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Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitching phenom Julio Urias made his highly anticipated major league debut Friday night at Citi Field against the New York Mets. 

However, the 19-year-old’s inaugural trip to the mound on the MLB stage didn’t go as smoothly as the Dodgers would have liked in the 6-5 loss. Over the course of 2.2 innings, Urias allowed three earned runs and five hits while walking four batters and striking out three.

A complete overview of his line can be viewed below: 

Urias’ evening started in strong fashion, as he struck out Curtis Granderson with a wicked fastball that cut across the plate:

Although Urias was coming off a 27-inning scoreless streak in the minor leagues, he proceeded to give up a double to the next batter before uncorking a wild pitch that advanced him to third base.

Three batters later, Neil Walker doubled and Juan Lagares singled in back-to-back at-bats to give the Mets an early 3-0 cushion.

Urias settled down in the second inning, but his command turned shaky in the third, forcing manager Dave Roberts to pull him after he loaded the bases with two outs.

Following Urias’ abbreviated stint, Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller observed that the rising star’s “command wasn’t sharp” and that he “looked nervous.”

Urias’ debut may not have lived up to the hype, but there are brighter days ahead on the major league bump. After all, he became the youngest player to start a game since Felix Hernandez in 2005, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick.

Looking ahead, Urias could have a future in the Dodgers bullpen as the season progresses.

“[Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew] Friedman said that after Friday night’s start, the club would assess whether it would be a one-time spot start or whether Urias could work his way into the rotation or bullpen,” Gurnick wrote. “Urias has never pitched more than 87.2 innings in a season, and that is the biggest hurdle for management to clear in determining just how much to ask of him.”

Postgame Reaction

“This is the best day of my life, as it is for any big league player making a debut,” Urias said through an interpreter, according to Bleacher Report’s Danny Knobler. “I’ll never forget anything that happened. This is the happiest day of my life.”

And while Urias struggled from a consistency standpoint in terms of balls and strikes, Granderson took note of the southpaw’s poise. 

“He didn’t look rattled. He didn’t look nervous by any means, especially with a packed house, on the road,” Granderson said, per ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla. “I thought he held his composure very well.”

With Urias’ first start a thing of the past, one key member of Los Angeles’ front office broke down how the rest of the season could shake out of the 19-year-old. 

“The first day is just not important,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten told USA Today‘s Mike Vorkunov. “It’s now how we get him involved and into a routine and build him up. Even this year we’re not going to be relying on him to be in the rotation. But whatever we get out of him this year as a 19-year-old is gravy because we know his career is going to be terrific.”

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Two-time American League All-Star Clay Buchholz will be removed from the starting rotation and placed in the bullpen, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Friday, per NESN’s Zack Cox.

Farrell said the move was necessary after Buchholz’s poor start to the season, per Cox:

The bottom line is the results. And I think there’s been a strong precedent set. I can tell you that Clay understands the decision but probably doesn’t like it, which I can respect. But at the same time, I think the most important thing as we stand today is how he embraces this decision — how this change will work itself out.

Buchholz, 31, is struggling mightily this season. Through 10 starts, he is 2-5 with a 6.35 ERA. Considering that Boston’s offense leads the American League with 276 runs scored, the only person Buchholz can blame for his play is himself.

Newly acquired ace David Price went through similar struggles this season, but he has turned it around. After sporting an ERA of 6.75 through his first seven starts, Price has allowed only six runs in his last three starts combined, with his ERA dropping to 5.34. 

According to the Boston Globe‘s Pete Abraham, the Red Sox brass does not foresee the same type of improvement from Buchholz:

Price was luckier with his run support, as he is 7-1 on the year despite his struggles.

Eduardo Rodriguez, a 23-year-old lefty, will come off the disabled list and take Buchholz’s scheduled start Tuesday, per NBC Sports’ Craig Calcaterra.

As a rookie, Rodriguez was excellent in 2015. He posted a 10-6 record with a 3.85 ERA on a Boston team that finished last in the AL East.

