THT Daily: Maddux Debut a Doozy
Major League News for August 3
Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
Game of the Day
Yesterday’s Home Runs
Top Minor League Performances
Player News
Stats
Yesterday’s Results
American League CLE 7 BOS 6 (Recap and Boxscore) NYA 8 TOR 1 (Recap and Boxscore) TB 2 DET 1 (Recap and Boxscore) MIN 8 KC 2 (Recap and Boxscore) TEX 7 LAA 6 (Recap and Boxscore) National League FLA 4 NYN 1 (Recap and Boxscore) ARI 10 CHN 2 (Recap and Boxscore) CHN 7 ARI 3 (Recap and Boxscore) LAN 3 CIN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) PIT 3 ATL 2 (Recap and Boxscore) PHI 8 STL 1 (Recap and Boxscore) SD 5 HOU 2 (Recap and Boxscore)
Today’s Games
Visitors Home Starts PIT - Gorzelanny T.* (1-2, 5.84) CHC - Zambrano C. (12-3, 3.26) 2:20 NYY - Johnson R.* (11-9, 5.07) BAL - Chen B.* (0-6, 7.07) 7:05 CLE - Lee C.* (9-8, 4.70) DET - Bonderman J. (11-5, 3.65) 7:05 CWS - Garland J. (11-3, 5.01) TOR - Halladay R. (13-2, 3.04) 7:07 ATL - James C.* (4-2, 4.87) CIN - Harang A. (11-7, 3.62) 7:10 PHI - Wolf R.* (0-0, 6.23) NYM - Hernandez O. (7-8, 5.00) 7:10 BOS - Schilling C. (13-4, 3.84) TB - Shields J. (4-5, 5.43) 7:15 LAD - Lowe D. (8-7, 4.29) FLA - Sanchez A. (4-1, 4.46) 7:35 MIL - Davis D.* (6-6, 5.02) STL - Carpenter C. (10-5, 2.93) 8:10 MIN - Santana J.* (12-5, 3.11) KC - Redman M.* (7-6, 5.40) 8:10 HOU - Oswalt R. (8-7, 3.23) ARI - Batista M. (9-5, 4.71) 9:40 TEX - Padilla V. (10-7, 4.36) LAA - Lackey J. (10-6, 2.95) 10:05 WAS - Ortiz R. (7-9, 4.84) SD - Young C. (9-4, 3.57) 10:05 OAK - Zito B.* (11-7, 3.61) SEA - Washburn J.* (5-10, 4.43) 10:05 COL - Francis J.* (8-9, 3.63) SF - Morris M. (8-8, 4.61) 10:15
Standings
The graphics next to each team are called “sparklines.” They depict each team’s performance over the last month. Each “up” bar is a victory and a “down” bar is a loss. There are horizontal lines for home games and red bars represent games decided by two runs or less. “PWins” is short for Projected Wins, based on each team’s Run Differential, and is often a better measure of a team’s true strength. Other team graphs and stats can be found on our Team Page.
American League East Pwins Diff NYA 64 41 .610 0.0 61 3BOS 64 43 .598 1.0 59 5
TOR 57 51 .528 8.5 58 -1
BAL 49 60 .450 17.0 47 2
TB 45 64 .413 21.0 44 1
American League Central DET 72 36 .667 0.0 68 4
CHA 63 43 .594 8.0 61 2
MIN 62 45 .579 9.5 59 3
CLE 47 60 .439 24.5 56 -9
KC 38 70 .352 34.0 41 -3
American League West OAK 57 51 .528 0.0 54 3
LAA 55 53 .509 2.0 56 -1
TEX 55 54 .505 2.5 57 -2
SEA 53 54 .495 3.5 54 -1
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 64 43 .598 0.0 62 2
PHI 52 55 .486 12.0 53 -1
FLA 51 57 .472 13.5 53 -2
ATL 50 57 .467 14.0 55 -5
WAS 48 60 .444 16.5 48 0
National League Central STL 58 49 .542 0.0 54 4
CIN 55 53 .509 3.5 52 3
HOU 51 57 .472 7.5 52 -1
MIL 51 57 .472 7.5 46 5
CHN 45 63 .417 13.5 44 1
PIT 41 68 .376 18.0 48 -7
National League West SD 56 52 .519 0.0 55 1
ARI 55 53 .509 1.0 54 1
LAN 53 55 .491 3.0 57 -4
COL 52 55 .486 3.5 55 -3
SF 52 56 .481 4.0 53 -1
Game of the Day
Mark Teixeira, who is experiencing a second-half power surge, hit a home run in the 12th inning for the game-winning hit as the Rangers beat the Angels, 7-6. The Angels’ Juan Rivera had tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out three-run homer. Rookie sidearmer Wes Littleton got his first major league win in relief and Angel rookie phenom Jered Weaver got his second no-decision in as many starts.
Teixeira is slugging .662 with eight home runs since the All-Star break; in the entire first half of the year, he had a .445 slugging percentage with only nine home runs.
TEXAS (7) VS LA ANGELS (6) - FINAL IN 12 INNINGS TEXAS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Matthews Jr cf 6 1 3 0 0 0 1 .324 M Young ss 6 1 1 0 0 1 1 .306 C Lee lf 6 1 1 1 0 2 2 .300 M Teixeira 1b 4 1 2 2 2 0 0 .285 H Blalock dh 6 1 3 1 0 1 3 .283 M DeRosa 3b 6 2 3 1 0 1 2 .325 I Kinsler 2b 6 0 3 1 0 0 3 .303 B Wilkerson rf 4 0 0 1 0 3 3 .225 R Barajas c 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .251 a-M Stairs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .258 G Laird c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .351 Totals 49 7 16 7 2 9 17 a-flied out to left for R Barajas in the 10th. BATTING: 2B - M DeRosa (30, J Weaver); M Young (38, H Carrasco); M Teixeira (32, H Carrasco). 3B - H Blalock (1, J Weaver); M DeRosa (2, J Weaver). HR - M Teixeira (18, 12th inning off K Gregg 0 on, 0 Out). SF - B Wilkerson. RBI - B Wilkerson (44), M DeRosa (41), I Kinsler (32), C Lee (3), M Teixeira 2 (68), H Blalock (68). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - H Blalock 1, M Stairs 1, R Barajas 1, G Matthews Jr 1, I Kinsler 1. GIDP - M DeRosa, I Kinsler. Team LOB - 9. BASERUNNING: SB - I Kinsler 3 (7, 2nd base off S Shields/M Napoli, 2nd base off J Weaver/M Napoli 2). FIELDING: Outfield assists - G Matthews Jr (O Cabrera at Home). DP: 2 (I Kinsler-M Young-M Teixeira, M Young-M Teixeira). LA ANGELS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg C Figgins cf 6 0 0 0 0 1 2 .258 M Izturis 3b 4 2 1 0 1 0 0 .296 O Cabrera ss 5 0 1 0 0 1 1 .289 V Guerrero rf 4 2 2 2 1 0 0 .311 G Anderson lf 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 .273 J Rivera dh 5 1 1 3 0 1 3 .294 H Kendrick 1b 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 .329 M Napoli c 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 .242 A Kennedy 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .267 Totals 42 6 9 6 4 6 10 BATTING: 2B - V Guerrero (18, K Millwood). HR - V Guerrero (22, 4th inning off K Millwood 0 on, 2 Out), J Rivera (18, 8th inning off R Bauer 2 on, 2 Out). RBI - V Guerrero 2 (83), G Anderson (54), J Rivera 3 (57). 2-out RBI - V Guerrero 2, J Rivera 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Rivera 1. GIDP - A Kennedy, C Figgins. Team LOB - 4. FIELDING: DP: 2 (M Izturis-A Kennedy-H Kendrick 2). ---------------------------------------------------- TEXAS - 010 002 300 001 -- 7 LA ANGELS - 000 101 040 000 -- 6 ---------------------------------------------------- TEXAS ip h r er bb so hr era K Millwood 7 2/3 7 4 4 2 5 1 4.63 R Mahay (H, 11) 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 4.30 R Bauer (B, 3) 1 1/3 1 1 1 1 0 1 3.00 W Littleton (W, 1-0) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.66 A Otsuka (S, 22) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.35 LA ANGELS ip h r er bb so hr era J Weaver 6 8 3 3 1 3 0 1.81 H Carrasco 0 4 3 3 0 0 0 4.09 J Romero 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.49 B Donnelly 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.47 F Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 2.44 S Shields 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.62 K Gregg (L, 3-4) 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 