MLB news: Aroldis Chapman throws bullpen, Dan Uggla hits 2 balls very far
Aroldis Chapman is one step closer to returning to the Reds after a 25-pitch bullpen session on Friday, while Dan Uggla homered twice, including a ninth-inning grand slam, to lead the Braves to a crazy win over the Phillies.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sport
Reds closer Aroldis Chapman threw off a mound on Monday for the first time since being hit in the forehead by a line drive in spring training, according to the Cincinatti Enquirer's C. Trent Rosencrans.
Chapman threw 25 pitches in front of Cincinnati’s top brass, including manager Bryan Price and GM Walt Jocketty. He will continue to ramp up his workouts with an eye toward returning sometime in May. The Cuban native suffered fractures on his forehead after being struck in the face by a line drive off Kansas City’s Salvador Perez on March 19.
Chapman's return would be vital for the Reds, who currently have Jonathan Broxton serving in the closer's role with Chapman out. Over the past two seasons, the left-hander has posted a 2.00 ERA and struck out 4.5 times as many batters as he has walked. The 26-year-old compiled 38 saves in back-to-back seasons for the Reds in 2012 and 2013.
Braves outsmash Phillies in wild affair; Pirates and Reds just smash
The Braves and Phillies played a wild, back-and-forth contest Monday night, with Atlanta ultimately prevailing, 9-6, on a go-ahead grand slam by Dan Uggla in the ninth inning. Uggla's blast, one of two long home runs from the second baseman on the night, gave the Braves the lead after the Atlanta bullpen blew a four-run lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Trailing 5-1, the Phillies loaded the bases against Braves reliever Luis Avilan and cut the lead to 5-3 on a two-run single from Marlon Byrd. Philadelphia's next batter, Domonic Brown, then smacked a three-run shot to right field to give the Phillies a 6-5 advantage.
The Philly bullpen blew another late-inning lead, however, as Uggla's grand slam proved to be the game-winner. Evan Gattis also hit two home runs in a game that saw balls flying out of Citizens Bank Park left and right. The two teams combined for seven total long balls, with Uggla's proving to be the final strike.
Speaking of smashing, the Pirates and Reds combined to hit 10 home runs before the game was suspended in the bottom of the sixth inning. The teams are scheduled to continue the game at 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday. The Pirates had six of the longballs, with Neil Walker and Gaby Sanchez each accounting for two.
Archer rocked by Orioles as Rays pitching depth thins
The one strength the Rays have always been able to fall back on in recent years has been their pitching depth. Indeed, the organization has done a tremendous job developing talented young arms to supplement its starting rotation.
In the first two weeks of 2014, though, signs have begun to show that the Rays might be starting to run out of pitching, a reality that only grew more ominous when the Orioles smacked around Chris Archer in a 7-1 win over Tampa.
The 25-year-old Archer gave up 12 hits, including five doubles, as Baltimore scored six runs in the game’s first three innings. Archer came into the game allowing just two runs in his first two starts but didn’t fool the Orioles at all on Monday.
With Matt Moore choosing to undergo Tommy John surgery and Alex Cobb hitting the DL on Sunday, the Rays starting pitching depth has grown thin all the sudden, forcing Tampa to turn to Erik Bedard and Cesar Ramos to fill out the back of the rotation.
Given how competitive the AL East always is, the Rays will need to lean heavily on David Price and Archer to weather the storm until some of their starters can return from injury.
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