Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for today:
1. Scott to undergo MRI:
In last night’s win over the Twins, Tanner Scott exited the game after he felt what manager Dave Roberts described as a “sting” in his forearm. Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that Scott was set to undergo an MRI exam today, but that he views a trip to the injured list due to the issue as “more than likely.” Scott, who celebrates his 31st birthday today, has a 4.14 ERA and 19 saves in his first season as a member of the Dodgers. He signed a $72MM deal in free agency with the club over the winter. It’s been a fairly disappointing first year in Los Angeles, but if Scott winds up missing significant time due to this forearm issue, that will only serve to exacerbate the club’s need for bullpen help in the final days before the trade deadline on July 31. The Dodgers have already been looking into some of the top names on the bullpen market this summer.
2. Brewers’ streak continues:
The Brewers’ incredible surge to the top of the NL Central division is complete, as they put up a 6-0 victory over the Mariners on a night where the previously division-leading Cubs surrendered 12 runs in a clunker against the Royals. That 11th consecutive victory (in conjunction with Chicago’s loss) not only put the Brew Crew in sole possession of first place for the first time all season — it gave them the best record in all of baseball. They’ll look to continue this dominant stretch of play in Seattle tonight, when rookie Jacob Misiorowski (2.81 ERA in five starts) takes the mound opposite Mariners ace Logan Gilbert (3.39 ERA in 12 starts) at 6:40pm local time.
3. MLBTR chat today:
MLB’s trade deadline is just days away! Plenty of deals should be expected once the dam on trades finally breaks, with a number of contenders surely interested in patching holes in their roster ahead of the stretch run. If you’re looking for an idea of what your favorite team will be up to over the next few days, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Milwaukee’s average Joe’s do it again! The Brewers truly are America’s team. Always pull for the little guy; it’s the American way!
pmollan: I’m happy the Brewers are in first place over the hated cubs, but it seems odd all season that teams from the mighty NL West and East don’t have the best record in the game. First the Tigers, now the Brews.
Lol they’re far from average on the diamond They are tho the little guy in terms that they’re the smallest media market in baseball
tang – They sold me when they swept the Red Sox, and how they did it really impressed me ….. sound fundamentals and very clutch. That’s usually a winning combination in October.
I am not surprised. They are a well run organization for a small market. Others could follow their example.
It was funny how earlier in the year, a good amount of people were clamoring that baseball was ruined forever thanks to the perceived talent gap and imbalance caused by the Dodgers and Mets…
wait until the postseason…get back to me in November.
That’s fine with me, talent gap, payroll gap, but roboump will ruin the game as pitchers learn to game the system and the umpires get fed up with hitters tapping their helmets and giving them snarky looks everytime a strike call is overturned. That will be too much. I can’t wait for the day when an ump gets shown up and just walks off the field and says F it.
@Stein: And it’s also funny, Stein, how not so long ago “a good amount of people,” you know who you are, were assuming the Cubs would win the division easily and ridiculing those of us who expressed skepticism about that.
As a Braves I’m rooting for the Brew Crew and Blue Jays WS….it won’t happen but it would be cool to see. MLB would hate it tho lol
In 1992, the Brewers took the eventual World Series champion Blue Jays down to the wire in the AL East race despite having no money for roster reinforcements. The Brewers were so depleted that they lost Paul Molitor to the Jays as a free agent after that season.
Ah, yes, One of the reasons Sasaki chose the Dodgers was their care for pitchers. Makes so much sense……lol
Scott was grabbing at his hamstring when he first got “injured” and now it’s an elbow? Dude is quitting in his squad because he sucks right now. Hope he stays away for awhile.
No i get it. It happens sometimes when I was wrestling one time went to do a standing switch I felt pain real bad I screamed my side and was actually my elbow being blown out. It was just a reaction and sometimes you get overly scared and its just reaction it happens so
Why would he pick a perrenial loser franchise. Dodgers were 2-10 in the last 12 and San Diego still isn’t close to 1st
The Red Sox lost on catcher’s interference. It actually looks like the batter deliberately hit the catcher’s glove. Given the rise in catcher’s interference calls this year, MLB needs to look into it and decide whether it’s always catcher’s interference. Kind of like a HBP when the batter just stands there. I doubt that MLB will do anything but it’s just a thought.
Disagree. Sosa did not reach back. Didn’t even wind up a swing. Catcher was too close and reaching. Apparently he’s had a few others this season. The bases were loaded, Hicks extremely wild. Likely Phillies win regardless.
The – You are 100% correct on all counts.
Not surprisingly, do any of the stats sites have CI stats? Not that I’ve seen, for obvious reasons. I do know Narvaez has a league-leading 6 errors this season, and I’m guessing at least 4 of them were CI (including 2 in one game earlier this season).
