THT Daily: Ouch

by THT Staff
July 29, 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/ and an archive at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/thtdaily_index/

Player News

Player Headlines are courtesy of Rotoworld

Greg Maddux acknowledges the cheers for his 351st win. (Icon/SMI)

The Yankees announced that Jorge Posada would undergo season-ending surgery on his troublesome right shoulder. He was expected to rehab for another week before making a decision, but it looks like the Xavier Nady acquisition may have decided the matter for him. Posada is believed to have a torn labrum. He should be ready to play at the beginning of next season after surgery, but whether his arm will come all the way back might not be known until the spring.

An MRI on Tim Hudson's elbow revealed ligament damage that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Hudson still believes he could have pitched through it, but the best move for the Braves now would be to shut him down for the year. Tommy John surgery isn't yet being talked about, but there's always that fear. Hudson will be looked at by Dr. James Andrews later this week.

Greg Maddux snapped his 14-start winless streak by allowing four runs over five-plus innings against the Diamondbacks on Monday. It wasn't have been the kind of outing Maddux was aiming for, but it was good enough on a night in which Arizona starter Micah Owings had nothing. Maddux struck out four tonight to pass Phil Niekro for 10th place on the all-time list. He's at 3,344, which is 164 behind Walter Johnson for ninth place. Even if he pitches next year, he might not move up another place in the standings.

Michael Young will miss at least 5-7 days with a fracture in his right ring finger. Young was injured diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt. Ramon Vazquez will start at shortstop in his place and will again be worth using in AL-only leagues. Young's streak of 200-hit seasons is now very much in doubt. He's still 72 hits away with 56 games remaining. Since the streak began in 2003, he's averaged 1.32 hits per game. At that rate, it'd take him 55 games to get 72 hits.

Dan Haren, who is already under control through 2010, said he could soon sign an extension with the Diamondbacks. "I'm pretty confident something will get done sooner rather than later," Haren said. "[The talks] have progressed so we're moving in the right direction." A three-year extension worth in the neighborhood of $15 million per year would make sense. The Diamondbacks will have Haren at $12.25 million for 2009 and 2010, assuming his 2010 option is picked up.

John Maine said after his abbreviated start Monday that he's been dealing with pain in his right shoulder since his last outing. "It was sore, but I told them I could go out there and pitch," he said. Maine has yet to throw 200 innings a season and is highly unlikely to reach the mark this year. The Mets may want to give him a couple of weeks off to give him a better chance of being close to 100 percent in September and October.

Jason Isringhausen will resume getting save chances over Ryan Franklin, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said Monday. So much for that vote of confidence to Franklin. It's probably the right move for St. Louis. Franklin was terrific in the eighth inning for more than a full season and might be more comfortable there. The Cards will still be shaky in the ninth, but maybe now they'll have a few more leads get that far.

Kevin Slowey pitched a six-hit shutout as the Twins topped the White Sox on Monday night. Slowey entered the night 0-2 with a 12.38 ERA against the Sox so far this season, so it was a nice change of pace. He allowed six hits, struck out five, walked just one, and needed only 102 pitches to get through the game. He'd allowed fifteen runs in his last three starts, so it was certainly nice to see him keep the White Sox on the schneid.

Nomar Garciaparra was found to have a sprained MCL in his left knee and will miss at least a few days. The Dodgers have no immediate plans to put him on the DL, but it'd be no surprise to see him land there eventually. If it happens, they'd probably bring back Andy LaRoche. Angel Berroa will start at shortstop and be backed up by Pablo Ozuna.

Yesterday’s Results

Game recaps provided by Craig Calcaterra of Shysterball.

Cubs 6, Brewers 4: Thank goodness ESPN didn't inflict this game on us. I mean, it only included multiple lead changes, a gutsy, 130-pitch performance from CC Sabathia, and a ninth inning rally by the Cubs to serve as the dramatic opening salvo to a critical series with serious playoff implications. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel called it "a riveting contest," that contained "big hits, big plays and a big finish," and apparently Brewer fans were absolutely nuts the whole game, putting an end to the notion of Miller Park being "Wrigley North." But again, thank God I didn't have to see that. If I had, I never would have gotten to see Manny Ramirez for the 126th time since breakfast nor would I have gotten to witness the latest rung on K-Rod's climb to, I dunno, 193 saves.

