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THT Daily: Tigers Top Red Sox, Reyes Goes Offby Bryan TsaoAugust 16, 2006 Major League News for August 16Yesterday’s ResultsToday’s Games Standings Game of the Day Yesterday’s Home Runs Top Minor League Performances Player News Stats Yesterday’s ResultsAmerican League DET 3 BOS 2 (Recap and Boxscore) NYA 6 BAL 3 (Recap and Boxscore) TOR 4 TB 3 (Recap and Boxscore) KC 4 CHA 2 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 4 CLE 1 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 11 SEA 2 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 9 TEX 7 (Recap and Boxscore) National League PHI 11 NYN 4 (Recap and Boxscore) WAS 5 ATL 0 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 8 HOU 6 (Recap and Boxscore) MIL 6 PIT 3 (Recap and Boxscore) STL 5 CIN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) ARI 2 COL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 4 FLA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) SF 3 SD 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Today’s GamesVisitors Home Starts MIL - Capuano C.* (10-8, 3.76) PIT - Duke Z.* (8-10, 5.09) 12:35 CHC - O'Malley R.* (0-0, -) HOU - Pettitte A.* (11-12, 4.86) 02:05 FLA - Johnson J. (10-6, 2.69) LAD - Hendrickson M.* (1-4, 4.50) 03:10 NYM - Glavine T.* (12-5, 3.92) PHI - Lieber J. (4-9, 5.51) 07:05 ATL - Smoltz J. (10-5, 3.41) WAS - Traber B.* (2-1, 5.14) 07:05 DET - Verlander J. (14-5, 2.95) BOS - Wells D.* (1-2, 6.23) 07:05 BAL - Loewen A.* (2-4, 6.41) NYY - Lidle C. (1-1, 3.60) 07:05 TOR - Lilly T.* (10-10, 4.01) TB - Shields J. (4-6, 4.99) 07:15 KC - Bernero A. (0-0, 1.59) CWS - Contreras J. (11-4, 3.53) 08:05 LAA - Saunders J.* (4-0, 1.67) TEX - Eaton A. (2-2, 4.41) 08:05 CIN - Arroyo B. (9-8, 3.54) STL - Reyes A. (4-5, 4.26) 08:10 CLE - Lee C.* (10-8, 4.64) MIN - Silva C. (8-10, 6.41) 08:10 ARI - Hernandez L. (9-9, 5.30) COL - Cook A. (8-10, 3.87) 09:05 SF - Lowry N.* (5-7, 4.12) SD - Park C. (7-7, 4.66) 10:05 SEA - Meche G. (9-7, 4.58) OAK - Haren D. (10-9, 3.58) 10:05 StandingsThe 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 70 46 .603 0.0 68 2 Game of the DayDetroit overcame lo sing Placido Polanco in the seventh inning and a David Ortiz game-tying home run in the eighth inning to beat the Red Sox in a matchup of two playoff hopefuls. Following Polanco’s injury, catcher Ivan Rodriguez was forced to play second base for the Tigers, as backup infielder Omar Infante had already been subbed out of the game. The Tigers’ win helped extend their lead in the AL Central to 6.5 games over Chicago, while Boston’s loss dropped them three games behind the Yankees. DETROIT (3) VS BOSTON (2) - FINAL
DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .272
P Polanco 2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .294
a-V Wilson ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
D Young dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .275
M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 .297
C Guillen ss 3 2 1 0 1 0 2 .304
I Rodriguez c-2b 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .295
S Casey 1b 4 0 3 2 0 0 0 .311
C Monroe lf 4 0 2 1 0 1 2 .274
O Infante 3b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .264
B Inge 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .243
Totals 35 3 11 3 1 4 15
a-flied out to left for P Polanco in the 8th.
BATTING: 2B - O Infante (6, C Schilling); S Casey (3, C Schilling). RBI - S
Casey 2 (12), C Monroe (63). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M
Ordonez 1, C Guillen 1, B Inge 1, C Granderson 1. GIDP - C Monroe. Team LOB -
6.
