MLB Bullets is missing a tooth

Good morning.

• The Red Sox became the first team to clinch a playoff spot last night with a win over the Blue Jays.
• David Schoenfield examines the problems the Red Sox will face in October, along with some other thoughts. Only five of the last 25 teams who clinched a playoff spot first went on to win the World Series.
• The Red Sox and the Yankees, among other team, are upset by the process that allowed Josh Donaldson to clear waivers (The Athletic sub. req.) and be traded to the Indians. (If you don’t have an Athletic subscription, go here for a summary.) The rule says that an injured player cannot be placed on waivers, but Donaldson was immediately put on the disabled list by Cleveland as soon as the deal went through.
• If it’s any consolation, Donaldson went 0 for 4 in his first game with the Indians.
• Indians MVP-candidate Jose Ramirez now has 30 home runs and 30 steals. He’s the first since 2012, although Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts will likely join him later this year. Emma Baccellieri asks what has happened to all the 30-30 players in baseball.
• Astros pitchers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole became the first teammates since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002 to both strike out 250 batters.
• Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea will have shoulder surgery and will miss all of the 2019 season.
• Jeff Sullivan analyzes the brilliance of the 2018 A’s bullpen.
• Ted Berg compares the starting rotation of the playoff contenders.
• Jerry Crasnick picks 12 “under-the-radar” players who could have a big impact on which teams end up going to the playoffs.
• Dayn Perry shows how the Giants could end up playing a big spoiler role for the 2018 playoff contenders. Well, they’d actually have to win a game first. The Giants have lost 10 straight.
• Dan Szymborski has a post mortem for the Tigers and for the White Sox 2018 seasons.
• Mets ace Jacob deGrom set a major-league record that had lasted for 108 years when he pitched his 26th consecutive start while allowing three or fewer runs. He still lost, of course.
• The Mets are reportedly interested in Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro for their vacant general manager job. Craig Calcaterra thinks that’s incredibly cynical of the Mets, as he argues that Shapiro is a guy who can build good-but-not-great teams on the cheap.
• Joe Sheehan thinks the economic rules in baseball are so screwed up that they need to be junked and a whole new system should be created from scratch.
• Neil deMause examines the controversy surrounding the proposed minor league stadium in Worcester, MA and the role that noted baseball economist (and frequent ballpark-subsidy critic) Andrew Zimbalist is playing in supporting the deal.
• Alden Gonzalez looks at how the Angels can rebuild and convince Mike Trout to stay.
• Astros pitcher Brad Peacock became the third pitcher this year diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco flipped over the railing and fell into a camera well going after a foul ball.
• Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma won’t pitch this season and he intends to return to Japan to pitch in 2019.
• Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez considered “stepping away” from baseball after he was sent to the bullpen earlier in the season.
• Grant Brisbee looks at an episode symbolic of the Mariners second-half collapse and other weird things that caught his eye.
• The first members of the all-star team that will go on a postseason tour of Japan have been announced.
• Since the trading deadline, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones has not played much and some think it’s punishment for not waiving his 10-5 rights.
• However, Jones was seen rocking some sweet Cookie Monster-themed cleats.
• The Phillies failed to put the tarp over the infield at Citizens Bank Park at the field was too wet to play on even after they took a flamethrower to the infield dirt.
• And finally, Nationals catcher Spencer Kieboom lost a tooth and then hit his first career home run. Although the two incidents didn’t happen quite as close together as we first thought.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.