Mining the News and Lineups (5/21/21)

• Some teams may save their high strikeout pitcher for extra innings to help mitigate the extra runner.

There might not be a reliever better equipped to handle the runner-on-second-in-extra-innings rule than Karinchak, who is averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning this season. Karinchak has allowed only three hits and five walks in 17 1/3 innings, so he has essentially been automatic. His penchant for racking up strikeouts, as demonstrated Wednesday, allows the Indians to wiggle out of those artificial jams in extras.

And because of that, it made more sense for manager Terry Francona to summon Clase to keep the Cubs quiet in the top of the ninth. Clase strikes out a batter per inning and doesn’t issue many walks, but because he so often forces hitters into weak contact, usually on the ground, with his 100 mph cutter, teams need to string together a few hits or benefit from a defensive gaffe to scratch across a run against him. With a runner on second to start the inning, that endeavor would become much more attainable.

As of now, I’m not sure if this applies to any bullpen but the Indians. I’ve got too much on my plate to investigate, but it might be worth those managers in deeper leagues (e.g. Only’s) to find the few examples and roster these second closers for the potential Wins and Saves.

American League

Angels

• David Fletcher (.556 OPS) has been hitting ninth for the last three games.

• Jared Walsh (.631 OPS vs LHP, 1.017 OPS vs LHP) has not started against two of the last three lefties. Instead, Phil Gosselin (career .781 OPS vs LHP) plays first base.

• Taylor Ward (.675 OPS) has started 16 straight games.

Astros

• The same guys all the time with Aledmys Díaz sneaking in to give someone a day off.

Athletics

• In four of the last five games, Chad Pinder has started and played three different positions (short, second, and outfield).

• Seth Brown (vs RHP) and Stephen Piscotty (vs LHP) are still in a platoon.

• Chad Pinder will play all over the field.

Melvin envisions Pinder playing “everywhere” in the field, as well as being in lineups against left-handed pitching.

“That’s kind of what he does for us, is play different positions,” Melvin said. “I don’t see that changing a lot. Maybe sometimes in the infield a little bit more, but we’ll see how it goes.”

• Elvis Andrus is trying to spray the ball around.

Andrus met with reporters on Wednesday and said he’s been feeling a lot better offensively, and explained some adjustments he’s made. He thinks his main adjustment is that he’s been trying to hit the opposite way; earlier in the season, he said he was trying too hard to pull the ball.

“Right now, I’m trying to stay right center and react to an inside pitch,” he said. “It’s paying off. I’m feeling very calm at the plate, trying to let the ball travel even more, that way I don’t chase for too many sliders. It’s feeling normal for me again, so I know that’s the way to go.”

It seems to be helping. He’s hitting .333/.371/.455 over the last two weeks.

Blue Jays

• One lineup spot is up for grabs with Rowdy Tellez (.516 OPS), Santiago Espinal (.650 OPS), and Jonathan Davis (.582 OPS) each getting a shot this past week.

• The plan was to continue to use Rafael Dolis as the closer once off the IL.

“I’ll use [Rafael Dolis] like I have in the past, whether that’s high leverage or wherever we need him,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “He can close, too, and he’s done it. He’ll be anywhere from the sixth inning to the ninth inning, but he’s healthy and he’s good to go.”

Indians

• It’s become the same players, but different batting orders.

• Jordan Luplow (.791 OPS), Harold Ramirez (.676 OPS), and Jake Bauers (.613 OPS) are splitting time between two lineup spots.

• Austin Hedges still can’t hit (.123/.180/.228) even though he’s still playing every day.

Mariners

• Jarred Kelenic (.590 OPS) is batting leadoff.

• J.P. Crawford (.632 OPS, 1 HR, 1 for 3 in SB) is consistently hitting fifth and sixth.

• Donovan Walton (.545 OPS), Dylan Moore (.623 OPS, 8 SB), and Jack Mayfield (4 PA) have started at second base the past three days before Moore hit the IL.

• Jarred Kelenic changed his batting stance to better hit lefties.

Kelenic made an adjustment in Spring Training to see lefties better by creating this wider stance.

“He did try a couple different things mechanically,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That seemed to help him. I know he faced some pretty good lefties when he first started the season [at Triple-A] Tacoma and had success there. So, I was glad to see he is sticking with it.”

Orioles

• Ryan Mountcastle (.214/.239/.325, 3 HR, 3 SB) has moved all around the lineup and is now hitting seventh.

• Everyone will adjust again when Anthony Santander comes off the IL today.

• Over the last week, the team has used Pat Valaika, Stevie Wilkerson, and Rio Ruiz at second basemen

Rangers

• Steady.

• David Dahl (.624 OPS) and Khris Davis (.513 OPS) are splitting time at DH.

• Charlie Culberson (.722 OPS) and Andy Ibáñez (.364 OPS) are splitting time at third.

Rays

• There are just so few regulars and the regulars aren’t regular. Here are the guys who have started in at least 8 of the last 10 games.

• Randy Arozarena (.857 OPS, 10 HR, 0 SB)
• Austin Meadows (.816 OPS, 9 HR, 1 SB)
• Yandy Diaz (.730 OPS, 0 HR, 0 SB)
• Willy Adames (.625 OPS, 5 HR, 1 for 3 in SB)
• Brett Phillips (.677 OPS, 2 HR, 6 SB)

Red Sox

• With Enrique Hernández off the IL and batting first, all but the last spot is set. Michael Chavis (.806 OPS) and Marwin Gonzalez (.589 OPS) are splitting time at second base.

Royals

• Steady lineup.

• Salvador Perez (.800 OPS) has been the DH in four of the last six games with Cam Gallagher (.394 OPS) catching.

• With Hunter Dozier on the IL, Kelvin Gutierrez (.800 OPS, 71% GB%) has been playing third base.

• Kris Bubic has been adjusting his mechanics for better command.

Dane Johnson, the Royals’ Triple-A pitching coach (whom they hired in 2020 after he’d long been with the Toronto Blue Jays), had watched some video of Bubic at High-A Wilmington and Bubic in the big leagues in 2020 and spring training ‘21. He quickly noticed Bubic was drifting off his back leg, something he had not done when he’d been successful. Because his upper body was not stacked over his back leg throughout the delivery, his front side would fly open, and his arm would try to compensate.

Hence, the command issues.
…
Then, in a side session with the alternate-site club in Columbus, Ohio, Bubic hopped on the mound. They adjusted his posture. Immediately, the pitcher whom Johnson had seen so serious on the mound smiled.

Tigers

• It’s confusing with both the Castros playing all over the place, including both a second base. Focus on Harold Castro (.736 OPS, .935 over the past two weeks) who has started five of the last six. In most formats he’s qualified at outfield and first base but has played second (7 games), third (3), and short (3) so far this season. While the production isn’t ideal, he’s a nice bench bat to fill in for all the injuries.

• Jonathan Schoop has moved up the lineup after hitting .273/.333/.432 over the past two weeks.

• Eric Haase has been productive as the current catcher (.304/.333/.652) and has started a game in the outfield.

Twins

• Trevor Larnach (.789 OPS) has started seven of the last nine games.

• Rob Refsnyder (1.005 OPS) and Kyle Garlick (.660 OPS) are splitting time in the outfield.

• What the hell is a Rortvedt?

• Jorge Polanco was finally feeling healthy and productive.

But even as his lack of production seemed to mirror 2020, and in many ways appeared worse, Polanco insisted that his ankle was genuinely feeling stronger and he was finally starting to smooth out his altered mechanics. Sure enough, Polanco has been on a tear for the past four weeks, hitting .315/.378/.548 with 10 extra-base hits in 20 games to match his total from the previous 43 games.

“We’ve talked a lot about Polanco’s health and the fact that he’s finally feeling good,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “And sometimes all of these things do take more than a week, or spring training, to really settle in.”

Most of his improved production has come from the switch-hitter’s right side, turning a longtime weakness into a strength. However, he continues to mostly struggle from the left side, where his swing is still a work in progress. But even there Polanco has shown signs of life, especially when it comes to elevating the ball with authority after hitting far too many grounders and weak pop-ups.

And he was pulled from the second game last night with a sore ankle. I guess the ankle is bad again.

White Sox

• LOL

• With Jose Abreu out, Andrew Vaughn has played six games at first base.

• Nick Madrigal (.693 OPS) and Danny Mendick (.783 OPS) are splitting time at second base.

Yankees

• I guess the Yankees are in the Ryan LaMarre Zone of Desperation.

• The infield is all back and healthy, but the outfield is a disaster. Brett Gardner (.555 OPS) is playing every day in center. Miguel Andújar (.333 OPS) has started in seven of the last eight games.

• Clint Frazier is changing his stance to hit more fastballs.

In his hitting stance at the beginning of the season, Frazier’s hands were positioned so high at his starting point that they were dropping about a foot to the point where he swung the bat, causing him to be really late on balls that opposing pitchers were throwing his way.

While wracking his brain for possible adjustments, Frazier had a eureka moment: “Why don’t you just drop your hands?”

As he recounted the story in a Zoom call with reporters ahead of Saturday’s game against the Orioles, Frazier said he then went to Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames with the idea, and they agreed to incorporate it into his routine.

• Luis Severino touched 96 mph and should be back sometime from June to August.

Luis Severino faced a group of hitters — including top prospect Jasson Dominguez — at the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday. It marked the first time that the right-hander saw swings in the box since his Tommy John surgery in February 2020.

