THT Daily: Milestone Day
by Matthew CarruthJune 29, 2007
Major League News for June 28
Today’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 Links
Not Just the Royals - An article detailing what the Royals can learn from the two division-leading organizations it just faced. Really they are good lessons for everyone.
First Picks in Fantasy Draft - If you were doing a fantasy draft for a franchise and got five picks before anyone else, who would they be? I cannot believe what some GMs said.
Having the Same Stuff - When a good pitcher has a bad outing, you are likely to hear that said pitcher "didn't have his usual stuff" or something along those lines. Well, is it true? Does a pitcher's stuff really vary much start to start?
More From BR - Not an amazing new tool this time, but swag. At least, down the line, the potential for swag. Not as good as our stuff though. I can safely say that even though their stuff doesn't exist yet.
Fractional ERA - ERA is faulty, most of us accept that. One of its biggest problems is dealing with inherited runners and credit thereof for letting them score. This idea might be a step in a better direction.
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 RotoworldCraig Biggio collected five hits in six at-bats against the Rockies on Thursday, making him the 27th player to reach 3,000 hits in his career. Biggio needed just three hits to reach the milestone, but the five hits he collected move him two ahead of Roberto Clemente on a list that also includes other one time second basemen Eddie Collins, Rod Carew, and Paul Molitor. Every player on the list is in the Hall of Fame or will eventually get there, with Pete Rose and Rafael Palmeiro being the obvious exceptions. While Biggio has been more of a liability than an asset for a few years now, he had an absolutely excellent peak in the mid-90s and will be a worthy Cooperstown-inductee himself one day. It will be a shame if he’s remembered more for his failures at the tail end of his career than all of the things he did so well during his prime.
Frank Thomas' 500th career homer was a three-run shot off Carlos Silva in the first inning of Thursday's game. Thomas later had an RBI double, but he was ejected after striking out in the ninth inning against Joe Nathan. Thomas became the 21st player in major league history to reach 500 homers. 50 of those bombs have come versus Minnesota, the most any active player has against the team. Like his 500th, his first career homer came in the Metrodome on Aug. 28, 1990.
According to Newsday, the Yankees are engaged in serious talks with the Angels regarding a Shea Hillenbrand deal. It'd be great news for the rest of the AL contenders if bringing in Hillenbrand is all the Yankees do to address their problems at first base. He could prove to be an upgrade over Andy Phillips, but there are no shortage of better choices out there.
The Padres have reportedly acquired Milton Bradley from the A's for a pitching prospect. It could be a very nice pickup if Bradley shows up and is ready to play, and if not, well, the Padres can still get by with Jose Cruz Jr. and company in left field. Bradley likely will get a chance to play regularly , leaving Cruz with far less playing time for the short-term.
Randy Johnson lasted just three innings and allowed four runs -- three earned -- Thursday against the Dodgers. Johnson gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two in his first start back from the disabled list. If this was all he had to give, the Diamondbacks probably wish now that they had kept him shut down through the break. They need a healthy Big Unit -- not the 2006 version -- if they're going to have a shot at making it to the playoffs.
Yesterday’s Results
American League NYA 8 BAL 6 (Recap and Boxscore) Suspended after 7.2 innings; to be resumed 7/27 CHA 5 TB 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Konerko: 2 HR; Vazquez: 7 IP, 1 R CLE 4 OAK 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Johnson: 4-4, 2B, HR DET 5 TEX 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Rogers: 6 IP, 1 R MIN 8 TOR 5 (Recap and Boxscore) Thomas: 500th HR; Hunter: 2 HR National League FLA 9 PIT 7 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 8 CIN 7 (Recap and Boxscore) 10 innings; Utley: 2 HR; Rollins: 4-6 HOU 8 COL 5 (Recap and Boxscore) 11 innings; see below LAN 9 ARI 5 (Recap and Boxscore)
| First Inning's Major and Minor League Daily Reports: |
Today’s Games
National League --------------- New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, 1:35 PM (R) John Maine (8-4) vs. (R) J.D. Durbin (0-0) Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 PM (R) Yovani Gallardo (1-0) vs. (L) Rich Hill (5-5) Atlanta Braves at Florida Marlins, 7:05 PM (L) Chuck James (6-7) vs. (R) Josh Johnson (0-2) New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 PM (R) Jorge Sosa (6-3) vs. (L) Cole Hamels (9-3) Washington Nationals at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM (L) Matt Chico (3-5) vs. (R) Ian Snell (6-5) St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM (R) Brad Thompson (6-3) vs. (R) Bronson Arroyo (2-9) Colorado Rockies at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM (R) Josh Fogg (3-6) vs. (R) Chris Sampson (6-5) Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (R) Livan Hernandez (5-5) vs. (R) Matt Morris (7-4) San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:40 PM (R) Chris Young (7-3) vs. (L) Hong-Chih Kuo (1-3) American League --------------- Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM (L) Joe Kennedy (2-5) vs. (R) Mike Mussina (3-5) LA Angels of Anaheim at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 PM (R) Kelvim Escobar (9-3) vs. (R) Steve Trachsel (5-6) Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers, 7:05 PM (L) Johan Santana (8-6) vs. (R) Justin Verlander (9-2) Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM (R) Jamey Wright (1-1) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (7-8) Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (R) Edwin Jackson (1-8) vs. (R) Jake Westbrook (1-3) Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (R) Jose Contreras (5-8) vs. (R) Brian Bannister (4-4) Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners, 10:05 PM (R) Dustin McGowan (4-3) vs. (L) Jarrod Washburn (6-6)
