Seattle injury update, Max Scherzer talks relegation, a happy birthday and more!
Thank you all for prying yourself away from a glorified NFL press conference to join us here this morning.
Diamondbacks News
(Sports Illustrated) Adrian Del Castillo Talks About Terrific 2024 Start with Reno
Adrian Del Castillo has been the biggest development in the Diamondbacks minor league system in 2024. The 24-year-old catcher currently sports a .370/.403/.699 slash with nine doubles and five home runs in his first 18 games, backed up by having a strong quality of contact profile. He’s regularly squaring up baseballs, with his 26 batted balls of 100+ MPH ranking second amongst all Triple-A hitters. He also ranks in the Top 20 for hard-hit rate and barrels per plate appearance.
The Seattle Mariners will be without their starting shortstop and leadoff hitter for a while.
J.P. Crawford has been placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain ahead of the team’s series finale in Texas against the Rangers on Thursday. The move is retroactive to Wednesday.
MLB News
“We need to rank the umpires,” Scherzer said inside a small ballroom at Dell Diamond. “Let the electronic strike zone rank the umpires. We need to have a conversation about the bottom — let’s call it 10% — whatever you want to declare the bottom is, and talk about relegating those umpires to the minor leagues.”
(Sports Illustrated) Houston Astros Off To Worst Start In More Than 50 Years
The Astros have won two World Series, reached two other World Series and been in the American League Championship Series every season since 2017. That’s a seven-season run, which came after a 11-year stretch in which they reached the postseason just one time.
But this start, with a new manager in Joe Espada and unfinished business after losing to the Texas Rangers in last year’s ALCS, is something no Houston player has ever dealt with.
(Yahoo! Sports) MLB is reviving Players Weekend, but without nicknames on the special jerseys
[Ed. Note] Alternative Headline: MLB revives Players Weekend, but without the part that made it cool
(MLB.com) 12 teams whose playoff odds have changed the most
Only five of last year’s 12 postseason teams are currently in possession of a playoff spot. Meanwhile, a number of surprising clubs have positioned themselves to shake up races in the coming months.
Based on FanGraphs’ playoff odds, these are the 12 teams — the six biggest risers and the six biggest fallers — whose postseason chances have changed the most since the start of the season. (Odds are through Wednesday, and all other stats below are through Thursday.)
(CBS Sports) MLB’s oldest living major leaguer, Art Schallock, turns 100 years old
“That was quite a thrill, quite a thrill playing with those guys,” Schallock told the Associated Press. “I roomed with Yogi Berra when I got up there and he knew all the hitters. We went over all the hitters on each team. Besides that, I had to run down to the lobby and get his funny books. Every morning. Yogi knew all the hitters, how to pitch to them, whether it’s low, high or whatever, he knew how to pitch to them. And I had to learn from him.”