Top News:
George King / New York Post:
ALEX ON HIS FUTURE: CALL ME STAY-ROD — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It wasn't a guarantee that he won't opt out of his contract in November, but Alex Rodriguez uttered his strongest statement yet on the subject. — Sitting in the Yankees' dugout before a 6-4 loss to the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field …
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Call him Stay-Rod — Loves N.Y. but won't nix opting out — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez's start has surely opened eyes around the majors, and with the opt-out clause that he can exercise at the end of the year, several teams are surely thinking about how much money they can throw at the two-time MVP this winter.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Chavez's squeeze gives Mets win in 12 — RBI bunt gives New York 15th win in last 16 vs. Rox at Shea — NEW YORK — Some 45 minutes after the Mets had left the field, their smiles hadn't left their faces. They were little-boy smiles, broader and brighter than usual. The Mets were getting giddy with it.
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nationals' Bullpen Lets One Slip Away — To the denizens of Citizens Bank Park, Jason Bergmann didn't appear fatigued or flailing in the sixth inning Tuesday night. The Washington Nationals right-hander, who has turned his season around since opening it with an epic 50-pitch inning …
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Andy Jasner / MLB.com:
Notes: Choices looming for Acta — Roster shakeup likely when pitchers return from disabled list — PHILADELPHIA — It's early in the season, but the Nationals are already facing some difficult decisions with their roster, most notably their pitching staff.
Discussion:
DC Sports Blog
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
For once, offense saves the bullpen — Neither a starter who is undefeated against Detroit nor a bullpen that is considered one of the best in baseball could prevent the Angels from blowing a one-touchdown lead Tuesday. — The top three batters in the Angels order, Gary Matthews Jr. …
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Charlie Nobles / MLB.com:
Notes: Olsen works on mechanics — Left-hander looks to get back on track after two subpar starts — MIAMI — Scott Olsen believes he has identified the flaw in his pitching mechanics that led him to having two forgettable performances after starting the season 2-0.
Discussion:
FishStripes
RELATED:
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:Pitching adrift early, late as Braves score in flurries against Marlins
Discussion:
FishStripes
Yahoo! Sports:
Rockies bang out 20 hits, rip Mets 11-5 (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — Willy Taveras got five of Colorado's season-high 20 hits and the Rockies snapped out of an offensive drought Wednesday with an 11-5 rout of the New York Mets. — Todd Helton had four hits and three RBIs and John Mabry added a three-run homer.
Discussion:
Mets Today
Patrick Sullivan / Baseball Analysts:
Best in Class — Every year we all place a little too much stock in early season results. Yet while it's too early to discern much of anything at this point, there is still more evidence than we had four weeks ago when we were all running around like we knew something predicting what would unfold this season.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Bob Herzog / Newsday:
Willie says Wright will snap out of it — If batting averages and run production numbers were posted on the New York Stock Exchange, Willie Randolph would call David Wright's recent decline a market correction and nothing more. — But the 0-for-15 mark Wright took into last night's game …
Discussion:
Mets Fever
Todd Zolecki / philly.com:
Phillies Notes | Lonely lefty Smith focuses on positive — PHILLIES NOTES — Because he is the only lefthander in the Phillies' bullpen, Matt Smith finds that his successes and failures are magnified. — So far, the results have not been pretty. Smith has a 10.80 ERA in eight appearances.
Brian McTaggart / Houston Chronicle:
Astros pollute Pittsburgh with play — Garner blasts lack of focus in loss to Pirates — PITTSBURGH — There was no sugarcoating or excuse-making. Astros manager Phil Garner instead gave a concise — and accurate — description of Tuesday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. — "We stunk tonight.
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
Keith Reed / Boston Globe:
Sox have Dice-K, but rivals reaping ad dollars — Japanese firms buy signs to reach game viewers back home — If you watched the Red Sox play the Texas Rangers earlier this month and couldn't read the Japanese-language ads behind home plate, don't worry. Those were meant for fans watching overseas, not you.
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Gonzalez's blasts lead Reds to rout — Shortstop homers twice, drives in five; Griffey belts No. 564 — ST. LOUIS — With his reputation as a highly-regarded shortstop that plays pristine defense, the Reds' Alex Gonzalez is rarely confused with a hulking slugger with bats the size of California redwoods.
Discussion:
Church of Baseball
Seth Stevenson / Slate:
STAT NERDS ARE OUT! BIOMECHANICS NERDS ARE IN! — The other day I was talking baseball with a friend. At first we were, lamely, comparing our fantasy teams. This is something I never really enjoy. How much can be said about how eye-popping A-Rod's stats are or how badly some guy in your league got fleeced in a trade?
