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THT Daily: Now with home runs

by Dave Studeman
May 29, 2008

Major League News for May 29
Player News
Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
Game of the Day
Yesterday’s Home Runs
Top Minor League Performances

You can always find the most recent THT Daily at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/content/thtdaily/

Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of Rotoworld

Frank Thomas could go on the disabled list with the strained quad tendon he suffered Tuesday. An MRI exam Wednesday that showed a strain and inflammation in the area just above his knee where it connects to the quadriceps muscle. "The MRI looks pretty bad," Thomas said. "When you’re messing with a tendon that big with my age, it could rupture and that would take a long time. We’ve got plenty of time right now. They want to rest it and get the swelling out. It doesn’t bother me hitting but after last night I couldn’t push off." If Thomas goes on the DL, Travis Buck will likely be called up.

Pedro Martinez (hamstring) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings Wednesday in his rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie. Martinez fanned six and walked none while throwing 82 pitches. The strong performance should guarantee that he'll return Tuesday against the Giants. "I am really excited," Martinez said. "I would love to be there. I know the team really needs a little bit of a pat on the back, and I hope my presence will make a difference for them."

Yankees placed RHP Ian Kennedy on the 15-day disabled list with bursitis and a strained right lat. The Yankees are strongly considering starting Joba Chamberlain in Kennedy's spot next Tuesday, Kennedy could be ready to return in about three weeks, but he'll likely spend considerable time in the minors before he gets another shot.

Troy Percival left the clubhouse immediately after Wednesday's game to get an MRI on his injured hamstring. Percival fell on the mound after throwing his second second strikeout in the ninth inning on Wednesday. He tried to throw a warm-up pitch afterward, but shook his head and headed for the clubhouse. He had tightness in him hamstring last week, and we'll continue to update as we know more. Dan Wheeler appears to be the favorite for saves, but Al Reyes could also be used.

Yesterday’s Results
American League
NYA     4  BAL     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
TB      5  TEX     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA     6  CLE     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN     9  KC      8    (Recap and Boxscore)
DET     6  LAA     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
TOR     2  OAK     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     1  BOS     0    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
NYN     7  FLA     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
PHI     6  COL     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     2  LAN     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN     9  PIT     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIL     1  ATL     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL     6  HOU     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
SF     11  ARI     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
WAS     6  SD      4    (Recap and Boxscore)
You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.

First Inning's Major and Minor League Daily Reports:

Today’s Games
National League
 ---------------
 Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers, 1:05 PM
  (R) Jorge Campillo (1-0) vs. (R) Seth McClung (2-1)
 Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres, 3:35 PM
  (L) John Lannan (4-5) vs. (L) Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2)
 Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets, 7:10 PM
  (R) Brad Penny (5-5) vs. (R) Claudio Vargas (1-2)
 Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM
  (L) Phil Dumatrait (1-2) vs. (R) Aaron Harang (2-6)
 Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 PM
  (L) Jeff Francis (1-5) vs. (R) Jason Marquis (2-3)
 Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals, 8:15 PM
  (R) Roy Oswalt (4-4) vs. (R) Kyle Lohse (4-2)
 San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM
  (L) Barry Zito (1-8) vs. (L) Randy Johnson (4-1)
 
 American League
 ---------------
 Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics, 3:35 PM
  (R) Jesse Litsch (6-1) vs. (L) Dana Eveland (4-3)
 Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays, 7:10 PM
  (L) John Danks (3-4) vs. (R) Edwin Jackson (3-3)
 Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM
  (R) Kevin Slowey (1-4) vs. (R) Luke Hochevar (3-4)

