Tag: AL West

King Felix Hernandez Having a Season for the Ages

If only one word could describe Felix Hernandez‘s performance this season, it would be “dominant.”

As King Felix exited Monday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he came away with a stat line of seven innings pitched, three hits, one earned run and eight strikeouts. Perhaps he would have gone longer if the Seattle Mariners had not been ahead by a score of 11-1.

And so, Hernandez continued his awe-inspiring streak.

What streak is that you ask? Well, for 16 straight starts, Hernandez has gone at least seven innings while allowing two earned runs or less. He broke Tom Seaver’s record of 13 straight such starts in 1971 three starts ago. In fact, it has been exactly four months since Hernandez has allowed more than two runners to cross the plate. On May 12 he surrendered four runs to the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the 16 starts Hernandez is now 8-2 with a 1.41 ERA and 134 punch outs. The M’s are 12-4 in that span.

Overall, the King is having a royal season, one that will almost certainly earn himself some hardware. After Monday’s win, Hernandez is now 13-3 with a 1.95 ERA. Opposing hitters are making fools of themselves, as they are batting just .191 against him. Not to mention he has struck out 194 of those guys.

The Mariners ace finds himself among the best in just about every major pitching category. No pitcher in the American League has more Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (6.0) than Hernandez, who also leads the majors in Adjusted Pitching Wins (4.6) and is tied for the lead with 25 starts. His wins, ERA, strikeouts, WHIP (0.86), H/9 (6.139), innings pitched (180.1), Adjusted ERA (191) and Fielding Independent Pitching (2.07) are all second best in the majors.

The 28-year-old also find himself in the top 10 in BB/9, K/9, K/BB and HR/9. Only six other pitchers in baseball have faced more hitters than Hernandez (686).

On its own, the body of work Hernandez has put together this season is nothing short of brilliant. Now, add in the fact that the Mariners are vying for a playoff berth, and Hernandez’s dominance becomes all the more special and meaningful. If he keeps doing what he is doing, the Mariners have a chance to make the postseason for the first time in over a decade.

As of now, Hernandez is the clear-cut favorite to bring home the American League Cy Young Award. Despite the impressive seasons of others, no one can touch what he has done to this point.

Come the stretch run, fans at Safeco Field will be showering the pitcher with MVP chants as yellow King Felix K signs fill the seats.

If the Mariners are still playing in October, Hernandez may just get both awards.

 

All stats were obtained via Baseball-Reference.com.

Question or comments? Feel free to follow me on Twitter @GPhillips2727 to talk Major League Baseball.

 

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Texas Rangers: Ron Washington’s Best Moves of the 2014 Season

The 2014 baseball season hasn’t been the kindest to Ron Washington and his Texas Rangers.

After all, they have led the big leagues in trips to the disabled list, and at one point, they had 16 players on it for one injury or another. And with 13 players currently on the DL and sitting 26 games under .500, the club is just hoping to finish the rest of the season unscathed.

Washington has had next to nothing to work with for most of the season. He was forced into converting two relievers into starters and platooning a handful of players at second base, and his lineup cards soon became filled with prospects and minor leaguers.

And although the Rangers are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in baseball, Washington has done a decent job with the roster he has.

The eighth-year manager isn’t going to be taking home any awards this year, but he continues to show an ability to lead this team.

Here are his best managerial decisions of the 2014 season. They in no way rank with his back-to-back trips to the World Series, but they do carry some significance considering the team’s current standing.

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Angels’ Albert Pujols Takes Sole Possesion of 21st Place on All-Time Homers List

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols hit his 513th career home run in Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to MLB Milestones‘ Twitter account, that moved him into sole possession of 21st place on MLB‘s all-time home runs list.

Pujols’ long ball, an eighth-inning shot off Dodgers setup man Brian Wilson, was his 21st of the 2014 season.

The home run tied the contest at 4-4, but Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen was unable to hold off the Dodgers in the ninth inning, as Juan Uribe scored the walk-off winning run on third baseman David Freese’s errant throw.

