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Andruw Jones Should Be In Prison

By Mike Scioscia's tragic illness | July 9, 2009 | Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness

I have no animosity for former Dodgers; quite the contrary, in many cases, we've focused so much time and attention on these guys while they were in the Dodger system that you can't help but follow what they're doing once they're no longer wearing the blue. It's no secret around here how much I backed Delwyn Young and hated seeing him go, and so of course I've been following him as he breaks out in Pittsburgh (.315/.388/.403, currently). The same goes for Cody Ross, who made such an impression in his short time in LA (hard to forget that 2 HR, 7 RBI day about ten minutes before he was DFA'd) and has been a solidly above-average power performer in Florida for several seasons now. You could go on and on - for example, Edwin Jackson was rushed to the big leagues by the Dodgers, never really given a fair chance...

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Thursday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 9, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Twelve games are being played on Thursday. I'm trying a new format for Games of the Day. Instead of picking only some of the games, each game will be previewed. Two aces, Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez, pitch on Thursday. Roy Halladay may be taking the mound in Tampa Bay as a sort of trade audition. Tommy Hanson will get a test from the Rockies at Coors Field. Paul Konerko looks to continue his hot hitting against the Indians. The Cardinals and Brewers rap up an exciting July series. These games and more can be found below. Toronto at Tampa...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Brad Penny, Carl Crawford, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Clayton Richard, Cleveland Indians, Cody Ross, Colorado Rockies, David Price, Felix Hernandez, Florida Marlins, Games of the Day, Houston Astros, John Lannan, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Luke Hochevar, Micah Owings, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nyjer Morgan, Paul Konerko, Philadelphia Phillies, Rafael Furcal, Randy Wolf, Roy Halladay, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Tim Lincecum, Tommy Hanson, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Wednesday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 8, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Six of Wednesday's fifteen games are day games, making Wednesday a getaway day for those twelve teams. Wednesday doesn't feature the best pitching matchups, but does have some good games worth watching. Two All-Star Game bound ten-game winners are pitching on Wednesday. Ryan Sadowski looks to go 3-for-3 in his first three career starts. The Reds and Phillies continue an entertaining series. Oliver Perez returns to the Mets rotation and the NL Central and AL West showdowns continue. Pittsburgh at Houston: The Pirates-Astros series finishes with Charlie Morton and Wandy Rodriguez facing off. If Pittsburgh wins, they'll be only 2...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Brian Tallet, Chad Guadin, Charlie Morton, Chicago White Sox, Chris Young, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Curtis Granderson, David Hernandez, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Freddy Sanchez, Games of the Day, Hank Blalock, Homer Bailey, Houston Astros, Jeff Suppan, Jose Contreras, Jose Lopez, Kansas City Royals, Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Magglio Ordonez, Max Scherzer, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Oliver Perez, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rodrigo Lopez, Ryan Sadowski, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Scott Kazmir, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Drew, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Tim Wakefield, Todd Wellemeyer, Toronto Blue Jays, Vernon Wells, Vicente Padilla, Vladimir Guerrero, Wandy Rodriguez, Zack Greinke

Mid-Season Awards: American League

By Tyler Hissey | July 7, 2009 | Around the Majors

It's hard to believe, but the All-Star Game is less than a week away. And since I like to write award columns about as much as Rick Reilly enjoys referencing teeth, I'm thrilled that the mid-season point gives me another chance to take on my favorite topic. First up is the American League, with the Senior Circuit list running later this week.Most Valuable PlayerJoe Mauer, Minnesota Twins:After missing all of April due to injury, Mauer has played at the highest level of his career for the Twins. Always a threat to compete for a batting crown, he has burst out with an incredible power surge in 2009, answering the million dollar question: "How good would Mauer be if he could hit for power?" Through Sunday, he's raking at a clip of .389/.465/.648 and is on pace for a career-high in homers, having belted 14 in his first 256 plate appearances. Although his...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Ben Zobrist, Detroit Tigers, Elvis Andrus, Joe Mauer, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Rick Porcello, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays

Tuesday's bites

By Teddy Mitrosilis | July 7, 2009 | Around the Majors

I'm kinda, sorta going to pick up the links baton today, but I only have a handful, so lets go ...Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports wrote a nice piece on the return of Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, and talks to him about the possibility of competing in this year's home run derby. I agree with Hamilton in his decision to skip the derby. He plans to play in the ASG -- where he was voted the A.L. starting center fielder -- but after missing six weeks with an abdominal tear, the Rangers aren't exactly giddy about the possibility of him trying to launch balls out of Busch Stadium next week. I don't blame them. The Rangers need Hamilton healthy in the second half, as they have a shot at the division this year.Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com thinks that the Cubs are going to win the N.L. Central ... handily....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Josh Hamilton, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Texas Rangers

Tuesday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 7, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Tuesday brings a full schedule for our viewing pleasure. The day starts with the Reds and Phillies facing off in a game the Reds hope does not turn out the same way as Monday's game. The Rays and Blue Jays jockey for third place positioning in the AL East. Tuesday's schedule also contains games for two series' that will help determine division leaders heading into the All-Star break. Those games and more can be found below. Cincinnati at Philadelphia: The Phillies crushed the Reds 22-1 on Monday and look to continue that dominance against Aaron Harang on Tuesday. Hopefully they...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Aaron Harang, Adam Wainwright, Baltimore Orioles, Barry Zito, Cincinnati Reds, Clayton Kershaw, Cody Ross, Detroit Tigers, Dustin Nippert, Erik Bedard, Florida Marlins, Games of the Day, JA Happ, John Lackey, Jonny Gomes, Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals, Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Mike Pelfrey, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Yovani Gallardo

MLB Top 10: Yanks Making a Push

By Jaymes Langrehr | July 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

We're entering the final week before the All-Star break, but most teams have already passed the official midway point of their seasons. So now that we're half way there in crowning the 2009 world champions, who are the hottest teams in baseball entering this week? 1. New York Yankees (48-33)The Yanks continue to inch their way towards division-leading Boston, trailing in the AL East by a single win. It's sure to be one hell of a race down the stretch, even if some meaning is lessened by the fact that both teams are likely assured of reaching the playoffs. For now, I'm sure Yankee fans will take the moral victory of Mark Teixeira beating out Kevin Youkilis for the starting 1B spot on the All-Star team.2. Texas Rangers (45-35)It looks like the AL West is going to have a very competitive division race down the stretch, which is something that...

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Texas Sweeps Rays

By jdelator | July 6, 2009 | JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog

Entering the holiday weekend, the Rays came in as one of the hottest teams in baseball. When it was over, the Texas Rangers were in first place and the Rays fell further behind in both the AL East Divisional race and the AL wildcard chase. Texas swept Tampa Bay by silencing the red hot bats of the Rays and taking advantage of uncharacteristic defensive lapses in their three game sweep. Rookie Tommy Hunter three-hit the Rays in the opening game of the series, while getting just enough run support from Hank Blaylock, who belted a two-run homer off of starter Scott Kazmir in the fourth. Kaz pitched well overall, going five innings, allowing five hits and three runs while walking only one. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough as the Rangers held on for a 3-1 decision. Game two was an utter nightmare for Tampa Bay. Davd Price, coming off...

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MLB Top 10: Yanks Making a Push

By Jaymes Langrehr | July 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Stock Market - Nut Hut Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Have you ever listened to one of those morning zoo nut-hut talk radio shows? I'm sure you have, and yet you managed to change the dial before slitting your wrists. Often times these extremely boring people will go to excrutiating lengths to have a compelling talk segment. Right about now they're probably talking about how we are now over the hump - the days are getting short again (but they were so long for a while there, ha-ha! Can you beileve how long the days were? Blah blah, I couldn't go to sleep some nights the sky was so bright! Haw!) - and how winter is already on its way. As much as I detest those jabrones, I can't help but think about the same sort of thing -- the year is flying by. We're coming upon the All Star Break -- aka the most boring week in sports...Read more

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MLB Great Debates: Which Playoff Contender Needs a Trade to Stay in the Race?

