Logan Forsythe has been on fire lately for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The former Arkansas infielder went 3-for-4 in the Rays’ 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians Sunday, improving his batting average to .288.
The performance capped a seven-game stretch in which Forsythe is 13-for-27 (.481) with a double and three RBIs.
His batting average has risen 24 points and now ranks 21st in the American League and third among AL second basemen.
Through only 70 games, Forsythe already has a career-high seven home runs and 31 RBIs, while his .288 batting average is on pace to best his .273 average in 2012.
Keuchel Hits Rough Stretch
Since tossing a four-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox on May 30, Dallas Keuchel has struggled.
In four starts, the former Arkansas pitcher has failed to pitch into the eighth inning, allowing 12 earned runs in 25 2/3 innings for a 4.21 ERA while going 1-2.
Keuchel entered June with a 1.76 ERA and back-to-back American League Pitcher of the Month awards, but has seen his ERA drop to 2.35 and record fall to 8-3.
Despite the bad outings, his eight wins are still tied for second in the AL, while his ERA ranks third.
He also leads the AL in innings pitched (107 1/3) and batting average against (.194).
McCann Solid for Tigers
James McCann has been a solid replacement for Detroit Tigers’ starting catcher Alex Avila, who went down with a knee injury in May.
The former Arkansas catcher went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Tigers’ 14-3 loss to the New York Yankees Saturday and is batting .258 since taking over for Avila.
His only two home runs this year – and his career – have been memorable, with the first being an inside-the-park home run against the Minnesota Twins and the second being a walk-off home run against the Houston Astros.
McCann has also been steady behind the plate. Cincinnati Reds speedster Billy Hamilton came into his game against the Tigers on June 16 with 31 stolen bases in 35 attempts, but McCann was able to throw him out at second.
For the season, he has caught 12 of 24 would-be base stealers. McCann’s caught stealing percentage of 50 percent ranks first in the American League.
Bolsinger Struggles for Dodgers
Mike Bolsinger’s second half of the season hasn’t been nearly as dominant as his first half with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The former Arkansas pitcher has allowed 15 earned runs in 28 innings over his last five starts, after giving up only two in 25 1/3 innings in his first four starts.
In Bolsinger’s fourth start of the year, he was nearly perfect, allowing a leadoff single before getting a double play en route to retiring 23 straight batters.
From there, is has been downhill for Bolsinger. That outing lowered his ERA to a miniscule 0.71, but in his five starts since then, it has risen to 2.87.
His last start was his worst since joining the Dodgers in the offseason, as he allowed five earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings of a 9-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants Friday.
Smyly Plays Catch
Drew Smyly played catch before the Tampa Bay Rays’ game against the Chicago White Sox on June 13, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
It was the first time the former Arkansas pitcher has thrown since tearing his labrum in May.
Initially, it was expected that Smyly would undergo season-ending surgery, but he opted to rest and rehab it with hopes of returning to the rotation in August, as the earliest.
Before his injury, Smyly was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts. He had 21 strikeouts and three walks in 16 2/3 innings of work.