Major League Update: Estrada, Blue Jays continue hot streak
The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.
Marco Estrada (Glendale Community College, 2003) Toronto Blue Jays pitcher: Estrada, a right-handed starter and former All-Western State Conference standout with the Vaqueros, has done his part in helping the Blue Jays in their quest to take over the top spot in the American League East.
Estrada turned in another solid performance for Toronto on Sunday, as the squad has continued to be one of the hottest teams in baseball.
Estrada put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of the division-leading New York Yankees after the Blue Jays earned the 7-2 win in the series finale on the road. It was the first time the Blue Jays swept New York on the road since 2003.
It was another quality start for Estrada, who is enjoying a wildly productive stretch and will start against the Yankees again on Saturday. Against the Bronx Bombers, Estrada threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and allowing three walks. He has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts.
Estrada, 32, was in control early in the game, cruising through the first three innings. But he did put himself in a jam in the fourth inning. With one out, Estrada threw eight consecutive balls to walk two straight batters that put runners on first and second. However, Estrada was able to escape unscathed, as his first pitch to Carlos Beltran was hit into an inning-ending double.
In defeating the Oakland Athletics, 10-3, on Wednesday, the Blue Jays increased their current winning streak to 10 games and took over sole possession of first place in the AL East. It marked the first time since 1993 the team has found itself in first this late in the season.
On July 28, Toronto was one game under .500 and eight games back of the Yankees. However, acquiring All-Stars David Price and Troy Tulowitzki has bolstered the squad.
The Blue Jays have won 13 of their last 14 games and also enjoyed an 11-game win streak earlier in the season. Toronto is the first American League team since the 1977 Royals to pull off two winning streaks of at least 10 games in the same season.
“It’s incredible what adding a few pieces to this team has done,” Estrada told mlb.com. “Mentally and, obviously, physically on the field. Just picking up a few guys, we felt pretty confident.”
Cesar Ramos (La Crescenta resident) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher: The left-handed reliever continues to see time on the mound as the Angels have continued to struggle as of late, as has Ramos.
Ramos has allowed a run in each of his last three outings after a streak of 18 straight scoreless appearances.
The latest setback for the team came Wednesday when the Angels suffered a 3-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox on the road. It was the end of an unproductive three-game string for the Angels, who were swept in the series.
The squad finished the game 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base in dropping its ninth straight road game and 14th loss in its last 19 games. This month, the Angels are hitting .160 (13 for 81) with runners in scoring position.
The loss dropped the Angels to 59-54, as they fell behind the division-leading Houston Astros (62-53) by two games in the American League West.
Avisail Garcia’s two-strike double to left-center scored Jose Abreu with the game-winning run in the victory Wednesday. The hit came off Ramos. Over his 1/3 of an inning of relief, Ramos gave up two hits and the winning run, which was earned.
“We lost that game long before the 13th inning,” Angels Manager Mike Scioscia told mlb.com. “We had a lot of opportunities, we just didn’t execute on a number of fronts.”
In a relief outing Monday, Ramos came in for 1 1/3 innings against the White Sox, surrendering four hits and one earned run with no strikeouts.
On the season, Ramos, 31, has appeared in 45 games and has a 2-1 record and a 1.98 earned-run average over 36 1/3 innings. In addition, he has struck out 27 to eight walks.
Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) Colorado Rockies pitcher: Bergman, a Glendale native and former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, is back with the Rockies after landing on the disabled list and missing nearly five weeks with right shoulder-inflammation.
Bergman, 27, a former standout at UC Irvine, was activated from the 15-day disabled list Aug 1. He returned to the club after being sent down to the triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. It was Bergman’s second stint with the minor league club this season.
The right-hander saw action in relief in Colorado’s game Wednesday against the division-leading New York Mets, a 3-0 loss for the Rockies on the road. In two innings of relief, Bergman gave up two hits and one run, with a strikeout and a walk.
In his first outing Aug. 3 since returning from his rehab assignment against the Seattle Mariners, Bergman threw 2 2/3 innings of relief, surrendered one hit and one earned run, struck out two and walked two.
On the season, Bergman has a 2-0 record with a 4.57 earned-run average over 43 1/3 innings. In addition, he has struck out 28 and walked 11.
The Rockies were swept in their four-game series with the streaking Mets after falling, 12-3, Thursday. The loss drops the Rockies to 47-66, as the team is in last place in the National League West Division.
