Mets Make April Very Confusing for Their Fans

As every season comes and goes we all know the optimism that Opening day brings. This year, In particular, has a different excitement. The Mets started off the season in Washington and Atlanta, finishing with a record of 3-3. Not bad but not good. During this time period the Mets lost closer Jenry Mejia to an 80 game suspension. Although most years this would make me nervous this year it did not because Jeurys Familia. He stepped in and promptly made himself comfortable. He would only give up 2 runs in 13 games this season. 

Image Credit: Getty Images

The Metropolitans then traveled back to Queens for their home opener. The buzz at the stadium was one that I haven’t felt since I attended opening day back in 2007. What happened next was, to Mets fans at least, a miracle. The team would go to win their next ten ballgames. Their streak was at 11. They were pitching amazing. Colon in his first 4 starts won all of them. He looked like a blast from his past. He also didn’t look like a 40 year old over weigh pitcher. De Grom although not at his sharpest still managed to get the win in his first two starts (opening day and home opener). Last but not least Matt “Dark Knight” Harvey made his return to the mound for the amazins’. He looked as if he never missed a step. He is 5-0 with a 2.41 era in as many starts. The other great thing about this is that we lost three key cogs in Wright, D’Arnaud, and Blevins. All of whom were off to flaming hot starts. As Mets fans you felt as if the team would never lose again. Obviously we were wrong.

Image Credit: Rob Foldy/Getty Images​

The stage was set for this year’s first edition of the Subway Series. The Mets and Yankees both off to good starts were heading for a crash course in the Bronx. The first night De Grom would get lit up in front of a pro-Mets crowd. Harvey would shut down the Bombers the next game. The last game, a ESPN Sunday Night prime time game, would be eventful to say the least but the Mets would eventually fall due to errors by their inept middle infielders (Murphy and Flores). Including that series the Mets would lose 7 of the next 10. Mostly impart to a stagnant offense and terrible infield defense by, you guess it, the middle infielders.

As a Mets fan if I told you in March that we would be 16-10 and 3.5 games in first you’d take it. Although I feel as if we will win a lot of ball games I still feel as if we have major question marks. To start the combination of Murphy and Flores up the middle has been terrible. They have cost us to many games already this season. Flores has shown pop at the plate but not enough to mask his defense. Murphy has been in a slump since day one and his defense isn’t helping.

Next up, The Mets offense at times has shown life. We can get on base and we don’t strike out at a high rate. Duda and Lagares have looked great at the plate. This however has not translated into runs. This past weekend we lost back to back ballgames 1-0. This can’t happen, we have to much pitching to just waste superb starts. 

All in all I still feel confident that this team is for real. It’s just the Met fan in me that makes me worry after ever loss that we may lose ten in a row. If the Rotation and Bullpen hold up and the lineup and young guns can produce life in the offense we could be looking at a 90 win team. For now Mets Fans we shall sit and wait. 

Gallo 

Twitter: @PicoDe_Gallo

Alex Rodriguez Hits 660th Home Run to Tie Willie Mays

In the eighth inning of Friday night's game at Fenway Park, Alex Rodriguez hit a pinch-hit solo home run to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. It was also his 660th career home run, tying Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time list. (Watch it here: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v97083583) 

The crowd of 35,444 went silent when his pinch-hit homer -- the first of his career -- off reliever Junichi Tazawa on a 3-0 pitch, went into the seats high atop the Green Monster. The Yankees won 3-2 and his homer broke the 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.

He rounded the bases, touched home plate, and when he came to the bench, was greeted by all of his teammates, led by Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

The fan did not throw the ball back and I don't blame him one bit. Red Sox fan or not, that's a mighty valuable baseball.

The historic home run was never mentioned on the public address system, or on the scoreboard, and the announcement in the press box didn't occur until several minutes later.

"Willie Mays has always been a hero to me," Rodriguez told MLB Network after the game. "A year ago today, I never would've imagined even playing baseball. But a day like today, I think of my mother, my daughters, the people at the Boys and Girls Club where I learned to play baseball."

A-Rod came into the season with 654 career home runs after sitting out the 2014 season due to his Biogenesis related suspension. Needless to say, the validity of those 660 homers is in question.

The home run triggered a $6 million marketing bonus in A-Rod's contract, a bonus the Yankees are prepared to fight. They plan to claim Rodriguez's PED ties have rendered the milestone unmarketable.

"It was very emotional for me," said Rodriguez. "The last few years have been rough. To see their reaction...it was pretty emotional."

A-Rod is now tied with Mays and trails only Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762) on the all-time home run list.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Masahiro Tanaka Heads to the Disabled List

The Yankees opened the 2015 season with many uncertainties along with a roster full of expensive, aging and increasingly injury prone players loaded with talent but shrouded in skepticism about their ability to contend in the American League East.

Image Credit: Getty Images

While things were going relatively well  for the Yankees, they faced a major loss Tuesday night during the game against the Rays when news broke that Masahiro Tanaka was heading to the 15 day disabled list with tenderness in his right wrist on Tuesday, and after an MRI revealed a forearm strain in his throwing arm — an ailment frequently associated with ligament injuries. This is the second time the 26-year-old superstar landed on the disabled list for in his young big-league career. He will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters that the club hopes Tanaka will return to the mound in a month.

When asked if Tanaka’s latest injury could be related to the UCL issue that sidelined the pitcher last season, manager Joe Girardi said: “I can’t tell you that. I don’t know. I could be, it may not be. Something came up from his bullpen, and who knows? The thing is, we’ve got to deal with it, and we will.”

But Tanaka’s injury serves as a gloomy reminder of the Yanks’ continuous struggle to keep a healthy team as they employ the Majors’ oldest offense and a starting rotation that also features CC Sabathia, who missed most of 2014 with a knee injury, and Michael Pineda, who has made only 17 big-league starts since 2011.

It’s enough to keep Yankees manager Joe Girardi up at night, and with good reason. However, these Yankees have shown early on that they have the makeup to contend for a playoff place, even without Tanaka.

Meanwhile, their offense, one littered with question marks in March has re-emerged in April. Obviously Alex Rodriguez has been the catalyst, but Mark Teixiera is also slugging like his old self, while Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury are Showing signs of bouncing back from bad first seasons in the Bronx. It’s early, but over the past two weeks at least, the Yankees have shown they can flat out hit - even Chris Young, who was laughed out of Queens last season, has an OPS flirting with 1.000 off of the bench.

