Joel Hanrahan and the Tigers: A Perfect Match??

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Rumors had been swirling around free agent pitcher Joel Hanrahan since winter. Hanrahan is a proven closer who ran into a some issues last season with the Boston Red Sox posting a 9.82 ERA in just 7 1/3 innings. But in early May the reason for his struggles was revealed. The, now 32-year old right-hander, needed Tommy John Surgery which ended his 2013 season.

Hanrahan has a career ERA of 3.85 and a total 100 career saves. Originally a starting pitcher with the Nationals, he became the Pirates closer in 2011. Hanrahan made the All-Star Team both seasons he played in Pittsburgh collecting 40 saves in 2011 and 36 in 2012.

Hanrahan has now signed with the Tigers .... to read my article about how I think it will affect the Tigers bullpen ..... CLICK HERE!

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Griffin to have Surgery Wednesday, Details Still Shrouded in Mystery

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Since it was reported last week that Oakland A's pitcher A.J. Griffin was seeking a second opinion on his injured elbow. There have been varying reports as to what is to become of the pitcher and his fate for the 2014 season. At first it was will he require surgery at all or just more rehabilitation? Originally diagnosed with flexor tendinitis but having made no real progress in six weeks, Griffin decided on the second opinion.

Then a few days ago  it was reported by CSN Bay Area's Joe Stiglich that Griffin was having Tommy John surgery on Tuesday (what would have been today). That report was then refuted by the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser who spoke with A's assistant general manager David Forst who said that no plans were made for surgery and that Griffin's appointment with Dr. Melhoff was only scheduled for Tuesday (today).

Well Slusser has now confirmed that Griffin will in-fact have season ending surgery but what type has not yet been specified or if it has it has not been released to the public.

Griffin will have elbow surgery in Houston tomorrow.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 29, 2014

In her most recent report for the San Francisco Chronicle of less than an hour ago, Slusser says that not even A's manager Bob Melvin knows the specifics of the surgery. Slusser writes that the surgery could be,

"a Tommy John procedure – the most common elbow surgery – or could involve other elbow ligaments besides the ulnar collateral ligament, or could involve the flexor tendon. Then there are all the unknowns such as cartilage damage, etc. Dr. Thomas Mehlhoff will perform the procedure."

In any case any elbow surgery will end Griffin's 2014 season before it even began. He is expected to return no later than mid season 2015. No specific timeline will be known until the type of surgery he is having is known.

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Melvin did say that he had an idea of who would be next in line if another starter needs to be replaced. Besides Griffin, starter Jarrod Parker is out for the season having had Tommy John surgery during spring training. In their steads Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone have stepped into the rotation. Chavez has been a virtual ace for the A's and Milone has held his own. In the case another starter is needed Melvin said that it will not be long reliever Drew Pomeranz who is comfortable in his role and currently not stretched out enough to move into starting duties. Since the A's will need an extra starter for their double header next week Slusser tweeted that it will likely be Josh Lindbloom or Arnold Leon. Lindbloom pitched the one game of the A's first double header earlier this month.

Melvin says if #Athletics need another starter - and they will for doubleheader next week - it will be Leon or Lindblom. #Athletics
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 29, 2014

At least the Athletics have a plan on starter depth. Losing two starters for the year can be a big blow to a team but so far the A's haven't missed a beat. They are currently sitting atop the AL West at 16-10. Still, although the A's are prepared and ready to continue their strong season, one has to wonder what is with all the secrecy surrounding Griffin's surgery?? 

A's Cepedes Leaves Game Early; Griffin Suffers Setback

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It looks as the the wave of injuries that has already hit the team on the east side of the bay pretty hard, may be on its way to back to Oakland. Yoenis Cespedes, the A’s left fielder, was forced to exit Thursday’s game during the seventh inning. Cespedes has just begun to hit his stride this season. While only batting .238 after getting off to a slow start Cespedes has hit four home runs in the last week.

Unfortunately, it now appears that the 28-year old Cuban star may be sidelined with a hamstring injury after he limped off the Houston Astros’ field at Minute Maid park in the seventh inning. He is expected to be kept out of the A’s lineup for at least a couple days if not more.

To Read More CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC

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Chris Sale to Go on the 15-Day DL. Is he Actually one of the Lucky Ones?

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It was announced Monday night that White Sox pitcher Chris Sale was headed for the 15-day disabled list. Unlike the long list of pitchers before him, however, he does not have ligament damage but a flexor strain. In 2014 that is especially good news for a pitcher suffering from elbow soreness. It makes him extremely lucky, but let’s back up a little.

On Thursday Sale threw a career high 127 pitches in a performance in which he and his opponent, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, both took no-hitters into the sixth inning. Lester and the Red Sox ended up victorious and Sale ended up with a lingering soreness in his left arm. Over the weekend it was made clear by the White Sox manager Robin Ventura that Sale would not be available for his next schedule start Tuesday.

For more on this story CLICK HERE!! Brought to you by Sports Unbiased.

You can find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @SportsUnbiased1.

2014: Life as a MLB Season Ticket Holder: There's Always Hope

Hope is a part of baseball. One of my favorite things about baseball is that there are games almost everyday year-round and for all big-time baseball fans that accounts for about six to seven months of the year, for some much more. Even when your team is eliminated in the playoffs so close to the World Series, every fan can take solace in the fact that there will a new season just six months away. Some fans, Season Ticket Holders (STH) especially, take that hope for a new start and go to fall ball to watch the prospects play in Arizona, keep track of winter ball in other countries and countdown the days to that next trip to Spring Training.  It's something I especially love about being a STH. Your team loses one night, you will always be there the next day with a chance, a hope for your team to be victorious.....

Please CLICK HERE to read more of my column on Sports Unbiased!

Why are Injuries Piling up at Such a Rapid Rate Among MLB Pitchers?

Four Starting Pitchers Go Down to Elbow Injuries in One Week

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Personally I think that it HAS to be some kind of disease that is spreading across the country. I'm serious. Well, not exactly about the "disease" aspect but something is going on around Major League Baseball. In recent years more and more players, especially pitchers have been getting injured, having Tommy John surgery and spending over a year just trying to recover to be able to pitch. When is the barrage of injuries in MLB going to stop?

Many ideas have been tried - everything from lowering pitch counts to the new rule regarding home plate collisions to special helmets for pitchers - yet the number of serious injuries continues to grow. Is it the way that teams are handling the players rehab? Not necessarily as both the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg and Atlanta Braves' Kris Medlen had the surgery in 2012 and their rehabs were handled differently. Yet still both pitchers ended up injured again.

To Read the Remainder of this Story click here! Find more Sports News and Updates on Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source for Sports!

A's Will Have to Start Season Without Griffin, Parker!!

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Sorry don't have time to fill in the details at this moment, I may or may not come back to it but you can read my report on this bad news using the link below .... Baseball Gods Be With Us!! (Here's hoping Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone can get their shit together!) 

Read the Story HERE!!! on MLBAM Affiliated MLB Pro-Blog Outside Pitch Sports 

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And for other MLB News, Updates and Everything A's follow me on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl

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Pioneer Surgeon Jobe dies at age 88

In 1974 surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe treated Los Angeles Dodgers' southpaw Tommy John and changed the face of the game of baseball forever. Jobe performed an experimental surgery on John. He transplanted a tendon to replace a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the pitcher's elbow. John's comeback, thought to never be possible, lasted a successful 14 years. Thus, on that day 40 years ago the then revolutionary and now commonly performed, "Tommy John Surgery" was born. Sadly, Dr. Jobe passed away on Thurday at the age of 88.

Read the rest of the story on  Dr. Jobe on OutsidePitchMLB.com - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a MLB Advanced Media Affiliate 

(*If you would like even more information on the Father of Tommy John Surgery click here.*)

Mets' Matt Harvey May See Some Late Season Action

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Matt Harvey, the ace of the New York Mets, who underwent Tommy John surgery just this past October is recovering at an unexpectedly rapid pace. When it was announced that Harvey would undergo the surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow it was assumed that he would miss all of the 2014 season. The usual recovery period for someone undergoing this kind of surgery is usually 12-15 months. It can take others even longer and has been known in some cases to take up to two years.

Initially, Harvey wanted so much to pitch in 2014 that he was prepared to skip surgery and just work on rehabilitation. Ultimately he opted for the procedure because there is a much greater chance of re-injury in taking he former course of action. Harvey says that he knows in the long run he made the right choice telling Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal,

"It's frustrating knowing I'm not going to spring training and going to pitch, but going forward, you look at some of the deals that have been made, financially, performance-wise, it was the best decision.  Going forward, having a long career, it's a decision I'm happy I've made."

In an unexpected twist however, it was recently reported by Dan Martin of the New York Post that Harvey could begin throwing by February 22, exactly four months to the day that his surgery was performed. He is progressing much faster than anticipated and is very optimistic that he may not miss the entire 2014 season. Harvey would like to get in a couple quality starts by September.

Depending on any setbacks in Harvey's recovery and whether or not the Mets are in post season contention will likely influence how soon the young phenom will be back in the game. If the Mets are out of contention, there is no reason to rush the 24-year old right hander. The Mets have seen this happen before to Atlanta Braves' RHP Brandon Beachy.  Beachy, who returned just 13 months after his surgery re-injured himself requiring yet another surgical procedure. The Mets cannot take that chance with their budding star and Harvey understands that. In his interview with the Post he said,

"I can't throw the uniform on and go back on the mound without the permission of higher-ups."

Harvey coming back by the season's end would be a month or two short of the year long recovery period but with the way he is progressing now it looks as though it may be a strong possibility. Whether or not the Mets decide to take that chance is another story.

Up until his injury last season, Harvey was performing at a Cy Young level. He started the All-Star game at his home park and was was 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA.

For more news from around the league check out MLB Nation!