THT Daily: Liriano Still Suffering Soreness

Major League News for August 8

Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
Game of the Day
Top Minor League Performances
Player News
Stats

Yesterday’s Results
American League
TOR     8  BAL     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     6  CHA     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
DET     9  MIN     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
OAK     7  TEX     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     5  TB      4    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
PHI     9  ATL     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL    13  CIN     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
SF      8  ARI     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAN     7  COL     2    (Recap and Boxscore)

Today’s Games
Visitors                         Home                         Starts (EDT)
LAA - Weaver J. (7-0, 1.81)      CLE - Sowers J.* (3-3, 3.94)      7:05 pm
FLA - Nolasco R. (9-7, 4.23)     WAS - Armas T. (7-7, 5.16)        7:05 pm
MIN - Radke B. (10-8, 4.75)      DET - Robertson N.* (10-7, 3.82)  7:05 pm
BAL - Cabrera D. (4-7, 5.25)     TOR - Marcum S. (1-1, 5.33)       7:07 pm
STL - Marquis J. (12-9, 5.68)    CIN - Milton E.* (7-7, 5.20)      7:10 pm
 SD - Williams W. (4-3, 3.84)    NYM - Trachsel S. (10-5, 5.12)    7:10 pm
PHI - Hamels C.* (4-5, 5.27)     ATL - Hudson T. (8-10, 5.22)      7:35 pm
NYY - Wang C. (13-4, 3.58)       CWS - Garcia F. (10-7, 4.87)      8:05 pm
CHC - Marmol C. (4-5, 5.09)      MIL - Ohka T. (3-2, 3.57)         8:05 pm
PIT - Maholm P.* (4-9, 4.83)     HOU - Backe B. (2-1, 4.38)        8:05 pm
BOS - Lester J.* (5-1, 3.59)      KC - Hudson L. (4-3, 4.67)       8:10 pm
 SF - Wright J. (6-9, 5.04)      ARI - Cruz J. (4-6, 4.64)         9:40 pm
TEX - Millwood K. (10-7, 4.63)   OAK - Komine S. (0-0, 1.50)      10:05 pm
 TB - Seo J. (1-5, 5.23)         SEA - Hernandez F. (10-9, 4.49)  10:05 pm
COL - Kim B. (7-6, 4.57)         LAD - Maddux G. (10-11, 4.49)    10:10 pm

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
NYA     66  42 .611    0.0   63     3    sparkline graph
BOS     65  45 .591    2.0   60     5    sparkline graph
TOR     59  53 .527    9.0   60    -1    sparkline graph
BAL     50  63 .442   18.5   48     2    sparkline graph
TB      47  66 .416   21.5   46     1    sparkline graph
American League Central     
DET     76  36 .679    0.0   71     5    sparkline graph
CHA     65  45 .591   10.0   63     2    sparkline graph
MIN     65  46 .586   10.5   62     3    sparkline graph
CLE     47  63 .427   28.0   58   -11    sparkline graph
KC      38  73 .342   37.5   40    -2    sparkline graph
American League West        
OAK     61  51 .545    0.0   57     4    sparkline graph
LAA     58  54 .518    3.0   59    -1    sparkline graph
TEX     56  57 .496    5.5   57    -1    sparkline graph
SEA     54  57 .486    6.5   56    -2    sparkline graph


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     66  44 .600    0.0   64     2    sparkline graph
PHI     54  57 .486   12.5   55    -1    sparkline graph
ATL     51  60 .459   15.5   56    -5    sparkline graph
FLA     51  60 .459   15.5   53    -2    sparkline graph
WAS     49  62 .441   17.5   50    -1    sparkline graph
National League Central     
STL     61  50 .550    0.0   57     4    sparkline graph
CIN     57  55 .509    4.5   53     4    sparkline graph
HOU     53  58 .477    8.0   54    -1    sparkline graph
MIL     52  59 .468    9.0   47     5    sparkline graph
CHN     47  64 .423   14.0   45     2    sparkline graph
PIT     42  70 .375   19.5   49    -7    sparkline graph
National League West        
SD      58  53 .523    0.0   56     2    sparkline graph
LAN     57  55 .509    1.5   61    -4    sparkline graph
ARI     56  56 .500    2.5   55     1    sparkline graph
COL     54  57 .486    4.0   57    -3    sparkline graph
SF      54  58 .482    4.5   56    -2    sparkline graph

