Dodgers Add Darvish in Kershaw's Absence
The best team in baseball seemingly got even better at Monday's trade deadline, as they overcame the loss of their ace, Clayton Kershaw. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers, and sent three minor league players to Texas. Those minor leaguers include Willie Calhoun, A.J. Alexy, and Brendon Davis. Darvish is currently 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA, which is the worst it's been for him in his five years in the majors. The right-hander is a four-time All-Star, but has struggled since winning 16 games in 2012. He underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2015, and returned with just seven victories last year. The 30-year-old has struggled as of late, going 0-5 with a 5.81 ERA over his last eight starts. The deal makes sense for Los Angeles since they lost Kershaw for six-to-eight weeks with a back injury last week. They also added depth to their bullpen with the additions of Tony Watson from the Pirates and Tony Cingrani from the Reds.
Yankees Bolster Rotation With Sonny Gray
The New York Yankees look to be in a back-and-forth battle with the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and they helped themselves in that race by adding Sonny Gray in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The A's received shortstop/outfielder Jorge Mateo, outfielder Dustin Fowler, and pitcher James Kaprielian. They also sent the Yankees $1.5 million in international signing money. The 27-year-old starter is under control through the 2019 season, and has gone 44-36 with a 3.42 ERA in the last five seasons in Oakland. In his past six starts, he has struck out 36 and walked only nine while posting an ERA of 1.37. Gray is the second starter the Yankees acquired before the deadline, as they also added Jaime Garcia from the Minnesota Twins. They join the likes of Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, and Luis Severino in the starting rotation for the Bronx Bombers. New York currently holds a half game lead on the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, as they look to return to the postseason after missing out last year. They have not won a postseason series since the 2012 season.
Gonzalez Loses No-Hit Bid Late in Nats' Win
The Washington Nationals made moves to help their bullpen at the trade deadline, but their starting rotation seems to be good to go for October. A sign of that was on Monday night, as Gio Gonzalez flirted with a no-hitter in the Nats' 1-0 shutout of the Miami Marlins. Dee Gordon's lead-off single in the ninth inning spoiled Gonzalez's bid, leading to Sean Doolittle getting the final three outs for the save. It seemed as if a no-hitter was bound to happen after great defensive plays in the outfield from Brian Goodwin and Wilmer Difo. The right-hander walked three, hit a batter, and struck out five in his ninth win of the year. At one point, he retired 14 consecutive batters over four-plus innings. The first hit against him was given up on his 106th pitch of the night. After that, he was taken out and left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 18,962. Bryce Harper's RBI single in the sixth inning was the only run the Nats could come up with against Jose Urena, who dropped to 9-5 on the year for Miami. The series continues with Game 2 at Marlins Park on Tuesday night.
The best team in baseball seemingly got even better at Monday's trade deadline, as they overcame the loss of their ace, Clayton Kershaw. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers, and sent three minor league players to Texas. Those minor leaguers include Willie Calhoun, A.J. Alexy, and Brendon Davis. Darvish is currently 6-9 with a 4.01 ERA, which is the worst it's been for him in his five years in the majors. The right-hander is a four-time All-Star, but has struggled since winning 16 games in 2012. He underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2015, and returned with just seven victories last year. The 30-year-old has struggled as of late, going 0-5 with a 5.81 ERA over his last eight starts. The deal makes sense for Los Angeles since they lost Kershaw for six-to-eight weeks with a back injury last week. They also added depth to their bullpen with the additions of Tony Watson from the Pirates and Tony Cingrani from the Reds.
Yankees Bolster Rotation With Sonny Gray
The New York Yankees look to be in a back-and-forth battle with the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, and they helped themselves in that race by adding Sonny Gray in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The A's received shortstop/outfielder Jorge Mateo, outfielder Dustin Fowler, and pitcher James Kaprielian. They also sent the Yankees $1.5 million in international signing money. The 27-year-old starter is under control through the 2019 season, and has gone 44-36 with a 3.42 ERA in the last five seasons in Oakland. In his past six starts, he has struck out 36 and walked only nine while posting an ERA of 1.37. Gray is the second starter the Yankees acquired before the deadline, as they also added Jaime Garcia from the Minnesota Twins. They join the likes of Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia, and Luis Severino in the starting rotation for the Bronx Bombers. New York currently holds a half game lead on the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, as they look to return to the postseason after missing out last year. They have not won a postseason series since the 2012 season.
Gonzalez Loses No-Hit Bid Late in Nats' Win
The Washington Nationals made moves to help their bullpen at the trade deadline, but their starting rotation seems to be good to go for October. A sign of that was on Monday night, as Gio Gonzalez flirted with a no-hitter in the Nats' 1-0 shutout of the Miami Marlins. Dee Gordon's lead-off single in the ninth inning spoiled Gonzalez's bid, leading to Sean Doolittle getting the final three outs for the save. It seemed as if a no-hitter was bound to happen after great defensive plays in the outfield from Brian Goodwin and Wilmer Difo. The right-hander walked three, hit a batter, and struck out five in his ninth win of the year. At one point, he retired 14 consecutive batters over four-plus innings. The first hit against him was given up on his 106th pitch of the night. After that, he was taken out and left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 18,962. Bryce Harper's RBI single in the sixth inning was the only run the Nats could come up with against Jose Urena, who dropped to 9-5 on the year for Miami. The series continues with Game 2 at Marlins Park on Tuesday night.
