Big League Bulldogs (entering 9/14): More sweet relief from Holder and Graveman
You don't have to be in a ballgame for very long to make a very big impact. A pair of former Mississippi State stars proved that on Sunday as both Jonathan Holder of the New York Yankees and Kendall Graveman of the Seattle Mariners had strong relief appearances to help lead their teams to wins.
We'll start with Holder. It was a 1-1 tie between the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles and New York found itself in a mess after the Orioles put two men on with two out. That's when the Yanks turned things over to Holder. He didn't disappoint, inducing a pop out to end the threat. The Yankees went on to take a 3-1 victory.
Likewise, Graveman also found himself in a mess as the Mariners battled the Arizona Diamondbacks. Seattle led 4-1, but Arizona loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh inning. That's when the Mariners handed the ball to Graveman. He was then able to wiggle out of the jam with the lead intact, inducing a fielder's choice ground out, a sacrifice fly out and then recording a strikeout. Seattle escaped up 4-3 and went on to win 7-3.
Former Bulldogs weren't as successful at the plate on Sunday. Nate Lowe and Hunter Renfroe of the Tampa Bay Rays, Adam Frazier of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Mitch Moreland of the San Diego Padres all started for their respective teams, but none recorded a hit. Lowe went 0-for-4 and Renfroe went 0-for-2 (with a pair of walks) in Tampa Bay's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox. Frazier went 0-for-3 in a Pittsburgh loss to Kansas City. Moreland played in both games of San Diego's doubleheader against San Francisco, and while the Padres won both games (6-0 and 3-1), Moreland went a combined 0-for-5 (with a walk) over the two contests.
Here are all the details from Sunday, as well as season stats for all former MSU players that have seen playing time in Major League Baseball this year:
SUNDAY'S RESULTS / SEASON STATS
2B Adam Frazier (Pirates) - Lost 11-0 to Royals
- On Sunday: 0-for-3
- Season stats: .233 BA, .295 OBP, .641 OPS, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 14 R
RP Kendall Graveman (Mariners) - Won 7-3 over Diamondbacks
- On Sunday: (No decision) 1.0 inning pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed, 0 walks allowed, 1 strikeout
- Season stats: 0-2 record, 6.39 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12 K, 12.2 IP
RP Jonathan Holder (Yankees) - Won 3-1 over Orioles
- On Sunday: (No decision) 0.1 inning pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed, 0 walks allowed, 0 strikeouts
- Season stats: 3-0 record, 2.08 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 14 K, 17.1 IP
1B Nate Lowe (Rays) - Lost 6-3 to Red Sox
- On Sunday: 0-for-4
- Season stats: .200 BA, .286 OBP, .766 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
1B Mitch Moreland (Padres) - Won 6-0 over Giants (Game 1), Won 3-1 over Giants (Game 2)
- On Sunday: 0-for-2 with a walk (Game 1), 0-for-3 (Game 2)
- Season stats: .272 BA, .364 OBP, .957 OPS, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 18 R
RF Hunter Renfroe (Rays) - Lost 6-3 to Red Sox
- On Sunday: 0-for-2 with 2 walks
- Season stats: .157 BA, .243 OBP, .655 OPS, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 15 R
DID NOT PLAY SUNDAY / SEASON STATS
SP Dakota Hudson (Cardinals) - Lost 10-5 to Reds
- Season stats: 3-2 record, 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 31 K, 37.0 IP
RF Brent Rooker (Twins) - Won 7-5 over Indians
- Out for season (broken forearm)
- Season stats: .316 BA, .381 OBP, .960 OPS, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
RP Chris Stratton (Pirates) - Lost 11-0 to Royals
- Season stats: 2-0 record, 3.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 28 K, 22.2 IP
SP Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) - Lost 12-0 to Cubs
- Season stats: 2-3 record, 3.40 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 67 K, 53.0 IP
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