FullCountPitch - Is There A Market For Carlos Zambrano?

The season is barely over a month old, but it’s never too early to speculate on who will be moved during the 2011 trade deadline.

The first name that comes to mind is the hot-headed, hard throwing, anger management candidate (did I mention hot-headed?), Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs. Before I go any further, let me point out the obvious sticking point with Zambrano – and I don’t mean the hot-headed thing – his contract. The Big Z makes $17.875MM this season and $18MM in 2012 (there’s also a vesting option for 2013 worth $19.25MM).

First off, what in God’s name were the Cubs thinking in giving Zambrano the contract? But now back to basics. The Big Z is publicly trying to rehabilitate his image, at least on the mound. After he averaged better than 200 innings, made three All-Star appearances, and finished in the top five in the NL Cy Young voting three times during the period from 2003-2008, things went south for Zambrano. (Not that there weren’t issues during that time- the dugout scuffle with Michael Barrett comes to mind.)

Read the rest of this free article at fullcountpitch.com

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

The Chicago Cubs have a growing reputation as a mixed martial arts squad rather than a baseball team. There was the Carlos Zambrano-Michael Barrett tiff in June, 2007. Last season it was Zambrano and 1st baseman Derrek Lee going toe to toe. And 2011 is no different..except it wasn’t Zambrano this time around.

On Tuesday pitcher Carlos Silva allowed five runs in the 1st inning thanks in large part to three Cubbie errors. Silva got into the face of 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had committed one of the gaffes. No punches were thrown, no hair pulled, but the two had to be separated after shoving one another. Silva was eventually escorted back to the clubhouse and order was restored.

Mike Quade (in his first full year as manager) didn’t mind the fight, but did hold a team meeting on Thursday to clear the air and straighten things out. Quade is under enough pressure as a rookie skipper without his players getting out of hand. Veterans Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena helped out by calling a players only meeting to stress unity. Somewhere Steve Bartman is shaking his head.

Across town the White Sox Jake Peavy is doing battle with his surgically repaired shoulder. Peavy makes his first start today since having the latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder reattached in a July procedure. His surgeon told the Chicago Trib’s David Haugh that Peavy is making good progress. “His motivation has been exactly in the right spot in that he understands this surgery and his recovery is not for him just to play this year, 2011, but beyond so he can meet expectations of him since he came here,” Romeo said on the phone from Vail, Colo. “Things are progressing well.” You should still be wary in your fantasy drafts.

Rumors are persisting that Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg or some of the team’s partial owners have an interest in the NY Mets. According to the Tampa Tribune Sternberg has denied any interesting in owning part or all of the Mets, but the NY Times reported that minority owner Randy Frankel has a definite interest.

Youngster Jason Castro was set to be the Houston Astros starting catcher this season, but a torn ACL will probably cause him to miss the entire season.

The Boston Herald is reporting that outfielder J.D. Drew is likely to retire after this season. The 35-yr old has been bothered by a series of injuries the last few years and has a lingering hamstring issue from last season. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do, I’m leaning both ways. I guess, I don’t really know,” Drew said. “It depends on how the year goes. I don’t know what I’ll do. There’s benefits to both sides, but I have to think it out, pray about it, talk with my family, see how my body holds up over the year, and go from there.”

The Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones played 3rd base Thursday for the first time since injuring his knee last August. Afterwards he felt, well, pretty Chipper about it. “I just want to play,” Jones said. “Once you get on the field instinct takes over. That’s what you need to worry about. I wasn’t expecting to be playing by now and I don’t know what to expect.”

The Daily Yankeeland

It's been a while since I put a Daily Yankeeland out there, so here we go.

Yogi Berra remained hospitalized with a fractured foot according to the Star Ledger's Marc Carig. It was originally thought that the living legend had gone home Sunday night.

ESPN's Rob Neyer says the Yankees will be rewarded by being patient with Joba Chamberlain.

The Washington Post's Allan Sloan knows the Boss jumped ship at the right time.

Lou Piniella has popped one cork too many. The former Yankees outfielder has decided to hang it up as manager after the season. Sweet Lou's old fashioned ways don't work with today's players too much and he certainly had to have tired of the Milton Bradleys and Carlos Zambranos of the world.

Kevin Long explains how he fixed Mark Teixeira's season long slump.

Sergio Mitre's last rehab start wasn't a good one. Pitching for Scranton last night Meat Tray allowed 3 earned runs and 4 hits in 4.2 innings.

Charleston RiverDogs are watching what they eat.

And You Wanted To Be My Latex Salesman

My pre-season pick for the AL MVP was none other than the Rays' B.J. Upton. I had a hunch this would be a bust out year for him. The one that took his game to another level.

Boy was I wrong.

Upton's splits - .223/.318/.392 stink. He's got just 29 RBI.

Back in 2007 it appeared Upton was ready for stardom. He hit .300, belted 24 HR and drove in 82 runs. His OPS was nearly .900.

But his lack of hustle, and it's not a perceived lack, at times and his attitude have diminished as has his game. Things came to a head on Sunday when Upton loped after a ball hit to the gap in left-center field. When the Rays got back in the dugout Evan Longoria got in his teammates face. Upton's reaction, as you can see in the video, was none too pleasant.

Ironically, the game ended when Chris Young hustled to catch a deep fly ball hit by Upton.

Upton's days in Tampa Bay very well becoming to an end. The Rays have shown their not afraid to move talented, but underachieving players (i.e. Delmon Young).

Perhaps a deal for Carlos Zambrano?





Zambrano's weekend flip out. Is there something in the dugout water?



photo courtesy of onpublicspeaking.com

Highs and Lows of Opening Day

While CC Sabathia and the Yankees would like to forget their opening day, they aren't the only ones.

It wasn't a good day for the aces:

Reigning CY Young Award winner Cliff Lee was tagged for 7 runs in 5 innings.

Tigers #1 starter Justin Verlander gave up 8 runs in 3.2 innings (and killed my fantasy team)

Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay won, but gave up 5 runs in 7 innings.

NL CY Young runner up Brandon Webb allowed 6 earned runs in 4 innings.


But it wasn't all bad.

The King, Felix Hernandez, allowed one run over 8 innings in the Mariners 6-1 win over the Twins.

Carlos Zambrano looked dynamite in his 6 innings of work in the Cubs 4-2 victory over the Astros.

Joe Saunders tossed 6.2 innings of 3-hit ball as the Angels blanked the A's 3-0.

Kevin Millwood tossed 7 innings of 5 hit ball as the Rangers crushed the Indians 9-1.

Hiroki Kuroda out pitched Jake Peavy as the Dodgers dropped the Padres 4-1.


The Hitting Heros

Arizona's Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark became just the second teammates, joining the Yankees Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada, to homer from each side of the plate. They also became the first teammates to perform the feat on opening day. (Are we the only ones who think of that unfortunate ground-rule double by Tony Clark in the 2004 ALCS, every time TC's name is mentioned?)

Toronto's Adam Lind had 4 hits and drove in a career high 6 runs. His big game included a home run.

Marlins' superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez belted a grand slam and drove in 5 runs. Guess he got over having to get his hair cut.

Ken Griffey Jr. homered in his return to Seattle. That's 612 and counting.


The much anticipated debuts

The Mets new bullpen shone immediate. J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless eight inning, setting things up for Francisco Rodriguez's first "thank the big guy upstairs afterwards" save.

Jason Giambi went 0-3 for Oakland. Bobby Abreu was 1-4 in LA. Milton Bradley was 0-3 for Chicago. Pudge Rodriguez was 0-4 for Houston.


Are we a jinx?

Yesterday we picked CC Sabathia (12.46 ERA) for AL CY Young, Mark Teixeira (0-4) for AL MVP, and Jason Motte (1 IP 4 ER Blown Save, Loss) for NL Rookie of the Year.


It's a new day

Plenty more games on tap today, with the Royals-White Sox and Rays-Red Sox making up postponed openers.

World Baseball Classic - 3/9

The US blew out Venezuela on Sunday, belting three home runs en route to a 15-6 victory. Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Braun all went deep as Team USA banged out 16 hits. Mark DeRosa and Chris Iannetta enjoyed big games with four RBI each.

Derek Jeter went 0-2 after replacing starter Jimmy Rollins. Matt Lindstrom picked up the win after starter Roy Oswalt struggled through three innings. Victor Zambrano was saddled with the loss, the first for the Venezuelan team.

The Dominican Republic shut out Panama 9-0 in a elimination game on Sunday. Miguel Olivo pounded two home runs and Johnny Cueto struck out five batters in 4.1 innings pitched for the win. Ramiro Mendoza took the loss for Panama.

Nelson Cruz also homered for the D.R..

Cuba opened their play in the WBC with an 8-1 win over South Africa on Sunday. The Cuban squad hit a classic record six home runs, two of them by Frederich Cepeda. South Africa was held to four hits and struck out 11 times.

3/9

Korea out dueled Japan 1-0 on Monday, with the lone run coming in the fourth inning. Tae Kyun Kim had two of the four Korean hits and drove in the lone run. Kenji Johjima had two of Japan's six hits. It was the first loss for the Japanese team.

The Pennant Race - 10/4

2-0 is the running theme in this year's playoffs. All four series are 2-0 thus far, with an even split between the home and road teams.