It is unfortunate that Buchholz is regressing after a stellar career in Boston, but he should provide depth in the bullpen. Injuries are bound to happen, so if a Red Sox pitcher is forced to miss a start or two, Buchholz could come back with a vengeance and push himself back into the rotation.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com. 

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Jackie Bradley Jr.’s 29-game hitting streak came to an end Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.

Bradley finished hitless in four at-bats as the Boston Red Sox fell 8-2 at Fenway Park.

Bradley was close to getting another chance to extend his streak, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne:

At 29 games, Bradley’s run was tied for the fourth longest in Red Sox history, per Red Sox Notes:

According the Boston Globe‘s Pete Abraham, Bradley was also in a new spot in the lineup, which could have factored into his hitless night: 

Bradley is hitting .341 on the season, and he is not the only Red Sox crushing the ball. Xander Bogaerts leads the American League with a .347 average, followed by Bradley, and David Ortiz is fourth with a .337 mark.

Boston leads the American League in runs by a landslide with 274. The Seattle Mariners sit in second with 220. The Red Sox lead the AL in batting average as well, hitting an absurd .298 as a team. It is no surprise then that the team leads the league with a 29-18 record.

Bradley is still on his way to an All-Star season, but his streak was bound to end at some point. Per MLB.com, Andre Ethier (30) and Dan Uggla (33) in 2011 are the last two players to extend such a streak to 30 games or more.

The 26-year-old is only a career .238 hitter, so he could slow down in the coming weeks. However, there is also a chance he has broken through and found his swing for good. 

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com. 

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Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor’s suspension has been reduced by one game.

Odor, who punched Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista during a game on May 15, will be suspended seven games instead of the eight-game punishment the league originally handed out, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Odor’s suspension means Texas will call 23-year-old Jurickson Profar back up to the major league roster, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

Before landing the right hook that shocked the baseball world, the 22-year-old Odor was having his best big league season to date. He was batting .286 to go along with seven home runs and became the Rangers’ go-to leadoff guy.

But since that punch to Bautista, Odor’s numbers have taken a hit; he’s batting .152 since May 16. Texas went 4-4 in that span. Odor filed an appeal with MLB, which allowed him to keep playing even after it announced his suspension.

While Bautista’s slide looked to be intentional, it was inevitable Odor would be suspended for throwing a punch, let alone connecting successfully.

Because of Odor’s struggles at the plate lately, this time off may help him to collect himself before rejoining the club. His suspension will begin on Friday. With Odor out, the Rangers have a good opportunity to see what Profar—their former top minor league player—can bring to the table.

Profar has not played for the Rangers since 2013 because of nagging shoulder injuries and sat out all of the 2015 season. He was slated to be the second baseman of the future when Texas sent Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder, but that never came to fruition because of his injuries and the emergence of Odor.

Profar batted .284 and hit five homers in 41 games for Triple-A Round Rock this season. The Rangers could use that kind of production for the next week, especially at the top of the lineup.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera has been suspended without pay through Aug. 1 for violating Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.   

MLB announced the ruling Thursday and added that Olivera won’t appeal the 82-game ban—which is retroactive to April 30. 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released the following statement once the suspension was official, according to MLB.com’s Chad Thornburg: 

Having reviewed all of the available evidence, I have concluded that Mr. Olivera violated the Policy and should be subject to discipline in the form of an unpaid suspension that will expire on August 1st. Mr. Olivera has also agreed to make a significant charitable contribution to one or more charitable organizations focused on preventing and treating survivors of domestic violence.

Olivera was previously placed on administrative leave after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman at the team’s hotel in Arlington, Virginia, according to USA Today‘s A.J. Perez. 

WJLA-TV’s Jeff Goldberg first broke the news of Olivera’s arrest on April 13, and he reported that the 31-year-old was arrested after the female victim called police “saying she had been assaulted.” Arlington police spokesperson Ashley Savage told Perez the victim “had visible bruising.” 

Olivera was subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s David O’Brien.

