The Hardball Times

THT Daily: Rocky Starts

by Dave Studeman
April 07, 2008

Major League News for April 7
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

Gerald Laird homered twice and drove in six runs as the Rangers topped the Angels 10-4 on Sunday. The first homer was a three-run blast off starter Jon Garland in the fourth, and Laird later added a two-run shot off reliever Jason Bulger in the ninth. Laird also added a single in the third and an RBI single in the seventh while scoring three times. Laird is capable of being a quality option in AL-only leagues, but he'll need to continue playing well to avoid losing time to Jarrod Saltalamacchia down the road.

Ty Wigginton has a small fracture in his left thumb and will see a specialist on Monday. Wigginton expects to avoid the DL if it's merely a hairline fracture. Still, the prudent move would be to reserve him for this week. Mark Loretta and Geoff Blum will see increased playing time.

Yesterday’s Results
American League
BAL     3  SEA     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYA     2  TB      0    (Recap and Boxscore)
TOR     7  BOS     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA    13  DET     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
KC      3  MIN     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
TEX    10  LAA     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CLE     2  OAK     1    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
ATL     3  NYN     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
PIT     9  FLA     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     3  HOU     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN     8  PHI     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIL     7  SF      0    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL     3  WAS     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
ARI     5  COL     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAN     3  SD      2    (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:
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Today’s Games
National League
 ---------------
 Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds, 12:35 PM
  (L) Cole Hamels (0-1) vs. (R) Bronson Arroyo (0-0)
 Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:35 PM
  (L) Ted Lilly (0-1) vs. (L) Tom Gorzelanny (0-1)
 San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants, 4:35 PM
  (R) Greg Maddux (0-0) vs. (R) Matt Cain (0-0)
 St. Louis Cardinals at Houston Astros, 7:05 PM
  (R) Todd Wellemeyer (1-0) vs. (L) Wandy Rodriguez (0-0)
 Florida Marlins at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM
  (L) Andrew Miller (0-1) vs. (R) Tim Redding (1-0)
 Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, 8:35 PM
  (L) Tom Glavine (0-0) vs. (R) Aaron Cook (0-1)
 Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM
  (R) Esteban Loaiza (0-1) vs. (R) Dan Haren (0-0)
 
 American League
 ---------------
 Seattle Mariners at Baltimore Orioles, 3:05 PM
  (R) Carlos Silva (1-0) vs. (R) Daniel Cabrera (0-0)
 Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, 4:05 PM
  (R) Nick Blackburn (0-1) vs. (R) Javier Vazquez (0-1)
 Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM
  (R) Jason Hammel (0-0) vs. (R) Mike Mussina (0-1)
 Cleveland Indians at LA Angels of Anaheim, 10:05 PM
  (R) Fausto Carmona (1-0) vs. (L) Joe Saunders (1-0)

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      4   1 .800    0.0    3     1    sparkline graph
TOR      4   2 .667    0.5    5    -1    sparkline graph
TB       3   2 .600    1.0    4    -1    sparkline graph
NYA      3   3 .500    1.5    2     1    sparkline graph
BOS      3   4 .429    2.0    2     1    sparkline graph
American League Central     
CHA      4   2 .667    0.0    4     0    sparkline graph
KC       4   2 .667    0.0    4     0    sparkline graph
CLE      3   3 .500    1.0    3     0    sparkline graph
MIN      3   4 .429    1.5    2     1    sparkline graph
DET      0   6 .000    4.0    1    -1    sparkline graph
American League West        
LAA      4   3 .571    0.0    3     1    sparkline graph
TEX      3   3 .500    0.5    4    -1    sparkline graph
OAK      3   4 .429    1.0    4    -1    sparkline graph
SEA      2   4 .333    1.5    3    -1    sparkline graph


