SARATOGA, NY–It was a busy Memorial Day Weekend for Major League Baseball the past few days. In case you were out barbecuing or just enjoy the outdoors, us here at Meet The Matts have you covered! Here are three surprising MLB storylines from over the weekend:
Los Angeles Dodgers Starter Throws A No-Hitter: It wasn’t too long ago when Beckett was in the middle of all the scrutiny and controversy in the Boston Red Sox organization. The Red Sox traded Beckett, along with Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto, in the August of the 2012 season after the starter began the season with a 5–11 and a 5.23 ERA. Since the trade, the 2003 MVP has been both ineffective and injury-prone for the Dodgers, until this year. Beckett came into Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies owning a 2-1 record and 2.89 ERA in eight starts. When Beckett took the mound in the bottom of the first Sunday, he came ready to dominate. The Dodger threw 128 pitches in the 6-0 victory, good for his first career no-hitter. During the nine-inning performance, Beckett recorded six strikeouts and three walks in his performance on Sunday.
Manny Ramirez is Back: Who’s missed ManRam?!? Ladies and gentlemen… Manny Ramirez is back in baseball. The former Texas Ranger signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Cubs want Ramirez to mentor their young prospects on their Triple-A team. According to Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein, the 41-year-old will be a player-coach for the Iowa Cubs.
“While Manny is not and will not be a fit on the Cubs’ major league roster, we do think at this stage of his life he’s a nice fit as a mentor for some of the young talented hitters we have in the organization,” Epstein said. “Manny will coach full-time and play part-time in a limited role that does not take at-bats away from our prospects.
“If he shows there is still some magic in his bat, perhaps he will find his way to the major leagues and help another team, but that is not why he is here. We are thrilled that he wants to work with our young hitters and make a difference.”
The Cubs must be really desperate if they want a player who’s been suspended from the Major League Baseball on more than one occasion for performance-enhancing drugs. But hey, I guess you try everything you can when your team is 12 games under .500 before June.
The Boston Red Sox Have Lost 10 Straight: October seems like a long, long time ago, doesn’t it? After Sunday’s 8-6 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox have fallen eight games back of the first place Toronto Blue Jays. With Mike Napoli heading to the disabled list, Boston took another hit to their already depleted roster. Like they say… You may not be able to win a World Series in April and May, but you can certainly lose it. The Red Sox have to rally right now and not let this 10-game losing streak crush their spirits, because it’s not too late to turn this ship around.
Feel free to comment below and come back for Walter “The Grinding Ax” Hynes, tomorrow. You can also follow us on Twitter at @Ebstide52 and @MeetTheMatts.
