Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Kazmir Goes South
The first domino in the trade deadline dealing has fallen, and it fell about as far south as possible.
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Scott Kazmir was dealt from the Athletics to the Astros on Thursday, jumping from one of the teams with the worst record in the league to one among the best. In exchange for Kazmir, the Astros sent catching prospect Jacob Nottingham and pitching prospect Daniel Mengden to the Athletics.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Kazmir checked a lot of the boxes for the club.
“He’s actually performed as well if not better than we expected on most days,” Luhnow said shortly after the deal was completed. “He’s one of the top starters in the American League. We looked at a lot of his games this year, he pitches deep into games, doesn’t walk guys, doesn’t give up a lot of hits. I don’t think he’s given up double-digit hits once this whole season. He’s just a performer. If you look at a guy who can plug into our situation here and make us better, he’s really at the top of the list.”
In Kazmir, the Astros acquire an impending free agent who has a 2.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 101/35 K/BB ratio over 109 2/3 innings this season. It is also a homecoming for Kazmir, a Houston native who dreamed of playing for the Astros.
The other side of the deal sees the A’s become the first team on the fence to openly admit it is selling as the deadline approaches. Nottingham, 20, is the prize piece for A’s general manager Billy Beane, a catcher who is hitting .32/.383/.558 with 14 homers and 60 RBI between two minor league levels this season.
“For a catcher to be potentially a middle-of-the-order hitter, that’s really unusual,” Beane said. “We sent a few of our scouts to watch some guys in their system, and this kid really stood out, and they have a very deep system, so they were an attractive team to engage with.”
The 22-year-old Mengden owns a 3.46 ERA and 84/26 K/BB ratio over 88 1/3 innings in the minors this year. He was a fourth-round pick by the Astros a year ago.
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Kershawesome
There was a time, however fleeting, when Clayton Kershaw appeared mortal.
On May 22, the big southpaw was 2-3 with a 4.32 ERA through nine starts. The questions — if not concerns — were abundant, and while nobody was ready to write him off, there was something not quite right about Kershaw.
Those days are gone. Kershaw now owns a 2.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and pornographic 185/27 K/BB ratio on the year after dominating the hapless Mets in New York on Thursday. The 27-year-old tossed a complete-game shutout, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finishing with three hits allowed, no walks and 11 strikeouts.
The outcome was almost predetermined, a combination of Kershaw’s recent brilliance and a Mets lineup that featured John Mayberry Jr. as its cleanup hitter. The lineup, missing Michael Cuddyer and still without David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud, managed just three singles off the lefty, and every starter struck out at least once.
“I definitely thought we’d see a perfect game tonight, the way he was throwing and the way they were swinging,” said Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal.
It’s not insane to expect such feats from Kershaw these days. Nothing is. With Thursday’s effort, Kershaw now has a 29-inning scoreless streak, bested only by his teammate Zack Greinke, who is currently riding a 43 2/3-inning streak of his own.
It wasn’t always this way. Two months ago, it would have been absurd to suggest Kershaw might win a third straight Cy Young. Now, it’s just as absurd to think he won’t.
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Godley Debut
If Zack Godley wasn’t a household name before Thursday, he…well, he probably still isn’t.
But Godley certainly acquitted himself well in his MLB debut against the Brewers, tossing six shutout innings as the Diamondbacks prevailed 8-3. Godley surrendered just four hits without issuing a walk, striking out seven.
It was an impressive performance regardless of context, but it’s even more noteworthy given that Godley’s season started at High-A. The 25-year-old had made just three starts at the Double-A level prior to being promoted to start Thursday’s game in place of the injured Chase Anderson.
And while Thursday’s start was likely a fairytale story for Godley, the carriage may turn into a pumpkin before long. Godley drew “mixed reviews” from rival scouts prior to his promotion, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, and his own pitching coordinator, Dan Carlson, intimated that Godley’s skillset isn’t that of an ace.
“He’s a bulldog pitcher,” Carlson said before Thursday’s start. “You give him a ball and he’s going to come at you. He’s aggressive. He’s the kind of guy that can take a butter knife into a gun fight and come out a winner somehow.”
With a start like that, Godley almost certainly earned another turn or two in the rotation. Still, outside of NL-only leagues he’s best left for another dreamer.
National League Quick Hits: The Astros weren’t the only team getting better Thursday, as the Pirates made a deal to shore up a weakness of their own. The club acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Brewers for minor league reliever Yhonathan Barrios. Ramirez will be the team’s everyday third baseman down the stretch with Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer sidelined for long periods of time … Greinke likely won’t have the chance to prolong his streak on Friday, as he’s expected to miss his scheduled start for the birth of his first child. The Dodgers have yet to name a starter for Friday’s game against the Mets … Travis d’Arnaud (elbow) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment with High-A St. Lucie on Friday. The rehab trip was supposed to start on Thursday, but a rainout pushed it back a day. Mets manager Terry Collins said he thinks d’Arnaud could be back next weekend if all goes well … Former Marlins closer Steve Cishek is reportedly in the crosshairs of at least four clubs. The Cardinals are the only known party, but they may not even be the most aggressive team in the mix for the right-handed reliever … With Kershaw on the mound, the Mets had plenty of reasons not to promote top prospect Michael Conforto on Thursday. It remains to be seen whether the left-handed hitting outfielder will be added in the coming days … Cuddyer remained sidelined Thursday with a lingering left knee injury … Francisco Cervelli (wrist) returned to the Pirates lineup Thursday. Cervelli showed no lingering effects after taking a pitch off his right arm on Monday, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run in the contest … Yunel Escobar (hand, wrist) was out of the Nationals’ lineup on Thursday. The infielder appeared to suffer a serious injury to his hand or wrist on a pair of check swings Wednesday, but X-rays were negative. He’ll have an MRI on the hand/wrist area, after which more should be known.
American League Quick Hits: David Freese, who left Wednesday’s game after being hit in the hand by a pitch, was diagnosed with a right thumb fracture on Thursday. The non-displaced fracture will likely keep him out at least three weeks … In a bit of a shocking move, the Indians are reportedly willing to listen on Carlos Carrasco. The right-hander is signed to a team-friendly deal that could run through 2020, but the Tribe appear to be sellers and Carrasco could bring back a haul if dealt … Yovani Gallardo has drawn interest from the Dodgers, per reports. Gallardo, who owns a 2.91 ERA, is among a slew of quality starting pitchers with potential to be dealt prior to the July 31 trade deadline … Drew Hutchison missed his scheduled Thursday start due to flu-like symptoms, but it’s not something that should keep him out for more than a few days … A potentially scary situation with Jose Reyes turned out relatively well Thursday, as the shortstop left Thursday’s game after taking an errant throw off his face. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Reyes was “spitting a little blood” but that he was otherwise fine. Gibbons said he thinks Reyes should be able to play Friday despite leaving Thursday’s game.
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