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New York Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera exited Sunday’s game against the Colorado Rockies after suffering a strained left patellar tendon, per ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin.  

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Johnson Fills in For Cabrera

Sunday, July 31

Kelly Johnson replaced Cabrera in the lineup, with Wilmer Flores moving from third to short.

Cabrera suffered the same injury back in March. He was out for a little over two weeks before returning in spring training.

According to Rubin, Sunday’s injury came as the 30-year-old was crossing home plate on a triple by Neil Walker. Mets trainer Ray Ramirez and bench Dick Scott helped him get back to the dugout.

Cabrera entered the game batting .255 with 13 home runs and 33 runs batted in. According to FanGraphs, his 0.9 WAR was tied for fourth on the team among position players.

The timing of the injury is especially bad since Jose Reyes is on the disabled list with a left intercostal strain. He isn’t expected back until potentially Aug. 11. Whereas Reyes would’ve been the natural replacement for Cabrera, manager Terry Collins will likely look to Flores.

The bulk of Flores’ season has come at the hot corner, but he played 103 games last year at shortstop, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Defensively, Cabrera’s absence shouldn’t create too many issues for the Mets. The problems will come offensively, as Johnson—who has three homers and six RBI—is unlikely to provide the same kind of power at the plate.

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The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished an unusual feat during Saturday’s 9-5 road win over the Atlanta Braves, sending all nine batters to the plate in the eighth inning without recording a single hit during the frame, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Entering the inning with a 5-3 lead, Phillies outfielder Tyler Goeddel drew a lead-off walk as a pinch hitter, and shortstop Freddy Galvis bunted into a fielder’s choice that put Goeddel out at second and Galvis safe at first. 

After a walk by infielder Taylor Featherston and subsequent double steal, Braves reliever Hunter Cervenka intentionally walked second baseman Cesar Hernandez to load the bases.

Cervenka then walked outfielder Odubel Herrera to bring in the inning’s first run, but the real damage occurred when the next two batters reached on errors, pushing the lead from 6-3 to 8-3 while still leaving the bases loaded with one out.

Braves reliever Ryan Weber then hit outfielder Aaron Altherr with a pitch to drive in the inning’s fourth and final run, but Weber did induce a ground-ball double play from catcher Cameron Rupp to finally end the ugly frame.

The Phillies thus batted around the lineup without a hit for the first time since July 17, 1992, a run that lasted more than 24 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

If not for the inning-ending double play, the Phillies might have even sent 10 or 11 batters to the plate without recording a single hit.

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After leaving Saturday’s contest against the Colorado Rockies in the sixth inning, New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is not in the lineup Sunday due to a quad injury.

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Mets Hoping to Avoid Cespedes DL Stint

Sunday, July 31

According to Marc Carig of Newsday, Cespedes was held out due to “precautionary reasons.”

Per Maria Guardado of NJ.com, the Mets are hoping to avoid placing Cespedes on the disabled list despite the nagging ailment.

The 30-year-old Cuban is in the midst of another All-Star season, hitting .291 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI in the heart of New York’s batting order.

He spearheaded the Mets’ surprising run to the World Series last season, hitting .287 with 17 homers and 44 RBI in 57 regular-season games down the stretch after coming over in a trade from the Detroit Tigers in 2015.

The Mets are in danger of missing the playoffs, as they are 7.5 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East and 2.5 games behind the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

New York is just 3-7 in its past 10 games, and it ranks 29th in Major League Baseball in runs scored.

That number isn’t likely to improve if Cespedes continues to miss games, and it will put added pressure on replacement options like Alejandro De Aza and Brandon Nimmo to produce in his absence.

Cespedes has been one of the best pure hitters in baseball over the past two seasons, and New York has a significant uphill climb toward the playoffs if he is unable to get closer to 100 percent in the near future.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The San Diego Padres traded outfielder Matt Kemp to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in exchange for Hector Olivera, the Braves announced on Saturday. 

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the news. Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the Padres would send between $10 million and $12 million to Atlanta to help offset the remainder of Kemp’s salary. 