Twins 7, White Sox 0: Kevin Slowey dominates the ChiSox, tossing a six hit shutout. Morneau goes 2-3 with a homer and 3 RBI. It occurred to me that if the Twins pass the Sox and win the division, there is a non-trivial chance that Morneau could win his second MVP award in three years. Would he deserve it? Probably not if current stats hold (he didn't deserve it in 2006 either), but he's the big gun who hits .300+ on a team that, no matter how many times they exceed expectations, seems to take everyone by surprise. That's a great way to win over voters.

Indians 5, Tigers 0: The 1000-run offense gets shut out by Paul Byrd and Ed Mujica.

Blue Jays 3, Rays 1: Is A.J. Burnett going to St. Louis? Hell, I don't know, but if he is, the Jays' asking price may have just gotten higher, as he struck out ten Rays and gave up zero earned runs over seven innings.

Cardinals 12, Braves 3: So Jason Isringhausen is a closer again, eh? Lucky for him he gets to ease into it, because based on how the Braves are going these days, the Cards won't be in a save situation until they leave Atlanta.

Pirates 8, Rockies 4: The Rockies walked nine guys in this game, and that's not gonna lead to many wins. I hate to bring this up in a game they won, but seeing this matchup makes me realize that the last time the Pirates had a .500 season, the Rockies didn't even exist yet.

Angels 7, Red Sox 5: Matsuzaka was cruisin' until he hit the sixth inning where he and Justin Masterson combined to give up half a dozen runs.

Marlins 7, Mets 3: Another Mets' bullpen implosion, this time courtesy of Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis, who coughed up five runs. Of course it was simply not possible for Jerry Manuel to bring in his closer during this bloodletting, because it didn't occur in the ninth inning.

Astros 5, Reds 4: Roy Oswalt wasn't spectacular, but he'll take a win in his first outing since July 11th. Whether he should have been pitching in the first place is an open question, but remember, the Astros think they're in a pennant race, so that explains a lot.

Orioles 13, Yankees 4: Adam Jones goes 3-6 with 5 RBI on a triple and a homer. Think the Mariners would like a do-over on that trade? The Yankees runs allowed for the last four games: 0, 3, 9, 14. Tomorrow is gonna be interesting!

Mariners 7, Rangers 5: Michael Young left the game early with a broken finger. Word on the street was that he broke it on purpose because the x-ray room is air-conditioned, and the official game time temp of 101 degrees just ain't worth it, especially with the Mariners in town.

Royals 4, A's 2: Greinke continues to be a bright spot, as he strikes out 11 A's in just over seven innings, backed by an Alex Gordon two-run homer in the 6th. Heh, get me, writin' a straight-up game summary!

Padres 8, Diamondbacks 5: After the game Maddux, out of sheer habit, said "I've just got to keep going out there and giving the team a chance to win, and eventually good things will happen." When reminded that he actually won this one, he said, "Really? Cool."

Giants 7, Dodgers 6: A definite hang-on-for-dear-life win, as the Giants roar out to a 7-0 lead, and then get no-hit over the last five and a third innings while the Dodgers claw back to within one.

You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.

First Inning's Major and Minor League Daily Reports:

{embed="pageblocks/FirstInning_Team_Lookup"}

Today’s Games

National League
 ---------------
 Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM
  (L) Glendon Rusch (4-3) vs. (R) Yoslan Herrera (1-1)
 Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM
  (R) Brett Myers (3-9) vs. (R) Collin Balester (1-2)
 New York Mets at Florida Marlins, 7:10 PM
  (L) Oliver Perez (6-6) vs. (L) Scott Olsen (6-5)
 St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves, 7:10 PM
  (R) Todd Wellemeyer (8-4) vs. (R) Jorge Campillo (5-4)
 Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:05 PM
  (R) Carlos Zambrano (11-4) vs. (R) Ben Sheets (10-3)
 Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros, 8:05 PM
  (R) Bronson Arroyo (9-7) vs. (R) Brian Moehler (5-4)
 Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres, 10:05 PM
  (L) Doug Davis (3-5) vs. (R) Chris Young (4-4)
 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM
  (R) Matt Cain (6-8) vs. (R) Jason Johnson (0-0)
 
 American League
 ---------------
 Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM
  (R) Daniel Cabrera (6-6) vs. (R) Darrell Rasner (5-7)
 LA Angels of Anaheim at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM
  (R) John Lackey (8-2) vs. (R) Clay Buchholz (2-5)
 Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians, 7:05 PM
  (R) Armando Galarraga (8-4) vs. (R) Matt Ginter (1-1)
 Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 PM
  (R) Matt Garza (8-6) vs. (R) Roy Halladay (12-7)
 Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM
  (R) Carlos Silva (4-12) vs. (R) Luis Mendoza (2-4)
 Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, 8:10 PM
  (L) Clayton Richard (0-0) vs. (L) Glen Perkins (7-3)
 Kansas City Royals at Oakland Athletics, 10:05 PM
  (R) Gil Meche (8-9) vs. (L) Greg Smith (5-9)

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
TB      61  44 .581    0.0   56     5    
BOS     61  46 .570    1.0   63    -2    
NYA     58  47 .552    3.0   57     1    
TOR     54  52 .509    7.5   57    -3    
BAL     50  55 .476   11.0   52    -2    
American League Central     
CHA     59  45 .567    0.0   60    -1    
MIN     58  47 .552    1.5   55     3    
DET     53  52 .505    6.5   55    -2    
KC      48  59 .449   12.5   45     3    
CLE     46  58 .442   13.0   53    -7    
American League West        
LAA     65  40 .619    0.0   57     8    
TEX     54  52 .509   11.5   50     4    
OAK     53  52 .505   12.0   58    -5    
SEA     40  65 .381   25.0   45    -5    


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     57  49 .538    0.0   58    -1    
PHI     56  49 .533    0.5   59    -3    
FLA     56  50 .528    1.0   50     6    
ATL     49  56 .467    7.5   55    -6    
WAS     38  67 .362   18.5   40    -2    
National League Central     
CHN     62  44 .585    0.0   64    -2    
MIL     60  46 .566    2.0   56     4    
STL     59  49 .546    4.0   56     3    
CIN     50  57 .467   12.5   47     3    
HOU     49  56 .467   12.5   47     2    
PIT     49  57 .462   13.0   47     2    
National League West        
ARI     53  52 .505    0.0   55    -2    
LAN     52  53 .495    1.0   54    -2    
COL     48  59 .449    6.0   49    -1    
SF      44  61 .419    9.0   44     0    
SD      42  65 .393   12.0   43    -1

Game of the Day

Cubs 6, Brewers 4 - FINAL

CHICAGO CUBS           ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
A Soriano lf            4  3  2  1   1  1   2  .285
R Johnson cf            3  0  0  0   1  0   1  .279
 vc-M Fontenot ph-2b    0  1  0  0   1  0   0  .284
D Lee 1b                5  0  3  3   0  0   1  .299
A Ramirez 3b            4  0  0  0   1  0   3  .270
G Soto c                4  0  1  0   1  2   3  .273
M DeRosa rf-2b-rf       4  0  2  1   1  0   2  .274
R Theriot ss            5  0  1  0   0  0   6  .316
R Cedeno 2b             3  1  1  0   0  0   1  .278
 B Howry p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 vb-D Ward ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .250
 C Gaudin p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 C Marmol p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
T Lilly p               2  0  0  0   0  1   0  .195
 va-K Fukudome ph-rf-cf 2  1  1  0   0  1   0  .279

Totals                 37  6 11  5   6  5  20   ###

MILWAUKEE              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
R Weeks 2b              4  0  0  0   0  2   1  .224
J Hardy ss              4  1  1  1   0  1   1  .297
R Braun lf              3  1  1  1   1  1   1  .303
P Fielder 1b            3  1  2  0   1  1   0  .275
C Hart rf               4  0  1  1   0  2   3  .286
 S Torres p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
B Hall 3b               4  0  1  0   0  1   0  .230
M Cameron cf            4  0  0  0   0  2   0  .224
J Kendall c             3  0  0  0   1  0   0  .251
C Sabathia p            2  0  1  0   0  1   0  .200
 D Riske p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 ha-R Branyan ph        1  1  1  1   0  0   0  .256
 E Gagne p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 G Kapler rf            1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .292

Totals                 33  4  8  4   3 11   7   ###

----------------------------------------------------
    CHICAGO CUBS    - 101 000 202   --   6 11 0
    MILWAUKEE       - 000 003 100   --   4  8 1
----------------------------------------------------

va-reached on infield single to second for T Lilly in the 7th;  ha-homered to 
left center for D Riske in the 7th;  vb-popped out to shortstop for B Howry in 
the 8th;  vc-walked for R Johnson in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - A Soriano (14, C Sabathia); D Lee (29, S Torres); C Hart (32, T 
Lilly). HR - A Soriano (17, 3rd inning off C Sabathia 0 on, 0 Out), J Hardy 
(15, 6th inning off T Lilly 0 on, 1 Out), R Braun (29, 6th inning off T Lilly 0 
on, 1 Out), R Branyan (12, 7th inning off B Howry 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - D Lee 3 
(66), A Soriano (45), M DeRosa (52), J Hardy (48), R Braun (81), C Hart (61), R 
Branyan (20). 2-out RBI - M DeRosa, R Branyan. Runners left in scoring 
position, 2 out - M DeRosa 1, A Ramirez 1, R Theriot 3, C Hart 1, R Braun 1. 
Team LOB - CHICAGO CUBS 10, MILWAUKEE 5. BASERUNNING: SB - A Soriano (8, 3rd 
base off C Sabathia/J Kendall), R Cedeno (4, 3rd base off C Sabathia/J 
Kendall), K Fukudome (9, 2nd base off C Sabathia/J Kendall), R Weeks (15, 2nd 
base off T Lilly/G Soto). CS - B Hall (6, 2nd base by T Lilly). FIELDING: E - R 
Weeks (9, throw). Outfield assists - A Soriano (C Hart at 3rd base), M Cameron 
(D Lee at Home). 

CHICAGO CUBS                 ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
T Lilly                       6       7   3   3   1   4   2   4.49
B Howry (B, 2)                1       1   1   1   0   2   1   5.29
C Gaudin (W, 2-1)             1       0   0   0   1   3   0   1.69
C Marmol (S, 5)               1       0   0   0   1   2   0   3.70

MILWAUKEE                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
C Sabathia                    6 2/3   9   4   3   2   3   1   1.82
D Riske                         1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   4.13
E Gagne                       1       0   0   0   1   0   0   6.26
S Torres (L, 5-3)             1       2   2   2   3   2   0   2.86

IBB - A Ramirez (by S Torres), P Fielder (by C Gaudin). Pitches-strikes: T 
Lilly 93-62; B Howry 19-12; C Gaudin 16-9; C Marmol 21-13; C Sabathia 124-77; D 
Riske 5-3; E Gagne 15-6; S Torres 39-21. Ground balls-fly balls: T Lilly 5-7; B 
Howry 0-1; C Gaudin 0-0; C Marmol 0-1; C Sabathia 9-7; D Riske 0-1; E Gagne 
0-3; S Torres 1-0. Batters faced: T Lilly 24; B Howry 4; C Gaudin 4; C Marmol 
4; C Sabathia 30; D Riske 1; E Gagne 4; S Torres 8. UMPIRES: HP--Ted Barrett. 
1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Lance Barksdale. 3B--Doug Eddings.   T--3:21. Att--45,311. 
Weather: 70 degrees, clear. 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 Runs

