Michael Bourn is questionable for Opening Day

By Craig CalcaterraMar 17, 2014, 2:30 PM EDT
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Michael Bourn strained his surgically-repaired left hamstring yesterday and now his Opening Day is in doubt:

 

It would appear that Michael Brantley will shift over to center until Bourn can return.

Any extended absence for Bourn would be bad news, as the Indians need him to be a spark plug. If they want to repeat or improve upon their 92-win season last season, it’d be way easier if Bourn and Nick Swisher returned to form.

Editor’s Note: Hardball Talk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $100,000 Fantasy Baseball league for Opening Day’s games (March 31). It’s $25 to join and first prize is $15,000. Starts at 1:05pm ET on Opening Day. Here’s the FanDuel link.

Video: Cubs score run on Pirates’ appeal throw

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
By Bill BaerSep 15, 2019, 6:04 PM EDT
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2019 has been one long nightmare for the Pirates. They’re in last place in the NL Central, have had multiple clubhouse fights, and can’t stop getting into bench-clearing incidents. The embarrassment continued on Sunday as the club lost 16-6 to the Cubs, suffering a three-game series sweep in Chicago.

One of those 16 runs the Pirates allowed was particularly noteworthy. In the bottom of the third inning, with the game tied at 5-5, the Cubs had runners on first and second with two outs. Tony Kemp hit a triple to right field, allowing both Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward to score to make it 7-5. The Pirates thought one of the Cubs’ base runners didn’t touch third base on their way home. Reliever Michael Feliz attempted to make an appeal throw to third base, but it was way too high for Erik González to catch, so Kemp scored easily on the error.

The Pirates lost Friday’s game to the Cubs 17-8 and Saturday’s game 14-1. They were outscored 47-15 in the three-game series. According to Baseball Reference, since 1908, the Pirates never allowed 14+ runs in three consecutive games and only did it two games in a row twice before this series, in 1949 and in 1950. The Cubs scored 14+ in three consecutive games just one other time, in 1930.