Gio bangs two

Giancarlo Stanton didn’t live up to expectations at Coors Field earlier this week. He went just 1-for-12 and didn’t homer, and the dream of him hitting 60-plus homers appeared to be dead.

Not so fast, my friend.

Stanton crushed two bombs on Thursday night, giving him 59 on the season with three games left on the season.

Let’s take a second and talk about how impressive 59 homers is. It’s obvious, but we haven’t had this many homers by anyone since Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006. It’s the second-most homers hit by any right-handed hitter ever, and the most by any player not named Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire. In a season that has seen more homers hit than any other, it’s still 20 more than Cody Bellinger has hit, and he’s currently second in the National League. If those numbers don’t impress you, you either don’t like baseball or you’re just not easily impressed. Probably the former.

Here’s the scary thing: Stanton might be just entering his prime. The issue with him has always been health, but he won’t turn 28 until November, and we’ve certainly seen players who have battled health problems have better luck with injuries. It’s not a foregone conclusion, but nothing that’s happened with Stanton appears to be debilitating or chronic.

Stanton may or may not get to 62 or even 60, but this is the most impressive home run season we’ve seen in years, and there just might be more coming.

Gray roughed up against Rays

For most of his time with the Yankees, Sonny Gray has been excellent. For the second time in three starts, however, Gray was anything but. Gray didn’t make it out of the fifth inning on Thursday, giving up six runs in 4 ⅔ innings in a 9-6 loss to the Rays.

Pitchers are going to struggle, but the concern right now with Gray is with his control. He walked five Rays on Thursday, and he’s put 10 runners on via walk in his last 14 ⅔ innings. It doesn’t matter how good your stuff is, when you’re facing quality lineups -- and in his next start, playoff-quality lineups -- you can’t have that much self-inflicted damage.

It’s not worth a huge panic, but sometimes when a pitcher gets tired at the end of the year he loses his release point, and when you consider how much Gray has struggled with walks as of late, you have to wonder if that could be happening, especially when you add in his small stature.



Correa Can’t Be Stopped  

There’s hot, there’s red-hot, and then there’s what Carlos Correa is right now. Correa went 4-for-4 on Thursday in a 12-2 shellacking of the Red Sox, hitting a double and his 24th homer of the season in the process. With that stat line, he’s now 11-for-14 over his last three games.

Despite missing six weeks with a broken thumb, this has been a very solid -- and solid might be an understatement -- season for the 23-year-old shortstop. A .315/.389/.553 line is nice for any position, but when you consider that he puts up that line while also playing shortstop, it escalates things.

Correa struggled somewhat in September with a .739 OPS coming into the game, but for the most part, Correa has looked like one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball. Again.


National League Quick Hits: Cardinals 2B Matt Carpenter (shoulder) will be shut down for the remainder of the season now that St. Louis is eliminated from playoff contention. Carpenter is hoping to avoid surgery. … Nationals OF Howie Kendrick left Thursday’s game with tightness in his foot. … Pirates RHP Ivan Nova left Thursday’s game with an injury to his right index finger. X-rays came back negative. … Marlins LHP Wei-Yin Chen received a PRP injection in his throwing elbow. Chen has thrown just 33 innings this season. … Cardinals RHP Alex Reyes is schedule to throw a bullpen session Friday. He’s missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that he’s hopeful OF Chris Taylor will be able to play this weekend after suffering a left-knee contusion on Wednesday.

American League Quick Hits: Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rodriguez was roughed up for six runs in 1 ⅔ innings in the 12-2 loss to the Astros. He gave up eight base runners in that time frame, six hits and two walks. … Royals C Salvador Perez left Thursday’s game with groin soreness. … Athletics SS Chad Pinder won’t return to the field this year after suffering a concussion on Saturday. … Royals LHP Mike Minor says he will prepare for next season in hopes of being a starting pitcher. … Royals LHP Carlos Rodon underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Thursday. He’s expected to miss 6-to-8 months while recovering. … The Rangers picked up LHP Martin Perez’s option for 2018 for $6 million on Thursday. Perez went 11-11 with a 4.83 ERA in 2017.

Last week of the season

It’s the last week of the season, but not the finale for the Strike Zone. I’ll be back next Tuesday with my MVPs/LVPs and then do three weeks of projection review columns and a ranking of free agents before shutting it down for the winter to focus on the draft guide. Before that, though, here’s one last (rather brief) notes column for 2017. Thank you for reading!

American League notes

- Two years in, it’s still tough to figure out what to make of Nomar Mazara. He’s two RBI away from reaching the century mark as a 22-year-old, but so much of that is simply a function of batting third for two-thirds of the season. He has a .755 OPS. He came in at .739 last year. There’s nothing wrong with those marks, given his age, but how much room for growth is there? Mazara simply isn’t that good of an athlete. His defense is well below average, and he offers little speed on the basepaths. He’s not going to get more explosive with age. There’s a lot to like about his swing. He’s always been polished for his age. Still, his profile is of a guy who is likely to peak young and the lack of growth as a sophomore is a concern. Maybe he turns out to be Kendrys Morales (minus the switch-hitting) and that’s fine, but it’s not an All-Star. It’d also be a disappointment given the hype from when he entered the league. I think some will predict a breakout next year, but I won’t be one of them.

- Mike Clevinger is 11-4 with a 2.84 ERA and 11 homers allowed in 21 starts this season. Josh Tomlin is 9-9 with a 5.11 ERA and 22 homers allowed in 25 starts this season. Guess which one of those the Indians are going to rely on to start games in October. I’d be sweating the decision if I were them; Tomlin seems reliable because of his experience and his ability to throw strikes, but because he surrenders so many homers, games can get away from him quickly. Part of the reasoning behind the decision to start Tomlin is that Clevinger can be a weapon out of the pen, whereas Tomlin isn’t really an option in that role. Maybe it will work out; the Indians have made plenty of good calls these last two years. I’d just rather have taken my chances with Clevinger in Game 4.

- After 20 homers in 38 games, only a hamstring injury could shut down A’s rookie Matt Olson. The power didn’t come out of left field; he hit 41 homers in A-ball in 2014 and was at 23 in 294 at-bats in Triple-A this year before getting the call. The on-base skills are still in questions. He did fine there as a rookie, batting .259 with a .352 OBP. His 60 strikeouts in 216 plate appearances weren’t terribly excessive. I’m not sold on his ability to hit for average in the majors, but I probably will project him to finish with 35 homers next season. Still, he’s in a poor run and RBI situation in Oakland, and I’m not sure 35 homers will be enough to place him among my top 20 first basemen. On the plus side, an A’s lineup with Olson and Matt Chapman will be quite a bit more interesting than what they brought into this year.

- Teoscar Hernandez, acquired from the Astros in the Francisco Liriano deal, is giving the Blue Jays reason to believe they’ll need to add just one starting corner outfielder this winter, rather than two. With a pair of bombs on Tuesday, he has seven homers and six doubles in just 73 at-bats for Toronto this month. He wasn’t a huge power guy in the minors, topping out at 21 homers in 2014. He had 18 in 400 at-bats for his two Triple-A teams this year. Statistically, he’s always been more solid than spectacular everywhere. Likewise, his tools mostly grade out as average to above average. I don’t think there’s All-Star ability here, but it makes a lot of sense for the Jays to commit to him in right and use their limited resources to upgrade elsewhere. For instance, they definitely need to do better than Steve Pearce and Ezequiel Carrera in left field. Anthony Alford could eventually be the answer there, but not yet.

National League notes

- There’s obvious reason for concern with Jake Arrieta following a poor performance Tuesday after which he indicated that his hamstring still hasn’t completely healed. The Cubs already have little idea whether good Jon Lester will show up in October. It’d seem to be imperative that Arrieta have another postseason like last year’s if the club is going to make a deep run. On Tuesday, at least, the stuff simply wasn’t there.

- Bryce Harper came off the disabled list Tuesday and played four innings against the Phillies, going 0-for-2 with a walk. He’d be on a minor league rehab assignment if it were any other month of the season, so the Nationals will continue to tread carefully and probably give him at least one and maybe two days completely off this week. There are just two goals here: he experiences no setbacks with his knee and he regains his timing at the plate.

- In Harper’s absence, Victor Robles became a surprise callup and now looks like a legitimate contender for a spot on the postseason roster. If he doesn’t get one, it’s probably because he isn’t a honed pinch-running weapon; the speed is there, but it’d be hard to ask him to judge the pickoff moves and potentially steal bases against pitchers he’s never seen. He’s been really impressive since getting the call, though. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of power at age 20, but he hits the ball pretty hard. It’ll be interesting to see how the Nationals approach their outfield this winter. Michael Taylor had had a strong enough season that he deserves to start alongside Harper. Jayson Werth is finally a free agent, though, leaving a spot open for Brian Goodwin or Robles. Will they be content with that, or will they try to add a starter? I would think the latter scenario is more likely, especially since Harper is eligible for free agency after next season.

- Like most, I was really curious how Starling Marte would perform after returning from his steroid suspension. The answer is “meh.” He’s hit .270 with five homers, 21 RBI and 38 runs scored in 59 games. The important thing from a fantasy standpoint is that he’s gone 17-for-19 stealing bases. Because of the 80-game ban, he should be a decent value pick next spring for the first time in a few years. I haven’t been high enough on him to land him in any leagues since he emerged as a stud in 2013, in part because I’ve never expected big run and RBI numbers from him. I don’t think he’ll be much worse of a bet for 2018 than he was for 2017, when I had him 34th overall in my top 300. The difference is that next year, he should be available in the third and maybe fourth rounds of mixed leagues.

- Scott Schebler hit his 30th homer Tuesday. He now has 30 points of OPS on Adam Duvall (.804-.774) this season. Still, Duvall, an excellent defensive left fielder, has been the more valuable player overall for the Reds. The comparisons wouldn’t really matter if the two could continue to co-exist as starting corner outfielders, but it’d certainly be for the best if Jesse Winker gets a chance to start next year in left or right with the way he’s hit in 42 games as a rookie (.286/.365/.518 with seven homers in 112 at-bats). The best-case scenario would be for the Reds to trade either Duvall or Schebler for some pitching help, but with power likely to come rather cheap this winter, there might not be much of a market for either, even with their salaries barely above the major league minimum. A platoon wouldn’t seem fair, especially to Duvall, a right-handed hitter who would see his playing time shrivel, but the Reds might end up going that route anyway.

Return of Thor

It wasn't the hammer, but Thor brought some heat Saturday.

Noah Syndergaard, pitching in an MLB game for the first time since April 30, worked a scoreless inning in Saturday's loss to the Nationals. Syndergaard started the game and allowed a one-out single before inducing an inning-ending double play.

“One inning is all I needed to get my feet wet and go into the off-season healthy,” said Syndergaard after the game.

A partially torn right lat muscle ended Syndergaard's season virtually before it started, limiting him to five April starts before he hit the disabled list. He's thrown just 28 1/3 innings this year.

He is expected to make one more start this year before heading into the offseason, likely another one-inning appearance. The date of that start hasn't been finalized.


Santana, Segura Hurt On Same Play

It was a play that didn't even happen, technically, but one that might have an impact on two different stars during the season's final week.

A collision between Jean Segura and Carlos Santana after a throw made on a foul ball left Segura with a sprained middle finger and sent Santana for X-rays on his left shoulder. Segura is considered day to day, and Indians manager Terry Francona has already said Santana won't play Sunday.

The injury happened in the fifth inning when the Mariners were batting. Segura hit a bounding ball down the third-base line, which Giovanny Urshela played but which was determined near-simultaneously to be a foul ball by the umpire. Santana, playing first base, stretched to catch the wide throw, and Segura, running slightly inside the base line, made contact with Santana.

Santana went down instantly and stayed in the game, as did Segura, who left only after getting hit in the hand by a pitch in the ninth inning.

"I think it's his shoulder," said Francona. "We won't play him Sunday, but he's going to get an X-ray that's precautionary. But you could see the way he was swinging (after the collision) that he was letting it go pretty good."

Segura means a lot to the Mariners offense, but it's Santana, a key cog in a postseason-bound team, that's the greater concern here. The 31-year-old is hitting .259/.366/.464 with 23 homers, 78 RBI and 90 runs scored on the year while manning first base for the club.

