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PT TODAY: Rondon pitching well in CHI bullpen

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BaseballHQ

May 4 2014 11:06pm

PT TODAY: Rondon pitching well in CHI bullpen

BaseballHQ

May 4 2014

Team-by-team playing time allocation charts can be found in our Teamview pages.

National League \| American League

Cubs \| Héctor Rondón closes the door
Chicago Cubs RP Héctor Rondón recorded his second save in as many days Saturday, May 3. Source: The Associated Press

BHQ take: Rondon is now clearly the closing choice, though CHC management has not officially designated him as such. With 16 K/4 BB in 15 IP, Rondon has shown better Ctl/Cmd than Veras and Strop, who struggled in earlier closing opportunities. Though he displayed unimpressive 4.1 Ctl and 1.8 Cmd as a 2013 rookie, he flashed better Ctl/Cmd in September, ending the season with 8 K/2 BB in his final nine IP. His early-season Ctl/Cmd matches his September 2013 skills, suggesting he might be able to cement his hold on the closer role. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Med
Rondon, Hector	SV Gain: 40%
Strop, Pedro	SV Loss: -10%
Veras, Jose	PT Loss: -1% SV Loss: -30%



Braves \| Gavin Floyd to return this weekend
The Atlanta Braves plan on activating SP Gavin Floyd (shoulder) from the disabled list sometime this weekend, with his 30-day minor league rehab period up Friday, May 2. He'll throw a bullpen session Friday. There doesn't appear to be room in the current rotation for Floyd's return, however. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he's not considering moving SP Alex Wood to the bullpen after he allowed seven earned runs against the Miami Marlins Tuesday, April 29. Atlanta doesn't plan on sending Floyd to the minors, either. Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Carroll Rogers

BHQ take: Gavin Floyd is back, and because of a minor thumb injury suffered by Ervin Santana, he is scheduled to start on May 6th. Floyd's been consistently solid over the last five years with xERA's ranging from 3.66 to 4.05 and BPV's from 73 to 92. With those numbers, he's worth rostering in all but shallow leagues. Santana is not expected to miss more than a start or two, but Floyd is likely to be in the Atlanta rotation one way or another. Ian Thomas heads to Triple-A to make room for Floyd. For the most part, Thomas was effective during his brief stay—4.04 xERA and 3.0 Cmd—and will likely be back at some point this season. —Phil Hertz

Impact: High
Thomas, Ian	PT Loss: -1%
Floyd, Gavin C	PT Gain: 2%
Santana, Ervin R



Reds \| Skip Schumaker activated from disabled list
The Cincinnati Reds have activated OF Skip Schumaker (shoulder) from the disabled list. In a corresponding move, OF Roger Bernadina was designated for assignment. Source: The Associated Press

BHQ take: Versatile Schumaker joins CIN bench, likely getting occasional starts vs. RHP. He has significant career platoon splits, with .300 BA and .752 OPS vs. RHP; .211 BA and .534 OPS vs. LHP. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Low
Bernadina, Roger	PT Loss: -10%
Schumaker, Skip	PT Gain: 10%



Pirates \| Jeff Locke to start Monday
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said SP Jeff Locke will be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to start against the San Francisco Giants Monday, May 5. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Ray Fittipaldo

BHQ take: Locke suffered a right oblique injury during spring training and began the season in the minors with five HR in three starts. In his four starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, he allowed at least a hit an inning in each with a 17/5 K/BB ratio (19 IP). Locke also had identical 41% GB and FB rates; he needed a 53% GB% and 26% FB% combo in 2013 to help get to a 3.52 ERA. —Mike Shears

Impact: Low
Locke, Jeff



Pirates \| Vin Mazzaro up, Brandon Cumpton down
The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of RP Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A Indianapolis Saturday, May 3. In the corresponding move, the team optioned SP Brandon Cumpton back to Indianapolis. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Bill Brink

BHQ take: Mazzaro began the season at Triple-A Indianapolis with an 8/0 K/BB ratio in five outings (eight IP). In his sixth he allowed three BB and no K but no hits or runs scored (2.1 IP). His final appearance was a one-pitch flyout. Mazzaro's performance may have confirmed his demotion to start 2014 was just a numbers game. —Mike Shears

Impact: Low
Mazzaro, Vin





American League \| National League

Blue Jays \| Brandon Morrow moved to 60-day DL
Toronto Blue Jays SP Brandon Morrow (hand) was transferred from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list Saturday, May 3. He has a torn tendon sheath in his hand. Morrow will try to rehab the injury, and needs rest until July. If the injury does not heal, he will undergo season-ending surgery. Source: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi

BHQ take: Further adjustments to the TOR pitching allocation with the latest update on Morrow's injury status. Marcus Stroman is the most interesting of the innings recipients, especially if he can find his way into the rotation, and is profiled in our Daily Call-Ups section. Dustin McGowan has a PQS line of 0-4-0-0-3-4 after his latest outing on May 4, when he recorded five hits, five strikeouts and three walks over seven innings. As previously noted, J.A. Happ is scheduled for a May 5 start, in this very dynamic pitching situation. Stay tuned. —Matt Dodge

Impact: Med
Stroman, Marcus	PT Gain: 2%
Happ, J.A.	PT Gain: 1%
Morrow, Brandon	PT Loss: -4%
McGowan, Dustin M	PT Gain: 1%



