The turning of the page

Ordinary Joe

From the moment Joe Maddon joined the Chicago Cubs, taking the reins in a Wrigley ville bar five years ago, he talked about winning.

He was the right manager at the right time for a franchise that had experienced mostly terrible timing for more than a century. Right until his time in Chicago ran out.

The Cubs will have a new manager next season after Maddon and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein announced Sunday it was time for a change. 

Three years of declining results following the franchise’s historic World Series championship in 2016.

 The situation was finalized when Maddon and Epstein met in Epstein’s hotel room after the Cubs’ 8-6 victory at St. Louis on Saturday, sharing some wine and reminiscing about their successful five-year partnership.

 Maddon’s contract expired after the Cubs’ 9-0 loss to the Cardinals in Sunday’s season finale, which clinched the NL West title for St. Louis.

 ‘‘Change can help you grow,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘And Joe said this change is going to help him grow and I feel it’s going to help the Cubs grow, too.’’

The move begins what could be an active offseason for the Cubs, and the 65-year-old Maddon once again becomes one of baseball’s top free agents.

‘‘I want to continue to do this, whatever’s next out there, I want to be able to be on top of that too,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘All of it’s been positive, man, and it’s been interesting, entertaining and quite frankly for this time of year, feeling pretty good, feeling pretty eager about everything, so it’s been a good year.’’

While Maddon is out after five seasons, he is tied to Chicago forever after managing the Cubs to the franchise’s first title in 108 years.

Chicago also made it to the NL Championship Series in 2015 and 2017, but it lost in the wild-card round last October and tumbled out of the playoff race altogether this year. Weighed down by a puzzling discrepancy between their 51 wins at Wrigley Field and 33 road victories heading into the finale, the Cubs finished third in the NL Central.

‘‘You look at the home and road splits and what we've done on the road . . . I mean these are like some really crazy, hard-to-wrap-your-mind-around things,’’ Maddon said this month. ‘‘I don’t know if somebody’s going to dig deeply enough to really figure it out, but it’s really, just to have your mind try to extrapolate what is going on here, it’s hard to pinpoint anything.’’

The Cubs were in position to make the playoffs for much of this season. They had a half-game lead in the NL Central on Aug. 22. They had control of an NL wild card into September.

But a nine-game slide, including five consecutive one-run losses for the first time since 1915, wiped out their postseason chances and sealed Maddon’s fate.

Even with the disappointing finish each of the past two years, Maddon likely will have plenty of suitors. And there will be a ton of interest in the Cubs’ job.

‘‘Oh yeah, I don’t want to wait. I'm ready,’’ Maddon said.

 The last time Maddon was available, Epstein fired Rick Renteria after just one year to create an opening in Chicago.

Stay Tuned

Give it to the King

 

 

The King’s Court

Felix Hernandez made what will likely be his final start for the Mariners on Thursday, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Athletics.

The final line doesn't matter, nor do the unsightly numbers he'll finish this season with. What will be remembered about this night is King Felix's exit as he walked off the T-Mobile Park mound for the last time, hugging his teammates as he continued to wipe tears away with his sleeves, and the curtain call from grateful Mariners fans chanting "Thank you, Felix" as he waved one final goodbye.

The Cy Young Award winner and six-time All-Star will finish his brilliant 15-year career -- assuming he's done; Thursday sure felt like a sendoff -- having won 169 games with a 3.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 2,521 strikeouts in 2,724 1/3 innings of work in a Mariners uniform. Per STATS, he's the only pitcher in MLB history to win a Cy Young, throw a perfect game and strike out more than 2,500 batters for one team.

Despite pitching 15 seasons in the big leagues, Hernandez is still only 33-years-old, so it's in the realm of possibility that he'll look to continue his playing career elsewhere in 2020. He admitted as much after the game, telling reporters that he still feels as though he can compete and does not intend to retire after this season. He finished an injury-plagued 2019 season with a 1-8 record and an unsightly 6.40 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 57/25 K/BB ratio over 71 2/3 innings in his 15 starts.
In the day and age off free agency though, it would look awfully strange to see Hernandez donning any jersey other than the Mariners'.
Long live the King.

Twins Slug 300th HR

Even on a day where the Twins rested most of their regular starters after clinching a division title, they were still setting records on offense in Thursday’s victory over the Tigers.

The Twins and Yankees each entered the day on Thursday tied with 299 home runs on the season. With the Bombers idle, the Twins needed just one long ball against Jordan Zimmermann and company to become the first team in big league history to blast 300 home runs in a single season.

It took awhile to get the job done, but eventually it would get done. Jonathan Schoop crushed the first pitch that he saw from Jose Cisnero in the seventh inning for a no-doubt two-run blast -- increasing the Twins’ lead in the contest to 8-4.
When asked about it after the game, Schoop made sure to acknowledge that it has been an unbelievable team effort to achieve this milestone, "It's not only me, so I cannot take the credit for myself… I cannot hit 300 home runs by myself. It's my teammates. I'm lucky enough that I hit the 300th home run, but it's all teamwork. We're all in history because we all did it together. I'm happy. I'm happy that I did it, but it's teamwork.”

Willians Astudillo tacked onto the record in the eighth inning with a solo shot off of Zac Reininger. Which, what else would you expect from a team that has averaged two home runs per game the entire season.
The Twins will now have a two homer head start against the Yankees heading into the weekend for the battle of ultimate home run supremacy. The Twins will wrap up the season with a three-game series against the Royals in Kansas City over the weekend while the Yankees will battle the Rangers in Arlington.
The Twins also have a chance to make more history as a team over the weekend. They are currently sitting on 99 wins on the season -- which is the second highest total in franchise history. If they sweep the Royals, they’ll match the 1965 Twins that ultimately fell to the Dodgers in the World Series.
Just one more victory over the weekend would give rookie manager Rocco Baldelli his 100th victory of the season, which would set a new franchise record for a manager in his first season on the job.

