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Dave Cameron / Fox Sports:
ROAD MAPS TO PITCHING SUCCESS IN GAME 7 — For the Royals, Game 6 could not have gone any better. Not only did they claim the necessary victory to setup a winner-take-all contest tonight, but by blowing the Giants out early, they were able to acquire an extra day of rest for their vaunted bullpen trio …
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FanGraphs Baseball
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Paul White / USA Today:
Royals' Ned Yost: 'We're going to go to Game 7' — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals get to rest and re-set their bullpen. They get to put back together the lineup that was most stable in the major leagues this season. — And they get to do it for must-win games 6 and 7 of the World Series at home.
Alex Speier / Baseball America:
2015 Boston Red Sox Top 10 Prospects With Scouting Reports [VIDEO] — Want More? Complete 2015 Top 10 Prospects Rankings — Get it all: Subscribe to Baseball America — Go 30 deep: Order the 2015 Prospect Handbook! — The Red Sox entered 2014 as defending champions and concluded …
Discussion:
Over the Monster and Dan Shaughnessy Watch
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Arizona Diamondbacks 2014: sparse crowds, by big TV numbers — The rule of thumb for the fiscally responsible baseball team is for the payroll to equal roughly half a club's revenues. So with the Diamondbacks coming off a 98-loss campaign — a year in which their attendance was …
Discussion:
HardballTalk and AZ Snake Pit
Natalie Cullen / 8 News NOW:
Baseball star Jose Canseco hurt in accidental shooting — LAS VEGAS — Metro Police confirms former baseball star Jose Canseco was hurt in an accidental shooting Tuesday afternoon at his house on the far eastside of the Las Vegas valley. — According to police, the former player accidentally shot himself …
Discussion:
Let's Go Tribe, HardballTalk, CBSSports.com and SBNation.com
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
AL West Notes: Iwakuma, Young, Astros, Peacock — Hisashi Iwakuma's 2015 option technically vested by operation of performance bonuses, Mariners officials tell Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Of course, Seattle would gladly have exercised the $7MM option on its own …
Discussion:
Tag's Lines, Ultimate Astros and The Crawfish Boxes
Don Ketchum / MLB.com:
Left-hander goes 2-0 with 1.13 ERA in two starts for Scottsdale Scorpions — 2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Joely Rodriguez has an excellent sinking fastball and an above-average changeup — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pitchers often have to have a selective memory over the course of a season …
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs in talks with Joe Maddon, could have answer by Friday — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the ball in his hands and his team leading the World Series three games to two, Jake Peavy had the starting assignment every pitcher dreams of — a chance to win the series.
Discussion:
Royals Review and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Joe Posnanski / NBC SportsWorld:
Vanguard after the Revolution — LAWRENCE, Kan. — Here is Bill James on one of his favorite words and causes: “Bulls**t.” … Bill James is 65 years old, and he still has an acute sensitivity to bulls**t. This has been the defining instinct in his professional life.
Discussion:
Fox Sports, HardballTalk, McCovey Chronicles and Tangotiger Blog
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Blue Jays Claim Justin Smoak — The Mariners announced that the Blue Jays have claimed first baseman Justin Smoak off waivers. — The waiver claim brings to an end what has to be characterized as a disappointing tenure in Seattle for Smoak, who four years ago was the centerpiece …
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner and Bluebird Banter
Carson Cistulli / FanGraphs Baseball:
FanGraphs Crowd: The Top 55 Free Agents — Free agency begins five days after the end of the World Series — which competition, barring some unforeseen circumstance, is likely to end today. As in other recent offseasons, FanGraphs once again facilitated this offseason a contract-crowdsourcing project …
Discussion:
Purple Row, River Avenue Blues and Lone Star Ball
Matthew Cerrone / Metsblog:
Longest current World Series championship drought — Seasons Team Last championship won Last World Series appearance — Chicago Cubs — 1908 — 1945 — 65 — Cleveland Indians — 1948 — 1997 — 53 — Texas Rangers — never — 2011 — 52 — Houston Astros