Morning Mound Visit: Aaron Civale heads to the injured list

Blake Ruane | Covering the Corner: Coming into the 2021 season, starting pitching looked to be a position of strength for the Cleveland Baseball Team. While they are still holding on to second place in the American League Central division, their depth will certainly be put to the test as Aaron Civale joins Shane Bieber and Zac Plesac on the injured list thanks to a sprained finger that will have him out four to five weeks.

Jon Rimmer | Pinstripe Alley: The New York Yankees starting pitching has been pretty good, but not necessarily great. For an organization with perennially lofty expectations, is it good enough to contend with the second-place Rays and first-place Red Sox?

Sara Sanchez | Bleed Cubbie Blue: Understandably, fans have had some pent-up fandom due to being unable to attend live games since the start of the pandemic. But when said fandom affects what is happening on the field, it can create some real problems.

Quick Hits:

Garrett Richards wanted to be checked for foreign substances, but no one was there to greet him:

On a more serious note, the checks are getting a little ridiculous:

OH MY GOODNESS A KNUCKLEBALL:

Trevor Bauer offers Joe Musgrove some rosin:

Finally, Shohei Ohtani doing Shohei Ohtani things: