[EmpireMaker]

X-rays were negative on Matt Chapman’s left foot/shin area after the Athletics third baseman fouled a ball off himself during today’s 8-6 loss to the Rangers. Chapman’s last plate appearance took place in the third inning, though he returned to the field in the next inning before being removed from the game prior to the top of the fifth. A’s manager Bob Melvin told The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara and other reporters that Chapman likely won’t play on Sunday out of precaution.
Since the A’s don’t play on Monday, Chapman would get a full two days of recovery time, with an eye towards returning when the Athletics begin a road series with the Royals on Tuesday. It has been an inconsistent season overall for Chapman, though he has been one of Oakland’s hotter players in the second half, batting .223/.338/.538 with 13 home runs in his 154 plate appearances entering today’s game.
More from the AL West…

• Mike Fiers has missed almost the entire season due to injury, though the veteran righty might yet be able to return to the Athletics before the 2021 campaign is out. Fiers threw 25 pitches during a live batting practice session on Friday, and Bob Melvin told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) that Fiers is set for a Triple-A rehab outing this week. A right elbow sprain has sidelined Fiers since May 6, so he would almost surely be returning as a reliever if he does get back to Oakland’s active roster, since there doesn’t seem to be enough time for Fiers to ramp up for a starting pitcher’s workload. Between that elbow sprain and an early-season hip issue, Fiers has tossed only 9 1/3 innings in 2021, with a 7.71 ERA.
• After being placed on the Astros’ COVID-related injury list on August 31, Zack Greinke is scheduled to return and start on Tuesday when the Astros face the Rangers. Greinke, his wife, and his two sons all tested positive for the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated, the right-hander told reporters (including The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome), and all are now recovered. Greinke has a 3.66 ERA/4.55 SIERA over 159 2/3 innings this season, as one of the league’s best walk rates (5.0%) has helped Greinke succeed despite a 17% strikeout rate, his lowest K% since the 2005 season.
• Alex Cobb threw three simulated innings yesterday, and Angels manager Joe Maddon told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register (Twitter links) that Cobb could potentially be activated off the 10-day IL for a start this week. Cobb has been out of action since July 30 due to right wrist inflammation. Despite this missed time and an earlier injured-list stint due to blister problems, Cobb has been one of the Angels’ better starters this year, with a 3.82 ERA/3.65 SIERA, 53.8% grounder rate, and a career-best 25.7% strikeout rate over 77 2/3 innings.
• Also from Maddon, he announced that right-hander Chris Rodriguez has been shut down for the remainder of the season. Rodriguez has been on the minor league IL due to a lat strain for almost a month, and he also spent a month on the Angels’ injured list due to shoulder inflammation earlier this season. Injuries have plagued Rodriguez for much of his pro career, though he did make his MLB debut this year, and posted a respectable 3.64 ERA over 29 2/3 innings (starting two of 15 games).

[EmpireMaker]

I'm sure Greinke and his wife were vaccinated but his kids are 4 and 6 so they couldn't have been.

[stevenash]

Brews with a combined no-no

Dodger fans, beware the Brew Crew.
Be afraid, be very afraid.

[stevenash]

Nasher, bunting isn’t that easy with the movement and gas these pitchers throw.

I played the game, there's an art to it.
Anybody can do it, but it takes practice.
Choke up, square the bat, etc. etc

[Checkerboard]

LAD .629 and they'll likely have to play a WC, wow. Bet they wish they were still in Brooklyn!

[JMobile]

Brews with a combined no-no

Dodger fans, beware the Brew Crew.
Be afraid, be very afraid.

Kershaw will be healthy on time

[Otters27]

Will there be any major pitching injuries before the playoffs. I'm talking like Ace guys

[BigSpoon]

Jays scored 3 TD's with a two-point conversion against the Orioles.

[stevenash]

Will there be any major pitching injuries before the playoffs. I'm talking like Ace guys

Doubtful

[Stallion]

The Jays are in the wild card!!!

[stevenash]

The Jays are in the wild card!!!

The Yankees are not

[jrgum3]

LAD .629 and they'll likely have to play a WC, wow. Bet they wish they were still in Brooklyn!

