New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto unleashed a mammoth home run during Tuesday’s loss against the Baltimore Orioles, and he boldly opted to stare down pitcher Dean Kremer as he began to trot the bases.
When asked after the game about the staredown with the Orioles’ starter, Soto told reporters that he chose to glare at Kremer because the right-hander didn’t like his “Soto Shuffle.”
Soto’s sixth-inning solo launched a stunning 447 feet into the seats in left field, and he was clearly fired up about the moonshot despite the Yankees still trailing 4–2, a scoreline that would hold out for the remainder of the game.
If Kremer wasn’t a fan of Soto’s antics in the batter’s box, he’s certainly not alone, though the left-handed slugger doesn’t seem likely to put an end to his shuffling maneuvers.
The 447-foot bomb was Soto’s eighth of the year, and he’s up to 25 RBIs on the campaign through his first 31 games.
Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald called Sunday's Baltimore Orioles-Cincinnati Reds game on MASN. The away team crushed the home Reds, 11-1, leaving plenty of opportunity for Kevin Brown to really explore the space. By the time Adley Rutschman singled in the seventh inning, Brown was referencing the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef.
"Gets a piece! Flares it over De La Cruz, which is basically like hitting a ball over a skyscraper! And Ramon scores on the RBI single. He's got more hits this week than Kendrick Lamar."
"He's got more hits this week than Kendrick Lamar" -Orioles broadcaster Kevin Brown pic.twitter.com/wTb4cUPclu
This reference was met with complete silence before McDonald said, "I know there's a joke in there somewhere." Without missing a beat Brown shot back that the reference, "went over your head just like it went over De La Cruz's."
Brown surely cannot be surprised that McDonald didn't get it. Just last season he had to explain to McDdonald who blink-182 was. Expecting a guy who apparently missed out on mainstream music culture over the last two decades to know who is involved in the latest rap beef seems unlikely. The man isn't even stay up to date on ice cream flavors.
Along those same lines, Brown did the audience a disservice by not asking McDonald if he has ever heard of Drake. In fact, he should probably make it a point of emphasis to see how many times he can make a popular culture reference that McDonald doesn't get. The Orioles currently have one of the best records in baseball and own the best run differential in the American League. There should be plenty of low stakes late game situations to really get creative.
The Atlanta Braves are in the midst of a slump that is unprecedented for the team's current core.
Atlanta lost its fifth straight game Wednesday, falling 4–2 to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. It's the first time the Braves have lost five straight games since September 2017, the final season before Atlanta began its current streak of winning six consecutive NL East division titles from '18 to '23.
The Braves have lost 5 straight games for the first time since September 2017 pic.twitter.com/HqQjgpd3ae
The Braves have been outscored 25–11 during their current skid, which began with a 2–1 loss to the Washington Nationals on June 7. In September 2017—the final month of Ozzie Albies's rookie season—the Braves lost six straight games to the New York Mets and Miami Marlins.
Atlanta going six-plus full seasons and 934 regular-season games between five-game losing streaks is quite the accomplishment.
For reference, there have been 37 streaks of five straight losses or worse in the big leagues this season. Twenty of MLB's 30 teams have lost five or more consecutive games already this year, and the lowly Chicago White Sox have plummeted to four different skids of at least five games in 2024.
After the loss to Baltimore, Atlanta dropped to 35–30 on the season and 10 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
The Braves will try to snap their skid Thursday in the series finale against Baltimore.
UPDATE: Juan Soto's MRI came back with only inflammation, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. His AL MVP odds have still dropped to +450 at FanDuel Sportsbook -- but they have rebounded after falling as low as +650.
The initial prognosis on Juan Soto's MRI is that it's only inflammation and he should be ok, per @JonHeyman
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 7, 2024
What follows is the initial story of the odds movement following Soto's exit from Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Twins. His odds have remained the same at DraftKings Sportsbook (+235) throughout this process.
New York Yankees fans everywhere held their breath on Thursday night after Juan Soto was lifted from the team's win with what the Yankees called, "left forearm discomfort."
However, MLB insider Jon Heyman revealed on Friday that the Yankees are "nervous" when it comes to Soto and his injury and his odds have fallen since the injury occurred.
"The Yankees have their fingers crossed, they're nervous."
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 7, 2024
Soto is slashing an impressive .318/.424/.603 with 17 homers on the season. He was right behind teammate Aaron Judge in the odds as the No. 2 favorite for the AL MVP.
That has since changed at FanDuel Sportsbook, a sign that Soto could be looking at a stint on the injured list. Even if Soto plays, oddsmakers may be taking their chance on him being less effective with his forearm bothering him, at least in terms of his ability to win AL MVP.
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson have leapfrogged Soto in the latest AL MVP odds. Soto dropped from +210 to +650 since being removed from Thursday's game, a massive falloff that signals oddsmakers believe he's at least expected to miss some time or be less effective in the MVP race.
The other important note here is Judge has jumped to a clear favorite in this market. After posting an OPS over 1.400 in May, Judge is now hitting .289 on the season and leads baseball in homers (21), doubles, and walks drawn.
Despite the movement at FanDuel, that isn't the case everywhere in the betting market.
In this case, oddsmakers still believe in Soto's AL MVP case, although Witt Jr. and Henderson are right on his heels for the No. 2 spot.
Until the Yankees officially announce a roster move, Soto's status is truly up in the air.
The star outfielder addressed the media on Thursday, saying he's been dealing with the ailment for a couple of weeks. While he's been able to play through it, there has to be some concern that this has been building over time.
Juan Soto says he's felt the forearm tightness for a couple weeks but it hasn't impacted his baseball related activities at all pic.twitter.com/UuyC2ATyyA
Soto didn't have to make many throws against the Twins on Thursday, and it's unclear if there is a specific spot where he could have aggravated his forearm that led to his removal from the game.
If the injury isn't bothering Soto when he hits, he theoretically could stay in the AL-leading Yankees lineup as a designated hitter.
The problem? That spot is usually manned by slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been injury-prone in the past and is certainly risky to play in the field. For now, the Yankees and their fans -- and Soto bettors -- are hoping for some positive news about his injury in the coming days.
I think this helps Judge's MVP case the most, as the Yankees would rely even more on the 2022 AL MVP if Soto can't play for any period.
Judge has finished in the top five in MVP voting in three different seasons in his MLB career.
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