Baseball

The Rangers announced bad news regarding pitcher Matt Harrison on Friday afternoon:

Rangers GM Jon Daniels says Matt Harrison has a herniated disk. Will have back surgery Tuesday.

The Texas Rangers' quest to catch the surging Oakland Athletics in the AL West just got a whole lot more difficult.

According to the Rangers' official Twitter feed, starting pitcher Matt Harrison will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc and be out until after the All-Star break:

Ordinarily, you could answer a question like this via simple process of elimination. What do you already have? Once you know that, you know what you need.

Except, with this Phillies team, the answer to the primary question is a bit troubling.

The Phillies have a young, dynamic center fielder in Ben Revere. After that? You tell me.

Over the last several years, the famous Red Sox and Yankees rivalry has been said to be dead, or at the very least, diminished. But no matter where the rivalry stands today it remains—and has always been—one of the greatest, longest-standing rivalries in sports.

SCORE UPDATE:   Red Sox 7 - 2 Indians, Final

W: Doubront 1-0

L: Jimenez: 0-2

HR: None

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Last year, R.A. Dickey was a walking, talking reminder of one of the coolest realities of baseball: Anyone can excel at it. Even knuckleballers in their late-30s who have spent the majority of their careers fending off irrelevancy.

Now here we are in 2013, and Dickey is a walking, talking reminder of one of the not-so-great realities of baseball: Glory in this sport can be fleeting. Dreams that come true can come untrue in a hurry.

Prior to the current run of sustained success in Philadelphia, putting together an all-time dream team for the Philadelphia Phillies would have likely resulted in a satire piece featuring luminaries such as Robert Person, Steve Jeltz and Rico Brogna.

As I suggested during the offseason, Brian Cashman's low-key moves are paying off.

With the 2014 payroll target looming, the Yankees did not want to commit big money or multiple years to the free-agent crop of this past winter, so they made moves to fill their holes in less conventional ways. 

Cincinnati Reds fans are reacting differently to Johnny Cueto's injury.  His absence makes most fans anxious, as they should be, while others are excited at the prospect of another starter getting a chance.  

Despite holding a 4-8 record, the young 2013 season has been far from uneventful for the Chicago Cubs.  Fans have been sent through a whirlwind of chaos and confusion, from late-game meltdowns and suspense to mysterious goat packages and Jorge Soler's attempted assault on an opponent.