The 2018 All-Star Game is less than seven weeks away now, and, on Wednesday, MLB announced fan voting for the All-Star Game starters will open June 1. Prepare to stuff the ballot box, folks. Here is everything you need to know about Wednesday's MLB action.
Wednesday's scores
- Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 4 (box score)
- Brewers 3, Cardinals 2 (box score)
- Indians 9, White Sox 1 (box score)
- Reds 7, Diamondbacks 4 (box score)
- Yankees 5, Astros 3 (box score)
- Pirates 2, Cubs 1 (box score)
- Nationals 2, Orioles 0 (box score)
- Tigers 6, Angels 1 (box score)
- Mets 4, Braves 1 (box score)
- Royals 11, Twins 8 (box score)
- Giants 7, Rockies 4 (box score)
- Rays 6, Athletics 0 (box score)
- Padres 3, Marlins 2 (box score)
- Rangers 7, Mariners 6 (box score)
- Dodgers 8, Phillies 2 (box score)
Scherzer picks up 150th win
Three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer is officially halfway to the hallowed 300 wins milestone. He picked up his 150th career win with eight dominant innings against the Orioles on Wednesday night.
Wednesday's win improved Scherzer to 150-76 in his career. He also has 120 strikeouts -- 120 strikeouts! -- in 79 2/3 innings this season, which is bonkers. He is well ahead of his pace from the last two years, when he won the Cy Young.
Max Scherzer is off to a better start this season than in either of the two previous seasons, both of which he won the NL Cy Young in. pic.twitter.com/IewuEFHt7s
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 31, 2018
There's a lot of season still to be played, and we'll see how the Cy Young race shakes out over the next few months. I'm sure Scherzer will be in the conversation again. The more interesting question me: Is Scherzer a Hall of Famer?
Severino tames Astros again
Earlier this month Yankees ace Luis Severino tossed his first career complete game shutout against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. He faced them again Wednesday night, and while he didn't pitch that well, he did hold the defending World Series champs to two runs in seven innings. His season ERA climbed to 2.31.
One-time Yankees Killer™ Dallas Keuchel got the start for the Astros and allowed four runs in five innings. He has now allowed 11 earned runs in his last three starts against the Yankees -- that includes Game 5 of the 2017 ALCS -- after allowing four earned runs total in his first seven career starts against the Bronx Bombers. Gary Sanchez's go-ahead two-run single was the big blow Wednesday night.
The Yankees took three of four from the Astros in Houston earlier this month and now they've won two of three against them in New York. That clinches the season series 5-2, which is notable for potential postseason home-field advantage tiebreaker scenarios down the road. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, however.
Wednesday's win improves the Yankees to 35-17 on the season -- only the Red Sox (39-17) have a better record at the moment -- giving them 35 wins in their first 52 games for the first time since going 39-13 to start the 1998 season. The Yankees have also won 10 of their last 11 series, which sources indicate is very good.
Brewers close out May with another win
So, the Brewers have had worse months. They closed out May with a win over the division rival Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon, improving their record to 19-7 for the month. The Brew Crew have the NL's best record at 36-20.
The hero Wednesday was offseason pickup Christian Yelich, who drove in one run with a ground ball and another with a mammoth solo homer. Here is Yelich's seventh dinger of the season:
Yelich went 2 for 5 in the game to raise his season batting line to .307/.372/.492. Fellow offseason pickup Lorenzo Cain went 1 for 4 with a walk Wednesday and is hitting .282/.390/.431 on the year. Those two have been dynamic atop the lineup.
At 19-7, the Brewers just posted their winningest month since going 20-8 in April 2014. Here are the team's last five months with 19-plus wins:
- May 2018: 19-7
- April 2014: 20-8
- September 2012: 20-11
- August 2011: 21-7
- August 2008: 20-7
They still need another starting pitcher, but right now, the Brewers sure look like the class of the National League.
