Mining the News (8/20/24)

American League

Angels

• Griffin Canning is struggling for several reasons including a new sweeper that is not yet “sharp”.

The sweeper that he’s worked on in bullpen sessions hasn’t been as sharp in game action and is registering as a slider. There’s also some concern he’s showing his grips, potentially tipping pitches. His fastball-changeup usage against lefties has also been viewed as a bit predictable, resulting in an .865 OPS for lefties against him.

Guardians

• Steven Kwan is playing hurt.

For what it’s worth, Vogt recently suggested Kwan is dealing with some bumps and bruises. Kwan downplayed that injuries are influencing his output, and noted there isn’t a player feeling 100 percent at this point on the calendar.

David Fry has been playing with an inflamed elbow since June.

And it just so happens that Fry started dealing with right elbow inflammation in late June. He has been limited to first base and designated hitter ever since, and Vogt was non-committal about whether he’d be able to return to his versatile ways before the end of the year. Not only was Fry sizzling at the plate in April and May, but he bounced from catcher to right field to first base, granting the club plenty of flexibility.

Mariners

• The pitching staff sleeps a ton.

When he goes home, Miller said he sleeps a whopping 11 hours per night, though the rest accumulation has mostly been the same since he debuted. Still, it underscores his diligence to recovery. Most of the Mariners’ pitchers actually sleep for as long as Miller does, as Logan Gilbert mentioned that he shoots for 12 hours per night but will settle for 10, and Andrés Muñoz said the same.

“There’s not really any excuse to not get enough sleep,” Miller said. “It’s all I do, really — I just get home and then sleep till about 11 [a.m.], then eat some breakfast and head to the field.”

Orioles

• Cade Povich decided to start throwing strikes.

Then, Povich started aggressively attacking the strike zone — much more than in the past — which proved to be the key to his career-long 6 1/3-inning gem during Baltimore’s 5-1 loss to American League East rival Boston.

This wasn’t the same Povich from his previous eight starts for the O’s earlier in the season. This wasn’t even Cade Povich.

This was “Slim.”

“Different kind of alter ego,” said Povich, the Orioles’ No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline. “I think the other games were Cade, and I went down [to Triple-A Norfolk] and talked to some people, mental stuff. Some of the guys down here call me, ‘Slim,’ so I kind of took that attitude into this game. Different mindset, different person. Someone that’s just going to be aggressive and attack early and as long as I’m in the game.”

It took him several starts in the majors to figure out this trick. A bright one here.

Tigers

• Tarik Skubal’s workload will be limited.

Postgame news in Williamsport.

Regarding Tarik Skubal’s workload, A.J. Hinch said tonight’s start “could very well be his last start on regular rest” in 2024.

“It’s important for us to be very aware, which we are, and it’s also important for us to watch what he’s doing. He’s a…

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 19, 2024

• Spencer Torkelson adjusted his bat angle and worked on high-velocity pitches.

Torkelson hit just .201 over 54 games in the majors earlier this season before the Tigers finally decided to send him down. Over the next two months with the Toledo Mud Hens, Torkelson adjusted his bat angle, showed improvements against high-end velocity and also endured his share of struggles. He homered 11 times and had a .799 OPS.

• Jace Jung may struggle to play third base and hit top-end velocity.

For Jung, there are still questions about his ability to handle third base defensively and hit high-end velocity. In Triple A he hit only .179 with a 34.8 percent whiff rate against pitches 95 mph or above. Scouts have continued to question his play at the hot corner.

National League

Cardinals

• The team will go with several platoons to end the season.

After recalling Jordan Walker at the beginning of the week, the Cardinals decided to incorporate their most extreme lineup platoon of the season. Walker, with Tommy Pham, will start against left-handers, putting Alec Burleson on the bench. Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman will start against right-handers, leaving Walker and Pham as the bench bats.

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Expect the Cardinals to continue utilizing the splits. Don’t expect Walker or Pham to start in any of their next three games, as the Milwaukee Brewers have three right-handers lined up (Frankie Montas, Tobias Myers and Freddy Peralta) for their series in St. Louis starting Tuesday. There is no overstating how imperative that series is, as the Brewers are showing no signs of slowing down atop the division.

Dodgers

• Bobby Miller’s delivery has been off since his shoulder injury.

The Dodgers had sent Miller to their complex in Arizona before starting games with Oklahoma City, hoping to re-center a delivery that has been out of whack all year, especially since going down with a shoulder injury in April. Some of the crux of his command issues with his breaking ball, he said, were because his delivery was taking him toward the first-base side, falling off toward his glove side and leading to uncompetitive pitches.

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The Dodgers brought Miller back to the majors more out of circumstance than anything else. Glasnow’s injury has thrust another pitcher (along with Walker Buehler) into a situation where they must get things right before pitching in games that matter. With such a slim lead in the division, it’s hardly ideal. The expectation is that Miller will make another start until Glasnow can return.

Padres

• When Fernando Tatis Jr. comes off the IL, he might not be 100% healthy.

Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. remains without a clear timetable, even as team officials have indicated that his expected return might end up closer to mid-September than the beginning of the month. The stress reaction in Tatis’ right leg has not fully healed and still might not be 100 percent healed whenever he comes back. The Padres need to be careful.

“Just still wanting some healing to take place before we ramp up,” Shildt said over the weekend. “Once he ramps up, he’ll be getting ready pretty quickly, I would imagine, but we’re still determining when that is.”

Phillies

• Because of some rule I don’t 100% understand, Tyler Phillips will likely be added to the major league team soon.

Going to a six-man rotation might help the starters but harm the relievers with one fewer arm to deploy in the bullpen. It is why, for now, the Phillies demoted Tyler Phillips to Triple A. Phillips must be in the minors for 15 days unless he replaces an injured player on the active roster. But, if he spends fewer than 20 days in the minors, his optional assignment is voided. This is meaningful to the Phillies for next season, and they could react accordingly. Phillips would be out of options in 2025 if he is not recalled this season before the 20-day mark.

He looks like decent rotation depth, something every team values. The Phillies could bring back Phillips in early September once rosters expand.

• Trea Turner is not running because he doesn’t want to get hurt.

[Turner] missed almost two months with a hamstring injury earlier this season. His average home-to-first times have gotten slower every month from June to August. He has attempted one stolen base in the last three weeks.

“It’s weird,” Turner said. “It’s like a day-by-day thing. Some days I feel good. Some days I don’t. I think, you know, that’s the case with everybody. … It’s a long season, obviously, and I want to be healthy in the postseason. Sometimes it may not look like I’m running 110 percent. Sometimes it does. It’s just whatever it is that day. I felt good on the first sprint.”

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“More physical,” Turner said. “You get nicks and bruises and all sorts of stuff every day. All of us do. You get hit by a pitch. You take a swing. Certain things, you’re not always going to feel 100 percent. I want to play every day. Sometimes, as you get older, I feel like I’m not necessarily going to be reckless and crazy. Twenty-five-year-old Trea would sprint every time and whatnot.

“I want to play, and I have to pick my spots, especially with what happened early in the season. It’s a little bit mental, but I think it’s more physical. I don’t want it to look like I’m dogging it or not trying, or any of those things. That’s definitely not the case. Kind of evolving a little bit and getting older.”

Pirates

• Paul Skenes will see shorter outings as the season goes on.

The Pirates currently have no such plans, according to sources briefed on their thinking. They have no set innings limit for Skenes. The only restriction they are considering, assuming Skenes stays healthy, is potentially shortening his outings. The Chicago White Sox are taking just that approach with left-hander Garrett Crochet, who is working as a starter for the first time in his professional career.