| |
16 May, 2004 Pitching line = IP H R ER BB
SO
 Game
action ... INT -- oops, B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 0-3, R, BB, 2 errors
... Jason Standridge (TB, rehab) 5.2 6 2 2 1 2 ... Marcus
Thames (DET, RF) 2-2, 10th HR, R, RBI, BB & 0-2, R, RBI, BB, SF ...
rehabbing Austin Kearns (CIN, RF) 1-2, 2nd HR, R, 3 RBI, BB & 0-3
... Joe Valentine (CIN) 4.0 3 5 5 3 1 ... Justin Morneau
(MIN, 1B) 2-4, 2B, 2 R, HBP ... Darnell McDonald (BAL, CF) 2-4 ...
Brian Forystek (BAL) 7.0 5 3 1 3 3 ... Kyle Denney
(CLE) 4.0 4 5 3 3 7 ... Jon Rauch (CHA) 6.0 4 3 2 1 6 ...
Michael Vento (NYA, RF) 2-4, R, RBI ... Corey Hart
(MIL, RF) 2-4, 2B, R ... well, at least he's pitching again, Chris
Capuano (MIL, rehab) 3.0 6 8 7 4 2 ... Pat Strange (NYN) 5.0 3
0 0 0 2
PCL -- Bo Hart STL 3-4, triple, .300
... Andy Tracy COL 4-5, double, 6th homer, 6 RBI ... Joe
Blanton OAK 6.0 8 4 4 2 3 (more below) ... Ryan Church MON
1-3, triple, 3 RBI, .358 ... winning ugly, Taylor Buchholz HOU with his
first win after five loses, 5.0 7 3 3 5 3, 7.57 ... and, Edwin Jackson
LA, also with a win, 5.0 6 4 3 3 5 ... Scott Hairston ARZ
(OF again) 2-5, walk, 3 runs, .315 ... Chris Burke HOU 2-5, 3rd
homer, walk, 3 RBI, .291 ... Koyie Hill LA 2-5, double, 4th homer,
4 RBI, .260
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 0-2, 2 BB
Justin Huber NYN 0-1
Prentice Redman NYN 1-4
Aaron Hill TOR 1-3
Dominic Rich TOR 0-3
Val
Majewski BAL 2-5, HR (6), 2 RBI (19)
Keith Reed BAL 2-4,
RBI (11)
Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-5, 2 2B (14), RBI (15)
Ryan Doumit PIT 1-2, 2 BB
Michael Cervenak SF 3-3, 2B
(12), HR (10), 3 RBI (35)
Rick Helling MINN 6.0 5 4 4 3 6
SOUTHERN -- Edwin Encarnacion CIN 3B
2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 HR (3) ... James Loney LA 1B 1-4, 1 R, 1
3B, 1 RBI, 2 K's ... Andrew Brown LA 5.0 6 6 6 3 2 ... Freddy
Guzman SD OF 0-4 ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 0-4 ... Aaron
McNeal CHA 1B 0-3, 3 K's ... Eric Reed FLA OF 0-5 ...
Jason Stokes FLA 1B 1-5 ... Josh Willingham FLA C 2-4,
1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR (7) ... Trevor Hutchinson FLA 3.0 6 7 7 4 3, gave
up 3 HR's ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K ... Kelly
Johnson ATL OF 0-4, 1 K ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB
... Tony Gwynn Jr MIL OF 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K's ...
Prince Fielder MIL 1B 0-3, 1 BB ... Brad Nelson MIL OF
1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (8)
TEXAS -- Willy Taveras CF HOU 1-4,
SB(26) ... Todd Self 1B HOU 1-4 ... Tommy Whiteman
SS HOU 0-4 ... Mark Teahen 3B OAK 1-4, RBI ... Shane
Komine OAK 7.1 6 1 1 1 3 ... Alberto Callaspo SS ANA 2-5, R,
2B ... Nick Gorneault LF ANA 0-5 ... Dallas McPherson
DH ANA 1-3, BB ... Jeff Mathis C ANA 1-3, HR, 2RBI, 2BB ...
Jayson Nix 2B COL 2-4, 2HR, 5RBI ... Shin-soo Choo LF SEA 3-5,
3R ... Dustin Delucchi CF SEA 2-4, 3R ... Maryland
Williams CF ARI 2-5, R, RBI, SB ... Victor Hall LF ARI 3-3,
2R, 3B, RBI, BB, SB ... Brian Barden 3B ARI 1-3, R, 3RBI, BB ...
Josh Kroeger RF ARI 2-5, R ... Sergio Santos SS ARI
2-5, R, RBI
CAROLINA -- Jeff Francoeur ATL
2-6, 2 R, HR (6), 2 RBI, K ... Scott Thorman ATL 2-6, RBI ...
Brian McCann ATL 3-5, 2 R, double, HR (2), RBI ... Tony
Blanco CIN 2-4, R, HR (12), 2 RBI (28), BB ... Chris Denorfia
CIN 1-4, R, double, 2 RBI (27), BB, K ... Kyle Davies ATL 3.2 6 5
5 5 5 (4.13) ... Thomas Pauly CIN (W) 3.2 9 6 6 2 0 (2-3, 5.76)
... Ryan Sweeney CHA 0-4 ... Brian Anderson CHA 0-3,
BB ... Casey Rogowski CHA 1-4 ... Chaz Lytle PIT
2-4, 2 R, SB (12) ... Brad Eldred PIT 2-4, RBI (31), K ...
Rajai Davis PIT 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (14) ... Paul Maholm
PIT 3.1 3 0 0 1 2 (1.84) ... Fausto Carmona CLE 7 5 2 0 0 7 (3.12)
...
FLORIDA STATE -- Bronson Sardinha 3B
NYA 2-4, .344 ... Vito Chiaravalloti TOR, in a funk, 0-3, down to
.267 ... Joel Guzman SS LA, about time, 3-4, double, 5th homer, 5
RBI, .259 ... Jesse Harper TOR, in his first action of the season,
3.0 3 0 0 1 4 ... also, just back from injury, Manuel Delcarmen
BOS 3.0 0 0 0 1 4 ...
CALIFORNIA -- Bobby
Livingston SEA, moving up the Mariners' prospect chart, 9.0 3 2 2 2 10, 6-0,
1.44 ... Jeff Salazar COL CF 4-6, double, .315 ... Jeffrey
Baker 3B COL 3-6, 4th homer, 4 RBI, .293 ... Conor Jackson ARZ
3-5, .316
MIDWEST -- Juan Senreiso OF TEX 3-5, 3
doubles, .351 ... Ian Kinsler SS TEX 2-4, .398 ... Melky
Cabrera CF NYA 2-4, triple, .346 ... Eric Duncan NYA 2-4, 7th
homer, .302 ... Howard Kendrick ANA 2-4, walk, double, .326 ...
Steven Bondurant OAK, 5.2 2 1 1 3 9, 6-2, 2.11 (1st run given up in
last four starts) ... Dusty Hughes KC 8.0 7 4 4 2 4, 1.60 ...
Mitch Maier KC 3-4, 3rd homer ... Wladimir Balentien SEA
having a tough time in full-season ball, 1-3, 2nd homer, .206
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Elijah Dukes TB, 2-5,
double, run ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE, 2-3, run ... Rogearvin
Bernadina MON, 1-3, RBI, steal (7) ... Nick Markakis BAL,
1-4, RBI ... Josh Anderson HOU, 1-2, 2 walks, 3 steals (32) ...
Matt Albers HOU, 6.0 3 0 0 4 8, 1.62 ERA ... Brandon Moss
BOS, 0-3, walk ... Kyle Jackson BOS, 7.0 3 0 0 3 2 (W 1-5, 4.11)
... Jon Benick PIT, 1-4, RBI ... Micah Schnurstein
CHW, 2-3, RBI ... Daniel Haigwood CHW, 7.0 2 1 1 2 5, 3.15 ERA ...
Ian Stewart COL, 0-4, K ... Tyler Davidson NYM, 3-4,
double, triple, run, 4 RBI ... Matthew Lindstrom
NYM, 7.0 0 0 0 0 7, (W 3-2, 2.85) : " ... Capital City starter Matt
Lindstrom pitched seven perfect innings: 21 batters, 21 outs, no one on base.
Lindstrom tossed seven strikeouts in the gem, but had to leave after seven
innings due to pitch count restrictions. Charleston broke up the perfect game
and the no-hitter with David Smiths double over right fielder Ryan Harvey in
the eighth inning. That shot would remain the only hit for the Alley Cats in the
game." (bomberball.com)
COLLEGE -- Jered Weaver, Long Beach State,
9.0 2 1 1 1 8 (105 pitches), 14-0, 1.27 (113 1/3 innings, 55 hits, 14 walks, 171
Ks)
" ... For the second-straight game,
All-American Jered Weaver (14-0) pitched a two-hitter, pitching to two over the
minimum, again, en route to an 11-1 victory ... After walking Louis Hernandez in
the second, Weaver proceed to retire the next 21 in a row, pitching to the
minimum until a one-out walk in the ninth by Scott Powis broke the streak. The
only other hit by UCR was a solo homer by Tony Festa to tie the game with two
outs in the first. Weaver struck out eight and walked one on the night to remain
perfect on the season and tie the 49ers' record for wins without a loss ... Last
week Weaver pitched to two over the minimum in a two-hit shutout of Pacific."
(longbeachstate.com)
Philip Humber, Rice, 7.0 2 0 0 3 11 (104
pitches), 10-2,1.69 ... Justin Verlander, Old Dominion, 7.0 7 2 2 0 10,
6-5
Troop
movements ... BOS -- recalled 3B Kevin Youkilis from AAA (Mark
Malaska to AAA) ... COL -- recalled RHP Scott Dohmann from AAA
(Turk Wendell DL) ... BOS -- acquired outfielder Henri Stanley from
the Padres for a player to be named and cash ... NYA -- acquired RHP Tanyon
Sturtze from the Dodgers for a player to be named ... COL -- designated
RHP Scott Elarton for assignment ... BAL -- optioned RHP Kurt
Ainsworth to Triple-A, purchased the contract of RHP Darwin
Cubillan ...
Matt Moses MIN 3B prospect, DL, could be a
herniated disc in his back ...
Chris
Kline, Baseball America, takes a look at the top catching prospects and comes
out with a familiar trio at the top -- Jeff Mathis ANA, Guillermo
Quiroz TOR and
Dioner Navarro NYA at 1-2-3. Kelly Shoppach BOS was next, then a pair of
generally unsung talents :
" ... Lou Palmisano, a third-round pick last
year, is athletic behind the plate with good quickness, soft hands and a strong
arm. He has a quick bat with power to all fields and is on the fast track
through the Brewers' system. Through his first 109 at-bats for low Class A
Beloit, Palmisano is hitting .311-1-19."
" ... Ryan Doumit ... Staying healthy is the
key for Doumit, as various injuries limited his playing time over his first
three full seasons. Last year was his first DL-free season, and the Pirates saw
marked improvements, as Doumit batted .275-11-77. He missed most of spring
training due to a bout with mononucleosis but is hitting .300-4-7 through 50
at-bats at Double-A Altoona. Some question Doumit's game-calling and receiving
ability, but he could be the Pirates' starting catcher in 2006."
Zach
Chalifour, The Roto Times, on Joe Blanton OAK :
" ... if Redman or Harden hit a
serious rut, or if Zito continues to pitch as badly as he has, Blanton is ready
to jump in. In his first two seasons after being drafted in the first round of
the famous "Moneyball" draft in 2002, Blanton dominated the Single-A and
Double-A levels, going a combined 12-10 with a 2.52 ERA in 189 innings pitched.
He also struck out 195 batters while yielding just 34 walks. This success has
carried into 2004 and on to Triple-A Sacramento, where Blanton has pitched even
better while facing more advanced hitters in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast
League. In seven starts, the 23-year old has put up a 3-1 record and a 2.22 ERA
in just less than 45 innings pitched. He has still struck out 34 but has been
touched up a bit more, giving up 40 hits and walking 11. The good news is that
his stats were inflated largely due to a couple of rough outings and that they
should continue to level out if he remains in Sacramento. Oakland doesn't like
to rush pitchers, so Blanton will remain in Triple-A until there is a clear role
for him to take on with the A's."
Rob
White, Omaha World-Herald, with more on Mike Wood OAK :
" ... Wood isn't going to come close to making any
radar guns flicker up three-digit readouts. So what was the right-hander doing
with a perfect game through six innings, and with a no-hitter with one out in
the eighth Friday night? Pitching. "That's a guy who knows how to pitch, because
he doesn't have overpowering stuff," Sacramento Manager Tony DeFrancesco said.
Wood, 24, gave up just two hits and a walk in 72/3 innings ... "He's got a lot
of movement," Omaha Manager Mike Jirschele said. "Everything he throws moves. He
doesn't throw anything straight. He kept the ball down in the zone. We chased a
lot of pitches that started down and went . . . downer." ... Wood allowed
only three baserunners and struck out 10 - doubling his high in any of his
previous seven starts. That was despite never throwing a pitch harder than 88
mph and averaging 86 mph with his fastball. "My changeup off my fastball was
working really well," Wood said. "There's good leverage off that mound, and it
got my changeup really dropping. They weren't really seeing it well, so that was
my 'go' pitch today." ... Wood went 9-3 with a 3.05 ERA last season for the
River Cats, then made his major league debut with Oakland. He went 2-1 in 13 2/3
innings for the Athletics, but had a 10.54 ERA. "He knows how to win,"
DeFrancesco said. "He's been our most consistent pitcher, last year and this
year. He's a strikethrower. A chance for a no-hitter, that's pretty special."