4.77 H Carrasco pitched to 4 batters in the 7th. J Romero pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. R Mahay pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. IBB - V Guerrero (by K Millwood). Pitches-strikes: K Millwood 108-69; R Mahay 4-0; R Bauer 20-11; W Littleton 19-15; A Otsuka 14-8; J Weaver 106-69; H Carrasco 10-7; J Romero 5-3; B Donnelly 17-13; F Rodriguez 21-13; S Shields 22-14; K Gregg 33-20. Ground balls-fly balls: K Millwood 7-10; R Mahay 0-0; R Bauer 4-0; W Littleton 5-1; A Otsuka 2-0; J Weaver 8-7; H Carrasco 0-0; J Romero 0-0; B Donnelly 3-2; F Rodriguez 0-1; S Shields 0-1; K Gregg 4-1. Batters faced: K Millwood 31; R Mahay 1; R Bauer 5; W Littleton 6; A Otsuka 3; J Weaver 27; H Carrasco 4; J Romero 1; B Donnelly 5; F Rodriguez 4; S Shields 4; K Gregg 7. UMPIRES: HP--Derryl Cousins. 1B--Brian Gorman. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Rob Drake. T--4:00. Att--43,569. Weather: 74 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 4 mph, in from center.
The following graph tracks the game’s Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs.

Yesterday’s Home Runs
The following stats are provided by Hit Tracker, which logs the projected distance of each home run (if it were to land uninterrupted at field level) and its “standard” distance, which is corrected for weather conditions.
Batter Pitcher True Dist Stnd Dist Guerrero, Vladimir LAA Millwood, Kevin TEX 467 465 Choo, Shin-Soo CLE Beckett, Josh BOS 425 450 Saenz, Olmedo LAD Milton, Eric CIN 434 433 Jacobs, Mike FLA Martinez, Pedro NYM 413 430 Teixeira, Mark TEX Gregg, Kevin LAA 421 421 Rabe, Josh MIN Nunez, Leo KC 430 416 Gonzalez, Luis ARI Marmol, Carlos CHC 395 410 Rivera, Juan LAA Bauer, Rick TEX 409 407 Rowand, Aaron PHI Flores, Randy STL 407 404 Drew, Stephen ARI Wuertz, Michael CHC 392 402 Hafner, Travis CLE Beckett, Josh BOS 364 385 Giambi, Jason NYY Marcum, Shaun TOR 417 384 Boone, Aaron CLE Beckett, Josh BOS 372 372 Roberts, Ryan TOR Lidle, Corey NYY 409 369 Monroe, Craig DET Seo, Jae TB 360 359
Top Minor League Games
The following list, provided by First Inning, includes the top minor league batting (based on Runs Created) and pitching (based on Game Score) performances from yesterday.
ORG LVL PLAYER POS AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO Notes BOS AA Brandon Moss RF 3 2 1 0 1 1 1 CHW A+ Joshua Hansen 1B 5 3 0 0 2 0 0 3 runs scored FLA AAA Edgar V Gonzalez 2B 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 HOU AAA J.R. House 1B 4 3 0 0 1 1 0 LAA AAA Kendry Morales DH 4 3 0 0 2 0 0 .548 OBP during past week NYM A+ Caleb Stewart RF 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 OAK AAA Doug Clark LF 6 4 0 0 2 0 0 4 RBI OAK AAA Scott McClain 3B 3 2 0 0 1 2 0 PHI AA Gary Burnham DH 4 2 0 0 2 0 1 SEA AAA Hunter Brown 3B 4 3 1 0 0 1 0 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes ATL AAA Lance Cormier 9.0 7 0 0 4 0 0 BAL AAA Daniel Cabrera 6.0 5 0 0 8 1 0 17 K over last 11 IP CHW AAA Stephen Randolph 6.0 1 0 0 5 3 0 CLE A+ Chuck Lofgren 6.0 3 1 1 10 2 0 CLE AA Adam Miller 6.0 3 1 1 11 2 0 0.73 ERA over past month HOU A+ Raymar Diaz 7.0 4 1 0 3 1 0 KC A+ D. Christensen 6.0 3 0 0 6 4 0 OAK AAA Jason Windsor 7.0 4 1 1 6 1 1 PIT A Todd Redmond 7.0 4 2 2 8 1 1 SD AAA Brian Sweeney 6.0 2 0 0 4 0 0
Player News
Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.
