Baseball Nation: All Posts by Nate Aderhold

• Gehrig, Gleason, and a timeless case of stupidity

San Jose votes to sue MLB over refusal to relocate Oakland Athletics

2013-06-18T18:31:39Z

The San Jose City Council has voted in favor of suing Major League Baseball for its refusal to allow the Oakland Athletics to San Jose, reports ABC 7 News Bay Area.

More A's: All You Need to Know About the A's & San Jose

Finding the A's a new stadium has been a hot topic for years, and relocation to San Jose has been at the forefront of the conversation for some time. Oakland Coliseum (or O.Co) is frequently cited as one of the worst stadiums in professional sports, a sentiment that was strongly reinforced when the sewage system at the stadium backed up on Sunday. MLB commissioner Bud Selig has been noncommittal in his stance on the issue, delaying a definitive answer on the situation on several occasions.

The biggest hurdle between the A's and a move to San Jose -- and the reason Selig is dragging his feet -- is the territorial rights to the South Bay area, including San Jose, that were given to the San Francisco Giants by the A's circa 1990 when they were pursuing a new stadium. The Giants now consider the A's' intended destination part of their territory and object to the move.

While it's unclear at the moment what exactly the city's lawsuit against the league will bring to bear, it will likely put MLB's exemption from antitrust laws (a status the league has enjoyed, via Supreme Court decision, since 1922) in its crosshairs. San Jose's mayor will discuss the details of lawsuit at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.

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Astros 'fully engaged' in contract talks with No. 1 pick Mark Appel

2013-06-18T17:38:20Z

The Houston Astros are "fully engaged" in contract negotiations with No. 1 draft pick Mark Appel, and general manager Jeff Luhnow is hopeful that the club will strike a deal with the tall right-hander before the week is out, report Brian McTaggert and Chris Abshire of MLB.com.

More Astros: Mark Appel, Trades, and More

It was prematurely reported late last week that Appel and the Astros had reached a deal, but in reality the club did not step up negotiations until after Appel's college graduation ceremony on Sunday. Luhnow expressed that he wanted the Stanford senior to have the weekend to "enjoy his commencement," and that negotiations would now escalate rather quickly.

The Astros have yet to meet face-to-face with Appel or his agent, Scott Boras, but they have had several conversations over the phone and Luhnow "feel[s] good about where it's headed." The assigned slot value for the no. 1 pick in the draft is $7.8 million. Houston was able to sign 2012 top pick Carlos Correa for $4.8 million -- well under the slot value -- but is unlikely to have the same luck with Appel this year.

Appel, 21, posted a 2.12 ERA and fanned 130 in 106⅓ innings for Stanford this season, making him a top-pick favorite for the second year running. While signability issues dropped Appel all the way to the No. 8 spot last season, the Astros showed no hesitation in drafting the power right-hander with the top pick this time around.

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Tigers' Max Scherzer 1st MLB pitcher to start 10-0 since 1997

2013-06-18T17:19:37Z

Detroit Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer made MLB and franchise history Monday night when he took down the Baltimore Orioles for his 10th win of the season.

More Tigers: Closer by Committee Returns to Detroit

With his six-inning, 10-strikeout performance in Detroit on Monday, Scherzer became the first big-league starter to begin a season with a 10-0 record since Roger Clemens did it with the Blue Jays in 1997, and just the second starter in Tigers history to accomplish the feat, per Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Scherzer admits that wins and losses are a bit "flukey" as a stat, but still finds it "special" that his name will now be written alongside Wabash George Mullin in the franchise's record books. Mullin won 11 straight decisions to begin the 1909 season, on his way to a 29-8 record and 2.22 ERA on the year.

Undefeated or not, Scherzer is off to the best start of his six year MLB career. The right-hander owns a 3.08 earned-run average and a stellar 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio through his first 14 starts, and has failed to reach the sixth inning in just two of his outings on the year.

While Scherzer finds himself in exclusive company at the moment, he may not be alone for long. Diamondbacks southpaw Patrick Corbin and Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz could join Scherzer in the 10-0 club later this week, as both are currently sitting at nine wins apiece.

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman calls out hitting coach for Teixeira statement

2013-06-18T16:50:36Z

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is insistent that he is not mad at hitting coach Kevin Long, but you wouldn't know it from the way he talks about Long to the press.

More Yankees: Dodgers/Yankees Series Preview

If not anger, Cashman at least expressed disappointment Monday about Long's comment over the weekend that he wasn't sure if first baseman Mark Teixeira's right wrist "has been right" since coming off the disabled list May 31, and that Tex was having trouble swinging from the left side of the plate.

