Mining the News (9/24/24)

American League

Astros

• Tayler Scott pitched through a back injury.

Scott is on the injured list with what the Astros described as a “thoracic spine strain” — a back injury he acknowledged trying to pitch through all month. Scott surrendered nine hits, five walks and four earned runs in 5 2/3 September innings, inflating an already unsustainable workload.

Blue Jays

• Joey Loperfido struggles with fastballs due to his setup (video). For the season, he has a 14% SwStr% against four-seamers and 18% SwStr% against sinkers. Not good.

Rangers

• Evan Carter plans to quit playing through injuries and get healthy for once.

Carter admits that he’s somebody who will play through injuries whenever possible. That definitely did more harm than good in the long run for him this season. He acknowledged that he needs to be more self-aware about his body going forward.

“A whole lot goes into that, though,” Carter said. “Me lying to myself, me lying in general. I just needed to take a step back, and I did, and here we are now. … Again, it’s been miserable here. But I mean, it has been for everyone. Gosh, everybody wants to win, and we didn’t. There are a lot of guys that want to have better years, and a lot of guys that want to redo it, and I’m one of them. I’m excited to redo it next year for sure.”

But Carter also believes that good news is coming his way. While he declined to go into more detail, Carter said they’ve found some underlying issues that needed correcting beyond “just swinging a bat and hurting my back.”

Red Sox

• Vaughn Grissom will be part of the 2025 second base discussion.

Second base was a revolving door all season, and the Sox had little production from the position outside of David Hamilton, who suffered a season-ending fracture of his left index finger at the end of August.

It will be interesting to see how that second-base spot is configured when Spring Training starts.

“Vaughn is a big part of it. That was a big trade in the offseason. He didn’t have a great year, starting in Spring Training when he was banged up,” Cora said. “But this guy has always hit. He looks stronger, and he’s moving better. So we’ll see what happens in the offseason, but he’s part of that.”

• The team will use Chris Martin or Justin Slaten as closers to end the season.

Cora said he will use Chris Martin and Justin Slaten for save opportunities this week, but it seems wise to give Slaten all of the chances. His closer potential is obvious and something the Red Sox have suggested throughout the season. Liam Hendriks is signed through next year, but not guaranteed to take the closer role. Hendriks hoped to make it into a game by the end of this season as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery, but time is running out. Slaten would benefit from the exposure.

• Rafael Devers‘ power took a hit as he dealt with two shoulder injuries.

Alex Cora on Rafael Devers' shoulder issues: "The bat speed, you can see it … He worked on a few things in the offseason, & one of those was to catch up with the fastball. And then we got to a point that he didn't. Teams, they noticed it, & they attacked him. It was relentless" pic.twitter.com/AcA4b9dxGv

— David Adler (@_dadler) September 22, 2024

Yankees

• Luke Weaver’s turnaround can be traced back to an arsenal change and tweaking his fastball.

Weaver has been one of the terrific surprises of this Yankees season, authoring a remarkable turnaround after the journeyman was cut loose by the Mariners and Reds last summer. With his career at a potential crossroads, Weaver ditched his slider and curveball while increasing usage of his cutter.

There was more: Weaver tweaked his grip to transform his four-seam fastball into an elite offering, picking up velocity and vertical rise. Last season, Weaver struck out 19.4 percent of hitters; this year, it’s 30.4 percent, the largest increase in the Majors.

“I looked at other guys and I’m like, ‘Man, they get a lot of swing and miss in this game,’” Weaver said. “I was like, ‘That would be fun.’ And it sure is. It really is a blessing, and it’s crazy to think about how things just come together. A year ago, if I were to look at what I’m doing right now, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, right.’”

• Several guys are going to rest over the final weekend.

“Certainly,” Boone said, “you get a new situation to prioritize guys’ health and things like that. But if you can have it all going into the postseason, we’re going to try to do that.”

Boone mentioned the Yankees could try to “get creative” next weekend, resting some players while giving others playing time to keep them sharp.

“We understand (the best record) is there to be had and we would want that, but you’re always striking the balance between that and making sure guys are in good spots,” Boone said.

National League

Cardinals

• Paul Goldschmidt tried everything to turn his season around and nothing worked.

“The truth is I tried everything,” Goldschmidt said. “I tried every drill I could think of: video, no video, just go and hit without doing anything. For five months basically, including Spring Training — honestly even back toward the second half of last year, so almost a full calendar year. I just could not find a way to consistently put good swings on the ball, have good at-bats and get the results that were needed to help us win.”

Cubs

• Porter Hodge worked on adding a splitter.

Hodge has been working on incorporating a splitter into his arsenal to use alongside his four-seam fastball and slider. He struck out Joey Gallo looking with it to open the ninth inning on Friday. Hodge picked up the save as the Cubs beat the Nationals, 3-1.

• The team plans on adding an “established” starting pitcher.

Enter Patrick Mooney, who has now twice in two weeks made it clear that the Cubs are going to pursue starting pitchers this offseason, with an apparent emphasis on the front of the rotation:

September 15: “The Cubs will explore ways to upgrade their rotation and leverage the team’s pitching infrastructure. That could mean making a long-term commitment to an All-Star such as Max Fried. It could involve offering a big one-year deal to a pitcher looking to prove he’s healthy and reestablish his high-end value, perhaps someone like Walker Buehler.”

September 23: “The Cubs are planning to add an established starting pitcher…There’s ample room for a free agent who would be expected to make 30 starts and could be trusted in a playoff game.”

Diamondbacks

• Ketel Marte is still not 100%. He and Christian Walker will play every game left.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Marte was doing fine, but the veteran has been in the “red zone” for a day off as he continues to progress after missing time due to a left ankle sprain. Lovullo called the lineup decision “preventative,” as Marte has been grinding at less than 100%.

…

“I’m in that same space with Marte. Marte has been going out there with his blood and guts and giving everything he possibly can. The left leg, it probably wasn’t 100% when he came back, if you guys studied the swings enough, you could recognize he was protecting that space. It’s getting much better. He feels very good, and he’s gaining confidence on that left leg. … I just probably went a little bit too far with him, and I needed to get him the day off today.”

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Marte and Walker are expected to be full-go the rest of the way. Marte has homered in three straight games, as he has heated back up to his pre-injury production at the plate following a slow start.

• Ryne Nelson heads to the bullpen.

“It’s probably gonna be based on how (Nelson) feels and what he can give us, and what that pitch total gets to,” Lovullo said. “We’re not going to run him out there and start for 35 pitches if that’s what the number is. We’ll put it all into the search engine, if it spits something out that’s positive and a big number, we may. If not, we might have him piggyback or come out of the bullpen.

“He’s a weapon. We want to find the best way to use him as a weapon.”

Lovullo said it’s possible Nelson could jump from 25 pitches to 50 in a game, as missing minimal time has kept him stretched out to a degree where it would not take long to build back up.

Dodgers

• Dalton Rushing hoped to swing more this season and get to more power.

The 23-year-old always knew he had power behind his swing, unlocking it further with tweaks to his approach in the batter’s box this season.

“Coming into this year, my sole goal was to swing the bat more,” Rushing said. “I know there’s a higher risk with that. There’s also a higher reward. So by doing that, the strikeout percentage hasn’t climbed up like crazy, it stayed pretty consistent to 2023. My walk percentage went down a little bit, but that’s something you’re willing to take when you’re driving in more runs for the team and that’s just a sacrifice you take as a hitter. I think that’s the difference. I’m going into the box this year with that mindset.”

His adjustments have resulted in 114 hits across Double-A and Triple-A for the season with 26 home runs. Rushing sports a .273 average and .900 OPS as the Minor League regular season approaches the end. Yet in 36 games since being promoted to Triple-A, Rushing is batting .279 with a .918 OPS.

The results have been great with him hitting .271/.384/.512 with 26 HR across two minor league levels.

