10 Biggest Takeaways from Week 11's MLB Action

This Major League Baseball season goes to 11.

Sorry, had to do it. There was just no other way to mark the passing of the 11th week of the 2015 season. Regardless, it's time for us to do our thing: Find the week's top stories and round them up for immediate discussion.

It was another busy week, so we once again have 10 hot topics to get to. They range from cold teams to hot players to one really hot team to one guy doing a thing that should be a big deal but really isn't.

We'll go in order from least interesting to most interesting. Step into the box whenever you're ready.

10. So, Tuesday Was Kinda Nuts

Over the course of a 162-game season played out across 180 days, it's rare that one particular day stands out. For the most part, the days of a baseball season sort of blend together.

But Tuesday? Tuesday was special in a delightfully bizarre kind of way.

Craig Calcaterra's round-up at Hardball Talk is a helpful guide for all that happened, but you just want the highlights:

• A total of 146 runs were scored.
• The Baltimore Orioles slugged eight homers in a 19-3 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies.
• The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals also each topped 12 runs.
• Nathan Eovaldi became the second pitcher in five days to allow eight earned runs without getting out of the first inning.
• Manny Machado, Chris Parmelee, Luis Valbuena, Todd Frazier and Wilson Ramos all hit two homers.
• Brock Holt hit for the cycle.
• Three position players pitched, which ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports last happened in 1979.

Oh, and all this happened in the wake of the big report that the FBI is investigating the St. Louis Cardinals for allegedly hacking the Houston Astros. That was weird, and then the day got weirder.

There's your weekly reminder that, though the season can sometimes feel like a slog, every now and then baseball has a day that just plain blows your mind. Here's to enjoying those days when they happen.

9. Kyle Schwarber Can Rake

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but the Chicago Cubs called up a hot hitting prospect this week, and he looks awesome.

It was Kyle Schwarber's turn this time. In his first career start Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians, the 22-year-old lefty slugger went 4-for-5 with a triple. The next night, he went 2-for-4 with his first career home run. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he became just the fourth hitter in the last 30 years to collect six hits in his first eight at-bats.

So, even despite an 0-fer Friday night, Schwarber is off to a good start.

It's a shame he won't be around for long. The Cubs' plan is only to have him serve as their designated hitter during an American League road swing before sending him back down. But from what we've seen, it looks like he can't tell the difference between MLB and Double-A, where he had a .320 average and 1.017 OPS.

Maybe that's because he really can't, as Schwarber told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune: "It's surprisingly not that much different. It is better stuff. You just got to go up there with a good approach."

It's either that, or Schwarber is just really that good.

8. PSA: Todd Frazier Is Outstanding

The following is a public service announcement: Todd Frazier is awesome, people.

That's abundantly clear at the moment, as Frazier is 6-for-14 with four home runs (including a walk-off grand slam Wednesday night) over his last three games. The Cincinnati Reds' slugging third baseman now has 22 home runs on the season, tying him with Bryce Harper for second in MLB.

But Frazier's exploits don't end there. He's also batting .297 with a 1.003 OPS and eight stolen bases. These things add up to make him the fifth-best offensive player in MLB, according to FanGraphs. Add in his solid defense at the hot corner, and you get a guy who ranks in the top 10 in wins above replacement.

So, it's no wonder Frazier is annoyed that he's not in line to start at third base for the National League in the All-Star Game at Great American Ballpark, telling C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer that "The world can see I am deserving."

Frazier should indeed be leading the voting, which would conveniently result in him starting at third base in the All-Star Game in front of the home fans. It would be a grand ol' time.

Then the Reds should trade him forthwith. Just sayin'.

7. Manny Machado Is Realizing His Immense Potential

Hunter Martin/Getty Images

Speaking of third basemen who are having awesome seasons, let's talk about Manny Machado. He's turning into the superstar he was always supposed to be before our very eyes.

This week has seen the young Baltimore Orioles third baseman go 7-for-12 with three home runs over his last four games, bringing his total for the season to 14. That already ties his previous career high, and he's also hitting a career-high .292 with a career-high .861 OPS.

To an extent, it's not a surprise to see Machado having a career-best season offensively. He's been trending in that direction ever since his debut in 2012, even despite a big second-half slump in 2013 and knee problems that limited him to 82 games in 2014.

But his superstar turn isn't just the result of a natural progression. Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs highlighted last month how Machado has improved his plate discipline and also sharpened up his contact habit. He's thus having better at-bats, so we shouldn't be surprised at his elevated walk rate or increased power.

Meanwhile, Machado is also still playing the heck out of third base. He's the total package and more of a blast to watch than he's ever been.

6. Suddenly, a Reminder of Bryce Harper's Mortality

Rob Carr/Getty Images

We go now from one young superstar who has us all excited to another who has us all concerned.

As you've no doubt heard, Bryce Harper has also been making good on the immense hype that followed him into the majors back in 2012. He's hitting .344 with 22 home runs and is leading MLB in on-base percentage (.476), slugging percentage (.720) and OPS (1.197).

Watching all this unfold, it's been easy to forget that Harper's career hit a snag in 2013 and 2014 because he just couldn't stay healthy. Mercifully, he seemed to be past all that.

...Until he got hurt Thursday night.

Harper had to leave a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays after pulling up lame and hitting the deck while fielding a base hit to right field. At the time it happened, it looked like he had seriously injured the same left knee that bothered him for so much of 2013.

Thankfully, the initial word was that Harper only suffered a mild left hamstring strain, and the news didn't get any worse Friday. Per Paul Casella of MLB.com, Harper remains day to day. If all goes well, he'll be back on the field in no time.

