MLB News and Rumors

Former major league pitcher Ugueth Urbina is out of jail. Urbina, 38, has already hit the baseball fields in his native Venezuela and hopes to earn another shot to pitch for a big league team. Urbina  served less then half of the 14-year sentence that was handed to him for attempted murder at his families ranch. Urbina was found guilty of attacking and injuring workers with a machete. Several other men participated in the attack at his family’s ranch, located about 25 miles from Caracas. The incident is said to have started over a gun that Urbina claims was stolen from him. It was not the first hair-raising event to happen to Urbina. In September of 2004, Urbina’s mother, Maura Villarreal, was kidnapped and held for ransom. While Urbina’s family refused to pay a $ 6 million ransom, she was eventually rescued. Before playing in his first game back, Urbina described himself as “very excited to play baseball again.” Urbina’s son Juan posted the following message on twitter. A two-time …

Related Posts:

• The top 20 moments of the last 20 MLB postseasons
• Despite loss, Angels show new comeback side
• Despite loss, Angels show new comeback side
• Two balls thrown at pitcher at same time
• Dennis Eckersley Calls Jack Morris ‘Clueless’ for Claiming Red Sox Cheat, Tells Former Pitcher to ‘Zip It’ (Video)

Michael Young hit .277/.312/.370 last season for the Rangers.
Apparently so, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
A trio of sources tell Grant that the teams are in “advanced talks” on a deal that would send a young, major-league reliever and a low-level prospect to Texas for the 36-year-old Young.
Grant reports that Texas would likely pick up “more than half” of Young’s $ 16 million salary for 2013 in the deal. They better pick up more than “more than half” … Young was 125th out of 143 qualifying players last year with a measly .682 OPS.
This would “solve” the third base solution, but who knows how much Young actually has left. He played 2012 in an extreme hitter’s park surrounded by offensive talent and didn’t produce a lick. The Rangers batted him everywhere — 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th — and nothing. He had 27 doubles and 26 GIDPs. He had a .291 OBP against righties.
Then again, if all the Phillies would be giving up is a non-prospect and an expendable reliever,

Related Posts:

• Five reasons why Michael Young will bounce back with the Phillies
• Young headed to Phillies
• Michael Young a Good Bet for Philadelphia
• Rangers should be ashamed for way they have treated Michael Young
• Phillies in Talks to Acquire Astros RP Lopez

Bryan LaHair went from unheard-of to the National League All-Star team in 2012. He’s set to depart the major leagues just as quick. LaHair, who struggled in the second half, was recently designated for assignment and now appears to be headed to Japan.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are on the verge of signing LaHair who spent all of 2012 with the Chicago Cubs. Already a trade candidate entering the season, it is unsurprising to see LaHair leave Chicago though a move to Japan is further then most envisioned.
LaHair ended last season with a .259/.334/.450 line while hitting 16 home runs and driving in 40 RBI. From the moment he was signed by the Cubs he was considered a stop-gap until the arrival of Anthony Rizzo.
After a hot start, LaHair hit just .207/.275/.310 after May 16 and found himself on the bench for much of the second half.

Related Posts:

• If Marmol Allows Trade, He Won’t Be Chicago Cubs’ Problem for Long
• Tigers join battle for Rockies’ Jimenez
• Chicago Cubs Rumors: David DeJesus A Trade Candidate, Kansas City Royals A Potential Match?
• Dickey thrilled to join a team that’s “all in”
• MLB Rumors: Could Chicago Cubs Trade Alfonso Soriano Soon?

After Johan Santana no-hit the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals on June 1, the New York Mets — reveling in the first such pitching performance in the franchise’s long, agonizing history — sat at 29-23 on the season.

It was, for the first time in a long time, a good time to be them.

The 29 wins represented the team’s highest win total at that point in a season since 2007, and New York found itself just one game behind Washington for the NL East lead at the time. By the start of July, the Mets were still hanging in there, just 2.5 games behind the Nationals at 43-36 and still in line for a wild card spot.

Still so far, so good.

But something has happened in the Big Apple since June gave way to July that can only be explained with the type of generalities that have become all too familiar to the team’s fervent and increasingly unimpressed fan base: The Mets did what you knew the Mets would do.

