Look, okay, OMNICHATTER should never have been chosen, for May 30, 2019

Astros send prospect Forrest Whitley to minor league injured list with shoulder fatigue - Houston Chronicle

Amid an awful start to his Class AAA season, Forrest Whitley was placed on the minor league injured list with right shoulder fatigue on Wednesday, general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

No structural damage was discerned from visits with Astros doctors. Whitley will rehab at the Astros spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., Luhnow said.

Almora overcome with emotion after foul ball hits child in stands

Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora reacted as any parent might when a foul ball he hit in Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Astros struck a young girl in the stands.

Almora, a father of two, immediately put his hands on top of his head, then sunk to a knee on the ground as play came to a halt. Teammate Jason Heyward put his arm on Almora’s shoulders and Cubs manager Joe Maddon came out of the dugout to offer words of support.

All major league teams have extended the protective netting around home plate in recent years, but it does not cover the entirety of the lower bowl.

Phillies face depleted bullpen because of injuries

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies manager Gable Kapler could have draped a stethoscope around his neck in his office that seemed more fit for an urgent care.

“I have notes on injury stuff,” Kapler said Wednesday, not long before Philadelphia’s scheduled game against St. Louis went into a rain delay. “There’s some stuff to report.”

Just a few notes.

One reliever had surgery. Another went on the injured list. Three more relievers may not return until some time in June.

In retrospective, investing a fortune on a right fielder with a 110 OPS+ might not have been the brightest idea in the world….

APNewsBreak: Cubs-Cards set for London on June 13-14 in 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are set to play at London next season in a two-game series at West Ham’s Olympic Stadium on June 13 and 14.

St. Louis will be the home team for both games, according to a draft of the 2020 preliminary schedule obtained by The Associated Press.

Chicago will be at Philadelphia from June 8-10, then has a pair of off days. The Cubs will be off June 15 and then start a homestand at Wrigley Field against the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox.

“I’ve had experience traveling over there and the time difference is pretty dramatic, especially when you go that way,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday. “When you come back, you’re always able to catch up, when you’re going back in time as ...

MLB roundup: Cubs’ win over Astros marred by fan’s injury

Kyle Hendricks pitched eight effective innings, Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant homered, and the visiting Chicago Cubs averted a series sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros with a 2-1 interleague victory Wednesday.

The game was briefly delayed in the fourth inning when Chicago’s Albert Almora Jr. hit a foul ball that struck a young fan in the stands. The Astros confirmed after the game that the child was taken to a hospital, but according to Houston radio station KBME 790 AM (SportsTalk790), the fan was expected to be all right.

The incident shook up Almora, who struck out to finish the at-bat. After the half-inning, he was seen sobbing after talking to a security guard stationed near where the child was seated.

Hendricks (5-4) ...

Astros shortstop Carlos Correa says broken rib was caused by in-home massage

News broke earlier Wednesday that Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa is due to miss four-to-six weeks with a broken rib. All we knew at the time was that Correa wasn’t with his team at the ballpark and that his manager didn’t say how the injury happened. That remains the case leading up to Wednesday’s game:

Correa, though, has issued a statement. And, well, hold onto your hats:

“I’m extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates. I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday. To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship.” ...Read More...

QLE Posted: May 30, 2019 at 10:23 AM | 15 comment(s)
  Beats: carlos correa, injury, massage

Indians end shocking, record-setting drought in most convincing way possible

The Cleveland Indians have been searching a lot during the 2019 season.

Most notably, they’ve been searching for better luck in the health department and more consistency between the white lines.

But it’s not just those important elements that have proven elusive. Some stats have gone missing as well. In particular, the Indians entered Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox with a giant goose egg in a statistical category that will probably shock you.

The Indians went an MLB-record 54 games without a triple to start this season. But they finally put that streak to rest in convincing fashion, collecting three triples in their 14-9 win at Fenway Park.

A bit of a strange park to break such a streak at, though, in the current ...

Former MLB outfielder Angel Pagan rescued after boat capsizes in Puerto Rico

Former MLB outfielder Angel Pagan and two others were rescued at sea Tuesday morning after their boat capsized off the coast of Puerto Rico.

According to a report on conlasbasesllenas.com, Pagan, former minor league reliever Orlando Roman and a 16-year-old boy had their boat flipped by a 15-foot wave near the mouth of the Cibuco River on the northern coast of the island.

Telemundo reports Roman was treated for a head injury. Pagan and the minor were not injured.

When I was wondering where he was now, this wasn’t what I had in mind….

Royals-White Sox Beef Gains New Life As Pitcher Tossed For Hitting Tim Anderson In The Head

The beef between White Sox shortstop and good bat-flipper Tim Anderson and the Kansas City Royals reared its ugly head again Wednesday night, when Anderson was plunked in the helmet in the second inning by Royals starter Glenn Sparkman. In an effort to get out ahead of any escalating hostility, home plate umpire Mark Carlson immediately tossed Sparkman for what upon further review could very easily have been a poorly thrown changeup.

