Fan News

Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish was in complete control of the Minnesota Twins through six innings Friday night, and this GIF of his filthy curveball in the fifth exemplifies it perfectly. 

Any fair weather baseball fan is aware of the steroid era we currently suffer through, filled with bureaucratic reports, player confessions (or lack thereof) and widespread cheating (to put it bluntly). 

As unfortunate as it is to say, the battle towards purity is far from over.

Even after the swift suspension of 12 MLB players in early August, some stars have escaped the grasp of the league unscathed. 

The Washington Nationals are surging and will enter September in contention for a playoff spot. Entering the final day of August, the Nationals are 16-10 in the month, which has given them a reason to play meaningful baseball in September.

The pieces of the puzzle have been coming together for Washington. Perhaps they were not able to handle the early season hype that surrounded the team, but, as for now, they have a chance for redemption.

If there haven't been enough issues at O.co Coliseum this season, this latest one certainly helps add more evidence that the Oakland A's are in dire need of a new home.

On Friday, Tampa Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney decided he needed to use the bathroom, conveniently located at the end of the visiting dugout at the Coliseum.

However, Rodney ended up getting trapped.

On Friday, embattled Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig collected a double, three singles and two stolen bases on his way to a four-hit night. His performance certainly helped lead the way in the Dodgers' 9-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Cincinnati Reds prospect Billy Hamilton headlines the list of youngsters most likely to be called up in September by MLB teams.

Hamilton, known for his blazing speed, has generated a lot of buzz heading into September as the Reds sit 3.5 games back in the NL Central while currently holding the second wild-card spot in the National League.

On Friday night, highly-touted prospect Taijuan Walker made his much-anticipated MLB debut for the Seattle Mariners against the Houston Astros.

And he was phenomenal.

In a season that has already seen a number of highly touted rookie pitchers make their presence felt, we can now add another name to the list: Taijuan Walker.

Most of us had already suspected that this was going to be a rough season for the Cubs. In fact, it was widely considered a rebuilding year with an eye on 2014 and beyond. So, considering that they haven't been in the playoff race for the last few months, what makes September any different than June, July or August for the Cubs?

While Brett Lawrie has spent most of August making noise with his bat, Toronto's 23-year-old third baseman let his athleticism do the talking on Friday night against Kansas City.