Game of the Day

Due to a stiff neck, Ted Lilly was scratched as the starting pitcher for Toronto just before the start of this game. But not to worry, Blue Jay fans, as Brian Tallet, Jeremy Accardo and Brandon League combined on a two-hit, four-walk, one-run game as Toronto wins 8 to 1. Russ Ortiz, SP for the Orioles, departed after just nine outs, allowing six earned runs (RBI single by Lyle Overbay in the first, 2-run home run by Overbay in the 3rd, and a 3-run home run by Vernon Wells in the 4th). League closed the game for the Blue Jays, pitching four innings, walking only one batter and striking out two.

BALTIMORE (1) VS TORONTO (8) - FINAL

BALTIMORE              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
B Roberts 2b            3  0  0  0   1  1   2  .293
F Tatis dh              4  0  1  0   0  2   1  .353
M Mora 3b               3  0  0  0   1  1   3  .285
M Tejada ss             4  0  1  0   0  0   0  .330
J Conine lf             3  0  0  0   1  0   1  .269
R Hernandez c           2  0  0  0   1  0   2  .259
C Patterson cf          3  0  0  0   0  1   2  .281
K Millar 1b             2  1  0  0   1  0   0  .234
N Markakis rf           2  0  0  0   1  0   0  .290
Totals                 26  1  2  0   6  5  11

BATTING: 2B - M Tejada (27, J Accardo). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out 
- J Conine 1, C Patterson 1. GIDP - M Mora. Team LOB - 4. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - M Tejada (6, 3rd base off J Accardo/B Molina). Picked Off - 
B Roberts (1st base, B Tallet). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 1 (M Tejada-K Millar). 

TORONTO                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
R Johnson lf            4  2  3  0   1  1   1  .347
F Catalanotto dh        5  1  2  0   0  1   2  .318
V Wells cf              5  2  3  3   0  0   2  .325
T Glaus 3b              3  2  1  0   2  0   1  .264
L Overbay 1b            5  1  3  5   0  0   1  .300
A Rios rf               4  0  0  0   1  2   1  .317
B Molina c              4  0  1  0   0  0   3  .274
A Hill 2b               3  0  1  0   1  1   1  .303
J McDonald ss           4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .214
Totals                 37  8 14  8   5  5  15

BATTING: 2B - R Johnson 2 (28, R Ortiz 2); F Catalanotto (23, R Ortiz); B 
Molina (13, B Chen); A Hill (22, W Abreu); L Overbay (28, T Byrdak). HR - L 
Overbay (17, 3rd inning off R Ortiz 1 on, 0 Out), V Wells (27, 4th inning off R 
Ortiz 2 on, 0 Out). RBI - L Overbay 5 (67), V Wells 3 (83). 2-out RBI - L 
Overbay 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Johnson 1, B Molina 2, V 
Wells 2, J McDonald 1, A Rios 1. GIDP - F Catalanotto. Team LOB - 10. 
 
FIELDING: E - A Rios (1, bobble). DP: 2 (J McDonald-A Hill-L Overbay, A 
Hill-L Overbay). 
 
----------------------------------------------------
    BALTIMORE       - 001 000 000   --   1
    TORONTO         - 102 300 02x   --   8
----------------------------------------------------

BALTIMORE                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
R Ortiz (L, 0-3)              3       9   6   6   3   0   2  12.57
B Chen                        2       1   0   0   0   3   0   6.80
W Abreu                       2       2   0   0   0   2   0   0.00
T Byrdak                        2/3   2   2   2   2   0   0  16.20
C Britton                       1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   2.62

TORONTO                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
B Tallet                      2 1/3   0   1   0   4   2   0   4.58
J Accardo (W, 1-0)            2 2/3   2   0   0   1   1   0   1.59
B League (S, 1)               4       0   0   0   1   2   0   2.81

R Ortiz pitched to 3 batters in the 4th.

Pitches-strikes: R Ortiz 90-50; B Chen 36-23; W Abreu 34-25; T Byrdak 23-10; 
C Britton 5-3; B Tallet 41-19; J Accardo 41-26; B League 40-27. Ground 
balls-fly balls: R Ortiz 4-5; B Chen 1-2; W Abreu 1-3; T Byrdak 2-0; C Britton 
1-0; B Tallet 1-3; J Accardo 4-2; B League 9-1. Batters faced: R Ortiz 21; B 
Chen 7; W Abreu 8; T Byrdak 5; C Britton 1; B Tallet 10; J Accardo 9; B League 
13. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Adam Dowdy. 1B--Tim Tschida. 2B--Laz Diaz. 3B--Ted Barrett. 

T--3:00. Att--23,838. 
Weather: 82 degrees, sunny. Wind: 8 mph, left to right.

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.

ORG LVL PLAYER            POS AB  H 2B 3B HR BB SO  Notes
ARI A+  Javier Brito       1B  4  4  1  0  1  0  0  .577 OBP during past week
BOS AAA Willie Harris      LF  3  2  0  1  1  2  1  3 runs scored
BOS A   Aaron Bates        1B  3  2  0  0  2  1  0  5 RBI
CHC AAA Geovany Soto        C  2  2  0  0  1  1  0   
DET AAA Alexis Gomez       CF  5  4  0  0  4  1  1  4 runs scored
HOU AAA Cody Ransom        3B  4  3  0  0  1  0  0   
KC  AA  Billy Butler       RF  4  2  0  0  2  1  2   
KC  A   Mario Lisson       3B  6  4  1  0  2  0  0  4 RBI
SEA AAA Bryan LaHair       1B  4  3  0  0  1  1  0   
SF  AAA Tomas De La Rosa   2B  6  5  1  1  0  0  0  3 runs scored
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
ARI AAA Edgar G Gonzalez   8.0  4  2  2  5  2  0   
BOS A+  Gary Galvez        7.0  3  1  1  5  0  1   
CHC AAA Jae Kuk Ryu        8.0  5  2  1  7  1  1   
CLE A   Jeffrey Stevens    6.0  2  0  0  7  1  0   
FLA AA  Jose Garcia        7.0  3  0  0  8  1  0  1.33 ERA over past month
HOU A   Garrett Murdy      7.0  4  1  1  7  3  0   
HOU AA  Joshua Miller      5.0  1  0  0  5  1  0   
KC  A   Erik Cordier       7.0  2  0  0  6  0  0   
KC  AA  Billy Buckner      7.0  2  0  0  5  3  0   
OAK AA  Brad Knox          7.1  1  1  0  3  5  0

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

Francisco Liriano is reportedly still suffering from soreness in his throwing forearm. He was limited to just four innings and was not the same pitcher we’ve come to expect on Monday at Detroit. “It’s a muscular problem — as the game was going on, he started to feel it,” said manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We had him checked out before, and everything was fine, but we’ll have him checked out again. It’s muscles, not his elbow.”

Jeff Kent (oblique) was back from the 15-day disabled list for Monday’s game against the Rockies. He made his first start at first base since Sept. 18, 2005. He finished the game 2-for-5 with a double (15), home run (10) and three RBI (47).

Monday marked two years since Greg Maddux got his 300th career victory. Tuesday night, the four-time Cy Young winner will pitch at Dodger Stadium for the first time since the July 31 trade that sent him from the Chicago Cubs to Los Angeles. Maddux is 6-5 with a 3.19 ERA and two complete games in 15 career starts at Chavez Ravine – including a 4-1 victory on April 17 when he allowed three hits over eight innings in his first start since turning 40 years old. “Dodger Stadium is one of the few stadiums I went to as a kid, so it’s always been kind of special to me,” Maddux said. “The look of it, the atmosphere, the feel of it, the weather – everything about it is special. I’m looking forward to being here for more than three days this time.”

Luis Gonzalez hit his 535th career double in the first inning Monday, moving him past Lou Gehrig into 26th place on the career list.

All-Star pitcher Scott Kazmir is expected to come off the disabled list this week and start Friday night for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Oakland. The left-hander has not pitched since July 23 because of inflammation in his throwing shoulder. At first, the Devil Rays hoped Kazmir would return during a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, but he was pushed back to Friday. Kazmir will be activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, manager Joe Maddon said before Monday night’s series opener in Seattle. The 22-year-old Kazmir had no problems with the team being cautious about his return. “I think it was a good thing maybe to hold back a little bit,” Kazmir said. “Being able to take this time off and taking it slow, working out everything, I think it was a good idea.”

A Hardball Times Update
Goodbye for now.

Jim Thome and Nomar Garciaparra were among 12 finalists selected Monday to vie for the comeback player of the year awards in the AL and NL. Thome and Garciaparra have bounced back from injury-plagued seasons with new clubs. Garciaparra, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a short stay with the Chicago Cubs, was nominated on the NL side along with New York’s Carlos Beltran, Florida closer Joe Borowski, Johnny Estrada of Arizona, Edgar Renteria of Atlanta, and Scott Rolen of St. Louis.

Brian Tallet and two relievers combined on a two-hitter in place of injured starter Ted Lilly to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Lilly was scratched just before the scheduled start because of a stiff neck. Tallet didn’t allow a hit in the first 2 1/3 innings and was followed by Jeremy Accardo. Accardo (1-0) gave up both hits but didn’t allow a run in 2 2/3 innings. Brandon League earned his first major league save by pitching the final four innings.

Detroit Tigers minor leaguer Alexis Gomez hit four home runs for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens on Monday night. Gomez entered the game with only three homers at Triple-A all year. He has played 48 big league games for the Tigers this season, batting .265 with one homer and six RBI. The center fielder hit three solo shots and a two-run drive, finishing with five RBI in a 15-8 International League victory over the Columbus Clippers, the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. The major league record for homers in a game is four, last accomplished by Carlos Delgado for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 25, 2003. Gomez led off the game with a home run and hit a two-run shot in the fourth, both off Columbus starter Tommy Phelps. Gomez also connected against Colter Bean leading off the sixth, and Jesus Colome in the ninth.

Ryan Klesko (neck, shoulder) started a rehab assignment with Class A Lake Elsinore on Monday night. He was hitless in three at-bats with two strikeouts.

Jose Capellan (shoulder) was able to work one perfect inning in Monday’s Double-A rehab assignment. He struck out two batters while pitching for Huntsville.

Adrian Beltre hit a two-run homer in the first inning on Monday against the Devil Rays, his 12th of the season and third in the past five games.

Jamie Moyer lasted only 4 1/3 innings in Monday’s game against the Devil Rays, matching his shortest outing of the season on July 21 when he gave up five homers in a 9-4 loss to Boston. The soft-throwing lefty allowed four runs, eight hits and struck out four.

Edinson Volquez (0-1), a disaster during limited time with Texas last season, yielded five hits and four runs in his first start of the year. The rookie right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game to fill in for Kip Wells, who remained in Dallas with an unspecified arm ailment. “He’s a young man,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He just turned 23, (but) he handled himself very well. … He was more comfortable, and he threw more strikes.”

Frank Thomas left Monday’s game against the Rangers in the seventh inning after feeling ill. Adam Melhuse came on as a pinch-hitter in his absence.

Joe Kennedy and Scott Sauerbeck threw two scoreless innings apiece for Triple-A Sacramento on Monday in their quest to return to the A’s bullpen. Kennedy has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 11 with left shoulder tendinitis, while Sauerbeck has been on the DL since July 26 with a strained right groin.

Esteban Loaiza (5-7) got only his second victory in eight starts, repeatedly pitching out of trouble in 6 2/3 innings on Monday against the Rangers while allowing 10 hits and four runs. “I’m happy with what I’ve been doing, but now I just feel a lot stronger,” Loaiza said.

Fogg (7-7) allowed five runs, eight hits and four walks in just 4 1/3 innings in Monday’s game at L.A. Dodgers. The right-hander was removed by Rockies manager Clint Hurdle after giving up a bases-loaded RBI single by Julio Lugo that made the score 5-1. After crossing the foul line, Fogg crossed the line with plate umpire Sam Holbrook and was ejected after complaining too strongly about his call on a previous pitch.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting Aaron Sele might be placed on waivers to make room for the return of Nomar Garciaparra (oblique) from the 15-day disabled list.

Brad Penny (12-5) pitched eight strong innings in Monday’s game against the Rockies. He allowed five hits, including homers by Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe. The All-Star right-hander struck out four, walked none and helped himself with an RBI double.

Rafael Furcal was hitless in five at-bats in Monday’s game against the Rockies, as his 13-game hitting streak came to a conclusion.

Kenny Lofton was 3-for-5 with a triple (9), two runs scored and two stolen bases (19) in Monday’s game against the Rockies, as he continues to show off his wheels.

Brandon Webb, who missed his last start with soreness in his right elbow, played catch in the outfield before Monday night’s game and will throw in the bullpen on Tuesday.

Pedro Feliz was 2-for-3 with a pair of solo home runs (18, 19) and two RBI (73) in Monday’s game at Arizona. Feliz has two multi-homer games this season and seven in his career.

Adam LaRoche had a bandage on his left wrist, where he was struck with a pitch by Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo on Saturday. “He caught me good,” said LaRoche, who was in the lineup Monday.

Chipper Jones took batting practice from the left side before the game. Jones has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 29 with a strained left oblique muscle. The switch-hitter reinjured his side while batting left-handed, forcing him onto the DL for the second time this season. “It felt good,” said Jones, who is eligible to come off the DL after Sunday’s game against Milwaukee.

Jason Schmidt (9-7) scattered seven hits and allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings in Monday’s game at Arizona. He walked two, struck out two and matched a franchise-mark with three hit batters. “He struggled but his great stuff got him out of trouble,” said manager Felipe Alou.

Mark Kotsay probably will miss the three-game series against Texas with a sore back. Kotsay walked around the clubhouse before the game with an electronic stimulus belt and ice on his back. Kotsay won’t even be able to bowl in his own charity tournament Thursday, manager Ken Macha said.

Juan Uribe was out of the lineup for a second straight game Monday with a stiff lower back. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he expected Uribe to be ready Tuesday, but if the problem lingers, might suggest putting him on the disabled list.

Justin Morneau needs one homer to become the first Twins player to hit 30 in a season since Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunansky and Gary Gaetti all did it in 1987. Morneau would also become just the fourth Canadian to hit 30 homers in a season, joining Larry Walker, Matt Stairs and Jason Bay.

Craig Monroe extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with a first-inning single on Monday against the Twins. The hit also increased Monroe’s career batting average against Minnesota to .348.

Mark Buehrle lost his sixth straight decision on Monday against the Angels and has not won since June 27. The three-time All-Star yielded three solo shots and the Angels chased the left-hander with a two-out, three-run rally in the seventh. Buehrle committed a bases-loaded balk during the inning. He finished with a line of six runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers placed reliever Elmer Dessens on the DL with a sprained left ankle, retroactive to Aug. 3 on Monday.

Brett Myers (8-5) lasted five innings on Monday in a victory over Atlanta, his shortest stint since returning from the inactive list July 16. He left the team for three weeks after being charged with striking his wife in the face. Myers gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out four. He had gone at least six innings in four previous starts coming off his legal problems.

Andruw Jones hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth for Atlanta on Monday against Philadelphia. The slugger actually shattered his bat just above his hands, trotting to first with only the handle as the ball cleared the 400-foot sign in center.

Ryan Howard hit his 39th homer to surpass 100 RBI, and the Philadelphia Phillies scored five runs in the fifth inning Monday night during a 9-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Howard’s two-run shot in the fourth was Philadelphia’s first hit of the night and marked the 16th straight game in which the Phillies have gone deep, tying the franchise record set in 2002.

Braves pitcher Horacio Ramirez left Monday night’s start against Philadelphia after injuring his left middle finger in the fifth inning. The Braves said Ramirez sustained a soft tissue injury and would undergo an MRI as soon as possible to determine how serious it is. After walking Abraham Nunez to start the fifth, Ramirez delivered a high pitch that bounced off the glove of catcher Brian McCann for a passed ball. The left-hander immediately signaled to the dugout that something was wrong. After flexing his hand for the trainer, he was replaced by Oscar Villareal.

Joe Crede (back) returned to the starting lineup on Monday against the Angels.

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