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THT Daily: Angelicby THT StaffJuly 30, 2008 Player News Yesterday’s Results Today’s Games Standings Game of the Day Yesterday’s Home Runs You can always find the most recent THT Daily at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/content/thtdaily/ and an archive at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/thtdaily_index/ Player NewsPlayer Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldThe Braves acquired Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek from the Angels for Mark Teixeira. The Angels get a nice upgrade here, but they're giving up a 25-year-old with room to improve for just two months of an at least somewhat overrated first baseman. Marek was also one of their top prospects. A move to the pen this year has him looking like a potential closer. John Lackey took a no-hitter into the ninth Tuesday against the Red Sox, but ended up allowing two runs in a complete-game victory. Dustin Pedroia broke up the bid with a one-out single, and Kevin Youkilis immediately followed with a long homer to left. Lackey was going for the Angels' first no-hitter since Mike Witt's perfect game in 1984. It would have been the first time Boston was no-hit since Seattle’s Chris Bosio completed one in 1993. Lackey walked just one and hit a batter. He improved to 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA in 13 starts against the Red Sox. Alexi Casilla was diagnosed with a torn tendon in his right thumb and could be lost for the season. A tough blow for the Twins. Casilla had some frustrating lapses on defenses, but he was hitting awfully well. Now the Twins are going to activate Adam Everett instead of designating him for assingment. Brendan Harris should reemerge as a regular, apparently at shortstop, with Nick Punto moving to second. Everett will likely replace Harris for defense late in games. Diamondbacks optioned RHP Micah Owings to Triple-A Tucson. A move that probably should have happened weeks ago. Owings might have to be written off for the rest of 2008. He's supposed to be healthy, but he hasn't pitched like it in a couple of months now. Yusmeiro Petit will take his place in the rotation and should be worth using in NL-only leagues. Rangers placed third baseman Hank Blalock on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 28, with inflammation in his right shoulder. It's unclear if this is at all related to the surgery he underwent last year after being diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Still, it wouldn't come as a shock if we've seen the last of him this season. Ramon Vazquez will again be used as the Rangers' starting third baseman. Milton Bradley left Tuesday's game in the eighth inning with a strained left quad. Ryan Roberts took over at designated hitter. If this is a DL-type injury, the Rangers will probably call up Nelson Cruz to take over at DH. Jose Guillen wants out of Kansas City and would be willing to defer money to make it happen, ESPN Deportes reports. Guillen signed on with the high bidder, and he had to know what he was getting into. Of course, the Royals had so much more money on the table than anyone else that it's hard to blame him for not passing it up. Guillen is mostly frustrated about his relationship with manager Trey Hillman, a source told ESPN. "Guillen and Hillman are not on speaking terms, they don't talk," said the source. "Guillen is definitely not happy, he's not comfortable and he would do anything he can in economic terms to ease his way out of Kansas City." There has been speculation that the Braves were interested, but that seems unlikely now. That Guillen is owed another $24 million after this year will make dealing him difficult. Former major league reliever Julio Mateo was arrested on suspicion of forgery last weekend after police discovered counterfeit $100 bills in his hotel room. Mateo hasn't pitched in the majors since being arested on spousal abuse charges and skipping out on the Mariners last May. He was pitching for San Francisco's Triple-A team this year. According to the Albuquerque police reports, Mateo is accused of using a counterfeit $100 bill to pay a $26.80 cab fare for himself and Fresno teammate Victor Santos. After investigating officers received permission from Mateo to enter his hotel room, an officer saw "two stacks [of] money with $100 bills on top of the stacks," a police report said. Yesterday’s ResultsGame recaps provided by Craig Calcaterra of Shysterball.Angels 6, Red Sox 2: Two outs away from a no-hitter and John Lackey doesn't even get the shutout, but a great performance it was all the same (CG, 2 H, 2 ER). And now, with the addition of Teixeira, the rest of the American League will witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL ballclub! Cubs 7, Brewers 1: Ben Sheets was knocked around and Carlos Zambrano was dominant (8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 9K). According to reader Chris H. who watched the game, there was a serious lack of hustle on the part of the Brewers: The box score won't show it, but the Brewers outfielders really look demoralized out there. Several of the runs scored tonight have been gifts, and in particular I think Ryan Braun is going to need an extra couple hours of sleep tonight, because by the 7th inning he seems to be loping rather than running. Oh, and Corey Hart totally handed Theriot a triple by jogging after a fly ball and basically watching it roll past