American League notes
AL EAST Baltimore Orioles
RHP Dylan Bundy recorded his first win in his seventh start of the season, going 71⁄3 innings as the Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 on May 4.
It was the longest outing by a Baltimore starter this year and Bundy’s longest since he went eight innings against the Red Sox last June at Boston. He has averaged a little more than five innings per start this season.
“The tempo of the game was quick. He was on point. We were on the same page. It was awesome. That’s what we need, and we need to make that a habit every day,” catcher Austin Wynns told BaltimoreBaseball.com.
❚ Through their first 34 games the Orioles had allowed seven stolen bases, fewest in the American League and tied for second fewest in the majors. Their 58.8% caught-stealing percentage led the majors.
Boston Red Sox
Boston has had difficulty keeping its second basemen healthy this season. Dustin Pedroia, Brock Holt and Tzu-Wei Lin all were on the injured list as the week began, and Eduardo
Nunez was activated May 4. But rookie Michael Chavis ,a first-round pick in 2014, made their absence less painful when he hit .333 with six homers and 13 RBI in his first 15 games as the Red Sox rallied from a bad start.
“Michael is doing an outstanding job. We’ll find at-bats for him,” manager Alex Cora said. “(Nunez) is back. We’ll find matchups.”
Pedroia could return within the next two weeks.
❚ RP Tyler Thornburg was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2017 season for four players but entering this week had pitched in only 38 games since then because of injuries. In his first 142⁄3 innings this season, he allowed 15 hits and four homers and had a 7.98 ERA.
New York Yankees
The Yankees keep losing players faster than they can get them back from their injuries. As LHP James Paxton went on the injured list because of a sore left knee, general manager Brian Cashman said he doesn’t expect ace RHP Luis Severino
(lat) to return until after the AllStar break.
It is Paxton’s sixth stint on the injured list in the last four years. He was expected to be out about three weeks.
The New York Times reported that Paxton believes the hard, sticky clay on the Yankee Stadium mound might have caused the knee problem. The team plans to spread a soft, loose compound near the rubber in the hope of alleviating the problem.
❚ With two homers May 3 against Minnesota, C Gary
Sanchez recorded his 12th multi-homer game in his 284th game. Only Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner has reached a dozen in fewer games (282).
Tampa Bay Rays
RHP Tyler Glasnow, the AL Pitcher of the Month for April, entered the week tied for the major league lead in wins (six) and had the best ERA (1.47) in the majors. But the Rays plan to be cautious with him.
He threw 43 innings in his first seven starts and reached a high of seven innings twice in that span, including May 3 against the Orioles at Baltimore. The Rays want to give him extra rest between starts besides shorter outings.
Glasnow pitched 1112⁄3 innings last year, “and we have to monitor that,” manager Kevin Cash told TampaBay.com. “Believe me, it’s tough for (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) and I to take him out of the game when he’s pitching like that.”
❚ Rays pitchers allowed two runs or fewer in 17 of their first 33 games and one run or none in 12 games. Both totals led the majors.
Toronto Blue Jays
To improve his versatility and help him get back to the majors, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is working out in the outfield, where he was expected to make his Class AAA debut soon.
Gurriel has played only the infield since joining Toronto before the 2017 season but appeared in 40 games in left field for Industriales during the Cuban National Series in 2015-16.
“Just giving him that as a tool would help him play often here,” general manager Ross Atkins told MLB.com. “If he came back as an everyday second baseman, then Brandon Drury’s not playing. I think adding (the outfield) as a tool ... getting that back into his game would give him more opportunities for more playing time.” ❚ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded his first career RBI on
May 4, scoring Justin Smoak, whose his first career RBI, with the Texas Rangers in 2010, scored Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
AL CENTRAL Chicago White Sox
LHP Carlos Rodon is on the injured list because of a sore elbow, and the White Sox aren’t ruling out the possibility he will need Tommy John surgery.
Rodon went on the IL retroactive to May 2, a day after giving up three runs in 32⁄3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles. Rodon said he has felt tightness in the elbow throughout the season.
RHP Dylan Covey was recalled from Class AAA Charlotte (North Carolina) to take Rodon’s spot in the rotation. Covey made his first start May 5 against the Boston Red Sox and gave up two runs in 42⁄3 innings.
❚ LHP Manny Banuelos had a nightmarish third inning May 4 when he gave up 10 consecutive hits to the Red Sox. The major league record is 11 hits in a row by the Colorado Rockies against the Chicago Cubs on July 30, 2010.
Cleveland Indians
RHP Corey Kluber is out indefinitely because of a broken pitching arm.
The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner was injured May 1 when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Miami Marlins RF Brian Anderson. Kluber had his arm immobilized and likely won’t be able to start playing catch until late May at the earliest.
RHP Cody Anderson was recalled from Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) to take Kluber’s spot. Anderson pitched against the Seattle Mariners on May 5, his first start in the major leagues since Sept. 24, 2016, before missing the last two seasons because of Tommy John surgery, and failed to get out of the first inning. He gave up four runs and got only two outs.
❚ RHP Danny Salazar was shut down at extended spring training when he experienced a setback in his rehab from shoulder surgery performed last July.