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Earlier today, the Cleveland Guardians completed a trade that sent second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the Chicago White Sox. In return, they received a 23-year-old lefty pitcher who doesn’t come with much acclaim and will need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft later this year. That is to say, their return wasn’t immense. But Cesar’s departure opens the door for them to do something necessary: It’s time to let the kids play Rick Manning Jersey. We can say that trading Hernandez, especially to the division-leading White Sox, is a signal of giving up on the year, but I think this move was predetermined before the season ever started. Hernandez, like seemingly the entire Guardians roster this year, is part of a larger transition. No team going uncompromisingly all-in on 2021 trades Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco as Cleveland did in January. They also don’t go into a season with a sub-$60 million payroll and lacking depth all over the field. Before the first pitch was even thrown on Opening Day, the 2021 season was up in the air. If some things fell a certain way, maybe Cleveland is sitting atop the AL Central by a few games right now with a healthy Shane Bieber leading the Cy Young race and World Peace dominating the headlines https://www.clevelandfanshop.com/131-Indians_Beau_Taylor_Jersey. Things didn’t fall well though, and now the chances of a playoff run are looking even bleaker than the 2.7% chance FanGraphs is giving them. Either way, trading Cesar Hernandez always felt inevitable. It’s not exactly a trade secret that the Guardians have a tsunami of middle infielders approaching the majors. A couple have tricked onto shore and gotten limited playing time, admittedly not looking great in limited stints. Owen Miller managed just five hits in 47 at-bats; he struck out 24 times and looked overmatch almost every step of the way. He was sent down after a five-week tryout, but if the Guardians believe he is a part of the future, there is little to no reason not to give him another shot now. Andrés Giménez came over in the Francisco Lindor trade after skipping Triple-A entirely last year, but looked like he needed the minor-league seasoning that COVID-19 robbed him of last season. His strikeout numbers are still relatively high in Triple-A compared to some of his better minor-league seasons, but he has looked like a better hitter while hopping between second base and shortstop. Ernie Clement and Yu Chang look like they’re already topping out as utility guys, but even they could use the playing time at second. If one of them are going to break out into something, we’ll never find out without giving them a shot https://www.clevelandfanshop.com/139-Indians_Amed_Rosario_Jersey. Other key pieces from previous trades, like Amed Rosario and Gabriel Arias , figure to stick around for a while longer, too. Arias, specifically, turned 21 less than six months ago and is only getting started in Triple-A. Rosario has been inconsistent, but it’s hard to give up on a 26-year-old with the tools he has. Down in Double-A, where most future talent is fostered before briefly leaping off of Triple-A into the majors, Tyler Freeman is lurking with his advanced approach at the plate and future bright as a supernova. Richie Palacios figures to earn a promotion to the Columbus Clippers sooner or later. Hernandez was exactly what Cleveland needed in 2020 when they were making one last run with their current-at-the-time core. He was also the perfect fit in 2021 when they needed another stop-gap in the middle of the infield while their prospects continued to develop. Trading him at this year’s deadline has always made too much sense to ignore even if it is to the White Sox.

