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THT Daily: Good Weaver, Bad Weaverby Matthew CarruthApril 29, 2007 Major League News for April 28Player NewsYesterday’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/ Player NewsPlayer Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldWhite Sox placed designated hitter Jim Thome on the 15-day disabled list with a strained rib-cage muscle. This is an especially big loss with Scott Podsednik out, as the White Sox already have Rob Mackowiak playing left field. GM Ken Williams should have kept Eduardo Perez out of spring training or had a viable alternative at DH stashed away in Triple-A. Since he didn't, we'll be seeing too much of Alex Cintron, Ryan Sweeney and Brian Anderson for at least the next two weeks. Matt Belisle recorded the first complete game of his career as the Reds embarrassed the Pirates 8-1 on Saturday. He was in complete control, taking a perfect game into the sixth before a one-out double by Ronny Paulino. Belisle, 3-1, 3.45, allowed five hits in total, striking out five and walking none in a masterful outing that took just 91 pitches to get through. He has never even gone longer than six innings in any of his previous 100 career appearances, so this was very unexpected, especially since he had endured a couple of rough outings in a row. After Jeff Karstens had to leave with a knee injury in the first, Kei Igawa pitched six innings of shutout ball to help the Yankees snap their seven-game losing streak Saturday against the Red Sox. The Yankees won and still made Joe Torre look bad. We thought Torre made the wrong choice by going with Karstens, who was lit up by Boston a week ago, instead of Igawa. Sometimes there's no better way to slow down a hot offense than to put them up against someone they've never before. Igawa pitched around four walks by allowing just two hits and getting David Ortiz to ground into double plays twice. He also got some help from Brian Bruney, who stranded two inherited runners after entering with none out in the seventh. This will very likely earn Igawa a start next week. He's worth owning in AL-only leagues, though he's still a risky play right now. Yesterday’s ResultsAmerican League NYA 3 BOS 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Igawa: 6 IP, 0 R TEX 9 TOR 8 (Recap and Boxscore) See below LAA 3 CHA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Weaver: 5.2 IP, 0 R BAL 7 CLE 4 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 11 DET 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Morneau: 2B, HR; Mauer: 3-5, batting .388 OAK 12 TB 5 (Recap and Boxscore) Haren: 7.1 IP, 3 R; Chavez: HR, 3 RBI KC 8 SEA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Meche: 6 IP, 0 ER; Weaver: .1 IP, 6 R National League FLA 11 PHI 5 (Recap and Boxscore) Willingham: 2B, HR; Cabrera: 5-5, HR NYN 6 WAS 2 (Recap and Boxscore) 12 innings; Williams: 6 IP, 1 H HOU 10 MIL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Sampson: 6.1 IP, 1 R; Everett: 2 2B CIN 8 PIT 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Belisle: 9 IP, 1 R; Conine: 2 2B CHN 8 STL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Zambrano: 7 IP, 1 R; Jones: 2B, 3B ARI 5 SF 4 (Recap and Boxscore) Bonds: 742nd HR; Cain: 6 IP, 1 H; Hairston: 3R HR ATL 6 COL 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Smoltz: 7 IP, 2 R SD 3 LAN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Maddux: 7 IP, 2 R Today’s GamesNational League --------------- Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies, 1:35 PM (R) Wes Obermueller (1-0) vs. (L) Jamie Moyer (2-1) Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:35 PM (R) Aaron Harang (3-0) vs. (L) Paul Maholm (1-2) New York Mets at Washington Nationals, 1:35 PM (R) John Maine (3-0) vs. (R) Jason Bergmann (0-1) Milwaukee Brewers at Houston Astros, 2:05 PM (R) Claudio Vargas (1-0) vs. (R) Woody Williams (0-3) Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, 3:05 PM (R) Kyle Davies (0-1) vs. (R) Aaron Cook (0-1) Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres, 4:05 PM (R) Derek Lowe (2-3) vs. (L) David Wells (1-1) San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks, 4:40 PM (R) Matt Morris (3-0) vs. (L) Randy Johnson (0-1) Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, 8:05 PM (L) Rich Hill (3-1) vs. (R) Kip Wells (1-4) American League --------------- Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians, 1:05 PM (R) Jaret Wright (0-2) vs. (R) Fausto Carmona (1-1) Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, 1:05 PM (R) Julian Tavarez (0-2) vs. (R) Chien-Ming Wang (0-1) Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 PM (L) Johan Santana (3-2) vs. (L) Mike