MLB Daily: Vin Scully on Beards; The Legend of Steve Pearce & Brett Lawrie's Rotten Night

We’re two games into the 2015 baseball season. Let’s take a quick look around the action Tuesday night, shall we?:

One of a kind: The Dodgers/Padres game in Los Angeles featured a brief rain delay on Tuesday. The last time the Dodgers were rained out at home came back on Aug. 17, 2000. All told the team’s only been rained out 17 times since moving to SoCal from Brooklyn in 1957. Included in that move across the coast was Vin Scully, who at this point defies most words.

Thankfully the game Tuesday wasn’t rained out, since MLB Network aired the Padres 6-3 win that saw Craig Kimbrel strike out the side for his first save with San Diego, so baseball fans got to listen to Scully for the first time in 2015. Scully’s been calling Dodgers games since 1950 — which boggles the mind, even though it’s hardly a new revelation. To think someone who not only watched, but called games featuring Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays, etc. is still working behind the mic is simply incredible.

Also incredible? Scully talking about the beards worn by modern-day players. From Cut4:

"“I’m absolutely amazed about the beards. I can remember when the No. 1 sponsor for the World Series was Gillette — I mean they sold a lot of blades and shaving cream. … Look at them, I mean it’s amazing. … Here’s Jimmy [Rollins]: He settles for a kind of Fu Manchu mustache.”"

Long may you run, Vin.

Internet on the TV: The best part about listening to Scully Tuesday night? He really only talked about the game, which is a welcome relief compared to most other local broadcasts. Since there were only seven games last night, I tried to check out an inning or two of each game with as many RSNs as possible. Regional baseball announcers, by trade, are always going to be homers and lean toward “their” team. This is fine.

Less fine is the idea sweeping sports broadcasts across America that we need to integrate Twitter into every aspect of the game. Yes, I know teams and networks want to reach out to viewers and fans. Part of the appeal of Twitter is that every part of the service can be turned into a number, so you know exactly how much engagement you’ve made — which makes for some nice pie charts in a presentation with the corporate suits. Social media provides an easy, direct link to your customers.

That said, devoting so much time as many of the regional broadcasts do brings very little to the table. While the person who has their tweet read on air after using the team-sanctioned hashtag might get a kick out of it, nobody else does.

The Legend of Steve Pearce: Let’s raise a can of Natty Boh to journeyman scrub turned slugging star Steve Pearce. Nobody embodies the no-name aspect of the defending AL East champion Orioles better than Pearce, who homered last night in Baltimore’s 6-5 win in Tampa.

Pearce’s emergence last year was another reminder how sports don’t make sense and trying to predict them is a fool’s errand.

Although the O’s won, starter Wei-Yin Chen lasted only 4 1/3 innings after being staked to a 6-0 lead.

Congrats?: Brett Lawrie take a bow … this is strangely impressive.

(h/t CBS)

Scary Moment: Rockies starter Jordan Lyles hit Brewers shortstop Jean Segura with an off-speed pitch near the head. On replay it appeared to hit Segura’s helmet before bouncing into his cheek. The trainers evaluated Segura and he stayed in the game. Since I’m not a doctor I’ll defer to the training staff on the decision as it goes toward a possible concussion or other injury. The eerie part about this is Miller Park is the same place Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the face last season. There’s been much talk in baseball about adding protective gear for pitcher’s heads, we’ll see if more batters adopt a Stanton-style face guard moving forward.

This & That: C.J. Wilson threw eight innings of two-hit ball vs. the Mariners last night. … As touched upon last night, Mat Latos was downright awful in his Marlins debut. … Arizona rookie 3B Jake Lamb has seven RBIs after two games. … Brandon Belt hurt his hamstring in the loss to the D’backs, adding to the Giants injury problems. … Justin Verlander officially went on the DL Wednesday morning and won’t pitch, as the Tigers hoped, on Sunday. Kyle Lobstein takes his place.

[This probably wasn’t Yardwork]