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OPS leaders 1. Jay Gibbons (Dodgers) – .400/.405/.757 – 1163 2. John Lindsey (Dodgers) – .410/.465/.654 – 1119 3. Joe Borchard (Giants) – .366/.464/.646 – 1110 4. Kila Ka’aihue (Royals) – .304/.466/.620 – 1086 5. Chris Lubanski (Blue Jays) – .307/.357/.693 – 1050 6. Brandon Boggs (Rangers) – .333/.437/.600 – 1037 7. Mike Baxter (Padres)…

J.R. Towles had to know his margin for error was pretty slim at the start of the year. That he beat out 2008 first-round pick Jason Castro for a starting job was partly a financial decision — the Astros had quite a bit to gain there by sending Castro down for another two months —…

OPS Leaders 1. Steve Pearce (Pirates) – .349/.452/.605 – 1057 2. Dan Johnson (Rays) – .304/.375/.674 – 1049 3. Chris Carter (Mets) – .348/.408/.607 – 1015 4. Carlos Santana (Indians) – .300/.446/.550 – 996 5. Mike Hessman (Mets) – .297/.353/.637 – 990 6. Chase Lambin (Nationals) – .333/.385/.583 – 968 7. Dustin Martin (Twins) –…

Rafael Furcal, who hasn’t played since April 27 because of strained left hamstring, was placed on the disabled list Tuesday and replaced by Nick Green on the Dodgers’ roster. The Dodgers gave Furcal a week to see if he could recover without a DL stint, but the 32-year-old shortstop has never been known as a…

Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told the New York Daily News on Monday that Johan Santana is racking up high pitch counts early in games because of a plan that calls for him throw mostly inside fastballs the first time through the lineup. The plan is designed to make his changeup more effective as the…

Not only did Alex Gordon lose his spot on Kansas City’s roster after just 12 games, but it appears that he’s lost his position as well. The Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton reports that Gordon will play left field and first base for Triple-A Omaha. We imagine that most of his time will come in…

Even though he complained of shoulder tightness following his outing in a loss to the Phillies on Saturday and had an MRI on Monday, Mike Pelfrey remains scheduled to make his start Friday versus the Giants. SI.com’s Jon Heyman didn’t have any results from the MRI, but we imagine Mets doctors found nothing remarkable. Then…

With a single off Carl Pavano on Thursday, Magglio Ordonez because the 19th active major leaguer and the sixth native of Venezuela to reach 2,000 career hits. The active list: 1. Ken Griffey Jr. – 2,775 2. Derek Jeter – 2,773 3. Ivan Rodriguez – 2,735 4. Omar Vizquel – 2,706 5. Alex Rodriguez –…

With a three-run homer off Jair Jurrjens and a three-run double off reliever Jesse Chavez, David Freese on Tuesday became the first Cardinals rookie since 1925 to drive in six runs in a game. Freese finished 3-for-3 with a walk as St. Louis beat Atlanta 10-4 to complete a four-game sweep. The 26-year-old rookie entered…

The Cubs did need some help setting up for Carlos Marmol, but the biggest reason Carlos Zambrano is in the bullpen right now is Carlos Silva’s exceptional start. He’s followed a rather strong spring by going 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA through four outings. This from a pitcher who went 5-18 with a 6.81 ERA…

Reliever Fabio Castro arrived in Boston’s clubhouse Tuesday only to be put to the test immediately. No, not on the mound. 5-foot-10 Marco Scutaro had the supposedly 5-foot-9 Dustin Pedroia and the 5-foot-7 Castro stand back-to-back to figure out who was taller. According to the Boston Globe: “The winner by an inch or so was…

With the NPB season about 25 games in, let’s have a look at some of the early numbers from Japan: Central League hitters Matt Murton – .343/.398/.525 in 99 AB Jose Castillo – .341/.371/.538 in 91 AB Tony Blanco – .314/.385/.581 in 105 AB Craig Brazell – .280/.344/.573 in 82 AB Jamie D’Antona – .245/.296/.480…

