On the heels of an early-morning trade report, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Pitchers’ duel in Minnesota:
Two of the AL’s second-place teams will be sending front-of-the-rotation starters to the mound in Minneapolis today, as Twins ace Pablo Lopez takes the mound against young Mariners star Logan Gilbert. The 28-year-old Lopez has struggled a bit in terms of run prevention through seven starts this year, as his 4.30 ERA is actually just below league average by measure of ERA+. That being said, the right-hander’s peripherals are as strong as ever. He’s struck out an excellent 30.2% of batters faced this season while walking just 5.4%, giving him a strong 3.48 FIP with even better expected numbers.
Twins fans are surely hoping that Lopez’s results start catching up to his peripherals today, as Gilbert has been among the very best in baseball at stifling opposing offenses this year. Through seven starts, Gilbert sports an AL-best 1.69 ERA in 48 innings of work with a 3.24 FIP. Some of Gilbert’s run-prevention can surely be attributed to a microscopic .183 BABIP, but the right-hander has still struck out an impressive 28.2% of batters faced against a 7.3% walk rate. The two aces will clash at Target Field this afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:10pm local time.
2. Drury headed to the IL?
Angels infielder Brandon Drury may be poised for a trip to the injured list today. The 31-year-old was pulled from yesterday’s game in the sixth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring, and after the game told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that while he was going to be evaluated further today he wasn’t “feeling very good” in the aftermath of his departure. A trip to the IL could allow Drury time not only to heal, but to try and rediscover his 2023 form. While the infielder clubbed 26 homers in 125 games with the Angels last year, he’s hit just .173 with minimal power so far this season. It seems likely that infielder Luis Guillorme, reportedly acquired from the Braves this morning, would replace Drury on the club’s roster in the event that he requires a trip to the shelf.
3. Rodriguez awaiting MRI results:
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez underwent an MRI yesterday afternoon, GM Mike Hazen told AZSports yesterday. Rodriguez has yet to make his Diamondbacks debut, having instead spent the entire season to this point on the injured list nursing a strained lat. That could be set to change soon, however, as Hazen indicated that with favorable results on the MRI, the lefty will be cleared to start a throwing program.
Coming off an excellent 2023 season where he pitched to a 3.30 ERA and 3.66 FIP in 26 starts with the Tigers, Rodriguez would provide a boost to the reigning NL champions, who have struggled to a 17-20 record and have fallen into third place in the NL West, eight games behind the Dodgers for the division crown. Arizona has relied on young arms such as Slade Cecconi and Ryne Nelson in the rotation amid Rodriguez’s absence.
I hear a lot about pitching duels in The Opener but why aren’t there any hitting duels being presented?
I just want to know what percentage of the season has been completed.
@Lloyd Emerson
About 22-23% completed. In about a week or so, we can start talking about the playoff picture as we’ll know who’s in and who’s out by 25% of the season being completed. Right now, it’s still tough to tell if the White Sox and Rockies will be in the playoffs, as they’re only 12.5 and 10 games back of the WC spot.
This Twins team is just plain old bad news.
They’re handling a really good Mariners team and making it look easy.
So I think they will be in the picture all the way. I just hope my Mariners can regroup and go on.
“Bad news” for opponents, I mean. This was a rough 4-game series for the Mariners.
John Schneider buying himself an extra day or 2. Not sure why he’s so scared to have a pretty obvious conversation with Springer. Guy isn’t hitting like a bench player, let alone the leadoff hitter for a team that hopes to win. Watching the sportsnet apologists try to defend him is getting tiresome
drury’s early career stretch in az was marred by non-physical ailments too, he had migraines and blurry vision for a while, thats why they shipped him out in that 3 team deal. earlier this year he was said to be having migraines again, i hope these issues arent rearing up again for drury
obv theyre saying its hammy but “im not feeling too well” doesnt sound like a hamstring
Trout and Rendon probably done for the season and the rest of the lineup resembles a AAA team, you’d have migraines too
jo adell to the all star game!!!
story and giolito done and casas sitting for a while is a tough break too but the sox have played good ball
They’ve overachieved as is evident by the fact that they’ve lost 5 of the last 6 games
i know positivity is hard to come by in boston, but lighten up its just baseball
Sign Bauer
Change my mind
@thelegendaryharambe
He’s crushing it in Mexico. Too bad the MLB doesn’t want top players playing in their league. They’d rather have AAA players instead. Oh well…
30 owners have the ability to sign him any day they want. Just because a vocal minority of d bags want to defend woman beater. It says a ton about his character that no owner will touch him. It says more about your character for defending him
@MysteryWhiteBoy13
It says a lot about your character to be defending the women who falsified their claims. Now, one of them is in court for fraud. I think that’s worse than consensual behaviour. Wouldn’t you agree?
Nope, I am defending the women that you keep refusing to mention that currently have cases against him.
@MysteryWhiteBoy13
And I asked, which ones? Clearly, there is no case here and people are just opposed to him because they don’t like him. That’s fine but not a reason to not have him play. Plenty of terrible characters in the MLB, including Ozuna, who was caught on film attacking and then also pulled over for being impaired while driving. Those are probably worse things to do than consensual behavior. But, I guess when it comes to pure hate, logic and reasoning don’t usually mean much.
@MysteryWhiteBoy13 There are no open cases against him. One was settled with no money changing hands and neither party admitting to any wrongdoing. One ended with the accuser being indicted for felony fraud and extortion. The other two never made it past the initial accusation and if you know the details those two were questionable at best.
Now why is it that you feel the need to attack the character of people disagree with you?
Your daughter may meet him one day and want to get punched in the face
@MysteryWhiteBoy13
Like the video in bed of the person smiling while he slept? That type of treatment? If I had a daughter, I would discourage such terrible behaviour of the women.
That was one out of 4 current cases. You don’t want to mention the other women. Would that hurt your little defense of this d bag. Probably not, you seem like the kind of guy who would encourage your daughter to get beaten for a pay day
@MysteryWhiteBoy13
Which ones? None of them have resorted in any thing being linked to him as being wrong. Two frauds and nothing came of the others. It says a lot about your character to be defending said behaviour.
@MysteryWhiteBoy13 There are no “current cases.” Not one. Post the link to the court docs if there are any.
@MysteryWhiteBoy13 Keyword: “want”
If any MLB team was interested in signing him, he wouldn’t be pitching in Mexico. That ship has sailed.
@layventsky
MLB doesn’t hire players, though.
I’m saying they should be interested.
But they aren’t and never will be. There is a reason when Bauer was a free agent following the 2020 season that only two teams showed any real interest: a, at the time, very dysfunctional Mets front office and the Dodgers, which he ultimately played the Mets to get to the Dodgers. 28 teams wanted nothing to do with him before the accusations let alone now
Cordero, Mateo, Chapman, Reyes, Olivera, Familia, Norris, Wright, Torres, Osuna, Russel, Herrera, Urias, German, Dyson, Ozuna, Bauer, Martinez, and Cordero have all been suspended under the MLB DV policy. Guilty or innocent, how many were given second chances?
Who besides you says 28 teams wanted nothing to do with him? Not outbidding the Dodgers or even the Mets doesn’t exactly mean they were closed off to the mere idea of signing him. He is known to have at the very least talked to the Blue Jays when he was a free agent.
mlbtraderumors.com/2021/01/trevor-bauer-rumors-blu…
MLBTR should set up a thread where people can discuss Bauer. That way the discussion won’t infect other threads, where his issues are irrelevant.
The first rule of Fight Club is nobody talks about Fight Club.
How is it antagonizing their female fans? Do you think female baseball fans aren’t smart enough to know a phony accusation when they see one? Did you not see the Chiefs signed Matt Araiza and it was only a story for like a day?