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01 August 2004 Pitching line = IP H R ER BB
SO
Creating a ballpark breeze, WSox Brandon McCarthy
fans 16 in 7 shutout innings ... Sean Kazmar, Alvin Colina with days to remember
... Jonny Gomes, another TB option ... Jose Capellan, strong ... Dallas
McPherson, back on track ... Jays with a prospect in Gustavo Chacin ... Zach
Duke, outstanding streak continues ... Ryan Garko, no problems in AA ... Josh
Barfield, at least there's power ... more kids on the move
 Game action ...
INT -- Jonny Gomes (TB, LF) 2-4, 22nd HR, R, 3 RBI ... B.J.
Upton (TB, SS) 1-4, R, 0 errors ... rehab, Craig Monroe (DET,
RF) 1-4 ... Stephen Smitherman (CIN, 1B) 2-4, 2B, RBI ...
Dustin Moseley (CIN) 6.0 4 3 3 3 6 ... Jose Capellan (ATL)
6.0 4 2 2 2 4 ... rehab, Michael Ryan (MIN, RF) 1-4, R ... Gabe
Gross (TOR, LF) 2-4, RBI, BB ... Wilson Valdez (CHA, SS)
2-4 ... Arnie Munoz (CHA) 6.0 4 4 3 2 4 ... Michael
Vento (NYA, RF) 3-5, 2B, 13th HR, 2 R, RBI ... Robinson Cano (NYA,
2B) 3-4, 2B, 4th HR, R, 2 RBI ... Chien-Ming Wang (NYA) 5.1
5 2 2 2 8 ... Wes Obermueller (MIL) 8.0 6 2 1 2 5 ... Victor
Diaz (NYN, RF) 1-4, 16th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Aaron Heilman (NYN)
5.1 7 2 1 2 4
PCL -- Mark Teahen KC 1-2, 2
walks ... Derrick Turnbow ANA 1.0 4 3 3 1 0, 1.-5, 4.89 ...
Dallas McPherson ANA, getting back on track, 2-4, homer (32nd
overall), 2 Ks ... Antonio Perez LA 18th homer ... Justin
Germano SD 5.1 9 3 3 0 4 ... Joe Kennedy COL, rehab, 4.0 6 4 4
1 3 ... Tim Hudson OAK, rehab, 3.0 2 2 2 2 3 ... Dan
Johnson OAK 2-4, 23rd homer
EASTERN -- Gustavo Chacin TOR 6.0 4 0 0
2 3, 12-2, 3.53 ... Aaron Hill TOR 3-3, 2 doubles, 2 RBI ... DET
CF Curtis Granderson 2-3, 6th triple, 11th homer, 3 walks, 4 RBI,
.289 ... catcher Ryan Garko CLE 4-6, double, 2 RBI, .371 ...
Zach Duke PIT, ERA zooms up to 1.00, 7.0 4 2 2 1 3 ... Val
Majewski BAL 2-4, double, .307 ...
SOUTHERN -- Joel Guzman
LA SS 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, K (outstanding progess, AVE, SLG, OBA all up from A+, K
rate down, BB rate up, no errors) ... TJ Nall LA 7.0 6 1 1 1 6, W
6-6, 3.43 ... Anthony Reyes STL 6.0 7 1 1 1 7, W 3-1, 3.62 ...
Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-3, R, 2 RBI, K, HR (17) ... Richard
Lewis CHN 2B 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB, K, HR (9) ... Carmen Pignatiello
CHN 6.0 6 3 3 1 6 ... revival? ... Chip Ambres FLA OF 3-5, 2 R, 4
RBI, K, 2 HR (12 & 13) ... Brian Anderson CHA OF 1-5, R, 2 K, .303
... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 2-4, 2B ... Prince Fielder
MIL 1B 0-4, K ... Dennis Sarfate MIL 6.0 4 2 0 1 6
TEXAS -- Joe Saunders ANA 6.0 6 1 1 0 5
... Alberto Callaspo ANA 2-3, homer & 0-3, .277 ... Jason
Botts TEX 2-5, double ... Willy Taveras HOU 2-5, 45th SB
... Conor Jackson ARZ 2-3, walk, .320
CAROLINA -- wow, Brandon McCarthy CHA
7.0 2 0 0 0 16, 4-0, 2.68 (3 walks, 44 Ks in 37 IP) ... Dusty Hughes
KC 6.2 5 1 1 2 7
FLORIDA STATE --
Ron Davenport (TOR, RF) 4-5 HR(14) 3R 2RBI
Vito Chiaravalloti (TOR,
1B) 2-4 HR(11) 2R 3RBI
Raul Tablado (TOR, DH) 2-5 HR(16) 2R 4RBI
Miguel Negron (TOR, CF) 2-5 R RBI
Shaun Marcum (TOR) 5 4 3 3 0 6
W(2-1, 2.61)
Manny Delcarmen (BOS) 4 7 3 3 0 5
Hanley Ramirez
(BOS, SS) 3-4 double 2R
Rehab, Vincente Padilla (PHI) 2 3 2 2 1 1
L(0-1, 9.00)
Melky Cabrera (NYA, CF) 2-4 HR(3) 3RBI
Charlie
Issacson (NYA) 9 6 0 0 2 9 W(3-2, 2.95)
Rocketing up the
Met's top 10 prospects list, Lastings Milledge (NYN) 2-5 HR(2) 2RBI
Shaun Boyd (STL, CF) 3-5 double 3RBI
CALIFORNIA -- John Danks TEX 4.1 5 3 1
2 5 ... Sterling Hitchcock SD, looks ready to rejoin the Padres, 5.0 6 1
1 0 6 ... Jon Zeringue ARZ 2-4, .374 ... Brian Stavisky
OAK 13th homer, 3 RBI, .333 ... career night for COL catcher Alvin Colina
5-5, double, 2 homers, 7 RBI
MIDWEST -- Joey Votto CIN 1-3, 13th
homer, 2 walks & 1-4, double ... Daric Barton STL 1-4, double ...
teenager Adam Jones SEA, hitting 3rd in the order, 2-5, 8th & 9th
homers, 5 RBI, .265 ... Huston Street OAK, 3rd save, 1.0 1 0 0 1 0
... Andy Pratt CHN, rehab not going well, 4.0 3 2 2 1 2, 8.68 ...
Brian Dopirak CHN 32nd homer, 90th RBI ... Chris
Lubanski KC 2-5, 2 doubles, .261
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Ryan Harvey NYM, 1-3,
2 RBI ... Shawn Bowman NYM, 1-4, 2 RBI ... Caleb Brock
CLE, 1-3, homer (2), 2 RBI ... Brad Rea 2-4, double ... Travis
Ishikawa SF, 2-3, steal (9) ... Nick Markakis BAL, 2-4 ...
Zach Dixon BAL, 7.0 5 2 1 1 6 (L 7-4, 2.38) ... Chuck
Tiffany LA, 5.0 5 3 3 2 6 ... Michael Bourn PHI, 1-4, RBI, 2 R
... Javon Moran PHI, 2-5, 2 runs, 2 steals (39) ... Jake
Blalock PHI, 2-4, RBI ... Robert Valido CHW, 1-4, double, RBI,
2 runs ... Micah Schnurstein CHW, 2-3, homer (5), RBI ... Chris
Young CHW, 2-4, homer (20), triple, 2 RBI ... Wesley Whisler
CHW, 5.2 10 6 4 2 3 (3.34) ... Ian Stewart COL, 0-3 ... Jordan
Czarnecki COL, 1-4, homer (11), 2 RBI ... Delmon Young TB 1-4,
.295 ... Brandon Moss BOS 2-5, double, .347
NORTHWEST -- Eric Hurley TEX 4.0 5 3 3
1 5 ... SD SS Sean Kazmar with a huge night, 5-6, double, 2
homers, 4 runs, 3 RBI, .284 ... Javier Herrera OAK 2-4, double,
.361
PIONEER -- Philip Gentry CIN on a roll,
3-4, 10th double, .302 ... Brandon Szymanski CIN 2-5, 3 RBI ...
Sean Rodriguez ANA, 2-4, .403 ... OF Seth Smith COL
2-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, .331 ... Chris Nelson COL 3-4, double,
triple, .321 ... Chris Westervelt LA 2-4, double, .408 ... 1B
Grant Richardson MIL 3-5, 5th homer, 3 RBI, .364 ...
ARIZONA -- (Friday)
Matt Bush SD, 2-3, double, triple, SB, 2 walks, 4 runs, .233 ...
Troop
movements ... FLO -- acquired pitcher Rudy Seanez from KC for outfielder
Abraham Nunez, acquired Ismael Valdez from SD for pitcher Travis Chick;
transferred catcher Ramon Castro to the 60-day disabled list, optioned catcher
Matt Treanor to Triple-A ... KC -- purchased the contract of INF Wilton Guerrero from AAA, optioned Justin Huber to AAA ... SEA -- recalled infielder Jose Lopez from AAA,
optioned infielder Ramon Santiago to AAA ... OAK --
promoted RHP Jairo Garcia to Triple-A Sacramento ... PHI --
promoted first baseman Ryan Howard to Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, recalled Marlon Byrd from Triple-A ... ATL -- acquired
pitcher Tom Martin and cash considerations from LA for pitcher Matt Merricks
... BOS -- acquired Orlando Cabrera from MON for Alex Gonzalez and Brendan
Harris and Francis Beltran; acquired Dave Roberts from LA
for Henri Stanley ... CHN -- acquired Doug Mientkiewicz from MIN
for pitcher Justin Jones; acquired Nomar Garciaparra, outfielder
Matt Murton and cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox for
Mientkiewicz, infielders Alex Gonzalez and Brendan Harris and pitcher Francis
Beltran ... CHA -- acquired Jose Contreras and cash considerations from NYA for
Esteban Loaiza ... LA -- acquired Steve Finley and Brent Mayne from ARZ for
catcher Koyie Hill, pitcher Bill Murphy and
outfielder Reggie Abercrombie, recalled RHP Yhency Brazoban
from AAA ... MIN -- purchased the contract of
pitcher Jesse Crain from AAA ... OAK -- activated Esteban
German from the DL, optioned infielder Ramon Castro to AA ... PIT --
released infielder Chris Stynes; recalled pitcher Mark Corey from
AAA, optioned outfielder Tony Alvarez to Triple A ... SF -- placed Jerome Williams on the DL, recalled pitcher
Merkin Valdez from AA , optioned pitcher Alfredo Simon
to San Jose of the California League ... TB -- recalled pitcher John
Webb from AA ... TEX -- purchased the contract of pitcher Mike
Bacsik from AAA, optioned pitcher Sam Narron to AAA; acquired
pitcher Scott Erickson and cash considerations from NYN for a player to be named
...
Jim
Callis, Baseball America, on new Twin Justin Jones :
" ... Jones, 19, was a 2002
second-round pick from a Virginia high school. Considered the top lefty in the
Cubs system, he has a huge ceiling but has had problems staying healthy the last
two years at low Class A Lansing. He was shut down twice with a tired arm in
2003, and missed the first month of 2004 with a sore elbow. When he's 100
percent, Jones has an 89-94 mph fastball and a plus curveball to go with a
changeup and splitter. In 14 starts this year, he has gone 3-3, 3.78 with a
59-22 K-BB ratio, .254 opponent average and six homers in 64 innings. He has
gone 10-9, 2.65 in 42 pro starts."
Zach
Chalifour, The Roto Times, on one highly publicized prospect and another, barely
known :
" ... Maicer Izturis, SS,
Expos ... one of the top candidates to serve as Cabreras replacement, and hes
enjoying a stellar season at Triple-A Edmonton. Izturis lanky build profiles as
a leadoff hitter, and his statistics back up that claim. He has an excellent
.450 on-base percentage and is batting .367 in 278 at-bats for the Trappers.
Izturis has shown an impeccable ability to make contact, and hes a disciplined
hitter, drawing 41 walks while fanning just 19 times. He has decent speed but
has yet to refine his base-stealing ... doesnt have much power, as
underlined by his two home runs in 278 at- bats this season, though he does have
12 doubles and two triples."
" ... Delmon Young has
quietly and steadily progressed in his first professional season ... The
18-year-old has been solid this season while playing for Low-A Charlestown,
where he has hit a respectable .296 in 378 at-bats with 16 home runs and 83 RBI.
While facing much older competition, Young has also demonstrated relatively
solid command of the strikezone for his age, drawing 28 walks while fanning 87
times. Delmon is much faster than his older brother Dmitri of the Tigers, and he
has swiped 10 bases in 14 attempts. Young is likely to follow a developmental
path very similar to that of fellow D-Rays prospect B.J. Upton, and we can
expect him to be promoted to either High-A or Double-A by the end of the season.
As Tampa Bay continues to allow their prospects to develop at the big-league
level, Young could see Tropicana Field before his 20th birthday next September
if he continues to perform in the minors."
31 July 2004
Mets go goofy ... Scott Kazmir among those sent
packing ... Jeremy Reed begins to show promise ... Joe Blanton, Dallas
McPherson, Jake Stevens -- worry time? ... Andy Marte, stepping it up ...
Rajai Davis, PIT hope ... Michael Nickeas, Rangers' overjoyed ... Gavin Floyd,
moving up ... Jhonny Peralta, .331, 33 doubles, 11 homers ... James Loney, sign
of life ... ditto, Prince Fielder, Brad Sullivan
Game action ...
INT -- Jonny Gomes (TB, LF) 1-3, 21st HR, R, RBI & 1-3, double ...
B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 1-3, 2B, R, 0 errors & 2-4, 2 runs ... Greg
Norton (DET, 3B) 2-4, BB ... rehab, Michael Ryan (MIN, DH)
0-3, BB ... Russ Adams (TOR, SS) 3-5, 2nd HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ...
Tim Raines Jr (BAL, CF) 2-3, 2 2B, Sac ... Darnell McDonald
(BAL, LF) 2-3, RBI, BB ... Jack Cust (BAL, DH) 1-3, 15th HR, R,
RBI, BB ... pretty good day, Jhonny Peralta (CLE, 3B) 4-4, 2 2B,
11th HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB ... Josh Bard (CLE, C) 2-4, R, RBI, SF
... Kelly Shoppach (BOS, C) 1-4, 15th HR, 2 R, 3 RBI ...
