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Good morning everyone! Let’s get your Thursday started with the latest news from around baseball.
In playoff news...
- Framber Valdez shut down the Red Sox last night to lead the Astros to a 9-1 victory, re-writing the script for the series and putting Houston ahead 3-2 overall.
- Eddie Rosario’s hot stretch at the plate continued as the outfielder bashed a pair of homers in Atlanta’s 9-2 win over the Dodgers. Atlanta now leads the series 3-1.
In Mariners news...
- Buster Olney at ESPN previewed the upcoming free agent market for the top shortstops in the class, noting that the Mariners are expected to be involved with most of them. ($)
Around the league...
- Daisuke Matsuzaka’s long career has come to a close.
Daisuke Matsuzaka faces the final batter of his long career across NPB, MLB and back to NPB again. pic.twitter.com/OAZSAFAphZ
— Jason Coskrey (@JCoskrey) October 19, 2021
- The Carlos Carrasco injury saga continues.
News: Carlos Carrasco underwent surgery yesterday to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow. The Mets provided no timeline on his return other than to say he will resume baseball activities "later this winter."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 20, 2021
- The Angels are cleaning house in their drafting and development department.
Matt Swanson has lost his job as #Angels scouting director. He oversaw the last 5 drafts, starting with 2017 (Jo Adell). No word yet on his replacement.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) October 20, 2021
- Tyler Kepner at The New York Times notes that Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson has been helping out the Astros through their postseason push.
- This former Mariner will be forced to go under the knife this winter.
White Sox reliever Evan Marshall is set to undergo Tommy John surgery next month. This was the likely outcome for a while now, but he made an effort to be rehab and pitch through it for the playoffs. Got up to 90-91 mph in his last sim game.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) October 20, 2021
- Should the Astros make it to the World Series, they’ll likely have to be without one of their top starters.
Astros ace Lance McCullers is seen as not likely to be able to pitch in the World Series should Houston get there. The good news is his forearm injury is seen as muscular in nature so he should be fine, just not in time for the WS. McCullers had a 0.84 ERA in ALDS. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 20, 2021
- Meanwhile, the Dodgers will have to complete their postseason run without one of their key bats.
Dave Roberts said Justin Turner suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain. His postseason is over.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) October 21, 2021
“I think that’ll be it for him.”
- Brendan Gawlowski at Fangraphs notes some changes that Cody Bellinger has made at the plate this fall.