THT Daily: Ankiel homers
by Matthew CarruthAugust 10, 2007
Major League News for Aug. 10
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
Defying the Odds - The Diamondbacks have won 15 of their last 18 games, despite outscoring opponents by just 12 runs over that span.
Culmination - Rick Ankiel is back and what a sweet moment it must have been for Cardinals fans.
Draft Bonuses - We are rapidly approaching the Aug. 15 deadline for draft picks to sign, and with more than a few still holding out, there are rumors everywhere that slot terms are going to be blown out of the water but that no team wants to be the first to break the dam.
There's Still Hope. Really? - Mike Green discussed the Blue Jays chances at the playoff race. With all apologies to Brattain, I had no idea they were still considering the playoffs possible.
Posada's Future - Will Jorge Posada get the Jason Varitek treatment, a new contract that he's not worthy of based on performance on the field but to recognize his duties in the clubhouse? Or will the Yankees actually let him walk? It seems hard to imagine, especially since there are so few other good catchers and the Yankees don't have any decent internal options.
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 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Player News
Player Headlines are courtesy of RotoworldRick Ankiel, making his first major league appearance since 2004, smacked a three-run homer in the Cardinals' 5-0 shutout of the Padres on Thursday. Amazing. A once elite pitching prospect, Ankiel completely lost it during the postseason in 2000 and had a hard time finding his stride in subsequent years. Injuries also held him back, but Ankiel had another brief stint with the club in 2004. It once again looked like he wasn't going to make it as a pitcher.
However, now back in the majors as an outfielder, Ankiel is looking like he might help the club yet. The 28-year-old has legitimate major league power, as evidenced by his 32 homers for Triple-A Memphis before being recalled, and he could be a useful platoon player for the Cardinals. It's unlikely he'll be much help in NL-only leagues, but he's certainly someone to root for.
Yesterday’s Results
American League SEA 13 BAL 8 (Recap and Boxscore) CLE 7 CHA 5 (Recap and Boxscore) TB 8 DET 1 (Recap and Boxscore) KC 1 MIN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) National League ATL 7 NYN 6 (Recap and Boxscore) FLA 4 PHI 2 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 5 CIN 4 (Recap and Boxscore) 11 innings STL 5 SD 0 (Recap and Boxscore) ARI 4 PIT 2 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 10 COL 2 (Recap and Boxscore) WAS 3 SF 1 (Recap and Boxscore)
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Today’s Games
National League --------------- Florida Marlins at New York Mets, 7:10 PM (R) Daniel Barone (0-0) vs. (R) Brian Lawrence (1-0) San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 PM (L) Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2) vs. (R) Matt Belisle (6-8) Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:35 PM (L) Chuck James (9-8) vs. (L) Cole Hamels (12-5) Milwaukee Brewers at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM (R) Dave Bush (9-8) vs. (R) Jason Jennings (2-7) Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals, 8:10 PM (R) Brad Penny (13-3) vs. (R) Adam Wainwright (10-8) Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies, 9:05 PM (R) Jason Marquis (8-7) vs. (R) Aaron Cook (8-6) Washington Nationals at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM (L) Matt Chico (5-6) vs. (R) Livan Hernandez (7-7) Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (R) Matt Morris (7-7) vs. (R) Russ Ortiz (2-2) American League --------------- Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles, 7:05 PM (R) Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-8) vs. (L) Erik Bedard (12-4) New York Yankees at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM (R) Philip Hughes (1-1) vs. (R) Fausto Carmona (13-6) Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers, 7:05 PM (R) Joe Blanton (9-8) vs. (R) Jordan Tata (1-1) Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (R) Shaun Marcum (8-4) vs. (R) Gil Meche (7-9) Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM (R) Miguel Batista (11-8) vs. (R) Javier Vazquez (9-6) Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Texas Rangers, 8:35 PM (R) Andrew Sonnanstine (1-7) vs. (R) Brandon McCarthy (5-8) Minnesota Twins at LA Angels of Anaheim, 10:05 PM (R) Scott Baker (6-4) vs. (R) Kelvim Escobar (11-6)