Reyes returns, but exits early
For the first time since September 29, 2016, top Cardinals prospect Alex Reyes took the mound in a major league game Wednesday afternoon. He underwent Tommy John surgery last spring and spent the last 14 months rehabbing the injury.
Reyes pitched well against the red hot Brewers in his return to the big leagues, allowing three hits and two walks in four scoreless innings. He struck out two and threw 73 pitches. Reyes was removed from the game because his velocity dipped, however. Check it out:
By the end of his outing, tracking systems were classifying Reyes' fastball as changeups, which is never a good sign. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny smartly took the 23-year-old out of the game. And, thankfully, it appears everything is fine. Reyes feels good and no tests are scheduled at the moment.
Alex Reyes said he feels fine and isn't sure why his velocity dipped in those middle innings. Team noncommittal about whether he'll get further tests
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) May 30, 2018
Reyes was electric during his minor league rehab assignment, striking out 44 in 23 scoreless innings. He did get stretched out to seven innings and 87 pitches, so it would appear his pitch count was not an issue Wednesday. That said, MLB pitches and minor league pitches are very different animals. Surely Reyes had some adrenaline pumping early against the Brewers. He might've emptied the tank early and run out of gas in the middle innings.
Either way, Reyes returned to the big leagues Wednesday and looked very good, even while his fastball velocity dipped in the middle innings. He could give the Cardinals a real nice shot in the arm the rest of the season.
Eovaldi returns, also exits early
Reyes was not the only pitcher to return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who missed last season while rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery, made his first appearance since August 10, 2016. He was with the Yankees then. He's with the Rays now.
And, in his return to MLB, Eovaldi flirted with a no-hitter. He tossed six no-hit innings against the A's before reaching his pitch limit in his first start back from the disabled list.
Eovaldi threw 70 pitches and given all his injuries -- in addition to the Tommy John surgery, he also had his flexor repaired and recently missed time with a rib cage issue -- the Rays are smart to be cautious with him in his first start back. They don't want Eovaldi to reach back for a little something extra in hopes of getting the no-hitter, only to re-injure himself.
The Rays are currently using what amounts to modified two-man rotation with Chris Archer and Blake Snell. They're starting relievers and swingmen on the other three days. Eovaldi will join the starting staff now and turn that into a modified three-man rotation. Wednesday's outing was surely a satisfying return to MLB.
Kluber fans 10 as Indians win fifth straight
Are the Indians finally getting hot? Well, maybe. Playing the White Sox has a way of making teams look good. The Indians blew the ChiSox out for the fifth straight win Wednesday afternoon -- they've outscored their opponents 43-25 in those five games -- to improve their record to 29-25. Four games over .500 matches a season high for Cleveland.
Corey Kluber started Wednesday's game and was marvelous, striking out 10 in six scoreless innings. He threw only 90 pitches as manager Terry Francona opted to give his ace a bit of a breather with a big lead. Save those bullets for another day, you know? Kluber's been unreal over the last 12 months now:
It's been basically one calendar year since Corey Kluber came off the DL to start last June 1.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 30, 2018
Today, he made his 35th regular season start in that time. His numbers:
23-4 record
1.76 ERA
251 IP
164 H
312 SO
33 BB
With Wednesday's outing, Kluber jumped over a couple of Astros and into second place on the AL ERA leaderboard. Justin Verlander (1.11) leads the league and Kluber (2.02) is now second. Not a bad follow-up to a Cy Young season, I'd say.
Stripling turns in another strong start
The Dodgers have been besieged by pitching injuries this season, though they've been able to climb back into the NL West race thanks in part to Ross Stripling. The swingman has been masterful since moving into the rotation and on Wednesday night he allowed one run in seven innings against the Phillies. He struck out nine.
In four starts since joining the rotation full-time Stripling has a 1.24 ERA and a 40/4 K/BB in 29 innings. He's been fantastic. And, because Kenta Maeda landed on the disabled list with a hip issue this week, Stripling will be able to remain in the rotation even after Clayton Kershaw returns Thursday.
