MLB

When the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira about a year and a half ago one of the first things we were told about him was that he is a very slow starter, and then he showed it by putting up a .738 OPS last April. Then we saw him rebound by putting up a 1.138 OPS in May, and we never looked back.

The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays 3-2 yesterday in the 14th inning. Chad Gaudin was on the mound when they lost, with Mariano Rivera fully rested and waiting in the bullpen. I’ll never understand why you would ever use such an inferior reliever with Mo waiting.

Play for the win, not the statistic. I get it that the idea is that you want to extend the game, but you do that with your setup men and not your mop-up guy.

Here are some notes:

Some things in life you just cannot explain. 

Things like: How does lint get in my belly button? How do ugly musicians marry supermodels? And, how in the world is Jamie Moyer, 47, still winning baseball games at the Major League level?

After last night’s seven-hit, one-strikeout, complete-game performance against the San Diego Padres, in a 6-2 victory, Moyer continues to be a phenomenon.

The Cleveland Indians have come under intense scrutiny for trading away three All-Star players in the past two seasons.  While the majority of the criticism is valid, as the talent the Indians received back in those trades looks weak so far, the Tribe can be praised for luring away right handed starter Mitch Talbot from Tampa Bay for catcher Kelly Shoppach in December 2009.  

Here’s a look at the unheralded players who played well yesterday.

I'm a Braves fan.  I've been one since the early 90s.  In my lifetime of enjoying Braves baseball, you can't say much about the team's success without mentioning Chipper Jones in the same sentence.

At 38 years old, we all know the decline is rapidly picking up speed.  It shows on the injury sheet.  It shows in the stat line.

Chipper is batting .240 this season with 1 HR and 21 RBI.  He's slugging almost 200 points less than his career average and his OBP is drops year after year.

Will Mark Teixeira ever turn things around?  What is going on in the Orioles & Diamondbacks bullpens?  Is Mike Leake for real?  Let’s look at these questions and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Todd Wellemeyer continued his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine in Pittsburgh on Saturday, giving up six runs, nine hits, and three walks in three innings of work. Actually, work might be the wrong way to phrase it...it was more a vacation.

The contrast of his home and road numbers is mind-boggling at this point.

Dr. Jekyll: 3-1, 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .213 BAA

Mr. Hyde: 0-4, 10.62 ERA, 2.21 WHIP, .305 BAA

Mr. Hyde put on quite a show in Pittsburgh, ostentatiously strutting out his schizophrenic demeanor and homeless-man composure.

Another tough day for the Yankees in Toronto, who lost to the Jays for the second straight day. There are many reasons why this one ended up in the loss column. Some that stick out include, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base, and Mariano Rivera never even warming up let along getting into a game that lasted 14 innings. I could, and probably will, go into them each in detail, but first let's focus on the positives.