Category: MLB

Nationals prospect Stephen Strasburg, the top overall pick in the 2009 draft, will make his next Triple-A start Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

Although the Nationals haven’t made an official announcement, there has been speculation that Strasburg will make his major league debut June 4. That is Washington’s first home game in June, and it comes on the heels of a 10-game road trip that starts tonight.

Thus, Saturday’s minor league start could be Strasburg’s last before his major league promotion.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, though, said a date for Strasburg’s "hasn’t been determined yet."

He told reporters before Tuesday’s game, "There are factors that will be involved when we announce it. And even when we announce it, it’s not going to be settled on until after a couple days after he starts his last start in Triple A."

In nine starts between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Strasburg is 6-1 with a 0.99 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings.

"He’s been great," Rizzo said. "He’s a diligent worker. He works his butt off physically. He prepares terrifically. He’s a big, physical guy. I think he’s held up terrifically. For his first taste of this on an everyday basis, I think he’s doing great."

Seeking a spark for their struggling offense, Giants general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy have discussed lineup changes, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Among the possible tweaks: first baseman Aubrey Huff moving to left field (in place of the injured Mark DeRosa), third baseman Pablo Sandoval shifting to first base, second baseman Freddy Sanchez taking over at third base and infielder Juan Uribe starting at second base.

That plan may need to be put on hold. Renteria tweaked a hamstring injury Tuesday night and Bochy said his shortstop "could be down for a little while."

For now, however, Sabean told the newspaper that the Giants won’t promote prospect Buster Posey, who can catch and play first base. According to Sabean, the Giants want to make sure Posey is ready and that they can guarantee him regular playing time before he is recalled. At this time, Bengie Molina still is the starter behind the plate.

DeRosa is eligible to come off the disabled list but likely won’t be activated until next week at the earliest. He told reporters Tuesday that he will travel to Baltimore this week to get a second opinion on his surgically repaired wrist. He has been diagnosed with nerve inflammation.

The Nationals have settled on who they will select first overall in next month’s draft, general manager Mike Rizzo tells CSN Washington’s Mark Zuckerman.

Rizzo did not disclose his choice, but most people expect the Nats will take 17-year-old catcher Bryce Harper, who is coming off a monster weekend for the College of Southern Nevada. His hitting helped propel the team to the Junior College World Series.

This is the second consecutive season Washington has had the top pick in the draft. Last year it selected Stephen Strasburg, who reportedly could make his major league debut next week.

Steve Phillips is still thinking up trades seven years after being fired as the Mets’ general manager.

On Monday, he told New York radio station WFAN that if he were Astros GM Ed Wade, he’d be asking for Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg in a trade for right-hander Roy Oswalt. Washington reportedly is interested in acquiring Oswalt to bolster its rotation.

Monday night: Strasburg has worst Triple-A start: Two runs in five innings

Per The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg, Phillips added that Rizzo wouldn’t deal Strasburg, but that didn’t stop the former ESPN analyst from explaining why such a swap would make sense:

"Listen, (Strasburg) was a good college pitcher, he’s a good minor league pitcher so far," Phillips tells host Mike Francesa. "But if I can get one of the top, what, top five starting pitchers in the game today for Strasburg? Because I really, truly, I hope that (Strasburg) could be that guy. I have to tell you, I don’t know that he could be that guy. And with his delivery, I could see the potential of a Mark Prior sort of breakdown."

That said, Phillips values Oswalt highly enough that he advocates asking for the game’s top prospect in a trade.

"If I’m the Astros, I’m asking for Strasburg. And I understand … they won’t do it. But that’s the caliber of player I want for Roy Oswalt," Phillips said.

Steinberg, meanwhile, indirectly points out that Strasburg can’t be traded just yet. Major league rules prohibit clubs from trading draft picks until 12 months after they signed. Strasburg, the first pick in last year’s draft, signed with the Nationals last August. Strasburg could conceivably be moved after the anniversary, as a player to be named.

Per Steinberg, here’s the audio.

The Colorado Rockies on Monday agreed with infielder Kazuo Matsui on a minor league contract, MLB.com reports. Pending a physical, Matsui will report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Matsui, 35, was part of the Rockies’ 2007 National League championship team, providing speed at the top of the order. Since then he has slowly declined, culminating in his release by the Astros last week. Matsui batted .141 in 27 games for Houston this season.

MLB.com reports Matsui will provide infield insurance for the Rockies.

Rays vice president Andrew Friedman tells ESPN he expects left fielder Carl Crawford will remain with the club all season.

Friedman made the claim in response to a question by Dan Schulman while being interviewed during tonight’s Rays-Red Sox broadcast.

"I feel very strongly we’re going to have a lot of staying power (this season), We have a lot of respect for how long the season is, but we feel like we have the depth and the talent on hand to compete throughout the year, and obviously we’re a much better team with Carl than without him," Friedman said.

Crawford is in the final season of his contract and there has been much speculation about whether the Rays would be able to re-sign him. Many people concluded that Tampa Bay would deal him if it fell out of contention this season, but the Rays have the majors’ best record at 32-12.

Tampa Bay has an almost-ready replacement for Crawford in Desmond Jennings, who is playing for Triple-A Durham.

"He’s tremendously talented," Friedman said of Jennings, who was Tampa Bay’s minor league Player of the Year in 2009. "He’s a very, very good defensive outfielder, runs the bases very well, works an extremely good at-bat, real good contact skills. He has a chance to really impact us for a lot of years."

One knock on Jennings has been his injury history; he missed the start of Durham’s season after hurting his wrist in spring training, then suffered a shoulder injury.

Here’s an amazing stat.

Entering the week, the Rays and the Diamondbacks have scored the same number of runs on the season (240); that total is tied for third in the majors. The Diamondbacks, though, have allowed the most runs in the majors (275) and the Rays have allowed the fewest (138). That’s a stunning disparity—almost double the total of runs allowed.

This joint effort has the Rays and Diamondbacks on an epic pace. Even the best and worst pitching staffs in baseball history (post-1900, as defined by fewest and most runs allowed in a season) failed to duplicate that feat.

• The 1972 Orioles allowed just 430 runs during their 154-game season; the Braves were worst that year at 730 runs allowed

• The 1930 Phillies allowed 1,199 runs in 154 games; the Senators were best that year at 687 runs allowed.

• In 1996, the Tigers allowed 1,103 runs in 162 games; the Braves were the best that year at 648 runs allowed.

Amazing. Anyway, on to the poll.

John Jaso is making his case to be in the lineup.

1. Rays (1). Backup catcher John Jaso is making it hard for the Rays to keep him out of the lineup. He’s hitting .349 with a 1.015 OPS this season, with 18 RBIs in just 22 games.

2. Phillies (3). Here’s a strange stat swap: Ryan Howard has a higher batting average than Shane Victorino (.299 to .257) but fewer RBIs (32 to 33).

3. Twins (4). Justin Morneau is crushing the ball. He’s up to a .383 average, 11 homers and 34 RBIs entering the week.

4. Yankees (2). That was a forgettable week for the Yankees; they went just 2-5 in a stretch against the Red Sox, Rays and Mets. A three-game series in Minnesota starting Tuesday doesn’t promise better things on the horizon.

5. Padres (6). After allowing just six earned runs in his first six starts, young lefty Wade LeBlanc gave up eight in three innings against Seattle, the worst offensive team in baseball.

6. Cardinals (13). A 5-2 week pushed the Cardinals back in front of the Reds entering the week; how they perform on a six-game road trip through San Diego and Chicago will determine if they stay there.

7. Dodgers (10). During the Dodgers’ current 12-2 hot streak, Manny Ramirez has more RBIs (nine) than base hits (eight).

8. Tigers (9). Two players—Gerald Laird and Alex Avila—have played catcher for the Tigers this season. Laird is batting .155; Avila is hitting .154. They’ve combined for three homers and seven RBIs. And, yet, Detroit is only a game out of first in the AL Central.

9. Blue Jays (5). The Blue Jays have hit 76 home runs entering the week, which is 16 ahead of any other team in the majors.

Mike Leake is having a stellar rookie year.

10. Reds (7). Poor Mike Leake. Kid’s 4-0 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in eight starts, and he’s not even getting more than a mention in the Rookie of the Year conversation because of that Heyward kid in Atlanta.

11. Red Sox (16). Could this be the week the Red Sox move ahead of the Blue Jays and into third place in the AL East?

12. Rangers (12). Nelson Cruz is seventh in the AL with 33 RBIs. He’s had just 98 at-bats because of injuries; everyone else in the league with at least 25 RBIs has 141 at-bats or more.

13. Braves (17). The old guys at the back of the bullpen know how to get the strikeouts. Billy Wagner, 38, has 25 strikeouts in 16 innings and Takashi Saito, 40, has 26 in 19 1/3 innings.

14. Giants (8). The recently finished 1-6 road trip was nothing short of an offensive disaster—they were shut out twice and scored only one run three other times.

15. Marlins (11). Ace Josh Johnson is working on an 18-inning scoreless streak; in his past eight starts, he’s posted a 1.70 ERA.

16. A’s (19). Trevor Cahill was, apparently, the slacker of the A’s staff this weekend. He’s the only Oakland pitcher who allowed a run in the three-game sweep of the Giants, though it seems rough to chastise him for giving up just the one run in 6 2/3 innings Friday.

