Aquino revitalizes Reds; D-backs change closers
Milwaukee Brewers
RHP Adrian Houser had the best start of his young career just when the Brewers needed it — even though he felt queasy and vomited behind the mound for the second consecutive year.
The rookie defeated the Texas Rangers on Aug. 10, holding them to one run in six innings. That outing came with three members of the rotation on the injured list: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (strained right lat), RHP Zach Davies (back spasms) and RHP Brandon Woodruff (strained muscle in left side).
Houser is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts since being moved from the bullpen.
❚ RHP Matt Albers has filled in capably as the closer when LHP Josh Hader is unable to pitch. Albers had two saves in a five-day span, against the Pirates on Aug. 6 at Pittsburgh and against the Rangers on Aug. 10.
Pittsburgh Pirates
C Francisco Cervelli began a rehab assignment with Class AA Altoona (Pennsylvania).
The 12-year veteran has been on the injured list since May 26 because of a concussion sustained when he was hit on the helmet by the bat of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson.
There had been reports that Cervelli, 33, was giving up catching, but they proved unfounded.
Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings have been handling the catching duties while Cervelli has been out. Cervelli is in the last season of a three-year, $31 million contract and is hitting .193 with one home run in 34 games.
❚ RHP Mitch Keller was scheduled to be recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis on Aug. 12 and start against the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim, California. The top prospect made three starts for the Pirates earlier in the season and went 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA.
St. Louis Cardinals
RHP Adam Wainwright still has moments of dominance.
The 37-year-old held the Pittsburgh Pirates to one run in six innings in a win Aug. 10. After Adam Frazier hit the game’s first pitch for a home run, Wainwright shut down the Pirates to improve to 8-8 with a 4.35 ERA through 22 starts.
Wainwright was limited to eight starts last season because of injuries. He returned to the Cardinals on a one-year, $2 million contract as a free agent after having a $19.5 million salary in 2018.
Wainwright has been particularly effective at home, where he is 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 11 starts.
❚ C Yadier Molina is likely to be activated from the injured list by the end of the week. He has been out since July 7 because of a tendon strain in his right thumb.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Archie Bradley claimed the closer’s role after the club designated RHP Greg Holland for assignment. Holland’s release occurred a week after manager Torey Lovullo demoted him and handed the opportunity to a combination of relievers.
But Bradley solidified his case by not allowing a run in 13 consecutive appearances (161⁄3 innings), with three saves and two holds. That came after he had a 6.59 ERA in 11 appearances in June.
Bradley’s intensity sparked an end-of-game, benchesclearing confrontation with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 9.
❚ 3B Eduardo Escobar was second in the league with a career-high 94 RBI through Aug. 11. Escobar, who also had a careerhigh 26 home runs, surpassed Tony Clark’s club record of 87 RBI for a switch hitter.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies fell into one of the deepest funks in club history to go from wild-card contender to last place.
Since defeating the dominant division leaders, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in consecutive games in late June, the Rockies were 9-26 through Aug. 11, when they won to avoid a four-game sweep by the fourthplace Padres at San Diego.
That game broke a five-game losing streak. The Rockies also had two streaks of six straight defeats during their six-week funk.
As a result, manager Bud Black said the club plans to look at more young players during the final weeks of the season. CF Yonathan Daza started three straight games over the weekend in San Diego.
❚ 1B Daniel Murphy was in a 1-for-18 slump coming into the week and hadn’t homered since July 26. He hadn’t gone deep at home since July 13.
Los Angeles Dodgers
SS Corey Seager hoped to rebound this season from Tommy John elbow surgery, but he has scuffled offensively instead. He was batting .161 this month before going 2-for-4 Aug. 11.
Most notably, he wasn’t hitting for power. He had only one homer in 99 at-bats since his July 12 return from a one-month stay on the injured list, the result of a strained left hamstring. For the season, he had only nine home runs.
Seager was an All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year in 2016, when he batted .308 with 26 home runs and 72 RBI. He had another solid year in 2017 (.295, 22 homers, 77 RBI).
❚ RHP Walker Buehler is 5-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 11 starts at home this season. In his last six outings at Dodger Stadium, Buehler is 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA. He struck out 65 and walked only three during that span.
San Diego Padres
Hard-luck LHP Jose Castillo will miss the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in his throwing hand. Castillo made his first appearance in more than five months, completing two-thirds of an inning in relief Aug. 8, but then exited in obvious discomfort.
Castillo, who had a 3.29 ERA in 37 games as a rookie last year, hadn’t pitched since being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his left elbow in February.
He was expected to return in June, but another setback extended his rehab. The Padres were hoping his return would provide them another lefthanded option out of the bullpen. RHP Gerardo Reyes was recalled from Class AAA El Paso (Texas) to replace him.
❚ RHP Chris Paddack has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts. In 16 of 20 starts this year, Paddack has walked one or fewer batters.
San Francisco Giants
OF Alex Dickerson, who hit .393 in July to help vault the Giants into the wild-card chase but then went on the injured list Aug. 1 because of a strained muscle in his right side, was set to begin a rehab assignment and could return this weekend.
When CF Steven Duggar sustained a season-ending shoulder injury for the second consecutive season, it meant that none of the outfielders on the roster were with the Giants on opening day. OF Joey Rickard was recalled from Class AAA Sacramento (California) to replace Duggar.
❚ When the Giants honored their 1989 World Series team before the Aug. 11 game, they also announced that 1B Will Clark’s number will be retired next year. Clark played for the Giants from 1986 to 1993.