A pretty quiet week of some more "close but no cigar" games:
Notes:
- Ke'Bryan Hayes ended his 2021 hitting streak at 11 games on Tuesday, and also lost his 19-game hitting streak dating back to last season. He did finish tied for the longest streak in Pirates history (since 1900) by a rookie with Kevin Newman, who also hit safely in 19 straight games during the 2019 campaign.
- Kevin Newman has gone 56 straight games without making an error at shortstop, breaking his own club record for most consecutive errorless games at short in a single season. He went 54 straight games without a miscue from May 24th to July 23rd in 2019.
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| Not rangy but pretty steady - Topps 2020 Bunt |
- The Pirates have lost 10 straight games and have gone 11-33 in their last 44 games. That's their longest losing stretch since 2011.
- LHP Steven Brault is expected to return in late July if his rehab goes well.
- Utilityman Wilmer Difo was outrighted to Indy; he went unclaimed after being DFA'ed.
- It goes on: Altoona 2B Ji-Hwan Bae has sprained knee ligament, not a bruise, and will be out 4-6 weeks. RHP Jose Soriano had TJ revision surgery (TJ-2) yesterday with an expected 16 month recovery sked.
- Old Buc makes good: Starling Marte was named the NL player of the week.
- Ya hate to hear it: Tyler Glasnow has a partial UCL tear and flexor tendon strain. The Rays are going to do further evaluation before determining a remedy (rest & rehab or possible TJ surgery) and return timeline. Glasnow blamed lack of sticky stuff for his injury, but our take is that it's more his frustration showing.
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| Tyler's hopin' some rest turns the trick - Topps 2018 Future Star |
- The Bucs & AHN will host a free vaccination clinic on June 19th from noon-2 PM at the Jim Beam Left Field Lounge. Not only will you get free Fauci ouchie, but also a voucher good for two tickets to a 2021 Bucco game. You can pre-register at pirates.com/vaccination or just walk in.
- Big and Rich will entertain after the season's opening full-attendance game on July 1st as the ballyard is finally fully open for business for the first time since 2019.
- MLB will begin its sticky stuff reign of terror on June 21st. It will cover all foreign substances, although after it's all sorted out, some more benign aids like pine tar/rosin & sunscreen combo may eventually make the cut. The new rules allow the umps to check everyone for the illegal goo, from the pitcher to batboy, and if busted, cost the guilty pitcher 10 days paid suspension with progressive punishment for multiple violators. Expect it become a CBA issue; past lack of league enforcement and constant playing with the balls lays much of the problem in MLB's lap.
I have seen comments from a number of position players to the effect of, "Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute" when it comes to MLB cracking down on various substances used by pitchers. No doubt a number of them skirt the rules in order to doctor the baseball, but a number of batsmen have said they'd rather deal with that than deal with a 100 MPH heater slipping sideways out of a pitcher's hand. I can't say I disagree with them. What's your take on that aspect, Ron?
ReplyDeleteMidseason is a terrible time to make a major course adjustment. MLB and the PA will come to an agreement during the CBA, I'm sure. If batters can use pine tar, I'm sure some compromise substance(s) can be found for the pitchers. Maybe sticking to one ball for a couple of seasons might help, too.
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