Could the Manny Suspension be Good for the Dodgers?

Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended by Major League Baseball today for 50 games for using hCG, a women's fertility drug. This is a huge hit to the whole LA Dodgers organization. But I think this may be a silver lining for the Dodgers.

Yes, they lose a guy who makes their whole lineup better from top to bottom. The front office loses their biggest marketing tool within Dodger Stadium. But here is why this could be a good thing in the long run. The Dodgers do not have to pay Manny for 50 games, which puts them right around the All-Star break. It's not like LA doesn't have a quality lineup without Manny - and they are in a division that is winnable without their star outfielder. They still have Orlando Hudson, Matt kemp, Andre Ethier and Russell Martin. Their staff still has Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw - a very good 1-2 punch.

Also a good thing - Manny will be healthy for the stretch drive and will only have to play a limited amount of games during the dog days of summer. So, when he comes back - he is going to be 100% - and that will be scary for everyone in the NL West. Plus, with the Dodgers saving around $8-$10 million dollars by not having to pay Manny - this team can now go out and add either another quality starter to an already deep starting staff, or strengthen a bullpen that looks like has a big time stopper in Jonathan Broxton. And who knows, with the economy the way it is - they might be able to go out and add a big time impact bat to add to the lineup - how much scarier can that lineup get?

So if the Dodgers can stay in the race through the All-Star break - I think this team will be an even greater favorite to come out of the National League and go to the World Series.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 7

SCOREBOARD
Mariners (15-14) 1 at Royals (16-11) 3
W: Bannister (3-0) L: Washburn (3-2) S: Soria (7)

Pirates (12-16) 2 at Cardinals (19-10) 5
W: Wellemeyer (3-2) L: Ohlendorf (3-3) S: Franklin (9)

Rangers (15-13) 4 at Athletics (10-16) 9
W: Cahill (1-2) L: McCarthy (3-1)

Braves (13-15) at Marlins (15-14) 2
W: Jurrjens (3-2) L: Sanchez (1-4) S: Gonzalez (5)

Twins (13-16) 4 at Orioles (12-17) 5
W: Johnson (2-0) L: Mijares (0-1) S: Sherrill (5)

Giants (14-13) 8 at Rockies (11-16) 3
W: Cain (3-1) L: Marquis (4-2)

Indians (11-18) 3 at Red Sox (18-11)13
W: Wakefield (4-1) L: Sowers (0-1)

Diamondbacks (12-17) 3 at Padres (13-16) 4 - F/10
W: Meredith (4-0) L: Vasquez (0-1)

Rays (14-16) 8 at Yankees (13-15) 6
W: Shouse (1-0) L: Rivera (0-1) S: Nelson (1)

Brewers (16-13) 5 at Reds (15-13) 6
W: Owings (2-3) L: Looper (2-2) S: Cordero (8)

Tigers (14-13) 0 at White Sox (13-14) 6
W: Buehrle (5-0) L: Galarraga (3-2)

Phillies (14-12) 5 at Mets (14-13) 7
W: Pelfrey (4-0) L: Moyer (3-2) S: Rodriguez (9)

Blue Jays (20-11) 1 at Angels (13-14) 6
W: Weaver (3-1) L: Ray (0-1)

Cubs (16-12) 8 at Astros (11-17) 5
W: Lilly (4-2) L: Ortiz (2-1)

Nationals (8-18) 11 at Dodgers (21-9) 9
W: Villone (1-0) L: Wade (0-2)

HR LIST
Evan Longoria 2 (10)
Alfonso Soriano 2 (9)
Bengie Molina 2 (7)
Hanley Ramirez 2 (5)
Carlos Pena (13)
Jason Bay (8)
Jay Bruce (8)
Aaron Hill (8)
Chris Davis (7)
Johnny Damon (7)
Ryan Howard (6)
Ben Zobrist (5)
Jayson Werth (5)
Kendry Morales (5)
Carlos Beltran (5)
Mike Napoli (5)
Jack Cust (4)
Matt Holliday (4)
Aubrey Huff (4)
Brad Hawpe (4)
Ian Stewart (4)
Jason Bartlett (4)
AJ Pierzynski (4)
Matt Kemp (4)
David Ross (3)
Hideki Matsui (3)
David Wright (3)
Melvin Mora (2)
Jose Reyes (2)
Josh Willingham (2)
Jason LaRue (1)
Robinzon Diaz (1)
Casey Kotchman (1)
Carl Crawford (1)
Willy Taveras (1)
Jayson Nix (1)
Miguel Tejada (1)

