a few atta boys
Lot of high fives to pass out from Wednesday’s games. Start with Jacob Waguespack, the former Ole Miss standout who beat the Boston Red Sox in his second big league appearance. Waguespack was Toronto’s “featured pitcher,” coming on in the second inning following “opener” David Phelps. The 23-year-old Waguespack allowed three runs in five-plus innings but notched the W as the Blue Jays rallied against Chris Sale for a 6-3 victory. Waguespack went on the injured list (shoulder) after his MLB debut in May; he made three rehab appearances before being activated Wednesday. In nine innings for the Blue Jays, he has a 5.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts. “He’s throwing strikes, making good hitters look bad,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo told mlb.com. … In Pittsburgh, Meridian Community College alum Corey Dickerson delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly as the surging Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs for the third straight time, 6-5. “I love those situations, the crowd getting loud,” Dickerson, who has 17 RBIs in his 26 games, told mlb.com. Mississippi State alum Adam Frazier plated the tying run with a fielder’s choice grounder as the Bucs scored twice against Craig Kimbrel in the ninth. Frazier has 10 hits in the first three games of this series, which continues today. … In Atlanta, former DeSoto Central High star Austin Riley belted his 15th home run in the first-place Braves’ 9-2 win against Philadelphia. Rookie Riley has 40 RBIs in 45 games since his call-up. … At Washington, ex-Southern Miss standout Brian Dozier hit his 13th homer to back Stephen Strasburg’s brilliant pitching as the Nationals topped Miami 3-1. … In San Diego, MSU product Hunter Renfroe went 3-for-4 with his 25th homer in the Padres’ 7-5 loss to San Francisco. The hot-hitting Renfroe (.308 in his last seven games) is one homer shy of matching his career-high. … And down on the farm, Ryan Casteel of the Double-A Mississippi Braves hit a team-record three homers in a 14-13 loss at Pensacola. Casteel, a 28-year-old minor league vet, is batting .298 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs this season.