MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NOTES
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles went 93-69 in the 162 games since catcher Adley Rutschman joined the team. They were 51-111 in the 162 games before his arrival.
Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale, 34, had his fourth strong start and helped the Red Sox win May 20. The lefty allowed homers to Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. but otherwise shut down a superstarstudded Padres offense with baseball’s third-highest payroll that continues to look lost at the plate. Sale, a seven-time All-Star who has been plagued by injuries, was making just his 20th start since 2019. “I feel like I’m trending in a good direction,” Sale said. “I’ve been around here too long to feel like I’ve been on top of a mountain at all. I still have a lot of work to do. I know where I’m at, I know what I’m doing, but it takes a lot of hard work, not only from myself, but everyone around here.”
Chicago White Sox: If the White Sox shop All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson at the trade deadline, the Dodgers will have them on speed dial. Certainly, the White Sox will be baseball’s most popular team at the trade deadline barring a sudden turnaround. They could shop Anderson, starters Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and Mike Clevinger, and reliever Joe Kelly . ... Comeback Player of the Year: Step right up White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who was expected to be activated this week after recovering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Cleveland Guardians: The catching duo of Mike Zunino and Cam Gallagher went 0-for-59 to start May. Gallagher ended the skein May 18 with his first hit since April 9. Zunino was 1-for-29 in May with 21 strikeouts. Zunino had strong start to the season, hitting .241 with a .837 OPS through the end of April, including two home runs, seven doubles, six RBI and 11 walks. And then his bat melted. It’s the worst offensive stretch of his career. “Yeah, I mean, he’s having a tough time, and we know … when things are going bad, it kind of gets exacerbated,” Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters in Chicago last week. Perhaps the long-term answer for the Guardians catchers’ woes at the plate could be getting closer to making an impact at the major league level. That would be Bo Naylor, who made a brief cameo in the majors last season just before the playoffs. He’s played well in Class AAA, though he has struck out 42 times. He’s also had trouble throwing out runners, though pitchers could be the culprit in many of those cases.
Whenever he does return to Cleveland, Naylor figures to play at least a semiregular role.
Detroit Tigers: The Tigers have no plans to release him, but 40-year-old Miguel Cabrera is badly struggling as he reaches the finish line of his Hall of Fame career. He barely plays and is hitting just .177 with no homers and four RBI in 86 plate appearances. He’s owed $32 million this season. “I feel for him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters. “At the same time that he’s getting older and not quite the same hitter as he was in his prime, I’m asking him to play less and create more timing issues for him by playing once a series.”
Houston Astros: Mauricio Dubon was a lifesaver for the Astros during the absence of All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve. Dubon hit .309 with a team-leading 46 hits while playing superb defense. He has earned a role as the Astros’ super utility player going forward. “He stepped up,” Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña told Houston reporters. “Altuve is a void you can’t replace with anybody, but what Dubon has done has
put the league on notice. He’s a great ballplayer.”
Kansas City Royals: Second baseman Michael Massey has three homers this year, all against Chicago. The 24year-old Massey, from the southwest Chicago suburb of Palos Park, Illinois, was a White Sox fan growing up. The Royals drafted him from the University of Illinois in 2019. Massey also said he got engaged during the weekend homecoming in Chicago, when the Royals were swept in three games.
Los Angeles Angels: The Angels have been ecstatic about rookie shortstop Zach Neto’s defensive skills during his first month in the big leagues.
Minnesota Twins: What a difference life has been outside New York for Joey Gallo. He leads the Twins with 11 homers and a .906 OPS. He has been a steal for the Twins, who signed him to a one-year, $11 million contract. He has even batted leadoff, although it’s the last spot in the batting order he desires. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” Gallo told reporters, “but I don’t want to.” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli’s response: “His thoughts are
always welcome, but right now they’re not going to be taken into account.” ... The Twins went 18 years since they had won a game at Dodger Stadium before winning last week . ... Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who still has 21⁄2 years left on his seven-year, $70 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Yankees. Considering how well Sonny Gray and Gallo have fared in Minnesota since their departure from New York, maybe the Twins should call and bring Hicks back . ... The Twins badly need a third baseman but have no interest in reacquiring Josh Donaldson from the Yankees.
