It is safe to say that I rarely agree with Hank Steinbrenner, who is part of the new New York Yankees braintrust (does that qualify as an oxymoron?). However, I share his sentiment about National League baseball. The senior circuit needs to incorporate the designated hitter.

Steinbrenner would like to see the DH added in the National League for selfish purposes. Chien-Ming Wang is out until September after injuring his ankle while running the bases last weekend in interleague play. I prefer that the NL introduce the DH for entertainment reasons. Simply put, NL baseball is not as exciting as the AL brand.

Even in the 1970s and 1980s, when the NL was superior in overall talent to the AL, the game was more exciting in the junior circuit. Steinbrenner doesn't want to see his pitchers run the bases. Terry Francona doesn't want to see hit pitchers swing the bat, especially after Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to back stiffness attributed to his at-bats in interleague play. I don't want to see pitchers hit because it detracts from the drama of the game.

Simply put, pitchers are not challenged in the NL like they are in the American League. Look at many NL rosters and you will see a light-hitting batter in the No. 8 spot and the pitcher at No.9, unless you are Tony LaRussa of the St. Louis Cardinals and bat the pitcher No. 8. This is one reason why the AL is superior to the NL right now. AL pitchers are accustomed to facing daunting lineups from top to bottom . NL pitchers are not, and they are less effective during interleague play and post-season play in AL ballparks.

The fans are the main reason Major League Baseball should incorporate the DH in the NL. It is not interesting to watch a pitcher hit, especially during a two-out rally. People who do not like baseball criticize the game for being too slow and not having enough action. It is more challenging for the pitcher, and more entertaining for the fan, to have a lineup from 1-9 composed of true hitters.

In August, Major League Baseball might debut instant replay to review questionable home run calls, which is long overdue. Perhaps in the off-season, the league and its owners will consider adding the DH in the National League, which is also long overdue. Traditionalists will fight this, but many of these same traditionalists opposed interleague play when it was introduced but now favor the schedule.

Baseball is a great game, and to remain that way, it needs to adapt with the times. Watching a pitcher at the plate is boring. Challenging a pitcher with nine hitters is entertaining and makes the game more attractive to fans.

 

Last night, Magglio Ordonez left the game early with a pulled oblique.  After reporting to the club today with more pain, Detroit immediately placed Ordonez on the 15-day disabled list with the right oblique injury.  With Ordonez joining Gary Sheffield and Brandon Inge with similar injuries, the Tigers recalled Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo.

Ordonez was the only player on the Tigers to play in all 80 games this season before being placed on the DL.  At the time of the injury, his average was .307 with 12 home runs, 50 RBI and 42 runs scored.  It is Ordonez's first trip to the disabled list since 2005 when he missed half the season after joining the Tigers from the White Sox.

Joyce is making his second appearance on Detroit's 25-man roster this season.  The 23-year-old outfielder played 18 games in May and hit .200 with five home runs and 10 RBI in 53 at bats.

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After his first start in a Pirates uniform on Saturday, Pittsburgh sent down Ty Taubenheim to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room for reliever Romulo Sanchez. 

Taubenheim made his Pittsburgh debut against the Rays on Saturday and went six innings with a no decision.  He gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks in their 4-3 13-inning win over the Rays. 

Sanchez joins the team for the first time this season.  The 24-year-old righty made 25 relief appearances with Indianapolis and posted a 4-0 record with four saves to go with his 2.85 ERA.  Last season, Sanchez appeared in 16 games with the Pirates and was 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA during a late August call up.

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Due to a forearm injury to Shawn Hill, the Nationals announced they will tap Collin Balester from Triple-A Columbus to make his Major League debut.  The fourth round pick of the then-Montreal Expos in 2004, will start Tuesday against the Florida Marlins and is expected to remain with the club in the rotation during the remainder of Hill's injury.

At Columbus, Balester was 9-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 15 starts.  In 78 2/3 innings, Balester gave up 79 hits and walked 23 while striking out 64.  Balester joined the team out of Huntington Beach High School in California and is just 22 years old.  According to Baseball America, Balester is considered to be the third best prospect in the organization behind outfielder/first baseman Chris Marrero and left-handed pitcher Ross Detweiler.

Have you noticed how well the Royals are playing? Saturday's loss notwithstanding, they've been on fire. Well, not literally, of course; that would be bad. But before last night, they'd won six straight and 11 out of 12. They even managed to extricate themselves from last place for a moment.

Sure, they got to play the Giants and Rockies during that stretch, but they've also had to face a tough St. Louis club, winning four of five against the Cardinals so far. The pitching staff is starting to Meche (sorry, couldn't resist!) and the bats have warmed up this month:

Apr: .259/.316/.364, 3.70 R/G
May: .258/.309/.358, 3.48 R/G
Jun: .270/.323/.447, 5.12 R/G

In particular, David DeJesus (.361/.426/.608), Jose Guillen (.353/.374/.647), and everyone's favorite savior Mike Aviles (.333/.360/.580) have provided a serious spark. No, it may not be enough to get the Royals into contention (although as of this writing they're only 8 1/2 games out of first place), but it could be enough to keep them out of the cellar. That may not seem like much, but for a team that has finished each of the past four seasons in last place, it's a start. Baby steps...

Chicago Cubs    

Jose Ascanio - Recalled from Iowa (AAA).
Scott Eyre - Left groin injury, 15-day DL.
    