The worst news, at least until we hear more from Santana's X-ray, is for fantasy owners. With a handful of games left in the regular season, even day to day injuries like that of Segura, and possibly Santana as well, could spell the end of the season for a guy. Fantasy owners, take note.

Brewers Keep Hopes Alive In Dramatic Fashion

The Brewers' season was slipping away with every close loss.

So Travis Shaw wrote a new ending, to Saturday's game and possibly the regular season for the Crew.

Down a run in the 10th inning and staring in the face another crushing defeat, Shaw took Cubs closer Wade Davis deep to left-center field for a two-run, walk-off home run that moved the Brewers to within a game of the Rockies for the second Wild Card spot in the National League. The Rockies lost 5-0 to the Padres on Saturday.

The Brewers had been on the wrong side of a few dispiriting losses in recent days, having lost three straight games by a total of five combined runs coming into Saturday's contest. Another loss would have meant not only losing even more ground to the Central-leading Cubs, but also failing to make progress in the Wild Card race on a day that both the Rockies and Cardinals lost.

As it is, the Brewers are in the thick of it with the two aforementioned clubs. With much of the drama having already been taken out of divisional and American League Wild Card races, the NL's three-horse race down the stretch of the regular season will be the one to watch this week.

National League Quick Hits: Bryce Harper (knee) made it through another simulated game Saturday without issue. MASN's Mark Zuckerman says Harper "sounds ready" to return to the active roster, but the Nationals will wait until Sunday to decide on the best course of action ... Ryan Zimmerman won't play this weekend due to general soreness. It's nothing major, but the NL East-champion Nationals want to be sure the veteran first baseman is rested and ready for the playoffs ... Giancarlo Stanton finished 3-for-6 with a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Saturday's victory at Arizona. Stanton is up to 57 homers for the season. The slugger has eight more games to reach the magical 60-homer mark, and three of those outings come at Coors Field in Denver starting on Monday ... Justin Turner (thumb) remained out of the Dodgers' starting lineup on Saturday. Turner suffered a right thumb contusion Thursday when he was hit by a pitch. X-rays turned up negative and he is still considered day-to-day ... X-rays turned up negative on Hyun-Jin Ryu's left forearm. Ryu was removed from his start Saturday night against the Giants after getting struck by a Joe Panik comebacker in the top of the third inning. He only suffered a contusion, but that contusion could keep him from making another start before the end of the regular season ... Jose Martinez has been diagnosed with a left thumb sprain. The good news is X-rays and an MRI exam revealed no significant damage, but the bad news is there is just one week remaining in the regular season and Martinez might not see much more action -- if any at all. The 29-year-old first baseman and corner outfielder has impressed to a .309/.376/.516 slash line in 2017 ... Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Braves have agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract extension with Kurt Suzuki. Mark Bowman of MLB.com had first reported that the two sides were close on an agreement. The 33-year-old backstop has had one of the finest seasons of his career this year, slashing .271/.343/.525 with a career-best 18 homers and 47 RBI in just 287 plate appearances.


American League Quick Hits: Miguel Cabrera will undergo an MRI on his back. Cabrera has been bothered by lower back discomfort for the last couple of months and he had to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the Twins after hitting a single in the bottom of the first inning. It sounds like an early shutdown could be in order for the 34-year-old slugger, even if the MRI shows no major damage ... Sean Manaea has been scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against the Rangers due to a back issue. Manaea called the issue "minor" and said he expects to make one more start before the end of the regular season ... Jose Abreu went 1-for-4 with two RBI in a loss to the Royals on Saturday. Abreu had an RBI single in the first inning and added an RBI ground out in the seventh, driving in both of the Sox's runs. The first baseman now has four consecutive 100-RBI seasons, and he's just the third player in MLB history -- along with Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols -- with four seasons of 100 RBI and 25 homers to begin their career ... Eduardo Rodriguez allowed just three hits while firing 7 2/3 scoreless frames in a 5-0 win over the Reds on Saturday. The Reds may not be a winning team but they can hit, and Rodriguez shut them down with ease in this one. He struck out six batters, walked two and surrendered just three harmless singles. The 24-year-old left-hander improves to 6-6 with a 3.91 ERA through 23 starts (plus one relief appearance). He has an excellent 148:48 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 135 2/3 innings ... Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus said Saturday that Mikie Mahtook is dealing with a grade 2 groin strain and is likely to miss the remainder of the 2017 season. It's a tough finish to the season for the 27-year-old who had a breakthrough season offensively. He presumably finishes the season hitting .276/.330/.457 with 12 homers, 38 RBI and six stolen bases. He should have a leg up on a starting job in the Tigers' outfield heading into 2018 ... Justin Upton cracked a pair of solo home runs during a loss to the Astros on Saturday ... Efren Navarro clubbed a pair of solo dingers during a loss to the Twins on Saturday. He didn't even start the game, coming in to replace the injured Miguel Cabrera in the second inning. He popped an Ervin Santana offering over the wall in the sixth inning and then victimized reliever Gabriel Moya in the ninth. The dingers were the first of the season for Navarro.

Most dispapointing rookies

We’ve talked about the most improved prospects, and we’ve talked about the prospects who are candidates for bounce-back years.

Now, we have to go a little bit negative, which we hate to do; what’s the fun of going negative when the whole point of scouting prospects is optimism?

These are the prospects who don’t inspire optimism. At least right now. Keep in mind that player development is impossible to predict, so these players could easily be listed in the most improved group next summer, or even end up contributing to big-league clubs by then. Based on what they showed this year, however, these players are unlikely to make immediate contributions, if at all.

Here’s a look at the most disappointing prospects of 2017.


Hitters


Austin Meadows, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates -- It may be unfair to put a hitter who missed time with injuries on this list, but those injuries are part of why 2017 was such a disappointing season for Meadows. It would be one thing if he just missed time with hamstring injuries, but he also didn’t hit very well, posting a .670 OPS at Triple-A Indianapolis. There’s no questioning Meadows’ talent, but there’s also no doubt that his stock took a fairly dramatic hit after his lackluster season. We’ll see if he can bounce back in 2018.

Corey Ray, OF, Milwaukee Brewers -- When Ray was taken by the Brewers with the fifth pick of the 2016 MLB Draft, many -- including yours truly -- thought he was a can’t-miss prospect who could move quickly through the Brewers’ system. Then he hit .248 and struck out 156 times at High-A Carolina. The plus hitting talent he showed at the University of Louisville has been nowhere to be found, and he hasn’t walked or hit for enough power to compensate for the lack of quality or quantity contact. Ray will turn 24 next September, and while that’s by no means “old,” it isn’t a spring chicken, at least in terms of prospects.

J.P. Crawford, SS, Philadelphia Phillies -- Here’s the good news with Crawford: He was much better in the second half, and he even earned a trip to the big leagues in large part because of that. Here’s the bad news: The first half was a disaster, and even in an improved year, there were still significant flaws that will keep him from ever reaching what was once a lofty ceiling. The approach is fine, but he makes too much weak contact, he isn’t likely to hit for big power and his once average speed is now below-average. Even his once other-worldly defense took a hit this year. Crawford is a big-leaguer, but after showing upper-echelon talent that had him listed at or near the top of prospect lists, it’s disappointing to say it’s unlikely he ever reaches that ceiling.


Pitchers

Jose De Leon, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays -- The Rays acquired De Leon for Logan Forsythe last winter, and on paper, it was a coup to acquire a pitcher with his talent. Unfortunately, for the second straight year, De Leon couldn’t stay on the mound, and didn’t show the same type of stuff when he did. He still has a change that gets 70 (on the 20-80 scouting scale) grades, but the fastball was worse, and the breaking ball still isn’t up to par. At this point, it’s unlikely De Leon ever becomes more than a backend starter or reliever.

Justin Dunn, RHP, New York Mets -- The concern with Dunn isn’t the 5.00 ERA so much -- though that’s less-than-ideal -- it’s that he didn’t miss bats. A first-round pick who showed two plus pitches at Boston College should be missing more bats than 75 strikeouts in 95 ⅓ innings, and 48 walks in that same timeframe isn’t great, either. Dunn has plenty of time to rebound, but he didn’t look like a starter in 2017.

Brady Aiken, LHP, Cleveland Indians -- Every player on this list still has a chance to rebound as a big-league player someday. This is true for Aiken as well, but he has the most work to do, which is a big surprise for a player who was once drafted with the first overall pick. Aiken had no feel for his stuff, and walked 101 hitters in in 132 innings. Not only was the control bad, but his fastball velocity was inconsistent, and his secondary pitches were below-average for most of the year. Aiken won’t turn 22 until June, which is basically his only saving grace. The chances of him ever being a competent big-league pitcher are sadly very low.

Power Rankings

There’s a time for reflection in every season and I think we’ve reached it. As the year draws to a close, what will be your lasting impression of 2017? Will it be the Indians’ memorable late-season surge, the Diamondbacks’ return to relevancy or perhaps Giancarlo Stanton’s epic home run binge? Or maybe it was the Dodgers’ unstoppable midseason stretch that caught your eye.

For me, 2017 will go down as the year of the rookie. I can’t think of a year in recent memory where rookies dominated on such a wide scope. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger were the standouts, but there were countless others that impressed. Rhys Hoskins has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since his call-up last month while Oakland’s Matt Olson has also put himself on the map with a stellar second half (.301 with 18 homers since the All-Star break). The Cardinals are a long shot for the postseason but if they somehow sneak in, Paul DeJong (.283, 22 HR, 57 RBI) will be to thank. The AL East has been rookie central with Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Trey Mancini all playing giant roles for the respective clubs. Even lesser-known names like Parker Bridwell and Matt Davidson have had their moments.

If 2017 and its rolodex of young talent has taught us anything, it’s that the game is in good hands and should be for a long time. On that note, let’s roll through the Power Rankings.

1. Cleveland Indians

Record: 93-57

Last Week: 1

Cleveland’s American League record 22-game winning streak finally met its end Friday in a 4-3 loss to Kansas City. On the plus side, the Indians clinched the AL Central, winning consecutive division titles for the first time since 1998 and 1999. Corey Kluber’s second-half stats belong in a museum. He’s gone 10-1 with an outrageous 1.92 ERA, an 11.81 K/9 and a .175 BAA since the All-Star break.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 96-54

Last Week: 3

After taking the league by storm in the first half, a slumping Alex Wood will be pitching for his postseason rotation spot down the stretch. He took care of business in his last start Friday against Washington (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 Ks, 1 BB) but still sports a disappointing 4.07 ERA since the All-Star break. Cody Bellinger tagged his 38th homer on Sunday, which ties the National League rookie record. Pretty good for a guy who only expected to be a September call-up this year.


3. Houston Astros

Record: 91-58

Last Week: 4

Make it four wins in a row for Justin Verlander including three straight since coming over from the Tigers in a trade on August 31. Among AL starters (minimum 40 IP), only Corey Kluber has posted a lower second-half ERA than Verlander (2.04). George Springer has slumped to a .254 average since the All-Star break, though he did homer in Sunday’s win over the Mariners. The Astros clinched the division over the weekend, giving them their first AL West title.

4. Washington Nationals

Record: 90-59

Last Week: 2

Stephen Strasburg’s scoreless streak ended Sunday against the Dodgers, but his winning streak didn’t. The right-hander has won four straight and leads the majors with a 0.72 ERA in the second half. Ryan Zimmerman matched a career-high by slugging his 33rd homer on Sunday and needs one more RBI to reach the century mark, a threshold he hasn’t hit since 2009. With the division wrapped up and Bryce Harper on the mend (he took BP on Sunday), the Nats are in excellent shape for the postseason.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 87-64

Last Week: 5

The best home run hitter in baseball isn’t who you think it is. J.D. Martinez has homered once every 9.83 at-bats this season, a better rate than both Aaron Judge (once every 11.5 at-bats) and Giancarlo Stanton (once every 10). Left-hander Robbie Ray ran his winning streak to five with Friday’s triumph at San Francisco. Ray now ranks sixth in the majors in ERA (2.74) and second in K/9 (12.28) behind Red Sox ace Chris Sale.