New York Yankees: Pitcher Germán was suspended for 10 games May 17 by Major League Baseball and fined for violating the sport’s prohibition of foreign substances on the mound. The penalty was announced following Germán’s ejection in the fourth inning the night before at Toronto for what an umpire said was “the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt.” “My fingers had a hard time coming off his palm,” crew chief James Hoye explained after the game. The punishment
Domingo
was imposed by Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations. Germán did not appeal, and his suspension began with the May 17 game in Toronto . ... If Aaron Judge wins the AL MVP award again, he can point to last week’s Blue Jays series as a turning point. He went 6-for-14 with four homers, a double, five walks and seven RBI.
Oakland Athletics: While MLB has given its blessing for the A’s to move to Las Vegas, it also is the understanding that the East Bay will be a top expansion candidate in five years, too. Meanwhile, the lawmakers in Nevada are still waiting for the A’s to formally submit a proposal before the legislative sessions ends June 5. While the A’s are requesting $395 million in public funding, Nevada is expected to offer between $150 million and $195 million, according to The Nevada Independent . ... The A’s have won back-toback games just once this season. The only other team in baseball history to accomplish that dubious streak, according to STATS Perform: the 1932 Boston Red Sox, who finished 43-111 . ... Rookie center fielder Esteury Ruiz entered the week with 21 stolen bases total, becoming the first A’s player to steal that many in the first 45 games of a season since Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodriguez was supposed to be Seattle’s centerpiece when the city hosts the All-Star Game. Right now it looks like he’ll have to pay for a ticket if he wants to be at the game. Rodriguez was hitting just .204 with a .656 OPS with seven homers, eight stolen bases and a whopping 57 strikeouts . ... The worst trade of the offseason: The Mariners acquired second baseman Kolten Wong from the Brewers for Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro in January, only for Wong to have a .177/.259/.208 slash line and earn a spot on the bench, replaced by rookie Jose Caballero . ... The Mariners’ Cal Raleigh became the first catcher to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game in the 112-year history of Boston’s Fenway Park.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays, who have fallen back to earth after their 20-3 start, plan to activate ace Tyler Glasnow this week. Yes, they still are the class of the AL East and should be the team to beat in October . ... The Rays are looking for another starting pitcher before the trade deadline with Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers and the White Sox’s Giolito available. They had already used an opener 12 times.
Texas Rangers: Pitching prospect Kumar Rocker has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will need Tommy John surgery. Rangers general manager Chris Young said last week Rocker had an MRI after his start last week at Class A Hickory
(N.C.). Rocker was the third overall pick by the Rangers last summer, when the right-hander was drafted again a year after concerns over a physical led to the former Vanderbilt standout going unsigned by the Mets as the 10th overall pick. “This was an acute injury, it was completely different than what we saw in our post-draft exams and MRI,” Young said. “This was an injury sustained pitching for us in his last start.” Young said the 23-year-old Rocker, who was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in six starts for Hickory, was close to a promotion when he got hurt . ... The Rangers realize they can’t realistically be a playoff contender if they don’t get bullpen help, yielding a 4.48 ERA with eight blown saves and five losses when leading after seven innings. They have already replaced closer Jose Leclerc and setup man Jonathan Hernandez.
