Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Skipping Greinke
It was bad news for Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks on Friday, but it came with a silver lining.
Greinke will miss his next scheduled start Monday with a sore left oblique, but the right-hander reported feeling better Friday and isn’t expected to require a trip to the disabled list. Greinke would likely make a start against the Giants next weekend before getting a few days off to rest over the All-Star break.
“He’s adamant today that he feels a lot better today than he did Wednesday when he left,” Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Friday after meeting with Greinke.
“We haven’t made a decision on the DL. We probably won’t today, at least. Let’s put it this way … if we feel (Greinke) could miss a start and get to the weekend against the Giants before the All-Star break, we could get away with it.”
Greinke left his start Tuesday after two innings due to oblique soreness. At that point, a DL stay seemed probable for the right-hander, who is 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 17 starts this year.
In his absence, the D’backs will turn to Archie Bradley to start Monday, with Zack Godley the odds-on favorite to make Tuesday’s start. The Diamondbacks, who are playing the Giants this weekend, close out the first half with a set against the Padres early next week before taking on the Giants again next weekend.
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Maurer Gets ‘First Crack’ To Close
The name to know in the Padres bullpen isn’t the one many expected a few days ago.
In the wake of Fernando Rodney‘s trade to the Marlins, the expectation was that lights-out reliever Ryan Buchter would ascend to the ninth inning role for the team. But an ill-timed collapse Wednesday, coupled with a return to form of reliever Brandon Maurer, has Padres manager Andy Green leaning in the latter’s direction for save chances in the near future.
“We clearly don’t have that easily identifiable closer that we had before,” Green said Friday afternoon. “We knew going into the season that (Rodney) was going to be the guy and he was unbelievable. … Replacing him is not the easiest thing and I don’t think we’re going to come out and say this guy is ‘our closer’ but when you look at the way things are set up in our bullpen, I really like the way Brandon Maurer has rebounded from his rough stretch.
“I think we’re inclined to give him the first crack at the ninth inning.”
Maurer’s line doesn’t scream reliable closer, as the 25-year-old owns a 5.73 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 39 appearances, but the right-hander has a 47/18 K/BB ratio over 37 2/3 innings this season and hadn’t allowed an earned run in his last seven appearances heading into Friday’s game against the Yankees. He’s averaging 95.4 mph on his four-seam fastball, per PITCHf/x, and his 12.6 percent swinging strike percentage is higher than the league average of 10 percent.
The Padres aren’t going to win a lot of games this year, but Rodney had 17 saves for the last-place club before being dealt. Owners speculating on saves should grab Maurer and keep an eye on how he fares in his first few save chances.
A’s Set To Reel In Lazarito
Whether or not he’s the next big Cuban import is up for debate, but Lazaro Armenteros is expected to get paid like one Saturday.
Armenteros, or “Lazarito” as he’s called, is reportedly going to sign a $3 million contract with the Athletics when the international signing period opens Saturday. The signing is a big part of the Athletics’ intent to “blow past” their international bonus pool, a source tells Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The 17-year-old outfielder first made waves last December, when USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale penned a column entitled “Meet Lazaro Armenteros, the next Cuban baseball star.” The column included a photo of a shirtless Armenteros swinging a bat on a beach and included anonymous scouts proclaiming him to have a skillset similar to Bo Jackson.
Such plaudits have died down somewhat — Badler says Lazarito wouldn’t rank among the top 100 prospects in baseball presently — but his combination of power and speed, and a track record of production in Cuba before defecting, are intriguing nonetheless. He’s still years away from possibly making a contribution at the big league level, but the last time the A’s made a big splash on a Cuban-born outfielder it worked out well. We’ll see if they can catch lightning twice.
National League Quick Hits: The Nationals have not yet ruled out Stephen Strasburg (back) starting on Sunday against the Reds. Manager Dusty Baker said that Strasburg is feeling good and wants to make the start, but the club is still trying to decide whether they should hold him back a bit longer. If he can’t go, Lucas Giolito will take the hill in his place … Curtis Granderson (calf) is not expected to return to the lineup this weekend. The good news is that it’s not expected to be a disabled list situation. The Mets had Brandon Nimmo in right field and in the leadoff spot again Friday … David Peralta (back) took 30 swings off a tee on Friday. It’s the first time he’s swung the bat since going on the disabled list two and a half weeks ago with a lower back sprain. Peralta will hit off a tee again Saturday and also take some soft-toss. It’s possible he’ll be ready to take batting practice by Monday … Stephen Piscotty (foot) remained out of the Cardinals’ lineup Friday. The good news is he was available off the bench and should be back in there Saturday … Jason Heyward (side) was back in the Cubs’ lineup Friday. Heyward missed a couple days of action with some tightness in his left side. He went 1-for-4 in Friday’s loss … Aledmys Diaz (eye) was back in the Cardinals’ lineup Friday. Diaz missed a few days of action after a pitch he foul-tipped bounced off the dirt and caught him above the eye. He finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored Friday … Dexter Fowler (hamstring) may not be ready to return from the disabled list on Monday when first eligible. Cubs manager Joe Maddon indicated that Fowler might not play at all during the series against the Reds that goes through July 6. Fowler has been out for nearly two weeks of action with a strained right hamstring … Denard Span was scratched from the Giants starting lineup on Friday due to a stiff neck. Consider Span day-to-day … Odubel Herrera had all of his tools on full display in Friday’s 4-3 victory over the Royals, going 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and a stolen base. Hererra started the game with a bang, blasting a leadoff home run off of Ian Kennedy. He later singled, swiped a base and scored his second run of the contest. The Phillies’ leadoff man is having a terrific season at the dish, slashing .306/.396/.439 with nine homers, 30 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
American League Quick Hits: The Blue Jays don’t expect to get Jose Bautista (toe) back before the All-Star break. It’s no surprise, as Bautista remains in a walking boot and shut down from baseball activities as he battles turf toe. There is no timetable for the slugger’s return … Yu Darvish (shoulder) will make a minor league rehab start with Double-A Frisco on Monday. Darvish is expected to throw 45 pitches in that outing against Northwest Arkansas. He’ll need a couple of starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Rangers rotation, which is expected to come after the All-Star break … Twins activated 3B/OF Miguel Sano from the 15-day disabled list. Sano missed a month of action with a strained hamstring. He would appear to be in line to receive most of his at-bats in the designated hitter spot with Byung-ho Park being optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Sano went 0-for-3 in his return to the lineup Friday … Hanley Ramirez (side) was not in the Red Sox’ lineup Friday. Ramirez’s side tightened up on him after a swing Wednesday, forcing him from the game. The good news is he was nearly put in the lineup Friday, so he should be back sometime over the weekend … Alex Colome (biceps) hopes to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. Colome played catch without issue Thursday and will do it again Friday. He thinks there’s a chance he’ll be activated on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week … Yunel Escobar (knee) went through a full workout Friday and the hope is that he’ll return to the lineup this weekend. Escobar is out of the lineup for the seventh straight game, but the Angels are optimistic that he’ll be ready to go on Saturday or Sunday. If he’s not, the disabled list will finally be considered at that point … Michael Fulmer returned to the Tigers starting rotation with authority on Friday, racking up 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings in a victory over the Rays. The rookie right-hander allowed just two singles and a walk in the ballgame. He has been nothing short of outstanding for the Tigers this season, registering an 8-2 record, 2.17 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 70/25 K/BB ratio over 70 2/3 innings … Victor Martinez belted a pair of three-run homers on Friday, powering the Tigers in a 10-2 rout over the Rays in Tampa Bay. He has been a monster at the dish this year, slashing .324/.369/.543 with 16 homers and 49 RBI … Rays manager Kevin Cash announced Friday that Steven Souza (hip) will be activated from the disabled list on Saturday. Before landing on the shelf with his hip injury, Souza was hitting .255/.315/.443 with 10 homers and 25 RBI.
