Big League Bulldogs (entering 9/24): Leadoff bomb for Frazier, Graveman and Stratton shine
When former Mississippi State infielder Adam Frazier came to the plate for his Pittsburgh Pirates to lead off the bottom of the first against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, the Pirates were already in a 1-0 hole. It didn't take Frazier long to even the score.
Frazier took a mighty hack and connected for his ninth career leadoff home run, tying the game and helping the Pirates towards an eventual 2-1 win.
Frazier finished the ballgame 2-for-4. He also later added a single. And he wasn't the only former Bulldog to boost the Bucs to victory on Wednesday. Pitcher Chris Stratton also later entered in relief for the Pirates on the mound and tossed a scoreless, hitless eighth inning.
Also with a strong relief outing on Wednesday was Kendall Graveman. The former MSU hurler worked 1.1 scoreless innings for the Seattle Mariners to help lift his team to a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros.
(Kendall Graveman photo by Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports)
Graveman allowed only one hit. He did walk a batter, but he also recorded a strikeout, which stood as the 300th punch out of his career.
Not much else of significance happened for other former Bulldogs on Wednesday. Both Nate Lowe and Hunter Renfroe were in the lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays, but both went hitless. The Rays did, however, clinch the American League Eastern Division title with an 8-5 win over the New York Mets. Mitch Moreland also was 0-for-1 in his San Diego Padres' 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Here are all the details from Wednesday, as well as season stats for all former MSU players that have seen playing time in Major League Baseball this year:
WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS / SEASON STATS
2B Adam Frazier (Pirates) - Won 2-1 over Cubs
- On Wednesday: 2-for-4 with a home run, a single, an RBI and a run scored
- Season stats: .220 BA, .290 OBP, .626 OPS, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 19 R
RP Kendall Graveman (Mariners) - Won 3-2 over Astros
- On Wednesday: (no decision) 1.1 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 runs allowed, 1 walk allowed, 1 strikeout
- Season stats: 0-3 record, 6.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 14 K, 16.2 IP
1B Nate Lowe (Rays) - Won 8-5 over Mets
- On Wednesday: 0-for-5
- Season stats: .220 BA, .324 OBP, .781 OPS, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R
PH Mitch Moreland (Padres) - Lost 5-2 to Angels
- On Wednesday: 0-for-1
- Season stats: .254 BA, .333 OBP, .865 OPS, 9 HR, 26 RBI, 21 R
RF/1B Hunter Renfroe (Rays) - Won 8-5 over Mets
- On Wednesday: 0-for-4
- Season stats: .148 BA, .244 OBP, .644 OPS, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 17 R
RP Chris Stratton (Pirates) - Won 2-1 over Cubs
- On Wednesday: (no decision) 1.0 inning pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 runs allowed, 1 walk allowed, 2 strikeout
- Season stats: 2-0 record, 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 38 K, 28.1 IP
DID NOT PLAY WEDNESDAY / SEASON STATS
RP Jonathan Holder (Yankees) - Lost 14-1 to Blue Jays
- Season stats: 3-0 record, 5.03 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 14 K, 19.2 IP
SP Dakota Hudson (Cardinals) - Lost 12-3 to Royals
- Out for season (forearm strain)
- Season stats: 3-2 record, 2.77 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 31 K, 39.0 IP
RF Brent Rooker (Twins) - Won 7-6 over Tigers
- Out for season (broken forearm)
- Season stats: .316 BA, .381 OBP, .960 OPS, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
SP Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) - Lost 6-1 to Reds
- Season stats: 2-5 record, 3.43 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 81 K, 65.2 IP
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