November 8, 2009
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THT Daily: Utley homers againby Dave StudemanJune 03, 2008 Player News Yesterday’s Results Today’s Games Standings Game of the Day Yesterday’s Home Runs Top Minor League Performances You can always find the most recent THT Daily at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/content/thtdaily/ On This Day at THT: Four years ago, Aaron Gleeman and Craig Burley looked at the best young right fielders of the day. The first choice might surprise you. Player NewsPlayer Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldChase Utley went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Phillies beat the Reds on Monday night. Utley has now homered in five straight and seven of the last eight games, bringing his total to a league-leading 21. His home runs have come in streaks this season, and the latest one has raised his numbers to .320/.403/.680. Awesome. Casey Blake homered twice, doubled and matched his career high with seven RBI in the Indians' 13-9 win over the Rangers on Monday. Providing Blake with some competition at third base is looking like a better move every day. He has three homers and two doubles in his last three starts. Unfortunately for Andy Marte, the sudden surge guarantees that Blake will be a full-time player for at least the next week or two. Braves activated RHP John Smoltz from the 15-day disabled list and he pitched last night. Unveiling a new three-quarters motion to relieve the pain in his aching shoulder, Smoltz came on in the ninth with a chance for his first save since 2004. He didn't get it, giving up a two-out, two-run single to Florida’s Jeremy Hermida, but the Braves rallied for a 7-5 victory. David Ortiz will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn tendon in his left wrist, manager Terry Francona said Monday night. Ortiz's wrist will be immobilized for at least the next month to see if the injury can heal on its own. If the initial course of treatment fails, he may have to undergo season- ending surgery. Coco Crisp and Sean Casey will both get plenty of at-bats until Ortiz returns. Justin Masterson will be recalled to start Tuesday's game against the Rays. Jake Westbrook, who just returned from a strained intercostal muscle last week, will go back on the disabled list with a sore elbow. Westbrook looked better than ever this spring, but he hasn't had a chance to match expectations since. Jeremy Sowers will eventually be the replacement for Westbrook in the rotation. However, he won't be available to come up and start tomorrow. Greg Harris could be called up to make the spot start. The Nationals placed Ryan Zimmerman on the disabled list. An MRI exam yesterday on Zimmerman's left shoulder indicated a small labral tear. The Nationals will seek at least three more medical opinions before determining how much time Zimmerman is likely to miss. Yesterday’s ResultsAmerican League BAL 6 BOS 3 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 6 NYA 5 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 3 DET 2 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 4 SEA 2 (Recap and Boxscore) CLE 13 TEX 9 (Recap and Boxscore) National League ATL 7 FLA 5 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 5 CIN 4 (Recap and Boxscore) MIL 4 ARI 3 (Recap and Boxscore) PIT 5 STL 4 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 8 COL 2 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 7 SD 6 (Recap and Boxscore) SF 10 NYN 2 (Recap and Boxscore)You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.
Today’s GamesNational League --------------- Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 PM (R) Aaron Harang (2-7) vs. (R) Adam Eaton (1-3) Houston Astros at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM (L) Wandy Rodriguez (1-1) vs. (L) Phil Dumatrait (2-2) St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM (R) Kyle Lohse (5-2) vs. (L) Odalis Perez (2-4) Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves, 7:10 PM (R) Burke Badenhop (1-3) vs. (R) Jorge Campillo (2-0) Arizona Diamondbacks at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:05 PM (L) Randy Johnson (4-1) vs. (R) Seth McClung (2-2) Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres, 10:05 PM (R) Jason Marquis (2-3) vs. (L) Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2) Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM (L) Jeff Francis (1-5) vs. (R) Brad Penny (5-6) New York Mets at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (R) Pedro Martinez (0-0) vs. (L) Barry Zito (1-8) American League --------------- Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM (R) Roy Halladay (6-5) vs. (R) Joba Chamberlain (1-2) Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM (R) Matt Garza (4-1) vs. (R) Justin Masterson (1-0) Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM (R) Jake Westbrook (1-2) vs. (L) A.J. Murray (1-0) Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins, 8:10 PM (R) Matt Albers (3-1) vs. (R) Kevin Slowey (2-4) Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM (R) Zack Greinke (5-2) vs. (R) Gavin Floyd (5-3) Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics, 10:05 PM (L) Dontrelle Willis (0-0) vs. (L) Dana Eveland (4-4) LA Angels of Anaheim at Seattle Mariners, 10:10 PM (L) Joe Saunders (8-2) vs. (L) Erik Bedard (4-3) 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 TB 35 22 .614 0.0 32 3 Game of the DayJohn Smoltz, in his return from the DL, couldn’t hold onto the Braves’one-run lead in top of the ninth. But Florida’s Kevin Gregg couldn’t hold onto the Marlins’ lead in the bottom of the ninth, uncorking a wild pitch with runners on second and third. The Braves’ Yunel Escobar put the contest to rest with a two-run homer in the 10th.FLORIDA (5) VS ATLANTA (7) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS
FLORIDA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
H Ramirez ss 5 0 0 0 0 2 4 .292
J Hermida rf 4 1 2 2 1 1 0 .267
K Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
L Kensing p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Cantu 3b 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 .266
M Jacobs 1b 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 .252
D Uggla 2b 5 2 2 0 0 1 2 .297
L Gonzalez lf 5 0 2 1 0 1 2 .302
C Ross cf-rf 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 .210
M Treanor c 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .274
A Amezaga pr-cf 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .252
S Olsen p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .045
a-J Jones ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .091
R Pinto p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Lindstrom p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Nelson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-W Helms ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .242
M Rabelo c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .214
Totals 36 5 8 5 4 7 13
a-walked for S Olsen in the 7th; b-singled to left for J Nelson in the
9th.