As the Royals broadcast was at pains to point out, Sparkman’s pitch didn’t have the velocity of the usual chin-music message pitch, clocking in at a relatively breezy 86 miles per hour. Sparkman’s fastball goes into the low to mid-90s; both his changeup and slider coast along in the mid-80s, suggesting ...

Not bad for a summer job, but are baseball’s ‘advanced defensive metrics’ accurate?

Slog through the fine print of advanced baseball metrics and you often find a passage that says, Yeah, these numbers might not be accurate, but it’s the best information we’ve got, so let’s go with it.

Which is pretty much the same thought process that led to the belief that the Earth was flat, the sun orbited around it and a good way to identify a witch was to tie her up and throw her in the nearest lake to see if she sank.

“Sure, we might be ‘wrong’ and drown a few people, but it’s the best system we’ve got.”

Here’s the problem with that: When we accept and use these numbers without question we give them validity, and players are now being judged by metrics that even the metrics’ advocates admit may not be ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-30-2019

Liberty [Mississippi] Southern Herald, May 30, 1919:

All the blackboard stuff in the world can’t help when such a play is pulled as came off in the Cardinals-Reds game on April 24. In the third inning with one down Heathcote on first, Hornsby hit as clean a smash as ever was poled. It was good for three bases at least. Heathcote ran as far as second, listened to [Cincinnati second baseman] Morris Rath a moment and then raced back for first. He met Hornsby on the way. Rogers passed him and was called out. And there stood Heathcote back on first base, well satisfied with himself.

That’s not a TOOTBLAN, that’s a COOTBAGID*.

* - called out on the basepaths, another guy is dumb.

All I have is six bucks worth of OMNICHATTER! for May 29, 2019

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-29-2019

Memphis News Scimitar, May 29, 1919:

Ty Cobb Sued For $10,000 As Result Of Hotel Fight

Ty Cobb is the defendant in a $10,000 damage suit filed April 26 by Ada Morris…it became known yesterday when Judge Clyde J. Webster signed an order of default, attorneys for the plaintiff claiming they served notice of the suit during the baseball game [in Detroit] on that date and that Cobb ignored it. The plaintiff alleges that Cobb kicked her following an altercation in a Detroit hotel on April 25.

Sounds like Cobb could have played in the NFL if it had been around then.

Anyway, according to reports, Cobb dropped an N-bomb on Morris and she responded unfavorably, so he kicked her in the stomach and knocked her down a flight of stairs. As one does. ...

Why Dodgers rookie Will Smith walked up to the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ theme song – Orange County Register

What would your walk-up song be?

Don’t look now, Mets have a new best pitcher

Don’t look now but Matz’ 3.55 ERA is the best among Mets starting pitchers. Better than Jacob deGrom. Better than Noah Syndergaard. Better than Zack Wheeler.

“That’s the best Matz has ever pitched,’’ Mickey Callaway said. “He got the ball and threw the ball, not one ounce of emotion. You could tell he was locked in. He did what he had to do against a lineup like that. He’s been our most consistent starter.’’

Whicker: Bill Buckner barreled his way into years of brilliance, and one rough moment – Orange County Register

Some nice Buckner stories.

Video: Randal Grichuk misplay turns into inside-the-park homer for Avisaíl García

Tropicana Field influenced a misjudgment from Blue Jays right fielder Randal Grichuk, leading to an inside-the-park solo home run for White Sox DH Avisaíl García in the bottom of the third inning Tuesday night. Ahead two balls and no strikes against Clayton Richard, García popped up a fastball to shallow right field. García hung his head in disappointment for not hitting the ball well. Grichuk lost the ball in Tropicana Field’s roof. The ball ended up dropping some 30 feet behind him, bouncing all the way to the fence in the right field corner. García came all the way around to score, boosting the Rays’ lead to 2-0. They would go on to win 3-1.

Tropicana Field is frequently the cause of baseball’s stranger plays. Along with ...

LEADING OFF: Smeltzer’s amazing story, Paxton vs Paddack

The inspiring story of Twins pitcher Devin Smeltzer is sure to spread following his dazzling debut in the big leagues.

Diagnosed with a grapefruit-sized cancerous tumor against his bladder when he was just 9 years old, Smeltzer wasn’t deterred in his goal to reach the majors. He made it Tuesday and pitched six shutout innings for Minnesota against Milwaukee at Target Field.

The lanky, 23-year-old lefty with a funky delivery gave up three hits, walked none and struck out seven. He got a no-decision in a game the Twins won.

“I know that tomorrow, between the lines, may not happen. It’s been told to me before, and I don’t take a day for granted out there,” he said later.

MLB roundup: Reds’ Dietrich hits three homers

Derek Dietrich had a career-high three home runs and drove in six to lead the Cincinnati Reds to an 11-6 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. Dietrich blasted two-run homers in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

The run support was more than enough for Cincinnati starter Lucas Sims in his season debut. Sims, who was recalled from Triple-A Louisville earlier in the day, was working on a shutout before giving up a grand slam to Kevin Newman in the eighth.

Sims went 7 1/3 innings, the longest outing of the season by a Cincinnati starter, allowing four runs and six hits, striking out nine and walking one.

