NL West

MLB Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations Michael Hill announced that Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Caleb Smith has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine after umpires discovered a foreign substance on his glove during his team's 4-2 home win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 18.

However, Smith has chosen to appeal the decision, so any punishment is temporarily halted until that case is finalized. The suspension would have started Tuesday.

Upon checking Smith after the reliever finished the eighth inning, the umpire crew determined that left-hander had foreign substances on his glove, leading to an ejection.

Smith was infuriated after hearing the news and had to be restrained. He spoke after the game.

"I’m not stupid," Smith said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "I know the two main things they check is your glove and your hat. If I was using something, and I wasn't, I wouldn't put it on my glove or my hat. That's just ignorant."

He added: "If they say they find something on it, that's bulls--t, because there’s nothing on it. If I was cheating, I'd own up to it."

Crew chief Tom Hallion disagreed. 

"The two spots were a foreign substance that had a sticky feeling to it and on the leather lacing on heel [of the glove]," Hallion said. "That's why we all inspected it and agreed it was a foreign substance that was sticky, and that's why he was ejected."

The glove was shipped to MLB's office in New York for further examination, leading to the suspension decision.

Smith is the second pitcher to be ejected this year for foreign substances, with Seattle Mariners left-hander Hector Santiago getting tossed on June 26 versus the Chicago White Sox.

Smith is 4-8 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 34 games.

A California judge dissolved the temporary restraining order obtained against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer by a woman who's accused him of sexual assault.

Los Angeles Superior Court judge Dianna Gould-Saltman ruled Thursday that Bauer "does not pose a threat to the woman and that her injuries were not the result of anything she verbally objected to," per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez and Tisha Thompson.

"[The] injuries as shown in the photographs are terrible," Gould-Saltman said. "If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would've been clear. But she set limits without considering all the consequences and respondent did not exceed limits that the petitioner set."

Shawn Holley and Jon Fetterolf, Bauer's attorneys, issued a statement on the ruling:

We are grateful to the Los Angeles Superior Court for denying the request for a permanent restraining order and dissolving the temporary restraining order against Mr. Bauer today. While we have expected this outcome since the petition was filed in June, we appreciate the Court reviewing all relevant information and testimony to make this informed decision.

Lisa Helfend Meyer, the woman's attorney, also released a statement after the decision, via Gonzalez and Thompson:

While our client is disappointed about the judge's ruling, she is hopeful that Mr. Bauer will voluntarily seek the help he needs to make sure that no other woman in a dating relationship with him suffers the same traumatic fate that she did. That is why she was willing to come forward and endure the victim blaming from Mr. Bauer that she knew would inevitably result. Keeping not only herself but also other women safe from the hands of this troubled man has always been a priority -- and will continue to be so.

The judge's ruling came after four days of testimony, including nine hours over three days by the woman, 27, who said Bauer strangled her unconscious, penetrated her anally and punched her in the face, buttocks and genitals without her consent during two sexual encounters that took place April and May, per The Athletic's Brit Ghiroli and Katie Strang.

Bauer's attorneys called the encounters "wholly consensual" and presented text messages the woman sent to the MLB player in which she asked him to "gimme all the pain" and to choke her out. She argued his actions went above and beyond what they'd discussed, according to ESPN.

"To me, text messages do not mean consent," she said. "I did not consent to hurting all over my body and being put in the hospital and having things done to me when I was unconscious. That is not consensual."

Bauer was scheduled to testify during Thursday's final hearing, but was removed from the witness list because he planned to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights, which state no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself."

The 30-year-old California native was placed on administrative leave by MLB on July 2 as part of a joint agreement with the players association. It's been extended several times, most recently through Friday, amid a criminal investigation by the Pasadena Police Department and a separate probe by MLB.

While MLB can issue a punishment at any time, Gonzalez noted the league will likely wait for the conclusion of the police investigation before making a ruling and thus may seek another extension of Bauer's leave despite Thursday's ruling.

Bauer, who signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Dodgers in February, has posted a 2.59 ERA across 17 starts in his first year with the club. He last pitched June 28.

A 27-year-old woman who has accused Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual and physical assault was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order against the right-hander on June 28, per Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic.

An ongoing civil hearing will decide whether that restraining order will be extended to five years or terminated. Per Andrew Dalton of the Associated Press, Bauer intends to utilize his Fifth amendment rights during that process.

Dalton provided the details Wednesday:

Bauer's attorney Shawn Holley has asked the judge that he be allowed to avoid taking the stand entirely, as defendants are allowed to do in criminal cases, rather than invoke the Fifth on each question as witnesses do in civil matters.

