Things That Make You Go “Hmmmm…”

Clayton Kershaw threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Sunday, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Kershaw will have one more have one more bullpen before potentially returning to the Dodger or starting a minor league rehab assignment. With the Dodgers having two starters (Rich Hill and Alex Wood ) leaving their starts early this weekend, they are in dire need of Kershaw to return. Hill will miss a month after tearing open a new blister, but luckily Wood appears to have been more precautionary than anything else.

The Braves have released José Bautista according to manager Brian Snitker. John Camargo will become the everyday third baseman for now. This now begs the question: when will Austin Riley be up? Riley is crushing the ball in AAA, hitting .306/.352/.510 with three home runs in 12 games after hitting six bombs in 27 games at AA before being promoted. He may be the next big call up in the near future or the Braves could look for a short term potion in the trade market. According to the Boston Globe, Mike Moustakas is being looked at by the Braves and could be a target by Atlanta to fill the role.

Jesus Aguilar crushed his fourth home run in his last three games on Sunday in the loss versus the Twins. Aguilar is getting a ton of playing time with both Ryan Braun and Eric Thames injured. He has a ton of power in his bat, but even if his average comes back down to earth a bit, he is worth a pick up in most formats even if it is just to ride the hot streak.

Juan Soto was not in the Nationals lineup on Sunday. The top prospect was called up by the Nationals, which was a surprise to many, but he didn’t end up getting it the starting lineup, but he did pinch hit later in the game. Manager Dave Roberts said that while the team will limit his exposure against left handed pitching, he should play everyday.

Jordan Hicks hit 105 on the radar TWICE in Sunday’s game.

 

Now, if he can start locating it, we may have an elite closer on our hands pretty soon.

According to manager Aaron Boone, Greg Bird is expected back this week for the Yankees. Bird is recovering from ankle surgery and has been playing in rehab games. In the meantime, Tyler Austin has been hot, going 6-for-11 and three home runs in his last three games played. Bird should slot right back into the lineup once he is healthy, but Austin could chip away at some playing time early if he continues to hit.

What We’ll Be Watching Today

Mike Foltynewicz vs Nick Pivetta . Both have been great this year, but there are things to worry about with each of them. Can either hide the warts and keep their team hot?

Is Soto in the lineup today? The Nationals go up against lefty Robbie Erlin , but he shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent. If he is in today, where is Soto batting in the lineup today? There is a big difference if he is batting second, versus fifth, versus eighth.

German Marquez vs Walker Buehler . Don’t look at Marquez’s surface numbers, he has been fantastic away from Coors. The Dodgers need Buehler to pitch well to cover for the plethora of injuries they are facing.

Baseball. Lots of baseball.