The Weekly Rundown: 4/30/23 - 5/6/23
Catch up on all of the top stories in baseball since last Sunday.
Good morning. We are BACK after a two-week hiatus.
In case you were out of the loop, there was no rundown for the last two Sundays due to my honeymoon in French Polynesia (Moorea and Bora Bora). It usually kills me to not know what’s going on in the baseball world, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t refreshing to step away from sports for a couple of weeks.
Here’s why:
So yeah, baseball pretty much didn’t exist for me during that timeframe.
Nonetheless, the rundown is back to its weekly schedule and we’ve got a lot to cover. I returned on Thursday, so I’m sort of catching myself up on everything while putting this thing together. It’s pretty wild how much you miss after not paying attention for a week, never mind two!
If you want to stay up to date on baseball all season long, you can subscribe below and get these rundowns in your e-mail inbox (almost) every Sunday. Each subscription goes a LONG way and is extremely appreciated.
Now grab that morning coffee and let’s jump in.
Correa called out
Unsurprisingly, Twins shortstop Carlos Correa doesn’t seem to have many friends across the league.
White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton is the latest player to blast Correa for his involvement in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Middleton struck out Correa to close out Chicago’s 6-4 win over Minnesota on Wednesday and had fired some shots afterward.
"I knew I was going to face Correa, and I don't like him. So it was kind of cool," Middleton said via the Associated Press. "I like that. I enjoyed that a lot. ...I mean, he's a cheater."
Part of me says those still hung up on the Astros scandal need to get over it. It’s been six years. Move on.
But looking deeper into Middleton’s comments, they’re understandable. He was with the Angels from 2017-20 and the Mariners in 2021, so he played against the Astros constantly in the AL West for the first few years of his big-league career. I’d hold a grudge too.
That said, if you’re still the guy in the stands who boos Correa, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, etc. whenever you get the chance, just take a seat. You’re wasting your breath at this point. Everyone from that ‘17 Astros club has moved on. It’s about time you did the same.
That don’t impress me much
Rays shortstop Wander Franco showed off with a flip to himself before throwing out the runner at first base.
That runner was Pirates All-Star Bryan Reynolds, and he wasn’t amused.
"I saw it. It didn't impress me,” Reynolds said about the play after the game.
I’m with Reynolds on this one. Not because I’m one of those “unwritten rules” losers, but because it just wasn’t as cool as everyone made it out to be. If Reynolds was just slightly quicker on the basepaths, he’s safe and Franco is benched for being a moron. There’s also the risk of dropping the ball on the flip and looking like an even bigger asshole.
Want to show off? Fine with me, but don’t do it in a way that can cost your team.
Another setback for Rodon
A less-than-ideal start to the season for the Yankees got worse when it was revealed their prized offseason addition Carlos Rodon has a “chronic” back issue. The left-handed ace, who signed a six-year contract worth $162M, hasn’t pitched for New York this season due to injury.
Rodon will get a cortisone injection in hopes to speed up the recovery process, but he said there is no timeline for his return. It’s another major blow to a Yankees club that has been decimated by injuries. Aaron Judge (hip), Josh Donaldson (hamstring), Frankie Montas (shoulder), Luis Severino (lat) and Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) are among those who remain sidelined.
Yankees fans have been robbed of getting to watch a scary Gerrit Cole/Rodon 1-2 punch. Rodon finished fifth in Cy Young voting in 2021 and sixth in 2022. Last season with the Giants, he posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.028 WHIP with 237 strikeouts in 31 starts (178 innings).
The IL
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
The reigning AL MVP was placed on the 10-day IL with a hip issue on Monday. He could return as early as Tuesday against Oakland.
Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers
The Rangers placed deGrom on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation last Sunday. Given the two-time Cy Young award winner’s injury history, this is the last thing Texas fans wanted to hear after inking him to a $185M deal in the offseason.
Kyle Wright, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Wright was placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder soreness on Friday. The righty opened the season on the IL with right shoulder inflammation, so this seems to be a nagging injury.
Jake Burger, 3B, Chicago White Sox
Burger was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained left oblique on Thursday.
Vince Velasquez, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Velasquez is on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. As of now, the team considers his IL designation to be precautionary.
Tyler Mahle, RHP, Minnesota Twins
Mahle was placed on the 60-day IL due to elbow soreness.
Dinelson Lamet, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Lamet was placed on the 15-day IL with low back stiffness.
Luis Garcia, RHP, Houston Astros
Garcia will undergo Tommy John surgery, which obviously means he will miss the rest of the 2023 season.
Jose Urquidy, RHP, Houston Astros
Another blow to Houston’s rotation: Urquidy landed on the 15-day IL with shoulder discomfort.
Pete Fairbanks, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays placed Fairbanks on the 15-day IL due to right forearm inflammation.
Avisail Garcia, OF, Miami Marlins
The Marlins placed Garcia on the 10-day IL with back tightness on Tuesday.
Nicky Lopez, INF, Kansas City Royals
Lopez was placed on the 10-day IL after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last Sunday.
Brandon Crawford, SS, San Francisco Giants
Crawford is on the 10-day IL with a calf strain.
