Baseball

New day, new insider. Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ sixth game of the season was the season opener at Comerica Park on Friday featuring the Tigers and the visiting Indians.

Previous Fantasy Baseball Insiders Tonight updates:

Dec. 24, 2006: Suppan signs a four-year, $42 million contract with an option for 2011. Did Santa come early in 2006? No, but Scrooge sure did. 

Fresh off of a NL Championship series MVP award, Suppan jumped at the chance to sign a big contract with the Brewers. GM Doug Melvin explains the signing stating, "He gives us a big-game pitcher. He's shown that last year."

That quote was far-fetched considering Suppan's line from 2006: 12-7 with a 4.12 ERA.

Most Reds' fans who visit this site are already well aware of Friday evening's nail biter victory vs. the Chicago Cubs.

Let's start with Homer Bailey.

Bailey struggled through four tough innings.  His fifth and final inning of work was a rather simple one, even though he did plunk the first batter, Xavier Nady.

When all was said and done, Bailey's line read:

5 IP, 7 H (all singles), 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HBP, 2 WP, and 1 BK—29 batters faced, and 109 pitches tossed.

OK, a couple of nights ago I watched an Angels game in which they broke the Guinness Book of World Records for most people wearing a Snuggie.  Now, on Friday I am watching the A’s/Angels and the Oakland announcers are showing their producer in an A’s Snuggie.  So, my question is, what is going on in California and Snuggies?  It is a freakin' blanket with sleeves!!!!!!!  Am I missing something??????  This is ridiculous.

Anyone who has suffered through the downturn in the San Francisco Giants fortunes, then survived a surprise playoff run in 2009, isn't about to start picking at nits after the club's 4-0 start this week.

Well, almost nobody would point out tiny flaws in a team that is on pace to finish 162-0.

The Tampa Bay Rays saw two Javier Vazquez's tonight.

In innings one, two, three, and five, they faced a pitcher whose velocity and command made him difficult to hit. The Rays went down in order in the first, third, and fifth, and couldn't score off Vazquez after putting two men on base to begin the second.

During those four innings, Vazquez fanned five Rays, who simply couldn't hit the ball hard against the right-hander.

Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays was the first time since 2004 that Javier Vazquez officially took the ball for the Yankees.

Most remember how bad that ended up, especially since it led to his departure from New York.

Unfortunately, his first start back wasn't any better than what most hoped for.

After Alex Rodriguez's RBI triple followed by an error gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead, it looked like Vazquez could have a chance to settle down and control the game.

The Rays offense had other plans for the night.

Major League Baseball is concerned with the time it takes to play games, believing that the sport is suffering because games take nearly three hours (on average) to play. For the last four or five years, the league has attempted to address the issue, going so far as to implement measures designed to pick up the pace of the game, including reducing time between pitches and the hitter’s ability to step out of the batter’s box.

But apparently, umpire Joe West doesn’t think the Red Sox or Yankees care to cooperate.

Javier Vasquez (0-1) allowed eight runs on eight hits in five and two-third innings as Tampa Bay rolled to a 9-3 win, Friday night, at Tropicana Field.

Vasquez was making his first Yankees start since Game Four of the 2004 ALDS, at Minnesota.

After taking Brian Stokes deep on Thursday, Jim Thome hit his 565th career home run, and is now only two shy of tying Rafeal Palmeiro for 11th on the all-time list.

But on another list, Jim Thome tied one of the hardest working Twins in recent memory.

Jason Tyner played eight major league seasons, and spent three with the Twins, but his most memorable moment came in a July 28th game in 2007.

In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Tyner took P Jake Westbrook deep for his first and only career home run.