Fan News

Despite their recent struggles in June, the Toronto Blue Jays still hold the top spot in the American League East and have a 4.5 game lead over the second-place New York Yankees.

While the Blue Jays have looked like a playoff club for the most part this season, there have also been instances where their lack of depth in certain places has been exposed and cost them games. This doesn’t bode well for a team with aspirations to play in October.

Six starts into his MLB career, Mets right hander Jacob deGrom could hardly be considered wholly responsible for his winless record. deGrom, after all, compiled a 3.44 ERA while lasting at least 5.2 innings in each outing. The Mets' moribund offense was at least partly to blame.

But on Monday night in front of a nationally televised audience, deGrom become undone. He failed to make it out of the fifth inning, surrendering 12 hits to a Cardinals offense eager to pounce. St. Louis torched deGrom for six runs en route to a 6-2 victory.

Sadly, the most exciting portion of the Chicago Cubs' season over the past couple years has been the trade deadline as the team adds to its already-loaded farm system. It's actually become almost as exciting for the Cubby faithful to follow what hot prospects they acquire at the deadline as it is for fans of winning teams to follow what missing piece their front offices will add in late July.

Obviously, Cubs fans would still prefer the latter scenario, but the former will have to do for now. 

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Hanley Ramirez loves his pranks, especially when they involve scaring fellow teammate Juan Uribe.

Ramirez's newest prank involved hiding a snake in Uribe's shoe on Saturday. You can see a video of Uribe's reaction above.

This isn't the first time Ramirez has scared Uribe. Hanley once hid in Uribe's locker before jumping out and scaring him.

The Toronto Blue Jays were thrown a bit of a knuckleball on Saturday evening.

Toronto starting pitcher R.A. Dickey left his start against the Baltimore Orioles after an apparent groin injury hampered the former Cy Young Award winner.

Scott MacArthur of TSN reported Dickey's injury:

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is now the all-time hit king in franchise history, surpassing Mike Schmidt with career hit No. 2,235 on Saturday afternoon against Cubs starter Edwin Jackson. After 15 years of borderline Hall of Fame-caliber play, the best shortstop in the history of Philadelphia now has the number to cement his legacy.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer tossed the first complete game of his career in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox, thus ending his record-setting run of 178 starts without a complete game to begin a career, per ESPN.com. Tony Armas, who last pitched in 2008 and has 167 starts to his name, is now the current record holder for most games at the beginning of a career without finish

More so than any other sport, baseball is known for bad contracts. Such is life when clubs can't stop investing massive amounts of guaranteed dollars in players who have no hope of earning them.

But bargain baseball contracts do exist. Actually, there are a lot of bargain contracts out there, some of which are bargains so big they deserve to be talked about.

Hey, I've got an idea: Let's do that.

As Father's Day approaches, the 2014 Major League Baseball season is officially 11 weeks old, careening toward the All-Star break and never-ending questions surrounding contenders, pretenders and the state of the pennant races.

During a campaign of immense excitement, day-to-day and week-to-week results can get lost in the shuffle, replaced by season-long narratives and fans looking ahead to the months of great baseball still to come. If you need a dose of perspective on the season thus far, you've come to the right place.

MLB managers definitely matter. 

Just take a look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Don Mattingly has guided the most expensively assembled squad in baseball to an underwhelming 36-33 (.522) start, which leaves the team 7.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants.