Daily Briefing: Scherzer Delivers

The FanGraphs Newsletter, August 5, 2021 [READ IN BROWSER]( By Jeffrey Bellone - August 5, 2021 SCHERZER DELIVERS: Making his debut in front of a capacity crowd in Los Angeles, Max Scherzer endeared himself to Dodgers fans by striking out 10 Astros over seven innings of two-run ball. The Dodgers would go on to win 7-5. []( IMPRESSIVE: Shohei Ohtani continued his historic two-way season, last night on the mound, throwing six innings of one-run ball, while striking out six and walking none. []( OUT FOR THE SEASON: Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will have season-ending surgery on his right hip. The two-time Silver Slugger was limited to 58 games this season. []( GOING FOR GOLD: Team USA defeated South Korea, 7-2, on Thursday to advance to the gold medal game on Saturday against Japan in the Tokyo Olympics. []( 2022 SCHEDULE: MLB released the 2022 regular season schedule, with play beginning on March 31 assuming there's no work stoppage as a result of what are expected to be contentious CBA negotiations. []( 📈 STAT OF THE DAY: Anthony Rizzo became the first player in Yankees history to drive in a run in each of his first six games with the team. Since being traded from Chicago, the slugger is batting .400/.519/.850 with three home runs and six RBIs. []( 🗣 QUOTABLE: "It was a cool moment. Something that I will never forget," Max Scherzer said of being called back on the field for a curtain call after his first performance as a Dodger. []( This newsletter is made possible due to the generous support of our members. If you are reading this email or use FanGraphs in your daily baseball routine, please consider supporting us. [BECOME A FANGRAPHS MEMBER]( COLE HAMELS: Hamels, who in addition to getting a chance to pitch close to home (he’s a San Diego native) is hoping to prolong an impressive career during which he’s won 163 games, struck out 2,560 hitters, and helped teams to eight playoff appearances highlighted by his winning NLCS and World Series MVP honors for the 2008 Phillies. 👉 [Still Seeking Starters, the Dodgers Sign Cole Hamels for the Stretch Run, by Jay Jaffe]( MARINER MAGIC: You might know this already, but how the Mariners have distributed their runs has been a huge reason for their success. Seattle’s offense as a whole is unremarkable. But when broken down into specific situations, its prowess begins to make sense. 👉 [The Mariners Are Trying To Be the Clutchiest Team on Record... Again, by Justin Choi]( WILLY ADAMES: On May 22, the Brewers were 22-23 and sitting behind the Cubs and Cardinals in the NL Central. Since then, they’ve had the best record in the National League at 42-21 and have built a sizable cushion in the standings ahead of their division rivals. That turnaround is due in no small part to Willy Adames’ fantastic performance over these last two-plus months. 👉 [Willy Adames Can See Clearly Now, by Jake Mailhot]( 📚 RECENTLY PUBLISHED [Bo Bichette Talks Hitting]( by David Laurila [Daily Prospect Notes: 8/4/21]( by Eric Longenhagen [How Losing Teams Will Use the Last Two Months of the Season]( by Kevin Goldstein [MLB Prospects Are Taking Full Advantage of the Global Stage]( by Tess Taruskin [With Injuries to Superstars, the NL MVP Race May Be Wide Open]( by Devan Fink [Knocking Down the Door: August 5, 2021]( by Jason Martinez [Starting Pitcher Debuts -- Aug. 5, 2021]( by Mike Podhorzer [Bullpen Report: August 5, 2021]( by Jason Martinez ⚾️ ROSTER REPORT For the latest roster information, please visit our [RosterResource]( pages. [What the Marcell Ozuna Case Tells Us]( by Sherly Ring, Esq., Beyond the Box Score [The 10 pitchers who will matter the most over the final two months of the season]( by Peter Gammons, The Athletic ($) [Kiley McDaniel's midseason top 50 MLB prospects]( by Kiley McDaniel, ESPN [Too Much Of A Good Thing? Pairing MLB Draft, Futures Game Creates Sensory Overload]( by J.J. Cooper, Baseball America ($) [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2021 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 1200 N Hartford St. Apt 312Arlington, Va 22201 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](