The 2019 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[koz-man]

Charges dropped against Phillies' Herrera


Domestic violence charges against Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera have been dropped following a hearing Wednesday at Atlantic City (New Jersey) Municipal Court.

A state prosecutor told reporters that Herrera's girlfriend did not want to proceed with the case, leading to the decision to dismiss.

Herrera must complete counseling within 60 days.

He had been accused of domestic assault against his girlfriend on May 27 at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Officers had found the 20-year-old woman with "visible signs of injury to her arms and neck that was sustained after being assaulted by her boyfriend."

Herrera, 27, had been facing charges of simple assault and knowingly causing bodily injury.

"We believe that the complete dismissal of the misdemeanor charges was the right result," Herrera's attorney, Thomas Calcagni, told reporters.

Following the arrest, Herrera was placed on administrative leave. The leave can last up to seven days while MLB officials look into the matter and can be extended while the inquiry continues. According to multiple reports, Herrera remains on leave through Friday.

[Otters27]

Tom Eshleman made major league debut 2 days ago. Now back in AAA

[Andy117]

Major League Baseball sets home run record for second consecutive month as homer-happy 2019 season continues

MLB players homered 1,142 times during the month of June

Imagine this ball with the steroid use of the 90s.

[hotcross]

Kimbrel with a blown save in Pittsburgh on Wed. night for the Cubs

[jrgum3]

It sucks that all the teams aren't playing on the 4th of July. In the case of my Giants its the first time since 1981 that they don't have a game on America's birthday. Just seems unAmerican for MLB not to have all the teams in action on July 4th.

[batt33]

[QUOTE=jrgum3;28741640]It sucks that all the teams aren't playing on the 4th of July. In the case of my Giants its the first time since 1981 that they don't have a game on America's birthday. Just seems unAmerican for MLB not to have all the teams in action on July 4th.

Totally agree...especially now that they are actually scoring runs.....and having a little fun.

[mr. leisure]

It sucks that all the teams aren't playing on the 4th of July. In the case of my Giants its the first time since 1981 that they don't have a game on America's birthday. Just seems unAmerican for MLB not to have all the teams in action on July 4th.

Well said , I don`t get it either .

[EmpireMaker]

Prized Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo had been nearing his major league debut, but that’s now off the table for the time being. Luzardo, out all season with a left rotator cuff strain, suffered a Grade 2 left lat strain in a Triple-A rehab start Tuesday, the team announced. There’s no timetable for Luzardo’s return from his newest injury.
This is a brutal development for the playoff-contending Athletics, who were banking on Luzardo helping to stabilize their rotation down the stretch. Luzardo, widely regarded as an elite pitching prospect, had been expected to slot into their staff after the All-Star break. The 21-year-old’s forthcoming debut would have been all the more timely with the A’s having lost their ace, Frankie Montas, to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs on June 21.
Oakland will now have to continue waiting for Luzardo, whose ongoing absence could impact its trade deadline plans. Despite Montas’ loss, general manager David Forst suggested last week the A’s would focus more on upgrading their bullpen than their rotation around the deadline. The team may now have to reverse course in the wake of Luzardo’s setback, though. The A’s rode an underwhelming rotation to a playoff berth in 2018, but expecting it to happen again with this year’s mediocre bunch might be unrealistic.

[dudekid]

Jake whats the deal man, swept by the Giants?? killing me

[Chi_archie]

Prized Athletics left-hander Jesus Luzardo had been nearing his major league debut, but that’s now off the table for the time being. Luzardo, out all season with a left rotator cuff strain, suffered a Grade 2 left lat strain in a Triple-A rehab start Tuesday, the team announced. There’s no timetable for Luzardo’s return from his newest injury.
This is a brutal development for the playoff-contending Athletics, who were banking on Luzardo helping to stabilize their rotation down the stretch. Luzardo, widely regarded as an elite pitching prospect, had been expected to slot into their staff after the All-Star break. The 21-year-old’s forthcoming debut would have been all the more timely with the A’s having lost their ace, Frankie Montas, to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs on June 21.
Oakland will now have to continue waiting for Luzardo, whose ongoing absence could impact its trade deadline plans. Despite Montas’ loss, general manager David Forst suggested last week the A’s would focus more on upgrading their bullpen than their rotation around the deadline. The team may now have to reverse course in the wake of Luzardo’s setback, though. The A’s rode an underwhelming rotation to a playoff berth in 2018, but expecting it to happen again with this year’s mediocre bunch might be unrealistic.