After an injury-plagued 2013 in which he played in only 99 games and hit a career-low .258, Pujols has already appeared in 111 games in 2014 and is on pace to exceed his 155-game average through the first 12 years of his career from 2001 to 2012.

However, it does appear that the 34-year-old nine-time All-Star has slowed down a bit.

His .275 batting average this season is the second-worst of his career, only besting the aforementioned .258 from 2013. Also, his 2014 on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS are only better than his marks from 2013 and sit significantly lower than his career numbers.

Pujols’ home run Tuesday broke a three-way tie for 21st on the all-time home runs list, vaulting the former St. Louis Cardinal past a pair of Hall of Famers, Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks.

Pujols now needs eight home runs to catch a trio of Hall of Fame greats tied in 18th place at 521—Willie McCovey, recently inducted Frank Thomas and Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

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3 Best Seattle Mariners Prospects No One Is Talking About

The Seattle Mariners made it through the trade deadline without giving up any of their top prospects, leaving a promising farm system in place.

Seattle has high hopes for the likes of D.J. Peterson, Taijuan Walker and Chris Taylor to make big contributions in the major leagues for several years to come. New draftees Alex Jackson and Gareth Morgan also have strong potential, in addition to good pitching depth throughout the system.

With all that talent at the top of prospect rankings, the Mariners have several others who are currently flying under the radar. 

Four of these players stand out as being the best underrated prospects in the system and will soon start to receive more attention if their strong 2014 seasons continue.  

 

Patrick Kivlehan, 3B

Kivlehan moved up to No. 9 in MLB.com’s midseason rankings of the top Mariners prospects but is arguably having the best year of anyone in the minor league system.

After putting up strong numbers at High-A, Kivlehan has really started to shine in Double-A. Through 78 games with Jackson, Kivlehan has posted a .318/.401/.521 line with nine home runs.

In addition, Kivlehan’s plate approach has improved significantly in Double-A compared to previous levels. Kivlehan has a walk rate of 11.6 percent and a strikeout rate of 18.3 percent in what is typically considered a pitchers’ league.

As with many others before him, Kivlehan struggled for about 20 games with the transition from hitter-friendly High Desert. He has since found his stride, with 17 doubles over his last 56 games.

Kivlehan primarily played football during his college career at Rutgers and has a good combination of size and athleticism. He has plenty of untapped power potential and also stole 16 bases in 2013, although that number has dipped slightly this season.

That athletic potential was what prompted scouting director Tom McNamara to select Kivlehan in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, via Keith Sargeant of MyCentralJersey.com.

“What we saw with Kivlehan is he’s just a physical, athletic kid,” McNamara said. “The way we look at him is he played college football, he’s played against some of the best athletes in the country. And he just started to play baseball again, and he put up numbers.”

Kyle Seager will be manning third base in the majors for the foreseeable future, so Kivlehan will be in need of a position change. Kivlehan could move to first base should Peterson be promoted to Triple-A before him and has also recently seen time in left field.

Kivlehan remains the most underrated prospect in the organization, but that will change soon if he continues to put up numbers and is moved to Triple-A before the end of the year.

 

Austin Cousino, OF

Cousino was Seattle’s third-round selection in the 2014 draft back in June, behind Jackson and Morgan. While he is rated well behind those two in terms of potential, Cousino has impressed so far.

There’s no question that Cousino was drafted due to his defensive potential in center field. Cousino was a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team during all three seasons of his college career at Kentucky. 

Along with Gabriel Guerrero, Cousino has the strongest defensive outfield tools in the Seattle organization.

Cousino also has above-average speed and has already stolen 19 bases with Low-A Everett. The only uncertainty was if he would be able to hit enough to stick in the minors.

Through the first 45 games of his professional career, Cousino has posted a .303/.388/.469 line. Cousino will mostly use his quick bat speed to be a singles hitter, but he has hit five home runs and 12 doubles with Everett.

As a result, Cousino was selected to the Northwest League All-Star Game.

