The Week That Was: April 24–30
More injury news, more big offensive performances. Just another week in the 2017 MLB season.
Standings
Playoff Odds
National League
American League
Standout Performers
American League West:
- Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels: 10 H, 5 BB, 2 HR, 20 TB
- Jesse Hahn, RHP, Oakland Athletics: 14 IP, 12 K, 2 BB, 2 ER
National League West:
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks: 11 H, 5 BB, 1 HR, 18 TB
- Patrick Corbin, LHP, Colorado Rockies: 13.1 IP, 15 K, 4 BB, 2 ER
American League Central:
- Jose Abreu, 1B, Chicago White Sox: 10 H, 2 HR, 3 BB, 20 TB
- Justin Verlander, RHP, Detroit Tigers: 7 IP, 8 K, 2 BB, 0 ER
National League Central:
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs: 11 H, 2 HR, 6 BB, 21 TB
- Ivan Nova, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: 9 IP, 7 K, 0 BB, 0 ER
American League East:
- Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees: 6 H, 4 HR, 7 BB, 18 TB
- Marcus Stroman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays: 7.1 IP, 10 K, 2 BB, 2 ER
National League East:
- Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Washington Nationals: 13 H, 5 HR, 1 BB, 30 TB
- Zach Eflin, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies: 7 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 2 ER
Performance of the Week
Anthony Rendon, 3B, Washington Nationals: 6–6, 3 HR, 10 RBI on Sunday April 30
Injury Report
- Following the big injury news to Madison Bumgarner, the Washington Nationals have now experienced a big injury of their own, as outfielder Adam Eaton has torn his ACL and meniscus and will likely be out anywhere from six to nine months.
- In other rather significant injury news, the Arizona Diamondbacks have announced that pitcher Shelby Miller has experienced a slight tear of his UCL and will likely be undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending his 2017 season.
- The Seattle Mariners have placed outfielder Mitch Haniger on the 10-day disabled list following a right oblique strain. Haniger is expected to miss 3–4 weeks and could be out until late May.
- The Mets had enough injury news to last a season this week as Yoenis Céspedes was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and Noah Syndergaard was scratched from a start earlier in the week with a tired arm, and then removed from his start on Sunday with a lat strain.
- After being placed on the disabled list last week, Aaron Nola will likely miss more than the 10 days required by his DL stint.
- The Colorado Rockies officially activated OF/1B/SS Ian Desmond from the disabled list on Sunday.
- New York Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez is expected to begin his rehab assignment on May 2.
Three Big Storylines
The Washington Nationals Suffer a Big Loss
Going into last weekend’s action, no team in baseball was hotter than the Washington Nationals. Coming off a series in which they scored 30 runs in a series win at Coors Field against the Rockies, the Nationals were riding high going into a weekend series with the New York Mets. That is until Saturday happened.
Things didn’t look good after Adam Eaton fell to the ground in a heap trying to beat out an infield single. There was some hope Eaton would avoid serious injury, but it was announced after the game Eaton had suffered a torn ACL and would miss six to nine months. This leaves the Nats to turn to Michael Taylor in center field, something they have done unsuccessfully in the last two seasons. Even without Eaton, the Nationals still have a comfortable divisional lead and should be able to keep themselves in the playoff race. However, Eaton’s loss could be a big blow to the Nats World Series aspirations.
Your 2017 Home Run Leaders: Eric Thames, Ryan Zimmerman, and Aaron Judge?
Honestly, who predicted these three at the top of the home run leaderboards one month in? While the return of Eric Thames has been the most surprising story in all of baseball, the re-emergence of Ryan Zimmerman and the full-season debut of Aaron Judge have been just as exciting to watch. After a season in which Mark Trumbo led the league in home runs with 47, all three of these guys could very well push 50.
The New York Mets Are Falling Apart
The Mets didn’t really get the season off on the right foot when David Wright was shut down prior to Opening Day. Then it was Steven Matz. Then Seth Lugo. Then Lucas Duda. After that, bigger injuries started happening, with the injury to Yoenis Céspedes this week. Noah Syndergaard was scratched from his start due to “arm tiredness” and Mets fans took the panic meter to a nine. Syndergaard refused an MRI and told the team he was ready to pitch on Sunday. Syndergaard looked completely lost, giving up five earned runs in just over an inning before being pulled due to an injury. Now Syndergaard is getting that MRI, and the Mets season looks to already be in a rather perilous state.
Play(s) of the Week
Hit of the Week
Pitch of the Week
Matchups to Watch: May 1–7
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros: May 1–4
The Rangers currently sit five games behind the Astros in the American League West and here’s their first chance to make up some of that difference. The Rangers dominated their season series with the ’Stros last year, winning 15 of the 19 games the two teams played.
San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: May 1–3
After a disastrous start to the season, the Giants sit five games behind the third place Dodgers and seven games behind the division leading Rockies. If the Giants are going to step up, now is the time.
New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs: May 5–7
We just saw a rare series with the Cubs facing the Red Sox, now we get the Yankees traveling to Wrigley Field for another uncommon matchup.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies: May 5–7
After playing three games in Arizona this last weekend, the Rockies and D’backs will play three more games in Colorado next weekend with first place in the division likely on the line.