Tempers flare between Cubs, Pirates
Earlier this week we had a mini-controversy when Anthony Rizzo slid into catcher Elias Diaz while trying to break up a double play. He deviated from his path to the plate to make it happen, which is a no-no. The umpires incorrectly called it a legal slide, however, prompting MLB to issue a statement admitting the mistake.
On Wednesday night things again got heated between the Pirates and Cubs when Joe Musgrove slid in hard at second base and made contact with Javier Baez. The two had words and the benches cleared, though cooler heads prevailed.
Wednesday's game was the finale of this three-game series. The two NL Central rivals will meet again at Wrigley Field next weekend, however. We'll see whether any bad blood spills over.
Wild goose chase in Detroit
And now for the comic relief portion of Wednesday's roundup. A goose interrupted play at Comerica Park, which sent groundskeepers on a literal wild goose chase. Also, the goose flew into the scoreboard while making its escape:
Wild goose chase 😂😂
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 31, 2018
wait for the end... (via @FoxSportsWest) pic.twitter.com/o3iBgUOeWE
Don't worry, the television broadcast showed the goose was a-okay after crashing into the scoreboard. It played it off like a boss.
Quick hits
- Which teams have gained and lost the most in postseason odds during May? NL teams are among the biggest gainers (and losers) during the season's second month.
- Orioles closer LHP Zach Britton allowed an infield single and struck out three in an inning of work Wednesday, in his first minor league rehab game. Britton has not pitched this season due to an Achilles injury.
- Phillies LF Rhys Hoskins is likely to be placed on the disabled list with a fractured jaw, reports NBC Sports Philly. He suffered the injury when he fouled a pitch into his jaw Tuesday night.
- The Giants placed RHP Jeff Samardzija on the 10-day DL with right shoulder inflammation, the team announced. He exited Tuesday's start with the injury. RHP Tyler Beede was called up in a corresponding move.
- The Red Sox have requested unconditional release waivers on 1B Hanley Ramirez, reports WEEI. Once Ramirez clears waivers, he'll be free to sign with any team for the pro-rated league minimum.
- Indians LHP Andrew Miller has been cleared to resume throwing, reports MLB.com. He saw a specialist who confirmed the right knee inflammation diagnosis. There is no firm timetable for his return.
- Nationals OF Adam Eaton will begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday, reports MLB.com. He is on the mend following ankle surgery. Eaton is not eligible to be activated off the 60-day DL until June 8.
- The Twins have placed OF Byron Buxton on the 10-day DL with a fractured toe, the team announced. He initially fractured the toe in April and returned from the disabled list sooner than expected on May 10.
- The Dodgers placed 2B Chase Utley on the 10-day DL with a thumb sprain, the club announced. It's unclear how long he will be sidelined. RHP/LHP Pat Venditte was called up in a corresponding move.
- Twins RHP Ervin Santana has been pulled off his rehab assignment with discomfort in his finger, the team announced. It's unclear when he'll be able to resume his rehab. Santana has not pitched this season after having offseason finger surgery.
- Athletics SS Marcus Semien has been placed on the paternity leave list, the club announced. He's expected to return this weekend. RHP Josh Lucas has been called up in a corresponding move.
- The Rangers have activated LHP Matt Moore off the 10-day DL, the club announced. He'd been out roughly two weeks with knee discomfort. RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- Twins manager Paul Molitor is hopeful 1B Joe Mauer can return this weekend, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Mauer has been sidelined for several weeks with a concussion, though his recent rehab work has gone well.
- Rockies DH DJ LeMahieu is on track to rejoin the team Friday, reports The Athletic. He's been out two weeks with thumb and wrist injuries. LeMahieu was able to take batting practice this week without discomfort.
- The Brewers recalled SS Orlando Arcia after placing INF Tyler Saladino on the disabled list, the team announced. Saladino suffered an ankle sprain when he stepped on second base awkwardly Tuesday..
