Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Sore shoulder sends Johan Santana’s rehab backward

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Sore shoulder sends Johan Santana’s rehab backward Jun 14th 2011, 14:38 Remain calm! All is well! That's what Johan Santana insisted in mid-March, despite rumblings that the New York Mets were ready to shut down his rehab. Everything was going according to schedule. Following shoulder surgery in September, that schedule projected Santana to be ready to rejoin the Mets' starting rotation by late June or early July. But much like Kevin Bacon was trampled by a stampede of panicked parade goers when he tried to ease fears at the end of "Animal House," so has Santana's rehab schedule apparently been flattened. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters on Monday that Santana was feeling soreness in his left shoulder after increasing the intensity of his workouts and had stopped throwing from a mound 10 days ago. (That left some New York media to wonder why it took Alderson that long to say anything.) But since that rest, Santana is now long-tossing on flat ground and is expected to begin throwing from the mound again this week. So where exactly is Santana's rehab schedule now? The shoulder soreness appears to have put the process in a time machine: "We are now trying to get him to the point at which he would be beginning his spring training. The thought process now is [that] we need to get him to the point where he would have been on the 14th of February. From that point he will proceed with his spring training, which could last as long as spring training typically does." This would be great if the Mets were training in Port St. Lucie right now. But they lost in Pittsburgh on Monday, June 13, with 96 games left on their major league season schedule. And though the Mets are probably out of the NL East race, in fourth place with a 32-34 record, they still have a chance to put together a pretty nice season. Considering most of the team's headlines have centered around a billion-dollar lawsuit, Fred Wilpon looking for someone to buy a minority share of the franchise and ripping several of his players in print, that wouldn't be an insignifcant achievement. Santana's health (even if he wasn't at full strength) could be a major factor in the team's fortunes. Or maybe not, if you listen to Alderson. "The nice thing is, as we speak today, our starting rotation is doing nicely," Alderson said. "In that sense the pressure to get him back earlier doesn't exist. Tomorrow, that could change completely. But, I think the other thing is, we're looking at Johan long term here, not short term. So he's got to be right." Well, Dillon Gee is 7-0. Remain calm. All is well. Take all the time you need, Johan. Follow Ian on Twitter — @iancass — and engage The Stew on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: The Juice: Indians salvage 1-0 win at New York; Jeter hurt

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

The Juice: Indians salvage 1-0 win at New York; Jeter hurt Jun 14th 2011, 13:10 Nine innings, nine items to get you going. (Unless there are only seven items because of a truncated schedule.) Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice. 1. It's finally over?: The series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians took approximately six months to complete (actually it was only four games). And the Tribe finally came away with something Monday night, a 1-0 victory in the Bronx behind a strong effort from right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The Yankees outscored them 24-9 in taking three of four. Oddity: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer points out that the Indians have two wins in the past 11 games and both were 1-0 decisions for Carrasco. Derek Jeter managed a single for his 2,994th career hit, but he limped off the field with a mild calf strain later in the game. 2. All of that happened? A game-ending RBI double by Ramon Santiago on which Victor Martinez scores from first base for a 2-1 Detroit Tigers victory? Inconceivable! As was this call by the home plate umpire that cost the Tampa Bay Rays a run. 3. Let it slide — this time!: Cubs rookie Darwin Barney made a nifty slide to score the game's only run in a 1-0 victory against the Brewers. 4. Some the richer: Hunter Pence is on a roll — he's got a 23-game hitting streak — and it's even affecting the pennant race, helping the Houston Astros to an 8-3 victory against the Atlanta Braves. 5. Offensive guy, defensive position: Miguel Montero is a catcher who can hit: He had three of them, along with four RBIs, in Arizona's 12-9 victory at Florida. The Fish have dropped under .500. Time to bring back Fredi Gonzalez. Oh, it's too late! 6. Three is the new four: Somebody tell Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to stop fiddling with the numbers! No matter how the scoreboard in L.A. might get stuff wrong, the Joey Votto and the Reds still won 6-4. 7. Totally worth the money now: Vernon Wells is heatin' up! Two home runs for the Tom Morello look-a-like in a 6-3 Angels win at Seattle. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Derek Jeter’s milestone moment delayed after straining calf

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Derek Jeter’s milestone moment delayed after straining calf Jun 14th 2011, 12:26 All of the concern — real or manufactured — over where Derek Jeter's milestone 3,000th will happen now becomes concern over his short-term availability after the New York Yankees captain strained his right calf in their 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians Monday night. Jeter had already collected hit No. 2,994 on a first inning single off Carlos Carrasco when he stepped in to lead off the fifth. On the first pitch, he hit a routine flyball to right field. As he took a couple steps out of the batter's box, something pulled causing an immediately noticeable hitch in his step. Moments later, a clearly frustrated Jeter was shown tossing his helmet before heading down the tunnel to the Yankees clubhouse. Watch the play here As manager Joe Girardi mentioned in his postgame press conference, the potential seriousness of the situation didn't take long to settle in after witnessing Jeter's body language. From the New York Times: "Obviously, we're worried about it." "He just walked off the field and you could tell he was done," Girardi said. "You don't see him come out of games." A late night MRI revealed what is being classified as a Grade 1 strain of the calf. That's the least severe strain on a scale of 1 to 3, but given his age is still likely to keep him sidelined at least a few days, if not longer. Which means when Jeter's next major league at-bat will take place becomes a much bigger concern to the Yankees — and hopefully their fans — than when or where hit No. 3,000 is coming. We might know more about Jeter's timetable when he's reevaluated at some point on Tuesday. In the meantime, the conspiracy theorists out there are already hard at work formulating their thesis that will prove the Yankees and Jeter are maneuvering to make sure the feat is accomplished at home. In fact, some of them didn't even wait for the MRI results. (Logic aside, these folks will not be denied of their opinions.) As if this storyline needed another layer or a surprise twist, we certainly have one now. Be prepared for a full-fledged Calfgate.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Umpire’s call costs Rays, Maddon repeats plea for replay help

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Umpire’s call costs Rays, Maddon repeats plea for replay help Jun 14th 2011, 12:18 Bad calls happen. Umpires make mistakes. It's the "human element," often cited whenever anyone talks about eventually living in a world where flawless, emotionless robots officiate the strike zone and basepaths. While such miscues are a part of baseball, that sort of acceptance comes with the hope that a bad call doesn't end up affecting the outcome of a game. Uh-oh, John Tumpane. Monday night's home plate umpire at Comerica Park made a call that cost the Tampa Bay Rays a run, and possibly a victory as well, in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The play in question happened in the seventh inning with the Tigers nursing a 1-0 lead. Casey Kotchman hit a shallow pop-up to right field caught by Magglio Ordoñez. Justin Ruggiano tagged up from third to score the tying run, and Ordoñez made a strong throw home. To virtually everyone watching the play, whether in person or on TV, it looked like Ruggiano's left foot crossed home plate before catcher Alex Avila could apply a tag. Not to the man closest to the play, however. Tumpane called Ruggiano out, prompting immediate helmet-stripping outrage and disbelief from the baserunner. Equally incensed was manager Joe Maddon, who bolted from the dugout to protest the call. Plays like this also are converting Maddon into a replay believer. Watch it here Did Tumpane blow the call? It sure looked like it on replay. Even Tigers TV play-by-play man Mario Impemba couldn't defend it, simply saying "Eww," before going to commercial. That actually captured the sentiment perfectly, because no one felt good about the call after video presented such strong evidence to the contrary. What exactly did Tumpane see? Even if he thought Ruggiano's left foot first missed the plate when sliding in, he hooked it back to touch the plate before Avila could tag him. The only possible defense is that Tumpane thought Avila tagged Ruggiano's back foot a split-second before he slid by home plate. Granted, he had a closer view of the play than the TV cameras could provide, so perhaps that's a plausible explanation. However, Tumpane didn't help matters waiting to make a call until Avila had applied a second tag (after which Ruggiano's left foot had touched the plate). As you can imagine, the Rays weren't buying any of that in their clubhouse after the game. "The replay speaks for itself. MLB really has to review all that stuff, because it is a play that comes up quite often," Maddon said. "I was a little annoyed that sometimes, it seems to go against us on the heavy side. I had my say, but that's not up to me to rectify." Ruggiano said he never felt a tag from Avila. (Even Avila wasn't sure he got the tag down.) Furthermore, Ruggiano said he regretted not running into the Tigers' catcher instead. This play could certainly encourage future baserunners to channel their inner Scott Cousins and leave nothing to chance. Besides adding yet another argument for broader use of instant replay, this also calls into question why umpires aren't required to answer for themselves after ballgames. It would've been nice if Tumpane spoke to the media afterwards and explained his call. Hey, if Jim Joyce can do it, why can't everyone else? Follow Ian on Twitter — @iancass — and engage The Stew on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Confirm your unsubscription from 'Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports'