Maroth (2-0) Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 PM (R) Brandon McCarthy (1-3) vs. (R) Tomo Ohka (1-2) LA Angels of Anaheim at Chicago White Sox, 2:05 PM (R) Kelvim Escobar (1-1) vs. (L) Mark Buehrle (2-0) Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners, 4:05 PM (R) Brian Bannister (0-0) vs. (R) Cha Seung Baek (0-0) Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Oakland Athletics, 4:05 PM (L) Scott Kazmir (1-1) vs. (L) Dallas Braden (1-0) 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 15 8 .652 0.0 15 0 Game of the DayIn one of the wilder games of the year, the Rangers prevailed over the Blue Jays, 9-8. The game featured several late-inning lead changes, thanks to Adam Lind’s two-run home run in the 8th (.273 WPA), Brad Wilkerson’s two-out, two-run single in the ninth (.588 WPA), Royce Clayton’s single in the ninth (.366 WPA) and Hank Blalock’s error-redeeming sacrifice fly in the 10th (.114 WPA). TEXAS (9) VS TORONTO (8) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS
TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Hairston Jr cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .250
a-K Lofton ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .276
M Young ss 6 2 2 0 0 1 0 .202
M Teixeira dh 4 3 3 1 2 0 0 .253
S Sosa rf 3 1 0 0 3 2 3 .244
H Blalock 3b 5 1 2 2 0 0 4 .253
I Kinsler 2b 4 1 0 0 2 1 6 .312
N Cruz lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .246
b-F Catalanotto ph-lf 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .143
B Wilkerson 1b 4 0 1 2 1 0 2 .234
G Laird c 5 1 3 3 0 1 3 .177
Totals 41 9 12 9 8 6 26
a-grounded to shortstop for J Hairston Jr in the 8th; b-hit by pitch for N
Cruz in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - M Teixeira 2 (4, G Chacin 2); M Young (7, B Tallet). HR - G Laird
(1, 6th inning off G Chacin 0 on, 1 Out), M Teixeira (2, 7th inning off S
Marcum 0 on, 0 Out). SF - H Blalock. RBI - G Laird 3 (5), H Blalock 2 (8), M
Teixeira (6), F Catalanotto (8), B Wilkerson 2 (11). 2-out RBI - G Laird 2, F
Catalanotto, B Wilkerson 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - H Blalock
1, J Hairston Jr 2, G Laird 1, I Kinsler 1, N Cruz 1. Team LOB - 12.
BASERUNNING: SB - M Young (2, 3rd base off B Tallet/J Phillips).
FIELDING: E - H Blalock (4, ground ball); M Young (2, ground ball).
TORONTO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Rios rf 6 1 2 1 0 2 2 .270
A Lind lf 4 1 1 2 2 0 0 .273
V Wells cf 5 0 1 1 1 2 2 .300
F Thomas dh 5 1 2 1 1 1 3 .259
M Stairs pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .259
L Overbay 1b 6 2 2 0 0 1 4 .238
T Glaus 3b 2 1 1 1 2 1 0 .346
J McDonald 3b 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 .471
A Hill 2b 5 0 1 1 0 1 2 .292
R Clayton ss 5 0 1 1 0 3 3 .288
S Fasano c 2 1 0 0 0 2 2 .000
a-J Smith ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .220
J Phillips c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Totals 44 8 12 8 6 13 20
a-lined out to center for S Fasano in the 8th.
BATTING: 2B - L Overbay (7, K Millwood); A Rios (6, W Eyre). 3B - L Overbay (1,
K Millwood). HR - F Thomas (4, 6th inning off K Millwood 0 on, 0 Out), A Lind
(2, 8th inning off W Eyre 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - A Hill (15), F Thomas (13), T
Glaus (6), A Rios (14), V Wells (17), A Lind 2 (8), R Clayton (5). 2-out RBI -
A Rios, V Wells. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - L Overbay 1, F
Thomas 2, S Fasano 1, J McDonald 1, A Rios 2. Team LOB - 13.
----------------------------------------------------
TEXAS - 020 011 103 1 -- 9
TORONTO - 010 004 021 0 -- 8
----------------------------------------------------
TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era
K Millwood 5 2/3 8 5 5 2 8 1 5.88
C Wilson 2/3 0 0 0 2 1 0 3.37
W Eyre 1 2/3 2 2 2 1 2 1 7.36
A Otsuka (W, 1-0; B, 1) 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 0.93
J Benoit (S, 1) 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 6.17
TORONTO ip h r er bb so hr era
G Chacin 5 1/3 7 4 4 4 1 1 5.60
S Marcum 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 6.55
S Downs 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
J Accardo 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
J Frasor (B, 2) 2/3 2 3 3 2 1 0 4.09
B Tallet (L, 0-1) 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 3.86
C Janssen 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.32
IBB - S Sosa 2 (by G Chacin, B Tallet). HBP - S Fasano (by K Millwood); F
Catalanotto (by J Frasor). Pitches-strikes: K Millwood 107-71; C Wilson 18-6; W
Eyre 31-19; A Otsuka 21-16; J Benoit 19-10; G Chacin 95-55; S Marcum 17-11; S
Downs 13-9; J Accardo 4-4; J Frasor 28-13; B Tallet 27-14; C Janssen 1-1.
