Daily Dose: Ibanez blogged down by injury - MLB

Call it the Jerod Morris hex
or merely a coincidence, but Raul Ibanez was put on the disabled list
Thursday for the first time since 2004. Ibanez has been in a funk since
taking Morris to task last week over a blog entry,
going 5-for-27 (.185) with 11 strikeouts while receiving more media
attention than ever before. After seeing him struggle to run out
grounders, the Phillies shut him down for a couple weeks.

John Mayberry Jr. is back for his second stint in the majors after
being called up from Triple-A to replace Ibanez and went 2-for-5 with a
homer while throwing out a runner at the plate from right field
Thursday. He stands 6-foot-6 and has lots of power with 24 homers and
75 total extra-base hits in 166 games at Triple-A, but Mayberry also
hit just .261 with a lowly .323 OBP and 141/51 K/BB ratio there.

While the Phillies give the 25-year-old Mayberry a shot at regular
playing time for the rest of the month, here are some other notes from
around baseball …

* Jim Leyland avoided calling it a benching, but did say Thursday
that he’s going to get Magglio Ordonez “away from it … indefinitely”
amid a 38-game homerless streak. Ordonez is batting just .273/.347/.343
with two homers and 22 RBIs in 57 games overall after hitting
.323/.383/.510 in four previous seasons in Detroit, but the problem is
that fill-in Ryan Raburn’s career .251/.310/.411 line is just as bad.

* Frank Francisco tossed a perfect inning in a rehab appearance
Thursday night at Double-A, setting him up to return from the disabled
list Friday. Francisco has been out for over two weeks with shoulder
tendinitis, so the Rangers have talked about slowly easing him back
into the closer role. That means C.J. Wilson could get another save
chance or two before dropping back down into a setup role.

* Brandon Webb was scheduled to take the next step on his road back
from right shoulder soreness with a mound session Friday, but instead
has been shut down indefinitely after suffering a setback. He felt pain
after throwing from flat ground earlier this week and seems highly
unlikely to make it back by the All-Star break as previously hoped.

* Chien-Ming Wang was shaky while lasting five innings in his
Wednesday outing and is now 0-5 with a 12.65 ERA, but manager Joe
Girardi announced Thursday that he’ll remain in the Yankees’ rotation.
Girardi suggested that Wang “threw the ball pretty well” while allowing
three runs Wednesday, so Phil Hughes will remain in the bullpen where
he’s given up two runs while striking out 10 in 7.2 innings.

AL Quick Hits: Gavin Floyd turned in another strong start
Thursday, allowing one run in seven innings before the bullpen coughed
up his win … After watching him go 1-4 with a 7.49 ERA in seven starts
the Tigers returned Dontrelle Willis to the disabled list Thursday with
the same “anxiety disorder” … Franklin Gutierrez had a pair of homers
Thursday after coming into the game with four long balls in 189 at-bats
… Brandon Morrow made his second start Thursday, giving up two runs
with six strikeouts and just one walk in four innings … Jeremy Accardo
picked up a save Thursday in his first appearance since last May, but
don’t expect him to be the Blue Jays’ primary closer … Vince Mazzaro
hurled his fourth Quality Start in as many tries Thursday … Brett
Gardner left Thursday’s game with a bloody face after running into the
outfield wall chasing a fly ball … Derek Jeter’s ankle is healthy
enough for him to ground out as a pinch-hitter Thursday.

NL Quick Hits: Brad Lidge (knee) threw a bullpen session
Thursday and is set to begin a rehab assignment at Double-A … Craig
Stammen and four relievers shut out the Yankees on Thursday as the
Nationals won a series in New York … Joel Pineiro fell to 1-8 in his
last nine starts despite allowing one earned run in seven innings
Thursday and was helped off the field after cramping up … Khalil Greene
returned from the disabled list Thursday and whiffed off the bench …
Jonathan Broxton (toe) was unavailable again Thursday after getting a
cortisone shot, so Ramon Troncoso picked up a save … Tommy Hanson
tossed six shutout innings Thursday for his second victory … Livan
Hernandez gave up two runs in seven innings Thursday, but missed a win
when Francisco Rodriguez blew his second save … Kevin Youkilis’ solo
homer Thursday was the only hit allowed by Ricky Nolasco in a
rain-shortened complete-game win.

ATLANTA – Given a seven-run lead in the first inning, Atlanta right-hander Spencer Strider could relax and keep adding to his majors-leading strikeout total.

