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The Washington Nationals signed pitcher Mat Latos to a minor league contract on Wednesday, manager Dusty Baker confirmed to Dan Kolko of MASN.  

Baker noted that the move was primarily for depth, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN:

Latos, 28, struggled with the Chicago White Sox this year, going 6-2 with a 4.62 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched over 11 starts. He was excellent for the team early in the season, allowing just two total runs in his first four starts, but he then gave up four or more earned runs in five of his next seven starts.

The White Sox released him earlier in June. Baker thinks the White Sox might have cut ties with the right-hander a bit soon, however.

“They didn’t give him a whole bunch of time to fall apart,” the Nats manager told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “Maybe they didn’t believe what they were seeing in the victories that preceded us getting there. I don’t know. I can’t speak for another man, but I thought it was a bit premature to release him at that time.”

Per Janes, “Latos will be a Class AAA starter for the Nationals, who do not view him as a potential bullpen option, according to a person familiar with the situation.”

The move comes after Washington placed Stephen Strasburg on the disabled list with an upper-back strain. The Nationals do have solid pitching depth, however, with top prospect Lucas Giolito making his MLB debut against the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Giolito pitched 4.0 innings, giving up just one hit, two walks and no runs while striking out one batter before a rain delay ended his night. He earned himself a look while Strasburg is sidelined—and perhaps even beyond that.

Latos, meanwhile, will join MLB prospects Reynaldo Lopez and Austin Voth in Syracuse, rounding out a nice stable of arms for the Nationals at the Triple-A level.

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Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant is one of baseball’s brightest young hitters, and he demolished Dan Straily and the Cincinnati Reds in an 11-8 Cubs victory Monday.

Bryant finished 5-for-5 with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored, which etched his name into the baseball record book, per MLB‘s Twitter account:

Normally, that would be plenty of run support for the Cubs and their major league-leading 2.83 team ERA. Yet Bryant still needed some help from his teammates.

Ace Jake Arrieta pitched poorly, allowing five earned runs on four hits and five walks in five innings, but he still earned a win—thanks in part to a homer of his own.

Bryant started the night with a run-scoring double off Straily in the first inning and later scored on Miguel Montero’s sacrifice fly. In his next at-bat, Bryant smashed his first home run to left-center field in the third inning.

He hit a three-run jack halfway up the second deck in left in the fourth to give Chicago a 7-3 lead, as Statcast showed:

That was his last at-bat against Straily, who allowed seven earned runs on nine hits and three walks in 3.2 innings.

In the sixth, Bryant doubled off Michael Lorenzen, and in the eighth, he hit a solo shot off Ross Ohlendorf.

ESPN Stats & Info noted the 24-year-old set a Cubs record—and an offensive standard for the season:

Bryant’s season totals also received a nice boost, per CSN Chicago’s Christopher Kamka:

Per Ryan M. Spaeder of Sporting News, Bryant has been on a hot streak of late:

Spaeder also noted Bryant’s performance put him in the most exclusive of categories:

CBS Chicago’s Joe Ostrowski found a way to compare Bryant to Bryant’s childhood teammate, Bryce Harper:

While Bryant may not be in line for that type of money yet, he showed how dangerous he can be with his dominant performance Monday.

He is already among baseball’s elite sluggers in only his second big league season. And with a Cubs lineup that ranks fourth in the majors in runs around him, Bryant should have an ample number of opportunities to crush the ball the rest of the year.

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

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Texas Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is in the midst of a resurgent campaign at age 36, and it got even better Thursday. He narrowly missed a no-hitter and a perfect game during the Rangers’ 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Lewis lost his perfect game when he walked Yonder Alonso in the eighth, his no-hitter when he allowed a double to Max Muncy to start the bottom of the ninth and his shutout when Coco Crisp drove Muncy home on a double.

Although he just missed history, Lewis still pitched a complete game and allowed a single run on two hits. He also struck out four batters and gave up only one walk. ESPN Stats & Info noted it was the first time someone broke up a no-hit bid in the final inning since last season:

Lewis didn’t just post impressive results. He sported good velocity deep into the contest as he stymied the Oakland hitters, as Daren Willman of MLB.com pointed out:

Lewis’ efficiency was almost as impressive as his stat line. Robert Brender of SiriusXM noted the Texas hurler threw only 75 pitches in those first seven innings, and Richard Justice of MLB.com tweeted Lewis was aggressive inside the strike zone:

The Texas offense helped set the tone in the late innings with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth. Ian Desmond drilled a home run in the seventh, while Adrian Beltre finished with three hits and drove in two runs with a double in the eighth. 

Left fielder Ryan Rua also gave Lewis some help in the eighth with a leaping catch right in front of the wall, but Lewis walked Alonso on four pitches to end the perfect game. 

The no-hitter didn’t last much longer, as Muncy led off the bottom of the ninth with that double:

Lewis was already putting up career numbers through his first 13 starts of the year coming into Thursday, as MLB.com illustrated:

Lewis discussed his efforts after the win:

The Rangers rotation needed a boost after the team recently put Yu Darvish on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort, and Lewis provided that Thursday.

Even with the question marks surrounding Darvish’s health after he missed the 2015 season following Tommy John surgery, the Rangers are in first place in the American League West by 6.5 games. If Lewis continues to pitch at an effective level, Texas will have a formidable rotation that also features Cole Hamels and Martin Perez as it strives to reach the postseason for the second straight year. 

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Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki tied and then passed Pete Rose for the all-time hits record in professional baseball with two knocks in Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres.

Suzuki led off the top of the first inning at Petco Park with a base hit off Luis Perdomo and then came around to score on a Christian Yelich single. The 42-year-old moved his professional hits total to 4,256 with that single, tying Rose, as the Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer noted. Suzuki picked up 1,278 of those hits in Japan.

In the ninth inning, Suzuki doubled, passing Rose with his 4,257th hit, and MLB commemorated the achievement afterward:

When asked about Ichiro’s pursuit of his milestone, Rose seemed dismissive of the feat because of the diminished level of competition Suzuki faced early in his career, per USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale:

I don’t think you’re going to find anybody with credibility say that Japanese baseball is equivalent to Major League Baseball. There are too many guys that fail here, and then become household names there, like Tuffy Rhodes. How can he not do anything here, and hit (a record-tying) 55 home runs (in 2001) over there? It has something to do with the caliber of personnel.

Whatever the merit of his accomplishments overseas, Ichiro has lived up to and even exceeded the hype that accompanied him when he made his MLB transition in 2001.

Ichiro led the American League in hits seven times and is a two-time AL batting champion. He strung together 10 consecutive seasons of 200 hits or more—the same number Rose achieved in his career.

It’s intriguing to imagine what would’ve happened had Ichiro begun his pro career stateside. He may have challenged Rose’s MLB mark. Instead, his achievement of passing Rose in overall hits likely won’t leave much of an impression on most baseball fans.

That being said, Ichiro’s performance Wednesday gave him 2,979 MLB hits. With 21 more hits, he’ll become the 30th player to reach the 3,000-hit mark.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that they signed outfielder Will Venable to a one-year contract. 

An eight-year veteran, Venable began the year with the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Triple-A minor league affiliate before opting out of his contract last Friday.   

The Dodgers optioned utility infielder and backup catcher Austin Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Venable on the active roster. 

Venable has spent most of his career in California, playing his first seven-plus years in the majors with the San Diego Padres. 

The 33-year-old was originally seen as a player capable of racking up 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases per year. But he never lived up to those expectations, only hitting the 20-home run plateau once in 2013. 

After 98 games in 2015 and with free agency looming, though, Venable was dealt to the Texas Rangers for minor leaguers. In 37 games in the American League, he recorded just 12 hits for a .182 batting average with no home runs and three RBI. 

The Dodgers were in need of some added depth in the outfield with Yasiel Puig on the disabled list because of a hamstring injury and with the release of veteran Carl Crawford on Monday, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times.

In 30 games this season, Crawford batted .186 with just one stolen base. That’s hardly the kind of output the organization expects from a player it still owes $35 million through 2017, according to ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla. 

Crawford’s departure also meant the Dodgers had one left-handed bat in the outfield in Joc Pederson and none coming off the bench, where Venable is expected to make his biggest impact in Los Angeles. 

That’s because even with Puig out, Los Angeles could turn to the likes of Trayce Thompson and Scott Van Slyke to see time in the outfield alongside Pederson and Enrique Hernandez. Because of Venable’s left-handed bat, though, L.A. could use him as a pinch-hitting option late in games against right-handed relievers. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have cut ties with former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford approximately one week after they designated him for assignment.   

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reported the Dodgers released Crawford on Monday.

The Dodgers announced on June 5 that they had designated Crawford for assignment, meaning they had 10 days to trade him, release him or place him on waivers for any team to claim.

Crawford’s contractual situation made it virtually impossible for another club to add him. Per ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla, the Dodgers will be on the hook for the approximately $35 million Crawford is still owed through 2017. 

The Dodgers acquired the 34-year-old in a 2012 trade with the Boston Red Sox that also included Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett going to Los Angeles. 

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in Padilla’s report from June 5 that the emergence of other outfielders led to the team’s decision regarding Crawford:

I think the biggest thing for us right now is going with an eight-man pen and a short bench. I think that added versatility had a lot of value for us. Just as we go through spring training and into the beginning part of the year, we’re constantly evaluating our roster and looking ahead.