Wood has pitched 14 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run in his past two
starts, with one walk and 14 strikeouts. He trimmed his ERA to 2.72."
Dustin
McGowan TOR ... who knew?
" ... Rick Adair gets paid to take meticulous
notes, monitor the pitching staff and provide guidance to the up-and-coming
Toronto Blue Jays. Needless to say, the pitching coach was shocked after hearing
Dustin McGowan complain of elbow soreness and then land on the operating table
for Tommy John surgery Wednesday. The thing that bothers you as a pitching
coach is you wonder if theres something we could have done better. Is there
something we did wrong? Adair said last night. ... McGowans injury came out of
the blue like a falling satellite. The Toronto prospect worked on an extra day
of rest last Saturday, firing 94 pitches at Reading, Pa. He touched 96 mph on
the radar gun his best velocity of the season and exited in the fifth inning
of a 7-5 Fisher Cats win. When McGowan met with Adair following the outing, the
topic of elbow soreness wasnt part of the conversation. It wasnt until the
next day when McGowan notified the team of a potential problem. When we took
him out of the game, he was fine. We didnt see any signs of a health problem.
He was still pitching in the low- to mid-90s the last inning he was out there,
Adair said. When we talked, we talked about his approach ... I was shocked when
Voon (Chong, team trainer) said the elbow was bothering him the next day.
Turned out McGowan was fighting through some discomfort, pitching with a
ligament in need of replacement ... Last nights Fisher Cat starter, Francisco
Rosario, is a perfect example of how Tommy John surgery can prolong if not
improve a pitchers career. Rosario, a 6-foot right-hander, underwent the
operation 19 months ago. Rosarios fastball reached 96 mph in the first two
innings." (Manchester Union Leader)
D'Backs
Adriano Rosario ... will he age suddenly ?
" ... Rosario ... the subject of an ESPN
exposι last week regarding his signing, now has his identity in doubt. Rosario
will return to the Dominican Republic to address his immigration status, the
team said in a statement. General manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said he had no
further comment and agent Scott Boras did not return a phone call. A person with
knowledge of the situation said Rosario was being required to prove his name
and/or age to authorities in the Dominican Republic. A crackdown by U.S.
immigration since 9/11 has found many Dominican players who used false names or
lied about their birthdates. Rosario, a right-hander who has a fastball near 100
mph, is listed as having been born May 16, 1985, which would make him almost 19.
Last week, Boras said Rosario's listed age is accurate. ESPN uncovered
improprieties surrounding Arizona's signing of Rosario." (East Valley
Tribune)
15 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- Pete LaForest (TB, C) 1-4, 2nd HR, R, RBI
... B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 1-4, 1st HR, R, 2 RBI, 0 errors ... Dewon
Brazelton (TB) 5.0 5 4 3 2 3 ... Jason Arnold (TOR) 5.0 4 1
1 1 2 ... Josh Hancock (PHI) 5.1 4 2 2 0 4 ... rehabbing Byung-Hyun
Kim (BOS) 2.0 3 3 3 2 1 ... Joe Borchard (CHA, RF) 2-5, 2 2B
... Brad Halsey (NYA) 7.0 5 1 1 2 4 ... Pedro Liriano
(MIL) 5.1 8 4 4 0 1 ... Jeremy Griffiths (NYN) 7.0 5 0 0 1 5
PCL -- Christian Parker, one-time
Yankee prospect trying to comeback with MON, much better at the plate than on
the hill, 2-2, homer, 3 RBI & 5.1 6 3 3 1 2 ... Clint Barmes COL
2-4 & 2-4, .368 ... Mike Wood, might just beat Joe Blanton to OAK,
7.2 2 0 0 1 10, 6-2, 2.72 ... Dennis Tankersley SD, 6.0 4 4 2 4 2, 2.29
... Nick Regilio TEX, the bubble bursts, 4.0 12 7 7 4 3 ... Scott
Hairston ARZ, playing the OF, 3-4, double, walk, .311 ... Luis
Terrero ARZ 2-4, .363 ... Joel Hanrahan LA 6.0 6 3 3 1 6
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 1-5, 2B
(14)
Justin Huber NYN 2-4, 2B (4), RBI (7)
Prentice
Redman NYN 2-5, 2B (16), RBI (30)
Aaron Hill TOR 0-4, RBI
(14)
Dominic Rich TOR 0-4, R
Dioner Navarro NYA
0-4
Val Majewski BAL 2-5, 2B (6), HR (5), RBI (17)
Keith
Reed BAL 2-4, 2B (8), RBI (10)
David Crouthers BAL 7.1 3
1 1 2 9, (3.22)
Franklin Gutierrez CLE 1-4
Ryan
Doumit PIT 1-4, RBI (8)
Michael Cervenak SF 1-3, BB, RBI
(32)
Gavin Floyd PHI 4.0 7 5 5 3 4, (2.18)
Once the Pirates' top prospect, Bobby Bradley
battling to return from a series of injuries :
" ... Bradley, the Pirates' top pick in the 1999
draft, pitched his best game of the season in notching the win to improve to
2-1. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight batters over his six
shutout frames. Bradley, who has struggled with control at times throughout his
first six starts, yielded just two walks and three hits in notching the win."
(Altoona Curve)
SOUTHERN -- Oh my, what a start ... Brad
Thompson STL now might have to wait for a promotion (until, he gets another
start to try and break the minor league record) ... 6.0 3 0 0 2 2, now 6-0 :
" ... Thompson tied a Southern League record with
six scoreless innings, bringing his season opening total to 43 1/3 consecutive
scoreless innings, in Tennessee's 10-0 win over Carolina (20-15) Friday night at
Smokies Park. Thompson was forced to work out of trouble on a number of
occasions ... Thompson allowed three hits over six innings with two walks,
two strikeouts, and two hit batters. He threw 92 pitches. Thompson has thrown a
total of 52 consecutive scoreless innings dating to last season. He remains four
innings shy of tying the minor league record of 56, set by Birmingham's Irvin
Wilhelm in 1907." (Tennessee Smokies)
" ... Cardinals drafted Thompson in the 16th round
in 2002, out of Dixie Junior College in Utah. He spent 2003 in the bullpen at
Class A Peoria, posting a 2.91 ERA and a 43/10 K/BB ratio in 65 innings,
allowing 70 hits. His control was very impressive, but his K/IP and H/IP rates
were below average. I gave him a Grade C in my book this year, a standard grade
for an effective Class A pitcher who doesn't burn radar guns. Thompson pitched
well in the Arizona Fall League, earning his way to Double-A for 2004. Used as a
starter this season, he's shown he can pound the lower half of the strike zone
with his 88-92 mph sinking fastball. He also has an excellent slider, and has
added an effective changeup now that he's a starter. You have to be impressed by
what he's done this year ... While Thompson doesn't have as much pure stuff as
Wainwright or Haren, if he stays healthy and maintains this sort of command, he
could be a very fine middle rotation starter, at least in a Brad Radke sort of
way, and possibly better than that." (John Sickels, ESPN.com)
Eric Reed FLA OF 1-4, 1 BB ... Jason Stokes
FLA 1B 1-4, 3 K's ... Josh Willingham FLA C ... Freddy
Guzman SD OF 0-4, 2 K's ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-3, 1 BB ...
Aaron McNeal CHA 1B 0-3 ... Tetsu Yofu 6.0 4 1 1 4
8, no decision ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 0-4, 2 K's ... Rickie
Weeks MIL 2B 3-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K ... Tony Gwynn
MIL OF 1-4, 1 K ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 0-4, 1 RBI ... Brad
Nelson MIL OF 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K's, 1 SB, 1 HR(7) ... Edwin
Encarnacion CIN 3B 1-7, 1 RBI, 1 K ... Reggie Abercrombie LA
OF 1-6, 1 3B ... James Loney LA 1B 0-6, 3 K's ... Chadd
Blasko CHN 4.0 7 4 3 3 5
Catchup from Thursday -- Tim Stauffer SD, AA
debut, 6.0 8 3 3 1 2
" ... Jason Stokes [FLO] and Dwaine
Bacon [CHN] ... named co-hitters of the week while Arnie Munoz
[CHA] and Bobby Brownlie [CHN] ... tabbed as co-pitchers of
the week in the Southern League. During Carolina's seven-game winning streak,
Stokes homered in four consecutive games, pushing his league-leading total to 11
for the season. For the week, Stokes had an amazing slugging percentage of 1.043
while driving in 10 runs. Bacon, who leads the league in stolen bases, collected
eight more for West Tenn, as the Diamond Jaxx captured eight straight games.
Bacon, who had an on- base percentage of .484 for the week, scored nine runs and
walked six times. Diamond Jaxx pitcher Bobby Brownlie posted an impressive 0.64
ERA in his two starts last week, both wins. In 14 innings of work, Brownlie
allowed just six hits while striking out nine without walking a batter. Munoz
allowed just one earned run in 12 innings, as he tied the Southern League record
with his 12th consecutive victory. In his two appearances for the Barons, Munoz
gave up just seven hits and one walk while fanning eight." (The Sports Network)
TEXAS -- Willy Taveras CF HOU 1-4, R,
SB(25) ... Tommy Whiteman SS HOU 1-4, 2RBI ... Mark
Teahen 3B OAK 0-4 ... John Baker C OAK 1-4, HR ... Jason
Bourgeois 2B TEX 0-4, RBI ... Will Smith RF TEX 1-5, R, 2B
... Ruben Gotay 2B KC 1-5, R, 2B ... Kameron Loe TEX
4 7 4 4 4 4 ... Alberto Callaspo SS ANA 1-4, HR, BB, 2SB ...
Nick Gorneault ANA LF 1-3, BB ... Dallas McPherson ANA
DH 0-4 ... Jeff Mathis C ANA 1-4, R, 2B ... Jayson Nix
2B COL 0-3, R, BB ... Jake Woods ANA 7 5 0 0 2 8 ... Shin-soo
Choo RF SEA 1-5, RBI ... Greg Jacobs LF SEA 1-4, R, BB ...
Maryland Williams CF ARI 2-4, 2R, 2 3B ... Brian Barden
3B ARI 1-2, R, BB ... Sergio Santos SS ARI 2-4, RBI ... Dustin
Nippert ARI 6.2 9 4 3 3 4
CAROLINA -- Jeff Francoeur ATL 1-5, R,
K ... Scott Thorman ATL 3-4, double, K ... Brian McCann
ATL 1-4 ... Tony Blanco CIN 0-3, BB, K ... Chris
Denorfia CIN 0-3, R, BB, K ... Donnie Murphy KC, 0-2, K ...
Shane Costa KC 0-4, R, RBI, K ... Luke Scott HOU 2-5, K
... Mark Saccomanno HOU 4-5, R, double, 2 RBI (29) ... Devon
Lowery KC (L) 5 8 5 4 2 0 (2-2, 3.10) ... Ryan Sweeney CHA
1-4, K ... Brian Anderson CHA 2-4, R, HR (3), RBI, K, .350 ...
Casey Rogowski CHA (1B) 1-4, R, HR (7), RBI (32) ... Chaz
Lytle PIT 2-4, 2 R, .325 ... Brad Eldred PIT 0-3, 2 RBI (30),
K ... Rajai Davis PIT 2-5, 3 R, double, RBI, K, .321 ... keeps on
rolling Zach Duke PIT (W) 6 5 0 0 0 4 (5-0, 0.92).
Pre-season, Duke ranked 15th in the PIT system at
OnDeck (302nd on the Top 500) ... Baseball Notebook had Duke rated as the 85th
best pitching prospect
FLORIDA STATE -- Justin Pope NYA,
beginning to reverse his fortunes, 8.0 6 1 1 0 6, 3.15 ... Jamie
Vermilyea TOR 4.0 3 1 1 1 4, 2.37 ... Shelley Duncan NYA 2-3,
double, 8th homer, 2 walks, .297 ... Elizardo Ramirez PHI 6.0 6 2
2 1 6, 4-1, 2.82 ... Michael Hinckley MON, rare pounding, 3.1 8 7 6 3 4,
2.55 ... Brent Clevlen DET 2-4, 1st homer, .340 ... Carl
Everett MON just 2 plate appearances, both walks, before being removed
... Felix Pie CHN 2-5, double, triple, .281 ... Rey
Ordonez CHN 0-3
CALIFORNIA -- Conor Jackson ARZ 2-2, 2
doubles, 2 walks, 2 RBI, .305 ... Jeff Salazar COL 2-5, 4th & 5th
homers, .299 ... Jeffrey Baker COL 2-5, 3rd homer, .280 ...
