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In the latest discouraging news for the Dodgers’ Hyun-jin Ryu, the lefty is battling “a little groin strain” and has halted his throwing program as a result, manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). “Technically it’s a setback, and I don’t know how severe the injury is,” Roberts said (link via Dan Arritt of ESPN.com). Ryu, who underwent surgery on a torn left labrum last May, hasn’t appeared in a big league game since October 2014. He seemed to be making progress in his recovery prior to his groin acting up, having tossed two 20-pitch sim games April 8.
More injury notes from around Major League Baseball:
- One of Ryu’s Dodgers teammates, outfielder Carl Crawford, is recovering well from a lower back injury and will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in the upcoming week, according to Jack Baer of MLB.com. Crawford, whom the Dodgers placed on the 15-day disabled list April 9, should be activated April 24. Crawford started the Dodgers’ first three games of the season and hit .273/.273/.364 in 11 plate appearances. Upon returning, he’ll join a crowded outfield picture that includes Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez and Trayce Thompson, all of whom have been terrific this year.
- The Rockies placed catcher Nick Hundley on the seven-day DL on Saturday with a concussion and called up pitcher David Hale from Triple-A, The Associated Press reports. The DL move was made retroactive to Thursday. Hundley has been dealing with concussion symptoms since he took a foul tip to the mask Wednesday. Prior to the injury, Hundley hit a solid .227/.393/.409 in 28 PAs.
- Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud left Saturday’s loss to the Indians after getting hit on his left elbow by a 93 mph Zach McAllister fastball, but X-rays came back negative. The Mets diagnosed d’Arnaud with a bruise, and he’s now day to day, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “It’s going to probably be pretty sore the next couple days,” said manager Terry Collins. “He had a little trouble straightening his elbow, bending it. So we’ll keep an eye on it.”
- The Angels on Saturday placed left fielder Daniel Nava on the 15-day DL with left patellar tendinitis, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes. Nava’s left knee has been an issue for him since 2013, which is “why we’re being cautious with it right now,” manager Mike Scioscia said. Nava has slashed .286/.333/.286 in 15 PAs so far this year, and he expects to return in early May. In the meantime, the Angels will replace him with fellow outfielder Rafael Ortega, whom they called up from Triple-A Salt Lake. The lefty-swinging Ortega went 0 for 3 with a stolen base and a walk in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Twins on Saturday.
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Crawford will never be the player he once wasComment -
expos?Comment -
No big loss for the mets losing Travis d'Arnaud `s .120 batting avg. for awhile .Comment -
Bryce Harper has homered in each of his last 5 games at Citizen Bank Park,dating to last year.
It's been 8 years since any Phillie homered in 5 games in a row there. (Chase Utley did it in 2008.)
But if Harper hits a HR today, he'll do something no Phillie has ever done: Homer in 6 straight games in Philly.
Only Ernie Banks ( in 1955) ever did that.Comment -
A fantasy killer for me. Need steals and injured in day 1.
Ben Revere (oblique) is hoping to be activated from the disabled list the second week of May.
Revere said he's begun doing "rotational stuff" to work on his legs and core. Although the hope is that he'll be ready for activation in the second week of May, it's not a given since oblique injuries can be difficult to predict. Michael Taylor will continue to hold down center field.Comment -
ARLINGTON -- Rain forced Yu Darvish to throw his live batting-practice session indoors on Sunday, but pitching coach Doug Brocail was still pleased with the results.
Darvish could begin a medical rehabilitation assignment as early as April 26 in Frisco, Texas, although he still has one more live batting-practice session.
Darvish, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on March 17, 2015, threw 50 pitches in increments of 15, 15 and 20 in the indoor batting cages. Josh Hamilton and Bryan Holaday stood at the plate tracking pitches, but did not swing. Chris Gimenez, who is almost fully recovered from an infection in his left ankle, caught Darvish.
"It went very good," Brocail said. "He had good angle on his fastball, crisp. He spins the ball as good as anybody in the game. His curveball was better than expected, his slider was phenomenal and his changeup was good. He looked good."
Darvish's next session is scheduled for Thursday before the Rangers' game with the Astros.
"Probably one more like this with live hitters," Darvish said. "Fifty pitches and then see ya, go out on assignment."
Darvish would likely make 5-6 starts on rehab assignment and be ready to return to the rotation in late May.Comment -
Standings heading into Monday, April 18th...
American League
Baltimore 8 3 .727 - - 7-3 L1 5-0 3-3 4/16 @ TEX, L 4-8 4/19 vs TOR, 7:05 PM Boston 6 5 .545 2.0 1.0 5-5 L1 3-3 3-2 4/17 vs TOR, L 3-5 4/18 vs TOR, 11:05 AM Toronto 6 7 .462 3.0 2.0 4-6 W1 3-3 3-4 4/17 @ BOS, W 5-3 4/18 @ BOS, 11:05 AM NY Yankees 5 6 .455 3.0 2.0 5-5 W1 3-3 2-3 4/17 vs SEA, W 4-3 4/19 vs OAK, 7:05 PM Tampa Bay 5 7 .417 3.5 2.5 5-5 W2 5-5 0-2 4/17 vs CWS, W 3-2 4/19 @ BOS, 7:10 PM Chi White Sox 8 4 .667 - +0.5 6-4 L2 1-1 7-3 4/17 @ TB, L 2-3 4/18 vs LAA, 8:10 PM Kansas City 8 4 .667 - +0.5 7-3 L2 4-1 4-3 4/17 @ OAK, L 2-3 4/19 vs DET, 7:15 PM Detroit 7 4 .636 0.5 - 6-4 L1 2-2 5-2 4/17 @ HOU, L 4-5 4/19 @ KC, 7:15 PM Cleveland 5 5 .500 2.0 1.5 5-5 L1 2-3 3-2 4/17 vs NYM, L 0-6 4/19 vs SEA, 6:10 PM Minnesota 3 9 .250 5.0 4.5 3-7 W3 3-3 0-6 4/17 vs LAA, W 3-2 4/18 vs MIL, 8:10 PM Texas 7 6 .538 - - 6-4 W1 3-3 4-3 4/16 vs BAL, W 8-4 4/19 vs HOU, 8:05 PM Oakland 6 7 .462 1.0 2.0 5-5 W2 3-7 3-0 4/17 vs KC, W 3-2 4/19 @ NYY, 7:05 PM LA Angels 5 7 .417 1.5 2.5 5-5 L3 2-4 3-3 4/17 @ MIN, L 2-3 4/18 @ CWS, 8:10 PM Seattle 5 7 .417 1.5 2.5 4-6 L1 1-5 4-2 4/17 @ NYY, L 3-4 4/19 @ CLE, 6:10 PM Houston 5 8 .385 2.0 3.0 4-6 W1 3-4 2-4 4/17 vs DET, W 5-4 4/19 @ TEX, 8:05 PM
National League
Washington 9 2 .818 - - 8-2 L1 5-1 4-1 4/17 @ PHI, L 2-3 4/18 @ MIA, 7:10 PM Philadelphia 6 7 .462 4.0 1.5 6-4 W1 4-3 2-4 4/17 vs WSH, W 3-2 4/18 vs NYM, 7:05 PM NY Mets 5 6 .455 4.0 1.5 5-5 W1 2-4 3-2 4/17 @ CLE, W 6-0 4/18 @ PHI, 7:05 PM Miami 3 7 .300 5.5 3.0 3-7 L4 0-5 3-2 4/17 vs ATL, L 5-6 4/18 vs WSH, 7:10 PM Atlanta 3 9 .250 6.5 4.0 3-7 W3 0-5 3-4 4/17 @ MIA, W 6-5 4/19 vs LAD, 7:10 PM Chi Cubs 9 3 .750 - - 7-3 L1 4-2 5-1 4/17 vs COL, L 0-2 4/18 @ STL, 8:09 PM St. Louis 7 5 .583 2.0 - 7-3 W1 4-2 3-3 4/17 vs CIN, W 4-3 4/18 vs CHC, 8:09 PM Pittsburgh 7 6 .538 2.5 0.5 4-6 W2 5-3 2-3 4/17 vs MIL, W 9-3 4/19 @ SD, 10:10 PM Cincinnati 6 6 .500 3.0 1.0 4-6 L1 5-1 1-5 4/17 @ STL, L 3-4 4/18 vs COL, 7:10 PM Milwaukee 5 7 .417 4.0 2.0 5-5 L2 3-3 2-4 4/17 @ PIT, L 3-9 4/18 @ MIN, 8:10 PM LA Dodgers 8 5 .615 - - 5-5 W1 4-2 4-3 4/17 vs SF, W 3-1 4/19 @ ATL, 7:10 PM Colorado 7 5 .583 0.5 - 6-4 W1 3-3 4-2 4/17 @ CHC, W 2-0 4/18 @ CIN, 7:10 PM San Francisco 7 6 .538 1.0 0.5 5-5 L1 3-1 4-5 4/17 @ LAD, L 1-3 4/18 vs ARI, 10:15 PM Arizona 5 8 .385 3.0 2.5 4-6 W1 2-5 3-3 4/17 @ SD, W 7-3 4/18 @ SF, 10:15 PM San Diego 4 9 .308 4.0 3.5 4-6 L1 1-5 3-4 4/17 vs ARI, L 3-7 4/19 vs PIT, 10:10 PM Comment -
Twins and Braves can't be stopped now, talk about streaky.Comment -
Nice job Angels ,swept by the Twinkies .
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- [*=left]As a result of the 3-for-30 slump Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is mired in to start the season, Randy Miller of NJ.com wonders if the 40-year-old has finally hit the wall. If Rodriguez’s issues last into the summer, Miller wouldn’t be shocked to see the Yankees cut ties with the 21st-year man. Easier said than done, of course, as the Yankees would owe A-Rod the remaining $20MM of his contract for this year and a full $20MM in 2017. While writing off Rodriguez based on a small sample of April at-bats wouldn’t be wise after he hit a terrific .250/.356/.486 with 33 home runs last season, it’s at least mildly concerning that he hasn’t been able to catch up with fastballs thus far. Rodriguez has swung and missed on 16 of 81 fastballs this year, a nearly 20 percent rate that’s double his swinging strike percentage from 2015, according to Mark Simon of ESPN.com. For now, the Yankees will drop Rodriguez to sixth in the batting order Sunday, George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. Rodriguez was the Yankees’ No. 3 hitter in his first eight games of the season.
[*=left]A couple of anonymous AL executives gave conflicting answers to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe when he asked them to assess beleaguered Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s trade value. “While everyone seems to have a decent third baseman, it’s the depth beyond that that’s hard to come by. So at some point, if a contending team loses a third baseman, then a proven veteran who might be available would be more attractive if the money situation can be worked out,” said the optimistic exec. The other told Cafardo that Sandoval has no value, which isn’t surprising when you consider the Panda’s terrible performance dating back to last season, his well-documented weight problem, current shoulder injury, and anvil of a contract. Sandoval is still owed $75MM on his deal, including a $5MM buyout in 2020, and might need shoulder surgery.
[*=left]Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered a lengthy explanation Friday on why the club chose to start outfielder Rusney Castillo in the majors instead of simply sending him to Triple-A (where he is now), saying in part, “We didn’t think it would hurt him to come up here, be part of what we had going on, and now we’re in a situation where we think, ’OK, let’s let him go out there and get some at-bats.’” On the contrary, the Red Sox’s handling of Castillo might have been harmful to him and the team, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald argues. Castillo needs at-bats – which he wasn’t getting in Boston – and the team handicapped itself by essentially wasting a roster spot on him, Drellich writes. Castillo, 28, played in only one of the Red Sox’s 10 games before they optioned him to Pawtucket.
Comment - [*=left]As a result of the 3-for-30 slump Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is mired in to start the season, Randy Miller of NJ.com wonders if the 40-year-old has finally hit the wall. If Rodriguez’s issues last into the summer, Miller wouldn’t be shocked to see the Yankees cut ties with the 21st-year man. Easier said than done, of course, as the Yankees would owe A-Rod the remaining $20MM of his contract for this year and a full $20MM in 2017. While writing off Rodriguez based on a small sample of April at-bats wouldn’t be wise after he hit a terrific .250/.356/.486 with 33 home runs last season, it’s at least mildly concerning that he hasn’t been able to catch up with fastballs thus far. Rodriguez has swung and missed on 16 of 81 fastballs this year, a nearly 20 percent rate that’s double his swinging strike percentage from 2015, according to Mark Simon of ESPN.com. For now, the Yankees will drop Rodriguez to sixth in the batting order Sunday, George A. King III of the New York Post tweets. Rodriguez was the Yankees’ No. 3 hitter in his first eight games of the season.
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ARod still owed 40 million and they think he hit a wallComment -
Cardinals activate SS Ruben Tejada from the 15-day DL. Tejada is recovering from a strained left quadricepsComment -
*Just throwing this out here for discussion...
Which is more likely to happen in a game?
A No-Hitter or a player hitting for The Cycle?
I'm thinking No-Hitter...Comment -
Cardinals got owned by Cubs, they are getting used to it.Comment -
Jason Heyward received a bit of a rough welcome back to St. Louis today, as he appeared there for the first time since leaving the Cardinals for the rival Cubs. But that didn’t seem to bother him; as he told reporters, including MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat (Twitter link): “If somebody boos me here, that means they weren’t happy to see me leave. I’m glad people weren’t happy to see me leave.” He’s already covered his decision to move on to Chicago in some detail, of course, but the occasion offered a chance to revisit the winter market once again. When asked by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) whether he thought St. Louis would have met any contractual requests needed to get a deal done, Heyward responded: “Yes. It wasn’t the contract.”
Here are a few more notes from the National League:
- Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber is set for surgery this week on his injured left knee, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com was among those to tweet. It’s already clear that he’ll miss the entire season with ACL and LCL tears, but a broader recovery timeline remains unknown and will presumably depend in part upon how the procedure goes.
- Young Braves lefty Max Fried is showing promise in his return from Tommy John surgery, Carroll Rogers Walton of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The 22-year-old was a highly-regarded prospect before running into elbow troubles, and remains a high-upside arm for an Atlanta organization that is full of them. He came over in the Justin Upton trade, but has only just returned to action. Fried was not only the high school teammate of Lucas Giolito — who is now the top-rated pitching prospect in baseball — but ended up being taken higher in the 2012 draft when the Nationals’ right-hander fell due to his own elbow troubles.
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well this is what the cubs are hopinf for but now have to try and stay as healthy as possible and don't hit the june swwonComment -
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The cycle seems a lot less common lately .Comment -
mets having hard times after last years fluke
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Mets will be fine, last year was not a fluke, they have the best starting rotation in baseball. And they are hitting again, they have scored at least 5 runs in 4 straight games while going 3-1, making the timing of your post curious.Comment
