Following Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' announcements today on the roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions, we are working on how these changes apply to community sport and baseball activities across the state over the coming months. Once we have all the necessary clarifications and have consulted with Victoria’s baseball cubs and community, we will provide further updates and our own roadmap for returning to baseball.
Currently the environment remains the same in regional and metropolitan Victoria, as per our FAQs and our Return to Activity/Return to Play documentation.
Updates of the Victorian Roadmap can be found via the Victorian Government website:
There is additional clarification for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
- https://www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions-roadmap-metro-melbourne
- https://www.vic.gov.au/restrictions-roadmap-regional-victoria
Image Credit: www.vic.gov.au
Baseball Victoria will consult with Club Presidents and Secretaries, our baseball officials cohort, the newly re-established Victorian Summer Baseball League Pennant Committee and our baseball members to confirm the details on returning to engage with baseball in the coming months.
The Victorian Government has opened the second round of funding for the Community Sport Survival Program as part of the Experience Economy Survival Package.
These grants are designed to support community sporting clubs and associations to survive the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and help them reboot, rebound and recover.
Grants of up to $2,000 are available for associations and leagues and grants of up to $1,000 are available for individual clubs and community sporting and active recreation organisations. A top-up grant of $1,000 for associations and leagues and $500 for clubs and community sporting and active recreation organisations will be provided automatically to grant recipients from the first round of funding.
Applications close Friday, 16 October 2020 at 5:00 PM.
Baseball Victoria encourages clubs to consider this funding opportunity and how it could make a difference during these uncertain times.
Click HERE to learn more about the Community Sport Sector Short-term Survival Package.
For a full list of available grants from Sport and Recreation Victoria and other funding, click HERE.
The 2020 MLB season is heating up with just a few weeks to go and two teams with Aussie representatives are keeping their postseason dreams alive in this shortened season.
Victorian Lewis Thorpe was recalled from the Twins alternate training site to the main roster for Minnesota's double-header against Detroit while West Australian Liam Hendriks was awarded the American League Reliever of the Month for August, a result of his hard work at Oakland.
LEWIS THORPE
Thorpe was recalled to Minnesota's roster ahead of a double-header against Detroit as the 29th man, eight days after being optioned to the Twins' alternate training site.
The left-hander entered the first game on Saturday, 29 August in the fifth inning. The Twins were down by five runs by the time Thorpe was given the ball, with the game finishing as an 8-2 win to the Tigers after seven innings.
In 1.2 innings pitched, Thorpe, who spent his junior years with Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency Baseball Clubs, gave up four hits for two runs (one earned), with one strikeout and nine batters faced.
Thorpe was dropped once more from the active roster at the conclusion of game two when the Twins needed to cut their roster to 28 ahead of the series finale on Sunday, 30 August.
The 24-year-old started the season with 4.2 scoreless innings in his first two outings, with a total of six appearances through August. Currently, Thorpe holds an ERA of 6.06 from 16.1 innings with 24 hits, 12 runs and 10 strikeouts.
Detroit won each of the three games in that series, while Minnesota also lost the first game against the White Sox before winning the next two during the week, snapping a six-game losing streak. As a result, the Twins have dropped down to third in the American League Central division with a 22-16 record, but they are just 1.5 games back from the White Sox and Indians.
Minnesota will take on Detroit in a five-game series starting with a double-header on Friday, 4 September. A two-game series against St. Louis is slated to begin on Tuesday, 8 September.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from the Twins, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
An exciting announcement was made yesterday when WA's own Liam Hendriks was declared the MLB American League Reliever of the Month.
The Oakland closer earned the recognition following a superb first-half of the season. Hendriks joins fellow A's reliever Blake Treinen as the organisation's only two pitchers to receive the monthly award twice.
For the month of August, the 31-year-old All-Star pitched 14 innings in 14 games, giving up one run on six walks with 20 strikeouts, contributing to two wins, nine saves and an ERA of 0.64.
The last time Hendriks claimed the Reliever of the Month award was for the month of June 2019, as an All-Star berth in July beckoned. This followed a month of similar numbers where the right-hander pitched 15 innings in 14 games, with 10 hits and one run allowed. He struck out 22 and concluded that month with one win, two saves and an ERA of 0.60.
