THT Daily: Royals Gone Wild
by Matthew CarruthMay 24, 2007
Major League News for May 24
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
Stadium of the Future - Chillin' with Lew Wolff and tidbits about the A's new stadium.
The A's say they will be able to monitor food quantities digitally and if, say, there's a surplus of hot dogs on a given night, they'll be able to react by instantly lowering the prices during the game and informing the fans via digital signs that will be installed throughout the stadium.
Value of the Stolen Base - Some cool research about whether a stolen base is more valuable in the NCAA game over at Baseball Analysts.
Class - I don't write many nice things about the Yankees organization, but this was all class.
Angels lose domain - The Angels lost a case to appropriate the Angels.com domain name under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.
Kiper, is that you? - MLB.com is projecting the top 10 picks of the 2007 draft. Here's a profile of top prospect Josh Vitters, a high school baseman who is compared to Alex Rodriguez in the article.
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 THT Links.
Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldCarl Pavano has been given the go-ahead to have Tommy John surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews. The Yankees wanted Pavano to rehab further, but it seems they've given up on ever getting anything from him. Maybe he'll be ready to go by the All-Star break next year, but it's not something anyone is going to count on. Pavano is 5-6 with a 4.77 ERA in 19 starts since signing a four-year, $39.95 million contract prior to 2005.
Elijah Dukes' wife filed for a restraining order last week and claimed that Dukes "threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone." According to the St. Petersburg Times, NiShea Gilbert played the newspaper a voice mail that she claimed was left by Dukes, in which a man threatens Gilbert and her children. "I just don't think I should live in fear," Gilbert said. "When (the Rays) go out of town, I come home. When they're at home, I go stay with my mother. I shouldn't have to live like that because he's a baseball player."
The Phillies said Brett Myers might return to Philadelphia for an examination after he suffered a strained right shoulder Wednesday. "It didn't feel right," he said. "I felt weird out. It was one of those things where, 'I'd better not throw another pitch. Something might happen."' Myers seems likely to end up on the DL, which would probably cause the Phillies to go to a closer-by-committee, with Ryan Madson the best bet for saves, until Tom Gordon returns.
Roger Clemens pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs Wednesday in his start for Double-A Trenton. Clemens walked three in a 30-pitch first inning, but he was pretty good from the second through the fifth. Surprisingly, he came back out for the sixth at 85 pitches and struggled. He hit a batter to load the bases with one out after narrowly avoiding a two-run double -- a fly down the right-field line went foul by inches -- and then issued his first walk since the first to score a run. He left a 2-2 game with the bases still loaded having thrown 102 pitches. We can't imagine he would have thrown that many pitches tonight unless he intended to face the Blue Jays in five or six days.
Athletics placed outfielder Milton Bradley on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 15, with a strained left hamstring. This makes six DL stints in two years. Bradley will be eligible to return in a week, but the A's will want to be sure he's ready next time they try bringing him back. Mark Kotsay will probably beat him back from the DL.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Joe Mauer could return Monday from a strained left quad. Mauer caught a bullpen session Tuesday and took batting practice Wednesday, so he seems to be making steady progress. His return should send Chris Heintz back to Triple-A.
Randy Johnson will miss his next start Friday with tendinitis in his forearm. Johnson won't go on the DL immediately. "It's just a forearm thing that tightened up on him, so we're going to try to be proactive," manager Bob Melvin said. Edgar Gonzalez is going to start in Johnson's place against the Astros.