Néstor Cortes Jr. has been a member of the Yankees since 2013, except for a couple months in Baltimore and a shortened season in Seattle . In all these years, he couldn’t secure a spot in New York’s staff. The former 36th-round pick simply wasn’t good enough.In 2021, however, Cortes looks much, much better. His control and command are both dramatically improved, and he uses deception, five different offerings, quick pitches, several windups, and every surprise in his bag of tricks to succeed.That’s the key word. To this point, Cortes has succeeded, even though he had to settle for a minor-league contract in the offseason with only a non-roster invitation to spring training. He had no guarantees of making any impact, but in 16 games this season since being recalled at the end of June, he has a 2.77 ERA, 64 strikeouts, and a 1.09 WHIP in 61.2 frames. Per whiff rate, Cortes is thriving without a truly elite pitch https://www.newyorkystore.com/32-Yankees_Brian_Roberts_Jersey, but he’s more than met the challenge of the job with five good, usable ones.How so? Well, the left-hander throws a four-seam fastball , a slider , a curveball , a changeup , and a sinker . Each and every one of those pitches has a whiff rate no lower than 21 percent, but no higher than 24.7 percent. They’re all good enough to make hitters look foolish:Cortes has so many pitches, angles, deliveries, and tricks, that he is very difficult to square up, evidenced by his 78th-percentile hard-hit rate. And even though none of those pitches misses bats at an elite rate, that doesn’t mean they aren’t good. In fact, three of them have an expected wOBA or xwOBA below .300.Cortes uses his fastball the most, and it’s been extremely effective, with a .165 batting average against and a .221 wOBA. It isn’t fluky, as his xwOBA is .226. He is commanding it very well, and he has been doing so all season long. As Jesse noted the other day, it’s been one of the best pitches for the Yankees in 2021.While ERA , FIP , and Statcast’s expected ERA love Cortes, other run prevention metrics such as expected FIP , and Skill Interactive ERA only like him. Either way, he has been a breath of fresh air for a Yankees’ staff that has been decimated by injuries and COVID-19 all year long.Cortes won’t wow you with otherworldly strikeout rates, even though his current 25 Joey Gallo Jersey.6-percent mark is in the 63rd percentile. However, Cortes really thrives in preventing hard contact. As previously noted, his hard-hit rate is in good territory in comparison with the rest of the league, but consider this: his xwOBA is in the 90th percentile, his xBA is in the 87th percentile, his xSLG is in the 91st percentile, and his 4.8-percent barrel rate is in the top 10 of the league.Simply put, when hitters make contact on Cortés, they don’t inflict much damage. He has a .308 expected wOBA on contact Lou Gehrig Jersey, or xwOBAcon, a number that ranks him in the 90th percentile in MLB.Cortés is basically thriving with mediocre fastball velocity , without a pitch with more than 25-percent whiff rate, and without elite spin or chase rates. It’s truly baffling, and it makes you wonder whether this is sustainable for the rest of his career. That’s debatable, at least to this extent, but for now in 2021, the Yankees are enjoying the ride.

In the 4th round of today’s second day of the draft, the Astros snagged Florida prep infielder Alex Ulloa, the top hitter on a stacked Calvary Christian club that also included stud pitchers Andy Painter and Irv Carter. This was roughly Ulloa’s projected range Cristian Javier Jersey, though he was sort of all over day two depending on whose rankings you were looking at. It’s hard to say exactly what Ulloa is known for, as it’s a very well balanced profile, but his bat is likely his best tool. Earlier in the process, Ulloa was seen as a potential day one selection, but ended up being jumped in the rankings by other prep infielders with a bit more physicality. At 5’11” 180 lbs., Ulloa isn’t a guy who fills out a uniform in a remarkable way, but one who grows on you gradually with a blend of skills and baseball athleticism. He has manned the shortstop position as a prep, and for the most part, he gets very strong marks for his play there. His nimble hands are a standout trait- both in the field and at the plate- and evaluators are also big on his footwork on the dirt. Were there a bit more arm strength in the profile, he’d likely be projected as a shortstop stick, but most funnel him towards second base as its more of an average tool. While I agree that second is likely to be his primary position at the next level, I think there’s potential for him to offer you a bit of positional versatility Jeff Bagwell Jersey. While there’s some appeal in the defensive profile, at the dish is where Ulloa starts to separate. He doesn’t use the most power-oriented swing around, but it’s one that affords him lots of barrel variability, which combined with his advanced feel for contact, has resulted in consistent line drive contact thus far. The high level of performance holds particular weight here, as Ulloa was facing competition near the top of the prep game. There’s room for him to get to more of his pop Roy Oswalt Jersey, but his raw power really isn’t too shabby either- and with some adjustments, there’s potential for it to get into average territory. With an infield fit and potential for an above-average hit tool, that makes for a pretty intriguing package. Thanks to his hitting prowess, Ulloa is the type of prep player who we can expect to be pushed aggressively for his age. We should see a lot of him in full-season ball next year, where he’ll add to a very interesting group that could include players like fellow draftee Tyler Whitaker, and rising international talents like Dauri Lorenzo.

