MARINERS DECISIONS
Tom Wilhelmsen has converted his last two save chances for the Mariners and it sounds like he’s surpassed Carson Smith for closing duties with the Mariners. When asked, manager Lloyd McClendon say that “as we speak” Wilhelmsen is the closer. Tom W. was killer last season with a 2.27 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 51.7 percent ground ball rate heading into 2015 with a lot of push. Through 40 outings this season the numbers don’t come close to comparing as he has a 3.86 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and a 42.7 GB-rate. Walks are always an issue with Tom meaning that his 3.38 BB/9 mark over his last 12 outings is a good number (career 4.06 per nine). Meanwhile, Smith has an elite 11.50 K/9 mark and 64.8 percent ground ball rate this season. However, he’s blown his last two save chances and over his last five outings he’s walked four men in 6.2 innings with a 5.40 ERA. For now it’s Wilhelmsen, even if Smith has performed better this season.
The Mariners have decided to send Vidal Nuno to the bullpen and to replace him with Roenis Elias. Nuno has made only four starts this season, but this sure seems odd timing after he allowed one run over 6.2 innings to the White Sox his last time out. Elias has only made one relief outing since July 2nd but bares watching in AL-only leagues. Over 79 innings this season he’s the owner of a 4.22 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
SOME OTHER COOL STUFF
Felix Doubront hurt his foot and there was some debate about whether or not he would be able to start for the Athletics Saturday. He was able to run Wednesday and it sounds like, barring a further setback, that he will indeed take the hill Saturday. Over 18.2 innings with the Athletics Felix has a 2.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP after he was a butcher boy with the Blue Jays (4.76 ERA, 1.63 WHIP over 22.2 innings). An AL-only option is Doubront.
Yasmani Grandal might have earned the most “extra strikes” according to Baseball Prospectus, but Buster Posey is third. He’s also the only catcher in baseball hitting over .300 that has 400 plate appearances, and he’s hit 16 homers with 79 RBIs and 58 runs scored. Posey’s one of the best in baseball. Period.
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The Rays placed Curt Casali on the DL with a strained left hamstring. They will now use Rene Rivera and J.P. Arencibia in a platoon behind the dish. All JPA does is blast away, and he was doing that hitting just .227 with 22 homers at Triple-A. Still, Rivera has been astoundingly dreadful this season with a .510 OPS over 92 games. He’s got a mark of .535 against righties and a .455 rate against lefties. Mercy.
Alex Rodriguez was 0-for-4 Wednesday at the time this article was written to drop his average over the last 19 games to .126 (9-for-71). His 
average is down to .255 but he’s still the owner of a .361 OBP and .488 SLG. Those are impressive numbers. He’s also hit 26 homers with 69 RBIs and 69 runs scored. Hell of a season… to this point. Let’s see if he can hold on or if he’s just through.
Wilin Rosario hit .270-28-71 in 2012. In 2013 he hit .292-21-79. He did slump last year to .267-13-54, but no one could have predicted what happened this year. Rosario hit .272 but with only five homers in 183 at-bats resulting in a demotion to Triple-A. In 33 games on the farm he’s hit .302 with five homers and a .519 SLG, yet he continues to toil in the minors. I know he can’t catch, his defense is terrible, but how can the Rockies not find a way to get him in there when a lefty is on the bump? In just 415 career at-bats against lefties Wilin has hit .320 with 31 homers and 80 RBIs. That effort has also produced a .964 OPS. Great job Rockies – way to bench/demote a HOF worthy talent against left-handed pitching.
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Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.