Giants

• Casey Schmitt made a stance adjustment and moved to second base.

Chapman’s three days on the paternity list created a rebirth of sorts for Schmitt, who was added to the Giants roster from Triple-A Sacramento and has made the most of a mini-opportunity. He is 6 for 14 with a home run, a clutch RBI single, two walks and three strikeouts. He worked with coaches to move up on the plate, allowing him to spoil more outside pitches and utilize his pull power on mistakes over the heart of the dish.

And Schmitt, playing second base, made a leaping snag of a line drive to strand two runners in the fifth inning and ensure that a teetering Birdsong would qualify for the victory.
…
And Schmitt might be an adjustment or two away from becoming a lineup asset.

“I think so,” Melvin said. “I know the bat’s going to play. Getting up on the plate is going to help him because his pull side is kind of his sweet spot. I think he’s making adjustments and doing a good job.”

• Marco Luciano is taking outfield reps.

Marco Luciano is going to start getting some work in the outfield.

After struggling mightily to establish himself as a passable defender in the middle infield, the Giants optioned the 23-year-old rookie to Triple-A Sacramento to clear a spot on the 28-man roster for third baseman Matt Chapman, who returned from paternity leave following the birth of his daughter, Gia, earlier this week.

With only two games remaining on Sacramento’s schedule, Luciano is expected to head to the Giants’ player development complex in Arizona and start getting some looks in the outfield, which most scouts believe will be the best defensive fit for him in the long run.

Mets

• If Francisco Lindor plays, he’ll be in pain.

Francisco Lindor knows what he’ll have to endure if and when he returns to the New York Mets lineup.

“If I play this year, I don’t think it’s going to be pain free, and I’m OK with that. I just don’t want it to be in constant pain where I can’t bend over, then I’m putting my team in a position where I’m not helping them as much as I can,” he said Sunday. “That’s not fair for anybody. For me, it’s to be in position where if it’s going to hurt, it’s going to come and go.”

Lindor has missed seven straight games because of a sore back and been limited to one inning in the last nine. The star shortstop received a numbing injection on Thursday for the facet joints on each side of the spine.

Pirates

• Ke’Bryan Hayes continues to deal with intermittent back pain.

Hayes has battled back issues the past couple of seasons, revealing at the end of the 2022 season that he had been playing with discomfort the entire season. He made two trips to the injured list in 2023 with low back inflammation, and then two more trips to the IL this year. Hayes was placed on the injured list on Aug. 19, and while there was optimism he would return before the end of this season last month, there were not enough days in the calendar for him to return.

“I wouldn’t say I was playing with it all year just because even whenever I’ve been able to stay on the field for quite some time, there have always been days where I feel OK and then there are days where I feel terrible,” Hayes said. “It’s just kind of the nature of the injury that I have.”

• Oneil Cruz made some adjustments to hit lefties.

It’s worked, and Cruz has excelled against lefties of late. His .329 batting average against left-handers since the start of June is the best among all National League lefty hitters (min. 60 PA), and his .968 OPS is tied for the second best in the Senior Circuit in that timeframe.

That mini-intervention has yielded a new approach. Through May, Cruz’s average bat speed was 75.9 mph and average swing length was 7.4 feet whenever he faced a lefty in a two-strike count. He’s shortened up his swing in those situations since the start of August, averaging a swing speed of 73.8 mph with a swing length of 7.1 feet. It’s still the quickest bat on the team in those situations, and his whiff rate in those situations has dropped from 35.7% of swings to 25.9%.

Cruz also opened up his stance, especially in his upper body, to give him a better vantage point for a lefty’s arm angle. Like with the bat speed, he has plenty of natural raw power, and he can trade a bit of it to put himself in a better position to see the ball from a southpaw and put the bat on the ball.

Reds

• TJ Friedl didn’t play at 100% this year.

For all its on-paper talent, the team is devoid of outfielders, with centerfielder TJ Friedl starting the season on the IL and playing most of his 80 games not at 100 percent.

A reporter said this but I can’t verify the information from the team or the player.