* Yesterday the Pirates lost in Milwaukee for the 21st straight time, which as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes is the the fifth-longest streak in baseball history for one team losing in a road city.
As manager John Russell put it: “I don’t have an answer for that. It’s a lot of games.” The amazing thing is that the Brewers are 21-0 against the Pirates at Miller Park, but just 216-217 in all other games since 2007.
* Written off by the Cubs after struggling in limited playing time through the age of 23, Felix Pie is now showing that his strong minor-league track record is no fluke by hitting .272/.335/.457 with very good defense for the Orioles. Yet another reason why the future is looking pretty bright in Baltimore finally.
* Baseball-Reference.com passes along an interesting stat: Of the 20 active players who have the most career plate appearances without a homer, 19 of them are pitchers and one is … Angels outfielder Reggie Willits. In fact, Willits sits atop the list with 785 homerless trips to the plate, although he has managed to post a strong .365 on-base percentage while swiping 37 bases. You need some serious plate discipline to draw 103 walks without homering even once.
* Like me, Phil Mushnick of the New York Post can’t help but watch the Dodgers whenever the legendary Vin Scully is announcing the game. How often is an 81-year-old still at the very top of his profession?
* Not only are the Royals extending general manager Dayton Moore’s contract, they’re extending it through 2014. Good luck with that. And as a fan of one of the other AL Central teams, thanks.
Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.
“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”
Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.
Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.
Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”
“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.
“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”