BASERUNNING: Picked Off - C Monroe (1st base, C Schilling).
BOSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Crisp cf 4 2 2 1 0 1 0 .277
M Loretta 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .303
D Ortiz dh 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 .284
M Ramirez lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .320
K Youkilis 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 .291
M Lowell 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .284
W Pena rf 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .320
D Mirabelli c 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .208
A Gonzalez ss 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .272
a-J Lopez ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .265
A Cora ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
Totals 33 2 6 2 1 9 6
a-struck out swinging for A Gonzalez in the 8th.
BATTING: 2B - W Pena (10, J Bonderman). HR - C Crisp (6, 3rd inning off J
Bonderman 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - C Crisp (24), D Ortiz (111). 2-out RBI - D Ortiz.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Mirabelli 1. Team LOB - 5.
FIELDING: Outfield assists - W Pena (C Monroe at 2nd base). DP: 1 (A
Gonzalez-M Loretta-K Youkilis).
----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 000 000 201 -- 3
BOSTON - 001 000 010 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Bonderman 7 2/3 5 2 2 1 8 1 3.69
W Ledezma (B, 1) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.70
F Rodney (W, 6-3) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.58
T Jones (S, 33) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.72
BOSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
C Schilling 7 9 2 2 0 4 0 3.83
M Timlin (L, 5-2) 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 3.13
W Ledezma pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.
Pitches-strikes: J Bonderman 103-63; W Ledezma 6-4; F Rodney 3-2; T Jones
15-9; C Schilling 98-70; M Timlin 31-21. Ground balls-fly balls: J Bonderman
6-9; W Ledezma 0-0; F Rodney 1-0; T Jones 1-1; C Schilling 12-4; M Timlin 3-2.
Batters faced: J Bonderman 29; W Ledezma 1; F Rodney 1; T Jones 3; C Schilling
28; M Timlin 8.
UMPIRES: HP--Paul Emmel. 1B--Bruce Froemming. 2B--Brian Runge. 3B--Mike
Winters.
T--2:54. Att--36,179.
Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 10 mph, out to
left.The following graph tracks the game's Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs.  Top Minor League GamesThe 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 POS AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes ATL A+ Van Pope 3B 4 2 0 0 2 1 0 3 runs scored BAL AA Jeff Fiorentino LF 4 3 1 0 1 1 1 4 RBI BOS A+ John Otness DH 6 5 2 0 1 0 0 4 runs scored CHW A+ Daron Roberts RF 4 3 0 0 1 0 1 .533 OBP during past week CIN A+ Jay Garthwaite LF 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 6 RBI COL A+ C. Frey CF 5 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 runs scored LAA A Flint Wipke C 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 OAK AAA Charles Thomas CF 3 2 0 0 2 0 1 PHI AAA Carlos Ruiz C 5 4 2 0 0 0 0 TEX A Grant Gerrard RF 4 3 1 0 1 0 1 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes CIN AAA Michael Gosling 6.2 4 1 1 7 0 1 CIN A+ Johnny Cueto 6.0 2 0 0 5 0 0 MIL AA Corey Thurman 7.0 2 1 1 6 2 1 MIN AAA Pete Munro 7.2 2 2 0 3 2 0 MIN AA Brian Duensing 6.1 3 0 0 7 2 0 NYM AAA Brian Bannister 8.0 3 0 0 7 0 0 PIT AAA Ryan Vogelsong 8.0 1 1 1 5 0 1 SD A+ Joshua Geer 7.0 4 0 0 6 1 0 SF A Joseph Martinez 7.0 4 0 0 10 0 0 Player NewsPlayer news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.Jose Reyes was 3-for-4 with three home runs (12, 13, 14) and four RBIs (59). He hit the first pitch of the Tuesday's game at Philadelphia into the left-field seats. He added another solo homer off of starter Randy Wolf in the third inning and drove a two-run shot into the upper deck against reliever Brian Sanches in the eighth inning. "He's one of the most exciting players in the game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "He's just scratching the surface. He'll be around for a long, long time." The Detroit Tigers placed Placido Polanco o n the 15-day disabled list with a separated left shoulder early on Wednesday morning. OF Shawn Green got a second consecutive night off Tuesday to get OF Carlos Quentin another start in right field. SS Craig Counsell (fractured rib) will catch up with Triple-A Tucson in Tacoma to begin a rehab assignment. "He will either play Thursday or Saturday in Tacoma," manager Bob Melvin said. LHP Mark Mulder makes his third rehab start from a shoulder injury Thursday for Triple-A Memphis, and could return to the rotation after that. He's 6-5 with a 6.09 ERA. Manager Tony La Russa wasn't interested in looking too far forward as far as who he would replace and when he would pitch. X-rays were negative on RHP Roy Oswalt's right wrist, but manager Phil Garner was uncertain whether Oswalt would make his next scheduled start, in Milwaukee on Saturday. Oswalt was hit by Ronny Cedeno 's line drive in the seventh inning of Monday's 3-0 loss. He stayed in the game and finished the inning, but was done after that. "He's very sore and we're in the ol' day-to-day," Garner said. "I don't know now if he's going to be able to make his next start. I'm hoping that he will." Manager Dusty Baker said 2005 NL batting champi on Derrek Lee could be ready for regular batting practice by next week. Lee has been on the 15-day DL since July 24 with inflammation in his right wrist. Baker, who had three hand and wrist surgeries during his playing career, said the Cubs are being cautious, despite Lee's eagerness to return. "He's disappointed he didn't heal like Superman is supposed to heal," Baker said. All-Star closer Tom Gordon had an MRI on his ailing right shoulder. Setup man Arthur Rhodes w as to fill his spot until the team learns how long Gordon will be out. C Ramon Castro, on the DL with a sore ribcage, took live batting practice Tuesday. Randolph said reports indicated Castro didn't look "too crisp" and he'll try again Wednesday. C-INF Robert Fick, on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 1 with a rib injury, said his goal is return Sept. 1. He'll probably take swings off a tee Wednesday. LHP Chuck James i mproved to 5-3 with a 4.45 ERA by allowing two earned runs in seven innings in Monday's 10-4 win over Washington. "He's been a lot more than a lot of people ever expected out of Chuck," manager Bobby Cox said. "He's tough." Entering Tuesday's game in Pittsburgh, five Brewers regulars were mired in slumps of 20 at-bats or more: 3B David Bell (4-for-23, .174), OF Brady Clark (6-for-41, .146), 1B Prince Fielder (5-for-33, .152), OF Geoff Jenkins (6-for-45, .133) and C Damian Miller (1-for-20, .050). 2B Rickie Weeks will undergo season-ending surgery on his right wrist later this week in Phoenix. The expected recovery time is six to eight weeks. Alfonso Soriano is in the waiver process, according to FoxSports.com. There will be a two-day period in which teams will be able to file a claim to prepare a trade. The waivers process is no guarantee the Nats want to trade Soriano, because they can pull the waivers back. Many teams pass their high-priced players through. SS Bobby Crosby went through another strenuous workout and could come off the DL as soon as Wednesday if he feels OK and trainer Larry Davis gives him medical clearance. RHP Rich Harden (right elbow injury) played catch, making 40 throws in the outfield from distances up to 100 feet. The A's hope to have Harden throwing off a mound by Sept. 1. "We're in the early stages," trainer Larry Davis said. "We'll see how he feels and decide what to do every day." Harden had his third catch session. LHP Francisco Liriano w ill see doctors later this week to gauge the progress of his injured pitching arm. Liriano has been on the DL with elbow and arm inflammation. "My shoulder is getting better," Liriano said. "I feel better. ... We want to make sure everything's good