6. Boston Red Sox

Record: 86-64

Last Week: 6

Another week, another six-hour game for the Red Sox, who labored through a 15-inning marathon Friday night at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox have a clear knack for winning all-nighters, going 14-3 in extra innings this year. David Price tossed a pair of scoreless innings Sunday in his first regular season relief appearance since 2010.

7. Chicago Cubs

Record: 83-66

Last Week: 8

The dreaded World Series hangover gripped Chicago in the first half but now the Cubs are playing with some fire in their bellies, even if that means getting into it with home plate umpire Jordan Baker (looking at you, John Lackey and Willson Contreras). Addison Russell returned from a foot injury over the weekend while Jake Arrieta made it through a successful bullpen session on Saturday. That will help their chances in October, but the Cubs have to get there first. They hold a 3.5-game lead over the second-place Brewers with 13 games to go.

8. New York Yankees

Record: 83-67

Last Week: 7

Luis Severino has spun a breathtaking 1.29 ERA during his three-start unbeaten streak. For the year he’s 13-6 with a 2.93 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, a .206 BAA and a 10.64 K/9. Some years that would be enough to win the Cy Young Award, though this year he’ll likely finish a distant third behind Corey Kluber and Chris Sale. Meanwhile Didi Gregorius has caught fire by slugging three homers with eight RBI over his last four games. His 24 homers are tied for the most by a shortstop in club history.

9. Colorado Rockies

Record: 82-68

Last Week: 9

By most measures, this has been the worst statistical season of Carlos Gonzalez’s career. But at least he’s ending it with style. CarGo has gone nuclear this month, batting an eye-popping .388 with five homers and 13 RBI over 49 September at-bats. Overall he’s hit .307 in the second half after struggling to a .221 average before the break. Strong pitching has never been the Rockies’ MO, but Jon Gray might be the man to change that narrative. He’s been living large over his last five starts, going 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA during that span.

10. Minnesota Twins

Record: 78-72

Last Week: 12

Byron Buxton gave Toronto the business last weekend, batting .438 for the series (7-for-16) with a walk-off homer on Thursday night. Here’s something freaky. Kyle Gibson posted a 5.07 ERA over 147 1/3 innings last year. This year he’s delivered the exact same ERA with the same number of innings. His K/BB (1.89 in 2016 versus 1.88 this season) and WHIP (1.56 last year and 1.55 in 2017) are also quite similar.

11. Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 80-70

Last Week: 10

Eric Thames may not be hitting for average (.235 AVG since the All-Star break), but his home run stroke is as strong as ever. He’s put on a clinic over his last five games, slugging three homers with five RBI during that span. Neil Walker got busy with a grand slam in Friday night’s win over the Marlins. Overall, he’s slashed .279/.410/.488 since arriving from the Mets in a trade last month.

12. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 77-72

Last Week: 11

The Cardinals face long playoff odds but they’d probably be out of it already if not for Jose Martinez. The 29-year-old rookie (call him a late bloomer) has cruised to a .379 average this month and is now slashing an impressive .310/.374/.527 for the year. Adam Wainwright, who has spent the past month nursing an elbow injury, will pitch out of the bullpen down the stretch. He’s no stranger to the late innings—Wainwright was the Cardinals’ closer when they won it all in 2006.

13. Los Angeles Angels

Record: 76-73

Last Week: 13

Tyler Skaggs went almost five months between victories, but it was worth the wait. He was unstoppable in last week’s win over Houston, limiting the first-place ‘Stros to three hits over seven shutout frames. Luis Valbuena has managed just 30 hits in 141 at-bats since the All-Star break for a .213 batting average. Exactly half of those hits have traveled over the fence.

14. Seattle Mariners

Record: 74-76

Last Week: 15

Nelson Cruz is the fine wine of hitters—he gets better with age. The 37-year-old leads the American League with 110 RBI, which also happens to be a career-high. James Paxton got rouged up in his return from a strained pectoral muscle on Friday night (1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER at Houston), losing for the first time since June 27.

15. Texas Rangers

Record: 73-76

Last Week: 14

Adrian Beltre was expected to miss the rest of the season with a strained calf but made a surprise return as the Rangers’ DH last week. Willie Calhoun’s adjustment to the big leagues hasn’t gone as smoothly as the Rangers had hoped. The 22-year-old has managed just one hit in 13 at-bats since joining the club last week. Joey Gallo hit his 38th home run on Sunday and it wasn’t a cheapie. Watch him send this ball into orbit.


16. Kansas City Royals

Record: 73-76

Last Week: 17

Jason Vargas erased Cleveland’s 22-game winning streak on Friday night, but that’s about the only thing he’s done right in the second half. The left-hander has struggled to a brutal 7.11 ERA since the All-Star break. Danny Duffy racked up eight strikeouts over five innings in his return from the disabled list on Sunday but couldn’t get the win. That’s been a theme for him, as he’s won just one of his last six starts and eight of 22 for the season.

17. Baltimore Orioles

Record: 73-78

Last Week: 16

It’s probably too late for the Orioles—they hold a 0.1 percent chance of making the postseason—but at least Ubaldo Jimenez is finishing the year on a high note. The 33-year-old snapped a six-start winless streak by notching 10 strikeouts in Sunday’s win over the Yankees. J.J. Hardy is back after missing three months with a broken wrist but will have to settle for a backup role behind breakout star Tim Beckham.

18. Tampa Bay Rays

Record: 73-77

Last Week: 18

Kevin Kiermaier has blasted three homers over his eight-game hitting streak, though he’s also fanned 12 times in 36 at-bats during that stretch. Alex Colome leads the majors with 45 saves but took it on the chin Friday night, blowing a three-run ninth-inning lead in a game the Rays lost in extra innings. Jake Odorizzi’s 1.65 September ERA is his lowest for any month this season.

19. Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 70-80

Last Week: 21

It was pouring home runs in Minnesota last weekend and Josh Donaldson, aka Bringer of Rain, supplied most of them (five homers in four games). He leads all American League hitters with 21 second-half homers. Marco Estrada, who endured a 12-start winless streak earlier this year, extended his unbeaten streak to six with Saturday’s win over the Twins.

