MLB weekend recap: Bryce Harper celebrates Mother’s Day in style; Red Sox’s losing streak hits five

Five weeks into the 2022 season, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of the Major League Baseball landscape. Teams have played roughly 14 percent of their schedules with another weekend in the books. Sample sizes are getting larger and hope is being gained or lost by fan bases across baseball. 

As teams travel to start a new week, we wanted to recap the weekend with some of the best moments from the last three days in baseball, as well as what’s on deck this coming week. Let’s get to it.

Highlight of the Weekend

We’re suckers for clever baserunning, so it should come as no surprise that we’re giving the nod to Randy Arozarena’s savvy play on Friday night that saw him score from second base for the Rays against the Mariners without the ball leaving the infield.

Arozarena was stationed at second when Harold Ramirez hit a dribbler toward third base. Eugenio Suárez fielded the ball and attempted to make a play, but instead accidentally rolled a grounder to second base. By the time the Mariners defense could recover, Arozarena had made it halfway home and was able to slide in safely.

Take a look:

Arozarena’s run would tie the contest, 5-5, and the Rays would later win the game thanks to a timely home run from Manuel Margot.

Harper, Phillies hand Scherzer rare loss

Give Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper this much: he knows how to make the most of a holiday. Harper was sporting a customized pair of cleats on Sunday to honor Mother’s Day. Take a look:

Predictably, he brought more attention to his gear by hitting a home run in the first inning of the first of two games on Sunday against the Mets. The blast gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead and earned Harper’s mother a shoutout:

That was Harper’s sixth home run of the season, for those keeping track. He entered the day batting .240/.297/.490 (127 OPS+) in his first 111 plate appearances. Harper later made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the third inning.

The Phillies went on to win by a 3-2 final (box score), handing Mets ace Max Scherzer his first loss since — believe it or not — almost a year ago, or May 30, 2021. Scherzer had not been credited (or blamed) with a loss in any of his last 24 starts, including his first five this year.

Last-place Red Sox lose fifth in a row

The Red Sox entered Sunday with the worst record and run differential in the American League East. Unfortunately for Boston, an early game against the White Sox won’t change that. Instead, the Red Sox lost their fifth game in a row (box score).

Scheduled starter Michael Wacha was placed on the injured list prior to the game, forcing manager Alex Cora to give the nod to Tanner Houck. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Boston’s bullpen did provide six-plus innings of scoreless relief, but the Red Sox’s lineup couldn’t make it count.

Dallas Keuchel and a collection of relievers held Boston to two runs on nine hits and a walk. Collectively, they struck out 10 batters, with Keuchel recording five of them. Sunday marked the first time this season Keuchel worked more than five frames.

The Red Sox will have Monday off before beginning a five-game road trip that will include two games vs. the Braves and then three against the Rangers.

On deck

Rays at Angels (three games beginning Monday): The Angels and Rays will enter the week with two of the better run differentials in the American League, making this a plausible playoff preview. If that doesn’t do it for you, then we’ll note that Wednesday’s probable matchup will pit Shohei Ohtani against Shane McClanahan. That’s good viewing, folks.

Blue Jays at Yankees (two games beginning Tuesday): The Yankees and Blue Jays will meet for a third time this season beginning on Tuesday, albeit in an abbreviated two-game series. New York has held the advantage so far, winning four of the seven contests and outscoring Toronto by a 24-14 margin.

Astros at Twins (three games beginning Tuesday): It’s unclear if Carlos Correa will play in these games — he did not suffer a broken finger, as was feared — but if he does it’ll mark the first time in his career he’ll suit up against the Astros. Correa, of course, spent the first seven years of his big-league career with Houston, making two All-Star Games and winning a World Series along the way. Even if Correa is unable to go, this should be yet another fun series between potential playoff teams.