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Archives for April 2017

Aaron Sanchez Exits Start After Blister Troubles Resurface

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12:46pm: Sanchez’s return did not go smoothly. His blister issues resurfaced, forcing him to depart after one inning, reports Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

9:52am: As expected, the Blue Jays have activated right-hander Aaron Sanchez from the 10-day disabled list. Sanchez, who went on the DL on April 15 with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, will start Sunday against the Rays.

The Blue Jays have had to go without both Sanchez and J.A. Happ for a significant portion of the young season, which hasn’t helped matters during a disastrous start for the 7-17 club. The absences of Sanchez and Happ have led to starts for Mat Latos and Casey Lawrence, and while the former has managed decent results, the latter’s output has been unsightly. Latos, in spite of an ugly 4.09 K/9 and 5.73 BB/9, has pitched to a 3.27 ERA over two starts (11 innings). Lawrence, whom the Jays optioned to Triple-A on Friday, has also made two starts, in which he has a logged a 3.97 K/9, 4.76 BB/9 and a 7.94 ERA over 11 1/3 frames.

Before hitting the DL, Sanchez was a mixed bag over his first two starts, though it seems his blister issues were at the root of his 5 1/3-inning, five-earned run showing against the Orioles on April 14. In his season debut, a 3-2 loss to the Rays on April 8, the 24-year-old resembled a front-line starter – which he was last season. Sanchez fired seven innings of one-run ball, striking out six, walking three and allowing four hits, and will once again try to stymie Tampa Bay on Sunday. He’ll slot back into a rotation that includes Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano, all of whom have fared well this year, and Latos.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/30/17

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Sunday’s minor moves:

  • Pirates catcher John Bormann is going from Single-A to the majors. The Pirates have selected Bormann’s contract and optioned outfielder Danny Ortiz to Triple-A, per a team announcement. Bormann, whom the Bucs chose in Round 24 of the 2015 draft, has hit just .232/.282/.310 in 328 low-minors plate appearances since joining the Pittsburgh organization. His promotion might be an indicator of health troubles with starting catcher Francisco Cervelli, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests (on Twitter). It’s unclear what could be wrong with Cervelli – although he’s off Sunday, he caught the Pirates’ previous five games and has appeared in 22 of 23 contests this season. Cervelli previously missed a large chunk of 2016 with a broken hamate bone in his left hand.

East Notes: Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Rays

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Yankees first baseman Greg Bird has followed a sensational spring training with a horrid April, having hit .107/.254/.214 with 21 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances, but the team will be patient with the 24-year-old. Asked Sunday if Bird is a candidate for a minor league demotion, general manager Brian Cashman said, “It’s not even an option for me in my mind right now, at all” (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The Yankees’ other first baseman, Chris Carter, hasn’t fared much better than Bird (.182/.222/.333 in 36 PAs), but their woes haven’t stopped the Bombers from posting a major league-best 15-7 record.

Even more surprising is that the Yankees’ success has come without arguably their best player, catcher Gary Sanchez, who landed on the disabled list April 8 with a right biceps strain. Fortunately for New York, Sanchez is nearing a return – he’ll start a Triple-A rehab assignment Tuesday and could rejoin the big club next weekend, reports Sweeny Murti of WFAN (on Twitter). The Yankees began 1-4 with Sanchez and have gone 14-3 without him, thanks in part to the fact that reserve backstop Austin Romine has filled in with aplomb. The normally light-hitting Romine has unexpectedly done a decent Sanchez impersonation with a .300/.339/.460 line in 56 PAs.

More from the East Coast:

  • Mets first baseman Lucas Duda, on the disabled list since April 21 with a hyperextended left elbow, will stay on the DL beyond the 10-day mark. Duda felt a “twinge” in his elbow after playing a rehab game Friday, and the Mets have shut him down until Tuesday as a result, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. The Mets’ offense is just 17th in the majors in runs and 26th in wRC+, so a longer-than-expected absence for Duda isn’t optimal (especially with Yoenis Cespedes also out). With a .238/.360/.571 line in 50 trips to the plate, Duda has been one of the slow-starting club’s top performers this year.
  • Given that the Phillies’ Tommy Joseph is off to a dreadful start this season (.190/.235/.270 in 68 PAs), he could lose time at first base to left fielder Howie Kendrick when the latter comes off the DL, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Kendrick got some work at first during batting practice in each of the past two days, and shifting him there would enable the Phillies to keep left fielder Aaron Altherr’s bat in the lineup, notes Salisbury. First base isn’t foreign to the 33-year-old Kendrick, who has seen action in 89 games there. The offseason trade acquisition from the Dodgers slashed a stellar .333/.395/.487 in 43 PAs before going on the DL on April 18 with an abdominal strain.
  • Outfielder Colby Rasmus is closing in on his Rays debut, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Rasmus, who’s working his way back from the hip and core muscle surgeries he underwent as an Astro last October, will play a Double-A rehab game Sunday and could be on the Rays’ 25-man roster by Tuesday or Wednesday. The Rays signed Rasmus to a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $5MM in January.