BATTING: 2B - D Uggla 2 (21, J Reyes 2); M Treanor (5, J Smoltz). 3B - J
Hermida (2, J Reyes). S - S Olsen. SF - J Cantu. RBI - J Cantu (28), L Gonzalez
(22), C Ross (21), J Hermida 2 (28). 2-out RBI - L Gonzalez, J Hermida 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Cantu 1, L Gonzalez 1, H Ramirez 2.
Team LOB - 7.
FIELDING: E - S Olsen (2, throw).
ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
Y Escobar ss 5 2 3 3 1 0 0 .301
O Infante 2b-lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 .250
C Jones 3b 4 0 2 0 1 0 3 .407
M Teixeira 1b 4 1 2 2 1 0 1 .276
J Francoeur rf 4 2 1 1 1 1 4 .256
B McCann c 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .313
J Jurrjens pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .130
C Miller c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .077
G Norton lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .171
J Smoltz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-J Anderson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .200
W Ohman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G Blanco cf 5 1 1 0 0 2 1 .273
J Reyes p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-R Gotay ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .229
R Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-K Johnson ph-2b 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 .299
Totals 37 7 9 6 8 7 16
a-struck out swinging for M Acosta in the 7th; b-intentionally walked for R
Soriano in the 8th; c-grounded into fielder's choice to third for J Smoltz in
the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - G Blanco (5, M Lindstrom). HR - J Francoeur (7, 2nd inning off S
Olsen 0 on, 0 Out), M Teixeira (9, 5th inning off S Olsen 0 on, 2 Out), Y
Escobar (5, 10th inning off L Kensing 1 on, 0 Out). RBI - J Francoeur (34), M
Teixeira 2 (42), Y Escobar 3 (25). 2-out RBI - M Teixeira, Y Escobar. Runners
left in scoring position, 2 out - G Norton 2, C Jones 2, G Blanco 1, J
Francoeur 2, J Reyes 1. Team LOB - 12.
BASERUNNING: SB - J Anderson (2, 2nd base off K Gregg/M Rabelo).
FIELDING: E - O Infante (2, bobble).
----------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA - 000 200 102 0 -- 5
ATLANTA - 011 010 011 2 -- 7
No outs when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA ip h r er bb so hr era
S Olsen 6 4 3 3 2 4 2 3.72
R Pinto 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 1.53
M Lindstrom 2/3 2 1 1 2 1 0 3.05
J Nelson 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.08
K Gregg (B, 3) 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 2.54
L Kensing (L, 3-1) 0 1 2 2 1 0 1 4.00
ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Reyes 6 5 3 3 1 4 0 4.78
M Acosta (B, 1) 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 2.73
R Soriano 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 2.57
J Smoltz (B, 1) 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 2.57
W Ohman (W, 2-0) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.70
J Reyes pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.
L Kensing pitched to 2 batters in the 10th.
WP - K Gregg, L Kensing. IBB - M Jacobs (by R Soriano), K Johnson (by M
Lindstrom). HBP - B McCann (by S Olsen). Pitches-strikes: S Olsen 92-58; R
Pinto 23-13; M Lindstrom 19-9; J Nelson 3-2; K Gregg 23-10; L Kensing 10-3; J
Reyes 74-50; M Acosta 18-11; R Soriano 18-8; J Smoltz 12-9; W Ohman 9-7. Ground
balls-fly balls: S Olsen 9-5; R Pinto 0-1; M Lindstrom 1-0; J Nelson 0-1; K
Gregg 3-0; L Kensing 0-0; J Reyes 8-6; M Acosta 1-1; R Soriano 0-2; J Smoltz
0-3; W Ohman 1-1. Batters faced: S Olsen 26; R Pinto 6; M Lindstrom 6; J Nelson
1; K Gregg 5; L Kensing 2; J Reyes 24; M Acosta 4; R Soriano 5; J Smoltz 6; W
Ohman 3.
UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Brian Runge. 2B--Charlie Reliford. 3B--Adrian
Johnson.
T--3:01. Att--20,896.
