A look at what’s happening around the majors Friday:
DEGROMINATOR VS. EL NIÑO
The New York Mets' Jacob deGrom is 5-2 with a 0.62 ERA going into a series opener against San Diego and Fernando Tatís Jr., who is hitting .277 with 17 homers, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. runs to first as he lines out during the second inning of the team's baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in San Diego. (AP PhotoGregory Bull)
DeGrom's ERA is the lowest through nine starts of any pitcher with at least 40 innings since ERA became an official statistic in both leagues in 1913. His 0.57 WHIP is the lowest since at least 1901 of any pitcher with at least 40 innings. Left-hander Blake Snell (2-2, 4.83) starts for the Padres.
NEW SNAKE CHARMERS
Exasperated by a run of brutal baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks shook up their coaching staff in an effort to stabilize their season. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo fired hitting coach Darnell Coles and assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske on Thursday with the team struggling to score runs and mired in a 5-30 stretch dating back to May 4.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) ices his left arm in the dugout in the bottom of the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP PhotoAshley Landis)
The Diamondbacks named co-hitting coaches to replace the fired pair. Rick Short was promoted from Triple-A Reno and Drew Hedman was Arizona’s run production coordinator. The pair gets a tough first test, with Arizona facing Angels ace Shohei Ohtani to open a three-game home series.
KERSHAW VS. HOMETOWN TEAM
Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (7-5, 3.66), a Dallas native, will pitch against his hometown team for the second time: He allowed four runs over six innings in a 5-3 loss at Dodger Stadium on June 17, 2015. He won World Series Games 1 and 5 on the Rangers’ field against Tampa Bay in last year’s neutral site championship. Kershaw has lost consecutive starts going into his outing against the visiting Texas Rangers and RHP Mike Foltynewicz (1-6, 4.75), who is 0-3 in six starts since beating the Los Angeles Angels on April 27.
MAD MAX
Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer is 5-4 with a 2.22 ERA going into a rain-delayed outing against the Washington Nationals. Scherzer is 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 10 starts against the Giants.
HOT HAND
Right-hander Aaron Civale (8-2, 3.49) has won three of his last four starts going into his start for the Cleveland Indians against the visiting Seattle Mariners and right-hander Justin Dunn (1-2, 3.18).
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A look at what's happening around baseball Saturday:
CABRERA REIGNS
Miguel Cabrera should get to swing for his 3,000th career hit after his pursuit was delayed a day by a rainout.
The Tigers are set for a day-night doubleheader against Colorado at Comerica Park. The teams were washed out Friday.
Cabrera got to 2,999 hits on Wednesday night, then struck out in his final at-bat of the game. The 39-year-old went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk on Thursday.
Antonio Senzatela (0-1, 2.16 ERA) is ready to pitch the first game of the twinbill for Colorado. The Rockies right-hander and Cabrera are both from Venezuela.
“He’s going to go down as one of the best hitters of all time,” Hall of Famer and former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell said Friday.
“He realizes that it’s getting toward the end, but he still has something left in the tank. When it’s all said and done this year, I think he’s going to have a heck of a year,” he said.
JAPANESE PERFECTION
The baseball world will be watching this weekend to see whether Roki Sasaki can do it again.
The 20-year-old Japanese pitcher with the 100 mph fastball and devastating splitter has thrown 17 straight perfect innings. He’ll start Sunday for the Chiba Lotte Marines against the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka.
Sasaki pitched a perfect game against Orix on April 10, the first in Japan in 28 years. He followed up with eight more perfect innings on April 17 before he was pulled by manager Tadahito Iguchi after 102 pitches. Sasaki struck out a combined 33 in those games.
Sasaki grew up in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Iwate. His father was killed in the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent meltdown on three nuclear reactors that devastated that part of the country.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is appealing his second suspension this season after Major League Baseball banned him for one game Friday after he gave fans the middle finger two days earlier.
Anderson had three errors in the first two innings of Chicago’s 11-1 loss Wednesday in the opener of a doubleheader. The frustrated 28-year-old made the gesture toward a fan while out in the field. Anderson will remain with the White Sox until his appeal is heard.
Anderson also missed the firt two games of the season serving a two-game suspension for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the ninth inning of a game on Sept. 27. Anderson successfully appealed that suspension down from three games.
GIANT PAIN
San Francisco's injured list is getting crowded after right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and outfielder Steven Duggar hit the shelf Friday.
DeSclafani went on the 10-day IL with right ankle inflammation a day after allowing five runs in five innings during a loss to the Mets. Manager Gabe Kapler says DeSclafani will get an MRI on Monday.
Duggar was added to the 60-day IL with a left oblique strain. He was pulled from Thursday's loss in the second inning.
The pair joins starter Alex Cobb and hitters Evan Longoria, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Tommy La Stella on the IL.
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