MLB

(please take a moment to answer the accompanying poll re: MMM; thanks!)

Last Week: 3-3
This Week: at SEA (5/25-26); OAK (5/28-30)

So what happened?

The Tigers’ mastery over National League teams took a bit of a hit. 

Since 2006 especially, the Tigers have done amazingly well in interleague play. They’ve treated NL teams like redheaded stepchildren, annually.

Admit it Angels fans. You've been spoiled.

Since Bryan Harvey took over the role in 1989, the Angels have been blessed with a shut-down closer every year until now.

Harvey, Troy Percival, Francisco Rodriguez and yes, Brian Fuentes, have provided an unbroken, 20-year chain of confidence for Halo managers to go to the pen in the ninth.

That amazing streak of good fortune seems likely to be ending this year.

In just 11 appearances this season, Fuentes has already allowed four homers, blown two saves, and lost a game.

Mike Cameron is slated to perhaps come off the Disabled List tonight and enter the Red Sox lineup.

This fact alone is not likely to prompt cartwheels in the streets of Boston—but it's what the transaction would mean that is more important.

With Cameron's return, the Red Sox will be about as whole as they've been since the sixth game of the season when they began a four-game set in Tampa that's about as important as games in May can be.

Not only is Mat Latos living up to high expectations, he is also quickly becoming the Padres' most efficient and effective starting pitcher.

Latos outdueled Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, whose solid outing wasn't enough to derail Latos and the Padres' belated bats.

Latos (4-3) allowed a run and four hits over six innings while striking out six as the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Sunday before a crowd of 33,315.

The Yankees have had quite a rough week going 2-5 in back-to-back two-game series against the Red Sox, Rays and a weekend Subway Series in Flushing.

During that time the Red Sox proved that they are contenders, the Rays showed why they might be the best team in baseball, and Jerry Manuel bought himself some more time as the Mets manager.

How did it happen? There are many culprits involved.

It wasn't pretty, but rookie reliever John Axford helped the Milwaukee Brewers close out a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Twins to avoid a series sweep.

Over the weekend, owners in two-catcher formats got a new name to ponder: the Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy.

With Gregg Zaun going on the DL, the Brewers recalled Lucroy, who Baseball America ranked their fifth best prospect heading into the season.

Splitting time between Double and Triple-A, he posted the following line in 2010:

122 At-Bats
.311 Batting Average (38 Hits)
Two Home Runs
16 RBI
16 Runs
Zero Stolen Bases
.349 On-Base Percentage
.418 Slugging Percentage
.350 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Derek Jeter's poor start has been a hot topic lately. Today, on ESPN's 1st and 10, they even asked if this is the beginning of the end for the Yankees shortstop.

Rafael Furcal is ready to rejoin the Dodgers—finally.

After a longer than expected stint on the disabled list, Furcal will be reactivated on Tuesday, as Los Angeles opens up a three game series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

Furcal has been inactive since April with a strained hamstring, and was originally slated to return on May 14. However, the tightness persisted, and additional healing time was required.

When a pitcher has a bad outing, you shrug it off. If you get lit up by the Colorado Rockies, you definitely let it go.  Even for a Cy Young Award winner, a bad outing is part of the game.

But when a dominant pitcher gets tagged for eight runs in less than four innings against the team his old catcher plays for, you know what’s going on.