Sucks for Jesus

[koz-man]

Bellinger gives Dodgers 5th straight walk-off


LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers never wonder whether they can pull out a victory late in a game. Their only suspense is which player will be the next hero.

It was All-Star Cody Bellinger's turn for the second straight game.

He hit a tiebreaking homer in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers a fifth consecutive walk-off victory at home, 5-4 over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

"He's a one-man wrecking crew right now," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

The Dodgers are the fifth team in MLB history to win at least five straight home games via walk-off within a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Jake whats the deal man, swept by the Giants?? killing me

bullpen is shot from starters only going around 5 innings each game

[JaimeMiro]

Padres suck, glad was able to cross off the Giants on this run

[Cross]

Padres and Cubs both going to win today.

[hotcross]

I'm on Padres tonight....let's see

Cubs crushed it earlier

[Chi_archie]

I'm on Padres tonight....let's see

Cubs crushed it earlier

Good luck

[BigSpoon]

It sucks that all the teams aren't playing on the 4th of July. In the case of my Giants its the first time since 1981 that they don't have a game on America's birthday. Just seems unAmerican for MLB not to have all the teams in action on July 4th.

Yeah, its weird. Even the Blue Jays are playing today.

[JMobile]

I'm on Padres tonight....let's see

Cubs crushed it earlier

Padres getting crushed.

[jrgum3]

Geez the Dodgers simply too good they once again own the NL West.

[JaimeMiro]

Just when you think CWS going to sweep they lay an egg

[EmpireMaker]

Rays reliever Jose Alvarado has been a go-to option for the team in high-leverage situations, but the left-hander has struggled since missing almost a month because of a family medical matter. As a result, the Rays will try to use Alvarado in lower impact spots for the time being, manager Kevin Cash suggested (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).
Alvarado boasted a 1.04 ERA as late as May 15, though that figure rose to 3.09 before he took his leave June 1. It’s now up to 4.85 since his June 29 return, largely because of a catastrophic performance in a 9-6 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday. Alvarado entered a 3-3 game in the top of the ninth and proceeded to allow six runs (five earned) on four hits, including a homer, and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
Factoring in Tuesday’s two-out showing, Alvarado has tossed 26 innings with a 3.55 FIP, which is significantly worse than the 2.27 he posted during a great 2018 campaign. Alvarado has continued to pump high-90s heat and strike out upward of 11 batters per nine, though his control has tanked. The 24-year-old’s first-pitch strike percentage has dropped approximately 14 percent since he debuted in the league in 2017, when he walked fewer than three hitters per nine. Alvarado’s BB/9 is now all the way up to 5.88. His home run rate has also fattened by 7 percent since 2018, though it’s still an above-average 9.5 on the year.
Cash noted the Rays will need both Alvarado and fellow flamethrowing reliever Diego Castillo – who lead the team with seven saves each – to return to form if the club’s going to maintain a playoff spot. At 50-38, the Rays are a game up on the AL’s No. 1 wild-card position. Both Alvarado and Castillo helped the Rays’ cause earlier in the season, but the latter also saw his production crater before going to the injured list June 23 with shoulder inflammation. The hope is that he’ll return right after the All-Star break, according to Topkin.
The right-handed Castillo, 25, entered June with a 2.12 ERA, only to see it rocket to 3.93 in a six-appearance span. Like Alvarado, Castillo has battled more control and homer problems than he grew accustomed to last season. Castillo’s walk rate has climbed from 2.86 per nine to 4.19 since then, and he has surrendered HRs on 17.9 percent of fly balls after yielding them at a 12 percent clip as a rookie in 2018. While Castillo has struck out almost 10 hitters per nine and induced ground balls just under 53 percent of the time, his 4.55 FIP still pales in comparison to last year’s 3.30.
As with Alvarado and Castillo, infielder Matt Duffy was an important Rays contributor last year whose 2019 hasn’t gone according to plan. In fact, thanks to back and hamstring injuries, Duffy hasn’t played at all this season. However, Duffy did just restart a rehab assignment for the first time in over a month, per Topkin. The 28-year-old had to halt his previous rehab stint May 22 after re-aggravating his hamstring injury.

[Chi_archie]

Just when you think CWS going to sweep they lay an egg

Sad to see

[batt33]

Giants got their first 3 game sweep of the season against the padres....then take the 4th off.......

[dudekid]

Some wild games om the 4th!! hope everyone had a good one

[Cross]

Dodgers a juggernaut right now.