By Staff Report | June 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Which contending team most needs to make a deal before the July 31 trade deadline in order to stay in the race? Jaymes Langrehr argues that the Brewers desperately need starting pitching:As we get closer to the trade deadline, a good number of teams are developing clear needs that need to be addressed if they're going to stay in playoff contention. Some teams will be able to cope with their weaknesses and still make the playoffs due to their other strengths. Other clubs will need to make a move if they have any chance at contending in the second half.The Milwaukee Brewers are a prime example. Heading into this season, they knew that their pitching wouldn't be as good as it was down the stretch last season. Given the strength of their offense, however, they figured to be in okay...Read more

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MLB Outsider - Hurdle Out to Competition Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 15, 2009 | MVN Outsider

We're now roughly a month away from the All Star Game and while the season is unfolding in a somewhat predictable manner, there have been more than a few unexpected developments. For example -- the Cubs. Sure, we all know that they're the Cubs (aka the Chicago Invent New Ways to Lose Surprisinglys) but did anybody expect them to have such a crappy offense? Certainly not I. But more impressive than the Cubs' historic burn-out have been the teams we'd traditionally expect to be finished due to their Rockie start only for things to develop unpredictably. (See what I did there? "Rockie" start? I'm a genius!) Let's look closer in this week's Stock Market.RisingColorado RockiesAs a simple baseball fan, I have a few rules I try to follow. When it comes to playoff expectations, I never give up on a team before September until they are either 10 games under...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, NL Central, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Top 10: Yanks Enter Week Hotter Than Boston -- Will it Stay that Way?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

It was an interesting week in baseball -- Randy Johnson won his 300th career game in front of about 12 people in Washington, the Dodgers stole a couple wins from Philadelphia in walkoff fashion, the Rangers proved their worth with a brutal East Coast road trip, and the Rockies started slugging the tar out of the ball...and they weren't even playing at home. So who heads up this week's Top 10 list as the team playing the best baseball?1. Philadelphia Phillies (33-22)The Phillies had a pair of tough walkoff losses in Los Angeles over the weekend, but prior to the late-game collapses the Phils were winners of seven straight. With the Mets running into serious injury problems, Philadelphia has a hold on the NL East -- they have a chance to expand that three game division lead starting Tuesday night when they travel to New York for a three game...Read more

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MLB Outsider - Slammin' the Door on Sammy?

By Kurt Evans | June 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Note: a very similar version of this appeared the other day on my personal Cubs blog Goat Riders of the Apocalypse. I'm not planning on ever reproducing GROTA content -- in any variety -- on this site again, but after writing it I came to realize that it was probably better suited for MVN. So please forgive me just this once for doing an exceptionally hackish thing.Question: Should a guy who's never been caught doing steroids be banned from the Hall of Fame over suspicions that he may have been doing something that wasn't against the rules of baseball at the time? We're asking ourselves this today and we'll be asking it again in four or five years as Sammy Sosa enters Hall of Fame eligibility. But unless something dramatically changes the way the voters think then we can already guess the answer: Sammy is going to have about as...Read more

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MLB Stock Market - June Already Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Another week gone by and ... holy crap it's June already? Wasn't it just last week that we were laughing at those poor northern teams playing in the snow? And I could've sworn it was just yesterday that the Nationals weren't the laughing stock of baseball.Nevertheless, the season is getting a move-on. Surprises abound, perhaps none more than the ace-like outburst of Zack Grienke, but he's hardly "rising" at this point. Let's take a closer look at this week's movers, shakers, and bonehead-play makers.RisingJohn Smoltz's chances of a returnWhen he signed an incentive laden contract with the Red Sox, the general tone of those who "know" baseball was that the Sox were nuts to respond to the Yankee signings of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett with "project players" like Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli, Brad Penny, and Jason Varitek*. Or maybe they were so crazy that it just might work. Either way,...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Top 10: No Clear Number One?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The past few weeks, it's been pretty easy to pick out baseball's hottest teams -- we've seen ridiculously long win streaks, surges to the top of divisions, and outstanding performances catapult teams to the top of these rankings. This week, however, was a bit more difficult. Heading into Monday, no team had a win streak longer than three games. So who do you turn to in that case? How about baseball's best team to this point?1. Los Angeles Dodgers - 35-17Two things remain constant in LA -- the Dodgers are still hot, and Bill Plaschke is still outraged (OUTRAGED, I SAY!) that Manny Ramirez is allowed to disgrace the city...you have to wonder how he'll react if the Dodgers win the World Series with Manny's help once he returns. Will he demand that they hand the trophy back? They had a solid week, getting Clint Hurdle fired in Colorado after...Read more

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