Kuzul

Boston Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller recently dodged a major injury after he was hit in the head by a foul ball while standing in the dugout. The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham reported that Miller was in the dugout during the top of the ninth inning of Friday’s 3-2 10-inning win against the Minnesota Twins when the scary moment happened. A foul ball off the bat of teammate Jarrod Saltalamacchia ricocheted off a wall and struck the left-hander in the forehead. Miller had been searching for a piece of gum at the time and never saw the ball coming. He described to the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, "I heard something like whistling, and then, the next thing I know, I was like, 'I think something just hit me in the forehead.' I'm fine—I think." Typically, Miller would have been sitting in the bullpen. However, he had just finished setting down ...

According to a report from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the New York Yankees have acquired infielder Reid Brignac from the Colorado Rockies. Brignac, a utility infielder, was designated for assignment by the Rockies earlier in the week. According to NBC Sports, Heyman later tweeted that the Rockies will receive $75,000 in return. Brignac has been in the majors for six seasons, five in Tampa Bay. In his first season in Colorado, he hit .250 with a .294 OBP, with one home run and six RBI.Brignac's best quality is that he is a guy who can play almost everywhere on the diamond. He primarily plays at second base or shortstop, but has also played in left field, right field and third base. With Derek Jeter, Eduardo Nunez, Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rodriguez all on the disabled list, Brignac could be used in numerous situations to give the healthy players a much-needed rest.This is another nice move ...

The New York Yankees continue to make moves in order to maximize the effectiveness of a roster decimated by injuries.Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that New York has acquired infielder Reid Brignac from the Colorado Rockies. According to NBC Sports, Heyman reported the Rockies will receive $75,000 in the deal for Brignac. No corresponding roster moves have been announced just yet, but Alberto Gonzalez will likely be the odd man out in this equation. There's no reason to have two versatile reserve infielders on the roster. Brignac also has much more upside than Gonzalez.Yankees fans will remember Brignac from his days with the Tampa Bay Rays (2008 to 2012). During his time there, he hit .227/.268/.317 with 10 home runs and 67 RBI. He played 113 games in 2010 and hit eight home runs and drove in 45—his best season to date.General manager Brian Cashman has been notorious for making these scrappy ...

The Oakland A’s received some bad news Friday about the ace of their pitching staff, Brett Anderson. He was already on the disabled list with a sprained ankle, but was determined to have a fractured foot and will be out for at least another month. Oakland announced that the 25-year-old left-handed Anderson has a navicular stress fracture in his right foot via their official Twitter account: The #Athletics announced that LHP Brett Anderson has a navicular stress fracture of his right foot. He will be reevaluated in four weeks.— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) May 17, 2013 The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser confirmed the story, while indicating Anderson will be re-evaluated in four weeks. In an update to her story, she reported that he is expecting to pitch again this year, but if it is determined he needs surgery, it would likely end his season. Now in his fifth major league season, ...

Buster Posey is the reigning NL MVP after completing a season where he helped lead the San Francisco Giants to their second World Series title in three seasons.In 2012, Posey hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBI. Posey also led the Giants with an OPS of .957.It was more than his offense that earned him the MVP award, however. Posey was excellent in working with the Giants' pitching staff. He is a student of the game and calls a good game for his pitchers. Posey also does a fine job defensively, throwing out baserunners and blocking pitches in the dirt.Posey provided great leadership for the Giants when they suffered the loss of All-Star MVP Melky Cabrera in August. The loss of Cabrera seemed to galvanize the team, and Posey was a big reason for that. Posey has moved forward with both his baseball career and his marketing persona. He is ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without starting pitcher Zack Greinke for over a month with a broken collarbone, but the 29-year-old ace will return to the mound on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals. The team's official Twitter account confirmed the news on Tuesday afternoon:Greinke hasn't pitched since April 11, when he and San Diego Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin grabbed headlines in the sixth inning. Pitching to Quentin on a 3-2 count, Greinke plunked Quentin in the right shoulder, and the outfielder charged the mound in what led to a bench-clearing brawl between the two clubs. Greinke broke his collarbone in the process, taking on the charging Quentin with his left (non-throwing) shoulder. The news couldn't come at a better time for Dodgers fans.   L.A. was 6-3 at the completion of the April 11 win over San Diego, but since then injuries and poor play have started to mount. The Dodgers are just 9-19 since ...

One day after St. Louis Cardinals rookie sensation Shelby Miller retired 27 straight Colorado Rockies en route to a one-hitter, Adam Wainwright nearly tossed a no-hitter in his own right. His bid was broken up in the eighth inning, but his dominance and Colorado's incompetence are something to behold.The dynamic pitching tandem combined to retire 40 consecutive batters, which matched a Major League Baseball record, according to MLB.com's Paul Casella.Despite the fact that the Rockies are the highest-scoring team in the National League this season with 169 runs and boast stars such as Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, Wainwright and Miller somehow managed to make Colorado look like a little league team.After allowing a leadoff single to Eric Young Jr. on Friday night, Miller was perfect throughout the rest of the game. Wainwright added to that by carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Rockies rookie third baseman Nolan ...

The Boston Red Sox bullpen has been depleted with injuries throughout the 2013 season, and things are only going to get worse following deflating news about Joel Hanrahan’s status. According to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox closer will need season-ending surgery after being diagnosed with a torn flexor muscle in his right forearm:Hanrahan will likely undergo the surgery next week, which will be performed by Dr. James Andrews, per Evan Drellich of MassLive.com. Hanrahan, who is a two-time All-Star, was in his first season with Boston after being acquired this winter in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Expected to shore up the back half of the Red Sox bullpen, the 31-year-old right-hander was off to a dreadful start.Hanrahan posted a 0-1 record with a 9.81 ERA and 2.18 WHIP in nine appearances. He saved four games, but he blew an additional two chances and was walking just under a ...

The Boston Red Sox continue to be hit hard by injuries recently, as third baseman Will Middlebrooks is reportedly playing through a separated rib.Middlebrooks left Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins following a collision with his teammate, catcher David Ross, while the two were chasing a foul ball. Although he returned to play after taking one full game off, it appears he is not fully healthy. WEEI’s Alex Speier is reporting that Middlebrooks suffered a separation of one of his ribs in the collision. He doesn’t have a broken rib, but tore the cartilage that connects the bone to the sternum. Middlebrooks described to MassLive.com’s Evan Drellich how the injury has left him feeling: "It's still pretty sore, pretty tender. I got a nice little bruise on my ribs. I thought I got hit by a truck. I've got to pick the biggest guy on the team to pick on? ...

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 ...