Cole'd Fusion

 

To say that Gerrit Cole is settling in well with his new club would be a massive understatement. The 27-year-old hurler, who came over to the Astros in a trade from the Pirates over the winter, has been absolutely dominant through his first three starts.

On Friday, he wound up settling for a no-decision after allowing a pair of runs over seven strong innings against the Rangers. Both of the runs that he did allow came on solo home runs in the seventh -- to Joey Gallo and Robinson Chirinos.

It’s what he’s doing in the strikeout department though, that is turning heads. Through his first three starts with the Astros, he’s whiffing opposing hitters at a historic rate.

On Friday, Cole piled up a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Rangers. In doing so, he joined MLB’s strikeout king, Nolan Ryan, as the only hurlers in big league history to fan 11 or more batters in each of their first three starts to begin a season.

Cole also set a new Major League record for the most strikeouts by any pitcher in his first three starts with his new team, with 36. That passes the 34 that Randy Johnson set down in his first three starts with the Diamondbacks during the 1999 season.

The 14 strikeouts also match the record high for any Astros’ pitcher in the history of Minute Maid Park, joining Bud Norris who accomplished the feat in 2010.

Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch came away mighty impressed after watching his right-hander on Friday. He told reporters, "He was going with what was working.. He reads hitters extremely well, and he knows his strengths. He knows what he can do with the ball, and he's executing at a high end. With that skill, that mindset, the approach, the way he thinks about the outing between innings, he can create any game plan and execute it right now."

Through three starts, Cole boasts a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 36/4 K/BB ratio through 21 innings.While he obviously can’t continue at that type of pace, the early returns look as though fantasy owners who called Cole’s name on draft day could be staring at substantial profit potential.

Lamenting Lamet

Padres’ fans and fantasy owners alike were dealt a bit of bad news on Friday when it was announced that 25-year-old right-hander Dinelson Lamet would be undergoing Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.

Lamet was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Initially, there had been hope that he could take care of the issue via rest and rehab, but ultimately they came to the decision to go under the knife.

Given the nature of the surgery and the expected timetable for recovery, Lamet will miss all of the 2018 season and most, if not all, of the 2019 season as well. Fantasy owners in dynasty leagues shouldn’t count on any meaningful contributions from him until the 2020 campaign.

Lamet displayed high-strikeout potential in his 21 starts with the Padres in 2017, posting a 4.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 139/54 K/BB ratio across 114 ⅓ innings. He was a popular sleeper option in many drafts this spring.

Brawl Fallout

Major League Baseball laid the hammer down on Friday, shelling out suspensions to players for their roles in Wednesday’s brawl between the Rockies and the Padres. Here’s the damage:

Nolan Arenado - 5 Games

This is the big one from a fantasy perspective, as missing a consensus first round pick for close to a week’s worth of action is a major loss. Arenado certainly earned his suspension, as he charged the mound and threw multiple punches after Luis Perdomo had thrown behind him, leading to the benches-clearing incident. Arenado did play on Friday and will remain in the Rockies’ lineup while appealing the suspension.

Luis Perdomo - 5 Games

Perdomo will not appeal his suspension and began serving it on Friday. This one doesn’t matter much from a fantasy perspective as all it will do is push back his next scheduled start one extra day.

Gerardo Parra - 4 Games

The veteran outfielder for his punishment for landing a punch to the face of A.J. Ellis during Wednesday’s melee. As with Arenado, Parra is appealing his suspension.

Buddy Baumann - 1 Game

This one is a complete non-entity from a fantasy perspective, and the Padres may actually be better off without him in the bullpen for a day.

American League Quick Hits: CC Sabathia (hip) was able to throw a bullpen session without issue and is on track to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation at some point next week… Luis Cessa will take his place in the rotation on Saturday against the Tigers… J.C. Ramirez will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday… The Blue Jays placed Josh Donaldson on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation… Elvis Andrus was officially placed on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured right elbow. He’s expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks… Hanley Ramirez (wrist) is hopeful for a return to the Red Sox’ lineup on Saturday… The Rangers signed veteran right-hander Yovani Gallardo to a minor league contract… Salvador Perez (knee) could begin a minor league rehab assignment as early as this weekend… Nelson Cruz (ankle) ran the bases prior to Friday’s game without issue and is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Saturday… Ryon Healy (ankle) has been cleared to resume baseball activities… Aaron Hicks hit a pair of home runs, one inside-the-park, leading the Yankees past the Tigers… Devon Travis is heading for precautionary X-rays on his hand after being hit by a pitch during Friday’s contest… Chris Devenski, not Ken Giles, was called upon to protect a lead for the Astros in the ninth inning on Friday, and did so admirably, striking out three of the four hitters he faced… George Springer blasted a pair of home runs off of Cole Hamels in a win over the Rangers… Ian Kinsler went 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases in a win over the Royals… Keynan Middleton worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his third save… Aledmys Diaz belted a three-run homer and swiped a base in a victory over the Indians… Jonathan Schoop was removed from Friday’s game due to discomfort in his side… Eduardo Rodriguez picked up his first win of the season, striking out eight over six innings of one-run ball against the Orioles… Khris Davis crushed a pair of home runs in a losing effort against the Mariners… Daniel Vogelbach belted his first Major League home run in a win over the A’s…

National League Quick Hits: Kevin Plawecki was diagnosed with a fractured left hand. With he and Travis d’Arnaud sidelined, Mike Puma of the New York Post notes that the Mets have talked to the Marlins about acquiring J.T. Realmuto… Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez believes Adam Eaton (ankle) will be able to return “sooner than we think”... Brandon McCarthy (shoulder) is expected to be ready to take his next turn in the Braves’ rotation on Tuesday against the Phillies… Albert Almora had to be scratched from Friday’s lineup due to illness… Charlie Blackmon missed his fourth straight game due to tightness in his quad, but he still isn’t expected to require a trip to the disabled list… Jason Vargas (hand) is scheduled to throw another simulated game on Tuesday, meaning Zack Wheeler should get at least two more starts with the big league club… Christian Yelich (oblique) is optimistic that he’ll be activated from the disabled list when first eligible on Sunday… Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) is striving to make his regular season debut on April 27… Jesse Winker was scratched from the Reds’ lineup due to right shoulder soreness… Anibal Sanchez racked up six strikeouts over six shutout innings in a victory over the Cubs… Yadier Molina clubbed his fifth home run and plated three, leading the Cardinals to victory over the Reds… J.B. Shuck went 4-for-4 and scored a pair of runs in his Marlins’ debut… Carlos Gonzalez had a jack and a bag, leading the Rockies to victory over the Nationals… Wade Davis worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his sixth save… Domingo Santana said he was sore after colliding with teammate Lorenzo Cain in the outfield on Friday and could sit out on Saturday as a precautionary measure… Anthony Rendon was forced to leave Friday’s game against the Rockies after fouling a ball off of his foot, precautionary X-rays came back negative and he’s considered day-to-day… Tyson Ross didn’t allow an earned run over six-plus innings in a win against the Giants… Jeurys Familia locked down his MLB-leading seventh save with a perfect ninth inning against the Brewers… Todd Frazier went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs in that game, leading the Mets to their ninth consecutive win. They’re a mighty impressive 11-1 to begin the season.