“That game felt like it was over pretty quick,” Strider said.

Ronald Acuña Jr. drove in three runs with four hits, including a two-run single in Atlanta’s seven-run first inning, and the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-4 on Sunday night to split the four-game series.

“Getting a lead first is big, especially when you get that big of a lead,” Strider said. “… When we’re putting up runs, my job isn’t to be perfect. My job is to get outs.”

Following the game, Braves manager Brian Snitker announced right-hander Michael Soroka will be recalled to make his first start since the 2020 season on Monday night at Oakland.

Matt Olson hit a pair of two-run homers for Atlanta, and Strider became the fastest pitcher in modern history to reach 100 strikeouts in a season.

“It’s incredible,” said Acuña through a translator of Strider. “Every time he goes out to pitch it seems like he’s going to strike everybody out.”

Acuña hit a run-scoring triple in the fifth before Olson’s second homer to center. Acuña had two singles in the first when the Braves sent 11 batters to the plate, collected seven hits and opened a 7-0 lead. Led by Acuña and Olson, who had three hits, the Braves set a season high with 20 hits.

Strider (5-2) struck out nine while pitching six innings of two-run ball. The right-hander fired a called third strike past Nick Castellanos for the first out of the fourth, giving him 100 strikeouts in 61 innings and topping Jacob deGrom‘s 61 2/3 innings in 2021 as the fastest to 100 in the modern era.

“It’s cool,” Strider said, adding “hopefully it’ll keep going.”

Olson followed Acuña’s leadoff single with a 464-foot homer to right-center. Austin Riley added another homer before Ozzie Albies and Acuña had two-run singles in the long first inning.

Phillies shortstop Trea Turner and left fielder Kyle Schwarber each committed an error on a grounder by Orlando Arcia, setting up two unearned runs in the inning.

Strider walked Kody Clemens to open the third. Brandon Marsh followed with a two-run homer for the Phillies’ first hit. Schwarber hit a two-run homer off Collin McHugh in the seventh.

LEAPING CATCH

Michael Harris II celebrated the one-year anniversary of his major league debut by robbing Schwarber of a homer with a leaping catch at the center-field wall in the second. As Harris shook his head to say “No!” after coming down with the ball on the warning track, Strider pumped his fist in approval on the mound – after realizing Harris had the ball.

“He put me through an emotional roller coaster for a moment,” Strider said.

SOROKA RETURNING TO ROTATION

Soroka was scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, setting the stage for his final step in his comeback from two torn Achilles tendons.

“To get back is really a feather in that kid’s cap,” Snitker said.

Soroka will be making his first start in the majors since Aug. 3, 2020, against the New York Mets when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon. Following a setback which required a follow-up surgery, he suffered another tear of the same Achilles tendon midway through the 2021 season.

Soroka suffered another complication in his comeback when a hamstring injury slowed his progress this spring.

Acuña said he was “super happy, super excited for him, super proud of him” and added “I’m just hoping for continued good health.”

Soroka looked like an emerging ace when he finished 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 2019 and placed second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in the NL Cy Young voting.

The Braves are 0-3 in bullpen committee games as they attempt to overcome losing two key starters, Max Fried (strained left forearm) and Kyle Wright (right shoulder inflammation) to the injured list in early May. Each is expected to miss at least two months.

RHP Dereck Rodriguez, who gave up one hit in two scoreless innings, was optioned to Gwinnett after the game to clear a roster spot for Soroka.

QUICK EXIT

Phillies right-hander Dylan Covey (0-1), claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 20, didn’t make it through the first inning. Covey allowed seven runs, five earned, and six hits, including the homers by Olson and Riley.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: 3B Alex Bohm was held out with hamstring tightness. … LHP José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw the bullpen session originally scheduled for Saturday. Manager Rob Thomson said there was no report that Alvarado, who was placed on the injured list on May 10, had any difficulty.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Following an off day, LHP Ranger Suárez (0-1, 9.82 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets RHP Kodai Senga (4-3, 3.94 ERA) in Tuesday night’s opener of a three-game series in New York.

Braves: Soroka was 1-2 with a 4.33 ERA in eight games with Triple-A Gwinnett. He allowed a combined four hits and two runs over 10 2/3 innings in his last two starts. RHP Paul Blackburn (7-6, 4.28 ERA in 2022) is scheduled to make his 2023 debut for Oakland as he returns from a finger injury.