ALDS

The Angels clearly must have thought they would be playing the Yankees again this year. Apparently they freaked out when they heard they were playing the Red Sox, because they have their backs to the wall after losing two straight at home. Last night was a perfect example of why Francisco Rodriguez, aka K-Rod, is no Mariano Rivera. Though Mo struggled in tie games this year, K-Rod failed on a much bigger stage last night. Trailing 4-0 after one inning, the Angels rallied to tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth before J.D. Drew took K-Rod deep in the ninth with a man aboard.

The series continues Monday night in Boston with John Lackey facing Josh Beckett.

The Rays are on the brink of winning their first playoff series after Friday's 6-2 win over the White Sox. Scott Kazmir struggled with his control in the first inning and was unfortunate to escape down just 2-0. Aki Iwamura's 2-run home run off of Mark Buerhle in the fifth inning gave the Rays a 3-2 lead and the Rays added three more in the eighth to put the game away.

The Rays can close the series out in Chicago on Sunday afternoon with Matt Garza against John Danks.


NLDS

Jinx or no jinx, the Cubs woes continue. The Cubs committed three errors that led to five unearned runs as the Dodgers pounded Chicago 10-3. Manny Ramirez homered for the second straight game and Chad Billingsley allowed one run while striking out seven in six innings of work. The Wrigley faithful were fired up with Carlos Zambrano on the mound, but were all doom and gloom when it was over.

CC Sabathia can only work his magic so many times. Coming back on three days rest again, the Phillies jumped on the Brewers ace for five runs in the second inning. Shane Victorino delivered the big blow with a grand slam. Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed just two hits over seven innings for the win. Victorino added a pair of singles, a walk, and a two stolen bases.

The Pennant Race - 10/4

2-0 is the running theme in this year's playoffs. All four series are 2-0 thus far, with an even split between the home and road teams.

ALDS

The Angels clearly must have thought they would be playing the Yankees again this year. Apparently they freaked out when they heard they were playing the Red Sox, because they have their backs to the wall after losing two straight at home. Last night was a perfect example of why Francisco Rodriguez, aka K-Rod, is no Mariano Rivera. Though Mo struggled in tie games this year, K-Rod failed on a much bigger stage last night. Trailing 4-0 after one inning, the Angels rallied to tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth before J.D. Drew took K-Rod deep in the ninth with a man aboard.

The series continues Monday night in Boston with John Lackey facing Josh Beckett.

The Rays are on the brink of winning their first playoff series after Friday's 6-2 win over the White Sox. Scott Kazmir struggled with his control in the first inning and was unfortunate to escape down just 2-0. Aki Iwamura's 2-run home run off of Mark Buerhle in the fifth inning gave the Rays a 3-2 lead and the Rays added three more in the eighth to put the game away.

The Rays can close the series out in Chicago on Sunday afternoon with Matt Garza against John Danks.


NLDS

Jinx or no jinx, the Cubs woes continue. The Cubs committed three errors that led to five unearned runs as the Dodgers pounded Chicago 10-3. Manny Ramirez homered for the second straight game and Chad Billingsley allowed one run while striking out seven in six innings of work. The Wrigley faithful were fired up with Carlos Zambrano on the mound, but were all doom and gloom when it was over.

CC Sabathia can only work his magic so many times. Coming back on three days rest again, the Phillies jumped on the Brewers ace for five runs in the second inning. Shane Victorino delivered the big blow with a grand slam. Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed just two hits over seven innings for the win. Victorino added a pair of singles, a walk, and a two stolen bases.

Battle of the Windy City

It would be the Civil War, Illinois style (maybe they'll make one of these neat replica chess sets). As we see it, the World Series won't be leaving the Windy City this year as the Cubs and White Sox will meet in the championship.

What better way for the Cubs to end their miserable streak of losing then to beat their hated crosstown rivals?

Here's our round by round break down.


ALDS

Red Sox vs. Angels - Wow this is tough. The defending champs are banged up. Josh Beckett may not be able to go. At the very least he won't start until game three. Mike Lowell (hip) and J.D. Drew (back) are also having lingering issues.

The Angels have had trouble beating the Red Sox in the past, but this year they should be able to handle them. Which is why we are picking the Red Sox in 5. Yes, you read that correctly. The Angels clinched the AL West very early, and their starting pitching hasn't looked so terrific the last month of the season. Being that we hate the Red Sox, we hope we're wrong, but we think Dice-K and Jon Lester make the difference in this one.
Red Sox in 5.

White Sox vs. Rays - The Rays are in their very first post-season while their opponent won the World Series just three years ago, and much of that team is still intact. We think the Rays starting pitching and bullpen will take on water in some of the cracks we've started to see. Dan Wheeler and company just are not that great, and Troy Percival is banged up.

Scott Kazmir is great, but isn't always on. Garza and Shields are good, but hittable. Sonnanstine and Jackson? Nah.

Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks should be the difference here, as well as the White Sox set up men to Bobby Jenks. The Sox also have a lot of momentum coming off of Monday's huge win and last night's one game playoff with the Twins.
White Sox in 4


NLDS

Brewers vs. Phillies - Unfortunately for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia cannot go every day. He is slated to come back on three days rest again for game two and is also scheduled for game 5. We don't see this going that long though.

The Phillies have tremendous hitting, good starting pitching, and a solid pen. They also have the experience of last year's playoff failure to build off of. The Brewers haven't been in the post-season since they won the World Series in 1982.
Phillies in 4

Dodgers vs. Cubs - We're sure Manny will have a huge series and Joe Torre will be the talk of the town...for a bit. We expect another first round exit by Torre, though it will be no fault of his own. The Cubs are just a better, deeper ball club than the Dodgers.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are the keys to the series. Their health and ability to pitch. And Ted Lilly is on a roll.
Cubs in 5


ALCS

Red Sox vs. White Sox - Sox it to me. Should be a well pitched game, but the number games will take its toll on the banged up Red Sox.
White Sox in 6

Phillies vs. Cubs - This should be a great one that could go the distance. We think it will come up just shy of that, however, with the Cubs sacrificing a goat and Bartman before game six.
Cubs in 6


World Series
White Sox vs. Cubs - Brother vs. Brother. This one goes the distance, with the Cubs winning by a knockout late.
Cubs in 7

World Series MVP Prediction - Aramis Ramirez

Battle of the Windy City

It would be the Civil War, Illinois style (maybe they'll make one of these neat replica chess sets). As we see it, the World Series won't be leaving the Windy City this year as the Cubs and White Sox will meet in the championship.

What better way for the Cubs to end their miserable streak of losing then to beat their hated crosstown rivals?

Here's our round by round break down.


ALDS

Red Sox vs. Angels - Wow this is tough. The defending champs are banged up. Josh Beckett may not be able to go. At the very least he won't start until game three. Mike Lowell (hip) and J.D. Drew (back) are also having lingering issues.

The Angels have had trouble beating the Red Sox in the past, but this year they should be able to handle them. Which is why we are picking the Red Sox in 5. Yes, you read that correctly. The Angels clinched the AL West very early, and their starting pitching hasn't looked so terrific the last month of the season. Being that we hate the Red Sox, we hope we're wrong, but we think Dice-K and Jon Lester make the difference in this one.
Red Sox in 5.

White Sox vs. Rays - The Rays are in their very first post-season while their opponent won the World Series just three years ago, and much of that team is still intact. We think the Rays starting pitching and bullpen will take on water in some of the cracks we've started to see. Dan Wheeler and company just are not that great, and Troy Percival is banged up.

Scott Kazmir is great, but isn't always on. Garza and Shields are good, but hittable. Sonnanstine and Jackson? Nah.

Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks should be the difference here, as well as the White Sox set up men to Bobby Jenks. The Sox also have a lot of momentum coming off of Monday's huge win and last night's one game playoff with the Twins.
White Sox in 4


NLDS

Brewers vs. Phillies - Unfortunately for Milwaukee, CC Sabathia cannot go every day. He is slated to come back on three days rest again for game two and is also scheduled for game 5. We don't see this going that long though.

The Phillies have tremendous hitting, good starting pitching, and a solid pen. They also have the experience of last year's playoff failure to build off of. The Brewers haven't been in the post-season since they won the World Series in 1982.
Phillies in 4

Dodgers vs. Cubs - We're sure Manny will have a huge series and Joe Torre will be the talk of the town...for a bit. We expect another first round exit by Torre, though it will be no fault of his own. The Cubs are just a better, deeper ball club than the Dodgers.

Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden are the keys to the series. Their health and ability to pitch. And Ted Lilly is on a roll.
Cubs in 5


ALCS

Red Sox vs. White Sox - Sox it to me. Should be a well pitched game, but the number games will take its toll on the banged up Red Sox.
White Sox in 6

Phillies vs. Cubs - This should be a great one that could go the distance. We think it will come up just shy of that, however, with the Cubs sacrificing a goat and Bartman before game six.
Cubs in 6


World Series
White Sox vs. Cubs - Brother vs. Brother. This one goes the distance, with the Cubs winning by a knockout late.
Cubs in 7

World Series MVP Prediction - Aramis Ramirez

Carlos Zambrano Tosses No-No

The Chicago Cubs' Carlos Zambrano tossed a complete game no-hitter against the Houston Astros tonight, the first such game in franchise history since Milt Pappas no-hit the Padres on September 2, 1972. The Cubs cruised 5-0 as Zambrano pitched the 13th no-hitter in Cubs' history. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto added another notch to his outstanding freshman season by being behind the plate for Zambrano's gem.

Zambrano began the ninth inning by inducing ground ball outs from Humberto Quintero and Jose Castillo. He then struck out Darin Erstad for the final out and fell to his knees, pointing skyward.

