One month ago, few baseball fans outside of prospect hounds or regular followers of the Louisville Bats had heard of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino. That's not a criticism. Aquino had made some minor waves on prospect lists a few years ago, but after hitting .216 at Double-A in 2017 and .240 while repeating the level in 2018, he had fallen off the radar.

In fact, for 24 hours last offseason, any team could have signed Aquino. He had appeared in one game for the Reds in August and struck out in his lone plate appearance but wasn't called back up when rosters expanded in September. On Nov. 30, the Reds non-tendered Aquino, needing space on their 40-man roster for other moves. The Reds let him know they wanted to bring him back, but he was technically a free agent and could have signed with any other team.

"When you take a guy off the roster, you are exposed," Reds general manager Nick Krall told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this month. "We told him we were going to take him off, but we also expressed, 'Hey, we want to bring you back.' It was pretty quick. We signed him that night."

Even then, it was just a minor league deal, which meant the Reds exposed Aquino in the Rule 5 draft in December. Any team could have selected him. Nobody did. He remained with the Reds, tore it up at Triple-A Louisville for four months, and after Yasiel Puig was dealt to the Indians at the trade deadline, Aquino was called up Aug. 1.

Fourteen home runs later, Aquino is most definitely on the radar of baseball fans with one of the most impressive debut months in major league history. There are still a couple of days left in August, but consider these totals:

Most home runs in one month by a rookie:
Rudy York, August 1937: 17
Mark McGwire, May 1987: 15
Aaron Judge, September 2017: 15
Aristides Aquino, August 2019: 14

Most home runs in a calendar month, Reds history:
Aristides Aquino, August 2019: 14
Greg Vaughn, September 1999: 14
Frank Robinson, August 1962: 14

Aquino isn't a kid. He's 25, making his professional debut with the Reds back in 2011 in the Dominican Summer League at age 17. He played two seasons in that league, hitting .188 and .197, which would have meant the end of big league dreams for many prospects, but the Reds liked Aquino's power potential and stuck with him. It was a slow grind through the minors before everything finally came together at Louisville this season, where he hit .299/.356/.636 with 28 home runs in 78 games.

With the Reds, he has hit even better, with a .330/.393/.804 line after going 3-for-5 with that 14th home run in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins. Given his size and strength, the first guess might be -- especially given some of the low batting averages in the minors -- that Aquino is a strikeout-prone all-or-nothing slugger who has managed to run into a few meatballs his first month in the majors. Actually, his improvement can be traced in part to cutting down his strikeout rate even as he has faced tougher pitching:

2017, Double-A: 28.8%
2018, Double-A: 25.2%
2019, Triple-A: 25.1%
2019, MLB: 23.4%

The overall MLB strikeout rate is 22.8%, so he's just about average in this regard. His walk rate his first month has been 7.5%, just a tick below the MLB average of 8.5%. So he's solid in those important categories plus he's mashing all these home runs. All good, right? Maybe, or maybe not, because there are some red flags in Aquino's game that help identify why it took him so long to reach the majors.

Swing rate
MLB average: 47.3%
Aquino: 56.6%

Miss rate
MLB average: 25.5%
Aquino: 31%

Chase rate
MLB average: 28.7%
Aquino: 37.8%

He does chase out of the zone more than you'd like, and he does have swing-and-miss in his game. Pitchers haven't learned to exploit that just yet. Maybe they won't. Aquino's power on contact has simply been so impressive that when he connects, it flies. As you might expect from an aggressive hitter, most of his home runs have come early in the count:

Aug. 3, vs. Dallas Keuchel: 0-0 changeup (404 feet)

Aug. 6, vs. Jose Suarez: 1-1 fastball (448 feet)

Aug. 8, vs. Cole Hamels: 1-1 changeup (445 feet)

Aug. 9, vs. Yu Darvish: 1-0 cutter (373 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Kyle Hendricks: 0-0 sinker (344 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Hendricks: 0-0 sinker (385 feet)

Aug. 10, vs. Dillon Maples: 1-2 fastball (452 feet)

