AL/NL notes,
Baltimore Orioles
While manager Brandon Hyde still is hoping to assign bullpen roles, perhaps a closer is emerging.
The Orioles ranked last in the league with 27 saves. But after the first eight games this season, they already had three, all by RHP Cole Sulser.
That Sulser stuck around long enough to record the first decisions of his career may be more surprising than his emerging role. The 30-year-old rookie was a 25th-round pick out of Dartmouth by the Cleveland Indians in 2013. He made his major league debut last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching 7 1⁄3 scoreless innings.
Boston Red Sox
Although the Red Sox knew in the offseason their pitching staff, especially the rotation, would be a weakness, the front office did little to address that. The rotation entered the week with a combined 6.69 ERA.
In particular, No. 3 starter RHP Ryan Weber has struggled early on, going 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in two starts. But after Weber took the loss July 31 at Yankee Stadium, manager Ron Roenicke said he is unlikely to change the rotation.
“Who do we have that we can say that we’re going to put in that’s going to be better than Ryan?” Roenicke asked.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox added a player who they believe will be a big part of the future when 2B Nick Madrigal made his major league debut July 31.
Madrigal, the fourth overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, went hitless in his first eight atbats but then went 4-for-5 (all singles) on Aug. 2.
“I don’t think my mindset changed at all,” he said. “I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well – just nothing to show for it. I tried to stay positive.”
Cleveland Indians
C Roberto Perez, placed on the injured list last week because of a sore right shoulder, is expected to begin a throwing program this week.
Perez won the AL Gold Glove last season. “Roberto is one of the best in the game if not the best, so it’s a tough blow,” RHP Shane Bieber said.
Cs Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor have been handling duties behind the plate while Perez rehabs.
Detroit Tigers
C Austin Romine is getting a chance to be a starter after spending his first eight seasons as a backup with the New York Yankees.
The Tigers signed Romine to a one-year, $4.1 million contract in the offseason. While he was added mainly to work with a young pitching staff, Romine went 6-for-22 (.273) with one homer in his first seven games.
Romine was catching Aug. 2 when LH reliever Tyler Alexander struck out the first nine batters he faced, breaking the major league record for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever.
Houston Astros
RH closer Roberto Osuna went on the injured list after hurting his elbow Aug. 1 against the Los Angeles Angels, and it’s likely he could miss an extended period of time. It’s yet another blow to a bullpen that has been waylaid by injuries.
RH reliever Ryan Pressly (elbow) returned in the same game that Osuna was sidelined.
Pressly, an American League All-Star last year, cut his finger in that outing, but it won’t hamper his availability.
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes has joined the Royals’ ownership group after leading his team to the Super Bowl title in February.
“He loves football, but he also grew up loving the game of baseball,” principal owner John Sherman said.
Mahomes was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th round of the 2014 draft following his senior year of high school in Whitehouse, Texas. He opted to play football at Texas Tech.
Los Angeles Angels
RHP Shohei Ohtani was scheduled for an MRI on his pitching arm after his second consecutive bad start. Ohtani failed to get out of the second inning Aug. 2, one week after he couldn’t retire a single batter.
Most noticeable in Ohtani’s second outing was a precipitous drop in velocity. His fastball was around 95 miles per hour in the first inning, but his last three fastballs before he was taken out didn’t reach 90 mph.
❚ CF Mike Trout returned to the club after a brief absence to attend the birth of his first child. Trout, who won his third AL Most Valuable Player Award in 2019, contemplated skipping the season to spend time with his growing family during the pandemic.
Minnesota Twins
Dustin Morse’s days as a ballhawk are over.
The Twins’ senior director of communications went into the stands and, with no fans in attendance, retrieved each of the team’s first seven home runs. But he ended his side gig.
“I’m tired,” Morse wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of team mascot T.C. Bear holding a large net. Bear responded: “Learned from the best.”
New York Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton has been the designated hitter exclusively this season. If it ain’t broke, manager Aaron Boone sees no reason to fix it.
Stanton strained his right calf in February and would have been unavailable for opening day in March. As a precaution, he did not play the outfield in summer camp, and Boone plans to keep Stanton as the DH for the foreseeable future.
“He’s ready to go play the outfield, but I feel like with the roster we have right now, it kind of makes the most sense to go this route,” Boone said.
Oakland Athletics
Manager Bob Melvin is being selective when using DH Khris Davis, who started the season with a 1-for-21 skid.
Davis’ 2019 season was marred by injuries, and his home run total sank to 23 after three consecutive 40-homer seasons. His at-bats could be limited to when the Athletics face left-handers.
❚ LHP Jesus Luzardo, the team’s top prospect, joined the rotation after his season was delayed by COVID-19.
Seattle Mariners
RHP Taijuan Walker, limited to four starts over the last two years after having Tommy John elbow surgery, allowed the Oakland Athletics one hit over seven innings in his second start of the season July 31.
Walker, the Mariners’ firstround draft pick in 2010, was traded back to Seattle from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the offseason. His repaired elbow is allowing him to gain command of a curveball that he’s no longer hesitant to throw.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays entered the week having just completed a 0-5 road trip at Atlanta and Baltimore, their first winless multicity trip since June 2016 at Cleveland and Baltimore.
Pitching and offense were the problem in their first 10 games. Opponents scored first in eight of those games, and the Rays scored just one of their 46 runs in the first two innings.
“The intensity is up. The pressure is probably mounting day by day, inning by inning that we’re not getting it done,” manager Kevin Cash said.
Texas Rangers
With RHP Corey Kluber (shoulder) and RH reliever Jose Leclerc (shoulder) likely lost for the season, the Rangers had to adjust quickly to fill key spots on the pitching staff.
LHP Kolby Allard, who started nine games for the Rangers last year and was 4-2 with a 4.96 ERA, replaced Kluber. Leclerc’s role is being divided between RHPs Jonathan Hernandez, who had only 12 major league outings, and 15-year veteran Edinson Volquez.
Toronto Blue Jays
First, the Blue Jays had trouble finding a place to play when the Canadian government rejected their request to play home games at Rogers Centre this season. Then they had trouble finding an opponent to play when their weekend series against the Phillies at Philadelphia was postponed because of COVID-19 concerns.
Manager Charlie Montoyo said he is concerned about some of his relievers, who might not have been fully ramped up to start the season and now may be limited. But it’s also a concern for his starters.
“It’s definitely a mental and physical battle,” RHP Matt Shoemaker said.