Getting that W

Stephen Strasburg delivered another outstanding performance in Thursday’s victory over the Phillies, striking out 10 over six innings of one-run baseball. The only blemish against him on the afternoon was a solo shot off the bat of Cesar Hernandez.
With the victory, Strasburg now sits at 18-6 on the season with a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a career-high 251 strikeouts over 209 innings. The 18 victories are tops among all National League hurlers. Max Fried trails him by one victory, though he’s not scheduled to start over the weekend, meaning that Strasburg is likely to remain atop the heap.
He may even get another opportunity to earn another victory. Though it’s assumed that Max Scherzer would start for the Nationals in the Wild Card Game, with the way that Strasburg is throwing the ball currently, he has to be in the conversation as well. Strasburg has already stated that he’d be willing to work out of the bullpen in that game as well.
The 31-year-old right-hander remained healthy throughout the 2019 season, and in turn blew his average draft position completely out of the water. He finished the draft season as the 18th starting pitcher off the board, as he was selected just inside the top 60 players overall. He should go at least a full round higher next season.

American League Quick Hits: Khris Davis (flu) remained out of the Athletics’ lineup on Thursday. He’s considered day-to-day…. Mark Canha (groin) reported considerable improvement on Thursday and is tentatively expected to return to the A’s lineup on Friday… Shohei Ohtani (elbow, knee) was able to play light catch while sitting down on Wednesday -- the first step in his throwing program. He’s not expected to ramp up activity until mid-December… Carlos Correa (back) will not play over the final weekend of the regular season, but is expected to return or Game 1 of the ALDS next week… Willians Astudillo went 4-for-5 with a homer and four runs scored as the Twins walloped the Tigers… Mike Minor struck out nine batters over 8 ⅔ innings in a victory over the Red Sox, bringing his season total to 200. He needed 126 pitches to finally get the job done… Danny Santana blasted a grand slam in that victory -- his 27th home run of the season -- to pace the Rangers’ offense… James McCann smacked a three-run homer as the White Sox defeated the Indians -- and crushed their postseason hopes… Daniel Palka smacked a pair of solo home runs in that one… Matt Chapman clobbered a two-run homer as the Athletics beat the Mariners… Sean Manaea struck out five over six innings of one-run baseball in a win over the Mariners. He's now 4-0 on the season and could be the one to get the ball in next week's Wild Card Game... Kyle Tucker homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his big league career on Thursday.

National League Quick Hits: Eric Thames was removed from Thursday’s game against the Reds after one inning due to bilateral hamstring discomfort. He’s considered day-to-day… Jeff Hoffman (knee) is expected to start Sunday’s regular season finale against the Brewers… Trevor Gott underwent successful surgery on his left groin on Thursday… Justin Turner was held out of the Dodgers’ starting lineup on Thursday due to back tightness… Trevor Bauer’s final start of the season was pushed back until Sunday due to illness… The Phillies have opted to shut down Aaron Nola, scratching the right-hander from his scheduled start against the Marlins on Sunday… Tyler Beede was pulled from Thursday’s start with a left oblique injury. He’ll undergo an MRI on Friday… Jean Segura was removed from Thursday’s game against the Nationals with a right ankle sprain. With only three games left, the Phillies may simply play things cautiously and hold him out through the weekend… Robinson Cano was removed from Thursday’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch… The Cubs announced that Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks will not make their final scheduled starts of the season… Cole Hamels (shoulder) will start against the Cardinals on Saturday... Orlando Arcia went 2-for-4 with a three-run double, leading the Brewers to victory over the Reds… Aristides Aquino went 3-for-5 and clubbed his 18th home run in a loss to the Brewers… Clayton Kershaw punched out seven over six shutout innings in a victory over the Padres… Mike Yastrzemski slugged his 21st home run as the Giants topped the Rockies… Zack Wheeler struck out 10 over eight innings of three-run baseball in a loss to the Marlins… Jordan Yamamoto punched out 10 while allowing just one hit over six shutout innings in a no-decision against the Mets… Tyler Heineman blasted a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning of that one… Pablo Reyes went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI as the Pirates beat the Cubs.

 Off for the weekend, next blog on Monday. Enjoy Life !

300

The year of the home run is obvious, so obvious it does not need mentioning.

What has also happened this year, is the year of the strikeout.

Gerritt Cole, currently of the Houston Astros, has reached the pinnacle of pinnacles, the magic number of 300 strikeouts in one season.

In his latest outing against the Seattle Mariners, he went 7 innings of 2 hit shutout ball and struck out 14 Mariners.
Not bad eh, it was the 20th time in which he has delivered double digit strikeouts,and by the way, since May 22nd he is undefeated.

MLB did something in 2008 that looked fairly unremarkable. The league set a new record for strikeout rate, bumping just a hair above the record of 17.3% after having spent the last decade bouncing back and forth within the boundaries of a single percentage point.

The 17.5% K-rate was not dramatically higher than the previous record from 2001. But it was the start of something big. Baseball broke this record again in 2009—and 2010, and 2011, and every year since, with no signs of stopping. It’s looked like an unrelenting march across the Land of Balls in Play to the Sea of Three True Outcomes.

The 2019 season has only offered more of the same. In fact, it’s offered dramatically more of the same. It’s not just that the game’s strikeout rate is on track to set a record for the 11th straight year; at this point, the simple existence of a new record hardly feels worth remarking on. No, it’s that the strikeout rate is on track to set a record by a margin that is nearly a record in its own right. Entering Wednesday, 23.2% of plate appearances have resulted in a K—0.9 percentage points above last season’s rate, which might not sound like very much, but on this scale, a tiny fraction can equal hundreds and hundreds of strikeouts. It’s tied for baseball’s eighth-highest increase, year over year, ever, and it’s the second highest in the last quarter-century. So… what does it mean? What does it look like?

And where is it going? 

What’s 0.9 Percentage Points, Anyway ?

Hey, I get it! An 0.9 percentage point increase sounds tiny—meaningless, even. Is 23.2% so different from 22.3%?

Over the course of a year, it’s a difference of roughly 1,700 strikeouts. It’s less than one for every game. But it’s more than one for every two games. When that’s happening on top of a number that was already a record high, it’s a shift big enough to feel. It’s enough to bring the seasonal total up to nearly 43,000, or roughly one per team per inning. And if it keeps going for another two seasons, it’ll be just about enough for one in every four plate appearances to end in a strikeout.
Of course, it’s not yet there, and it might never get there. Right now, though, it’s a place that baseball has never been before—0.9 percentage points above where it was last year. Sure, it’s a tiny fraction. It’s just one that happens to represent 1,700 K’s.

What’s Behind It?

First, an important caveat: It’s impossible to isolate any single factor here, and even if you could, an increase like this one almost certainly isn’t due to any single factor. It’s likely due to several, working together. We can’t separate variables in a lab to figure out exactly what’s going on here. But we can run down a couple of theories, checking out what the numbers say about the game right now compared to where it was last year:
Pitchers are throwing harder. Nope! This season has actually seen a tiny dip in average velocity. Which makes perfect sense, when you consider the next point…
Pitchers are moving away from the fastball and throwing different stuff. Yep. According to Baseball Savant, fastballs have made up just 58% of pitches this season. (That’s all fastballs: fourseamers, cutters, and sinkers.) This number is down from 60% last year and 62% in 2015. What’s made up the difference? There’ve been a few more curveballs and many more sliders. And those sliders have been harder to hit than ever before. Hitters have a .208 batting average on the pitch in 2019. This isn’t the answer, in and of itself, but it’s probably a small part of it.

There are more pitchers, period. Well, there are definitely more pitchers. There are tons of pitchers. Entering Tuesday—2019’s quarter-way mark—565 pitchers had appeared in a game. Rewind two decades-ish, to 1998, the first season with 30 clubs. There were 557 pitchers who appeared in a game over the course of that entire year. The 2018 season only just set the record here (799 pitchers) and it would not be remotely surprising for 2019 to break 800. So… yes, there are more pitchers. Are those pitchers better, though?

 That’s a different question.

As you’d expect, these additional pitchers are primarily reliever, as starters’ workloads shrink and teams rely on their bullpens more than ever.

As reported, however, the growth of and increased dependence on relief corps has coincided with these pitchers performing worse. In other words, there isn’t too much of a statistical gap anymore between the rotation and the ‘pen. It’s harder than ever to draw a line between the two groups. So this point might be a wash: There are more pitchers, which means more pitchers that hitters don’t recognize, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the net performance level here is higher.

Hitters are swinging more. Not so! In fact, they’re swinging a little bit less (46.1% of pitches, compared to last year’s 46.6%.)

Okay, hitters are chasing more. This one isn’t true, either. The decrease in total swings has included a dip in swings outside the zone: 30.2%, versus last year’s 30.9%.
So what’s the verdict? Probably a little of everything! There are more pitchers using more varied arsenals, with more hard-to-hit secondary stuff, and who knows what else. There’s a lot going on here. But it’s not simply “hitters worse, pitchers better.”

Has This Happened Before?


Kind of! From 1955 to 1967, the strikeout rate increased enough each season to set a new record for every year. Of course, the scale was different: The 1955 record was 11.4%, less than half of the current rate. (1967 finished at 15.9%.) That’s a big difference, but it wasn’t born of dramatic spikes; in that stretch, there was just one year-over-year increase as high as the one that baseball has seen this season, and in all, the difference between 1955’s and 1967’s K% is not as big as the difference between 2008’s and 2019’s.

And you thought I was going to critique the movie 300 !  LOL  Sorry, that's for another day.

The Swingin Friars take a fall

It’s been a few days, but I still find myself rather disgusted by the Andy Green firing in San Diego. Yeah, every time a bad team dismisses its manager/coach, there’s a course of “(insert your favorite choice here) couldn’t have won with that group.” I don’t like looking at it that way; a team’s win-loss record is an awfully poor reflection of a manager’s performance. Managers/coaches need to be judged on their own merits, and outsiders aren’t working with anything closer to perfect information there. Still, I think there’s reason to believe Green is a pretty good manager, and his firing is more of a case of GM A.J. Preller deflecting blame for the flawed major league teams he’s put together than anything else. Even though the Padres added one of the market’s very biggest free agents for the second straight winter, not much should have been expected from them this season. How could it be when this was the Opening Day rotation:

• Joey Lucchesi: Eight career MLB wins, simply not enough
• Eric Lauer: Six career MLB wins, barely visible
• Chris Paddack: Rookie who missed 2017 and totaled 90 innings in 2018, good but not much.
• Matt Strahm: Eight career MLB starts, painfully inadequate
• Nick Margevicius: Rookie who had never pitched above A-ball, woefully horrible stats

It looks like the rotation of a team that lost four guys to injuries in spring training, but that wasn’t the case here. Not only did Green have to hope for quality results from this crew, but he had to manage their workloads at the same time; not one of the five had ever topped 140 innings as a pro. The bullpen was going to have to be relied upon heavily, but outside of closer Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen, it was largely dreck. Of the other six relievers to make the team, only Robbie Erlin, Trey Wingenter and Adam Warren stuck around and all are sporting ERAs over 5.00 at the moment.
The offense was better, but still almost as challenging to manage. Green was supposed to figure out how to dole out playing time to five similarly talented outfielders in Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Franmil Reyes, Manuel Margot and Frenchy Cordero. That Cordero almost immediately got hurt cleared things up some, but it robbed the team of the one lefty in the bunch and one of the two decent center field options.


Green also had to try to work the catching situation with Austin Hedges, an outstanding defensive catcher and subpar hitter, and Francisco Mejia, the hot shot prospect with defensive issues.
It’s not a stretch to say Green opened this season with the most challenging on-field assignment of any manager in the league. Sure, he wasn’t under the same pressure to justify his every move as a manager in New York and Boston - and I imagine that helps a lot - but as far as walking the tightrope between what was best for his team’s future and actually needing to win some games with a talented-but-shoddily-assembled roster, there were tough calls to be made every day.
I don’t agree with everything Green did, particularly in his handling of Renfroe. And, obviously, Preller deserves credit for assembling one of the game’s best collections of young talent over the last five years. Preller, though, still has a lot to prove when it comes to constructing a major league roster. He hasn’t come under any pressure yet, but that should change if he can’t put a team on the field capable of making a run at a wild card spot next year.

American League notes

- When Royals manager Ned Yost made his surprise retirement announcement Monday, he said he thought the worst of the team’s rebuild was now in the past. That’s probably true after a second straight 100-loss season. On the other hand:

• The team’s best player is about to turn 31 and might not be a second baseman for much longer.
• The team’s two breakthrough hitters this year are both big defensive liabilities.
• The team’s promising young shortstop has a career .282 OBP and struggles to stay healthy.
• The team’s catcher is coming off Tommy John surgery.
• The rotation foundation of Brad Keller and Jakob Junis have four major league pitches between them.

And those are the Royals’ strong points. I still think the club would have been better off cashing in on Whit Merrifield’s team-friendly contract at the trade deadline. He’s leading the American League in hits, but everything there is a little worse than last year, something that’s obscured by the fact that offense is up across the league. It’s great what Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler have done this year, but Dozier needs to be looked at as a first baseman going forward and Soler has to be a full-time DH. Also, Soler is sure to opt out of his contract and lock in a big raise in arbitration after his 45-homer season.
The Royals farm system is significantly improved now, though it’s not as far along as it would have been had Dayton Moore been more aggressive in rebuilding after the World Series team broke up. That the team should have better reinforcements on the pitching staff next year will help in avoiding another 100-loss season in 2020. I think Yost is right that the worst is over for the Royals. However, I’d be rather surprised if this current group ever sees the postseason.
- Felix Hernandez makes his final start of the year Thursday. The Mariners are clearly looking at it as a send-off outing, and there’s at least some chance it’ll go down as the final start of his stellar career. Hernandez has a 6.51 ERA this year after coming in at 5.55 last season. He’s still just 33, but he’s shown surprisingly little ability to adapt to his diminished velocity in recent years. A big problem is that the changeup that was once an outstanding offering while being delivered in the 88-90 mph range hasn’t retained its usefulness at 83-86 mph. Maybe the right pitching coach could coax some better results out of him, but he’ll almost certainly have to take a minor league deal this winter and one wonders if he’ll decide it’s worth it.

National League notes

- I’ll be really interested to see how aggressive the Diamondbacks are with their offense this winter. They’re pretty well set at the tough spots with Ketel Marte, Carson Kelly, Eduardo Escobar and Nick Ahmed returning at a combined cost of about $19 million. The decisions come down to whether to settle for their current options at the other spots. David Peralta was great in 2018, but it was his only particularly good season in the last four years and he just turned 32. It’ll take $8 million-$10 million to keep him in his final year of arbitration. It’s probably worth holding on to him at that price, especially with the outfield crop looking weak, but it really is too bad the team didn’t trade him after moving Paul Goldschmidt last winter.


At first base, the Diamondbacks can stick with Christian Walker for the minimum. Walker, though, is sitting on a 108 OPS+ in his age-28 season; it would be nice to have more upside in that spot. A Jake Lamb-Walker platoon might be productive, but Lamb is due about $5 million next season and seems likely to be non-tendered. Walker has yet to show any platoon split anyway.
The Diamondbacks have Steven Souza for right field, but Souza was a disaster when healthy in 2018 and is coming off a major injury that cost him the entire season. He’s also due $4 million in arbitration, and though he probably still has some upside left, there’d seem to be better ways to spend that money. Besides, they might be able to re-sign him for half that after he’s non-tendered.
The team also has a $6 million option on Wilmer Flores, who has impressed with a .311/.358/.470 line in 271 plate appearances but who continues to lack a position. He really needs to head to the AL.
It’s unlikely that the Diamondbacks are going to try to upgrade at every spot (they also need a center fielder or a second baseman, depending on where they’d prefer to pencil in Marte), especially since they’re still paying $17 million to Yasmany Tomas to pummel Triple-A pitching. However, since the rotation is already seven deep (Robbie Ray, Luke Weaver, Zac Gallen, Mike Leake, Merrill Kelly, Taijuan Walker and Alex Young), they should have a fair amount of flexibility.

Jose Urena

 The Jose Urena closing experiment would rate as a disaster if the Marlins were playing for anything; after another blown save Tuesday, he’s given up multiple runs in four of his last eight appearances. When they brought Urena back as a reliever, the Marlins made it clear that they still planned to have Urena start next year. However, with his career 4.56 ERA (87 ERA+) in 571 innings, Urena appears obsolete as a starter at this point. He still has the stuff to be average, but his upside has always seemed overstated. If he had impressed as a closer, it would be easier to see a fit for him in the Marlins’ long-term plans. As is, though, it would really make sense to trade him this winter; some team would probably give up a modest prospect for him and the Marlins could find other ways to spend the approximately $5 million that he’s due.

The Astros acheived orbital status again

The Astros' clinching of their third-straight American League West title has long seemed to be more a question of "when" than "if."
The "when" was answered Sunday.
The Astros, on the back of George Springer's three-homer game, rolled to their third consecutive division title with Sunday's 13-5 win over the Angels.

“I’m happy for the fans, happy for the city and happy for us a team,” Springer said. “A lot has to go right for us to do this and a lot of hard work has to get put into it. It did, and we’re starting to see it.”
It's fitting that Sunday's stars were also the stars who have carried the Astros all season long. Justin Verlander started and went five innings, earning his 20th win of the season -- the first pitcher this year to get to 20 wins. AL MVP candidate Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer. Rookie sensation Yordan Alvarez had four hits. Springer had three homers.

The division is now locked up, but the Astros still have some things left to play for in the season's final week. They are currently a half-game up on the Yankees for the best record in the American League, and the winner of that race is likely to be the difference between playing the Twins and playing the winner of the Wild Card game.

The team is built to go well beyond the first round, though. With Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke, the rotation for a five- or seven-game series has no weaknesses. A stout bullpen led by Roberto Osuna can plug any leaks in the rotation. And the lineup is potent from top to bottom.
They know that, too. Bregman said Sunday's celebration was nice but that the team has its sights set on higher goals.

“That’s our first goal is winning the division,” Bregman said. “Everyone that’s in here is happy about that, but nobody’s satisfied.”
 

Bryant Suffers Sprained Ankle

The insult was worse, but the injury was pretty bad for the Cubs on Sunday, too.
The team suffered another difficult loss, falling 3-2 to the Cardinals after the visitors scored two runs in the top of the ninth, but they also might have lost third baseman Kris Bryant for a while after he sustained a sprained right ankle. Bryant hurt his ankle when he stepped awkwardly on first base while trying to beat a double play in the third inning.
"It's tough," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "I talked to him. He's feeling OK. Hopefully it's not too long, but it's just a tough series."
The Bryant loss would compound the Cubs' health issues in recent weeks. Rizzo is back in the lineup but in a limited capacity after he sprained his ankle a week ago. Javier Baez is being used as a pinch-runner but can't hit or play in the field due to a fractured left thumb. Cole Hamels missed his scheduled start over the weekend with left shoulder fatigue.
If the team doesn't turn it around soon, they'll have plenty of time to rest and recuperate as they wait for spring training to begin. After Sunday's loss -- their sixth in a row, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the division-rival Cardinals -- the Cubs are mathematically eliminated from winning the NL Central and are four games back of the second Wild Card spot with a week to go.
Now, they might have to make the uphill climb without a few of their best hitters.