It’s still early in Cousino’s career, but that offensive production combined with terrific defense means he’s worth keeping an eye on. Cousino should be in line for a promotion to Mid-A Clinton shortly.

 

Matt Brazis, RP

While he is nearly 25 years old and just recently made his Double-A debut, Brazis has posted some eye-opening numbers at every level he’s stopped at.

Brazis missed significant time during his career at Boston College and was selected in the 28th round of the 2012 draft as a project with great raw stuff that would take some time to develop. That potential has been realized in 2014, as Brazis has posted some impressive command numbers.

In 23 games to begin the year at High Desert, Brazis posted a strikeout rate of 31.1 percent and a walk rate of just 5.0 percent. Brazis allowed just four home runs in 39.1 innings, a very impressive rate for the California League.

He’s since moved to Double-A, allowing two runs in 17.1 innings while striking out 16.

Brazis features a low-90s fastball plus a good curveball and slider. He has great control over all three pitches, as evidenced by his low walk rate at every professional level he’s been at.

Still, that doesn’t seem like a repertoire that would allow Brazis to post such big strikeout numbers. Farm director Chris Gwynn explained Brazis’ success back in 2012, via John Hickey of Baseball America.

It starts with the deception; it’s big-time deception.

When you have this kind of command, throwing the fastball at the knees both on the inside or outside corners, that makes everything else work. … The hitter has to look for the fastball, so the other pitches look better. And because he locates the ball as well as he does, the fastball is tough to hit.

Seattle’s bullpen is tough to crack at the moment, so it may be a while before Brazis gets his shot in the majors. The Mariners have successfully called up relievers directly from Double-A before, so Brazis could get a look next year if he continues to pitch well.

All Stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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What the Oakland Athletics Need to Do to Win the AL Pennant

The Oakland Athletics have had the American League‘s best record for virtually the entire season, but any A’s fan knows in-season success doesn’t guarantee playoff wins. Winning in October takes a deep roster, a couple of top-level players and a whole lot of luck.

After consecutive Game 5 losses to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series, the A’s have gone all-in to win this year, trading for starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija, Jon Lester and Jason Hammel.

Building a starting rotation of four aces didn’t come cheap, as general manager Billy Beane dealt top prospect Addison Russell and left fielder Yoenis Cespedes. To deliver on Beane’s gambles and win the pennant for the first time since 1990, the A’s need to continue their overall dominance, get past the one team they can’t beat and hope for success in the few games that matter most.

 

Big Bats Must Stay Hot

The A’s have one of the league’s top offenses even without Cespedes, but some of the heavy hitters can be streaky. With a maximum of five games in the ALDS and seven in the ALCS, postseason success is entirely dependent on who gets hot at the right time.

Much of the responsibility will fall on third baseman Josh Donaldson, who hit a dismal .181/.223/.286 in June. With Cespedes out of the lineup, Oakland needs Donaldson to post something more like the .318/.426/.614 line he’s had since the All-Star break.

Right fielder Josh Reddick has been riddled with injuries since his breakout 2012 campaign, but he has two home runs and four doubles in nine games since coming off of the disabled list. If Reddick can permanently regain his 2012 form, he would be a quality replacement for Cespedes in the middle of the order.

 

Beat the Tigers

The A’s and the Tigers engaged in a beautiful arms race this summer, each team striving to push ahead as the best team in the AL. Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski countered Beane’s moves by trading for Tampa Bay Rays starter David Price, giving the Tigers three former Cy Young winners in the rotation.

The Tigers’ dominance over the A’s extends to the regular season as well. Oakland has done well against other contenders like the Angels (6-3) and the Baltimore Orioles (4-2) this year, but is 2-5 against Detroit.

At some point or another, the A’s are likely to run into the Tigers in the playoffs. In a series of Jon Lester vs. Max Scherzer, Jeff Samardzija vs. David Price, Scott Kazmir vs. Anibal Sanchez and Sonny Gray vs. Justin Verlander, the A’s might finally have the upper hand on pitching.

