While there is no such thing as an easy road to the playoffs, it appears likely that some contenders will face more scheduling potholes than others during the next month.
Shin-Soo Choo drove in five runs with a bases-loaded double and a two-run home run to give the Cleveland Indians a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Choo, traded to the Indians by Seattle in 2006, hit a 3-1 fastball from Doug Fister (4-11) against the right-center-field wall in the Indians' four-run sixth to score all three runners without a throw.
CC Sabathia pitched one-hit ball for eight innings to earn his major league-leading 19th win, fill-in Curtis Granderson homered twice and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 Thursday for a four-game sweep.
Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning Thursday night as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 12-11.
The blurry-eyed Philadelphia Phillies didn't mind that they wouldn't get a lot of shuteye after making their one-night stopover in Denver so worthwhile. Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning Thursday night as the Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 12-11 in a makeup of a May rainout.
Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning Thursday night as the Philadelphia Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 12-11.
Adrian Beltre homered and David Ortiz had two RBIs in the second, but it was Scott Atchison's two perfect frames of relief that sealed Boston's 6-4 win vs. Baltimore on Thursday.
An unlikely contender, the popgun Padres sailed through the season's first five months. Now, says Joe Posnanski, their weaknesses are being exposed in what may be a long September.
DENVER (AP) -- Chase Utley drove in six runs and hit a grand slam to cap a nine-run seventh inning Thursday night as the Philadelphia
Phillies overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Colorado Rockies 12-11.
The Boston Red Sox put a satisfactory finish on a potentially disastrous road trip. Adrian Beltre homered to spark a five-run second inning, and the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Thursday night to win the three-game series. David Ortiz drove in two runs and J.D. Drew had three hits for the Red Sox, who moved within 6 1/2 games of idle Tampa Bay in the AL wild-card race.
Adrian Beltre homered to spark a five-run second inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Thursday night to salvage a .500 road trip.
David Wright knew the New York Mets couldn't afford to let Tim Hudson find his rhythm. "You have to get to that guy early if you're going to get to him at all," Wright said. "When he settles down, he gets stronger and stronger." Wright homered, Johan Santana won for the first time in four starts and New York snapped the Atlanta Braves' five-game winning streak with a...
David Wright homered, Johan Santana won for the first time in four starts and the New York Mets snapped the Atlanta Braves' five-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Thursday night.
The Phillies victimized the Rockies with a nine-run rally in the seventh to take the lead en route to a 12-11 victory that was packed with all the drama and firepower of a three-game set.
Eric Hinske has made valuable contributions to three straight championship teams. Now he's with the Braves, where he could end up making valuable contributions to a fourth straight championship team.
Tigers slugger and American League MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera left Thursday's game against the Twins with what the team called biceps tendinitis in his left shoulder. He is listed as day-to-day.
Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera left Thursday night's game against Minnesota in the sixth inning with left biceps tendinitis. Cabrera went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in the game. After coming in from the field after the fifth inning, the first baseman walked with a team trainer from the dugout back into the clubhouse.
Tim Hudson surrendered four hits during the two-run first inning that gave Johan Santana enough support to help the Mets claim a 4-2 win over the Braves on Thursday night at Turner Field.
Minnesota Twins starter Scott Baker left Thursday night's game against Detroit after two innings because of pain in his right elbow. Baker allowed two runs and three hits, including a homer by Don Kelly. He has had trouble keeping his arm loose in some starts this season, and there was no immediate word on the severity of the injury.
Teams spend months sweating matchups. Then comes Sept. 1, and a bunch of call-ups throw a monkey wrench in those plans. Does baseball really need to expand rosters at such a crucial time in the season? Scott Miller has another option.
The Atlanta Braves activated Troy Glaus from the 15-day disabled list Thursday after the infielder missed 14 games with left knee inflammation. Glaus spent his rehab stint at Triple-A Gwinnett playing exclusively at third base, the position he played most of his first 11 years before the Braves signed him as their first baseman last winter.
JACKSON, Miss.(AP) -- Ford Motor Co. on Thursday settled a Mississippi lawsuit over a 2001 accident in which a New York Mets prospect was killed when his SUV crashed in the Florida Panhandle, a lawyer for the player's family said.
Ford Motor Co. on Thursday settled a Mississippi lawsuit over a 2001 accident in which New York Mets prospect Brian Cole was killed when his SUV crashed in the Florida Panhandle, a lawyer for the player's family said.
