LEADING OFF: Posey to IL, Cole vs Greinke in Houston
Jul 9, 2021, 6:40 AM | Updated: 9:32 pm
A look at what’s happening around the majors Saturday:
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OUT AT THE PLATE
Giants catcher Buster Posey has been put on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left thumb, costing him his starting spot in next week’s All-Star Game.
Posey has been out since July 4, when he was hurt by a foul tip.
The 34-year-old Posey was chosen for his seventh All-Star team. After opting out of playing last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the former NL MVP has been in top form this season, batting .328 with 12 home runs and a .968 OPS for the NL West leaders.
NEW STARS
The Mets’ Taijuan Walker and Brewers’ Freddy Peralta have been added to the National League All-Star team and will make their first Midsummer Classic appearances.
Walker (7-3, 2.50) started New York’s 13-4 win over Pittsburgh on Friday night and was informed after the game by manager Luis Rojas that he’d be replacing teammate Jacob deGrom, who is skipping the All-Star Game in Denver.
Peralta is pitching Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. He learned Friday night that he’s the All-Star replacement for teammate Brandon Woodruff. Since Woodruff is pitching Sunday against the Reds, he wouldn’t have been able to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
The 25-year-old Peralta has earned his first All-Star appearance by going 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA.
“It feels great, man,” Peralta said. “I was waiting for this moment. It’s a dream come true.”
San Diego pitcher Yu Darvish is likely to miss the All-Star Game because of back tightness, Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Friday.
BUMP BUDDIES
Former teammates Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke will square off when the Yankees face the Astros. The pair overlapped in Houston in 2019, when Greinke was acquired at the trade deadline for a club that lost Game 7 of that fall’s World Series.
Cole (8-4, 2.91) has a 5.24 ERA for New York since it became clear in early June that Major League Baseball planned to crack down on pitchers’ use of illegal foreign substances. He had a 1.78 ERA prior to that.
Greinke (8-2, 3.64) hasn’t lost since May 25, a span of seven starts.
Houston will be without All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, who was placed on the injured list Friday due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
COULD BE WORSE
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw got an MRI on his sore left elbow that showed inflammation but no structural damage, according to Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts. Kershaw is scheduled to play catch and then use next week’s All-Star break to rest.
“It was soreness,” Roberts said Friday. “He’s never had soreness in his elbow, so we wanted to check all the boxes and make sure there’s nothing else to it. Fortunately, there wasn’t.”
Kershaw hasn’t pitched since July 4, when he allowed three runs in four innings against Washington. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts this season.
REDOUBLED EFFORTS
The Mets are set to play their 10th doubleheader of the season with a twinbill against Pittsburgh. New York is slated for 13 doubleheaders this season, which would be its most since playing 19 in 1979.
With doubleheaders limited to a pair of seven-inning games this season as part of COVID-19 safety protocols, the Mets are set to save 26 innings over their 13 doubleheaders — hugely beneficial for Mets manager Luis Rojas and his injury-ravaged pitching staff.
Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman (6-6, 2.60) will pitch the opener against Pirates left-hander Tyler Anderson (4-8, 4.39). New York rookie Tylor Megill (0-0, 3.77) gets the late game, while Pittsburgh hasn’t announced a starter.
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