The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.
Bunt of confusion : One of the toughest calls for the home plate umpire has to be, “Did the ball hit the batter after he swung at/bunted it?” play. On Sunday afternoon, Tim Welke could not tell that the pivotal bunt attempt by Alberto Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers hit the batter in the knee before bouncing into fair territory, setting into motion a go-ahead squeeze play in the 11th inning.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland protested — saying the play should have been blown dead as a foul ball — and he successfully lobbied for Welke to ask for assistance from the other umps. But none of them saw it, either. Rangers broadcaster Tom Grieve also seemed certain the ball was fair until he looked at the replay in super slow-mo a second time. So, the Rangers got away with one , beating the Tigers 3-2 to improve their record to 13-3.
Unintentional consequences sink Braves: Managers love to employ the bunt, along with the intentional walk, because it gives them something to do. But what about the players who are left to deal with the results? After Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez directed pitcher Randall Delgado to walk light-hitting John McDonald of Arizona to load the bases for pitcher Ian Kennedy in the second inning, well, you might guess what happened next. Kennedy walked on four pitches to force in a run, and Gerardo Parra followed with a grand slam into the pool area at Chase Field. Arizona hung on to win 6-4 and snap a five-game losing streak.
Lohse is the most: Kyle Lohse of the Cardinals continued his terrific start, allowing a run and six hits over seven innings in a 5-1 victory against the Pirates . Here’s the funny part: His ERA actually went up, from 0.89 to 0.99. Who misses old manager Tony La Russa and former coach Dave Duncan? Not this guy.
Damp Yankees: Mother Nature rained out three games, including the finale of Yankees-Red Sox at Fenway Park. It’s just as well, because Bobby Valentine really needed a day off .
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Quote of the Day : “You can see him start kind of moping around a little bit on the mound.” — Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on left-hander Francisco Liriano, after another rough start and a 6-2 victory for the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Photo of the Day:
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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The 2012 MLB regular season well underway. It will be a long road to October baseball but one every team and fan is excited to travel this season. The beginning of the year brings promise, as many memories will surely be created this season. At this point, anything can happen! View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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LAKELAND, Fla. – Drew Smyly could finally relax on the mound Monday. Then again, he hasn’t looked nervous all spring. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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AL MVP Justin Verlander picked up where he left off last season, pitching two scoreless innings in his spring training debut as the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 Monday. Verlander gave up one hit, struck out one and faced six batters, and said he felt ready for another inning. He was the unanimous AL Cy Young winner last year after going 24-5, including a no-hitter at Toronto. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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Slugger Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers have agreed in principle on a nine-year, $214 million contract. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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In the span of a week, the Detroit Tigers and their championship-starved owner Mike Ilitch went from figuring out a short-term fix to Victor Martinez’s season-ending left knee injury to a franchise-changing acquisition. Now, Prince Fielder is a physical away from driving to the… View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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The Detroit Tigers have reeled in Prince Fielder with a nine-year, $214 million deal, according to multiple reports. Fielder, the biggest remaining free-agent prize, will earn an average of $23.78 million a year through 2020. The 27-year-old first baseman will join Miguel Cabrera in… View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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The Chicago Cubs have been busy in 2012. Carlos Zambrano was sent to the Miami Marlins. The team picked up first baseman Anthony Rizzo from the San Diego Padres. And Chicago has reportedly signed former Pittsburgh Pirates lefty Paul Maholm … Continue reading → View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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DETROIT – Former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Octavio Dotel is on the verge of an unusual record. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Detroit’s Justin Verlander stymied the Toronto Blue Jays with a no-hitter in May. He shut them out again Monday by becoming the first starting pitcher in a quarter-century voted Most Valuable Player. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News
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