Trout has a bad fin

Trout dousing the Astro's mascot

 Baseball just took a nose dive.

The final few weeks of the 2019 season did, at least, as it was announced Sunday that another of the game's best players -- or rather, the game's best player -- will miss the remainder of the year due to injury. Less than a week after Christian Yelich was lost due to a fractured kneecap, the Angels said Sunday that Mike Trout is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right foot to address Morton's neuroma. I had to Google what the heck that was.

“I’ve been dealing with it for like the last month, and it progressively got worse,” Trout said Sunday. “That’s what I said when they made the decision to just get it out. I was just tired of having to deal with it, having to come in and worry about my foot.”
Trout hadn't played since September 7 due to the injury, but the hope had been that he could return soon with management of the issue. With time running out and Trout still feeling pain during on-field activities, the decision was made to shut him down.
The move makes sense for all parties. For Trout, there's no need to play through pain and risk further injury, or risk delaying the procedure and having it affect his 2020 season in any way. For the Angels, they've been officially eliminated from postseason contention, so having their best player struggle through the season's final few weeks would be a moot point.

It's still a disappointing development given how good Trout has been this year. He finishes the year with 45 homers, 104 RBI, 110 runs scored and 11 steals to go with a .291/.438/.645 line in 134 games. Even with missing most of the final month he still set a personal best with his 45 homers and was likely going to achieve a new career-best RBI total as well.
The good news is that by treating it now it's not likely to be something that drags on into his offseason preparation for next year. Recovery is expected to take a month at most, meaning Trout will be able to have something close to a normal offseason heading into 2020.

For the Angels, the blow came just days after Shohei Ohtani underwent season-ending knee surgery on Friday. The team has also lost Justin Upton for the year, and Tommy La Stella has missed the entire second half with a fractured right tibia. On Sunday, Brian Goodwin manned center field with Kole Calhoun in right and Michael Hermosillo in left.

Rizzo

Rizzo Set For MRI on Ankle

The Cubs won big on Sunday, but it was one big loss that has them worried heading into Monday.
In the third inning of a 16-6 beatdown of the Pirates, Anthony Rizzo had to be helped off the field after spraining his right ankle while trying to field a bunt. Rizzo rolled the ankle while running in from his first base position to pick up the Trevor Williams bunt, getting a throw off toward first while falling to the ground in pain.
Although they won the game, Kris Bryant said nobody could escape the feeling of loss, too.
“The fans were upset. We were upset. It was like a light switch," Bryant said after the game. "That’s kind of the effect Anthony has here.”
The team was able to rule out a fracture with X-rays, but Rizzo will undergo an MRI on Monday to try to better gauge the extent of the injury. Given Rizzo's reaction on the field, it doesn't seem like an injury that he'll bounce back from with much speed.
“He was in some pretty good pain and you knew he was coming out of the game,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “Just an awkward way he twisted and fell.”
Replacing Rizzo internally will be a tall order. The 30-year-old is hitting .289/.404/.516 with 26 homers, 93 RBI, 88 runs scored and five steals in 140 games this year and has hit all over the upper half of the Cubs lineup -- including some leadoff, where he was batting Sunday, as they've searched for a viable top-of-the-order hitter -- this season.
It will be especially difficult given that the team is already without star shortstop Javier Baez. Baez was diagnosed with a hairline fracture on his left thumb and is expected to miss at least the rest of September.
Ian Happ took over at first base after Rizzo's departure Sunday, and he, along with Daniel Descalso and David Bote, will likely be asked to fill in, if not at first base, around the infield as Maddon shuffles pieces to patch his leaking infield.
We'll know more Monday.

Mookie is ailing

Betts To See Team Doctor For Ailing Foot

As though all that wasn't enough, the weekend wasn't done threatening to take all our favorite players from us.
Mookie Betts is set to have his left foot examined by the Red Sox team doctor Monday after he sat out for the second straight day Sunday. Betts has been experiencing soreness in the foot, an ailment he believes stemmed from playing on the Rogers Centre turf last week.
“It will be all right,” Betts said. “It’s just one of those things where when you’re coming off the turf, it’s kind of tough.”
“He’s still sore,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But we don’t feel like it’s something that’s going to take him a while. Hopefully, he’ll be back in the lineup for the Giants and finish the season strong.”
As with Trout, there are factors at play here that complicate the situation. The Sox, like the Angels, are not in playoff contention, so neither the team nor the player have incentive to push the issue.
And like Trout, Betts is having another fantastic year at the plate. The 26-year-old is hitting .293/.391/.527 with 28 homers, 78 RBI, a league-leading 131 runs scored and 15 steals in 144 games. The 131 runs scored is already a career high for Betts, and he also has a chance to top his personal-best 32 homers from 2018 with a strong close to the year.
Whether he's allowed to pursue those goals is a question we'll have answered Monday.

National League Quick Hits: Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday that it wouldn't be surprising if Josh Bell (groin) is sidelined for "a handful of days at least." Bell tweaked his left groin on Friday and it sounds like it will probably be at least next weekend before we see him again. ... Chris Archer (shoulder) will be shut down for the remainder of the season. Archer has been throwing as he works his way back from inflammation in his pitching shoulder, but the Pirates see no reason to push him to return at this point. The right-hander will finish the season with a disappointing 5.19 ERA, although he did finish strong in August. ... Eugenio Suarez hit a pair of solo home runs, tying him for the National League lead, to help the Reds top the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Sunday. Suarez crushed a solo homer to dead center field in the fourth inning and walloped another solo shot to left-center in the sixth for an encore. The homers were number 46 and 47 this year for the 28-year-old, tying him with Mets rookie Pete Alonso for the league lead. Suarez also reached the 100-RBI plateau for the second consecutive year, and he's got 85 runs scored to go with a .271/.350/.580 line in 147 games. ... Kris Bryant went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI to help the Cubs complete a three-game series sweep against the Pirates with a 16-6 blowout victory on Sunday. The 27-year-old third baseman has quietly compiled an incredible offensive campaign, hitting .288/.386/.538 with 105 runs scored, 31 home runs, 77 RBI and four stolen bases across 606 plate appearances. He’s eclipsed the 30-homer plateau for the second time in his career and has a realistic shot at recording a .300 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage with a strong two-week stretch to close out the year. ... Zack Wheeler was outstanding in a tough-luck no-decision against the Dodgers on Sunday night, racking up nine strikeouts over seven innings of one-run baseball. He'll carry a 4.09 ERA and 1.29 WHIP into Saturday's start against the Reds in Cincinnati. ... Ryan McMahon went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored and four RBI in Sunday's 10-5 win over the Padres. The multi-homer game was his fourth this year, giving him 22 homers, 80 RBI and 67 runs scored in 130 games. The 24-year-old has hit .257/.336/.461 while playing all over the infield for the Rockies. ... Trevor Bauer struck out nine and allowed one run over eight innings Sunday, earning the win over the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old has been mercurial this year in what's generally been a disappointing follow-up to a Cy Young-worthy campaign in 2018, but he's still very capable of shutting down even the best offenses on a given day. Bauer will carry a 4.41 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 245/82 K/BB ratio into Saturday's matchup with the Mets.

