Truth & Rumors > MLB

08:12 AM ET 05.16 | Dan O'Dowd issued a vote of confidence to his manager Tuesday, which, in the eyes of many in Colorado, misses the point. On a 10-point scale, with 1 being lower than the Rockies' lowly standing in the National League, what's your confidence level in [O'Dowd] ever getting Colorado back to the World Series? This team is a joke. O'Dowd built it. Any talk among frustrated Rockies fans of trading center fielder Dexter Fowler or dumping pitching coach Bob Apodaca or firing manager Jim Tracy avoids the real issue. ... Because if the Rockies significantly want to change the way they do business, the one change that would make sense is the removal of O'Dowd.

The Denver Post

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08:14 AM ET 05.16 | Between Mickey Hatcher and the fellow who's due $240 million, guess which one the Angels had walk the plank Tuesday. Fair or not, the dismissal of Hatcher, the hitting coach of a team that hasn't hit, was hardly a shock. It was, however, the first cruel and calculated evidence of the pressure that adding Albert Pujols has brought to the Angels. Super. So the guy hasn't produced, has been booed at home and now has contributed significantly to a decent man losing his job. ... [Hatcher's] firing also was a stark reminder that Mike Scioscia should be feeling the heat, too. Once so in charge of this franchise, Scioscia's grip evidently isn't so tight anymore. He almost certainly wouldn't have dismissed his close friend and former teammate.

The Orange County Register

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08:43 AM ET 05.16 | The theater of the bizarre in Washington has a new act, thanks to Stephen Strasburg's application of a topical hot balm. After the game, Manager Davey Johnson listed Strasburg's hardships, including a brief rain delay with two outs, a full count and the bases loaded in the first that was followed by a two-run single on his first pitch after the rain. Then Johnson volunteered another factor at his news conference. "The Hot Stuff on Stras," Johnson said. "I don't know how it got where it got, but it wasn't comfortable. ... Somehow it got the wrong place." When asked for additional details, pitching coach Steve McCatty said, "I'm not gonna touch that."

The Washington Post

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08:15 AM ET 05.16 | Pittsburgh's Brad Lincoln has been a starter and a middle reliever, but his long-term future with the Pirates could be as a closer. Manager Clint Hurdle floated the idea Tuesday of having Lincoln pitch toward the back of the bullpen, one day after the right-hander was stellar in a spot start. "He gives us great depth across the board," Hurdle said. "He's a guy that can pitch in your rotation. He can pitch long. I really believe with the fastball and the breaking ball that he's got right now, he could pitch toward the back end of the bullpen. We'll see what opportunities present themselves." Lincoln has pitched well in every role he has been asked to fill this season, posting a 1.33 ERA and a 3-0 record.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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08:16 AM ET 05.16 | Brewers manager Ron Roenicke didn't like how things added up Tuesday, when, after D.J. Carrasco plunked Ryan Braun on the pitch following a long Rickie Weeks home run, the Mets pulled David Wright. "Didn't like it. I don't understand it," Roenicke said after the Brewers' 8-0 rout of the Mets, adding home plate umpire Gary Darling's decision to immediately eject Carrasco was the correct one. "Oh, absolutely." ... [For] Roenicke, Mets manager Terry Collins' decision to pinch-hit for Wright and Daniel Murphy in the bottom of the inning left him little plausible deniability. "It was interesting, what that shows is interesting," Roenicke said.

New York Post

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