Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
Promising returns
On Thursday, 22-year-old Jose Fernandez made his first major-league start for the Marlins since May 2014, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Fernandez allowed seven hits and three runs in six innings versus the Giants, earning the win. But his bat was beter: Fernandez hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Fernandez wasn’t the only pitcher returning to the bigs yesterday after an extended stint on the disabled list: The Rays’ Matt Moore and the Giants’ Matt Cain also made long-awaited starts. Here’s a list of the five pitchers who, after missing the first three months of the season, could make the biggest difference for their team.
Human sacrifice
The Mets lost another one on Thursday versus the Cubs, 6–1, to give Chicago the three-game sweep. Jacob deGrom hit a double and scored the Mets’ only run—not just their only run of the game but their only run of the series. When asked what the team could do to improve its offence, Mets manager Terry Collins joked, “The only thing left is human sacrifice, so we’re going to pick somebody.” So at least Collins is staying positive. In fact, he thinks the team needs to lighten up, although that can be hard to do when most of the team’s hitters are slumping or injured.
Sano’s debut
Twins prospect Miguel Sano made his major-league debut on Thursday, earning his first big-league hit in the process. The long-awaited star has so much potential that a team of filmmakers has been shadowing him for years. Although he already starred in the documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero, the filmmakers have been gathering footage for a second movie. He’s just that good.
Rosenthal’s All-Stars
With the All-Star Game voting deadline now passed, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has revealed who’d play in the game if it were up to him. His choices include Chris Sale as the American League starting pitcher and Max Scherzer as the National League’s. Here’s the full list of picks.
Underappreciated
Rangers right-hander Yovani Gallardo is having a fantastic season. With Thursday’s game, the 29-year-old’s scoreless innings streak extended to 29.1, the longest in MLB this year. Too bad nobody’s paying much attention to the one-time All-Star.