The Major League Baseball News, Notes and Discussion Thread
Apr 19, 2010 | 05:15 AM
#231
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From: Orange County
News and Notes from around MLB Sunday.
Out since arthroscopic knee surgery in the middle of spring training, Lance Berkman was 3-for-6 with a homer and two doubles rehabbing at Triple-A over the weekend and told the Astros that he'll be ready to rejoin the lineup Tuesday after the team's off day. Big Puma admitted his surgically repaired left knee is not yet 100 percent, but told manager Brad Mills "you can run me out there for about 10 or 15 games and see what happens."
Houston has recovered from opening the season with eight straight losses to win three of four games, but the Astros' offense ranks dead last with 2.3 runs per game and fill-ins Geoff Blum and Pedro Feliz have predictably been awful replacing Berkman at first base. Obviously the knee injury makes Berkman something of a question mark at age 34, but he's never slugged below .500 and his career-worst OPS is .896.
While the Astros hope to soon be merely very bad rather than historically terrible, here are some other notes from around baseball ...
* Rarely does an Opening Day cleanup hitter get designated for assignment before the end of April, but that's exactly what happened Sunday when the Mets cut Mike Jacobs after starting him in six of the first eight games. Getting rid of Jacobs makes more sense than batting him in between David Wright and Jason Bay ever did, but that isn't saying much and now the Mets are reportedly set to call up prospect Ike Davis from Triple-A.
Davis is a 2008 first-round pick, impressed during spring training, and is off to a big start in Buffalo, but just turned 23 years old and has played a grand total of 65 games above Single-A. To call him up now shows a sense of panic and startling lack of planning. Plus, while Davis projects to be a very solid player, with 159 strikeouts and a modest .467 slugging percentage in 181 games he's hardly a sure thing to thrive in the short term.
* Speaking of prospects thriving in the short term Jason Heyward delivered a walk-off hit with two outs and the Braves down a run in the ninth inning Sunday, singling with the bases loaded on a 96-mph fastball from Franklin Morales. Heyward has struggled a bit with breaking balls in the dirt, striking out 16 times in 12 games, but the 20-year-old phenom is hitting .302 with a 1.004 OPS and ranks second in the NL with 15 RBIs.
* Rich Harden looked horrible again Sunday versus the Yankees, lasting just 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits and six walks. He's managed 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings overall, but has also handed out 14 walks and more importantly his raw stuff looks underwhelming. Texas signing Harden to an incentive-laden contract struck me as a smart gamble, but it's looking like all the injuries may have finally caught up with him. To see where Harden ranks among this week's starters, check out Season Pass.
AL Quick Hits: Adam Lind homered with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning Sunday to break up Ervin Santana's shutout ... Derek Jeter sat out Sunday's game with a head cold, but expects to play Tuesday following the Yankees' off day ... Aaron Hill (hamstring) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but likely won't be back before Friday ... Matt Garza is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA after shutting out the Red Sox for eight innings Sunday ... Scott Podsednik had three more hits Sunday, raising his MLB-best batting average to .457 ... Perhaps breaking out of his annual early slump, Mark Teixeira hit his first homer Sunday ... Gavin Floyd was rocked for seven runs and failed to make it out of the second inning Sunday ... Daric Barton left Sunday's game after taking a pitch off his elbow, with Eric Chavez coming in at first base ... Alberto Callaspo hit a pair of three-run homers Sunday after going deep a total of 12 times in his first 318 games ... Miguel Cabrera turned 27 years old Sunday and celebrated with his 212th career homer.
NL Quick Hits: Adam Wainwright saved the Cardinals' bullpen Sunday night, holding the Mets to one run in a complete-game victory ... Aaron Rowand won't need surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone, meaning he could return in early May ... Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit homer turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead Sunday and Jonathan Broxton closed out the win for his first save ... Carlos Lee went hitless in five at-bats Sunday and is now batting .104 with zero extra-base hits in 12 games ... J.A. Happ is in danger of missing his next start with forearm soreness ... Jason Marquis failed to retire any of the seven batters he faced Sunday and then Miguel Batista served up a grand slam to Craig Counsell after relieving him ... Clayton Kershaw's shaky control continued Sunday, but he struck out nine and allowed just one run in seven innings ... Wade LeBlanc racked up seven strikeouts in five innings of one-run ball Sunday starting in place of the injured Chris Young ... Ian Kennedy tossed five shutout innings Sunday, striking out seven ... Nate Robertson shut out the Phillies for 6.1 innings Sunday, out-dueling Cole Hamels.
