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THT Daily: Jenks ties the record

by Matthew Carruth
August 13, 2007

Major League News for August 13
Today’s Links
Player 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 Links

Wasted Opportunity - Aaron Gleeman bemoans the likely fate of the Twins. Why didn't Terry Ryan just trust his talented farm products?

Byproduct of Hatred - With a heated rivalry comes not only a deep motivation to best the other team, but a vast sense of happiness whenever the rival slips or fails. The Yankees are slowly catching ground on the Red Sox.

Jeff Weaver - Jeff Weaver lost his first six starts and had an ERA more suitable for a mid-level star's point-per-game mark in the NBA. Then he went on the DL with what, at the time, seemed a convenient injury. Since returning he's been nothing short of a completely different pitcher (results-wise) and after Sunday's content, he leads the league in shutouts. For an explanation of why, I would peruse over to USS Mariner.

Bemusing Incompetence - Like a lost puppy sometimes players just pull the most heartwrenchingly touching plays.

Monday Irreverence - What would Monday be without a completely wacked out fantasy post that pits Bud Selig against arch enemy Bob Costas. Sort of.

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 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of Rotoworld

Bobby Jenks tied a major league record on Sunday by retiring the 41st consecutive batter he faced. Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth with the White Sox down 6-0. When he retired Yuniesky Betancourt to complete the inning, it tied him with the Giants' Jim Barr for the most consecutive batters retired. The streak, dating back to July 17, has lowered Jenks' ERA almost a full run.

Magglio Ordonez homered twice to drive in four runs in an 11-6 win over the Athletics on Sunday. Both homers came in the second inning when the Tigers sent 11 men to the plate and scored eight runs off starter Dallas Braden. Ordonez saw his power stroke evaporate in June and July, but he's back looking like an intimidating presence with four homers in his last seven games. Overall he's batting .357 with 21 homers and 102 RBI.

Cardinals placed second baseman Adam Kennedy on the 15-day disabled list with a torn medial meniscus. Kennedy will miss 4-6 weeks because of the injury. Brendan Ryan is likely to take over as the primary second baseman in his place, with Aaron Miles remaining in a utility role. Ryan is worth picking up in NL-only leagues.

Mets placed catcher Paul Lo Duca on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Lo Duca didn't want to go on the disabled list, but the Mets want to get him back at 100 percent. Ramon Castro will take over the starting job for the next couple of weeks and will likely remain a clear upgrade over Lo Duca offensively.

The Yankees are "seriously" considering promoting Ian Kennedy for Tuesday's start against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Kennedy, their No. 1 pick in last year's draft, is a possible candidate to make his major-league debut when the Yankees need a starter to fill in for Roger Clemens. The plan with Kennedy hinges on what happens with reliever Jeff Karstens this weekend. If he was needed in relief last night or today, Kennedy will get the call.

Yesterday’s Results
American League
BAL     6  BOS     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     6  CHA     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYA     5  CLE     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
DET    11  OAK     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
TOR     4  KC      1    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     6  MIN     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
TEX     9  TB      1    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
NYN    10  FLA     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
PHI     5  ATL     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
SD     10  CIN     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
HOU     6  MIL     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL    12  LAN     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
WAS     7  ARI     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
COL     6  CHN     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
PIT     5  SF      0    (Recap and Boxscore)
First Inning's Major and Minor League Daily Reports:

Today’s Games
National League
 ---------------
 San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates, 5:05 PM
  (R) Matt Cain (4-12) vs. (L) Paul Maholm (7-14)
 San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates, 8:05 PM
  (L) Noah Lowry (12-7) vs. (L) Shane Youman (2-3)
 Houston Astros at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM
  (R) Roy Oswalt (12-6) vs. (R) Chad Billingsley (7-3)
 
 American League
 ---------------
 Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM
  (R) Jeremy Guthrie (7-4) vs. (R) Chien-Ming Wang (13-6)
 Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers, 7:05 PM
  (R) Chad Gaudin (8-8) vs. (R) Chad Durbin (7-4)
 Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM
  (R) James Shields (9-7) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (13-10)
 Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM
  (R) Jesse Litsch (4-4) vs. (L) Odalis Perez (6-11)
 Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, 10:05 PM
  (L) Johan Santana (12-9) vs. (R) Felix Hernandez (8-6)

