Most Toronto fans can tell you exactly where they were when Mike Timlin flipped the final out of the ’92 World Series to Joe Carter and teammates swarmed the field for the first championship outside the United States. They recall where they were when Carter turned on a Mitch Williams offering at the SkyDome and ended the ’93 Fall Classic vs. the Phillies for back-to-back crowns.

Those are iconic moments in baseball lore. But for more hardcore fans, each and every baseball season brings its own memories, personal snapshots that when strung together can help define Having been involved professionally in major league baseball as either club official or columnist since April 1, 1973, I am one of those for whom the sport can always be used as a calendar. As a useless mental exercise, I can reel off every World Series winner and loser, in order, from 1960-2011. When I get stuck, I think of what happened to me that year and it all comes back.

But for many, it’s not just World Series moments that fanatics can relate to. Each championship season invariably has memorable moments that are personal, never the same for everyone. As such, as major league baseball approaches the 40-game mark for all teams, about one-quarter way through the 2012 schedule, there are already moments that have emerged, teams that have surprised, teams that have disappointed and moments for the Jays that stand out but may be eclipsed over the final 120.

Following is a selection of some first-quarter memorable moments and teams, both good and bad, from major league baseball, with more to come. Join me at thestar.com/sports at noon on Friday for a baseball chat where you can agree, disagree or add your own.

MOST SURPRISING TEAMS

1 Orioles

2 Nationals

3 A’s

4 Dodgers

5 Mets

During the winter, the Blue Jays were the trendy pick to join the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox in the mix in the powerful AL East, but all of a sudden, in Buck Showalter’s second full season as manager, the O’s are contending with the Rays and Rangers for the AL’s best record.

The Nats were supposed to make their move into the NL’s elite a year ago when they signed Jayson Werth from the Phils, but that move into contention had to wait until Washington’s crop of uber-talented draft picks arrived. Their future is now, with young stars like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg and the addition of veterans like RH Gio Gonzalez and 1B Adam LaRoche.

The A’s seemed to have started yet another rebuilding program within a rebuilding program, but it’s working with an almost entirely new rotation of young starters like RH Jarrod Parker and prospects like RF Josh Reddick and 1B Kila Ka’aihue getting a chance to play every day.

The Dodgers shouldn’t be considered a surprise with the likes of CF Matt Kemp and LH Clayton Kershaw, but you get so used to them just hanging around mid-division, then making a late push for the playoffs, that a fast start like they have had, dominating the NL West, comes as a surprise.

The Mets, like the Dodgers, were dominated by headlines of ownership woes, rendering their quick start under manager Terry Collins a major surprise. The lineup has been carried by veteran 3B David Wright, while the rotation ace has been knuckleballing RH R.A. Dickey.

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAMS

1 Red Sox

2 Phillies

3 Angels

4 Diamondbacks

5 Royals

Who saw this coming? The Red Sox top the list of biggest disappointments. Manager Bobby Valentine’s return to the dugout has not been without drama, starting with the 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park, followed by a thrashing at the hands of the Yankees to RH Josh Beckett’s tee off time the day after missing a start with a muscle strain.

The Phillies could have seen this coming. They lost Ryan Howard at the end of last year for an indefinite period, then lost RH Roy Oswalt to free agency. This was not going to be their best team of recent years, but still they looked like NL contenders. It is not happening thus far.

The Angels seemed to be World Series contenders with the addition of 1B Albert Pujols and LH starter C.J. Wilson. The first scapegoat has been hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, who annoyed Pujols by giving details of a clubhouse meeting at which the slumping slugger spoke. Is manager Mike Scioscia next?

The D-backs came out of nowhere to grab a playoff spot a year ago and went about re-signing basically the same team for another run at the crown. RF Justin Upton was supposed to be a superstar, but five starters, Upton, Aaron Hill, Willie Bloomquist, Ryan Roberts and Paul Goldschmidt, are all hitting under .250.

The young Royals were a popular pick to contend in a wide-open AL Central. They were to be led by 1B Eric Hosmer, LF Alex Gordon and a pair of emerging starters in RH Luke Hochevar and LH Jonathan Sanchez. Manager Ned Yost’s Royals are a sad 4-14 at home.

BEST PLAYERS

1 Josh Hamilton

2 Matt Kemp

3 Derek Jeter

4 David Wright

5 Carlos Beltran

The calendar year did not start well for Josh Hamilton as he suffered a relapse to drug and alcohol addiction in February. Heading into his free-agency season, the question arose as to whether he was reliable enough to be signed long-term by the Rangers. Thus far, he is having a season for the ages.

When Ryan Braun was fighting the off-season charges of PED use, discussions occurred as to whether Matt Kemp should inherit the 2011 MVP award if Braun was found guilty. Kemp insisted, no. This season, when healthy, Kemp has done everything for the Dodgers to earn his own MVP in 2012.

It took a while last year for Yankees captain Derek Jeter to record his much-anticipated 3,000th hit just before the all-star break. With that pressure off his shoulders, Jeter is strutting his Hall-of-Fame stuff, off to one of his best starts and leading the AL in base hits while battling Hamilton for the batting title.

Another Big Apple icon, Mets third baseman David Wright, was the subject of trade rumours for an organization with huge ownership issues. Could he be worth keeping for a team not expected to contend? Wright is threatening .400 and leading the Mets to wild-card contention in a deep division.

The Cardinals needed a strong bat to replace the departed Albert Pujols. They outbid other teams, including the Jays, for free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran and he has not disappointed. The caveat with Beltran comes in the form of knee problems as he battles to stay off the DL.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYERS

1 Albert Pujols

2 Justin Upton

3 Jose Bautista

4 Jimmy Rollins

5 Mark Teixeira

The Angels made the biggest splash of the off-season signing El Hombre to a 10-year contract. How’s that working out? So far it has cost batting coach Mickey Hatcher his job and resulted in two Pujols home runs. The Angels were expected to contend. So far, not so much.

The D-backs boasted one of the top players in baseball last season, a five-tool outfielder that led them to a surprise post-season berth. Maybe Prince Fielder had it right when as NL captain he left Upton off his home run derby team at the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix.

When Bautista backed up his breakout 2010 season with 31 homers in 2011 prior to the all-star break, he became the darling of all baseball fans, setting a record for all-star votes. This season, he struggled out of the gate but is starting to pick up the pace. Expectations were perhaps too high.

Teams may have known something important about Rollins this off-season when he went free agent and attracted very little interest. He went back to the Phillies and has struggled.

Teixeira joined the Yankees as a huge offensive force in the middle of their lineup. The switch-hitting first baseman is ranked 68th in OPS with an on-base average under .300.

FIVE MOST IMPACTFUL INDIVIDUAL MOMENTS

1 Josh Hamilton’s four home runs: On May 8, vs. the Orioles, Hamilton went 5-for-5 with four home runs, a double and eight RBIs. He became the 16th player in history to hit four homers in a game.

2 Phil Humber tosses perfect game: Making his second start of the season, on April 21 at Seattle, the White Sox right-hander faced 27 batters, retiring them all on just 96 pitches. There have been just 21 perfect games in major league history, according to the strict definition.

3 Jered Weaver throws a no-hitter: On May 2, Jered Weaver helped Angels’ fans forget the team’s disappointing start to the season, tossing a no-hitter against the Twins at Angels Stadium.

4 Mariano Rivera tears his ACL: People are used to the Yankees’ ageless closer chasing fly balls during batting practice. It’s part of his charm. So when cameras caught Rivera as he fell to the ground on the warning track in Kansas City with a torn ACL in his right knee, the shocking visual made us all feel mortal. The feeling was always that, if he chose to, Rivera could go on forever.

5 Joey Votto’s three homers, walk-off grand slam: The Etobicoke native and Reds first baseman, who had earlier signed the richest contract ever by a Canadian team athlete, delighted the home crowd in a 9-6 win over the Nats, smacking three homers, including a game-ending grand slam.

FIVE MEMORABLE BLUE JAYS MOMENTS

1 Brett Lawrie’s walk-off HR vs. Rangers: After Francisco Cordero had blown a 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth on May 1, Lawrie led off against Mike Adams with a laser to left-centre at the Rogers Centre. Blown save, big hit late? It’s a microcosm of the Jays’ season.

2 J.P. Arencibia crashes a three-run homer on opening day: Manager John Farrell used the five-man infield to extend the game earlier in extras, then Arencibia slammed a game-winner to left in the 16th inning for his second straight opening-day homer.

3 Lawrie bounces helmet off umpire Bill Miller’s hip: The Jays third baseman was called out on strikes in the ninth inning on Tuesday, running at Miller and bouncing his helmet off his leg, earning a four-game suspension. Lawrie blamed a bad hop, not bad temper.

4 Jose Bautista slams second homer vs. Twins May 11: Everyone feels they have the answer to Bautista’s slow start. So when he went deep twice in the same game at Target Field, his personal home run playground, Jays fans were hoping it would signal a hot streak. It’s getting close.

5 Edwin Encarnacion homers in his fourth straight game: The Jays’ DH, having a breakout season, faced Yu Darvish on April 30, slamming a fourth-inning homer to left-centre field, the fourth straight game he had gone deep. It was the second time he has done that in his career, tying a club record.

Read the rest of this entry »

Josh Beckett did exactly what he needed to satisfy the fired-up fans at Fenway Park. Beckett pitched his best game of the season, striking out nine and scattering four hits over seven innings as the host Red Sox shut out the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Tuesday, extending Boston's winning streak to five.

Beckett hit 93 mph on the first pitch he threw and struck out leadoff batter Dustin Ackley, quickly establishing he was well past his poor start of last week. "I don't think I was trying to make a statement," Beckett said. "I don't even know that I did. Location was key for me today, I just kept the ball down."The timing couldn't have been better. Beckett lasted less than three innings in a start against Cleveland on Thursday, when he was booed off the mound after allowing seven runs on seven hits.

Beckett (3-4), who was also celebrating his 32nd birthday, was still going strong through seven innings, but manager Bobby Valentine pulled him before the eighth inning as a cold rain started to get heavier.
Boston fans were seething last week over news Beckett had played golf the week before after being scratched from a start because of back stiffness. They unloaded on him as he made his way to the dugout, Beckett's head down the entire way.

Beckett didn't give the fans a much of a chance to boo him in this outing. After he fanned Ackley, Beckett picked up two more strikeouts in the second and then struck out the side  in the third with the game still scoreless.

Marlins: The hard-to-reach outfield fences at Miami's new ballpark will remain that way. Some have argued the fences should be moved in because home runs are too difficult to hit, but Marlins president David Samson says the ballpark plays the way it was designed.

"We have no reason to think about doing anything with the fences," Samson said Tuesday. "The park is playing fair. It's a pitcher-friendly park, but there's an ability to hit home runs."Yankees: New York placed reliever David Roberston on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his left rib cage. With Mariano Rivera likely out for the season with a torn knee ligament, Robertson had been the fill-in closer. He was 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA and one save.

Nationals: Washington lost two catchers in a 48-hour span. Starter Wilson Ramos blew out his right knee Saturday. Sandy Leon, called up to replace Ramos, went on the D.L. on Tuesday with a high right ankle sprain suffered in a home-plate collision Monday. Ramos was shifted to the 60-day D.L., and catcher Carlos Maldonado was brought up from Triple-A Syracuse.

Cardinals: Center fielder Jon Jay was put on the 15-day disabled list because of shoulder soreness. St. Louis played the finale of a five-game homestand with only one regular outfielder, left fielder Matt Holliday. Carlos Beltran missed his second straight start because of a minor knee injury.

