Baseball Nation: All Posts by Nate Aderhold

Angels injury updates: Jered Weaver, Ryan Madson, Peter Bourjos

2013-05-23T17:01:08Z

Weaver excels in rehab start

Jered Weaver took a big step in his recovery Wednesday, tossing 5⅓ innings of one-run ball in an extended spring training game, and could be back in the Angels' rotation next week, reports Kevin Baxter of the LA Times.

The right-hander threw 75 pitches overall (62 for strikes), fanning nine batters and walking none in his first real(ish) action since fracturing his non-throwing elbow on April 7. Next on the docket for Weaver is an extended bullpen session this weekend in Kansas City, which may be followed by his reinsertion into the rotation when the club returns to Southern California next week.

When Weaver does return, it's likely he'll bump the struggling Joe Blanton into the bullpen.

Madson suffers another setback

Ryan Madson was slated to move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake this week, but the inflammation in his elbow resulting from his inning of work at Single-A last Monday never subsided, leading to another delay in his recovery, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.

The right-hander's road to recovery from Tommy John surgery has been a long one, and it doesn't appear to be ending any time soon. Madson threw just six pitches in his stint with the Inland Empire affiliate but has been shut down for over a week as a result. Just goes to show that not all TJS recoveries are the same.

Bourjos nearing rehab

Peter Bourjos is hopeful that he can begin a rehab assignment before the month ends, adds Baxter. The Angels' speedy center fielder has been sidelined since April 30 with a hamstring strain, and was expected to sit for six weeks. If he's able to stick to that timeline, he should be back on the field by the second week of June.

Bourjos was excelling in his new role as the club's leadoff hitter prior to his injury, batting .313/.370/.458 in 96 plate appearances through the club's first 25 games. JB Shuck has taken over in the outfield in Bourjos' absence, and has played rather well.

Rockies option 2B Josh Rutledge, will activate Michael Cuddyer

2013-05-23T13:00:10Z

The Colorado Rockies have demoted starting second baseman Josh Rutledge to Triple-A after two months of poor play, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

More Rockies: The Growing Conflict at 2B

Rutledge, 24, earned the starting second base gig after making a good impression at shortstop in the second half of 2012. Playing in place of the injured Troy Tulowitzki, Rutledge batted .274/.306/.469 with eight home runs in 291 plate appearances, compelling the Rockies to move him to second base at the start of this year.

Rutledge has struggled mightily in his 43 games at second this year, however, batting just .242/.298/.357 in 173 plate appearances. He does have five long balls and is five of five on stolen-base attempts, but nothing else has really gone his way thus far.

Taking over the second base gig in Rutledge's stead is the guy he took the job from, DJ LeMahieu. Also 24, LeMahieu has been up with Colorado since last week, notching seven hits in his first 17 at bats. He appeared in 81 games for the Rockies last season -- mostly at second base -- and batted .297/.332/.410 in 247 plate appearances.

Colorado will activate outfielder Michael Cuddyer from the 15-day disabled list on Friday to take the roster spot vacated by Rutledge. Cuddyer has been out the last two weeks with a bulging disc in his neck.

Cardinals notes: Chris Carpenter could return by July

2013-05-23T12:00:04Z

First, he was contemplating retirement. Then he was coming back, but only as a late-season reinforcement out of the bullpen. Now, it seems that Chris Carpenter might actually make his way into the St. Louis Cardinals' starting rotation by sometime in July, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports.

More Cards: When Bad Things Happen to Good Labrums

The 38-year-old right-hander has been throwing "rigorous bullpens" of up to 80 pitches, and has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery thus far. When news broke in February that the nerve issue in his neck and shoulder was continuing to be a hindrance, there seemed to be no chance that Carp would take the mound in 2013, but now it's more a matter of when, not if.

Carpenter is scheduled to throw an extended bullpen session today (Thursday), and if all goes well he could face live hitters as soon as next week. GM John Mozeliak said that Carp's progress is "very encouraging," but would not give a target return date for fear of a setback.

