MLB Bullets Needs A Break

Heading into the All-Star Break, MLB Bullets goes on.

• It took him 148 pitches, but Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter against the Padres Saturday night. He struck out 13 and got great plays behind him from Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence. It was Lincecum's first since high school and the seventh in San Francisco Giants history.
• Christina Kahrl thinks the no-hitter is a sign that people should stop freaking out about The Freak and that he should remain in the bullpen. She points out that Dave Stieb had a career "hiccup" at about the same age Lincecum is now and recovered to be a great pitcher again.
• Jeff Passan says, for one night at least, the old Lincecum was back.
• Jon Paul Morosi argues that Lincecum's no-hitter puts the Giants in a bind. Several contenders wanted to trade for him and make him a reliever. Now that's probably off the table.
• Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning but he exited after the seventh inning with a tight quad. Verlander made it sound like the quad was no big deal but that there was no need to push it.
• It wasn't a no-hitter, but former Cubs farmhand Chris Archer threw his first complete-game shutout in the majors.
• There's a report that MLB is offering a plea deal to Alex Rodriguez and others connected to the Biogenesis scandal, but it's a steep one. Accept a 150 game ban or face a lifetime expulsion.
• Just a few days after he was elected in the NL Final Vote, Freddie Freeman pulled out of the All-Star Game.
• Dave O'Brien says that the way Braves fans rallied around Freeman shows that the fanbase is more energized than ever, or at least since 2003 when he started covering the team.
• Chris Davis hit his 37th home run on Sunday, tying Reggie Jackson's AL record for home runs before the All-Star Game. Not to be a downer, but when Jackson hit 37 HRs before the All-Star Game in 1969, he only hit 10 more the rest of the way.
• With Davis's statement that he considers Roger Maris to be the "true" single-season home run record, there will be a big controversy if Davis gets to 62 home runs this season.
• Returning to the Anna Benson story, it was revealed this weekend that Benson was charged with murder in 1996, (WARNING: Graphic crime scene photo) went on the run and was profiled on America's Most Wanted. The charges against Benson, then known as Anna Warren, were eventually dropped although her alleged co-conspirator was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 21 years and died in prison. If you want to read a summary without the crime scene photo, you can go here.
• Jordany Valdespin really didn't want to go to Las Vegas.
• The fans in the Bronx booed the Yankees.
• Jeb Lund of Sports On Earth thinks that Derek Jeter doesn't deserve this season.
• The Dodgers like where they stand at the All-Star Break.
• The Diamondbacks think they've "overachieved" so far this season. No one is sure if they're complimenting or insulting themselves.
• Grantland's Rany Jazayerli examines what went wrong with the Blue Jays.
• The Rangers are staying afloat despite ten players on the disabled list.
• Jerry Crasnick says if teams need an outfielder, they need to call Chicago. Alfonso Soriano and Alex Rios are both available.
• The Marlins, on the other hand, are not likely to trade Giancarlo Stanton. Either this year or in the off-season.
• Jay Jaffe looks at what moves the Pirates might make to stay in the playoff hunt.
• The Padres are looking to sell and that might even include Chase Headley.
• Raul Ibanez has hit 24 home runs so far this year. He has a chance to set the all-time record for home runs in a season for a player in their forties. I did not see that coming.
• Another slugger in his 40s, Manny Ramirez, is getting closer to returning to the majors.
• Bud Shaw of the Plain-Dealer thinks the Indians are contenders, whether they make a deal or not.
• Ken Rosenthal explains that Yadier Molina got to be so good through hard work. Yeah, I know. Not exactly cutting-edge stuff. But there are some good details in there. Also, Rosenthal thinks that Alfonso Soriano is unfairly "stigmatized" by his massive contract. He can't understand why more teams don't want him, even with the Cubs willing to pay a large chunk of his remaining contract.
• Jonah Keri says that the Red Sox aren't back, they never really left. They just had a streak of bad luck. Now he thinks they're built to win for years to come.
• She may have given them her number, but managers are not likely to call on Carly Rae Jepsen to pitch anytime soon after this Embarrassing gif of her throwing out the first pitch in Tampa Bay.
• The Twins' Kyle Gibson knows he needs to improve to win at the major league level. But he's also says that being a good teammate and a good person is even more important to him than being a good pitcher. That's something you don't hear that often.
• Despite Byron Buxton's success and promise of more to come, he still mows his own lawn in the off-season. And no, that's not some sort of Ozzie Smith-style contract negotiation tactic. And I just dated myself, didn't I? Anyway, he's a humble country guy.
• Finally, three years ago Chad Jones was drafted by the New York Giants and had a promising NFL career ahead of him. But that ended after he almost lost his leg in a car accident. Now, he's a 24 year old in rookie ball trying to have a career as a left-handed relief pitcher for the Reds. The odds are against it, but the odds were against him ever walking again.

Iowa hired Rick Heller as their new baseball coach. He had previously been the coach at Indiana State, Northern Iowa and Upper Iowa.

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