Top News:
Brian McTaggart / MLB.com:
Singleton to join Astros, agrees on extension — First baseman will make big league debut Tuesday night against Halos — HOUSTON — Only a few weeks after the Astros called up top outfield prospect George Springer to the Major Leagues, the club is reaching back down into the farm system …
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
RELATED:
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com:
Astros Call Up Singleton After Long-Term Deal
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, Minnesota Twins News … and ESPN
Kristie Ackert / NY Daily News:
Suddenly hot NY Mets take four of five from Phillies as rookie Matt den Dekker's glove, arm spark win — While den Dekker went just 1-for-5, he made his presence known Monday with his glove, stealing two runs from the Phillies, robbing Ryan Howard of a home run and throwing a runner out at the plate.
Discussion:
New York Post, Metsblog and ESPN
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Colon, Flores lead Mets past Phillies — PHILADELPHIA — All that extra batting practice paid off for Wilmer Flores. — Flores hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs, Bartolo Colon threw seven-plus sharp innings and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-2 Monday night in a makeup from an April rainout.
Discussion:
Faith and Fear in Flushing and ESPN
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Phillies Sign Jason Marquis — The Phillies announced that they've signed right-hander Jason Marquis to a minor league deal. The 35-year-old veteran is a client of ACES. — Marquis underwent Tommy John surgery last July but said a few months later that he didn't intend for that operation to be the end of his career.
Discussion:
The Good Phight
Associated Press:
Pirates Get 16 Hits in 10-3 Romp Over Padres — SAN DIEGO — Jordy Mercer homered and matched a career high with four of Pittsburgh's 16 hits Monday night, leading the Pirates to a 10-3 romp over the San Diego Padres. — Neil Walker added three hits and three RBIs, and Josh Harrison …
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball and Bucs Dugout
Associated Press:
Masterson, Indians End Boston's 7-Game Win Streak — CLEVELAND — Justin Masterson found the strike zone after a rocky start and pitched seven scoreless innings as the Cleveland Indians ended Boston's seven-game winning streak, beating the Red Sox 3-2 Monday night.
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus, Over the Monster and Canadian Press
Derrick Goold / Baseball America:
Taveras Shines In Long-Awaited Debut — ST. LOUIS—Not since Rick Ankiel returned to the majors as a power-hitting outfielder had a position player arrived at Busch Stadium with as much forewarning, fanfare and anticipation as right fielder Oscar Taveras, the organization's top prospect for three years running.
Discussion:
Minor League Ball
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Samardzija hears trade talk, won't listen — MILWAUKEE — After two months stuck on the Willis Tower ledge of baseball, you knew something eventually had to crack with the Cubs. For lame-duck ace Jeff Samardzija, it wasn't as inevitable as what's coming next month toward the trade deadline.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Joe Posnanski / NBCSports.com:
THE OAKLAND WAY — How the A's continue to thrive more than decade after ‘Moneyball’ was published — OAKLAND, Calif. — So few people got the biggest lesson of Moneyball. Yes, on-base percentage is a more valuable tool than batting average. True, some of the old scouting techniques …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Minnesota Twins News … and Al's Ramblings
SBNation.com:
VIN SCULLY, BASEBALL'S LONGEST-TENURED AND MOST ELOQUENT BROADCASTER, IS STILL LOOKING TO MAKE A CONNECTION — TWEET SHARE SHARE 48 COMMENTS ⋆ REC 12 — The sunsets over Dodger Stadium and Chavez Ravine are breathtakingly colorful.
Discussion:
Minnesota Twins News …
Dave Studeman / The Hardball Times:
Talking Situational Wins — Are there situations in which stolen bases are more valuable? (via Keith Allison) — I am totally fascinated by WPA/LI, even though I can't really tell you what it is. The title says what it is: Win Probability Added divided by Leverage Index, but that doesn't really help.
Discussion:
Tangotiger Blog
Canadian Press:
Wolf earns first win since 2012 as Marlins beat Rays — MIAMI — Randy Wolf pitched six innings Monday night for his first victory since 2012, and the Miami Marlins beat Tampa Bay 3-1, sending the Rays to their seventh consecutive loss. — The 37-year-old Wolf, making a comeback …
Discussion:
Tampa Bay Times and DRaysBay