Weather: 86 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, left
to right.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.  Yesterday’s Home RunsThe following stats are provided by Hit Tracker, which logs the projected “true” distance of each home run (if it were to land uninterrupted at field level) and its "standard" distance, which is corrected for weather conditions. Each homer is also categorized into one of three types: Just Enough (JE) for homers that cleared the fence by ten feet or less, Plenty (PL) for those that were sure home runs but not “blasts,” and No Doubt (ND) for true “blasts”—homers that cleared the fence by at least 20 feet and landed at least 50 feet beyond the fence.Hitter Team Pitcher Team True Stnd. # Type Casey Blake CLE Doug Mathis TEX 401 390 6 JE Casey Blake CLE Doug Mathis TEX 412 401 5 PL Jay Bruce CIN Kyle Kendrick PHI 352 358 2 JE Marlon Byrd TEX Aaron Laffey CLE 422 427 2 PL Chris Coste PHI Bronson Arroyo CIN 420 415 6 PL David Dellucci CLE Benoit TEX 411 412 6 JE Edwin Encarnacion CIN Kyle Kendrick PHI 352 354 9 PL Andre Ethier LAD Greg Reynolds COL 384 382 5 PL Pedro Feliz PHI Bronson Arroyo CIN 358 364 8 PL Prince Fielder MIL Doug Staten ARI 420 411 9 PL Ben Francisco CLE Joaquin Benoit TEX 387 376 3 JE Josh Hamilton TEX Aaron Laffey CLE 403 400 16 JE Brian Horwitz SF Oliver Perez NYM 399 398 1 PL Matt Kemp LAD Jorge De La Rosa COL 378 376 4 PL Jeff Kent LAD Greg Reynolds COL 379 378 6 JE Jose Lopez SEA Ervin Santana LAA 384 382 3 JE Jeff Mathis LAA Jarrod Washburn SEA 374 362 4 PL Manny Ramirez BOS Jeremy Guthrie BAL 381 372 12 JE/L Chris Snyder ARI Jeff Suppan MIL 411 407 5 JE Chase Utley PHI Bronson Arroyo CIN 396 376 21 JE/L Randy Winn SF Oliver Perez NYM 395 394 5 PL 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 COL AAA Joseph Koshansky.. 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 5 RBI ! FLA A Michael Stanton... 4 3 1 0 1 1 0 PHI A+ Adrian Cardenas... 4 2 1 0 0 3 1 2 SB DET AAA Brent Clevlen..... 6 3 1 0 1 0 2 5 RBI ! FLA AA Cameron Maybin.... 5 3 0 1 1 0 0 DET A+ Garth Iorg........ 4 3 0 1 1 0 1 CHC AA Jake Fox.......... 3 2 2 0 0 1 0 MIL AA Alcides Escobar... 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 BOS A+ Jason Place....... 4 3 1 0 0 2 0 MIL A+ Lorenzo Cain...... 5 2 1 0 1 0 1 STL A Peter Kozma....... 4 3 1 1 0 0 0 COL A Darin Holcomb..... 5 3 2 0 0 0 0 3 LD ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes COL A+ Aneury Rodriguez.. 9 2 0 0 10 0 0 LA AA James McDonald.... 7 3 2 2 8 0 1 TB A+ David Price....... 7 3 0 0 6 1 0 STL A Nicholas Additon.. 5 0 0 0 6 1 0 CIN AAA Daryl Thompson.... 7 6 1 1 6 0 0 CHC AA Jeff Samardzija... 6 3 1 1 5 0 0 WAN A+ Adrian Alaniz..... 6 4 0 0 5 0 0 CHC A+ Jose Ceda......... 4 1 1 1 7 1 1 KC A+ Edward Cegarra.... 7 3 1 1 3 1 0 LA AAA Jonathan Meloan... 6 1 1 1 7 5 0 SD AA William Inman..... 7 4 1 1 5 1 1 KC AA Julio Pimentel.... 7 3 1 1 5 2 1 Access THT’s stats here…
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. 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. Next Article: Beyond Moneyball: Player development>> <<Previous Article: A look at the markets: The National League | |||||
BOS 35 25 .583 1.5 34 1 
TOR 31 28 .525 5.0 33 -2 
NYA 28 29 .491 7.0 28 0 
BAL 27 29 .482 7.5 27 0 
American League Central
CHA 30 26 .536 0.0 32 -2 
MIN 30 27 .526 0.5 28 2 
CLE 26 31 .456 4.5 30 -4 
DET 24 33 .421 6.5 27 -3 
KC 23 34 .404 7.5 23 0 
American League West
LAA 35 24 .593 0.0 30 5 
OAK 31 27 .534 3.5 33 -2 
TEX 29 30 .492 6.0 28 1 
SEA 21 37 .362 13.5 23 -2 
National League East Pwins Diff
PHI 34 25 .576 0.0 36 -2 
FLA 31 25 .554 1.5 28 3 
ATL 30 28 .517 3.5 34 -4 
NYN 28 28 .500 4.5 28 0 
WAS 24 34 .414 9.5 23 1 
National League Central
CHN 37 21 .638 0.0 38 -1 
STL 34 25 .576 3.5 32 2 
HOU 30 28 .517 7.0 28 2 
MIL 30 28 .517 7.0 28 2 
CIN 28 30 .483 9.0 27 1 
PIT 27 30 .474 9.5 26 1 
National League West
ARI 32 26 .552 0.0 34 -2 
LAN 28 29 .491 3.5 30 -2 
SF 25 33 .431 7.0 25 0 
SD 23 36 .390 9.5 23 0 
COL 20 38 .345 12.0 21 -1 