MLB Bullets Is Getting The Call

Let's get straight to the bullets. I'm not nearly as clever as I think I am.

• Ken Rosenthal believes that Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is going to be fired, and he thinks it's going to be soon. He quotes a scout who says the ax is going to fall sometime today. Rosenthal himself thinks Mattingly will get another series, but that's it. Rosenthal says he won't argue against the move.
• With Ian Kinsler on the DL, Jurickson Profar is getting the call to Texas.
• Over in Tampa Bay, Jake Odorizzi is taking over for the disabled David Price. At SI.com. Ben Reiter says that Odorizzi's and Profar's promotions makes this an exciting week for prospect lovers.
• The Cardinals are calling up Tyler Lyons to replace the injured Jaime Garcia. Not as exciting as Michael Wacha or moving Carlos Martinez into the rotation, but their time will come.
• It's kind of an obscure fact, but Matt Moore became the first left-handed pitcher age 23 or under to start the season 8-0 since Babe Ruth.
• Jon Heyman of CBS Sports thinks that Paul Goldschmidt signing a long-term contract in spring training may have cost him as much as $75 million. Goldschmidt says he doesn't care.
• There was a controversial use of instant replay on a Matt Joyce home run Sunday. Just read the article. It's complicated and points out an absurdity of the current instant replay rules. But in the end, the umps made the right call.
• Speaking of the Rays, David Schoenfield says that their pitching makes them the favorite in the AL East.
• Another reason for the Rays success has been James Loney, who says he's thriving because the Rays don't expect him to hit for power.
• The Giants starting pitching, on the other hand, is struggling and no one knows why. Fatigue is one possibility.
• There was a minor kerfuffle between Troy Tulowitzki and Madison Bumgarner, but Tulo denies that he accused Bumgarner of doctoring the ball.
• Christina Kahrl writes that Nolan Arenado is a going to be a key part of the Rockies future.
• That means the Rockies can afford to trade Reid Brignac to the Yankees. Well, they probably could have afforded that anyway, since they DFA'd him.
• The Phillies have injury issues. Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard are going to have MRIs.
• Jerry Crasnick says the Indians success this year is due to their starting rotation. The guys are still looking for a clever name for the rotation that they can put on a T-Shirt.
• Geoff Baker in the Seattle Times says the Mariners are deadly slow and that they made a mistake not going after Michael Bourn in the off-season.
• The Mets will likely make a play for Shin-Soo Choo if he becomes a free agent this off-season.
• David Ortiz punishes the team that let him go.
• In addition to Ortiz, the Twins sure have had a lot of good designated hitters throughout their history.
• Walking the bases loaded with the winning run on third is a bad play.
• The Sacramento River Cats' Barry Zito bobblehead may be the worst bobblehead ever. First of all, it doesn't look anything like Barry Zito. Second, the bobblehead depicts Zito throwing right-handed.
• Columbia University has the oldest player in NCAA Division I baseball in Joey Falcone, the son of former major league pitcher Pete Falcone. He's playing college baseball after doing three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a medic. He turns 27 next month, but he still hopes to play major league baseball like his father did. But first, he'll try to lead Columbia to the College World Series.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.