May 6, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Claudio Vargas (46) pitches in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Now, back to baseball. Claudio Vargas spent time in 2011 pitching for the Colorado Rockies AAA team, but the Brewers were the last stop in his MLB career. In 2010, Vargas was worth -0.1 WAR with a 4.76 FIP in 19.2 innings. He struck out 8.2 batters per nine and walked 4.6, and Vargas owns a career 6.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.

Claudio Vargas has a fastball at around 90, and a slider-changeup combination that are both around 81 miles per hour. He isn’t a terrible pitcher, but he is below-average, and he’ll probably be good for somewhere between 25 innings this year if he gets called up.

The Brewers are just looking to add some deep pitching depth to this team, and Vargas looks like a 5.00 FIP guy at this point. He doesn’t get grounders, has a subpar strikeout rate, and his control is also subpar. Thus, Vargas is a below-average pitcher overall, but he does help the Brewers out in terms of depth. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to have cheap depth, and he’ll probably end up staying in the minors anyway. In fact, I’m definitely taking the under on an over/under at ten innings.

He will report to AAA Nashville, for those of you who were anxiously waiting for that statement.

Be sure to check out all of Call to the Pen’s transaction breakdowns for the 2011-12 offseason. You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.

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Fernando Rodney fell behind Lawrie 3-1 while trying to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning last night in Toronto. The Rays closer fired a fastball that appeared to sail wide of the plate and Lawrie started down to first base with what he believed to be ball four. Lawrie stopped in his tracks when Miller generously called strike two. With the count now full, Rodney again delivered a pitch that appeared to miss the zone and again Lawrie took off for first. Again, Miller bellowed a strike call and ruled Lawrie out on strikes. As you can see on the video below (so long as MLBAM hasn’t pulled it yet), the young hitter snapped.

Lawrie, whose initial reaction resulted in ejection from the game, took steps toward Miller while slamming his batting helmet into the ground with such force that it careened up and into Miller. It might not have been as egregious as Delmon Young hurling his bat at an umpire in the minor leagues, but Lawrie’s actions will draw a heavy suspension from the league, as rightfully they should.

May 15, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell (left) holds back third baseman Brett Lawrie (right) after he was ejected in the 9th inning by home plate umpire Bill Miller (14) against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre. The Rays beat the Blue Jays 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

For his part, Lawrie apologized after the game, stating that it wasn’t his intention to hit the umpire. His manager, John Farrell, who had to physically restrain the young player felt strongly enough about defending his player that he spoke out against the calls made by Miller on both the second and thirds strikes. Farrell’s decision to air his opinions on Miller’s calls will, no doubt, result in a fine.

I get it; right or wrong, Lawrie felt like the bat had been figuratively taken out of his hands by the umpire and that’s a frustrating thing at any point in the game, let alone the bottom of the ninth when trailing by a run. Had Lawrie blown up and gone off on Miller like George Brett during the Pine Tar Incident, no one would have blamed him. But the second he chose to fire his helmet in the general direction of Miller was the second his fate was sealed, regardless of intent.

Pete Rose, while managing the Reds, once rang up a 30 day suspension for shoving an umpire. Young got 50 games for his bat-tossing incident. Lawrie didn’t reach the levels of either of those men in terms of assault on the men in blue, but that doesn’t mean this will be some slap on the wrist when discipline is handed down. In 1996, Roberto Alomar spat in the face of umpire John Hirshbeck and was suspended for five games. Four years later, Carl Everett got a 10 game suspension for intentionally head-butting Ron Kulpa.  My guess, Lawrie sits for the same 10 games that Everett got.

There are more than a few this morning who will tell you it was Miller who was in the wrong; that those pitches were outside of the strike zone (the 3-2 changeup looked like it may have caught the corner). They may be correct when determining pitch location, but that cannot excuse Lawrie’s childish reaction. The game is built to allow for a fair amount of disagreement between players and umpires. Those rules say arguments on ball and strike calls result in automatic ejection, discretion is still very much up to the umpire and players and managers alike routinely object to such calls without getting run from the game.

It is very well possible that Miller took umbrage with Lawrie’s trot up the first base line following the 3-1 pitch. He is human, after all, and being shown up in that way is the kind of thing never sits well with umpires. When Lawrie did the same thing again on a called strike three, Miller was probably already a little hot; Lawrie’s verbal reaction to the call was enough to chase him and once you’ve been thrown out, you may as well get your money’s worth, as they say, but Lawrie and his helmet crossed a significant line.

This wasn’t a justified attack. This wasn’t Mike Winters verbally assaulting Milton Bradley in 2007; this was an umpire calling a borderline pitch a strike on consecutive pitches.

Judging intent is a difficult thing. Do I think that in that moment, when Lawrie’s was raging out of control, so much so that he had to be physically restrained, he had a desire to hurt the umpire? Of course I do. Just the same way I believe that when you get cut-off on the freeway there is a split second of rage so great that you actually wish that driver were close enough to punch in the face. It’s a fleeting second, but it exists in even the most serene of people.

Put a competitor in a late game situation and have him feel wronged by the umpire and that fleeting second becomes a fleeting moment or two. That doesn’t mean Lawrie, in any other circumstance, would ever even consider a physical assault of an umpire, but in that heated moment, he lost his cool and he snapped. Intentional or not, punishment must be swift and stern. Anything less than 10 games for Lawrie isn’t good enough.

For more on the Toronto Blue Jays, visit Jays Journal.

John Parent is the NL Editorial Director for FanSided MLB. He can be reached at john.parent@fansided.com or via twitter @JohnJParent.

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A’s general manager Billy Beane said this weekend that he was planning on starting Manny off “at the highest level” possible.  This statement indicated that Oakland would send Ramirez to Triple-A to begin his rehab stint.  Beane said that he was hoping Ramirez would be able to pick up where he left off this spring which would allow Manny to hit the ground running once he joined the A’s.

With a time of arrival now set, all eyes will be on Manny to see how he performs during his time in the minors and then as he makes his debut for the A’s.  Oakland has said that they are going to use Ramirez as their designated hitter.

For more on the Athletics be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.

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Kevin Youkilis. Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

Youkilis has been banged up this year, resulting in a slow start and a line of .219/.292/.344 over his first 64 at-bats of the season.  Still, Youkilis owns a career OPS of .878 and hit 17 home runs and 32 doubles for the Red Sox just last season.

On the other hand you have Joe Blanton, who’s gotten off to a quick start for the Phillies this year.  Over his first eight appearances, Blanton has maintained an ERA and WHIP of 2.96 and 1.068.  Blanton’s career numbers are not as solid as his 2012 production, as the right-hander has a lifetime ERA and WHIP of 4.27 and 1.337.

Murphy thinks the Phillies should seriously consider a Blanton-for-Youkilis swap, but is this a trade offering that is really likely or beneficial to both teams involved?

Murphy lists the following as reasons such a trade proposal could and should arise.  Boston needs pitching and the Phillies need hitting.  Youkilis ($12 million) and Blanton ($8.5 million) have similar 2012 salaries and could become free agents following the season.  The Red Sox also have top prospect Will Middlebrooks swinging a hot bat at third while Youkilis has been on the DL.

Joe Blanton. Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

While this may certainly be something the Phillies would and should consider, it doesn’t seem to be a trade that would benefit the Red Sox this year or in the future.

Is Blanton really a better alternative than what the Red Sox are calling a back-end of their rotation?  While the National League East is impressive, the opposing offenses Blanton is facing are not comparable to the bats in the American League East.  Blanton’s track record also shows that he’s likely to regress back to his norms.

Even if you consider Blanton to be a solution to the Red Sox pitching woes, is he worth giving up Kevin Youkilis for straight-up?

Essentially the Red Sox would be buying high on Blanton and selling low on Youkilis, and it wouldn’t seem to make sense for Boston to do either at this point.

For more on the Phillies and Red Sox be sure to check out That Balls Outta Here and BoSox Injection.

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Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

The A’s initially listed Cespedes as day-to-day after an MRI determined that the Cuban slugger had sustained a strain in his left hand.  While Cespedes was confident he wouldn’t be required to miss much time due to the injury, Oakland ultimately decided to send their center fielder to the DL to allow the strain to fully recover.