Throughout the 2020 MLB season, Hendriks has pitched 16.1 innings in 16 games with eight hits, two runs and 23 strikeouts for an ERA of 1.10. Hendriks is also the joint-leader in saves among the MLB competition with 10, joined at the top by Cleveland's Brad Hand and Los Angeles Dodgers' Kenley Jansen.
Oakland lost a double-header against Houston on Saturday, 29 August and haven't played since due to a COVID-19 scare. A positive test in the Athletics camp halted the start of their series against Seattle, with those games scheduled for a later date.
Oakland remains in first place in the American League West division with a 22-12 record, as the Athletics host San Diego in a three-game series across the weekend. A five-game series with a make-up game against the Astros will begin from Monday, 7 September.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- Cleveland Indians v Milwaukee Brewers - Monday, 7 September, 3:00 AM AEST
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
The 2020 MLB season has reached the midway point, and two teams with Aussies sit atop their divisions five weeks in.
The final scheduled day of the regular season is 27 September, so there's a few weeks to go as teams battle for playoff positions in an unforgettable year.
LEWIS THORPE
Although Victorian Lewis Thorpe was optioned to the Twins Alternate Training Site last week, his training continues as he looks for another shot on baseball's biggest stage. He remains on the Twins 40-man roster and could be available for a return to the Majors at some time this season.
The former Victorian State Team representative and Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency junior pitched in six games this season, even getting the start against Pittsburgh on Monday, 3 August.
Across his first two games against Chicago and Cleveland, Thorpe retained a 0.00 ERA from 4.2 innings, giving up just a few hits.
His game against the Pirates saw his ERA increase to 3.12, although he secured three strikeouts in a four-inning effort. Unfortunately, Thorpe's ERA grew to almost double on the back of a three-run outing that produced no outs.
Thorpe's ERA dipped in the following game on Wednesday, 12 August after two scoreless innings but he struggled through another rough outing one week later, striking out three with four runs allowed on six hits and three walks.
Overall, the left-hander has pitched 14.2 innings in six games with 20 hits, 10 runs and nine strikeouts with an ERA of 6.14.
The Twins won their series against Kansas City and took out the opening game against Cleveland but dropped the final two. Despite back-to-back losses the Twins are still paced first with a 20-12 record in the American League Central division.
Minnesota's game against Detroit was postponed until tomorrow with a double-header set for Friday and another two games across the weekend. The Twins start a three-game series with the White Sox on Monday before hosting the Tigers at home next Friday.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from the Twins, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
The West Australian picked up his second win of the season but more importantly, added two to his save tally which sees him outright first among MLB pitchers with 10 saves.
On Friday, 21 August, Hendriks entered Oakland’s game against the Los Angeles Angels at the top of the ninth with the Athletics leading 5-3.
Although he initially gave up a single to lead-off batter Anthony Rendon, he struck out Brian Goodwin before flyouts to right field and centre field from Albert Puljols and Jo Adell ended the game, giving Hendriks' his ninth save and boosting Oakland to a 19-8 record.
Earlier, a three-run first-inning allowed Oakland to gain control from the start, Marcus Semien hitting a ball over the fence before a Stephen Piscotty double scored two more.
Despite the Angels nailing back a run in the fifth, Oakland made nice work of the bottom half of that frame with two more, although those runs would be cancelled due to the Angels’ two at the top of the sixth.
The 31-year-old Hendriks had a day’s rest before collecting his second win of the season in a tight affair against the Angels.
A scoreless 10th inning paved the way for Oakland to claim a walk-off victory on Sunday, 23 August with Hendriks needing just 11 pitches to get the job done on the mound while stopping the runner on second from scoring.
Hendriks retired all three batters, making his way back from a 3-1 count to Jason Castro before he popped up and was caught in foul territory. Andrelton Simmons grounded and David Fletcher lined out straight to right field.
There was a runner on second in the bottom of the 10th and Matt Chapman's single advanced him to third before a Mark Canha sacrifice fly to centre field allowed the winning run to come home.
As a result of this win, Oakland became the first team in the American League to record 20 wins. This marked their fifth win in five extra-inning games this season. The A’s were victorious against the Angels even without a home run, snapping a 0-5 streak when homerless this season.
In another exciting element to Hendriks’ week, the right-hander secured his 10th save of the season against Texas on Wednesday, 26 August, a result that sees him atop the saves among the MLB.
The save came as a result of Oakland’s 3-1 win over the Rangers where Hendriks took 17 pitches and punched out two – Joey Gallo looking and Todd Frazier swinging – before forcing Nick Solak to ground out.
Texas got out to an early one-run lead due to an error as the third inning came to an end but Oakland was able to pick things up at the top of the sixth when Piscotty claimed an RBI single, Marcus Semien crossing home.
A wild pitch from Luis Garcia allowed Ramon Laureano to score and double the Athletics lead.
Piscotty was later involved in another A’s run, scoring at the top of the eighth after a bases-loaded hit by pitch on Robbie Grossman.
The save result takes Hendriks’ ERA to 1.10, allowing just two earned runs this season from 16.1 innings.
Oakland’s game against Texas on Friday, 28 August is postponed - to be made up on Sunday, 13 September - as the A’s look forward to staying in Texas but travel to Houston for a three-game series against the Astros from tomorrow. As the leaders in the American League West, Oakland rounds out the week in Seattle with a three-game series against the Mariners.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- New York Mets v New York Yankees - Monday, 31 August, 6:00 AM AEST
- Philadelphia Phillies v Atlanta Braves - Monday, 31 August, 9:00 AM AEST
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
The Baseball Victoria Board of Directors has provided an update for the Victorian baseball community, which includes the following changes:
- James van Beek Resigns as Vice President and a Director
Baseball Victoria Vice President James van Beek has resigned from the Board.
Joining the Board in September 2014, James has held the Directors Portfolio of Finance chairing the Finance Committee and since May 2018 has also held the position of Vice President.
On behalf of the Victorian baseball community, the Board extends its thanks to James for his six years of service to Victorian baseball.
- Sam Taylor Elected Vice President
The Baseball Victoria Board has met and elected Sam Taylor as Vice President.
Appointed to the Board in January 2020, Sam is the current CEO of InteractSport and has worked in the digital sports industry for over 15 years, specialising in the development of electronic scoring and live streaming applications.
Sam is a cricketer by trade having played over 250 matches for Richmond where he is a life member, premiership player and former club captain. In between cricket seasons, Sam has also played seven seasons of winter league baseball.
- Changes to Board Committees
Finance Committee
Sam Taylor has joined Directors Myles Foreman and Grant Weir on the Finance Committee with Myles Foreman to chair the committee following the resignation of James van Beek.
Nominations Committee
Meghan Mayman has joined Directors Myles Foreman and Joanna O’Connor on the Nominations Committee following the resignation of James van Beek with Myles Foreman stepping down as Chair of the Nominations Committee and Meghan Mayman to chair the committee.
The Nominations Committee will shortly commence the recruitment of three new Directors to join the Board to fill casual vacancies for ratification at the next Annual General Meeting of Baseball Victoria to be held in February 2021.
The first four weeks of the 2020 MLB season have been massive, with two Aussies making our country proud on baseball’s biggest stage. Victorian Lewis Thorpe has been working hard on the mound for the Minnesota Twins and WA’s Liam Hendriks has notched his eighth save as the go-to closer for the Oakland Athletics.
LEWIS THORPE
Victorian Lewis Thorpe pitched four innings in a 9-3 loss to Milwaukee that saw a couple of long shots clear the fence, prompting his ERA to rise, although the Minnesota Twins are still atop the rankings in the American League Central division with a 17-9 record.
Thorpe entered in the fourth inning of the game against Milwaukee at Target Field on Wednesday, 19 August. He came into the game when the Brewers were up by three runs and managed to contain that margin from his first inning on the mound.
The next inning wasn't so smooth as Thorpe gave up four runs - a pair of two-run home runs to Christian Yelich and Avisail Garcia - at the top of the fifth as Milwaukee ran away with the scoreline.
