MLB Notebook: Red Sox’ Garrett Crochet earns win over Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, Yankees lose Aaron Judge to IL, trades happening around the league

The atmosphere at Fenway Park was electric on Saturday night as fans were treated to an epic pitching matchup between the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

It was a dicey first inning after Crochet gave up a solo homer to Dodgers leadoff man, Shohei Ohtani. It was the third time that Crochet had given up a leadoff blast to open a game. Two batters later, Teoscar Hernandez took Crochet deep for his 16th homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

“I made two bad pitches,” Crochet said after the game. “I’ve been watching them on repeat, too. Fox has played them 30 times. You’d think the Dodgers won tonight. But, no real adjustment.

“The second one hurt. I went into the start telling (catcher Carlos Narvaez), ‘Let’s really establish the four-seam today.’ I got clipped on one, middle-middle, to the best hitter in the league (Ohtani)...big whoop. But then to give one up (to Hernandez) on the sweeper after not really establishing the ‘four’ yet, that’s one that I regret a little bit. But I was 15 pitches deep after the first. I still had a lot of game left, personally, and especially for the team.”

Crochet didn’t let the early homers bother him, shutting down the Dodgers, tossing six innings, and allowing the two runs off eight hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts as the Red Sox earned a 4-2 win on Saturday night.

The Sox ace earned his 12th win, tying him with Brewers righty Freddy Peralta for the most in the league. Crochet also lowered his ERA to 2.23, becoming just the third pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-2.25 ERA with 175 strikeouts or more in the first 22 games of any season. The only other Red Sox pitchers to do so were Pedro Martinez (2000) and Chris Sale (2018).

Fenway had a playoff-like atmosphere with fans getting to see Crochet face off against a future Hall of Famer.

“Him and (Chris) Sale, specifically (I followed when I was younger),” said Crochet, acknowledging the opportunity to face off against the Dodgers legend. “Definitely watched him growing up, for sure. There are certain times where you do feel like you’re matching against the other pitcher, and a unanimous Hall of Famer definitely. That’s the case. I just tried to reel it back in and make sure it was more (about) me and their nine hitters.”

Kershaw made his first and likely last regular-season start at Fenway Park and wasn’t able to hold the lead his offense gave him very long. The Sox took the lead back in the second inning, scoring three runs, and added another in the fifth, chasing the southpaw from the game.

Crochet was pitching at another level again, feeding off the energy of the Fenway crowd.

“I think that we saw it when New York came to town as well,” he said. “Honestly, I feel like we’ve been seeing it the past month-plus. It seems like every weekend here it’s sold out and very lively. It’s a great crowd to play in front of, to be sure.”

JUDGE TO THE IL WITH ‘ELBOW ISSUE’

Yankees captain Aaron Judge is dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow that has landed him on the 10-day injured list, manager Aaron Boone said after New York’s 9-4 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.

“No acute injury to the UCL. Overall, that’s good news,” Boone said. “With those first few days coming off the IL, it’s probably DH mode. Then he’ll start throwing … and, hopefully, get back to the outfield shortly thereafter.”

Judge’s injury occurred in the sixth inning against the Blue Jays on Tuesday after the All-Star outfielder tried to throw out Davis Schneider at the plate.

Schneider ended up scoring on the single from George Springer. Judge was seen grimacing in pain after the throw, squeezing his hand, indicating quickly there could be an issue with the slugger.

“It was kind of do or die,” Judge said about Tuesday’s play. “Keep the one-run lead, or it’s a tie game in Toronto. You have to make a play. I felt the pain there. You have to gut it out. It’s a big game. It’s our division rival.”

Judge thought that with having a day off on Thursday, he would be fine for the Phillies series, but realized there was an issue when he couldn’t throw the baseball 60 feet.

“I wasn’t able to throw the last couple of days. I wanted to take the off-day and see how it went,” Judge said. “I was pretty adamant about playing [Friday]. It just came down to a point where if I need to make a play for the team, I’m going to do it. I got [the elbow] checked out, got the news, and we go from there.”

Losing Judge to the IL is a massive blow to the Yankees, who sit 6.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the American League East and just one game ahead of the Red Sox for second place in the division. If the Yankees lose on Sunday, they could fall down in the wild card standings.

The door is open for the Red Sox to overtake the Yankees in the standings while Judge is on the shelf. New York will need to see Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger anchoring the lineup unless the Bronx Bombers add a big bat ahead of the trade deadline. Once Judge returns from the IL, Boone anticipates him spending time as the team’s designated hitter, which will lead to Stanton having to play the outfield.

TRADING PLACES

One of the best hitters available on the trade market is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. He’s been producing at a high level all season, hitting .249 with 36 homers, 18 doubles, 87 RBI, and a .904 OPS.

The Yankees had been one of the teams heavily connected to Suárez, but after trading for Ryan McMahon (Rockies) and Ahmed Rosario (Nationals), those talks have cooled. A reunion with the Mariners was on the table at one point, but Seattle acquired his teammate, Josh Naylor, for two pitching prospects earlier this week.

The Phillies could look to add Suárez and another power hitter to their already deep roster. With players such as Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, and J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia faces immense pressure to win now. Suárez would be a massive upgrade over Alec Bohm at third base.

The Brewers are another team to watch for Suárez’s services. Milwaukee is tied for first place with the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. They’ve held the league’s best record since May 25, and that’s with rookie third baseman Caleb Durbin manning the hot corner.

Andrew Vaughn has been adding some pop to the Brewers lineup, filling in for the injured Rhys Hoskins. The Brewers lack a true power bat in the middle of their lineup and entered play on Saturday ranked 25th in homers (97) and 23rd in slugging (.383).

The Reds are in the mix, 6.5 games out in the NL Central and one game out of the final wild card spot. Cincinnati may be hesitant on trading their younger players for a rental in Suárez, but the team owes it to their fan base to make a push for the postseason.

Naylor made his Mariners debut just 23 hours following the three-player trade that sent him to Seattle. He packed his bags and hopped on a flight across the country and then was the Mariners’ cleanup hitter in Seattle’s 3-2 loss in 10 innings to the Angels. He went 1-for-4 with a two-out single in his debut.

The D-backs received left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi. Arizona added two top pitching prospects to their farm system as they look to add pitchers ahead of the deadline.

Garcia, 25, was the Mariners 11th-round draft pick in the 2023 draft out of Texas A&M. He offers a heavy 95-96 mph two-seamer and a cutter. The southpaw made his big league debut last Monday, and in the minors this season, he posted a 3.96 ERA in 24 relief appearances before his promotion to Triple-A. In eight appearances for Tacoma, he pitched to a 2.16 ERA. Garcia will join the D-backs as a reliever.

Izzi, 21, was a fourth-round pick back in 2022 out of East Oswego High School in Illinois. He offers a four-seam fastball that has touched 97 mph and a two-seamer that has some sink. The D-backs look at the righty as someone with “long-term starter potential.”

The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk for right-hander Andrew Hoffman. The 34-year-old is a veteran of 12 MLB seasons and spent the last year and a half with Arizona. 

Kansas City has been relying on an outfield mix of Jac Caglianone, Kyle Isbel, and John Rave.

The Mets made a move to bolster their bullpen, acquiring lefty Gregory Soto for minor league righties Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster. Soto, 30, has pitched to a 3.96 ERA this season, adding depth to the Mets bullpen.

The Rays are reportedly “softening” their stance on trading first baseman Yandy Diaz and second baseman Brandon Lowe, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

If Diaz is available, the Red Sox should be calling for the 34-year-old slugger. While Diaz may be a lackluster defender, his offensive capabilities make him an ideal addition to the Red Sox's lineup as they prepare for the postseason.

"The Rays have been reluctant to trade Díaz, who sacrificed perhaps greater money elsewhere by signing two club-friendly extensions,” Rosenthal reported on Saturday. “If they indeed become willing to move him, the Boston Red Sox will almost certainly be at the top of the list of the teams interested.”

Boston has been relying on the platoon combination of Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro after losing Triston Casas to a season-ending knee injury. The 33-year-old is hitting .286 with 18 homers, 19 doubles, one triple, and 61 RBI, with an .820 OPS.

He is earning $10 million this season and $12 million in 2026 before a vesting option kicks in for the 2027 season. With the uncertainty around Casas due to the severity of his knee injury, Diaz is protection at first base next season and gives the Red Sox a right-handed slugger already in place if Alex Bregman elects to opt out of his deal this winter.

Boston’s focus has been on adding controllable assets versus rentals as the deadline approaches on Thursday.

JARREN DURAN NOT STRESSED OVER TRADE DEADLINE

You can’t navigate Red Sox trade rumors without seeing Jarren Duran’s name connected to seemingly all of them. As the deadline loams, the 28-year-old put on an offensive show on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with two triples, one double, and two RBI in the win. 

“It’s always fun to run out a triple,” Duran said.

Duran was the first Red Sox player with multiple triples in a game since Mookie Betts hit two on July 13, 2018 against the Blue Jays. The speedy outfielder leads the American League in triples with 12. He trails only Arizona’s Corbin Carroll (13 triples) for the MLB lead.

Over the last few months, Duran has been subject to trade rumors due to the Red Sox' glut of outfielders. Boston seems less likely to trade Duran with the injury to Marcelo Mayer. The Sox are going to platoon Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez at second base opening up for Roman Anthony, Duran, and Wilyer Abreu to play the outfield with Masataka Yoshida sprinkled in the mix. 

“Honestly, that’s probably one of the things I actually don’t stress about,” Duran said about being mentioned in rumors. “I have no control over it. So if it happens, it happens. But I don’t have social media like Twitter and stuff like that. So I never kind of see any of that stuff. But my dad always keeps me on my toes and shoots one over to me every once in a while.”

The Padres reportedly offered the Red Sox starter Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas, and another minor leaguer for Duran. The deal was quickly rejected by the Red Sox. 

“If it happens, it happens, but it’s just all rumors for now, so I’m just gonna keep having fun with my boys,” Duran said.

Duran doesn’t seem phased over the trade deadline and is fine if the Red Sox front office stands pat and lets the club ride it out the rest of the way. 

“If they add, awesome. If they don’t, awesome,” Duran said. “We love the team we have, and we’re just gonna roll with what we got. There’s nothing we can control. We just gotta trust whatever they do is the best for the team.”

AROUND THE LEAGUE

- Walker Buehler spent 10 years in the Dodgers organization before signing with the Red Sox this offseason. The two-time All-Star received his 2024 World Series ring from former teammates Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and others. 

- Benches cleared between the Cardinals and Padres on Saturday night after Manny Machado and Willson Contreras were hit by pitches twice. After Machado was plunked by Cardinals pitcher Andre Granillo’s 95.9 mph fastball in the ninth inning, the slugger shouted at the St. Louis righty and benches cleared. 

- Mariners All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 40th homer of the season on Saturday, becoming the first switch-hitter in MLB history to hit 40 homers before the end of July. He’s now the fifth different player in Mariners franchise history to hit at least 40 home runs in a single season, putting him alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez and Nelson Cruz.

- The Royals have placed Caglianone on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. His roster spot will go to Grichuk. 

- The Rays optioned pitcher Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham after a rough start this week against the White Sox. Bradley didn’t make it out of the second inning tonight. He gave up four hits and three walks, allowing four runs in an inning and two-thirds.