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Braves Place A.J. Minter On Injured List

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The Braves announced today that left-hander A.J. Minter has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation. Fellow lefty Dylan Lee has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.

At this point, it’s unclear how serious Minter’s injury is or how long the club expects him to miss, but it’s perhaps noteworthy that this is his second IL stint for this issue this year. He landed on the IL due to left hip inflammation May 31, missing just over a month before being reinstated July 1. Per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Minter is still undergoing evaluation for his current status and the club isn’t sure if he’ll be able to return this season.

Despite the hip issue, he’s managed to post good results when on the mound, as he has thrown 34 1/3 innings with 2.62 earned runs allowed per nine. His 26.1% strikeout rate is a few ticks below his rate from the previous two seasons, but he’s also getting more ground balls.

There might be a bit of good luck in that ERA as he has a .222 batting average on balls in play and 94.2% strand rate, which are both on the fortunate side. But his 16.7% home run per fly ball ratio is essentially double his rate from the two preceding campaigns. FIP gives a pitcher blame/credit for home runs, so that metric has Minter at 4.46 this year, far worse than his ERA. But a metric like SIERA, which normalizes home run rate, is more kind and has Minter at 3.39. That’s still a noticeable gap from his ERA but it’s not far off from the 3.06 SIERA he had last year.

Regardless of how one feels about Minter’s stats this year, it’s a rough development for the Atlanta bullpen. The relief corps should still be in decent shape without him, as the club’s relievers have a collective 3.38 ERA on the year that trails only the Guardians and Brewers. But they’re in a place now where incremental differences might loom large. Their recent skid has dropped them to 61-56, barely clinging to the final National League Wild Card spot with the Mets just half a game back and several other teams within striking distance.

Manager Brian Snitker has been using Minter in key situations. Minter is second on the team in holds behind Joe Jiménez and his average leverage index is third behind Jiménez and closer Raisel Iglesias. Subtracting Minter will make it more challenging for Snitker to navigate the ends of tight games. Lee has strong numbers on the year, with a 2.00 ERA in 45 innings, but mostly in lower-leverage spots.

It also could be a rough development for Minter himself, as he’s an impending free agent. He has a strong career track record with a 3.28 ERA over his 384 appearances with a 29.3% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 39.9% ground ball rate. But he’s already had one IL stint of over a month this year and another lengthy absence could tamp down his offseason contract offers. He’ll celebrate his 31st birthday on September 2.

Braves Activate Max Fried From Injured List

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TODAY: The Braves officially announced Fried’s activation and optioned lefty Dylan Lee to Triple-A to make room on the active roster. Lee, 30, has a 2.00 ERA in 35 appearances with the Braves this year but is the only player with options remaining in Atlanta’s bullpen after the club acquired right-hander Luke Jackson from the Giants ahead of the trade deadline last week.

AUGUST 3: The Braves are planning to activate left-hander Max Fried from the 15-day injured list in order to start the club’s game against the Marlins tomorrow afternoon, as manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The southpaw has been on the shelf since late last month due to forearm neuritis. Atlanta will need to make room for Fried on the active roster prior to the start of tomorrow’s game.

Fried, 30, had an uncertain timetable for return when he was first placed on the shelf but fortunately will enjoy a near-minimum stay on the IL when all is said and done. It’s surely a relief for Braves fans that Fried was able to return so quickly given the club’s recent struggles; the club is just 14-13 since July 1 and 7-7 since the All Star break. Other clubs in the NL Wild Card race have caught up to the Braves while they’ve been spinning their wheels, as the Diamondbacks are currently just 1.5 games back of Atlanta for the top Wild Card spot, while the Mets and Padres are both tied for the third and final spot just half a game behind Arizona.

With so much crowding in the Wild Card picture, the Braves must be eager to welcome back Fried, who has been one of the league’s steadiest pitchers ever since breaking out during the shortened 2020 season. Since the start of that year, Fried has posted a dominant 2.73 ERA and 3.12 FIP in 101 starts despite a relatively pedestrian 23.3% strikeout rate. It’s been more of the same for the lefty this year as he’s posted a 3.08 ERA and 3.55 FIP in 18 starts for the Braves this year even after a brutal start to the season where he allowed 15 runs (14 earned) in his first 16 1/3 frames this year. He’s been nothing short of dominant since then, however, helping to form a three-headed monster at the front of Atlanta’s rotation alongside Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez that has helped the club overcome its lackluster performance on offense.

In welcoming Fried back to the rotation, the Braves figure to buy themselves a little bit more time in figuring out how to deal with Lopez’s own injury woes. The righty left his most recent start for the club on Sunday after just three innings due to forearm tightness. While an MRI ultimately revealed no structural damage, Lopez has nonetheless been day-to-day ever since. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman relayed earlier today that the right-hander still has yet to throw a bullpen since leaving his start at the beginning of the week, though he added that it “seems like” the club believes he could return to the mound within the next week. That would seemingly make it unlikely that Fried is set to replace Lopez in the rotation, as an IL stint can only be backdated a maximum of three days, meaning a trip to the 15-day IL for Lopez would still keep him out of action for nearly two weeks after he’s removed from the active roster.

With rookie Spencer Schwellenbach having generally impressed with a 4.03 ERA and 3.46 FIP through 11 starts, it seems possible that righty Grant Holmes could be the odd man out in the rotation mix upon Fried’s return. A former first-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2014, Holmes made his big league debut with Atlanta back in June and has pitched well for the club to this point with a 2.54 ERA and 2.22 FIP in 28 1/3 frames. Fried’s return doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Holmes’s time on the roster, however. With Lopez out of commission for the time being, the club could certainly benefit from moving Holmes back into his previous role as a multi-inning reliever or perhaps even keeping him available as a spot starter in the event that Lopez does wind up requiring a trip to the injured list.

Braves Select Dereck Rodriguez

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The Braves announced this morning that they have selected the contract of right-hander Dereck Rodriguez. Left-hander Jared Shuster was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Rodriguez on the active roster, while lefty Dylan Lee was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Rodriguez on the 40-man roster.

Rodriguez, 31, joined the Braves earlier this year when he was claimed off waivers from the Twins. He appeared in two games with the club earlier this season, posting 2 2/3 scoreless innings during that time, but was designated for assignment after the club acquired left-hander Taylor Hearn in late July. Shortly thereafter, Rodriguez accepted an outright assignment to remain in the Braves organization. In 44 2/3 innings of work with the club’s Triple-A affiliate this season, the right-hander has posted an ugly 6.45 ERA with a 21.1% strikeout rate against a 9.5% walk rate.

Rodriguez’s career in the big leagues began in 2018 as a member of the Giants. The then-26-year-old hurler pitched well in his rookie season, with a 2.81 ERA and 3.73 FIP in 21 games (19 starts) with San Francisco. Unfortunately, Rodriguez has struggled ever since that strong debut, with a 5.68 ERA and 6.04 FIP in 114 innings of work at the big league level since the start of the 2019 season. While it seems unlikely Rodriguez will return to the production he generated in his rookie season, he could nonetheless help a beleaguered Braves bullpen that has posted a 5.64 ERA since the start of September.

Shuster’s up-and-down role as a spot starter this season continues as he’s optioned back to Triple-A following his start against the Marlins yesterday. The 25-year-old has struggled to a 5.64 ERA in 52 2/3 innings of work (11 starts) this season, but figures to continue to act as starting depth for the Braves going forward. As for Lee, the lefty was placed on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation earlier this week. The injury was already expected to render him shut down until the 2024 campaign, so his move to the 60-day IL is entirely procedural.

Injury Notes: Belt, Candelario, Lee, Reid-Foley

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The Blue Jays placed Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. He’s dealing with lumbar spine muscle spasms. Outfielder Nathan Lukes is up from Triple-A Buffalo to take the roster spot.

Toronto didn’t provide a timetable for Belt’s return. There are just under three weeks to go in the regular season and the Jays are on the edge of the playoff race. They go into the second game of this week’s series against the Rangers in possession of the American League’s second Wild Card spot, half a game above Texas and one game better than the Mariners.

