MLB Thursday scores, highlights, updates, news: Nationals bullpen does it again
Plus Carlos Correa shines, Corey Kluber makes Tribe history and more from Thursday around baseball
The final Thursday of June brings with it 13 games, including five of the daytime variety. We'll bring you nonstop news and scores right here, so check back often.
Final scores
Indians 5, Rangers 1 (box score)
Tigers 7, Royals 3 (box score)
Astros 6, Athletics 1 (box score)
Cardinals 10, Diamondbacks 4 (box score)
Cubs 5, Nationals 4 (box score)
Pirates 4, Rays 0 (box score)
Orioles 2, Blue Jays 0 (box score)
Red Sox 6, Twins 3 (box score)
Brewers 11, Reds 3 (box score)
Mets 6, Marlins 3 (box score)
White Sox 4, Yankees 3 (box score)
Padres 6, Braves 0 (box score)
Dodgers 6, Angels 2 (box score)
Yep, the Nats' bullpen did it again
Against the Cubs on Thursday, the Nats broke through for three runs in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead. That lead held until the ninth, when the Washington bullpen happened.
With Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley both struggling and injured, the save opp fell to Blake Treinen. It didn't go well ...
And here's the crushing blow off the bat of Jon Jay ...
The Nationals bullpen strikes again!#Cubspic.twitter.com/lvuczGPEgQ
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) June 29, 2017
Yes, the Washington bullpen has blown another one. Speaking of which ...
"There's a level of frustration that just boils over." - Dan O'Dowd on the Nationals after the @Cubs ninth-inning comeback win #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/vISL9QFwU5
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 29, 2017
The Nationals have now also blown 13 saves, which is tied with the Mets and Phillies for most in the NL. It seems acutely painful because the Nats have been so excellent in every other regard. That's how you wind up on pace for 96 wins despite a bullpen that regularly goes into "eating soup with a fork" mode when trying to protect late-inning leads.
The pressure's already on GM Mike Rizzo to do something, and this latest squandered lead isn't going to help matters. The challenge is meeting the increased trade costs for shutdown relievers this time of year despite a farm system that's been thinned out by prior trades. Consider this to be developing. Very developing.
Of course, that wasn't the worst loss the Nats suffered on Thursday ...
Trea Turner suffers broken wrist, has no clear timetable
Nationals shortstop Trea Turner has suffered a broken right wrist and has no timetable for his return, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The injury resulted from Turner's being struck by a pitch -- a 96-mph fastball from Pedro Strop -- during Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Cubs.
Here's more on the loss of Turner.
Yankees outfielder suffers major knee injury in big-league debut
In his first major-league inning on Thursday night, Yankees outfielder Dustin Fowler suffered a major knee injury:
Dustin Fowler has an open rupture of right patella tendon in right knee. Will have surgery tonight at Rush U Med Center in Chicago.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 30, 2017
That's a gruesome-sounding injury, and without question it will necessitate a lengthy recovery period. Fowler sustained the injury while hustling after a fly ball down the line against the White Sox:
Just a heartbreaking scene for the #Yankees Dustin Fowler, who had to leave the game due to injury in his @MLB debut. pic.twitter.com/dal7DOAukN
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) June 30, 2017
Once Fowler tried to put weight on the leg, you could tell it was likely serious.
Read more on Fowler's injury here.
Braun can still bash
Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has been on the DL twice this season with a calf injury and has missed a total of almost six weeks. When he's been on the field, however, he's produced.
Speaking which, he did this on Thursday night in Cincy ...
Ryan Braun turns on the Bailey offering & hits his 9th Home Run of the Year #Brewers#BrewCrew
— Around The Bases POD (@AroundBasesPOD) June 30, 2017
pic.twitter.com/YJDXfs9zgN
That's Braun's ninth homer of the season in just 34 games played. Presently, he's got a slash line of .267/.346/.560 in this, his age-33 campaign. Braun has a spotty injury history and of course remains a controversial figure in baseball, but he can still pound the baseball.
That presents the Brewers with a bit of a dilemma. They're contending for the moment, even though it's not certain they'll have staying power in the standings. Braun, meantime, has long been linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors, and the small-market Brewers of course love the idea of sloughing off at least some of the more than $60 million he still has left on his contract. Yes, Braun recently secured 10-and-5 rights, which means he can veto any trade. However, he's by all accounts open to playing for the Dodgers.
If the Brewers are going to deal him, they'd do well to pull it off soon. Eventually, decline's going to set in for Braun, and he'll be hard to move. The near-term challenge is swinging a deal involving Braun while remaining in contention. It's a bad look, even if it makes long-term sense. Of course, the Dodgers aren't quite as desperate for another power bat given the emergence of Cody Bellinger. For now, though, the Brewers will content themselves with remaining (narrowly) atop the NL Central and continuing to get good production from Braun, the franchise lifer.
Ubaldo spins a gem
Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez is of course famously inconsistent. Being inconsistent necessarily implies that one is occasionally good, and that was certainly the case for Jimenez on Thursday against Toronto ...
That's a gem, people, and it's certainly out of step with recent Ubaldo history. After all, we're talking about a pitcher who entered this game with a 7.26 ERA in 10 starts and five relief appearances this season. In terms of Game Score, which is a quick-and-dirty Bill James metric that measures a pitcher's dominance or lack thereof in a given start (50 is average), Jimenez on this night registered a 90. That happens to be the highest of his career, and only the 88 Game Score he put up against the Braves in April of 2010 comes particularly close. His is just the fourth game score of 90 or higher in the majors this season.
Ubaldo, people. Ubaldo.
Carlos Correa, still very good at baseball
You're probably not taking Astros shortstop Carlos Correa for granted, but just in case you are, please know that he remains very good at baseball.
On Thursday against Oakland, for instance, he homered twice. Check out the second of those two homers, which measured a healthy 435 feet:
Carlos Correa hits a 435' BOMB for his 2nd homer of the game & 16th of the year #Astros
— Around The Bases POD (@AroundBasesPOD) June 29, 2017
pic.twitter.com/qhiaEGC5Ne
Also, there's this:
Carlos Correa: 4 career multi-HR games, all playing SS, are also tied for 3rd-most as SS before turning 23 in MLB history (via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/6HAcQWM2XJ
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 29, 2017
Correa, a former top overall pick, has been a part of the baseball consciousness for a while, so it's easy to forget that he's still just 22 years of age. He's also working on his finest season to date. Thus far in 2017, he's batting .309/.388/.537 with 16 homers. That's outstanding production for any hitter, let alone a capable shortstop.
Consider Correa in 2017 to be on the early AL MVP watch-list.
Kluber ties Feller's record
Indians ace Corey Kluber went and had himself quite the start on Thursday against the Rangers, thus continuing an outstanding month of June.
Corey Kluber, in six June starts:
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) June 29, 2017
-43 innings, 22 hits allowed, 7 walks, 64 strikeouts
-1.26 ERA
-Opposing hitters batting .150 against him
Kluber threw eight innings of one-run ball, during which he allowed three hits and issued one walk, all the while striking out 12 batters.
He made some nifty franchise history, too, tying Bob Feller's mark for consecutive 10-plus strikeout games:
THERE IT IS! 4-straight games of 10+ K's for Kluber, tying BOB FELLER for the franchise lead!
— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) June 29, 2017
Kluber also moved into the top 10 in franchise history for strikeouts recorded:
Corey Kluber is now a member of the Indians' Top 10 career strikeouts list. Moves into 10th (tied with Luis Tiant) with 1,041 K's.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 29, 2017
A pretty good day to cap a pretty good month for a pretty good pitcher.
Quick hits
- The Braves designated RHP Bartolo Colon for assignment. The Mets might be interested.
- MLB announced the 2017 Future Game rosters.
- X-rays were negative on Rangers RHP Andrew Cashner's forearm after he was hit by a broken bat.
- Diamondbacks CF A.J. Pollock will miss a few more days.
- The Yankees have called up OF prospect Dustin Fowler.


















