Tejada Returns to AL With Royals

After sitting out the 2012 season, 38-year old Miguel Tejada has decided to try another comeback and has reportedly signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

Tejada says he will earn $1.1MM with the change to win another $400K with incentives. The native of the Dominican Republic played in 91 games in the 2011 season for the San Francisco Giants, but was released in September aftering compiling a .596 OPS. Tejada signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles this past May and hoped to play with the them at the big league level for the third time in his career. But after 36 games in the minors, Tejada had no home runs, 18 RBI, and hit just .259. The Orioles released him in late June.

Tejada won the American League MVP Award while a member of the Oakland A's in 2002. He hit 34 HR, drove in 131 runs, scored 108, and batted .308 while playing in all 162 regular season games. Tejada drove in 100 runs or better in five straight seasons between Oakland and Baltimore. He finished two RBI shy of 100 in 2005 or the streak would have been seven straight seasons.

The reputation of the shortstop/third baseman took a hit in 2009 when he admitted to lying to Congress about HGH and steroid use. Tejada had been mentioned in the Mitchell Report and was named as a suspect steroid user  by Jose Canseco in his 2005 book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big".

BD Hot Stove: Stuck In The Middle With You | Baseball Digest

It's time to take a look at the middle infielders not named Derek Jeter in this year's free agent class.

BD Hot Stove: Stuck In The Middle With You | Baseball Digest

Christian Guzman, Orlando Hudson, David Eckstein, Ty Wiggington, Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera

Tejada, Cantu Switch Leagues

As soon as San Diego Padres' shortstop David Eckstein went on the DL, rumors began that the Pads were looking at Baltimore Orioles infielder Miguel Tejada to replace him. Today the rumor became reality when the O's sent Tejada to the west coast for minor league pitcher Wynn Penzer.

Tejada started out like a house on fire, but has cooled considerably since. He's hit just .224 with 7 RBI in the month of July. Penzer has struck out 147 hitters in 150 innings pitched at High 'A' level Lake Elsinore.

Jorge Cantu also got a new home this afternoon. The Texas Rangers may be going bankrupt, but they continue to deal. They sent minor leaguers Evan Reed and Omar Poveda to Florida for the Marlins' corner man. Cantu average 97.5 RBI the last two seasons, but has just 54 RBI this year along with a .716 OPS. He'll expected to get at-bats primarily at 1st base, but could fill also fill in at 2nd baseman while Ian Kinsler is injured.

Reed was recently promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City after posting a 1.62 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 39 relief innings at Double-A Frisco. Poveda has missed the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.

Ya Big Bully

At one time, the Baltimore Orioles regularly wreaked havoc on the American League. The Hall of Fame players to be in Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, and Jim Palmer. They played the game the right way. Great pitching, great defense, timely hitting, and were fundamentally sound.

Boy are those days gone.

The current group of Baltimore Orioles is a sad lot. They are now the regular whipping boy of the American League. One of those teams regular pounding on the O's is the Yankees. Last night the Bronx Bombers sent Baltimore 27 games under .500 with a 4-2 win. The Yankees are now 10-1 against the Orioles this season (so the Orioles are a mere 15-33 against the rest of baseball).

CC Sabathia wasn't at his best, but he worked his way through seven innings to improve to 6-3. Robinson Cano continued his latest tear with three hits and an RBI and Mark Teixeira followed up his three hit performance on Tuesday with a pair of base hits.

In addition to being beat up, the Orioles continued to not draw good crowds, even with the Yankees in town. At one point the fans tried to get a "Let's go Orioles" chant going and it sounded pathetic with a very partisan Yankees throng in attendance.

I thought things would begin to turn around for the O's when Andy MacPhail was brought in to run the show, and though the Orioles have a bevy of good young talent, it's going to be a while before they start pay dividends.

The team has made many mistakes in trying to build a veteran presence around the kids. Miguel Tejada started off hot, but shouldn't have been brought back. Garrett Atkins was one of the worst signings of the off-season by any team.

Make no mistake, it's not easy playing in the AL East. The O's haven't been regular contenders since the late 1990s. This is a franchise that I feared in the 1970's. A team that remarkably only won one World Series between 1969 and 1979 despite a bevy of divsion titles and pennants. But success isn't always measured by World Series titles. I know I'm repeating myself here, but it was the team I hated as a kid and teen. Not the Red Sox. That would come later.

Those Orioles teams treated the Yankees like a rag doll. Then one day Peter Angelos came along. A George Steinbrenner wannabe, that didn't and hasn't come close to his predecessor's success. And things have gone from bad to worse.

Orioles' fans loudly booed Mark Teixeira last year for not signing with Baltimore and were upset that Mike Mussina was allowed to leave. But their lack of attendance in beautiful Camden Yards has sent a direct message to Angelos. You are the problem Mr. Angelos, you and no one but you.

Yankees Pen Does It's Best O's Imitation

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

The Orioles came into the start of last night's Yankees series with just three wins. Not that they hadn't had leads in many games. It's just that arguably the league's worst bullpen (Kansas City might argue that) had coughed up almost every lead they had. They nearly did it again last night...unfortunately, for the Yankees, Joe Girardi's bullpen was worse.

Phil Hughes making his first start since his wonderous Oakland performance battled his way through five-plus innings and left with a 2-1 lead. Then the Yankees played gift giver and were in a 5-2 hole before you could say..well, um, "there goes the lead".

Boone Logan replaced Hughes with two out s in the 6th and quickly walked fellow lefty Luke Scott. David Robertson came on and did his best Brian Bruney impression. What's that you say? Good one year, bad the next. Albeit without the weight loss.

Robertson hit Ty Wiggington and then surrendered back to back singles Rhyne Hughes and Nolan Reimold (who named these people?) to put the Yankees in a 4-2 hole. The O's added a big insurance run in the 8th when Cesar Izturis drove in his third run of the game after a Derek Jeter error.

The O's pen and defense did their part to get the Yankees back in the game, but a 9th inning rally fell short. Alfredo Simon, recalled earlier in the day, picked up his first major league save, but it wasn't without some nail biting.

After a one out walk to Nick Swisher, pinch-hitter Nick Johnson drew his 19th walk of the season. Jeter struck out, but Julio Lugo misplayed Brett Gardner's grounder for a run scoring error. Mark Teixeira quickly followed with an RBI single to right to give Alex Rodriguez a chance to tie the game with a base hit. He nearly did, but Lugo was positioned perfectly up the middle to field his grounder and force Teixeira at second base.

Notes

Nick Johnson switched from uni number 26 to 36. It's the number he wore his first time around in the Bronx.

Phil Hughes had walked in a run in the 2nd inning and the Yankees pen was already up in warming. But the right-hander got Adam Jones to bounce into an inning ending double play to stop the threat.

Vegas Update - Day 1 - 1:15 EST

Jon Heyman of SI believes the Brewers are willing to offer CC Sabathia a 6-year, $120 million contract that offers an opt out option after 2 years.

Dave Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya has meetings set up for today with free agent closers Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman. The Mets are believed to have already made an offer to K-Rod. Dan Graziano of the Ledger also reported that the Mets spoke to the Blue Jays about B.J. Ryan.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Astros are willing to listen to offers for shortstop Miguel Tejada. The Twins, Dodgers, Angels, and Giants would be interested. K-Ros also reports that Yankees and Dodgers are talking Robinson Cano-Matt Kemp as they have in the past. We're against dealing Cano right now.

The St. Pete Times says the two Florida teams may be working a deal. The Rays would send Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson and Jason Bartlett to the Marlins for Jeremy Hermida.

Vegas Update - Day 1 - 1:15 EST

Jon Heyman of SI believes the Brewers are willing to offer CC Sabathia a 6-year, $120 million contract that offers an opt out option after 2 years.

Dave Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya has meetings set up for today with free agent closers Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman. The Mets are believed to have already made an offer to K-Rod. Dan Graziano of the Ledger also reported that the Mets spoke to the Blue Jays about B.J. Ryan.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Astros are willing to listen to offers for shortstop Miguel Tejada. The Twins, Dodgers, Angels, and Giants would be interested. K-Ros also reports that Yankees and Dodgers are talking Robinson Cano-Matt Kemp as they have in the past. We're against dealing Cano right now.

The St. Pete Times says the two Florida teams may be working a deal. The Rays would send Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson and Jason Bartlett to the Marlins for Jeremy Hermida.

