OUR FANHOUSE TOOLBAR INTEGRATES THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS INTO YOUR WEB BROWSER AND INSTALLS IN SECONDS.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLBAR HERE.

FanHouse MattCain

Latest MattCain Stories

Starting Five: AL East Wasn't Much of a Fight, So Yankees Find One

Jorge Posada is restrained by Yankee teammatesStarting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the Yankees are still fired up despite their large lead in the AL East.

After two Yankees pitchers hit Blue Jays batters in Tuesday's game, Toronto's Jesse Carlson threw behind Jorge Posada in the bottom of the eighth.

Posada glared, benches briefly emptied, but there were no punches. Yet.

Instead of letting it end there, or charging the mound, Posada waited until he walked and then scored a run to give Carlson a shove after he crossed home plate.

And then it was on.
More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Starting Five: These Rocks Are Rolling Uphill Out West

Jason Giambi Garrett Atkins Colorado RockiesStarting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the NL West is up for grabs.

With their seventh straight win, the Rockies closed within two games of the idle Dodgers for the division lead on Thursday.

Colorado downed Cincinnati 5-1 with a five-run third inning and six scoreless innings from its bullpen after starter Jose Contreras suffered a strained quadriceps running to first base.
More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Roto Rush: Carlos Pena's Power Surge

Carlos PenaPoppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

When you select Carlos Pena in fantasy baseball, you know you aren't getting batting average help. Still, his career-low .223 mark this year was well below expectations, and up until August 5, the power numbers weren't nearly high enough to console disappointed Pena owners.

Well, that has all changed. Since that date, Pena has slugged 11 home runs and driven home 22. His average has been respectable (.286) and his OPS is ridiculous (1.307). On the season, Pena now has a six home run lead on the rest of the AL with 37. He's also third in RBI (91).

David Wright Hospitalized After Taking Matt Cain Fastball to Head

NEW YORK (AP) -- David Wright sustained a concussion after being hit squarely in the helmet by a 94 mph fastball from Giants starter Matt Cain on Saturday, and the Mets third baseman was expected to spend the night in the hospital.

Wright was examined in the clubhouse before being taken by ambulance to the Hospital for Special Surgery. Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Wright had a CT scan, which was negative.

The Giants beat the Mets 5-4 in 10 innings.

Carlos Gonzalez Not Just Keeper League Gold Anymore

Carlos GonzalezPoppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

One of the most prized prospects in baseball is blossoming before our eyes. And his timing couldn't be better as the Colorado Rockies are in the thick of a Wild Card hunt.

Carlos Gonzalez did it all in the minor leagues. Before being called up he hit ten home runs and batted .339 in 48 games. He struggled a bit upon arriving in Denver, but now is really turning it on.

Over the last month, Gonzalez is batting .432 with a home run and three stolen bases. His 1.114 OPS shows that he's really creaming the ball and his eruption is fueling the Rockies' winning ways. On Sunday Gonzalez went 3-for-5 and brought his season batting average up to .283.

Baseball Brunch: Halfway Home

Daisuke Matsuzaka, Manny Acta, Dan Haren, Gary Sheffield
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

The most remarkable thing about this season as we hit the not-halfway halfway point of the All-Star break isn't Albert Pujols' RBI total. Or Zack Greinke's ERA. Or the PED suspension of one of the game's biggest stars.

It's the standings. And they not only reflect the season so far, they give us a clue as to the weeks head leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

The Phillies and Dodgers are the only first-place team with a lead of more than 2 1/2 games. And 21 of the 30 teams are within 7 1/2 games of a playoff spot: nine of 14 in the AL and 12 of 16 in the NL.

Matt Cain a Hard-Luck Loser No More

SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Cain was the best losing pitcher in baseball the past two years, a victim of an almost criminal lack of support.

Cain pitched six innings or more and allowed two earned runs or fewer without getting a victory 26 times, most in the majors over that span.

His 3.71 ERA and his 15-30 record simply didn't fit together.

Is Sabean Ready to Move Matt Cain?

Giants general manager Brian Sabean has apparently come to the conclusion that he might have to trade one of his team's talented young pitchers to get a bat.
"If the bat per se is talented and hopefully not a free agent to be, you pay the market price, whatever that is," Sabean said.
And...
"We've got a pretty narrow list and we've had some discussions," Sabean said. "Wherever we can find a bat, we'll make the adjustment positionally."
What all that means is that Sabean is willing to listen for anyone, presumably other than Tim Lincecum or minor-league super-prospect Madison Bumgarner. It means that Matt Cain could be the guy the Giants have to move if they want to upgrade their offense.

Roto Rush: The Rangers Can Pitch?

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

With a starting rotation containing Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman and Brandon McCarthy, it's pretty safe to say many mixed leagues went through draft or auction day without mentioning a single starting Rangers pitcher -- unless it was in jest.

The joke is on us, because the Rangers starting rotation is pretty damn legit right now. After Sunday, the Rangers now sport the fifth-best starter's ERA (4.25) in the American League.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 6


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.


Let me put this simply: you want no part of being No. 1 in the FanHouse MLB Power Rankings. It just brings discord, losing and possibly suspensions to your baseball team. Such was the case with the white-hot Dodgers and Manny Ramirez, who now have to deal with a 50 game-ban of their star slugger. Who's doomed this week? Let's just say that no one would be too shocked if they weren't there again next Wednesday.

Featured Writers

Featured Voices