MLB Weekly Digest May 7th Edition

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The last week in MLB was about a team in the National League losing an All-Star player, a player in the American League reaching a significant career milestone and a team accomplishes something great on the baseball diamond.

Los Angeles Dodgers Lose Shortstop Corey Seager for Entire 2018 Season Due to Tommy John Surgery

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a heart-breaking announcement earlier this week regarding one of their best players.

They said that All-Star shortstop Corey Seager will need to undergo Tommy John surgery as he has a right ulnar collateral ligament sprain, which will knock him out for the entire 2018 campaign.

Today, the Dodgers recalled Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Corey Seager on the 10-day DL with a right UCL sprain. Seager will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 30, 2018

Seager underwent an MRI during the week, which confirmed the injury and needing Tommy John surgery was the necessary option, per J.P. Hoornstra of Southern California News Group.

Seager says an MRI this morning revealed it was “necessary” to have Tommy John.

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) April 30, 2018

The loss of Seager is a big blow to the Dodgers as the team is already without third baseman Justin Turner, second baseman Logan Forsythe and outfielder Yasiel Puig, who is on the disabled list with a bruised hip.

Seager is one of the best shortstops in the Majors. To put his value into context and what he means for the Dodgers, since the start of his 2016 rookie season, Seager’s 12.0 wins above replacement are the 4^th most among all primary shortstops and most among any Dodgers player, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Since the start of his 2016 rookie season, Seager’s 12.0 wins above replacement are the 4th-most among all primary shortstops & most among any Dodgers player. https://t.co/uAlKdanAux

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 30, 2018

The Dodgers will move outfielder Chris Taylor to shortstop for now, but the team may look to acquire a shortstop at the trade deadline. One name to keep in mind is Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.

The Dodgers were one of the nine teams who tried to acquire Machado this offseason.

However, it’s not the style of Dodgers’ president of baseball operations Andrew Freidman to deal high-value prospects for a rental player, especially when the Dodgers are trying to stay under the luxury-tax threshold, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Certainly not Andrew Friedman’s style to trade big prospects for a rental such as Machado, particularly during a season in which the Dodgers are trying to stay under the luxury-tax threshold. We’ll see.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 30, 2018

Los Angeles Angels First Baseman Albert Pujols Joins Exclusive 3,000-Hit Club

There are many milestones a baseball player will reach over their career in the Majors, such as getting their first hit, crushing their first home run and tallying their first RBI.

Once their career progresses over several years, the milestones will increase in magnitude.

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols reached one of those important milestones. He roped a single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake in Friday’s game, which was the 3,000^th hit of his career.

The 3,000 Hit Club just got bigger! Albert Pujols, you’re its newest member! #Pujols3000 pic.twitter.com/hatWVJblga

— Angels (@Angels) May 5, 2018

He became just the 32^nd player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish this tremendous feat. He’s also the first person to join this prestigious club since Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre did it last July.

Pujols is also one of four players in MLB history with 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Albert Pujols becomes the 32nd member of the 3,000-hit club.

Pujols is just the 4th player in MLB history with 3,000 hits and 600 HR pic.twitter.com/iIPwX450NI

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 5, 2018

Pujols was an excellent player in his prime with the St. Louis Cardinals but hasn’t been close to that same player for the Angels.

However, he’s still a solid hitter that can do damage at the plate when healthy. He’s had a Hall of Fame career and congratulations to him on reaching a great achievement.

Los Angeles Dodgers Toss Combined No-Hitter Led by Rookie Walker Buehler

The Los Angeles Dodgers have started the 2018 season in a rocky fashion but something remarkable happened a couple days ago.

The club used four pitchers in a 4-0 victory against the San Diego Padres to toss a combined no-hitter in the first regular-season game played in Mexico since 1999.

Nine innings. Four pitchers. No hits.#TipOfTheCap to the @Dodgers for locking it down. pic.twitter.com/69aN4wcLug

— MLB (@MLB) May 5, 2018

They were led by a strong outing from rookie Walker Buehler, who went six innings with eight strikeouts and three walks on 93 pitches.

After Buehler was removed from the game, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore continued to keep the Padres hitless over the final three frames.

The quartet of arms totaled 13 K’s and yielded five walks in the victory.

This marked the second no-hitter of the season as Oakland Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea fired a no-no against the Boston Red Sox on April 21.

The dominance on the mound by Buehler has only happened three times since 1908 per MLB Pipeline:

#Dodgers Walker Buehler did something only been done 2 other times in the past 110 years in @MLB (≥ 6 IP while allowing 0 hits & 0 R with ≥ 8 K within first 3 #MLB starts):
6 IP
0 H
0 R
3 BB
8 K
No wonder he’s No. 12 on the Top 100 Prospects list: https://t.co/TuTZgd5PTS pic.twitter.com/x3VcBIEfiP

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2018

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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