Albert Pujols moves up home run leaderboard after three-homer day
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is having one hell of a comeback season. He proved that again Monday, leading his team to victory in both games against the Boston Red Sox.
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Pujols hasn’t been bad since joining the Angels, but his numbers have declined in recent years. In that sense, 2015 has been a pleasant surprise. Following Monday’s games, he’s already surpassed last season’s home run total.
Between the two contests, Pujols smashed three dingers. He hit one during Game 1 against Boston, and added two more in Game 2. With the performance, Pujols tied, and then passed Mike Schmidt on the all-time home run list. Pujols is now in sole possession of 15th all-time on that list.
His 29 home runs also gives him the league-lead in the category. He’s trailed by teammate Mike Trout, who also went yard Monday, giving him 28 home runs on the year.
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If Pujols can keep it up, he has a chance to do something he’s never done before in his career.
Behind his strong play, the Angels have now won five straight games. The team holds a two game lead on the Astros in the American League West.
PAULSEN LEADS ROX TO VICTORY
Colorado Rockies first baseman Ben Paulsen was nearly the goat, but wound up playing the hero Monday against the Texas Rangers. Paulsen picked up the walk-off hit during the club’s 8-7 victory.
Earlier in the contest, Paulsen made a huge mistake. With the Rockies up by four, and two men on, Prince Fielder grounded out to Paulsen at first. Paulsen tagged the base, and started running toward the dugout, believing that was the final out of the inning.
He was wrong. Fielder’s groundout was only the second out of the inning. One run scored from third due to the groundout, but another came in from second due to Paulsen’s gaffe. That closed the gap to 7-5.
The Rangers would eventually complete the comeback, tying things up in the ninth inning. That set the stage for Paulsen in the bottom of the frame.
With men on first and second, Paulsen smashed a single to center field, plating the winning run, and saving his reputation in the process.
The Rockies improved to 40-51 with the win.
PADRES CONTINUE WINNING WAYS
Unless the San Diego Padres can go on a winning streak, they are going to be looked at as sellers at the deadline. The team is on their way to changing their fortunes, however, winning their fifth straight contest Monday against the San Francisco Giants.
With the win, the Padres improved to 44-49 on the year. They still trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 8.5 games in the National League West. The team is only six games out of a wild card spot, and could opt to buy at the deadline if they can extend this streak a bit longer.
Matt Kemp was able to play the hero during the contest, hitting a two-run homer in the third inning. After a slow start, Kemp has started to come around in July. The outfielder is hitting .298/.377/.574 since the beginning of the month. That’s a small sample, but Kemp also went on a huge second half run last season.
The 30-year-old Kemp is hitting .257/.301/.408 over 386 plate appearances this year.
HARVEY KNOCKED AROUND IN METS LOSS
New York Mets starter Matt Harvey has been one of the bright spots for the club this season. but he had trouble Monday against the Washington Nationals. Harvey struggled against Washington during the team’s 7-2 loss.
Harvey’s main issue was his lack of control. He walked four batters during the contest. Walks have actually been a big problem for Harvey lately. In his last three starts, he’s walked 13 batters.
Harvey managed to go seven innings Monday despite the lack of control, but his overall numbers weren’t great. He allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits. Harvey struck out three during the start.
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Following the rocky start, the right-hander has a 3.19 ERA on the year. The Mets sit at 48-45 after the loss.
Want to see more from Monday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
