Mariners Moose Tracks, 8/15/20: Jacob deGrom, Starlin Castro, and now the Reds

Friday news dumps everywhere means chunky Saturday morning links, and tech issues mean links slightly later than usual. Welcome and enjoy before today’s 4:10 game today!

In Mariners News...

• Yesterday’s mollywhopping by the Astros was the result of a series of issues, starting with Yusei Kikuchi’s start-scratching neck spasms. Kikuchi may be able to start again soon, but it’s unclear if he’ll slide in the rotation soon or wait until his next scheduled turn.
• Nestor Cortes got the start, pitching quite poorly, and later reporting some tricep soreness.
• Dave Sims remains a gem, giving a good-spirited breakdown on Cameo of his infamous “Hey Lloyd, get the truck, to the airport” call for the Mariner Muse.

• Jonatan Clase was listed as the top unranked prospect in the Mariners system by MLB Pipeline after their recent update.

Around The League...

• The Reds-Pirates game today has been postponed following a Reds player testing positive for COVID-19, scuttling MLB’s hopes of the first day since July where all 30 clubs played a game.
• Baseball America reported MLB is considering allowing teams to add 15 more players to their player pools, in an effort to give players in their camps a better chance at full intrasquads.
• The Nationals called up one of their top prospects, infielder Luis Garcia, in response to infielder Starlin Castro breaking his wrist.
• Aaron Judge is seeking to be a superstar in all senses of the word, and MLB hopes he can be healthy enough to be that as well.
• Following their flouting of the guidelines for preventing COVID outbreaks, Cleveland has optioned two of their top starting pitchers - Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac - to their alternate training site.
• Adding to the prospect brigade, the Phillies added former 4th round pick JoJo Romero to their big league roster.
• Adding to this Phillies-heavy links, here’s a neat thread on the rarified company Connor Brogdon found himself in this week.

• The Rangers made a flurry of moves, including retrieving an old friend and freeing an avian.

• Padres bullpen ace Kirby Yates is getting an MRI on his elbow after discomfort following his last outing.
• Jacob deGrom also may miss a bit of time, as he was scratched from his start with neck tightness. The announcement could’ve gone smoother.

• The KBO is moving towards empty stadiums again for their stadiums with rising COVID numbers in South Korea.
• Fromer Mariners prospect RHP Enyel De Los Santos cleared waivers for the Phillies.
• MLB is considering adding the Negro Leagues to official Major League level history, which would reverse a prejudiced decision 50 years ago.
• Ramon Laureano saw his suspension reduced from six games to four.

• The Cardinals have a daunting schedule ahead of them, expected to play 55 games in 44 days, with doubleheaders aplenty.
• ESPN labels the Mariners as the second least likely club to sneak into the playoffs at this point.

John’s pick...

• Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn got the last laugh as the winning run on a walkoff Bryce Harper single last night, but things weren’t looking so peachy earlier.