20. Atlanta Braves

Record: 67-81

Last Week: 22

Ozzie Albies had a 13-game hitting streak snapped Saturday against the Mets. The 20-year-old from Curacao has hit a respectable .282 with 21 RBI since arriving in the big leagues last month. This year has been a learning experience for left-hander Sean Newcomb. He’s won just three of 17 starts, though his 9.64 K/9 is highest among Braves starters.

21. Miami Marlins

Record: 70-80

Last Week: 19

Marcell Ozuna went for the Golden Sombrero last week at Philadelphia but has fared better since then, going seven for his last 13 including 4-for-5 in Monday night’s win over the Mets. He ranks fourth in the majors but only second on his own team with 113 RBI. After going deep again on Monday night, Giancarlo Stanton has now slugged 29 homers since the All-Star break. That’s more than he hit all of last season (27).

22. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 68-83

Last Week: 20

The Pirates aren’t catching any breaks right now. Monday’s loss to the Brewers was their sixth straight while Starling Marte (finger) and Ivan Nova (calf) have both been hampered by injuries in the last week. If there’s any good news to report in Steel City, it’s that Andrew McCutchen has rediscovered his home run stroke by mashing three round-trippers over his last seven contests. McCutchen’s 26 homers this season are his most since 2012 when he went for a career-high 31 long balls.

23. San Diego Padres

Record: 67-83

Last Week: 23

Wil Myers has been far from perfect this year—his unsightly .242 batting average would attest to that—but give the man credit for topping 20 homers and 20 steals for the second year in a row. Hunter Renfroe wasted no time in his return to the majors on Monday, going deep for his 21st homer in a win over the Diamondbacks. Rookie Dinelson Lamet is winless in his last five starts despite compiling a masterful 2.51 ERA over that span.

24. Oakland Athletics

Record: 67-83

Last Week: 25

Matt Olson has flexed his power muscles by swatting 14 homers over his last 20 games. In fact, his last five hits have all been home runs. Not bad for a guy who was down in the minors as recently as last month. Mustache enthusiast Daniel Mengden wasn’t messing around against the Phillies. He spanned nine scoreless innings for his first career shutout on Friday night.

25. New York Mets

Record: 65-85

Last Week: 24

Jacob deGrom set a career-high by notching his 15th win Saturday against Atlanta. Among NL starters, only Max Scherzer has fanned more hitters than deGrom this season (228). So much for a happy ending. Matt Harvey has been a disaster since coming off the disabled list, going 1-3 with a 13.19 ERA over his last four starts.

26. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 66-84

Last Week: 26

Connecticut native Sal Romano pitched a gem in his last outing Saturday against Pittsburgh, limiting the Bucs to five hits over eight shutout innings. He’s been brilliant this month, twirling a 1.45 ERA over three September starts. Not to be outdone, Robert Stephenson blanked the Pirates over six innings of one-hit ball in Sunday’s series finale. The Reds will be without key setup man Drew Storen for the foreseeable future now that he’s headed for Tommy John surgery.

27. Detroit Tigers

Record: 62-88

Last Week: 27

Jeimer Candelario struggled in his stint with the Cubs earlier this year (.152 AVG with 12 strikeouts in 33 at-bats), but he’s flourished as a Tiger, hitting a robust .351 in 17 games for his new club. Matt Boyd fell one out shy of his first no-hitter Sunday against the White Sox, losing it on Tim Anderson’s double to right field. The win was Boyd’s first since July 29.

28. Chicago White Sox

Record: 60-89

Last Week: 28

It’s been a predictably bleak year for the White Sox but better times are ahead. Avisail Garcia has given Chicago a look into the future by hitting .500 (17-for-34) with 10 RBI over his last eight games. His .373 average in the second half (minimum 100 plate appearances) leads the major leagues. Yoan Moncada has also caught fire for the Pale Hose. He’s hit .394 over his last seven games while boosting his season average from .182 to .227.

29. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 59-91

Last Week: 30

Rhys Hoskins recently became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 18 home runs. It’s a pretty obscure record, but I doubt Phillies fans are complaining. Aaron Altherr made Sports Center by walloping a grand slam off Clayton Kershaw on Monday night. It was the first grand slam ever allowed by Kershaw.

30. San Francisco Giants

Record: 58-93

Last Week: 29

The Giants plan to exercise Matt Moore’s $9 million option for 2018, a curious decision given his alarming 5.39 ERA, which ranks last among NL starting pitchers. Buster Posey has never been Mr. Power but it’s still a bit troubling that he hasn’t homered since August 8. Pablo Sandoval was hoping a change of scenery would do him some good following a failed stint in Boston, but he’s actually fared worse since returning to San Francisco, batting an ugly .185 across 37 games for the Giants.

Biggest Jump: Braves, Blue Jays, Twins 2

Phillies in flight

Major League Baseball is in great shape for the future, not that anyone was questioning it. You lose icons like Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, or even fantasy regulars and fan favorites who have nice careers like Ryan Howard, Kenny Lofton, Magglio Ordonez and Jorge Posada, and it's hard to move on. Who is going to replace them? Well, baseball is in tremendous hands for the future, and those future fantasy regulars, fantasy favorites and potential icons were on display on Wednesday night.

The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled for the past few years, but the future appears to be very bright in the City of Brotherly Love. Aaron Altherr, Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis, Odubel Herrera, Tommy Joseph, and, of course, Rhys Hoskins, make up a tremendous young nucleus on offense. If the Phillies are able to get anyone to join Aaron Nola in the rotation, this team doesn't appear to be terribly far from making some noise in the National League East. Despite the fact they're well out of contention in the season's final weeks, they're competing hard and showing that they're going to be a force to be reckoned with sooner rather than later.

Altherr finished 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, three runs scored and four RBI to push his average to .281. He has managed 21 doubles, four triples and 19 home runs with a stellar .890 OPS, and that's after missing five weeks due to a hamstring injury in August and the first week of September. He is likely to be projected as a 30-100 guy in 2018, and he makes for an outstanding keeper prospect. That certainly didn't look like the case at the end of 2016, as he barely hit above the Mendoza line at .202 while hitting just four homers across 198 at-bats in a 57-game trial. Altherr has definitely arrived.