Pitching dominance will be key in getting past sluggers Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez and Torii Hunter. The road to the World Series will run through Motor City this year.

 

Keep on Keepin’ On

To misquote Bill Hader’s “Stefon” character from Saturday Night Live: This team has everything. Hitting, pitching, defense, a scruffy man slamming the door in the ninth inning and Halftain America (it’s that thing where Captain America plays against left-handing pitching).

With the exception of second base, the A’s roster has no real holes. The offense has scored more runs than any other team in baseball, while the pitchers are holding opponents to a .232 batting average. The result is a plus-162-run differential, nearly double the Angels’ second-best plus-90-run differential.

This is the most complete team in the majors, and seven All-Stars give the A’s the kind of star power they lacked in the past. Beane’s constant tinkering and smart pickups have put the A’s in the driver’s seat. It won’t be easy, but the American Leagueand the World Series, for that matteris Oakland’s to lose.

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Will Billy Beane’s Win-Now Trade Deadline Philosophy Pay Off or Backfire?

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane is tired of his team being “one-and-done” in the playoffs.

The A’s have been to the postseason seven times during Beane’s 17-year tenure, but they reached the American League Championship Series just once. More recently, the A’s have won the American League West in each of the last two seasons only to lose to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series.

This year, however, Oakland officially is “all-in.” And based on Beane‘s aggressive trades over the last month, he surely will be disappointed if the A’s season concludes with anything less than a World Series title.

Beane bookended the month of July with blockbuster trades for a pair of front-line starting pitchers, acquiring Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs on July 5 and then Jon Lester (and Jonny Gomes) from the Boston Red Sox hours before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

However, the A’s were forced to part with big pieces of the future in both trades.

To land Samardzija and Hammel, Beane traded a pair of highly touted prospects in shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Billy McKinney, the team’s respective first-round draft picks from 2012 and 2013, as well as right-hander Dan Straily. Meanwhile, the opportunity to acquire both Lester and Gomes pushed Beane to trade All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who previously was viewed as a main cog in the A’s future success.

Yet, for Beane, that was a small price to pay for a chance to win a World Series in 2014.

“We have a team that can win right now,” Beane said earlier this month, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “Just collecting young players is not something in our marketplace we can do.”

In general, both trades came as a complete surprise—at least to those outside the organization. Beane has a history of making blockbuster deals, but none of them involved the acquisition of “rental” players such as Lester and Hammel, both of whom will hit the open market after the season. Samardzija is at least under team control through 2015.

However, a closer look at Beane’s recent trade history suggests we should have seen these types of deals coming, as they represent the next logical steps for the A’s in their pursuit of a World Series.

After enduring a five-year playoff drought from 2007 to 2011, the A’s sneaked into the postseason in 2012 with a dramatic sweep of the Texas Rangers in the final series of the regular season. That taste of success—as well as the subsequent anguish of losing to the Tigers in a hard-fought ALDS—convinced Beane that he had a special team on his hands, a team with considerable room left to improve.

However, instead of targeting pricey free agents during the offseason, Beane capitalized on a leaguewide overvaluation of prospects and used the organization’s farm system to secure major league assets.

In fact, he went so far as to trade away a majority of the organization’s top-ranked prospects (as determined by Baseball America at the time of the trades), choosing to play the odds and not to buy into his young players’ long-term potential in the major leagues.

It goes without saying that the A’s would not be chasing their third consecutive AL West title this season if not for the returns in those trades.

R.J. Anderson of Baseball Prospectus (subscription required) explored Beane’s approach to prospects back in May:

The timing also provides a good spot to acknowledge an obvious truth: prospects can see their stock change in a hurry. The A’s had enough firsthand experience with the traded prospects by this point to determine whether they were overvalued by other teams; self-evaluation, such an underrated skill for front offices to possess, might have spurred the moves.

