![The intersection of Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani in MLB theater: a look at how 3 perfect game bids came to an end The intersection of Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani in MLB theater: a look at how 3 perfect game bids came to an end](https://i2.wp.com/cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/06/06114104/USATSI_23479210-scaled.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
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Skenes against Ohtani was baseball magic. Plus: More on the Padres’ interest in Garrett Crochet, multiple perfect-game offers and time running out for Christopher Morel’s defense in Chicago. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal, welcome to The Windup!
Skenes vs. Ohtani was must-see television
You never know for sure what to expect when a top prospect debuts. Earlier this year, the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday, the game’s No. 1 prospect in nearly every preseason ranking published throughout baseball, got his first taste of major league action and went 2-for-34. (.059) before. finding himself again in Triple A.
On the other side of the spectrum is Paul Skenes, who made his fifth major league start yesterday. Seven pitches into the game, he had thrown six pitches over 100 mph, the only outlier being an 85 mph slider to strike out Mookie Betts. Three pitches after that whiff, all swinging strikes, Shohei Ohtani was victim No. 2.
When Skenes’ day ended, there were eight strikeouts and one walk in five innings, bringing his total to 38 K and 6 walks in 27 innings. His ERA also rose to 3.00 for the season, as he allowed three earned runs, the first two coming on Ohtani’s revenge ball in the third inning.
The second round goes to Shohei Ohtani 😳 pic.twitter.com/PeNvdak1ep
-MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2024
That home run came on a 100.1 mph fastball. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, it was the fastest pitch Ohtani has ever hit a home run on.
Absolute theater. Oh, and the Pirates (29-32) won 10-6; They are going to sweep today.
Here are three more fun statistics from yesterday:
• Again, from Sarah Langs in MLB, Skenes’ strikeout of Ohtani was the first time in the pitch-tracking era (2008-present) that a starting pitcher recorded a strikeout on three pitches, all swinging, all at 100 mph or faster. .
• Skenes threw 16 pitches at 100 mph or faster yesterday. That’s tied for fifth most in a game this season. In fourth place on that list? Skenes, of course. He threw 17 triple-digit fastballs in his debut on May 11 against the Cubs.
• But at 101.3 mph, Skenes’ hardest pitch didn’t even reach the top nine pitch speeds in yesterday’s game. All nine belong to reliever Aroldis Chapman, who peaked at 104 mph, a number he hasn’t hit since 2018 (strange, since his average fastball velocity this year is 96.8 mph, the lowest of his career).
Ken’s notebook: Garrett Crochet Trade Value
Here’s some additional perspective on the story The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and I wrote earlier this week about the Padres’ interest in White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (pronounced Crow-Shay).
Crochet’s 69 2/3 innings this season, his first as a full-time starter, are the best mark of his career. He didn’t even reach that total during his three years at the University of Tennessee.
So while the White Sox plan to value Crochet as the No. 1 starter, according to sources briefed on their thinking, no acquiring team can assume he will be a viable second-half starter.
Crochet, 24, underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022 and spent three months on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation last season. At some point, he will reach the innings limit.
The good news is that Crochet will earn just $800,000 in 2024 and will be under club control for two more seasons. So any team that trades for him could move him to their bullpen for the rest of the 24th and then start him again in the 25th. The Padres, like most clubs, also need help in their bullpen.
Either way, crochet is a coveted weapon, for the present and the future. Thanks to the expanded postseason, the trade market will almost certainly have few sellers: All but two National League teams entered within 3 1/2 games of a postseason spot Wednesday, and all but three National League clubs Americana were at 6 1/2.
The White Sox, then, could do well in trades not only for Crochet but also for right-hander Erick Fedde, reliever Michael Kopech, outfielder Tommy Pham and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
It is not certain that the White Sox will trade Crochet. Concern over tackles could prevent your assessment of him from aligning with that of another club. On the other hand, beggars cannot choose. The way pitching has evolved, most teams value quality over quantity. Some contender may go after Crochet and then figure out what to do with him in 2024 and beyond.
