Eric Milton Still Plays Baseball?

Of course he does.

Eric Milton recorded his first victory since 2006 for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night with a 7-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The Return of A-Rod's Pouty Face

Alex Rodriguez could return to the New York Yankees lineup a little sooner than initially expected this season... which is a good thing, since I totally picked him to be the American League MVP this Spring. I may or may not have been under the influence, but I stand by my pick.

According to Dr. Marc Philippon, the doc who operated on his hip back in March, Rodriguez could be back in pinstripes as soon as ten days from now. Dr. Philippon even watched the three-time American League MVP work out on Wednesday at the Yankees minor league complex and said:

The Imminent Return of Man Muscles

First of all, I suppose I should dish out a little background info for those of you who think I'm a giant nerd for referring to Joe Mauer as "Man Muscles". Remember back in June of 2006 when the Minnesota Twins catcher went 2-for-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to spike his season average to .396? Of course you do.

This prompted former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter to blurt out,

"What Joe Mauer's doing is sick. He's 23 years old. What's he going to do when he gets man muscles?"

The name stuck... with me and Bat-girl anyhow. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the stud backstop's injury and his projected May 1st return to baseball.

Continue reading and rate this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Get Well Soon, Little Timmy

Hey, you. Who are you, and what have you done with San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum?

Following his first start of the season -- a horrible outing in which he allowed three runs on three hits over 78 pitches -- Little Timmy struggled once again. This time, against the San Diego Padres, where the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner surrendered four runs on a career-high ten hits over 5.1 innings.

"I was all over the place," Lincecum said. "It got frustrating at times. I don't know if you guys could see it on my face, but I was trying to keep my poise out there. It was a rough game and it just got rougher."

Lincecum had dominated the Pads in his previous eight starts against them, going 3-1 with an itty-bitty 0.95 ERA.

So, who is this guy? Big League Stew contemplates the possibilities, including a look-alike San Fran hippie off the streets.

[SF Giants] | [Every Joe] | [Extra Baggs] | [Fake Teams]

The Sad, Sad Tale of Eric Gagne

Eric Gagne's toilet-ridden career is not quite at Mike Hampton proportions, but it's still pretty unfortunate.

The Milwaukee Brewers reliever has been released in order to rehab his poor shoulder in Tempe, Arizona at a private training facility.

Gagne, a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, was hanging on to a minor league contract with dear life before his shoulder began to feel sore again. This time, he chose to tell his trainer rather than suck beyond sucking once the season started.

Continue reading and rate this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Mo Finally Fixes His Shoulder

At 38 years old with recurring arm issues and graying hair, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday.

Rivera, who just finished up his 14th season with the Bronx Bombers (his one and only team) had 39 saves this year, along with a 1.40 ERA -- his best since 2005.

Apparently, Mo's tank isn't empty yet, since he expects to resume throwing in three months. Just in time for Spring Training.

[AP] | [Lo Hud Yankees Blog] | [Dueling Couches] | [River Ave. Blues]

Say Goodbye to the Split-Finger Fastball

Veteran righty John Smoltz has returned to the Atlanta Braves pitching staff as a reliever, with the hopes that this move will help him cope with his sore pitching shoulder.

After landing on the DL not once, but twice this season, Smoltz will revisit the closer's spot to avoid a possible career-ending surgery and manager Bobby Cox will hand him the job if he proves effective.

He had 154 saves with the club during his stint as a closer from 2001-04 -- including a league-record 55 saves in 2002 -- though he's worked as a starter for most of his career. But now, as he's been forced to regroup and change the way he throws during his time rehabbing in the minors, he won't be able to use one of his most effective pitches: the split-finger fastball.

"I’m not afraid to experiment," said the 41-year-old Smoltz. "I’m going to have all kinds of deliveries and motions. There’s going to be nothing consistent about what I’m trying to do."

Manny Acosta, it's been real.

Update: He already has a blown save.

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Pedro Martinez is Here to Save the Day

Pedro Martinez is set to rejoin the New York Mets rotation this Tuesday with a start against the San Francisco Giants, his first of the season.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who has been on the disabled list since straining his left hamstring April 1st, thinks the Mets would be a whole lot better off if he'd been around all season.

"Being a veteran and being as loose as I am, and being so noisy every day and so loud, I think that would have helped my teammates keep their cool," he said.

Well, if that's the case, he's just in time, since New York has sucked their way to 26-27 after Friday night’s 9-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

[Newsday]

The Long-Awaited Return of Franchise

Good news out of Twins Territory this weekend, as once-rookie phenom Francisco Liriano is throwing at full-speed during bullpen sessions -- even using that nasty slider -- and is on track to return in time for the start of spring training.

Liriano is doing better than expected at this point in his recovery from 2006 Tommy John Surgery. Depending on his spot in the rotation, the 1-2 punch of Liriano and Johan Santana may finally be reunited in 2008.

