MLB Notebook: Schedules, Suspensions, and Buster

9/9/2014

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey have been named the National League Co-Players of the Week for the period ending September 7th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

LaRoche paced the NL with four home runs and 10 RBI last week, while his 1.333 slugging percentage was tops among qualifying Major League hitters. The 34-year-old veteran hit .333 (5-for-15) in five games last week and collected 17 total bases, which was tied for fifth in the Senior Circuit. On Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, LaRoche's clutch hitting propelled the Nationals to an 8-5 victory in a 14- inning marathon between the NL East and NL West-leading clubs. He did not enter the back-and-forth contest until the top of the ninth, producing a pinch-hit, two-run homer to knot the game at two. The California native then broke a 3-3 tie in the 11th inning, plating Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth with a line drive single to left. LaRoche's heroics did not end there as he came through with the game once again tied in the 14th inning, connecting for an RBI-groundout to put the Nationals up for good, 6-5. Despite initially having the afternoon off, LaRoche ended the day 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a season-high five RBI, falling one short of his career best of six RBI (8/1/2010 at NYM). On Sunday, LaRoche clubbed two solo homers against ace Cole Hamels to help the Nats take the rubber-match of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2. This is his first career Player of the Week honor.

Posey was Baseball's top hitter last week, posting a .565 batting average (13-for-23) while leading the NL in hits, runs scored (8) and total bases (22). The 27-year-old also had the League's second-highest slugging percentage (.957) last week and ranked among League leaders in on-base percentage (3rd, .593) and RBI (T-3rd, 8). On Tuesday, Posey's season-high four RBI led the Giants to a 12-7 victory at Colorado. The Georgia native clubbed a pair of doubles and a home run in the contest. He continued to swing a hot bat into San Francisco's weekend series at Detroit, marking a renewal of the 2012 Fall Classic. On Friday, Posey collected a pair of hits and scored a run in an 8-2 victory. In Saturday's outing, the two-time All-Star went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and his 20th homer of the season in the Giants' 5-4 victory. It was his fifth multi-hit outing of the week and second three-hit game in that span. With the impressive week, Posey raised his average to .309 for the season, which ranks fourth in the NL. This is his third career weekly award (also: July 11, 2010 and June 30, 2013).

Brave Suspended

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Atlanta Braves Minor League outfielder Justin Black has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for an Amphetamine in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The suspension of Black, who is currently on the roster of the rookie-level Danville Braves of the Appalachian League, is effective immediately.

2015 Season Schedule Announced

Major League Baseball today announced its master 2015 regular season schedule, which will begin with ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" on April 5th . Details of the Opening Night contest are forthcoming. A full slate of 15 Opening Day games is currently set for Monday, April 6th.

The 15 games comprising Opening Day include 12 divisional match-ups and an Interleague contest between the host Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. Seven games are scheduled for Tuesday, April 7th before all 30 teams take the field once again on Wednesday, April 8th.

The 2015 schedule contains World Series rematches from three of the last six seasons, including a 2010 Fall Classic rerun between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers in Arlington from July 31st-August 2nd. In a clash between the 2009 World Series participants, the Phillies will play at the New York Yankees from June 22nd-24th, and the Tampa Bay Rays will visit the Phillies from July 20th-22 nd in a rematch of the 2008 Fall Classic.

The final day of the 2015 regular season, featuring 12 divisional games, is scheduled for Sunday, October 4th. Other important dates next season include Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, April 15th; the first day of the 2015 MLB Draft on Monday, June 8th; and Baseball's 86 th All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 14th.

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