Tuesday, July 31, 2007 |
Nada Y Nada Y Nada: Giants 3, Dodgers 1
I barely wrote a word during the Colorado series (Thursday's game being the lone exception), and after they lost it, it didn't seem worth my while to talk about it. It still doesn't.
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Power Station: Angels 8, Mariners 0
As for the scoring, it was all Angels, their first shutout since their 3-0 victory over Tampa Bay on July 19. Slumping Orlando Cabrera drove in half the Angels' runs, collecting one on a first inning groundout, two with men on second and third in the fourth, and a solo homer in the sixth that could have been a two-run jack had not Kenji Johjima shot down Reggie Willits trying to steal second.
But maybe even more impressive was the pair of homers that Gary Matthews, Jr. hit. Not only has he been underwhelming on the road (.231/.284/.362), but his homer drought has gone even longer than Vlad's, starting on June 18. (Vlad's commenced on June 24.)
Even Maicer Izturis got a tater, testament to the lousy pitching that so often accompanies a Jeff Weaver start. Weaver didn't last five and earned the loss; it was his fourth straight. The M's peppered the rest of the game with the back end of their generally solid bullpen, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Eric O'Flaherty, and Mark Lowe, who between them gave up two runs, a good showing considering.
Finally, to the incidental stuff, namely, the appearance of Ryan Budde in a major league lineup; he flied out in his only at-bat, replacing Willits at DH.
With the win, the Angels close the books on July, and despite their struggles through most of it, end up 12-12 on the month, and resume their four game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. They also guarantee they can do no worse than a three-game lead at the end of the series should the M's win the series tomorrow. Lackey's victory ties him for the AL league lead for wins with 13, along with Josh Beckett, Fausto Carmona, and C.C. Sabathia; Carlos Zambrano leads the majors with 14.
Labels: angels, mariners, recaps
Padres Fire Hitting Coach Rettenmund, Hire Ex-Angel Joyner
Via BTF.
Gagne To Red Sox, Teixeira Deal Closes, Other Trades As Deadline Nears
- The Rangers have moved Eric Gagne to the Red Sox despite some whispers that he might not accept a deal to a club where he couldn't close. Gagne waived a no-trade clause in exchange for being paid a $2.5M performance bonus (Rotoworld reports this as $3.6M) that might have accrued had he finished a certain number of games. The Rangers received LHP Kason Gabbard and outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre.
- The much-reported Teixeira deal is complete, and all the players are now known.
- Braves get: 1B Mark Teixeira, LHP Ron Mahay
- Rangers get: 1B/C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus, RHP Neftali Feliz, LHP Matt Harrison, and LHP Beau Jones.
- The Braves also acquired Octavio Dotel from Kansas City, picking him up for 23-year-old righty starter Kyle Davies.
- Update: The trade deadline has passed, so rumors of Troy Percival going to Los Angeles have passed with them. (Hat tip to GobiasIndustries from Dodger Thoughts.)
- Update 2: The Padres have acquired Morgan Ensberg and cash from the Astros for a PTBNL and/or cash considerations. (Also via MLB.com.)
- The Giants have exiled Matt Morris to Pittsburg for OF Rajai Davis and a PTBNL. (Also via AP.)
- Not a deal, but it seems a good place to put this: former Angel setup man Brendan Donnelly will undergo Tommy John surgery, and is done for the season.
- Update 3: The A's released Bobby Kielty, who was getting no playing time, appearing in only 13 games this season.
- Update 4: Jon reports the Dodgers have recalled Delwyn Young.