Elvis has left the building

It’s crisis time in the Lone Star State.

How doomed are the Rangers? Well for starters, they’ve dropped four straight and 10 of their first 14 with a three-game set coming up against the defending World Champion Astros, who already took three of four against Texas earlier this year. Coming off a losing season that saw Texas trade away its most valuable asset, ace starting pitcher Yu Darvish, we knew the Rangers would be in rough shape for 2018. Manager Jeff Banister seems to have embraced the challenge ahead, adorning his office with a sculpture of Sisyphus, a character in Greek mythology known for pushing a boulder up a steep hill. It’s sort of a depressing metaphor because, despite his best efforts, Sisyphus never quite reaches the top. Every time the boulder gets close, it falls all the way down again.

Which brings us to the Rangers’ latest disaster (yes, even their off days are brutal). In a year where little has gone right, Elvis Andrus has been a bright spot for Texas, leading the team with a .327 average through 52 at-bats. It’s a small sample size to be sure, but after hitting .297 last year while setting career-highs in both home runs (20) and RBI (88), it was reasonable to expect another leap forward for the Rangers’ All-Star shortstop. So naturally, it all came crashing down like the boulder Sisyphus could never push up the hill. Andrus exited Wednesday’s game after being hit by a pitch and was later diagnosed with a fractured right elbow. The injury won’t require surgery but it will cost Andrus a chunk of the season as the 29-year-old now faces a 6-to-8-week recovery.

Aside from perhaps Adrian Beltre, who has a Hall of Fame plaque waiting for him in Cooperstown whenever he decides to hang up his cleats, Andrus is likely the team’s most consistent hitter. He’s also a major source of speed (nine straight seasons of 20-plus steals) and a strong defender at shortstop. It’s a gut-wrenching loss for a team with precious little to look forward to, at least this season. Six-to-eight weeks is far from a life sentence but it’s a long enough absence to bury whatever slim chances the Rangers had of making a surprise a run in the AL West.

Looking at their current roster, the Rangers don’t have much of an identity. They haven’t quite given up on the present, clinging to veterans like Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo and Cole Hamels. But at the same time, the Rangers are also setting up their future, stashing talented youngsters like Delino DeShields, Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. The biggest prize in their prospect treasure chest is Willie Calhoun, who is biding his time in Triple-A while he waits for a spot to open up in the Rangers’ outfield. That’s a good foundation and it’s not crazy to think the Rangers could field a decent club in a few years. But pitting this team as currently constructed against the Houstons and Anaheims of the world—not to mention contenders from other divisions like the Red Sox, Yankees and Indians—seems like a recipe for failure.

Who knows—maybe the Rangers will make me eat my words by staying competitive throughout Andrus’ absence. Texas certainly wouldn’t be the first team to rally around an injured star. The chip-on-the-shoulder narrative is a common one in pro sports. But based on how the Rangers have played in the early going, it’s going to be an uphill battle without Andrus.

Mr. 2,000

Much has changed since Joe Mauer first arrived in Minnesota. You’ve probably noticed the Twins no longer play their home games in the cavernous Metrodome. But the most glaring difference is the team’s roster, which looks nothing like the division-winning squad that Mauer played on as a rookie in 2004. That team was led by a young core featuring Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan, all of whom have since retired.

Fourteen years later, Mauer is the only Twin from that era still standing. And, despite the fact that he turns 35 in a week, Mauer’s bat hasn’t aged a bit. Through two weeks of play, the former first overall pick finds himself leading the majors in batting average at .412. That’s nothing new for Mauer, who has three AL batting titles to his credit with his most recent coming in 2009, the year he won MVP.

At one point, it looked like Mauer was on his way to becoming a surefire Hall of Famer and one of the greatest catchers of all-time, but his Hall candidacy has taken a significant hit in recent years. For one, he doesn’t play catcher anymore—Mauer dons a first-base mitt these days. But second and most importantly, last year was Mauer’s first .300 season since 2013. That’s quite the dry spell for a player who was perennially among the league’s top hitters during his prime. It probably didn’t help that Minnesota went through a seemingly endless rebuild during this time, which finally ended last season when the Twins made their first playoff appearance in seven years.

This isn’t the Mauer of yesteryear. He’s mostly a singles hitter at this point (not that he was ever much of a power guy) and barely registers on the fantasy radar now that he’s lost his catcher eligibility. And after being the team’s unquestioned star for the better part of a decade, Mauer is more of a supporting cast member now, offering veteran leadership to young stars like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano.

But there’s no denying Mauer’s hot start. And thanks to his latest two-hit effort Thursday against the visiting White Sox, the six-time All-Star can check another milestone off his list. That’s right—you’re looking at the newest member of the 2,000-hit club. Mauer reached No. 2,000 in his third and final at-bat of the night, poking a two-run single to center off White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer in the seventh inning. That staked the Twins to a 4-0 lead and they would later win by that exact score.

Not to get sappy, but Mauer will always have a special place in my heart as a player I grew up watching in the minor leagues. He made a brief but memorable stop in New Britain, Connecticut (a half-hour from where I grew up), hitting .341 across 73 games for the Rock Cats in 2003. A number of big leaguers have come through New Britain over the years, but only a handful of them are still around and few if any have had the impact that Mauer has had.

Thursday was unquestionably a celebration of Mauer and his career accomplishments, but it was also an excellent showcase for one of the best young arms in baseball, Jose Berrios. The Twins right-hander foiled the White Sox over seven shutout innings, limiting Chicago to three hits while matching a career-high with 11 strikeouts. Berrios showed plenty of promise last year in his first full season in the majors and looks ready to build on that success in 2018. The biggest criticism of Minnesota last year was that the team didn’t have a true ace (apologies to Ervin Santana) but it looks like Berrios is well on his way to becoming exactly that.

AL Quick Hits: Rick Porcello was money on Thursday, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 6-3 win over the Yankees. Hanley Ramirez left that contest after taking a pitch off his right wrist, though luckily for the Red Sox, his X-rays came back negative … David Price will be given an extra day of rest after leaving Wednesday’s start with numbness in his left hand. Instead of starting Monday’s Patriot’s Day game against Baltimore, Price will get the nod Tuesday night in Anaheim … MLB suspended Joe Kelly (six games) and Tyler Austin (five games) for their roles in Wednesday’s bench-clearing brawl at Fenway. Alex Cora, Phil Nevin, Xander Bogaerts, Marco Hernandez, Dustin Pedroia and CC Sabathia were fined, but not suspended for the dust-up … Aaron Hicks served as the Yankees’ DH in his return from the disabled list on Thursday, going 0-for-4 in a loss to Boston. Hicks had been out with an intercostal strain … Shohei Ohtani plated three runs on a bases-loaded triple Thursday as the Angels cruised to a 7-1 win over Kansas City. The Japanese Babe Ruth is hitting .346 with three homers and 11 RBI through 26 at-bats this season … Ian Kinsler returned from the disabled list Thursday after missing 12 days with a groin injury. He went 1-for-5 with a home run, his first as an Angel, in L.A.’s victory … An MRI on Welington Castillo’s injured knee came back clean, though he wasn’t available for Thursday’s game against Minnesota. Omar Narvaez drew another start behind the plate for the White Sox, who have now lost five of their last six.

NL Quick Hits: Joey Votto got a rare day off Thursday against St. Louis. The absence snapped his streak of 202 consecutive starts at first base … Mark Melancon underwent a stem cell injection on Thursday. Dr. James Andrews cleared Melancon of any ligament damage in his right forearm, though it will be at least another two weeks until the right-hander resumes throwing. Hunter Strickland will continue to fill in at closer for the Giants … Johnny Cueto threw off flat ground on Thursday and will test his sprained ankle when he throws a live batting practice on Saturday. If all goes well, Cueto will have a chance to return Tuesday against the Diamondbacks … Wil Myers estimated that his injured elbow is about 90 percent after hitting off a tee on Thursday. He’s close to beginning a minor league rehab assignment and could be back with the Padres sometime next week … The Padres managed just one hit in Thursday’s loss to the Giants. It came when Clayton Richard, who pinch-hit for Bryan Mitchell in the third inning, ripped a single off Giants starter Chris Stratton … Mark Reynolds signed a minor league deal with the Nationals on Thursday. The 34-year-old bopped 30 long balls for the Rockies a year ago, though 21 of them came at hitter-friendly Coors Field … DJ LeMahieu went 4-for-5 with two homers, two doubles and a career-high four RBI Thursday in a win over Washington. He’s only the third Rockie to hit two homers and two doubles in the same game and the first to do it since Corey Dickerson in 2014 … Charlie Blackmon missed another game on Thursday. A quad injury has sidelined him since Monday.

Carlito's Way

Monday's Fantasy Five

Carlos Carrasco pitched his first complete game of the season as he improved to 3-0 in Wednesday's victory against the Tigers. He allowed just one earned run, three hits and two walks with six strikeouts while throwing 76 of his 110 pitches for strikes to lead the Indians to their season-high fourth consecutive victory. The Indians have also won 10 in a row against the division rival Tigers, while improving to 30-10 over the past 40 meetings since the start of the 2016 season. The Indians provided a season-high 10 hits of support, which is impressive considering they entered the day with the league's worst team batting average at .158.

Jarlin Garcia of the Marlins was making his first major league start against the Mets, and it is likely to be the first of many after Wednesday's success. He twirled six no-hit innings against the Mets before being lifted after 77 pitches by manager Don Mattingly, who said the decision to take out the young pitcher was an easy decision since the complete game was unlikely. Drew Steckenrider came on in relief and allowed a hit in a scoreless seventh inning to ruin the combined no-hit bid for the Fish, who eventually ended up losing the game 4-1 after reliever Chris O'Grady imploded in the eighth.

Ozzie Albies is on quite a roll to start the season, as he finished 3-for-6 with a solo home run off of A.J. Cole in a road victory for Atlanta. Albies ended up tapping the plate twice, and he is now up to four homers during the early going. The second baseman is doing it out of the two-hole, posting his second straight multi-hit game and fifth outing with two or more hits in nine April contests. Three of his homers have come over the past six, too. Kurt Suzuki tried to catch up to Albies in one day, belting a pair of solo homers for honorable mention.

Alex Bregman certainly brought his hitting shoes to the Twin Cities, finishing Wednesday's game 4-for-6 with a double, a solo home run and two runs scored. The homer was his first of the season, and it was just his second multi-hit game of the young campaign. He also entered the game with just two extra-base hits over his first 12 outings and he equaled that in the 9-8 loss at Target Field. He is 5-of-9 over the past two outings, and he has three walks with five hits in the three games in Minneapolis. He'll be looking forward to Sept. 3-5 when the Twins' pitching staff pays a visit to Minute Maid Park.

In the same game as Bregman, Max Kepler was getting busy for the home team. He smacked a pair of homers, including a two-run shot off of Lance McCullers Jr. in the fourth inning, and a solo bomb at the expense of reliever Brad Peacock to finish with three RBI. The homer off of Peacock was a walk-off shot, the second of his career. It made everyone forget about the blown save of new closer Fernando Rodney, and actually they ended up handing him his first win as a Twin.

Fantasy Game of the Night

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played one of those typical knock-down, drag 'em out AL East battles. It was a great day for most hitters in both dugouts, but it wasn't terribly awesome if you owned stock in either of the two starting pitchers. Brett Gardner ended up going 2-of-3 with two walks, three runs scored and his first stolen base of the season to inch his record up to .267. Aaron Judge didn't leave the yard, and he didn't even go for extra bases, but he ended up 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored and he is hitting a scorching .348 on the season. Fantasy owners have been nervous, and Yankee fans were starting to lose their patience, but Giancarlo Stanton made them forget about his frequent early strikeouts with his first triple of the season. He ended up 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Gary Sanchez, one of the team's Big Three, ended up 3-for-5 with two bombs, four RBI and three runs scored. Tyler Austin made headlines for another reason, as he slid in spikes up and irritated Brock Holt. A heated discussion between the two caused the benches to clear. Later, Joe Kelly tagged Austin with a pitch in the back with a 98 mph heater and Austin charged the mound as both benches cleared. Both players were ejected in another chapter of the greatest rivalry in baseball.

On the Boston side of the ledger, the biggest news was David Price. He yielded four earned runs, three hits and two walks with just one strikeout before exiting after one inning with tingling and numbness in his fingers. That might explain why he was only able to locate the strike zone 16 times on his 35 pitches. J.D. Martinez, enjoying his first taste of the rivalry, finished 2-for-4 with a grand slam off of Masahiro Tanaka and he also struck out twice. Hey, you can't win 'em all. Hanley Ramirez also belted a solo home run for his second homer of the season, and he now has 12 RBI and a sparkling .357 average. Jackie Bradley Jr. chipped in with three hits over his four at-bats, and Mookie Betts posted his sixth double of the season while going 1-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. That actually made his average slip to .405, that's how red-hot he has been during the early going. He is slashing a ridiculous .405/.500/.690 over the first couple of weeks. We told you the pitching was pretty bad in this one, and reliever Matt Barnes was the worst. He only allowed two runs in his inning of work, which isn't that awful, but he was charged with two wild pitches while throwing just eight of his 19 pitches for strikes. Ouch.

