As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. 2023 London Series begins:
The Cubs and Cardinals have arrived in London for a two-game set over the weekend. It will be just the second MLB series ever played in London, after the Red Sox and the Yankees faced off in 2019. The 2023 campaign has been a struggle for both St. Louis and Chicago so far, as both clubs are under .500, though the Cubs have won ten of their last 12 games to lift their record to 36-38, just 3.5 games back in a weak NL Central division. That streak has come on the back of a fantastic starting rotation that includes Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele, Drew Smyly, and a resurgent Kyle Hendricks. The Cardinals have not found any such footing, with the preseason division favorites toiling in last place with a 31-44 record despite a talented roster centered around Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Game 1 of the London series will take place at 12:10pm CT tomorrow, while Game 2 will take place at 9:10am CT on Sunday.
2. Maeda to return:
After missing the past two months with a triceps strain, right-hander Kenta Maeda is set to return to the Twins today, starting tonight’s game against the Tigers in Detroit. Maeda joined the Twins prior to the 2020 season in a deal that sent Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers, and immediately delivered for the Twins with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts during the shortened season.
That performance propelled Maeda to a second place finish in AL Cy Young award voting behind Shane Bieber, but the now 35-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched up to that standard since. After 21 starts during which he delivered a 4.66 ERA, Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery in September of 2021. He returned at the beginning of the current campaign, but made just four starts with an ERA of 9.00 over 16 innings before returning to the injured list. If Maeda is back to full health, he nonetheless figures to be an asset for a Twins rotation that currently features Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober.
3. Mets roster move incoming:
According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets are poised to recall right-hander Vinny Nittoli to the roster today. Nittoli is already on the 40-man roster after being acquired in a trade with the Cubs earlier this month. Nittoli has just three innings of major league experience under his belt, but has posted a 3.81 ERA in 26 innings of work at the Triple-A level this season between his time in the Cubs and Mets organizations.
Nittoli will join a Mets bullpen that’s currently shorthanded due to the suspension of Drew Smith for a violation of the league’s foreign substance policy. Smith counts against the active roster during his suspension, which will come to a conclusion in time for Monday’s game against the Brewers. Nittoli is already on the 40-man roster and the club has space on the active roster after optioning right-hander Tylor Megill yesterday, meaning no corresponding move will be required to add Nittoli.
Maeda-time! Let’s go buddy!!
1. Is there going to be another football game breakout during a baseball game like the last London game?
2. Twins getting their ace back should help them win the worst division in the baseball world.
3. Mets need a complete change of roster.
@Old York, They reportedly changed the dimensions, pushing back CF and the power alleys. CF is still short by MLB standards, but maybe the new dimensions will help.
More surprised that this series snuck up on me. I heard a lot of buzz leading up the London series in 2019, but not much this year.
Because the precious Yankees aren’t playing. Next year’s London game is scheduled to be the Yankees against the Yankees.
@avenger65
So, fans want to see a mediocre team play itself? C’mon, man, Yankees haven’t been good since the early 2000s.
Maeda has not been counted on to be the Twins’ ace at any point since coming back from TJ—they don’t necessarily even have one, but if an “ace-ish” role is to be assigned, it’s not him.
He also is better than his stats from this season prior to tonight looked, though. He likely was pitching hurt for one and a half of those four starts. If fully healthy now, he could be short of the shutdown level he was at in 2020 and still be a nice addition at the back of that rotation.
The London series will be fun, although I don’t see the point of sending MLB teams to play over there.
There is enough support for the MLB in Europe, it is just weird that they choose London since GB hardly has a serious baseball team over there. It probably has to do with language.
Better venues would be in The Netherlands, Germany, Spain or Italy. Especially in Spain there is a huge amount of Dominicans and South Americans. I’d try a game in Madrid or Barcelona, just like they’ve played in Mexico. You can easily send the Tampa Bay Rays over there with all those Latin American players on their squad.
I’d imagine regular season series in Japan and Korea would be well attended and a good experience for players as well if they go all out with the cheerleaders and everything, the games over there look fun. Whole different fan/crowd experience. London just seems lazy and like copying the NFL. I imagine it comes down to money like most things.
They did a series in Japan at the beginning of the season several years ago. Mariners (with Ichiro late in his career) as I recall. Don’t remember the other team.
MLB has done Tokyo several times.. Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Rays, Mariners, A’s. have all played there. They tend to open the season with those games because of the travel time. MLB has also done regular season games in Australia and Mexico.
