6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Jeff Loria is a weasel:

The financing agreement to build the controversial new stadium in Little Havana left the county and city on the hook for almost 80 percent of the overall $634 million tab, which critics considered a giveaway to the Marlins. The deal was a contributing factor in the recall of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, who championed it.

...

Due diligence by the county and city into the Marlins’ finances was a key component of auto magnate Norman Braman’s failed court fight two years ago to stop stadium construction. City and county leaders said they never required the Marlins to open their books, though the team often cried poor and argued it needed public funding to stay in South Florida.

But the team’s claim was rebuked in August 2010, when the sports website Deadspin.com revealed that the Marlins were in fact financially healthy, having received more money from baseball’s revenue-sharing system over 2008 and 2009 than anyone in baseball — and pocketing $92 million in revenue-sharing those two years, making a $33 million profit.

Here's Deadspin on the Marlins.

Labels: marlins

My Dinger With Andre Redux: Dodgers 5, Marlins 4 (10 Innings)

The noteworthy part of this game was mainly its ending, Andre Ethier picking up his second hit to cap the 24th straight game in which he recorded a hit. He's now in a three-way tie for the fourth-longest hitting streak in franchise history (he would be alone in that rank in Los Angeles Dodger history), along with Zack Wheat and John Shelby, thus proving streaks aren't exclusively the province of the gods.

Rod Barajas did what he does, landing a three-run jack in the fourth to get the game within reach after Chad Billingsley put it nearly out of reach with a stuttering second inning that kept leaking singles and runs. Baseball in the morning is very pleasant, and I sometimes regret that the Dodgers moved away from Vero Beach.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Angels Can't Quite Manage The Sweep, Even With Fuentes' Help: A's 2, Angels 1 (10 Innings)

I can't remember when the last time was the Angels had so many extra-inning games this early, but it sure seems like a record. The best part was the Angels rallying in the ninth off ex-Angel Brian Fuentes to tie it, a reminder of the post-traumatic save disorder from years past. The worst part was Vernon Wells striking out with the winning run in scoring position, and then making a fielding mistake in the tenth that cost the Angels the game, gifting Cliff Pennington with a leadoff triple. If the Wells deal doesn't kill Tony Reagins' career, I don't know what will.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

Angels Make Moves To Recover Piniero, Downs

The Angels called up Scott Downs and Joel Piniero from the disabled list, optioning Matt Palmer back to AAA and designating perpetual AAAA reliever Jason Bulger for assignment. I expect he'll clear waivers, but if not — good luck on your new team.

Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, injuries, marlins, recaps, transactions

Lead By Rookie Amarista, Angels Offense Back In High Gear: Angels 8, A's 3

Alexi Amarista continued the torrid hitting from AAA with an RBI double in his first major league at-bat, and also collected a sac fly in the eighth to drive in three runs, pacing the club on his maiden game. The sad part, of course, is that his father couldn't be around to see it, having been killed last November in a home invasion robbery.

Tyler Chatwood wasn't sharp, immediately giving up the 2-0 lead his offense gave him in the bottom of the second. After walking leadoff man Ryan Sweeney to start the fourth, it appeared as though another see-saw game was in the offing; but he settled down and retired the rest of the batters he faced in order (and nearly got a double play on the next one).

Unconventional as it was to see Howie Kendrick at first, he went 3-for-4 in the sixth slot, and Torii Hunter came out of his slow start to go 3-for-5. In all, a great effort by the team's offense — save for Vernon Wells, whose horrible April has been well-documented.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

No Horns For Broxton As Kershaw Takes The Loss: Marlins 4, Dodgers 2

Really, not a fun game to listen to, as the Dodgers blew this one fairly early, so Jonathan Broxton didn't have a chance to be a loser again. The Dodgers enjoyed short-lived leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but Kershaw ultimately gave up an RBI single to Mike Stanton, one of the most storied prospects in the game. No shame in that, but it doesn't mean the loss counts for any less.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Bullety Stuff

• The Dodgers aren't the only ones to have trouble with their relief pitching; the Yanks are getting hammered by their problems with Rafael Soriano, to whom they owe $35M over three years. Whatever issues Broxton has, he will not be a Dodger in 2012, and for that we may be grateful.
• Speaking of the Yanks, any time they lose it's a good day, and especially, if they lose in dramatic fashion at home. If you haven't seen Jeff Sullivan's animated GIF of Brent Lillibridge's back-to-back game saving catches in the Bronx, you're missing a real treat.
• Don't forget that today's Dodger game has a 9:05 PDT start time.
• Dylan Hernandez tweets that Casey Blake is likely headed for the DL with an elbow infection, reporting fever and swelling.

Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, injuries, marlins, recaps, transactions, wow

Weaver Undefeated In April, Turns In CG Gem: Angels 5, A's 0

It's nice to have a stopper; I got home late to see the last three innings of this one, and man, what an impressive stretch the Weav is having. He's now the first pitcher to go 6-0 in April this early, though the early schedule start had a lot to do with that.

Good news: Howie Kendrick 2-for-4, and the bottom of the order doing well. Vernon Wells reached base twice.

Bad news: another 0-fer night for Torii Hunter that brings his season average below the Mendoza line.

A sad story played out in the stands: terminal cancer patient and ex-Strike Force girl Heather Beyer watched the shutout as a sort of last wish. If that's your last Angels game to see in person on this earth, the Angels carried her home on a doozy. Peace to her family.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

Broxton Gags Again: Marlins 5, Dodgers 4

I was reading MSTI's review of this game yesterday, and Mike is right to laud the good performances by Jerry Sands, Jamey Carroll, and Jon Garland; but the bigger worry is that Broxton, who blew the save and took the loss (deservedly, even though he wasn't helped by a misplay at short by Carroll) will get more chances to blow games. He's not good right now, and I wonder if he'll ever get better.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, marlins, recaps

• Monday: Rookies of the Year: Andrew Bailey, Oakland's closer; and Florida OF Chris Coghlan in a tight race.
• Yesterday: Zach Greinke won the AL Cy Young award
• Today: Managers of the Year: Jim Tracy (NL), and Mike Scioscia (AL).

  Update: The Rockies extended Jim Tracy for three years; the coaching staff will be returned in its entirety as well.

Congratulations to everyone, especially Scioscia, who turned around a team that had to contend with death.

Labels: angels, athletics, awards, managers, marlins, rockies, royals

I didn't see much of either of the Angels wretched 10-1 loss to the Twins or the Dodgers' 8-6 loss to the Marlins. It's been a busy weekend.

Labels: angels, blecch, dodgers, marlins, twins

Arizona was cruising 7-4 entering the eighth of last night's game in Phoenix when the Marlins broke out the can of whoopass and went all medieval on the Snakes' bullpen, with Juan Gutierrez, Scott Schoeneweis, and Blaine Boyer combining to surrender ten runs before changing sides. As David Pinto noted, it's the first time the Fish have scored so many runs this year, and the most in one inning in franchise history. Ouch.

Yahoo box

Labels: diamondbacks, marlins, recaps, suck

I always wondered what the justification for the new Marlins stadium was. Noting that the price tag will ultimately come to around $2.4 billion (from a current estimated cost of $515M), Welch writes that it doesn't make a lot of sense for Miami:

Particularly since A) the team has spent (if I'm not mistaken) less on payroll the past four years than any other major league team, a combined $104 million from 2006-2009, and not surprisingly B) has produced inferior (if occasionally promising) product, going 17 games under .500 during that stretch, even though C) Picasso-owning, 7,000-square-foot-Upper-East-Side-apartment-living team owner Jeffrey Loria has seen the value of his franchise rise to an estimated $277 million since he bought it for $158 million in 2002.

Labels: marlins

Laugher, And An Almost No-No: Dodgers 12, Marlins 5

Clayton Kershaw took a no-no into the eighth, whereupon it was marred by a leadoff double off the bat of Cody Ross, the former Dodger. And I was outside working on the shed. Huh.

Dodgers recap • Yahoo box

"And Now, It's Time For Yankee Baseball"

Keith Olbermann explains how Vin Scully almost became the Yankees' lead broadcaster.

... Vin asked about Fordham, about Mike's youth, about his newspaper career, about the Yankees. And then came the story: "Michael, did you know; Keith, I don't even think I told you this -- I nearly became the Voice of the Yankees?" Absolute silence for two or three beats, and then, from Kay and Olbermann, a joint "whaaaat?" "When the Yankees let Mel Allen go in 1964, I got a phone call from the man who they had brought in to run their broadcasting operation, Craig Smith," Vin began. "He had been in charge of the World Series broadcasts forever, so I'd known him about ten years by then. And he asked me if I'd like to come home to New York and become the lead announcer. He offered a very handsome salary, and a long contract.