Michael Pineda, who now becomes the Yankees’ ace by default, pitched 5²/₃ innings to get the eventual no-decision against the offensively underwhelming Rays. He threw 93 pitches, which prompted the somewhat early exit. Chase Whitley, will likely remain in the rotation until Tanaka comes back. 

So while Tanaka obviously represents a major loss, thanks to the way their offense has resurfaced, and the emergence of a sub-2.00 ERA bullpen, there’s really no reason why New York can’t still win the AL East.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Yordano Ventura Needs to Calm Down for the Sake of the Royals

The Kansas City Royals have brawled their way to the top of the American League Central. Yordano Ventura was at the center of last week’s scuffle with the Athletics – hitting Brett Lawrie with a pitch before reliever Kelvin Herrera came on to throw behind Lawrie. Herrera then pointed to his head after being ejected, a gesture widely taken as a threat. Prior to that, Ventura instigated a shouting match with Angels star Mike Trout. And Thursday, he was ejected again for yelling at Adam Eaton and inciting a brawl with the White Sox – a move that ended up with six players suspended, including Ventura for seven games, and another fined.

 Image Credit: Jon Durr/Getty Images

Ventura had already set the tone by drilling Chicago slugger Jose Abreu, a move for which White Sox ace Chris Sale retaliated by hitting Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas. Among the reactions across baseball, a tweet from Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson: “Dial it down Yordano Ventura. … dial it down, several notches.”

Image Credit: ANDREW A. NELLES AP PHOTO

The consequences were ugly. Lorenzo Cain sparred with Jeff Samardzija, his opening day antagonist. Chris Sale was furious, and later visited the Royals clubhouse in search of a fight. Volquez took a wild swing at Samardzija and received a five-game suspension. Cain was suspended for two games, as was reliever Kelvin Herrera. Both Sale and Samardzija received five-game bans. All involved parties will appeal the decision.

Ventura sounded apologetic after the game. He said it hurt him to see his teammates fighting the opposition after he failed to keep his cool. Ventura appeared aware of his reputation within the game, one debated endlessly these past few days on television, as a young pitcher unable to control his emotions.

The Royals cherish Ventura’s talent, and they lavished him with a five-year, $23 million contract before this season started. They raved about his maturity and emotional stability. Yet the first month of 2015 has called both qualities into question.

In the wake of these incidents, team officials have rallied around him while still insisting his behavior must change. Manager Ned Yost advised Ventura that opposing clubs would pinpoint his emotions to vex him. Teammates like Volquez, Jeremy Guthrie and Chris Young counseled Ventura that his talent is enough to trump any challengers.

In the wake of these incidents, team officials have rallied around him while still insisting his behavior must change. Manager Ned Yost advised Ventura that opposing clubs would pinpoint his emotions to vex him. Teammates like Volquez, Jeremy Guthrie and Chris Young counseled Ventura that his talent is enough to trump any challengers.

“Really, at the end of the day, he doesn’t deal with high-emotional situations very well,” Guthrie said. “They take him to a place that others sometimes don’t get to. It’s on both ends. It takes him to an elite performance level. But it also takes him to an emotional level that can be misunderstood and, at times, inappropriate.”

Yost speculated that opposing clubs would now utilize these tactics to hound Ventura during games. On Thursday, members of the Royals mentioned how Samardzija chirped at Ventura from the opposing dugout. Ventura did not have to deal with this treatment as often in 2014, when he was a rookie pitching third in a rotation that included James Shields.

If Yordano Ventura was pitching in the National League, this probably would've never happened. He wouldn't be nearly as reckless and confrontational as he is pitching in the American League. The reason being is that he would have to come up to bat face the opposing pitcher. In the American League, his teammates are the ones that face the retaliation. His teammates could get injured after getting beaned by the opposing pitcher or during a brawl and consequently missing playing time. 

After the major brawl against the White Sox, he and his teammates Lorenzo Cain, Kelvin Herrera, and Edinson Volquez have faced suspension. This greatly hurts the Royals because they have lost a great outfielder and three great pitchers for 5 to 7 games. This could deflate a team that has been doing very well this season. 

It is one thing to be a team that plays with intensity and heart, but the Royals need to gain control of their emotions or else they are going to be in for a long season.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Subway Series Over: Yankees and Mets Both in First Place

New York City could enjoy the fact that baseball is still king in the city, that it remains a dominant presence in our lives and in our culture, even on a rich, full weekend, even on a night when the Rangers lit up Manhattan, on a weekend when we may say good-bye to the Nassau Coliseum, when the Nets try to generate a little life in Brooklyn.

Image Credit: esbnyc.com

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said: “Its good for the city, good for baseball. I’m sure the atmosphere will be really good the next few days, because of the way we’re [both] playing. Hockey is big in this city, basketball is big in this city. But we have two teams in first place and so we have a lot of people who are very excited about that.”

And here, the people care, they REALLY care. All you had to do was walk around the Stadium yesterday, listen to the buzz, listen to the passion, feel the energy. Baseball. In April. After 17 games.

Image Credit: Uli Seit for The New York Times

“You could sense the energy and the excitement from the beginning,” Mark Teixeira said. “And then to play the kind of game we played, that made it even better.”

Image Credit: DARREN MEENAN/SPECIAL TO THE RECORD

Curtis Granderson opened the game with a leadoff home run off Nathan Eovaldi, taking advantage of the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium as he has so many times before.  Following a single by Juan Lagares, Eovaldi got some help from New York Yankees centerfielder Chris Young, who took extra bases away from Lucas Duda.

Chase Headley also helped limit the damage taking a hit away from Michael Cuddyer.  With two outs and Lagares on second, Eovaldi, who struggled with his command early, allowed a line drive double to Daniel Murphy, scoring Lagares and extending the Mets lead to 2-0.  Following a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Eovaldi rebounded to get Eric Campbell to ground out to Headley, ending the inning.

After quickly retiring Brett Gardner and Young, New York Mets starter Jonathon Niese allowed a home run to Alex Rodriguez, the 659th of his career, cutting the lead to 2-1, and leaving him one shy of Willie Mays.  Mark Teixeira reached on an error by Mets third baseman Campbell, but was left stranded as Niese struck out Carlos Beltran looking.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the second inning, retiring Wilmer Flores on a fly out to right field, and striking out Danny Muno and Kevin Plawecki.  After a lead off ground out by Headley, John Ryan Murphy ripped a double down the third base line, past a diving Campbell.

After Stephen Drew struck out looking, Gregorio Petit drove Murphy home with an RBI double over a leaping Campbell, tying the score at 2-2.  Gardner picked up the Yankees third double of the inning, past a diving Duda, giving the Yankees their first lead at 3-2.

Gardner was driven home on a slow shift beating single by Young to where the second baseman should have been, extending the lead to 4-2.  In his first chance to catch Mays, Rodriguez doubled to left field, and Young scored on a horrible throw by Cuddyer, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead, but Rodriguez was thrown out at third base ending the Yankees threat.

Eovaldi struck out Granderson and Lagares to start the third, and looked to have settled down, but Duda singled and was driven home on an RBI double by Cuddyer, who advanced to third on a throwing error by Drew.  Murphy picked up his second RBI double of the game, cutting the lead to 5-4.  After another visit from Rothschild, Eovaldi got Campbell to ground out, limiting the damage to two runs. Following a 1-2-3 bottom half of the third, which saw Niese make a great play on a liner from Teixeira, Eovaldi recovered to once again set Flores, Muno, and Plawecki down in order, picking up his fifth strikeout.  Leading off the fourth, John Ryan Murphy looked to once again start a Yankees rally, picking up an infield single.  Drew put an end to those thoughts by grounding into a double play, and after a Petit fly out the inning was over.

Eovaldi struck out Granderson, picking up his sixth strikeout of the night.  Lagares hit a slow chopper to Headley, which the Yankees third baseman barehanded and almost made a great play on, but instead threw it short of Teixeira picking up an error, which allowed Lagares to reach second base.

With left-handed hitting Duda coming up, Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to southpaw Chasen Shreve, and Eovaldi’s night was over after 4 1/3 innings.  He allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits, finishing with six strikeouts and no walks.

Shreve hit Duda in the back with a slider on his first pitch, putting the go-ahead run on base.  He recovered to get Cuddyer to hit into an inning ending double play.

Gardner led off the bottom of the fifth with a chopper to shortstop Flores, in which he was called out.  Girardi challenged the play, and the call was overturned, giving Gardner an infield single.  Young reached on a fielder choice’ but Mets second baseman Murphy committed an error, allowing Gardner to go to third, giving the Yankees runners on the corners.

Rodriguez hit into an RBI fielder choice’ which should have been a double play, but shortstop Flores threw the ball into the stands, allowing Rodriguez to go to second base, and giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead.  After a walk to Teixeira, Beltran hit into an inning ending double play, continuing his season long struggles.

Following a leadoff walk to Daniel Murphy, Shreve was replaced by Chris Martin.  Campbell grounded to Drew, who flipped the ball with his glove, and was saved of an error on a heads up play from Petit, who tagged Murphy causing a force out.  On a one out fly ball to Beltran, Campbell made a mental blunder, rounding the bases thinking there were two outs, and was thrown out at first base, ending the inning.

Erik Goeddel replaced Niese to start the sixth.  Niese went five innings, allowing six runs (four earned), on eight hits.  He struck out three (Beltran twice), and walked one.  Headley greeted Goeddel with a leadoff double, and John Ryan Murphy grounded out to third, failing to advance Headley.  Goeddel struck out Drew and Petit to end the inning, stranding Headley at second.

Martin returned for the seventh, retiring Muno and Plawecki.  Girardi then brought on southpaw Justin Wilson to face Granderson, and the move worked as Granderson popped out to third to end the inning.  Following a fly out by Gardner to start the bottom half of the inning, Goeddel struck out Young for the second out.  Rodriguez then lined out to right field for the third out of the inning.

As has been the case all season, Dellin Betances was brought in for the eighth inning and looked sharp, striking out Lagares, Duda, and Cuddyer, though Cuddyer reached on a wild pitch.  Betances recovered to get Murphy to ground out to second base.  He continued his dominance of the Mets, who are now a combined 0-9 with 8 K’s against Betances in his short career.

Alex Torres came on for the Mets in the bottom of the eighth, quickly retiring Teixeira, Beltran, and Headley in order, sending the game to the ninth inning with the Yankees ahead 6-4.  Unofficial closer Andrew Miller entered for the Yankees and after retiring Campbell, hit Flores in the ankle with a fastball.

John Mayberry Jr. came on to pinch hit for Muno with Flores on first with one out.  Miller struck out Mayberry, leaving the Mets down to their final out.  Plawecki then grounded out to shortstop, giving the Yankees the 6-4 victory.

Shreve picked up the victory, the first of his career, while Niese took the loss.  Miller picked up his seventh save in as many chances, and Martin, Wilson, and Betances all received holds.

The Mets and Yankees took their battle from the field to Twitter.

It all started when the Mets mentioned the Yankees in a play-by-play tweet, referring to them as "NY (AL)." Makes sense. The Yankees are in New York and the American League, but they weren't having it. To the pinstripe crew it was a sly way of talking about them without using the team name.

The crosstown rivals meet again at Citi Field in September.

Image Credit: twitter.com/Yankees

While October is forever away, what is at hand is the Yankees (11-8) are tied for first place in the AL East with the Rays, who are in The Bronx for three games starting Monday night. Also in the present is Alex Rodriguez being one homer away from tying Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time list after homering off the top of the right-center field fence in the first inning Sunday.

Image Credit: deadspin.com

Christine O'Connor

Bad To The Bone! David Ortiz Ejected After "Bad Call" and Bryan Price's F Bombs the Media

Ortiz was ejected from Sunday's game after arguing a check-swing that was called a strike. While he fumed about that, Ortiz bumped umpire John Tumpane. That's a no-no and MLB popped Papi for it. (watch it: here)

Image Credit: csnne.com

Ortiz got tossed in the the middle of an at-bat in the fifth inning after disputing the second check-swing call of the game that had gone against him. Third-base umpire Jerry Meals made both calls but Tumpane, working behind the plate, gave Ortiz the boot after Papi and Meals started chirping at each other.

"The discussion was our disagreement with a couple check swings Jerry Meals called today," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after the game, via the Boston Herald. "We didn’t feel like on either one he went. On the first at-bat it doesn’t really have an outcome because he ends up walking. Those are quick rings on the check swing and it didn’t feel like he swung on either one."

