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. Mariners under new management:
After struggling badly on offense throughout the season and a 1-8 road trip that allowed the Astros to overtake them in the AL West race, the Mariners took action yesterday by firing manager Scott Servais and installing Dan Wilson as the club’s new skipper. It’s the second midseason managerial change of the month, as it was just two weeks ago that the White Sox overhauled their coaching staff while replacing Pedro Grifol with Grady Sizemore in the manager’s chair.
The question for Wilson and the Mariners now is whether or not the changes in the dugout will help inject some life into a team that has seen its playoff odds sink to just 11.1% according to Fangraphs, or if the club will continue to flounder while the Astros pull further away in the AL West race. Chicago has gone just 3-8 since their swap was made, although given the 1-22 stretch the club had prior to Grifol’s firing, even that meager .272 winning percentage is arguably an improvement. Wilson’s first task will be winning tonight’s game against the Giants, which takes place in Seattle at 7:10pm local time with Luis Castillo (3.51 ERA) on the mound opposite Hayden Birdsong (5.01 ERA).
2. Buxton nearing return?
Uber-talented but oft-injured outfielder Byron Buxton has somewhat quietly put together a strong, healthy season with the Twins this year. His 90 games played this year are the third most of his MLB career to this point, and he’s made the most of them by slashing an excellent .275/.334/.528 (140 wRC+) while posting strong numbers in center field. It’s a huge step forward from a 2023 campaign that saw Buxton offer just 85 games worth of below-average offense while being limited to a DH-only role in a bid to keep the now 30-year-old former All-Star healthy.
Of course, Buxton is currently on the injured list with inflammation in his right hip. That’s surely a worrisome diagnosis for Twins fans given Buxton’s long injury history, but MLB.com’s Injury Tracker provides plenty of reason for optimism by noting that the outfielder has done hitting, fielding, and running in recent days and could be activated from the shelf as soon as today, the first game where he’s eligible to return to action. Minnesota has relied on youngster Austin Martin in center field while Buxton has been out of commission.
3. Yankees getting healthier:
Yankees fans got exciting news yesterday when it was reported that infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. is set to be activated from the injured list today. The news ought to provide a facelift for the club’s struggling infield mix, and more reinforcements are on the way with both Jon Berti and Anthony Rizzo set to begin rehab assignments amid lengthy stays on the injured list this year. Both Berti (87 wRC+ in 17 games this year) and Rizzo (80 wRC+ in 70 games) have struggled to produce at the plate this year, but those issues are par for the course in a Yankees infield that has seen Gleyber Torres, Oswaldo Cabrera, Ben Rice, and DJ LeMahieu all post lackluster numbers with Torres’s 90 wRC+ leading the pack. With New York clinging to a 1.5-game lead in the AL East over the Orioles, the impending returns of Chisholm, Rizzo, and Berti could help the club’s beleaguered infield to show signs of life down the stretch.
The fact anybody thinks the orioles can beat the Yankees this season while the Yankees heal and the orioles are without an entire rotation presently (Bradish, Grayson, eflin, means, wells) with only Grayson and eflin maybe returning during the regular season is insane. Also down westburg and coloumbe til the playoffs and Felix for the season. The orioles healthy are probably 10-15 wins better than the Yankees. They’re a vastly superior club and the Yankees would have no hope at all of competing with a healthy orioles roster. But they’re devastated by injury while the Yankees have been among the healthiest teams in the sport.
dan – You failed to mention how bad Burnes has been this month.
Is he hurt? Or just worn out?
I think he’s just having a rough summer. It happens. Not every season can be your CY platform season. He’s still having a pretty good year. He’s just had a terrible August. It happens. Doesn’t have to be anything more than a human proving himself human.
dan – When humans suddenly perform very, very bad after nearly five years of being one of the best, there has to be a reason for it.
If it’s not due to age, injury, fatigue, tipping pitches, mechanics, etc then it has to be something else. And it needs to be identified and resolved before the end of the regular season.
