Archives › D.J. Short
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Barry Svrluga wrote a beautiful and heartbreaking piece for the Washington Post about Chad Cordero, who is attempting to keep his career afloat with the Blue Jays after losing his daughter Tehya to SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, in December. He is shaken now. There are times during spring training when he heads to a…
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According to Steve Popper of the Bergen Record, Carlos Beltran could be the designated hitter in a minor league game tomorrow. Beltran took limited batting practice from both sides of the plate Monday, so the Mets will see how his knee responds tomorrow. Even if he plays, the Mets plan to use a pinch-runner for him…
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There’s probably more mileage left talking about this guy than there is in his left arm. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that “Yankees people” have discussed Oliver Perez as a cheap sign. Though, for what it’s worth, Heyman writes that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is “not enthused” about the idea. I’m almost rooting for…
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Springtime Storylines: Is this just another season in limbo for the Nationals?
Mar 21, 2011, 3:43 PM EDT
Between now and Opening Day, HBT will take a look at each of the 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2011 season. Next up: Your Strasburg-less Washington Nationals. The big question: Is this just another season in limbo for the Nationals? In a word, yes. It’s not wrong…
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Oliver Perez probably just made his last appearance with the Mets
Mar 19, 2011, 6:00 PM EDT
The end is nigh. Oliver Perez blew up in epic fashion this afternoon against the Nationals, essentially squashing whatever minimal chance he had to make the Mets’ Opening Day roster out the bullpen. Perez was originally expected to face left-handed batter Matt Stairs, but Nationals manager Jim Riggleman countered with the righty-hitting Jeff Frazier. In…
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Here’s some bad news for the defending World Series champions. According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, Brian Wilson underwent an MRI this morning which revealed a “mild” strain of his left oblique muscle. Wilson told the training staff that he suffered the injury during his most recent outing on Thursday night. While…
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Vicente Padilla throws first bullpen session since forearm surgery
Mar 19, 2011, 3:20 PM EDT
Vicente Padilla underwent surgery late last month to release a nerve entrapped in his right forearm. The Dodgers originally estimated that he could resume throwing 3-4 weeks after surgery, placing his return somewhere around late April or early May, but it appears that he is progressing faster than most anticipated. According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com,…
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If Sandy Alderson was trying to win over Mets fans with yesterday’s release of Luis Castillo, he’s off to a roaring start. One of the overlooked side benefits of cutting Castillo was that his No. 1 was put back into circulation. This is notable because Mookie Wilson, who will serve as first base coach this…
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Jacoby Ellsbury entered spring training with a little something to prove after being limited to just 18 games last season due to fractured ribs. Fortunately for the Red Sox, he’s been the best player in camp thus far. Ellsbury is batting .429 over his first 35 at-bats this spring, leading the team in batting average,…
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When it was revealed earlier this month that Zack Greinke fractured a rib playing pickup basketball, the Brewers estimated that he would only miss the first couple weeks of the season. Maybe not. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke told John Schlegel of MLB.com yesterday that it’s unlikely Greinke will be ready by April 16, a date…
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Tim Wakefield gave up six runs on seven hits — including four home runs in the span of six batters– over three innings in last night’s loss to the Rays. Ugly, yes, but normally we’d say no big deal. Sometimes the knuckleball dances just right and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s nothing Red Sox fans haven’t seen…
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Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that Derrek Lee will make his spring debut this afternoon against the Phillies, playing first base and batting third. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said last night that Lee will likely get two or three at-bats if he feels well enough. Lee, who signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract over the…
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Luis Castillo became symbolic of the failures of former Mets general manager Omar Minaya, so most expected him to be cut loose prior to Opening Day, even though he was arguably the team’s best option at second base. But when someone is cut based more on perception than reality, we shouldn’t be surprised when said…
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The assumption has been that Grady Sizemore won’t be ready until sometime in mid-April, so it’s not much of a surprise to learn that the Indians have officially ruled him out for Opening Day. Indians manager Manny Acta made the announcement earlier tonight, saying there’s just “not enough time to get him ready” for the…
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Aaron asked earlier today just how much spring stats actually matter. The general consensus is that they shouldn’t hold much weight, especially with more established players. For instance, the Orioles aren’t going to cut Luke Scott just because he entered tonight’s action with an .067 batting average over his first 30 at-bats this spring. They…
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Doug Davis was limited to just eight starts last season with the Brewers due to a heart problem and an elbow injury which eventually required surgery. The good news is that he’s now back to full health and ready to put himself back out there for MLB teams. Steve Canter, the agent for Davis, tells…
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We heard last week that Ian Stewart was a “longshot” to be ready for Opening Day, but it turns out he may cut things pretty close. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, Stewart is scheduled to start at third base tomorrow against the Rangers. It will be his first Cactus League action since…
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It was easy to think the worst when Andrew Bailey crumpled down in pain on the mound yesterday, but a release from the Athletics this afternoon actually brings some good news. Bailey was diagnosed with a strained right forearm following an examination by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. In other words, no structural damage was…
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It doesn’t sound like Carlos Beltran is going to be ready for Opening Day
Mar 15, 2011, 6:29 PM EDT
Carlos Beltran told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York earlier this afternoon that while he has been cleared for some baseball activities, he will be limited to hitting and other non-running activities for the time being. Beltran reports that his knee currently feels “60 percent better” than it did one week ago and according to…
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Report: Mariners prospect Michael Pineda favored for rotation spot
Mar 14, 2011, 9:30 PM EDT
Mariners prospect right-hander Michael Pineda has garnered all sorts of attention this spring by flashing mid-to-high 90s heat on the radar gun. And while spring training performances aren’t the be-all end-all, he has also pitched pretty well, posting a 2.57 ERA and 5/3 K/BB ratio over his first seven Cactus League innings. Still, the assumption…
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Well, this doesn’t sound good. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Andrew Bailey left today’s game against the Indians in the bottom of the seventh inning due to right elbow discomfort. Bailey was clutching at his elbow before he left the mound. Of course, Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2005…
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A lot can change in seven days. Neftali Feliz said just one week ago that he would prefer to remain in the bullpen, but he was singing a very different tune after tossing four innings of one-run ball against the Dodgers this afternoon. According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Feliz is now…
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C’mon Nats fans, you knew this sneak preview would end eventually. Though the Nationals didn’t include last year’s No.1 overall pick Bryce Harper in their first round of cuts yesterday, he was sent to low-Class A Hagerstown following this afternoon’s win over the Yankees, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. The Nationals insisted that Harper…
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Ryan Braun left this afternoon’s game against the Diamondbacks after the top of the first inning due to a strained left intercostal muscle, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The team has him listed as day-to-day right now, but there’s some reason for concern here. Braun has suffered intercostal injuries multiple times in the past,…
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Joe Mauer has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game, but he’s inching ever-closer to his debut after catching Nick Blackburn‘s bullpen session earlier today. According to La Velle Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Mauer said he hopes to appear as a designated hitter sometime after Tuesday’s scheduled off day. “Yeah I’d like to,”…
