[Otters27]

Red Sox down 8-3 and win 19-12

[El Nino]

Red Sox down 8-3 and win 19-12

Team is fukkin' ridiculous!

[Chi_archie]

Lots of runs being scored these days

[JAKEPEAVY21]

another youngster making MLB debut for Padres today, Jacob Nix.

6 innings of shutout ball....nice debut!!

[koz-man]

Jose Altuve won't return during Astros' current homestand


Jose Altuve will not return from the disabled list during the Houston Astros' current homestand, meaning the reigning American League MVP will miss at least another four games.

Altuve is making progress in his recovery from a right knee injury but, as of Friday, was not yet running at full speed. The star second baseman hasn't played since July 25 and has been on the DL since July 29.

"I feel about the same," Altuve told reporters Friday, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I don't think it's going to be too long, but I don't know."

[mr. leisure]

6 innings of shutout ball....nice debut!!

Nice job by the rookie !

[batt33]

Red Sox down 8-3 and win 19-12

Just did cover the over lol

[BigSpoon]

Red Sox down 8-3 and win 19-12

Orioles are 46.5 games behind the Red Sox after that. Crazy.

[JMobile]

Dodgers have no excuse to tank, could be a huge waste of money. I hope Kenley Janssen gets well soon though.

Today they will win.

[Cross]

Probably right, they should win.

[yisman]

Bauer left his start tonight due to injury.

[EmpireMaker]

soon-to-be free agents who have hurt themselves with disappointing performances in 2018. As was the case before, we’ll focus on players who have accrued at least 150 plate appearances this season.
Catchers:
Jonathan Lucroy, Athletics: Long one of the majors’ elite all-around catchers, Lucroy is now in the throes of his second consecutive subpar season. The 32-year-old Lucroy, who sat on the open market for all of last winter until finally signing in mid-March, has limped to a career-worst .240/.296/.326 line (72 wRC+) with two home runs and a meek .086 ISO in 335 plate appearances in Oakland. Defensively, Lucroy’s slide from a tremendous pitch framer to a below-average one has continued.
Brian McCann, Astros: As is the case with Lucroy, McCann looks like a respected backstop whose best days are long gone. Before undergoing knee surgery in early July, McCann slashed an unappealing .206/.283/.323 (71 wRC+) with five homers and a career-low .116 ISO over 173 PAs. At the same time, the 34-year-old struggled in the pitch-framing department. Expectations are that McCann will return in 2018, but it’s doubtful the seven-time All-Star will be able to rebuild his stock to a meaningful extent leading up to free agency.
Matt Wieters, Nationals: Yet another catcher who garnered plenty of hype earlier in his career, Wieters may not even be in line for a major league contract in the offseason. The 32-year-old has been a downright terrible hitter since last season, as his 63 wRC+ across 618 PAs indicates, and Baseball Prospectus doesn’t regard Wieters as a particularly valuable pitch-framing backstop.
First basemen:

Joe Mauer, Twins: Mauer can still get on base, evidenced by his .346 OBP, but the ex-superstar’s power looks to be completely gone. The 35-year-old (36 next April) has only recorded an .087 ISO and three homers in 365 PAs this season. That’s not going to cut it for a first baseman, nor is Mauer’s overall line of .267/.346/.354 (93 wRC+). Mauer’s only a year removed from serving as a decent regular for the Twins, though, so perhaps there’s hope that the former catcher will be able to bounce back if he continues his career in 2019.
Logan Morrison, Twins: Morrison isn’t a true free agent-to-be yet, as he has an $8MM club option for 2019. But the Twins are likely inclined to buy that out for $1MM, considering Morrison has been a massive disappointment this year. On the heels of what seemed like a breakout season with the Rays in 2017, I implored someone to sign Morrison as a free agent when he remained on the market in February. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best call (excuse the colorful language here), as the 30-year-old Morrison has batted a horrid .186/.276/.368 (74 wRC+) with merely OK power numbers (15 homers, .182 ISO) during his 359 PAs with the Twins. Statcast has liked Morrison better than his actual results, per the enormous distance between his wOBA (.284) and his expected wOBA (.355), but that’s probably not of much consolation to the Twins.
Lucas Duda, Royals: Duda was a good hitter for the majority of his Mets tenure, which ran from 2010-16, but the Royals haven’t benefited from his presence in 2017. Since signing a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Royals last winter, the 32-year-old Duda has scuffled to a .239/.309/.400 line (91 wRC+) and a replacement-level fWAR over 285 PAs. Along the way, the powerful Duda has posted a career-worst ISO (.161) and only 10 HRs. If it was hard for Duda to land a deal to his liking last winter, it should be all the more difficult for him during the upcoming offseason.
Second basemen:
Brian Dozier, Dodgers: At times, including his 42-home run season in 2016, Dozier has been one of the greatest power-hitting second basemen ever. Now, the 31-year-old’s a roughly league-average hitter (.228/.313/.421 with a 98 wRC+ in 498 PAs), albeit one who has still shown some pop in 2018 (19 HRs, .194 ISO). I took an in-depth look at Dozier’s middling season in June, and it hasn’t really gotten much better since then. Although, since the Twins traded Dozier to the Dodgers last month, he has raked in a limited sample of work.
DJ LeMahieu, Rockies: LeMahieu has been on the disabled list three times this season and hasn’t performed that well when healthy. A .300-plus hitter in each of the previous three seasons, LeMahieu has batted a toothless .271/.319/.419 (82 wRC+) in 371 PAs this year. However, the 30-year-old LeMahieu has deserved better in the eyes of Statcast, which credits him with a .349 xwOBA that far outpaces his .318 wOBA.
Logan Forsythe, Twins: Forsythe, who joined the Twins as part of the package they received from the Dodgers for Dozier, has mimicked Dozier in performing much better for his new team. The sample size is tiny, though, and overall, the 31-year-old Dozier has hit an ugly .234/.296/.315 (73 wRC+) in 243 PAs. Forsythe, who was one of the game’s steadiest second basemen with the Rays from 2015-16, has chipped in a meager two homers and an unimposing .081 ISO in 2018.
Neil Walker, Yankees: Even though he was a solid offensive second baseman with the Pirates, Mets and Brewers from 2010-17, the 32-year-old Walker had an awful time trying to find a contract last winter. He finally signed with the Yankees on a one-year, $4MM pact in March, but it hasn’t worked out as hoped for either party. The switch-hitting Walker has batted a weak .227/.300/.340 (74 wRC+) with six HRs and a .113 ISO in 277 PAs in pinstripes.
Shortstop:
Alcides Escobar, Royals: Escobar has never been much of a threat at the plate, but he’s now borderline unplayable. Among qualified hitters, the 31-year-old Escobar ranks last in wRC+ (41), having hit .202/.253/.273 in 413 PAs.
Third basemen:

Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays: One of the biggest names on this list and its most recent MVP winner (2015), Donaldson hasn’t played since May 28 on account of an injured calf. When he has taken the field this year, Donaldson has produced more like a mediocre hitter than the elite player he was from 2013-17, as he has slashed .234/.333/.423 (104 wRC+) with five homers and a .190 ISO in 159 PAs. If Donaldson makes it back this season, the soon-to-be 33-year-old will attempt to rebuild his stock in advance of free agency, but neither his age nor the injury issues he has endured will help his cause.
Adrian Beltre, Rangers: Indications are that Beltre will only play for the Rangers if he returns at all in 2019, which would be his age-40 season. Based on Beltre’s apparent unwillingness to explore the market and his meager production this season, he’s seemingly not in line to receive a large payday over the winter. The future Hall of Famer has finally looked mortal at the plate this season, having compiled a .278/.333/.398 line (94 wRC+) with seven long balls and a .120 ISO in 345 PAs.
Outfielders:
Marwin Gonzalez, Astros: Gonzalez’s performance in 2017 was among many tremendous showings for the World Series-winning Astros in 2017, though the utilityman has taken sizable steps backward this season. While the 29-year-old (30 next March) has been more average than bad, as his 99 wRC+ (.242/.326/.389) in 406 PAs proves, he’s not the 4.0-fWAR star he was a year ago. Bad timing for Gonzalez with free agency around the corner.
Carlos Gomez, Rays: When the Rays added Gomez on a one-year, $4MM guaranteelast March, it looked like a steal for the club. Eight months later, it’s fair to say the minimal gamble hasn’t worked out for Tampa, for which Gomez has offered a .218/.309/.354 slash (88 wRC+) with a .136 ISO (down 73 points from 2017) in 350 PAs. It wasn’t easy for Gomez to find a deal last winter, and given that he’ll turn 33 in March and will probably be coming off an unimpressive season, the upcoming winter could be even colder for the former standout.
Hunter Pence, Giants: A three-time All-Star and a two-time world champion, Pence has had an outstanding career, but we’ve perhaps reached the point where the 35-year-old should walk away. He’s .215/.252/.289 hitter (46 wRC+) with a single homer and a .074 ISO in 159 PAs so far this season.
Matt Joyce, Athletics: Joyce was a 25-HR hitter and 2.6-fWAR player for the Athletics in 2017, the first season of a two-year, $11MM contract. This season, even though the A’s are serious contenders, he hasn’t been part of the solution. Joyce, 34, has posted a .203/.311/.359 line (87 wRC+) with only seven homers across 226 PAs, though the seismic gap between his wOBA (.297) and xwOBA (.346) suggests that he hasn’t been close to as bad as his results say.

[ApricotSinner32]

Orioles are a fuking joke man.

[BarkingToad]

Orioles are a fuking joke man.

So are the Kansas City Royals, they've really fallen.

[Otters27]

Might or league pitcher throws two pitches for 3 outs. New extra inning rule puts guy on second. Two line outs. One a double play

[koz-man]

Trevor Bauer has precautionary X-ray; Edwin Encarnacion to DL

CHICAGO -- There is little drama left in the Cleveland Indians' quest to repeat as American League Central champions, but their hopes beyond that became somewhat theatrical Saturday when ace Trevor Bauer left his start after being struck by a line drive.


Bauer was cruising with a two-hitter against the Chicago White Sox into the bottom of the seventh inning when a laser off the bat of Jose Abreu caught him on the right ankle. Bauer recoiled when the ball headed his way, curling his leg up in a defensive posture, but the shot ricocheted off the ankle and bounded all the way to first baseman Yonder Alonso, who recorded the out.

[Chi_archie]

Might or league pitcher throws two pitches for 3 outs. New extra inning rule puts guy on second. Two line outs. One a double play

No thanks

[BigSpoon]

MLB drug testing is working it seems, majority of players finished at age 31.

[batt33]

Orioles are a fuking joke man.

-190

Yeah you think they would have built on the previous years.......

[mr. leisure]

Orioles are a fuking joke man.

Hope they get blown out today . lets go red sox !

[JMobile]

How did the Dodgers lose in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs?

[Cross]

Dodgers losing it big time, I love it!!

[EmpireMaker]

Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis is on track to reach free agency in the offseason, but that may not happen if the team has its druthers. San Diego has “serious interest” in re-signing Galvis, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. However, considering the Padres have an excellent shortstop prospect in 19-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. – who has held his own at the Double-A level this season – it doesn’t seem Galvis is destined to be their long-term starter at the position. Acquired from the Phillies last winter for young right-hander Enyel De Los Santos, the 28-year-old, switch-hitting Galvis has amassed 477 plate appearances in 2018 and batted an unimpressive .237/.396/.355 (79 wRC+) with eight home runs, also drawing mixed reviews in the field (seven Defensive Runs Saved, minus-2.2 Ultimate Zone Rating).
More notes from around the game…

• Rangers center fielder Delino DeShields may be running out of time to show he’s capable of holding down the position in Texas, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News observes. DeShields, now 25, joined the Rangers in the 2014 Rule 5 draft and subsequently performed well as a rookie in 2015, only to flop in 2016. While DeShields returned to being a decent contributor in 2017, the speedster’s now in the throes of a forgettable season in which he has hit a lackluster .208/.310/.279 (63 wRC+), endured a short minor league demotion and taken multiple trips to the disabled list. Meanwhile, the Rangers like fellow center fielders Drew Robinson and Carlos Tocci, and they have good prospects at the position, notes Grant – who writes they’re “determined” to retain Tocci for the long haul. Like DeShields, Tocci hooked on with the Rangers as a Rule 5 pick. The soon-to-be 23-year-old Tocci has been in way over his head at the plate during his initial MLB action this season, though.
• “There’s a movement within baseball” to extend the non-waiver trade deadline from July 31 to mid-August, and eliminate the August waiver period, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. “The way it is now is just futile. If you’re a good team, you constantly get blocked for players that could be useful to you,” one NL official tells Cafardo. From a league standpoint, eliminating the trade waiver process would also cut down on a lot of paperwork and red tape. It isn’t clear if there is sentiment from both the owners and the MLBPA to change the August trading process, as such mutual agreement would be required for the deadline to be extended.
• Veteran reliever Zach McAllister chose to sign with the Tigers earlier this week not only because of the on-field opportunity they presented, but because they were “aggressive” in pursuing him, the righty tells Max Bultman of The Athletic(subscription required). Even though McAllister’s not under control past this season, the fact that Detroit put forth such an effort to add him suggests it could be open to retaining him beyond 2018, Bultman notes. In the meantime, McAllister, 30, will use the rest of the season to try to rebuild his once-solid stock after struggling this year with the Indians. If the hard-throwing McAllister succeeds and puts himself back on other teams’ radars heading into the winter, his tenure with the rebuilding Tigers could go down as a short-lived union.

