Baseball Daily Dose: Dose: A.J. to the Rescue
A.J. Burnett (elbow) is slated to rejoin the Pirates’ starting rotation on Thursday, and it couldn’t come at a better time as the Bucs attempt to chase down the Cardinals to secure a division title.
The 38-year-old right-hander has already made it clear that he intends to retire following the 2015 season, but he has also shown that he has plenty left in the tank. Through 21 starts before landing on the disabled list, Burnett compiled a 3.06 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 114/36 K/BB ratio over 135 1/3 innings.
What’s unclear at the moment is which hurler he’ll replace in the Pirates’ rotation. For now, they’ll simply skip Gerrit Cole one time through the rotation to allow their ace an extra few days of rest as they hope to keep him fresh for the stretch run. While the most logical candidate to get bumped seems like J.A. Happ, the left-hander has been outstanding in six starts since coming over from the Mariners, posting a 1.57 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 32/7 K/BB ratio across 34 1/3 innings. That would leave either Jeff Locke or Charlie Morton as the odd-man out.
The Pirates will enter play on Tuesday just two games back of the Cardinals in the National League Central. With Burnett back in the fold atop the rotation, the Pirates are poised to challenge for their first division title since 1992.
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Mets Looking to Cap Harvey at 200 Innings
The Mets announced Sunday that their plan is to limit Matt Harvey to less than 200 innings combined between the regular season and postseason.
To date, the right-hander has logged 166 1/3 innings on the season. Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed Sunday that Harvey will make his next start on Tuesday against the Nationals and that he would start again during the final series of the regular season. He would not commit to any starts for Harvey in between those dates.
While doctors have apparently recommended a cap of 180 innings for Harvey in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, all parties have apparently agreed to this plan. Look for Logan Verrett to slide into Harvey’s spot in the rotation for several starts down the stretch, making him an interesting streaming option in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues.
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Bradley Jr. Jacks Another One
Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his hot-hitting ways in Monday’s victory over the Blue Jays, going 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
It has been a tale of two seasons for the 25-year-old outfielder. Prior to his demotion to Triple-A Pawtucket on July 2, Bradley was hitting a paltry .133/.229/.233 with one homer and two RBI in very limited action. Since his return on July 29, he has been absolutely murdering the baseball, hitting .360 (40-for-111) with seven homers and 34 RBI in 35 games.
Not only has he become fantasy-relevant in all mixed leagues, he appears to have also carved out a starting role for himself in the Red Sox’ outfield heading into the 2016 season.
American League Quick Hits: Matt Wieters missed his third consecutive game with a sore wrist, but is hopeful he’ll return on Tuesday. … Adam LaRoche was scratched from Monday’s lineup and is day-to-day with tendinitis in his right knee. … Stephen Vogt remained out of the A’s lineup on Monday after taking a foul ball off his groin in Sunday’s game. … Adam Jones was forced to leave Monday’s game due to soreness in his shoulder and is also dealing with wrist soreness. … Keone Kela (elbow) is hopeful that he’ll return to the Rangers bullpen on Tuesday. … Ryan Raburn blasted a pair of home runs off Chris Sale as the Indians topped the White Sox. … Glen Perkins (back) is making very slow progress in his recovery and isn’t expected to return this week. … Sean Doolittle picked up his first save of the season with a perfect ninth inning against the Astros. … Delino DeShields is considered day-to-day with a right knee sprain. … Shawn Tolleson earned his 30th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning against the Mariners. … Josh Donaldson slugged his 37th home run of the season in a losing effort against the Red Sox and leads all of baseball with his 115 RBI. … Alex Rodriguez launched his 29th home run of the season as the Bombers dispatched the Orioles to pull to within 1/2 game of the Blue Jays for the division lead in the American League East. … Yovani Gallardo pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings on Monday, defeating the Mariner to pull the Rangers to within two games in the American League West.
National League Quick Hits: The Nationals are considering shutting down Joe Ross (fatigue) for the remainder of the 2015 season. … Stephen Strasburg (back) has been cleared to return to the Nats’ rotation on Wednesday. … Jose Fernandez (biceps) plans to rejoin the Marlins’ rotation n Saturday against the Nationals. … Joe Panik (back) returned to the Giants’ lineup on Monday after missing a month with a lower back injury. … Billy Hamilton (shoulder) is expected to return to the Reds’ lineup on Tuesday. … Wilson Ramos blasted a grand slam in Monday’s loss to the Mets. … Zach Davies earned his first major league win, twirling seven innings of one-run ball against the Marlins. … Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI as the Mets topped the Nationals to increase their division lead to five games. … Jimmy Rollins is set to undergo X-rays to determine the severity of the hand injury he sustained on Sunday. … Hector Olivera belted his first major league home run in a victory over the Phillies. … Adam Wainwright threw a successful light bullpen session on Monday, but is still an extreme longshot to return this season.
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