The Inner Monologue of @DimTillard Baseball Sayings

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It’s 8:02am on Sunday April 30th, 2017.  So here’s the gist… my name is Tim Dillard.  I’m a pitcher in my 15th professional baseball season, and currently in the Milwaukee Brewers organization with Triple-A Colorado Springs.  I think that’s it.  Oh yeah, I’ve been married for eleven years, and have three remarkable kids.  A few months ago I was minding my own business, when MLB Trade Rumors asked if I was interested in baseball blogging.  I asked if I could blog about movies instead, but they said no.  So here we are… in the midst of my SEVENTH Inner Monologue.

8:05am  Basically what I do is just write down my thoughts while logging the exact time.  Not sure what typing in the time, and putting it in bold accomplishes.  But I guess after the first time I did it, and nobody told me (to my face) that it was stupid… I just kept doing it.

8:07am  Right now our team is in Des Moines, Iowa.  Last night’s game against the Triple-A Cubs was postponed due to freezing temperatures, ice rain, hurricane-type wind, and lack of fans.  Today we’re supposed to have a day game, but could possibly turn into a night game depending on weather.

8:08am  Currently, I’m at the hotel trying to see how much I can type before my road-roomy vacates the bathroom.

8:09am  When I was grabbing coffee earlier in the lobby, a gentleman asked the front desk lady if he could order room service. (We stay at some nice hotels in the minor leagues, but I can promise you… none of them have room service.)

8:11am  Front desk lady was very polite when she told him they didn’t offer room service.  Then the man said, “Well, I guess it is what it is.”

8:12am  It is what it is?  You ever hear people say that?  First time I heard that expression was in 2007, and I’m still confused.  It’s like saying, “Well, you know oxygen is oxygen.” OR “You win some, you lose some.” OR “How’s a rainbow made?” OR “I’m calmly showing my maturity by hiding my frustration and disappointment behind a fancy philosophical-sounding statement that doesn’t change my current circumstances.”

8:13am  Well you know, baseball has a lot of interesting expressions too.  Especially in the minor leagues.  Such as:

“Wear it!”

“Skillets!”

“Clean it up!”

“Friends dues!”

“Save it meat!”

“Figure it out!”

“Have some feel!”

“There’s a window!”

“Hard in, soft away.”

“That GUY ’s in the SHOW!!??”

“Don’t like it?  Play better!” (or play worse)

8:16am  Anyway, I want to coin a NEW phrase in professional baseball.  And for some reason I thought now is the perfect time to divulge this special saying to the entire world! (Or at least the few people who read this… thanks for reading mom!)  And here it is:  “Do Less.” 

8:16am  Yep, that’s it, that’s the big one. “Do Less.”

8:17am  See, baseball is hard.  But sometimes it can appear simple when watching it on TV or from the bleachers.  For instance, the guy in the picnic area the other day who screamed, “Come on man!  Watcha thinkin’ gettin’ picked off!  I wouldn’t have gotten picked off!  Put ME in, coach!”

8:18am  In this particular case, the man had probably been drinking and was borderline unsober.  And still has every right to yell his opinion, but I reiterate… baseball is hard.

8:18am  Well during the game, in those most intense moments, players can sometimes feel the urge to dig deep or do more.  Like when a hitter wants to swing EXTRA hard or run EXTRA fast.  Or like a pitcher who wants to throw EXTRA hard or make a pitch EXTRA nasty.  But usually the opposite happens.  More often than not, the hitter misses, or breaks his bat, or pulls a hamstring.  And the pitcher, he usually throws a wild pitch or hangs a fun ball right down broadway.

8:19am  Do Less… just watch, it’ll be a thing.

8:20am  However, the most important thing about baseball sayings is knowing which one to use, and knowing when to use it.  I learned this lesson May 23, 2008.

