Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Day Wacha
The Cardinals held the Reds scoreless over the final eight innings of their 13-inning win on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, Michael Wacha picked up where they left off.
The right-hander, tasked with easing the burden on a bullpen that saw six relievers used in Wednesday’s 4-3 victory, threw seven shutout innings against the Reds on Thursday, leading the Cards to a 3-0 win. Wacha struck out six while allowing four hits and two walks in the outing.
“It’s all about getting in that routine out there on the mound and getting in that rhythm,” said Wacha, who improved to 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA against the Reds this season. “I found it out there and was able to throw a lot of strikes and get a lot of early outs.”
Wacha improved to 13-4 on the year with the win, and it was his second straight outing tossing seven scoreless innings. Wacha is second only to Gerrit Cole in wins in the National League with Thursday’s victory.
Wacha has also been remarkably proficient during the daytime this season. After Thursday, the 24-year-old is 5-2 with a 2.08 ERA in nine day starts this season.
Wacha had a three-start stretch around the All-Star break in which he appeared mortal, allowing 13 runs over 17 innings, but he seems to have righted the ship. It has already been a career year for Wacha, including his first All-Star Game, and he doesn’t seem to be losing steam as August begins.
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Strasburg Shuffles Nats Rotation
Doug Fister has gone from 16-game winner to long reliever in less than a year.
Fister, who has struggled with injury and inefficiency this season, was moved to the bullpen on Thursday to make room in the rotation for Stephen Strasburg‘s return to the active roster on Saturday. Fister is 4-7 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.42 WHIP through 15 starts this year.
The move means 22-year-old Joe Ross will remain in the rotation for the time being. Ross has been a godsend for the beleaguered Nationals rotation in recent weeks, posting a 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 40/4 K/BB ratio over six starts in 2015.
Catcher Wilson Ramos said Ross has earned his spot in the rotation.
“Joe? I’ve been catching him a lot this year, and right now, this is one of the guys we need in the rotation, definitely,” Ramos said. “Amazing guy. He’s throwing really good. He helps the team a lot, so that’s what we need right now. We need guys who can help the team.”
Even though Fister was demoted in the near term, he may not be done as a starter in 2015. The Nats will limit Ross’ innings — although not set limit was revealed by the club — and when he’s shut down, the team will be forced to look elsewhere for starts, according to Nationals manager Matt Williams.
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Khrush Davis
The trades of Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra opened the door for Khris Davis. On Thursday, Davis knocked the door down entirely.
Davis homered twice in the Brewers’ 10-1 trouncing of the Padres on Thursday, finishing 3-for-5 with six RBI. Davis now has nine homers through 69 games this year.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell spoke with reporters Wednesday, saying he thought Davis was “close” to a breakout at the dish.
“I don’t know if I can describe it,” Counsell said Wednesday when asked what he noticed. “It’s just swings he takes in a game. He’s got a little bit of a different swing but you kind of see it.
“You know it’s coming but you’ve got to get him in there to make it happen.”
It was a much-needed display from Davis, who had homered just twice since returning to the active lineup on July 7. Davis hit just .186/.271/.349 in July.
The 27-year-old hit 11 homers in 56 games as a rookie in 2013, batting .279/.353/.596 that year. Last season he struggled to a .244/.299/.457 line but still managed to hit 22 homers.
The upside is evident with Davis. With no more roadblocks in his path, perhaps he’ll deliver on some of that upside over the season’s final two months.
National League Quick Hits: Chase Utley (ankle) will be activated from the disabled list on Friday. Utley has been out since June 22 due to a nagging right ankle injury, and he had lost his starting job to Cesar Hernandez prior to hitting the DL … Michael Cuddyer (knee) is expected to return from the disabled list on Saturday. It’s unclear who will be removed from the 25-man roster — rookie Michael Conforto remains a possibility — to make room for Cuddyer … Fister wasn’t the only starter relegated to a bullpen role recently. Kyle Lohse, who owns a 6.31 ERA through 22 starts, was moved to the bullpen prior to Thursday’s game … Mets reliever Jerry Blevins, recovering from a left arm fracture, re-injured the distal radius fracture in his arm on Thursday. He’ll require season-ending surgery before becoming a free agent this winter … Angel Pagan (knees) returned to the Giants lineup Thursday after missing three straight games. The outfielder went 0-for-4 in his return.
American League Quick Hits: Brian McCann sat out again Thursday with a left knee injury. He should be back in the lineup in the next day or two … Rusney Castillo moved up to leadoff for the Red Sox on Thursday. After Thursday’s 1-for-5 game, Castillo is hitting .267/.300/.352 after a slow start … Victor Martinez helped the Tigers edge the Royals on Thursday, homering twice and driving in five runs … Ian Kinsler hit just one home run, but it was a big one. The second baseman hit a two-run walk-off homer to down the Royals in the Tigers’ 8-6 win.
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