appears he’s had an issue with the thumb on his throwing hand. With the Cubs’ lineup struggling this season, Arrieta is trying to stay off of the DL. He’s also getting in some extra rest between starts, which will hopefully help the thumb hold out as long as possible.
With Cubs’ rotation shaky, Jake Arrieta aims to power through injury https://t.co/w4jA9PLUPu pic.twitter.com/tICGw2XbxS
— Rincon Sports (@rincon_sports) June 19, 2017
He also opened up a bit recently and admitted that the past 2 years of pitching has taken its toll. He pitched his way to the Cy Young in 2015, and 2016 brought high expectations and a World Series title. He pitched 468 1⁄3 innings in those 2 years, including the postseason.
Off-the-field, his mother-in-law underwent her second brain surgery recently. His wife, Brittany, and two children have been staying in Arizona to help care for her. While Jake isn’t using these as an excuse, we all know how difficult it can be to “adult,” let alone as a professional athlete with everyone watching. Hopefully the upcoming All-Star break will give him some time to check in with his family and get some much-needed rest. We wish his mother-in-law the absolute best and a speedy recovery.
Jake Arrieta explains why he thinks he's been off this season - https://t.co/R27jORUlV1 #CubsTalk
— Cubs Talk (@CSNCubs) June 19, 2017
I know a little boy that is happy Daddy is home ⚾️ ❤️@JArrieta34 pic.twitter.com/DTxfNbDaxZ
— Brittany Arrieta (@MrsArrieta49) June 19, 2017
He currently has a 4.64 ERA, with a 1.33 WHIP. He’ll pitch in Miami this Thursday. To follow Jake Arrieta this season, click here.
Matt Carpenter (3B/St. Louis Cardinals) – June 11 was a 3 for 3 game against the Phillies for the Cardinals. Carpenter hit a ground rule double in the bottom of the 7th but was doubled off second on Dexter’s Fowler’s bunt. The Cardinals won 6-5 and swept the series.
On June 13, Carpenter and the Cards were home against the Brewers. In the bottom of the 5th, Carpenter hit a ground rule double that drove in fellow Frog Chad Huffman. The Cardinals won 6-0.
June 13 saw a double-header and another 5 at-bats for Carpenter against the Brewers. He hit a single in the bottom of the 2nd to drive in Greg Garcia. Then in the bottom of the 7th, he hit a 408-foot home run. But the Brewers rallied to hand the Cardinals an 8-5 loss.
.@MattCarp13's stats since moving into the leadoff spot: for with RBI and runs scored. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/KxNT51X792
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 14, 2017
On June 14, the two teams battled again in game 3 of 4. Carpenter hit a double in the bottom of the second, allowing Kolten Wong to score. He had a single in the bottom of the 9th with two outs, but the game ended shortly after. The Cardinals lost 7-6.
June 15 was game 4 of 4. Carpenter hit a double in the bottom of the 1st and was driven home by Stephen Piscotty. Then in the bottom of the 5th he hit another double and was brought in by Dexter Fowler. The Cardinals ultimately lost 6-4 to give the series to Milwaukee.
Matt Carpenter warming up before a game pic.twitter.com/lmBdR2lEVK
— IJustCantWatch (@jjcul63) June 16, 2017
On June 16, the Cardinals were in Baltimore. Carpenter hit a home run in the top of the 6th to help the Cardinals get a decisive 11-2 win.
"Look At Me. I'm The Leadoff Hitter Now." - @MattCarp13, probably. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/k5v02vRj7t
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 17, 2017
Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler hit back-to-back homers and the #STLCards now lead 8-1! pic.twitter.com/VMRBa1CfBt
— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) June 17, 2017
On June 17, Carpenter walked in the top of the 1st. He was driven home by Molina, when an error by the second baseman allowed the runners to advance. Carpenter walked in the top of the 6th and came home on Fowler’s 3-run homer. Unfortunately, Baltimore pulled ahead in the bottom of the 2nd, scoring 7 runs that inning. The Cardinals lost 15-7.
On June 18, Carpenter walked in the top of the 8th and was driven in by another Fowler home run. The Cardinals couldn’t contain the Orioles and lost 8-5.
Of course, Carpenter is watching the Frogs as they play in the CWS this week, wishing them luck on Twitter yesterday.
Want to wish @TCU_Baseball and @TCUSchloss luck tonight in their first game in the CWS! Cheering y'all on from philly! #frogs
— Matt Carpenter (@MattCarp13) June 18, 2017
Carpenter currently has 55 hits, 37 runs, and 38 RBIs, including 13 home runs. He has a .246 AVG. The Cardinals will be in Phiadelphia tonight. For all the stats during Carpenter's 2017 season, click here.
Andrew Cashner (P/Texas Rangers) – Cashner and Rangers had a tough outing at home against the Astros on June 14. He pitched into the 5th inning and managed to strike out 4 and walk just 1. But that was the only good news of the game. He allowed 4 runs on 10 hits, all earned. The Rangers lost 13-2.
Mom approves of that strike out, Andrew Cashner pic.twitter.com/gQJ5zVYPQw
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) June 15, 2017
Andrew Cashner playing with fire in this one...
— Tim Ciesco (@TimCiescoNBC5) June 15, 2017
Here's hoping he has another escape act in him... #Rangers pic.twitter.com/bl25aJNDFm
Cashner was placed on the 10-day DL yesterday for a strained oblique. In the meantime, he’s cheering for TCU at the CWS.
