On a night in which White Sox ace Lucas Giolito fired the first no-hitter of 2020, let’s check in on several other notable pitchers…
- The Brewers are “listening” to offers for star reliever Josh Hader, but it’s not likely the club will trade the 26-year-old left-hander before the Aug. 31 deadline, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes (subscription link). Milwaukee was also willing to entertain proposals for Hader last winter, but it elected to retain him heading into this year – his first of four potential arbitration seasons. For a bargain price this season (a prorated $4.1MM), Hader has given the Brewers 9 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings with 13 strikeouts and five walks. He’s obviously not someone the Brewers are going to give up for anything less than a massive offer.
- After throwing a 70-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Diamondbacks southpaw Madison Bumgarner could be closing in on a return from the injured list, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Bumgarner has been on the IL since Aug. 9 with a mid-back strain, but he came out of his bullpen session unscathed, which manager Torey Lovullo called “very encouraging news.” The former Giant’s first season as a Diamondback has been anything but encouraging, though. After inking a five-year, $85MM contract in the offseason, Bumgarner has logged a 9.35 ERA/8.79 FIP with 6.75 K/9, 3.63 BB/9 and a 23.7 percent groundball rate in 17 1/3 innings. The 31-year-old averaged a career-worst 87.8 mph on his fastball during that four-start stretch, but Lovullo revealed Bumgarner’s “velo ticked up a little bit” during sim games.
- Right-hander Nate Pearson, whom the Blue Jays placed on the IL on Aug. 19, has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, according to Scott Mitchell of TSN. He’s hoping to play catch this weekend, Mitchell reports, though it remains unclear if the rookie will return in 2020. Pearson struggled to a 6.61 ERA/7.60 FIP with 7.71 K/9 and 6.61 BB/9 over four starts and 16 1/3 frames before going on the shelf.
- Dodgers righty Joe Kelly has been on the IL since Aug. 10 with shoulder inflammation, and a return isn’t imminent for the reliever. Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com) that Kelly remains “a ways away” from rejoining the Dodgers. When Kelly does come back, he’ll have to serve a five-game suspension stemming from a July 28 dustup with the Astros. Meanwhile, Dodgers lefty Alex Wood won’t come off the IL before the end of the month, Gurnick tweets. Wood, who’s also dealing with shoulder inflammation, has only made one appearance this year (on July 25).
- The Rays’ injury-laden pitching staff may have lost yet another hurler Tuesday, when southpaw Jalen Beeks left their game with an elbow/forearm issue. Manager Kevin Cash didn’t come off as optimistic afterward, saying (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com), “It sounded similar to Kitt, but we don’t know anything yet.” Cash was referring to righty Andrew Kittredge, who went on the 45-day IL on Aug. 12 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. A similar fate would be a season-ender for Beeks, who has been terrific in 2020. The 27-year-old has notched a 3.26 ERA and a much more impressive 1.74 FIP with 12.1 K/9 against 1.86 BB/9 across 19 1/3 innings.
- Veteran knuckleballer Steven Wright hasn’t taken a major league mound since July 13, 2019, but the former Red Sox righty informed Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that he’s not ready to call it a career. “I just don’t want to sit back in a few years and wish I had tried it,” said the soon-to-be 36-year-old Wright, who threw 35 pitches from a mound last week and told Abraham, “I’m throwing two bullpens a week and I’m feeling healthy for the first time since 2016.” Wright was an All-Star that year, but he then faced knee problems, Tommy John surgery, a performance-enhancing drugs suspension and an arrest on domestic violence charges (which led to a 15-game ban) during the ensuing seasons.
What’s happening to the Rays staff is worse than Covid!!!!!
@Bob Lablah- No worries the Devil Rays will still be a playoff team. So calm down.
Devil rays were never a playoff team. That’s like calling the pilots a playoff team
Kelly should come back 5 games before he’s really ready to come back and serve his suspension then, only thing it costs the Dodgers is a spot somewhere.
I think you can file that under duh. However that’s a real gamble bc nobody knows when he’ll be ready…
It’s entirely possible that veteran knuckleballer Steven Wright should prepare himself to call it a career…
Hader to LAD is the type of over the top contender move to beef up that Would be truly exciting. Think Chapman to the Cubs
It would make their bullpen with a 1.2 collective ERA Be just terrifying
That rental Chapman trade cost the Cubs a top 25 prospect, a guy just outside of the top 100, a lotto ticket prospect and a fringe reliever.
With the years of control that Hader has left the Dodgers would have to seriously pay up for him.
Buuuuuuuut it also brought them a World Championship. They make that trade again in a heartbeat.
@CNichols- if Hader wasn’t such a hater the Yankees would have offered the Brew Crew a nice little haul for him already. Andujar, Garcia, Abreu and King would have likely got it done. Scary stuff seeing a healthy Britton in the 7th, Hader in the 8th, and Chappy in the 9th for any team in the majors.
I would hope that wouldn’t have gotten it done. I don’t think it’s a terrible offer or anything, but I’m not crazy about Garcia, and the rest is pretty meh. I’d like Garcia a lot more if he wasn’t 5’9″.
Agreed. Brewers would need to get Medina or florial in the trade. Garcia is ok. Other 3 are meh….andujar is boarderline busting if he doesn’t turn it around soon.
Saying Andujar is close to busting is a pretty big stretch. He has like 20 ABs this year. Its a solid offer but prob not enough.
Beeks makes the 10th Rays pitcher on the IL, and yet here we are 1st place in the AL East. We’re gonna need to pickup a pitcher or two before the deadline.
GO RAYS!!!
Why wouldn’t the Dodgers have Kelly serve is suspension before placing him on the IL
Going on the IL frees up a roster spot. Being suspended does not.
thats why they brought shawn read foley
It would seem that progressive medicine of some sort is needed to be able to anticipate injuries. What happens now is the player first gets hurt and then a diagnosis is made. Maybe an MRI before/after every start? Be able to see an issue prior to the pain? An MRI is less than an hr. Cheap test compared to the lost salaries.
Progressive medicine or maybe learning proper mechanics? How are all these pitch counts protecting pitchers’ arms?
When Nolan Ryan was running the Rangers, he advocated MORE throwing throughout the system, not less. The Rangers had one of their better runs with that in mind.
There’s something reassuring about a knuckleballer named Steven Wright.
At least you know he’d park in the driveway and drive on the parkway.
The injuries we’re seeing are pretty much the same across all teams. Obviously, not all rosters are affected the same, but the number of injuries in any one team aren’t remarkable. It seems to point to the condensed season.
fangraphs.com/roster-resource/injury-report
I wonder if the Dodgers could get Hader with a package like Gray, Ruiz, Hoese and V. Gonzales
Why would the Dodgers give up all that?
I stand corrected. That’s actually a push – fair value – per trade simulator.
They should keep hader
I think its a win/win honestly. Brewers get an immediate replacement for Hader in Gonzales, MLB ready C and near MLB ready 3B plus an exciting young arm. Dodgers can push for the WS with a dominant BP
Hader for Urias and Hoese. Urias is overrated and Gonsolin could take his spot in The rotation in a heartbeat.
Why would the Brewers want him then?
well those people aren’tt the best
Apparently scouts are still high on his upside. I personally see a lot of red flags. It’s not just about location issues with Urias but it’s pitch selection combined with location. Since I’m not the Brewers GM, we could squeak one by him LOL