Clearing The Bases

A little news and notes for everyone’s pleasure once again.

Atlanta Braves:  Yes, that was Brandon Beachy who struck 11 Blue Jays in his last start, but before we get to excited, let’s remember that Beachy is not a pitcher who is generally going to be looking for a high whiff total…..The Braves are getting healthy with the return of Jason Heyward and Nate Mclouth, but you know it’s just a matter of time until Chipper Jones goes on the DL for some ailment once again.

Arizona Diamondbacks:  The DBacks signed Wily Mo Pena for the express purposes of being a designated hitter while they play in American League parks, the question is, will he have a job once interleague play is over?…..Stephen Drew has been in a slump of late with only six hits in his last 38 ABs and no RBIs in his last 9 games…..Xavier Nady has been stealing playing time at 1B from Juan Miranda.

Baltimore Orioles:  The Orioles are getting closer and closer to decision time regarding whether or not they will trade away some of their veteran players…..JJ Hardy will not be one of those players as the Os are trying to lock him up to a multi-year deal…..Brian Matusz is missing some MPHs off of his velocity and may have to go back on the DL to find it.

Boston Red Sox:  It would seem that the only thing that could derail the Sox from finishing at the top of the AL East would be injuries, and they are starting to mount up.  Carl Crawford and Clay Buchholz have both been placed on the DL forcing Boston to put Andrew Miller into the rotation.  Sooner or later these bumps and bruises could catch up to them…..Jed Lowrie looks like someone who is never going to be able to stay healthy.

Chicago Cubs:  After a pathetic start to the season, Carlos Pena now has 14 HRs and looks like a legitimate source of power for the Cubbies…..Marlon Byrd is getting closer to a return to action, but will likely require at least a week in the minors once he is game ready…..Although Carlos Zambrano’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors, the Cub’s phone is far from ringing off the hook.

Chicago White Sox:  For those of you in fantasy leagues, it’s looking like it’s time to send Adam Dunn to the bench or waiver wire…..Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox may be the favorite for MVP at this point, but if Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz steal some votes from Gonzalez, Paul Konerko could certainly win it…..Seems to be only a matter of time before Dayan Viciedo is called up from AAA to replace Juan Pierre in the lineup.

Cincinnati Reds:  Some believe the Reds should call up Zach Cozart as his bat seems ready for the majors, problem is his glove is not, and the Reds prefer defense over offense right now…..Chris Heisey hit three HRs versus the Yankees on Wednesday, yeah, it might be time to get him in the lineup a little more often…..Drew Stubbs will bat lower in the lineup for at least the remainder of interleague play.

Cleveland Indians:  Is it me or is it just a matter of time before one of these hot dog plays by Asdrubal Cabrera cost the Indians an out, maybe a run, and then a game…..Top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall came off the DL at AAA with a HR and 6 RBIs, not to bad, still it doesn’t look like the Indians have any plans to call him up at this time…..As bad as Fausto Carmona has pitched of late, there are no plans to send him to the bullpen.

Colorado Rockies:  The Rockies would like Dexter Fowler to give up switch-hitting and bat right-handed full-time…..The Rockies are back at .500 and could be a force in the NL West once again…..The injury to Jose Morales should mean a truck load of playing time for Chris Ianetta.

Detroit Tigers:  If you’re looking for a dark horse team that might go after the Mets Jose Reyes, look no further…..On a related note Brandon Inge was activated off the DL this week…..If the Tigers were to suffer an injury or two in their rotation, remember this name, Jacob Turner.

Florida Marlins:  Jack McKeon, 80 years old as manager, you have to love Jeff Loria, McKeon seems to be his answer to George Steinbrenner and the Yankees always hiring Billy Martin…..Hanley Ramirez may be having an off year and may also not be liked in his own clubhouse, but he is a favorite of Loria, and the Marlins are opening up a new stadium next year which makes it highly unlikely they would trade the former All-Star at this time.

Houston Astros:  If MLB does indeed decide to move a team from the National to the American League, Houston is the odds on favorite to be the team that moves as MLB could make it a stipulation that the new owner has to accept the move…..Houston could be big players at the trade deadline, but if they decide to keep Hunter Pence, they may not have to many commodities that other teams would want.

Kansas  City Royals:  Bruce Chen is expected to return from the DL this weekend which will send Jarrod Dyson back to AAA…..Alcides Escobar made an adjustment in his swing, and all of a sudden looks like a major league hitter…..I know Joakim Soria has a club friendly contract, but he did have a hiccup earlier this season and has lost some MPHs off his fastball, now would seem to be the time to trade him and still get some value.

Los Angeles Angels:  Torii Hunter may be forced to miss a few games after finding out that outfield walls are extremely hard…..Fernando Rodney should come off the DL on Friday, but he is not any kind of threat to take away saves from Jordan Walden…..The Angels have to be thrilled with being only three games out of first place despite being two games under .500.

Los Angeles Dodgers:  Don Mattingly stated earlier this week that Jonathan Broxton will regain his closer’s role when he returns from the DL, until then however it could be a flip of the coin between Matt Guerrier, Hong-Chic Kuo, Kenley Jansen, and Javy Guerra, in other words, just about anyone in the bullpen could get a save at any minute.

Milwaukee Brewers:  Outside of the Phillies, Milwaukee may be the best team in the NL, but they will need a healthy Shawn Marcum to keep that up…..If Prince Fielder does leave via free agency this off-season, he’s going out with a bang…..With the Brewers farm system bare after the trades for Zach Greinke and Marcum, it may be hard for them to find any significant upgrades at the trade deadline.

Minnesota Twins:   The hits just keep coming for the twins with the news now that Justin Morneau will miss at least the next six weeks after undergoing neck surgery…..Jim Thome is still feeling soreness in his back but could still be activated off the DL sometime this weekend…..Jason Kubel should be ready to being a rehab assignment early next week.

New York Mets:  The fan base wants Jose Reyes so much that you’re now hearing rumors that the Mets might consider trading David Wright, who has just been cleared to perform all baseball activities, rather than Reyes.  Problem is that Reyes may indeed get Carl Crawford money, if not more…..Francisco Rodriguez stated Thursday that he would accept a trade to a team that wanted to use him as a setup man rather than a closer, good news for the Mets as this should make it easier to deal him…..Ike Davis could be out for the season if his ankle doesn’t respond well to rest over the next three weeks.

New York Yankees:  Derek Jeter is still feeling soreness in his calf and is unlikely to come back Wednesday, the first day he is eligible to be activated off the DL…..Bartolo Colon threw from a mound on Friday and ran sprints not reporting any problems with the hamstring and could be back sooner rather than later…..Phil Hughes had his second rehab start Friday and everything went well as his velocity seems to have re-appeared and he could return in about 10 days leaving Brian Gordon with one more start.

Oakland Athletics:  Chris Carter finally got a call up and will be able to show what he can do while Josh Willingham is on the DL…..Speaking of Willingham, the Athletics need him to prove himself healthy as his name has been mentioned as being on the to do lists of quite a few teams…..Mark Ellis may be running out of time as a starter for Oakland

Philadelphia Phillies:  After suffering from another back injury during his start Thursday, Roy Oswalt believes his career may be in jeopardy…..The front office and manager aren’t on the same wave length as far as what they believe the team needs, FO wants bullpen help while Charlie Manuel wants another bat…..The Phillies have checked in on the availability of Heath Bell after Jose Contreras went on the DL, not good news for Ryan Madson owners.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  Let’s all hope that the Pirates can actually finish at .500 or better this season…..Charlie Morton, who has been fantastic so far this season, will have his next start skipped due to fatigue…..With 20 saves, 1.31 ERA and .961 WHIP, Joel Hanrahan may be the best closer in the NL.

San Diego Padres:  The Padres might as well put a for sale sign on several of their players (Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick) as they aren’t going anywhere this season…..Kyle Blanks is likely to be called up as soon as Ludwick is dealt…..Chase Headley has a sore shoulder, but is not expected to need a stint on the DL

San Francisco Giants:  Sooner or later the Giants are going to have to figure out a way to upgrade their offense…..Barry Zito is expected to be activated and start the second game of the Giants doubleheader on Tuesday…..Andres Torres was given a couple of days off as a mental break but is back in the lineup Friday.

Seattle Mariners:  Mike Carp could be sent back down to AAA once interleague play concludes…..With the starting staff that the Mariners have, if they had any kind of offense they would be a serious threat in the AL West…..When are the Ms going to give up on Chone Figgins?

St. Louis Cardinals:  Albert Pujols may not think it’s a good question, but how his injury affects his contract status certainly is.  If he can’t hit for power once he comes off the DL it’s hard to believe someone will hand him a record breaking contract next season…..It seems to me that the only way Colby Rasmus will ever realize his potential is to get away from Tony LaRussa and St. Louis…..One has to believe that the injury to Pujols could finally be the straw that will break the camel’s back.

Tampa Bay Rays:  Everyone is waiting for Desmond Jennings to get called up but the truth is he’s not tearing it up in AAA and the Rays believe they can win now…..The Rays do have the talent to acquire some offense by the deadline, but that is generally not the modus operandi…..Unlike Jennings, Matt Moore is tearing it up in the minors but is still unlikely to get called up unless the Rays have no choice.

Texas Rangers:  The Rangers are just waiting to run away with the AL West…..Brandon Webb did not do well in his latest rehab attempt…..Elvis Andrus left the game Friday with a sprained wrist and should be considered day to day for now…..Mike Napoli is not feeling any pain in his shoulder and could be ready to begin a rehab assignment early next week.

Toronto Blue Jays:  The Jays are considering moving Jose Bautista to 3B to give Eric Thames some playing time in the outfield, this is a risky move as Bautista is not a big fan of playing the infield…..Adam Lind looks like he is going to put up similar numbers to 2009…..The Jays have told Kyle Drabek to stop using his cutter for the time being.

Washington Nationals:  Davey Johnson is the favorite to take over the managerial duties after Jim Riggelman resigned in a contract dispute…..Riggelman is also unlikely to find another managerial job after abandoning a team mid-season, even if he was right about Washington not wanting him beyond this season…..Johnson will finish out the season, but the next long term manager of the Nationals should be thrilled to take over the reins of an up and coming team.