MLB News and Rumors

Though the Cincinnati Reds swept a three-game home set from the Philadelphia Phillies last month, they didn’t do much against Cliff Lee.
Looking for a seventh consecutive victory overall and on the road, the Reds hope to get the best of Lee on Friday night.
Cincinnati (25-16) outscored Philadelphia 16-4 during the April 15-17 series, but was held scoreless by Lee (4-2, 2.86 ERA) for six innings until it managed two runs in the seventh of a 4-2 series-opening victory.
The left-hander, who lasted seven and did not factor in that decision, is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his last five starts versus Cincinnati.
Lee has allowed two runs and 11 hits in 15 innings of his last two outings overall. Six of those hits came over seven scoreless innings of a 3-1 win at Arizona on Saturday.
“I just need to keep grinding and give the team a chance to win every time,” Lee said.
That could be a challenge against the Reds, who are 10-3 in May and enjoying their overall longest winning streak since a 10-game run July 19

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Baseball is supposed to make sense.  It’s why we count stats, to objectively quantify positive and negative performances.  Of course we know there’s always some pesky team that comes along and spoils all the fun, the pageantry, the beauty of having the best teams on paper meet in a matchup for the ages.  For example, in 2013 the Los Angeles Angels and the Dodgers are supposed to meet in the first ever Freeway World Series between the Southern California rivals.  They’ve spent the money, they have the star power, heck they even have the red vs. blue theme.  But there are twenty-eight other teams in baseball that are aiming to disrupt that beautiful plan.  More specifically, there are a few teams that hardly anyone is expecting to knock off the Angels and the Dodgers, but also the Braves, Nats, Reds, Giants, Rangers, Tigers and Yankees.  These are 2012 Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s.  They’re the 2011 Virginia Commonwealth University Rams basketball team and the 1980 Men’s U.S. Oly…

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Christian Villanueva was acquired by the Cubs for Ryan Dempster at the trade deadline in 2012. He wasn’t the top prospect we all wanted (Randall Delgado), but I was fairly excited by the pickup. I almost always prefer positional prospects to pitchers; partly due to TINSTA, but mostly because successful position players are (on the whole) usually more beneficial to a team than pitchers. If we’re getting a lottery ticket, I’ll take the lottery position player almost every time.
A cursory glance of Villaneuva’s minor league stats leaves a good amount to be desired. 20-year old prospects should clean up A-ball, and Villanueva only hit the league for a .278/.338/.465 line. He did show a good amount of power, though; 30 doubles and 17 home runs in 529 PA isn’t at all shabby, and adding 32 SB (with 6 CS) he earned himself a fringe top-100 spot on Baseball America’s list. 
I don’t think he did enough to stay on that list in 2012. Instead of moving to AA at some…

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Luis Gonzalez has been persona non grata as a spoken name here in the Tasker household. There was that certain bloop hit in 2001 that ruined everything and ended a dynasty. He is used by some to refute the greatness of the great relief pitcher he hit that bloop against (as if). But that was a long time ago. It wasn’t Gonzalez’s fault that Torre brought the infield in. The fact is that Gonzalez has been gone from the game for five years now. From this seat, his retirement went unnoticed and his career has had little reflection given. The guy was a better player than people remember. May it dare be said that his career was perhaps a hair or a cut below Hall of Fame caliber?

The trouble with Luis Gonzalez has been the whispers. He played in the era of steroid use. His 57 homers in 2001 are treated with smirks and proof of his guilt. Plus, he is Hispanic, so that paints him guilty by association. But Gonzalez has vehemently denied ever using and to this observer’s knowled…

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  The Toronto Blue Jays certainly got better on paper after acquiring Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonafacio for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechevarria, Justin Nicolino, and Henderson Alvarez from the Miami Marlins.  However, does it necessarily make them contenders in the American League East? Mark Buehrle has boatloads of experience [...]

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ST. LOUIS Not even a stroke could scare the unflappable Dusty Baker.

Hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat nearly two weeks ago, Baker was literally moments from be released when he suffered a mini-stroke. And the timing may haves saved his life.

The Reds manager returned to the dugout Monday night for their game against the St. Louis Cardinals after missing 11 games.

“It wasn’t scary because I didn’t feel like it was my time to go,” Baker said. “When you go in the hospital and you’re leaving the hospital, it’s not your time to go. You know what I mean? I wasn’t worried at all. I didn’t like the fact that I was having a stroke, but at the same time, how many people have been in the hospital when they had a stroke? It wasn’t my time to go yet.”

The 63-year-old Baker felt sick when the club was in Chicago for a series two weeks ago and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on September 19. He suffered the stroke two days later as he was being released on September 21.

“I was shaving and I was getting ready to put my clothes on and the lady asked me to say my name and I couldn’t say my name,” Baker recalled. “All of sudden she called the doctor back in and said you have to come back in and see him. Imagine, I could have been on the plane in five minutes or ten minutes or on a highway or something. That’s why I said it’s not my time to go yet.”

Baker led the Reds to their second National League Central Championship in three seasons and figures to be on most ballots for NL Manager of the Year.

Cincinnati went 7-4 while Baker was gone. But the Reds enjoyed two significant milestones without their skipper. They clinched and celebrated their division title and saw pitcher Homer Bailey toss the club’s first no-hitter since 1988.

Asked how hard it was to miss both moments, Baker said he hoped their would be plenty more celebrations for him to take part in before the season ends.