"Well, I was amazed, as you can imagine. I'd found a wonderful home here in Los Angeles, but remember, this was only seven years after the Dodgers left Brooklyn. I was still a New Yorker through and through. Plus, here was a chance to work again with Red Barber. And recall, too, that this was just before the Yankee dynasty collapsed. As much as Mr. O'Malley had done here and in Brooklyn, the Yankees were still the marquee name in sports. If it had been 1958 or 1959, when I still missed New York so, I would've said yes before he hung up the phone."

"So, I thought long and hard about that one. But I had a young family, and I think we had all just truly adjusted to living here - takes just about seven years, I think - and in the end I turned it down."

Followup: Sonnenstine Helps His Own Cause With The Bat: Rays 7, Indians 5

Andy Sonnenstine actually hit an RBI double in yesterday's DH-less (for Tampa Bay) contest against Cleveland.

“I took it as an opportunity,” [Sonnenstine] said. “That was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of.”

Wacky.

Yahoo box

Eric Stults Has A Sprained Thumb, Claims He Can Keep Pitching

He thinks he won't miss his next start.

Labels: dodgers, indians, injuries, marlins, rays, recaps, tv

Bobby Wilson Shipped Back To AAA

So Bill Plunkett tells us Bobby Wilson was remanded to AAA Salt Lake yesterday, yet the absence of any power on the team outside Mike Napoli remains a constant. Brandon Wood's invisibility remains utterly baffling.

Leave It To Weaver: Marlins 6, Dodgers 3

Eric Milton and Jeff Weaver, the two guys some people were getting in a tizzy about, turned out to both give up the same number of runs (2) though in a different number of innings (four for Milton, one for Weaver). You hope for good things from scrap-heap guys like these two, and if that doesn't work, oh well.

Oddity about this game: Juan Pierre scored every run in it, and not one was on an actual hit.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Robothal: Rangers Collapse No Sure Thing

True that, but get back to me in August. Heck, get back to me next month. Over the prior three seasons, Texas has had a 120 or greater ERA+ in only the following months:

Year/Month          ERA+
=========================
 April 2006         121
 June 2006          124
 March/April 2007   121
 June 2007          124
 March/April 2008   129
 July 2008          137

(Update 6/7/09: At some point Evan Grant wrote me that I'm talking through my hat on this one, and that I've got OPS+ allowed by Rangers pitching confused with ERA+ by month, a split that doesn't exist. My apologies.)

The Rangers' pitching staff had another 120 ERA+ month in April of this year, but their staff ERA+ for May is 71. The team continues to sing the usual homilies about pitching and defense ...

"The biggest thing for us is that pitching and defense are leading the way," Young says. "We made a huge point in spring training to bear down on the small parts of the game that haven't been a strength for us over the years. We made it a point to take a lot of pride in our defense. I think it shows."

... but I'm not convinced, not yet. One piece of evidence for the Rangers: the second-best defensive efficiency in the league (.711, second after Toronto's .719, with the Angels coming in sixth at .688). Texas trailed the league in that metric the year before (.670), and came in an underwhelming seventh (.681) in 2007.

Labels: angels, dodgers, marlins, rangers, recaps, transactions

I saw there was some chatter in yesterday's DT thread wistfully recalling the allegedly great Cody Ross, especially considering the ex-Dodger hammered a two-run jack against starter Eric Stults. It struck me that this was a sort of odd mancrush, considering his .210/.244/.363 line currently; even without Manny Ramirez in the lineup, he would almost certainly be playing in AAA with those kinds of weak numbers. Of course, he did manage a .335/.411/.653 season in 2007, but that was certainly a fluke, and his OPS+ numbers have tended to be right around league average when he's gotten a significant number of at-bats.

Chris Volstad had the Dodgers eating out of his hand for the first five frames, with the boys in blue failing to get past second base and going down in order all but one of those innings. He got badly touched in the fifth, giving up consecutive homers to Casey Blake and noob Xavier Paul, getting a dose of Vitamin X; it was Paul's first major league dinger. He almost got out of the frame, too, but Rafael Furcal reached on a close play at first, and when Orlando Hudson whistled a clean single to right, that set the stage for a sac fly by Andre Ethier.