before I come back." Manager Eric Wedge started No. 1 C Victor Martinez at first base Tuesday and Kelly Shoppach at C. Wedge said that could be an increasing scenario next season if the team doesn't sign a starting first baseman. The White Sox are the only team in the majors to have four players with 80 or more RBI. Before Tuesday's game, Jim Thome had 89 RBIs, Jermaine Dye 88, Paul Konerko 83 and Joe Crede 80. OF David DeJesus went 0-for-5 in Mondays' 12-2 loss to the White Sox, which snapped his streak of reaching base in 19 consecutive games. Since returning from the DL on Aug. 8, 1B Mike Sweeney has at least one hit in all seven games, going 9-for-27. 3B Troy Glaus, who left Sunday's game with knee soreness, was back in the lineup Tuesday. "It was one of those bad days," Glaus said. "I couldn't get loose. Then it started hurting. I'm ready to go." LHP Gustavo Chacin, on the DL since June 10 with a sore left elbow, reported no problems one day after pitching 4 2/3 innings for Class A Dunedin on Monday and is scheduled to rejoin the rotation Saturday at Baltimore. "He feels great today," pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said. "We feel confident to put him back out on the mound." OF David Newhan, on the DL since breaking his right leg in mid-April, joined the team at Yankee Stadium for three days of workouts. If all goes well, Newhan could be sent on a rehabilitation assignment. There's a chance he could play for the Orioles again this season. The Red Sox declined to confirm a Boston.com report OF Trot Nixon went to a hospital because of an infection in his elbow other than to say it is "a personal issue. It will not affect the timetable on his return to action," spokesman John Blake said. Nixon is rehabbing from a strained right biceps. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays recalled Chad Orvella from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and designated pitche r Chad Harville for assignment. Luke Scott extended his hitting streak to 10 games in Tuesday's marathon game against the Cubs. He finished 3-for-5 with a walk and a run scored. Ramon Santiago was recalled from Triple-A Toledo early on Wednesday morning to serve as the backup t o Omar Infante at second base. The Florida Marlins opt ioned Paul Hoover to Triple-A Albuquerque after the Tuesday's game at L.A. Dodgers in preparation for activating Matt Treanor from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday. Chad Billingsley allowed three hits over seven innings in Tuesday's start against the Marlins, striking out a career-high nine. Stephen Drew had a hit in seven at-bats in Tuesday's 18-inning marathon game at Colorado, but that was good enough to extend his career-long 12-game hitting streak. Scott Eyre left Tuesday's game at Houston due to a strained right hamstring. He allowed a single to Aubrey Huff and then doubled over in pain after stepping off of the mound. Roger Clemens was shaky in his 683rd career start on Tuesday against the Cubs, giving up five runs and seven hits -- two of them homers -- in six innings. It was the first time in 11 starts this season he yielded more than three earned runs and more than one home run. Brian Bannister (strained right hamstring) allowed just three hits in eight scoreless innings on Tuesday for Triple-A Norfolk. He also struck out seven batters in his most impressive rehab start to date. Carl Pavano (elbow) made another rehab start for Class A Tampa on Tuesday. He tossed four scoreless innings, allowing a hit and walk while striking out five batters. Pavano tossed 56 pitches, 37 for strikes. Mark Kotsay, back in the starting lineup after nursing back spasms the past seven games, extended his hitting streak to 14 games with the first-inning single in Tuesday's game against Seattle. Joel Pi?eiro allowed nine earned runs and 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings in Tuesday's start at Oakland. He allowed five walks and struck out just one to fall to 7-11. "Every ground ball found a hole and then I