San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum has tossed seven no-hit innings against the San Diego Padres as he attempts to become the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in 2013.

This play by Pablo Sandoval was the third out of the inning:

Lincecum has dominated San Diego, striking out 11 Padres. Four Padres have reached base; Chase Headley has drawn two walks against the right-hander, Everth Cabrera has drawn one, and Linceum hit Jedd Gyorko with a pitch in the second inning.

Lincecum has thrown 114 pitches through seven innings. The starter is scheduled to face Rene Rivera, Chris Denorfia and Cabrera in the bottom of the eighth.

There have been 14 no-hitters in San Francisco Giants history. Matt Cain threw the most recent no-hitter, a perfect game on June 13, 2012 against the Houston Astros.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey threw the first no-hitter of the season and the second no-hitter of his career against the Giants on July 2.

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• Manny talkin’ Manny

• Brew Crew Ball: Please let Yuni go!

• National League Fail-Star team

• Red Sox find relief help in Thornton

• Longread: Brooklyn’s field of broken dreams

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum sits three outs away from throwing the first no-hitter of his career, as he has thrown eight no-hit innings against the San Diego Padres.

Lincecum retired the first two Padres in the eighth inning. The starter struck out catcher Rene Rivera to start the inning, his 12th strikeout of the game. Chris Denorfia then hit a groundout to third baseman Pablo Sandoval for the second out of the inning, but Everth Cabrera drew a walk to extend the inning, bringing Alexi Amarista to the plate. Giants right fielder Hunter Pence made a great catch in right field to keep the no-hitter intact.

Lincecum is scheduled to face Chase Headley, Carlos Quentin and Yonder Alonso in the ninth inning. Headley has reached base twice tonight against Lincecum with two walks.

Lincecum has pitched well in Petco Park throughout his career. He entered Saturday with an 2.48 ERA in 80 innings at San Diego, striking out 102 batters while issuing 30 walks. Overall, Lincecum has an 11-6 record against the Padres with a 2.34 ERA in 24 starts.

More from SB Nation:

• Manny talkin’ Manny

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• National League Fail-Star team

• Red Sox find relief help in Thornton

• Longread: Brooklyn’s field of broken dreams

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum has thrown the first no-hitter of his career and the first no-hitter at Petco Park, leading the Giants to a 9-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Lincecum struck out Chase Headley to begin the inning, his 13th strikeout of the game. Carlos Quentin flied out to Gregor Blanco for the second out of the inning, then Yonder Alonso flied out to Blanco for the final out of the game.

It took Lincecum 148 pitches for the feat -- he fell one short of Edwin Jackson's 149-pitch no-hitter on June 25, 2010. Lincecum walked four.

Lincecum becomes the fourth pitcher to throw a no-hitter on the road against the Padres. Pittsburgh Pirates starter Doc Ellis threw a no-hitter on June 12, 1970 at San Diego Stadium, A.J. Burnett threw a no-hitter as a member of the Marlins at Qualcomm Stadium on May 12, 2001, and St. Louis Cardinals starter Bud Smith threw a no-hitter at Qualcomm later that season.

The Giants were the last team to be no-hit, when Homer Bailey no-hit them on July 2 of this year. The Marlins were the last team to have a no-hitter thrown against them and then throw the next no-hitter; Ramon Martinez threw a no-hitter against the Marlins back in 1995, then Al Leiter no-hit the Colorado Rockies the next May.

More from SB Nation:

• Manny talkin’ Manny

• Brew Crew Ball: Please let Yuni go!

• National League Fail-Star team

• Red Sox find relief help in Thornton

• Longread: Brooklyn’s field of broken dreams

Every July, Halos Heaven heads to Sin CIty to watch the All Star Game together in a luxury casino sports book. We also watch the Home Run Derby. We also get a little wild. We're already a little crazy so the combination comes easy to us (you should know this by now).

THE ITINERARY THREAD for where to find us and to see what we are doing is LINKED HERE.

This is the thread for the All Star Week Festivities. It has BGEUN!

Darth Duane, Moondoggy, Ladybug and Red Floyd watched that sorry excuse for a Saturday Night Angels-Mariners Game at the bar at the Four Queens casino...

I don't know if we can handle the tales of them driving across the desert...

The Shadow of the Panther Slot is waiting to spit out money and PANTHER energy to any fan that wants to take it for a spin... (LADYBUG reports that a fat old broad with a San Diego Padres visor will not relinquish the machine).

Much more to follow!

The short-legged, long-haired pitcher didn't so much throw to the catcher as funnel the ball through complex pitching machinery that always appeared on the verge of blowing up. They call Tim Lincecum"The Freak" because it doesn't appear as if the human body -- especially Lincecum's 5'11, 175-pound high-school-sophomore body -- should be able to suffer such a toll. Only a freak could put his arm through that torque every five days and have such little wear to show for it.

