Hanley Ramirez blast caps wild comeback as Red Sox stun Yankees | Boston Herald

I went to bed a little early last night and missed the big comeback. It was a big, happy surprise.

Party’s still on! Cubs clinch NL Central title

The Brewers spoiled the Cubs’ party plans on Thursday, but just before midnight, Chicago was able to celebrate. The Cubs lost, 5-4, to the Brewers after pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett smacked a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. A few hours later, fans were cheering in Wrigleyville. The Cubs were the National League Central champions for the first time since 2008.

The Cubs claimed the division title after the Giants beat the Cardinals, 6-2, in San Francisco late ...

OMNICHATTER 9-16-16

Zestfully Clean OMNICHATTER

Heyman - Top 30 Free Agents And Early Contract Guesses

He hit .346/.426/.654 in June, .280/.357/.550 in July. Kemp was acquired on July 30th. Heyman is a great reporter and a shoddy analyst.

Freddie Freeman continues to be brilliant since Matt Kemp came over as lineup protection. Freeman’s OPS is 1.137 since Kemp got there, 2nd best in majors Say what you want about Kemp’s shape, but he is a presence. And lately, a very big one

Padres GM A.J. Preller suspended 30 days over the Drew Pomeranz trade.

The league has suspended Preller for 30 days:

Major League Baseball has completed an investigation into the July 14th transaction in which pitcher Drew Pomeranz was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox.  MLB’s Department of Investigations conducted the thorough review, which included interviews with relevant individuals from both Clubs.  The findings were submitted to Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.

As a result of this matter, Major League Baseball announced today that ...

Miguel Sano to have back injury examined | twinsbaseball.com

Back injuries are the new rage.

The Pirates’ Pitching Magic Ran Out

I bet he can’t bend spoons either.

“I know there are some teams out there who think, ‘Well, you know, we have the best pitching coach in the world, so we’re going to take so-and-so and turn him into something really good,’” Alderson said. “You’ve got to be careful about that. If you get your person at the right price, looking to turn him into something better than what you’ve purchased, fine. But I think you’ve got to be real careful about saying, ‘We’re going to make him ...

Heyman - Backman Didn’t Get Answer He Was Looking For From Mets

After Backman lost his chance at managing the Diamondbacks, his future in baseball was pretty much sealed. That he lasted this long in the Mets system shocks me.

Backman and GM Sandy Alderson didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and Marc Carig of Newsday cited a few, such as Backman not agreeing to play Michael Conforto vs. lefties, and not agreeing to bat Brandon Nimmo. Though, in an interview with WFAN, Backman said, “Whoever put that out there, the source within the system, they ...

TV Coverage | The National Pastime Museum

Right again.

In his landmark book from 1965, The American Diamond, Branch Rickey wrote:
Baseball does not fit the television screen. Not yet! . . . The shape of the home television screen must be changed in the years to come. The “sports screen” doubtless will be produced by major television manufacturers on a 2 or 2½ to 1 ratio. When the width of the screen is 2½ times the height (in home projection) then you will see the baseball diamond in its full dimension and the interaction of its ...

The Full Story Behind the 1999 AL MVP Vote is Even Worse Than You Thought

You know part of the story - but not the most galling part.

David Dahl, Rockies outfielder, dealing with rigors of longest season of his career

Through it all, Dahl has played in 138 games, 19 more than he has during any other season in his professional season. And the 22-year-old outfielder is discovering the physical toll a full season can take.

“The last couple weeks, I’ve lost some weight, bat feels a little heavier, stuff like that,” Dahl said. “It’s just something that I’ve got to get used to, especially if I want to play here in the big leagues and play that long of a season.”

Dahl was out of the lineup for the ...

OMNICHATTER 9-15-16

Of Mice and OMNICHATTER

Wrigleyville - Baseball Prospectus

Statcasting the Cubs.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-15-2016

Guess who’s back? Back again. Tubby’s back. Tell a friend. Toledo News-Bee, September 15, 1916:

Tubby or Hack, or Edward Spencer, to give his true moniker, undoubtedly is the most remarkable comeback in the history of baseball.

Ten years ago [Spencer] donned a St. Louis uniform. He was a star from the initial bell. Two years later he was traded to the Boston Americans. There he became a great favorite. Popularity ruined him. He neglected training, grew immensely fat and was of no use to the ...

Orioles’ Mark Trumbo hits 42nd home run | MLB.com

A nicely pitched game by both teams. One big blast makes the difference.

Yasiel Puig of Los Angeles Dodgers meets with fan who lost tooth via ball toss

So this does happen.

Yasiel Puig has met with the Los Angeles Dodgers fan whose front tooth was knocked out when the outfielder tossed a ball into the stands at Yankee Stadium as a souvenir.

Alyssa Gerharter also came away with a busted lip from Puig’s throw, which followed the final out of a Dodgers win Monday night in the opener of a three-game set in the Bronx.

Puig made amends with Gerharter and tweeted a photo of the meeting Wednesday.

Yankees agree to deal with Billy Butler, source says | Newsday

If they wanted an old washed up guy, why didn’t they just keep Arod?

