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The news that Jarrod Saltalamacchia was looking at a stay on the DL has come true. The Rangers have played the backstop on the 15 day DL with what is being called upper back stiffness.

Taylor Teagarden will see the bulk of playing time behind home plate while Matt Treanor has been called up from Triple-A.

Saltalamacchia and Teagarden were in a platoon at catcher to start the season while the Rangers attempted to figure out which player would get the bulk of the playing time. While this is a bad break for Saltalamacchia, it gives Teagarden an obvious chance to put him name at the top of the depth chart.

Treanor who will be the backup catcher was acquired in a trade with Milwaukee on March 19. He was picked up by the organization after they had concerns over the health of Saltalamacchia during spring training.

Saltalamacchia had surgery for thoracic outlet syndrone last year. He drove in the winning run on opening day with a single in the ninth and struck out in a pinch hit at-bat yesterday. It’s unclear exactly how long he will be out for.

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Saltalamacchia had surgery for thoracic outlet syndrone last year.

Saltalamacchia drove in the winning run on opening day with a single in the ninth. He struck out in a pinch hit at-bat yesterday.

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Every season there seems to be a handful of guy who surprises baseball knowhows by a couple of home runs to start the season. One of the names being floated out there this year is Garrett Jones.

Jones isn’t a household name and it’s not because he plays for Pittsburgh. It’s because he played just 82 games for Pittsburgh last season. In those 82 games Jones put up some real numbers. He hit .293/.372/.567 with 21 homers, 21 doubles, 44 RBI and even added in 10 stolen bases.

Some suggested Jones was even the NL Rookie of the Year and while he finished a distant seventh it’s worth noting the only category winner Chris Coghlan placed high was in runs scored. For all the talk that Coghlan, Tommy Hanson and J.A. Happ got Jones was an after thought.

So suddenly Jones hits a couple of home runs on Opening Day and another yesterday and everyone is buzzing about the 28-year-old outfielder.

I suppose people think it makes for a great story. Well here’s what I think is a better story. Jones was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and after three years in Rookie ball was released. Bamm 20 years old and already behind in the count.

You can’t blame the Braves for the release though. They’ve always seemed to have a steady pipleline flowing and Jones had shown little reason to remain in the organization. Signed by Minnesota in the winter of 2001 it took him until the 2004 season to finally start hitting.

In that 2004 season he hit 31 total homers, 38 doubles had a .911 OPS and undoubtedly earned his stay for another four years. Upon his promotion to Triple-A he again struggeled aside from occasional glimpses of pop. After two down years (2005, 2006) he began to turn the corner in the following two seasons. In 2008 he had 33 dobules, 23 homers and a .821 OPS which were all highs since his 2004 season.

Just when things looked like they had turned the corner for the kid it happened again.

Jones ran into the same problem he did in Atlanta. He was blocked in Minnesota and after four years of time at Triple-A the organization found it easier to simply release him then to try and find room on a crowded major league bench.

Garrett Jones left Minnesota with nothing more then a cup of coffee in the 2007 season. Enter Pittsburgh, a team which has become a bit of a home for similar players hoping to hang on.

Almost immediately things began to click but the Pirates thought it best to start Jones with their Triple-A club. After an impressive stay in Indianapolis he again was called-up to the big league roster once the Pirates traded Eric Hinske to the Yankees.

That’s when things really began to pick up. Jones hit 10 home runs in his first 21 games earned honors as the NL’s Rookie of the Month in July and began to create a buzz in Pittsburgh.

Jones never stopped hitting last season, he’s just carried it over to this season.

There’s been players like him in the minors before some have gotten a chance others haven’t. He’s just been pushing the rock back up the hill and now he’s getting to show off all his hard work. There is no surprise in Garrett Jones’ 2010 season.

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Rick Ankiel connected for a walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th inning to help the Royals defeat the Tigers 3-2. However just as importantly for the Royals may have been the strong outing from Luke Hochevar.

Hochevar, a 26-year-old right hander, held the Tigers scoreless for 7 2/3 innings on five hits. He had his fast ball working well into the game and held down what figures to be a good Tigers offense. It’s a good sight for a pitcher who was 7-13 with a 6.55 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP last season.

After an RBI single by Chris Getz in the bottom of the seventh The Royals held a 1-0 lead. They kept that lead going into the ninth but closer Joakim Soria gave up a solo homer to Miguel Cabrera. Carlos Guillen would drive in Don Kelly in the top of the 11th to give the Tigers the lead.

It didn’t take long for things to unravel for Detroit from there, Alberto Callaspo hit a solo home run of his own off Tigers closer Jose Valverde in the bottom of the frame to tie the game and the next batter Billy Butler reached on a single. Following the placement of Willie Bloomquist as a pinch runner outfielder Rick Ankiel stepped to the plate. Ankiel then ripped a double to right and the Royals were off to their first win of the year.

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Chipper Jones jumped on a high pitch by Chicago Cubs reliever John Grabow and deposited it into the stands giving the Braves a 3-2 lead. Not only did the two-run home run give the Braves a late inning lead but you could feel a season of frustration being let off the veteran third baseman’s shoulders.

While Cub fans may question manager Lou Pinella’s decision to use Grabow in the eighth after Sean Marshall another lefty recorded two strike outs in the seventh but the manager was simply using his players in the way any other manager in the game would.

The Cubs managed two runs off Braves starter Jair Jurrjens in the fifth. Aided by Jurrjens sudden loss of control and an error by first basemen Troy Glaus. Glaus would atone for his error an inning later when he snared a line drive off the bat of Marlon Byrd and then doubled up Aramis Ramirez off first.

The homer by Jones was one of five hits for the Braves on the night. Prior to Jones’ homer second basemen Martin Prado hit a double.

Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster was dominating on the mound. The 32-year-old righty was on throwing six innings allowing a run, three hits and two walks while recording nine strike outs.

Jason Heyward was one of the few bright spots against Dempster as he doubled in Brian McCann in the bottom of the second.

Billy Wagner recorded a strikeout of Marlon Byrd to start the ninth before giving up a single to Alfonso Soriano. He thre retired Xavier Nady and Geovany Soto with back to back strike outs.

The third and final game of the series will by played tomorrow.  Randy Wells will be on the mound for the Cubs and Tommy Hanson for the Braves.

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The San Fransisco Giants used a barrage of late inning runs to defeat the Houston Astros 10-4. The Giants and Astros now stand as polar opposites following the completion of their first series. The Giants find themselves 3-0 in the NL West while the Astros are in the NL Central cellar at 0-3.

Matt Cain was on early for the Giants but faded in the seventh. That gave the Astros a chance as they rallied for three runs in the home half of the seventh. A throwing error by Astro reliever Sammy Gervacio on a bunt by Eli Whiteside allowed the first run on the eighth to score while Aaron Rowand later singled in Whiteside.

Travis Ishikawa homered to start the top of the ninth while Juan Uribe doubled in Nate Schierholtz moments later. Rowand and Edgar Renteria singled in runs later in the inning further crushing the hopes of Houston.

Earlier in the game John Bowker hit a two run homer for the Giants.

Pedro Feliz had an RBI double in the fourth inning while Cory Sillivan had a two run double and Michael Bourn added a single off reliever Jeremy Affeldt in the bottom of the seventh which tied the game at that point.

Affeldt was credited for the win for San Fransisco while Gervacio took the loss for Houston.

The Giants will now head home to host Atlanta in a three game series starting on Friday. Things don’t get any easier for the Astros as they will travel to Philadelphia.

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Chad Huffman went from being talked about an outfield option in San Diego to a player on waivers all in the course of a year. Huffman was claimed by the Yankees today ending his four year stint in the Padres organization that drafted him as a second round pick in 2006.

Huffman spent last season at Triple-A Portland where he hit .269/.361/.469 with 20 homers and 30 doubles. Known for a patient eye he drew 57 walks and 115 strike outs. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Padres began to sour on Huffman in 2008 when he was playing in Double-A. Despite the league being known as a hitters paradise Huffman hit .284/.383/.419 and while it wasn’t the average of on base skills they were concerned about it was his ability to constantly hit for power.
Some will argue that Huffman was playing in pitcher friendly Wolff Stadium while with San Antonio but it’s not to say it’s any worse then a move to Petco Park in San Diego.
Hufman rebounded last season as his home run totals did return to 20 and he did rake 30 doubles again but when the team needed a spot for non roster invitee Matt Stairs it was Huffman’s spot that was taken.

While the Padres denied they were shopping Adrian Gonzalez, one has to believe that had he been traded and Hufman hit better then the 1-for-23 he did this spring it’s possible that Huffman may even have cracked the Padres opening day roster.
But with Gonzalez still on the roster it keeps Kyle Blanks in left. The Padres don’t seem to want to remove Tony Gwynn from the lineup since his father is the teams most storied player so that leaves Will Venable, who is capable of playing center, in left field.
While the addition of Jerry Hairston may be said to fill the role of a utility player it’s clear the Padres plan to play him at second base in place of David Eckstein on more then a few occasions.
Huffman doesn’t figure to play much of a role for the Yankees this season and unless he’s traded else where may find himself playing the role of Shelley Duncan this year.

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Jason Heyward wasted no time connecting for his first big league home run as the 20-year old connected on a Carlos Zambrano pitch in the bottom of the first.

The talk of the game from the ESPN announcers centered around Heyward and the right fielder didn’t disappoint. In addition to his three run blast in the first he added an RBI single later in the game.

Heyward wasn’t the only member of the Braves lineup hitting today as the team steam rolled the Cubs 16-5.

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Hank Blalock needed a second round of teams passing on him to realize there simply wasn’t a market for a guy who hit .234/.377/.459 last season.

Blalock did smack 25 home runs last season but with him being limited to DH and occasional time at first base there simply isn’t a bunch of teams lining up for his services. After he failed to get any other substantial offers this winter he came to camp with Tampa Bay as a non roster invitee hoping to earn some playing time at DH in a platoon with Pat Burrell.

He just didn’t perform well enough to warrant keeping on the roster and after he was told that Reid Brignac was being kept over him he vowed to reject a minor league assignment from the Rays.

Obviously he’s calmed down after not getting a major league offer and has accepted the assignment to Triple-A Durham.

A hot start or an injury are his best cases for returning to the big leagues.

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The Washington Nationals were faced with a tough question in recent days. After naming Garret

t Mock to the rotation two weeks ago the right hander had done nothing to show he deserved the spot while lefty Scott Olsen began to pitch like the guy they thought they had gotten from Florida.

Bill Ladson broke the news on his twitter just minutes ago.

In the end the Nationals have decided to keep Mock in the rotation and Olsen has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Mock’s first outing will likely be on Friday at Citi Field.

Ladson stated that questions over Olsen’s arm strength may have been the deciding factor.

Mock probably doesn’t have much room for failure here. Olsen will already been nipping at his heels and top prospect Steven Starsburg figures to be with the team sooner rather then later.

With two options behind him Mock the clock is on for his move to the bullpen or for his release.

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