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 10/16/2015 MLB Note - Houston Astros Feldman, Scott
RHP Scott Feldman (sprained right shoulder) missed the last two
weeks of the regular season and the postseason. He is expected to be
ready for the start of the 2016 season.
The rotation appears to have four slots filled heading into the
offseason (LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHPs Mike Fiers, Lance McCullers and
Collin McHugh) with two prospects (RHPs Vince Velasquez and Mark
Appel) knocking on the door and free agent LHP Scott Kazmir also in
the mix. That might leave Feldman the odd man out even though he has
one year remaining on the three-year, $30 million deal he signed
prior to 2014.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Peacock, Brad
RHP Brad Peacock (back surgery in August 2015) last pitched for the
Astros in mid-April. He is expected to be ready for the start of
spring training.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Rasmus, Colby
OF Colby Rasmus delivered a solid season for the Astros working
primarily in left field, posting a 113 OPS+ with a .238/.314/.475
batting line, 25 home runs and 61 RBIs in 137 games. He was
otherworldly in the postseason (.412/.583/1.176 with four homers and
six RBIs) and essentially guaranteed himself a raise and something
longer than the one-year, $8 million deal he signed with the Astros
last offseason. He will be a free agent this winter.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Keuchel, Dallas
LHP Dallas Keuchel and the Astros broached talks on a contract
extension during the season as Keuchel pitched his way into American
League Cy Young Award consideration. Keuchel finished 20-8 with a
2.48 ERA and solidified his standing as one of the top southpaws in
the majors. Both sides agreed to table discussions until the
offseason, which has arrived. Keuchel wants to stay, and the Astros
aim to keep him.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Carter, Chris
1B Chris Carter hit .333/.400/.822 with six home runs and 12 RBIs
over September and October to somewhat salvage a season that saw him
bat .199 overall and surrender his starting job to a platoon of
non-first basemen Marwin Gonzalez and Luis Valbuena. Carter made
$4.18 million this season and likely will earn a raise during the
offseason. Whether the Astros can afford to make such a financial
investment in such an unpredictable player remains to be seen.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Correa, Carlos
SS Carlos Correa dazzled during his rookie season, batting
.279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs in just 99 games.
Expectations will be through the roof as Correa returns for his
age-21 season, a full season, as the anointed superstar-to-be. How
he and the Astros handle the transition of Correa becoming the face
of the franchise over 2B Jose Altuve will serve as an underlying
story heading into 2016.
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MLB Note - Houston Astros Gomez, Carlos
CF Carlos Gomez battled injury and subpar production with the
Brewers, and aside from a promising two-week stretch bridging August
and September, experienced the same issues following his midseason
arrival in Houston. With one season remaining on his contract, the
Astros aim for Gomez to not only reclaim his health, but the 2013-14
form that made him one of the top two-way outfielders in the majors.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Grandal, Yasmani
C Yasmani Grandal said he expects to have surgery on his left
shoulder next week.
Grandal, who has been playing through pain in the shoulder since
August, called the arthroscopic procedure "a cleanup thing."
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Van Slyke, Scott
OF/1B Scott Van Slyke recovered from inflammation in his right wrist
that kept him off the Dodgers' roster for the NL Division Series. He
would have been available if the Dodgers advanced to the NL
Championship Series.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Greinke, Zack
RHP Zack Greinke (1-1) might have pitched his last game in a Dodgers
uniform. Greinke, who can opt out of his contract, gave up three
runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in 6 2/3 innings
against the Mets in Game 5 of the NL Division Series. Greinke
allowed the go-ahead home run by 2B Daniel Murphy in the sixth
inning.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Turner, Justin
3B Justin Turner had a strong series, but he came up on the short
end against his former club. Turner doubled in the third and fifth
innings to give him a franchise-record six for the series, breaking
Hanley Ramirez's mark of four set in the 2013 NLDS against the
Braves. Turner finished 3-for-4 with an RBI in Game 5. Turner's 10
hits in the season were the most by a Dodger in a division series.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Ethier, Andre
RF Andre Ethier, who went 1-for-4, drove in one of the Dodgers' two
runs in the first inning with a single. He also was involved in a
dugout confrontation with Don Mattingly, thought he manager
downplayed the incident and said he was attempting to calm Ethier
who was upset with one of the umpires.
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MLB Note - Los Angeles Dodgers Ellis, A.J.
C A.J. Ellis had his franchise-record, 12-game postseason hitting
streak snapped when he struck out in the ninth inning during his
lone at-bat in Game 5. Ellis has reached base safely in 15 of 17
career playoff games, batting .365 with two homers, five doubles, a
triple and five RBIs.
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MLB Note - New York Mets deGrom, Jacob
RHP Jacob deGrom (2-0) struggled early but regrouped and finished
strong to win Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the Dodgers.
DeGrom allowed two runs, both scoring in the first inning, on six
hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in six innings. Mets
manager Terry Collins said he had his hook out at least four times
for deGrom. "He made better pitches," Collins said. "He used his
changeup a lot better, better located, located his fastball better.
I thought in the middle of the game he started to pitch inside a
little bit better, which speeds the bats up, so the off-speed stuff
is a little more effective."
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MLB Note - Chicago Cubs Lester, Jon
LHP Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the National League Championship
Series for the Cubs against the Mets on Saturday.
Lester is in the first year of a $155 million deal he signed as a
free agent. He went 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 205
regular-season innings. In his lone start in the NL Division Series
against the Cardinals, he took the loss after allowing three runs in
7 1/3 innings in Game 1.