The Dodgers tacked on more on when Juan Pierre came up with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and one out. Facing Kiko Calero, he knocked in a pair with an RBI single (I, personally, was hoping for a freak grand slam). The Marlins got one back when Emilio Bonifacio hit a one-out triple off Brent Leach and Chris Coghlan pushed him home with a scoring groundout to James Loney at first. Florida pieced together a rally in the eighth that looked like they might get more, but then things started to unravel. The umpires disagreed on a hit-by-pitch call by home plate umpire Joe West subsequently overruled by first base umpire Ed Rapuano. Dan Uggla, who took the pitched ball to the wrist, was said to have drawn his bat back, and this therefore was not a hit-by-pitch but a foul ball. The umpires subsequently ejected both manager Fredi Gonzalez (arguing balls and strikes, though he claims it was over whether the bat was withdrawn — isn't that the same thing?) and Uggla himself (for slamming his bat down).

The Dodgers increased their lead again with an Andre Ethier single in the ninth. Florida followed that with another rally and another ejection, as Bonifacio was called out on a close play at first; replays showed he was safe, and the understandably emotional Bonifacio got tossed. The Marlins' rally continued as Broxton lost his command for the second game running, walking two straight batters, but he held it together for the save. A really entertaining game.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Labels: dodgers, ex-dodgers, marlins, recaps

And both from Rotoworld:

• Scott Proctor signed with the Marlins for 1 year/$750k. I wanted to say something about Joe Sheehan's review of this transaction yesterday, but for now this will do:

  One other thing...the Associated Press story on the signing included this gem:

  The Marlins needed bullpen help after the departures this offseason of right-handers Kevin Gregg to the Chicago Cubs, Doug Waechter to Kansas City, and Joe Nelson to Tampa Bay.

  There's absolutely no context presented for that paragraph, so let me fill it in. Those pitchers are gone, but they're gone because the Marlins dumped them. Gregg was traded (in a great deal), Waechter was outrighted to the minors, and Nelson was non-tendered. The above implies that the Marlins have been decimated by the loss of their best relievers to free agency, when in fact it was the Marlins who cut ties with each and every one of them. The noun isn't "departures," it's "dumping." Read the sentence with that one word change and decide for yourself which is factual.

  The "Marlins have become an embarrassment to MLB", Sheehan griped, grudgingly admitting they had a pair of World Series victories since inception. That's two more than the Cubs, or the Giants, or the Mariners, to name just three. Not that that means that much; barring information on the guys they let go that makes for some more compelling evidence (i.e. their medical condition), it looks, superficially, like the Fish are screwing things up.
• Jason Johnson will join the Yankees on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Labels: analysis, ex-dodgers, marlins, transactions, yankees

Slumping Into The Playoffs: Rangers 8, Angels 4

Just an embarrassing game for the Halos, who gave away their second straight on a weak outing by one of their top two pitchers, Ervin Santana, who surrendered a season-high eight runs. Once again, Mike Scioscia started sending out the AAA taxi squad, so that by the end of the game the lineup was all but unrecognizeable, the only starter remaining in the ninth being Juan Rivera. At least Juan went 2-for-4; Jeff Mathis and Erick Aybar also finished the day with two hits each before being yanked, but it's games like this one that make me think about giving away today's tickets. The Chisox, Twins, Mets, and Brewers games all look like they've got something to win or lose — and the Angels don't.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Maddux Pitches A Gem, Passes Clemens On The All-Time Wins List With 355: Dodgers 2, Giants 1

What I missed while I was watching the Angels pretend they were interested in winning: Greg Maddux tossed six innings on an incredibly economical — even by his high standards — 47 pitches. Want to know how many times he's done that before? Zero, that's how many. If this is his swan song, then it was one hell of a game to pass Roger Clemens on the all-time wins leaderboard, with 355. Congratulations, Greg!

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Bullety Stuff

• The Dodgers announced their starting rotation for the NLDS will consist of Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda. Greg Maddux may or may not get a start, and may not even appear on the postseason roster.
• Hong-Chih Kuo will not be on the 11-man roster, and will get his elbow examined.
• The Cubs' Carlos Zambrano will not start today's game against Milwaukee. Angel Guzman will toe the rubber instead.
• With the Phillies' clinch yesterday, they became the first Phillies teams to win back-to-back division titles since the 1980-81 clubs.

