Great Moments in Defensive Shifts: Washington Nationals Edition

By Craig CalcaterraMar 4, 2014, 4:07 PM EDT
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LAKE BUENA VISTA — This morning I reported that Nationals manager Matt Williams sounded receptive to defensive shifts. I wonder if I put an idea in his head, because he made a doozy of one today.  This was what the Nats’ infield looked like in the eighth inning today with the game tied, one out and the bases loaded:

source:

For those scoring at home, that’s the right fielder playing second base, more or less, with three infielders on the left side against Braves’ infielder Philip Gosselin (there is a left fielder, he just got cropped out of my pic). Very bold!

Only problem: Gosselin tripled over the center fielder’s head, clearing the bases. But still, bold.

Yu Darvish lands on 10-day disabled list again with triceps tendinitis

AP Images
By Ashley VarelaMay 26, 2018, 7:33 PM EDT
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Bad news for the Cubs’ Yu Darvish: The right-hander is headed back to the disabled list with right triceps tendinitis, the team announced Saturday. It’s the second such assignment for Darvish this season, but the first time he’s been sidelined with arm issues. Neither the severity of his injury nor a concrete timeframe for his recovery has been revealed yet, but the move is retroactive to May 23 and will allow him to come off the DL by June 2, assuming all goes well.

Prior to the injury, Darvish went 1-3 in eight starts with a 4.95 ERA, 4.7 BB/9 and 11.0 SO/9 through 40 innings. Needless to say, these aren’t the kind of results the Cubs were hoping to see after inking the righty to a six-year, $126 million contract back in February, though the circumstances affecting his performances appear to have largely been out of his control. He missed a start in early May after coming down with the flu and has struggled to pitch beyond the fifth inning in five of his eight starts to date.

The Cubs recalled left-hander Randy Rosario from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move. Rosario has yet to amass more than five career innings in the majors, but has impressed at Triple-A so far this year: he maintained an 0.97 ERA, 2.8 BB/9 and 6.1 SO/9 through 19 1/3 innings in 2018. As for Darvish’s next scheduled turn in the rotation, Tyler Chatwood is lined up to take the mound when the Cubs face off against the Giants in the series finale on Sunday. A starter for Monday night’s game has yet to be determined.