* Freddy Sanchez has missed 23 of 48 games since being traded to San Francisco, managing a measly .619 OPS when his shoulder was healthy enough for him to be in the lineup, and had to be helped off the field last night after twisting his left knee. Suddenly the decision to exercise his $8.1 million option for 2010 isn’t such a no-brainer for the Giants.
* Twins shortstop prospect Trevor Plouffe delivered a walk-off homer yesterday as the United States defeated Australia in the World Cup, giving them the top seed for the tournament’s final round. Also advancing to the eight-team final round are Venezuela, Cuba, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
* The bad news is that Brett Tomko has been shut down for the season in the midst of his best pitching in years. The good news is that he finishes with an ERA below 4.00 for the first time since he was a 24-year-old rookie in 1997.
* Josh Hamilton is hoping to return from his back injury by the end of this week, but Michael Young may struggle to play again this season after testing his injured hamstring with some light jogging yesterday.
* In the wake of Cecil Cooper being fired as Astros manager yesterday, Tony La Russa reflected on his 14 years at the helm in St. Louis and indicated that he plans to return in 2010. La Russa is the second-longest-tenured manager in baseball behind Bobby Cox’s two decades in Atlanta.
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.”