NEWSLETTER
Because all I do all day is read, edit, and write (and sometimes make TikToks), I’ve been pretty bad about actually reading real books for about as long as I can remember.
But at the end of last year, my friends and I started a book club (read one book per month, meet at a bar to drink and discuss (sadly, no bars lately)) and I’ve done a pretty good job about keeping up with our schedule. So far, I’ve read ‘The Silent Patient,’ ‘Catch-22,’ ‘The Westing Game,’ ‘Timeline,’ and ‘The Godfather.’ And those five books constitute the most books I’ve read since being assigned stuff to read in college. This month’s book, which I just got from the library today, is ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’ Pretty excited. A little proud of myself. Thanks for listening. Here’s some baseball stuff.
Maddon, Ohtani, and Some Drama in Anaheim
Joe Maddon is on the receiving end of some serious heat in Anaheim after a questionable decision to let star two-way player Shohei Ohtani throw 42(!) pitches in one inning … in his second start of the season/after Tommy John surgery … after failing to record even a single out in his first start of the year. Worse, while Ohtani had been averaging 96.7 MPH on his fastball in his rookie season, he averaged just 92.7 MPH in his first start of the year. His final three fastballs in his second start: 89.6 MPH, 89.1 MPH, 89.7 MPH.
I think you know where this is going:
Shohei Ohtani expressed discomfort in is pitching arm after today’s game. The club has sent him for an MRI, no results yet.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 3, 2020
Joe Maddon is not a popular guy at the moment, and I can’t say I blame the fans. If he did something like this in Chicago – with a player as important as Ohtani to the near and long-term success of the franchise – we’d be absolutely furious. Ohtani wound up walking five in the inning before he was removed. Hopefully he’ll be OK.
For his part, Maddon just thought Ohtani was wearing down in the inning (Angels.com): “I thought it was fatigue, from where I was standing,” Maddon said. “We were trying to get him out there as quickly as we could at that point. There was also the chance that he could get through it, and then I wasn’t certain if he’d be able to continue or not. It was one of those cusp situations. I thought he was just out of his delivery at that point.”
The Angels (3-7) are in last place of the AL West here in the early going. Recall, they spent big on Anthony Rendon, brought in Maddon, and were getting Ohtani back as a pitcher this year. It was supposed to be a big, big year.
What’s This? Some Good COVID/MLB News?
You start feeling positive about any of this stuff at your own risk.
After the dust settled on the Marlins COVID-19 breakout, the broader league concern revolved around the impact those positive cases might have had on the team they played, the Phillies. But here we are a week later, and so far, so good: The Phillies have now gone four straight days without a positive test for any players, coaches, or staff. And according to multiple reports, MLB believes they’re now past the window of significant concern for on-field exposure from their matchup with the Marlins.
The league is also hopeful that this outcome – while partly a compliment to the Phillies’ own efforts – indicates the likelihood of on-field exposure is fairly low:
In MLB’s view, Phillies’ lack of positive COVID-19 tests demonstrates two things: 1. Club-to-club transmission will not be that high given limited amount of interaction between opponents on field. 2. Phillies have been diligent following health and safety protocols.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 3, 2020
Sticking with COVID for a Moment …
Even in light of the positivity, MLB and the MLBPA has (rightly) decided to move forward on some adjustments to the safety protocols, including stronger definitions of “close contact,” than the CDC currently defines (six feet for at least 15 minutes), because given the information that follows, that’s CLEARLY not strict enough:
When Juan Soto tested positive after playing in an exhibition, nobody was deemed to have been in “close contact,” triggering more testing and monitoring. With the Marlins last Sunday, only one met the standard.
MLB now believes that to be insufficient.https://t.co/EyMIVUMUfF
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) August 2, 2020
Even setting Soto aside, the fact that only ONE Marlins player met the standard of close contact, triggering more testing and monitoring is absurd. That team had 20+ cases! No, teams can’t sideline their entire roster every time some experiences symptoms, but if there are positive tests, I think they need to be overly aggressive in sitting guys out for 1-3 days. Let’s make use of the expanded rosters, taxi squads, and reserve players. It’s better to lose a couple games than not have a season to play at all.
Relatedly, as the days have rolled on, a few more players have decided to opt-out of the regular season, including Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain, Marlins infielder Isan Diaz, and Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. There are a great number of other notable players, though, and Gordon Wittenmyer has done us the service of collecting them all in one place (including Nick Markakis, who’s since opted back into the season):
20 players who opted out (including one who changed mind and returned):
Leake
J. Ross
T. Ross (FA)
R.Zimmerman
Desmond
Price
F.Hernandez
W.Castillo
Markakis*
Posey
Noesi
Kopech
J.Hicks
McHugh
T.Collins
Zagunis
K.Stewart (7/31)
I.Diaz (7/31)
Cain (8/1)
Cespedes (8/2)*Returned
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) August 2, 2020
Milwaukee’s Injury News
Starting with actual players on the team, the Brewers have placed Ryan Braun on the 10-day IL with an infected right index finger. I’m not entirely sure how or why that happens – or if there’s any risk to his performance the rest of the season – but for now, he’s out. Meanwhile, the Brewers, who’ve had a tough go of it offensively, have not yet replaced him or Cain on the roster since they were shut down this weekend (scheduled games against the Cardinals). I’m sure some moves are coming.
And a more serious (but ultimately positive) note, Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy is currently resting comfortably in the hospital after suffering a heart attack on the field over the weekend:
Per Stearns: Murphy was on field when he started to feel symptoms. Excused himself from whatever they were doing on field, went into dugout and informed medical staff. Staff called ambulance. Arrived in minutes. He was brought to hospital. Thankfully, he quickly got care needed. https://t.co/svASef6Gyd
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) August 3, 2020