American League Quick Hits: Elvis Andrus was plunked on the elbow, suffering a fracture, so he will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. … Yonny Chirinos allowed just four hits with a walk over 5 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a no-decision on the south side of Chicago, throwing 49 of his 75 pitches for strikes. He is worth watching in future weeks. … Big Game James Shields settled in for just one earned run, four hits and five walks with six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision against his former team. … Matt Davidson cracked his fifth homer of the season with two RBI, his first multi-RBI game since his three-homer performance on Opening Day in Kansas City. … Kyle Seager ended up 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and three RBI. Slowly but surely he is coming out of his early-season slump. … Jean Segura had a nightmare day, taking the collar with two strikeouts and he also committed a throwing error and a boot on a grounder. … James Paxton turned in his first quality start in three outings this season, giving up two runs in six innings with 10 strikeouts in another no-decision. He is 0-1 with a 5.74, but he looks to be on the right track after a tough start. … Leonys Martin set the table nicely for the Tigers, going 3-for-4 with a double and a solo home run. Unfortunately no one else on the Tigers showed up. The remainder of the lineup was a dismal 0-for-25 with six strikeouts against Carrasco. … Jaime Barria made his major league debut, allowing an earned run and a hit with three strikeouts over five innings to pick up a victory in Texas. He was optioned out to Triple-A Salt Lake for his trouble, as the team needed the roster spot to recall Nick Tropeano to make Thursday's start. They'll need to make another move as the bring Andrew Heaney up for Friday's outing. … Keynan Middleton secured his second save, as he appears to be the primary option for ninth-inning duties in Mike Scioscia's bullpen. … Khris Davis is starting to heat up, belting his second homer. He'll start piling up the power numbers soon, that's just what he does. … Marcus Semien ended up with four RBI in Wednesday's 16-6 interleague rout of the Dodgers.

National League Quick Hits: Arodys Vizcaino blew his first save, allowing a run and two hits in 19-pitch ninth inning as the Nationals forced extra innings. … Eric Thames launched his fifth homer of the season, finishing 2-for-4. We've seen this movie before, as Thames has been a quick starter in the past. … Eric Hosmer socked his first National League homer and he added a double with two runs scored in four trips to the dish at Coors Field. … Paul Goldschmidt entered this series in San Francisco with no homers, but he has two in the past two outings with three RBI in Wednesday's win. … Andrew Suarez made his big-league debut and he allowed four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings in a so-so outing, taking the loss. He served up the bomb to Goldie, but he did a good job with seven strikeouts. … John Ryan Murphy made another start behind the dish, going 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and two RBI. He is on fire and taking advantage of every start, hitting .286 with two homers and four RBI. … Ketel Marte ended up with two singles, a double and two RBI. … Nick Pivetta posted two earned runs with five hits and seven strikeouts across seven innings in a no-decision. … Zack Wheeler was summoned from the minors to pitch in Miami, allowing an earned run, two hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings in a win against the Marlins. … Javier Baez cracked two bombs against the Bucs, while Kris Bryant ended up with a pair of doubles to give him five on the season. … The Red Sox and Yankees weren't the only ones in a testy mood. Luis Perdomo was charged by Nolan Arenado and the pitcher threw his glove at the rushing hot corner man, touching off a benches-clearing brawl, as the temperature was rising in Denver, too. The good news is Arenado had been dealing with a sore knee, but that looked good chasing Perdomo all over the infield. … Alex Wood didn't lose his second decision until early September in a storybook 2017, but he is already 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in three outings this season.

A lump of Cole

It’s not too early to say I was wrong about Gerrit Cole. There seemed like good reason for skepticism even beyond last year’s big home run spike; he’d always had league-average swinging-strike rates and he’d usually given up quite a few base runners despite pitching in a good situation in Pittsburgh. Sure, Houston is a pitcher’s park, but it’s one that yields a lot of homers and he’d have to face AL lineups. The Astros, though, have changed Cole’s mix, and he seems like a far better pitcher because of it. Gone is the sinker, and in its place are more high fastballs and sliders. The result through two starts is a swinging-strike rate of 19.6%, twice as high as where he is typically. That’s not sustainable, and he will give up some homers since he’s likely to be more of a fly ball pitcher now. Still, I’d rank him in the 18-22 range among SPs going forward (I had him 39^th in the preseason).

American League notes

- So much for the Angels’ pitching depth: J.C. Ramirez just joined Matt Shoemaker (forearm) and Andrew Heaney (elbow) on the disabled list and will require Tommy John surgery. The Angels are about to get Heaney back, which is very good news, but there’s no telling when Shoemaker might return. I was semi-fond of Ramirez after the leap forward he took in 2017, but this was always the risk with him, as he was originally diagnosed with UCL damage last year. Jaime Barria will make his major league debut when he starts Wednesday; he’s an interesting prospect with very good control, but it’s hard to imagine that he’s ready to start in the majors right now. We’ll likely see Nick Tropeano later this week, and he’s worth adding in AL-only leagues.

- Ian Kinsler (groin) is set to rejoin the Angels on Thursday, pushing Zack Cozart back to third base. With Shohei Ohtani in line for more DH time than expected, Luis Valbuena figures to lose at-bats. It’s not like the Angels are going to bench Albert Pujols.


- With three homers and six steals in his first 10 games, Tim Anderson has been a huge plus in fantasy leagues thus far. The power surge looks like it’s for real; he’s focused on hitting fly balls and his exit velocity is much improved. He’s also perfectly capable of swiping 30-plus bases, so he might well be a top-10 fantasy shortstop. I doubt he’s going to hit for average, though; his contact numbers have gone from bad to horrible with him swinging for the fences, and as long as that holds true, it probably won’t make much sense for the White Sox to move him up in the order. Fortunately, he can be a quality fantasy shortstop while still being a mediocre major leaguer.

- I wouldn’t read very much into the Orioles’ surprise promotion of Hunter Harvey on Monday; they needed a rested arm and their options on the 40-man were very limited. Harvey has thrown a total of 31 innings the last three seasons and has yet to pitch above A-ball; he looked good this spring, but he’s still very much a raw talent and it’s more important that he simply get through this season healthy than that he contribute anything at the major league level.

- Alex Cobb will make his Orioles debut Saturday against the Red Sox. I’m not expecting him to be of much use in mixed leagues. Mike Wright Jr. is likely getting sent to the pen, as the Orioles are going to give Chris Tillman a little while longer to show he’s still a major league pitcher (the early returns are very bleak indeed).