Holley gave precedent for the move to Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman, who says she will give her decision on the move Thursday morning.

Holley cited the pending criminal investigation into Bauer by Pasadena police. She says he intends to answer no questions other than what his name is and what he does for a living.

Bauer has been in court all week for the hearing. He is the last remaining witness that the petitioner's legal team intend to call.

Bauer is currently on administrative leave through at least Aug. 20 following a joint decision between MLB and MLBPA, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. He has been on leave since July 2.

Day 3 of the Bauer hearing took place on Wednesday, with the Associated Press providing some details from the proceeding.

Bauer's attorney Shawn Holley, cross-examining the woman who was on the witness stand in Los Angeles Superior Court for a third day, read from text messages the woman had sent to friends when court documents were first filed in late June. Holley's questioning suggested she was seeking not protection but to hurt Bauer.

The woman responded to numerous questions regarding the texts, including one that stated she felt the media was on her side.

"What does the media freaking out have to do with your safety?" Holley asked.

The woman responded that she felt Bauer's team had shamed her by saying her relationship with the pitcher was wholly consensual, per the AP, and that she was pleased that the media (plus the public on social media) were not attacking her.

The questioning followed a trend from Day 2, which Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today described.

The attorney for Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer aggressively questioned his accuser in court here Tuesday, bringing up her sexual history with two other Major League Baseball players in an effort to have a restraining order against Bauer dissolved.

Day 1 included the woman's account of her relationship with Bauer as well as the nature of the two sexual encounters the pair had in April and May, leading to the allegations, per Matt Craig of the New York Post.

The hearing will continue Thursday.

After locking up one of their impending free agents already, the San Francisco Giants are reportedly going to keep another key player on their roster for at least one more year. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Giants intend to bring back Buster Posey in 2022. 

Heyman noted it's possible San Francisco will exercise the All-Star catcher's $22 million option for next season, but the "more likely" scenario is the two sides work out a multiyear deal. 

Last week, the Giants signed shortstop Brandon Crawford to a two-year, $32 million contract extension that keeps him with the team through the 2023 season. 

Posey seemed unlikely to become a free agent this offseason because of the team option on his current deal and how well he has played to this point in 2021. 

San Francisco's front office does have several key roster decisions to figure out after this season. Brandon Belt, Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood are all eligible to become free agents. 

If the Giants can work out a multiyear agreement with Posey that includes a lower average annual salary than the $22 million he would make on his option next season, it could allow the front office to get more money from ownership to retain at least some of those players. 

The Giants have defied even their most optimistic expectations thus far in 2021. Their 77-42 record is the best in Major League Baseball. They lead the Los Angeles Dodgers by four games for first place in the National League West. 

Posey's resurgence has been a major reason for San Francisco's success. The seven-time All-Star is hitting .330/.424/.548 with 15 homers and 39 RBI in 78 games.    

Warning: The following article contains graphic allegations of sexual assault.

The woman who has accused Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer of domestic violence and sexual assault said he made her feel like a "rag doll" while testifying in court Monday. 

Per ESPN's Tisha Thompson and Alden Gonzalez, the woman made the comment as part of her testimony in the domestic violence restraining order hearing. The woman was granted a temporary restraining order against Bauer in June, with the court hearing set to determine whether it could be extended by up to five years.

"I was scared of him," she said at one point. "I was in so much pain."

The Pasadena Police Department confirmed in June that allegations Bauer sexually assaulted the woman were being investigated.

Per Brittany Ghiroli and Katie Strang of The Athletic, the woman's request for the temporary restraining order said that Bauer "assaulted her on two different occasions" during consensual sexual encounters.

Ghiroli and Strang, citing the declaration attached to the domestic violence restraining order, noted the woman said she suffered "two black eyes, a bloodied swollen lip, significant bruising and scratching to one side of her face" during one of their encounters. She also said Bauer choked her unconscious on multiple occasions and penetrated her anally without her consent on one occasion.

Jon Fetterolf, Bauer's attorney and agent, issued a statement denying the allegations against his client:

Mr. Bauer had a brief and wholly consensual sexual relationship initiated by [the accuser] beginning in April 2021. We have messages that show [the accuser] repeatedly asking for 'rough' sexual encounters involving requests to be 'choked out' and slapped in the face. In both of their encounters, [the accuser] drove from San Diego to Mr. Bauer's residence in Pasadena, Calif. where she went on to dictate what she wanted from him sexually and he did what was asked.

Monday marked the first day of testimony in the hearing.

