Baseball Connection

Jose Ramirez and Tim Anderson threw punches in a bench-clearing altercation in Cleveland. What led up to this fight? Trea Turner has struggled all season long for the Phillies. The fans showered him with support (standing ovation) before each at-bat on Friday. On Saturday, he responded with a go-ahead 3-run homer and a curtain call. Corey Seager has been on fire since returning from the IL earlier...

Michael Lorenzen, Jack Flaherty, and Max Scherzer each took the mound for their new teams on Thursday. All led their teams to victory, kicking off what they hope is an effective stretch run towards the postseason. Ryan Mountcastle loves to hit in Toronto. The postseason picture still has many uncertainties as several teams jockey for Divisional and Wild Card positions. All this (and more) on today...

On the same day the Astros brought back Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez threw a no-hitter for Houston. Valdez only needed 93 pitches to accomplish the feat. The Astros have strong momentum heading into the last two months of the season. The Dodgers had a trade in place for Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodriguez but E-Rod exercised his no-trade clause and will remain in Detroit. All this (and more) on today...

The trade deadline is just hours away. Jeimer Candelario and Jose Cuas are heading to Chicago. In a separate trade, Paul Sewald heads to Arizona to fortify their bullpen. Justin Verlander and Eduardo Rodriguez are the two biggest names remaining on the trade block today. Bo Bichette appeared to hurt his knee. What was the extent and will the Blue Jays seek reinforcements? All this (and more) on to...

The Mets dealt Max Scherzer to the Rangers in exchange for Luisangel Acuna. Justin Verlander might be next to go. The Blue Jays acquired Jordan Hicks to bolster their bullpen. Plenty of trades have occurred with more to come. The Orioles shined during their first Sunday Night Baseball game since 2018. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Chicago Cubs have a 7 game win streak and have won 9 of their last 10. Suddenly, Chicago is in the playoff picture and have no reason to sell. Mike Tauchman robbed what would've been a walkoff HR by the Cardinals, sealing an epic victory in the rivalry. Anthony Santander's walk-off HR was the only run the Orioles needed to defeat the Yankees, thanks to the best start of Grayson Rodriguez's you...

Shohei Ohtani threw a 1-hit shutout in Game 1 of a doubleheader. He hit 2 home runs in Game 2. Major League Baseball isn't supposed to be this easy but Ohtani is quite a special player. The Angels are buyers and so are the Red Sox. A few weeks have made all the difference for each club. Padres stars Juan Soto, Josh Hader, and Blake Snell are drawing trade interest. All this (and more) on today's e...

Trade season is in full swing. Just hours after announcing that Shohei Ohtani will not be traded, the Angels acquired Lucas Giolito in exchange for two of their top three prospects. With Ohtani as good as gone this winter, the Angels are putting all their chips on the table. The Dodgers got rid of Noah Syndergaard in exchange for Amed Rosario to beef up their shortstop platoon. Tempers flared in H...

Elly De La Cruz was robbed of a home run in the first inning but followed up with a no-doubter in his next at-bat against Milwaukee. This late in the season, divisional races like the NL Central and AL West have become so close that it's not clear who the frontrunners are. Thanks to his hot bat, Chas McCormick has started a career-high 14 straight games for the Astros. All this (and more) on today...

Henry Davis came up through the Pirates system as a catcher but he's been playing a lot of RF lately to keep his bat in the lineup. That bat has been pretty strong so far. Scherzer and Verlander haven't delivered the results Mets fans expected this season. Triston Casas hit 2 of the 4 homers that Scherzer surrendered on Saturday. Austin Riley homered in the fifth straight game. All this (and more)...

The Baltimore Orioles are in first place. The O's haven't been in first place this late in the season since 2016. Aaron Judge has the American League record for most HRs in a season, but he might only hold it for one year. Reds rookie LHP Andrew Abbott turned in another masterful performance with 8 shutout innings. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Some of the top picks of this year's draft have agreed to terms, including #1 overall pick Paul Skenes. Skenes agreed to a $9.2 million signing bonus - the highest ever. Expect to see Skenes on an MLB mound as early as next season. Offense was the theme around the league on Tuesday. The Dodgers' roster looks a bit different this year, but they're getting contributions from top to bottom. All this...

