AROUND THE HORN
Angels: Two-way star and AL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start Tuesday against the Yankees after getting hit by a pitch on his right wrist Saturday, manager Joe Maddon announced Monday. Maddon told reporters that Ohtani is still dealing with some soreness, and that he will continue to hit as the Angels DH until he’s ready to pitch again. Ohtani, 27, leads the majors in HRs (41) and is 8-1 as a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA and team-leading 127 strikeouts. He also leads the Angels in RBIs (89), extra-base hits (70) and on-base percentage (.363). Maddon also said that OF Mike Trout is still dealing with some soreness in his right calf, and acknowledged it’s getting close to the time when the team will have to decide whether to shut him down for the season. The 30-year-old three-time AL MVP has been out since May 17 with a calf strain.
Pirates: The last-place Pirates fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein. The Pirates, who are in the early stages of a reboot under GM Ben Cherington, have struggled to produce offense. They entered Monday last in the majors in runs scored, HRs, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging. The Pirates are also 27th in the majors in batting average and are on their way to a third straight last-place finish in the NL Central.
Indians: C Wilson Ramos will require season-ending surgery for torn ligaments in his left knee, the Indians announced. Ramos tore his ACL and MCL in the seventh inning of the Indians’ win over the Red Sox on Sunday. He fielded a weak hit in front of the plate and was throwing to second base when his left knee buckled and he crumpled to the infield grass. The 34-year-old Ramos played in 44 games this season — nine with the Indians, 35 with the Tigers. He batted .226 with two HRs and seven RBIs for the Indians, who have been without Gold Glove C Roberto Pérez for much of the year. Pérez was placed on the IL earlier this month with right shoulder inflammation and back spasms. He spent 60 days on the IL earlier this season after undergoing surgery on his
right middle finger. Austin Hedges has handled most of the Indians’ catching duties this season.
Red Sox: LHP Martín Pérez has become the latest Red Sox player to test positive for COVID-19. Manager Alex Cora made the announcement before the team’s game against the Rays. The Red Sox are going through the MLB coronavirus protocols that include contact tracing and testing. INF/OF Kiké Hernández and INF Christian Arroyo
both tested positive last week and were placed on the COVID-19 list on Friday. Cora said Hernández and Arroyo are both feeling OK. Pérez is 7-8 with a 4.88 ERA in 31 games this season, including 22 starts.
Twins: Bailey Ober pitched six solid innings and Josh Donaldson’s two-run HR helped the visiting Twins beat the Tigers 3-2. The game, a makeup from a July 16 rainout, was played in front of a minuscule crowd. The Twins have won three of four. The Tigers have lost four of five. Ober (2-2) held the slumping Tigers offense to two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.