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Say hey, baseball: Doug Fister’s injury paves the way for top prospect A.J. Cole
Saturday morning’s baseball includes Doug Fister’s busted forearm, Miguel Cabrera’s 399th home run and a burning ballpark. Subscribe for your daily Say Hey!
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For the first time in five years, Doug Fister’s arm is taking a trip to the disabled list. The 31-year-old reported forearm tightness in his right arm after a shaky start on Thursday, during which Fister yielded eight hits and seven runs in just two innings. On Friday, the Nationals recalled top prospect A.J. Cole from the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs to cover Fister’s rotation spot, while the righthander returned to Washington, D.C. for a medical evaluation.
The setback doesn’t come at a great time for Fister, whose 16 wins and 2.41 ERA were the crown jewels of the Nationals’ rotation in 2014. The veteran pitcher has struggled to deliver results of the same caliber through his first seven starts of 2015, watching his ERA balloon to 4.31 as his command and velocity have noticeably deteriorated. Thanks to a relaxed schedule, however, Nationals’ manager Matt Williams won’t need to utilize his fifth rotation slot until the end of May, giving the team plenty of time to explore their options as Fister recovers.
One of these options, A.J. Cole, emerged from the bullpen late Friday night to cover the tail end of Jordan Zimmerman’s 10-0 shutout. Cole got off to a rocky start earlier this season when he crafted a nine-run, two-inning outing in Atlanta, but his second major league appearance proved far more impressive. The 23-year-old polished off three scoreless innings against the Padres, limiting opposing batters to one hit and one strikeout to clinch the win. Should Cole’s timely performance be an isolated one, Williams could turn to right-handed reliever Tanner Roark for a spot start.
- The Orioles probably didn’t lose $7.5 million in revenue after playing four games without a home crowd. The real people taking the hit? Contracted stadium employees left off of the team’s payroll.
- One of the Reds’ smokestacks caught fire during Friday’s game against the Giants. While this warranted a partial evacuation of the fans closest to the flames, the situation didn’t escalate enough to delay the game.
- How did the Tigers turn around the league’s-worst bullpen?
- Kale aficionado and dragon confronter Hunter Pence will return to the Giants’ lineup on Saturday. The gangly outfielder has yet to play in 2015 after suffering a broken forearm in spring training.
- Here are a few pitchers who could bandage an ailing Red Sox rotation -- among them, the doe-eyed Aaron Harang.
- Now that catcher Stephen Vogt has earned his place in the A’s starting lineup, his greatest challenge is handling an influx of new pitchers.
- Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera logged his 399th career home run against the Cardinals Friday night, joining Andres Galarraga as Venezuela’s most prolific home run hitter.
- The Cubs are currently sustaining a five-game win streak after Pittsburgh’s Gregory Polanco turned their outfield into a Slip ‘N Slide on Friday.
- Is Chase Utley facing decline, or is he just unlucky?
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