Top News:
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
MLB Issues Suspensions For Rangers-Blue Jays Brawl — 3:37pm: Bautista will be suspended for one game, tweets SB Nation's Chris Cotillo. — 3:20pm: Right-hander Jesse Chavez, who hit Prince Fielder in the thigh with a pitch following the initial skirmish, will receive a three-game suspension …
Discussion:
OutsidePitchMLB, Toronto, JaysNation and Al's Ramblings
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New York Daily News:
Rougned Odor no tough guy, says minor-league foe who had his own dustup with the hot-headed Rangers infielder — Riding on a bus through New England, Shane Opitz watched on a teammate's phone as Rougned Odor shoved Jose Bautista and hit him with a right cross in Sunday's game between the Rangers and Blue Jays.
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News
Associated Press:
Rays Hit 4 Homers, Rout Blue Jays 13-2
Rays Hit 4 Homers, Rout Blue Jays 13-2
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Minor League Ball, DRaysBay and Bluebird Banter
New York Daily News:
Bad blood between Rougned Odor and Jose Bautista, and Rangers and Blue Jays, is good for MLB
Bad blood between Rougned Odor and Jose Bautista, and Rangers and Blue Jays, is good for MLB
Discussion:
New York Post, Dallas Morning News and ESPN
Marcus Stroman / ESPN:
Rougned Odor punches Jose Bautista in face to start brawl
Rougned Odor punches Jose Bautista in face to start brawl
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Lone Star Ball, ESPN, Bluebird Banter, Fox Sports, Total Pro Sports, Halos Heaven and Dallas Morning News
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Braves Fire Fredi Gonzalez; Brian Snitker Named Interim Manager — The Braves have brought an end to the speculation by officially firing manager Fredi Gonzalez, as David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was first to report (Twitter link). Gonzalez becomes the first skipper to lose his post this year.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Talking Chop, Amazin' Avenue, USA Today, FanGraphs Baseball, CBSSports.com and MLB Daily Dish
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Braves fire Fredi Gonzalez as manager — The Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday, after one of the worst half-seasons in the franchise's 140-year history was followed by its worst-ever start to a season. They have a majors-worst 9-28 record. — Brian Snitker will move …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and Red Reporter
Associated Press:
Rangers' Yu Darvish notches 6 K's in 4th rehab start — MIDLAND, Texas — Yu Darvish struck out six while throwing 68 pitches in his fourth rehab start, and could be back in the Texas Rangers' rotation by the end of the month. — Darvish pitched his scheduled five innings Tuesday for Double …
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Pirates Extend Francisco Cervelli — The Pirates have announced a three-year extension with catcher Francisco Cervelli that will pay him $31MM, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Cervelli is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council, which also recently negotiated an extension between the team and Gregory Polanco.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Baseball Essential, Bleacher Nation, Where Have You Gone … and Bucs Dugout
Brian McTaggart / MLB.com:
Kemp follows Altuve's 5-foot-6 footsteps to Astros — BOSTON — Tony Kemp's Nashville, Tenn., homecoming turned out to be more memorable than even he could have imagined. — Kemp, who was raised outside Music City and attended college at Vanderbilt, was with dozens of family members …
Discussion:
Minor League Ball and The Crawfish Boxes
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Astros To Promote Colin Moran — The Astros will promote third base prospect Colin Moran to join the team for tonight's game, according to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com (via Twitter). It's not yet clear what the club will do to make space on its active and 40-man rosters.
Discussion:
Minor League Ball, MLB Daily Dish and The Crawfish Boxes
Patrick Saunders / Denver Post:
Manager Walt Weiss says better pitching, more diverse offense gives Colorado better chance on road — The Denver Post — Ryan Raburn (6) and DJ LeMahieu celebrate Sunday after Raburn's two-run, pinch-hit homer against the Mets. (Justin Edmonds, Getty Images) — The Rockies' clubhouse was a hectic place Sunday night.
Discussion:
Purple Row and MLB Daily Dish
Sam Amick / USA Today:
Steven Adams apologizes for ‘quick little monkeys’ comment after Thunder beat Warriors — OAKLAND — Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams apologized for his postgame comment that so many found offensive in the wake of a Game 1 win in the Western Conference Finals.
Discussion:
NOLA River, TMZ.com and NESN.com, more at WeSmirch »
Sarah McLellan / Arizona Republic:
Arizona Diamondbacks pay tribute to Joe Garagiola … The Diamondbacks recognized the late Joe Garagiola during a ceremony before Monday's game against the New York Yankees, recounting his decorated career in baseball and television before unveiling a “Joe” emblem in left field.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit
Baseball Prospectus:
The Need for Adjusted Exit Velocity — Last year, the folks at MLB Advanced Media started publishing what is commonly described as “exit velocity”: the pace at which the baseball is traveling off the bat of the hitter, as measured by the new Statcast system. — As a statistic, exit velocity is attractive for several reasons.
Discussion:
Fish Stripes
ESPN:
Right-hander Tim Lincecum agrees to deal with Angels — Tim Lincecum, who recently auditioned for teams to show he is healthy, has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden. — The deal is pending a physical. — Lincecum spent nine seasons …
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles and Brew Crew Ball
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Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Tim Lincecum, Angels Nearing Major League Deal
Tim Lincecum, Angels Nearing Major League Deal
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles, NBCSports.com, Talking Chop, Halos Heaven, Yahoo Sports, MLB Daily Dish, FanGraphs Baseball and Lone Star Ball