Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Say it ain’t so
The Marlins swept the Dodgers with their fourth straight win on Thursday, though the celebration was ruined by news that Miami second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Gordon, like the Blue Jays’ first baseman Chris Colabello, issued a statement saying he ingested the stuff unknowingly.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly addressed the news in his post-game interview, saying: “These guys love Dee, and I feel like he’s one of my kids, to be honest with you—I’ve known him so long.”
Mattingly admitted that he was “shocked,” saying, “You love your kids, and that’s Dee, for me,” before noting that the business of baseball is another matter, and the team will need to “move forward.” Watch the interview here.
Elsewhere, Ken Rosenthal looks at whether MLB players will push for harsher suspensions for players who test positive for banned substances.
This is how we do it
Former Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Gose hit a double and a home run on Thursday to help Detroit defeat Oakland, 7–3. Several of Gose’s teammates had multi-hit games, too, including Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler.
It seems the Tigers’ bats are finally coming alive—so does this mean the offensive surge will continue?
Sweet 16
Jake Arrieta won his 16th consecutive decision on Thursday as the Cubs defeated the Brewers, 7–2. Arrieta’s scoreless streak at Wrigley Field ended at 52 2/3 innings, though.
“It had to end at some point,” said Arrieta. The 30-year-old was pulled early so he could rest, since Chicago was up 5–1 and manager Joe Maddon felt he didn’t need the ace to keep going.
On top in the Big Apple
After an off day, the Mets will host the Giants at Citi Field beginning Friday. Their crosstown rivals, the Yankees, will play the first of a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
So which New York team is better? The Mets, of course. The team is 13-7, while the Yankees are 8-12. Here’s a look at how the rivalry between the clubs has changed as the Mets have emerged as the more dominant team.
The kid is good
The White Sox lost to the Orioles on Thursday, 10–2, and with that, Chicago’s six-game win streak came to a halt. Baltimore got some offensive push from Manny Machado, who hit a grand slam and had five RBI in all, a career-high for the 23-year-old.
“It’s good to be back home,” said Machado. “It’s good to get back here in front of our crowd and get the ‘W’ in the win column.”