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Red Sox with the easiest sweep of the year. Orioles pitching is terribleComment -
Padres signed Jake Arrieta to a minor league contract. Usually these pitchers can't get resurrected.Comment -
Tatis will win NL mvp.Comment -
Arrieta to the Padres??? Good luck with that anti vaxer.Comment -
The Padres are taking a flier on Jake Arrieta, announcing a deal with the veteran right-hander this afternoon. While San Diego technically inked Arrieta to a minor league contract, the club announced they plan to formally select him to the big league roster on Wednesday, when he’ll get make his team debut with a start against the Rockies. San Diego already has a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard unless they add somebody to the roster in the intervening two days. Arrieta is repped by the Boras Corporation.
San Diego suddenly finds itself desperate for innings — a scenario few would’ve anticipated after an offseason in which the Friars acquired Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove to strengthen a rotation that already looked to have a fair bit of depth. However, Darvish was placed on the injured list yesterday owing to back issues, and the Padres are also currently without Chris Paddack (oblique strain), Dinelson Lamet (forearm inflammation, hip surgery) and Adrian Morejon (Tommy John surgery). Touted prospect MacKenzie Gore hasn’t pitched in a game since June 13, as he was sent back to the team’s Spring Training complex to work on mechanical issues not long after.
Arrieta will give the Padres a veteran option to soak up some innings, but the extent of his struggles with the Cubs underscore the dire nature of the need for arms in San Diego at the moment. While Arrieta got out to a nice start after signing a one-year, $6.5MM deal to return to the Cubs, his production cratered after a handful of solid outings to begin the season.
Arrieta pitched to a 2.57 ERA through his first five starts but has since been shellacked for 58 runs in 58 1/3 innings. He completed six innings just one time in those 15 outings and completed five frames in just six of them. And while a few poor outings can always skew a few months’ worth of numbers, that isn’t necessarily the case here; Arrieta allowed at least four runs in 10 of those 15 starts. This year’s 90.8 mph average fastball is the lowest of his career and represents a two mile-per-hour drop from last year’s levels.
Of course, Arrieta was once one of the game’s best arms. He followed up a strong first half in 2015 with a historically dominant second half, cruising to a National League Cy Young Award and a sixth-place finish in NL MVP voting. He went on to throw a shutout in his postseason debut in 2015. That was followed by All-Star campaign in 2016, which featured 197 1/3 innings of 3.10 ERA ball, and Arrieta posted a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 postseason frames as the Cubs marched to a World Series victory. Broadly speaking, he was one of the primary drivers behind the Cubs’ transformation into a perennial contender during his initial run there.
That all feels like a distant memory after three lackluster years in Philadelphia, an elbow surgery, and this year’s unsuccessful Wrigley reunion. The Padres will hope a change of scenery can lead to some late-season lightning in a bottle, but the mounting number of rotation injuries has left their grip on the second NL Wild Card spot feeling more tenuous than ever. What was a six-game lead over the Reds as recently as July 27 has been whittled away to a 2.5-game lead over their closest competitors in Cincinnati.Comment -
let's see if he has anything leftThe Padres are taking a flier on Jake Arrieta, announcing a deal with the veteran right-hander this afternoon. While San Diego technically inked Arrieta to a minor league contract, the club announced they plan to formally select him to the big league roster on Wednesday, when he’ll get make his team debut with a start against the Rockies. San Diego already has a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard unless they add somebody to the roster in the intervening two days. Arrieta is repped by the Boras Corporation.
San Diego suddenly finds itself desperate for innings — a scenario few would’ve anticipated after an offseason in which the Friars acquired Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove to strengthen a rotation that already looked to have a fair bit of depth. However, Darvish was placed on the injured list yesterday owing to back issues, and the Padres are also currently without Chris Paddack (oblique strain), Dinelson Lamet (forearm inflammation, hip surgery) and Adrian Morejon (Tommy John surgery). Touted prospect MacKenzie Gore hasn’t pitched in a game since June 13, as he was sent back to the team’s Spring Training complex to work on mechanical issues not long after.
Arrieta will give the Padres a veteran option to soak up some innings, but the extent of his struggles with the Cubs underscore the dire nature of the need for arms in San Diego at the moment. While Arrieta got out to a nice start after signing a one-year, $6.5MM deal to return to the Cubs, his production cratered after a handful of solid outings to begin the season.
Arrieta pitched to a 2.57 ERA through his first five starts but has since been shellacked for 58 runs in 58 1/3 innings. He completed six innings just one time in those 15 outings and completed five frames in just six of them. And while a few poor outings can always skew a few months’ worth of numbers, that isn’t necessarily the case here; Arrieta allowed at least four runs in 10 of those 15 starts. This year’s 90.8 mph average fastball is the lowest of his career and represents a two mile-per-hour drop from last year’s levels.
Of course, Arrieta was once one of the game’s best arms. He followed up a strong first half in 2015 with a historically dominant second half, cruising to a National League Cy Young Award and a sixth-place finish in NL MVP voting. He went on to throw a shutout in his postseason debut in 2015. That was followed by All-Star campaign in 2016, which featured 197 1/3 innings of 3.10 ERA ball, and Arrieta posted a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 postseason frames as the Cubs marched to a World Series victory. Broadly speaking, he was one of the primary drivers behind the Cubs’ transformation into a perennial contender during his initial run there.
That all feels like a distant memory after three lackluster years in Philadelphia, an elbow surgery, and this year’s unsuccessful Wrigley reunion. The Padres will hope a change of scenery can lead to some late-season lightning in a bottle, but the mounting number of rotation injuries has left their grip on the second NL Wild Card spot feeling more tenuous than ever. What was a six-game lead over the Reds as recently as July 27 has been whittled away to a 2.5-game lead over their closest competitors in Cincinnati.Comment -
Wow, Rockies are considered the favorites against the Padres.Comment -
Three big time, and I mean big time birthdays today.
Dustin Pedroia turns 38 today.
Jorge Posada turns 51 today,
And talk about big, let's talk big.
Boog Powell turns 80 today.
Way to go Boog, 80 man.
Too legit to quit.Comment -
The Padres are really rolling the dice with Arrieta.Comment -
Arrieta will prove again tomorrow that he really has nothing left.Comment -
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The Yankees are in agreement to bring right-hander Nick Goody back to the organization on a minor league contract, reports Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune (Twitter link). He’ll head back to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre for the time being.
Goody, 30, opened the season with the Yankees on a minor league deal and pitched quite well for their top affiliate in Scranton, logging 22 innings of 2.86 ERA ball with a massive 36.5 percent strikeout rate against just an 8.2 percent walk rate. Goody exercised an early July opt-out clause in that deal, however, and the Yankees elected to let him become a free agent rather than add him to the MLB roster at the time. He went on to sign with the Nationals but didn’t fare as well with their Triple-A club in Rochester; in 14 innings there, Goody yielded eight runs on 13 hits and seven walks with 13 strikeouts (5.40 ERA).
Originally a sixth-round pick by the Yankees back in 2012, Goody made his big league debut with them back in 2015. He was traded to the Indians in a 2016 deal that netted minor league reliever Yoiber Marquina, and he went on to enjoy a solid three-year run in Cleveland from 2017-19: 107 innings, 3.53 ERA, 29.6 percent strikeout rate, 10.4 percent walk rate. After going to the Rangers via waivers in the 2019-20 offseason, Goody was hit hard in the 2020 season, yielding 11 runs on 14 hits and eight walks with 13 punchouts through 11 innings.
Now back with the Yankees, Goody will provide some depth to a bullpen that has a different composition than when he left the organization. In the six weeks since that time, the Yankees have lost Darren O’Day to a season-ending hamstring injury; traded Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson; and acquired both Clay Holmes and Joely Rodriguez in separate deals. They’re also currently without closer Aroldis Chapman, who has been on the injured list since Aug. 7 owing to elbow inflammation.Comment -
oh goodyComment -
Jake Arrieta starting for the Padres at Colorado. Padres went from -110 to -150. I guess Rockies will complete the sweep.Comment -
Padres must be tanking and looking for a better draft pick. No other way to explain trotting Arrieta out there.Comment -
The Padres and Reds right now have the same 45 percent chance of getting the last Wild Card.
If the Reds get it they will play the Giants in the WC game.
You guys know how to read this chart so I won't explain the categories, you know what they mean.
Current Remaining Average 90% Confidence Change Tm Lg D SRS rSOS W L W L W L Best Worst Post WC Div LDS LCS Pennant Win WS 1 Day 7 Days 30 Days NL East 1 Atlanta Braves NL E 0.9 0 65 56 22.1 17.9 87.1 73.9 92-69 82-79 83.00% 2.70% 80.30% 81.40% 41.30% 17.30% 8.80% 7.60% 33.50% 62.00% 2 Philadelphia Phillies NL E 0.1 -0.3 61 59 22 20 83 79 88-74 78-84 23.50% 6.10% 17.40% 18.70% 8.40% 2.50% 0.90% -6.90% -22.50% -17.10% 3 New York Mets NL E -0.1 0.4 60 60 19.3 21.7 79.3 81.7 84-77 75-86 2.90% 0.60% 2.30% 2.50% 0.70% 0.30% 0.10% 0.70% -3.40% -22.30% 4 Washington Nationals NL E 0 0 52 68 21 21 73 89 78-84 67-95 <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% -0.10% -0.70% -14.70% 5 Miami Marlins NL E -0.1 0 51 70 19.4 20.6 70.4 90.6 76-85 65-96 <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% 0.00% 0.00% -1.00% NL Central 1 Milwaukee Brewers NL C 0.7 -0.1 74 47 22.9 18.1 96.9 65.1 102-60 92-70 99.80% 1.20% 98.60% 99.00% 49.90% 21.40% 8.80% -0.20% 0.50% 9.60% 2 Cincinnati Reds NL C 0 -0.3 65 57 21 19 86 76 91-71 81-81 42.80% 41.40% 1.40% 20.20% 8.00% 3.40% 1.80% -5.00% 27.80% 32.30% 3 St. Louis Cardinals NL C -0.5 -0.1 61 58 20.1 22.9 81.1 80.9 86-76 76-86 5.00% 5.00% <0.1% 2.20% 0.30% <0.1% <0.1% 0.50% 3.60% 1.40% 4 Chicago Cubs NL C -0.8 -0.4 54 69 18.2 20.8 72.2 89.8 78-84 67-95 <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% 0.00% 0.00% -2.90% 5 Pittsburgh Pirates NL C -1.6 -0.3 42 79 17 24 59 103 64-98 54-108 <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% NL West 1 San Francisco Giants NL W 1.2 0.3 78 43 23 18 101 61 106-56 96-66 >99.9% 39.30% 60.70% 83.50% 42.30% 24.60% 13.50% 0.00% 0.00% 0.10% 2 Los Angeles Dodgers NL W 1.6 0 75 46 24.5 16.5 99.5 62.5 104-58 94-68 >99.9% 60.70% 39.30% 73.00% 41.20% 26.20% 16.20% 0.00% 0.30% 0.10% 3 San Diego Padres NL W 0.6 0.7 67 56 18.9 19.1 85.9 75.1 91-70 81-80 42.90% 42.90% <0.1% 19.40% 7.90% 4.30% 2.00% 3.30% -39.20% -47.60% 4 Colorado Rockies NL W -0.3 0.2 55 66 19.1 21.9 74.1 87.9 79-83 69-93 0.10% 0.10% <0.1% 0.10% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% 0.10% 0.10% 0.10% 5 Arizona Diamondbacks NL W -1.4 0.3 40 81 16.5 24.5 56.5 105.5 61-101 52-110 <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% <0.1% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Comment -
Diamondbacks lefty Caleb Smith was ejected after the eighth inning of last night’s game against the Phillies after the umpiring crew believed to have detected a foreign substance on his glove. His glove will now be sent to the league headquarters for further examination, which could result in a 10-game suspension. Smith, who pitched 2 2/3 innings and had already cleared one check at the end of the sixth inning, vehemently argued his case as the umpiring crew spoke with manager Torey Lovullo (video link).
The 28-year-old Smith becomes just the second player ejected under the league’s new foreign-substance crackdown. If he’s suspended, as was the case with Mariners lefty Hector Santiago, the Diamondbacks would not be able to replace him on the roster over the course of his suspension.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Smith was understandably quite upset, and manager Torey Lovullo defended his player (Twitter links, with video, via Cameron Cox of 12 News in Arizona). Smith was adamant that if he’d cheated, he “would own up to it” and expressed anger that the ejection itself “drags my name through the mud” even though he does not ultimately believe he’ll be suspended.
“I’m not stupid,” Smith said. “I know the main two things they check are your glove and your hat. Even if I was using something, which I wasn’t, I wouldn’t put it in my glove or my hat. I mean, that’s just ignorant.”
Lovullo offered immediate support for his left-hander. “I’m always going to side with the player when he looks me square in the eyes and tells me that [he’s not cheating],” the manager said. “…I believe my player. I stand by my player. He told me there was nothing malicious happening. I asked to see his hand, and his hand was bone dry. … You can see Caleb goes to the ground a lot to get dirt on his hands. He has a pile of dirt on the side of his pantleg as a result of wiping down the dirt.”
Asked whether he was allowed to see and/or touch the glove, Lovullo acknowledged that it was “a little bit sticky” inside the heel of the glove but said there was no “huge buildup” and maintained his belief that it was a combination of sweat, rosin and dirt.
It’s now up to the league’s jurisdiction to determine whether there was or was not a foreign substance on Smith’s glove. Notably, however, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported after Santiago’s prior suspension that the league did not even further examine Santiago’s glove — instead issuing a suspension based solely on the umpires’ reported detection of a foreign substance (Twitter link). The crew chief in last night’s game, Tom Hallion, was also the crew chief at the time of Santiago’s ejection (and subsequent suspension). Via The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, umpire Phil Cuzzi inspected Smith’s glove both at the end of the sixth inning, when he was cleared, and at the end of the eighth inning, when he was ejected.Comment -
Supposedly the team is pissed at how things are looking.Comment -
Maybe they will bounce back.Comment -
Didn’t realize Braves were so hot, funny Mets are tanking.Comment -
The Brewers announced they’ve placed right-hander Freddy Peralta on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Reliever Hoby Milner was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take his active roster spot.
Peralta left last night’s start against the Cardinals after just two innings due to shoulder discomfort. He downplayed the issue postgame, telling reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com) last night that he expected to be able to make his next scheduled start. That obviously won’t be the case, but there’s no indication he’ll require much — if any — time more than the minimal ten days on the shelf.
The Brewers can afford to err on the side of caution. Last night’s win over St. Louis and the Reds’ loss to the Cubs pushed Milwaukee’s lead in the NL Central out to nine and a half games. They’re a very good bet to hang on to a division title, so there’s every reason to play things safe with a pitcher who’ll surely be lined up to start one of their Division Series games if healthy.
Peralta had flashed promise in a swing role between 2018-20, but he’s taken his game to new heights this season. The 25-year-old has finally locked down a permanent spot in the rotation and pitched to a brilliant 2.45 ERA across 121 1/3 frames. That innings total is already the second-highest of any year in his career, trailing only the 141 1/3 frames he logged between Triple-A and the majors in 2018. A brief IL stint can serve to keep his workload in check heading into the season’s final couple months.
Among hurlers with 100+ innings pitched, only Carlos Rodón, teammate Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer have a strikeout rate superior to Peralta’s 34% clip. Between Burnes, Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers figure to enter postseason play with one of the game’s most fearsome playoff rotations.Comment -
Yankees looking strongComment