When a perfect game offer is thwarted
Last night there were three perfect game attempts in the American League. None came to fruition, but it provided an evening of intrigue for the channel-hoppers among us:
Athletics 2, Mariners 1: The A’s Joey Estes went six perfect innings before JP Crawford led off the seventh with an off-the-wall double. At the end of the game, the A’s had just one more hit than the Mariners (5-4), but TJ McFarland scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning, and that insurance run was enough to hold off Julio’s solo home run in the ninth inning. . Rodriguez.
Rangers 9, Tigers 1: José Ureña’s perfect bet against the Detroit Tigers ended one inning before Estes’: Justyn-Henry Malloy got his first major league hit, a home run to lead off the sixth inning. Ureña could soon be without a rotation spot in Texas, with Jon Gray and Max Scherzer expected to return. Additionally, Corey Seager, who has had a great run, left the game with hamstring tightness and is day to day.
Yankees 9, Twins 5: Carlos Rodón’s perfect bet against the Twins also ended with a home run in the sixth inning, this one by Carlos Santana, with one out. Later, Royce Lewis also hit a home run, becoming the first Twin to homer in his first three games of the season… even though the team played 58 games between Lewis’ first and second shots. Something strange he’s never seen before: Check out Ryan Jeffers’ glove in this slide from Aaron Judge:
What will the Cubs do with Christopher Morel?
Last week, we dove into fielding run value, among other fielding metrics. At that point, I ran out of space and just told them about the guy who was leading the league in stats: Marcus Semien. What I also didn’t include: Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel ranked last in baseball.
It still is, at -8. Meanwhile, FanGraphs’ “Def” stat ranks him seventh-worst (minus-6.5) and tied for third-worst in Defensive Runs Saved, at minus-8. To clarify, this is between all players at all positions, not just third base.
This isn’t exactly a shock. Even before the season started, Morel’s defense was a big question mark. It’s starting to look like that question is close to having an answer, and it’s not the one Morel or the Cubs were hoping for.
As Patrick Mooney writes, manager Craig Counsell has acknowledged that the time to “figure it out” is almost up, and the Cubs are considering other options at third base.
That doesn’t mean they’re going to move it yet. Mooney does a good job of laying out the alternatives, and frankly, there is no definitive solution at this time. But the search for a solution has begun.
It would be easy to look at Morel’s line of .203/.313/.387 (.700 OPS) and assume that’s a contributing factor, but Mooney addresses that, too:
“Counsell fully believes the expected statistics that portray Morel as an extremely unlucky hitter who is in for a big rebound. Morel (…) leads the team in home runs with 11. He has significantly reduced his strikeout percentage and at the same time increased his walk rate. “His bat speed, barrel percentage and hard-hit rate suggest a hitter who can be truly elite.”
Fortunately, we now know how to check it! Morel’s wOBA is .308, but his xwOBA is .378, for a difference of -0.070, by far the unluckiest on the team (among players with 50+ plate appearances).
Unfortunately, the fight for the gloves does not have that underlying optimism. And it’s not as simple as “just move him to DH” either: current DH Mike Tauchman has a .762 OPS, which is third-best on the team. Tauchman plays all three outfield positions, but there are no seats at that table either: Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong all contribute.
One option Mooney says isn’t ready yet: the team could move first baseman Michael Busch to third base. That would possibly allow them to move Bellinger back to the field.
Handshakes and high fives
Juan Soto is having one of the best years, if not the best, of his career. Chris Kirschner told him about his childhood obsession with hitting, which has never gone away.
Tyler Kepner sat down with Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, who talked about the Cardinals, the state of the game and the responsibility he takes on as a beloved member of St. Louis history.
It’s too early to make a World Series prediction with confidence. But as we approach the middle of the season, things are starting to look very real for both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Guardians.
The Red Sox have placed reliever Chris Martin on the injured list as he deals with anxiety, Jen McCaffrey reports.
Jim Bowden takes a first step toward assembling the All-Star Game squads.
You can buy tickets to all MLB games here.
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(Top photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
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