Stock Up, Stock Down: Braves, Dodgers, Tigers and more

Stock Up: Kevin Gausman

Talk about stepping up when your team needs you to.

One night after Alek Manoah failed to get out of the first inning after allowing six runs against the Astros and getting just one out, manager John Schneider needed his bullpen to get the final 26 outs in an 11-4 loss. Tuesday, Toronto announced that Manoah was being sent to their Florida complex in an effort to figure his struggles out and return to the ace he was in 2022 and finished third in the Cy Young voting.

Needing length Tuesday night from Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays got that and then some in a much-needed 5-1 victory over a hot Houston team. The right-hander went seven innings, scattering four hits and allowing one run, a Mauricio Dubon leadoff home run. He was overpowering finishing with 13 strikeouts and increasing his season total to 113 in his first 13 starts, which is the most in franchise history. He also leads the AL in strikeouts.

This season, Gausman is 5-3 with a 2.63 ERA and has allowed just 18 earned runs. In Manoah’s absence, the Blue Jays are going to need the rest of the rotation to step up and carry the load. Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Yusel Kikuchi will need to help out Gausman until Manoah can figure things out.

Toronto is hanging around in the American League East Division and a Wild Card spot and their offense will show up on a nightly basis, but now they need their pitching to as well. Gausman did in his first start without Manoah and the rest need to follow.

Stock Down: Detroit Tigers

You knew it was only a matter of time before things caught up with the Detroit Tigers, who have been hanging around a weak American League Central. The last days are more what we expect from them, despite them hanging around with potential postseason thoughts.

They were swept by the equally struggling Chicago White Sox on the road, then went to Philadelphia and dropped two out of three against the Phillies. The biggest takeaway from both series is the lack of offense the Tigers got in close games that were winnable.

In three games in Chicago, Detroit only scored three runs and was beaten 3-0, 2-1, and 6-2. Their struggles carried over against Philadelphia and lost the first game of the series 8-3, then were shut out a night later, 1-0, in the second game. In the third game of the series, the Tigers took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, only to give up two runs to get swept.

The highlight of the trip was two former Phillies’, Nick Maton, who homered in the game, and Matt Verling, both received their 2022 National League Championship Rings before Monday’s game. What is weird is that Philadelphia gave all their players from last season’s team NL Championship Rings, something you don’t see every day. World Series rings, yes, both league championship rings are just, well, weird.

Things are not going to get easier for the Tigers as they return home to face the National League West Division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks for three games over the weekend before the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves make their way to Comerica Park. It’s not going to be easy for A.J. Hinch’s crew.

Stock Up: Atlanta Braves

With every passing day this season, the Atlanta Braves are proving to be the National League’s best team on the mound, at the plate, and in the field. Their last seven days have shown why beating them in the postseason is going to be a difficult task for anyone.

After dropping the first of three games against the Diamondbacks last Friday night, they won the second game a night later, 5-2, then rallied to stun Arizona Sunday afternoon in dramatic fashion. Trailing 5-4 entering the ninth inning, Eddie Rosario blasted a two-out, bases-loaded grand slam off of Miguel Castro for a dramatic 8-5 win to cap a six-game trip out West that started by losing two out of three to MLB’s worst team, the Oakland Athletics.

The Braves came home and swept the New York Mets. They won all three games coming from behind using the long ball from Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy in the first two games. In the third game, long balls from Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, and Travis d’Arnaud homered to help Atlanta rally from a deficit before Orlando Arcia tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and Albies walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with a three-run homer for a 13-10 win. The Braves’ lineup has shown all season and in the last week that it is a relentless lineup for opponents. Four straight come-from-behind wins are nothing new to this Atlanta team.

The only thing that went wrong for the Braves in the last seven days was Spencer Strider getting roughed up by the Mets for eight earned runs in four innings with eight strikeouts in Thursday’s 9-5 loss. If that’s all that went bad for Atlanta, then you know it’s been a good week.

Stock Down: Dodgers bullpen

When it rains, it pours and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is finding that out with his struggling bullpen that single-handily played a big role in three losses last week.

Sunday night at home against the Yankees, Bobby Miller worked six scoreless innings against a lineup that was missing Judge. He gave up just one hit, struck out seven, and threw 86 pitches in his strong effort. Unfortunately for Miller and Roberts, New York starter Domingo German was throwing the ball just as well in his 6.2 innings of work, giving up four hits, and one run, and striking out six on 99 pitches. Roberts was forced to go to his bullpen and everything fell apart.

Over the final three innings, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, and Caleb Ferguson combined to give up four runs, three earned, one just one hit, and two walks. It resulted in a 4-1 loss and cap things off, the struggling Anthony Volpe homered in the ninth inning for some insurance.

Things went from bad to worse two nights later against the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning only to have their bullpen implode once again. Two walks, a hit batter, and two singles later against Ferguson, and the Reds walked off with a 9-8 win Tuesday night. One night later, Will Benson delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth for an 8-6 Cincinnati win.

Bullpen implosions are not what the Dodgers need right now with the Diamondbacks playing as well as they are … and you have to think sooner or later the San Diego Padres will turn things around. Right now, the bullpen struggles are what is keeping Arizona hanging around instead of L.A. holding a comfortable lead in the division. It’s clearly an area that the Dodgers will need to address at the trade deadline.