Opinion

The Yankee left-hander has started 40 postseason games in his Major League career. In those games, Andy Pettitte is 18-9 with a 3.90 ERA. He also has five World Series rings.

How could a pitcher with that résumé feel a responsibility to a minor league team?

Well, it’s simple. Andy Pettitte needed to pitch a rehab assignment. The Yankees' Double-A affiliate, Trenton Thunder, is in the playoffs.

Pop quiz: Who is the worst starting pitcher in Major League Baseball over the last four seasons?

If you said Zach Duke, then you nailed it.

The Pirates lefty has flat-out not been very good for a span that's lasted four seasons. In that time he has compiled a 26-51 record and a 4.99 ERA and more than once has led MLB in hits allowed.

It's not as though Carlos Marmol throws 100 miles per hour. It isn't as though he can pinpoint the ball on either corner, or change a batter's eye level at will.

In fact, if any hurler in the game's history has been more frequently guilty of "throwing" rather than "pitching," he will need to submit himself for review. Carlos Marmol just goes out, toes the rubber and lets go of whatever may be in his right hand when he finishes his improbable delivery.

Yet, it works.

If you can remember back to April 5th, you'll recall a beautiful Monday afternoon when the New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins 7-1 and everything in Mets Land was perfect. Nothing is better than a 1-0 record.

Hank Aaron was recently at the US Open to receive the U.S. Tennis Association’s “Breaking the Barriers” award.

While there he was asked about Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and the steroid era in baseball as a whole.

Aaron was able to sum up his thoughts in a single word:

Los Angeles Angels' starting pitcher Scott Kazmir has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Purchased by the Halos last August for two minor-leaguers and a player to be named later, the Angels honestly thought they were receiving a player who, at 25, was looking ahead at several years of continued maturity and dominance.

The Giants' offensive outburst in the first game of the four-game series in San Diego gives them momentum in the NL West showdown.

San Francisco will assuredly keep the momentum gained in a 7-3 win over the Padres if starting pitchers Matt Cain and John Garland can miraculously return to the mound tonight with exactly the same stuff they possessed on Thursday.

With Game one of the Texas League semis in the books, the league's best team in the regular season finds themselves in a 1 - 0 hole, having lost in 12th as the semi-stable Patrick Keating gave up two earned on Peter Kozma's second home run of the night.

When the Minnesota Twins got Matt Capps in a trade with the Nationals, Twins fans cheered.

This ushered in the era of another fantastic arm in the bullpen, a fill-in or replacement for Joe Nathan if he can't return to form, and an upgrade from Jon Rauch.

For the first time in years, the Baltimore Orioles are playing a new role in the American League East: the spoiler. 

Now, as a team that was hoping to win 80 games this year, being the spoiler for other teams’ playoff hopes is still a disappointment no matter how you want to word it.

However, the fact that the O’s have been competitive against the likes of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays is a very positive thing for a team that was beyond terrible for most of this season.