SAN DIEGO (AP) — In his first game back from a knee injury
http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-tanner-roark-jersey , Rene Rivera was big trouble for his old team.Rivera hit a go-ahead homer in the
ninth inning after a long stay on the disabled list, and the Los Angeles Angels
completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 3-2 victory
Wednesday night.Reinstated from the 60-day DL before the game, Rivera connected
for a solo shot into the second deck in left field against San Diego closer
Kirby Yates (4-1). The former Padres catcher had missed 76 games with right knee
inflammation.“It’s awesome to come back after three months and help the team to
win a game,” Rivera said. “First, I’m glad to be back and have an opportunity to
play, and winning the game today is great.”Yates, who took over as closer when
Brad Hand was traded to Cleveland, had allowed only two earned runs in 21
innings pitched at Petco Park this season.“I just threw a good pitch, and he hit
it,” Yates said. “Just come back tomorrow and get back at it.”After the Angels
sent starting catcher Martin Maldonado to Houston at the July 31 trade deadline,
Rivera will have an opportunity to contribute more.“We just brought him back and
knew he had to get his timing down,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “To jump right
in like that, that’s a huge home run obviously.”Jose Alvarez (5-3) pitched a
scoreless eighth to earn the win for the Angels, their seventh in nine games.
The sweep was Los Angeles’ sixth of the season.Blake Parker retired the side in
the ninth for his 12th save.Cory Spangenberg erased an Angels lead in the
seventh with a solo home run that tied the game at 2.Andrelton Simmons singled
home David Fletcher in the sixth to put Los Angeles in front 2-1.Both teams
scored in the first inning. Albert Pujols drove in Kole Calhoun, who led off the
game with a single, with a sacrifice fly against Padres lefty Robbie Erlin.San
Diego answered with a sacrifice fly from Hunter Renfroe that brought home Travis
Jankowski.Felix Pena pitched six solid innings for the Angels, allowing one
unearned run on two hits while walking four and striking out seven.“I think
Felix did a great job
Authentic Pat Tillman Jersey ,” Scioscia said. “He kept getting better as the game went on. The only fly in the ointment is four walks, but he stepped
up.”Erlin and Pena traded scoreless innings until the sixth, when Simmons broke
through for Los Angeles.“He pitched great,” Rivera said of Pena. “He kept the
ball down and elevated when he wanted to elevate. He was keeping the hitters off
balance and did a good job today.”Shohei Ohtani pinch-hit in the ninth and
struck out swinging against Yates.TRAINER’S ROOMAngels: Ohtani threw at full
strength in his second bullpen session since injuring his right elbow in June.
The two-way rookie star from Japan said his arm felt good and he was able to
throw all his pitches. “I did throw 100 percent effort, but obviously it is
going to be different from a game situation,” Ohtani said through a translator.
“I can’t say for sure until I see how my body feels tomorrow.”ROSTER MOVESThe
Angels optioned RHP Odrisamer Despaigne and C Jose Briceno to Triple-A Salt
Lake, and designated RHP Akeel Morris for assignment.UP NEXTAngels: Open a
four-game series in Texas on Thursday. The club had not yet announced a starting
pitcher. RHP Ariel Jurado (2-2, 5.66 ERA) will take the mound for the
Rangers.Padres: RHP Jacob Nix (1-0) makes his second start in the majors
Thursday against Arizona, looking to follow up a debut in which he threw six
scoreless innings. RHP Clay Buchholz (5-2, 2.67) goes for the Diamondbacks. The
2018 MLB non-waiver trade deadline will arrive one week from Tuesday, and the
rumor mill has long been in full swing as we gear up for a flurry of
activity.For contenders, it's a chance to address any glaring needs and put the
finishing touches on their rosters before the stretch run.For non-contenders,
it's an equally crucial time; they can turn established MLB talent into
prospects who may play critical roles on their next contending squads.It's a
time of great excitement for teams, players and fans alike, but it's also a time
when mistakes are made, whether it's a rebuilding team failing to make the most
of a trade chip or a contender giving up too much in search of an upgrade.With
that in mind, ahead is a look at five deadline mistakes that might go down
during the upcoming week.Giving Up Anything of Significance for Asdrubal
Cabrera1 of 5Al Bello/Getty ImagesAsdrubal Cabrera is generating widespread
interest from teams looking to add middle infield help.The Milwaukee
Brewers
Pat Tillman Jersey Limited , Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies were linked to the veteran by Buster Olney of ESPN.Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported
the Arizona Diamondbacks are on the list of interested parties as well, and the
Seattle Mariners are also giving him a look, per Matt Ehalt of The Record.For
the Brewers (.235 BA, .642 OPS) and Indians (.218 BA, .652 OPS), Cabrera would
represent a significant offensive upgrade at second base.The Phillies likely
prefer him at third base (.250 BA, .744 OPS), while the Diamondbacks could shift
Ketel Marte from second to shortstop to accommodate him. As Ehalt noted, the
Mariners may be seeking second base help as a contingency plan since Robinson
Cano is ineligible for the postseason.The 32-year-old Cabrera is hitting
.280/.332/.487 with 21 doubles, 17 home runs and 53 RBI, and he's making a
reasonable $8.3 million in the final year of his contract.Much of his offensive
value, however, has been canceled out by his horrendous defense.He's lost more
than a few steps since his days as an everyday shortstop (-12.3 UZR/150), and
