A strained triceps forced David Price from his start last night and has landed the left-hander on the DL. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

David Price has been placed on the disabled list thanks to a strained triceps, leaving the Tampa Bay Rays without their ace left-hander for the foreseeable future. He’ll be shut down completely for a few days before resuming a throwing program but it’s expected that he’ll miss at least a few weeks.

Price won 20 games and took home the AL Cy Young Award last season, but has struggled on the mound to start the 2013 season. He’s made nine starts on the year, posting a 1-4 mark and 5.24 ERA in 55.0 IP. Price didn’t win his first game until his sixth start and the Rays have lost seven of the nine. Numerous reports have suggested that he’s been experiencing a dip in velocity on the year, potentially leading to an increase in his WHIP and H/9 rate.

Just 2.1 IP into his latest start, last night at Boston, Price began to feel some discomfort in his left arm, telling ESPN.com that he didn’t start to feel anything until he was a few pitches into the 3rd inning. He’d quickly be pulled from the game and was sent for an MRI, which reportedly did not contain any “hot spots”. The team elected to play the situation smartly rather than try and push Price to remain in the rotation.

Alex Torres has been called up from Triple-A Durham to replace Price on the active roster.

Still under control through the next two seasons, Price has already begun to get expensive for the small market Rays and there has been plenty of speculation that the team could look to move him as early as this summer’s trade deadline. A prolonged injury could hinder how quickly an opposing team may be in offering up a significant package of prospects in return for the 27 year old, which could push any potential deals until this coming winter offseason.

Mike Trout’s my new poster boy for why sportswriters need to attend classes on what matters and what doesn’t. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

But then came the revealing of the 2012 award winners, which for the first time ever was full of especially grand pageantry. What we got were a couple of winners who are virtually indefensible to the savvy fan. First off, David Price took home the AL Cy Young narrowly over Justin Verlander without actually ever being better than him at anything. Then we have Miguel Cabrera just crushing Mike Trout in the AL MVP voting despite only topping him in one aspect of the game, and narrowly at that. Maybe we’re not quite as advanced as I was starting to think.

Price edged Verlander by a mere four points in the AL Cy Young voting, but I can’t help but wonder what happened here. Per WAR, which old school fans love mocking mercilessly despite its value, Verlander destroyed Price 6.8 to 5.1. In fact, Felix Hernandez was even a full win above Price. I’m not trying to diminish the great season Price had, because it was great, but Verlander topped him in strikeouts per nine innings, walks per nine innings, and FIP while contributing an extra 27 1/3 innings to his team. His ERA was a mere 0.08 points higher than Price’s, so the only reason a voter might have leaned toward Price would be pitcher wins, or as I like to call them, the devil. Those three extra wins must have been enough to sway the stubborn.

Over on the MVP side of things, Mike Trout had a historically impressive season. We don’t often get a chance to see 10-WAR years, and we never get the chance to see them out of 20-year-olds. Trout’s incredible season saw him lap the field when it came to defense and baserunning, and his offensive performance nearly matched Miguel Cabrera’s even if the latter won the traditional triple crown. Why is the triple crown so revered? Is it just due to rarity? If you’re going to judge a player solely based on three categories, you could do a lot better than using home runs, batting average, and RBI. Trout trailed Cabrera narrowly in wOBA, which takes external factors such as home park into consideration. He equaled him in wRC+, had a higher walk rate, and even slugged at nearly the same rate. And, as I mentioned before, he was the better player in every other facet of the game. How does that not appeal to old school voters? I’m not sure; honestly the rejection of modern statistics may have played a role.

Sure, awards aren’t even that important of a topic when you really get down to it. This is kind of like arguing about whether or not a certain actor should have taken home an Oscar or not; if you enjoyed the performance and know it to be better based on defensible criteria, the actual winning of the award is mostly irrelevant. However, this season’s award voting is telling in that it shows that we still have a long way to go in baseball. While many general managers and even tons of fans are starting to see the importance of evaluating players on a wider set of skills and statistics with depth, so many writers and big voices in the industry are still lagging behind. By and large, these are intelligent people we’re talking about, and a little more openness would go a long way in changing things.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

The ace of Tampa Bay’s staff, Price was 20-5, with the 20 victories equal to the league best. The imposing, 6-foot-6, 220-pound southpaw also notched the best earned run average in the league at 2.56 and he struck out 205. Two years ago Price went 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and was the Cy Young runnerup. That was the year voters lost their minds and chose Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners for the Cy Young award even though his record was only 13-12. Hernandez was fourth this year. (more…)

Could David Price be on the move this winter. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

For nearly half a decade, the Tampa Bay Rays have brought relevant baseball to the state of Florida and have been a serious player in the American League East. Since dropping the “Devil” from their team name, the Rays have won 90 games four times, made three postseason appearances, won two division titles, and represented the American League in the World Series once, losing to Philalphia in 2008.

