I was high on Reds starter Edison Volquez as he had come of Tommy John Surgery in 2010, and my thought was that he would show some improvement in his control this season, but we have yet to see that from him, except in a handful of starts. The Reds are in a pennant race and one would have to think he might be dropped from their rotation in the coming weeks. He had another bad outing last night, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits, 5 walks and 4 strikeouts in 4+ innings. In his last two starts, covering 9 innings, he has given up 8 runs on 14 hits, 7 walks and 12 strikeouts. The Reds will probably look for some starting pitching help in the coming weeks, and Volquez could be one that is moved to their bullpen if he doesn't turn things around soon.
Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo broke his thumb when he was hit by a pitch last night and will be placed on the DL. The Indians will recall Travis Buck to replace Choo on the active roster.
Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta went 2-4 with 2 RBIs on Friday night and is now hitting .302-.353-.508 with 11 HRs and 42 RBIs. I ranked Peralta in my top 12 shortstops in the preseason which many questioned. My thought process was he could provide solid power numbers for a shortstop and he has done just that thus far.
More Roundup after the jump:
Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez held the Yankees to 2 runs on 4 hits, 4 walks and 7 strikeouts in 7 innings of work last night. He is now 3-7 on the season with a 4.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with a 74-37 K/BB rate in 84 innings. He has given up 3 runs or less in 8 of his last 10 starts, with a 54-26 K/BB rate in 64 innings. Coming into the game his xFIP was 3.80 indicating he will pitch better going forward.
Phillies starter Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15 day DL with lower back stiffness and will more than likely be out longer the the scheduled 15 days. Will the Phillies go all out at the trade deadline and trade for another starting pitcher, bullpen help and a right handed hitting outfielder? ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Phillies could be in the market for Padres closer Heath Bell. This indicates to me that they very well could empty the farm system once again.
Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley went 0-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored last night. Ackley batted 5th in the Mariners lineup and is now hitting .238-.333-.476 since his callup a few weeks ago.
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre is proving his 2010 season was no fluke. He went 3-5 with a HR, 2 runs and 3 RBIs last night and is now hitting .264-.311-.458 with 13 HRs and 55 RBIs. Coming into the game his BABIP was .247 vs a career BABIP of .292, so his triple slash line could improve going forward. He is on pace for a 27-116 season at the plate.
About a month ago I stated that Rays starter James Shields was the best pitcher in the AL this year and he proceeded to have two rough starts in a row. Well, since then he has thrown 3 straight complete games, including last nights complete game where he gave up just one run on 3 hits, a walk and 9 strikeouts. He is now 8-4 with a 2.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 117-28 K/BB rate.
Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has had a rough few years dealing with injuries, and now he has to deal with neck surgery that will keep him out of the Twins lineup for at least 6 weeks. One has to wonder if the Twins will go out and trade for a veteran first baseman. Derrek Lee might fit well in Minnesota.
Coming into the season, Michael Morse was a popular sleeper pick especially after his terrific spring where he hit 8-9 HRs, I forget exactly. He was given the starting left field job, but hit his way to the bench. That is, until Adam Laroche was placed on the DL. Morse has been one of the hotter hitters in baseball since then. He went 2-5 with a HR an 2 RBIs and is now hitting .308-.358-.561 with 14 HRs and 45 RBIs.
Padres first baseman Anthony Rizzo has struggled since his callup from AAA, but recently manager Bud Black gave him a vote of confidence, and moved him up in the lineup on Friday. Rizzo responded with his best game in the big leagues by going 2-4 with a walk and 3 runs scored. Since the callup, he is hitting .190-.370-.429 with a HR, 2 RBIs and an excellent 14-10 K/BB rate.