MLB

There are certain batters you associate with strike outs. Adam Dunn comes to mind. So does Mark Reynolds.

One guy you don’t normally think of when it comes to strikeouts is New York Mets’ 3B David Wright. But now perhaps we should.

Wright is striking out at a prolific rate in 2010.

Before we get to what is going on with Wright in 2010, we have to first go back to 2009 to see the start of Wright’s increased strikeout rate. Four the first four years of Wright’s career, he struck out about 19 percent of the time every year.

Whitaker and Trammell. Morgan and Concepcion. Tinker and Evers. Maz and Groat.

So often, the 2B and SS are linked together on great teams. Why should they not be? What part of baseball more encompasses teamwork than the ability to turn a double play?

While top defensive pairings are not exactly a dime a dozen, the majors definitely have their fair share of talent at the pivot. Let's take a closer look at the best.

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The New York Mets wasted a quality start last night in the loss to the Washington Nationals . The two teams entered the night tied for second place in the National League East .

When I was growing up, I learned everything I know about baseball from watching TV. My dad was more of a football guy. He still is.

He knows the basics when it comes to baseball, how to throw, catch, camp under a fly ball, etc. But baseball has a lot of little things in it that can really make the difference between winning and losing. Things that are not really obvious, but make a lot of sense once you learn them. When these situations came up, the TV announcers knew them, and would always point them out.

After his previous start that yielded six runs and five walks to the Atlanta Braves in 5.1 innings, many thought that Washington Nationals rookie starter Luis Atilano may be starting to unravel.

He shut those detractors up last night, however, as he threw 5.1 shutout innings helping the Nats topple the New York Mets to improve to second place in the National League East.

Deception was the key to Atilano's success Monday night, as young right-hander improved to 3-0 by earning the win on his 25th birthday.

According to Howard Eskin and his brand new Twitter feed, the Phillies are seriously considering trading Shane Victorino in order to free up some money to resign Jayson Werth.

It makes sense on the surface, as finding a way to keep Werth has to be on top of Ruben Amaro's to-do list, and trading Victorino would free up $7.5 million next year. The Phils would then just insert Dominic Brown to play either center or right field, depending on where they feel he's best suited, and move on from there.

We thought the war of words from Dallas Braden and Alex Rodriguez was a one-time deal. It took a place when that game at Oakland in a few weeks ago ended.

The day after that game, the Yankees carried it on by ripping Braden. Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia called Braden out for being a whiner and a journeyman.

That inspired Braden to call out Rodriguez in an interview on CSN California.com last Thursday.

The intrepid fan racing across the field as the chubby stadium security guy tries vehemently to run him down is an indelible image that nearly every baseball fan can attest too. And while most of these instances are minor and innocent they can, at times, turn ugly as in the recent taser incident at a Philadelphia Phillies game.

But that is for another article.

I tried to find a few memorable moments in MLB history where the fans raced the field in a positive manner, rather than negative. I have excluded postseason celebrations because that is technically a different subject.

After the Oakland Raiders traded for the Washington Redskins' Jason Campbell, the speculation in the swirling rumors of JaMarcus Russell's imminent demise was replaced with inevitability.

The big man with the even bigger contract was due $9.45 million in the upcoming season and, by all accounts, nothing about the kid warranted rolling the dice when that kind of money was at stake.

And so the axe fell on May 6th, putting Russell firmly in the running for the title of Biggest Bust in the History of the National Football League.

That's gotta sting.

The news has been fodder for numerous punchl

The illegal immigrants, as we refer to the violators who generated a controversy in Phoenix, one of the urban cities surrounded by the sticky, muggy and humid heat, especially come the summer months, are battered with hypocrisy and woes.