MLBits: Nelson’s Rehab, Martinez Transitions, Please Go See the A’s, deGrom, Dodgers, Nationals, More

Aug 14, 2018

The boyz (Brett and Luis) I are contemplating a quick road trip to South Bend this weekend, if it’s revealed that Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow will both be making their first rehab starts/appearances. Here’s hoping.

And here’s some news from around the league.

In the latest Brewers inbox, you’ll get the sense that fans are beyond frustrated with the continued absence of starter Jimmy Nelson, who’s offseason and early-season predictions guessed he’d be back by now. “Well, it didn’t happen. The shoulder didn’t cooperate, and here he is in mid-August, still (as far as we know) throwing his hybrid mound sessions” wrote Adam McCalvy. As for the specifics, Nelson is throwing off a mound, but isn’t quite ready for a true bullpen session yet. And without that, the Brewers can’t put a timetable on it. Frustrating (for them) indeed.

But, hey, their fans are still showing up. In fact, according to Forbes, the Brewers are second in total attendance increase from 2017 to 2018 and are on pace to post their sixth highest attendance in franchise history. In a season where attendance is down league wide, they are a bright spot.

This, however, is just plain sad:

Chaptain America has a PSA for all A's fans pic.twitter.com/i5dwZ9QpD4

— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 14, 2018

“I just want to use this time also to just encourage people in Oakland to come out, man … I just wish we could get some more people out here, man. We’re fun to watch and we really want our fans to come out and support us. It would be great.” Yikes.

According to MLB.com, the Cardinals will transition Carlos Martinez, on the DL for the third time this season, to the bullpen for the remainder of the year in order to get him back sooner. I understand the logic and believe that he’ll be back in the rotation as soon as next season in any case, but this is a pretty gutsy move if you ask me. It sure seems like the Cardinals would only do this if they legitimately feel like they have a shot at the postseason, which, I mean … MAYBE. Hopefully, instead, Martinez helps them win just enough games to miss the postseason and wind up with the worst possible non-playoff draft pick possible. That would be pure bliss.

It’s hard not to feel bad for former Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, who said “I don’t know what else to do,” after yet another heartbreaking loss last night. Martinez has been waiting a very long time to get his shot at managing and he was handed a very talented squad. It just hasn’t come together for him, and with so many guys leaving at the end of the year – including, potentially, Bryce Harper – I’m not sure it’ll get much easier. I really hope he isn’t prematurely taken out of the skipper’s seat, but also he needs to do better.

The Dodgers lost their fourth consecutive game last night, but things have only begun to get worse: second baseman (and deadline pickup) Brian Dozer left last night’s game because of dizziness and a post-game EKG detected “abnormalities,” with his cardiac rhythms. Meanwhile, reliever John Axford broke the tip of his fibula when a come backer hit him on Sunday. He’ll be out for at least three weeks.

And he’s not even their only reliever out for similarly scary health reasons. Kenley Jansen had to call 911 to report an irregular heartbeat last week and the doctors reportedly needed to use an electrical shock in order to get his heart back into rhythm. And while were on the topic, there’s former cubs outfielder Leonys Martin, who’s battling a life-threatening bacterial infection of his own. This is all very scary stuff and I wish every single one of them the best. Heal up, guys.

Jacob deGrom tossed yet another gem last night, this time against the Yankees, going 6.2 IP allowing just 2 earned runs and striking out 12. He’s making a very strong bid for NL Cy Young this year, and it’s already on his mind: “I’ve said before that I want to win a Cy Young,” said deGrom. “I think that’s what every starting pitcher, or pitcher in general, wants to win as a personal goal. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it.”

At FanGraphs, Dan Szymborski checked in on the various Cy Young candidates from both leagues, giving odds to the favorites. In the AL, Chris Sale leads the way with a 29.9% chance of winning, though he’s followed closely by Trevor Bauer (26.0%) in the upper tier of candidates. And in the NL, Max Scherzer is WAY out in front with a 54.8% chance of winning, followed by Aaron Nola (21.3%) and deGrom (21.3%). My bet? Sale and Scherzer.

Ronald Acuna hit not one but two leadoff homers yesterday, one in each half of a double-header.

At FanGraphs, former MLBer Nate Freiman argues that the Minor League strike zone is “objectively different,” than it’s big league counterpart.

And finally, yo … this has got to be the most embarrassing way to lose and the most hilarious way to win:

Was That A Three-Run, Walk-Off … Strikeout?! https://t.co/XLcpcxAQsk pic.twitter.com/DJo0kUy7ux

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) August 14, 2018

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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MLBits: Nelson’s Rehab, Martinez Transitions, Please Go See the A’s, deGrom, Dodgers, Nationals, More

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