Today’s game between two clubs with a combined .4% chance of making the playoffs (hint: all .4% belong to the Rangers) was probably of low interest to the wider baseball world, except for a few particular corners:
I will qualify again: Don't know that presence of scouts is as indicative of serious trade talks as once were, but notable presence here this series (and particularly today) by these clubs (among others)
ATL
NYY
LAD
SD
WAS
Minor pitching; Rangers have attractive bullpen pieces— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) July 24, 2019Mike Minor was the real draw for scouts, but Mike Leake refused to allow his Texas counterpart all the glory today, literally snatching the Mike Crown (a ring of Arizona Iced Tea cans stitched together with Slim Jims and studded with a fidget spinner) out of thin air:
This was the most impressive of the plays Leake made today, but he fielded quite a few comebackers, including one in the first inning that saved a run: noted infielder Tim Beckham badly misplayed a ball in left field (it was ruled a triple), but Leake then nabbed a 103 mph rocket shot off the bat of Elvis Andrus and got Danny Santana at third in a rundown.