That game with Seattle playing in Japan was the last game in Ichiro’s career. He played rf. In the middle of the inning they took him out so he could get the applause and recognition he definitely earned. Great moment.
The MLB doesn’t need to play in Japan. They already know.the game maybe better than we do. Playing in London is a way to spread the game much like the NFL has been doing. It seems playing in the UK is working. Great Britain had a team in the WBC and even won a game.
MLB in London? Dumb.
London not per se, Cardinals and Cubs are probably not the right teams to send over, but the Cards being this bad was probably not in line of expectations last year.
Maybe the A’s can play a full year somewhere in Europe lol
They were scheduled to go over in 2020 when both teams were in better shape.
I think the matchup has more to do with sending a classic rivalry like they did in ’19 with the Red Sox/Yankees. Had Covid not thrown every in to a tail spin the last few years I’m sure they would have sent the Dodgers and Giants by now too. For a relatively “new” market the classic rivalries probably makes more sense than sending random teams like say the Rockies and the Nationals
The Giants/Dodgers would be a great match-up. Most Europeans I’m sure have heard of LA, and probably SF. Yeah, the Cards/cubs is a strange game to play there. Maybe because it’s Chicago.
Yes, and in West Ham’s stadium. They play in the Premier League (soccer). The team’s song is “I’m forever blowing bubbles”, which the fans sing while two huge machines send bubbles through the air. Funny how when the Red Sox and Yankees played in London their games were in the much larger Wembley Stadium. Coincidence?
West Ham’s stadium is the Olympic Stadium and still quite a large venue.
Funny thing about West Ham is that Elijah Wood was the main character in a movie called Green Street about a West Ham hooligan firm.
Wembley has never been utilised for baseball. Those Yankees-Red Sox games in 2019 were in the London Stadium in Olympic Park, same venue as this weekend’s Cubs-Cardinals series.
Lucky Bubbles.
Bri’ish
Ted Lasso will be the Cardinals honorary manager for this series.
Where is Luchessi and why isn’t he up?
My guess is he is the next one up to take Megill’s spot in the rotation. But thats still a few days away – they’ll call Lucchesi up when he is needed. For now, they need a bullpen arm. Nittoli is here until Drew Smith gets reinstated, and can then be optioned down to make room for Lucchesi.
At this point there seems to be no alternative to Lucchesi. The Mets’ AAA starters have been universally disastrous otherwise.
MLB has announced Mets play Phillies in London next summer. The Brits know how to say LOL in a different way — “you don’t know what you’re doing”.
Good one, ChuckyNJ!
Outside of a few people, no one in Europe cares about MLB or baseball in general. Not even the NFL gauged enough interest to establish their European offshoots. Kids here much rather play football, handball and a lot of other sports while the general public doesn’t see the appeal in spending three hours watching commercials, interrupted by a bunch of guys trying to hit a ball with a stick – and failing 75% of the time.
The stadium crowd will consist of traveling fans, U.S. tourists and a few curious locals. It might work as a one-off event, like a concert or some other cultural gathering, but never as a permanent installation.
The time difference alone represents an insurmountable obstacle for Europeans to muster more than a fleeting interest in U.S. franchise entertainment. They’ve got enough of their own sports to care about.
Considering England has 30 different Cricket leagues that does not seem like an accurate assessment
Vinny Nittoli is a great name for a New York team. Or possibly the Mafia. 😉
Much like Moe Greene, Vinny Nittoli made his bones while the rest of us were going out with cheerleaders!
was hoping vinny nittoli grew up in nyc but alas he’s from… arizona?
I’ll be watching my first Major League Baseball game in person on Sunday. As an ex West Ham United fan I will be in London Stadium for the first time in my life. I used to attend Upton Park regularly as a kid.
I’ll be going with a friend of mine who comes from Florida and used to attend Cubs games when he was at college. I might be home in time to watch my Marlins take on the Pirates on MLB TV. Should be a marvelous day.
You’re so lucky to be going to West Ham’s home stadium. I’ve never been to England but it’s my dream to spend a season there and watch games in every stadium. You’re an ex-WH fan. Who do you support now? Liverpool is my team. On an actual bb subject, what are the odds that Arraez hits .400?
They should have sent the Mets to England.
The cricket fans would really dig Vogelbach since his legs rub together with each movement.