Baseball notebook: Ventura: says relievers, media pose threats to Bradley’s streak
Robin Ventura holds the longest hitting streak in major college baseball at 58 games. But the Chicago White Sox manager thinks Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr. faces many more obstacles as he tries to build on a 27-game streak.
“The first thing is he’s probably feeling the best he’s ever felt in his career as far as going to the plate and feeling he can get a hit,” Ventura said Monday. “The pressure is going to be the every-day answering if he’s going to get a hit, what he’s thinking, guys that he passes. I think that along the way is going to be difficult.”
Bradley and the Red Sox enjoyed an off day Monday before they begin a three-game series against Colorado at Fenway Park on Tuesday. It’s the longest streak in the majors since the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado hit in 28 straight in 2014.
Ventura was a sophomore third baseman at Oklahoma State during his streak that lasted into the 1987 College World Series. It began in relative anonymity, but he started receiving attention when the Cowboys reached the postseason and his streak surpassed Joe DiMaggio’s major league record of 56 set in 1941.
Ventura said he was helped by playing important games later in his streak.
“What makes this hard is he’s just playing games,” Ventura said of Bradley. “They’re important, but they’re not a playoff game, they’re not a game toward the end of the year when you’re one up or one down at the end of the season. That part of it becomes tougher.”
And Ventura said you don’t see many long hitting streaks anymore because of the way bullpens are now constructed.
“You’ll see a tough lefty come in to face him that guys that passed him didn’t necessarily see,” Ventura said. “Today I think you’re seeing more velocity out of the bullpen than you have before. So it’s a tough go.”
Pirates’ Vogelsong hit in head by pitch in win over Rockies
Pirates starter Ryan Vogelsong was carted off the field after getting struck in the head by a pitch in the second inning of a 6-3 win over Colorado.
With the bases loaded and Pittsburgh leading 1-0, Colorado starter Jordan Lyles (1-2) hit Vogelsong in the left cheek with a 92 mph fastball. Typically pitching out of the bullpen, Vogelsong was making his second start of the season, filling in because of a rainout Sunday.
The Pirates later said Vogelsong was admitted to the hospital for injuries to his left eye. Vogelsong was replaced by Wilfredo Boscan (1-0), who got the win in relief.
Josh Hamilton will miss all season with another knee surgery
Josh Hamilton will miss the entire season after more surgery on his left knee.
The Rangers said that Hamilton, who has been on the disabled list all season, will have surgery June 8 in Houston. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Walt Lowe, whom the slugger visited for another opinion on his knee.
Hamilton, the 2010 A.L. MVP and a five-time All-Star, had surgery twice on the knee last year. The first was in September, and then he had another operation after the season after returning for the end of the regular season and for the playoffs.
He had soreness caused by an inflamed capsule behind his left knee after getting to spring training.
Hamilton, who turned 35 on Saturday, is signed through next season.
Mets’ Duda out long term with stress fracture in lower back
Mets manager Terry Collins expects first baseman Lucas Duda to be out at least four to six weeks and maybe longer with a stress fracture in his lower back.
The Mets placed Duda on the 15-day disabled list with the back problem that had been bothering him for some time. Collins gave no official timetable on Duda’s absence, but said the 30-year-old won’t be able to do baseball-related activities for some time.
“We’re looking at a fairly long period before he’s going to be able to get back and do some baseball stuff,” Collins said before his team’s game against the Washington Nationals.
“This guy is a legitimate big bat in the middle of our lineup, so somebody’s got to step up and pick up some of that load. We don’t have a kind of a guy that’s going to hit 25 to 30 (home runs), but we’ve got to space it out amongst everybody else.”
Duda is hitting .231 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs after putting up 27 home runs last season and 30 in 2014. Eric Campbell was at first base Monday and will shoulder most of the load for now, Collins said, at least until Wilmer Flores returns from a hamstring injury.
Rays’ Kiermaier expected to miss 8-10 weeks with broken hand
Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is expected to be sidelined eight to 10 weeks with a broken left hand, and he’ll undergo surgery Tuesday in St. Petersburg to repair two fractures, the team said.
Kiermaier, who was hurt diving for a fly ball Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, has been placed on the disabled list. He was hitting .236 with five homers and 16 RBIs.
“Eight to 10 weeks is a very long time to be without him, but we’ll find a way to get through it,” manager Kevin Cash said. “That’s a long time to be without a player as good as he is.”
Royals place Gordon on DL with fractured right wrist
The Royals have placed All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured right wrist.
Manager Ned Yost says Gordon will not need surgery but will miss three to four weeks. Gordon was injured in a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday when he collided with third baseman Mike Moustakas.
Moustakas is listed as day to day with a bruised knee.
Gordon is hitting .211 with four home runs and 10 RBIs this season.
The Royals recalled infielder Cheslor Cuthbert to help fill in while Gordon is out.
Tony Gwynn’s family sues tobacco industry over star’s death
Tony Gwynn’s widow and two children have filed a lawsuit seeking to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the Hall of Famer’s death.
The suit was filed in San Diego Superior Court by Alicia Gwynn and her children, Tony Jr. and Anisha Gwynn-Jones.
The suit says Gwynn started dipping as a 17-year-old freshman ballplayer at San Diego State. He died of oral cancer in 2014 at age 54.
Defendants include Altria Group Corp., the parent company of Philip Morris, and US Smokeless Tobacco Co. LLC.
According to the lawsuit, “Once Defendants got Tony addicted to their products, he became a self-described “tobacco junkie” who used 1 1/2 to 2 cans of Skoal per day.
The suit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.