Indians trade Clevinger to Padres
The San Diego Padres acquired Mike Clevinger in a multiplayer deal with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, bolstering their rotation with another bold move ahead of baseball’s trade deadline.
San Diego got Clevinger, outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named from Cleveland for a package of young players that includes outfielder Josh Naylor, right-hander Cal Quantrill and catcher Austin Hedges.
Led by Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego is going for its first playoff appearance since 2006. The acquisition of Clevinger is the Padres’ fifth trade since Saturday.
San Diego acquired veteran catchers Jason Castro and Austin Nola in a pair of deals Sunday, making Hedges expendable. First baseman Mitch Moreland came over in a trade with Boston, and the Padres added reliever Trevor Rosenthal in a deal with Kansas City.
The 29-year-old Clevinger strengthens a rotation that has had a few stumbles lately, including Garrett Richards going two or fewer innings in consecutive starts, and opening day starter Chris Paddack struggling before bouncing back with a strong performance Sunday at Colorado.
Clevinger went 13-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts last year. The right-hander also is contractually controlled through the 2022 season.
Cleveland is in the mix for the American League Central title, but Clevinger may have worn out his welcome when he was caught breaking COVID-19 protocols a couple of weeks ago, leading to a trip to the team’s alternate training site.
Clevinger and teammate Zach Plesac left the team’s Chicago hotel, socialized outside the team’s “bubble,” missed curfew and caused a rift inside the clubhouse. Clevinger returned to Cleveland’s rotation Wednesday, pitching six effective innings in a victory over Minnesota.
Clevinger is the third front-line starter traded away by Cleveland in the past year. Trevor Bauer was shipped off to Cincinnati at the 2019 deadline, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber was dealt to Texas in December.
The Indians also got infielder Gabriel Arias, left-hander Joey Cantillo and infielder Owen Miller in the Clevinger deal.
Even without Clevinger, the Indians have plenty of young pitching with ace Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Plesac and rookie Triston Mckenzie, who has looked like a seasoned veteran in two starts.
Pitching-desperate Braves acquire Milone from Orioles
Desperate for starting pitching as they pursue a third straight National League East title, the Atlanta Braves acquired left-hander Tommy Milone from the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for two players to be named.
The division-leading Braves have struggled to put together a rotation behind Max Fried, who is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Ian Anderson, who pitched one-hit ball over six innings in his major league debut last week, is the only other Atlanta starter to earn a win this season.
The 33-year-old Milone was thrown right into the mix, starting Sunday night’s game at Philadelphia. He allowed seven runs in 2 innings.
Milone was 1-4 with a 3.99 ERA over six starts in his first season with the Orioles.
Cubs set home runs record in romp over Reds
Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ian Happ became the first starting outfield to hit multiple homers in the same game, and the Cubs pounded the Reds 10-1 Sunday for a split of their fourgame series.
Schwarber hit the first and last of the Cubs’ season-high six homers, belting a solo drive in the fourth inning against Luis Castillo (0-5) and a grand slam off Jose De Leon in the ninth. Heyward and Happ also went deep twice.
Notable
Toronto acquired left-hander Robbie Ray in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, giving the Blue
Jays a former All-star who has struggled so far in 2020.
The Diamondbacks got lefty Travis Bergen in the deal. Toronto also received cash considerations as part of the trade.
The 28-year-old Ray was a 2017 Allstar and finished seventh in the NL Cy Young Award voting that year after going 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA. He’s known for his big strikeout numbers and had a career-high 235 last season. But Ray has struggled with his command so far this year. He has a 1-4 record with a 7.84 ERA.
• The Oakland Athletics acquired Mike Minor in a trade with the Texas Rangers on Monday, adding another piece to their rotation as they try for their first division title since 2013.
Minor has struggled this year, going 0-5 with a 5.60 ERA with Texas, but he went 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts last season. The 32-year-old left-hander is eligible for free agency after this season.
• The first two games of Oakland’s series at Seattle have been postponed to allow for additional testing and contact tracing after a member of the Athletics’ organization tested positive for the coronavirus.
The positive test already caused the postponement of Oakland’s game Sunday against the Houston Astros. Now games against the Mariners on Tuesday and Wednesday are being put off. The A’s are also scheduled to play at Seattle on Thursday.
Tribe gives Wainwright birthday present
Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game on his 39th birthday as St. Louis beat Cleveland 7-2 on Sunday.
Wainwright threw a four-hitter for his 23rd career complete game and first in four years. The Cardinals snapped a four-game skid in which they scored six total runs.
Dexter Fowler homered and had three RBI for St. Louis, which stopped Cleveland’s four-game winning streak. The Indians had won nine in a row on the road.
Aaron Civale (3-4) gave up a seasonhigh five runs in six innings.