Hump Day Rumors - 7/30

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Tampa Rays are in serious talks with the Pirates for outfielder Jason Bay. So far the Rays, who are notoriously difficult to deal with, aren't willing to part with a top prospect or a cache of prospects.

Adam Dunn is available, but apparently there are no takers for the moment.

Miguel Tejada was assured by the Astros front office that he won't be traded.

Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies and Red Sox are in deep talks about Manny Ramirez, and that the Phillies are the most likely destination. Speculation is that Pat Burrell would be sent north. The Marlins are also trying to work a Jeremy Hermida based deal.

The Dodgers are also interest in Manny and are thought to be putting together a deal centering on Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier, though a deal doesn't seem likely.

Before sending Mark Teixeira to the Angels, the Braves turned down a package of Micah Owings and Chad Tracy from the Diamondbacks.

The talks with the Yankees have gone cold, but the Denver Post reports that the Rockies are interested in Jarrod Washburn. The Rockies are also taking a look at their former pitcher Josh Fogg, and Tim Redding. Of course they still don't know if they are buying, selling, or combining the two.

Blue Jays catcher Greg Zaun would like to be dealt, but GM J.P. Ricciardi said there's no interest.

Royals outfielder Jose Guillen is shooting down reports that he doesn't get along with manager Trey Hillman and wants out of Kansas City.

CBS Sportsline reports that Padres pitcher Greg Maddux said no to a trade to the Phillies.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers have joined the Twins in having an interest in LaTroy Hawkins.

UPDATE - 12:03 P.M. EDT

According to the Miami Herald, the Marlins are close to acquiring left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes from the Mariners.

Hump Day Rumors - 7/30

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Tampa Rays are in serious talks with the Pirates for outfielder Jason Bay. So far the Rays, who are notoriously difficult to deal with, aren't willing to part with a top prospect or a cache of prospects.

Adam Dunn is available, but apparently there are no takers for the moment.

Miguel Tejada was assured by the Astros front office that he won't be traded.

Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies and Red Sox are in deep talks about Manny Ramirez, and that the Phillies are the most likely destination. Speculation is that Pat Burrell would be sent north. The Marlins are also trying to work a Jeremy Hermida based deal.

The Dodgers are also interest in Manny and are thought to be putting together a deal centering on Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier, though a deal doesn't seem likely.

Before sending Mark Teixeira to the Angels, the Braves turned down a package of Micah Owings and Chad Tracy from the Diamondbacks.

The talks with the Yankees have gone cold, but the Denver Post reports that the Rockies are interested in Jarrod Washburn. The Rockies are also taking a look at their former pitcher Josh Fogg, and Tim Redding. Of course they still don't know if they are buying, selling, or combining the two.

Blue Jays catcher Greg Zaun would like to be dealt, but GM J.P. Ricciardi said there's no interest.

Royals outfielder Jose Guillen is shooting down reports that he doesn't get along with manager Trey Hillman and wants out of Kansas City.

CBS Sportsline reports that Padres pitcher Greg Maddux said no to a trade to the Phillies.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers have joined the Twins in having an interest in LaTroy Hawkins.

UPDATE - 12:03 P.M. EDT

According to the Miami Herald, the Marlins are close to acquiring left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes from the Mariners.

Around the Horn - 5/15

C.C. Sabathia kept the Indians starting pitch streak alive - not a run allowed in 43 innings now after Sabathia blanked the A's 2-0 on 5 hits. The big lefty also struck out 11.

For the 2nd straight night the Red Sox blew a 3-0 lead to the Orioles. Luke Scott hit the big home run on Tuesday and last night it was Jay Payton belting a grand slam to give the Orioles a 6-3 win.

The Royals are now 5-0 against the Tigers after Luke Hochevar and company shut them down 2-0. Justin Verlander pitched very well, but dropped to 1-7.

The Seattle bullpen blew a 3-2 lead, but Miguel Cairo bailed them out with the go-ahead RBI single in the Mariners 12-inning 4-3 win. Jarrod Washburn recorded the final outs for his career save.

Carlos Quentin belted an 8th inning grand slam to snap a 1-1 tie as the White Sox beat the Angels 6-1. After a bad start Jose Contreras is 4-2, 2.57 in his last 6 starts.

