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We had an instant classic in Seattle, Ken checks in on free-agent bargains, we attempt to give the White Sox a break and for the first time in my life I have typed the words “sausage” and “expert” in succession. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
Double no-hitter turns into Mariners walk-off
I had just finished watching the Twins/White Sox game (more on that later) when I saw a tweet informing me of something special brewing in Seattle. Through four innings, Braves starter Max Fried had a no-hitter, and Mariners starter Bryce Miller had a perfect game.
Two first-place teams? (My lifelong dream of a) double no-hitter? OK, yeah, I’ll flip over for that.
The tête-à-tête continued through the fifth, and despite a Travis d’Arnaud walk breaking up Miller’s perfect game, we still had a double-no-no through six.
Finally, in the bottom of the seventh, Ronald Acuña Jr. broke through with a hard infield single off the glove of a sliding Dylan Moore at shortstop. Acuña stole second and third base, then scored on an Ozzie Albies double to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Fried didn’t come out for the seventh — he was at 100 pitches — but reliever Pierce Johnson hurled a perfect seventh to keep the no-hitter intact. Alas, a Josh Rojas single off Joe Jiménez in the bottom of the eighth dashed our chance to see history. The Mariners loaded the bases, but couldn’t tie the game.
But even with the no-hitters gone, there was still high drama remaining. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with Seattle still trailing 1-0, Jorge Polanco singled. Then with a full count, Mitch Garver did … this:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a walk-off home run bat flip that looked so much like the hitter was thinking “UGH. Nothing good ever happens to me!”
But make no mistake: It was a celebration. The ball sailed into the Seattle night, and the Mariners won an instant classic.
Another instant classic: Luis Severino of the Mets took his no-hitter into the eighth inning, but this one was also decided by a ninth-inning home run. Christopher Morel took Edwin Díaz deep to give the now first-place Cubs a 3-1 win in Queens.
Ken’s Notebook: Free agents offering best value
Assessing free-agent signings after one month is essentially a fool’s errand. But seeing as my dear readers routinely call me names worse than fool, let’s go ahead!
Seriously, one of my podcast listeners asked Monday if Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo López was the best value in the most recent free-agent class. The question got me thinking. And the unofficial list I compiled — while entirely premature, repeat, entirely premature! — is somewhat interesting:
Best free-agent value
| Pitcher | Contract (years/$) | ERA | GS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3/30 |
0.72 |
4 |
|
|
4/53 |
0.98 |
5 |
|
|
3/75 |
1.16 |
4 |
|
|
4/44 |
1.59 |
6 |
|
|
3/45 |
1.66 |
6 |
Among hitters, I would pick Justin Turner, who has a .923 OPS with the Toronto Blue Jays after signing a one-year, $13 million deal. But the pitchers’ list is the one that intrigues me. Why? Because López and Hicks were relievers who signed to be starting pitchers — just as Lugo did a year ago.
How many innings either can throw is an open question. Hicks, 27, worked a career-high 77 2/3 innings in 2018, his rookie season. Lopez, 30, averaged 186 1/3 innings as a starter in 2018 and ’19, but hasn’t thrown more than 66 in a season since.
Lugo, 34, is a decent comp for both — he made 26 starts and worked 146 1/3 innings last season. Those totals are hardly embarrassing in an era in which starters rarely go deep into games. And Lugo, who can opt out after the 2025 season, figures to only build on that foundation, presuming he stays healthy.
The other surprise on my list is Imanaga, who has outpitched his Japanese countryman, right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3.54 ERA) after signing for $272 million less.
In the Jan. 4 edition of The Windup, I wrote that agents and executives were buzzing that Imanaga, 30, was poised to receive a contract of at least $100 million. One executive reached out to me immediately to inform me I was nuts. My information indeed proved incorrect. But I don’t know, maybe Imanaga should have received $100 million — $200 million even, the way his major-league career has started!
OK, OK, it’s still early. Let’s see how it all plays out.
Twins’ summer sensation: Sausage!
