MLB Bullets Asks “Who? Me?”

So here’s my summer:

April: Yay! Minor League Baseball is back!
May: I need to get out to a few more games.
June: Crap. Eugene is starting up. Late nights.
July: Gawd, don’t I get a break?
August: Please be over so I can have my evenings back.
September: Hey! Playoffs!
October: Arizona Fall League.
November: Man, I miss Minor League Baseball.

• As you no doubt saw last night, a ball stuck to Yadier Molina and it helped the Cubs win a game.
• Mark Saxon thinks the Cardinals “I know nothing!” routine isn’t going to work and they owe the fans, at least, an explanation for the play.
• Chris Cwik says that Molina is lying and that he owes the league an explanation.
• Sean Newell writes that the only logical explanation is that the Cards were cheating. The Cardinals claim that’s not true and they can prove it by showing you the Astros database.
• Jay Jaffe argues that the Cardinals overpaid when signing Molina to an extension, but maybe they had their reasons. He also looks at Molina’s Cooperstown chances.
• Good news. Pedro Guerrero has come out of his coma, although he’s still in critical condition.
• Jeffrey Loria is still trying to sell the Marlins, and there is a report that former Florida governor Jeb Bush is interested in buying the team. As Craig Calcaterra remarks, this would lend itself to the slogan: “Marlins baseball: Please clap.”
• That is, unless Derek Jeter buys the team first. Then he could fire manager Don Mattingly for all those rookie pranks he played on him.
• Jon Heyman points out the problem with both these scenarios: neither Bush nor Jeter has the money to buy the Marlins. If they do buy the team, they will likely be a front-man for a billionaire or two.
• There is a report that MLB may allow active players to participate in the 2020 Olympics.
• Maybe Tim Tebow will be on the team? Tebow homered in his first minor league AB. Of course, he was 1 for 5 with three strikeouts in the game.
• Kendrys Morales first home run for the Blue Jays was a monster grand slam.
• Brewers first baseman Eric Thames hit his first home run in MLB since 2012.
• Tom Verducci profiles Thames after his return from becoming a Korean baseball legend.
• Matt Harvey was successful in his return to the mound for the Mets.
• Jordy McElroy thinks that Mets fans should temper their expectations for Harvey.
• The Braves have signed Ryan Howard to a minor league deal.
• Demetrius Bell thinks that the Braves are an interesting blend of young and old that will serve as a bridge to their promising future.
• Reports are that if Masahiro Tanaka opts out of his contract at the end of the year, the Yankees will not try to re-sign him. Maybe that’s just a negotiating tactic. Maybe it isn’t.
• Michael Baumann tries to answer why Buster Posey is so much better than every other catcher in the majors.
• Anthony Castrovince is already championing Francisco Lindor for AL MVP.
• Sam Miller has some tips for enjoying the long baseball season.
• David Schoenfield just says watch the Astros, who are the most-fun team in the league, according to him.
• Mike Lupica is impressed with Chris Sale and the Red Sox.
• Travis Sawchik notices that Chris Archer has an improved changeup this season, and that’s bad news for American League hitters.
• Jayson Stark wonders why baseball has failed to produce a “superstar” among the general public.
• “Big Sexy” Bartolo Colon got a standing ovation in his return to Citi Field.
• Christopher Crawford asked some scouts whether they’d prefer the Padres top five starters or the Dodgers 6th through 10th starters. The Padres did not come out on top. Ouch.
• Dave Roberts feels “a responsibility” as the Dodgers first African-American manager.
• Dave Cameron wonders if the era of locking up pre-arbitration superstars to long-term extensions is over.
• Brewers outfielder Keon Broxton thinks his ear flap saved his life after getting hit in the head with a fastball.
• Grant Brisbee lists the five players in the NL Central that matter the most.
• Will Leitch looks at the five teams who have led “wire-to-wire” in baseball. The Cubs just missed by one day last year.
• Anthony Castrovince has an “X-Factor” player for each team. Really? Justin Grimm?
• A Reds prospect who has been suspended for failing a drug test posted a video of himself doing drugs on Snapchat. Here’s hoping he gets some help.
• Travis Sawchik thinks that the early returns on Andrew McCutchen’s move to right field are good.
• Bill Shaikin asks what do Dodgers fans want in a broadcaster now that Vin Scully is retired? How about “Someone on a channel I can watch?”
• You are going to be able to watch one game on Twitter every Friday night. For free.
• Umpire Laz Diaz pranked a young fan. But he gave him the ball back in the end.
• And finally, you’ve all seen by now how Stephen Piscotty got hit with a baseball three times in one trip around the basepaths. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel showed what happened after the game.

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