Left Hook

Hunter attacks Harper

 Always lead with your left hook.


They say elephants never forget. And apparently, neither does Hunter Strickland.

The Giants closer boasts a high-90s fastball, but what you won’t find on the scouting report is that he also has a photographic memory when it comes to players who have wronged him (at least in his mind). Flashback to the 2014 playoffs when Strickland served up a pair of tape-measure home runs to Bryce Harper in the Giants’ first-round series against Washington. Rather than take the L and move on, Strickland waited three whole years to plot his revenge, plunking Harper when the Nats returned to San Francisco in 2017. Naturally Harper charged the mound (he also threw his helmet, though not accurately), leading to one of the more spirited brawls in recent memory.

Strickland’s beef with Harper appears to be dormant, but that doesn’t mean he’s turned over a new leaf. Far from it. You’ll be relieved to hear that our man Hunter is still beefing with the best of them. Enter 24-year-old Lewis Brinson, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Marlins outfielder who was pretty jazzed to hit a game-tying sac fly off Strickland last week in what ended up being a 16-inning win for the Giants.

As fate would have it, Brinson and Strickland crossed paths again Monday night in San Francisco. As retribution for showing him up a week earlier, Strickland threw one high and tight at his new nemesis. Unfazed, Brinson returned the favor with a game-tying single, handing Strickland his fourth blown save of the year. Words were exchanged—many of the unprintable, four-letter variety—as the closer left the field, bested once again by the proud owner of MLB’s lowest on-base percentage. Deciding to embrace his inner Kevin Brown (or LeBron James, if you’d prefer a more current reference), a supremely frustrated Strickland punched a door, leaving him with a broken hand.

Hey man, it happens. We all lose our cool from time to time. Just ask Phil Mickelson. But Strickland seems to fly off the handle more than most and now he’s paying a steep price for it. The right-hander faces a 6-8 week recovery, putting him out at least through the All-Star break and probably for much longer. San Francisco is in the midst of a pennant race in a tighter than expected NL West—why would he waste energy feuding with Brinson, a .181 hitter on a last-place team? Strickland just couldn’t let it go.

“I don’t think I have an anger problem, but sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me,” Strickland admitted Thursday in his first remarks since the incident. The 29-year-old said he planned to apologize to his teammates, but that won’t make his hand heal any faster. Now minus a shutdown closer, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy will be tasked with restoring order in the ninth inning. Sam Dyson got the first crack at replacing Strickland earlier this week but was yanked after allowing hits to four of the six batters he faced on Wednesday.

Mark Melancon fared better in his audition, pitching a scoreless ninth to preserve Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Padres. The Giants paid a hefty sum for Melancon in free agency—at the time, his four-year, $62 million contract was the largest ever for a bullpen arm—but injuries have hampered him since his arrival in 2017. Nonetheless, Strickland’s blunder could give Melancon the opening he needs to reclaim his position among fantasy’s elite closers. Another equally plausible alternative would be for the Giants to employ a ninth-inning committee featuring some combination of Melancon, Reyes Moronta, left-hander Tony Watson and, if the mood strikes, Dyson. Obviously that divide-and-conquer approach would not be as big a hit with fantasy owners.

Strickland may have been the instigator, but it was Dereck Rodriguez (son of Hall of Famer catcher Ivan Rodriguez) who escalated the matter by plunking Brinson in his first at-bat Tuesday night. Marlins starter Dan Straily retaliated soon after by beaning Giants backstop Buster Posey, leading to his prompt ejection. Straily didn’t have to wait long for punishment to be handed down as the right-hander received a five-game suspension from MLB and was fined an undisclosed amount while manager Don Mattingly was also assessed a one-game ban. Surprisingly, no Giants were disciplined. Like most players do under similar circumstances, Straily will keep pitching—his next start is scheduled for Monday against the Diamondbacks—until the league hears his appeal.

Baseball has undergone a substantial transformation in recent years as teams have used analytics to stay ahead of the curve. Through the use of instant replay and restricting mound visits, the game is slowly but surely evolving for the modern times. But one area of improvement the league continues to ignore is player safety, especially when it comes to players policing each other for violating the sanctity of baseball’s “unwritten rules.” Was it really necessary for Strickland to lash out at Brinson just because he got a few hits off him? And must every perceived slight or display of emotion end with a star like Posey ducking for cover?