The 24-year-old left-hander recovered well in his next two innings, ending his four frames with six hits for four runs with three strikeouts and three walks.
The former Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency junior saw his ERA dip to 5.06 from his last appearance, however as a result of the Twins 9-3 loss to the Brewers, Thorpe's ERA is back up at 6.14.
| The Twins optioned Thorpe to their alternate training site on Thursday and recalled Zack Littell. Thorpe remains on the Twins' 40-man roster, meaning he is eligible to be added back to the active roster. |
The Twins meet Kansas City once again across the weekend, followed by a three-game series in Cleveland before finishing up the week in Detroit.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from the Twins, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
Liam Hendriks and the Oakland Athletics are sitting first in the American League West with a 18-8 record. The West Australian picked up three more saves from as many games, taking his tally to eight for season, now an equal MLB-leading amount.
Hendriks entered the game in the 10th inning against San Francisco on Friday, 14 August and struck out all three batters as the Athletics produced a remarkable comeback win. Oakland had some strong offensive work at the top of the ninth, scoring five runs to make it an even ballgame and holding off the Giants to take the game to extras.
Hendriks did not appear affected by the Giants runner on second under MLB's extra-innings rules for 2020, letting his fastball do the damage as the A's completed an 8-7 win.
Hendriks blew a fastball past lead-off hitter Brandon Belt as the Giants were unable to advance the runner, before the closer struck out Mauricio Dubon for the second out.
The right-hander then got Mike Yastrzemski to strike out swinging on a ball out of the zone, completing the wild comeback win for Oakland.
Oakland, which trailed 6-0 after four innings, relied on Stephen Piscotty's grand slam at the top of the ninth to make it a 7-all game. Matt Olsen's seventh homer of the season was the first run scored in that frame for the A's while it was a sacrifice fly from Mark Canha at the top of the 10th that saw Oakland with the go-ahead run, Chapman the one to score from second.
It was a similar story the day after on Saturday, 15 August with the Athletics beating the Giants 7-6 after another late-inning barrage of runs - four at the top of the ninth - to take the lead.
Hendriks took three pitches to claim the first two outs of the final frame, Hunter Pence grounding out on the first pitch before Brandon Crawford flew out to right field.
Pinch-hitter Alex Dickerson was walked but was stuck at first as Mauricio Dubon popped out to Tony Kemp at second for the final out.
Hendriks collected his equal MLB-leading eighth save on Wednesday, 19 August as Oakland extended its home winning streak to seven in a 4-1 win over Arizona.
The 31-year-old retired all three batters he faced at Oakland Coliseum, taking just 15 pitches to achieve the final three outs, including striking out Kole Calhoun.
Eduardo Escobar flew out to left field while Nick Ahmed grounded out to finish off the game.
Hendriks followed up on a strong start from Jesus Luzardo, who struck out seven over 6.1 scoreless innings as Oakland jumped out in front in the first on Robbie Grossman's two-run ground-rule double. Mark Canha doubled the A's advantage with a two-run homer in the third.
A fourth outing for the week saw Hendriks enter the top of the ninth in Oakland's 5-1 win against Arizona on Thursday, 20 August, replacing Jake Diekman.
Hendriks pitched the one closing inning, recording the required three outs from consecutive hitters, firstly striking out Christian Walker before Eduardo Escabar grounded out. Hendriks struck out Nick Ahmed to finish the game.
The former Perth Heat pitcher's ERA now sits at 1.35 from 13.1 innings pitched. Hendriks' eight saves for the season has him tied with Zack Britton from the New York Yankees for the most saves.
Oakland hosts the Los Angeles Angels across the weekend in a three-game series before travelling to Texas to take on the Rangers in a three-game series to cap off the next week of the 2020 MLB season.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- San Diego Padres v Houston Astros - Monday, 24 August, 6:00 AM
- Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies - Monday, 24 August, 9:00 AM
- Arizona Diamondbacks v Colorado Rockies - Tuesday, 25 August, 11:30 AM
- San Francisco Giants v Los Angeles Dodgers - Thursday, 27 August, 12:00 PM
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
The first three weeks of the 2020 MLB season have been full of action for our Aussie representatives, with Victorian Lewis Thorpe continuing his pitching career with the Minnesota Twins and WA's Liam Hendriks collecting five saves and a win as a standout closer for the Oakland Athletics. Here's the latest news on how the Aussies are progressing on the biggest stage in baseball.
LEWIS THORPE
Lewis Thorpe took his first loss of the season on Saturday, 8 August as Minnesota went down to Kansas City, 9-6.
The left-hander came in through the fourth inning and failed to register an out as his day ended quickly with three hits and three earned runs, including a home run to Nicky Lopez.
After Thorpe’s time on the mound, a three-run homer to Jorge Soler and a second solo homer to Salvador Perez was enough to cancel out Minnesota’s run of scoring at the top of fourth, which they couldn’t recover enough from.
Thorpe entered the game on Wednesday, 12 August and threw two scoreless innings in Minnesota’s 12-2 win over Milwaukee. The Victorian bounced back well against the Brewers after being tested through his previous outings.
Thorpe gave up two hits and struck out Keston Hiura in the eighth before punching out Omar Narvaez to finish the game. The 24-year-old worked around a lead-off double in the ninth to produce a scoreless outing.
The former Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency junior took 30 pitches – 21 of them strikes – to record his six outs, his ERA dropping from 6.23 to 5.06 in the process.
Every member of the Twins lineup recorded a hit as the team racked up 15 in total. Bryan Buxton had a pair of solo homers while starting pitcher Kenta Maeda retired 17 of the first 18 batters he faced.
Prior to this win over the Brewers, Minnesota had dropped five of its last six games as the Twins now focus their attention to hosting Kansas City across the weekend, a side they dropped a three-game series to just last week. From Tuesday, the Twins will host the Brewers.
So far this season Thorpe has pitched 10.2 innings in five appearances with a 1.88 WHIP.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from Thorpe and his Twins teammates, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
Liam Hendriks recorded his fifth save of the season in Oakland’s 3-1 win over Houston on Saturday, 8 August.
The win extended the A’s winning streak to eight games, off the back of a strong outing by starting pitcher Frankie Montas.
Montas pitched seven scoreless innings, limiting the damage of the Astros to just two hits in his time on the mound.
Jake Diekman tossed a scoreless eighth ahead of Hendriks entering in the ninth, and despite allowing a run, the West Australian still recorded the save.
Kyle Tucker started the ninth with a double off Hendriks and scored on a one-out single from Alex Bregman.
But Hendriks hit back, striking out Michael Brantley ahead of Yuli Gurriel grounding out to end the contest.
A lead-off home run to Marcus Semien in the first set the tone of the A’s offence as Matt Chapman drove in a run in the sixth and provided insurance with his third homer of the year in the bottom of the eighth.
Hendriks worked another scoreless inning on Wednesday, 12 August in Oakland’s 8-4 win, ending their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on a high note.
The right-hander struck out Albert Pujols and Jason Castro and did not allow a baserunner in a non-save position as the A’s returned to the winners list after dropping the past two against the Angels on the back of a nine-game winning streak.
Hendriks retired Shohei Ohtani on a fly out to start the ninth and used 13 pitches to navigate the frame.
By Oakland scoring three runs at the top of the eighth to push its lead to four, it took away the opportunity for Hendriks to record a sixth save of the season.
Hendriks’ ERA fell to 1.93 after the scoreless outing in his ninth appearance of the 2020 season.
Oakland will be a bridge away from home this weekend, in San Francisco for a three-game series with the Giants before a four-game series against Arizona from Monday to round out the week.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
AARON WHITEFIELD
Aaron Whitefield was optioned last week by the Minnesota Twins to their alternate training site, and this week was sent outright to their Double-A affiliate Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
The decision comes on the back of an agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association that states active rosters would remain at 28 players for the remainder of the 2020 season.
The Queenslander was put on the Twins 30-man Opening Day roster and made two appearances in the opening series against Chicago – including his MLB debut on Saturday, 25 July – and a further showing against St Louis in the same week.
