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THT Daily: Tragedy on the fieldby Matthew CarruthJuly 23, 2007 Major League News for July 23Today’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 LinksCoolbaugh - The report from the Tulsa World on the Mike Coolbaugh incident. Ramon Spelled Backward - Nomar Garciaparra is holding his own at home, but hitting like Neifi Perez in a slump on the road. What's wrong and what should the Dodgers do about it? More Gagne - The most likely Ranger to be traded, Eric Gagne, might end up not going anywhere at all because the Rangers might decide to extend him and focus on building a great bullpen. Meanwhile, sources are saying the Rangers will take the best offer for Mark Teixeira by the end of July. Yes, I juxtaposed those tidbits for a reason. Problems with the Bleacher Creatures - There have been more than enough security issues at Wrigley Field this season and some Cubs fans are calling for action on this front, hopefully before anything truly outrageous occurs. What's Wrong with ESPN: A Thesis - Wow, what a piece of work. I type that with no sarcasm, this is a beautifully articulate and reasoned layout of gripes many people on the outside (and some on the inside to, never confuse someone who works for ESPN with the company as a whole) have with the so-called worldwide leader. 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 . Player NewsPlayer Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldFormer major league infielder and current Tulsa hitting coach Mike Coolbaugh died Sunday night after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box in a game against Arkansas. Unbelievable. Coolbaugh was knocked unconscious and CPR was administered to him on the field after he was struck in the forehead. The 35-year-old was still alive when he was put in an ambulance, but stopped breathing before arriving at the hospital. Coolbaugh, who played in 44 games for the Brewers in 2001 and the Cardinals in 2002, hit 256 career homers in the minors before retiring after last season. He had just taken the job as Tulsa's hitting and first-base coach on July 3. He is survived by his wife and two children, with a third on the way in October. J.D. Durbin followed up his successful start against the Dodgers on Tuesday with a complete-game shutout of the Padres on Sunday. Durbin struck out three in the five-hitter. 71 of his 108 pitches for strikes and he didn't allow a runner to reach third base until there were two outs in the ninth. Durbin has a long history of control problems, so while the stuff is there for him to dominate occasionally, he makes for a very risky pickup in NL-only leagues. He's OK to use against the Pirates next time out, but you'll want to tread carefully. Hideki Matsui went 5-for-6 with a homer and two RBI as the Yankees blew out the Devil Rays 21-4 on Sunday. The Yankees took a 14-4 loss against the Devil Rays on Friday, then outscored Tampa 45-12 for three wins over the next two days. In addition to Matsui's big day, Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, and Shelley Duncan (twice) also homered while every Yankee started reached base at least twice. As for Matsui, his other four hits were singles and he also scored twice. The left fielder is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, batting .349 with nine homers so far this month. Roy Halladay spun a complete-game shutout against the Mariners on Sunday. Halladay struck out just three, but he also walked only one batter and yielded two hits. The Mariners failed to get a runner to third base in the game, though they did record two doubles. A poor outing on June 5 jumped Halladay's ERA from 3.90 to 4.63 and it stayed in that vicinity until throwing gems in back-to-back outings. It's likely that he'll continue to improve on his current 4.15 mark during the season's final two months. The Nationals have discussed Adam Dunn with the Reds, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports. No deal is close, but the Reds felt the Nationals were serious enough to send scouts to watch the Single-A Potomac team that's loaded with most of the Nationals' best position prospects. Dunn and RFK would seem to be a terrible fit, but the Nationals are playing for 2008, when they'll be in a new ballpark. Of course, Dunn has the option of becoming a free agent after this season, meaning the Nationals may be acquiring little more than draft picks if they pulled off a trade. However, they would to their best to entice him to stay. That he'd be reunited with good friend Austin Kearns would improve the sales pitch. Roy Oswalt will miss his scheduled start Wednesday against the Dodgers because of soreness in his upper chest. Oswalt threw his usual between-starts bullpen session Sunday, but still felt some discomfort in cartilage located between his sternum and rib cage. He is scheduled to make his next start July 31 against the Braves. Matt Albers will go in his place Wednesday. Hunter Pence is expects to be fine to play this week after leaving Sunday's game with a right wrist injury. "[Pence] doesn't feel like it's going to be very severe at all," manager Phil Garner said. "It's just a strain on the outside part of his wrist. He thinks he'll be fine." He'll be reevaluated prior to Monday's game. Even if he feels he can play, he might sit out one game at least. Hanley Ramirez could return to the lineup for Tuesday's game after leaving Sunday with a left shoulder subluxation. "It's nothing alarming right now," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He did it last year a little bit." Alfredo Amezaga figures to start in Ramirez's place on Monday. Yesterday’s ResultsAmerican League BOS 8 CHA 5 (Recap and Boxscore) CHA: tied for last in AL Central NYA 21 TB 4 (Recap and Boxscore) Yes, 21-4; Duncan: 2 HR TOR 8 SEA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Halladay: 9 IP, 0 R KC 5 DET 2 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 7 MIN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) BAL 2 OAK 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Guthrie: 7 IP, 0 R CLE 8 TEX 3 (Recap and Boxscore) National League STL 7 ATL 2 (Recap and Boxscore) 10 innings FLA 9 CIN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) WAS 3 COL 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Kearns: 3 R HR in 8th ARI 3 CHN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Petit: 6 IP, 0 R MIL 7 SF 5 (Recap and Boxscore) HOU 1 PIT 0 (Recap and Boxscore) NYN 5 LAN 4 (Recap and Boxscore) See below PHI 9 SD 0 (Recap and Boxscore)
Today’s GamesNational League --------------- Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM (L) Chris Capuano (5-6) vs. (R) Aaron Harang (10-2) Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM (R) Chad Billingsley (6-0) vs. (R) Chris Sampson (7-6) San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies, 9:05 PM (R) Greg Maddux (7-7) vs. (L) Jeff Francis (10-5) Florida Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM (L) Dontrelle Willis (7-9) vs. (L) Doug Davis (6-10) Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (R) John Smoltz (9-5) vs. (R) Matt Cain (3-11) American League --------------- Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (L) Jon Lester (0-0) vs. (R) Jake Westbrook (1-5) Minnesota Twins at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 PM (L) Johan Santana (11-7) vs. (R) Shaun Marcum (5-4) New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (R) Roger Clemens (2-4) vs. (L) Odalis Perez (5-8) Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM (L) Andrew Miller (5-3) vs. (L) Mark Buehrle (7-5) Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers, 8:35 PM (L) Horacio Ramirez (5-2) vs. (R) Kevin Millwood (6-8) Oakland Athletics at LA Angels of Anaheim, 10:05 PM (R) Chad Gaudin (8-5) vs. (R) Bartolo Colon (6-5) 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 BOS 59 39 .602 0.0 60 -1 Game of the DayChip Ambres, the most recent player asked to fill in the Mets’ injury-decimated outfield, singled home Lastings Milledge in the tenth inning and the Mets prevailed over the Dodgers, 5-4 in ten innings.NY METS (5) VS LA DODGERS (4) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS
NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 5 2 3 0 0 0 0 .304
L Milledge lf 5 2 2 1 0 0 1 .205
C Beltran cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .263
D Wright 3b 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 .298
C Delgado 1b 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 .251
A Hernandez pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Ambres rf 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .333
P Lo Duca c 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .265
P Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-S Alomar Jr ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .333
B Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Green rf-1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .271
R Gotay 2b 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 .336
O Hernandez p 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 .212
a-M Anderson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237
A Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-R Castro ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .311
Totals 40 5 11 4 1 8 13
a-grounded to second for O Hernandez in the 7th; b-struck out swinging for A
Heilman in the 9th; c-grounded to shortstop for P Feliciano in the 10th.
BATTING: 2B - L Milledge (2, E Stults); J Reyes (20, R Hernandez). 3B - J Reyes
(10, E Stults). SF - C Beltran. RBI - L Milledge (8), D Wright (60), C Beltran
(62), C Ambres (1). 2-out RBI - D Wright, C Ambres. Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - C Delgado 1, P Lo Duca 1, R Castro 1, S Alomar Jr 1. GIDP - S
Green. Team LOB - 7.
BASERUNNING: SB - D Wright (22, 2nd base off R Seanez/R Martin).
FIELDING: E - C Delgado (5, ground ball).
LA DODGERS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
R Furcal ss 5 1 2 1 0 1 2 .284
J Pierre cf 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 .287
R Martin c 5 0 0 0 0 3 1 .302
J Kent 2b 4 0 1 0 1 1 0 .284
L Gonzalez lf 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 .290
M Kemp rf 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .374
N Garciaparra 3b 5 1 2 2 0 1 2 .278
J Loney 1b 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 .361
A Ethier rf-lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 .295
E Stults p 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .200
R Seanez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-W Betemit ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .242
D Lowe p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167
R Hernandez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Broxton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-O Saenz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .205
D Houlton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 37 4 7 4 5 9 14
a-walked for R Seanez in the 6th; b-flied out to center for J Broxton in the
9th.
BATTING: 2B - J Loney (7, O Hernandez). HR - R Furcal (3, 1st inning off O
Hernandez 0 on, 0 Out), N Garciaparra (4, 6th inning off O Hernandez 1 on, 1
Out). RBI - R Furcal (34), J Loney (19), N Garciaparra 2 (47). 2-out RBI - J
Loney. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - N Garciaparra 2, R Furcal 1, E
Stults 1. Team LOB - 8.
BASERUNNING: SB - J Pierre (41, 2nd base off B Wagner/R Castro). CS - R
Furcal (5, 2nd base by O Hernandez/P Lo Duca).
FIELDING: E - M Kemp (2, fly ball). DP: 1 (J Kent-R Furcal-J Loney).