got wild," Piñeiro said. "Nothing clicked. I've been trying everything. It's definitely not my year. I got frustrated in the first inning with two runners on and one. I got the double play and I figured, let's go. Then it's back to the same old thing the next inning. It falls down again. Every start has been frustrating." Alex Rodriguez made his seventh error of the year against Baltimore Tuesday whil e Mike Mussina was pitching, matching the most in the majors for any fielder behind one pitcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins has made seven with Jeff Francis on the mound. Ronnie Belliard was 3-for-3 with a double (23), a walk and two RBI (49) in Tuesday's game against Cincinnati, as he picked up his 1,000th career hit. Jim Edmonds took the field before the fifth inning in Tuesday's game against Cincinnati but left before a pitch was thrown, complaining of dizziness. Manny Ramirez failed to reach base against Detroit Tuesday for the first time in 34 games. Orlando Hernandez allowed a career-high 11 earned runs, 10 hits and four walks in just four innings on Tuesday at Philadelphia. He fell to 8-9 and his ERA rose to 5.54. "It was just not a good night," El Duque said. Roy Halladay became the first 15-game winner in the major leagues this season, leading the Toronto Blue Jays over Tampa Bay 4-3 Tuesday night. He did give up a run in the first inning for the first time since April 4. Randy Wolf pitched seven innings for his first win since elbow ligament replacement surgery in Tuesday's start against the Mets. He allowed two earned runs and four hits in the win (1-0). "The first step was being out there and getting guys out," Wolf said. "It took a few starts to put things together. It always helps when the team comes out swinging like that." Braves manager Bobby Cox told the team's official website that Oscar Villarreal will move into the starting rotation on Thursday at Washington opposite Jason Bergmann, with Kevin Barry moving to the bullpen. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have released Sean Burroughs from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday. He managed to hit just .214 in 37 games at Durham. Ryan Klesko (shoulder) started his rehab assignment with Class A Lake Elsinore by playing in five consecutive games before taking off on Sunday and Monday to rest. "He's doing OK," manager Bruce Bochy told the North County Times. "He was a little sore, so we gave him a couple of days off to get the kinks out, and he'll try it again." Bryan Tsao is the editor of The Hardball Times website. He welcomes comments, questions, and suggestions for both himself and the site via email. Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Do you have a general question or comment for one of THT's writers? Send it in to our weekly mailbag We also welcome unsolicited op-ed pieces of approximately 500 words for consideration. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and consistency of style. Please include your whole name and location to be considered. If you have a comment about this specific article, please email the writer. 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BOS 68 50 .576 3.0 65 3 
TOR 64 55 .538 7.5 64 0 
BAL 51 68 .429 20.5 50 1 
TB 47 72 .395 24.5 48 -1 
American League Central
DET 78 41 .655 0.0 74 4 
CHA 71 47 .602 6.5 69 2 
MIN 69 49 .585 8.5 66 3 
CLE 53 65 .449 24.5 64 -11 
KC 42 78 .350 36.5 43 -1 
American League West
OAK 67 52 .563 0.0 61 6 
LAA 62 58 .517 5.5 62 0 
TEX 61 59 .508 6.5 63 -2 
SEA 56 63 .471 11.0 58 -2 
National League East Pwins Diff
NYN 71 47 .602 0.0 67 4 
PHI 58 60 .492 13.0 60 -2 
ATL 55 63 .466 16.0 59 -4 
FLA 55 64 .462 16.5 57 -2 
WAS 52 67 .437 19.5 53 -1 
National League Central
STL 63 55 .534 0.0 60 3 
CIN 61 58 .513 2.5 56 5 
HOU 57 62 .479 6.5 58 -1 
MIL 56 63 .471 7.5 52 4 
CHN 51 68 .429 12.5 49 2 
PIT 46 74 .383 18.0 53 -7 
National League West
LAN 64 56 .533 0.0 66 -2 
ARI 60 59 .504 3.5 59 1 
SD 60 59 .504 3.5 60 0 
COL 58 61 .487 5.5 62 -4 
SF 56 63 .471 7.5 59 -3 