The Yankee Betances

American League Quick Hits: Yankees activated RHP Dellin Betances from the 60-day injured list. Betances admitted Sunday that his arm strength still isn't where it needs to be, but he said "I like where I’m at" and feels it will be there by the end of the month. Nobody took issue with where he was at Sunday, when he struck out both batters he faced during his season debut against the Blue Jays. ... Jason Kipnis exited Sunday's game versus the Twins due to right wrist discomfort. Kipnis missed a little time a few weeks ago with the same injury. Kipnis had a double and a run scored in three plate appearances before being lifted. He'll undergo an MRI on the wrist Monday. ... Kyle Lewis went 3-for-6 with a three-run home run and two runs scored as the Mariners outlasted the White Sox 11-10 on Sunday. With Sunday's three-hit game, Lewis is batting .360/.370/.920 in his six games with the Mariners, including a pair of three-hit performances. Few in the league are hotter at the moment. ... Eddie Rosario went 3-for-5 and belted a pair of solo home runs in a loss to the Indians on Sunday. Rosario is blowing away his career highs this year for a Twins team that is scoring a lot more runs than in prior seasons. He has a .275 batting average with 31 home runs, 99 RBI and 85 runs scored in 126 games. His previous career high for RBI was 78 yet he is primed to cruise past the century mark this week. Rosario is the fourth Twin to reach 30 homers this year, which ties a major league record. ...

Randall clobbered 2 dingers against the Bronx Bombers

 Randal Grichuk clubbed two dingers and drove in four runs in a 6-4 triumph over the Yankees on Sunday. Grichuk has plenty of pop (now with 28 home runs) to help his fantasy owners, but the power comes at the price of a low batting average. He is slashing .235/.284/.455 with 71 RBI and two stolen bases in 140 games. ...


 Christian Vazquez powered his club to a 6-3 win over the Phillies by cracking a grand slam and a solo homer on Sunday. He had a total of 10 home runs in his four-year career prior to 2019 but now has 21 bombs this year alone. He has a .273 batting average with 65 RBI and 59 runs scored in 482 plate appearances. Vazquez is the Red Sox' primary catcher but has also played some first base, second base and third base this year. ... Welington Castillo hit a grand slam and finished with five RBI in Sunday's loss to the Mariners. Castillo has struggled overall this year and has slipped behind All-Star James McCann in the pecking order post-dish in Chicago, hitting just .204/.267/.398 in 66 games. The 32-year-old will continue to spell McCann for the rest of the year before likely hitting the open market this winter.

All he does is Win Win Win !

The Yankees continued their winning ways on Saturday, crushing the Blue Jays 13-3. Their offense continued to do serious damage, including 36-year-old outfielder Brett Gardner smacking a pair of home runs, and 22-year-old sensation Gleyber Torres crushing his 37th long ball of the season.

It was what happened on the pitching side of the ledger that deserves some attention though. James Paxton earned a victory. Another one. In doing so, he became just the fourth Yankees’ hurler since 1961 to win nine consecutive starts -- joining Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry and Mike Mussina.
Paxton cruised to an easy victory in this one behind the ample run support that Gardner, Torres and company provided, allowing just one run on three hits over his five innings of work. The left-hander punched out three and walked two on the day.
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 incredible run, he has pitched to a 2.50 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while registering a 61/20 K/BB ratio across 54 innings of work. For the season, he now sits at 14-6 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 178/55 K/BB ratio across 143 2/3 innings.
He’ll look to extend his historic streak on Friday in a rematch against these same Blue Jays -- this time at home in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium.

Mookie Betts was an unexpected late scratch from the Red Sox starting lineup on Saturday due to soreness in his left foot. After he didn’t appear at all in Saturday’s game, Red Sox’ skipper Alex Cora announced that Betts would be held out of action on Sunday as well.
Cora indicated that Betts’ foot was giving him problems after playing on the turf in Toronto at the beginning of the week. He also downplayed the severity of the injury and noted that he expects his superstar outfielder to return to the lineup on Tuesday.
While he has disappointed relative to expectations this season -- coming off of his stellar American League MVP-winning 2018 campaign, Betts has still delivered quality results across the board this season. Just not what fantasy owners were expecting when drafting him as the second pick overall on average.
The 26-year-old is slashing .293/.391/.527 with 28 homers, a league-leading 131 runs scored, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases. That’s a phenomenal season, no question about it. It just isn’t on par with his 2018 season.

Mookie taking a seat 

What will be interesting to see is just how far Betts falls down draft boards this season. After being the consensus second overall selection last year, it’s very clear that he’ll slot in after Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Christian Yelich at an absolute minimum. After that, there are around a dozen or more players who you could make a compelling argument for inclusion at that pick. My early estimate is that Betts will wind up in the second half of the first round in 15-team leagues -- somewhere in the 8-12 range.
the clear front-runner for the American League MVP Award -- was held out of the Angels’ lineup again on Saturday due to a lingering foot injury.
He has now missed each of the Angels’ last six contests, having not played since September 7.
Trout admitted on Saturday that there have been internal discussion about shutting him down for the remainder of the season, though as of now, Trout has maintained that he’s adamant about playing. The superstar center fielder also said that he expects to return to the lineup as the team’s designated hitter on Sunday.
Trout did concede, however, that he’ll spend far more time as the club’s designated hitter over the final two weeks than he will be playing center field.
The 28-year-old is currently slashing .291/.438/.645 with 45 homers, 110 runs scored, 104 RBI and 11 stolen bases. His 45 homers are tops in the American League. He also leads the American League in slugging (.645) and OPS (1.083), while he paces all of baseball in walks (110) and on-base percentage (.438).
Royals’ outfielder Jorge Soler trails him by just one home run, so Trout would likely lose out on the American League home run crown if he were to be shut down for the remainder of the season.

