Daily Dose: Nola Cruises
Aaron Nola has been one of Philadelphia’s few bright spots this season, and the 2014 first-round pick pitched the best game of his young career on Sunday.
He threw eight scoreless innings vs. the anemic Marlins offense, allowing only three hits, two walks, and fanning six. Nola improved to 4-1 and has a 3.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP through seven starts after the stellar performance.
At this point, Phillies fans are likely just as concerned with the team’s draft position, and the Phils are currently behind Colorado for the honor of No. 1 pick by just fractions of a decimal. But Nola is one of the few pieces on the roster the organization will certainly be building around, and he’s been just as advertised after posting a 2.39 ERA in 18 starts between Double-A and Triple-A earlier this season.
With a 34/12 K/BB ratio in 42.2 innings, Nola’s control has remained strong from his minor league track record. For fantasy owners, the most relevant question going forward could be how many innings he has left. Nola sits at 152 innings this season, and the Phillies have absolutely nothing to play for down the stretch. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team shut him down after 3-4 more starts, but fantasy owners can benefit while Nola is on the mound.
CC Headed to the DL
The Yankees and manager Joe Girardi have shown unwavering loyalty to CC Sabathia, announcing that they’d go to a six-man rotation later this week when Michael Pineda comes off the DL. The plans of a six-man rotation apparently won’t come to fruition, as Sabathia left Sunday’s start with right knee discomfort and is expected to be placed on the 15-day DL.
Sabathia is set to undergo an MRI on Monday. He’s had issues with the knee since spring training, and had the knee drained along with a PRP injection in early July. His timetable is unclear at least until we hear results for the MRI on Monday, but the Yankees probably won’t rush him back given his ongoing issues and the depth in their rotation.
It’s been a frustrating season for Sabathia, who has an ugly 5.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He’s allowed 26 home runs in only 138.1 innings, and has allowed at least four earned runs in half of his starts this season. The poor performance is right on par with last season, when Sabathia lasted only eight starts before undergoing surgery on the same knee.
Doolittle Back as Closer?
Sean Doolittle returned from a shoulder injury on Saturday, and A’s manager Bob Melvin is already talking about his return to the closer role.
"Whether it’s put him right in there or give him a lesser role to start, we’ll see," Melvin said. "Well, that’s what he does. So as long as he’s healthy and feels good, we’ll get him back there at some point."
Doolittle didn’t help himself with his first appearance on Sunday, allowing two earned runs and only recording two outs vs. Tampa Bay. While it was a small sample size, Doolittle also showed less velocity than we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him in previous seasons with an average fastball that was below 93 mph, compared to 94-plus over the last two years.
Still, Oakland has nothing to lose down the stretch by trying to get Doolittle back on track with veteran Edward Mujica and former starter Drew Pomeranz acting as the recent alternatives. If still available, Doolittle is an obvious pick up in fantasy leagues for the stretch run despite Oakland’s sub-par recent play.
American League Quick Hits: Kendall Graveman suffered a strained oblique during Sunday’s game, though the severity is unknown … Glen Perkins (neck) felt great during a bullpen session on Sunday, and is expected to be available to close on Tuesday … George Springer (wrist) will take batting practice on Monday, and could be about one week away from returning … Junichi Tazawa blew a save on Sunday, allowing four runs in the ninth inning for Boston … Steve Pearce (oblique) will be activated from the DL on Monday… J.J. Hardy was placed on the 15-day DL with a groin injury. Manny Machado appeared in Sunday’s game at shortstop, but Ryan Flaherty will likely get most of the playing time at the position while Hardy is out … Jed Lowrie is day-to-day with a left thumb contusion … Danny Valencia has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right knee … Taylor Featherston (back) will begin a rehab assignment on Monday … Shane Greene is likely out for the season after being diagnosed with an artery issue in his throwing hand that’s causing aneurysm symptoms.
National League Hits: Kris Bryant had the game of the day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBI, and four runs scored … Raisel Iglesias allowed only one earned run in seven innings and fanned 13 Diamondbacks on Sunday … Matt Adams (quad) could begin a rehab assignment as early as Tuesday, with an activation in September as the target … Archie Bradley (shoulder) allowed two earned runs in four innings during his rehab start at High-A Visalia on Sunday … Chad Bettis (elbow) will return from the DL and rejoin Colorado’s rotation on Tuesday … Travis Ishikawa was placed on the 15-day DL by the Pirates with a lower back strain. Jordy Mercer came off the DL in a corresponding move … Wil Myers (wrist) continues to swing a bat, but there’s no timetable for his return … Former closer Rafael Betancourt was designated for assignment by the Rockies … Brennan Boesch was scratched from Sunday’s lineup after fouling a ball off his ankle during batting practice … Manny Parra was placed on the 15-day DL with biceps tendinitis.
