Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Wild Thing emerges
Rockies’ closer Jake McGee was placed on the disabled list on Saturday due to inflammation in his left knee. That opens the door for someone new to take over the ninth inning gig, at least temporarily. With saves being such a scarce commodity in fantasy circles, they are always very highly coveted. Enter: Wild Thing.
Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the history of baseball cinema. With a fastball that touched triple digits, a brash demeanor on the mound and extremely erratic command (Juuuusssst a Bit Outside), Vaughn intimated the opposition and developed into a lockdown option in the ninth inning as he helped pitch the Indians to the American League pennant. Vaughn, of course, the fictional character played by Charlie Sheen in the Major League movie franchise. Though Charlie Sheen is just a stage name, utilized by the actor born as Carlos Estevez.
Fast forward back to real life, and another Carlos Estevez is walking down a strikingly similar path. The flame-throwing right-hander (average fastball velocity of 98.1 MPH) has emerged as the Rockies new closer, recording his first save with a scoreless ninth inning against the Padres on Saturday. His strikeout stuff certainly plays (9.74 K/9) and he also has exhibited highly questionable command in his big league career (4.43 BB/9).
For the season, Estevez owns a 4.43 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 22/10 K/BB ratio over 20 1/3 innings. There’s no clear timetable for McGee’s return at this point, but he’ll be on the shelf for at least a couple of weeks. Sure, he still pitches half of his games in Colorado, but the most important characteristic of any late inning reliever is opportunity and Rockies’ skipper Walt Weiss admitted Saturday that Estevez will handle the closing duties for as long as McGee is sidelined.
He may not be worth spending an entire FAAB budget on this weekend, but with the immense incremental value of each save, Estevez should certainly be added in all mixed leagues. Should he struggle to succeed in his new role, Jason Motte would be next in line for save chances in Colorado.
Down goes Darvish
Yu Darvish was scratched from his scheduled start against the Athletics on Monday due to tightness in his neck and pitching shoulder. He started experiencing these issues during a bullpen session on Saturday that had to be cut short. While it could just be usual soreness for a guy coming back from Tommy John surgery, it’s concerning that the right-hander is heading back to Dallas to undergo a precautionary MRI exam.
Darvish has made just three starts since being activated from the disabled list on May 28, compiling a 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 19/6 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings. It sounds as though there’s a strong likelihood that Darvish will be heading right back to the disabled list.
Rangers fans and fantasy owners alike will have to hold their breath while they await the results of the MRI exam. In the meantime, the Rangers have yet to announce who will take Darvish’s turn in the rotation against the Athletics on Monday.
Encarnacion continues to sizzle
Edwin Encarnacion continued his hot-hitting ways on Saturday, blasting a pair of home runs and plating five in a rout of the Orioles. A notoriously streaky hitter, he had played the role of hero on Friday night, blasting a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning.
It was his three-run blast in the sixth inning that gave the Blue Jays an 8-4 lead and changed the complexion of the entire ballgame. He added a solo shot off Brian Duensing in his final at-bat for good measure.
He finished the afternoon 3-for-3 plus a pair of walks, raising his season slash to .243/.322/.486 to go along with 15 home runs and 53 RBI. The 33-year-old slugger has five home runs and 13 RBI in 10 games since the calendar flipped to June.
American League Quick Hits: Matt Shoemaker struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, but Hustron Street’s blown save cost him a victory… Rougned Odor smacked a solo home run in the 10th inning to lead the Rangers past the Mariners… Ian Kinsler homered and drove home five runs in a victory over the Yankees… Felix Hernandez (calf) is expected to miss another four-to-six weeks… Shin-Soo Choo (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Monday… Xander Bogaerts had four hits including a home run as the Red Sox slaughtered the Twins… James Paxton fanned seven over 6 1/3 shutout innings… Justin Verlander defeated the Yankees to earn his sixth victory… Will Harris allowed a run for the first time in 27 outings, and still managed to escape with his third save… Adrian Beltre missed another game with a strained hamstring… Cheslor Cuthbert clobbered a pair of solo home runs to beat the White Sox.. Danny Duffs struck out 10 over six strikeout innings… Jose Quintana punched out 10 over eight innings in a losing effort… Rangers acquired Justin De Fratus to complete the deal for Patrick Kivlehan on May 29… Josh Reddick is progressing in his recovery and is close to resuming baseball activities… Glen Perkins is set to receive a third opinion on his injured left shoulder… Blue Jays prospect Anthony Alford was diagnosed with a concussion after a nasty collision on Friday… Carlos Correa (ankle) missed another game on Friday but is holding out hope for a return to action on Sunday.. Phil Hughes will miss the next 6-8 weeks after being diagnosed with a compression fracturei in his left femur… Jose Bautista missed another day with his injured quad, but hopes to play on Sunday… Jason Grilli has surpassed Drew Storen as the Jays’ primary setup man… Mariners agreed to terms with first round pick (11th overall) Kyle Lewis at slot value of $3.2867 million.
National League Quick Hits: Carlos Martinez fired 8 1/3 innings of one-run ball to beat the Pirates… Ryan Braun belted a pair of home runs in a win over the Mets… Jake Arrieta earned his 10th victory with seven strong innings against the Braves… Neil Walker was forced to leave Saturday’s game with lower back tightness. He’s considered day-to-day… Brandon McCarthy threw two innings in a minor league rehab start with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. He could be ready to rejoin the Dodgers at the end of the month… Francisco Cervelli will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken left hand. The Pirates acquired Erik Kratz to help cover in his absence… Chris Stewart left Saturday’s game after a collision with Jeremy Hazelbaker at home plate… Tyler Anderson will make a spot start for the Rockies on Sunday against the Padres… Phillies manager Pete Mackanin confirmed that Tommy Joseph has supplanted Ryan Howard as the club’s starting first baseman… Jay Bruce homered and swiped a base in a victory over the Athletics… Dan Straily fired seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Athletics… Erik Johnson gave up five runs over 4 2/3 in his Padres’ debut on Monday… Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove home four runs in a victory… Tyler Chatwood improved to 8-4 with a victory over the Padres at Coors Field… Yangervis Solarte left Saturday’s game with a left thumb contusion… Chris Owings landed on the disabled list plantar fasciitis… Giants manager Bruce Bochy gave closer Santiago Casilla the dreaded vote of confidence o f Saturday… Matt Cain (hamstring) will rejoin the Giants rotation on Monday… Hyun-Jin Ryu resumed his minor league rehab assignment with High-A Lake Elsinore on Saturday… The Dodgers released Jose Tabata… Tanner Roark twirled seven scoreless frames to beat the Phillies.. Andrew Casnher landed on the disabled list with a strained neck… Gerrit Cole underwent an MRI on his injured triceps on Saturday.