[Rotowire] | [Twins Insider] | [Josh's Thoughts]

Bartolo Colon's Back

The Los Angeles Angels activated Bartolo Colon from the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's game against the Cleveland Indians, after the irritation had left the righty's pitching elbow.

The 34-year-old Colon, out of commission since July 24th, pitched five minor league games during his rehab stint, going 3-0 with an impressive 1.07 ERA.

The two-time All-Star is 6-6 with a 6.72 ERA in 16 starts this season, re-joining an 84-59 Angels club that have the playoffs well under-wraps. With just 19 games left of their season, the Halos are 8 long games ahead of the Seattle Mariners, boasting the second-best record in the American League behind the 87-57 Boston Red Sox.

[Sports Network]

Enjoy Pedrovision

Here's hoping you enjoy Pedro Martinez's return to the mound as much as we will today, when he makes his season debut for the New York Mets against Aaron Harang and the Cincinnati Reds at The Great American Ball Park at 1:15pm ET.

The veteran righty will be limited to 75 pitches with no more than 35 in one inning. Hopefully he'll get a nice quality start out of the deal and fan at least two batters, since he is just 2 K's away from the 3000 strikeout mark.

Martinez boasts a career 206-92 record with a 2.81 ERA in 375 starts.

[Newsday]

Remember Mark Mulder?

You may or may not have completely forgotten about St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder, who had rotator cuff surgery last September, just in time to miss the World Series.

Mulder will rejoin the Cards' rotation for the first time this Wednesday, now just in time for the road to the post season.

In 2005, the lefty won 16 games in his debut season with St. Louis, arming their starting rotation with the 1-2 punch of himself and Chris Carpenter. Spending 85 days on the 15-day DL and going 6-7 with a 7.14 ERA last season, he finally elected to have the surgery on Sept. 12th.

In his fourth rehab start on Friday, Mulder allowed two runs in five innings for the AAA Memphis Redbirds.

Fellow lefty Mike Maroth is also expected to return to the rotation following a successful rehab stint from elbow tendinitis. He is 0-4 with a craptastic 11.08 ERA, but he'll get another shot with the loss of one terrible pitcher, Anthony Reyes.

Reyes lasted just one inning in his last start on Friday. He has been moved to the bullpen indefinitely.

The Cardinals are sitting just two games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central with plenty of time to catch up. The two teams will meet September 10th at Wrigley Field for one game before their final three-game series of the season beginning on the 14th at Busch Stadium.

[SI.com]

Welcome Back, Pedro Martinez

After recovering from his October 5th rotator cuff surgery, Pedro Martinez is finally ready to go.

The New York Mets veteran righty will make his long-awaited season debut Monday against the Cincinnati Reds at The Great American Ball Park.

Pedro's Return Imminent

In his best rehab start yet, Pedro Martinez allowed two unearned runs over five innings, striking out four and walking one for the Class-A St. Lucie Mets Monday.

Two consecutive errors and a wild pitch in the fifth inning led to both of the Brevard County Manatees' runs. Pedro threw 72 pitches in the start, and would've tossed more if he hadn't lowered the number after waking up with a sore neck. He did say it didn't bother him during the game, however.

No word on where the three-time Cy Young Award winner will pitch next, but that is up to Martinez to decide, depending on his comfort level.

In other St. Lucie news, Mets outfielder Endy Chavez - working his way back from a strained left hammy - went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the team's 4-3 win.

[Newsday]

Chicago Cubs Have Wood Again

The Chicago Cubs activated hard-luck hurler Kerry Wood from the 60-day disabled list Friday following his recovery from a sore shoulder that has kept him out of the big leagues since June 6th of last season.

Finally off the DL for the 11th time in his career, the 30-year-old righty made only four starts last season and pushed his 2007 comeback farther due to more discomfort.

Wood made eight rehab starts to make his way back into the Cubs pen as a short reliever.

During those minor league outings, some of his pitches were clocked in the mid-90s.

Before Friday's series opener against the New York Mets, Wood caught some bullpen pitches from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, who was to perform during the seventh-inning stretch.

Sweet.

[MLB]

Remember Pedro Martinez?

Yeah, he's still pretty awesome.

Pedro pitched 5.1 innings in a simulated game Thursday, giving up two runs - only one earned - and four hits against players from the St. Lucie and Gulf Coast League Mets using just 67 pitches.

He threw 39 in the first 2 innings and 50 overall for strikes. Martinez struck out three and walked none, but hit a batter.

So, he may be lacking in the control department yet, but his fastballs averaged 86-88 mph and even moved down and out. Pedro-style.

Look for Martinez to make his first start for St. Lucie early next week, possibly even Tuesday.

[New York Times]