Thought to be used as a pinch-runner in applicable scenarios, Whitefield entered the game for that reason twice through his three games, scoring one run courtesy of a Nelson Cruz home run.
When entering the game as a defensive replacement, the centrefielder took three catches across two games, including two catches against the Cardinals, where he also made his only plate appearance.
Whitefield’s only plate appearance, on Wednesday, 29 July, saw the current Adelaide Giants star falling just short of reaching first, grounding out after almost getting the ball past the second baseman.
Being outrighted to the minors is a notable distinction to an affiliate training site as it means Whitefield is no longer in the Twins 60-man player pool.
Whitefield won’t be eligible to return to Minnesota’s pool in 2020, although there is the option to be traded to another team where he can continue his MLB journey.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- Cleveland Indians v Detroit Tigers - Monday, 17 August, 3:00 AM
- New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox – Monday, 17 August, 9:00 AM
- New York Yankees v Boston Red Sox – Tuesday, 18 August, 9:00 AM
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v San Francisco Giants - Wednesday, 19 August, 6:00 AM
- Chicago White Sox v Detroit Tigers - Friday, 21 August, 4:00 AM
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
The first two weeks of the 2020 MLB season are in the books, and so far it's been smooth sailing for our Aussie representatives. Every Friday we will take you around the grounds to check in on how the Aussies are doing on baseball’s biggest stage as they pursue their dreams.
This past week saw Victorian Lewis Thorpe make his first start of 2020 for the Minnesota Twins, while fellow Aussie Liam Hendriks recorded his fourth save and first win with the Oakland Athletics.
LEWIS THORPE
Homer Bailey was put on the Twins 10-day injured list with right bicep tendinitis, paving the way for Thorpe to enter the mix. He took a no-decision in his first start after Minnesota surged late to claim a walk-off win over Pittsburgh at Target Field on Monday, 3 August.
The pitcher, who spent his junior years with Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency Baseball Clubs, lasted four innings on the mound, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts before a deep single from Nelson Cruz gave the Twins a 5-4 walk-off win.
The left-hander Thorpe was on the back foot early as he gave up a lead-off homer to Pirate Cole Tucker on the first pitch of the game.
Thorpe was able to retire the next three batters on eight pitchers before Pittsburgh doubled their advantage an inning later with three straight singles after a Bryan Reynolds strikeout first-up. The third of those singles made it a 2-0 game.
The 24-year-old retired each of the three batters he faced in the third frame and escaped the fourth inning with minimal damage, despite issuing four walks and an Erik Gonzalez RBI-double adding to the deficit.
Jorge Alcala replaced Thorpe in the middle, giving up a fourth run in the fifth but the Twins pulled back to make it even after a four-run sixth before Cruz’s heroics.
The Twins carry their impressive 10-3 record – first in the American League Central conference – into this weekend's three-game series against Kansas City in a three-game series before travelling to Milwaukee for a three-game series against the Brewers from Tuesday.
Thorpe isn't the only Aussie on the Twins 40-man roster, with Queenslander Aaron Whitefield making his MLB debut last week.
For up-to-date schedules, scores and live action from Thorpe and his Twins teammates, visit the official MLB website here.
LIAM HENDRIKS
West Australian Liam Hendriks recorded his second save of the MLB season to help Oakland snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday, 1 August. Hendriks recorded the final three outs as the A’s topped Seattle 3-2 in a game that went into 10 innings.
Tim Lopes attempt to bunt saw a pop-up to Hendriks and Dylan Moore flew out to shallow left field for the first two outs. Hendriks then punched out J.P. Crawford to finish off Seattle on 13 pitches.
The 31-year-old Hendriks kept Mariners automatic runner Shed Long Jr. stranded on second with the three outs as Robbie Grossman lifted the A’s to victory with the go-ahead RBI ground-rule double.
Hendriks then followed up his work the next day when he picked up his second save in as many days – and third for the season - by punching out three of four hitters in Oakland’s 3-2 win over Seattle on Sunday, 2 August.
Hendriks struck out Evan White on four pitches to start the bottom of the ninth ahead of a Shed Long Jr. line drive to left field for a single. He recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Kyle Seager and Austin Nola to secure his third save of 2020, in his fourth appearance.
