THT Daily: Chicago Sweeps Detroit

Major League News for August 14

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

Yesterday’s Results

American League
BOS    11  BAL     9    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     5  NYA     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA     7  DET     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
CLE    13  KC      0    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN     5  TOR     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
OAK     3  TB      1    (Recap and Boxscore)
TEX    10  SEA     6    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
ATL     7  MIL     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN     7  PHI     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYN     3  WAS     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
SD      7  HOU     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
PIT     7  STL     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
FLA     6  ARI     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     8  COL     7    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAN     1  SF      0    (Recap and Boxscore)

Today’s Games

Visitors                         Home                        Starts (EDT)
NYM - Martinez P. (9-4, 3.42)     PHI - Hamels C.* (4-6, 4.97)    7:05 pm
ATL - James C.* (4-3, 4.69)       WAS - Ortiz R. (9-9, 4.60)      7:05 pm
DET - Robertson N.* (10-8, 3.82)  BOS - Beckett J. (13-6, 4.92)   7:05 pm
LAA - Lackey J. (10-8, 3.33)      NYY - Johnson R.* (12-9, 5.03)  7:05 pm
MIL - Bush D. (8-8, 4.67)         PIT - Santos V. (4-7, 5.58)     7:05 pm
 KC - Redman M.* (7-6, 5.49)      CWS - Garland J. (12-4, 5.16)   8:05 pm
CHC - Zambrano C. (12-5, 3.54)    HOU - Oswalt R. (9-7, 3.27)     8:05 pm
ARI - Vargas C. (9-8, 5.30)       COL - Francis J.* (9-9, 3.44)   9:05 pm
SEA - Washburn J.* (6-11, 4.26)   OAK - Zito B.* (12-8, 3.73)    10:05 pm
 SF - Hennessey B. (4-2, 2.93)     SD - Hensley C. (7-9, 4.41)   10:05 pm
FLA - Willis D.* (7-9, 4.08)      LAD - Lowe D. (9-8, 4.09)      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     68  46 .596    0.0   66     2    
BOS     68  48 .586    1.0   64     4    
TOR     63  55 .534    7.0   64    -1    
BAL     51  67 .432   19.0   50     1    
TB      47  71 .398   23.0   47     0    
American League Central     
DET     76  41 .650    0.0   72     4    
CHA     70  46 .603    5.5   67     3    
MIN     68  49 .581    8.0   65     3    
CLE     53  64 .453   23.0   64   -11    
KC      41  77 .347   35.5   43    -2    
American League West        
OAK     65  52 .556    0.0   59     6    
LAA     61  57 .517    4.5   61     0    
TEX     61  58 .513    5.0   63    -2    
SEA     56  61 .479    9.0   58    -2    


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     71  45 .612    0.0   68     3    
PHI     56  60 .483   15.0   57    -1    
FLA     55  62 .470   16.5   56    -1    
ATL     54  62 .466   17.0   58    -4    
WAS     51  66 .436   20.5   52    -1    
National League Central     
STL     62  55 .530    0.0   59     3    
CIN     61  57 .517    1.5   56     5    
HOU     57  60 .487    5.0   58    -1    
MIL     55  62 .470    7.0   50     5    
CHN     49  68 .419   13.0   47     2    
PIT     45  73 .381   17.5   52    -7    
National League West        
LAN     62  56 .525    0.0   64    -2    
SD      60  57 .513    1.5   59     1    
ARI     59  58 .504    2.5   58     1    
COL     57  60 .487    4.5   61    -4    
SF      54  63 .462    7.5   57    -3    

Game of the Day

With the White Sox sweeping the weekend series, the Tigers have now lost five games in a row but still have the best record in MLB. Chicago is 9-3 vs. Detroit this season and now only 5.5 games back in the AL Central. These two teams face off seven more times this season.

DETROIT (3) VS CHI WHITE SOX (7) - FINAL

DETROIT                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Granderson cf         5  0  0  0   0  2   3  .273
P Polanco 2b            4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .294
I Rodriguez c           4  1  0  0   0  2   1  .295
 V Wilson c             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .276
M Ordonez rf            4  1  3  0   0  0   0  .301
C Guillen ss            4  0  2  2   0  0   1  .307
D Young dh              4  0  0  0   0  1   3  .261
C Monroe lf             4  1  2  0   0  1   0  .273
S Casey 1b              4  0  3  1   0  0   0  .270
B Inge 3b               4  0  0  0   0  1   4  .243
Totals                 37  3 11  3   0  8  13

BATTING: 2B - M Ordonez (24, F Garcia); C Monroe (25, F Garcia); S Casey (2, F 
Garcia). RBI - C Guillen 2 (68), S Casey (8). 2-out RBI - C Guillen 2. Runners 
left in scoring position, 2 out - D Young 1, P Polanco 1, C Granderson 1. GIDP 
- C Guillen. Team LOB - 7. 
 
FIELDING: E - C Guillen (22, throw). Outfield assists - C Monroe (B Anderson 
at 2nd base). 
 
CHI WHITE SOX          ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
S Podsednik lf          2  1  0  0   1  1   0  .262
 a-P Ozuna ph           1  0  1  1   0  0   0  .339
 R Mackowiak lf         0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .299
A Cintron 2b            4  1  2  3   0  0   1  .277
J Thome dh              3  0  1  0   1  0   1  .297
P Konerko 1b            3  0  1  1   0  2   4  .300
J Dye rf                4  1  2  1   0  0   2  .327
A Pierzynski c          4  1  1  0   0  0   1  .308
J Crede 3b              4  1  1  0   0  1   2  .304
J Uribe ss              4  1  1  0   0  0   2  .247
B Anderson cf           2  1  1  1   1  0   0  .216
Totals                 31  7 11  7   3  4  13

a-singled to left for S Podsednik in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - A Cintron (7, Z Miner); J Uribe (21, R Colon); J Crede (25, T 
Jones). 3B - A Cintron (3, Z Miner). HR - J Dye (31, 8th inning off T Jones 0 
on, 0 Out). S - B Anderson. SF - P Konerko. RBI - P Konerko (83), A Cintron 3 
(29), P Ozuna (14), J Dye (88), B Anderson (29). 2-out RBI - A Cintron 3, B 
Anderson. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Dye 1, J Thome 1, P 
Konerko 1. Team LOB - 5. 
 
BASERUNNING: CS - J Dye (3, 2nd base by Z Miner), B Anderson (5, 2nd base by 
Z Miner/I Rodriguez). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Crede-A Cintron-P Konerko). 
 
----------------------------------------------------
    DETROIT         - 101 100 000   --   3
    CHI WHITE SOX   - 130 000 12x   --   7
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Z Miner (L, 7-3)              5 1/3   5   4   4   3   2   0   4.25
W Ledezma                       1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   2.70
R Colon                         2/3   1   1   1   0   1   0   4.89
J Walker                        1/3   2   0   0   0   0   0   1.57
J Zumaya                        1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   2.08
T Jones                       1       3   2   2   0   0   1   4.93

CHI WHITE SOX                ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
F Garcia (W, 11-7)            7       8   3   3   0   6   0   4.78
M MacDougal (H, 3)              1/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   0.84
M Thornton (H, 11)            1       2   0   0   0   0   0   3.54
B Jenks (S, 33)                 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   3.60

WP - Z Miner. Pitches-strikes: Z Miner 113-68; W Ledezma 7-6; R Colon 6-6; J 
Walker 9-7; J Zumaya 4-3; T Jones 18-11; F Garcia 95-60; M MacDougal 5-4; M 
Thornton 14-8; B Jenks 10-7. Ground balls-fly balls: Z Miner 4-8; W Ledezma 
0-1; R Colon 1-0; J Walker 0-1; J Zumaya 0-0; T Jones 1-1; F Garcia 8-7; M 
MacDougal 0-0; M Thornton 3-0; B Jenks 0-1. Batters faced: Z Miner 23; W 
Ledezma 1; R Colon 3; J Walker 3; J Zumaya 1; T Jones 5; F Garcia 29; M 
MacDougal 2; M Thornton 4; B Jenks 2. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Tim Timmons. 1B--Jeff Nelson. 2B--Rob Drake. 3B--Derryl Cousins. 
EJECTIONS:  DETROIT's Rodriguez by Timmons (8th). 
T--3:01. Att--38,931. 
Weather: 81 degrees, sunny. Wind: 8 mph, in from right.

The following graph tracks the game’s Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs.

