Arbitration avoidance roundup: Loose ends

By Aaron GleemanJan 18, 2013, 7:20 PM EDT
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By noon we’d already done a dozen posts about players and teams avoiding arbitration ahead of today’s deadline, so something had to give.

We’ll keep posting the more noteworthy cases, but here’s a roundup of the not-so-noteworthy ones that will be updated throughout the day.

• Gaby Sanchez and the Pirates: $1.75 million

• Antonio Bastardo and the Phillies: $1.45 million

• Gregor Blanco and the Giants: $1.35 million

• Sam Fuld and the Rays: $725,000

• Troy Patton and the Orioles: $815,000

• Joe Smith and the Indians: $3.15 million

• Tommy Hanson and the Angels: $3.725 million

• John Axford and the Brewers: $5 million

• John Baker and the Padres: $930,000

• Jonny Venters and the Braves: $1.625 million

• Boone Logan and the Yankees: $3.15 million

• Brian Duensing and the Twins: $1.3 million

• Luke Hochevar and the Royals: $4.56 million

• Matt Joyce and the Rays: $2.45 million

• Ryan Roberts and the Rays: $2.95 million

• Bud Norris and the Astros: $3 million

• Gordon Beckham and the White Sox: $2.925 million

• Ryan Webb and the Marlins: $975,000

• Doug Fister and the Tigers: $4 million

• Austin Jackson and the Tigers: $3.5 million

• Alex Avila and the Tigers: $2.95 million

• Alejandro De Aza and the White Sox: $2.075 million

• Rick Porcello and the Tigers: $5.1 millon

• Kendrys Morales and the Mariners: $5.25 million

• Chris Davis and the Orioles: $3.3 million

• Brian Matusz and the Orioles: $1.6 million

• Jason Heyward and the Braves: $3.65 million

• Matt Albers and the Indians: $1.75 million

• Kris Medlen and the Braves: $2.6 million

• Marco Estrada and the Brewers: $1.955 million

• Burke Badenhop and the Brewers: $1.55 million

• Ian Kennedy and the Diamondbacks: $4.265 million

• Brendan Ryan and the Mariners: $3.25 million

• Tyler Colvin and the Rockies: $2.275 million

• Ronald Belisario and the Dodgers: $1.45 million

• A.J. Ellis and the Dodgers: $2 million

• Phil Coke and the Tigers: $1.85 million

• Brennan Boesch and the Tigers: $2.3 million

• Justin Masterson and the Indians: $5.687 million

• Ian Desmond and the Nationals: $3.8 million

• James Russell and the Cubs: $1.075 million

• Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs: $2.64 million

• Alfredo Aceves and the Red Sox: $2.65 million

• Jason Vargas and the Angels: $8.5 million

• Edinson Volquez and the Padres: $5.725 million

• Andrew Bailey and the Red Sox: $4.1 million

• Daniel Bard and the Red Sox: $1.8625 million

• Franklin Morales and the Red Sox: $1.4875 million

• Andrew Miller and the Red Sox: $1.475 million

Phillies walk off winners thanks to a poor decision by Marcell Ozuna

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
By Bill BaerJun 18, 2018, 11:09 PM EDT
4 Comments

The Phillies’ bullpen, which has not been good as of late, gift-wrapped Monday’s game for the Cardinals. Starter Nick Pivetta was brilliant, fanning 13 while allowing two runs in 7 1/3 innings. But things unraveled after he left the game. Victor Arano took over for Edubray Ramos to start the ninth inning with the Phillies leading 4-2, but he allowed a one-out single and a double. After striking out Harrison Bader, Arano appeared to strike out Yairo Munoz for the final out of the game, but the ball trickled through the legs of catcher Andrew Knapp, allowing a run to score and the tying run to move to third base. Lefty Adam Morgan came in to face pinch-hitter Kolten Wong. Wong tied the game up, sneaking a single into center field.

In the 10th inning, Jake Thompson gave up the go-ahead run on a leadoff home run to Tommy Pham. It seemed like it was just going to be another one of those losses that have become increasingly common for the Phillies lately. But the Phillies’ offense didn’t go down quietly, even though it hadn’t put a runner on second base since the start of the second inning when J.P. Crawford doubled. In the bottom half of the 10th, Hoskins blooped a single into shallow left-center to start the inning. Hoskins moved to second base on a ground out from Odubel Herrera. Matt Bowman intentionally walked Carlos Santana, then struck out Jesmuel Valentin. That brought up Aaron Altherr, who replaced Nick Williams after Williams took a baseball to the face off of the right field fence. Bowman fell behind 2-1, then threw a 90 MPH fastball that Altherr lined into left field. Rather than keep the ball in front of him, Marcell Ozuna decided to dive for the ball to make the final out, but he missed. The ball trickled past him, allowing the tying and the game-winning runs to score, giving the Phillies a come-from-behind win.

On the list of people happy to see Ozuna miss that ball are Altherr (of course), Arano, Morgan, and Thompson. But perhaps no one was happier than manager Gape Kapler. The win might help take the heat off of him somewhat after another poor performance from the bullpen. When a team struggles, everyone wants a scapegoat and Kapler is an easy target. He has been all year, undeservingly.

Phillies radio broadcaster and former major league reliever Larry Anderson said after the bullpen meltown, “Not everybody can pitch in the ninth inning. And I know Gabe Kapler thinks they can, but they can’t.” Aside from Ramos and Seranthony Dominguez (who was unavailable after throwing 52 pitches between Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee), no one in that bullpen has been reliable. The closer, Hector Neris, just got optioned to Triple-A. You work with what you have, and right now, Kapler doesn’t have a whole lot. Thankfully for him, he wasn’t punished with another loss thanks to Ozuna.