It’s the second time Kemp’s team has traded him since late 2014. The Padres acquired him from the Los Angeles Dodgers as they attempted to bolster their roster for what ended up being a disappointing 2015 campaign.

The 31-year-old right fielder enjoyed a steady rise during his nine years with the Dodgers. He peaked in an outstanding 2011 season during which he racked up 40 stolen bases and 39 home runs while posting a career-high .399 on-base percentage.

He hasn’t replicated that success since, though. His power numbers were serviceable last season with 23 homers, but he had just 12 steals, and his OBP fell to .312, which marked a five-year low. That downward OBP trend continued in the first half this year, though his pop remained an asset.

Ultimately, after the Padres’ rapid-building approach failed, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Kemp became available.

There were a couple of hurdles the front office had to jump to move him, however. The biggest one was the outfielder’s contract, which is slated to pay him $21.5 million per year in base salary through the 2019 season, per Spotrac, though the Dodgers are on the hook for $3.5 million a season through 2019.

Then there are the lingering injury concerns. While he played at least 150 games in 2014 and 2015, he missed 145 contests between 2012 and 2013. He revealed to Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated last May that his body doesn’t respond quite as well as it used to.

“I can still run, but I can’t run like I used to run,” Kemp said. “I got to do a lot more maintenance, making sure my body is right. When I was younger, I could just get out of bed, go play a game and be good. I’ve got to warm up, get those muscles loose to get ready for a game. It’s a process now.”

That said, he still has a lot of natural talent and should have a couple of strong seasons left, assuming he can stay healthy. 

He also adds a veteran presence to an Atlanta team that has struggled throughout the season. The Braves are 36-67 and aren’t a serious contender, but Kemp gives them an experienced option who can add some power to the lineup as the club moves into a new ballpark next year. Atlanta ranks dead last in baseball in total home runs. 

In return, the Padres get Olivera, who is set to finish an 82-game suspension Monday after he was charged on April 13 with one count of misdemeanor assault and battery. However, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported Olivera would be designated for assignment by the Padres upon completion of the deal. 

A Cuban defector, the 31-year-old Olivera has played 30 major league games since 2015 and batted .245 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Per Lin, he is due $28.5 million over the next four years.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez is one of the most intriguing names being talked about leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

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Rangers’ Pursuit of Velasquez Reportedly Falling Short

Saturday, July 30

The door may be open for other teams to get involved in the sweepstakes, with Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reporting Saturday a deal between the Phillies and Texas Rangers is now viewed as “unlikely.”

Velasquez is enjoying a breakout campaign in Philadelphia with a 3.32 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 97.2 innings across 18 starts. The progress is encouraging after an up-and-down rookie season with the Houston Astros in 2015 before getting dealt to Philly last winter.

His high strikeout rate (9.95 per nine innings) makes him a coveted target. The biggest question is whether he’ll be able to continue getting a lot of swings and misses when he starts attacking the zone more, which will be necessary to lower his elevated walk rate (3.32).

He’s handling the situation well for a 24-year-old player who already went through one move in the past calendar year.

He told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that he tries not to get too emotionally invested in things he can’t control, like the constant trade talk:

At first when I got traded from the Astros it was kind of tough for me, but you have to move on and make the best of what you’ve got. If things happen, just let it happen. If I go to another team, then I’ve got to make the best of what I’ve got there. There’s a lot of things that are in the future. I don’t know what to expect is what I’m saying. Again, all I can do is live in the present and live another day tomorrow. If something happens, something happens. I’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got today.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports previously reported the Rangers were “all over” Velasquez, but he also noted there was no agreement on the horizon.

While the Phillies’ asking price is unclear, that’s probably the sticking point. They are likely demanding a sizable package in return for the starter based on his age, early results and the fact he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season, according to Spotrac.

For a team like Philadelphia, which is in the middle stages of a rebuild, trading a promising young starter like Velasquez seems like a step in the wrong direction. Perhaps the right combination of prospects could change the outlook, though.

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The Washington Nationals turned a triple play in Friday’s 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, marking the first time the franchise has done so since moving from Montreal to Washington in 2005, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Montreal Expos last had one on September 9, 2002, leaving the franchise with a drought that lasted nearly 14 years.

