Frogs in the MLB: Holaday saves the series, Arrieta wins in July

Jake Arrieta (P/Philadelphia Phillies) -

Phillies fans and Arrieta are glad to see July! After a rocky June, Arrieta pitched July 1 at home against the the Nationals. He pitched 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 2. The Phillies won 4-3.

On July 7, Arrieta was on the mound against the Pirates. He went 7 innings, which he hasn’t done since May 29 at the Dodgers. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, including 1 home run. He walked 1 and struck out 8. The Phillies won 3-2 and currently sit in 2nd place in the NL East behind the Braves.

Also, the Cubs are still licking their wounds over their decision to boot Arrieta out of town, in case you were wondering.

Arrieta has an ERA of 3.47 with a WHIP of 1.25. You can see Arrieta’s full stats here. He’ll pitch tomorrow at Miami.

Matt Carpenter (1B/St. Louis Cardinals) -

Carpenter ended June with a series against the Braves. He had a hit on June 29, but nothing came of it. June 30 wasn’t much better, but July 1 saw him get on base in the bottom of the 7th. He came in on a home run by Dexter Pham, but it wasn’t enough for the win. The Cardinals lost 6-5.

July 2 brought the start of a killer road series against the Diamondbacks. Carpenter hit a double in the top of the 1st to get on base. He was brought in by Molina. The Cardinals went on to win 6-3.

There was no luck for the Cards on July 3, and they took a 4-2 loss. July 4 brought plenty of fireworks, though, as Carpenter had two doubles, a single, and an RBI. He also had a couple of errors at first, but the Cards overcame it for the 8-4 win.

July 5 saw the first of 4 games in San Francisco. Carpenter walked in the top of the 1st and was brought in by Ozuna. Then he hit a home run in the top of the 2nd. He got on base again in the top of the 6th and was batted in by Ozuna again. The Cards won 11-2.

Carpenter didn’t have any luck at the plate on July 6 or 7. The Cardinals lost 3-2 on the 6th and won 3-2 on the 7th. Carpenter pinch hit in the top of the 8th on July 8. He hit a 3-run homer. The Cardinals lost 13-8, which left the series at a 2-2 tie.

On July 10, the Cardinals were in Chicago to face the White Sox. Carpenter singled in the top of the 3rd and was brought in by J. Martinez. Then he walked in the top of the 6th and was batted in by J. Martinez a second time. The Cardinals won 14-2.

July 11 saw game 2 and a double by Carpenter in the top of the 6th, but the Cardinals couldn’t get anything home. They lost 4-0.

Carpenter currently has 55 runs and 81 hits, with 17 home runs and 41 RBIs on the season. He‘s raised his average to .262. He was up for a spot in the All-Star game, but didn’t quite make the cut this year.

The Cardinals are playing at home against Cincinnati tomorrow night. You can see his full stats here.

Andrew Cashner (P/Baltimore Orioles) -

Cashner pitched on June 30 against the Angels and went a full 6 innings. He allowed just 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 4 and walking 2. The Orioles lost 6-2, but Cash took a no-decision.

On July 5, the Birds were on the road to face the Twins. Cashner went another 6 innings, this time allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits, including a home run. He managed to walk 2 and strike out 3 in a 5-2 loss that went against his record.

Then on July 10, Cashner was home against the Yankees. He pitched 6 ¹⁄₃ innings, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits (including 1 home run), but he only walked 1 batter and struck out 7. That’s the most he’s struck out since April 22, when he struck out 7 against Cleveland. He actually had a no-hitter going through 4, making Yankees fans a little nervous. The Orioles eventually won 6-5, but it was another no-decision for Cashner.

Cashner lowered his ERA to 4.56, with a 1.52 WHIP. Cashner has reportedly been placed on the 10-day DL for a neck strain, but it’s All-Star break time, so...... ‍♀️

You can see his full stats here.

Bryan Holaday (C/Miami Marlins) -

Holaday finished off June with a game at home against Arizona on June 28. He had a couple hits, but none of the Marlins could get any momentum going. They took a 4-0 loss.

On July 3, Holaday came into a monster of a game at home against the Rays. The game went 16 innings, and I’m pretty the Marlins were about to call the janitor in if it went any further. It was 4-4 from the 5th-16th, when the Rays went up 9-4. Holaday and the Marlins tried to answer with Holaday batting in Lewis Brinson on a sac fly to center. The Marlins couldn’t match 5 runs, though, and they lost 9-6.

On July 4, Holaday was in the lineup, but he couldn’t get anything going at the plate. The Marlins won 3-0.

July 5 saw Holaday pinch hitting in another epic game for the Marlins. Holaday didn’t have any luck, but everyone else seemed to. The Marlins lost 14-12 over 9 inningsin a game that saw 5 home runs between the two teams.

On July 7 and 8, Holaday was a pinch hitter again. The Marlins played against the Nationals. July 7 saw an 18-4 loss for the Fish, while they pulled off a 10-2 win on July 8. Holaday didn’t get a hit in either game.

July 9 had the Marlins back home to face the Brewers. Holaday was in the lineup and hit a sac fly in the bottom of the 4th to bring in Riddle. The teams were tied at 3 after 9. In the bottom of the 10th, Holaday singled to center, bringing in Rojas for the walk-off! He was the hero of the night and gave the Marlins the 4-3 win.

On July 10, Holaday started the bottom of the 2nd with a single to center to get on base. He was batted in by Dietrich. Unfortunately, the Marlins lost 8-4. Holaday did throw another player trying to steal on him, though. Saladin attempted to steal second in the top of the 5th. That didn’t work out so well for him.

The final game of the series was July 11, and Holaday had another fantastic night. He hit a single to left in the bottom of the 6th to bring in Prada. The teams tied at 4 through 12, when Castro got the walk-off hit and gave the Marlins a 5-4 win.

Holaday currently has 5 runs and 18 hits, with 11 RBIs and 1 home run. You can see his full stats here. The Marlins will host the Phillies and Jake Arrieta tomorrow.