The game had been moved from Houston to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike, so the 23,441 in attendance was mainly comprised of Cubs fans.

Alfonso Soriano got the game going with a lead off solo home run and then it was all Zambrano. He walked one hitter, hit another, and struck out 10. His only negative was going 1-3, which lowered his average to .354.

Recap and Box Score

Carlos Zambrano Tosses No-No

The Chicago Cubs' Carlos Zambrano tossed a complete game no-hitter against the Houston Astros tonight, the first such game in franchise history since Milt Pappas no-hit the Padres on September 2, 1972. The Cubs cruised 5-0 as Zambrano pitched the 13th no-hitter in Cubs' history. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto added another notch to his outstanding freshman season by being behind the plate for Zambrano's gem.

Zambrano began the ninth inning by inducing ground ball outs from Humberto Quintero and Jose Castillo. He then struck out Darin Erstad for the final out and fell to his knees, pointing skyward.

The game had been moved from Houston to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike, so the 23,441 in attendance was mainly comprised of Cubs fans.

Alfonso Soriano got the game going with a lead off solo home run and then it was all Zambrano. He walked one hitter, hit another, and struck out 10. His only negative was going 1-3, which lowered his average to .354.

Recap and Box Score

The Pennant Race - 8/22

There wasn't too much action in MLB yesterday, but some races were impacted. The Mets increased their lead over the Phillies to 2.5 games, behind some clutch hits from the still-hot Carlos Delgado. The first baseman went 5-5 with 3 RBI including the game winner in the bottom of the ninth. The Mets topped the Braves, 5-4.

Meanwhile, the Nats broke their 12 game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Phillies. Washington was down 3-2 when they struck for a pair of runs in the eighth inning.

The Marlins fell 6 back in the East after losing to the Giants in the bottom of the ninth for the second straight game, this time on a wild pitch.

The Cubs upped their lead over the Brewers to 5.5 games in the NL Central with a 3-2 win over the Reds. Carlos Zambrano hit his fourth home run of the year and picked up his 13th win. Zambrano, who also managed to break a tooth during the game, now has 16 career home runs.

Brandon Webb's major league-leading 19th win kept the Diamondbacks 2 games ahead of the Dodgers. Arizona won 4-1 as Connor Jackson drove in 2 runs. LA beat Colorado 3-1 as James Loney homered and drove in 2 runs, and Derek Lowe picked up his 10th win.

Denard Span's 12th inning single gave the Twins a 2-1 win over the Angels and moved them back to within a half-game of the idle White Sox in the AL Central. Starters Scott Baker and John Lackey each allowed one run in eight innings pitched.

Big game last night for Cleveland's Grady Sizemore. Two singles, a 3-run triple, and a 3-run home run; 7 RBI in all.

The Pennant Race - 8/22

There wasn't too much action in MLB yesterday, but some races were impacted. The Mets increased their lead over the Phillies to 2.5 games, behind some clutch hits from the still-hot Carlos Delgado. The first baseman went 5-5 with 3 RBI including the game winner in the bottom of the ninth. The Mets topped the Braves, 5-4.

Meanwhile, the Nats broke their 12 game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Phillies. Washington was down 3-2 when they struck for a pair of runs in the eighth inning.

The Marlins fell 6 back in the East after losing to the Giants in the bottom of the ninth for the second straight game, this time on a wild pitch.

The Cubs upped their lead over the Brewers to 5.5 games in the NL Central with a 3-2 win over the Reds. Carlos Zambrano hit his fourth home run of the year and picked up his 13th win. Zambrano, who also managed to break a tooth during the game, now has 16 career home runs.

Brandon Webb's major league-leading 19th win kept the Diamondbacks 2 games ahead of the Dodgers. Arizona won 4-1 as Connor Jackson drove in 2 runs. LA beat Colorado 3-1 as James Loney homered and drove in 2 runs, and Derek Lowe picked up his 10th win.

Denard Span's 12th inning single gave the Twins a 2-1 win over the Angels and moved them back to within a half-game of the idle White Sox in the AL Central. Starters Scott Baker and John Lackey each allowed one run in eight innings pitched.

Big game last night for Cleveland's Grady Sizemore. Two singles, a 3-run triple, and a 3-run home run; 7 RBI in all.

Around the Horn - 6/20

Some news first. Curt Schilling has revealed he's going to undergo season ending, and possibly career ending, shoulder surgery.

Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya is expected to return from his season long trip from the DL tonight when the team travels to San Diego.

Travis Hafner will not have to have surgery on his rotator cuff, but he's not close to coming back.

The Mariners fired John McLaren yesterday and reports have the Blue Jays firing John Gibbons prior to tonight's game. Former Jays manager Cito Gaston will take over.

Carlos Zambrano could miss significant time for the Cubs due to a shoulder problem.