“The way I look at it, the big one is to come,” Baker said. “That’s how I look at it. I called Homer and told him what a great job he did in that game. I was sitting there on the edge of my seat. It meant a lot to me, but I’m fine now. I’m not 100 percent but I’m pretty close.

Baker returned to Cincinnati last week and stopped by the clubhouse to address the team. He stayed in contact with bench coach Chris Speier and told him which lineup to use and other pertinent information.

The veteran manager joked that his daughter has made him start doing more healthy things such as having breakfast and eating turkey burgers instead of regular burgers. Baker said doctors likely will inform him of more precautions he can take in the coming weeks.

But for now he hopes to lead the Reds to their first World Series appearance since 1990.

“It just feels great to be back with my team here,” Baker said. “I’m still on some meds but I’m feeling better. I always had a pretty good perspective on things but now it just makes me more appreciative of what I’m doing and makes me feel more appreciative of my family.

“I feel truly blessed. To be in the hospital when you have a mini stroke, you can’t get any more blessed than that. The way I look at it is it’s our year. We have a great support staff here and my guys did a great job while I was out. I just feel like this is going to be the topper for us to win this year.”

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This is the first part of a two-part interview with retiring Braves legend Chipper Jones.

Chipper Jones has been the heart and soul of the Atlanta Braves for the better part of 19 seasons and is the last remaining player from the 1995 World Championship team still with the team. At 40 years old, hes retiring after 19 seasons with the club. Jones takes a look back at his final season and his career with the Braves in this two-part Q&A.

Q: Has anything surprised you about the affection the fans are showing during your farewell season?

A: My dad always said youre not going to make everybody happy, how hard you try. So dont even fret over it. I know I havent made everybody happy here. I have my naysayers and whatnot. I think its been very overwhelming, because Im used to going into parks and getting lustily booed. I take that as sort of a compliment because most of the good players on opposing teams get booed. That means Im doing my job. But now, to hear those boos turn into ovations and standing ovations, is really, really overwhelming for me. Ive had that aw shucks look on my face a lot. Its a little awkward for me. I think any player would tell you that they want to be appreciated not only by their teammates and peers, but the fans who pay the fares to come watch us play.

Q: In the end, does it matter?

A: Thats a huge ego when you say youre not going to let some boos get under your skin, but deep down, it hurts. I would venture a guess to say that 100 percent of the guys who get a standing ovation on the road will come out afterwards and say, that was really cool and be the first to admit that it was really cool, that it made them feel good.

Q: You couldnt have written a better last chapter as far as cementing that affection, regarding your performance and the way the team is playing.

A: A writer could not have scripted it any better. Its been unbelievable. To me, I think, the first time I really took a step back was on bobblehead night. There had been some cool moments up that point, but for all those people to come to bobblehead night and be in the stands, and for me to hit a two-run homer in my first at-bat. As it was flying out of the park, I was running down to first saying, You have got to be kidding me. It just seemed too unreal. And then to hit another one. And then to get an opportunity to hit a walk-off, and have a five-hit game at home, and to have all of these things happen here, in the final chapter I go home at night and I lay in bed and I go, I cannot believe that happened.

Q: In the spring, when you announced this and were thinking about it, did you have any kind of script in mind?

A: I knew that I was still capable of coming out and hitting .300, but the timing of some of the stuff thats happened has just been eerie. And I thought there would be some cool moments. Obviously, when its crunch time, and you need the big at-bat and you need to get the big base hit, thats something I expect of myself. But even the timing of some of these home runs and some of these big games has just been really incredible.

Q: Does it make you believe ?

A: In divine intervention? I thank God every day for giving me what hes giving and being able to allow me all the wonderful moments in this last year.

Q: Has there been one memorable thing a fan has shouted at you this year? Or a tweet or something that has really struck home?

A: I think of all the signs around the ballpark, all of the tweets that I get from people who drove 11 hours from Iowa or Minnesota or the far corners of the United States just to come to see me play one last time. Ive been relatively sheltered in the social media realm until this year. Getting to read all the quotes and read all the tweets and find out what people have been saying for so long, Im actually sorry that I didnt do it sooner because its given me a new appreciation for each and every fan who sits their butt in the seats at The Ted and what they go through just to come watch me play one last time. Its so overwhelming. I sit up to 2 oclock in the morning and read all these comments. I want them to know that I love them and appreciate them and Im going to try and get out there and play each and every time I can.

Q: There might have been some years when you didnt want to read what the fans had to say.

A: Theres no doubt. Theres no doubt. Thats just the nature of the beast. You have to take the good with the bad. There are people who are going to voice their displeasure when you go out and stink up the joint. I think what people appreciate is that when you do stink up the joint, you tell them. I stunk. We stunk. People dont seem to take their frustration out on you as much when you admit to stinking it up.

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Texas right-hander Neftali Feliz, who left his start Tuesday because of inflammation in his right shoulder, was feeling better Wednesday.

Assistant general manager Thad Levine said that Feliz received treatment on the shoulder and there was improvement in the area. The Rangers do not plan on an MRI on the shoulder at this time.

Feliz, who was scheduled to pitch four innings, left after three frames Tuesday because of discomfort in the shoulder. Feliz, who is making the switch from closer to starter, went on the disabled list last April for the first time in his career because of inflammation in the shoulder.

Feliz is listed as day-to-day. The Rangers had Wednesday off.

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