CarterHud

    

Matt Harvey has been suspended by his team, the New York Mets, for 3 games for violating team rules. GM Sandy Alderson said the suspension officially began on Saturday. The Mets also did not give a reason behind the suspension. Harvey was scheduled to start on Sunday, but will obviously miss the start.

     Manager Terry Collins did have a news conference. \”There\’s things with this job that certainly are internal that the public can\’t see and how hard it is, and this one\’s a tough one. We hope to put it behind us and move forward,\” Collins said at the news conference. He also had a 10 minute team meeting that wasn\’t open to the public.

      Harvey, 28, has a 5.14 ERA in 35 innings this year, punching out 20 batters. He has a career ERA of 3.08 with 545 Ks in 554.2 innings.

       To replace Harvey, the Mets called up LHP Adam Wilk from the Las Vegas 51s (AAA). Wilk was added to the 40 man roster, and ace Noah Syndergaard was transferred to the 60 day DL. Wilk hasn\’t pitched in the MLB since 2015. He has a career ERA of 6.49 in 26.1 innings for the Los Angeles Angels and the Detroit Tigers. He has a 5.91 ERA in 32 innings for Las Vegas this year.

    
Former Chicago Blackhawks backup goalie Scott Darling has a new home. After his rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 3rd round pick, the Canes had until July 1st to sign Darling, or he could go some where else as a UFA. But the Canes needed a goalie, and they badly wanted Darling to be their starter. So the Canes and GM Ron Francis looked to sign him. Eventually, Darling signed a 4 year deal, with a AAV of $4.15 million (that\’s a total of $16.6 million).
    \”Obviously Scott could have waited until July 1, to see what other options he might have as an unrestricted free agent. But he believes in what we are trying to do here and we are thrilled that he is committing to the Hurricanes and to Raleigh,\” Francis said in a statement.

     Last year\’s goalies, Cam Ward and Eddie Lack, combined for a horrid .901 GAA. The Canes might try to trade Lack. Then the combo of Michael Leighton, Tom McCollum, Daniel Altshuller and Alex Nedeljkovic will be in net for the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).

   
  For the 2017 season and beyond, the MLB changed a rule that has lasted for as long as baseball has existed. That is the intentional walk rule. If a team wants, they can pitch 4 balls WAY outside the zone, letting the batter take first base. That\’s the way the rule has always been.

      But now, the team can just say \”go to first base\” to the batter, and they don\’t need to throw any pitches. But the real question is, was it a mistake to change the rule?

       The MLB has been looking to quicken the pace of games. Not many people enjoy watching 3+ hours of ball. So, they thought this rule change would help that.

        I don\’t think that helps. It saves about 2 minutes. When there\’s a pitching change, we see 5 minutes of commercials, and about 3 or more pitchers pitch for a team a day. These relievers are already ready to throw after throwing in the bullpen for some time. So, that would be a much better idea.

    . Have you ever heard the saying \”don\’t give a pitcher a lot of money\”? That\’s because pitchers can get hurt easily, then return with horrible numbers. The Arizona Diamondbacks traded a lot for Shelby Miller, and guess where he is now. The DL. It always hurts for your ace to go on the DL. Well for the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers, they lost a big part of their team (and my fantasy team).

     Former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber hasn\’t started off 2017 the way he\’d like. In 37.1 innings, Kluber has a 5.06 ERA. After allowing 5 runs in 3 innings in his last start, Kluber was pulled due to a lower back strain. He was placed on the 10 day DL, but should only miss 10 days. Kluber has 41 K\’d batters this season.

     He has a career ERA of 3.31, pitching 200 innings in a season 8 times. He punched out over 2000 batters in his career. Cole Hamels has had a successful MLB career, including a World Series win in 2008. But his 2017 season will be shorter than usual, because Hamels suffered an oblique strain. He was placed on the 10 day DL, but is expected to miss 8 weeks. In 32.2 innings this year, Hamels has a 3.03 ERA, but has just 15 strikeouts.

     Hamels and Kluber aren\’t the only good pitchers on the DL currently. Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard, David Price, Aaron Sanchez, Felix Hernandez and Rich Hill are all sidelined as well. We\’ll see how this affects their teams and fantasy teams as well. If one of the players above are on your team, then you can consider adding guys like Hector Santiago, Derek Holland and Jesse Hahn if they are free agents.

   The Hart trophy and the Ted Lindsay trophy are awarded for the same reason. They are both MVP trophies. There is one difference between the Hart and the Ted Lindsay. That is that the Hart, like every other trophy, is decided by the PHWA (Professional Hockey Writers Association). The Ted Lindsay award is decided by NHL players through the NHLPA (National Hockey League Players Association). This year\’s Ted Lindsay finalists are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks.

     Crosby was also a finalist for the Hart trophy. With 44 goals, Crosby won the Maurice \”Rocket\” Richard trophy, for the most goals. He\’s known for being the best hockey player in the world.

      Like Crosby, McDavid was a Hart finalist. He won the Art Ross trophy (most points) with 100 points. At 20, he has a very bright future.

      Burns wasn\’t a Hart finalist, but should win the Norris trophy (best defenseman). Even though he\’s a defenseman, Burns scored an amazing 29 goals. \”Chewbacca\” is also a very good defenseman.

      I think McDavid will win. Most years, the Hart winner also wins the Ted Lindsay, and I think McDavid will win the Hart (see my post from yesterday).