Hiroki Kuroda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When an MLB team’s roster features Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte and Robinson Cano getting overlooked is not uncommon.

The New York Yankees roster, or current DL is littered with stars that have all rightfully earned their popularity over the years.

But if I had to name the Yankees most valuable player this season, Hiroki Kuroda would be on the top of the list.

Gazing at his numbers (stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com), Kuroda has actually been the Yankees most dependable starter since he joined the team in 2012. (more…)

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The bottom of the ninth inning was an absolute mess. Only one person truly did something right in the inning – Andrew McCutchen singled to right to put men on the corners with one out. Marte had reached on a gift bloop single and Snider took his place on a force out, then moved to third on Cutch’s hit. With a chance to win the game, Brandon Inge tapped a ball harmlessly to the pitcher…who bobbled the ball and didn’t record an  out. Bases loaded. Neil Walker had a dreadful at bat and struck out looking. Two outs. Russell Martin worked a full count. A big PNC Park crowd was on its feet. And then….

Strangest walk-off I have ever seen. The Pirates didn’t even know if / how to celebrate. The faces of the Astros players were cringe-worthy. If I had been a fan of any other team all my life, I’d feel bad (it’s hard not to), but we’ve seen the Pirates lose games in all kinds of ways over the years. Never like that. This is the only comparison I can recall, but it doesn’t involve the clumsiness of a collision. Just absurd. The Astros really are that bad. 

The game was messy before the ninth, too. The Bucs had given Houston a run by throwing the ball away twice on a stolen base attempt (keyed by Clint Barmes dropping a throw from Martin that looked like a sure out), Jeanmar Gomez wasn’t too good – just 4.2 innings and four runs (three earned). The Astros contributed to the start of the Bucs’ comeback with a three base error on a ball McCutchen hit to right, and Garrett Jones cashed it in with a double.

The Bucco comeback wasn’t totally fueled by the Astros, though. Pedro Alvarez delivered the tying shot, and boy was it a shot. Watch it right now if you haven’t seen it yet.

He missed the river (on the fly) by about five feet. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone be so “all over” a pitch from the center field view, and the result was just as impressive. It also came at a crucial time, with one out in the eighth inning.

Oh yeah – McCutchen also homered in the first inning. The bullpen also deserved kudos – Vin Mazzaro, Tony Watson, and Justin Wilson all combined for zeroes to enable the Bucs to come back and win. It was probably the most bizarre win you’ll see all year…but it’s a win, and the Bucs’ fourth victory in a row.

Pirates 5, Astros 4 / Box / 2013 Record: 25-17 / Next: Saturday, vs Astros, 7:05

Source: FanGraphs

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

If there is one true unwritten rule about Major League Baseball players it is that good players make adjustments. Good hitters get into slumps but make good adjustments to pull themselves out of it. Good pitchers suddenly have problems and make adjustments to regain their control. This is the mark of a player that is going from a ballplayer to a very good ballplayer. Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis has made one such adjustment and it is paying off big for the Indians.

Since May 3 Kipnis has twelve extra-base hits in thirteen games. He has been one of the hotter hitters in baseball over that stretch and gives all of the credit to a shorter swing and squaring up at the plate. He is able to put the ball in play more and that has led to all kinds of good things happening. The latest good showing he had was the walk-off three-run homer against the Seattle Mariners to close out the 10 inning Friday contest 6 – 3.

With Michael Bourn struggling just a little to regain his form after coming back to the team, Kipnis being able to provide the type of consistent offense he has provided is more than great for the Indians. They are towards the top of the three-way fight for the lead in the American League Central and consistent production from everyone in the line-up, especially guys like Kipnis and Mark Reynolds are reasons why they will stay  up there.

David Miller is a Senior Writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google₊.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

So we are now a quarter of the way through the baseball season and much to everyone’s surprise, the New York Yankees sit atop the American League East. Many of the pieces that general manager Brian Cashman has put together have worked out better than anyone could have expected. One of Cashman’s flyers that hasn’t panned out is outfielder Ben Francisco.

The Yankees were hoping that Francisco would be a right-handed power threat that would platoon with Travis Hafner at the designated hitter spot. Well, to be honest, things couldn’t be going much worse. On Friday Francisco collected another 0-4 outing, with a strikeout, bringing his average down to .114. If this were the beginning of the season, I would say he might work himself out of this funk, but it isn’t early in the season anymore. The time has come to either send Francisco down to the minors or just cut him altogether; either option is fine with me. There just has to be a better option in the minors or outside of the organization.

There is something else that has me scratching my head about this whole situation and that is the way Francisco has been used. On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays sent lefty Mark Buehrle to the mound so manager Joe Girardi wanted to sit Curtis Granderson, because he struggles against lefties, and that meant Francisco would play. I get all that, but what I don’t understand is why is he batting fifth in the order behind Vernon Wells. With this lineup, Wells gets no protection and the opposition can basically pitch around one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters.

Here’s hoping that when I go to the Yankees’ page at MLB.com tomorrow morning, I see that Francisco is no longer on the roster, but I’m worried I’m just as likely to see him batting clean up in Saturday’s game. Why he has lasted this long, I just don’t know. Can someone out there explain it to me?

Darren Pare is a baseball writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at dpare71, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Another game, another hit for New York Yankees‘ rookie third baseman David Adams. Actually, in this case, another two hits. In Friday night’s series opening win against the Toronto Blue Jays, Adams singled and doubled off Jays starter Mark Buehrle, giving him a three-game hitting streak to open his career. He’s the first Yankee to have an extra base hit in two of his first three since Steve Balboni did it for the Yankees all the way back in 1981.

Adams can provide the Yankees some versatility while he’s with the big club (he can play second and first base too), but he’s expected to primarily play third base until Kevin Youkilis comes back from the DL. Yankee fans have been waiting to see Adams in pinstripes since his name first surfaced back in July of 2010 as part of a potential trade for Cliff Lee. Although not the centerpiece of the deal (that was Jesus Montero), his ankle injury was a major sticking point for the Seattle Mariners, who ended up trading Lee to the Texas Rangers.

This spring, Adams’ Yankees career was in doubt after the club released him in order to make room for Vernon Wells. Days later, he was resigned and started the season in the minors. He was hitting .316 in AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre before he was called up.

Adams knows this is the shot he has been waiting for and is off to a great start. When Youkilis returns, Adams is likely headed back down, but he can make a name for himself in the interim.

B.L. is a sports writer for Rant Sports who can be followed @coachlip

Other articles by B.L. you might like: Mariano Greatest Ever?

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for veteran right-handed pitcher Jose Contreras, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had to place him on the bereavement list due to a death in his family. To replace Contreras in the bullpen, the Pirates have recalled Jared Hughes. Hughes had initially been optioned to Triple-A when the Pirates originally promoted Contreras a few weeks ago.

In just four innings in 2013, Contreras has pitched to a 4.50 ERA with five hits allowed, four strikeouts and one walk. Overall, he has been effective, aside from one bad appearance against the New York Mets.

Hughes, the man the Pirates have chosen to replace Contreras, had begun the 2013 season in the Pirates’ bullpen. However, the 27-year-old pitcher struggled mightily in his time with the Pirates. In 13.2 innings, Hughes allowed 13 hits and nine walks. He also pitched very badly in high-leverage situations, resulting in a 1-2 record and a 4.61 ERA.

In 2012, Hughes was a dominant reliever for the Pirates. In 75.2 innings last season, Hughes pitched to a 2.85 ERA. A lot of that must have involved luck and timely ground ball double plays, because he had a 1.61 WHIP, with 65 hits allowed and 22 walks.

While playing for Triple-A Indianapolis, Hughes pitched in 6.2 innings, allowing five hits and three walks. He didn’t give up any runs, but eight base runners in 6.2 innings is still too many. If he wasn’t able to keep guys off base in the minor leagues, I don’t see why he will be able to in the MLB.

In a perfect world, Hughes will be able to get back to his 2012 self while Contreras is on the bereavement list, but I don’t think that will happen.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

A few days ago, Mike Francesa spouted one of his typical diatribes of the New York Mets on WFAN. The team was in the midst of its six-game skid, and, if not for the Miami Marlins, they would have been tumbling further to the bottom of the National League East. Francesa had this to say:

“This is not for David Wright. This is not for Matt Harvey. It’s not for [Bobby] Parnell, either. But, for any other Met, this is for you: You stink. That’s basically it. The rest of you, forget it. It’s just absolutely awful. … There’s about 20 guys (on the roster), get them out of here.”

It’s been quite obvious to Mets fans that Harvey and Wright have been playing All-Star and perhaps even award-winning caliber baseball thus far. Even Parnell has looked like the rock of Gibraltar compared to previous seasons. Still, it seems as though the Mets may have one unsung hero that Francesa passed over, and that is second baseman Daniel Murphy.

Granted, at the time, Murphy was sporting a .258 batting average with an OBP shy of .300. This is hardly the performance of an All-Star, but after a hot streak Murphy ignited the day after Francesa’s rant, his average has climbed to .296, and he has a wOBA of .341, an offensive on par with two-time All-Star Brandon Phillips. Murphy has put his name on a sh0rt list of very productive offensive second basemen.

A year ago, mentioning Murphy as an All-Star candidate at any position would have been far-fetched at best. His bat was light for a first baseman or corner outfielder, and his defense at second was questionable, to say the least. Even mentioning it five days ago would have warranted some odd looks.

Today, however, it looks like a possibility. Murphy’s offensive performance has him as one of the National League’s Top 5 second basemen, good enough to make voting for him feasible at least. Defensively, Murph has made only two errors,  UZR has him as a positive defender at second base, and most fans would agree with the assessment

Matt Carpenter has topped the list in overall performance for NL second basemen, but compared to other positions the bar isn’t set so high. A few more good weeks out of Murphy and the Mets may have an All-Star on their hands.

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