Yesterday’s Results
American League BAL 5 TOR 2 (Recap and Boxscore) NYA 8 BOS 3 (Recap and Boxscore) SEA 5 TB 1 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 4 CHA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) DET 8 LAA 7 (Recap and Boxscore) KC 11 CLE 7 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 5 TEX 3 (Recap and Boxscore) National League NYN 3 ATL 0 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 8 FLA 7 (Recap and Boxscore) WAS 12 CIN 7 (Recap and Boxscore) STL 5 PIT 3 (Recap and Boxscore) COL 2 ARI 0 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 5 MIL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) SD 2 CHN 1 (Recap and Boxscore) SF 9 HOU 1 (Recap and Boxscore)
Today’s Games
National League --------------- Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals, 1:10 PM (L) Tom Gorzelanny (5-2) vs. (R) Braden Looper (5-3) Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins, 7:05 PM (R) Jon Lieber (2-2) vs. (L) Dontrelle Willis (6-3) Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM (L) Mike Bacsik (0-0) vs. (R) Matt Belisle (4-3) New York Mets at Atlanta Braves, 7:35 PM (L) Tom Glavine (5-1) vs. (R) John Smoltz (6-2) Houston Astros at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM (L) Wandy Rodriguez (2-3) vs. (R) Micah Owings (2-1) Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres, 10:05 PM (R) Jason Marquis (5-1) vs. (R) Chris Young (5-3) American League --------------- LA Angels of Anaheim at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 PM (R) Ervin Santana (3-5) vs. (R) Jeremy Bonderman (2-0) Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 3:10 PM (L) Horacio Ramirez (4-2) vs. (R) Jae Seo (2-4) Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 PM (R) Shaun Marcum (2-2) vs. (R) Jeremy Guthrie (2-1) Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (L) Jeremy Sowers (0-4) vs. (L) Jorge De La Rosa (4-3)
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 31 15 .674 0.0 30 1NYA 21 24 .467 9.5 26 -5
BAL 21 25 .457 10.0 22 -1
TOR 20 25 .444 10.5 22 -2
TB 18 27 .400 12.5 16 2
American League Central DET 28 17 .622 0.0 25 3
CLE 27 17 .614 0.5 25 2
CHA 23 20 .535 4.0 20 3
MIN 22 24 .478 6.5 23 -1
KC 19 28 .404 10.0 20 -1
American League West LAA 28 19 .596 0.0 28 0
OAK 23 23 .500 4.5 27 -4
SEA 21 21 .500 4.5 19 2
TEX 18 29 .383 10.0 21 -3
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 29 16 .644 0.0 28 1
ATL 27 19 .587 2.5 26 1
PHI 23 23 .500 6.5 24 -1
FLA 22 24 .478 7.5 22 0
WAS 18 29 .383 12.0 18 0
National League Central MIL 28 19 .596 0.0 26 2
HOU 21 25 .457 6.5 21 0
CHN 20 24 .455 6.5 25 -5
PIT 19 26 .422 8.0 19 0
STL 18 25 .419 8.0 16 2
CIN 18 29 .383 10.0 22 -4
National League West LAN 27 20 .574 0.0 25 2
SD 26 20 .565 0.5 27 -1
SF 24 22 .522 2.5 25 -1
ARI 25 23 .521 2.5 22 3
COL 20 27 .426 7.0 18 2
Game of the Day
There was a wild ninth inning in Florida. The Phillies scored three in the top of the ninth to take a commanding 7-3 lead, but the Marlins scored four in the bottom to send the game into extra innings, when the Phillies promptly scored one more to win it, 8-7.The winning blow was an Abraham Nunez single, but Aaron Boone’s single to left with two out in the bottom of the ninth was the biggest hit of the game (WPA of .439). The game also featured near-cycles by Dan Uggla (all but the single) and Chase Utley (all but the double).
PHILADELPHIA (8) VS FLORIDA (7) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS
PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Bourn lf 1 1 0 0 2 1 2 .238
a-J Werth ph-lf 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 .279
S Victorino rf 5 0 0 1 1 1 5 .260
J Rollins ss 6 1 1 0 0 2 5 .265
C Utley 2b 5 2 3 2 1 0 4 .300
A Rowand cf 6 1 2 1 0 1 2 .331
G Dobbs 1b 5 0 1 0 1 2 3 .290
A Nunez 3b 3 3 2 1 3 0 1 .315
R Barajas c 5 0 1 1 0 1 5 .208
C Ruiz c 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .261
F Garcia p 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .231
G Geary p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-P Burrell ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .242
A Alfonseca p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-W Helms ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .272
B Myers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Condrey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 41 8 12 8 11 9 31
a-walked for M Bourn in the 6th; b-struck out looking for G Geary in the 8th;
c-singled to left for A Alfonseca in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - A Nunez (6, B Kim); A Rowand (11, L Gardner). 3B - C Utley (1, L
Gardner). HR - C Utley (9, 1st inning off B Kim 1 on, 2 Out). S - F Garcia. RBI
- C Utley 2 (36), R Barajas (5), S Victorino (18), A Rowand (24), W Helms (13),
J Werth (7), A Nunez (9). 2-out RBI - C Utley 2, W Helms, J Werth, A Nunez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Utley 2, J Rollins 1, S Victorino
2, C Ruiz 1, M Bourn 2. Team LOB - 15.
BASERUNNING: SB - M Bourn (5, 2nd base off B Kim/M Treanor).
FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Rollins-C Utley-G Dobbs).