Out since arthroscopic knee surgery in the middle of spring training, Lance Berkman was 3-for-6 with a homer and two doubles rehabbing at Triple-A over the weekend and told the Astros that he'll be ready to rejoin the lineup Tuesday after the team's off day. Big Puma admitted his surgically repaired left knee is not yet 100 percent, but told manager Brad Mills "you can run me out there for about 10 or 15 games and see what happens."
Houston has recovered from opening the season with eight straight losses to win three of four games, but the Astros' offense ranks dead last with 2.3 runs per game and fill-ins Geoff Blum and Pedro Feliz have predictably been awful replacing Berkman at first base. Obviously the knee injury makes Berkman something of a question mark at age 34, but he's never slugged below .500 and his career-worst OPS is .896.
While the Astros hope to soon be merely very bad rather than historically terrible, here are some other notes from around baseball ...
* Rarely does an Opening Day cleanup hitter get designated for assignment before the end of April, but that's exactly what happened Sunday when the Mets cut Mike Jacobs after starting him in six of the first eight games. Getting rid of Jacobs makes more sense than batting him in between David Wright and Jason Bay ever did, but that isn't saying much and now the Mets are reportedly set to call up prospect Ike Davis from Triple-A.
Davis is a 2008 first-round pick, impressed during spring training, and is off to a big start in Buffalo, but just turned 23 years old and has played a grand total of 65 games above Single-A. To call him up now shows a sense of panic and startling lack of planning. Plus, while Davis projects to be a very solid player, with 159 strikeouts and a modest .467 slugging percentage in 181 games he's hardly a sure thing to thrive in the short term.
* Speaking of prospects thriving in the short term Jason Heyward delivered a walk-off hit with two outs and the Braves down a run in the ninth inning Sunday, singling with the bases loaded on a 96-mph fastball from Franklin Morales. Heyward has struggled a bit with breaking balls in the dirt, striking out 16 times in 12 games, but the 20-year-old phenom is hitting .302 with a 1.004 OPS and ranks second in the NL with 15 RBIs.
* Rich Harden looked horrible again Sunday versus the Yankees, lasting just 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits and six walks. He's managed 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings overall, but has also handed out 14 walks and more importantly his raw stuff looks underwhelming. Texas signing Harden to an incentive-laden contract struck me as a smart gamble, but it's looking like all the injuries may have finally caught up with him. To see where Harden ranks among this week's starters, check out Season Pass.
AL Quick Hits: Adam Lind homered with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning Sunday to break up Ervin Santana's shutout ... Derek Jeter sat out Sunday's game with a head cold, but expects to play Tuesday following the Yankees' off day ... Aaron Hill (hamstring) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but likely won't be back before Friday ... Matt Garza is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA after shutting out the Red Sox for eight innings Sunday ... Scott Podsednik had three more hits Sunday, raising his MLB-best batting average to .457 ... Perhaps breaking out of his annual early slump, Mark Teixeira hit his first homer Sunday ... Gavin Floyd was rocked for seven runs and failed to make it out of the second inning Sunday ... Daric Barton left Sunday's game after taking a pitch off his elbow, with Eric Chavez coming in at first base ... Alberto Callaspo hit a pair of three-run homers Sunday after going deep a total of 12 times in his first 318 games ... Miguel Cabrera turned 27 years old Sunday and celebrated with his 212th career homer.
NL Quick Hits: Adam Wainwright saved the Cardinals' bullpen Sunday night, holding the Mets to one run in a complete-game victory ... Aaron Rowand won't need surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone, meaning he could return in early May ... Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit homer turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead Sunday and Jonathan Broxton closed out the win for his first save ... Carlos Lee went hitless in five at-bats Sunday and is now batting .104 with zero extra-base hits in 12 games ... J.A. Happ is in danger of missing his next start with forearm soreness ... Jason Marquis failed to retire any of the seven batters he faced Sunday and then Miguel Batista served up a grand slam to Craig Counsell after relieving him ... Clayton Kershaw's shaky control continued Sunday, but he struck out nine and allowed just one run in seven innings ... Wade LeBlanc racked up seven strikeouts in five innings of one-run ball Sunday starting in place of the injured Chris Young ... Ian Kennedy tossed five shutout innings Sunday, striking out seven ... Nate Robertson shut out the Phillies for 6.1 innings Sunday, out-dueling Cole Hamels.
Apr 20, 2010 | 01:28 AM
#235
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 23,875
From: Orange County
Pineiro pitches a great game for the Angels as we win our fourth in a row!!
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels - Recap - April 19, 2010 - ESPN
Me and my son at the game tonight.
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels - Recap - April 19, 2010 - ESPN
Me and my son at the game tonight.
Last edited by Barrister; Apr 20, 2010 at 02:21 AM.
Apr 20, 2010 | 11:36 AM
#236
I think Penny so far has been a great pickup for the Cards. If he keeps it up we will have the best rotation in the NL by far.
Apr 20, 2010 | 05:14 PM
#237
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,020
From: Palm Beach, Fl
From ESPN:
CINCINNATI -- Former All-Star pitcher Edinson Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds was suspended 50 games Tuesday following a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.
Volquez said in a statement he received a prescription in the Dominican Republic as part of treatment to start a family with his wife. He said the drug was banned by Major League Baseball.
"As a result, I tested positive when I reported to spring training," he said. "Although I understand that I must accept responsibility for this mistake and have chosen not to challenge my suspension, I want to assure everyone that this was an isolated incident involving my genuine effort to treat a common medical issue."
Volquez is the first player suspended under Major League Baseball's drug program since Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers was penalized 50 games last May.
The suspension will take effect immediately, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
The 26-year-old right-hander was already out of action -- he's recovering from reconstructive surgery on his elbow and was expected to rejoin the Reds around midseason. Volquez can serve the suspension while on the disabled list, Courtney told ESPN.com, and will lose a little less than one-third of his $445,000 salary, which amounts to about $137,000.
An All-Star in 2008 when he went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA for the Reds, Volquez was 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA last season before feeling pain in his arm in June. He twice went on the disabled list, the first time with back spasms and then with the elbow injury that finished his season.
"The Reds fully support Major League Baseball's drug policy and its penalties. The organization does not condone in any way the use of drugs not sanctioned by MLB's medical staff," the team said in a statement before Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers.
MLB's labor contract does not allow it to release which drug caused the positive test. A list of drugs that trigger positives is released after each season, without identifying which player used it.
Ramirez was suspended after turning over to MLB a prescription for a banned female fertility drug.
Volquez was the first player suspended for a positive test under the big league program since San Francisco Giants pitcher Kelvin Pichardo on March 23, 2009.
The only other players suspended under the major league program last year were New York Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero, both in January 2009.
There have been 16 suspensions this year under the minor league drug program.
Volquez signed with Texas as an amateur free agent in 2001. The Rangers traded Volquez and pitcher Danny Herrera to Cincinnati for outfielder Josh Hamilton in December 2007. Both Volquez and Hamilton were at the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
Volquez said in a statement he received a prescription in the Dominican Republic as part of treatment to start a family with his wife. He said the drug was banned by Major League Baseball.
"As a result, I tested positive when I reported to spring training," he said. "Although I understand that I must accept responsibility for this mistake and have chosen not to challenge my suspension, I want to assure everyone that this was an isolated incident involving my genuine effort to treat a common medical issue."
Volquez is the first player suspended under Major League Baseball's drug program since Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers was penalized 50 games last May.
The suspension will take effect immediately, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
The 26-year-old right-hander was already out of action -- he's recovering from reconstructive surgery on his elbow and was expected to rejoin the Reds around midseason. Volquez can serve the suspension while on the disabled list, Courtney told ESPN.com, and will lose a little less than one-third of his $445,000 salary, which amounts to about $137,000.
An All-Star in 2008 when he went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA for the Reds, Volquez was 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA last season before feeling pain in his arm in June. He twice went on the disabled list, the first time with back spasms and then with the elbow injury that finished his season.
"The Reds fully support Major League Baseball's drug policy and its penalties. The organization does not condone in any way the use of drugs not sanctioned by MLB's medical staff," the team said in a statement before Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers.
MLB's labor contract does not allow it to release which drug caused the positive test. A list of drugs that trigger positives is released after each season, without identifying which player used it.
Ramirez was suspended after turning over to MLB a prescription for a banned female fertility drug.
Volquez was the first player suspended for a positive test under the big league program since San Francisco Giants pitcher Kelvin Pichardo on March 23, 2009.
The only other players suspended under the major league program last year were New York Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero, both in January 2009.
There have been 16 suspensions this year under the minor league drug program.
Volquez signed with Texas as an amateur free agent in 2001. The Rangers traded Volquez and pitcher Danny Herrera to Cincinnati for outfielder Josh Hamilton in December 2007. Both Volquez and Hamilton were at the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
Apr 20, 2010 | 09:15 PM
#239
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,226
From: Singapore
Pineiro pitches a great game for the Angels as we win our fourth in a row!!
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels - Recap - April 19, 2010 - ESPN
Me and my son at the game tonight.
Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels - Recap - April 19, 2010 - ESPN
Me and my son at the game tonight.
Its gonna be a great set of games for both teams. I can hardly wait!