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
TB      32  21 .604    0.0   30     2    sparkline graph
BOS     32  24 .571    1.5   31     1    sparkline graph
TOR     29  26 .527    4.0   29     0    sparkline graph
BAL     26  26 .500    5.5   25     1    sparkline graph
NYA     26  27 .491    6.0   26     0    sparkline graph
American League Central     
CHA     29  23 .558    0.0   30    -1    sparkline graph
MIN     27  25 .519    2.0   25     2    sparkline graph
CLE     24  29 .453    5.5   28    -4    sparkline graph
DET     22  31 .415    7.5   25    -3    sparkline graph
KC      21  32 .396    8.5   21     0    sparkline graph
American League West        
LAA     32  23 .582    0.0   28     4    sparkline graph
OAK     29  24 .547    2.0   32    -3    sparkline graph
TEX     27  28 .491    5.0   26     1    sparkline graph
SEA     20  34 .370   11.5   21    -1    sparkline graph


National League East        Pwins  Diff
FLA     30  22 .577    0.0   27     3    sparkline graph
PHI     31  24 .564    0.5   33    -2    sparkline graph
ATL     28  25 .528    2.5   32    -4    sparkline graph
NYN     25  26 .490    4.5   26    -1    sparkline graph
WAS     23  31 .426    8.0   22     1    sparkline graph
National League Central     
CHN     32  21 .604    0.0   35    -3    sparkline graph
STL     31  23 .574    1.5   30     1    sparkline graph
HOU     30  24 .556    2.5   27     3    sparkline graph
MIL     26  27 .491    6.0   24     2    sparkline graph
CIN     25  28 .472    7.0   25     0    sparkline graph
PIT     24  28 .462    7.5   22     2    sparkline graph
National League West        
ARI     30  23 .566    0.0   31    -1    sparkline graph
LAN     26  26 .500    3.5   27    -1    sparkline graph
SF      22  31 .415    8.0   22     0    sparkline graph
COL     20  33 .377   10.0   20     0    sparkline graph
SD      20  34 .370   10.5   19     1    sparkline graph

Game of the Day
For the second day in a row, fans in Kansas City witnessed a dramatic ninth-inning comeback and extra-inning game. The Twins, losing by an 8-3 score and down to their last out with one man on, delivered three singles in a row and a Craig Monroe home run to tie the game. Justin Morneau then sealed the game for the Twinkies with a solo shot in the 10th.

Action shot: Craig Monroe is congratulated by his teammates after his game-tying home run.
Twins 9, Royals 8 - FINAL

MINNESOTA              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Gomez cf              5  1  2  2   0  2   3  .280
A Casilla 2b            3  0  0  1   0  2   1  .282
 va-C Monroe ph         1  1  1  3   0  0   0  .234
 M Macri 2b             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .667
J Mauer c               5  0  0  0   0  1   1  .320
J Morneau 1b            5  1  1  1   0  1   0  .310
M Cuddyer rf            5  0  0  0   0  1   0  .229
J Kubel dh              5  2  2  0   0  1   0  .252
D Young lf              3  1  0  0   2  1   1  .258
M Lamb 3b               4  2  3  2   0  0   0  .252
B Harris ss             3  1  2  0   0  1   2  .261

Totals                 39  9 11  9   2 10   8   ###

KANSAS CITY            ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
D DeJesus rf            4  2  2  1   0  0   0  .281
 ha-R Gload ph-rf       1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .243
J Gathright cf          4  2  3  1   0  0   1  .269
A Gordon 3b             5  2  3  1   0  0   1  .289
J Guillen lf            5  0  2  1   0  0   3  .246
M Olivo c               5  0  2  2   0  1   2  .311
M Teahen 1b             5  0  1  0   0  0   2  .251
B Butler dh             5  1  1  0   0  0   2  .263
A Callaspo 2b           5  1  2  0   0  0   0  .278
T Pena ss               4  0  0  0   0  1   3  .160