Braves Playoff Bound

The Atlanta Braves punched their ticket to the postseason on Saturday, behind a masterful pitching performance by right-hander Mike Foltynewicz. The 27-year-old hurler punched out five over six innings of one-run baseball, allowing just an RBI double to Anthony Rendon in the opening inning.
It has been a rollercoaster season for Foltynewicz who struggled early on and was actually demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett for six weeks in late June.  When he eventually returned in August, the hope was that he could get back on track and eventually contribute as a member of the bullpen during the postseason. With the way he’s pitching right now though, he has likely earned himself a spot in the club’s playoff rotation.

In seven starts since returning on August 6, the right-hander boasts a 2.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 38/14 K/BB ratio over 39 ⅔ innings. That’s much more like the form that made him an All-Star in 2018 than the 6.37 ERA that he pitched to through 11 starts prior to his demotion.
Nick Markakis led the offensive attack in this one, going 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI. The 35-year-old outfielder has now collected six hits and three RBI in his first two games since returning from the injured list. Ozzie Albies went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in the game as well -- his fourth consecutive multi-hit effort.

The next thing to secure will be the National League East division crown, which seems like a foregone conclusion at this stage. After Saturday’s victory, the Braves hold a 10 ½ game lead over the Nationals with 12 games left to play. Their magic number to clinch their second consecutive division title sits at 4.

American League Quick Hits: Blue Jays’ southpaw Tim Mayza was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss the entire 2020 season. … Brandon Lowe (leg) has started to take at-bats against live pitching and has yet to be ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 season. … Sam Dyson has been shut down indefinitely due to renewed pain in his right biceps. … Dellin Betances (shoulder, lat) is expected to rejoin the Yankees on Sunday. … Jeff Mathis left Saturday’s game against the Athletics with a lower back strain, he’s day-to-day. … Mike Fiers was forced to leave Saturday’s start due to nerve irritation in his right arm. … The Twins have decided to push back Jose Berrios’s next start. Randy Dobnak will get the ball in his place on Sunday as the Twins try to finish a sweep of the Indians. … Miguel Cabrera left Saturday’s game, and will likely sit out Sunday as well, with chronic right knee soreness. ... Jorge Polanco smacked a two-run homer off of Mike Clevinger, powering the Twins past the Indians in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. … Miguel Sano clobbered a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning to win the nightcap for the Twins. … John Hicks blasted a walk-off grand slam in the 12th inning to propel the Tigers past the Orioles. … Eduardo Rodriguez racked up a season-high 12 strikeouts over 6 ⅔ innings of one-run baseball in a no-decision against the Phillies. … Kyle Tucker went 4-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases in a victory over the Royals. … Zack Greinke struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball to earn his 16th victory of the season. … Yordan Alvarez crushed a pinch-hit, three-run homer in that one. He now has 25 homers and 75 RBI in his first 76 big league games. … Matt Chapman slugged his 33rd home run in a victory over the Rangers. …  Travis d’Arnaud delivered a go-ahead three-run double in the sixth inning to lead the Rays past the Angels. … Emilio Pagan closed that one out to earn his 20th save of the season. … Tyler Glasnow punched out five over three scoreless innings as the opener there. … Omar Narvaez blasted his 21st home run of the season - this one a walk-off blast in the 10th inning to sink the White Sox. … Felix Hernandez fanned four over seven innings of one-run baseball in a no-decision. … Lourdes Gurriel went 2-for-3 with a double in his return to the Blue Jays’ lineup.

National League Quick Hits: Josh Bell sat out Saturday’s game after exiting with left groin discomfort on Friday. He’s still considered day-to-day. … Rich Hill (knee) was able to play catch on flat ground on Saturday. He’s determined to pitch again in 2019. … Charlie Culberson was removed from Saturday’s game after getting drilled in the face by a pitch while squaring around to bunt. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation where they’re focusing on his right orbital bone. Fortunately, he remained conscious and responsive the entire time. … Will Smith (back) was able to throw without issue on Saturday. He’s expected to return to action as early as Sunday - and may have been used on Saturday had a save situation arose. … Freddy Galvis left Saturday’s game with a knee injury. He’s considered day-to-day and could return to the Reds’ lineup on Sunday. … Tyler Saladino suffered another setback with his injured shoulder and will not be joining the Brewers for the final few weeks of the season. ... Hunter Renfroe (ankle) could return to the Padres’ lineup at some point next week. …  Nico Hoerner homered for the second straight game as the Cubs walloped the Pirates. He has now played 11 runs in his first six big league contests. … Kris Bryant homered and drove in four runs for the Cubbies in that one. … Jacob deGrom and Hyun-Jin Ryu each fired seven scoreless innings in dueling no-decisions on Saturday… Rajai Davis delivered a pinch-hit three-run double to ultimately win that one for the Mets. … Jack Flaherty struck out 10 in a losing effort against the Brewers. … Aaron Nola fired seven innings of one-run ball in a tough-luck no-decision against the Red Sox. … An RBI triple by Nick Ahmed led the Diamondbacks to a 1-0 victory over the Reds. … Merrill Kelly struck out five over seven shutout frames to earn a victory there. … Daniel Murphy went 4-for-5 and drove in four runs as the Rockies outlasted the Padres. … Manny Machado belted his 30th home run in a losing effort there.

Cole Comfort

Gerritt Cole

 Cole Smoothly Smashes Royals

Gerrit Cole turned in yet another dominant start on Friday in a 4-1 victory against the Royals. He surrendered only an unearned run while firing eight innings of four-hit baseball. Whit Merrifield led off the first inning with a double but Cole stranded him right there to set the tone for the ballgame. Bubba Starling led off the third with a double and just like Merrifield he advanced no further while Cole set down the next three batters in a row -- two via the strikeout. Those were the only threats Cole faced until the eighth inning when Starling led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He came home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Meibrys Viloria.

Cole struck out 11 batters and walked just two. The win improved his record to 17-5 with a 2.62 ERA after 30 starts.Cole has now won an Astros record 13 straight decisions and hasn't taken a loss since May. That is the longest winning streak in the majors since Stephen Strasburg did it in 2013.  He's notched double-figure strikeouts in six straight starts. He has 76 strikeouts in just his last six games.

He is currently the favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award, with teammate Justin Verlander his only real competitor. Cole is tied for second in the majors with 17 wins. He leads the majors with 292 strikeouts and is poised to blow past the 300 punch-out plateau in his next start for the first time in his career. Cole also leads all pitchers with 6.5 WAR per Fangraphs. His 2.62 ERA ranks fourth in the majors, his 2.73 FIP ranks second (behind Max Scherzer's 2.30) and his 2.54 xFIP ranks first. He also leads the majors with a 13.66 K/9 and a 33.3 percent K-BB% rate. His 0.91 WHIP ranks second in the majors behind Verlander's 0.78 WHIP -- which is fueled by Verlander's extremely fortunate .208 BABIP.

Cole will be a free agent after the season and is poised to snare a record-setting contract. He has played seven seasons in the major leagues, the last two with the Astros. He has a career 91-52 record and 3.25 ERA in 189 starts. He turned 29 years old last week. Last off-season Patrick Corbin signed the most lucrative free agent contract among all pitchers. Like Cole, Corbin was 29 years old at the time and he got six years and $140 million from the Nationals -- Cole will get a lot more than that simply because he is a far superior pitcher. The largest contract ever for a pitcher is David Price's seven-year, $217 million contract with the Red Sox that he signed prior to the 2016 season when he was 30 years old. Zack Greinke's six-year, $206.5 million contract has the highest average annual value at $34 million per year. He signed that deal prior to the 2016 season when he was 32 years old. Look for Cole to get something along the lines of a six-year, $240 million contract for an annual average value of $40 million per year.

Two-Homer Hammers

Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven RBI in a 10-0 shutout against the Brewers. Goldschmidt smashed a grand slam against starter Adrian Houser in the third inning, and nearly matched that feat when he launched a three-run jack in the sixth. Goldy's huge day went a long way toward winning some playoff games for his fantasy owners last night. He is not having a typical season compared to his body of work with the Diamondbacks over the previous eight years, but he has been much better in the second half than the first -- he has a .905 OPS after the All Star break compared to a .769 OPS in the first half this year. Overall he has a .262 batting average with 32 home runs and 89 RBI. He is not running like he used to either -- he stole 31 bases in 2016 and has 126 steals in his career but has stolen just two bases this year.

Kole Calhoun went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs in the Angels’ loss to the Rays. He clubbed a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo tater in the eighth. Calhoun was dreadful at the plate early in the year, leading to his being dropped in most leagues. Since then however he has racked up his fair share of counting stats, although his batting average has never fully recovered. He has a .234 batting average with 31 home runs, 71 RBI and 85 runs scored in 138 games. He is one of the streakiest hitters around but can be useful in fantasy leagues if his owners pick their spots -- he hits much better versus right-handed pitchers.

Khris Davis homered twice and drove in four runs in Friday’s 14-9 win over the Rangers. He victimized starter Brock Burke on both occasions -- a solo shot in the second and a three-run bomb in the third. Davis led the majors with 48 longballs last year and has slugged 42 or more homers for three consecutive years. He has barely reached half that number this year. He famously hit exactly .247 in each of the last four years but won't reach that number this year either. Davis has battled some nagging injuries this year and is slashing just .222/.290/.395 with 22 homers and 70 RBI in 121 games. He will probably be back at full strength next year.

Trevor Story launched a pair of home runs and drove in three runs in a 10-8 win over the Padres. He ripped a two-run dinger against starter Joey Lucchesi in the fourth inning and a solo shot against Craig Stammen in the sixth. Story went 3-for-5 and scored three times in the high-altitude ballgame. The shortstop has provided first-round fantasy value again this year with studly contributions in all five fantasy categories. He is slashing .297/.356/.554 with 32 home runs, 79 RBI and 104 runs scored. Unlike most sluggers he also runs -- he has stolen 20 bags in 28 tries. He has 22 home runs at home and only 10 on the road this year.

Willson Contreras went 3-for-4 and blasted a pair of home runs as the Cubs demolished the Pirates 17-8 on Friday. He cracked solo homers against Steven Brault in the first and third innings. Contreras also made two throwing errors in the ballgame but fantasy owners don't care much about that. He has missed quite a bit of time due to hamstring and foot injuries but has hit much better than he did a year ago. In 2018 Contreras registered career lows with a weak .249 batting average and just 10 home runs in 544 plate appearances. He has rebounded to bat .283 with 23 homers in 366 plate appearances in 2019. His .931 OPS this year is a career high by a large margin. He will be one of the first catchers off the board in drafts next spring.

National League Quick Hits: Jon Lester gave up seven runs (four earned) in five innings yet despite the poor outing was able to get credit for a win over the Pirates, thanks to 17 runs of support from the Cubs' offense... Kolten Wong went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored against the Brewers... Luis Castillo allowed two runs in five innings and earned a win against the Diamondbacks. He is now 15-6 with a 3.22 ERA and has 211 strikeouts... Joey Votto went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Diamondbacks... Sandy Alcantara yielded one run over seven innings in a loss to the Giants... Tyler Beede hurled 6 1/3 scoreless frames in a win over the Marlins, improving to 5-9 with a 5.02 ERA... Joey Lucchesi was obliterated for eight runs over 3 2/3 in a loss to the Rockies at Coors Field... Garrett Hampson went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a pair of runs scored in the Rockies’ win over the Padres... Nolan Arenado went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer against the Padres... Clayton Kershaw gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings to beat the Mets... Gavin Lux went 2-for-3 with his second major league homer in a win over the Mets... Ozzie Albies went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk against the Nationals... Freddie Freeman left Friday's game against the Nationals with right elbow soreness but manager Brian Snitker said that Freeman is expected to play on Saturday... Max Scherzer gave up three runs in six innings to the Braves... Nicholas Castellanos went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI against the Pirates... Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-5 and hit a grand slam against the Pirates... Steven Brault was smoked for 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings by the Cubs. The beat-down jacked his ERA up to 4.89 on the season... Josh Bell left Friday's game against the Cubs with an undisclosed injury, possibly to his leg. No update has been released yet, so stay tuned to the Rotoworld news feed for the latest news...

