National League Page 7 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Are the Mets toast?
It’s rarely a good idea to try and judge what a team is in the middle of a losing or winning streak. No team is ever as good for a whole season as they are when winning eight in a row. Nor are they truly as bad as when they spend a week and a half looking like the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But these ...

Hear me out: Willy Adames has been second only to Tatis at shortstop this season
Who’s been the best shortstop in baseball this year? Fernando Tatis is probably the first person that comes to mind. I agree with that. Who’s number two? Bogaerts? Correa? Turner? Crawford? Bichette? Story? Yeah, those are all very good players....

J.R. Richard was so much more than a pitcher who lost it all in the blink of an eye
J.R. Richard, one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball history and one of its most tragic tales, died on Wednesday, it was confirmed by the Houston Astros. He was 71....

Milwaukee’s Peralta: 2021 NL Cy Young winner? (Don't tell me you just said, 'What?!')
Well, this trade deadline was crazy. The Dodgers continue to throw insane amounts of money at every problem they have. The Yankees teased the Red Sox by picking up Anthony Rizzo. So, why don’t we just take a small step back from all the trade talk and talk instead about someone who’s not getting nea...

You get a high-impact player! And YOU get a high-impact player!
Well, I’ve been having an aneurysm trying to keep up with all the trades happening in Major League Baseball today and late last night. We here at Deadspin have talked about a few of them already, but it seems like every half hour another impactful trade happens — so we’re rounding up all of the most...

Who’s the Evil Empire now?
LOS ANGELES — It is official: The Los Angeles Dodgers are now the new Evil Empire....

Look, I’d love to blame Tony La Russa too, but…
It makes for an easy narrative, and one all of us that wants to see baseball evolve into something more fun can easily grab onto. ...

Deadspin predicts: Teams that will improve, or regress, in the second half
The All-Star Game has come and gone. The American League continues to wreck the Senior Circuit year-in, year-out, and it’s abundantly clear that Vladdy Jr., Shohei Ohtani, and Liam Hendriks are the coolest dudes in the sport. Now, the attention turns to the second half of the season. Will the teams ...

Uniform uniforms was a baaaaaaaaaad choice
Every sport’s All-Star Game features the best players. What’s made baseball’s Midsummer Classic unique, and many would say the best showcase around, is that you get to see things you wouldn’t see in an ordinary game, while the game still remains true to itself. Last night we saw the American League ...

This is just awful
Sometimes things happen that just suck. That’s currently the case. Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña has torn his ACL and will undergo season-ending surgery....

We've got some midseason baseball awards
Let’s hand out some fake awards, because why not. The baseball season is nearing the halfway point, with the sport shutting down for the All-Star Break after this coming Sunday. Some familiar names have dominated headlines, but a few surprises have worked their way into the conversation as well....

Mookie Betts is great, but he shouldn’t be an All-Star
Personally, I was shocked when Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Austin Meadows earned a spot as an All-Star reserve on the American League squad. While I do believe Meadows is a fantastic player, he’s hitting just .242 with 16 homers and an .821 OPS. Those are good numbers, but All-Star worthy? Now that’...

Nick Castellanos has mastered the untimely home run
Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos has arguably been the Reds’ best hitter this season. He leads the team in batting average, OPS, RBI, and WAR. He’s hit some timely home runs. He’s 22 for 73 (.301) with runners in scoring position. He’s been a phenomenal ballplayer for the Reds ever since he first set f...

Yeli and Beli both suck now
Not long ago, the game of baseball was in the hands of young superstars Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich. “Yeli vs Belli” was a debate for two years. The Los Angeles Dodger and Milwaukee Brewer, respectively, were lighting the league on fire and ushering in what appeared to be the next generation...

Hey Cardinals fans, would you still rather have Arenado, or Arozarena and Garcia?
First off, I want everyone to know that I know that neither Randy Arozarena nor Adolis Garcia were pieces in St. Louis’s trade for the former Rockies’ third baseman. This is merely a hypothetical question. Both of the young up-and-comers started their professional baseball careers within the St. Lou...

A new HR king declines possible crown, for now
Is this like when LeBron James opted out of the dunk contest early on in his career? Maybe....

HEAR ME OUT: MLB should restructure league like Euro soccer
It’s always neat when a European sporting event comes along and provides some games to watch during the daytime hours here in North America. Right now, it’s the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 soccer tournament, and while the teams involved are national sides, part of the nature of soccer is that there’s...

Rick Wise had the greatest game in baseball history 50 years ago today
Fifty years ago today, Rick Wise performed arguably the most impressive single-game performance in baseball history, throwing a no-hitter while hitting two home runs. The feat has never been duplicated, and is in no danger of being matched unless Shohei Ohtani goes off in a National League park....

The biggest snubs so far in first round of MLB All-Star voting
Yesterday, MLB released its first All-Star voting update after the polls first opened on June 3. However, phase one of All-Star voting does not finish until June 27. When that day comes, only the top-three vote-getters (nine for outfield) at each position will advance to phase two of voting which wi...

Man, do the Cubs need to shut up
I’ve documented how on the field, the Chicago Cubs are quickly becoming one of the stories in Major League Baseball. This is a team that had been partially stripped for parts by its owner (even though he’s tried to duck that in recent days like the coward he is), who also left the roster high and dr...