AL West Notes: Astros, Gossett, Kiner-Falefa
There are “two developing holes” on the Astros roster that the team could address at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes in his latest Insider-only column. One is a big bat capable of filling the left field or DH spots, and the other is a potential closer. For the former, Houston has a number of internal candidates on hand (Marwin Gonzalez, Evan Gattis, Josh Reddick, Jake Marisnick) who have either struggled or been battling injuries, while youngsters like J.D. Davis, Tony Kemp, or prospect Kyle Tucker represent more options as manager A.J. Hinch juggles his lineup. Ken Giles has a 4.50 ERA and has allowed a lot of hard contact this season (.368 xwOBA), though he’s also given up just one walk and one homer in 18 innings, against 16 strikeouts. Given Giles’ struggles last postseason, however, the Astros could very well look at pitchers like Kelvin Herrera or Brad Hand to bolster themselves for some important ninth innings come this October.
Here’s some more from around the AL West…
- Sticking with the Astros relief corps, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link) believes the team could specifically target a left-hander at the deadline. While Chris Devenski and Hector Rondon can handle left-handed batters, the only actual southpaw in the Houston pen is Tony Sipp, who has become a spare part rather than a regularly-used arm. The questions surrounding Giles notwithstanding, Rosenthal thinks adding a lefty might be the only real relief need for Houston, as the Astros have one of the best overall bullpens in the game.
- Athletics starter Daniel Gossett left today’s game after five innings due to elbow tightness, though he told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that his removal was precautionary. “I just didn’t want to overextend anything or have it lead to anything that might be worrisome,” Gossett said. The right-hander will undergo an MRI tomorrow in Oakland. Any missed time for Gossett would further thin out an already injury-riddled A’s pitching staff, as Gossett was himself a rotation fill-in while Brett Anderson and Andrew Triggs were out on the disabled list.
- Rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa has emerged as a versatile part of the Rangers roster, and Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News chronicles at how Rangers scout Steve Flores came upon the youngster almost by accident. Kiner-Falefa initially caught Flores’ attention while the scout was on hand to watch another member of Kiner-Falefa’s high school team in Hawaii, and the interest developed to the point that Texas selected Kiner-Falefa in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/18
Sunday’s minor moves from around the game:
- The Mets have assigned Scott Copeland to Double-A after the right-hander cleared waivers, The Athletic’s Tim Healey reports (Twitter link). Copeland was designated for assignment on Friday after just a two-day stint in the majors, though he did chalk up his first MLB appearance since the 2015 season. The 30-year-old has a 3.22 ERA over 22 1/3 IP (all as a starter) at the Double-A level this season.
- The Diamondbacks have acquired right-handed reliever Brad Goldberg from the White Sox for cash considerations, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com and Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Goldberg, 28, will now head to his second organization after initially joining Chicago in the 10th round of the 2013 draft. The hard thrower debuted in the majors last year with 12 innings of 8.25 ERA ball, but other than that, he has worked exclusively in the minors (including a 22 1/3-inning run at Double-A this season). Goldberg owns a 3.07 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 91 Triple-A innings.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Archer, Cubs, Tribe, Barria, Hanley, Brewers, Villanueva
This week in baseball blogs…
- Rays Colored Glasses sees the Cubs as logical suitors for Chris Archer.
- MLB & Fantasy Baseball lists Archer and 20 other players who could end up on the move at the trade deadline.
- Always The Jake wants the Indians to revolutionize their pitching staff.
- Angels Avenue examines the early success of Halos rookie Jaime Barria.
- Know Hitter names the seven best fits for Hanley Ramirez.
- Bronx To Bushville (links: 1, 2) analyzes the performance of the Brewers’ rotation.
- East Village Times focuses on Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva‘s highly productive rookie season.
- Rox Pile goes through starting pitchers the Rockies could acquire.
- The Pinch Runner contends that the Pirates misused Charlie Morton.
- FSH Baseball writes an “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” episode called “The Gang Gets Chase Utley into the Hall of Fame.”
