Some Good News, and some Bad News

There’s some good news, and some bad news. 

Let’s start off with the good news, if you’re a NL Central fan, at least. That’s right, both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates have clinched a playoff spot, as St. Louis beat the Washington Nationals to eliminate them. Now, the NL is set, with only a matter of who will win the NL Central now. The five teams that will be in are the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds, the Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

This isn’t really surprising. Until a recent surge by the Nationals, it seemed like everyone would clinch in mid-September. While it came a little later than some people had thought, it’s the same result that people had expected at the all-star break, and even before that frankly. 

The Reds and Pirates both had wild nights, clinching in dramatic form. With men on first and third, Reds OF Shin-Soo Choo hits a ball deep enough to go off the wall, as it easily scored a run. Just moments later, the Pirates clinched the playoffs against the Cubs, when a misplay on a ball in the outfield resulted in getting the runner out trying to advance home. 

Although they have a team .251 batting average, which is sub-average (18^th in MLB), the Reds clinched with their team .329 OBP (6^th in MLB). They mostly got it done with pitching, as they have a team 3.36 ERA (4^th in MLB), a 1.17 WHIP (1^st), and a .235 BAA (1^st). All without one of their best pitchers, Johnny Cueto, who is expected to pitch some in October. 

And, of course, you can never forget about the Cuban Missile, Aroldis Chapman. Though not as dominant as last year, Chapman posts a 2.59 ERA, tying a career high 38 saves and having a 15.8 K/9 ratio. 

 

The Pirates have just been fun to watch, as their hitting is still well below average, but their surprising pitching with young and old talent has made a team 3.29 ERA (2^nd in MLB), and a .238 BAA (2^ND). The team is led by fan favorite Andrew McCutchen, who bats .319/.405/.510 with a 7.8 WAR (1st in NL) and a 23 Power Speed Number (3rd in NL), and is a top MVP candidate. Watch out for Starling Marte too, he can be a dangerous hitter in the future.

Here’s the bad news. The Pirates don’t have any bad news, but if you look at their clinching the playoffs as a mark of how terrible the past 22 years have been, then I guess that’s some bad news. The Reds, however, have a much bigger problem.

Reds starter Mat Latos just recently reported that he has been pitching with an abdominal injury since late June, coming out with this statement:

 

“No fan knows that I’ve been dealing with an injury since the Texas Rangers game [on June 30^th]. And I’ve been pitching with it. So I’ve been pitching the way I’ve been pitching, but I’ve been hurt.”

Why he never mentioned this anybody, I have no clue. If Dusty Baker knew about this, then I’d be pissed (just taking me back to the Mark Prior/Kerry Wood years). Although according to the Reds Enquirer, Baker said he did not know about the injury. Since June 30^th, Latos has posted a 3.46 ERA and a 71/26 K/BB ratio in 94 innings, which is a little over what he’s pitching on the season. This year, Latos is 14-6 with a 3.23 ERA and a 180/56 K/BB ratio (3.21). Since the all-star break, Latos has been rocked here and there by teams, but he has also put up some very quality outings. 

I’ve yet to hear what the Reds have said about this, besides the Baker comment. With Johnny Cueto possibly returning, he might miss a start or two, but I’m honestly not sure. If he’s continued to pitch, then you would think that the injury would not be too serious. But he is only 25 years old, and it wouldn’t be the worst idea to shut him down for a start or two.  

That’s an injury that will be questionable come playoff time, but there’s another injury that is critical to, in my opinion, baseball’s future. Yesterday, Manny Machado, the young and very talented Baltimore Orioles third baseman, was taken off the field on a stretcher as he suffered a devastating knee injury. There is a .gif that is available for you to watch the injury, but I’m not putting it up because it is pretty gruesome. 

Machado grounded a ball to second base in the 7^th inning against the Tampa Bay Rays, and beat it out for an infield hit. However, when his left leg touched the base, his knee buckled and he was instantly on the ground. The Rays would go on to win on a walk-off by James Loney.

Machado is an incredible hitter and defender, batting .283/.314/.432 with 51 doubles, 14 homers, and 71 RBI’s. He also has a 4.3 defensive WAR, which is amazing for defense. He’s only 20 years old, but is not a Rookie of the Year candidate because of last year. 

While the Orioles have lost their chances of making the playoffs, they now have lost their top young prospect for the 2013 season and possibly parts of the 2014 season.

So while two teams clinched, some woeful things happened in baseball. I hope a speedy and healthy recovery for both Latos and Machado. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd