Houston has new problem
The Astros have the AL’s best record by a good deal and their division lead is — by comparison — even greater. Yet they are under stress as the deadline approaches.
It is not just that two of their most vital players, Carlos Correa and George Springer, are on the DL. It is not just a season-long worry whether they have enough starting pitching, exacerbated by the poor work this month of All-Star Lance McCullers Jr. As much as anything with the deadline Monday is that their once elite bullpen has been crumbling.
Will Harris, one of Houston’s most important setup men, missed nearly a month with a shoulder ailment, was activated Friday and sent back to the DL Sunday with a recurrence of problems in the area. The pen in total has allowed 37 earned runs in its last 33 innings.
The Astros already have been looking for a reliever and have emerged as the strongest pursuer of Baltimore closer Zach Britton, willing to take on his physical risks (he missed two months with a forearm strain) because his upside would give them the best chance to win series in October.
Houston also had been looking at Detroit’s Justin Wilson, but the Cubs reached an agreement to obtain the lefty from the Tigers and catcher Alex Avila for a package that includes Chicago’s top prospect, third baseman Jeimer Candelario. As of late Sunday night, the deal was pending only medical review.
Chris Owings, who plays regularly between second and shortstop for the Diamondbacks, suffered a fractured middle finger on his right hand. Arizona already had lost shortstop Nick Ahmed (fractured hand). That leaves it with Ketel Marte at short and Brandon Drury at second and Daniel Descalso as the depth — at least until Ahmed returns in about a month.
That would seemingly make Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker potential pieces for Arizona. However, while one Diamondbacks official said the team is exploring possibilities, the strong likelihood was that they would stay as they are at the deadline. This is an area, they believe, that could be addressed in August if need be with players passing through waivers, possibly including Cabrera and Walker.