Miguel Cabrera
was expected to be a monster with
Prince Fielder
behind him but inexplicably has expanded his strike zone after drawing 108 walks last season. He recently went 17 games in a row without one, the longest stretch of his career, and has struck out twice as often as he has walked. …
The Twins’
Joe Vavra
could be the next coach out. The Twins are hitting below .200 in May and looked awful against
Derek Lowe
in his complete-game six-hitter.
Tom Brunansky
is the Triple-A hitting coach and works well with the organization’s young hitters. …
The Red Sox suddenly are excited about their bullpen but
Bobby Valentine
used
Alfredo Aceves
for a four-out save Thursday, after he had used three pitchers to get three outs in one inning. Workload and pitching depth will be major storylines in Boston. …
Could 19-year-old Orioles prospect
Dylan Bundy
get to the big leagues this year? The first-round pick last June has been overpowering, albeit against Class-A hitters. He has worked only 25 pro innings but has 36 strikeouts while allowing four hits and walking two. …
While
Chase Utley
was taking ground balls this week, the Phillies believe he still could be a month away from returning. They are glad replacement
Freddy Galvis
picked up the slack in May after an unimpressive April. …
The Cardinals are very worried about reliever
Kyle McClellan,
placed on the DL this week with significant elbow problems. Their biggest concern, however, is
Carlos Beltran’s
sore right knee, which had him out of the lineup last week. They need Beltran and shortstop
Rafael Furcal
to keep rolling. …
While the Rangers haven’t made a single move with their 25-man roster this season, the Orioles just made 23 in an eight-day period, counting some on the 40-man roster. …
One problem with talk about the A’s relocating is there is no obvious market for MLB to occupy. Charlotte and Las Vegas are possibilities but the most viable option is probably Portland. There’s less talk about a third New York team with the Mets sorting through financial difficulties.
