Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Twelve for Tribe
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The Cleveland WWWWWWWWWWWWindians have put the rest of the American League on notice in recent weeks. They aren’t going away.
Behind another masterful pitching performance from Danny Salazar on Tuesday, the Indians beat the Braves to secure their 12th consecutive victory. That puts them just one game shy of the franchise record of 13 straight wins achieved in 1942 and 1951.
Salazar was brilliant on Wednesday, racking up eight strikeouts over seven shutout innings. He allowed just five hits and didn’t walk a batter in the ballgame. The right-hander now sits at 10-3 on the season with an impressive 2.22 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 107/43 K/BB ratio across 93 1/3 innings.
The Indians are firing on all cylinders at this point. All five members of the starting rotation have been dominant, they’ve received timely hitting in droves and the bullpen has been lights-out. Lonnie Chisenhall homered in Wednesday’s win and has been sizzling at the plate during the winning streak, hitting .359 (14-for-39) with three homers and 10 RBI. He’s still available in almost 85% of all Yahoo leagues, where he has eligibility at both third base and in the outfield.
With Wednesday’s victory, the Indians now sit at 47-30 and have opened up a six game lead over the defending World Champs in the Central Division. If they’re going to make history and tie the club record on Thursday, they’ll have to get through knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays in Toronto.
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Cain isn’t Able
The injury-riddled Royals were dealt another punch to the gut on Wednesday when All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain landed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Cain sustained the injury while lunging for first base in an attempt to beat out an infield single on Tuesday (run through the base at first kids, never lunge!). Adding insult to his injury, Cain was initially called safe, but had his hit taken away on video review.
The Royals are not yet sure on the severity of the injury, but it seems likely that he’s looking at more than just a minimum stint on the shelf. The Royals recalled Brett Eibner from Triple-A to provide some depth in the outfield and even started Kendrys Morales in right field against the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Royals fans and fantasy owners alike are hoping for a speedy recovery for the star outfielder. The 30-year-old was hitting .290/.336/.416 with eight homers, 39 RBI and six stolen bases in 73 games prior to his injury.
Syndergaard admits spur
After several public denials that he had been dealing with a bone spur in his pitching elbow, Noah Syndergaard came clean and admitted as much on Wednesday when faced with several reports indicating otherwise.
The star right-hander deemed the injury “pretty insignificant” and said that he’s able to pitch through the issue without any pain. He isn’t expected to miss any starts at this time, and he won’t require surgery now or at the end of the season to correct the problem.
Still, it’s a situation that’s worth monitoring for fantasy owners. Perhaps Syndergaard is right, and it will have absolutely no negative effect on his performance, but the Mets are almost certain to approach the situation with extreme caution.
There are currently no plans on place to skip his next start, but don’t be surprised if the Mets do opt to go that route at some point, or at least give him a few extra days in between starts, to keep him healthy and fresh.
American League Quick Hits: Brian McCann blasted two homers, including a game-tying three-run shot in the ninth inning, as the Yankees scored six runs in the ninth to beat the Rangers… Didi Gregorius followed with a two-run walk-off homer there… Sam Dyson was tagged for four runs in just 1/3 of an inning in a losing effort… Corey Dickerson missed his fourth consecutive game due to a thumb injury… Steven Souza (hip) hit and ran the bases on Wednesday and could begin a minor league rehab assignment over the weekend… Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel worked out for the Astros… Brandon Guyer took David Price deep in his return from the disabled list… Matt Moore fired seven shutout innings to beat the Red Sox… Hanley Ramirez left that game with an injury to his side, he’s listed as day-to-day… Carlos Beltran sat out Wednesday with a tight right hamstring… Miguel Cabrera homered and plated three as the Tigers routed the Marlins… Melky Cabrera sat out Wednesday’s game with a sore wrist and is expected to miss a few more games… Josh Donaldson blasted his 18th homer in a win over the Rockies… Mark Trumbo clobbered his American League-leading 23rd home run as the O’s demolished the Padres… Jose Altuve went 4-for-5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle in a victory over the Angels… Khris Davis was a late scratch from the A’s lineup on Wednesday due to a left shoulder contusion… Steve Clevenger was forced to leave after taking a foul tip off his right hand… Todd Frazier swatted his 22nd home run in a win over the Twins.
National League Quick Hits: Daniel Murphy swatted a pair of home runs in a win over the Mets… Max Scherzer fired 7 1/3 scoreless innings and fanned 10 in a win there… Julio Urias is expected to make another start in the Dodgers rotation… Billy Hamilton left Wednesday’s game after he was hit in the head by a fly ball, resulting in an inside-the-park homer for Anthony Rizzo. He’ll be put through the concussion protocol… Mark Appel had season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow… Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Dodgers have expressed interest in Erasmo Ramirez… Mat Latos joined the Nationals on a minor league deal… Adam Duvall clubbed his league-leading 22nd home run in a loss to the Cubs… Joc Pederson (shoulder) sat out Wednesday’s game and is considered day-to-day… Kike Hernandez landed on the disabled list with inflammation in his left rib cage… Curtis Granderson was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to a sore calf… Joe Panik was placed on the 7-day concussion disabled list… Sergio Romo is scheduled to pitch in back-to-back games at Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday and Friday… Gerrit Cole (triceps) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday… Yasiel Puig was forced to exit Wednesday’s game with a minor knee contusion, he’s considered day-to-day…Brock Stewart was lit up for five runs on eight hits over five innings in his MLB debut… Junior Guerra scattered just two hits over eight shutout innings to beat the Dodgers.
