Two key people who have been out recently in Major League Baseball may be returning soon. Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts has been out on the injured list due to a sore right hip. Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly is expected to return on Friday after a bout with COVID-19. The Associated Press has the story:
Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. meet up
(AP) A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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BETTS HURTING
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts might be returning to the injured list after he was scratched from the lineup Tuesday night in Philadelphia with a sore right hip.
Betts hasn’t played since Saturday. He is batting .277 with 17 home runs and 44 RBIs in 87 games for the defending World Series champions.
The Dodgers are locked in a tight three-way race at the top of the NL West with San Francisco and San Diego.
MATTINGLY NEARS RETURN
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly is expected to return to the team Friday after a bout with COVID-19.
The 60-year-old Mattingly tested positive on July 31 and has experienced mild symptoms. He was vaccinated in mid-April.
The last-place Marlins are in San Diego this week, and Mattingly plans to return to the dugout when they start a homestand Friday against the Chicago Cubs.
Bench coach James Rowson has been the Marlins’ acting manager in Mattingly’s absence.
OHTANI VS. GUERRERO
Two of the top candidates in the American League MVP race — Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — meet again in Anaheim, California.
Both had a relatively quiet doubleheader on Tuesday. Ohtani was 1 for 7 with a walk and a run scored, while Guerrero went 1 for 8 with an RBI and five strikeouts. The Angels won 6-3 in the opener before the Blue Jays took the nightcap 4-0.
Ohtani is scheduled to start on the mound against the Blue Jays on Thursday. The right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 16 starts. He’s struck out 106 in 86 innings.
NEEDING RELIEF
For the first time in major league history, every team was in action Tuesday night but no starting pitcher lasted more than six innings on the mound, according to STATS.
Ten different pitchers had an outing of exactly six innings.
RAYS DEALING WITH COVID-19
The Tampa Bay Rays have placed left-hander Ryan Yarbrough on the COVID-19 injured list.
Manager Kevin Cash said Yarbrough, who was with the Rays over the weekend during a three-game sweep at Baltimore, did not join the club in Boston for a three-game series that opened Tuesday night.
“He’s fine. Probably best not to go any deeper than that,” Cash said. “We probably should just wait for more updates in the coming days and we’ll go from there.”
The Rays also activated outfielder Randy Arozarena from the COVID-19 IL before Tuesday’s game. He batted leadoff and played right field.