Now, as expected, Cespedes is on pace to return from the A’s disabled list when eligible early next week.  Cespedes has been cleared to do everything other than swing a bat, an act that had caused the rookie discomfort that resulted in his stint on the DL.  Cespedes is expected to continue his progression to where he can eventually hit off a tee and then take normal batting practice once again.

Cespedes was fairly impressive over the start of his rookie campaign.  During Cespedes’s first 28 games spanning 106 at-bats, the 26-year-old posted a line of .245/.319/.434 with 10 extra base hits, 21 RBIs and four stolen bases.

For more on the Athletics be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.

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Kelly Shoppach. Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Nationals and their fans have witnessed grisly injuries to two backstops in the matter of a week.  First, Wilson Ramos had his season ended as the result of a torn ACL.  Soon after, rookie Sandy Leon took a hard shot during a play at the plate and has since hit the Nationals disabled list.

At this point, Jesus Flores and Carlos Maldonado are currently listed as the Nationals catchers.  As a team hoping to remain in contention for the duration of the 2012 season, it would make sense for the Nationals to upgrade at this position.

The Angels also lost their starting catcher for a significant stretch, though Chris Iannetta is only out for six-to-eight weeks, not the entire season like Ramos.  Still, the Angels could use some assistance in the catching department as an injury to prospect Hank Conger has depleted LA’s depth behind the plate.

Shoppach seems to be the most likely Red Sox catcher to be moved at this point.  Lavarnway and Saltalamacchia are both younger than Shoppach, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox last December.  As such, each player would seem to fit into Boston’s long-term plans whereas Shoppach looks to be more of a one-and-done candidate.

Shoppach should also appeal to potential suitors as he is known to be a solid defensive catcher behind the plate.  Shoppach has also offered teams a little pop from the catcher’s position over the years.  Over his 49 at-bats for the Red Sox this season, Shoppach has hit at a clip of .265/.368/.469 and the 32-year-old owns a career line of .226/.317/.419 over his eight seasons in the bigs.

For more on the Red Sox be sure to check out BoSox Injection.

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Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

Robertson took over closing duties when future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera suffered his season-ending knee injury.  Since officially taking over the role of Yankees closer, Robertson allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over his 3 1/3 innings of work.  All four runs did come in one game, but Robertson looked shaky in two of his four appearances since Rivera’s injury.

The Yankees knew of Robertson’s injury following his last appearance, May 11 against the Seattle Mariners.  However, New York was able to keep this under wraps until Rafael Soriano came out to close Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

After the game, manager Joe Girardi told reporters that Robertson had been unavailable while nursing an oblique/ribcage injury.  While oblique injuries tend to linger, Robertson initially said he wasn’t worried about missing significant time due to the discomfort.

Now that the Yankees have place Robertson on the shelf, Soriano will take over as the club’s closer.  Soriano certainly has experience in such a role, as the right-hander has compiled 92 saves over his career including his 45-save season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010.

Over his 14 appearances this season, Soriano has maintained an ERA and WHIP of 2.57 and 1.571 over his 14 innings pitched.

For more on the Yankees be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard.

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Ryan Dempster. Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Ryan Dempster has been one of the hottest pitchers in the majors out of the gate, as the right-hander has posted an ERA and WHIP of 1.74 and 0.968 over his first six starts for the Cubs.  Dempster has managed to strikeout nearly a batter per inning while holding his BB/9 rate to 2.4.

Due to Dempster’s impressive numbers and the Cubs current place in the National League Central standings, many name Dempster as a trade candidate.  However, according to Rosenthal, it could be more difficult than it would appear for the Cubs to trade the 35-year-old starter.

Dempster owns ten to five rights which allow him to veto any trade the Cubs formulate.  Rosenthal also noted that the Cubs are more likely to trade Dempster if they are able to reach a contract agreement with staff ace Matt Garza.  While both sides seem open to an extension, a deal doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.

While Dempster is a veteran with trade value, the Cubs $136 million man, Alfonso Soriano, isn’t someone likely to be dealt this summer due to his poor performance.  Over his first 116 at-bats this season, Soriano has only managed a line of .250/.288/.302.

Though these numbers would seem to indicate a pending release, Soriano’s nearly $50 million remaining on his current contract complicates matters.  For this reason, Rosenthal doesn’t believe the Cubs will be able to simply release Soriano.

