Lineouts! 08/12/13: Puig vs. Myers, Rivera and Griffey

MLB Hot Topics

A-Rod homers, now 12 within Mays by Mike Mazzeo -- ESPN

The Yankees are one step closer to paying A-Rod his $6 million bonus, which he gets from tying Willie Mays' 660 career home runs. Rodriguez's homer came off of former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, on a 92 mph fastball to left field. His second at bat might have been the first time this season at Yankee stadium where he received more cheers than boos.

Weekend Buzz: Baseball's best hitter (not A-Rod) puts on a 3-day show by Danny Knobler -- CBS Sports

If you missed any baseball action this weekend, all the biggest stories of the weekend are summed up in this article. You can find the the biggest buzz that is going around the league from this past weekend including Cabrera and Reddick's hot bats, the streaking Royals, and Ken Griffey Jr. enshrined in the Mariners Hall of Fame.

Mariano Rivera Blows 3 Straight Saves for First Time in His Career by Rob Goldberg -- Bleacher Report

One stat that stood out to me over this past weekend was that Mariano gave up two home runs Sunday against Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, while he has only allowed only two post-season home runs in his entire career. This was the first time in Mo's career that he has blown three straight saves. Although the Yankees did end up winning the game Sunday on Brett Gardner's walk-off home run, there is some concern right now in the Bronx about their aging closer.

Cody Ross leaves game with dislocated hip by Matt Snyder -- CBS Sports

Diamondbacks fans and players got some bad news Sunday when Cody Ross was diagnosed with a dislocated hip. The D-backs are currently five and a half games out of the wild card and trail the Dodgers by seven and a half games. They are going to be relying on recent call-up Matt Davidson quite a bit, who collected his first major league hit Sunday, and who had quite impressive numbers for Triple-A Reno.

The Sabermetrics Community

10 Degrees: Mike Trout adds 'value' to MVP debate by Jeff Passan --Yahoo Sports

Jeff Passan looks at how teams create surplus value in the sense of what player is producing the most, getting paid way less than he should, and allowing his team to spend money elsewhere. Of course Mike Trout is No. 1 in the list that Passan gathers, and Matt Harvey follows him at No. 2. I'll leave the rest of the list for you to see, since the two who are tied at the third spot is pretty surprising given their salaries, but this article is a must read for those interested in what all front offices are trying to accomplish: produce young cheap impact players and spend money elsewhere to build a perennial contender.

Where did the Nationals go wrong? by Bill Baer -- ESPN

Mostly every projection system and baseball expert had the Nationals still winning the National League East even with the Atlanta Braves improving over this offseason. Bill Baer takes a look at some of the things that changed over the past two seasons, including Gio Gonzalez's regression, a shaky back end of the rotation, and the flop that has been Denard Span. You can check out more on what might have happened to Span here.

Big debate: Yasiel Puig or Wil Myers? by David Schoenfield -- ESPN

Schoenfield brings up the debate -- which guy would you rather have for now and into the future? He breaks down both their basic stats and more advanced stats which are ultimately similar, aside from BABIP and chase rate. Take a look for yourself and decide who you would rather have as part of your franchise for the next 10 years.

New at SBNation MLB

Ken Griffey Jr. inducted into Mariners Hall of Fame by Connor Moylan -- SB Nation

One of the greatest players in baseball history was enshrined on Saturday into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Ken Griffey Jr. left an impact on the game that few have ever seen before, and will be forever remembered for his iconic play.

The A.L. MVP and the Mike Trout/Miguel Cabrera debate that wasn't by Grant Brisbee -- Baseball Nation

Grant Brisbee brings up the debate on everyone's mind again: Mike Trout versus Miguel Cabrera for the American League MVP. Grant disagrees that there is even an argument this time around, since Trout and the Angels are nowhere close to contending. Just one more thing to blame Joe Blanton for.

Yankee fans' hope for success lies in the future by Jim Griffin -- Pinstriped Bible

Jim Griffin here is not too high on the Yankees' future, and that pretty much sums up his less-than-optimistic take in this article. The Yankees seem to0 be on track to get under the luxury tax for 2014, which is a good start for saving money. Their farm system isn't to high on anyone's list, which might be one thing they focus on in the near future.

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All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.

Anthony Bauer is a writer at Beyond The Box Score. You can follow him on Twitter at @skipbauer22.

More from Beyond the Box Score:

• The Smallest Sample Size 8/12/13: Giant meltdowns
• Regression spells trouble for certain contenders
• Prince Fielder's hitting woes
• Lineouts! 08/10/13: Chase Utley, Jake Peavy and the Mets are running
• Is it worth it to lose now, and win later?