Olivera joins Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes and New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman as those who have been disciplined under the domestic violence policy this season.

Reyes was recently suspended 52 games following an alleged domestic dispute with his wife in Hawaii. Chapman was banned 30 games after allegedly brandishing and firing a gun, choking his girlfriend and pushing her against a wall, per Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown and Jeff Passan.

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The Atlanta Braves added some depth to their bullpen Monday, when they acquired left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league pitchers Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

Kubatko noted the Braves also received the Orioles’ competitive-balance draft pick (No. 76 overall).

MLB Roster Moves confirmed the news.

While the 12-31 Braves could use the help on the field, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported they are expected to designate Matusz for assignment. “So they essentially took his remaining salary ($3.9 million) to gain the 76th pick,” he noted.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network confirmed the Braves did designate the pitcher for assignment. 

Atlanta is in clear rebuilding mode after a disappointing start to the season, and Bowman pointed out it has five of the first 80 picks in the draft (Nos. 3, 40, 44, 76 and 80). Even if it doesn’t benefit from those selections for a couple of years, that type of asset stockpiling should help it return to a competitive level in the National League East in the future.

As for Matusz, he has been a disappointment this season in limited action. He sports an ugly 12.00 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in seven appearances and has allowed 11 hits, three of which were home runs, in six innings of work.

The good news for the Braves or any team that eventually picks him up is the fact that it’s a small sample size, and Matusz’s recent track suggests he will bounce back:

Despite his success over the past three seasons, the southpaw did finish with an ERA of 4.30 or higher in his first four seasons, including his 10.69 mark in 2011. However, he was a starter during those four campaigns and has been more effective out of the bullpen.

The Braves’ shaky bullpen could use the boost Matusz may be able to provide, as Atlanta ranks 27th in the league in bullpen ERA entering play Monday, per ESPN.com.

Matusz is 29 years old and off to a slow start, so Baltimore likely had an eye on the future with Monday’s move. 

“So essentially, [the] Orioles sold Matusz’s contract and the 76th overall pick in 2016 to the Braves for two minor league pitchers with upside,” Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com opined.

While Barker and Belicek both have upside, neither ranked in the top 30 in Atlanta’s prospect system at the start of the season, according to MLB.com. According to MiLB.com, Barker has an impressive 2.00 ERA in 45 innings at the Double-A level this season, while Belicek boasts a 2.22 mark in 28.1 innings at Double-A and Single-A.

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Shane Victorino‘s MLB career looks to be in serious jeopardy, as the Chicago Cubs released the 35-year-old outfielder Monday.

Victorino never made it to the majors this season. He was in Triple-A Iowa at the time of his release, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Victorino signed with the club on February 26 in hopes of winning one more championship before the sun set on his career, which he told MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat at the time of the signing.

“It’s not about playing time, it’s not about where things are, it’s about winning,” Victorino said. “Obviously, for me, I have to win my job on the team, and from there be the best player I can be to help the Cubs win a championship.”

After a spring training calf injury and poor play, Victorino was released on March 29 and re-signed on the same day to a minor league deal. He never seemed to rediscover his game, as he batted .233 with Iowa.

ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers reported that Victorino did not want to spend a lot of time in the minors, so the split could have been mutual after nearly two months of playing Triple-A ball.

The Cubs have a loaded roster and sit atop the National League Central at 29-13, so it was always a long shot that Victorino could become a consistent role player. Even after Kyle Schwarber went down for the season with a torn ACL and MCL in early April, Victorino still could not find a spot in Chicago’s outfield rotation. 

He was instrumental in the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 2008 World Series title run, as he hit .293 in the regular season and batted .269 in that postseason. He also won a championship with the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and was twice named an American League All-Star.

After 12 seasons, Victorino is a lifetime .275 hitter with 108 home runs, 489 RBI and 231 stolen bases.

There is no shame in walking away after giving the best effort possible. Victorino has done that, and his comeback attempt was admirable. But it does not seem like he’ll have a place on a major league roster for the time being.