Severino is Back

Luis Severino made his return to the Yankees rotation last week.
But on Sunday, he announced that he's back.
The distinction came after the right-hander dominated the Blue Jays on Sunday, striking out nine over five scoreless innings of work.
“Our ace is back,” Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said. “I’m excited about it; just at the right time. He’s coming back, he’s healthy and that’s the most important thing. I really don’t care what he’s doing right now on the mound but just as long as he’s healthy and we have him for the postseason, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”
Severino was impressive in his 2019 debut against the Angels, working four scoreless innings on Tuesday. With Sunday's outing, he became the first Yankees pitcher to throw at least four scoreless innings in his first two appearances of the year since Pascual Perez did it in 1991, per MLB.com.
The 25-year-old's rounding into form comes at just the right time, too, as the Yankees head into October with a championship run on their mind. A healthy and effective Severino heads up a rotation that also includes James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka, allowing them to match up with the Astros' three-headed monster for what could be a potentially must-see ALCS showdown.
We're ready. And now, so is Severino.

National League Quick Hits: Freddie Freeman (elbow) will remain in Atlanta while the Braves travel to Kansas City for their two-game series next week. Freeman will remain at home and receive treatment, with the expectation that he'll rejoin the team in New York on Friday. It sounds as though they're just playing things cautiously here, and had this been a playoff situation Freeman would have remained in the starting lineup. ... Max Muncy (quad) remained out of the Dodgers' lineup Sunday. Muncy has now missed two straight starts after being lifted from Friday's game with a tight quad. The ailment is considered minor, but the Dodgers can afford to play it safe. ... Kolten Wong has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. Wong is hoping to be ready to play by next weekend, although that wouldn't seem to be a given since he'll be just a week removed from a moderate strain at that point. The Cardinals have shifted Tommy Edman over to second base and re-installed Matt Carpenter at third base with Wong on the shelf. ... Seth Mejias-Brean went 3-for-4 and hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the 10th inning Sunday to lead the Padres to a 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks. The homer was the second for the 28-year-old since he was promoted by the Padres earlier this month, and he's hitting .300/.364/.700 in a very small sample size. Sunday was surely a day Mejias-Brean won't forget. ... Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam as the Dodgers bested the Rockies 7-4 on Sunday. Rockies reliever Jake McGee made a mistake where you don't make mistakes to Bellinger, and the 24-year-old knocked it over the right field wall in the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The homer was the 46th of the year for Bellinger, who's got 114 RBI and 118 runs scored while hitting .302/.404/.628 in 151 games this year. In an offensive environment unlike anything we've ever seen, Bellinger is still having a massive year by any standards. ... Eric Thames homered twice to help the Braves complete a three-game series sweep against the Pirates with a 4-3 victory on Sunday. The last time he accomplished the feat was on June 17, 2018. The 32-year-old first baseman has re-emerged as an everyday contributor and a key component in the Brewers’ lineup, hitting .250/.352/.503 with 63 runs scored, 23 home runs, 59 RBI and three stolen bases in 438 plate appearances.

Mondesi down

American League Quick Hits: Royals manager Ned Yost confirmed Sunday that Adalberto Mondesi's shoulder injury on Sunday will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Mondesi had his shoulder pop out and pop back in while making a diving stop in the field on Sunday. It's a tough way to end the year for the 24-year-old, who slashed .263/.291/.424 with nine homers, 62 RBI and 43 stolen bases in only 102 games during an injury-plagued campaign. ...

Jose Ramirez (hand) is expected to return to the Indians' lineup on Tuesday. Ramirez has been taking batting practice for a few days now and on Saturday faced live pitching for the first time since he had hamate bone surgery in late August. It's a quicker than expected return and will certainly be welcomed by the Indians as they fight for an AL Wild Card spot. ... Rays activated 2B/OF Brandon Lowe from the 60-day injured list. Manager Kevin Cash announced exactly a month ago that Lowe was done for the season with a strained left quad, but Lowe managed to work his way back more quickly than expected and will look to give the club a boost in the final week. He certainly could be rusty, but the 25-year-old is worth using in fantasy leagues. ... Willie Calhoun hit two of the Rangers' five home runs Sunday in a 8-3 win over the Athletics. The homers gave him 20 on the year, an impressive feat considering he's played in just 77 games with the big club. Having gotten the chance to show what he can do, Calhoun's natural hitting ability has shone through this year, batting .269/.317/.531 in 290 at-bats this season. ... Miguel Sano homered twice to power the Twins to a 12-8 blowout victory over the Royals on Sunday. The 26-year-old slugger is now up to 33 round-trippers on the season after recording his fifth multi-homer effort of the year. He’s been sizzling at the dish recently, leaving the yard six times over his last nine games. He owns a .248/.347/.580 triple-slash line with 72 runs scored, 33 homers and 77 RBI in 424 plate appearances. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to contend for a home run title next season. It’ll be fascinating to see where he ends up being selected in fantasy drafts next spring.

Cruel to be kind

 Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind...Nick Lowe sang this once, and Nate Lowe was cruel to be kind against the Carmine Hose last night, ending a extra inning affair between the Rays and Red Sox.

The Tampa Bay Rays entered play on Saturday tied with the Cleveland Indians for the second and final Wild Card berth in the American League. They were also riding high after winning Friday night’s game in 11 innings on a walk-off RBI single by shortstop Willy Adames.

They received an unbelievable effort from Tyler Glasnow who functioned as the club’s opener on Saturday -- striking out seven batters over three scoreless innings to begin the ballgame. The right-hander now boasts a sensational 1.92 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 72/12 K/BB ratio across 56 1/3 innings on the season.
The Rays also jumped out to an early lead, pushing two runs across in the third inning on RBI singles from Travis d’Arnaud and Joey Wendle. Adames then extended their lead to 3-1 with a solo blast in the seventh inning.
The Red Sox battled back though, as Rafael Devers clubbed a two-run homer in the eighth to force extra innings. Then Mitch Moreland crushed a two-out, solo homer in the top half of the 11th inning to put the Rays in a one-run hole.

Not a problem. Travis d’Arnaud led off the home half of the 11th inning with a double into the gap in left-center field. That’s when Nate Lowe strode to the plate to take on Josh Smith. After getting ahead in the count 2-0, Lowe crushed a ball over the wall just inside the foul pole in left field, sending the Rays’ home faithful into a tizzy.
It was the second straight walk-off win in the 11th inning for the Rays, and their 10th extra-inning victory this season -- tying them with the Astros for the most in all of baseball.
When asked about the moment after the game, Lowe told reporters, “As cliche as it sounds, there’s not a whole lot better than hitting a walk-off homer in a pennant race… I still smell like Gatorade everywhere even though I just showered. I don’t know if my jersey will ever be clean. I’ll take it every minute.”

The 24-year-old became just the third player in Rays’ franchise history to hit a home run with his club trailing in extra innings, and it was only the ninth time in club history that a rookie has ever hit a walkoff home run.
Their victory, combined with the Indians falling to the Phillies on Saturday night, puts the Rays in sole possession of that second Wild Card spot with seven games left to play.

 

Kimbrel Ambushed

 

 

The stork was ambushed. 

Speaking of teams fighting for Wild Card berths, the Chicago Cubs entered play on Saturday in desperate need of a victory after dropping a pair of heartbreaking decisions to the Cardinals on Thursday and Friday.

You’ll recall on Thursday that the Cubs received the surprise emotional boost of Anthony Rizzo returning to the lineup -- who even crushed a ball out of the yard off of Jack Flaherty. A stunning ninth inning rally off of Carlos Martinez to erase a three-run deficit, only to see the victory slip through their hands as Craig Kimbrel served up a solo homer to Matt Carpenter in the 10th inning. Back at the yard on Friday, they missed numerous opportunities on offense in a crushing 2-1 defeat. Saturday was basically do or die.
The Cubs’ offense got to work early in this one, taking advantage of the poor command of Cardinals’ right-hander Dakota Hudson. After a one-out double by Nicholas Castellanos, the Cubs drew four consecutive walks -- the last two by Ben Zobrist and Victor Caratini each forcing in runs. Jason Heyward followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Cubs an early 3-1 edge.
It would be short-lived though. The Cardinals fought back hard against Jose Quintana, retaking the lead at 5-3 in the fourth inning. There’s no quit in these Cubbies though, as Ian Happ swatted a two-run homer in the fifth to tie it back up.
The Cubs then pulled ahead in the sixth inning as rookie shortstop Nico Hoerner connected on his third home run of the season, putting the Cubs back on top 6-5. Once again, the Cardinals struck back. In the top half of the seventh inning, Marcell Ozuna obliterated a Kyle Ryan offering for a two-run homer, giving the Cardinals the lead once again at 7-6.
In the home half of the seventh. Tony Kemp appeared to have struck out as he swung through strike three against Giovanny Gallegos. However, the umpire instead called a balk on Gallegos, allowing Ben Zobrist to advance to third base and giving Kemp another shot, though he was still in an 0-2 hole. Kemp made the most of his second life, crushing the next pitch over the wall in center to give the Cubs an 8-7 lead.
The score would remain that way into the ninth inning, where closer Craig Kimbrel was called upon to protect a one-run lead. Fresh off of giving up that home run to Carpenter on Thursday, Kimbrel began this outing by attempting to fire a fastball in for a first-pitch strike against Yadier Molina. The cagey veteran backstop was ready for it though, pouncing on the very first pitch and sending it over the wall in left-center for a game-tying home run.
Then, before the Cubs' home faithful at Wrigley Field had a chance to recover from that gut-punch, Paul DeJong clubbed the very next offering over the wall in center to give the Cardinals the lead.
In just 20 2/3 innings on the season, Kimbrel has now surrendered a career-high nine home runs. For the season, he now owns a cringe-inducing 6.53 ERA and 1.60 WHIP to go along with his 0-4 record and three blown saves.
The Cubs attempted some heroics of their own in the ninth inning as Javier Baez surprisingly came out to pinch hit with two-outs in the inning, but he wound up going down on strikes against Carlos Martinez to end the ballgame -- and perhaps ending the Cubs’ postseason aspirations as well.
After the three straight soul-crushing losses, the Cubs now sit a full three games back of the Brewers for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. With seven games to play, their hopes are dimming by the day.

Paxton Keeps Winning

What James Paxton has been doing for the Yankees over the last couple of months has been pretty remarkable, and it may not be getting the attention that it deserves.
On Saturday, Paxton defeated the Blue Jays for the second consecutive outing, this time allowing just one unearned run on three hits while striking out seven over six strong innings of work.  By securing another win, Paxton has now emerged victorious in each of his last 10 starts. Not his last 10 decisions, but 10 wins in 10 consecutive starts.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Paxton is just the sixth pitcher in Yankees’ franchise history (seventh occurrence) to win 10 consecutive starts, joining Jack Chesbro (14 in 1904), Russ Ford (12 in 1910), Ron Guidry (11 in 1979, 10 in 1978), Whitey Ford (11 in 1961) and Lefty Gomez (10 in 1932).

Prior to this streak, the 30-year-old hurler was in the midst of a very disappointing season. After losing to the Red Sox on July 26 he sat at 5-6 on the season with an underwhelming 4.72 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.
During this ridiculously successful run, he has compiled a 2.25 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 68/20 K/BB ratio over 60 innings. He has gone from a 5-6 record and terrible ratios, to a guy that’s now 15-6 with a 3.73 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
He’s also looking like a guy who could be the Yankees’ top starter heading into the postseason. The way he’s throwing the ball right now, there isn’t a better option to take the ball to begin the Bombers’ quest for a World Series title.
He’ll get a chance to extend his streak to 11 straight when he does battle against the Rangers in Arlington in his final start of the regular season on Saturday.

Padres Axe Andy Green

Just when it looked as though we would go through an entire season without a big league manager losing his job, the Padres relieved Andy Green of his managerial duties on Saturday. Bench coach Rod Barajas will serve as the interim manager over the final week of the regular season.

