Archives for April 2021

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday:

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VIRUS SCARE

The Chicago Cubs hope to stay on schedule amid a coronavirus scare that’s landed four players on the COVID-19 injured list the past two days. Scheduled starter Kyle Hendricks was scratched Tuesday after the right-hander indicated he wasn’t feeling well — the team didn’t immediately provide more info on his status, other than to say the move was made out of caution.

The team said prior to Tuesday’s game that no players have tested positive. Bullpen coach Chris Young and first base coach Craig Driver have been flagged for positive tests.

Chicago is set to wrap a series in Milwaukee, with Brewers ace Corbin Burnes (0-1, 0.73) facing Jake Arrieta (2-0, 2.25).

CUP OF JOE

Joe Musgrove is back on the mound after pitching the first no-hitter in Padres history in his previous start. This time, he’ll face the Pirates at PNC Park — the 28-year-old righty played three seasons for the Pirates before getting traded to San Diego last January.

Musgrove is from the San Diego area and his parents own and operate a coffee shop in the suburb of Alpine, California. Padres fans have been flocking there since Musgrove tossed his gem last Friday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington.

“It’s something that’s been in the family for 20 years, a small drive through in a small town, so they don’t usually do crazy business,” Musgrove said. “But the last few days have been some of the best days they’ve ever had. I really appreciate people helping support their small business.”

DEVASTATING DEVERS

Rafael Devers has homered in four straight games, boosting Boston during its seven-game winning streak. He connected Tuesday at snowy Target Field in a 4-2 win.

Devers started the season 0 for 13 but is 9 for 22 (.409) since that slump. He has five home runs and 10 RBIs in his last four games.

Devers and the Red Sox will try to extend their streaks in a doubleheader at Minnesota. Kenta Maeda (1-0, 2.61 ERA) and José Berríos (2-0, 1.54) are scheduled to start for the Twins.

ON THE MEND

Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson, who’s been out since the first game of the season with a right hamstring strain, is likely to be activated from the injured list for the doubleheader against the Red Sox.

The 35-year-old Donaldson doubled in his only at-bat this season. He hit .222 with six homers and 11 RBIs last year in the pandemic-shortened season.

BIG MAPLE’S BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

James Paxton’s season is done after just 1 1/3 innings. The left-hander’s return to Seattle has been cut short by a left elbow injury that will require season-ending surgery. Paxton signed an $8.5 million, one-year deal with the Mariners hoping to re-establish himself after a left flexor strain limited him to five starts with the Yankees in 2020.

“I feel terrible for Pax and having to deal with this one again,” manager Scott Servais said. “If I know Pax, he’ll take the right attitude with it and go forward and try to make the best out of it and come back stronger than ever.”

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HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday that the semiautonomous Chinese territory’s legislative elections will take place in December, more than a year after they were postponed by authorities citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic.

Lam also said that laws will be amended so that inciting voters not to vote or to cast blank or invalid votes will be made illegal, although voters themselves are free to boycott voting or cast votes as they wish.

“When a person willfully obstructs or prevents any person from voting at an election, we will consider it corrupt conduct,” said Lam.

Lam said that the elections will take place on Dec. 19. The elections were initially slated to be held last September.

Lam was speaking a day ahead of the first reading of draft amendments to various laws in the city’s legislature, to accommodate Beijing’s planned changes to the city’s electoral system.

Beijing in March announced changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, expanding the number of seats in the legislature while reducing the number of directly-elected seats from 35 to 20.

The move is part of a two-phase effort to rein in political protest and opposition in Hong Kong, which is part of China but has had a more liberal political system as a former British colony. China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last year and is following up this year with a revamp of the electoral process.

The crackdown comes in the wake of months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets and turned violent as the government resisted the movement’s demands.

In the current 70-member legislature, voters elect half the members and the other half are chosen by constituencies representing various professions and interest groups. Many of the constituencies lean pro-Beijing, ensuring that wing a majority in the legislature.

The new body will have 20 elected members, 30 chosen by the constituencies and 40 by an Election Committee which also chooses the city’s leader.

The committee, which will be expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members, is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.

A new, separate body will also be set up to review the qualifications of candidates for office in Hong Kong to ensure that the city is governed by “patriots,” in the language of the central government.

Elections for the Election Committee, which will choose the city’s leader and 40 lawmakers, will be held on Sept. 19. Elections for the chief executive will take place on March 27, 2022, Lam said Tuesday.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Back on the mound two days after an abbreviated start, Marcus Stroman tossed six spotless innings and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 Tuesday night for a doubleheader sweep.

Brandon Nimmo had three hits and three RBIs from the leadoff spot. Jonathan Villar followed up his game-winning single in the opener with a run-scoring double, and Stroman (2-0) outpitched Phillies ace Aaron Nola.

