The Weekly Rundown: 3/31/24 - 4/6/24
Injured aces, the first no-hitter of 2024, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
The first full week of the 2024 MLB season is in the books and it was bittersweet. We had plenty of action, including the first no-hitter of the year, but injuries put a damper on an otherwise fun start to the campaign.
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Thanks! Now let’s get into all of the big stories in baseball from March 31 to April 6:
First No-No of 2024
Well, that didn’t take long.
Little-known Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco tossed MLB’s first no-hitter of 2024 on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He accomplished the feat in his first start of the season and just the eighth start of his big-league career.
Blanco walked only two batters and struck out seven. You can watch all 27 outs from the no-no below:
Blanco stepping up would be a major development for an Astros rotation starting the year without Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., J.P. France, and Luis Garcia. So far, so good.
RIP Larry Lucchino
Former Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino passed away on Tuesday at 78.
Lucchino played a key role in the Red Sox’ evolution from lovable losers to World Series champions. Part of the ownership group that purchased the franchise in 2002, Lucchino was responsible for hiring then-28-year-old general manager Theo Epstein, who helped end an 86-year “curse” in 2004 and bring a championship to Boston. The Red Sox went on to win two more World Series titles (2007 and 2013) during Lucchino’s tenure as president.
Lucchino’s legacy extends well beyond the Red Sox. Before joining John Henry and Tom Werner in Boston, he served as president of the Baltimore Orioles and pioneered the replacement of Memorial Stadium with the now-beloved Camden Yards. Years later, as president and CEO of the San Diego Padres, Lucchino led the effort to leave Qualcomm Stadium and build the beautiful Petco Park.
The Sacramento A’s
The Oakland A’s will move to Las Vegas in a few years, but they’ll need a temporary home until their new stadium is built. On Thursday, the organization announced it will play its home games for the 2025-27 seasons at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California.
Despite moving to Sacramento, the A’s will not refer to themselves as the “Sacramento A’s” during their time in the city. They will simply drop Oakland and be called “The A’s.”
Here’s the statement from team owner John Fisher:
"We explored several locations for a temporary home, including the Oakland Coliseum. Even with the long-standing relationship and good intentions on all sides in the negotiations with Oakland, the conditions to achieve an agreement seemed out of reach. We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans, as this season marks our final one in Oakland. Throughout this season, we will honor and celebrate our time in Oakland, and will share additional details soon."
Sutter Health Park seats roughly 14,000 fans, an alarmingly low number compared to other MLB stadiums. That shouldn’t be an issue for the A’s though as they’ve averaged around 6,500 attendees so far this season. It’s safe to assume we won’t see that number rise with this move, which is devastating for the loyal fans in Oakland who have been neglected by ownership in recent years.
Before his passing, Lucchino was the primary owner and chairman of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.
Pair of Aces Go Down
Injuries are the worst. We lost one of the top pitchers in the game for the year due to Tommy John surgery and are likely to lose another Cy Young contender for the same reason.
Guardians ace Shane Bieber, who’s coming off an injury-shortened 2023, is done for the year and likely half of 2025. He experienced elbow pain in his last two starts, which is surprising given his dominance (12.0 IP, 0 ER, 20 K, 1 BB) in those appearances.
Without Bieber, Cleveland will lean on Triston McKenzie and 2023 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Tanner Bibee to lead the rotation. Logan Allen, Carlos Carrasco, and Gavin Williams (once healthy) will have to pick up the slack as well.
Over in the NL, Braves ace Spencer Strider has an elbow injury of his own and his season is in jeopardy. An MRI revealed damage to the UCL, which is often a precursor to Tommy John surgery. It would be Strider’s second TJ as he underwent the procedure in 2019 while at Clemson.
Obviously, it’s a significant blow to a Braves club with World Series aspirations. Atlanta will need Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez to step up in Strider’s absence.
Dominant on the Bump
Brady Singer, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 1 BB vs. Minnesota Twins
Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros
9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB vs. Colorado Rockies
Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Oakland A’s
Sean Manaea, New York Mets
6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Detroit Tigers
Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Atlanta Braves
Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB vs. Baltimore Orioles
Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB vs. Baltimore Orioles
Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees
6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Cody Bradford, Texas Rangers
7.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB vs. Houston Astros
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 12 K, 1 BB vs. Boston Red Sox
Big Bombs
Mike Trout belted two homers against the Marlins, including a 475-foot moonshot.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. crushed a grand slam against the Pirates.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand completed the Reds’ ninth-inning comeback vs. the Nationals with a walk-off homer.
Spencer Steer put the Reds ahead of the Phillies with a grand slam.
Bryce Harper had three homers in one game vs. the Reds. His third was a grand slam.
Shohei Ohtani collected his first home run as a Dodger.
Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon belted a walk-off grand slam against the Rays.
Jurickson Profar smacked a grand slam to put the Padres up 5-0 on the Giants in the first inning.
Web Gem of the Week
Mets third baseman Brett Baty made a sweet diving grab to rob Spencer Steer of a hit.
Welcome to the Show
Cubs offseason addition Shota Imanaga made his big-league debut against the Rockies. The left-hander out of Japan tossed six scoreless innings allowing just two hits and striking out nine.
Padres outfield prospect Jackson Merrill recorded his first big-league homer against the Cardinals.
Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio notched his first career homer against the Twins.
Notable Injuries
The Diamondbacks placed outfielder Alek Thomas on the 10-day IL with a strained hamstring.
The Mets placed righty Tyler Megill on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain.
Rangers third baseman Josh Jung will miss eight to 10 weeks after undergoing wrist surgery.
The Dodgers placed outfielder Jason Heyward on the 10-dau IL with back tightness.
The Nationals placed outfielder Victor Robles on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain.
Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga will undergo season-ending UCL surgery.
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story suffered a shoulder subluxation and was placed on the 10-day IL. It’s unclear how long Story will be out, but he described the injury as “significant” on Saturday.
The White Sox placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain.
Rapid Fire
The White Sox brought back pitcher Mike Clevinger on a one-year, $3 million deal.
Marlins pitcher Eury Perez will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Mariners.
The A’s made the bizarre decision to option speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz to Triple-A. Ruiz was hitting .429 in three games prior to the move.
The Pirates acquired former top catching prospect Joey Bart from the Giants for minor-league righty Austin Strickland.
The Dodgers acquired right-hander Connor Brogdon from the Phillies in exchange for minor league left-hander Benony Robles.
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