St. Louis Cardinals' Carlos Beltran walks back to the dugout after striking out for his first at-bat off New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana in the first inning of a baseball game on Friday, June 1, 2012, at Citi Field in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Beltran's Homecoming 'No Bueno'
Carlos Beltran return to New York has been what he totally had in mind.
Back at Citi Field for the first time since the Mets dealt him to San Francisco, Beltran's Cardinals have gotten into a funk that first started Friday night after they were no-hit by Johan Santana. The National League's top-hitting team was again held scoreless on Saturday and Sunday managed only one run in another loss.
While Beltran had some great season during his time in Queens from 2005-11 in which he won three Gold Gloves, a lot of fans just want to remember that one at-bat he had against St. Louis in the 2006 NLCS.
Current teammate Adam Wainwright, a rookie closer then, left Beltran holding the bat at the plate after freezing him with a curveball with the bases loaded to win Game 7, 3-1 that night.
"If that's what they want to remember, that's them. I can't control that. I just wish I could have done different. It didn't happen," Beltran told a group of reporters.
"I felt personally in the years that I was healthy, I had my best years in baseball.
He was honored before the game Friday night with a video tribute and got booed and cheered when he walked up for his first plate appearance.
Because of injuries to starting center fielder Jon Jay and also Skip Schumaker, Beltran finds himself patrolling center after having moved to right field toward the end of his days as a Met due to a knew surgery he had.
He leads the NL with 15 home runs and is third with 42 RBIs while hitting .287.
Hamstring Limits Ramirez As He Awaits Return
In a phone interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Manny Ramirez said he doesn't feel bad for not having been called by the Oakland Athletics, who have struggled scoring runs.
The A's have been blanked seven times over their last 18 games but Ramirez, who hit 555 home runs in 14 seasons, feels no ill will toward the team.
"It's not what I want, it's what God wants. God doesn't want me to come to the team to be embarrassed. When the time is perfect, I'm going to be there, and I'll do what I do, and that's hit."
A hamstring has bothered him and limited the All-Star slugger. He has just nine hits in 37 at-bats but said he feels good as he returns from a 50-game suspension. The earliest he could have been back was last Wednesday.
"I could tell you I'm ready, but I'm not perfect yet. When I get there, it will be great. ... My body feels good, my mind, my spirit, all good."
Francisco Liriano Back As A Starter
The Twins rotation, which has the highest ERA in all of baseball, needed some relief and they got it earlier last week when Francisco Liriano returned to the rotation last Wednesday.
Liriano looked like the dominant pitcher he once was through his six inning appearance, his first as a starter since a May 7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
He allowed just three hits and whiffed nine and walked two. The lefty said getting back to the rotation was a new start for him. He even told a reporter that he had been approached about going down to Triple-A.
"I told myself before the game, the season starts for me today. So everything that happened previously, I had to put it behind me and move forward," Liriano said in reference to his rough start this season that ended up with him going to the bullpen.
Liriano was 0-5 in his first six starts with a 9.45 ERA and by then the Twins had enough. He made six appearance out of the bullpen, pitching 7 1/3 innings while giving up four runs, all of which came during a 2 2/3 innings stint five days before his return to the rotation.
Quentin's Debut Worth The Wait
Although the 'W's' haven't been there for a number of reasons during the last seven days for the San Diego Padres, one positive they can take out of it has been the return of Carlos Quentin from a new injury that practically sidelined him during the first two months of the season.
Quentin, acquired from the Chicago White Sox during the offseason, brings stability to the Padres middle of the order and last week he just looked like if he never missed a beat.
He's gone 9-for-19 (.474) in his first five games back and sat out yesterday's loss against Arizona. A run producer throughout his career, the right-handed hitter has driven in seven runs including four in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs, a game in which he homered twice.
The Padres have seen many of their best players leave town via trades and free agency. They couldn't afford Adrian Gonzalez and traded him and saw closer Heath Bell sign with Miami after last season.
During a trip to New York last weekend, rookie first baseman Yonder Alonso told Fox News Latino that he would greatly benefit from Quentin's return to the lineup.
He could do that and more for years to come if he stays healthy after battling numerous injuries during the last three seasons. But it's up to San Diego if they want to keep him around, open their wallets and not lose him to free agency.
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