him. Seriously, I think they're drugged or something.Anyone else feel that way? If that's the case, don't you pretty much have to blame Ned Yost for letting his team come out flat and loaf in what is the most important series of the year so far? Astros 6, Reds 2: Fifth loss in a row for the Redlegs. That probably doesn't matter because their season is lost anyway. What does matter is that a couple of guys you know they'd like to shop -- Dunn and Arroyo -- each put up stink bombs, with one going 0-4 with no walks and the other giving up six runs on eight hits in six and a third. As for Houston, the buy-now Astros creep to within 12.5 games of the Cubs, biding their time . . . biding their time. Rays 3, Jays 0: So much drama in Boston has obscured the fact that the Rays aren't giving up the division, especially to a bunch of dysfunctional babies like the Red Sox. Matt Garza threw a five hit shutout, beating Roy Halladay who, you may have noticed, is pretty good himself. Mets 4, Marlins 1: The Mets are understandably upset that Teixeira was traded to an AL team on the west coast because now they'll have to buy more expensive plane tickets to get the guys they have scouting him for the inevitable free agent signing. Or at least that's the kind of thing I was reading on a couple of Mets' sites last night. Really, one commenter was saying something like "the worry is that Teixeira is gonna fall in love with the California lifestyle and not wanna come to New York," like it's a fait acompli or something. Orioles 7, Yankees 6: Attention Yankees fans: Carl Pavano made a rehab appearance down at Class A last night. He struck out four and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. And you know what? A couple more Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner starts, you won't even boo him when he finally pitches a game for the Bombers. Twins 6, White Sox 5: Another Twins win, and just like that, this race is this race is hotter than a Times Square Rolex! It's as thin as turnip soup! But there's a long way to go, and if you try to read the tea leaves before the cup is done, you're gonna get yourself burned! OK, that had nothing to do with this game. I'm just starting to get a little excited about election season, and I wanted to whip out some Ratherisms. Rangers 11, Mariners 10: There were 22 runs, 33 hits, and 8 pitching changes in this one. If it weren't for the fact that no one was taking a walk, it could have gone on all night. Bonus: Ichiro notched his 3000th career hit. I think that there's a decent chance that he'll hang around long enough to get 3,000 in the U.S. alone -- doesn't he remind you of Pete Rose on some vague level? -- but if he doesn't, I'll be curious to see how your average BBWAA member views the Japanese component of these 3,000 for Hall of Fame purposes. Phillies 3, Nats 1: Before any Phillies fans get the idea that Brett Myers is all better now, remember that the team he shut down for seven innings last night has only scored three runs in its last five games. Pirates 6, Rockies 4: There are some folks out there -- mostly in the Rockies' front office, I think -- who believe that this team has another run in them a la 2007. Worth noting that, 108 games in last year, Colorado was only 3.5 out and was playing above-.500 ball. Also worth noting is that as late as September 16th last year, their deficit in the NL West -- 6.5 games -- was about the same that it is now. I don't think anyone's ever going to get rich gambling on white-hot streaks, but given how bad everyone in this division is capable of playing, it's too late to close the books on the possibility. Cardinals 8, Braves 3: As evidence of just how nightmarish a season this has become for the Braves, I give you Mark Kotsay, batting third. By the way, Jeff Francoeur was the only Braves player who got into the game last night who was on the team the last time they made the playoffs. Tigers 8, Indians 3: The Casey Blake trade has created a tremendous opportunity for Andy Marte. After years of failing to live up to the potential with which he was once credited, he basically has 2/3 of a season with no pressure and no competition for the Indians' third base job. Even moderate production over that time will ensure his future employment in Cleveland, because quite frankly, they need him. Since the trade, Marte has gone something like 2-15 with a single extra-base hit. Marte will never be handed an opportunity like this again, yet here he is, blowing it. Diamondbacks 3, Padres 0: Doug Davis -- who took a perfecto into the seventh -- was the story here, but Alex Romero's back-to-the-plate catch of a deep fly to right center in the bottom of the eighth was the play of the game. Fire up the video highlight mechanism of your choice to get a look at it. Royals 5, A's 2: Remember back in the day when Kansas City used to send all of its good players to Oakland this time of year? I kinda miss that. Dodgers 2, Giants 0: The Dodgers keep pace with the Dbacks via a surprising (at least to me) start from Jason Johnson of all people, who shut the Giants out and didn't walk anyone over six innings. I remember when Johnson came up, and have always had a vague awareness of his presence in the Major Leagues, but I don't think I could tell you when he played for who at basically any time over the course of his career. I love unexpected goodness from journeymen starters for some reason. Always have. You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.
