MLBits: Paxton’s Historic No-Hitter, Brewers Injury news, Kershaw Deteriorating? Ichiro and Tom Brady, More

May 09, 2018

Does anyone have any recommendations for movers in the city? I’ve got a move coming up – Wrigleyville to Lincoln Park (I know, I know, I’m moving up in the world) – and there’s about 10,000 options out there when you Google it. Drop a line in the comments and let me know.

Last night, the Mariners’ James Paxton became the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season (get out of here, Dodgers, with your combined no-hitter, no one cares about that) against the Toronto Blue Jays in Colorado. Here’s every out from that game:

https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/994225981085790208

Paxton, by the way, was born in Canada and became the first Canadian pitcher to throw a no-hitter *in Canada* (second Canadian overall to ever accomplish the feat). Notably, all three no-hitters this season have come in different countries (Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.)

In case you missed it last night, the Mets found a home for former ace Matt Harvey and it’s right here in the NL Central with the Reds. In exchange for the former NY star, in addition to some cash, the Reds sent over Devin Mesoraco, who is, himself, a former star with a breakout season several years ago followed by disappointment, injury, and depth chart slipping. At FanGraphs, Jeff Sullivan explores this “exchange of horror stories,” if you’re interested in more.

Among the most exciting – maybe even the most exciting – free agents to be this winter is Dodgers’ left-hander Clayton Kershaw (he can and almost certainly will opt out of his deal with the Dodgers, before re-signing there for more money). But increasingly frequent trips to the DL have brought up questions about his durability with age. “Since 2015, Kershaw hasn’t made it through a season without requiring at least one trip to DL,” writes Jonah Birenbaum of the Score, “missing time in each of the previous two campaigns with back problems. Then, during his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Tuesday, Kershaw felt discomfort in his arm, precipitating another DL stint ….” But according to Kershaw, he doesn’t think his age is affecting his health. I think he’ll get paid pretty close to whatever he wants this winter either way.

The Brewers have good news and bad news on the injury front. The good news is that they’ve activated closer Corey Knebel – one of the top relievers in baseball last season – which must feel especially nice because he’s thrown just 2.2 innings this season. With that said, even without him, the Brewers bullpen has a 2.56 ERA, which is tied for second best in baseball with the Cubs. The bad news, however, is that they’ve been forced to place Wade Miley on the DL with a strained right oblique muscle.

In even more devastating news, Brewers catcher Stephen Vogt’s MRI revealed damage to his rotator cuff, labrum, and capsule which could prevent him from ever playing again. He was moved from the 10-day to the 60-day DL and I genuinely wish him the best. As for the Brewers, they’ve had some really tough luck with injuries all over the place this year, but are still 21-16. Give ’em credit.

In other injury news, Red Sox left-hander David Price experienced some numbness in his pitching hand, and, thus, won’t make his scheduled start today. Apparently it’s only carpal-tunnel syndrome. But still, he’s had a lot of issues. Reminder: Price is in year three of a seven-year, $217M contract and it has not been good. Second Reminder: Jason Heyward is the guy the Cubs signed instead of Price a couple offseasons back. And while he’s not working out perfectly either, he costs $33M less overall and has an AAV hit of just $23M/year to the luxury tax threshold as opposed to Price’s $31M/year. Price is also four years older.

At FanGraphs, Jeff Sullivan has a fun article up on how the Pirates are “Gerrit Cole-ing Corey Dickerson.” By that, he means that while the Astros were able to take Gerrit Cole’s game to a whole new level since he’s left Pittsburgh (1.42 ERA, 1.54 FIP 41.9 K%, 4.9 BB%), the Pirates have done something similar with Dickerson vis à vis the Rays: .333/.371/.550 (147 wRC+; 1.7 WAR).

I’m pretty sure the Mets can’t help but be a joke:

The Mets batted out of order, and as a result forfeited a man in scoring position in the first inning. I've never seen that before in a professional baseball game.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 9, 2018

Speaking of the Mets, get this: Tim Tebow is currently slashing .247/.326/.435 in Double-A, which is good for a 121 wRC+. Tim Tebow is 21% better than the average hitter in DOUBLE-A. Dude … that’s notable. That said, a 42.1% strikeout rate at AA is … a problem.

And speaking of guys who probably shouldn’t be playing baseball, but are, 53-year-old Rafael Palmeiro is officially back in baseball (sorta), after signing a contract with the Cleburne Railroaders, an independent team from the American Association (league?). His 27-year-old son plays on that team, by the way, and no, Palmeiro will not be making it back to the Majors.

Ichiro is a national (global) treasure:

This one made me go "holy shit."https://t.co/205md2zWI2 pic.twitter.com/Dx0NAtPogV

— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) May 9, 2018

And finally, after the passing of his mother, Stephen Piscotty returned to his team, got a standing ovation, and promptly hit a single. It was very heart warming. If you recall, the Cardinals traded Piscotty to the A’s so he could be closer to his mom this past offseason as she battled ALS:

written by

Michael Cerami

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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