Manny Ramirez Suspended for 50 Games for Drug Violation

Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games this afternoon after the MLB revealed that Ramirez had failed a recent drug test. Manny had this to say when responding to the suspension:

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," Ramirez said. "Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now."

Ramirez has waived his right to challange the suspension and will lose out on a substantial chunk of his $25 million salary. His return could be on I believe July 3rd.

This is a pretty big story if you ask me and it is more significant to me than the Alex Rodriguez steroids story. In February A-Rod was said to have used steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003. Despite what has been written about him in a recent book, the fact that the steroids were confirmed in the past is what makes Manny's issue different. Manny is the first star player to be busted while being a huge peice of the puzzle for his team. I know Palmeiro was busted but he was on his downside then. Manny has been playing great starting when he was traded to the Dodgers and continuing through this season. So far he was hitting .348 with 6 HR's and 20 RBI's to help the Dodgers jump to the best record in baseball.

The commisioner's office did not say specifically what Ramirez's drug violation was about. I find it hard to believe that so many people who deny steroids all go to doctors that give them medication that has something illegal in it without knowing. Maybe doctors really don't know but it just seems sketchy to me. Anyway, Manny is done for 50 games and now we will find out how good Orlando Hudson, Andre Ethier, and the rest of the LA Dodgers really are.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 6

SCOREBOARD
Pirates (12-15) 2 at Cardinals (18-10) 4
W: McClellan (2-1) L: Duke (3-3) S: Franklin (8)

Brewers (16-12) 15 at Reds (14-13) 3
W: Parra (1-4) L: Arroyo (4-2)

Giants (13-13) 1 at Rockies (11-15) 11
W: Jimenez (2-4) L: Johnson (2-3)

Indians (11-17) 9 at Red Sox (17-11) 2
W: Pavano (2-3) L: Masterson (2-2) S: Laffey (1)

Phillies (14-11) 0 at Mets (13-13) 1
W: Santana (4-1) L: Eyre (0-1) S: Rodriguez (8)

Mariners (15-13) 1 at Royals (17-11) 9
W: Ponson (1-4) L: Silva (1-3)

Braves (12-15) 8 at Marlins (15-13) 6
W: Lowe (4-1) L: Taylor (0-2) S: Gonzalez (4)

Cubs (15-12) 6 at Astros (11-16) 3
W: Harden (3-1) L: Hampton (1-3) S: Gregg (5)

Rays (13-16) 4 at Yankees (13-14) 3 - F/10
W: Balfour (1-0) L: Coke (1-2) S: Percival (5)

Twins (13-15) 1 at Orioles (11-17) 4
W: Bass(1-1) L: Slowey (4-1)

Blue Jays (20-10) 13 at Angels (12-14) 1
W: Halladay (6-1) L: Ortega (0-2)

Diamondbacks (12-16) 3 at Padres (12-16) 1
W: Garland (3-1) L: Peavy (2-4) S: Qualls (7)

Rangers (15-12) 3 at Athletics (9-16) 2
W: Feldman (2-0) L: Giese (0-3) S: Francisco (9)

Nationals (7-18) 3 at Dodgers (21-8) 10
W: Kershaw (1-2) L: Cabrera (0-3)

Tigers (14-12) at White Sox (12-14) - POSTPONED

HR LIST
Justin Upton 2 (6)
Carlos Pena (12)
Albert Pujols (11)
Jorge Cantu (8)
Jay Bruce (7)
Lance Berkman (7)
Aaron Hill (7)
Ryan Braun (6)
Mark DeRosa (6)
Victor Martinez (6)
Prince Fielder (5)
Brandon Phillips (5)
Luke Scott (5)
Nick Markakis (5)
Vernon Wells (5)
JJ Hardy (4)
Mark Teahan (4)
Aramis Ramirez (4)
Lyle Overbay (4)
Todd Helton (3)
Jesus Flores (3)
Yorvit Torrealba (2)
Elvis Andrus (2)
Matt Murton (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 5

The Dodgers tied an MLB mark last night by starting 12-0 at home this season. Not too bad.