Thompson and Gonzalez noted Shawn Holley, Bauer's representative, "argued that the encounters didn't qualify as domestic violence or an intimate relationship because the 'only acts of violence occurred during sex,' which she argued was consensual, and that there is no threat of a recurrence of domestic violence."

In addition to the court hearing, Bauer is currently under investigation and has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball. He hasn't appeared in a game since June 28. 

The hearing is scheduled to resume at 11:30 a.m. ET and run through Thursday. 

The San Diego Padres announced Monday that they have come to agreement on a minor league contract with pitcher Jake Arrieta.

The #Padres have signed RHP Jake Arrieta to a minor league contract.

Details: https://t.co/lCIKcsBxhf pic.twitter.com/yh1Me6OwPD

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 16, 2021

The deal comes after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier Monday that the two sides were close on terms.

The 35-year-old was released by the Chicago Cubs last week after allowing seven runs in the first inning of a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He posted a 6.88 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP in 20 starts this season.

The veteran had signed a one-year deal with Chicago in the offseason, returning to the place where he won a World Series and Cy Young Award. 

Arrieta has seen his ERA grow in each of the last five years since his 2015 Cy Young, posting a 4.36 ERA over the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He had a 4-4 record with a 5.08 ERA in nine starts during the shortened 2020 season.

The right-hander was unable to turn things around in 2021, allowing a career-high 11.8 hits per nine innings.

"He was struggling," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said last Thursday. "Not getting deep into starts. We've been patient and tried to get through it and hopefully he [would] come out the other side and pitch better. We weren't there."

The Padres will hope for more success as they look to overcome significant injuries in the pitching staff.

Yu Darvish and Chris Paddock are currently on the injured list, while Dinelson Lamet has been out since June after a strong start to the year. It has left a lot of uncertainty beyond Joe Musgrove, especially with Blake Snell struggling with consistency.

Ryan Weathers will seemingly have to remain in the rotation despite allowing at least six earned runs in each of his last three starts.

Even if Arrieta doesn't return to his previous form, it won't take much to help the Padres as they look to stay in the playoff hunt.

San Diego entered Monday with a 2.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the last wild-card spot.  

No one in Major League Baseball knows how to make a comeback like Fernando Tatis Jr. 

After going 4-for-5 with two homers and four RBI in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Diego Padres superstar told reporters what he was thinking before the game. 

"Make them remember why they missed you," he said.

The Right stuff. #UltraMoment pic.twitter.com/aFvrrvvHQt

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 16, 2021

Tatis missed the Padres' previous 14 games after partially dislocating his left shoulder for the third time this season. The injury occurred in the second inning of a July 30 game against the Colorado Rockies. 

Padres manager Jayce Tingler told reporters at the time that season-ending shoulder surgery was "on the table" for Tatis if his condition didn't improve during his stint on the injured list. 

Based on Tatis' effort in his return, it's safe to say the Padres superstar is feeling better. The team is taking extra precaution to keep him healthy for the stretch run by playing him in right field instead of his usual shortstop position. 

San Diego certainly needs Tatis' bat in the lineup for the stretch run. It leads the Cincinnati Reds by 2.5 games for the second wild-card spot in the National League. 

With Yu Darvish going on the injured list with lower back tightness, the San Diego Padres are reportedly "in the mix" for veteran free-agent starter Jake Arrieta, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.

Acee added that the Padres are in need of "at least one fill-in starter" with Chris Paddack also on the IL because of an oblique injury.

Arrieta, 35, was released by the Chicago Cubs last week. He's had a tough season, going 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 86.1 innings. His second stint in Chicago ended in brutal fashion, as he gave up 11 hits and eight runs in just four innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 11 in a 10-0 loss.

Opposing batters have hit .315/.383/.557 against Jake Arrieta this season.

Making every hitter look like Nick Castellanos, basically. https://t.co/XVQZ9Htyjc

— D.J. Short (@djshort) August 15, 2021

It was his fifth straight start failing to reach the fifth inning. 

"He was struggling," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters. "Not getting deep into starts. We've been patient and tried to get through it and hopefully he [would] come out the other side and pitch better. We weren't there."

"Early on in the season, his stuff was a little sharper," he added. "Over time, things tapered back a bit, whether that was some injury issues or age or whatever. He did everything he could do to succeed."

Arrieta spent his first three-plus seasons in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles before a successful run with the Cubs (2013-17) that included a World Series title in 2016 and a Cy Young award in 2015. 

But he wasn't great after leaving Chicago, going 22-23 in three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies while posting a 4.36 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. He returned to Chicago on a one-year, $6 million deal but couldn't regain the magic from his last run with the Cubs. 

