PTC: Harmon’s Blog 6.12 MLB, Brawl, Saw, Dora & Fantasy

The top headline of the night came from Los Angeles. No, Yasiel Puig didn’t add to his gaudy first-week stats. Rather, the Cuban sensation was at the heart of a bench-clearing donnybrook between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Fantasy owners should note that Kenley Jansen displaced Brandon League in the closer role and finished off the […]

PTC: Harmon’s Blog 6.7 w/ MLB, NHL, Mom Fight, Puig & More

I’ve got a good hook for a new commercial. “I’m Yasiel Puig.” The Cuban sensation launched another home run deep into the Los Angeles night on Thursday, his third since being called up by the Dodgers to start the week. Dylan Hernandez write of the Puig phenomenon. Hernandez also reports that Carl Crawford’s hamstring strain […]

PTC: Harmon’s Blog 6.6 MLB, NFL Movement, Newton & More

Harmon’s Blog 6.6 returns with baseball action, NFL theories and movie magic. In a city of stars, where Hollywood heroes assembled at Staples Center to watch the Kings and Blackhawks, a young Cuban outfielder shone brightest on Tuesday night. Yasiel Puig made his debut on Monday and produced a ridiculous outfield assist to end the […]

PTC: Harmon’s Blog 531 W/ Fantasy Baseball, Dark Knight & The Expendables

We are in that portion of the season where pitching rotations have been ravaged by injuries. No team has been hit as hard by injuries as the St. Louis Cardinals, who promoted 21-year-old Michael Wacha to pitch Thursday’s game against the Royals. He allowed one earned run on two hits in seven innings while striking […]

PTC: Harmon’s Blog With Baseball, 49ers & BullFrog 58

Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel, untouchable in 2012, blew his third save opportunity in his past five tries on Tuesday night against the Reds. Kimbrel allowed two home runs in this outing (Shin-Soo Choo and pinch-hitter Devin Mesoraco) and raised his ERA to 3.38. He’s still striking out batters at a strong pace, but he’s been […]

PTC: Harmon’s Blog With Fantasy Notes, Matt Kemp & More

The Red Sox have been one of the great surprises early this MLB season. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz (you can talk about “cheating” at your leisure) are dealing at the top of the rotation and David Ortiz possesses a 26-game hitting streak dating back to last season. The potential problem that has arisen for […]

PTC: Harmon’s Baseball Blog W/ Fantasy Notes, Pop Culture & More

Did you bet the Derby favorite? Did you spend your hard-earned dollars on Saturday’s Mayweather PPV? If you enjoy yourself a good Mint Julep, you can dole out a cool $1,000 and procure a beautiful cup. Yu Darvish didn’t extend his modest winning streak against the Red Sox on Sunday. He did, however, rack up […]

PTC: Harmon’s Baseball Blog 5.3 With Fantasy Notes, Pop Culture & More

The Cubs have a minor league prospect named Rock Shoulders. That’s right. He’s now a member of the All-Name Team without rising to the major league roster. Shoulders enters Friday’s play with a dominant .365 batting average (31-for-85) with 13 extra-base hits (five home runs) and 17 RBI. He’s struck out 23 times in 85 […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Baseball Blog With Fantasy Notes & More 5.2

Let’s kick things off with a great accessory for grilling season. That’s right. It’s May, so even those still thawing out from mutant snowstorms will be firing up their grills in no time flat. What else needs to be said? You can

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Baseball Blog (And More) 4.23

Congratulations to Felix Hernandez, who earned the 100th win of his career against the Astros on Monday night. Hernandez pitched six shutout innings with nine strikeouts, allowing five hits and a walk. Despite velocity concerns (see below), Hernandez has recorded 37 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings pitched this season. Many sniping 140-character comments have been […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.18

Brett Lawrie made his season debut for the Blue Jays on Tuesday against the White Sox. Lawrie’s gone hitless in seven at-bats with four strikeouts and one RBI. I only felt compelled to put a line on him here because he’s returned to third base. Those salivating about a potential move to second base will […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.17

Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports that Hanley Ramirez expects to rejoin the team earlier than the proposed mid-May timetable. The struggling Dodgers lineup could use Ramirez right now. Only the Marlins have scored fewer runs this season. Miami batters have combined to hit three home runs this season. Perhaps that will change […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes For 4.16

Last night, I sat quietly to review the day’s activities, catch up on the latest news from Boston and to find some peace. I found several reasons to go upstairs to my office (the forgotten notepad, Sharpie, headphones, etc.), a path that forced me past my sleeping children. Both were sound asleep with, maybe just […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.15

I had a chance to take in 42 over the weekend. Here’s the review on the site . If reading the lengthy account isn’t your thing, or you like the sound of my voice, then you can get a bit of the same here . According to ” The Boston Globe , John Lackey has […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.9

Initial X-rays from Los Angeles revealed no break in Jered Weaver’s left arm on Sunday. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Weaver had, in fact, sustained a “non-displaced radial head fracture in his left elbow. Garrett Richards will take his spot in the rotation, and strikeout machine Dane De La Rosa was recalled from the […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.8

I shan’t belabor the point. I wrote about this subject on the Dome early Sunday morning as it was announced and as Chicago reliever Carlos Marmol’s Wikipedia page was corrupted . Marmol was officially removed from the closer role in Chicago. He allowed earned runs in each of his first three appearances, including a two-home […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.4

As I wrote in yesterday’s PTC, Carlos Marmol’s hold on the Chicago closer job is tenuous. His effort against the Pirates on Thursday afternoon didn’t do anything to help solidify things. Marmol inherited a 3-0 lead, but then surrendered two earned runs on three hits and a walk. The fact that he was able to […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.3

Don’t you just love day baseball? As you ponder TPS Reports and reasons (some legit) to blow off a meeting, you can monitor the diamond and bemoan the early-season exploits of your lineup. Or, you can celebrate “Senior Prom” like the Rays. Let’s get into the notes from Wednesday’s action. I prefer the term “quick […]

Painting The Corner: Harmon’s Hardball Notes 4.2

Welcome to the new world order. This is the first entry in a new series dedicated to the good, bad and ugly of the day’s baseball activity. I’ll peruse the notes in the Twitterverse, monitor local views and get you ready to dominate the office water cooler. Carl Crawford was out of the lineup for […]