American League Quick Hits: Mallex Smith stole two bases in the Mariners’ loss to the White Sox to boost his league-leading total to 43 bags... Eloy Jimenez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the White Sox' win over the Mariners... Yusei Kikuchi was lit up for five runs over 2 1/3 innings in a loss to the White Sox... Dylan Covey was shelled for five runs over 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners... Yoan Moncada went 3-for-5 with four RBI against the Mariners... Andrew Heaney was knocked around for six runs over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Rays... Austin Meadows smacked his 30th homer of the season on Friday against the Angels... Chris Bassitt allowed seven runs — six earned — over three innings against the Rangers... Brock Burke gave up six runs in a no-decision against the Athletics... Danny Santana clubbed a three-run homer against the Athletics... Ramon Lauereano hit a home run and drove in four runs against the Rangers... Bo Bichette ripped a walk-off homer in the 12th inning against the Yankees... George Springer hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to lead his club over the Royals... Trey Mancini homered and netted three RBI in a victory over the Tigers... Tyler Naquin underwent surgery to repair his ACL and will be sidelined for 7-9 months...

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They set a new record

A swing and a miss

There’s a high degree of probability the overwhelming majority of diehard baseball fans won’t remember exactly where they were when Orioles second baseman Jonathan Villar took Dodgers’ lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson deep for a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning on Wednesday evening. Yet, it was a historic moment simply because of its distinction as the 6,106th round-tripper in the major-leagues this season, which shattered the previous all-time single-season record set back in 2017. It was only fitting that the team that has served up a big league-leading 280 big flies this year would be the ones to actually breaking the record. 

The league-wide proliferation in over-the-fence power has been the prevailing narrative of the 2019 campaign. Not only has the single-season mark fallen already, but hitters have nearly three more weeks to extend the record into uncharted territory. Entering play on Wednesday night, an eye-popping 108 hitters had already reached the 20-homer plateau, which is the third-most of any season in the last half century. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, there have been five months with at least 1,000 or more home runs this season, which is the most of any season in major-league history. 

From a pure fantasy perspective, the central question moving forward is whether Major League Baseball will institute changes to the baseball manufacturing process with the goal of reducing over-the-fence power next season, or if the current league-wide power environment is here to stay for good. If this is the new normal, fantasy owners should feel confident in their ability to acquire cheap one-dimensional sluggers and place an even greater emphasis on five-category impact contributors, especially those that offer 20-plus stolen base potential in drafts next spring. 

The Babe

Mets Surpass Snakes in Wild Card Race

The Mets roller coaster playoff push continued on Wednesday evening when they crushed the Diamondbacks 9-0 in Citi Field. New York has won three consecutive games against a red-hot Arizona squad and will have an opportunity to complete an improbable four-game sweep when they hand the ball to mid-season trade acquisition Marcus Stroman in the series finale on Thursday afternoon. Not only have the Mets jumped ahead of the Diamondbacks in the hotly-contested race for the final Wild Card berth in the National League, but they’re now only three games out of a playoff spot thanks to yet another Cubs’ loss to the Padres on Wednesday night. 

The Mets’ offensive explosion began right away when they chased Diamondbacks’ left-hander Robbie Ray from the contest in the opening frame, plating five runs on five hits, including back-to-back homers from Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo. Frazier also tacked on a solo tater in the third inning to record his second multi-homer effort of the season. The veteran third baseman wasn’t the only one to go deep on multiple occasions in this one. Versatile outfielder Jeff McNeil also slugged a pair of home runs, including a solo shot in the second inning and a two-run dinger in the sixth inning, to eclipse the 20-homer plateau for the first time in his brief major-league career. The unheralded 27-year-old top-of-the-order tablesetter still has a shot at the National League batting title if he can put together a strong two-week finish to the 2019 campaign. He’s hitting .325/.394/.536 with 76 runs scored, 20 homers, 68 RBI and five stolen bases across 513 plate appearances this season. Not too shabby for a guy who was nearly universally ignored in standard mixed-league fantasy drafts this spring.

Reggie

Luzardo Dazzles in Major-League Debut

Athletics’ left-hander Jesus Luzardo was simply outstanding in his major-league debut, allowing one run over three innings in a relief appearance against the Astros on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old southpaw lived up to the considerable hype after relieving veteran starter Brett Anderson in the sixth inning. He recorded a pair of strikeouts and allowed only one hit  -- a solo homer by Martin Maldonado -- and retired the other nine batters he faced in this one. He averaged nearly 96 mph on his fastball, showcased some incredible movement on those heaters and needed only 36 pitches to navigate three frames. The Athletics are expected to keep him on a tight schedule, with his next appearance likely to come in the next four or five days. It seems likely that Oakland will keep him in a manageable long relief role moving forward, but he certainly has the ability to shift into the rotation if the need arises. He may not make a major fantasy impact over the final two weeks of the 2019 campaign, but Luzardo looks like a potential fantasy ace for years to come. 

Yelich To Avoid Knee Surgery

According to a report by Jim Bowden of The Athletic late on Wednesday night, Brewers’ outfielder Christian Yelich (knee) will be out for at least six weeks, but will not require surgery on his fractured right kneecap. The 27-year-old slugger had already been ruled out for the remainder of the 2019 campaign, but this latest development is outstanding news for his long-term future and immediate 2020 outlook. Obviously, the Brewers will miss their main offensive catalyst as they make a playoff push over the next two weeks, but barring any setbacks, he should be ready to go by the time spring training rolls around. Considering that there don’t appear to be any long-term ramifications from the injury, fantasy owners can safely lock the reigning National League MVP into a top three slot on their draft board for next spring.