Boone said that he was told the session went “really well” and that Severino was clocked up to 96 mph with his fastball. The Yankees have outlined a summer return to the big leagues for Severino, which could be anywhere from June to August.

National League

Braves

• Set in stone.

• Since coming off the IL, Guillermo Heredia (.914 OPS, 2 HR) has started five of six.

Brewers

• Friday’s lineup will need to be closely monitored to see if Christian Yelich plays in the outfield and who he replaces. With Lorenzo Cain (.674 OPS, 3 HR, 3 SB) playing center, Jackie Bradley Jr. (.531 OPS) is likely headed to the bench.

• Daniel Vogelbach (vs RHP) and Pablo Reyes (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

• When starting, Omar Narváez is hitting in the top half of the lineup.

• Keston Hiura is not changing anything.

Hiura said he has made no major swing changes. Some of his struggles seemed to be mental. It took him six full games in 2021 before he recorded his first hit of the season. That’s part of why everyone around the Brewers and some scouts from different teams have a hard time detailing why Hiura has struggled. But they all bet on a rebound.

• Eric Lauer will effectively be the sixth man in the rotation.

“You know, if you look at the schedule we’ve got some off days coming up, so there may be some active transactions here in the next couple of days,” Counsell said. “Eric, he’ll start probably mid-week this week in Nashville. At some point, we’re going to use six starters again when we get into a stretch of the season without off days, so Eric will definitely be in the mix for that.

Cardinals

• Besides off days and injuries, it’s the same every single day.

Cubs

• It’s a little tough to know how Jason Heyward’s injury moves around the lineup. Will Kris Bryant move back to the outfield or will Nick Martini start (did on Thursday night).

• Here are the starts by players cycling into second, short, and third over the last 10 games.

• Matt Duffy: 8
• David Bote: 8
• Javier Baez: 7
• Nico Hoerner: 6
• Eric Sogard: 4

Diamondbacks

• The big news, for now, is that Ketel Marte started in centerfield, not second base, once coming off the IL. Additionally, Josh Reddick was added to the outfield. These two moves pushed Tim Locastro to the bench and Josh Rojas to short. I wonder if Nick Ahmed got a day off and Rojas will move to the void at second base. There can be some value added (or lost) here so follow the next few lineups for any trends.

• Pavin Smith (.689 OPS) has led off for 12 straight games.

• Taylor Widener will be up to 90 pitches when he returns.

Could Widener be ready to rejoin the D-backs’ rotation after that outing?

“We’ve got to get him through that start, see how he feels, but anything is on the table,” Lovullo said. “I feel comfortable thinking that if we can get him into that 90-pitch range for his big league return, we’ll be in good shape.”

Dodgers

• Here are the number of games started by the non-regulars since Seager went on the IL and the Dodgers added Pujols and Tsutugo.

• Matt Beaty: 3
• Albert Pujols: 3
• Yoshi Tsutsugo: 3
• Sheldon Neuse: 2
• Luke Raley: 1
• DJ Peters: 1

• Gavin Lux (.656 OPS) now has 11 games at shortstop and should be qualified there in most leagues.

Giants

• Darin Ruf 러프 has started six straight at first base and is hitting .250/.389/.556 with 6 HR.

• Austin Slater (vs LHP) and Alex Dickerson (vs RHP) are in an outfield platoon.

• Mauricio Dubon (.676 OPS) and Donovan Solano (.662 OPS) are splitting time at second base with Wilmer Flores (.651 OPS) on the IL.

• While rehabbing, Tyler Beede has tweaked his arsenal and added velocity.

Part of it was using analytics to understand the strongest weapons in what had been a four-pitch repertoire. His contact percentage was lowest with his curve and changeup, and while his slider had been a functional strikeout pitch, throwing it might have led to less spin and consistency with his four-seam fastball. So he pared down to three pitches.

It’s already leading to an uptick in velocity. Beede says his fastball sat 96-98 mph in his three rehab appearances thus far, and although the Giants didn’t have Trackman data for his three-inning start Saturday against the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City, he was pleased with how the ball was coming out.

Marlins

• Garrett Cooper (.638 OPS, 3 HR), Adam Duvall (.707 OPS, 8 HR), and Corey Dickerson (.754 OPS, 1 HR, 2 for 5 in SB attempts) are splitting time at two outfield spots.

• Magneuris Sierra (.490 OPS) is still the everyday centerfielder.

Mets

• What a nightmare to figure out with everyone on the IL.

• Jonathan Villar (.716 OPS, 3 SB) has led off the last two games.

• Of the guys in the evamped outfield, Cameron Maybin should be the target. The Mets seem to value him more by batting him third while Khalil Lee and Johneshwy Fargas are batting seventh and eighth.

• Jose Peraza (.604 OPS) has started seven straight at second base.

