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THT Daily: Biggio retiresby Matthew CarruthJuly 25, 2007 Major League News for July 25Today’s LinksPlayer News Yesterday’s Results Today’s Games Standings Game of the Day Top Minor League Performances You can always find the most recent THT Daily at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/content/thtdaily/ THT LinksSheffield is Entertaining - Gary Sheffield has really upped his outrageous statements ability this season, and we may be in for some more with the upcoming HBO interview with the inventor of the Clear who says that both Sheffield and Barry Bonds used it. Division Leaders at the Trade Deadline - Even if the Brewers do not make a trade as Jeff Sackmann looks into, at least their front office carries the correct attitude of not being satisfied with staying in place and dancing with the people that brought them to the top. If there's an upgrade that can be made, make it. Why Runs Are Not Alike - Venerable Tom Tango comes through again with a simple, easy to understand argument pointing out that while lip service may be paid to the idea, nobody actually follows the mantra that one run is like all the others. Making the Jump - Anthony Reyes has been terrific in the minors and terrible in the majors so far. Can we gather anything from this? Exasperated - Royals Review is completely puzzled as to some of the decision making processes that go on in Kansas City. Getting Things Off Your Chest - McCovey Chronicle would really appreciate it if the Giants at least tried to keep their fans interested. THT Links represents the best efforts of our editors in scouring the various tubes of the interweb for both relevant and irrelevant news items. If you have happened upon a story that we have overlooked or wish to give feedback of any sort, please notify us at . Player NewsPlayer Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldCraig Biggio announced Tuesday that he'll retire at the end of the season. Biggio was clearly miscast as an everyday leadoff hitter during the first half of the season, but he still hits lefties, batting .297/.373/.532 against them last year and .318/.351/.489 in 2007, suggesting that he'd be useful as a part-time player if he wanted to continue his career. Still, most Hall of Fame-type players don't want to go out that way. And Biggio should be a Hall of Famer. He's 24th all-time in hits, sixth in doubles, 14th in runs scored and 31st in total bases. He also has 400 steals and four Gold Gloves to his credit. Plus, he's three HBPs away from breaking Hughie Jennings' major league record. He's been one of the true greats at second base. Brewers prospect Angel Salome was suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. They caught a very good prospect this time. Salome, who is listed at 5-foot-7 and 190 pounds, is a catcher with a fair amount of offensive potential. The Brewers were looking at him as their catcher of the future, though he wasn't likely to be ready until 2010. He was hitting .318/.341/.465 in 258 AB for Single-A Brevard County. Miguel Tejada will play in minor league games Wednesday and Thursday. He's scheduled to come off the DL for Friday's game. Tejada has been out since suffering a fractured wrist June 20. He will play six innings at short for Double-A Bowie on Tuesday. Moises Alou (quad) is bothered by right shoulder tendinitis and won't come off the disabled list Tuesday as planned. It's always something. Alou is still hoping to return this week, but the Mets will go with Lastings Milledge and Marlon Anderson for at least another couple of days. Padres manager Bud Black said he is uncertain about Chris Young's status for Sunday. Young left Tuesday's game in the third after pitching two hitless innings. "I didn't throw many more pitches after I first felt it," he said. "I didn't feel it again until I went out to start the third. ... "I didn't know the sensation I was feeling, so I called out the trainer." If he isn't ready to go on Sunday, the Padres could call up Mike Thompson. Reliever Justin Hampson would be another option, depending on how rested the pen is. Angels placed RHP Bartolo Colon on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right elbow. The Angels have to be wondering what they'll get out of Colon over the rest of the season. With Ervin Santana unlikely to rejoin the mix just yet, perhaps the Angels will target a starting pitcher, rather than a hitter, in trade talks. Dustin Moseley figures to replace Colon for now. The Braves and Angels are the most aggressive suitors for Mark Teixeira, says FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal labels the Yankees, Red Sox and Giants as on the periphery. The Braves would likely have to part with Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pull off a deal. Yunel Escobar shouldn't be of as much interest to Texas, and Escobar is more useful to the Braves right now anyway. Having Casey Kotchman and Ervin Santana go the other way is the deal that would make the most sense for the Angels. A source told Rosenthal that the chances of a Teixeira deal are 50-50. Dmitri Young and the Nationals are discussing a contract extension. There was nothing wrong with giving Ronnie Belliard a two-year, $3.5 million contract. Young, though, will want