Hendriks made a fifth appearance on Tuesday, 4 August and collected the win in Oakland’s 5-1 victory against Texas, setting the stage for a walk-off grand slam from Stephen Piscotty.
Oakland entered the bottom of the ninth with scores tied after Hendriks tossed a scoreless top-half of the frame. The right-hander retired all three batters he faced after replacing Joakim Soria, using 10 pitches to do so.
Hendriks punched out Joey Gallo before getting Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos to fly out. It was Hendriks’ first win since July 14 last year against the Chicago White Sox.
Hendriks returned to the mound on Thursday, 6 August, at the top of the ninth and picked up his fourth save of the season as Oakland won 6-4, surviving a fightback from the Texas offense.
Replacing Yusmeiro Petit, Hendriks gave up a lead-off single to Shin-Soo Choo before striking out Elvis Andrus for the first out. A double-play effort from Marcus Semien on a line drive by Willie Calhoun ensured an Oakland win that improves their record to 9-4 in this 60-game MLB season.
The save result for Hendriks takes him to a tied second-place among MLB pitchers this season. His ERA has dropped to 1.42 following the 15-pitch save.
The A's have finished up their series with Texas, claiming a 3-0 series sweep to place first in the American League West conference with a 9-4 record. Oakland will stay at Oakland Colosseum to take on Houston over the weekend while at the back-end of next week, the team travels to Anaheim to battle with the Angels from Monday.
Follow Oakland’s season on the official MLB website here.
MLB ON KAYO
If you’re wondering where to watch MLB, Kayo has you covered with some of the biggest games streamed live each week. In addition to MLB Strikezone showings, the Australian sports streaming service has the following lineup for games this next week:
- St. Louis Cardinals v Chicago Cubs - Mon, 10 Aug, 9:00 AM
- Houston Astros v San Francisco Giants - Tue, 11 Aug, 11:00 AM
- Boston Red Sox v Tampa Bay Rays – Thu, 13 Aug, 9:30 AM
- Philadelphia Phillies v Baltimore Orioles - Fri, 14 Aug, 6:00 AM
Click HERE to check out Kayo and follow along with the MLB action live.
New to Kayo? Sign up for a free 14-day trial HERE.
Victorian Lewis Thorpe took a no-decision in his first start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season after Minnesota surged late to claim a walk-off win over Pittsburgh at Target Field on Monday, 3 August.
The 24-year-old lasted four innings in his third career big league start, allowing three runs on six hits, ahead of Nelson Cruz’s deep single giving the Twins a 5-4 walk-off win.
Pirates @ Twins: Box Score
Thorpe, who played for Doncaster and Greenhills Montmorency Baseball Clubs, was on the back foot early after giving up a lead-off homer to Cole Tucker on the first pitch of the game.
The left-hander retired the next three batters on eight pitches to end the opening frame ahead of the Pirates doubling their advantage an inning later. Thorpe struck out Bryan Reynolds to start the second before allowing three-straight singles. Jacob Stalling made it 2-0 with the third single.
Thorpe retired each of the three batters he faced in the third inning and escaped the fourth with minimal damage despite issuing four walks. He walked Reynolds to start the inning ahead of Minnesota turning a double play to erase the baserunner. Back-to-back walks and Erik Gonzalez’s RBI-double added a third run for Pittsburgh.
Thorpe allowed his sixth walk of the outing before recording the final out of the fourth to end the inning. He was replaced by Jorge Alcala to start the fifth.
Thorpe struck out three Pirates. Pittsburgh added a fourth run in the fifth but the Twins pulled level with a four-run sixth.
Cruz singled to drive in Mitch Garver and Max Kepler made it a one-run contest with a two-run double. Minnesota drew level on a wild pitch from Pirates reliever Miguel Del Pozo.
Cruz’s third hit of the game in the ninth lifted the Twins to their first walk-off win of 2020.
Queensland Aaron Whitefield did not enter the game for Minnesota.
The Twins improved their record to 8-2.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 4.10am AEST tomorrow.