Mike Yastrzemski, OF, San Francisco Giants
Yaz was placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain.
Kutter Crawford, RHP, Boston Red Sox
Crawford hit the 15-day IL with a hamstring strain on Friday.
Dominant on the Bump
Zach Eflin, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K, 0 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Detroit Tigers
8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 1 BB vs. New York Mets
Mason Miller, RHP, Oakland A’s
7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 4 BB vs. Seattle Mariners
Bryce Elder, RHP, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Miami Marlins
Domingo German, RHP, New York Yankees
8.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Cleveland Guardians
Anthony DeSclafani, RHP, San Francisco Giants
8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 0 BB vs. Houston Astros
Chris Bassitt, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 4 BB vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Chicago White Sox
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 3 BB vs. Minnesota Twins
Merrill Kelly, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 1 BB vs. Washington Nationals
Julio Urias, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 1 BB vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Colin Holderman, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Holderman pitched an immaculate inning (struck out the side on nine pitches) vs. the Rays.
Big Bombs
Nationals outfielder Alex Call collected his first walk-off homer Thursday vs. the Cubs.
Josh Jung, the AL Rookie of the Month for April, finished the month with a grand slam.
Andrew Vaughn completed the White Sox’ incredible seven-run ninth-inning comeback with a walk-off blast.
Alex Verdugo continued to be the hero for the Red Sox with his second walk-off homer of the season.
Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed two homers off Clayton Kershaw on Friday night.
Bryce Harper belted his first homer of 2023 on Saturday.
Welcome to The Show
Cubs first base prospect Matt Mervis was promoted and made his MLB debut on Friday vs. the Marlins. He went 1-for-4 with his first career RBI.
Mariners pitching prospect Bryce Miller struck out 10 A’s hitters and allowed only one run in his MLB debut on Tuesday.
Astros pitching prospect J.P. France debuted Saturday vs. the Mariners. In five innings, he allowed just three hits and no runs while striking out five hitters and walking one.
Quick Takeaways
The Red Sox are rolling. They’re riding an eight-game win streak thanks to a number of surprising key contributors, but primarily Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida, and JARREN DURAN??? The jury is still out on this club, but they will exceed everyone’s preseason expectations if those guys can stay hot and the rotation can work itself out. At the very least, they are worth your attention. That’s something many didn’t anticipate in spring training.
What in the world is going on with the Cardinals? The defending NL Central champs have the worst record in the NL at 10-23. The rotation probably deserves the biggest slice of the blame pie as it ranks 20th in ERA and 25th in quality starts. There’s time for St. Louis to bounce back, but it will have to do so soon. Otherwise, it could be a seller at this year’s trade deadline.
On the other end of the spectrum are the NL Central-leading Pirates (20-13) and the AL East-leading Rays (27-6). No one expected Pittsburgh to do anything this season and while Tampa had playoff aspirations, this remarkable run came out of nowhere. As much as I don’t want to be negative, I’d expect Pittsburgh to eventually crash back down to earth. As for the Rays, they have the misfortune of having two other 20-win teams (Red Sox and Orioles) breathing down their neck in the division.
Both New York teams have underwhelmed so far this year. The Yankees are last in the competitive AL East at 17-16 and the Mets own the same record, though they have the fortune of being in a weaker division (second in NL East). Injuries have factored into both of those mediocre starts, so it isn’t time to hit the panic button just yet. Give it another month.
Rapid Fire
Former Mets ace Matt Harvey retired after nine MLB seasons. An All-Star in 2013, he ends his career with a 50-66 record, 4.42 ERA, 867 strikeouts and 274 walks in 966.1 innings.
Shohei Ohtani became the second player in MLB history to record 500 career strikeouts on the mound and hit at least 100 home runs, joining Babe Ruth. Don’t take this modern-day legend for granted!
Justin Verlander finally made his Mets debut on Thursday after missing the first month due to injury. The three-time Cy Young award winner allowed two runs on five hits in five innings while striking out five Tigers hitters.
Another notable return from injury: Bryce Harper. The Phillies star made his season debut on Tuesday vs. the Dodgers after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He received a standing ovation from the Philly crowd on Friday and crushed his first homer of the season (as seen above) on Saturday.
For your feel-good story of the week, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks is cancer-free and returned to the mound for his rehab assignment. He pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Charlotte.
Lorenzo Cain signed a one-day contract to retire with the Royals on Saturday. The two-time All-Star outfielder spent seven years in Kansas City and won a World Series in 2015.
Former Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez opted out of his Giants contract after failing to make the roster by May 1. The Angels, who lost rookie Logan O’Hoppe to injury, reportedly are interested in signing him.
The Mariners released journeyman infielder Tommy La Stella. He hit .190/.292/.238 through 12 games with the club.
The Guardians optioned Zach Plesac to Triple-A. The struggling righty compiled a 7.59 ERA and 1.969 WHIP through five starts.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the rundown and want one in your inbox every Sunday, hit the subscribe button below. You can also gift a subscription (FREE) to the baseball fans in your life.
See ya next week!