In a statement Saturday, Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller said, "I want to thank Andy for his tireless work and dedication to the Padres over the last four seasons… This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we felt was necessary at this time to take our organization to the next level and expedite the process of bringing a championship to San Diego. Our search for a new manager will begin immediately."
Green served four seasons at the helm of the rebuilding Padres, compiling a 274-366 record. The Padres looked like a surprise team in the first half of 2019 though, led by free agent acquisition Manny Machado and rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. The train seemed to come off the tracks though after Tatis Jr. was lost for the season due to injury. After sitting at .500 through the first half, the Padres tumbled to a 24-40 record in the second half, ultimately costing Green his job.
Preller alluded to that very thing when talking to the media on Saturday, explaining "As we got to these last few months, we just felt like we didn't really see enough progress… When you look at the team, we feel like we have more talent than the way we were playing."
The Padres now have the advantage of being the first team to begin their managerial search. Interim manager Rod Barajas is likely to receive consideration, as will Moises Alou -- who serves as a special assistant to the team currently -- though it remains unclear if Alou has any desire to manage at the big league level.


American League Quick Hits: Bo Bichette sat out Saturday’s game and remains in the league’s concussion protocol after taking a pitch off the brim of his helmet during Friday night’s contest… The Yankees got good news from the MRI on the injured hamstring of Gleyber Torres as it revealed no structural damage. He sat out Saturday’s game as a precautionary measure. … Avisail Garcia was held out of the Rays’ lineup on Saturday after leaving Friday’s game early due to illness. … Max Kepler missed his seventh straight game due to lingering shoulder soreness… Mitch Haniger (back, groin) looks unlikely to return before the end of the season. … Miguel Cabrera was scratched from the Tigers’ lineup due to lingering soreness in his right knee. … Jose Ramirez (hand) could return to the Indians’ lineup on Sunday. … Tommy La Stella (leg) ran the bases without issue on Saturday and is still hopeful to return to the Angels before the end of the season. … Austin Adams will undergo an MRI on his left knee after hyper-extending it while covering first base during Saturday’s game against the Orioles. … Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in two runs as the Yankees topped the Blue Jays. … Cheslor Cuthbert swatted a pinch-hit, go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning to lead the Royals past the Twins. … David Fletcher went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI as the Angels topped the Astros. … Kole Calhoun socked his 33rd dinger in that victory for the Halos. … Wade Miley lasted just one inning in a loss there, allowing four runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman. He owns a 9.14 ERA over his last four starts and may have pitched his way out of the team’s postseason rotation. … Marcus Semien went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, three walks and two runs scored as the Athletics obliterated the Rangers. … Danny Santana smashed his 26th home run in a losing effort there. … Tim Lopes delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI single in the 13th inning to lead the Mariners past the Orioles… Tim Anderson swatted his 18th home run of the season as the White Sox topped the Tigers in Motown.

National League Quick Hits: Kolten Wong was held out of action for the second straight day due to his hamstring injury. … Max Muncy was absent from the Dodgers’ lineup after tweaking his quadriceps during Friday’s game against the Rockies. He admitted that he would have been in there had it been a playoff game though, and is considered day-to-day. … Josh VanMeter was scratched from the Reds’ lineup on Saturday after catching the illness that has been running rampant through the Reds’ clubhouse. … Nick Senzel is set to undergo surgery next week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. … Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies sat out on Saturday as the Braves plan to give their regulars plenty of rest over the final week-plus of the regular season. … Justin Turner (ankle) returned to the Dodgers’ lineup on Saturday after missing the previous 10 games. … After appearing as a pinch-hitter on Saturday, Javier Baez (thumb) said that he hopes to return to the Cubs’ lineup on Tuesday against the Pirates. … Elias Diaz was pulled from Saturday’s game against the Brewers with a right knee injury. … Asdrubal Cabrera was pulled from Saturday’s game due to right ankle soreness. He’s considered day-to-day. ...  Anthony DeSclafani struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Mets. … Zack Wheeler was equally as good on the other side, firing seven innings of one-run ball and fanning seven in a no-decision. … Max Fried picked up his 17th win of the season, holding the Giants to five hits over 5 ⅓ shutout innings. … Trent Grisham homered, drove in three runs, walked and scored twice in a lopsided victory over the Pirates. … Stephen Strasburg struck out six over seven shutout innings in a tough-luck no-decision against the Marlins. … Kurt Suzuki came through with a pinch-hit, three-run double in the 10th inning to lead the Nationals to victory in that one. … Brad Miller homered twice in a victory over the Indians… Bryce Harper smacked a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning to put the Phillies ahead to stay in that one. … Hunter Renfroe clubbed his 33rd home run in a loss to the Diamondbacks. … Abraham Almonte went 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored in the win for the Snakes. … Luke Weaver fired two perfect innings in his return from the injured list on Saturday. … Ryan McMahon crushed his 23rd home run as the Rockies bested the Dodgers. … Kyle Freeland threw a pair of scoreless innings against the Dodgers in his return from the injured list.

Down the stretch they come ....

For many pitchers returning from major arm injuries midseason, the remainder of the year is more of a ramp up for their next full season. Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet  looks like he’s at full strength already.

Lamet missed all of 2018 following Tommy John surgery, but finally returned to the Padres in early July. There have been some hiccups in his 13 starts since returning, though he’s really come into his own lately. Featuring a fastball-slider combo that’s nearly unhittable, Lamet had arguably his best start of the season this week when he fanned 14 Brewers in only six innings. It was his third double-digit strikeout game this year.

Always a high strikeout pitcher in the minors, there was some thought Lamet would need to shift to the pen because of his lack of a third pitch. That anxiety was unfounded, as he’s fared very well as a starter with a 12.6 K/9 that trails only Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale, and Max Scherzer among starters. Lamet’s ERA metrics also show slightly better expected results than his still-strong 3.84 ERA.
Another good sign for Lamet has been his slight uptick in velocity since returning, with a fastball averaging 96 mph, ranking 13^th among starters. Lamet’s ERA and strikeout rate have improved with each month so far, another good sign indicating hitters still aren’t able to adjust to his elite two pitches.

Lamet is set to cap off his great second half with a two-start week vs. the Dodgers and at Arizona. Those matchups could be more favorable, but Lamet’s late-season ascension should keep him in fantasy lineups to close out the year and make him a popular name entering 2020.

Blake Snell had a successful return from the injured list this week, albeit very abbreviated. He threw only 26 pitches over two innings against the Dodgers. The results were encouraging, but Snell is still clearly building back strength with velocity that was down slightly and limited use of his secondary pitches. Snell could have a two-start week ahead as the Rays try to secure a Wild Card spot, and it will be interesting to see how hard the team pushes him this week as they try to extend their season. He’s certainly usable based on his strong return this week but should probably be treated more like a relief pitcher who is unlikely to throw five innings and qualify for a win.