Three years removed from his second consecutive Cy Young Award, two years removed from a fourth consecutive All-Star appearance, the machine appeared to have finally worn out last year and the pitcher living out some sort of Rookie of the Year dream had returned to reality. Lincecum's velocity was down, his ERA was way up, and he showed little hope of turning it around. He didn't break down, with pops of ligaments or snaps of bones like many thought he would in the end. He just couldn't keep delivering on the promise of his first three years in the league. The pitching miracle showed its age.

Saturday night in San Diego may not have been vintage Freak but it was reason to believe the nickname. In an era where pitch counts are noted on screen, in box scores and in conversations between friends, Lincecum's seemed outrageous. Just four innings in, he had already hit 64. He passed the century mark in the sixth inning -- but the no-hitter remained intact. Surely, there was no way he'd be allowed to finish the game at that rate. If the Padres didn't get to him, surely the manager would -- it's not like baseball hasn't had a shared no-hitter before.

But neither Giants manager Bruce Bochy nor the Padres batters could touch Lincecum. Chase Headley struck out swinging in the ninth inning, then Carlos Quentin hit a lazy fly ball to left. No pitcher in the majors had surpassed the 140-pitch mark after Edwin Jackson threw 149 during his nine-walk no-hitter on June 25, 2010. No pitcher in the big leagues had surpassed the 132 tossed by Clayton Kershaw in May. Lincecum had never thrown more than 138 -- a mark he hit five years earlier.

Yet there was Lincecum, his 148th pitch as good as his first, and Yonder Alonso sending it as an easy fly ball to left field and Buster Posey lifting Lincecum off the ground like two brothers wrestling as Lincecum's first no-hitter entered into the history books.

Tim Lincecum may not be the overpowering engineering experiment he once appeared to be. But there's no doubt: He's still the Freak.

Here is a live discussion thread for the 2013 MLB All Star Futures game, which begins at 2 PM Eastern time. I will be here throughout the game live-blogging in the comment thread, so stick around and enjoy the fun!

Here are the starting lineups.

UNITED STATES TEAM
1) Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds
2) Delino DeShields, 2B, Astros
3) George Springer, RF, Astros
4) C.J. Cron, 1B, Angels
5) Matt Davidson, 3B, Diamondbacks
6) Joc Pederson, LF, Dodgers
7) Christian Yelich, DH, Marlins
8) Addison Russell, SS, Athletics
9) Austin Hedges, C, Padres
Starting Pitcher: Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets
COMMENT: Interesting that the US team has chosen to start Billy Hamilton in center field over Byron Buxton, who is the best overall prospect in baseball. I'd imagine that Buxton will get in the game pretty quickly.

WORLD TEAM
1) Reymond Fuentes, LF, Padres
2) Arismendy Alcantara, 2B, Cubs
3) Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
4) Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
5) Henry Urrutia, RF, Orioles
6) Jordan Lennerton, 1B, Tigers
7) Gregory Polanco, CF, Pirates
8) Maikel Franco, DH, Phillies
9) A.J. Jimenez, C, Blue Jays
Starting Pitcher: Rafael Montero, RHP, Mets
COMMENT: How soon will the world team get Carlos Correa into the game?

More from Minor League Ball:

• How I would change the 2013 MLB All Star Futures Game rosters
• 2013 MLB All Star Futures Game: United States Roster Analysis
• 2013 MLB All Star Futures Game: World Roster Analysis

The Padres and their fans are still reeling from getting no-hit by Rachel Maddow last night but it's not the first time they were blanked in the hit column. Hell, it wasn't even the seventh time. Join me as I take a glance at all eight of the unfortunate occurrences.

1: Dock Ellis, Pirates, 1970

Alright, this is the one that everybody knows about. Dock Ellis famously (infamously?) dropped a no-no on the Friars after dropping a few hits of acid before the game. If you haven't seen the animated No Mas video of Ellis describing it, you haven't lived. Here, just take four and a half minutes. I'll wait.

2: Milt Pappas, Cubs, 1972

Probably best known for being traded for Frank Robinson, Pappas got his moment of glory September 2, 1972. His Cubs scored eight runs as he was perfect though 26 batters. Pinch hitter Larry Stahl walked with two outs in the ninth and Pappas was a baby about it after the game, saying the umpire blew the calls. Jeez, dude, you threw a no-hitter. Greedy much? Even Pappas's catcher Randy Hundley acknowledged that the ump got it right.

3: Phil Niekro, Braves, 1973

Knucksie had it floating something fierce that day and his offense had his back. The Braves scored nine runs and even threw in an inside-the-park homer to make it particularly demoralizing.

