THT Daily: Rays in the Race
by Dave StudemanAugust 23, 2009
Major League News for August 23
Player News
Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
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 RotoworldReds activated third baseman Scott Rolen from the 15-day disabled list.
Rolen suffered a concussion in his second game with the Reds and was eventually forced to the disabled list. He appeared healthy during two rehab games at Triple-A Louisville. The Gold Glove third baseman, acquired at the July 31 deadline, has collected just 14 at-bats in a Cincinnati uniform.
Reds placed RHP Aaron Harang on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 22, following an emergency appendectomy.
Harang isn't expected to return to the Reds this year. It'll end as a dissapointing season for the big right-hander, who finishes up with a 4.21 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 6-14 record. He'll aim to be at full strength by spring training 2010.
According to MLB.com, the Rockies are close to agreement on a minor league deal with right-hander Russ Ortiz.
The Rockies are also expected to announce the signing of Jason Giambi on Sunday. Loading up on veterans isn't a bad idea for a team in the playoff hunt. Ortiz went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in a handful of starts within the Yankees' farm system and is worth the risk for a club that just lost Aaron Cook.
Mets owner Fred Wilpon said Saturday that general manager Omar Minaya is "absolutely" returning for the 2010 season.
"Am I going to bring Omar back next year?" Wilpon said. "Absolutely. That's a fact." When Minaya was told of the comment, he added that manager Jerry Manuel will be back next year as well. "Jerry is my guy," Minaya said. "We work well together." They're both technically signed through at least 2011.
Manny Corpas is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season.
If the Rockies manage to take the National League Wild Card crown, he could feasibly help them in the playoffs. But it's not looking good. Corpas had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow in late July.
According to Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies, free agent Jason Giambi is nearing a minor league pact with Colorado.
Giambi will receive regular playing time at Triple-A Colorado Springs until rosters expand to 40 players on September 1. He'll serve mainly as a late-innings pinch-hitter once in the bigs, and might draw random starts at first base on days when veteran Todd Helton is in need of rest.
Padres signed second baseman David Eckstein to a one-year, $1 million contract extension.
Eckstein somehow convinced Padres management that he deserved a raise, despite a lowly .255/.317/.325 batting line, one home run and only 38 RBI in 416 plate appearances. The little man earned just $850,000 in '09, but it appears grit and hustle still carry some value in the major leagues.
Cardinals placed RHP Kyle Lohse on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin muscle.
It has been a truly disappointing season for Lohse, who went 15-6 last year and was signed to a lucrative extension in the fall. He'll leave behind a 4.76 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and a 5-8 record as he heads to the disabled list for a second time this season. Mitchell Boggs was recalled to fill in.
According to Billy Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow, the hard-throwing reliever is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Red Sox.
Boston reportedly claimed him on waivers Friday and the club has until Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST to spin a trade with the Mets. "Certainly, the Red Sox would give him a chance to win a World Series, and this year that's first and foremost," Stringfellow said. "From where we sit, that's all that matters right now." The 38-year-old Wagner tossed a 1-2-3 inning in his 2009 debut earlier this week. He is owed about $2.5 million the rest of the way.
Yesterday’s Results
For the full scoop regarding yesterday's games, read "And That Happened" at Shysterball.American League BOS 14 NYA 1 (Recap and Boxscore) TB 5 TEX 4 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 7 TOR 3 (Recap and Boxscore) CHA 4 BAL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) CLE 4 SEA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 8 KC 7 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 3 DET 2 (Recap and Boxscore) National League ATL 4 FLA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 4 NYN 1 (Recap and Boxscore) MIL 11 WAS 9 (Recap and Boxscore) HOU 4 ARI 2 (Recap and Boxscore) PIT 12 CIN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) COL 14 SF 11 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 2 CHN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) STL 7 SD 0 (Recap and Boxscore)Check out Fangraphs' scoreboard to see all the games in action.
