Fan News

Since being moved to the bullpen to work on mechanics, the performance of Javier Vazquez has improved. The Yankees are now seeing the type of pitcher they thought they were getting last offseason. His performance has improved enough for the righty to get another shot in the starting rotation.

by Brett Lay

The Washington Nationals announced in a conference call this morning that phenom rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s mutant right arm has lost its powers due to recent sunspot activity.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said Strasburg realized there was a problem when he could no longer summon the powers of a Norse god of thunder to fling baseballs at his normal average speed of several hundred miles an hour in a recent practice.

As the final month of the 2010 baseball season gets under way, the imaginations of baseball fans everywhere are alive with the possibility of a triple crown winner in the National League.  With statistics and probability we can put hard projections to that amazing possibility. 

With the New York Mets season becoming more and more dreary at the days go by, the team made a few roster moves right before the waiver wire trade deadline. The trade and a few call ups will give the Mets a chance to see some young guys play the remainder of the year.

Mired in a hole of one poor transaction after another, the Seattle Mariners are nine years removed from their last playoff berth.

They have struggled with upper level management, found it difficult to find perennial stars in the lineup, and haven't been able to solidify their rotation.

Much of these struggles can be amplified by a series of questionable moves that the franchise has made in recent memory, because there are quite a few of them.

The Cincinnati Reds are the hottest team in baseball.  They are playing well and getting contributions from everyone on the roster, in addition to have the National League's best player in Joey Votto.  They entered the final day of August with a six-game lead in the NL Central.

And now they welcome a new member to the bullpen who consistently sends the radar gun into triple digits...

When you look at Phil Hughes’ numbers on the surface, things look good.  He’s got 15 wins.  He’s sporting a respectable (though not as much in 2010) ERA of 4.12.  His WHIP is solid at 1.25.

However, entering last night’s start those numbers are a bit deceiving.  Just look at his ERAs over the past three months:

The electric debut of lanky Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman lasted only seven innings into his first day as a Major Leaguer. Reds' skipper Dusty Baker said he would not use him in a tight ballgame.

With millions of goose bumps in Reds' country, ChapMania began on Tuesday night with an 8-3 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.

In a much publicized battle of the aces, Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Dan Haren matched Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez pitch for pitch. Neither backed down.

After the two aces hit the showers, Seattle capitalized, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Angels, 3-1.

It was only a matter of time.

We knew it was coming.

How could a team being led by Juan Uribe, Andres Torres, and Aubrey Huff be in the thick of a playoff race?

The team is made up of streaky hitters, inconsistent pitchers, and Major League scraps ready to be hauled to the dumpster.

Freddy Sanchez is either red hot or ice cold.

Barry Zito is either unhittable or like hitting off a batting tee.

Uribe, Huff, Torres, Pat Burrell, Jose Guillen, Cody Ross, Santiago Casilla, Guillermo Mota.