4: Three Braves, 1991

Kent Mercker pitched six hitless innings as an emergency starter but got pulled as the Braves were in a pennant race and only up 1-0. Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena did the rest, although there was a slightly controversial play in the ninth; Terry Pendleton was charged with an error on a ball hit by Darrin Jackson that some say was a hit. I'm not one of the some. Mercker would go on to get a no-hitter of his very own in 1994.

5: A.J. Burnett, Marlins, 2001

He walked nine guys. That's ridiculous.

6: Bud Smith, Cardinals, 2001

You know what else is ridiculous? Getting no-hit twice in the same year. Smith finished fourth in ROY voting that season but got shelled in ten starts the next year and that was all she wrote for him.

7: Jonathan Sanchez, Giants, 2009

You remember this one and if you don't, I'm going to do you a favor by not rehashing it.

8: That guy, Those guys, last night

[that thing I just said about Sanchez's]

In that time, the Padres have pitched zero of their own. Here's to hoping I don't find myself writing about all the people who have hit for the cycle against the Friars any time soon.

The game started with a familiar unsettling feeling as the Giants leadoff hitter kick started it with a triple and later scored. The Padres were down 1-0 without even an attempt to get their first base knock since Friday night. However, baseball is not as predictable as it would seem sometimes. The Padres first batter, All Star SS Everth Cabrera, ended the anticipation that began the contest by getting a hit. However, before you could really enjoy that clear feeling in your lungs from the sigh of relief, Cabby was picked off. But never fear, even though this start continued to pointed to being another typical game in the Padres' miserable slump things began to change. Chris Denorfia batted next and took Barry Zito deep to tie the game. That was just the start of what was to come.

The Padres would hit 4 HRs (Denorfia, Nick Hundley, Will Venable and Carlos Quentin) and combine for 10 runs behind another excellent outing for the team's most consistent starter this year, Eric Stults. He would go 6 innings and only give up that solitary run scored by the leadoff man. Dale Thayer and Luke Gregerson kept the Giants quiet as well in relief. The cherry on top of the game for the pitching staff was seeing 28 year-old Colt Hynes make his major league debut in the 9th inning to finish it off with a 1-2-3 inning.

The defense behind Stults and company was solid as we have seen many times this year, but the same could not be said of the Giants. The team that made some great defensive plays to help Tim Lincecum do what he did the night before was not on display in the day game tilt. A couple potential double plays were botched, including a ball Sandoval completely airmailed to second base, helped the Padres pile on more runs than just the ones by those aforementioned home runs.

I wish this blowout win was enough to be able to say the team is going into the All Star Break on a high note, but really nothing could be done today to make that so. Too many loses have been piled up and the one Saturday was particularly brutal. Since, you can't complain too much about seeing the boys put together a solid win when many were calling out the team yesterday for not playing hard enough.

San Francisco Giants' right-hander Tim Lincecum has drawn trade interest from many teams including the Detroit Tigers, according to Jon Morosi of FOXSports.com. Contenders are looking to utilize the 29-year old as a reliever if they are able to acquire him from San Francisco.

Matt Garza rumors: Rangers, Indians, Red Sox, Cardinals

Read the latest rumors and news on the Matt Garza sweepstakes.

Lincecum, who is 5-9 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 starts on the season, threw a no-hitter against the Padres on Saturday night.

His dominating performance could be a sign that he is returning to the form that won him the Cy Young Award in 2008 and 2009, and may have a significant effect on the Giants' feelings about trading him.

As Morosi says, a trade involving the fan favorite would be very unpopular at this point, and it is rare for defending World Series champions to dismantle their team less than a year after winning it all.

Lincecum is eligible for free agency after this season, and is not guaranteed to be re-signed by the Giants. If the four-time All-Star is not part of the team's future plans and they do not feel like they can be serious contenders in the NL West, they would be smart to move Lincecum in exchange for a couple of prospects in the next few weeks.

The Giants currently sit only 6.5 games behind the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, and are currently on the fence in regards to buying or selling at the trade deadline. As Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweeted on Saturday, teams throughout the league are waiting for the Giants to decide their deadline strategy due to the many "useful players" that could become available. The team has shown interest in available commodities like Matt Garza, Ricky Nolasco, Bud Norris and Alex Rios, but may be willing to sell some assets as part of a partial rebuilding effort. If they decide to sell. Players such as Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Pence may be available.

The Giants are currently active on the trade market, and are working to trade right-hander Chris Heston, according to a source. The 25-year old was designated for assignment on Saturday, but his value as a pitching prospect means that the team could be working to include him in a larger deal.

More from MLB Daily Dish:

• Cubs rumors: Sides making progress in Matt Garza talks
• Yankees rumors: Robinson Cano likely headed for free agency
• Red Sox rumors: Looking hard for bullpen help
• San Francisco Giants sign Jeff Francoeur
• Join the MLBDD community and write a fanpost!

Heading into the All-Star Break, MLB Bullets goes on.

• It took him 148 pitches, but Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter against the Padres Saturday night. He struck out 13 and got great plays behind him from Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence. It was Lincecum's first since high school and the seventh in San Francisco Giants history.
• Christina Kahrl thinks the no-hitter is a sign that people should stop freaking out about The Freak and that he should remain in the bullpen. She points out that Dave Stieb had a career "hiccup" at about the same age Lincecum is now and recovered to be a great pitcher again.
• Jeff Passan says, for one night at least, the old Lincecum was back.
• Jon Paul Morosiargues that Lincecum's no-hitter puts the Giants in a bind. Several contenders wanted to trade for him and make him a reliever. Now that's probably off the table.
• Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning but he exited after the seventh inning with a tight quad. Verlander made it sound like the quad was no big deal but that there was no need to push it.
• It wasn't a no-hitter, but former Cubs farmhand Chris Archerthrew his first complete-game shutout in the majors.
• There's a report that MLB is offering a plea deal to Alex Rodriguez and others connected to the Biogenesis scandal, but it's a steep one. Accept a 150 game ban or face a lifetime expulsion.
• Just a few days after he was elected in the NL Final Vote, Freddie Freemanpulled out of the All-Star Game.
• Dave O'Brien says that the way Braves fans rallied around Freeman shows that the fanbase is more energized than ever, or at least since 2003 when he started covering the team.
• Chris Davishit his 37th home run on Sunday, tying Reggie Jackson's AL record for home runs before the All-Star Game. Not to be a downer, but when Jackson hit 37 HRs before the All-Star Game in 1969, he only hit 10 more the rest of the way.
• With Davis's statement that he considers Roger Maris to be the "true" single-season home run record, there will be a big controversy if Davis gets to 62 home runs this season.
• Returning to the Anna Benson story, it was revealed this weekend that Benson was charged with murder in 1996, (WARNING: Graphic crime scene photo) went on the run and was profiled on America's Most Wanted. The charges against Benson, then known as Anna Warren, were eventually dropped although her alleged co-conspirator was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 21 years and died in prison. If you want to read a summary without the crime scene photo, you can go here.
• Jordany Valdespinreally didn't want to go to Las Vegas.
• The fans in the Bronx booed the Yankees.
• Jeb Lund of Sports On Earth thinks that Derek Jeterdoesn't deserve this season.
• The Dodgers like where they stand at the All-Star Break.
• The Diamondbacks think they've "overachieved" so far this season. No one is sure if they're complimenting or insulting themselves.
• Grantland's Rany Jazayerli examines what went wrong with the Blue Jays.
• The Rangers are staying afloat despite ten players on the disabled list.
• Jerry Crasnick says if teams need an outfielder, they need to call Chicago. Alfonso Soriano and Alex Rios are both available.
• The Marlins, on the other hand, are not likely to trade Giancarlo Stanton. Either this year or in the off-season.
• Jay Jaffe looks at what moves the Piratesmight make to stay in the playoff hunt.
• The Padresare looking to sell and that might even includeChase Headley.
• Raul Ibanez has hit 24 home runs so far this year. He has a chance to set the all-time record for home runs in a season for a player in their forties. I did not see that coming.
• Another slugger in his 40s, Manny Ramirez, is getting closer to returning to the majors.
• Bud Shaw of the Plain-Dealer thinks the Indiansare contenders, whether they make a deal or not.
• Ken Rosenthal explains that Yadier Molinagot to be so good through hard work. Yeah, I know. Not exactly cutting-edge stuff. But there are some good details in there. Also, Rosenthal thinks that Alfonso Soriano is unfairly "stigmatized" by his massive contract. He can't understand why more teams don't want him, even with the Cubs willing to pay a large chunk of his remaining contract.
• Jonah Keri says that the Red Sox aren't back, they never really left. They just had a streak of bad luck. Now he thinks they're built to win for years to come.
• She may have given them her number, but managers are not likely to call on Carly Rae Jepsen to pitch anytime soon after this Embarrassing gif of her throwing out the first pitch in Tampa Bay.
• The Twins' Kyle Gibson knows he needs to improve to win at the major league level. But he's also says that being a good teammate and a good person is even more important to him than being a good pitcher. That's something you don't hear that often.
• Despite Byron Buxton's success and promise of more to come, he still mows his own lawn in the off-season. And no, that's not some sort of Ozzie Smith-style contract negotiation tactic. And I just dated myself, didn't I? Anyway, he's a humble country guy.
• Finally, three years ago Chad Jones was drafted by the New York Giants and had a promising NFL career ahead of him. But that ended after he almost lost his leg in a car accident. Now, he's a 24 year old in rookie ball trying to have a career as a left-handed relief pitcher for the Reds. The odds are against it, but the odds were against him ever walking again.

Iowa hired Rick Heller as their new baseball coach. He had previously been the coach at Indiana State, Northern Iowa and Upper Iowa.

And tomorrow will be a better day than yesterday, Buster.

As you know, Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. McCovey Chronicles has a terrific rundown of the 50 Awesome Things about Lincecum's no-hitter. For our purposes at Minor League Ball, Lincecum's gem is a good excuse to review what he was like as a prospect.

Lincecum was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2003, a 48th round pick out of high school in Renton, Washington. He didn't sign and went to college at the University of Washington, emerging quickly as an effective and dominating college arm, going 10-3, 3.53 ERA in 112 innings as a freshman in '04, fanning 161 in 82 walks. He was just as good as a draft-eligible sophomore in '05, going 8-6, 3.11 with a 131/71 K/BB in 104 innings. He turned down the Indians who drafted him in the 42nd round.

Returning for his junior year in '06, he went 12-4, 1.94 ERA with a 199/63 K/BB in 125 innings for the Huskies, allowing just 75 hits. He made 17 starts, relieved in five games,and picked up three saves. Opinion about him was actually somewhat mixed: his small size (5-10, 155), high walk rate, heavy college workload, and unusual mechanics made him a rather non-traditional pitching prospect. While he was a lock for the first round, some teams thought he was the best pitcher available, while others felt he was more of a back-end first-round guy.

He ended up going 10th-overall to the Giants. He looked great in his pro debut, pitching 31.2 innings between short-season Salem-Keizer and High-A San Jose, combining for a 1.73 ERA with a 58/12 K/BB and just 14 hits allowed. He showed four quality pitches: 93-98 MPH fastball, nasty curveball, good slider, good change. He was confident and dominant, the only question being how his arm would hold up.

I gave Lincecum a Grade A- entering 2007, ranking him as the Number Five pitching prospect in baseball, behind Phil Hughes, Matt Garza, Yovani Gallardo, and Homer Bailey, who had all proven themselves in Double-A or higher at the time.

Lincecum never appeared on another prospect list. He blew away Triple-A in five starts to open 2007 (4-0, 0.29, 46/11 K/BB in 31 innings, 12 hits), then spent most of the season in the Giants rotation, holding his own as a rookie (7-5, 4.00 in 146 innings, 150/65 K/BB, 112 ERA+. As you know, he thrived in 2008 (7.1 WAR) and 2009 (7.5 WAR) winning two consecutive Cy Young Awards. He began to fade but was still very effective in '10 and '11.

Last year was bad, his WAR dropping to just 0.9, leading the NL in losses with an ERA spike to 5.18. He's rebounded this year, with the no-hitter standing out plus improvement in his component ratios. His ERA remains worse-than-league at 4.26, ERA+ 79, but his FIP and xFIP are closer to his career norms and his WAR is solid enough with a 1.4 mid-season mark.

It seems clear that Lincecum's early career workload has caught up with him: he no longer throws in the upper-90s, topping out about 93 these days rather than 98. However, his secondary pitches (particularly his changeup) are still solid enough, and he still has enough velocity to survive just fine if his command is sharp.

Through age 28, Lincecum's Sim Score comps are Sid Fernandez, J.R. Richard, Jake Peavy, Bob Gibson, Jered Weaver. Kevin Appier, Chan Ho Park, Kerry Wood, Doug Drabek, and Dan Haren. Some of those guys remained effective as they got older, some of them didn't. Lincecum needs to complete the transition from power pitcher to crafty veteran. If he does that, he can be an above-average pitcher for some years to come.

After straddling the fence on whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline for the last couple of weeks, the San Diego Padres have decided to become sellers, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Knobler says that word at Sunday's Futures Game at Citi Field was that the "Padres are open for business", and will listen on almost anyone on the roster. The team has lost fourteen of their last fifteen games and has fallen to 42-54 on the season.

In recent weeks, the Padres have been in hot pursuit of pitchers like Jake Arrieta, Ricky Nolasco and Matt Garza. Arrieta (Cubs) and Nolasco (Dodgers) have since been traded, and Garza will likely be traded to one of the many teams interested in him by the end of the week. San Diego is no longer considered a possibility for the right-hander, and have decided to stop pursuing starting pitching due to the belief that they are no longer in contention in the NL West.

Knobler opines that the Padres could move starter Edinson Volquez or closer Huston Street before the trade deadline, and that some of the team's other bullpen arms could be available. Luke Gregerson and Dale Thayer could help contenders down the stretch, and the team may also look to move veteran starter Jason Marquis, who is a free agent after the season.

With the abundance of arms potentially available in trades, the Padres are not eager to move star third baseman Chase Headley. The 29-year old is hitting only .230 with 7 HR and 31 RBI on the season, and is under team control through the 2014 season. He has drawn a strong amount of trade interest from teams like the Yankees in the past, but his struggles this year lead some to believe that his trade value has been lowered significantly. With the Padres in no rush to move Headley and his value low, it is unexpected (but not impossible) that he will be moved before the 31st.

Other players who could possibly be moved in the next couple weeks include outfielders Carlos Quentin, Mark Kotsay and Kyle Blanks, who is currently injured.

The Yankees need to make some kind of a trade because otherwise their offense is not going to be strong enough to make them a contender in the second half of the season. The Padres and the Marlins are two teams that are in a position to sell, however, one may be more willing to trade off major pieces than the other.

After losing 14 of their last 15 games, the team once ready to make a move on the NL West division has now decided it's time to start looking at 2014. The last place Padres are now 8.5 games out of first place and 11.5 games out of a wildcard spot, so they could finally be interested in trading off someone like Chase Headley.

The third baseman has been on the trading block for awhile now, but this might finally be the time where he actually gets moved. He is under team control for 2014 as a Super Two and is currently making $8.5 million. In 2013 he has hit .229/.330/.359 with seven home runs, which is a 95 wRC+, but that still represents a significant upgrade for the Yankees over what their third basemen have produced this season: .218/.281/.293, 56 wRC+. The Padres would be asking for a decent return for their star player, but it might be worth it if it means no more Luis Cruz, David Adams, Alberto Gonzalez, or Jayson Nix at third base in 2013 and 2014. The Yankees haven't actually had a third baseman play third base since Kevin Youkilis went down with a back injury. Alex Rodriguez might be rehabbing, but the team can't afford to wait around and hope he can provide value.

Besides Headley, San Diego has plenty of other players that could make the team stronger. The Yankees could try to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder like Chris Denorfia, who is signed through 2014 and has hit .271/.328/.394 for a 103 wRC+ this season, or Carlos Quentin, who is owed $17 million for the next two seasons with a $10 million option for 2016, but has hit very well, batting .275/.366/.496 for a 141 wRC+.

The Yankees could also target Logan Forsythe and move him to third base, now that he's been displaced by top prospect Jedd Gyorko, and Jesus Guzman, who can play the infield and outfield corners, but both are under team control for a long time still. Catcher Nick Hundley might have also been player to go after, but that became much less likely after Yasmani Grandal tore up his knee.

The Marlins are not even close to competing for a playoff spot and could instead be fighting with the Astros over the first pick in next year's draft. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that Giancarlo Stanton or Logan Morrison are available. Miami views both players as pieces to build around, rather than sell off. They could trade them if they are blown away with an offer, but the Yankees probably don't have the pieces to get Stanton and Morrison might not be worth the overpay.

Players who are available include Greg Dobbs, Placido Polanco and Justin Ruggiano and only Ruggiano is worth even considering. The righty outfielder has hit left-handed pitching at a rate of .230/.302/.460 with a 109 wRC+. He could be a nice addition to to the 2013 squad and is signed through 2017, making him a longterm option that could be worth pursuing.

The Yankees need to make a move, but the 2013 season is so up in the air right now that the smartest moves would be to make upgrades for the future, just in case this team can't turn it around.

The Padres may have the 3rd lowest average audience size in Major League Baseball with 29,000 households, but they've seen a 52% increase in their ratings in the last year, the most in the Majors. The increase is due in large part to Fox Sports San Diego being picked up by AT&T and the Dish Network in the off-season. Just imagine the ratings if Time Warner cable ever decided to give their subscribers the opportunity to watch.

The SportsBusiness Journal is keeping tabs on the ratings.

Lack of deals, wins sends Astros’ ratings down | SportsBusiness Journal

FS San Diego, has posted the biggest percentage ratings increase this season among U.S.-based MLB teams. San Diego Padres games have the third-lowest average audience among teams monitored by SportsBusiness Journal, but the team’s 2.74 rating (29,000 homes) is up 52 percent from last year, somewhat surprising considering the team’s below-.500 record.

The main difference: AT&T and Dish Network started carrying FS San Diego this year; last year, they didn’t. That means Padres games can be seen by more San Diego subscribers than last year. Time Warner Cable remains the main holdout, refusing to carry FS San Diego.

Apparently FSSD and I have something in common, we're growers not showers.

Also, as a reference, the Yankees have the largest MLB audience size. This year they dropped 39% but still have 185,000 households watching on average. The Houston Astros have 10,000 households after losing 66% of their viewers from last year. This puts them in dead last.

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was eliminated in the first round of the 2013 Home Run Derby after hitting only four home runs. That's four more than he managed to hit last year in Kansas City, but was not enough to advance to the next round as one of the Top 4 hitters. Cano's total of four was the lowest in the first round.