8:20am  I was in Washington D.C., warming up in the visitors left-field bullpen, when the door opened.  Suddenly it dawned on me that just beyond the Nationals’ outfield grass and infield dirt, was my Major League Baseball debut!

8:21am  All I was thinking as I jogged out to the mound in front of 40,000 people, was… “Left.  Right.  Left.  Right.  Left.  Right.”

8:21am  Thankfully, without tripping, I managed to make it to the mound where veteran catcher Jason Kendall was waiting for me.  When he started double-checking my pitches and my signs, I was thinking about how many baseball cards I had of him growing up.

8:22am  Then he pulled his mask back down, turned to run back to the plate, and quickly said, “Here we go.”

8:23am  And for some unknown reason, I felt the need to say something back to him.  So out of all the words and phrases I know, my brain thought it’d be a good idea to intensely scream, “OK!  LET’S DO THIS!” (and yelled it like I was wearing giant headphones)

8:23am  It was enough for Jason Kendall to kinda stop, look back with a puzzled face, then continue his jog back behind the dish.

8:24am  All alone, standing there, on that mound, I spoke out loud, “Did I just tell… Jason Kendall… let’s do this!?”

8:25am  I felt very uncool in that moment.  Why would I say something so cheesy?  Why am I so awkward!

8:25am  And I’m pretty sure he told the home plate umpire what I said too, ’cause the whole time I was throwing my first major league warm-up pitches, the umpire was chatting with Jason Kendall then pointing at me and laughing.

8:27am  I still don’t know how it all happened, but… I guess it is what it is.

8:27am  Ah!  Think I just heard a toilet flush.

To Be Concluded…

Adam Eaton Suffers Torn ACL, Meniscus

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SUNDAY: Rizzo confirmed Eaton’s ACL tear on Sunday, adding that he also suffered a torn meniscus and a high ankle sprain. Eaton will face a six- to nine-month recovery period after he undergoes surgery, which the Nats haven’t scheduled yet (Twitter links via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). For at least the time being, Rizzo expects to replace Eaton from within, noting that center field is one of the organization’s deepest positions.

SATURDAY: Nationals center fielder Adam Eaton suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday and will miss the rest of the season, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The injury occurred when Eaton beat out an infield single in the ninth inning of a 7-5 loss to the Mets. Eaton stepped on first base awkwardly and was then unable to put any weight on his left leg, forcing him to exit the game (video via MLB.com).

Entering Saturday, Eaton had been among the red-hot Nationals’ best players in his first month as a member of the club. The top-of-the-order hitter slashed an impressive .297/.393/.462 with two home runs and three steals across 107 plate appearances. In the process, the 28-year-old may have quelled some doubts about the Nationals’ decision to trade a significant haul to the White Sox for him over the winter.

Washington gave up three well-regarded pitching prospects, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning, for Eaton, leading to widespread criticism of Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. However, Eaton had been a terrific offensive player in Chicago over the previous three years, and he drew great marks for his defense in both the 2014 and ’16 campaigns. Further, Eaton carries an appealing contract, one that could max out at an eminently reasonable $38.4MM through the 2021 season.

It’s fair to say Rizzo’s plan for Eaton was to serve as a key cog for a potential championship contender as early as this season, and at 16-8, first-place Washington has looked the part thus far. But the loss of Eaton is undoubtedly a major blow to their roster, and it’s now unclear who will man center field going forward. For now, it’s Michael Taylor, though he has never resembled a big league regular over 814 career PAs. Both the Nationals’ best player, right fielder Bryce Harper, and shortstop Trea Turner have experience in center, but moving either from his current spot would lead to more questions. Other 40-man options to help fill Eaton’s void include Brian Goodwin and Rafael Bautista, the latter of whom the Nats promoted when they placed Eaton on the disabled list early Saturday. The club also has an elite center field prospect in Victor Robles, but he’s only 19 and has never played above the High-A level.

In the event Washington is unsatisfied with its own center fielders, it could go outside the organization for help. Pickings in free agency are slim, though, with the potentially retired Angel Pagan representing the best of a deeply flawed class of unsigned players. Notably, the Nationals aggressively pursued Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen via trade prior to landing Eaton, and the five-time All-Star could hit the block again this year if the Bucs don’t contend. However, the Nationals found the Pirates’ asking price for McCutchen to be prohibitive in the offseason. If the Nationals don’t look again to McCutchen, Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain could be a possibility, as the scuffling Royals are on track to sell off veterans this summer. The Nats already have interest in the Royals’ closer, Kelvin Herrera, and could perhaps attempt to reel in him and Cain in a package. That’s merely speculation, of course, and having already surrendered a prospect bounty for Eaton a few months ago, Rizzo might be reluctant to part with more high-end youngsters for another outfielder.

