THT Daily: Sexson’s Slam Satisfies Seattle Supporters

Major League News for August 9

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

Yesterday’s Results

American League
BAL     8  TOR     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA     6  NYA     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     5  CLE     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN     4  DET     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
KC      6  BOS     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
OAK     7  TEX     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     5  TB      1    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
ATL     3  PHI     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYN     3  SD      2    (Recap and Boxscore)
FLA     4  WAS     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN    10  STL     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
HOU     3  PIT     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     6  MIL     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
ARI     5  SF      1    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAN     4  COL     2    (Recap and Boxscore)

Today’s Games

Visitors                        Home                         Starts (EDT)
BAL - Bedard E.* (12-7, 3.85)    TOR - Halladay R. (13-3, 3.21)  12:35 pm
PHI - Wolf R.* (0-0, 6.48)       ATL - James C.* (4-3, 5.07)      1:05 pm
TEX - Padilla V. (11-7, 4.34)    OAK - Zito B.* (12-7, 3.50)      3:35 pm
 TB - Shields J. (4-5, 5.28)     SEA - Washburn J.* (5-11, 4.47)  4:35 pm
LAA - Lackey J. (10-7, 3.28)     CLE - Westbrook J. (8-7, 4.45)   7:05 pm
FLA - Willis D.* (7-8, 4.05)     WAS - Ortiz R. (8-9, 4.76)       7:05 pm
MIN - Santana J.* (12-5, 3.22)   DET - Bonderman J. (11-5, 3.81)  7:05 pm
STL - Carpenter C. (10-6, 3.06)  CIN - Harang A. (12-7, 3.53)     7:10 pm
 SD - Hensley C. (7-8, 4.33)     NYM - Martinez P. (8-4, 3.48)    7:10 pm
NYY - Johnson R.* (11-9, 5.11)   CWS - Garland J. (12-3, 4.99)    8:05 pm
CHC - Zambrano C. (12-4, 3.42)   MIL - Bush D. (7-8, 4.74)        8:05 pm
PIT - Chacon S. (1-0, 1.80)      HOU - Oswalt R. (8-7, 3.34)      8:05 pm
BOS - Beckett J. (13-6, 5.00)     KC - Redman M.* (7-6, 5.38)     8:10 pm
 SF - Morris M. (8-9, 4.73)      ARI - Batista M. (9-5, 4.87)     9:40 pm
COL - Francis J.* (9-9, 3.55)    LAD - Lowe D. (9-7, 4.15)       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  43 .606    0.0   64     2    
BOS     65  46 .586    2.0   61     4    
TOR     59  54 .522    9.0   60    -1    
BAL     51  63 .447   17.5   49     2    
TB      47  67 .412   21.5   46     1    
American League Central     
DET     76  37 .673    0.0   71     5    
CHA     66  45 .595    9.0   64     2    
MIN     66  46 .589    9.5   63     3    
CLE     47  64 .423   28.0   58   -11    
KC      39  73 .348   36.5   41    -2    
American League West        
OAK     62  51 .549    0.0   58     4    
LAA     59  54 .522    3.0   60    -1    
SEA     55  57 .491    6.5   57    -2    
TEX     56  58 .491    6.5   58    -2    


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     67  44 .604    0.0   65     2    
PHI     54  58 .482   13.5   55    -1    
ATL     52  60 .464   15.5   57    -5    
FLA     52  60 .464   15.5   54    -2    
WAS     49  63 .438   18.5   50    -1    
National League Central     
STL     61  51 .545    0.0   57     4    
CIN     58  55 .513    3.5   54     4    
HOU     54  58 .482    7.0   54     0    
MIL     52  60 .464    9.0   48     4    
CHN     48  64 .429   13.0   46     2    
PIT     42  71 .372   19.5   49    -7    
National League West        
SD      58  54 .518    0.0   57     1    
LAN     58  55 .513    0.5   62    -4    
ARI     57  56 .504    1.5   56     1    
COL     54  58 .482    4.0   57    -3    
SF      54  59 .478    4.5   56    -2    

Game of the Day

Felix Hernandez allows just one run, five hits, and a walk in seven innings against the Devil Rays last night, but Richie Sexson steals the spotlight with his walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to give Seattle a 5 to 1 win. It was Sexson’s fourth grand slam this season, and he’s now only two away from matching Don Mattingly’s single-season grand slam record.

TAMPA BAY (1) VS SEATTLE (5) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS 

TAMPA BAY              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
R Baldelli cf           4  0  1  1   0  2   3  .284
C Crawford lf           4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .308
J Cantu 2b              4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .254
T Lee 1b                4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .208
G Norton dh             4  0  1  0   0  2   0  .288
D Navarro c             3  0  1  0   1  0   1  .247
B Upton 3b              4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .226
R Branyan rf            3  1  1  0   0  1   1  .211
 D Hollins rf           1  0  0  0   0  1   0  .227
B Zobrist ss            3  0  1  0   1  2   0  .214
Totals                 34  1  6  1   2  9  14

BATTING: 2B - J Cantu (12, F Hernandez); G Norton (7, F Hernandez); D Navarro 
(2, F Hernandez). RBI - R Baldelli (30). Runners left in scoring position, 2 
out - J Cantu 2, R Branyan 1, T Lee 1, B Upton 1. GIDP - C Crawford. Team LOB - 
6. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - R Branyan (1, 3rd base off F Hernandez/K Johjima), B 
Zobrist (1, 2nd base off F Hernandez/K Johjima). CS - B Zobrist (1, 2nd base by 
J Mateo/R Rivera). 
 
FIELDING: E - B Upton (3, ground ball); D Navarro (5, throw); B Zobrist (1, 
ground ball). 
 
SEATTLE                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
I Suzuki rf             5  1  2  0   0  1   1  .331
J Lopez 2b              4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .283
A Beltre 3b             3  1  1  0   2  1   1  .261
R Ibanez lf             4  1  1  0   1  1   4  .276
R Sexson 1b             5  1  2  4   0  0   4  .224
B Broussard dh          4  1  0  0   0  2   5  .307
K Johjima c             3  0  1  1   0  0   2  .293
 A Jones pr             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .204
 R Rivera c             1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .152
Y Betancourt ss         3  0  0  0   0  0   2  .299
W Bloomquist cf         4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .248
Totals                 36  5  7  5   3  6  21

BATTING: 2B - I Suzuki (13, S Camp). HR - R Sexson (25, 10th inning off S 
McClung 3 on, 1 Out). S - J Lopez , Y Betancourt. RBI - K Johjima (51), R 
Sexson 4 (80). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - B Broussard 1, R 
Sexson 1, I Suzuki 1, Y Betancourt 1. Team LOB - 8. 
 
FIELDING: PB - K Johjima. DP: 1 (Y Betancourt-R Sexson). 
 
----------------------------------------------------
    TAMPA BAY       - 001 000 000 0  --   1
    SEATTLE         - 000 000 100 4  --   5

One out when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
J Seo                         7       5   1   0   1   5   0   4.50
J Switzer                       1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   6.19
S Camp (L, 4-1)               1 2/3   1   1   1   0   0   0   4.33
S McClung                       1/3   1   3   3   2   0   1   6.96

SEATTLE                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
F Hernandez                   8       5   1   1   1   5   0   4.29
G Sherrill                      2/3   0   0   0   1   2   0   2.76
J Mateo (W, 8-4)              1 1/3   1   0   0   0   2   0   4.53

J Seo pitched to 2 batters in the 8th.
S Camp pitched to 1 batter in the 10th.

WP - F Hernandez 2, J Seo. IBB - A Beltre (by S McClung), R Ibanez (by S 
McClung). HBP - R Baldelli (by F Hernandez). Pitches-strikes: J Seo 93-64; J 
Switzer 3-3; S Camp 16-11; S McClung 13-3; F Hernandez 111-68; G Sherrill 12-8; 
J Mateo 16-12. Ground balls-fly balls: J Seo 7-10; J Switzer 0-0; S Camp 3-2; S 
McClung 1-0; F Hernandez 13-6; G Sherrill 0-0; J Mateo 0-1. Batters faced: J 
Seo 30; J Switzer 1; S Camp 6; S McClung 4; F Hernandez 30; G Sherrill 3; J 
Mateo 4. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Brian Runge. 1B--Chris Guccione. 2B--Paul Emmel. 3B--Bruce 
Froemming. 

T--2:46. Att--32,951. 
Weather: 72 degrees, clear. Wind: 4 mph, out to center.

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
ATL AA  Brandon Jones      RF  3  2  1  0  1  1  0  4 RBI
BAL AAA Howie Clark        3B  4  3  1  0  1  0  0   
CHC AAA Buck Coats         SS  4  3  0  0  0  0  1   
CLE AAA Ben Francisco      DH  4  3  0  0  1  1  0   
DET AAA Chris Shelton      1B  3  3  1  0  1  2  0  .542 OBP during past week
FLA AAA Tom Wilson         1B  6  5  0  0  1  0  0  5 RBI
KC  AA  Billy Butler       RF  4  3  0  0  1  1  0   
NYY AA  Vince Faison       RF  5  3  1  0  1  0  0   
SD  AAA Jack Cust          LF  4  2  0  0  2  1  1  6 HR over past week
TB  AAA Joel Guzman        LF  4  3  1  0  1  0  1  3 runs scored
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
ATL AA  Dan Smith          6.0  3  1  0 12  0  0  1 ER allowed over last 18 IP
CHW AAA Tim Redding        7.0  6  1  1  9  1  1   
CIN AAA Chris Michalak     7.0  3  0  0  5  2  0   
FLA AA  Adam Bostick       7.0  4  0  0  2  3  0  0.98 ERA over past month
KC  AA  Brian Bass         5.0  2  0  0  6  1  0   
NYM A+  Blake Eager        7.0  3  0  0  4  1  0   
OAK AA  Michael Rogers     7.0  5  0  0  4  2  0   
PHI AAA Brian Mazone       7.0  3  0  0  4  2  0   
PHI AA  Giovany Gonzalez   8.0  4  2  2  6  1  0   
SF  AA  James Garcia       7.0  3  1  1  6  2  0   

