Baseball

Vladimir Guerrero is back after an injury-riddled 2009 season in which he played in only 100 games.

Last night he took over the RBI lead for the majors when he homered twice and drove in five runs in an 8-7 defeat of the Royals.

His .347 batting average is second in the AL behind Justin Morneau, who is hitting .383.

After the first 44 games of the 2010 baseball season, the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves twenty games over .500 and six games ahead of the New York Yankees - who, oh by the way, have the third best record in baseball - in the AL East.

Strange things are afoot in Major League Baseball, and not just in Tampa Bay. Here is a look at the Top Ten Most Shocking Statistics in Baseball so far in the 2010 season.

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Admit it Angels fans. You've been spoiled.

Since Bryan Harvey took over the role in 1989, the Angels have been blessed with a shut-down closer every year until now.

Harvey, Troy Percival, Francisco Rodriguez and yes, Brian Fuentes, have provided an unbroken, 20-year chain of confidence for Halo managers to go to the pen in the ninth.

That amazing streak of good fortune seems likely to be ending this year.

In just 11 appearances this season, Fuentes has already allowed four homers, blown two saves, and lost a game.

The Yankees have had quite a rough week going 2-5 in back-to-back two-game series against the Red Sox, Rays and a weekend Subway Series in Flushing.

During that time the Red Sox proved that they are contenders, the Rays showed why they might be the best team in baseball, and Jerry Manuel bought himself some more time as the Mets manager.

How did it happen? There are many culprits involved.

Several years ago after cutting him for the umpteenth time off countless rotisserie baseball squads over my career, I was certain that I would never miss Jose Lima.

But I was wrong.

The 37-year-old former big league pitcher died in his sleep after a “massive” heart attack sometime Sunday morning.

The eccentric thrower, who often referred to his pitching appearances as “Lima Time,” always drew me in with his charisma and passion for his craft.

Former All-Star pitcher Jose Lima died of a heart attack Sunday morning, according to a news report by ESPN.

Wife Dorca reportedly told ESPNdeportes.com that the 37-year-old star from the Dominican Republic was complaining during his sleep, but that she thought he was just having a bad dream.

Lima was signed by the Detroit Tigers as a free agent in 1989 as a 17-year-old and he made his debut in 1994.

For the first time since mid-April, the Phillies lineup was the way it should be. Every starter was playing, and they were handling John Lackey and the Red Sox fairly well along with the help of a stellar performance by Cole Hamels.

But once Jimmy Rollins hit a single in the sixth inning and had to limp to first base, the mood was immediately sucked out of the air.

Friday marked the sixth time Bleacher Report and I have been welcomed into the press box at the Oakland Coliseum. My five previous trips were all stellar experiences, but this one felt different the minute I crossed the parking lot's threshold.

Generally when I arrive around 3:30 pm, the lot is dotted with one hand's worth of early birds. Today, the number was closer to triple digits.

Barbecues were in full smoke, games of catch featuring both footballs and baseballs were breaking out, and there was a general air of festivity hanging over the scene.

Yesterday, Major League Baseball denied the Yankees protest regarding their game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. Here's a quote from Brian Cashman that pretty much sums up my opinion on the subject:

There is a lot being made about Roy Halladay's high pitch count over his past few starts. Over the last four starts he's made he hasn't thrown any fewer than 118 pitches and is averaging 123 with his latest 132-pitch outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates this past Tuesday.

However, is that really so bad for a guy who has an MLB-high 53 complete games over the past eight seasons?