THT Daily: Carmona blows another

Major League News for August 6

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

Yesterday’s Results

American League
BAL     5  NYA     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
TB      8  BOS     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA     7  TOR     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
DET     4  CLE     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN    14  KC      3    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA    10  TEX     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
OAK     5  SEA     2    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
LAN    10  FLA     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYN     4  PHI     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHN     7  PIT     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
CIN     8  ATL     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
STL     4  MIL     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
HOU     9  ARI     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
SD      6  WAS     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
COL     2  SF      1    (Recap and Boxscore)

Today’s Games

Visitors                            Home                              Time
LAD - Hendrickson M.* (0-4, 4.89)   FLA - Olsen S.* (9-4, 3.90)       1:05
CLE - Sabathia C.* (8-7, 3.64)      DET - Ledezma W.* (1-1, 4.11)     1:05
CWS - Contreras J. (10-3, 3.54)     TOR - Burnett A. (2-5, 4.84)      1:07
BOS - Johnson J. (3-11, 6.25)       TB - Howell J.* (0-1, 14.73)      1:15
ATL - Smoltz J. (9-5, 3.45)         CIN - Lohse K. (0-0, 9.00)        1:15
NYY - Wright J. (7-6, 4.57)         BAL - Lopez R. (8-11, 6.20)       1:35
MIN - Smith M. (0-0, -)             KC - Perez O.* (0-0, 4.50)        2:10
MIL - Capuano C.* (10-7, 3.78)      STL - Suppan J. (8-6, 5.07)       2:15
PIT - Snell I. (9-7, 4.66)          CHC - Hill R.* (1-4, 7.92)        2:20
TEX - Eaton A. (1-1, 2.79)          LAA - Saunders J.* (2-0, 1.93)    3:35
WAS - Hernandez L. (9-8, 5.48)      SD - Peavy J. (5-11, 4.81)        4:05
COL - Cook A. (7-9, 3.79)           SF - Cain M. (7-8, 4.74)          4:05
OAK - Blanton J. (11-9, 4.61)       SEA - Meche G. (9-5, 4.24)        4:05
HOU - Pettitte A.* (10-11, 4.97)    ARI - Vargas C. (8-8, 5.43)       4:40
PHI - Mathieson S. (1-2, 5.47)      NYM - Maine J. (1-3, 2.45)        8:05

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     65  42 .607    0.0   62     3    
BOS     65  44 .596    1.0   60     5    
TOR     57  53 .518    9.5   58    -1    
BAL     50  61 .450   17.0   48     2    
TB      46  65 .414   21.0   45     1    
American League Central     
DET     74  36 .673    0.0   69     5    
CHA     65  43 .602    8.0   63     2    
MIN     64  45 .587    9.5   61     3    
CLE     47  62 .431   26.5   57   -10    
KC      38  72 .345   36.0   40    -2    
American League West        
OAK     59  51 .536    0.0   56     3    
LAA     56  54 .509    3.0   57    -1    
TEX     56  55 .505    3.5   57    -1    
SEA     53  56 .486    5.5   55    -2    


National League East        Pwins  Diff
NYN     65  44 .596    0.0   63     2    
PHI     53  56 .486   12.0   54    -1    
FLA     51  59 .464   14.5   53    -2    
ATL     50  59 .459   15.0   55    -5    
WAS     49  61 .445   16.5   49     0    
National League Central     
STL     59  50 .541    0.0   55     4    
CIN     57  53 .518    2.5   53     4    
HOU     53  57 .482    6.5   53     0    
MIL     52  58 .473    7.5   47     5    
CHN     46  64 .418   13.5   44     2    
PIT     42  69 .378   18.0   49    -7    
National League West        
SD      57  53 .518    0.0   56     1    
ARI     55  55 .500    2.0   55     0    
LAN     55  55 .500    2.0   59    -4    
COL     54  55 .495    2.5   57    -3    
SF      52  58 .473    5.0   54    -2    

Game of the Day

Please forgive Indian fans if they are pulling their hair out. Cleveland blew another game against a contender in the ninth as Ivan Rodriguez connected on the first pitch he saw from Cleveland closer Fausto Carmona and drove it into the left field seats for a two-run walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Carmona is only the second pitcher in major league history to lose four games in relief in a span of no more than seven days. Minnesota’s Rick Lysander was charged with four relief losses in a six-day span in 1983.

CLEVELAND (3) VS DETROIT (4) - FINAL

CLEVELAND              ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
G Sizemore cf           4  1  1  0   0  1   1  .299
J Michaels lf           4  0  0  0   0  0   3  .269
T Hafner dh             3  1  1  2   1  0   0  .306
V Martinez c-1b         4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .311
C Blake 1b              3  1  2  1   1  0   0  .310
 K Shoppach c           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .258
J Peralta ss            3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .252
S Choo rf               2  0  0  0   1  0   0  .226
H Luna 2b               3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .118
 a-J Inglett ph-2b      1  0  0  0   0  0   2  .304
A Marte 3b              2  0  0  0   1  0   0  .111

Totals                 29  3  4  3   4  3   9

a-lined out to third for H Luna in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - G Sizemore (36, K Rogers). HR - T Hafner (33, 1st inning off K 
Rogers 1 on, 1 Out), C Blake (16, 1st inning off K Rogers 0 on, 2 Out). S - J 
Peralta. RBI - T Hafner 2 (94), C Blake (51). 2-out RBI - C Blake. Runners left 
in scoring position, 2 out - J Michaels 1. Team LOB - 5. 
 
