Injuries Idle NY Sluggers Before Subway Series
PLUS: TORRID TEXAS START SHOWS NO SIGN OF LETTING UP
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
In the entire history of the Mets, they had never blown three-game leads in three consecutive games — until the Atlanta series that ended with a 13-10, 10-inning defeat last night . . .
The second stint of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (sprained big toe) on the IL will likely be measured in weeks, keeping him sidelined for key series against the Red Sox and Mets . . .
Talk about return on investment, the Texas Rangers got almost nothing for signing Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract now that he needs Tommy John elbow surgery for the second time . . .
The Toronto Blue Jays are counting their lucky stars that baseball adopted a schedule in which every team plays every other team, thereby reducing games against divisional rivals. When this week started, Toronto was 6-15 against the AL East this season . . .
From Jayson Stark in The Athletic: through his first 49 games this year, Aaron Judge had the exact same number of home runs (19) and multi-homer games (4) as he did during his record 62-homer campaign of 2022, plus one more RBI (40-39) and extra-base hits (29-28) . . .
Jayson also writes that fellow MVP contender Shohei Ohtani has thus far yielded the lowest opponents’ batting average in the majors (as a pitcher) while also out-homering, out-singling, out-doubling and out-tripling everyone who faced him (as a hitter) . . .
Even with Sandy Alcantara losing five of his first six and suddenly seeming mortal on the mound, the Miami Marlins have become an unexpected contender in the National League East [which they have never won] . . .
In a clash of opposing philosophies, among the top teams at the one-third pole are the Atlanta Braves, who spent less on free agency than any other team, and the Texas Rangers, who spent $807 million over the last two winters to sign hitters Corey Seager and Marcus Semien plus pitchers deGrom, Martín Pérez, Jon Gray, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney . . .
Can Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna get Comeback of the Year for returning his .085 April into a .319 May?
Leading Off
Sluggers May Miss Next Week’s Subway Series
Fans of the two New York teams may feel deprived if they’re holding tickets to next week’s Subway Series.
Sluggers Aaron Judge, the Yankees outfielder, and Pete Alonso, who plays first base for the Mets, are not likely to participate because of injuries suffered this week.
Judge, making his second visit to the Injured List this year, smashed his big toe into a concrete base of a Dodger Stadium wall last week, while Alonso was hit in the wrist by a first-inning pitch from Atlanta’s Charlie Morton Wednesday night.
The 6’7” Judge is the defending American League MVP after hitting a league-record 62 homers last year, while Alonso is doing his best to keep up a similar pace.
The games are scheduled for June 13-14 at CitiField, the Flushing home of the Mets.
Pre-season prognosticators had suggested a possible World Series meeting of the two teams before injuries intervened.
The Mets, for example, spent gave pitching aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander matching $43.4 million contracts, making them the highest-paid players in the game, but both have been on and off the active roster.
At the same time, erstwhile All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor has been a shadow of his former self, flirting with the Mendoza Line all season. And he’s not the only culprit on an anemic offense.
If the season ended today, the Mets wouldn’t even make the playoffs — despite a bloated $377 million payroll that leads the majors by a substantial margin.
The Yankees have had their share of injuries too, with only Gerrit Cole holding up his end in the starting rotation. Josh Donaldson can still hit at age 37 but he’s more often idled with injuries than ready to play.
Highly-touted rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe has been a disappointment too.
Injuries are unpredictable, of course, and timing is everything in baseball — both on and off the field.
The Mets are fortunate that rookies Francisco Alvarez, now their No. 1 catcher, and Brett Baty, their new third baseman, have done so well since Buck Showalter made them regulars. But New York misses lights-out closer Edwin Diaz, by far the best relief man in the majors last year.
If the current run of mediocrity continues, look for both New York clubs to be active traders in advance of the Aug. 1 deadline. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is the author of 40 baseball books. He is a national baseball writer for forbes.com and covers the game for many other outlets. E.mail him at ballauthor@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
Wise Texas Investments Start to Pay Off
By Dan Schlossberg
Signing a new manager doesn’t guarantee instant success.
But signing a manager with a winning pedigree and signing proven players at the same time can prove a winning formula.
Just ask the Texas Rangers.
Over the past two years, they’ve spent $850 million on veteran free agents and coaxed Bruce Bochy, a three-time world champion in San Francisco, out of retirement.
The result is a juggernaut that has dominated the American League West even with Jacob deGrom’s elbow barking again (he needs a second Tommy John surgery).
Shooting from all six cylinders, Texas is tormenting foes with a blend of stalwart starting pitching and a powerful offense.
The earned run average of its starting rotation is second in the majors, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays, and helps compensate for a bullpen that needs to be buttressed.
But that hitting! Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, snatched from other clubs via free agency, have become the most potent double-play tandem in the majors. Semien has even emerged as an MVP candidate, although that trophy seems reserved for Aarin Judge or Shohei Ohtani.
“Their offense is elite,” Pittsburgh Pirates pilot Derek Shelton said after his team faced the Rangers. “It leads the league in a lot of categories.
“They can beat you in a ton of ways and when you’re playing them, it can really happen fast.”
According to New York Post columnist Joel Sherman, the Rangers are scoring more runs per game than any club since the 1950 Boston Red Sox, who finished that 154-game season with an average of 6.7.
Texas is getting contributions up and down the lineup, from people like catcher Jonah Heim, outfielder Adolis Garcia, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, and rookie third baseman Josh Jung, healed after suffering a turn labrum.
In addition to Jung, whom Sherman touts as a favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, shortstop Ezequiel Duran should also help after returning from an oblique injury. The former Yankees prospect has surprising pop.
Texas took two of three from the Yankees at the end of April and has been on a roll since. Nathan Eovaldi, stolen from the Red Sox for two years and $34 million, has been pitching like a potential Cy Young Award winner — just in time to fill the vacuum created by deGrom’s extended absence.
Martín Pérez, retained through a qualifying offer, has also steadied the rotation, along with Jon Gray, glad to escape Colorado, and much-maligned lefty Andrew Heaney.
No wonder the Rangers started the year with the best 55-game record in their history (35-20) and the second-best record in the majors.
Bochy, at 68 the second-oldest manager in the majors, is enjoying the ride. He just passed Walter Alston on the managerial wins list to move into the Top 10 all-time. He can clinch a spot in Cooperstown by taking Texas to its first world championship.
Here’s The Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg also writes for forbes.com, Latino Sports, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and other outlets. He’s working on a Hank Aaron book and promoting this year’s Baseball’s Memorable Misses: an Unabashed Look at the Game’s Craziest Zeroes. Not surprisingly, Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
Erstwhile All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, a hard-throwing lefty reliever going nowhere with the hapless Kansas City Royals, may be the top trade target for several contending clubs before the Aug. 1 trade deadline . . .
Kaycee could also be coaxed into moving veteran starter Zack Greinke and closer Scott Barlow . . .
With Aaron Judge injured and Aaron Hicks released, the Yankees would love to acquire a front-line outfielder who can hit . . .
Although he’s on the IL with a recurring blister issue, Noah Syndergaard can be pried from the Dodgers for the right price . . .
The Chicago White Sox, a huge disappointment so far, are dangling pitchers Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito, among others . . .
The Milwaukee Brewers are taking offers for Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, though it will take a lot to move him.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.