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MLB Note - Chicago Cubs Russell, Addison
SS Addison Russell, who strained his left hamstring during the NLDS,
will miss the NLCS, manager Joe Maddon announced Thursday.
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"Hopefully, if everything plays properly and we have another
opportunity to play in another round, he might be available at that
time, but for sure not this one," Maddon said during the Cubs'
off-day practice at Wrigley Field.
Russell left Game 3 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals on
Monday after getting hurt while running out a fourth-inning triple.
He didn't play in Game 4 on Tuesday as the Cubs clinched their place
in the NLCS.
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MLB Note - New York Mets Murphy, Daniel
2B Daniel Murphy produced some timely hitting throughout the NLDS,
including the go-ahead home run in the Mets' decisive victory in
Game 5.
Murphy's sixth-inning home run to right, off Dodgers RHP Zack
Greinke, was his third of the series and boosted New York into the
NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs. Murphy went 3-for-4
with two RBIs and two runs in Game 5 and was 7-for-21 with five RBIs
in the series. In the fourth inning, Murphy opened with a single and
advanced to second on a walk to 1B Lucas Duda. Murphy continued
running past second and stole third on the walk, as the Dodgers left
third base uncovered. He subsequently scored on a sacrifice fly.
"That was all Daniel Murphy," a champagne-soaked Terry Collins, the
club's manager, beamed after the game.
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MLB Note - New York Mets Granderson, Curtis
RF Curtis Granderson was 1-for-4 with a run in Game 5 against the
Dodgers. Granderson has reached base safely in 19 off his 22 career
division series games, posting a .294 average in those contests. He
hit .389 in this year's NLDS.
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MLB Note - New York Mets Syndergaard, Noah
RHP Noah Syndergaard made his first relief appearance, replacing RHP
Jacob deGrom in the seventh inning of Game 5 on Thursday.
Syndergaard struck out two and walked a batter in a scoreless
inning. He was pitching on the standard four days of rest.
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MLB Note - New York Mets Familia, Jeurys
RHP Jeurys Familia came on in the eighth for his first six-out save.
Familia retired all six batters he faced for his second save of the
NL Division Series. "We've got, in my opinion, if he's not the best
closer in the National League, he's one of the best in baseball,"
Mets manager Terry Collins said. "You've got to go to him."
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MLB Note - Toronto Blue Jays Estrada, Marco
RHP Marco Estrada will start the opener of the American League
Championship Series on Friday against the Royals. He pitched a solid
6 1/3 innings Sunday in a 5-1 win against the Rangers in Game 3 of
the AL Division Series. He is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA in two career
starts against the Royals, both this season.
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MLB Note - Chicago Cubs Baez, Javier
SS Javier Baez, who filled in at shortstop the last game and a half
against the Cardinals, figures to man the position against the New
York Mets in the NLCS with Addison Russell sidelined. Baez hit a
crucial homer in Game 5 against St. Louis after committing an error
in Game 4.
"The big thing with him is the consistency on defense," manager Joe
Maddon said. "We have to catch the ball. I know he can do that. It's
a mental thing."
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MLB Note - St. Louis Cardinals Molina, Yadier
C Yadier Molina will undergo left thumb surgery and will be
prohibited from baseball activity for eight to 12 weeks.
Molina attempted to play through the injury during the NL Division
Series against the Cubs and aggravated the injury while swinging a
bat in Game 3. He didn't play in Game 4 when Chicago clinched the
series.
Molina wore a splint on the thumb while playing in the NLDS and
experienced few difficulties while catching but struggled to control
the bat. An MRI exam on Oct. 14 revealed that surgery was the best
option for healing.
Molina sustained the original injury against the Cubs on Sept. 20
when applying a tag to 1B Anthony Rizzo on a play at the plate.
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MLB Note - Kansas City Royals Volquez, Edinson
RHP Edinson Volquez will draw the starting assignment Friday in Game
1 of the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays.
Volquez lost to the Astros on Sunday, allowing three runs on five
hits and four walks while striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings. He
went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in the regular season.
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MLB Note - San Francisco Giants Frandsen, Kevin
INF Kevin Frandsen refused an outright assignment to the minors and
opted to become a free agent on Oct. 15. Frandsen, 33, joined the
Giants for seven games in the season's final weeks, and he went
2-for-11 (.182).
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MLB Note - San Francisco Giants Bochy, Brett
RHP Brett Bochy was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Oct. 15.
Bochy, 28, pitched a total of three scoreless innings over four
relief appearances for San Francisco this year. He went 6-1 with a
2.95 ERA in 43 relief outings for Sacramento.
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MLB Note - San Francisco Giants Noonan, Nick
INF Nick Noonan was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Oct. 15.
Noonan, 26, hit .091 (2-for-22) with one homer and three RBIs in 14
games for San Francisco this year. He hit .263/.310/.338 with three
homers and 36 RBIs over 86 games in Triple-A.
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MLB Note - San Francisco Giants Williams, Jackson
C Jackson Williams was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Oct. 15.
Williams, 29, went 2-for-10 with one RBI in seven games for the
Giants this season. He hit .228/.312/.279 with one homer and 18 RBIs
in 83 games for Double-A Richmond.
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MLB Note - New York Yankees Noel, Rico
OF Rico Noel was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on
Oct. 15. Noel, 26, went 1-for-2 with five stolen bases and five runs
in 15 games for the Yankees this year. He batted .181/.302/.207 with
no homers, seven RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 86 minor league games
between Double-A and Triple-A.
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