Read the rest of this entry »

Major League Baseball terminated arbitrator Shyam Das on Monday, almost three months after he outraged league officials by overturning Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun’s 50-game steroid suspension. Braun became the first player to have a suspension overturned when he convinced Das that an employee from a company that collects urine for MLB’s drug-testing program had mishandled his sample in October. The collector stored the sample at his home for two days before shipping it to a lab for testing.

MLB executives were furious at the decision, and they were probably just as angry after Das overturned Colorado backup catcher Eliezer Alfonzo’s 100-game steroid suspension last week. Like Braun, Alfonzo based an appeal on storage and shipment issues.

Major League Baseball and the Players Association can fire the arbitrator – the third member of a panel that also consists of union chief Michael Weiner and MLB vice president Rob Manfred – at any time with written notice.

Das, a graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School, had been MLB’s arbitrator since 2004. He is also an arbitrator for the NFL and is expected to hear a grievance in the New Orleans Saints bounty case later this week. A NFL spokesman said MLB’s decision to fire Das has not affected his role with the football league. MLB’s steroid policy calls for players to be suspended for 50 games for the first failed test and 100 games for the second. Alfonzo was suspended for 50 games in 2008, when he was on San Francisco’s roster.

Read the rest of this entry »

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Major League Baseball and a charitable foundation run by players announced Wednesday that they are working with Habitat for Humanity to build nine homes for the tornado-ravaged communities of Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., with more than half of the funding coming from State Farm Insurance.

Officials said during a news conference in Kansas City that they want to use the home-building effort to remind fans that the communities still need help. To spotlight the need, crews will work on two of the homes in the parking lot of Kauffman Stadium during baseball’s All-Star game on July 10.

“As media and fans descend upon Kansas City at the ballpark and millions around the world will be watching the game, we hope this exposure will inspire additional support,” said Tom Brasuell, vice president of community affairs for MLB. “Baseball is a family, and families help others when they are in times of need.”

Five homes will go to Joplin, where an estimated 7,500 homes were destroyed last May in a tornado that wiped out about one-third of the community and killed 161 people. The other four homes will go to Tuscaloosa, where more than 50 people died last April in a tornado. No construction cost estimates were provided.

Joplin Mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean said her community looked like “a war zone” after the twister and that the only way to view the most damaged areas was on foot. “We still need you,” she said. “We still need everybody. We need anybody who has chipped in to chip in again because we have a long road to travel. Over a third of our city was just flattened.”

Immediately after last year’s tornadoes, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association contributed $200,000 toward relief efforts. “The players know the initial attention has subsided but critically the needs haven’t gone away,” said Timothy Slavin, director of business affairs for the MLB Players Association, whose charitable arm, the Players Trust, is one of the partners in the project. “That’s precisely the reason why we are here today.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Albert Pujols circled the bases without showing much emotion after hitting his long-awaited first home run for the Los Angeles Angels -- same as he did 445 times with the St. Louis Cardinals. But when he returned to the dugout, he had it all to himself. There was nobody home. No players, no coaches, no batboys.

Pujols' teammates gave him the silent treatment, a plot hatched by Torii Hunter. They were all waiting for the slugger in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. Then, a burst of euphoria and they were all back on the bench, high-fiving and slapping him all over his body. Pujols' two-run shot helped the host Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Sunday.

"I thought that would be cool. I always wanted to do that," Hunter said. "He was excited about it, and we were, too. We had to think fast."Pujols connected in the fifth inning off right-hander Drew Hutchison. The three-time N.L. MVP had gone 33 games and 139 at-bats dating to last year without a home run in the regular season.
"The last couple of days I heard some boos out there, but that's part of it," Pujols said. "Don't blame the fans (for booing). If you want to blame somebody, blame me because I'm a big guy and I can take it."It was the first time Pujols, who began the game batting .194 with five RBIs, drove in a run with a hit since April 15.

