There was already speculation that Rich Hill would be used as a reliever when he returns from the injured list, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed it today, telling reporters (including The Athletic’s Pedro Moura) that there isn’t enough time left in the season for Hill to properly prepare for a starter’s workload. A flexor tendon strain has sidelined Hill since June 20, and while he is making progress in his rehab, it seems like he is still some weeks away from getting back on a big league mound.
In terms of the postseason rotation, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, and Clayton Kershaw is an awfully enviable top three, though as Moura notes, the battle for the fourth starter’s job is up for grabs. Kenta Maeda, Dustin May, Julio Urias, and Tony Gonsolin are all candidates, or Moura says the club could pick more than one of these arms in “a piggy-back combination.” With a big lead in the NL West, L.A. has plenty of time to experiment for the remainder of the regular season.
Here’s more from both the NL and AL West…
- Mariners outfielders Mitch Haniger and Braden Bishop are both set to begin rehab assignments at Class-A Modesto on Tuesday, MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. Both players have been out of action for almost two months due to frightening injuries — Haniger underwent surgery to fix a ruptured testicle, while Bishop suffered a lacerated spleen just prior to his call-up to the big leagues in early June. In other Mariners injury news, Felix Hernandez will make a rehab start for Seattle’s Class-A affiliate in Everett this week. Johns figures after that outing, Hernandez will still need to put in a rehab outing at Triple-A (which would be the veteran right-hander’s fourth rehab start overall) “before there’ll be any consideration of rejoining the Mariners.”
- The Astros are close to adding Francis Martes back to their 40-man roster, the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes. The right-hander was issued an 80-game PED suspension back in March, and his stint on the restricted list was extended due to a visa issue that has now been resolved. Martes still isn’t any closer to pitching, however, since he underwent Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year ago and won’t be ready until Spring Training. Martes posted a 5.80 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for the Astros in 2017, which marked his only Major League appearance. Martes was a consensus top-30 prospect prior to the 2017 campaign, though even before his TJ surgery and suspension, his stock had already begun to drop due to shaky Triple-A numbers in 2017 and 2018.
- Pablo Sandoval has loose bodies in his elbow that could require offseason surgery to correct, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman and other reporters. For now, Sandoval is being rested as he deals with elbow inflammation. If Sandoval does go under the knife, such surgeries are usually relatively minor procedures, though any sort of injury red flag is of note for a pending free agent, especially given how the market has been so unfriendly to veteran corner-infield types like Sandoval in recent years. The Panda celebrated his 33rd birthday on Sunday, and the longtime Giants fan favorite is enjoying his best season in years, hitting .269/.314/.509 over 295 PA as a part-time player in San Francisco.
Don’t know why this needs to be pointed out so often, but Urias hasn’t pitched more than three innings in a game all season. So it would seem like he is no closer to starting a postseason game than Hill or Stripling. Conceivably he could be used to start a bullpen game but has anyone ever tried one of those in the postseason?
They could use Urias as an opener and then piggy back him with hill or may or whoever
I recall early in the season he was starting games going somewhat deep. One in Milwaukee in particular he pitched into the seventh I believe, he is capable. Why they take such baby steps with him I’m not sure.
True he did have a couple of longer outings in April but since then he’s been used only in long relief and a few times as an opener in bullpen games. It would be shocking to see him used as a conventional starter in the postseason at this point.
The Brewers had a bullpen game also the A’s
The A’s thought it was a good idea to do it in the wild card game last year and it was disastrous
Miley’s one walk n’ out game in NLCS comes to mind
I wouldn’t see why the Dodgers don’t go w a bullpen game for the 4th game. Not many teams have 5 recent starters in their pen. Gonsolin, May, Maeda, Urias, and Hill could certainly form some kind of combo to make it happen. The Brewers did something like that last year
Unconventional but it could happen. The downside is those pitchers would probably not be available again for 2-3 days, which could mean playing the next game with a short bullpen. Urias in particular has been on a schedule where he gets at least as many days off as the innings he’s pitched.
Not on a playoff schedule you would have to see the way the games are spread out to see where a opener could fit
But you knew that right Blue ???
True but the automatic upside of the playoffs is that you aren’t going w a 5 man rotation so you have 1 extra arm in the pen. Makes a bullpen game for 1 game a series that much easier. Particularly w the assortment of guys who can go 3+ innings the Dodgers have. The leashes are so short in October even if that wasn’t the game plan if a Hill or Maeda gets in a jam in the 3rd or fourth inning they’re probably gone anyhow.
