Week That Was: Week That Was: Big Returns
With the season winding down and postseason races heating up, two likely playoff-bound teams returned key veterans to their rotations this week.
A.J. Burnett, sidelined since the end of July by elbow inflammation, made his first start in six weeks for the Pirates on Thursday. He started out a bit shaky, coughing up three runs in the first inning, but settled in and cruised through the next four frames before being relieved at 64 pitches. He looked much better than in his last three starts before landing on the disabled list.
Pittsburgh’s rotation has been bolstered by the sudden and unexpected dominance of deadline acquisition of J.A. Happ, who picked up his fifth straight win with a 10-strikeout performance on Wednesday, but the veteran Burnett is a welcome addition nonetheless.
In New York, CC Sabathia was reinstated on Wednesday after missing a couple weeks with knee soreness. He allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings, but only one was earned, and he notched five strikeouts. While the lefty is nowhere near the dominant performer he once was, the Yankees will be counting on his services as they head toward the postseason.
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* The pressure on Sabathia to perform is heightened by the news that Nathan Eovaldi, who has developed into New York’s de facto ace, will miss the rest of the regular season due to elbow inflammation. Eovaldi posted a 14-3 record for the Yanks this year thanks to his steadily solid outings. It’s a big loss but the team is hoping to get him back for the playoffs.
* Adding another remarkable storyline to what has been a truly memorable season for the Blue Jays, Marcus Stroman will take the mound Saturday, just six months after tearing his ACL in a spring training drill. It’s an absurdly short recovery time for an injury that was expected by everyone to keep him out all year.
The typically steady Mark Buehrle has been struggling lately, and received a cortisone shot in his shoulder on Wednesday, so he figures to benefit from the extra rest made possible by the 24-year-old’s return. Stroman has tremendous ability, and showed it during an 11-win rookie season in 2014, so if he’s truly at 100 percent, he could be an impact addition for Toronto as October approaches.
* Stroman is not the only hurler whose Saturday return is highly anticipated. Jose Fernandez, out since early August with a biceps injury, will toe the rubber against Washington. His bullpen session on Wednesday raised no issues. The young Cuban phenom joined the Marlins rotation on July 2nd after completing Tommy John rehab, and was simply sublime for seven starts, going 4-0 with a 2.30 ERA and 53-to-10 K/BB ratio in 43 innings. He’s only got time left to make a few starts, but you can believe he’ll make them count.
* The Mets have been publicly quarreling with Matt Harvey‘s agent, Scott Boras, over where the young starter’s innings limit should fall. Harvey has certainly shown signs of wear in his past couple starts, coughing up 11 runs on 17 hits after posting a 2.48 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in his first 24 turns.
General manager Sandy Alderson said this week that Harvey’s next turn will be skipped, with a tentative plan to have him go next weekend against the Yankees. Beyond that, it’s unclear how much more the righty will pitch in the regular season.
With the Mets headed toward the playoffs and Harvey being the organization’s most valuable asset, it’s a delicate situation. It’s also a highly frustrating one for his fantasy owners here in crunch time.
* What initially looked like a fairly innocuous foul ball into the shin has turned into a total nightmare for Mark Teixeira, who is now done for the year after an MRI this week found a fracture that had been missed in previous exams. His timetable for recovery is three months so he should be fine for spring training, but he’ll be a non-factor in September and October.
The 35-year-old slugger had been enjoying his best season in many years, appearing in his first All Star Game since 2009, so it’s a brutally tough break for him and the Yankees. Fortunately, rookie Greg Bird has been playing well in Tex’s stead.
* It’s been a lost season for the Red Sox and Dustin Pedroia, who has been out since late July with a hamstring injury, but the second baseman is looking to go out on a good note. He returned from the DL to play on Tuesday and Wednesday before taking a day off Friday.
* Aramis Ramirez has played in 2,176 major-league games, and up until this week he had never played anywhere in the field other than third base. On Tuesday, he made his debut at first for Pittsburgh, and he started there again on Wednesday and Friday. The switch enables the Pirates to get Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer into the lineup more often.
* Joe Ross has enjoyed a very impressive rookie season for the Nationals, but he’ll be finishing it up in the bullpen. Ross has shown some signs of wearing down in recent weeks so the move to ease his workload down the stretch makes sense. The 22-year-old should be a lock for the Washington rotation next spring.
* Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy suffered concussion-like symptoms when he took a foul tip off the mask on Tuesday, and he still hasn’t played since. He is scheduled to see a concussion specialist in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Brain injuries are troublesome, especially for catchers, who are more vulnerable to jarring hits than any other position. I’d bet against Lucroy playing again this season.
* A bone scan revealed a stress fracture in Yonder Alonso‘s lower back, so the Padres have shut the first baseman down indefinitely. It would be a surprise if he sees the field again this season.
* The Phillies fired general manager Ruben Amaro.
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