Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
Today’s Headlines
Strider MRI-Bound
Kicking things off with the most terrifying story of the day, Atlanta ace Spencer Strider will get an MRI today after leaving Friday’s game with “discomfort” in his right elbow:
Spencer Strider’s elbow was bothering him and he will be getting an MRI tomorrow (via @mlbbowman).
He averaged 96.7 MPH with his fastball in his first start but all of his last 31 fastballs tonight were slower than that.
His last fastball was at 94.4 MPH. pic.twitter.com/6pMDoyz1TY
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 6, 2024
Strider threw 88 pitches against Arizona, allowing seven hits and three walks against only four strikeouts. The velocity being down is obviously alarming, in addition to the fact that he labored so heavily through just four innings of work. One imagines that an IL stint of some kind is on the way, even if the MRI comes back clean. Atlanta would likely be fine in the interim, given how fortified their roster is. A longer term absence, however, definitely opens things up in the National League East (and could deprive us all of one of the game’s top hurlers).
Blame Shifts in Uniform Debacle
I was worried that once the regular season got underway, the outrage over the quality of uniforms around the league would fade away. That hasn’t remotely been the case, however, as the current look for most teams in baseball has been far less than satisfactory. Between sweat stains, illegible names, and mismatching grays, it’s been a tough scene in the aesthetics department.
In the latest turn, Major League Baseball shifted the blame for the fiasco. While Fanatics initially wore the brunt of the blame for the uniforms, a statement from MLB revealed that Fanatics was merely carrying out orders from Nike, who was responsible for designing the uniforms and did so to the exact specifications. Nike is now testing alternatives in order to rectify the situation.
Phillies Announce City Connect Uniforms
A brighter note on the uniform front — depending on your perspective, I suppose — the Philadelphia Phillies announced the latest iteration of Nike’s City Connect Uniforms:
An ode to Philly’s past, present & future.
➡️ https://t.co/5ZsDu5BBDu pic.twitter.com/RGnXRnl3zC
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 5, 2024
These are certainly baseball uniforms for a baseball team. I’ll leave the opinion to you, the reader.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Díaz Notches First Save Since 2022
The New York Mets have not gotten off to the best of starts. They didn’t win their first game until the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader, losing five straight to begin the year. The start left Edwin Díaz waiting quite a while to record his first save. Worth the wait, I imagine:
Edwin Diaz. Ballgame.
His first save since October 4, 2022. pic.twitter.com/Gf88EICkJ3
— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2024
Díaz made a pair of appearances prior to Friday, but without the opportunity to have the ‘S’ next to his name in the box score. He walked one and struck out Jake Fraley to end things in Cincinnati for his first save since October of 2022, coming off that torn patellar in the ’23 World Baseball Classic. A special moment, to be sure, made all the better coming against his brother, Alexis Díaz, on the other side. Apparently the two have a wager involving family dinner, with the one recording the fewest save in their six tilts on the hook for the bill.
Rodriguez Bests Jones in Young Velocity Duel
Grayson Rodriguez’s first couple of starts have not come with the fanfare of his big league debut last year. While he ended up turning in a solid season, his struggles to start his big league career led the collective to turn their attention elsewhere, despite an extremely strong finish. On Friday, he took the mound in Pittsburgh against the Bucs’ own phenom in Jared Jones. While the latter pitched well (arguably slightly
y better with 6 IP, 2 ER), it was Rodriguez who nabbed the win in start no. 2. He tossed 6.1 innings, allowed a pair of runs and struck out seven. He generated high whiff rates with the heat (38 percent) and curveball (29 percent). He’s only allowed three runs across about a dozen innings thus far, turning in pitches like this:
Grayson Rodriguez, Jiffy Lube Special. 🧑🔧🚗 pic.twitter.com/HviMTZH9hz
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2024
And this:
Grayson Rodriguez, Vicious 81mph Curveball. 😤 pic.twitter.com/FOkYMV2CIS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2024
I don’t know how anyone hits a baseball, man.
Dodgers, Cubs Bring the Quality
The Los Angeles Dodgers are probably the best team in baseball. The Chicago Cubs are not, but are very much in that second tier of quality teams. On a given day, they can hang with an elite team. And when that happens, we get romantic about baseball. The two clubs traded blows throughout the day. The Dodgers struck early, with a pair in the first. The Cubs chased Bobby Miller in the second. Shohei Ohtani hit his second Dodger homer. Michael Busch hit his first Cubs home run against his old mates. Outfielders had miscues due to the sun. And elite defense was on display:
Nico coming for that second Gold Glove 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/raILDAF6yi
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2024
Day baseball at Wrigley is poetic enough. But when you’ve got a couple of strong ballclubs going back and forth with power, glovework, and stars doing star things, you’ve got just about as much fun as we can have in April, this side of Opening Day. They gave us a lot in the 9-7 Cubs victory.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Yankees placed RP Jonathan Loáisiga on the 60-day IL with a “significant” right flexor strain.
⚾ Yankees signed IF Rougned Odor to a minor league deal.
⚾ Brewers signed C Francisco Mejia to a minor league deal.
⚾ White Sox selected OF Robbie Grossman; RP Alex Speas was DFA’d.
⚾ Orioles traded UTIL Diego Castillo to the Twins for cash considerations.
⚾ Brewers claimed P Vladimir Gutiérrez off waivers from Miami.
⚾ Mets officially added P Julio Teherán to the roster; P Michael Tonkin was DFA’d.
⚾ Diamondbacks activated OF Randal Grichuk.
⚾ White Sox traded IF José Rodríguez to the Phillies for cash considerations.
Articles You Should Read
‘Not built’ for MLB: Players past and present bash A’s move to Sacramento – Alex Simon (SFGate)
As MLB’s uniform issues persist, Nike searches for solutions to sweat stains and mismatched greys – Stephen J. Nesbitt & Tyler Kepner (The Athletic – $)
A Whole Team Out of Shortstops? The Padres Are Trying – Jay Jaffe (FanGraphs)
Shōta Imanaga is New – Matthew Trueblood (Baseball Prospectus)
Fantasy Baseball Coverage