Not sure what you are asking but I think you might mean in a short series the game before a travel day (Game 4) is the best candidate for a bullpen game. Game 4 of the LC or WS, not so much. Might not be such a wise choice if the opposition rolls back over to the top of their rotation.
Right, the Dodgers are configured pretty well for a four-man or even three man rotation with the number of swing arms they’ve got in Maeda, Stripling, Urias, and now probably Hill. If you have to burn those guys up in the first three games though it makes it tougher to configure a bullpen game. Could get interesting.
They could do a sort of bullpen game and run out Stripling and Urias for 7-8 innings.
Oakland did last season and got obliterated in the WC game
Panda has elbows on his loose body.
Hahahahaha
what is it with the fat jokes around here every dang time there is any mention of Sandoval? give it a rest. everyone knows he is fat; it’s not a keen observation.
he is, however, having a great season this year in a limited role and is beloved by his teammates. he is a redemption story, not a joke.
A keen observation would be that you used one capital letter in that comment. The man was caught liking Instagram posts of women during a game, he is not built like most players, but is a World Series legend. Those all, in fact, seem to make it a joke.
What does liking Instagram posts have to do with his weight? Stop revealing your ignorance, people are making fat jokes because nobody ever stands up for them and everyone perpetuates that they deserve to be made fun of for something as arbitrary as weight? People’s bodies are different. People have different levels of bone density, fat, and muscles. People are different!! They also have different skin colors sometimes!! Breaking news don’t be mean to people because they’re different, studies say EVERYONE is different!!!!
Like go watch some baseball instead of being an ignorant idiot online, nobody likes people who hate on other people all the time!! You’re all bad energy and nobody likes you.
Maybe upset he’s more athletic than they could ever dream of being, even with the extra weight
Trust me, Panda could care less. He has 95 million reasons to accept the fat jokes. Plus, you see the great time he’s having this season? The man’s always smiling. Only people getting offended are you guys.
Why don’t you go back to complaining about fat Thor on Twitter rather than bringing you’re antics to a baseball thread. It’s funny how you act like you have moral high ground over everyone yet then say something like “nobody likes you” or “ignorant idiot”.
Stop, you’re making Mariners fans look back with the ignorance.
Relax!
Panda is having a great time playing right now and his production, numbers and nomination (by the players’ alumni association, thus not chumps) for the Heart and Hustle award, say everything about the daily goods he brings to the yard every day right now. He deserves a 1 year/ 5-7m contract offer for next year from Farhan for his off-the-bench production alone, much less his contagious smile. Yeah, yeah, pile it on. Here is comes…….I can take it. I love Pablo, and, I ain’t afraid to say it 🙂
Yeah, leave Britney alone! Waaaaaaa!
because his nickname with the team is FAT PANDA fer crimeny sakes. I’m a Dodger fan and i enjoy how that”fat” man plays the game.
In the words of Jim Rome he calls it likw this “…fat guys don’t get hurt and play the game right…” or something close to that. For a change i agree with him.
Then we had a true great player in John Kruk. Ine of the best pure hitters to every play the game with only one testicle. He was awesome the season after that loss wearing a tshirt that read” If you’re nit nice to me I’ll just take my ball and go home”
Ballplayers are men not needy “oh my mommy bought me a participation trophy, ribbon and orange slices”.
Seriously, learn to laugh again even when there seems to be a very minor bunch,of cry babies running our world inti the ground…have real fun. Or has this comment ruined your self esteem?
There have been good baseball players of all body types. That is part of what makes baseball great. If a chiseled physique equalled successful MLB careers, Gabe Kapler would be a Hall of Famer.
Kapler lifetime WAR 8.7
Sandoval lifetime WAR 19.9
And were the article about Kapler, the word play would differ.
Tap 1
Geg 0
The 4th spot should go to the guy with the best stuff. So either May or Urias should start. I’d lean towards May going first and Urias coming in as relief since he’s done excellent in that role all season.
Gonsolin.
The resurgence of The Panda: one of the many delightfully surprising storylines unfolding this year in SF. Sandoval has found his niche as a solid bench guy, and pinch-hitter extraordinaire.
