MLB Bullets Is Close To Perfection

Most of the news over the past couple days involves the Cubs, and I generally leave that to others. We had several front page stories about the Cubs, the trades and the international signings. More will come, as the Cubs apparently came to terms with Eloy Jimenez late last night.

Also, be sure to check out the fanshot on the "Merkle Boner" from Monday night. If you're anything like me, your life revolves to an unhealthy amount around the 1908 National League Pennant Race. So to see James Baldwin possessed by the Ghost of Johnny Evers brought a smile to my face.

• Homer Bailey threw his second no-hitter last night against a struggling Giants team. It was his second no-no after no-hitting the Pirates last September. He is the first pitcher to throw the last two major league no-hitters since Nolan Ryan in 1974-75.
• Sam Miller says that hard-work and patience are paying off for Bailey.
• Meanwhile, the entire Giants team is reeling and there is no easy fix for his problems, writes Christina Kahrl. And she wrote that before the no-hitter.
• Joe Posnanski looks at the "rag-tag" Pirates and says that their success doesn't really make sense. They're making all the same poorly thought out moves that they've been making for 20 years, but for once, they're working. He says we should all sit back and enjoy the show.
• The people of Western Pennsylvania are taking Posnanski's advice and attending PNC Park in record numbers.
• On the other hand, fans are staying away from the Houston Astros, who are on their way to their third straight 100 loss season. Jose de Jesus Ortiz in the Houston Chronicle wonders if the Astros are in danger of losing an entire generation of fans. Honestly, I can't imagine the good people of Houston sitting around during the 2018 World Series and thinking "Nah, I'm not going to watch the Astros. Remember when they stunk so badly five years ago?" But there is a valid point in there somewhere.
• Another team fans are tuning out is the New York Yankees, whose television ratings are down 40% from last season. Attendance is down too.
• The Yankees are hoping the return of Alex Rodriguez turns that around. Rodriguez started his rehab assignment in Charleston, South Carolina last night. The fans treated him like the superstar he used to be.
• The Rangers, Dodgers and Rockies are all interested in trading for Ricky Nolasco. However, Ken Rosenthal writes that the Marlins are demanding top prospects and salary relief for Nolasco and they may have waited too long to move him.
• The Braves and the Giants are interested in Joba Chamberlain.
• David Price returned to the lineup and struck out ten in beating the Astros. Richard Justice says that Price's return has the potential to shake up the AL East Pennant Race.
• It's customary to give a retiring ballplayer a rocking chair as a gift. But the Minnesota Twins took it to a new level, giving Mariano Rivera a rocking chair constructed out of broken bats.
• Speaking of the Twins, the Viroqua and Sturgeon Bay American Legion teams played the final baseball game ever at the Metrodome. It's slightly ironic that both teams are from Wisconsin.
• On Sunday, Orioles farmhand Eddie Gamboa threw a seven-inning no-hitter. As a 28 year old pitcher in Double-A, you'd normally dismiss him as a prospect. Except in this case, Gamboa has recently learned to throw a knuckleball and was throwing 75% knucklers in the no-no. R.A. Dickey might not be so lonely anymore.
• Statistically, at least, Andrelton Simmons is on-pace for a record-breaking year on defense. I've said this before, but Simmons is the first shortstop to rival Ozzie Smith on defense since the Wizard retired. Manny Machado is also on record-pace for third baseman.
• Another reason for the Braves success is Julio Teheran, who is emerging as an ace.
• The Chien-Ming Wang Experience show in Toronto has gone dark, as Wang was designated for assignment. The Blue Jays are hoping he accepts a minor league assignment.
• Yasiel Puig has impressed a lot of people so far this season. Jonathan Papelbon is apparently not one of them after he called including Puig in the All-Star Game "a joke."
• Shin-Soo Choo has discovered the "dark art" of the hit by pitch, writes Grantland's Jonah Keri.
• The Diamondbacks will need to get Patrick Corbin some help to win the NL West, writes CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. Oh, and Corbin will have to keep pitching at the level he's currently at, as well.
• Kirk Gibson says "My Bad" after issuing an intentional walk in Monday night's D-Backs loss. Not literally. Gibson would never say anything so colloquial, nor anything without including some obscenities.
• The Royals have to come up with a new name for the right field bleachers, after "The Frenchy Quarter" is over with Jeff Francoeur's release.
• Cuban TV aired its first MLB game in 52 years. Unfortunately, it was a month-old game with no Cubans in it, so it wasn't very popular.
• Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello was suspended for six games. He will appeal.
• Have you ever seen the umpire make a call and shouted "Are you on drugs, ump?" Apparently in Brian Runge's case, he was on drugs and that's why he's no longer an umpire.
• Cliff Corcoran writes up scouting reports on all the position players who have pitched so far this season. Skip Schumaker is the best of the lot. Why not? After all, he hits like a pitcher this season.
• The Mets and Diamondbacks paid tribute to the fallen firefighters in Arizona.
• Finally, Bob Nightengale interviews all living major league Korean War veterans. Ernie Banks is among them, although Banks never left the United States during his military service. The only two living ballplayers who saw action in Korea are Jerry Coleman (who also served in World War II) and Bobby Brown.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. I hope that's because my daughter won't be throwing up everything she eats. Sick children are the worst.