Handle With Care.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, touted as the second coming of a strong wave of Japanese players to the MLB, broke his leg today while the Twins lost to the Yankees. After a number of teams (including the Yanks) made a bid for the rights to his contract this offseason, it's a shame that this happened so early in the year. Nishioka was supposed to add a large amount of power to a lineup that already included Justin Morneau (when he gets healthy, still suffering some minor side effects from a concussion he received last July), Joe Mauer (a perennial contender for the AL batting title), and Jim Thome (another DH ageless wonder, akin to Vlad Guerrero and Manny Ramirez). However, after today's debacle, it's likely he'll be out at least for a few weeks, during a time in which the Twins are currently in 4th place in the Central, behind the White Sox, Indians...and Royals? I'm sure Ron Gardenhire is praying to whatever Shinto deities there are that Nishioka heals quickly.

Star Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is also spending some time on the DL, further depleting the production of the 0-6 Tampa Bay team. The 2011 Rays are kind of like that kid that everyone grows up with: they start out cocky, prove themselves, and just when they seem poised for greatness, everything starts to go wrong for them and they can't stop the hemorrhaging. First, they go through an offseason that basically ripped the entire team apart, with longtime Ray Carl Crawford taking his talents to Massachusetts (which unfortunately meant he stayed in the division) and Carlos Pena and Matt Garza both landing on the Cubs' roster. Their bullpen, led by savvy closer Rafael Soriano (who, like Crawford, stayed in the AL East by signing with the Yanks), was completely cleaned out, leaving a lot of question marks for the final few innings of any game. In a futile, 11th hour-type move, they added aging vets Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to platoon in the outfield and at the DH position, but through the first 6 games, neither has proven to be a wise decision for Joe Maddon and the Rays brass. Now, with Longo out for possibly a long-o time, it's easy to guess that the Rays' slide is going to continue for a while.

Can I talk for just a minute about how much I like Ian Kinsler? It doesn't even completely have to do with the fact that he's Jewish, but it certainly doesn't hurt his standing in my book. I mean, he's a 30-30 threat every year when he's healthy, he's part of a Rangers team that might potentially be the best in franchise history, and he's only 28, meaning he's not only got time to improve, but chances are good that we haven't even seen the best of what he's got yet. He has 107 stolen bases in 5 years; nobody's going to ever compare him to Rickey Henderson, but the boy's got some speed. Combine that with his burgeoning power and a swing that's as sweet as honey and apples during the Jewish New Year, and it's feasible that he, along with heavy hitter Josh Hamilton, could lead the Rangers back to the World Series at least one more time before all is said and done.

Did Aroldis Chapman get abducted back to Cuba? Why am I not hearing anything about him anymore? After wowing the baseball world with his pitches that consistently exceed 100 miles per hour last season, it seems like the Reds are keeping him under wraps for a while. To be honest, this may prove to be a good thing. While his insane speed will certainly fan plenty of batters, it's a strong indication that he'll burn out just as quickly as his flaming fastballs came to light. If the head Cincinnati honchos want to keep this Cuban Delight in their rotation, or bullpen, for as long as possible, maybe they should get their pitching coaches to help Chapman change his mechanics to throw more sliders or curves, anything that might take some focus off his fastball. That way, when he does throw it, not only will it surprise batters even more (how much more confused can you get when the ball's moving faster than any consumer car does?), the minimalized usage of it will keep his arm in the best possible shape for the maximum amount of time.

Yankees are 4-2. Red Sox are 0-6. Here's hoping for 7-2 and 0-9 after this weekend.