- Rotisserie Duck checks in on the WAR leaders from the season’s first two months.
- Believeland Ball argues that the Indians should pursue Athletics closer Blake Treinen.
- The Sports Tank regards Max Scherzer as the best pitcher in the game.
- Camden Depot looks into the reasons for Chris Davis‘ drastic decline.
- Jays From the Couch assesses Toronto’s season to date.
- Rising Apple offers early grades for the Mets’ offseason free-agent signings.
- Bucs Dugout focuses on Josh Bell‘s middling season thus far.
- Chin Music Baseball names the 10 best players of May.
- PhoulBallz interviews Phillies pitching prospect JoJo Romero.
- Notes from the Sally scouts Marlins pitching prospect Trevor Rogers.
- Minor League Ball picks out five minor league teams worth watching.
- The Runner Sports makes a case for the Astros to promote Double-A outfielder Myles Straw to the majors instead of the more touted Kyle Tucker.
- The K Zone features interviews with a few draft prospects.
- Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network profiles and interviews Cal State Fullerton righty/draft prospect Colton Eastman.
- The 3rd Man In talks to California-based high school pitcher/draft prospect Dominic Pipkin.
- A’s Farm shares a progress report on the team’s top 10 picks from last year’s draft.
- The Point of Pittsburgh gives odds on whom the Pirates will select with the 10th pick of the draft.
- Pro Baseball Detroit runs down five players the Tigers could draft after the first round.
- Pinstriped Prospects lists players the Yankees could redraft.
- Foul Territory Baseball asks if Odubel Herrera is an NL MVP candidate.
- SportsTalkPhilly.com looks at Herrera and the Phillies’ other All-Star candidates.
- Everything Bluebirds credits Russell Martin for his versatility.
- Mets Daddy assesses rookie manager Mickey Callaway’s first two months at the helm.
- Sports Talk Florida notes that the Rays have a rather daunting June ahead.
- Pirates Breakdown views the Bucs as an unpredictable team.
- Redleg Nation urges the Reds to retire Vada Pinson‘s number.
- Jays Journal makes a case for Toronto to move on from manager John Gibbons.
- Call to the Pen takes a look at the late-game setup of the Phillies’ bullpen.
- Motor City Bengals breaks down which colleges the Tigers have drafted the most players from.
- MetsMerizedOnline.com is hoping the Mets’ offense turns things around with RISP.
Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com
Tigers To Select Drew VerHagen’s Contract
The Tigers will select right-hander Drew VerHagen‘s contract prior to their doubleheader against the Yankees on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com tweets. VerHagen will start the first of those games, while the team will option reliever Johnny Barbato in a corresponding move.
The 27-year-old VerHagen is headed back to Detroit’s 40- and 25-man rosters just over a month after the team outrighted him on April 27. VerHagen had thrown 10 innings of seven-run ball at that point, contributing to the 5.04 ERA he has posted across 94 2/3 innings with the Tigers since his 2014 debut.
While VerHagen hasn’t produced in the majors, the hard thrower has been downright dominant with Triple-A Toledo this season. Over six starts and 27 1/3 innings, VerHagen has pitched to a 1.32 ERA with 13.5 K/9, 2.63 BB/9 and a 48.1 percent groundball rate. Those numbers are substantially better than the production he registered last year in 97 1/3 innings at the minors’ highest level (4.90 ERA, 6.38 K/9, 3.98 BB/9, 44.5 grounder percentage).
Reds’ Anthony DeSclafani To Make Season Debut Tuesday
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will make his long-awaited return to the Reds’ rotation with a start on Tuesday against the Rockies, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. It’ll be DeSclafani’s first major league appearance since Sept. 28, 2016. Given that DeSclafani’s currently on the 60-day disabled list and the Reds’ 40-man roster is full, they’ll need to make a corresponding move prior to activating him.
Injuries have beset DeSclafani over the past couple years, as a sprained ulnar collateral ligament kept him out for all of 2017 before a left oblique strain shelved him for the first two months of this season. DeSclafani was a quality mid-rotation starter before then, combining for 308 innings of 3.74 ERA/3.79 FIP ball from 2015-16 – the ex-Marlin’s first two seasons as a Red. Although, DeSclafani’s injury troubles began in earnest in the latter of those years, when an oblique issue cost him two months and limited him to 123 1/3 frames.
Now, if the 28-year-old DeSclafani is able to revisit his old form upon his return, it would be a boon to a rebuilding Cincinnati club that has struggled mightily to develop starting pitching. The Reds’ DeSclafani-less rotation has logged a league-worst 5.59 ERA since last season, and bright spots have been hard to find this year – especially with 2017 breakout starter Luis Castillo amid a disappointing campaign. Among the rotation pieces the Reds have used this season, only Matt Harvey (4.44) and Tyler Mahle (4.38) have managed ERAs under five, but even they’re well below the National League average for starters (3.98).
Marlins Select Drew Rucinski, Option Jarlin Garcia
The Marlins have selected right-handed reliever Drew Rucinski‘s contract from Triple-A New Orleans, according to the team. The club optioned lefty Jarlin Garcia to New Orleans in a corresponding move.
Rucinski, whom the Marlins added on a minors deal over the winter, began the season with a 2.52 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 25 innings prior to his promotion. The 29-year-old previously saw major league action with the Angels (2014-15) and Twins (2017), combining for a 7.23 ERA in 18 2/3 frames.
Garcia ranks third among Marlins pitchers in innings (51), but they chose to demote him after he managed a 4.41 ERA, 5.65 K/9 and 3.71 BB/9 in 12 appearances and six starts. That’s not what either party had in mind when the 25-year-old Garcia no-hit the Mets over six innings on April 11 and then held the Yankees’ elite offense to one hit in five frames on April 17.
Cardinals Likely To Activate Carlos Martinez, Yadier Molina On Tuesday
The Cardinals, 31-25 and firmly in the National League playoff hunt, are set to get back a couple of key reinforcements. Top starter Carlos Martinez and catcher Yadier Molina are on track to come off the disabled list Tuesday, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com.
Martinez went on the DL on May 10 with a strained right lat, before which the 26-year-old opened the season with 50 innings of 1.62 ERA/3.36 FIP pitching. Thanks in part to the flamethrowing Martinez’s efforts, the Cardinals’ rotation owns the majors’ third-best ERA (3.01) and seventh-highest fWAR (5.7).
Martinez will rejoin an impressive group that has also received notable contributions from Miles Mikolas, Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver and Jack Flaherty, though it did lose high-ceiling 23-year-old Alex Reyes again earlier this week. Reyes returned from February 2017 Tommy John surgery this past Wednesday for a start against the NL Central rival Brewers, who lead the Cards by 4.5 games, but he lasted just four innings and subsequently went back on the DL with a “significant” lat strain.
Molina, meantime, has been out since May 6 – shortly after he underwent surgery for what St. Louis called a “pelvic injury with traumatic hematoma.” He suffered the injury behind the plate after taking a 100 mph-plus foul tip off the bat of the Cubs’ Kris Bryant. Molina, 35, had gotten off to a fine start to the season, slashing .272/.292/.456 with six home runs in 120 plate appearances and grading as one of the majors’ best pitch framers, per Baseball Prospectus.
Fill-in catchers Francisco Pena, Carson Kelly and Steven Baron haven’t been nearly as effective as Molina offensively, and all four Cardinals backstops have failed to throw out a single base stealer this season. Runners have gone a combined 20 for 20 against the Redbirds, though Molina figures to change that in the near future. Although the potential Hall of Famer yielded seven steals on as many attempts before his injury, he has thrown out a tremendous 41 percent of would-be base thieves during his career.
Injury Notes: Murphy, Archer, T. Frazier, Graveman
Unfortunately for the Nationals, second baseman Daniel Murphy doesn’t seem close to making his 2018 debut. Manager Dave Martinez told Jamal Collier of MLB.com and other reporters Sunday that Murphy remains “a ways” away from coming off the disabled list. What’s more, Murphy – who underwent microfracture surgery in his right knee last October – has not looked healthy during his Double-A rehab assignment, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post hears. A scout informed Janes that Murphy has been “gimpy,” “struggling to move laterally” and lacking “straight-ahead speed” during action this weekend. Not only is that bad news for the Nats, with whom Murphy starred from 2016-17, but also for the impending free agent. While Murphy did all he could to set himself up for another nice payday over the previous couple seasons, the 33-year-old is now amid a less-than-ideal platform campaign.
- Rays right-hander Chris Archer dealt with groin tightness during his start Saturday, helping lead to his exit after five innings of two-run ball, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. It doesn’t seem to be a major concern, but “he’ll probably get checked out here in the next day or two and see how it is,” manager Kevin Cash said. Thanks in part to Saturday’s performance, Archer has seen his ERA plummet from a season-worst 7.84 on April 14 to 4.24 over his past nine starts. That should help the hard-throwing 29-year-old’s stock if the Rays make him available in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, as some expect them to do.
- Mets third baseman Todd Frazier is primed to come off the DL in time for the team’s series against Baltimore, which begins Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record suggests. Indeed, Frazier tweeted Sunday that he’s on his way back to New York, thus wrapping up a Triple-A rehab assignment. His return will be a rare positive development for the free-falling Mets, who placed Frazier on the DL with a hamstring strain on May 8. Prior to suffering the injury, the offseason free-agent signing opened 2018 with a helpful .237/.357/.412 line and five home runs in 140 plate appearances.
- The Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville has placed righty Kendall Graveman on the DL with a forearm strain, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Fortunately, Graveman doesn’t have any structural damage and should only miss 10 days, Slusser reports. Nevertheless, the injury continues a difficult year for Graveman, who entered 2018 off three straight respectable campaigns but has spent a large portion of the season in the minors. The 27-year-old worked to a 7.60 ERA in 34 1/3 innings prior to his demotion and also hasn’t been great in Nashville, where he has posted a 4.50 ERA in 24 frames.
Indians Sign George Kontos
The Indians have signed reliever George Kontos to a minor league contract, according to an announcement from the team.
Kontos debuted in the majors with the Yankees in 2011 and has since pitched for the Giants and Pirates. The Bucs released the 32-year-old this week after he opened the season with 18 2/3 innings of 5.03 ERA ball. Kontos has generally been successful in the majors, however, as he carries a 3.11 ERA with 7.25 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 43.3 percent groundball rate over 350 innings. Along the way, the righty has held same-handed hitters to a a paltry .228/.270/.374 line and limited lefties to a .236/.325/.381 mark.
Kontos seemingly stands a chance of returning to the bigs in Cleveland, whose bullpen has been a disaster this year. Indians relievers rank dead last in ERA (5.92) and third from the bottom in fWAR (minus-0.6). The club has been on the lookout for established relievers as a result, and already signed Oliver Perez this weekend before adding Kontos.
Braves Outright Miguel Socolovich
The Braves have outrighted right-handed reliever Miguel Socolovich to Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets. His 25-man roster spot will go to left-hander Luiz Gohara, whom the Braves reinstated from the bereavement list.
Because Socolovich has been outrighted in the past (a few times since last season, in fact), he has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. It seems he’ll accept it, though, and remain in the Atlanta organization. The 31-year-old Socolovich joined the Braves over the winter after spending the previous three seasons with the Cardinals.
Socolovich had his moments in St. Louis, where he registered a 3.80 ERA with 7.73 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 in 66 1/3 innings, though his performance dropped off significantly last season with an 8.68 ERA in 18 1/3 frames. His struggles have continued this year as a member of the Braves, with whom he has allowed six earned runs on eight hits and two walks (with four strikeouts) over five innings. Some of the damage came Saturday, when Socolovich took the loss against the Nationals. On the heels of that showing, he’ll head back to Gwinnett, where he has logged a 2.63 ERA, 7.88 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 24 innings this year.