Morning Phil Up – 3/21/2014 – American League Roundup

Carlos Carrasco. Image Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Here are a few links from around the American League:

Climbing Tal’s Hill – Cosart, Foltynewicz unveil new curveballs

In an offseason of activity, the best move the Astros might have made was hiring pitching coach Brent Strom. Strom has made an impact by teaching some of the Astros pitchers – most notably Jared Cosart and Mike Foltynewicz – a new pitch known as the “spike curve.” Based on Spring Training results, both young pitchers have used the pitch to great success and have added another strikeout pitch to their arsenals.

Cleveland Indians Team Site – Tough outing complicates Carrasco’s rotation bid

Former Phillies farmhand Carlos Carrasco had been penciled in as part of the Cleveland Indians’ starting rotation, but a poor showing in his latest start makes his standing a lot less certain. Since coming to the Indians in the Cliff Lee trade, Carrasco has never lived up to his billing as a top prospect. He had some success as a reliever last season, but both he and the team hoped that he could move into the rotation in 2014. The Indians would prefer not to send him down to the minors, since he is out of options, and would be forced to first clear waivers.

Bless You Boys – Tigers injury woes more nuisance than disaster

The Tigers came into Spring Training without much in the way of quality depth. That wouldn’t be a problem if everyone stayed healthy, but unfortunately, health has been an issue thus far for the Tigers. Fortunately, they still have an excellent assortment of top end talent anchoring their roster. If injuries continue to strike, they can use the 2013 Yankees as an example. The Yankees similarly had the bottom of their roster ravaged by injuries, and they were still able to stay in contention while relying on several players who didn’t appear to be much better than replacement level.

New York Yankees Team Site – With no roadblocks, Tex rolling through spring

Mark Teixiera got a late start to Spring Training as he was rehabbing his right wrist, but since then, he has experienced no setbacks and is anticipating the start of the season. Teixiera has looked so good in his recovery that manager Joe Girardi isn’t apprehensive in the least when watching him play. Girardi expects him to be healthy all season, and that should be a major addition to a Yankees team that suffered more than its share of injuries in 2013.