Mariners \| Abraham Almonte benched Saturday
Seattle Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon benched OF Abraham Almonte Saturday, May 3, against the Houston Astros, because he was mired in a 4-for-37 slump. 'That's why he's sitting, because it's not working,' McClendon said. 'It's that simple. He's not playing because he's not producing.' Source: The Associated Press

BHQ take: Almonte's struggles are not completely unexpected, although his extremely poor Eye (0.15) is a surprise. Stefen Romero has stepped in in RF when Michael Saunders moves to CF in place of Almonte; Romero's production has arguably been worse than Almonte's, and his poor plate skills (no walks, 74% ct%) do not bode well for anything better. Of the three, the veteran Saunders is the best investment for 2014. Saunders' own ct% is nothing to write home about, and limits his BA. But he does draw some walks, and has shown good power/speed skills. With increased playing time, he could provide double figures in HR and SB. —Rod Truesdell

Impact: Low
Romero, Stefen	PT Gain: 10%
Almonte, Abraham	PT Loss: -15%
Saunders, Michael	PT Gain: 5%



Rays \| Recall Nathan Karns
The Tampa Bay Rays recalled SP Nathan Karns from Triple-A Durham Sunday May 4. Source: Twitter

BHQ take: Heath Bell was designated for assignment, and the TAM Holds were reallocated accordingly. Karns showed elite dominance thus far in 2014 at AAA-Durham with 33 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched, but also gave up 18 walks and six HR over the same period. He may still be a work in progress with only 330 minor league innings, but there are opportunities on the TAM staff if he can get back to his 2011-13 minor league performance level (3.5 Ctl, 0.5 HR/9). Bell's undoing was the near doubling of his walk rate from 2013 to 2014 (Ctl from 2.2 to 4.2), along with a rising H% (from 35% to 38%), resulting in too many baserunners. —Matt Dodge

Impact: Low
Karns, Nathan	PT Gain: 2%
Bell, Heath J	PT Loss: -2%



White Sox \| Adam Eaton placed on disabled list
Confirming a previous report, the Chicago White Sox have placed OF Adam Eaton (hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list because of a hamstring injury. In a corresponding move, RP Frank De Los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Source: MLB.com - Scott Merkin

BHQ take: It appears Jordan Danks will get the extra ABs by default, as CHW claimed an .059 BA hitter in Moises Sierra instead of making a callup from the farm. Danks has a nice seven BB (one intentional) in 42 PA, but he's maintained the horrible ct% (54% in 35 AB) he began the season with at Triple-A Charlotte (11 K, 22 AB). Sierra moves to a park that increases RHB HR by 17% over his former field in TOR, but in his short trial with the Blue Jays, he was beating the ball into the ground at a 60% clip (34 AB). An 8% h% means he can't find any holes in the infield right now. —Mike Shears

Impact: Low
Eaton, Adam	PT Loss: -10%
Sierra, Moises	PT Gain: 10%
Danks, Jordan



Twins \| Eduardo Escobar with four knocks
Minnesota Twins SS Eduardo Escobar had a career-high four hits Wednesday, April 30. Source: The Associated Press

BHQ take: A few days after this feat, Escobar was named the "primary SS" over Pedro Florimón, Jr. Escobar has been on a roll since his demotion in mid-2013. At Triple-A Rochester, he hit .307 (four HR, six SB in 166 AB), then returned to MIN in September to go 11-for-34 with no HRs or SBs. While he's seen some slight gains in ct% and Eye, his current .333 BA in 36 AB is mainly driven by a 41% h%, which is 12% higher than his rate over the 2012 and 2013 seasons (.214 and .232 BAs, respectively). As for Florimon, his 2014 skill set is very similar to the one that got him to a .221 BA in 2013. The big difference that's leading him to a .121 BA is his extremely low 17% hit rate. —Mike Shears

Impact: Low
Escobar, Eduardo	PT Gain: 10%
Florimon Jr., Pedro A	PT Loss: -10%



Indians \| Recall Nyjer Morgan
The Cleveland Indians recalled OF Nyjer Morgan from Triple-A Columbus Sunday, May 4. Source: Twitter

BHQ take: Morgan saw immediate action with Michael Bourn sidelined, and will see regular PT so long as Bourn's hamstring tightness lingers. A speedy slap hitter, Morgan was 8-for-23 as he opened the season playing regularly in CF while Bourn was on the DL. He was optioned to Triple-A upon Bourn's return. Morgan is a career .281 hitter, outperforming his .256 xBA due to frequent mid-30s hit rates. His consistent 130+ Spd makes him a SB threat. —Tom Kephart

Impact: Low
Morgan, Nyjer	PT Gain: 5%
Bourn, Michael R	PT Loss: -5%

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Playing Time Key

The playing time percentage changes at the bottom of most news items correspond to BaseballHQ.com's Teamview pages. The percentages approximate changes in AB, IP and Saves in the following manner:

For batters, each 5% of PT% ~ 31 AB (100% total for each position = 618 AB)
For pitchers, each 3% of PT% ~ 44 IP (100% total for a team's entire pitching staff)
For relievers, each 5% of Svs ~ 2 saves (100% of a team's total = about40 saves)

A complete explanation of BaseballHQ.com's playing time allocations can be found in the article "How the Projections are Created."