Week That Was: Week That Was: Utley Uprooted
Chase Utley‘s legendary tenure in Philadelphia has come to an end. The 36-year-old infielder was dealt to the Dodgers on Wednesday, closing out a run of 13 seasons with the Phillies, during which he put together a pretty decent Hall of Fame case.
Utley never won an MVP award – never finished in the top six, actually – but during his prime years from 2006 through 2013 he hit .290/.378/.503 with 202 home runs. He long reigned as one of the game’s elite second basemen and while he longer offers that kind of ability in his late 30s, he still brings a disciplined approach with a bit of punch at the plate, so he could deliver a few big hits down the stretch for Los Angeles. He should see ample time at second for the Dodgers initially with Howie Kendrick sidelined.
* Aaron Hicks was finally turning the corner in Minnesota. Since returning from injury in the beginning of July, the embattled outfielder was slashing .287/.339/.487 with seven homers and 23 RBI in 40 games. Unfortunately, he strained his hamstring while running out a grounder in New York on Wednesday, and will miss a few weeks.
The ill-timed mishap did open the door for the return of top prospect Byron Buxton, who had been scorching Triple-A pitching with a .412 average in 13 games. The 21-year-old Buxton looked a bit overmatched in his earlier stint with the Twins, and might still struggle with some big-league breaking balls, but he’s worth adding in most leagues simply for his speed. He was batting leadoff in his return on Thursday.
* Buxton might be the fastest active player on a major-league roster now that Billy Hamilton has landed on the shelf with a sprained capsule in his right shoulder. No timetable has been set for his return, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s done for the year. Hamilton has struggled to a 562 OPS at the plate but he’s been a monster on the basepaths with 54 steals on 61 attempts.
* Glen Perkins was flawless in save chances over the first half of the season, and closed out a victory for the American League in the All Star Game. Since the break, however, he simply hasn’t looked like himself, with an 8.10 ERA. Maybe now we know why.
The lefty received a cortisone shot for his aching neck, and had an MRI done that fortunately ruled out any structural damage. He’s expected to be out of action for a few days, and Kevin Jepsen will be the top choice for saves in Minnesota during that time.
* The Padres failed to find a taker for Will Venable at the trade deadline, but finally moved him this week, sending the veteran outfielder to the Rangers in exchange for minor-leaguer Marcus Green and a player to be named later. For the most part, Venable has been merely decent as a hitter over the course of his career, but he definitely gains a lot more intrigue with the move from Petco to Arlington.
Venable figures to hold down left field regularly until Josh Hamilton returns to the field, and offers enough flexibility that he still should find his way into the lineup frequently afterward.
* Maikel Franco‘s impressive rookie season has likely come to an end. The third baseman has a non-displaced fracture in his wrist and will be in a brace for 2-3 weeks. He might make it back in time to play a handful of games before the year is over, but we wouldn’t count on it. Franco has hit .277/.340/.490 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 77 games for the Phillies this year, proving to be a rare bright spot on the worst team in baseball.
* Fellow NL Rookie of the Year candidate Randal Grichuk is also going to be sidelined for a while, though not quite as long. The Cardinals outfielder was placed on the disabled list on Monday with a low-grade ligament strain in his elbow. He should be back in mid-September.
* The Giants acquired veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd from the Reds in exchange for Double-A pitcher Stephen Johnson. Byrd, at 37, isn’t a great overall hitter at this point but he still boasts substantial power and the Giants – ranked 10th in the National League in home runs – could use it. The pickup helps make up for the loss of Hunter Pence, who went down with an oblique strain this week and will be out until mid-September.
* It speaks to the difficulties that Colorado has had replacing Adam Ottavino at closer that John Axford was reinstated in the role this week. The right-hander had been demoted in late July after blowing four saves in a span of 11 days, and has put up a 6.14 ERA in August, but the Rockies lack compelling alternatives. Axford is tough to trust but he should pick up a few saves the rest of the way.
* Daniel Norris strained his oblique while pitching against the Cubs on Wednesday and was placed on the DL. Even though an MRI showed this injury to be of the more mild variety, obliques always take at least a month to come back from, putting Norris’ return this year in doubt. In his stead, the Tigers may call up up top prospect Michael Fulmer, who is having a tremendous season in the minors but would be making the jump directly from Double-A.
* Norris wasn’t the only starter to drop out of the Tigers rotation this week. Anibal Sanchez is going to miss time due to a right rotator cuff strain, which might help explain his ugly recent results (7.52 ERA in August). He should be back in time to make a few more starts before season’s end.
* Madison Bumgarner hurled his second consecutive complete game on Sunday, this time a three-hit shutout against the Nationals. Over his past two outings he has notched 26 strikeouts while allowing only one run. Looks like the reigning World Series MVP is getting geared up for a postseason run, though his Giants are currently on the outside looking in.
* Jered Weaver is not the pitcher he once was, as his fastball velocity now routinely sits in the mid-80s and his K-rate has sagged as a result, but he’s still finding ways to be effective. The 33-year-old tossed 6 1/3 innings of scoreless ball against the White Sox on Wednesday and now has a 2.08 ERA in three starts since returning from a lengthy hiatus due to a hip injury. In those three outings, he has held opponents to a .203/.261/.297 hitting line. He’s available in about 50 percent of leagues and might be a nice sneaky add for the stretch run.
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