Baseball news & notes

 No one wants to be the first team to lose to an expansion team that hasn't won a game.

The Tri-City Valleycats escaped that embarrassment on Friday in pulling out a win over the Empire State Greys, but once the Greys took an early 2-0 lead Saturday, they made sure not to let another games slip away. The Greys (1-35) earned their first win with a 9-3 verdict, spoiling the post-game fireworks show.

The two teams will finish their series today at 5 pm, directly opposite the Albany Patroons game vs. Kokomo at the Washington Avenue Armory.

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Ex-Valleycats making news: Former 'Cat Mark Appel has finally made the majors. Appel was traded, along with Vince Velasquez, to Philadelphia in 2016, but injuries forced him to retire at age 26. Six years later, Appel is in the majors as a relief pitcher for the Phillies, who sit in 3rd place in the NL East, chasing the Mets and Atlanta.

On a steamy Saturday in the Bronx, Christian Javier combined with two relievers to no hit the Yankees, 3-0:

The Astros' combined gem is the 3rd no-hitter in the majors this year (the Mets & Angels have the others). Ironically, Yankee starter Gerrit Cole had flirted with no-no's in his two previous starts. It's also the 2nd combined no-no Houston has tossed against the Bronx Bombers, the last coming in 2003, also at Yankee Stadium.

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Just a quick note that Peacock subscribers who can access their premium channel will get to see today's Mets-Marlins game, set for 11:30 am, after the 1st two games aired on WCWN. 

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We should note that the Valleycats have played their last three games, and likely, today's as well, without manager Pete Incaviglia, who has left the team for personal reasons. Nephew Tom, the bench coach, is serving as acting manager/3rd base coach in the interim.

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518 alumni alert: The Cincinnati Reds have placed Jeff Hoffman (Shaker) on the IL with an undisclosed injury. Sounds more like they put him on the IL because they needed the roster space for a returning player. Hoffman will be back soon.

With all the hype surrounding Freddie Freeman's return to Atlanta Friday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers roughed up Ian Anderson (Shenendhehowa) for four runs on six hits in a win over the Braves. Anderson also walked four in four innings, and absorbed the loss, with his ERA now at 4.60 for the season.