Rosenthal also touches on a player the Cubs see as a long-term asset, first baseman Anthony Rizzo.  While Rizzo has posted an OPS of 1.078 over his first 138 at-bats for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate, longtime minor leaguer Bryan LaHair has been one the hottest-hitting first baseman in the game.  LaHair’s hot start means that the Cubs are going to hold off on calling up Rizzo until a clear opening emerges.

For more on the Cubs be sure to check out Cubbies Crib.

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Los Angeles Angels 4, Oakland Athletics 0

Whether it’s a coincidence or not (it is), the Angels managed to not get shut out on the night hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was given the axe. Wunderkind Mike Trout and the bizarre 2012 version of Albert Pujols each collected three hits and combined to drive in three runs, a total that was more than enough for Ervin Santana to work with. Santana struck out nine in seven shutout innings, a welcome change from the homer-laden outings he’d been prone to in earlier starts. Angels fans shouldn’t get too excited about the three-hit performance from Pujols, though; two of his hits never left the infield. Jemile Weeks stole his 10th base of the young season for the A’s, but one can only wonder how many steals he’d have if he was getting on base at a higher clip than .275.

Cleveland Indians 5, Minnesota Twins 0

Under normal circumstances, it would be weird to report that the aging Derek Lowe threw a complete game shutout Tuesday night without striking out a single batter. Consider that he was facing the reeling Twins, however, and it all begins to make sense. Lowe got support from Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana, and Asdrubal Cabrera. All three of these Cleveland batsmen were good for two hits and a homer each.

Detroit Tigers 10, Chicago White Sox 8

Chicago starter Jake Peavy‘s magical season was temporarily interrupted by an eight-run Tiger eruption in the sixth inning. Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Raburn, and Austin Jackson all homered in the inning to do their part in overcoming a five-hit effort from the mouthy A.J. Pierzynski. Tiger closer Jose Valverde entered the game in a non-save situation, thus crazy antics and run prevention were kept to a minimum.

More three-hits games will likely result in fewer Albert Pujols facial expressions like this. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Boston Red Sox 6, Seattle Mariners 1

Josh Beckett‘s struggles ceased for at least one day, as he struck out nine and yielded no runs over his seven innings of work. David Ortiz continued his torrid pace by smashing his eighth home run of the season and bunting his way on base. And no, he did not attempt to steal second. The Seattle offense was, as usual, propelled by no one.

Baltimore Orioles 5, New York Yankees 2

Those pesky Orioles just won’t go away! Adam Jones hit long ball number 11, stole base number six, and continues to show that maybe he still has that elusive breakout season in him. Wei-Yin Chen easily outdueled CC Sabathia despite giving up Curtis Granderson‘s 13th bomb of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3

The Rays got another solid performance from David Price and three hits from the versatile Ben Zobrist en route to downing the Blue Jays by a run. Edwin Encarnacion may not be adept at getting on base, but his 12th homer of the season proves he’s at least having some luck at trotting slowly around them. Less fortunate was Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie, who may face a suspension after a tirade prompted by either a strikeout he felt unfair or an unusual hatred for batting helmets.

Kansas City Royals 7, Texas Rangers 4

Mike Moustakas hit his fifth homer, while fellow Royals centerpieces Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer chipped in two hits apiece as the Royals beat the Rangers for a second consecutive night. Texas starter Colby Lewis didn’t help matters by committing two errors on the mound and allowing 10 baserunners in 5 2/3 innings. Oh, and Josh Hamilton didn’t go deep just in case you were wondering.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

San Diego Padres 6, Washington Nationals 1

The Nationals benefited from Bryce Harper‘s second career long ball, but that was the only run they were able to score. Stephen Strasburg, the other pillar of youthful awesomeness in Washington, experienced a rare rough start as San Diego catcher John Baker tallied three hits and three RBI in the win.

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Houston Astros 3

Hunter Pence may have cost his team by making an error earlier in the game, but the second of his two homers on Tuesday made the Phillies a winner in walk-off fashion. Houston starter Jordan Lyles was able to keep his team in the game despite Cliff Lee‘s stellar performance against him. Lee went eight innings, allowed one run, and struck out 10.