more, and there just isn't any way of knowing what kind of player he'll be in the future. He'll be 34 in October, he's a poor defender at first base and he had 500 at-bats just once from 2002-2006. He's never driven in 90 runs in a season. The Nationals could keep him if he'd take something like $5 million for two years, but they can't commit to him as a regular beyond 2008. An MRI revealed a bone spur in Chris Ray's elbow, and the closer could be placed on the disabled list. "We'll probably have a better determination as to what his status is (Wednesday)," Trembley said. "He's on medication to get the inflammation down in his elbow. He has had a bone spur, which he's had and has been pitching through it." Unless the bone spur is in a particularly bad spot, he could pitch through it and undergo offseason surgery without putting his arm at further risk. Still, if he is dealing with any soreness at all, the temptation could be there for him to change his mechanics and make things a whole lot worse. The Orioles would be smart to play it safe. Paul Shuey would perhaps be the favorite for saves if Ray goes on the DL. Cory Doyne would be another option in the late innings if he's called up. Yesterday’s ResultsAmerican League BAL 3 TB 0 (Recap and Boxscore) TOR 7 MIN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) CHA 8 DET 7 (Recap and Boxscore) CHA 5 DET 3 (Recap and Boxscore) BOS 1 CLE 0 (Recap and Boxscore) NYA 9 KC 4 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 4 LAA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) TEX 4 SEA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) TEX 2 SEA 1 (Recap and Boxscore) National League NYN 8 PIT 4 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 4 WAS 3 (Recap and Boxscore) MIL 5 CIN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) HOU 7 LAN 4 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 4 STL 3 (Recap and Boxscore) ARI 9 FLA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) SD 5 COL 3 (Recap and Boxscore) ATL 7 SF 5 (Recap and Boxscore)
Today’s GamesNational League --------------- San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies, 3:05 PM (R) Justin Germano (6-4) vs. (R) Aaron Cook (6-6) Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 PM (L) Matt Chico (4-6) vs. (L) Cole Hamels (11-5) Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM (R) Jeff Suppan (8-8) vs. (R) Kyle Lohse (5-12) Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets, 7:10 PM (L) Tom Gorzelanny (9-5) vs. (L) Tom Glavine (8-6) Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM (R) Derek Lowe (8-9) vs. (R) Matt Albers (2-4) Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 8:10 PM (L) Ted Lilly (10-4) vs. (R) Adam Wainwright (9-7) Florida Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM (L) Scott Olsen (8-7) vs. (R) Brandon Webb (8-8) Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (L) Chuck James (8-7) vs. (L) Noah Lowry (10-7) American League --------------- Minnesota Twins at Toronto Blue Jays, 12:37 PM (R) Carlos Silva (8-10) vs. (R) Jesse Litsch (2-4) Oakland Athletics at LA Angels of Anaheim, 3:35 PM (R) Joe Blanton (8-7) vs. (R) John Lackey (12-6) Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 PM (R) Andrew Sonnanstine (1-5) vs. (L) Erik Bedard (9-4) Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (R) Josh Beckett (13-3) vs. (R) Fausto Carmona (12-4) New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (R) Mike Mussina (4-7) vs. (R) Gil Meche (7-6) Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM (L) Kenny Rogers (3-2) vs. (R) Jose Contreras (5-12) Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers, 8:35 PM (R) Miguel Batista (10-7) vs. (R) Brandon McCarthy (4-7) 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 BOS 61 39 .610 0.0 62 -1 Game of the DayBarry Bonds didn’t hit a home run on his birthday, with Bud Selig in attendance. Too much pressure, I guess. But it was a thrilling game in San Francisco, where the Giants rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the ninth, only to lose to the Braves in extra innings, 7-5. Edgar Renteria was the Braves’ hero, going 3 for 7 with two doubles, including the game-winner in the 13th. Tim Hudson pitched eight innings of shutout ball before losing it in the ninth.ATLANTA (7) VS SAN FRANCISCO (5) - FINAL IN 13 INNINGS
ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Harris lf 6 1 1 0 1 1 4 .320
E Renteria ss 7 1 3 2 0 0 2 .336
C Jones 3b 5 2 3 2 2 1 0 .347
W Ledezma p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A Jones cf 6 0 1 0 1 1 5 .214
B McCann c 6 1 1 0 0 2 4 .266
J Francoeur rf 6 1 2 1 0 1 1 .292
K Johnson 2b 5 0 1 2 1 1 1 .293
J Franco 1b 5 0 1 0 1 2 3 .197
C Woodward pr-1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .223
T Hudson p 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .191
B Wickman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
O Villarreal p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-M Diaz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .349
P Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-Y Escobar ph-3b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .304
Totals 52 7 15 7 6 10 21
a-grounded to shortstop for O Villarreal in the 11th; b-singled to center for
P Moylan in the 13th.
BATTING: 2B - C Jones (22, M Morris); J Francoeur (23, M Morris); J Franco (2,
S Kline); E Renteria 2 (28, B Hennessey, J Sanchez). HR - C Jones (17, 5th
inning off M Morris 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - J Francoeur (66), K Johnson 2 (47), C
Jones 2 (51), E Renteria 2 (52). 2-out RBI - E Renteria 2, C Jones. Runners
left in scoring position, 2 out - W Harris 1, A Jones 1, T Hudson 1, B McCann
2. GIDP - A Jones, E Renteria. Team LOB - 12.
BASERUNNING: SB - E Renteria (10, 2nd base off K Correia/G Rodriguez).
FIELDING: E - C Woodward (5, throw). DP: 2 (E Renteria-J Franco 2).
SAN FRANCISCO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Roberts cf 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .251
K Correia p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
S Kline p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-M Sweeney ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .208
B Hennessey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-R Durham ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .240
R Messenger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
e-K Frandsen ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .244
J Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
V Chulk p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
O Vizquel ss 5 1 1 0 1 0 1 .244
R Winn rf 5 1 0 0 1 0 1 .292
B Bonds lf 5 1 1 0 1 2 2 .278
R Klesko 1b 6 0 1 0 0 0 3 .276
R Aurilia 2b 5 1 1 1 1 0 1 .238
P Feliz 3b 5 1 2 3 1 1 0 .249
G Rodriguez c 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .259
d-B Molina ph-c 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 .268
M Morris p 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .194
a-F Lewis ph-cf 4 0 1 0 1 1 4 .269
Totals 48 5 10 5 6 7 20
a-grounded to first for M Morris in the 6th; b-grounded to first for S Kline
in the 8th; c-flied out to left for B Hennessey in the 9th; d-singled to left
for G Rodriguez in the 9th; e-grounded to second for R Messenger in the
12th.
BATTING: 2B - P Feliz (15, B Wickman). RBI - R Aurilia (24), P Feliz 3 (47), B
Molina (51). 2-out RBI - R Aurilia, P Feliz 2, B Molina. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - R Durham 1, O Vizquel 1, F Lewis 2. GIDP - R Winn, D
Roberts. Team LOB - 10.
FIELDING: Outfield assists - D Roberts (J Francoeur at 2nd base). DP: 2 (P
Feliz-R Aurilia-R Klesko, O Vizquel-R Aurilia-R Klesko).
----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA - 000 310 000 000 3 -- 7
SAN FRANCISCO - 000 000 004 000 1 -- 5
----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
T Hudson 8 2/3 6 3 3 3 4 0 3.23
B Wickman (B, 5) 1/3 2 1 1 1 0 0 4.33
O Villarreal 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.90
P Moylan (W, 4-1) 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.17
W Ledezma (H, 3) 1/3 0 1 0 1 0 0 6.75
T Yates (S, 2) 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.23
SAN FRANCISCO ip h r er bb so hr era
M Morris 6 8 4 4 1 5 1 4.16
K Correia 1 1/3 1 0 0 2 3 0 4.23
S Kline 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.19
B Hennessey 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.29
R Messenger 3 1 0 0 2 1 0 1.84
J Sanchez (L, 1-2) 2/3 3 3 3 1 0 0 4.40
V Chulk 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.43
WP - B Wickman, J Sanchez. IBB - C Jones (by K Correia). Pitches-strikes: T
Hudson 115-75; B Wickman 15-9; O Villarreal 9-6; P Moylan 15-12; W Ledezma
17-7; T Yates 22-13; M Morris 92-61; K Correia 27-14; S Kline 13-7; B Hennessey
10-8; R Messenger 36-22; J Sanchez 29-16; V Chulk 2-2. Ground balls-fly balls:
T Hudson 19-3; B Wickman 0-1; O Villarreal 1-1; P Moylan 2-3; W Ledezma 1-1; T
Yates 0-1; M Morris 10-3; K Correia 1-0; S Kline 1-0; B Hennessey 3-0; R
Messenger 4-4; J Sanchez 2-0; V Chulk 0-1. Batters faced: T Hudson 33; B
Wickman 4; O Villarreal 3; P Moylan 7; W Ledezma 3; T Yates 4; M Morris 26; K
Correia 7; S Kline 3; B Hennessey 4; R Messenger 11; J Sanchez 6; V Chulk 1.
