MLB

For the Dodgers, the formula was simple: get a big hit, win the game.

Too bad it never actually happened.

The Dodgers went a dreadful 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position in dropping the Freeway Series opener to the Angels, 3-1. The bottom line is that the big bats were nowhere to be found, wasting a good effort by Clayton Kershaw.

Let's start this article off by saying one thing.  Rocco Baldelli is not only athletically gifted, but pretty damn smart as well.

He attended the Gifted and Talented student program while at La Salle Academy in Rhode Island, and then switched to a normal high school by the name of Bishop Hendrickson High School, also in Rhode Island.

While at BHHS, the baseball stud posted a 4.25 grade-point average.  He played baseball, indoor track, basketball, and even volleyball, and was a four-star athlete at those sports.

BleedCubbieBlue.com has issued a breaking news update on its site, claiming that Cubs starter Rich Harden has been placed on the 15-day DL with what the team is terming a "mid-back strain".

With Carlos Zambrano coming off of the DL, it had been expected that David Patton would be offered back to his original club, since the seldom used relief pitcher was a Rule-5 draft pick and must remain on the Cubs' 25-man roster.

The move of Harden to the DL is retroactive to May 18. Randy Wells will start in his place Saturday night.

I have heard it said before, and I do believe it: One of the hardest things to do in any sport is to hit a baseball.

But with 14 guys on the roster, you think that someone could do it. OK, that’s not fair, I hear ya, but last night the Mariners were held scoreless again, thanks to Joe Saunders dazzling the Mariners at the plate with the nine inch in circumference, five ounce object with white with red stitching we call a baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays open a series in Atlanta tonight after an extremely disappointing series against the Boston Red Sox in which they got swept. The Jays are still in first, but by just 0.5 games.

Both Robert Ray and Brett Cecil were officially sent down today, and taking their places in the rotation will be Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero. This means that Janssen will pitch Game Two of the series, and both Scott Richmond and Brian Tallet will be pushed back a day.

Game One Pitching Preview: Roy Halladay (8-1) Versus Kenshin Kawakami (2-5)

The week began with a jubilant cry from the west coast.

It was reported on Wednesday that the Chicago White Sox had reached a preliminary deal with the San Diego Padres for Jake Peavy. Chicago, in return, would give San Diego four prospects, headlined by Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda.

My buddy, Clayton in Colorado called me Thursday afternoon, sounding as if his Rockies had just won the World Series.

Peter Gammons of ESPN reported on Friday morning that the Nationals have offered to trade first baseman Nick Johnson to the Boston Red Sox for relief pitcher Manny Delcarmen, but Theo Epstein—for the moment, anyway—has said no.

Johnson, 31, is playing at his career best this year, batting .338, four home runs and 25 RBI, with a .436 on-base percentage. At this pace, he'll end the year .338-16-100, with a .906 OPS. Delcarmen is 0-0, has an 0.95 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 19 innings in 2009.

For his career, he is 4-3, with a 3.25 ERA.

Continuing on with my series, I ranked my top ten first basemen in Cubs franchise history.

While the rankings are somewhat subjective, as they always are, I looked closely at the players 162 game average during his tenure with the Cubs, as well as whether he was a part of any Cubs playoff teams.

I hope you enjoy this, and follow the series as it continues. As always I look forward to your input.

I was surfing through B/R earlier and came across a Jeff Francoeur article written by fellow B/R contributor Ron Wagner.

Well in his article he states that the braves should give up on Jeff Francoeur, and i'm here to say otherwise.

Why give up on him now, sure he's having a bad year so far, he's hitting only .252 with 3 homers and 21 RBI's.

Jeff is having trouble with his swing, he switched from a closed stance after his rough season last year to an open stance this with hopes that it will improve his numbers.

The general consensus is that the American League West is the weakest division in baseball. I would have to agree with this. 

Not only does the division have just four teams, but it is also lacking a powerhouse team that most other divisions possess.

In a lot of ways, this is a good thing. Namely, it gives average teams like the Mariners a chance to compete. It's rare for anyone to walk away with the division in dominating fashion, with the exception of the 2008 Angels.