MLB Friday scores, highlights, live team updates, news: D-Backs, Goldschmidt continue to struggle
Plus the Indians dropped under .500 again. Here is everything you need to know about Friday's MLB action
Thanks to yet another rainout in Washington, we were one short of a full 15-game slate Friday. Here is everything you need to know about the day's MLB action.
Friday's scores
- Dodgers at Nationals, POSTPONED
- Padres 3, Pirates 2 (box score)
- Athletics 3, Blue Jays 1 (box score)
- Mets 3, Diamondbacks 1 (box score)
- Orioles 7, Red Sox 4 (box score)
- Cubs 8, Reds 1 (box score)
- Marlins 2, Braves 0 (box score)
- Astros 4, Indians 1 (box score)
- Rangers 12, White Sox 5 (box score)
- Brewers 8, Twins 3 (box score)
- Cardinals 12, Phillies 4 (box score)
- Royals 5, Yankees 2 (box score)
- Rays 8, Angels 3 (box score)
- Mariners 5, Tigers 4 (box score)
- Rockies 6, Giants 1 (box score)
Woes continue for D-Backs, Goldschmidt
So Paul Goldschmidt is hurt, right? How else could you explain an all-world hitter suddenly turning into an unproductive strikeout machine? Goldschmidt, who hit .297/.404/.563 last year and .305/.417/.540 from 2015-17, went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in Arizona's loss to the Mets on Friday night.
Paul Goldschmidt fell behind 0-1 on 3 of his 4 Ks tonight and is batting .203.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 19, 2018
Coming in, he'd fallen behind 0-1 in 61% of his PA this year, 3rd highest of 244 MLB hitters (Min. 100 PA).
It was only the sixth four-strikeout of Goldschmidt's career. He is now hitting .203/.326/.354 with an NL-leading 59 strikeouts. His 31.6 percent strikeout rate is well above his 22.4 percent career rate. Something is wrong here.
As for the Diamondbacks, Friday's loss was their eighth in their last nine games. They're averaging only 1.89 runs in those nine games -- Goldschmidt's struggles are obviously a big part of the problem -- and five times in those nine games they've scored no more than one run. The D-Backs' offense has gone stagnant. Not that hitting Jacob deGrom is easy.
For the D-Backs, what was once a six-game lead in the NL West is now down to a half-game with the Rockies beating the Giants on Friday.
Indians drop below .500 again
The Indians have not been nearly as disappointing as, say, the Dodgers, but going into Friday night's series opener at Minute Maid Park, the Tribe sat right at .500 with a one-game lead in baseball's weakest division. The bullpen has been a mess and several key everyday players need to start producing.
None of that happened Friday night. The Indians were stifled by Charlie Morton and the Astros en route to a 4-1 loss, which drops Cleveland to 21-22 on the season. Their one-game lead in the AL Central remains intact, however.
The only run the Indians could muster was an Edwin Encarnacion solo homer. Even with a 2-for-4 night that included a homer, Encarnacion is hitting only .215/.291/.436 on the season. He's one of several players (along with Jason Kipnis and Yonder Alonso, most notably) the team needs to start hitting.
As for the bullpen, Neil Ramirez could not strand a runner he inherited from Mike Clevinger in the seventh, and Ramirez was charged with a run of his own when Zach McAllister couldn't strand an inherited runner in the eighth. Not a pretty night on offense or on the mound -- to be fair, Clevinger was pretty excellent up until things unraveled in the seventh -- though the Astros are known to do that to teams. The Indians are still searching for answers and consistency.
Arenado robs Tomlinson
For my money, there is no better defensive third baseman in baseball than Nolan Arenado. He's a magician. He made another one of his patented "no way does he get an out on this play" plays Friday night, robbing Kelby Tomlinson of extra bases:
Yeah, Arenado's offensive numbers are inflated some by Coors Field. His defense though? No way. That's all Arenado.
A's Fowler hits first MLB home run
Dustin Fowler's first big-league homer has been a long time coming. Last year Fowler, then with the Yankees, suffered a gruesome knee injury in his very first inning as a big-leaguer. He required season-ending surgery before his first MLB at-bat.
The A's acquired Fowler in the Sonny Gray trade and, after a few weeks worth of tune-up games in Triple-A, they called him up earlier this month. Friday night, Fowler smacked his first big league home run. To the action footage:
Opposite field! That's a nice little poke right there. Fowler is more than just a feel-good story, it should be noted. He is a significant prospect. MLB.com ranks him as the 96th-best prospect in baseball and says his "across-the-board tools and strong track record of performance points to him becoming an everyday player, if not more."
It took a little longer than he may've expected, but Fowler finally has his first big league home run.
Meadows makes MLB debut
Friday night, Pirates top prospect Austin Meadows made his long-awaited big league debut. He's filling in for Starling Marte, who is on the disabled list with an oblique strain. And in his second at-bat, Meadows picked up his first base hit:
The PNC Park crowd gave Meadows a nice hand when he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat.
Meadows, the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, was hitting .294/.336/.397 with one home run and eight stolen bases in 32 Triple-A games before being called up.
Nova throws his glove for an out
This happens a few times each season. Freddy Galvis knocked a hard-hit chopper back to Ivan Nova on the mound, and the ball got stuck in the webbing of Nova's glove. So, what'd he do? He threw his glove to first for the out, of course. Check it out:
Like I said, that happens a few times each season. Props to first baseman Josh Bell for dropping his glove to catch Nova's. That's a veteran move right there.
Quick hits
- The Cardinals have placed SS Paul DeJong on the 10-day DL with a fractured hand. There is no firm timetable for his return. St. Louis now has nine players on the disabled list. Many of them hit the shelf within the last week.
- The Rangers are open to trading veteran players, with LHP Cole Hamels being the prominent name, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Others like LHP Jake Diekman and RHP Keone Kela could generate interest.
- Orioles closer LHP Zach Britton will throw a simulated game Tuesday, reports the Baltimore Sun. Britton has not pitched at all this season due to an Achilles injury. As an impending free agent, he figures to be a hot commodity at the trade deadline.
- Twins RHP Ervin Santana will pitch an extended spring training game Tuesday, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He has been out all season following offseason finger surgery. Santana remains several weeks away from rejoining the team.
- The Nationals are hopeful 2B Daniel Murphy can play in an extended spring training game Saturday, reports MASN Sports. He's been out sick the last few days. Murphy has not played this year since having offseason knee surgery.
- Astros OF Josh Reddick (leg irritation), Rays SS Adeiny Hechavarria (hamstring), and Giants 1B Brandon Belt (knee) were all absent from Friday's lineups and remain day-to-day.
- RHP Clay Buchholz will start for the D-Backs on Sunday, reports the Arizona Republic. Buchholz signed with the D-Backs earlier this month. Arizona is currently without LHP Robbie Ray (oblique) and RHP Taijuan Walker (Tommy John surgery).
- The Padres have released 3B Chase Headley after having already designating him for assignment, the team announced. Any team can now sign Headley for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.
- The Cubs have activated OF Jason Heyward from the seven-day concussion disabled list, the club announced. LHP Randy Rosario was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
- OF Juan Lagares is having toe surgery and will be out for the season, the Mets have announced. OF Yoenis Cespedes is already on the disabled list, though his stint shouldn't be too long.
- Top Yankees prospect OF Estevan Florial will be out until August with wrist surgery, reports the New York Post. MLB.com ranks the 20-year-old Florial as the 41st best prospect in baseball.