In Thursday’s game between the Red Sox and Twins, Rick Porcello asserted himself as the alpha male by drilling Eduardo Escobar a half inning after Kyle Gibson backed J.D. Martinez off the plate with an inside fastball. Some of the baseball-watching population, perhaps the majority, will applaud Porcello for being “old school,” but does he really deserve an “atta-boy” for subscribing to baseball’s outdated justice system? Aren’t there better ways to prove you’re a good teammate than injuring an exciting player like Escobar, who had to leave the game after getting hit?

Here’s an idea for how you can be a better teammate—put zeros on the board. I love rivalries and baseball drama as much as the next guy, but when players like Strickland and Porcello go out of their way to enforce the unwritten rules, sometimes to the detriment of their own team (I’m sure Posey didn’t appreciate being used as target practice), it becomes EXHAUSTING. Even in its old age, baseball still has a lot of growing up to do.

Tyler Skaggs

 

AL Quick Hits: It was a rough night for starting pitchers in Anaheim. Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs was scratched from his scheduled start due to hamstring tightness while Blue Jays hurler Aaron Sanchez lasted just one inning after bruising his right index finger … Mike Trout was diagnosed with a sprained right index finger on Thursday, though the two-time MVP was still able to DH against Toronto and expects to be patrolling center field again within a few days. Thursday marked Trout’s 1,000th MLB appearance … Colby Rasmus was activated from the DL Thursday after missing two months with a strained hip flexor. He went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Baltimore’s loss to Washington … Trey Mancini sat out Thursday’s game against the Nats with a stiff neck. O’s manager Buck Showalter is optimistic he’ll be back in the lineup for Friday’s series opener in Atlanta ... Chris Davis will return from an eight-game absence Friday against the Braves. The 32-year-old slugger ranks last among qualified hitters in batting average (.150), slugging percentage (.227), OPS (.454) and wins above replacement (-2.1) … Don’t look now but the Padres, of all teams, are showing trade interest in Orioles SS Manny Machado. The Phillies and D’Backs have also checked in on Machado, who will hit the open market as a free agent this offseason. When he does, the 25-year-old will become one of the highest-paid players in MLB … Blue Jays manager John Gibbons admitted that Jaime Garcia could be in danger of losing his spot in the starting rotation with Marcus Stroman (shoulder) set to return this weekend. The left-hander has had a lousy year, contributing a sluggish 6.16 ERA over 13 starts for Toronto … According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Phillies are interested in acquiring Adrian Beltre from Texas. The 39-year-old recently passed Ichiro Suzuki to become MLB’s all-time hits leader among foreign-born players … Jean Segura sat out Thursday’s series finale against the Yankees due to an infection in his right forearm. His .334 average ranks third in the American League behind only Jose Altuve (.347) and Mookie Betts (.344) … Eddie Rosario was scratched from Thursday’s game against the Red Sox because of right shoulder soreness but expects to play Friday against Texas. The 26-year-old has had a breakout year in Minnesota, leading the Twins in hits (89), runs (52), homers (16), batting average (.320) and slugging (.579).

Juan Soto

NL Quick Hits: On Thursday, Juan Soto became the first teenager to bat cleanup in a major league game since Cesar Cedeno in 1970. The 19-year-old plated the go-ahead run with an RBI double in Washington’s 4-2 win over Baltimore … Ronald Acuna will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday. Widely considered the game’s best prospect, the 20-year-old has been out with a sprained ACL since late last May … Johnny Cueto will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. Cueto is slated to throw about 40 pitches on Saturday and will likely need at least three rehab starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Giants’ starting rotation. A sprained elbow has sidelined the right-hander since late April … Brandon Crawford was activated from the paternity leave list on Thursday. He went 0-for-4 in San Francisco’s win over the Padres, but still sports a .310 average for the season, which ranks seventh in the National League … Wil Myers went 0-for-3 with a walk in his return from the disabled list Thursday against the Giants. It took him almost two months to recover from a strained oblique … The Cardinals placed Michael Wacha on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He’s headed back to St. Louis for an MRI. Daniel Poncedeleon, Dakota Hudson and John Gant are all candidates to start in Wacha’s place Monday against Cleveland … Lorenzo Cain bowed out of Thursday’s game with a right hamstring cramp but should be ready to go on Friday. The 32-year-old went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a steal and two runs scored in Milwaukee’s 11-3 win over St. Louis …Ryan Braun was absent again Thursday against the Cardinals. The Brewers left fielder is still nursing a thumb injury he suffered earlier this week.