Mets Survive Cespedes Scare

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The Mets received a scare on Wednesday night in Philadelphia as outfielder Yoenis Cespedes had to leave in the third inning against the Phillies after he was hit in the hand by a Justin De Fratus fastball. The pitch ran in and Cespedes was unable to get out in time. The pitch was reviewed as it wasn’t clear if the ball hit his bat first. Ultimately, the hit-by-pitch was upheld. Kirk Nieuwenhuis pinch-ran for Cespedes and took over in center field.

Fortunately for the Mets, X-rays came back negative. Cespedes has been diagnosed with a contusion of his left and ring fingers, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

Though Cespedes’ bat has cooled in the latter half of September – he was hitting .208 with a .548 OPS in 51 plate appearances between September 15-29 – he has been a terrific addition to a previously unspectacular Mets offense. Overall, since joining the Mets at the trade deadline, Cespedes is hitting .287/.331/.610 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 239 PA. The Mets’ offense averaged 3.54 runs per game through the end of July and 5.76 since the beginning of August.

Cespedes will likely sit out the remainder of the regular season in preparation for the Division Series which starts on October 9. The Mets hope Cespedes will regain complete hand strength by then.

Padres Shut Down Kemp

Padres interim manager Pat Murphy announced on Wednesday that outfielder Matt Kemp has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to a strained tendon in his right middle finger. As MLB.com’s Corey Brock notes, the tendon is also partially torn. Kemp will need four to six weeks for the injury to heal, but he is expected to avoid surgery.

Kemp ends his season having hit .265/.312/.443 with 23 home runs, 100 RBI, 80 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in 648 plate appearances. His 2015 was really a tale of two halves, as he went into the All-Star break with a disappointing .674 OPS along with eight home runs and 47 RBI in 374 PA. Between July 17 (the first day after the break) and September 29 (his final game), he hit .286/.339/.528 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 274 PA.

Kemp was one of the Padres’ key acquisitions in a complete team overall this past off-season. The other newcomers included Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, James Shields, Wil Myers, and Derek Norris, but it just didn’t work out. The Padres entered play Wednesday with a 73-84 record, 15 back of the Dodgers in fourth place. Kemp, however, is under contract for four more seasons, earning $21.5 million each, so the Padres will be able to tweak their roster around him. They might also pursue trading the veteran.

Hawkins to Retire After the Season

LaTroy Hawkins pitched the final inning of Wednesday’s AL East clincher, as the Blue Jays trampled the Orioles 15-2 in Game 1 of a doubleheader. He allowed a run on two hits with two strikeouts in his one inning of work. While Hawkins has pitched in the post-season before, Wednesday’s effort held particular significance as the veteran plans to retire after the season, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Hawkins joined the Jays from the Rockies along with Troy Tulowitzki in the July 28 trade that sent Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro, and minor leaguers Jeff Hoffman and Jesus Tinoco to Colorado. He’s pitched better since leaving Coors Field, holding a 2.81 ERA with a 14/3 K/BB ratio in 16 innings compared to his 3.63 ERA and 20/4 K/BB ratio in 22 1/3 innings with the Rockies.

A veteran of 21 seasons, Hawkins has appeared in 1,040 games, compiling an aggregate 4.30 ERA with 981 strikeouts and 456 walks in 1,466 innings. His last appearance in the post-season came in Game 6 of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. He recorded four outs, working around a hit and a walk.

Red Sox Expected to Pick Up Buchholz’s Option

WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported on Wednesday that the Red Sox will “almost certainly” pick up starter Clay Buchholz’s 2016 option worth $13 million. Buchholz threw a successful bullpen on Wednesday to prompt the news. The right-hander was shut down with a right flexor strain in mid-July.

Buchholz’s season started off poorly, carrying a 4.58 ERA into his final May start, but he was starting to figure things out prior to his injury. In five starts between June 18 and July 10, Buchholz posted a 1.05 ERA with a 26/2 K/BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings. He had tossed at least seven innings in four starts prior to exiting his most recent start on July 10 after 3 1/3 frames.

Buchholz also has an option for 2017 worth $13.5 million with a $500,000 buyout, but the club’s new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, of course, will wait to see what the 31-year-old does next season before worrying about that.

The Playoff Situation

A recap of games with post-season impact played on Wednesday:

The Pirates and Cubs have both clinched a playoff berth, so they are simply playing for the right to host the Wild Card play-in game against the other.

The Twins were officially eliminated from contention for the first Wild Card in losing the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader to the Indians, 10-2.

The Blue Jays clinched the AL East after winning the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Orioles 15-2. The Blue Jays lead the Royals by one game in the American League for home field advantage throughout the post-season.

The Cardinals clinched the NL Central after winning the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Pirates 11-1. The Cardinals have also clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs in the National League. The Mets have a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Dodgers in the other NLDS series.

The Rangers won 6-2 over the Tigers and the Astros beat the Mariners 7-6, so the Rangers maintain a 2.5-game lead in the AL West with four games remaining. The Astros picked up a game on the Yankees for the first AL Wild Card slot, as the Yankees lost 9-5 to the Red Sox.

National League Quick Hits: Mets starter Steven Matz was scratched from Thursday’s start against the Phillies due to lingering side stiffness … Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss to the Braves… Marlins starter Jarred Cosart gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Rays on Wednesday … Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (wrist) won’t start any more games this season … Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (knee) likely won’t start again this season … The Cardinals activated Adam Wainwright from the 60-day disabled list and will have him contribute out of the bullpen … Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli hit a grand slam in a victory in game one of a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Wednesday … Cubs outfielder Austin Jackson had five RBI on Wednesday’s win against the Reds … Brewers starter Zach Davies tossed seven shutout innings to beat the Padres on Wednesday … Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton is expected to resume baseball activities in 4-6 weeks … Jimmy Rollins and Carl Crawford accounted for both Dodger hits in Wednesday’s shutout loss to the Giants … Giants first baseman Brandon Belt underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday … Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta reached base three times and hit a sacrifice fly in Wednesday’s win over the Rockies … Melvin Upton, Jr. singled, walked, and doubled but the Padres were shut out by the Brewers on Wednesday … Rockies third baseman singled, walked, and doubled in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

American League Quick Hits: Second baseman Ryan Goins went 5-for-5 as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles in Game 1 of Wednesday’s double header … Doctors are “leaning toward” calling Yankees second baseman Stephen Drew’s head injury a concussion, according to a report … Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts homered twice in Wednesday's win against the Yankees … Orioles reliever Brian Matusz will have surgery on his non-throwing shoulder on Monday … Rays second baseman Nick Franklin hit his third home run in a winning effort against the Marlins on Wednesday … Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas each homered as the Royals topped the White Sox on Wednesday … Tommy Milone will start for the Twins against the Royals on Saturday … The Indians tabbed Trevor Bauer to start on Thursday against the Twins … White Sox second baseman Micah Johnson will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Thursday … Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez had three hits in Wednesday’s loss to the Rangers … Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre clubbed his 17^th home run in a win over the Tigers on Wednesday … The Angels designated INF/OF Grant Green for assignment on Wednesday … Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez singled and stole a base in his first start since September 12 … Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano had four hits in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday … The Athletics shut down starter Drew Pomeranz due to an issue with the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.