Truth & Rumors > MLB

11:05 AM ET 05.25 | In the winter, the logic of the Nationals signing Adam LaRoche, trading for Denard Span and dealing Michael Morse made perfect sense. They were keeping respected a left-handed bat for the middle of the order, adding an elite center fielder who provided top-of-the-order on-base and using an apparent roster redundancy to restock their minor league pitching depth. The season has not yet hit the one-third mark yet, but enough of the year has passed to lend hindsight to a pertinent question: What if the Nationals had executed their offseason the same way and simply kept Morse? Hindsight shows Morse could have played a key role, even without an everyday job opening day. Add up only the at-bats Morse would have received filling in due to days off or injuries in the outfield and first base. Then give him the pinch-hit appearances Tyler Moore has seen. Morse would have already taken 112 plate appearances, and that's with zero effort to give an occasional day off to LaRoche, Span or Bryce Harper against a tough lefty. It would have been fascinating if the Nationals had kept Morse, if only because he would offered such a unique weapon -- an over-qualified super-sub who can fill in at multiple positions and mitigate long-term injuries or provide thunder off the bench. He would have given the Nationals an answer to the Braves' Evan Gattis.

Washington Post

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10:34 AM ET 05.25 | Did Don Mattingly regret how he essentially ripped Andre Ethier in Milwaukee, benching the struggling outfielder for not doing things the right way, stunning observers with his sudden toughness? What do you think? "Guys who play the game right, they don't have any problem with anything I am saying," he said. "So I can't even come close to backing off things I said the other day. I feel exactly that way." He not only didn't regret it, he called out Ethier again for saying they never discussed the benching. "I'm getting old and my memory is going, but we definitely talked," he said. There was somebody else who didn't regret Mattingly's sudden change of demeanor. In his own pregame news conference Friday, Stan Kasten had a reaction that could be summed up in one word. Finally. "I wasn't unhappy to see it it didn't bother me a bit," said Kasten. "I didn't mind that Donnie thought, 'I need to do something to light a fire.'" Consider the fire lit. Some wonder whether it was sparked by Kasten, who once worked with Bobby Cox, the manager who had the most ejections in baseball history. Others wonder whether, in a late-night meeting in Milwaukee, Mattingly was urged to drop the gloves by General Manager Ned Colletti.

Los Angeles Times

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10:14 AM ET 05.25 | The Rangers had a little of everything go in their favor in Friday night's 9-5 win over the Mariners, even a double play that shouldn't have been. Justin Grimm wasn't at his best early in the game as Seattle battered him for eight hits in the first 2 2-3 innings with relievers warming in the Rangers bullpen. But Grimm managed to limit any major damage -- helped by a blown call by first base umpire Jeff Nelson in the second -- before settling down and retiring seven straight batters at one point. Seattle's chance at a big second inning took a hit with a botched call by Nelson. Jesus Sucre hit a grounder to Mitch Moreland at first, who threw down to second to get the lead runner. The relay from Elvis Andrus back to first was in time to get Sucre but the throw was caught by Grimm running over to cover and not Moreland, whose foot was on the bag. Nelson missed that it was Grimm who caught the throw and called Sucre out. "That happened so fast. I didn't realize the umpire had called him out at first," Grimm said. "I was going over to cover the bag and Mitch took it on his own so when Elvis threw the ball it started to come toward me. I didn't think Mitch was going to be able to get to it and I just snagged it up real quick in hopes to save a run and keep the double play in order." Seattle manager Eric Wedge went out to argue, but his argument was that Moreland had pulled his foot off the bag. He didn't realize until watching the replay later that it was Grimm who caught the throw and it never reached Moreland's glove. "It would have been a much bigger argument if I had known that at the time," Wedge said.

Dallas Morning News

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09:51 AM ET 05.25 | Right-hander Jered Weaver had another positive day on Friday as he puts the finishing touches on his rehabilitation work before rejoining the Angels' rotation. Weaver threw a light bullpen session at Kauffman Stadium and will have another bullpen session this weekend before any activation decision is made. "He feels good," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Hopefully, he'll keep progressing and we'll probably have a decision on him in a couple of days." Weaver has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 8 because of a fractured left elbow. He worked 5 2/3 innings in an extended spring game on Wednesday and threw 75 pitches.

MLB

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09:16 AM ET 05.25 | Plans can change quickly but Mark Teixeira said he believes he will be ready to come off the disabled list Friday night in time for the Red Sox-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. "By the end of next week," Teixeira said when asked about being activated. The first day Teixeira is eligible to come off the 60-day DL is Thursday. He is scheduled to play in the second of two minor league rehab games that night for Double-A Trenton. But there is a chance he could be in the big leagues by then. "It looks like it's getting fairly close," manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees' 9-4 victory over Rays last night at Tropicana Field. After playing in his first extended spring training game today against the Pirates at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa, Teixeira won't play in a game tomorrow. He will then play in extended spring training games Monday and Tuesday and join the Thunder for Wednesday's game. Teixeira, who hasn't played in anything but simulated games since suffering a right wrist tendon injury swinging a bat on March 5 preparing for the World Baseball Classic, participated in a simulated game yesterday at the complex with Kevin Youkilis, who is getting closer to returning from the DL. Youkilis has been sidelined because of a lower back issue.

New York Post

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