Takeaways from MLB Week 25
Pitching is almost universally central to success in a playoff race. So news of San Francisco Giants starter Johnny Cueto’s groin strain gave reason to question whether his team would have enough firepower to win one of the NL’s two wild-card spots.
While Cueto may still be able to pitch in his next scheduled start, other playoff teams suffered injury setbacks.
Which of baseball’s training rooms were busiest this week?
Johnny Cueto, Brandon Crawford Suffer Injuries
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If there’s one advantage the San Francisco Giants had heading into the final days of the regular season—and, as is hoped in the Bay Area, into October—it is the team’s pitching and defense.
But that collective unit suffered serious damage Tuesday night in a 2-0 win over the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (groin strain) and shortstop Brandon Crawford (dislocated pinkie) both suffered injuries. It’s unclear when either player will return, though San Francisco has still left the possibility open that Cueto would be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday against the San Diego Padres.
Any prolonged absence would severely dent the Giants' hopes of making the postseason. As of Saturday, San Francisco was 1/2 game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wildcard spot. The New York Mets owned the top spot, a game ahead of the Giants.
The right-handed Cueto’s 2.79 ERA ranks sixth among MLB pitchers and his 1.08 WHIP is tied for 12th, though the latter sits only 0.15 points behind leader Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
With Cueto and Giants starter Madison Bumgarner, who holds MLB’s third-best ERA at 2.57, the two have combined to form baseball’s best starting-pitching duo this season. Should San Francisco make it to the postseason, the tandem will make the team dangerous, as they could combine to potentially pitch as many as three games in the NLDS and four in the NLCS, the exact number needed to win each round.
Crawford is a capable offensive player. But more important to the Giants, he owns one of baseball’s best gloves at the shortstop position. He is the reigning NL Gold Glove winner at the position.
Mets Rotation Torpedoed by Injuries
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When the 2016 season started, the New York Mets were projected to have baseball’s best starting rotation.
Young, hard-throwing arms populated its five-man unit. But throughout the course of the season, those arms have succumbed to injury. This week New York’s rotation received its most devastating news yet.
The Mets announced that right-handed starter Jacob deGrom will undergo season-ending elbow surgery that will move the ulnar nerve to eliminate elbow discomfort and numbness in his finger. Recovery is expected to last three months, and deGrom should be ready for spring training in 2017.
On Friday, New York scratched southpaw Steven Matz from his scheduled start due to discomfort is his pitching arm. Matz hasn’t made a start since his outing on Aug. 14 against the San Diego Padres, though the team has said he could return this season. Matz has also dealt with bone spurs this season.
Earlier this season, righty Matt Harvey’s season ended due to thoracic outlet syndrome.
Noah Syndergaard has also dealt with bone spurs in his right pitching elbow, but he remains in the rotation. If the Mets are going to make the playoffs, he’ll be critical to the team’s success.
However, his last outing was abysmal: He used 99 pitches through 3.2 innings and allowed five runs in a Sept. 19 start against the Atlanta Braves.
Red Sox Sweep Orioles, Appear to Be Presumptive AL East Champs
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When the Boston Red Sox began a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 19, the former only held a four-game lead in the AL East.
But by virtue of a sweep of the Orioles, Boston opened up a five-game lead in what has been baseball’s closest division race. As a result, the Orioles fell a half-game back in the wild-card standings.
The Toronto Blue Jays hold the top wild-card spot, while the Detroit Tigers moved into the fifth and final AL playoff spot heading into Friday’s action.
With eight games to go, it appears unlikely that the second-place Blue Jays can catch the Red Sox and contend for the AL East crown. The two teams do, however, play a three-game series to conclude the season.
Boston has held at least a share of first place in the AL East since Sept. 6 after spending much of July and August behind in the standings.
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Tim Tebow Reports to Instructional League
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Newly signed New York Mets outfielder Tim Tebow made his professional debut on Monday.
Well, sort of.
The former Heisman Trophy winner who spent three NFL seasons playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets reported to instructional league in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Monday.
Instructional league is typically reserved for an organization’s youngest prospects who are readying for the lowest levels of minor league baseball. But given that Tebow’s layoff from the sport lasted nearly 10 years, it makes sense for him to work there.
While the league usually draws a crowd numbering near a dozen, MLB.com's Alyson Footer reported that nearly 600 spectators and 70 media members gathered to watch Tebow, who played both baseball and football at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Tebow, 29, chose to focus on football as a high school senior, eventually earning a scholarship to the University of Florida, where he helped the school win two BCS national championships.
Over the past week, it seems as if Tebow’s work in the instructional league has been dissected like none other before.
Though Tebow insists his pursuit of a baseball career is not a publicity stunt and the Mets have said their interest is not motivated by such either, the organization is selling Tebow’s No. 15 jersey.
It’s unclear where Tebow will go after instructional league concludes. By now, Arizona Fall League rosters are set. But should New York feel Tebow has progressed enough to participate, it is possible he could fill any last-minute roster needs that may arise.
Report: Bryce Harper Has Been Dealing with a Shoulder Injury
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For months, many have been trying to figure out why Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has struggled so mightily—and unexpectedly—this season.
Harper won the 2015 NL MVP Award after slashing .330/.460/.649 with 42 homers and 99 RBI. This season, however, he was hitting .240/.374/.439 with 24 homers and 82 RBI through Thursday’s games.
On Tuesday, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated reported that in an interview with Nationals manager Dusty Baker, he admitted that Harper had been dealing with a “shoulder thing.”
For several months now there has been speculation that Harper was playing through an injury. Verducci had also reported that Harper was dealing with an injury, citing anonymous sources.
Tuesday was the first confirmation of any kind that Harper has been hampered by injury, which gives a logical explanation to the unusual juxtaposition of his past two seasons.
Despite it all, the Nationals held a 7.5 game lead in the NL East as of Saturday morning.
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