Victorino may get one more shot, though. Injuries to other players always change things, and the Cubs have brought him back before. Yet Victorino would be justified if he chooses to hang up his cleats in the near future after a tremendous career.  

All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers took down the San Diego Padres, 9-5, on Sunday in an epic 17-inning marathon.

With the score knotted at 5-5 after the eighth inning, the game remained tied until a Yasiel Puig single to center field drove in Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the 17th frame. Puig appeared to celebrate the hit as he left the batter’s box, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:   

The gesturing may have been an expression of relief, as Puig struggled for much of the day leading up to the critical RBI, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times:

Puig proceeded to steal second base, and a wild pitch from Luis Perdomo on the ensuing at-bat allowed Joc Pederson to score from third. Puig later scored thanks to a fielder’s choice off the bat of Carl Crawford.

Ross Stripling finished off the game in the bottom of the inning, ending the longest contest in MLB this season, per ESPN Stats & Info:

USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale shared how much time elapsed between the opening pitch and the final out:

Even Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw got in on the action, though not in his usual role, per Baseball Tonight:

Stripling, who chipped in three innings of work, earned the win, while Perdomo picked up the loss. The two were part of an extensive group of pitchers used in the game, according to CBS Los Angeles:

Kenta Maeda started for the Dodgers, tossing five innings and allowing four runs. Colin Rea went five innings for the Padres, giving up three runs.

Making the victory sweeter is the fact that Los Angeles came back from a 4-0 deficit to eventually force extra innings on the road at Petco Park. 

Christian Bethancourt’s RBI single and Wil Myers’ three-run triple in the fifth inning gave the Padres a four-run lead. The Dodgers got three runs back in the sixth inning before a seventh-inning home run by Justin Turner and an eighth-inning jack by Kendrick put the away team in front.

Melvin Upton Jr. then drilled a triple in the bottom of the eighth frame to score Myers and tie the game for the next eight innings. 

After the game, Gonzalez took to Twitter to share his thoughts:

The win bumps the Dodgers to one game below .500 on the season at 22-23, while the Padres’ forgetful record drops to 19-26. Both teams play Monday night, with Los Angeles hosting the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium and San Diego traveling to play the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

Postgame Reaction

As it turns out, the Dodgers and Padres are no strangers to playing such lengthy games, per ESPN Stats & Info:

The game was so long that Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis could barely remember who started on the mound for his club, per Plunkett:

McCullough also noted Stripling will be removed from his next scheduled start, and reliever Chin-hui Tsao was not able to contribute in the game due to some discomfort:

Ellis was not the only one who forgot about the day’s pitchers. It even slipped Rea’s mind that he took the hill as the Padres’ starter Sunday

“There were times in the 15th or 16th inning where I didn’t realize that I pitched today,” Rea said, per Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It seemed that long ago.”

Padres manager Andy Green was upset that the loss ultimately fell to Perdomo, per Kenney:

What I hate more than anything is I hate it for Luis Perdomo. The kid pitched really, really well. Didn’t deserve that fate.

Attacking the strike zone the way he did, I couldn’t be more pleased with him today. Out of everything, I think that’s the toughest part of that one.

Although it was a wild and likely draining game, it is still very early in the regular season. Both teams must quickly recover and focus on playing consistent baseball, as the Dodgers and Padres each have work to do if they hope to make a run at the postseason.

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New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey had a Thursday night to forget. Against the Washington Nationals, he was pulled after 2.2 innings. He allowed nine runs—six earned—on eight hits with a pair of walks. 

It was a record-setting night for the fourth-year pitcher, as ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin pointed out:

ESPN Stats & Info showed that it was even worse than just a short outing:

Mets manager Terry Collins said the team could skip Harvey’s next start, per Rubin on Thursday:

We’re going to take a look — is that best for him, is that best for us? We’re not going to commit to anything at this time. But I will tell you, as I sit here today, I’d certainly trust him. I certainly believe in him. I hadn’t seen him struggle like this before. But that guy that pitched tonight for them [Stephen Strasburg], he had a couple of mediocre years, and now he’s resurged.

