THT Daily: No Milestones
by Matthew CarruthAugust 01, 2007
Major League News for August 1
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
Surely You Jest - After a dramatic comeback win, could it be because the Athletics stopped playing patient statistically-minded baseball and did things like make productive outs and by swinging away?
A Pounding - 16-3. Ouch. The Yankees hit eight homeruns off White Sox pitchers and Jose Contreras is now 5-14 with an ERA of 6.60. Bet all those teams that passed on trading for him are kicking themselves now!
Reflections on Activity - The Texas Rangers were the big movers at the deadline as expected and Adam Morris of Lone Star Ball is pleased with the returns.
Reflections on Inactivity - Meanwhile the Nationals did not trade anybody and apparently extended Dmitri Young because they are unsure about Nick Johnson's future.
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 RotoworldBraves acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira and LHP Ron Mahay from the Rangers for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, shortstop Elvis Andrus, RHP Neftali Feliz, LHP Matt Harrison and LHP Beau Jones. Teixeira, a Georgia Tech product, is expected to be installed as the Braves’ cleanup hitter. The team might designate Scott Thorman for assignment, as there’s no longer any need for him at all. Teixeira should lose some value in mixed leagues because of the ballpark switch, but now that he’s in the playoff chase, he might be extra motivated to make up for it. Andruw Jones will likely be moved down in the order, perhaps to the sixth spot behind Brian McCann against right-handers. Edgar Renteria and Chipper Jones should both benefit from Teixeira’s presence and score some extra runs the rest of the way. McCann and Jeff Francoeur will also be helped with more RBI chances. The huge addition comes at an even bigger price, but it’s one John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox won’t have to pay if they retire after 2008.
Red Sox acquired RHP Eric Gagne from the Rangers for LHP Kason Gabbard, outfielder David Murphy and outfielder Engel Beltre. The Red Sox now have a top-three to contend with the Angels' group, with Hideki Okajima working the seventh, Gagne pitching the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon remaining in the closer's role. Gagne will get some save chances because the Red Sox are so careful with Papelbon, so he's still worth owning in all formats. Joaquin Benoit becomes the favorite for saves in Texas with Akinori Otsuka still out. Gabbard's departure guarantees that Jon Lester will remain in the rotation after Curt Schilling comes off the DL.
Hideki Matsui homered twice as the Yankees matched their franchise record with eight dingers en route to a 16-3 pummelling of the White Sox on Tuesday. While A-Rod went 0-for-5 and remains in a slump as he seeks his 500th career homer, everyone else but the bat boy went yard for the pinstripers. Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano and Shelley Duncan all blasted home runs as the Yanks battered ex-teammate Jose Contreras. Matsui, who scored four runs and drove in three while walking twice, is up to 21 homers and 74 RBI. Matsui had just eight home runs heading into July, but he finished the month with 13 blasts. His play is just one of the reasons why the Yanks suddenly find themselves just three games back in the Wild Card race.
Pirates acquired RHP Matt Morris from the Giants for OF Rajai Davis and a player to be named. The Pirates are no longer cheap. They're still, however, quite bad. Morris just isn't any good these days, and there's little chance of that changing while he earns $3 million over the rest of this year and $9.5 million in 2008. It's nice that the Pirates are trying to change the culture, and unless the player to be named is much better than expected, they didn't give up anything they'll miss. Still, Morris is a minimal upgrade. Tony Armas Jr., who was supposed to replace John Van Benschoten in the rotation, now likely will stay in the bullpen.
Yankees acquired third baseman Wilson Betemit from the Dodgers for RHP Scott Proctor. The Dodgers could look awfully bad here if Betemit is the Yankees’ third baseman next year and Proctor has undergone elbow surgery. The latter scenario is probably more likely. Betemit is one of the game’s 30-best third baseman and is fine insurance for the possibility of Alex Rodriguez leaving, but A-Rod is unlikely to go anywhere and even if he does, the Yankees are rarely a team to settle. The switch-hitting Betemit could figure into the Yankees’ picture at first base for the rest of the season. He’d outhit Andy Phillips as a first baseman against right-handers, but Phillips should keep playing versus lefties. He is also far better protection than Miguel Cairo in the event of an injury to Rodriguez or Derek Jeter.
Mets placed outfielder Carlos Beltran on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 25, with a strained oblique. Lastings Milledge will be the Mets' regular center fielder while Beltran is out, guaranteeing that Shawn Green stays in the lineup for at least another 10 days. Beltran will be eligible to return Aug. 9.