FIELDING: E - C Blake (4, ground ball); H Luna (1, ground ball). DP: 1 (P 
Byrd-J Peralta-C Blake). 
 
DETROIT                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Granderson cf         3  0  0  0   2  1   2  .278
P Polanco 2b            5  1  1  1   0  0   1  .298
I Rodriguez c           5  1  2  2   0  1   3  .311
D Young dh              4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .270
C Guillen ss-1b         4  0  2  0   0  0   0  .307
C Monroe lf             4  0  1  0   0  1   4  .268
S Casey 1b              4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .190
 O Infante pr-ss        0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .263
M Thames rf             4  1  1  1   0  1   2  .274
B Inge 3b               4  1  2  0   0  1   0  .244

Totals                 37  4 10  4   2  5  15

BATTING: HR - M Thames (20, 5th inning off P Byrd 0 on, 1 Out), I Rodriguez (9, 
9th inning off F Carmona 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - M Thames (45), P Polanco (42), I 
Rodriguez 2 (50). 2-out RBI - P Polanco, I Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring 
position, 2 out - M Thames 2, C Monroe 2, I Rodriguez 1, D Young 1. GIDP - C 
Granderson. Team LOB - 9. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - O Infante (3, 2nd base off J Davis/V Martinez). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 1 (B Inge-P Polanco). 

----------------------------------------------------
    CLEVELAND       - 300 000 000   --   3
    DETROIT         - 000 010 102   --   4

Two outs when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND                    ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
P Byrd                        6 2/3   7   2   1   2   4   1   4.81
J Davis (H, 3)                1 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   4.54
F Carmona (L, 1-7; B, 3)        2/3   2   2   2   0   1   1   5.44

DETROIT                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
K Rogers                      7       4   3   3   2   3   2   4.59
J Zumaya (W, 6-1)             2       0   0   0   2   0   0   2.06

IBB - S Choo (by J Zumaya). HBP - S Choo (by K Rogers). Pitches-strikes: P 
Byrd 101-69; J Davis 28-20; F Carmona 7-6; K Rogers 113-67; J Zumaya 27-14. 
Ground balls-fly balls: P Byrd 10-6; J Davis 3-1; F Carmona 1-0; K Rogers 11-7; 
J Zumaya 4-1. Batters faced: P Byrd 29; J Davis 6; F Carmona 4; K Rogers 28; J 
Zumaya 7. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Gary Darling. 1B--Bruce Dreckman. 2B--Larry Poncino. 3B--Ed 
Hickox. 

T--2:39. Att--43,015. 
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 5 mph, out to 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
BAL A   Mark Fleisher      1B  5  3  0  0  3  0  0  6 RBI
CHC AAA Michael Restovich  RF  3  3  0  0  2  1  0  4 RBI
CIN A   Eric Eymann        3B  3  3  0  0  1  0  0   
CIN AA  Drew Anderson      2B  3  3  1  1  0  0  0   
CLE AAA Jason Dubois       RF  4  3  0  0  2  1  1  .533 OBP during past week
COL AAA Sean Barker        RF  4  3  0  0  2  0  0  5 RBI
COL A   Phillip Cuadrado   3B  5  4  2  0  1  0  0  5 RBI
KC  A   Jeffrey Howell      C  4  4  0  1  0  0  0  3 runs scored
LA  A   Bridger Hunt       CF  5  5  2  0  0  0  0   
LA  AA  Craig Brazell      1B  4  4  2  0  1  0  0  Hitting .545 over last 22 at bats
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
ARI AAA Adam Bass          9.0  5  0  0  3  0  0   
CHC AAA Angel Guzman       7.0  3  0  0  6  1  0   
HOU A-  David Qualben      7.0  2  0  0  4  1  0   
LA  A+  Michael Megrew     6.0  1  1  1  8  4  1   
NYY A   Wilkins Arias      5.0  1  0  0  7  2  0   
OAK A+  Ryan Webb          7.0  4  0  0  8  1  0   
PHI A-  Daniel Brauer      7.0  2  1  1 10  0  0  40 K over last 34 IP
PHI AA  Zack Segovia       8.0  4  2  1  6  0  1   
PHI A+  Andrew Baldwin     8.0  5  2  2  6  0  1   
PHI A   Joshua Outman      7.0  1  0  0  9  3  0   

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

Rookie Adam Loewen and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as the Baltimore Orioles beat Mike Mussina and the New York Yankees 5-0 Saturday. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Yankees, whose lone hit was a clean first-inning single to right by Bobby Abreu. Loewen came in with one win in eight starts and a 6.44 ERA, but he couldn’t have been much better over 6 1/3 innings against the AL East leaders. The left-hander struck out eight, walked five and retired 11 straight during one stretch.