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

Ryan Freel got three hits and made a down-and-dirty catch on the warning track that inspired a capacity crowd and helped the Cincinnati Reds roll to a 10-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. (Author’s note—I recommend watching the Top Plays of this game, located here.)

Paul Konerko homered off Mariano Rivera to tie it in the ninth and Jermaine Dye singled home the winning run in the 11th to lead the Chicago White Sox over the New York Yankees 6-5 Tuesday night. Konerko’s opposite-field homer to right-center leading off the ninth made it 5-all and gave Rivera just his third blown save in 31 chances this season.

Felix Hernandez allowed five hits and a run in eight innings with five strikeouts in Tuesday’s game against the Devil Rays, but he did not figure into the decision which went to extra innings.

Richie Sexson was 2-for-5 with a grand slam (25) off of reliever Seth McClung in the bottom of the 10th inning in Tuesday’s game against the Devil Rays.

Brad Radke won for the seventh time in eighth decisions, lifting the Minnesota Twins over Detroit 4-2 Tuesday night and stopping the Tigers’ four-game winning streak. Radke (11-8) gave up two runs and nine hits in seven innings, walking one.

Jeremy Sowers allowed four runs — three earned — and nine hits in seven innings in Tuesday’s game against the Angels. He did not walk a batter and struck out two in the no-decision.

Greg Maddux pitched six solid innings in his home debut for the Dodgers in Tuesday’s game against the Rockies. He did not figure into the decision after allowing two runs and seven hits.

Alex Rodriguez, in an 0-for-12 slide, went 3-for-3 and hit his 23rd homer on Tuesday against the White Sox.

David Ortiz was 1-for-3 with a solo home run (41) in Tuesday’s game at Kansas City. The hit was the 1,000th of his career and the RBI was his league-leading 110th.

Dan Uggla went 2-for-4 and hit his 17th homer on Tuesday at Washington.

Nick Markakis was 2-for-4 with a home run (5) and a career-high four RBI (36) in Tuesday’s game at Toronto.

Jason Marquis lasted only 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday at Cincinnati in his third straight loss, a rough stretch at a bad time for the Cardinals. He allowed nine hits, including Aurilia’s solo homer and run-scoring single, before leaving with the bases loaded in the third. “I don’t know what he was doing out there today,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He was out there just firing. I’m not sure why he thought that was the way to go about it. It was like he was thinking he could overpower them.”

Francisco Liriano’s determination to pitch with pain looks like it will land him on the disabled list. “You want percentages, it would be 99.999 that he would go on the disabled list,” Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. Liriano — 12-3 with a league-leading 2.19 ERA — missed a start Aug. 2 with inflammation in his left forearm, but returned to the rotation Monday night against the Tigers. He gave up four runs and a season-high 10 hits in just four innings, saying after the game the pain had gotten worse and moved closer to his elbow. Liriano will have “an extensive, advanced MRI” when the team returns to Minneapolis on Thursday, Gardenhire said. “More than likely, we’ll put him on the DL and bring in a pitcher to start Saturday.” We expect Scott Baker to get called back up for the start against Toronto.

Brandon Backe has lost some velocity on his fastball since coming back from a sprained right elbow. But the Houston Astros’ starter still has plenty of other reliable pitches and he used them all in a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. Making his fourth start since coming off the disabled list, Backe (3-1) allowed three hits, walked four and struck out two to improve to 12-3 at Minute Maid Park. “I know what I’ve got. I can’t get any more than what I’ve been showing,” Backe said. “There’s not going to be any 93 mph fastball I’m going to be able to throw by people. I’ve just got to use my ability to locate it as well as possible. There’s no overpowering anybody anymore.”

Team physician Dr. William Raasch said that second baseman Rickie Weeks will have to decide whether he wants to have surgery on his right wrist, because a tendon continues to snap out of place. “It’s not a serious injury, but it’s an injury that prevents him from swinging a bat,” Raasch said. “Surgery is becoming more and more of an option for him.” Weeks, who had been leading off and hitting .279 with eight homers and 34 RBIs, can’t damage the area more by declining the operation, but Raasch said that the tendon would probably continue to cause discomfort because of Weeks’ heavy use of his wrists while swinging. “There’s no timeline really involved,” Raasch said. “Part of it is a frustration level on his part, a comfort level on his part, because we consider this a relatively safe injury.”

