THT Daily: Tigers win!
by Dave StudemanApril 10, 2008
Major League News for April 10
Player NewsYesterday’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 RotoworldAlbert Pujols went 3-for-4 with two homers and a walk to lead the Cardinals past the Astros 6-4 on Wednesday. After the game, the Cardinals announced the acquisition of Brandon Backe. They don't need the pitching help; they just want him to start yelling at Pujols during batting practice every night. Pujols entered the game with a .320 average, but he had just one RBI in eight games. Too often he's going to have to do the heavy lifting himself if the Cardinals are going to score runs.
Cliff Floyd will go on the disabled list and have surgery Friday to repair a tear in the medial meniscus in his right knee. Floyd had surgery to repair torn cartilage in the medial meniscus of his other knee on April 6, 1999 and came back on April 27. However, he's eight years older now and a slower healer than ever. He'll likely miss at least a month. Justin Ruggiano will replace him on Tampa Bay's roster and get some at-bats in right field. He could have some value in AL-only leagues. Jonny Gomes and Eric Hinske will also benefit.
Braves placed RHP Rafael Soriano on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 7, with right elbow tendinitis. It's going to be hard to take the Braves seriously going forward when it comes to Soriano. This is the second time they've downplayed a supposedly very minor problem. Peter Moylan will be the favorite for saves for the next couple of weeks. Manny Acosta should take over the eighth inning role.
Orlando Hernandez will be in a boot for the next two weeks because of a tendon strain in his right foot. That'll back him up at least a month. Mike Pelfrey is locked into a spot for a while. As things stand now, Nelson Figueroa is the fifth starter.
The New York Post is reporting that the Mets could have Claudio Vargas signed as early on Thursday. It's the smart move with Orlando Hernandez out. Vargas would get a minor league deal and probably make a couple of starts at Triple-A before claiming a rotation spot.
Jorge Posada is expected to avoid the disabled list after being diagnosed with a strained shoulder. "It's good news that it's not worse," Posada said Wednesday. "Your shoulder is part of what I do. I had surgery in [2001], and I was worried that it was going to be the same." Posada is available to hit, though the Yankees have decided against DHing him tonight. Jose Molina will start behind the plate.
Mike Lowell left Wednesday's game in the second inning with an undisclosed injury. Lowell might have been hurt on a diving play in the first. Sean Casey pinch-hit for him, and Kevin Youkilis moved from third to first.
Yesterday’s Results
American League DET 7 BOS 2 (Recap and Boxscore) SEA 7 TB 1 (Recap and Boxscore) OAK 6 TOR 3 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 12 CHA 5 (Recap and Boxscore) KC 4 NYA 0 (Recap and Boxscore) LAA 9 CLE 5 (Recap and Boxscore) National League NYN 8 PHI 2 (Recap and Boxscore) FLA 10 WAS 4 (Recap and Boxscore) STL 6 HOU 4 (Recap and Boxscore) CIN 12 MIL 4 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 6 PIT 4 (Recap and Boxscore) ARI 4 LAN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) COL 12 ATL 6 (Recap and Boxscore) SF 1 SD 0 (Recap and Boxscore)You can download a compact version of yesterday's boxscores from Heater Magazine.
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Today’s Games
National League --------------- Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, 1:05 PM (R) Aaron Harang (0-1) vs. (R) Carlos Villanueva (1-0) Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, 3:05 PM (R) Tim Hudson (1-0) vs. (L) Jeff Francis (0-1) Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 PM (L) Rich Hill (0-0) vs. (R) Matt Morris (0-0) Florida Marlins at Washington Nationals, 7:10 PM (L) Mark Hendrickson (1-1) vs. (L) Odalis Perez (0-1) Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets, 7:10 PM (R) Adam Eaton (0-0) vs. (R) John Maine (0-1) St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants, 10:15 PM (R) Adam Wainwright (1-0) vs. (R) Kevin Correia (0-1) American League --------------- Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays, 12:40 PM (R) Miguel Batista (0-1) vs. (R) Edwin Jackson (1-0) Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers, 5:05 PM (R) Steve Trachsel (1-0) vs. (R) Kevin Millwood (0-2) Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox, 7:05 PM (L) Nate Robertson (0-0) vs. (R) Tim Wakefield (0-0) Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 PM (L) Dana Eveland (1-0) vs. (R) Shaun Marcum (1-0) Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers, 8:05 PM (L) Adam Loewen (0-0) vs. (L) Kason Gabbard (1-0) New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 PM (L) Andy Pettitte (0-1) vs. (L) John Bale (0-1) Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 PM (R) Livan Hernandez (2-0) vs. (R) Jose Contreras (0-0)
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 6 1 .857 0.0 5 1TOR 4 4 .500 2.5 5 -1
BOS 4 5 .444 3.0 3 1
NYA 4 5 .444 3.0 3 1
TB 3 5 .375 3.5 4 -1
American League Central KC 6 2 .750 0.0 6 0
CHA 5 3 .625 1.0 5 0
CLE 4 5 .444 2.5 4 0
MIN 4 5 .444 2.5 4 0
DET 1 7 .125 5.0 2 -1
American League West LAA 6 4 .600 0.0 5 1
OAK 5 4 .556 0.5 5 0
SEA 4 5 .444 1.5 5 -1
TEX 3 4 .429 1.5 3 0
National League East Pwins Diff FLA 5 3 .625 0.0 3 2
PHI 4 5 .444 1.5 4 0
NYN 3 4 .429 1.5 5 -2
ATL 3 6 .333 2.5 5 -2
WAS 3 6 .333 2.5 4 -1
National League Central STL 7 2 .778 0.0 6 1
MIL 6 2 .750 0.5 5 1
CHN 5 3 .625 1.5 4 1
CIN 5 4 .556 2.0 5 0
PIT 3 5 .375 3.5 3 0
HOU 3 7 .300 4.5 4 -1
National League West ARI 7 2 .778 0.0 7 0
SD 5 5 .500 2.5 5 0
COL 4 5 .444 3.0 3 1
LAN 4 5 .444 3.0 4 0
SF 3 6 .333 4.0 2 1
Game of the Day
The Cubs and Pirates played another wild game, this time taking 15 innings to a 6-4 Cubs win. Zach Duke and Ryan Dempster engaged in a pitcher’s duel for the first seven innings—Dempster with a one-hitter—before Jason Bay homered in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Aramis Ramirez and Adam LaRoche swapped two-run homers in the 14th to maintain the tie, but Felix Pie batted in Ryan Theriot and Kevin Hart to win it for the Cubs in the 15th. Cubs 6, Pirates 4 - FINAL
CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Soriano lf 6 0 2 0 2 2 1 .132
R Johnson cf 3 0 2 1 0 1 0 .375
F Pie cf 4 0 1 2 0 1 2 .200
D Lee 1b 6 1 0 0 2 1 7 .333
A Ramirez 3b 7 2 3 2 0 0 4 .250
K Fukudome rf 7 0 2 0 0 1 1 .419
M DeRosa 2b 6 0 1 0 1 1 3 .290
G Soto c 5 0 1 0 2 1 3 .250
R Cedeno ss 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 .333
va-D Ward ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
C Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
K Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
vd-C Zambrano ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Wuertz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
ve-H Blanco ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .200
K Hart p 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
S Marshall p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Dempster p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
vb-M Fontenot ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429
vc-R Theriot ph-ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 .207
Totals 54 6 14 5 8 11 30 ###
PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
N McLouth cf 7 0 1 1 0 1 1 .390
F Sanchez 2b 5 0 0 0 1 1 1 .208
J Bay lf 5 2 3 1 1 1 0 .259
A LaRoche 1b 5 1 1 2 1 3 3 .107
X Nady rf 6 0 0 0 0 1 3 .324
R Doumit c 6 0 0 0 0 2 1 .367
J Bautista 3b 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 .212
P Dumatrait p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
hd-R Paulino ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
B Bixler ss 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
ha-N Morgan ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222
J Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Capps p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
hc-D Mientkiewicz ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .333
T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Gomez 3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .412
Z Duke p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
hb-L Rivas ph-ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .269
Totals 51 4 8 4 3 10 11 ###
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CHICAGO CUBS - 001 000 010 000 022 -- 6 14 0
PITTSBURGH - 000 000 011 000 020 -- 4 8 1
----------------------------------------------------
va-reached on error for R Cedeno in the 8th; ha-hit by pitch for B Bixler in
the 8th; hb-bunt popped out to first for D Marte in the 8th; vb-hit for R
Dempster in the 8th; hc-singled to left for M Capps in the 10th; vc-flied out
to right for M Fontenot in the 8th; vd-sacrificed to pitcher for B Howry in
the 11th; hd-popped out to first for P Dumatrait in the 15th; ve-struck out
swinging for M Wuertz in the 13th.
BATTING: 2B - A Ramirez (1, Z Duke); N McLouth (6, C Marmol); C Gomez (2, S
Marshall). HR - J Bay (1, 9th inning off K Wood 0 on, 0 Out), A Ramirez (2,
14th inning off P Dumatrait 1 on, 2 Out), A Laroche (1, 14th inning off K Hart
1 on, 1 Out). S - C Zambrano , R Dempster 2. RBI - R Johnson (3), A Ramirez 2
(5), F Pie 2 (2), N McLouth (10), J Bay (1), A LaRoche 2 (2). 2-out RBI - A
Ramirez 2, F Pie 2, N McLouth. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Lee
2, A Ramirez 2, R Theriot 2, G Soto 2, F Pie 1, X Nady 1, F Sanchez 1, N
McLouth 1. GIDP - D Lee, A Ramirez. Team LOB - CHICAGO CUBS 15, PITTSBURGH 6.
BASERUNNING: CS - K Fukudome (1, 2nd base by M Capps/R Doumit). FIELDING: E - F
Osoria (1, catch). Outfield assists - A Soriano (D Mientkiewicz at 2nd base).
DP: (B Bixler-F Sanchez-A LaRoche, D Lee-M DeRosa, L Rivas-F Sanchez-A
LaRoche).
CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
R Dempster 7 1 0 0 2 5 0 0.69
C Marmol (H, 3) 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 2.57
K Wood (B, 1) 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 7.20
B Howry 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 9.64
M Wuertz 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.00
K Hart (W, 2-0) 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 5.68
S Marshall (S, 1) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era
Z Duke 7 8 1 1 1 6 0 2.13
F Osoria 2/3 1 1 0 1 0 0 5.40
D Marte 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 14.73
J Grabow 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
M Capps 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.79
T Yates 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 1.17
P Dumatrait (L, 0-1) 3 3 4 4 4 2 1 4.50
WP - P Dumatrait. IBB - A Soriano 2 (by T Yates, P Dumatrait). HBP - R
Johnson (by Z Duke); N Morgan (by C Marmol). Pitches-strikes: R Dempster 98-67;
C Marmol 11-7; K Wood 17-11; B Howry 11-8; M Wuertz 30-19; K Hart 27-17; S
Marshall 16-8; Z Duke 116-76; F Osoria 14-6; D Marte 8-5; J Grabow 11-8; M
Capps 9-6; T Yates 33-17; P Dumatrait 62-34. Ground balls-fly balls: R Dempster
8-8; C Marmol 1-1; K Wood 1-0; B Howry 0-2; M Wuertz 2-2; K Hart 3-2; S
Marshall 1-2; Z Duke 9-6; F Osoria 0-2; D Marte 0-1; J Grabow 1-0; M Capps 0-1;
T Yates 5-1; P Dumatrait 5-2. Batters faced: R Dempster 24; C Marmol 5; K Wood
4; B Howry 3; M Wuertz 7; K Hart 8; S Marshall 4; Z Duke 30; F Osoria 5; D
Marte 1; J Grabow 3; M Capps 3; T Yates 8; P Dumatrait 16. UMPIRES: HP--Andy
Fletcher. 1B--Mike Reilly. 2B--Scott Barry. 3B--Alfonso Marquez. T--4:20.
Att--9,735. Weather: 69 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, right to left.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 NYM AA F. Martinez....... 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 COL AAA Ian Stewart....... 4 2 0 0 1 2 1 4 RBI CIN AAA Jay Bruce......... 5 2 0 0 0 1 3 LAA AAA Terry Evans....... 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 FLA AA Gaby Sanchez...... 4 3 1 0 1 0 1 OAK AAA Carlos Gonzalez... 4 2 0 0 0 1 1 ARI A+ Gerardo Parra..... 3 2 0 2 0 2 0 FLA A Thomas Hickman.... 3 2 0 0 2 1 1 4 RBI PIT AAA Neil Walker....... 5 3 0 0 1 0 1 SEA AAA W. Balentien...... 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 4 RBI FLA AA Cameron Maybin.... 4 2 0 0 0 1 2 PIT AAA Andrew McCutchen.. 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes KC AAA Luke Hochevar..... 6 2 3 2 6 2 0 LAA AAA Nick Adenhart..... 6 4 1 1 6 3 0 MIL AAA Yovani Gallardo... 5 7 2 2 6 1 0 BAL AAA Garrett Olson..... 6 4 0 0 7 0 0 COL A+ Aneury Rodriguez.. 6 3 0 0 8 0 0 TB A+ J. Hellickson..... 6 5 1 1 5 1 0 ATL A+ Thomas Hanson..... 6 1 0 0 7 2 0 TEX AAA A.J. Murray....... 6 2 1 1 5 0 0 PHI AA Joshua Outman..... 6 7 2 1 8 3 0 SF AA Adam Cowart....... 6 2 1 0 4 2 0 ARI AA Brooks Brown...... 6 5 1 1 4 1 0 DET AAA A. Galarraga...... 7 4 3 3 5 0 1
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.