News
Brewers optioned INF Oliver Dunn to Triple-A Nashville.
Dunn had a clutch bunt to drive in a run during Wednesday’s win, but he’s slashing .167/.205/.222 through 41 plate appearances this season. There are rumors that the Brewers are calling up Caleb Durbin to take Dunn’s place on the roster, but the team and beat writers have not confirmed the rumors as of yet.
Gabriel Arias went 4-for-5 with a double in the Guardians’ 8-6 defeat of the Nationals on Wednesday.
Arias’s double was the hardest-hit ball of the game at 109.5 mph. He has a fine .287/.339/.452 line in 127 plate appearances, even though he’s sporting the worst contact rate (60%) and fourth-highest groundball rate (58%) among 161 qualified major league hitters. It’s certainly reason for some skepticism going forward.
Logan Allen yielded three runs in four innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Nationals.
Allen gave up seven hits and walked four, so allowing only three runs was quite an accomplishment. Scoring all of their runs in the sixth, the Guardians ended up winning the game 8-6 even though the Nationals had more hits (13-10), more extra-base hits (4-2) and more walks (7-5). Allen remains 1-2 with a 4.33 ERA through seven starts. He’ll face the Brewers next.
Emmanuel Clase notched his eighth save with a scoreless ninth against the Nationals on Wednesday.
All three balls in play against Clase were hit hard, with one falling for a single. The right-hander struck out the other batter he faced. Clase has allowed two runs — one earned — over six innings in six appearances since his Apr. 20 blown save and subsequent shoulder scare.
Michael Soroka was charged with four runs in five-plus innings Wednesday in a loss to the Guardians.
Making his return from the IL, Soroka struck out eight through five scoreless innings. That’s how this blurb could have begun if Soroka hadn’t been allowed to start the sixth today. Still, there’s not really any blaming Dave Martinez here; Soroka’s pitch count was great, the Nationals bullpen is terrible and all but one of the team’s relievers worked in Tuesday’s doubleheader. Soroka faced four batters in the sixth, giving up two singles, hitting a batter and then surrendering a three-run double. It was still an encouraging day for him — he had a 38% CSW and he allowed just one hard-hit ball through five — but he’s probably not currently a mixed-league guy while pitching for a bad team. He’ll face his old friends in Atlanta next time out.
Jorge López was charged with three runs without retiring a batter in the sixth inning Wednesday against the Guardians.
He gave up two singles and a walk before being pulled after just eight pitches. López is actually 5-0 this season, but with his ERA up to 7.41, his roster spot might be in danger. He’s struck out only 10 and given up 14 runs in 17 innings.
Amed Rosario went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a walk against the Guardians on Wednesday.
CJ Abrams, Rosario and James Wood all had three hits from the top three spots in the Nationals order today, but the rest of the lineup combined to go 4-for-21. For Rosario, it was a third three-hit game in 14 starts this season, and he has six RBI in his last three starts. Alas, the Nationals are set to face righties for at least seven games in a row now, so Rosario will probably spend a lot of time on the bench.