----------------------------------------------------
NY METS - 000 002 011 1 -- 5
LA DODGERS - 100 102 000 0 -- 4
----------------------------------------------------
NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
O Hernandez 6 7 4 4 3 5 2 3.14
A Heilman 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.86
P Feliciano (W, 2-1) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.11
B Wagner (S, 22) 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 1.45
LA DODGERS ip h r er bb so hr era
E Stults 5 1/3 5 2 2 0 5 0 4.50
R Seanez (B, 1) 2/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.52
D Lowe (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.48
R Hernandez (H, 1) 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 9.00
J Broxton (B, 3) 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 2.44
D Houlton (L, 0-1) 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 4.26
WP - J Broxton 2, B Wagner. IBB - A Ethier (by O Hernandez), C Delgado (by R
Seanez), J Kent (by B Wagner). Pitches-strikes: O Hernandez 109-62; A Heilman
19-16; P Feliciano 7-6; B Wagner 30-16; E Stults 80-51; R Seanez 19-11; D Lowe
10-6; R Hernandez 13-9; J Broxton 22-17; D Houlton 24-17. Ground balls-fly
balls: O Hernandez 5-7; A Heilman 4-2; P Feliciano 0-2; B Wagner 0-0; E Stults
9-2; R Seanez 2-0; D Lowe 2-0; R Hernandez 2-1; J Broxton 1-0; D Houlton 3-0.
Batters faced: O Hernandez 28; A Heilman 6; P Feliciano 3; B Wagner 5; E Stults
20; R Seanez 4; D Lowe 3; R Hernandez 4; J Broxton 5; D Houlton 6.
UMPIRES: HP--Andy Fletcher. 1B--Mike Reilly. 2B--Jeff Kellogg. 3B--Eric
Cooper.
T--3:32. Att--49,092.
Weather: 82 degrees, sunny. Wind: 2 mph, out to 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 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, with a focus on each team’s top prospects.ORG LVL PLAYER AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes LA AAA Andy LaRoche...... 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 4 RBI CIN AAA Joey Votto........ 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 ARI AAA Chris Carter...... 5 2 0 0 2 0 1 5 RBI ! CIN A Drew Stubbs....... 4 3 2 0 0 0 1 CLE AAA Andy Marte........ 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 CHC AAA Felix Pie......... 4 3 0 0 1 0 0 4 RBI OAK A- Matthew Sulentic.. 3 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 SB ARI A Gerardo Parra..... 4 3 0 0 2 1 0 5 RBI ! SEA AAA Bryan LaHair...... 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 SF A+ Adam Witter....... 5 2 1 0 1 1 1 5 RBI ! NYM AA Mark Kiger........ 5 4 0 1 1 1 1 4 RBI FLA A+ Gaby Sanchez...... 3 2 1 0 0 2 0 3 R ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes MIN AAA Kevin Slowey...... 6 4 1 1 6 1 0 BOS AAA Clay Buchholz..... 5 3 2 2 10 2 0 SF AA Nick Pereira...... 6 4 2 2 8 2 0 HOU AA Felipe Paulino.... 7 7 4 1 6 1 0 13 GB NYY AA Ian Kennedy....... 5 3 2 2 6 1 0 NYY AAA Jeff Karstens..... 6 3 1 1 6 1 1 SF AAA Patrick Misch..... 4 3 0 0 6 0 0 SD AA Wade Leblanc...... 5 4 2 2 7 2 1 FLA A+ Brett Sinkbeil.... 6 10 3 3 4 0 0 TOR AA Ricky Romero...... 7 5 3 3 3 2 1 12 GB BOS A- Jose Capellan..... 6 3 0 0 2 0 0 KC AA Carlos Rosa....... 5 4 1 1 5 1 1 Access THT’s stats here…
Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email. 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. Next Article: Scouting the Braves—The East Cobb Braves: Part 1-The Hitters>> <<Previous Article: THT Dartboard: July 22, 2007 | |||||
NYA 51 46 .526 7.5 59 -8 
TOR 48 50 .490 11.0 50 -2 
BAL 44 53 .454 14.5 49 -5 
TB 38 60 .388 21.0 36 2 
American League Central
DET 58 38 .604 0.0 57 1 
CLE 58 40 .592 1.0 55 3 
MIN 51 47 .520 8.0 53 -2 
CHA 43 54 .443 15.5 40 3 
KC 43 54 .443 15.5 46 -3 
American League West
LAA 57 40 .588 0.0 53 4 
SEA 54 41 .568 2.0 48 6 
OAK 46 52 .469 11.5 50 -4 
TEX 42 56 .429 15.5 45 -3 
National League East Pwins Diff
NYN 55 43 .561 0.0 52 3 
ATL 52 47 .525 3.5 51 1 
PHI 50 48 .510 5.0 51 -1 
FLA 48 51 .485 7.5 48 0 
WAS 42 56 .429 13.0 38 4 
National League Central
MIL 55 43 .561 0.0 53 2 
CHN 51 46 .526 3.5 54 -3 
STL 45 50 .474 8.5 40 5 
HOU 42 56 .429 13.0 44 -2 
PIT 41 56 .423 13.5 40 1 
CIN 41 58 .414 14.5 45 -4 
National League West
LAN 55 44 .556 0.0 53 2 
SD 53 44 .546 1.0 54 -1 
ARI 52 48 .520 3.5 46 6 
COL 49 49 .500 5.5 49 0 
SF 41 55 .427 12.5 47 -6 