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It’s harsh to beat up on a player just after he gets hurt, but after watching the video of the big collision in today’s Indians-Red Sox game, I just don’t feel as much sympathy for Santana as perhaps I should.

Santana is a great young player, and I hope the injury isn’t too serious and he recovers quickly.  That said, the injury is entirely his own fault.

ATLANTA—After a mediocre home stand culminating in an embarrassing loss to the Diamondbacks, the Mets knew they had to get off to a good start on the road.

Facing the two top teams in the NL East, the Mets didn't come to play in their opener against the Braves. They had their ace Johan Santana on the mound, but he was only 2-5 in his career against Atlanta, even with a 2.01 ERA.

What cost the Mets tonight was the entire first inning. In the Mets half, they had an immediate shot to get to Tim Hudson, who has had a great season.

A.J. Burnett sure wasn't happy to play his old team tonight. The Blue Jays bats ran rampant over the fireballer, knocking him out in the fifth inning after notching seven runs against him. The Blue Jays hit six doubles in the sixth, two of them by Travis Snider.  After the seven-run inning by the Jays that put them up 8-2, New York would come back to score runs in the bottom of the fifth, sixth and ninth. The Bluebirds would hang on though to win the heavy-hitting contest, 8-6.

What happened to Orioles Magic? A once respectable franchise has turned into a complete joke, to put it frankly.

The Orioles are on their way to their 13th consecutive losing season. They haven’t had a winning season since 1997, when they went 98-64, and they have changed managers eight times in that 13-year span, with names like Lee Mazzilli, Dave Trembley, and Sam Perlozzo.

A Chance for the Marlins to Improve

By Keith McGowan

A few weeks ago, amid all the Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross trade speculations, an idea randomly popped into my head. Hanley Ramirez is arguably the most explosive bat in the Marlins line up.  Unfortunately, his defense is…we’ll just go with “less than stellar.” 

With the trading deadline in baseball's rear view mirror, teams are beginning to pay attention to the playoff races with the arrival of August.

With roughly two months left in the regular season, the real contenders will emerge from the woodwork.

With trading in mind, newly acquired players will have big impacts on the playoff pictures.

The trade deadline has come and gone without the Cincinnati Reds making a significant move. That is what Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty expected.  "I don't expect anything to happen, not with us," he said a few days prior to the deadline.

Jocketty and the Reds see no glaring weaknesses and are comfortable with the team. They are leading the National League in hitting and their 3.15 ERA since June 17 is the second-best in Major League Baseball.

This Baseball Digest writer suggested the Rays trade James Shields for a hitter in the trade deadline, and he questioned why Joe Maddon would start the struggling
Shields in the divisional showdown against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium several weeks ago.

Please be sure to check out Mets Paradise and our forum for everything Mets!

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The New York Mets are about to play the most important six games of their season. Starting tonight, the Mets will play three games against the Atlanta Braves, followed by three games against the Philadelphia Phillies, all of them on the road.