Matt Moore entered Saturday’s start against the Cincinnati Reds with a 6.79 ERA on the season. That was the 6th highest by any of the 194 MLB pitchers who had thrown at least 50 innings so far in 2021.Naturally, he threw 6 no-hit frames against the Reds, spearheading dominant outing against them for the Philadelphia Phillies just a day after presumptive NL Cy Young Award leader Zack Wheeler was lit up by the Reds offense. Baseball!Luis Castillo had some of his most electric stuff ever working for the Reds today, an effort that will unfortunately go unremembered in the team win column. He hit 101 mph with a wicked-moving fastball early, and despite yielding a solo dinger to former Reds farmhand Ronald Torreyes, Castillo looked every bit as dominant as he’s been for the Reds since the first of June. That kind out of gas in the Bottom of the 7th, however, as a bunt single by Torreyes and an eventual RBI-single by former Red Travis Jankowski put the Reds behind 3-0 and knocked Castillo out of the game. The Reds finally got on the board with their initial hit in this game Brad Brach Jersey, as Tyler Stephenson socked a solo tater off former Red Archie Bradley in the Top of the 8th, though that ultimately wasn’t enough to rally the Reds further. Add-in that Bryce Harper hit an RBI-triple off Sean Doolittle in the Bottom of the 8th that turned into a Little League home run when a soggy relay throw into the infield wasn’t picked up, and the Reds fell in rather embarrassing 5-1 fashion.6-1 fashion - Andrew McCutchen played add-on with a solo blast off Doolittle after I’d just written and rewritten the previous paragraph twice.Tony GraphaninoSource: FanGraphsThe Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the GameCastillo’s final line of 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K was fine enough, though it didn’t truly detail just how filthy his stuff was for most of his 106 pitch day. The velocity was brilliant, as noted above, but he was painting corners at 100 mph with such filth that New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman was even impressed:Unreal. Marcus Stroman August 14, 2021Other NotesStephenson’s homer today means he’s homered in back to back starts, his previous one coming in the series finale in Atlanta. As noted on the FSBallySports-OH broadcast, that’s the first time in his big league career that he’s homered in back to back starts. Kid’s gonna be very, very special, folks.Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola will toe the rubber for their respective clubs in tomorrow’s series finale, a rubber match that the Reds could desperately use in their quest to claw back into the thick of the playoff chase Justin Wilson Jersey.

The Rockies just capped off one of their most successful road trips of the year. 3-3 isn’t exceptional, but it’s a far different story when looking at the Rockies’ home/road split. They return home to play spoiler against the NL East-leading Braves, currently atop the Phillies by just 1.5 games.Jon Gray was originally scheduled to start this evening but was placed on the injured list Wednesday https://www.coloradofanstore.com/71-Rockies_Tommy_Doyle_Jersey. Chi Chi González will instead take the mound for his first start in 15 days.González has appeared just twice on a big league mound since he was placed on the COVID IL in late July. Three of his four innings in August came against the Padres on August 18 where he threw just 42 pitches. After being DFA’d last winter, the right-hander is pitching for career longevity in the waning days of the 2021 season Jhoulys Chacin Jersey.González may need to eat up a big chunk of innings after the Rockies bullpen threw eight innings on Wednesday, but the club also brought on three additional relievers with their September call-ups . Tonight could be a build-up outing for González either way, as the Rockies are currently without Gray and potentially Kyle Freeland with hip discomfort. Starting pitchers could come at a premium for the Rockies if both are sidelined for the final month of the year.González holds a 6.08 ERA/5.30 FIP on the year and has posted a 6.15/5.46 as a starter. His cutter use spiked to a season-high 30.8% in his last appearance, a one-inning outing as a reliever, but he often throws a steady amount of four-seam fastballs as a starter. Touki Toussaint will make his eighth start of the season tonight, equipped with a 3.60 ERA. The right-hander has been named a sixth starter in the Braves’ rotation at this point in the season and has thrown just one inning in the last 11 days.Toussaint has posted a career-low walk percentage after being previously tabbed an “inefficient strike thrower” on his FanGraphs profile description https://www.coloradofanstore.com/38-Rockies_Jose_Mujica_Jersey. The right-hander has ditched his four-seamer in favor of a cutter this year and will show a three pitch mix with a splitter and curveball.His curve is his most-used pitch while ahead in the count, but it is averaging its lowest spin in four years—which could play to the Rockies’ favor in Denver elevation.