SCOREBOARD
Indians (10-17) 6 at Blue Jays (19-10) 10
W: Wolfe (1-0) L: Chulk (0-1)

Astros (11-15) 10 at Nationals (7-17) 10 - SUSPENDED in 11th

Orioles (10-17) 3 at Rays (12-16) 6
W: Garza (3-2) L: Uehara (2-3) S: Percival (4)

Giants (13-12) 6 at Cubs (14-12) 2
W: Lincecum (3-1) L: Marshall (0-2)

Rangers (14-12) 7 at Mariners (15-12) 2 - F/10
W: O'Day (1-0) L: Stark (0-1)

Mets (12-13) 4 at Braves (11-15) 3
W: Hernandez (2-1) L: Kawakami (1-4) S: Rodriguez (7)

Twins (13-14) 0 at Tigers (14-12) 9
W: Porcello (2-3) L: Blackburn (2-2)

Brewers (15-12) 8 at Pirates (12-14) 5
W: Suppan (2-2) L: Snell (1-4) S: Villaneuva (3)

Red Sox (17-10) 7 at Yankees (13-13) 3
W: Beckett (3-2) L: Chamberlain (1-1)

Reds (14-12) 7 at Marlins (15-12) 0
W: Volquez (4-2) L: Volstad (2-1)

White Sox (14-12) 7 at Royals (16-11) 8 - F/11
W: Cruz (2-0) L: Broadway (0-1)

Phillies (14-10) 10 at Cardinals (17-10) 7
W: Myers (2-2) L: Wainwright (3-1)

Angels (12-13) 5 at Athletics (9-15) 3
W: Loux (2-2) L: Braden (3-3) S: Fuentes (7)

Rockies (10-15) 1 at Padres (12-15) 2 - F/10
W: Bell (1-0) L: Daley (0-1)

Diamondbacks (11-16) 1 at Dodgers (20-8) 3
W: Weaver (1-0) L: Scherzer (0-3) S: Broxton (8)

HR LIST
Albert Pujols (10)
Curtis Granderson (9)
Nelson Cruz (7)
Miguel Cabrera (7)
Jason Bay (7)
Jermaine Dye (7)
Ryan Ludwick (7)
Adam Lind (6)
Johnny Damon (6)
Chris Iannetta (6)
Bengie Molina (5)
Mike Jacobs (5)
Elijah Dukes (4)
Brian Roberts (4)
Brandon Phillips (4)
Jayson Werth (4)
Shane Victorino (4)
Scott Rolen (3)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3)
Freddy Sanchez (3)
Yadier Molina (3)
Matt Holliday (3)
Josh Fields (2)
Alberto Callaspo (2)
Cristian Guzman (1)
Gregg Zaun (1)

BLBB's Extra Innings Recap

Who's Hot
LA Dodgers (19-8)
Let's go ahead and recognize the team with the best record in baseball this week. The Dogers currently own first place in the NL West, and by a healthy margin of 5.5 games over San Francisco. Manny Ramirez, Orlando Hudson, and Andre Ethier have all been having great seasons in just over a month of games. They helped lead the Dodgers to an 11-0 record at home so far this season and are currently riding a five game winning streak. This division could get very ugly very quick.
HONORABLE MENTION: St. Louis Cardinals (17-9); Kansas City Royals (15-11)

Manny Ramirez
It's hard at this point to pick a player who has done well over the week but I'll go with Manny this week after he went 10-22 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI's. His season average is right around .360 and he has been a huge part of leading the Dodgers to the best record in baseball so far this season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Raul Ibanez .344, 8 HR, 21 RBI; Evan Longoria .360, 8 HR, 31 RBI

Zack Greinke
Dear Zack, I'm sorry I didn't pick you last week. I just wanted to have a little diver.....Yes sir, I'm sorry. This kid is unconcious. If you haven't heard about the way he has been pitching you must have been living under a rock. I mean, no big deal that he is leading the league with six wins (in six starts as well) with three of those being complete games. The has put up zeros in 42 of the 45 innings he has pitched. I'm really not sure if you can even do that on MLB: The Show. Greinke has also amassed 54 K's and that amazing 0.40 ERA. Solid.
HONORABLE MENTION: Scott Richmond (4-0), 2.67 ERA, 26 K's; Trevor Hoffman 4 saves since returning

Who's Not
San Diego Padres
1-9 over the last ten games was enough for them to squeak this out over the Athletics and, of course, the Nationals. Just a week and a half ago the Padres were playing well coming of a series win to open Citi Field in New York. Adrian Gonzalez was mashing the ball and the Pads were a bit of surprise. Well they have started to come back down to Earth and look to be settling into the spot they will be for the whole season. Good signs from Heath Bell in the closer role so far this season.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Washington Nationals (7-17); Oakland Athletics (9-14)

B.J. Upton
A relatively easy choice this week. Upton is hitting way below the Mendoza line at .152 and has only hit safely 12 times. His home run account is still closed and his RBI's total two, which is two more than my total, by still is disappointing. I think it's safe to say Tampa is disappointed with their start so far this season and Upton's lack of production factor into that.
DISHONORALBE MENTION: Dioner Navarro .160, 1 HR, 3 RBI; Brandon Phillips .205, 3 HR, 11 RBI

Sidney Ponson
Not like this wasn't too expected. Five starts for Ponson this season and he is winless in all of them. His (0-4) record and 7.16 ERA are not positive for KC as they look to contend in the AL Central this year. He's only struck out 18 and has given up 22 ER in 27.2 IP.
DISHONORABLE MENTION: Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4), 6.58 ERA, 19 BB's; Fausto Carmona (1-3), 6.11 ERA

STANDINGS
AL East
1. Blue Jays (18-10)
2. Red Sox (16-10)
3. Yankees (13-12)
4. Rays (11-16)
5. Orioles (10-16)

AL Central
1. Royals (15-11)
2. Tigers (13-12)
3. Twins (13-13)
4. White Sox (12-13)
5. Indians (10-16)

AL West
1. Mariners (15-11)
2. Rangers (13-12)
3. Angels (11-13)
4. Athletics (9-14)

NL East
1. Marlins (15-11)
2. Phillies (13-10)
3. Mets (11-13)
4. Braves (11-14)
5. Nationals (7-17)

NL Central
1. Cardinals (17-9)
2. Cubs (14-11)
3. Brewers (14-12)
4. Reds (13-12)
5. Pirates (12-13)
6. Astros (11-15)

NL West
1. Dodgers (19-8)
2. Giants (12-12)
3. Diamondbacks (11-15)
4. Padres (11-15)
5. Rockies (10-14)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 4

SCOREBOARD
Red Sox (16-10) 6 at Yankees (13-12) 4
W: Lester (2-2) L: Hughes (1-1) S: Papelbon (7)

Phillies (13-10) 6 at Cardinals (17-9) 1
W: Blanton (1-2) L: Lohse (3-1)

Twins (13-13) 7 at Tigers (13-12) 2
W: Liriano (1-4) L: Jackson (1-2)

Mets (11-13) 6 at Braves (11-14) 4
W: Maine (2-2) L: Vazquez (2-3) S: Rodriguez (6)

Indians (10-16) 9 at Blue Jays (18-10) 7 - F/12
W: Betancourt (1-1) L: Camp (0-1) S: Lewis (1)

Astros (11-15) 4 at Nationals (7-17) 9
W: Lannan (1-3) L: Wright (1-1)

Orioles (10-16) 8 at Rays (11-16) 4
W: Baez (2-1) L: Kazmir (3-3)

Brewers (14-12) 7 at Pirates (12-13) 4
W: DiFelice (3-0) L: Capps (0-2) S: Hoffman (4)

White Sox (12-13) 0 at Royals (15-11) 3
W: Greinke (6-0) L: Colon (2-2)

Reds (13-12) 2 at Marlins (15-11) 3 - F/14
W: Badenhop (2-1) L: Herrera (0-1)

Angels (11-13) 5 at Athletics (9-14) 2
W: Saunders (4-1) L: Anderson (0-3) S: Fuentes (6)

Giants (12-12) 2 at Cubs (14-11) 4
W: Dempster (2-1) L: Sanchez (1-2) S: Gregg (4)

Rangers (13-12) 6 at Mariners (15-11) 5
W: Millwood (3-2) L: Hernandez (4-1) S: Francisco (8)

Rockies (10-14) 9 at Padres (11-15) 6
W: Rusch (2-0) L: Moreno (1-3) S: Street (3)

Diamondbacks (11-15) 2 at Dodgers (19-8) 7
W: Stults (3-1) L: Davis (2-4)

HR LIST
Mark Teixeira 2 (5)
Carlos Beltran 2 (4)
Evan Longoria (8)
Michael Young (7)
Russell Branyan (7)
Mark Reynolds (7)
Mike Lowell (6)
Jason Bay (6)
Miguel Cabrera (6)
Rickie Weeks (6)
Chris Davis (6)
Manny Ramirez (6)
Andre Ethier (6)
Johnny Damon (5)
Ryan Howard (5)
Chris Iannetta (5)
Nick Markakis (4)
Scott Hairston (4)
Jayson Werth (3)
Chipper Jones (3)
Brian Roberts (3)
David DeJesus (3)
Hanley Ramirez (3)
Ryan Theriot (3)
Franklin Gutierrez (3)
David Wright (2)
Kurt Suzuki (2)
Matt LaPorta (1)
Andy LaRoche (1)

Major League Baseball Scoreboard May 3

Sorry for missing Friday and Saturday, the Kentucky Derby took over my life. Me and Curtis, Cards and Rays writer, left and headed to Louisville and got in at Mike's, the Reds writer, at 2:00 AM Eastern. Got to see see Jim, the Pirates writer, and Alex, the Chi Sox writer, down there as well and it was an absolute blast. Next time I will put it out there that I'll be gone for everyone. On to the games.

SCOREBOARD
Indians (9-16) 1 at Tigers (13-11) 3
W: Verlander (2-2) L: Lee (1-4) S: Rodney (6)

Astros (11-14) 7 at Braves (11-13) 5
W: Geary (1-3) L: Moylan (1-2) S: Hawkins (3)

Orioles (9-16) 3 at Blue Jays (18-9) 4
W: Richmond (4-0) L: Guthrie (2-2) S: Downs (3)

Reds (13-11) 5 at Pirates (12-12) 0
W: Cueto (2-1) L: Karstens (1-1)

Red Sox (15-10) 3 at Rays (11-15)
W: Shields (3-2) L: Penny (2-1) S: Percival (3)

Diamondbacks (11-14) 3 at Brewers (13-12) 4
W: Stetter (1-0) L: Gutierrez (1-2) S: Hoffman (3)

Royals (14-11) 7 at Twins (12-13) 5
W: Meche (2-2) L: Baker (0-4) S: Soria (6)

Marlins (14-11) 4 at Cubs (13-11) 6
W: Zambrano (3-1) L: Nolasco (1-3) S: Gregg (3)

Athletics (9-13) 7 at Mariners (15-10) 8
W: Vargas (1-0) L: Eveland (1-2)

Rockies (9-14) 0 at Giants (12-11) 1
W: Medders (1-1) L: Corpas (0-3)

Padrese (11-14) 3 at Dodgers (18-8) 7
W: Billingsley (5-0) L: Gaudin (0-1)

White Sox (12-12) 1 at Rangers (12-12) 5
W: Harrison (2-2) L: Danks (2-2)