Doing What it Takes to Keep Players Healthy – The Hardball Times

So bloodletting is no longer in vogue?

Shohei Otani Sets NPB Record For Fastest Pitch—Again - BaseballAmerica.com

This guy is special.

Shohei Otani threw the fastest pitch in Nippon Professional Baseball history on Tuesday as he was clocked at 164 kph (101.9 mph) on a third-inning fastball to Orix right fielder Yoshio Ito. Impressively, Ito turned on the inside pitch and lined it to right field for a single. Three major league pitchers have thrown a pitch of 102 or faster this year–Aroldis Chapman (179 pitches of 102+), Mauricio Cabrera (61 pitches of 102+) and Arquimedes Caminero (1 pitch of 102+).
... ...

MLB player survey: The challenges of mixing baseball and activism

What is most unfair about criticism of players who do not speak out?

Just because an athlete isn’t speaking publicly to the masses doesn’t mean it’s not important to them or that they aren’t doing anything to help resolve it. I heard something recently about how it’s a professional athlete’s responsibility to speak out about police violence. I disagree strongly with that statement. For example, I have teammates from other countries that have pressing issues such as having enough food for their ...

The hypocrisy of Tony La Russa and the understandable fears of black baseball players

I might as well keep the “moralist” chain alive. Agree or be branded!

Tony La Russa, a convicted drunk driver who managed one of the most steroid-addled clubhouses in modern baseball history and today oversees an organization that at the trade deadline passed along to multiple organizations private medical information about a player it wanted to deal, spent Wednesday playing moralist, a role that suits him about as well as chief baseball officer for a major league franchise.

The impetus behind ...

Astros’ Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman exit series finale against Rangers - Houston Chronicle

The Astros aren’t dead yet but they are hurt and limping toward the end.

Altuve left with right oblique discomfort. The American League’s leading hitter flied out in the third inning, with replays showing him grimacing after a swing during the plate appearance.
Bregman departed after pulling up in the sixth inning while running to third base. He walked gingerly to the Astros dugout before heading straight to the clubhouse.

Mariners win eighth in a row, besting Angels 2-1 in another fine pitching performance | The Seattle Times

The Mariners will not die.

“We were just focusing on the one game,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “When we got on the plane and we were thinking — just keep winning series and winning series. Then you win the first couple of games and you think, ‘Why not sweep it?’ That’s been our attitude. Everybody’s doing their part.”

Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. credits Taijuan Walker’s success to embracing mechanical changes | The Seattle Times

“At that point, he decided it was time to make some adjustments and changes,” Stottlemyre said.

The following day the two were out early before the game, playing catch and working on the changes that features a different leg kick and more hip turn to help him use his legs more and drive down the slope of the mound. It’s been a daily routine since then. They’ve spent hours together going over the changes. They were inseparable on the field, in the weight room and in front the video ...

Bill Murray not feeling fan selfie at Yankee Stadium | theScore.com

You want a selfie now???

Steven Wright injury: Headed to Fort Myers to initiate throwing program; Red Sox regular season in jeopardy | masslive.com

Dumbest move ever?

Wright originally injured his shoulder in early August while diving back to a bag as pinch-runner on the west coast. He landed on the disabled list, but upon his return in late August, Wright still felt symptoms and was not nearly as effective on the mound as he had been during his All-Star worthy first half.

Wright went for a second opinion on the shoulder in Los Angeles while the club was on its most recent west coast road trip. There is no structural damage, however, the ...

West Coast trip will show what Blue Jays are made of: Griffin | Toronto Star

“We have to start winning some games,” Gibbons said, stating the obvious. “We played good out there. I remember Donaldson had a big, big series. The West Coast has never been friendly, really, for anybody. It’s going to be a big test for us and Seattle has always been tough. They’ve got a good ballclub too. This next road trip will say a lot, I would say it determines what happens to us.”

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on display at showcase | MLB.com

The next, next big thing.

Scouts in attendance were impressed with Gurriel’s physique and overall strength. They also noted good arm strength on defense. However, there is a belief is that he could use more at-bats against live pitching.

“What I showed today was a product of all of the hard work I have put in since I got here and in Miami,” Lourdes Jr. said. “I had trainers working really working hard from the beginning.”

Major League Baseball is co-producing a baseball drama aimed at Generation Z

Today, AwesomenessTV and Major League Baseball announced that their new scripted series “Out of My League” will premiere on September 19th on AwesomenessTV. The series features an all-star cast featuring Lauren Elizabeth Luthringshausen (3M fans) and Brian Redmon (654K fans) with Caeli Santa Olalla (16.9M fans) and Ryan Abe (857K fans). Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star center fielder, Joc Pederson (439K fans) also makes a special appearance.

Shot in and around legendary Dodger Stadium, “Out ...

MLB: Cherington Joins Blue Jays Front Office

The Blue Jays hired former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington to be their vice president of baseball operations on Wednesday… He will report to executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager Ross Atkins.

VP of Baseball Ops sounds closer to the role I thought he wanted in Boston (President of Baseball Ops), but it’s one step further away. Per TFA the VP of Baseball Ops reports to the Executive VP of Baseball Ops, which is the GM in Toronto. So he’s an Assistant GM, ...