MLB

Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale gave up an uncharacteristic eight runs in seven innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday night. 

After being told he was done for the evening, the 24-year-old southpaw decided to take out his frustration on an ice chest in the dugout. Sale started banging on the chest with his glove, then both hands until he finally knocked it over. 

With September only a week away, the playoff picture is starting to come into frame.

There's still a long way to go—about 34 or 35 games for most teams—but that doesn't mean we can't start dreaming about picture-perfect World Series matchups.

A-Rod, A-Fraud or Alex Rodriguez.

There was a time when Alex Rodriguez was widely considered the best baseball player alive. Those days are long gone. We are now reduced to Oompa Loopma jokes and pictures of him making out with himself.

There are few other places on Earth I can classify as havens other than MLB ballparks. The sights, the sounds and the smells are all experiences I cherish each time I set foot in any ballpark around the country.

From my first experience at a professional baseball game to my most recent game attended, I still receive a childlike thrill each time the field comes into view.

With a little more than a month left in the MLB season, many teams are still fighting for their playoff lives, while others are looking toward next year.

For some players, free agency is looming and they've been behind the eight ball all year. Some need to finish strong in hopes of cashing in a huge payday this offseason.

Here's a look at 15 soon-to-be free agents who need a huge finish to get those big bucks.

The annual July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline carries the potential to reverse franchise fortunes—short term as well as long term—and alter pennant races like no other date on the calendar.

It can signal the end of some dynasties or usher in others. It can mean teams shedding the payroll of stars in exchange for something before the stars can leave their teams at season's end in exchange for nothing.

Watch a ballgame or engage in a discussion about the sport, and there's a good chance you'll hear the phrase "back of the baseball card" uttered somewhere along the line.

The term is often used to explain that a streaking or slumping player will eventually perform somewhere in line with his career numbers, which can be found—you guessed it—on the back of his baseball card.

When Bryce Harper was chosen by the Washington Nationals as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft, he had played for most of his amateur career as a catcher.

In just three-plus years, it's safe to say he's picked up the nuances of the outfield fairly well.

Those sneaky Tampa Bay Rays have been anything but complacent this week as they aim for their fourth playoff berth in six seasons.

Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale technically surrendered four home runs on Friday night, although the one that came off of Ian Kinsler's bat only landed about halfway between home plate and the bleachers.

Judge his third-inning, inside-the-park blast for yourself: