Baseball

When Bryce Harper was chosen by the Washington Nationals as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, he had played for most of his amateur career as a catcher.

In just three-plus years, it's safe to say he's picked up the nuances of the outfield fairly well.

Those sneaky Tampa Bay Rays have been anything but complacent this week as they aim for their fourth playoff berth in six seasons.

Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale technically surrendered four home runs on Friday night, although the one that came off of Ian Kinsler's bat only landed about halfway between home plate and the bleachers.

Judge his third-inning, inside-the-park blast for yourself:

The long summer months of Major League Baseball have perennially been referred to as "the dog days of summer." In 2013, fans are now actually able to bring their dogs to the baseball games, as this handy schedule of "dog day" events illustrates—Sept. 9 "Puppypalooza" in Cleveland, anybody?

Record-wise, the 2013 Los Angeles Angels are on pace to be the worst team that Mike Scioscia has ever managed in the majors.

Yesterday's news that the Cubs will likely pursue free agent-to-be outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, which was reported by Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago, shouldn't come as much

SB Nation's Bill Parker did us the favor of comparing Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson based on their performances as members of the Seattle Mariners.

Just a quick glance at his findings leaves you with a burning desire to further analyze their dominance:

There were plenty of expectations placed on the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the 2013 season. The word "expectation" has not been kind to the team, as the reality of the situation is that the Jays have not lived up to them. 

The hits just keep on coming for the San Francisco Giants this season. Starting pitcher Matt Cain will be the latest Bay Area star to go on the disabled list. 

The team's Twitter account provides the details:

Even in victory, the Chicago White Sox (52-74) are utterly frustrating. Don’t take this the wrong way, but the Sox—12-5 over their last 17 games—are doing more harm to their future than good.

The wins they are piling up now are hurting their draft status and will have limited carryover into next year.