Hoskins was hitless in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, and the former Sacramento State Hornets standout is experiencing his first real adversity as a major league after a charmed first month in the majors. Even though he is mired in a 3-for-18 (.167) skid, he still has 18 RBI in 18 games in September, and a whopping 18 homers with 43 RBI across just 136 at-bats since being promoted to the big club on Aug. 10. While the power of Hoskins gets all of the headlines, it's his discerning eye and plate discipline that should be making news. He has already drawn 31 walks while striking out just 34 times, which is quite amazing for a power hitter.

All of the pieces are in place for Philadelphia down on the farm, too, such as Scott Kingery, J.P. Crawford and Mickey Moniak are also progressing nicely, and Jorge Alfaro joined Hoskies on the short ride down from Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia to arrive early. Alfaro has blasted three homers and has the potential to be the next decent power-hitting backstop for many years to come. It's an exciting time to be a baseball fan, as the talent just keeps on developing and the young stars are brighter than ever.

Price hasn't appeared in relief during the regular season since the 2010 season when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, so it would be a big change. It's a change fantasy owners hope they do not see.

Come Sale Away
Boston's Chris Sale certainly didn't have any difficulty fitting in with his new team after an off season deal from the Chicago White Sox. Sale struck out 13 batters across eight innings in Wednesday's rout of the Orioles to reach 300. He is the first pitcher to reach the magical plateau since Clayton Kershaw accomplished the feat in 2015, while also becoming the first American League hurler since 1999 to reach 300. And in the long and storied history of the Red Sox franchise he is just the second pitcher to turn the trick.

Sale was a very good pitcher for many years in Chicago, but he has taken it to a new level in Boston. He might not reach 20 victories this season, and he has just one complete game after going the distance six times in Chicago in 2016, but his homers are down, he entered Wednesday's outing with a career-best 0.96 WHIP and he is on pace for just his third-ever season with a single-digit loss total. And, more importantly, he'll get a taste of the postseason against the rest of the league's best.

Ball Park Frank
Speaking of young, budding superstars, how about Cleveland's Francisco Lindor? He crushed his 31st homer of the season in Anaheim, and he now has the most homers ever in a single season by a switch-hitting shortstop. It speaks to his amazing focus, too, as his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico was being raked by major Hurricane Maria. In fact, Caguas and Bayamon were among the hardest hit areas, and the two cities had hospitals which lost their roofs.

Lindor entered the season with 27 homers across 994 at-bats over 257 games in his first two major league seasons, so not many talking heads envisioned this power surge. While his average has decreased in each of his past two seasons since his debut in 2015 with a .313 mark, fantasy owners will gladly take the overall trade off in average for power. His average isn't hurting anyone in September, however, as he is hitting .329 for his best month of the season. In fact, he is hitting .312 after the All-Star break, and he looks primed and ready for another magical run in the postseason.




National League Quick Hits: Jon Lester was bounced around for seven runs, eight hits and three walks while recording zero strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a loss at Tampa Bay. Since flipping the calendar from July to August, Lester has posted a 6.81 ERA over his past eight starts, allowing 30 earned runs across just 39 2/3 innings. … Giancarlo Stanton swatted his major-league best 56th homer in a rout of the Mets. He has eight homers and 20 RBI against the Mets, most against any team this season. … Adam Frazier finished 2-for-5 with a triple, home run and four RBI in a win against the Brewers. Both the triple and homer were his sixth of the season. … Joe Panik is finishing up strong, raising his average from .267 to .291 just since Sept. 1. He had three hits in Wednesday's game, posting his seventh multi-hit game over the past 14 outings. … Luke Weaver improved to 7-1 in a rout of the Reds. He allowed just two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts over five innings, winning his sixth straight start and seven consecutive decision dating back to Aug. 2. … Hunter Renfroe belted three home runs in a 13-7 loss against the Diamondbacks, giving him 24 homers. … Rocky Gale and Christian Villanueva each posted the first homers of their careers. … The Diamondbacks won the sixth consecutive start with Robbie Ray on the hill, but it took a Herculean effort from their offense to make it happen. He was crushed for five earned runs, five hits and five walks over 4 1/3 innings, pushing his ERA up from 2.74 to 2.95. His three home runs allowed were his most of the season.

American League Quick Hits: Nicholas Castellanos finished 1-for-4 to extend the longest active hitting streak in the majors to 17 games. He is hitting .418 (28-for-67) with seven runs scored, five homers and 18 RBI during the impressive span. … Daniel Mengden is showing signs of life down the stretch. He scattered seven hits with no walks over seven scoreless innings in a win in Detroit, improving to 2-1 while lowering his ERA to 3.30. … Aaron Judge launched his 45th homer, and the two-run shot pushed him over the century mark for RBI. He drove in a total of three runs, giving him 101 RBI on the season. … Didi Gregorius swatted his 25th homer, pushing aside Jeter for the record of most homers in a single season by a Yankees shortstop. … Mookie Betts belted his 23rd homer to back Sale, and he added a triple while finishing with a walk and three runs scored. … Whit Merrifield continues to set the table nicely in K.C. He was 3-for-5 with a solo home run, three runs scored, two RBI and two more stolen bases, giving him 32 thefts on the season. … Mike Moustakas crushed his 37th home run in Toronto, moving past Steve Balboni for the most homers in a single season in Kansas City. The record had stood since the 1985 season. … Brad Peacock allowed just two runs, one hit and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings to improve to 12-2 while lowering his ERA to 2.98. … Rougned Odor has struggled with a .209 batting average, 62 points less than his 2016 total. While his strikeouts are way up, his power has remained. He reached 30 homers for the second straight season, and he is just three short of his career best. … Like Odor, Steven Souza reached the 30-homer mark in a rout of the Cubs.

Arieta on the warpath

It appears Jake Arrieta is ready to return to the Cubs’ starting rotation, a little over two weeks after suffering a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring.

Arrieta threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday afternoon at Tropicana Field, before the Cubs’ series opener against the Rays, and if he reports back to the visitors clubhouse Wednesday without any abnormal discomfort the right-hander will be cleared to take the mound for Thursday night’s series opener at Milwaukee’s Miller Park.

