The big MLB news yesterday was not Cardinals' OF Rick Ankiel's 2HR/7 RBI day, which brought took his 81 AB major league totals to 9 HRs and 29 RBI, but the revelation by the Daily News of New York that he was a mail-order HGH purchaser for the 2004 calendar year. After weeks of adulation from all corners, I wonder how those sportswriters, specifically Peter Gammons of ESPN who wrote ,"Every time I look at Rick Ankiel, I think he is a better man than me," will treat this latest information. Will they soothe their cognitve dissonace by excusing Ankiel's actions or will they say, "Oops. I may have been more hyperbolic than Chicken Little on the day the sky didn't fall."
Brought into a 6-6 game to pitch the ninth inning, Orioles closer Danys Baez allowed a run to bring his 2007 W-L record to an ugly 0-6. I cannot help thinking that he'd be out of the 9th inning role already if the Orioles had another viable option. The recently-recalled Fernando Cabrera may get a chance to revive his closer-in-waiting role from 2006 with a couple positive appearances.
Alfonso Soriano hit his 22nd HR last night. In the first year of an eight-year mega-deal, Soriano's 2007 can't be considered anything but disappointing despite the fact he is likely to be a 20/20 player the the end of the day on September 30th. Before checking his ABs totals, I was willing to dismiss his reduced production to an injury-filled season, but he has 481 ABs now and that doesn't seem to be too few to dismiss the reduced HR production.
Fantasy Injuries with Stephania Bell at 3PM
MLB with Jerry Crasnick at noon.
MLB with Jayson Stark at 1PM.
Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein at 2PM.