Orioles-Red Sox: Designated hitter Chris Davis had a horrible day at the plate, going 0 for 8, striking out five times and grounding into a double play. But in a wild game at Boston's Fenway Park, Davis became the winning pitcher in Baltimore's 9-6 victory in 17 innings.

"I was like 'Sweet! I get to try something different today -- because hitting ain't working,' " Davis said.
After both teams exhausted their bullpens, Davis pitched two shutout innings, and outfielder Darnell McDonald pitched the final inning for Boston. McDonald gave up a three-run homer to Adam Jones, then grounded into a double play to end the game.

The last time two teams brought in position players to pitch in the same game was Oct. 4, 1925, when Hall of Famers Ty Cobb of Detroit and George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns closed out the second game of a doubleheader on the last day of the season, STATS LLC said.

Nationals-Phillies: Rookie Bryce Harper stole home in the bottom of the first inning against Philadelphia. With two outs, Harper was hit by a pitch from Cole Hamels. After going from first to third on Jayson Werth's single to left, Harper broke for home when Hamels made a pickoff move to first base. The 19-year-old Harper slid safely under the tag for the first stolen base in his eight-game major league career.

Werth left the game in the sixth inning after apparently injuring his left wrist while attempting a sliding catch. Braves-Rockies: Atlanta's Chipper Jones was still upset a day after Colorado pitcher Jamie Moyer accused him of stealing signs while on second base and relaying them to Braves batters. "I have never relayed a sign to a hitter from second base, ever," Jones said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee before the New York Yankees lost 4-3 to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field after twisting his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice. Manager Joe Girardi revealed the severity of the injury after the game. Royals team doctor Vincent Key diagnosed a torn ACL after looking at the MRI. "This is bad, there's no question about it," Girardi said.

If this is Rivera's last year, as he has hinted, the injury could be career-ending. Baseball's career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall. He fell to the warning track and immediately grabbed his right knee, briefly covering his face with his glove and grimacing in pain. Bullpen coach Mike Harkey was near Rivera when he went down, and he was the first to whistle for help. Girardi was watching batting practice from behind home plate and started running down, cutting across the outfield to get to his closer.

Near home plate, teammate Alex Rodriguez could be seen saying, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God."Harkey and Girardi helped to carry Rivera to the cart, gently setting him into the back with his knee propped up. The cart rounded the warning track before disappearing up a tunnel. Rivera regularly catches balls during batting practice as a way to keep in shape. Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez was released from the hospital and put on the seven-day concussion disabled list. Jayson Nix was signed to a major league contract and put into the starting lineup.

Chavez hurt himself when he dived for J.J. Hardy's double down the line in the fifth inning of Wednesday night's game against Baltimore. The former Athletic went to the plate in the bottom of the inning but felt dizzy, at which point he was removed from the game. Nationals-Diamondbacks: Bryce Harper showed why his manager put him in the No. 3 spot for his fifth career game. The 19-year-old phenom hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth inning, lifting Washington to 2-1 victory over Arizona.

Washington manager Davey Johnson moved Harper up four spots in the lineup a day after he went 3 for 4 with two doubles, and the rookie delivered. He is now 6 for 16 in his five games, with four doubles and three RBIs.

Harper also had an interesting night on the basepaths. He hit a weak grounder back to Ian Kennedy in the first, but the pitcher's throw was wide and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft took second on what appeared to be an error. The Diamondbacks decided to appeal, and Harper was called out for failing to touch first base.

Tigers: Detroit outfielder Delmon Young will be eligible to return from his seven-day suspension without pay when the Tigers resume a homestand against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Young has been forced to sit out by Major League Baseball since police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets during a late-night, drunken tussle before he was arrested at a New York hotel last week. Trade: The San Diego Padres sent right-handed reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Alexi Amarista and right-hander Donn Roach, both minor leaguers. Frieri was 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 appearances before Thursday's trade.