Matt Stairs belted a grand slam to help Roy Halladay overcome a rough outing in the Blue Jays 6-5 win over the Twins. Justin Morneau hit his 7th home run for Minny.

Look out National League, Alfonso Soriano is red hot. Sori homered for the 3rd straight game and is 10-19 over the last 4 games. The Cubs beat Jake Peavy and the Padres 8-5.

That wasn't Eric Gagne closing for the Brewers yesterday, but Guillermo Mota did his best, or is it worst, imitation. Mota gave up 3 runs in the 9th including a go-ahead to run double by Juan Pierre as the Dodgers pulled out a 6-4 win.

Todd Wellemeyer threw 2-hit ball for 7 innings as the Cardinals prevented the Pirates from reaching .500, 5-1.

Ryan Zimmerman homered and Tim Redding threw 2-hit ball for 6 innings in the Nationals 6-3 win over the Mets. That Nats have taken 2 of the first 3 games of the 4 game set.

The Astros blew a 3-0, but beat the Giants 6-3. Miguel Tejada (.345) had 3 hits including the game winner. Lance Berkman belted his 14th home run.

The Braves nearly blew an 8 run lead, but held off the Phillies 8-6. Chipper Jones smacked his 397th career home run. Tom Glavine picked up his 304th career win.

Micah Owings went 0-4 to drop his average to .370, but more importantly he threw 6 shutout innings in the Diamondbacks 4-3 win over the Rockies.

The Reds blew a 6 run lead in the 9th inning, but then beat the Marlins in 10, 7-6. Paul Janish had been recalled earlier in the day to replace the injured Jeff Keppinger and singled in the game winner.

Around the Horn - 5/15

C.C. Sabathia kept the Indians starting pitch streak alive - not a run allowed in 43 innings now after Sabathia blanked the A's 2-0 on 5 hits. The big lefty also struck out 11.

For the 2nd straight night the Red Sox blew a 3-0 lead to the Orioles. Luke Scott hit the big home run on Tuesday and last night it was Jay Payton belting a grand slam to give the Orioles a 6-3 win.

The Royals are now 5-0 against the Tigers after Luke Hochevar and company shut them down 2-0. Justin Verlander pitched very well, but dropped to 1-7.

The Seattle bullpen blew a 3-2 lead, but Miguel Cairo bailed them out with the go-ahead RBI single in the Mariners 12-inning 4-3 win. Jarrod Washburn recorded the final outs for his career save.

Carlos Quentin belted an 8th inning grand slam to snap a 1-1 tie as the White Sox beat the Angels 6-1. After a bad start Jose Contreras is 4-2, 2.57 in his last 6 starts.

Matt Stairs belted a grand slam to help Roy Halladay overcome a rough outing in the Blue Jays 6-5 win over the Twins. Justin Morneau hit his 7th home run for Minny.

Look out National League, Alfonso Soriano is red hot. Sori homered for the 3rd straight game and is 10-19 over the last 4 games. The Cubs beat Jake Peavy and the Padres 8-5.

That wasn't Eric Gagne closing for the Brewers yesterday, but Guillermo Mota did his best, or is it worst, imitation. Mota gave up 3 runs in the 9th including a go-ahead to run double by Juan Pierre as the Dodgers pulled out a 6-4 win.

Todd Wellemeyer threw 2-hit ball for 7 innings as the Cardinals prevented the Pirates from reaching .500, 5-1.

Ryan Zimmerman homered and Tim Redding threw 2-hit ball for 6 innings in the Nationals 6-3 win over the Mets. That Nats have taken 2 of the first 3 games of the 4 game set.

The Astros blew a 3-0, but beat the Giants 6-3. Miguel Tejada (.345) had 3 hits including the game winner. Lance Berkman belted his 14th home run.

The Braves nearly blew an 8 run lead, but held off the Phillies 8-6. Chipper Jones smacked his 397th career home run. Tom Glavine picked up his 304th career win.

Micah Owings went 0-4 to drop his average to .370, but more importantly he threw 6 shutout innings in the Diamondbacks 4-3 win over the Rockies.

The Reds blew a 6 run lead in the 9th inning, but then beat the Marlins in 10, 7-6. Paul Janish had been recalled earlier in the day to replace the injured Jeff Keppinger and singled in the game winner.

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.