Postseason Schedule Gets Clearer

With all but one of the postseason attendees locked up in each league, the postseason schedule is finally looking clearer:

Date     Matchup
====================
10/1  BOS @ LAA
10/2  MIN/CWS @ TB
10/3  MIN/CWS @ TB
10/3  BOS @ LAA
10/5  LAA @ BOS
10/5  TB @ MIN/CWS
10/6  LAA @ BOS*
10/6  TB @ MIN/CWS*
10/8  BOS @ LAA*
10/8  MIN/CWS @ TB*

* If necessary

Other Races

• NL Wild Card: The Cubs beat the Brewers 7-3, and the Mets finished off the Marlins 2-0, bringing both teams to a tie. The Mets will start the inconsistent Oliver Perez; after yesterday's complete-game shutout by Johan Santana (on short rest, no less), he's got a hard act to follow.
• AL Central: As crazy and at times self-defeating as the Angels have been, one constant I have been grateful for 99% of the time has been Mike Scioscia. Scioscia rarely makes a questionable on-field move, is an excellent rules lawyer, and has a good sense of when to argue a call and how loudly. But most of all he never — and I mean never — calls out his underperforming players in public. The same cannot be said of Ozzie Guillen, who only two starts ago slagged on Javier Vazquez for his weak starts:

  ... [M]anager Ozzie Guillen acknowledged that Vazquez hasn't emerged as a big-game pitcher since leaving Montreal for the Yankees, Arizona and now in his three seasons with the Sox.

  "That's the bottom line," Guillen said of Vazquez, who is scheduled to pitch Tuesday night against Minnesota to open a pivotal three-game series. "Javy is a consistent pitcher sometimes, and we haven't scored enough runs for him. [But] sometimes he hasn't pitched well enough. I don't have an ace here.

  "I have a good pitching staff. I don't have the guy who is going to step it up and fight for a Cy Young and win 20. I've got a good enough pitching staff to compete, and that's all I have."

  Seriously: how would you like to be reading quotes like that in the paper before you go into a big stretch against your nearest opponent in a tight division race? Sure enough, Vazquez imploded in his next start against the Twins, and did the same yesterday, giving up seven runs, all earned, in a 12-6 drubbing by Cleveland. (In fairness to Guillen, it should be noted that Vazquez also humiliated himself against the Yankees in his previous September 18 start that resulted in a 9-2 loss.) But at what point does that become self-fulfilling prophesy?

  The Twins lost to Kansas City 4-2 in a game blown by their lately-leaky bullpen, with Matt Guerrier taking the loss, so there was no movement in the AL Wild Card race.

If Bill Plaschke Thinks Re-Signing Manny Is A Bad Idea, Maybe There's Some Merit To It

He's yet to be right about most everything else, but the arguments are unfortunately sound:

Acquiring Ramirez for prospects is already one of the best trades in Dodgers history.

But if the Dodgers allow these two months to sucker them into signing him to the rich long-term deal he will demand, the trade will be one of their worst.

For the long-term future of the organization, Manny Ramirez is not Mr. Right, he is only Mr. Right Now.

He is a brilliant, Hall of Fame hitter. He is also a 36-year-old man with aching knees who will want the Dodgers to pay him until he is beyond 40.

He has feasted on National League pitching, loved National League ballparks. But because of his fielding problems, he will soon be needing the comfort of an American League designated-hitter role.

He has generated enough ticket and merchandise sales in two months to earn the Dodgers more than $10 million. But he is going to be asking for at least twice that much per season.

Bill Shaikin and Ross Newhan add up the numbers and figure that if the Dodgers had to pay his actual salary as footed by Boston, he would have just barely paid for himself. Fortunately, there are signs that Manny's translation to the west coast might be very happy for both sides, as in this T.J. Simers interview:

"The first time I stepped foot in Boston, I said to myself, 'Whoa.' I told Pedro Martinez, 'Damn, man, I just want to get traded and get out of here; this place is not me.' I was unhappy for eight years in Boston but still put up great numbers."

He signed a contract with Boston for $160 million, a deal with options that could've swelled to $200 million. And he was unhappy -- so unhappy he walked away from $40 million over the next two years.

"Baseball in Boston is like a Sunday football game, but played every day," he says. "We lose in L.A., I go to breakfast and people say, 'Well, you'll get them tomorrow.' In Boston, it's 'Hey, what's going on, the Yankees are coming.'

"It's just a different atmosphere. The fans in Boston got your back no matter what, but I'm talking about the people who write all this bull because it means so much to them. If your happiness depends on Boston winning or losing, you have to get a life."

