MLB Notes: Gerrit Cole shut down; Pirates shuffle roster to add pitching depth
The headliner in a flurry of Pirates roster moves Tuesday was the official shutdown of right-hander Gerrit Cole. The 26-year-old pitcher will not pitch again in 2016, sidelined by posterior elbow inflammation. He had a 3.88 ERA over 116 innings in 21 starts.
Cole will finish the season on the 60-day disabled list, his third trip to the DL this season. He injured his ribcage before spring training, strained his right triceps in June and first felt elbow discomfort in August. He sat out for two weeks, then allowed five runs in two innings Monday.
“I’m disappointed,” Cole said. “There’s just not enough time to recover. I’m disappointed I’m not out there to help the team. That’s the one thing I’ve been fighting for all year.”
The Pirates made several other moves on the periphery of their roster.
Catcher Chris Stewart (left knee) and Second baseman Josh Harrison (groin) were placed on the 60-day DL.
The Pirates acquired left-hander Wade LeBlanc from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash or a player to be named. LeBlanc, 32, is an option to help the Pirates in a starting or relief role for the remainder of the season. He had a 4.50 ERA in 11 appearances with Seattle this season.
Left-hander Zach Phillips, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles last month in a trade for lefty Kyle Lobstein, also will join the Pirates. He had a 4.35 ERA over 62 innings at Class AAA this season but has not pitched in the majors since 2013.
Al-Jazeera seeks lawsuit dismissal
Al-Jazeera America is asking a judge to dismiss defamation lawsuits filed by two Major League Baseball players over statements made in the broadcaster’s documentary about performance-enhancing drugs in sports.
Lawyers for the news organization and for Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals and Ryan Howard of the Phillies appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington. The suits, which were consolidated into one Tuesday, refer to the documentary “The Dark Side: Secrets of Sports Doping,” broadcast by Al-Jazeera America in December 2015.
The suit alleges a pharmacist who appeared in the documentary made false statements when he said Zimmerman and Howard took banned performance-enhancing drugs.
MLB investigated the allegations and said it found no violations of its drug agreement.
The judge overseeing the case said she would issue a written ruling on whether the case should be dismissed. But she did not say when she would rule.
Updates with judge hearing two hours of arguments on lawssuits, now consolidated. Adds judge promises written ruling on request to dismiss suits later.
Dodgers announcer Scully to retire
Vin Scully says the last ballgame he will broadcast is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ regular-season finale – regardless of whether they reach the playoffs.
The 88-year-old announcer tells the Los Angeles Times his Hall of Fame career will end Oct. 2 in San Francisco. Scully had already said this will be his final season in the booth after 67 years, but until Tuesday had not announced whether he planned to call any potential postseason games on radio.
Scully says if he stayed on the air, he would be “saying goodbye like in grand opera, where you say goodbye 12 different times.”
His decision was not a surprise to the team, Dodgers spokesman Joe Jareck says.
Scully has two farewells coming up: First, on Sept. 25 during the Dodgers’ final home game of the regular season and then a week later at San Francisco.
Looking for their first World Series appearance since winning the 1988 championship, the Dodgers began the night with a four-game lead in the NL West over the Giants.
Scully switched from television to radio in recent years during the playoffs, when national broadcasters have exclusive TV rights.
Red Sox activate Benintendi
The Boston Red Sox have activated rookie outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the 15-day DL. The A.L. East leaders made the move before Tuesday night’s game against Baltimore. Benintendi had been on the DL since Aug. 25 with a sprained left knee.
Benintendi made his big league debut Aug. 2 and played 21 games before he was injured. He was hitting .324 with six doubles, a triple, one home run and 10 RBIs.