It's unclear how much Arrieta has left in the tank at this point, if anything at all, or if he would really be the best option for a Padres team (66-53) fighting for a playoff berth. San Diego currently holds the second wild-card berth in the National League but is just two games in front of the Cincinnati Reds. 

It's Wild Card or bust for the Padres, who trail the San Francisco Giants by 10 games in the NL West. So adding another starting pitcher makes sense, but Arrieta's recent form suggests there may be better options, even in the short term. 

Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Tyler Gilbert joined one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball Saturday, throwing a no-hitter in his first career MLB start—just the fourth player in league history to do so and the first since Bobo Holloman in 1953.

D-backs prospect Tyler Gilbert throws a no-hitter in his first @MLB start! pic.twitter.com/B0LKtZZghD

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 15, 2021

Tyler Gilbert's dad had an amazing reaction to his son's no-hitter. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/11MGrvvLIF

— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2021

Tyler Gilbert is the 4th pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in his first career start. He joins…

Ted Breitenstein in 1891
Bumpus Jones in 1892
Bobo Holloman in 1953 pic.twitter.com/Ty88AMYqQc

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 15, 2021

This is the 8th no-hitter of the 2021 season, tying the 1884 campaign for the most in a single season in AL/NL history

It’s worth noting that 1884 was before the mound was even moved to its current distance, something that happened in 1893

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 15, 2021

The eighth no-hitter of the 2021 season required just 102 pitches as Gilbert, 27, struck out five and walked three in a 7-0 victory against the San Diego Padres and starter Joe Musgrove—who tossed a no-hitter himself earlier this season. 

It's the third no-hitter in Diamondbacks history and the first since Edwin Jackson's epic 149-pitch outing in 2010. 

With his family in attendance, Gilbert primarily used a cutter-fastball combination to mow down a Padres lineup desperately trying to stay alive in the race for the National League West.  

Per Baseball Savant, Gilbert earned 12 called strikes and whiffs with the cutter, 11 from the fastball and used a good combination of luck and defense to keep San Diego from collecting a hit. Manny Machado's 112.2 mile-per-hour liner straight to left field in the fourth inning was the perfect example of that intersection. 

Statcast noted the expected batting average on that type of contact is .810. Left fielder David Peralta only had to take a few steps to his left in order to reel it in. It was one of six exit velocities over 99 mph on Saturday. The other five resulted in four ground outs and a pop fly. 

No-hitters on 50th anniversary of another no-hitter:
ARI Tyler Gilbert, Aug 14 2021 (STL Bob Gibson 1971)
SEA James Paxton, May 8 2018 (OAK Catfish Hunter 1968)
MIN Scott Erickson, Apr 27 1994 (BSN Jim Tobin 1944)
BAL Hoyt Wilhelm, Sep 20 1958 (CHW Frank Smith 1908)

— Doug Kern (@dakern74) August 15, 2021

Even Tommy Pham's game-ending lineout was scorched off the bat at 91.5 mph with an xBa of .750 required only a minor adjustment from Ketel Marte in center to end the game. By that point, Gilbert had already begun celebrating on the mound with his teammates.

He joins Carlos Rodon, John Means, Wade Miley, Spencer Turnbull, Corey Kluber and a combined effort by the Chicago Cubs in completing a no-hitter this season—the most since 1884 and one away from setting the all-time MLB record. 

The 2020 Rule 5 draft pick of the Diamondbacks began the season with the Reno Aces. No matter what happens the rest of the year, he'll end it having etched his name in baseball history in multiple ways. 

    

Rather than wait to see what free agency had to offer this offseason, Brandon Crawford has re-signed with the San Francisco Giants. 

They announced on Friday that their All-Star shortstop signed a two-year contract extension through the 2023 season. 

Per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Crawford's new deal is worth $32 million. 

Crawford is in the final season of the six-year, $75 million contract he signed in November 2015. 

The three-time All-Star's bounce-back campaign in 2021 has coincided with the Giants' surprising surge to the top of the MLB standings. 

After posting a .689 OPS in 201 games between the 2019 and '20 seasons, Crawford is hitting .296/.364/.540 with 19 homers and 69 RBI through 95 games in 2021. He remains one of the game's best defensive shortstops. 

Per FanGraphs, Crawford is tied for fourth among all qualified shortstops in defensive runs saved (seven) and tied for eighth in defensive value (6.1). 

Now that Crawford and Francisco Lindor have signed contract extensions, the free-agent class of shortstops this offseason will be led by Carlos Correa, Javier Baez and Corey Seager. 

Crawford was named to the NL All-Star team this season for the first time since 2018. 

San Francisco (74-41) has a five-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The team is on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.