Senzel shows his power; LA turns to Verdugo
hit when it released LF Matt Kemp after the 34-year-old hit just .200 with one home run in 20 games. Kemp has a $21.75 million salary in the last season of his eight-year, $160 million contract.
Milwaukee Brewers
RHP Chase Anderson’s return to the rotation did not last long. He was placed on the injured list because of a lacerated right middle finger.
Anderson was injured May 1 while warming up for a scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies when a callus ripped on his finger.
He began the season by appearing in relief five times and won a spot start April 20 by pitching five scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then allowed two runs in 42⁄3 innings in his next outing.
From 2016 to 2018, Anderson was 30-23 with a 3.71 ERA for the Brewers.
❚ RF Christian Yelich pinchhit against the New York Mets on May 4 after missing five games because of lower back stiffness. He was back in the lineup the next day and hit his majors-leading 15th home run of the season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
RHP Jameson Taillon will be out for a considerable amount of time after being diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain in his forearm.
Taillon has been advised by doctors to not throw for a month. He said he has felt tightness in his forearm and elbow area since spring training, but it became worse late in his May 1 start at Texas, in which he allowed the Rangers four runs (three earned) in 61⁄3 innings and got the win.
❚ Jeff Banister, now a Pirates special assistant, returned to Texas last week for the first time since the Rangers fired him with 10 games left last season. The American League Manager of the Year in 2015, Banister would like another chance to manage.
St. Louis Cardinals
RHP Luke Gregerson, whose two seasons in St. Louis have been marred by injury, was activated from the injured list May 4.
The Cardinals signed Gregerson to a two-year, $11 million deal as a free agent before last season with the hope he could be the closer. However, he suffered a hamstring injury during spring training, then was limited to 17 games because of a sore shoulder.
The shoulder injury also sidelined Gregerson for the first five weeks of this season.
❚ RHP Michael Wacha had mixed results in his first two starts after missing a turn in the rotation because of left knee tendinitis. He defeated the Nationals on April 29 at Washington, allowing three runs in five innings, then lost to the Cubs five days later at Chicago when he gave up five runs (four earned) in five innings.
NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks
A solid defense was at the core of the club’s surge. Arizona ranked among the National League leaders with a .986 fielding percentage and 18 errors through 34 games.
It’s a carryover from last season, when only the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals had a better fielding percentage.
But the D-backs were hitting, too. 3B Eduardo Escobar hit four home runs in six games, and 2B Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate May 3 at Colorado.
❚ RHP Taylor Clarke was scheduled to be recalled May 7 and added to the rotation, replacing struggling RHP Zack Godley, who was banished to the bullpen. Clarke, 24, threw a scoreless three-inning save April 20 vs. the Cubs at Chicago.
Colorado Rockies
Another rocky outing resulted in the demotion LHP Tyler Anderson to Class AAA Albuquerque (New Mexico). He allowed six runs in four-plus innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 4, raising his ERA to 11.76 and his opponents’ batting average to .363.
Anderson became the first pitcher since earned runs started being recorded in 1913 to give up five or more runs while pitching five or fewer innings in each of his first five starts, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“It’s nothing he needs to work on mechanically, nothing he needs to work on mentally. It’s just consistency, pitch to pitch,” manager Bud Black said.
❚ Eight of 3B Nolan Arenado’s nine home runs through May 5 came on the road.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Expect rookie OF Alex Verdugo to receive more playing time with CF A.J. Pollock (elbow surgery) out six weeks. Manager Dave Roberts said he would use a platoon system in center, with Verdugo and utility players Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez in the mix.
But Roberts, notorious for his lefty-righty matchups, started the left-handed-hitting Verdugo in right field May 4 against San Diego Padres LHP Joey Lucchesi. Verdugo responded by tying a career high with three hits, all against lefties. He also drew a bases-loaded walk from Padres closer Kirby Yates in the ninth inning that allowed the Dodgers to win the series.
Verdugo, who was hitting .421 with runners in scoring position, batted .381 in his first 21 at-bats against lefties.
❚ 1B/OF Cody Bellinger led the majors with a .466 batting average against right-handers through May 5. That was 76 points higher than Milwaukee Brewers OF Christian Yelich.
San Diego Padres
RHP Cal Quantrill, son of former major leaguer Paul and the eighth pick of the 2016 draft, became the latest young pitcher the Padres have promoted to the big leagues.
Quantrill had a decent outing, allowing two runs in 52⁄3 innings in his debut May 1 against the Atlanta Braves. His addition gave the Padres six starters.
Quantrill had a 4.68 ERA in 25 innings at Class AAA El Paso (Texas), where he won three of his five starts. The high ERA was mainly the result of the eight runs he allowed in the opener.
The Quantrills and Tony Gwynn Sr. and Jr. are the only father-son duos to play for the franchise.
❚ 1B Eric Hosmer raised his batting average from .209 to .275 by hitting .425 in a 10-game stretch through May 5. Hosmer had three home runs, seven RBI and six multi-hit games in his streak.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants enjoyed a reprieve from their losing ways at Cincinnati when they rallied from an 8-0 deficit May 3 and a four-run hole May 5 to win two games against the Reds.
But that appeared to be a mirage. During an eight-game stretch starting with a sweep by the New York Yankees, San Francisco was outscored 57-34.
The Giants were averaging a little more than three runs per game through May 6.
❚ RHP Tyler Beede was called up from Class AAA Sacramento (California) and gave up eight runs in his first start, but he had company. In the next three games, also at Cincinnati, RHP Dereck Rodriguez allowed eight runs, RHP Jeff Samardzija gave up homers on three consecutive pitches and LHP Drew Pomeranz was tagged for seven runs in 12⁄3 innings. IF Pablo Sandoval became the first since 1905 to hit a home run, steal a base and pitch a scoreless inning in one game.