Category: MLB (Page 174 of 448)

      Holliday hoping to stay in St. Louis long-term

      August 27, 2009 /

      Matt Holliday told KSLG 1380 AM in St. Louis that he’s hoping to stay with the Cardinals long-term. Holliday is a free agent after this season.

      From MLB Trade Rumors.com:

      “That would be really exciting for me to get a chance to be here and play next to Albert [Pujols] along with the rest of these guys and to do some special things over the next however many years,” Holliday said. “Hopefully this will be a long-term relationship.”

      He hasn’t begun negotiating an extension with the team, but says there’s a chance he signs one before the season’s over.

      “Hopefully there’ll be some progress and hopefully I’ll be able to stick around here for a long time.”
      Holliday, who will turn 30 this offseason, makes $13.5MM this year. His improved offensive stats and strong outfield defense will likely make him one of most highly coveted free agents after the season if he doesn’t sign an extension first.

      With how well Holliday has played since arriving in St. Louis, it appears that he and the Cards are a match made in baseball heaven. He offers the club protection behind Pujols in the lineup and also gives them a major upgrade defensively over Chris Duncan, who had been the Cards starting left fielder before Holliday was acquired.

      Unless another team (the Yankees?) swoop in and blow Holliday away with a contract, it appears that he’ll be a Cardinal long-term.

      MLB

      Released by the Red Sox, Giants should take flier on Penny

      August 27, 2009 /

      The Boston Herald is reporting that the Red Sox have released starter Brad Penny, who has been awful in his last four starts, compiling a 0-4 record and a 9.11 ERA. Penny will try to join a contender by the end of August in hopes of contributing this postseason.

      One contender that would be a fit for Penny is the Giants. They’re a seriously flawed club offensively, so it would make sense that they would focus their attention solely on that weakness. But there aren’t any available bats, so their lineup is what it is. (Fans just threw up after reading that.)

      They could, however, use an upgrade over fifth starter Joe Martinez, who is well liked and incredibly easy to root for, but has failed to get past the fifth inning in each of his last four starts. Granted, he’s 2-1 during that span, but he’s gotten an unusual (for the Giants) 8.0 runs per game over those four contests. The more telling sign of how Martinez has pitched is his ERA, which is 5.73.

      Penny pitched for the Dodgers for four years (2005-2008) and therefore is familiar with the NL West. Outside of his bloated 6.28 ERA in 2008, he was anywhere from respectable to great while pitching in L.A., compiling a 3.90 ERA in 2005, a 4.33 ERA in 2006, and a 3.03 mark in 2007.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Injuries cost Giants, Marlins their trade deadline players

      August 26, 2009 /

      The Giants and Marlins were hopeful that the acquisitions of second baseman Freddy Sanchez and first baseman Nick Johnson at the trade deadline would help propel them to a postseason berth. But due to injuries, those hopes are fading fast.

      San Fran placed Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain Tuesday, an injury that has kept him out of the Giants’ last six games. He’ll be eligible to return from the DL in eight days and should be ready to play by then, but there are no guarantees.

      Also on Tuesday, Florida placed Johnson on the 15-day DL, retroactive to August 17, with a strained right hamstring. As with Sanchez, the Marlins hope Johnson can return sometime in early September and continue to give their lineup the boost that he was supplying before his injury.

      The Giants and Marlins desperately need these players if they’re going to stay in the NL Wild Card hunt. Thanks to a heartbreaking series in Colorado in which they lost three of four games to the Wild Card-leading Rockies, San Fran is now four games back in the standings. The Marlins are currently 5.5 games back of the Rockies.

      Before the injury, Sanchez supplied the Giants with a consistent, patient hitter at the top of their lineup. He gave San Fran’s offense a needed spark and since his absence, the team has gone back to their woeful offensive ways.

      Johnson was highly productive too, hitting 12-for-39 before his injury. He provides more pop than Ross Gload and Gaby Sanchez, who will be his replacements while he’s on the DL.

