Clayton Kershaw ups scoreless innings run to 36 in Dodgers’ win

The hard-throwing lefty nearly had no-hit stuff against Colorado again, allowing only two singles over eight innings as the Dodgers beat the Rockies 9-0 on Friday night.
What’s more, Kershaw (10-2) extended his scoreless streak to 36 innings before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the ninth. Kershaw bottled up the top-hitting team in the majors in nearly matching the no-hitter he threw against the Rockies on June 18 at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw struck out eight and walked one.

“You ...

7-5-2014 OMNICHATTER

The “Billy Beane and Theo Epstein wake up and make sure last night wasn’t a dream” OMNICHATTER

A’s acquire Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel from Cubs for Addison Russell

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal says the deal is done and that the A’s will get both Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, giving up top shortstop prospect Addison Russell in return. He adds that other players and teams may be involved.

To get rid of marijuana, baseball has to get real. | SportsonEarth.com : Dirk Hayhurst Article

OK, detectives, who was it?

While I was in spring training with the … You know what, I’m not going to tell you. Too many potheads still in action there. Let’s just say that while I was in spring training with a certain organization, a group of guys on the team got robbed. They were all staying in a house together, splitting the rent through the course of the spring, their luxury rides all parked out front in a row, leaving at the same time every day. It wasn’t hard for the local criminal ...

Johnny Damon: ‘Ready’ for comeback

The three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and five-time .300 hitter is staying in shape, swinging the bat and eager to return to the majors. The 40-year-old Damon last played for Cleveland in 2012, but isn’t quite ready for retirement.

“When you feel you can still outhit at least half the league and you don’t get that call, it’s rough,” Damon told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. “The biggest reason to play is to have a chance to win. Obviously, 3,000 hits would ...

Loophole offers potential path for some minor league players to smoke way onto major league rosters - Yahoo Sports

Inside a minor league clubhouse this year, a player who had tested positive for marijuana a second time informed teammates of the 50-game suspension he would serve because of it. The player wasn’t concerned, according to a witness. He didn’t plan on curtailing his marijuana use, either.

“I’ll just smoke my way onto the 40-man,” he said.

In the annals of drug use, this might be a first: an employee trying to get a promotion by getting high.

Manny Ramirez, now player-coach for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, encourages prospects to ‘follow the rules’ | cleveland.com

Manny not being Manny.

“Manny gave me as many problems as he gave anyone, probably besides (former Red Sox manager Terry Francona) in his time in Boston. He’s responsible for most of the gray hairs on my head. So it’s not something that we entered into lightly,” Epstein said.

I talked a lot to Manny, and he seemed like a completely different guy… he’s grown for the better. “But people do change. I talked a lot to Manny, and he seemed like a completely different guy… he’s grown for the better. ...

John McGrath: Acquiring Cano not the only move that helped turn the Mariners around | John McGrath | The News Tribune

Is he lucky or good?

A final stat: The combined 2014 salaries for Jones, Elias, Morrison, Beimel and Young add up to $4.85 million, or about $850,000 more than the average big league player earns per season.

Zduriencik has taken flak for trades that disappointed (starting pitcher Cliff Lee to the Rangers for a prospect package centered around Smoak) and signing expensive free agents who turned out to be worthless (Chone Figgins, $35 million for four years of bad vibes).

But Zduriencik’s ...

Odd challenge starts domino effect for A’s, Blue Jays

Here’s an interesting replay:

The incident happened in the top of the second inning with the bases loaded and one out. Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Gose hit a sharp grounder to first base. Nate Freiman fielded the ball cleanly and attempted to make a tag on baserunner Munenori Kawasaki before throwing home.

First-base umpire Vic Carapazza ruled that Kawasaki avoided the tag and immediately made the safe sign. That meant the force play at home was still in order and catcher Stephen Vogt recorded ...

The Sleeve That Could Save Baseball: Exclusive Look at New MLB Technology

This does look like a promising tool, although they would probably need to shrink down the chip a little more to get players to wear it during games.