Friday’s triple play was a great way to start, as it erased a bases-loaded, no-out rally in the eighth inning of a three-run game against a team the Nationals could very well end up fighting for playoff position.

It was also unique for the way it was turned, with first baseman Ryan Zimmerman catching a low line drive and stepping on the bag before firing over to third baseman Anthony Rendon for the first 3-3-5 triple play in MLB history, per MLB on Twitter.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford was the batter, but the real mistake was made by outfielder Denard Span, who for some reason ran from third base to home plate on contact, even though the ball was hit in the air.

The other player involved was Nationals relief pitcher Sammy Solis, who only faced the one batter and needed just two pitches to record three outs.

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Ichiro Suzuki has been one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball since his arrival in 2001. The Miami Marlins outfielder is on the verge of becoming the 30th player in MLB history with 3,000 hits, needing just two more to hit that milestone.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera, Suzuki downplayed the significance of 3,000 hits because of where he is at in his career right now:

If you’re at the end of your career and you are limping toward that number, the goal is just to get to it. But for me, when you are part of a team, you’re out there just playing baseball, and you [just happen to] get to that number. I am not limping to that number. I am playing the game, and I happen to get to that number because that’s where I am.

This will actually be the second time Suzuki has made it to 3,000 hits, though the first time didn’t get nearly as much fanfare because it was in combination with the 1,278 hits he had in nine seasons playing in the Japan Pacific League. 

Suzuki told Rivera he’s not overwhelmed by this particular moment because of what his current job with the Marlins entails:

Obviously, I have had experiences in Japan and here regarding reaching particular numbers. But right now, I feel pressure every day because I am in a position where if you don’t perform, you don’t play. I am the fourth outfielder. I am trying to do well today so I can play tomorrow. I think it might be different if I was in the lineup every single day. But you’ve got to hit in order to play.

Playing in the National League without a designated hitter has afforded Suzuki plenty of opportunities to stay fresh. He has appeared in 86 of Miami’s 102 games, hitting a robust .335/.408/.394 with more walks (23) than strikeouts (18) in 214 plate appearances entering Friday’s slate of games. 

On the subject of career hits, Suzuki recently passed Pete Rose’s record of 4,256 hits, if you combine his numbers from Japan and MLB. 

Rose did make sure to pump up his own MLB accomplishments while still saying he would applaud when Suzuki reaches 3,000 hits, per the Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports): “Absolutely because he’ll be the 30th guy to get 3,000. There’s been two get 4,000, and I’m the only one you’re going to talk to at the present time because the other one is Ty Cobb.”

Suzuki told Rivera he didn’t mind anything Rose said about his career hit total: “I was actually happy to see the Hit King get defensive. I kind of felt I was accepted. I heard that about five years ago Pete Rose did an interview, and he said that he wished that I could break that record.”

Despite being 42 years old, Suzuki said he does not see himself retiring anytime soon, noting he wants to keep playing “until I am at least 50.”

He noted there really is no difference in the way he feels today in 2016 and how he felt in 2004 when he set the MLB record for hits in a season with 262. 

Based on the numbers Suzuki has put up so far in 2016, even in a more limited role, it’s hard to argue with him. He might be one of the few athletes who could reasonably expect to keep playing until they were 50 because he has such a unique hitting ability. 

Suzuki’s prime is in the past, but his physical conditioning has allowed him to remain one of MLB’s best bench assets at this stage of his career. 

It will culminate in a proper celebration with the Marlins when Suzuki reaches 3,000 hits and eventually gets elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame five years after he does decide to retire. 

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Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki hit a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning of Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, giving him 2,998 career hits to move within just two of the 3,000-hit barrier, per ESPN Stats & Info.

With the Marlins trailing 5-3 and catcher J.T. Realmuto on first base with one out, Suzuki was brought in to replace relief pitcher Mike Dunn, who had earlier taken over for a struggling Jose Fernandez.

Suzuki roped a ground-ball double to right field on the second pitch he saw from Cardinals reliever Jonathan Broxton, but right fielder Stephen Piscotty was able to cut the ball off before it reached the wall, holding Realmuto at third base and Suzuki at second.