Roger Clemens allowed three runs, eight hits and a walk over seven innings on Saturday at Arizona to pick up a win. He posted another quality start and also struck out five batters, as he improved to 3-4.

Barry Bonds was 3-for-5 with a double (14) and an RBI (47) in Saturday’s game against the Rockies. The RBI was his 1,900th and the double moved him into second-place all-time past Hall of Famer Stan Musial with ,1378 extra-base hits.

Miguel Tejada went 3-for-4 in the Orioles’ win over the Yankees. Tejada is hitting .618 (21-for-34) in eight games against the Yankees this season with at least two hits in each game. According to Elias, he’s the first player to have eight (or more) consecutive multiple-hit games against the Yankees since Paul Molitor had nine in a row for the Brewers in 1985.

Justin Morneau was 1-for-4 with a pair of walks, a home run (29) and three RBI (97) in Saturday’s game at Kansas City. He has now hit safely in 14 of the past 15 games and has managed four home runs and 19 RBI during the impressive stretch.

This wasn’t the first time Dan Haren didn’t feel very good warming up in the bullpen. Unlike previous episodes, Haren’s struggles with control followed the Oakland right-hander to the mound. Fortunately, his offense provided some early support, giving Haren time to find a groove and continue Oakland’s remarkable dominance of Seattle. Haren pitched seven strong innings, leading the A’s to a 5-2 win over Seattle on Saturday afternoon, Oakland’s 11th straight victory over the Mariners.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets left Saturday’s start after one inning because of tightness in a pectoral muscle. The right-hander had only made seven starts this season due to injuries. He allowed one run and two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Sheets threw 27 pitches against the Cardinals and left trailing 1-0. He began the year on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury, and returned to the DL after four starts on May 10 due to tendinitis in the shoulder. Sheets made only 22 starts last season before tearing a muscle in his side in August.

Albert Pujols hit his first home run in 10 games to help the St. Louis Cardinals end their second eight-game losing streak of the season with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

Juan Rivera homered and drove in four runs and the Los Angeles Angels ended a three-game skid with a 10-3 victory over Texas on Saturday.

Angels 1B Howie Kendrick grounded a double off the third base bag in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games on Saturday vs. Texas. The longest streak ever by an Angels rookie was 21 games, by Quinlan in 2004.

Ervin Santana (12-5) allowed three runs and five hits over eight innings, matching his win total as a rookie last season, on Saturday against Texas. The right-hander struck out five and walked three in the victory.

Javier Vazquez allowed just two hits and one earned run, to go with 13 strikeouts, in eight innings in his best outing of the season at Toronto Saturday. Vazquez reached the seventh for the first time since May 18. “It was funny. They were singing ‘Take me out to the ball game’ and it was weird having him still on the mound,” manager Ozzie Guillen said to laughter.

Chad Billingsley struck out seven in six strong innings and Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth straight game with a 10-2 victory over the Florida Marlins on Saturday. Billingsley (3-3) gave up one run on three hits. The 21-year-old rookie has won three of his last four starts.

If Mark Prior had an ounce of uncertainty about his ability to win games, Cubs manager Dusty Baker is hoping its gone now. Prior won his first game of the year, allowing two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday. Making the eighth start of another season shortened by injuries, Prior (1-5) struck out five while giving up five hits and three walks and hitting a batter. The right-hander won for the first time since Sept. 10, 2005 at San Francisco.

Brian McCann hit his second homer in two games Saturday at Cincinnati and went 4-for-4 with three RBI for the Braves.

Brandon Phillips homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the Atlanta Braves 8-6 Saturday. Phillips’ second homer of the game, a one-out solo shot in the eighth off Tyler Yates (1-2), put the Reds in front 7-6.

Chase Utley pinch hit Saturday, a day after the Mets stopped his hitting streak at 35 games, and singled to right to start a new hitting streak.

Keith Foulke informed reporters after he pitched a scoreless inning on Thursday that he anticipates returning to the Red Sox in Kansas City on Tuesday. Manager Terry Francona, while encouraged by his reliever’s proclamation of good health, suggested that the club might follow a more conservative route because of the need to ensure that he will provide adequate innings once back on the big-league roster.

Atlanta announced that RHP Kyle Davies will make his second rehabilitation start on Sunday for Double-A Mississippi. Davies, who hurled two perfect innings on Tuesday, is scheduled to hurl three innings versus the Montgomery Biscuits.

Kelly Stinnett, who was designated for assignment on July 26, was released.

The Rockies activated INF Omar Quintanilla from the DL and optioned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Brandon Webb (elbow), who was scratched from his start Saturday against Houston, said he felt fine on Friday after his bullpen session on Thursday. The Diamondbacks expect him to return to action some time next week, but they’re still not sure when, according to the Arizona Republic.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter said Saturday that his bruised right thumb was much improved since he was injured the previous night, and believes he’ll be able to make his next start.

The Diamondbacks designated right-handed reliever Mike Koplove for assignment on Saturday.

The Red Sox purchased the contract of C Corky Miller from Triple-A Pawtucket and designated RHP Bryan Corey for assignment.

THT Stats

Access all of THT’s stats here…