Kyle Schwarber had a monster night at the plate on Monday as he crushed his 39th and 40th home runs of the season, with the latter being a grand slam hit at Citizens Bank Park.
Schwarber's first homer of the night made him the HR leader in the National League, so Phillies fans were prepared when he came up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning when the bases were loaded. The baseball park erupted in "MVP" chants for Schwarber, and he answered their cheers by providing an electric grand slam.
A video was posted by MLB on Monday night highlighting the sounds at Citizens Bank as Schwarber was up at the plate, and then it showed how loud the stadium became once the 390-foot homer soared in the air.
Chills.
Schwarber currently has the third-best odds in the NL for winning the MVP award this season. Shohei Ohtani is leading the race to win his third-straight MVP title (-700) with Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in second with +900 odds, via ESPN. Schwarber follows them with 10-1 odds.
Monday night's game definitely helped Schwarber's MVP case, that's for sure.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is once again forced into playing without a natural striking option following Viktor Gyokeres’ injury, and while the early signs have been fairly positive that it’s nothing too serious, supporters could have reason to be slightly worried.
Gyokeres is currently undergoing scans on the problem as the north Londoners await results of more definitive testing.
The Sweden international, who was left out of Graham Potter’s national team squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Slovenia this month, missed Arsenal’s 3-0 win away to Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday after being hauled off against Burnley last weekend.
Mikel Merino, who has scored 11 goals in all competitions this calendar year, deputised as a makeshift number nine once again to great effect as the Spaniard’s brace helped to clinch all three points in the Czech Republic.
However, Arteta won’t want to rely on Merino for an overly extensive period as he did last season, despite the midfielder’s excellent performances up top, as Arsenal’s manager has been adamant that Gyokeres makes his side even more unpredictable.
This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Gyokeres personally, as the £55 million summer signing was just hitting a good run of form with three goals in his last three games — just after the centre-forward went seven matches without scoring in all competitions.
Viktor Gyokeres’ best games for Arsenal in the Premier League
Match Rating
Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United
8.84
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
7.97
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
7.68
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
6.69
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
6.68
via WhoScored
The former Sporting CP star, according to insider Hand of Arsenal and other reliable sources this week, is expected back in time for Arsenal’s crunch North London derby clash against Tottenham near the end of this month — which will come as music to the ears of fans.
Journalist explains why he's worried for Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal
That being said, Arteta has still admitted that he’s quite concerned, potentially suggesting the aforementioned timeframe isn’t set in stone as Gyokeres awaits further test results.
Taking this into account, journalist Charles Watts has told Sports Mole that he’s still “worried” about Gyokeres’ condition and Arsenal face a “massive blow” if it is indeed hamstring-related.
Once Gyokeres does return to full fitness, which Arteta hopes will be in time for Tottenham, it is also imperative that the striker isn’t rushed back unnecessarily.
His readiness to be thrust straight back into action will be key and Arsenal won’t be keen on taking any chances, especially after their plethora of attacking injuries lately.
It's been a rough season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who haven't been able to capitalize on Paul Skenes's lights-out pitching and jumped out to a 32-50 start. But over the course of their last four games they have suddenly flipped the switch and turned into a wagon. On Monday night they crushed the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-0, as Andrew Heaney flirted with a no-hitter.
It was the fourth consecutive contest that the Bucs have won by at least seven runs, an accomplishment the franchise has not enjoyed since the 1925 club got hot. The Pirates began their hot play by cruising past the New York Mets by scores of 9-1, 9-2 and 12-1.
The exceptional play has improved their run differential from -70 to -35 and been a major bright spot in a season that hasn't seen many on display.
For some context on just how rare it is for a team to dominate like this, even for a short period, the only two teams in baseball history to win four straight by 7-plus runs while allowing two or fewer runs in each victory are the 1911 Pirates and 1882 White Stockings. And any time you're harkening back to the time of Chester A. Arthur, you're doing something pretty special.
Manchester United look to be on an upward trajectory under INEOS and could now submit a sizeable bid for one of the world’s best attackers in January.
Man Utd summer signings deliver again in win over Brighton
Ruben Amorim has endured his fair share of criticism since arriving at Old Trafford. However, he will now feel vindicated in his decision not to change his complex 3-4-3 system after stringing together three consecutive Premier League victories.
Brighton & Hove Albion played some fine football at times at Old Trafford on Saturday. Nevertheless, this sometimes worked to their own detriment, and the Red Devils duly capitalised on a day where Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo were unrelenting.
False dawns have been a frustration in recent years, though this time feels different. There is a togetherness that seems to have been forged after a £225 million transfer spend at the club, and Gary Neville believes Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo’s previous experience of top-flight football has helped drastically amid both making an instant impact since arriving in Manchester.
He told Sky Sports: “With Cunha and Mbeumo, the risk of those signings was removed because in the sense they had played in the Premier League before and they had the hunger to deliver at a different level.
“Mbeumo looks like he belongs. He looks hungry and that he wants to score goals. Manchester United have something to build on. Cunha and Mbeumo will win a lot of matches for Manchester United.”
While the summer arrivals take a lot of the credit, January will be just as important if Manchester United want to make a fist of continental qualification.
Amorim could raid his old club Sporting to sign Ousmane Diomande, though he may also have designs on making a headline signing at the other end of the field.
Man Utd preparing bid for Rafael Leao
According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are preparing a bid in excess of £87 million to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan, while Liverpool and Manchester City are also lurking in the background, hoping to make their move.
Talks have been initiated with his camp, and the Serie A giants are unlikely to sell for any less than what the Red Devils are keen to put forward, and the final decision will be left with him to determine whether a transfer to the Premier League would be a smart move at this stage in his career.
Tammy Abraham with Rafael Leao at AC Milan.
Starting the campaign in fine form, Leao has scored four times in his opening five appearances across all competitions. Veteran AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric described him as a “truly fantastic” asset to the Rossoneri earlier this week, and it is easy to see why when you delve into his underlying numbers.
Fotmob shows that he has placed five of his nine shots on target in Serie A this season, providing evidence that his record in front of the target stems from acute awareness of his surroundings.
Ultimately, Leao is someone who could lift Manchester United into another dimension, though it remains to be seen whether they have the financial clarity to pull off such a move in mid-season.
Amorim considering Man Utd move for £25m star who's a "joy to work with"
The Red Devils are looking to improve their squad after an upturn in fortunes.