Yelich injury feels like fatal blow
The Brewers will be without Christian Yelich
In the crowded National League wild-card race, where the Nationals’ recent cold spell and the Cubs’ general lack of a finishing kick have tightened the standings and expanded the field in these late stages of the regular season, the Brewers, at least until late Tuesday night, might have had as good a chance as anyone — thanks to a favorable schedule, a bit of momentum and, of course, the presence of arguably the best player in the league on their side.
That was before the Brewers received the devastating news that Christian Yelich, their dynamic right fielder and a leading candidate for a second straight NL MVP award, was lost for at least the regular season after fouling a ball off his knee and fracturing his kneecap.
The Brewers entering Wednesday were one back of the Cubs for the NL’s second wild card.
Yelich, who was a nearunanimous pick for NL MVP in 2018, has been locked in a race for the same award this season.
The Brewers, winners of five straight entering Wednesday, will remain in the fight, but it’s difficult not to view the loss of Yelich — who had 44 homers and a owned an MLB-best 1.100 OPS — as fatal to the team’s hopes.
What hurts the Brewers is the wide-open nature of this race, with the Brewers one of four teams — the others being the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Mets — within three games of the Cubs.
Chances are one or more have a sustained finishing kick left in them, and the question for the Brewers is they do as well.
Yankees: CF Aaron Hicks will miss the rest of the season after receiving a second opinion on what the Yankees called a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow. The Yankees said they cannot be sure that his ulnar collateral ligament hasn’t been damaged. A compromised UCL can be treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection and rehabbed, but it also can require Tommy John surgery. Hicks, 29, last played Aug. 3. He hit .235 with 12 HRs and 36 RBIs in 59 games after signing a seven-year, $70 million extension during the spring . ... The Yankees game against the Tigers on Wednesday in Detroit was postponed because of bad weather and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday.
Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto dazzled over five shutout innings in his longawaited season debut, helping the Giants get past the Pirates 5-4 on Tuesday night in San Francisco. Cueto, 33, a two-time AllStar, returned to the mound for the first time in more than 13 months following Tommy John surgery. He allowed just one hit while striking out four and walking one. Stephen Vogt hit a two-run HR and drove in four runs for the Giants.
A’s: Matt Olson and Sean Murphy each homered twice, and A’s tagged Wade Miley for seven runs in the first inning and went on to beat the Astros 21-7 on Tuesday night in Houston. The A’s tied a 50-year-old franchise record for hits in a game with 25, totaled a season high with the 21 runs and tied a season high with six HRs as they won for the seventh time in nine games to remain ahead of the Indians for the second AL wild card entering Wednesday’s games. The Astros had beaten the A’s 15-0 on Monday and the Mariners 21-1 on Sunday.
Indians: Rookie Zach Plesac pitched a four-hitter for his first complete game in the majors as the Indians beat the Angels 8-0 on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif. Francisco Lindor and Jordan Luplow homered, and Franmil Reyes drove in four runs as the Indians won for the fourth time in five games. Two-time AL MVP Mike Trout sat out a third straight game with a foot injury. The Angels have lost the three games without Trout.
Diamondbacks: Manuel Margot drew a fourpitch, bases-loaded walk with one out in the 10th and the Padres overcame an impressive power display by Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward to beat the Cubs 9-8 on Tuesday night in San Diego. The Cubs’ lead for the second NL wild card was cut to one game over the Brewers and two over the Phillies entering Wednesday’s games. Bryant hit a pair two-run HRs and Heyward also homered twice and drove in three runs for the Cubs. Steve Cishek (3-6) walked Margot to bring in Luis Urias with the winning run.
Extra innings: Jonathan Villar’s three-run HR in the seventh inning of the Orioles’ home game against the Dodgers on Wednesday night was the 6,106th HR hit in MLB this season, breaking the two-year-old record for most in a season. ... MLB paid tribute to those affected by the 9/11 tragedy with a moment of silence before all games.