JBN roundup
- After going hitless for three games, Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 2-for-4 Monday with his 10th double — tying him for third most in the A.L. — and 6th stolen base in a 5-2 loss to Baltimore ***
- Speaking of doubles, Oakland’s Ike Davis went 1-for-2 with his 9th two-bagger in Monday’s 5-4 loss to Boston ***
- Joc Pederson went 1-for-3 Monday with an RBI single and a walk but struggled on the basepaths in L.A.’s 5-3 win over Miami. The rookie was caught stealing for the 4th time in six tries and was doubled off first base. The fact that Pederson is hitting well is somewhat remarkable. According to this article, pitchers are throwing in Pederson’s strike zone less than 40% of the time, the 2nd-lowest percentage in baseball. How is getting around it? Partly by being patient: Pederson is ranked 4th in the Majors in most pitches per plate appearance, at 4.37. And he is drawing walks a best-in-baseball 22.8% of the time ***
- Houston’s Scott Feldman pitched well enough to win Sunday, but his teammates managed just one hit in a 3-1 loss to the Angels. In a 7-inning stint, Feldman gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out five ***
- Nats prospect Richard Bleier (AA) pitched a 7-inning gem on Monday, yielding 2 earned runs on 4 hits and no walks while fanning 3. Impressively, Bleier tossed just 72 pitches, and 51 of them for strikes ***
- Robert Stock didn’t last long after being selected No. 1 last month in the independent Frontier League draft last month. The 25-year-old pitcher, who was released by the Cardinals in late 2014 and the Astros in April 2015, has signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates ***
- Reds prospect Jon Moscot (AAA) raised his record to 5-0 with a 2.35 ERA after a masterful 8-inning performance Sunday. The 23-year-old yielded 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 ***
- Padres prospect Cody Decker (AAA) has been playing pro ball since 2009, and until last week he had collected only two 4-hit games. But on Friday (5/8/2015), the first baseman went 4-for-5 with a grand-slam HR and a two-run shot, and on Saturday he did it again, going 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI single. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Decker was just named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week ***
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