Belt has had a strong first season in Toronto. Signed to a $9MM free agent deal, the veteran first baseman is hitting .251/.369/.470 with 16 homers across 382 plate appearances. The Jays have used him a platoon capacity, keeping him to just 31 at-bats versus same-handed pitching. His injury could leave more at-bats for lefty-swinging rookie Spencer Horwitz, who is in the lineup tonight against Max Scherzer.

In other injury news:

  • The Cubs plan to place Jeimer Candelario on the 10-day injured list with a back issue, tweets Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Rookie outfielder Alexander Canario will be recalled to take the roster spot. Candelario suffered the injury on Sunday, so the placement will likely be backdated by one day. He’ll first be eligible to return a week from Thursday. Acquired from the Nationals at the deadline, Candelario is hitting .237/.324/.449 in 36 games during his second stint as a Cub. He’d hit well in August before falling into a slump over the past couple weeks.
  • The Braves have placed Dylan Lee on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, the club announced. He had originally been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, but that demotion was voided thanks to the injury. Lee will continue to be paid at the MLB rate. Unfortunately, that’ll come at the cost of the rest of his season. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the Braves will shut the southpaw down until 2024. Lee was out from mid-June until the start of September because of shoulder soreness. He returned to make just four appearances before the shoulder sent him back to the IL. His season wraps up with 23 2/3 innings of 4.18 ERA ball. Atlanta has A.J. Minter and Brad Hand as their top left-handed relief duo going into the playoffs.
  • Mets reliever Sean Reid-Foley suffered a lat strain, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. That’ll certainly end his season. New York recalled Reed Garrett to take Reid-Foley’s place on the active roster. It’s a frustrating development for the 28-year-old Reid-Foley, who was limited to eight appearances since the club selected his contract at the end of August. He’d been out since last May working back from a Tommy John procedure. Reid-Foley tossed 7 2/3 innings of three-run ball this year in the majors, striking out 16 while walking six.

Braves Reinstate Kyle Wright

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Between games of today’s double-header, the Braves announced that right-hander Kyle Wright has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In corresponding moves, left-hander Dylan Lee was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett while righty Daysbel Hernández was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Wright, now 27, had a huge breakout last year. He posted an earned run average of 3.19 over 30 starts for Atlanta, along with a 23.6% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 55.6% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to build on that here in 2023. He made five starts with a 5.79 ERA before a shoulder strain sent him to the injured list, only returning today after missing about four months.

Now that he’s back, he will look to get back into good form and hopefully strengthen an Atlanta club that is already in a great spot. Their 94-49 record is the best in baseball, having already clinched them a playoff spot. They are 16 games up on the Phillies in the division, 6.5 on the Dodgers for the league lead and 3.5 over the Orioles for best in the majors. They’ve done all that while missing Wright and Max Fried for much of the year, though both are now healthy and in the rotation alongside Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. On a personal level, Wright will qualify for arbitration for the first time this winter and a strong finish will help him in that regard.

As for Hernández, he was placed on the injured list August 1 due to right forearm inflammation. He’ll now be officially ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, which effectively ends his regular season. He could theoretically join the club in the postseason but would have to both get healthy and seem like a better option than someone currently on the roster. He posted a 7.36 ERA in four outings this year and missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February of last year. He has struck out 30.3% of batters faced in the minors but has also walked 12.2%.

Braves Reinstate Dylan Lee From Injured List

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The Braves announced that left-hander Dylan Lee has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list, taking one of today’s expanded roster spots, while outfielder Forrest Wall was recalled to take the other. To open a spot on the 40-man for Lee, outfielder Sam Hilliard was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Lee, 29, got a two-inning cup of coffee in 2021 but then got a proper debut last year and was excellent. In 50 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.13 earned run average, 29.4% strikeout rate, 5% walk rate and 35.4% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, his attempts to build off that solid platform have been waylaid by injury this year. He made 20 appearances earlier in the season with a 3.10 ERA but landed on the injured list in mid-May due to left shoulder inflammation, only being activated today.

