Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Zimmerman Raking
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Sorry. Scratch that. The closest thing we get to a #ForceFriday in this space is a force out at second.
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Not so long ago — August 23, to be exact — in the nation’s capital, Ryan Zimmerman was having a miserable season. Ravaged by injuries and racked with ineffectiveness, Zimmerman was hitting just .223/.297/.394 through the 82 games his body had let him play to that point. The 30-year-old was still an everyday player for the Nationals, but that fact was due more to necessity — the Nats have had their share of injuries across the board this year — than merit.
Then something changed. Since the start of the Padres series the following Tuesday, Zimmerman has been one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, and he’s almost single-handedly kept the Nationals’ slim playoff chances alive in the process.
Zimmerman did it again Thursday, finishing 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored before being removed in a blowout win over the Braves. The previous night, he homered twice and drove in the game-winning run with an RBI double to help the Nats edge the Cardinals. The second home run in that game was also the 200th of his career.
“It’s pretty special,” Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon said Wednesday of his teammate’s good stretch. “There’s nothing fazing him right now. He’s locked in. I’ve always said throughout my career, I’d rather face a great hitter than a hot hitter and he’s as hot as they get right now.”
With the good couple of games, the first baseman is now 16-for-40 (.400) with seven homers, 22 RBI and 10 runs scored in his past 10 games. After months of frustration, Zimmerman has raised his line to a less-unsightly .244/.306/.470 with 16 homers, 71 RBI and 41 runs scored on the year.
Zimmerman is the odds-on favorite to win National League Player of the Week and any other accolades they can think to throw at him, but for his part, the veteran said he’d rather not even acknowledge the feat.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Zimmerman said, with a smile, when asked if this was his career-best hot stretch. “I’d rather just come to the field and keep doing the stuff that I’ve been doing before the game and staying consistent and going out with that approach and not trying to do too much and just the ball hard.”
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Seager Makes Debut
Most of the exciting young talent that will arrive this year was already in the majors, and Corey Seager‘s promotion Thursday was likely the cherry on top.
The top prospect left in the minors, according to some, was promoted by the Dodgers to fill in for the injured Jose Peraza for a few days, but he was also brought up to help the club as they make a run up to October. That will be where Seager’s journey ends regardless of his team’s success — since he was brought up after September 1, Seager is not eligible in the postseason.
He was inserted into the Dodgers lineup immediately upon arrival and wasted little time contributing Thursday, doubling and scoring a run in his second at-bat and adding a two-RBI single later in the game while manning the shortstop position. It’s that natural talent, and his personality to go along with it, that makes him special, according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.
“No. 1 obviously is his ability,” Mattingly said of Seager. “You’re not going to get the kind of accolades he is getting in the Minor Leagues and have the success you are having down there without being able to play.
“What has a chance to set him apart is his demeanor. He has a really good vibe about everything. He is a humble kid, but he is confident. It’s not like he is afraid. And the baseball IQ, from what we’ve been able to see and from the reports, is he has a really good feel for the game. I think there are a lot of intangibles you like about Corey.”
Seager likely won’t monopolize playing time down the stretch — Jimmy Rollins is still the starter at short, and the Dodgers have no shortage of infielders — but he’s not far away. The 21-year-old is a must-own in dynasty leagues and will be firmly on the redraft radar in 2016.
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Perkins Out; Jepsen Closing
Glen Perkins‘ back has put him, well, on his back.
The reliever was unavailable for Wednesday’s game against the White Sox due to back spasms, and on Thursday he stayed behind while the team left for Houston on a pivotal road trip. It was so bad that Perkins couldn’t get out of bed Wednesday after pitching — and earning the save — in Tuesday’s game.
“I felt damn near 100 percent on Tuesday and had no idea that I was going to wake up on Wednesday morning and feel like this,” Perkins said. “Then I went out and I was sitting out (in the bullpen) last night with Boyer and said I couldn’t believe that I was pitching 24 hours ago.”
Perkins will need to be able to function before talk of a return can happen, and Kevin Jepsen will close for the Twins in the meantime. The right-hander has a 2.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 48/25 K/BB ratio over 57 1/3 innings this season.
With Perkins having already missed time due to a neck issue, Jepsen has 10 saves thus far this season, including closing out the 3-0 win on Wednesday as Perkins watched. As long as Perkins is away from the team, Jepsen should be owned in all fantasy formats.
National League Quick Hits: His lows are low, but when Carlos Gonzalez is on a tear it’s silly season. The outfielder was at it again Thursday after collecting seven RBI Wednesday, finishing 4-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in a win over the Giants. CarGo how has 35 home runs, 84 RBI, 75 runs scored and a .276/.333/.563 line on the year … Andrew McCutchen said Thursday that he is dealing with a tight Achilles. He missed Thursday’s game but will almost certainly be back for a big series with the Cardinals starting Friday … Stephen Strasburg (back) came out of a bullpen session fine on Thursday, and he’s on track to make a start against the Mets next week. It seems he dodged a bullet after leaving his most recent start due to upper back discomfort … Tim Lincecum‘s season is over after he underwent season-ending surgery on his hip Thursday morning. If we hadn’t seen the last of Lincecum as an effective pitcher already, we may have now … Daniel Murphy left Wednesday’s game with a quad injury, and on Thursday the team was still calling it a mild strain. He’s day-to-day for now … The aforementioned Peraza will be out 3-5 days with a sore hamstring. As noted, the Dodgers are fine without Peraza, having Seager, Justin Turner and Kike Hernandez among their middle infield options … Bryce Harper (glute) was back in the Nats’ lineup on Thursday, drawing four walks and scoring four runs. His teammate Michael Taylor (knee) wasn’t so lucky — Taylor was out for a second straight game after being a late scratch Wednesday … Matt Harvey suffered from dehydration and felt weak after Wednesday’s win over the Phillies, but that won’t preclude him from making his next start as scheduled.
American League Quick Hits: Mike Moustakas (hamstring) sat out again Thursday, his third straight missed start. Despite the injury being called day-to-day, the Royals don’t need to rush Moustakas back, a blessing for them but a curse for fantasy owners who would like his bat in their lineup … White Sox top pitching prospect Erik Johnson will start Sunday against the Royals. Johnson had a 2.37 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 136/41 K/BB ratio over 132 2/3 innings with Triple-A Charlotte this season … Phil Hughes (back) threw a bullpen session on Thursday. He’ll throw another Sunday before joining the Twins in Kansas City for a simulated game next week, after which he may be ready for a return … The Royals feasted on Tigers pitching Thursday, banging out 20 hits and scoring 15 runs in a lopsided victory. Both Ben Zobrist and Kendrys Morales collected four hits in the affair, Zobrist scoring three runs with Morales driving in four … An Eddie Rosario grand slam wasn’t enough to propel the Twins past the White Sox on Thursday.
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