Around the Horn - 4/17

6-hours, 16 minutes. That's how long it took the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres to complete 22 innings of baseball. Troy Tulowitzki, in his 10th plate appearance, doubled in the game winner. The final out was recorded 1:21 a.m. PDT.

Jeff Francis (7 IP 0 R 7 K) and Jake Peavy (8 IP 0 R 11 K) started the pitchers duel off. No one scored until the 14th inning when both teams put a runner across home plate.

The Phillies belted 4 home runs in thrashing the Astros 10-2. Pat Burrell continued his hot start (.373-6-17) with a home run, single, and 2 RBI.

The Mets and Nationals went 14 innings before Joel Hanrahan wild pitched home the winning run.

The Brewers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Cardinals 5-3 in 10 innings. Prince Fielder ended his month long home drought with a game winning 2-run blast.

Joey Votto homered and drove in 5 runs in the Reds 9-2 win over the Cubs. Ken Griffey Jr. slugged a 3-run shot, the 596th of his career.

Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann hit consecutive home runs in the 5th inning to propel the Braves past the Marlins 8-0. Jones went 4-4 with a pair of home runs as John Smoltz picked up his 210th career win.

In an AL Central battle of heavyweights, Fausto Carmona and the Indians outpitched Justin Verlander and the Tigers. The Tribe won 11-1 with a 13 hit attack. The game also featured some hit batters (Verlander into Garko's back) and clear retaliation (Carmona and Sheffield), but no ejections.

Vincente Padilla outpitched Roy Halladay in the Rangers 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Halladay pitched his 2nd straight complete game.

The Mariners used a 5-run 3rd inning to beat the A's 8-1. Raul Ibanez (.343) and Jose Lopez had 3 hits each. After Kurt Suzuki (.327), the highest average in the A's lineup was Ryan Sweeney at .267.

The Orioles rallied from 2 down in the 9th against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, and Adam Jones stroked the game winning single in the 10th.

Eric Hinske homered and Jason Hammel picked up his first win in the Rays 7-3 victory over the Twins. Carlos Pena had to leave the game with a hamstring injury and has been listed as day-to-day.

Garrett Anderson drove in 3 runs and John Garland improved to 2-2 in the Angels 5-3 win against the Royals. David DeJesus already bothered by a bad ankle this year, had to leave the game with a jammed toe.

News and Notes

Evan Longoria has only played 6 major league games, but the Rays know what they've got. That's why they've signed him to a 9-year, $44 million deal.

Braves pitcher Peter Moylan may have to have season ending elbow surgery, but the Braves are still looking into all the options.

Miguel Tejada may or may not have lied about P.E.D. use, but he did lie about his age. Tejada admitted yesterday that he's 33 not 31.

Around the Horn - 4/17

6-hours, 16 minutes. That's how long it took the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres to complete 22 innings of baseball. Troy Tulowitzki, in his 10th plate appearance, doubled in the game winner. The final out was recorded 1:21 a.m. PDT.

Jeff Francis (7 IP 0 R 7 K) and Jake Peavy (8 IP 0 R 11 K) started the pitchers duel off. No one scored until the 14th inning when both teams put a runner across home plate.

The Phillies belted 4 home runs in thrashing the Astros 10-2. Pat Burrell continued his hot start (.373-6-17) with a home run, single, and 2 RBI.

The Mets and Nationals went 14 innings before Joel Hanrahan wild pitched home the winning run.

The Brewers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Cardinals 5-3 in 10 innings. Prince Fielder ended his month long home drought with a game winning 2-run blast.

Joey Votto homered and drove in 5 runs in the Reds 9-2 win over the Cubs. Ken Griffey Jr. slugged a 3-run shot, the 596th of his career.

Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann hit consecutive home runs in the 5th inning to propel the Braves past the Marlins 8-0. Jones went 4-4 with a pair of home runs as John Smoltz picked up his 210th career win.

In an AL Central battle of heavyweights, Fausto Carmona and the Indians outpitched Justin Verlander and the Tigers. The Tribe won 11-1 with a 13 hit attack. The game also featured some hit batters (Verlander into Garko's back) and clear retaliation (Carmona and Sheffield), but no ejections.

Vincente Padilla outpitched Roy Halladay in the Rangers 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Halladay pitched his 2nd straight complete game.

