Sunday MLB Insider: A-Rod might just ruin everything

Commissioner Bud Selig, speaking at Target Field on Wednesday, mentioned the positive feedback he had received since announcing the suspensions of 13 players stemming from the Biogenesis scandal two days earlier.

"The only thing you want fans to know is that that you are serious about it, you're doing something about it and you did something about it," said Selig, who was in town to speak at the RBI World Series luncheon.

While Major League Baseball has sent a message that it will use any means necessary to bust offenders, the one piece of unfinished business from this project — Alex Rodriguez — threatens to damper the remainder of what should be a fabulous finish to the regular season.

The league hit the New York Yankees third baseman with a 211-game suspension — the rest of this season and all of the 2014 season — for infractions apparently so serious that MLB leaked hints it could push for a lifetime ban. This comes after Rodriguez admitted in 2009 that he was a used performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers.

A-Fraud should not be on an MLB field, but he has appealed the decision and will be allowed to play during the process. When will we learn of the ruling? November or December. That's great. Rodriguez gets to play the rest of the season, and he could help the Yankees enter the postseason race.

The Yankees are in a tough spot. Rodriguez has irked them by seeking a second opinion on his sore quadriceps without telling the team, and later accusing them of wanting to get out of the remainder of his massive 10-year, $275 million contract (who could blame them?). But the third basemen who have filled in for him have been brutal this season, and the team needs him back.

Opponents, apparently, don't want to see Lightning Rod on a field either. "I hope our [union] dues don't really go to his lawyer fees by any means," Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes told Boston reporters.

Selig wouldn't reveal his thoughts on Rodriguez playing, only stating, "He has a right to do what he's doing." But the league can't be happy with him in uniform. Great story lines are developing around the league. Miguel Cabrera is on track for an even better season than last year. The Dodgers are back from the dead. The NL Central race is shaping up to be terrific. The Pirates are actually winning. Even in Yankeeland, Ichiro Suzuki is approaching 4,000 hits in his career — including his years in Japan.

But A-Rod will steal the spotlight. It seems highly likely that stories will be leaked and lawyers will make threats as the appeal process continues. And don't forget about MLB's civil suit against Biogenesis, which could turn up more juicy tidbits about Rodriguez.

Bud, why couldn't you strike a deal to make A-Rod take A-Walk? He could impact the race by helping the Yankees rally and he could impact the race by being a distraction.

Central Intelligence

The Indians lost 6-5 to the Tigers in 14 innings on Wednesday, but rookie Danny Salazar offered more evidence that he could be too much for division opponents to handle for years to come.

He went 7⅔ innings, giving up four earned runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk. He was over 100 pitches when he took the mound for the eighth and gave up a two-run homer. By then, jaws were dropping in the opposing dugout as Salazar's fastball reached 99 miles per hour consistently.

"The kid was as advertised — and then some," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "That's impressive. That's an easy 98, 99 [mph]. Easy. That kid is something special."

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The Royals made offseason headlines for how they reshaped their rotation, but their bullpen has been big for them. Only two American League teams have a bullpen ERA under 3.00, and one of them is Kansas City.

"I feel we're just now really clicking as a whole unit," closer Greg Holland said. "We've been good all year, but we've got guys who can be really dominant."

Holland closed the door on the Twins on Wednesday to earn his 30th save, his 23rd conversion in a row.

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This one comes from the Sports Features Group: The White Sox went 0-7 on their most recent road trip, the first time in their 113-year history that they went winless on a road trip of at least seven games.

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What's impressive about the Tigers' 12-game winning streak that ended Friday in extra innings against the Yankees is that hitting savant Miguel Cabrera missed several games and was pulled early from others during the run because of a hip pointer.
Three observations …

• Players have gone from complaining about having their rights violated through drug testing to demanding tougher drug penalties, an amazing shift in attitudes from 15 years ago.

• The run everyone has waited for has happened. Detroit is on its way to a double-digit lead in the AL Central.

• We are starting to see what the hype about Wil Myers is all about. The Rays needed another offensive threat.

… and two predictions

• Boston's John Farrell should be a lock for AL Manager of the Year. The Red Sox already have won more games than last season.

• The Twins will finish with a 13-15 record in September — and Kyle Gibson pitches out of the bullpen for the season's final month as he reaches his workload limit.