Today’s GamesNational League --------------- Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM (R) Aaron Cook (13-6) vs. (L) Zach Duke (4-8) Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM (L) Jamie Moyer (9-6) vs. (R) Tim Redding (7-5) New York Mets at Florida Marlins, 7:10 PM (R) Mike Pelfrey (9-6) vs. (R) Josh Johnson (0-0) St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, 7:10 PM (R) Chris Carpenter (0-0) vs. (R) Jair Jurrjens (10-5) Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:05 PM (R) Ryan Dempster (11-4) vs. (L) Manny Parra (9-3) Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM (R) Edinson Volquez (12-4) vs. (L) Wandy Rodriguez (6-3) Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, 10:05 PM (R) Dan Haren (10-5) vs. (R) Cha Seung Baek (3-4) San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM (L) Jonathan Sanchez (8-6) vs. (R) Chad Billingsley (10-9) American League --------------- Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays, 12:37 PM (R) Edwin Jackson (6-7) vs. (R) Scott Richmond (0-0) Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 1:05 PM (R) Dennis Sarfate (4-1) vs. (R) Joba Chamberlain (3-3) Kansas City Royals at Oakland Athletics, 3:35 PM (R) Brian Bannister (7-9) vs. (R) Sean Gallagher (1-0) LA Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM (L) Joe Saunders (13-5) vs. (R) Josh Beckett (9-7) Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (L) Nate Robertson (6-8) vs. (L) Cliff Lee (14-2) Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM (R) Miguel Batista (4-11) vs. (R) Vicente Padilla (12-5) Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, 8:10 PM (R) Gavin Floyd (10-6) vs. (R) Livan Hernandez (10-7) StandingsThe graphics next to each team are called "sparklines.” They depict each team’s performance over the last month. Each "up" bar is a victory and a "down" bar is a loss. There are horizontal lines for home games and red bars represent games decided by two runs or less. "PWins" is short for Projected Wins, based on each team’s Run Differential, and is often a better measure of a team’s true strength. Other team graphs and stats can be found on our Team Page.American League East Pwins Diff TB 62 44 .585 0.0 57 5 Game of the DayRangers 11, Mariners 10 - FINAL
SEATTLE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Suzuki rf 5 0 2 1 0 1 2 .298
J Reed cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 2 .246
va-W Bloomquist ph-cf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .275
R Ibanez lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 .279
A Beltre 3b 5 0 0 0 0 1 6 .257
J Lopez 2b 5 3 3 1 0 0 1 .305
B LaHair dh 4 3 3 1 0 0 0 .375
vb-K Johjima ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .209
J Washburn pr-dh 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Cairo 1b 4 2 2 0 0 1 0 .246
J Burke c 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 .284
Y Betancourt ss 5 0 1 1 0 0 3 .255
Totals 41 10 15 7 1 4 17 ###
TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Kinsler 2b 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 .327
