Opinion

The Rangers seem to have the AL West all but locked up. They have by far the largest lead in any division in baseball, yet some things just don't seem right at the moment.

With Ian Kinsler and Joaquin Arias on the disabled list, the Rangers are a little thin at second base. Ron Washington seemed to think that we may need a bit more help in that area so Christian Guzman was introduced as a Ranger.

Atlanta Braves fans everywhere are in a sudden state of shock.

Chipper Jones, the face of the Atlanta Braves franchise and the last link to "The team of the 90's," will miss the rest of the 2010 season and has possibly played his last game as an Atlanta Brave.

When people think about the Atlanta Braves, the first name that comes to mind is Chipper Jones and the second name that comes to mind is Bobby Cox. It now seems like the Atlanta Braves will be without both at the conclusion of the 2010 season.

Let’s face it, we’ve all had those moments during the 2010 Phillies season.

Charlie Manuel casually strolls to the mound, head down, and then signals to the bullpen to send some relief for his reliever.

As we watch another bullpen arm head for the dugout, we reiterate that nobody in the Phillies front office listened to our concerns about relief pitching at the trade deadline and beyond.

The Giants and Cubs had a little unfinished business to attend to before they matched up Wednesday night in San Francisco. With the owner's meetings getting underway in Minneapolis, Jim Hendry and Brian Sabean completed a trade that they reportedly began talking about as the trade deadline was approaching.

The Rockies may as well kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

The New York Mets have just received news that their star closer, Francisco Rodriguez, has been charged with assault. The incident occurred after last night's ballgame at Citi Field between K-Rod and his father-in-law.

Reports say that the Mets closer refused to speak with the media and got into a scuffle with his father-in-law about family issues. When asked what was wrong by the media, Francisco Rodriguez responded with an obscenity to mind their own business. 

The first Cy Young award winner in Angels history Dean Chance is the focus of this edition of LA Angels Insider Podcast.

Chance was the winner of the 1964 Cy Young Award back when the award was only given to one pitcher n a season. Dean led the American League in wins (20), innings pitched (278?), and earned run average (1.65, which is still a franchise record). He was also third in the American League in strikeouts, with 207. Chance pitched 11 shutouts that season, winning five of those by a 1-0 score.

Tony Massarotti said on the radio in Boston this week that the baseball season, for all intents and purposes, doesn't begin until August 15. The Boston Red Sox are inclined to believe that logic, given that much of what happened leading up to this month has been relatively forgettable.

A remarkable rash of injuries, silence at the trading deadline, wildly inconsistent performance. And yet, here they stand, just four games out of the Wild Card after taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays this week.

The dog days of summer are here, and the Mets refuse to say die.

The team won just its second series since the All-Star break by taking two out of three at home against Colorado this week, and the Mets appear to be getting on a little bit of a roll.

Jose Reyes is running the bases well—even if he has had some difficulties in the field lately—and Mike Pelfrey put a rough stretch behind him by throwing seven shutout innings and showing some early-season form.

Forget the countless injuries to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes.

Or the fact that Bobby Bonilla, who last played with the team in 2000, is reportedly on the payroll.

Those are just minor problems compared to what the New York Mets truly face.

On the field, things appear grim.

Despite Major League Baseball's fifth-highest payroll, the Mets look to be missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

For two consecutive years (2007-2008), the Florida Marlins eliminated New York from fall ball down the stretch.