Let's just get the bad pun out of the way from the start. The San Francisco Giants caught a bad break on Monday night in their game against the Washington Nationals.  Though the Giants did shut out the Nats, 8-0, to snap a three-game losing streak, the defending World Series champions lost starting pitcher Ryan […]

In his 19th and final season, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is having a typically excellent year. His 16 saves are tied for the major-league lead, one of several reasons the Yankees are the surprise of the early season with a 25-15 record (as of May 16) and a two-game lead in the AL […]

Going into the 2013 MLB season, the Cleveland Indians appeared to be a fringe contender in the AL Central division. The Tribe certainly raised eyebrows around baseball by suddenly becoming big spenders and adding significant talent to their lineup. But could the Indians really challenge a Tigers team that not only could be the best […]

Wearing sunscreen at the ballpark is probably a good idea for fans and players. No need to risk melanoma when you're out there under the sun.  However, Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz allegedly has more in mind than protecting himself from skin cancer by applying sunscreen to his arms. More specifically, his left arm.  […]

For the Philadelphia Phillies to compete in the NL East with the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves, the general presumption was that starting pitching would have to shoulder the burden.  Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels — arguably the best starting top three in MLB — would have to pitch at their best for […]

Going into the 2013 MLB season, the general consensus was that Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had the most pressure on him this season. Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia probably ranked a close second. If neither of those teams made the playoffs — or played below expectations during the regular season — after […]

The first month of the 2013 MLB season ends on Tuesday. While it's still early in the schedule and struggling teams still have plenty of time to shake off bad starts, 25 games or so can begin to form an impression.  For a handful of teams, the first impression has been a bad one, leading […]

Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore. At least that's how he seemed after his team's 10-3 loss to the Houston Astros Wednesday night. That gave the Mariners their second series loss of the season to the Astros, and it's only April. Houston was generally […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers' $147 million pitcher is out with a broken collarbone, suffered in a silly on-field skirmish.  The team's best position player is hitting .235 with a .564 OPS, no home runs and six RBI.  Worst of all, the Dodgers have an 8-10 record after their first 18 games, putting them fourth in […]

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers has been a MLB executive for 16 years.  As the San Diego Padres GM, Towers oversaw four division champions and a trip to the World Series. During his first two years in Arizona, the D-Backs won a surprising division title after losing 97 games the previous season.  Some might […]

When I originally sat down to write this article, my intention was to write about the Washington Nationals. Should there be some concern in D.C. after the Nats were swept at home in a three-game weekend series versus the Atlanta Braves? That put them four games behind the Braves in the NL East. However, I […]

A movie like 42 can be a tricky proposition for a filmmaker. Should the movie tell Jackie Robinson's life story or focus on a particular period of his life, presumably the one that most defines him?  Writer-director Brian Helgeland wisely opted for the latter in his film, recounting the events surrounding Robinson becoming the first […]

For some MLB teams, losing a closer to injury could be a significant development. The Milwaukee Brewers booted John Axford from that role quickly, before his struggles could seriously damage their chances to contend. The Detroit Tigers didn't name a closer out of spring training, and have spent the first two weeks of the season […]

John Lackey hasn't gotten much good news during his three years with the Boston Red Sox. After missing the entire 2012 season following Tommy John surgery, the 34-year-old right-hander was slated to be the Red Sox's fifth starting pitcher.  Lackey didn't have the best spring training, but with a healthy, surgically repaired elbow, the hope […]

Going into the 2013 season, the biggest question with the Detroit Tigers was who would pitch for them in the ninth inning. It only took two games for Detroit to run head-on into the closer issue.  On Tuesday, the Tigers went into the ninth inning at Target Field holding a narrow 2-1 lead over the […]