SAN DIEGO -- After a conclusion to the All-Star Break, Major League Baseball has started the second half of the season.
Ty France (2013-15) started at first base in all three games of Seattle's series against the Los Angeles Angels following the All-Star Break. In the series, France batted .583 with a .643 on base percentage, seven hits, three runs scored, four RBIs and a home run. On Friday night in the first game of the second half, he hit an RBI single in the third inning before scoring on a home run by the next hitter, Kyle Seager, in a 6-5 Mariners victory. In Sunday's series finale, after singling and scoring in the first inning, France launched a three-run homer to left center in the fifth inning to give the Mariners a 6-0 lead. He also was hit by a pitch and singled again in the contest. On the season, France is batting .275 with a .356 on base percentage, 41 RBIs, nine home runs and 42 runs scored. The Mariners are in third place and trail Houston by 6.5 games. Stephen Strasburg (2007-29) has returned to throwing bullpen sessions after a quick shut down as he attempts to return from the IL for Washington with a neck strain. On the season, Strasburg is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. Washington is in fourth place in the NL East, six games behind New York.
On the PGA Tour, Xander Schauffele (2013-15) tied for 26th at 3-under-par in The Open Championship. J.J. Spaun (2009-12), meanwhile, tied for 47th at the Barbasol Championship at 9-under-par. Next weekend, Spaun and Scott Piercy (1999-01) will compete in the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn. Schauffele is ranked fifth in the world and 10th in the FedEx Cup.
Aztecs in the Pros