[El Nino]

How did the Dodgers lose in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs?

They suck.

[EmpireMaker]

Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto suggested last month he’d be open to discussing a contract extension with the club, but if he’s uninterested in signing a deal over the winter, “there’s a good chance” the team will trade him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. The 25-year-old Realmuto, one of the game’s elite backstops, is controllable via arbitration through the 2020 season.
More from the National League…

• The Mets are considering Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava and Raysspecial assistant Bobby Heck as candidates to be their next general manager, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Neither man has been a GM before, though both LaCava and Heck have a wealth of front office experience, particularly in the areas of scouting and player development. LaCava has been with the Blue Jays since 2002, when J.P. Ricciardi (now a Mets special advisor) was Toronto’s GM. Heck has been with the Rays since 2012, following lengthy stints with the Astros and Brewers that saw him play a notable role as both those clubs amassed a strong collection of young talent.
• Brewers right-hander Zach Davies hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 29, owing to shoulder and back problems, and there’s still no timetable for his return, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But Davies’ absence hasn’t been crippling for the Brewers, as Haudricourt writes that they’ve “been satisfied” with the current members of their rotation. Further, after serving as a solid starter from 2016-17 (his first two full seasons), Davies came out of the gates slowly this year with a 5.23 ERA/5.29 FIP in 43 innings.
• The Dodgers’ decision to move Kenta Maeda to the bullpen may negatively affect the righty from a financial standpoint, given that he has incentives in his contract based on games started and innings pitched. However, the Dodgers and Maeda’s reps at the Wasserman Agency “have a good relationship,” tweets the Los Angeles Times’ Andy McCullough, who notes it would be sensible for both sides to change the language in his deal to include incentives for relief appearances. If the two sides do attempt to work something out, the MLBPA would have to sign off on it.

[BarkingToad]

Yankees have 2nd best record in baseball but are 9.5 GB Sox

[mr. leisure]

Dodgers and the Nats losing in the 9th inning .

[Otters27]

With 42 games left

Red Sox just need to go 25-17 to win 110

[BigSpoon]

Orioles are a fuking joke man.

Only 49.5 GB of the Red Sox and with a 389 worse RD.

[koz-man]

Chris Sale's 0.20 ERA in his past 7 starts is the lowest by a Red Sox pitcher in any 7-start span.

[yisman]

CC Sabathia to the DL.

Sale throwing only 68 pitches yesterday was bizarre.

[JMobile]

Dodgers win today for sure.

[El Nino]

Dodgers and the Nats losing in the 9th inning .

Relief pitching a joke in these dog days of summer. Managers too chicken shit to let a pitcher finish a game.

[batt33]

if you are a fan of the word “southpaw,” this next series will be for you. Madison Bumgarner faces Clayton Kershaw on Monday at Dodger Stadium, followed by Andrew Suarez vs. Alex Wood and Derek Holland vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu. There isn’t a right-hander in the bunch.

[EmpireMaker]

Indians outfielder Leonys Martin, who was recently placed on the 10-day disabled list for a then-unidentified ailment, is battling a serious bacterial infection. Club president Chris Antonetti provided the update to reporters including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link).
Martin is said to have faced a life-threatening situation involving “multiple organs.” Fortunately, it seems his treatment at the Cleveland Clinic has been proceeding well. Indications are that the 30-year-old’s “outlook looks good,” as Bastian characterizes the situation based on the update provided by the organization.
While it’s sobering to hear of just how significant a health issue Martin faces, it’s obviously quite a relief to learn that he’s on the upswing. It still seems that he faces a long road back to full health, with Antonetti explaining that “progress will be measured in weeks, not days.”
In situations like this, the baseball ramifications are of limited importance. What it means for Martin’s future is not yet clear. But it now appears uncertain whether he will have a chance to contribute to his new organization the rest of the way. Given that the Indians acquired Martin to play a significant role in their outfield mix, the team may now need to look again at possibilities on the August trade market.
MLBTR extends its best wishes to Martin, along with his friends and family members, for a full and speedy recovery.