Pretty cool night for the Palacios Brothers:
A night the Palacios family will never forget. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9Z8gzrdw65
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2023
Tag, you’re it:
On the Agenda:
Rays gonna Ray:
LUKE RALEY!
INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN! #RAYSUP pic.twitter.com/M31QC3o23b
— Rays Radio (@RaysRadio) August 16, 2023
On the Agenda
80 Grade Baby Name
One of the coolest moments of ya boy’s entire career! Bro is a man of his word 😂👶🏼 #babymookie pic.twitter.com/rVIG4VWJVe
— Mookie Betts (@mookiebetts) August 15, 2023
Swoon:
Bot 9: @cedmull30 robs a home run.
Top 10: Mullins crushes a go-ahead dinger.
Cedric really is the Entertainer! pic.twitter.com/8M5MAyTzXd
— MLB (@MLB) August 13, 2023
Somewhere near San Francisco, there is a Mason with pants currently tighter than Robbie Ray.
First Cedric tooketh:
This angle of the Cedric Mullins robbery really shows how insane it was pic.twitter.com/O9ZpljQ64p
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 13, 2023
Then Cedric gaveth:
CEDRIC MULLINS ROBS A HOME RUN
CEDRIC MULLINS HITS A HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/p7eagyyyaj
— 𝙆am Brice (@kambrice1tv) August 13, 2023
On the Agenda
Just when you thought there weren’t any more ways for Fenway to resemble a carnival game:
The Baseball getting Stuck in the Light at Fenway.
Just when you think you've seen it all… 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Dxh8imRwpx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2023
No word on whether Yoshida later pulled out a baseball, or $10K worth of chowda, Punch-A-Bunch style. Read the rest of this entry »
Like there was any chance we’d start with something else:
José Ramírez vs Tim Anderson was better than anything so far at SummerSlam
pic.twitter.com/MV7qvpwQbb— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 6, 2023
On the Agenda
Baseball is a silly game:
A base hit, but not a base hit? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/RsT37Tyklb
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 3, 2023
On the Agenda:
1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Closer Chaos
4. Quick Hits
5. Various News and Notes
6. Streaming Pitchers
Read the rest of this entry »
Yo Salt – Don’t cha know I wanna bloop? Bloop ba-doop:
Jesús Sánchez ends this ballgame in the 12th. #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/njuV1S29kp
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 3, 2023
On the Agenda
News and Notes
Marcus Stroman was placed on the 15-day yesterday with right hip inflammation but Cubs manager David Ross seems confident that he’ll be ready to return when first eligible on August 16, with team off days making it such that he’ll effectively only miss one turn in the rotation.
After spraining his knee on Monday, Bo Bichette was officially placed on the 15-day IL yesterday with patellar tendinitis and currently has no timetable for his return. Newest Blue Jay, Paul DeJong, made his Toronto debut on Wednesday, batting eighth, and is expected to get the lion’s share of time at shortstop until Bichette’s return.
Sigh. Liam Hendriks had his season officially ended after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. We thought Hendriks was progressing fine from elbow inflammation so this latest news is obviously a worst-case scenario that won’t see him likely return until 2025. Luckily, Hendriks was already double-tough due to his general Australianness and recently defeated freaking cancer, so I suspect his mental toughness will continue to serve him well.
Domingo Germán will miss the rest of the 2023 season, being placed on the restricted list after entering inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse. Nestor Cortes was scheduled for one more rehab start but will now cut it short to return to the rotation this weekend against the Astros. Cortes pitched four scoreless innings in his last appearance in Double-A, allowing two hits while striking out five.
Luis Garcia was demoted to Triple-A following Washington’s win over the Brewers yesterday. After a solid first three months to the season, Garcia has been brutal since the start of July, slashing just .205/.237/.284 over 93 PA, with a 34 wRC+. Expect Michael Chavis/Ildemaro Vargas to fill in at second base for the time being.
Bumps and Bruises
Shane McClanahan got blown up yesterday, allowing 5 ER over 4 IP, the second time in three starts he’s finished with such a line. But the real news is the forearm tightness he felt before departing – Dun. Dun. DUHHHHN.
McClanahan’s four-seamer averaged 98.1 mph, his highest in any game this season, but the zip was missing in his final inning:
1st: 98.2 mph
2nd: 97.9 mph
3rd: 97.1 mph
4th: 95.8 mph
McClanahan will head back to Tampa Bay today to be evaluated by the team doctor. I’m sure everything is fine and Tampa Bay will certainly keep us 100% informed.
J.D. Martinez missed another game on Wednesday after injuring his hamstring over the weekend. Martinez claimed on Tuesday he thought he’d be able to avoid going on the IL but that chance will shrink with every additional game missed.
Brandon Nimmo missed another game on Wednesday after being scratched on Tuesday with quad tightness. It still isn’t expected to be serious and Nimmo could return as soon as this afternoon’s game. Counterpoint: this is the Mets so he might also be out for the season.
Byron Buxton was a scratch on Wednesday after tweaking his hamstring on the bases during Tuesday’s game. Consider him day-to-day but it’s also Byron Buxton, so-ooo…
Comeback Trails
Max Fried (forearm) will return to the Atlanta rotation on Friday for a start against the Cubs. Fried has a 2.08 ERA (3.04 FIP) and 1.08 WHIP over the five starts prior to his injury and posted a 3.75 ERA over four rehab starts, striking out 13 in 12 IP.
It looks like Trevor Story (elbow) won’t be activated on Friday, wanting to instead get some more rehab in at Triple-A. This doesn’t appear to be any sort of setback and Story will still likely make his return sometime next week. Over 10 games at Double-A and Triple-A, Story is slashing .241/.371/.621, with 3 HR.
Cardinals closer, Ryan Helsley, faced live hitting in batting practice before yesterday’s game. Given no setbacks, the next step would be a rehab assignment, with Helsley eligible to return from the 60-day IL on August 12. With Jordan Hicks moved to Toronto, Helsley would likely slot back into his 9th-inning role but the real question is, how many wins will the Cardinals actually get over the next two months?
Jordan Romano (back) threw for the first time off of flat ground since going on the 15-day IL and is expected to start mound work this weekend. If all goes well, Romano could return when first eligible on August 13. Erik Swanson got (and converted) the Blue Jays only Save opportunity since Romano hit the list last Saturday.
J.T. Realmuto missed the past two games with a cut on his hand but will return to the starting lineup today against the Marlins.
Streaming Pitchers
Streaming Pitcher for Today: Brandon Pfaadt, ARI @SFG – Pfaadt has yet to pour on the whiffs like he’s shown in the minors but will face a struggling San Francisco lineup that has the third-worst wOBA and wRC+ vs RHP since the start of July, after being in the top-10 in the three months prior.
High Risk for Today: Adrian Houser, MIL vs PIT
Streaming Pitcher for Tomorrow: Graham Ashcraft, CIN vs WSN, Colin Rea, MIL vs PIT