Round 3 of Interleague play went as follows:

Rays 3 Cubs 0
The Rays take the sweep on Carl Crawford's grand slam on Thursday.

Twins 3 Nationals 0
Twins outscored the Nationals 22-6.

White Sox 3 Pirates 0
The White Sox scored 37 runs in the series. Jermaine Dye capped the sweep with a 2 HR, 6 RBI game.

Blue Jays 0 Brewers 3
John Gibbons to go out with a whimper. Former Blue Jay David Bush had a no-hitter Thursday into the 8th inning before the Brewers almost blew an 8-0 lead.

Rangers 2 Braves 1
Michael Young's 9th walk off single gave the Rangers the series after the bullpen blew yet another lead.

Orioles 3 Astros 0
Two one-run games and one two-run game. The Orioles ruined Miguel Tejada's home coming. The former Oriole only went 2-12.

Athletics 1 Diamondbacks 2
Two blowouts and then a pitcher's duel decides the finale, 2-1. Justin Upton delivered a game winning home run in the 8th inning.

Indians 0 Rockies 3
Rockies came into the series 14 games under .500. How long until C.C. Sabathia gets dealt?

Royals 3 Cardinals 0
Royals pitching limited the Cardinals to 4 runs in the series.

Angels 1 Mets 2
Mets took the series, but lost their manager.

Mariners 1 Marlins 2
The final demise for John McLaren. Rumor has it that players like Richie Sexson are soon to follow.

Red Sox 2 Phillies 1
The best in the NL is still not as good as the best in the AL.

AL wins this round by a whopping 25-14 margin.

Around the Horn - 6/20

Some news first. Curt Schilling has revealed he's going to undergo season ending, and possibly career ending, shoulder surgery.

Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya is expected to return from his season long trip from the DL tonight when the team travels to San Diego.

Travis Hafner will not have to have surgery on his rotator cuff, but he's not close to coming back.

The Mariners fired John McLaren yesterday and reports have the Blue Jays firing John Gibbons prior to tonight's game. Former Jays manager Cito Gaston will take over.

Carlos Zambrano could miss significant time for the Cubs due to a shoulder problem.


Round 3 of Interleague play went as follows:

Rays 3 Cubs 0
The Rays take the sweep on Carl Crawford's grand slam on Thursday.

Twins 3 Nationals 0
Twins outscored the Nationals 22-6.

White Sox 3 Pirates 0
The White Sox scored 37 runs in the series. Jermaine Dye capped the sweep with a 2 HR, 6 RBI game.

Blue Jays 0 Brewers 3
John Gibbons to go out with a whimper. Former Blue Jay David Bush had a no-hitter Thursday into the 8th inning before the Brewers almost blew an 8-0 lead.

Rangers 2 Braves 1
Michael Young's 9th walk off single gave the Rangers the series after the bullpen blew yet another lead.

Orioles 3 Astros 0
Two one-run games and one two-run game. The Orioles ruined Miguel Tejada's home coming. The former Oriole only went 2-12.

Athletics 1 Diamondbacks 2
Two blowouts and then a pitcher's duel decides the finale, 2-1. Justin Upton delivered a game winning home run in the 8th inning.

Indians 0 Rockies 3
Rockies came into the series 14 games under .500. How long until C.C. Sabathia gets dealt?

Royals 3 Cardinals 0
Royals pitching limited the Cardinals to 4 runs in the series.

Angels 1 Mets 2
Mets took the series, but lost their manager.

Mariners 1 Marlins 2
The final demise for John McLaren. Rumor has it that players like Richie Sexson are soon to follow.

Red Sox 2 Phillies 1
The best in the NL is still not as good as the best in the AL.

AL wins this round by a whopping 25-14 margin.

Around the Horn - 5/13

Pitching was the name of the game in Cleveland last night as the Blue Jays and Indians split a doubleheader. Both teams won by 3-0 margins as all four starting pitchers were on their game. In the opener, Fausto Carmona and A.J. Burnett locked horns in a scoreless duel until the 6th when David Dellucci provided the Indians with an RBI single. One inning later Asdrubel Cabrera smacked a 2-run home run to put the game out of reach. Carmona finished with his second career complete game shutout.

The two teams went scoreless in the night cap after the Jays Shaun Marcum pitched 2-hit ball thru 8 innings and Indians starter Cliff Lee's scoreless 9 innings lowered his ERA to 0.67. The Jays finally put 3 on the board in the 10th to gain the split. Cabrera topped off his night with an unassisted triple play.

The Twins took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox with a 7-3 win. Livan Hernandez got roughed up early, but then settled in to improve to 6-1. Clay Buchholz couldn't hold a 3-0 lead as Craig Monroe and Delmon Young drove in 2 runs each. Monroe had 6 RBI in the final 2 games of the series.