Labels: braves, rangers, red sox, royals, trades
Dodgers Trade Wilson Betemit To Yanks
Yankees manager Joe Torre has complained about the significant drop-off offensively from his starters to reserves, and Betemit could be the answer. The 25-year-old switch-hitter also can play shortstop and second base and is batting .320 (8-for-25) as a pinch hitter this season. He had pinch-hit homers in consecutive games at Atlanta in May.Update: Rotoworld opines:
The Dodgers could look awfully bad here if Betemit is the Yankees’ third baseman next year and Proctor has undergone elbow surgery. The latter scenario is probably more likely. Betemit is one of the game’s 30-best third baseman and is fine insurance for the possibility of Alex Rodriguez leaving, but A-Rod is unlikely to go anywhere and even if he does, the Yankees are rarely a team to settle. The switch-hitting Betemit could figure into the Yankees’ picture at first base for the rest of the season. He’d outhit Andy Phillips as a first baseman against right-handers, but Phillips should keep playing versus lefties. He is also far better protection than Miguel Cairo in the event of an injury to Rodriguez or Derek Jeter.Presciently, Jay Jaffe predicted this one:
Betemit may well be sporting a new address by the time you read this, but that doesn't make the Dodgers' efforts to take his third base job away any more admirable. While the team understandably peeked at prospects Tony Abreu and Andy LaRoche during the early-season period when Betemit was struggling, the arrival and subsequent success of first baseman James Loney triggered the decision to shift Nomar Garciaparra across the diamond at his expense. Even with two homers in a three-game series versus the Mets two weekends ago, Garciaparra has just four dingers on the year, and his highest ISO in any month is a kitten-weak .120.Update 2: Jon:
I would have much rather seen the Dodgers give Jonathan Meloan a shot at aiding the bullpen before acquiring Proctor. In fact, trading for a middle reliever is almost by definition against good judgment, unless you're giving up a fringe minor-leaguer in the process. But given the reality that they haven't tried Meloan yet, given the pressing need for pitching help so that they can ease off Seanez, and given that the Dodgers were probably never going to warm up to Betemit – even though he hit 19 home runs in 330 at-bats as a Dodger – what can you say? You just hope for the best.Yes, indeedy. It goes without saying that I agree with Jon's assessment (and also his comment that the move strips the Dodger bench of another left-handed batter.) But, according to some benighted Colletti fans, "you can't be afraid to make" stupid trades.
Labels: dodgers, trades, yankees
Minor League Scorebook
News
- Andy LaRoche and his improbable run top
the list of relevant prospects on this week's Prospect Hot
Sheet:
3. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Triple-A Las Vegas (Dodgers)
Making the Not-So-Hot list was 1B Cory Dunlap, whose .217/.305/.253 line in 83 AB isn't turning heads. This week's Helium award goes to Angels prospect RHP Mason Tobin:After a pedestrian first half in the PCL (.273/.367/.441), LaRoche has turned it on in July, hitting .415/.490/.939 with all but three of his 14 home runs. The 22-year-old batted .384 (10-for-26) last week with two homers, three doubles and three RBIs.
14. Ivan De Jesus Jr., ss, high Class A Inland Empire (Dodgers)
De Jesus showed his age for the first half of 2007, as the 20-year-old's batting average hovered around .250 in his second full pro season. However a scintillating July has left De Jesus hitting a season-high .297/.378/.385. He was second in the Cal League last week with a .524 average and has four straight multi-hit games. With just two days remaining, De Jesus was hitting .418/.455/.560 in July.
15. James McDonald, rhp, Double-A Jacksonville (Dodgers)
An 11th-round pick in 2002 out of Golden West (Calif.) Junior College, McDonald spent all of 2004 and the majority of 2005 playing in the outfield in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. The Dodgers moved him back to the mound late in the 2005 season at Rookie-level Ogden, and he spent all year in low Class A as a pitcher last season. After going a respectable 6-7, 3.95 in the Cal League this year, McDonald moved up to Double-A where he's 3-1, 1.19 in 23 innings, including an 11-strikeout performance in his last start.
In contrast to Cole Rohrbough, Tobin didn't sign with the Braves as a draft-and-follow. After two years in junior college (one at Rohrbough's old school, Western Nevada, the other in Washington at Everett JC), Tobin signed as a 16th-round pick of the Angels. His sinking fastball sat at 90-92 mph at times in the spring, and he's flashed a plus slider. He's off to an outstanding pro start at 2-0, 1.11 with 29 strikeouts in 24 innings.
- Here's the weekly MiLB.com wrap.
- The Travs' Miguel Gonzalez (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.0 IP) was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week. No Dodger or Angel prospect was named Offensive Player of the Week.
- RHP Aaron Cook was activated off the DL and promoted to Rancho from Cedar Rapids.
Scores
Evans: 0-3, 1 K
Wood: 0-3, 2 K
Morales: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 BB
Wilson: 1-3
Liriano: (W, 4-11), 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 5.85 ERA
Bulger: (S, 7), 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 4.01 ERA
The Bees won on the only run scored in the game, when Kendry Morales got a leadoff walk, moved to second on Kevin Hart's wild pitch, and Adam Pavkovich singled him home. The victory was the Bees' first shutout of the season. Matt Wilhite and Steven Shell took the game home with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief following Pedro Liriano's five zero frames of his own for the win. Jason Bulger collected his seventh save, striking out the side in the ninth.