Fred Lewis CF SF 2-4, triple, .330 ... Erick Aybar ANA 3-4, 4th
triple, .357 ... Michael Napoli ANA 2-4, double, 11th homer, walk, 3 RBI,
.351 (4th in the league in AVE, 1st in SLG, 1st in homers, 1st RBI) ... Tim
Salmon ANA, rehab, 1-2
MIDWEST -- Brandon Wood SS ANA 2-4, up
to .269 ... Lou Palmisano MIL 1-4, 2nd triple ...interesting line for
Jake Fox CHN 3-6, 7 RBI, but without a homer, double, 2 triples ...
Kevin Collins CHN 3-5, double, 10th homer, .333 ... Ian Kinsler SS
TEX 2-4, 9th SB, .395 (hitting in the 3 hole) ... Brian Dopirak CHN 3-3,
3 walks, .300
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Nick Markakis BAL,
2-4, homer (2), 4 RBI ... Fredy Deza BAL, 7.0 5 0 0 1 3 (W 3-4,
1.85) ... Wes Bankston TB, 1-4, double, 2 RBI ... Elijah
Dukes TB, 1-4, 2 runs ... Delmon Young TB, 0-4 ... James
Houser TB, 7.0 4 0 0 1 5 (W 2-1, 2.70) ... Jake Blalock
PHI, 1-3, double, RBI ... Scott Mathieson PHI, 7.0 3 3 1 1 3 (L
2-3, 3.55) ... Tom Gorzelanny PIT, 5.0 3 2 2 3 9 ... Adam
Bostick FLA, 5.0 2 1 0 1 11 (0.69, 27 K, 4 BB in 13 IP) ... Thomas
Mastny TOR, 5.0 4 2 0 2 5 ... Steve Doetsch ATL 2-5, triple, .282
... Ian Stewart COL on a power binge, 2-6, 9th homer, but 3 Ks ...
Nate Schierholtz 3B SF, beginning to attract attention, 2-4, double,
8th homer, .326 (2nd round pick in the 2003 draft)
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on Jeremy West BOS :
" ... He's a legitimate prospect, though we need to
see what he does when he reaches Double-A, which could be later this year ...
drafted in the seventh round out of Arizona State. He hit .280 in short-season
ball, but didn't show a lot of power. He's adjusted to the wooden bat now, and
looks to be on track to produce both power and batting average. His plate
discipline is decent, though not spectacular ... West was a catcher/DH in
college, but plays first base now. He's reasonably reliable, but lacks the range
and athleticism to be a top-notch defensive player. If he continues to hit like
this at higher levels, they'll find a spot for him. I liked him a lot in
college, and I'm optimistic about his future."
John
Manuel, Baseball America, some insights from the BA chat room :
Shane Komine, Joe Blanton ?
" ... Well, I love Shane Komine, he's one of my
all-time favorite players, and the Hawaiian Punchout is pitching well at Midland
(3.86 ERA in seven starts), but Blanton is dealing at Triple-A Sacramento (3-1,
2.22) right now. He's bigger, throws harder, is a level ahead and is the
crowning jewel of the Moneyball draft. I think he will be starting for Oakland
sometime this year, particularly if they feel Harden could help their bullpen,
where the A's lack a true power arm from the right side."
Highest ceiling ... Adam Miller,
Kyle Sleeth, Tim Stauffer, or Clint
Everts?
" ... I'm going to say Everts. He's far away, a lot
could happen, but he's got a chance to have three plus pitches (FB, changeup and
of course his 80 curve) when it's all said and done. We just have to be patient.
"
June draft. After Jered Weaver,
Justin Verlander a given ?
" ... No, people are forgetting the Rice trio, who
all have stuff comparable to Weaver's if not better, and they all have great
track records and pitchability. Stephen Drew is rising on draft
boards and could go in the 2-3 overall range. yes, the makeup scares people, but
he could be Todd Walker at the plate who runs better and defends better, perhaps
even at shortstop (there are mixed reviews there)."
Who's the best of the Rice trio ?
" ... I guess that I've always been a Townsend
guy. At worst, he's going to be a dominating closer. I think his improvement in
college has been as significant as any pitcher in the country, and I like his
fiery temperament. Niemann's injuries this year probably push him to
third, and many scouts would take Humber first. For me, it's Wade
Townsend."
Brewerfan.com
has an updated its MIL Top 50 with Prince Fielder finally capturing the
top slot :
" ... Fielder ... The man-child can be denied of the
number one slot on the Power 50 no longer and Huntsville may not contain him for
much longer, either."
JJ Hardy dropped to No. 2 with Rickie
Weeks on his heels :
" ... The lone member of Milwaukee's big three
who is lagging a little bit, Rickie is getting hit by too many pitches to get
into a groove in the box... duck, Rickie, duck!"
Among those moving up the chart (to No. 7) is
starter Ben Hendrickson :
" ... One bad outing in six starts makes Ben's
ERA "balloon" to 2.48 - he's around 50 more of these AAA innings away from his
Brewers debut."
14 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- Jonny Gomes (TB, LF) 1-3, 9th HR, R, RBI, BB ...
AAA debut, B.J. Upton (TB, DH) 0-4, R, BB ... Nook Logan (DET,
CF) 3-5, 2nd HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB ... Marcus Thames (DET, RF) 1-3, 3
R, RBI, BB, HBP, SB ... rehabbing Austin Kearns (CIN, RF) 2-3, 1st
HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB ... Brandon Claussen (CIN) 4.0 9 9 9 2 4
... Justin Morneau (MIN, 1B) 1-2, 2B, 2 BB ... Gabe
Gross (TOR, DH) 3-4, 2 2B, R ... Jack Cust (BAL, DH) 1-4, 2nd
HR, R, RBI ... Grady Sizemore (CLE, CF) 2-5 ... Jhonny
Peralta (CLE, SS) 2-3, 2B, BB ... Josh Stewart (CHA) 5.1 7 6 5
4 4 ... Ben Hendrickson (MIL) 5.1 7 1 1 4 1 ... Aaron
Heilman (NYN) 5.2 8 4 3 2 8
PCL -- Chris George KC 4.0 4 0 0 2 3
... Ben Davis SEA, still a mess, 0-4, 2 KS, .214 ... Ruben
Mateo PIT 3-3, walk, 11th homer, .320 ... can't be more than a few weeks
from a STL trial, Adam Wainwright 7.0 3 4 1 2 5, 3-1, 3.82
... Yadier Molina STL 1-2, 3 walks, .364 ... Michael Tejera
FLO, getting close to a return to FLO, 7.0 4 1 0 2 5, 3.09 ... Juan Dominguez
TEX, progressing nicely, 7.0 6 3 2 3 2, 3.10 ... Edgar Gonzalez ARZ
having a tough season, 6.0 9 6 6 3 4, 6.43 ... Adrian Gonzalez TEX,
batting in the 8th slot, deservedly 3-5, triple, .260 ... Scott Hairston
ARZ 5th homer, .294 ... Carlos Hernandez HOU, 5.1 9 3 3 3 2, 2.03 ...
Antonio Perez LA 3-5, double, .284 (at SS and leadoff)
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 2-4, 2B
(13)
Justin Huber NYN 2-4, 2 R
Prentice Redman
NYN 1-3, 2B (15), RBI (29)
Aaron Hill TOR 3-4, 2 RBI (13)
Dominic Rich TOR 2-5, R, BB
Dioner Navarro NYA 0-3,
BB
Val Majewski BAL 0-4
Keith Reed BAL 0-4
Denny Bautista BAL 7.0 7 3 3 2 6
Jason Kubel MINN
0-2, R, BB
Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-4, 2B (12)
Michael
Cervenak SF 1-3, 2B (11), RBI (31)
SOUTHERN -- Eric Reed FLA OF 1-5, 1 R,
2 SB's (18 & 19) ... Josh Willingham FLA C 3-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI
... Clint Narveson STL 6.1 7 2 2 1 8, gave up 2 HR's ... Reggie
Abercrombie LA OF 0-3, 1 R, 1 K ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 2-4,
2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (5 & 6) ... Kelly Johnson ATL 1-3, 1 BB ...
Paul Byrd ATL 5.0 6 5 5 2 2, rehab ... Aaron McNeal CHA
1B 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K's, 1 HR (9) ... Arnie Munoz CHA 5.0
4 2 1 2 4, 6-0, 1.30 era ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1
BB ... Tony Gwynn Jr MIL OF 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB (10), 1 HR
(1) ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K ... Brad
Nelson MIL OF 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K ... Freddy Guzman SD OF
1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 SB (8) ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-4, 1 RBI,
1 BB, 1 K
TEXAS -- Willy Taveras CF HOU 1-4, R,
SB ... Todd Self 1B HOU 3-4, 2R, 2RBI ... Tommy Whiteman SS
HOU 2-4, R, RBI ... Shin-soo Choo PH 1-1, RBI ...
CAROLINA -- I think he's got it, Jose
Capellan ATL (W) 8 0 0 0 1 11 (3-1, 2.36) ... Capellan seems to
have learned something from a late April belting, his last four starts since the
thrasing (3 2/3 8 6 6 1 2) ... 5 1 0 0 2 10 ... 6 2 1 1 2 6 ... 7 6 1 0 1 8 ...
8 0 0 0 1 11 -- a total of 26 innings, 9 hits, 1 earned run, 6 walks, 35 Ks,
0.35 ERA. Pretty impressive ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 1-4, R, RBI ...
Scott Thorman ATL 1-2, 2 R, BB ... Luke Scott HOU
0-3, 2 BB, 2 K ... Mark Saccomanno HOU 2-4, R, RBI (27), BB ...
Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-5, R, double, 3 RBI ... Brian Anderson
CHA 3-5, R, 2 doubles, 3 RBI ... Pedro Lopez CHA 1-4 ... Jason
Hirsch HOU (W) 5.1 10 5 5 1 3 (2-3, 4.89) ... Michael Aubrey
CLE 2-3, double, 2 RBI, BB, K ... Ivan Ochoa CLE 0-5, R, 2 K ...
Ryan Garko CLE 1-3, R, HR (8), RBI (31), BB ... Tony
Blanco CIN 2-4, double, 2 RBI (26), BB ... Chris Denorfia CIN
3-4, 2 R, double, triple (4), RBI (25), BB
FLORIDA STATE -- Josh Banks TOR 7.0 8 2
1 1 4, 1.98 ... Jonathan Broxton LA 6.0 2 0 0 3 9, 3.12 (now with a
league-leading 58 Ks) ... Joel Guzman LA 2-4, triple
CALIFORNIA -- Steven Shell ANA 6.0 2 1
1 2 6 ... Bradley Sullivan OAK 7.0 3 1 1 0 4, 4.28 ... Manny Parra
MIL 4.0 3 0 0 4 1
MIDWEST -- superheated Howie Kendrick
ANA 6-9, double, HR (.333) ... Kevin Jepsen ANA 5.0 3 0 0 2 3 (W,
4-1, 2.65) ... not to be outdone Micah Posey ANA 6.0 3 0 0 1 2 (W,
5-0, 2.03) ... Brandon Wood ANA 2-3, 2 BB ... Ian
Kinsler TEX 2-6 (.392) ... Lou Palmisano MIL 2-6, 2 K (.315)
... John Gragg KC 5.2 4 2 0 1 4 (1.65) ... Chris
Lubanski KC 2-6, 3 K ... no big games for awhile Tony Giarratano
DET 0-5, 2 K (.286) ... Joey Votto CIN 1-3 .. Adam Jones
SEA 2-4, 2nd HR (.252)
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Ian Bladergroen NYM,
0-1, K ... Robert Stiehl HOU, 5.0 3 2 2 0 6 (W 1-0, 3.12) ...
Michael Bourn PHI, 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, SB (23) ... Jake Blalock
PHI, 2-4, double, 2 RBI ... Micah Schnurstein CHW, 4-5, double, 2
RBI, 2 R, SB (4) ... Cole Sefrig FLA, 2-4, double, .203 ...
Javier Herrera CLE, 2-4, homer (4), 3 RBI ... Julio
Pimentel CLE, 4.0 4 4 4 2 8 ... Chin-lung Hu LA, 1-4, RBI, K ...
Andy LaRoche LA, 1-5, K ... Xavier Paul LA, 1-5, run, K
... Delmon Young TB, 0-4, 2 K ... Nick Markakis BAL,
0-5, RBI, 2 K ... Adam Loewen BAL, 3.0 4 4 3 4 2 (L 2-2, 3.48) ...
Chuck James ATL, 7.0 2 1 1 1 5 (W 4-0, 1.18) ... Jarrod
Saltalamacchia ATL, 1-4, homer (2), 2 R, RBI, walk ... Josh Burrus
ATL, 4-6, 3 doubles, 2 RBI ... Jon Benick PIT, 1-4, homer (10), 2
RBI ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-4, homer (8), 2 RBI, BB, K ...
Brandon Moss BOS, 1-4, RBI, steal (3) ... Jarrett Gardner
BOS, 7.0 7 1 0 1 3 (W 4-1, 1.72) ... Shaun Marcum TOR, 5.0 6 3 2 1
4 (L 4-1, 2.45)
Troop
movements ... not much movement of the young guns ... WSox -- recalled pitcher
Felix Diaz from AAA, optioned catcher-infielder Jamie Burke to AAA
... TOR -- recalled Simon Pond from AAA (optioned Howie Clark to
Triple-A) ...