The 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
John Baker            FLA     John Maine           NYM     377    373   3  PL
Adrian Beltre         SEA     Scott Feldman        TEX     367    353  19  JE/L
Adrian Beltre         SEA     Frank Francisco      TEX     421    407  18  PL
Geoff Blum            HOU     Johnny Cueto         CIN     396    395   9  PL
Russell Branyan       MIL     Bob Howry            CHC     389    378  12  PL
Ryan Braun            MIL     Ted Lilly            CHC     422    406  29  ND
Asdrubal Cabrera      CLE     Kenny Rogers         DET     394    384   2  PL
Johnny Damon          NYY     Lance Cormier        BAL     363    339   7  PL
Adam Dunn             CIN     Roy Oswalt           HOU     437    436  30  JE
Alex Gordon           KC      Dallas Braden        OAK     385    391  12  JE
Khalil Greene         SD      Micah Owings         ARI     374    383  10  JE
Jose Guillen          KC      Dallas Braden        OAK     345    350  15  JE
J.J. Hardy            MIL     Ted Lilly            CHC     389    375  15  PL/L
Ramon Hernandez       BAL     Mike Mussina         NYY     416    393  12  PL/L
Matt Holliday         COL     Ian Snell            PIT     408    400  17  PL
Aubrey Huff           BAL     Kyle Farnsworth      NYY     388    364  21  ND
Nick Hundley          SD      Micah Owings         ARI     373    384   2  PL
Torii Hunter          LAA     Daisuke Matsuzaka    BOS     410    392  16  ND
Raul Ibanez           SEA     Scott Feldman        TEX     449    435  15  PL
Adam Jones            BAL     David Robertson      NYY     396    405   7  PL
Casey Kotchman        LAA     Daisuke Matsuzaka    BOS     391    379  12  PL/L
Bryan LaHair          SEA     Scott Feldman        TEX     420    402   1  PL
 Man.Ramirez          BOS     Francisco Rodriguez  LAA     390    357   1  JE/L
Joe Mather            STL     Charlie Morton       ATL     435    421   3  PL
Nate McLouth          PIT     Luis Vizcaino        COL     420    411  22  ND
Kevin Millar          BAL     Mike Mussina         NYY     384    371  15  PL
Justin Morneau        MIN     Mark Buehrle         CWS     434    428  17  PL
Xavier Nady           NYY     Jeremy Guthrie       BAL     427    408  14  PL
Kelly Shoppach        CLE     Kenny Rogers         DET     376    368   9  JE
Alfonso Soriano       CHC     C.C. Sabathia        MIL     409    390  17  PL
Denard Span           MIN     Mark Buehrle         CWS     387    381   1  PL
Matt Stairs           TOR     James Shields        TB      434    434  11  PL
Chris Young           ARI     Greg Maddux          SD      407    412  14  PL

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
LAA AA  Mark Trumbo....... 5  5  1  0  2  0  0  3 R
CLE AA  Wesley Hodges..... 5  3  2  0  1  0  2  3 R
CHC AAA Josh Kroeger...... 5  5  2  0  0  0  0  3 LD
TB  AAA Joel Guzman....... 4  3  0  0  2  0  0  4 RBI
FLA AA  John Raynor....... 5  4  2  0  0  0  0  3 LD
MIL A   Logan Schafer..... 6  5  2  0  0  0  0  
LAA AA  C. Pettit......... 4  2  0  0  2  0  1  3 R
CIN A+  Todd Frazier...... 4  2  1  0  1  1  1  3 R
CLE A-  L. Chisenhall..... 5  3  1  0  1  0  0  3 R
SEA AA  Adam Moore........ 3  2  2  0  0  1  0  
LA  AA  Russell Mitchell.. 3  2  2  0  0  1  1  
CHC A+  Tony Thomas....... 1  1  0  0  0  2  0  4 SB

ORG LVL PLAYER            IP  H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
MIN AAA Philip Humber..... 8  5  3  3 10  2  1  
SF  A   M. Bumgarner...... 7  5  0  0  6  0  0  
SD  AAA Wade Leblanc...... 5  2  0  0  6  0  0  
TB  AA  David Price....... 8  2  2  2  7  0  2  
SD  AA  M. Buschmann...... 7  2  0  0  4  1  0  
BAL AA  Bradley Bergesen.. 9  6  0  0  3  0  0  16 GB
BAL AAA Hayden Penn....... 7  5  2  2  5  1  0  
TEX A   Blake Beavan...... 6  3  1  1  4  0  0  
ATL AAA James Parr........ 7  6  2  2  5  1  0  13 GB
ATL AA  Todd Redmond...... 7  4  0  0  4  1  0  
ATL A   Eric Barrett...... 4  2  0  0  6  1  0  
TB  AAA Mitch Talbot...... 6  5  1  1  9  3  1

Access THT’s stats here…

{embed="content/2005stable"}

<< Return to Article THT Daily: Ouch from The Hardball Times

The Hardball Times

THT Daily: Ouch

by Dave Studeman
June 11, 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/ and an archive at http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/thtdaily_index/

On this day at THT: Four years ago, Aaron Gleeman took a second look at the boys of Moneyball.

Player News

Player Headlines are courtesy of Rotoworld

The Mighty Pujols at bat (Icon/SMI)

Albert Pujols will leave Cincinnati and return to St. Louis for tests after aggravating his left calf in Tuesday's game. "Based on what I saw—and I’m not a doctor—it was pretty bad," GM John Mozeliak said. Pujols has played through leg problems plenty of times before, but if he can't do it now, the Cardinals figure to call up Chris Duncan to play first base.

Tigers optioned LHP Dontrelle Willis to Single-A Lakeland. The Tigers completely botched Willis' return fron the DL by having him throw one inning in his first 12 days on the active roster. He obviously needs to pitch as much as possible if he's going to get through these command problems, and the Tigers weren't doing anything to get him there by having him throw 6 1/3 innings in nearly three weeks. Triple-A Toledo's Eddie Bonine is the favorite to replace him in the rotation, but it's doubtful that he'd prove adequate. The Tigers just don't have any solid alternatives.

Tom Glavine will go back on the disabled list with a strained elbow that he said has been bothering him for a month. Glavine will undergo an MRI. The Braves haven't commented on the choice to replace him in the rotation, but it's time for Charlie Morton to get a look. NL-only leaguers may want to stash the 24-year-old right-hander away.

After being examined over the weekend, Rafael Furcal (back) learned that he won't be ready to play in actual games for at least another two weeks. The Dodgers were aiming to get Furcal back on June 17, but now it looks like he'll miss the rest of the month. Nomar Garciaparra should beat him back and get a look at shortstop. In the meantime, Angel Berroa will start most of the time over Luis Maza.

The Padres confirmed Tuesday that Jake Peavy (elbow) will come off the disabled list and start Thursday against the Dodgers. "Like I said the other day, I’m chomping at the bit," he said. "I’m as ready as I will ever be. I feel good and this is the right time to do it." With Peavy back, the Padres designated Wilfredo Ledezma for assignment today.

Troy Tulowitzki is on his way to Single-A Modesto to begin his rehab from a torn tendon in his left quadriceps, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said Tuesday. It sounds as though Tulo could be back in 10-14 days if all goes according to plan. As much as he was struggling before getting hurt, the Rockies will want him to produce in the minors before activating him.

Yesterday’s Results

Game recaps courtesy of Craig Calcaterra.

Indians 1, Twins 0: I watched most of this game (the whole thing was 2:06; I missed four innings when I blinked once), and Sabathia was something to behold. Over the years I've watched games where Sabathia looked rather disinterested. Even last year, when he was so good so often, you got the sense on occasion that he was looking forward to a sandwich and brew at Panini's or something rather than the next hitter. Last night was different. The Twins laid down a couple of bunt hits early, which clearly made the big fellow mad. Early on he was at around 93-94 on the STO gun. After those little squib hits he was hitting 95, 96, and the occasional 97, and coming inside a lot too. If anything, by the ninth inning he looked like he was just loosening up. And he just looked mean. If he could do that every time out, he'd join Zambrano on my 1960s retro rotation.

Cardinals 7, Reds 2: It could have been 137-2 and it would still be a bad night for St. Louis, as Albert Pujols had to be helped off the field with a calf injury in the 7th inning. More than anyone else in baseball, he's the guy whose team would be the most screwed if they had to play without him for a spell. Not a good night for Homer Bailey either (3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2K). And Jay Bruce was batting leadoff? Sure, why not?

Nationals 7, Pirates 6: The other night it was Elijah Dukes with the game winner in the ninth, last night it was Lastings Milledge. If Wily Mo Pena hits a walkoff job in the next few nights, can we say Jim Bowden's vision has been realized?

