Brewers, Gallardo agree to extension

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed Yovani Gallardo, who turned 24 years old in February, to a five-year contract extension, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

This deal, which guarantees Gallardo $30.1 million, will keep their young ace in town through the 2014 season. There is a club option for a sixth year (2015).

Gallardo would have been eligible for arbitration after this season and eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.

"We are thrilled to sign one of our top young players to a long-term deal," said Melvin in a news release. "We view Yovani as a top of the rotation performer who has a chance to become one of the elite pitchers in the game. He is the cornerstone of our starting rotation and the ideal pitcher to build our staff around for future seasons."

Last year, Gallardo became the fourth Brewer pitcher to have struck out 200 batters in one season. He finished the year with a record of 13-12, 3.73 ERA and 204 strike outs in 185 2/3 innings.

After signing Gallardo and outfielder Ryan Braun to long-term extensions, the Brewers will continue to work on signing first baseman Prince Fielder to a long-term deal next, despite placing blame on a team like the Yankees for the economic imbalance in baseball.

Tuesday Night Links

Reds closer Francisco Cordero said, "It's not only about me having a good year. It's about getting the team in the playoffs and maybe the World Series.

Meanwhile, his teammate Aroldis Chapman is likely to start the season in the minors.

And Reds manager Dusty Baker says of his bullpen, "You need a good bullpen. We've got a good bullpen."

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle points out that the difference between the "Big 3's" of Atlanta and Oakland in the past and the Giants today is offense.

Phillies reliever J.C. Romero says of his latest outing, "... today was very good and I am very happy about everything that went on today."

With his roster spot secure in 2010, Phillies starter J.A. Happ said, "I obviously don't want to give up hits or runs, but last year I had to go with what I was most confident in. This year, I'm maybe able to try a few different things. I did that."

San Diego's Chase Headley leads the majors in runs batted in (21) this spring.

Cubs outfield prospect Tyler Colvin, who's hitting .455 this spring, could push the starters.

As expected, Yovani Gallardo is the Brewers' Opening Day starter.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a pair of 500-foot homers.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says of outfielder Carlos Quentin's new attitude:''I love it, oh, my God, yes. I think Carlos enjoys the game a little bit more. I don't want him to change, I don't. ... I think he's out there more with the players, and I like that, believe me.''

The Mariners have released pitcher Seth McClung.

Reds starter Aaron Harang said about today's loss and being ready as Opening Day starter: "Yeah, I feel great. This is the best I've felt in spring training. The outcome is not what you want and expect. But it doesn't count. This is about getting ready for the long haul of the season. Overall, I feel very comfortable with the new stuff with my mechanics. I feel like the ball is coming out very well. It's a matter of coming in and stretching it out come Monday."

The Marlins acquired pitcher Nate Robertson from Detroit.

Pitcher Jeff Suppan was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to March 26th, by the Brewers.

Shameless plug of the day: here's the link to the latest post on my football site.

Follow me on Twitter @EDSBaseball.

Not quite mid-season awards: N.L. Cy Young

Over the next day or two, I'm going to select my winner (i.e., current leader) and runner-up for the Cy Young and MVP (not to be confused with MP3) in both leagues.

It goes without saying, although I'll say it anyways, this is highly subjective and is merely my (well-thought-out, compelling, coherent) opinion.

That being said, I encourage that you provide feedback (and your selection, if you disagree) in the comments' section.

So, let's begin with the N.L. Cy Young Award.



The N.L. Cy Young Award goes to ... (drum roll, please) ... Matt Cain, San Francisco. With a 9-1 record, Cain is one of three nine-game winners in the N.L. Chad Billingsley (Dodgers) and Jason Marquis (Rockies) are the other two. He's also third in ERA (2.39) behind Johnny Cueto (Reds) and Dan Haren (D'Backs).

In his past five starts, Cain is 5-0 with three complete games. His three complete games lead the N.L. In his past five starts, he has 34 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings pitched. During that span, Cain has an ERA of 2.02.

With the exception of a five-inning performance in a 4-1 win over the Nationals, Cain has pitched six (or more) innings in every start.



Runner-up: Dan Haren, Diamondbacks - Haren leads the NL in innings pitched (101), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.38), WHIP (0.82), BAA (.193) and is second in ERA (2.23). He is tied for third in strikeouts (96) with Chad Billingsley. He's pitched six (or more) innings in every start and he has only allowed more than three runs in one start (May 23rd).

While he has a mediocre win-loss record of 6-4, it's not his fault. He allowed only seven runs in 26 innings, which is an ERA of 2.42, in his four losses. His team gave him two runs (total) in those four losses as support. If only he and the D'Backs (29-39) had a better record...

Honorable Mention (not necessarily in order): Tim Lincecum (Giants), Johnny Cueto (Reds), Johan Santana (Mets), Chad Billingsley (Dodgers), Yovani Gallardo (Brewers), Josh Johnson (Marlins), Javier Vazquez (Braves)

Yovani Gallardo beats Pirates by himself

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo single-handedly beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0.

Not only did Gallardo set a career-best with 11 strikeouts and not allow any runs in eight innings, but he hit a homerun in the seventh inning for the game's only run.

"This ought to be pretty fast," [Brewers manager Ken] Macha said after settling into a seat in front of reporters. "Hitting: Gallardo. Pitching: Gallardo. Any questions?"

"It's not surprising anymore," [Carlos] Villanueva (who pitched a scoreless ninth inning) said. "He won it. He pitched eight innings and he hit the home run. All around, it was Yovani Gallardo Day."

In Brewers' history, they have had 16 games in which a homerun led to the only runs scored in a victory. But this was the first time that it was hit by a Brewers' pitcher.