It's got to be eating at them that the Giants keep winning and since they don't play them anymore this year there's nothing they can do about it. It'll be tougher to repeat as champs if they have to do it from the Wild Card round.

[stevenash]

It's got to be eating at them that the Giants keep winning and since they don't play them anymore this year there's nothing they can do about it. It'll be tougher to repeat as champs if they have to do it from the Wild Card round.

If the 2015 KC Royals can win it all, why can't the 2021 SF Giants?

[jrgum3]

If the 2015 KC Royals can win it all, why can't the 2021 SF Giants?

I'm still trying to talk myself into believing that Nash because this was a wild ride even die hard Giant fans like myself didn't think would happen this year. Anything can happen in the playoffs and this team reminds me most of the 2010 Giants team that came out of nowhere to win the World Series. As for your 2015 Royals I think one thing they had going for them is that they got a taste of the World Series the year before and it probably drove them to win that championship in 2015.

[EmpireMaker]

The big storylines from today’s Padres-Dodgers game all revolve around Max Scherzer. Not only did he become just the 19th pitcher in Major League history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, he also threw an immaculate inning and carried a perfect game into the eighth inning. However, the opposing clubhouse didn’t have nearly as much to celebrate. Padres reliever Austin Adams tied a modern-day record for hit batsmen in a season and Blake Snell left the game after just 11 pitches with what the club later announced as “left adductor tightness”, also known as a groin injury.
This is very unfortunate timing for both the club and Snell, as they are in a crowded playoff race and he was just starting to turn his frustrating season around. Following a miserable outing against Oakland on July 28th, Snell was sitting on an ERA of 5.44 through 84 1/3 innings, with an elevated walk rate of 14.3%, well above this year’s league average of 8.7%. However, since that time, the lefty seemed to have got into a groove and righted the ship, throwing 43 2/3 innings with 65 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.85, along with a much-improved walk rate of 8.6%.
The severity of the injury isn’t clear at this point. But with the club currently tied with the Reds for the last National League Wild Card spot, with the Cardinals just a game back and other teams looming, every remaining game is tremendously important. Rotation health has been an ongoing issue for the club in the past few months, so much so that the club signed Jake Arrieta a few weeks ago to try and paper over the injuries. However, Arrieta landed on the IL himself and hasn’t been terribly effective in his two appearances with the Friars. Losing Snell for any amount of time, especially when he was throwing so well, would surely be a blow to their chances.
Some other injury updates…

• Matt Boyd is meeting with elbow specialist Keith Meister, Tigers manager AJ Hinch tells Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. “He is scheduled to see Dr. Meister in Dallas and then we’ll get further evaluations and opinions and see what’s next for him,” Hinch said. While a meeting doesn’t necessarily spell doom, this is a potentially concerning development, given that Meister is often associated with Tommy John surgery. McCosky points out that Meister recently performed the procedure for Tigers catcher Jake Rogers, but the doctor has also recently taken the knife to Tyler Glasnow and many others. If any kind of serious surgery is required, it would be very poor timing, given that Boyd is currently slated to reach free agency after the 2022 season. The 30-year-old is playing this year on a $6.5MM salary and can be controlled for one more year via arbitration. Boyd’s name has been often mentioned as a trade candidate for the rebuilding Tigers in recent years, though a deal has yet to come to fruition. A lengthy surgery rehab could further dent any trade value he has left and also hurt Boyd’s chances to cash in on his quality career via free agency. Since the start of 2016, Boyd had given the Tigers 727 innings with an ERA of 4.75, accruing 10.2 fWAR in that time.
• The Mets provided yet another vague update about Jacob deGrom, as manager Luis Rojas tells Anthony DiComo of MLB.com he is scheduled to throw off a mound, “maybe this week.” deGrom was on his way to a brilliant season before elbow issues put him on the shelf in July. Through 92 innings this season, he has an ERA of 1.08 with an excellent walk rate of 3.4% and an absurd strikeout rate of 45.1%. Given that there’s only three weeks remaining in the season, it seems that the chances of those winding up as his final numbers are growing.
• In better news for the Mets, the prognosis for outfielder Brandon Nimmo seems to have improved. DiComo gives some details of the onfield workout Nimmo took part in today and says that Nimmo believes he can return to face Philadelphia, whom the Mets start a three-game series with on Friday. Going into tonight’s game against the Yankees, the Mets are 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and would surely love to get Nimmo back into the mix to help with their postseason push. In 77 games this year, the 28-year-old has hit .302/420/.415, an excellent wRC+ of 139.