From the league office:

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for making contact with Umpire John Tumpane during the bottom of the fifth inning of the Club’s Sunday, April 19th game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Joe Garagiola, Jr., Senior Vice President of Standards & On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.

The ejection in what became an 8-3 Orioles win prompted a lecture from Baltimore broadcaster Jim Palmer, which quickly earned a rebuttal from Ortiz.​ Palmer didn’t travel to the game, but took his shot at Big Papi on Twitter after he jawed with home plate umpire John Tumpane. Then the three-time Cy Young winner took a jab at Ortiz's Hall of Fame chances by bringing up the 2003 failed drug test Ortiz viciously disputes.

Image Credit: twitter.com/Jim22Palmer


“That’s how he wants to get respect from us? Is that how he wants me to respect him? It’s not going to happen,” Ortiz said Monday, via FoxSports.com. “I thought that he was one of my guys … All of a sudden now he’s killing me, huh? I guess anybody who wants to get famous or make some noise comes to Papi, right?”

Palmer expectedly got some heat from the always outspoken Redsox fans on Twitter for his attack on arguably the most beloved sports figure in Boston, but he was a good sport about it and even had fun with a new hashtag.

Image Credit: twitter.com/Jim22Palmer

Reds manager Bryan Price showed the same frustration that has welled up among the team's fanbase as the team came off four straight losses and seven losses in eight games.

Image Credit: DeadSpin.com

Price attacked Cincinnati Enquirer beat reporter C. Trent Rosecrans in a lengthy and profane rant that accused the scribe of being too good at the job of accurately reporting news about the Cincinnati Reds.

The Enquirer had previously and accurately reported that the Reds’ All-Star catcher, Devin Mesoraco, wasn’t with the team forSunday’s loss in St. Louis. This enraged Price, who accused the paper of, basically, treason in a rant that totaled, by the Enquirer’s count, 77 f-bombs.

(Listen to the rant here: https://soundcloud.com/bubbaprog4/fight-gannett-censorship)

A excerpt from a transcript of the interview:

Bryan Price (BP): Can I ask you a question?

C. Trent Rosecrans (CTR): Sure

BP: I don't understand what the importance is for everybody to know if we have a player that's not here. We don't benefit from the other teams knowing we don't have a player. It does — you don't have to be a Reds fan, but it doesn't help us if our opponents know who is here and who isn't. That's what I want to know.

CTR: Well, as a fan, I'm wondering, here's a spot for Devin Mesoraco, why isn't he there?

BP: Where was the spot?

CTR: As a pinch-hitter? He's an All-Star with 25 home runs last year, I know I asked if it was a left-handed bat thing, you said no.

BP: I don't get it. It's, you know, look, I don't need you guys to be fans of the Reds, I just need to know if there's something we want to keep here, it stays here. We don't need to know that Tucker Barnhart's in the f****** airport when we haven't spoken to Kyle Skipworth. I think we owe that f******* kid the right to be called and told that he's going to be sent down as opposed to reading that Tucker Barnhart is on his way from Louisville. I just... I don't get it. I don't get why it's got to be this way. Has it always been this way where we just tell f****** everybody everything? So every f****** opponent we have has to know exactly what we have. Which f****** relievers are available, which guys are here and which guys aren't here, when they can play, and what they can do. It's nobody's f****** business. It's certainly not the opponent's business. We have to deal with this f****** b*******.

I like to talk — and I have spoken as candidly as I can with you people, if that's not good enough, I won't say a f******thing. I'll go, 'yes sir, no sir.' And I can do that. But f***, I've been as candid as I can f****** be about this team and our players, and we've got to deal with this s***, every f****** team that we f****** play has to know every f****** guy that's here and what they can and can't do? F*** me. It's a f****** disgrace. I'm f****** sick of this s***. It's f****** hard enough to f****** win here to have f****** every f****** opponent know exactly what the f*** we bring to the table every day. It's f****** horse****. I don't like it. It's what I'm saying. To make it very clear, I don't like the way that this s***'s going — at all. I don't like it. I don't think you guys need to know everything. And I certainly don't think you need to see something and tweet it out there and make it a f****** world event. How the f*** do we benefit from them knowing we don't have Devin Mesoraco? How do we benefit from that? They benefit from it. I just want to know how we benefit from these f****** people know we don't have a player here. Can you answer that? How is that good for the Reds?

CTR: I don't know…

BP: Yeah, well it's making my job f****** harder.

CTR: I'm sure it is.

BP: Well, thank you. I don't know if that's what we're supposed to do. Are we supposed to f****** open up everything here for everybody to know all the f****** time? That's all I want to know, what your expectations are, because f*** me. If I've got f****** to tell these guys, we gotta go out there and they know we don't have f****** Devin Mesoraco, what f****** benefit is that to me as a manager? And our team to win a f****** game?

CTR: He hasn't been there for a week-and-a-half.

BP: I just want an answer on how we benefit from them knowing that Devin Mesoraco isn't here.

CTR: I don't think you do and I don't know that that's my job.

BP: Your job is not to sniff out every f****** thing is about the Reds and f****** put it out there for every other f****** guy to hear. It's not your job. You want me to be candid with you? I've been candid with you. I f****** talk to you guys like men, I tell you what the f***'s going on with the team, I tell you how I'm feeling as candidly as I can and then this s***? You've got to watch this f****** s***? I've got to f****** read that on a f****** Tweet on our own people in here that we don't have a f****** player? How the f*** does that benefit the Reds? It doesn't benefit us one f****** bit. God **** we try to go out there and win f****** games and I got to come in here and then you guys f****** blow it all over the f****** place? Who we can play? Who we can't? I'll tell you what you want to know, I'm not going to f****** lie to you. I didn't tell you f****** s***.

CTR: You did not lie to me and I appreciate it.

BP: Ah, f***. I'm just, I'm f****** p****** up a rope in this f****** business. Because everyone has to know everything all the f****** time. That's not my f****** obligation, it's not their obligation. You know why f****** Billy Hamilton didn't f****** play? The other day? Because his f****** finger's hurt and he couldn't hit right-handed comfortably. Right? So that's something that I need to know and no one else needs to know. No one else needs to f****** know it, and all of a sudden it's out there. His f****** fingers are sore. It doesn't benefit us. It wasn't from you, but it doesn't benefit us one bit to f****** announce to the f****** other teams that we're playing to bring in lefties when they need to f****** get Billy out. There's no benefit. So, I'm f******, to be honest with you, I'm f****** sick of this s***. I'm sick of listening to this f****** s***, I'm sick of f****** the f****** second-guessing b*******, you guys can do whatever the f*** you want, but I'll tell you this — I'm not going to f****** tell you everything about this f****** club, because you f****** guys are going to out there and sniff it out anyway. I don't f****** like it one f****** bit. I bend over backwards to be honest and direct with you f****** guys and you stick it right up my f****** a** — and the f****** team's a**. And I'm sick of it. What do you got? If you don't got anything, get out and I'll do this f****** interview with Marty. You don't have anything? Just get out, please.

Image Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

If tempers are flaring this much already, this is going to be a really intense season (and I haven't even talked about the weekend-long Royals-Athletics brawl).


Christine O'Connor
@christineeeeO

Orioles Fan Turns His Back on A-Rod Before Hitting 656th Homerun to Tie Derek Jeter

On a 2-0 pitch in the fourth inning, Yankees' DH Alex Rodriguez demolished a 92-MPH fastball from Orioles' pitcher Bud Norris, depositing the ball deep into the left field seats.

Image Credit: Tommy Gilligan | USA TODAY Sports

The homer was A-Rod's 656th of his career, and the run tied him for 9th all-time on the runs (1,923) list with none other than former Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter.

The homer made it 3-1 Yankees.

Rodriguez is doing pretty well this season for someone who missed the entire 2014 season. He is currently batting .286 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and a .394 OBP.

However, not everyone is happy with A-Rod's success so far this season. An Orioles fan turned his back to the field every time A-Rod stepped into the box on Monday night, folding his arms and staring back at the rest of the fans sitting in section 78 in left field.

“I don’t respect him,” Tolbert Rowe told the Washington Post. “He doesn’t deserve to be watched. Absolutely not, I’m sorry. You know, and now they got all this about his tying Willie Mays’s record and the $6 million, and he has the audacity to think that he should be paid. I’m sorry. I don’t respect the guy. Not one bit.”

"He’s the worst. He’s the epitome of all that was wrong about it," Rowe told the Post. "And he’s been so successful. Maybe it’s jealousy, maybe it isn’t. But I just don’t think that he deserves to be in the class with other players that have never had … and I mean, he lied about it. I’m sorry. He doesn’t deserve my respect.”

However it is still unknown if he booed Nelson Cruz, Rafael Palmeiro, Miguel Tejada when they played for his O's. 

#FORG1V3

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

As Carlos Beltran Continues to Struggle, is it Time to Explore Other Options?

Entering 2015, the New York Yankees were planning to rely on Carlos Beltran being the No. 3 hitter they believe they signed to a three-year, $45-million contract two offseasons ago. But his 2014 season was a complete disaster. Plagued by a bone spur in his right elbow, Beltran turned the worst full-season performance of his nearly 20-year career, hitting .233 with 15 homers and 49 RBI in 109 games.

Image Credit: USATODAY.com

The Yankees' manager Joe Girardi doesn't seem too concerned about Beltran's struggle. 

"There's nothing that I see that's necessarily (wrong)," Girardi said. "Does his bat speed look different to me? No. Just he's gotten off to a slow start and hopefully the consistent at-bats will get him going."

While Beltran entered Sunday night's game against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium among many Yankees underperforming at the plate, his numbers were particularly ugly.

In 22 at-bats, the 38-year-old right fielder was hitting .100 with no homers and two RBI. He had walked once and struck out six times.

The Yankees have only played five total games, but it's worth noting that Beltran only has two hits through 20 plate appearances. Both of those hits were doubles. At this point, Beltran is one of many bounce back candidates filling up the Yankees lineup, but there are other options that can be explored to fill right field. Chris Young and Garrett Jones can both play outfield, and in more limited playing time, both have looked better than him at the plate.

Image Credit: John Bazemore AP

What do you think the Yankees should do with Beltran? Let him ride the bench? Keep him in the lineup and hope he improves?

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

When Will Stephen Drew's Time as a Starter Run Out?

Yankees fans are well aware of the Yankees lack of offense over the past two seasons. Even if Stephen Drew provides a boost on the defensive side, it's time to stop starting him in the every day lineup.

Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Bryan Hoch of Yankees.com reports that 25-year-old Jose Pirela, after suffering a concussion during spring training, has resumed baseball activities. Pirela would be a front-runner to replace Drew in the starting lineup. 

In his 24 major league at-bats last season, Pirela hit .333. Meanwhile, in Drew's 46 at-bats with the Yankees last year, he hit a mere .150 (while also hitting .111 in this shortt season). 

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball last season, Drew had a .970 fielding percentage, while Pirela had a .917 fielding percentage. Even if Drew has the defensive edge, the difference in offense is just too big to ignore. Even in spring training, Pirela hit .370 and Drew hit .259, which actually isn't a low number for him. Also in 2014, Drew's OBP was only .237, while Pirela had a .351 OBP. It's clear as day that on the offensive end, Pirela has a much higher value than Drew.

Pirela is not the only option to replace Drew. Fellow minor-league infielder Rob Refsnyder was one of the final cuts in this past spring training. In his 2014 season in the minors, Refsnyder hit for a .300 average and an OBP of .389. The downfall with Refsnyder is on the defensive side of the ball, as Cashman is noted as saying that the defensive side of the game was why Refsnyder did not make the big leagues out of camp. Along with Refsnyder being a final cut, Nick Noonan was also among them. Noonan's 2014 offensive season was average, hitting .237, while his OBP was just .282. While Pirela seems like the best replacement for the struggling Drew, Refsnyder and Noonan are not far behind.

On a team that struggles terribly with their offense, the Yankees could use someone like Pirela or Refsnyder to help pick up the slack, even if that does compromise some defensive skill. 

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Have The Angels Have Turned Their Back on Josh Hamilton?

Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters on Friday that Josh Hamilton's contract contains language that prohibited him from using drugs or alcohol, according to the Orange County Register.

Prior to the start of the 2015 season, Hamilton admitted to Major League Baseball that he relapsed. Hamilton has battled drug and alcohol addiction for the majority of his professional career.

If Hamilton is in violation of his contract, the Angels could potentially get out of owing the outfielder the remaining $83 million he's under contract for.

“It's not about money, nothing about money,” Moreno said. “In our contract, there's language that he signed and that his agent approved that said he cannot drink and use drugs. So, we have specific language in the agreement. We have a couple other players who have the same language.”