Michael Vento (NYA, RF) 2-4, 2B, R ... Robinson Cano (NYA,
2B) 1-3, 3rd HR, R, RBI ... Matt Diaz TB 3-4 & 1-2, game-winning triple,
2 RBI ...
PCL -- uh, time to get a little worried?,
Dallas McPherson ANA, another ofer, 0-4, 4 Ks, down to .282 ... Cody
Ross LA 4-5, homer, .255 ... if not jobs on the hill, maybe at the dish
-- Brian Sweeney SD (W 9-2) 7.0 7 3 3 1 6, 9-2, 3.28 & 3-3, .391
... Michael Tejera SP FLO, 1-1 double as a pinch hitter, .323 ...
Rafael Soriano SEA 2.0 1 1 1 0 2 ... Jeremy Reed SEA
3-4, double, triple, .288 ... Jose Lopez SEA 1-3, 13th homer, 3
RBI ... Ryan Snare TEX 7.0 5 1 1 3 4, 9-4, 4.12 ... not pretty,
Joe Blanton 5.2 12 9 6 3 6, 4.64 ... Jason Alfaro HOU
4-5, 11th homer, 5 RBI ... Dan Johnson OAK 3-3, walk, 22nd homer
...
EASTERN -- Luis Maza MIN 2-4, 2B
(22) ... Kevin West MIN 0-3 ... Ryan Howard 1-4 ...
Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (15)... Jeremy Guthrie
CLE 6.0 6 1 1 2 3, W (7), 3.72 ERA ... Dominic Rich TOR 0-3 ...
Aaron Hill TOR 2-3 ... Carlos Valderrama SF 0-4 ...
Michael Cervenak SF 1-2, SB (3)
" ... Justin Pope [NYA] pitched the second
one-hitter in Trenton franchise history in a 2-0 victory over Norwich Friday
night. The victory, which was played in 1 hour and 56 minutes, was also the
fastest nine-inning game in Thunder franchise history ... Pope carried his
no-hit bid through 6 2/3 innings. Michael Cervenak broke up the no-hitter with a
two-out single in the 7th Inning. After the hit, Pope retired the final seven
batters of the game. Pope (2-1) struck out 10 and walked just one in only his
third start of the season." (Trenton Thunder)
SOUTHERN -- Josh Willingham FLA
C 0-3, R, BB, K ... Jason Stokes FLA 1B 2-4, R, BB, 2 K ... Marte
staying in ATL? ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2 HR
(17 & 18) ... Ray Aguilar ATL 5.0 4 3 1 0 4, 1.80 ... Ryan
Meaux CHA 7.0 8 1 1 1 9, W 5-8, 4.49 ... Skip Schumaker STL
OF 2-5, 2B, RBI ... Joel Guzman LA SS 2-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, K ...
James Loney LA 1B 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB, K ... better Bubba ... Bubba
Nelson CIN 6.0 8 1 1 2 4, 3.60 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 0-4,
K ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 2-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 K, HR (17) ...
Ricky Nolasco CHN 5.0 7 2 2 2 7, W 3-2, 3.08
LA prospect the best of the SL hurlers for the week
:
" ... Jacksonville right-hander Chad Billingsley
went 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA, allowing 8 hits, 2 earned runs and 2 walks while
striking out 13 in 11 innings." (MinorLeagueBaseball)
TEXAS -- John Hudgins TEX 6.0 6 5
5 1 8 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 2-5 ... Conor Jackson ARZ
2-4 ... Jeremy Brown OAK 3-4 ... Jeff Salazar COL
3-5 ... Ryan Shealy COL 24th homer ... Jeff Baker
COL 2-5, homer, .340 ... Shin-soo Choo SEA 2-5, 11th homer .
CAROLINA -- Josh Fields CHA 0-4,
K
Ryan Sweeney CHA 1-4, R, RBI, K
Casey Rogowski
CHA 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K
Anthony Lerew ATL (L) 5.2 3 6 6 3 6 (8-6,
3.16)
Pat Osborn CLE 0-3, BB, K
Nathan Panther
CLE 1-3, R, double
Donnie Murphy KC 0-3, 2 R, BB, K
Mike
Aviles KC 1-4, R, K
Shane Costa KC 1-3, R, HR (5), 4 RBI,
K
Adam Miller CLE (L) 4 5 6 2 2 5 (0-1, 2.08)
Rajai
Davis PIT 4-5, 3 R, double, SB (38)
Mark Saccomanno HOU 2-5,
R, double (19), 2 RBI (67), K
Josh Anderson HOU 1-5, triple, 2
RBI, K
Tripper Johnson BAL 1-5, double, 2 RBI (62)
Kevin
Howard 0-5, BB, K
Christopher Ray BAL 4 6 1 1 3 4 (4.47)
FLORIDA STATE --
Mike
Megrew (LA) 4.2 7 5 2 0 4 ND - 3.39 ERA
Delwyn Young (LA, 2B) 2-5
double
Chin-Lung Hu (LA, SS) 2-4 RBI
Andy Laroche (LA, 3B)
2-5, 2 doubles 4RBI
Frank Diaz (MON, RF) 2-5 double R 2RBI SB(15)
Rehab, Joey Eischen (MON) 1 0 0 0 0 2
Matt Lindstrom (NYN) 5 8 4
3 3 3 L(4-5, 3.95) ... Aarom Baldiris (NYN, 3B) 2-4
Shaun Boyd (STL,
CF) 2-5 double R
Jeremy West (BOS, 1B) 2-3 R
Hanley Ramirez (BOS,
SS) 1-3 double R 2RBI SB(12)
Back down from AA, Tommy Winrow 2-4 R RBI
Robert Andino (FLA, SS) 2-5 R RBI CS
Jeremy Hermida (FLA, RF)
2-4 R
Yorman Bazardo (FLA) 5.1 11 8 6 2 2 L(5-7, 2.99)
Alex Romero
(MIN, DH) 2-5 double 2R
Doug Deeds (MON, RF) 2-4 2R RBI
Francisco
Liriano (MIN) 5.1 9 5 4 1 7 ND - 4.00 ERA ... Vito Chiaravalloti TOR
3-6, double, .289
CALIFORNIA -- Bobby Livingston
SEA .0 8 2 2 1 8, 3.61 ... Jon Zeringue ARZ 2-5, .369 ... beginning to
shine, Brad Sullivan OAK 7.0 5 1 0 2 9 ... Jason Perry
OAK on a tear, 3-5, 21st double, 19th homer, .359
MIDWEST -- Joey Votto CIN 3-4, double,
walk, .303 ... Daric Barton STL 1-4, double, .305 ... Huston
Street OAK 1.1 0 0 0 0 2, still at 0.00, just 3 IP ... Thomas
Diamond TEX 5.0 3 2 2 1 4 ... Andrew Wishy TEX, heating up,
3-4, double, 12th homer, .275 ... Chris Lubanski KC 2-3, walk, 2
RBI, .259 ...
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- second poor outing out of
the last three Jake Stevens ATL, 4.2 10 7 7 2 5 (L 7-4, 2.62) ...
Jarrod Saltalamacchia ATL, 3-4, double ... Ian Stewart
COL, 1-4, steal (14) ... Chris Ianetta COL, 2-3, homer (1), 2 RBI
... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE, 4-5, homer (11), 3 RBI ... Ryan
Goleski CLE, 2-4, homer (21), 2 RBI ... Jon Benick PIT,
1-4, homer (24), 2 RBI ... Wardell Starling PIT, 6.0 7 5 5 3 4 (W
6-7, 4.41) ... Travis Ishikawa SF, 1-3, double ... Clinton
Johnston TOR, 1-4, homer (11), RBI ... Nick Markakis BAL,
0-4 ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL, 2-4, homer (5), double, 2 RBI ...
James Johnson BAL, 6.2 6 1 1 4 2 (W 7-7, 3.42) ... Michael
Bourn PHI, 1-5, homer (3), 2 RBI ... Jake Blalock PHI, 2-4 ...
Leo Daigle CHW, 2-2, double, 2 walks, 3 runs ... Chris
Young CHW, 2-4, 2 RBI ... Delmon Young TB, 1-4, double, RBI
... Wes Bankston TB, 2-4, homer (17), RBI ... Dustin
Pedroia BOS, 1-4, RBI ... Brandon Moss BOS, 0-4, 2 strikeouts
... Mickey Hall BOS, 1-2, 2 RBI, 2 walks ... Julio
Pimentel LA, 7.0 2 0 0 2 7 (W 10-7, 2.71)
APPALACHIAN --
Deacon Burns (MIN, LF/RF) 1-4, RBI (22), K, and
0-4, K, .331... Juan Valdes (CHA, CF) 1-3, R, BB, SB (17), and
0-3, R, 2 BB, SB (18), .246... another funky performance for Dennis
Medina (MIN, SP) 5.0 4 0 0 0 5, W (2-0) (1.46), for the season 7 G,
24.2 IP, 23 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 24 K; in 2 games started 2-0, 11.0 8 1 1 0 8...
Zach Davis (BAL, RF) 1-2, R, 2 BB, 3 SB (7), .258...
Javier Castillo (CHA, SS) 2-3, R, BB, .339... Mitch Einertson
(HOU, CF/DH) 1-3, R, HR (13), RBI (34), and 0-3, K, .281... James
Barthmaier (HOU, SP) 5.0 3 0 0 0 8, W (1-3) (4.17)...
Enyelbert Soto (HOU, RP) 2.0 2 1 0 1 0, S (7) (1.19).
NORTHWEST -- great recovery from a 1-8, 6 K
game, Ryan Harvey CHN 3-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 8th homer ... catcher
Michael Nickeas TEX 2-4, double, 8th homer, 3 RBI, .341 ... catcher
Colt Morton SD 1-3, 12th homer, 2 walks ... a few more & he's in
phenom territory, AJ Shappi ARZ 7.0 5 1 0 1 4, 0.77 ... after one
big day back to this, Landon Powell OAK 0-4, 2 Ks, .182
Jamey Newbery, Rangers' Minor League Report, on
Nickeas :
" ... It's time for catcher Mike Nickeas,
this year's fifth-round pick, to be challenged with a promotion of his own.
Defensively skilled, the player who might be the top future catching hope in the
system is hitting .336/.423/.598 in 122 Spokane at-bats. He's the fifth-leading
hitter in the league, fifth in slugging, and his 11 doubles are one off the
league lead. Nickeas's seven homers and 27 RBI trail only third baseman Travis
Metcalf's numbers on the Indians."
PIONEER -- Brian McFall OF KC
2-4, 9th homer, .305 ... 3B Blake DeWitt LA 3-5, 8th homer, 3 RBI
ARIZONA -- (Thursday) Matt Bush
SD 1-5, SB, .185 .
GULF COAST -- (Thursday) Jeff
Austin CIN, trying to come back from surgery, 3.2 0 1 0 0 5 ... MIN
1st-rounder Kyle Waldrop 6.0 4 1 1 1 5
Troop
movements ... PHI -- placed pitcher Billy Wagner on the DL, activated pitcher
Amaury Telemaco from the DL, acquired outfielder Ricky Ledee and pitcher
Alfredo Simon from the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Felix Rodriguez ... KC -- recalled D.J. Carrasco from AAA ...
FLO -- activated RHP Josh Beckett from the DL, optioned pitcher Justin Wayne
to AAA ... NYA -- activated RHP Kevin
Brown from the DL, optioned RHP Bret Prinz to AA, placed Jason Giambi on the DL,
recalled outfielder Bubba Crosby from AAA ... oh my, what an awful day
for the Mets -- acquired infielder Jose Bautista from the Kansas
City Royals for catcher Justin Huber; acquired pitcher Kris Benson
and infielder Jeff Keppinger from the Pittsburgh Pirates for
Bautista, infielder Ty Wigginton and pitcher Matt Peterson;
acquired pitchers Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunato from the Tampa Bay
Devil Rays for pitchers Scott Kazmir and Jose Diaz,
optioned pitchers Dan Wheeler, Tyler Yates and Jae Seo
toAAA, recalled pitcher Matt Ginter and purchased the contract of outfielder
Gerald Williams from Norfolk
... ANA -- terminated the contract of outfielder Raul Mondesi ... SEA -- placed
pitcher Julio Mateo on the DL, optioned infielder Ramon Santiago to AAA,
recalled pitchers Gil Meche and Scott Atchison from Tacoma ... TEX --
Placed pitcher R.A. Dickey on the DL, purchased the contract of pitcher Sam
Narron from AAA ... SD -- acquired infielder Dave Hansen from the Seattle
Mariners for pitcher Jon Huber ... LA -- acquired pitchers Brad Penny and
Bill Murphy and first baseman Hee Seop Choi
from FLO for catcher Paul Lo Duca, outfielder Juan Encarnacion and pitcher
Guillermo Mota ... CIN -- acquired pitcher Josh Hancock and infielder
Anderson Machado from the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Todd
Jones and outfielder Brad Correll ...
And,
about time :
" ... Gavin Floyd took a giant step closer to
the big leagues on Friday, when he earned a promotion to Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The right-hander ... was dominating in the Eastern
League, allowing just 93 hits in 119 innings, and compiling the league's
second-best ERA (2.57) behind Erie's Wil Ledezma. That altered the Phillies'
original thinking of keeping Floyd at Reading for the entire season. His first
start for the Red Barons will be against Richmond. Floyd, a towering 6-foot-4,
212-pounder, left Reading on a good note, allowing two runs in 8 2/3 innings." (MLB.com)
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on OAK's outstanding A-Ball duo -- Brad Knox and
Steven Bondurant :
" ... Knox was drafted in the 14th round in
2002 ... fastball is average at 88-90 mph, but he has an outstanding curveball,
and very sharp control. At age 22, he is neither super-young nor super-old for
the Midwest League. Given his ability to change speeds with his curve and throw
strikes with his fastball, his dominance is understandable. He's a solid
prospect in my opinion, but we need to see him at higher levels before we know
if he's a true premium, Top 50-type prospect or not. He doesn't have Joe
Blanton's stuff and isn't as good of a prospect at this point."
" ... Bondurant was a 15th-round pick in '03 ... a
standard college-trained finesse southpaw, who doesn't have a terrific fastball,
but who changes speeds well and throws strikes. His fastball is usually at 86
mph, below major league average. But he has a decent breaking ball, and his
changeup is excellent. He's certainly having no problems keeping Midwest League
hitters off-balance, but at age 24, with NCAA Division I experience at a top
program, this is to be expected. Like Knox, we need to see how he holds up at
higher levels. He is less physically gifted than Knox. Of the two, I think Knox
has the best chance to be a useful major league pitcher. His stuff is better
than Bondurant's, his command is just as good, and he is younger. I'd rate Knox
as a Grade B or B- prospect at this point, Bondurant as a Grade C or C+. "
Jeremy
Deloney, Baseball Miscellany, on a pair of PIT mound hopefuls :
" ... Ian Snell, formerly known as Ian
Oquendo, is a short righty who stands only 5'11" 160 pounds. He still has among
the best fastballs in the entire system. He'll touch 95 on the gun but usually
hurls in the 91-92 region. Snell, 22, combines his fastball with a terrific hard
curve. Throwing strikes is his forte and he pounds the strike zone with the hard
stuff. Much like Connolly, Snell might be best suited for the bullpen,
especially the late-innings work before giving way to the closer."