M Young ss 4 1 0 0 1 3 2 .295
J Hamilton cf 5 2 3 0 0 0 0 .304
M Bradley dh 4 1 3 1 0 0 2 .320
ha-R Roberts ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
D Murphy lf 5 1 0 1 0 0 3 .265
M Byrd rf 4 2 3 4 1 0 0 .258
C Davis 1b 5 2 2 0 0 0 2 .291
G Laird c 4 2 3 1 0 0 2 .320
R Vazquez 3b 5 0 4 4 0 1 1 .320
Totals 42 11 18 11 2 5 18 ###
----------------------------------------------------
SEATTLE - 000 303 202 -- 10 15 1
TEXAS - 025 110 002 -- 11 18 5
One out when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------
va-singled to left for J Reed in the 8th; ha-struck out swinging for M Bradley
in the 8th; vb-hit by pitch for B Lahair in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - M Bradley 2 (26, C Silva, R Corcoran); M Byrd (12, C Silva); G
Laird (13, R Corcoran); R Vazquez (15, J Putz). HR - M Byrd (6, 3rd inning off
C Silva 2 on, 1 Out), J Lopez (8, 7th inning off J Wright 0 on, 0 Out), B
Lahair (2, 7th inning off J Wright 0 on, 0 Out). S - M Cairo. RBI - J Burke 2
(5), Y Betancourt (30), I Suzuki (26), J Reed (13), J Lopez (58), B LaHair (2),
M Byrd 4 (22), G Laird (26), D Murphy (67), R Vazquez 4 (35), M Bradley (60).
2-out RBI - J Burke, Y Betancourt, G Laird. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - A Beltre 1, I Suzuki 1, J Reed 1, M Bradley 2, I Kinsler 1, C Davis 1.
GIDP - A Beltre, I Kinsler 2. Team LOB - SEATTLE 8, TEXAS 9. BASERUNNING: SB -
Y Betancourt (2, 2nd base off L Mendoza/G Laird). CS - J Burke (1, Home by C
Wilson/G Laird). FIELDING: E - Y Betancourt (15, ground ball); R Vazquez 3 (11,
ground ball, throw 2); L Mendoza (2, ground ball); I Kinsler (17, throw). DP:
(Y Betancourt-J Lopez-M Cairo, S Green-J Lopez-M Cairo, M Young-I Kinsler-C
Davis).
SEATTLE ip h r er bb so hr era
C Silva 2 1/3 7 6 6 1 1 1 5.95
R Corcoran 3 2/3 6 3 3 1 2 0 3.52
S Green 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.83
C Jimenez 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.29
J Putz (L, 2-4; B, 5) 1/3 3 2 2 0 0 0 5.18
TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
L Mendoza 5 1/3 9 6 5 0 1 0 7.34
J Wright 2/3 3 2 2 1 1 2 4.70
F Francisco (H, 11) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.30
E Guardado (H, 23) 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.40
C Wilson (W, 1-2; B, 4) 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 5.11
J Wright pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.
WP - L Mendoza. HBP - J Burke (by L Mendoza); K Johjima (by C Wilson); G
Laird (by R Corcoran). Pitches-strikes: C Silva 42-25; R Corcoran 63-41; S
Green 13-9; C Jimenez 10-7; J Putz 14-8; L Mendoza 87-54; J Wright 26-13; F
Francisco 10-5; E Guardado 9-8; C Wilson 14-9. Ground balls-fly balls: C Silva
4-2; R Corcoran 8-2; S Green 3-0; C Jimenez 0-1; J Putz 1-0; L Mendoza 9-6; J
Wright 1-0; F Francisco 0-3; E Guardado 1-0; C Wilson 1-1. Batters faced: C
Silva 15; R Corcoran 19; S Green 4; C Jimenez 3; J Putz 4; L Mendoza 27; J
Wright 6; F Francisco 3; E Guardado 4; C Wilson 5. IRS - J Wright 3. UMPIRES:
HP--James Hoye. 1B--Paul Nauert. 2B--Jerry Crawford. 3B--Tom Hallion.
