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THT Daily: Tigers win!

by Dave Studeman
April 10, 2008

Major League News for April 10
Player 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/

Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of Rotoworld

Albert Pujols went 3-for-4 with two homers and a walk to lead the Cardinals past the Astros 6-4 on Wednesday. After the game, the Cardinals announced the acquisition of Brandon Backe. They don't need the pitching help; they just want him to start yelling at Pujols during batting practice every night. Pujols entered the game with a .320 average, but he had just one RBI in eight games. Too often he's going to have to do the heavy lifting himself if the Cardinals are going to score runs.

Cliff Floyd will go on the disabled list and have surgery Friday to repair a tear in the medial meniscus in his right knee. Floyd had surgery to repair torn cartilage in the medial meniscus of his other knee on April 6, 1999 and came back on April 27. However, he's eight years older now and a slower healer than ever. He'll likely miss at least a month. Justin Ruggiano will replace him on Tampa Bay's roster and get some at-bats in right field. He could have some value in AL-only leagues. Jonny Gomes and Eric Hinske will also benefit.

Braves placed RHP Rafael Soriano on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 7, with right elbow tendinitis. It's going to be hard to take the Braves seriously going forward when it comes to Soriano. This is the second time they've downplayed a supposedly very minor problem. Peter Moylan will be the favorite for saves for the next couple of weeks. Manny Acosta should take over the eighth inning role.

Orlando Hernandez will be in a boot for the next two weeks because of a tendon strain in his right foot. That'll back him up at least a month. Mike Pelfrey is locked into a spot for a while. As things stand now, Nelson Figueroa is the fifth starter.

The New York Post is reporting that the Mets could have Claudio Vargas signed as early on Thursday. It's the smart move with Orlando Hernandez out. Vargas would get a minor league deal and probably make a couple of starts at Triple-A before claiming a rotation spot.

Jorge Posada is expected to avoid the disabled list after being diagnosed with a strained shoulder. "It's good news that it's not worse," Posada said Wednesday. "Your shoulder is part of what I do. I had surgery in [2001], and I was worried that it was going to be the same." Posada is available to hit, though the Yankees have decided against DHing him tonight. Jose Molina will start behind the plate.

Mike Lowell left Wednesday's game in the second inning with an undisclosed injury. Lowell might have been hurt on a diving play in the first. Sean Casey pinch-hit for him, and Kevin Youkilis moved from third to first.

Yesterday’s Results
 American League
DET     7  BOS     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     7  TB      1    (Recap and Boxscore)
OAK     6  TOR     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN    12  CHA     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
KC      4  NYA     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     9  CLE     5    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
NYN     8  PHI     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
FLA    10  WAS     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL     6  HOU     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN    12  MIL     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     6  PIT     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
ARI     4  LAN     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
COL    12  ATL     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
SF      1  SD      0    (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
 ---------------
 Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, 1:05 PM
  (R) Aaron Harang (0-1) vs. (R) Carlos Villanueva (1-0)
 Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, 3:05 PM
  (R) Tim Hudson (1-0) vs. (L) Jeff Francis (0-1)
 Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM
  (L) Rich Hill (0-0) vs. (R) Matt Morris (0-0)
 Florida Marlins at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM
  (L) Mark Hendrickson (1-1) vs. (L) Odalis Perez (0-1)
 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, 7:10 PM
  (R) Adam Eaton (0-0) vs. (R) John Maine (0-1)
 St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM
  (R) Adam Wainwright (1-0) vs. (R) Kevin Correia (0-1)
 
 American League
 ---------------
 Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, 12:40 PM
  (R) Miguel Batista (0-1) vs. (R) Edwin Jackson (1-0)
 Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers, 5:05 PM
  (R) Steve Trachsel (1-0) vs. (R) Kevin Millwood (0-2)
 Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM
  (L) Nate Robertson (0-0) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (0-0)
 Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 PM
  (L) Dana Eveland (1-0) vs. (R) Shaun Marcum (1-0)
 Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM
  (L) Adam Loewen (0-0) vs. (L) Kason Gabbard (1-0)
 New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM
  (L) Andy Pettitte (0-1) vs. (L) John Bale (0-1)
 Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM
  (R) Livan Hernandez (2-0) vs. (R) Jose Contreras (0-0)

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
BAL      6   1 .857    0.0    5     1    sparkline graph
TOR      4   4 .500    2.5    5    -1    sparkline graph
BOS      4   5 .444    3.0    3     1    sparkline graph
NYA      4   5 .444    3.0    3     1    sparkline graph
TB       3   5 .375    3.5    4    -1    sparkline graph
American League Central     
KC       6   2 .750    0.0    6     0    sparkline graph
CHA      5   3 .625    1.0    5     0    sparkline graph
CLE      4   5 .444    2.5    4     0    sparkline graph
MIN      4   5 .444    2.5    4     0    sparkline graph
DET      1   7 .125    5.0    2    -1    sparkline graph
American League West        
LAA      6   4 .600    0.0    5     1    sparkline graph
OAK      5   4 .556    0.5    5     0    sparkline graph
SEA      4   5 .444    1.5    5    -1    sparkline graph
TEX      3   4 .429    1.5    3     0    sparkline graph


