No clue, sabremetrics ruined that part of the game. To compound matters, A.J. Pollock hurts his groin in the bottom of the 10th running to 1st base. The same injury that kept him out all last year. The Dbacks lose him and they can kiss any chance of the playoffs goodbye.
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Orioles 1B Chris Davis hit two go-ahead home runs in extra innings during Tuesday's 13-11 win vs. the Tigers, making him only the second player since 1961 to accomplish the feat: Matt Adams hit two solo home runs in the 14th and 16th innings for the Cardinals on Sept. 4, 2013. (Elias Sports Bureau)Comment -
The Pirates have placed outfielder Gregory Polanco on the 10-day DL, as Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. The move was made retroactive to May 15th, and Pittsburgh has recalled Danny Ortiz to take his place on the active roster.
Polanco is dealing with a left hamstring strain, which added to the shoulder troubles that have seemingly hampered him in the first six weeks of the season. It’s not clear at this point how long he’ll miss. It’s promising, on the one hand, that the team thought he might avoid a DL stint; on the other, the injury evidently did not respond as immediately as might’ve been hoped.
The 25-year-old has thus far struggled to a .252/.336/.370 batting line over 135 plate appearances. While he has dramatically improved his plate discipline with just 18 strikeouts against 14 walks, he has fallen well off of last year’s pace in the power department (one home run; .118 isolated slugging).Comment -
Winds blowing out at wrigley
Line reflects it though, total at 11
... Wind Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM CDT /9 PM EDT/ this
evening...
* timing... midday through early this evening.
* Winds... south to southwest winds sustained at 20 to 30 mph
with gusts of 45 to 50 mph.
* Impacts... loose, lightweight objects may be blown around.
Minor tree or property damage is possible. Driving may be made
difficult especially in high profile vehicles and on east west
roads.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Wind Advisory means that winds of 35 mph are expected. Winds
this strong can make driving difficult... especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.Comment -
Kershaw today : 7.0 innings pitched with 3 hits , and 0 runs .
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Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman exited Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays after being struck by a pitch on the left wrist, and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that he’s headed for an MRI and a CT scan after initial X-rays of the wrist were inconclusive (Twitter links).
Freeman was struck on the left hand by a 94 mph fastball from Jays lefty Aaron Loup (video link). A significant Freeman injury would be a nightmare for the Braves, who have already struggled to a 16-21 record despite the fact that Freeman himself has been one of the best offensive players in baseball this season. Through 164 plate appearances, Freeman has posted a ludicrous .341/.461/.748 batting line with 14 home runs, 11 doubles and a triple.
[Related: Atlanta Braves depth chart]
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that the Braves are holding out hope that they’ll receive good news, but he adds that “the mood in the clubhouse wouldn’t have been described as optimistic.” Atlanta is relatively thin on options at first base in the minors and recently released veteran Ryan Howard, who had been playing with their Gwinnett affiliate. Current reserves on the 25-man roster include Emilio Bonifacio, Danny Santana and Johan Camargo — none of whom has much experience at first base. With few options in the upper minors, the Braves could also turn to a recently released veteran such as James Loney or Ben Paulsen in the event of a lengthy Freeman absence.Comment -
Wind blowing out hopefully, I want some dingers.Comment -
Left-handed Orioles outfielder Seth Smith hit the 117th home run of his career, off Blaine Hardy of the Tigers. It was Smith's 10th home run against a left-handed pitcher, his first since June 20, 2015 (Dallas Keuchel).Comment -
My first major casualty of the season.
My (fantasy) thumper (well one of four thumpers) on my team has bit the dust.
Freddie Freeman on the 10 day DL with a fractured wrist.
Shit, he's been mashing all season.
What to do?
No worries, slide over Carpenter from MI to 1B, slide over Cozart to MI to cover Carpenter.
Hurts, but the backup plan doesn't suck.
(In 4th place in the NFBC for all that give a shit, and I know you don't lol)Comment -
About 24% of the MLB regular season is in the books. The Astros, Yankees, and Nationals currently reign supreme. Familiar names Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Chris Sale top the WAR leaderboards. Though we’re only in mid-May, there’s a subset of players who can’t help but look ahead: those eligible for free agency after the season. Here, we attempt to rank the projected free agents based on their earning power. For the full list of 2017-18 MLB free agents, click here.
1. Yu Darvish. Nine starts into his season, Darvish is not quite in vintage form. His 2.76 ERA ranks 11th in the American League, though strikeouts are down and walks are up. The key stat might be his 58 2/3 innings pitched, good for a second-place tie in the league. Darvish’s second career 200-inning campaign would quiet concerns after his 22-month Tommy John layoff, possibly leading to the largest contract of the winter. In the short term, the question is whether Darvish will be traded this summer. The Rangers have climbed into the Wild Card discussion with an eight-game winning streak, though they’re already eight games behind the Astros for the division lead.
