Top News:
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
MLB needs to wake up and expand replay — Everyone was tired. It was a few minutes before 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday. A rookie catcher named Mike McKenry barely could summon enough oomph to toss the ball back to the mound. Daniel McCutchen(notes), a reliever, was throwing his sixth inning.
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Braves win on blown call in 19th — ATLANTA (AP) — Julio Lugo said he was safe, and after 19 innings and almost 7 hours, he wasn't sticking around for extended conversation on the subject. — Lugo scored from third base on a contested play at the plate, giving the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 win …
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Umpire Meals: Call ‘might have’ been wrong — Pirates, Braves weigh in on controversial ruling in 19th inning — ATLANTA — Veteran umpire Jerry Meals felt he was right with the call he made that ended the 4-3, 19-inning win the Braves claimed over the Pirates at Turner Field on Tuesday night.
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus, Bats, HardballTalk, Halos Heaven, Brew Crew Ball and Baseball Nation
Robneyer / Baseball Nation:
Jerry Meals Might Have Been Right — Yes, the throw beat Julio Lugo and it sure looked like Michael McKenry tagged Lugo. But isn't it possible that umpire Jerry Meals saw something the rest of us didn't? — Call me a sensationalist or an iconoclast if you like, but I just gotta say something this morning ...
Discussion:
Joe Posnanski, Bowman's Blog, HardballTalk, Bucs Dugout and Talking Chop
Peter Gammons / MLB.com:
Trade picture will become clear for Rays, others — When you are the Tampa Bay Rays, this is your reality: you have the sixth-best record in the American League, you have the smallest payroll, and you are in third place in the East, eight games in the loss column behind the Yankees.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, DRaysBay, Athletics Nation, MLB.com's On the Beat and Mets Fever
RELATED:
CBSSports.com Blogs:
Upton draws interest, gets advice from brother — You bet the rumors swirling around his Tampa Bay batting helmet have gotten B.J. Upton's attention. — “Thanks for all the support on twitter - I appreciate it,” he tweeted from his @BJUPTON2 account Tuesday — presumably as Atlanta …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
The Mets shot down trading Jose Reyes for Erick Aybar
Discussion:
Mets Merized Online
Fox Sports:
Notes: Fearless Amaro GM to watch — Where have all the wheeler-dealers gone? — The original gunslinger, Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers, is looking mostly at middle-inning relievers. Several of the other ultra-aggressive GMs - the White Sox's Ken Williams …
Discussion:
Full Count and MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Reds trade Gomes to Nats, promote Alonso — Outfielder, a former first-round Draft pick, called up to Cincinnati — CINCINNATI — It was clear from the moment he was drafted that prospect Yonder Alonso's bat would eventually force the Reds' hand into getting him to the Major Leagues.
Discussion:
Blog Red Machine and Red Hot Mama
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Nationals Acquire Jonny Gomes
Discussion:
Red Reporter, Baseball America, MLB Daily Dish and Yahoo! Sports
New York Post:
Yankees unwilling to give up top prospects for Jimenez — But general manager Dan O'Dowd has insisted that he simply is reacting to a) Colorado's underachieving season that makes him feel a significant roster shakeup is necessary and b) the lack of quality starting pitching in the market …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Baseball Time in Arlington and The Yankee Analysts
RELATED:
Andy Martino / NY Daily News:
Mets again defeat Reds, 8-6, source says team not backing down from demands for Carlos Beltran
Discussion:
NorthJersey.com, Patrick Flood, New York Times and ESPN
Associated Press:
Vance Worley 3-hits Giants for Phillies — PHILADELPHIA - Rookie right-hander Vance Worley threw a three-hitter and Chase Utley hit an inside-the-park homer to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night in a matchup of the NL's top teams.
Discussion:
Blogging Baseball, Phillies Nation and The Good Phight
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Pujols' homer lifts Cards over Astros — ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols got the St. Louis Cardinals off to a quick start with a two-run first inning homer, and starter Jake Westbrook made it hold up with six innings of one-run ball as the Cardinals defeated the slumping Houston Astros 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
RELATED:
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Astros fall down a lot in loss to Cardinals, blame U2 and Bono
Discussion:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Baseball Nation
Tommy Bennett / Baseball Prospectus:
The Mystery of Jered Weaver — On July 21, Jered Weaver recorded his 13th win of the season. His box score recorded his seven innings, two walks, and six strikeouts to go with his zero runs and seven hits. His box score even recorded his 122 pitches—the sixth time this year he has thrown 120 pitches or more.
MLB.com:
La Russa: Rasmus doesn't listen to coaches — ST. LOUIS — Continuing an ongoing saga, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told a St. Louis television station on Tuesday that outfielder Colby Rasmus “doesn't listen” to the team's coaches. It's the latest development in a lengthy series …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, The Big Lead and MLB Rumors
T.R. Sullivan / Postcards From Elysian Fields:
Trade Deadline/Feliz — The Rangers are trying to engage clubs in trade talks for a setup reliever. Most clubs that have relief pitching to trade appear to be holding back until the last minute before pulling the trigger. — Why? — 1. They are asking too much.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and CloserNews
Associated Press:
Mauer's Double Caps Twins' Comeback Over Rangers — ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joe Mauer drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch hit double off closer Neftali Feliz in a two-run ninth and the Minnesota Twins rallied for a 9-8 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
Discussion:
Twinkie Town
