Orioles end Astros’ seven-game winning streak

By May 31, 2014, 7:40 PM EDT
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As strange as it sounds, the Astros hadn’t lost in over a week entering Saturday’s game against the Orioles. They hadn’t lost since May 23 in Seattle, to be exact. The ‘stros salvaged the final two games of their four-game set with the Mariners for a series split, then swept the Royals in Kansas City, and took the first two games of a four-game set at home against the Orioles. Even better, they had Dallas Keuchel — surprisingly one of baseball’s better starters through the season’s first two months — taking the hill in search of eight consecutive wins on Saturday.

It was not to be. While Keuchel pitched well, allowing three runs over six innings, Orioles starter Chris Tillman was even better, limiting the Astros to one run over 6 2/3 innings. The O’s bullpen nailed down the 4-1 win and at long last, the Astros lost a baseball game.

Over their seven-game winning streak, the Astros outscored the opposition 39-12 and picked up three games in the AL West. The 24-33 Astros are presently in a virtual tie with the 23-32 Rays for the worst record in the American League.

Rookie outfielder George Springer had a lot to do with the Astros’ success, .299/.413/.753 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI dating back to May 8. Not to be forgotten, second baseman Jose Altuve was slashing .369/.405/.500 with 11 stolen bases in the month of May prior to going 0-for-4 on Saturday.

Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return

Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 9:19 PM EDT
dodgers syndergaard
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
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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.”