Phillies placed outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf. The Phillies are hoping Victorino will miss the minimum 15 days. With Michael Bourn also going on the DL, the Phillies figure to go with Greg Dobbs in right field against lefties. Jayson Werth, who is coming off the DL on Wednesday, will start there against lefties.
Padres acquired third baseman Morgan Ensberg and cash from the Astros for a player to be named or cash considerations. Ensberg may prove to be an asset, but we're not sure what his role will be. There's not much difference between him and Kevin Kouzmanoff right now, and both are right-handed hitters. Ensberg could pinch-hit and start at first base against particularly tough lefties.
Yesterday’s Results
American League BAL 5 BOS 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Roberts: 2B, HR; Ortiz: 2 HR; Bedard: 6 IP, 2 R NYA 16 CHA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Posada: 4-5, Abreu: 3-4 TOR 2 TB 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Litsch: 6.2 IP, 0 R; Jackson: 6 IP, 0 ER TEX 3 CLE 1 (Recap and Boxscore) McCarthy: 6.2 IP, 1 R MIN 5 KC 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Silva: 8 IP, 2 R OAK 7 DET 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Haren: 6 IP, 2 ER LAA 8 SEA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Matthews: 2 2B, 2 HR; Lackey: 7 IP, 0 R National League ATL 12 HOU 4 (Recap and Boxscore) Johnson: 4-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI; McCann: 2B, HR, 4 RBI COL 6 FLA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Holliday: 2 2B; Cook: 7.2 IP, 3 R WAS 6 CIN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 7 PHI 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Marquis: 6 IP, 3 R MIL 4 NYN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) See below STL 6 PIT 4 (Recap and Boxscore) Wainwright: 6 IP, 2 R SF 3 LAN 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Lowry: 5.2 IP, 1 R ARI 4 SD 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Webb: 7 IP, 0 R
| First Inning's Major and Minor League Daily Reports: |
Today’s Games
National League --------------- St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM (R) Braden Looper (8-8) vs. (R) Tony Armas (0-3) Colorado Rockies at Florida Marlins, 7:05 PM (R) Josh Fogg (5-6) vs. (R) Byung-Hyun Kim (5-5) Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals, 7:05 PM (R) Bronson Arroyo (4-11) vs. (L) John Lannan (0-0) Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves, 7:35 PM (L) Wandy Rodriguez (7-9) vs. (R) Buddy Carlyle (5-3) Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 PM (L) Jamie Moyer (9-8) vs. (L) Rich Hill (6-6) New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:05 PM (L) Oliver Perez (9-7) vs. (R) Dave Bush (8-8) Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, 10:05 PM (R) Micah Owings (5-5) vs. (L) David Wells (5-7) San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM (R) Tim Lincecum (6-2) vs. (L) Mark Hendrickson (4-5) American League --------------- Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 3:10 PM (R) Josh Towers (5-7) vs. (R) Jason Hammel (1-1) Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics, 3:35 PM (L) Nate Robertson (6-8) vs. (L) Dallas Braden (1-6) Texas Rangers at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (L) John Rheinecker (1-0) vs. (R) Paul Byrd (9-4) Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM (L) John Danks (6-7) vs. (L) Andy Pettitte (6-7) Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM (R) Steve Trachsel (5-7) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (12-9) Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins, 8:10 PM (R) Brian Bannister (7-6) vs. (R) Boof Bonser (5-7) LA Angels of Anaheim at Seattle Mariners, 10:05 PM (R) Jered Weaver (7-5) vs. (R) Felix Hernandez (7-6)
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 64 42 .604 0.0 66 -2NYA 57 49 .538 7.0 65 -8
TOR 53 53 .500 11.0 56 -3
BAL 50 55 .476 13.5 54 -4
TB 40 66 .377 24.0 38 2
American League Central DET 61 45 .575 0.0 61 0
CLE 60 46 .566 1.0 58 2
MIN 55 51 .519 6.0 55 0
CHA 48 58 .453 13.0 43 5
KC 47 59 .443 14.0 51 -4
American League West LAA 62 43 .590 0.0 59 3
SEA 58 47 .552 4.0 53 5
OAK 50 57 .467 13.0 54 -4
TEX 47 59 .443 15.5 48 -1
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 59 47 .557 0.0 57 2
PHI 56 50 .528 3.0 57 -1
ATL 56 51 .523 3.5 57 -1
FLA 49 58 .458 10.5 50 -1
WAS 46 60 .434 13.0 42 4
National League Central MIL 58 49 .542 0.0 57 1
CHN 56 49 .533 1.0 59 -3
STL 50 53 .485 6.0 44 6
HOU 46 60 .434 11.5 46 0
CIN 45 62 .421 13.0 48 -3
PIT 42 62 .404 14.5 42 0
National League West ARI 59 49 .546 0.0 51 8
LAN 57 49 .538 1.0 56 1
SD 56 49 .533 1.5 57 -1
COL 54 51 .514 3.5 54 0
SF 46 58 .442 11.0 51 -5
Game of the Day
Despite giving up only one run in six innings, Tom Glavine didn’t win his 300th game and the Brewers beat the Mets, 4-2 in 13 innings. Bill Hall tied the game with a double in the eighth off Guillermo Mota, and Geoff Jenkins won it with a two-run home run in the 13th.The Milwaukee bullpen pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, helping the Brewers stay a game ahead of the Cubs.