His return should strengthen an Atlanta bullpen that is already formidable. The club’s relievers have a collective 3.43 ERA this year that places them third in the majors, trailing only the Yankees and Mariners. Lee will add another quality arm to that group, joining A.J. Minter and Brad Hand as the southpaw component. The club is 88-45 and has a 14-game lead in the National League East, as well as a five-game cushion over the Dodgers and Orioles for best record in the majors.

As for Hilliard, he has been on the injured list since July 19 due to a right heel contusion. He began a rehab assignment in early August but re-injured his heel, per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It’s unclear what his timeline for return is, but he’ll now be ineligible to rejoin the club until 60 days from his initial IL placement, which would be mid-September.

Braves Select Charlie Culberson

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The Braves announced that they have recalled right-hander Michael Soroka to start tonight’s game. This will be his first start in front of Atlanta fans since 2019, with the 2020 season being played in empty stadiums because of the pandemic. He then missed 2021 and 2022 entirely before making two road starts this year.

His roster spot was already opened by the club optioning left-hander Jared Shuster to Triple-A yesterday. Additionally, they selected infielder Charlie Culberson to the roster, optioning catcher Chadwick Tromp to Triple-A in a corresponding move. To open a 40-man roster spot for Culberson, left-hander Dylan Lee was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

It’s been a strange season for Culberson, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in March. He was selected to the big league roster in mid-May and spent a month on the bench without getting into a single game. He was then designated for assignment, became a free agent and re-signed with the club on another minor league deal. He’s now back on the roster less than two weeks after being designated for assignment.

It seems he’s mostly around in a “break glass in case of emergency” type of role. He’s played every infield position and the outfield corners in his career, as well as a few mop-up pitching appearances. That means he could be called upon when some other player suffers an injury or needs time off. That didn’t happen in the month that he was on the roster but could theoretically happen at any point going forward. Given his versatility, he’s a good fit for such a role. He’s hit .247/.292/.385 in his career but slashed just .204/.234/.255 in Triple-A this year before getting called up.

As for Lee, he’s been on the injured list since mid-May due to shoulder inflammation. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, which would be mid-July. He’s recently been throwing bullpen sessions but has yet to embark on a rehab assignment. Since he’s probably a few weeks away from a return anyway, this transaction seems to be a mere formality that doesn’t indicate any sort of setback.

Soroka made two starts for the big league club earlier this year but allowed nine earned runs in 9 2/3 innings. He’s been much better in the minors, with a 3.31 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts this year. He’s probably not a long-term solution in the rotation since he hardly pitched at all in the 2020-2022 period due to injuries and has already tallied 64 innings this year. The club has an off-day next week and the All-Star break is the week after that.

Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder have three rotation spots spoken for but the club has rotated various pitchers through the other two with Max Fried and Kyle Wright on the injured list. Soroka, Shuster, Kolby Allard, AJ Smith-Shawver and Dylan Dodd have all received starts this year and each has options. That will allow the club to continually weave them on and off the big league club as they see fit until they get their injured guys back or perhaps make a move at the upcoming deadline.

Injury Notes: Quintana, Lugo, deGrom, Battenfield, Lee

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The Mets have been without offseason pickup José Quintana all season thanks to a Spring Training rib issue that required surgery. The veteran southpaw got positive news this afternoon though. After receiving good results on a recent CT scan, Quintana told reporters he’s set to begin throwing off a mound for the first time since March (relayed by Tim Healey of Newsday).

Quintana is in for an extended rehab process. He’ll need to build up arm strength and progress to throwing live batting practice sessions before a minor league rehab stint that’s sure to encompass multiple starts. During the spring, the Mets provided a July estimate for Quintana’s return to major league action. There’s no indication that timetable has changed, but it’s a positive development his recovery is going as anticipated.

New York has had one of the least productive rotations thus far. They entered play Friday with a 5.29 rotation ERA that ranks 25th leaguewide. That should improve with Justin Verlander back from an early-season injured list stint and Max Scherzer unlikely to carry a 4.88 ERA all season. Still, with Carlos Carrasco allowing nearly an earned run per inning and underwhelming work from depth starters David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi, the Mets could certainly use some stability from Quintana in the second half.