Standings
The 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     70  47 .598    0.0   72    -2    sparkline graph
NYA     66  51 .564    4.0   73    -7    sparkline graph
TOR     59  57 .509   10.5   62    -3    sparkline graph
BAL     54  62 .466   15.5   57    -3    sparkline graph
TB      45  72 .385   25.0   43     2    sparkline graph
American League Central     
DET     65  52 .556    0.0   65     0    sparkline graph
CLE     65  53 .551    0.5   63     2    sparkline graph
MIN     58  59 .496    7.0   59    -1    sparkline graph
CHA     54  63 .462   11.0   49     5    sparkline graph
KC      51  65 .440   13.5   54    -3    sparkline graph
American League West        
LAA     69  47 .595    0.0   66     3    sparkline graph
SEA     65  50 .565    3.5   59     6    sparkline graph
OAK     56  62 .475   14.0   60    -4    sparkline graph
TEX     51  66 .436   18.5   53    -2    sparkline graph


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     65  52 .556    0.0   64     1    sparkline graph
PHI     62  55 .530    3.0   64    -2    sparkline graph
ATL     62  56 .525    3.5   63    -1    sparkline graph
FLA     55  63 .466   10.5   54     1    sparkline graph
WAS     54  64 .458   11.5   49     5    sparkline graph
National League Central     
MIL     62  56 .525    0.0   59     3    sparkline graph
CHN     60  57 .513    1.5   63    -3    sparkline graph
STL     55  60 .478    5.5   49     6    sparkline graph
HOU     52  65 .444    9.5   52     0    sparkline graph
CIN     50  67 .427   11.5   52    -2    sparkline graph
PIT     48  66 .421   12.0   49    -1    sparkline graph
National League West        
ARI     67  52 .563    0.0   57    10    sparkline graph
SD      63  54 .538    3.0   64    -1    sparkline graph
COL     61  56 .521    5.0   63    -2    sparkline graph
LAN     60  57 .513    6.0   59     1    sparkline graph
SF      49  67 .422   16.5   55    -6    sparkline graph


Wildcard Standings
American League             
SEA     65  50 .565    0.0
NYA     66  51 .564    0.0
CLE     65  53 .551    1.5
TOR     59  57 .509    6.5
MIN     58  59 .496    8.0
National League             
SD      63  54 .538    0.0
PHI     62  55 .530    1.0
ATL     62  56 .525    1.5
COL     61  56 .521    2.0
LAN     60  57 .513    3.0

Game of the Day
The Yankees swept the series against the Indians (and swept their season series, too) with a 5-3 win. The win, coupled with Boston’s loss to Baltimore, puts them just four games back of the Red Sox.

Cleveland almost came back in the ninth inning. The Yankees started the ninth with a 5-2 lead and Mariano Rivera on the mound. Three batters later, the Indians had cut the lead to 5-3 and had runners on second and third with no one out. Rivera managed to strike out the next two batters however, and retired Casey Blake on a fly to finish the game.
NY YANKEES (5) VS CLEVELAND (3) - FINAL

NY YANKEES             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
M Cabrera cf            5  2  2  1   0  0   1  .302
D Jeter ss              5  0  1  1   0  1   1  .331
B Abreu rf              4  0  0  0   1  0   1  .282
A Rodriguez 3b          4  0  1  0   0  1   0  .300
H Matsui lf             3  2  2  0   1  0   2  .296
J Giambi dh             4  1  2  2   0  0   0  .270
R Cano 2b               4  0  3  1   0  0   1  .315
A Phillips 1b           4  0  0  0   0  0   4  .282
J Molina c              4  0  1  0   0  1   0  .235

Totals                 37  5 12  5   2  3  10

BATTING: 2B - J Molina (11, J Westbrook). HR - J Giambi (9, 4th inning off J 
Westbrook 1 on, 2 Out), M Cabrera (8, 7th inning off J Westbrook 0 on, 1 Out). 
RBI - J Giambi 2 (26), R Cano (69), M Cabrera (51), D Jeter (56). 2-out RBI - J 
Giambi 2, R Cano, D Jeter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Phillips 
1, R Cano 1, H Matsui 1. GIDP - D Jeter. Team LOB - 7. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - M Cabrera (10, 2nd base off R Betancourt/K Shoppach). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 2 (A Rodriguez-R Cano-A Phillips, D Jeter-R Cano-A Phillips). 

