The Hot Corner, 7/4 edition

Fielding and (lack of) hitting - not pitching - led to Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir's first-ever loss in his home state of Texas against the Rangers.

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki ended an 0-for-16 streak with a double and rolled his ankle. However, he should be o.k.

Shin Soo-Choo hit two home runs and drove in seven runs in a 15-3 win over the A's last night.

Giants ace Tim Lincecum will face Houston's Russ Ortiz today. It was Ortiz (or, more specifically, his ailing elbow) that paved the way for Lincecum to be called up.

Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm says, "I'm perfectly fine to pitch. I just need to make better pitches."

Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez was a scratch last night with tightness in his lower back.

In addition to Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers got Claudio Vargas back. Manny was welcomed back, but he went 0-for-3.

Nolan Ryan doesn't expect the Rangers to be sold until after the season.

The return of Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is delayed by at least one day.

A's to give Brett Anderson two days extra rest (again).

Yesterday's 5-0 loss to the White Sox was the Royals sixth time being shut out this season and their fourth consecutive game of scoring two runs or less.

Joe Posnanski sums up Friday's Royals game with one word: "Depressing."

The Tigers won in 16 innings against the Twins. Placido Polanco delivered the game-winning hit.

Adam Dunn's next home run will be his 300th. He hit his 299th last night.

Philadelphia's Raul Ibanez was eligible to come off the DL yesterday. But "he still feels something in there," according to GM Ruben Amaro Jr., per Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Alfonso Soriano will return to the Cubs' lineup after two days of rest, but it won't be in the leadoff spot.

Will Kurt Suzuki be an All-Star? A's broadcaster Ray Fosse thinks he's "deserving" of a spot.

And Josh Beckett thinks teammate Tim Wakefield deserves to be an All-Star.

White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin will play three innings tonight for Triple-A Charlotte.

Phillies pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, who was pitching his first game since 2007, got the win for the Phils.

Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom began throwing yesterday and is upbeat.

Angels pitcher Ervin Santana struggled in his return from the DL.

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsusaka is heading to Fort Myers (FL) on Monday to strengthen shoulder.

Will Baltimore call up Chris Tillman, who threw 7 2/3 shutout innings Friday, soon?

Business as usual for Albert Pujols, who hit a grand slam in the eighth inning last night.

Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet had a fifth inning he'd like to forget.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says using Phil Hughes and Phil Coke in the eighth inning was to allow Brian Bruney to rest. He insists Bruney is still the set-up guy.

The Mets might start Oliver Perez on Wednesday.

Yankees catcher Jorge Posada missed a second straight game.

Is Mark Teixeira the Yankees' best defensive player since Don Mattingly?

The Hot Corner, 6/30 edition

Could the season (and career) for Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who is in Colorado to get a second opinion on his knee from the doctor that invented microfracture knee surgery, be in jeopardy? The Mets are optimistic that Beltran won't need anything as drastic as microfracture surgery.

Buffalo Bills QB Trent Edwards got a second chance to throw out a first pitch at the Dodgers-Rockies game last night.

Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier hit his fourth walk-off home run of the season last night.

A pair of Phillies, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez, are the leading All-Star vote-getters for their respective positions while Ryan Howard trails Albert Pujols at first.

Of all Red Sox players, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun would "steal" Jason Bay for the Orioles, if he had his choice.

Maybe he should steal Jon Lester, who improved to 8-0 all-time against the Orioles last night.

Orioles manager Dave Tremblay expects Cesar Izturis back in late-July, but Izturis hopes to be back sooner.

One night after Yankees closer Mariano Rivera recorded his 500th save, Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon tied Mike Stanley for the Sox' all-time saves record (132).

Who's better: Goose Gossage or Mariano Rivera? Goose says Mo is.

Giants ace Tim Lincecum pitched a two-hitter against the Cardinals and has thrown three complete games in his past four starts.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy says of Ryan Sadowski, who got a win in his major-league debut on Sunday: "Right now, he's in the rotation."

In his return from the DL, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was welcomed back by getting only two hits and one run in support from the offense.

The Astros have sent down Wesley Wright to make room for Mike Hampton.

Brandon Backe was waived by the Astros.

Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello had his shortest outing of the year against the A's, who ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Tigers.

Tigers pitcher Fu-Te Ni struck out three in 1 2/3 innings in his debut Monday.

In seven relief appearances, Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has an ERA of 1.50 and opposing batters are hitting .122 against him in that span.

The Reds, who are .500 (37-37), are only three games back.

Mike Lowell's return? Friday or the DL?

The Rangers called up outfielder Julio Borbon, who went 0-for-3 last night.

Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar pitched another nice game last night.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen doesn't want to get "so optimistic, so excited and pumped up" by the White Sox recent success - 10 wins in last 14 games - and end up with a broken heart.

Cubs pitcher Rich Harden got his first win last night since May 12th.

The Cubs might get Aramis Ramirez back for a four-game series against the Cardinals next week.

Going from third to sixth in the batting order, Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley might get a couple days of rest as well.

Carol Slekak of the Chicago Sun-Times asks if this is the "last stand for Lou" Piniella.

Are you smarter than a Cubs' fan?

You are if you're a White Sox fan. At least, that's according to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella noted the surge in attendance at U.S. Cellular Field when the cross-town rivals played each other this weekend compared to the 22,000 that showed for the Dodgers-White Sox series.

Why?

Of course, the never-shy Guillen had the answer:

"Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans," Guillen said. "They know we're [expletive]."

Guillen said Cubs fans will watch any game at Wrigley Field because "Wrigley Field is just a bar."

I'm not a Cubs fan. Or a White Sox fan. But how can you not love Ozzie?

Milton Bradley back in lineup

A day after being sent home by Cubs manager Lou Piniella, Milton Bradley was back in the Cubs' lineup in the three hole.

But Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune asks the question: Do the Cubs regret signing Bradley?

As Rogers points out, the Cubs bypassed other free-agent outfielders, such as Bobby Abreu, Raul Ibanez and Adam Dunn, in favor of the hot-tempered Bradley. Last year, Bradley hit .321 with 22 home runs in Texas and led the A.L. in on-base percentage (.436).

Bradley signed a two-year contract worth $20 million. Once Bradley plays in 75 games this season, the deal becomes a three-year contract worth $30 million.

According to the Associated Press, Piniella and Bradley have made up.

"I apologized for the last comment I made, told him he knows in the context I meant it," Piniella said. "But I also told him that just can't continue, to have shenanigans that we've put up with. I told him he's going to hurt somebody, he's going to hurt himself."

"No, man, I don't have a problem with Lou at all," said Bradley. "Initially I was just a little shocked at how everything happened suddenly. But it's something I have to deal with."

So far this season, Bradley is struggling as are the Cubs (35-35) in general. Bradley is hitting only .237 with five home runs and 16 RBIs.

If the struggles continue, this probably won't be the last confrontation. Then again, if the struggles don't continue, this probably won't be the last confrontation.

C.C. to start Friday

The Yankees will give the ball to C.C. Sabathia tomorrow night against the Mets, per Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News.

Sabathia had a 30-pitch bullpen session in Atlanta that went well.

"I was able to get loose, I was able to get extended and everything felt good," Sabathia said. "I cut it loose at the end and didn't feel anything. I feel like I'll be fine."

"As long as I'm fine, I'm ready to go," Sabathia said. "I proved that to myself and to those guys today, so I expect to get my full dosage of whatever it is on Friday. I'm looking forward to pitching and trying to shake it up a little at the plate."

Sabathia, who left his last game after 28 pitches, has won five of his past six decisions and has an ERA of 3.71. Sabathia is fifth in the A.L. in innings pitched (102).

Not quite mid-season awards: N.L. MVP

Over the weekend, I began the process of selecting my Cy Youngs and MVPs in both leagues by making my N.L. Cy Young pick based on production thus far.

Obviously, a lot can change between now and October, but today I will pick my National League MVP through June 22nd.

After his 6-for-12 performance this weekend with three home runs and ten RBI, the NL MVP race is the most clear-cut of the four award races.

The award goes to Albert Pujols, who becomes only the third player to begin a career with nine consecutive 25-home run seasons. Despite my personal bias (Pujols is my favorite player), it's hard to argue with this pick.





Pujols leads the N.L. in runs scored (56), home runs (26), runs batted in (68), OBP (.448) and OPS (1.169). He is also hitting .329 on the season. He nearly has as many home runs (26) as he has strikeouts (27).

As an added bonus, he's on pace to steal 21 bases. In fact, his nine steals lead the majors for first baseman. And the Cardinals currently lead the N.L. Central.

So, the real battle is for runner-up.

Runner-up: Raul Ibanez, Phillies - For me, it came down to Prince Fielder and Ibanez, who is on the 15-day DL. Ibanez, who is off to a torrid start excluding being placed on the DL, is in the top three in the N.L. in runs (51), home runs (22), runs batted in (59) and OPS (1.027).

In addition, Ibanez is hitting .312 for the Phillies, who currently lead the N.L. East.

Honorable Mention (not necessarily in order): Prince Fielder (Brewers), Matt Kemp (Dodgers), David Wright (Mets), Adrian Gonzalez (Padres) and Ryan Braun (Brewers).

The Hot Corner, 6/21 edition

The Mets are still unsure when SS Jose Reyes will make his return, but he felt fine for the first time after hitting on Friday. The problem is running.

Pitchers Jeff (Dodgers) and Jered (Angels) Weaver became the 21st pair of brothers to pitch against each other. And Jeff got the better of Jered.

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsusaka will skip his next start.

Both John Maine and Oliver Perez will begin rehab assignments Monday.

Tigers 20-year-old pitcher Rick Porcello is poised beyond his years.

Tigers pitcher Alfredo Figaro wins in his major-league debut.

Phillies closer Ryan Madson blows another save and the Phillies have lost five straight.

Despite allowing only one run in eight innings, Matt Cain didn't get his tenth win of the season in the Giants 2-1 extra-inning win.

Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson tells the Boston Herald: "I feel that in my young career I’ve done a little bit of everything. I’ve already done some starting, but this year I feel good about all the roles I’ve been in. Except for an inning or two, almost no runs have been scored and that’s very encouraging for me."

Pirates top pick Tony Sanchez drove in the game-winning run in his first minor league game.

The Angels signed Randal Grichuk, their top pick.

Albert Pujols has lots of opinions, but he says his "job is to shut up and play."

Nolan Ryan is worried about the Rangers' offense and Josh Hamilton took 20-30 swings in a batting cage yesterday.

Rays OF Pat Burrell said he "loved" being booed at CitiField on Friday night.

James Shields got his first road win since April 12th.

Will Ben Zobrist be on the A.L. All-Star roster?

GM Brian Cashman said the decision to rest/bench A-Rod for two days was "a medical decision."

Carlos Beltran, who is going to get an MRI on his knee, says, "When I am running, pounding the knee, I feel a pinch," Beltran said. "It's annoying."

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)

Two days off for A-Rod

Citing "fatigue," Yankee skipper Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman decided to give third baseman Alex Rodriguez two days of rest, per Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News.

A-Rod sat Friday and will sit Saturday as well.

"We just feel that he's fatigued and that he could use a little blow," Girardi said. "We talked about giving him one day off and we were thinking about doing it tomorrow, but after we slept on it, talked about it and discussed it, we're going to give him two days off."

Not surprisingly, A-Rod called it "a great disappointment." Rodriguez, who grew up in Miami, has never played a regular-season game in Miami.

Rodriguez, who was going to leave around 100 tickets, told his mother to stay home and "save on gas money."

He has gone hitless in his last 15 at bats and has only two hits in his last 21 at bats.

Santana says he's "fine"

Mets ace Johan Santana had the worst performance of his major league career yesterday. In three short innings, he allowed nine hits, two walks and nine earned runs.

In his previous three losses on the season, Santana allowed a total of only three earned runs.

Per Burt Hubbuch of the New York Post, Santana admitted that he had some physical ailments - blisters on the middle finger of his left hand and on his toe as well as a sore back. Yet he claims those ailments have nothing to do with yesterday's outing and his 6.50 ERA over his past six starts.

"What happened is, I made a few mistakes locating my pitches," Santana said.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen says, "He's fought through [blister] almost a month, but now that it's healed, the ball plane has changed." Manager Jerry Manuel agreed, saying "physically, he's in good shape. It's a delivery issue."

Santana took exception to a reporter asking about a "dead arm," according to Hubbuch.

"Who calls that? You? How you know that?" Santana barked at a reporter who asked him about dead arm. "No, that's not even close. I'm fine. There's not much I can say. I'm fine."

The Hot Corner, 6/14 edition

D'Backs manager A.J. Hinch says Dan Haren, who has a 2.20 ERA, deserves to be an All-Star despite his 5-4 record.

