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It hasn't been the best of Aprils for the Phillies, and while there was hope that year's mediocre season would see a return to recent glory with full and healthy seasons from Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay, that hasn't been the case. Bill ...

2012 in review Record: 88-74 (88-74 Pythagorean) 726 runs scored (6th in American League) 670 runs allowed (5th in AL) Big Offseason Moves Re-signed Anibal Sanchez. Signed Torii Hunter. Lost Jose Valverde and Delmon Young. It has been a rel...

It's time for the old columnist staple: Random thoughts! 1. Mike Trout turned 21 years old in August, so the common axiom about young players as applied to Trout: He'll get better. But is that even possible? His 10.7 WAR was one of just 20 such se...

DETROIT -- We can go silly overanalyzing three baseball games, so let's keep it simple: The Detroit Tigers are a stars-and-scrubs team. If the stars aren't delivering, it's going to be an uphill climb. And now that climb is Mount Everest. In Game ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- This was the Madison Bumgarner Giants fans saw most of the season: the pitcher with impeccable control, the ability to get inside on right-handed batters, generate ground balls and change speeds. This was the pitcher who had become o...

They call him Kung Fu Panda. Now they can call him a World Series legend. Pablo Sandoval, a batter who rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like, found three pitches he loved in the World Series opener and entered his name alongside three of the biggest...

We finally know the World Series participants and maybe it's good news the second wild-card team didn't reach the World Series. Instead, we do end up with two first-place teams and two of the game's historic franchises. Here are three key players fro...

The Cardinals were certainly the favorite to beat Barry Zito and the Giants at home in Game 5, but now have to travel to San Francisco. Molly Knight writes that this added playoff pressure won't faze the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Wayne Drehs asks what we...

The Oakland A's didn't really know what to expect from Brett Anderson, who hadn't pitched in 20 days since suffering an oblique strain. But here's the one thing about Anderson: He can roll out of bed and throw the ball over the plate. He returned ...

OK, I'll give you Justin Verlander. I'll even give you Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson. But five through 25? I think I'll take the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers. The Indians beat the Tigers 5-3 on Tuesday, even ...

Sometimes the analysis is pretty easy. The Detroit Tigers' lineup on Sunday featured 31-year-old minor league veteran Brad Eldred, who last played regularly in the majors in 2005, hitting fifth. He was followed by Ryan Raburn, Ramon Santiago, Gera...

Every season there is at least one surprise team. Every season there is at least one major disappointment. Everyone is calling the Detroit Tigers a lock in the AL Central. But here are 10 reasons the Cleveland Indians can win the AL Central. 1....

We're back with more divisional position rankings for 2012. You can scream, you can holler, you can protest and call me names. But just because I rated your player lower than you think he deserves doesn't mean I hate your team. (Here are the NL Ea...

This is not the kind of January news we want to read about: Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez tore his ACL during offseason workouts and may be lost for the season. After signing Martinez to a four-year, $50 million contract before ...

Mark Simon and myself joined forces on Friday's Baseball Today. Before you listen, however, take a few seconds to go to podcastawards.com and vote for Baseball Today as the best sports podcast -- we're one of 10 finalists. Now, things we discussed: ...

Bring back the stories of Mickey Mantle playing through the pain of ravaged knees and a torn-up shoulder. The anecdotes of Sandy Koufax and his "atomic" balm, a concoction he applied to dull the pain in his elbow, but an ointment of such ferocity tha...