Dude should never leave the Giants again. Would like to see a 2 year, moderately priced extension. (Like, base of $1M per year, plus incentives). Let Panda finish out his career in orange & black; just like Posey, Crawford & (hopefully) MadBum.
The only guy outta that list worth the money he will be making is going to be Panda.
There is no way MadBum signs with San Fran
He was so underpaid with that contract he is finishing out. They will have to overpay him so much more to keep him around for a rebuild.
His career is winding down and he is going to want that last big contract. In all actuality his first real big contract.
Why would he sit thru a rebuild when he has the chance to be the guy that puts a team over the hump and compete for more WS.
Giants had every opportunity to rip that contract up or open up negotiations in order to let him get some of the money he deserves. They chose to do nothing and pay guys half as talented with a third of the credentials big free agent contracts.
Then everybody gets mad when players don’t live up to their contracts but then don’t have anything to say when an owner is robbing his player.
I am interested in seeing what happens with Albies and see if they tear that contract up early or they ride it out and continue to rob him for the life of it. Acuna too for that matter.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say..you have absolutely no idea what Bumgarner is going to do. Zero. Nada. Zilch.
Brother I was thinking the same thing….He must be his agent I’m guessing
And anywhere in there does it say he is not going to resign because he is mad at them. What I am saying is they don’t want him for the price he would want/need and he won’t want to be there for the price he would want/need.
The Giants kept the band together for a run this year and now the cleaning house will begin this offseason.
Dude, where are you reading in there hes mad at them? You have no idea what hes thinking. You have no idea what you’re babbling about. If anything the Giants overpay their own free agent players. Ex: Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, Matt Cain. Unless you’re his agent of course (not likely), not many people know what he wants to do.
All those players you just mentioned when they signed their deals were the Giants in the midst of their run or were they about to embark on a rebuild ????
They overpaid guys at that time to keep guys in the thick of their run.
I am not saying he doesn’t live the organization or love the city or fan base.
But he is known for his competitiveness so why would he look to sign to team in the twilight of his career that is looking to rebuild ???? Unless he was going to be overpaid to be there
The only ppl that could not see the logic in what I am saying are the silly Giant fans who actually believed they were making a playoff run with that AAA outfield they got
Teams overpay for players when they are winning not when they are looking to rebuild.
They didn’t bring in Farhan to sit on his hands and Bochy already announced he wasn’t coming back. You think that’s by coincidence????
Giant fans get ready for a fast moving offseason. He is going to come in this year and implement his plan. Keep your heads on a swivel. Precious Buster Posey will be the next to go in a trade.
Better hope Shark builds enough value up that he can be moved for something.
Belt isn’t going anywhere he stinks
Mmmk. Dude just turned 30 dunno when that became “the twilight of the career point”. And then you mention Buster will be traded? You’re clearly delusional.
He is 30 but this will be his last big contract and he has a lot of miles on that arm.
Why would Buster not be traded if he wants to get another ring ?
He has Bart breathing down his neck and he does not have the offensive production to justify playing him at 1st
Not to mention his greatest attribute at this time is his ability to handle a pitching staff.
I don’t know why Giant fans can’t face reality
Giant fans like to compare Buster to Jeter and I don’t understand why or how
Name the last star to stay with his original team other than Jeter, Mo or Chipper
Jeter & Mo had the luxury of the Yankees never having to rebuild
I mean am I the only one who sees a Buster & Junior Griffey comparison ???
Nobody ever thought Seattle would move Jr
But his hometown team gave him a chance to go home and not have to go thru a long drawn out rebuild
It just so happened that Seattle was able to avoid that rebound for a few years but point is Buster still got something left in the tank why would he not want to spend the end of his career competitive and playing for something
Not rebuilding
Buster would be a perfect fit for his boyhood team and the Braves have the prospects to make the Giants better faster
Yadi is a better comparison to Jeter because in the time the Cards needed to retool he was still young enough to be a part of that
Buster is not a d not to mention they have the best catching prospect in baseball breathing down his neck
Yeah no way Giants would trade him
I am sure they wouldn’t want to restock the farm & jump start the rebuild just so they can move Buster to 1st and have him hit 7 HR if he is lucky
And as a Brave fan yes I would like him on my team but they are not the only team that could use him I just think the situation is best for all parties
Braves have the money to pay him for intangibles and not just his offensive numbers
They have the prospects to be able to give the Giants to eventually ease the backlash from the game base
And they have an immediate need at the position with McCann & Floers both not under contract next year
I would bring BMac back though to back him up though
Huh? When have Giants fans been comparing Buster to Jeter? Never heard that one. The farm system is being restocked. What are you talking about?
Other than Bart & Ramos all the top players in the farm are in single A or lower it’s going to take awhile to get up to the majors
And Buster has been compared to Jeter by Giant fans because he is their star and they don’t think he should go to another team to finish out his career
It’s baseball. Some work out for the player, some for team. He knew the risk when signing. He only had like a year of service time when he signed. It was a record contract for someone with his service time. Giants took a huge risk and it paid off. If the Giants want to outbid anyone they can. He’s such a marketing jewel for them, it’s almost cheaper to keep him with an overpay, than it is to lose the attendance revenue from him not being there.
You are missing my point. I realize everything you are saying. What I am saying is they had every opportunity to get something done before his free agency came and chose not to. So now why would he stick around for a rebuilding team when he could go get paid and be in position to compete. And all of it is irrelevant the Giants are not going to want him back anyway. They realize it’s time to move on but they are going to want to save as much face with the fan base they can.
No team is going to overpay Bumgarner because his last deal underpaid him. He’ll get whatever the market determines
That could not be any further from what I am saying. What I am saying is in order for him to want to stay they will have to extremely overpay in order to keep him there.
Why in the world would a competitor on the level of MadBum want to stay in a rebuilding situation for a team that didn’t show him loyalty ????
I understand the Giants took a huge risk but they were rewarded immensely for that risk. So why didn’t they tear up the last 2 years of his contract and sign him to an extension then to keep him for the rest of his career to keep the fan base happy and reward him for his past accomplishments.
His value at the ballpark has nothing to do with anything. Haters come on here and don’t understand the economics of baseball because they think it’s the same as in their business & personal lives.
His value to another team lies in his ability to lead a young staff and show them thru example how to go about things the right way.
For an older team his value will lie in being the piece that puts them over the top.
But any which way you look at it he is gone from the Giants and they should be happy with that draft pick.
They did the right thing by trying this year 3 championships they owed it to Bochy, MadBum & Buster no matter how small the chances were.
Panda to the Red Sox – 3 years / 30 million. They could put him in the bullpen.
If you are a Giant fan and want them to finish their careers there than be prepared to watch mediocre to bad teams for a long time.
Giants are not the Yankees and have the ability to compete every single year. They are not even the Dodgers when ran right in that regard. Every team goes thru a rebuild phase and the longer it takes Giant fans to realize that the longer they will have to put up with the lack of productivity out of guys like Crawford & Buster. MadBum still has some production but he is nowhere near what he used to be.
The Giants have guys who could be important pieces for other teams. Buster is nowhere near the offensive player the Giants need him to be. But on a team like Atlanta he wouldn’t be expected to shoulder the offensive load giving him the ability to focus on leading the young pitching staff.
Crawford is not worth his contract playing for the Giants. Expected to be one of the better offensive performers. But how valuable would he be for the Yankees if DiDi decides to leave or Red Sox if they Xander has to be moved.
Giant fans are selfish they want their star players that led them to glory to wallow in mediocrity and futility. I don’t understand they brought you guys to glory now you should be wanting them to be playing for more championship opportunities while you guys develop the next wave.
As a Brave fan I never was mad when Glavine, Smoltz or Maddux pitched on another team at the ends of their careers. We were in the midst of our own rebuilds. We owed it to them to give them the ability to chase that last ring or rings.
I don’t understand the Giant fan’s way of thinking
Like many, I was gutted the Dodgers missed out on a premier reliever at the deadline. But the prospect of tabbing say, Maeda to be the 4th starter, then having May, Gonsolin, Urias, Stripling and Hill to run out of the bullpen..wow. All capable of going multiple innings, and all will have their stuff play up a notch in relief.
Loved that Orioles win yesterday!
Still enjoy watching Nelson Cruz miss that routine flyball tip right field. And 2017 tastes sweeter knowing it irritates you so much.
Cut the Felix
Question… so Panda is a free agent after this year. Yet he needs off-season surgery. If a team, say the Giants, have no intention of signing him again, who pays for the surgery? The team? The player? Does insurance cover this like Blue Shield?
The team he was injured while playing for them. It’s basically workers comp they are responsible for the financial aspect.