Snake Bit

The trade winds weren't blowing as fiercely as they had been on Tuesday. However, there was plenty of news concerning some of the players changing zip codes recently.

Arizona Diamondbacks fans and fantasy owners of J.D. Martinez were wringing their hands after his inauspicious debut. He ended up striking out in his first two at-bats after joining the Snakes earlier in the day, but that's not the bad part. By now you know Martinez was forced out of the game after taking a pitch off the left hand while swinging and missing on a Tim Adleman offering in the fourth inning. Four innings. Four stinking innings he debuted with Arizona before departing.

Things certainly looked grim when the trainer came to check on the newly acquired outfielder, especially when close-ups on the telecast showed Martinez's hand shaking while he grimaced in pain. However, reports after the game indicated that initial X-rays did not indicate a break, which would keep him out for weeks. Instead, Martinez simply suffered a bruised left hand and he is considered day to day for the moment. However, with a matinee game in the series finale at Great American Ball Park, you can expect Martinez to be back out of the lineup.

The Diamondbacks will simply go back to the days before Martinez arrived… or, their pre-trade outfielder setup. Daniel Descalso took over in left field with Martinez checking out, with the red-hot David Peralta shifting over from left to right field, while A.J. Pollock remains in center field. It's uncertain if Martinez will be forced to miss more than just a day or two, but the Diamondbacks were able to make do without him before, and they'll be fine without him as long as the initial tests are true.

As far as the 'other' big trade, the Chicago White Sox cleaned up with a handful of minor-leaguers in their deal with the New York Yankees. However, it's Tyler Clippard making the most news on Wednesday. The veteran will take over the closing duties on the south side with David Robertson in the Bronx now, and Clippard gets a golden opportunity to show he can still be a valuable contributor after being a huge disappointment for the Bronx Bombers. He appeared to struggle with his location for most of his tenure in New York this season, and his confidence was clearly rattled. Perhaps stepping out of the limelight and into a lower pressure situation in Chicago will suit him better. Think Sam Dyson, and how atrocious he was in Texas earlier this season. He moved on to San Francisco and turned over a new leaf. Perhaps the same will be true for Clip.

The Gladiator March

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Steven Souza swatted his 20th homer earlier in the series against the Oakland Athletics, as he continues to set a new career high every time he leaves the yard. Unfortunately for Souza and his fantasy owners, he was doing a march to the trainer's table after an awkward slide into second base in Tuesday's game.

The outfielder appeared to be trying to elude a tag on an attempted steal of second base in the first inning. He blamed the fact it was muddy around second base and his leg stuck on the ugly slide. Initially, he did actually avoid the tag, but he did a split which would cause any man to wince just watching the replay. The good news is that X-rays were negative and the initial diagnosis for Souza is a strained left hip, although he will have an MRI once the team returns to St. Petersburg. The good news is that Thursday is a scheduled day off, so he'll get a chance to get checked out and rest.

If Souza is forced to the 10-day disabled list, it would be a huge blow to a Rays team making great strides and an ascension up the standings in the American League East. Shane Peterson checked into the game and took the golden sombrero, striking out in all four of his at-bats. So needless to say, the Rays and fantasy owners hope Souza can get better once he is homeward bound, and he will not need more help from the loyal legion of trainers. Sorry, I nerded out a bit and made a few references to John Phillip Sousa, which isn't even the same spelling, just to clear up some of the references here.

Aaron On the Side of Caution

Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez was forced out of his start due to a blister concern, as the right-hander continues to battle the problem. He spent time earlier this season on the 10-day disabled list due to a blister situation, causing him to miss several weeks, so fantasy owners will be on pins and needles hoping for the best. He had recorded quality starts in two of his previous three outings before checking out of Wednesday's start.

If Sanchez is forced back to the DL again, look for Joe Biagini to potentially re-join the rotation. He filled in earlier this season with mixed results, posting three quality starts in 11 outings as a starter, but he also sits with a 2-8 record, and rather middling 5.24 ERA. The team could also dip down to the farm for help, perhaps tabbing Jarrett Grube, T.J. House or Brett Oberholtzer to keep the spot warm until Sanchez is able to return. It seems with his previous injury history that the team will not be inclined to rush him.

National League Quick Hits: As mentioned, Dyson has enjoyed his change of scenery in San Francisco. He did need 24 pitches to record his fifth save in a Giants uniform, but he worked a scoreless ninth to lower his ERA to 2.76. … Denard Span is up to 25 extra-base hits after collecting his 18th double and seventh homer of the season in a win against Cleveland. … Mike Montgomery won for just the second time in his eight decisions this season, besting Atlanta. He also swatted a homer off counterpart R.A. Dickey to support his own cause. … Javier Baez continues to hum along, posting his fourth consecutive multi-hit performance. He is 10-for-16 over his past four games with five runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and six RBI to raise his average from .252 to .275 just since July 14. … Much to Giancarlo Stanton's dismay, the Phillies paddled his Marlins. The first six hitters in the Philadelphia lineup, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, Nick Williams, Maikel Franco, Daniel Nava and Tommy Joseph each recorded at least two hits, while all of the position players managed at least one knock. … Nolan Arenado continues to look like a legitimate MVP candidate, swatting three homers with seven RBI in a rout of the Padres. … Charlie Blackmon, Ryan Hanigan, Gerardo Parra and Trevor Story each joined the hit party with at least three hits vs. San Diego. … Jacob deGrom won his seventh consecutive start, allowing just one earned run and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. Greedy fantasy owners will complain he had just three strikeouts, but he is now 7-0 with a 1.51 ERA over his past 53 2/3 innings across seven outings. … Gerrit Cole, who is not on the trading block according to the Pirates, struck out 10 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against the first-place Brewers. … Bryce Harper was given the day off, so his 13-game hitting streak will carry into Wednesday.

American League Quick Hits: Jose Altuve picked up two more hits against the Mariners, pushing the AL's longest active hitting streak to 12 games. He is hitting a ridiculous .500 (27-for-54) with 12 runs scored, three homers and 12 RBI during the impressive streak. … James Paxton picked up his ninth win of the season, allowing just one run over seven innings in Houston. He is now 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA over 26 1/3 innings in July across four outings. … Jose Berrios continues to be a huge surprise, as he won his ninth game of the season by topping the Yankees. He allowed one earned run with six hits over 6 2/3 innings for his eighth quality start over 13 starts. … Matt Joyce unloaded for his 12th homer of the season, victimizing his former team. … The Rangers will be happy when their charter is wheels up from BWI early Friday morning, as they were manhandled in Charm City. Baltimore outscored Texas 25-4 in the first three games of their four-game series. All-Star Jonathan Schoop did the damage again Wednesday, posting three hits and three RBI. He has posted six RBI over the past three outings. … Kevin Gausman entered with the highest ERA among all starting pitchers, but he looked great against the Rangers. He allowed just one earned run, four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings to lower his ERA from 6.39 to 6.11. He has a long way to go still, but it's a start. … Yoan Moncada made his debut, going hitless in two at-bats with a strikeout.