MLB Bullets Thinks The Kids Are Alright

I missed most of tonight's Cubs game attending my daughter's music recital, where I got to politely applaud other people's children for 90 minutes so that I could listen to my own kid play for two and a half minutes and hope those other parents would politely applaud mine. But I didn't see any reason why I couldn't follow the game on Gameday on my phone on my lap. So the Cubs game gets to the stretch and a girl walks up to the microphone and announces "Hello, my name is (I really don't remember) and I'm going to play "Greensleeves" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Right on cue for the 7th inning stretch. (Although the Cubs had started batting by the time she finished "Greensleeves.") Let's just say that girl got a little more than just polite applause from me.

• This year of exciting young players just got a little more exciting as the Twins called up outfielder Byron Buxton.
• Buxton had a pretty wild day yesterday, that culminated in him scoring the winning run for the Twins from first on a double.
• I guess we can assume the Super Two deadline has passed. Because the Indians called up Francisco Lindor. Last top prospect in the minors, please turn out the lights.
• Lindor was so excited by getting his first major league hit that he tripped and fell rounding first. He tried to (jokingly) blame Miguel Cabrera, but no one was buying it.
• Rookie Joey Gallo and veteran Prince Fielder are providing a power surge for the Rangers. And Gallo was pretty stoked when he found out that everyone gets free Chipotle burritos on the team charters.
• Jim Callis reminds us of all the great talent making their major league debut so far this season and who to expect next.
• Joc Pederson made his debut last season, but he's still a rookie this year. He also made a spectacular catch in center field that robbed Justin Upton of a walk-off RBI double.
• Now that it's been a year since last year's draft, the Nationals officially acquired Trea Turner from the Padres as the player-to-be-named-later in the Wil Myers deal. He still gets a rule unofficially named after him.
• Alex Skillin writes that even though Mookie Betts is struggling, the data points to a bright future for the Red Sox outfielder.
• The rest of the future for the Red Sox doesn't look so bright, as they apparently forgot that they're supposed to catch the ball in yesterday's game.
• Red Sox pitcher Wade Miley and manager John Farrell got into a shouting match in the dugout after Miley was pulled from Friday night's game. Farrell called Miley's behavior "unacceptable" and Miley has apologized.
• It's been a rough season for David Ortiz this season, but he did hit his 475th home run yesterday, tying him with Stan Musial and Willie Stargell on the all-time list.
• Are the new pace of play rules part of the reason that Ortiz has struggled so much this year? He's certainly been a vocal opponent of them.
• Jay Jaffe says the Red Sox issues go far beyond David Ortiz.
• The Red Sox did get one big "win" on Wednesday, at least in my book. The Red Sox drafted Clemson pitcher Clate Schmidt in the 32nd round, just hours after Schmidt underwent his first chemotherapy session for lymphoma. Andrew Mahoney has Schmidt's whole story. (h/t Big League Stew)
• Other bit of good news out of Boston. The fan hit by a broken bat on June 5 has been released from the hospital.
• Pat Venditte went on the DL with a sore right shoulder. Couldn't he just pitch with the other arm?
• As the trade season heats up, the Blue Jays reportedly asked about Athletics closer Tyler Clippard.
• The Nationals think bigger and asked the Reds about closer Aroldis Chapman.
• The Reds front office knows that it needs to sell and start rebuilding, but Ken Rosenthal reports that Reds owner Bob Castellini is vetoing a Reds' sell-off at this time. (video)
• Jeff Sullivan looks at the contenders who most need to make a deal before the deadline.
• In honor of the retirement of Erik Bedard, Cliff Corcoran looks at the most lopsided trades of the 21st century. Number one shouldn't even count, since their GM was operating under the assumption that the team would no longer exist in a year.
• The Angels picked up the 2016 option on GM Jerry DiPoto's contract.
• Matthew Kory explains why Nathan Eovaldi can throw harder than any other starting pitcher in the majors and still not be very good.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers. Good at hitting. Good at pitching. Not good at stealing bases.
• The Dodgers have also made no effort so far to sign Zack Greinke to a long-term deal. Greinke can opt out of his contract at the end of the season and it looks pretty close to guaranteed that he will do that, barring a serious arm injury between now and the end of the season.
• C.J. Nitkowski explains what it's like to be a starting pitcher and only last 1/3 of an inning. It's not a good feeling.
• Jerry Crasnick has a profile of emerging star shortstop Brandon Crawford, who is the complete package of good glove, now a good bat and good looks. (Crasnick spends a lot of time talking about how handsome Crawford is.)
• Tim Healey writes that Nolan Arenado and (gulp) DJ LeMahieu have passed Troy Tulowitzki for being the biggest stars on the Rockies. Not praise Theo.
• Brian Kenny thinks that the FIP stat is not working like it used to.
• Peter Gammons thinks the Astros found the right manager in A.J. Hinch.
• Jack Moore looks back at the 1960 expansion draft.
• Some neat time-lapse photography of the construction of the St. Paul Saints CHS Field. Time-lapse photography courtesy of Work Zone Cam.
• And finally, a lot of people have said that Andrew McCutchen can hit the cover off the ball. On Friday, Andrew McCutchen hit the cover off the ball.

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