BJ Upton, already up to AAA, might not stop
there :
" ... Upton, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 first-year Player Draft,
will likely be called up to the Devil Rays later this season. "He'll face some
experienced pitching," Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said on the Devil Rays'
Web site. "It will be good for his advancement. The [front office] will let us
know when he's ready." Upton turned pro after an impressive career at Greenbriar
Christian Academy in Chesapeake, Va. He is rated by Baseball America as the No.
2 prospect in baseball, behind only catcher Joe Mauer, who is playing in the
majors for the Minnesota Twins. Upton was hitting .327 with Tampa Bay's Double-A
Southern League affiliate in Montgomery, Ala. In 29 games, he had seven doubles,
two home runs, three steals and 10 errors. He hit .276 for the Double-A Orlando
Rays last season. He will be with the Bulls for the opener of a four-game road
series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons." (Durham Herald Sun)
Oh
my ... Dustin McGowan TOR gone for the season :
" ... McGowan underwent successful surgery on
his right elbow today. He has been placed on the disabled list, and will miss
the remainder of the 2004 season. The so-called "Tommy John" surgery was
performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, AL. The doctors call it a UCL -
ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. McGowan's recovery will begin shortly.
He has been told not to throw for 16 weeks. "I feel badly for him", Fishers
manager Mike Basso said just before tonight's game with the Trenton Thunder.
"But his work ethic will allow him to come back on time, he'll come back through
the proper steps of rehabilitation. We hope he's recovering well." ... The
Toronto Blue Jays have transferred Francisco Rosario from Single-A Dunedin to
the Fisher Cats." (New Hampshire Fisher Cats)
" ... J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager,
said the best-case scenario would bring McGowan back to full strength for the
2006 season. "We're not going to rush him. If we have to write '05 off, we write
it off," he said. "I don't know if he's our top prospect, but it's a setback any
time one of your better arms gets hurt. Guys come back from it, and hopefully he
will." ... "We've got to look at it from the bright side: We got it out of the
way," Ricciardi said. "You hold your breath with every pitcher you have. It just
seems to happen to the prospects more than it happens to the non-prospects." ...
Ricciardi said that McGowan's condition didn't just pop up overnight -- the Blue
Jays have known his elbow was a potential sore spot since they drafted him. "It
wasn't something that snuck up on us. We were kind of monitoring it, checking up
on him the last few weeks. I guess we kind of knew all along that eventually,
this might be something that would happen." (MLB.com)
Jonathan
O'Konis, The Sports Network on Brad Thompson STL :
" ... So far this season Thompson has been near
perfect. His record is 5-0 with an ERA of 0.00 over 37 1/3rd innings pitched
with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10:1 (30-3). That's right, no earned runs
given up so far this season! But wait it gets even better. Thompson hadn't given
up an earned run in his last 8 2/3rd innings last year. So that means his streak
is actually at 46 innings and he's now knocking on the door to immortality as he
challenges Urban Shocker's minor league record of 54 consecutive scoreless
innings. Thompson needs 8 1/3rd scoreless innings in his next start to break the
88 year old record."
John Vuch, the Cardinals Manager of Baseball
Information & Assistant to Player Development, on the Thompson timetable :
" ... He has a fastball that reaches the
low-to-mid-nineties. Probably averages around 90 MPH. It also has good sink. He
also throws a slider. He has good command of both those pitches. He has average
major league velocity with a good breaking pitch to go with that ... He's 22
right now. He's done a great job so far this year, but I wouldn't expect that he
would be ready this year. But of course, you never know what's going to happen.
But realistically, I think we see him at Double-A for the foreseeable future and
possibly moving up to Triple-A at some point in this year if things continue to
go well for him. But as far as a timetable for him to reach the majors, it's a
bit early to say."
Matthew
Pouliot, Rotoworld, has some generally unsung minor stars in his weekly prospect
update :
" ... Sean Marshall ... 2003 sixth-round
pick, is using a high-80s fastball and a quality curve to put up some of the
best numbers in the minors. He had a 2.34 ERA and a 99/23 K/BB ratio in 80 2/3
IP after being drafted last year, so he seems to be a legitimate prospect.
Still, he ranks behind at least six or seven other pitchers in the Cubs system
right now."
" ... Mark Teahen ... finally showing the
offensive ability the A's expected to see when they made him the 39th pick in
the 2002 draft. The three homers he has this week equals his total from all of
last year, when he hit 283/.377/.380 in the California League. The A's have
compared Teahen to Jason Giambi, who was also a third baseman when drafted.
Teahen isn't going to be an option at the hot corner in Oakland, but he could be
a candidate to compete for the job in left field in 2005 or 2006."
" ... Bobby Madritsch ... He's not the
prospect that Clint Nageotte or Travis Blackley is, but Madritsch, a former
sixth-round pick of the Reds who spent two years pitching in independant leagues
after being released, might currently be the best option to move into the fifth
spot in the Seattle rotation should the team lose a starter. Madritsch throws in
the low-90s and has a quality changeup. He might be a reliever for the
long-term, but if he gets a chance to start, my guess is that he'd have a lot of
success his first time through the league."
A
little more on Mark Teahen ... and an explanation for his 2004 success :
" ... Teahen has been on a tear at Double-A
Midland, hitting .422 in May and .361-5-27 overall. The five home runs is the
most impressive total for Teahen, who entered the season with just four career
home runs in 193 minor league games. "Teahen was a guy who in the past really
focused solely on contact and went the other way a lot," A's roving hitting
instructor Greg Sparks said. "We adjusted his swing in the offseason to get him
to drive the ball more, and it's clearly paying dividends so far." (Baseball
America)
Jamey
Newbery, Texas Rangers Minor League Report, on some TEX pitching updates :
" ... Righthander Juan Dominguez is coming on
again, and not quietly. Last three starts: two runs on 11 hits and two walks in
21 innings, with 21 strikeouts."
" ... Righthander Ricardo Rodriguez threw off
a mound yesterday for the first time since his April 17 appendectomy. He's
apparently now headed to extended spring training."
" ... Righthander Colby Lewis had an MRI
yesterday, according to local reports. Doctors detected "definite wear and tear"
in the rotator cuff area and say they'll know more in another couple days, after
comparing the MRI with previous ones Lewis has had."
13 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- No games scheduled.
PCL -- a promised pitching matchup
delivered -- Clint Nageotte SEA 7.0 2 0 0 5 6, 3.38 vs John
VanBenschoten PIT 8.0 3 2 2 1 3, 6.81 ... Jason Dubois CHN
2-4, double, .331 ... Xavier Nady SD 2-4, 2 homers ... Zack
Greinke KC 4.0 2 0 0 2 1, 2.78 ... Josh Karp MON 7.1 6 2 1 1 5, 4.46 ...
Aaron Cook 8.0 4 1 1 1 7, 2.74 ... a step forward, then a big step back
Derrick Turnbow ANA 0.2 3 5 3 3 0
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 2-4, HR
(7), RBI (20)
Prentice Redman NYN 2-3, 2 HR (9), 2 RBI (28), SB
(7)
Matt Peterson NYN 6.1 9 3 3 1 6
Aaron Hill
TOR 0-2
Dominic Rich TOR 2-4, RBI (15)
Dioner
Navarro NYA 1-3
Keith Reed BAL 1-4, 2B (7), BB
Jason
Kubel MINN 2-4, HR (5), RBI (24)
Franklin Gutierrez CLE
3-3, 2 RBI (14)
Jeremy Guthrie CLE 5.0 3 0 0 4 5, W (2)
Ryan Doumit PIT 1-4, 2B (6)
Michael Cervenak SF 1-4,
BB
SOUTHERN -- Luis Martinez STL 5.0 7 7 7
2 2 ... Bobby Brownlie CHN 8.0 2 1 0 1 4 ... Andy Marte
ATL 3B 0-2, 1 K ... Kelly Johnson ATL OF 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI ...
Jason Stokes FLA 1B 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K's ... Rickie
Weeks MIL 2B 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (2) ... Tony Gwynn Jr MIL OF
2-4, 1 K ... Prince Fielder MIL 1 B 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K ... Brad
Nelson MIL OF 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K ... Freddy Guzman SD OF 1-4, 1
R, 1 3B ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K's, 2 HR (4 &
5) ... Aaron McNeal CHA 1B 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K's
TEXAS -- Jayson Nix 2B COL 0-4, 3k's
... Shin-soo Choo LF SEA 0-4 ... Jeff Francis COL Improves
his record to 5-0 with another solid start, 5.1 3 0 0 2 4, 5-0, 2.66 ... Dee
Brown DH KC 3-5, 2R, 2B, HR(8) ... Brandon Berger LF KC
3-4, 3R, 2B, HR, 3RBI, BB ... Willy Taveras CF HOU 0-4, 2k's ...
Tommy Whiteman SS HOU 1-4 ... Ezequiel Astacio HOU 4
6 6 4 2 2 ... Mark Teahen 3B OAK 2-4, R, 2B, 3B, RBI (.361) ...
John Baker C OAK 1-3 ... Jason Bourgeois 2B TEX 2-6,
3B, 2RBI ... Will Smith RF TEX 1-3, 2R, 2BB ... Marshall
McDougall SS TEX 3-5, 4R, HR, 2RBI ... Sergio Santos SS ARI
2-4, 3R, 2B, 2RBI, BB ... Brian Barden 3B ARI 3-6, 3R, 3B, RBI ...
Josh Kroeger RF ARI 2-6, 2R, HR, 3RBI ... Alberto
Callaspo SS ANA 1-4, 2B ... Nick Gorneault RF ANA 1-4 ...
Dallas McPherson DH ANA 0-4, 3k's ... Jeff Mathis C ANA 1-3,
R, BB ... Adriano Rosario ARI 8 5 2 2 0 6
CAROLINA -- Luke Scott HOU 0-3, R, BB,
K ... Mark Saccomanno HOU 3-4, R, triple, HR (6), 2 RBI (26) ...
Ryan Sweeney CHA 1-4, double, K ... Brian Anderson
CHA 2-3, 2 R, triple, BB, K ... Casey Rogowski CHA (1B) 1-3, R, HR
(6), 4 RBI (30), K, .308 ... Tripper Johnson BAL 2-5, R, double, K
... Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-3, 2 R, double ... Scott
Thorman ATL 0-3, RBI, 2 K ... Brian McCann ATL 2-4, R, 2
double (11) ... Don Levinski BAL 4 4 3 3 2 8 ... Blaine
Boyer ATL 4.2 7 4 4 5 3 ... Chaz Lytle PIT 1-3, RBI ...
Brad Eldred PIT 1-4, double, K ... Rajai Davis PIT 2-4,
RBI, BB, K, SB (12) ... Shane Costa KC 1-3, triple ... Mike
Aviles KC 0-3, BB ... Colt Griffin KC (L) 3.2 6 4 2 3 3
(1-3, 8.33) ... Michael Aubrey CLE 2-6, 2 R, RBI, K ... Ivan
Ochoa CLE 1-4, R, K ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-5, 3 R, HR (7), 2
RBI (30), K, .375 ... Tony Blanco CIN 1-4, R, HR (11), 2 RBI (24),
K ... Chris Denorfia CIN 0-2, R, BB, 2 K ... JD Martin CLE
(W) 6.1 3 3 3 2 4 (3-2, 5.03)
FLORIDA STATE -- Jon Connolly
CHN 6.0 5 1 1 2 8, 1.98 ... Eliezer Alfonzo FLO, 9th homer, .275
.. would have paid to hear Harry Caray on this one, SS Kaulana
Kuhaulua MIN 4-6, 2nd homer, 4 runs, .333 ... Jeremy West BOS
7th homer, .381 ... Carl Everett MON 3-4 ... Brent Clevlen DET
2-4, double, .337
CALIFORNIA -- Matthew Cain SF 6.0 5 1 1
2 3, 1.86 ... Carlos Quentin ARZ 3-4, double, 8th homer, .256 ...
Jesus Cota ARZ 3-4, double, .403 ... Ubaldo Jimenez COL, an off night
for him, 5.1 9 6 2 1 6, 1.74 ... Joe Saunders ANA, nice rebound,
5.0 4 0 0 2 4, 4.58
MIDWEST -- Brian Snyder OAK 2-4 ...
sweet debut Trent Peterson OAK 5.0 1 0 0 1 4 ... Adam
Jones SEA 0-4 ... Dirk Hayhurst SD 6.0 8 3 3 0 5 (1.45) ...
Eric Duncan NYA 2-4 (.298) ... Melky Cabrera NYA 2-4,
triple (.341) ... Tony Giarratano DET 1-3 ... speed bump Matt
Chico ARZ 4.2 7 5 5 2 7 (3 HR allowed, ERA now 2.27)
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Steve Doetsch ATL, 2-4,
double, RBI ... Nate Schierholtz SF, 3-5, homer (7), double, RBI
... Wes Bankston TB, 2-2, 2 RBI, 3 walks ... Delmon Young
TB, 2-5 ... Elijah Dukes TB, 2-5, 2 K ... Nick Markakis
BAL, 3-4, triple, 2 RBI, run ... Nate Spears BAL, 2-4, run ...
Zach Dixon BAL, 4.0 5 2 2 5 5 ... Rogearvin Bernadina
MON, 2-4, double, 2 RBI, steal ... Javon Moran PHI, 3-3, triple,
RBI, run, 2 steals (15) ... Michael Bourn PHI, 2-4, RBI, steal
(22) ... Jake Blalock PHI, 0-4, K ... Erick Arteaga
PHI, 7.0 4 3 1 0 6 (W 2-3, 4.50) ... Thomas Brice CHW, 3-4, homer
(5), RBI ... Brian Miller CLE, 6.0 1 1 1 2 5 (W 3-2, 4.86) ...
Jon Benick PIT, 2-4, homer (9), 4 RBI ... Bobby Kingsbury
PIT, 4-6, homer (6), 5 RBI, 4 runs ... Nyjer Morgan PIT, 2-6, 3
RBI, 3 runs ... Ian Stewart COl, 1-4, RBI ... Darric
Merrell COL, ouch 1.1 9 9 9 0 0 (L 1-5, 5.70) ... Chin-lung Hu LA,
2-5, homer (3), double, RBI ... Adam Miller CLE, 6.1 7 2 2 0 3 ...
Brandon Moss BOS, 3-4, double, 2 steals (2), RBI, run, .402 ...
Jose Vaquedano BOS, 7.0 5 0 0 0 4 (W 3-1, 2.25)
Troop
movements ... BOS -- recalled recalled RHP Jamie Brown from AAA ...
TEX -- recalled pitcher Frank Francisco from AA (Doug Brocaill DL) ... SD
-- recalled pitcher Brandon Puffer from AAA (Antonio Osuna DL) ...
TOR -- acquired infielder Frank Menechino
from OAK for cash considerations or a player to be named ... TB -- promoted
BJ Upton to AAA ...
" ... The Lake Elsinore Storm announced Wednesday
that starting pitcher Tim Stauffer has been promoted to Class-AA Mobile.
The 21-year-old right-hander made six starts for the Storm ... posting a 2-0
record and a 1.78 ERA - fifth best in the California League. The Saratoga
Springs, NY native struck out 30 and allowed 28 hits in 35.1 innings of work. He
pitched at least five innings in each of his six starts and allowed more than
two earned runs just once. Opponents hit just .215 against him." (Lake Elsinore
Storm)
" ... Bakersfield received its customary quality
start from pitcher Chris Seddon Tuesday ... After all, the
left-hander did come into the game leading the California League in both Earned
Run Average and victories, while proving that he was the Blaze pitching leader
for the young 2004 season. The Blaze will now have to look for another ace come
Wednesday. After notching his fifth win in seven starts in Bakersfield's 10-1
drubbing of the Ports, Seddon received the call that all minor league players
hope for: a ticket to the next level, with a promotion to Double A Montgomery
(Ala.)." (Bakersfield Californian)
At
FoxSports, Deyn Perry continues his team-by-team prospect updates. The
Cards are up today with a familiar trio at the top -- Adam Wainwright, Blake
Hawksworth & Chris Narveson (Dan Haren, given his MLB time, is no longer
considered eligilble for his prospect list). But, a couple of interesting
selections in the 4-5 slots, one you've already heard lots about here :
" ... 4. Bradley Thompson ... in '03 he
turned in a fine season in relief. This season at AA-Tennessee, he's worked
mostly as a starter, and the results have been tremendous thus far: 37.1
innings, 0 runs allowed, 30 strikeouts, 3 walks. Yes, it's early, but those are
tremendous numbersespecially for someone toiling in the high minors for the
first time. Thompson has tremendous command and has made the jump to starter
without missing a beat. You won't see him on many prospect lists other than this
one, but others will follow. He's as promising a sleeper as there is in the game
right now."
" ... 5. Daric Barton ... Cards' top
pick of the 2003 draft, hasn't shown much power to date, but he has displayed
impressive plate discipline. He posted a .420 OBP in the Appy League last season
and drew walks at an impressive clip. He didn't play much catcher as a prep, but
that's mostly a good thing; the Cards are pleased with his defensive progress,
and he doesn't have as much wear and tear on his knees as most young catchers.
It's almost a given that high school-trained hitters won't show much power once
they begin using wooden bats. That'll likely come. That Barton has already shown
excellent plate discipline is very much in his favor. Keep your eye on this
one."
For
those with Cole Hamels on their rosters, a little more patience required
:
" ... The plan is for top prospect Cole Hamels (left
shoulder tendinitis) to be pitching in Clearwater sometime between May 15 and
May 20." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Felix
Diaz to get a chance to impress the WSox :
" ... White Sox chose Felix Diaz to fill the fifth
spot in their rotation, and the right-hander is expected to be called up from
Triple-A Charlotte in time to pitch Thursday. "He is just the guy that we
thought we were going to get from San Francisco," general manager Kenny Williams
said Tuesday. "It's just taking a little while to get there, but he's pretty
locked in right now." Diaz, acquired in the July 2002 trade that sent Kenny
Lofton to the Giants, is 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA in seven games at Charlotte. He has
struck out 32 while walking only five in 39 1-3 innings. Diaz is tied for the
International League lead in victories and ranks fifth in strikeouts. "He earned
(the right) to be here," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "The kid is a warrior
and throws strikes. When you play in Triple-A and come up to the big leagues,
sometimes you try too hard to impress, to be better. I hope he would be the same
kid I saw in spring training and in the minors and doesn't try to change
anything. Just throw strikes." (Associated Press)
Hmmm
.. maybe this kid from the Atlantic League might win an MLB tryout :
" ... Rickey Henderson paced the Bears
offense, going 3-3 with two home runs, his second and third of the young season,
a walk, three runs scored and three RBI. For the second time in three games
Henderson hit the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning for a
leadoff home run, victimizing Pride starter Bubba Hardwick." (Newark Bears)
12 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- rehabbing Austin Kearns (CIN, RF) 1-5, 2B ...
Matt Belisle (CIN) 6.0 7 3 3 3 3 ... Mike Fontenot
(BAL, 2B) 2-4, RBI ... Kazuhito Tadano (CLE) 2.0 4 5 5 1 0 ...
Kevin Youkilis (BOS, 3B) 2-4, 2B, R, BB ... Jose Contreras
(NYA) 6.2 7 3 3 1 7
PCL -- Bobby Madritsch SEA 7.0 6 1 1 1
4, 3-0, 2.59 ... Todd Linden SF 3-6, 2nd homer, .328 ... Danny
Haren STL 6.0 4 0 0 2 10, 3.35 ... Yadier Molina STL
3-4, double, .360 ... JD Closser COL 2-4, 2 doubles, .321 ... Luis
Terrero ARZ 3-5, triple, .371 ... Scott Hairston ARZ 1-3, 2 walks ...
John Buck HOU (more below) 2-4, walk, .326
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 1-4, SB
(14)
Justin Huber NYN 3-4
Prentice Redman NYN
2-4, 2B (14), HR (7), RBI (26)
Aaron Hill TOR 2-6, HR (2), RBI
(11)
Dominic Rich TOR 1-6, BB
Dioner Navarro NYA
1-3, 2B (6)
Keith Reed BAL 3-5, HR (2), 2 RBI (9)
Jason
Kubel MINN 1-3, 3B (4), 2 RBI (22)
Franklin Gutierrez CLE
1-4, RBI (14)
Ryan Doumit PIT 1-3, 2B (5)
Ian Snell
PIT 5.0 6 4 4 2 3, 2.61 ERA
Michael Cervenak SF 0-3, BB
SOUTHERN -- Eric Reed FLA OF 1-4, 1 SB
(17) ... Jason Stokes FLA 1B 2-4, 1 2B, 2 K's ... Josh
Willingham FLA C 1-3, 1 BB ... Nic Ungs FLA 2 0 0 0 8 ...
Luke Hudson CIN 6.0 6 1 1 0 7 ... Kelly Johnson ATL OF
0-4, 2 K's ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 1-4, 1 2B ... Dan Meyer
ATL 5.1 3 1 1 1 8, 1.88 ... BJ Upton TB SS 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, at DH,
no error ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K ... Tony
Gwynn Jr MIL OF 0-6, 1 R ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 2-5, 2 R, 1
RBI, 1 BB, 1 K ... Brad Nelson MIL OF 2-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K's,
1 HR (6) ... Freddy Guzman SD OF 2-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 1K ... Josh
Barfield SD 2B 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
TEXAS -- Jayson Nix 2B COL 0-2,
BB ... Shin-Soo Choo RF SEA 0-3 ... Greg Dobbs 3B SEA 2-2,
HR ... Ruben Gotay 2B KC 1-4, R, BB ... Dee Brown CF
KC 3-4, 2R, 2B, 3B, BB ... Willy Taveras CF HOU 1-3, SB (23) (and,
see below) ... Tommy Whiteman SS HOU 2-4 ... Mark
Teahen 3B OAK starting to show some pop, 2-5, 2HR, 5RBI (also, more below)
... John Baker C OAK 2-4, 2R, 2B, BB ... Jason Bourgeois
2B TEX 1-5, 2B ... Will Smith RF TEX 1-4, 2B ... Sergio
Santos SS ARI 2-4, HR ... Brian Barden 3B ARI 2-4, 2B ...
Josh Kroeger RF ARI 1-2, RBI ... Alberto Callaspo SS
ANA 2-4, R ... Dallas McPherson DH ANA showing he deserves to
follow sweet-swinging Casey Kotchman to the majors: 4-4, R, 3 2B, RBI ...
Jeff Mathis C ANA 0-2, BB ... Lance Cormier ARI 7 7 2 1
3 9
CAROLINA -- Tripper Johnson BAL 0-4,
RBI, K ... Doug Gredvig BAL 0-4, 2 K ... Jeff Francoeur
ATL 0-3 ... Scott Thorman ATL 1-4, RBI ... Brian McCann
ATL 2-3, double ... Anthony Lerew ATL (W) 7 2 0 0 2 9 (2-2, 3.75)
... Luke Scott HOU 1-4, RBI, 2 K ... Mark Saccomanno
HOU 3-5, R, double, HR (5), 4 RBI (24) ... Ryan Sweeney CHA 3-4, 3
R, triple, 1st HR, 4 RBI, BB, K ... Brian Anderson CHA 1-5, R,
RBI, 3 K, SB (5) ... Chaz Lytle PIT 2-4, R, double ... Brad
Eldred PIT 2-4, R, HR (8), RBI (27) ... Rajai Davis PIT
0-4, SB (11) ... Donnie Murphy KC 1-4, RBI (24), K ... Shane
Costa KC 2-3, 2 R, BB ... Mike Aviles KC 1-3, R, RBI (27)
... Jonah Bayliss KC 3 4 2 2 0 4 ... Michael Aubrey
CLE 1-4, R ... Ivan Ochoa CLE 1-5 ... Ryan Garko CLE
2-4, R, HR (6), 3 RBI (28), K, .374 ... Tony Blanco CIN 3-3, 2 R,
BB ... Chris Denorfia CIN 0-3, BB, K
FLORIDA STATE -- Cliff Floyd NYN, 1st
rehab effort, 2-4 ... Tony Armas MON 4.0 0 0 0 1 3 ... Carl
Everett MON 0-4 ... no luck (he's 0-3) but LA's Chad
Billingsley pitching very well, 7.0 3 2 1 2 7, 1.84 ... Brent
Clevlen DET 3-4, double, .330
CALIFORNIA -- Felix Hernandez SEA, far
below expectations, 6.0 10 3 3 0 2, 2.87 ... Jon Nelson SEA 1-4,
4th homer, 3 RBI, .298 ... well, if Jeff Mathis doesn't prove good enough, ANA
might turn to Michael Napoli 2-4, 10th homer, .353 ... Chris Seddon
TB 6.2 4 0 0 1 8, 4-0, 0.65
From Monday -- it was Bobby Livingston SEA
with another solid effort, 6.0 7 1 1 0 8, now 5-0, 1.33 ... Jon Nelson
SEA 3-4 ... Frederico Balet SEA 4-5, 2 doubles ...
MIDWEST -- Melky Cabrera NYA 1-3 ...
Eric Duncan NYA 1-3, double ... Abel Gomez NYA 5.2 3 0
0 4 5 (W, 3-0, 2.25) ... Ian Kinsler TEX 1-3 ... southpaw superb
John Danks TEX 4.0 2 1 1 1 7 (2.13) ... Lou Palmisano
MIL 1-2, 2 BB ... watershed night for the 18-year-old Adam Jones
SEA 3-6, 1st HR, 1st triple (.252) ... the pitcher's duel did not materialize
William Juarez ARZ 6.2 8 4 4 2 6 (1.55) over Calvin Medlock
CIN 4.0 6 5 4 1 3 (1.93) ... Drew Macias SD 0-3, 2 BB (.320) ...
chink in the armor Chris Dunwell OAK 3.1 8 7 5 1 2 (L, 5-1, 3.69)
... Brian Dopirak CHN 11th HR, 2 K ... performance of the day
Sean Marshall CHN 9.0 3 0 0 0 9
Marshall, another of the outta nowhere to phenom
status players. The 6-6 lefty, 21, is now 2-0, 1.11 in 48 2/3s innings.