[Otters27]

Lol. 22-7

Thought it was a football score at first

[Checkerboard]

The Jays are in the wild card!!!

Slugging their way to a WC; 22 runs yesterday.

[Checkerboard]

Lol. 22-7

Thought it was a football score at first

lol, the giveaway is Argos would let in more than 7.

[JMobile]

Anybody else notice that Kershaw has returned...

[Stallion]

The Yankees are struggling big time!!!

[stevenash]

The Yankees are struggling big time!!!

Good for 'em.

The Jays just hung an eight burger on the Rays.
That team just can't stop hitting.

[Cross]

What a game!!!

[Cross]

Twins and Yankees is due for a 30 for 30 on ESPN. Twins franchise owned by Yanks year after year.

[jrgum3]

Giants just keep winning and it might be a bad time for the Padres to run into them with the 2nd Wild card spot hanging in the balance.

[EmpireMaker]

The Yankees will move Gleyber Torres from shortstop to second base, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters Monday (Twitter links via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The move is designed “to take some pressure off” Torres. Gio Urshela has the day off Monday but will get reps at shortstop down the stretch, beginning tomorrow, with DJ LeMahieu playing third base. Tyler Wade is at short today, with Torres at second.
The Torres decision comes a day after he made his 18th error of the season and his fourth in the past week at shortstop. Defensive metrics are down on Torres’ work as well. Defensive Runs Saved has him at minus-12 on the season, while Statcast’s Outs Above Average pegs him at minus-8.
There’s been talk of moving Torres off shortstop for some time now, but that chatter has picked up considerably since the beginning of the 2020 campaign. Torres made nine errors in just 320 innings at shortstop last season with poor defensive ratings as well. However, the Yankees stuck with him at the position and instead focused their offseason efforts on retaining LeMahieu and finding affordable arms to round out the pitching staff without exceeding the luxury tax.
Torres’ defensive struggles this season had already fueled speculation that the Yankees will be players in the offseason market for shortstop help. Today’s announcement from Boone would seem to cement that likelihood, as the Yankees don’t have an immediate heir-apparent who is knocking down the door to the big leagues. Anthony Volpe has broken out with an enormous season in the minors, but he’s still just 20 years old and has yet to reach Double-A. He could be an option by 2023 or 2024, assuming good health and continued production.
Urshela has limited experience at shortstop and is regarded as a solid defender at third base, but he’s not likely to step up as a long-term option there. He’ll turn 30 next month, making him older than a number of the free-agent shortstops set to hit the market this winter, and his offense has taken a step back in 2021 as well.
Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story and Javier Baez are all slated to reach free agency this winter, and it’s certainly feasible that some names will pop up on the trade market as well. The Yankees have about $130MM committed to next year’s payroll, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, and an absolutely enormous arbitration class — headlined by Aaron Judge. Each of Gary Sanchez, Jameson Taillon, Joey Gallo, Chad Green, Urshela, Jordan Montgomery, Wandy Peralta, Luke Voit, Torres, Clint Frazier, Domingo German, Miguel Andujar, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lucas Luetge and Wade will be arb-eligible as well.
There will be some non-tenders and trades of players in that group, inevitably, which will lower the cost of that sizable class. The Yankees also managed to duck under the luxury tax in 2021, so they won’t be facing any penalties in 2022 — although with the CBA expiring, we can’t know precisely what the next iteration of the competitive balance tax will even look like. Regardless, it’s hard to envision a scenario where they slide Torres back to shortstop in 2022. It seems quite likely the Yankees will factor prominently into the offseason shortstop market, exploring high-end free agent options, short-term stopgaps for Volpe and creative alternatives on the trade market.
For the time being, the Yanks will hope that the new defensive alignment helps to turn the tides after a dismal 2-8 showing in their past 10 games. They’re currently one game back of the Red Sox and the scorching-hot Blue Jays, who are in a tie in the Wild Card standings. Both the Mariners and the A’s are just two games behind the Yankees.