They’ve made the least of a tailor-made opportunity, with the Phillies surprisingly bumbling about the bottom of the division and the new-look Marlins underperforming, too, and they’ve failed to capitalize on a rare chance to put together a season worth remembering.

New York has won just 11 of 35 games since the end of June — fewer than every team in baseball except the woeful Houston Astros — a slide that was defined by a pitiful 2-13 start to the second half of the season.

And after Saturday’s 9-3 loss to the Braves (the Mets’ 11th defeat in their last 12 games at Citi Field) New York finds itself at 54-60, 17 games out of first in the division and almost certainly out of the postseason for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

It’s been a disappointing — but, unfortunately, not altogether surprising — collapse by the Mets, to say the least. But there’s still some comfort to be taken in the three good months of baseball they played and the shred of hope it seemed to give the team and its fans for the future.

But is it real hope? It’s certainly too early to tell for sure, but it’s hard to think that New York’s temporary brush with success is a sign that prolonged good fortune is in its future.

There were some bright moments that shouldn’t be forgotten, of course, like the aforementioned no-hitter from Santana, the ongoing resurrection of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey’s career and the resurgence of third baseman David Wright, who is having his best season since 2008.

But the team’s collective collapse of late has rendered most of the positives of the first half of the season irrelevant.

Santana, for starters, has been a mess since his no-hitter, going 3-5 with a 6.54 ERA after blanking the Cardinals until landing on the DL with shoulder soreness. Over his last four starts, dating back to July 6 — and including the eight earned runs he allowed in 1-1/3 innings Saturday in his first start after a three-week DL stint — Santana is 0-4 with a 17.53 ERA and a WHIP of 3.00.

Now many fans are wondering if the flashes the two-time former Cy Young winner showed of his former self — Santana was 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 11 starts as of June 1 — were little more than fool’s gold in the wake of a shoulder injury that cost the lefty all of 2011.

Fans in Flushing have also been left to wonder what to make of the astonishing season Dickey has put together.

The knuckleballer was, hands down, the pitching sensation of the first half, going 12-1 with a 2.40 ERA before the break — including a five-start stretch where he was nearly unhittable, going 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA and an opponent batting average of .119.

However, since the start of July, Dickey has struggled — though not to the degree Santana has — going 3-2 with a 4.01 ERA that can’t help but make fans wonder whether he’s a long-term solution or just a feel-good flash in the pan.

It’s a tough question to answer, because there’s not a nicer guy in the world than Dickey, and when he’s on and the knuckler’s fluttering like it was Thursday against Miami, he’s deadly. But it has to be answered — along with questions about Santana, Wright and others — because the Mets are at a crossroads and they need to settle on a direction.

For the first time in a long time, New York’s payroll is under $ 100 million and the Mets finally have some flexibility moving forward. So the decision whether to proceed with the pieces they have or blow the whole thing up and start over is a big one.

Santana, who has a full no-trade clause, is signed through 2013 with a club option that could pay him $ 25 million for 2014. The Mets also have a $ 5 million option on Dickey for 2013, so both can be part of the equation moving forward if the Mets want them to be.

That said, is building a staff around a dinged-up former star and a 37-year-old one-time washout specializing in the game’s most fickle pitch really the best idea?

As for the rest of the rotation, Jon Niese will be back, as he’s signed through at least 2016, but Dillon Gee’s contract only runs through this year, as do the deals of Mike Pelfrey (arbitration-eligible for 2013) and Jeremy Hefner.

Pelfrey underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in May, a clot in Gee’s right shoulder likely ended his season in July and the rookie Hefner is 2-3 with a 5.13 ERA in six starts this year, so there’s a case to be made for moving on without all of them, too.

Then there’s the issue of the $ 16 million club option on Wright this winter and a $ 17 million option on the disappointing Jason Bay for 2014. Parting ways with the latter would be easy; the former, not so much.

But maybe that’s exactly what the Mets need to do. Because as good as it was to be them on June 1, it’s equally bad, or worse, now.

What New York is currently doing — and has done for the better part of the last decade — clearly isn’t working, it finally has the means and the chance to move in a new direction, and it would be a shame to let that opportunity pass by for more of the same disappointment.

You can follow Sam Gardner on Twitter or email him at samgardnerfox@gmail.com .

