MLB Pennant Race Slumps Hitting at the Worst Possible Time
The dog days have not been kind to Max Scherzer and Alex Rodriguez.
While the Washington Nationals ace can't stop serving up bombs, the New York Yankees designated hitter can't buy a hit—much less a home run. But Scherzer and Rodriguez are far from the only prominent big leaguers who have turned into duds at the worst possible time.
The following 10 players have all been slumping in a big way as the MLB pennant race hits the stretch drive. There's room on the list for a vet who, like A-Rod, recently celebrated his 40th birthday. And as it turns out, Scherzer isn't the only member of Washington's pitching staff who made the cut.
Alex Rodriguez, DH, New York Yankees
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It looks like Alex Rodriguez is just about out of gas.
The 40-year-old has 26 jacks in 2015, but just two of those have come in August. This month, the New York Yankees designated hitter checks in with a .138 average and .250 slugging percentage.
The underlying issue is that A-Rod's bat speed has vanished as the season has worn on. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Rodriguez hit .317 against fastballs from April through July, but that figure has plummeted to .206 in August.
With Rodriguez scuffling at the plate, New York manager Joe Girardi has been giving him more days off. According to Sweeny Murti of WFAN, the right-handed hitter thinks the rest will help him get back on track as September approaches.
If the Yankees are going to pass the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, they will need Rodriguez's September to look a lot more like his July (1.033 OPS) than his August (.500 OPS).
Drew Storen, RP, Washington Nationals
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Drew Storen hasn't been the same pitcher since Jonathan Papelbon arrived in the nation's capital.
With Papelbon installed as the closer, Storen has been tasked with locking down the eighth inning instead of the ninth. Unfortunately for the Washington Nationals, Storen hasn't been locking down anything at all, as he's allowed 11 runs in 11 August outings. As a result, his ERA has ballooned from 1.64 to 3.31.
According to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, Storen's cold streak could end up paving the way for his departure in the offseason: "What you have is demoted, dissatisfied Drew Storen wanting a trade that he will almost certainly get this winter."
"Dissatisfied" is the perfect word not just to explain Storen's state of mind but the mood surrounding the Nationals. The club's postseason chances are rapidly slipping away, as Washington trails the New York Mets by 6.5 games in the National League East.
Carlos Gomez, CF, Houston Astros
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Carlos Gomez's brief tenure with the Houston Astros has not gone to script.
In 25 contests for the American League West leaders, Gomez has a .198 average and just five extra-base hits. Before landing at Minute Maid Park, Gomez almost ended up back in Queens, where he began his career with the New York Mets.
Per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, Gomez said he certainly wouldn't have minded a second go-around in New York: "You want to be a part of something special with the team you came up. So when I heard I got traded to the Mets, I got really pumped and excited, because I know I have a lot of friends there. A lot of fans in New York still follow me and love me. I got excited, but this is the job, and this is the business.
"Now I'm in Houston, and I love Houston."
But the Astros have to be a little disappointed with their deadline addition after the way his first month with the club has unfolded.
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Mat Latos, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Mat Latos has had a lot of down time since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The righty, whom the National League West front-runners snagged in a 13-player swap with the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins, was temporarily banished to the bullpen after getting battered in two of his first three starts for Los Angeles.
In his three outings with the squad, Latos is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA, and he's given up 18 hits in 14.2 innings of work. The 27-year-old hasn't even stepped on the mound since Aug. 13, but he's slated to start the second game of the Dodgers' weekend set with the Chicago Cubs.
While the Cubs have been flying along in August, the NL Central squad has historically been a favorable matchup for Latos. In 12 outings against Chicago, he has a 2.76 ERA and a ratio of 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Russell Martin, C, Toronto Blue Jays
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Russell Martin is feeling confident.
"We're looking like the best team I've ever been on," Martin told Dan Martin of the New York Post earlier this month. "And with the additions we made, definitely. We're a deep team now. I like our chances."
It's difficult to disagree with Martin, as the Toronto Blue Jays have ripped off a 19-5 record this month to claim a 1.5-game edge over the New York Yankees in the American League East.
While the Blue Jays have been rolling along, Martin hasn't done much to chip in—especially at the plate, where he's been a non-factor. The 32-year-old's numbers have been shockingly poor in his last 15 games, as he's logged a .111 average and .349 OPS. Martin also hasn't collected an extra-base hit since July 30, when he went yard against the Kansas City Royals.
Ervin Santana/Phil Hughes, SP, Minnesota Twins
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It's been an alarmingly bad month for Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes.
Santana hasn't been providing the Minnesota Twins with any help in their wild-card chase, running up a 9.12 ERA in his last five starts. Earlier in the month, skipper Paul Molitor speculated that Santana's struggles could be linked to the 80-game ban he served after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think it's natural when you go through some of the circumstances he endured that you might try to do too much," Molitor said, via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. "You can't make up for lost time. Just continue to try to be yourself. Don't try to be Superman."
The central problem for Santana is that he isn't fooling anybody. In August, opponents are hitting .364 against him. Remarkably, Hughes has been even worse, with a 9.88 ERA and an average against of .381 in his last three starts before landing on the disable list with a back injury.
With the Twins just a half-game out of the second wild-card spot, the veteran starters are not only letting the club down at the worst possible moment but also doing so while making a ton of cash. Santana ($13.5 million) ranks as the second-highest-paid Twin, while Hughes ($9.2 million) checks in at No. 5.
Joc Pederson, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Just a couple months ago, Joc Pederson was the leading candidate to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
These days, the 23-year-old spends most his time on the bench for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pederson, who has been demoted from his job as the starting center fielder, is mired in an extensive funk. The lefty hit .169 in July and is batting .114 in August. So far, he is handling his benching with aplomb.
"I'm not worried. I'm not panicked," Pederson said, via Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register. "I'm here, happy and ready to help the team, whatever it is. Right now, we're at the time where we need to win ballgames and put the best team out there. That's not me right now."
Pederson is spot-on in his assessment. With the San Francisco Giants just 2.5 games back of Los Angeles in the NL West, the Dodgers need to pile up as many wins as possible in the final weeks of the season.
As he showed in the opening half of the season (.851 OPS and 20 home runs), Pederson has the potential to help Los Angeles win its division. Rediscovering that potential is going to be especially crucial after Yasiel Puig landed on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Torii Hunter, RF, Minnesota Twins
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Torii Hunter, who turned 40 in the middle of July, is finally starting to show his age.
"I'm killing us," Hunter admitted earlier this month, via Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press.
At the time, Hunter was stuck in a 1-for-26 skid. Since then, things haven't gotten any better for the Minnesota Twins vet. In August, Hunter is hitting .136. His power has also been MIA. He hasn't gone yard since Aug. 7 and has totaled just four long balls in the second half of the season.
At the end of July, Hunter suggested he'd like to return to the Twins in 2016.
"I would love to come back," Hunter said, via Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. "I still feel good. I still feel young."
The way he's been slumping, Hunter can't be feeling nearly as good or as young as he did just four weeks ago.
Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals
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Max Scherzer is getting crushed by the long ball.
In his last four outings for the Washington Nationals, Scherzer has been tagged for seven yard shots. As he explained to James Wagner of the Washington Post, he's trying to keep an even keel as he navigates the roughest patch of his season.
"I'm not sitting here kicking chairs around because I'm frustrated with how I've pitched," Scherzer said. "My stuff is there. It's just that there's a couple mistakes within my outing that I've got to shore up."
Unfortunately for Scherzer and the Nats, those mistakes have been adding up. In August, the ace has compiled a 6.43 ERA as he's tumbled out of the National League Cy Young Award discussion and the club has fallen out of the division race.
Note: All stats courtesy Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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