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I’ll spare you most of the details of my trip to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) convention in Atlanta last week, but in terms of the actual baseball-related stuff the highlight for me was the “New Technologies in Baseball” panel. Physics of baseball expert Alan Nathan was joined by Fan Graphs and Baseball…

Orlando Hernandez has been promoted to Double-A after posting a 1.50 ERA and 9/0 K/BB ratio in six innings as a reliever in rookie-ball. Shutting down hitters who were often closer to one-third his age than half his age is impressive on a certain level, but obviously the big test for Hernandez will be whether…

Jason Bay said yesterday that he “absolutely” plans to play again this season, adding that “my head is getting better” following his July 23 concussion. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that Bay’s headaches have subsided but he continues to experience nausea. Fernando Martinez was called up from Triple-A over the weekend and…

Mark Teixeira was not on the Yankees’ team flight to Texas yesterday and could miss the two-game series against the Rangers that begins tonight to be with his pregnant wife. Teixeira’s wife is scheduled to give birth at some point today, so it’s possible but unlikely he could rejoin the team in time to face…

Scot Shields is the last player on the Angels’ roster remaining from the World Series team of 2002, but Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times speculates that his “days in Anaheim appear numbered.” Shields missed most of last season following knee surgery and has been terrible this year with a 6.05 ERA and 34/31…

When the Angels traded for Alberto Callaspo last month general manager Tony Reagins was “defiant” in insisting that it wouldn’t lead to Brandon Wood being further phased out of the team’s plans, but predictably that’s exactly what happened. Earl Bloom of the Orange County Register notes that the Angels have basically been playing with a…

Signed to a minor-league contract by the Red Sox last week, Carlos Delgado made his Triple-A debut last night and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Some interesting notes from his first Triple-A game since 2004 … * Pawtucket was playing the Yankees’ affiliate and lost on a walk-off homer by stud prospect Jesus Montero. *…

David Price wasn’t at his best last night, needing 115 pitches to record 15 outs and allowing nine baserunners in five innings of two-run ball, but still beat the Tigers for his AL-leading 15th win. With the victory Price is also now the Rays’ all-time leader in single-season wins: DAVID PRICE 2010 15 James Shields…

Jason Heyward was naturally a popular topic of discussion throughout the SABR convention in Atlanta last week and the 20-year-old rookie snapped a 31-game homerless streak last night. Heyward has come back down to earth considerably after posting a 1.000 OPS through mid-May, hitting just .250 with modest power since then while playing through and…

Travis Hafner has missed the past five games with shoulder soreness and the Indians placed him on the disabled list this afternoon. Hafner has a long history of shoulder problems, so while his latest malady is being called merely “soreness” for now it wouldn’t be surprising if it proved to be more serious. While nowhere…

Peter Bourjos is considered one of the elite defensive center fielders among prospects and Torii Hunter ceased being an excellent defender several years ago, so it makes sense that the Angels would use Bourjos in center field for his big-league debut tonight while sliding Hunter to right field. Of course, given Hunter’s nine straight Gold…

As expected, Ben Sheets has decided to undergo season-ending elbow surgery after being diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon last month. Sheets missed all of last season following elbow surgery, so his career could be in jeopardy at this point and he’s unlikely to be much of factor in 2011 even if things go smoothly.…

Brandon Inge was initially expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a broken hand suffered on July 19, but now he’s been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment tonight at Single-A. There’s no word yet on an official revised return timetable, but he’s clearly ahead of schedule and by rule rehab assignment are limited to…

Rob Johnson has been one of the worst players in baseball this season and Adam Moore has been playing well at Triple-A, so today the Mariners flip-flopped them with Johnson heading to Tacoma and Moore returning to Seattle. Johnson has been remarkably bad. Not only did he hit just .191 with a .574 OPS in…

Steve Pearce suffered a knee injury while on a rehab assignment for an ankle injury in May and after unsuccessfully trying non-surgical options Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com reports that he’ll go under the knife tomorrow. Pearce will miss the remainder of this season and may not be fully healthy for start of next year, which…

Jason Marquis tossed six innings of two-run ball in a rehab start last night at Triple-A and Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com reports that he’s ready to rejoin the Nationals’ rotation following May elbow surgery. Whether or not the Nationals are ready to welcome him back is another issue. Marquis went 0-3 with a brutal 20.52…

Back in June the White Sox selected Florida Gulf Coast University left-hander Chris Sale with the 13th pick in the draft and now less than two months later Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that they’re planning to call him up as soon as tomorrow. Sale was a starter in college, but the White…

Casey Coleman made his big-league debut in the sixth inning last night and in doing so became the first third-generation pitcher in MLB history. His father, Joe Coleman, was an All-Star in 1972 and won 142 games while pitching for six different teams. His grandfather, also Joe Coleman, was an All-Star in 1948 and won…

Last night Ivan Rodriguez hit his 307th career homer, 300 of which have come while catching. Rodriguez joins Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, and Yogi Berra as the only players in baseball history to amass 300 homers while catching. And for all the people freaking out about Alex Rodriguez being “stuck”…

Acquired from the Dodgers over the weekend in the Octavio Dotel trade, James McDonald is expected to join the Pirates’ rotation to start Thursday against the Rockies. As a 25-year-old with a good minor-league track record McDonald is certainly deserving of a shot that the Dodgers never quite seemed willing to give him. He had…

UPDATE: Silva has been placed on the disabled list. === Carlos Silva was released from a Colorado hospital this morning after leaving yesterday’s start at Coors Field in the first inning with an abnormal heart rate. According to the Cubs he’ll be examined further by a cardiologist after returning to Chicago and may avoid the…