Jason Heyward casts a pretty massive shadow, but the NL East is home to three more terrific right field prospects in Philadelphia’s Domonic Brown, New York’s Fernando Martinez and Florida’s Mike Stanton. Stanton may even have a chance to become the best of the bunch. Heresy? Perhaps. I’d certainly take Heyward, but Stanton’s incredible strength…

It’s safe to say I’ve given up on my hopes of becoming a major league GM. But if a reader hits the lottery, buys a team and decides to give me a shot, know that there’s a couple of rules I’d live by: 1. Never give multiyear deals to bench players 2. Don’t re-sign veterans…

We know who the NL’s best second baseman is, and Chase Utley doesn’t figure to lose his title any year soon. Second in line is an open question. Brandon Phillips is an excellent defender and a solid hitter, albeit one who is miscast as a cleanup man in Cincinnati. Dan Uggla last year reached the…

There are nine active pitchers with at least 100 victories and a win-loss percentage better than .600: 1. Johan Santana 2. Roy Halladay 3. Roy Oswalt 4. Tim Hudson 5. Andy Pettitte 6. CC Sabathia 7. Chris Carpenter 8. Josh Beckett 9. Carlos Zambrano This is just a guess, but I don’t think the teams…

It took a few hours of digging, but HardballTalk has uncovered Joe Morgan’s first memo to GM Walt Jocketty issued under his new title as Special Adviser to Baseball Operations. Apparently typed by the same person who used to handle his ESPN chats, it reads as follows: Dearest Walter, While our 2010 Reds are undoubtedly…

Corey Patterson, who opted for free agency after failing to make the Mariners as a non-roster player this spring, is back with the Orioles after agreeing to a minor league contract on Tuesday. Patterson was last a useful major leaguer in his first year with the Orioles in 2006. After coming over from the Cubs…

The Boston Globe reports that Jacoby Ellsbury will land on the 15-day disabled list nine days after he suffered bruised ribs in a collision with Adrian Beltre while trying to catch a foul popup. Replacing him on the roster will be veteran Darnell McDonald, who was off to a stellar .341/.372/.683 start in 41 at-bats…

We can speculate all we want about the methods he used to achieve it, but Eric Gagne’s three-year run of dominance as the Dodgers’ closer should never be forgotten. From the time Los Angeles converted a struggling starter to relief in the spring of 2002 until the then 30-year-old right-hander got hurt at the beginning…

While I’m pretty excited about David Price’s performance through two starts, the most promising development for the Rays during their 10-3 run to begin the season has been B.J. Upton’s power surge. Upton, of course, looked for all of the world like a future superstar when he hit .300/.386/.508 with 24 homers in 474 at-bats…

FOX certainly picked the right game of the week this time. The Mets and Cardinals went scoreless for 18 inning Saturday before Jeff Francoeur’s sac fly off position player Joe Mather in the top of the 19th. But that still wasn’t enough baseball for the teams. Francisco Rodriguez, held in reserve for 6 1/2 hours,…

It should come as no surprise who pulled it off. The execution, though, was rather shocking. After battling command woes early in the game, Ubaldo Jimenez started working exclusively out of the stretch in the sixth inning Saturday on his way to a no-hitter against the Braves. Jimenez retired 15 straight after walking Jason Heyward…

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was expected to pitch the 10th inning Saturday upon the resumption of Friday’s suspended game, will be unavailable following the birth of his baby boy. 8-pound, 8-ounce Gunner is the newest addition to the Papelbon family, which includes wife Ashley and 15-month-old Parker. Boston’s plan was to stick with…

We know where he is: Port St. Lucie, Florida. But that’s about all we know as far as Carlos Beltran’s progress from knee surgery. Reports a week ago suggested that he’d start running last Saturday. But those were erroneous and he still hasn’t been cleared to do anything resembling a baseball activity. “There’s been no…