#starting-rotation

#starting-rotation

The rotation was a natural point of focus, with Elias saying the club wants to add a starter to the front half of its rotation, which could be either a #1, a #2 or a #3. Such distinctions are fairly subjective but the point would be to have another guy capable of slotting in next to Kyle Bradish and Tyler Rogers somewhere in the front half of the rotation.

It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, nor do you even have to look at the numbers, but here they are anyway: Since losing Anthony to an oblique injury 10 games ago, the Red Sox sit at 4-6 with a .296 OBP (23rd in all of baseball), along with the third-worst walk rate in the game. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Ragans, 28 this offseason, has been out more than three months due to a strained rotator cuff in his left shoulder. His absence has been a major reason for Kansas City's slide in the standings and the team's all but certain elimination from playoff contention, although Ragans certainly hasn't been the only rotation member to run into health woes this year.

One thing is for certain: Friday night had better not be the last time Sandy Alcantara takes the mound for the Miami Marlins in 2025. Sandy could have thrown a perfect game Friday night, narrowly outdueling fellow former Cy Young winner Tariq Skubal of the Tigers, and that would still be true. No matter how epic, no matter how packed loanDepotPark was or wasn't, the Marlins have to finagle things to let Alcantara take the mound during the final weekend of the season.

Volpe is in a major slump, worse than he's experienced in his short career so far. Entering Thursday's series opener, Volpe is 1-for-37 with 14 strikeouts in his last 11 games. In the Yankees' 11-2 pounding of the Nationals on Wednesday, Volpe went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and was the only starter to not get a hit. The Yankees tried to give Volpe a breather and reset with two games off earlier in the week,

"When you go down to the minor leagues," pitching coach Ethan Katz said Sunday, "it gives you and opportunity to try some things that you maybe talk about up here that in the moment it's harder to accomplish, because you're trying to get through an inning and you're going to stick to what you feel is best, [as opposed to] trying to open up some other avenues.

Woodruff's return can’t come soon enough, given how talented the right-hander is. One of the best pitchers in the majors since his breakout 2019 season, the right-hander has looked good in four rehab starts this year, with a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings.

"Prior to that, a shutout performance is obviously impressive from a guy who's had serious ups and downs at the major league level both in individual starts and over the span of his career."