Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Super Santiago
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Hector Santiago scaled back on his throwing program over the winter in hopes that it would keep him fresh down the stretch this season. Little did he know that it would apparently be paying dividends already.
Santiago was brilliant against the White Sox on Monday, tossing seven shutout innings against his former team while tying his career high with 10 strikeouts. The left-hander walked three batters on the night but yielded only three hits.
The 28-year-old now sports a 2.61 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 20/6 K/BB ratio over his first 20 2/3 innings this season, and a nice jump in velocity is surely a big reason for his nice start. The southpaw’s fastball is coming in just a shade under 93 mph so far this season, which is the best velocity Santiago has displayed since becoming a starter. His fastest pitch on Monday registered at 96.5 mph.
Santiago made the All-Star team last season on the strength of a big first half, but he struggled in the second half and that convinced him he needed to alter his offseason routine. It remains to be seen whether this newfound velocity will hold, but if it does he might have another gear for fantasy owners.
However, no matter how good Santiago is this season, this will still be his greatest accomplishment.
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Plouffe, He’s Gone
The Twins have shaken up their lineup a bit recently by choice, but they’re now going to be forced to be without one of their key pieces for a while.
Trevor Plouffe strained his right intercostal muscle a few days ago and then aggravated the injury while running the bases on Sunday. While he hasn’t been placed on the disabled list yet, it’s expected to happen prior to Tuesday’s game.
“The update would be that he’s still having issues with the intercostal injury,” manager Paul Molitor said. “The awkwardness for our team is that we’re heading into Interleague with games on the road, so we’ll have to have players available.”
The Twins are expected to call up Jorge Polanco to replace Plouffe on the roster. While they had Miguel Sano field some grounders at third base prior to Monday’s game, the former infielder is expected to remain in right field. Eduardo Nunez will be the regular third baseman while Plouffe is out and has also been serving as the club’s leadoff hitter.
“I don’t really want to go there,” Molitor said of having Sano play third base. “But with Danny [Santana] going down as my utilityman and Nunez in the lineup, it puts us in a bit of a precarious situation.”
Another move the Twins are expected to make before long is to call up veteran outfielder David Murphy, who was signed to a minor league contract last week. Murphy, who reportedly has a May 1 opt-out in his deal, will probably be pegged for a reserve outfielder role, but who he boots from the roster will be the interesting part.
The two main candidates to be sent down seem to be Byron Buxton (.172/.200/.310) and Eddie Rosario (.146/.205/.195), who are both off to terrible starts this season. Buxton does at least offer the Twins excellent defense in center field even if he’s not hitting, but the club might decide it would serve him best to work on his offense at Triple-A Rochester. After all, he’s just 22 and had only 13 games of Triple-A ball before being promoted, so it might not be the worst idea. Buxton’s future is surely still bright, but he can probably be cut loose in standard redrafts at this point.
The struggles of the rest of the Twins’ outfielders has led to Oswaldo Arcia getting a chance, and he’s responded with seven hits – including a home run – over his last three games. Arcia had an injury-shortened, disappointing 2015 campaign, but he’ll turn just 25 next month and remains an intriguing power bat. He’s worth a shot in mixed leagues.
Lackey Overwhelms Cards
Much of the talk leading up to Monday’s series-opener between the Cubs and Cardinals revolved around Jason Heyward’s return to St. Louis after spurning their contract offer over the winter before signing with their arch rival. As it turned out, it was another former Cardinal who wound up being the story of the night.
John Lackey made mincemeat out of his former team Monday, limiting the Cards to just three hits and one walk over seven shutout innings. He recorded 11 strikeouts on the night, a total that was just one off the 37-year-old’s career high. He even added an RBI single at the plate to rub it in a little.
Lackey’s first start of the season in Arizona – six runs over six innings – was a clunker, but he’s rebounded with just two runs allowed over his last 13 2/3 frames while boasting an 18/4 K/BB ratio during that stretch. On the season, Lackey holds a 3.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 22/5 K/BB ratio across 19 2/3 innings.
It was certainly fair to doubt Lackey in his age-37 season even as he was coming off arguably the best campaign of his career. You don’t often see hurlers peak in their late thirties, and Wrigley Field can often be unforgiving to pitchers. However, the 14-year veteran is off to a nice start as he looks to silence his doubters.
National League Quick Hits: Noah Syndergaard struck out eight batters across seven frames of one-run ball in a win over the Phillies on Monday … Jose Fernandez limited the Nationals to one run while notching ninth punchouts in Monday’s victory … David Wright ripped a pair of solo home runs in Monday’s win over the Phillies … Dexter Fowler doubled and smacked a solo homer in Monday’s win over the Cardinals … Jerad Eickhoff suffered a loss but recorded nine strikeouts for the second start in a row on Monday versus the Mets … Jordan Lyles allowed just one unearned run over seven frames in a victory over the Reds on Monday … Trevor Story doubled and belted a solo homer in Monday’s win over the Reds … The Diamondbacks optioned Socrates Brito to Triple-A Reno prior to Monday’s game in San Francisco … Anthony DeSclafani (oblique) threw 40 pitches in a live batting practice session on Monday … The Braves placed Gordon Beckham (hamstring) on the disabled list Monday … DJ LeMahieu was out of the lineup Monday due to a minor groin injury … Travis d’Arnaud (elbow) sat out his second straight game Monday but was available off the bench … The Phillies acquired Alfredo Marte from the Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations …
American League Quick Hits: Glen Perkins was recommended to rest and rehab his strained left shoulder after getting a second opinion from Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Cincinnati … Roberto Osuna was unavailable to pitch Monday due to a blister on his right middle finger, but he expects to be available on Tuesday … Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Sunday that he plans to use Michael Saunders as his primary leadoff man for the foreseeable future … Devon Travis (shoulder) took batting practice on the field Monday … MLB Network’s Jon Heyman has reported that the Orioles have made an offer to free agent right-hander Kyle Lohse … Pablo Sandoval (shoulder) will have another visit with Dr. James Andrews in two weeks … J.A. Happ tossed seven innings of one-run ball in the Blue Jays’ win over the Red Sox on Monday … Clay Buchholz pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Monday but took a no-decision … Carlos Rodon lasted only one-third of an inning Monday, allowing five runs in a loss to the Angels … Miguel Sano smacked his first home run of the season in Monday’s win over the Brewers … Byung-ho Park singled and homered Monday for the second time in three games …
