Correa avoids major injury, division-leading Twins on a roll
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer
Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins dodged a major problem this past week.
There were initial concerns that Correa might have a broken finger after Thursday night’s game at Baltimore, but instead it was only bruised. The Twins, who have won 14 of 17, lead the AL Central by three games.
Correa was just 4 for 30 through his first eight games with the Twins, but the star shortstop has hit .313 since then. Correa went from Houston to Minnesota last offseason, signing a $105.3 million, three-year deal. Here’s a look at how some of the other big free agent movers are doing so far:
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers. It sure looks like Freeman will be back in the playoffs after he left the World Series champion Braves and joined the Dodgers on a $162 million, six-year contract. Los Angeles has baseball’s best record, and Freeman is hitting .323 with an OPS of .925.
Max Scherzer, Mets. Scherzer has been a big part of New York’s impressive start, going 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA. A loss Sunday to Philadelphia was his first in his last 25 starts with the Nationals, Dodgers and Mets.
Marcus Semien, Rangers. One of two big middle infield signings by Texas, Semien is hitting just .184 with no home runs.
Corey Seager, Rangers. Seager is batting just .238, although he at least has four homers. He was also intentionally walked with the bases loaded by the Angels in one of the more unusual moments of the season.
Carlos Rodón, Giants. The former White Sox right-hander has been one of the top pitchers in the National League, going 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA.
Robbie Ray, Mariners. Last year’s American League Cy Young winner is 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA.
Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays. Toronto lost Ray but signed Gausman, and so far that exchange is working out well. He’s 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA — and has 46 strikeouts and only one walk.
Kenley Jansen, Braves. The former Dodgers closer joined the defending champions on a $16 million, one-year deal. He has eight saves, but Atlanta is off to a mediocre start.
Trevor Story, Red Sox. It’s been a brutal start for Boston, and Story hasn’t helped much. He’s hitting .194 without a homer.
Javier Báez, Tigers. Báez is hitting .236 with two home runs for a Detroit team that’s been a pretty big disappointment so far.
Starling Marte, Mets. Another nice pickup for the Mets. Marte is hitting .265 with three home runs and four steals.
Kris Bryant, Rockies. The thin air doesn’t seem to be helping Bryant’s power. He has only four extra-base hits — all doubles — to go along with a .281 average.
Nick Castellanos, Phillies. Castellanos provides consistent production with the bat, and this season looks like no exception. He’s hitting .293 with four home runs.
Seiya Suzuki, Cubs. In his first season over from Japan, Suzuki has four home runs and has shown he can get on base for Chicago.
Nelson Cruz, Nationals. Cruz is now in the NL after the addition of the designated hitter in that league, but it’s fair to wonder if he might be slowing down. The 41-year-old is hitting .157.
TRIVIA TIME
Who is the last player to win MVP honors in his first season after signing with a new team via free agency?
LINE OF THE WEEK
Rowdy Tellez of Milwaukee drove in eight runs — a season high for anyone in the majors — in an 18-4 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Tellez went 4 for 6 with two homers and a double.
COMEBACK OF THE WEEK
You didn’t need fancy win probability stats to tell you the Mets were up against it when they trailed the Phillies 7-1 in the top of the ninth inning Thursday night. It took a two-run homer by Francisco Lindor, a double by Pete Alonso and a one-out single by Jeff McNeil just to create a save situation. New York eventually came all the way back, tying the game on a two-out, two-run single by Brandon Nimmo, then going ahead on Marte’s RBI double.
The Mets won 8-7. At the start of the inning, Statcast put their chances at 0.2%.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Vladimir Guerrero in 2004, after signing with the Angels.
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