National League Notes
NL EAST Atlanta Braves
An injury to OF Ender Inciarte provided the opening that got Austin Riley to the major leagues.
Riley already had shown he was ready by hitting 10 doubles and 15 home runs in just 37 games at Class AAA Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Georgia). Riley is a third baseman, but the Braves decided they could put him in left field and move Ronald Acuna Jr. to center while Inciarte is sidelined by a strained lower back.
The early results suggested it was the right call. Riley went 8for-15 (.533) with two home runs as the Braves won each of his first four games.
“Since I started playing Teeball, this has been my one love,” Riley said. “To finally be here, I’m going to try to take it in as much as I can.”
❚ LHP Sean Newcomb, who was sent to the minor leagues after three starts, didn’t allow a run in his first 71⁄3 innings after returning to the Braves as a reliever.
Miami Marlins
RHP Pablo Lopez made back-to-back starts against the New York Mets, and the results couldn’t have been much more different. On May 10 at Citi Field, Lopez allowed 10 runs in three innings; on May 18 at Marlins Park, he allowed just one hit in seven scoreless innings.
“That was a great response,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Either he was going to come out and pitch like he was afraid of those guys, or he was going to be aggressive.”
❚ The Marlins have been happy with the potential shown by their young rotation, and they might have more on the way. RHP Zac Gallen, a 23-year-old acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the December 2017 Marcell Ozuna trade, had a 1.79 ERA through his first nine starts at Class AAA New Orleans.
New York Mets
The Mets already had plenty of problems when they learned that OF Yoenis Cespedes had sustained multiple fractures to his right ankle in a non-baseball accident at his ranch in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
General manager Brodie
Van Wagenen said Cespedes told team officials he was not riding a horse at the time of the injury but instead was hurt when he stepped in a hole. There was conjecture that the Mets might seek to void the remaining 16 months on Cespedes’ four-year, $110 million contract.
At the same time, the Mets announced they are sticking with embattled manager Mickey Callaway “for the foreseeable future,” and Callaway took a firmer stance on 2B Robinson
Cano’s failure to run hard to first base twice in three days.
❚ OF Carlos Gomez, who nearly returned to the Mets in a proposed July 2015 trade that was nixed because of medical concerns, was called up from Class AAA Syracuse (New York) May 17 after OF Keon Broxton was designated for assignment.
Philadelphia Phillies
OF Bryce Harper, who got off to a fast start after signing a $330 million, 13-year contract, was hitting .167 with 25 strikeouts in 60 at-bats over a 17game span before he hit a 466foot home run May 18 and a 404footer May 19, both against the Colorado Rockies.
“Matt Williams always used to tell me, ‘It’s not how far, it’s how many,’ ” Harper said.
The home runs were Harper’s eighth and ninth as a Phillie, but he had hit only one in his previous 18 games.
❚ RHP Aaron Nola, who had a 6.84 ERA in his first five starts, looked more like he did last season when he had a 2.30 ERA in his next five. The last of those was a May 18 win over the Rockies in which Nola struck out a career-high 12.
Washington Nationals
RHP Sean Doolittle wasn’t impressed when Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon questioned whether his delivery was illegal. Maddon protested after umpires refused to take action.
“In that moment he’s not trying to do anything other than rattle me,” Doolittle said. “And it was kind of tired . ... Sometimes he has to remind people how smart he is and how much he pays attention to the game.”
The Cubs withdrew the protest after Major League Baseball informed Maddon that it considers Doolittle’s delivery legal.
❚ SS Trea Turner returned to the lineup for the first time since breaking his finger April 2. NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
IF-OF Ben Zobrist, who went on the restricted list May 8, was still away from the team as the week began. Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, a noted Christian pop singer, both filed for divorce last week.
There was no word on when Zobrist might return. The MVP of the 2016 World Series was hitting .241 with no home runs through 26 games.
❚ Backup C Victor Caratini returned to the active roster after being out since April 12 following surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand. Caratini was needed at first base for a few days because 1B Anthony Rizzo was sidelined by a strained back.
Cincinnati Reds
It took RHP Tyler Mahle nine starts to get his first win of the season. It came in impressive fashion, though, against one of the best teams in the major leagues.
Mahle pitched six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 18, scattering four hits. He was 0-5 despite a 3.97 ERA in his first eight starts.
The 24-year-old had an upand-down rookie season last year, going 7-9 with a 4.98 ERA in 23 starts. He also spent time in the minor leagues.