Cashman found it "alarming" that Long would make a statement to the press that didn't "jibe" with his internal discussions in the clubhouse, adding:

"If K-Long felt that way he should have been saying that from Day 1, but we never heard that... If K-Long said that, he’s a monk because he kept his mouth shut the whole time...

"Some people are better with the microphone than others," he added. "Let’s put it that way."

Teixeira received a cortisone shot in his ailing right wrist on Sunday after aggravating his injury and is likely to return to the disabled list for at least a short while. While we can't know for certain whether Long really believed that Tex was still injured or if he's trying to save face after the fact, his comments certainly don't help his standing with the front office.

The Yankees' offense jumped out to a great start despite a host of injuries, but has fallen hard back to earth over the last month. The Bombers are batting just .217/.289/.318 as a team this month, and have lost six of their last nine games.

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Twins minor league bus involved in fatal head-on collision

2013-06-18T16:26:54Z

A bus carrying the Elizabethton Twins, a rookie ball affilate of the Minnesota Twins organization, was involved in fatal head-on collision on an interstate highway outside of Jacksonville, Florida, early Tuesday morning, reports KARE 11 Minneapolis-St. Paul.

More Twins: Lies, the War Room, and More

At roughly 4:30 a.m. CT, the driver of a black Honda Civic driving on the wrong side of I-295 collided head-on with the Elizabethton team's bus. The impact killed the driver of the Civic but left the 30 players, one coach, and driver aboard the bus unharmed.

The driver killed in the accident has not been identified as of yet, and investigators are still trying to determine whether alcohol was involved in the collision.

Twins president Dave St. Peter expressed on Twitter his relief that no one on the bus was injured, and also sent his condolences to the deceased:

Tragic accident involving @EtownTwins bus. Thankful all members of @Twins family are safe. Thoughts and prayers for driver of other vehicle
— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) June 18, 2013

The Twins affiliate was headed to Elizabethton, Tennessee, to kick off their season after several weeks of training at Minnesota's Spring Training complex in Fort Myers, Florida. The club was transferred to a new bus at around 7:45 a.m. CT and is expected to arrive in Elizabethton in time for their first game on Wednesday -- a game they'll likely play with very heavy hearts.

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Diamondbacks RHP Ian Kennedy drops suspension appeal

2013-06-18T15:50:28Z

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy dropped the appeal of his 10-game suspension and began serving his time on the sidelines Monday night, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

More D'Backs: Hitting the Skids

Kennedy, 28, received his suspension for beaning Dodgers starter Zack Greinke in the left shoulder at Chavez Ravine last week, as well as for his part in the ensuing benches-clearing brawl. Both teams had already been warned by the home-plate umpire when Kennedy hit Greinke, so his immediate ejection and subsequent suspension were not a surprise.

The right-hander likely opened an appeal into the suspension so that he could make his start Sunday evening, delaying his time on the sidelines just enough to make it more manageable for the D'Backs. With two off days in the coming week, Arizona can probably get by with a four-man rotation for all of Kennedy's time out (i.e. two starts).

Randall Delgado will be called up from Triple-A to start on Tuesday, but his promotion is a result of Brandon McCarthy's lingering shoulder and neural issues, not Kennedy's suspension. Kennedy is eligible to return to the D'Backs' rotation on June 29, which would pit him against the Braves in Atlanta.

Kennedy is allowed to suit up with the team for batting practice during his suspension, but he must flee to the clubhouse when the game begins.

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Braves place Evan Gattis on DL with oblique injury

2013-06-18T15:26:31Z

The Atlanta Braves have placed catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain, the team has announced. The club has called up utility infielder Tyler Pastornicky from Triple-A to take Gattis' spot on the active roster.

More Braves: Down Goes Gattis

Gattis, 26, has surprised everyone by putting together mammoth numbers at the platet in his rookie campaign. Originally promoted to be a stopgap until Brian McCann returned from his offseason shoulder surgery, Gattis took the league by storm in April. Forced to keep him around when McCann was activated in early May, the Braves pushed Gattis into left field to keep him in the lineup.

While Gattis has struggled to work a walk in the early goings of his MLB career, his ability to mash when he makes contact has more than made up for his on-base troubles. The righty slugger is batting .252/.317/.587 with 14 home runs in 183 plate appearances on the season, giving him a stellar rate of one long ball for every 12 ABs.

Pastornicky has been hitting well at Triple-A this year -- batting .309/.351/.429 with four home runs in 57 games -- but he won't come close to replicating Gattis' production at the plate. A middle infielder by trade, Pastornicky has seen a few games in the outfield at Gwinnett this year, so the Braves could use him out there if they're desperate.

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• Rays’ Cobb hit in head, suffers "mild concussion"

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