I think we just got to the point with Carl — he’s the type of guy who his entire career has worked very hard and played very hard. Eventually that just takes a toll on your body. We just felt like we’d gotten to the point where this made the most sense for everyone involved.

Crawford began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, playing with the team from 2002-10. He was one of the best players in the American League during that time, posting a .296/.337/.444 slash line and the sixth-most wins above replacement (36.7) among qualified outfielders, per FanGraphs. He also made four All-Star teams while in Tampa Bay.

Since leaving the Rays, however, Crawford’s career has fallen apart. He hasn’t played in more than 130 games in any of the last six seasons and has a slash line of .271/.310/.407 over that span. His 5.3 WAR since 2011 ranks 81st out of 101 outfielders with at least 1,500 plate appearances, per FanGraphs. 

It speaks to Crawford’s diminished talent that the Dodgers would make this move now, since Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier are currently on the disabled list, Joc Pederson is struggling with a .227 average and a .318 on-base percentage and Scott Van Slyke’s slugging percentage is .111. 

This could reasonably be the end of Crawford’s career, between his .464 OPS and his inability to stay healthy long enough to potentially figure anything out. His fall from grace was steep and drastic, but at his best, Crawford was a difference-maker with the bat and his glove.

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The Chicago White Sox designated veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins for assignment Friday and called up highly touted prospect Tim Anderson to fill the roster void. 

The White Sox announced the moves on their official Twitter feed.

Rollins, once among the most offensively gifted shortstops in the league, failed to produce for Chicago through the first couple of months of the 2016 season. The former National League MVP had a .221 batting average with five steals and two homers through 41 games.

The 37-year-old veteran signed with the White Sox back in February. He won a starting job out of spring training but couldn’t rediscover his former magic once the regular season got underway.

It’s unclear what the next step will be for the longtime Philadelphia Phillies star, who spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His skills have shown plenty of natural erosion from the days when he was hitting 20 home runs and stealing 40 bags in Philly.

Even his play in the field, which was also a major asset early in his career, has faded. He posted minus-three defensive runs saved in 2016, according to FanGraphs.

Assuming he has no plans for playing minor league ball while waiting for another chance, he’ll have to see whether another team shows interest. That could happen either through a trade while he’s on the DFA list or if he ends up getting released.

Rollins stated after Chicago signed him that he planned to play “until basically they take the uniform and tell me to go coach somewhere,” per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.

Anderson, 22, heads to Chicago after posting a .304 average with 11 stolen bases and four home runs with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. He’s the franchise’s No. 2-rated prospect, behind only pitcher Carson Fulmer, according to MLB.com.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Rollins spoke highly of the rising star back in March after seeing him in the spring.

“They like him here. He has a bright future,” Rollins said. “He has some pop, which is good. Just continue to polish himself defensively and in the field—footwork, turning double plays and making sure he turns the makes the routine plays over and over.”

The White Sox hoped strong play from Rollins would give Anderson more time in the minors to develop those defensive skills. While the call-up may have come early, the young infielder’s offensive numbers in the minors suggest he’s ready for the challenge.

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The Chicago Cubs made a move to bolster their bullpen depth Thursday, when they agreed to terms on a minor league deal with 40-year-old Joel Peralta.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported Peralta is headed to the Windy City. The 12-year veteran’s stint with the club will begin with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The Chicago Tribune‘s Paul Sullivan confirmed the news. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers declined Peralta’s $2.5 million option for the 2016 season, but the Seattle Mariners inked him to a minor league deal that included an invitation to spring training.

Peralta proceeded to make the Mariners’ 40-man roster, but the team cut ties with the aged arm June 2, according to the News Tribune‘s Bob Dutton.

Peralta allowed just three earned runs in April during a solid start to his time in the Pacific Northwest, but his production tapered off in May. During a stretch that spanned from May 13 to May 18, Peralta allowed five earned runs and three home runs.

Over the course of 26 appearances, Peralta recorded 11 holds, two blown saves, 28 strikeouts, seven walks and a 5.40 ERA.

“We rode him hard, and, obviously, the results haven’t been there in the last month. … Organizationally, we just felt it was time to make a change there,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said, per Dutton.

With Chicago, Peralta will try to bounce back despite the downturn in velocity that has hindered his production over the past few seasons. According to FanGraphs, Peralta’s fastball hasn’t averaged better than 90 mph since 2013. 

But for the Cubs, it’s a low-risk, high-reward play.

Chicago’s relievers already rank No. 4 in ERA (3.21) and No. 2 in batting average against (.201) among National League clubs, so if Peralta is able to capture even a smidgen of his prime form and make a leap up to the big club over the summer, it will have been a savvy pickup.

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The Toronto Blue Jays announced Tuesday they acquired right-handed reliever Jason Grilli in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, who received right-handed pitching prospect Sean Ratcliffe in return. 

