Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who has been on the injured list for over a month thanks to a forearm strain, has recently been expected to rejoin the Texas rotation during their upcoming series against the Mets, which begins tomorrow. As noted by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, however, that won’t come to fruition after Eovaldi felt some discomfort in his side during a bullpen session on Thursday. The new plan is for Eovaldi to partake in another bullpen session on Tuesday before the club determines whether he’ll need a rehab assignment or can directly return to the club’s pitching staff.
Eovaldi’s continued absence is a serious blow to the Rangers, as the right-hander has posted a phenomenal 2.69 ERA and 3.23 FIP in 123 2/3 innings of work this season. By measure of ERA+, he’s been 61% better than league average when on the field this season. That sort of production is difficult to replace, and while deadline acquisitions Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery have done an admirable job with a combined 2.22 ERA across nine starts since joining the organization, the club has nonetheless posted a record of just 17-17 since Eovaldi went on the shelf, a mediocre performance that’s allowed the surging Mariners to catch them in the standings.
More from around MLB’s West divisions…
- While plenty of suitors for superstar Shohei Ohtani may have a renewed sense of caution regarding his impending free agency after it was announced that the two-way phenom is dealing with a UCL tear that will prevent him from taking the mound again this season, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that the Giants are not among those teams and will still aggressively pursue Ohtani. Shea asserts that the Giants have the financial muscle required to get a deal done, referencing big-money offers to Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa last offseason that ultimately didn’t reach the finish line, while also suggesting the the club’s tendency to be cautious regarding pitcher healthy could be attractive for Ohtani as he looks to work his way back onto the major league mound.
- Angels right-hander Chase Silseth exited last night’s game against the Mets following a scary moment where he was struck in the head by an errant throw from teammate Trey Cabbage. After initially falling to the ground after being struck, Silseth was helped off the field by team trainers. Fortunately, the worst appears to have been avoided, as ESPN notes that manager Phil Nevin told reporters that he “think(s) we avoided something serious, but with head injuries you always want to be cautious.” Silseth owns a 4.10 ERA (111 ERA+) in 48 1/3 innings of work while swinging between the rotation and bullpen for the Angels this season.
This reminds me of 2012. Texas had the best record and run differential in baseball, and Josh Hamilton was hitting like Barry Bonds… He then quit on the team the last 3 months and would regularly swing at pitches a foot outside and in the dirt agains lefties. I remember that more than anything and knowing the lefty will just throw breaking balls no matter what. It’s sad how that season ended and how his first stint with Texas ended after an MVP .359 season and quite some success. I mean, Texas isn’t coming off back to back Pennants, but they sure had a lot of guys excited. The trading deadline was a blunder in the sense of piling on too much starting pitching and not enough bullpen help.
I am glad that he is okay. He is a pitcher that shows promise. If I were an ball player that showed skill/promise I would be nervous to play for the Angels. You’re almost guaranteed to get seriously injured. I’ve never seen such bad luck for a team in a single season.
I don’t think people outside the fanbase truly understand the catastrophic bad luck this team has been on because the Tungsten Odoyle narrative has colored everything. Also Anthony Rendon mes that Chris Davis contract look like the Acuña deal.
Back in 1964, the original Anaheim Stadium broke ground in August 1964. According to the Orange County Register, the land the stadium sat atop was “140 acres of farmland and what the Acjachemen Nation, the juaneno band of Mission Indians, believe was their ancient burial ground.”
“Back in 1964, the original Anaheim Stadium broke ground in August 1964.”
LOL. Are you sure August 1964 wasn’t actually in 1965? Did you dig that pearl up in the files of the Department of Redundancy department?
And doesn’t the stadium still sit atop this land, or has it picked itself up and moved?
@blue baron- Angel Stadium broke ground in 1964. Are you incorrectly questioning something or just pointing out that an article likely written by AI was redundant as usual? Either way, seems like that comment added zero value.
Are you Oldhalo? The question was addressed to him. Your unsolicited response added less than zero value.
I’ll respond. I’m not that different than you. I like to deal in facts also. So, as for the integrity of the subject matter, I will add the following disclaimer. I am not affiliated with the Indian tribe mentioned nor was I present when the stadium was built. As far as my source, I Googled if the stadium was built on an Indian burial ground and I then copied and pasted the response. Did I spend hours researching? No… the reason that I didn’t was because anyone with an ounce of commonsense would have observed that the response was emotionally based, on observance of the terrible luck and bizzar occurences of bad luck that this team has endured this year. I hope this explanation sheds a little more light on the presentation for you.
OK, but I have no idea why you didn’t edit out the redundancy and bring it into present tense for the sake of accuracy and more pleasant reading.
As a writer and former newspaper editor, I perhaps notice such things more readily than do some folks.
Thanks for the information. It’s an interesting backstory.
Because this is an open forum, genius. My comment had 10x more value than yours because it addressed the absurdity of your asanine comment.
ASININE, genius.
You should at least pretend you have an education.
Yes, it’s an open forum, which means your comments are your opinions and my comments are mine.
Different things are important to different people, and you are in no position to judge others and their opinions.
Fortunately for you, stupidity is not a crime, so you’re free to go.
And?
I assumed the Dodgers would not allow themselves to be outbid for Ohtani, but this is a big opening for other teams. The Dodgers operate with a pretty strict internal rationality and if they mark down Ohtani’s value, other teams can assume risks that the Dodgers will not and pay more accordingly.
No one knows what the dodgers are thinking or will be planning regarding Ohtani, other than the clear assumption that they will be one of his biggest suitors. Shea’s article is a lot of wondering aloud, which is fine, doesn’t present itself as otherwise, but he doesn’t know what the dodgers thinking is now after Ohtani’s injury. It’s possible every team involved in his FA sweepstakes have internally reevaluated what they think he’s worth. The one clear fact from the SF Chron piece is that the giants are a suitor too. 😉
What does any of this article have to do with the Dodgers? You act like they just set the bar and that’s it… 100% not true….. everyone acts like the Dodgers are the best ran organization…. they can’t win anything (btw, 2020 doesn’t count) but they continue to sign ridiculous players to the payroll
Must be hard being a cards fan right now….
2020 certainly does count, my friend. Probably the toughest year for all teams in MLB. Oh, and they won in 2017.
Delusional much? Dodgers lost AT HOME in 2017 where only they could cheat. 2020 was extended spring training. It counts as much as a spring training title does.
Cope and seethe
Fox471…What did they win in ‘17? No one knows what would’ve happened in either situation had the game been played right.
MLB doesn’t think so. Also, I looked through the melba history and right there n black and white it says the dodgers won the 2020 World Series.
By the way, it wasn’t the Dodger players, Dodger ownership or Dodger fans that decided the 2020 season would consist of 60 games but rather a consensus amongst all MLB owners. Also, the other 29 teams had the same opportunity to take advantage of the shorter season (by the way, the playoff pool consisted of 2 additional teams that year so the argument could be made that it was more difficult in 2020). Lastly the Dodgers had the best record in all of baseball in 2020. You may now take your “extended spring training” assessment and file it where it belongs which is the same place many of your previous asinine comments.
And it also states it was a pandemic shortened season. Not the same. No matter who won the World Series that year, the outcome is the same. You can have your opinion but can’t change the facts.
The Dodgers may not be an option in Ohtani’s mind as far as upi kniw. He didn’t sign with them originally, after all.
Japanese players aren’t like American players and their get all you can get mentality.
If the Giants can sneak in and Get Ohtani, I’d be all for it. With Joc coming up, he’d be a Hall of Fame upgrade at DH. And with the way the G’s use Pitchers, he’d fit right in. Of course that would be 2025 Pitching. But nevertheless.
When speaking about his upcoming Free Agency
Ohtani has been clear about one criteria:
WINNING
SF Giants have only posted one Winning season above .500 since 2016
There is No Way he signs in Frisco
Haha
Actually Shohei has said what every other players says, that he wants to win.
Post pandemic, the Giants are 254-199.
I have to agree with you that Ohtani wont sign with the Frisco Roughriders.
IF he doesn’t return to Anaheim, the San Francisco Giants have a good chance at signing him.
There’s no way he signs back with the Angel’s trainwreck. No way.
If Ohtani cares about winning, he won’t sign in SF. Giants are an afterthought in their own division
Yeah, I mean, what are you talking about? Is there any team that does more with less than the Giants? I mean they win more than the Angels and they have Ohtani and Trout! As much as I don’t care for Zaidididiii or Kapler, this team still manages to win games with a roster of mostly nobodies. They have been saying money, (albeit because they dodged some bullets in guys like Correa, Harper, Stanton, and Judge. I love Judge, but the health just isn’t there for the money he got. I also hope they don’t get Ohtani for the same reasons.I wish they would spend their money on several guys rather than 1. But that’s neither her nor there. Anyway, if Ohtani went to the Giants, he be winning a lot more than the Angels are with a much better team on paper.
Where might I read that Otani cares about one thing: winning? I mean other than from you.
Well on September 26, 2021 LA Times sports reporter Bill Shaikin quoted Ohtani: “I really like the team. I love the fans. I love the atmosphere of the team. But more than that, I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ll leave it at that.” Is that good enough for you?
What everyone fails to realize is one big off-season can make any team a contender, so I wouldn’t rule Giants out. Look at what Texas has done this year.
@birndog: Shaikin quoted Ohtani in what context? And was the piece about the Angels or Dodgers given that the LA Times covers both teams?
If you actually follow MLB, you would know that players are trained to tell reporters and fans what they want to hear in interviews.
You’re naive if you a quote like that means anything about a player’s intentions.
Since you asked (,) what I know about Otani is that he’s an honorable guy with a super-dedicated work ethic. He will consider the party who brought him to the dance. He will consult with trusted mentors (mostly in Japan). He will want proximity to fresh, cold-water sashimi. Money may motivate him but he’s likely to earn more in endorsements (again, mainly in Japan) than from any team. So, given that frame of reference, I see playing for one of three teams: Angels, Giants, Red Sox, and if I were betting, I’d say Red Sox.
Forgot to add that Otani is motivated by challenges. When the Angels played in NY, the first thing he did was taking batting practice to experience what it would be like to hit it out of the park in Yankee Stadium. I can’t say with any certainty but it makes sense that the Green Monster in Fenway Park presents a challenge to him in terms of elevation, not distance.
@27champyankees: “SF Giants have only posted one winning season above .500 since 2016.”
Trivia question: When was the last time a team posted a winning record below .500?
@Oldhalo
Ooo…shades of “Poltergeist”. In order to break the curse, they need to change their name from the Angels to the Angry Ghosts.
No one knows squat except for Shohei, Ippei and maybe Arte, my bet is he stays but I know squat too 🙂
Generally, pitchers go back up bases and sometimes participate in run downs, but they jog/shift while turned and facing what teammate has the ball. But bummer for Silseth.
Wow, Eovaldi is hurt….big surprise! He has 123 2/3 innings this year. This is only the 2nd year out of the last 6 years that he has pitched over 111 innings. Just when he is needed the most (as the Rangers have lost 8 straight and dropped from 1st place, into a tie for 2nd, and only 2 games from not even having a playoff spot…..
Drinkin beer and doin good deeds
@nottinghamforest13: Why does anyone have to wonder that?
At 30, he’ll be worth at least $100 million for 5 years as a hitter.
It was a joke
The Rangers need to release Burke and Sborz. They’re so horrible. How the hell are they in MLB
Is there a bigger dufus than Dave Raymond as the Rangers television play-by-play announcer? Night after night, mistake after mistake. C J Nitkowski must be beating his head against the wall every game during broadcasts trying to work with him. SO FRUSTRATING!!!