As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Lee receiving second opinion:
Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee exited Sunday’s game against the Reds due to a dislocated shoulder suffered while trying to catch a fly ball off the bat of Jeimer Candelario at the wall. Since then, Lee has undergone an MRI that (as noted by MLB.com’s Maria Guardado) that revealed structural damage in his shoulder. That’s a worrisome discovery, but Lee and the Giants will not determine next steps until a visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles that’s scheduled for later today. The 25-year-old has flashed strong defense in the outfield while slashing .262/.310/.331 (89 wRC+) in his first taste of big league action.
2. Series Preview: Pirates @ Cubs
Thanks to a quirk in this year’s schedule, the Pirates and Cubs are set to face each other their second series over the past week with a four-game set starting at Wrigley Field this afternoon. Over the weekend, the Cubs took two of three from Pittsburgh in a series that notably included the debut of top pitching prospect Paul Skenes, who ultimately allowed three runs in four innings of work but struck out seven batters in his first big league appearance.
Skenes will get a second bite at the apple in Chicago, but not before fellow youngster Jared Jones (2.68 ERA through eight starts) takes on Cubs ace hurler Justin Steele (4.73 ERA through three starts) this afternoon. On Friday, Skenes (6.75 ERA) will face veteran righty Kyle Hendricks (10.04 ERA), and the series will wrap up over the weekend with a pair of tough match ups for the Pirates as Bailey Falter (4.15 ERA) and Mitch Keller (3.93 ERA) face off against Shota Imanaga (0.96 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (1.61 ERA) respectively.
3. Pending DFA resolutions:
Astros right-hander Brandon Bielak and Pirates right-hander Roansy Contreras were both designated for assignment five days ago. While the DFA window technically lasts for a whole week, outright waivers are typically a 48-hour process, meaning if either player is going to be traded it’ll very likely be today. If no trades are agreed upon, they’ll be run through the waiver wire and made available to all 29 other clubs.
The 28-year-old Bielak pitched to a 4.05 ERA in 142 1/3 innings from 2021-23, striking out 19.2% of his opponents against a 9.8% walk rate. Metrics like FIP (4.76) and SIERA (4.65) aren’t as bullish on that stretch as his ERA, but he’s a fairly experienced righty who’s familiar pitching in long relief and out of the rotation. Meanwhile, Contreras is a former top-100 prospect who gave the Bucs 98 innings of 3.67 ERA ball to begin his career. He’s since struggled and been dropped to the bullpen, however. Both pitchers are out of minor league options, so any team that acquires either pitcher will need to add him directly to the MLB pitching staff in some role.
Spaced-Cowboy
Ross Atkins better be paying attention.
rxbrgr
The thirst for Ross Atkins’ attention here is real
Hotdog 2
Nice. Torkelson, Baez and Keith sent down
avenger65
Pirates vs. cubs? Slow news day or cub bias by their fans running this site.
Travis’ Wood
Or Paul Skenes and Jared Jones?
TheMan 3
Paul Skenes deserved to be a highlight on this site after his brilliant performance today
6 innings
0 hits
11 strikeouts
laynestaley2002
Although I am not a fan of either team, the Hendricks vs. Skenes game is an interesting one to me. I am curious to see if Hendricks still sucks and also how Skenes pitches in his 2nd start. JMO
GareBear
Womp womp
lesterdnightfly
You are free to start your own blog with only the most intriguing news you can dig up.
Blackpink in the area
There is always going to be more Cubs news on here than anything else. It’s like ESPN with the Yankees and Red Sox. I wish there were more articles that led to good discussions instead of just reporting.
kaseyi
FYI…Cubs/Pirates today is a night game (6:40 PM CDT) not a afternoon game
riffraff
Sunset is at 8:06 pm – its an afternoon game.
kaseyi
Chicago still has a limit on how many night games can be played at Wrigley Field. Legally, the definition of a night game is a game that is started after 6:00 PM Local time, so by definition, it IS a night game
riffraff
Gave it a look – you are correct in that the cubs consider it a night game ( as does the league ) – can’t find the law that defines a night game but I stand corrected. I will still consider it to be an afternoon game thats sold and marketed as an night game..I don’t mind being wrong on a technicality lol
Old York
I was watching the Jays-O’s game yesterday and thought to myself, how is it possible that with all these so-called changes to the game to make it faster, could the game still be taking 3: hours and 5 minute to finish? No offense and the O’s couldn’t score anyone in scoring position. And the O’s commentators were complaining the whole time about how long it is taking. That probably made the whole thing even worse, that it was being brought up at every moment of the game.