Totals                 43  8 16  6   0  2  15   ###

----------------------------------------------------
    MINNESOTA       - 002 000 105 1  --   9 11 2
    KANSAS CITY     - 102 300 200 0  --   8 16 0
----------------------------------------------------

ha-lined out to pitcher for D Dejesus in the 8th;  va-homered to left for A 
Casilla in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - M Olivo (12, L Hernandez); A Gordon (13, L Hernandez). HR - C 
Monroe (5, 9th inning off J Peralta 2 on, 2 Out), J Morneau (9, 10th inning off 
J Peralta 0 on, 0 Out). S - B Harris. SF - A Casilla , J Gathright. RBI - C 
Gomez 2 (20), A Casilla (12), M Lamb 2 (22), C Monroe 3 (18), J Morneau (40), J 
Guillen (36), M Olivo 2 (22), D DeJesus (19), J Gathright (8), A Gordon (22). 
2-out RBI - M Lamb, C Gomez, C Monroe 3, J Guillen, M Olivo. Runners left in 
scoring position, 2 out - J Mauer 1, C Gomez 1, M Olivo 1, J Guillen 1, M 
Teahen 2, B Butler 1. GIDP - J Guillen, B Butler. Team LOB - MINNESOTA 4, 
KANSAS CITY 6. BASERUNNING: SB - J Gathright (14, 2nd base off L Hernandez/J 
Mauer). FIELDING: E - D Young 2 (4, fly ball, throw). DP:  (A Casilla-B 
Harris-J Morneau 2, B Korecky-J Morneau). 

MINNESOTA                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
L Hernandez                   6      13   8   6   0   2   0   4.60
J Rincon                      1       1   0   0   0   0   0   4.30
B Korecky                     1 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   3.48
D Reyes                         1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.00
J Crain (W, 3-2)                1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   3.79
J Nathan (S, 14)              1       0   0   0   0   0   0   1.66

KANSAS CITY                  ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Z Greinke                     8       5   3   3   2   8   0   2.88
R Ramirez                       2/3   4   4   4   0   2   0   3.74
J Peralta (L, 0-2; B, 1)      1 1/3   2   2   2   0   0   2   6.00

L Hernandez pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

WP - R Ramirez. BALK - Z Greinke. Pitches-strikes: L Hernandez 101-67; J 
Rincon 19-12; B Korecky 8-7; D Reyes 1-1; J Crain 6-5; J Nathan 12-9; Z Greinke 
117-80; R Ramirez 20-14; J Peralta 17-13. Ground balls-fly balls: L Hernandez 
8-8; J Rincon 1-2; B Korecky 2-1; D Reyes 0-1; J Crain 1-0; J Nathan 1-2; Z 
Greinke 7-9; R Ramirez 0-0; J Peralta 2-2. Batters faced: L Hernandez 30; J 
Rincon 4; B Korecky 4; D Reyes 1; J Crain 2; J Nathan 3; Z Greinke 31; R 
Ramirez 6; J Peralta 6. IRS - J Peralta 2, J Rincon. UMPIRES: HP--Gary 
Cederstrom. 1B--Fieldin Culbreth. 2B--Jim Reynolds. 3B--Tim Timmons.   T--3:07. 
Att--13,621. Weather: 69 degrees, overcast. Wind: 8 mph, right 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.