Shouldn’t be worn out. He’s been good before last month but basically pitches 6 innings and calls it a day since beginning of season
gcg27,
It’s amusing that you seem to think pitching 6 innings per start is coasting, with no acknowledgment of the fact that hitters are more powerful today than they were 20-30 years ago and pitching is significantly more stressful because of the increased requirements of velocity and spin.
I don’t know, his stuff isn’t creating as many whiffs
He’s always been a strikeout pitcher but now doesn’t even average a strikeout per inning
Burnes’ IP and K/9 per season
2018: 38 IP, 8.3 K/9
2019: 49 IP, 12.9 K/9
2020: 59.2 IP, 13.3 K/9
2021: 167 IP, 12.6 K/9
2022: 202 IP, 10.8 K/9
2023: 193.2 IP, 9.3 K/9
2024: 159.1 IP, 8.2 K/9
K%, for those who prefer that stat, has followed a similar trend.
Certainly a concerning downward trend.
Orioles definitely effected by the injuries to the staff but 10-15 games better is a wild stretch. As bad as the Yankees have been, they have the second best record in baseball. You mean to tell me the Orioles would have 85-90 wins right now? They’d be 85 to 90 – 28 to 33??? Stop it.
10-15 by end of season, certainly. The Yankees aren’t very good. The gap between these teams talent is enormous.
I don’t know how people can look at the Yankees and say they aren’t very good. Largest positive run differential in MLB.
“The Yankees aren’t very good.”
Best record in the AL, best run differential in baseball by a wide margin (+125, next highest is +111). You don’t know what you’re talking about.
rct, 14 runs isn’t “a wide margin.”
Injuries is part of the games… what happened to the Yankees last year, did they made the playoffs? Do you guy’s know why? I know why, because of so many injuries.
So stop complaining about the Yankees on not being better than the orioles.
Yankees aren’t very good – but still in first place! What does that say about the rest of the division?
Oh wait, I’m sure if your team wins, it’s the toughest division in baseball, right?
The os would be 10 wins easy replacing Irvin or Roger’s with means or bradish and kimber with batista and Uriah with westburg.
And if Cole (cy young winner) and Rodon (has had better years than anyone on the Os staff besides Burnes, who is tiring) were having their best years right now, the Yanks would be up by 30! Are you really this dumb?
Clarke Schmidt is getting close to returning which probably means they can shift Gil to the pen to limit his innings.
Cole is finding his groove, Nestor has been Nasty of late, Schmidt had a sub 3 ERA before his IL stint, Stroman has looked better lately as well. Rodon is a wild card. But you can easily imagine building a very strong PS roster from those choices.
And letting Gil let loose for an inning at a time in the pen could solve their lack of a true pen power arm.
And don’t forget the possibility of Effross and Trivino coming back to the BP.
It’s a waste of a post because both the Yankees and Orioles are going to the playoffs. There’s no big advantage in being the division champion.
If Orioles lose 3 of 4 to Astros and lose 2 of 3 against dodgers or get swept depending on what else happens they could be in serious jeopardy of not making playoffs as crazy as it seems.. their bullpen is in shatters along with their rotation..
gcg27; Offense has disappeared most nights as well. Losing record since late June and no sign of a bounce back. Missing the playoffs is not “crazy” thinking.
What??? Healthiest team in mlb? They lost their entire bullpen, 1B, DH, ACE and # 3 starters , DH and C for extended period of the year! Stop whining as if the Yankees were heakthy theyvrun away with division easily.
You are delusional. The Os staff has no track record and there’s no way you can blame injuries with guys like this. Grayson hasn’t established himself yet. Whining about him going down is the equivalent of Yankee fans extrapolating Gil’s start to a full year. I’m sure you’d take umbrage with that.
Means? Two solid years in the last seven.
Wells? Never cracked 120 innings in a single year, but sure pencil him in as a guaranteed stud.
Bradish? Again, one good year, no track record.
Offense is mostly underachieving, bullpen is a wreck but ok .. Os are 10, 15, how about 20 games ahead without injuries! Why not, it’s a fantasy anyway.
Oh and how about that playoff performance last year? The better team always loses, right?
Some tough Roaster decisions coming for Yanks. Too add means subtract!
Yep. What do they cook in the Roaster? Hot Corners? Hard Cheese? Hot Liners to the Gap?
Oh, you meant Rooster. Well, Cashman does sometimes go off half-cocked.
UWP – I’d go with Kenny Rogers, his roasters are the best!
His chicken is pretty good but he doesn’t pitch well in big games!!!!!! Lolol
The Yankees mostly roast their pitchers. Gil is done. There’ll be more soon enough. They will suffer an epic collapse in September and get blown out of the postseason when Error in Judgement goes 1 for 20. Half a nice day, pick AM or PM, the choice is yours.
Gil has a minor back strain, he’s far from “done”. If anything he’ll be a nightmare for opposing hitters out of the pen from here on out.
Warren has to hold the fort until Clarke Schmidt is back for the rotation to take Gil’s spot.
The injury factor is happening in all pro sports. But baseball ultimately comes down to pitching, and MLB pitchers are dropping like flies. So we have to wait 5-6 weeks to see which pitchers on the playoff teams are healthy enough to pitch in the games. This is absurd, and as usual MLB is compromising the integrity of the sport for money.
It was very seldom even in the 90’s for an MLB team to get in the playoffs with more than one starter and maybe a bullpen guy or two either 1) injured and off the roster; or 2) on the roster but could only be used in a limited capacity.
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These analytic grad students that never played the game have screwed up the balance of baseball. Injured pitchers are making MLB a joke. Have written this for 7-8 years now:
After the 2nd foul ball with 2 strikes. the batter is out. (Like bunting foul with 2 strikes).
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That guarantees that an at bat will be limited to 8 pitches. It forces the hitter to swing at some point and to try to put the ball in play. This concept of “He had a great at bat” because the batter hit numerous foul balls is moronic (imagine in tennis if the receiving player could hit balls out of play endlessly until he/she puts one in play).
Instead of pitching like it’s the 9th inning of the 7th game of the World Series every time a pitcher is on the mound, give them a chance to pace themselves. A pitcher is more effective throwing at a few MPH lower than he’s capable of, then going all out at a point in the at bat. Changing speeds is one of the keys to pitching. The concept that a pitcher leaves nothing in reserve because some sensor is keeping a record of every pitch he throws, then having eggheads look at it to determine how he should pitch and how he should be paid is simply crazy.
That guarantees that an at bat will be limited to 8 pitches. It forces the hitter to swing at some point and to try to put the ball in play. This concept of “He had a great at bat” because the batter hit numerous foul balls is moronic (imagine in tennis if the receiving player could hit balls out of play endlessly until he/she puts one in play).
I disagree with this as strongly as humanly possible, which means it will be a rule in about two years. EXCEPT, it won’t be because it helps pitchers. Every and I mean EVERY rule change since I threw my first pitch in 1967 has been pro hitter and anti pitcher. The list is too long to enumerate. Heck, why do you think Clemens roided up??? Ridiculous.
Samuel, you’re not ridiculous, baseball is.
I’ve heard Juan so-so (what has he even done) but I’ve never heard anyone criticize judge for being a bad player
How can you call the best hitter since bonds a bad player? Talk about a pessimistic Yankees troll that is angry they don’t have 113 wins
Christ, you are probably the most pathetic poster on here. I won’t engage more than that. You
embarrass yourself with every post.
Keep hating on Aaron Judge, see how that works out for you!
-Cole cries about the warmup pitch rule
-multiple Yankees have bawled about the Yankees getting thrown at despite their pitchers hitting 78 batters and their hitters getting drilled only 38 times
-Aaron Judge isn’t the only 6’8″ batter that gets rung up at pitches on his shins that are strikes to batters 6 inches shorter, but he’s the only one that whines about it
The jersey sponsor should be Huggies instead of Starr Insurance. At this point I would trade them a 28th Ring in exchange for all of them wearing binkies and getting their diapers changed
Wow, you’re paying a lot of attention for a Yankee hater. The Huggies gang is in first place, where’s your team?