Not sure how these guys are broadcasters of baseball games if they can’t deal with a bit longer game than usual. Maybe they could change their career to Aussie Rules Football where there’s constant action, no matter what, even if there’s an injured player.
Lloyd Emerson
Do you really need the announcers to tell you what you’re seeing? Turn off the commentary and listen to music. Problem solved.
Old York
How would listening to music make me invested in following a baseball game? Sounds like you’re one of those fans that goes to the game in order to be on your phone the whole time and then complain about the length of the game. impacting your ability to have a life… In other words, part of the problem with the modern fan.
Lloyd Emerson
No, I’m not an idiot and I don’t need an announcer to tell me what I’m seeing with my own eyes. Most of the modern announcers are too busy talking about shoes and food to talk about the game anyway. But thanks for assuming. You continue to amaze me with your density.
Old York
@Lloyd Emerson
Well, Baltimore’s broadcasters are pretty terrible, probably one of the worst in the game. I would normally throw the radio broadcast on but I couldn’t get connected so I had the broadcasters on instead.
kmk1986
Dude look at u the judging f the caliber of a fan. What makes u sooo special cuz your old school ???? Who cares what fans do they paid their money r they hurting u??? Get off your high horse old Man U sound like a whiny clown
Fever Pitch Guy
Lloyd – It’s amazing how often announcers will watch a controversial replay over and over …. and still not call correctly what they are seeing.
For instance last weekend they replayed a Nats stolen base over and over …. even though it clearly showed the tag coming down on the top of the player’s bill of his helmet, the announcers continued to say “No the glove didn’t touch the helmet”.
So the helmet bill just magically went straight down on it’s own, covering the runner’s eyes ….. yeah right.
Canuckleball
I was watching the Jays broadcast of that game. Their broadcast didn’t mention the pace, that I can recall.
The Jays managed 11 baserunners (5 hits, 6 walks), while the O’s had 14 (11 hits, 3 walks). Neither team could score (normal for Toronto) but there was a fair bit of activity, and 6 walks for Toronto adds time to the proceedings. Also there was a somewhat lengthy replay challenge.
Mostly, I suspect it was Baltimore announcers being a little spoiled by a team that normally scores at will. It probably felt long to them because the O’s weren’t scoring every other inning.
Old York
@Canuckleball
Yeah, I was not surprised by Toronto, as their offense is just no there. They built a defense-first team and that’s what they got but I was surprised that Baltimore struggled to score runs yesterday.
Fever Pitch Guy
Old – If it was the Toronto broadcast, they probably were anxious to get home after being on the road.
If it was the Orioles broadcast, no excuse for it as they have today off and a home game tomorrow. Maybe they had dinner reservations or something, if so tough noogies.
O'sSayCanYouSee
Jim Palmer was on the Orioles broadcast last night for the Orioles, and Sid Midge the asst GM was on too. That’s Einstein level baseball IQ on the broadcast…we don’t expect everyone to follow along, sorry it was cumbersome to listen too.
I’m sure your one time of listening can truly be called a well rounded opinion.
Old York
@O’sSayCanYouSee
Thanks, Einstein! Hilarious take on the broadcasters…
Liberalsteve
Overrated skenes: 4+ innings. 3 Earned runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 6 k’s
Old York
@Liberalsteve
Agreed. ERA+ of 65? That’s pretty garbage. Guy belongs in the minors.
Dice 66
Old York have another drink! You have no clue! Stay in AL gossip!Go Pirates.
