Kuzul

Nate McLouth's 10th-inning, walk-off home run led the Baltimore Orioles (24-21) to a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees (28-17) on Tuesday night at Camden Yards.For the second straight game, relief pitching decided things between these AL East contenders. Baltimore's Jim Johnson earned the win for his scoreless inning. He had allowed eight earned runs his three previous appearances (all blown saves).Travis Hafner put the Yankees ahead initially with a two-out single in the first inning. Journeyman outfielder Chris Dickerson evened the score with a solo blast off Hughes in the third. Then Hafner regained the lead for New York with another single through the right side. But guess who? Dickerson went deep again, a no-doubter to right field, to make it 2-2.The Orioles stayed with Miguel Gonzalez through seven. In his first start back from the disabled list, the right-hander threw 62 of his 92 pitches for strikes (67.4 ...

After enduring a truly brutal week of umpiring, Major League Baseball intends to expand the use of instant replay in time for the 2014 season, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "My opinion has evolved," Commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday, acknowledging that there was a time when the sport prided itself on "the human element." Remember that for years, as the other major sports embraced technology as a means to confirm and refute pivotal calls, this sport continued to rely on four pairs of middle-aged eyes.Selig consented to the first regular-season reviews in 2008, pertaining to potential home runs (whether they were fair/foul, over the wall/in play or interfered with). Then last season, he announced that trapped balls and "bullets" down either baseline would be made reviewable in the near future.This blueprint recommends even more usage of instant replay and a different review process. It borrows elements from the systems that exist in ...

Popular 2013 World Series picks like the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays have stumbled out of the starting gate, but we have come to expect MLB disappointments over the past 10 years. Read on to refresh your memory.It would be premature to criticize anybody at the quarter pole, so this list only includes teams from the past decade of full seasons. All the following underachievers made their supporters suffer sometime from 2003-2012. They were ranked by the disparity between spring training expectations and actual awfulness.Either because of injury, aging, dysfunction or a combination of three, they didn't validate the preseason hype.Begin Slideshow

Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz, the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, has been accused of doctoring baseballs during his victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday night.Buchholz tossed seven scoreless innings in the series opener and limited the Jays to two hits as Boston won convincingly, 10-1. He improved to 6-0 on the season with a 1.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 47 SO. With this latest dominant performance, the 28-year-old was looking like an early favorite for the 2013 AL Cy Young Award.But now, Buchholz and Red Sox personnel have some explaining to do.Former major league pitcher Dirk Hayhurst called attention to a suspicious substance on the pitcher's left forearm. Hayhurst happens to be a broadcaster for Sportsnet, the Canadian sports channel that carries the Blue Jays games. He compares Buchholz to Eddie Harris, the notorious cheater from the 1989 movie Major League: Forget the ...

Early on in 2013, we're being treated to shocking individual turnarounds across Major League Baseball. Those of us who thought John Buck and Vernon Wells were on the decline have been eating crow.Even under-30 players like Patrick Corbin and Chris Johnson have caught the sport off guard by performing above their perceived potential. The following guys underachieved last season, but seem reinvigorated thus far.  *Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, up to date as of April 26.Begin Slideshow

MLB stat lines distort in bizarre directions while the season is young. Due to small sample sizes, slugger Rick Ankiel and several other prominent players have posted fascinating numbers in 2013 that you wouldn't believe.Is it possible, for example, that a starting infielder literally never walks? And can a veteran pitcher ride his unsightly walk total to an All-Star selection?Inevitably, these outliers will normalize, thus making our experience a bit less enjoyable.Let's have fun while we can and tease five unusual individuals. *All stats provided by Baseball-Reference.com and are current as of April 26.Begin Slideshow

Between 2004 and 2012, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were fixtures on the left side of the New York Yankees infield.But significant injuries now threaten their baseball careers, or at least their futures as everyday players.On Thursday, general manager Brian Cashman reluctantly informed us that the latest setback in Jeter's recovery from a fractured ankle will keep him sidelined past the All-Star break (via Bryan Hoch, MLB.com). He made a similar approximation about A-Rod's return following the third baseman's offseason hip surgery. Will Carroll, Bleacher Report's own injury expert, interprets the "positive steps" made by Jeter in spring training as an indication that he'll be back in pinstripes this summer. He added, "Jeter's fracture was not as complicated as the injuries to Buster Posey or Stephen Drew," who were involved in home-plate collisions in 2011 and 2012, respectively.Bob Klapisch of The Record exudes less optimism. He reminisces about Joe DiMaggio's bone ...

The current MLB economic system rewards declining players for their past production, while elite individuals like Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper earn under $10 million per year. In this article, we'll recognize and rank the difference-makers who make only six or seven figures.Let's be clear about which veterans were not considered.Free agents who signed new contracts this past offseason were ineligible if their new terms guaranteed average annual salaries north of $10 million. That means Zack Greinke (six years, $147 million), Kevin Youkilis (one year, $12 million) and everybody in between didn't qualify. Same goes for the youngsters to recently sign monstrous extensions, Elvis Andrus and Buster Posey.Guys in the middle of back-loaded deals didn't get any love on this list, either. Robinson Cano, for example, is finishing out an agreement that paid him $57 million from 2008 to 2013 ($9.5 million per year). However, he'll get $15 million of ...

Dustin Pedroia and the other influential clubhouse leaders in Major League Baseball have various means of encouraging their teammates. Fortunately, every roster has a reputable veteran role model in 2013.Albert Pujols is known for going about his business quietly and setting a high standard for on-field performance. By contrast, Nick Swisher and Torii Hunter will make themselves available during downtime to connect with men of all ages.They all make life easier for MLB managers by nipping personal and professional problems in the bud.Begin Slideshow

MLB icons can't evaluate their baseball careers objectively until after retirement, but we sure can. Barring debilitating injuries, scandals or abrupt deterioration of skill, these accomplished individuals will eventually call themselves Hall of Famers.First-ballot inductees are a very rare breed. Future members of that fraternity were identified as such.And keep in mind that this sport wouldn't survive without innovative coaches, umpires and executives. Many were considered for inclusion and, as you'll read, several are undoubtedly Cooperstown-bound.This is intended to be an exhaustive list of awesome figures who are actively involved in Major League Baseball or another professional circuit. To satisfy eligibility requirements, players must have totaled at least 10 seasons in the big leagues.Please comment below if it appears that anybody meeting this criteria was snubbed.Begin Slideshow