Labels: angels, dodgers, indians, marlins, mets, recaps, royals, twins, white sox, yankees

Ted Lilly had a no-hitter going through six and dominated the Milwaukee Brewers, just as he had only a couple starts prior on September 15 against the Astros at the same place. The Brewers sent a clearly injured or inept Ben Sheets to the mound for the start in a roll of the dice. Dale Sveum paid for it immediately, as the Tiny Bears knocked a pair out in the first inning on Daryle Ward's two-run homer, and Micah Hoffpauir's two-run, bases-loaded RBI single in the third. That proved a knock-out blow for Sheets.

Though the Brewers got a look at the game by scratching out three runs against the Cubs' relief corps, the Cubs answered with a three-run ninth-inning rally that included a rare Kosuke Fukudome home run put the game away. The Brewers are now tied — again — for the NL Wild Card lead, as the Mets blanked the Marlins 2-0 behind Johan Santana.

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Labels: brewers, cubs, marlins, mets, recaps

Slam! Bang! Clank! Angels 15, Rangers 13

The Angels got out to an early 7-0 lead that they managed to utterly squander, and once Gary Matthews, Jr. clanked Milton Bradley's routine fly in center, that was pretty much the end of Jon Garland, whether he knew it or not at the time. Garland seemed to go into panic mode after that, not that he was doing all that well up to that point. Ironically, it was the only time Bradley reached in the game; he had a golden sombrero otherwise, and stranded four baserunners, leading the team. Regardless, the nine-run third was the most scored against an Angels team since a May 19, 2006 game versus the Dodgers.

Since the Angels had to face Texas pitching, that wasn't an insuperable problem. The Angels had a lot of offensive fireworks of their own, including homers by Kendry Morales and Mike Napoli, their second in as many games. In fact, Napoli was only a single away from the cycle at the end of the game. Torii Hunter led the team with four RBIs including a first-inning three-run homer. Annoying as it was to see the team let the lead slip through their fingers, they didn't entirely choke it away, though Scot Shields looked more relieved than happy after he wiggled out of a ninth inning jam for the save. Darren Oliver, who pitched the middle innings in relief of the ineffective Garland, got the win, the 100th of his career.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Giants Crush Maddux, Zito Cruises: Giants 7, Dodgers 1

Nothing much to report here, as Greg Maddux was pretty much helpless against the Giants, getting thoroughly unhinged in the four-run fifth. Barry Zito pitched the kind of game San Francisco assumed they'd get routinely from him when they signed him to his big-dollar contract. The Dodgers' only run came on a Pablo Ozuna solo homer, and as Bob Timmermann noted in the DT gameday thread, that made him the 19th Dodger to homer this year. Go for the gold, that's what I say.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

And Other Important Games

• Colorado sank the Snakes 3-2 to whittle the Dodgers' magic number to six.
• The Mets pounded the Braves 9-5 and Florida wailed on Philadelphia 14-8 in a slugfest, with the net result that the NL East lead changed hands, Mets back on top by a half game.
• The Cubs fell in a 12-6 slaughter to St. Louis as Carlos Zambrano had nothing against the Redbirds, leaving the game after recording only five outs, the second shortest outing of his career. Luckily for him, Cincinnati jumped on Jeff Suppan and the Brewers 11-2 to whittle Chicago's magic number by one. With the NL East trading hands, the Brewers stay two games back in the wild card, this time of Philadelphia.
• Tampa Bay mauled Minnesota 11-1, pushing them further back of the White Sox, who beat Kansas City 9-4. Chicago ended the day 2.5 games up in the division with a magic number of seven.
• Boston edged Toronto 4-3 to keep pace in the AL East, 1.5 games back of Tampa Bay.

Labels: angels, brewers, cardinals, cubs, diamondbacks, dodgers, giants, marlins, mets, rangers, recaps, rockies, twins, white sox

With an eye to the Bees' postseason, the Angels limited their callups to C Ryan Budde, and RHPs Dustin Moseley and Darren O'Day from Triple-A Salt Lake. More callups should be expected after the Bees' postseason run is over, reports Bill Plunkett.

Dallas McPherson got the callup to Florida after he led the minors in the regular season with 42 home runs. Update: Also via AP:

McPherson finished spring training hitting just .095 in 21 at-bats and was beat out by third baseman Jorge Cantu, who has been one of the most consistent hitters Florida has had this season.