- If Randal Grichuk had been in line to lose some playing time because of his slow start, he just got saved by Kendrys Morales’ hamstring injury. The Jays gave Steve Pearce his first start against a right-hander over Grichuk on Monday and he responded with a homer, but with Morales out, the Jays can use both for the next 10 days before making any decisions on how they want to sort out the at-bats. I still like Grichuk in mixed leagues, so if he was dropped in yours, it’s worth taking a shot. That said, if Grichuk continues to struggle, then Teoscar Hernandez could come up in a few weeks and he’d also have a really good chance of being useful in mixed leagues.

- Aaron Sanchez’s much-improved change up has me quite a bit more optimistic about him than I was going into the spring. Both his swinging-strike and his groundball rates are up.

Aaron Sanchez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Tuesday in a 2-1 victory over the Orioles.

 

Sanchez was economical with his pitches in cruising through seven frames without yielding a base knock before a Tim Beckham scorcher to lead off the eighth got by Josh Donaldson to end the no-hit bid. The righty gave up two more hits and the lead in the frame but escaped further damage with an inning-ending double play. A Curtis Granderson homer in the top of the ninth made Sanchez a winner. Sanchez walked five on the night and struck out only four, so as far as no-hit bids go it wasn’t the sexiest. Still, we’re not going to complain.   The right-hander gets the Royals next. 

- Alex Colome was at his best in 2016, when he was throwing his fastball slightly more than his cutter. Last year, he threw his cutter two-thirds of the time and went from striking out 31 percent of the batters he faced to 21 percent. This year, he’s throwing his cutter four-fifths of the time and he’s struck out just one of the 25 batters he’s faced. One would think he’d notice the trend. Colome’s cutter is fine, but it’s not a rival for Kenley Jansen’s. For one, he throws it 89 mph, unlike 94 mph or so for Jansen. He needs to get back to giving hitters something else to think about. Fortunately for him, the Rays have no one they want to step into the closer’s role. Sergio Romo would likely be the short-term replacement if the club is forced to make a move. Jose Alvarado is the team’s most talented reliever, but he’s probably not ready for that kind of responsibility yet.

- Thanks to some ugly outfield play from J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts is down for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury that could have turned out considerably worse. Eduardo Nunez’s knee still seems to have him somewhat limited, so rather than ask him to move, the Red Sox should just live with Tzu-Wei Lin’s weak bat at shortstop while Bogaerts is out.

- The Indians’ Tyler Naquin should get the chance to start in right field against right-handers while Lonnie Chisenhall (calf) sits out the next 4-6 weeks. He’s probably not a shallow mixed-league kind of guy, but he’s an option in deeper leagues. While he was a non-factor last year, he hit .296 with 14 homers in 321 at-bats as a rookie in 2016.

- Jurickson Profar should be playing left field over Ryan Rua for the Rangers, but instead he’ll get a look at second base after Rougned Odor suffered a hamstring strain Monday. Mixed-league value doesn’t seem particularly likely; he’s not a basestealer and he just hasn’t demonstrated much power lately.

- Mallex Smith seems like a good bet in mixed leagues while Brad Miller is sidelined by a groin strain. C.J. Cron is also looking at additional at-bats against righties.

- Boog Powell’s knee injury opens the door for Dustin Fowler in Oakland, but the A’s are going to want to see Fowler put up some numbers in Triple-A before giving him a chance. That’s good news for Trayce Thompson, who didn’t originally seem long for Oakland’s roster after being claimed on waivers from the Yankees last week. Thompson makes for a solid add in AL-only leagues.

 The Reds couldn’t call up Nick Senzel when Eugenio Suarez (thumb) got hurt and risk him amassing a full season of service time, but that will change this weekend and he could be added Friday or soon thereafter. Then it becomes a matter of whether he’s mixed-league worthy. Senzel certainly looked the part of a top prospect after moving up to Double-A last year, hitting .340/.413/.560 with 10 homers in 209 at-bats for Pensacola. Still, he failed to homer this spring and his Triple-A experience to this point consists of four games in which he’s hit .235/.235/.294 with five strikeouts. Senzel is a great bet to turn into a fine major league regular, but he doesn’t have exceptional power at the moment and he might never be a true fantasy stud. My guess is that, even though he should get the chance to play regularly, he’s not going be much of an asset in shallow leagues this year.

- The Braves, too, can call up their top prospect this weekend, and it’s always seemed to be the plan to promote Ronald Acuna as early as possible, though Preston Tucker’s hot start and Acuna’s cold one in Triple-A could delay the move for a bit. I’m high on Tucker, who is hitting .333/.364/.600 with two homers in 30 at-bats. He’s not that good, of course, but the power is legit, and he’s helped by being a lefty swinger in a great ballpark for them in Atlanta. Acuna came up with a couple of hits for Gwinnett on Tuesday after opening up 0-for-12. Even if the Braves don’t promote him this weekend -- and it’d allow them to keep up appearances versus some possible future grievance by holding off for a little longer -- it’s highly unlikely to turn into a lengthy stay in Triple-A for him. Tucker can come off the bench for a spell and hopefully supplant Nick Markakis later if anyone is interested in taking on Markakis’s salary.

- Robbie Ray is down two mph across the board in the early going, which is scary news. Ray has poor command and no changeup; his success is a function of him throwing hard enough to make hitters focus on the fastball and chase breaking balls out of the zone. If hitters can stay back just a little longer on him, they’re not going to swing at as many tough sliders and curves, giving Ray nothing to fall back on. I don’t want to panic; Ray’s fastball has never been quite this slow as a major leaguer, but he did start off slower than normal in April each of the previous two years and pick up velocity as the season went along. The humidor will help cover up some mistakes, too.

- Jacob Barnes and Matt Albers both took blown saves in their first save opportunities for the Brewers in the wake of Corey Knebel’s hamstring injury. Barnes took another after coming in mid-inning, for some reason, Tuesday against the Cardinals. Barnes was really let down by his defense in the first blown save, but he made his own trouble in the second, issuing two wild pitches after coming in with a man on second. Albers, too, didn’t get much help in his chance, but that’s the kind of thing that’s more likely to happen when you’re not striking out 15 batters per nine innings as Knebel has done lately. I favor Barnes as the Brewers’ best right-handed reliever going forward, though I wouldn’t want to count on him getting the next save chance. Josh Hader still might be the most valuable reliever in the group for fantasy purposes, even if he’s not a threat to pick up more than occasional odd save in a multi-inning situation. Some have picked up Jeremy Jeffress because of his track record, but his velocity has been well down since the spring and I just don’t have much faith in him at the moment.

