Archives › 2012 › March › 16
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The Padres and catcher Nick Hundley already avoided arbitration in mid-January by agreeing on a one-year, $2 million contract, but Corey Brock of MLB.com hears that negotiations on a contract extension have “heated up” this week and that a deal “could be close.” Hundley has actually talked with the Padres about a possible extension dating…
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We learned earlier this week that Scott Baker had trouble getting loose in a B-game on Saturday, which “raised some red flags” about his throwing elbow. The Twins and Baker continue to downplay the severity of the issue, but it’s increasingly likely that he’ll begin the season on the disabled list. According to Phil Mackey…
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Kendrys Morales takes five at-bats against minor leaguers in return to game action
Mar 16, 2012, 7:32 PM EDT
It wasn’t all that glamorous and we have no video or photo evidence to share, but Kendrys Morales returned to game action this afternoon for the first time since infamously shattering his lower left leg while jumping onto home plate following a game-winning grand slam on May 29, 2010. According to Bill Shaikin of the…
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Jack Curry, formerly of the New York Times and currently of YES, broke the Andy Pettitte story. And apparently he wants everyone to know it. Just check out his Twitter timeline. That’s only about half of his retweets. And Curry is right to point out how terrible ESPN is about acknowledging the scoops of others. They…
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OK, so he was facing a Brewers lineup comprised strictly of Triple-A players, but Felix Hernandez was like a hot knife through butter on Friday, allowing one hit in six innings of work. He became the first pitcher to complete six innings this spring. Hernandez struck out six, walked one and hit a batter. Overall,…
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Johan Santana thinks there’s no reason for concern after he gave up five runs — four earned — in 2 2/3 innings Friday in a loss to the Tigers. ESPN’s Adam Rubin has the quotes: I was able to throw some fastballs with more intensity this time. And I’m feeling good. It’s a process. And…
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Two years ago, when we first learned that the Marlins were installing fish tanks in the new ballpark, PETA got mad. It’s gotten to the point, however, that people tend to tune out PETA when they get mad. Oh well. But that doesn’t mean animal activists aren’t still concerned about the state of the fish…
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David Lennon of Newsday reports that the Mets are “mulling over medicals” on lefty reliever C.J. Nitkowski. Which kind of freaks me out. Because unless I’m missing something or unless Baseball-Reference.com is lying to me, Nitkowski hasn’t pitched in the majors for seven years and has been out of organized baseball since 2008. And that was…
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Brewers manager Ron Roenicke admitted today that Shaun Marcum is running out of time to recover from his shoulder inflammation by Opening Day, telling Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that “the days are getting short.” Marcum threw a bullpen session today and reported no problems, so he’ll move on to throwing live batting…
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Whenever a once-great player holds on too long or comes back too often, there is talk about his legacy. Or, shall I say, his legacy. The italics are important. They denote the magical nature of this magical concept. A concept that is hard to describe. What makes a legacy? Do a man’s accomplishments make it…
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Chris Carpenter‘s status for Opening Day remains in question because of a neck injury and the Cardinals are preparing Lance Lynn to potentially step into the rotation, but Carpenter was healthy enough to throw off a mound yesterday. He was throwing for the first time in nearly two weeks and Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports…
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When Jose Reyes was signed by the Marlins, there were indications that Hanley Ramirez — the man who was displaced from shortstop — was sulking about it. But apparently things are all better now. Joe Capozzi reports: Most days after spring training workouts end, the baseball competition continues for Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes. The…
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Salvador Perez out 3-4 months after knee surgery; Royals interested in Ivan Rodriguez?
Mar 16, 2012, 1:50 PM EDT
So much for Salvador Perez only missing a few weeks. Perez underwent his scheduled knee surgery today and the Royals announced afterward that he’s expected to be out for 12-14 weeks, which would mean a mid-June return at the earliest. In other words, there’s a strong chance the 21-year-old catcher will miss the entire first…
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Still reeling from the news that Andy Pettitte is coming back. He sat in that press conference a little over a year ago and made a pretty convincing case that he was done. I suppose they all do. And so many of them come back. Which is fine. Because if you had the talent to…
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Shannon Magrane advanced to the final 13 of “American Idol,” but the 16-year-old daughter of former big-league pitcher Joe Magrane was voted off the singing competition last night. Magrane finished in 11th place and her dad made several appearances on the show, thanks in part to his celebrity and in part to Steven Tyler saying…
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This tweet from Jack Curry of YES will blow your freakin’ mind: Less than 3 weeks ago, Pettitte admitted that he had thoughts about a comeback. Now Pettitte, who didn’t pitch in 2011, is returning. — Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) March 16, 2012 Curry is reporting that the Yankees have signed Pettitte to a one-year deal.…
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The good news for Chien-Ming Wang is that what initially looked like a serious leg injury suffered during yesterday’s game turned out to be merely a strained hamstring. The bad news is that manager Davey Johnson said today that he expects Wang to be out of action for “a couple weeks minimum.” That will make…
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No, literally: The best part of that is that the pic was tweeted by the Dodgers’ official Twitter feed, which said “Jerry Hairston is unsuccessful in his attempt to blow a bunt foul.” Which sort of feels like the Dodgers are taunting their own player, which I kinda love. In fact, it’s sweet, because you…
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Carlos Beltran was linked to the Red Sox prior to signing with the Cardinals, but today the veteran outfielder explained to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal why he didn’t end up in Boston: I did feel that it was going to be a good fit for me. We talked a little bit, and they…
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My friend Stephen Silver has lived in both Boston and Philly, and is intimately familiar with the respective sports scenes. And he writes something today that is likely to make the fans in both of those cities mad: … as someone who has lived in both cities and has a lot of family and friends in…
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Ervin Santana plays catch after being struck by line drive
Mar 16, 2012, 11:19 AM EDT
Ervin Santana played catch yesterday after being hit on the shoulder by an Alexi Ramirez line drive Wednesday, telling Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times that “it’s better than I thought” and “I can move it and anything.” For now the Angels are leaving open the possibility that Santana won’t even miss a turn…
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There are so many guys who cover the Yankees that when some bit of Yankees news is released, my Twitter feed fills up with multiple identical tweets. This morning’s version: “Derek Jeter has a tender calf.” That’s what she said. Anyway, Cap’n Jetes is out of the game today and likely will sit through the…
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End of the line for D-Train? Phillies release Dontrelle Willis
Mar 16, 2012, 10:47 AM EDT
Last week after an ugly appearance Dontrelle Willis described his performance as “horse[bleep]” and it turns out the Phillies apparently agreed, releasing the veteran left-hander today. Willis signed a one-year, $850,000 deal in December and was expected to serve as a situational southpaw out of the bullpen after shutting down lefty bats in 2011, but…
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This video may disappear soon, so if the YouTube I embed here ceases to work soon, go check it out over at Deadspin and trust that they have figured out a way to keep it up on their site longer. Anyway, the fun begins at 1:10, when Dee Gordon walks. And then immediately steals second…
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Giancarlo Stanton “will be out at least for another week”
Mar 16, 2012, 10:15 AM EDT
Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined by a knee injury now in addition to his sore wrist, and Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald reports that he “will be out at least for another week” after being diagnosed with inflammation. Stanton underwent an MRI exam yesterday and the Marlins are saying the injury isn’t major, but Stanton…