Athletics Place Sean Manaea On DL

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The Athletics have placed southpaw Sean Manaea on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to April 27, with a left shoulder strain. Manaea left his start after two innings Wednesday against the Angels with shoulder stiffness, but there was hope that he’d avoid a DL stint.

In five starts and 24 1/3 innings this season, the 25-year-old Manaea has pitched to a 5.18 ERA, largely thanks to a 4.44 BB/9 and a 53.8 percent strand rate. Manaea doled out only 2.3 free passes per nine innings and stranded runners at a 75 percent clip last year, when he logged a 3.86 ERA during a 144 2/3-frame rookie campaign. Encouragingly, Manaea has experienced an uptick in strikeouts (9.99 K/9), ground-ball rate (63.9 percent, up from 44.2 in 2016) and swinging-strike percentage (13.8, an increase over last year’s 11.8) so far this season.

With Sonny Gray set to make his season debut Tuesday, the A’s rotation will simply swap him for Manaea for the time being. Kendall Graveman, Andrew Triggs, Jharel Cotton and Jesse Hahn will continue to comprise the rest of Oakland’s starting staff.

AL Notes: Trout, Fowler, Jays, Red Sox, A’s

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As the best player in baseball, and as a 25-year-old who’s signed through 2020 at a more-than-fair price, Angels center fielder Mike Trout is untradeable, opines Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Unsurprisingly, Halos general manager Billy Eppler won’t even entertain dealing the two-time American League MVP, according to multiple GMs who spoke with Feinsand. “There’s no point to bringing up Trout, because it’s going nowhere,” one GM observed. “Teams will surely try, but it’s like running into a brick wall.” Another GM informed Feinsand that Trout is basically untouchable, but he did touch on what it might take for Eppler to consider an offer. “For a team to inspire Billy Eppler to even return the call, it would have to come to the table stocked with one of the best farm systems and young, upside Major Leaguers and be willing to not put any of those players off limits, because it will take a healthy blend from those two groups,” he said.

More from the AL:

  • The Blue Jays offered center fielder Dexter Fowler a four-year, $64MM contract in free agency, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney. That proposal fell well short of the five-year, $82.5MM pact Fowler ended up signing with the Cardinals in December. By joining St. Louis, Fowler ensured he’d remain in center. The ex-Cub presumably would have had to play a corner with the Blue Jays, who have an elite defensive center fielder in Kevin Pillar, and it’s unclear whether they would have re-signed right fielder Jose Bautista for an $18.5MM guarantee in January had they committed significant money to Fowler.
  • Red Sox southpaw David Price faced hitters Saturday for the first time since suffering an elbow injury in early March, writes Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald. Price tossed 30 pitches over two simulated innings, which represented “a quality workday for him,” said manager John Farrell. The plan is for the 31-year-old to throw a light bullpen session Monday and another sim game Thursday.
  • Multiple pieces of good news for the Athletics’ rotation, courtesy of John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group: Right-hander Sonny Gray, who has missed the first few weeks of the 2017 campaign with a lat strain, will make his season debut Tuesday against the Twins. And one of Gray’s fellow A’s starters, left-hander Sean Manaea, likely won’t require a stint on the disabled list. Manaea left his start after two innings Wednesday on account of shoulder stiffness, but he’s “feeling great right now.” Barring a setback, Manaea’s next turn will probably come Saturday versus the Tigers, per Hickey.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D-backs, Jays, Astros, Orioles, Brewers, Bucs

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This week in baseball blogs:

Please send submissions to ZachBBWI @gmail.com.

NL Notes: Thames, Posey, Dodgers, Phillies

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Eric Thames’ agent, Adam Karon, was the driving force behind the now-Brewers’ slugger’s decision to sign with the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “My view was, ‘Look, you’ve always been successful when you’ve played every day, and you’re not going to get the opportunity here,’” Karon said. “He was the last man on the 40-man roster of the worst team in baseball.”