The Mariners used a 5-run 3rd inning to beat the A's 8-1. Raul Ibanez (.343) and Jose Lopez had 3 hits each. After Kurt Suzuki (.327), the highest average in the A's lineup was Ryan Sweeney at .267.

The Orioles rallied from 2 down in the 9th against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, and Adam Jones stroked the game winning single in the 10th.

Eric Hinske homered and Jason Hammel picked up his first win in the Rays 7-3 victory over the Twins. Carlos Pena had to leave the game with a hamstring injury and has been listed as day-to-day.

Garrett Anderson drove in 3 runs and John Garland improved to 2-2 in the Angels 5-3 win against the Royals. David DeJesus already bothered by a bad ankle this year, had to leave the game with a jammed toe.

News and Notes

Evan Longoria has only played 6 major league games, but the Rays know what they've got. That's why they've signed him to a 9-year, $44 million deal.

Braves pitcher Peter Moylan may have to have season ending elbow surgery, but the Braves are still looking into all the options.

Miguel Tejada may or may not have lied about P.E.D. use, but he did lie about his age. Tejada admitted yesterday that he's 33 not 31.

Around the Horn - 4/8

Astros closer Jose Valverde blew a 3-run lead to the Cards in the top of the 9th, but Miguel Tejada saved his bacon with a walk 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9th (Astros 5 Cards 3). It was the Astros 4th home run of the game. The loss snapped the Cardinals 5-game winning streak.

Pat Burrell hit a pair of home runs to power the Phillies past the Reds 5-3. Brad Lidge earned his first save in a Phils uniform to get a win for Cole Hamels.

Mark Reynolds homered twice and he and Orlando Hudson drove in 3 runs each as the Dbacks topped the Dodgers 9-3. Reynolds is off to a hot start - .333-4-9 and 7 runs scored. Dan Haren picked up his 1st NL win in the process.

Adrian Gonzalez had 4 hits, including a home run, and Greg Maddux won his 348th career game in the Padres 8-4 win over the Giants. The team by the bay has lost 6 of their first 7 games.

Tom Glavine threw 6 scoreless innings for the Braves, but Blaine Boyer surrendered a 2-run HR to Matt Holliday in the 8th to give the Rockies a 2-1 win. Boyer may not be long for the majors- his ERA is nearly 8.00 and he's been tagged with 2 of the Braves 4 losses.

The Cubs blew a 7-0 lead before beating the Pirates in 12 innings, 10-8. Cubs starter Ted Lilly is off to an awful start, having allowed 9 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched.

Hanley Ramirez homered and drove in 3 in the Marlins 10-7 clubbing of the Nationals. Not a good game for phenom Andrew Miller though. The rookie allowed 6 runs in 3.1 innings. The Nats have lost 5 straight after winning their first 3.

Francisco Rodriguez blew the Angels 2-1 lead to the Indians in the 9th, and then had to leave the game with an injured ankle. But Torii Hunter got K-Rod off the hook, blasting a walk-off grand slam against Joe Borowski in the bottom of the 9th. Borowski and April, not perfect together.

Joe Crede grand slammed the White Sox to their 5th straight win, a 7-4 victory over the Twins. Javier Vazquez struck out 8 in 7 innings of work for his first win of the season.

Aubrey Huff's 8th inning home run snapped a 4-4 tie and gave the Orioles a 5-4 win over the Mariners. It was the O's improbable 5th straight win.

Around the Horn - 4/8

Astros closer Jose Valverde blew a 3-run lead to the Cards in the top of the 9th, but Miguel Tejada saved his bacon with a walk 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9th (Astros 5 Cards 3). It was the Astros 4th home run of the game. The loss snapped the Cardinals 5-game winning streak.

Pat Burrell hit a pair of home runs to power the Phillies past the Reds 5-3. Brad Lidge earned his first save in a Phils uniform to get a win for Cole Hamels.

Mark Reynolds homered twice and he and Orlando Hudson drove in 3 runs each as the Dbacks topped the Dodgers 9-3. Reynolds is off to a hot start - .333-4-9 and 7 runs scored. Dan Haren picked up his 1st NL win in the process.

Adrian Gonzalez had 4 hits, including a home run, and Greg Maddux won his 348th career game in the Padres 8-4 win over the Giants. The team by the bay has lost 6 of their first 7 games.