The Red Sox have gone so overboard with their tunnel-visioned analytics obsession they keep losing games they should have won with a little bit of old-fashioned situational common sense.
Saw the play when it happened plus a zillion replays. Sosa didn’t intentionally hit the catcher ‘s mitt. In fact, he didn’t intentionally hit anything. He was trying to check his swing. Narvaez just stuck his glove out too far. Dumb play but you see catchers do it all the time.
By the way, the last time an MLB game ended on catcher’s interference, the culprit was Johnny Bench, of all people.
Casey – This is how I expect the Red Sox to lose tonight,
youtu.be/O5_TOPzB6DA?si=ChYetlQYuTkGnWJ6
I thought it was going to Fitts and Weissert combining for five earned and Chris Sanchez mowing down your rookies with seven shut out innings.
miller – That would be logical. There’s nothing logical about how the Sox lose games.
Everyone thought Wheeler would easily beat the Sox last night in a laugher. I don’t think anyone expected Buehler to out-pitch him, or the Sox to lose without giving up an earned run.
Buehler pitched a good game, Wheeler had 10K’s in six innings – gave up a homer another QS for Wheeler.
miller – Vegas now has Wheeler as the Cy winner.
That’s going to be a tough bet to make. The league likes Skenes in the headlines and he has the numbers to justify winning the award. The big difference will be Skenes getting shut down here in a month and Wheeler putting in a full season of innings. Skenes will have posted a number and Wheeler will have another six starts to make.
I’d expect the Pirates to shut Skenes down at some point late, or at the very least limit him to 80 pitches a start.
If you count wins, innings and K/9 Wheeler wins hands down if he continues to pitch like he has through July. He has twelve more starts to make and will likely eclipse 200IPs for the second season in a row.
I have a hard time believing that a batter could intentionally hit the catcher’s glove while tracking a pitch with their eyes.
The rise in catcher’s interference is because catchers are setting up much more forward in order to get more strike calls down in the zone. Eager catchers trying to frame that low pitch are reaching out to get it and if there’s a swing, they are at risk of the catcher’s interference. This isn’t on the batters trying to hit catchers more.
Saw a replay of this and Narvaez is on top of the plate. Catchers are moving up to the plate to better frame the pitch.
hayzee – I know you’re being facetious, but just so everyone else is clear:
1) Catcher Interference skyrocketed last year
2) The cause is like everything else in MLB where teams are like sheep, mindlessly worshiping at the altar of analytics.
3) Catchers keep moving closer to the plate, that’s the problem. Teams are pushing hard for their catchers to move closer and closer to the plate, for the sole purpose of trying to “steal” pitches.
4) As is often the case with MLB, nothing will be done about it until injuries become a bigger problem as more star catchers end up with fractured fingers and fractured arms (see Contreras, Willson).
5) ABS challenge should help some, but probably not that much.
Bottom line, it was the right call. Narvaez put his glove where it’s not allowed to be. The pitch framing obsession needs to stop, just like the obsession with pushing pitchers to throw 100 MPH.
But that that 1 extra strike per game…
What’s weird is that the pitch was nowhere near the strike zone. I didn’t think it was deliberate but it just struck me as something a batter could do to “cheat”. Too bad Cedanne’s bat didn’t hit the catcher’s glove on his “strike out”. Robot umps can’t happen soon enough.
The Red Sox always reinvent ways to lose. Next, they’ll lose on an unassisted triple play by the leftfielder.
Like one knee down, reaching instead of blocking, and ignoring the running game, this is because “pitch framing” is the main thing catchers are judged on. CI, passed balls, SB against, all tolerated because of pitch framing. I support full auto ball-strike calls so that catchers will have to hit and play a complete defensive game again.
Friendly Reminder that Tanner Scott got Mariano Rivera money and has pitched like Derrick Turnbow so far. He is one of 13 stupid contracts that the Dodgers gave out and Top-4 stupidest of the 13 (Austin Barnes isn’t on the team, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow).
The Dodgers are formidable, but the chinks in the armor are showing. Their bullpen leads the majors in innings pitched by 30 innings. The other teams in the top-5 are awful (Angels, White Sox, etc). Their rotation is Yamamoto, Kershaw, and *ducks to avoid the shrapnel of 100-plus mph line drives* instert-name-here
They have 30 relievers. They need starting pitching.
The thing is, they can give out stupid contracts, waste money, and not bat and eye as their local TV deal alone pays the players.
All they do is make the market unmanageable for most of baseball clubs.
If Snell returns, he will be right and ready to go. Dodgers starting pitching will be good.
