Bichette’s debut is a hit; Sanchez’s is a no-hitter
Detroit Tigers
OF Travis Demeritte is getting the opportunity to be the starting right fielder, a job that opened when OF Nicholas Castellanos was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 31.
Demeritte also was part of a July 31 trade; he was one of two minor leaguers acquired from the Atlanta Braves for RHP Shane Greene. The 24-year-old was the Texas Rangers’ firstround draft pick in 2013.
Demeritte went 1-for-5 with a triple and four walks in his first two games after the trade. He became the first Tigers player since at least 1908 to draw four walks in the first two games of his major league career.
❚ RHP Joe Jimenez took over as the closer for Greene, who converted 22 of 25 save opportunities this season and represented the Tigers at the All-Star Game. Jimenez was an All-Star in 2018.
Kansas City Royals
It has been a dismal season for the Royals, but the development of DH Jorge Soler has been a positive.
Soler appeared in each of the Royals’ first 113 games and had a team-high 29 home runs to go with a .251 batting average. He also reached base in 26 straight games before the streak was snapped July 31.
Soler had never hit more than 12 homers in any of his first five major league seasons.
The Royals acquired Soler from the Chicago Cubs in December 2016 for RHP Wade Davis. Soler batted only .144 in 35 games in 2017 but improved to .265 with nine home runs and 28 RBI in 61 games last season.
❚ Spacious Kauffman Stadium seems to suit RHP Glenn Sparkman. He is 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 11 home outings, including a shutout of the Chicago White Sox on July 16, but 0-4 with a 9.08 ERA in 10 road appearances.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins again will have to make do without Gold Glove CF Byron Buxton, who was placed on the injured list for the third time this season.
Buxton bruised his left shoulder Aug. 1 while running into the outfield fence trying to make a catch against the Marlins at Miami and likely won’t return until September. He also has sat out this season because of a bruised right wrist and a concussion.
OF Max Kepler shifted from right field to center field, and IF/ OF Marwin Gonzalez was expected to get most of the starts in right field.
❚ RHP Michael Pineda (triceps) and newly acquired RHP Sam Dyson (biceps) went on the IL, but the Twins were optimistic that both would be out for only a short time. LHP Devin Smeltzer replaced Pineda in the rotation and pitched six scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 4, allowing only two hits. That lowered his ERA to 2.28.
AL WEST
Houston Astros
The Astros made a splash at the trade deadline by acquiring RHP Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their acquisition of RHP Aaron Sanchez from the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t get as much attention, but it paid immediate dividends Aug. 3 when he pitched the first six innings of a combined nohitter against the Seattle Mariners.
Sanchez, who led the AL in ERA in 2016 and was named an All-Star, had lost 13 consecutive decisions with the Blue Jays. He teamed with RHPs Will Harris, Joe Biagini (also acquired from Toronto) and Chris Devenski to no-hit Seattle.
❚ Houston tied a team record with six home runs in a win over the Mariners on Aug. 2.
Los Angeles Angels
LHP Andrew Heaney was expected to be activated this weekend after recovering from a shoulder problem. The Angels rotation needs him after losing RHP Felix Pena for the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Pena, who rejoined the team’s shaky rotation July 17, was 8-3 with a 4.58 ERA when he was injured Aug. 3 while covering first base against the Indians at Cleveland. He had to be carried off the field.
SS Andrelton Simmons (sprained and bruised left ankle) and RHP Griffin Canning (elbow) also went on the injured list.
❚ C Jonathan Lucroy was designated for assignment, adding another player to general manager Billy Eppler’s list of offseason acquisitions who failed to produce. RHP Cody Allen and RHP Matt Harvey were released, and another pickup, RHP Trevor Cahill, was ineffective as a starter before being demoted to the bullpen.
Oakland Athletics
When RHP Mike Fiers earned a win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 3, it was more than just another victory.
It also was his career-high eighth straight winning decision and his 18th consecutive outing in which he pitched at least five innings while surrendering three runs or fewer. An A’s pitcher hadn’t produced a run like that since 1908.
Fiers (10-3) is approaching his career high for victories in a season (12), set last year.
❚ The A’s, known for their unconventional ways, added to that reputation by signing RHP Nathan Patterson to a minor league contract. Patterson, 23, was at a recent Colorado Rockies game when his fastball was clocked at 96 mph at a fan pitching booth, which prompted the signing.
Seattle Mariners
LHP Yusei Kikuchi, a former star in Japan, is having a rocky rookie season in the major leagues.
In his Aug. 2 outing against the Houston Astros, he allowed four home runs as his record sank to 4-8 and his ERA jumped to 5.49. His 28 homers allowed tied Houston’s Justin Verlander for the most in the majors.
In his last 12 starts, Kikuchi is 1-7 with a 7.65 ERA. As a result, the Mariners were considering going to a six-man rotation when the rosters expand in September to limit the workloads of Kikuchi and RHP Felix Hernandez, still recovering from a shoulder injury.
❚ The Mariners were the victim of a combined no-hitter for the second time in less than a month Aug. 3 when they were stymied by the Houston Astros. Seattle also was no-hit by two Los Angeles Angels pitchers on July 12. USA TODAY SPORTS
Texas Rangers
OF Nomar Mazara once was considered among the building blocks in the Rangers’ rebuilding efforts. But as he continues to struggle against left-handed pitchers, the playing time of the 24-year-old left-handed hitter has diminished.
No regular left-handed hitter in the majors, among the 50 batters qualifying through Aug. 3, had a worse on-base percentage against left-handers than Mazara’s .230. He also possessed the fourth-worst batting average (.200) against lefties.
❚ The club plans to have RHP Jose Leclerc finish the season as the closer in the hope he can keep that role. Leclerc earned his first save since April 17 when he shut the door on the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 2. He celebrated the save by flinging the ball over the right-field fence.