Forget Jose Bautista: John Danks is the real clown
Emotion is a part of baseball. Heck, even Jose Bautista makes mistakes sometimes.
The Toronto Blue Jays masher pounded his bat into the dirt and seemed irked at himself after popping up a pitch Sunday against Chicago White Sox lefty John Danks, who had some choice words about Joey Bats' reflex. Tap your mouse here for more »
Fantasy baseball: Watching Tyler Colvin
Colvin mining
The scary HBP to the face that put Marlon Byrd on the DL means Reed Johnson will likely step in. The streaky vet could easily help bide the time until the equally hot-and-cold Byrd can suit up again for the Chicago Cubs.
Tyler Colvin was demoted last week and might be an option in the near future, if only for depth. We saw the skills Colvin owns during his stretch last year. To put it kindly, however ... he hasn't even come close to showing us that again.
"Buy low"? More like "Buy subterranean." Tap your mouse here for more »
U-turn coming for Ubaldo Jimenez?
Stand up straight, Ubaldo
Ubaldo Jimenez owners haven't had much good news about the righty so far. His sterling effort Tuesday came against a San Francisco Giants team that's hardly a juggernaut, so many might chalk it up to a great matchup.
A simple observation, however, might be the first step toward a recovery.
Hope for Brandon Wood, empathy for John Lackey and support for MLB chitchat
Happy Jason Voorhees Day! In honor of the masked slasher, I've decided to cut through my notebook.
Positive signs for those who took a chance on the Pittsburgh Pirates' Brandon Wood: This week he worked on hitting curveballs in practice, focusing on taking ball back up middle. His hands are higher, and MLB Network's Tom Verducci said Wood now looks like Alex Rios in the box. Manager Clint Hurdle is a solid source of instruction for hitters. Tap your mouse here for more »
Fantasy baseball: Go to the Mat for Latos?
While Zack Greinke showed Monday that he's probably on his way to rejoining the top 10 or so mixed starting pitchers, Mat Latos showed that he ... well, isn't anytime soon.
Not a pretty effort - sad, because the two before that looked like he was regaining his form. Sure, they came at home and against the stick-shaky Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates, and his defense led to giving up six runs (one earned) versus Atlanta, but they were good signs nonetheless. Tap your mouse here for more »
Fantasy baseball: Tout Wars bet and bids
Before the start of the season, Nicholas Minnix and I made a friendly wager for the Tout Wars mixed league: Whoever finishes below the other in the standings has to wear the paraphernalia of the other's MLB allegiance, complete with an embarrassing photo documentation of false happiness and fantasy shame.
I prefer Cole Hamels. Nick favors Alex Rodriguez. Tap your mouse here for more »
Jair Jurrjens grounding his value? Be careful
Rub some Jurrjens on your roster for now
For some time I've thought the solid Jair Jurrjens, who's mowing down fools, has been a bit overrated, but the news of David Ross becoming his personal receiver caught my eye. So is his career-best GB pace.
Maybe Ross is imploring him to keep the ball down, something that would go a long way in prolonging the success of Jurrjens' contact-first approach. Tap your mouse here for more »
