All Good Things Must Come to a Gallen-d
Through his first 23 big league starts, Zac Gallen had yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his starts -- a big league record.
Through eight starts this season heading into Monday, Gallen had yet to allow more than two earned runs in any start. He had also worked at least six innings in each of his last seven outings.
It looked as though he was cruising through another start and would easily extend those streaks on Monday, as he had allowed just one hit through five shutout innings against the Giants. Then, everything fell apart for him in the sixth inning.
After getting ahead of Pablo Sandoval 0-2 to begin the frame, he missed with the next four pitches to put the leadoff man on. Joey Bart followed with a single, then Mauricio Dubon worked a walk -- after falling behind 0-2 as well -- to load the bases. Mike Yastrzemski then delivered a run-scoring single and Darin Ruf followed with a two-run knock to make it 3-1. Donovan Solano followed with a single of his own, chasing Gallen.
Junior Guerra came on and walked a run in -- the fourth run charged to Gallen on the night -- ending his record streak at 23 games.
The encouraging sign for fantasy players is that Gallen didn’t experience any sort of dip in velocity or sudden loss of command in the sixth inning -- it was just a rough inning for him -- the first real one that he’s had in his career.
Perhaps it had something to do with familiarity, as it was the third time through the Giants’ order -- and the third time that Gallen has faced the Giants in his last four starts.
Whatever the reason for the rough outing, fantasy players should have full confidence in the 25-year-old right-hander going forward. He’ll carry a stellar 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 60/17 K/BB ratio into Saturday’s start against the Mariners.
Hosmer Hurt
The Padres were dealt a big blow on Monday night when it was announced that first baseman Eric Hosmer was diagnosed with a fractured left index finger.
Yikes. Hosmer suffered the injury on a misguided decision to attempt to lay down a bunt with two strikes in the first inning Monday night against the Rockies. The pitch struck his left hand on what was ruled a strikeout on a foul bunt. And now he's likely done for the remainder of the 2020 regular season -- and possibly the playoffs.
Trade acquisition Mitch Moreland took over for Hosmer on Monday and figures to do most of the filling in at first base down the stretch for San Diego.
It’s a really tough break for Hosmer, who was having a resurgent season with the upstart Padres. He was slashing a robust .288/.344/.542 with eight homers, 32 RBI and three stolen bases while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base.
Expect the Padres to provide an official update on Tuesday -- as well as a potential timeline for how much time he may miss.
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Ramirez Removed
Indians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez was removed from Monday’s game against the Royals due to left thumb discomfort.
The thumb injury has been a lingering issue for the 27-year-old over the last couple of weeks, and it appears he aggravated it again during Monday’s game. Mike Freeman replaced him at the hot corner in this one and could see increased action if Ramirez is forced to miss any time.
Indians’ acting manager Sandy Alomar said after Monday’s game that Jose Ramirez’s thumb is “a nagging thing that’s wearing him out mentally.” Ultimately, they pulled him from the game as a precautionary measure to give him the chance to recuperate.
He’ll undergo further evaluation on Tuesday, but expect to see Mike Freeman start at third base against Brady Singer and the Royals.
Prior to exiting Monday’s game, Ramirez was 0-for-3, lowering his season slash to .248/.350/.478 to go along with nine homers, 31 runs scored, 26 RBI and nine stolen bases. Ramirez and Trevor Story are the only two players in the big leagues with at least nine homers and nine stolen bases on the season.
American League Quick Hits: Athletics manager Bob Melvin said Marcus Semien (side) could return to the starting lineup for one half of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Astros. … Melvin also said that Matt Chapman (hip) should avoid the injured list. … Rangers skipper Chris Woodward said Monday that he expects Willie Calhoun (hamstring) to return before the end of the season. …Woodward also noted that shortstop Elvis Andrus will not be a regular for the rest of the season, as the team wants to get a good look at their younger players. … Likewise, Rougned Odor (eye) will have a diminished role upon his return from the injured list. … Salvador Perez (eye) took like at-bats on Sunday and could be activated as soon as the weekend. … The Royals aren’t yet considering a stint on the injured list for Jorge Soler (oblique). ... Nelson Cruz sat out his second straight game on Monday with minor hip tightness. … Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) ran the bases, hit off a machine, and threw on Monday at Yankee Stadium. … Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that A.J. Puk (shoulder) has been shut down again. … Alex Bregman (hamstring) was not activated from the injured list on Monday as originally anticipated. He’s tentatively expected to return on Tuesday. … The Blue Jays officially placed Teoscar Hernandez on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. He may miss the remainder of the 2020 season. … The Astros’ bullpen took a hit as left-hander Blake Taylor and right-hander Chris Devenski each landed on the injured list with elbow soreness.
Michael Pineda fanned eight over seven innings of two-run ball in a victory over the Tigers. … Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with a solo homer to lead the charge there. … Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of runs scored in a losing effort. … Marco Gonzales struck out seven over seven innings of two-run ball in a victory over the Rangers. It’s his third straight victory. … Dylan Moore homered, doubled and drove in four runs there to lead the Mariners. … Randy Arozarena blasted a pinch-hit homer as the Rays fell to the Nationals. … Zach Plesac hurled seven innings of one-run baseball to beat the Royals. … Franmil Reyes went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for the Tribe. … Adalberto Mondesi crushed a monstrous solo homer in the loss for the Royals. … Luke Voit went 2-for-4 and clubbed his 14th home run as the Yankees fell to the Blue Jays. … Danny Jansen crushed a grand slam to lead the Blue Jays’ attack in that lopsided victory. … Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 2-for-4 and stole the first base of his career in that victory. … Adam Ottavino gave up six runs without recording an out for the Yankees in that one. … Carlos Correa picked up a couple of hits as the Astros were shut out by the Athletics. … Chris Bassitt fired seven shutout innings to earn a victory in that one. … Sean Murphy homered and drove in three to lead the A’s offensive attack.
National League Quick Hits: Juan Soto (elbow) took batting practice on Monday without any issue. He’s trending toward a return to the Nationals’ lineup in the next few days. … Yadier Molina was pulled from Monday’s game against the Cubs due to a left elbow contusion. He’s expected to be available for Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Twins. … Eric Hosmer exited his game against the Rockies after suffering a hand injury while attempting to bunt. … Alex Dickerson was removed from Monday’s matchup against the Diamondbacks after fouling a ball off of his knee. He’s considered day-to-day after X-rays came back negative. ... Mets manager Luis Rojas said Monday that Jacob deGrom could start every fifth day rather than every fifth game down the stretch. … Garrett Cooper (quad) returned to the Marlins lineup on Monday. … Jason Heyward sat out Monday, but manager Joe Maddon announced that he’s feeling much better after going to the hospital on Sunday night with light-headedness and shortness of breath. … Jose Quintana (lat) is set to begin his throwing program on Tuesday. … The Cubs claimed speedster Billy Hamilton off of waivers from the Mets. … The Cubs officially brought back right-hander Pedro Strop on a minor league deal. … Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Drew Smyly (finger) could be ready to return from the injured list on Wednesday or Thursday. … Kyle Wright will start for the Braves on Tuesday against the Marlins. … Luis Garcia was scratched from the Nationals lineup on Monday due to a lingering heel bruise. … Cole Hamels (triceps) is scheduled to throw another simulated game within the next couple of days. … Ozzie Albies (wrist) is scheduled to play in an intrasquad game Tuesday at the Braves' alternate training site. He’s expected to return before the end of the week. … The Rockies officially signed A.J. Ramos to a minor league contract. … Emilio Pagan (biceps) is scheduled to face live hitters on Tuesday - if all goes well he’ll be activated on Thursday.
Michael Conforto went 3-for-6 with an RBI double in a losing effort against the Phillies. … Jean Segura clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th inning and also had a bases-clearing double to lead the Phillies to victory there. … Adam Duvall smacked his 10th home run as the Braves fell to the Marlins. … Miguel Rojas went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI to lead the Marlins to the extra-inning victory over the Braves. … Kyle Hendricks hurled eight innings of one-run ball in an impressive victory over the Cardinals. … Javier Baez went 3-for-4 and scored a run in the Cubs' victory. … Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 in a losing effort there. … Max Scherzer punched out eight over seven shutout innings in a victory over the Rays. … David Peralta clubbed a solo home run in a loss to the Giants. … Kevin Gausman struck out nine over six innings of one-run ball in a dominant victory there. … Darin Ruf went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI to lead the Giants to that come-from-behind victory. … Kyle Freeland fired six shutout innings in a no-decision against the Padres. … Dinelson Lamet punched out 11 over 7 ⅔ scoreless frames on the other side of that one. … Jurickson Profar delivered a walk-off RBI double in the ninth inning to lead the Padres to victory in that one.