Harper Can't Stay Healthy

The Nats' Bryce Harper has just come back from an injury to his toe and now this.

Bryce Harper hit the scoreboard wall face-first while tracking a ball hit by A.J. Ellis in the outfield over his left shoulder. He never looked at the wall and when he finally turned, he was on top of it. The impact sent Harper's cap flying as he bounced off the wall and crumpled to the ground, with Ellis getting a triple.

Harper didn't come back to the game as the Nats' won by a score of 6-2 over the Dodgers. 

"As the ball kept going, I was like, 'Is he going to stop?'" Nationals center fielder Denard Span said. "He looked like he didn't get a good jump at all, like he was surprised the ball was hit to him. I thought he was going to jump and brace himself. As soon as he ran into it, his body locked up."

Harper laid on his back for minutes which seemed like hours due to the wonder of pain he was in. 

Tigers Lose Jackson

The Detroit Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson has been put on the 15-day disabled list because of a pulled right hamstring.

Jackson was placed on the DL reluctantly and it is retroactive until Sunday. The move was made official today (Monday). When Jackson missed a game against Cleveland following the injury was when the topic of the DL first came up. The Tigers recalled outfielder Avisail Garcia from Triple-A Toledo to replace Jackson for now.

Jackson is hitting .272 and leads his Tigers with 5 steals this year and his range in center field on defense will be missed most of all. As if that weren't enough they will have to replace him at the leadoff spot and Jackson was clearly the man for the job on this team with very little contact hitters with speed.

Garcia, the temporary replacement for Jackson, hit .319 in 47 at-bats toward the end of last season, playing well enough that he made Detroit's postseason roster.

By David B.

Craig and Wainwright Take it to the Rockies

The Cardinals took a beat down to the Cardinals and couldn't be stopped. They had a total of 13 hits and allowed only 2 hits. Adam Wainwright lead the Cardinals today being the only pitcher to take the hill for them in his first 9 inning shutout of the year. He struck out seven and allowed 2 hits.

The Rockies hits were manufactured by Dexter Fowler and Nolan Arenado and those hits didn't appear until the eighth inning, leaving Wainwright with an eight inning no-hitter. The Cardinals were just as disappointing on offense going 4-15 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and only scored 3 runs.

Jhoulys Chacin got the loss for the Rockies in his start and he is now 3-2, he went 5.0 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 8 hits. Josh Outman and Wilton Lopez were the relievers for the Rockies and they gave up a combined 5 hits in a total of 3 innings split 1.2 and 1.1. Outman gave up an earned run as well as 3 hits.

Player of the game

The hitter of the game was definitely Allen Craig, but the player of the game has to Wainright for his outstanding pitching performance. Craig got up to the plate 3 times got a hit each one. He recorded his 27th RBI as well this game on a triple. Wainwright went all nine innings without a run and didn't give up a hit until the eighth inning.

By David B.

QB Controversy

  The New York Jets have had issues in the past seasons, but none greater than the issue for this upcoming 2013 season. The Jets have released Tim Tebow and Tebow is still without a team. The only place for Tim Tebow to go is either to the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Canadian Football League (CFL). Now, the Jets have four quarterbacks fighting for the starting job. The quarterbacks are Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy, and David Garrard. Geno Smith was drafted by the Jets in the second round in the recent draft. Mark Sanchez has been in New York for a while, and has been starting to slump for the last two or three seasons. Greg McElroy stepped up big last year when both Sanchez and Tebow were injured. McElroy is a very talented quarterback who understands the game. David Garrard has been flying around the league and hasn't been doing great. Garrard was on the Jaguars but didn't fulfill their hopes. Now, the battle for the starting quarterback positing has begun. 

  Mark Sanchez has had job security ever since he was drafted out of USC. The reason he has job security is because of head coach, Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan has been defending and protecting Sanchez for far too long. For example, last season was clearly the time for Tim Tebow to step in and make some plays. Last season, Tebow hardly played. Also, Greg McElroy was a last resort quarterback last season and he had a superb performance. The next game, however, Rex Ryan started Mark Sanchez. Now, the job security will not be available for Sanchez. I am predicting that Rex Ryan will either be fired in the middle of the season, or the end of the season. Either way, the Jets will still be looking for someone. Geno Smith will help the Jets bring back the wildcat formation and will help confuse defenses. David Garrard will also help in these costly situations. I believe Mark Sanchez will also lose his starting quarterback job soon. The upcoming 2013 season for the New York Jets is a rebuilding season. By Ameen I.

Bryce Harper Out of Line-up

The Nationals are missing possibly their two best outfielders in Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth. Harper sat for two straight games including Saturday due to an ingrown toenail removal process. Werth was placed on the 15 day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Werth's roster spot was taken by outfielder Eury Perez, who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before Washington hosted the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Harper posted two images to Twitter, one of his toe with no nail and very bloody. The other was of a full toenail not attached to his foot at all.

Harper was expected to play in today, Saturday's, game by manager Davey Johnson of the Nationals but, Harpers toe was still 'tender'.

After Friday night's 7-3 victory over Chicago, Werth said: "It's one of those things I feel bad; the team has been playing with 24 guys for over a week now. We feel like we're close and I feel like it's really not that severe. But it's one of those things you go out there with the way it is, and you might make it severe pretty quickly. Erring on the side of caution, but at the same time at this point I think it's necessary.

The replacement for Werth, Perez, has been excelling in triple-A for Syracuse with 17 runs, a .346 batting average, as well as 7 steals all in only 23 games.

Perez appeared in only 13 games for the Washington Nationals in the 2012 season getting only 5 at bats with 1 hit.

Bulls Missing Top Players

The Bulls will be missing some of their top players, as expected they will be missing point guard Derrick Rose. Also Big Man Kirk Hienrich will be absent for the game as well as guard and forward Luol Deng.

The Heat won the second game of the series with ease and lost game 1 to the Bulls making it a tied series at one and one. This game 3 will be the deciding Zgame of the series choosing who will go ahead with the momentum.

I think that the Heat will take advantage of the banged up Bulls like they did last game, they won by 39 points the Bulls largest ever playoff loss.

Big Papi 'Defends' Himself

The Red Sox's big hitting slugger tells Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (ESPNSports.com in English) that he believes Shaughnessy's suspicions are grounded in race. Ortiz says:

"Yesterday, the guy came to see me and asked some questions about steroids, and when you see the writing, it basically focuses on the fact that I'm Dominican and that many Dominicans have been caught using steroids. And what about the Americans?" Ortiz said.

"If you're from the Middle East, because there are some people there who put bombs and terrorize civilians, I have to see you like that, as well? If you are a white American, I have to call you a racist because white Americans were in the Ku Klux Klan?

"The thing that stung me was his statement about Dominicans. You mean that in Dominican Republic there are no players who try to do things right? We are all in the same boat. And the people here who have been caught, does that put everyone here in the same boat?"

 

In all fairness Ortiz went a little overboard with that, but to be totally fair Shaughnessy did write this:

But you fit all the models. You are from the Dominican Republic. You are an older player. Older players don't get better. You've had injuries consistent with steroid use. You showed up on the list from 2003. You fit all the formulas.

Shaughnessy did back-up his information about race with some facts, he mentioned that most U.S born players are much healthier and are much more fit. He was trying to protect the steroid use in the Dominican Republic but, bringing Ortiz's race and nationality was going way too far.

By David B.