Altuve Rocks

Yankees, Tigers Set For Twin Billing 

Wednesday's scheduled contest between the Tigers and Yankees was postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on Thursday with a straight doubleheader, with the first game beginning at 1:10 EST and the second game taking place 30 minutes after the conclusion. J.A. Happ will take the ball for the Yankees, opposed by Tigers’ ace Matthew Boyd, with CC Sabathia -- to be followed by ace Domingo German in relief -- and Spencer Turnbull squaring off in the nightcap.

Trout

AL Quick Hits: Mike Trout (foot) remained out of the Angels’ starting lineup on Wednesday. He’s hoping to return on Friday. … Joey Gallo (wrist) is expected to be activated from the injured list on September 20. … David Price (wrist) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. … Kevin Kiermaier told reporters Wednesday that he's seen “no improvement” in his neck injury. … Justin Upton underwent an MRI on his right knee on Wednesday. … Yuli Gurriel (hamstring) remained out of the Astros’ lineup on Wednesday. He’s been out since Friday due to hamstring. … J.P. Crawford (hamstring) has been cleared and will return to the Mariners’ lineup on Thursday. … Domingo Santana (elbow) could return before the end of the Mariners current homestand, which extends through this weekend. … Jorge Soler went 4-for-5 with two homers and four RBI to power the Royals past the White Sox. … Adalberto Mondesi went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a pair of stolen bases in that one, too. … Eloy Jimenez and Jose Abreu went deep for the White Sox in the loss. … Marcus Semien went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a stolen base to lead the Athletics to a narrow win over the Astros. … George Springer went 2-for-4 with a solo homer - his 34th long ball of the season - in the losing effort. … Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in three runs to lift the Blue Jays to a blowout win over the Red Sox. … Trent Thornton whiffed seven batters over five scoreless frames in relief to pick up the win in that contest. … Jorge Polanco clubbed a two-run homer in the Twins’ loss to the Nationals. … Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana left the yard in the Indians’ win over the Angels. … Shohei Ohtani slugged his 18th homer in the losing effort. … Kyle Lewis homered for the second consecutive game, blasting a three-run tater, to lead the Mariners past the Reds. … Ji-Man Choi homered twice and walked three times in the Rays’ loss to the Rangers. … Austin Hays collected three hits in the Orioles’ win over the Dodgers. … Ramon Laureano went 0-for-3 with a walk in his return to the Athletics lineup on Wednesday after missing three games due to a leg issue. … Aaron Hicks (elbow) was given a recommendation to rest for a few more weeks. He’s been out since early August with a flexor strain. It’s extremely unlikely that he will return this season and there’s still a chance he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. … Justin Dunn will make his big-league debut on Thursday in a start against the Reds. … Asher Wojciechowski will start on Sunday against the Tigers.

NL Quick Hits: Garrett Richards (elbow) will throw a bullpen on Saturday, and is expected to start for the Padres against the Brewers next week if that session goes well. … Justin Turner will undergo an MRI on his injured left ankle. … Brewers activated Keston Hiura from the 10-day injured list. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell told reporters Wednesday that Hiura won't play in the field until their next homestand which starts on Monday against the Padres. … Will Smith will resume throwing on Thursday and could be ready for the Giants’ series against the Marlins over the weekend. … Craig Kimbrel (elbow) will play catch again on Wednesday, but is still not ready for a bullpen session. … Max Muncy (wrist) has been facing live hitting in Arizona and is still on track to return on Friday. … Nick Senzel (shoulder) remained out of the Reds’ lineup on Wednesday … Starling Marte (wrist) remained out of the Pirates’ starting lineup again on Wednesday. He hasn’t started since spraining his wrist on Sunday … Addison Russell (concussion) won't play on Thursday and will be evaluated in Chicago on Friday. … Johan Camargo left Wednesday's game against the Phillies with a right shin contusion. … Chris Paddack recorded seven strikeouts over six shutout innings in a win over the Cubs. … Mike Moustakas homered twice and plated five runs to lead the Brewers to a win over the Marlins. … Josh Hader struck out the side to record his 30th save of the season in that one. … Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI to power the Nationals past the Twins. … Stephen Strasburg fanned seven batters over six innings of two-run ball to record his 17th win of the season. … A.J. Pollock went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Dodgers’ loss to the Orioles. … Dallas Keuchel struck out eight batters over six innings in a win over the Phillies. … Braves’ reliever Chris Martin threw an ultra-rare immaculate innings in that contest.

Brew Crew lose their leader

The Brewers’ playoff hopes took a devastating hit on Tuesday night, as reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich has been diagnosed with a fractured kneecap and is done for the remainder of the 2019 season.

The injury took place in the top of the first inning, when the 27-year-old fouled a ball off his right knee against his former team, the Marlins.
He finishes with numbers that were in some ways even more gaudy than those from his MVP campaign: a .329 average with 44 home runs, 97 RBI, 100 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. The homers and steals are both eight more than he compiled in 2018, and the .329 average is just ahead of last season’s .326.
Now headed for an increased role down the stretch is talented outfielder Trent Grisham, who went 5-for-6 as recently as Monday. Grisham is hitting .263 average with four home runs in 99 at-bats, and is 6 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues.

Big Buehler Brand

Walker Buehler encountered a slight hiccup his last time on the mound, giving up six earned runs in five innings against Colorado.
He resumed being flat-out ridiculous on Tuesday evening.
In a box score that looks like a near carbon copy of some of his other gems this season, the 25-year-old threw seven shutout innings against Baltimore, allowing four hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts as the Dodgers officially clinched their seventh straight NL West title.
It was his sixth game of 11 or more Ks this season, all of them since the start of June. It was also the fifth time he’s had double-digit strikeouts with no walks in 2019. All told, since the start of June — across 16 starts — Buehler has a 2.63 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 143/16 K/BB ratio in 106 innings. He also went north of 200 strikeouts (201, to be exact) in 166 1/3 innings.

