MLB News and Rumors

Bobby Valentine had a shaky relationship with the Boston media while serving as manager of the Red Sox, and it looks like his tenure at Sacred Heart University is getting off to a similar start. Valentine was introduced Tuesday as the new athletic director at the small Connecticut college. He took some questions from the media and was promptly grilled. “Bobby, at this point in your life, why do you want to be an athletic director at Sacred Heart and some people think this is kind of a joke, what can you say about people not taking you seriously as athletic director here?” he was asked. Valentine said the question came from the reporter who broke the story of his hiring, which was Bill Paxton of the Connecticut Post (Paxton was also identified as the reporter in question by one of his colleagues). Valentine clearly took offense to the question. “I really didn’t think I would be insulted with the first question, but what the hell, I guess that’s the way it goes,” he responded. Valentine says he is

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Francisco Rodriguez was supposed to provide some kind of answer in the ninth inning for the Brewers, who were struggling to achieve any late-game consistency with John Axford manning the final inning.

And despite inducing some heart palpitations around Milwaukee with his first two saves as closer, Rodriguez appeared to be on his way to providing some kind of reliability in a most unreliable year for the Brewers’ bullpen. But Monday’s effort, as Rodriguez blew a three-run, ninth-inning lead, collapsing on the mound for the Brewers’ fourth straight loss, left Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke with a familiar sense of frustration.

“Frankie has always been a guy who made pitches when he needs to,” Roenicke said. “But I don’t know. I’m not used to seeing Frankie like this.”

As a coach on the Angels staff when Rodriguez set the single season saves record, Roenicke has expressed faith in Rodriguez on several occasions this season. He knows what Rodriguez is capable of, he said. But on Monday, Rodriguez showed the other side of that coin.

With a three run lead, Rodriguez started the ninth inning with a strikeout of pinch hitter Laynce Nix. But after starting with three straight balls to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, Rodriguez walked him, gave up a single on an 0-2 count, and then walked Chase Utley after starting 3-0 again to load the bases.

Even then though, it seemed Rodriguez could find a way out of the inning. After all, his two saves last week came with the tying run on third base. He had cut it close very close on plenty of occasions before.

But this time, there was no getting out of the trouble that he got himself into. Rodriguez allowed an 0-2 single up the middle to Ryan Howard, having dealt him a down-the-middle fastball in a count that certainly didn’t call for an easily hit strike. Two runs scored with Carlos Ruiz, one of Philadelphia’s most consistent hitters at the plate. Then, almost fittingly, Ruiz hit the ball over the head of shortstop Cesar Izturis, scoring the tying run and completing the Brewers 17th blown save of the seasona mark good enough for second-most in the National League.

Already falling apart, Rodriguez allowed another walk to Hunter Pence, giving him three walks in just the ninth inning and 10 baserunners in his last two outings. All it would take was a Ty Wigginton sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 7-6 win and the Brewers one of their most brutal losses of the season.”I so sorry guys,” Rodriguez tweeted after the game. “I do want to apologize for the performance the I did today from the bottom of my heart I will get better bcuz you guys deserve better then that am sorry.”

Roenicke explained afterwards that Rodriguez’s influx of work last week, followed by no work against the Reds, may have contributed to his serious lack of command on Monday.

The problem is with Frankie is that we went four in a row with him, five out of six, Roenicke said. You go real hard with him and all of a sudden he’s off for four days. It’s not the ideal way to pitch and keep your command. But we can’t put him in there after we pitched him so hard, you can’t just get him out there two days later to get work. It creates problems when we’re not consistent with what we do in ballgames.

Consistency, or a lack thereof, has been the Brewers most obvious problem all season. And now, it appears, that even with a change at the closer spot, consistency may continue to be a problem in the bullpen, as the Brewers fall further and further out of contention in the season’s second half.

Follow Ryan Kartje on Twitter.

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Tommy Lasorda said he is feeling “so much better” after doctors last week inserted a stent to clear one of the former Dodgers manager’s heart arteries that was almost completely blocked.

“I feel stronger,” Lasorda said Thursday night in his first public appearance since suffering what the Dodgers called a “mild” heart attack last week in New York. Lasorda said doctors discovered one of his arteries was 90 blocked.

Lasorda, 84, participated in a lively panel discussion at a benefit for Joe Torre’s Safe At Home Foundation at the Hotel Bel-Air. Lasorda and Torre, two former Dodgers managers, joined current Manager Don Mattingly, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia and former St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa in a conversation led by broadcaster Vin Scully.

Lasorda said he felt dizzy while representing the Dodgers at the annual baseball draft. Paramedics soon arrived and advised Lasorda to go to a hospital.

“I said, ‘I’m not going to the hospital. Theres nothing wrong with me.’” Lasorda said.

“The commissioner said, ‘You are going to the hospital.’ Joe Torre came by and said, ‘You are going to the hospital.’ That was great, that they did that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known about the blocked artery. I’m glad that they made me go.”
–Bill Shaikin

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DETROIT – If the Mariners Kevin Millwood had his heart broken deep into the sixth when he lost his no-hitter against the Rockies, the Tigers Justin Verlander must have had his stomach in his mouth when he lost his on a Josh Harrison floater to center field in the ninth against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To read this story and watch Verlander’s post-game comments about his near miss, please click the link below.

