MLB Weekly Digest October 1st Edition

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The last week in MLB was about a pitcher in the American League who decided to undergo surgery, an infielder in the National League might be sidelined when threw postseason begins, and a team in NL clinches a spot for the playoffs.

Los Angeles Angels Superstar Shohei Ohtani Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the first week of the offseason, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group.

Shohei Ohtani will have TJ surgery in the first week of the offseason. It’s official. #Angels

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) September 25, 2018

Ohtani needing to have this type of procedure on his elbow was inevitable since there was damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).

The remarkable aspect for Ohtani is that he was still able to hit even though there was damage to his UCL, as most pitchers are shut down once they receive news about needing TJ.

Ohtani will be out for the 2019 season due to having the operation in the offseason, and this puts the Angels in a bad spot going into next season.

They will have to replace his spot in the rotation by making a trade, signing a free agent, or one of their young pitchers can earn a rotation spot with a solid showing during spring training.

The loss of Ohtani for the 2019 season is a major blow for the Angels, but hopefully, he has no setbacks in his recovery and will be ready for 2020.

Atlanta Braves Shortstop Dansby Swanson Might Miss Postseason Due to Hand Injury

The Atlanta Braves may be without an important member of their team when the postseason begins. The club’s shortstop Dansby Swanson has a partially torn ligament in his left hand after he underwent an MRI early last week.

Dansby Swanson underwent an MRI in Atlanta today which revealed a partially torn ligament in his left hand. Swanson will undergo daily treatment in Atlanta for the remainder of the regular season. He will be re-evaluated next week.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 26, 2018

Swanson was previously on the disabled list May 4 due to left wrist inflammation, but the injury only kept him out of action for 14 games before returning May 19.

The infielder has played a key role in Braves having a tremendous 2018 season. He posted a .238 batting average and .699 OPS in 136 games with 25 doubles, 14 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.

The other area he provides value to the team is defense, as he ranks sixth among all shortstops with 11 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.

The Braves are hopeful that Swanson could be ready for the National League Division Series, but, if not, third baseman Johan Camargo would be inserted as their shortstop.

Colorado Rockies Clinch Spot in Postseason for Second Consecutive Year, Face Dodgers in Game 163 on Monday

The Colorado Rockies will be playing in the playoffs for the second straight year. The team clinched a spot for October with a 5-2 win against the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

We’re baaack! Welcome to #Rocktober! ???? pic.twitter.com/jLKZE7QBcg

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 29, 2018

The Rockies were in the playoffs last year as one of the two Wild-Card teams but lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-8.

The strength of the Rockies is their offensive firepower as they have a bevy of hitters that can do damage such as shortstop Trevor Story, third baseman Nolan Arenado, and outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

The team won the final game of the season 12-0 against the Washington Nationals on Sunday. They will the Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow at Dodger Stadium for game 163 to determine the National League West division winner, as both clubs ended the season with identical 91-71 records.

The victory wasn’t the only special thing that happened for the Rockies on Sunday as outfielder Charlie Blackmon hit for the cycle.

The 4th cycle of the year comes in #Game162.

Nazty pic.twitter.com/97fdNxf3x5

— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2018

This was the fourth cycle of the season and the ninth in franchise history. The last player for the Rockies to hit for the cycle was Arenado.

Blackmon is the first player ever to hit for the cycle on game 162, per MLB Stat of the Day.

.@Chuck_Nazty is the 1st player EVER to hit for the cycle on #Game162. pic.twitter.com/LDRdBW86ya

— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) September 30, 2018

The Rockies will start German Marquez in the tiebreaking game tomorrow, while the Dodgers counter with Walker Buehler, per Kyle Newman of the Denver Post.

#Rockies’ Bud Black confirms German Marquez will start in tomorrow’s tiebreaker game in Los Angeles. Walker Buehler confirmed as Dodgers starter as well. Young guns on the hill with NL West at stake. #Rocktober

— Kyle Newman (@KyleNewmanDP) September 30, 2018

The Rockies and Dodgers won’t be the only game 163 to occur on Monday, as Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs will meet at Wrigley Field to determine the NL Central winner, per MLB Network.

Case of the Mondays? Not tomorrow!#MLBTonight #Game163 pic.twitter.com/kZvYSxP0km

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 30, 2018

The winner of the Brewers and Cubs game will get home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs, while the Dodgers and Rockies game has home-field advantage in the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The winner of the #Brewers–#Cubs game tomorrow will have home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. The winner of the #Dodgers–#Rockies game will have home-field advantage in the NL Division Series against the Atlanta #Braves

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 30, 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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