Orioles 10, Red Sox 6: Beckett was none too good (6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER) but this was a bullpen 'asplosion for the Sox. Okajima (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 ER); and Hansen (1 IP, 4 H, 3 R) were the evening's arsonists.

Tigers 6, White Sox 4: A win for Detroit is nice, but you'd think they would have scored more than six runs off of 13 hits in the first seven innings of the game, no?

Marlins 5, Phillies 4: Brett Myers gave up three runs before Greater Philadelphia had eased into its collective Barcalounger. Despite settling down a bit, it was a hole the Phillies couldn't climb out of. The Phillies will probably weather these kinds of outings because the Braves, Marlins, and Mets don't seem all that interested in posing a challenge this season, but the Phils would probably like someone besides Cole Hamels to pitch at an above-average clip this season.

Astros 6, Brewers 1: Just another day at the office for Lance Berkman (3-4, 3B, HR, 5 RBI). Welcome back from the brink, Roy Oswalt (7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 10 K).

Cubs 10, Braves 5: Did you hear that Atlanta is the worst road team in baseball? Getting swept in the last home series before hitting the highway doesn't help matters any either. Oh, and according to the baseball tonight guys, Smoltz's surgery today revealed more damage than they even expected. Huzzah.

Diamondbacks 9, Mets 5: Maury Brown interviewed New York Sun baseball writer Tim Marchman yesterday. Marchman had this to say on the state of the Mets:

The Mets seem to be stuck in a recurring pattern where they develop some good young talent, invest well in veterans, verge on becoming a really elite team, and then blow it because they tilt a little too heavily toward older players. This has gone on under so many general managers and so many managers, and for so long, that it really seems to be a systemic problem, and the one common thread for a long time now has been the Wilpon family, who really don’t get enough blame for presiding over the same story being told over and over again with a slightly different cast each time . . . The Yankees may not be good, but there’s never any sense of abject hopelessness about them, and that puts them up on the Mets.

Note: he said that before the Dbacks came back from a 5-1 deficit to hand New York their 5th straight loss last night.

Blue Jays 3, Mariners 1: You thought the Indians game was short? This one came in at 2:02. Dustin McGowan (CG, 5 H, 1 ER, 7K) was vexing, and from the looks of the box score, the Mariners didn't put up much of a fight. Am I the only one expecting Ichiro, in the course of some long interview with a Japanese magazine, to come out and ask for a trade because the culture of losing in Seattle is making him sad?

Rangers 6, Royals 5: Royals' catcher John Buck: "After 7 2/3 [innings], we just quit. That's basically what it was." Sorry John; you don't get any points for being a team leader who speaks hard truths when you're the guy who gives up the game winning passed ball. Not that he isn't right. The Rangers scored four runs in the eighth after there were already two out. An error sparked that off, but the Kansas City bullpen imploded and Trey Hillman got ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Just another inspiring night at Kauffman Stadium.

Angels 6, Rays 1: Jered Weaver shuts down the Rays (8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER). For my purposes, both James and Scott Shields, whose names I always confuse for some reason, pitched in this game. Scott sent the Rays down quietly in the ninth. James managed not to throw a punch at anyone.

Rockies 10, Giants 5: Were you aware that the Giants came in with a seven game road winning streak? Me neither. Well, they don't have that going for them anymore. Garrett Atkins apparently had a bunch of diving grabs at third. I'm goin' to the gym after I post this. If I make the lights just right, I usually catch the Top 10 plays right after I get on the treadmill. My guess is that at least two of his gems get bumped for rather pedestrian plays from the Lakers-Celtics game.

Dodgers 7, Padres 2: The Dodgers score four in the seventh, ruining a strong Greg Maddux outing. Well, "ruining" may be too harsh. I love the guy, but you have to expect this sort of thing when you're basically a five or six inning starter, max. Ten years ago, Maddux -- who had only thrown 70 pitches -- stays in and protects that precious 2-1 lead for at least another inning. He can't do that anymore, so these things are going to happen.

Yankees 3, A's 1: Lost in all of the hubbub over Joba's transition, Mussina's resurgence, Giambi's moustache, and a bunch of other things, A-Rod is hitting .444/.500/.806 in June, no doubt happy to not be the center of attention for once.

You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.