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 69 45 .605 0.0 70 -1NYA 63 51 .553 6.0 70 -7
TOR 57 56 .504 11.5 61 -4
BAL 52 61 .460 16.5 56 -4
TB 44 70 .386 25.0 43 1
American League Central CLE 65 50 .565 0.0 63 2
DET 63 51 .553 1.5 63 0
MIN 58 56 .509 6.5 59 -1
CHA 53 61 .465 11.5 48 5
KC 50 63 .442 14.0 52 -2
American League West LAA 66 47 .584 0.0 63 3
SEA 63 49 .563 2.5 57 6
OAK 55 60 .478 12.0 59 -4
TEX 49 65 .430 17.5 50 -1
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 64 50 .561 0.0 62 2
ATL 61 54 .530 3.5 62 -1
PHI 60 54 .526 4.0 62 -2
FLA 53 62 .461 11.5 53 0
WAS 53 62 .461 11.5 49 4
National League Central MIL 60 55 .522 0.0 58 2
CHN 59 55 .518 0.5 62 -3
STL 53 59 .473 5.5 46 7
HOU 51 63 .447 8.5 51 0
CIN 49 65 .430 10.5 52 -3
PIT 45 66 .405 13.0 46 -1
National League West ARI 65 51 .560 0.0 55 10
SD 61 53 .535 3.0 62 -1
COL 59 55 .518 5.0 60 -1
LAN 59 55 .518 5.0 59 0
SF 49 64 .434 14.5 56 -7
Wildcard Standings American League SEA 63 49 .563 0.0 NYA 63 51 .553 1.0 DET 63 51 .553 1.0 MIN 58 56 .509 6.0 TOR 57 56 .504 6.5 National League SD 61 53 .535 0.0 ATL 61 54 .530 0.5 PHI 60 54 .526 1.0 LAN 59 55 .518 2.0 CHN 59 55 .518 2.0
Game of the Day
The Braves moved to 3.5 games behind the Mets in the National East by beating them, 7-6. Thanks partly to back-to-back home runs by Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira in the fifth, they had built a 7-3 lead by the bottom of the ninth.The Mets scraped back, however. After a couple of hits, David Wright hit a three-run homer to pull the Mets within one run. The next batter, Carlos Delgado smacked a flyball that was headed over the left field fence, only to be pulled on a great catch by left fielder Willie Harris. The Braves prevailed.
ATLANTA (7) VS NY METS (6) - FINAL
ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Harris lf 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 .328
K Johnson 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 3 .298
C Jones 3b 4 1 1 3 1 1 5 .339
M Teixeira 1b 5 2 2 1 0 1 3 .286
B McCann c 4 1 2 0 1 1 0 .270
J Francoeur rf 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 .306
A Jones cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .215
Y Escobar ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 .325
T Hudson p 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 .214
R Mahay p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-S Thorman ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
b-M Prado ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
P Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
O Villarreal p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Totals 37 7 12 6 3 6 17
a-hit for T Hudson in the 8th; b-grounded to second for S Thorman in the
8th.
BATTING: 3B - K Johnson (10, J Maine). HR - C Jones (19, 5th inning off J Maine
2 on, 1 Out), M Teixeira (4, 5th inning off J Maine 0 on, 1 Out). S - T Hudson.
SF - A Jones. RBI - A Jones (73), C Jones 3 (63), M Teixeira (10), T Hudson
(6). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Jones 3, M Teixeira 1, Y
Escobar 1. GIDP - J Francoeur. Team LOB - 9.
BASERUNNING: SB - Y Escobar (4, 2nd base off J Maine/R Castro).
FIELDING: DP: 1 (B McCann-Y Escobar).
NY METS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Reyes ss 5 3 3 0 0 0 0 .308
L Castillo 2b 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 .343
D Wright 3b 5 1 3 3 0 1 2 .303
C Delgado 1b 4 0 1 1 1 0 3 .251
M Alou lf 5 0 2 1 0 0 3 .303
S Green rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 .275
R Castro c 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 .281
M Anderson cf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .250
a-L Milledge ph-cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .293
J Maine p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .103
S Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-D Newhan ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .209
J Sosa p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .208
P Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-R Gotay ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .348
Totals 37 6 12 6 2 4 16
a-grounded to second for M Anderson in the 4th; b-grounded to first for S
Schoeneweis in the 6th; c-singled to shallow right for G Mota in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - J Reyes (26, T Yates). HR - D Wright (20, 9th inning off T Yates
1 on, 1 Out). S - L Castillo. RBI - D Wright 3 (71), M Alou (19), C Delgado
(65), L Castillo (3). 2-out RBI - M Alou, C Delgado. Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - S Green 2, R Castro 2. Team LOB - 8.
