THT Daily: Ranger bats revive
by Dave StudemanSeptember 09, 2009
Major League News for September 9
Player News
Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
You can always find the most recent THT Daily at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/content/thtdaily/
Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldJohn Maine is expected to return from the disabled list and start the night game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Phillies.
Maine has spent the last three months on the disabled list with shoulder weakness and shouldn't be expected to do great things out of the gate. He'll be limited to a 60-70 pitch range and was just 5-4 with a 4.52 ERA before hitting the sidelines.
According to MLB.com's Matthew Leach, the Cardinals have discussed an extension with impending free agent Mark DeRosa.
A torn tendon sheath in the third baseman's wrist has caused a noticeable dip in his production, which could help the Cards lock him up on the cheap. DeRosa seems to enjoy St. Louis, and the feeling is mutual. That being said, the Birds also have to think about extending Matt Holliday, Joel Pineiro, Jason LaRue and Rick Ankiel. It could be an expensive winter for Bill DeWitt and Co.
Jake Peavy is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return to the White Sox next week if all goes well.
"There's a possibility [he'll start right away]," pitching coach Don Cooper said. "He and I will talk about it after the sideline, and we'll talk about it the next day and how he responds." If Peavy reports any pain or discomfort, the White Sox are likely to shut him down for the rest of the season.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel reiterated Tuesday afternoon that Brad Lidge will remain the club's closer.
Lidge blew his 10th save of the season Saturday against the Astros, falling to 0-7 on the year with a 7.15 ERA. "We signed him. He was perfect last year. Everybody knows about that," Manuel said. "We signed him to a long-term deal as our closer. I've always looked at him as our closer."
Michael Young (hamstring) jogged and lifted weights Tuesday.
Young rehabbed with great intensity over the weekend and then took Monday off. The results were positive and got even better Tuesday afternoon. "I think the day of rest really did me some good," he said. The Rangers are hoping to have the third baseman back in the lineup by Friday.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy revealed that Tim Lincecum has been scratched from his Tuesday start with back pain.
Lincecum has been prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and should be ready to go by the weekend. In a tight race for the NL Cy Young and with his club chasing down the Rockies for the Wild Card, it's obviously a blow. But if he can jump back to full health in the next few days, both goals are still attainable. 20-year-old pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner will take the hill Tuesday night against the Padres.
Mets activated OF Carlos Beltran from the 15-day disabled list.
Finally. Beltran has been sidelined since June 21 due to a deep bone bruise in his right knee. The Mets have gone 27-42 in his absence. He'll bat cleanup against Rick VandenHurk and the Marlins in his return, bringing some excitement to Mets fans and fantasy owners alike down the stretch. Beltran was batting .336/.425/.527 with eight homers, 40 RBI and 11 stolen bases before hitting the disabled list.
Tigers closer Fernando Rodney has been suspended three games for throwing a ball into the Tropicana Field press box on September 4.
Rodney, who has 32 saves on the year, claimed it was an act of celebration, but Major League Baseball clearly saw things differently. Brandon Lyon is likely to fill in as closer for the next few days.
Troy Tulowitzki left Monday's game after appearing to either aggravate his back or twist his left ankle.
A few weeks ago, Tulo suffered from back tightness. His ankle rolled slightly out of the batter's box on Monday. He sustained the injury on a single that capped a two-run, seventh-inning rally. Omar Quintanilla replaced Tulowitzki as a runner and remained in the game at shortstop. We'll update you when more information becomes available.
Yesterday’s Results
For the full scoop regarding yesterday's games, read "And That Happened" at Shysterball.American League BOS 10 BAL 0 (Recap and Boxscore) NYA 3 TB 2 (Recap and Boxscore) TOR 6 MIN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 11 CHA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) TEX 11 CLE 9 (Recap and Boxscore) TEX 10 CLE 5 (Recap and Boxscore) KC 7 DET 5 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 3 SEA 2 (Recap and Boxscore) National League FLA 4 NYN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 5 WAS 3 (Recap and Boxscore) ATL 2 HOU 1 (Recap and Boxscore) STL 4 MIL 3 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 9 PIT 4 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 5 ARI 4 (Recap and Boxscore) COL 3 CIN 1 (Recap and Boxscore) SD 4 SF 3 (Recap and Boxscore)Check out Fangraphs' scoreboard to see all the games in action.
