The Weekly Rundown: 5/12/24 - 5/18/24
A sticky situation, Paul Skenes is straight out of a video game, and more.
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Now, here’s everything you need to know from the last week in baseball.
Sticky Situation
Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco was ejected from his Tuesday start vs. the A’s after umpires checked his glove for a foreign substance in the fourth inning.
“When I went to go do his second check, going into the fourth inning, I asked for his glove,” the home plate umpire told a pool reporter after the game. “That was the first thing I checked. And I felt something inside the glove [he pointed to his palm as he said this]. It was the stickiest stuff I’ve felt on a glove since we’ve been doing this for a few years now. So, I brought the crew in. The crew conferred and then we went from there.”
Blanco was handed a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
"I think it was a combination of the rosin and the sweat, and it’s the umpire’s call," Astros general manager Dana Brown said. "He made the judgment that he thought it was a sticky substance, so we’re at the mercy of what his judgment is."
Blanco threw a no-hitter in his first start of the 2024 season. The 30-year-old breakout hurler has been Houston’s best pitcher this year, posting a 2.09 ERA through eight starts.
More Betting Drama
Just when we thought the Shohei Ohtani/Ippei Mizuhara story was dying down, another player gets caught up in the mess.
Veteran infielder David Fletcher placed bets with the same illegal bookmaker as Ohtani’s former interpreter, according to ESPN. Fletcher did not bet on baseball, and betting on other sports is allowed. Betting through illegal bookmakers, of course, is not.
Players betting with illegal bookmakers “are subject to punishment at the commissioner's discretion.” A league source told ESPN that Fletcher had not previously been investigated but is now expected to be.
Fletcher played six seasons for the Angels. He’s currently with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate.
Dominant on the Bump
Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins
6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 12 K, 0 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Kansas City Royals
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
9.0 IP (CG), 4 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. New York Mets
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers
8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins
8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
Erick Fedde, Chicago White Sox
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Washington Nationals
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Oakland A’s
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees
8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 0 BB vs. Minnesota Twins
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Oakland A’s
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Luis Gil, New York Yankees
6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 14 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB vs. Cincinnati Reds
Big Bombs
Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers has homered in four consecutive games.
Juan Soto homered twice in a huge game for the Yankees.
Aaron Judge crushed a 467-foot bomb.
Web Gem of the Week
Guardians outfielder Tyler Freeman made an incredible diving grab against the Twins.
Welcome to the Show
Reds prospect Jacob Hurtubise made his MLB debut on Monday and collected his first hit on Saturday vs. the Dodgers.
Notable Injuries
The Reds placed center fielder TJ Friedl on the 10-day IL with a broken left thumb.
The Cubs placed right-hander Adbert Alzolay on the 15-day IL with a right forearm strain.
The A’s placed right-hander Paul Blackburn on the 15-day IL with a stress reaction of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.
The Giants placed outfielder Michael Conforto on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain.
The Brewers placed first baseman Rhys Hoskins on the 10-day IL with a strained right hamstring. Hoskins is expected to miss two to four weeks.
The A’s placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 15-day IL due to left rotator cuff tendonitis.
The Reds placed left-hander Nick Lodolo on the 15-day IL list due to a left groin strain.
The Dodgers placed third baseman Max Muncy on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain.
The Giants placed starter Keaton Winn on the 15-day IL due to a forearm strain.
The Red Sox shut down righty Garrett Whitlock due to elbow soreness. Whitlock is already on the IL due to an oblique strain.
Giants rookie outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will undergo surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.
Rapid Fire
Right-hander Dylan Bundy announced his retirement. Bundy pitched for the Orioles, Angels, and Twins during his eight-year MLB career.
Former slugger Khris Davis announced he has retired after nine MLB seasons with the Brewers, A’s, and Rangers.
The Angels acquired right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pirates for cash.
The Dodgers acquired left-hander Anthony Banda from the Guardians for cash.
The Padres signed outfielder David Peralta to a minor league deal.
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