Buckner ball for sale: The baseball that broke the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans everywhere and turned Bill Buckner into one of the most famous goats in sports history is up for sale. The ball that rolled through Buckner's legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series between Boston and the New York Mets will part of an auction Friday in Dallas. Heritage Auctions said the ball is expected to bring in more than $100,000 as the centerpiece of an auction featuring the baseball memorabilia collection of Los Angeles songwriter Seth Swirsky. Charlie Sheen bought the famous ball for more than $93,000 in 1992. Swirsky purchased it for nearly $64,000 in 2000.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wednesday offered a little bit of everything in baseball - a no-hitter, a big-time slugfest, three walk-off homers and some impressive and awful individual performances. Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jered Weaver capped the night by throwing the season's second no-hitter, blanking the Minnesota Twins in a 9-0 victory. Weaver was in control from the start, facing only two batters over the minimum. He walked one and allowed a baserunner on a passed ball following a strikeout. He fanned nine to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The game was extra special for Weaver because his wife and parents (pictured embracing him after the game) were in attendance to see the southern California native make history. The Chicago White Sox's Philip Humber tossed a perfect game 11 days earlier.

While Weaver had by far the top individual effort of the night, the game of the night was in Atlanta. The Braves rallied from a 6-0 deficit against Philadelphia's Roy Halladay, rallied again from four down to send it into extra innings and then won 15-13 on Chipper Jones' walk-off two-run homer in the 11th inning.

It was quite a night for the catchers in that game. The Phillies' Carlos Ruiz went 3 for 5 with a homer and seven RBIs, while the Braves' Brian McCann went 2 for 6 with a grand slam.

Two other games ended with walk-off homers. In Washington, shortstop Ian Desmond hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to help the Nationals rally past Arizona 5-4. Rookie Bryce Harper went 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs. In Denver, Jason Giambi broke a tie with a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Rockies beat the Dodgers 8-5. Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez continued his recent tear, hitting two homers and driving in three runs. He has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his past eight games.

Here are some of the other top performers from Wednesday's games:

* Carlos Beltran, St. Louis outfielder: 4 for 5 with two homers and seven RBIs against Pittsburgh

* Lance Lynn, St. Louis pitcher: He joined Tampa Bay's James Shields as the majors' first five-game winners by allowing two runs in 6.2 innings to beat the Pirates

* Yunel Escobar, Toronto shortstop: 3 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs against Texas

* Jonathan Sanchez, Kansas City pitcher: Sanchez came into Wednesday with a 6.75 ERA, but allowed only one hit in five scoreless innings against Detroit. He got a no decision.

* Chris Johnson, Houston third baseman: 4 for 4 with two homers and six RBIs against the New York Mets

* Jake Arrieta, Baltimore pitcher: Allowed five hits in eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against the New York Yankees. He improved to 2-2.

* Matt Wieters, Baltimore catcher: 3 for 4 with a homer (his seventh) and two RBIs

* Jeff Samardzija, Chicago Cubs pitcher: Allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven in 7.2 innings to get the win against Cincinnati.

* Kyle Seager, Seattle third baseman: 3 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs against Tampa Bay.

* Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles second baseman: 4 for 4 with a homer, three RBIs and three runs against Minnesota.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leading off
The opener of a series between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds was postponed because lines of thunderstorms moved through the Cincinnati area. The game wasn’t immediately rescheduled. It was the first postponement for both teams this season and the fifth overall at Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003.  

Heroes
LF John Mayberry Jr. doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the host Atlanta Braves 4-2 in the first meeting of the season between the NL East rivals.  

Buck Showalter got his 1,000th victory as a major league manager, LHP Brian Matusz ended his 11-month losing streak and the Baltimore Orioles beat the host New York Yankees 7-1. Showalter improved to 1,000-958 in 14 seasons with the Yankees, Arizona, Texas and Baltimore. Matusz (1-3) allowed six hits in 61/3 innings to win for the first time since beating Oakland last June 6. He had been 0-12 with a 10.47 ERA in 14 starts since, the longest active losing streak in the majors.

CF Austin Jackson had four hits and RHP Rick Porcello pitched eight strong innings to lead the host Detroit Tigers past the Kansas City Royals 9-3. Porcello (2-2) allowed two runs and seven hits. In his previous two starts, the right-hander was 0-2 with a 15.26 ERA.

Check this out
Rays 3B Evan Longoria was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn left hamstring Tuesday. The three-time All-Star will be out for the next four to eight weeks. Longoria was hitting .329 with four homers and 19 RBIs. He was injured Monday on an attempted steal.  

Rays prospect Tim Beckham, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, has been suspended 50 games after a second violation of the minor league drug program. The commissioner’s office announced the penalty Tuesday.
 
The $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers was finalized Tuesday, ending the tumultuous era under former owner Frank McCourt, who took the team into bankruptcy and had his private life made public through a nasty divorce battle with his ex-wife. The closure of the deal was announced in a terse statement. The Dodgers were sold to Guggenheim Baseball Management, a group that includes former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson. 

Read the rest of this entry »

ARLINGTON, Texas—Struggling New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes conjured up the wrong memories of his past games at Rangers Ballpark.

Instead of the dominating pitcher he was in his previous three regular-season games in Texas, he more resembled the one who got hammered there in the postseason two years ago.

The big right-hander struggled again in what is already becoming a difficult 2012 season, not making it out of the third inning in a 7-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

"Something has to change. I just have to keep working hard. That's all I can do. I feel good with the stuff I'm throwing," Hughes said. "Every outing like this is disappointing. It's tough to deal with, you just hope things get better before they get worse."

Texas led 4-0 after 2 2-3 innings against Hughes (1-3), whose season ERA increased from 6.75 to 7.88. He allowed five hits, struck out two and then hit two batters in his last inning.

The Rangers were ahead to stay after Adrian Beltre led off the second against Hughes with his third homer, a 441-foot drive that landed high on the grassy hill in straightaway center field. Beltre added a run-scoring single an inning later when Texas added three more runs.

"We believe he can do it and I know he believes he can do, but right now sometimes the ball runs back a little bit, he leaves the curveball up a little bit. Cutter sometimes isn't getting where he wants it," manager Joe Girardi said. "It is frustrating, but you have to keep working at it."

Hughes had allowed only three hits in 15 1-3 scoreless innings his previous three regular-season appearances against Texas -- all at Rangers Ballpark. His first major league victory came there in May 2007, when he threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings in his second major league start.

But there were also those two AL championship series games in Texas since, when Hughes allowed 11 runs in 8 2-3 innings to lose both in 2010.

Rookie left-hander Robbie Ross worked 2 2-3 perfect innings in relief for his major league-best tying fourth victory, and the Rangers their sixth consecutive series to start a season for the first time in franchise history. "He's doing the job, he has no fear, he throws the ball over the plate," manager Ron Washington said.

As for the two-time defending American League champion Rangers (15-4) having the best record in the majors, Washington said, "We're just playing complete baseball."

Read the rest of this entry »

MINNEAPOLIS - If he was running for president, Daniel Bard would have excellent favorability ratings. He has transitioned well from his setup role to starter, but should Bard be a flip-flopper? Could he be viewed as Boston’s savior, the man who could rescue the Red Sox bullpen?

Monday night, in a 6-5 win over the Twins, he was all that. Manager Bobby Valentine had contemplated where and when would he use Bard, who had agreed to make one relief appearance before his next start Friday night in Chicago after his Sunday start vs. the Yankees had been postponed.

Former manager Terry Francona used to say that Bard pitched the toughest innings and the toughest situations. That happened Monday night. He came on in the eighth inning in a 5-5 game with one out and with Jamey Carroll at third base after Ryan Sweeney misplayed Carroll’s single down the right-field line for a two-base error.

