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The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
Jerry Burnes of Beyond the Box Score talked about six prospects that are ready for the show.
Here is a roundup of the latest news from the American League East.
It's time to buy into Daniel Murphy, says Dave Cameron of FanGraphs.
He’s still a 31 year old middle infielder, of course, so there’s some inevitable age-related decline coming. And anyone running a .427 BABIP is due for some natural regression. Murphy probably just had his Bill Mueller in 2003 season, and we should expect something more like above-average production than elite offense going forward. But Murphy has been crushing the ball long enough, and has made clear structural changes to his game, that this no longer qualifies as an example of a guy riding the good waves of fortune in a 25 game stretch. Over the last year, Daniel Murphy has been the best second baseman in baseball; he probably won’t keep that up, but he’s done enough to be recognized as a good player now.
Kyle Lohse threw for teams yesterday, looking for a comeback to the majors.
The 2016 Cubs are looking like the 1998 New York Yankees (Insider required).
Generally, however, the series wasn't competitive: The Cubs dominated Pittsburgh over the three days, outscoring the Pirates 20-5, outhitting them 34-21 and nearly doubling the number of walks drawn, 15 to eight. This season, the Cubs have collected 139 walks and allowed just 66, a set of numbers that is at the heart of their success.
Here's what is a little frightening about all of this for other NL teams, including the Pirates and Cardinals, who are faced with the task of trying to run down Chicago over the rest of the season: Individually, most of the 2016 Cubs -- like the '98 Yankees -- aren't necessarily playing at their best.
Tony La Russa downplayed a report that Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale is under fire.
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Today in Baseball History: In 1982, Gaylord Perry wins his 300th game.