Week That Was: Week That Was: Debuts Galore
Beginner’s luck? For the most part, that didn’t exactly play out for the numerous young pitchers that made their major-league debuts this past week.
Jon Gray, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, made it through only four innings in his match-up against the Mariners at Coors Field, yielding three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. He did flash the impressive stuff that propelled him quickly to the MLB ranks, averaging 95 MPH with his fastball and mixing in a dirty high-80s slider, so it’s easy to see the 23-year-old’s upside. However, he was removed after only 77 pitches and that speaks to the caution with which Colorado will handle its top pitching prospect. He’s expected to be shut down after five more starts or so.
In Boston, another top prospect made his first appearance on the big-league stage, with left-hander Henry Owens getting the nod on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. He took the loss but looked decent, allowing three runs over five innings with five strikeouts and one walk. He had been holding Triple-A hitters to a .193 average over 21 starts at Pawtucket before being called up.
Tyler Duffey of the Twins received a rude welcome to the majors in Toronto, where he drew just about the toughest assignment a first-time starter could ask for against an intimidating Jays lineup. Duffey gave up two home runs, including a grand slam to Jose Bautista, and was chased after allowing six runs in just two innings. He was demoted back to Triple-A a day later, which seems a tad unfair.
The finest debut belonged to New York’s Luis Severino, who notched seven strikeouts while allowing no walks and two hits over five innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday. Just one of the two runs scored against him was earned, and he’s looking like a potentially huge boost to the Yankees rotation after going 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA in Triple-A before the call-up.
* The Yanks will be in need of Severino’s contributions, because they learned this week that Michael Pineda – sidelined with sore elbow – will be out until at least September. If he can’t get well by the time the playoffs roll around, it’s hard to like New York’s chances.
* David Price made his first start as a Blue Jay on Monday and he was phenomenal, fanning 11 over eight innings of one-run ball with only three hits and one walk allowed. He gave up a solo home run to Torii Hunter, but was otherwise in control all night, showing no ill effects from pitching in the hitter-friendly confines of Rogers Centre.
* The Tigers wasted no time getting two of the top prizes received in the price trade on the field. Daniel Norris took the hill on Sunday and looked tremendous, holding the Orioles to one run over 7 1/3 innings in his first big-league appearance since April. Next up was Matt Boyd, who started on Wednesday and also delivered, with seven innings of one-run ball against the Royals. Norris is worth a look in most mixed formats, whereas Boyd (owned in only 2 percent of Yahoo leagues) is more of a deep-league target.
* Amidst a breakout year, Jason Kipnis landed on the disabled list on Monday due to a sore shoulder that bad been bothering him for about a week. This injury isn’t considered serious and Kipnis should be back by the end of the month. In the meantime, Mike Aviles figures to get the lion’s share of time at second base.
* The Astros sent standout rookie Lance McCullers to Double-A following a brutal Monday outing in which he yielded six runs on seven hits while recording only one out. It was a very sudden downturn for the righty, who entered the start with a sparkling 2.48 ERA. While it might look like a demotion, it’s really just an effort to conserve the 21-year-old’s innings; McCullers won’t pitch for a couple weeks and is expected to be recalled in late August. It appears that Houston wants him available for September and October.
* Carlos Correa‘s power surge that started late last week carried over to this one, with Monday’s two-run blast marking his fourth in four games. Entering play on Saturday, the rookie shortstop sports an 892 OPS with 13 homers and eight steals (on nine attempts) in 50 games. Simply incredible.
* Stephen Strasburg is all set to return to the Nationals rotation this weekend, but the guy he’s replacing is not the one we might have expected. Rookie Joe Ross will stick around, with Doug Fister taking his 4.60 ERA and 1.42 WHIP to the bullpen. Fister’s average fastball velocity has dropped to a career-low 86 MPH this year, so we’ll see if he can add a few ticks in relief.
* The Rays claimed outfielder Daniel Nava, recently designated for assignment by the Red Sox, off waivers. Nava enjoyed a breakout year in 2013, when he hit .303/.385/.445 in 134 games for Boston, but he has since been unable to replicate that production, hitting .252 with a 665 OPS since the beginning of 2014. He’ll probably see a fair amount of playing time in Tampa but offers minimal upside at age 32.
* We have our first noteworthy August trade: Boston sent Mike Napoli to Texas in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. While playing for the Rangers in 2011 and 2012, Napoli put up a 931 OPS with 54 homers. He’s not the same player anymore at age 33, but still has some pop in his bat and could be an asset in Arlington as a weapon against lefties.
* Kyle Lohse went 5-13 with a hideous 6.37 ERA over the first four months for Milwaukee, and the Brewers finally decided they’d seen enough following another lousy outing last weekend. On Thursday, they announced that Lohse has been demoted to the bullpen. The 36-year-old Lohse had managed just five quality starts in 22 tries and might have a hard time drawing much interest as a free agent this winter. Replacing him in the rotation is Tyler Cravy, who could have a bit of deep-league appeal.
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