Mariners Moose Tracks, 8/26/22: Nestor Cortes, James Paxton, and Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is having the kind of fairytale final season most players can only dream of.

By Anders Jorstad@AndersJorstad Aug 26, 2022, 7:00am PDT

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Good morning folks and happy Friday! Let’s check out what’s going on as we round out the week.

In Mariners news...

Larry Stone at The Seattle Times wrote about the fascinating relationship between Julio Rodríguez and Ichiro.

Giancarlo Stanton is back with the Yankees, but they had to place Nestor Cortes on the injured list with a groin injury. The lack of starting pitching depth could really come back to bite the Yankees down the stretch.
Jared Walsh’s season has come to an end as the Angels placed him on the injured list while he recovers from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
Ken Rosenthal explored a number of topics in his latest post for The Athletic, including what an Angels sale would mean for Shohei Ohtani, the Mariners’ success in one-run games, Michael Harris’ extension, and more. ($)
JR Radcliffe and Curt Hogg wonder why the Brewers have seen a sharp decrease in ballpark attendance in 2022.
James Paxton, who hasn’t thrown a big league pitch since his 1.1 innings as a Mariner last year, has been shut down for the season due to a Grade 2 lat tear he suffered in a rehab start in the minors for the Red Sox.
As the 2022 season winds down, Jarrett Seidler at Baseball Prospectus listed eight prospects who may make their MLB debuts before the season is over. ($)
Albert Pujols is back to his old self at just the right time. Jesse Rogers at ESPN spoke to players around the league about what it’s like to witness his greatness one last time.

The National Labor Relations Board has accused Starbucks of withholding pay raises from employees of stores that have voted to unionize. Starbucks has already closed multiple stores in Seattle after they voted to join the union.