Prior to being suspended due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, Ramirez was off to a fast start. In 27 games, Ramirez had six homers, 20 RBIs, 22 runs, nine doubles, a batting average of .348 and an on-base percentage of .492.

The 37-year-old outfielder will return to the team with the best record in all of baseball. At 50-29, the Dodgers already have a 7.5 game lead over the second place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

Expect Ramirez to go right back into the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup. While they are good without him, Ramirez turns Los Angeles into a legit World Series championship contender.

And even though his first game back is technically a road game, expect many Dodgers fan to take the trip south to San Diego.

Manny Ramirez Returns to Action (Image: Zuma Press)

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Thanks to Hunter’s blasts, the Angeles were able to topple the San Diego Padres by a final count of 9-1. With the win in interleague play, the Angels were able to improve to 31-29. The Padres (28-33) have now lost seven of their last ten outings.

On the mound, Joe Saunders was very good for the Angels. He pitched 8.1 innings and scattered eight hits and one walk while giving up one earned run and striking out five. The win improved his record to 7-4 and his ERA was lowered to 3.66.

Kendry Morales and Jeff Mathis also hit homers for L.A. The two teams play the final game of their series on Sunday afternoon.

Torii Hunter - Los Angeles Angels (Image: Zuma Press)

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Jake Peavy Staying in San Diego (Image: Zuma Press)

The White Sox undoubtedly have to be depressed by Peavy’s decision. They desperately need an improvement in their starting pitching and he would have definitely made the team better. It has to hurt even more considering that the Minnesota Twins had just scored 20 runs against the White Sox.

Some league experts think that we haven’t heard the end of this deal. The Padres seem to be pushing for a Peavy trade and will likely continue to shop him up until the trade deadlines. If San Diego doesn’t get an improved offer, they may ask Peavy to once again consider a move to Chicago to play for the White Sox.

Sources close to Peavy seem to think that he’d be fine with a trade, however he’d like to stay in the National League and closer to the West Coast. Currently, Peavy is 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA.

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Jake Peavy Trade Rumors (Image: Zuma Press)

However, other sources indicate that the trade isn’t very close to happening. While a third commonly held opinion is that the Padres and White Sox have agreed on a deal and Peavy now has to decide whether or not accept the trade. Since Peavy has a no trade clause in his contract, he can decide whether to go to Chicago.

The 27-year-old Peavy has been named in many trade rumors over the last years. Previous rumors had him landing everywhere from the Atlanta Braves to the Chicago Cubs. This year in nine starts, Peavy has a 3.82 ERA with a 3-5 record. He has 69 strikeouts in less than 62 innings of work.

Peavy is such a hot commodity because he has had an ERA under 3.00 in four of the last five seasons. His best season came in 2007 when he had a 19-6 record with a 2.54 ERA. That year he took home the Cy Young Award for the National League.

If the trade with the White Sox is going to happen, expect it to be announced in the next 24-to-48 hours. If that traded doesn’t go down, expect to hear Peavy in a number of trade rumors up until the trade deadline.

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At 41, Hoffman is somewhat a risk for the Brewers. But considering the fact that he’s one of the best closers in baseball history and the fact that he has at least 30 saves in his last 13 full seasons, it’s an understandable risk.

Earlier in the offseason, there was a lot of sadness when it become public that Hoffman wouldn’t be returning to the San Diego Padres. Hoffman had been with the Padres since 1993 but the team let him sign elsewhere to help trim costs.

Last season, Hoffman had a 3.77 ERA — the highest mark since his rookie season. With the Brewers, he will step into the closers role and with the added motivation of his longstanding team letting him go, don’t be surprised if this future Hall of Famer has a lights out year.

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Where might he end up? Here are some likely Jake Peavy destinations.

Chicago Cubs
The latest Jake Peavy rumor has the Cubs hot on his trail. The Cubs may be willing to trade four players to get their hands on Peavy. If they can get him, he’ll give Chicago one of the best rotations in baseball.

Atlanta Braves
While the talks between the Padres and the Braves appear to be dead, many baseball insiders believe the talks will heat up once again. The Braves need an ace for their pitching staff and they have enough young talent to get this trade to work.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers could use some pitching and there aren’t many better arms available than Peavy. Although the Dodgers may be reluctant to give up too much talent, it may end up being the best the Padres can do.

San Diego Padres
While almost everyone thinks Peavy is going to be traded, there are others that believe that Peavy will ultimately end up staying in San Diego. While the Padres are shopping him, they aren’t going to trade him for just anything. If they don’t get a good enough package, they very well could just hold onto him for now.

Photo credit: Newscom

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While Maddux doesn’t still have his Cy Young stuff, he’s still a pretty darn decent pitcher. In 26 starts this year for the Padres, Maddux has a 3.99 ERA with a WHIP of 1.22. Although he has a 6-9 record, he has pitched better than his wins and losses indicate.

With the Dodgers, Maddux will go to a much better team that has a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. Maddux, who was a Dodger just a few years ago, will give the team a much needed reliable arm and a team leader.

Maddux ending up with the Padres is no real surprise. In fact, we listed the Dodgers as the most likely destination when Maddux’s name first started to appear in trade rumors.

In trading the 42-year-old Maddux, the Padres will reportedly get two players in return. The identities of those two players isn’t known at the moment.

Greg Maddux should be much happier now that he’s on a winning team.

Photo: Newscom

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Even though the baseball trade deadline has come and gone, that doesn’t mean the trading has ended. In fact, expect to see plenty of more deals before all is said and done. Waiver trades have been common in the last decade.

Who will be traded? There are a number of possibilities but the biggest name is Greg Maddux. Maddux, who is one of the best pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen, has stated a desire to either stay with the San Diego Padres or be traded to a team on the West Coast. Where are the Greg Maddux likely destinations?

Let’s take a look . . .

San Diego Padres – If you are a betting man, bet that Maddux will stay in San Diego.

Los Angeles Dodgers – If Maddux gets traded, look for him to end up with the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are on the West Coast and could use a pitcher for a World Series run.

New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox – You can never count out the Yankees or Red Sox in any trade. Even though Maddux says he’s not interested, you never know.

Photo: Newscom

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Barrett immediately fell to the ground and medical personnel rushed out to check him out. He eventually got to his feet and was taken to a nearby hospital. Preliminary reports indicate that Barrett fractured his nose. How long Barrett will be out hasn’t been determined, however he is expected to go on the DL.

Here is the video of Michael Barrett fouling a pitch off of his face and breaking his nose:

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Inoa reportedly has a 93 MPH fastball to go with a developing curve and change-up. Scouts believe that he has the ability to add between 2 and 4 MPH to his fastball. That amount of upside is enough for Oakland’s GM Billy Beane to offer him a reported $4M signing bonus.

Other Latino prospects who will sign with big league clubs soon include Yorman Rodriguez, Adis Portillo, Alvaro Aristy, Gustavo Pierre and Santo Franco.

Will Billy Beane be able to reel in Michael Inoa?

Photo: Newscom

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