Tom Glavine threw 6 scoreless innings for the Braves, but Blaine Boyer surrendered a 2-run HR to Matt Holliday in the 8th to give the Rockies a 2-1 win. Boyer may not be long for the majors- his ERA is nearly 8.00 and he's been tagged with 2 of the Braves 4 losses.

The Cubs blew a 7-0 lead before beating the Pirates in 12 innings, 10-8. Cubs starter Ted Lilly is off to an awful start, having allowed 9 earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched.

Hanley Ramirez homered and drove in 3 in the Marlins 10-7 clubbing of the Nationals. Not a good game for phenom Andrew Miller though. The rookie allowed 6 runs in 3.1 innings. The Nats have lost 5 straight after winning their first 3.

Francisco Rodriguez blew the Angels 2-1 lead to the Indians in the 9th, and then had to leave the game with an injured ankle. But Torii Hunter got K-Rod off the hook, blasting a walk-off grand slam against Joe Borowski in the bottom of the 9th. Borowski and April, not perfect together.

Joe Crede grand slammed the White Sox to their 5th straight win, a 7-4 victory over the Twins. Javier Vazquez struck out 8 in 7 innings of work for his first win of the season.

Aubrey Huff's 8th inning home run snapped a 4-4 tie and gave the Orioles a 5-4 win over the Mariners. It was the O's improbable 5th straight win.

Around the Horn - 4/5

The Tigers skid to start the season was extended to 4 games yesterday when the White Sox beat them 8-5. A.J. Pierzynski drove in 5 runs, including the game winning 3-run home run in the 8th. Starters Jose Contreras and Nate Robertson both stunk.

Ramon Hernandez, Kevin Millar, and Melvin Mora homered in the Orioles 7-4 win over the Mariners. Former Mariner set up man George Sherrill picked up his 2nd save as the O's closer.

Shaun Marcum limited the Red Sox to 3 hits over 7 innings in the Blue Jays home opening 6-3 win.

The Twins got a new centerfielder and lead off man, Carlos Gomez, in the Johan Santana deal. Last night he gave the Twins what they were hoping for-3 hits, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored. The Twins beat the Royals 4-3, handing KC their first loss.

Angels starter Dustin Moseley beat out highty touted prospect Nick Adenhardt for the 5th starter's spot. Moseley may be looking over his shoulder after allowing 5 runs in 5 innings while Adenhardt tossed 5 shutout innings inTriple-A. Ben Broussard took Moseley deep for a grand slam in the Rangers 11-6 win.

Justin Duscherer has been a reliable set up man in his brief career, but last night he limited the Indians to 1 run in 5 innings of work before leaving with bicep tightness. The A's beat the Tribe 6-3, but they have to be concerned about closer Huston Street. He's allowed at least 1 run in each of his 3 appearances and has given up a home run in each game.

Bill Hall homered twice and drove in 6 runs in the Brewers 13-4 drubbing of the Giants.

Miguel Tejada tripled in the go-ahead run in the Astros 4-3 win over the Cubs. Rookie of the year candidate J.R. Towles hit his 1st home run of the year.

Micah Owings got a hit as usual, but it was his pitching, 2 hits allowed, 9 Ks in 6.2 innings that dominated the Reds. The Diamondbacks got home runs from Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds in their 8-1 win.

The Dodgers scored 6 runs in the 7th to beat the Padres 7-1 making Hiroki Kuroda's MLB debut a successful one. The Japanese born right-hander limited the Pads to 3 hits in 7 innings.

The Cardinals improved to 3-1, beating the Nats 5-4 behind Rick Ankiel's HR and Braden Looper's pitching.

Chase Utley just keeps on hitting. The 2nd Baseman, off to a .357 start, homered twice in the Phillies 8-4 win over the Reds.

The Mets and Braves were rained out, delaying Tom Glavine's start against his last team.

Around the Horn - 4/5

The Tigers skid to start the season was extended to 4 games yesterday when the White Sox beat them 8-5. A.J. Pierzynski drove in 5 runs, including the game winning 3-run home run in the 8th. Starters Jose Contreras and Nate Robertson both stunk.

Ramon Hernandez, Kevin Millar, and Melvin Mora homered in the Orioles 7-4 win over the Mariners. Former Mariner set up man George Sherrill picked up his 2nd save as the O's closer.

Shaun Marcum limited the Red Sox to 3 hits over 7 innings in the Blue Jays home opening 6-3 win.

The Twins got a new centerfielder and lead off man, Carlos Gomez, in the Johan Santana deal. Last night he gave the Twins what they were hoping for-3 hits, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored. The Twins beat the Royals 4-3, handing KC their first loss.

Angels starter Dustin Moseley beat out highty touted prospect Nick Adenhardt for the 5th starter's spot. Moseley may be looking over his shoulder after allowing 5 runs in 5 innings while Adenhardt tossed 5 shutout innings inTriple-A. Ben Broussard took Moseley deep for a grand slam in the Rangers 11-6 win.

Justin Duscherer has been a reliable set up man in his brief career, but last night he limited the Indians to 1 run in 5 innings of work before leaving with bicep tightness. The A's beat the Tribe 6-3, but they have to be concerned about closer Huston Street. He's allowed at least 1 run in each of his 3 appearances and has given up a home run in each game.

Bill Hall homered twice and drove in 6 runs in the Brewers 13-4 drubbing of the Giants.

Miguel Tejada tripled in the go-ahead run in the Astros 4-3 win over the Cubs. Rookie of the year candidate J.R. Towles hit his 1st home run of the year.

Micah Owings got a hit as usual, but it was his pitching, 2 hits allowed, 9 Ks in 6.2 innings that dominated the Reds. The Diamondbacks got home runs from Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds in their 8-1 win.

The Dodgers scored 6 runs in the 7th to beat the Padres 7-1 making Hiroki Kuroda's MLB debut a successful one. The Japanese born right-hander limited the Pads to 3 hits in 7 innings.

The Cardinals improved to 3-1, beating the Nats 5-4 behind Rick Ankiel's HR and Braden Looper's pitching.

Chase Utley just keeps on hitting. The 2nd Baseman, off to a .357 start, homered twice in the Phillies 8-4 win over the Reds.

The Mets and Braves were rained out, delaying Tom Glavine's start against his last team.

Around the Horn

The mouth that roared, Curt Schilling reported to Red Sox camp yesterday, and quickly threw management under the team bus. Schitbag is upset that the team is forcing him to choose rehab over surgery on his balky shoulder.

"I don't have any choice. If their course of action doesn't work I don't pitch this year, and I may never pitch again," Schilling said. "I have to mentally get behind it and do everything I can do to make it work."

Schilling had earlier sent this email to the AP.- "When you understand the depths of the different diagnosis, the incredible variations in potential treatments and timetables you should be able to understand to some degree why I might be upset at being forced to take this course of action," Schilling said. "That being said, that process is over and right now I am focused on trying to find out as quickly as possible whether or not this course of action will work."

Miguel Tejada reported to his new team, the Houston Astros today, but refused to comment on being named in the Mitchell Report. Tejada's attorneys advised him to keep a lid on things. The FBI has already launched an investigation to determine if Tejada lied during an interview in 2005.

Odalis Perez has reportedly joined the free-for-all to make the Nationals pitching staff, by inking a minor league deal.

The Angels can't find this to be good news. Vlad Guerrero is still bothered by elbow problems that forced him to DH down the stretch of last season.

Lou Piniella has made Bobby Howry the front-runner to be the Cubs new closer. Last year's closer, Ryan Dempster, was moved back to the starting rotation.



Ownership is now 5-0 in arbitration cases after defeating Mark Loretta.

Talk about a sophomore jinx. Hunter Pence has gotten off to a rough start in '08, suffering cuts to his hands and knees after walking into a sliding glass door.

Ian Kinsler has joined the recent group of young players to receive long-term contracts. The Rangers and Kinsler agreed to a 5-yr, $22 million deal.

Andy Pettitte wasn't the only one offering up apologies yesterday. Eric Gagne said his sorrys for being a distraction to his new Milwaukee Brewers club.

In what has to be a simple case of nepotism, the Nationals have inked Brett Boone to a minor league deal. The 39-yr old hasn't played in a major league game in over 2-1/2 years. His younger brother Aaron is also in Nats camp and his Dad, Bob, is an assistant to GM Jim Bowden.