" ... Not many people knew about Zach Duke
prior to this season. The 21 year-old began the season with high A Lynchburg but
after dominating the Carolina League was moved to Altoona on July 16. With
Lynchburg, Duke was 10-5 with an amazing 1.39 ERA with 20 walks and 106
strikeouts in 97 innings. In his first two starts in Double A, he is 1-0 and has
yet to allow an earned run while striking out 12 in 11 innings. Duke is very
similar to existing Pirates starter Sean Burnett. He relies more on his control
and command than blazing fastballs. Duke effectively changes speeds and moves
his fastball to both sides of the plate. His fastball only touches the high-80s
but his curve is spectacular with late bite and break."
Dayn
Perry, FoxSports, updates his prospect report on the BAL system, with John
Maine at the top. Discouraging to Adam Loewen owners, the big
lefty fares no better than No. 7 in a weak organization :
" ... To hear some tell it, Loewen, the fourth
overall pick of the 2002 draft, is the best prospect in the system. While
there's no denying his raw abilities, the performance just hasn't been there.
Loewen sports two plus pitches a fastball that touches 95 and a devastating
12-6 curve and a developing slider and change. Still, the numbers haven't
followed. He had a nice debut last season in the NY-Penn League, but it was only
a 23-inning sample. This season, he's struggled at Low-A Delmarva. In 61.1
innings, he's fanned 62, but walked a whopping 45 and posted an ERA near 5.00.
And this is only the Sally League. He did battle a strained rib cage muscle
earlier in the season, but that doesn't explain away those numbers. The
potential is tremendous, but at some point the numbers need to be there."
Maine, a sixth-rounder in 2002 ... is a
command specialist with a great fastball. His heater stays in the low 90s, so
it's not a blazer, but he throws it with precision, and it has outstanding life
in the strike zone. Maine also sports a deceptive delivery. As for the results,
they've been outstanding, by and large. Coming into this season, Maine had
fanned well more than a batter per inning, and he boasted an outstanding career
strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.4. After his promotion to Triple-A this season, he
struggled somewhat with his control and longball tendencies. He also didn't fare
too well in a recent spot start in the majors. Still, the balance of his
statistical records says he's potentially a special pitcher. The only worry is
that a lack of strong supporting pitches might eventually force him to the
bullpen."
Jim
Callis, Baseball America, with a who's who of the SEA shortstops -- Jose
Lopez, Michael Morse, Juan Gonzalez, Adam
Jones, Asdrubal Cabrera and Matt Tuiasasopo.
" ... In addition to considering upside, when I rank
prospects I also determine the likelihood that they'll reach that potential.
Combining those two factors, I'd put Seattle's shortstop prospects in this
order: Lopez, Tuiasosopo, Morse, Jones, Cabrera, Gonzalez. It's very difficult
sorting them out, as the only easy call is putting Gonzalez sixth. I may be
conservative with Cabrera, who's hitting very well in the short-season Northwest
League at age 17. On pure upside, Tuiasosopo would be No. 1, but Lopez is five
levels ahead of him and playing well in Triple-A at age 20. Jones is loaded with
tools as well, and though he's being challenged as an 18-year-old in low Class
A, I'd like to see him hit a little more. Defensively, all six players have a
chance to play shortstop in the majors. Realistically, Morse (6-foot-5, 230
pounds) and Tuiasosopo (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) probably will outgrow the
position. The Mariners have moved Lopez around the infield at the upper levels
of their system, but they say that's just to have him ready for whatever infield
opening may arise. His initial opportunity should come at shortstop later in the
season."
30 July 2004
Oh my ... Dallas McPherson ofer ... MIL's Double-A, fab four
combine for a 2-16 night ... Cubs' Ryan Harvey 1-8, 6 Ks ... Kyle Sleeth,
another stinker ... but, Landon Powell, big night ... 1st rounders Chris
Lambert, Glen Perkins in fine form ... Jason Perry, OAK sleeper ... Jesse
Foppert, comeback trail ... Nick Swisher, 20th long one ... happy tunes from
Wesley Whisler ... Tony Giarratano, hope for the Tigers
Game
action ... INT -- rehab, Michael Ryan (MIN, DH) 1-4, 2 RBI ...
Jesse Crain (MIN) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 ... Mike Fontenot (BAL,
2B) 2-4, R ... John Maine (BAL) 4.2 3 3 3 5 2 ... Jhonny
Peralta (CLE, 3B) 2-3, RBI, BB ... Kyle Denney (CLE) 5.2 3 1 1
3 2 ... Wilson Valdez (CHA, SS) 2-6, RBI ... Felix Diaz
(CHA) 8.0 5 2 2 0 6 ... Brad Halsey (NYA) 6.2 4 0 0 3 8 ...
Pedro Liriano (MIL) 4.0 7 6 6 4 5 ... Danny Garcia (NYN,
2B & SS) 0-2, R, 2 BB & 2-4, R, RBI, SB ... Craig Brazell (NYN,
1B) 2-4, 3 R, RBI ... Victor Diaz (NYN, RF & PH) 3-4, 15th HR, 2
R, RBI & 0-1 ... Justin Huber (NYN, C) 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI ...
Bob Keppel (NYN) 7.0 5 2 2 1 3
PCL -- in a little funk, Dallas McPherson
ANA 0-4, 2 Ks, .292 ... Mark Teahen KC 2-4, walk, .278 ...
Dennis Tankersley SD 6.0 8 4 4 2 4, 3.54 ... Cha-Seung Baek
SEA 6.1 6 5 3 1 6 ... again, hitting 3rd in the lineup, SS Maicer
Izturis MON 2-5, double, .367 ... Adrian Gonzalez TEX 3-6,
10th homer ... Jason Alfaro HOU, now in the OF, 4-5, double, 9th &
10th homers, .318 ... Nick Swisher OAK 2-4, 20th homer, walk, .270
...
EASTERN -- JD Durbin MIN 6.0 6 3 2 3 6
... Francisco Rosario TOR 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 ... Kyle Sleeth
DET, not having much fun or success in AA, 5.0 8 5 4 2 4, 8.55 ... Merkin
Valdez SF, appears the Giants are prepping him for a relief role, 1.0 0 0 0
0 1 ... Bobby Bradley PIT 5.2 6 3 1 3 4 ... Andrew Brown
CLE 5.0 3 2 1 4 4 ... Ryan Garko CLE homer, 3 RBI ... Gavin
Floyd PHI 8.2 8 2 2 4 2
SOUTHERN -- Josh Willingham FLA
C 1-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K ... Nic Ungs FLA 7.0 6 2 2 2 7, W 6-7,
4.51 ... Skip Schumaker STL OF 3-5 ... Gabe Johnson
STL 3B 3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, HR (16) ... James Loney LA 1B 3-4,
2B ... Edwin Encarnacion CIN 3B 3-5, 3 R, 2B, 4 RBI, K, 2 HR (9 &
10) ... Steve Kelly CIN 6.0 3 0 0 1 5, W 9-5, 3.02 ... MIL's fab
four; Weeks, Gwynn, Fielder and Nelson combine for
an 2-16 night with 7 K's (Fielder and Nelson with 3 each) ... MIL hi-lite ...
Glenn Woolard MIL 5.0 2 1 1 2 6, W 3-0, 3.76 ...
TEXAS -- Rashad Eldridge TX (LF)
2-3,2R,2B,RBI(17), .259 ... Ian Kinsler TX 1-3,2B,RBI(31), .310
(including his MW numbers, a total of 83 RBI) ... Jason Botts TX
1-3,R,2B,RBI(68), .286 ... Santiago Perez TX (3B) 3-4,2R,2B,RBI(1)
.478 ... Alberto Callaspo ANA 1-3,R, .276 ... Jeff
Mathis ANA 1-3,2B,2RBI(46), .248 ... BIG Ouch , Tim Bittner
ANA .2 8 8 8 1 0, 4.55 L(8-6) ... Jeff Salazar COL 2-4, .237 ...
Shawn Garrett COL (RF) 2-4,R,3B, .306 ... Jeff Baker
COL (3B) 2-4 ,RBI(10), .333 ... SERIOUSLY Struggling , Jason Nix
COL 0-4, .206 ... Great name , Norris Hopper KC (RF) 2-4,R, .263
... Byron Gettis KC 1-3,RBI(9), .538 ... Chad Santos
KC (1B) 1-1,2BB, .270 ... Mike Tonis KC (DH) 1-2,R,HR(3),RBI(29),
.234 ... Justin Hampson COL 7 6 2 2 3 0, 3.68 L(8-5) ... and the
BIG climb back up begins , Mike Macdougal KC 1 0 0 0 0 2, 1.93 (SV
1) ... Hunter Brown SEA (3B) 2-4,2B,2RBI(42), .293 ... Shin-soo
Choo SEA 0-4, .305 ... Todd Self HOU 2-4, .315 ... Rich
Dorman SEA 5 4 0 0 2 7, 3.91 W(4-3) ... Jesus Cota AZ (1B)
2-4,R, .318 ... Conor Jackson AZ 2-3,2R,2B,HR(3),RBI(17), .304 ...
Carlos Quentin AZ 1-2,RBI(25),2BB, .402 ... John Baker
OAK (C) 2-5,2B,RBI(67), .293 ... doing great so far, Matt Allegra
OAK (DH) 4-5,2R,2 2B,2RBI(13), .431 ... Francis Gomez OAK (SS)
2-4,SB(7), .254 ... low on K's,High on Walks,yet he knows how to win, Shane
Bazzell OAK 5.1 4 4 3 4 1, 2.95 W(10-2)
CAROLINA -- Josh Fields CHA 3-5,
R, double (9), RBI (16), K
Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-4, R, RBI (50), BB
Casey Rogowski CHA 1-5, 2 R, RBI (68), K
Pedro Lopez
CHA 1-5, R, BB
Matt Wright ATL 5 8 3 3 2 4 (3.26)
Pat
Osborn CLE 2-3, 2 R, HR (7), RBI, BB, K
Nathan Panther
CLE 1-5, double, 2 K
Donnie Murphy KC 0-3, K, SB (4)
Mike
Aviles KC 2-3, R, double (28)
Shane Costa KC 1-3, R
Devon
Lowery KC 5 7 3 3 4 8 (3.55)
Kevin Howard 3-5, 2 R,
double (24), K
Rajai Davis PIT 2-4, BB
Mark
Saccomanno HOU 1-4, K
Josh Anderson HOU 1-5, triple, RBI, 2
K
Fernando Nieve HOU (L) 7 9 4 4 2 1 (8-6, 3.19)
FLORIDA STATE --
Jeremy
Hermida (FLA, RF) 2-3 & 1-3
Hanley Ramirez (BOS, SS) 1-4 R SB(11) &
1-3
John Lester (BOS) 5 1 1 0 1 8
A great start ruined by his
bullpen, Jon Papelbon 6 2 0 0 2 9 ND - 3.07 ERA
Chin-Lung Hu
(LA) 3-4 RBI
Vito Chiaravalloti (TOR, 1B) 2-5 2 doubles RBI
Shaun
Boyd (STL, CF) 2-3 HR(3)
Josh Teekel (STL) 6 3 1 0 3 8 W(7-4, 3.64)
Continuing to rake, Tony Giarratano (DET, SS) 4-5 HR(4) double 3RBI -
hitting .382
Australian Olympian Trent Oeltjen (MIN, LF) 2-4 R CS
Alfredo Simon (PHI) 9 7 2 1 1 2 W(7-9, 3.27)
CALIFORNIA -- so far, so good, Jesse
Foppert SF 2.0 2 0 0 1 2 ... Steven Shell ANA 3.1 5 3 3 2 4
... Jason Perry OAK 4-4, 17th & 18th homers, 4 RBI, .352 ... SS
Omar Quintanilla OAK 4-4, 8th homer, .319 ... Jon Zeringue
ARZ 3-5, .367
MIDWEST -- Ronald Bay CHN 6.0 4
2 2 1 3, 2.83 ... Brian Dopirak CHN 1-4, double, .304 ... Adam
Jones SEA 2-4, triple ... OF Jason Van Meetren NYA
4-4, homer, .355 ... 2B Ryan Leahy ANA, promoted from short-season
ball, 2-5, homer in his MW debut ... SS Brandon Wood ANA 2-4, 2
doubles, 2 RBI, .279 ... Lou Palmisano MIL 2-4, triple, .304 ...
Joey Votto CIN 2-4, 13th homer ... Cards overjoyed with their No.
1, Chris Lambert 4.1 3 0 0 2 2, 0.00 in 9 2/3s innings ...
Daric Barton STL 0-3, 2 walks ... Twins' 1st-rounder Glen
Perkins enjoying pro success, 6.0 7 2 2 0, 1.86
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Jon Benick
PIT, 2-4, double ... Yoann Torrealba PIT, 8.0 6 0 0 1 6 (W 6-4,
4.31) ... Bombers indeed Ryan Harvey NYM, 1-4, homer (7), 4 RBI
... Blake Whealy NYM, 2-3, homer (17), double, 4 RBI ... Jamar
Hill NYM, 2-4, homer (18), 5 RBI ... Caleb Stewart NYM,
2-5, homer (3), RBI ... good pitching to boot Greg Ramirez NYM,
5.0 2 0 0 1 5 (W 7-0, 1.22) ... Travis Ishikawa SF, 2-4, run ...
Nick Markakis BAL, 2-4 ... Adam Loewen BAL, 5.0 7 1
1 2 4 ... Ervin Alcantara HOU, 1-3, steal (24) ... Javon
Moran PHI, 3-5, RBI, steal (37) ... Michael Bourn PHI, 1-5,
run ... Antonin Gray CHW, 1-3, homer (10), 2 RBI ... Wesley
Whisler CHW, 2-3, homer (1), RBI ... Delmon Young TB, 1-4,
RBI ... Jeremy Flanagan TB, 5.0 2 0 0 1 4 (2.19) ... Dustin
Pedroia BOS, 3-6, steal (2) ... Brandon Moss BOS, 1-6, RBI
... Jarrett Gardner BOS, 6.0 6 2 2 0 1 (2.81) ... Jarrod
Saltalamacchia ATL, 3-4, homer (9), RBI ... Matt Esquivel ATL,
1-4, homer (13), 2 RBI ... Steve Doetsch ATL, 2-4, homer (8), 2
RBI ... Ian Stewart COL, 1-4, triple, RBI, 2 runs ... Christian
Colonel COL, 4-4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI ... Aaron Marsden COL,
4.0 8 5 5 3 3 (L 9-5, 4.05)
NORTHWEST -- that hurts, Ryan Harvey
CHN 1-8, 6 Ks ... breakout, Landon Powell OAK 3-4, 2 doubles,
homer, walk, .172 ... OF Chris Carter ARZ 3-5, 2 doubles, 6th
homer, 5 RBI, .318
PIONEER -- Caleb Maher ANA 3-4,
2 doubles, homer ... Chris Nelson COL's NO. 1 pick 1-5, 4 Ks, .288
... a quartet of Dodger kids combined for 17 Ks ... WSox 2nd rounder Ray
Liotta 5.1 6 0 0 2 5 .
ARIZONA -- (Wednesday) John Bowker OF SF 4-6,
double, homer, 3 runs, 5 RBI, SB, .542 ... Freddy Thon TEX 2-3,
9th double, 4th homer, 2 SBs (6), 3 runs, 3 RBI, .342
Troop
movements ... DET -- activated outfielder Alex Sanchez from the DL, optioned
outfielder Nook Logan to AAA ... FLO -- optioned RHP Justin Wayne
to AAA ... ARZ -- Luis Gonzalez will have season-ending ligament replacement
surgery Monday ... KC -- optioned pitcher Jimmy Gobble to AAA ...
SF -- placed pitcher Wayne Franklin on the DL, recalled pitcher Kevin Correia
from AAA ...
Matthew
Pouliot, RotoWorld, continues his outstanding prospect coverage with notes
on Jose Lopez SEA and Brandon Sing CHN, among others :
" ... Now that hes recovered from a sprained MCL,
Lopez could be just a week or two away from taking over as Seattles starting
shortstop ... emerged as a top prospect while batting .324/.360/.464 and
stealing 31 bases for Single-A San Bernardino in 2002. His 2003 season was a
mild disappointment, as he slipped to .258/.303/.403 in the Texas League.
Despite his struggles, the Mariners did bump him up to Triple-A Tacoma this year
and hes responded by hitting .298/.344/.506 while playing half his games in one
of the PCLs top parks for pitchers. The 20-year-old Lopez is an oddity in that
hes a top prospect without a set position. The Mariners began shifting him
between shortstop, second and third last season and have continued the pattern
this year. With Rich Aurilia out of the way, the Mariners seem to view Lopez as
a shortstop right now. Although he can be inconsistent in the field, he has the
tools to be an average defender, and his bat would make him a quality regular
... By 2006, Lopez should be ready to start posting .280/.330/.440
seasons."
" ... Brandon Sing ... is just five home runs
away from breaking the Florida State League record of 33. Its his third season
in the league, so hes not someone to get too excited about. Still, because he
has legitimate power and he isnt afraid to take a walk, he is a prospect.
Double-A will determine whether he has any chance of becoming a starting first
baseman in the majors. With Derrek Lee ahead of him and Brian Dopirak breathing
down his neck, Sing probably doesnt have a future with the Cubs."
Hmmm
... a trio now :
" ... Indians left-hander Jason Stanford had
Tommy John surgery Thursday to rebuild the ulnar collateral ligament in his left
elbow. He'll miss the rest of this season, and could also miss all of next
season. Stanford made two starts this season for the Indians, going 0-1 before
he went on the disabled list April 20. Stanford, who made the Indians' starting
rotation in spring training, has been sidelined since April. He was supposed to
make a minor league rehab appearance last Friday, but had it scrapped when he
experienced pain after throwing a simulated game earlier last week. Stanford
will be the third young Indians pitcher to undergo ligament replacement surgery
in 11 months, following left-handers Billy Traber and Brian Tallet."
(Associated Press)
Notes
from the International League :
" ... infielder Brandon Phillips has put
together some impressive streaks at the plate in the last month. Going into
[Thursday's] game ... Phillips has reached base safely in each of his last 39
games (the IL high this year). The streak started on June 13, with the infielder
hitting .368 (57-155) over the span. Phillips also had an 18-game hitting streak
from June 20-July 10 (.375, 27-72) which is tied for the third longest streak in
IL this year. He is also currently on a 14-game hitting streak (.407, 22-54)
that has vaulted him to sixth in the IL in batting with a .319 average."
" ... Jason Kubel is red hot, batting
.390 (30-for-77) with seven doubles, five home runs and 18 RBI in his last 19
games. Kubel has reached base safely in 16 of those 19 games with nine multi-hit
games during this stretch. Since joining the Red Wings, Kubel has hit safely in
46 of the 59 games hes played. For the month of July, Kubel is batting .353
(30-for-85) in 22 games. For the season (Double-A & Triple-A numbers combined)
Kubel is batting .357 (133-for-373) with 35 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs
and 70 RBI in 96 games."
Zach
Chalifour, The Roto Times, on Carlos Quentin ARZ and Yusmeiro
Petit NYN :
" ... Quentin is slowly getting closer to
breaking an unheard of record in the minor leagues. No, its not a hitting
record, though he has hit very well in his first professional season. The
record? None other than the record for being hit by a pitch the most times in a
season, as Quentin has already been plunked on 33 occasions. His hitting has
been even more impressive, however, as the former Stanford Cardinal hit .310
with 15 homers and 51 RBI in 242 at-bats for High-A Lancaster. Quentin also
stole five bases in six tries while maintaining a very solid .428 on-base
percentage. The 21-year-old got even better with a promotion to Double-A El
Paso. Also on the fast track to the big leagues, Quentin is hitting .386 in 101
at-bats at El Paso, with three homers and 24 RBI. He could reach the majors as
soon as this September before potentially serving as Steve Finleys replacement
in 2005."
" ... Just when Mets fans thought they had one
potential ace of the future, theres another in the minor leagues just behind
Kazmir. Petit entered the season as an average prospect, at best, but with
consistent stellar performances, his stock has risen dramatically. His lower
prospect status comes due to the fact that he doesnt have the stuff to be a
major-league ace, but the 19-year-olds statistics would suggest otherwise.
After putting up a 2.35 ERA in his first two seasons, Petit began 2004 at Low-A
Capital City, where he went 9-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 15 starts. More impressively,
in the 83 innings he pitched, Petit allowed just 47 hits and 22 walks and struck
out 122. Petit's control has suffered a bit since he up to High-A St. Lucie, but
he still has a 1.62 ERA in 16.2 innings. If the teenager can continue to
dominate hitters, he should reach Double-A by seasons end."
Top
COL prospect not out of the Olympic picture after all :
" ... Pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao played catch at
120 feet Wednesday, the first step in what he hopes culminates in an Olympic
appearance for Chinese Tapei next month. After a second medical exam revealed
labrum fraying, Tsao was cleared to resume throwing. With no setbacks, Tsao will
pitch in a minor-league game Aug. 9, leaving him enough time to board a plane
for Athens. "If he's ready and healthy, he will go. He wants to do it," Rockies
general manager Dan O'Dowd said. "And we hope he can." Tsao's one-year, 10-day
military obligation will be waived if he participates in the Games." (Denver
Post)
Jeremy
Deloney, Baseball Miscellany, on Jason Botts TEX and Bryan
Bullington PIT :
" ... There is no question that Botts can
succeed offensively in the big leagues. He brought a .289 career average into
this season and has the ability to drive the ball to all areas of the ballpark.
Botts also has the ability to switch-hit but usually sticks with the right side.
One of the faults prior to the season (and this is a rarity in this day and age)
was that he was too patient at the plate. Now that he's becoming more
aggressive, Botts is driving the ball and hitting for more power. This more
aggressive approach hasn't taken away his ability to draw walks either. He has
an on base average of .399 with the RoughRiders. Botts' 20 HR rank 2nd in the
Texas League and he is 3rd in RBI. There is a question as to where Botts can
play in the majors. First base is in good hands with Mark Teixiera in Arlington
and Adrian Gonzalez playing well at Triple A Oklahoma. The outfield is pretty
much set with the exception of centerfield ... outfield corner seems like the
best bet for playing time at the big league level, but his chance may not come
in this organization."
" ... Bullington was the #1 overall pick by the
Pirates in the 2002 draft out of Ball State. At 6'5" 200 pounds he still has
some projection left and still is only 23 years-old. He's yet to put several
high-quality starts together but has shown glimpses of becoming a solid Major
League starter. He is 7-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 101.1 innings. He's walked 35 and
struck out 70 while holding hitters to a .293 batting average. Bullington uses a
low 90s fastball and slider but they lack consistency and tend to flatten out,
making him hittable. He probably won't make the majors until 2006."
29 July 2004
Matt Diaz, not much respect, but impressive results ... likewise
Maicer Izturis ... Rafael Soriano returns ... Ryan Howard, another long one,
first one to top 100 RBI ... Felix Hernandez rebounds nicely ... Denny Bautista
solid ... Clint Everts OK in A+ debut ...Yusmeiro Petit, outstanding ... Jordan
Pals, STL surprise ... Chuck James down to 1.71 ... Landon Powell, tough start
to pro career ... stats for 1st rounders, a mixed bag
Game action
...
INT -- Matt Diaz (TB, RF) 3-5, 17th HR, 2 R, 5 RBI ... Jonny
Gomes (TB, LF) 1-4, 20th HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB ... B.J. Upton (TB,
SS) 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP, 0 errors ... rehab, Alex Sanchez (DET,
CF) 0-5, 4 K ... Dan Meyer (ATL) 5.0 8 4 4 2 1 ... rehab,
Michael Ryan (MIN, DH) 1-4 ... Gabe Gross (TOR, LF)
2-4, R, BB ... Cam Reimers (TOR) 5.0 6 3 3 3 2 ... Marlon
Byrd (PHI, CF) 2-4, 2B, R, RBI ... Anderson Machado (PHI,
SS) 2-3, R, BB ... Jack Cust (BAL, LF) 1-4, 14th HR, R, RBI ...
Brandon Phillips (CLE, SS) 1-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 SB ... Ryan
Ludwick (CLE, RF) 2-5 ... Jamie Brown (BOS) 7.0 7 5 5 0 6 ...
Josh Stewart (CHA) 6.2 7 1 1 1 4 ... Corey Hart
(MIL, RF) 2-4
PCL -- Rafael Soriano SEA 1.0 0
0 0 1 2 ... Jamal Strong SEA 3-4, double, .322 ... Jeremy
Reed SEA 2-4, homer, .254 ... Jon Rauch MON 7.0 5 2 2 0 5
... SS Maicer Izturis MON (moved to the third spot in the order)
2-3, double, 2 walks, .366 ... Brandon Lyon ARZ 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 ...
Brendan Harris CHN 2-2, 2 homers, 2 walks, .309 ... Noah
Lowry SF 6.0 11 5 1 1 4 ... Dallas McPherson ANA 0-3, 2 Ks,
.303 ... Michael Tejera FLO 6.0 5 1 1 1 4 ... Chris
Oxspring SD 7.0 6 0 0 1 5, 4.09 ... it had been going extremely well,
Carlos Hernandez HOU 4.2 6 4 4 4 5 ...
EASTERN -- Ryan Howard PHI 2-4,
37th homer, 4 RBI (102) & 0-3 ... Aaron Hill TOR 3-5, .279
... Abe Alvarez BOS 5.0 9 4 4 1 5
SOUTHERN -- John Webb TB 6.0 1 0
0 2 2, W 2-1, 4.10 ... Eduardo Villacis CHA 6.0 6 2 2 2 8, L 2-3,
3.04 ... Josh Willingham FLA C 0-1, 3 BB, K, return from majors
... Jason Stokes FLA 1B 1-4, R, RBI, HR (19) ... Trevor
Hutchinson FLA 8.0 7 2 2 3 6, W 6-6, 5.31 ... Kelly Johnson
ATL OF 2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, HR (13) ... Skip Schumaker STL OF
0-4, K ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-4, R, 2B, BB ... Roger
Deago SD 7.0 4 1 1 0 4, W 1-1, 2.00 ... Joel Guzman LA SS 0-5,
2 K ... Chad Billingsley LA 5.0 4 2 2 2 7, W 2-0, 1.64 ...
Richard Gardner CIN 5.0 6 3 2 0 6, L 1-2, 2.96 ... combined 0-fer ...
Weeks, Gwynn and Fielder, MIL combined 0-11 ... Richard
Lewis CHN 2B 1-2, R, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K ... Renyel Pinto
CHN 7.0 1 0 0 3 11, W 9-7, 3.34
TEXAS -- Jason Botts TEX 0-5,
.286 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 1-4, R, .310 ... Jason Bourgeois
TEX (2B) 2-3, R, 2B, RBI(39), .254 ... Derrick Gibson ANA (DH)
2-3, R, HR(5), 2RBI(16), .289 ... barely showing signs of
life, Jeff Mathis ANA 1-4, 2RBI(44), .248 ... wow,
Carlos Quentin AZ 3-5, R, 2 2B, .400 ... great first night,
Steve Stanley OAK (CF) 4-4, 2R, 2RBI(2), 1.000 ... Mark
Kiger OAK (2B) 1-3, R, HR(4), 2RBI(36), .268 ... Francis Gomez
OAK (SS) 3-4, R, 2 2B, RBI(32), .250 ... a very nice night...Hunter
Brown SEA (3B) 3-4, 3R, 3B, 2HR(8), 3RBI, .290 ... Shin-soo Choo
SEA 2-4, R, RBI(62), SB(26), .308 ... John Lindsey
SEA (1B) 2-4, R, .299 ... Willy Taveras HOU 2-4,
SB(43), .342 ... and he bounces back from his last outing, Felix
Hernandez SEA 6 4 1 1 2 5, 4.05 (W 2-1) ... Tony Miller
COL (CF) 2-4, .271 ... Ryan Shealy COL 0-4, .323 ... Shawn
Garrett COL (RF) 1-4, R, HR(12), RBI(48), .304 ... Jeff Baker
COL (3B) 2-4, .318 ... Norris Hopper KC (CF) 2-5, R,
2B, .260 ... maybe he should be at AAA? -- Byron Gettis KC 2-4,
R, .565 ... on a roll, Chad Santos KC (1B) 2-4, 3RBI(53), .268
... still doing very well, Denny Bautista KC 7 4 0 0 3 6, 2.23 (W
3-1)
CAROLINA -- Josh Fields CHA 0-4
Ryan Sweeney CHA 3-4
Casey Rogowski CHA 2-4, double
(21), RBI (67)
Pedro Lopez CHA 1-4, R
Pat Osborn
CLE 2-4, 2 R, K
Nathan Panther CLE 1-3, R, K
Tripper
Johnson BAL 0-4, K
Derrick Van Dusen CLE (W) 5.2 7 1
1 2 4 (3-0, 2.05)
Hayden Penn BAL (L) 2.2 8 8 7 1 5 (5-3, 4.05)
Donnie Murphy KC 1-3, BB, K
Mike Aviles KC 1-4
Shane Costa KC 0-3, BB
Josh Anderson HOU 3-4, 2 R,
SB (16)
FLORIDA STATE --
FSL debut,
Clint Everts (MON) 5 4 2 2 2 5 L(0-1, 3.60)
Lastings Millidge (NYN,
CF) 2-2 SB(2) CS & 0-3
Aarom Baldiris (NYN, 3B) 1-2 HR(4) 2RBI & 1-3
Yusmeiro Petit (NYN) 7 3 0 0 1 10 W(2-2, 1.14)
Jordan Pals (STL)
6 7 1 1 1 7 W(3-0, 0.90)
Shaun Boyd (STL, CF) 2-4 double R RBI
Ismael Ramirez (TOR) 8 3 0 0 0 10 W(11-5, 2.84)
Vito Chiaravalloti
(TOR, 1B) 2-4 double R 3RBI
Ron Davenport (TOR, RF) 2-4 HR(13) 2R 3RBI
Raul Tablado (TOR, DH) 1-5 HR(15) 2RBI
Dimas Reina (LA) 4.2 6
5 5 3 2 L(5-3, 2.56)
Juan Richardson (PHI, DH) 3-4 2HR(4) 3RBI
CALIFORNIA -- Ben Van
Iderstine OF MIL 3-5, double, .402 ... Paul McAnulty SD 2-3,
17th & 18th homers, .297 ... Jon Zeringue ARZ 2-4, .355 ...
MIDWEST -- No games scheduled.
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Jerry Owens
MON, 2-3, 2 steals (27), run ... Dustin Pedroia BOS, 2-4, double,
run ... Brandon Moss BOS, 2-4, double, 2 RBI (game 1), 1-3, run
(game 2) ... Beau Vaughn BOS, 4.1 5 5 5 5 6 ... Ryan
Harvey NYM, 1-3, RBI (game 1), 1-3, RBI (game 2) ... Shawn Bowman
NYM, 1-2, homer (17), 2 RBI ... Blake Whealy NYM, 1-3, homer (16),
3 RBI ... Andy Wilson NYM, 2-2, 2 homers (16), 2 RBI ... Yunir
Garcia NYM, 1-3, double ... Nick Markakis BAL, 1-4, double,
RBI ... Jeff Fiorentino 1-4 ... Cory Harris BAL,
2-4, homer (9), 3 RBI ...Fredy Deza BAL, 6.0 8 5 5 1 5 (L 8-9,
3.26) ... Josh Shortslef PIT, 6.0 5 3 3 0 4 (W 10-4, 3.34) ...
Delmon Young TB, 1-4, RBI ... Josh Kranawetter TB, 7.0
6 1 0 0 9 (1.75) ... Scott Vandermeer TB, 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 (S 17,
1.14) ... Matt Esquivel ATL, 1-4, double, 3 strikeouts ...
Chuck James ATL, 6.0 2 0 0 0 8 (1.71) ... Jason Columbus
SF, 2-4 ... Travis Ishikawa SF, 1-3 ... Ben Thurmond
SF, 6.0 2 1 1 3 4 (L 4-5, 2.74) ... Antonin Gray CHW, 1-4, 2 RBI
... Micah Schnurstein CHW, 1-3, steal (14) (game 1), 1-3 (game 2)
... Chris Young CHW, 1-2, homer (19), RBI ... Wesley
Whisler CHW, 2-2, 2 doubles, 2 RBI ... Brian Miller CHW, 6.0 2
0 0 4 7 (W 8-9, 3.94) ... combined one-hitter Mitch Talbot HOU,
7.0 1 0 0 1 5 (W 7-7, 4.10) and Anthony Adler HOU, 2.0 0 0 0 1 2
(S 1, 3.09) ... Michael Bourn PHI, 1-4, double ... Javon
Moran PHI, 2-4, steal (36) ... Daniel Core TOR, 7.0 7 3 2 2 2
(L 6-7, 3.53)
APPALACHIAN --
Deacon Burns (MIN, RF/LF) 2-3, R, 2B (11), 2 RBI (21), and 0-3, .344
BA... Carl Loadenthal (ATL, CF) 1-3, 2B (5), and 2-3, R, 2B
(6), .351... Yuber Rodriguez (TOR, CF) 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI (32),
and 0-4, 2 K, .341... Juan Gutierrez (BAL, 1B/DH) 4-4, R, HR
(2), 3 RBI (4), and 1-3, R, 2B (1), K, .364... Adrian Martin (TOR,
SP) 6.0 3 1 1 0 4, W (2-1) (3.97)... Carlos Gomez (NYN, RF)
2-5, R, 3B (2), and 0-4, K, .278... Seth Pietsch (NYN, LF)
1-3, R, 2 RBI (31), 2 BB, and 1-2, R, BB, SB (4), .325... Evan
Tartaglia (CHA, CF) 2-5, R, K, and 1-2, R, BB, 2 SB (13), .306...
Jose De Los Santos (CHA, DH) 1-3, RBI (28), K, and 0-3,
.325... Waladimir Sutil (HOU, SS) 1-2, R, 2B (6), RBI (14), 2
BB, CS, .293... Levi Romero (HOU, SP) 5.0 4 1 1 2 8, W (3-0)
(1.48)... Jose Delgado (STL, 2B) 1-5, R, HR (2), 3 RBI (20), 3
K, .333... Juan Lucena (STL, DH) 2-4, R, 2B (5), K, .374...
Brandon Yarbrough (STL, C) 1-5, R, 2B (8), RBI (22), 3 K,
.351... Juan Valdes (CLE, CF) 3-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI (5), K,
SB (16), .250.
NORTHWEST -- Shawn Nottingham
SEA 7.0 7 1 1 2 6, 5-1, 1.63 ... COL CF Jud Thigpen 3-5, 9th
double, 7th homer, .316 ... Luke Hagerty CHN, having a rough time
getting back from surgery, 2.0 4 4 4 3 1 ... Ryan Harvey CHN 0-3,
3 Ks ... Landon Powell OAK 0-3, down to .080 ... Richard
Robnett OAK 2-4 ... Colt Morton SD 2-4, 11th double, 11th
homer
PIONEER -- Justin Orenduff LA
2.1 4 0 0 2 5 ... Seth Smith COL 2-3, 2 walks, .336 ... Blake
DeWitt LA 1-3, 7th homer ... Chris Westervelt LA 4-4, .403
... 1B Chris Kelly CHA 4-5, 3 homers (7), 6 RBI, .336 ... Chris
Gruler CIN 2.1 4 5 5 2 2, 19.29 ... Bobby Mosby CIN 2-5,
11th homer
Troop
movements ... DET -- placed pitcher Gary Knotts on the DL, pitcher
Robert Novoa from AA ... NYN -- released pitcher Scott Erickson; recalled
pitcher Pedro Feliciano from AAA ...
The
first rounders, 2004 (stats through games of Tuesday). First column shows
the pick number, second column the league.
G AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO AVG OBP SLG
1 ARZ Matt Bush, SS, SD 6 22 4 1 0 0 4 5 .182 .227 .321
9 PIO Chris Nelson, SS, COL 12 47 14 1 0 0 5 15 .298 .389 .319
11 GC Neil Walker, C, PIT 26 97 27 6 3 1 4 21 .278 .314 .433
14 PIO Billy Butler, 3B, KC 36 133 50 10 1 1 35 30 .376 .500 .489
15 ARI Stephen Drew, SS, ARZ
18 CAR Josh Fields, 3B, CWS 32 125 32 8 0 4 12 40 .256 .326 .416
20 APPY Trevor Plouffe, SS, MIN 30 114 32 5 1 2 11 18 .281 .346 .395
21 GC Greg Golson, OF, PHI 23 93 24 4 1 0 3 27 .258 .307 .323
24 NW Landon Powell, C, OAK 6 22 2 0 0 1 4 7 .091 .231 .227
26 NW Richie Robnett, OF, OAK 6 23 8 3 0 0 3 6 .348 .423 .478
28 PIO Blake DeWitt, SS, LA 33 141 38 8 1 6 12 37 .270 .340 .468
36 MW Danny Putnam, OF, OAK 12 39 9 2 1 1 9 10 .231 .367 .410
37 GC Jon Poterson, C, NYY 29 107 20 3 0 4 14 37 .187 .279 .327
ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2 Justin Verlander, rhp, DET
3 Philip Humber, rhp, NYM
4 Jeff Niemann, rhp, TB
5 ARZ Mark Rogers, rhp, MIL 2.00 4 3 9.0 10 6 2 2 15
6 Jeremy Sowers, lhp, CLE
7 Homer Bailey, rhp, CIN
8 Wade Townsend, rhp, BAL
10 NW Thomas Diamond, rhp, TEX 2.35 5 3 15.1 13 5 4 5 26
12 Jered Weaver, rhp, ANA
13 Bill Bray, lhp, MON
16 David Purcey, lhp, TOR
17 PIO Scott Elbert, lhp, LA 4.13 6 6 24.0 17 13 11 16 21
19 MW Chris Lambert, rhp, STL 0.00 2 2 4.2 3 3 0 3 7
22 APPY Glen Perkins, lhp, MIN 2.25 3 3 12.0 8 3 3 4 22
23 GC Philip Hughes, rhp, NYY 0.00 1 1 2.0 2 0 0 0 3
25 GC Kyle Waldrop, rhp, MIN 1.44 5 5 25.0 21 7 4 3 20
27 Taylor Tankersley, lhp, FLA
29 PIO Matt Campbell, lhp, KC 6.52 3 3 9.2 9 7 7 9 9
30 NW Eric Hurley, rhp, TEX 4.50 1 1 4.0 2 2 2 1 3
31 J.P. Howell, lhp, KC
32 Zach Jackson, lhp, TOR
33 PIO Justin Orenduff, rhp, LA 5.06 6 3 16.0 21 12 9 7 18
34 CAR Tyler Lumsden, lhp, CWS 6.35 6 3 17.0 26 17 12 11 16
35 APPY Matt Fox, rhp, MIN 5.30 5 4 18.2 18 13 11 6 24
38 APPY Gio Gonzalez, lhp, CWS 2.25 7 6 24.0 17 8 6 8 36
39 GC Jay Rainville, rhp, MIN 1.98 3 3 13.2 12 7 3 2 13
40 MW Huston Street, rhp, OAK 1.93 4 0 4.2 2 1 1 2 8
41 Jeff Marquez, rhp, NYY
Jonathan
Mayo, MLB.com, in his Climbing The Ladder series, includes LA's Chad
Billingsley and a few other notables :
" ... The Dodgers sure aren't afraid to push their
young pitching talent, especially when they were dominating like Billingsley was
(he was leading the FSL in ERA and held hitters to a .208 average there). His
first Double-A start didn't serve as much of an obstacle: six innings of
shutout ball with six strikeouts and no walks. Oh, and he won't turn 20 until
July 29."
" ... Zach Duke, RHP, Pirates ... left the
Carolina League as the leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Moving up to the
Eastern League hasn't slowed him down a bit. Duke has tossed 11 scoreless
innings over two starts for Altoona, striking out 12 and walking just two."
" ... Ryan Garko, C/1B, Indians ...
was leading the Carolina League in batting average, OBP and SLG when he was
bumped up to join Aubrey. He's fared a bit better than his fellow leaper in the
early going with a .340 average and an OPS of .896 through his first 11 games."
" ... Eric Duncan, 3B, Yankees ...
It's not often you see a guy hitting .260 get bumped up, but the Yankees know
they have a special talent in Duncan and wanted to see how he responded to the
challenge of the FSL. He's held his own at the higher level, with 10 of his 19
hits being of the extra-base variety."
" ... Freddy Guzman, OF, Padres ...
After missing a month with a shoulder injury, Guzman stole 17 bases in 35 games
in the Southern League. Since his promotion, he's hit .299 and gone 32-for-35 in
stolen-base attempts with Portland to lead the Pacific Coast League. No wonder
he's considered the fastest prospect in baseball."
Look
who could be back in September :
" ... The St. Louis Cardinals said they plan to have
left-hander Rick Ankiel start a 30-day rehab assignment with their Class
A affiliate in Palm Beach, Fla. Ankiel had ligament transplant surgery on his
elbow last July and has been working at the team's spring training complex in
Jupiter, Fla. Manager Tony La Russa said if Ankiel continues to make progress,
he may be called up to St. Louis when rosters expand in September. Ankiel hasn't
pitched for the Cardinals since May 2001, and last appeared in a minor league
game in July 2003. He worked 10 relief appearances and 10 starts at Double-A
Tennessee before having surgery in Los Angeles last summer." (Associated
Press)
28 July 2004
Jeff Francis, on top, celebrates with more superb work ... Brian
Dopirak begins to gain some respect ... KC 1st rounder & ANA 13th rounder stars
of the Pioneer ... Jon Benick among SAL's Tuesday stars ... Delmon Young too ...
Delwyn Young, hot, hot .... John VanB, better ... Mark Teahen, much better ...
Brad Hennessey, major SF surprise ... Rickie Weeks rebounding ... Prince
Fielder, still cold
Game action
...
INT -- Matt Diaz (TB, RF) 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, SB ... Pete
LaForest (TB, C) 3-4, 7th HR, R, RBI ... B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 0-4, 0
errors ... Matt Belisle (CIN) 5.1 9 5 5 1 6 ... Wilson
Betemit (ATL, 3B) 2-5 ... Russ Adams (TOR, SS) 2-5, RBI ...
Gabe Gross (TOR, LF) 2-5, 9th HR, 2 R, 2 RBI ... Marlon
Byrd (PHI, CF) 2-3, 2B, 3 R, BB ... Anderson Machado (PHI, SS)
2-4, 2B, BB, SB ... Brandon Phillips (CLE, SS) 2-3, R, Sac ...
