Kuzul

A little over a month ago, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ took a wicked line drive to the head off the bat of Tampa Bay Rays hitter Desmond Jennings. Fortunately, Happ suffered just a contusion and laceration to his left ear and was released after an overnight stay in the hospital.Bleacher Report MLB lead writer Zachary Rymer wrote an article immediately after the chilling incident, calling for MLB to stop pressing its luck and introduce protective headgear for all pitchers.With the latest injury suffered by Rays pitcher Alex Cobb, that time is now.MLB can't afford to wait any longer.In the top of the fifth inning in a game between the Kansas City Royals and Rays on Saturday, first baseman Eric Hosmer shot a line drive up the middle, striking Cobb in the area around his right ear. Cobb immediately dropped to the ground, grabbing the right side of his ...

When the Atlanta Braves signed center fielder B.J. Upton last winter to a lucrative five-year, $75.25 million contact, they envisioned a young star who would provide solid production in the middle of their batting order for years to come.They may one day rue that deal.Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is now seriously considering asking Upton to work out his hitting woes in the minors.That's right—demoting a player making eight figures annually.Speaking to reporters before Friday's game against the Washington Nationals, Gonzalez talked about what to do about Upton, who is currently hitting just .145.Via ESPN:It's a hard decision. It's a decision that you take very, very seriously. You talk collectively with your coaches about it, and it's something always falls on my shoulders, right? That's fine. I'm comfortable with that. But you've got to think about 25 (players), six staff members, four clubhouse guys, the front office ...

Heading into Friday night's game with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia hadn't logged a victory in the entire month of May.In fact, after he gave up seven runs in seven innings to the Tampa Bay Rays on May 26, Sabathia talked about the need to pick his game up.“I’m hurting the team,” Sabathia told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. “I’m not helping the team out. I just need to get better.”There was talk about Sabathia's diminished velocity, with some even wondering if the 6'7" behemoth could still be regarded as an ace.His outing on Friday against the Boston Red Sox certainly quieted those concerns—at least for now.Sabathia pitched into the eighth inning, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out 10 in an outstanding performance. He left the game with a 4-1 lead.Sabathia didn't walk a batter as he ...

MLB umpire Angel Hernandez was trending on Twitter on Friday night after yet another blown call. At least this time it didn't cost a team a victory. But it was egregious nonetheless.I know, you're thinking to yourself, "Wait, didn't MLB suspend him after he blew that home run call a few weeks ago?"Well, this is Major League Baseball you're talking about. Hernandez wasn't disciplined in any way, although MLB at least acknowledged that Hernandez blew it.Just to refresh your memory: With the Oakland Athletics down to the Cleveland Indians 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning on May 8, shortstop Adam Rosales hit what appeared to be a game-tying home run. But Hernandez thought otherwise, saying the ball bounced off the wall rather than the railing above the yellow line. Rosales was given a double on the play.After A's manager Bob Melvin pleaded for a video review, Hernandez and ...

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller was about as close to perfection as one can get without the threat of ever actually throwing a perfect game. That possibility no longer existed after the very first batter of the game on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Rockies leadoff hitter Eric Young Jr. hit a soft single to right fielder Carlos Beltran to open the game. Young also stole second base but would go no further as Miller bore down and retired the next three hitters to end the Rockies’ threat. That would be the only nibble the Rockies would get all night from Miller, who proceeded to retire 27 consecutive Rockies hitters following Young’s single. On his 113th and final pitch of the night, Miller caught Young looking on a fastball for a called third strike, giving him his 13th strikeout and a brilliant one-hit shutout. It was without question a dominant ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the San Francisco Giants on Friday night, courtesy of a Buster Posey walk-off home run. But more importantly, they may have lost their starting shortstop for a significant period of time. Hanley Ramirez was helped off the field after he unsuccessfully attempted to go from first to third on a single by catcher A.J. Ellis. AT&T Park is not the field of dreams for Ramirez—he fractured his thumb in his last game there in March in the finals of the World Baseball Classic.Clutching his hamstring on the way into the dugout certainly wasn’t a good sign, nor was the pained expression on his face. Manager Don Mattingly wasn’t too thrilled about it either. In fact, in comments made to reporters after the game, it was clear he’s downright shaken by it. "We can't keep losing guys at this rate," Mattingly said. "This is going ...

The St. Louis Cardinals are engaged in a tight battle already in the NL Central, and some sobering news on Friday will make their fight to stay alive in that race a little bit tougher. Closer Jason Motte will undergo Tommy John surgery after attempting to rehab his right elbow for the past month. Motte made nine appearances in spring training before experiencing pain in his elbow. An MRI at the time showed that he had strained his flexor tendon. With Motte starting the season on the disabled list, it was hoped that rest and rehab would be enough for him to avoid surgery. The news probably wasn’t totally shocking, but it does add to the woes that have already piled up for the Cardinals bullpen. Southpaw Marc Rzepczynski was demoted to the minors on Monday after struggling mightily in his first nine appearances. He posted a 7.88 ERA, allowing ...

With each passing day in the MLB, trade talk becomes a bit more pronounced.Oftentimes, performance dictates how a team proceeds as it approaches the trade deadline in late July. In some cases, injuries will determine a team's actions as well.Inevitably, each team will have players on its roster that it may try to unload but will find no suitors. Bloated long-term contracts could be a factor. So, too, could current performance and historical trends.Whatever the case, each MLB team has at least one member of its roster that would be considered worthless trade bait.Here is an accounting of those players.Begin Slideshow

On a slightly overcast night at Citi Field in New York that saw the wind blowing out, two young hurlers got together for an early dream matchup.Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals was already an established star before this night. Fans and experts alike have wondered aloud what kind of year he would have after the training wheels were taken off, having been limited to 160 innings last year.New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey was making only the 14th start of his MLB career, already putting together an impressive portfolio of starts that has Mets fans salivating for more.It was a game billed as a marquee matchup between two young guns, and the 26,675 fans in attendance can honestly say that they weren't cheated.Harvey out-dueled Strasburg, going seven strong innings and allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out seven and pitched his way out of a bases-loaded ...

The Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins this offseason in the hopes that the players acquired would help lead them to their first postseason berth since 1993.Those hopes may have taken a severe blow on Friday night.In the top of the sixth inning of the Blue Jays' game against the Kansas City Royals, the Jays took a 6-4 lead following an Emilio Bonifacio run-scoring double.Shortstop Jose Reyes—one of the principal figures in the team-changing trade for the Blue Jays—followed with a single up the middle to drive in two more runs, giving the Jays an 8-4 lead.Reyes, known for his great speed, took off for second to put another runner in scoring position. Reyes stole the bag safely, but at tremendous cost.He was in immediate pain and clutching his ankle in agony after the steal. Reyes was eventually carted off the field.Reyes was off ...