Michael Young News

On the heels of arguably their most dramatic win of the season, the Phillies are left dealing with an unsettled injury situation.

Josh Lindblom never expected to start in the big leagues. He always viewed himself as a reliever at the highest level and didn't fully commit to starting.

With Ryan Howard out of the lineup, Young is starting at first base, a position he hasn't played since he started a regular-season game there for the Rangers on Sept.

Count me in that latter category, I must confess. I thought the real Mitch Moreland was the one we saw for three years and in the first three weeks of this season - a .264-hitting kind of guy, who couldn't hit lefties and infrequently drove in an important run.

Right-hander Josh Lindblom, who has toiled for both Los Angeles and Philadelphia, will replace injured Alexi Ogando in the starting rotation for the Monday series opener against Oakland.

The Royals just can't play Jeff Francoeur much longer. Might it be time for the super-speedy Jarrod Dyson? On May 5, 2011, Derek Jeter got a day off, having started the season .250/.308/.269 through 27 games and 106 at bats.

Call it a reverse black cat. Call it anything you want. But this Phillies team, which is four games out of first place, is not only not making the playoffs.

MLB Team Report - Oakland Athletics - INSIDE PITCH The Athletics' last view of the Rangers came on the final day of the 2012 season, when Oakland beat Texas to take the AL West title.

On Monday, the Rangers will take on the Athletics for the first time since the A's swept them to clinch the American League West title on the final day of the 2012 regular season.

Sure, the team lost. That's the long and short of the article in front of your eyes.

The Phillies flew here to escape the noise, the grisly sights from a weekend of baseball at home and the burden of a disabled ace.

It's an unpopular opinion - part ways with the manager of a franchise that has been to the World Series twice in the last three years, and is flirting with the best record in baseball.

A LOOK AT EACH RANGER PLAYER'S SALARY: After a busy off-season, the Rangers' 25-man roster will be littered with new faces come opening day.

It wasn't that they thought poorly of Tim Bogar, Alex Ochoa or most of the staff.

Lance Berkman, the Texas Rangers' new designated hitter, was involved in what most would call the team's most heartbreaking moments in its 41-year history.

In his first at-bat with the Phillies, Delmon Young went deep. In his second at-bat he was hit by a pitch, then followed with a single later in the game.

There is more to the infield of the Philadelphia Phillies than Michael Young as an addition.

"Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli are gone? Oh no, what are we going to do? And Mike Adams and Koji Uehara.

When they found a salary-dump opportunity for an immediate requirement, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Michael Young to plug 1 of 5 openings.

Veteran left-handed relievers Neal Cotts and Nate Robertson have been pitching well.