The Angels were surprisingly critical of the MLB's decision to not suspend or punish Hamilton, who hit .263 with 10 home runs in 89 games in 2014.

It's terrible that the Angels are clearly just trying to rid themselves of a problem contract, without showing any compassion for the player. They knew what they were signing, and they went ahead with it — Moreno and Josh Hamilton shook hands in the introductory press conference.

All in all, it’s a really ugly situation on a number of different levels that’s being made worse and worse by Moreno every time he opens his mouth. The entire Angels organization is handling this as poorly as possible in terms of public relations, managing the clubhouse, and - most importantly - being decent human beings. There is a way to handle this unfortunate moment in Hamilton’s life, and this isn’t it. For the sake of everyone involved, I hope this is resolved quickly and quietly, but it appears this is going to get worse before it gets any better.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Highlights of MLB Opening Day 2015 in the National League.

The Dodgers have won five consecutive season openers for the first time in franchise history. The announced crowd of 53,518 was the largest for a regular-season game in all of baseball in 2 1/2 years.

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Image Credit: espn.com

Adrian Gonzalez was a triple short of the cycle. Gonzalez homered in the third inning, singled in the fifth and then doubled in the seventh, when he scored the tying run on a double by Howie Kendrick, the team's new second baseman. Kendrick, who batted cleanup, tripled and scored in the fourth inning, on a double by Carl Crawford.

Newcomer Jimmy Rollins broke a 3-3 stalemate by blasting an eighth-inning offering by Shawn Kelley into the seats by the right-field foul pole for a three-run home run. This marked the fourth time Rollins has homered on opening day. Rollins, who spent his previous 15 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, has hit safely in his last 11 season openers.

The Padres, newly dangerous, looked the part, contributing to a sub-par start for Kershaw. The left-hander struck out nine but allowed three runs over six innings. Arguably, he was out-pitched by the Padres' new No. 1, James Shields. By then, Kemp was 2-for-3, having driven in all of the Padres' runs.

The numbers told the Dodgers to put the shift on in Kemp's first official at-bat for the Padres. This is a different Dodgers club now, driven by analytics, still armed with boundless resources. So when Kemp fought off an inside fastball from Clayton Kershaw, his former, Cy Young-winning teammate, sending a nubber the other way for a run-scoring single, Dodger Stadium groaned. In his third at-bat, Kemp lashed a two-run double to left.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Jason Heyward went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base in his Cardinals debut and Adam Wainwright blanked the Cubs over six innings in a 3-0 victory on Opening Night in Chicago on Sunday. The Cubs had plenty of opportunities to score, but went hitless in 13 at-bats with runners on scoring position.

The Cardinals took an early lead with a one-out double to right field in the first inning by Heyward, followed by a Matt Holliday single, also to right field. Heyward doubled again in the third and singled in the fifth, but was stranded both times. The Cardinals scored once in the second inning on a Matt Carpenter RBI single and again in the fifth inning on another Holliday RBI single to right field to take a 3-0 lead. The Cardinals’ 1-through-3 hitters combined to go 7-for-14 with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored on the evening.

Cubs starter Jon Lester, making his debut with his new club after signing a six-year, $155 million contract in December, lasted only 4 1/3 innings. On 89 pitches, the lefty allowed eight hits, walked two, and struck out six. Phil Coke relieved Lester with runners on second and third and one out, sandwiching an intentional walk around two strikeouts to exit the frame.

Wainwright, meanwhile, threw 101 pitches over his six innings of work, yielding five hits and no walks while striking out six. The right-hander had minor elbow surgery in October and dealt with a minor abdominal injury shortly after pitchers and catches reported in February, but looked completely healthy facing the Cubs. He unleashed a handful of devastating curves during the course of the evening.

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Image Credit: Hector Hector Gabino/TNS/TNS 

Braves relievers Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the seventh inning to protect a 2-1 lead, after starter Julio Teheran gave up three hits to start the inning. Avilan induced a 5-2-3 double-play grounder by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with catcher Christian Bethancourt showing off his cannon of an arm on the throw to first to complete the game’s most important play. Johnson got Adeiny Hechavarria to pop up foul to end the inning and pitched a perfect eighth, and Jason Grilli pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for the save.

The Braves used “small ball” to manufacture each of their first two runs of the 2015 season, something they’ve said all spring that they would focus on doing, after trying and failing with an all-or-nothing offense in 2014 that was plagued by too many strikeouts and not enough home runs. Rookie second baseman Jace Peterson played big parts in each of those two runs, singling and scoring on a Nick Markakis single in the first inning, and laying down a sacrifice bunt to move Eric Young Jr. to third base in the sixth inning before he scored on Markakis fielder’s choice grounder.

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Image Credit: yahoo.com

The Mets didn't have an easy start for the season. They were playing the powerful Washington Nationals, and their new $210 million ace, Max Scherzer, in front of a pumped-up crowd of Nationals fans with visions of a World Series in October.

In the Mets’ favor was that they do have a strong record on opening day — a lot better, in fact, than what they have usually done in the 161 games that followed. Still, this was, by any measure, a daunting assignment.

And it grew more difficult when Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and looked as if he might just keep the Mets hitless the entire game. But for one game at least the Mets showed that they had the talent and fortitude to stand up to a Nationals team that has bullied them around the National League East for years. The Mets capitalized on two errors by the shortstop, Ian Desmond. Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud delivered big hits. Bartolo Colon, the doughy 41-year-old starter, kept the Nationals off balance for six innings.

The Mets ended up with a 3-1 victory that reinforced the idea that this season might be the one in which all the losing finally stops and a contender actually emerges in Queens. Playing well against the Nationals was going to be a good measuring stick of the Mets’ progress. Over the last three years, the Nationals had beaten the Mets 41 times in 55 meetings and had dominated them in every aspect of the game. Then, for good measure, the Nationals added Scherzer to a rotation that was already one of the best in baseball.

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Image Credit: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning on Monday, overcoming another stumble by the bullpen and rallying the Cincinnati Reds to an opening 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto singled before Frazier connected against Tony Watson (0-1), snapping a 2-2 tie.

Johnny Cueto, the Reds' 20-game winner in the final year of a contract, opened his uncertain season with another dominating performance against the Pirates. He fanned 10 batters in seven innings before turning a 2-0 lead over to a bullpen that was a big problem last season.

Andrew McCutchen tied it with a two-run shot off newcomer Kevin Gregg.

Jumbo Diaz (1-0) got the final out in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman fanned two of the three batters he faced for the save.

Image Credit: fansided.com

The Rockies pounded the Milwaukee Brewers 10-0 at Miller Park, getting seven shutout innings from newcomer Kyle Kendrick in the most impressive opening-day victory in club history. They cranked out 16 hits, including two-run homers by Corey Dickerson and Nolan Arenado.

"Our confidence is out the roof, for sure," said Dickerson, who drove in four runs. "I think other teams see this lineup and know it's dangerous. We are a confident team."

According to Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Dickerson broke his bat on his line-drive home run. Dickerson claimed otherwise, but the raw power he displayed was symbolic of the Rockies' onslaught.

For a team that limped to a 21-60 road record last season, Monday's romp was a welcome changeup. Colorado scored 10 runs or more in a road game just twice last season. Monday's game produced the most runs the Rockies have ever scored in an opening-day road game.

Kendrick, the Rockies' new $5.5 million right-hander, not only pitched seven shutout innings, he went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run. He mixed and matched his pitches masterfully, relying primarily on sinkers and changeups thrown over the inside corner.

"This was great, but I just came in here thinking I'd do what I did in (Philadelphia), and that's give my team a chance to win," said Kendrick, who credited catcher Nick Hundley for devising the game plan that kept Milwaukee hitters off balance. "You don't really think about the results, you just go out and execute pitches. Today it really worked out."

Image Credit: mlb.com

Madison Bumgarner pitched seven strong innings and the San Francisco Giants opened defense of their third World Series title in five years with a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Bumgarner (1-0) was the NLCS and World Series MVP last year and was sharp to start the 2015 season, allowing a run on six hits.

The Giants lost power-hitting Pablo Sandoval during the offseason and were without injured right fielder Hunter Pence, but made up for it by stringing together 10 hits in four-plus innings against Josh Collmenter (0-2).

Angel Pagan had a pair of run-scoring singles and Brandon Crawford hit a two-run double for the Giants.

Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Jake Lamb hit a three-run double off Sergio Romo in the eighth, but Jeremy Affeldt stranded two runners to end the inning. Santiago Casilla worked a perfect ninth for the save.

Bumgarner had one of the best postseason runs in major league history, earning two wins in the World Series and a five-inning save in Game 7 on two days' rest.

Bumgarner left a pitch up in the third inning to Mark Trumbo, who hit a run-scoring triple that nearly went out in the deepest part of the park. Other than that, Bumgarner had the Diamondbacks under control, aided by double plays in the fifth and sixth.

Collmenter has been Arizona's jack-of-all trades during his four seasons in the desert, filling in wherever the Diamondbacks needed him, whether it was as a starter or long relief. Collmenter allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings. The over-the-top-throwing right-hander was rewarded for his workmanlike efforts by getting the ball on opening day.

San Francisco's top three hitters, Nori Aoki, Joe Panik and Pagan, greeted him with one hit after another, going a combined 8 for 9 through the first five innings. Pagan had a pair of run-scoring singles, Buster Posey hit a sacrifice fly and Crawford a two-run double in the fifth to put San Francisco up 5-1.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Highlights of MLB Opening Day 2015 in the American League.

The best day of the year is over. Opening day has come and gone, and we're left with stats, highlights and memories of the first full day of MLB action in 2015.

​We saw some dominant pitching performances, quite a few homers and some close games. We also saw teams playing better than we expected and teams playing worse than we predicted.

Image Credit: Thearon W. Henderson

The A’s 25-year-old ace held the Texas Rangers hitless until the eighth inning of a 8-0 win at the Coliseum, helping the A’s snap a streak of 10 consecutive losses to open the season. Gray came within six outs of throwing the second Opening Day no-hitter in major-league history before Texas’ Ryan Rua singled to right field leading off the eighth.

An announced sellout crowd of 36,067 applauded Gray and chanted “Son-ny!” as Rua rounded first base. Gray finished the inning with help from first baseman Ike Davis, who snagged a Mitch Moreland line drive and stepped on first to double off Rua, then made a diving play on Rougned Odor’s grounder to end the inning.

The A’s last win in a season opener had come April 5, 2004, and they’d scored a total of six runs in their past six openers combined. Their new-look lineup eclipsed that total on Monday night with an 11-hit blitz. New No. 3 hitter Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer off Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo in his first A’s at-bat, and catcher Stephen Vogt added a towering three-run homer to right off reliever Phil Klein in the seventh inning.

The spotlight, though, belonged to Gray. 

Gray allowed his first runner when he clipped Odor with a pitch with two outs in the third inning. With two outs in the sixth, Zobrist – playing left field because of injuries to Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick – dropped a Leonys Martin fly ball that allowed Martin to reach second base. Zobrist was given an error, keeping the no-hit bid intact.

Prince Fielder scorched a liner to right leading off the seventh inning that Craig Gentry hardly had to move to catch. Adrian Beltre then hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Eric Sogard gloved sliding to his left for a routine putout. Gray threw a 93-mph fastball past Shin-Soo Choo for the third out, bringing the crowd to its feet.

After Vogt’s homer made the game a blowout, Gray got two strikes on Rua to start the eighth inning before the Rangers’ left fielder hit a sharp grounder through the right side of the infield. Gray still became the first A’s starter to win a season opener since Tim Hudson beat the Seattle Mariners in 2003, striking out three and throwing 98 pitches in his eight innings. Evan Scribner finished the game with a scoreless ninth.

The first A’s pitcher to start consecutive season openers since Barry Zito in 2005-06, Gray was also one of only two returning starters from last year’s Opening Night lineup (Sogard was the other), matching the fewest year-to-year in Oakland history.

Image Credit: Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images

Mike Trout had the kind of opening-day performance that could have been legendary if the outcome of his team's game had been different. Instead, chalk it up as a great individual effort that couldn't overcome Felix Hernandez and a sprinkling of key hits by the Seattle Mariners.

The 2014 American League MVP got off to another valuable start for the Los Angeles Angels in 2015, hitting home run in the first inning against Hernandez, and preventing a home run by Logan Morrison with a leaping grab at the fence later on.

Aside from that, King Felix dominated the Angels, and Jered Weaver could not match his performance in Seattle's 4-1 victory. Hernandez improved to 6-0 on opening day.