Erardi: Billy Hamilton plays like greats he doesn’t remember

Where have you gone…Lefty Gomez?

Over the years, the same has been true with all the great center fielders, from Willie Mays to Jim Edmonds and Andruw Jones and the Reds’ Eric Davis.

But it goes back even farther than that.

I related an anecdote to Hamilton that dates back to 1937.

New York Yankees pitching great Lefty Gomez was talking to rookie center fielder Joe DiMaggio one day after a game the Yankees had lost on a deep drive that one-hopped the center field wall at Yankee Stadium.

...

OMNICHATTER for 7-4-2014

The “Stars And Stripes Forever” OMNICHATTER

ESPN: CC Sabathia has swelling in knee

CC Sabathia was aiming to return around the All-Star break, but after waking up with inflammation in his right knee on Thursday, that’s unlikely to happen.
Sabathia was roughed up in his rehab start for Double-A Trenton on Wednesday night, lasting 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits. He had another MRI on Thursday and has been shut down indefinitely, according to manager Joe Girardi…
“It’s not what you want,” Girardi said of Sabathia. “We were hopeful the swelling ...

Brosnan dies at 84

Before there was Ball Four, there was The Long Season, and Jim Brosnan.

Jewish Light: Here’s a Moneyball maven striking it rich for Athletics

As director of professional scouting and baseball development for the Oakland Athletics, Dan Feinstein scouts amateur players, evaluates the organization’s talent, is involved in contract negotiations and arbitration cases, ponders trades and analyzes potential free agent signees.

His varied portfolio is news to at least one of the team’s players.

“I don’t doubt that he does a lot, and has done a lot, for the organization, but I don’t know to what extent,” catcher Derek Norris ...

Posnanski: Epstein’s building an offensive juggernaut

Its gargantuan ferocity a threat to the NL…to MLB itself!

“Yeah,” Epstein says, “we’re trying to build a behemoth of position players.”

“Are you there?” I ask him. He smiles.

“Getting there,” he says. “Obviously we’re a long way off. But that’s the plan. … Ideally, we are trying to build the type of lineup that can change the way opposing teams think when entering series. We had that in Boston, where teams always had an extra pitcher in the pen. If we got 60 ...

538: Keri: The Giants Clustered Their Luck

With that win, they improved to 42-21. A year after stumbling to a 76-86 record, the Giants owned the best record in baseball. They’ve been terrible ever since. San Francisco has lost 16 of its last 21 games, the worst record for any major league team during that time…Few could have predicted such a sharp and sudden drop. But one indicator did suggest that regression was coming, sooner or later: cluster luck.

In a late-May Grantland column, I wrote about the concept of cluster luck as a ...

Sources: Alfredo Aceves suspended 50 games after positive drug test

Former Yankees and Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves was suspended 50 games after a drug test came back positive for a so-called drug of abuse, major league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Juicer.  I had always hoped he was just naturally that insane but it turns out he had some help.

Selig permits A’s to leave Oakland, prompts last minute deal

If you don’t get them a new stadium, the A’s might move to Pocatello, Idaho.

The Athletics and Oakland appeared headed for a last-minute deal Thursday morning after the A’s owner informed city and county leaders that he had received permission from baseball commissioner Bud Selig to immediately move the team outside Oakland unless a deal was approved.

The stunning revelation was made by Athletics co-owner Lew Wolff in a 10 p.m. e-mail to officials, in which he wrote: “I was informed ...

Murray Chass on Baseball: BREWERS BOAST BEST IMPROVEMENT

Murray & Melvins boner records

The Brewers’ first-half success is welcomed by those of us who have not become wild-eyed fans of analytics. Melvin doesn’t disdain new-fangled statistics, but he keeps them in perspective.

“I use certain numbers,” he said without identifying them. “We use them internally. We don’t advertise them. Some are useful, some aren’t.”

