MLBits: STL/MIL Collision, Holland’s Ugly Debut, An Apology to Ohtani, Votto, Marlins, More

On Saturday, some dingbat hit my car (parked on Waveland) and left without leaving a note or even getting out of his car. Fortunately, two wonderful, beautiful passersby saw the collision, snapped photos of his car (and mine), and left notes with their phone numbers under my wiper blade.

So to Andy and Jon, thank you. You guys rock. To the dingbat, click here.

Here’s some news from around the league …

  • Yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals entered the bottom of the ninth inning down a run against the Brewers, but Yadier Molina (of course) got a rally started that eventually led to a tie game, extra innings, and … new closer Greg Holland’s 2018 debut. Unfortunately, Holland, who was forced to start the season late because he didn’t sign with the Cardinals until Opening Day, got things started with a walk to Travis Shaw, and then another walk to Domingo Santana. Eric Sogard followed that up with a sac bunt, moving the runners to second and third with one out, before Holland intentionally walked Manny Pina to load the bases. The next batter, Orlando Arcia, came to the plate with a below average 6.7% career walk rate … and walked to force in the go-ahead run. The Cardinals were unable to answer in the bottom half of the inning, so the Brewers won. That’s a rough start for Holland. You can read more about it at Cardinals.com.
  • (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

  • Before we move on, I want to point out that Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez collided with Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain during a bang-bang play at first base last night, and both players were forced to exit (Cain’s foot stepped on Martinez’s ankle). Both players are apparently day-to-day, but that seems like a win (especially for Martinez), given how nasty/painful the collision looked.
  • Oh, one more thing about the Cardinals:
  • Adam Wainwright is likely nearing the end of his career. I wonder if the Cardinals will move him into the bullpen sooner than later and recall Jack Flaherty, who had a nice 5.0 IP, 9 K, 1 BB, 1 ER performance in his place on April 3.
  • At Yahoo Sports, Jeff Passan pens an open apology to Shohei Ohtani for getting it wrong about him in Spring Training. Basically, after talking to a number of scouts, Passan was convinced Ohtani’s transition to the big leagues was not going to go *nearly* as smoothly as it has, but he is happy to admit that he was wrong. Well, sorta. The flaws the scouts saw with Ohtani’s swing were real and would’ve been a problem, but Ohtani was able to adjust on the fly (quickly and effectively … in a new country and league) and change his swing just enough to adjust. And the final product, well, you know how good he’s been:
  • And if you can’t get enough Ohtani fun, The Onion did their thing, too:
  • The Cincinnati Reds (2-7) have not gotten off to a great start this season, and I fear things are about to get a little worse. According to MLB.com, they’ve put third baseman Eugenio Suarez (fractured right thumb) and outfielder Scott Schebler (sore right elbow) on the 10-day disabled list. No one was picking them for a surprise season anyway, but starting slow and losing two starters simultaneously is not a recipe for success. And, of course, Suarez just recently signed a seven-year/$66M extension last month. Obviously a fractured thumb doesn’t strike you as a long-term injury, but losing him right away must sting a bit for fans.
  • At least the Reds have Joey Votto to enjoy:
  • https://twitter.com/FOXSportsOH/status/983489283339071493

  • Although, Votto hasn’t turned things on yet: .257/.308/.257 (53 wRC+). I’m not worried, though. The guy’s a hitter.
  • Oh, Marlins:
  • When I see things like this, I’m reminded that part of Jeter’s sale pitch to potential investors was a continued *growth* in attendance, even after shipping away, you know, all their good players. Poor Marlins fans. So far, the new boss seems a lot like the old boss.
  • Speaking of the last incompetent owner – remember how Jeff Loria was supposed to share part of the profits from the sale of the team with the city that paid for his stadium, but then claimed, despite selling for almost 1 BILLION more than he paid for it, there were no profits? Well, the city is taking him to court over that (which we already knew), but here’s where things get even weirder. The new ownership group, which is not in the crosshairs of the lawsuit, but is obviously an important part of the case, is claiming that the Marlins are actually corporate citizens of the British Virgin Islands, not the U.S., so that a federally-appointed arbitrator, not a judge in the U.S. Court system, would preside over the case. It’s all very strange.
  • For more law-related fun, a tech company is suing MLB Advanced Media, alleging that they stole it’s pitch tracking system, PITCHf/x, changing its name and integrating it into Statcast under another name.
  • According to Forbes, the Yankees are getting excellent TV ratings on their “YES” network, including some of the highest ratings in the past six years. That’s good news for the Cubs, who are hoping to set up their own TV Network (probably as we speak) to air games starting in 2020.
  • And finally, I don’t think Charlie Culberson got *nearly* enough credit for this excellent play at Coors Field a couple nights ago. Watch as he goes flipping into the stands and winds up in a seat … with the catch made:
  • written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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