Buxton Done 

The Twins made it official on Tuesday: Byron Buxton is done for the year. He was headed for labrum surgery on his left shoulder, accompanied by a 5-6 month rehab. That puts his status for Opening Day 2020 in doubt, as Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said on MLB Network Radio “hopefully we have him full strength and ready to go next year.” The 25-year-old finishes his 2019 campaign with a .262 average, 10 homers, 14 stolen bases and a career-best .827 OPS.

Cueto Returns

Elsewhere, the Giants at long last activated Johnny Cueto from the 60-day injured list. The 33-year-old made his season debut 13 months after Tommy John surgery and looked dynamic, throwing five scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and one walk with four strikeouts. This comes after Cueto posted a 3.38 ERA and 21/1 K/BB ratio in 21 1/3 minor league rehab innings. Unfortunately, he gets the Red Sox at Fenway Park next week.

 

Trout

AL Quick Hits: Mike Trout (foot) remained sidelined, and Zach Plesac threw a complete-game shutout against the Angels in his absence (Plesac gets the Tigers on Tuesday). … Didi Gregorius and Brett Gardner both homered twice, and the Yankees and Twins are currently tied for the single-season MLB home run record, 276-276. … As for Minnesota, Mitch Garver drilled his 30th to back seven scoreless innings from Jose Berrios. … Sean Murphy homered twice in a 21-7 win for the A’s Raiders. … Ryan Pressly (knee) is getting close to a return, while Carlos Correa (back) could play in a minor league rehab game on Friday with Triple-A Round Rock. … Blake Snell (elbow) is set to throw two innings for Triple-A Durham on Thursday, and Yonny Chirinos (finger) is scheduled to throw a one-inning simulated game on Wednesday. … Eric Sogard (leg) missed a third straight start, while Kevin Kiermaier (neck) was out of the lineup as well, and though an MRI on his neck came back clean, it’s unclear when he’ll be able to play again. … Meanwhile, Kevin Cash said that Avisail Garcia is “probably day-to-day” after leaving early. …  In one more bit of Rays-related news, Tommy Pham (elbow, forearm) could be back playing left field on Wednesday, but “at the least will DH.” … The 25th homer for Eloy Jimenez was a grand slam. … Dellin Betances (shoulder, lat) was scheduled to pitch in another rehab game on Tuesday with Double-A Trenton. … Cam Bedrosian (forearm) has been throwing off flat ground. … Tommy La Stella is reportedly “still dealing with some pain in his right leg while participating in baseball activities.” … Niko Goodrum (groin) is expected to miss the rest of the season. … Max Kepler (shoulder) was out of the starting lineup. … Nelson Cruz (wrist) returned to the lineup and went 0-for-4. … The Yankees placed Mike Tauchman on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain. … Ramon Laureano (leg, shin) was out of the starting lineup again after feeling cramping in his leg over the weekend. … The Mariners purchased the contract of former top prospect Kyle Lewis, who homered in his big league debut to break up a no-hit bid from Trevor Bauer in the fifth inning. … J.P. Crawford (hamstring) could return this weekend.

Bryant

NL Quick Hits: Kris Bryant (knee) returned and homered twice, while Jason Heyward hit two homers as well — putting him over 20 for just the second time in his career (the other time was 2012). … Will Smith was unavailable Tuesday due to back inflammation, and it reportedly “doesn’t sound like he’s close” to returning. … Robbie Ray (blister) is expected to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday, while Luke Weaver (elbow) was set to throw another bullpen session on Tuesday. … Mets manager Mickey Callaway says that Jed Lowrie is “full go.” … Gavin Lux hit his first major league home run. … Hunter Renfroe (ankle) “is going to be out for a little while.” … Kurt Suzuki (elbow) was not in the lineup, but is considered day-to-day. … Jairo Diaz picked up his second save for Colorado. … Corey Dickerson homered twice, giving him three homers and eight RBI in his last four games. … Meanwhile, Jay Bruce (elbow) has been playing catch “without issue”, which points toward him soon returning to starting outfield duty after pinch-hitting so far this month. … Justin Turner (ankle) was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup and said he will undergo an MRI if the discomfort persists (X-rays came back negative). … Mike Moustakas (hand) remained out of the starting lineup on Tuesday. … Kyle Crick needed surgery on his right index finger and is done for the season after a clubhouse fight with teammate Felipe Vazquez on Monday (both players were fined). … Alex Verdugo (oblique, back) reportedly “isn’t progressing” and will be shut down “for at least a few more days."  … Craig Kimbrel (elbow) is not expected to be activated when first eligible on Thursday.

Rookie Barrage

Yordan Alvarez

The front-runners for the National League and American League Rookie of the Year awards both had pretty good nights Monday.
Pete Alonso socked a pair of solo home runs for the Mets and Yordan Alvarez followed suit for the Astros on Monday in their respective teams’ victories. Although, if we’re being honest, Alvarez’s second long ball probably should have counted as two dingers.
Alonso’s bombs off of the Diamondbacks Merrill Kelly were his 46^th and 47^th of the season, extending his NL rookie record. The Mets have 19 games remaining, and “Polar Bear” would need to hit six more out of the yard to top Aaron Judge’s major league rookie record of 52.
Alonso’s current home run pace? 53.
As for Alvarez, he broke the Astros’ rookie record with his first home run Monday and extended it to 24 bombs with his second of the night. If you combine the 22-year-old’s 23 taters at Triple-A Round Rock prior to his promotion, he has matched Alonso with 47 homers this season.
Sure, we’re dealing with a juiced ball that had made home runs seem more routine than ever. Still, what these two young sluggers have done has been pretty remarkable.