Toronto Blue Jays: Nothing has seemed to go right for the Toronto Blue Jays this past week, and perhaps there was no better proof of that than a sixthinning mound visit during a May 20 game against the Orioles. With the game tied 2-2 and two outs in the top of the sixth, manager John Schneider made what seemed to be harmless walk to the mound for a chat with his starting pitcher, Alek Manoah. There was only one problem: His pitching coach, Pete Walker, had already made a visit earlier in the inning, which meant – per MLB rules – Manoah had to be replaced. “I (expletive) up,” Schneider admitted after the game. “But I think, regardless of my (expletive) up, it was the right time to get him out.” Manhoah was in the middle of his best outing in nearly a month, having thrown 52⁄3 and allowing two runs with five strikeouts. He had thrown 85 pitches, a total he has surpassed in seven of his first nine starts. The Blue Jays went on to lose the game despite holding a 5-2 lead after seven innings. It was their fifth loss in the past six games . ... At press time, the Blue Jays had placed three players on the injured list this season, the fewest in the major leagues, compared to 16 for the New York Yankees and 15 for the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks: D-backs first base coach Dave McKay, who spent 16 years with the A’s as a player and coach, on returning to the Oakland Coliseum this past week where there were just 9,484 fans in attendance for the three-game series: “Fans aren’t stupid,” McKay told The Arizona Republic. “They know when you’re trying. And they know when you’re not trying. It just doesn’t seem like right now that they’re trying. That’s the only way to put it. … You look around, you see the few fans and you can hear every voice. It just isn’t the same. It seems like all the life’s been sucked out of this team here and it doesn’t seem like a place you’d want to coach or you’d want to play.” ... It’s hard to believe the Diamondbacks have the third-best record in the National League when two of their three starting outfielders have already been demoted to the minors, with Alek Thomas joining Jake McCarthy.
Atlanta Braves: Can we give the MVP award to outfielder Ronald Acuña before Memorial Day? Acuna was hitting .347 with 11 homers, 27 RBI, 18 stolen bases and a 1.042 OPS. If he stays healthy, he’ll be the first 40/40 player since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. He’s on pace to hit 40 homers with 60 stolen bases. “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen,” Braves starter Spencer Strider told reporters. “I don’t
know what else there is to say.” ... Starter Mike Soroka is getting close to finally making his return to the big leagues after undergoing surgeries for a torn Achilles in 2020 and 2021, being shut down in 2022 because of elbow soreness and having strained his hamstring the day before spring training this year.
Chicago Cubs: Outfielder Cody Bellinger (left knee bruise) was moved to the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 16. for what the club feels is a precautionary move. He injured the knee after making an acrobatic catch in the seventh inning May 15. Cubs manager David Ross said at the time he doesn’t believe Bellinger’s injury is serious. “Doc checked him out – nothing major,” Ross said.
Cincinnati Reds: Starting pitcher Nick Lodolo went on the 10-day injured list last week with left calf tendinosis, and he’ll be out for at least a month. But during a follow-up doctor’s visit, Lodolo saw that it wasn’t just his calf that was injured. An MRI determined he also had a stress reaction in his left tibia. What he thought was a minor injury that he could pitch through turned out to be something more significant. “I thought it was nothing, just soreness,” Lodolo said. “It kept lingering and lingering. We thought it was getting better, but it wasn’t getting better. I had good days and bad days. Then I started realizing it started altering my mechanics. It was throwing stuff off.”
Colorado Rockies: The Rockies have never had a catcher selected for the AllStar Game in their 30-year history. That could soon change with 32-year-old Elias Díaz, who’s hitting .326 with a .835 OPS and leading the National League by throwing out 10 base runners.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Manager Dave Roberts said last week that pitcher Dustin May has a flexor pronator strain and would miss at least one month. May had reconstructive elbow surgery in May 2021. Roberts said he noticed early on that May’s velocity was down and that he was moving his hand in a way that indicated something wasn’t right. The average velocity of the right-hander’s sinker and fastball were down 2 to 3 miles per hour . ... The Dodgers have beaten the Padres in 28 of their last 34 games. Considering the key injuries the Dodgers have sustained this season, and barely spending in the free agent market, just winning the division and playing deep into October may be a greater accomplishment than winning the World Series in the 60game COVID-19 season of 2020 . ... Julio Urias, the top pitcher on next offseason’s free agent market outside Shohei Ohtani, certainly is giving teams a reason to pause. He is just 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA and has already given up 14 home runs this season. He went on the injured list on
May 20 with a strained hamstring . ... The Dodgers could have a nice fresh arm for the postseason with Walker Buehler targeting a Sept. 1 return from his second Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers aren’t counting on his return this season but are hopeful.
Miami Marlins: The NL manager of the year award would go to Marlins rookie manager Skip Schumaker if the season ended today. This team has a winning record with center fielder Jazz Chisholm sidelined and last year’s Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara’s struggles . ... Infielder Luis Arraez made his major league debut four years ago and is hitting a major league-leading .321. The league average over that span is .246.
Milwaukee Brewers: Wade Miley, who’d been one of the most consistent rotation performers, is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks after being diagnosed with a left serratus posterior strain. “It’s the back of the shoulder. Controls the movement of the scapula,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s a muscle strain. It’s not a very common pitcher injury or throwing injury. But that’s what the tests from the doctors confirmed. So, it’s treated as essentially a muscle strain and go from there.”
New York Mets: Mark Vientos was about to go to sleep in his Norfolk, Virginia, hotel room when he learned he was the spark the sagging New York Mets were seeking. Vientos got a late-night
call from Syracuse Mets manager Dick Scott, who told the 23-year-old to get to New York on May 17. Shortly after arriving at Citi Field, Vientos was in the lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays, batting eighth and playing third base. “It’s kind of the fallout of not playing as well as we need to,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “It adds excitement if they perform well and help you win games.” Vientos hit a tying two-run homer in the seventh inning off Ryan Thompson, and the Mets went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7 on Pete Alonso’s three-run homer in the 10th. Vientos hit .333 with 11 doubles, 13 homers and 37 RBI in 38 games at Syracuse. He had four hits in his last 15 atbats, including a pair of home runs. “If he plays well, hits well, we’ll see how that role evolves,” Showalter said . ... Is ace Max Scherzer finally beginning to show his age (38)? His fastball has declined to 93.3 mph, his slowest since 2014, and the hard-hit percentage is up to 40%.
Philadelphia Phillies: Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, is stunned that Trea Turner has gotten off to such a sluggish start after signing his $300 million contract. He is hitting just .257 with a .693 OPS and only 16 extra-base hits while the Phillies have gone just 22-24. “I do think he will do much better as the year goes on,” Dombrowski told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ll be absolutely shocked if he doesn’t. And I think the baseball world will be shocked if he doesn’t.”
Pittsburgh Pirates: Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds went homerless for 133 games until May 19 after hitting five home runs in his first seven games. ... If the Pirates are able to lock up pitcher Mitch Keller to a contract extension, he will become the first Pittsburgh starter to receive a contract extension since Charlie Morton in 2013.
St. Louis Cardinals: Third baseman Nolan Arenado became just the third primary third baseman since 1920 to have at least 300 homers and 1,000 RBI in fewer than 1,500 games. The others are Hall of Famers Eddie Matthews and Chipper Jones . ... The Cardinals are expected to shop outfielder Tyler O’Neill at the trade deadline for a starting pitcher . ... Longtime St. Louis baseball writer Rick Hummel, who covered the Cardinals for parts of five decades for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has died at the age of 77. Known by his colleagues and many others around the game as “The Commish,” Hummel covered 42 consecutive MLB All-Star Games and three Cardinals World Series wins as a writer and columnist before retiring after the 2022 season, his 51st year with the Post-Dispatch.
San Diego Padres: Third baseman Manny Machado, who’s a passionate soccer fan, is now part of San Diego’s new MLS expansion team’s ownership group. “We made a commitment when we came here,” Machado told reporters. “We made a commitment to grow this community, to set our roots in this community. We’re going to continue to do that. We’re not going to stop. This community has been great to us, it’s been great to the city. I just want to see the city continue to thrive.” Machado was placed on the IL last week with a hand injury.
San Francisco Giants: Carlos Correa’s eventful offseason included a period where the free agent shortstop agreed to a deal with the Giants. But an ankle issue led to a failed physical, and the deal with the Giants fell apart. Correa ended up re-signing with Minnesota on a sixyear guaranteed deal, much shorter than the 13 years he would have signed for with the Giants. Asked May 22 if he was surprised his ankle caused him to fail the physical, Correa said he was “very shocked.”
Washington Nationals: Left-hander Patrick Corbin won consecutive starts for the first time since last summer when the Nationals beat the Tigers 5-2 on May 20. He struck out three, reaching 1,500. “I guess it means you’ve been around awhile” said Corbin, 33.