      Both of these clubs need these players back soon, or else the season will undoubtedly be lost over the course of the next month.

      MLB

      Papelbon voices displeasure over Sox potentially acquiring Wagner

      August 24, 2009 /

      Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon isn’t thrilled about his club potentially acquiring reliever Billy Wagner from the Mets.

      From the Boston Herald:

      “It’s a tough decision, because do you disrupt what we have now or do you make it better?” he said. “It’s a tough decision, and I’m glad I don’t have to make it.”

      “I think that we have a good dynamic in the bullpen, I think we have guys who know how to work together,” Papelbon said. “Is Billy Wagner a good pitcher? Would he bring some more depth to our bullpen and make our bullpen better? There’s no question about it, but you also have to think about what we have now and what we’ve been able to accomplish to this point in the season and how good we’ve been.

      “It’s not that it shakes the balance; you have that little bit of time of getting used to it, but how are we going to use this guy now, what situation is he going to be best in, who’s going to leave our bullpen – it’s a multitude of things. It’s not just one specific thing.”

      Asked if Wagner’s addition would be welcomed, Papelbon said “no question.”

      “I don’t think in this environment you hold grudges or you get an ego about yourself,” Papelbon said. “When a guy comes in, you welcome him with open arms and you move forward and you say, ‘Look, you’re here for one reason and for one reason only: You’re here to help us win a World Series this year.’ And if that guy’s not on board, then he falls by the wayside, but if he comes in our clubhouse and says, ‘I’m on board for this,’ then you rock and roll, man.”

      This all may be moot anyway, as the Red Sox, Mets and Wagner’s agent Bean Stringfellow are struggling to come to terms with a deal. Stringfellow wants a guarantee that Boston won’t pick up Wagner’s 2010 club option and won’t offer the reliever salary arbitration. A deal has to be completed by 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday or else Wagner goes back on waivers.

      As far as Papelbon’s feelings are concerned, he shouldn’t be worried about what the front office is doing. He has a right to have an opinion, but he doesn’t get paid to scout other team’s players and determine whether or not they’ll be a good fit for the Sox. Regardless of if Boston’s pen has been productive this season, if the front office believes Wagner makes the group better, then they’re going to proceed with trying to acquire him – Papelbon (and his opinions) be damned.

      MLB

      Rockies’ Aaron Cook placed on the DL

      August 22, 2009 /

      Cook

      Bad news for Rockies fans coming out of Colorado. Ace Aaron Cook has been placed on the DL due to shoulder strain. The team has called up right-handed reliever Matt Herges from Triple-A Colorado Springs to replace the injured Cook on the roster.

      The Rockies began the day leading the NL wild-card race by one game over San Francisco.

      Cook was hurt during Friday night’s 6-3 loss to the Giants. Rockies manager Jim Tracy said Cook felt something in his shoulder during a four-pitch walk to Nate Schierholtz to start the fourth inning. Cook motioned to the dugout after the walk and was taken out after being looked at by trainer Keith Dugger.

      Tracy said Cook will have an MRI on Monday and the early signs are encouraging that it won’t be a serious injury.

      Cook hasn’t been on the DL since 2007 when he experienced an oblique strain. With that injury, Cook missed the last seven weeks of the regular season. There’s word that Cook could miss up to three and a half weeks with this recent problem.

      With a rotation of Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Marquis, Jason Hammell, and Jorge De La Rosa, it’s a miracle the Rockies are in the playoff hunt. Normally, I would say that Cook’s absence wouldn’t hurt their chances — as he’s usually pretty mediocre — but he’s been vital to the Rockies unexpected success. On the Rockies DL, Cook will be joining relievers Manuel Corpas and Juan Rincon.

      Still, the Rockies aren’t the only club in the NL West having to soldier through pitching injuries. All on the DL, Randy Johnson of the Giants and both Hiroki Kuroda and Jason Schmidt of the Dodgers can only watch as their teams compete down the stretch.

      Either Adam Eaton or Josh Fogg will start in place of Cook next Wednesday against the Dodgers.

      MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