Yet, despite all of that success, Andrew Freidman and company have begun each of the past five seasons handicapped. A perennially low payroll requires them to let talented players leave when they become overpriced and then fill those slots with young, inexpensive rookies or with low cost/high reward veterans. So far, it has been a poker game that Freidman and his team have managed beautifully, making an endless stream of what always seems to be the right choice.

The 2013 offseason may represent Freidman’s biggest gamble yet.

Quality drafting and player development have left the Rays with an overloaded pitching staff, giving them plethora of pitching options in which to trade from. Names like James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, and David Price have been brandied about already this winter, with names like top prospect Chris Archer and Jeff Niemann ready to step in to any open slots. The trick is figuring out which is the best one or two are truly expendable, both giving the Rays a solid return that will help the 2013 ball club and also leave them with a quality rotation for next season.

James Shields

It seems like it is almost a yearly affair for Shields to have his name mentioned in trade talks. That happens when you are set to become garner the highest single-season contract in franchise history in 2013, even if it is a modest $9 million. Franchises like Tampa struggle to dedicate such a large amount to any one single player. However, that $9 million, as well as the $12 million he is slated to earn in 2014, also makes Shields attractive to potential suitors, as it is a relative bargain to most franchises. Shields has given the Rays 31 or more starts in each of the last six seasons, 200 plus innings, and outside of 2009 and 2010, an ERA below 4.00.

That’s solid number two material for most teams out there. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shields would be an excellent buffer if Clayton Kershaw is not ready to go at the beginning of the season and he also gives them an upgrade over a quickly receding Josh Beckett.

Jeremy Hellickson

Hellickson has had an eventful couple of seasons in just his first two years in the majors. The 25-year-old right-hander won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2011 and then followed that up with a Gold Glove in 2012. Despite that, Hellickson may be the second-most available pitcher for the Rays behind Shields. Despite a 10-11 record and a very solid 3.10 ERA in 2012, Hellickson averaged only 5-2/3 innings a start last season, and his 6.3 K/9 rate left him with an FIP of 4.60, suggesting that he was perhaps more lucky than good. Still, there is upside here and as he develops, he’ll learn to keep his pitch counts down and utilize his 41.8% ground ball rate to his advantage.

Hellickson is still not first-year arbitration-eligible until next offseason so he is drawing interest from an assortment of teams, with clubs like the Padres, Blue Jays, Twins, and Royals all having interest. However, it may be teams like the Dodgers, Angels, and Diamondbacks who possess the right combination of prospects and players at the major league level to get a deal done.

David Price

It is shocking to even remotely hear that David Price may be made available this winter. However, this is the world the Rays live in. Price is a serious contender for the American League Cy Young award in 2012, after posting a 20-4 record, a league-leading 2.56 ERA, and a 5.1 fWAR. As such, Price is due a major raise through arbitration this winter when he is first year (super 2) eligible, hence the Rays motivation to possibly move either him or Shields. See a trend here?

There is no doubt that Price has lived up to his ace billing since the moment he stepped onto the mound for Tampa and teams will line up to secure his services. With the Mariners constantly denying that Felix Hernandez will be available, teams may suddenly have their consolation prize. There is no point in listing potential suitors, as any team with a major package of players to flip will be lining up at the door.

Three very worthy candidates for movement and three very worthy prizes considering a very weak pitching pool on the free agent market. Expect Freidman and the Rays to busy this winter, but I can guarantee you one thing.

None of these pitchers will be traded within the division.

To me Dickey is the hands-down Cy Young Award winner for the NL. He is 18-5 with 197 strikeouts in 205 innings and a 2.68 earned run average. He has never had a slump in 2012 and he has had only a few bad days. The American League has two pitchers who are just about equal in Cy Young worthiness in David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels. I can’t make a really solid argument separating one from the other, but I lean towards Price.

(more…)

Los Angeles Angels 15, Texas Rangers 8

The Angels took down their division rival in spectacular fashion, scoring 15 runs on 16 hits and getting home runs from Kendrys Morales from both sides of the plate in the same inning. Morales was just the third player in history to accomplish this feat. He wasn’t alone in his offensive prowess, though, as Mike Trout homered and drove in four, Albert Pujols went 3-4 with two RBI, and Maicer Izturis had three hits and a solo homer. Roy Oswalt sure hasn’t been good since finding his way into the Texas rotation. There is consolation news for the Rangers, though, as Josh Hamilton ended his slump with three hits and his 29th home run of the season. Nelson Cruz also had two hits and a long ball in the loss.

Kendrys Morales showed off his ability to homer in most ways possible Monday. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Baltimore Orioles 5, New York Yankees 4

Miguel Gonzalez struck out eight Yankees in 6 2/3 innings and was just good enough to help his team to victory. Nick Markakis had a nice day, going 3-4 with a double and two RBI, while Wilson Betemit homered. The Yankees benefited from the first New York home run of Ichiro Suzuki but still dropped the game.

Boston Red Sox 7, Detroit Tigers 3

The Red Sox have climbed back over .500 and their lineup is starting to look a lot healthier. Dustin Pedroia and Will Middlebrooks each hit two-run shots, while Clay Buchholz went eight strong innings and allowed just two earned runs. Austin Jackson added a solo home run for the Tigers.

Minnesota Twins 7, Chicago White Sox 6

The Twins took this game thanks to a game-winning sac fly from Jamey Carroll in the bottom of the ninth. Minnesota got most of their runs early thanks to multi-hit games from Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Danny Valencia. The White Sox also flashed the bats early on, scoring four runs in the first inning. Alejandro De Aza had four hits, while A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer.

Oakland Athletics 4, Tampa Bay Rays 3 (F/15)

It took the A’s a while to do it, but they won their 19th game in July thanks to a Jemile Weeks sac fly in the bottom of the 15th. Prior to the walk-off, neither team had scored since the bottom of the seventh inning. David Price struck out 11 in his start, while Brandon Hicks and Matt Joyce each went deep. Kudos to both bullpens for this game. Here are their lines: Oakland-8 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K; Tampa Bay-7 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, 8 BB, 10 K.

Seattle Mariners 4, Toronto Blue Jays 1

Hisashi Iwakuma put on quite a show in this one, going eight innings and striking out 13 Blue Jays in the process. The Jays were baffled by the right-hander and wasted what has become an increasingly rare decent start from Ricky Romero. Michael Saunders and Kyle Seager each had two hits and drove in a run.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Atlanta Braves 8, Miami Marlins 2

Tommy Hanson may have a 12-5 record, but this is not the Tommy Hanson everyone fell in love with. Still struggling post-injury, Hanson managed to allow just one run despite letting nine men on base in five innings. His offense backed him with 13 hits, though. Jason Heyward went 2-5 with a home run and three runs scored, while Michael Bourn and Dan Uggla each drove in multiple runs.

San Diego Padres 11, Cincinnati Reds 5

The Reds had their 10-game winning streak snapped at the hands of…the Padres? Mike Leake got crushed early, as the Padres rallied from down 3-0 to plate nine runs in the second and third innings. Will Venable drove in four, Carlos Quentin went deep, and Yonder Alonso has four hits. Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs each left the yard for Cincinnati.

Chicago Cubs 14, Pittsburgh Pirates 4

Shortly before dealing away half of their roster as they begin to rebuild, the Cubs decided to go ahead and destroy the Pirates for good measure. A nine-run fifth inning was the biggest reason why, as Erik Bedard couldn’t make it through the inning. Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro each had three hits and drove in multiple runs, while those two and Anthony Rizzo all homered. Rookie Sterling Marte had three hits for the losing Pirates.

Milwaukee Brewers 8, Houston Astros 7

The Brewers scored all eight of their runs in the seventh and eighth innings after being shut down by Bud Norris for the majority of the game. Cody Ransom hit a three-run homer, while Cesar Izturis collected three hits and scored a pair of runs. Jose Altuve reached base and scored three times in the loss. With the loss, the Astros sit an astounding 27 games out of first place.

Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

Trevor Cahill kept the Dodgers at bay by allowing just one run in six innings and let his offense do the work. Paul Goldschmidt homered and drove in three, while new acquisition Chris Johnson hit a grand slam off Aaron Harang in the fifth inning. This win puts the D-Backs just 3 1/2 games back of the Dodgers and Giants.

New York Mets 8, San Francisco Giants 7 (F/10)

The Mets plated two runs in the top of the 10th, which is good since the Giants scored a run in the bottom of the inning. Madison Bumgarner allowed just two runs and struck out nine in six innings, while Nate Schierholtz (who may or may not have asked to be traded) had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Scott Hairston hit two home runs including one that put the Mets ahead in extra innings.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

St. Louis Cardinals 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 2 (F/12)

Hanley Ramirez had a nice first game as a Dodger, going 2-4 with a walk, RBI, and run scored. Ramirez’s efforts were not enough, however, as the Dodgers were foiled by a game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning courtesy of Rafael Furcal. Starters Aaron Harang and Kyle Lohse were both exemplary. Harang struck out eight and gave up two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings, while Lohse gave up two earned runs and didn’t walk a man in seven innings. David Freese had two hits and scored a run to help his team to the win, something he did quite frequently last fall.

Hanley did his job just fine, but the Dodgers lost his debut with the team in extra innings. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Washington Nationals 5, New York Mets 2

The Nationals won their fifth game in a row thanks to a masterful start from ace Stephen Strasburg. The dominant hurler went seven innings, allowed just one run, and struck out 11 to get his 11th win of the season. Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa, and Adam LaRoche all homered in the win. Ike Davis hit his 16th home run of the season for the slumping Mets.

Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Chicago Cubs 2

Kevin Correia pitched six solid innings to outduel Ryan Dempster and help the Pirates to another win. Neil Walker and Michael McKenry each hit solo shots for Pittsburgh, while Anthony Rizzo went deep for the Cubs.

Atlanta Braves 7, Miami Marlins 1

The Marlins, who are in full-on firesale mode, got trampled by the Braves on Wednesday. Juan Francisco went 3-4 with a home run and drove in three runs for Atlanta, while Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward also left the yard. Tommy Hanson gave up a single run and struck out seven in five innings, but he also walked seven batters.

Philadelphia Phillies 7, Milwaukee Brewers 6 (F/10)

Every single game of this series has resulted in a 7-6 Phillies win, which is just totally weird. After the Brewers took an extra innings lead on an Aramis Ramirez sac fly, Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins drove in runs in the bottom of the 10th to secure the win. Rickie Weeks had a four hit game in the loss, while Chase Utley had three hits and three RBI in the win.

San Diego Padres 6, San Francisco Giants 3

I never would have thought I would have to type the sentence “Jason Marquis outpitched Tim Lincecum” at any point ever. Lincecum scuffled yet again, while Jason Marquis struck out eight and allowed one run in seven innings. Jesus Guzman homered twice, while Chase Headley hit a home run of his own.

Cincinnati Reds 5, Houston Astros 3

The Francisco Cordero era has not started well in Houston, as the newly-acquired closer blew another save Wednesday thanks to hits from Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce. Homer Bailey and Bud Norris each turned in quality starts and fanned seven hitters, while Jose Altuve had three hits.

Colorado Rockies 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

Dexter Fowler had three hits and Marco Scutaro drove in three runs to help the Rockies to a rare victory. Jeff Francis pitched very well in six innings, though he did surrender solo homers to Jason Kubel and Miguel Montero. Kubel now has 22 home runs and is slugging .583 as a National Leaguer.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Chicago White Sox 8, Minnesota Twins 2

The White Sox scored two runs in four consecutive innings to down the Twins easily. Dayan Viciedo had a banner day, going 3-4 with a home run. Alex Rios homered as well, and he’s looking more and more like the good hitter that shows up every two years or so. Jake Peavy struck out six and allowed one earned run in six innings for the win.

Los Angeles Angels 11, Kansas City Royals 6

Torii Hunter had four hits, homered, and drove in three to lead the Angels to an offensively-fueled victory. Mike Trout added his 16th home run of the season and is now slugging over .600. What a ridiculous talent! Billy Butler hit his 20th homer of the season and still has a very outside chance of challenging Steve Balboni’s franchise record of 36 long balls in a season.

