Category: MLB (Page 427 of 448)

It is June 18. Here are the team batting stats for the Chicago Cubs – who have the seventh highest payroll in baseball – along with the stats of the league leaders.

Runs Scored: 264, second to last in MLB (New York Yankees, 386)
Batting Average: .258, 23rd in MLB (Toronto, .296)
On-Base Percentage: .310, second to last in MLB (New York Yankees, .370)
Home Runs: 53, second to last in MLB (Cincinnati, 102)
Total Bases: 882, second to last in MLB (Toronto, 1155)

Had enough? Okay, how about some pitching stats:

Runs Allowed: 334, 16th most in MLB (Detroit, 263)
ERA: 4.72, 22nd in MLB (Detroit, 3.61)
Walks Allowed: 285, second most in MLB (Minnesota, 157)
Home Runs Allowed: 82, sixth most in MLB (Colorado, 51) (Note: They allowed eight home runs today)

After surveying these numbers, a few small questions spring to mind. A few of you may recognize these from an earlier rant.

– How does hitting coach Gene Clines still have a job?
– How does pitching coach Larry Rothschild still have a job?
– Why does there seem to be no pressure at all on a single member of the Cubs coaching staff?

This team needs to be stripped for parts, a la the Florida Marlins, who, in case you were wondering, have a better record than the Cubs. With a sixth of the payroll.

Free the Cubs.

The New York Yankees got word today that outfielder Gary Sheffield will likely miss at least four months of the season due to surgery he must have to repair a wrist injury he suffered in April.

Sheffield originally hurt the wrist when he collided at first base with Shea Hillenbrand of the Toronto Blue Jays on April 29. He missed three games, returned for two games and then went on the disabled list May 9 with a contusion and sprain of the wrist and missed 16 games.

The surgery is not expected to end Sheffield’s season, but he has already missed significant time this year due to the injury.

Sheffield joins a long list of injured Yankees, including fellow outfielders Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. Pitchers Shawn Chacon and Mariano Rivera have also missed time due to injuries for New York and just recently, Derek Jeter has missed three games with a thumb injury.

Now, perhaps more than ever, the Yankees are starting to rely on their farm team and aging veterans to fill the voids left by injuries.

Rookie Melky Cabrera has been starting many games recently by filling in for Matsui, Damon and Sheffield in the outfield. Long time starter now reserve, Bernie Williams, has also been getting plenty of action with so many Yankees on the shelf.

New York is still tops in their division, but any more setbacks and the Yankees may see a significant slide heading into the second half of the season.

When it finally seemed like the whole steroid firestorm in major league baseball was starting to simmer, news broke that Diamondbacks reliever Jason Grimsley admitted to using performance-enhancers, including HGH, steroids, and amphetamines. Grimsley asked for his release from the club after federal agents searched his home as part of a drug investigation.

In court documents, Grimsley gave names of several other major league players who he said either use performance-enhancers or have been suppliers of drugs. Though the names were blacked out, Grimsley’s confession will undoudtedly open up a bad can of worms for major league baseball. Sooner or later those unidentified names will be recovered and the league will be in a world of hurt. It should get extremely interesting now that someone finally admitted to using HGH. Grimsley ratting out other players in this mess says that the substance obviously is prevalent in major league baseball. However, since baseball has no test for HGH, it’s apparent more players will elect to use the drug. As the investigation continues, a severe domino effect may be awaiting major league baseball. Are there any big name players on Grimsley’s list and, if so, the ramifications for the league may worse than they had ever thought.