Outside the Confines: Too much of a good thing?

I’ve got a picture of Spencer Turnbull up there because I already put up a photo of Corey Kluber celebrating a no-hitter in BCB After Dark. But either one of them would do. We’ve gotten to the point where a no-hitter isn’t the lead story of Outside the Confines. Instead, the lead story is how many no-hitters we are seeing in 2021.

• There have been two no-hitters since the last Outside the Confines, the Tigers’ Spencer Turnbull no-hitter against Seattle and the Yankees’ Corey Kluber no-hitting the Rangers. (Turnbull’s West Coast night game no-no was written before that game finished.)
• Ben Clemens notes that while every no-hitter is still wonderful, we’re stating to experience no-hitter fatigue and it may be a warning sign of a bigger problem.
• Bob Nightengale writes that a no-hitter just isn’t that great an achievement in 2021.
• Matt Snyder believes all the no-hitters is just highlighting the problems that MLB is having with offense in 2021.
• Ben Lindbergh hopes that all these no-hitters will force MLB to make changes to try to increase offense.
• Bradford Doolittle examines how much MLB’s efforts to deaden the ball are leading to a new “dead ball era.” (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Tim Kurkjian looks at how the number of strikeouts have been hurting the game lately.
• And just so we don’t totally dismiss Kluber’s feat, Joon Lee examines what Kluber’s no-hitter might mean for the Yankees chances going forward this year.
• Alden Gonzalez writes about MLB’s efforts to crack down on the use of foreign substances by pitchers this year. (ESPN+ sub. req.) So far, they’re mostly just collecting data.
• The Tony La Russa story about Yermin Mercedes hitting a home run on a 3-0 pitch in a blowout is still making news. Retired pitcher CC Sabathia blasted La Russa and said “He shouldn’t be [expletive] managing that team.”
• Brendan Gawlowski admits that there really is an “unwritten rule” that says you don’t swing on a 3-0 pitch in a blowout. But Gawlowski writes that the more important thing is that La Russa has completely mismanaged his reaction and it brings into question why La Russa is still managing the White Sox.
• Matt Snyder has six things that La Russa did wrong in trying to manage the situation.
• In any case, Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey was suspended for three games and manager Rocco Baldelli for one game for throwing behind Mercedes.
• The rule changes in the minor leagues designed to increase stolen bases are having their intended effect: stolen bases are way up in the low minors.
• Jayson Stark speaks with several people around the game who think all those steals in the minor leagues are too much of a good thing. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Now for the butcher’s bill and it’s a steep one. Angels superstar Mike Trout has a calf strain and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.
• Jay Jaffe notes that the injury is interrupting Trout’s best season and is a big blow to the Angels playoff hopes.
• Zach Kram thinks Trout’s recent injury issues could cost him Barry Bonds’ all-time home run record as well as other all-time career accomplishments.
• Mike Axisa has five ways the Angels can stay in contention until Trout returns. Most of it rests on Shohei Ohtani’s considerable talents.
• Speaking of which, Ohtani’s velocity on the mound was way down in his last start, but Ohtani insists that he’s not injured. He said he just felt “sluggish” and that he didn’t have a feel for his fastball on Sunday.
• The Braves are struggling at the moment and problems with the starting rotation are a big reason why. Jay Jaffe looks at how injuries to Mike Soroka and Huascar Ynoa are big problems for Atlanta.
• Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez missed all of 2020 after developing myocarditis after a bout of COVID-19, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. James Wagner talks with Rodriguez about his lost year and his comeback in 2021.
• Albert Pujols hit his first home run as a member of the Dodgers last night.
• The best pure hitting prospect for each of the 30 MLB teams.
• Jake Kaplan and Nick Groke rank the upcoming free agent shortstops.
• The Mexican government is opening up several high schools that would be designed to train kids to play baseball.
• Sad news as former Pirates infielder Rennie Stennett died at the age of 72. Stennett will forever be known to Cubs fans for the time he had a record seven hits in a nine-inning game against the Cubs.
• Former Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez was convicted on several counts related to the sexual assault and abuse of a 14-year-old girl. Vazquez is looking at decades in prison and deportation to his native Venezuela.
• There’s been a sexism scandal rocking the British Baseball Federation.
• It’s never a good thing when a team designates you for assignment, but outfielder Braden Bishop is thrilled that after the Mariners DFA’d him, he was picked up by the Giants, where he brother Hunter is one of the top prospects. Braden is five years older than Hunter so the two have never played on the same team together, but they hope to do so one day with San Francisco.
• And finally, Nicole Cahill writes about the importance of Giants outfielder Drew Robinson’s words “I’m meant to be alive.” Cahill believes that Robinson showing his vulnerability and repeating those words mean a lot to people struggling with mental illness.

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