He's allowed just 29 hits and 4 walks while fanning 51. He was a 6th round
pick in the 2003 draft and had a successful pro debut -- 5-6, 2.57 in
short-season ball (23 walks, 88 Ks in 73 /13 innings plus one outstanding start
in Low-A ball, a 7 inning, 5-hit shutout, no walks, 11 Ks. Marshall
garnered little attention as a prospect in the pre-season previews (not a
mention in the On Deck Top 500) -- about the best rankings were on On Deck's
Cubs' chart (rated 22nd in the Cubs system) and The Cub Reporter (No. 23)
:
" ... Marshall ... To be honest, Marshall is
one of the few guys on this list where my report is based completely on second
hand information, BUT as a tall left-hander hes going to get plenty of
opportunities. Word is that he only throws 86-88 but has an excellent curve ball
and pretty good control. At only 185 lbs hes got plenty of room to fill out and
add velocity as he gets older. For now, hell probably be back in Lansing for a
full season of cold weather while we try to figure out if hes more like Lance
Dickson (good), Phil Norton (ok) or Mark Freed (not so good). "
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Wes Bankston
TB, 2-4, 2 K ... Delmon Young TB, 0-2, 2 BB, K ... Brian
Bulger TB, 5.0 3 0 0 4 4 (W 4-0, 1.36) ... Christopher Ray
BAL, 6.0 4 2 1 1 5 (L 1-2, 1.75) ... Michael Bourn PHI, 1-4,
double, steal (21) ... Jake Blalock PHI, 1-3, 2 runs, steal (3)
... Matt Esquivel ATL, 2-4, double, 2 K ... Gonzalo
Lopez ATL, 6.0 8 3 3 0 8 ... Nate Schierholtz SF, 1-4, homer
(6), RBI, 3 K ... Travis Ishikawa SF, 1-3, BB, 2 K ... Brandon
Moss BOS, 2-4, RBI ... Daniel Core TOR, 5.0 5 0 0 0 7 ...
Robert Valido CHW, 2-4, 2 runs, steal (13) ... Ryan
Rodriguez CHW, 7.0 4 0 0 1 5 (W 2-2, 5.22) ... Jon-Michael
Nickerson FLA, 5.0 4 3 3 1 10 (L 0-4, 4.45) ... Jon Benick
PIT, 3-4, double, RBI ... Ian Stewart COL, 2-4, homer (7), 2 RBI
... Aaron Marsden COL, 8.0 8 1 1 0 3 (W 3-2, 3.19) ... Mike
Nixon LA, 2-4 ... Brandon Weeden LA, 5.0 3 2 1 5 4 (L 2-3,
2.97) ... Brad Snyder 1-2, 3 BB, run, steal (3) ... Ryan
Goleski CLE, 1-4, triple, 2 RBI, run, BB, 3 K ... Josh Anderson
HOU, 2-4, 2 runs, steal (27) ... Mitch Talbot HOU, 6.0 7 1 1 1 5
(W 2-2, 4.88) ... Ian Bladergroen NYM, 2-3, double, RBI, 2 K
Troop
movements ... TB -- Damian Rolls back up (Eduardo Perez DL) ... SEA --
Rafael Soriano back on the DL, recalled infielder Ramon
Santiago ... BAL -- activated second baseman Jerry Hairston
from the DL, placed pitcher Matt Riley on the 15-day disabled
list, recalled pitcher Daniel Cabrera from AA ... PIT -- Daryle
Ward gets another chance with Raul Mondesi placed on the restricted list
... MIL -- recalled pitcher Matt WIse, released Adrian Hernandez
... SD -- activated infielder Jeff Cirillo
from the DL, returned Rule 5 RHP Jason Szuminski to the Cubs ... TOR --
placed RHP Justin Speier on the DL, recalled RHP Aquilino
Lopez ... KC -- optioned RHP Mike MacDougal and OF David
DeJesus to AAA, recalled RHP Justin Huisman and purchased the
contract of outfielder Adrian Brown ... MIL -- prospect JJ
Hardy out for the season, shoulder, surgery coming ... SD -- Xavier Nady
activated from DL (at AAA Portland) ...
Kevin
Goldstein has Ubaldo Jimenez back atop the Prospect Hot Sheet at Baseball
America. Zooming right up to No. 2 is an unheralded righthander with the
Cards :
" ... Brad Thompson ... Initially spotted by
the Cardinals at Dixie JC (Utah) while they were scouting another player, he
pitched back-to-back seven-inning shutouts extends his season-opening scoreless
streak to 37.1 innings."
Rounding out the top five -- Justin
Morneau & Jason Kubel MIN and David Wright NYN.
Delmon Young TB cracked the list, at No. 20.
All-American
(and likely top pick in the June draft) Jered Weaver adding to his
laurels :
" ... Weaver continues to thunder through the
record books, as the Long Beach State hurler added to one of his many records
this season, when he was named Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week
for the sixth time this season. Last week, Weaver struck out a franchise record
17 against Pacific en route to a 3-0 win. In Weaver's two-hit shutout, he
retired the final 18 Tigers, 12 by strikeout, to improve to 13-0 on the year and
lower his ERA to 1.29. Of the 29 batters he faced (two over the minimum), 25 of
them had two strikes. Weaver was also named the Big West's Pitcher of the Week
for the seventh time this season and for the 13th time in his career." (longbeachstate.com)
Jonathan
Mayo, MLB.com, on the June draft :
" ... We have to play with the cards we're dealt,"
said Padres scouting director Bill "Chief" Gayton, who has the honor of making
the first overall selection in this year's draft ... We have it whittled
down to about four players right now, pitchers or players," said Gayton, adding
that he hoped to open things up more this year and take more high schoolers
throughout the draft. "We're hitting [high schoolers] real hard. There were a
couple more in the mix recently and we're still going to scout them, but in my
mind, I'm down to about four guys right now and most likely, it's going to be a
college guy."
" ... Right now, that college guy could very well be
Long Beach State's Jered Weaver. The brother of Dodger starter Jeff
Weaver, Jered has been absolutely dominant this season, and while he might not
have the upside of some other arms in the draft, he's generally believed to be
very close to Major League-ready. Padres GM Kevin Towers has publicly stated how
much he likes Weaver in the past, and the right-hander has done nothing to
change that view. One pitcher who could feasibly challenge Weaver for the top
spot is Old Dominion righty Justin Verlander. Verlander may have
the best arm in the draft, with the ability to throw a mid-to-upper 90s fastball
deep into games. A trio of Rice University pitchers -- Jeff Niemann,
Wade Townsend and Philip Humber -- all could find
their way into the early stages of the first round. Which order they go in will
depend on what a team is looking for, though all three throw from the right side
with fastballs in the low-to-mid 90s. Looking for a lefty? Vandy southpaw
Jeremy Sowers could be the first one off the board. He's not a
flame-thrower, but more a guy who defines "pitchability." And, like Weaver, he
may be nearly Major League-ready. In case you've lost count, that's six college
pitchers who could go in the top 10 or so picks of the draft. High school phenom
Homer Bailey, a hard-throwing Texas product -- if you're from
Texas and a pitcher, you're obligated by law to throw hard -- should break up
the monopoly at some point in the early going. So could Nick Adenhart
from Williamsport, Md., who last year was Baseball America's Youth Player of the
Year. Position players shouldn't be ignored. The most talented and advanced
could be Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew. J.D.'s brother has
an excellent combination of offensive thump and defensive acumen. Playing in the
demanding ACC should mean he could move quickly, assuming he can be signed. On
the high school front, Matt Bush is a player to watch. The San
Diego product is an outstanding pitcher as well, but he should be drafted as a
shortstop on June 7." (MLB.com)
John
Maine BAL attracting a lot of attention. He's in the John Sickels'
spotlight this week at ESPN.com :
" ... began 2004 in Double-A, but earned his way to
Triple-A after just five starts. Maine is one of the better right-handed
pitching prospects in the game, and should arrive in Baltimore later this summer
... has a "loose" arm and doesn't look overly vulnerable to injury. His biggest
problem in college was erratic mechanics, which would hurt his command on
occasion. But this has been much less of a problem in pro ball, and his command
has been very sharp. His fastball runs in the 90-93 mph range, with excellent
sinking and running action. He has made major improvements with his curveball
and changeup, giving him a solid three-pitch arsenal. Maine can throw any of his
pitches for strikes ... Although he doesn't throw quite as hard as some of the
elite prospects in the game, he's proven he can dominate professional hitters
... there is nothing in his record to indicate serious adjustment problems ahead
... Maine offers just about everything ... projects as a solid
mid-rotation starter, and is a good example of the bargains that can be found in
the middle rounds of most draft classes."
Jim
Callis, Baseball America, on Mark Teahen OAK :
" ... Fair or not, Teahen always will be linked to "Moneyball,"
because the best-seller quotes scouting director Eric Kubota thusly: "I hate to
say it, but if you want to talk about another Jason Giambi, this guy could be
it." Both were high picks (Teahen a supplemental first-rounder, Giambi a
second-rounder) ...as third basemen with gap power and plate discipline. I think
the comparison ends there, however. Teahen isn't going to develop Giambi's big
league power, unless perhaps he goes on a workout regime than pumps him up by 50
pounds, like Giambi did. I do like Teahen, though, and he is one of the top
position players in Oakland's system. After he hit four homers in his first 193
pro games, he seemed to turn a corner last fall in instructional league ...
Teahen is solid defensively at third base, but he's not as good with the bat or
glove as Eric Chavez, who isn't leaving Oakland for a while. To play first base,
Teahen will need to develop at least 20-homer power. He may be able to do that,
though I wouldn't expect more out of him."
Hmmm.
Lou talking about promoting some of the youngsters :
" ... Piniella talked to general manager Chuck LaMar
about getting some better hitters. "If we continue to struggle, you have to
start looking at some options," Piniella said. The Rays likely would look first
to their minor-league system, and there are several who could be in line for a
promotion. Among those Piniella noted were shortstop B.J. Upton, who is
fifth in the Double-A Southern League with a .352 average; outfielder Jonny
Gomes, who came off the Triple-A disabled list with a flurry and has
eight homers, 19 RBIs and a .348 average in 13 games at Durham; and infielder
Jorge Cantu, who has a .326 average, eight homers and 23 RBIs in 24
games at Durham. "Offensively we don't have that many options, but we just can't
stay like this forever either," Piniella said." (St. Petersburg Times)
Hank
Blalock for Joe Kennedy? Didn't know that. Tracy Ringolsby,
Rocky Mountain News :
" ... JUST HOW QUICKLY can opinions change? Well, in
spring 2003, Tampa Bay was besieged with trade offers for left-hander Joe
Kennedy. Among the deals the Devil Rays turned down was third baseman Hank
Blalock from Texas. Then, in December, after manager Lou Piniella soured on
Kennedy in Piniella's first year with the Devil Rays, they dealt Kennedy to
Colorado. The Rockies sent Justin Speier to Toronto for Mark Hendrickson, whom
Piniella was desperate to obtain. Hendrickson already has been dumped from the
Devil Rays rotation. But that's life with Lou. He's one of the better managers
in the game and is excellent in helping develop young hitters, but he never has
shown a lot of patience with young pitchers. When he was in charge in Seattle,
among the deals the Mariners made, were Shawn Estes to San Francisco for Solomon
Torres, Mike Hampton to Houston for Eric Anthony, Derek Lowe (along with catcher
Jason Varitek) to Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb, Joe Mays to Minnesota for
Roberto Kelly, and Matt Mantei to Florida in a winter draft."
John
Buck HOU, progress noted :
" ... Buck, who hit a three-run homer to break open
a close game in Friday's 11-4 win over Memphis, had a bases-loaded, two-out
pinch single in the eighth inning of Saturday's 4-3 win and hit a three-run
homer in the sixth inning of Sunday's 6-5 win. Buck hasn't hit higher than .286
in any of his six minor-league seasons but was at .306 entering Monday's game.
He already has two home runs, two more than in all of his injury-shortened 2003
season. "John Buck made a nice little mechanical adjustment just in his starting
position with his hands," Zephyrs hitting coach Gary Gaetti told the New Orleans
Times-Picayune. "He basically eliminated a waste of motion that he used to make.
He's just much quicker to the ball, straight to the ball." (Houston
Chronicle)
A
Rule 5 pick among the unsung stars of the early going :
" ... Astros thought so much of Willy
Taveras that they traded 15-game winner Jeriome Robertson to the Cleveland
Indians this spring so they could keep the speedy outfielder. In his first
season with the Astros' organization, Taveras leads the Texas League in hits
(45) and stolen bases (19) and is second in runs (24), third in batting average
(.366) and fifth in on-base percentage (.429). "He's one of those special guys,"
said Tom Wiedenbauer, the Astros' minor-league field coordinator. "There's not a
lot of guys like him in the league anymore." Taveras went 2-for-5 Sunday to
stretch his hitting streak to 15 games and his on-base streak to 28 games, both
tops in the Texas League. He is on pace for 89 steals and could become the first
Texas League player to steal more than 90 bases in a season since 1908 ...
As well as Taveras has played offensively, it's his defense that has the Astros
most excited. He has a good arm and great instincts and aggressively charges
line drives. "He runs everything down in the outfield, and once he gets the
ball, he gets it back to the infield real quick," Moore said. "There's not many
gaps out there in center field." (Houston Chronicle)
11 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- Matt Diaz (TB, RF) 2-3, 2B, R, BB ... Jason
Standridge (TB, rehab) 5.2 3 2 2 2 2 ... Nook Logan (DET, CF) 2-3, R,
2 SB, HBP ... rehabbing Austin Kearns (CIN, RF) 1-4, RBI ... Bubba
Nelson (CIN) 6.0 7 6 6 2 2 ... Russ Adams (TOR, SS) 2-5, 2B
... Gabe Gross (TOR, DH) 1-3, 3rd HR, R, 2 RBI, BB ... David
Bush (TOR) 4.2 7 7 3 1 6 ... John Maine (BAL) 7.0 6 2 2 3 3
(more below) ... Jon Rauch (CHA) 4.2 5 3 2 4 4 ... Pat
Strange (NYN) 4.0 5 2 2 0 2
Hitter of the Week -- OF Michael Restovich
MIN ... .406 (13-32) with 10 runs scored, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, 11 RBI
and a .938 slugging percentage (MinorLeagueBaseball)
PCL -- Joe Blanton OAK 7.0 6 1 1
2 8, 2.22 ... Edwin Jackson LA 5.0 2 0 0 4 4 ... Taylor
Buchholz HOU dropped to 0-5, 7.0 10 4 4 0 5 ... Chris Burke
HOU 3-3, walk, .298 ... Phil Stockman ARZ 6.0 2 0 0 2 5, 4.11 ...
Luis Terrero ARZ 2-4, 6th homer, .360 ... JD Closser COL
3-5, triple, .311 ...
Dennis Tankersley, PCL Pitcher of the Week :
" ... Tankersley began the week ... by
allowing Salt Lake two runs (one earned) on six hits through 6.2 innings-pitched
while striking out eight to win his second game of the season. Five days later,
the right-hander ... shut out the Edmonton Trappers on seven hits while striking
out five ... 13 strikeouts for the week helped increase his season total to 37
and into a tie for second in the Pacific Coast League, while lowering his earned
run average to 2.20, good enough for third in the PCL." (Pacific Coast League)
EASTERN -- Ryan Doumit PIT 1-4,
HR (4), RBI (7)
Bryan Bullington PIT 3.0 7 4 4 3 3
SOUTHERN -- Eric Reed FLA OF 1-4
... Jason Stokes FLA 1B 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR (11) ... Josh
Willingham FLA C 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K ... Trevor Hutchinson FLA
7.0 8 1 1 1 2 ... Edwin Encarnacion CIN 3B 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB ...
Aaron McNeal CHA 1B 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 K's, 1 HR (8) ... BJ Upton
TB SS 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI ...
Andrew Brown LA 6.0 7 6 2 2 5 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B
1-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K ... Tony Gwynn Jr MIL OF 0-2, 2 R, 3 BB ... Prince
Fielder MIL 1B 3-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K ... Brad Nelson MIL OF
0-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB ... Freddy Guzman SD OF 2-5, 1 2B ...
Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-4, 1 R, 1 BB
TEXAS -- Mark Teahen 3B OAK 1-4,
HR (3) ... John Baker C OAK 1-4, HR (5) ... Jason
Bourgeois 2B TEX 0-4 ... Will Smith RF TEX 0-4 ... Shane
Komine OAK 7.1 4 2 2 1 6 ... Erik Thompson TEX 8 4 2 2 1 9
... Ruben Gotay 2B KC 0-3, R, BB ... Dee Brown LF KC
2-4, 3B, 2RBI ... Willy Taveras CF HOU Continues on his torrid
pace: 3-4, 3R, BB, 3SB (22), 2nd in league in average (.378), tied for 2nd in
runs (27), League leader in hits (48), and League Leader in steals (22 - more
than doubling up his nearest competition) ... Todd Self 1B HOU
4-5, 3R, 2B, HR (5), 4RBI ... Tommy Whiteman SS HOU 1-4, R, RBI,
BB ... DJ Houlton HOU 7 5 1 1 7 ... Jayson Nix 2B COL 1-5,
2B ... Shin-soo Choo LF SEA 0-4 ... Greg Dobbs 3B SEA 2-4,
2B ... Sergio Santos SS ARI 2-6, R, RBI ... Brian Barden
3B ARI 5-5, 4R, 2 2B. SB ... Kyle Nichols DH ARI 5-5, R, 2RBI ...
Josh Kroeger RF ARI 3-6, 2R, 2B, HR, (4) 3R ... Alberto
Callaspo SS ANA 1-4, RBI ... Nick Gorneault RF ANA 1-4 ...
Dallas McPherson 3B ANA 1-3, HR (3) ... Jeff Mathis C
ANA 0-4
CAROLINA -- Scott Thorman ATL
1-4 ... Brian McCann ATL 1-4 ... Richard Stahl BAL
(W) 7.2 5 1 1 1 4 (2-2, 2.93) ... Kyle Davies ATL (L) 5 7 3 3 0 6
(3-2, 3.10) ... Chaz Lytle PIT 1-3, R, double ... Brad
Eldred PIT 1-4, R, HR (7), RBI (26), K ... Rajai Davis PIT
1-4, K ... Donnie Murphy KC 0-4, RBI, K ... Shane Costa
KC 0-3, R, BB, K ... Mike Aviles KC 3-4, 3 R, triple, HR (4), 2
RBI (26), .346 ... Paul Maholm PIT 5 5 3 3 2 5 (1.99) ... Trae
McGill KC (W) 6 6 3 3 0 4 (5-0, 1.47) ... Michael Aubrey
CLE 1-5, double, K ... Ivan Ochoa CLE 2-5, R, RBI, 2 K ... Ryan
Garko CLE 1-3, RBI (25), 2 BB ... Tony Blanco CIN 0-3, BB,
K ... Chris Denorfia CIN 1-4, R, HR (6), 3 RBI (24), BB, 2 K ...
Brian Slocum CLE 6 3 4 4 2 5 (3.25) ... Richard Gardner
CIN 5 7 2 2 2 6 (1.53)
Week's Best -- HITTER : Brian
Anderson CHA ... .516 (16-31) with 9 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 10
RBI and a .839 slugging percentage. PITCHER : ... right-hander Jose
Capellan ATL went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA, allowing 8 hits, 1 earned run and
3 walks while striking out 14 in 13 innings. (MinorLeagueBaseball)
FLORIDA STATE -- Hanley Ramirez BOS
0-3, .281 ... Jeremy West BOS 1-4, 6th homer, .388 ... Matthew
Murton BOS 2-4, 7th homer, .269 ... Scott Olsen FLO 6.0 4 3
3 1 6, 3.71 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 2-4, double, .321 ... Andrew
Sisco CHN, okay, but far from expectations, 5.0 6 2 0 3 3, 3.76 ...
Joel Zumaya DET, whew, a whole lot of improvement, 6.0 2 2 2 4 7
Week's Best -- HITTER : Jay Caligiuri
NYN INF, .500 (9-18) with 6 runs scored, 2 doubles, 4 homers, 8 RBI and a
1.278 slugging percentage ... PITCHER : ... left-hander Michael
Hinckley MON went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, allowing 11 hits and 2 walks while
striking out 12 in 13 innings. (MinorLeagueBaseball)
CALIFORNIA -- Jeff Salazar COL
2-6, 4th homer, .310 ... Jeffrey Baker 3B COL 3-5, double, .291
... Joey Gomes TB 3-4, up to .240 ... Felix Hernandez SEA
was scheduled to start in what turned out to be an 11-1 victory, no box
available
MIDWEST -- fine '04 debut Justin
Jones CHN 5.0 3 1 0 1 3 ... Brian Dopirak CHN 4-4, 9th and
10th HR (.291) ... Brock Peterson MIN 2-3, double, BB ...
Denard Span MIN 3-3, BB, 11th SB (.262) ... Melky Cabrera
NYA 2-5, double ... Hector Made (SS) NYA 3-4, double, 1st HR
(.260) ... Adam Jones SEA 1-5 ... Ian Kinsler TEX
21st double (.397) ... the honeymoon's over Tony Giarratano DET
0-4 (.294) ... Lou Palmisano MIL 0-4 ... Brad Knox
OAK 6.0 5 1 1 1 5 (2.08) ... Brandon Wood ANA 1-4, BB, 2 K, E ...
he's mortal Dusty Hughes KC 5.0 7 3 3 3 6 (0.97) ... Joey
Votto CIN 1-4, 3 K (.286) ... Chad Scarbery ARZ 5.0 5 1 1 3
10 (W, 5-1, 1.42)
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Clint Everts
MON, 4.0 8 6 4 1 3 (L 3-1, 3.00) ... Antonio Sucre MON, 0-4, 4 K
... Rogearvin Bernadina MON, 0-4, 3 K ... CJ Woodrow PHI,
5.0 3 3 3 1 5 (W 3-1, 2.63) ... Javon Moran PHI, 4-5, 2 runs,
steal (13) ... Jake Blalock PHI, 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 K ... Jake
Stevens ATL, 6.0 4 0 0 0 3 (W 2-1, 3.25) ... Nate Schierholtz
SF, 1-5, double, 2 RBI ... Travis Ishikawa SF, 2-4, run ...
Delmon Young TB, 1-4, double, RBI, 2 K ... Jason Hammel
TB, 6.0 2 2 1 1 8 (L 2-2, 3.18) ... Hayden Penn BAL, 6.0 1 0 0 1 4
(W 2-0, 2.66) ... Daniel Haigwood CHW, 5.1 3 3 3 1 8 (W 4-1, 3.55)
... Nyjer Morgan PIT, 1-4, run, steal (15) ... Javier
Guzman PIT, 2-4, HR (2), RBI ... Ian Stewart COL, 0-3, 2 BB, K
... Chin-lung Hu LA, 4-5, HR (2), double, RBI, 2 runs ... Xavier
Paul LA, 1-5, run, steal (3), 3 K ... Andy LaRoche LA, 0-5,
run, steal (7) ... Mike Nixon LA, 2-4 ... Ryan Goleski
CLE, 3-4, 2 HR (8), 5 RBI ... Brad Snyder CLE, 2-3, HR (3), RBI, 3
runs ... Beau Hearod HOU, 3-6, HR (6), double, RBI, 2 runs ...
Brock Koman HOU, 3-4, 2 RBI, 4 runs ... Matt Albers HOU,
5.0 4 5 2 2 6 (W 2-0, 1.91 ... Ian Bladergroen NYM 2-5, double, 2
RBI ... Robinson Diaz TOR, 2-5, 2 RBI ... Brandon Moss
BOS, 2-4, double, run
Troop
movements ... ARZ -- recalled pitcher Andrew Good (Oscar Villarreal DL)
...
Scott
Rex has updated his South Atlantic prospect list at On Deck. Delmon
Young TB is the top dog, followed by CLE's Adam Miller and
Adam Loewen of BAL. Clint Everts MON rated No. 4
and Ian Stewart COL at No. 5.
Felix
Diaz looking at a possible callup this week for the WSox :
" ... Diaz remains the top option to replace
Wright. In 6 starts with Class AAA Charlotte, Diaz is 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA. If
the White Sox take a pass on Diaz, left-hander Arnie Munoz remains an intriguing
option. The converted reliever pitched 7 shutout innings for Class AA Birmingham
in a 5-0 win Saturday over Mobile. In 6 starts with Birmingham, Munoz is 5-0
with a 1.23 ERA. Munoz probably throws the best curveball in the entire Sox
system." (Arlington Daily Herald)
Mark
Allen Haverty, The Sporting News, on a trio of most promising young SPs :
" ... Jered Weaver ... To say Weaver has been
dominant in college would be a gross understatement. In fourteen starts, Weaver
is 13-0 with an ERA of 1.29 with 163 strikeouts in 104.1 innings. He has handed
out just thirteen walks, and opponents are hitting just .147 against him ...
Weaver could be ready to step into the rotation as early as August, and he has
the stuff to be a quality major league starter right now. If you're looking for
the next Mark Prior, Weaver is it."
" ... John Maine ... In his
first two years in the minors, Maine had 5.44 strikeouts for every walk, and
batters hit just .176 against him. The Eastern League (Double-A) was not much of
a challenge for Maine. He began the season there and went 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA
and a K/BB ratio of 4.86. The Orioles promoted him to Triple-A, and he is on the
cusp of the majors. He will definitely be a September call-up, and he'll be up
sooner if he has a few outings in Triple-A as dominant as those Double-A
outings."
" ... Adam Loewen ... A
stud prospect out of Canada, Loewen had yet to face adversity, so the Orioles
tested him hard in spring training to see how he would react. He was hammered,
and the pounding seemed to carry with him into the start of his minor league
season. He has walked far more batters than usual and was clearly scuffling
early on. He has since settled down and is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in Single-A. With
Maine almost in the majors, the Orioles have no reason to rush Loewen. Look for
him to spend all of this season and the next in the minors, with the exception
of a possible cup of coffee in September '05. Go ahead and pencil him in for
Baltimore's 2006 rotation, though."
David
Cameron, on his ussmariner site, has his revised Top 40 for the Ms with phenom
Felix Hernandez vaulting to the No. 2 spot on the list behind leader
Clint Nageotte ("Command still a real problem; won't be ready til '05
at earliest.") ... infielder Jose Lopez is No. 3, lefty Travis
Blackley at No. 4 and Shin-soo Choo at No. 5.