- I’m holding out hope that Tyler Beede will turn into a quality major league starter, but it doesn’t seem like now is the time. While he showed some strikeout potential with his curveball, he walked five and lasted just four innings in his major league debut Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. Beede wasn’t any good in Triple-A last year and didn’t impress this spring, so it was mostly desperation that got him his opportunity this week. Maybe he takes a step forward this year, but he still has something to prove in Triple-A.

- It was a surprise that the Cardinals announced immediately that the newly signed Greg Holland would join the active roster after just two appearances in A-ball. It took only a couple of minutes Monday to demonstrate why that might not have been the best idea. Pitching in a tie game in the 10^th, Holland walked four of the five batters he faced and took a loss to the Brewers in his Cardinals debut. While Holland did try to keep his arm strong this spring, there isn’t a really good substitute for game action, and Holland obviously needed some more before being added to the roster. The ugly showing suggested that it’s going to take some time before Holland is ready to ascend to the closer’s role. Mixed leaguers might want to keep him reserved for a week or two if possible. Bud Norris is the favorite for saves in the meantime.

- The Marlins want Brad Ziegler to close in the hopes that he’ll build some trade value, but he’s given up six runs -- five earned -- in 5 2/3 innings to date. If only the Marlins had a clear No. 2, he’d probably be worth a speculative pickup in mixed leagues. However, the ninth could fall to either Kyle Barraclough or Drew Steckenrider if Ziegler is replaced. Barraclough seems to be the eighth-inning guy at the moment, which could give him the edge, but his velocity is down some and he did allow two homers on Tuesday. Steckenrider has yet to give up a run in 5 2/3 innings.

- One week later, it seems safe to write off Ryan McMahon for now. What a disappointment it is that the Rockies chose to carry him and then give him one start in the first 12 games of the season. It’s not even like the team is getting sterling performances from the veterans playing over him. Gerardo Parra is hitting .182/.270/.303 through 10 games, and while Ian Desmond and Carlos Gonzalez are doing OK, they have OBPs of .256 and .268, respectively.

- One hopes that Anthony Rizzo’s back troubles don’t amount to much, but now that he’s on the DL, he’s already locked into missing more games than he has any of the previous three years. Victor Caratini and Ben Zobrist are picking up starts at first base in his place.

The case of Jake Junis

The Royals seemingly won’t have a whole lot to offer fantasy owners this season, but we might be seeing an under-the-radar hurler emerge.

Jake Junis carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Mariners on Monday before it was broken up with one out in the frame on a Daniel Vogelbach infield single. The young right-hander promptly retired the next two batters to finish off seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball.

The brilliant outing versus Seattle came on the heels of another gem that Junis had last week in Detroit when he again spun seven shutout frames. He permitted only three singles in that outing, which means Junis has given up just four singles across 14 shutout innings to begin his season.

Junis offered a hint down the stretch last season that he might take a step forward in 2018, as he posted a 3.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 50/9 K/BB ratio across 62 1/3 innings over the final two months. He was also dominant last year during his time at Triple-A Omaha, holding a 2.92 ERA and 86/15 K/BB ratio over 71 innings.

Junis doesn’t boast eye-popping velocity with a fastball that sits in the low-90s. What he does feature is a nasty slider that he can throw in any count and throw for strikes. Junis has also displayed elite control consistently in the minors and so far in the majors.

The ceiling for the 25-year-old might not be super high with his strikeout rate likely to be less than ideal. He’s clearly got an idea on the mound, though, and his confidence is no doubt soaring. As I type this, Junis remains unowned in nearly half of Yahoo leagues. Something tells me that if you want to scoop him up off the waiver wire, you’d better hurry.

Coming up Aces

Monday night was a good night for reigning Cy Young winners.

First there was Corey Kluber. “Klubot” befuddled the over matched Tigers for eight shutout innings Monday, yielding just two singles and a walk while notching 13 strikeouts. No Tiger ever reached second base against the stud right-hander.

The reigning American League Cy Young winner is off to a fine start as he seeks to capture his third Cy Young award. Kluber has put up a microscopic 1.57 ERA and 0.65 WHIP through his first three outings while boasting a 27/4 K/BB ratio over 23 innings.

Then there’s reigning National League Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, who put up a similarly dominant effort in shutting down the Braves. Scherzer spun his first shutout in three seasons, limiting the Braves to just two singles on the night.

“Mad Max” didn’t walk anyone and piled up 10 strikeouts, coming just short of a “Maddux” with 102 pitches thrown in his gem. He even stole a base! Scherzer became just the second player in major league history (Nolan Ryan was the other) to pitch a shutout, strike out 10+ batters and steal a base in the same game.

As is the case with Kluber, Scherzer’s early results show a guy ready to take a third straight and fourth overall Cy Young award. The Nationals ace holds a 0.90 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 27/3 K/BB ratio over his first 20 frames.

Bad News for Bogaerts

It’s difficult for the wind to be taken out of the sails of a team that’s won eight straight games, but one way to do it is for their hottest hitter to go on the disabled list.

The Red Sox completed a huge eighth-inning comeback against the Rays on Sunday, but they lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts to injury in the process. Bogaerts hurt his left ankle in the seventh inning when he slid into the Tampa Bay dugout while chasing down an errant throw. Boston revealed Monday that an X-ray and MRI revealed a small fracture of the talus bone in Bogaerts’ left ankle and he’s been placed on the 10-day DL.

Any kind of fracture isn’t good news, obviously, but as far as a broken bone goes this one is about as minor as it gets. It’s non-displaced and will not require surgery. Assuming all goes well, Bogaerts could be back in the Red Sox’ lineup in 10-14 days.

Still, the timing of this stinks. Bogaerts was off to a marvelous start, sporting a .368/.400/.711 batting line with two home runs and nine RBI through his first nine games. His seven doubles lead all of baseball. The start was especially encouraging after the 25-year-old batted just .228/.317/.342 over the final three months last season while battling through a hand injury.

The Red Sox will recall Tzu-Wei Lin from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Bogaerts’ spot on the roster. Lin is a defensive-minded player who could see some starts at shortstop. Brock Holt figures to see the biggest uptick in playing time with Bogaerts out, though, whether he just slides in at shortstop or plays second base and Eduardo Nunez moves over to the other side of the bag. Holt is hitless in the early going this season but is worth a look in AL-only formats.