NY METS (2) VS MILWAUKEE (4) - FINAL IN 13 INNINGS
NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 5 1 2 0 1 0 1 .303
L Castillo 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 4 .200
D Wright 3b 4 1 2 1 2 0 4 .300
C Delgado 1b 5 0 1 0 1 1 3 .251
M Alou lf 3 0 1 1 2 0 2 .298
S Green rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 .271
b-D Easley ph-rf 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .263
R Castro c 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 .311
L Milledge cf 6 0 0 0 0 1 1 .261
T Glavine p 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .231
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
P Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-M Anderson ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .213
J Sosa p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .174
c-D Newhan ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .213
A Sele p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 44 2 9 2 6 5 23
a-struck out swinging for G Mota in the 9th; b-struck out swinging for S Green
in the 10th; c-singled to left for J Sosa in the 11th.
BATTING: 2B - J Reyes (25, J Suppan); S Green (23, J Suppan). S - L Castillo.
SF - M Alou. RBI - D Wright (66), M Alou (14). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - D Easley 1, C Delgado 1, S Green 1, L Castillo 1, D Wright 2,
L Milledge 1. GIDP - M Alou, C Delgado. Team LOB - 12.
BASERUNNING: SB - D Wright (24, 2nd base off J Suppan/D Miller), J Reyes (50,
2nd base off F Cordero/D Miller), M Alou (2, 2nd base off D Bush/D Miller).
FIELDING: E - C Delgado (6, bunt). DP: 2 (C Delgado-J Reyes-C Delgado, L
Castillo-J Reyes-C Delgado).
MILWAUKEE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Hart rf-cf 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 .279
J Hardy ss 4 2 1 0 1 0 2 .272
R Braun 3b 5 0 1 0 1 1 5 .347
P Fielder 1b 4 0 1 1 1 0 1 .282
B Hall cf 4 0 1 1 1 0 4 .272
M Wise p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
B Shouse p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Spurling p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-R Weeks ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .212
D Bush p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .147
K Mench lf-rf 4 0 0 0 2 0 2 .276
D Miller c 6 0 1 0 0 1 6 .262
T Graffanino 2b 5 1 1 0 1 0 4 .237
J Suppan p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .100
C Villanueva p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
a-C Counsell ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .242
D Turnbow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
F Cordero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-G Jenkins ph-lf 2 1 2 2 1 0 0 .267
Totals 42 4 10 4 8 4 27
a-reached on bunt single to catcher for C Villanueva in the 7th; b-walked for
F Cordero in the 9th; c-sacrificed to pitcher for C Spurling in the 12th.
BATTING: 2B - R Braun (16, T Glavine); B Hall (27, G Mota); T Graffanino (8, A
Sele). HR - G Jenkins (14, 13th inning off A Sele 1 on, 0 Out). S - R Weeks , C
Hart , J Hardy. RBI - P Fielder (76), B Hall (42), G Jenkins 2 (42). Runners
left in scoring position, 2 out - K Mench 1, D Miller 2, T Graffanino 2, B Hall
2. GIDP - T Graffanino, R Braun. Team LOB - 14.
BASERUNNING: SB - R Braun (10, 3rd base off T Glavine/R Castro).