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 48 29 .623 0.0 47 1TOR 39 39 .500 9.5 41 -2
NYA 36 39 .480 11.0 44 -8
BAL 34 43 .442 14.0 38 -4
TB 33 44 .429 15.0 30 3
American League Central DET 46 31 .597 0.0 47 -1
CLE 46 32 .590 0.5 44 2
MIN 40 37 .519 6.0 41 -1
CHA 33 42 .440 12.0 32 1
KC 33 46 .418 14.0 34 -1
American League West LAA 49 30 .620 0.0 46 3
SEA 42 33 .560 5.0 38 4
OAK 40 38 .513 8.5 43 -3
TEX 32 46 .410 16.5 35 -3
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 43 33 .566 0.0 42 1
PHI 41 37 .526 3.0 39 2
ATL 41 38 .519 3.5 39 2
FLA 37 42 .468 7.5 37 0
WAS 32 46 .410 12.0 28 4
National League Central MIL 46 32 .590 0.0 43 3
CHN 38 39 .494 7.5 42 -4
STL 34 41 .453 10.5 30 4
PIT 33 45 .423 13.0 32 1
HOU 33 46 .418 13.5 35 -2
CIN 30 49 .380 16.5 35 -5
National League West SD 44 33 .571 0.0 48 -4
LAN 45 34 .570 0.0 43 2
ARI 45 35 .563 0.5 40 5
COL 38 41 .481 7.0 37 1
SF 33 44 .429 11.0 38 -5
Game of the Day
Here’s the game recap from Rotowire: Carlos Lee hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 11th inning off Rockies closer Brian Fuentes on Thursday. What a game.The two teams were tied at 1-1 entering the eighth, with both clubs exchanging three run rallies that inning to keep the game tied at 4-4. The score stayed that way until the top of the 11th, when the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo blast to put them ahead 5-4. Fuentes entered and retired the first two batters he faced, but a Craig Biggio single, Hunter Pence double, and Lance Berkman hit by pitch set the stage for Lee's dramatic game-winner. That Biggio was able to score the tying run in a great Astros' win has to icing on the cake for a day in which he collected his 3,000th hit.
COLORADO (5) VS HOUSTON (8) - FINAL IN 11 INNINGS
COLORADO ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Taveras cf 6 0 2 0 0 2 1 .312
K Matsui 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .301
M Holliday lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 .350
T Helton 1b 5 0 0 0 0 2 5 .313
G Atkins 3b 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 .246
B Hawpe rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .294
a-R Spilborghs ph-rf 2 1 1 2 0 1 0 .294
T Tulowitzki ss 5 2 3 1 0 1 1 .277
C Iannetta c 3 1 2 2 2 0 0 .216
A Cook p 3 0 1 0 0 1 4 .259
b-J Baker ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .237
L Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Corpas p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Affeldt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Julio p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-C Sullivan ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .444
B Fuentes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 44 5 14 5 2 9 15
a-homered to right center for B Hawpe in the 8th; b-grounded to shortstop for
A Cook in the 8th; c-struck out swinging for J Julio in the 11th.
BATTING: 2B - B Hawpe (17, R Oswalt); G Atkins (19, T Miller). 3B - K Matsui
(5, R Oswalt). HR - C Iannetta (2, 3rd inning off R Oswalt 0 on, 0 Out), R
Spilborghs (3, 8th inning off C Qualls 1 on, 1 Out), T Tulowitzki (8, 11th
inning off B Moehler 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Iannetta 2 (15), R Spilborghs 2
(17), T Tulowitzki (36). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - T Helton 2,
A Cook 2. GIDP - T Helton, J Baker. Team LOB - 8.
BASERUNNING: SB - T Tulowitzki (4, 2nd base off C Qualls/B Ausmus).
FIELDING: E - G Atkins (7, throw). Outfield assists - W Taveras (C Biggio at
2nd base). DP: 1 (C Iannetta-K Matsui).
HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Biggio 2b 6 1 5 1 0 0 0 .250
H Pence cf 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 .339
L Berkman rf-1b 5 2 1 1 0 1 4 .259
C Lee lf 6 1 2 4 0 0 0 .294
M Loretta 3b-ss 5 1 3 0 0 1 1 .328
M Lamb 1b-3b 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 .297
B Ausmus c 5 1 2 0 0 2 4 .264
E Bruntlett ss 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .261
b-L Scott ph-rf 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .242
R Oswalt p 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .147
a-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .270
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-M Ensberg ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .213
D Wheeler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Moehler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
d-C Burke ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .229
Totals 45 8 16 8 2 6 17
a-grounded to pitcher for R Oswalt in the 7th; b-walked for E Bruntlett in the
8th; c-grounded to second for D Borkowski in the 8th; d-flied out to right
for B Moehler in the 11th.