Tossing a sausage around, a normal way to celebrate offensive prowess. (John Cordes / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
We referenced the Twins’ “good luck sausage” in yesterday’s edition of The Windup, but Dan Hayes, God bless him, has gone above and beyond for us, googling “sausage expert” for this little slice of professional journalism: “How the Twins’ summer sausage celebration got made: It sparked the offense, but should they eat it?”
OK, first of all, no. No! Do not eat the sausage!
Not necessarily because of health concerns — one of Dan’s experts basically shrugged and said he would eat it, sure, why not — but because it is pretty obviously a good luck charm! Best practices for this scenario were established over 2,500 years ago!
Hayes’ piece is full of top-tier quotes from players and coaches (my favorite was from Twins manager Rocco Baldelli: “That’s what you’re looking for. Playing great and thinking about nothing, except apparently a sausage”) and features a line that I feel safe saying has never been featured in a sports story:
“He completed a chef apprenticeship after spending five years in Switzerland studying under master chef Annegret Schlumpf.”
Anyway, it’s still working: The Twins just won their eighth straight game. This sort of thing is not the only reason I love baseball, but it is ONE reason that I love baseball. It’s not the No. 1 weirdest sport in the world, but the 162-game season certainly creates space for this sort of weirdness. I cannot imagine this happening in the NFL or NBA.
… OK, yeah, it could happen in hockey. Hockey is full of weirdos, too.
Giving the White Sox a break
I saw a stat last night while watching that Twins/White Sox game that I was certain had to be a mistake. It showed the teams who had the best record against sub-.500 teams this year. First up: the Twins, who were 7-0 (they’re now 8-0 after a 3-2 win over Chicago).
But the second-best record was the one I was sure had to be wrong.
Chicago White Sox: 3-0.
Excuse me?
It turns out, it was a little misleading. It didn’t take long for me to find an instance of the White Sox losing to a team with a losing record. It was April 4, and the 2-4 Royals beat them 10-1.
But if the broadcast meant “record against teams that are currently under .500,” it’s accurate. The White Sox, after last night’s game, are 3-23 against the Tigers, Braves, Royals, Guardians, Reds, Phillies and Twins — all of whom currently have records of .500 or better.
Against the Rays (who are currently 14-16), they’re 3-0.
That stat is sort of a Rorschach test. On one hand, maybe the White Sox aren’t historically abysmal? Maybe they’re just a Normal-Bad™️ team that has had the misfortune of an extremely tough schedule to start the season?
But on the other hand, you could also argue that facing the White Sox for three or more games this early in the season is an easy boost in the direction of a winning record.
At the very least, the Tommy Pham effect has been real. His first game in a White Sox uniform was April 26, the first game of the Rays series, which the White Sox swept. Last night’s 3-2 loss to the Sausage Crew (somehow this now means the Twins, not the Brewers) snapped the win streak, but it was tied 2-2 until the top of the ninth.
Handshakes and High Fives
Correction (sort of): Yesterday, we showed you a GIF of Aaron Judge breaking up a double play by holding his hand aloft, blocking the throw to first base. At the time, it was ruled to be incidental, but I missed this: Crew chief Andy Fletcher said after the game that they missed the call and it should have been called interference.
Betts-vs.-Kwan no-strikeout watch: The Guardians were off yesterday, so Steven Kwan’s streak remains at 53 plate appearances without a strikeout. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts went 0-for-3 with two walks — but no strikeouts, putting him at 57. But here’s something wild: Not a single Dodgers hitter struck out in the 8-4 win over the D-Backs. It’s the first time the Dodgers have pulled off the feat since 2006.
This week’s Power Rankings look at each team’s April MVP.
Keith Law scouts Phillies, Orioles and Mets prospects, and Melissa Lockard takes a look at 20 underrated prospects off to a hot start.
Players are happy to hear about the fixes coming to uniforms, but, as evidenced by some entertaining quotes, they’re a bit wary. Meanwhile, Tyler Kepner issues a reasonable plea: Go back to team uniforms for the All-Star Game. Please?
Eno Sarris examines the sustainability of a few hitters who are off to hot starts. Jim Deshaies joined Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville on Starkville to chat about the Cubs’ good start, MLB pitching injuries and more.
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(Top photo of Shota Imanaga: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