Then a member of the Astros organization and a participant in the Venezuelan Winter League, Thames scoffed at Karon’s suggestion initially. However, he had a change of heart and ended up inking a two-year deal with the NC Dinos. Thames became a sensation in Korea, where he toyed with the KBO’s offspeed-heavy pitchers from 2014-16. He parlayed that success into a three-year, $16MM pact with the Brewers this past winter, and the first baseman has certainly done his part to justify that investment so far. The 30-year-old entered Saturday leading the league in both home runs (11) and ISO (an absurd .506), and he has swung at just 19.8 percent of pitches outside the strike zone – down from 36.3 percent with the Mariners and Blue Jays from 2011-12. There is skepticism toward Thames’ success, though, evidenced in part by the fact that the league administered him a random drug test for the third time in a 10-day span on Friday, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thames seems more amused than bothered by the testing, but he’s not sure how “random” it actually is, relays Haudricourt (Twitter link).

More from the National League:

  • Giants catcher Buster Posey has long been a workhorse behind the plate, and while moving the 30-year-old to a different position could possibly help prolong his effectiveness, it’s not on the team’s agenda, details Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. “When you have a guy that’s led us to three titles, a lot of it is because of his preparation and guidance of the starting rotation and the bullpen,” said general manager Bobby Evans. “I think it distinguishes him from other positions — and other guys. My mindset is we’re a better team with Buster back there, and as long as we can keep him back there, we want to do it.” Posey wouldn’t fight a position change down the line, saying that “it’s about winning ballgames,” but he notes that “there’s value in having a good hitter behind the plate and being able to put a bat at first base as well.” The Giants plan to start Posey 115 to 120 times at catcher and in 15 to 20 games at first/designated hitter, per Crasnick,  potentially putting him on track for a sixth straight 140-plus-game season.
  • The Dodgers have considered shifting the blister-plagued Rich Hill to the bullpen, but manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday that the left-hander will return to their rotation when they activate him from the DL, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Hill, who landed on the shelf April 17 (already his second DL stint of the year), will throw a four-frame, 60-pitch rehab outing with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday.
  • Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola isn’t making ideal progress in his recovery from a lower-back strain. Nola threw a two-inning simulation game Friday and then complained of back discomfort, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com was among those to report. That means Nola won’t come off the DL when he’s first eligible on Monday. When asked if Nola suffered a setback, manager Pete Mackanin said: “If you want to call it that. We’re being cautious with him this early in the season.” Mackanin added, though, that Nola is “improving.”

Rockies Likely To Activate Ian Desmond On Sunday

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The Rockies’ prized offseason acquisition, Ian Desmond, is primed to make his season debut Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com was among those to report.

The 31-year-old Desmond has been on the shelf since fracturing his left hand on a hit by pitch on March 12, but he played an extended spring training game Saturday and then told reporters, including Harding: “As far as I know, the bone is healed. Now, it’s just about getting motion back and seeing what it’s going to feel like.”

Colorado raised eyebrows in the offseason when it signed Desmond to a five-year, $70MM contract, which also cost the club the 11th overall pick in this June’s draft. It came as a surprise, too, that the Rockies added Desmond with the intention of using him at first base, where he has never played. As a member of the Nationals from 2009-15, Desmond was a shortstop, but he spent last season as an outfielder with the Rangers.

When he suits up as a Rockie for the first time, he’ll displace Gerardo Parra in left field, per Harding, thanks to fill-in first baseman Mark Reynolds’ early season success at the plate. Reynolds has slashed an excellent .307/.367/.636 with eight home runs in 98 plate appearances, which is easily superior to the production of Colorado’s primary corner outfielders, Parra and Carlos Gonzalez. To some degree, Parra has bounced back from a nightmarish 2016, having hit a Coors Field-inflated .286/.324/.443 in 72 PAs; on the other hand, the normally solid Gonzalez has batted a meek .222/.286/.358 in 91 tries.

At some point, the Rockies will also have David Dahl as an option, which will add to their outfield logjam. Dahl, like Desmond, hasn’t played yet this season. The 23-year-old suffered a stress reaction in his sixth rib in early March, though he did show progress in his recovery when he took batting practice Friday. Dahl had a quality rookie year last season, hitting .315/.359/.500 in 237 PAs, and was in line to serve as an integral part of Colorado’s offense prior to his injury. It’s now up in the air how the Rockies will distribute playing time to him, Desmond, Parra, Reynolds and Gonzalez if they’re all healthy at the same time (notably, Desmond and Reynolds are right-handed hitters, while the rest are lefties). It could be a good problem for the Rockies, though, as they have unexpectedly started a National League West-leading 15-9 without any contributions from either Desmond or Dahl.

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