Kansas City    

Billy Butler - Recalled from Omaha (AAA).
Alberto Callaspo - Undisclosed, 15-day DL.
    
Los Angeles Anaheim    

Maicer Izturis - Missed 5 games (hamstring).
    
NY Yankees    

Oneli Perez - Designated for assignment.
Kei Igawa - Optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA).
    
Pittsburgh    

John Van Benschoten - Recalled from Indianapolis (AAA).
Nyjer Morgan - Optioned to Indianapolis (AAA).
Franquelis Osoria - Right ankle injury, 15-day DL.
Jimmy Barthmaier - Optioned to Indianapolis (AAA).
Denny Bautista - Arm injury, 15-day DL.
T.J. Beam - Recalled from Indianapolis (AAA).
    
Texas    

Warner Madrigal - Recalled from Oklahoma (AAA).
Kason Gabbard - Elbow injury, 15-day DL.

- Vernon Wells and Rod Barajas each doubled and homered, and John Parrish threw 6 strong innings as the Blue Jays held on to beat the Braves, 9-5. Gregor Blanco had 4 hits for Atlanta.
- Andy Pettitte gave the Yankees a gutsy effort for 6 innings, and Robinson Cano contributed 2 hits and a key RBI to lead the Yankees over the Mets, 3-2.
- Adam Dunn was on base 3 times and hit a solo home run, Paul Bako drove in 3 runs, and Johnny Cueto tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings as the Reds blanked the Indians, 5-0. Casey Blake went 3-for-3 for Cleveland.
- Rookie  Ty Taubenheim gave Pittsburgh 6 solid innings, and Jason Bay provided the heroics with a solo home run in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Pirates walked-off with a 4-3 win over the Rays.
- Adam Jones went 4-for-5 and scored 3 runs, and Garrett Olson knocked in a run and gave up just one over 5 innings as the Orioles obliterated the Nationals, 9-1.
- Rick Ankiel provided the big offensive blow with a 2-run home run, and Mitchell Boggs threw 6 strong innings as the Cardinals rebounded to beat the Royals, 5-1.
- Tim Lincecum struck out 11 through 7 brilliant scoreless innings, and San Francisco scratched across a run on a sacrifice fly, despite collecting just 2 hits on the afternoon, as the Giants edged the A's, 1-0. Justin Duchscherer was superb for Oakland, giving up just one run on 2 hits in 8 innings.
- Alexei Ramirez hit a double and a home run, Jermaine Dye launched a 2-run blast, and Carlos Quentin hit his 18th home run of the year to put the White Sox up for good in the 7th inning and give them a 6-5 victory over the Cubs.
- Carlos Lee went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBI and Mark Loretta crushed a 3-run home run, but it was Lance Berkman's 2-run double in the last of the 8th inning that propelled Houston into the lead and helped them out-slug the Red Sox, 11-10. Dustin Pedroia had 4 hits for Boston, and Mike Lowell went 4-for-4 with 2 doubles, a home run, and 3 RBI.
- Ryan Raburn reached base 3 times and hit a grand slam, and Miguel Cabrera singled and later doubled in the 2 winning runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to lead the Tigers to an 7-6 walk-off win over the Rockies. Chris Iannetta and Willy Taveras each had 3 hits for Colorado while Edgar Renteria picked up 3 knocks of his own for Detroit.
- Chris Young doubled, tripled, and drove in 3 runs, and Mark Reynolds hit 2 doubles and knocked in 2 more to give Brandon Webb all the offensive support he would need to pick up his 12th win of the year, a 6-2 Diamondbacks victory over the Marlins.
- Manny Parra allowed just 2 hits in 7 scoreless innings, and Bill Hall doubled and drove in 2 runs on the day as the Brewers finally ended the Twins winning streak, 5-1.
- Chase Utley hammered 2 doubles and a solo home run, and Ryan Howard hit a 2-run shot that traveled over 420 feet to lead the Phillies to an 8-6 victory over the Rangers. Ian Kinsler and Michael Young had 3 hits apiece for Texas.
- Adrian Beltre went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI, and Carlos Silva gave up 2 runs over 7 innings as the Mariners sent the Padres to their 7th straight loss, 4-2.
- Chad Billingsley pitched 7 shutout innings, and Matt Kemp scored the game's only run on 2 errors and a sacrifice fly as the Dodgers nipped the Angels, 1-0, despite not recording a single hit on the evening. Jered Weaver (6 innings) and Jose Arredando (2 innings) combined on an 8 inning no-hitter but still lost the game.

Saturday's Scoreboard

American League

National League

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Atlanta 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 5 10 0 Toronto « 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 3 X 9 12 0 W:J.Parrish(1-0) L:T.Hudson(8-6) HR: ATL- M.Teixeira (16) TOR- V.Wells (8), R.Barajas (6)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Chicago Cubs 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 0 Chicago WSox « 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 6 10 0 W:M.Thornton(4-1) L:C.Marmol(1-3) S:B.Jenks (18) HR: CHC- None CWS- J.Dye (18), C.Quentin (18), A.Ramirez (5)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cincinnati « 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 5 8 0 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 W:J.Cueto(6-8) L:P.Byrd(3-9) HR: CIN- A.Dunn (19) CLE- None   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Colorado 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4