Felix Hernandez Reaches 2,500 Strikeouts

CBS Sports reports:

Felix Hernandez became the 36th pitcher with 2,500 career strikeouts on Saturday, fanning Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis in the second inning to cross the threshold. 

At 33 years and 33 days, "King Felix" is the sixth youngest pitcher to reach 2,500 strikeouts. Here are the five ahead of him:

1. Nolan Ryan: 31 years, 101 days
2. Walter Johnson: 31 years, 197 days
3. Pedro Martinez: 32 years, 221 days
4. Tom Seaver: 32 years, 287 days
5. Bert Blyleven: 33 years, 0 days (on his birthday)

Unfortunately, for Hernandez, his day soon fell apart. He started the third inning but didn't finish it, ending his day with a final line that included six hits, seven earned runs, and three walks. 

Hernandez is the second pitcher to cross 2,500 strikeouts this season, by the way, joining Nationals ace Max Scherzer. CC Sabathia, meanwhile, surpassed 3,000 strikeouts two weeks ago.

Albert Pujols Reaches 2,000 Career RBI's, Joins Aaron And A-Rod

MLB.com reports:

Albert Pujols knew it the second it left his bat.

Like the future Hall of Famer has done so many times through his storied career, the 39-year-old Pujols went deep in Thursday’s third inning, slamming Ryan Carpenter’s hanging fastball into the left-field stands. He admired his long ball before starting his trot around the bases, and for good reason.

Pujols’ sixth homer of the season made him the third player to reach 2,000 career RBIs and put an exclamation point as the Angels exploded for 16 hits in a 13-0 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park, helping Los Angeles leave the Motor City with the series win.

Pujols’ home run was part of a 1-for-4 day and ended an 0-for-15 skid, which dated back to Saturday. The homer had a projected distance of 415 feet, according to Statcast. It was his 639th, leaving him 21 shy of Willie Mays for fifth all time.

Pujols joined Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez as the only members of the 2,000-RBI club, and he could be the only one to join it for some time. Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera is the next closest to reaching the feat with 1,649.

• A complete guide to Pujols' 2,000 RBIs

The RBI record book can be bit confusing for a couple of reasons. For starters, RBIs did not become an official statistic until 1920, which means that the Elias Sports Bureau does not consider Babe Ruth and Cap Anson to be members of the 2,000-RBI club, even though you will see them listed as having reached that milestone on certain sites, such as Baseball Reference, which retroactively includes all RBIs accrued prior to 1920. Per Elias, the only players to officially accrue 2,000 RBIs are Aaron, Rodriguez and now Pujols.

• Third place or fifth? Let us explain

Additionally, due to the uncertain nature of record-keeping in the early part of the 20th century, some discrepancies exist between the stats provided today by different historical data providers. For example, some sources list Lou Gehrig as having 1,995 RBIs, while Elias has him at 1,994.

All-time RBI leaders, per the Elias Sports Bureau
1) Hank Aaron: 2,297
2) Alex Rodriguez: 2,086
3) Albert Pujols: 2,000
4) Barry Bonds: 1,996

Robinson Cano Joins 2,500 Hit Club

The Mets star is only the 101st player in MLB history to reach 2,500 career hits.

NBC sports reports:

With a first-inning ground-rule double against the Padres on Tuesday evening, Mets second baseman Robinson Canó joined the 2,500 hit club. He is the 101st member and currently has the third-most career hits among active players, trailing Albert Pujols (3,106) and Miguel Cabrera (2,712).

Canó, 36, entered Tuesday’s action batting .240/.298/.380 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 131 plate appearances. Certainly disappointing numbers, but he had a .754 OPS after exiting an April 28 game when he was hit on the hand by a pitch. In the six games since, his OPS dropped 76 points after going 2-for-21.

Canó’s double helped lead to two runs in the first inning for the Mets, as Amed Rosario and Pete Alonso each hit RBI singles to stake starter Noah Syndergaard to an early lead.

Mike Fiers Pitches A No-Hitter Against The Reds

MLB.com reports:

A's right-hander Mike Fiers threw his second career no-hitter and the first in the Major Leagues this season in a 2-0 win over the Reds on Tuesday night at Oakland Coliseum.

Fiers also threw a no-hitter on Aug. 21, 2015, when he was with the Astros against the Dodgers in Houston.

"Today it went my way. Helluva game," Fiers said during a postgame interview.

The Oakland Athletics' Mike Fiers completed the 2019 season's first no-hitter, blanking the visiting Cincinnati Reds in a 2-0 win Tuesday night.

It was the second no-hitter of Fiers' career. In 2015, Fiers pitched a no-hitter for the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was also the 300th no-hitter in major-league history.

The Reds' first baserunner came with two outs in the fourth inning when Jesse Winker reached on an error by Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman, who was in a defensive shift. In the top of the seventh inning, the Reds' Eugenio Suarez walked, but was forced out on a double-play ball hit by Winker. Yasiel Puig then walked, too, but Derek Dietrich's pop out to third ended the inning.

The A's backed Fiers with two outstanding defensive plays. Second baseman Jurickson Profar made a diving catch on Kyle Farmer's popup into short right field and center fielder Ramon Laureano made a leaping catch at the fence to rob Joey Votto of extra bases.

"Ramon's catch, he's done that once or twice so that's a normal thing for him," Fiers said. 

Shohei Ohtani To Be Activated Tonight As DH, Batting 3rd

MLB.com reports:

Shohei Ohtani is back.

The Angels reinstated Ohtani from the injured list on Tuesday, more than seven months after the two-way phenom underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.

Penciled in to bat third behind Mike Trout and serve as the designated hitter for the Angels' series opener against the Tigers, Ohtani joined the team earlier in the day and, upon being evaluated, received final clearance from team officials.

“We’re just thankful to finally get to this stage, because it was a long progression,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “I’m glad to see him get through it, but I’m not surprised. He’s a guy that accomplishes a lot of goals, but I’m very, very thankful to get him back.”

Ohtani, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, remains on target to return to the mound next season, but his return to the lineup gives the Angels an impact power bat to slot near the top of their order on a more regular basis.

“He injects offense, that’s for sure,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “He’s got big power.”

Ohtani figures to help boost an offense that is seemingly desperate for protection behind Trout, who led the Majors with 31 walks entering Tuesday.

“We’re just adding a middle-of-the-order bat, and when you can add that, it’s going to help everyone throughout the lineup,” Eppler said.

Moving forward, Ohtani is expected to face both right- and left-handed pitchers and will likely be penciled in the No. 3 spot on a regular basis, according to Ausmus.

Eppler alluded to an everyday role at DH that could eventually move Albert Pujols and Justin Bour into a platoon-type role at first base.

“[Pujols] has been, to nobody’s surprise, a consummate professional and said he’ll do whatever he can to help the club win,” Eppler said. “When you have some talented players and you have an opportunity to rotate them around a little bit, I think that’s actually a good thing for the longevity of the season.”

Ohtani has missed more than a month of the season while rehabbing from his October Tommy John surgery. He began taking batting practice in mid-April and has accrued more than 50 plate appearances against Minor League pitchers in simulated games over the past few weeks.

Given the unprecedented path to recovery that Ohtani continues to face as a two-way player, the Angels have previously shied away from announcing whether the Japanese star will see fewer at-bats as he progresses deeper into his pitching program. But Eppler said Tuesday that Ohtani won’t be at the point in his throwing rehab where it would start to require him to miss hitting days until September or October.

As part of his rehab as a pitcher, Ohtani is currently throwing three days a week off flat ground.

Former Mets Pitcher Ron Darling Has Thyroid Cancer

MSN reports:

Back in mid-April, former New York Mets pitcher and current SNY broadcaster ​Ron Darling ​left the booth to ​take a leave of absence to deal with a health issue.

Darling was prepared to have a mass in his chest removed, but sadly, after undergoing several other tests, the doctors determined further damage, diagnosing him with thyroid cancer.

Darling released this statement regarding the news:

"After the removal of the mass on my chest along with further tests, I have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My doctors have said they are optimistic that the cancer is treatable and that I would be back on air talking baseball in the next month or so. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their continued support."

It's great news that the doctors believe this is treatable and that he'll back in the booth soon enough. However, anytime you mention the "C" word, you can't help but think the worst. Luckily, it doesn't appear to be career-ending, and he should be back in the booth in the next month or so, pending treatments.

We certainly send our best wishes, while hoping strongly that this diagnosis is deemed accurate.

Matt Kemp Has Been Released By The Reds

CBS Sports reports:

What a difference a year makes when it comes to Matt Kemp. Last year in the first half, he was in the midst of a career renaissance. This year, he's been released by a last-place team while sitting on the injured list. The Reds made the official announcement Saturday afternoon. 

Kemp, 34, hit .200/.210/.283 in 62 plate appearances for the Reds this season with 19 strikeouts and one walk. He posted negative-0.9 WAR in just 20 games, and that's awfully tough to pull off. Impressive futility, one might say. 

Last season, Kemp hit .310/.352/.522 with 15 homers and 60 RBI in the first half, making the All-Star team for the first time since 2012. 

Though Kemp has been pretty bad since that stretch, especially so in 2019, the decision to cut him couldn't have come easily for the Reds, given his salary. Kemp is making $21.75 million this season. The Dodgers are picking up $3.5 million with the Padres getting $2.5 million. The Reds are on the hook for the rest. 

Kemp is now free to sign with another team for the league minimum while still making everything noted above. He'd be getting paid by four different teams. 

Kemp's eight-year, $160 million deal -- during which he's played for four teams so far -- is up after this season, when he's scheduled to hit free agency. 

As for the Reds, Kemp was already on the injured list so things don't really change much on the field. Nick Senzel debuted Friday in center field and will stay there, flanked by Jesse Winker and Yasiel Puig. Derek Dietrich can serve as the fourth outfielder.