MLB

Popular 2013 World Series picks like the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays have stumbled out of the starting gate, but we have come to expect MLB disappointments over the past 10 years. Read on to refresh your memory.

Just blame it on the manager.

In Major League Baseball, when a team that appears dominant on paper but underperforms on the field, managers tend to take the brunt of the fault. Often times, they’ll lose their jobs because of it even though they aren’t the ones playing.

You don’t always need big names to get big results out of your bullpen. Sometimes a few unsung heroes will do the trick. 

Mariano Rivera may lead the American League with 15 saves, but there are plenty of other relievers out there who are producing big results for their teams while not being household names.

Whether they are racking up saves or getting the job done in the middle innings, those pitchers are providing major relief for their teams. 

Here are six under-the-radar relief pitchers who are absolutely filthy. 

The Boston Red Sox may have lost eight of their last 10 games, but with a 22-16 record, thety only trail the New York Yankees by two games and the Baltimore Orioles by one game in the AL East.

We have reached the one-quarter mark on the 2013 MLB season, and it has been a season largely dominated by starting pitching to this point.

That said, there have been a number of players, and teams for that matter, putting up impressive offensive showings here in the early going.

As one would expect, American League lineups tend to generate more runs thanks to the presence of the DH. The gap isn't all that significant, though, as NL teams have averaged 4.08 runs per game in 2013, while AL teams have averaged 4.43 runs per game.

It's been said, by no less an authority than the great Ted Williams himself, that hitting a baseball is the single most difficult thing to do in sport.

And Mr. Williams never even had to face Matt Harvey.

Bryce Harper isn't invincible.

During the sixth inning of the Washington Nationals' road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Harper was hot in pursuit of an A.J. Ellis fly ball to deep right field. Harper appeared to be in position to make a play on the ball, but just as he pulled up short, he met an unforgiving force.

The right field wall.

Let's be honest—the New York Mets are a lousy baseball team. Not only that, but aside from when Matt Harvey pitches, they're an unwatchable team to boot.

As we draw near the quarter mark of the 2013 MLB campaign, it's time to take a look at some things that have been learned about manager Terry Collins' squad this season.

Aside from the excellent performances of a few select players, it has not been pretty—at all.

Read on.

After their first 40 games, the Oakland A's are 20-20 in the 2013 season.

Remember 2012? The A's started 20-20 as well. In 2006, The A's—led by Frank Thomas—rode a five-game winning streak to get to 21-19 after 40 games. 

In the fantasy baseball world, it’s difficult to discern if a player will be scorching hot for a week, a month, or a season.

For example, owners who picked up Edwin Encarnacion in 2012 reaped the benefits for the whole season. Managers who added speedster Jordan Schafer last year bemoaned his awful for the second half.