MLB News and Rumors

Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

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• Darvish made Cabrera look silly on curveball

Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

Related Posts:

• Darvish made Cabrera look silly on curveball

Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

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Does anyone have a more wicked pitching arsenal than Yu Darvish? The Texas Rangers stud pitcher matched up with Justin Verlander on Thursday in a game that surprisingly turned into a slugfest. While Verlander was rocked and couldn’t make it through three innings, Darvish got through eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. But there was one moment in particular that must be recognized: the time when Darvish made Miguel Cabrera look foolish. Darvish was facing Cabrera in the top of the fifth with the Rangers up 8-4 and the count 0-1. Darvish threw Cabrera a 62 mph curveball, and Miggy took a vicious hack at it. He was so off balance after missing on the swing that he stumbled across the plate and was left to give a smile. Why? Because nobody makes him look foolish like that. Cabrera is the reigning AL MVP and last year’s triple crown winner. He’s the best hitter in baseball. That doesn’t happen very often. But with Darvish pitching, anything is possible. GIF via Drew Shep…

Related Posts:

• Darvish made Cabrera look silly on curveball

If the Dodgers are going to turn things around this season, it may come down to the number four.  As in players, that is.
Zack Greinke’s return to the rotation is one major step towards the Dodgers turning the season around.
The Dodgers $ 147 million man, Zack Greinke, returned to the rotation Wednesday night for the first time since April 11th and pitched well in the Dodgers 3-1 win over the Nationals.  He gave up one run over 5.1 innings of work.
“It’s pretty amazing what this guy was able to do tonight,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said in relation to Greinke’s first start since breaking his collarbone in a brawl with Carlos Quentin of the Padres. Greinke’s return may be just one step in a four step process to get the Dodgers turned around.
Step one, of course, is Clayton Kershaw. And the man delivers in more ways than one.  He has given up just two runs in his last four starts and currently leads the National League in ERA and innings pitched. He trails only the Pirates AJ Burn…

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Mariano Rivera’s career has been special, to say the least. So with Rivera’s farewell tour expected to kick off soon, it’s a good time to reflect on just how impressive he’s been since becoming the Yankees’ closer.
Rivera, who enters the 2013 season as baseball’s all-time saves leader with 608, has been awesome during the regular season, and even better in the postseason. He has five World Series titles to his his credit, and he’s been a huge part of all of them.
Joe Torre, who managed Rivera for four of his World Series titles, recently joked that the closer “basically made my career,” and described him as a “security blanket.”
“He is the greatest ever,” Torre said, according to the New York Daily New. “It certainly isn’t a knock at the other guys, but he did it in New York, the biggest fishbowl in the world and in the postseason where everybody gets a chance to scrutinize. He responded.”
It’s hard — OK, it’s impossible — to argue Rivera’s greatness, but there have b

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Heading into this spring, there were two key spots that were up for grabs for the Cardinals, second base and 5th starter.  After one week of games, here’s how those battles are shaping up:

Second Base

This is a 3 horse race between incumbent Daniel Descalso, convert Matt Carpenter and rising prospect Kolten Wong. 

After a down season offensively last year, Descalso is fighting to hold onto his job this spring.  He plays solid defense, but his lack of offense hurts him.  He is hitting .250 (3 for 12) so far this spring.

Carpenter, on the other hand, has shown the ability to hit in the majors, but it remains to be seen if he can handle the position defensively.  He is hitting .273 (3 for 11) so far.

Wong, who is excellent defensively, is expected to develop into a solid hitter.  However, he probably needs more time to develop.  He is hitting .333 (3 for 9) this spring.

Overall, I expect Descalso to hold onto the job.  Carpenter will end up as a super utility player and Wong …

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Bryce Harper is going to be the Nationals’ every day left fielder in 2013 after spending nearly all of 2012 in center. Of course, after the team traded for Denard Span, Harper was shifted to left to accomodate the new acquisition. Anyway, in today’s Spring Training opener against the Mets, Harper got a rough introduction to his new full-time position. In the bottom of the third inning, New York center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a line drive out to Harper in left field, who had the ball bounce off of the heel of his glove, then off of his bare hand, and then into his glove. Yeah, he should have made the catch initially, but he at least showed some nice poise in recovering and managing to not let the ball hit the ground to record the out. I’m sure that as Spring Training progresses, Harper will continue to refine his defense in left and solidify his reptuation as an excellent defensive outfielder. [follow]

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