Baseball

Well, this is interesting. Check out Monday night's Tampa Bay Rays' lineup:

#Rays v Jays: Pena 1B, Upton cf, Joyce lf, Zobrist rf, Scott dh, S-Rod 3b, Sutton 2b, Gimenez c, Johnson ss - Moore p

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

So it would seem in Boston.

Gold Glove first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has been relegated to playing right field as a result of another Gold Glove-winning first baseman coming back from his stint on the disabled list. Kevin Youkilis was activated today, and, as some expected, the move pushed Gonzo to the outfield.

In 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, their second in the history of the franchise. Following that historic run Pat Gillick, the general manager, retired. This decision opened the door for Ruben Amaro Jr. to become the Phillies current general manager.

The job security for scores of general managers around Major League Baseball is in doubt right now, and one of the best ways to get off the hot seat is having a strong draft.

Every year there are players littered throughout the first round that are either the biggest bust this side of Justin Smoak or the next Hall of Famer.

The 2012 MLB season is about to hit the quarter mark, and a lot of teams who were considered "playoff contenders" are still struggling to find their footing.

A lot of baseball fans are counting out the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Tigers, but be warned, there's a ton of baseball left to play, and all five of these teams will lean on their experience to pull through in the end.

At the quarter pole of the 2012 season, the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves in unfamiliar territory—staring up at the rest of the National League East.  And while the Phightins are off to their slowest start in the last five years, there's still reason to believe Philadelphia can claim its sixth consecutive division crown.  

Here are five good reasons to believe.

In the offseason, with Ryan Howard out for an extended period of time, the Philadelphia Phillies grabbed Jim Thome for $1.25 million. 

That experiment has run its course, and it’s time for the club to part ways with the aging bat.

Here are six reasons why:

1.  He’s hurt

The Cincinnati Reds played well Saturday in narrow victory at Yankee Stadium.  Homer Bailey is showing signs of being the starter that, for years, fans were told he was.  The bats were alive, and the Reds made the most of their opportunities.  

Joey Votto is looking hot, Heisey and Phillips are heating up and talents like Costanzo are revealing their worth.  But that's not all the 6-5 win over New York revealed.

The Washington Nationals have a problem when it comes to their starting pitching.

They have too many worthy starters. It is certainly a decent problem to have for any major league ballclub.

With Chien-Ming Wang looming in the minors and his rehab stint nearing its end, the Nats are going to have to decide which of their overachieving starters will have to take the fall and move to the bullpen. 

The Giants have one of the youngest lineups in the National League, much to the dismay of manager Bruce Bochy.  If you don't count Aubrey Huff (and who does count Huff anymore?), then Angel Pagan at age 30 is the oldest everyday player. Most of the players are between 25 and 27 years old.