Pettit: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
McRobbie: (W, 2-1), 7.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 3 BB, 5.40 ERA
Arredondo: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 6.95 ERA
Meet Alex "All Or Nothing" McRobbie, who kept a shutout going into the eighth while striking out six, walking five, and only allowing five hits. Jose Arredondo struck out the side despite giving up two hits and a wild pitch.
Christopher Pettit had his third multi-hit game in four days; he's had one extra-base hit in every game in his last five, and driven in at least one run in that span as well. Send him to Arkansas already.
Mount: 0-5, 1 K
Conger: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Trumbo: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Walker: 1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Phillips: 2-3, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Rosario: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI
Haynes: (W, 4-5), 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 3.04 ERA
Madrigal: 1.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 2.30 ERA
Hank Conger hit his first homer since returning from the DL, as did 22-year-old Brian Walker, and also 22-year-old Anderson Rosario — twice (his fifth and sixth of the year), and P.J. Phillips, who knocked out his 11th.
Jeremy Haynes stuck around long enough to get the win, Kelly Shearer picked it up in middle relieve, and Warner Madrigal continued his impressive run of relief.
Moore: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Walden: (W, 1-0), 5.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 5.22 ERA
Schlecker: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 4.22 ERA
36th-rounder Jay Brossman must like that home cooking, because the former University of Utah product belted two homers in this game, driving in three of the Owlz' five runs. Jordan Walden got his first victory in eight attempts; this was his only the second time where he had gone long enough to qualify for a win.
Loman: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Molina, R: (W, 3-2), 6.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 3.76 ERA
Seth Loman continues to make a bid for promotion to Orem in his second tour of the AZL, stroking a two-run jack in the fifth. Not listed here but still worthy of note: Robert Coello has allowed only two earned runs all season, and owns a 1.20 ERA. He pitched a scoreless eighth despite giving up two hits.
Hu, C: 1-5
Young: 0-5, 1 K
LaRoche: 2-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Barnes: 3-5
McDougall: 2-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Stults: 6.0 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 H, 8 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 7.05 ERA
Wright: (L, 0-2) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 6 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 7.90 ERA
Eric Stults hurt his chances of another callup with this game, but luckily his offense get him off the hook for a loss with a four-run fifth capped by Andy LaRoche's three-run homer, his third round-tripper in the last four games. Wesley Wright took the loss, giving up six runs in the top of the tenth, all unearned thanks to a John Lindsey throwing error. Wright compounded his problems with a wild pitch to Brooks Conrad, but it didn't matter, as he later gave up a homer to Jesse Garcia.
Dunlap: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K
Concepcion: 2-3, 1 2B
Orenduff, J: 0-1, 1 K
Orenduff, J: (L, 6-4), 4.0 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 4.03 ERA
Alexander: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 4.22 ERA
Gonzalez, L: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 4.15 ERA
Is the Mark Alexander of old — or at least, last year before his promotion to Las Vegas — back? It's still an awfully small sample size, but he has allowed only one earned run in his last seven appearances while striking out 14 over 11.1 innings. Unfortunately, his latest good outing came in a loss to the Mudcats, who worked Justin Orenduff for five runs and chased him after four. Blake Dewitt's solo homer provided half of the Suns' scoring.
May: 3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Hunt: 3-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Alvarez, M: (L, 5-7), 0.2 IP, 7 R, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 5.52 ERA
Pratt: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 6.91 ERA
Brooks, P: 3.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 6.00 ERA
If you aren't laughing, you aren't paying attention... an eleven-run fourth put this one away for the Mavericks. Carlos Triunfel of the Mavs went 6-for-6 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Travis Scott hit a grand slam in that big fourth, with Eduardo Quintana and starter Mario Alvarez — the latter lasting only two outs — taking virtually all the abuse themselves.
Ivan DeJesus took advantage of the launching pad at High Desert to launch one himself, a three-run jack, and Lucas May also got a solo homer.
