Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli erect Jobu shrine in Indians' clubhouse Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli have both had their struggles at times this season, but neither has gone through a prolonged slump at the plate that would seem to require going to extremes, such as, well, Voodoo. Apparently, one or both of the aforementioned Cleveland Indians thought it might help themselves or the club to … [Read more...]

Weekly Rotation: David Ortiz and the five best farewell seasons Though David Ortiz regrets disclosing that 2016 will be his final year in the major leagues, fans should be thankful he gave us ample time to appreciate his greatness. Big Papi is treating us to one of the finest farewell seasons by a hitter in MLB history. With 3.2 wins above replacement already accumulated, he’s on pace to set … [Read more...]

Mini Thor might have provided most adorable first pitch ever Your browser does not support iframes.New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard was scheduled to pitch Wednesday afternoon against the Kansas City Royals and that provided the perfect opportunity to invite a 5-year-old boy named Ashtin Gerberg. who bears a striking resemblance to Syndergaard, to the ballpark to throw out the first … [Read more...]

Saves and Steals: Nightmare in St. Louis Trouble in the STL! Trevor Rosenthal had a terrible week, leading to widespread speculation of a possible demotion. No such move is imminent, but the ice is starting to thin. Meanwhile, out in LAla-land, Huston Street is doing his best impression of a men's league pitcher. Seriously, take three mph off his stuff and he'd be an exact clone for a guy I faced … [Read more...]

Rangers' new stadium will cost taxpayers additional $300 million In May, the city council of Arlington, TX signed off on a $1 billion deal that would allow the Texas Rangers to build a new stadium that includes a retractable roof. It was unexpected, since the Rangers' current stadium, Globe Life Park, is only 22 years old and not in bad shape.  Regardless of whether the Rangers need the … [Read more...]

Justin Upton is finally living up to expectations with the Tigers For the first two months of the season, Detroit Tigers outfielder Justin Upton was one of the worst hitters in baseball. That's not an understatement. His numbers, both traditional and advanced, were all near the bottom of the league.  This was fairly shocking. Over the course of his career, Upton has put up fairly consistent … [Read more...]

Catchers pitching is the trend as Erik Kratz takes the mound again This new trend of catchers pitching really seems to be catching on. Backstop Christian Bethancourt has pitched twice this year for the San Diego Padres, once at the beginning of June, and once in mid-June. Now Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Erik Kratz has matched him, notching his second pitching appearance on Tuesday night.  … [Read more...]

Reds third baseman can't find the baseball in his own glove Have you ever spent ten minutes looking for your sunglasses only to discover that they've been perched on top of your head the entire time? Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez had one of those moments on Tuesday night, but instead of sunglasses on his head, it was a baseball in his glove. And it was probably more … [Read more...]

Baseball Daily Dose: Do Pitchers Belong in the Derby? Baseball is an immensely popular sport in this country and probably always will be. But it’s not without its detractors. The Steroid Era may be in the rearview mirror but there’s still a perception that baseball is behind the times. The games last forever, show-boaters like Jose Bautista are still punished for violating baseball’s “unwritten … [Read more...]

The Walk Off: Chris Sale finds his groove again and wins 12th game Your browser does not support iframes. Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we'll look the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start withthe pitcher with the most wins in the majors. Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale hasn’t … [Read more...]