The latest on some other health situations around the game:

  • The Padres placed starter Seth Lugo on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 17, due to a right calf strain. Southpaw Ryan Weathers was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to replace him in the rotation. Signed to a two-year free agent guarantee, Lugo has made eight starts in his move back to the rotation from relief. He’s acquitted himself reasonably well, posting a 4.10 ERA with a roughly league average 21.3% strikeout rate across 41 2/3 innings. The 33-year-old righty is looking to reestablish himself as a starter and could retest the market next winter. His $15MM contract allows him to opt out of the final year and $7.5MM at season’s end.
  • Jacob deGrom threw a 25-pitch bullpen session this afternoon, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It has been three weeks since the two-time Cy Young winner hit the injured list with elbow inflammation. deGrom told Grant and other reporters he came out of the session feeling good, opining he’s “turned a corner” in his ramp-up. Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy indicated on May 9 the club felt deGrom was two to three weeks from a return to a big league mound. While it doesn’t seem he’ll be back within the next few days, all indications are the issue isn’t as alarming as it first seemed given deGrom’s health history. Last offseason’s big-ticket free agent addition has a 2.67 ERA with an elite 39.1% strikeout percentage in his first 30 1/3 innings in a Ranger uniform.
  • The Guardians put starter Peyton Battenfield on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 18, with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The rookie righty has been a member of Cleveland’s rotation since being called up in mid-April. He’s started six of seven appearances but struggled to a 5.19 ERA through 34 2/3 innings. The Oklahoma State product has a modest 18.5% strikeout rate and has given up seven home runs. He spent virtually all of last season with Triple-A Columbus, working to a 3.63 ERA over 28 starts. Battenfield’s next turn through the rotation was scheduled for Monday, so the Guardians will need to settle on a replacement for that series opener against the White Sox.
  • The Braves placed reliever Dylan Lee on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 17, on account of shoulder inflammation. Fellow southpaw Lucas Luetge was activated from an IL stint of his own in a corresponding move. Lee was somewhat quietly among the best relievers in the game last season, when he worked to a 2.13 ERA while striking out 29.4% of batters faced in 50 1/3 innings. He’s not been quite at that pace this year but still carries a solid 3.10 ERA and 27.1% strikeout percentage in 20 appearances. Luetge, acquired in an offseason trade with the Yankees, has made just five appearances with his new team thus far thanks to a bout of biceps inflammation.

Braves Designate Sean Newcomb For Assignment, Option Huascar Ynoa

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The Braves have designated left-hander Sean Newcomb for assignment, per a club announcement. They’ve also optioned righty Huascar Ynoa to Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled right-hander Touki Toussaint and lefty Dylan Lee in place of Newcomb and Ynoa. Additionally, the Braves announced that Ronald Acuna Jr. is headed out on a minor league rehab assignment.

Newcomb’s DFA comes on the heels of a three-year downturn that have seen the starter-turned-setup-man’s effectiveness dwindle considerably. The No. 15 overall pick by the Angels back in 2014, Newcomb headlined the Braves’ return in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim. After a solid rookie showing in 2017, he looked to have broken out in 2018 when he made 30 starts and pitched to a 3.90 ERA over the life of 164 innings. Newcomb’s 23% strikeout rate was solid, but his 11.6% walk rate marked a continuation of ongoing command troubles that had plagued him dating back to his minor league days.

Despite a decent start to the 2019 season, Newcomb was optioned to Gwinnett in mid-April and returned as a reliever in early May. The new role seemed to suit him just fine, as he pitched to a 2.89 ERA with improved strikeout and walk rates (25.5% and 8.9%, respectively) in 56 innings the rest of the way. Averaging just shy of 95 mph on his heater and putting the ball on the ground on more than half of the batted balls against him, Newcomb looked the part of a quality late-inning option.

That hasn’t proven to be the case, however. Dating back to 2020, Newcomb has a 6.71 ERA in 51 big league innings and has spent some time shuttling between Gwinnett and the big leagues. He’s walked more than 15% of his opponents since Opening Day 2020, plunked another five batters and thrown seven wild pitches. Newcomb is out of minor league options, and with him yielding four runs on seven hits and four walks through just five innings (26 batters faced) to begin the season, the Braves made the choice to cut bait.

Newcomb is earning $900K this season after avoiding arbitration this past offseason. He’s still owed about $842K of that sum for the remainder of the season, and any team that claims him or acquires him via trade would be on the hook for the remainder of that sum. If a new team is able to help Newcomb right the ship, however, he’d be controllable through the 2024 season via arbitration. Given that his salary is only $200K north of the new league minimum, it’s certainly possible that another club will look to help get the once-successful southpaw back on track. The Braves will have a week to trade Newcomb, attempt to pass him through waivers or release him. If he’s released, the new signing team would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster.

As for Ynoa, he’ll remain on the 40-man roster and hope to work toward another big league shot after an awful start to the season. The former Twins prospect, acquired in the deal that briefly sent Jaime Garcia to Minnesota, had a short breakout last year when he pitched to a 3.09 ERA over an eight-start stretch that spanned 43 2/3 frames. Ynoa, however, suffered a broken hand when he punched the bench following a poor start and spent two months on the injured list. When he returned, he posted a 5.05 ERA in 46 1/3 frames, and those struggles have not only continued but escalated in 2022. So far this year, he’s made two starts, both shorter than four innings, and yielded five earned runs in each.

The news on Acuna is a welcome sight for Braves fans, as it signifies that — barring any setbacks in his rehab from last year’s ACL tear — he’ll be back with the big league club within a month’s time. Minor league rehab windows are capped at 30 days, so Acuna will be back by mid-May, health-permitting.

Zack Greinke, Dylan Lee To Start Game 4 Of The World Series

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Both starting pitchers have now been announced for tonight’s Game 4 of the World Series, as the Braves have revealed that rookie left-hander Dylan Lee will get the ball to begin what is expected to be a bullpen game against the Astros.  For Houston, manager Dusty Baker confirmed last night that Zack Greinke will start, with Greinke also likely in line for an abbreviated outing.

While both pitchers can probably be more accurately described as openers rather than true starters for tonight’s game, the Lee/Greinke matchup represents quite a contrast in experience.  Greinke has 18 MLB seasons, 3110 regular-season innings, and 21 postseason appearances on his resume.  On the other side of the equation, the 27-year-old Lee didn’t make his Major League debut until October 1, and he has thus far pitched a total of two regular-season innings and 2 2/3 postseason innings in his brief career in The Show.

Lee was included on Atlanta’s NLDS roster but didn’t see any action, and he wasn’t initially on the NLCS roster until Huascar Ynoa had to be replaced due to injury.  Lee pitched two frames of relief in the Braves’ 11-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS, and he then pitched two-thirds of an inning against the Astros in Game 2 of the World Series.

Originally a tenth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2016 draft, Lee posted some solid numbers in his first four pro season, but Miami released him during Spring Training this year.  The Braves inked Lee to a minor league deal, and he responded with some big numbers (1.54 ERA, 30.9% strikeout rate, and a tiny 3.4% walk rate) over 46 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Now, Lee finds himself on the hill in the Fall Classic, becoming the first pitcher to ever make his first Major League start in a Series game (as per the Elias Sports Bureau).  Lee will face a probable top three of Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Alex Bregman, assuming the Astros stick with the same lineup they’ve deployed throughout the World Series.

Between injuries, two weeks on the COVID-related injured list, and a general lack of effectiveness late in the season, Greinke has been limited to two appearances during the playoffs.  He tossed an inning of relief in Houston’s 12-6 loss to the White Sox in the ALDS, and then got the start against the Red Sox in Game 4 of the ALCS.  Though the Astros won that game by a 9-2 margin, Greinke only faced nine batters over 1 1/3 innings, walking three batters and allowing a two-run homer to Xander Bogaerts.

These recent results notwithstanding, “if anybody knows how to pitch in a big game, it’s Greinke,” Baker told reporters yesterday.  “We don’t know how long he’s going to go. Just give us as much quality as you can, and then we’ll turn it over to somebody else.”  Cristian Javier is probably the likeliest candidate to toss bulk innings tonight, as the righty has worked beyond one innings in each of his four postseason outings this year, including 1 1/3 innings against Atlanta in Game 2.

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