National League East        Pwins  Diff
ATL      3   3 .500    0.0    4    -1    sparkline graph
FLA      3   3 .500    0.0    1     2    sparkline graph
WAS      3   4 .429    0.5    4    -1    sparkline graph
NYN      2   3 .400    0.5    3    -1    sparkline graph
PHI      2   4 .333    1.0    2     0    sparkline graph
National League Central     
STL      5   1 .833    0.0    5     0    sparkline graph
MIL      5   1 .833    0.0    5     0    sparkline graph
CIN      4   2 .667    1.0    3     1    sparkline graph
CHN      3   3 .500    2.0    3     0    sparkline graph
PIT      3   3 .500    2.0    3     0    sparkline graph
HOU      2   5 .286    3.5    3    -1    sparkline graph
National League West        
ARI      4   2 .667    0.0    5    -1    sparkline graph
LAN      4   2 .667    0.0    4     0    sparkline graph
SD       4   3 .571    0.5    3     1    sparkline graph
COL      1   5 .167    3.0    1     0    sparkline graph
SF       1   5 .167    3.0    1     0    sparkline graph

Game of the Day
Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run in the ninth and Stephen Drew hit a three-run blast in the tenth to beat the Rockies, 5-2. The Diamondbacks scored their only runs of the game in those last two innings. Franklin Morales and Edgar Gonzalez both had strong starts for their respective teams, but neither bullpen could hold onto a ninth-inning lead.
Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 2 - FINAL

ARIZONA                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Young cf              4  0  0  0   1  0   0  .217
E Byrnes lf             5  0  1  0   0  0   2  .154
O Hudson 2b             5  1  2  0   0  0   1  .269
C Jackson 1b            3  2  1  0   2  0   0  .385
M Reynolds 3b           4  1  2  3   1  1   0  .304
J Upton rf              4  0  0  0   1  2   3  .333
C Burke ss              4  0  0  0   0  0   0  .133
 B Lyon p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 vb-A Romero ph         1  0  1  1   0  0   0 1.000
 C Qualls p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
R Hammock c             5  0  1  0   0  1   3  .143
Ed Gonzalez p           1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 B Medders p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 va-A Ojeda ph          1  0  0  0   0  1   0  .500
 J Cruz p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 S Drew ss              1  1  1  1   0  0   0  .227

Totals                 38  5  9  5   5  5   9   ###

COLORADO               ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
S Podsednik cf          4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .286
 M Corpas p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 M Bowie p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 R Speier p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 hb-R Spilborghs ph     1  0  0  0   0  0   1  .125
T Tulowitzki ss         5  1  2  0   0  1   2  .192
T Helton 1b             4  0  1  1   0  0   1  .320
M Holliday lf           4  1  1  1   0  1   2  .182
B Hawpe rf              4  0  1  0   0  1   0  .211
G Atkins 3b             4  0  2  0   0  0   1  .304
Y Torrealba c           4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .200
C Barmes 2b             2  0  0  0   1  0   2  .333
 J Nix 2b               0  0  0  0   1  0   0  .083
F Morales p             2  0  0  0   0  1   0  .000
 T Buchholz p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 B Fuentes p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 ha-W Taveras ph-cf     0  0  0  0   1  0   0  .118

Totals                 34  2  9  2   3  5  12   ###

----------------------------------------------------
    ARIZONA         - 000 000 002 3  --   5  9 0
    COLORADO        - 001 000 001 0  --   2  9 0
----------------------------------------------------

va-struck out swinging for B Medders in the 8th;  ha-sacrificed to pitcher for 
B Fuentes in the 8th;  vb-reached on infield single to second for B Lyon in the 
10th;  hb-grounded to second for R Speier in the 10th.

BATTING: HR - M Reynolds (2, 9th inning off M Corpas 1 on, 0 Out), M Holliday 
(1, 9th inning off B Lyon 0 on, 1 Out), S Drew (2, 10th inning off M Bowie 0 
on, 0 Out). S - Ed Gonzalez , W Taveras. RBI - M Reynolds 3 (6), S Drew (2), A 
Romero (2), T Helton (3), M Holliday (1). 2-out RBI - T Helton, M Reynolds, A 
Romero. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Hammock 2, E Byrnes 2, J 
Upton 2, M Holliday 1, T Tulowitzki 2. GIDP - T Helton, C Barmes, Y Torrealba, 
R Spilborghs. Team LOB - COLORADO 6, ARIZONA 9. BASERUNNING: SB - T Tulowitzki 
(1, 2nd base off Ed Gonzalez/R Hammock). 
 
