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Eccentric basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale makes his offseason home in Tampa Bay and seems to make it to several Rays games a year.  On Thursday he got more than he bargained for. According to the Associated Press, Dicke V was nailed in the stomach by a foul ball off the bat of Blue Jays leadoff…

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was considered one of the top prospects in baseball when he was called up to the majors in May of 2009.  He failed to live up to the high expectations of O’s fans, batting a pedestrian .288/.340/.412 with nine home runs and 43 RBI in his first 96 games.  Many baseball…

Giants prospect Buster Posey hit his first career major league home run on Wednesday night against the Reds, a two-run shot following a two-out walk by outfielder Pat Burrell. Chris Haft of MLB.com reports that the shot traveled an estimated 439 feet and landed in the upper deck at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark.  Only 77…

The accolades continue to pour in for Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who debuted on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. with a 14-strikeout victory over the Pirates. According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, the Baseball Hall of Fame called the Nationals’ front office on Wednesday morning to request a souvenir from the 21-year-old’s debut. …

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has played in only 12 games this season and has served two different stints on the 15-day disabled list due to a pesky muscle strain in his right calf.  When healthy he’s been great, batting .341 with a .462 on-base percentage in 41 at-bats, but it’s hard to help a team…

As Craig pointed out earlier, another young “phenom” made his major league debut on Tuesday night: Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton. The 20-year-old went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and almost helped the Marlins top the Phillies with a bases-loading infield single in the top of the ninth inning.  Ronny Paulino spoiled that fun when he…

We’ve been lucky enough to witness a multitude of impressive pitching performances this season.  Ubaldo Jimenez fired a no-hitter in early April and currently sits 11-1 on the year with a 0.93 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP.  Those are historically good numbers.  Dallas Braden threw a perfect game on May 9 against the Rays, who…

As HardballTalk readers and baseball fans in general, you’re all well aware of the story by now.  Selected No. 1 overall by the Nationals in last year’s first-year player draft, Stephen Strasburg has cruised through the minor league ranks with spectacular numbers at every stop.  In five starts this season at Double-A Harrisburg, he posted…

UPDATE: Rodriguez has confirmed that Stanton is indeed on his way to join the Marlins and will be officially promoted before Tuesday’s game.  Mike Lamb has been designated for assignment to clear roster space.3:41pm:  Marlins outfield prospect Mike Stanton is not in the starting lineup for Double-A Jacksonville on Sunday, according to Juan C. Rodriguez…

In a recent piece for the New York Times, Tyler Kepner traveled back in history for a look at the 1992 MLB Draft, when Derek Jeter was selected sixth overall by the Yankees.  Kepner spoke to the scouts that drafted Jeter and others who were present and conscious of the Yanks’ thinking when the future…

Mike Cameron returned to the Red Sox’s lineup on Sunday after missing five straight games with abdominal soreness.  When asked what he hoped to bring to the batting order after such a long absence, here’s what he shared with the Providence Journal’s Dan Barbarisi: “Sexiness and color,” Cameron laughed, before getting serious. “No, It’s going…

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was given a cortisone injection Saturday in his right knee, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but expects to be fine to return to the starting lineup on Monday. Hamilton has been bothered by an achy knee for about a month.  He’s played through it for the most part, and is…

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez released his lineup for Sunday’s game against the Mets a few minutes ago, and something looks a little fishy: SS Hanley RamirezLF Chris Coghlan2B Dan Uggla3B Jorge CantuC Ronny PaulinoRF Cody Ross1B Gaby SanchezCF Cameron MaybinP Ricky Nolasco That’s right, 2009 National League batting champ Hanley Ramirez is batting leadoff against…

The Cardinals have finally established a timetable for Brad Penny’s return from a lat strain, and it’s not exactly great news.  According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the veteran starter is expected to miss at least the next four-to-six weeks. Penny was placed on the 15-day disabled list back in late May…

Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran has been sidelined all season while rehabilitating from knee surgery and hasn’t exactly been making swift progress.  Hopefully that will all begin changing, as he played in a second straight extended spring training game on Saturday, according to the New York Daily News. Beltran is still running at less than 75…

Dontrelle Willis joined up with the Diamondbacks just a few days ago in a trade from the Tigers and made his Arizona debut on Saturday night against the Rockies.  He did fantastic by his own recent standards, hurling six scoreless innings and earning his first National League victory since going 10-15 back in 2007 for…

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira finished 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in Saturday’s extra-innings loss to the Blue Jays.  It was his second career five-strikeout game and he’s now batting a lousy .215 with an even lousier .370 slugging percentage through 219 at-bats.  But, in case anyone was wondering, Yanks manager Joe Girardi is not considering…

Cardinals rookie third baseman David Freese is off to an incredible start this season and is on a short list of early favorites for the National League’s Rookie of the Year award.  I’m under the belief that either Braves outfielder Jason Heyward or St. Louis lefty Jaime Garica would take the cake if the prize…

Jason Bartlett suffered a mild strain of his right hamstring last Saturday in a game against the White Sox.  He was hoping to sit out a few days and rejoin the Rays’ lineup at some point this week.  Unfortunately the 30-year-old shortstop was unable to shake the discomfort and was placed on the disabled list…

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus released his 2010 MLB Mock Draft this evening, and it’s free for everyone to read.  The No. 1 overall pick won’t come as a surprise to anyone — it’s Bryce Harper — but there’s plenty more talent to get acquainted with before the annual event kicks off on June 7.…

Let’s spend just a few more minutes in Detroit, wrapping up umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call Wednesday evening on what would have been the last out of a perfect game for Tigers starter Armando Galarraga.  Great fans of Detroit, take it away…   Craig complied a ton of reactions from HardballTalk’s own commenters earlier today.

The great folks at Baseball Prospectus are once again running playoff odds for all 30 MLB teams, using a formula that plays out the rest of the 2010 season 1,000,000 times.  With pretty much every division up for grabs through June 2, it’s at least a fun thing to look at. Not to spoil the…

The HardballTalk audience is probably a little too manly for this next item, but we’re throwing it out there anyway.  Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez appeared on the L.A.-based Ryan Seacrest Show today and touched on a few things, like drilling Indians pitcher David Huff in the head last week, possibly being chosen as an All-Star…

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was placed on the disabled list just 11 days ago with a hairline fracture in his right foot.  According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, he is already chomping at the bit to return. Posada took batting practice on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium and is no longer wearing a protective boot on…

The baseball world has already been treated to several impressive pitching feats this season and it’s not even June.  From Ubaldo Jimenez’s no-hitter on April 17 against the Braves, to Dallas Braden’s perfect game on May 9 against the Rays, to Roy Halladay’s perfecto last night in Florida — 2010 has largely been the year…