On-Base Perception
Newsday's new all-encompassing baseball blog on the Yankees, Mets, MLB and more from around the sport.
Mets banking on Shaun Marcum's return
Photo credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa
Shaun Marcum's long awaited Mets debut may come in less than a week. Assuming no setbacks, the Mets have the veteran righthander slated to return on Saturday, which is the next time the team needs a fifth starter in the rotation.
Lefthander Aaron Laffey would have been the most likely alternative to make the start on Saturday. However, Laffey was designated for assignment to make room for...
Read more »Lucas Duda out of Mets-Rockies finale with back stiffness
Photo credit: Getty Images
DENVER -- Lucas Duda was out of the Mets' starting lineup for Thursday afternoon's frigid series finale against the Rockies. The leftfielder's still suffering from lingering effects of the lower back stiffness that forced him to leave Tuesday's second game in the fifth inning.
"There's a process that we want to make sure he goes through before he's ready and 22 degrees is really not the...
Read more »Padres CEO: Zack Greinke to blame for brawl, is like Rain Man
Photo credit: AP
Padres CEO Tom Garfinkel made light of Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke’s social anxiety disorder, going so far as to compare him to the title character in the movie Rain Man while talking with a group of season-ticket holders, according to an audio clip obtained by Yahoo! Sports.
Garfinkel was speaking in the aftermath of last week’s Dodgers-Padres brawl – one that cost Greinke a broken collarbone....
Read more »Mets-Rockies postponed again
Photo credit: AP
The Mets' game against the Colorado Rockies scheduled for Wednesday at Coors Field has been postponed because of snow.
The teams will play just a single game Thursday at 3:10 p.m. to wrap up the series. No additional information has been released on when the game will be made up.
Jonathon Niese will get the start for the Mets in Thursday's game.
The Mets lost both games of a doubleheader...
Read more »'Sweet Caroline' at Yankee Stadium a nice moment
Photo credit: Jim McIsaac
When the first strains of "Sweet Caroline" began to build during the third inning Tuesday night, the scattered crowd at Yankee Stadium seemed a bit disoriented at first. Many were probably unaware that team executives, as part of that evening's tribute to the mourning city of Boston, had decided to play the Fenway Park eighth-inning singalong anthem.
For those of us that have heard...
Read more »Jeff Francoeur has a ridiculous arm and makes ridiculous plays with it
Photo credit: Jim McIsaac
Jeff Francoeur may be a one tool player. But that one tool is darn fun to watch.
Perhaps the only non-pitcher to stick around baseball because he has a great arm, Francoeur has made a living out of highlight-reel throws from the outfield.
But this one is just sick.
Watch as Francoeur doesn't even get a great plant and yet still nails a runner at home plate -- on the fly:
Your...
Read more »Mets-Rockies begin play after massive effort to clear field of snow
Photo credit: AP
DENVER -- A network of heating coils wind beneath the playing surface here at Coors Field. Installed in 1995, they were designed to guard the Rockies against snow outs. But when the city was bombarded by a massive storm on Monday night, the heated coils melted only 2 inches of snow.
The rest had to be cleared away only through a massive effort before Tuesday's Mets-Rockies doubleheader, which...
Read more »Fantasy baseball closer updates
Photo credit: AP Photo Matt Slocum
Let the closer carousels begin.
Greg Holland is still the Royals’ closer — for now. But so far he only has two saves while Kelvin Herrera and Aaron Crow have combined for three. Holland did record the save in his last outing on April 9, but it was far from easy. It took 27 pitches, and he allowed a hit and two walks before closing out the game.
Herrera, on the other hand, has been lights...
Read more »Mets-Rockies snow game faces delay
Photo credit: AP
DENVER -- Give the Rockies credit. They're persistent.
With about 90 minutes left until Tuesday afternoon's scheduled 1:10 (MT) first pitch against the Mets, much of the snow that once blanketed Coors Field has been removed. At one point, even Mets general manager Sandy Alderson helped shovel snow.
Snow remains piled up on the track in the infield while parts of right field still look...
Read more »Video: Rockies scramble to clear snow from field
DENVER -- From team owner/chairman and chief executive officer Richard Monfort, to the team's mascot Dinger, dozens of Rockies employees picked up shovels to assist in the massive effort to clear the field for Tuesday's scheduled doubleheader against the Mets.
As workers used snowblowers to clear seats of snow, others scrambled to move about five inches of powder off the field, all as icicles...
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