ARIZONA                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Ed Gonzalez                   5       6   1   1   0   4   0   1.80
B Medders                     2       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
J Cruz                        1       0   0   0   1   1   0   0.00
B Lyon (W, 1-1; B, 2)         1       2   1   1   0   0   1  12.00
C Qualls (S, 1)               1       0   0   0   2   0   0   0.00

COLORADO                     ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
F Morales                     6       2   0   0   3   2   0   0.00
T Buchholz (H, 1)             1       0   0   0   0   1   0   2.45
B Fuentes (H, 2)              1       1   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
M Corpas (B, 1)               1       2   2   2   0   0   1   9.00
M Bowie (L, 0-1)                2/3   3   3   3   1   0   1  11.57
R Speier                        1/3   1   0   0   1   1   0   0.00

WP - F Morales. BALK - F Morales. Pitches-strikes: Ed Gonzalez 88-60; B 
Medders 17-12; J Cruz 20-11; B Lyon 14-8; C Qualls 19-10; F Morales 96-61; T 
Buchholz 11-7; B Fuentes 16-12; M Corpas 15-11; M Bowie 22-9; R Speier 14-10. 
Ground balls-fly balls: Ed Gonzalez 8-4; B Medders 2-4; J Cruz 1-1; B Lyon 1-2; 
C Qualls 2-1; F Morales 7-9; T Buchholz 0-2; B Fuentes 0-2; M Corpas 0-3; M 
Bowie 0-2; R Speier 0-0. Batters faced: Ed Gonzalez 19; B Medders 6; J Cruz 4; 
B Lyon 5; C Qualls 4; F Morales 23; T Buchholz 3; B Fuentes 4; M Corpas 5; M 
Bowie 6; R Speier 3. UMPIRES: HP--Wally Bell. 1B--Paul Schrieber. 2B--Rob 
Drake. 3B--Brian Knight.  T--3:27. Att--42,865. Weather: 49 degrees, sunny. 
Wind: 7 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.

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
COL AAA Joseph Koshansky.. 4  2  1  0  1  1  1  
STL AAA Colby Rasmus...... 4  2  0  0  1  1  0  
COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 5  2  1  0  0  0  1  
TOR A   Yohermyn Chavez... 5  3  0  0  2  0  1  5 RBI !
COL AA  Corey Wimberly.... 5  4  1  0  0  0  1  2 SB
KC  AAA Ryan Shealy....... 4  2  0  0  1  1  1  4 RBI
COL AA  Dexter Fowler..... 5  3  0  2  0  0  1  
COL AA  Eric Young........ 5  3  0  2  0  0  1  
NYY AAA Eric Duncan....... 3  2  1  0  0  1  0  
SD  AA  Chad Huffman...... 4  3  2  0  0  0  0  3 LD
NYY AA  M. Vechionacci.... 5  3  2  0  0  0  0  
ARI A+  Gerardo Parra..... 3  2  0  1  0  2  0  2 SB

ORG LVL PLAYER            IP  H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
OAK A+  Trevor Cahill..... 7  2  0  0  4  0  0  12 GB
BAL AAA Radhames Liz...... 5  6  5  3  7  2  0  
CLE AAA Jeremy Sowers..... 6  3  2  1  3  3  0  
ARI AA  Matthew Torra..... 6  7  0  0  5  0  0  
STL AAA Trey Hearne....... 5  4  3  2  7  3  0  
ATL A   Steven Evarts..... 5  4  1  0  4  0  0  11 GB
HOU AAA Fernando Nieve.... 5  1  0  0  5  0  0  
CHC AA  Donald Veal....... 4  3  2  1  6  4  0  
CIN AAA Adam Pettyjohn.... 7  7  2  2  6  1  1  
PIT A   Michael Felix..... 3  0  0  0  4  2  0  
SEA AA  Justin Thomas..... 6  4  3  3  6  1  2  
OAK AAA Gio Gonzalez...... 3  2  1  1  3  2  0  

Access THT’s stats here…
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Dave is the manager of the Baseball Graphs website.. Comments about this article can be sent to him through the miracle of e-mail.