[BigSpoon]

NBA fans complaining about Kawhi dragging out his free agency decision when MLB fans had to wait til the end of spring training almost for Harper and Machado to sign.

[koz-man]

Maddon tossed: Pirates pitching 'out of control'

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon watched the final 5½ innings of his team's 11-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates from the clubhouse Thursday after getting tossed following an exchange with those in the opposing dugout over their insistence on pitching up and in.
Maddon appeared to take exception with Pittsburgh's Jordan Lyles pitching up and in to All-Star Javier Baez in the top of the fourth inning. After a 3-2 pitch just missed hitting Baez and fouled off the knob of his bat, Maddon had to be restrained by plate umpire Joe West while appearing to make his way toward the Pirates' dugout.
Following the game, Maddon said the Pirates have a reputation around baseball for throwing pitches up and in.

[ApricotSinner32]

Good luck today gentlemens i'm buried!

[hotcross]

Mets and Royals bullpens a complete adventure every game

Washington relievers meanwhile have been doing much better....although against relatively weak opponents

Mets just gave up 5 runs in a tied game top of the 9th game which DeGrom started

[batt33]

Mets and Royals bullpens a complete adventure every game

Washington relievers meanwhile have been doing much better....although against relatively weak opponents

Mets just gave up 5 runs in a tied game top of the 9th game which DeGrom started

try being a giants fan

[EmpireMaker]

The Angels are close to welcoming back a pair of starting pitchers, as Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among those to cover (Twitter links here). Matt Harvey is slated to rejoin the rotation out of the All-Star break, while JC Ramirez appears to be nearing activation as well after a typically lengthy Tommy John rehab process. Meanwhile, reliever and fellow Tommy John patient Keynan Middleton began a rehab assignment Friday.
Harvey went to the injured list with an upper back strain May 25 and then suffered a setback June 10, continuing a nightmarish season. The Angels took a one-year, $11MM flier on Harvey in free agency, but the decision has emphatically gone against the team thus far. Once an ace with the Mets, Harvey joined the Angels after finishing 2018 in respectable fashion with the Reds. In his first two months as an Angel, though, the 30-year-old performed like one of the majors’ worst starters, notching a 7.50 ERA/6.11 FIP with 6.56 K/9 against 3.94 BB/9 across 48 frames.
Ramirez, also 30, hasn’t taken the mound for the Angels since going under the knife last April. The righty managed effective results in 142 1/3 innings as a starter for the Angels in 2017, when he put up a 4.11 ERA (with a 4.67 FIP), 6.45 K/9, 2.97 BB/9 and a 51.4 percent groundball rate. A 95.5 mph fastball helped Ramirez achieve that success, though Triple-A Salt Lake broadcaster Steve Klauke tweeted last week that the hurler’s velocity has been far less imposing during his rehab work. That was again the case Friday, per Klauke, who reports Ramirez hovered around 88 to 92 mph while tossing six innings of three-run ball.
Sadly for the Angels, the upcoming returns of Harvey and Ramirez have taken on added importance in light of starter Tyler Skaggs’ passing this week. At 45-44 and 4 1/2 games out of playoff position, the club has an outside chance at earning a wild-card spot. But the Angels will need more from a starting staff which is trying its best to carry on under terrible circumstances. None of the Angels’ current options have posted exemplary production to this point, though there’s plenty of promise in the form of Andrew Heaney and the young tandem of Griffin Canning and Jose Suarez.
Angels starters have handed off to a bullpen which has received quality late-game production from Ty Buttrey, Hansel Robles and Cam Bedrosian. When Middleton comes back, the 25-year-old will add another high-octane arm to the group. With help from a 96 mph heater, the right-handed Middleton logged a 3.43 ERA/4.24 FIP with 9.36 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 76 innings from 2017-18. He underwent surgery last May.

[jrgum3]

try being a giants fan

Our bullpen generally isn't our problem. Up until a few days ago it was our offense and at times our starting pitching. Of course tonight we come home and come crashing back to Earth offensively on a night our pitching gives up 9 runs.

[Cross]

Try being the cubs bullpen before Kimbrel.

[Chi_archie]

Mets and Royals bullpens a complete adventure every game

Washington relievers meanwhile have been doing much better....although against relatively weak opponents

Mets just gave up 5 runs in a tied game top of the 9th game which DeGrom started

Story of the league this year mostly

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Dodgers a juggernaut right now.

until Kershaw pitches