[stevenash]

Giants just keep winning and it might be a bad time for the Padres to run into them with the 2nd Wild card spot hanging in the balance.

Padres rest of the month is a schedule from hell.
After SF, they got to St. Louis this coming weekend for the Cards.
St, Louis, a game back of a WC spot without question the hottest team in the NL
Their playoff chances increased 10 percent in a week, from 3 percent to 13 percent.
Then back to the west coast for SF, and LA.

Yikes.

[jrgum3]

Padres rest of the month is a schedule from hell.
After SF, they got to St. Louis this coming weekend for the Cards.
St, Louis, a game back of a WC spot without question the hottest team in the NL
Their playoff chances increased 10 percent in a week, from 3 percent to 13 percent.
Then back to the west coast for SF, and LA.

Yikes.

Yeah their schedule is definitely unkind not to mention they are just in an epic funk. I honestly don't know what to say about them because I thought after the trade deadline they'd make their push and it just didn't happen. They went into a tailspin and never recovered it seems.

[Checkerboard]

Good for 'em.

The Jays just hung an eight burger on the Rays.
That team just can't stop hitting.

Making pitchers look like batting practice.

[Otters27]

Think the As going to get left out of the playoffs?

[stevenash]

Think the As going to get left out of the playoffs?

Yeah, the handwriting was on the wall like 4 weeks ago.
It really started when that bonehead Laureano got suspended for being a bonehead.

[BigSpoon]

Ryan Braun announces his retirement, good riddance. Such a prick.

[Stallion]

Juicer.

[stevenash]

Juicer.

And a liar too.

[Cross]

Ryan Braun is the worst.

[EmpireMaker]

The Padres announced they’ve signed reliever Ross Detwiler to a major league contract. Righty Shaun Anderson was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to clear active roster space. San Diego already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no move was necessary in that regard.
Detwiler had previously spent the entire 2021 campaign with the Marlins, who signed him to a one-year, $850K guarantee over the offseason. The veteran southpaw spent the year as a bullpen option for Miami manager Don Mattingly, working primarily in lower-leverage situations. Detwiler made 46 appearances (including five starts as an opener) and worked 45 1/3 innings of 4.96 ERA ball.
It has been an interesting season for Detwiler, who has revamped his plan of attack. Generally a low-strikeout, ground-ball oriented hurler, he’s tweaked his pitch mix and gotten wildly different results than he has in years past. Detwiler has cut his sinker usage nearly in half in favor of a more four-seam heavy approach. That has resulted in a career-best strikeout rate (28%), with hitters taking a career-high 19.2% of his offerings for called strikes. But it’s come with an accompanying dip in ground balls, as Detwiler has gone from inducing grounders on more than half the balls in play against him between 2019-20 down to 39.7% this season.
With Detwiler nearing free agency anyways, the non-contending Marlins designated him for assignment and released him over the weekend. Miami will remain on the hook for the majority of Detwiler’s remaining salary, with the Friars responsible for paying him only the prorated portion of the league minimum for his final couple weeks of work.
Detwiler signs with San Diego after August 31, so he won’t be eligible for the Padres’ postseason roster if the team makes it to the playoffs. The 35-year-old will get an opportunity to pitch in meaningful games down the stretch, though, as he tries to help the Friars get into the postseason before again reaching free agency this winter.
For the Padres, there’s no real harm in bringing Detwiler aboard. They enter play tonight tied with the Cardinals, half a game behind the Reds for the National League’s final playoff spot. Their season quite obviously hangs in the balance over their final nineteen games, but the pitching staff continues to deal with injuries. Chris Paddack landed on the injured list last night, and Blake Snell left his most recent start early. Detwiler’s not a true rotation option at this stage of his career, but he’s capable of shouldering an inning or two to deepen an overall pitching staff that might have to rely on a few bullpen games down the stretch.