FIELDING: E - J Suppan (1, throw); R Braun (15, throw). Outfield assists - B
Hall (C Delgado at Home). DP: 2 (J Hardy-T Graffanino-P Fielder, T Graffanino-J
Hardy-P Fielder).
----------------------------------------------------
NY METS - 000 002 000 000 0 -- 2
MILWAUKEE - 000 100 010 000 2 -- 4
No outs when winning run scored.
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NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
T Glavine 6 2 1 1 5 2 0 4.38
A Heilman (H, 11) 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 0 0 3.49
P Feliciano (H, 12) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.92
G Mota (B, 1) 2/3 1 0 0 1 1 0 5.29
J Sosa 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 4.48
A Sele (L, 3-1) 2 5 2 2 0 0 1 4.30
MILWAUKEE ip h r er bb so hr era
J Suppan 6 1/3 6 2 2 2 0 0 4.97
C Villanueva 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.78
D Turnbow 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 4.21
F Cordero 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.30
M Wise 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3.22
B Shouse 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.05
C Spurling 2 1/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 3.82
D Bush (W, 9-8) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.87
T Glavine pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.
P Feliciano pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.
M Wise pitched to 2 batters in the 10th.
A Sele pitched to 2 batters in the 13th.
WP - T Glavine. IBB - K Mench (by G Mota), P Fielder (by J Sosa). HBP - R
Castro (by J Suppan); P Fielder (by P Feliciano). Pitches-strikes: T Glavine
95-47; A Heilman 18-12; P Feliciano 4-1; G Mota 12-5; J Sosa 31-15; A Sele
33-22; J Suppan 100-61; C Villanueva 11-7; D Turnbow 15-7; F Cordero 18-10; M
Wise 11-0; B Shouse 2-2; C Spurling 18-14; D Bush 13-7. Ground balls-fly balls:
T Glavine 10-6; A Heilman 3-1; P Feliciano 0-0; G Mota 0-1; J Sosa 2-4; A Sele
4-2; J Suppan 12-6; C Villanueva 1-1; D Turnbow 0-2; F Cordero 0-2; M Wise 0-0;
B Shouse 2-0; C Spurling 3-2; D Bush 2-0. Batters faced: T Glavine 25; A
Heilman 5; P Feliciano 1; G Mota 4; J Sosa 9; A Sele 10; J Suppan 28; C
Villanueva 2; D Turnbow 4; F Cordero 4; M Wise 2; B Shouse 1; C Spurling 8; D
Bush 4.
UMPIRES: HP--Chad Fairchild. 1B--Brian Gorman. 2B--Bill Miller. 3B--Marvin
Hudson.
T--4:20. Att--41,790.
Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 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.
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 COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 3 2 0 0 2 1 0 4 RBI CIN AAA Jay Bruce......... 3 2 1 0 0 1 0 BOS AAA George Kottaras... 3 3 1 0 0 2 0 KC AAA Ryan Shealy....... 4 3 1 0 1 1 0 SF A+ Adam Witter....... 6 5 3 0 0 0 1 3 R MIL AAA Tony Gwynn........ 4 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 SB LAA AAA Brandon Wood...... 3 1 0 0 0 2 1 COL A+ C. Nelson......... 6 4 1 0 1 0 0 4 R TB AA Reid Brignac...... 4 1 0 0 1 1 1 DET A Gorkys Hernandez.. 4 3 2 0 1 0 0 3 R ARI A+ Cyle Hankerd...... 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 TEX A Chad Tracy........ 4 2 1 0 1 1 1 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes CHW AA Gio Gonzalez...... 7 3 1 1 6 1 1 BAL AAA Garrett Olson..... 8 2 0 0 7 2 0 TEX AAA Eric Hurley....... 6 6 4 4 4 1 0 TB AAA J.P. Howell....... 7 2 0 0 12 1 0 SD AA Wade Leblanc...... 5 6 4 4 6 1 0 NYY AA Alan Horne........ 6 7 1 1 6 2 0 12 GB OAK AAA Dan Meyer......... 7 6 1 1 7 1 1 SEA A Anthony Butler.... 5 5 2 2 6 0 1 NYY AA Kevin Whelan...... 2 0 0 0 4 1 0 CHC A- Mark Pawelek...... 2 1 0 0 3 0 0 WAN AAA Collin Balester... 5 7 4 4 4 2 0 TEX AA A. Galarraga...... 6 4 2 2 6 2 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.