Bell: 0-4, 2 K
Apodaca: 2-4, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Mattingly: 0-4
Kershaw: (L, 7-5), 1.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 2.83 ERA
Sanfler: 2.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 5.43 ERA
The Dodgers limited Clayton Kershaw's inning count, and so his one-inning start had nothing to do with performance; he got tagged with the loss by giving up a run in the first inning.
Mathews: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Vetters: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Blevins: (L, 2-1), 6.0 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 6 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 4.66 ERA
Bradley: 2-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Silverio: 3-3, 2 RBI
Garcia, J: 2-4, 1 K
Guzman, A: 1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Miller: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 2.45 ERA
Garcia, L. A.: (W, 3-0) (in relief), 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 1.93 ERA
Dutton: (L, 2-1), 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 10 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 4.86 ERA
Paredes: 2.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 4.76 ERA
Labels: minors
Monday, July 30, 2007 |
Complete Loser: Mariners 2, Angels 0
Orlando Cabrera has an even more disturbing .188/.255/.247 July; why he continues to hit second is a mystery. In fact, the Angels' one through seven batters managed just one hit, a single — as were all the Angels' hits on the night, including Jeff Mathis' infield single. Reggie Willits was the only Angel to get two hits, but it didn't matter. Kelvim Escobar pitched a fine game, two runs of complete eight inning ball, but no offensive support equalled another loss. The Tigers were a tired team; the Mariners, not so much.
Labels: angels, mariners, recaps
UTK: Penny's Injury A "Strain"
The Dodgers have gone from division leaders to a veritable mess. In the space of two days, their pitching staff has lost the two steady hands they've had, severely testing the depth that has kept the Dodgers in this race. With both Brad Penny and Derek Lowe facing missed starts or more, the team is going to have to get very creative and hope that Stan Conte and his staff can stop the bleeding quickly. Penny's abdominal cramp is now known to be a strain located in the low core, near the torso-leg junction. The core is involved in nearly every motion so for a pitcher, so this is a terrible place for a strain. (Yes, I resisted the easy Eliza Dushku line, but I had to include a picture.) Penny made it through a side session Sunday and is tentatively penciled in to face Barry Bonds and the Giants on Tuesday.Lowe was also scheduled to throw off of a mound today and see how the hip reacted to the force of his landing. Surprisingly, the injury appears to be related to a problem Lowe had in the minors. This should be a pain tolerance and management problem, but as we know, slight alterations to a pitcher's mechanics can lead to bigger problems. Expect the Dodgers to be very cautious here, starting with their decision to push Lowe's next start back to Saturday.
The news is much worse for Randy Wolf. He had a setback during his rehab, and has been shut down indefinitely. If no other good comes of this, you have to admire the accountability shown by the Dodgers' medical staff.
How Many Games Does It Take To Find The Best Team?
According to the physicists' analysis and simulations of league play, there's always at least some chance that a lesser team can prevail in any given game. The randomness of outcomes means that it takes a large number of games to guarantee that the best team accumulates the most wins. Specifically, it requires that the total number of games played in a season should be roughly the cube of the number of teams involved. For the 16 team National League, that means 4096 regular season games altogether and 2744 games for the 14 team American League.Baseball Hacks treats a related topic, how to establish a minimum number of at-bats to find a player's performance level. It's a fascinating subject that's full of interesting wrinkles.
Labels: stats
Robothal: Braves To Acquire Teixeira For Saltalamacchia, Others
Labels: angels, braves, rangers, trades
Minor League Scorebook
News
- Here's a brief feature on former Loyola Marymount University
player Chris Pettit in the San Bernardino
Sun:
Chris Pettit is one of those late bloomers. He didn't get drafted out of San Dimas High School and had trouble just landing a college scholarship.
It wasn't until his senior year at Loyola Marymount that the Angels gave him a chance, drafting him in the 19th round. He never expected to be picked out of high school but can't quite figure out why it took until his senior year in college for him to get noticed.
"I actually had a better junior year than senior year," he said. "The draft is just a bunch of crap. You have everyone telling you things and what usually ends up happening is completely different than you were led to believe."
But Pettit is making up for lost time and getting the chance to play just 20 minutes from home. He patrols center field and is batting in the No. 3 hole for the resurgent Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, who are battling Inland Empire for the South division wild-card playoff berth.
He hit .336 in 68 games with the rookie-ball team Orem in 2006. He began this season at Low-A Cedar Rapids hitting .346, earning Midwest League all-star honors and a promotion to the California League.