Light-hitting Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria then grounded out to bring Realmuto home, but Suzuki (who represented the tying run) was stranded at third after infielder Chris Johnson was called out on strikes.

Although they got two more chances, the Marlins never got another runner past first base, grounding into double plays in both of the last two innings.

In any case, the 42-year-old Suzuki will soon become the 30th member of the 3,000-hit club, despite playing in his native Japan for his first nine professional seasons (from 1992 to 2000).  

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The tenures of Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea with the San Diego Padres have come to an end, as the team announced the pitchers were traded to the Miami Marlins on Friday

ESPN’s Buster Olney was the first to report the move, with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirming the deal. Rosenthal reported that pitcher Tayron Guerrero was traded to Miami along with Cashner and Rea. In return, San Diego received Jarred Cosart, Josh Naylor, Luis Castillo and pitcher Carter Capps.

Miami entered play Friday five games out of first place in the National League East and in a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild-card spot.

Acquiring Cashner and Rea gives the Marlins starting rotation depth behind ace Jose Fernandez, which is desperately needed in order to make a deep playoff run. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that one reason for Miami’s move for Cashner and Rea is because Fernandez’s innings are “likely to be restricted.”

This season continues the downward spiral for the Padres, though at least they have now taken steps toward rebuilding for the future by trading James Shields and Drew Pomeranz before shipping Cashner to the Marlins. 

Cashner was one of the “old” veterans in San Diego, playing with the franchise since being acquired in a deal with the Chicago Cubs in January 2012. He has dealt with injuries and inconsistency throughout his career.

This season has been problematic for Cashner, who owns a 4-7 record with a 4.76 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 67 strikeouts in 79.1 innings.

He has shown signs of life recently, though, allowing one earned run in three of his past five starts.

Even so, there are glaring red flags that Cashner’s new team has to consider. He’s made more than 25 starts in a season only twice in his career and has never come close to hitting 200 innings.

Pitching primarily in Petco Park should have kept Cashner’s ERA totals down, but he had an ERA over 4.00 in 2012 and is far beyond that number this season. He was excellent in 2013 and in 2014, however, with a combined 2.87 ERA in 50 games.

Rea is 26 years old and in the middle of his first full season as a starter at the major league level. He is 5-5 with a 4.98 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 99.1 innings.

This is a classic buy-low trade for Miami that could look like a bargain at the end of this season. Cashner has his work cut out to reach his full potential, but the talent is there for him to be a good investment at a low cost.

He is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the season, so this move looks to be a pure rental meant to push the Marlins over the top and into the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

While Cashner isn’t having a great year by any means, Miami’s starting rotation is likely its biggest weakness. Fernandez is unhittable at times, and Adam Conley has performed well behind him. But Tom Koehler has struggled, while Wei-Yin Chen is on the disabled list.

The Marlins desperately need an arm capable of eating innings and keeping them in games. Rea provides some insurance in that regard, and if Cashner can stay healthy down the stretch and maintain his recent form, then he should at least give the team some solid outings at a reasonable price.

Stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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One day after losing his streak of 52 consecutive successful save opportunities, New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia shockingly blew another save in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Familia was charged with a loss in addition to the blown save in both games, first turning a 4-3 lead into a 5-4 loss Wednesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, and then turning a 1-0 advantage into a 2-1 deficit Thursday afternoon against Colorado.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Familia owns the third-longest streak since saves became an official stat in 1969, trailing only Eric Gagne (84) and Tom Gordon (54), with Jose Valverde (51) just a tick behind.

Arguably the most dominant closer in MLB history, albeit for a rather short period, Gagne had a streak that lasted from 2002 to 2004, helping him earn the National League Cy Young Award in 2003, following a fourth-place finish the previous year.

Familia‘s streak stretched back to August 1 of last season, though he did have three blown saves in the 2015 World Series against the Kansas City Royals, despite allowing just one earned run and one unearned run during the series.

The 26-year-old was rather lucky to enjoy such a remarkable streak, as he doesn’t have dominant numbers this season apart from his MLB-leading save total (36), carrying a 3.14 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, with 49 strikeouts and 22 walks in 48.2 innings.

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