So who are these other 6’8 hitters you are referencing?
For the record, Judge rarely reacts to any of the many bad calls against him. That’s an objective fact. And he’s obviously producing regardless so not sure what your point is, but looking forward to your list of all the better not complaining 6’8 hitters in the league who are slugging at half the clip that judge is!
Also, maybe link to one at-bat where Judge made an issue of a call.
Wilson’s got his hands full trying to turn a pile of **** into gold. Can’t be done, though you can always try painting it. You really just gotta shovel it, toss it, put some bleach down on that spot and try to put something better in its place.
The Yankees “clinging to a 1.5-game lead in the AL East”? They gained ground Thursday night when the O’s lost to Houston — and the Bombers have a game in hand.
In three games they could be 1.5 games behind. Then the Orioles would be clinging to the lead.
You’re a joke.
And what are the Sox doing? ‘Fading’ from the WC race? How about weighing in on your own team? They certainly got spanked tonite! Maybe Duran should throw the ‘F’ word around again and galvanize the team for a big homophobic run to the playoffs! I’m sure you’d love that!
Got to love the Red Sox fan who hates the Yanks so much he’s rooting for the Orioles! Says a lot about what you think (but don’t dare say) about your own team.
My Orioles pitching is so depleted and bad right now if Yankees don’t win division by 8 games their manager should be fired and I’m an Oriole fan and Yankee hater saying that
‘Clinging’ implies the Yanks are losing a ton and O’s are running them down.
Yanks just beat Cleveland in a series and picked up the win tonight. Yankees have won 3 in a row, O’s have lost 3 of the last 4. Are they clinging or making a move past the O’s?
Each passing day brings us closer to Buxton’s return to the playing field, but it also brings us closer to his inevitable return to the injured list. That is the Tao that is Byron Buxton.
Saying that Buxton has had a “healthy season” because he’s played in 90 games is one of the biggest stretches I’ve ever seen in writing. Dude has been injured constantly, including multiple times this year
That’s fair, although his time off this year has been a lot more precautionary than in years past.
Byron Buxton will go down as one of the all-time greatest “What-If?”‘s in MLB history. What-if he stayed healthy? Future Hall of Famer? Hall if very good? Just another average ball player? We will never truly know
The Mariners sure could of used Buxton this yr
If we acquired buck he would immediately be batting 2nd every day
We know the White Sox and Mariners will be looking for new managers next winter. Who else? Who does anyone think may be on the hot seat down the stretch?
I think it’s safe to assume Skip Schumaker will not be back in Miami next year. I think Schneider in Toronto may be gone. Marmol in St.Louis should be gone but probably won’t be after signing an extension. Early playoff exits would have to put Boone and Roberts in the conversation if they happen. David Bell? Derek Shelton?
Possibly Bud Black. I think there was an article on here about that a few days ago. Not fired but his contract is expiring and maybe somebody younger needs to lead them towards a chance at contention a few years from now if things break right for them.
Right. There doesn’t seem to much enthusiasm on either side to extend Black. They’ll probably just let the contract expire as they did with Weiss, but it’s anybody’s guess who will manage going forward. I don’t think it really matters any way.
Why are you assuming Mariners will? Wilson was not tagged with interim label and team has confirmed he has been hired as a permanent manager. Itsxwa to early to assume it is automatic.
Who said Wilson is the permanent manager
It’s in the article from yesterday.
It was in the press release.He has been hired as 18th full-time manager in team history and Dipoto confirmed it.
Boone will not be back after 2024. Only a World Series win saves his job plus he has not contract for 2025
Honestly, I don’ think anyone wants to win that AL East title. O’s and Yankees have been playing .500 ball since the break. Might as well give it to another team outside of the East. Give it to Arizona or the Padres.
Hey, maybe the Cubs will fire Counsell to give them a boost. Oops, I forgot – he’s the highest paid manager in MLB history.
Cant believe Buxton is 30 already.