A year after a Chris Martin oblique injury altered the course of the postseason for the Braves, Martin is now potentially hobbled once again. Atlanta announced yesterday that Martin exited the season finale with a potential groin injury. Manager Brian Snitker said after the game that Martin will be in for treatment today (link via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Snitker said the Braves hoped to get out in front of the issue and hope it to be minor, but for the time being it sounds as though Martin is considered day-to-day. Anything more serious would be a major blow to the Braves’ bullpen, as Martin has been excellent in the first of a two-year, $14MM deal. In 18 frames, the 34-year-old righty allowed just two runs on eight hits with a 20-to-3 K/BB ratio.
A few more health situations to monitor among the game’s 16 playoff clubs…
- Brett Anderson was forced out of the Brewers’ finale yesterday because of a blister on his left index finger, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. He’d have been in line to start the third game of the Brewers’ Wild Card series, but that availability is now in question. “We’ll figure out how we’re going to line everything up over the next day or so, and we’ll go from there,” was all president of baseball ops David Stearns had to say on the status of the rotation after yesterday’s game, per McCalvy. Anderson, signed to a one-year, $5MM contract over the winter, was a steadying presence in the Milwaukee rotation. He missed time with another blister early on, but his overall 4.21 ERA and 4.38 FIP in 47 frames kept the Brewers in the majority of games he started. Anderson, as always, was a ground-ball machine with terrific control, inducing grounders on 57.7 percent of balls put in play against him and averaging just 1.9 walks per nine innings pitched. He’ll turn 33 this winter, and that performance should ensure that he gets another chance in a rotation somewhere — be it with the Brewers or with another club.
- Padres catcher Jason Castro took a foul tip the face behind the plate in yesterday’s game and has been diagnosed with a sprained jaw, per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin (Twitter link). The good news for Castro and the Friars is that the 33-year-old passed concussion protocols. The club is optimistic that he’ll be good to go when the Wild Card round begins on Wednesday. Castro’s role with the Padres might not be as large as the team envisioned when acquiring him from the Angels, as the club managed to pry Austin Nola away from the Mariners just a day after picking up Castro. The former Astros, Twins and Angels backstop has had just 30 plate appearances with his new club and batted .179/.233/.357 in the process. But Castro is a very well-regarded receiver with strong framing numbers, good patience at the plate and some pop in his bat. He hit .232/.332/.435 in 275 plate appearances with Minnesota last year.
- White Sox lefty Gio Gonzalez exited yesterday’s game with soreness in his left shoulder and will be evaluated further today, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Initially signed as a veteran option for the back of the rotation that would allow the Sox to ease their young starters into the mix in 2020, Gonzalez has spent more time in the ’pen than as a starter. His last seven outings have come in relief, and although he has a 2.53 ERA in that time (three runs in 10 2/3 frames), Gonzalez has also issued nine free passes and hit two batters in that stretch. Between that shaky showing and this new bout of shoulder troubles, it’s far from certain that he’ll factor into Chicago’s postseason plans.
Twins win in 2
Hahahaha!!!
Sox won’t miss Gio in the playoffs.
I have been quiet in this shorten season! Needless to say, I was not surprised by the White Sox’s success with making it to the postseason. However, the pitching was a little concern with Rodon struggling after Tommy John surgery to Kopech opting out of the season and the struggles with Cease and López.
Hopefully, Rodon and Cease can step it up in the post season. Gonzalez did his role with eating up some innings for the White Sox this season but it looks he is done for the postseason.
Dunning will probably start game 3. I assume Cease or Rodon, or even Lopez if he makes the roster, will come out of the pen.
I’m sure with 28 man rosters and DH that teams can afford to carry additional pitchers. I’m not sure when the decision was made to go to 28 including the postseason from 26 if there was a limit on the number of pitchers. It was to be 13 when the rosters reduced to 26 but they never got to that.
Dunning struggled in his last start! Rodon is a little fresh and has something to prove this year after coming back from Tommy John surgery. It will be interesting to see who Ricky has start in the third game if it comes down to that.
Should be a bullpen Game 3 with Crochet and Foster starting it off.
Can a player like Martin or Gio be left off the first round roster in favor of another (healthy) player, and then get added back if the team makes it to the next round? It’s series-by-series at this point, not a 10 day minimum IL stay, right?
Series by series, but if u get dropped mid-series, u have to sit out the next round afterwards
Of course chris Martin is hurt. Watching that game I was like “well here we go again.”
Nobody said it was easy.
But no one ever said it would be this hard!
Castro is meh
Campusano should be ready to go now anyways
Campusano has never caught at the MLB level though so I don’t know if you could really roster him and leave Castro off for the playoffs.
If they want to add Campusano as a RH bat since most of their bench is LH then I like that to balance out the team, but I think he’s there then as a PH more so than a catcher and they still need to carry Castro
Campusano maxed out at high A ball in 2019. Sure he had a full year there but he has zero AA or AAA time yet. He is not ready.
I would prefer a seasoned veteran in the playoffs over a rookie personally. Castro adds value even if he is not on the field. I bet Campusano will be given a shot to make the roster this spring
Idk if Martin is out the Braves do have a strong bullpen. Jacob Webb comes to mind. I think Will Smith is good but this season has him all twisted. Idk what to say about him
Miss a month of the season and second spring training with COVID and you’d struggle like Will Smith did when he first got going anyone would need time to tinker. Not too mention we know COVID saps the energy from ppl.
Who cares. Braves would get booted out in two games even if they had Martin.
Somebody needs a hug. Matty Ice let you down again.
Martin diagnostic: “scaredofplayoffitis”…. or something like that mystery random issues he magically has this time of year. Think he needs a psychiatrist vs a standard sports doctor
I fear Renteria’s managerial shortcomings will be on full display. The last two series against the Indians and Cubs were playoff type series; the Indians especially. In my opinion, he was responsible for 3 of those 4 losses against the Indians. I hope I’m wrong.
When will people stop using Brett Anderson as a starter? He can be one those long relief guys and shutdown a couple innings.