It’s a Matz-terpiece
Rumors and rumblings have been swirling around the Mets’ starting rotation for weeks. Where will Zack Wheeler end up? Will Noah Syndergaard be traded? Has Jason Vargas pitched well enough recently to generate trade interest of his own?
One player whose name has not been swirling in the rumor mill, has been Steven Matz. The 28-year-old southpaw has had his share of ups and downs this season -- from spending time on the injured list to a nerve issue in his left forearm -- to spending time pitching out of the bullpen. Since he has rejoined the starting rotation though, he may be piquing the interest of teams in need of pitching help.
After pitching four innings of two-run baseball against the Twins in his return, Matz struck out six over six innings of two-run baseball against the Giants his last time out prior to Saturday.
What he did on Saturday, definitely upped the ante. On Saturday, Matz delivered a dominant performance on Saturday night, scattering just five hits over nine scoreless frames against the Pirates, recording his first career shutout.
The left-hander punched out seven on the night and didn’t walk a batter. He was in complete command from start to finish in this one, needing only 99 pitches (67 strikes) to record his 27 outs.
While his overall numbers on the season don’t jump off the page -- 4.75 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 93/31 K/BB ratio -- there’s still plenty of talent and hype there, enough that could tempt a pitching-starved team into overpaying prior to the trade deadline. In his three starts since returning to the Mets’ rotation, he owns a masterful 1.89 ERA and 15/2 K/BB ratio.
Unlike Wheeler and Syndergaard, Matz remains under team control through the 2021 season. The extra year (or two) of team control could be enough to generate a nice return if the Mets are intent on dealing him away.
Speaking of the Mets, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported an interesting tidbit on Saturday afternoon, indicating that one of the scenarios that the Mets are exploring, would be to trade Noah Syndergaard to the Padres, and then flip some of the players that they got in return to the Blue Jays for Marcus Stroman.
Rosenthal notes that in that scenario, Cal Quantrill -- a Canadian native -- could be a logical target for the Blue Jays. It’s hard to figure out exactly what the Mets are trying to accomplish these days. Stay tuned as things are likely to get crazier before the trade deadline.
Bolstering the Bullpen
The Athletics made a splash in the trade market on Saturday, acquiring left-handed reliever Jake Diekman from the Royals for RHP Ismael Aquino and OF Dairon Blanco.
Diekman is one of the hardest throwing left-handed relievers in the league and adds another major weapon to an already talented Athletics’ bullpen. The 32-year-old owns a 4.75 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 63/23 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings on the season. His primary job will be to shut down left-handed hitters in front of closer Liam Hendriks. His 13.61 K/9 puts him among the elite ranks in all of baseball.
Blanco is an interesting get for the Royals, as the 26-year-old Cuban outfielder has game-changing speed and could work his way into a role with the big league club before the end of the 2019 campaign.
The A’s weren’t the only American League playoff hopeful that made an impact addition to their bullpen on Saturday though. The Twins went out and acquired Marlins’ closer Sergio Romo (along with Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later) for minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz.
The 36-year-old right-hander should solidify the back end of the Twins’ bullpen. Romo owns a 3.58 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while securing 17 saves for the Marlins this season. What remains to be seen, is whether or not he’ll function as the team’s closer. [[ad:athena]]
Given how well Taylor Rogers has pitched since assuming the ninth-inning gig, there’s little reason to think that Romo will come in and displace him. That means that what little mixed league fantasy value Romo did have, will evaporate completely with the move to Minnesota.
Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli had nothing but great things to say when asked about the acquisition after Saturday’s game, telling reporters, “I know he’s ultra-competitive… He wants the ball. He’s scared of nothing. Everyone knows him as a pitcher. He’s been around for a very long time. He’s had a very successful career. He’s pitched in some big, big spots. Once you get a chance to know him, you can see how he’s had success in those spots.”
The Marlins are also thrilled with the return that they received in the Romo deal, making sure to include additional players in the deal to get the player that they targeted -- Lewin Diaz.
He has had a terrific season in the minor leagues, slashing .297/.339/.558 with 19 homers and 61 RBI in 89 games between High-A Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola. He has the potential to quickly develop into a middle of the order bat at the big league level.
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The Gold Standard
Paul Goldschmidt etched his name into the Cardinals’ history book on Saturday when he launched a solo home run off of Gerrit Cole in the second inning -- marking the sixth consecutive game in which he has left the yard.
That matches the franchise record -- achieved by Matt Carpenter in 2018 and Mark McGwire in 1997-1998.
If he manages to take left-hander Wade Miley deep on Sunday, he’ll own that record all to himself. For what it’s worth, Goldschmidt is 3-for-4 with a double in his career against the Astros’ hurler.
He’s also just two games away from matching the Major League record of eight consecutive games -- famously achieved by Dale Long and then matched by Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr.
After a slow start to his Cardinals’ career, this recent home run barrage has raised Goldschmidt’s season slash to .256/.340/.468 to go with 24 homers and 57 RBI. The one thing that he hasn’t done this season though -- much to the chagrin of fantasy owners -- is steal bases. The 31-year-old has yet to steal a base as a member of the Cardinals, and has only attempted one swipe this entire season.
American League Quick Hits: Shi Davidi of Sportsnet believes that the Blue Jays will almost certainly trade away Marcus Stroman prior to the trade deadline on Wednesday. … The Twins have checked in with the Diamondbacks on the availability of Robbie Ray. … The Twins are also reportedly willing to part with either Royce Lewis or Alex Kirilloff in a potential deal for Noah Syndergaard. … DJ LeMahieu was held out of Saturday’s game due to groin tightness. He’s considered day-to-day and is expected to avoid the injured list. … The Royals designated Lucas Duda for assignment. … The Mariners claimed Keon Broxton off of waivers from the Orioles. … John Means is set to undergo an MRI exam on his injured left biceps. … Avisail Garcia was pulled from Sunday’s’ game due to illness. … Corey Kluber (arm) threw 45 pitches during a successful bullpen session on Saturday in Kansas City. … Edinson Volquez announced Saturday that he plans to retire after the 2019 season. … The Twins promoted top prospect Royce Lewis to Double-A Pensacola. … Dwight Smith Jr. was removed from Sunday’s game with left calf soreness. He’s listed as day-to-day. … Marco Gonzales struck out eight over seven innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Tigers. … Brandon Drury and Teoscar Hernandez each homered twice, leading the Blue Jays to a crazy come-from-behind victory over the Rays. … Willy Adames and Travis d’Arnaud each slugged three-run homers in the defeat. … Andrew Benintendi doubled twice and swatted a home run as the Red Sox topped the Yankees again. … Gio Urshela went 4-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBI in the loss. … Gerrit Cole punched out seven over seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Cardinals. … Carlos Correa socked his first career grand slam in that one for the Astros… Yoan Moncada slugged his 20th home run and doubled twice, leading the White Sox past the Twins. … Mike Clevinger struck out seven while allowing just one run over seven innings to beat the Royals… Jason Kipnis popped a grand slam in that one to lead the Tribe. … Jose Ramirez homered in his third straight game as well. … Matt Chapman smacked his 23rd home run as the Athletics edged out the Rangers. ... Mike Trout blasted his 34th home run as the Angels fell to the Orioles… Pedro Severino went 4-for-5 with a homer, steal and four RBI to lead the O’s attack in that victory.
National League Quick Hits: The Dodgers continue to target Pirates’ closer Felipe Vazquez as they seek to upgrade their bullpen for the playoffs… According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, multiple teams are interested in trading for struggling Mets’ closer Edwin Diaz. … The Braves officially placed Nick Markakis on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left wrist. He’s expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks. … The Braves also placed Dansby Swanson on the injured list with a foot contusion. … The Dodgers placed Ross Stripling on the injured list due to neck stiffness. … The Giants designated Ty Blach for assignment, freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster for Logan Webb who was reinstated from his suspension. … The Phillies acquired outfielder Jose Pirela from the Padres for cash considerations. He has been assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Enrique Hernandez (wrist) will be placed on the 10-day injured list on either or Sunday or Monday. … Pirates claimed Parker Markel off of waivers from the Mariners. … Dominic Smith landed on the injured list with a stress reaction in his foot. … Corey Dickerson is expected to avoid the injured list after leaving Friday night’s game with a left groin injury. … Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo said Saturday that he hasn’t yet decided what to do about the team’s closer’s job and that he’s still having discussions about it. … Clayton Kershaw fanned nine over six innings of two-run ball in a victory over the Nationals. … Will Smith went 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI to lead the Dodgers offense in that one. … Nick Ahmed crushed a grand slam and plated five runs as the Diamondbacks thumped the Marlins. … Josh VanMeter left the yard in his third straight game, helping to lead the Reds past the Rockies. … Ozzie Albies clubbed a grand slam in a lopsided victory over the Phillies… Ronald Acuna blasted his 25th home run in that victory as well. … Christian Yelich smacked his 36th home run of the season, matching his season total from his MVP campaign in 2018. … Keston Hiura smacked a walk-off two-run homer off of Craig Kimbrel in the 10th inning to sink the Cubs. … Jon Lester fired seven shutout innings in a no-decision in that one. … Fernando Tatis Jr. went 3-for-5 and clubbed his 17th home run, leading the Padres to victory over the Giants.