Crazy one in Arlington; Seattle blew 5-0 and 6-5 leads, then the Rangers blew a 4-run lead in the 9th. Ruben Vazquez finally settled things with a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th for a 13-12 Rangers win. Earlier in the game Vazquez exchanged words with M's reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith after Vazquez took exception to Rowland-Smith's reaction to his strikeout (imagine if it were Joba). That lead to Baseball Tonight's John Kruk delivering the line of the night. "Neither of those guys is good enough to be yelling like that."

The Angels snapped a 4-game losing streak by out scoring the White Sox 10-7. Vlad Guerrero homered and drove in 4 runs to help Nick Adenhart pick up his first major league win.

The Nationals embarrassed the Mets 10-4 on a career night for Odalis Perez. And that was just at the plate. The veteran left-hander turned a so-so outing for his first win of the year, but he was 3-3 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a sacrifice. Lastings Milledge had his first two RBI against his former mates.

The Pirates and Braves split a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Zach Duke and company blanked the Braves 5-0 in the opener. Freddy Sanchez drove in 3 runs and Adam LaRoche homered. Tim Hudson dominated the nightcap as the Braves earned a split with an 8-1 win. Brian McCann and Mark Kotsay drove in 3 runs each.

The Cubs pounded the Padres 12-3 to boost Carlos Zambrano's record to 6-1. Alfonso Soriano homered and is 6-10 in his last 2 games.

The Astros moved 5 games over .500 and Roy Oswalt won his 4th straight in Houston's 7-3 triumph over the Giants. Lance Berkman homered and his 3 hits have him batting .393.

The Reds held off the Marlins 8-7. Jeff Keppinger and Brandon Phillips homered to help Aaron Harang win his second game.

Around the Horn - 5/13

Pitching was the name of the game in Cleveland last night as the Blue Jays and Indians split a doubleheader. Both teams won by 3-0 margins as all four starting pitchers were on their game. In the opener, Fausto Carmona and A.J. Burnett locked horns in a scoreless duel until the 6th when David Dellucci provided the Indians with an RBI single. One inning later Asdrubel Cabrera smacked a 2-run home run to put the game out of reach. Carmona finished with his second career complete game shutout.

The two teams went scoreless in the night cap after the Jays Shaun Marcum pitched 2-hit ball thru 8 innings and Indians starter Cliff Lee's scoreless 9 innings lowered his ERA to 0.67. The Jays finally put 3 on the board in the 10th to gain the split. Cabrera topped off his night with an unassisted triple play.

The Twins took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox with a 7-3 win. Livan Hernandez got roughed up early, but then settled in to improve to 6-1. Clay Buchholz couldn't hold a 3-0 lead as Craig Monroe and Delmon Young drove in 2 runs each. Monroe had 6 RBI in the final 2 games of the series.

Crazy one in Arlington; Seattle blew 5-0 and 6-5 leads, then the Rangers blew a 4-run lead in the 9th. Ruben Vazquez finally settled things with a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th for a 13-12 Rangers win. Earlier in the game Vazquez exchanged words with M's reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith after Vazquez took exception to Rowland-Smith's reaction to his strikeout (imagine if it were Joba). That lead to Baseball Tonight's John Kruk delivering the line of the night. "Neither of those guys is good enough to be yelling like that."

The Angels snapped a 4-game losing streak by out scoring the White Sox 10-7. Vlad Guerrero homered and drove in 4 runs to help Nick Adenhart pick up his first major league win.

The Nationals embarrassed the Mets 10-4 on a career night for Odalis Perez. And that was just at the plate. The veteran left-hander turned a so-so outing for his first win of the year, but he was 3-3 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a sacrifice. Lastings Milledge had his first two RBI against his former mates.

The Pirates and Braves split a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Zach Duke and company blanked the Braves 5-0 in the opener. Freddy Sanchez drove in 3 runs and Adam LaRoche homered. Tim Hudson dominated the nightcap as the Braves earned a split with an 8-1 win. Brian McCann and Mark Kotsay drove in 3 runs each.

The Cubs pounded the Padres 12-3 to boost Carlos Zambrano's record to 6-1. Alfonso Soriano homered and is 6-10 in his last 2 games.

The Astros moved 5 games over .500 and Roy Oswalt won his 4th straight in Houston's 7-3 triumph over the Giants. Lance Berkman homered and his 3 hits have him batting .393.

The Reds held off the Marlins 8-7. Jeff Keppinger and Brandon Phillips homered to help Aaron Harang win his second game.

Around the Horn - 4/22

Short schedule in the AL with just 2 games being played. The Red Sox completed a 4-game sweep of the Rangers with an 8-3 Patriots Day win. Former Red Sox Kason Gabbard threw 2 scoreless frames for the Rangers, but had to leave with back spasms and the Sox lineup jumped all over the Rangers pen. David Ortiz continued to come out of his slump with a pair of doubles and RBI. Clay Buchholz tossed 6 shutout innings for his first win of the year.