Francisco Cruceta (CLE) 5.2 4 2 2 4 4 ... Byung-Hyun Kim (BOS)
4.0 4 2 2 0 1 ... David Krynzel (MIL, CF) 2-4, BB ... Jorge
De La Rosa (MIL) 6.0 5 0 0 0 5 ... Victor Diaz (NYN, RF)
2-4, 2B
PCL -- John VanBenschoten
(L 3-9) 7.0 5 2 2 1 6, 4.51 ... Koyie Hll LA, 2-4, 13th homer ... Mark
Teahen KC 3-4, 2 homers ... Tim Stauffer SD 5.1 6 5 2 2 2 ...
oh man,
tough loss, Jeff Francis (again, No. 1 on the prospect list, see
below) 6.0 7 3 1 0 9, 0.95 ... has to be pretty close to a callup, Jose
Lopez SEA 2-4, .298 ... Brad Hennessey SF, third straight
AAA win, 8.0 6 3 3 3 1, 1.59 ... Jason Ellison SF, bidding for SF
time, 3-5, double, 2 homers, 4 RBI, .322 ... Dan Johnson OAK 21st
homer, 3 RBI, .313
EASTERN -- Fausto Carmona CLE 8.0 7 3 2
0 5 ... Bryan Bullington PIT 6.0 7 6 4 1 5 ... catcher Ryan
Garko CLE 2-4, walk, .353 since his promotion ... Kenny Baugh
DET 8.0 5 1 1 1 4, 3.79 ... Bronson Sardinha NYA 4-5, 2 doubles,
homer & 3-5, double, .310 ... Michael Cervenak SF 17th homer ...
Matthew Cain SF 7.0 6 4 4 1 5 ... Merkin Valdez SF,
in a relief role, 2.0 3 0 0 0 2 ... Josh Banks TOR 5.0 4 1 1 0 0
... Aaron Hill TOR 2-3, double, 3 RBI ...
SOUTHERN -- Remember me? #1 ... Chip Ambres
FLA OF 2-5, 3 R, 2B, BB, K, HR (11) ... Andy Marte ATL 3B ... 1-3,
R, 2B, 3 BB ... Aaron Herr ATL 2B 5-6, R, 3 2B, RBI ... remember
me #2 ... Brian Moehler ATL 7.0 7 2 2 0 8 ... ouch ... Chris
Seddon TB 3.2 11 8 8 3 2, L 7-6 ... Brian Anderson CHA OF
3-6, R, 2B, 3 RBI, K ... Skip Schumaker STL OF 2-5, K ... Chris
Narveson STL 6.0 4 4 3 4 6, L 4-9 ... Josh Barfield SD 2B
0-2, BB, 2 K ... Joel Guzman LA SS 2-4, R, BB, K ... Ryan
Ketchner LA 8.0 6 5 5 2 6, L 6-3, 2.74 ... Edwin Encarnacion
CIN 3B 1-4, R, 3 RBI, 2 K, HR (8) ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2B 2-4, R,
2 RBI, BB, K, HR (6) ... Prince Fielder MIL 1B 0-3, RBI, BB, K ...
Richard Lewis CHN 2B 2-4, BB, .325 ... Bobby Brownlie
CHN 6.1 6 5 5 1 7, L 9-7, 2.99
TEXAS -- Ryan Shealy COL 2-3, R,
.326 ... Jeff Salazar COL (LF) 1-5, .233 ... struggling...Jayson
Nix COL 0-4, .208 ... Wilkin Ruan KC (CF) 2-4,2R, 3B, .301
... Chad Santos KC (1B) 3-4, 2R, 3B, HR(16), RBI(50), .265... AA
must be a breeze compared to the BIGS...Byron Gettis KC (RF) 2-3,
R, 2B, HR(2), 3RBI(8), .579 ... well, for some people anyways ... Mike
MacDougal KC 1 1 1 1 1 0, 2.45, W 1-0 ... Shin-soo Choo SEA 0-4, .281
... John Lindsey SEA (1B) 2-4,2 B, .296 ... Todd Self
HOU (1B) 3-4, R, HR(7), 3RBI(61), .316 ... Junior Zamora HOU (3B)
3-4, 2R, 2B, HR(3), RBI(28), .276 ... Jared Gothreaux HOU 8 3 0 0
2 4, 4.31, W 7-5 ... Ian Kinsler TX 2-5, R, RBI(30), SB(6), .311
... Santiago Perez TX (RF) 3-4, .438 ... Alberto
Callaspo ANA 0-3, .276 ... is he waking up?...Jeff Mathis ANA
1-2, R, HR(12), RBI(42), .248
CAROLINA -- Josh Fields CHA 1-2,
R, double (8), 2 BB, K
Ryan Sweeney CHA 0-3, R, BB, K
Casey
Rogowski CHA 1-4, R, double, 2 K
Pedro Lopez CHA 0-3,
RBI, 2 K
Kevin Howard 1-4, R, BB, K
Mike Aviles
KC 1-5, 2 R, RBI (54)
Shane Costa KC 3-5, R, RBI, 2 K
FLORIDA STATE -- Building on last week's
player of the week honours, Delwyn Young (LA, 2B) 3-5 2HR(18) 3R 3RBI
Andy Laroche (LA, DH) 2-5 HR(6) double 5RBI
Reggie
Abercrombie (LA, CF) 3-5 double R
Chin-Lung Hu (LA,SS) 2-4 double R
3RBI
Ron Davenport (TOR, RF) 2-4 double R
Melky
Cabrera (NYA, CF) 2-4
Carlos Vasquez (CHN) 6.2 8 2 2 1 1
W(6-3, 3.15)
Scott Olson (FLA) 5 8 4 3 1 5 W(4-6, 3.72)
Jeremy Hermida (FLA, RF) 3-5 2 doubles 2R 2RBI SB(9)
James
Shanks (FLA, CF) 2-4 RBI
Jeremy West (BOS, 1B) 2-4 R RBI
Brett LaVier (BOS, 3B) 2-4 double R
Luis Mendoza
(BOS) 3 6 4 3 1 1 L(6-6, 3.53)
Jared Smith (STL) 5 3 0 0 2 3
W(5-4, 3.06)
MON's top pick to begin his pro career in the FSL
(joining Clint Everts, just promoted to A+) :
" ... Bill Bray ... will begin
his professional baseball career with the Brevard County Manatees it was
announced today by the Montreal Expos. Bray was the 13th selection overall and
second lefty taken in the June Amateur Draft out of the College of William &
Mary in Virginia ... The 62 195 Bray becomes the second consecutive closer
taken by the Expos with their first pick ... Last summer in the Cap Cod League
Bray impressed scouts by going 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA and was ranked as one of the
top 30 prospects in the league by Baseball America."
CALIFORNIA -- Jason Perry OAK 2-5,
double, 16th homer, 3 RBI, .345 ... OF Sean Barker COL 3-5, 17th &
18th homers, 3 RBI, .303 (part of a 22-hit Visalia assault in a 22-10 game) ...
Erick Aybar ANA 0-4, 42nd SB ... Jon Zeringue ARZ
3-4, double, .348
MIDWEST -- Drew Macias SD 3-4, 2
doubles ... good, not great Brad Knox OAK 7.2 7 3 3 0 7 (W, 11-4,
2.17) ... Adam Jones SEA 1-3, double, BB ... Wladimir
Balentien SEA 2-4, double ... Kody Kirkland 2-5, K ...
Christhian Martinez DET 6.0 8 1 1 4 3 (W, 3-2, 2.61) ... Brendan
Ryan STL 3-4 (.330) ... Daric Barton STL 0-3, 2 BB, K, SB,
E (1 for 2 gunning down stealers; now 11 of 26 CS) ... Brandon Wood
ANA 0-4, BB, K, 12th SB, E (.277) ... Chris Lubanski KC 0-4,
BB, HBP (.254) ... Brandon Harmsen NYA 7.2 9 4 0 1 6 (W, 10-0,
2.34) ... temporary relapse Brian Dopirak CHN 0-4, 3 K (but making
an impression at BA, see below) ... in relief Justin Mallett CIN
5.0 3 0 0 0 6 (W, 2-3, 2.19)
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Delmon Young TB, 2-3,
2 RBI & 3-4, 2 RBI ... Jason Pridie TB, 1-4, steal (14), 2 runs &
1-5, 12th homer ... Wes
Bankston TB, 2-4, 2 RBI & 3-4, double, 16th homer, 3 RBI ... Matt Esquivel
ATL, 2-4, RBI, steal (10), 2 runs & 0-4, 3 Ks ... Jarrod Saltalamacchia
ATL, 3-4, 2 doubles, RBI & 1-2, homer ... Jeff Fiorentino BAL,
1-3, double ... Nick
Markakis BAl, 0-3, RBI ... Jon Benick PIT, 3-3, 2 homers (23),
3 RBI ... Leo Nunez PIT, 6.2 4 1 1 1 6 (W 7-3, 3.31) ... Kevin
Kouzmanoff CLE, 4-5, 2 doubles, 5 RBI ... Ryan Goleski CLE,
2-5, double, RBI ... Jake Blalock PHI, 2-4, double, RBI, 2 runs
... Thomas Mastny TOR, 6.0 6 4 4 1 6 (L 7-3, 1.91) ... Xavier
Paul LA 3-4, walk, 2 RBI
NORTHWEST -- Eric Hurley TEX, moving up
a level, 4.0 2 2 2 1 3 ... All-Star catcher Michael Nickeas TEX
3-4, double, .342 ... COL 3B Matt Macri 3-5, double, 5th & 6th
homers, 4 RBI, .364
PIONEER -- Scott Elbert LA
first-rounder 5.0 2 1 1 2 3 ... Blake DeWitt LA 3B 2-5, double, triple
... Andrew Toussaint ANA (13th rounder) 2-4, double, 10th homer, 4 RBI,
.350 (tops in the Pioneer with SLG of .750) ... Billy Butler KC 3-3, 2
walks, .376 (.500 OBA) ... Darwinson Salazar KC CF 3-5, walk, .385 .
Troop
movements ... CLE -- activated pitcher Brian Tallet from the DL &
optioned him to AA, designated LHP Jeriome Robertson for assignment ... FLO --
purchased the contract of pitcher Aaron Small from AAA, optioned catcher
Josh Willingham to AA ... MIN -- placed Nick Punto on the DL, recalled shortstop
Jason Bartlett from AAA ... OAK -- designated first baseman Eric Karros for
assignment; activated Chris Hammond from the DL ... PHI -- placed Ryan
Madson on the DL, recalled pitcher Josh Hancock from AAA
... SEA -- placed Joel
Pineiro on the DL, recalled shortstop Ramon Santiago from AAA
... ANA -- placed Jarrod Washburn on the DL, purchased the contract of
outfielder Curtis Pride from AAA ...
Jeff
Francis COL on top again at Kevin Goldstein's Prospect Hot Sheet at Baseball
America, with a surprise at No. 2 :
" ... In his last 35 games, Francis is 25-3, 1.84
while allowing 149 hits and 48 walks in 235 innings with 273 strikeouts. That
tells you pretty much everything you need to know."
" ... 2. Brian Dopirak, 1b, Low Class
A Lansing (Cubs) The Midwest League leader in hits (118), home runs (31) and
RBIs (86) has quickly established himself as one of the top power prospects in
the game, with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs in his last 50 games. "
Goldstein went with Jason Kubel MIN,
Erick Aybar ANA and Scott Kazmir NYN at 3-4-5.
Scott
Rex, OnDeck, has SEA teenager Felix Hernandez atop his revised prospect
list for the Texas League. Jeff Mathis ANA is the runnerup with
Ervin Santana ANA, Chin-Hui Tsao COL and Carlos
Quentin ARZ 3-4-5. Conor Jackson ARZ was next, ahead of
TEX SS Ian Kinsler.
Jeremy
Deloney. Baseball Miscellany, on ... John Danks vs Scott Kazmir ?
" ... Danks ... as polished and poised as they
come for a teenager. Just 19 years-old, Danks has already been moved to high A
(Stockton) and is experiencing remarkable success. Standing 6'2" 190 pounds, he
started the season with low A Clinton in the Midwest League and dominated the
inferior competition. Danks went 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 49.2 innings. He walked
14 and struck out 64 and held the opposition to a .210 average. With Stockton in
the California League, Danks is starting to warm up and is now 1-1 with a 5.06
ERA in 26.2 innings. He's accumulated 24 strikeouts and walked only 8 in 26.2
innings. Danks hasn't pitched too many innings over the past year-and-a-half due
to the Rangers' belief in utilizing pitch counts on the lower rungs of the
organizational ladder ... continues to impress the Rangers brass with his plus
command and polish ... has an effortless delivery with easy arm action and sits
comfortably in the 89-92 range with his fastball. Danks can hit 93-94 on the gun
but doesn't have to in order to achieve the desired movement and sink ... Danks'
curveball is considered one of the best breaking pitches in the entire minor
leagues. Because of his plus fastball and his plus-plus curveball, Danks looks
the part of a #1 or #2 starter at the big league level."
" ... Kazmir ... only 6'0" 170 pounds
but has one of the best arms in the entire minors at the tender age of 20. He
has split time this season between high A St. Lucie of the Florida State League
and Double A Binghamton in the Eastern League despite missing time early in the
year due to an abdominal strain ... Prior to the promotion to Double A, Kazmir
was 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 22 walks in 50 innings at St.
Lucie. At Binghamton, he is 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings. He's held hitters
to a .193 batting average while walking 9 and striking out 29 ... With his
electric stuff, Kazmir projects as a #1 or #2 starter in the big leagues. He is
as dominant as they come and his electric lefty arm is a commodity in this day
and age. Kazmir works his fastball in the 90-95 range and holds the velocity
well ... has a plus-plus slider right now that he works in the 81-84 mph range
and will eventually throw harder as he gains more arm strength ... main concern
right now is Kazmir's size and durability ... It's entirely possible that
Kazmir will make an appearance at Shea Stadium by the middle of next season. If
he sputters as a starter, he would make an excellent closer in the mold of Billy
Wagner."
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on Grady Sizemore CLE :
" ... Scouting reports about Sizemore begin
with his athleticism. He has a fine combination of speed, strength, and
flexibility. He's stronger than most speedsters and faster than most sluggers.
His swing, which was a bit inconsistent when he first signed, is now one of the
more aesthetically pleasing strokes around. He makes solid contact, can drive
the ball for power, but will also go to the opposite field. His power is mainly
to the gaps at this point, but he's shown flashes of plus home run potential ...
has developed good plate discipline. His walk rates haven't been awesome since
reaching Double-A, but they are adequate in combination with his strong batting
average, and he should get on base enough to be solid at the top of the order.
He doesn't strike out very much, and some scouts believe he has batting champion
potential down the road ... has turned into a very good defensive
outfielder in center field, at least in terms of range. His arm is surprisingly
weak for a former quarterback, though it is accurate ... His Double-A and
Triple-A numbers show him as a current .250-.280 hitter at the major league
level, with doubles and a few homers. That doesn't sound great, but he is still
just 21 years old. Anyone who handles Double-A and Triple-A at age 21 has star
potential, given a normal growth curve."
27 July 2004
Game action
...
INT -- Matt Diaz (TB, RF) 1-5, 16th HR, R, 3 RBI ... Pete
LaForest (TB, C) 1-4, 6th HR, R, RBI ... B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 3-5, 2B,
R, 4 RBI, 0 errors ... rehab, Greg Norton (DET, 3B) 2-4, R, BB ...
Dane Sardinha (CIN, C) 3-5, R ... Dustin Moseley
(CIN) 6.2 5 1 1 5 2 ... Ryan Langerhans (ATL, RF-LF & CF) 2-3, R &
0-3 ... Wilson Betemit (ATL, SS-3B & 3B) 1-3, 11th HR, R, 2 RBI & 1-3,
2B, R ... nice AAA debut, Jose Capellan (ATL) 6.0 8 1 1 2 4 ...
Michael Restovich (MIN, LF) 3-5, 3B, 2 R ... Jason Kubel
(MIN, RF) 0-2, 3 BB, SB ... Jesse Crain (MIN) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 ...
Scott Baker (MIN) 5.2 8 3 2 1 3 ... Jack Cust (BAL, LF)
0-1, R, 3 BB ... Wilson Valdez (CHA, SS) 3-5, 2B, RBI ... Arnie
Munoz (CHA) 3.2 9 7 7 3 2 ... AAA debut, Chien-Ming Wang (NYA) 6.0
8 5 5 0 6 ... Wes Obermueller (MIL) 6.0 5 2 2 3 3 ... Danny
Garcia (NYN, 2B) 2-4, 2B, 2 R ... Justin Huber (NYN, C)
0-1, R, 3 BB ... Aaron Heilman (NYN) 7.0 4 3 3 4 2
MIN outfielder and WSox starter the best of the week
in the IL :
" ... Jason Kubel ... 22-year-old ...
has hit at a .354 clip since joining Rochester from Double-A New Britain on May
21 and would lead the IL in batting average if he had an additional 26 plate
appearances ... entered the 2004 season rated as the #8 Prospect in the
Minnesota organization (as selected by Baseball America) and jumped out to a
quick start at the Double-A level, hitting .377 with 6 HR and 29 RBI in his
first 25 games. Last year, he earned Florida State League All-Star honors after
hitting .298 with 5 HR and 82 RBI for Ft. Myers. Jason began his career in the
Twins system in 2000, after being selected by the club in the 12th Round of the
June Draft."
" ... Felix Diaz ... turns 24-years-old
tomorrow, dominated the IL during the seasons first two months, posting an 8-0
record through his first 10 starts. In addition, he earned the loops inaugural
Pitcher-of-the-Week Award after tossing 13 scoreless innings in his first two
starts of the season. Felix was with the White Sox from June 25-July 9, but
returned to Charlotte prior to the Triple-A All-Star Game. As the ILs second
pitcher in the contest, he tossed two perfect innings, striking out one PCL
All-Star. He currently ranks third among IL pitchers in wins (tied) and ERA."
PCL -- Jeremy Reed SEA 2-4, double,
.276 ... 3B Greg Dobbs, another of the farmhands likely to get
some September experience in MLB, 3-4, triple, .289 ... Joe Kennedy
COL, rehab, 2.2 4 2 2 0 2 ... Freddy Guzman SF, 4-6, 1st homer, .310 ...
Antonio Perez LA 2-5, 17th homer ... Clint Barmes
COL 3-4, 3 runs ... Todd Linden SF 3-6, homer, 4 runs, 4 RBI, .268
... Lance Niekro SF 3-5, double, .356 ... vet David Doster
SF extended his hitting streak to 32 games in style, 3-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI
Justin Germano SD, repeat as PCL Pitcher of
the Week :
" ... On the heels of his first complete-game
shutout, Germano took the mound on July 20th and repeated the feat, blanking
Tacoma on five hits while walking one and striking out seven to earn his second
straight win and third overall. Five days later ... won his third straight game
after allowing Salt Lake two earned runs on five hits through eight innings.
Over his two starts ... posted an earned run average of 1.06 while holding
opponents to a .172 batting average." (Pacific Coast League)
EASTERN -- No games scheduled.
SF third sacker and TOR starter the best of the EL
last week :
" ... Michael Cervenak ... hitting .519
(14-for-27) with four doubles, one home run, nine RBI, five runs scored, two
walks and a .778 slugging percentage in seven games. The 27-year old is
currently ranked among the league leaders in batting average (.346), doubles
(29), extra-base hits (45), RBI (63), slugging percentage (.612) and on-base
percentage (.424) ... acquired by the San Francisco Giants from the New York
Yankees in the Rule 5 Minor League Draft on December 16, 2002."
" ... Gustavo Chacin, a left-handed pitcher
... The 511, 190 lb. hurler was 2-0 with 13 strikeouts and a 0.69 ERA for the
Fisher Cats last week. In his first start of the week the 23-year old struck out
eight batters and walked two while tossing seven no-hit innings ... In his
second start of the week Chacin, a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, gave up one
run on four hits and had five strikeouts without issuing a walk to win his
seventh straight decision in a game against the Trenton Thunder at Gill Stadium.
Gustavo, who currently has a league-best 11 wins and a 3.73 ERA this season, was
signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as a non-drafted free agent on July 3, 1998."
(Eastern League)
SOUTHERN -- Carmen Pignatiello CHN 6.1
7 2 1 0 6, L 6-5, 4.61 ... Seth McCLung TB 5.0 0 0 0 2 3, W 1-1,
3.12 ... Josh Barfield SD 2B 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR (16) ... Anthony
Reyes STL 5.2 4 2 2 2 11, 4.02 ... Andy Marte ATL 3B 2-3,
R, 2 RBI, BB, K, HR (16) ... Kyle Davies 5.0 1 1 0 1 6, 3.44
TEXAS -- No games scheduled.
CAROLINA -- Kevin Howard 1-4, R, K
Matt Merricks ATL (W) 5 1 0 0 2 6 (5-3, 3.31)
Pat Osborn
CLE 2-4, double, RBI
Nathan Panther CLE 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
Tripper Johnson BAL 3-4, R, 2 RBI (60)
Josh Fields
CHA 2-5, R, double (7), 2 RBI (15)
Ryan Sweeney CHA 2-5, 2 R, 2
RBI (49)
Pedro Lopez CHA 2-4, R
FLORIDA STATE --
Jonathan
Broxton (LA) 6.1 4 0 0 4 6 W(8-5, 3.16)
Andy Laroche (LA, DH) 2-4
HR(5) 2R
Shaun Marcum (TOR) 8 8 3 1 0 5 L(1-1, 2.28)
Jon Connolly
(CHN) 9 2 0 0 0 11 W(8-2, 2.43)
Trent Oeltjen (MIN, CF) 2-3
A nice
FSL debut for Nick Blackburn (MIN) 7 5 0 0 5 W(1-0, 0.00)
Second
promising outing in a row for Manny Delcarmen (BOS) 5 1 0 0 2 9
Matthew Murton (BOS, LF) 3-4 RBI 2SB(4) - now hitting .310
Aarom
Baldiris (NYN, 3B) 2-5 HR(3)
Alhaji Turay (NYN, DH) 2-5 HR(13)
Joel Zumaya (DET) 6 4 0 0 3 4
Frank Diaz (MON, RF) 3-4 HR(8) 3R
3RBI
Returning from a broken arm, Seung Song (MON) 5 4 3 3 1 3
Dodger second baseman the best of the week in the
FSL :
" ... Delwyn Young ... paced the first
place Dodgers last week by hitting .480 with two home runs, three doubles and a
slugging percentage of .840, reaching base to the tune of a .519 on-base
percentage. In his 25 plate appearances, D.Y. scored six runs and drove in eight
more. On the season, Young leads the club in home runs (16), doubles (29) and
RBI's (62). His home run total is good for third in the league, while his 29
two-baggers pace the circuit." (FSL)
CALIFORNIA -- Jason Perry OAK 15th
homer, .343 ... catcher John Suomi OAK 3-5, 10th homer, .319 ...
Erick Aybar ANA 2-5, .357
MIDWEST -- Brock Peterson MIN 2-4, BB,
K (.267) ... related to you-know-who? Billy Mauer MIN 4.0 2 0 0 1
3 (3.73) ... Kody Kirkland DET 1-3, double, BB, K ... Miguel
Montero ARZ 0-5, K (.283) ... Daric Barton STL 1-4, double,
HBP ... Micah Furtado TEX 0-4, 2 K (average down nearly 50 points
in 2 weeks, now .284) ... tough day for the teenagers Brandon Wood
ANA 0-5, 2 K and Chris Lubanski KC 0-4 ... Mitch Stetter
MIL 6.0 5 2 2 2 4 (1.70, with 57 K/12 BB/31 hits in 53 IP) ... Adam
Jones SEA 2-3, double, BB ... Wladimir Balentien SEA 15th HR
(.278) ... Brian Dopirak CHN 1-4, K (.308) ... Anthony
Boughner CIN 6.0 2 0 0 2 4 (W, 2-2, 1.71) ... rare collar Drew
Macias SD 0-4 (.296) ... performance of the day Steven Bondurant
OAK 7.0 1 0 0 0 7 (W, 14-5, 2.08)
Bondurant (BAHN-doo-rant) is a graduate of the
University of South Carolina (Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree
in Marketing). 24 years old, 6'-180. The lefthander was drafted by
OAK in the 15th round in 2003. High-80s fastball. In short-season
ball last year, Bondruant went 3.57 in 58 innings, with 20 walks and 54 Ks.
So far this season he's at or near the top in almost every pitching category in
the Midwest -- the leader in ERA, wins, WHIP ... a third of an inning out of the
top spot in innings pitched, and tied for the lead in strikeouts. Just a little
strange he's still toiling in the MWL.
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Javon Moran PHI, 2-5,
steal (34) ... Jake Blalock PHI, 1-5, 2B ... Brad Snyder
CLE, 2-3, triple, 2 RBI ... Nick Markakis BAL, 1-5, double, RBI
... Jeff Fiorentino BAL, 2-4, 2 doubles ... Zach Dixon
BAL, 5.0 6 3 2 3 0 ... Jesse Schmidt SF, 2-5, homer (6), 4 RBI ...
Jason Columbus SF, 2-5, double, RBI ... Travis Ishikawa
SF, 1-4, RBI ... Dustin Pedroia BOS, 1-4, 2B ... Mickey
Hall, 1-3, homer (12), RBI ... Ryan Harvey NYM, 3-5, double,
triple, RBI ... Shawn Bowman NYM, 1-2, homer (16), RBI ...
Jamar Hill NYM, 1-4, homer (17), RBI ... Vincent Cordova
NYM, 7.0 3 1 1 0 13 (W 7-6, 3.99) ... Leo Daigle CHW, 2-4, homer
(13), RBI ... Wesley Whisler CHW, 6.0 4 2 2 2 5 (W 3-0, 2.76) ...
PIT pair combined on a no-hitter, Brian Holliday 7.1 0 0 0 2 11, Chris
Demaria 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 ... Chuck Tiffany LA 2.0 3 3 3 3 0 ... MON 3B
Kory Casto 3B 2-4, double, .291 ... Ian Stewart COL 1-4, walk,
.300
NORTHWEST -- Javier Herrera OAK,
gunning for another POW (see below) 2-5, 6th homer, 2 RBI, .380 ...
Ryan Harvey CHN 2-4, 7th homer
OAK outfielder, ARZ starter tops in the NW for the
week :
" ... Vancouver OF Javier Herrera hit .429
(12-28) with 5 runs scored, 1 double, 2 homers, 4 RBI and a .464 slugging
percentage ... Yakima's AJ Shappi went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, allowing 6
hits and 2 walks while striking out 15 in 14 innings." (MinorLeagueBaseball)
PIONEER -- Jaen Centeno ARZ 2-4,
double, homer, .409 ... 3B Travis Denker LA 3-5, 2 homers, 3 RBI, .333
... Bobby Mosby CIN 4-5, double, .315 ... OF Seth Smith COL
(2nd rounder) 2-5, 2 homers, .336 ... Billy Butler KC 4-4, double,
.362 .
ARIZONA -- Matt Bush SD 2-4, 2 runs, double,
2 RBI, 2
errors
GULF COAST -- PIT 3rd-rounder, catcher
Steven Lerud, 2-4, 4th & 5th homers, 4 RBI & 1-4, 10th double, .275
Troop
movements ... CIN -- placed outfielder Jason Romano on the DL, recalled
infielder Felipe Lopez from AAA ... DET -- sent infielder Greg
Norton outright to Toledo ... MIL -- acquired Russell Branyan from
CLE for furture considerations; designated outfielder Chris Magruder for
assignment ... TEX -- promoted Thomas Diamond to Clinton, Midwest League
... ATL -- Jose Capellan promoted to AAA ... SD -- activated catcher
Ramon Hernandez from the DL, optioned catcher Humberto Quintero to AAA
... TEX -- placed RHP Doug Brocail and Brad Fullmer on the DL, optioned RHP Rosman Garcia
to AAA, designated RHP John Wasdin for assignment, recalled LHP Erasmo
Ramirez from AAA, activated RHP Joaquin Benoit, Jeff Nelson
and Herbert Perry from the DL ... BAL -- optioned outfielder Darnell McDonald
to AAA, activated BJ Surhoff from the DL
Jeremy
Deloney, Baseball Miscellany, picks the best of the "Under-20" prospects,
among them :
" ... [2B] Joaquin Arias ... Acquired from
the Yankees in the Alex Rodriguez trade, Arias is still growing into his body.
He has 5-tool potential and has very raw power. His best tools right now are his
speed and arm. With Stockton in the California League, Arias is hitting
.315/.356/.412 with 14 doubles, 5 triples, and 3 HR to go along with 19 stolen
bases."
" ... [SP] John Danks ... very gifted
and polished for his age. Armed with a commandable 89-94 fastball and great
curveball, Danks has had an easy time at every stop along his path to the
majors. He began the season with Low A Clinton going 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA while
striking out 64 in only 49.2 innings. Now at Stockton, Danks is 1-1 6.41 after 4
starts for the Ports."
" ... [3B] Ian Stewart ...
another lefty masher in the minors. The Rockies 1st rounder last year has shown
the ability to hit for power to all fields in addition to his mature plate
approach. He's slugged 22 HR for the Tourists while hitting .294/.376/.581. Due
to the depth of corner infielders in the Rockies' system, Colorado has the
luxury of being patient with his development."
Baseball
America reports the Angels have signed injured high school pitcher Nick
Adenhart. The cream of the high school SPs going into the 2004 season,
Adenhart dropped to ANA in teh 14th round following arm woes :
" ... Before he got hurt, Adenhart had a low-90s
fastball that topped out at 95 mph, as well as a curveball that ranked among the
best in the high school ranks. His changeup, which has late tumbling action,
also showed promise. Command and a projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pound build were
two more pluses in his favor. Dr. James Andrews operated on Adenhart's elbow on
June 17, and Adenhart passed a physical conducted by Angels team orthopedist Dr.
Lewis Yocum prior to signing. The track record with Tommy John surgery is very
promising, and he also has youth on his side. Adenhart should be able to return
to the mound before he turns 19 in August 2005."
Scott
Rex, OnDeck, has updated his Eastern League prospect list. Scott Kazmir
NYN leaps to the No. 1 spot, ahead of Gavin Floyd PHI and Matt
Cain SF. Dustin McGowan TOR was 4th and Franklin
Gutierrez CLE 5th.
Chris
Kline, Baseball America, on a pair of outfield prospect :
" ... Class A Delmarva outfielder Nick Markakis
is raking his way through the Sally League. The Orioles' first-rounder in 2003
out of Young Harris (Ga.) High went 4-for-6 with three doubles in a 10-5 win
over Hagerstown yesterday. He is hitting .358 over his last 45 games."
" ... He might not be moving as quickly as he
expected, but Class A Charleston (S.C.) right fielder Delmon Young went
deep twice yesterday (Sunday) and has driven in 29 RBIs in his last 25 games.
"He has a chance to be a special player, but when I saw him, he seemed fairly
average," said an AL scout. "Average bat speed--he was sitting fastball and guys
were just blowing it by him all day." Young, the No. 1 pick overall in last
year's draft, is hitting .289-16-78 with 85 strikeouts in 367 at-bats for the
RiverDogs this season."
26 July 2004
Game action
...
INT -- B.J. Upton (TB, SS) 1-3, R, HBP, SB, 0 errors ... rehab,
Greg Norton (DET, 3B) 3-6, 2nd & 3rd HRs, 2 R, 5 RBI ... Dane
Sardinha (CIN, DH) 2-5 ... Jason Kubel (MIN, RF) 1-5, 7th
HR, R, 3 RBI, BB ... Russ Adams (TOR, SS) 3-5, 2B ... Gabe
Gross (TOR, LF) 2-4, 2B, R ... Marlon Byrd (PHI, CF) 2-5,
1st HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB ... Jack Cust (BAL, LF) 1-5, 13th HR, R,
RBI ... rehab, Scott Williamson (BOS) 0.2 0 1 1 2 1
PCL -- inconsistent, but could be in line for
some TEX time, Ryan Snare 7.0 6 1 1 0 7, 4.31 ... Ryan Dempster
CHN rehab, 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 ... Brad Hawpe COL 3-3, walk, 4 RBI & 0-3
... Josh Karp MON 5.0 9 1 1 0 3 ... Gil Meche SEA 7.0 6
2 0 1 2 ... SS Maicer Izturis MON, moved to 3rd in the lineup,
2-4, .365 ... Jason Dubois CHN 1-4, 23rd homer, 2 RBI & 2-3, .316
... Clint Barmes COL 3-4, double, 2 RBI & 0-3, .331 ... Joe
Blanton OAK 5.1 7 3 3 1 4, 4.43 ... Joel Hanrahan LA 4.2 5 3 3 4
6, 4.48 (interesting that Blanton is viewed as the almost ready prospect, while
Hanrahan has nearly the same ERA, allows fewer hits, Ks more, although walking a
lot more, and is viewed as having a disappointing season) ... Jason
Repko LA, bouncing back as an OF prospect, 4-5, double, homer, 2 RBI,
.318 ... looks as if he's figured it out, Justin Germano SD 8.0 5
2 2 1 4 ... Dallas McPherson ANA 2-4, double, .320 ... Mark
Teahen KC 3-4, 2 RBI, .255 ... SS Josh WIlson FLO 3-4, homer,
.297 ... Joe Dillon FLO 2-3, 24th homer (33rd overall)
EASTERN -- coming on very strong, Scott
Kazmir NYN 7.0 5 1 1 2 7, 1.73 ... Dan Denham CLE 5.2
5 1 1 3 4 ... catcher Ryan Garko CLE 1-3, 1st AA homer, 3 RBI ...
Ryan Howard PHI 0-0 (minor finger injury) ... Gustavo Chacin
TOR 6.0 4 1 1 0 5, 11-2, 3.73 ... Ian Snell PIT 6.0 6 2 2 1 6, 3.38 ...
Jeff Keppinger PIT 2-4, double, .340 ... Brad Eldred
PIT still looking for his first AA hit, 0-4, 3 Ks ...
SOUTHERN -- Jason Stokes FLA 1B 2-3, 2
R, BB ... not good ... Bubba Nelson CIN 5.0 7 8 7 3 4, L 1-2, 3.92
... James Loney LA 1B 0-6, RBI, 2K ... Joel Guzman
LA SS 2-7, 2B, RBI, 3K ... Brennan King LA 3B 4-5, BB, K ...
Josh Barfield SD 2B 0-6, RBI ... Richard Lewis CHN 2B
1-3, R, 4 RBI, BB, K, HR (8)
TEXAS -- Matt Allegra OAK (RF) 2-3, 2B,
R, .408 ... Danny Sandoval COL (SS) 4-4, HR(5), RBI(38), 2R, .310
... Jayson Nix COL 1-4,HR(12), 2RBI(47), R, .211 ... Tim
Bausher COL 5 8 2 2 0 6, 3.60 ... Victor Hall AZ (CF) 2-4,2
2B, .398 ... Phil Stockman AZ 6 6 3 2 1 3, 1.29 (L 1-1) ... some
nice pitching for KC tonight ... Thad Markray KC 5.1 4 0 0 1 5,
3.86 (W 1-2) ... Jimmy Serrano KC 7 2 0 0 3 6, 1.98 (W 3-1)... El
Paso Trio with a rough night... 3 top AZ prospects (El Paso Diablos) in a
doubleheader, Snyder, Quentin & Jackson went a combined
2-17 against the KC AA club Wichita Wranglers
CAROLINA -- Josh Anderson HOU 2-5, R,
HR (2), RBI, K
Tripper Johnson BAL 1-4, RBI (58), K
Christopher Ray BAL (W) 6 7 1 1 0 2 (4-3, 4.65)
Kevin
Howard 1-4, K
Adam Miller CLE 4.2 3 0 0 2 5
FLORIDA STATE -- No game scheduled.
CALIFORNIA -- Bobby Livingston
SEA 7.1 8 6 4 1 5, 3.69 ... impressive, John Danks TEX 7.0 3 3 1 0 7 ...
little sign of progress, Bradley Sullivan OAK 7.0 6 2 2 1 5, 4.73
... Jason Perry OAK 14th homer ... Erick Aybar ANA
4-5, double, .356
MIDWEST -- Brandon Wood ANA 2-3, 5th
triple, BB (.284) ... teen repeating the MWL, recovering from a bad beginning
Rafael Rodriguez ANA 5.2 3 2 1 3 8 (W, 1-2, 5.79) ... Chris
Lubanski KC 0-4 .. Thomas Oldham SEA 8.0 8 4 4 1 7 (L, 6-6,
2.93) ... Adam Jones(SS) SEA 2-5, 7th HR, K, E (.259) ... still a
work in progress Justin Jones CHN 4.2 6 4 4 1 4 (3.78) ...
Brian Dopirak CHN 2-4, K ... Joey Votto CIN 1-3, 2 BB,
K ... Dan Putnam OAK 2-4, double, triple, BB ... Dirk
Hayhurst SD 5.0 6 2 2 1 3 (2.44) ... Juan Francia DET 1-4, K
(.344 for the 22-year-old; third year in the league) ... Kody Kirkland
DET 3-5, triple, K (.226) ... Daric Barton STL 1-4, BB, 2 K (.316)
... Miguel Montero ARZ 10th HR ... performance of the day Tyler
Clippard NYA 6.0 3 2 1 0 12 (W, 7-8, 3.28)
SOUTH ATLANTIC -- Nate Spears
BAL, 3-5, double, RBI ... Nick Markakis BAL, 4-6, 3 doubles, 2 RBI
... Jeff Fiorentino BAL, 1-5, double, RBI ... James
Johnson BAL, 7.0 2 0 0 0 6 (W 6-7, 3.58) ... Jake Stevens ATL,
6.0 6 2 2 2 4 ... Matt Esquivel ATL, 2-3, homer (12), 3 RBI ...
Xavier Paul LA, 1-5, double ... Javon Moran PHI, 1-4,
RBI ... Jake Blalock PHI, 1-3, RBI ... Brad Snyder
CLE, 4-5, 2 doubles, RBI ... Ian Stewart COL, 2-4 ... Dustin
Pedroia BOS, 1-2, homer (1), RBI ... Brandon Moss BOS, 2-4
... Gary Galvez BOS, 7.0 3 0 0 1 3 (W 5-7, 5.03) ... Kory
Casto MON, 3-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI ... Antonio Sucre MON,
2-5, 2 RBI, steal (3) ... Delmon Young TB, 2-5, 2 homers (16), 4
RBI ... Tony Peguero TB, 4.1 7 5 5 3 6 (L 9-6, 3.06) ... Shawn
Bowman NYM, 1-4, homer (15), 2 RBI ... Blake Whealy NYM,
1-4, homer (15), RBI ... Robinson Diaz TOR, 2-4 ... Jon
Benick PIT, 2-2, double, 2 walks ... Wardell Starling PIT, 6.2
7 2 2 2 4 (W 5-7, 4.22) ... Chris Young CHW, 3-4, homer (18),
double, 2 RBI ... Daniel Haigwood CHW, 6.0 5 2 2 3 5 (W 10-4,
4.78) ... Ervin Alcantara HOU, 2-3, homer (14), RBI
NORTHWEST -- CF Jud Thigpen COL 2-4,
double, walk, .318 ... AJ Shappi ARZ (9th round pick in June) 8.0 3
0 0 0 8, 0.96 in 28 innings, 3 walks, 32 Ks ... Ryan Harvey
CHN 1-4, 3 Ks, .275 ... Landon Powell OAK 1-4, .133 ... Michael
Nickeas TEX catcher (Vancouver, BC native) 1-2, 7th homer, 2 walks,
.342
PIONEER -- Billy Butler 3B KC
2-4, double, .341 ... Eddie Solis KC 4-6, double, triple, .391 ...
CF Darwinson Salazar KC 4-6, double, 3 runs, 2 RBI, .370 ... COL
1st-rounder SS Chris Nelson 1-3, 2 walks, .308 ... Seth
Smith CF COL 2-4, double, 2 RBI, .331
ARIZONA -- Brewers' top pick, Mark Rogers
2.2 3 1 1 1 2, 2.00 ... MIL 2B Hernan Iribarren 2B 3-5, 6th
triple, 8th SB, .477 ... (Saturday) Matt Bush SD 0-3, walk, K,
.111
GULF COAST -- No games scheduled.
Troop
movements ... STL -- placed outfielder Ray Lankford on the DL, recalled RHP
Dan Haren from AAA ... NYN -- placed RHP Orber Moreno on the DL, recalled
RHP Tyler Yates from Triple-A ... TOR -- purchased the contract of RHP
Sean Douglass from Triple-A, recalled RHP Michael Nakamura from
Triple-A ... BOS -- placed RHP Curtis Leskanic and OF Trot Nixon on the DL,
recalled catcher-first baseman Andy Dominique from AAA ... NYA -- optioned Bubba
Crosby to AAA, recalled Bret Prinz from AAA ...
It's
David Wright, Dallas McPherson, Andy Marte 1-2-3 atop the 3B prospect list at
The Sports Network. The Reds' Edwin Encarnaction has climbed into
the No. 4 spot :
" ... To say the Reds got the better part of the
deal that netted them Edwin Encarnacion for Rob Bell goes without saying. To add
in the fact that the Reds also received outfielder Ruben Mateo in the deal is to
say that the Reds committed
highway robbery. A former ninth-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2000, his
lightning bat speed and ability to recognize pitches early have Cincinnati brass
drooling. A demotion to Single-A Potomac at the end of the 2003 season because
of attitude problems seems to have lit a fire under him. In 69 games for
Double-A Chattanooga this season, Encarnacion is batting .298 with 23 doubles,
seven home runs and 51 RBI. He's among the Southern League leaders in batting
average, doubles and RBI. A new attitude and improved work ethic have Edwin on
his way to becoming Cincinnati's everyday third baseman."
Minor
league notes from The North County Times :
" ... Portland RHP Justin Germano extended his scoreless
streak to 23 innings with his second straight complete-game shutout, a 104-pitch
effort against Tacoma in which he faced just three batters over the minimum ...
Portland's Jake Gautreau, a first-round pick out of Tulane in
2001, is starting to live up to his potential after a move from second base to
third. In 25 games at Triple-A, he is hitting .314 with five homers and 21 RBIs
... RHP Tim Stauffer, last year's No. 1 pick by the Padres, has won
three straight decisions at Portland and is 3-0 with a 4.02 ERA ... LHP
Matt Chico, a Fallbrook High product who was 0-4 with an 11.20 ERA in
four starts after being promoted to Double-A El Paso by the Diamondbacks, put
together a good effort against Midland and dropped his ERA by three full runs."
ANA
prospect notes from the LA Times :
" ... Of the Angels' top five prospects, three are
injured. Triple-A pitcher Bobby Jenks is out for the year after elbow
surgery, double-A pitcher Ervin Santana is
shut down for the second time this season
because of a sore arm, and triple-A first baseman Casey Kotchman
suffered a shoulder strain Friday in his first game after missing 19 because of
a wrist strain."
Correspondents
-- INTERNATIONAL (Herb Walters), EASTERN (Ralph Marston), SOUTHERN (Ken
Savage), TEXAS (Aman Reaka), FLORIDA STATE (Wayne
Stevens), CAROLINA (Troy Salvior), MIDWEST (Bob Reed), SOUTH ATLANTIC (Brad
Dowdy), NEW YORK-PENN (Chris
Carlson), APPALACHIAN (Scott Howes)
|