Related Posts:

• Justin Upton Homers, Ian Kennedy Good Once Again as Arizona Diamondbacks Win Opener
• Cardinals overcome underdog role again
• 500 wins? 110 shutouts? Never again
• Jose Reyes Wins NL Batting Title, But Upsets Fans
• Mets Need The Wright Backup At Third Base

The Cincinnati Reds went into the All-Star break on a positive note. They haven’t slowed down since the second half started.
The NL Central leaders will try to extend their longest winning streak in two seasons to eight when they face the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
The Reds (58-40) won three straight at San Diego to end the first half one game out of first place. Cincinnati has maintained that momentum, going 11-2 since the break, and the club is on the verge of its first eight-game run since May 31-June 8, 2006.
“I think it’s just the combination of us playing good baseball and getting lucky bounces,” center fielder Drew Stubbs told the Reds’ official website. “That’s the formula to winning a championship. I’m not saying at this point it’s going to happen, but that’s the type of stuff it takes to do it.”
Stubbs went 7 for 15 with a homer and five RBIs in a three-game sweep at Houston to start the week.
Bronson Arroyo (5-6, 3.98 ERA) has been mostly strong over his past five starts, going 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA, and he bounced back from his one rough outing in that span his last time out. The right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in a 6-2 win over Milwaukee on Saturday after lasting a season-low three innings and giving up five runs in a 5-3 loss to Arizona on July 16.
“I feel like I’m the weakest link in the rotation right now,” he said. “… That being said, I feel like I’ve thrown pretty good about 16 times (out of 19 starts).”
Reds starters have posted a 2.72 ERA during the winning streak, but improving that number could be a challenge as Arroyo is 0-2 with an 8.84 ERA in four starts at Coors Field. It’s his highest ERA at any ballpark he’s pitched at more than three times.
The Rockies (37-60) open a stretch of nine straight in Denver following a 2-4 trip that ended with a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Colorado will try to win two in a row for the first time since July 8 and 13 with Drew Pomeranz (1-5, 4.98) taking the mound. The left-hander had his last turn skipped due to arm soreness.
“We wanted to make sure that physically nothing is wrong and get him back out there,” manager Jim Tracy told the Rockies’ official website of Pomeranz, who gave up a career-high seven runs in three innings of a 9-5 road loss to the Padres last Friday.
This will be the first time Pomeranz faces Cincinnati since throwing five scoreless innings in his major league debut, a 4-1 victory Sept. 11 in the teams’ last game in Denver.
The Rockies have won 20 of their last 25 at home against the Reds.
All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, 5 for 11 off Arroyo, will return to Colorado’s lineup after getting Wednesday off. He was 4 for 21 (.190) with seven strikeouts on the trip, but he’s batting .429 with eight homers and 24 RBIs during a 25-game home hitting streak.
Rookie shortstop Josh Rutledge gets his first look at Reds pitching after going 10 for 25 with a homer, triple and three doubles on the just-completed trip.
The Reds have gone 8-2 without All-Star first baseman Joey Votto, who’s out with a torn meniscus.

Related Posts:

• Reds take on Rockies, looking for 8th in a row

The Cincinnati Reds went into the All-Star break on a positive note. They haven’t slowed down since the second half started.
The NL Central leaders will try to extend their longest winning streak in two seasons to eight when they face the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
The Reds (58-40) won three straight at San Diego to end the first half one game out of first place. Cincinnati has maintained that momentum, going 11-2 since the break, and the club is on the verge of its first eight-game run since May 31-June 8, 2006.
“I think it’s just the combination of us playing good baseball and getting lucky bounces,” center fielder Drew Stubbs told the Reds’ official website. “That’s the formula to winning a championship. I’m not saying at this point it’s going to happen, but that’s the type of stuff it takes to do it.”
Stubbs went 7 for 15 with a homer and five RBIs in a three-game sweep at Houston to start the week.
Bronson Arroyo (5-6, 3.98 ERA) has been mostly strong over his past five starts, going 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA, and he bounced back from his one rough outing in that span his last time out. The right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in a 6-2 win over Milwaukee on Saturday after lasting a season-low three innings and giving up five runs in a 5-3 loss to Arizona on July 16.
“I feel like I’m the weakest link in the rotation right now,” he said. “… That being said, I feel like I’ve thrown pretty good about 16 times (out of 19 starts).”
Reds starters have posted a 2.72 ERA during the winning streak, but improving that number could be a challenge as Arroyo is 0-2 with an 8.84 ERA in four starts at Coors Field. It’s his highest ERA at any ballpark he’s pitched at more than three times.
The Rockies (37-60) open a stretch of nine straight in Denver following a 2-4 trip that ended with a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Colorado will try to win two in a row for the first time since July 8 and 13 with Drew Pomeranz (1-5, 4.98) taking the mound. The left-hander had his last turn skipped due to arm soreness.
“We wanted to make sure that physically nothing is wrong and get him back out there,” manager Jim Tracy told the Rockies’ official website of Pomeranz, who gave up a career-high seven runs in three innings of a 9-5 road loss to the Padres last Friday.
This will be the first time Pomeranz faces Cincinnati since throwing five scoreless innings in his major league debut, a 4-1 victory Sept. 11 in the teams’ last game in Denver.
The Rockies have won 20 of their last 25 at home against the Reds.
All-Star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, 5 for 11 off Arroyo, will return to Colorado’s lineup after getting Wednesday off. He was 4 for 21 (.190) with seven strikeouts on the trip, but he’s batting .429 with eight homers and 24 RBIs during a 25-game home hitting streak.
Rookie shortstop Josh Rutledge gets his first look at Reds pitching after going 10 for 25 with a homer, triple and three doubles on the just-completed trip.
The Reds have gone 8-2 without All-Star first baseman Joey Votto, who’s out with a torn meniscus.

Related Posts:

• Reds take on Rockies, looking for 8th in a row

Rick Porcello pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning, and the Detroit Tigers took over first place in the AL Central on Saturday with a 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Brennan Boesch hit a three-run homer and Austin Jackson drove in the other four runs for the Tigers, who lead the White Sox by a half-game in the Central. Detroit was six games out after a loss to the Chicago Cubs on June 12.

Porcello (7-5) fell just short of his first complete game, departing after he allowed two hard-hit singles to start the ninth. He allowed a run and five hits.

Porcello struck out four with no walks, outdueling Chris Sale (11-3) in the Chicago left-hander’s first loss since May 12.

Sale allowed five runs and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked four. The Tigers will go for a three-game sweep Sunday, sending rookie Jacob Turner (0-1) to the mound against Philip Humber (4-4).

Detroit was expected by many to win the division easily after finishing 15 games in front last year and adding Prince Fielder in the offseason. But the Tigers struggled through the first half of the season and Chicago emerged.

Now the White Sox have lost four straight and six of eight. They seemed to have an advantage on the mound Saturday – Sale was 8-0 with a 1.61 ERA in his last 10 starts – but that didn’t materialize.

Porcello retired the first 12 hitters he faced. Chicago took the lead in the fifth on Dayan Viciedo’s RBI single, but the Tigers answered quickly.

With two outs in the bottom half, Gerald Laird and Danny Worth, Detroit’s eighth and ninth hitters, hit singles. Jackson drove them both home with a double.

Boesch’s homer the following inning also came with two outs, and so did Jackson’s two run single in the eighth. Since the All-Star break, the Tigers have scored 35 of their 48 runs with two outs, according to STATS, LLC.

Before the break, they scored 129 of their 387 runs with two outs.

The 23-year-old Porcello has had a rocky start to his career. He won 14 games for the Tigers as a rookie in 2009, but manager Jim Leyland has essentially admitted he was rushed to the big leagues.

A few more starts like Saturday’s would give Detroit quite a lift down the stretch. The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he came back to the mound for the ninth, but he wasn’t able to finish for the elusive complete game. He threw 94 pitches, and the crowd repeated the warm ovation after Leyland lifted him.

NOTES: The time of game was 2 hours, 11 minutes. … Jackson’s four RBIs equaled a career high set May 9, 2011, at Toronto.

Related Posts:

• Tigers’ Cabrera hits 300th homer, second of game
• Royals 6, White Sox 3
• Surprise White Sox remain trouble for Tigers
• Twins face White Sox in rubber game of series
• Tigers’ Valverde won’t close in Game 2

DETROIT — Barely more than one month ago, the Detroit Tigers were five games under .500 and six games back in the American League Central. With the divisions largest payroll and World Series expectations, they were called the most disappointing team in baseball.

Then, it was fair.

Now, it is untrue.

If the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox Saturday (MLB on FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET), they will find themselves in a position once thought to be their birthright.

