Community Picks: Philadelphia Phillies 0% vs Washington Nationals 0%

There are a lot of good things to say about the future of the Philadelphia Phillies. They have a young pitching staff that's only going to get better with time. Third baseman Maikel Franco has insane power and increasing defensive skills. Their minor-league system has shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Nick Williams. They have potential coming out the wazoo. But the present is a much different story.  [ Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now ] In the present, these 2016 Phillies have some problems. Their bullpen has yet to find consistency, be it of the bad kind or the good kind. The right side of the infield, occupied by first baseman Ryan Howard and second baseman Cesar Hernandez, has both defensive and offensive problems. And the infield fly rule continues to haunt them.  To see the problems and potential on full display, you can watch the Phillies right here on Yahoo Sports. They face their NL East rivals the Washington Nationals in Tuesday's Free Game of the Day, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. You can stream the game at Yahoo's Sports Home , MLB index and video home .  Continue to Article

April 26, 2016 10:14:am EST

The Minnesota Twins are trying to get him to harness his considerable power, and he made an adjustment during the game's pivotal at-bat that made all the difference. Arcia led off the ninth inning with a home run off of Zach McAllister to lift the Twins to a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night. Hitting coach Tom Brunansky has been trying to convince Arcia that he doesn't have to swing quite so hard to hit the ball a long way, and he hollered at his slugger after a couple of wild cuts early in his at-bat against McAllister. Continue to Article

April 26, 2016 12:28:am EST

Bryce Harper got the undivided attention of the sporting world this spring when he stated his belief that baseball is a tired game , while sharing his opinion that his fellow players should feel more comfortable showing emotion on the field. [Elsewhere: Blue Jays' Chris Colabello suspended 80 games for PED use ] Little did he know at that moment — though he obviously figured it out soon afterward — that his words would evolve into their own marketing campaign and now their own brand. That's exactly what we have now though with the Washington Nationals selling "make baseball fun again" t-shirts, which is the slogan Harper's memorable quotes have morphed into.  Get ‘em while they’re hot. Available at the #Nats Team Store. #MakeBaseballFunAgain pic.twitter.com/12gadd0yNJ — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 22, 2016 It's a reminder that just about anything that's said or done can be turned into something marketable, especially when the brand behind it is as strong as Bryce Harper's. Harper has gladly played along too, debuting a "make baseball fun again" cap following Washington's game on opening day. It was noted then that the shirts would be coming as well, and it didn't take that long to become a reality. Now there are t-shirts, hats and unlimited possibilities that will soon lead to an endless flow of cash.   Continue to Article

April 24, 2016 3:52:pm EST

Bryce Harper got the undivided attention of the sporting world this spring when he stated his belief that baseball is a tired game , while sharing his opinion that his fellow players should feel more comfortable showing emotion on the field. [Elsewhere: Blue Jays' Chris Colabello suspended 80 games for PED use ] Little did he know at that moment — though he obviously figured it out soon afterward — that his words would evolve into their own marketing campaign and now their own brand. That's exactly what we have now though with the Washington Nationals selling "make baseball fun again" t-shirts, which is the slogan Harper's memorable quotes have morphed into.  Get ‘em while they’re hot. Available at the #Nats Team Store. #MakeBaseballFunAgain pic.twitter.com/12gadd0yNJ — Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 22, 2016 It's a reminder that just about anything that's said or done can be turned into something marketable, especially when the brand behind it as strong as Bryce Harper's. Harper has gladly played along too, debuting a "make baseball fun again" cap following Washington's game on opening day. It was noted then that the shirts would coming as well, and it didn't take that long to become a reality. Now there are t-shirts, hats and unlimited possibilities that will soon lead to an endless flow of cash.   Continue to Article

April 24, 2016 3:52:pm EST