Shutting them down

Mike Foltynewicz has always been an extremely intriguing talent. Selected as the 19th overall pick by the Astros in the 2010 draft, he projected as a top-of-the-rotation type of starter that would arrive to the big leagues in relatively short order.

While he has taken steps in the right direction over the  years, things haven’t quite come together that quickly. Entering this season, Foltynewicz sported a 4.87 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 345/130 K/BB ratio across 382 ⅔ innings in his career.

This season though, everything has finally started to come together for the right-hander. Through his first 11 starts, Foltynewicz had been terrific, boasting a 2.55 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 10.4 K/9. He had one disaster, where he surrendered six runs in five innings against the Giants, but hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his other 10 starts.

He had been especially good as of late, allowing a grand total of two runs over 23 innings in his last four starts, striking out 26 batters during that stretch. So he rode a full wave of confidence heading into a marquee matchup against Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals on Friday.

He didn’t disappoint in front of the home faithful at SunTrust Park.

Foltynewicz delivered the finest outing of his young career, hurling his first career shutout (and first career complete game), allowing just two hits and a walk along the way. He also matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts in the brilliant performance. Both of the hits that he did allow in the game, were singles -- to a couple of slouches named Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.

Juan Soto

At one point he retired 20 consecutive hitters from Harper’s single in the second inning to Juan Soto’s walk in the eighth. He threw 106 pitches in the game, 73 of those for strikes.

Foltynewicz talked about his dominance after the game, telling reporters "All my pitches were really working tonight… The slider and curveball were there. The fastball up in the zone was there, too, to get some swings and misses. It was one of those games where you're in a groove and you just kind of go with the flow."

With the victory, the Braves moved to 1 ½ games ahead of the Nationals for the top spot in the National League East.

Mookie Mangled

After missing five consecutive games with what had been termed a “minor” side injury, Red Sox’ outfielder Mookie Betts was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with an abdominal strain..

The Red Sox had been hopeful that he would be able to return at some point over the weekend, but Betts still felt soreness in his abdomen while taking swings on Friday. He admitted that the injury is improving and that he only feels it when he swings.

Betts also said that it’s something that he could play through if it was later in the season, but rather than risking further aggravation, it makes more sense to sit now and let it fully heal, rather than potentially putting himself in a position where he could miss extended time.

The move was made retroactive to May 29, so he’ll be eligible to return as early as June 8 if he’s ready to go by then. Betts is hopeful that he’ll be able to return on that day, but the Red Sox are going to continue to proceed with caution here.

Until then, the Red Sox and fantasy owners alike will have to get by without what has been perhaps the best all-around player in baseball to this point in the season. Betts is slashing an absurd 359/.437/.750 with 17 homers, 37 RBI and 13 stolen bases. That type of production can’t be made up off of the waiver wire.

“Back” to the DL

Dodgers’ star southpaw Clayton Kershaw returned from the disabled list on Thursday after missing nearly a month’s worth of action with tendinitis in his left biceps. He pitched fairly well in that outing, allowing one run on four hits over five innings of work, striking out five and walking one in the process.

Kershaw revealed afterwards though that his back tightened up on him during that outing, which caused a noticeable drop in velocity. The left-hander has battled recurring back issues over the years, so the Dodgers were sure to take every possible precaution here.

On Friday, it was announced that Kershaw was undergoing an MRI to determine the severity of his injury. The good news from that exam, is that the MRI revealed no structural damage to the discs in Kershaw’s back. The bad news, is that he’s still going to be sidelined for awhile.

Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts announced late Friday that Kershaw will miss a minimum of one month due to his lower back strain.The best case scenario for fantasy owners looks to be a return right around the All-Star break and a dominant second half of the season.

The worst case, could be a completely lost season for Kershaw. If he suffers any setbacks along the way in his recovery, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dodgers simply shut him down in an effort to get fully healthy heading into 2019.

American League Quick Hits: The Red Sox officially released Hanley Ramirez…Josh Donaldson landed back on the disabled list on Friday with tightness in his left calf…  Ian Krol elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake… Jacoby Ellsbury (oblique, foot, hip) has still yet to resume baseball activities… The Rangers released veteran backstop Cameron Rupp… Dustin Pedroia missed another game on Friday due to soreness in his surgically-repaired left knee… Josh Reddick is dealing with a staph infection in his left leg, though it’s improving and he’s expected to return from the disabled list at some point next week… Dixon Machado is no longer the Tigers’ primary second baseman, they’ll employ a platoon at the position… The Yankees released veteran left-hander Oliver Perez… Zack Cozart was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his injured left forearm… Manny Machado belted his 17th homer in a loss to the Yankees… Aaron Judge clubbed his 16th in a victory over the O’s… Miguel Cabrera went 1-for-3 and drew a walk in his long-awaited return to the Tigers’ lineup… Nick Castellanos logged his third straight three-hit game and blasted a home run as the Tigers beat the Blue Jays… Eduardo Escobar homered twice and drove  in four runs, leading the Twins past the Indians… J.D. Martinez clobbered his league-leading 19th home run in a loss to the Astros… Gerrit Cole improved to 6-1 with a victory over the Red Sox… Frankie Montas hurled eight innings of shutout baseball in his second career start, earning a victory against the Royals… Dustin Fowler and Matt Olson each blasted a pair of home runs, leading the A’s offensive onslaught in a 16-0 thrashing of the Royals… Jaime Barria scattered four hits over six shutout innings in a victory over the Rangers… Mitch Haniger belted a go-ahead homer in the 13th inning on Friday to lead the Mariners past the Rays.

National League Quick Hits: Carlos Martinez (lat) made it through Thursday’s rehab start without issue and is on track to rejoin the Cardinals’ rotation on Tuesday against the Marlins… Yadier Molina (groin) is also expected to rejoin the Cardinals on Tuesday… Wil Myers (oblique) isn’t expected to rejoin the Padres until July… Daniel Murphy (knee) will remain on his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg through the weekend… Paul DeJong (hand) hopes to return from the disabled list in early July… Kenta Maeda (hip) will resume workouts this weekend, though there’s no clear timetable for his return yet… Rich Hill (blister) will attempt to throw this weekend without medical tape on his finger… The Marlins acquired Peter O’Brien from the Dodgers for cash considerations… The Mets are leaning towards not pitching Noah Syndergaard on Tuesday, when he’s first eligible to return from the disabled list… David Dahl was placed on the disabled list with a broken right foot. He’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks… Josh Harrison was scratched from the Pirates’ lineup due to the flu… Rhys Hoskins (jaw) is hopeful to return from the disabled list when he’s first eligible… Hunter Pence is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Sunday… Jay Bruce was lifted from Friday’s game due to lower back discomfort...Stephen Strasburg left Friday’s start against the Braves with a cramp in his non-throwing forearm… Dansby Swanson clubbed a three-run homer, giving all of the support that Mike Foltynewicz would need in his gem against the Nationals… Brandon Nimmo reached three times and slugged his seventh home run in a loss to the Cubs… Brandon Belt was removed from Friday’s game with a stomach illness. He’s day-to-day… Ketel Marte homered twice as the Diamondbacks matched a franchise record with six long balls in a rout of the Marlins… Clay Buchholz earned his first victory since 2016, spinning seven innings of one-run ball against the Fish… Jameson Taillon fired eight shutout innings in a win over the Cardinals… DJ LeMahieu went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs in a loss to the Dodgers… Chris Taylor homered and dove in four runs, leading the Dodgers past the Rockies…