Arrieta is probably going to be limited to 75-80 pitches in what will be his first start since September 4, but he’s a must-play in most leagues with the fantasy calendar drawing to a close.

The impending free agent boasts a 2.01 ERA in 71 2/3 innings since the beginning of July after finishing the month of June with a concerning 4.67 ERA over his first 88 2/3 innings of 2017.

Arrieta will get the Cardinals on the road next week before finishing the regular season with a start versus the lowly Reds, assuming the National League Central-leading Cubs don’t adjust their rotation schedule leading into the playoffs. And, hey, the Brewers can still make this thing a race with a successful weekend against Arrieta and the defending champs.

Why Not Wilkerson?

Here’s a cool story, and one that might have some fantasy relevance.

Brewers right-hander Aaron Wilkerson, who went undrafted out of Cumberland University in 2012 and began his professional career in independent ball, is scheduled to make his first major league start at age 28 on Wednesday night at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. Wilkerson was called up to the bigs last week after posting a 3.16 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, and 143/36 K/BB ratio over 142 1/3 innings this season with Double-A Biloxi and he worked a scoreless inning of relief in his MLB debut September 15 against the Marlins, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

He obviously doesn’t have the top-prospect profile or any sort of hype surrounding him, but Wilkerson has turned himself into a legitimate major league talent and he makes for a pretty good streaming option on the road against the Pirates, who rank 28th in runs scored this season.

Harper Humming Along

Tuesday was the most productive day for Bryce Harper since he suffered a bone bruise in his left knee and a strain of his left calf when he slipped on a wet first base bag August 12 at Nationals Park.

Harper hit against live pitching, fielded groundballs in left field, and ran the bases -- albeit lightly -- as part of a simulated game Tuesday afternoon at Atlanta’s SunTrust Park before the Nats’ series opener against the host Braves. “It went well. He moved well. He ran pretty good,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker told the Washington Post after the workout. “His timing was off a little, but not too bad … we’ll just have to see how he feels tomorrow. Tomorrow’s the key.”

There is supposed to be a plan revealed Wednesday about when the Nationals will activate Harper from the disabled list. That activation could happen around the middle of next week, allowing Harper to fit in a few major league games before the beginning of postseason play.

National League Quick Hits: Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy was scratched from the lineup Tuesday due to left hamstring tightness … Giants manager Bruce Bochy indicated Tuesday that Mark Melancon (forearm) will open the 2018 season as the team's closer … J.T. Realmuto went 3-for-5 and delivered a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th as the Marlins edged the Mets on Tuesday … Cardinals center fielder Dexter Fowler hit a game-tying solo homer in the eighth inning and a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning of Tuesday's comeback win over the Reds … Matt Harvey will stay in the Mets' rotation despite his recent struggles … Eugenio Suarez was excused from the Reds on Tuesday to be present for the birth of his first child … David Peralta (quad) was held out of the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup Tuesday versus the Padres … Cubs closer Wade Davis struck out the side to earn his 32nd save of the season in Tuesday's win over the Rays … Trea Turner went 2-for-4 with a walk, two steals, and two runs scored against the Braves on Tuesday … Rhys Hoskins reached base three times and drove in four runs in the Phillies' win over the Dodgers on Tuesday … Martin Prado (knee) is not expected to return to the Marlins’ active roster before the end of the season … Matt Kemp (hamstring) remained out of the Braves' lineup Tuesday against the Nationals … Billy Hamilton (thumb) expressed frustration to reporters Tuesday about his slowed rehab plan … Tyler Flowers (hand) took pregame batting practice on Tuesday but won’t return to the Braves’ starting lineup for another couple games … Amed Rosario (stomach) remained out of the Mets' lineup Tuesday night against the Marlins … Marlins closer Brad Ziegler (back) remained unavailable Tuesday due to an illness … Jose Pirela (finger) was out of the Padres’ lineup again on Tuesday … Cubs reliever Hector Rondon (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday … Adam Wainwright (elbow) was activated off the disabled list Tuesday and will finish the season in the Cardinals’ bullpen … Ivan Nova (calf) expects to make his next scheduled start Friday versus the Cardinals … Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday that Brian Goodwin (groin) is "pretty far behind” and unlikely to return this year.

American League Quick Hits: Twins manager Paul Molitor confirmed Tuesday that Miguel Sano (shin) is likely done for the remainder of the 2017 regular season … Alex Gordon hit MLB's 5,694th homer of the year Tuesday, breaking the single-season record … Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he doesn’t anticipate an early shutdown for Dylan Bundy … Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Blue Jays are close to signing starter Marco Estrada to a contract extension … Dustin Pedroia (nose) is hoping to return to the Red Sox starting lineup on Wednesday … Astros closer Ken Giles struck out the side to notch his 32nd save of the season on Tuesday versus the White Sox … Luis Severino will start Wednesday against the Twins, with Masahiro Tanaka getting pushed back to the weekend … Mariners reliever David Phelps underwent surgery Monday to remove a bone spur from his right elbow … Red Sox manager John Farrell said Hanley Ramirez (biceps) should return to the lineup Wednesday … Lance McCullers (arm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return to the Astros’ rotation on Sunday … Kevin Gausman held the Red Sox to just three hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings but settled for a no-decision in Tuesday’s extra-innings loss … Carlos Gomez (ankle) remained sidelined Tuesday … Jordan Zimmermann (neck) will return to the Tigers' rotation Thursday versus the Twins … Aroldis Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth inning to record his 20th save of the season on Tuesday versus the Twins … Blue Jays left-hander Brett Anderson (finger) has been cleared to start Wednesday versus the Royals … Yunel Escobar (oblique) worked out on the field and hit in the cage on Tuesday but there remains no timetable for his return … Jed Lowrie went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and an RBI double to lead the A's past the Tigers on Tuesday … Mariners manager Scott Servais acknowledged Tuesday that Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) is likely done for the year … Matt Shoemaker (forearm) resumed throwing Tuesday … Tigers reliever Jeff Ferrell was cleared of any skull fractures following a CT scan … Rays lefty Xavier Cedeno (forearm) will be activated from the disabled list on Thursday.