Ground balls-fly balls: K Millwood 4-5; C Wilson 0-1; W Eyre 1-2; A Otsuka 3-0;
J Benoit 0-2; G Chacin 5-10; S Marcum 0-1; S Downs 2-0; J Accardo 1-1; J Frasor
0-1; B Tallet 1-1; C Janssen 0-1. Batters faced: K Millwood 28; C Wilson 4; W
Eyre 8; A Otsuka 6; J Benoit 5; G Chacin 27; S Marcum 4; S Downs 4; J Accardo
2; J Frasor 7; B Tallet 6; C Janssen 1.
UMPIRES: HP--Larry Young. 1B--Angel Hernandez. 2B--Ted Barrett. 3B--Mark
Carlson.
T--3:54. Att--24,119.
Weather: INDOORSThe 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.ORG LVL PLAYER POS AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes
BOS AAA Joe McEwing 2B 5 4 3 0 0 0 1
CHC AA Josh Kroeger RF 5 4 0 0 1 0 1
COL A Michael Paulk DH 5 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 runs scored
HOU A C. Johnson 1B 4 3 0 0 2 0 1 3 runs scored
KC A Michael Thompson 1B 4 3 0 0 2 0 0 4 RBI
NYY AA Shawn Garrett DH 5 4 1 1 1 0 0 .542 OBP during past week
NYY A Brian Aragon LF 4 4 2 0 0 0 0
PIT AAA Rajai Davis LF 4 4 0 1 1 1 0
TEX A Craig Gentry CF 4 3 1 0 1 1 0 3 runs scored
ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes
BAL A+ David Hernandez 6.2 3 2 0 9 1 1 29 K over last 22 IP
CHW AA Jack Egbert 6.0 2 0 0 6 1 0 1.44 ERA over past month
CIN A Daryl Thompson 6.0 1 0 0 6 0 0 1 ER allowed over last 23 IP
MIN AAA Scott Baker 7.0 4 1 1 7 0 0
NYM A Tobi Stoner 6.0 2 1 0 6 0 0
OAK AAA Colby Lewis 7.0 3 0 0 6 1 0
PIT A Michael Crotta 6.0 2 1 1 7 0 0
SEA AA Robert Rohrbaugh 6.0 2 0 0 8 2 0
SF AA Chris Begg 7.0 6 0 0 6 0 0 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: THT Daily: Tragedy>> <<Previous Article: THT Daily: Yet Another Steroids Scandal | |||
BAL 12 12 .500 3.5 12 0 
TOR 11 12 .478 4.0 13 -2 
TB 10 14 .417 5.5 9 1 
NYA 9 13 .409 5.5 12 -3 
American League Central
CLE 13 8 .619 0.0 11 2 
MIN 14 10 .583 0.5 13 1 
CHA 12 10 .545 1.5 11 1 
DET 12 11 .522 2.0 12 0 
KC 8 16 .333 6.5 9 -1 
American League West
LAA 13 11 .542 0.0 13 0 
OAK 12 12 .500 1.0 13 -1 
SEA 9 10 .474 1.5 8 1 
TEX 10 13 .435 2.5 10 0 
National League East Pwins Diff
ATL 15 8 .652 0.0 13 2 
NYN 14 8 .636 0.5 16 -2 
FLA 11 12 .478 4.0 12 -1 
PHI 10 13 .435 5.0 12 -2 
WAS 8 16 .333 7.5 6 2 
National League Central
MIL 14 9 .609 0.0 11 3 
PIT 11 11 .500 2.5 9 2 
CIN 11 13 .458 3.5 12 -1 
CHN 10 13 .435 4.0 14 -4 
HOU 10 13 .435 4.0 11 -1 
STL 10 13 .435 4.0 9 1 
National League West
LAN 14 10 .583 0.0 15 -1 
ARI 14 11 .560 0.5 12 2 
SF 12 10 .545 1.0 11 1 
SD 13 11 .542 1.0 13 0 
COL 9 15 .375 5.0 10 -1 