Imagine the Cardinals without Albert Pujols, the Reds without Joey Votto. Think of the Padres without Adrian Gonzalez, the Phillies without Ryan Howard, the Yankees without Mark Teixeira. Here are the Angels without Kendry Morales.
The arrival of the White Sox on Friday at Fenway Park for a three-game weekend series means the return -- again -- of former Red Sox standout Manny Ramirez.
The family of a New York Mets prospect killed in a 2001 rollover accident while leaving spring training won a $131 million judgment against the Ford Motor Co. from a Laurel, Miss., jury Monday.
Florida Marlins catcher John Baker will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair an injury to his throwing elbow that sidelined him for most of this season, meaning he might not play again until 2012. Dr. James Andrews will perform the reconstructive surgery Friday, the Marlins said. Baker has been sidelined since May 12 and had hoped to return this year, but he endured repeated setbacks in...
Whether or not the Dodgers can pull off some sort of miracle to reach the postseason, they'll be looking at another necessary miracle in the offseason to fix the roster.
Marlins catcher John Baker, who hasn't played since May, will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Friday and infielder Donnie Murphy had wrist surgery on Thursday.
CC Sabathia continued his regular-season unbeaten streak at Yankee Stadium, turning in a dominant performance as the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the A's, 5-0, on Thursday.
From the very first batter, the Oakland Athletics simply looked overmatched against CC Sabathia. Leadoff man Coco Crisp took an awkward cut at a fastball for strike three. Next, Rajai Davis got fooled by an offspeed pitch and almost fell over. Then, Kevin Kouzmanoff flailed at a slider. A lot of weak swings and soft outs followed Thursday, as Sabathia pitched one-hit ball for eight innings to earn...
Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny's has a small incomplete hairline fracture underneath the fingernail of his left pinky finger, which is stable. However, the left-hander will miss his next start.
Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is bracing for the possibility of having season-ending surgery on his broken left foot. Pedroia will be examined on Friday. "I have a CT scan early in the morning," Pedroia said Thursday before Boston's game against the Orioles. "If I have to have surgery, we'll do it later in the day." The injury originally occurred in late...
Pitcher Chris Sampson is coming to grips that his career with the Astros is likely over after the club outrighted him to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.
Braves right-hander Tim Hudson and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols were honored Thursday as the top pitcher and player in the National League for the month of August.
Rookie pitchers are supposed to wilt in the dog days of summer. Evidently, the Orioles' Brian Matusz and the D-backs' Daniel Hudson didn't get the memo. The two young arms were chosen as the Gillette presents Rookie of the Month winners in their respective leagues.
Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Toronto slugger Jose Bautista and Boston right-hander Clay Buchholz have been named the American League's top hitter and pitcher for August.
A new approach at the plate helped outfielder Jai Miller turn the corner in Triple-A after a rough start to the season, and he finally got a shot in the big leagues.
In his second year at Double-A, lefthander Doug Arguello had a 2.55 ERA in 127 innings of work. According to Hooks pitching coach Travis Driskill, the improvement has been the product of a change in mindset. He has learned the value of pitching to contact.
A sprained left wrist contributed to outfielder Isaac Galloway appearing in just 83 games for low Class A Greensboro in 2009. That hardly could be considered a setback compared to what Galloway has endured in 2010. Galloway got just 100 at-bats for high Class A Jupiter before a nasty outfield collision ended his season. The resulting kidney damage landed Galloway in the hospital for the better part of a week.
In the end it wasn't just money that persuaded first-round draft pick Zach Lee to sign with the Dodgers. It was tradition, opportunity and some clever suggestions from assistant general manager Logan White.
CC Sabathia pitched one-hit ball for eight innings to earn his major league-leading 19th win, fill-in Curtis Granderson homered twice and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 Thursday for a four-game sweep.
The Nationals say Rob Dibble will no longer work as a TV analyst for the team's games, a split that comes after the former reliever made comments critical of rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Putting his past behind him, and in the process making the Pirates' gamble on him pay huge dividends, outfielder Jose Tabata has nudged his way among baseball's top rookies.
As terms of endearment go, "Death Valley" rolls off the tongue about as well as "root canal" or "tax audit," although former Padres general manager Kevin Towers professes a morbid loyalty to how these two words apply to PETCO Park.
