Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodón’s dominating performances on the mound and Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner’s offensive and defensive capabilities are currently propelling their individual seasons. As they head into the All-Star break, they make history as this is the first time two former NC State players will play in the same All-Star game.
Though most of the statlines Turner turned in this week were not as explosive as the cycle he hit for a couple weeks ago, he put together an amazing performance in a losing effort against the San Diego Padres while Rodón concluded his first half of the season with an impressive win over the Minnesota Twins.
Trea Turner, shortstop, Washington Nationals
The week started out cold for the Nationals star on July 6, as he went 0 for 5 against the Padres. He made contact in each of those at-bats whether he lined out to center in the first inning or grounded out to shortstop in the sixth inning, keeping the opposing team on its toes. The next day Turner got two more hits on five at-bats, contributing to two of the runs scored in the game.
The last game of the Padres series showed everyone why Turner made it to his first All-Star selection this year. In his biggest game of the series, he went 3 for 5, connecting on two home runs — one of them a two-run shot to put the Nationals up 8-0 in the fourth. He also had a stolen base in the third after a single to shallow center, bringing his season total up to 19.
The final two games against the San Francisco Giants were rather quiet, but Turner had three hits which kept his batting average in the first half of the season at .322, ranking fifth in the majors. He will try to show his prowess on the field in the All-Star game coming up Tuesday, July 13.
Carlos Rodón, left-handed pitcher, Chicago White Sox
Rodón ended his first half of the season going six innings, striking out eight batters. He allowed seven hits with only one run scored in the White Sox’s 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins July 6.
Rodón now heads into the All-Star break with seven wins and three losses, two away from his career high of nine set in 2015 and 2016. He has lowered his ERA to 2.31, putting him in the top 10 in the MLB. Rodón has also recorded a total of 130 strikeouts for the year, which ties him sixth in the league.
Andrew Knizner, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
Knizner had only one appearance in the past five days when he went 0 for 4 in a 5-2 loss against the San Francisco Giants while also striking out once in the game. His batting average for the season is down to .178 for the year on 90 at-bats. Though he doesn’t see much playing time playing behind one of the best catchers in the game, Yadier Molina, he has struggled throughout the year to create any success offensively.
