What do you need to know heading into the new week? From struggling champs to healing aces, from a surprising new power source to some considerations about the trade priorities of one of baseball's best teams, here's what you should be checking out in a new week's worth of game days.
Will the Cubs start playing like the champs? This will be an interesting week at Wrigley Field, and I don't write that just because I have to be there. The Chicago Cubs host the Reds and Brewers in back-to-back series, two early surprise teams that currently are ahead of Chicago in the NL Central. The Cubs' run prevention problems are worse than they superficially appear since their solid team ERA doesn't account for their MLB-high total of unearned runs. Meanwhile, Milwaukee (second in runs) and Cincinnati (seventh) feature top-10 offenses. Can either or both of the upstarts hang with the Cubs and Cardinals for the near future? We may get a glimpse of an answer to that question this week. -- Bradford Doolittle
Is Price finally right? Since starting the season on the disabled list with inflammation in his left elbow, Boston Red Sox ace David Price 's road to rejoining the rotation has been so gradual that there hasn't been much reason to pay attention, until now. Price has primarily been throwing bullpen sessions and simulated games as he ramps up his rehab work, but he has a Friday outing of 85-90 pitches scheduled with Triple-A Pawtucket and, if all goes well, it could be his final test before being activated.
While Price's progression through rehab without a setback is a plus, it's also important to note there is no way to truly simulate major league game conditions. The stadium, the crowd, the level of opponent all get bigger in the big leagues and those factors can contribute to subtle elevations in effort that result in increased physical demands, risky for someone coming off an injury. While Price is doing well functionally thus far, he remains a pitcher with a high-mileage arm who told reporters this spring that if he were younger, this injury might have resulted in surgery. It won't be until Price has successful major league outings in his rearview mirror that the Red Sox will begin to exhale. -- Stephania Bell
Will we finally see Rich Hill deliver and stick around? This week matters for the Los Angeles Dodgers lefty because he -- and his supposedly healed blisters -- should come off the DL and pitch Tuesday. With each shortened outing and subsequent disabled list stint it becomes more and more obvious that the Dodgers and fantasy owners might just need to look elsewhere for aid. Hill is so intriguing. He doesn't pitch badly, he just doesn't pitch enough. So really, every healthy outing we see from him, matters. -- Eric Karabell
Stop to ponder Yonder Alonso. There's a new claimant for the title of this season's most surprising slugger. Alonso's eight home runs in two weeks in May would have been the second-highest total for a season in his eight-year career. After never slugging .400 in a full season, how is he doing it? Say what you will about launch angles, Alonso is generating a ton of power on pitches on the outer half for the first time in his career, slugging .733 on pitches on the outer half while crushing seven of his 12 homers, and pulling five of those blasts to right. This is all after he slugged just .358 there over more than 1,600 plate appearances on his career. You think you know a guy ...
So after doing that in May's first two weeks, can Alonso keep it up in the third? Facing a decimated Mariners rotation in Seattle won't hurt his chances, but the Oakland Athletics' weekend series against the Red Sox -- with lefties Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez on tap -- bears watching to see if it sticks. -- Christina Kahrl
Will the Astros shake up their shopping list? The Houston Astros are considered to be among the most likely teams to add rotation help before the July 31 trade deadline, but it may be that the Astros would jump into the conversation for reliever Kelvin Herrera. If Kansas City decides to sell off veterans, the Royals' closer is expected to be the most coveted reliever in the market this summer, with the Nationals, Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and Yankees perhaps among the teams that could join the bidding. -- Buster Olney
What's going on with the Boston Red Sox's lineup? Hanley Ramirez's injury to his trapezius -- after he already had problems with both shoulders -- threatens to sideline him during Week 7 while the Sox visit a National League park, battling the Cardinals without the benefit of the DH. Ramirez has played just one game and three innings in the field during the past week, and a DL move might be necessary if he's not ready by Tuesday.
If Ramirez goes on the DL, it would leave the Red Sox in a precarious spot in the lower half of their batting order. Jackie Bradley Jr. isn't hitting, and catcher and third base are already weak spots offensively. It might also increase chatter about two of the team's prospects: first baseman Sam Travis, who has good stats Triple-A Pawtucket, and third baseman Rafael Devers, who's raking at Double-A Portland. Remember, the Red Sox are a historically aggressive team with moving their prospects up the ladder. -- Tristan Cockcroft