Armando Galaraga improved to 2-0 in the Tigers 5-1 win over the Blue Jays and Shaun Marcum. Hot hitting Edgar Renteria homered.

Big series at Wrigley in the NL, Mets vs. Cubs. It started out with a good pitching match up as well, John Maine against Carlos Zambrano. Z's Cubs lead 2-1 in the 8th when the North siders blew the game open against a struggling Aaron Heilmann. Felix Pie capped the inning off with his first major league home run off of Jorge Sosa. Harry Caray would have been yelling CUBS WIN...7-1.

The Marlins still sit atop the NL East after a 10-4 win over the Pirates. The fish banged out 16 hits, including 2 by light hitting pitcher (redundant?) Mark Hendrickson. Hanley Ramirez, Josh Willingham, and Dan Uggla each went deep.

The Dodgers pounded the Reds 9-3. Rafael Furcal lead the game off with a home run and LA rolled from there. Nomar Garciaparra and James Loney knocked in 3 runs each.

The Braves won again, their fifth straight, 7-3 over the struggling Nationals. Tim Hudson picked up the win and drove in 2 runs.

The Cardinals blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but Skip Shumaker's single in the 9th gave them a 4-3 win over the Brewers.

The Astros pounded the Padres 10-3. Miguel Tejada may be older, but he's also heating up. A 4-hit, 3 RBI, 3 run scored game put him at .342.

Micah Owings joined teammate Brandon Webb at 4-0 when the Diamondbacks topped the Giants 4-2. Orlando Hudson, Eric Byrnes, and Mark Reynolds each homered.

Chase Utley homered for the 5th straight game and also thwarted a Rockies rally with his glove in the Phillies 9-5 win. Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth also went deep for Philly.

News and Notes - UPDATED 2:05 p.m. EDT

ESPN the Magazine has an intriguing story on a big time family feud between Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. (Gracias to the The Big Lead for that one)

The Indians placed Jake Westbrook on the 15-day DL with a strained intercostal muscle (that has nothing to do with the Panama Canal) and called up outfielder Ben Francisco.

Mark Mulder's rehab process is getting slower than expected, pushing the Cards' left-hander timetable back further.

Around the Horn - 4/22

Short schedule in the AL with just 2 games being played. The Red Sox completed a 4-game sweep of the Rangers with an 8-3 Patriots Day win. Former Red Sox Kason Gabbard threw 2 scoreless frames for the Rangers, but had to leave with back spasms and the Sox lineup jumped all over the Rangers pen. David Ortiz continued to come out of his slump with a pair of doubles and RBI. Clay Buchholz tossed 6 shutout innings for his first win of the year.

Armando Galaraga improved to 2-0 in the Tigers 5-1 win over the Blue Jays and Shaun Marcum. Hot hitting Edgar Renteria homered.

Big series at Wrigley in the NL, Mets vs. Cubs. It started out with a good pitching match up as well, John Maine against Carlos Zambrano. Z's Cubs lead 2-1 in the 8th when the North siders blew the game open against a struggling Aaron Heilmann. Felix Pie capped the inning off with his first major league home run off of Jorge Sosa. Harry Caray would have been yelling CUBS WIN...7-1.

The Marlins still sit atop the NL East after a 10-4 win over the Pirates. The fish banged out 16 hits, including 2 by light hitting pitcher (redundant?) Mark Hendrickson. Hanley Ramirez, Josh Willingham, and Dan Uggla each went deep.

The Dodgers pounded the Reds 9-3. Rafael Furcal lead the game off with a home run and LA rolled from there. Nomar Garciaparra and James Loney knocked in 3 runs each.

The Braves won again, their fifth straight, 7-3 over the struggling Nationals. Tim Hudson picked up the win and drove in 2 runs.

The Cardinals blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but Skip Shumaker's single in the 9th gave them a 4-3 win over the Brewers.

The Astros pounded the Padres 10-3. Miguel Tejada may be older, but he's also heating up. A 4-hit, 3 RBI, 3 run scored game put him at .342.

Micah Owings joined teammate Brandon Webb at 4-0 when the Diamondbacks topped the Giants 4-2. Orlando Hudson, Eric Byrnes, and Mark Reynolds each homered.

Chase Utley homered for the 5th straight game and also thwarted a Rockies rally with his glove in the Phillies 9-5 win. Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth also went deep for Philly.

News and Notes - UPDATED 2:05 p.m. EDT

ESPN the Magazine has an intriguing story on a big time family feud between Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. (Gracias to the The Big Lead for that one)

The Indians placed Jake Westbrook on the 15-day DL with a strained intercostal muscle (that has nothing to do with the Panama Canal) and called up outfielder Ben Francisco.

Mark Mulder's rehab process is getting slower than expected, pushing the Cards' left-hander timetable back further.