Mills no-hits Brewers; COVID scare for Giants
❚ RHP Sonny Gray was placed on the injured list because of a mid-back strain. The 2019 All-Star has allowed 11 runs in four innings over his last two starts after giving up nine earned runs in 41 2⁄ innings in
3 his first seven outings.
Milwaukee Brewers
OF Avisail Garcia did not plan on playing center field when he joined the Brewers in the offseason, but that is the way his season has unfolded.
Garcia began the year as the right fielder. However, he was shifted to center when Gold Glove CF Lorenzo Cain opted out of the season after playing in five games.
“It’s been a grind,” said Garcia, who signed a two-year, $20 million contract in free agency. “Most of my career, I’ve been playing right field. At right field, you don’t have to run a lot. That’s the big difference between center field and right field.”
❚ LHP Brett Anderson was hopeful of being able to pitch by the end of the week. He was scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 12 because of right hip soreness.
Pittsburgh Pirates
RHP Trevor Williams’ record fell to 1-7 when he was tagged by the Royals for six runs in five innings on Sept. 12 at Kansas City. His ERA rose to 6.35 through nine starts, and he had allowed a league-leading 12 home runs in 45 1⁄ innings.
3
“If it looks bad, so be it,” he said. “I know that I’m a good pitcher. I know that, at the end of the day, I’m executing most of my pitches. There are some things that I do need to work on, there’s no doubt about that.”
❚ RHP Mitch Keller, out since Aug. 2 because of a strained muscle in his left side, was activated to face the Cardinals on Sept. 14 at St. Louis.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals’ season has been impacted greatly by COVID-19. When 10 players tested positive for the virus in late July, St. Louis’ season was suspended for a little more than two weeks.
However, 3B Matt Carpenter does not think the layoff is necessarily the culprit for the Cardinals’ inconsistent play. He places the blame on an offense that hasn’t always clicked.
“I’d say we have a lot of guys, myself included, who haven’t produced well enough to this point in the year,” Carpenter said. “We can all do a better job. I wouldn’t call our offense streaky. We just haven’t had a full top-to-bottom production yet.”
RHP Giovanny Gallegos, who had emerged as the closer, was placed on the injured list Sept. 11 because of a right groin strain. Manager Mike Shildt planned to go with a closer-bycommittee approach.
NL WEST Arizona Diamondbacks
1B-OF Pavin Smith, the No. 7 overall pick of the 2017 amateur draft, became the latest Diamondbacks prospect to be called up.
He was needed when IF-CF Ketel Marte went on the injured list because of a sore left wrist. Smith’s promotion came at the expense of IF Jake Lamb, who was designated for assignment on Sept. 10 after seven seasons with the team.
An All-Star in 2017 when he had 30 home runs and 105 RBI, Lamb had struggled offensively and had trouble staying healthy.
❚ LHP Caleb Smith, acquired from the Miami Marlins in the deal for CF Starling Marte, allowed a run in three solid innings in his Arizona debut Sept. 11 against the Seattle Mariners. Smith missed most of the season after a positive COVID test.
Colorado Rockies
The health of 3B Nolan Arenado could impact the Rockies’ fortunes as they compete for a wild-card berth.
A shoulder injury sidelined Arenado for the Sept. 13 series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. Arenado said the AC joint in his left shoulder was hurting, particularly in recent weeks, according to The Denver Post.
Arenado was batting .261 with eight home runs and 25 RBI and hitting only .189 with runners in scoring position through Sept. 13. He is among the game’s most durable players, having played at least 155 games in each of the past five seasons.
RF Charlie Blackmon’s grand slam in a walk-off win over the Angels on Sept. 11 was what he and the Rockies hoped would spark a playoff run. But they fell to 10-14 at home after dropping the next two games.
Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP Dustin May was listed as day-to-day after he was hit on the left foot by a line drive Sept. 10 but was expected to return this week.
May’s injury occurred the same day RHP Walker Buehler went on the injured list because of a recurring blister issue on the index and middle fingers of his right hand. It forced him out of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he was charged with five runs (only two earned) in 2 2⁄ innings.
3
A blister also led to Buehler going on the IL before returning Sept. 2 to throw five scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks. He’ll throw on the side with the finger covered, and the Dodgers hope he can return in time for the playoffs.
❚ RHP Joe Kelly (shoulder), who was recalled to replace Buehler on the roster, was eligible to rejoin the club Sept. 16 after serving his five-game suspension.
San Diego Padres
1B-DH Mitch Moreland was expected to get the majority of starts at first base with Eric Hosmer (broken index finger) on the injured list.
Hosmer was injured Sept. 7 while trying to bunt and might not return before the end of the regular season.
Moreland, obtained from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline, was batting only .167 in his first 36 at-bats for the Padres. However, he hit .328 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 22 games for Boston.
OF Abraham Almonte replaced Hosmer on the roster.
❚ RHP Chris Paddack sprained his right ankle Sept. 10 against the San Francisco Giants but said it felt better a day later. Newly acquired RHP Mike Clevinger then threw a seveninning shutout against the Giants in the first game of a doubleheader Sept. 13.
San Francisco Giants
LF Alex Dickerson’s false positive test for COVID-19 sidelined the Giants for two days during their scheduled fourgame set Sept. 10-13 against the Padres at San Diego. It was the first postponement of a National League West game because of the virus.
The Giants lost the opening game of the series before it was postponed, then were swept in a doubleheader when it resumed Sept. 13. San Francisco had won 15 of 20 entering the series to move into playoff contention.
❚ IF Pablo Sandoval, a fan favorite and a member of the Giants’ World Series champions in 2010, 2012 and 2014, was released on Sept. 10 to make room for 1B Justin Smoak. Sandoval batted .220 with a homer in 82 at-bats.