Lefty Franklin Morales, who started the inning and gave up the hit to Carroll, got Joe Mauer to ground to first, and then Valentine called on Bard to face the red-hot Josh Willingham. Willingham ran the count to 3-2 and hit it on the button, but right at Kevin Youkilis at third.

After Bard intentionally walked Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit popped to shortstop Mike Aviles in short left-center to end the inning and preserve the tie. Bard, who got the win, threw 11 pitches and didn’t get to work the ninth. That was left to closer Alfredo Aceves, who got the save after Cody Ross hit the go-ahead homer in the ninth. “Yeah, it felt like the same thing I’ve done the last few years,’’ Bard said.

“I was in jams in my last start and I worked out of those. It’s just that I was a lot fresher because I hadn’t thrown that many pitches. I was trying to strike out Willingham. I made a 3-2 pitch and he did a good job to get the barrel on it. He hit a good pitch.’’

Did he take a different approach now that he’s been a starting pitcher?

“I had my pitching mind-set,’’ he said. “Same deal you’re just trying to get outs. You just have little time to get warmed up.’’Valentine said he gave some thought to leaving Bard in for the ninth. He told Bard if the game remained tied he would go back out, but if Boston took the lead Aceves was in. “Little weird just being out there because I haven’t been out there,’’ Bard said. “But it was like riding a bike. I had an established routine the last three years so it was easy to get back into it. You get that feeling again of winning games is great.’’

Where do the Sox go from here with Bard?

It’s obvious he may be the only reliever they have who could wiggle out of that type of jam. It was easy to see his value. You won’t see him rushing into the manager’s office volunteering to become the closer, because he really views himself a starter now.

Everyone knows what the common-sense answer is to Boston’s bullpen dilemma - have Bard close and place Aaron Cook, who improved to 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA after a win Monday night in Pawtucket - in the starting rotation.

Bard, who told Valentine that he would not be agreeable to back-to-back appearances because of health concerns (since he hasn’t done it all year) likely will be shut down now until he makes his start Friday. But is that the best use of him?

“I asked a lot of questions as to what their goals were in this,’’ Bard said before the game. “They said right now they had every intention of it being temporary and that I’d make my start on Friday. That’s where I’m at right now. I still view myself as a starter and they said they do, too. It’s where they said they want me in the long run. For now, they want to address a need for a couple of days, keep me from going 10 days without throwing. I told them I was OK with it for now.’’

“That’s the one thing I told them right away,’’ Bard added. “I’m totally willing to do this and told them it’s their decision how to use me, so I was OK with it. I’m not going to be able to make eight guys pitch better. I can do what I can and if that offers some comfort, maybe it can help everybody. I think that’s the goal.’’

Bard has said his future is “not for me to decide. I feel I’ve done my job as a starter. They’re trying to address a need and whether or not I can completely turn everything around down there is to be determined.’’

And now that he’s made a successful return?

“I’m not reading too much into it right now,’’ he said. “I know I can start. I know my value to this team in throwing 150-200 innings a year rather than 65-70 out of the pen.’’Not sure any of us agree. And Monday night only proved where his value is even more.

So Bard has to feel good about his importance because he is one of the best pitchers on the team. His versatility might be Boston’s life jacket during these very tough times. It’s understandable why a pitcher wants to be a starter. It’s far more glamorous. It’s far more lucrative. Setup men get paid well, but not like a starter. To get paid as a closer, you have to keep proving yourself.

When you take away a starting role, you’re taking away a small fortune. The player knows it, management knows it. Which is why in this case, management is tip-toeing around the situation. They don’t want to damage Bard’s confidence, and they won’t if they present it to him the right way.

It might be coming to that. And Bard must know it is. He’s just hoping a minor miracle occurs and the bullpen turns it around between now and then.

Read the rest of this entry »