NL Notes: Guthrie implodes on birthday

On his birthday, Jeremy Guthrie was able to turn in a record performance. HINT: it wasn’t that great of a record.

Guthrie, now 38, turned in one of the ugliest pitching tilts in MLB history. The veteran righty didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing ten runs on six hits. Guthrie also walked four during the wretched start, and was promptly replaced after the 0.2-inning performance.

Guthrie was making his first start in almost two years, so the rust is understandable. However, Guthrie has to be disappointed about the outcome of his birthday. Maybe he isn’t as young as he once was.

Guthrie was designated for assignment following Saturday night’s ugliness.

Here’s what else is happening around the National League:

An unfortunate blister has the Dodgers on edge. Rich Hill, the Dodgers’ resurgent starter, is headed to the DL with a blister on the middle finger of his left hand. Hill has emerged as a starter after years as a reliever, but this recent —and recurring— injury will set him back a bit after an excellent 2016 campaign. With the Rockies and Diamondbacks both hot to start the season, the Dodgers will have to work around the setback.

The Cardinals are close to having a key asset back in the bullpen. Reliever Trevor Rosenthal is nearing a return to St. Louis after injuries hampered him for most of 2016 and the beginning of this year. Rosenthal battled a shoulder injury a year ago, and was most recently dealing with a lat problem in spring training. He hasn’t been the most consistent pitcher over the last few years, but St. Louis could always use more bullpen depth to back up the quality string of starting pitchers that has existed there for some time.

Pirates home games at PNC Park are about to be super. A new LED screen in the outfield projects a Super Mario simulation, where lucky fans run along the warning track and play the game between innings. The game reverts back to the regular scoreboard when play resumes.

Coors Field, known for its offense, has left one NL West rival with some dead bats. The Dodgers, who have undoubtedly had the upper hand over the Rockies over the years, have struggled mightily offensively in Denver. In 2016, the Dodgers scored just 41 runs in nine games at Coors, which has served hitters well since it opened in 1995. Seems like the Dodgers should be happy about their pitching prowess, because the runs aren’t coming as easy as they once did.