Rangers place RHP Andrew Cashner on the 10-day disabled list with left oblique strain. pic.twitter.com/E92QTzQIeN
— NBCDFWSports (@NBCDFWSports) June 17, 2017
Rangers call up veteran pitcher Ernesto Frieri; Andrew Cashner pulling for TCU in College World Series https://t.co/fXIzPIzLhz pic.twitter.com/f0AFWMHxZY
— DMN_tcu (@DMN_tcu) June 17, 2017
Cashner currently has an ERA of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.47. For more of Cashner's stats, click here.
Stefan Crichton (P/Baltimore Orioles) — Crichton is still in Norfolk right now.
You can follow Crichton this season here.
Taylor Featherston (SS/Tampa Bay Rays) - I’ve been a Featherston fan since he played for the Angels. He hadn’t quite found his niche yet in the Majors and got tossed around a bit in trades. But now he joins us as a Tampa Bay Ray, where he’s listed at shortstop but is still being moved around a bit.
Taylor Featherston says the RaysBaseball players and clubhouse culture have made his transition to Tampa Bay pretty smooth. #RaysUp …
— Audible Sports (@AudibleSports) June 14, 2017
On June 9, he came in to play 1B in the top of the 7th against the Oakland A’s. He struck out that night, but the Rays still managed to win 13-4.
On June 11, Featherston came in to play a full game at 3B against the A’s. He flied out, struck out, and walked in a game that ended in a 7-2 loss for the Rays.
On June 13, Featherston was stationed at 2B against the Blue Jays in Toronto. The game was tied at nothing in the 3rd when Featherston came up to bat. He opened the 3rd with a 408-foot home run to put the Rays on the board. They went on to win 8-1.
Taylor Featherston launches a solo home run over the right-center field wall for his first of the season to give the Rays a 1-0 lead!!! pic.twitter.com/TKClIoYzy0
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 14, 2017
On June 14, Featherston was back in the lineup and spent time at 2B and shortstop, as the Rays faced the Blue Jays again. In the top of the 4th, Featherston hit a sac fly to drive in Mallex Smith and make it 3-1. The Rays lost the game 7-6.
On June 16, the Rays were in Detriot to face the Tigers. Featherston was a pinch hitter in the top of the 6th and hit a single to left but was out at first on a double play later. He showed up at 1B for the bottom of the inning. The Rays lost 13-4.
On June 18, Featherston came in the bottom of the 7th to play 3B. He didn’t have any luck at the plate, but the Rays still won 9-1.
Featherston has 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs. His AVG is .214. The Rays face Cincinnati tonight. You can see all of his stats here.
Brandon Finnegan (P/Cincinnati Reds) – Finnegan made a double-A appearance in Pensacola on June 11. He allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in 3 innings.
On June 16, Finnegan pitched 4 innings and allowed just 1 hit. It’s unknown how long he’ll be in Pensacola.
#CincinnatiReds #Reds Finnegan tosses 4 scoreless in rehab start https://t.co/fQTvQos9pm
— Cincinnati Reds Fans (@RedsViews) June 18, 2017
Not a bad outing for Brandon Finnegan: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO@Reds#WahoosLife pic.twitter.com/WILLdruRFc
— Pensacola BlueWahoos (@BlueWahoosBBall) June 16, 2017
Finnegan currently has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in the MLB.
For more on Finnegan's 2017 season, you can go here.
Chad Huffman (LF/St. Louis Cardinals) - On June 11, Huffman was a pinch hitter and struck out swinging in the 6th. The Cardinals won 6-5.
On June 13, he faced the Brewers in game 1 of a 4-game series. He hit a triple in the 5th as a pinch hitter. Carpenter drove him in for the run, which helped the Cardinals get the 6-0 win.
And with that triple, Chad Huffman has his first major league hit since 2010. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/g8b0XYo7r4
— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) June 13, 2017
Matt Carpenter ~ ground rule double for RBI. Brings in good buddy Chad Huffman in for the run. Cards 2 - Brewers 0. pic.twitter.com/UXWyz6Au6x
— Beth Chapman (@elichap822) June 13, 2017
On June 14, Huffman pinch hit in the 7th and walked but coudn’t get the run. The Cardinals lost in a close 7-6 battle with the Brewers for game 2 of the series.
On June 15 saw game 3 and Huffman pinch hitting in the 9th, where he struck out looking. The Cardinals lost 6-4. On June 16, Huffman pinch hit in the 8th and flied out to center field. The Cardinals were still able to win 11-2.
On June 17, Huffman saw a place in the starting lineup for the first time. He ws put in right field. Unfortunately, it was a rough game for the Cardinals, who faced the Orioles in Baltimore. In the top of the 6th, Huffman reached on an infield single to shortstop to get on base and was scored on a home run by Dexter Fowler. The Cardinals struggled throughout the game and lost 15-7.
Last week, Huffman addressed his dream of playing in the MLB in an interview with Fox Sports. Check it out below:
Chad Huffman almost gave up on his #MLB dream, but lifelong buddy Matt Carpenter talked him out of it. And here he is. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/Haq95mjaS0
— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) June 8, 2017
The Cardinals will face the Phillies tonight at home in St. Louis. Huffman’s AVG is .300. He has 3 hits, 2 runs, and no home runs or RBIs yet. You can follow his season and see all of his stats here.