AL East is tight race right off the bat
With the exception of the Baltimore Orioles, the AL East could be a season-long dogfight, according to some early season evidence gleaned by a look at the standings.
Heading into Wednesday night’s games, there was a three-way tie atop the division, with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees all at 6-5. The Tampa Bay Rays were a half-game back at 6-6.
Boston manager Alex Cora, for one, has been impressed with the Jays emergence as a divisional threat.
“(They’re) a good offensive team,” Cora said. “They did an amazing job when they won 91 games last year and they didn’t make it to the playoffs. But it was a team that toward the end of the season probably nobody wanted to play them.
“They’re a challenge, like everybody in this division. There’s a lot of talent out there. A lot of good young teams and they’re one of them.”
Other than a dodgy first inning when he walked the first two batters he faced, Yusei Kikuchi’s outing on Tuesday offered up a rather hefty boost for the Jays rotation.
Relying on aggressive usage of his fastball, Kikichu held the Sox to just three hits in five innings of work.
Kikuchi said the key was an early visit from third baseman Matt Chapman, who offered some pointed advice.
“He just reminded me to be aggressive,” Kikuchi said. “It gave me a lot of confidence. Coming from Matt Chapman it meant a lot. I feel I was able to gather myself and go back to being aggressive out there.”
Just one start, but the Jays believe the lefty is headed down the good track. The Toronto front office saw upside in the free-agent signee and are expecting him to show continued improvement as the season moves along.
“I feel so good about him now,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “We feel like when he pitches now we have a chance. He was aggressive with his fastball, throwing 96 (miles per hour) and he was in control.”
He was also sharp defensively, fielding no less than five grounders that resulted in outs at first.
The Los Angeles Dodgers put left-hander Andrew Heaney on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with left shoulder discomfort.
Heaney had been a revelation for the Dodgers to start the season. In two starts, Heaney (1-0, 0.00 ERA) threw 10 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up four hits, walking three and striking out 16.
The Dodgers signed Heaney, 30, in the off-season after he finished 2021 with an 8-9 record and 5.83 ERA in 30 games (23 starts) with the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled infielder/outfielder Zach Mckinstry from Triple-a Oklahoma City. In 12 games this season, he’s hitting .404 with three doubles, four triples, one home run and nine RBIS.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon
signed a landmark agreement with Maximbet, becoming the first Major League Baseball player with a sportsbook endorsement deal.
MLB rules prohibit Blackmon from referencing specific baseball wagers or promoting gambling on baseball, but the popular four-time Allstar is one of the most recognizable players in the state of Colorado. Maximbet, exclusively online, is one of the approved operators in the state.
Many MLB teams have their own agreements with sportsbooks, including inpark facilities or plans to add brick-and-mortar presence in the near vicinity. Teams include the Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.
Blackmon is permitted via the collective bargaining agreement to participate in promotions and social media content. He will be featured by Maximbet in upcoming marketing campaigns and fan events.
Blackmon, 35, is in his 12th season with the Rockies.
Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss at least four games, which started with Wednesday night’s contest against the visiting Texas Rangers.
Seattle third base and bench coach Manny Acta also tested positive, leaving acting manager duties to Kristopher Negron. Acta has managerial experience in Cleveland. Negron was the skipper at Triple-a Tacoma last season.
Servais and Acta are the latest to be sidelined in a COVID outbreak within the Seattle organization. The Seattle Times reports at least a dozen people have tested positive.
Both Servais and Acta are fully vaccinated, meaning they have to wait at least two days before testing again, provided they have no symptoms. Then they will need two consecutive days of negative tests and approval from the team physician before they can return. The earliest they could return is Sunday.
The Mariners host the Rangers again Thursday before beginning a three-game set against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday.
Servais and Acta join infield coach Perry Hill as well as catcher Luis Torrens, outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Paul Sewald who have tested positive. Servais just implemented a mask mandate indoors on Tuesday, per the Times.
The Cleveland Guardians placed infielder Owen Miller and right-handers Cal Quantrill and Anthony Castro on the COVID-19 injured list prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader against the visiting Chicago White Sox.
Also on Wednesday, Cleveland promoted left-handers Kirk Mccarty and Tanner Tully as well as right-hander Enyel De Los Santos from Triple-a Columbus.