National League East        Pwins  Diff
FLA      5   3 .625    0.0    3     2    sparkline graph
PHI      4   5 .444    1.5    4     0    sparkline graph
NYN      3   4 .429    1.5    5    -2    sparkline graph
ATL      3   6 .333    2.5    5    -2    sparkline graph
WAS      3   6 .333    2.5    4    -1    sparkline graph
National League Central     
STL      7   2 .778    0.0    6     1    sparkline graph
MIL      6   2 .750    0.5    5     1    sparkline graph
CHN      5   3 .625    1.5    4     1    sparkline graph
CIN      5   4 .556    2.0    5     0    sparkline graph
PIT      3   5 .375    3.5    3     0    sparkline graph
HOU      3   7 .300    4.5    4    -1    sparkline graph
National League West        
ARI      7   2 .778    0.0    7     0    sparkline graph
SD       5   5 .500    2.5    5     0    sparkline graph
COL      4   5 .444    3.0    3     1    sparkline graph
LAN      4   5 .444    3.0    4     0    sparkline graph
SF       3   6 .333    4.0    2     1    sparkline graph

Game of the Day
The Cubs and Pirates played another wild game, this time taking 15 innings to a 6-4 Cubs win. Zach Duke and Ryan Dempster engaged in a pitcher’s duel for the first seven innings—Dempster with a one-hitter—before Jason Bay homered in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Aramis Ramirez and Adam LaRoche swapped two-run homers in the 14th to maintain the tie, but Felix Pie batted in Ryan Theriot and Kevin Hart to win it for the Cubs in the 15th.
 Cubs 6, Pirates 4 - FINAL

CHICAGO CUBS           ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
A Soriano lf            6  0  2  0   2  2   1  .132
R Johnson cf            3  0  2  1   0  1   0  .375
 F Pie cf               4  0  1  2   0  1   2  .200
D Lee 1b                6  1  0  0   2  1   7  .333
A Ramirez 3b            7  2  3  2   0  0   4  .250
K Fukudome rf           7  0  2  0   0  1   1  .419
M DeRosa 2b             6  0  1  0   1  1   3  .290
G Soto c                5  0  1  0   2  1   3  .250
R Cedeno ss             2  1  1  0   1  0   1  .333
 va-D Ward ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   2  .000
 C Marmol p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 K Wood p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 B Howry p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 vd-C Zambrano ph       0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 M Wuertz p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 ve-H Blanco ph         1  0  0  0   0  1   1  .200
 K Hart p               1  1  0  0   0  0   1  .000
 S Marshall p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
R Dempster p            1  0  0  0   0  1   0  .000
 vb-M Fontenot ph       0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .429
 vc-R Theriot ph-ss     4  1  1  0   0  1   4  .207

Totals                 54  6 14  5   8 11  30   ###

PITTSBURGH             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
N McLouth cf            7  0  1  1   0  1   1  .390
F Sanchez 2b            5  0  0  0   1  1   1  .208
J Bay lf                5  2  3  1   1  1   0  .259
A LaRoche 1b            5  1  1  2   1  3   3  .107
X Nady rf               6  0  0  0   0  1   3  .324
R Doumit c              6  0  0  0   0  2   1  .367
J Bautista 3b           5  1  1  0   0  1   0  .212
 P Dumatrait p          0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 hd-R Paulino ph        1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .200
B Bixler ss             2  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 ha-N Morgan ph         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .222
 J Grabow p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 M Capps p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 hc-D Mientkiewicz ph   1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .333
 T Yates p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 C Gomez 3b             2  0  1  0   0  0   0  .412
Z Duke p                2  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 F Osoria p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 D Marte p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 hb-L Rivas ph-ss       4  0  0  0   0  0   2  .269

Totals                 51  4  8  4   3 10  11   ###

----------------------------------------------------
    CHICAGO CUBS    - 001 000 010 000 022   --   6 14 0
    PITTSBURGH      - 000 000 011 000 020   --   4  8 1
----------------------------------------------------

va-reached on error for R Cedeno in the 8th;  ha-hit by pitch for B Bixler in 
the 8th;  hb-bunt popped out to first for D Marte in the 8th;  vb-hit for R 
Dempster in the 8th;  hc-singled to left for M Capps in the 10th;  vc-flied out 
to right for M Fontenot in the 8th;  vd-sacrificed to pitcher for B Howry in 
the 11th;  hd-popped out to first for P Dumatrait in the 15th;  ve-struck out 
swinging for M Wuertz in the 13th.

BATTING: 2B - A Ramirez (1, Z Duke); N McLouth (6, C Marmol); C Gomez (2, S 
Marshall). HR - J Bay (1, 9th inning off K Wood 0 on, 0 Out), A Ramirez (2, 
14th inning off P Dumatrait 1 on, 2 Out), A Laroche (1, 14th inning off K Hart 
1 on, 1 Out). S - C Zambrano , R Dempster 2. RBI - R Johnson (3), A Ramirez 2 
(5), F Pie 2 (2), N McLouth (10), J Bay (1), A LaRoche 2 (2). 2-out RBI - A 
Ramirez 2, F Pie 2, N McLouth. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Lee 
2, A Ramirez 2, R Theriot 2, G Soto 2, F Pie 1, X Nady 1, F Sanchez 1, N 
McLouth 1. GIDP - D Lee, A Ramirez. Team LOB - CHICAGO CUBS 15, PITTSBURGH 6. 
BASERUNNING: CS - K Fukudome (1, 2nd base by M Capps/R Doumit). FIELDING: E - F 
Osoria (1, catch). Outfield assists - A Soriano (D Mientkiewicz at 2nd base). 
DP:  (B Bixler-F Sanchez-A LaRoche, D Lee-M DeRosa, L Rivas-F Sanchez-A 
LaRoche). 

CHICAGO CUBS                 ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
R Dempster                    7       1   0   0   2   5   0   0.69
C Marmol (H, 3)               1       2   1   1   0   0   0   2.57
K Wood (B, 1)                 1       1   1   1   0   2   1   7.20
B Howry                       1       1   0   0   0   0   0   9.64
M Wuertz                      2       0   0   0   1   2   0   0.00
K Hart (W, 2-0)               2       2   2   2   0   1   1   5.68
S Marshall (S, 1)             1       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00

PITTSBURGH                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Z Duke                        7       8   1   1   1   6   0   2.13
F Osoria                        2/3   1   1   0   1   0   0   5.40
D Marte                         1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0  14.73
J Grabow                      1       0   0   0   0   2   0   0.00
M Capps                       1       1   0   0   0   1   0   5.79
T Yates                       2       1   0   0   2   0   0   1.17
P Dumatrait (L, 0-1)          3       3   4   4   4   2   1   4.50

WP - P Dumatrait. IBB - A Soriano 2 (by T Yates, P Dumatrait). HBP - R 
Johnson (by Z Duke); N Morgan (by C Marmol). Pitches-strikes: R Dempster 98-67; 
C Marmol 11-7; K Wood 17-11; B Howry 11-8; M Wuertz 30-19; K Hart 27-17; S 
Marshall 16-8; Z Duke 116-76; F Osoria 14-6; D Marte 8-5; J Grabow 11-8; M 
Capps 9-6; T Yates 33-17; P Dumatrait 62-34. Ground balls-fly balls: R Dempster 
8-8; C Marmol 1-1; K Wood 1-0; B Howry 0-2; M Wuertz 2-2; K Hart 3-2; S 
Marshall 1-2; Z Duke 9-6; F Osoria 0-2; D Marte 0-1; J Grabow 1-0; M Capps 0-1; 
T Yates 5-1; P Dumatrait 5-2. Batters faced: R Dempster 24; C Marmol 5; K Wood 
4; B Howry 3; M Wuertz 7; K Hart 8; S Marshall 4; Z Duke 30; F Osoria 5; D 
Marte 1; J Grabow 3; M Capps 3; T Yates 8; P Dumatrait 16. UMPIRES: HP--Andy 
Fletcher. 1B--Mike Reilly. 2B--Scott Barry. 3B--Alfonso Marquez.   T--4:20. 
Att--9,735. Weather: 69 degrees, partly cloudy. 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

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
NYM AA  F. Martinez....... 4  2  1  0  1  0  0  
COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 4  2  0  0  1  2  1  4 RBI
CIN AAA Jay Bruce......... 5  2  0  0  0  1  3  
LAA AAA Terry Evans....... 6  4  2  0  0  0  0  
FLA AA  Gaby Sanchez...... 4  3  1  0  1  0  1  
OAK AAA Carlos Gonzalez... 4  2  0  0  0  1  1  
ARI A+  Gerardo Parra..... 3  2  0  2  0  2  0  
FLA A   Thomas Hickman.... 3  2  0  0  2  1  1  4 RBI
PIT AAA Neil Walker....... 5  3  0  0  1  0  1  
SEA AAA W. Balentien...... 3  1  0  0  1  1  0  4 RBI
FLA AA  Cameron Maybin.... 4  2  0  0  0  1  2  
PIT AAA Andrew McCutchen.. 4  1  1  0  0  1  1  

ORG LVL PLAYER            IP  H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
KC  AAA Luke Hochevar..... 6  2  3  2  6  2  0  
LAA AAA Nick Adenhart..... 6  4  1  1  6  3  0  
MIL AAA Yovani Gallardo... 5  7  2  2  6  1  0  
BAL AAA Garrett Olson..... 6  4  0  0  7  0  0  
COL A+  Aneury Rodriguez.. 6  3  0  0  8  0  0  
TB  A+  J. Hellickson..... 6  5  1  1  5  1  0  
ATL A+  Thomas Hanson..... 6  1  0  0  7  2  0  
TEX AAA A.J. Murray....... 6  2  1  1  5  0  0  
PHI AA  Joshua Outman..... 6  7  2  1  8  3  0  
SF  AA  Adam Cowart....... 6  2  1  0  4  2  0  
ARI AA  Brooks Brown...... 6  5  1  1  4  1  0  
DET AAA A. Galarraga...... 7  4  3  3  5  0  1  

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