Live Blog: The best of Wednesday's MLB action
Welcome to the Eye. It is here that we’ll be building out a monster of a daily recap post throughout the day and night. We’ll have recaps, injury news, rumors, fun stuff and a look ahead to Thursday. Park it here or just come back in the morning, to each his or her own.
As for Wednesday, we’ve got a full slate with five day games included. The Cubs and Nationals will each be trying to win their fifth straight game, while the Mets will seek to avoid their seventh straight loss — a loss that would drop them below the .500 mark for the year.
Also notable is that 28-year-old right-hander Ivan Nova will be making his return to the Yankees’ rotation on Wednesday, as he opposes trade bait Cole Hamels and the Phillies. Nova, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year, brings with him a career ERA+ of 100 and a K/BB ratio of 2.25. Nova enjoyed a good developmental season in 2013, as he pitched to an ERA of 3.10, set career bests in FIP and K/BB ratio and generally did a much better job of managing contact off the bat. Command has never been Nova’s strongest trait, and often that’s the last thing to return to a pitcher coming off reconstructive elbow surgery. That said, in 31 1/3 minor-league rehab innings this season, Nova recorded 20 strikeouts against just six walks.
The Yankees need some worthy innings from him, as they presently rank 12th in AL with a rotation ERA of 4.50. Developing!
Ivan Nova takes the ball for Yankees on Wednesday for the first time in a long time. (USATSI)
Oh, and let’s not forget that White Sox ace Chris Sale will be going for his record sixth straight start of at least 12 strikeouts.
Now let’s open the Eye …
Today’s MLB action (all times ET) (Full scoreboard)
Milestone Watch
Longest current hit streak: Jason Kipnis of the Indians is at 18 games and counting. In a related matter, Kipnis this season is batting .354/.428/.523.
Elsewhere …
– Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez is at 3,006 hits, which puts him one shy of tying Al Kaline for 27th place on the all-time list.
– Albert Pujols, who has 1,650 career RBI, needs two more to tie Tony Perez for 28th place all-time.
– As noted above, Chris Sale is going for his sixth straight start of at least 12 strikeouts. He’s presently tied with Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez with five such starts. He’s also tied with Johnson with a record six straight starts of at least 10 strikeouts.
Daily Awards
All-Star Game teaster of the day: Looking good, Queen City …
The 86th MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati is 20 days away. #ASG #VoteReds pic.twitter.com/J71UCgzRFo
— #VoteReds (@Reds) June 24, 2015
Optimism of the day: Needless to say, the Mariners need vintage Robinson Cano in the worst way …
.@RobinsonCano is hitting .323 with 4 runs, 3 doubles, 1 home run and 4 RBI since June 15. #GoMariners pic.twitter.com/eY1FDs9l9s
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 24, 2015
Pre-game view of the day: It’s been a rainy and gray spring and early summer, but this is definitely more like it …
A beautiful day for a matinee. pic.twitter.com/qGwmnVKHFE
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) June 24, 2015
More to come.
Injuries, News & Rumors
Giants OF Nori Aoki suffers fractured leg, manager says
Cubs prospect Javier Baez to begin rehab in Arizona
McClendon hoping Martinez will be positive influence on Mike Zunino
Yankees’ Andrew Miller throws 25 times from 60 feet
Royals P Joe Blanton could start Tuesday in Houston
Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz not expecting to be traded
Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera out of lineup for second time in 2015
Royals’ Yordano Ventura expected to throw 75 pitches Friday
Astros rookie Carlos Correa joins some elite company
Giants RP Sergio Romo leaves Tuesday’s game with knee injury
Click here for more MLB player news.
Looking Ahead to Thursday’s MLB action (all times ET)
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
