Mariners Moose Tracks, 7/4/17: Casey Lawrence, Angel Hernandez, and Aaron Judge

Good morning and happy Fourth of July everyone! I distinctly remember having to recap a really crappy Mariners game where Chris Sale wiped the floor with the M’s on a Fourth some number of years ago that one of you will no doubt look up to figure out. Hopefully your Fourth goes better than that, because that was an awful game to write about from my recollection.

Anyway, enough about me. Here are some fresh hot links!

Crap. Wrong kind of links.

In Mariners news...

• Well darn.

In Mariners minors news...

• Yes, I hear your weed-themed jokes.

• The LumberKings failed to score for the second straight game against Cedar Rapids, falling 2-0.
• Casey Lawrence threw a Maddux in yesterday’s 9-0 win for the Rainiers!

• A pair of interesting prospects homered in the AquaSox win.

Around the league...

• John Thorn discusses early Hispanic All-Stars in baseball.
• MLB umpire Angel Hernandez is suing Major League Baseball on grounds of discrimination.
• MLB responded to accusations that the baseball is juiced this year. Many studies have been done which point to that conclusion, after all.
• After a monster year in 2016, baseball’s second basemen are slipping in production this season.
• The Cubs have traded catcher Miguel Montero to the Blue Jays, who I guess aren’t as worried about their pitchers’ slow deliveries to the plate.
• Paul Swydan at Fangraphs breaks down the All-Star rosters.
• Grant Brisbee points out that the All-Star lineup we have this year would not have been nearly the same in the age of paper ballots.
• Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, which I might actually watch now.
• Orlando Arcia is a magician.

• Mike Trout will not be participating in the All-Star Game in order to deal with his ailing thumb.