Pettit, 22, is faring equally well against upgraded competition with a .343 batting average, even after a 0-for-16 start. In 35 games with the Quakes he has 36 RBI, 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, nine stolen bases and 29 runs scored. His best game was a 5-for-5 showing against High Desert that was highlighted by two home runs.
- The Dodgers have shut down Randy Wolf indefinitely. Brad Penny and Derek Lowe look like they'll make their next scheduled starts.
Scores
Presented with minimal comments owing to time constraints...
Morales: 1-4, 1 2B
Evans: 0-1, 1 K
Gorneault: 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 K
Brown: 2-3, 1 K
Rouwenhorst: (L, 9-6), 7.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 4.97 ERA
The Bees only were able to scratch out a single run on Nick Gorneault's RBI single against Ben Howard. Cubs starter Sean Gallagher, Neil Cotts, Howard, and Clay Rapada managed to five-hit Salt Lake.
Adenhart: (L, 8-4), 5.2 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 3.28 ERA
Rodriguez, R: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 5.08 ERA
O'Day: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 3.94 ERA
Statia: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Pettit: 1-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 K
Remole: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 BB
Larue: 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
Renz: 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Ortega: 4.1 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 4 BB, 4.00 ERA
Mattison: (BS, 6)(L, 1-4) (in relief), (BS, 6)(L, 1-4), 1.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 5.37 ERA
Cook: 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 9.00 ERA
Trumbo: 1-3, 1 BB
Conger: 2-3, 1 BB
Johnson: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Bell: (L, 4-4), 5.1 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 2 HR, 5.21 ERA
Diaz: 2.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 5.19 ERA
Brossman: 2-5, 1 K
Gonzalez-Lopez: 2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Davitt: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 5.11 ERA
Towns: (W, 2-3) (in relief), 2.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 3.54 ERA
Armstrong: (S, 1), 4.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 8.24 ERA
Young: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
LaRoche: 2-4, 1 RBI
Barnes: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K
Ruan: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Martinez: 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Pinango: (W, 7-5), 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 10 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 4.11 ERA
Riley: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 6.43 ERA
Hoorelbeke: (H, 9), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 5.35 ERA
Meloan: (S, 1), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 1.42 ERA
Concepcion: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Dewitt: 0-2
McDonald: (W, 3-1), 7.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 11 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 1.19 ERA
Troncoso: (S, 5), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 2.62 ERA
De Jesus: 4-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB
Denker, T: 4-6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Locke: 2-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Hunt: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Arias, M: (W, 10-1), 7.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 H, 4 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 5.55 ERA
Bell: 2-5
Taloa: 2-5, 1 K
Santana: 1-5, 1 2B
Peterson: 2-4, 2 RBI
Mattingly: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Johnson: (W, 2-5), 5.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 6 K, 3 BB, 6.75 ERA
Melgarejo: 2.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 6.24 ERA
Ramirez: (S, 13), 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 1.00 ERA
Herrera: 2-5, 1 BB
Jansen: 1-3, 2 BB
Wallach: 2-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 K
Fuller: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Gardner: (W, 4-3), 6.0 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 3.15 ERA
Haldis: 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 9.33 ERA
Silverio: 2-4, 2 RBI
Garcia, Y: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Jacobs: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Contreras: 4.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 3.00 ERA
Tuten: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Labels: minors
Sunday, July 29, 2007 |
Sweep: Angels 13, Tigers 4
Dustin Moseley cruised through his first couple innings, but started leaking runs in the third and fourth. In the fifth, he immediately got into trouble by giving up back-to-back singles to utilityman Ryan Raburn and 3B Brandon Inge. Previous to this year, Raburn hadn't done much against major league pitching, but he's had some impressive outings in the minors, hitting 17-20 homers a year at AAA mostly at second base, and so far his season in the majors, he had been hitting .370. Moseley got Curtis Granderson to pop out to short, but not before surrendering his second wild pitch of the game, moving Raburn and Inge to second and third. Moseley looked like he might get out of the jam after he struck out Mike Hessman, but it looked like he wanted no part of Gary Sheffield, walking him in front of Craig Monroe. At that point, with his pitch count at 87, Mike Scioscia gave him the yank, and in came Chris Bootcheck — who promptly surrendered a two-run base knock to .218-hitting Craig Monroe. He got Omar Infante to line out to Maicer Izturis at second for the final out of the frame, but it was a lot of huffing and puffing from beginning to end, a good bit of it unnecessary.
Offensively, it was almost all Angels the whole night long, though Vlad's weird slump seems to have no end; his only RBI came on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the third that seemed, from our vantage in the cheap seats, to get him square in the shoulder. That resulted in a warning to both benches, a dumb way to manage the problem of hit batters, but it yet remains. Chone Figgins went 3-for-5 with a rare RBI at the top of the order, and scored three runs. One of the more hopeful signs was Casey Kotchman's 2-for-4 night; he seems to be swinging the bat much better lately, and both of his hits came against lefties. Even Jeff Mathis partook, going 2-for-3, and bringing his average up to a respectable .250.
One piece of trivia mentioned by the broadcast booth that I didn't read about in the AP recap was that this represented only the second time in Angels history that the team has swept an opponent and scored ten runs or more while doing so. I haven't been able to ascertain that this is true so far, but it certainly sounds plausible.
Brandon Wood got a late defensive callup in tonight's game, and was optioned to Salt Lake thereafter. Matt Brown from AAA Salt Lake will take his place on the roster.
Next up: Seattle. Play well, boys.
Update 7/30: I went back to the Retrosheet database, and it turns out that prior to this series, the Angels have never swept a team in a three game series and won all three contests by 10 runs or more. On the flip side of the coin, the Tigers have been swept by an opponent scoring 10 or more runs four times in their history:
- August 23-25, 1951, vs the Washington Senators (10-0, 10-7, 11-5).
- July 22-24, 1958, vs. the New York Yankees (13-3, 16-4, 10-7)
- April 21-23, 1959, vs. the Cleveland Indians (14-1, 10-1, 10-4)
- May 17-19, 1996, vs. the Chicago White Sox (11-6 (10 innings!), 16-4, 14-3)
Labels: angels, recaps, tigers
Padres Give Gwynn An 11-Run Salute On His Hall Induction Day: Padres 18, Astros 11
With the win, the Padres get a four-game series split with the Astros. The Dodgers are presently losing 8-4 to the Rockies, and Atlanta is beating Arizona 8-0 in the 4th. If those leads hold, the Dodgers and Padres will be tied for first, with the Snakes falling into second place.
Labels: astros, braves, dodgers, hall of fame, padres, recaps, rockies
Pickoff Moves
Angels Have Faith In Mathis
Here's a story from the Register about the Angels' sudden catching tandem of Jeff Mathis and Ryan Budde:"As of right now, I think we’re okay," Scioscia said of the inexperienced duo. "We’re comfortable with what Jeff can bring and what Ryan can bring. We’ll just take it one step at a time.I wonder whether Budde sees any playing time today. The Angels profess not to be worried about their catching situation, so much so that they have publicly declared their disinterest in trading for a catcher."I don’t think you would have seen Jose being traded if we didn’t have confidence in the guys in our organization bringing the piece we need."
The Angels’ options for acquiring a veteran backup at this point are limited. Earlier this week, the Mets designated 41-year-old Sandy Alomar Jr. for assignment.
"I don’t think you put all your eggs in the experience basket," Scioscia said.
Angels With Best Manager, Owner In Baseball?
Paul Oberjuerge at the San Bernardino Sun nominated Mike Scioscia as the best manager in baseball, and John Heyman thinks Arte is the best owner in the game, too.The Evolution Of Shortstops
Via Baseball Analysts, a Sports Illustrated piece by Alex Belth, just in time for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies today, pointing to Cal Ripken as a turning point in the evolution of the modern shortstop to an offensive-minded position."As strikeout rates have increased, the value of a great fielding shortstop has diminished," points out Rich Lederer of The Baseball Analysts. "As runs scored have gone up, it has become more important to get offense out of all positions, including shortstop. Add in the fact that athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever and it makes sense that the position would morph over time.""Teams won't tolerate offensive zeroes in the lineup the way they did in past eras," adds Steve Treder from The Hardball Times. From the '50s through the '70s, banjo-hitting, slick-fielding specialists such as Chico Carrasquel, Mark Belanger and Ozzie Smith were the norm; Ernie Banks was the exception.
Labels: angels, hall of fame, injuries, owners
