Dallas Keuchel has a 70 percent ground ball rate, which is significantly higher than it has ever been, including 2015, when he won the Cy Young award.
Dansby Swanson is hitting .139/.162/.194 over 18 games and 74 plate appearances. Last year he hit .302/.361/.442 in 38 games and 145 plate appearances.
In Swanson’s defense, his BABIP is a miserable .173 after it was .383 last season. He has the same ratio of line drives as he did last season, and is hitting the ball hard when he makes contact. In fact, he is hitting the ball harder than he did in 2016.
Swanson has gone 5-for-10 on the balls he has put in play an exit velocity that is greater than or equal to 100 mph. His exit velocity has been greater than 100 mph ten times this season, and only five of them counted as hits.
Miguel Gonzalez has only allowed six hits through two starts this season, and five of those hits never made it past the infield. He owns a 2.53 ERA over his last 17 starts since July 2016.
Ryon Healy is 11 for 21, with four runs, six RBIs, four doubles and a homer to get his slash line to a more competitive .279/.319/.500.
Koda Glover will be their long term closer, but worry he is a bit too inexperienced to take on the role right now, so he will share saves with Shawn Kelley, according to Jim Bowden. Bowden also says that the Nats have inquired about David Robertson and Alex Colome but are nowhere near a deal with either team. I love how the entire web leaves that key part out…
The Nationals have also touched base with several teams about their closers, but aren’t even in the same ballpark in the talks they’ve had with the White Sox about David Robertson or the Rays on Alex Colome. Jim Bowden
It might be time to call up Cory Spangenberg, who is batting .348 down at Triple-A while Ryan Schimpf is hitting .102 with 29 strikeouts in 59 at bats.
- Leads the league in home runs — 10
- The first Brewer in club history to hit 10 home runs in the first 21 games
- Tied with Paul Molitor and Rickie Weeks Jr. for the most runs scored by a Brewer in April –23
- Tied Carlos Lee for Brewer with the most home runs in April — 10
- has hit seven of his 10 homers off the Reds.
And April still has five more days…
Matt Davidson leads the White Sox with four home runs and 14 RBI in 38 at-bats so far.
Injury News
Pablo Sandoval is on the disabled list with a sprained knee. It was fun while it lasted.
Shelby Miller is going to get a second opinion on Archie Bradley is the most likely candidate to take Miller’s spot in the rotation, even though he has been pitching great out of the bullpen.
David Price threw 15 pitches three times in yesterday’s bullpen session. He is getting ready to face real live batters next. Stay Tuned
Shelby Miller will see Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles for a second opinion.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 24, 2017
Josh Donaldson was eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, so where is he? YooHoo …
Aaron Nola had lower back soreness during his start Thursday, and then again on Sunday. He is now on the 10-day disabled list, eligible to return May 1. Nick Pivetta will likely be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Wednesday.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts still not ready to confirm a Thur starter (it will be Urias) but did say Maeda will move back to Friday
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 25, 2017
Devin Mesoraco will likely be activated for this weekend series in St. Louis
Ian Desmond ran the bases, took ground balls and most importantly, took 25 swings. There remains no timetable for Desmond’s return. Because Mark Reynolds is doing so well at first base and Ian Desmond comes with versatility, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Desmond play multiple positions upon I felt pretty good,My hand felt good. My swing could have felt a little bit better, but it was good. It was good to get back on the field and feel like a baseball player again.Ian Desmond
Team News
The Rockies’ bullpen is 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA, the best in the National League
The Royals have scored three runs or fewer in 15 of their last 19 games, batting .199 during that time.
According to an article by John Grochowsky at The Chicago Sun Times, teams are striking out more, walking more and hitting more home runs than ever before. It is an interesting read, take a look
Here are some key takeaways:
The way baseball is played is continually evolving, and the current game is showing upward movement in the three true outcomes that are not affected by defense — strikeouts, walks and home runs.
- Last year teams hit the second most home runs of all time. 5610 HR–1.16 per game. In 2000 there were 5693–1.17 per game.
- Strikeouts were the highest they have ever been, with teams averaging 8.03 per game. Teams are currently striking out 8.24 times per game
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