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LaTroy Hawkins missed three months with shoulder soreness earlier this season, appeared in five games for the Brewers after returning from the disabled list late last month, and is now back on the shelf with what is being called “shoulder weakness.” Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that Hawkins will get a second opinion from Dr.…

Mark Prior’s latest (and perhaps last) comeback attempt is with the independent league Orange County Flyers and he struck out five straight batters while tossing two shutout innings last night. Prior is working as a reliever and is scheduled to pitch again Saturday. So far he has six strikeouts versus one hit and two walks…

Omar Quintanilla, who played 216 games for the Rockies from 2005-2009 before spending all of this season at Triple-A, has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance called Methylhexanamine. According to my extensive research on Methylhexanamine (read: Wikipedia) it’s intended to be used as a nasal decongestant but is also marketed…

John Grabow heard something “pop” while rehabbing a knee injury in the minors Monday and will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a torn medial collateral ligament. He finishes the year with a 7.36 ERA in 25.2 innings and has posted a 5.33 ERA in 50.2 total innings for the Cubs…

Marlins rookie Mike Stanton went 5-for-5 with a homer and two doubles last night, becoming just the ninth 20-year-old in baseball history–and the first since Alan Trammell in 1978–to notch five hits in a game. Here’s the complete list, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com: MIKE STANTON 2010 Alan Trammell 1978 Jack Heidemann 1970 Ken Hubbs 1962 (twice)…

Joe Mauer had two more hits last night, making him 39-for-89 (.438) with 17 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs in 22 games since the All-Star break. One of those hits was his 38th double of the year, which ties Mauer for the AL lead with Nick Markakis and puts him on pace to break both…

After falling short in his bid for the Rangers last week Mark Cuban commented that high temperatures in Arlington mean the team is “always at a disadvantage just because of the heat factor” and “you’re never going to be able to quite charge the same [prices] as Boston is just because of the comfort factor…

As expected, the Dodgers have placed Rafael Furcal on the disabled list with a strained lower back and called up Juan Castro from Triple-A to replace him on the roster. After sitting out part of April and most of May with a hamstring injury Furcal hit .319/.381/.518 with eight homers, 26 total extra-base hits, 10…

Matt Kemp is out of the Dodgers’ lineup tonight for the second straight game and since he said yesterday that there’s nothing wrong with him physically … well, that means he’s simply been benched. Again. Kemp has had a disappointing season on both sides of the ball and is just 2-for-21 since a five-hit game…

It took seven seasons, but 33-year-old reliever George Sherrill finally got his first career plate appearance in last night’s blowout loss to the Phillies. And, naturally, he drew a walk off J.C. Romero without swinging the bat. “I was taking the whole way,” Sherrill told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. “I hadn’t had…

There’s an interesting note on the Baseball-Reference.com blog about Jeremy Hellickson, who tossed seven shutout innings last night against the Tigers. Hellickson also threw seven innings of two-run ball versus the Twins in his debut last week. So what’s the interesting note? Well, in both starts he allowed three hits and that makes him just…

I’m not sure how Mets fans will feel about this, but The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas said in a recent Rolling Stone interview he wants to write a new television theme song for the team: My next thing is I want to write the new TV theme song for the Mets. I’m totally serious. I…

Remember yesterday, when Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported that the Dodgers “have strong interest in Jose Guillen for a part-time role”? Well, today Ken Gurnick of MLB.com writes: Dodgers interest in Kansas City outfielder Jose Guillen is believed to be lukewarm at best, despite an Internet report that the interest was strong. I don’t…

Alfredo Simon took over closer duties in Baltimore when he was called up from Triple-A in late April, converting 15 of 17 save chances with a 3.40 ERA and .248 opponents’ batting average through his first 30 appearances. However, he’s struggled lately, blowing two saves and allowing seven runs in his last six games, and…

Justin Masterson allowed seven runs in five innings last night for his league-leading 11th loss and is now 5-18 with a 5.19 ERA since going from Boston to Cleveland in the Victor Martinez trade last July. Normally that type of performance would suggest someone simply isn’t a good pitcher, but in Masterson’s case it likely…

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is just 5-for-21 (.238) in five games at Triple-A since Boston acquired him from Texas on July 31, but with Kevin Cash headed to the disabled list with a hamstring injury the Red Sox are calling up Saltalamacchia for tonight’s game. Saltalamacchia started at first base for Pawtucket last night and may not…

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels admitted yesterday that Ian Kinsler may not be ready to return from his strained groin until September, which is quite a change from the initial recovery timetable when he was placed on the disabled list last month. In fact, Kinsler initially said he wanted to play through the injury and…

Matt Lindstrom served up a pair of homers last night to blow his sixth save, which is tied for second-most among all closers, but afterward Astros manager Brad Mills replied “not at all, he’s our guy” when asked if he was considering a switch in the ninth inning. Third baseman Chris Johnson expressed a similar…

Russell Martin is finished for the season with a fractured hip, but Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that there’s some hope he’ll be able to avoid surgery. According to Gurnick “three specialists agree” that Martin will rest for 3-4 weeks and “be re-evaluated in September to determine if the fracture and/or the hip labrum he…

Dustin Pedroia worked out in Toronto prior to tonight’s game against the Blue Jays and Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that he’s now “on track to rejoin the Red Sox one week from today.” Here’s more from Abraham: He will start running the bases tomorrow and is scheduled for an exam on Friday…

After missing the past two weeks with shoulder soreness Stephen Strasburg has been activated from the disabled list and will start tonight against Anibal Sanchez and the Marlins. He previously shut out Florida for six innings on July 16 and was 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 75/15 K/BB ratio in 52.1 innings overall before…

Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that the “Dodgers have strong interest in Jose Guillen, but for a part-time role.” Guillen was designated for assignment by the Royals last week, so Rojas speculates that the Dodgers may simply wait for him to get released and become a free agent before making a play for him.…