There have already been six no-hitters in Major League Baseball this season — and two of them have victimized the Texas Rangers. The Rangers’ second came at the hands of the Yankees’ Corey Kluber, who pitched exactly one inning for Texas a year ago, but due to injuries they did not claim the option on him, and it was the Yankees who benefited. The record for no-hitters in an entire season during the modern era is seven — and we’re not even to Memorial Day yet. The baseballs this year are slightly different, 2.8 grams lighter than a year ago and somewhat less bouncy than the 2020 equipment. In April, the average speed of a fastball was the highest for April heaters at any point in the Statcast era. Offspeed pitches with movement are gaining speed as well, such as Dustin May’s sinker, which he can throw at 100 mph, or his slider, that cruises 92. Will hitters catch up, or is this a trend that will hold?
Take a look at more news items from Major League Baseball as you plan your online betting.
MLB News: The Rumor Mill
Mets’ deGrom set to return on Tuesday
New York ace Jacob deGrom should come back to the major league club on Tuesday. He went on the injured list on May 11 with a tight right side and lower back. He only needed a single rehab start, throwing for the Mets’ low-A team. He faced 10 batters in three innings, fanning eight of them. One grounded out, and one reached via error. His fastballs touched 102 mph during his outing, and the opposing Palm Beach Cardinals, who were hitting .219 as a team against pitching in their league, could do nothing against deGrom. The Mets had used Noah “Thor” Syndegaard in a rehab start against the Cardinals the night before, so it’s safe to say that the low-A Cardinals got a lesson in major league pitching.
Cards’ Mikolas heads to the IL
St. Louis righty Miles Mikolas went on the ten-day injured list on Sunday, one day after having to come out of his first MLB start since the 2019 postseason due to a tight forearm. Mikolas had 18 victories in 2018 and was activated on Saturday for his first start in MLB since the NLCS in 2019. Flexor tendon surgery had shut him down for 2020, and then he injured his pitching shoulder in his very first bullpen outing this year. He permitted three hits over four innings, allowing one run with three strikeouts and a walk against the Cubs. While he was warming up for the fifth frame, he started to grab his pitching elbow and was taken out of the game.
Tribe slugger Reyes out five to seven weeks with oblique strain
Cleveland’s offense was already having enough problems generating runs, but now their cleanup hitter, Franmil Reyes, will miss five to seven weeks due to an internal oblique strain. Reyes is tops in RBI on the team and ranks second in home runs, but when he fouled off a pitch in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against the MInnesota Twins, he ended up coming out of the game and had an MRI early Sunday. Reyes has 29 RBI and 11 home runs, hitting .257 over 40 games. Along with third baseman Jose Ramirez, Reyes had carried the Indians’ offense — even on Saturday, when he hit a two-run homer in the inning. After that star-crossed foul ball, though, he doubled over and then came out in favor of Jordan Laplow. Owen Miller, the best hitting prospect in the Tribe’s minor league system, will come up to take Reyes’ slot. Miller was hitting .406 in 16 games for Triple-A Columbus. On Sunday, he started as the DH and hit sixth.
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