Bases Covered is a daily roundup of the most interesting stories in baseball.
No-no he did
Cubs starter Jake Arrieta threw the first no-hitter of this major-league season—and the second of his career—on Thursday. Chicago defeated Cincinnati 16–0.
Though the Reds fell victim to Arrieta’s sparkling performance on the mound, they had perspective on the loss—or their social media team did, at least.
The team tweeted: “RECAP: Reds draw four walks vs. Cubs.”
Texas brooms
Despite sending their ace, Dallas Keuchel, to the mound on Thursday, the Houston Astros lost 7–4 to the Rangers, who swept the three-game series.
“I battled my butt off, but it just wasn’t good enough,” said Keuchel, who allowed 13 hits and six runs over six innings.
In better news for the Astros, owner of mini ponies Colby Rasmus has big plans for the season—and motivation to produce more dingers. According to a story by Ken Rosenthal, Rasmus is launching a charitable campaign to benefit Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization that employs military veterans in emergency-response jobs. Every time Rasmus homers this season, he’ll donate $1,000 to the organization.
The Price is wr—you see where this is going
Red Sox ace David Price had a terrible outing on Thursday versus the Rays, allowing eight runs on eight hits over 3.2 innings. Price himself called the start “unacceptable.” (The Red Sox lost, 12–8.)
Meanwhile, with Boston’s 7-8 record and the team’s starting rotation sporting the worst ERA in the American League, many continue to wonder how long manager John Farrell will be given to right the ship. Not that it’s all Farrell’s fault, but the team was expected to be much better this year, so at some point he’ll be held accountable if they don’t turn things around.
Expansion plan
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred suggested Thursday that the league’s expansion from 30 to 32 teams is a matter of when rather than if. He noted that “multiples of four” teams work better when it comes to scheduling a season, and remarked on ongoing discussions he’s had with the city of Montreal about the return of major-league baseball in La belle province.
Manfred also suggested that the Rays and A’s could be relocated given the stadium issues both teams are facing.
Another weapon
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw unveiled a new (if accidental) pitch in his arsenal on Thursday in a game versus the Atlanta Braves: the eephus. PitchFX data tells us the pitch went out at just 46 mph. Unfortunately for Kershaw, the pitch was called a ball, but the 28-year-old lefty’s team came out victorious, defeating the Braves, 2–1.