But no one can say for sure, and there are other potential explanations: maybe Beane (correctly) foresaw the AL West being more open than anyone anticipated, or maybe this was just an extension of the A’s longstanding strategy to push for the postseason.

And that brings us to Cespedes.

With the sixth-lowest payroll among all 30 teams (as of Opening Day) and a farm system that now ranks 28th overall after losing Russell and McKinney, the 2014 season will likely be the A’s last chance at winning a World Series for the next three to five years.

In previous years, Beane would have traded a young pitcher or two from depth in exchange for prospects, which then could be used to acquire a more established arm. However, Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin’s respective elbow injuries early in the spring made that impossible. Therefore, Cespedes represented Beane’s best chance at landing an ace before the deadline.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who’s in the third year of a four-year, $36 million contract, will become a free agent after the 2015 season, and by then he’ll be well out of Oakland’s spending range given the perpetual market for right-handed power.

Plus, as Anderson posited in regard to prospects, the team’s firsthand experience with Cespedes over the last two-and-half seasons surely played a key role in Beane’s decision to trade him Thursday.

On paper, Cespedes has come nowhere close to matching his 2012 production as a rookie, when he batted .292/.356/.505 with 23 home runs, good for a 137 wRC+ and 2.9 fWAR, via FanGraphs. Unfortunately, it’s hard to see him eclipsing a 3.0 WAR if he hasn’t already. Cespedes’ only redeeming quality is his .208 career ISO, but beyond that, his production has tapered off across the board.

For Beane, the philosophy behind trading Cespedes at the deadline for a two-plus-month rental of Lester wasn’t any different than his philosophy behind dealing Russell and McKinney for Samardzija; all-in means all-in.

With the A’s window of opportunity closing quickly, Beane jumped at the chance to turn his team into a legitimate World Series contender, knowing that the organization wouldn’t be any worse off moving forward regardless of how the 2014 season unfolded.

Obviously, any number of things could transpire between now and the end of the regular season, but there’s no question that Beane’s blockbuster trades in July have the A’s primed for a deep run into the postseason.

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James Paxton’s Health Is Critical Factor in Seattle Mariners’ Stretch Run

Starting pitcher James Paxton appears close to returning to the Seattle Mariners rotation after missing nearly four months with a strained lat muscle.

Nothing official has been announced by the team yet, but Paxton is traveling with the Mariners on their current road trip and will throw a bullpen this week, per Greg Johns of MLB.com. Johns points out he could potentially start as early as Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Although the Mariners lead the majors in ERA, Paxton’s successful return could be the most important factor for the team over the final two months of the season.  

It’s no secret that the Mariners need offense much more than pitching, but there simply isn’t much out there. Kendrys Morales will likely be a slight upgrade at DH, and Seattle might be able to grab an outfielder like Alex Rios before the deadline, but the Mariners are not going to be able to address every offensive need via the trade market.

If the Mariners can’t improve their offensive production enough, the next best thing for them is to improve their run prevention. With depth about to get short at the back of the rotation, Paxton may be the only pitcher in the organization who will be able to do that.

Paxton has too small of a sample size in the major leagues to make any conclusive statements, but he has pitched well so far in Seattle. Through five career starts, Paxton has allowed seven earned runs in 36 innings while posting a strikeout rate of 24.8 percent and walk rate of 6.6 percent.

While Paxton has always been rated behind Taijuan Walker in terms of upside, he looked absolutely dominant April 2 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

If Paxton can pitch anywhere close to that level in August and September, the Mariners will have an outstanding top three in their rotation for the final stretch. If Chris Young can continue to defy regression, they will have a strong top four.

Seattle’s expected Opening Day rotation has not all been healthy at one point this season, and the Mariners have not been able to find a reliable No. 5 starter as a result.

Brandon Maurer has had much more success as a reliever than as a starter, Erasmo Ramirez has a walk rate of 11.6 percent and Taijuan Walker is still learning to pitch in the major leagues at just 21 years old.   

In the No. 4 spot, Roenis Elias has stabilized himself in his last two starts after a rough month, but he is only 25 innings short of his professional career high. Elias will likely be in the bullpen by September, if he’s pitching at all.

Paxton must be effective in filling one of those two spots. If he suffers another setback or pitches poorly, the Mariners are looking at starting two of Ramirez, Walker or Blake Beavan in the rotation for the rest of the year.

With the Mariners’ current offense, that isn’t going to work out well. The other option would be to pay the high price in prospects for one of the few available pitchers like Bartolo Colon at the deadline, but any potential trade is likely to be for a bat.

The Mariners know a lat problem can be difficult, as Stephen Pryor (now with the Minnesota Twins) was initially diagnosed with a similar injury and still doesn’t look like the same pitcher over a year later. Paxton himself suffered a scary setback in May. 

However, the team is going to be incredibly careful with Paxton and must feel confident in his health if he is traveling with the team and throwing his scheduled bullpen.

Most importantly, Paxton felt good during his latest rehab start, via Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times.

I felt good. No pain at all. I feel like it’s getting closer. I’m still missing down with my fastball. The breaking stuff felt really good, curveball and cutter felt really good. My change-up was good. It’s just finding the release point with my fastball. But I feel like I took a good step forward today. … It’s better to miss there than up. I feel like it’s a small adjustment and I will be able to get my fastball where I want it.

Paxton was a bit shaky with his command Sunday, walking three batters in 4.1 innings. It wouldn’t get any easier if he were to pitch against the Orioles on the road in his return, but the Mariners have little choice but to start him if they feel he is healthy enough.

A healthy Paxton would be a huge boost to a sliding Seattle ballclub. Paxton will be one of the most important players to the Mariners over the rest of the season, if not the most critical piece.

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Josh Hamilton Injury: Updates on Angels Star’s Knee and Return

Updates from Saturday, July 26

MLB Lineups reports Josh Hamilton is not in the Angels’ lineup:

James Schmehl of MLive provides more details:

Original Text:

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton is once again dealing with an injury that could keep him out of the lineup.

The 33-year-old veteran was removed from his team’s game Friday against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning and replaced by Efren Navarro. The club later announced that this was the result of a knee injury:

Hamilton missed about a month-and-a-half earlier in the year due to a torn ligament in his thumb. He had been able to remain in the lineup until this point, but he struggled to a .291 batting average and just five home runs.

Despite the lack of power, Hamilton has remained the cleanup hitter for the Angels, where he has contributed with his .322 batting average with runners in scoring position. His solid production has helped the team remain one of the best in the major leagues. Only the AL West rival Oakland Athletics have a better record at this point of the year.

If Hamilton is forced to miss a significant amount of time, the squad could end up struggling to replace him in the lineup. Outfielder Grant Green was recently placed on the disabled list, which leaves Navarro as the only other option for the Angels.

Based on the severity of the injury, it is possible Los Angeles will start looking for outfielders before the trade deadline.

 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

Follow TheRobGoldberg on Twitter

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Analyzing the Seattle Mariners’ Acquisition of Kendrys Morales

The Seattle Mariners made their first move of the trade-deadline season on Thursday, acquiring Kendrys Morales from the Minnesota Twins.

Greg Johns of MLB.com confirms that the Mariners sent reliever Stephen Pryor to the Twins in exchange for Morales:

Morales isn’t an impact bat, but he should be able to provide a slight improvement as a designated hitter at a low cost. It’s a sensible move for the Mariners to make, albeit a weird one after Morales rejected multiple contracts from the team in the offseason, including a $14.1 million qualifying offer.

Best-case scenario, Morales shakes off the rust from his late start to the season and matches his numbers from last year for the rest of the season. If Morales doesn’t turn it around, the Mariners are no worse off than before, either this year or for the future, as they didn’t give up much value to get him.

Morales signed with the Twins after the MLB draft, as he would no longer come at the cost of a compensation pick. Since debuting on June 9, Morales has hit .234/.359/.325 with just one home run.