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       DH  4  4  1  0  0  1  0  .636 OBP during past week
CHW AAA Ruben Rivera       RF  4  3  0  0  2  0  0   
CLE AAA Kevin Kouzmanoff   3B  4  4  1  0  0  0  0   
CLE A+  Jose Constanza     RF  5  3  0  1  1  1  0  5 RBI
LA  A   Lucas May          RF  3  2  0  0  2  0  0  4 RBI
MIN AA  Daniel Matienzo    1B  3  3  0  0  2  2  0  5 RBI
NYY AA  Justin Christian   CF  4  4  1  0  1  1  0  3 runs scored
NYY AA  Shelley Duncan     LF  5  3  0  0  2  0  0   
PHI AAA Joe Thurston       2B  2  2  0  0  1  2  0   
PHI AA  Brian Sellier      RF  4  3  1  0  2  0  0   
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
ATL AAA Anthony Lerew      7.0  5  1  1  9  1  1   
BAL A+  Matt Bruback       6.0  2  1  0  6  0  0   
BOS AA  Frank Brooks       7.0  1  0  0  9  1  0  17 K over last 13 IP
CHC AA  JR Mathes          7.0  6  1  1 11  0  1   
CLE AA  Sean Smith         8.0  2  0  0  8  0  0   
COL A   Alan Johnson       8.0  4  2  2  7  1  0   
DET A   Sendy Vasquez      8.0  3  1  0  5  1  0   
MIN A   Eduardo Morlan     7.0  1  0  0  9  3  0   
MIN AA  Kevin Slowey       7.0  2  0  0  7  2  0   
PHI AAA Brian Mazone       7.2  5  1  1  6  0  0  1.26 ERA over past month

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

Rookie OF Shin-Soo Choo his hitting .395 (17-for-43) with 14 RBI over his last 11 games.

Grady Sizemore has hit .342 (13-for-38) over a 10-game hitting streak and his batting .362 (38-for-105) over his last 28.

Jeremy Sowers is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA over his last five starts.

Devil Rays 3B B.J. Upton led off for the first time this season on Sunday at Oakland and went 0-for-4.

Ryan Franklin has been mentioned as a possible replacement for the Reds’ open No. 5 starter spot, as was journeyman Chris Michalak. The Reds have not ruled out an option from the minors, which is music to the ears of Homer Bailey fans. Bailey, 20 is 5-0 with a 1.03 ERA in Double-A. He struck out 11, walked three and allowed four hits Sunday. The No. 5 spot will come up Friday or Saturday, while Eric Milton will pitch the other day, depending on the new No. 5’s day. Bailey would be able to go either of those days. Giddy up!

Troy Glaus left Sunday’s game at Minnesota after the fourth inning with an injured knee. Glaus injured the knee swinging and missing at Brad Radke’s fastball. Toronto did not say which knee he injured. “His whole body has been hurting the past couple of nights,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.

Ivan Rodriguez said there is no link between Sunday’s eighth-inning ejection and the Tigers’ struggles this weekend. He is hitless in his last 16 at-bats after going 0-for-12 during the three-game sweep by the White Sox. “It was not out of frustration at all because we lost all three games,” Rodriguez said. He drew his first ejection this season after being called out looking by plate umpire Tim Timmons and had to be restrained by teammate Carlos Guillen when he came charging out of the dugout. Rodriguez thought the pitch was outside. “Pudge had a frustrating weekend, capped off with him getting thrown out of the game on a borderline pitch,” manager Jim Leyland said. “It could go one way or the other. I don’t have a problem with that.”

Angel Guzman could remain the No. 5 starter with Mark Prior (shoulder) possibly out for the season, but the Cubs won’t need to start Guzman this week, though, due to an offday Thursday. Juan Mateo would be the two-start beneficiary Tuesday-Sunday if the Cubs indeed go with a four-man rotation.

Bobby Abreu went 0-for-4 on Sunday against the Angels, snapping a 10-game hitting streak.

The Red Sox have an offday Thursday, but Jason Johnson will not be skipped because of a rare Friday doubleheader vs. the Yankees. Jon Lester will also pitch in the doubleheader.

Kevin Barry was awful in his first start, but he could get another start this week as Kyle Davies (groin) is probably a few more rehab starts away from a return. The 22-year-old right-hander needed 54 pitches to complete two innings Friday night. Making his third rehab start, he allowed two runs — one earned — and three hits. He struck out two, issued two walks and threw a wild pitch. Lance Cormier figures to remain in the rotation for the time being as the No. 4 starter.

Felix Hernandez (10-10) allowed seven runs — six earned — over 5 2/3 innings in a loss on Sunday at Texas. The right-hander yielded six hits, struck out eight and walked four in a career-high 117-pitch outing.

Texas’ Mark Teixeira saw his 36-game streak of reaching base come to end on Sunday against Seattle. He was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Julio Lugo made his second career start in right field and first since June 6, 2000 on Sunday against San Francisco. Last Wednesday, Lugo started at third base for the first time in the big leagues.

