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Sometimes Mark Reynolds is going to hit home runs. This is an unfortunate fact of life that put a damper on an excellent day by Brandon Morrow and some late heroics from Jose Bautista. The bats haven't arrived from Dunedin just yet but it's far, far, far too early to panic. A nice alternative to panicking is indulging in some morning links.
JAYS LINKS
Davidi on Blue Jays: tough loss to Indians - Sportsnet.ca
"Brandon Morrow kept the Blue Jays in the game and Jose Bautista tied the score with a ninth-inning inning home run, but it wasn’t enough for the Blue Jays, who lost to the Indians in 11 innings."
He's pitching on consecutive days so Gibbons can't be that concerned
Bautista defends protests against umpires; Blanco to catch Dickey's next start - The Globe and Mail
Who's surprised about the second half of that headline?
Davidi on Blue Jays: Umpire talk frustrates Bautista - Sportsnet.ca
Quite the quotation from Bautista, "I have trouble more than other players dealing with my production being affected by somebody else's mediocrity"
AL EAST LINKS
Examining the Orioles' Ideal Platoon Lineups - Camden Chat
"How should the team deploy its hitters?"
Thoughts On The Rays' fWAR - DRaysBay
"Why have the Rays won more games than their WAR expects?"
Do the Red Sox have a fireman in Andrew Bailey? - Over the Monster
"Andrew Bailey played the fireman in Monday's win over the Yankees. Is this his role for the coming season?"
"The Red Sox' three-game set in the Bronx against the Yankees that kicks off their 2013 campaign is just the first test in what will be a rigorous April schedule"
Cano says his focus remains on baseball, not rap - Sportsnet.ca
"A day after getting rid of agent Scott Boras in favour of Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports and baseball agent Brodie Van Wagenen, Robinson Cano says his focus remains on baseball."
THE REST OF THE BASEBALL UNIVERSE LINKS
A Small Assortment of Batter Times to First | FanGraphs Baseball
I had no idea Michael Morse was so slow...
Dodgers notes: Clayton Kershaw contract extension not imminent - MLB Daily Dish
I don't see it happening but it's fun to imagine what kind of contract Kershaw could get as a free agent after the 2014 season if he keeps up his current pace.
Houston has problems but unorthodox approach is still the right one | The Strike Zone - SI.com
A look into the what makes the Houston Astros tick. There are definitely snarky comments to be made here but the reality is that this is a team on the right track, however ugly 2013 will be.
Yu Darvish, Now Throwing Harder | FanGraphs Baseball
Quite the terrifying proposition.
"Saying he hopes to keep the matter out of the courts, San Jose mayor Chuck Reed has requested a meeting with Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig to discuss the Oakland A's pursuit of a San Jose ballpark."
CBS tries to be tongue-in-cheek about not drawing too many conclusions about the first couple of days of baseball and yet they have the Dodgers jumping 6 spots based on Clayton Kershaw having one awesome day.
NON-BASEBALL LINK OF THE DAY
BBC News - Exhaled breath is unique fingerprint
Scientists report that compounds present in breath are unique to individuals - a "breathprint" - and could be exploited in a range of medical applications.