American League Quick Hits: Rougned Odor is expected to be placed on the disabled list after aggravating a left hamstring injury on Monday … Justin Verlander struck out nine batters over seven shutout innings Monday as the Astros blanked the Twins … Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam Monday as part of the Blue Jays' win over the Orioles … J.A. Happ pitched six innings of one-run ball and struck out nine in a win over the Orioles on Monday … Dylan Bundy pitched seven innings of two-run ball and struck out 10 on Monday versus the Blue Jays … Mike Moustakas went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the Royals' rout of the Mariners on Monday … Kendrys Morales left Monday’s game with a strained hamstring but is expected to avoid the DL … Mallex Smith went 4-for-4 at the plate and stole a pair of bases in Monday's win over the White Sox … Doctors have recommended that J.C. Ramirez undergo Tommy John surgery … Ryon Healy was placed on the DL Monday and underwent an MRI and saw specialist Dr. Edward Khalfayan to determine the extent of his right ankle injury … Salvador Perez (knee) is expected to return closer to the front end of his projected 4-6 week timetable … Alex Cobb will make his Orioles debut on Saturday in Boston …

National League Quick Hits: Anthony Rizzo (back) is expected to be placed on the disabled list but could be activated when first eligible on April 16 … Jose Martinez has been diagnosed with a right Achilles contusion following a collision with the Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain on Monday. Cain suffered a minor quad injury on the play but could return to action Tuesday … Zack Godley pitched seven shutout innings and struck out nine Giants hitters in a victory Monday … Scott Kingery hit his first major league homer Monday against the Reds … The slumping Ryan Zimmerman went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Monday and is batting just .097/.176/.194 so far this season … Scott Schebler landed on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a right ulnar nerve contusion … Matt Albers blew a save but got the win Monday night against the Cardinals … Greg Holland walked four of the five batters he faced in his Cardinals debut Monday night against the Brewers … Victor Robles injured his left elbow on a diving catch attempt during Triple-A Syracuse’s game Monday … Tyler Beede will be recalled to make his major league debut on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks …

Vlad, like his Dad 

His teammates all make fun of his bats. Black, old and worn, with pine tar stains around their necks and blemishes from foul balls dotted all over, they’re certainly not photo-ready; not top-shelf bats, primed for display. But why would they be? They’re tools, not accessories. And when one of those bats is in his hands, you won’t believe what he does with it.
On a mild Michigan night this June, as his Lansing Lugnuts hosted the Dayton Dragons, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked confidently to the plate. He carried one of those worked-in bats by the barrel, pausing as he reached the edge of the home plate cutout to carve “Dios” in the dirt. He wiped his hand on the ground and stepped into the box, tapping both the umpire and catcher on the shin to say hello. He dug his cleats into the dirt, setting up in a wide stance and resting the bat on his right shoulder. As the pitcher delivered, he lifted the bat, leaned back on his right leg, and took the most violent cut you’re ever going to see, missing the ball entirely. Next pitch: another violent swing, another strike, as he fouled the ball straight back.

 

These are the things that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. does. He’s not just the son of the likely Hall-of-Famer, and he’s more than the phenomenal slugger with an .847 OPS and more walks than strikeouts through his first season and a half of professional ball. He’s the best prospect the Toronto Blue Jays have had in a generation. Baseball America regards him as the second-best prospect in the game, which is saying something considering most people his age just finished the 12th grade. He’s only 18, yet he was recently promoted to high-A Dunedin, where the average player is five years older. He’s yet to reach a level he can’t dominate. He may never. “It’s incredible,” says Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins. “Everyone who sees him says the exact same thing: ‘He can hit in the major leagues right now.’ You don’t hear that too often about a guy in A-ball. And at his age? You don’t hear that at all.”

That garnered Guerrero a fair amount of attention at a very young age (some scouts were on him as early as eight years old), and soon, all over the island, people were talking about “Vladdy’s kid,” who swung the bat just like his dad. Of course, Guerrero also spent plenty of time with his father in MLB clubhouses. One of his fondest memories is being on the playing surface at Olympic Stadium for his father’s final game in Montreal. In a child-size uniform, with a batting helmet on his head and sweat bands on each of his wrists, he wasn’t even supposed to be out there, but Expos first baseman Andreas Gallaraga pushed him up and out of the dugout behind his father. When Sr. tipped his cap to the crowd, acknowledging the Expos faithful for a final time, Jr. raised his batting helmet as well.
There are worse players to learn the game from than Vladimir Guerrero Sr., but as Guerrero tells it, his father’s primary guidance was blissfully simple. “The only thing my father ever told me was ‘just watch the ball, and hit the ball.’ That’s it,” he says. “It doesn’t matter where it goes. Watch the ball, hit the ball. Don’t think about anything. Not the swing, not the hands, not anything. Just watch the all, hit the ball.” And hit it hard. He has.

Almost a No No for Ohtani

Despite the massive weight on his shoulders from all of the expectations that were piled on him with the jump to Major League Baseball this season, Shohei Ohtani has somehow managed to exceed even the most optimistic of projections through the first week and a half of the 2018 campaign.

At the plate, he has already shown off his massive power. Ohtani has started as the Angels’ designated hitter four times so far, and he has homered in three of those contests. He’s slashing a mighty .389/.421/.889 with the aforementioned three bombs (which happen to have occurred in his last three games consecutively) and seven RBI.

His debut on the mound wasn’t quite as impressive, but was still pretty good in it’ own right. In that start, Ohtani limited the Athletics to three runs on three hits and a walk over his six innings of work. That doesn’t quite paint the entire picture though. He retired the first four hitters that he faced in order, before Matt Joyce singled with one out in the second inning. Pitching out of the stretch for the first time, he gave up another single to Stephen Piscotty and a three-run bomb to Matt Chapman. That would be the last hit he would allow. He went on to retire 14 of the next 15 hitters before departing.

Sunday was going to be an interesting test for him in his first home start with the Halos. Not only had the rest of Major League Baseball had a chance to watch his first start and see how he attacked hitters now that the games counted, he was taking on the same Athletics squad that he defeated in his debut. If any team was going to be prepared to face him, surely it would be the A’s seeing him for the second time in a week.

No chance.

Ohtani was as dominant as any starter that I have seen in a long, long time. He retired the first 18 hitters in order, 11 of those via strikeout, carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning. After getting the first out in the seventh, Marcus Semien lined a sharp single into left field to give the Athletics their first base runner of the ballgame. It also gave the home crowd in Anaheim a chance to give their new two-way star a well-deserved standing ovation.

Ohtani would walk the next hitter after Semien’s single, before battling back and getting the last two outs in the seventh. All told, he surrendered just the one hit and one walk while striking out 12 over seven spectacular innings. In doing so, Ohtani became just the third pitcher in American League history to strike out 12 or more hitters in one of the first two starts of his career.

What’s even more impressive, is that he generated a whopping 24 swings and misses in the ballgame. Twenty four. That’s the highest total for any start by any pitcher in baseball this season.

Sure, his electric fastball that sits at a smooth and easy 99 mph is a tremendous weapon. It’s his wipe-out splitter though that has been putting big league hitters away. Through his first two starts, Ohtani has thrown a total of 66 splitters. He has generated swings and misses on 28 of those, good for a 42% swinging strike rate. That’s an absurdly high number.

In total, Ohtani has generated swinging strikes on 26.4% of his offerings. For comparison's sake, Corey Kluber led all of baseball in swinging strike percentage during the 2017 season, at 15.6%.

Obviously, it would be crazy to expect him to continue at this pace, both offensively and on the mound. But through the first week and a half of the regular season, it looks as though the Angels have landed an absolute two-way superstar.

Tantalizing Taillon

While one terrific young arm was flirting with perfection in Anaheim, another was putting on a dazzling pitching display of his own in Pittsburgh.

Jameson Taillon delivered the finest performance of his young career on Sunday, pitching the first shutout of his career in a magnificent one-hitter against the Reds. It was also the first complete game for the 26-year-old hurler. It was the first one-hitter for the franchise since A.J. Burnett accomplished the feat back in 2012.

Sunday marked the first time in 45 career starts that Taillon had even pitched into the ninth inning. He was determined to finish it. "He asked me if I had pitches left," Taillon said of talking to manager Clint Hurdle after the eighth inning, "I don't even know if I said anything back. I just looked at him like, yeah, I'm going back out."

Taillon walked two and hit a batter while striking out seven on the afternoon. The lone hit that he did allow was a single to opposing pitcher Tyler Mahle in the third inning. He threw a career-high 110 pitches in the game, 67 of them for strikes.

He also helped his own cause with his bat, driving in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the second inning.

His catcher, Francisco Cervelli was full of praise for his right-hander after the game. "He knows he's got good stuff, but he's got more experience, and he's a smart guy… It's amazing. This guy, he's special, man."

He has now been sensational in each of his first two starts of the season, and we could be looking at a true ascension into elite status for the Pirates’ ace. He’ll look to replicate this fine effort when he takes on the Marlins his next time out on Saturday.

Down Goes Suarez

The Reds caught a tough break on Sunday when third baseman Eugenio Suarez had to be lifted from their game against the Pirates after being drilled in the right hand by a Jameson Taillon fastball.

X-rays confirmed the bad news, that Suarez suffered a fractured right thumb. While no clear timetable has emerged yet, he’s certainly headed for a lengthy stay on the disabled list. Also, with hand, wrist or thumb injuries, there is no guarantee that his power will return to form once he does finally return from the disabled list.

Reds’ manager Bryan Price was obviously saddened by the injury. He told reporters afterwards, "There's no way to sugarcoat it. He's a big part of our ballclub… Looked like he was just starting to warm up a bit at the plate. It's the risk of playing baseball is the chance to get hurt. I'm looking forward to hearing what the news is probably [Monday] to see what we could anticipate as far as how much time Geno could miss. I'm really disappointed he was hurt today."

It sounds as though, at least in the short-term, that the team will use a combination of Phil Gosselin and Cliff Pennington to handle the hot corner in his absence. Alex Blandino was pulled from his game at Triple-A Louisville following the Suarez injury and could be on his way to Cincinnati to help out as well.

The real question on the minds of fantasy owners though, is whether or not the injury will speed up top prospect Nick Senzel’s arrival in Cincinnati. The 22-year-old, who is a third baseman by trade, has been playing second base at Louisville to start the season. It’s very possible that they’ll wait until the Super 2 deadline passes later this week and then summon Senzel from Triple-A. If unowned and available in deeper mixed leagues, he’s worth a stash for a few days on that assumption.

American League Quick Hits: Sunday’s game between the Mariners and Twins was postponed due to inclement weather. It’ll be made up on May 14… Xander Bogaerts was pulled from Sunday’s game with a left ankle injury that he sustained while sliding into the stairwell of the third base dugout. He’ll be re-evaluated on Monday… Lonnie Chisenhall landed on the 10-day disabled list with a right calf strain… Gary Sanchez (calf) missed his second straight game but is expected to return on Tuesday… Chris Davis missed Sunday’s game against the Yankees due to illness… Ryon Healy will undergo an MRI after twisting his right ankle in the weight room after Saturday’s game. It sounds like he’s heading for the disabled list… Brad Miller was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin strain sustained while running the bases during Sunday’s game…  Yan Gomes blasted a walk-off two-run homer to sink the Royals… Jason Hammel fired six innings of shutout baseball in a no-decision… Andrew Benintendi hit a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning to lead the Red Sox past the Rays… Alex Colome blew his second consecutive save chance and could be losing his stranglehold on the closer’s job in Tampa Bay… Mike Fiers fired six shutout innings in a victory over the White Sox in his 2018 season debut… George Springer was lifted from Sunday’s game due to leg soreness. Look for an update on his status on Monday… Tim Anderson swiped his American League-leading fifth base in a loss to the Tigers… Craig Gentry delivered an RBI single in the 12th inning to beat the Yankees… Charlie Morton fanned seven and didn’t allow an earned run over six innings in a victory over the Padres… Giancarlo Stanton went 0-for-7 and struck out five times in an extra-inning loss to the Orioles… Brad Peacock worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his first save of the season with Ken Giles unavailable on Sunday… Mike Trout belted his third home run and swiped his second base in a win against the Athletics… Roberto Osuna picked up his fourth save, getting the final four outs against the Rangers…

 



National League Quick Hits: The Brewers finally placed Christian Yelich on the 10-day disabled list with a right oblique strain. The move was made retroactive to April 5, so he’s eligible to return as soon as April 15… Scott Schebler (elbow) missed his sixth straight game on Sunday… Anthony Rizzo missed his third consecutive contest due to back tightness, and could be held out of the team’s hope opener on Monday… Jeff Samardzija is hopeful for a return to the Giants’ rotation around April 19… Cody Bellinger sat out Sunday’s game due to a case of food poisoning… Alex Wood had his next start pushed back an extra day, until Wednesday, with the same issue… Gregory Polanco (foot) returned to the Pirates’ lineup and crushed his third home run in a win over the Reds… Brad Ziegler notched his first save of the season in a win over the Phillies… Jason Vargas will require a minor league rehab start before rejoining the Mets’ rotation. Zack Wheeler will start for the Mets on Wednesday… Jose Quintana scattered three hits over six scoreless innings in a win over the Brewers… Brad Boxberger slammed the door on the Cardinals to earn his fourth save… Ozzie Albies belted his third home run and added an RBI double in a win over the Rockies… Sean Newcomb racked up nine strikeouts over six scoreless frames to defeat the Rockies… Clayton Kershaw fanned six over seven innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Giants… Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the 10th inning to earn his first save of the 2018 season, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun… Bryce Harper crushed his league-leading sixth home run in a losing effort against the Mets… Adrian Gonzalez hammered a grand slam off of Tanner Roark, his first long ball as a member of the Mets.