his defensive runs saved mark (-17) is third-worst among all position
players.He's a 1.0 WAR player, and it would be a mistake for any of the
aforementioned contenders to give up anything more than a couple of low-level
prospects to acquire him.Giving Up a Top-Tier Prospect for Kyle Barraclough2 of
5Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesKyle Barraclough has posted elite strikeout numbers
out of the Miami Marlins bullpen since his debut in 2015.The 28-year-old boasts
a career mark of 11.7 whiffs per nine innings, good for 18th among relievers who
have appeared in at least 100 games during that span.There's a catch,
however.He's also walked hitters at a rate of 5.4 per nine innings??he
second-highest mark among that same group??nd while he's made progress in that
department this season (4.9 BB/9)
Authentic Jared Goff Jersey , it's still an area of concern.That's not to say Barraclough can't be an impact addition to a contender's bullpen.He's pitching
to a 2.45 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 10 saves in 14 chances, and he's holding
opposing hitters to a meager .150 average.Still, teams should think long and
hard about meeting the Marlins' asking price.Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wrote, "The
Marlins are basically looking for another club's top prospect, or among their
top prospects, to be included in any trade."Barraclough is a good reliever who's
under team control through the 2021 season.But he's not Andrew Miller. He's not
Aroldis Chapman. He's not Brad Hand.The Royals Placing an Unreasonable Asking
Price on Whit Merrifield3 of 5Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesOn the surface,
Whit Merrifield is exactly the type of player the rebuilding Kansas City Royals
should be looking to acquire.He's not arbitration-eligible until next offseason,
he's under team control through 2022, and he has steadily improved in each of
his three MLB seasons.However, he's also already 29 years old.With a long
rebuild forthcoming, there's a good chance Merrifield will not be part of the
next contending Royals team, so it makes sense for Kansas City to sell high
now.It will take a reasonable asking price for someone to bite, though.One
executive told Robert Murray of The Athletic it will require "three higher-end
prospects, at least" to pry Merrifield loose ahead of the deadline.That's likely
more than anyone will pay, even for a player who's hitting .302/.371/.424 with
17 stolen bases and 2.9 WAR.Truth be told, if the Royals can turn the
late-blooming Merrifield into one top-tier prospect and a couple of mid-level
guys with upside, it would be a worthwhile move to help a thin farm
system.Holding to that unreasonably high asking price could mean missing the
best window to trade one of the few remaining assets on the big league
roster.Counting on Cole Hamels to Be Anything More Than Back-End Depth4 of
5Duane Burleson/Getty ImagesCole Hamels carries more name value than on-field
value at this point in his career.The prize of the 2015 trade deadline when he
went from Philadelphia to Texas
Jared Goff Jersey Elite , Hamels is now 34 years old and no longer the frontline starter he was in his prime. He is 5-8 with a 4.36 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and
109 strikeouts in 109.1 innings.Those middling numbers are accompanied by a 5.06
FIP that suggests he's actually been the beneficiary of some good luck, and he's
struggled mightily of late, with a 9.53 ERA in his last four starts.So where
does that leave the Texas Rangers and the market for Hamels?Texas appears to be
headed for a retooling period and has little use for the veteran starter, who is
making $23.5 million this year and has a $20 million team option with a $6
million buyout for 2019.Anything the Rangers can do to unload him and save money
would be a win.As for his market, Hamels is still capable of being a solid
addition for a number of contenders, but a deal for him has to come with the
right expectations.He can't be plugged in to the No. 2 spot in a rotation and
counted on to make a significant impact in the postseason. Instead, he's best
suited as a back-end starter and innings eater who perhaps gets the ball in a
Game 4 with a short leash.The lack of options on this year's starting pitching
market could lead a team to acquire Hamels and ask him to do more than he's
capable of.Rebuilding Teams Not Taking Advantage of a Thin Starting Pitching
Market5 of 5Dylan BundyMitchell Layton/Getty ImagesIt's shaping up to be a tough
summer for contenders in search of starting pitching help.Veterans Hamels and
J.A. Happ are the top names on the rental market, while Matt Harvey, Tyson Ross
and Nathan Eovaldi are also expected to be on the move.Mike Fiers' stock has
trended upward in recent weeks, and someone might be willing to take a chance on
James Shields if the Chicago White Sox chip in some money.But that's about
it.Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard have been popular names on the rumor mill,
but it's looking increasingly unlikely that either pitcher will be moved by the
New York Mets.So, it's a seller's market, and there are several rebuilding teams
that would be wise to take advantage by shopping the following
pitchers:Baltimore: Dylan Bundy and Kevin GausmanDetroit: Michael Fulmer and
Matthew BoydKansas City: Danny DuffyMiami: Dan Straily and Jose UrenaNew York
(NL): Steven Matz and Zack WheelerPittsburgh: Jameson Taillon and Ivan NovaTampa
Bay: Chris ArcherIf the deadline comes and goes without at least a couple of
those pitchers changing teams, it'll mark a huge missed opportunity for
rebuilding clubs as a whole to cash in on a favorable market. All stats courtesy
of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs and accurate through Sunday.
