Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Hold On, Hamels
An extra day of rest for the Rangers’ ace could have big implications on a number of fronts.
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The club made official Thursday what was suspected on Wednesday, acknowledging that they will push Cole Hamels‘ next scheduled start from Sunday’s series finale against the Athletics to Monday’s opener against the Astros. The Rangers will recall Chi Chi Gonzalez to make the start Sunday in place of Hamels.
The move was made, in part, because Hamels took a line drive off his shoulder during his most recent start Tuesday. Hamels downplayed the seriousness of it Wednesday, though, likening it to a booster shot.
More importantly, according to Rangers manager Jeff Banister, pushing the southpaw back a day will allow him to kick off a very important series against a division rival.
“This is why we got Cole,” Banister said. “This is why he is here.”
Banister acknowledged the added benefit of giving Hamels extra rest, even if only for a day.
“The extra day is huge this time of year,” Banister said. “There are so many factors involved that wear the body down. It’s big to get that extra 24 hours.”
It’s less exciting news for select fantasy owners. Once a two-start pitcher, Hamels getting pushed back means owners will only get the Tuesday start, in which he allowed four runs over seven innings in a win, this week.
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Amaro Out In Philly
The Phillies are finally headed in the right direction again as an organization, and they’ll have a new general manager to lead them into the future after Thursday.
The club dismissed general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. on Thursday, promoting assistant general manager Scott Proefrock to interim GM while they conduct the search for their next general manager. Phillies president Andy McPhail, who has only been with the organization since June but has been around the game for decades, said the next general manager will have the ability to make decisions about the team’s future without having to run everything through him.
“Ownership has made it clear… that they certainly want me involved in baseball operations, so let’s face it, I’m not here because of any marketing acumen I have,” McPhail said. “I’ve been in this role before, I’ve had GMs under me before… I think they feel like they had a fair amount of autonomy, which I think is important to them, for them to be able to do their job. They can’t be in short pants running back to the president every time they have to make a decision. I have to create a culture where they have fairly good autonomy. They should keep me apprised, but that is a balance that I’m going to have to strike.”
The writing for Amaro had been on the wall for some time, but the former GM left some parting gifts for his successor. Amaro’s biggest deal in recent years was trading the aforementioned Hamels to the Rangers for a package of prospects that included catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Nick Williams and starter Jake Thompson. Amaro also deserves credit for hitting on 2014 No. 7 overall pick Aaron Nola, who is already pitching with the big club.
“The conclusion I reached was that we needed a fresh perspective in the baseball operations department,” MacPhail said. “I think in fairness, it would be difficult to make the case that Ruben Amaro did not do good work while I was here. I think he really did. I had a chance to watch him personally navigate through this past trade deadline. I think this organization is going to bare the fruits of his labors for years to come based on what he did on that day. But if I’m entrusted to create a baseball operations department that is going to compete and achieve success and sustain success over a long period of time, I felt that a change was required.”
No timetable for a new GM was given, although the team would likely endeavor to have one in place by the time free agency starts up this fall.
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Brantley Twice As Nice
Michael Brantley may not end up repeating his MVP-level 2014 season, but his encore still leaves little to be desired.
Brantley emphatically reminded folks that he’s still a rare talent Thursday, mashing two home runs — including a game-winning two-run shot in the eighth — in a win over the Tigers. Brantley finished 2-for-5 with the two homers and three RBI.
The 28-year-old burst onto the scene last season, batting .327/.385/.506 with 20 homers, 97 RBI, 94 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. Brantley was a first-time All-Star and finished third in the MVP voting.
Injuries have hurt some of Brantley’s counting stats this year, but the outfielder is still enjoying a terrific offensive season in 2015. After Thursday’s performance, Brantley is hitting .319/.388/.499 with 15 homers, 81 RBI, 65 runs and 14 steals. Brantley has actually walked more often than he’s struck out this season, taking 56 free passes while fanning just 45 times.
The question heading into this year was whether Brantley’s breakout last season was legitimate. The question heading into next year will be how early is too early to take the rising star.
National League Quick Hits: Matt Holliday (quad) said he expects to be activated at some point during the Cardinals’ current road trip. Holliday will run the bases Friday, after which he may be activated and eased in as a pinch-hitter … After missing almost six weeks with right elbow inflammation, A.J. Burnett made his return to the mound Thursday. The right-hander allowed three runs over five innings against the Brewers, and he didn’t factor in the decision … Jonathan Lucroy (concussion) remained out of the Brewers’ lineup Thursday. The catcher also missed Wednesday’s tilt with concussion-like symptoms, and it’s uncertain when he might progress to the point of being able to play again … Starling Marte left Thursday’s game against the Brewers after being hit by a pitch on the left shoulder. He’s considered day-to-day for the time being … Kolten Wong said Thursday that he’s dealing with a left calf strain. It explains his absence in recent days, as Wong hasn’t started a game since Sunday … Yonder Alonso will be shut down after a bone scan showed a stress reaction in his lower back. It may spell the end of Alonso’s 2015 season … Justin Upton sat out Thursday after having two ingrown toenails removed Wednesday, but he was able to pinch-hit in the contest. He should be fine in a day or two.
American League Quick Hits: The new Phillies GM may not be the only general manager conducting a coaching search this offseason after a report surfaced Thursday that the Tigers will fire manager Brad Ausmus following the 2015 season. The report from a local Detroit television station, which was echoed by a number of other news outlets Thursday, said Tigers owner Mike Ilitch lacks faith in Ausmus, who owns a 64-76 record guiding the Tigers this season. Stay tuned … Corey Kluber (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday. Kluber hasn’t pitched since last week due to a right hamstring strain, and how he comes out of the session will go a long way toward determining the team’s next move with its ace … Josh Hamilton will undergo cleanup surgery Friday on his left knee. The procedure is minor enough that the Rangers hope he’ll still be able to return before the end of the season … Nelson Cruz has now hit 40 home runs in back-to-back seasons after blasting his 40th jack of the season in Thursday’s win. Cruz is batting .312/.381/.593 with 84 RBI overall … Brett Gardner (shoulder) was set to return to the Yankees’ lineup Thursday before their matchup with the Blue Jays got rained out. Gardner should be fine heading into the weekend … Mark Buehrle (shoulder) will make his next start Tuesday in Atlanta. Buehrle was originally slated to start Saturday, but Marcus Stroman will make his return while Buehrle rests his sore left shoulder for a few more days … free of bad sinus infection, Victor Martinez returned to the Tigers’ lineup Thursday. The designated hitter went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the affair.
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