Stephen Drew (hand) went 2-for-4 with a homer on Sunday against Florida.

Arizona CF Eric Byrnes, 0-for-11 in the weekend series against Florida, slammed the bat down when he popped out to end the fifth inning on Sunday. The bat broke and a small piece of the debris hit catcher Miguel Olivo in the face. Olivo wasn’t hurt.

Miguel Cabrera hit his 18th homer and drove in four runs during his seventh consecutive multihit game, leading the Marlins to a 6-5 victory over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Tony Armas Jr. allowed only one unearned run on two hits over seven solid innings on Sunday in a no-decision against the Mets. He struck out five and only walked one while lowering his ERA to 4.72.

Steve Trachsel allowed only one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings on Sunday at Washington. He struck out four and walked one in the no-decision.

Russell Martin went 2-for-4 Sunday, including a game-winning solo home run in the 10th inning to beat San Francisco.

Takashi Saito came into Sunday’s game vs. San Francisco in the 10th inning of a 0-0 game and allowed only Barry Bonds to reach on an intentional walk. He pitched an inning and was the pitcher of record when the Dodgers won it in the bottom of the inning.

Byung-Hyun Kim allowed a baserunner in every inning except the second, but minimized the damage, allowing four runs — equaling his total in 21 2/3 innings over his previous three starts — and seven hits on Sunday against the Cubs. He struck out five in the no-decision. “I thought he was grinding,” Hurdle said. “Our bullpen has been rolling so I thought he gave us a good effort to get point in the game that he did.”

Jason Schmidt pitched eight very solid innings Sunday at the L.A. Dodgers. He struck out nine and allowed no runs in the outing. He gave up just five hits in the outing, but did not factor in the final decision.

Greg Maddux needed just 68 pitches to cruise through eight innings Sunday vs. San Francisco. After allowing to base hits in the first inning, he retired the last 22 batters he faced before being pulled by manager Grady Little in favor of a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning. He allowed just the two hits while striking out four and walking none, but did not factor in the final decision.

Brandon Backe (3-2) lasted five innings for Houston, allowing three runs and nine hits in a loss on Sunday against the Padres. He walked two, hit a batter with a pitch and struck out three just 11 days after beating the Padres 7-1 in San Diego. “I didn’t actually think Backe pitched poorly,” Garner said. “They had a couple of bloop hits and they battled pretty good at the plate and actually hit some good pitches that they probably shouldn’t have hit. It was a good day for them.”

Willy Taveras extended his career-high hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the third inning on Sunday against San Diego. It’s the longest Astros streak since Jeff Kent’s club-record 25 straight in 2004.

Brad Radke looked washed up earlier this year. Fast forward to August and the right-hander is gaining steam just when the Minnesota Twins need him the most. Radke pitched seven innings to lead the Twins over the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 Sunday. “Radke always seems to step up and give us a good start when we need one,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. Radke is tired of talking about his aching shoulder. The veteran has been pitching through pain in his right shoulder for the past six weeks. “I hate to answer these questions all the time,” he said. “It is what it is. I’m just trying to get through the season and I’m not going to quit until the end.”

Boston’s Manny Ramirez had his hitting streak end at 27 games after going 0-for-3 on Sunday against Baltimore. He might’ve been credited with an infield single, but jogged down the line on a play ruled an error.

Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Dunn and Rich Aurilia hit consecutive home runs Sunday at Philadelphia off starter Brett Myers.

Mike Lowell hit a grand slam in the first inning and made a game-saving play for the final out, helping the Boston Red Sox hold off the Baltimore Orioles 11-9 Sunday for a three-game sweep. Lowell was 1-for-3 in the game with four RBI and two runs.

Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 Sunday vs. Cincinnati, including his 41st home run of the season. He finished with three RBI and two runs scored in the game.

Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the Yankees’ ninth with the Yankees trailing 5-1 Sunday vs. the L.A. Angels.

Unbeaten rookie Jered Weaver won his eighth straight decision as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the New York Yankees 5-3 on Sunday. Weaver (8-0) earned his sixth victory on the road and became the first pitcher to win his first eight career decisions since Livan Hernandez did it with Florida in 1997. He pitched six innings, allowing just three hits to the AL East leaders while striking out eight and walking three.

Andruw Jones’ bases-loaded walk Sunday gave him 100 RBI for the fifth time in his career.

Chipper Jones, returning from the disabled list, hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the seventh inning Sunday. He went 0-for-2 wit a walk and a run scored.

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