BASERUNNING: CS - M Anderson (1, 2nd base by T Hudson/B McCann).
FIELDING: E - R Castro (3, throw). DP: 1 (J Reyes-L Castillo-C Delgado).
----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA - 000 141 100 -- 7
NY METS - 101 010 003 -- 6
----------------------------------------------------
ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
T Hudson (W, 13-5) 6 9 3 3 1 3 0 3.01
R Mahay 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.42
P Moylan 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.87
T Yates 1/3 3 3 3 0 0 1 5.44
O Villarreal (S, 1) 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.66
NY METS ip h r er bb so hr era
J Maine (L, 12-7) 5 1/3 7 6 6 3 4 2 3.53
S Schoeneweis 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.23
J Sosa 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 4.31
P Feliciano 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.76
G Mota 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.78
WP - S Schoeneweis. HBP - S Green (by T Hudson); W Harris (by S Schoeneweis).
Pitches-strikes: T Hudson 108-67; R Mahay 13-9; P Moylan 5-4; T Yates 16-10; O
Villarreal 5-2; J Maine 102-65; S Schoeneweis 10-5; J Sosa 14-12; P Feliciano
21-14; G Mota 25-16. Ground balls-fly balls: T Hudson 10-4; R Mahay 1-1; P
Moylan 3-0; T Yates 1-0; O Villarreal 1-1; J Maine 6-7; S Schoeneweis 0-2; J
Sosa 2-1; P Feliciano 2-0; G Mota 1-1. Batters faced: T Hudson 28; R Mahay 4; P
Moylan 3; T Yates 4; O Villarreal 2; J Maine 27; S Schoeneweis 3; J Sosa 5; P
Feliciano 5; G Mota 3.
UMPIRES: HP--Jerry Meals. 1B--Bruce Dreckman. 2B--Gary Darling. 3B--Larry
Poncino.
T--3:12. Att--52,425.
Weather: 80 degrees, sunny. Wind: 11 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 Carlos Gonzalez... 4 2 1 0 0 1 0 TB AAA Evan Longoria..... 4 2 1 0 1 1 0 CLE AAA Andy Marte........ 5 2 1 0 0 0 1 MIL AA Hernan Iribarren.. 5 3 1 2 0 0 0 4 RBI CIN A Drew Stubbs....... 4 3 0 0 1 0 0 SD A Cedric Hunter..... 3 2 0 0 1 1 0 ATL AAA Brandon Jones..... 5 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 SB COL AA Jonathan Herrera.. 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 SD A+ Kyle Blanks....... 5 3 2 0 0 0 2 OAK A- Matthew Sulentic.. 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 TOR A Travis Snider..... 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 BOS AAA Jacoby Ellsbury... 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes PHI AAA J.A. Happ......... 7 2 0 0 7 0 0 CLE AAA Sean Smith........ 6 5 3 2 6 0 0 WAN AA Garrett Mock...... 7 6 4 3 7 1 1 12 GB MIN A+ Jeffrey Manship... 7 6 3 3 5 0 0 13 GB HOU AA Felipe Paulino.... 6 6 3 3 8 2 1 STL AA Mitchell Boggs.... 6 3 1 1 7 4 0 SF A Adam Cowart....... 7 5 2 0 3 0 0 13 GB ARI A+ Dana Eveland...... 2 0 0 0 4 1 0 BAL A- Zachary Britton... 5 5 3 1 4 1 0 9 GB ARI A Anthony Barnette.. 7 8 1 1 2 0 0 14 GB SD AA Cesar Ramos....... 6 5 3 3 4 0 2 TB A+ Matthew Walker.... 3 2 1 1 3 2 0
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Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email.
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