One of the centerpieces of the return for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano, Justin Dunn is getting a late-season cup of coffee in the Mariners starting rotation. He failed to make it out of the first inning in his debut but was better vs. a poor Pirates lineup on Wednesday. The M’s have held Dunn under 40 pitches, so he’s not much of an option despite a possible two-start slate next week, but could be worthy as a keeper stash after an outstanding year at Double-A with a 3.55 ERA and 158/39 K/BB in 131.2 innings at Double-A.

This has not only been the year of the home run but also the year of the groundball pitcher, considering the success of some of the league’s top groundball specialists such as Dallas Keuchel, Dakota Hudson, and Marcus Stroman. One groundball pitcher who has emerged quietly is Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser, who has a 3.83 ERA in 103.1 innings between starting and relief this year, along with an elite 54% groundball rate. Although manager Craig Counsell has exercised a quick hook with Houser, he’s been a valuable piece of a banged up rotation late this year and has a 3.18 ERA over his last eight outings. The success has been somewhat surprising after posting an ERA above 5.00 in the minors last season, but he has a chance to help fantasy owners over the last week as a two-start pickup, albeit with his final outing at Coors Field.

Big Bear Sighting

The Big Bear

Marcell Ozuna hasn’t had many hits lately, but he sure made his two Monday count.

The Big Bear" slugged a two-run home run off of Stephen Strasburg in the first inning and swatted a tie-breaking two-run double in the seventh Monday, accounting for all four of the Cardinals’ runs in their 4-2 win over the Nationals.
The win allowed the Cardinals to remain two games ahead of the Cubs (who also won) and three games ahead of the Brewers (ditto) in the National League Central. The Cards had just suffered a back-breaking loss to the latter on Sunday and they have a four-game series versus the former this weekend.
Ozuna, by the way, has never played in a playoff game, having spent the first five seasons of his career with the Marlins and last year on a third-place St. Louis club.
As previously alluded to, Ozuna had been struggling lately, having entered Monday batting just .137/.241/.314 in September. The home run Monday was his fourth in 15 games this month, though, and he now has 28 dingers and 86 RBI in his walk year.
The Nationals, meanwhile, now only have a half-game lead over the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot and just a 1.5-game lead over the Brewers.
It will be Patrick Corbin against Miles Mikolas on Tuesday in St. Louis in another matchup with big playoff implications.

Giolito Shut Down

Lucas Giolito’s big breakout season has come to a premature end.

In news that came out of nowhere, the White Sox announced Monday night that Giolito is dealing with a mild right lat strain and will be shut down for the remainder of the season. Giolito apparently felt something during his normal between-starts bullpen session Sunday and an MRI revealed the bad news.
The good news is that it doesn’t seem like anything that should be a long-term concern. However, it’s an injury that could normally cost a pitcher about 3-4 weeks of action and obviously there’s not that much time left in the season.
Giolito had his sixth double-digit strikeout game of the season in his last start and fanned a franchise-record eight straight Royals at one point. He will finish the year with a whopping 228 punchouts versus just 57 walks over 176 2/3 innings covering 29 starts. The 25-year-old held a 3.41 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
It’s certainly one of the bigger one-year turnarounds we’ve ever seen, as Giolito was coming off a season when he posted a 6.13 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 125/90 K/BB ratio across 173 1/3 frames. He will be among the first handful of starting pitchers to go off the board in fantasy drafts next spring.
Ross Detwiler will slide into Giolito’s vacated spot on Tuesday in Minnesota.

Rizzo Given Boot

If the Cubs are to make a push to the National League Central title, they’re almost surely going to have to do it without their star first baseman.    
Anthony Rizzo underwent an MRI on his injured right ankle Monday, which showed that he’s dealing with a moderate sprain. He does not need surgery, but Rizzo will wear a walking boot for 5-7 days before being re-evaluated. The first baseman was injured on Sunday while fielding a bunt.
For what it’s worth, Rizzo isn’t ruling out a return before the end of the regular season. However, the reality is that, with less than two weeks remaining, it’s probably not going to happen.
"My body usually responds pretty well, so I'm certainly not ruling it out," Rizzo said. "I have every intention of trying to do everything I can with the training staff to get back on the field with the boys. I think a few days will really tell us a lot more just about how everything reacts. But as of now, it doesn't feel great.”

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that it “would take basically a miracle” for Rizzo to return before the end of the regular season. A “more realistic” timetable, he says, “would start after at least the first series of the playoffs.”
Losing Rizzo is obviously a major bummer for a Cubs team that learned just over a week ago that they would be without Javier Baez (thumb) for the remainder of the regular season. The club is expected to use a combination of Victor Caratini, Ian Happ, Jonathan Lucroy and perhaps Willson Contreras at first base while Rizzo is on the shelf.

National League Quick Hits: Robbie Ray carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and wound up allowing one run over six frames Monday in a no-decision against the Marlins. … Brandon Woodruff (oblique) will be activated from the injured list and start for the Brewers on Tuesday versus the Padres. … Craig Kimbrel (elbow) will throw a 12-15 pitch simulated game on Tuesday and could be activated by this weekend. … Garrett Cooper has been sent back to Miami to have his bruised right knee evaluated. … Carlos Martinez (asthma) recorded a one-out save Monday after being unavailable for a couple days. …  Jeff McNeil went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer on Monday in a loss to the Rockies. … Anthony Rendon went 2-for-4 and crushed his 34th homer Monday against the Cardinals. … Garrett Richards surrendered three runs in 3 2/3 innings versus the Brewers to take a loss in his return from Tommy John surgery.

American League Quick Hits: Carlos Correa (back) is expected to be activated off the injured list sometime this week. … Domingo Santana (elbow) is expected to be activated from the injured list on Tuesday. … Jose Berrios pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball and fanned eight batters in a win over the White Sox on Monday. … Athletics manager Bob Melvin indicated Monday that Stephen Piscotty (ankle) is unlikely to return before the end of the regular season. … Tyler Alexander picked up his first major league win in a spot start Monday, holding the Orioles to one run over six frames in the Tigers' victory. … Mike Fiers (arm) expects to throw a bullpen session Tuesday and could make his next scheduled start. … Trey Mancini popped a solo home run and added a double in Monday's loss to the Tigers. … Matthew Boyd has been scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday versus the Indians due to a family matter.