Tucker Barnhart drove in three runs, Jose Iglesias had two hits and scored twice, and Jose Peraza homered ...

Give foul balls to kids, you monsters

If you weren’t on the internet over the holiday weekend — and you shouldn’t have been, it was a freaking holiday weekend — you probably missed the latest in a string of ugly ballpark incidents that are staining the fine name of baseball.

Yep, another grownup stole a foul ball from a kid.

In this case, the event was an Ohio State-Minnesota game at the Big Ten championships, and the adult and the kid were both headed the same empty row to chase the ball. The adult got there first, and snapped up the ball like a pelican spearing a fish. Here’s the video

The things people do for souvenirs….

Making sense of MLB’s new All-Star voting system

It used to be much simpler. Voting for the Major League Baseball All-Star game in the lo-fi era only took one sentence to explain: Go to a game, get a ballot, pick your players and then return the ballot.

Ah, the paper ballots. They’ve gone of the way of the VHS tape, the compact disc and 8-bit video games. Things these days are more “convenient” — the league would tell you — and more technologically advanced.

But explaining MLB All-Star voting in one sentence these days would take a pretty long sentence. Especially in 2019.

The league rolled out its brand new All-Star voting system Tuesday. It’s a two-tiered approach that was announced before the season, but it’s now active and collecting votes.

So, what team’s fans ...

White Sox employee’s 1st pitch nails photographer

CHICAGO—A Chicago White Sox employee of the month got to throw out a first pitch. And, to put it mildly, she was just a little bit off target.

The rookie right-hander uncorked one of the most wayward first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and the first-base line, before Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.

The ball went right off Darren Georgia’s lens, nowhere near the plate.

And we thought the White Sox’s pitchers had bad aim….

Phillies’ Odubel Herrera Arrested At Golden Nugget Hotel And Casino For Allegedly Assaulting Girlfriend, Police Say

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera was arrested Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend at an Atlantic City hotel and casino, police say. Herrera, 27, was taken into custody without incident at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino around 8:30 p.m. He has now been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball.

Atlantic City police officers responded Monday night to the Golden Nugget for a domestic violence incident report.

When they arrived, they found a 20-year-old woman, of Philadelphia, with visible signs of injury to her arms and neck after allegedly being assaulted by Herrera.

Odubel Herrera arrested in domestic violence incident

Phillies centerfielder Odubel Herrera was arrested Monday night after a report of domestic violence. The alleged incident involved his 20-year-old girlfriend and took place at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, according to a police report.

The police report also says the victim “had visible signs of injury to her arms and neck that was sustained after being assaulted by her boyfriend, David Odubel Herrera, during a dispute.”

No one has to die in line to climb OMNICHATTER!, for May 28, 2019

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-28-2019

Washington Herald, May 28, 1919:

The flukiest kind of a fluke double due in part to Hap Felsch’s speed and in part to Eddie Foster’s mental lapse, defeated the Nationals [in Chicago yesterday] and gave the White Sox a clean sweep in the series. The final score was 4 to 3.
...
With one out [in the sixth], Felsch’s bounder caromed off Eddie’s glove. While Eddie held the ball Hap sprinted for second, stretching the rap into a double. Gandil singled to left scoring Felsch with the winning run.

This was probably nothing more than a brain fade on Foster’s part, but with the 1919 White Sox (and specifically Felsch) involved, it does make me wonder just a bit.

Yoenis Cespedes injury: Can Mets, Brodie Van Wagenen void contract? | SI.com

It may be some time before the Mets decide whether to take any action against Cespedes. As explained above, the team first needs to conduct its own fact-finding and present Cespedes with probative questions that would attempt to clarify the circumstances of his injury. If the team concludes that Cespedes partook in behavior that violated his contract, it could suspend him without pay or—less likely—attempt to void the contract. If Cespedes disputes the team’s conclusions, expect him and the MLPBA to file a grievance.

MLB roundup: A’s win 10th straight

The Oakland Athletics rode three home runs and stellar relief pitching to a 10th consecutive victory Monday afternoon, 8-5 over the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

Jurickson Profar rallied the A’s from an early deficit with a two-run homer, Josh Phegley broke a tie with a solo shot, and Matt Chapman gave his bullpen some breathing room with another solo homer, allowing Oakland to win its fourth straight game to open its nine-game homestand.

Albert Pujols hit his ninth home run of the season for the Angels.

Oakland’s Chris Bassitt (3-1) got the win despite giving up five runs and six hits in five-plus innings. He walked two and struck out three. Blake Treinen worked a one-hit ninth for his 11th save.

Giants, Marlins battle for NL’s worst record

The Miami Marlins and the San Francisco Giants—the two teams with the worst records in the National League—will open a three-game series on Tuesday night at Marlins Park.

Miami just closed a 4-3 road trip with a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over at Washington on Sunday. The Nationals had won the series’ first three games.

The Giants, who have lost five consecutive games, did not play on Monday, using it as a cross-country travel day.

Marlins first baseman Neil Walker, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI on Sunday, believes his team is in a good place.

Interesting match-up to consider, given the very different directions both teams took to get into this position.