Today’s Games
Rangers (78-60) @ Indians (60-78), 12:05pm
Scott Feldman (26, RHP) vs. Fausto Carmona (25, RHP)
Rays (72-67) @ Yankees (90-50), 7:05pm
Jeff Niemann (26, RHP) vs. Joba Chamberlain (23, RHP)
Twins (69-69) @ Blue Jays (62-76), 7:07pm
Carl Pavano (33, RHP) vs. Roy Halladay (32, RHP)
Orioles (56-82) @ RedSox (80-58), 7:10pm
Jason Berken (25, RHP) vs. Paul Byrd (38, RHP)
Tigers (75-62) @ Royals (53-85), 8:10pm
Justin Verlander (26, RHP) vs. Robinson Tejeda (27, RHP)
Athletics (62-76) @ WhiteSox (69-71), 8:11pm
Trevor Cahill (21, RHP) vs. Freddy Garcia (34, RHP)
Mariners (72-67) @ Angels (82-55), 10:05pm
Ian Snell (27, RHP) vs. Jered Weaver (26, RHP)
Cubs (70-67) @ Pirates (54-83), 12:35pm
Carlos Zambrano (28, RHP) vs. Kevin Hart (26, RHP)
Cardinals (83-57) @ Brewers (66-72), 2:05pm
Adam Wainwright (27, RHP) vs. Jeff Suppan (34, RHP)
Padres (62-78) @ Giants (76-63), 3:45pm
Wade LeBlanc (24, LHP) vs. Barry Zito (31, LHP)
Phillies (78-58) @ Nationals (47-91), 7:05pm
Cliff Lee (30, LHP) vs. Garrett Mock (26, RHP)
Marlins (73-65) @ Mets (62-76), 7:10pm
Ricky Nolasco (26, RHP) vs. Patrick Misch (27, LHP)
Braves (71-67) @ Astros (67-71), 8:05pm
Tommy Hanson (22, RHP) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (30, LHP)
Reds (63-75) @ Rockies (79-60), 8:40pm
Bronson Arroyo (32, RHP) vs. Jason Hammel (26, RHP)
Dodgers (83-57) @ D'backs (61-79), 10:10pm
Jon Garland (29, RHP) vs. Danny Haren (28, RHP)
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 NYA 90 50 .643 0.0 84 6BOS 80 58 .580 9.0 79 1
TB 72 67 .518 17.5 75 -3
TOR 62 76 .449 27.0 70 -8
BAL 56 82 .406 33.0 59 -3
American League Central DET 75 62 .547 0.0 71 4
MIN 69 69 .500 6.5 70 -1
CHA 69 71 .493 7.5 70 -1
CLE 60 78 .435 15.5 65 -5
KC 53 85 .384 22.5 54 -1
American League West LAA 82 55 .599 0.0 77 5
TEX 78 60 .565 4.5 76 2
SEA 72 67 .518 11.0 64 8
OAK 62 76 .449 20.5 66 -4
National League East Pwins Diff PHI 78 58 .574 0.0 77 1
FLA 73 65 .529 6.0 69 4
ATL 71 67 .514 8.0 75 -4
NYN 62 76 .449 17.0 62 0
WAS 47 91 .341 32.0 56 -9
National League Central STL 83 57 .593 0.0 80 3
CHN 70 67 .511 11.5 71 -1
HOU 67 71 .486 15.0 60 7
MIL 66 72 .478 16.0 65 1
CIN 63 75 .457 19.0 60 3
PIT 54 83 .394 27.5 59 -5
National League West LAN 83 57 .593 0.0 85 -2
COL 79 60 .568 3.5 79 0
SF 76 63 .547 6.5 74 2
SD 62 78 .443 21.0 55 7
ARI 61 79 .436 22.0 66 -5
Wildcard Standings American League BOS 80 58 .580 0.0 TEX 78 60 .565 2.0 TB 72 67 .518 8.5 SEA 72 67 .518 8.5 MIN 69 69 .500 11.0 National League COL 79 60 .568 0.0 SF 76 63 .547 3.0 FLA 73 65 .529 5.5 ATL 71 67 .514 7.5 CHN 70 67 .511 8.0
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