Stars of Clayton
Clayton Kershaw, who did not throw one pitch in the month of April, became baseball’s first 20-game winner on Friday night. After dominating for the last four-plus months, Kershaw had an ideal matchup to make a Jonathan Papelbon-like statement (we’ll get to that later) to his National League Cy Young competition against the hapless Cubs on Friday. Instead, Kershaw struggled through his worst start since he gave up seven runs to Arizona on May 16, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks (the second time this year he’s walked three or more) across five innings (he needed 106 pitches to get there). Fortunately, his teammates, whom Kershaw had bailed out time and time again this season, returned the favor in a 14-5 romp.
That outing inflated Kershaw’s ERA from 1.67 to 1.80, and snapped a streak of 17 consecutive outings where he’d worked seven innings or more. It’s a rough life, right? The left-hander will wrap up another award-winning season, and try to improve to 21-3, later this week against the hated Giants. The public now turns its attention to the Week That Was year-end award show, coming next weekend: Does Kershaw have what it takes to win National League MVP? He’s gone 17-1 with a 1.39 ERA over his last 20 starts in a bid to join Justin Verlander (24-5 with a 2.40 ERA in 2011), Dennis Eckersley (51 saves in 1992), Willie Hernandez (32 saves in 1984; George Orwell predicted the dystopia that led to this puzzling vote), Rollie Fingers (28 saves and a 1.04 ERA in 1981) and Vida Blue (24-8 in 1971) as the sixth pitcher to earn MVP honors since 1968, when both Bob Gibson and Denny McLain were given the hardware.
o Glen Perkins received good and bad news last week. The bad: Your season is over, so sorry. The good: Diagnosed with a left forearm strain and nerve irritation in his left elbow, Perkins was informed his MCL is doing just dandy. Because of that last bit, Perkins’ offseason routine probably won’t be affected at all, and he’s expected to be 100-percent for the start of spring training.
With the Twins expected to improve a bit next year as a stream of MLB-ready prospects arrive in the Twin Cities, and Perkins turning in mediocre surface numbers, including a 3.65 ERA and 34 saves, I expect the left-hander to be a little undervalued in spring drafts. He pitched better than those numbers, posting a 1.18 WHIP, a 3.10 FIP, and a 66/11 K/BB ratio over 61-plus innings as a 31-year-old. And the ERA inflated late as Perkins ostensibly struggled with elbow pain (14.21 ERA and 2.21 WHIP over his final 6 1/3 innings covering eight appearances).
In the short-term, fantasy owners should add Minnesota’s top setup man, Jared Burton, for the final week of the season. Desperate owners in AL-only leagues who have a roster spot to burn in exchange for an outside chance at a save might want to consider adding Minnesota prospects Michael Tonkin or Lester Oliveros, both of whom have late-inning stuff. Ron Gardenhire may elect to get a look at one of them in the ninth inning before he packs up his office in Target Field for good (my confidence in that prediction is as low as Terry Ryan’s loyalty is high).
o Former Rangers manager Ron Washington disclosed on Thursday that he resigned earlier this month because he cheated on his wife. In 2008, when I covered the Twins as a glorified intern for MLB.com, the Rangers’ beat writer took a series off in Minnesota, allowing me to take over the reins of Texas coverage for three days. Washington was the kindest manager I spoke with that season, the type of man that would look you in the eye and touch your arm as he answered your question (a manager like Ned Yost, with his cold demeanor and disdain for questions he perceived as negative, was closer to the norm). Emotional depth goes two ways. That’s human nature. I got the bad kind of goose bumps when I read the story of Washington’s infidelity, dots on your arm that don’t signify wonder, but hopelessness. A good man’s career is over, and his enduring legacy will likely be: 1) Drug user, 2) Unfaithful husband, 3) Couldn’t win the big games. Maybe the report got me down because public perception will never align with my perception, which is that Washington was 1) A man who put in the Sisyphean day-to-day effort of emotionally connecting with people he didn’t have to (i.e. the media, fans, clubhouse staffers, etc.) and 2) A superb baseball manager who always had the troops ready for battle. Washington made mistakes, and he was big enough to ensure he’d be punished gravely for them—a lesser man absolutely would not have disclosed the “personal reasons” for which he resigned. Washington wants a second chance at managing. I hope he gets it, but I doubt he will. Instead, I hope he finds peace in retirement. He deserves it.
Speed round!
o Two expected shut downs to report: The Astros announced on Tuesday that they’d decided to end George Springer’s (left quad) season, and the Marlins told the media the next day that Giancarlo Stanton (face) wouldn’t play again in 2014. Both will be 100-percent by the spring.
o Rusney Castillo made his MLB debut on Wednesday against the Pirates. He’s played in three games so far, and has gone 1-for-4 with a single in each of them. He’s on pace to end his career with a .250/.250/.250 slash line, but also have the greatest hit streak in history. Win some, lose some.
o Jacoby Ellsbury, who suffered a strained hamstring in Friday's win over the Blue Jays, is unlikely to return this season, giving Chris Young and Ichiro Suzuki a clearer path to at-bats in the season’s final week. If Ellsbury is done, he finishes his first Yankee campaign with a .271/.328/.419 slash line, 16 homers, 70 RBI, 71 runs and 39 steals in 575 at-bats.
o After a longer-than-expected one-month-plus absence due to a concussion, Brandon Belt finally returned to San Francisco’s lineup on Friday. Belt’s numbers are down across the board from last year’s breakout, but I remain a believer in dynasty formats.
o Ryan Zimmerman was activated from the disabled list on Saturday after missing 55 games with a torn hamstring. The Nationals plan to ease their brittle slugger back, so nobody really knows how much playing time to expect over the season’s final week or in the playoffs.
o Josh Hamilton’s newest injury has his own playoff eligibility in doubt, though he says he wants to return on Wednesday or Friday. The oft-hurt veteran outfielder has a "sharp, stabbing pain" near his chest and right rib cage, stemming from a painful swing he took during batting practice on Monday. He tried to play through it on Tuesday and reported to the media that he could barely breathe. Hamilton has taken 12 cortisone injections over the last 12 days; consider that the next time you want to complain about your work week. The 33-year-old is slashing .263/.331/.414 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI over 89 games.
o Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon has been serving a seven-game suspension since Monday. On Sunday against Miami, Paps was kicked out of the game after blowing a save for an obscene gesture towards fans. A shouting match ensued with Gentleman Joe West during which Papelbon gave him a love bump. The commissioner’s office didn’t take well to that. Feel free to re-insert Papelbon into your lineup for the season’s final week. The 23-year-old Ken Giles, Philly’s closer of the future, has filled in with Papelbon out, recording his first career save Saturday versus the A’s. The Phillies will try hard to find a trade suitor for Paps in the offseason. If they can do so, Giles is going to be a valuable fantasy commodity in 2015.
