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John Perrotto / Baseball Prospectus:
Closing Confidence Tests — The most automatic managerial decision in today's game is to bring the closer in to pitch the ninth inning with a lead of three runs or less. That is certainly the strategy Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Angels manager Mike Scioscia will employ …
Discussion:
The Good Phight
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Stats Tell Only Half the Story for Abreu — Bobby Abreu has 2,111 career hits. He has a .299 average, a .404 on-base percentage and a .493 slugging percentage. Only 15 other players have career marks as high in all four categories. Ten are in the Hall of Fame, and the others are active …
Discussion:
bronxbanterblog.com
Billy Witz / New York Times:
Laid-Back Practices for Dodgers and Angels — LOS ANGELES — Dodgers Manager Joe Torre looked laid-back late Tuesday afternoon as he sat down at a news conference at Dodger Stadium. Torre, dressed in blue jeans, an untucked dress shirt and a baseball cap from a Hawaiian golf resort, seemed as relaxed as ever.
Discussion:
Dodger Thoughts
Beth Harris / MiamiHerald.com:Torre says he doesn't anticipate extension
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets' pitching prospect Mejia on fast track — SURPRISE, Ariz. - Jenrry Mejia felt ill and stiff the day he auditioned for the Mets at their old Dominican Republic complex in Boca de Nigua two years ago. — “I don't know how I can throw today. I think I'll throw maybe 86 (mph) …
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Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Mets' Davis dominates in Rafters' rout — Former first-rounder hits grand slam, drives in six runs — A week ago, Mets top prospect Ike Davis was running on fumes. — Following a 114-game Minor League season split between two levels, he spent nearly a month playing for gold medal-winning Team USA at the IBAF World Cup.
Stan Hochman / Philly.com:
McCarver sings, tunes out zings — THE FIRST ROUND of the playoffs is history. Tawdry, bumbling history, marred by shoddy umpiring, Minnesota's dumber-than-dirt baserunning and the babbling of Chip Caray on TBS. — Cue the catcher/broadcaster/singer. Enter Tim McCarver doing …
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Evan Grant / Texas Rangers:
Rudy Jaramillo, Rangers to part ways — UPDATED, 12:17 p.m. CDT: The rest of the coaching staff will return, the Rangers have announced. — Dallas-raised Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers hitting instructor for the last 15 seasons, has turned down the club's one-year contract offer and is preparing …
Sean Forman / Bats:
Yankees Defy Their Advancing Age — One of the remarkable things about the Yankees this year is the set of performances turned in by their veteran players. Statistically, studies have shown that players tend to peak around age 27 to 29 and then slide from there into retirement.
Sweeny Murti Yankees Blog:
Three Down...Eight To Go — yankees@wfan.com — Minneapolis, MN (WFAN) — In a relatively dry corner of the Yankees clubhouse last night, I asked Joe Girardi what he thought was the best part of the night? He said, without hesitation,"Alex and Jorge. With all that Alex has gone through …
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Barring big offer, Braves' Hudson to be free agent — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX. — add this
Josh Leventhal / Baseball America:
International League Top 20 Prospects — Wieters sticks around long enough to rank No. 1 … The industry consensus at the start of the season was that the two best prospects in baseball were Orioles catcher Matt Wieters and Rays lefthander David Price. Both began the year in the Triple …
Discussion:
Pending Pinstripes
Jon Weisman / Dodger Thoughts:
Wherein I kept my mouth shut about a disagreement over Manny Ramirez and feel the better for it — I didn't comment here at Dodger Thoughts on Steve Lopez's strangely timed attack on Manny Ramirez in The Times this month because, well, I was just pretty tired of conflict.
Robert Snell / Tax Watchdog:
‘Amazin’ debt for Miracle Met Ron Darling — Tax agencies in two states and the IRS have former New York Mets pitcher and TBS analyst Ron Darling caught in a squeeze play. Darling, who helped call the Yankees-Twins game Sunday, owes $544,197 in state and federal taxes, records show.
Ed Chigliak / Federal Baseball:
Jim Bowden Updates List Of Washington Nationals' Managerial Candidates. — More photos » by Reed Saxon - AP — 5 months ago: Los Angeles Dodgers coach Larry Bowa congratulates Manny Ramirez on a solo home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies in a National League baseball …
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
