Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Heeeeere's Johnny!
Johnny Cueto delivered an outstanding performance against the Tigers on Monday, proving to be every bit the ace that the Royals organization had hoped for when acquiring him from the Reds at the trade deadline.
While he had pitched well in his first two starts with his new squad, Cueto kicked it up a notch on Monday, registering his second shutout of the season and sixth of his major league career with nine dazzling innings against the Tigers. He scattered just four hits along the way while striking out eight. The only extra-base hit in the contest was a double off the bat of J.D. Martinez.
He now boasts a 2.05 ERA and 17/4 K/BB ratio over 22 innings in Kansas City, and will be counted on to lead the Royals to an American League Central Division title.
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Uehara down for the count
The Red Sox bullpen suffered a major blow on Monday when closer Koji Uehara was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist. The 40-year-old right-hander will miss the remainder of the 2015 season.
It’s a tough blow for fantasy owners, as Uehara had compiled a stellar 2.23 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 47/9 K/BB ratio over 40 1/3 innings on the season while successfully converting 25 saves.
Junichi Tazawa would appear to be the top candidate for saves in the Red Sox bullpen, and is worthy of an add in all mixed leagues where speculating on saves. Red Sox manager John Farrell has been leery of trusting him in the ninth inning in the past though, and could opt to go with someone like Jean Machi instead, while keeping Tazawa in the eighth inning.
He keeps on CarGoing
Carlos Gonzalez continued his assault on National League pitching on Monday, blasting yet another home run in a losing effort against the Mets.
After he floundered for the first few months of the season, Gonzalez has completely turned things around and been one of the best all-around hitters in all of baseball since then. In his last 28 games, he’s hitting .389 (42-for-108) with a mind-boggling 16 home runs and 36 RBI.
His season slash now sits at .281/.337/.548 after hitting .219/.296/.331 through the first two months of the season. Gonzalez is fifth in the National League with 26 long balls and has driven in 64 runs on the season.
American League Quick Hits: Marcus Stroman (knee) has been cleared to begin throwing, and could begin a minor league rehab assignment within two weeks. … Avisail Garcia blasted a pair of home runs and drove home four in a victory over the Angels. … The Orioles acquired Matt Buschmann from the Reds for cash considerations. … Miguel Cabrera (ankle) was able to do some light running on Monday and is aiming to return before the end of the week. … Red Sox signed veteran southpaw Rich Hill to a minor league contract. … Twins activated Byron Buxton from the 15-day DL and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester. … The Blue Jays don’t expect Devon Travis (shoulder) to return until September. … M’s manager Lloyd McClendon doesn’t expect James Paxton (finger) to make another start this season. … Desmond Jennings (knee) wrapped up his minor league rehab assignment and will join the Rays on Tuesday. … Matt Shoemaker saw his scoreless-inning streak snapped as he was tagged for seven runs in a loss to the White Sox.
National League Quick Hits: Howie Kendrick landed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. … Vance Worley accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis and will continue to provide rotational depth for the Pirates. … Steven Matz (lat) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday. … Michael Cuddyer returned from the disabled list, but did not play in Monday’s game against the Rockies. … Phillies acquired Tyler Pastornicky from the Rangers for cash considerations. … The Phillies placed Chase Utley on revocable trade waivers and could look to deal the veteran second baseman before the end of the month. … A.J. Burnett (elbow) was able to play catch on Saturday and Sunday and holds out hope for a return this season. … Jason Heyward has yet to engage in any substantive talks with the Cardinals about a contract extension. …Marlins signed Erik Cordier to a minor league deal.
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