But still, the Nats won't be breathing easy until they see Harper picking up where he left off. In a season that's been painfully up and down, the last thing they need is Harper playing through pain again.

5. The White Sox Are Running out of Time

Jon Durr/Getty Images

After back-to-back terrible seasons, things were supposed to be different for the Chicago White Sox in 2015. They loaded up with stars over the winter and seemed poised to make a run at the AL Central title.

But right now, that's looking like a "nope."

The White Sox are riding a string of eight straight losses, dropping their record to 28-38. That ranks as the second-worst record in the American League and puts them 11 games back in the AL Central.

It goes without saying that the White Sox need to get it together, but they need to get it together fast. Otherwise, it sounds like the "For Sale" sign is going to go up.

"You can only look at the back of the baseball card for so long and say it's going to get better," general manager Rick Hahn said this week, per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. "You need to start seeing some results on the field (or) you have to start making changes."

That's a hint that the White Sox could soon decide to be sellers in the summer trade market. And though they don't have much to offer, they could get some nice pieces back for notables like Jeff Samardzija, Alexei Ramirez and Adam LaRoche.

4. The Red Sox Should Probably Blow This Thing Up

Jon Barash/Associated Press

The White Sox aren't the only Sox around that could soon be waving a white flag. It's looking more and more like the Sox in Boston could do the same.

The Red Sox aren't having the worst week, as they've won three out of their last four. But they've still lost seven of their last 10 games and are a distant nine games back in the AL East.

And suffice it to say, the Red Sox aren't losing with dignity. They keep finding new ways to embarrass themselves, with the most recent examples being blowing an 8-1 lead last Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays and benching Pablo Sandoval Thursday for using Instagram while on the John.

That the Red Sox are on a path to be sellers at the deadline is obvious, but merely selling may not be good enough. They may need to make like the 2012 Red Sox and blow the whole thing up.

That's the gist of the latest from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, who argues the Red Sox should pull the plug on their experiments with Sandoval and fellow high-priced acquisition Hanley Ramirez. They would most certainly have to eat a lot of money in order to move either of those players. But given how poorly they've played and how poorly they seem to fit in Boston, that may be worth it.

Whatever happens, the status quo for Boston is holding: never a dull moment.

3. Max Scherzer Pitched a Historically Good Game

Did you watch Max Scherzer pitch this past Sunday?

If you didn't, you missed one heck of a performance.

The Washington Nationals' $210 million ace took the hill against the Milwaukee Brewers and ended up carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning. A broken-bat base hit by Carlos Gomez spoiled that, but Scherzer still finished with a one-hit, one-walk shutout that featured 16 strikeouts.

For that, Scherzer earned a game score of 100. That ranks his performance as the best of the 2015 season and among the 12 best nine-inning performances of all time.

As for how he did it, it was basically Scherzer being Scherzer. His catcher summed up how that works.

"I've caught pitchers with the same velocity as him and with good pitches, too. But he throws his pitches where he wants them," said Jose Lobaton, via James Wagner of the Washington Post. "A pitcher [who] has the same movement with all of his pitches is hard to hit. He's one of those."

Scherzer was pretty good, all right, and he's certainly been pretty good all season. He owns a 1.93 ERA in 93.1 innings, as well as an MLB-best ratio of 8.1 strikeouts to one walk. So far, he's been worth every penny.

2. The Pirates Are Scary

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Right now, the best team in baseball is the same one it's been for a while now: the St. Louis Cardinals.

The hottest team in baseball, however, is the one that's steadily gaining on them: the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Before hitting a wall in the form of a 4-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday night, the Pirates had won eight games in a row on the back of their biggest strength. They tossed five shutouts and allowed only seven runs. Per Baseball Savant, they held opponents to a .160 batting average and a .198 slugging percentage during the streak.

What's really scary, though, is that this has been going on for a while. The Pirates have won 21 of 27 games dating back to May 22, and their pitching staff entered Friday with an absurd 1.94 ERA over the last 30 days.

Christina Kahrl of ESPN.com chalks up Pittsburgh's success to its "scary-good depth," which is right on the money. The Pirates have four excellent starting pitchers in A.J. Burnett, Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and Charlie Morton. And though he's recently been on fire, Andrew McCutchen hasn't had to carry Pittsburgh's offense. Starling Marte, Josh Harrison and Jung-Ho Kang are all hot too.

In short, the Pirates are really, really hot. And also, really, really scary.

1. Alex Rodriguez Achieves Latest Career Footnote

Also in this week's news, New York Yankees veteran Alex Rodriguez collected his 3,000th career hit.

It was a first-inning home run off Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander on Friday night, and it was received with much rejoicing by A-Rod's teammates and the thousands packed into Yankee Stadium.

Certainly, you would expect as much for a guy who had just become only the 29th member of the 3,000-hit club. And in breaking into the list, Rodriguez joined Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only players in history with 3,000 hits and 600 home runs. Add in 323 career stolen bases, a lifetime .299 average and a lifetime .941 OPS, and you get a player who, statistically, is among the greatest to ever play the game.

And the tragedy, of course, is that it's all for naught.

To say as much isn't meant to bash A-Rod. We've all had our fill of that. It's just the sad truth. Impressive though his accomplishments may be without context, the context in his case obviously involves repeated use of performance-enhancing drugs and numerous tales of on-the-field and off-the-field tomfoolery.

Had things gone differently, we would have celebrated Rodriguez's 660th home run and his 2,000th RBI as the latest validations of an all-time great and certainly Cooperstown-worthy career, and we would now be doing the same with his 3,000th hit. Instead, all we can do is acknowledge them as exciting footnotes.

It's a shame it has to be this way. But hey, he asked for it.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.