2. Johnny Cueto. In the early going of 2017, Cueto has posted his worst ground-ball rate since his 2008 rookie season. He’s allowing home runs twice as often as last year and also has an abnormally low strand rate, leading to a 4.50 ERA. I think his numbers will be fine in the end, and he’ll opt out of his remaining four years and $84MM. The Giants may attempt to extend Cueto prior to that point, or they could wind up trading him this summer. The slow-starting club already faces an uphill battle to reach the playoffs.
3. Jake Arrieta. As Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs put it in the headline of his article this week, “Jake Arrieta Has Not Been Good.” The surface statistical reasons bear some similarity to Cueto: ground-balls are down, home runs are up, and he’s been stranding fewer runners on the bases. 5.44 ERA notwithstanding, Arrieta is still a quality pitcher in his present form. He may settle in as a sub-4.00 ERA number three-type starter, which would only be disappointing compared to the dizzying heights of his 2015 Cy Young season. Darvish, Cueto, and Arrieta should all by vying for five-year deals, and may shuffle spots in these rankings all year long.
4. Jonathan Lucroy. Since we last checked in, Lucroy’s bat has come alive with a .328/.380/.469 line in 71 plate appearances. Talking to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Lucroy did not attribute his April struggles to his impending free agency, as you’d expect him to say. On the defensive side, Samuel Hale of WFAA wrote an article contending that Lucroy “used to be an elite framer, but that time has passed.” Lucroy’s pitch framing numbers will be worth monitoring as we try to assess whether he will receive the largest contract for a catcher in free agent history.
5. J.D. Martinez. After suffering a foot injury on March 18th, Martinez made his 2017 Tigers debut last Friday. He’s clubbed five homers in six games since then, so I’d say his foot is fine. Martinez, 30 in August, may establish himself as the top free agent bat and move higher in these rankings.
6. Eric Hosmer. Don’t count Hosmer out yet. The Royals’ much-maligned first baseman is hitting .347/.411/.484 in 107 plate appearances since we last checked in. The 27-year-old has apparently been laying off inside pitches in recent weeks, to much success. The Royals are in last place in the AL Central and are unlikely to make the playoffs, which could prompt a summer sell-off of impending free agents like Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Jason Vargas, and Alcides Escobar.
7. Justin Upton. Upton has posted a fine season so far, with a .248/.368/.504 line in 144 plate appearances. Interestingly, he’s drawn a walk in 15.3% of plate appearances, though he’s never reached 12% in a full season and bottomed out at 8% last year. Upton’s newfound selectivity and move toward becoming a Three True Outcomes hitter has been a net positive. If he posts another 30 home run season but draws 90 walks instead of 50-60, Upton may be compelled to opt out of the remaining four years and $88MM on his Tigers contract.
8. Masahiro Tanaka. Tanaka has always been on shakier ground than the Big Three of this free agent class, given his health history, lower strikeout rate, and home run tendencies. More than a fifth of the flyballs Tanaka has allowed this year have left the yard. Those 10 home runs allowed in 45 innings have helped his ERA balloon to 5.80. His last outing was particularly ugly, with four long balls leading to a second-inning exit on Derek Jeter Day. There’s talk of a mechanical issue, and maybe this is nothing more than a blip on the radar. With a rough year, Tanaka could have a tricky decision on his opt-out clause, since he has three years and $67MM remaining on his Yankees contract.
9. Michael Pineda. Tanaka’s rotation-mate has a home run problem as well, with a full quarter of Pineda’s fly-balls going for home runs. Nonetheless, he’s posted a ridiculous strikeout-to-walk ratio accompanied by a solid 3.42 ERA through eight starts. Despite the 10 home runs allowed, Pineda has been able to avoid disaster starts. Has the 28-year-old actually “figured it out” and harnessed his considerable stuff? Jake Devin of Pinstripe Alley asked that question earlier this week, and found the results to be inconclusive.
10. Wade Davis. Davis has been utterly dominant to start off his Cubs career, with 17 1/3 scoreless innings and 22 strikeouts against five walks. Davis’ streak actually goes back another seven innings, into last September with the Royals. He’s no stranger to this kind of dominance, having been unscored upon for 31 2/3 innings in 2014 (tied for the 17th-best scoreless streak for a reliever in MLB history). If Davis continues to distance himself from last year’s flexor strain, he could surpass Mark Melancon’s four-year, $62MM contract from last winter.
While Davis moves into the No. 10 spot on the list, his former teammate, Greg Holland, is close behind. Holland has been dominant and needs to finish just 30 games to trigger a $15MM player option. He entered the day with 18 under his belt already. Perhaps Holland’s lengthy Tommy John layoff will make teams reluctant to give him four years, but he’s a few months younger than Davis and is quickly reestablishing himself. Reds shortstop Zack Cozart leads all impending free agents with two wins above replacement already, and he very nearly snagged the final spot on the list. The 31-year-old has a shot at a four-year deal if his stellar play continues. Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso has also put himself on the radar by changing his approach and crushing 12 home runs in 137 plate appearances. The Rays’ Logan Morrison, also part of the 2017-18 free agent class, is right behind him with 11 bombs.
With an OBP of .291, Mike Moustakas has fallen outside the top 10 for now. He joins honorable mentions such as Lorenzo Cain, Chris Tillman, Lance Lynn, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Santana, Marco Estrada, and Alex Cobb. Though the 34-year-old Jason Vargas is unlikely to obtain top 10 earning power, he warrants mention for his 2.03 ERA, which entered the day ranked third in the American League.
One last name you might be wondering about is Shohei Otani, the 22-year-old Nippon Ham Fighters two-way ace. He’ll have a late start to his season due to a thigh injury. While Otani aims to move from Nippon Professional Baseball to the Majors for the 2018 season, and that would be a huge story on MLBTR, he’s seemingly capped at about $10MM in earning power due to a change in the new CBA.Comment -
Colorado Rockies also proving to be standing out at 26-16Comment -
The Blue Jays have called up OF Anthony Alford, who left the Ole Miss football team in 2014 to pursue a pro baseball career.
Keith Law ranks Alford as the No. 55 overall prospect.
More from Law: "When healthy, he's a disciplined hitter for someone so inexperienced, and there's at least average power to go with plus running speed." To make room for Alford, OF Darrell Ceciliani (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day DL. Alford is in Friday night's lineup against the Orioles, playing LF and batting eighth.Comment -
Yawn, just another day at the office for the Rox.
On the road, through 6 innings, Rox 10 runs on 13 hits.
Don't care if it's Cincy, this team can mash anywhere.
If they are playing October they will be an extremely dangerous 'out'
Blackmon and Arendo are 4 for 8 so far combined, homer, 3 runs, Reynolds is raking all season he's got two hits, now they get Amarista from SD and he's hitting moonshots, he's 3 for 4, 4 RBI, homer couple of doubles, DJ and Car-Go chipping in........
That line up is stacked, they got a decent 'pen now, if they can give the 'pen a 9-5 lead after six innings, they are in good shape.Comment -
ELIAS: Most K in First 9 Starts W/ Team - Since 1893
1998 Randy Johnson 96 HOU
2017 Chris Sale 95 BOS
1999 Randy Johnson 89 ARIComment -
Looks like that KC/Minny game has zero chance of going off today.
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Thats a long storm. Didn't bet that game. Almost did. Do not like betting games that get delayedComment -
The Mets have not resumed contract extension talks with second baseman Neil Walker, and it’s doubtful they will before the offseason, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). New York would rather enter the winter with flexibility at various positions than commit to Walker, with whom it discussed a three-year deal in the $40MM range before tabling talks in February. Walker, 31, is on a $17.2MM salary after accepting a qualifying offer last fall, and has returned from a season-ending back injury in 2016 to post a decent .255/.327/.423 line in 168 plate appearances this year.
More from Rosenthal:
- Center fielder Lorenzo Cain might end up as the Royals’ most valuable trade asset in the coming months, posits Rosenthal, who relays that the team isn’t convinced first baseman Eric Hosmer would bring back a “sufficient return.” Hosmer’s hitting a solid .299/.362/.408 in 174 PAs, but that’s not great production relative to his position, and first base typically isn’t an in-demand area around the deadline, notes Rosenthal. The same goes for third base, which could make it difficult for the Royals to move Mike Moustakas – another of their high-profile impending free agents – for a sizable return. Meanwhile, pitchers Jason Vargas, Kelvin Herrera and Mike Minor are also names to watch as the Royals potentially prepare to sell.
- With a 25-18 record and a plus-43 run differential, the Diamondbacks don’t look like sellers in the making, admits Rosenthal. Nevertheless, the D-backs are going to have to replenish their barren farm system at some point, says Rosenthal, who reports they’re likely to entertain offers for center fielder A.J. Pollock and left-hander Patrick Corbin prior to the trade deadline and/or in the offseason. Both players are only signed for another year, putting their futures in question.
- As is the case with Arizona, Milwaukee has easily outperformed expectations thus far. The Brewers entered Saturday having posted the same record as Arizona (25-18, with a plus-34 run differential), and their success is a “potential nightmare” for general manager David Stearns, one executive told Rosenthal. It’s doubtful Stearns believes the franchise’s rebuild is complete, yet owner Mark Attanasio might push to add, not subtract, if Milwaukee hangs around the playoff race in the coming months, per Rosenthal. To their credit, the first-place Brewers currently rank among the majors’ top 10 teams in runs scored (second), wRC+ (eighth) and pitching fWAR (eighth).
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Dbacks score 13 runs in the 1st inning last 2 games against the AAA Pads
Dbacks lead the bigs in 1st inning HR's
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Robbie Ray just sharply singled to center.
He's 6 for 16 on the season, oh by the way he's tossing a no hitter too just for shit and giggles.
Goldshmidt, Pollock, Peralta, Tomas...... and Ray!
Greinke swing a good bat too.
Rocks and Snakes bitter dog fight to the end for the NL West crown.Comment -
Blue jays cooling off.Comment