Old York
@Dice 66
Agreed. I don’t have a clue that an ERA+ of 65 is garbage.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
@Yorky I know you have the M’s in your WS pool, but I was just curious who your “hometown” team is who you “root” for is, if you have one. Don’t think I’ve ever been able to glean that from your posts.
Old York
@Ignorant Son-of-a-b
I appreciate your curiosity! I find immense joy in the broader spectrum of baseball. My enthusiasm for the sport often transcends individual team loyalties, allowing me to appreciate the diverse talents and thrilling dynamics across the league. The excitement of the game itself, with its rich history and ever-evolving narratives, is what truly captivates me.
TheMan 3
Overrated?
Try a bundle of nerves from all of the media attention and hype
And he walked 3 and struck out 7
People don’t know what they’re talking about and offer their opinions that are not based on facts
Liberalsteve
I’d rather have like 20-30 guys under 25 years than him. Mechanics aren’t great,high pitch counts, a little wild,etc.
KyleT
So ignore what he did in college, the minors, his 100+ mph fastball and what ALL the scouts are saying. Nope, that first 4 innings is all you needed to be sure.
Wow, just wow.
mike127
Kyle—how new are you? You do understand that there are 20-30 GMs that would trade almost any of the guys on Steve’s list for Skenes “despite” his first pretty solid start. Let’s not forget after he left the game, Pirate relievers walked in SIX runners that inning. Let the trolls troll. There is much humor in some of the stuff here. Enjoy!
lesterdnightfly
As former catcher Buck Martinez said recently while calling a Bluejays game, MLB batters have proven they can hit those 100 mph fastballs. You need movement on them if they’re to be effective.
Does Skenes have enough movement on his FB? Jones has given up a lot of HRs off his FB as well.
More will be revealed.
TheMan 3
you’re going to base his potential on one start?
You should offer your “ professional experience” to baseball teams as a scout
KyleT
Trolls defending trolls, wow.
Liberalsteve
Nice reading comprehension. Nothing I said had to do with his first start. Anyways, make sure to come back when he has an average start tonight
TheMan 3
he’s only pitched in one major league game, and your original comment was about his lone game so spare me your arguments
You’ve lost them
Liberalsteve
no,it wasn’t.
DickDollars
I agree. Skenes’s success will probably be determined by his secondary pitches. One positive is that it seems he already knows this which is why he uses his fastball often as the putaway pitch after he sets it up with his secondaries. A big deal metric now is IVB (Induced Vertical Break). Skenes’s IVB is reportedly above average but not elite. So traditional movement (natural tail or cut) is important indeed but the hitters perception of rise is at least as important.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Skenes is the real deal obviously. Anybody talking smack about whether he belongs is just spewing performative jism to elicit attention.
TheMan 3
your original comment
“ overrated 4+ innings
4 walks 6 strikeouts “
That was your comment and it’s based on his major league debut
Do you suffer from short term memory loss?
Dice 66
Right!!Old York lost.
Old York
@Dice 66
See, wins and loses on social media are up there with getting an extra fry in your Happy Meal. It means nothing.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
An extra fry is one marginal dopamine hit…about what a kudos on a social media post garners…so your analysis is fairly apt.
C Yards Jeff
Overrated or underrated? Me, I’m not sure, yet. But love that on this site it’s okay to have an opinion/observation and to be able to have some civil back n forth on the matter.
Oh, I thought the first 2 posts did present facts that led them to their opinion. But again, for me, I need a bigger sample size to form an opinion on Mr. Skene’s readiness at The Show level.
jimmyz
When he walked off the mound the team was up 6-1 I believe and the two guys he left on base scored as part of 6 consecutive walks from the bullpen. A groundball drastically changes the narrative of his start.
TheMan 3
overrated?
He struck out the first SEVEN batters in today’s game against the Cubs
Do you want your crow served with potatoes or a salad?
Old York
@TheMan 3
Yes, sir!
TheMan 3
I was responding to Liberal Steve because it was his opinion that got this “ overrated “ thread started
It’s his dinner that should be served crow
Old York
@TheMan 3
Hey, I’m always willing to admit I’m wrong. He had a terrible first game in my opinion and the ERA+ suggested so but he bounced back, today.
All the best for his future and I hope he sticks around with the Pirates for a while.
TheMan 3
During a pre game interview, he admitted to not having his best stuff in his initial outing and even the best players have off days
Otherwise, pitchers wouldn’t lose and hitters would bat 1.000
tiredolderdude
I think Grandal will help both Jones and Skenes but admittedly, it takes some getting acquainted with their arsenal of pitches
Skenes overthrew the fastball in his first start but I don’t know how you’d call it “terrible”. To each his own. I don’t know how some were calling it “great,” either.
But that was a clinic today. Case closed. That he’s just turning 22 is amazing. Now, you just pray he, Jones and Keller stay healthy
Astros Hot Takes
I REALLY like having Bielak around; there are FAR worse options out there, and most teams are having to make do with those – he WILL get picked up by somebody, and provide some MLB value. Hope we get SOMETHING out of it, but I’d rather he stay here. It is comforting to have 10 or 11 viable MLBstarters around the org
halloffamernobodycares
$116 million for good defense in CF and an 89 wRC+ (*which translates into 11% below the league average*, can’t leave that out of a Trade Rumor post).
Giants gonna Giants.
oldgfan
Make sure to use stats on just a couple of months into his first season at MLB. If he’s adjusting this well, this soon then will only improve over the entire season. Once Lee learns all the opposing pitchers then what ? This guy is gonna be a stud for the length of his contract. Bank on it !
halloffamernobodycares
Does his contract not kick in until later or something? He’s not a “stud” right now, making your opinion invalid. As far as only using two months worth of stats, they’re the only stats vs MLB players I have to go on. Should I look to the similarly talented Korean league from whence he came? Where should I look to get an accurate representation of his actual talents?
tiredolderdude
As good a starter as any Pirates pitcher has made in decades and yes, that includes Cole and Drabek. I took issue with whomever was calling pitches in his opener. Seemed like it was a case of trying to establish spin pitches a bit too much and nibbling on corners rather than going right at them
Today was a different story. He not only had his spin pitches and off speed stuff but essentially dared Cubs hitters with his power. And this ump didn’t do him any favors
Watched Skenes in the CWS last year. What an addition he and Jones are to this franchise. Add Keller and a couple studs still coming through the pipeline and normally, you’d have a great deal of hope
But again, over a long season, where are the hits and runs going to come from?
tiredolderdude
Jeez. “As good a start….”
TheMan 3
Bednar had no business pitching in the bottom of the ninth in today’s game with no score
Holderman should have been allowed to pitch instead since he threw very few pitches in the 8th
Furthermore, the umpire and the replay people got it wrong, Bart got his glove on the runner scoring and the ball was knocked out of Bart’s hand after the tag was made
Lastly, and otherwise, when you strike out 12 times and only manage 4 hits you’re likely to lose anyway
tiredolderdude
First off, the Pirates have one good color commentator in Matt Capps. Knowledgeable and pulls no punches
We put their broadcasters on blast a lot but Capps deserves the credit
They wasted Falter’s start today but again, this team can’t score runs. Against anyone. I saw your comment about Pirates batters taking pitches come to life today. You know, Clemente was known to always take the first strike. Since none of these guys hit as well as Jose Pagan, let alone Clemente, you have to wonder about the thinking here. Just what would possess you to *want* to be in an 0-2 or 1-2 hole?
Just some random thoughts:
– Alika made a play at SS today that Cruz would never make
-Losing a ball in the sun as Gonzales did happens. But not getting to a ball in the hole and trying a “knee slide” to get to it was ridiculous. Capps said as much
-The way Grandal and Bart are handling pitchers, I doubt Davis will ever get a whiff of that position here again
-If Taylor makes his side to the right side of the mound, that final tag is academic and they’re still playing. To Bart’s credit, he got him anyway
-Whatever happened to Bryan Reynolds?
tiredolderdude
Their starting pitchers right now are worth the price of admission. I know they can’t keep them in every single game, but Keller, Jones, Skenes, Falter and Perez(I guess) have kept them in most games
Just please, no more Quinn Priester