The right-hander would be a welcome veteran addition to a youth-heavy rotation in St. Louis. With Jake Westbrook incurring a setback in his rehab, and Jaime Garcia sidelined for the year with a shoulder injury, St. Louis has had to rely on a small fleet of young starters -- Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn, John Gast, and Tyler Lyons -- to keep the team atop the NL Central. The quartet has pitched incredibly well thus far, but adding another established arm certainly wouldn't hurt the rotation.

MLB scores and more: Kuroda exits with injury, Worley demoted, Utley scheduled for MRI

2013-05-23T11:00:05Z

Wednesday’s scores

Braves 8, Twins 3 - Rewarded with a start behind the plate following his pinch-hit home run on Tuesday, backstop Evan Gattis was at it again for Atlanta Wednesday. The rookie launched his first career grand slam off of Twins' Opening Day starter Vance Worley, who was demoted to Triple-A after the game.

Reds 7, Mets 4 - He didn't mean to do it, but Brandon Phillips' check-swing, go-ahead double in the ninth still counts in the boxscore. With a two-hit, two-walk day, Joey Votto's OBP is now up to a Bondsian .484.

Dodgers 9, Brewers 2 - Hyun-Jin Ryu's solid start as an MLB pitcher continued on Wednesday. The rookie southpaw tossed ⅓ of one-run ball to lead the Dodgers to the win. Ryu now has seven quality starts in 10 big-league games.

Rangers 3, A's 1 - Seeking to test the limits of their good fortune in regards to quality starting pitching, the Rangers called on 30-year-old right-hander Ross Wolf to take the hill Wednesday. He proceeded to throw five, three-hit innings, meaning Texas that limit is still a ways out there.

Rockies 4, D'Backs 1 - Carlos Gonzalez provided most of the excitement with a solo blast and a run-scoring triple off of AZ starter Trevor Cahill. Arizona and Colorado are now deadlocked with the Giants for first in the NL West.

Nats 2, Giants 1 (F. 10) - Bryce Harper found redemption Wednesday from the previous day's costly hesitation, knocking a solo shot in the sixth and kicking off the game-winning rally in extras. Both Gio Gonzalez and Madison Bumgarner pitched well, but neither factored in to the final decision.

Blue Jays 4, Rays 3 (F. 10) - Fernando Rodney has more than doubled his earned runs allowed total from last season in over 50 fewer innings. Welcome back to earth, Fernando. Jose Bautista provided the game-tying and game-winning hits for the Jays, only one of them coming off of Rodney.

Pirates 1, Cubs 0 - It's not often that one run on three hits will result in a win for your team, but that's exactly what the Bucs got on Wednesday. Jeff Samardzija pitched admirably yet again and had nothing to show for it but a big "L". Francisco Liriano tossed seven shutout frames for the Pirates.

Tigers 11, Indians 7 - Miguel Cabrera was at it again, upping the difficulty a bit by launching a two-run home run off the glove of Indinas center fielder Michael Bourn. Justin Verlander came away with the win despite being knocked around for the second straight start.

Orioles 6, Yankees 3 - The O's did all their damage via the long ball Wednesday. Nick Markakis, Chris Davis, and Matt Wieters all went deep off of NYY pitching. Hiroki Kuroda lasted just three innings and was forced to leave the game (again) after being nailed with a baseball.

Angels 7, Mariners 1 - C.J. Wilson shut down the M's with eight strong innings, fanning 10. Mike Trout began his day with a single and a triple, but couldn't muster the other two hits needed to complete the bicycle. The Halos are now winners of a season-high four straight.

Phillies 3, Marlins 0 - As everyone seems to do, Cliff Lee dominated the Marlins on Wednesday, earning the 12th shutout of his career. Delmon Young went deep for the second straight night.

Red Sox 6, White Sox 2 - Clay Buchholz moved to 7-0 with seven strong frames against the ChiSox. Big Papi came through in the clutch, as he does, notching two of the club's six runs.

Astros 3, Royals 1 - James Shields has become synonymous with no run support this season, and that trend continued Wednesday. Jordan Lyles and a trio of relievers held KC to just six hits.