10 May, 2004
Game
action ... INT -- Matt Diaz (TB, RF) 2-4, 2B, R ... Ryan
Langerhans (ATL, RF) 2-4, R, 2B, BB ... Russ Adams (TOR, SS)
2-4 ... Brian Forystek (BAL) 5.1 4 2 1 4 1 ... Grady
Sizemore (CLE, CF) 1-5, 3rd HR, R, RBI ... Kyle Denney (CLE)
9.0 4 0 0 0 8, down to 2.03 ... Kevin Youkilis (BOS, 3B) 2-4, RBI
... Jorge De La Rosa (MIL) 6.0 3 1 1 1 6 ... Craig
Brazell (NYN, 1B) 2-4, 10th & 11th HRs, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB
PCL -- John Buck HOU 1-3, 4th homer, 2
walks, 3 RBI, .306 ... Joel Hanrahan LA 4.0 3 1 1 6 5, 4.15 ...
Mike Wood OAK 7.0 1 1 0 0 4, 3.26 ... Nick Regilio TEX
6.0 10 5 5 1 5, 2.91 ... Travis Blackley SEA 7.0 2 0 0 3 6, 3.79
... Dennis Tankersley SD, solid progress, 7.0 7 0 0 3 5, 2.20 ... Jon
Knott SD 3-4, 7th homer, 4 RBI, .305
EASTERN -- David Wright NYN 2-3, 2B
(12), 2 RBI (19)
Prentice Redman NYN 1-3, 2B (9), 2 RBI (25)
Aaron Hill TOR 2-2, BB
Dominic Rich TOR 2-3, 2B
(8)
Keith Reed BAL 0-4, 2 K
Jerry Hairston Bal
0-3, BB
Jason Kubel MINN 2-4, 3B (3), 2 RBI (20)
Rick
Helling MINN 5.0 10 6 5 3 2
Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-4, 2 2B
(11)
Ryan Doumit PIT 1-3, BB
Michael Cervenak SF
1-4, BB
Gavin Floyd PHI 7.0 4 2 1 2 5, .093 ERA
SOUTHERN -- Kelly Johnson ATL OF 1-3, 1
R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 1-4 ... Macay
McBride ATL 5.0 4 3 2 2 10, now 0-5, 6.62 era ... Eric Reed
FLA OF 0-4, 1 BB, 2 K's ... Jason Stokes FLA 1B 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 3
K's, 1 HR (10) ... Josh Willingham FLA C 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1
HR (6) ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 2-3, leadoff ... Tony
Gwynn Jr MIL OF 2-6, 1 R, 1 K ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 1-5, 1
R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K's ... Brad Nelson MIL OF 1-6, 1 R, 1 2B,
1 RBI, 2 K's ... Chris Saenz MIL 6.0 4 3 3 0 8 ... Aaron
McNeal CHA 0-4 ... Freddy Guzman SD OF 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 K ...
Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K's 1 HR (3)
TEXAS -- Sergio Santos SS ARI 2-5, 2B,
HR, 2RBI ... Josh Kroeger RF ARI 2-4, 2B, HR, 2R ... Jason
Bourgeois 2B TEX 1-3, 2R, RBI ... Will Smith RF TEX 1-4, R,
2RBI ... Dustin Nippert ARI 5 9 5 4 2 5 ... Mark Teahen
3B OAK 3-5, continues to hit for great average (.358), but has yet to show any
real power stroke ... John Baker DH OAK 2-4, RBI ... Jeremy
Brown C OAK 1-4, R Sitting at .170 ... Alberto Callaspo SS
ANA 1-4 ... Tommy Murphy DH ANA 1-4, R ... Nick
Gorneault CF ANA 1-3, R, 2B, RBI ... Dallas McPherson 3B ANA
2-4, R, 2B ... Jake Woods ANA 5.1 7 2 2 2 2 ... Jayson
Nix 2B COL 1-4, 2R, BB ... Ryan Shealy 1B COL 3-3, HR, 4RBI
... Willy Taveras CF 2-5, 2R, SB (19) ... and, in late breaking
news, the Cleveland Front Office has issued an "oops, my bad" in reference to
the Jeriome Robertson trade (2-1, 7.07 ERA in 14 P)
CAROLINA -- Donnie Murphy KC 0-3, R, BB
... Shane Costa KC 2-2, 2 R, triple, RBI ... Mike Aviles
KC 1-3, double, 2 RBI ... Ryan Sweeney CHA 1-5 ... Brian
Anderson CHA 0-4, K ... Devon Lowery KC 4 5 2 2 3 3 ...
Luke Scott HOU 1-4, R, K ... Mark Saccomanno HOU 1-4,
R, HR, 2 RBI, K ... Ryan Garko CLE 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB ... Pat
Osborn CLE 2-3, RBI ... Fernando Nieve HOU (L) 4 5 5 4 4 6
(3-2, 4.15) ... Fausto Carmona CLE (W) 7 7 2 2 1 7 (2-2, 3.78) ...
Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-5, R, HR (6), RBI, K, SB (5) ... Scott
Thorman ATL 1-4, R, double, 2 K ... Brian McCann ATL 2-5, 2
R, double, 1st HR, 2 RBI, 2 K ... Chaz Lytle PIT 3-3, R, double,
BB ... Brad Eldred PIT 0-3, BB, 3 K (7 in last 2 games) ...
Rajai Davis PIT 0-3, R, BB, SB (10) ... Matt Wright ATL
(W) 5 7 4 4 1 7 (2-2, 2.12) ... Zach Duke PIT 4 4 3 2 1 5 (1.09)
... Tony Blanco CIN 2-5, K, SB ... Chris Denorfia
CIN 1-3, R, HR (5), 5 RBI (21), BB, K, .361 ... Tripper Johnson
BAL 2-3, R, BB ... Doug Gredvig BAL 1-4, 2 RBI ...
FLORIDA STATE -- Jeremy West BOS 2-3, 2
doubles, walk, .394 ... Hanley Ramirez BOS 0-4, .288 ... tough
year so far for Francisco Rosario TOR 4.2 5 3 3 1 4, 4.67 ... sign
of life from Joel Guzman LA 2-3, 4th homer ... Michael
Hinckley MON, continued excellence, 6.0 7 1 0 1 7, now 5-1, 1.57 ...
Felix Pie CHN 2-4, .297
CALIFORNIA -- Luis Mateo TB 2-5, 5th
homer, 4 RBI, .324 ... John Suomi OAK 2-5, 6th homer, .339 ... Jesus
Cota ARZ 3-6, .389 ... Dan Kolb MIL 2.0 2 1 1 1 1
MIDWEST -- that's more like it Chris
Lubanski KC 3-5 ... Mitch Maier KC 3-5 (.320) ... Nick
Kimpton ANA 3-4, 2 doubles, 4th SB (.262) ... Howie Kendrick
2-5, double ... Brandon Wood ANA 3-4, 4th HR, first 3 SB's (.257)
... Lou Palmisano MIL 2-6, BB, K (.323) ... Matt Moses
1-5, double ... Chris Steinborn DET 5.2 2 0 0 4 8 (2.68) ...
Tony Giarratano DET 1-4, double (.305) ... Billy Petrick
CHN 6.0 5 1 1 0 5 (2.65) ... Melky Cabrera NYA 1-4, double ...
Eric Duncan NYA 6th HR, 2 BB (.297, 3rd straight game with a homer)
... bouncing back Tyler Clippard NYA 7.0 3 0 0 0 6 (W, 2-3, 3.97)
... again, terrific Steven Bondurant OAK 7.0 3 0 0 1 5 :
Could he be related to Brad Thompson? Other
than the STL phenom is there anyone more sizzling than lefty Bondurant
a 15th round pick in the 2003 draft. The 6-0, 190 starter didn't make
the OAK top 40 in the pre-season prospect chart at On Deck. In his pro debut in
short-season ball in 2003, he was 0-4, 3.53, 51 hits in 58 2/3s, 20 walks, 54
Ks, 14 games, 8 starts. Then the last three starts -- 8 1/3 1 0 0 4 14 ...
7 1 0 0 0 9 ... 7 3 0 0 1 5, now at 2.18
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Nate Schierholtz SF,
2-3, HR(5), RBI (gm 1), 0-3 (gm 2) ... Tom Gorzelanny PIT, 5.2 6 3
3 1 6, (W 3-0, 2.43) ... Javier Guzman PIT, 1-3, HR(1), RBI (gm
1), 2-2, 2 runs, RBI, SB(10) (gm 2) ... Jon Benick PIT, 1-2, RBI
... Josh Anderson HOU, 0-3, run, SB(26) ... Beau Hearod
HOU, 3-4, RBI ... Nick Markakis BAL, 0-2, walk, run ... Fredy
Deza BAL, 6.0 2 1 1 0 4, (W 2-4, 2.25) ... Brandon McCarthy
CHW, 7.0 8 2 2 3 2 (L 3-3, 2.87) ... Michael Bourn PHI, 3-4, 2
RBI, walk ... Jake Blalock PHI, 0-3, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 K ...
Brian Patrick TOR, 4-5, 2 RBI, run
COLLEGE -- Wade Townsend, Rice, kicked
around a bit, 8.0 9 5
5 1 10 (121 pitches), now 1.65 on the season ... Justin Verlander, Old
Dominion, back in fine form, 9.0 5 2 1 3 17
Troop
movements ...ANA -- placed first baseman Darin Erstad on the DL, purchased the
contract of first baseman Casey Kotchman from AA, Arkansas ... CIN --
placed third baseman Brandon Larson on the DL, recalled infielder
Tim Hummel from AAA ... NYN -- purchased the contract of pitcher James Baldwin
from AAA, optioned pitcher Tyler Yates to AAA ... BAL -- optioned
outfielder Darnell McDonald to Triple-A ... MIN -- optioned catcher
Rob Bowen to AA (Matthew LeCroy ready to return from DL) ...
" ... Kotchman becomes the first Traveler to
be called directly to the Major Leagues since the affiliation began with the
Angels for the 2001 season ... In 28 games in Arkansas, Kotchman, 21, was
hitting .368 with 3 home runs and 18 RBI and riding an 11-game hitting streak
before his promotion. He ranked second in the Texas League in batting average
and base hits (42), third in doubles (11), and fourth in on-base percentage
(.438)."
Beanball
Ben through, for now :
" ... The Ben Christensen saga is over. It
began when the big right-hander out of Wichita State made national news in April
1999 by beaning Evansville's Anthony Molina in the head as Molina warmed up near
the on-deck circle. Molina suffered injuries to his skull and right eye and just
recently settled a civil suit with Christensen. It continued when the Cubs
selected him in the first round (26th overall) of the 1999 draft - a
surprisingly controversial pick for the usually conservative Cubs. It ended
Thursday when Christensen, who underwent arm surgery last year and never could
find his old form, was released by the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, the Double-A
Southern League affiliate of the Cubs. "That's it (drop in velocity)," said
Oneri Fleita, Cubs director of player developement. "It's a tough and difficult
thing to release someone. He was disappointed and he should have been. This is a
tough part of the game and I wish there was a nicer end to this, but that's a
part of the game." Christensen made 9 appearances with the Diamond Jaxx this
season, 8 out of the bullpen. He finished with an 0-1 record with a 4.91 ERA."
(Arlington Heights Daily Herald)
On
the fast track -- John Maine BAL :
" ... Maine made only five starts for the Bowie
Baysox this season, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. He struck out 34 batters and
walked only seven in 27 innings and, with a little luck, could have started out
the season 5-0. Even though he'd made just five starts for the Baysox, that was
enough to convince the decision-makers in the Baltimore Orioles' organization
that the young right-hander might be better served by pitching at a higher level
of competition. He was promoted to Class AAA Ottawa ... "John Maine did what he
needed to do at this level," said Bowie manager Dave Trembley, who had no
reservations about recommending Maine be promoted. "Quite honestly, he made it
look easy. He's on the fast track. I think the organization would like to see
him challenged a little bit." Maine, a sixth-round pick in the 2002 draft ...
has wasted little time moving up the organizational ladder. Entering this
season, Maine was 15-6 with a 2.08 ERA in 33 minor league starts. He started
last season at Delmarva and finished his stop there by starting in the South
Atlantic League All-Star Game. At the time, he was leading the league in ERA and
strikeouts. He was promoted to Frederick on June 24 and a little more than a
week later (July 3), he pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a
doubleheader for the Keys ... Maine certainly wasn't overmatched in his
first start for Ottawa on Wednesday. He pitched five innings, allowed four hits
and two earned runs ... Any regrets the Bowie coaching staff might have felt
over losing such a prize prospect were tempered by the knowledge that Maine had
done all he could at Class AA.." (Annapolis Capital)
Correspondents
-- INTERNATIONAL (Herb Walters), EASTERN (Ralph Marston), SOUTHERN (Ken
Savage), TEXAS (Harry Almquist), FLORIDA STATE (Kevin
Dunshee), CAROLINA (Troy Salvior), MIDWEST (Bob Reed), SOUTH ATLANTIC (Brad
Dowdy)
|