Aug. 12, vs. Tanner Rainey: 1-0 fastball (425 feet)

Aug. 14, vs. Javy Guerra: 0-1 slider (387 feet)

Aug. 16, vs. Adam Wainwright: 1-0 cutter (396 feet)

Aug. 17, vs. Miles Mikolas: 0-0 slider (408 feet)

Aug. 23, vs. Mitch Keller: 1-0 slider (401 feet)

Aug. 28, vs. Sandy Alcantara: 2-2 changeup (418 feet)

Aug. 29, vs. Robert Dugger: 0-1 curveball (393 feet)

Want to see some of those home runs? Here are his first nine -- in his first 14 career games:

Anyway, what's the deal here? Is Aquino for real? Like so many players in 2019, the juiced ball makes evaluation extremely difficult. At first glance, it's easy to attribute Aquino's improvement at Triple-A and with the Reds to the ball, more so than any changes in his approach or maturity.

Plus, as fun as this month has been, it's only one month. Consider the exploits last season of Ryan O'Hearn and Luke Voit, older players with little experience in the majors who tore it up for short spells:

O'Hearn: 149 AB, .262/.353/.597, 12 HR, 154 OPS+

Voit (with Yankees): 132 AB, .333/.405/.689, 14 HR, 193 OPS+

Aquino: 97 AB, .330/.393/.804, 14 HR, 192 OPS+

O'Hearn was making his debut, and Voit had 124 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2017, but the comparisons are somewhat similar. O'Hearn has been terrible this season and Voit has been very good with a 135 OPS+.

Is Aquino more O'Hearn or more Voit? I would lean toward the latter, even if there's nothing in his track record to suggest he's anything close to a .300 hitter in the majors -- let alone .330. He hasn't been awful in the field and he actually has had the second-highest top sprint speed on the Reds, behind only Nick Senzel, so there's some real athleticism here. (He's a better fielder and runner than, say, Franmil Reyes, a young guy with a similar powerful build.)

Add it up and I'm cautiously optimistic that there's something here -- nothing like what we've seen, of course, but a player who can be an above-average hitter even if he hits .250. The rest of the season forecasts from the various projection systems are even less optimistic than .250, but I'm not sure they've incorporated "ball, lively" into their algorithms.

So maybe Aquino isn't a future All-Star. For now, just enjoy the ride.

INDIANAPOLIS – Erica Enders’ favorite Indy memory happened in 2015 and it’s a moment she will never forget.

It marked her first win at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, coming in the midst of her back-to-back championship run in Pro Stock. Coming off a final round appearance at the most recent NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Enders will try for her second win at the Big Go during this weekend’s 65th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

It’s been an up-and-down year in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, but Enders and her team could be coming together at the perfect time. Getting another win in Indy on drag racing’s biggest stage would only add to that heading into the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, and Enders only has to look back to 2015 to know how much an Indy win means.

“I remember everything about that weekend,” Enders said. “It’s one of the races that will stand out most to me. As a kid growing up, and as a fan and spectator before I ever became a racer, it was the most prestigious race in NHRA drag racing and it still is that way. To add my name to the list who have win in Indy is pretty significant for me. After going to the finals at Brainerd, we’re ready to get back to the track and hopefully turn on one more win light.”

Terry McMillen (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of a race. It is the 12th of 18 races during the Pro Stock season, and the final race of the regular season also comes with an increased amount of points via the points-and-a-half system. For Enders, she views it as a chance to gain major momentum before the playoffs.

Looking for her first win of 2019, Enders, who has two final round appearances this year, is currently seventh in points. But a jump into the top five isn’t out of the question with a strong showing at the biggest race of the year, and Enders insists there’s no let-up in her team after putting together their best showing of the season in Brainerd.

“Every point matters and I need to have a really great showing,” said Enders, who has 23 career Pro Stock wins. “This team has remained determined and persevered a lot, and hopefully that will allow us to peak at the right time. We made eight good runs in a row in Brainerd and hopefully that’s a good indication of what’s to come. You have to have all your ducks in a row at Indy, but obviously our goal is to win the race and position ourselves the best we can.”