Angels (10-13) at Yankees (13-11) - POSTPONED

Cardinals (17-8) at Nationals (6-17) - POSTPONED

Mets (10-13) at Phillies (12-10) - POSTPONED

HR LIST
Ian Kinsler (9)
Brandon Inge (8)
Jay Bruce (6)
Kevin Youkilis (6)
Mark Reynolds (6)
Mike Cameron (6)
Mike Fontenot (5)
Luke Scott (4)
Vernon Wells (4)
Justin Upton (4)
Prince Fielder (4)
Jose Guillen (3)
Jack Cust (3)
Derrek Lee (3)
Jody Gerut (3)
Alex Rios (2)
Miguel Montero (2)
John Baker (2)
Kenji Johjima (1)
Mike Sweeney (1)
Brian Giles (1)

Pittsburgh Pirates April Awards

Alright, so this is the first time I've done this. After each month during the season, I will start doing a little recap and hand out monthly awards throughout the organization.

So here we go:

Hitter of the Month: Freddy Sanchez
Sanchez has gotten off to a very good start here in the 2009 campaign. After posting his worst full season as a professional last year, he seems to be back to where he was in 2006 and 2007. For those who don't remember, Sanchez won the NL batting title in 2006 with a .344 BA.

So far in 20 games he has posted a .337 BA, a .374 OBP, and is slugging .570. He hit 2 homers in April to go along with 10 doubles and 2 triples.

Pitcher of the Month: Zach Duke
Duke, in 4 starts, posted a 3-1 record to go along with a 2.43 ERA in the month of April. One of those starts for Duke was his 3rd shutout of his career. In 29.2 innings, Duke gave up just 6 walks to go along with 19 strikeouts.

Duke has already matched his win total from 2007, where he started 19 games, and has over half of his won total from last season (5) where he made 31 starts.

Minor League Hitter of the Month: Kris Watts
This was a tough decision, but ultimately, Watts beats out Garrett Jones and Jim Negrych. Watts, 24, is currently in Lynchburg, which is most likely a level too low for him. But the player does not always determine the level. And if Lynchburg is a level too low, then he's at least proving it. In April, Watts has posted a .444 BA with 2 HR and 12 RBI. He's been handling the catching duties for the Hillcats. Watts also posted a .565 OBP and a .685 slugging percentage. He's only struck out 7 times opposed to walking 12 times.

Minor League Pitcher of the Month: Rudy Owens
Owens posted a spectacuar April with West Virginia going 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in 4 starts. In 19.2 innings, Owens struck out 13 batters while only walking 5. His WHIP stood at 1.07 for the month. He never gave up more than 2 ER in any of his 4 starts.

The southpaw was the Pirates' 28th round pick in 2006.

Major League Baseball Scoreboard April 30

SCOREBOARD
Athletics (8-11) 4 at Rangers (10-11) 2
W: Braden (3-2) L: Padilla (1-2) S: Wuertz (1)

Cardinals (16-7) 9 at Nationals (5-16) 4
W: Perez (1-1) L: Tavarez (0-2)

Blue Jays (15-9) 6 at Royals (12-10) 8
W: Davies (2-1) L: Burress (0-2) S: Cruz (1)

Diamondbacks (9-13) 1 at Brewers (12-10) 4
W: DiFelice (2-0) L: Gordon (0-1) S: Hoffman (2)

Angels (9-12) 4 at Yankees (12-10) 7
W: Coke (1-1) L: Speier (0-1) S: Rivera (5)

Marlins (14-8) 8 at Cubs (10-11) 2
W: Pinto (2-0) L: Heilman (2-1)

Red Sox (14-8) at Rays (9-14) 13
W: Garza (2-2) L: Beckett (2-2)

Padres (11-11) 5 at Dodgers (15-8) 8
W: Belisario (1-2) L: Gregerson (0-1) S: Broxton (7)

HR LIST
Albert Pujols (8)
Jorge Cantu (7)
Hank Blalock (6)
Evan Longoria (6)
Ryan Zimmerman (5)
Marco Scutaro (5)
Manny Ramirez (5)
Adam Lind (4)
Mike Napoli (4)
Johnny Damon (4)
Mike Fontenot (4)
Andruw Jones (3)
Felipe Lopez (3)
Orlando Hudson (3)
Milton Bradley (2)
Matt Holliday (1)
Michel Hernandez (1)