Outside The Confines: Hey, Siri!

Happy Monday, friends. I hope your weekend was wonderful, I hope you remembered to wear sunscreen outside and that the mosquitos were at a minimum wherever you were. And most of all I hope you enjoyed spending some time watching baseball.

We are fast approaching the All-Star Break (excuse me, how is it June already?), and my annual tradition of complaining about the ASG being blacked out to Canadian MLB TV subscribers is already ready to go. (Also, the fan vote is active if you want to send some Cubs to the game.)

The Cubs obviously had a pretty good weekend, but they weren’t alone. Liam Hendriks had a win on a pretty meaningful day; the Yankees made some incredible plays; and one Red Sox announcer realized he should probably turn off Siri on his phone when the Rays are in town.

All that and more int today’s links, so let’s jump into it!

• Alex Eisert assesses how more and more often batters are losing out in a long at-bat.
• Liam Hendriks collected his first win back and it couldn’t have happened on a more perfect day, as he finished off the Tigers in the ninth inning on National Cancer Survivors Day. Story by Scott Merkin.
• Aaron Judge shared his thoughts on that viral “Arson Judge” trade rumor over the winter. Story by Wilton Jackson.
• Alden Gonzalez looks at why the Dodgers are just so darned good this year.
• It’s rare for me to say Rob Manfred did something right, but Matt Snyder looks at how the pitch count is shortening games and bringing more fans to the park.
• Former Giants manager Roger Craig has passed.

• Jay Jaffe looks at how well Francisco Alvarez is doing working with Mets pitchers.
• Bryan Hoch shares how the Yankees used small ball to win their weekend series.
• Tom Verducci gets into the historical significance of Aaron Boone’s many many ejections.
• Seems like players are getting benched more often this season for lacking hustle. Marcell Ozuna was pulled from a game for his lackluster play this weekend. (ESPN)
• A Red Sox announcer set off his Apple Assistant during a game by announcing Rays’ player Jose Siri. Story by Theo DeRosa.
• Jayson Stark offers the five wildest stats of the 2023 season so far. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Dang, now that’s a catch.

• Cole Jacobson offers five high-drama series to pay attention to this week.
• Josh Lester’s first MLB hit came in clutch for the Orioles. Story by Ben Ross.
• Jon Singleton is back in the majors for the first time since 2015. Story by Wilton Jackson.
• Mandy Bell shares a must-read ode to Sarah Langs.
• Zachary Petit looks at some genuinely incredible Japanese baseball uniforms that must be seen to be believed.
• Now here’s one you don’t see every day.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.