However, Collins decided against that Friday. “We really think he’s got to get back on the horse, as fast as he can,” he said, per ESPN.com’s Danny Knobler.

In such a big game against a division rival, Harvey’s year continued to spiral out of control. He entered Thursday night with a 3-5 record and a 4.93 ERA, which has now ballooned to 5.77, much to the disgust of Sirius XM’s Adam Schein:

Harvey had a chance to get out of the first inning unscathed, but with two outs and two strikes on former Met and postseason hero Daniel Murphy with a runner on first, Harvey hung a curveball that the Washington second baseman launched:

The wheels fell off in the third inning when Harvey induced a ground ball from Ryan Zimmerman with the bases loaded. But the sure-handed Asdrubal Cabrera lost the ball on the transfer, and the Nationals plated a run to make it 3-1. 

Anthony Rendon socked a two-run double, and Wilson Ramos added a two-run single. In the blink of an eye, it was 7-1. 

MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo couldn’t sugarcoat things:

To put the icing on the cake of Washington’s big inning and Harvey’s nightmare outing, Ben Revere, who was 5-for-52 heading into Thursday night, tripled in two more runs to make it 9-1. 

That was all for Harvey, who was relieved by Logan Verrett. Newsday‘s Marc Carig never saw Harvey in a worse state:

Once the jewel of the Mets’ promising young rotation, Harvey was booed off the mound when he was taken out of the game. MSG Network’s Alan Hahn, who is not a Mets fan, soaked up the struggles:

Harvey wasn’t living up to his Batman-inspired nickname, The Dark Knight, in the eyes of ESPN.com’s Kevin Van Valkenburg:

Newsday‘s Arthur Staple was expecting something in writing from Harvey:

But Fantasy Insiders’ Davis Mattek thought Harvey was past that:

The Mets are now poised to drop two of three games to their division rivals in their first series of the year if they don’t pull off a miraculous turnaround. That will also put them 2.5 games back of first place in the National League East. 

This is something that could give the Nationals some big-time confidence as the season progresses, too. A performance like this could give them the feeling that they can take care of the Mets, unlike last year, when Washington lost the division in the second half of the season.

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Following Brad Ausmus’ outburst in the Detroit Tigers’ 10-8 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, MLB suspended the Detroit manager one game, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck.

Home plate umpire Doug Eddings ejected Ausmus before the top of the fifth inning following a called strikeout of Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos to end the fourth. After arguing with Eddings, Ausmus removed his sweatshirt and placed it on home plate. He also threw his hat as he left the field:

In a statement, Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB’s senior vice president of standards and on-field operations, said the league suspended Ausmus for “excessive arguing” and “inappropriate actions,” per Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew. MLB also slapped the manager with an undisclosed fine.

The Detroit Free Press‘ Brian J. Manzullo thought the suspension was a bit excessive:

Ausmus’ reaction was likely a result of his frustration with both the umpiring crew and his team’s performance. After scoring eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers surrendered seven runs over the next three innings. The Twins tied the game in the top of the seventh before Detroit scored one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings.

After the game, Ausmus offered his side of the story, per Beck and Chris Vannini of MLB.com:

There was a culmination of a lot of things. There were some defensive miscues. There were some unbelievably unfortunate dribblers. One hit the base at second. As far as the blowup, there comes a point when you get seven or eight guys coming back from home plate complaining about the strike zone, they can’t all be wrong.

Ausmus is also dealing with the weight of unfulfilled expectations. Entering Tuesday, the Tigers were fourth in the American League Central with a 17-21 record. Detroit is paying Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander a combined $56 million in 2016, per Spotrac, and signed big-name free agents Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton in the offseason. Anything short of a playoff appearance will be a disappointment for the Tigers.

On May 10, Ausmus acknowledged he’s “in the crosshairs” with his job security, per ESPN.com’s Katie Strang. Every game could have an impact on his future with the team, so it’s not hard to see why the 47-year-old reacted the way he did Monday.

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