Both games of the single-admission twinbill, booked to make up Monday night’s rainout at Citi Field, were scheduled for seven innings in keeping with a rules change introduced during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

In the first game, Pete Alonso and Villar each hit an RBI single in the eighth to give New York a 4-3 victory in extra innings. Dominic Smith socked an early two-run homer for the Mets.

Stroman’s outing Sunday against Miami lasted only nine pitches because the game was suspended due to rain. He tweeted his displeasure, saying the game never should have started and he hated that he would have to wait another five days to pitch again.

Mets manager Luis Rojas initially said Stroman would remain on four days of rest and pitch Friday at Colorado. After the postponement Monday was announced, however, Rojas reversed course and said Stroman would start the nightcap Tuesday.

Rojas said Stroman at first wanted to recreate his entire between-start regimen, including a bullpen and workouts. But after playing catch Monday, he told his manager his arm would be ready for Tuesday and he was taking the ball in the nightcap to be there for the team.

“That was nice to hear, of course,” Rojas said.

The cocksure 5-foot-7 right-hander hopped around excitedly all night, slapping his glove after inducing a pair of inning-ending double plays and even flipping his bat away after drawing a late walk at the plate.

Stroman was perfect over the first three innings and faced the minimum through four. He permitted four hits, all singles, and walked none. He struck out three and threw 86 pitches.

Jeurys Familia got three outs to finish the six-hitter.

Villar doubled home a run off Nola (0-1) in the fourth, and Nimmo added a two-run single. Tomás Nido hit his first career triple in the sixth and scored on Nimmo’s single.

With the Mets down a run in the first game, Alonso opened the bottom of the eighth with a sharp single off Héctor Neris (0-1) that scored placement runner Francisco Lindor from second. It was New York’s first hit since the second inning.

Jeff McNeil beat out a potential double-play ball, Michael Conforto walked and James McCann’s infield single loaded the bases with one out.

Villar, who entered as a pinch-runner in the seventh, lofted a full-count pitch to left-center over the head of left fielder Andrew McCutchen, playing shallow in hopes of cutting off the winning run.

“It’s good to see those big hits in those moments,” Rojas said. “You can see the guys’ timing coming together.”

Aided by McCann’s passed ball, the Phillies went ahead 3-2 in the top of the eighth on Didi Gregorius’ two-out infield single. Trevor May (1-1) then struck out Jean Segura with two runners in scoring position and got his first win for the Mets.

Taijuan Walker struck out eight over 4 1/3 innings in his second start with New York, again showing some increased velocity on multiple pitches in his repertoire.

“I feel like today I had all five that were swing-and-miss pitches,” Walker said. “I just thought it was an overall great team win.”

Miguel Castro escaped the fifth with a one-run lead thanks to a terrific defensive play by substitute third baseman Luis Guillorme to thwart a double steal.

“That was a game-changer,” Rojas said.

Smith homered in the first inning, his second two-run shot off Chase Anderson in a week.

GETTING HEATED

There was some barking back and forth between the Mets’ bench and Phillies reliever José Alvarado during the first game after the left-hander buzzed Conforto up and in and then drilled him near the right wrist with a 100 mph fastball in the sixth. Alvarado gestured dismissively in the direction of New York’s dugout, but nothing more came of it.

X-rays on Conforto’s wrist were negative, the Mets said. Conforto didn’t start the nightcap, with Kevin Pillar playing right field instead.

DRY SWINGS

The Mets were finally back on the field after showers stymied them the previous two days. New York had played just five games in the first 12 days of the season because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Washington Nationals and then wet weather.

Several top hitters are off to slow starts, and the Mets have struggled at the plate with runners in scoring position.

“It kind of feels like spring training. Except the games mean a lot,” Lindor said before the opener. “We can’t make any excuses. We’ve got to start winning ballgames.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Knapp caught the first game, and All-Star backstop J.T. Realmuto was behind the plate for the second. … Matt Joyce replaced McCutchen in LF for the nightcap. … With reliever Archie Bradley placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of a strained left oblique, top prospect Spencer Howard was added to the roster as the 27th man for the twinbill. The right-hander made his first professional relief appearance in the second game, allowing a run in the sixth.

Mets: Guillorme started the opener at 3B for J.D. Davis (bruised left hand), who is eligible to come off the injured list Saturday. Villar started at the hot corner in the second game. … LHP Stephen Tarpley was recalled from the alternate training site to serve as the 27th man on the roster.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (1-1, 2.31 ERA) pitches Wednesday night against his former team. Wheeler went 1-0 with a 3.54 ERA in three starts versus the Mets last season, his first since leaving for a $118 million, five-year contract with Philadelphia.

Mets: Second-year lefty David Peterson (0-1, 13.50) makes his second start of the season after giving up a career-high six runs and seven hits, including two early homers, over four innings last week in Philadelphia. Peterson has a 16.50 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies (11 runs in six innings) and a 2.64 ERA in nine outings against all other teams.

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