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Cleveland Indians trade superstar SS Francisco Lindor, beloved SP Carlos Carrasco to Mets for 4 players
Cleveland Indians' Francisco Lindor prepares to bat during baseball practice at Progressive Field, Monday, July 6, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Indians have traded superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor and beloved pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets for four players in a mega blockbuster MLB trade. pic.twitter.com/Jk2XqNIgaU — Cleveland Indians (@Indians) January 7, 2021Cleveland is receiving young infielders Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, as well as prospects Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf, in the deal. FILE - Cleveland Indians' Francisco Lindor singles off Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020, in Cleveland. A rotation that was at the top of the league as recently as 2018 no longer features Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco or Trevor Bauer.
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On final day, 2 NL spots and AL Central crown in play
San Francisco is still breathing, but needs help. San Francisco (29-30) needs a victory over the visiting Padres and a Brewers loss. “We just have to keep our head up and try to win,” San Francisco pitcher Johnny Cueto said. 2 seed in the AL — with a win at home against Cincinnati or a White Sox loss at home to the Cubs. Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs clinched the NL Central crown Saturday night even while losing to the crosstown White Sox.
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Detroit Tigers enter May dead last in pitching
DETROIT – Through 24 games, the Detroit Tigers are 12-12 - but if you're looking at their pitching stats, 12 wins is actually surprising. Entering May, the Tigers rank dead last in Major League Baseball in ERA (5.19), runs allowed (133), opposing batting average (.271) and WHIP (1.52). The biggest culprits for the dreadful pitching performance are bullpen arm Anibal Sanchez and starter Jordan Zimmerman. Zimmerman, through 5 starts, has an ERA above 6, with 19 runs and 5 home runs allowed. The Tigers are currently 4th in the AL Central, but of course it's only May 1.
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Shane Greene, Tigers battle Twins for series win Wednesday
Entering the game Wednesday, the Tigers are 4-0 in series battles within the division, including four wins in five games against the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota broke a four-game 2015 losing streak to the Tigers Tuesday behind a seven-inning gem from Mike Pelfrey. Shane Greene will lead the bounce back effort, taking the mound for Detroit in the finale. Greene allowed just one earned run in his first three starts, but got rocked by the Indians to the tune of eight runs in four innings Friday. If the Tigers win the rubber match Wednesday, they'll stay perfect in AL Central series, and move to 5-1 in series this season overall.