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The Marlins lost two stars to IL, but you have to see the other guys. Also, Bryce Harper is improving, the robot umps’ strike zone is changing, and Andrew McCutchen’s season (but not career) is over. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to Windup.
Marlins, Dodgers hurt: Let’s split
The Dodgers and Marlins each currently occupy a playoff spot – Los Angeles leads the NL West by 13 games over Arizona, and Miami is currently a half-game back of the D-Backs (and the Reds) for the final NL wild-card. position.
Both teams are also running riot.
For the Dodgers, their rotation is in dire limbo. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are out for the year. Julio Urías was officially placed on administrative leave at the same time as his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic abuse. Clayton Kershaw looks hurt. And Lance Lynn, well…
In Lynn’s first five starts with the Dodgers, he was 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA. In his last two — both against teams the Dodgers could face in the postseason — he’s 0-2 with 15 earned runs in nine innings and SIX home runs allowed.
Eight of those runs (and three homers) came against the Marlins last night as Miami won its second straight over the Dodgers, 11-4, extending its winning streak to six games. But while the results were good, all was not well in Miami. Last year’s NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and outfielder Jorge Soler (who has an .842 OPS and leads the team with 35 home runs) were both placed in the IL Wednesday.
For Alcantara, it was a right forearm strain. For Soler, it’s a right oblique strain. Not very encouraging as the team fights for a playoff spot.
Ken’s notebook: Harper exceeded expectations at first
Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson said Bryce Harper better at first base than anyone expected. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said if Harper stays at the position, he could win a Gold Glove.
Even when learning a new position, Harper is held accountable. If he makes a mistake, he owns it almost to a fault, Dickerson said. And sometimes, he worries about things that even Dickerson doesn’t.
Harper’s return from Tommy John surgery in just 160 days was one of the wonders of the 2023 season. His move to first base after appearing in his first 62 games as a DH was another. Harper has played the position just once as a professional, for one in 2021 as part of a five-man infield after a game. And now he’s open to staying there, if that’s what the Phillies want.
Mookie Betts has said that playing the infield will reduce the wear and tear on his legs, so I asked Harper last weekend if he saw himself at first base longer for that reason. He responded in a way that not many superstars do, saying, “I’m open to anything.”
If the Phillies decline to re-sign Rhys Hoskins, a potential free agent who is out the entire season with a torn left ACL, they could play Harper at first, keep Kyle Schwarber at DH and Alec Bohm at third, and going to the outfield. by Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas.
Whatever the Phillies decide, they will be relieved to know that Harper will need more than two months to regain his offensive form. He ended the longest hitless streak of his career, 166 plate appearances, on the second day after the All-Star break. And his post-All Star slash line — .295/.390/.568 — is better than his career mark. He ended a 20-hit streak Wednesday with a two-run double in the Phillies’ 5-1 win over the Padres.
He’s still Bryce Harper. Wherever he ends up on defense.
Robo-ump strike zone adjustment?: Robots need love too; they want to love you
A year and a half ago, former big-league umpire Dale Scott explained to me why my idea of ”fixing” the strike zone might not be much of a cure-all I thought. I maintain that it has some merits, but it seems MLB is pretty dead set on using the Hawk-Eye ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System) – aka “Robot Umpires.”
They started using the Atlantic League system in 2019, and while it’s not perfect, it’s working well enough that they’re implementing it in the minor leagues this year — like they did with the pitch clock, limited throws . , and other changes that eventually made it to the big leagues.
The implication: Coming to MLB.
But part of the reason it’s being tested in the minor leagues first is to allow time for feedback and appropriate tweaks. One of the tweaks that happened this week, because the definition of a strike changed, a little.
As Jayson Stark writes, while the current system employs a “one size fits all” thing (or more accurately, “one size fits all men of the same height- on”) system, the new adjustment personalizes the top of each strike in the hitter’s zone to “two baseballs above the middle of his hip,” and adjusts the hitter’s stance.
This is a really interesting development and will be interesting to watch in the last month of this season and into next year.
More Minor Leagues: Two minor league teams that lost their affiliation are suing Major League Baseball. A judge ruled that their cases merited a jury trial. MLB hopes the charges will be dismissed.
Andrew McCutchen’s era is over: I can break it and take it with a smile
When I first saw the headline that Andrew McCutchen had torn his Achilles tendon, my immediate response was “Oh. not. That’s really the end.”
Breathe, everyone. This is not the end.
First of all, it’s only a partial tear. That’s still bad enough to end his season, but McCutchen told reporters he plans to rehab and return in 2024. Whether that’s in Pittsburgh remains to be seen — he could be a free agent eventually. of the season – but his return to The Pirates certainly proved that the 36-year-old has juice left, even if he’s no longer the star when he won the 2013 MVP (his second of four straight top-five finish).
This year, he’s worth 1.4 bWAR, with a 112 OPS+, stealing 11 bases and hitting 12 home runs. It would have been better if he had only hit one more; he currently sits at 299 career homers.
McCutchen wasn’t completely robbed of milestones this year, though. He had his 2,000th hit in June.
As Stephen Nesbitt wrote in the previously linked story, it feels like the most logical option for McCutchen to return to the Pirates in 2024. Here’s hoping the front office sees it that way.
Shake hands and High Five
Five weeks ago, Taylor Ward took an Alek Manoah pitch to the face. A month later, he underwent surgery to repair multiple fractures in his face. He is still on a diet and can’t blow his nose yet. He spoke by phone with Sam Blum about the hit-by-pitch and the recovery process. His attitude is very inspirational.
The A’s and Royals both avoided the fate of losing the most games by any major league team – 120, set by the 1962 Mets. Twenty years ago, the 2003 Detroit Tigers came close to breaking the record. Stephen Nesbitt and Cody Stavenhagen spoke with members of that team about their late-season run to avoid making history.
You probably know Tommy Pham for slapping Joc Pederson over a fantasy football misunderstanding. There’s more to him, and Ken’s profile today is a must read.
Only four members of the Houston Astros are worth more bWAR than Chas McCormick this year. So what gives him occasional playing time? Chandler Rome has McCormick and manager Dusty Baker on record.
Julio Rodríguez and Noelvi Marte are no longer teammates, but their friendship endures. The two play each other this week.
The prospect parade continues: The Diamondbacks have called up Jordan Lawlar, the sixth pick in the 2021 draft.
Max Scherzer vs. Justin Verlander is supposed to be a showdown for AL West dominance. It was somewhat anticlimactic, as the Astros swept the Rangers for the third game in a row.
Zack Wheeler looks ready for the postseason.
OK, Jasson Domínguez, we know, you’re good.
And on latest episode of On Deck, Nesbitt and I talked about the Astros inevitably; we are also looking forward to future series.
(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)