Top News:
John Tomase / Clubhouse Insider:
Source: Sox made play for Mets' Capuano — Their wild card lead evaporating, the Red Sox are on the hunt for reinforcements, even if only for a game, in an attempt to make the playoffs. — According to a source with knowledge of the talks, the Red Sox have spent the better part of a week trying …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, MLB Rumors, HardballTalk, WEEI, Over the Monster and Boston Herald
RELATED:
Joe McDonald / ESPN:
Source: Boston eyed Chris Capuano — BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox made an unsuccessful attempt to acquire pitcher Chris Capuano from the New York Mets this week in the hopes of having the veteran left-hander start against the Yankees on Sunday in New York, a league source confirmed.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Tiebreakers could come into play — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email — Last night's game at Fenway Park [map] may not have been the last one of the regular season after all. — The chance is quite slim, but should the Red Sox [team stats] and Los Angeles Angels wind …
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
What if there's a tie? — As of this morning, the Red Sox …
Discussion:
FenwayNationWorld
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Manny ineligible to join Dominican winter team — Manny Ramirez will have to scratch his plans to play winter baseball in the Dominican Republic. — Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of labor relations, confirmed Thursday that Ramirez will not be able to play in the Dominican …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED:
Dan Connolly / Orioles Insider:
Guerrero chasing Dominican hits record; wants to play few more years — Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero is on the precipice of becoming the major league's all-time hits leader from the Dominican Republic, and he hopes to build on that record for another couple of seasons.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Espn.Com / MLB:
Source: Manny ineligible to join Dominican team — Manny Ramirez will have to scuttle existing plans to play for a team in the Dominican Republic because his Major-League Baseball-mandated drug suspension still has to be served, a source close to the situation told ESPN's Colleen Dominguez.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, HardballTalk and NESN.com
ESPN:
Source: Ban foils Manny Ramirez's plans — Manny Ramirez will have to scuttle existing plans to play for a team in the Dominican Republic because his Major League Baseball-mandated drug suspension still has to be served, a source close to the situation told ESPN's Colleen Dominguez.
Rob Parker / ESPN:
Joe Girardi deserves a lot of credit — He may not get manager of the year love, but Bombers' skipper was key to season — NEW YORK — New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi likely won't win American League Manager of the Year. — In fact, he'll be lucky to finish in the top three in the voting.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, YFSF and The LoHud Yankees Blog
RELATED:
Roger Mooney / Boston Herald:
Rays playoff chances take another hit
Discussion:
DRaysBay and Associated Press
NY Daily News:
Yankees' Phil Hughes has MRI, may have herniated disc in back, could miss rest of season
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Posada's 2-run single gives Yankees AL East crown
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Associated Press and Boston Globe
Associated Press:
Cardinals reach deal with Berkman … ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lance Berkman has agreed to another one-year contract with St. Louis, giving the Cardinals a valuable bat for 2012 if this year's September charge falls short. — The 35-year-old Berkman is wrapping up a big comeback season with 31 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .300 average.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
RELATED:
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Cardinals Extend Lance Berkman
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and Baseball Nation
Joe Posnanski / Joe Blogs:
Moneyball The Movie — WARNING: I don't THINK there are any spoilers or plot giveaways here — I suspect most of you know that Moneyball The Movie is about the 2002 Oakland A's and their attempt to win with new baseball knowledge — but if you are the sort of person who likes to go into a movie …
Discussion:
Baseball America, Bleed Cubbie Blue and THE BOOK
RELATED:
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Sox, not free agency, on Buehrle's mind entering final start — CLEVELAND — The Chicago White Sox are the only team that Mark Buehrle has pitched for during his storied career that started in 2000, and he'll try to temper his emotions Tuesday night when he makes possibly his final start …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED:
The Knobler Blog:
Should the Rays trade pitching for hitting? — NEW YORK — The Rays have a chance in the wild-card race because their rotation is better and deeper than those of the big-money Yankees and Red Sox. — The Rays are at a serious disadvantage in the wild-card race because they aren't nearly …
Discussion:
Rays Index and MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Josh Weinstock / Hardball Times:
Pitching repertoires and BABIP — People like trends. I like trends, you like trends, heck, even your mom likes trends. Why? Because we are human, and viewing the world in trends is intuitive and makes the big bad world just a little less scary. While tempting, this impulse does not always produce the best analysis.
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner and Patrick Flood
Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
2011 Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects — Despite its Rookie-advanced classification, the Pioneer League plays more like the short-season New York-Penn or Northwest leagues than its sister Appalachian League. Whereas Appy Leaguers average about 20 years in age, the other three leagues come in just north of 21.
Discussion:
Red Reporter and True Blue LA
Brad Johnson / Hardball Times:
Debate: Ryan Howard — Ryan Howard is one of the most polarizing players in baseball. Some fans see an elite slugger, while others see an average player who is paid like an elite slugger. — The purpose of this article is to host a debate on the topic. Is Howard elite?
Discussion:
THE BOOK
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Royals Designate Kila Ka'aihue For Assignment — It wasn't long ago that Kila Ka'aihue seemed like a promising piece of the Royals' future. But the Hawaiian first baseman doesn't appear to fit into their long-term plans any more, despite the career minor league on-base percentage of .390 …
RELATED:
Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:
Royals designate Ka'aihue for assignment to clear space for Herrera
Discussion:
HardballTalk