St. Louis Cardinals 7, Chicago Cubs 6

Both starters were slapped around as this game came down to the wire. Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter homered to give his team the lead in the bottom of the eighth only to later watch Alfonso Soriano tie things up with a shot of his own against Jason Motte in the top of the ninth. Yadier Molina ultimately singled in the next half-inning to score Matt Holliday from second and win the game. Bryan LaHair, whose Quad-A to star story line remains compelling, hit his 10th blast of the year in the loss.

Atlanta Braves 6, Cincinnati Reds 2

The Braves continued their winning ways by using a balanced offensive attack to overpower Johnny Cueto and the Reds. Michael Bourn, Martin Prado, and Brian McCann each enjoyed multi-hit games as the Braves scored all six of their runs in the first four innings. Cueto, who has been defying his still-respectable predictive stats all season long, gave up five earned in four innings to raise his ERA to just 1.89.

Milwaukee Brewers 8, New York Mets 0

Zack Greinke allowed only five baserunners and struck out seven across seven shutout innings in Tuesday’s win over the Mets. Dillon Gee made sure this contest wasn’t a pitcher’s duel by getting hammered for seven earned runs. The number seven appears to be cropping up a lot in this particular game recap. Travis Ishikawa, not the most likely source for offensive production, doubled his season home run total by hitting a pair against the Mets.

Miami Marlins 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

Josh Johnson looked a lot more like Josh Johnson than he has in a while during his Tuesday victory against the Pirates. Johnson allowed two earned runs and struck out six in seven innings, while Omar Infante put together a four-hit performance to aid the Miami starter. As usual, the Pirates received much of their offensive output from budding superstar Andrew McCutchen, who reached base twice and swiped his seventh bag of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

The Kemp-less Dodgers had plenty of trouble plating runs against D-Backs rookie Wade Miley, who allowed only one run in 6 2/3 innings. Miley was backed by multi-hit efforts from Jason Kubel, Willie Bloomquist, Miguel Montero, and Ryan “The Illustrated Man” Roberts. The only hitter who appeared to be breathing on the Los Angeles side of things was Mark Ellis, who clubbed (maybe that’s the wrong verb where Ellis is concerned) his second home run and had three hits in the loss.

Colorado Rockies 5, San Francisco Giants 4

Colorado starter Jeremy Guthrie labored through 5 1/3 innings, though he only allowed a single unearned run. Guthrie’s performance was enough to keep his team around until they were able to plate a few runs against the cyborg inhabiting Tim Lincecum‘s tiny body. The actual Lincecum is likely being held against his will by a group of Dodgers fans in a remote location somewhere in Los Angeles. Marco Scutaro homered in the top of the ninth off Santiago Casilla, and his blast proved to be the game winner.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook. If Brian strikes your fancy, follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct and read his work at StanGraphs.

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Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

The 32-year-old Stults pitched in two games for Chicago this year and allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings, with one appearance being a spot start. He was signed to a minor league deal by the White Sox in the offseason after pitching for the Colorado Rockies last season and appearing in six Major League games.

Jesse Crain will provide some much-needed late-inning help with his return, as the former Minnesota Twins star reliever is coming off of a 0.9 WAR season in his first year with the White Sox in 2011. He continues to mow down hitters this season and has struck out ten hitters in seven innings this year after striking out 70 in 65 1/3 last year.

Stults, meanwhile, was expendable with the activation of the solid set-up man, as the long reliever had a 1:1 K/BB ratio with a 4.01 FIP and a more accurate 4.62 xFIP to go with a 2.70 ERA early on this year. Stults was projected to have a 4.95 ERA in 63 innings this season had he kept on pitching, with a 6.4 K/9 and a 3.9 BB/9.

Before missing the 2010 season, the southpaw was worth a career-high 0.5 WAR in 2009, his last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, the Rockies pitcher was worth -0.3 WAR in just 12 innings with a 6.00 ERA.

It is great to see Jesse Crain back to bring more stability to the White Sox bullpen.  Eric Stults provided 6.2 decent innings of work for the Sox before getting DFA’d to accommodate the 30-year-old RHP.

Be sure to check out all of Call to the Pen’s transaction breakdowns for the 2011-12 offseason. You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.

Follow Joe Soriano on Twitter here. Check out Southside Showdown for everything about the White Sox.

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