image

Yesterday’s Home Runs
The following stats are provided by Hit Tracker, which logs the projected “true” distance of each home run (if it were to land uninterrupted at field level) and its "standard" distance, which is corrected for weather conditions. Each homer is also categorized into one of three types: Just Enough (JE) for homers that cleared the fence by ten feet or less, Plenty (PL) for those that were sure home runs but not “blasts,” and No Doubt (ND) for true “blasts”—homers that cleared the fence by at least 20 feet and landed at least 50 feet beyond the fence.
Hitter                Team    Pitcher              Team     True  Stnd.   #  Type
Alfredo Amezaga       FLA     Duaner Sanchez       NYM       361    370   1  JE
Yuniesky Betancourt   SEA     Tim Wakefield        BOS       392    389   3  PL
Luis Castillo         NYM     Scott Olsen          FLA       366    352   2  JE/L
Endy Chavez           NYM     Kevin Gregg          FLA       377    382   1  PL
Ray Durham            SF      Doug Davis           ARI       376    364   2  JE
Jermaine Dye          CWS     Jake Westbrook       CLE       390    417   9  PL
Jesus Flores          WAS     Shawn Estes          SD        394    406   2  PL
Jason Giambi          NYY     Jeremy Guthrie       BAL       449    451  11  ND
Scott Hairston        SD      Brian Sanches        WAS       380    386   7  PL
Maicer Izturis        LAA     Armando Galarraga    DET       390    377   1  PL/L
Geoff Jenkins         PHI     Greg Reynolds        COL       359    355   4  PL
Lastings Milledge     WAS     Mike Adams           SD        393    404   3  PL
Craig Monroe          MIN     Joel Peralta         KC        377    369   5  JE
Melvin Mora           BAL     Andy Pettitte        NYY       374    383   7  JE
Justin Morneau        MIN     Joel Peralta         KC        385    390   9  JE
Jhonny Peralta        CLE     Gavin Floyd          CWS       386    407  11  JE
Mike Rabelo           FLA     Oliver Perez         NYM       417    400   2  ND
Jose Reyes            NYM     Scott Olsen          FLA       379    378   7  PL
Mark Reynolds         ARI     Vinnie Chulk         SF        402    388   9  PL
Cody Ross             FLA     Oliver Perez         NYM       385    380  10  PL
Cody Ross             FLA     Oliver Perez         NYM       401    401   9  PL
David Ross            CIN     Tom Gorzelanny       PIT       400    397   1  PL
Marcus Thames         DET     Joe Saunders         LAA       390    375   5  PL
Marcus Thames         DET     Joe Saunders         LAA       416    405   4  JE
Chase Utley           PHI     Greg Reynolds        COL       409    405  17  ND
Ty Wigginton          HOU     Adam Wainwright      STL       388    406   2  PL

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
SD  AA  Chad Huffman...... 4  3  1  0  1  1  0  4 RBI
TEX A+  Julio Borbon...... 5  2  1  0  1  1  0  3 R
ARI AAA Emilio Bonifacio.. 5  4  0  1  0  1  0  
COL AA  Justin Nelson..... 4  3  1  0  1  0  0  
PIT A+  Jamie Romak....... 5  3  1  0  1  0  1  
TOR A+  J. Arencibia...... 5  2  1  0  1  0  0  
ARI AAA Josh Whitesell.... 3  2  1  0  0  2  0  3 R
MIL AAA Brad Nelson....... 3  2  1  0  0  2  0  
MIN AAA Jason Pridie...... 5  3  0  1  0  0  1  
STL AAA Colby Rasmus...... 3  1  1  0  0  2  2  
CLE AA  Wesley Hodges..... 4  3  1  0  0  1  1  
MIL A+  Lorenzo Cain...... 4  2  0  0  0  1  1  3 SB

ORG LVL PLAYER            IP  H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
TB  A+  David Price....... 6  2  0  0  9  0  0  
SF  A+  Clayton Tanner.... 6  2  0  0  8  0  0  
DET A+  Duane Below....... 7  2  0  0  7  1  0  
ARI AAA Yusmeiro Petit.... 7  2  1  1  6  0  0  
HOU AAA Chad Reineke...... 7  5  0  0  7  2  0  
OAK AAA Gio Gonzalez...... 5  2  0  0  7  2  0  
CIN AAA Daryl Thompson.... 7  4  1  0  6  2  0  
TEX AA  Thomas Diamond.... 5  3  2  1  7  2  0  
ATL AA  Todd Redmond...... 7  5  2  2  6  0  1  
CIN AA  Travis Wood....... 6  2  1  1  8  3  1  
CHC AA  Jeff Samardzija... 6  2  3  2  4  1  0  
TEX A   Kennil Gomez...... 7  1  0  0  4  3  0  

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