Today’s Games
Mariners (63-60) @ Indians (53-69), 1:05pmFelix Hernandez (23, RHP) vs. Fausto Carmona (25, RHP)
Angels (74-47) @ Blue Jays (56-65), 1:07pm
Trevor Bell (22, RHP) vs. Ricky Romero (24, LHP)
Rangers (68-54) @ Rays (67-55), 1:38pm
Scott Feldman (26, RHP) vs. David Price (23, LHP)
Orioles (50-73) @ WhiteSox (63-60), 2:05pm
Jason Berken (25, RHP) vs. Mark Buehrle (30, LHP)
Twins (60-63) @ Royals (47-75), 2:10pm
Carl Pavano (33, RHP) vs. Brian Bannister (28, RHP)
Tigers (65-57) @ Athletics (54-68), 4:05pm
Rick Porcello (20, RHP) vs. Brett Tomko (36, RHP)
Yankees (77-46) @ RedSox (70-52), 8:05pm
C.C. Sabathia (28, LHP) vs. Josh Beckett (29, RHP)
Phillies (70-50) @ Mets (57-66), 1:10pm
Pedro Martinez (37, RHP) vs. Oliver Perez (27, LHP)
Marlins (65-58) @ Braves (65-58), 1:30pm
Ricky Nolasco (26, RHP) vs. Derek Lowe (36, RHP)
Brewers (60-62) @ Nationals (43-80), 1:35pm
Manny Parra (26, LHP) vs. Craig Stammen (25, RHP)
Reds (51-71) @ Pirates (51-70), 1:35pm
Homer Bailey (23, RHP) vs. Kevin Hart (26, RHP)
D'backs (54-70) @ Astros (61-62), 2:05pm
Jon Garland (29, RHP) vs. Bud Norris (24, RHP)
Giants (67-56) @ Rockies (69-54), 3:10pm
Tim Lincecum (25, RHP) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (25, RHP)
Cardinals (71-54) @ Padres (52-73), 4:05pm
John Smoltz (42, RHP) vs. Cesar Carrillo (25, RHP)
Cubs (61-60) @ Dodgers (74-50), 4:10pm
Ryan Dempster (32, RHP) vs. Chad Billingsley (24, 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 77 46 .626 0.0 71 6BOS 70 52 .574 6.5 70 0
TB 67 55 .549 9.5 69 -2
TOR 56 65 .463 20.0 62 -6
BAL 50 73 .407 27.0 53 -3
American League Central DET 65 57 .533 0.0 63 2
CHA 63 60 .512 2.5 63 0
MIN 60 63 .488 5.5 62 -2
CLE 53 69 .434 12.0 58 -5
KC 47 75 .385 18.0 48 -1
American League West LAA 74 47 .612 0.0 68 6
TEX 68 54 .557 6.5 67 1
SEA 63 60 .512 12.0 56 7
OAK 54 68 .443 20.5 57 -3
National League East Pwins Diff PHI 70 50 .583 0.0 70 0
ATL 65 58 .528 6.5 68 -3
FLA 65 58 .528 6.5 62 3
NYN 57 66 .463 14.5 56 1
WAS 43 80 .350 28.5 51 -8
National League Central STL 71 54 .568 0.0 69 2
CHN 61 60 .504 8.0 62 -1
HOU 61 62 .496 9.0 54 7
MIL 60 62 .492 9.5 58 2
PIT 51 70 .421 18.0 55 -4
CIN 51 71 .418 18.5 50 1
National League West LAN 74 50 .597 0.0 75 -1
COL 69 54 .561 4.5 70 -1
SF 67 56 .545 6.5 66 1
ARI 54 70 .435 20.0 56 -2
SD 52 73 .416 22.5 47 5
Wildcard Standings American League BOS 70 52 .574 0.0 TEX 68 54 .557 2.0 TB 67 55 .549 3.0 CHA 63 60 .512 7.5 SEA 63 60 .512 7.5 National League COL 69 54 .561 0.0 SF 67 56 .545 2.0 ATL 65 58 .528 4.0 FLA 65 58 .528 4.0 CHN 61 60 .504 7.0
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.ORG LVL PLAYER AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes NYM A+ Kirk Nieuwenhuis.. 5 4 2 1 0 0 0 4 LD NYY A+ David Adams....... 4 3 1 2 0 0 0 3 LD ARI AAA Chris Young....... 4 3 0 1 0 1 0 2 SB TB AAA Desmond Jennings.. 5 3 1 0 1 0 0 TB A Timothy Beckham... 4 3 1 1 0 1 0 DET AAA Wilkin Ramirez.... 6 2 1 0 1 0 0 SD A A. Cumberland..... 5 3 1 1 0 0 0 BAL A+ Brandon Waring.... 5 2 1 0 1 0 0 LA A Kyle Russell...... 4 2 1 0 1 0 2 DET AAA Dusty Ryan........ 5 2 2 0 0 0 1 WAN AA C. Marrero........ 3 2 2 0 0 0 1 MIN A Angel Morales..... 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes CIN AAA Travis Wood....... 7 1 2 2 7 1 1 COL A+ C. Friedrich...... 7 6 2 2 7 1 0 SD A+ Anthony Bass...... 5 1 0 0 5 0 0 FLA AAA Rick Vanden Hurk.. 5 1 0 0 6 2 0 CLE A Nick Hagadone..... 3 0 0 0 5 1 0 SEA A+ Juan Ramirez...... 5 3 2 2 7 4 0 CHC AA C. Carpenter...... 5 4 3 3 5 2 0 ARI A+ Trevor Harden..... 5 4 0 0 4 1 0 ATL A+ Richard Sullivan.. 6 8 0 0 4 0 0 13 GB TEX AA Blake Beavan...... 7 5 0 0 2 1 0 12 GB NYM AA Jenrry Mejia...... 4 3 1 1 4 1 0 8 GB MIL A+ Mark Rogers....... 4 2 0 0 2 0 0
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Dave was called a "national treasure" by Rob Neyer. Seriously. Comments about this article can be sent to him through the miracle of e-mail.