Those numbers aren’t going to help Seattle’s woeful DH situation, so the Mariners are hoping Morales’ slow start is due to rust from not having a spring training. Morales has been a little better since July 7, raising his season average from .219 and collecting six doubles in that span.

The Mariners need Morales to hit well right away. Seattle is 2-5 since the All-Star break and has lost control of the second AL wild-card spot, as Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times highlights:

If Morales can even get close to his 118 wRC+ of last year over the rest of the season, the Mariners will be quite happy with the trade. With Michael Saunders out, Seattle has two healthy regulars in the lineup with wRC+ marks over the league average of 100.

Lloyd McClendon said that Morales can at least give some flexibility to a lineup that has been counting on Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager to do everything, via Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

“He’s a professional hitter. He gives us the opportunity to stretch out our lineup, so to speak. He’s a nice fit, switch-hitter, hitting behind Robbie (Cano). … He gives us options, what we want to do with (Kyle) Seager, where we want to hit him. I like it,” he said.

Even if Morales continues to struggle, he comes at a low price. Pryor has upside, but he has not pitched well in Triple-A this season while recovering from major lat surgery.

The big concern is about Pryor’s velocity. His fastball currently sits at around 92 mph after averaging 96.2 in the 2012 season before the injury, according to FanGraphs.

Pryor could get healthy and become an effective reliever once again, but he wouldn’t have been an upgrade over anyone in the deep Mariners bullpen. Barring multiple injuries, Pryor wasn’t going to pitch again in the majors this year, as prospect Carson Smith is also waiting in Triple-A.

Morales’ addition will likely cost at-bats for Corey Hart as the team’s primary DH. Hart has been unable to get going after missing all of last season in addition to a lengthy stint on the disabled list earlier this year.

As a switch-hitter, Morales will likely be in the lineup every day as the DH. He has been considerably better against right-handers in his career, so a platoon with Jesus Montero (career .827 OPS versus left-handers) would make some sense, but the Mariners don’t seem too keen on giving Montero playing time.

Morales could potentially start at first base against lefties, although he is awful defensively. Johns confirmed that the current plan is to platoon Hart and Logan Morrison at first, with Morales playing if needed.

The only way this trade could hurt the Mariners is if they get complacent and make no other moves, as Morales is not enough on his own to key a playoff run. That doesn’t seem to be the case, as Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reports that Seattle asked about outfielder Drew Stubbs on Thursday:

Morales should offer a slight improvement at basically no cost to the Mariners. It’s not a flashy impact trade, but it makes sense.

All stats via FanGraphs.com, unless otherwise noted.

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Oakland A’s: 5 Things to Look for in Upcoming Series vs. Houston Astros

After taking two of three against the Baltimore Orioles to open up the second half of the season, the Oakland Athletics host a three-game set against the Houston Astros, starting Tuesday. Houston visits the American League West leaders a mere 20.5 games back—however, the Astros proudly only sport the league’s second-worst record (41-58).

The A’s deserve some much-needed face time against the bottom-feeders, particularly after three consecutive series against teams (the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles) that would be headed to the playoffs, were the season to end today. Oakland has not played a team with a non-winning record since June 29, when the A’s faced the Miami Marlins. In fact, the Athletics have faced the fewest sub-.500 opponents in all of the American League and sport a 25-12 record against teams with losing records. Oakland is thirsting for a few gimmes.

It would appear that the two-time division champs will be welcoming an easy go of it against the Astros. After all, Oakland thoroughly dominated Houston last season, going 15-4 versus their new division rivals, winning each of the first 10 matchups. Will the Athletics have an easy go of it against the perennially moribund Astros?

This season, the Astros are seemingly over-performing, already winning two out of seven games they have played against the A’s so far.

Surely, Houston has proved that it has improved—even just a little bit. The Astros roster is a smidge different than it was earlier this season. By adding a couple upcoming youngsters, the Astros seem to be at least watchable, if only somewhat.

Here are five things to look for in the Athletics’ upcoming series versus Houston.

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