As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Skenes to face the Dodgers:
Four starts into his big league career, Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes has lived up to his reputation as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball. After a shaky major league debut, Skenes has allowed just three in three starts while dominating the Cubs, Giants, and Tigers with 23 strikeouts in his past 18 innings of work. That’s all come together to give the 22-year-old a 2.45 ERA and 2.41 FIP with a huge 35.7% strikeout rate across 22 innings in the majors.
Tonight, Skenes is set to face the biggest challenge of his young career as he takes the mound against the Dodgers. With a trio of MVPs at the top of the order in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman, the L.A. offense has established itself as the class of the National League, leading the league in OBP (.333), ISO (.174), and wRC+ (120) despite struggles from bottom-of-the-order hitters like Gavin Lux, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez. Last night’s game saw the other rising star in Pittsburgh’s rotation, lefty Jared Jones, dazzle against the Dodgers with six scoreless innings and six strikeouts in a 1-0 Pirates victory. Skenes will attempt to lead the club to victory in similar fashion at 6:40pm local time tonight opposite veteran lefty James Paxton (3.29 ERA).
2. Munoz to undergo MRI:
Mariners closer Andres Munoz exited last night’s game when a play at the plate against A’s infielder Max Schuemann resulted in a collision caused left Munoz to hit the ground awkwardly. Following the game, manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Daniel Kramer of MLB.com) that the incident aggravated a lower back issue Munoz has been dealing with. The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue.
One of the most talented closers in the game, Munoz has posted a sterling 1.73 ERA while striking out 35.6% of batters faced this season and converting 12 of 13 save opportunities across 26 innings. That dominant performance has been especially helpful for a Seattle bullpen that has been without both Matt Brash and Gregory Santos all season and recently lost lefty Gabe Speier to the injured list as well. Lefty Tayler Saucedo stepped in to finish last night’s game after Munoz departed, and he could be a candidate for the ninth inning alongside veteran righty Ryne Stanek in the event that Munoz requires a trip to the injured list.
3. Eflin to be activated:
The Rays are set to welcome right-hander Zach Eflin back from the injured list today for a start against the Marlins, as noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 30-year-old is in the second season of a three-year, $40MM pact that looks like a shrewd investment. In 41 starts for the Rays, Eflin has posted a 3.65 ERA (112 ERA+) with an excellent 3.17 FIP while striking out 24.2% of batters in 236 2/3 innings of work. That FIP is good for seventh among all pitchers with at least 200 innings since the start of the 2023 campaign.
Eflin’s return is key for the Rays as they attempt to work their way back into the AL playoff picture. The club is currently tied with the Red Sox for third place in the AL East with a 30-31 record, placing them 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race. With the trade deadline less than two months away, Eflin could become a trade candidate for the Rays this summer if they’re unable to get over .500 and put themselves more firmly into the playoff conversation. That effort will continue at 6:40pm local time tonight, when Eflin takes the mound against Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett (4.56 ERA).
Jared Jones isn’t a lefty.
technically he is since he bats left ;3
AI written I assume
most likely lmao
Hi everyone!….Niko here.
Haha….look at everyone who was doubting skenes from his debut….guess they shut up now. LMAO…yeah he’s amazing..and he’s gerrit Cole 2.0.
Oof…poor Andres Munoz….he’s so good…cant catch a break.
Idk about Zach eflin honestly, don’t think he’s that good.
just an average starter at best. :3
Who was doubting Skenes?
you must not be on Facebook LMAO.
Jarod Jones isn’t a lefty, he throws right handed
And the Dodgers had trouble catching up to his 101 mph fastball and 90 mph slider
Granted he only struck out 6, he fanned the great questionable gambler, Ohtani, twice
Ohtani didn’t gamble on anything, unless you have proof he did.
Sorry that I don’t believe that he didn’t. He’s a cash cow to baseball, it’s easier to permanently suspend a nobody than a superstar
your belief isn’t proof, not to mention they did permanently a superstar want his name? Pete rose. but, believe in what you want to.
Pete Rose’ permanent suspension was from when he was a manager, not a player
And thank you for allowing me to believe what I want, not that what you think matters
Rose’s gambling dates back to 1985, when he was a player-manager.
thank you stein.
Then allow me to restate my point. MLB will go above and beyond to protect the cash cow that Ohtani brings to baseball
This is my opinion, if people don’t like it, use your mute button on me
They arent protecting ohtani LMAO….Tatis was bringing in money, then got suspended.
you know what is worthy of a LMAO?
Naive and gullible people who believe everything they are told without question
Yeah he paid off the feds right!
like you lmao, you saw ohtanis interpreter gambling and said ohtani was doing it too, stfu lmao, you just ruined your own argument
you must have a thing for LMAO. I have discovered that people who use that acronym aren’t intelligent enough to use descriptive terms in their sentences and instead reveal ignorance
I’m using because its funny how ignorant you are for thinking he actually gambled LMAO….seems like you’re just getting mad because I use that word my boy.
I watched that Pirates game last night – I swear Jones was throwing with his right hand.
its because he is a righty lol, but he does bat left.
But he doesn’t bat in the Major League. So, it’s really irrelevant that he USED TO BAT left handed.
hey, its what his bbr page says 🙂
How many more bullpen injuries can the mariners withstand??? We’ve now lost like 5 of our top 7 guys at some point to injury this year with our top 3 hurt currently
sad: Then I guess things will be pretty even when they play the Astros again.
Not really. Houston starting rotation is in shambles, It’s not is Crane’s nature but they really need to start their rebuild. Aging roster and a very weak farm..
Pirates have bright future with pitching! Need at least 2 300 hitters in lineup..
at this point, I would be happy with 2 players who batted above . 200.
Suwinski, Tellez, Davis and Taylor are all batting below the Mendoza line
Given the paucity of .300 hitters in the majors in general (12 total in the entire MLB up to this point), it seems astounding that SD, KC and the Dodgers account for half of those.
Modern MLB methodology regarding hitters is that you’re sacrificing power for average, and the Pirates seem pretty deeply entrenched in that camp. We may never see another .300 hitter with the Pirates, let alone two in the same lineup.
I’d settle for 2 guys in the lineup under a 20% K rate at this point. Reynolds sits exactly at 20%, but is pretty much a lock to ground out to a middle infielder in key situations. (Hayes doesn’t have enough ABs to qualify, but he’s at 17..2% and would lead the team with Joe in second at 19.4%.).
I’d also settle for 2 guys in the lineup with both plus pitch recognition skills and sound situational hitting approaches. A strikeout is pretty much 100% an out, as opposed to simply putting it in play (around 75%-76% chance of being an out if you count errors). I don’t know whether they’re being coached this way or simply can’t execute, but I see far too many power/pull swings in 2-strike counts with less than 3 balls.
I agree with your assessment of strikeouts. Putting the ball in play isn’t always an automatic out, even if it’s hit directly to a fielder. Dropped balls, throwing errors, misplayed balls hit.
Strikeouts serve no offensive purpose and are a detriment to a team struggling to score runs
Well stated, Pundit
Experienced batteries must think the Pirates are relatively easy to handle if the pitcher in question is staying away from dead red. Plate discipline here is amazingly absent and yeah, I’d include Cutch in that scenario as he is still a sucker for a fastball/heavy breaking ball combo
Now more than ever, batting is educated guess hitting when the opposing pitcher is throwing upper 90’s, which is usually the case nowadays. The old style debate between linear versus rotational is really no longer a question. You have to be throwing your hands in line with where you think the ball is
But it sure helps to know what the pitcher throws and to where, whether is via scouting reports or actually watching the at bats of your teammates. And it helps to know the umpire’s strike zone
It’s curious to me that many times, Pirate batters appear to either be overmatched or simply clueless as to where a pitch is
Any batter can get his timing down given time, but jeez, the approach here is often mind numbing
do the pirates have any exciting position players in their system?
Naw. Unless you count guys and gals trying out for the nightly pierogi races