Cardinals 5, Padres 3 - Tyler Lyons was stellar in his MLB debut, throwing seven four-hit, one-run innings and earning his first big-league hit in the process.

The Big Three

1. Hiroki Kuroda is a comebacker magnet this season. The veteran right-hander was forced to leave the game in the third Wednesday after taking a line drive off the bat of Manny Machado in the previous inning. As when Kuroda took one off his finger in the first start of the year, the quick hook is being classified as "precautionary" for the time being. The official diagnosis seems to be a right calf bruise, so he should be good to go for his next start, barring any more comebackers in the meantime.

2. The Minnesota Twins saw the Blue Jays' bold move of demoting their 2012 Opening Day starter, and decided to up the ante. The Twinkies optioned struggling right-hander (and 2013 Opening Day starter) Vance Worley down to Triple-A following Wednesday's brief outing against the Braves. Worley owns a 7.21 ERA through his first 11 starts, The only thing now keeping Joe Blanton from being the worst regular starter in the majors is former teammate Aaron Harang.

3. It was really only a matter of time before the injury bug found its way back to its old friend Chase Utley. The Phillies' second baseman has been sidelined since Tuesday with a "burning sensation" in his rib cage, which sounds like some sort of Oregon Trail malady. Utley is scheduled to get an MRI on his chest some time today, and will likely end up on the disabled list. Any time away for Utley would put a serious dent in the lineup of the already struggling Phillies (not to mention hurt his trade value).

Braves LHP Eric O'Flaherty to have Tommy John surgery, miss rest of season

2013-05-21T16:39:10Z

Atlanta Braves reliever Eric O`Flaherty is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, and will miss the remainder of the season as a result, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dr. James Andrews will perform the operation.

More Braves: Teheran Getting it Done with Different Approach

The writing has been on the wall for O'Flaherty since the weekend, when he was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his throwing elbow. The southpaw is the second Braves reliever to go under the knife in the last week -- joining fellow lefty Jonny Venters -- leaving Atlanta's bullpen in tatters.

The lefty combo of O'Flaherty and Venters combined to throw 272⅓ innings of relief for the Braves over the last two years, each posting a stellar earned-run average in that span: 1.31 ERA for O'Flaherty, 2.39 ERA for Venters. O'Flaherty was off to another strong start this year before tearing up his elbow, putting up a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings of work.

The Braves still have Craig Kimbrel around to anchor the bullpen, but relative newcomer Luis Avilan is now the only southpaw left in the big-league relief corps. Rookie right-hander Cory Rasmus was called up in O'Flaherty's stead, but it's likely that Atlanta will eventually look for a long-term replacement on the trade market. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculates that Miami Marlins left-hander Mike Dunn -- who the Braves traded away in 2010 -- would be an "ideal" solution.

MLB teams to wear camouflage-themed unis for Memorial Day

2013-05-21T16:11:22Z

Nothing has been officially announced as of yet, but Paul Lukas of Uni-watch has picked up that every MLB team is planning to wear special uniforms next Monday for Memorial Day.

Like the unis that the Angels and White Sox donned last Saturday for Armed Forces Day, the numbers and lettering on each team's jersey will be in a camouflage design. Teams have worn camouflage-themed hats in the past -- and the Padres have a camo-heavy jersey in their regular rotation -- but this is the first time the whole league has adorned camo-themed tops.

The discovery of next Monday's unique unis came on a thorough perusal of MLB.com's team stores. There is a single camouflage jersey available -- either home-white or road-grey -- for each of the 30 clubs, and in the fine print of each listing is the note: "As worn on-field May 27, 2013." Either MLB is time-traveling or someone jumped the gun.

Lukas posits that a black armband would be a more appropriate uniform modification for Memorial Day, considering that it is a day to honor the military dead, and not just the armed forces in general. One imagines the black armband wouldn't sell as many jerseys, however, which probably played into the league's decision. (UPDATE: I've been informed that 100% of MLB's proceeds from the special jerseys will be donated to Welcome Back Veterans, a charity that helps provide grants to hospitals so that veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries can receive treatment. It's an absolutely critical cause, and I sincerely hope they raise millions.)