It certainly won’t be easy, as Enders will have to contend against 20 other Pro Stock competitors in Indy, including points leader Bo Butner, Greg Anderson, who has six Indy wins, Brainerd winner Jason Line, and Elite Motorsports teammates Jeg Coughlin Jr., Alex Laughlin and Matt Hartford. Enders also knows Indy is a grueling battle, but those moments often bring out the best in her.

“I love these moments,” Enders said. “I like the added pressure and I like when there’s a lot on the line. My team is the same way. You have to treat this race as a marathon, and not a sprint. It’s definitely grueling, but we’re ready to battle it out.”

Former Spain and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique shared the news of his nine-year-old daughter Xana's death in a statement on Thursday after her five month battle with bone cancer.

The statement read: "Our daughter Xana has passed away this afternoon at the age of 9, after fighting for five months against osteosarcoma. We give thanks for all the caring gestures we have received during these months and we appreciate the privacy and understanding.

"We also thank the staff, doctors, nurses, and the volunteers at the Sant Joan de Deu and Sant Pau hospitals for their dedication and care. And a special mention to the palliative care team at Sant Joan de Deu.

"We will miss you a lot but we will remember you every day of our lives with the hope that we will see each other soon in the future. You will be the star that guides our family."

Luis Enrique stepped down as Spain manager on June 19, 2019, and had been on a leave of absence from the national team since March 26 with his assistant Roberto Moreno overseeing first-team duties. He took over the position following Spain's round-of-16 exit from the 2018 World Cup.

Before taking the Spain job, Luis Enrique had a successful spell at the helm of Barcelona, winning the Treble in his first season as coach in 2014-15. He left the role at the end of his contract in the summer of 2017 after compiling a record of 138 wins, 21 losses and 22 draws in all competitions.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu wrote on Twitter: "All of our support and compassion goes to @luisenrique21, his wife and all of his family at this particularly painful time. All the Barça family are touched by the loss of Xana. Our condolences and all our sympathy for the Martínez Cullell family."

The Spanish Football Federation paid tribute to Xana and tweeted: "One day we achieved our star (World Cup), and from today, we have another one that enlightens us from heaven with its light. Rest in peace, little Xana. The Spanish FA joins in the grief of the Martinez Cullell family and we share the gratitude for its admirable example of love and strength."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter: "There are no words that that can go along with this pain.

"My heartfelt wishes to Luis Enrique and all his family, after the loss of his little Xana."

Osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer and is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults

ESPN FC writer Adrianna Garcia contributed to this story.

MIAMI -- The Cincinnati Reds' Aristides Aquino has broken the National League rookie record for homers in a month with his 14th in August.

Aquino hit a two-run homer in the first inning Thursday night against the Miami Marlins' Robert Dugger. Aquino broke the rookie mark of 13 in a month set by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger in June 2017.

The major league rookie record is 18 by the Detroit Tigers' Rudy York in August 1937.

Sammy Sosa holds the record for homers in a month by any major leaguer with 20 in June 1998.

Aquino tied the Reds' record for homers in a month held by Frank Robinson (1962) and Greg Vaughn (1999).

Promoted from the minors on Aug. 1, Aquino already was the first major leaguer in the modern era to reach 13 homers in his first 100 career plate appearances.

Andy Murray lost to world number 240 Matteo Viola in the third round of the Rafa Nadal Open in Majorca.

The Briton was beaten 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the Challenger Tour event after hitting a double fault on match point in the final-set tie-break.

The second set saw Murray, 32, lose his serve three times.

He struggled physically during the third set, receiving treatment on his left thigh during two medical time-outs which he said was for "cramping".

Murray added afterwards that he was "very tired" and said "physically, I need to get better".

Asked about his time at the event, he said: "Yeah, it was good, I enjoyed it. I would have liked to have played more matches but it was good, I played two competitive matches."

Wildcard Murray went 2-0 down at the start of the third set, and although he got straight back on serve, the 32-year-old Italian sealed victory in the deciding tie-break.

It was Murray's third tournament since returning to singles action following hip surgery in January.