The Tigers didn’t do much offensively, and a pair of defensive miscues unraveled an otherwise quality start from Matt Manning as they fell 5-2 to the Orioles on Saturday.Manning took the mound looking to build on a run of three solid outings. Overall he was once again reasonably good but also showed the need for growth in terms of commanding his full mix of pitches. Still, this would’ve have been a very strong start had his defense not let him down at crucial points in the game.For three innings, there was barely a hard hit ball against Manning. He allowed seeing eye singles in each of the first three innings, but easily erased the first two. He got whiffs on the changeup and curveball, dropping the curve in for a few first pitch strikes, and showed off some good sliders, as well as a few that hung in the zone or got away from him up. It was that third seeing eye single that led to the first defensive breakdown, and the first run scored in the game.Cedric Mullins pulled a grounder through the left side of the infield with one out. Manning got Trey Mancini on a flyout to right Zack Short Jersey, but in a 2-2 count, he missed badly with a fastball up trying to bait Ryan Mountcastle into a whiff. Mountcastle then got caught badly off balance on a 3-2 slider and hit a popup to shallow center field. Derek Hill initially broke back and had to reverse course, his layout attempt coming up just short as Mullins scored.Manning cleaned up the inning, and struck out a pair in the fourth. However, Maikel Franco led off the fifth by turning on a fastball up and in at the top of the zone and lofted a fly ball over the left field wall for a solo shot. Manning punched out Pat Valaika on three pitches, and got a pair of outs on three pitches to clean up the frame. It was the sixth where things came undone, and again, a key defensive blunder cost the Tigers. Mountcastle led off with a single, but Manning got Anthony Santander to fly out on the first pitch, and the situation appeared well in hand. However, with his pitch count climbing beyond his season high, Manning struggled to spot his pitches Rocky Colavito Jersey, walking Ramon Urias and DJ Stewart to load the bases. Since he’d dug his own hole, AJ Hinch left Manning in to deal with it in a bit of a test, and he responded pretty well. He got Pedro Severino to pop out first pitch on a fastball and took on Franco again for all the marbles. Manning got him down 1-2, and then frankly threw a cookie 95 mph fastball right down the middle. Franco hit a routine grounder to Short, and his flip to second would’ve ended the inning...but Willi Castro flat out dropped it and Mountcastle scored.Manning was now at 91 pitches, but Hinch stuck with him anyway, again, probably testing him in a tough spot once again https://www.detroitfanstore.com/106-Tigers_Akil_Baddoo_Jersey. It didn’t go great, as Pat Valiaka lined a single to right to plate two more runs before Joe Jiménez came on to shut things down. Overall, the Orioles aren’t a good offense, and the line doesn’t look great. 5.2 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO. Still only two earned runs allowed, but the low strikeout total is a testimony to needed improvement with his command more than anything. He had several guys set up and just didn’t execute the pitch, settling for weak contact instead.Haase keeps it rollingLefty John Means was too much for the weak half of the Tigers’ order. Hinch put Hill in the leadoff spot and sat Baddoo, which we don’t love. Hill was dominated by Means’ changeup all night, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against him. Willi Castro, Zack Short, and Victor Reyes likewise looked horrendous against Means, particularly Short who struck out all three times. Everyone else had a hit. The Tigers had Cabrera and Jeimer Candelario on with one out in the second, but Willi popped up first pitch and Short struck out to end the threat. They didn’t get another runner to second until the eighth, when Robbie Grossman doubled with one out. Cabrera hit a bullet right at Valaika, while Haase went oppo as well, and with a little more height, lining out to Anthony Santander in right instead.Unsurprisingly, it was Eric Haase who did damage, pulling a Means first pitch fastball over the fence in left for his 18th home run in the fourth inning. Do we have the best hitting catcher in baseball? No, but he is sixth in wRC+ among catchers with 100 plate appearances. It will be very interesting to see how Haase holds up in August and September.Eric Haase’s 18th homer with Dan Dickerson on the call Rogelio Castillo July 31, 2021EndgameThe Tigers rolled out Ian Krol for the seventh, and he was fine. Mountcastle led off with a single, but Santander lined out to center to give the lefty a bit of breathing room. He struck out Ramon Urias and got Austin Hayspinch hitting for DJ Stewarton a ground ball. In the eighth, Krol allowed a two-out single to Valaika, but Buck Farmer came on to get Trey Mancini on a ground out.Likewise, Farmer stayed in for the ninth and didn’t look very sharp, but a pair of line drive outs helped his cause as a Urias single was all they managed in the frame.That brought the Orioles’ lefty Tanner Scott to the mound looking to close it out Daz Cameron Jersey. Candelario led off with a walk to lend a bit of intrigue, and then Willi Castro was hit with a 1-1 offering, putting runners at first and second for the bottom of the Tigers’ order. Scott then walked Zack Short, getting himself yanked in favor of righthander Cole Sulser. Hinch countered with Baddoo pinch hitting for Reyes. Baddoo chopped a ground out to first to score Candelario, bringing Hill to the plate as the tying run. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as Hill took a fastball on the outer edge for strike three, and Jonathan Schoop swung over a slider down and away to strike out as well. Losing a series to the lowly Orioles at home would not be a great feeling.

