Melky Cabrera is suspended for the rest of the regular season + 5 games

Melky Cabrera is suspended for the rest of the regular season + 5 games.

He tested positive for testosterone. It should not be a surprise to anyone that he has been doping. In 2010, he batted .255 with four home runs. This year he is batting .346.

In a strange quirk of the stats, Cabrera ends the season with 501 total plate appearances. Why is that important? In order to be eligible for the NL batting championship, he would need 502! Votto may not reach 502 either, depending on how many games he plays down the stretch. He has 370 TPA, so would need to play about 30 more games to qualify for the batting crown. With those two guys eliminated, McCutchen seems to have a firm grasp on the batting title. He's hitting .359; Posey is well behind at .331.

On the other hand, Posey is hitting an astronomical .441 since the all-star break, so he won't be going down without a fight. He's so hot that he's getting walked at Bonds-like levels lately. He's been issued 10 free passes in the past seven games (1.4 per game; 231 per season), compared to only 41 in his first 99 games (.4 per game; a "normal" 67 per season).