American League notes
AL EAST Baltimore Orioles
The lack of depth for the perennially rebuilding Orioles was on display this past weekend, as they got swept by the Tigers, who entered the week with the worst record in the AL.
The Orioles were without 1B Ryan Mountcastle, who is on the injured list with a wrist/forearm strain, and LF Austin Hays, sidelined with a cut on his left hand. SS Jorge Mateo left the May 14 game with a chest/shoulder injury. Entering the week, Mountcastle led the team in RBI and was tied for second in homers. Hays led the team in doubles and was third in runs scored. Mateo was tied for the major league lead with 10 stolen bases.
That left Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander as the only established hitters in the lineup.
h Despite taking the loss in the series finale in Detroit, RHP Tyler Wells did not allow a walk in the game, extending his streak to five starts, spanning 222⁄3 innings, with a walk. Entering the week, it was the longest active streak of starts without a walk.
Boston Red Sox
LHP Rich Hill returned from the COVID-19-related injury list on May 14, his first start since May 5, and earned his first win of the season, going six innings at Texas. It was the longest outing of his six starts this season.
He has allowed four or fewer earned runs in each of his last 77 major league starts, the longest active streak in the majors, with a 3.25 ERA in that stretch.
At 42, Hill is the oldest Red Sox pitcher to earn a win since Tim Wakefield, who was 45 in 2011.
“He’s a guy that he’s seen it all,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “And he’s a good influence for that group in the clubhouse.”
h DH J.D. Martinez entered the week with a 16-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the majors.
New York Yankees
LHP Jordan Montgomery entered the week with just one decision, a loss, in his seven starts this season, despite a 3.06 ERA. But the Yankees are 2-5 in his starts. Some of that can be attributed to the lack of run support.
In his first seven starts, spanning 351⁄3 innings, the Yankees’ offense had scored eight runs for him. In that span, Montgomery did not allow more than three runs, which came in his first start of the season, April 10 against Boston.
h 3B Josh Donaldson entered the week with a 21-game on-base streak. His last longer on-base streak was 26 games in 2016, while with Toronto.
Tampa Bay Rays
Before his May 14 outing against Toronto, RHP Ryan Thompson had been scored on in just one of his 14 outings this season, when he allowed three runs and suffered his first blown save of the season on May 6 against Seattle.
But against the Blue Jays, when he entered a 1-1 game in the eighth, he gave up a career-high four runs, matching a career high with four hits, including two home runs. Thompson, 29, had allowed seven runs on eight hits. He had never before allowed multiple homers in a game in his three-season career.
“Always things to learn,” Thompson told reporters. “You can have a bad outing like this, and you can overanalyze, and it can send you spiraling. For me, it’s addressing those things I can learn.”
h Entering the week, the Rays had allowed 40 homers this season, third in the majors, behind Cincinnati and Seattle.
Toronto Blue Jays
With four runs in the eighth inning on May 14, the Blue Jays beat the Rays, snapping their season-long five-game losing streak. But they couldn’t sustain it, getting shut out the next day, for their fourth straight series loss.
RHP Alek Manoah took the loss in that game, his first of the season.
“I know exactly who’s in that locker room,” he told reporters. “I think they just need to regroup. There’s a lot of outside noise right now. Just stay within themselves. These guys can bang . ... It’s all good. We’re just going through a little phase right now, and this clubhouse is going to stay together.”
h Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entered the week with a 12-game hitting streak, tied for the second longest of his career. In that streak, he was hitting .289 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI.
AL CENTRAL Chicago White Sox
A day after pitching seven strong innings
against the Cleveland Guardians on May 10, RHP Lucas Giolito landed on the COVID-19 injured list.
Giolito allowed only one run on six hits. He began feeling mild symptoms shortly after the game.
“It’s a good heads-up, a reminder that you’ve got to be careful,” manager Tony La Russa said.
Since leading the American League in earned runs allowed and walks in 2018, Giolito has gone 31-22 with a 3.43 ERA in 77 starts over four seasons.
h Former athletic trainer Brian Ball filed a lawsuit against the White Sox alleging he was fired by the team because of his sexual orientation, age and disability. The actions of GM Rick Hahn and the club, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County, caused Ball “significant emotional and monetary damages, as well as damage to his reputation and name.” The White Sox said the dismissal was based on performance.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians had a COVID-19 outbreak last week that caused 1B/OF Josh Naylor to go on the IL. Additionally, manager Terry Francona and multiple members of the coaching staff missed a weekend series at the Minnesota Twins while in quarantine.
Naylor was hitting .347 with five home runs in 20 games. It was a strong comeback after his 2021 season ended June 27
because of a broken right ankle.
Bench coach DeMarlo Hale, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, hitting coach Chris Valaika, assistant pitching coach Joe Torres and hitting analyst Justin Toole were also in quarantine.
Pitching coach Carl Willis served as the acting manager. He has spent 13 seasons as Cleveland’s pitching coach.
h The outbreak caused MLB to postpone the Guardians’ scheduled game at the White Sox on May 11. It was the first postponement in the big leagues this season because of the virus.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are down four starting pitchers after RHP Michael Pineda suffered a fractured right middle finger May 14 when struck by a line drive off the bat of Baltimore’s Ramon Urias.
Pineda joined LHP Tyler Alexander (sprained left elbow) and RHPs Matt Manning (right shoulder inflammation) and Casey Mize (sprained right elbow). The Tigers are also without RHP Spencer Turnbull, who underwent Tommy John surgery last year and will miss this season.
Two rookie pitchers, RHs Beau Brieske and Alex Faedo, have been among those asked to fill the void for Detroit. Brieske went 0-2 with a 3.86 in his first four career major league starts and Faedo was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his ini