Well, I thought the small fire that started in my kitchen was going to be the worst thing that happened today, but the first inning was ROUGH Nick Madrigal Jersey.If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is the same thing I wrote six days ago when Dallas Keuchel also gave up three runs in the first inning. Except this time he gave up five with a sixth tacked on thanks to a throwing error by César Hernández. As my dog says, WOOF.The White Sox put up one in the bottom of the first off a leadoff double by TA and an RBI single by the RBI King. The Sox loaded the bases but an infield fly for Yaz and a strikeout for Hernandez left the three stranded. Not watching the top of the 2nd for mental health reasons— FaZe Revan August 28, 2021Don’t worry, sharknado, I did so you didn’t have to.Keuchel was taken out of the second after a leadoff single to Frank Schwindel and a strike to Patrick Wisdom https://www.chicagowxstore.com/117-White_Sox_Jake_Lamb_Jersey. ReyLo came in to finish off Wisdom, and out No. 2 came as Schwindel was caught stealing. ReyLo ended the inning with a strikeout to Matt Duffy.From there, the White Sox offense didn’t look much better, but King Rey was lights out in the top of the third.The White Sox offense came alive in the bottom of the third with back-to-back doubles by Luis Robert and José Abreu, making that José’s second RBI of the game. Moncada drove in another with a bloop to center , halving the deficit. And then, just like that ...Yaz what we're talking about! Chicago White Sox August 28, 2021It’s a whole new ball game. Two more reached base following an Andrew Vaughn HBP and a Tim Anderson https://www.chicagowxstore.com/44-White_Sox_Eloy_Jimenez_Jersey... WALK?! And then the White Sox took the lead following probably the most embarrassing error by a shortstop ever. And Eloy drove in two more, making it 9-6.E6 • The absolute state of the Cubs right now MLB Errors August 28, 2021ReyLo shut it down again in the top of the fifth, and the Sox poured on four more with Robert, Moncada, and Yaz RBIs putting them WELL into double digits. The inning ended the way many innings seem to end this year, a Leury García ground out with RISP.Lasik López retired another three in the top of the sixth, for five scoreless innings ).Five hitless innings for Reynaldo Lopez. What a comeback story he’s been.— Chuck Garfien August 28, 2021In the top of the seventh, Mike Wright gave up a solo HR to Michael Hermosillo. If you don’t know who either of those guys are, that’s fine, it doesn’t matter, because the White Sox were still up by six. By the bottom of the seventh, the White Sox were back to double the Cubs’ total thanks to an Andrew Vaughn RBI. Jake Lamb came in to pinch-hit for Tim Anderson, and he popped out to Andrew Romine Tony Larussa Jersey, who actually caught the ball this time.Crochet came in in the top of the eighth, inheriting two base runners from Wright and giving up three runs on Ian Happ and Jason Hayward doubles. Crochet closed out the inning with the Sox still up, 14-10. At this point, many White Sox fans were asking, what is happening?And then, just like that ... it’s a brand new ball game. Well, not really, but if this also sounds familiar it’s because Yasmani Grandal hit ANOTHER three-run homer https://www.chicagowxstore.com/96-White_Sox_Yermin_Mercedes_Jersey.

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