The 2010 White Sox have endured a fair amount of setbacks and disappointments, but with a month left in the regular season, the South Siders still have a chance to earn a playoff spot.
As the races heat up, the Yankees slugged their way back to No. 1 in Joe Lemire's weekly Power Rankings. Meanwhile, the rolling Reds are ready to put a nail in the Cardinals' coffin.
Making plays is the best way to avoid criticism. Marlins center fielder Cameron Maybin may just be 23-years-old, but he certainly has figured that out at the big league level.
The total package—the leadership, the absurd numbers and the strong performance in Team USA's biggest win of the summer against Japan—makes Sonny Gray Baseball America's 2010 Summer Player of the Year. A rising junior righthander at Vanderbilt, Gray is the third Commodore to win the award in the last five years.
The schedule that dictates the last push of the season was cemented around this time last year, so it is fully understood that there is nothing the Yankees can do to change it, but what remains does seem to slightly favor the Rays.
The Mets selected the contract of catcher Mike Nickeas on Thursday, allowing him to join the club in Atlanta, where he is in the process of buying a home.
A month remains on the Rays' 2010 schedule and, for once, their slate seems favorable as they head for the home stretch. Entering Thursday, Tampa Bay trailed the Yankees by one game in the American League East.
After a down year with the Cubs, Kevin Gregg had to prove he deserved the closer's role in Toronto. Since taking over the job in mid-April, he's been as impressive as ever.
It's great to be a baseball fan in Cincinnati again. The Reds are young, talented, fun and comfortably ahead in the NL Central. This long-suffering fan base deserves every second of this, Gregg Doyel says.
The storm came on Wednesday night. Will the calm follow? It remains to be seen the next time the Marlins face the Nationals, which will be Sept. 10-12 at Nationals Park.
Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth looked at the 2010 schedule a long time ago and said the season likely will come down to the final weekend, a three-game series against the Braves.
It's hard to criticize the Yankees. They sit atop the AL East as well as own the best record in the majors. However, Danny Knobler says glaring issues loom around their rotation, particularly A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte.
Derek Lowe had to skip his off-day throwing session because of lingering pain near his right elbow, and he won't be able to make his next scheduled start Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Nationals say Rob Dibble will no longer work as a TV analyst for the team's games, a split that comes after the former reliever made comments critical of rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
The Braves were pushing for their first playoff spot in five seasons in 2010, leading the National League East with a big push from rookies such as Jason Heyward, Johnny Venters and, in August, 2009 first-round pick Mike Minor. Meanwhile, none of the team's affiliates figured to make the playoffs in the minors, yet talent is surging through the Braves system. That's particularly true on the mound, as one National League pro scout found during a pair of visits to Double-A Mississippi.
Red Sox righty Manny Delcarmen passed through waivers without being claimed by an American League club, but over in the National, the Rockies placed a claim and subsequently worked out a trade for the struggling reliever, sending low Class A righthander Chris Balcom-Miller to Boston
Should we have seen Stephen Strasburg's injury coming? How do Royals prospects Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers stack up against each other, as prospects and in terms of 2010 performance? How good is Blue Jays outfield prospect Eric Thames?
Almost two weeks after the Mississippi State football team began its fall camp, Billy Hamilton admits that he thinks about playing football for the Bulldogs all the time.
Bud Selig says the profitable Pirates are spending their revenue-sharing money within the rules, along with other news and notes from around the majors.
UCLA flame-thrower Gerrit Cole leads the Team USA Top 20 prospects list for the second straight summer. The strong top tier also includes George Springer, Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes and Sonny Gray.
Making his 10th start for Triple-A Norfolk last night, Orioles lefthander Zach Britton demonstrated why he's the organization's top pitching prospect—and one of the better arms in the high minors.
His value outside of the organization was unknown to the Dominican-born shortstop. Focused only on what he could do for his team, Jonathan Villar was unaware of the particulars.
The Cardinals dealt an all-star while in a playoff race, but were plenty comfortable with using a couple of young stars that can help now and in the future.
For the third consecutive year the Under Armour All-America Game powered by Baseball Factory was played at Wrigley Field, a fitting conclusion to a multi-day event that provided some of the best high school players in the country with a unique and unforgettable experience.
2008 scandalz.net
A dozen, a gross, and a score,
Plus three times the square root of four,
Divided by seven,
Plus five times eleven,
Equals nine squared plus zero, no more.