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ARLINGTON, Texas For the second day in a row, Angels starter C.J. Wilson presented himself as a target for booing and a lot more from angry Texas Rangers fans.

“You guys should stick a microphone out there and listen to it,” Wilson said to reporters afterward. “It would be very interesting.”

After his Friday start was halted at 22 pitches because of a two-hour rain delay, Wilson started Saturday’s game as well. They were the first and second times Wilson had appeared in Arlington since leaving the Rangers and signing with the Angels in the offseason.

Wilson took the loss in Friday’s start but came back with a strong 5 23 innings Saturday in a 4-2 Angels win. Wilson exited with the score tied, 2-2, three batters after giving up a home run to Josh Hamilton.

Wilson said it wasn’t that difficult, physically, to come back and start a second day since the bulk of his major league career has been as a reliever.

“Emotionally, I obviously had a dry run yesterday to see what it was going to feel like and hear the fans and their colorful insights on me and my career and what not,” Wilson said. “I’m just trying to get the hitters out. There’s no benefit to make it emotional. You try to de-personalize it as much as possible and that’s what I’ve been working on doing all year.”

Wilson started shaky by issuing two walks in front of the blistering-hot Hamilton, who hit his 18th homer Saturday. But in the first inning, Wilson struck out Hamilton and induced a double play.

He cruised for the next three innings, but in the fifth a Wilson pitch hit Mike Napoli with two outs. Napoli, victim of an off-season prank in which Wilson tweeted his personal phone number, later scored after back-to-back singles.

Wilson also got to two outs in the sixth, but gave up a walk to put two on for Napoli and was pulled.

“I can’t say enough for what C.J. did,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He pitched his heart out getting that deep into the game against a lineup that’s really swinging the bat well.”

Wilson recorded four strikeouts and was charged with five hits and three walks, all while working with catcher John Hester for the first time. Hester had just been called up from Triple-A.

“CJ really pitched with a lot of heart,” Scioscia said. “Even when he was getting tired a little bit later, he made pitches.”

Now all that’s left for Wilson to do on his return trip to Texas is pick up his American League Championship ring, the second one he earned with the Rangers. Unlike with some former Rangers, there will be on on-field ceremony to present the ring.

“Yeah, I’m sure that would go over real well,” Wilson joked.

Instead, Wilson said he will go to Rangers manager Ron Washington’s office to pick up the ring. Don’t expect that to be much of a production, either.

“That chapter in my life is closed,” Wilson said. “I’m happy for everything that I experienced over there and all the players and stuff, I respect them all because they’re all very good and they all played hard when I pitched.”

Despite playing a major role in helping the Rangers to their first two World Series appearances, Wilson doesn’t expect to get a warm welcome again in Arlington.

“I’m going to have to get used to this hostile feeling because for the next five years it’s going to be the same thing,” Wilson said. “We’re going to be in the same division, division rivalry and all that stuff. I guess it’s good to get two starts out of the way to get a real good feeling of what it’s going to be like, and I’m probably sure it’s never going to change.

Wilson said he tried to tune out the negativity from the fans, but he could still hear the venom. He also heard a few encouraging comments from the masses.

“There’s a really brave dozen people here that still are a fan, apparently,” Wilson said. “And then there’s 47,954 people that are obviously clamoring to see me fail.”

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire

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Former Los Angeles Dodgers players Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser may not be saying who their financial backers are, but they are very serious about wanting to purchase the team.

“I’m as serious as my heart beats,” Hershiser told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “The next step in the process is to be approved by baseball to bid on the team. We think with the people we have in place and the assets we have in place, we will be a serious contender.”

The team is expected to sell for somewhere between $ 800 million and $ 1.2 billion, the site notes, and Hershiser thinks his investment team has the capital to do it: “I’m excited to be involved in the process,” he said. “It would be a dream come true to go after one more prize, one more championship, and do something special for the fans of Los Angeles.”

Hershiser was part of the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series-winning club. Garvey won the whole thing with the team in 1981.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

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Former Los Angeles Dodgers players Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser may not be saying who their financial backers are, but they are very serious about wanting to purchase the team.

“I’m as serious as my heart beats,” Hershiser told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “The next step in the process is to be approved by baseball to bid on the team. We think with the people we have in place and the assets we have in place, we will be a serious contender.”

The team expected to sell for somewhere between $ 800 million and $ 1.2 billion, the site notes, and Hershiser thinks his team has the capital to do it: “I’m excited to be involved in the process,” he said. “It would be a dream come true to go after one more prize, one more championship, and do something special for the fans of Los Angeles.”

Hershiser was part of the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series-winning club. Garvey won the whole thing with the team in 1981.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

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It’s looking like the Houston Astros could be keeping outfielder Hunter Pence deep in the heart of Texas. Sports Illustrated reports that the Philadelphia Phillies offered Astros GM Ed Wade (who once filled the same position in Philly) a package for Pence that included two of its best prospects, Single-A outfielder Jonathan Singleton and pitcher Jarred Cosart, as well as a third piece. The site also reports that the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves also tried to pry away Pence, but to no avail.

Houston reportedly said no to all three, leading SI to predict that Pence isn’t going anywhere.

MSNBC reports that the possible removal of Pence from the trading block means that Houston will now spend more time trying to unload Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Michael Bourn.

Let the rumors come to you. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

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