Did You Know

Of the 46 countries to be represented by a major leaguer, obviously, the United States has the most. According to Baseball Reference, 14,580 Americans have suited up for a major league club. The Dominican Republic takes second place at 410 players. The most recent team to add a player to the list was Saudi Arabia, as Dammam native Craig Stansberry suited up for the Padres in 2007. Many other countries have only produced one player, including Switzerland. The only Swiss-born player was Otto Hess, who went on to win 70 games for the Naps (Indians) and Braves from 1902-1915, including a 20 win 1906.

This Day in Baseball History

4/15/1947: Jackie Robinson breaks the Major Leagues' color barrier. He is 0-3 in his first game, but goes on to hit 12 home runs, bat .297, and steal 29 bases en route to winning the Rookie of the Year award.

News

Today is Jackie Robinson day, commemorating the day Robinson broke the color barrier. Every major leaguer will wear No. 42 as a tribute.

Giants closer Brian Wilson has structural damage in his right elbow and will probably have Tommy John surgery.

The Astros scored four runs in the ninth inning to stun the Marlins 5-4.

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp took hold of the Major League Triple Crown.

The Indians are close to signing Johnny Damon.

Game Scores

Nationals (7-2) beat the Reds (3-6) 4-1.

Red Sox (3-5) beat the Rays (4-4) 13-5.

Angels (3-5) beat the Yankees (4-4) 7-1.

Mets (6-2) beat the Phillies (3-5) 5-0.

Cardinals (6-3) beat the Cubs (3-6) 5-1.

Braves (4-4) beat the Brewers (4-5) 2-1.

Dodgers (8-1) beat the Padres (2-7) 6-1.

Rockies (4-4) beat the Diamondbacks (5-3) 8-7.

Top Scorer: Red Sox beat the Rays 13-5.

Standings

AL East: Orioles (5-3, .625 WPCT). AL Central: White Sox (5-2, .714). AL West: Rangers (7-2, .778).

NL East: Nationals (7-2, .778). NL Central: Cardinals (6-3, .667). NL West: Dodgers (8-1, .889).

AL Wild Cards: Tigers (5-3, .625) and Mariners (5-5, .500).  

NL Wild Cards: Mets (6-2, .750) and Diamondbacks (5-3, .625)

Bottom Team: Padres (2-7, .222). Longest Winning Streak: Nationals and Dodgers, 5 games. Longest Losing Streak: Pirates, 5 games.

League Leaders

Offensive: AVG: Matt Kemp (Dodgers), .457 (16-35). Home runs: Matt Kemp, 5. RBI: Matt Kemp, 15. Stolen bases: Starlin Castro (Cubs), 6.

Pitching: Wins: 17 tied with 2. K's: Aaron Harang (Dodgers) and Felix Hernandez (Mariners), 19.  ERA: Roy Halladay (Phillies), 0.60 (15 innings, 1 earned run).  Saves: Javy Guerra (Dodgers), 5.

Top Performers

Offensive: Matt Kemp (Dodgers): 3-4, 2 home runs (5), 4 RBI, 2 runs, AVG up .038 from .419 to .457, hitting streak to 4 games (9-14, .643 AVG).

Pitching: Edwin Jackson (Nationals): Win (1-0), 9 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 9 K's (15), ERA drop: 2.83 runs from 5.40 to 2.57.

Worst Pitching Performance: Dane De La Rosa (Rays): 1 inning, 5 earned runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, 0 K's, ERA jump: -.-- runs from -.-- to 45.00.
 
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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average.  BAA: batting average against.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman