Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Gordon Suspended
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In news which can only be described as stunning, MLB announced early Friday morning that Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended 80 games without pay for testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. The suspension, which is effective immediately, was for exogenous Testosterone and Clostebol. The announcement was made just minutes after the Marlins finished off a four-game sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Gordon actually had a key hit and scored a run in the team’s seventh-inning rally.
Gordon had a modest .256/.301/.312 batting line over his first 181 games in the majors, so there were real questions about his ability to stick as a regular, but he has made major strides over the past two years. After being swapped from the Dodgers to the Marlins last winter, he won the National League batting crown in 2015 with a .333 batting average while leading the majors with 205 hits and 58 stolen bases. He was hitting .266/.289/.340 with six steals through his first 21 games this season.
Gordon just signed a five-year, $50 million extension with the Marlins back in January. He was due to make $3 million in 2016, but he’ll now lose about half of that with the suspension. Barring postponements, he’ll be eligible to return to the Marlins on July 28. If the club was to make the playoffs, he would not be allowed to participate.
As for where the Marlins go from here, Derek Dietrich is the most likely option to fill in at second base. The 26-year-old batted .256 with 10 home runs and an .802 OPS over 289 plate appearances last season, so he’s capable of being a useful player. As for widely-available fill-ins at second base, fantasy owners can consider the likes of Logan Forsythe (Yahoo: 58 percent owned), Joe Panik (Yahoo: 57 percent owned), Kolten Wong (Yahoo: 57 percent owned), Brandon Phillips (Yahoo: 51 percent owned), Brett Lawrie (Yahoo: 38 percent owned), Howie Kendrick (Yahoo: 28 percent owned), Cesar Hernandez (Yahoo: 24 percent owned), Jonathan Schoop (Yahoo: 24 percent owned), Martin Prado (Yahoo: 11 percent owned), and Jed Lowrie (Yahoo: 11 percent owned). Still, there’s no getting around it. Losing Gordon is a tough blow.
Street Sidelined
Huston Street was off to a excellent start this season, allowing just one run over his first 7 2/3 innings of work while going 5-for-5 in save chances, but the Angels will have to make due without him in their bullpen for at least a little while.
As expected, Street was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday due to a left oblique strain. The veteran closer felt discomfort in the area while warming up during Wednesday’s game. There’s no clear timetable for his return, but it’s probably safe to say he won’t be ready when he’s first eligible in two weeks. Oblique injuries are notoriously tricky and can sometimes sideline players for a month or more.
The Angels are expected to call up either Cam Bedrosian or Al Alburquerque on Friday to take Street’s place in the bullpen. As for the closer gig, Joe Smith will once again be asked to fill in. It’s not an unfamiliar role for him, as he notched 15 saves in 2014 and five last season. The 32-year-old owns a 2.88 ERA for his career, including a 2.53 ERA over the past six seasons. He might not miss many bats, but he’s a fine stand-in for Street.
Smith was owned in 40 percent of Yahoo leagues by late Thursday evening and that number should only climb in the coming days.
Rubby Dominates Cards
The Cardinals entered Thursday’s action tops in the majors in runs scored and second in home runs, so of course Diamondbacks right-hander Rubby De La Rosa shut them out over seven innings as part of a 3-0 victory at Chase Field.
De La Rosa gave up just two hits (both of them singles) and walked a pair while striking out a career-high 10 batters. According to Brooks Baseball, he topped out at 97.4 mph with his fastball and induced 15 swinging strikes. He got eight of those whiffs on his slider, which has become a nice weapon for him over the past year.
De La Rosa had an ugly 8.44 ERA through his first two starts and two relief appearances this season, but he has now allowed just one run with a 16/3 K/BB ratio in 13 innings over his last two starts. After a performance like we saw on Thursday, it’s easy to understand why some still believe there’s another level for him. Finding success against left-handed batters and keeping the ball in the ballpark are two keys to that scenario coming to fruition. De La Rosa served up 32 homers in 188 2/3 innings last season and left-handed batters crushed him to the tune of a .315/.382/.567 batting line.
NL Quick Hits: Giancarlo Stanton socked his fourth homer in his last five games Thursday versus the Dodgers … Jake Arrieta saw his home scoreless streak end at 52 2/3 innings, but improved to 5-0 after tossing five innings of one-run ball Thursday against the Brewers … Kris Bryant left Thursday’s game with a mild ankle sprain and was sent for a precautionary MRI … Jose Fernandez allowed two runs over six innings and struck out eight in Thursday’s win over the Dodgers … Aaron Nola struck out seven batters and allowed just two singles over seven scoreless innings Thursday against the Nationals … Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4 with a walk on Thursday against the Red Sox and is hitting . 375 (12-for-32) over his last eight games … Tanner Roark followed up his recent 15-strikeout performance with seven scoreless innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Phillies … The Brewers placed Scooter Gennett on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique … The Cubs placed catcher Miguel Montero on the 15-day disabled list with lower back tightness and called up Tim Federowicz from Triple-A Iowa … Jonathan Villar went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and three stolen bases Thursday against the Brewers … Brandon Drury went 2-for-4 with his third homer Thursday versus the Cardinals …
AL Quick Hits: Manny Machado clubbed a grand slam and drove in five runs in Thursday’s win over the White Sox … Carlos Gomez (wrist) expects to return to the Astros’ starting lineup on Friday … The White Sox placed closer David Robertson on the bereavement list Thursday, so Nate Jones figures to fill in at closer in the short-term. Robertson is expected back on Sunday … Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Thursday’s loss to the Braves … Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) was shaky in his first minor league rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings … Anibal Sanchez walked seven batters, but managed to hold the Athletics to two runs over 5 2/3 innings for his third victory of the season… John Danks was knocked around for six runs over five innings Thursday against the Orioles and is now 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA … Henderson Alvarez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw four innings Saturday in his next rehab start with High-A Stockton …