Nationals

• Josh Harrison (.785 OPS) has sat three times in the last 10 days for Jordy Mercer (.532).

• The Nats have faced 13 righty starters in a row, Josh Bell (.605 OPS) has started in 10 of them.

• Victor Robles (.271/.352/.396, 3 SB) has heated up in May.

• Josh Bell is trying to shorten his swing to make more contact.

The 28-year-old stayed up late Wednesday night examining videos of his swing. After sleeping on his research for three hours, [Josh Bell] returned to the stadium early Thursday to work with Long. Bell said he took pregame swings in the cage for only 10 to 12 minutes. The majority of his hour with Long was spent working on mechanics. They mimicked his swing without a ball and made sure he stood solidly enough to stop the end of his bat from tipping over the plate. Bell’s swing had gotten long, causing him to miss-hit the pitches he put in play and foul off the pitches he thought he had a chance to drive.

Over that past week, he has a 12% K%. It was 31% before that.

• Patrick Corbin has changed his delivery.

Corbin has started to perform more like the pitcher who produced a 3.25 ERA in 2019 since he tweaked his delivery. With the help of pitching coach Jim Hickey and others, he realized he wasn’t engaging his lower half properly. Improving that lowered the angle from which he releases baseballs, which in turn helped his command and the action of his pitches.

The effect of the changes was apparent Thursday. He got into only one three-ball count, drew 18 swings and misses, received 15 strike calls and generated an increase in the spin rates of all his pitches. The movement on his vaunted slider, which batters whiffed at 13 times, stood out.

• Juan Soto has been hitting a ton of groundballs and he’s trying to fix it.

Dating back to the beginning of an 11-4 loss to the D-backs on May 15, 15 of the 20 balls Soto has put in play have been grounders. Not that it’s held back his numbers — three of those five games have been multi-hit games, and he still ranks near the top of the league in expected batting average, expected slugging, strikeout rate, and a host of other Statcast statistics. But he’s been struggling to get the ball off the ground since returning from the injured list on May 4, and his average launch angle sits at just 0.6 degrees this season after Wednesday.

“We’ve been working on it,” Soto said last Saturday. “We’re trying to put the ball in the air. We’re trying to put the [bat] head out, put the barrel out to the ball and then see how far it can land.”

Padres

• Brian O’Grady, Jorge Mateo, and Patrick Kivlehan have been splitting time at one outfield spot.

• There have been 15 games since Austin Nola returned from the IL. He’s started in nine of them while hitting .250/.391/.389.

Phillies

• With Realmuto out of the lineup, Rhys Hoskins (.786 OPS) is back to hitting fourth.

• Odubel Herrera has started 14 straight games and is hitting .222/.288/.341 with 1 HR and 2 SB since being promoted.

• Vince Velazquez is moving away from his fastball.

In previous years, the Phillies outlined a plan for Velasquez that leaned on his fastball. It was such a good pitch because hitters swung and missed at it in the strike zone. The Phillies evolved that plan to feature elevated fastballs with curveballs down in the zone. Opponents adjusted. The plan was flawed, but Velasquez was also at fault. He was stubborn about straying from his fastball.

His mindset has matured. He is pitching.

Here is that slow decline in fastball usage.

Pirates

• Will Craig (.530 OPS) has started seven straight at first base.

• Kevin Newman (.518 OPS, .547 OPS in May) has hit second for eight straight games.

• Ka’ai Tom (.528 OPS) and Ben Gamel (.590 OPS) are splitting time in left field.

Reds

• The team has too many outfielders and not enough infielders. The glut of outfielders has Shogo Akiyama (.481 OPS) and Tyler Naquin (.848 OPS) in part-time roles.

• Tyler Stephenson (.759 OPS) started a game at first base. The extra at-bats could help boost his value.

• Jonathan India (.676 OPS) has started eight straight at second base.

• Amir Garrett was tipping his pitches early in the season by not hiding the ball.

What [Amir Garrett] did was go to the video room and try to see what he was doing, why left-handers seemed to be seeing the ball well. In the video room, fellow lefty Wade Miley saw something.

“Just a half a second they can see the ball, I was pulling off with my shoulder, so it was exposing everything,” Garrett said. “I have a lot of deception to my ball, I can throw my slider in the middle of the plate and they can swing over it. But for that split second they were able to see it, they were picking it up and hitting every single thing. I just had to bear down and take what Wade was telling me. When I was at my best, I was staying closed.”

Rockies

• Since C.J. Cron (.897 OPS) returned from the IL, Connor Joe (.723 OPS) hasn’t started a game.

• Josh Fuentes (.674 OPS) has started eight straight at third base.

• Dom Nunez is hitting .091/.167/.152 since May 1st (his last home run). Elias Diaz is not gaining any playing time since he’s hitting .138/.133/.172 over that same time frame.