Opinion

Moving into interleague play, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to a hot start toward a third consecutive World Series appearance. Is it too soon to start rating the Phillies' players' performance? Perhaps, but I'd like to try anyway.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your early-season 2010 Philadalphia Phillies MVPs.

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There appear to be four factors impacting David Wright's hitting: his "pressing," Citi Field, getting beaned, and his uppercut swing.

The first thing that I think needs to be considered is the impact of losing both Beltran and Delgado on Wright (and Reyes.)

We all keep expecting to see the 2006 Mets offense out there eating up teams in the first inning.  This is a mistake on our part.  It is not the same offense without two of its most powerful hitters, Beltran and Delgado.  Bay was supposed to replace Delgado's power, but so far he hasn't.

It was eight years ago today that Mark Prior became only the 14th player in Chicago Cubs history to win his Major League debut dating back to 1920. Prior and the Cubs beat the Pirates 7-4.

Prior was drafted second overall by the Cubs in 2001. The Twins, who had the first pick in the draft, were interested in Prior, but were told that he did not want to play for them. Instead, Minnesota took Joe Mauer number one. That's worked out pretty well for them.

Roy Oswalt has recently expressed to the Houston Astros owner that he wants to be traded. He has come out and said that he would wave his no-trade clause. 

He is 32 years old and has never won a championship. This year he finds himself on the team with the worst record in the National League and no signs of competing in the near future. 

The New York Times mentioned the Mets' awful attendance at Citi Field last week. It was in the front page of that newspaper.

Last night, the Yankees helped the Mets get their second sellout crowd of the season by making an appearance at Citi Field for a weekend series. There's a good chance the Mets will sell out tonight and tomorrow night.

The Yankees inspire people to show up at other stadiums when they go on the road. That's why many American League teams want the Yankees to come to their town often.

The Kansas City Royals said, "Goodbye," to Trey Hillman on May 13th after two-plus seasons and a 12-23 record to start 2010. Hillman was 152-207 (.423 percent) in his tenure with the club.

The Houston Astros are just five years removed from their lone World Series berth.

From their inception in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45’s, the Astros have achieved little in terms of establishing an identity as a storied franchise. Whether to due with lack of superstar power or rare postseason success, the Astros have at times been a team on the cusp of success only to falter the following year.

Friday marked the sixth time Bleacher Report and I have been welcomed into the press box at the Oakland Coliseum. My five previous trips were all stellar experiences, but this one felt different the minute I crossed the parking lot's threshold.

Generally when I arrive around 3:30 pm, the lot is dotted with one hand's worth of early birds. Today, the number was closer to triple digits.

Barbecues were in full smoke, games of catch featuring both footballs and baseballs were breaking out, and there was a general air of festivity hanging over the scene.

At the end of last season, Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones said he would retire from baseball if his play did not improve this season.

Do the Giants really need pitching to overtake the pesky Padres?  

Really?  

It appears so, because I saw Lincecum struggle through his second start in a row, and the bullpen blow another lead that would have given him six wins.  

Sure, Lincecum struggled, but the entire staff needs improvement.  

My main point of emphasis is the wild pitches.  

The Giants let another game get away with another WP thrown to give the Dbacks the lead. It's happened too many times already this season, and not just a few are at fault.