Ohtani
Yamamoto
Snell
Glasnow
Kershaw
Blake Treinen is going to return soon. Dustin May is going to be in the bullpen if and when Snell returns. Roki Sasaki could join the bullpen at the end of August and Michael Kopech could be ready by the time the playoffs roll around.
Thats four potentially strong bullpen arms. Will be hard to rely on Sasaki in the playoffs but a month to pitch in September will either have him ready or have him in the minors.
Might not work out that way, Snell could be finished for the season, Kopech’s knee could be balky, but the addition of Treinen alone adds a nice arm to a good bullpen and May can pick up the starts if Snell can’t go.
Replacing Conforto is a top priority. Adding a bullpen arm at the deadline is a certainty. Dodgers are set and its Ohtani on the mound that gives them the biggest advantage in the second half.
This one belongs to the Reds, can you just keep your miserable self exclusively to the Reds? We get that you find no joy in the sport, but it doesn’t mean you have to obsessively take your tantrums out on the Dodgers. You seem to always want the Reds to be run like a huge market and sign sign sign, then stop complaining about huge markets.
Troy – Great post!
And another friendly reminder, just 4 months ago a whole lot of people here were demanding the owners cancel the 2027 season because they believed the Dodgers had already bought the 2025 & 2026 World Series.
Getting relievers, quality ones, is always a crapshoot. You never seem to get what they used to be. Zack Britton is one of dozens, maybe hundreds of examples.
Let – Certainly relievers are volatile, Hader’s first year in Houston and Diaz’s first year in NY immediately come to mind. Quite often it’s health related though.
As in the case of those beauts Boston got, Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg. Not to mention Andrew Bailey.
let – I saw in person Hanrahan pitch against the Sox in Pittsburgh, he was so damn impressive. That trade was a massive bummer, luckily The Brock Star salvaged it somewhat.
Cannot underestimate the Brewers. The NL Central goes through them until proven otherwise.
Look, they are on an amazing run, but the Brewers will lose again, I assure you. It has taken 11 wins in a row to catch the Cubs, so we will see who is left standing after all 162 have been played.
It took 11 games to pass them. Cubs were on a tear as well, the NL central is a bit better than anyone expected. Agreed we will see who is left standing, but crew will bring the heat I assure you that.
Dont think anyone was saying they would sweep the rest of the season… but the most overrated manager in baseball has infused his lackadaisical style into this Cubs team, who record wise is nearly a direct copy of last year…. I dont think anyone needs to remind you of how last season ended…. it will be a fun race, hope your one year rental of Kyle Tucker works out for ya, and was worth the cost.
Heard that the Brewers are an all-in team this season, also hear that they are interested in acquiring both Naylor and Suarez. Said to be offering according to a sports radio station the #8, Adams (3B,SS) # 13 Wichowski (SP) and #19 Yoho( SP).. What would they do with Hoskins, would they rotate Left/ Right with Naylor. depending on who they are facing that day.
Why would they do this? That’s a crazy overpay for a guy who makes them marginally better. Neither of thise guys fit what the Brewers like to do with their bench guys. Both are position locked, slow and average defenders.
They’ll add a RP that no one saw cpmong (like Mears last year), and maybe someone like Ryan O’Hearn who can directly replace Jake Bauers (who may be done for the year). 1B is Vaughn/Hoskins the rest of the way, Andrew has earned that opportinity. Could they go get a guy who could play SS/3B in a rotation, sure maybe, but there is no one available that can play defense at SS like Ortiz, and Durbin has been more than fine playing 3B.
The Brewers are in an advantageous position where they could actually sell some pieces for prospects without touching their roster and messing with the chemistry they have. They could easily move 2 SPs (Cortes, and one of Myers/Henderson/Patrick) for some prospects, without affecting next year’s rotation really at all.
Now could they swing big and trade Hoskins and one of the SPs for a bigger addition at 1B? Sure, but I dont know who that would be. I’d love it if they could coax Baltimore into giving up Mayo, but I’m not sure then can make it work.
I expect Quintana to be the guy traded. He’s been pretty good, but they have a lot of arms available soon, all younger and most better.
Maybe, but that leaves them with an all righty staff. Quintana is kind of the perfect “changeup” (see what I did there?) for the rotation. Lefty soft tosser who just knows how to get guys out. Mis throws 100+, Woody hit 96-98 last night, Freddy is 97-98, Priester is around 95. I agree Quintana, on a back end paid expiring deal makes some sense to go, but between Quintana and Cortes… give me the guy that’s actually pitched (and well) this year… pus shipping out the (pro rated) 7.5m would help offset any additions more than the 2m from Quintana