Baseball

Talk about your worst-case scenario.

The Brewers had lost two in a row to the Cubs at Wrigley, the second game punctuated by a LaTroy Hawkins meltdown when the Brewers had a three-run lead in the eighth inning.

The wind was blowing out for the third day in a row. Derrek Lee was back in the lineup (for a while at least) after sitting out the game prior while nursing a thumb. Cub ace Carlos Zambrano was on the bump for the home team coming off a strong outing against the Mets despite his Opening Day woes in Atlanta.

Francisco Liriano wowed the home crowd and the Boston Red Sox as he recaptured some of his past magic and threw seven shutout innings, walked just two, and struck out eight. 

It was a marked improvement from his first start, and I am sure Liriano owners everywhere are DREAMING of the possibility of him regaining that 2007 form. 

Everyone has heard of Stephen Strasburg, the highly-touted first round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, but not as many people have heard about Mike Leake, the first round pick of the Cincinnati Reds who skipped the minor leagues and earned the fifth spot in the Reds’ rotation coming out of spring training.

On April 15, 1947, 28-year-old Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers broke baseball's color barrier and started a whole new trend for Major League Baseball.

Because of that, Jackie Robinson Day is commemorated every April 15. With the exception of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, Robinson's No. 42 is retired throughout baseball and will never be worn again.

That is except for on April 15, when every player and coach on every team that plays wears the number on the back of their jersey.

Robinson Cano slugged a pair of home runs and finished with three RBI to lead New York past the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-3 on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees won two of three for the third consecutive series to improve to 6-3. The Angels dropped to 3-7.

After Hideki Matsui put Los Angeles ahead with a solo home run in the top of the second, Cano responded with a line drive home run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.

Here we go again—Rays and Red Sox, a budding rivalry renewed. The Tampa Bay Rays, fresh off their sweep of division rival Baltimore, head into Beantown to take on the struggling Boston Red Sox, losers of five of their last nine games.

For the Rays, who lead Boston by two games and are a half game behind the perennially fluky Toronto Blue Jays, it's a golden opportunity to put the team that likely will be their greatest competition for a wild-card berth further behind them.

Of those three gentlemen, one needs to make his way to the Queen City, and two need to hit the road. 

Since one is down on the farm and two are already with the big club, it's a question most third grade Reds' fans can answer correctly.

For the Cincinnati Reds to compete this season Aroldis Chapman must be brought up before his next scheduled start in Louisville. 

Aaron Harang either needs to come down with sudden a sudden arm ailment that lands him on the disabled list, be flat out released, or sent to the pen for mop-up duty...serious mop-up duty. 

Contemplate this hypothetical scenario from the perspective of a Major League Baseball franchise:

You have an athletic, switch-hitting shortstop with blazing speed and electric ability.

You have a franchise-type third baseman with Hollywood looks and a knack for wearing out left-handed pitching.

You have a proven, bona fide ace—and he's a lefty.

You have a switch-hitting, Gold Glove, center fielder with flair, grace, and a plus arm.

Sounds like a dream situation for a General Manager and staff, right?

Now, forget the "hypothetical" part...

Listed below, are the points and counterpoints about what the Reds should do about Homer Bailey:

Point: The Reds will give him the entire season and evaluate then.

Counterpoint: They may do that but a team that is serious about winning can't keep running Bailey out there.

P: They won't know what they have until September.

CP: It is obvious what they have. He is inefficient. He can't put hitters away.

P: He pitched very well at the end of 2009. 

Kyle Blanks is the top name on ESPN's most dropped list, but is one man's trash another man's treasure?  This new weekly series will take a look at a few recent drops and see if there is a chance for these rejected players to bounce back and provide value for teams willing to take a chance on their talents.