The source for Rice sports news

Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – May 1

By

The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon was activated from the 10-day injured list on April 27 and quickly returned to form. He hit safely in three of his first four games back, including a Saturday explosion with four RBI and a couple of extra base hits. He absolutely crushed the long ball into the left field stands.

Through May 1, Rendon is hitting .269 with four extra-base hits, six walks and 10 strikeouts. His OPS is .762.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey was credited with his first blown save on the season this week, allowing a line drive solo home run to the Indians’ Jose Ramirez on Monday. The Twins would lose the game in extra innings. His second out of the week was much better, a scoreless three-up, three-down inning with a strikeout against the Royals.

Through May 1, Duffey has a 3.38 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt has a quiet week at the plate before his former team came to town. Holt went 2-for-3 on Friday against the Red Sox, including this RBI single off former teammate Nathan Eovaldi.

Through May 1, Holt has 10 hits in 40 at bats, a .250 average. He’s walked eight times, struck out 11 times and collected four RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetge participated in a bit of history in the Bronx this week, striking out all three batters he faced to help the Yankees tie a franchise record with 18 strikeouts in a single game. He appears to be settling in quite well in his return to the major leagues, tossing some unhittable pitches and making batters look silly.

Through May 1, Luetge has a 4.02 ERA with a 1.085 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 24

By

The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon has been out since April 10 with a strained groin. Reports indicate he could be back in the lineup at some point early next week, but no date has been set in stone just yet.

Through April 24, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hit, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey’s saw a bit of extra rest after a tough outing last week, but came back strong. He threw two innings this week, striking out two, walking two and allowing no runs. He picked up his second hold of the season in the process.

Through April 24, Duffey has a 3.00 ERA with a 1.833 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt strung together a couple of sturdy games in his first week back from the injured list. He’s upped his average by more than 50 points while holding down the third base spot as well as one pinch-hit appearance, his first of the season.

Through April 24, Holt has seven hits in 26 at bats, a .269 average. He’s walked seven times, struck out six times and collected three RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

It was a big week for Luetege, who picked up his first major league win since Sep. 4, 2013, when he was with the Seattle Marines. This time around Luetege was called upon against the Indians, striking out one and walking one in 1.1 innings.

Along the way, Luetege has limited hard contact. Following his Friday win, Luetege led all of baseball in the lowest average exit velocity against.

Through April 24, Luetge has a 4.97 ERA with a 1.263 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 17

By

The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon played eight games this season before a strained groin landed him on the injured list at the beginning of the week. The Angels are 2-2 without Rendon in the lineup thus far. For now, the Angels will anxiously await the return of one of the most productive hitters in the league over the past couple of seasons.

Through April 17, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hit, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey’s lone outing of the week was a rough one, breaking his perfect 0.00 ERA stint through his first four appearances of the season.  Opposing batters are hitting .286 against him this year, well above his carer average against of .252.

Through April 17, Duffey has a 4.50.00 ERA with a 2.250 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

This Saturday marked Holt’s return from a brief stint on the Injured List, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now reached base successfully in all five games this season and holds a .450 on-base percentage. That’s quite a bit higher than his career OBP of .338, amassed through 10 big league seasons.

Through April 17, Holt has three hits in 14 at bats, a .214 average. He’s walked six times, struck out three times and collected two RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege has made five appearances this season, including two this week. He went a season-long four innings on Friday against the Rays, striking out three and allowing two runs. He’s recorded three or more strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

Through April 17, Luetge has a 6.10 ERA with a 1.258 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 10

By

The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Jon Duplantier was active with the Arizona Diamondbacks this spring, making two spring training appearances as he works to recover from an elbow injury that limited him last season. He’s currently with the D-Backs Triple-A affiliated in Reno

Here are updates on the four former Rice baseball alums currently active.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon picked up where he left off last season, continuing to hit the baseball at a high rate. He’s had at least one hit in seven of his first eight games this season, including his first home run of the season in a road loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday, April 10. He entered Sunday with a six-game hitting streak.

Through April 10, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hits, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey has been solid out of the pen for the Twins so far this season. He’s made four appearances and has yet to allow a run. He did not allow a hit in either of his two most recent outings. The Twins have lost three of the four games he’s appeared in even though Duffey has yet to pitch when the team was trailing this season.

Through April 10, Duffey has a 0.00 ERA with a 1.636 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

A longtime member of the Red Sox, Holt has been on the move since leaving Boston following the 2020 season. After signing with the Milwaukee Brewers and then the Washington Nationals last year, he inked a deal with the Texas Rangers for the 2021 season. Holt appeared in four games with the Rangers this year before a hamstring strain landed him on the 10-day injured list.

Through April 10, Holt has three hits in 12 at bats, good for a .250 average. He’s walked five times, struck out twice and collected two RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

One of the more encouraging stories to follow over the last few months was the rise of former Rice hurler Lucas Luetge who broke into the Opening Day bullpen with the Yankees after a five-year hiatus from the big leagues.

Luetege was all smiles when his manager delivered the news. Next he assured the fans the moment would not be too big for him. “I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve been successful,” he said. I’ve just had a little time off between the big leagues.” He’s already appeared in three games sporting the pin stripes so far this spring.

Through April 10, Luetge has a 7.20 ERA with a 1.400 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls – End of regular season update

By

The 2020 MLB season is winding down and Rice baseball alums are heating up. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls at the end of the regular season.

The 60-ish game regular season has come to an end with one former Rice baseball alum still aiming for a World Series ring. Tyler Duffey’s Minnesota Twins are the last team standing with an Owl on the roster. Anthony Rendon’s Angels, Brock Holt’s Nationals, and Jon Duplantier’s Diamondbacks missed the cut this time around.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Anthony Rendon’s first season on the west coast didn’t end as planned, but the former World Series champ turned in a banner year nonetheless. Rendon finished second in the American League in WAR (wins above replacement), trailing only Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. Rendon even topped his teammate and former MVP Mike Trout, edging him by two spots (Trout finished fifth).

Rendon was far and away one of the most impactful additions the Angels made during the offseason. Unfortunately, the pitching staff didn’t match the production at the plate. The Angels were 13th in the AL with a 5.09 team ERA.

Rendon finished the season with a .286 average and a career-best .418 on-base percentage. His .915 OPS marks the fourth consecutive season with an OPS better than .900. He hit nine home runs, 11 doubles and walked 38 times to his 31 strikeouts.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey celebrated with his teammates on Sunday after clinching the division. “I think having the banner, having that pennant up, matters,” he said. “Second place means you got in, third place whatever, but having that banner with that year on it, that’s forever. And that’s something we all think is very special.”

The ace reliever was an integral part of the Twins winning achieving that feat. Only he and fellow reliever matt Wisler posted season-long ERAs below 2.00 and Duffey did it with a stunning .792 WHIP.

Duffey finished the regular season with 31 strikeouts in 22 appearances. He struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings and allowed just two home runs all season. He didn’t throw a single wild pitch.

The Twins host the Astros for a best three series this week. The schedule is as follows:

  • Tues. 2:00 p.m. ET (ABC)
  • Wed. 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
  • Thr. (if necessary)

Brock Holt – Washington Nationals

Holt’s 2020 season was a tale of two halves. It started in Milwaukee with the Brewers where, for whatever reason, Holt never quite acclimated at the plate. He was released and signed with the Washington Nationals where he looked much more like his old self.

With a brief stint on the paternity list and away from the game, Holt saw his batting average double as he began to heat up at the plate. Holt finished the season hitting .209 (.262 with the Nats). He hit five extra base hits (all in DC) and played all around the diamond.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts