Now, the pair of aces is tabled.
The Dodgers on Saturday placed Darvish on the 10-day disabled list with back tightness. Left-handed reliever Edward Paredes was recalled to take Darvish's place on the 25-man roster.
If there's a silver lining, it's that Darvish told manager Dave Roberts that he feels like he could take his next turn Tuesday. The team, with a commanding lead on the rest of the field and a vice grip on the NL West title, is just being overly cautious with their new purchase.
“Yu feels like he can physically go,” Roberts said. “But I think as an organization, we’re trying to really do what’s best for him. And if there’s any kind of thought to his back being sore or stiff, for us to run him out there doesn’t make much sense, where we’re at.”
The team will turn to Brock Stewart in Darvish's place. The expectation is that Darvish won't be forced to miss any more than the one start, with his disabled list stint backdated to his Wednesday outing.
Though they've showed no signs of stopping en route to an incredible 87-34 record, the team is already without ace Clayton Kershaw, among others. Kershaw is throwing simulated games in his rehabilitation from a lower back strain.
Both should be back well ahead of an anticipated deep run in October.
At least that's what he is for now, as Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Saturday that the hard-throwing southpaw will be used in a variety of roles as he continues to struggle at the back end of games.
“Similar to what we’re doing with our other relievers," Girardi said. “I will use him at any time.
“To get him back on track, I thought the best chance might be to move him around a little bit. When we get him going, there’s a good chance I’ll use him back in the closer’s role.
“That’s the thought process. But we might find something that works so well, we’ll want to keep it.”
The move comes after yet another difficult outing for the reliever Friday. Chapman allowed two runs in an inning against the Red Sox, the third straight time out he's allowed two runs and the fourth appearance in a row in which he's been scored upon. The 29-year-old's ERA has risen from 2.87 to 4.29 in that span.
In his place, Dellin Betances has done an admirable job closing games for the Yanks. Betances picked up the save in Saturday's win over the Red Sox, and he's got nine saved with a 2.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 81/33 K/BB ratio in 47 innings this year.
Assuming his health isn't compromised, Chapman could easily find his command as quickly as he lost it and, with a few good outings, could force his way back into the ninth inning. But with Betances pitching like a lights-out closer and the Yankees clawing for a postseason berth, it's not hard to see a scenario where Betances takes the job and runs away with it, at least for 2017.
Demotions, Demotions
A pair of National League West outfielders Saturday were sent to Triple-A to get their swings straightened out.
Joc Pederson and Hunter Renfroe were demoted by their respective clubs, and both, not surprisingly, struggled greatly ahead of the moves. Pederson was hitting .116/.218/.261 with two homers, seven RBI and a 14/6 K/BB ratio over his last 78 plate appearances, and Renfroe is slashing .230/.285/.443 while going 4-for-26 with 16 strikeouts in recent days.
The Pederson move was made easier with the Dodgers' acquisition of Curtis Granderson late Friday. Granderson, like Pederson, is a left-handed hitter with pop and some speed. With Enrique Hernandez also able to play center field and Granderson having a better offensive year than Pederson, the 25-year-old became expendable.
Renfroe's situation is the exact opposite in that the Padres aren't looking at putting together their best 25-man roster, but rather, they're operating with at least one eye on the future. Renfroe's struggles at the major league level aren't helping his development, so the 25-year-old was sent where he could work on his swing without the pressure of playing in front of an MLB crowd every night.
Both could be back as soon as rosters expand in early September. We'll see then whether a few weeks in the minors made a difference.