Melvin said he doesn’t use them for minor leaguers. “The minor leagues are for development,” he said. “You ...

It’s a small world: Traded players meet at airport

Two relievers walk into a bathroom…

Yankees demote April and May star Yangervis Solarte to Triple-A

Unfortunately he’s hit just .162 in 22 games since June 1, including his current 3-for-41 (.073) slump, and today the Yankees decided to demote Solarte back to Triple-A.
...
the Yankees have called up 27-year-old career minor leaguer Zelous Wheeler, a utility man hitting .299 with seven homers and an .834 OPS in 66 games at Triple-A.

The Yankees are trying to find another hot blackjack table.  Too much play and they eventually all turn to ####.

McDonald: Jonathan Lucroy talks clutch hitting

Hyper-focus? Hell, who didn’t think Thijs van Leer wasn’t on something?

Lucroy’s stand-out year doesn’t end there. Looking closer, in high-leverage situations—those times when one swing of the bat can change the game—Lucroy is batting .406 in 79 plate appearances.

“I’ve been told by a psychologist before that I have the ability to hyper-focus,” Lucroy said before a recent game in St. Louis. “For some reason I enjoy those situations.”

Talk about clutch hitting not being a skill all you ...

Duff: Moneyball alone won’t add up to titles

Duff reaction: Carbon copy.

Brad Ausmus is an Ivy Leaguer.

In other words, he’s known guys with pocket protectors. He’s seen number crunchers up close in action.
And yet when you ask him about Moneyball, he’ll tell you it doesn’t add up.

“There is value in numbers,” admitted Ausmus, the Dartmouth product who manages the Detroit Tigers. “I think the important thing is you don’t want to inundate players with numbers.”
Ausmus doesn’t completely discredit Moneyball, ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-3-2014

[Phoenix] Arizona Republican, July 3, 1914:

GIRLS! LISTEN, THE NEW PLAYERS ARE HANDSOME

Three handsome youths are en route to Phoenix to sign up with the Riverside team. At least Manager Barrett says they are handsome, and what he says goes—for it’s good publicity and may attract the girls. Incidentally that also may be credited to the above mentioned far-sighted manager.

They may or may not be able to play baseball, but they sure are dreamy.

OMNICHATTER 7-3-2014

The “Day Before July 4th” Omnichatter

SC Featured: Toe Nash - ESPN Video - ESPN

The story of Toe Nash.

Edit: Removed dopey ESPN video which was intent on autoplaying. Jim

MLB.com:  Yanks open international signing period with spree

The New York Yankees made their presence felt with an international spending spree on Wednesday, the first day international free agents could sign with teams.

According to industry sources, New York agreed to terms with several highly regarded international prospects, including shortstop Dermis Garcia, ranked No. 1 on MLB.com’s Top 30 International Prospects list for a $3 million signing bonus, along with Dominican third baseman Nelson Gomez (ranked No. 2) for $2.25 million, Dominican ...

Report: A-Rod used banned PEDs with MLB’s permission in 2007 MVP season

Before the 2007 season, Rodriguez asked for permission to use testosterone, which has been banned by baseball since 2003. The (independent program administrator) in ’07 was Bryan W. Smith, a High Point, N.C., physician. (Baseball did not yet have the advisory medical panel.) On Feb. 16, 2007, two days before Rodriguez reported to spring training, Smith granted the exemption, allowing Rodriguez to use testosterone all season.

The exemption was revealed in a transcript of Rodriguez’s fall ...

Grantland: The Pitching Championship Belt, Part 1

• The goal is to identify the pitcher the majority of baseball fans would have picked as the best pitcher on the planet at the end of the season. You know, Family Feud style. Imagine a poll in the back of Baseball Digest or Sporting News where only people who really cared about baseball responded.

• That means we have to measure it in statistics that most fans use. Yes, I think pitcher wins are basically a useless statistic, just like you do. But we’re in the minority. So wins, ERA, ...