HBT Breakfast Wrap - MLB

I missed a lot of the late afternoon and evening stories yesterday because I had to take my son to soccer. Can I tell you how miserable soccer has been this spring? Tons of cancellations, but they don’t cancel until you’ve already got the boy into his shin guards and cleats and taken him out to the soccer fields, so you’ve already disrupted your day. And when we have played, it’s been a muddy mess of awfulness. Even the boy — who likes soccer — is ready for it to be over. And of course, after we got to the field last night they canceled it due to lightning and stuff.

So I took the kids to Steak ‘n Shake for dinner. That trip was worth it, though, if for no other reason than I encountered Steak ‘n Shake’s new special burger. Hmmm, I wonder who they’re trying to rip off with that? Note to Steak ‘n Shake: the palm tree logo may be a bridge too far. But hey, in the interests of science I ordered it. The verdict: still tasty, but really not much at all like an In-n-Out Burger Double-Double. I have much love in my heart for you Steak ‘n Shake, but please, stick to what you know. Anyway:

Miguel Cairo: cleanup hitter.
Derek Lowe’s DUI charges were dropped. This is probably worth remembering if and when the MLBPA and MLB try to work on enhanced penalties for bad off-field behavior. Personally, I have no problem waiting for the legal process to play out to some degree to see if there’s any there there before a baseball-imposed penalty comes down.
Carl Crawford is en fuego.
The Cubs and Braves made a trade.
The Royals and Rockies did too.
An update on Buster Posey’s conditon.
Brett Favre? Sure, Brett Favre ; and finally
Aroldis Chapman is not doing any better in AAA than he did in the majors.

One more soccer game this spring. Next Thursday. I can’t decide if I should just pray for more rain now and get it over with or if I should actually hope it happens.

ATLANTA (AP) Right-hander Darren O'Day, who posted a 4.15 ERA in 28 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2022, announced Monday he is retiring after 15 seasons for six teams in the major leagues.

O’Day said on his Twitter account “it’s finally time to hang ’em up.”

“The mental, physical and time demands have finally outweighed my love for the game,” O’Day said.

O’Day, 40, featured an unconventional sidearm delivery. He was 42-21 with a 2.59 ERA in 644 games, all in relief. He made his major league debut in 2008 with the Angels and pitched seven seasons, from 2012-18, for the Baltimore Orioles.

He posted a 4.43 ERA in 30 postseason games, including the 2010 World Series with the Texas Rangers.

O’Day also pitched for the New York Mets and New York Yankees. He pitched for the Braves in 2019-20 before returning for his second stint with the team last season. He became a free agent following the season.

He set a career high with six saves for Baltimore in 2015, when he was 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA and was an AL All-Star.