T--3:11. Att--17,618. Weather: 98 degrees, clear. Wind: 14 mph, in from
center.The following graph tracks the game's Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs. You can also view live WPA graphs at Fangraphs during any ballgame all season long.  Yesterday’s Home RunsThe following stats are provided by Hit Tracker, which logs the projected “true” distance of each home run (if it were to land uninterrupted at field level) and its "standard" distance, which is corrected for weather conditions. Each homer is also categorized into one of three types: Just Enough (JE) for homers that cleared the fence by ten feet or less, Plenty (PL) for those that were sure home runs but not “blasts,” and No Doubt (ND) for true “blasts”—homers that cleared the fence by at least 20 feet and landed at least 50 feet beyond the fence.Hitter Team Pitcher Team True Stnd. # Type Brian Anderson CWS Glen Perkins MIN 387 382 6 PL Mike Aviles KC Greg Smith OAK 408 413 6 PL John Buck KC Greg Smith OAK 421 426 8 PL Marlon Byrd TEX Carlos Silva SEA 395 384 6 PL Miguel Cabrera DET Matt Ginter CLE 425 415 18 PL Carlos Delgado NYM Renyel Pinto FLA 412 410 23 JE Eric Hinske TB Roy Halladay TOR 409 398 15 JE/L Aubrey Huff BAL Mariano Rivera NYY 370 365 22 PL Brandon Inge DET Rafael Betancourt CLE 401 392 8 PL Bryan LaHair SEA Jamey Wright TEX 411 397 2 ND Carlos Lee HOU Bronson Arroyo CIN 414 413 24 ND Jose Lopez SEA Jamey Wright TEX 404 391 8 PL Kevin Millar BAL Darrell Rasner NYY 387 402 16 PL Albert Pujols STL Jorge Campillo ATL 414 406 21 PL Alex Rodriguez NYY Daniel Cabrera BAL 422 420 22 PL Nick Swisher CWS Joe Nathan MIN 0 0 15 0 Miguel Tejada HOU Bronson Arroyo CIN 0 0 11 ND Chase Utley PHI Collin Balester WAS 409 393 26 PL Access THT’s stats here…
Do you have a general question or comment for one of THT's writers? Send it in to our weekly mailbag We also welcome unsolicited op-ed pieces of approximately 500 words for consideration. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and consistency of style. Please include your whole name and location to be considered. If you have a comment about this specific article, please email the writer. Next Article: Buzz spite sneer of snark demands>> <<Previous Article: The most powerful-hitting middle infielders of all time | |||||
BOS 61 47 .565 2.0 63 -2 
NYA 58 48 .547 4.0 57 1 
TOR 54 53 .505 8.5 57 -3 
BAL 51 55 .481 11.0 52 -1 
American League Central
CHA 59 46 .562 0.0 61 -2 
MIN 59 47 .557 0.5 56 3 
DET 54 52 .509 5.5 56 -2 
KC 49 59 .454 11.5 46 3 
CLE 46 59 .438 13.0 53 -7 
American League West
LAA 66 40 .623 0.0 58 8 
TEX 55 52 .514 11.5 51 4 
OAK 53 53 .500 13.0 58 -5 
SEA 40 66 .377 26.0 45 -5 
National League East Pwins Diff
NYN 58 49 .542 0.0 58 0 
PHI 57 49 .538 0.5 60 -3 
FLA 56 51 .523 2.0 50 6 
ATL 49 57 .462 8.5 55 -6 
WAS 38 68 .358 19.5 40 -2 
National League Central
CHN 63 44 .589 0.0 65 -2 
MIL 60 47 .561 3.0 56 4 
STL 60 49 .550 4.0 57 3 
HOU 50 56 .472 12.5 48 2 
PIT 50 57 .467 13.0 47 3 
CIN 50 58 .463 13.5 47 3 
National League West
ARI 54 52 .509 0.0 55 -1 
LAN 53 53 .500 1.0 55 -2 
COL 48 60 .444 7.0 49 -1 
SF 44 62 .415 10.0 44 0 
SD 42 66 .389 13.0 43 -1 