Michael Cuddyer will have his finger drained and could be back in the Twins' line-up on Tuesday.

Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley got his N.L.-leading ninth victory over the Rangers today.

Mets ace Johan Santana never looked as bad as he did today against the Yankees.

The Rangers put closer Frank Francisco on the 15-day DL, retroactive to June 4th.

Jered Weaver pitched a five-hit shutout and is now 5-0 at Angel Stadium this season with an ERA of 1.01.

Chipper Jones is now 0-for-21 in his last five games.

Unfazed by trade rumors, Jeff Francoeur says, “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”

The Royals placed Coco Crisp on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Saturday.

Reds manager Dusty Baker says of Brandon Phillips ignoring a take sign, “It’s like the military: You follow orders.”

Dontrelle Willis walked eight and allowed six runs today. Are his days in the rotation numbered?

Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz, who has made five rehab starts, says he's ready.

Ozzie Guillen on Wrigley Field: “Oh, I don’t care if they hate me, the don’t feed my kids,’’ Guillen said of the Cubbie faithful. “They hate me, that’s cool. People, no matter how famous you are, they hate you or they love you. I see the other day they asked [Joe] Crede about the rats [in Wrigley], at least I have something that people can read and write and listen to, but I never put the Cubs fans down, I’ve always admired the Cubs office, I always made my feelings known about Cubs players, about the manager, about Lou [Piniella] now, [general manager] Jim Hendry and the way I respect them, a lot, a lot, but Wrigley Field? I puke every time I go there. I’m just being honest."

Miguel Tejada got his 2,000th hit and Lance Berkman got his 300th HR of their careers.

Cliff Lee throws three-hit shutout

Although he improved to only 4-6 with tonight's 3-0 win over the Cardinals, Cliff Lee, the A.L.'s reigning Cy Young, has pitched very well this season.

Especially, if you ignore his first two starts when he allowed a whopping 11 runs in only 10 innings.

Despite his shaky start to the season, Lee has now lowered his ERA to 2.88 after tonight's three-hit shutout. And he got it done in only 93 pitches.

Excluding his first two starts, Lee's ERA is 2.20.

Except for the run support and blip early in the season, it's as though Lee has picked up from where he left off in 2008.

Bruney, K-Rod escalates during pre-game drills

Yesterday, Yankees reliever Brian Bruney commented about the blown save by Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez on Friday night and his showmanship.

Specifically, Bruney told the Hunterdon County Democrat, "Couldn't have happened to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing."

So, during today's pre-game drills, K-Rod sought out Bruney (or anyone who might be Bruney).

"I saw [K-Rod] walking with attitude and asking guys, 'Is it him?' " [Mets pitcher Mike] Pelfrey said. "The next thing I know, he was in [Bruney's] face."

According to the "nobody," I mean, Bruney, the air has been cleared.

"I probably shouldn't have said what I said [Saturday], but I made that mistake and learned from it. The guy has had a great career. I don't have anything at this point to hang my hat on. I don't have a World Series title like he does. I don't have the save record like he does. For me it was nothing personal against Frankie. I've heard he is a good dude."

Do you believe him?

Halladay's next start pushed back

Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay left last night's game in the fourth inning with a strained groin.

Now, the Blue Jays will push back his next start from Thursday to (at least) Saturday, per the Associated Press.

"He wants to pitch but he's also smart, too," [Jays manager Cito] Gaston said. "Some guys might have tried to stay out there, but he didn't. He knew there was something going on. It's better that you're that way than trying to play through it sometimes."

Halladay is 10-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched this season.

Jake Peavy to miss a month

The San Diego Padres are going to be without Jake Peavy for at least a month due to his injured ankle, according to the Associated Press.

Peavy initially injured the ankle while running the bases in his start after rejecting a trade that would have sent him to the White Sox.

Although he pitched with it taped since then, the extent of the injury is worse than originally thought.

"I was getting treatment and we were getting by," said Peavy. "Up until yesterday, I thought it was manageable. It could have gotten ugly if we didn't take the action that we did."

The Padres will start Josh Greer in Peavy's place tonight.

Peavy will wear a walking boot for the next four weeks.

With approximately a month and a half to go until the MLB trade deadline, this likely will end any chance of Peavy, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, getting traded this season.