Going on home run rampage
Who leads the majors in home runs since July 31? Hint: He plays in the American League. Answer at end of these notes . ... When Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton robbed Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo of a home run Wednesday, it marked the second time Rizzo has been robbed of a homer this season. The other players to be robbed twice this season: Jose Abreu, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado and Albert Pujols . ... Tony La Russa, chief baseball officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks, talking to the Arizona Republic on the chances that the team will trade former Dodger Zack Greinke in the off-season: “I think this winter we’re going to be asked a lot about him and every one of our starters. It’s already happened . ... Greinke is going to be attractive to guys who can afford him because they’ll think we can’t afford him.”… In his start against the Dodgers on Monday, Greinke became only the fourth Cy Young Award winner to give up four home runs in an inning, joining Catfish Hunter, Randy Johnson and Justin Verlander . ... It was the second time the Dodgers had hit four homers in an inning this season. Washington is the only other National League team to do that even once this year . ... Brewers shortstop Jonathan Villar is the first person with 15 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season since Carl Crawford in 2009 . ... The Miami Marlins are considering shutting down Jose Fernandez to conserve his arm. “Absolutely,” Manager Don Mattingly told mlb.com. “We’ll look at that as it goes. Obviously, we’ve been paying attention to his innings all along.” … Just when you thought the Tim Tebow story couldn’t get any wackier, consider this: Jose Canseco working with him to get better: “I saw his swing on YouTube, let me tell you: He’s strong and he’s got a very powerful swing. Good technique . ... I’d love to work with him,” Canseco told complex.com recently . ... Answer: Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins has 22 home runs since July 31, nine more than any other player.