Media by Associated Press – St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols bats during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
With the calendar about to turn to September, Major League Baseball teams are running out of time to secure wins and postseason spots.
Likewise, players chasing milestones or individual awards are also facing limited opportunities to add on stats. One of those top teams faces a new injury to the rotation this week while a future Hall of Famer continues to add accolades.
Pujols Continues to Produce
Turning back the clock, Albert Pujols continues to help the St. Louis Cardinals toward a playoff spot. The 42-year-old hit his 15th home run of the season on Monday at Cincinnati in a 13-4 St. Louis win. The future Hall of Famer now has 694 career homers, two shy of Alex Rodriguez and six away from the 700 mark.
The homer in Cincinnati came off lefty Ross Detweiler, the 450th victim of Pujols’ career. That broke a record set by Barry Bonds for the most pitchers homered against. Pujols also had a single in the win, raising his average to .277 on the season.
Tyler O’Neill homered twice in the win as St. Louis won for the third game in a row. They are six games ahead of Milwaukee, who also won on Monday. With just over 30 games left on the season, the Cardinals are -750 to win the NL Central with the Brewers at +900.
Dodgers Lose an All-Star Starter
The LA Dodgers expected to start RHP All-Star Tony Gonsolin on Monday in Miami. But instead, the team leader in wins was placed on the injured list with a right forearm strain. He is expected to miss a few weeks, but the team is hopeful that Gonsolin will be back and ready for the postseason.
At 89-38, the Dodgers lead the NL West by 20 games, and they have a seven-game lead on the Mets for the best record and the top playoff seed. The Dodgers used seven pitchers in Monday’s 3-2 win, with Michael Grove going 4⅔ innings as the starter.
Gonsolin is a NL Cy Young contender with 16 wins and a 2.10 ERA. His .169 average against leads the Majors, and he has set a career-high with 128 ⅓ innings. The IL stint may end his Cy Young hopes with Miami’s Sandy Alcantara at -410 and Gonsolin at +1000.
With Gonsolin landing on the IL, the Dodgers are prepared to welcome back 3-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw on Thursday. Manager Dave Roberts also indicated the team will go to a 6-man rotation to limit innings as they prep for the playoffs with the magic number already at 15.
Blue Jays Bounce Back
After a rough weekend in which they were shut out twice and swept at home by the lowly LA Angels, the Toronto Blue Jays found themselves down 4-0 to the Chicago Cubs. Jose Berrios didn’t pitch well and left down 4-0, with the offense only producing singles for the first five innings.
Catcher Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer in the seventh after a walk, and a single started the inning. A double from Cavan Biggio set the stage in the eighth, and Matt Chapman tied the game with a two-out single. Neither team scored in the ninth or 10th innings, and Chicago left two on base in the 11th as well.
Jackie Bradley Jr. started the 11th as the runner at second base, and the Blue Jays eventually had two on with one out for Jansen. He delivered a walk-off single to save the game and end Toronto’s losing streak.
The win moves Toronto to 69-58 on the season, two games ahead of Baltimore for the final Wild Card spot. They are only one game behind Tampa Bay for the top Wild Card spot with Seattle between the two AL East rivals. Toronto is +600 to win the American League pennant and +1400 to win the World Series.
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage and betting pick previews at NJ Sportsbook.