BATTING: 2B - H Pence (20, B Fuentes). HR - L Berkman (12, 8th inning off L
Hawkins 0 on, 1 Out), M Lamb (7, 8th inning off L Hawkins 1 on, 2 Out), C Lee
(15, 11th inning off B Fuentes 3 on, 2 Out). S - E Bruntlett. RBI - C Biggio
(27), L Berkman (46), M Lamb 2 (22), C Lee 4 (66). 2-out RBI - C Biggio, M Lamb
2, C Lee 4. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - E Bruntlett 1, L Berkman
3, M Ensberg 1. Team LOB - 9.
BASERUNNING: SB - C Lee (5, 2nd base off A Cook/C Iannetta). CS - H Pence (4,
2nd base by J Affeldt/C Iannetta).
FIELDING: DP: 2 (E Bruntlett-M Lamb, C Biggio-E Bruntlett-M Lamb).
----------------------------------------------------
COLORADO - 001 000 030 01 -- 5
HOUSTON - 000 000 130 04 -- 8
Two outs when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------
COLORADO ip h r er bb so hr era
A Cook 7 7 1 1 1 2 0 4.70
L Hawkins (B, 4) 2/3 4 3 3 0 0 2 4.87
M Corpas 2/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.77
J Affeldt 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.81
J Julio 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 6.08
B Fuentes (L, 0-3; B, 5) 2/3 3 4 4 0 1 1 3.34
HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
R Oswalt 7 9 1 1 2 4 1 3.42
T Miller 1/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 7.91
C Qualls 0 3 2 2 0 0 1 4.50
D Borkowski 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.01
D Wheeler 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 5.87
B Moehler (W, 1-2) 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 5.79
C Qualls pitched to 3 batters in the 8th.
HBP - L Berkman (by B Fuentes). Pitches-strikes: A Cook 102-62; L Hawkins
10-8; M Corpas 14-5; J Affeldt 6-3; J Julio 20-16; B Fuentes 17-11; R Oswalt
114-79; T Miller 4-3; C Qualls 9-6; D Borkowski 6-4; D Wheeler 34-23; B Moehler
15-12. Ground balls-fly balls: A Cook 11-7; L Hawkins 1-1; M Corpas 2-0; J
Affeldt 0-0; J Julio 1-0; B Fuentes 0-1; R Oswalt 10-6; T Miller 0-1; C Qualls
0-0; D Borkowski 2-0; D Wheeler 1-1; B Moehler 2-0. Batters faced: A Cook 28; L
Hawkins 6; M Corpas 4; J Affeldt 1; J Julio 4; B Fuentes 6; R Oswalt 30; T
Miller 2; C Qualls 3; D Borkowski 1; D Wheeler 6; B Moehler 4.
UMPIRES: HP--Larry Poncino. 1B--Bruce Dreckman. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Jerry
Meals.
T--3:44. (Plus ceremonies delay totaling 7 minutes in the 7th). Att--42,537.
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 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 ARI AA Carlos Gonzalez... 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 BOS AAA Jacoby Ellsbury... 5 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 SB ATL A+ Eric Campbell..... 4 2 0 0 2 1 1 TEX A+ C. Davis.......... 5 5 0 0 2 0 0 5 RBI ! TB AA Evan Longoria..... 4 3 1 0 0 1 0 OAK A- Matthew Sulentic.. 4 2 0 0 1 1 0 STL AA Colby Rasmus...... 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 CHC A+ Brian Dopirak..... 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 4 RBI ARI AA Justin Upton...... 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 SEA AAA Adam Jones........ 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 3 1 1 0 0 1 2 CIN AAA Joey Votto........ 4 2 1 0 0 0 2 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes MIN AA Anthony Swarzak... 5 6 3 3 8 1 0 NYY AA Joba Chamberlain.. 5 5 2 2 10 4 0 CLE AA Scott Lewis....... 5 4 1 1 5 0 0 LAA AAA Joe Saunders...... 6 6 2 2 8 3 0 CHW AAA Lance Broadway.... 7 7 3 0 8 4 0 OAK A+ Vincent Mazzaro... 6 4 1 1 9 4 1 COL AAA Ubaldo Jimenez.... 6 7 4 4 6 2 1 HOU AA Felipe Paulino.... 6 4 2 1 4 1 0 TEX AA A. Galarraga...... 6 8 1 1 7 0 0 ARI AA Brooks Brown...... 6 5 1 1 5 2 0 KC AA Carlos Rosa....... 5 5 0 0 6 3 0 ARI A+ Matthew Torra..... 6 4 3 3 7 2 2
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Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email.