Baseball

Game after game, we see a hitter's numbers versus the pitcher on the mound pop up on the television screen, and we usually dismiss it.

Of course, each batter varies from pitcher to pitcher.

Even the best have a few pitchers they simply can't hit.

For Joe Mauer, however, it seems as though anytime those stats pop up, he's hitting, at the very least, .330 against the pitcher on the mound, no matter who it is, no matter which arm they throw with, and no matter how many at-bats he has against them.

Third base is a shallow position and gets even shallower with players like Kevin Youkilis losing eligibility. That’s not to say that some new options haven’t emerged. Let’s take a look at how things currently look (remember, these remain extremely early rankings and will likely significantly change as the season progresses):

As Jim Thome gave his post-game interview and wiped the shaving-cream from his face I felt as let down as an ugly girl at prom. I wanted to blame someone for this loss. Anyone. But as I gave it some thought I wasn't sure exactly whom the blame should fall on.

The candidates appear to be:

1. Ozzie Guillen
2. Matt Thornton
3. Bobby Jenks
4. Kenny Williams
5. Paul Konerko

Here are some bits for the day—

Alex Rodriguez left Monday’s game with a stiff calf that an MRI revealed to be a low-grade strain in his left calf. He’s day-to-day.

Today is a good day for Orioles fans everywhere. An amazing win last night would normally be the explanation for this good feeling, but the reason I woke up with a smile on my face this morning was what happened at 11:57 PM—the signing of Manny Machado.

To say that the Machado deal wasn’t nerve-racking would be a lie. From 11:50 to when the deal was announced at 12:03, I was on BaltimoreSun.com and refreshing the page every 10 seconds hoping that there was different news.

In today's game of free agency and rebuilding sell-offs, it's extremely rare for a player to stick with a team for much more than about a decade. Stars come and go, and the team's is the only name that lasts through a fan's lifetime.

But some players leave behind legacies that continue to capture the hearts of their fans long after they hang up their cleats.

Last week, Bleacher Report's MLB Featured Columnists completed our hardest poll yet: picking the top players in the history of each AL franchise (NL results will be up next week).

The true test is here. The time to find out if the Cincinnati Reds are playoff material has arrived in the form of a nine-game West Coast pow-wow.
 
Recent history suggests the Reds are screwed. Over the last five seasons, the Reds have a 16-35 (.314) record on the Left Coast.
 
In ’06 they were tied for first before embarking on a 10-game stretch in the West Coast. A 2-8 trip later, they were six games behind and the season was essentially finished.
 

With the playoff races heating up, and everything starting to take shape, I am here to put in my opinion on who will win each MLB division, who will win each pennant, and who will win the Fall Classic.

The only division in the MLB right now with possibly a clear outlook is the AL West, but anything can happen.

I'll keep it short and sweet, so here we go.

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It was a long time coming, but according to reports, that Jays have signed their first-round pick Deck McGuire to a $2 million contract.

McGuire, who has drawn comparisons to Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, was a standout pitcher for Georgia Tech in college. At 6'6", 225 lbs, he already has a MLB-ready body, now it's time to harness his ability and learn some control.

If a rough patch in a Major League Baseball season can be analogized to a gathering tempest, then the San Francisco Giants are heading into a doozy.

The club is sailing into a bank of cumulonimbus that isn't just dark; it's that inky, purplish shade of black. The kind that means your best option is to find Toto, stick your head between your knees, and kiss your tokus goodbye.