17. Nationals (14). Washington hasn’t been more than one game under .500 since April 9, but the Nats have their work cut out for them. They enter a 10-game road trip against the Giants, Padres and Astros at just one game above.

18. Rockies (15). After a strong bounce-back 2009 season, Todd Helton is struggling again this year. Through 134 at-bats, he has a .736 OPS (the lowest of his career) and just nine RBIs.

19. Mets (20). Taking two of three from the Yankees certainly didn’t hurt Jerry Manuel’s job security; doing the same to the Phillies this week would help, too.

20. Angels (18). Being 4 1/2 games behind first-place Texas isn’t nearly as troubling as being four games under .500 entering the week.

21. Diamondbacks (26). The D-backs averaged 9.3 runs per game during their four-game winning streak last week.

Don’t blame Kouske Fukudome for the Cubs’ problems.

22. Cubs (23). All three starting outfielders—Marlon Byrd, Alfonso Soriano and Kouske Fukudome—are batting better than .300 and have at least 21 RBIs. So, that’s not the problem in Wrigley.

23. Pirates (21). The Pirates swept the Reds in their first series this year, then were swept in the next one against Cincinnati. So, who knows what’ll happen during their four-game series this week?

24. White Sox (24). The power still isn’t there, but Carlos Quentin has hit .343 in his past nine games, raising his average from .172 to .216.

25. Royals (28). Chris Getz, who opened the season as the Royals’ starting second baseman, has zero extra-base hits and a .197 average in 20 games. Mike Aviles, who has taken over at second, has five extra-base hits and a .347 average in 19 games.

26. Brewers (25). During the Brewers’ current 2-11 stretch, Rickie Weeks (.118 average) and Ryan Braun (.205) are struggling. Casey McGehee (.321) and Prince Fielder (.319) are not.

27. Indians (22). That six-game skid dropped the Indians back into last place in the AL Central to start the week.

28. Mariners (27). Seattle scored 15 runs in a win against San Diego this week. There have been 19 games this year where they failed to score more than two.

29. Astros (29). Ace Roy Oswalt reportedly wants to be traded. That 2.66 ERA is intriguing for potential suitors; the $29 million he’s guaranteed over the next few years isn’t.

30. Orioles (30). A pair of one-run losses to the Nationals this weekend seem to fit right in with the story of the O’s season.

Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ryan_fagan.

Is Orioles manager Dave Trembley about to be fired?

Baltimore Sun columnist Kevin Cowherd writes that "the death watch is on" and "there are whispers that Trembley could be fired as early as Monday." The Orioles just lost two out of three to the Nationals and have fallen to 14-31, the worst record in the majors.

But MASNsports.com blogger Roch Kubatko says he is "fairly convinced that Dave Trembley is safe at home, at least right now." ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, meanwhile, tweets, "It appears O’s Manager Dave Trembley is not being fired today."

Trembley has a 186-275 record in his three years as manager of the Birds.

Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa are publicly trying to downplay their heated dugout exchange from Friday night.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Pujols was upset that La Russa ordered a two-out steal attempt by Ryan Ludwick with Pujols batting and St. Louis leading by four runs in the eighth inning. Ludwick was thrown out, denying Pujols an RBI chance.

After the play, Pujols tossed his bat and helmet as he returned to the dugout, then flipped a pair of trays holding gum.

The histrionics angered La Russa, who, according to a witness, told Pujols, "That’s enough." From there the exchange escalated, with La Russa finally telling Pujols, "I (expletive) know how to manage."

On Saturday, La Russa told reporters, "Part of (Pujols’) greatness is that he cares. It’s why he ends up doing well and whatever needs fixing he fixes."

The manager said the incident wasn’t unique, but he added that it was a heat-of-the-moment occurrence.

"I didn’t talk to him afterwards because he doesn’t do it excessively and I know he’s sincere," La Russa said.

Pujols also tried to minimize the situation, saying, "I was hitting and we got thrown out stealing. I wanted to hit. That’s all it was. … It’s over. We said what we said. It’s over."

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak called the incident a "non-issue."

Seattle shortstop Jack Wilson, on the disabled list with knee and hamstring strains, is beginning to wonder how much longer his career will last.

Wilson, 32, recently suffered a setback when he injured the hamstring while rehabbing the knee injury in a minor league game. There is no timetable for his return to the Mariners.
 
Wilson told MLB.com: "This is when you actually look at your career and if it’s going to last too much longer. In reality, there’s nothing more that I can do. If it ends up pulling, there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re out two weeks every time you do it."

Seattle signed the former Pirates shortstop to a two-year, $10 million contract extension last November.