CLEVELAND              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
G Sizemore cf           4  0  1  0   1  2   3  .275
C Blake dh              5  0  1  0   0  0   5  .265
V Martinez c            4  1  2  1   0  0   1  .304
 J Barfield pr          0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .246
 K Shoppach c           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .271
R Garko 1b              3  0  1  0   0  1   1  .307
J Peralta ss            3  0  0  0   1  0   3  .275
J Michaels lf           3  1  1  1   0  0   1  .269
C Gomez 3b              4  0  2  0   0  0   1  .306
F Gutierrez rf          4  0  2  1   0  1   1  .282
A Cabrera 2b            4  1  1  0   0  2   4  .222

Totals                 34  3 11  3   2  6  20

BATTING: 2B - F Gutierrez (5, M Rivera). SF - J Michaels. RBI - J Michaels 
(34), V Martinez (83), F Gutierrez (17). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Runners left 
in scoring position, 2 out - C Gomez 1, C Blake 3, J Peralta 2, G Sizemore 1. 
GIDP - R Garko, A Cabrera. Team LOB - 8. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - F Gutierrez (7, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Molina), G 
Sizemore (29, 2nd base off A Pettitte/J Molina). Picked Off - J Peralta (1st 
base, A Pettitte). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 2 (C Gomez-R Garko, J Peralta-A Cabrera-R Garko). 
 
----------------------------------------------------
    NY YANKEES      - 000 201 101   --   5
    CLEVELAND       - 000 000 111   --   3
----------------------------------------------------

NY YANKEES                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
A Pettitte (W, 9-7)           7 1/3   7   2   2   2   4   0   3.93
L Vizcaino (H, 8)               1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   3.92
M Rivera (S, 19)              1 1/3   3   1   1   0   2   0   2.88

CLEVELAND                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
J Westbrook (L, 3-7)          7       9   4   4   2   2   2   5.01
R Perez                       1       1   0   0   0   1   0   1.77
R Betancourt                  1       2   1   1   0   0   0   1.67

HBP - R Garko (by M Rivera). Pitches-strikes: A Pettitte 97-69; L Vizcaino 
7-4; M Rivera 30-21; J Westbrook 118-78; R Perez 14-9; R Betancourt 20-15. 
Ground balls-fly balls: A Pettitte 13-4; L Vizcaino 0-1; M Rivera 1-1; J 
Westbrook 12-6; R Perez 2-0; R Betancourt 0-3. Batters faced: A Pettitte 28; L 
Vizcaino 2; M Rivera 8; J Westbrook 30; R Perez 4; R Betancourt 5. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Tim Mcclelland. 1B--Adam Dowdy. 2B--Fieldin Culbreth. 3B--Paul 
Schrieber. 
EJECTIONS:  NY YANKEES' Guidry by Mcclelland (8th). 
T--3:10. Att--41,612. 
Weather: 80 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 3 mph, left to right.

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.

image

Top Minor League Games
The 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
CIN AAA Jay Bruce......... 2  1  1  0  0  2  0  
TOR A   Travis Snider..... 5  2  1  0  1  1  1  3 R
LAA AAA Brandon Wood...... 5  2  1  0  0  0  0  
BAL A   Billy Rowell...... 5  2  0  1  1  0  0  5 RBI !
CIN AAA Joey Votto........ 4  2  0  0  1  0  1  
DET AA  Cameron Maybin.... 4  2  0  0  1  1  1  
BAL AA  Jeff Fiorentino... 5  3  2  0  0  0  1  
CLE AAA Andy Marte........ 3  1  0  0  0  1  0  
TB  AA  Reid Brignac...... 4  2  0  0  1  0  1  
NYY AAA Alberto Gonzalez.. 4  4  1  0  0  1  0  
BOS A+  Christian Lara.... 5  2  1  0  1  1  1  3 R
COL A   Daniel Mayora..... 5  4  0  0  1  0  0  

ORG LVL PLAYER            IP  H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
CLE AAA Jeremy Sowers..... 7  8  3  2  7  1  0  
ARI AA  Brooks Brown...... 7  2  0  0 11  2  0  
LAA A+  Robert Mosebach... 8  3  2  2  5  2  0  
BOS AAA Clay Buchholz..... 5  3  3  2  9  2  2  
CIN AAA Johnny Cueto...... 6  8  1  1  6  0  0  
SEA AA  Andrew Baldwin.... 8  8  5  2  5  1  0  
CIN AA  Matthew Maloney... 6  5  3  3  9  1  2  
KC  AA  Jarod Plummer..... 3  1  0  0  4  0  0  
BOS A+  Kris Johnson...... 5  5  2  1  5  0  1  9 GB
MIN A   Dan Leatherman.... 2  0  0  0  4  0  0  
WAN AAA Collin Balester... 5  5  3  3  3  1  0  
KC  A+  Blake Johnson..... 5  5  1  1  5  0  1  

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Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email.

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