MLB News: Giants Lose Outfielder Angel Pagan

If you thought yesterday’s 3-1 loss to the L.A Dodgers was a bad omen for Giants’ fans, then you wait for the real bad news.  Outfielder Angel Pagan, who played a key role in last year’s World Series, will be out for most of the season.

The team announced Monday that Pagan will undergo surgery on his left hamstring and could be out of the field for up to 12 weeks, which means that he wouldn’t be able to play again until mid-September, when the Giants have only 12 games remaining in their regular season schedule.

"It's a loss. There's no getting around it. When you lose your leadoff hitter, the guy who led off for you all the way through the World Series and played a significant role helping you win a World Series, there's no question it's a loss." Commented Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy.

The 31-year old Pagan suffered a minor injury about a month ago after hitting a walk-off inside-the-park home run off of Colorado Rockies' reliever Rafael Betancourt.  But this weekend, Pagan, who was expected to rejoin the starting lineup by this week, reinjured his left hamstring while he was on rehab leave with the San Jose Giants against the Stockton Ports.

Known by his team mates as “El Caballo Loco” (Crazy Horse), Pagan is hitting .262/.314/.374 with 10 doubles, one triple, three homers, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored in 46 games.  Last offseason pagan signed a four-year; $45 million contract to remain in San Francisco. With Pagan out, the Giants are likely to move Gregor Blanco to the centerfield and have either rookie Juan Perez or Andres Torres in the mix.  Previous to this chance, Blanco had an efficient performance as a center fielder, contributing solid defense and batting .305 with a .367 on-base percentage and a .402 slugging percentage in 24 games.

Pagan is one of the many Giants’ players that have sustained injuries this season. The list also includes baseman Marco Scutaro (left pinkie), left-hander Jeremy Affeldt (right side), right-handers Santiago Casilla (right knee) and Ryan Vogelsong (right pinkie) and third baseman Pablo Sandoval (strained left foot).  Now, not everything is bad news for San Francisco, as it’s been reported early this week; the Giants activated baseman Pablo Sandoval from the disabled list after two weeks of absence.

The Giants face the Dodgers in the second game of a three-game series  held in Los Angeles. For more information, including MLB Betting Odds, click here.

Major League Baseball to Host 2014 Season Opener in Australia

International season openers aren't something new for Major League Baseball.  In fact, the league held four season openers at Tokyo in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The 1999 opener was held at Monterrey, Mexico, and the 2001 season began in the beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. But in 2014, the MLB will literally go across the globe when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona.

Diamondbacks meet in Sydney, Australia for a two game series that will officially open the 2014 MLB Season. The matchup is schedule to take place on March 22-23 and will mark MLB’s return to Australian territory and the first opener held in the southern continent.

The historic match will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chicago White Sox playing the New York Giants at the same cricket venue. On Jan. 2, 1914, the White Sox beat the Giants 5-4 in front of 10,000 fans.

Dodgers and Diamondbacks will arrive in Sydney on March 18. The first game of the 2014 season will be played on the evening of March 22^nd followed by a second game on March 23^rd.  The venue will be set to accommodate a baseball game and will be renovated to meet Major League standards. Arizona will be considered the home team for both games.

Despite being thousands of miles apart from each other, the MLB has strong ties with Australia. The first exhibition baseball game in the country was held at the same site in December 1888 as part of the Spalding's World Tourists. Back then, the Chicago White Stockings, led by Albert Goodwill Spalding, embarked in a 54-game world tour played from Hawaii to New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon and Egypt.

In addition, there have been 31 Australian players in the Major Leagues, including infielder Joe Quinn, whose career dates back to 1884. Other Australian natives in the MLB include Arizona’s general manager assistant Craig Shipley, who pioneered the most recent wave of Australian players in the big leagues. Former Brewers catcher David Nilsson, Dodgers reliever Peter Moylan, A's closer Grant Balfour and Astros reliever Travis Blackley are also from down under. 

"Major League Baseball is thrilled that the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open our 2014 regular season in Sydney, Australia. The globalization of our game continues to be paramount to Major League Baseball, and Australia is an essential part of our long-term efforts to grow the sport. We look forward to writing an exciting new chapter in international baseball history at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground next March" expressed MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.