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MLB scores & more: Corbin shines again, Cueto returns victorious, Vogelsong breaks hand

2013-05-21T11:00:07Z

Monday’s scores

Indians 10, Mariners 8 (F. 10) - Cleveland completed the sweep of the Mariners with yet another walk-off victory, the team's third of the series. Yan Gomes provided the heroics Monday with a three-run jack in the 10th. A misplay at first base by the M's in the ninth gave the Tribe a second life.

Blue Jays 7, Rays 5 - R.A. Dickey turned in his longest start of the year (8 IP) and rookie Jake Odorizzi pitched admirably (5 IP, 3 ER) in his big-league debut. A bases-clearing double from Edwin Encarnacion in the seventh made all the difference.

Yankees 6, Orioles 4 (F. 10) - Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells continue to spark the injury-plagued Yankees. Pronk launched a game-tying solo shot in the ninth, while Vernon hit the go-ahead single in the tenth. After going 35 straight opportunities without screwing up a save situation, Jim Johnson now has two blown saves in a row.

Reds 4, Mets 3 - They're not saying boo, they're saying boo-ruce. Jay Bruce had a two-hit, two-RBI day, including the go-ahead solo blast in the sixth. Johnny Cueto turned in five innings of three-run ball in his first outing back from the DL. Aroldis Chapman didn't blow the save.

Braves 5, Twins 1 - Backed by four early runs, Julio Teheran pitched the best game of his brief big-league career for the Braves. The young right-hander tossed 8⅓ innings, allowing just one run on five hits. Dan Uggla hit a three-run jimmy jack.

Marlins 5, Phillies 1 - Cole Hamels struck out 10 Marlins and allowed just two runs in six innings, but still went home with the loss. He was bested by Alex Sanabia, who had been wholly unimpressive this year until Monday.

A's 9, Rangers 2 - Bartolo Colon managed to hold the Rangers at bay for seven frames despite doubling his season walk total. With two free passes Monday, he has now given up four in 54⅓ innings. Jurickson Profar was hitless in his season debut but did have 2 RBI.

White Sox 6, Red Sox 4 - Chicago got to Jon Lester early, plating five two-out runs in the first two innings. From there, Dylan Axelrod and company just needed to hang on, which they did despite fanning only four batters on the day.

Astros 6, Royals 5 - Jeremy Guthrie seems to have inherited the bad home run mojo from teammate Ervin Santana. Guthrie raised his league-worst total to 13 big flies allowed on Monday, surrendering a pair of blasts to the Astros. After jumping out to a 17-10 start, KC is back down under .500.

Dodgers 3, Brewers 1 - Clayton Kershaw pitched a three-hit complete game. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier provided the offensive firepower. Good thing the Dodgers acquired all those new players to help them out.

D'Backs 5, Rockies 1 - Once upon a time, Patrick Corbin was once the "other" pitcher sent to Arizona in exchange for Dan Haren. Something tells me Tyler Skaggs may end up being the "other" guy in the long run. Corbin dropped his ERA to 1.44 with a three-hit, ten-strikeout complete game at Coors Field.

Padres 4, Cardinals 2 - Probably the only time you will ever read that Jason Marquis out-pitched Shelby Miller (though only slightly). The Friars have now won three straight and sit just two games under .500. Watch out, NL West.

Giants 8, Nationals 0 - Maybe Ryan Vogelsong still has some life left in him after all, though it's going to be a while before that theory is tested. Vogey pitched five shutout frames but had to be lifted after breaking his hand while batting. Brandon Belt had himself a four-hit day.

The Big Three

1. With the surprise start that D'Backs southpaw Patrick Corbin has had to begin 2013, it almost makes a certain sort of sense that he would throw his first complete game at Coors Field. The left-hander's three-hit, ten-strikeout performance against the Rockies on Monday night dropped his earned-run average to a minuscule 1.44, second only to Clayton Kershaw's 1.35 ERA. Corbin has seemingly come out of nowhere, overshadowed by Arizona's fleet of other young arms, such as Wade Miley, Trevor Bauer (formerly), and trade partner Tyler Skaggs. Every single one of Corbin's starts has been of the quality variety thus far this season and, despite pitching in a hitter's haven in Phoenix, has allowed just two big flies on the year.

