Top News:
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Revised Batting Order Changes Dynamic for Mets — Carlos Beltrán had seen enough. So in a quiet moment Tuesday afternoon, he pulled a chair beside José Reyes's locker and offered some unsolicited advice. Recalling their conversation Wednesday night after the Mets' 5-2 victory …
Discussion:
On the Mets beat, Mets Geek, Federal Baseball, Faith and Fear in Flushing and Eephus Pitch
RELATED:
Jim Baumbach / Newsday:
Reyes homers, celebrates like old self as Mets win — Mets catcher Brian Schneider congratulates pitcher Billy Wagner at the end of the game after the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 at Shea Stadium. (Newsday Photo / Kathy Kmonicek / April 16, 2008)
Discussion:
New Jersey Online
Mark Hale / New York Post:
THE BEL TOLLS — CARLOS' THREE-RUN BLAST, PEP TALK FUEL REYES, METS — The discussion came before Tuesday's game against the Nationals. Carlos Beltran initiated it with Jose Reyes, and because of it things may have changed with this team. — Beltran approached Reyes on Tuesday and delivered this message - be yourself.
Brian Lewis / New York Post:
SMITH BAILS OUT MAINE, AMAZIN'S — Joe Smith rode a roller-coaster rookie season that took him from unhittable to demoted to redeemed. After struggling through some mechanical tinkering this spring, Willie Randolph said the right-handed sidearm reliever is whipping the ball even better than before.
Evan Grant / Associated Press:
Texas Rangers beat Toronto in 14 innings — egrant@dallasnews.com — TORONTO - In his third meeting with his club in the last week, Rangers manager Ron Washington had gone for more of a pep talk, reminding them it's OK to bend but to let the other team break. — The Rangers seem to finally have heard.
RELATED:
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Zambrano solid on mound, plate in win — With wind playing a role, Cubs pound Reds again — How windy was it Wednesday night during the Cubs' 12-3 victory over Cincinnati at Wrigley Field? — So windy the Cubs took down the ceremonial flags for Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo …
RELATED:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Sox battered in Bronx — Yanks rip Buchholz, 'pen … NEW YORK - Imagine going shopping for apples and instead of reaching for the perfectly ripe ones, you grab the most bruised and nasty ones. — That kind of bizarre retail behavior was exhibited by the pitching staffs of both the Yankees and Red Sox …
RELATED:
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Forbes: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox worth most — The Yankees, Mets and Red Sox top Forbes Magazine's annual list of baseball team valuations, with only the Yankees surpassing $1 billion. Befitting baseball's biggest rivalry, however, the Yankees and the Red Sox are the only clubs that are pegged to operate at a loss.
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
Dave Studeman / Hardball Times:
Ten things I didn't know last week — Win Shares and Loss Shares — A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the essential place wins and losses have in the sabermetric universe. There are a lot of stats that track a player's contribution to his team's wins (you can probably come …
Discussion:
THE BOOK
USA Today:
Contact rate can be more revealing than batting average — By Ron Shandler, Special for USA TODAY — What do Pat Burrell, Joe Crede and Xavier Nady have in common? — All three are major league veterans who have established a performance baseline during their respective careers.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Tom Haudricourt / Brewers Blog:
Turnbow unhappy with role — St. Louis - Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow is so upset over being relegated to what he calls a “mop-up” role in the bullpen that he asked his agent to contact general manager Doug Melvin to see what the plans are for the beleaguered right-hander.
Craig Barnes / Sun-Sentinel:
Jacobs gets off to healthy, productive start — MIAMI GARDENS - Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs can't explain it, but he will take it. — For the second consecutive season, Jacobs has started quickly. His third-inning homer Wednesday was his sixth, and he has 12 RBI. He is hitting .315.
Jeff Sackmann / Hardball Times:
The benefit of batting eighth — Baseball's conventional wisdom suggests that batting eighth in the National League—that is, in front of the pitcher—has its pros and cons. With an extremely weak hitter on deck, opposing pitchers would seem less likely to throw strikes.
Discussion:
THE BOOK