New York Yankees 5, Seattle Mariners 2

The Mariners got six free passes from Yankees starter Ivan Nova, but they didn’t do much with them. Derek Jeter homered in the win, while Jayson Nix added a key three-run double in the eighth to crush any illusions of a Mariner victory. John Jaso accounted for half of those Mariner walks all by himself.

Tampa Bay Rays 10, Baltimore Orioles 1

David Price struck out 10 in seven innings and became the first starter in baseball to 14 wins. He didn’t even have to pitch as well as he did to get that win, however, as the Rays jumped out to a huge lead early. Ryan Roberts homered in his first game as a Ray, while Jose Lobaton went 3-3 with four RBI and the first home run of his career.

Detroit Tigers 5, Cleveland Indians 3

Max Scherzer is generally either great or terrible, and he fell on the right side of the line for the Tigers Wednesday. The powerful righty struck out eight and allowed just two runs in seven innings of work. He was backed by a 3-4, two RBI performance from Quintin Berry and runs driven in by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Casey Kotchman and Travis Hafner both went deep for Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics 16, Toronto Blue Jays 0

The A’s scored eight runs in the second inning and didn’t stop there. The offensive attack was balanced, as four players had multi-hit games and five players drove in multiple runs. Coco Crisp homered twice, while Chris Carter hit another ball out as well. Carter is now hitting .279/.415/.721 and reminding us all of why he was such a prospect. A.J. Griffin tossed six shutout innings and struck out nine for the win.

Texas Rangers 5, Boston Red Sox 3

The Rangers got a couple of late runs to slip by the Red Sox after a Josh Beckett wild pitch and a solo home run from Nelson Cruz an inning later. Derek Holland has had a tough season when he was supposed to break out, but he pitched 7 2/3 solid innings against the Sox on Wednesday night.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

David Price felt back tightness and decided to leave last night's game in the eighth inning. (Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

hits, gave up two runs, and he struck out seven. In the eighth, while throwing warm-up pitches he called the trainer out and ultimately left the game. It was not clear at the time what the injury was, but we later learned he had back tightness.

Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reported Price pulled himself from the game, and that Price plans to make his next scheduled start. That’s good news for the Rays who will need him if they have any shot of catching the Yankees.

Price is 11-4 with a 2.92 ERA this season. He has been the Rays best pitcher all year. In his last two outings, Price has tossed 14 innings and given up just three runs.

In his career, Price is 52-30 with a 3.11 ERA. He seems to be the center of trade talks around Tampa Bay almost every year. The Rays usually extend their players’ contracts early on, or they trade them. Price has already reach Super Two arbitration eligibility and is making $4.35 million this year. He will earn even more in arbitration next year if he keep ups this pace. Price is under team control until 2016, but the team has not yet shown whether they intend to extend his contract or trade him.

For more on the Rays, be sure to check out Rays Colored Glasses.

Matt Wieters provided the Orioles with their second walk-off in two days. (Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE)

seen the Orioles this competitive this late in a season, and for the past two days, they’ve shown why; the team doesn’t quit.

Saturday it was Adam Jones‘ walk-off home run in extra innings that sent the Orioles bouncing home winners.  Yesterday, Matt Wieters did the job.  With the game knotted at 4, Matt Wieters doubled home the game winning run to give the Orioles the game and the series.

The Orioles found themselves down 4-1 early against the winless Cliff Lee.  However, they fought their way back.  Steve Tolleson hit a three-run shot in the fourth to tie the game at four.  It would stay there until the tenth when Adam Jones reached safely on an error.  The Orioles and Matt Wieters would make the Phillies pay for that error.  Weiters took the offering from Joe Savery and doubled home Jones.

Cliff Lee remains winless on the season despite decent peripheral numbers.  Lee is now 0-3 with a 2.92 ERA.  He is striking out 9.2 batters every nine innings and walking just 1.5.  He’s pitching well, but as we know, wins and losses are controlled very little by the pitcher.  Lee has started nine games this season and has his lowest WHIP since 2010 at 1.005.

(more…)

The Major League Baseball Amateur Draft is a draft unlike any other sport.  In the NFL, player drafted 1 through 10 are expected to be immediate contributors.  The first few picks of the NBA draft are “lottery” picks, and as such those players often become the face of a franchise.  In baseball, the leap from the amateur game to the professional game is so big, the chasm between metal bats and wooden bats so wide that any pick (even the number one overall pick) is not always a lock to ever see Major League action.

(more…)