To confirm that you no longer wish to receive updates from 'Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports', please click on the following link:

http://beta.blogtrottr.com/unsubscribe/confirm/PRPcSm/7BPdb

If you weren't expecting to receive this email, then simply ignore it and we'll go away.

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Interesting fact: World won’t end if Jeter’s 3,000th comes on road

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Interesting fact: World won’t end if Jeter’s 3,000th comes on road Jun 13th 2011, 22:13 Now that our collective LeBronenfreude has nothing else to do but fizzle (I think), this country's main sports stage belongs to Derek Jeter and his pursuit to become the first New York Yankees player to reach 3,000 career hits. Quite frankly, in a season that has only seen the Buster Posey-Scott Cousins collision reach critical mass as a big baseball story, it's something we've all been waiting for. For the next week or so, all eyes will be on everyone's favorite Yankee as he goes about picking up the seven hits he needs for that nice, round number. There will be live cut-ins, above-the-fold mentions, maybe even a special section or two. Even if you hate all things pinstripe, you will likely applaud the moment because Jeter has been good for baseball and he's hitting a figure that earns an ovation no matter which uniform the player is wearing — Wade Boggs as a Devil Ray, anyone? — at the time. Here's my one beef with the storyline, though: As the Yankees finish their series against Cleveland on Monday night and then head into a three-game midweek series with Texas, the Captain's chase has taken on a certain urgency. If he picks up seven hits over the next four games — an improbability, but not an impossibility — Jeter will achieve the feat at Yankee Stadium in front of his adoring hometown fans. If he doesn't? Well, the implied giddyup! tells me that no one's quite sure that the collective disappointment won't lead to some sort of apocalyptic event. (Seriously, if this were an early episode of "Lost," Jeter would currently be receiving instructions to hurriedly enter random numbers into a computer lest some unsaid misfortune fall upon Yankee Universe if he failed.) It occurs to me that perhaps some are advancing this deadline as a way to inject some additional drama into an otherwise inevitable moment, but then I read articles like this one or entire blog posts inventing excuses for Joe Girardi so he can sit Jeter for an entire road trip and I'm back to believing the hysteria is really approaching. And for what exactly? Is that section of the Bronx really that starved for memorable moments? Have a World Series title, A-Rod's 600th and Rob Iracane's dad catching a Mark Teixeira home run not been enough for the still-young new Stadium? What's more, how do you postpone a pennant race with the Boston Red Sox just so you can define the parameters for your postcard? What would have happened had the Yankees asked Jeter to wait until they got back to New York before making the flip to get Jeremy Giambi out in Oakland? The totality of a player's greatness — and the memories he creates for us — comes in what he does both at home and on the road. Not to mention that we have no control on where our milestones happen or that Yankees fans don't have a birthright to see these things happen in New York. As a big Chicago Blackhawks fan, I always dreamed of being able to see the Cup presented to my team on home ice. It didn't exactly happen that way last June — heck, neither did the overtime game-winner — but it didn't make the experience any less sweeter. All that said, I'd personally like to see Jeter pick up these last seven hits over the next four games and become the 28th player to reach 3,000. I get that he's a special case here and that it would make for the best theater and that each Yankee fan would be able to claim that they were there for the hit (even if they weren't). Really, though, let's not act as if Jeter poking out H3K at Wrigley Field or Great American Ballpark will grind the Earth to a halt before either place has the chance to become an answer to a Derek Jeter trivia question (and give him a very nice ovation as well). Quite simply, it will happen where it happens. And we will cheer and remember the moment because of the who, not the when or the where.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports: Redbird a-chirping: Wainwright declares Cardinals best in NL

Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports Latest Big League Stew - MLB from Yahoo! Sports

Redbird a-chirping: Wainwright declares Cardinals best in NL Jun 13th 2011, 14:31 An elbow injury prevents Adam Wainwright from pitching, so he finds other ways to stay involved with the St. Louis Cardinals. About 3-1/2 months removed from from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, Wainwright still comes to Busch Stadium to rehab his injury and to go over scouting reports with teammate Kyle McClellan. And he definitely has his teammates' collective back when it comes to cheerleading. During a thoroughly enjoyable radio interview with Rob and B.J. Rains on 1380-AM The Sports Zone on Friday, Wainwright was asked if he was surprised at how well the Cardinals have played this season, given all of their catastrophic and nagging injuries. Waino referred to statements he made earlier in the season touting the Cardinals as the best team in the National League and, half-jokingly, how "smart" his teammates have made him look as an analyst. With the Cards tied for third in the majors with 38 victories (despite getting swept at Milwaukee over the weekend), Wainwright was still chirping his tune about the Cards being the best team around: "I can tell you that honestly," Wainwright said. "I'm not being biased here — I'm out for the season. We're better than the Reds. We're better than the Cubs. We're better than the Brewers. We're better than the Phillies. I mean, there's nobody that can play with us. [...] "We're the best team in the big leagues right now." Waino is bueno! This kind of boasting, like something out of a prizefight weigh-in, is rare in baseball anymore. Guys might think their team is the best, or say it amongst themselves, but to come out and do a roll-call of teams who aren't as good as your own, well, I like the bravado. (Whether he's "not biased" is another matter.) Perhaps above all else, the interview (listen to more of it here) shows Wainwright's still in a competitive frame of mind despite being sacked with what must be a depressing injury.  Wainwright admitted that his injury has prompted him to fall even deeper in love with baseball. "I hang on every pitch. I feel like a fan again. If I miss part of a game on TV, I'll go back and rewind the DVR. I love baseball. I really, really love it. Being away from something you love that much, it makes you yearn to want to play it more." [Related: If you like Wainwright's take on coming back from an injury, you'll appreciate the series Marlins catcher John Baker has been writing for BLS.] Wainwright actually did cite several reasons for the Cards being the best team, such as having three perpetual MVP-types — Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and a rejuvenated Lance Berkman — along with the best depth he can remember the Cardinals having. He's not wrong. After a disappointing 2010 season, the job GM John Mozeliak has done finding manager Tony La Russa the right pieces to move around should be lauded. One of the reasons Waino is so gung-ho about the Cardinals is the one-in-a-million chance that he could pitch for them if they're still playing in October. "I asked the orthopedic surgeon in theory if there's any chance I could pitch in October. And he counts on his fingers and goes, 'In theory? Yes. In reality...' "I said, 'Nope. Stop there. I'll take the 'In theory' part." Wainwright said he's about three weeks from picking up a baseball, and plans to start throwing from a mound in September. After losing an "unbelievable" amount of muscle mass, he's regaining strength, and is able to bench-press 200 pounds after — not long ago — needing to hold water glasses with both hands to keep them from slipping out. Wainwright later said he knows "almost certainly" that he won't pitch this season, but didn't lament it too much. His injury gave McClellan a shot at starting and that's gone OK. Wainwright has been able to spend precious time with his own growing family and is grateful for that. And he got injured at just the "right" time, in a sense. Even if pitching in 2011 is a pipe dream, Wainwright is perfectly on schedule to reclaim a spot in the rotation in 2012. And he's obviously shown an ability to contribute to the 2011 Cardinals. Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions