MLB Bullets Is Down And Out

Both the Cubs and the Red Sox were preseason favorites to make the World Series and both are 23-21 to start the season. Both teams are in third place, although the Cubs are only 1 ¹⁄₂ games out and Boston is 3 ¹⁄₂ out of first. Both managers, Joe Maddon and John Farrell, have won one World Series. Yet only one manager is in danger of getting fired. That, my friends, is the difference between Chicago and Boston.

• Mike Lupica looks at what is ailing the Red Sox and thinks that while Farrell isn’t the whole problem, he’s going to get blamed if things don’t improve.
• Ken Rosenthal notes that the lack of a suitable replacement may allow Farrell to keep his job and that Boston may regret allowing Torey Lovullo to leave for the Diamondbacks.
• Paul Lebowitz suggests David Wright as a candidate for the next manager of the Mets.
• Speaking of Snakes, Dave Cameron assesses whether the Diamondbacks can keep up their hot start all season.
• Certainly Zack Greinke resurgence has been a big part of the Diamondbacks success, and part of that success is the eephus pitch he used to strike out the White Sox’s Yolmer Sanchez.
• Tom Verducci has a feature-length piece on how the curveball is becoming the most important pitch in MLB today.
• Although Jeff Passan notes that much of Chris Sale’s increasing success this year is due to increasing velocity. Passan also looks at some other pitchers whose velocity has increased this season.
• Chris Archer credits at least part of his resurgence this season to adopting a philosophy of “mindfulness.”
• Neil Paine notes that Mike Trout has somehow managed to get even better, thanks in part to improved plate discipline.
• John Hugar believes that Trout’s incredible 2017 season isn’t a fluke, but the new normal for Trout.
• Grant Brisbee argues that the career of Jered Weaver is a cautionary tale of the downsides of a player giving a “hometown discount.”
• Dayn Perry has a first-quarter report card for all 30 teams.
• Jeff Sullivan looks at how much meaning can we give a team’s record after 50 games.
• Cliff Corcoran has bad news for Rangers fans as he argues that the stats show that the team’s current hot streak is unsustainable.
• Ben Lindbergh tries to explain how Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy went so quickly from the best pitch-framer in baseball to a below-average one.
• Zach Kram notes that a much-improved defense is behind the Twins early-season success.
• Eddie Matz believes that the Nationals poor bullpen is leading to an increased workload for their starters which could end up blowing up in their faces later on this year.
• Michael Baumann notes that Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton has a chance to have the greatest season as a base runner ever this season. He won’t challenge Rickey Henderson’s steals record because he doesn’t get on-base often enough, but he’s as good as anyone ever when he does reach.
• If you’re like me, you can’t get enough profiles of the Pirates’ Gift Ngoepe, so Bob Nightengale provides another one. He’s rapidly going from an unknown to a celebrity in his native South Africa, and that can’t be anything but good for baseball. (Although turning an entire nation into Pirates fans might not be the best idea.) Ngoepe certainly wants to help expand the popularity of baseball in his home country.
• Derrick Goold has a look at Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham and the struggles he had with the degenerative eye disease that threatened to rob him of his sight.
• Andrew Marchand looks at Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s gum-chewing superstition.
• Judge now has his own designated cheering section at Yankee Stadium called “The Judge’s Chambers.” Some Yankees fans don’t like the idea, though.
• Laura Wagner seems to bust the story that Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner ever dated a girl named Madison Bumgarner.
• David Schoenfield thinks the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger is the favorite for 2017 Rookie of the Year and a star thereafter.
• Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez agreed to go down to Triple-A. Remember when he was a Cub for 45 minutes?
• The Angels sent C.J. Cron down to Triple-A as well.
• Jay Caspian King laments what he terms as the loss of the “great Hollywood baseball movie.” Umm, Moneyball?
• Craig Calcaterra doesn’t think there is any reason to worry about a lack of baseball films.
• I don’t know if this makes a difference, but Charlie Sheen is working on making another Major League movie.
• Speaking of Moneyball, and I did earlier, but R.J. Anderson explains how unlikely it is that Brandon Kintzler has become the Twins closer. What does this have to do with Moneyball? When he was in independent ball, he almost quit to play Tim Hudson in that film.
• Dodgers broadcasting legend Vin Scully talks about Dodgers broadcasting legend Jaime Jarrin. (Video)
• Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt reversed a call before going to a replay review. He got it right the second time.
• Joey Votto dispatched of some hecklers.
• The High-A Florida State League Charlotte Stone Crabs had to postpone a game because the netting behind home plate was broken after a play on a foul pop.
• The Cubs’ bullpen have dance-offs. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen had a milk-off, complete with a cow on the field.
• And finally, it was Joc Pederson bobblehead day at Dodger Stadium and Pederson caught the first pitch from his older brother, who has Down Syndrome. This would be a much better story if Pederson didn’t leave the game early when he got cold-cocked by Yasiel Puig’s elbow as the two of them were going for a fly ball in right-center. Then Pederson’s head hit the outfield wall. Puig did make the catch, however. Earlier in the game, Pederson collided with left fielder Cody Bellinger.

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