Shohei Ohtani would net quite a haul at the trade deadline, but are the Angels brave enough to move him? Which team would benefit the most from acquiring Ohtani? Christian Yelich is having a bounceback season and the Brewers swept the Reds to maintain first place in the NL Central. Masataka Yoshida is running away with the AL Rookie of the Year race. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Cody Bellinger is having a great bounce-back season. The Cubs will be hearing the phone ring in coming weeks, asking about his availability. Bellinger can be a free agent this winter. The Naylor brothers both homered in the same inning, marking the first such occurrence in Cleveland history. The Red Sox are the hottest team in baseball right now. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The All-Star game was a good one. The National League defeated the American League 3-2 in Seattle. It was a low-scoring affair with timely hitting and strong outfield defense. Elias Diaz won All-Star Game MVP thanks to his go-ahead 2-run homer. The Seattle crowd made their pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the premier upcoming free agent. All this on today's episode.

Paul Skenes went #1 overall to the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft. This year's draft is the deepest we've seen in a while. The Guerrero bloodlines carry home run power. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the Home Run Derby. He and his father became the first father-son duo to do so. Julio Rodriguez hit a record-setting 41 HRs in his first round, which lit the Seattle crowd on fire. All this (and more) on to...

Matt Manning faced adversity through his gutsy start against a strong Blue Jays lineup. Little did he know that he's be part of MLB's 20th-ever combined no-hitter. In Boston, Jarren Duran has become must-see TV and James Paxton looks like his former self. Elly De La Cruz showed us exactly what game-changing speed looks like. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Cedric Mullins robbed Byron Buxton of a HR for the second time in a week. Buxton has been at DH all year but will he play CF at all this season? Carlos Rodon looked solid in his Yankees debut but he definitely has more in the tank. On the other side, Jameson Taillon turned back the block with 8 shutout innings against his former team. The Braves just set the record for most home runs before the Al...

The HR Derby field is set with some interesting Round 1 matchup, like Mookie vs. Vlad and Alonso vs. J-Rod. Sitting at 2nd place in the AL East with most of their elite prospects now with the MLB club, is it safe to say the Orioles rebuild is complete? Is Bryan Bello Boston's blossoming ace? All this (and more) on today's episode.

Max Scherzer is the highest paid player in baseball this year. He has a full no-trade clause. However, word on the street is that the Mets RHP would entertain a trade under certain circumstances. Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo will remain sidelined from the Reds rotation until at least August. Can Andrew Abbott shoulder the load? Ronald Acuña Jr. is on pace for a 40/40 season. All this (and more) o...

The full All-Star rosters have been announced. The Braves lead the way with 8 All-Stars. The Rangers have the second most with 6. Each side has a rookie starter: Josh Jung for the AL and Corbin Carroll for the NL. Pete Alonso is back in the HR Derby yet again. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Nathan Eovaldi made his final case for the All-Star game as he silenced the Astros bats over seven scoreless innings. Alex Verdugo saved the day for the Red Sox by throwing out what would've been the game-tying run. Justin Verlander turned back the clock in his best outing of the season. All this (and more) on today's episode.

All-Star Game starters have been announced. The Texas Rangers lead the way with 4 starters. Pitchers and reserves will be announced on Sunday. Trade season is underway and Aroldis Chapman is heading to Texas. Chapman is having a bounceback season and the Rangers are gearing up for a playoff run. Carlos Santana and Spencer Steer hit walk-off home runs. All this (and more) on today's episode.

27 up, 27 down. Yankees RHP Domingo Germán threw a perfect game against the Oakland A's. MLB's first since 2012. It had been over decade since King Felix showed us what perfection looked like, but Domingo Germán has etched his name in the record books. Christian Yelich hasn't been in All-Star since 2019 but he's making a strong case this year. Remember when Nolan Arenado was struggling with the ba...

The Braves are rolling and Ohtani is homering. Monday didn't feature a full slate but two of June's main themes continued in full force. All this (and more) on today's episode.