Another HR for Pujols tonight 
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More pirates getting owned by the Cubs, never gets old!Comment -
The Pirates announced that ace Gerrit Cole has been placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 25, with “posterior inflammation of the right elbow.” Left-hander Steven Brault is up from Triple-A Indianapolis and will assume Cole’s spot in the rotation against the Cubs tonight.
[Related: Updated Pittsburgh Pirates depth chart]
This will be the second DL stint of the season for Cole, who missed just over a month earlier this summer when he was diagnosed with a strained right triceps. The fourth-place finisher in last year’s National League Cy Young voting, Cole hasn’t looked like himself since being activated from that initial trip to the disabled list, pitching to a 4.73 ERA and yielding 57 hits in 45 2/3 innings. Overall, he’s posted a 3.55 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 46.1 percent ground-ball rate in 114 innings. All of those rates have gone the wrong direction from last season’s masterful numbers, though there’s been very little loss of velocity for Cole.
Brault, 24, will join the Bucs for the second time this season. Originally acquired from the Orioles in the 2015 Travis Snider trade, Brault allowed four earned runs in 10 innings across a pair of starts earlier this season and has enjoyed a solid season at the Triple-A level as well. In 75 1/3 minor league innings this year, Brault has recorded a 3.70 ERA with a career-best 10.3 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 to go along with a 41.5 percent ground-ball rate.
The loss of Cole is a tough break for a Pirates team that is presently just a half-game back from the Cardinals in the race for the second National League Wild Card spot. However, the struggles of Pittsburgh’s ace over the past several weeks have arguably been more detrimental, and if a short-term layoff allows him to right the ship prior to a theoretical postseason run, the club could come out ahead in the long haul.Comment -
Cole needs to get rightComment -
These cubs homers are getting annoyingComment -
"One scout graded Tebow's arm a 45 on the 20 to 80 scouting scale; 50 is considered average, 45 slightly below average.."
A former starting NFL QB grading as a 45 arm is hilarious.Comment -
Tigers' INF/OF prospect JaCoby Jones said that getting to call his parents to inform them he'd be making his major-league debut tonight was the best phone call of his life. Lots of tears from mom, excitement from dad. They are making the trip up from Mississippi.Comment -
The Braves announced today that right-hander Arodys Vizcaino has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 24) due to inflammation in his right shoulder. The 25-year-old Vizcaino spent the majority of the season as Atlanta’s closer and was an oft-speculated-upon trade target in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but Vizcaino suffered an oblique strain in mid-July, which shelved him through Aug. 18 and removed the plausibility of a trade. Jim Johnson has taken over the ninth inning in his stead and handled the role fantastically, but Johnson is a free agent at season’s end, so Vizcaino will have the opportunity to reclaim the ninth inning next season. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Mark Bowman of MLB.com, that he believes Vizcaino will be able to be activated when he is first eligible on Sept. 9.
A few more notable injury situations from around the league…
- Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched two innings in a simulated game today and is likely headed for a minor league rehab assignment before rejoining the big league team, writes Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times. “I think it will take a little bit of time to build him up in a way for him to be strong through September and hopefully October, as well,” said president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. The hope is that he’ll only require a single rehab outing before returning to the big league club, which could put him in line for an early September date. McCullough also notes that Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson and Scott Kazmir all pitched simulated games as well, and Kazmir is the closest to returning. Kazmir threw five innings today and, unlike his injured peers, may not require a minor league rehab stint.
- Renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache examined Gerrit Cole’s balky right elbow and found no ligament damage, bone spurs or bone chips, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates ace had only inflammation in his elbow and is expected to return to the team before the regular season is over. Pirates athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told Biertempfel that the direct source of Cole’s elbow discomfort isn’t known, though the possibility exists that an early-season rib injury led to some altered mechanics that brought about the pain. “I would say it’s tough to say that they’re not related,” said Cole of the rib injury, the triceps strain he suffered in June and the current elbow inflammation.“We do the same motion every time. Anytime that something causes you to alter that kind of thing, you run the risk of paying the price somewhere else.”
- Marlins lefty Adam Conley has been cleared by doctors to resume throwing and played catch Tuesday for the first time since going on the disabled list, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Barring any further setbacks in his recovery from tendinitis in his left middle finger, he could return to the Miami rotation in three weeks, Frisaro adds. Furthermore, he writes, lefty Wei-Yin Chen is progressing through a throwing program as he rehabs an elbow strain and is also a possibility for a late-September return. Getting either southpaw back would be a boon to a Marlins rotation that is trying to keep the team afloat in the Wild Card hunt. Miami dropped its fourth straight game today but is still a very manageable 3.5 games back from the second Wild Card spot in the National League.
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9:40pm: USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter) that the White Sox attempted to claim Puig, but he did not make it to them on waivers. That would indicate that either a National League team or one of the few American League teams with a worse record than the ChiSox won the claim. Factoring in previous reports that the Marlins and Braves didn’t make the claim, the team that claimed Puig is one of the Angels, Athletics, Rays, Twins, Cubs, Nationals, Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, Mets, Rockies, Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Padres or D-backs. While that’s clearly an enormous slate of teams, Nightengale’s report does at least eliminate roughly a third of the teams in baseball as a possibility.
4:47pm: Neither the Braves nor the Marlins made the claim, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter) and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
4:05pm: Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has been claimed on revocable waivers, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports on Twitter. It is not yet clear what organization placed the winning waiver claim — National League clubs would have priority, by inverse order of record — or whether there is any serious possibility of a transaction being worked out.
Los Angeles can, of course, simply allow the claiming team to assume Puig’s contract. Despite his struggles of late, however, it’s hard to imagine that taking place — particularly since the remaining amounts he is guaranteed ($6.5MM in 2017 and $7.5MM in 2018) represent a relative drop in the bucket for the Dodgers.
If anything, L.A. has proven more willing to spend top dollar on risky talent than have other organizations. Though the team’s up-and-down ride with Puig may have impacted its stance on the enigmatic Cuban star, he has done things at the major league level that most players can only dream of.
Puig was one of the best players in baseball in 2013 and 2014, and entered his age-24 campaign like one of the most valuable assets in the game. But he wasn’t quite up to his usual standard in 2015 and fell off even further this year. Since the start of 2016, he has accumulated 303 plate appearances of .260/.320/.386 hitting, thus earning a demotion to Triple-A.
Still, the talented 25-year-old retains plenty of appeal and looks like an intriguing upside play, especially since he is raking and drawing good marks for his clubhouse presence at the highest level of the minors. That he was claimed proves that other organizations aren’t afraid to roll the dice, but the Dodgers won’t likely give those rights away freely. We’ve heard suggestions that the team may yet call him back in September, or otherwise delay trade talks until the offseason, and there’s no indication as yet that a late-breaking August trade is particularly likely.Comment -
Puig stakes!Comment -
Anyone think Cubs could be peaking took early. would hate to see themore go dormant come playoffsComment -
Even getting both Conley and Chen back would be too little too late for the Marlins.Comment -
Weak sauce"One scout graded Tebow's arm a 45 on the 20 to 80 scouting scale; 50 is considered average, 45 slightly below average.."
A former starting NFL QB grading as a 45 arm is hilarious.Comment -
PADRES pro scouting director is Logan White, who signed Puig for Dodgers.
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Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is out today vs. CWS with a flare-up of surgically-repaired ankle.
Has been something that has given him trouble since Minnesota. Manager Brad Ausmus said he thinks it will be something he may have to stay on top of rest of career. Apparently issue worsens in bad weather because of air pressure. Tigers hope to have him, and injured CF Cameron Maybin (thumb) back in lineup on Friday vs. KCComment -
The team that claimed him just wanted to block him from going to another contender more than wanting to trade for him: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/1...am-claimed-himComment -
The Mets announced that they have acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Salas from the Angels in exchange for minor league right-hander Erik Manoah. Justin Ruggiano has been moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Salas on the 40-man roster.
Salas, 31, has pitched to a 4.47 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 41.6 percent ground-ball rate in 56 1/3 innings of relief for the Angels this season. A free agent at season’s end, he represents a pure rental for the Mets, but a fairly affordable one, as he’s earning $2.4MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility. Salas has $419K of that sum remaining on his salary through season’s end. While his numbers certainly aren’t eye-catching, it’s worth noting that Salas has largely righted the ship after a dreadful month of June and has pitched quite well since early July. While the endpoint here is highly arbitrary in nature, Salas has a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 48 percent ground-ball rate in his past 17 1/3 innings out of manager Mike Scisoscia’s bullpen.
With the Mets, Salas figures to work primarily in the seventh inning, as the eighth inning is typically the property of resurgent setup man Addison Reed, while the Mets boast one of baseball’s best closers in the form of right-hander Jeurys Familia. By acquiring Salas tonight, the Mets have ensured that he can be a part of the club’s roster in the event that they make it to the postseason. The deadline for newly acquired players to receive postseason eligibility is midnight EST.
Manoah, 20, was the Mets’ 13th-round pick in the 2014 draft. The Miami-area prep product hasn’t performed particularly well in his pro career to date, pitching to an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2015 and 2016. However, he has shown a penchant for missing bats, racking up 63 strikeouts in 62 innings out of the rotation for the Mets’ short-season Class-A affiliate this year, and he also keeps the ball on the ground quite well, as evidenced by a 50 percent ground-ball rate.Comment -
Great pitching dual between Verlander and Sale earlier today.Comment -
Sept 1 roster expansion!
Lets st see those Rookies!Comment -
Chapman fukks Cubs RL backers. Cubs fall apart in the final 3 innings...again.Comment -
The Dodgers' six-run comeback Wednesday tied the club's high since moving to Los Angeles. It was the 10th such occasion. The most recent before Wednesday's 10-8 victory was a 7-6 triumph over the Rays on Aug. 9, 2013.Comment -
Chapman not really interested unless it's a close game.Comment -
Two notable Dodgers are on the track for a return to the majors, per reports. The club will recall Yasiel Puig at some point this weekend, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. And president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says that peerless lefty Clayton Kershaw will begin a rehab assignment this weekend, as the Times’ Bill Shaikin tweets.
Puig’s return to the majors promises to be an interesting storyline to follow over the coming weeks and beyond. Trade rumors have swirled around Puig for some time as he struggled on the field and was demoted earlier this year.
The Dodgers pulled their enigmatic outfielder back from waivers after he was claimed (with multiple teams reportedly submitting claims), but some still expect he’ll be dealt this winter. Despite all that, Puig has obliterated Triple-A pitching over 90 plate appearances, slashing .358/.422/.605. It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he’ll prove an impactful addition for NL West-leading club, and it’s an open question whether Puig will end up on the block at season’s end.
There’s little question that Kershaw would make for a major addition down the stretch. Remarkably, he still paces all pitchers in fWAR for the season despite not having pitched since late June. Word is that Kershaw may only need a single rehab outing before he is ready to return from his back injury, which suggests he could take the major league hill four times before the regular season wraps up.Comment -
come on puig. lose the attitude and start producing againComment -
Lester loses no-hitter due to Pence homer
Jon Lester had not given up a hit or run through 6.2 innings, but all that changed when Hunter Pence hit a solo home run to cut the Cubs' lead to 2-1Comment -
Puig starting tonight
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Puig seemed a bit more subdued and humble tonight, will it last ?Comment