2. The Cincinnati Reds reinstated Johnny Cueto to the active roster and put him on the mound to take on the Mets on Monday. The right-hander pitched well in his return to the rotation, fanning eight and allowing just three hits in five innings of work. Not all was hunky-dory in Cueto's first start back from his lat strain -- e.g. he walked four guys -- but he still pitched well enough to earn the win. Cincinnati is in the incredibly envious position of having too many quality arms to fit into the rotation, so the team didn't really miss Cueto too much (performance-wise), but it's still probably nice to have the No. 1 guy back on the bump.

3. Ryan Vogelsong has been nothing sort of atrocious this season, so Monday night's five scoreless innings were a welcome sight for Giants fans. And they would have probably been much more so had they not been soured by a broken right hand. Craig Stammen nailed Vogelsong with a fastball square on the pitching hand in the fifth, forcing the right-hander to the sidelines for at least the next six weeks. Chad Gaudin and Mike Kickham are the two most likely in-house candidates for the open rotation spot, which more than anything demonstrates just how thin the Giants' rotation is beyond their top five.

In Other News...

1. The Texas Rangers designated veteran sinker-baller Derek Lowe for assignment and recalled Josh Lindblom to start on Monday. It didn't go too well for Lindblom. Hopefully better things are in store for Lowe.

2. Scott Proctor is officially done with baseball, which is weird because I was pretty sure that happened awhile ago. The 36-year-old right-hander hadn't appeared in the big leagues since 2011, and was not pitching well in the minors.

Wilson Ramos injury: Nationals catcher back on DL

2013-05-17T18:33:10Z

The Washington Nationals placed starting catcher Wilson Ramos back on the disabled list Thursday with a left hamstring strain, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

More Nats: Detwiler Getting 2nd Opinion on Back

The move is Ramos' second stint on the DL this year, both of them coming as a result of a balky hamstring. The catcher aggravated the leg injury Wednesday night while knocking a hard single to left-center, and had to be removed from the game after hobbling to first base. Ramos later indicated that the muscle started acting up on a double earlier in the contest.

Ramos will head back to Washington this weekend to be examined further by team doctors, and is expected to get an MRI at some point. The re-injury is a tough break for the young-ish catcher, as he missed most of 2012 with a knee injury and was really just getting back into the swing of things. Ramos is batting .250/.308/.438 with two home runs in 52 plate appearances.

Jhonatan Solano has been recalled from Triple-A to take Ramos' spot on the roster. He will likely set up shop behind Kurt Suzuki as the club's back-up catcher until Ramos can return. The 27-year-old backstop was off to a poor start at Syracuse, but is a solid .293/.326/.512 hitter in the very small sample of 15 big-league games over the last two years.

Baseball Nation: All Posts by Nate Aderhold

Angels injury updates: Jered Weaver, Ryan Madson, Peter Bourjos

Weaver excels in rehab start

Madson suffers another setback

Bourjos nearing rehab

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Rockies option 2B Josh Rutledge, will activate Michael Cuddyer

More Rockies: The Growing Conflict at 2B

Chatwood back in the rotation

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Cardinals notes: Chris Carpenter could return by July

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Garcia done for the year

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MLB scores and more: Kuroda exits with injury, Worley demoted, Utley scheduled for MRI

Wednesday’s scores

The Big Three

Braves LHP Eric O'Flaherty to have Tommy John surgery, miss rest of season

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Venters has TJS

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MLB teams to wear camouflage-themed unis for Memorial Day

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MLB scores & more: Corbin shines again, Cueto returns victorious, Vogelsong breaks hand

Monday’s scores

The Big Three

In Other News...

Wilson Ramos injury: Nationals catcher back on DL

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Price Goes Down

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