First place.

People start talking about a team because were winning some games, Detroit manager Jim Leyland said Friday, after a 4-2 win behind ace Justin Verlander. Before, they were all over us, (calling us) underachievers and we were.

Whatever youve got coming, youve got coming. Now, people are going to say were playing pretty good. Its pretty exciting. You accept that. When youre not doing what youre supposed to be doing, you accept that.

Publicly, at least, Leyland was careful not to assign added importance to this series. His strategy suggested otherwise. Given the opportunity to reset his starting rotation coming out of the All-Star break, Leyland slotted Verlander third. That put the reigning MVP on track to start Fridays series opener, opposite Jake Peavy, before a packed house of 44,572 on a cloudless, 80-degree night.

No accident, on a weekend when talk of the Tigers disappointing first half could vanish for good.

“You could say the slow starts over, Verlander observed. Whether we have a strong finish or not, thats yet to be seen. But I like the way were playing.

Leyland, to his credit, maintained a steady hand when the Tigers were in danger of falling behind the Kansas City Royals not that many weeks ago. He seems equally calm about his teams AL-best 14-5 record since June 28. This is the team he knew he had all along.

Whats different?

Were just scoring more runs, Prince Fielder said Friday.

As a matter of fact, hes absolutely right: The Tigers entered the weekend with 83 runs in July, tied with the Yankees for most in the AL. Miguel Cabrera and Fielder have been consistent run producers all year they rank second and third among AL hitters, respectively, in RBI but the bottom half of the order is finally showing up.

Delmon Young, who delivered Fridays game-winning double, is having his best month. So is shortstop Johnny Peralta.

Verlander has been Verlander. He splintered Gordon Beckhams bat Friday with a 100 mph fastball on his 115th pitch. On a checked swing. Ho-hum.

In some respects, the catalyst of the Tigers resurgence is a 27-year-old journeyman who didnt make the team out of spring training: outfielder Quintin Berry.

Berry toiled in the minors for seven seasons, playing nearly 700 games for four organizations before debuting May 23 when center fielder Austin Jackson landed on the disabled list. Leyland installed him as the fulltime No. 2 hitter roughly one month ago. During Berrys 24 games there, the Tigers are 17-7. He has become, in short order, an indispensable contributor to one of the most formidable lineups in baseball.

Last month, Leyland lamented publicly that his star-studded team lacked panache. He used a few different terms to describe it: cockiness, swagger, a mean streak.

Whatever he was talking about, Berry has it. Berry sparked Fridays decisive rally when he was hit by a pitch with two out in the third inning, then provided a crowd-pleasing coda with a sprinting, sprawling catch in left field for the final out.

Berry hollered at the crowd, punched the air and basked in the moment. Superstars dont necessarily react that way. And thats kind of the point. Maybe the Tigers veterans accomplished and wealthy needed to see a player of Berrys ilk. As with the best things in Detroit, his combustion is evident.

Definitely, Fielder praised. When Jack got hurt, it was unfortunate, but I think it was actually a blessing. (Berry) wouldnt have gotten a shot to do this for us if Jack wouldnt have gone down. When Jack came back, it helped that we had an extra spark. He just works hard.

Hes playing superb defense. He needs to be out there for his defense. He works hard at it. Hard work is always rewarded. If someones working hard, you can never say anything about him ever.

The Tigers arent perfect even though they looked that way while Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Verlander reeled off efficient starts in succession this week. Rick Porcellos inconsistency, paired with the rookie combination of Drew Smyly and Jacob Turner in the No. 5 spot, suggest that the Tigers could use a veteran starting pitcher. (That is why they had a scout watching James Shields start for Tampa Bay Friday night.)

Right now, though, this is a very good team. Soon, it might be a first-place team. That would send a strong statement to the rest of the league if only the Tigers were interested in that sort of thing.

I dont believe in statements, Fielder said. Too many more games left. A statement is when you win the World Series. Thats a statement.

Related Posts:

• Max Scherzer Vaults The Detroit Tigers Into The 2012 World Series Or Was It Verlander?
• Max Scherzer Vaults The Detroit Tigers Into The 2012 World Series Or Was It Verlander?
• Will Tigers turn sweep into momentum?
• Tigers’ Martinez playing despite injury
• Tigers’ Scherzer will miss Friday start