The leading hitter heading into the second round was Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who blew away the field with 17 home runs. Also advancing to the next round were Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, and Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer. Both captains, Cano and David Wright, failed to make it out of the first round. Davis and Harper hit eight each in Round One and Cuddyer hit seven. Pedro Alvarez (6), Prince Fielder, who tied Wright's total of five, were also eliminated in Round One.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• MLB trade rumors: Joba Chamberlain's trade value hurt by possibility of release
• MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees could do nothing, says Bob Klapisch
• MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees need a bat and Padres are sellers, but Marlins are not
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Surprising Yankees All-Stars in history
• Yankees Weekly Report Card: 7/7/13 - 7/13/13

Yesterday on Pinstriped Bible

• 2013 Home Run Derby Open Thread
• MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees could do nothing, says Bob Klapisch
• Yankees Weekly Report Card: 7/7/13 - 7/13/13
• MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees need a bat and Padres are sellers, but Marlins are not
• 2013 MLB Home Run Derby: Odds, tv schedule, & predictions
• Yankees Roundtable Discussion: Reviewing the first half and what the second half could bring
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Surprising Yankees All-Stars in history
• MLB trade rumors: Joba Chamberlain's trade value hurt by possibility of release
• Baby Bomber Recap 7/14/13: Alex Rodriguez doubles and drives in two runs for Tampa

Around the Internet

• Plea Bargain - It's About the Money | Brien Jackson: The Bill Madden story about Alex Rodriguez possibly taking a plea bargain in the Biogenesis case makes absolutely no sense for a number of reasons.
• Biogenesis Scandal - SB Nation | Spencer Schneier:Alex Rodriguez's camp denies rumors that he is attempting to agree to a settlement deal over his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.
• Getting Close - ESPN New York | Matt Ehalt: Curtis Granderson feels like he can make it back from the disabled list before the end of the month.
• Much to Be Desired - ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: The Yankees bullpen is the only thing that has been championship-caliber.
• From Humble Origins - CBS Sports | Scott Miller: A look back at Mariano Rivera's career from his humble beginnings in Panama to the greatest closer of all time.
• Sizing Up the First Half - ESPN New York | Matt Ehalt: Joe Girardi and CC Sabathia look back on the first half and talk about what they need to do going forward.
• Hot Bat - It's About the Money | MJ Radolf:Robinson Cano is way too streaky of a hitter to ever be a contender for a batting title.

Quick Hits

Questions of the Day

• How can the All-Star Game be improved?
• How many games back can the Yankees be before they should become sellers?
• What is the weirdest place you ever fell asleep?
• Where do you go to get your favorite food?

Coming Up Today

• Baby Bomber Recap 7/15/13: Shortstop picks up the win for Tampa in 19-inning marathon @ 9 am
• Curtis Granderson can still help the Yankees in 2013 and 2014 @ 10 am
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Odds, TV schedule, lineups, & predictions @ 11 am
• Yankees Bullpen: How to improve on a strength @ 2 pm
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Mariano Rivera looks for the career shutout @ 3 pm
• All-Star Game may count, but that does not mean the game matters @ 4 pm
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game @ 7:30 pm (Game Thread @ 7:00 pm)

Home Run Derby

Sometimes baseball is bigger than baseball, and Yoenis Cespedes' victory in the Home Run Derby last night was just that.

Cespedes journey to Citi Field has been anything but easy, as he shared with The San Francisco Chronicle, detailing his family's struggles over the past few years in coming to America from Cuba, with Cespedes success acting as the motivating factor in a truly remarkable story.

Last night the 27-year-old took the spotlight at the Derby, crushing 17 home runs in the first round; ranking third all time for the most home runs hit in a single round at the event - Bobby Abreu had 24 in 2005, and Josh Hamilton notched 28 in 2008.

Cespedes longest home run was a 456 foot blast to dead center; with the longest of the night going to Prince Fielder, on a 483-foot blast in the first round.

In his last at-bat Cespedes put an appropriate grand finale on the night, cranking a 455-foot home run to dead center. He immediately began celebrating, but his family was the first thing on his mind:

"I don't know if they can see this in Cuba, but the day before yesterday I spoke with my 4-year-old son who's in Cuba and he asked me to dedicate the home runs to him," Cespedes said in Spanish. "So I dedicate them to him and to the rest of my family.'

Bryce Harper took second place, and at 20 years and 272 days, was the second youngest player to participate in the Home Run Derby, only behind Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1990 at 20 years, 230 days old.

All Star Game

In not-entirely-surprising news, it was announced yesterday afternoon that Matt Harvey will start for the National League tonight on his home turf, while Max Scherzer will take the mound for the American League.

Speaking of Matt Harvey: if you haven't seen this video of Harvey asking New Yorkers in Mets gear about Matt Harvey, watch it now. It's gold.

Harvey has gone 7-2 this season with a 2.35 ERA, a National-League-leading 147 strikeouts, 27 unintentional walks and no unearned runs allowed; notching a quality start in 15 of 19 outings. Scherzer is 13-1 with a 3.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 4.90 K/BB ratio.

