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NL Central Notes: Kingham, Finnegan, Dubon

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2018 at 3:37pm CDT

The Pirates announced this afternoon that they’ve optioned righty Nick Kingham back to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 26-year-old was the talk of baseball when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning in his MLB debut, though his second start (four runs in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts against one walk) offered more mixed results. Kingham’s spot in the rotation will likely go to Joe Musgrove, who is nearing a return from the DL, though more immediately, his roster spot is going to infielder Jose Osuna, who has been recalled from Triple-A. Chad Kuhl’s strong weekend outing likely bought him some additional length on his leash, but it still seems likely that Kingham will be starting games for the Pirates again at some point in 2018, whether due to injury or poor performance from one of the club’s other young starters.

Here’s more from the division…

Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman told reporters today that in spite of his considerable struggles, left Brandon Finnegan would make his next scheduled start (Twitter link via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic). Finnegan, 25, has been hammered for 19 earned runs on 27 hits (five homers) and 15 walks against 14 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings so far in 2018. He hasn’t lasted more than five innings in any of his starts this season and has allowed three or more runs each time he’s taken the mound. There was plenty of debate as to whether Finnegan was best suited as a starter or reliever even prior to Cincinnati’s acquisition of him in the 2015 Johnny Cueto blockbuster with the Royals, and he’s yet to establish himself as a viable rotation piece at the game’s top level. Rosecrans notes that Riggleman wouldn’t commit to anything beyond his next outing, so it’s possible that Finnegan’s leash is running out. Finnegan does have minor league options remaining for this season and next.
Some Brewers fans have clamored for a promotion of infield prospect Mauricio Dubon, who has a 23-game hitting streak going in Triple-A, but Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Dubon incurred a knee injury over the weekend and is headed to Milwaukee to be examined by team physician Dr. William Raasch. Farm director Tom Flanagan tells Haudricourt that the hope is that Dubon is dealing only with a strain, though the organization won’t know until further testing and imaging is performed. Dubon suffered the injury while executing a rundown in Saturday’s game. Acquired alongside Travis Shaw in the Tyler Thornburg deal with the Red Sox, Dubon is hitting .343/.348/.574 with four homers and six steals in 114 plate appearances this season.

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Machado, Cubs, Orioles

By Tim Dierkes | May 7, 2018 at 2:30pm CDT

Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with Tim Dierkes.

Johnny Cueto Out Six To Eight Weeks With Elbow Sprain

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2018 at 12:30pm CDT

12:30pm: Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets that Cueto’s timeline to return is actually six to eight weeks.

12:21pm: There’s been no shortage of worry over the status of Johnny Cueto’s elbow following last week’s placement on the DL and visit to multiple specialists, including Dr. James Andrews. FanRag’s Jon Heyman, however, tweets that the Giants received relatively good news on their righty. While Cueto has been diagnosed with a sprain in the elbow, he’s avoided a major tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. Dr. Andrews prescribed rest for Cueto, and he’s expected to miss six weeks of action, per Heyman.

Certainly, a six-week absence for Cueto, who stormed out of the gates hotter than almost any pitcher on the planet, is a critical blow for the Giants. But Cueto has obviously avoided a worst-case scenario by receiving a non-surgical treatment plan. With Cueto and Madison Bumgarner on the shelf for the time being, the Giants will continue to turn to Jeff Samardzija, Chris Stratton, Ty Blach, Derek Holland and Andrew Suarez in the rotation, with Tyler Beede waiting in the wings at Triple-A Sacramento should another need arise in the starting corps.

The 2017 season was one to forget for Cueto, who was limited to 147 2/3 innings by a flexor strain and struggled to a 4.52 ERA in that time. Last year’s struggles prompted Cueto to forgo the opt-out provision in his six-year deal with the Giants, and early on, it looked like a blessing in disguise for San Francisco. Cueto took the NL by storm in April, tossing 32 innings with a 0.84 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a 45 percent ground-ball rate. He allowed just one homer in his 32 frames before landing on the DL with what was initially termed inflammation before an MRI and a series of evaluations.

San Francisco has remained afloat in the division with a 19-15 record, four games back from the Diamondbacks for the NL West lead, and just completed a sweep of an exciting young Braves team over the weekend. The loss of Cueto for an extended period will give the club a lengthy look at Suarez, who has admittedly been quite impressive in his first three starts as a big leaguer (3.06 ERA, 18-to-2 K/BB ratio, 53.3 percent ground-ball rate in 17 2/3 innings). The former second-round pick could position himself to seize a long-term starting job for the Giants if he continues at anywhere near that pace.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/7/18

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2018 at 11:48am CDT

Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league…

The Angels acquired minor league right-hander Max Cordy from the Twins in exchange for cash, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports. Minnesota selected the now-24-year-old Cordy in the final round of the 2015 draft. He’s yet to advance beyond A-ball, though he does come with a track record of missing bats and inducing huge ground-ball rates (north of 60 percent) in the low minors. Cordy has averaged 5.5 walks per nine innings pitched since being drafted and is off to a rough start in Class-A Advanced this season, owning a 7.15 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.
The Orioles picked up minor league catcher Wilson Garcia from the Phillies in exchange for cash, also via Eddy. The 24-year-old Garcia is a career .281/.314/.386 hitter in the minors, but he’s yet to move past A-ball. Garcia seemingly throws quite well, given a 40 percent caught-stealing mark in his career to date. Baltimore assigned him to their Class-A Advanced affiliate in Frederick.
Right-hander Luis Santos cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays, per the team’s transactions log on their official web site. The 27-year-old was clobbered for six runs in 1 2/3 innings in his lone MLB appearance this season before being designated for assignment. Santos did post a 2.70 ERA and a 16-to-4 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings in the Majors last season, and he has a career 3.90 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings of relief at the Triple-A level.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Rays, German

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2018 at 10:49am CDT

The Orioles’ ghastly start to the season should leave the club’s decision-makers without any delusion of contending in 2018, writes Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). GM Dan Duquette has cited Memorial Day as a “marker” to evaluate teams, Rosenthal notes, but the Orioles’ status is already clear. Duquette thought about dismissing pitching coach Roger McDowell after the 2017 season but held off on doing so, and Rosenthal suggests that McDowell and/or hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh could find himself on the hot seat.

Moreover, the report further focuses on the shifting power structure in the Orioles’ front office and ownership group. Vice president Brady Anderson is taking on a larger role in baseball operations and ran point on the signings of Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman, per the report, though none of that group has performed well so far. And while owner Peter Angelos hasn’t been keen on splashy in-season firings or trades, it’s not clear if his sons, John and Lou, each of whom is becoming more active in the club’s operations, will practice the same restraint.

Reds Release Patrick Kivlehan

By Steve Adams | May 7, 2018 at 8:53am CDT

The Reds have released infielder/outfielder Patrick Kivlehan from their Triple-A affiliate, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports in his latest transactions roundup. The 28-year-old had been with the organization since 2016.

Kivlehan spent the entire 2017 season in the Majors with the Reds, tallying a career-high 204 plate appearances but struggling to a .208/.304/.399 batting line. He did manage to walk at a 10.8 percent clip and slug nine homers, five doubles and a triple while posting a quality .191 ISO in that time. However, Kivlehan also punched out in 29.9 percent of those 204 plate appearances as well.

Thus far in the 2018 season, that power was nowhere to be found at the Triple-A level. Through his first 47 PAs, Kivlehan hit just .167/.255/.167 with 15 strikeouts against two walks. Kivlehan, a career .251/.306/.424 hitter in Triple-A, has extensive experience at third base, first base and in left field. He’s also spent more than 100 innings in center field and left field, and he made a quick two-inning cameo at second base with Cincinnati’s top affiliate in 2018 as well.

Quick Hits: Harvey, Giants, Red Sox, Orioles, Soroka, Cubs

By Mark Polishuk | May 6, 2018 at 11:58pm CDT

As the legendary Willie Mays celebrates his 87th birthday, here are some notes from around the baseball world…

The Giants could be a potential fit as a suitor for Matt Harvey, as the former Mets ace’s arm intrigues some members of San Francisco organization, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via Twitter). Rather than take on the extra salary that would come with claiming or trading for Harvey during his DFA period, Schulman figures the Giants will wait until he hits the open market before considering a pursuit. The Giants have little salary room to spare as they aim to stay under the $187MM luxury tax limit, so their obvious preference is to sign Harvey for a prorated minimum salary.
While a Matt Harvey-for-Blake Swihart trade doesn’t seem to be in the cards, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey (subscription required) wonders if the Red Sox could still have interest in Harvey as a reclamation project given assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister’s recent success in reviving struggling veteran starters. The Sox also have some experience in dealing with pitchers returning from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in the form of Tyler Thornburg, though Bannister notes that “we’re all kind of still learning about” how to best rehab pitchers after the TOS procedure.
With an 8-26 record, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before the Orioles start making some necessary changes, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required) in a follow-up to his piece last month about Baltimore’s evolving front office and ownership dynamic. Since executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette seems to be losing influence within the organization, Rosenthal asks “why would they keep Duquette at all?” as the team approaches some critical long-term decisions at the trade deadline. Duquette considered firing pitching coach Roger McDowell after last season in the wake of the poor performance of Baltimore’s arms, though it isn’t known whether moves like coaching changes are still under consideration, or if Buck Showalter could step in to prevent firing members of his coaching staff. Whatever changes are made, fans aren’t buying into the current (lack of) direction, as attendance is way down at Camden Yards.
Braves pitching prospect Mike Soroka’s second career MLB start wasn’t nearly as impressive as his first, as Soroka allowed four earned runs over four innings today against the Giants. Manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter link) and other media that Soroka is scheduled to make his next start, with an implication being that Atlanta isn’t planning to demote the 20-year-old anytime soon. Anibal Sanchez is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, and will likely be moved to relief pitching when he returns so the Braves can give Soroka a fuller look in his first taste of the majors.
Phillies hitting coach John Mallee “was totally surprised” at being replaced as the Cubs’ hitting coach after last season, he tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Though manager Joe Maddon praised Mallee’s work, the Cubs’ decision to part ways with Mallee and hire Chili Davis seemed due (as Maddon and Theo Epstein explain) to an organizational preference for more of a well-rounded hitting attack, as opposed to Mallee’s more launch angle-based philosophy. It seems like there could be a bit of a learning curve to the new approach for Cubs hitters, as the team’s offensive numbers are down over the first six weeks of the season.

C.C. Sabathia Likely To Retire If Yankees Win World Series

By Mark Polishuk | May 6, 2018 at 10:59pm CDT

If the Yankees win the World Series this season, C.C. Sabathia will take it as the perfect ending to his 18-year career. “I want one more parade and pretty sure that will be it,” the veteran southpaw tells George A. King III of the New York Post. Sabathia also added that he would’ve retired had the Yankees won last year’s World Series, rather than suffer a tough Game Seven loss to the Astros in the ALCS.

Sabathia turns 38 in July, so retirement was coming sooner rather than later for the former AL Cy Young Award winner. Should the Yankees again fall short in the playoffs, of course, the obvious question would be if Sabathia would be willing to stick around for one more year, since New York’s contention window doesn’t seem to be closing anytime in the foreseeable future. Health concerns will be paramount for a pitcher who has dealt with significant knee problems during his career (plus smaller but still-notable issues with his elbow, hamstring, groin, and hip), though in terms of performance, Sabathia is still a quality asset on the mound.

This late-career revival seemed unlikely at the height of Sabathia’s injury woes, when his knee injuries limited him to just 46 innings in 2014. At the time, it seemed as if Sabathia’s career would end after his five-year, $122MM extension with the Yankees was up, though a lack of shoulder-related injuries caused his $25MM option for 2017 to vest, and he managed to return as a solid, innings-eater at the back of New York’s rotation. He posted a 4.12 ERA, 7.4 K/9, and 2.48 K/BB rate over 495 2/3 innings from 2015-17, topping it off with a 2.37 ERA over 19 postseason frames last October.

There seemed little doubt of a reunion between Sabathia and the Yankees last winter, and sure enough, the left-hander rejoined the team on a one-year, $10MM contract. Thus far, Sabathia actually has the lowest ERA (1.39) of any New York hurler with more than two innings pitched, though he has received quite a bit of BABIP (.211) and strand rate (81.4%) luck thus far. Even ERA predictors, however, still paint a respectable picture (3.60 FIP, 4.42 xFIP, 4.20 SIERA) of the veteran’s performance this season. Sabathia’s strong start has been particularly helpful for a Yankees rotation that has seen Sonny Gray struggle badly, and Jordan Montgomery head to the DL with a flexor strain.

Injury Updates: Jones, Britton, Pham, Aledmys, Vogt, Betts

By Mark Polishuk | May 6, 2018 at 9:56pm CDT

X-rays were negative on Adam Jones’ right hand and wrist after the Orioles center fielder was hit by a pitch during Saturday night’s game. Jones wasn’t in today’s lineup, though it was already a scheduled off-day for the veteran and he told reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com) that he was feeling fine. Manager Buck Showalter also spoke to the media about some other Orioles injury situations, including the news that Zach Britton will face live hitters during a batting practice session on May 15. Outfielder Trey Mancini is also battling minor knee soreness and didn’t start today’s game, though he did appear as a pinch-hitter.