FLORIDA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Amezaga cf 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 .229
D Uggla 2b 6 3 3 3 0 1 1 .258
H Ramirez ss 4 2 3 3 0 1 0 .345
M Cabrera 3b 5 0 1 0 1 2 4 .317
J Willingham lf 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 .285
R Abercrombie pr-lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .214
J Hermida rf 5 0 0 0 0 1 6 .303
A Boone 1b 4 0 2 1 0 1 0 .296
M Treanor c 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .148
b-M Olivo ph-c 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .218
B Kim p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
T Tankersley p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Borchard ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .198
L Gardner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Messenger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-T Linden ph 2 1 1 0 0 0 3 .183
K Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 40 7 12 7 4 8 17
a-hit a ground rule double to deep center for J Miller in the 7th; b-fouled
out to first for M Treanor in the 8th; c-singled to left for R Messenger in
the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - D Uggla (18, F Garcia); J Borchard (6, G Geary). 3B - D Uggla (2,
B Myers). HR - H Ramirez (7, 1st inning off F Garcia 0 on, 2 Out), D Uggla (9,
5th inning off F Garcia 0 on, 1 Out). S - A Amezaga , H Ramirez. RBI - H
Ramirez 3 (12), D Uggla 3 (28), A Boone (17). 2-out RBI - H Ramirez 2, A Boone.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cabrera 1, T Linden 2, J Hermida 2.
GIDP - J Hermida. Team LOB - 12.
FIELDING: E - B Kim (1, throw); M Cabrera (9, throw); A Amezaga (2, bobble).
----------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA - 200 101 003 1 -- 8
FLORIDA - 101 010 004 0 -- 7
----------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
F Garcia 6 5 3 3 3 4 2 4.81
G Geary (H, 7) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.30
A Alfonseca (H, 7) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.79
B Myers 2/3 4 4 4 1 2 0 5.50
C Condrey (W, 2-0) 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 7.56
FLORIDA ip h r er bb so hr era
B Kim 5 1/3 5 4 4 6 4 1 7.02
T Tankersley 2/3 0 0 0 2 1 0 5.40
J Miller 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
L Gardner 1 2/3 3 3 3 2 2 0 4.24
R Messenger 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.50
K Gregg (L, 0-2) 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 2.25
WP - B Myers. IBB - M Cabrera (by F Garcia), A Nunez (by L Gardner). HBP - A
Boone (by F Garcia); H Ramirez (by G Geary); J Willingham (by B Myers).
Pitches-strikes: F Garcia 112-70; G Geary 16-9; A Alfonseca 13-8; B Myers
28-16; C Condrey 12-9; B Kim 108-62; T Tankersley 22-9; J Miller 22-14; L
Gardner 31-16; R Messenger 8-5; K Gregg 21-17. Ground balls-fly balls: F Garcia
7-7; G Geary 2-0; A Alfonseca 0-2; B Myers 1-0; C Condrey 1-3; B Kim 8-4; T
Tankersley 0-1; J Miller 0-2; L Gardner 2-1; R Messenger 0-1; K Gregg 0-2.
Batters faced: F Garcia 26; G Geary 5; A Alfonseca 4; B Myers 9; C Condrey 5; B
Kim 27; T Tankersley 4; J Miller 4; L Gardner 10; R Messenger 2; K Gregg 6.
UMPIRES: HP--Tim Timmons. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Chuck Meriwether. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.
EJECTIONS: PHILADELPHIA's Manuel by Timmons (9th), PHILADELPHIA's Barajas by Timmons (9th).
T--3:55. Att--11,575.
Weather: 80 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 18 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 ARI AA Justin Upton...... 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 MIL AAA Ryan Braun........ 4 3 1 0 1 1 0 STL AA Colby Rasmus...... 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 LAA AAA Brandon Wood...... 4 2 0 0 0 1 1 OAK AAA Daric Barton...... 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 OAK AAA Kevin Melillo..... 4 2 1 0 1 0 1 CIN A Chris Valaika..... 5 2 1 0 1 0 0 4 RBI ATL A+ Eric Campbell..... 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 BOS AA Jed Lowrie........ 4 2 2 0 0 1 1 LA AAA Matt Kemp......... 5 2 1 0 0 0 1 BOS A+ Ryan Khoury....... 4 2 0 0 2 1 1 5 RBI ! ARI AAA Chris Carter...... 3 2 0 0 0 2 1 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes TEX AA Eric Hurley....... 9 5 0 0 8 1 0 NYM AAA Mike Pelfrey...... 6 4 1 1 4 0 0 CIN A+ Travis Wood....... 5 2 0 0 9 0 0 BOS AA Clay Buchholz..... 6 7 2 2 8 0 0 11 GB MIN A+ Yohan Pino........ 7 2 0 0 5 1 0 FLA A+ Ryan Tucker....... 6 3 0 0 4 1 0 CIN AA Richie Gardner.... 5 6 2 0 9 0 0 CLE AA Chuck Lofgren..... 6 7 2 2 5 1 1 TB A+ Matthew Walker.... 5 2 2 0 5 3 0 MIN A Brian Kirwan...... 5 1 0 0 5 1 0 STL A Tyler Herron...... 6 3 2 2 4 2 0 SF AA Nick Pereira...... 5 6 0 0 6 2 0
Access THT’s stats here…
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Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email.