MLB Player News

Gillaspie, who had a 7.15 ERA in 11 1/3 innings for the Padres last season, is coming up as bullpen depth. Omar Cruz was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster and Tom Cosgrove was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.

Baz was able to regain his form here after a rough start last weekend against the Yankees. The Padres only put one man in scoring position after the third inning – on a hit by pitch and stolen base by Jose Iglesias with two outs in the seventh – and never mounted anything that came close to a rally against him. He simply got ahead with his fastball and then dropped curveball after curveball to shut them down. This great start gave him a 2.45 ERA in what’s shaping up to be a huge breakout season. His next start is scheduled to come against the Royals.

Cleavinger was called upon for the save after Pete Fairbanks worked back-to-back days and filled in admirably. His sweeper was so nasty that Gavin Sheets reached first base after striking out against it when Ben Rortvedt couldn’t corral the pitch. That threat ended quickly thereafter when Kameron Misner made an excellent catch on a sinking liner in right field and doubled Sheets off first base. Expect Fairbanks to get the next save opportunity for the Rays.

Díaz drove home the only run in what turned out to be an excellent pitchers’ duel between Shane Baz and Michael King with a sac fly. Between both teams, there was just one extra-base hit and very little offense to speak of. Nevertheless, Díaz has done well of late to put a slow first few weeks of the season behind him. He’s reached base in six of his last seven games with two three-hit efforts mixed in that run.

Tatis Jr. was the only Padre who did any type of damage in this game. His double was their only extra-base hit off Shane Baz and the Rays’ bullpen and none of his other lineup mates reached base twice. Alas, it’s been that type of start to the season for Tatis Jr. who’s only one of four players in the National League to have an OPS above 1.000. Few players have been more productive than him and early indications are that he’s back in his MVP form

A start like this reminds us that King is truly elite. He didn’t have anything close to his best command and had to really grit his teeth through many long at-bats, but still turned in an excellent final line. His sinker was a bit erratic and wound up in the middle of the plat too often. He also struggled to find the feel for his changeup, and that was the pitch Yandy Díaz lifted for a sac fly to score the Rays only run off King. After that, he retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced and struck out five looking in total, a career-best. He’s due for a matchup against the Giants coming up next.

No word yet on what the Phillies will receive in return, though it’ll probably just be cash after Clemens had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. The 28-year-old is a career .197/.244/.367 hitter with 14 homers and 48 RBI in 376 at-bats at the big league level.

This Reds lineup loved hitting in Coors Field. Led by Marte, they stacked up 13 hits off Kyle Freeland the Rockies’ bullpen on their way to a win. Marte has now totaled 11 hits over his last five games, but mind you most of those came last Sunday when the Reds put up 24 runs on the Orioles – aided by some position players pitching – and then some more here in Coors Field. Be sure to monitor how he hits when on an even playing field.

Working with a one run lead is always scary, especially in Colorado. Pagán worked a clean inning though and didn’t allow a moment of stress. He’s also begun to run away with the Reds’ closer job. He’s earned their last four saves and Reds’ manager Terry Francona has stuck with him despite a rough blown save in the middle of this run against the Mariners. It seems like this bullpen no longer has a closer by committee.

The 29-year-old has been out of work since he elected free agency from the White Sox back at the end of August. He’ll likely report to Triple-A Oklahoma City where he’ll serve as extra depth for the defending world champions.

Coors Field is not a fun place to pitch, especially for someone like Abbott who thrives on the vertical movement of his fastball. That fastball lost four inches of induced vertical break in this start compared to its season average and he seemed hesitant to throw it in the zone unless he was way behind in the count. He wound up just nibbling and struggled to grab strikes with any of his secondary pitches. This start was certainly a step in the wrong direction after two great starts. He’ll look to get back on track in his next scheduled start against the Cardinals at home.