National League Quick Hits: Stephen Strasburg allowed two runs on four hits over six innings in Saturday's loss to the Padres. Strasburg had missed about three weeks of action due to an elbow impingement before being activated from the disabled list for Saturday's outing. He punched out eight and walked one on the evening. In 21 starts this season, Strasburg owns a 3.24 ERA and 1.10 WHIP ... Cody Bellinger left Saturday's game against the Tigers with a mild right ankle sprain. Bellinger stayed in briefly after coming down awkwardly on a catch but was soon replaced by Yasiel Puig in right field. No X-rays were required and Bellinger downplayed his injury when speaking to reporters after the game. Bellinger will be given the day off on Sunday, though it looks like he'll avoid the disabled list ... Scooter Gennett had two hits, including a grand slam, and five RBI as the Reds outlasted the Braves 11-8 on Saturday. Gennett drove in a run with a sac fly in the seventh inning before lifting a no-doubter into the right field seats in the ninth. It seemed like piling on at the time, but the Braves plated four of their own in the bottom of the frame, making Gennett's slam the difference. He's now got 21 homers on the season, easily a career best, and he's also on pace to set career highs in runs scored, RBI, slugging percentage and OPS as well.
American League Quick Hits: Miguel Sano left Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks with left shin soreness. The injury is to his lower shin. Sano didn't look right running to first on a fourth-inning double play ball but stayed in until Mitch Garver pinch-hit for him in the seventh. He went 0-for-2 with a walk before exiting. Consider the All-Star third baseman day-to-day ... Masahiro Tanaka (shoulder) is expected to start Tuesday against the Tigers. He got the green light after making it through a 37-pitch bullpen session on Friday. Tanaka landed on the DL with shoulder inflammation last week but is already nearing full strength and won't need to make a rehab start ... Yoan Moncada (shin) was scratched from the White Sox's lineup Saturday against the Rangers due to shin splints in his right leg. Consider Moncada day-to-day ... Mike Trout went deep twice in five at-bats during a 5-1 win over the Orioles on Saturday. He did his damage early, blasting solo bombs off starter Kevin Gausman in each of his first two plate appearances. The young superstar's prowess at the plate this season is obscured because he missed six weeks with a thumb injury, but his 1.164 OPS would be the highest in the majors by more than a hundred points if he had enough at-bats to qualify. He is slashing .339/.464/.700 with 26 longballs, 59 RBI and 61 runs scored ... Jose Berrios notched seven strikeouts while allowing just two base hits in seven shutout innings during a 5-0 throttling of the Diamondbacks on Saturday. It was total dominance against a strong lineup. He allowed one walk, one single and one double and that was it. The 23-year-old Berrios has been very inconsistent this year but nights like this provide glimpses of his elite potential. He improves to 11-5 with a 3.99 ERA through 18 starts ... Trevor Bauer threw 6 1/3 shutout innings as the Indians blanked the Royals 5-0 on Saturday. Bauer bent, yielding seven hits and walking two, but he never broke, keeping the Royals at bay in critical at-bats. It's the continuation of what's been a really good second half for the 26-year-old, who's 5-1 since the break and who's registered five quality starts in his last six outings. Bauer is now 12-8 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 149/48 K/BB ratio over 134 innings in total ... Making his return from the disabled list, CC Sabathia scattered four hits and two runs over six strong innings Saturday in a win over the Red Sox. He fanned four and walked one over the course of 80 pitches ... Rougned Odor went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five total RBI in Saturday's win over the White Sox. Odor connected for a three-run home run off Derek Holland to put a cap on a six-run third inning by the Rangers and added to his stat-line with a solo home run just one frame later. Despite his spotlight moments on Saturday, his season as a whole has been somewhat underwhelming. Odor is hitting a hum-drum .223/.262/.426 with 26 homers, 58 RBI and 12 steals in 122 games played ... Collin McHugh fired six scoreless innings in the Astros' 3-0 shutout of the Athletics on Saturday. McHugh scattered six hits and a walk, using three strikeouts to get through six innings unscathed. The victory was the first of the year in six starts for the 30-year-old, who didn't make his debut until July 22. He's had one clunker but has largely been decent in those six starts, owning a 4.01 ERA and 1.31 WHIP ... Blue Jays acquired RHP Tom Koehler from the Marlins in exchange for RHP Osman Gutierrez. Koehler has battled injuries throughout the year and has also spent time in Triple-A, but offers a wealth of experience (132 major league starts) and could benefit from a change of scenery. If nothing else, the 31-year-old gives Toronto some much-needed pitching depth. He didn't cost the Jays much, either. Gutierrez has posted a miserable 7.85 ERA over 18 starts for Low-A Lansing this year.
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