Trout put the Mariners behind in the first inning by connecting on a 92 mph fastball to straightaway center, his third homer in 50 career at-bats against Hernandez. He did likewise in his first at-bat of 2014, too. 

Image Credit: Jim Davis/Globe Staff

Hopeful No. 1 starter Clay Buchholz outpitched ace Cole Hamels, and the Red Sox beat the lowly Philadelphia Phillies into submission with five home runs in an 8-0 shutout. By night, the Sox signed Rick Porcello to a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension that locks up the right-hander through what should be his prime, specifically ages 26-30.

Dustin Pedroia, healthy for the first time in three years, went deep twice, his first multi-homer game since 2011. Not to be outdone by his former minor league double-play partner, shortstop-turned-outfielder and absolute manchild Hanley Ramirez belted two homers, including a grand slam in the ninth inning.

Then, there is 22-year-old leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, already the most dynamic player the Sox have had since Jacoby Ellsbury and now their youngest to homer on Opening Day since Tony Conigliaro in 1965.

Image Credit: ​John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star

Lots of doubters out there for the defending AL champs, but the Kansas City Royals looked mighty fine on opening day. They torched the Chicago White Sox by the score of 10-1. Eight of the nine batters in the Royals' lineup had hits, including newcomer Alex Rios, who had three. Yordano Ventura looked good too, before leaving the game with a thumb cramp. 

Jose Abreu got the White Sox on the board in the seventh inning with a 418-foot homer to left-center. But the White Sox had a forgettable start in a season with high expectations based on their offseason maneuvers.

Jeff Samardzija walked Morales twice during his White Sox debut but also hit two Royals. He plunked Alex Gordon in the second with Morales on first, after Garcia was hit by Ventura in the top of the second. The right-hander then hit Lorenzo Cain in the fifth, on the ensuing pitch after Mike Moustakas drove out an opposite-field homer. Cain took exception to that HBP, jawing with Samardzija and catcher Flowers.

"All I know is that Moose hit a homer, [Samardzija] hit me," Cain said, "... and then we started talking."

​Image Credit: Leon Halip/Getty Images North America

For the first time in eight years, somebody other than Justin Verlander was starting on opening day for Detroit.

David Price looked plenty worthy.

Price came within one out of a shutout in the Tigers' 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday, retiring the first 13 batters he faced and allowing five hits before being pulled with two on and two out in the ninth.

Joe Nathan struck out Torii Hunter for the save as the Tigers handed Paul Molitor a loss in his first game as Minnesota's manager.

"It's always big to go out there and put up zeros and pitch late into the game," Price said. "To be able to do it on opening day, that definitely makes it a little bit more special. I felt good."

The Tigers acquired Price at last year's trade deadline, and manager Brad Ausmus picked him to start the first game, snapping Verlander's seven-year streak of openers. Price struck out five without a walk.

J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila homered off Phil Hughes, and Yoenis Cespedes doubled, tripled and scored twice in his Detroit debut. Cespedes also reached above the wall in left to catch Kurt Suzuki's drive in the third.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Patric Schneider

In his final five starts of 2014, a stretch that propelled him to the top of the American League Cy Young ballot, Corey Kluber posted a 5-0 record and 1.12 ERA, with five walks and 54 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. The right-hander lasted at least eight frames in four of those five outings. 

Kluber carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. With two outs, Houston's diminutive hit machine, Jose Altuve, slapped a bloop single into center. Kluber said he was aware of the goose egg in Houston's hit column, but it was too early to concern himself with the potential of a historic feat, especially in a scoreless deadlock.

"I wasn't pitching to not give up a hit," Kluber said. "I was more so pitching to keep them off the scoreboard."

​Image Credit: baltimoresun.com

The Orioles won their fifth straight opening day game on Monday afternoon, dominating the division rival Tampa Bay Rays with a 6-2 victory in front of an announced sellout crowd of 31,042 at Tropicana Field, backed by a strong performance by right-hander Chris Tillman, who was steady making his second straight season opening day start.

An Orioles team that led the majors with 211 home runs last season hit three homers Monday, a two-run blast by left fielder Alejandro De Aza and solo homers by first baseman Steve Pearce and shortstop Ryan Flaherty.

Right-hander Chris Tillman set the tone, holding the Rays to one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking three batters.

Newcomer Travis Snider, the first Orioles player other than Markakis to start in right field since 2006, had three hits and drove in two runs, including an opposite-field single against a shift to score De Aza in the top of the first inning.

After Asdrubal Cabrera hit an RBI double off Tommy Hunter with two outs in the eighth, the Rays brought the tying run to the plate with two on and two outs, but Longoria popped up weakly to second base on the first pitch of the at bat.

Image Credit: USA TODAY Sports Images

In his first game back from a year-long suspension, New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez went 1-for-2 with a walk and represented one of the few bright spots for his club in a 6-1 opening day loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

“It definitely felt good, that’s for sure,” the 39-year-old Rodriguez said after the game. “I have a lot of love for the city of New York, especially our fans. But let’s make it clear: The fans don’t owe me anything. I have to earn their cheers and their respect.”

Rodriguez’s single was one of only three hits for the Yankees against Blue Jays starter Drew Hutchison, who earned the win with six innings of one-run ball. Outfielder Brett Gardner accounted for all of New York’s scoring with a solo home run in the sixth, but it was the return of Rodriguez that seemed to draw the most attention during and after the game.

Drew Hutchison, at 24 the youngest Opening Day starter in Blue Jays' history, held the Yankees hitless until Brian McCann laced a ball just inside the first base line for a single with two outs in the fourth.

Hutchison (1-0) allowed three hits, including Brett Gardner's homer in the sixth inning, to help Toronto improve to 20-19 in openers, including 1-2 vs. the Yankees.

Ex-Yankee Russell Martin hit a two-run single in a five-run third inning against Tanaka (0-1). Devon Travis homered later in the game for his first career hit.

Kevin Pillar led off the third with a single and the Japanese star, making his first Opening Day start for New York, struggled to get an out after that.

Travis walked and Jose Reyes put down a bunt that third baseman Chase Headley threw away, allowing a run to score.

After Reyes was checked by a trainer at second base, Martin, who signed an $82 million, five-year free-agent contract this winter, singled. An out later, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer off Masahiro Tanaka, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-1 in Monday's Opener. 

Christine O'Connor

Twitter: ChristineeeeO