"I wasn't really disappointed," McPherson said. "Everybody stayed healthy and played good. There really wasn't a spot for me. I always kind of knew that the team would call me up when they felt like they could use me. Obviously, that situation never happened. I was fine with staying down and just continuing to prove that I could play at this level."

Labels: angels, ex-angels, marlins, transactions

• Ken Griffey has approved a trade to the White Sox; the Reds will get reliever Nick Masset and minor league 2B Danny Richar in exchange. A nice deal for the Sox, who get the last couple months of a productive DH, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Also via AP.
• Will Carroll reports of a three-way deal yet unfinished between the Marlins, Red Sox, and Pirates that would put Manny Ramirez in a Florida uniform:

  Marlins get Manny Ramirez, one prospect (Red Sox), and cash (likely covering Ramirez’s remaining salary)

  Pirates get Jeremy Hermida and three prospects (two Marlins, one Red Sox)

  Red Sox get Jason Bay and John Grabow

  The deal isn't done yet because of dickering over the prospect. The situation is "fluid" according to the AP.

  Update: The deal is "tentative" according to the Palm Beach Post.

  Update 2: Deal's off, per MLB.com.

• Update 3: The Mariners sent Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins for RHP Gaby Hernandez. Lookout Landing likes the deal:

  This is the sort of #6-10 organizational prospect I was hoping to get. To summarize, we just turned a spring training NRI retread into one of the better high-level arms in the system. A good way to start the day. Nice job, Lee. This is exactly what a bad team is supposed to do with veteran relievers for which it has minimal use.

As we approach the deadline, this post may grow ... stay tuned ...

Labels: mariners, marlins, pirates, red sox, reds, rumors, trades, white sox

With the Fish sending up their worst pitcher, and keeping their starting shortstop Hanley Ramirez off the field due to a sore shoulder, the results were somewhat predictable, and so the Dodgers got a win to salvage something out of this series. It's the first series the Dodgers have lost out of their last five.

Chad Billingsley was terrific, fanning 13 Florida batters, a career mark, and allowing the game's only run over seven frames. Matt Kemp went 3-for-4, the fifth time this year he's had three hits in one game. Thanks to a 6-3 Arizona loss to the Phillies, the Dodgers go into the break a game out of first at 46-49.

Yahoo box • MLB.com recap

Labels: dodgers, marlins, recaps

Santana Beats Up On Oakland Again: Angels 4, A's 1

I was out at the John Anson Ford Theater watching TAIKOPROJECT bang out that rhythm on the drums, so I missed a great outing by Ervin Santana against Oakland on the road; he's typically done well there, so I wasn't too worried about him. No, it was the Angels' lack of offense against Dana Eveland I was concerned about, and they managed to get a pair early, which proved to be enough. The part I really rued missing was the Angels scratching a run off of Huston Street.

Unfortunately, Joe Saunders will miss tonight's game thanks to delays in his wife's giving birth, so the Angels will call up Dustin Moseley, ready or not. This one's likely to be a gimme for the A's, so enjoy your free win, Oakland. Even the Angels website preview features a story about Darren O'Day, who will not make the start. Oh, well, better luck next time.

Yahoo box • MLB.com recap

Dodgers Not Only Lost, But Lost Their Closer: Marlins 5, Dodgers 3 (11 INnings)

Ramon Troncoso may have lost this game in extras, but the real story was Takashi Saito perhaps losing the season:

The Dodgers' 38-year-old closer said he felt fine recording the first two outs of the inning. But on the first pitch to the third batter, Wes Helms, Saito said that he was "hit with a sudden tightness."

That he would notice elbow tightness in a game with his adrenaline flowing, Saito said, was the first sign of trouble.

"The kind of tightness that you feel on the mound isn't a normal tightness," he said.

He threw three more pitches.

"It became gradually worse and I thought, 'This isn't tightness,' " Saito said.

What exactly it is won't be known until at least Monday, when Saito is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam.

Hopefully this isn't the end of the line...

Yahoo box • MLB.com recap

Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, marlins, recaps

Eric Stults actually pitched a quality start, but seriously, the offense was lacking against Chris Volstad (not Andrew Volstead, he of the famous Act). A slow, day-long gobstopper of a game that just sucked despite the popped cork of a lone run at the end to break up the shutout.

Yahoo box

Labels: dodgers, marlins, recaps