Jackie Bradley Jr.'s hitting streak was snapped at 29 games, Bryce Harper returned to the lineup (and homered, a 437-foot blast into the third deck to help the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals), and we had bad news for the defending champs.
1. Mike Moustakas out for the season. Devastating blow for the Kansas City Royals as Moustakas suffered a torn ACL in a collision Sunday with teammate Alex Gordon, who wound up on the disabled list from the incident himself with a broken hand. The Royals have had great durability from their position players the past two seasons, with six playing in 140-plus games in 2015 and nine playing in 130-plus in 2014. Depth was a concern heading into this season and now it will be tested, with Cheslor Cuthbert (.237/.250/.339 in 60 plate appearances so far) getting time at third base and the red-hot Paulo Orlando likely moving into full-time duty in the outfield. Both are obviously significant downgrades -- maybe to the tune of six to eight wins the rest of the season, depending on how long Gordon is out.
The details on Mike Moustakas: The injury, the loss and the way forward: https://t.co/lwqaXOdWMn
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) May 27, 2016
2. Mascots, beware of Jose Fernandez. The Miami Marlins' ace struggled with fastball command in April, but he's clicking now. He fanned 12 in seven one-run innings against the Rays and has struck out 43 batters in 27 innings in his past four starts while allowing just three runs. But the most exciting part of Fernandez's start Thursday might have been when he hit Raymond, the Rays' mascot, with a pitch while warming up before the game. "He was all over my business," Fernandez said. "I'm trying to concentrate. It was a little changeup that came out of my hand. Just part of the game, man. This is a game, and I love to have fun."
3. The Baltimore Orioles swing and sometimes they miss. In a three-game series against the Houston Astros, the Orioles fanned 52 times -- a major league record for a three-game series. They also lost all three games, scoring just seven runs. Thursday's game was an odd as Houston starter Lance McCullers walked six and struck out 10 in five innings, allowing just one, a Mark Trumbo home run. Chris Davis went 0-for-5 and is down to .229/.344/.458 with a 220-strikeout pace that would challenge the single-season mark of 223. Also, a big night for George Springer:
Looks like George Springer is 3rd guy w/ multiple 430+ ft HR in a game this year per Statcast. Others: Chris Carter, Enrique Hernandez (!)
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 27, 2016
4. Time running out for Clay Buchholz? The Boston Red Sox have to start thinking of a new starter for the rotation as Buchholz once again struggled, giving up six runs and three home runs in an 8-2 loss to the Rockies. He has allowed fewer than four runs just twice in 10 starts and he ranks 90th out of 104 qualified starters in wOBA allowed and 94th in strikeout rate.
5. Julio Urias to start Friday! The consensus second-best pitching prospect in the game will fill in for Alex Wood and become the first teenager to start a major league game since Felix Hernandez in 2005 (and Hernandez was the first since 1991). Here's a flashback from Mark Saxon on how the Dodgers discovered the Mexican left-hander.