The Indians could have yet another major i sue in the outfield, as it
Leonys Martin Jersey 's being reported by Cleveland Scene editor Vince Grzegorek that outfielder Marlon Byrd is going to be suspended for performance enhancing drugs. If the story is indeed true, another positive test means that Byrd would get hit with a 162-game suspension and more than likely the end
Mike Clevinger Jersey of his career. He was suspended the first time in 2012 after he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for for 50 games for performance enhancing
Mike Napoli Jersey drugs. Byrd was originally drafted by the Phillies in the 1999 draft, and lasted with them until 2005 when he was traded a week
B.J. Upton Jersey into the season for outfielder Endy Chavez.Scroll to Continue The Indians brought him in late this offseason after last
Brandon Guyer Jersey season hitting .270 with five homers with the Giants. The team already lost another outfielder, Abraham Almonte to an 80-game suspension for
Thwarted in his efforts to add a fifth base, ban the foul out and install a frozen yogurt stand in short center field, baseball-hating Commi sioner Rob Manfred settled on a three-batter minimum for relief pitchers, new in 2020. While the commi sioners idea to digitally replace the base runner in a rundown with a giant flashing pickle (sponsored by Clau sen) is being fought on all fronts, the new rule for relievers is official and an actually happening thing. Its supposed to shorten innings and games times, but in practice likely wont. What it'll do is create quandaries for managers and send a fair percentage of left-handed relief specialists to the unemployment line.The Dodgers have one such left-handed relief specialist. His name is Adam
Joe Panik Jersey Kolarek, who's allowed eight earned runs in his last two outings. The spring line looks like this: 4 2/3, 10 H, 8
Tyler Beede Jersey R, 1 BB, 4 Ks, with a 15.43 ERA and a 2.357 WHIP, God ble s em.During his second-to-last outing versus the Rangers on March 1, Kolarek allowed four runs on six hits, almost exclusively against right-hand batters, but managed to get three outs. Skipper Dave Roberts wanted to see how his would do in such a situation. And got his answer. It was ugly.Yesterday, also vs. Texas, Kolarek allowed a single to a lefty swinger and induced two ground balls for outs (.333). The righties faired this way: double, walk, booming three-run home to dead center. That's good for a 1.000 batting average against and a slugging of 3.000. Or bad for. With Dennis Santana relieving and facing one batter, and if you care about such things, the inning took nine minutes.Sure, it's only Spring Training, and two outings at that, but the point of an exhibition season -- one of them,
Evan Longoria Jersey anyway -- is to separate the useful from the rest and determine a roster to begin regulation play.Kolarek's 2019 splits? .178/.221/.262 vs. LHB, which is good; .282/.362/.495, which is bad. Very bad.Lifetime it's .199/.243/.281 vs. left and .299/.368/.480 vs. right.So I think it's safe to say that Kolarek should face only the weakest of RHB. Which means bottom-of-the-order hitters or a walk with a base open, to name a couple of po sibilities. Of course, you can use him to face several left-hand hitters in a row in a spot where a pinch hitter might not be employed, or to get a third out in an inning, when the three-batter rule won't apply. That might be just enough usage to justify the roster spot. Or not.Scroll to ContinueScott Alexander's career splits are considerably better: .250/.316/.328
Shaun Anderson Jersey vs. LHB;.253/.335/.363 vs. RHB, but check out his 2019 numbers and draw your conclusions: .364/.400/.576 vs. LHB; .143/.268/.257 vs. RHB.For what it's worth, both Kolarek and Alexander have minor league options, so that's not an i sue. So does Caleb Ferguson, who was a revelation as a rookie in 2018, struggled in 2019 and has been lights out thus far in the spring. He's allowed a grand total of zero base runners in 4 1/3, with three strikeouts.Right-hander Pedro Baez is quite good vs. LHB (.186/.270/.335 last year), so that's a consideration when constructing a roster.If the season started today, Los Angeles would do well with Ferguson as the lone left-hander in the
Brandon Crawford Jersey pen, with a more deserving right-hander (such as Tony Gonsolin) replacing Kolarek or Alexander on the Opening Day roster.So no, the Dodgers do not have a lefty reliever problem on their hands. But thanks for asking.And remember, glove conquers all. .
Billy Williams Jersey For the second straight night, the Mets and Dodgers went into extra innings, and for the second day in a row, Los Angeles took the lead in the top of the 10th.With Seth Lugo unable to to s another inning and Trevor May, Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia all unavailable out of the bullpen tonight, the Mets opted to go to Yennsy Diaz with the go-ahead run on second.And that's when Cody Bellinger put the Dodgers ahead for the first time with an RBI double.While Diaz was able to limit the damage with a strikeout of Justin Turner, the Mets had their chance to tie it in the bottom of the 10th. But they failed to come back, as they fell by a score of 2-1.After falling short in the series opener, the Mets did the same thing on Saturday night to lose the first two games of the series to the Dodgers.The Mets are now 59-57 and 1.5 games back in the NL East after the Phillies and Braves
Mark Grace Jersey both won tonight.Starting pitchers Taijuan Walker and Walker Buehler dueled each other through seven innings, which saw both offenses struggle to score runs against them.Despite going through a rough stretch since making his first All-Star team, Walker to sed his best outing since coming back from the break against a very strong Dodgers' lineup.Scroll to ContinueWalker did not allow a hit through the first six innings of the game. And although his no-hit
Victor Caratini Jersey bid was broken up by Will Smith on a game-tying solo homer in the seventh, he exited after 6.2 innings with the tie still intact.Luckily, Aaron Loup was able to strand the go-ahead run at third base with a huge strikeout of Cody Bellinger. Prior to Loup's punch out, Mets manager Luis Rojas was ejected from the game
Chicago Cubs Jersey for arguing balls and strikes.Walker's final line was an impre sive one, going 6.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out eight batters and walking three.But unfortunately, the Mets wasted Walker's gem due to a lack of offense, which saw them scratch out one run on four hits.The Mets and Dodgers did not produce much offense in this game with the only runs coming from Smith and Michael Conforto's solo homers through the first nine innings, which resulted in a 1-1 tie.Buehler shut the Mets down for the most part, throwing seven innings, while giving up
Cole Hamels Jersey just the one run on four hits, to go along with 10 strikeouts.Miguel Castro handled the top of the eighth for the Mets, and continued to dominate, as he did earlier in the season, with back-to-back strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning. With the game still tied in the following inning, Lugo worked around a leadoff single to to s a scorele s frame of his own.
Max Scherzer was not
Andrew Miller Jersey very mad today on the mound as he surrendered 5 runs in his last start -- more than his other 9 starts combined with the Dodgers. However, thanks to the Coors Field atmosphere and big offensive performance against the Rockies, LA was able to come from behind and take down the Rockies late in Colorado.The Dodgers were able to pull off two wins in Denver, keeping them within one game of first place in the NL West.Fans and players alike have undoubtedly been watching the scoreboard daily, keeping up with the division race between the Dodgers and Giants. However, Max Scherzer doesn't waste time scoreboard watching because he knows there's plenty going on right
Albert Pujols Jersey now with his own team.No, I just worry about us. I think if we win, we win. Thats how I approach it. Im not a big scoreboard watcher, not until theres a true magic number where you can clinch or something like that. Trea and I joke, these
Ken Boyer Jersey guys the Dodgers have no idea what its like to be in second place. For us, we just know to put our nose in the dirt and and just keep going forward.Scroll to ContinueDespite spending a majority of
Mike Matheny Jersey this season trailing the Giants, the Dodgers are in a precarious spot they haven't been in all that often. They've won 8 straight division titles thanks to their insane amount depth and talent. So certainly, second place is odd for the boys in blue
Genesis Cabrera Jersey .Still, the Giants have been the better team all season long. But they still need to finish off their division rivals before adding another notch on their belt and usurping the defending world champs.The Dodgers move on to Arizona for three games against the lowly Diamondbacks before heading home to LA for the final 6 games of the regular season.
NEW YORK - The perfect footwear has been created for the Mets' power-hitting first baseman, who is nicknamed after a majestic Arctic creature.Pete Alonso will be
Brad Boxberger Jersey a featured guest on show: "Play Ball" for a special segment called "Kickin It," presented by NIKE, on Saturday morning, July 9 at 10 a.m. eastern time.Within this recurring segment, some of the game's biggest stars around the league showcase their custom made cleats, while detailing the significance of them. And how fitting (pun intended) that Alonso has a special pair of Polar Bear kicks that he will get to introduce
Zack Greinke Jersey to the world.Alonso's cleats are icy blue on the bottom, royal blue suede on the toe and heel, and are highlighted by the color orange to match with the Mets' home and away uniforms. But that's not the best part, the shoes also
Jarrod Dyson Jersey include Polar Bear claw marks on the heels as well."Ya gotta play up the Polar Bear thing," Alonso told ."These (cleats) kind of show my personality a little bit, while also being styling out on the field," he added. "I love my nickname and I want to embrace it as much as po sible."Scroll to ContinueAlonso
Archie Bradley Jersey mostly wears Air Jordans and Nike Blazers, but none of the shoes he owns are in mint condition. If he owns them, he wears them.Should Alonso ever get his own pair of Jordans, he already has an idea for a name: TheAir Polar Bears.Alonso is a finalist to start the National League All-Star Game at first base. He has won back-to-back Home Run Derby titles in 2019 and
Blank Jersey 2021 (event cancelled in 2020 due to pandemic), but he will only defend his this year if the fans vote him in as the NL's starting first baseman over St. Louis Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt. Phase 2 of voting ended on July 8 at 2 p.m. eastern time and will be announced at 8 p.m. Friday night.- - -
Carlos Carrasco was roughed up for a third consecutive outing, and the Indians bats waited until the ninth to attempt a comeback, falling to the Tigers, 7-4, Cleveland's first series lo s to Detroit since Sept. 2018.Carrasco exited after just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, including a pair of homers. The Tribe's offense, meanwhile, remained mostly quiet until scoring three runs in the ninth.The Indians are now 17-11.Here are some observations from Game No. 28.Middle-Inning
Carlos Beltran Jersey Madne sComing into the game, it was the third time through the order that had really plagued Carrasco in 2020.His OPS allowed prior to Sundays contest was .537 in his first trek through the opposing batting order, .758 in the second and .908 in the third. That was evident in Carrascos past two outings, where the righty was knocked out before completing the fifth inning, allowing six total runs in outings against the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.On Sunday, that knockout blow came even earlier, with the pair of homers allowed Niko Goodrum and Jorge Bonifacio doing the damage and four total extra-base hits coming before Sandy Alomar Jr. went toLogan Allen in the fourth. The three-run fourth for Detroit also came as Carrasco, who began the game with excellent velocity, saw that velo decline.A similar trend was also present in each of those past two starts.Be it pitch usage, velocity or a lack of execution in the middle frames, he's now allowed 10 runs and nine walks over his past 12 innings most of the damage coming in the fourth or fifth innings as opposed to the 2.50 ERA he posted in his first three starts of 2020. Of course, thats not to say Carrasco needs to be thrown in the bullpen or made into
Gerrit Cole Jersey some starter-opener combination. Even in a shortened season, hes had a strong enough career to warrant some time to make some adjustments.Scroll to ContinueBut as you start to look ahead to a po sible playoff run, knowing that the Indians have a plethora of starting pitching arms did you Triston McKenzies debut? Carrasco as a one- or two-inning weapon while throwing 95 mph in relief makes some sense.... I'm getting ahead of myself.Either way, these are trends worth monitoring in the meantime.(Some) Good News, (More) Bad NewsIf you're an optimistic person, you'd probably focus on the three hard-hit balls and two hits by Jose Ramirezon Sunday and the hard-hit ball and five-hit weekend for Francisco Lindor.And that'd make some degree of sense. They are the two most important
Aledmys Diaz Jersey offensive players on the Indians, and if some better results and at-bats over the weekend mean that they're nearing an end to their woes, the positives can't be overstated.If you were a pe simistic individual -- they prefer to be called realistic -- you'd make a fart noise with your mouth (I that's your mouth), point to the scoreboard on most nights and gesture to the team offensive numbers that still need to be viewed through a microscope.I know, the Indians rallied for three in the ninth on Sunday thanks to Greg Allen's homer off Joe Jimenez, but that came after Alomar began to empty the bench and the game was seemingly out of reach.Even if you believe they have enough talent 1-through-5 in their lineup to score an adequate amount to support their stellar staff -- I do -- there are few (if any) teams that can overcome getting so little from the bottom four spots in the lineup on a nearly nightly basis - and that's especially true
Ryan Pressly Jersey when the guys who normally carry the offense struggle.Through 28 games, the Indians rank 23rd in runs, 29th in batting average (.208), 28th in OPS (.650) and 28th in wRC+ (they own a 78, where 100 is league average).There are few ways to spin any of that -- unle s you're making nightly prayers to the baseball regre sion gods.It remains to be seen how active the Aug. 31 trade deadline will be, but given how special Tribe pitching has been, it would seem almost criminal to not
Nolan Ryan Jersey attempt to upgrade the offense, even if that means dealing from their pitching surplus.Whether the uncertain return status of Mike Clevinger or Zach Plesac factors into that is left to gue sing. But would one stick be enough?First UpOne hitter doing his part has been Cesar Hernandez, who led off the bottom of the first inning for Cleveland with his first homer as a member of the Indians, his 12th career leadoff bomb.Hernandez has been eight percent above average in run-creation this year and owns a .363 on-base percentage.Now, those aren't exactly stunning numbers. But with so few others producing, simply getting on base at the top of the order looks spectacular in comparison.
By Michael Rodgers The Cleveland Indians (53-43, 22-24 away) are looking to win the series with a victory tonight versus the Texas Rangers (41-57, 19-29 home) following an 11 inning 9-8 victory Friday night. It will be interesting to see how both teams fair tonight considering the long and draining matchup last night played in 107 degree temps in Arlington. The Rangers come into tonights game losers of their last 3 and the Indians have
Luis Valbuena Jersey won their last 2 games dating back to topping the Yankees the day before the All-Star break and the Friday night win. Here's a look at tonight's game with a quick preview.Time: 8:10 p.m.Starting Pitchers:
Andrew Heaney Jersey RHP Carlos Carrasco (11-5, 4.12) vs. RHP Bartolo Colon (5-7, 4.64)TV: SportsTime OhioOnline: MLB.TVRadio: WTAM 1100am, Indians Radio Network1. Remember This Guy?Scroll to Continue The Tribe will be facing a familiar face as the Rangers send the immortal, former Indian, Bartolo Colon (5-7, 4.64 ERA) to the mound to face Carlos Cara sco (11-5, 4.12) this evening. Colon has 14 career starts versus his former team and is 7-5 with a 4.07 ERA. This will be
Ian Kinsler Jersey the 45 year olds 18th start and 20th appearance of the season. He will be looking to rebound from his last start, which he lost after giving up nine hits, four runs (three earned) in six innings of work against the Boston Red Sox.2. Hoping the Cookie Doesn't Crumble Saturday Indians starter Carlos Cara sco will be making his 18th start of the season and 19th appearance overall, as he picked up the win in the final game before the break, coming on in relief against the Yankees and picking up the win. In that win over the Yankees, he was dominant in the one inning of work, throwing an inning out of the bullpen striking out 2 batters before
Jared Walsh Jersey Michael Brantley's HR put the team ahead for good in the bottom of the 8th. Carrasco comes into tonights game with nine career appearances and seven starts (2-3, 6.64) against the Rangers.3. Hot Hitting Jose There's not much you can say about Indians 3B Jose Ramirez, who has been hot as of late. He enters tonights game batting .302 with 30 home runs, 71 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. Over his last 7 games Ramirez has a .481 batting average, 6 home runs, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. Slowing him down will definitely be a challenge as he is only the 4th player in MLB history to have at least 30 homers and 20 steals in the first 100 games of the season. His 30 homers are also a career high. The Tribe hopes to hold former Indian, Shin-Shoo Choo and Joey Gallo in check. Choo is batting .294 with 18 homers and Gallo leads his team
Huston Street Jersey with 24 bombs and has 54 RBI.
Today the Dodgers welcome back fireman reliever Blake Treinen after four-plus months on
Gary Carter Jersey the injured list with a shoulder i sue. In order to create space on the 40-man and active rosters, Jake Reed was designated for a signment.Following the to an elbow i sue, Treinen's return couldn't be at a better time for the Los Angeles ballclub.The veteran Treinen has been a workhorse for Dave Roberts and
Lenny Dykstra Jersey the Dodgers since joining the team as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season. Between 2020 and 2021, the right-hander led all LA bullpen arms in relief appearances with 99.Scroll to ContinueIn 2022, Treinen only appeared in 3 games before being shut down for months with
Adrian Gonzalez Jersey a nagging shoulder injury. He made 7 rehab appearances at Triple-A where he allowed 3 earned runs over 6 innings pitched (4.50 ERA).Initially inked to a one-year deal in 2020, the Dodgers and Treinen have come together on another two-year deal following the World Series and most recently, for the 2023
Zack Wheeler Jersey season.According to Dave Roberts, Blake will a sume his usual role upon his return but the club will exercise caution with his usage leading up to the postseason.As for Jake Reed, he had the biggest moment of his career just a few days ago after nailing down the save against his old club, the Mets. He allowed a run over 4.2 IP acro s 5 games but that fine 1.93 ERA wasn'
New York Mets Jersey t enough to keep him on the roster.
The New York Yankees, Los Angeles
Julio Teheran Jersey Dodgers, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. Those are only teams that have a better run differential than the Philadelphia Phillies after the first half of the season.So what gives? Why are the Phillies not in a better position?With a run differential estimated record of 52-40, the Phillies should be comfortable in a playoff spot. Instead, they barely cling to the third Wild Card.The obvious reason for a club under-performing their run differential is luck. The Phillies are losing a lot of games by tight one-run margins, and when they win, they tend to blow out their opponents.In one-run games, the Phillies are 10-15 and in games decided by more than five runs, they are 14-9.The reason a team might consistently lose one-run games are usually small, needling i sues on the fringes of the roster. Lack of late-game defensive replacements, high FIP for relievers, positional flexibility, and bench depth are all variables that can lead
Tom Glavine Jersey to a team under-performing their run differential. The Phillies don't exactly have those traits in abundance.However, since interim manager Rob Thomson replaced Joe Girardi on June 3, some aspects have begun to improve, most notably in the bullpen.Prior to
Greg Maddux Jersey Girardi's firing, Philadelphia's bullpen FIP was 3.90, 16th league-wide. Since that date, their FIP has improved to 3.50, which ranks ninth in the league.Scroll to ContinueIf Girardi's firing could improve the bullpen by that much, could he also be the reason the Phillies are so far behind their expected win total?The answer, unsurprisingly, is yes.The day Joe Girardi was fired, the Phillies had a run differential of +1. That should translate to a win percentage of almost exactly .500, but the Phillies were 22-29 on that date, well below their expected total.Since Rob Thomson took over, the Phillies have a run differential of +61 with 201 runs scored and 140 runs allowed. It's an extremely impre sive scoring rate that translates to an expected winning percentage
Dale Murphy Jersey of .673 or a record of about 27-14.Would you look at the that! Since Thomson took the reins, the Phillies have perfectly matched their expected production. They are 27-14 in that time. That's a better winning percentage than the Houston Astros have this season (.648).Not only has Thomson brought about better performances out of his players, but clearly Girardi failed to put his players in positions to succeed failed to manage his roster the way it was a sembled to play.Had Thomson started the year as Phillies manager, or anyone other than Girardi for that matter, it's very po sible that the Phillies could be playing toor perhaps even better thantheir 52
Kurt Suzuki Jersey -40 expected record right now.More From SI's :
Via MLB PR:Five-Round Draft Will Be Held on Wed.,
Eddie Jackson Jersey June 10 and Thurs., June 11;MLB Network, ESPN to Present Live Coverage on June 10;MLB Network and ESPN2 to Continue Live Draft Coverage on June 11;First Time Multiple Networks Will Televise the MLB DraftScroll to ContinueMajor League Baseball announced today that the first day of its 2020 Draft will be held on the originally planned date of Wednesday, June 10, based out of MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. MLB Network and ESPN will each produce live Draft coverage on Wednesday, June 10, marking the first time that multiple networks will provide live primetime coverage of the MLB Draft. Beginning at 7:00 p.m. (ET), the coverage by both MLB Network and ESPN will include the first round (selections 1-29) and Competitive Balance Round A (selections 30-37).Beginning at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday,
Chicago Bears Jersey June 11, MLB Network and ESPN2 will televise the second round (beginning with the 38 overall selection) through the fifth round. The five rounds of the 2020 MLB Draft will span 160 total selections. The signing deadline for the 2020 Draft has been moved from July 10 to August 1. In addition, Clubs may not a sign their Competitive Balance Selections in this years event.ESPN2 provided afternoon
Trey Burton Jersey broadcasts of the 2007 and 2008 MLB Drafts from HP Field House (then known as the Milk House) at The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Each year since its 2009 debut, MLB Network has brought the Draft to fans from its Secaucus, New Jersey studios. Beginning next week, MLB Network will air six different MLB Draft preview programs ahead of its coverage on June 10-11.As a result of the national emergency created by the pandemic, MLB will not hold its 2020 Draft in Omaha, Nebraska, the site of the NCAAs Mens College World Series (CWS), as announced last December. The Draft had been slated to be held at Omahas Holland Performing Arts Center and would have
Riley Ridley Jersey welcomed competing CWS teams to attend the festivities.Comprehensive Draft coverage will be available on and . The MLB Network Radio channel on SiriusXM will also offer live night one MLB Draft coverage to listeners nationwide beginning at 6:00 p.m. (ET), with SiriusXM hosts and former MLB general managers Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden offering analysis alongside SiriusXMs Grant Paulsen and Mike Ferrin. On day two, June 11, the MLB Network Radio channel will carry a simulcast of MLB Networks live draft coverage beginning at 5:00 p
Roquan Smith Jersey .m. (ET). Coverage is available on Sirius channel 209, XM channel 89 and on the SiriusXM app.Contact: Matt Bourne or Michael Teevan, Major League Baseball, (212) 931-7878, , .
