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Only the Mets could bat someone in the cleanup spot Opening Day and then designate him for assignment less than two weeks later, but that’s what they did today with first baseman Mike Jacobs. After starting Jacobs in six of the first eight games with Daniel Murphy on the disabled list the Mets dropped him…

Here’s some video of Ubaldo Jimenez talking about his no-hitter and revealing the mid-game adjustment he made at the urging of pitching coach Bob Apodaca: One of the common themes of all the stuff being written and said about Jimenez today is that he’s a really good person and a hard worker, and sure enough…

Today marks the 60th anniversary of legendary announcer Vin Scully calling Dodgers games. As usual, he had all the right words to describe the moment: I feel only overwhelming gratitude. You feel blessed that you’ve lived that long, that you’ve been allowed to do what you love to do for that long, and that my…

Lance Berkman told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart today that his surgically repaired left knee has “turned the corner” and he’s now scheduled to begin a brief rehab assignment tomorrow at Triple-A. Berkman is expected to play two games in the minors and, barring a setback, hopes to come off the disabled list to rejoin the Astros’…

Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune reports that Ted Lilly “will make what should be his final rehabilitation start Monday” at Single-A and could rejoin the Cubs’ rotation as soon as next weekend against the Brewers. Lilly is coming back from shoulder surgery and a knee injury suffered during spring training. He reported no…

Daisuke Matsuzaka made his second rehab start last night at Triple-A, tossing six shutout innings, and afterward pronounced himself “ready to pitch in the big leagues.” Matsuzaka struck out two, walked none, and allowed just three hits after hurling five scoreless innings in his first rehab outing last week, so he’s definitely pitching well. However,…

I wondered yesterday why teams give endless chances to washed-up veterans rather than turning to minor leaguers who might actually prove to have some long-term value. My specific example was Russ Ortiz and Ramon Ortiz both being on the Dodgers’ pitching staff despite neither having a decent season since 2004 and I also brought up…

Madison Bumgarner was the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft and ranked as the game’s ninth-best prospect by Baseball America heading into last season, one spot ahead of Rangers flamethrower Neftali Feliz. He lived up to the hype, going 12-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 25 starts between Single-A and Double-A, and reached the…

Scott Kazmir came off the disabled list Thursday night and made his season debut against the Yankees, looking terrible while allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. He managed just two strikeouts and served up seven total extra-base hits, including three homers. Kazmir has looked like a shell of his…

After dominating in both winter ball and spring training to get Twins fans optimistic again following a disastrous 2009 season Francisco Liriano kept rolling this afternoon versus the Red Sox, tossing seven shutout innings against a David Ortiz-less lineup. Liriano struck out eight and induced nine ground-ball outs while allowing just four hits and two…

Russ Ortiz took the loss in last night’s marathon Dodgers-Diamondbacks game, but a terrible play from Matt Kemp in center field was actually to blame. With that said, at this point any major-league team using Russ Ortiz in a game that counts in the standings probably deserves to lose. Ortiz went 103-60 with a 4.00…

Brad Lidge tossed a scoreless inning at Single-A yesterday in his third rehab appearance and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said afterward that “he threw extremely well.” “He took a nice step forward,” Amaro said. “His slider was tighter. He had better location. I guess his velocity was 90-91. He felt good. He was much…

Miguel Montero is undergoing knee surgery today, but the Diamondbacks got some relatively good news in that no ligament damage was found. That means rather than potentially missing the entire season Montero is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus. Chris Snyder was the Diamondbacks’ primary catcher from 2005 until Montero’s…

Three regulars are absent from the Red Sox’s lineup for today’s game against the Twins. Jacoby Ellsbury is still recovering from bruised ribs suffered Sunday in a collision with Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron was a last-minute scratch with a strained abdomen, and David Ortiz has been benched in favor of Mike Lowell. Ortiz taking a…

After dating Kate Hudson for much of last year, Alex Rodriguez has moved on to another overrated blond actress. Or at least that’s what the New York Post says: Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz have had a series of secret dates following their flirtation at the Creative Artists Agency Super Bowl party in February. The…

Neftali Feliz has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since debuting last August and replaced Frank Francisco as the Rangers’ closer earlier this week, but general manager Jon Daniels wrote today in an online chat that the 22-year-old phenom may still end up in the rotation long term: Going to depend on the makeup of…

Yesterday the Blue Jays signed Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10 million contract and today general manager Alex Anthopoulos gives a scouting report on the 21-year-old prospect: The financial commitment speaks for itself. We are hoping that this is someone who can emerge and be a core piece for us. This is a…

Last week C.J. Wilson tossed seven shutout innings in his first start since way back in 2005, but his follow-up effort will have to wait thanks to food poisoning. Wilson has been scratched from tonight’s scheduled outing against the Indians, with Colby Lewis moving up in the rotation to take his place in Cleveland. Because…

Brian Fuentes not pitching since Opening Day didn’t raise many eyebrows because the Angels haven’t exactly had a ton of late leads to protect while starting the season 2-6, but apparently a back injury is also to blame. Fuentes has been placed on the disabled list with a strained back, but because the move is…

BizOfBaseball.com’s Maury Brown crunched the numbers on the 30 different home openers this season and reports that attendance was down 3.4 percent compared to the same 30 home openers last year. That amounts to an average of about 1,500 fewer fans per team, although as Brown notes some of that was inevitable because of the…

Last week Ozzie Guillen ranted about the White Sox striking out too much after a dozen whiffs in a game, so he probably lost some sleep Tuesday night after they struck out 14 times against the Blue Jays. Ricky Romero actually took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before grazing leadoff man A.J. Pierzynski with…

Last week when Dontrelle Willis held the Royals to two runs over six innings in his first start of the season I warned against reading too much into one decent outing against a poor lineup and unfortunately it didn’t take long to see why. Facing the Royals a second time Tuesday afternoon, Willis narrowly escaped…

Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Naturals, apparently have a “team dog” that recently got onto the field mid-inning, was ushered off the field, broke free, and then returned to … well, let’s say leave a little present for the groundskeepers. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog would surely say that the Naturals have a gorgeous…

In a deal that was first reported as done a month ago but not finalized until today because of visa issues, the Blue Jays have officially signed 21-year-old Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10 million contract. Hechavarria gets about $1.75 million more than fellow Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who signed with the Red…