A grinning Mike Piazza emerged from the visitors’ dugout at Shea Stadium on Tuesday and paused. He put his index finger to his lips and motioned downward with his hands. He couldn’t believe the reception he got in his first trip back to the Big Apple. The former Mets star got a warm welcome from fans lining the seats along the third-base line to greet the San Diego catcher, who spent eight seasons in New York before signing with the Padres last offseason. “I’m really excited to be back here,” Piazza said. “It’s a nice opportunity for me to say hi to all the fans that made my experience here amazing, something I’ll obviously cherish until the day I die. They’ll always be a part of me.” A pregame tribute on the video board in left-center showed some of Piazza’s most memorable moments with the Mets, prompting more cheers. The 37-year-old slugger watched from the third-base line after warming up Padres starter Woody Williams in the bullpen. He mouthed “Thank you” and waved to fans as they stood and clapped. He received another standing ovation before his first at-bat leading off the second inning, this time waving his batting helmet twice as cameras flashed all over the stadium.

David Wright hit a pair of run-scoring singles and New York beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 Tuesday night to ruin Piazza’s homecoming. Wright, one of the new leaders of the first place Mets, went 3-for-4 and had a stolen base in the game.

New York Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui could rejoin the team in the next few days as he rehabilitates his broken left wrist, a move designed to avoid cutting a later minor league assignment. Matsui has spent the past two weeks working out at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Florida. Under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, days 11 through 20 of the player’s rehab work at a spring training facility count against time allowed on a 20-day injury rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues. Team officials have reviewed the matter with Matsui, who said through a translator Tuesday that “it’s a probability” he will be rejoining the Yankees soon. “But I don’t know yet as far as when I’m going to join,” Matsui said. “It’s basically a major league baseball rule where at a certain point you can only spend so much time here.” Matsui hasn’t played since breaking the wrist while diving for a fly ball hit by Boston’s Mark Loretta on May 11. “Personally, it would be nice if I could stay here,” Matsui said. “Because in terms of workouts, in terms of rehab, it’s a better environment for me. You have a lot of time here. When you join the team, obviously the priority is for the active players who are playing.” Matsui is scheduled to have his wrist re-examined Friday and could be cleared to intensify his workouts.

Tim Hudson pitched his best game in nearly two months, tossing seven scoreless innings and driving in a run with a suicide squeeze to lead the Atlanta Braves past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 Tuesday night. Hudson (9-10) was mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, going 2-6 with a 7.60 ERA over his past 10 starts. During that span, he allowed 76 hits and eight homers in 55 2/3 innings. But Philadelphia couldn’t get a runner past second base against Hudson, who scattered six hits, walked two and struck out eight — his most K’s since he had 10 against Florida on May 16. He wasn’t even fazed after taking Chase Utley’s line drive off the back of his right shoulder in the first.

New York Yankees designated hitter Jason Giambi was forced out of Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox with a bruised elbow after he was hit with a pitch in the eighth inning.

The New York Yankees activated All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and put infielder Miguel Cairo on the DL with a strained left hamstring. Cairo, who had to leave Saturday’s game against the Orioles in the third inning, was batting .234 with no homers and 25 RBI.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed reliever Justin Speier on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday night with tightness in his right forearm. Speier was placed on the DL after allowing a go-ahead, three-run double in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s 8-4 loss to Baltimore. “It’s a big blow,” said manager John Gibbons, who intends to use Jeremy Accardo and Brandon League in the eighth inning while Speier recuperates. Speier is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA in 51 appearances this season. The right-hander said he’s been dealing with the problem over his past six outings, but the pain intensified in the past week.

Horacio Ramirez has a partially torn ligament in his middle finger and will be placed on the DL. Manager Bobby Cox said Tuesday there’s a “good chance” Ramirez is done for the year, though the lefty hopes to return in a few weeks. Ramirez (5-5) underwent an MRI scan and was to be examined Wednesday by Dr. Gary Lourie, a hand specialist, who will determine the best course of treatment. Lance Cormier, who began the season in the Braves’ bullpen, is most likely to be called up from Richmond to start. Kevin Barry is another possibility.

Brandon Claussen will have surgery Monday to clean out his pitching shoulder. He’s expected back for spring training.

The Tigers added LHP Andrew Miller to their 40-man roster, and the first-round pick started pitching at Single-A Lakeland.

The Royals recalled left-hander Andrew Sisco from Omaha, where he had allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings after being optioned on July 27. The Royals also optioned infielder Andres Blanco and right-hander Leo Nunez to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

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