I've been trying to put together something on Adrian Beltre's horrifying testicular injury for days now. My original effort was the result of me turning on caps lock, banging the keyboard with my fists, staring at the ceiling, and screaming. It was probably the most honest thing I've ever written, but it was kind of a long read, so I scrapped it.
SEATTLE -- Adrian Beltre is considered a sparkling defensive third baseman, possessing great range, soft hands and a cannon for throwing arm. The veteran Mariner might have been too confident in his fielding abilities and it could cost him a month or even the rest of the season.
On Thursday, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu, shaking his head in bewilderment, announced Beltre would be placed on the disabled list with a torn right testicle and was even more stunned when told that Beltre does not wear an athletic supporter, better known as a cup that protects the groin area.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Vladimir Guerrero's had a rough 2009, with injury issues and his dwindling power (his .466 slugging percentage would easily be his career low if the season ended today) causing concern the 34-year-old was full-on in the middle of a career decline.
With two cracks of the bat Monday night, "Vlad the Impaler" reminded us that he's been swinging a hot stick of late. In fact, he's been the old Vlad for quite some time. He just needed to shake the Earth a little bit to ensure everyone took notice.
When Adrian Beltre had a bone spur removed from his shoulder June 30, the Mariners expected to be without their third basemen for six to eight weeks. Instead, he'll be back in just under five, as the Mariners are reportedly going to have him back Tuesday night when they square off against the Royals.
Beltre was having an off year before going down, but his bat will be welcomed back into the fray immediately. The Mariners have only scored 405 runs this season. Only the Royals -- at 401 -- have scored fewer in the American League. Their .712 team OPS is ahead of only the Royals and A's in the AL.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Mike Napoli is one of the best power hitters you've never heard of. Napoli, the Angels catcher, blasted his 10th homer, a tie-breaking 428-foot shot in the ninth inning to lead the Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Later in the day, when the Rangers lost, the Angels moved alone into first for the first time all season.
The last time the Angels played in Arizona, in 2006, Napoli hit a 470-foot homer that is the third longest ever hit at Chase Field. Napoli has 56 homers in 890 big league at-bats. His ratio of one homer per 15.9 at-bats in the highest in big league history for any catcher with at least 50 homers, according to Stats LLC.
"He's got sick pop. He's got the most pop on this team by far," Angels starter John Lackey said. "I was actually in the clubhouse, telling the people about the one [in 2006]. People were up there eating [in the restaurant where Napoli's ball landed]."
MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
We had to break the trend. Sure, the Dodgers might have a better record than everyone else -- but competition has to count for something, doesn't it? The Dodgers have mutilated the mediocre-at-best NL West to the tune of 26-9. This means they are 14-11 against everyone else. Is that a top-two team in baseball? Hardly, I'll take the heated-rivals: Yankees (who have overcome a slow start to go 19-7 since May 12) and Red Sox (18-8 against the best division in baseball) as the top two.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Max Scherzer, the 24-year-old fireballer for the Diamondbacks, has worlds of talent. He also takes a step back every time you think he's finally hitting his groove. This past week, he was a two-start pitcher in the fantasy baseball world. His first start was pure gold (that's gold, Jerry!). He threw 7 shutout innings and struck out 10 before getting chased in the eighth inning -- after allowing a few earned runs. He followed that up with an absolute catastrophe on Sunday. The light-hitting Braves touched him up for 10 hits and 8 earned runs in only 3 2/3 innings.
CBS Sports' Danny Knobler is reporting on his blog that St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is placing Troy Glaus' odds of returning to the Cardinals' lineup in 2009 as "50-50." Given that Glaus is currently recovering from surgery on a shoulder that's bothered him on and off for six years and the constant changing of his return timetable, this isn't really surprising news, but I don't suspect that that makes it any easier for the Cardinals to hear.
If Glaus can't make it back (and to be fair, a 50-50 chance he doesn't return means that there's a 50-50 chance he does), the Cardinals are going to need more help from someone at third base. Neither Joe Thurston (.224/.336/.364) nor Brian Barden (.259/.315/.414) have been particularly good in Glaus' absence, and Tony La Russa has already chewed up and spit out rookie David Freese, who got 22 miserable at-bats before being demoted back to Triple-A Memphis.
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The cleanup hitters in Thursday's game were Preston Wilson and Carl Everett. They have combined to play in more than 2,500 major-league games, hit 391 homers and make more than $80 million.
Wilson and Everett were on opposite sides in the 2003 All-Star Game in Chicago, but this night they were far, far away from U.S. Cellular Field. They were the DHs for the Long Island Ducks and Newark Bears of the Atlantic League, respectively.
And they weren't the only former big-leaguers on the field.
A lot has happened since our last fantasy chat. You know what hasn't? The Yankees haven't lost. Along the way, they have become one of the teams with the most productive set of fantasy players around. Lost in the shuffle to an extent has been Robinson Cano. If it's possible for this line to be quiet, he's quietly hitting .317 with 8 home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs. Elsewhere, did David Ortiz's home run mean anything? Is it time to give up on Adrian Beltre? Why can't the Cubs hit the ball? There's always room for any discussion -- just come check us out at 1 PM ET.
I've been trying to put together something on Adrian Beltre's horrifying testicular injury for days now. My original effort was the result of me turning on caps lock, banging the keyboard with my fists, staring at the ceiling, and screaming. It was probably the most honest thing I've ever written, but it was kind of a long read, so I scrapped it.
SEATTLE -- Adrian Beltre is considered a sparkling defensive third baseman, possessing great range, soft hands and a cannon for throwing arm. The veteran Mariner might have been too confident in his fielding abilities and it could cost him a month or even the rest of the season.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
When Adrian Beltre had a bone spur removed from his shoulder June 30, the Mariners expected to be without their third basemen for six to eight weeks. Instead, he'll be back in just under five, as the Mariners are reportedly going to have him back Tuesday night when they square off against the Royals. 
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
CBS Sports' Danny Knobler is reporting on his blog that St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is placing Troy Glaus' odds of returning to the Cardinals' lineup in 2009 as "50-50." Given that Glaus is currently recovering from surgery on a shoulder that's bothered him on and off for six years and the constant changing of his return timetable, this isn't really surprising news, but I don't suspect that that makes it any easier for the Cardinals to hear. 