Toronto also received cash considerations in the deal that shipped its 18th-round pick in 2013 to Atlanta.

The 39-year-old Grilli appeared in 21 games for the Braves this season in his second year with the organization, and Toronto will be his ninth team in his 14-year career. The veteran recorded a career-high 33 saves in 2013 in an All-Star campaign. 

Grilli has been a proficient reliever since his second season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012, when his strikeout-to-walk ratio jumped from 2.47 in 2011 to 4.09, per FanGraphs. The following season, he struck out 74 batters while walking only 13.

Grilli has struggled so far this year, striking out 23 batters and walking 13 while playing on a 15-win ballclub in Atlanta. Now he’ll get the chance to play for the reigning American League East champions.

The Blue Jays are five games back of the Boston Red Sox in the division coming into Tuesday, and Grilli should provide some immediate bullpen help. Toronto has a bullpen ERA of 3.89, which is 16th-best in the major leagues.

Toronto could use Grilli as a setup man for Roberto Osuna, who has 11 saves and an ERA of only 1.17 up to this point. Bob Mackowycz of TSN Radio doesn’t think the Blue Jays aren’t getting the Grilli of years past, however:

There’s enough time for the Blue Jays to make a charge at the Red Sox. But as powerful and talented as their offense is, they need pitching help. Grilli may be getting older, but he’ll provide plenty of experience for a young pitching staff.

Stats from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.   

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New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey appeared to break out of his slump Monday, as he threw a gem to defeat the Chicago White Sox 1-0.  

Harvey, who entered the afternoon at 3-7 in 10 starts with a dreadful 6.08 ERA, tossed seven innings of shutout ball while allowing just two hits. The victory pushed the Mets to 29-21, which is a half-game back of the National League East-leading Washington Nationals.

New York’s Twitter account highlighted Harvey’s strikeouts: 

CBS Sports’ Jonah Keri praised the beleaguered veteran:

The New York Post‘s Mike Puma noted that this was the first time Harvey made it past the sixth inning this season:

He also showed flashes of his old velocity, per ESPN’s Adam Rubin:

The game was scoreless until Neil Walker blasted a solo home run to left center field in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The White Sox have now lost seven straight.

Coming into the game, Harvey’s struggles were the major focus. After the 27-year-old’s rough outing against the Nationals on May 24, Newsday‘s David Lennon suggested the team should give him some time off to rediscover his game.

“Since the Mets still are trying to come up with a concrete plan for how to fix Matt Harvey, maybe a good start Wednesday would have been to hand him a notebook and pen,” Lennon wrote. “That way, as Steven Matz took apart the Nationals with surgical precision, Harvey might learn something from his seat in the dugout.“

However, Mets manager Terry Collins has stood by Harvey throughout this season and trusted his All-Star starter to break out sooner rather than later, per NJ.com’s Joe Giglio:

I believe as we continue, Matt’s going to get better. I think he’s going to bounce back,” Collins said. “A year ago, we were concerned that his velocity wasn’t there, his slider wasn’t there. Then by mid-summer he was back. I expect the same thing to happen again this year. I think in a few weeks we’ll look up and Matt Harvey will be back.

If Monday was any indication, Collins may be right. Harvey had full command once more and looked like a legitimate star.

New York already has aces in Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, so pitching depth isn’t a concern. Despite Harvey’s slump, the club is still third in the MLB in team ERA. If Harvey can get going, the Mets will challenge the Chicago Cubs‘ claim to having the strongest pitching staff in baseball.

Postgame Reaction

Collins reaffirmed his belief in Harvey following his team’s win, courtesy of New York’s Twitter account:

He went on to say that Harvey’s performance is promising for the Mets moving forward, according to ESPN.com’s Danny Knobler.

I think today is a first big step, Collins said. He feels good about the way it went. He feels good about the way he threw the ball. Now we’ve just got to build on it, and stay as positive as we can and have him repeat it. No matter what the results are, if he repeats this kind of performance with stuff, I think we’re on the right track.

Harvey appeared satisfied that the work he put in to reverse his struggles yielded positive results, per the Mets:

SportsCenter noted that it has been a while since Harvey carried his team to such a close win.

His teammates hope that Harvey’s performance will instill some confidence back into the ace, per Newsday‘s Anthony Rieber.

“It helps when you go out there and throw seven scoreless,” David Wright said, per Rieber. “You get a little of that cockiness back. That’s what we’ve been accustomed to seeing and kind of spoiled us the last few years.”

When he has his best stuff, Harvey is nearly impossible to beat. Other top pitchers, such as the Boston Red Sox’s David Price, were able to turn their seasons around after slow starts, and Harvey has the ability to do the same. 

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com. 

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