UMPIRES: HP--Bruce Froemming. 1B--Mike Winters. 2B--Brian Runge. 3B--Mark
Wegner.
T--4:08. Att--43,072.
Weather: 62 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 19 mph, out to left.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.  Top Minor League GamesThe following list, provided by First Inning, includes the top minor league batting (based on Runs Created) and pitching (based on Game Score) performances from yesterday, with a focus on each team’s top prospects.ORG LVL PLAYER AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes ARI AA Justin Upton...... 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 ARI AA Carlos Gonzalez... 5 2 0 0 1 0 0 CHC AAA Eric Patterson.... 6 5 1 1 0 0 0 4 RBI OAK A J. Mitchell....... 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 SB LA AAA Andy LaRoche...... 2 1 0 0 0 2 1 CIN AAA Jay Bruce......... 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 3 2 0 0 0 1 1 KC AAA Ryan Shealy....... 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 BAL A Billy Rowell...... 5 3 1 0 0 0 0 ARI AA Joshua Ford....... 5 4 2 0 0 0 1 3 LD ARI AA Emilio Bonifacio.. 5 3 2 0 0 1 0 PIT AA Steven Pearce..... 4 2 2 0 0 1 0 4 RBI ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes NYY AAA Philip Hughes..... 6 2 0 0 7 1 0 LAA AA Nick Adenhart..... 8 4 1 1 4 3 0 TEX AAA Edinson Volquez... 6 2 1 1 8 3 0 BAL AA Radhames Liz...... 7 4 1 1 6 2 0 CHW AAA Heath Phillips.... 7 6 0 0 5 1 0 LA AAA Miguel Pinango.... 7 6 3 3 7 1 1 LA A Clayton Kershaw... 4 6 2 1 7 2 0 DET AAA Jordan Tata....... 8 7 2 1 5 0 0 CHC AAA Sean Gallagher.... 4 5 1 1 4 1 0 ATL A Jamie Richmond.... 6 8 5 5 2 0 0 19 GB OAK AAA Michael Madsen.... 8 5 2 2 2 2 1 MIN A+ Kyle Waldrop...... 7 5 2 2 1 2 0 17 GB Access THT’s stats here…
Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email. 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: BOB: Tiger Stadium News and Sports Networks Collide>> <<Previous Article: 20 the spiky way | |||||
NYA 53 46 .535 7.5 61 -8 
TOR 50 50 .500 11.0 52 -2 
BAL 45 53 .459 15.0 50 -5 
TB 38 61 .384 22.5 36 2 
American League Central
DET 59 40 .596 0.0 59 0 
CLE 58 42 .580 1.5 55 3 
MIN 51 49 .510 8.5 53 -2 
CHA 45 55 .450 14.5 42 3 
KC 43 56 .434 16.0 46 -3 
American League West
LAA 57 42 .576 0.0 53 4 
SEA 54 44 .551 2.5 49 5 
OAK 48 52 .480 9.5 51 -3 
TEX 45 56 .446 13.0 47 -2 
National League East Pwins Diff
NYN 56 43 .566 0.0 53 3 
ATL 54 47 .535 3.0 52 2 
PHI 51 48 .515 5.0 52 -1 
FLA 48 53 .475 9.0 48 0 
WAS 42 57 .424 14.0 38 4 
National League Central
MIL 56 44 .560 0.0 54 2 
CHN 52 46 .531 3.0 55 -3 
STL 45 51 .469 9.0 40 5 
HOU 43 57 .430 13.0 44 -1 
PIT 41 57 .418 14.0 40 1 
CIN 42 59 .416 14.5 46 -4 
National League West
LAN 56 45 .554 0.0 55 1 
SD 54 45 .545 1.0 55 -1 
ARI 54 48 .529 2.5 48 6 
COL 50 50 .500 5.5 50 0 
SF 41 57 .418 13.5 48 -7 