Kuzul

The American League Cy Young award race is going to be tough to call. While there are some traditionally dominant arms like Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez or Jered Weaver in the discussion, there are plenty of other arms joining them. In particular, David Price and Chris Sale are both having excellent seasons and could easily receive votes when the ballots are cast. So, who has the upper hand right now? It seems as if last year's winner will be this year's winner. Justin Verlander is currently 15-8 with a 2.74 ERA, 223 strikeouts, a .217 batting average against and a 1.06 WHIP. In context, these numbers are even more impressive. He is tied for eighth in wins, second in ERA, second in strikeouts, third in batting average against and second in WHIP. None of the other pitchers I mentioned above have this type of across-the-board strength. Most of them excel ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers must be somewhat relieved that Clayton Kershaw's injury doesn't seem as serious as some people might have feared. Dr. Brian Kelly confirmed what team doctor Neal ElAttrache had suspected, according to an Associated Press report posted on ESPN. Essentially, he can continue pitching without risking further damage to his right hip, which is apparently sore due to his joint being pinched during his pitching motion. While any injury is obviously less than ideal, the Dodgers are in a position where they need everything to go right. They are currently one game back in the wild-card race with 15 games left to play. A postseason bid is absolutely still a possibility at this point, and the Dodgers have plenty of time to pull into a playoff spot, but there are slight problems with their recent performances. Over their past 10 games, they are just 3-7 and have ...

Major League Baseball has a pretty robust rulebook to say the least, and as a result, there are many rules that most people haven't even heard about. In fact, I want to lay out 10 in particular that I found in the rulebook that I had not necessarily known about. Some of them are kind of funny and some of them are more practical and relevant on the field, but I hope that you enjoy looking through this list with me. All of the rules are taken directly from MLB rulebook itself which can be found here.Begin Slideshow

If Roger Clemens wants to return to Major League Baseball, it seems as if the ball is quite literally in his hands right now. Over the past week, he has been consistently denying claims to a variety of sources that he wants to return in 2012, although he did make a rather ambiguous statement about his intentions for the 2013 season. However, to add to this soap opera today, there has been a new message from Houston upper management. Astros owner Jim Crane told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he wants Roger Clemens to pitch this season for the Astros, but he wouldn't want him to pitch against any playoff contender. If you look at the rest of their schedule, the only non-contenders they really play are the Chicago Cubs. The Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers are on the fringe of contention (both are five games back in ...

If you are a Philadelphia Phillies fan, you have to be excited about the prospect of Darin Ruf smashing home runs in Citizens Bank Park in the near future. He had an outstanding year with Double-A Reading as he hit .317 with 38 home runs and 104 RBI. This was really a breakout year for him in terms of power production as he more than doubled his career home run total. Developments like this have earned him high praise from around Major League Baseball, and one scout had this to say about him when he spoke with Jayson Stark of ESPN. He might be Matt Holliday. … I saw him eight or nine games. And I saw him hit everything... And defensively, I actually thought he was better in the outfield than he was at first base. He's an interesting guy. As a matter of fact, when you look at ...

Wow! Just like that, all of the drama surrounding a Roger Clemens comeback has come to an end. Or has it? Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun is reporting on Twitter that Roger Clemens said of his potential 2012 MLB comeback, "I don't see it happening." That should close the book on this interesting chapter in the crazy career of Roger Clemens. Even though he was one of the best pitchers of the 1990s, he apparently doesn't want to try to become at least an adequate pitcher for a month in the 2010s. Connolly also noted that Clemens said that his entire comeback was about "just having fun." While he may have simply been enjoying himself with the Sugar Land Skeeters, he certainly turned the celebrity spotlight back on himself one more time. And after he turned in a strong performance in his first start out of retirement, we all ...

Major League Baseball rosters are about to expand, and we are going to see many highly anticipated prospects getting their first crack at the highest level of professional baseball. However, even though several fanbases are excited to see their new prospects in action, some of them might be called up for different reasons. Some of them might be called up to audition. If they perform well now, they will have more trade value over the winter. Here are 10 of these call-ups who might actually be able to enhance their value and could be on the market this winter.Begin Slideshow

A few days after trading for left-handed starting pitcher Joe Saunders, the Baltimore Orioles went out and signed another left-handed starting pitcher in the veteran Randy Wolf, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Wolf has not had a great 2012, as he is only 3-10 with a 5.69 ERA. These problems stem from the fact that he is allowing far too many players on base. Before he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, he led the National League with 179 hits allowed. Obviously, this is one category that you don't want to be the best at. However, with all of that being said, this is a solid acquisition for the Baltimore Orioles. For one thing, they didn't have to give up anything to bring him in. As a free-agent signing, there is really limited risk. When you combine that fact with the moderate reward that Wolf has provided for ...

Mark Prior has been released from the Boston Red Sox, according to Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times. Ever since Prior has returned to the game of baseball in 2010, he has had a decent run of success as a minor-league reliever. For example, while he was with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox this season, he appeared in 19 games and went 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA. However, what is much more impressive than all of that is the fact that he has 38 strikeouts in only 25 innings. Part of that might come from the fact that he is a veteran and has pitched enough to know how to outsmart the young hitters. The other part that might come from the fact that he really is getting some of his stuff back. Originally, Mark Prior flew onto the scene at a 21-year-old rookie with the Chicago Cubs. Although he ...

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone, and some big-name players will be wearing new uniforms for at least the rest of the season. However, who was the most important player traded? Who will have the biggest impact on the tight playoff races that are already developing? Those are both huge questions. While it is impossible to know the future, it is possible to look at past performance and potentially forecast how certain players will enhance their new teams. Without further ado, here are the 10 best players who were on the move at the trade deadline. By "best," I mean the player who helps fill a deficiency in his new team and makes them a better overall unit.Begin Slideshow