MLB weekend winners and losers Padres break out 'Swag Chain'; Dodgers, Rays go streaking; Kazmir returns
The pair of Pennant winners both had a wonderful weekend, and the Padres have some big jewels
Another weekend of Major League Baseball is in the books. We are coming together every Sunday to award winners and losers after each weekend of MLB action this season. Here are the big winners and losers of the past few days, including the Red-Hot Dodgers and Rays, a custom-made Padres necklace and the return of a veteran in the big leagues, five years in the making.
Now, there are good and bad from the eighth weekend of MLB action:
Winner: Dodgers-Ray rematch likely
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays were the two best baseball teams in 2020 and met in last October's Fall Classic. 2021, at least for the first month and a half of the season, did not resemble last year's pairing winners. The Rays returned for their 10th consecutive win against the Blue Jays on Sunday, scoring four runs in the ninth inning in the process.
✅ 10 GAME WINNING STREAK!
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) May 23, 2021
✅ 6-4 COMEBACK WIN!
✅ SERIES VICTORY! @RaysBaseball continue to roll as they beat the @BlueJays! #RaysUp #MLB pic.twitter.com/LdJrDy5BiN
Ten-game winning streaks before Memorial Day can do wonders for your record and place in the standings. The Rays, .500 less than two weeks ago, are now 29–19. And they needed Streak to keep pace in the AL East - the only division in baseball with four teams above .500. The Rays also made a move this weekend, with shortstop Willie Adams to the Brewers with relievers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Shipped for FairySense. Will it work for Tampa? These tricks usually take place.
Out of the West, the Dodgers are proving to be baseball's hottest and coldest team so far this season. The Dodgers notoriously fell back to Earth after a 13–2 start and had a game above .500 two weeks earlier. He made major appearances in this weekend's series against the Giants alongside Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler and the Dodgers have now won seven straight games. The Dodgers are very much like, well, the Dodgers. The same situation should remain whenever Cody Bellinger rejoins the lineup. Bellinger, for his part, went to the yard in a rehab Triple-A game on Sunday:
That Bellinger dude connects on a home run in the 1st to give the OKC Dodgers a quick 1-0 lead 😕 pic.twitter.com/o2IsY9l21j
— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) May 23, 2021
Loser: Blue Jessie
The weekend - and the week itself - was not kind to the Toronto Blue Jays. Canada's displaced MLB team is in a position to play 10 consecutive games against their fellow AL East contenders - the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays - and things are not going well. The Jays won their first game in the section against the Red Sox on Tuesday, but the rest of the week was poor. The Jays lost two out of three in Boston and then lost to the Three Rays directly this weekend (they may salvage a series finale on Monday), and they have recently suffered a neck problem to Cavan Biggio Also had to be placed on the injured list. To make matters worse, the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays are all streaking and could create some serious distance between themselves and Toronto.
Winner: Dansby Swanson
It was quite a weekend for Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson. The 27-year-old had a poor start to the season prior to his recent performance - his strike totals were related. It appears that his strategy to burn sage around the grounds at Truist Park helped. Here's how Swanson's weekend at the plate was:
- Friday: 3 for 4 with a double, single home run and scored two runs
- Saturday: 1 for 3 with a two-run home run
- Sunday: 1 for 3 with a two-run home run
Yes, the Braves played this weekend to rebuild the Pirates (and took 3 of 4 games), but for Swanson these results still indicate a turning point for their 2021 offense. This weekend saw some of Swanson's most productive games of the season. Beyond this weekend, Swanson has hit four of their six in their last 13 games.
It is unlikely that this small sample size will completely placate the Braves fans whether Orlando Arcia should be promoted from Triple-A to replace Swanson, but for now, he is in the winning column later this weekend Earns a position.
Winner: Large Size Jewelry
Comically large items will always be worth a place in the game. If a teammate puts a five-pound medal on your neck, then you know you must have done something right. Padres catcher Austin Nola found himself in that position Saturday night. Nola's state line may not seem all that big. He went 2-for-1 with an RBI and a pair, and was even surprised when Manny Machado put the team's new "swag chain" on him: "This is the first time I've seen Have seen it. I think you're supposed to drive home. "
Austin Nola talks about @Padres win against #mariners in postgame interview. "We put some good at bats together and we were able to get some runners on and do some damage."#HungryForMore pic.twitter.com/eTGeAP19jo
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) May 23, 2021
And on Sunday, the Padres ensured that the "swag chain" is here to stay. And yes, Sunday's Swag Cheney hit a dinger. Fernando Tatis Jr. received the honor of wearing it after completing the 441-foot home run.
Manny: swag chain, swag chain
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 23, 2021
Fernando: swag chain, SWAG CHAIN
All of us: SWAG CHAIN, SWAG CHAIN pic.twitter.com/5QxeDWECan
Losers: Mr. 19,999 and Mr. 20,001
Making his big league debut is a moment that players will never forget. And there was a start that many baseball fans took notice over the weekend as Mariners catcher Jose Godoy became the 20,000th player in MLB history. Godoy entered the sixth inning in a massive defeat at the hands of the Padres on Friday night and created history. Godoy's debut - which shouted Ken Jennings on Twitter - also meant that two other players making their debut this weekend missed common sense for a few hours.
"Who is José Godoy?"
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 22, 2021
Welcome to the show and baseball trivia lore, José! pic.twitter.com/U8U1zC2iqi
Cleveland reliever Jean Carlos Mejia was the player number 19,999 in MLB history on Friday night, pitching 2 1/3 innings shortly before Godoy's arrival. Taylor Walls player number 20,001 after Tampa's Willy Adames trade was called up on Saturday. They have to find some other ways to make MLB history.
Winner: Scott Kazmiro
Scott Kazmir was technically a loser on Saturday in his first MLB appearance in nearly five years. But the 37-year-old is the winner in our book after making his return to the big leagues with the Giants for the first time since September 2016 with the Dodgers. Kazmir was cleared for San Francisco against the Dodgers on Saturday, and turned in a solid effort. Kazmir gave the Giants four innings of one run ball and gave just two hits to the defending World Series champions.
Scott Kazmir's first major league strikeout vs his most recent one, separated by 16 years and 9 months pic.twitter.com/ucBNT5IitP
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 23, 2021
Kazmir is a three-time All-Star who debuted in 2004 with Rez. Kazmir received the news of his promotion from Gabe Kapler, a former teammate who is now the Giants' manager.
"Through the phone, I could tell he was smiling," Kapler told reporters, including MLB.com's Maria Guardado. "It's been a long journey for her, and I'm really proud of her. Obviously, she and I were teammates a long time ago, and I know the journey hasn't been the easiest for her. It's a great story. . "