MLB Weekly Digest April 23rd Edition

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The previous week in MLB was about a starting pitcher making history, a manager in National League being relieved of his duties and a club loses a starting pitcher for the 2018 season.

Oakland Athletics Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea Tosses No-Hitter Against Boston Red Sox

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Sean Manaea made history in his outing Saturday night against the Boston Red Sox, as he tossed a no-hitter against them.

NBC Sports California provided the final out:

Manaea no-hits the Red Sox! pic.twitter.com/JqVhr1dTvI

— A’s on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 22, 2018

He struck out 10 batters and issued just two walks.

One reason that Manaea was able to have success against the Red Sox is he limited hard contact while on the mound, per Daren Willman of MLB.

Sean Manaea only allowed 2 batted balls with a hit probability greather than 50%. The hardest hit ball off him was Hanley’s last batted ball of the game.

— Daren Willman (@darenw) April 22, 2018

This was the 12^th no-hitter in Athletics history, and he became the first pitcher to no-hit the Red Sox since Chris Bosio accomplished the feat 25 years ago.

The Red Sox had a 3,987 game-drought without being no-hit end, which was the second longest active streak, per Stats By Stats.

Sean Manaea threw the 12th no-hitter in @Athletics history, becoming the first pitcher to no-hit the @RedSox since Chris Bosio did 25 years ago tomorrow.

Boston’s 3987-game drought without being no-hit was the 2nd-longest active streak.

Only one longer: #RootedInOakland (4241).

— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) April 22, 2018

He’s also the third pitcher in Athletics history with 10 or more strikeouts in a no-hitter, joining Dave Stewart (12 in 1990) and Catfish Hunter (11 in 1968), per ESPN Stats & Info.

Sean Manaea no-hits the Red Sox. Boston hadn’t been no-hit since April 22, 1993, the 2nd-longest active streak in MLB entering today.

He’s the 3rd pitcher in Athletics history with 10+ strikeouts in a no-hitter, joining Dave Stewart (12 in 1990) and Catfish Hunter (11 in 1968). pic.twitter.com/2euzpJlWBh

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 22, 2018

Manaea throwing a no-hitter is super impressive, but to complete it against a club that had the best record in Major League Baseball and was leading the league in runs scored, makes it even more special.

Sean Manaea just threw a no-hitter against a 17-2 team on an 8-game win streak.

What a performance. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/gMVhdsH7XJ

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 22, 2018

Cincinnati Reds Let Go Manager Bryan Price After Worst Start in Franchise History

The Cincinnati Reds are off to the worst start in franchise history and have decided to let go of manager Bryan Price.

They announced that bench coach Jim Riggleman will be the interim manager, Pat Kelly will be promoted from Louisville (Triple-A) manager to bench coach and pitching coach Mack Jenkins has been replaced Danny Darwin.

The Reds have announced they are replacing manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins. Effective immediately, bench coach Jim Riggleman is interim manager, Louisville manager Pat Kelly is bench coach, and Pensacola pitching coach Danny Darwin is major league staff.

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 19, 2018

Price compiled a 279-387 record in four seasons as the skipper for the Reds and the club failed to qualify for the playoffs in any of those seasons.

The highest win total they had was 76 in 2014 and failed to win more than 70 games from 2015-17 with Price in charge.

Riggleman has a plethora of managerial experience with the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals. He has accumulated a 662-824 record and managed the Nationals from 2009 to 2011.

In 12 years as a manager, Riggleman has guided one team to the postseason, which was the Cubs in 1998, but they were swept in the National League Division Series.

It’s not the fault of Price that the Reds are the worst team in the Majors. They have a young pitching staff, which is 29^th in baseball with a 5.71 ERA from the starting rotation.

Some people to keep an eye on that could be the new Reds’ manager are Barry Larkin, John Farrell, and Joe Girardi, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The #Reds say they will conduct a thorough search for permanent manager later in year but Barry Larkin becomes leading candidate with John Farrell and Joe Girardi also expected to be in mix

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 19, 2018

The major problem with the Reds is they’re in a rebuilding mode with young pitchers who haven’t entirely developed in a hitter’s ballpark.

They’re also a low-revenue team, which means they don’t have the luxury of signing free agents if some of their draft picks don’t pan out.

Price might not want to manage another team if a job becomes available, but he has extremely high value as a pitching coach.

Arizona Diamondbacks Starting Pitcher Taijuan Walker Needs to Undergo Tommy John Surgery

The Arizona Diamondbacks will be without one member of their starting rotation for the rest of the 2018 campaign.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that pitcher Taijuan Walker has a torn UCL and will likely need to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Torey Lovullo announces Taijuan Walker has a torn UCL and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery.

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 18, 2018

The team has called up pitcher Matt Koch to take Walker’s spot in the rotation.

Walker requiring season-ending surgery is a significant loss for the Diamondbacks. He posted a 3.49 ERA in 157.1 innings (28 starts) in 2017 and compiled a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings (three starts) in 2018.

It’s a significant loss for the Diamondbacks to be without Walker, but, hopefully, Koch pitches well and is able to keep the club in games.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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