MLB Bullets Is A Quiet All-Star

I'm feeling a little crappy tonight, and it's got nothing to do with the Cubs performance on the field. Although that doesn't help much.

• It's no use in denying that the Cardinals are a good team. But as Tom Verducci notes, one of the reasons for their quality comes from an unexpected source: second baseman Matt Carpenter. Verducci also lists other players who are having improbable all-star seasons.
• Jay Jaffe also puts together a complete lineup of under-the-radar potential all-stars.
• And David Schoenfield puts together his list of unsung all-stars. There must have been a memo about this topic this week that I missed. And Matt Carpenter is on all three lists.
• Another unexpected star is Russell Martin, who, according to CBSSports.com's Mike Axisa, is the best free agent pickup from this past off-season.
• Adam Rubin thinks Matt Harvey should start the All-Star Game for the National League. I don't see why not.
• The trade winds are blowing, and the Marlins are "aggressively" trying to trade Ricky Nolasco.
• The Braves want a relief pitcher, but they have no interest in Carlos Marmol. They would like James Russell, but my guess is the Cubs aren't interested in trading him.
• The Phillies need to admit the inevitable and start rebuilding, writes Jay Jaffe. Trading Jonathan Papelbon should be the first step.
• I really don't want to list this one because it's so stupid, but everyone will be talking about it because it's about the Yankees. Yankees GM Brian Cashman blew up when he was told that Alex Rodriguez had talked about his rehab schedule on Twitter. Told him to shut up. Dropped an F-Bomb. Welcome back to the Bronx Zoo.
• With all the failures and injuries to their high-priced stars this season, Johnette Howard of ESPNNewYork.com thinks it is more likely now than ever that the Yankees re-sign Robinson Cano. She doesn't necessarily think this is a good thing for the Yankees.
• The pennant race in the AL East this year has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time. Every team is at least at .500 at the moment.
• Rays manager Joe Maddon never thought the Blue Jays were out of the race.
• Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy is off to see Dr. James Andrews. Never a good thing.
• Angels pitcher Jason Vargas had surgery to remove a blood clot.
• Tim Brown thinks the Giants-Dodgers rivalry has lost some luster with both teams struggling.
• The Red Sox sent third baseman Will Middlebrooks to the minors. Jose Iglesias is their new third baseman, for now.
• Jurickson Profar is still in the majors, but he's not playing much. He needs more work before he can play the outfield.
• The Mariners have recalled Dustin Ackley from the minors. He doesn't need any more work before he can play the outfield, and that's the plan.
• The Marlins think shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is playing superior defense, even if the numbers say otherwise. I'm going to offer my opinion that you shouldn't base any opinion on only 61 games of defensive stats, so I'll go with the Marlins, for now. It's also nice to talk about the Marlins dealing with something other than their attendance, their injuries, their trade rumors or how lousy they are.
• Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall has a global vision for the game, which is why Arizona is going to be one of the teams opening the season in Australia next year.
• Corey Hart is frustrated that his rehabilitation has dragged on and on. Now apparently he's hurt his left knee as he tries to rehabilitate his right one.
• The month that George Brett gave being the Royals hitting coach is almost up. The numbers show he he's been a wash. Some players have gotten better while others got worse.
• Finally, Rick Peterson, who now works as the Orioles Director of Pitching Development, has revealed what he believes to be baseball's magic number: 39. That's the number of hitters that a winning team wants to get to the plate. If your number three hitter comes to the plate five times, you have better than a 50% chance of winning. Conversely, you want to make sure the opposing team doesn't let their number three hitter come to the plate for a fifth time.

And tomorrow will be a better day than yesterday, Buster. I hope I won't be lying on the couch all day like today.