Both Harvey and Scherzer seemed like likely candidates to claim the honors with their performances this season, though Clayton Kershaw apparently felt snubbed from National League manager Bruce Bochy, telling reporters that, "It hurts." Kershaw currently has a league-leading 1.98 ERA and .908 WHIP.

Adam Wainwright was another option for the National League, while Felix Hernandez and Chris Sale were both worthy candidates for the American League.

Rays at the All Star Game

It's unbeknownst to Rays fans if or when Ben Zobrist will make an appearance tonight, but Marc Topkin shared the following concerning Jim Leyland's usage of Matt Moore:

Heard late tonight #Rays Matt Moore will pitch 5th and/or 6th inning in Tuesday's All-Star Game.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 16, 2013

Links:

- The season's most clutch hit thus far, as decided by Fangraphs? A "two-run, come-from-behind, walk-off" homer from Evan Longoria on May 11^th against the Padres.

- Bryce Harper may be the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, and he may have cranked some homers last night, but the time he's spent with a 13-year-old named Gavin Rupp may be the 20-year-old's most deserving acclaim yet.

- Scoring baseball games by hand, a dying breed?

- Chris Davis isn't phased by the steroid chatter surrounding the epic year of home-run-hitting he's had thus far.

- Lastly, the Rays top prospect Guerrieri was pulled from his start on Monday due to elbow soreness.

The Yankees have been "aggressively" shopping Phil Hughes in order to acquire a bat. As a fly ball pitcher, his value is extremely limited to teams with big ballparks, so it looked like the NL West would be the best place for him, but the list of possible suitors is shortening.

At one point the Giants and Padres were thought to be the best landing spots for him due to their expansive ballparks, but now both have fallen out of contention. The Dodgers were interested in middle of the rotation help up until they acquired Ricky Nolasco, while the Rockies have expressed interest in Hughes as a reliever, but a deal with them is unlikely to bring much of a return. It seems the Yankees are quickly running out of options.

I previously identified the best ballparks for Hughes to pitch in and the only teams left in contention on that list are the Pirates, Athletics, Braves, Nationals, and Diamondbacks. A team like the Pirates, finding success for the first time in years, might be more willing to part with prospects for a better chance of finally breaking through, but that doesn't really help the 2013 Yankees.

More from Pinstriped Bible:

• Yankees rumors: Dalier Hinojosa drawing interest after being granted free agency
• Curtis Granderson can still help the Yankees in 2013 and 2014
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Cano seeks to reprise Jeter's 2000 All-Star Game MVP performance
• 2013 MLB All-Star Game: Odds, TV schedule, lineups, & predictions
• MLB Trade Rumors: Heavy interest in Michael Young could still make him available

Over the weekend I wrote about how the Padres had gone 3-17 in their last 20 games. I knew things were bad, but I just didn't realize how bad until I actually counted the number of losses. I figured with a record like that it must be one of the worst 20 consecutive games the Padres had ever played. I was wrong.

The 3-17 streak actually isn't that rare and has happened bunches of times, in 1969, 1972, 1974, 1981, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1999, 1996, 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2013. That kind of makes you feel better about it, right?

In 1969, the inaugural year of the Padres, they lost more than 17 in 20 games on a few occasions. There's a lot of overlap but that season ended really poorly. Which is why those summer months of June, July and August are the worst in franchise history.

Most losses in a 20 game span

Their 19 losses in 20 games was awful and ended with back-to-back double headers on August 16th and August 17th, in which they lost all four games. There only win in that span was their 110th game where they barely beat St. Louis 3-2 after being tied most of the game. They needed a walk-off homer in the 9th to win it. Oof!

On the bright side, the Padres have gone 17-3 twice in a 20 game span. Once in 1989 and once in 2005.

Most wins in a 20 game span

Now you know.

The Kansas City Royals announced that they have claimed infielder Pedro Ciriaco off waivers from the San Diego Padres. The 27-year old was designated for assignment on Friday.

After being acquired from the Red Sox on June 14th, Ciriaco appeared in 23 games at shortstop and second base for the Padres. In 68 plate appearances, he hit .238 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. In 51 total games between the Sox and Padres on the season, Ciriaco has posted a .228 average with 2 HR and 8 RBI.

Ciriaco, who showed potential with his .293 average in 76 games with Boston in 2012, will provide infield depth for a Royals team that has lacked offensive production from the middle infield all season. After Chris Getz struggled to start the season, the team called up Johnny Giavotella from Triple-A Omaha at the end of June. In ten games, Giavotella has hit only .206, prompting the club to make another change at the position. Shortstop Alcides Escobar and third baseman Mike Moustakas have also hit poorly, hitting .246 and .215 respectively.

The versatile Ciriaco can play second base, shortstop and third base, and will try to help the Royals fill a major hole in their lineup.