On Saturday we found out that Javier Baez has a hairline fracture in his left thumb. On Monday we found out he’s officially done for the regular season.
A hand specialist ruled out any damage to Baez’s ulnar collateral ligament, which is certainly good news. They did confirm the fracture, though, and it means Baez will not make it back before the end of this month. He will continue to rehab the injury in hopes that he’ll be able to rejoin the Cubs at some point during the playoffs, should the club qualify.
It’s an unfortunate end to what was a terrific follow-up season to Baez’s breakout, NL MVP runner-up campaign last year. The 26-year-old put together a .281/.316/.532 batting line with 29 home runs, 85 RBI, 88 runs scored and 11 stolen bases across 560 plate appearances. Baez is currently a top-five fantasy shortstop and top-25 hitter overall in your standard 5x5 roto leagues.
With Addison Russell still in concussion protocol after being hit in the head with a pitch on Sunday, the Cubs are suddenly running thin at shortstop. It has led to the promotion of one of their top prospects.
Former first-round pick Nico Hoerner was summoned from Double-A Tennessee on Monday, skipping over Triple-A Iowa to make his major league debut against the Padres. The Stanford product started at shortstop and batted sixth in his debut.
Hoerner is ranked by MLB.com as the team’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 47 overall prospect in baseball. With that being said, there’s not much in his statistical profile to suggest he will be of much help to fantasy owners down the stretch even if he plays regularly. Hoerner played just 70 games for Tennessee this season due to an injury of his own, and he put up a pedestrian .284/.344/.399 batting line with three homers and eight steals across 294 plate appearances. Mixed leaguers probably shouldn’t bother.

Trout (Briefly) Put on Ice

You never want to see “procedure” and “Mike Trout” in the same sentence, but thankfully it doesn’t appear that we need to sound any alarm bells.
Trout underwent a cryoablation ( and yeah, I had to look this up )procedure on Monday morning to address a neuroma in his right foot. Basically, it was a minimally invasive procedure that used extreme cold to deaden tissue around a nerve that was causing pain. The condition is what caused Trout to be out of the lineup for a third straight day Monday, but it sounds like he should be back in action soon.
“He has what’s called a neuroma in his right foot,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “I’m not in the medical field, but it’s a buildup of tissue around the nerve that causes pain. Today, he had a cryoablation that deadens the tissue, deadens the nerve area. So he’ll miss a couple days but we don’t expect him to miss more than a couple days. But that’s why he’s not in the lineup.”
Trout could need to undergo another procedure over the offseason to address the issue, but he’s been told that he can’t make the condition worse by playing on it. It’s just a pain tolerance issue.
Brian Goodwin got another start in center field Monday with Trout sidelined and he has batted either first or second in the three games Trout has missed. The 28-year-old entered play Monday hitting .293/.352/.624 with nine home runs and two stolen bases over 145 plate appearances in the second half. He’s had a nice year for the Halos and isn’t a bad deep-league option even if it’s just a short-term play.

National League Quick Hits: Jacob deGrom fanned 11 while pitching seven innings of one-run ball Monday in a victory over the Diamondbacks. … Kris Bryant was out of the Cubs' lineup again Monday after receiving a cortisone injection in his ailing right knee Sunday. … Mike Foltynewicz limited the Phillies to one run in seven innings and struck out seven in a win Monday. … Ronald Acuna homered, walked twice and scored three times Monday against the Phillies. … Bryce Harper (hand) was hitless in his return to the lineup Monday … Trent Grisham went 5-for-6 with a triple, a double and two RBI as the Brewers topped the Marlins on Monday … Nick Markakis (wrist) could be activated from the injured list as soon as Friday. … Reyes Moronta will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his right shoulder and could be out until 2021.
American League Quick Hits: Giancarlo Stanton (knee) could be activated from the injured list sometime during the Yankees' homestand that begins next week. … Robinson Chirinos went 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBI in a crushing of the Athletics on Monday. … Zack Greinke gave up just two hits in six scoreless innings on Monday in a blowout victory over the Athletics on Monday. … James Paxton blanked the Red Sox for 6 2/3 innings Monday in the Yankees' victory, fanning seven batters along the way. … Jose Altuve went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored in a blowout win over the Athletics on Monday. … An MRI on Max Kepler's left shoulder came back negative. … The A’s called up top prospect Jesus Luzardo on Monday and are expected to use him in a relief role. … Eduardo Rodriguez took a tough loss after allowing one run in six innings and striking out nine Monday against the Yankees. … Mike Tauchman is expected to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left calf strain.

Couldn't pull up the Sox

The Boston Red Sox parted ways Sunday with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski less than a year after winning the World Series.

Red Sox spokesman Kevin Gregg made the announcement following a 10-5 loss to the New York Yankees that dropped the defending champions 17.5 games behind their longtime AL East rivals. Boston, which had won three straight AL East titles, would be eliminated from the division race with a loss in the series finale on Monday night.

A veteran baseball executive who built a World Series champion in Miami and helped the Tigers win two AL pennants, the 63-year-old Dombrowski was brought in to steady the Red Sox front office in 2015 with the team in the middle of back-to-back last-place finishes.

Dombrowski was with the Tigers from 2002-15.

The Red Sox followed with three straight AL East titles — a first in franchise history, winning a club-record 108 games last season and their fourth World Series since 2004. From the start of Dombrowski's tenure on Aug. 18, 2015, through the beginning of this season, the Red Sox had posted a major-league best 320-210 (.604) record.

But this year's team — with largely the same roster as last year's — has gone 76-67, losing five of their first six games and never really getting back into contention in the division. While Dombrowski stood pat at the trade deadline, with a wild-card berth still in reach, the ballclub reeled off an eight-game losing streak.

"I just found out, so, surprised and shocked obviously," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was hired as a rookie manager by Dombrowksi before the 2018 season. "Right now, not too much to say. We'll talk a little bit more tomorrow. But, he gave me a chance to come here and be a big league manager. It's one of those that they just told me so, I'm not ready to talk about it."

Right-hander Rick Porcello's career has been tied to Dombrowski's as much as any player. Dombrowski was the general manager of the Detroit Tigers when they drafted Porcello in the first round (27th overall pick) in 2007. Dombrowski traded Porcello to Boston in 2014, before following him in 2015.

Porcello, who took the loss against the Yankees on Sunday, and his teammates learned of the move as the game ended.

"I'm still processing everything, processing myself, too," Porcello said. "It's really hard to reflect on it right now. I'll have potentially a better answer in a couple days but, yeah, you never like to see anybody lose their job over what we're doing on the field. And unfortunately that's the case right here.

"You take lots of guilt with you as a player because you're the one that can make or break things and that's the part that hurts me."

Gregg said Boston's assistant general managers would share Dombrowski's duties for the final few weeks of the season. No other team officials were made available to the media. A formal announcement is expected on Monday.