Here are some more injury updates from around baseball…

Tommy Pham left Saturday’s game due to what an MRI revealed to be slight irritation in his right hip abductor, the Cardinals outfielder told media (including MLB.com’s Joe Trezza) Pham missed a few games due to a similar injury earlier this season, and said that another brief absence could be necessary, though he was hopeful of playing on Monday. The Cardinals didn’t start Pham in tonight’s game against the Cubs, though he is available to pinch-hit. Pham is off to a wonderful start, hitting .327/.445/.541 over his first 119 PA and leading the league in on-base percentage.
Blue Jays shortstop Aledmys Diaz suffered a sprained left ankle while beating out an infield hit today, and had to be removed from the game. Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and others reported that x-rays were negative on Diaz’s ankle, though he will undergo an MRI to further determine the severity of the injury. Acquired in the offseason to provide depth behind Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop, Diaz has appeared in almost every game for Toronto as Tulowitzki has been on the DL recovering from surgery to remove bone spurs from both ankles. Tulowitzki isn’t expected back for at least another month, so Yangervis Solarte could end up seeing more time at short if Diaz is also sidelined, as the Jays’ other top shortstop options are rookies Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Richard Urena. Gift Ngoepe could rejoin the mix if he clears waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.
Stephen Vogt removed himself from a minor league rehab game on Saturday with another shoulder problem, the Brewers catcher told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Vogt “felt something pinch in my shoulder” during a throw to third base, and described the new problem as coming from a different area of his shoulder than the capsule strain that has sidelined him since late February. Even a day after suffering the injury, Vogt said he was still “in a lot of pain” and was going to be examined by team doctors on Monday. The ominous-sounding situation doesn’t bode well for Vogt or the Brewers’ catching mix, as the Manny Pina/Jett Bandy tandem hasn’t contributed much at the plate over the first month-plus of the season.
Mookie Betts left today’s game in the second inning after a wild throw from Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman hit Betts’ shoulder blade. The throw “got me right on the bone,” Betts told the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham and other reporters, and while manager Alex Cora chose to be cautious in removing the star outfielder, the injury doesn’t seem too serious. Betts didn’t receive x-rays, and he hopes that Monday’s off-day in the Red Sox schedule will be all the recovery time he needs.

Dodgers Place Clayton Kershaw On DL With Biceps Tendinitis

By Connor Byrne | May 6, 2018 at 8:39pm CDT

8:39pm: The diagnosis of biceps tendinitis has been confirmed by an MRI, according to several reporters (including The Athletic’s Pedro Moura). Kershaw will begin his injury rehab tomorrow.

7:28pm: Kershaw has already met with Dr. ElAttrache, MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick tweets, and the Dodgers are hopeful of getting the test results either tonight or tomorrow.

1:52pm: Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman discussed Kershaw’s injury with reporters, saying there’s “no indication it’s anything more serious than biceps tendinitis” (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).

11:43am: The Dodgers have placed left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Kershaw’s headed back to Los Angeles to be examined by famed surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, McCullough adds. The team will replace him on the 25-man roster with righty Brock Stewart, whom it recalled from Triple-A.

While it’s not yet clear just how serious this injury is, seeing arguably the top starter in the game go down with an arm issue is obviously cause for alarm – especially given his career workload (2,101 innings, including playoffs). Moreover, this marks the third straight season in which Kershaw has hit the DL, as hip and back issues prevented him from enjoying full campaigns in 2016 and ’17. Still, unless this is a catastrophic injury, Kershaw’s recent durability concerns won’t necessarily stop him from opting out of the two years and $65MM remaining on his contract after the season. However, they could give the Dodgers and other teams pause if the 30-year-old reaches the open market in search of a megadeal.

While Kershaw’s future will be sorted out during the winter, the Dodgers are currently focused on trying to rebound from a surprisingly poor start. The reigning National League champions came out of the gates at just 15-18 with a healthy Kershaw, putting them seven games behind the NL West-leading Diamondbacks. Injuries were partly to blame for the Dodgers’ struggles even before Kershaw went down, as they’ve seen several household names hit the DL this season in Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Logan Forsythe, Yasiel Puig, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill. Seager, LA’s star shortstop, won’t play again this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month, while a left groin strain will prevent Ryu from returning until after the All-Star break.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Hill will come back Tuesday from a finger injury that has kept him out since mid-April. But that can’t be of much consolation to LA, which has encountered almost nothing but bad luck since Turner broke his wrist in late March. As the Dodgers hope for good news on Kershaw, who has pitched to a typically stellar ERA (2.86) over 44 innings this year, they’ll go forth with a rotation consisting of Hill, Alex Wood, rookie sensation Walker Buehler, Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling (depth chart).

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