Rain kept Greg Maddux from having a memorable debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 40-year-old right-hander didn’t allow a hit over six innings then left after a rain delay. Maddux, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Monday, faced one batter over the minimum through six innings. He had no problem missing out on what might have been the first no-hitter of his 20-year, 328-win career. “After two or three innings, you can sit around for an hour and go back out there,” Maddux (10-11) said. “I’ve done that, but after six innings, I’ve never done that. In this ballpark, two runs is nothing, and they’ve got a lot of guys who can hit it out.”
Chase Utley singled in the first inning Thursday night, extending his hitting streak to 35 games. He has at least two hits in six of his past seven games, batting .411 (14-for-34) with seven RBI in that span. The overall streak is the second-longest in franchise history, trailing only Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game run. Utley’s streak is tied for the sixth-longest ever in the NL with Fred Clarke (1895) and Luis Castillo (2002). It also tied Castillo’s major league record for a second baseman. The major league record is 56 games in a row by Joe DiMaggio in 1941.
The Kansas City Royals agreed to terms on a major league contract Thursday with right-hander Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Hochevar will sign the contract on Saturday and will be placed on the Royals’ 40-man roster. Hochevar becomes the second player in Royals’ history to sign a major league contract out of the draft. The other was Bo Jackson in 1986, a Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn and the first overall pick by Tampa Bay in the National Football League draft.
Speedy All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes signed a $23.25 million, four-year contract extension with the Mets on Thursday, the sides working quickly this week to ensure him a home through the 2010 season. The 23-year-old Reyes could have been eligible for salary arbitration after this season, and could have become a free agent following the 2009 season. Instead, he opted for future security. The contract includes an option for 2011.
Stephen Drew is providing a spark for the Diamondbacks. The rookie shortstop homered, tripled and drove in a season-high four runs, leading the Diamondbacks over the Cubs 10-2 Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader. The highly touted prospect made his big league debut July 15. The younger brother of Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew, he hit his first homer in the majors during Monday’s 15-4 romp at Wrigley Field. “He’s going to be quite a nice little player,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s having some fun. He’s a little bit of a grinder, but not to the point where he can’t have a little fun.”
Matt Murton tied a major league record with four doubles and also drove in five runs to help the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-3 and split a doubleheader Thursday. Murton tied tied the record in only four at-bats. Of the 17 previous players to hit four doubles in a game, dating back to 1973, the only one to do so in four at-bats was Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1997.
Minnesota’s Brad Radke left his previous start after three innings with a sore shoulder and a loss, but responded by allowing two runs over eight innings and getting the victory.
Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, a 22-year-old rookie, matched his career best by striking out 12 in seven innings. He allowed only two singles and a run, and fanned a dozen for the second time in three games. Hamels had taken a ball of his knee last time out, but apparently it didn’t slow him down at all.
The Phillies’ 33-year-old rookie Chris Coste (.375) had the first four-hit game of his career and drove in two runs Thursday.
Dontrelle Willis earned his first victory since July 7 as the Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets 4-1 Thursday night. Willis (7-8) retired the side in order only once but outdueled Pedro Martinez, limiting New York to an unearned run in eight innings. He allowed seven hits and walked three. Willis is now 10-2 with a 1.93 ERA vs. New York.
Jake Westbrook became the first pitcher in 18 years to win despite allowing 15 hits, and the Cleveland Indians used Shin-Soo Choo’s grand slam to beat Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox 7-6 Thursday night. Westbrook hung on while giving up the most hits in the majors this season, permitting six runs in eight innings. The Red Sox got 12 singles, three doubles and a walk against him. John Dopson was the last pitcher to win while permitting 15 hits when he pitched Montreal past Atlanta 9-2 on July 3, 1988, the Elias Sports Bureau said.
Adam Kennedy extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games with a single in the 12th Thursday.
Seth McClung won for first time since May as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on Thursday night. McClung (3-10), recalled from Triple-A Durham before the game, threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He had been sent to the minors on June 20 to be converted from a starter to a reliever.
Mike Gonzalez pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th consecutive save conversion, breaking the Pirates’ single-season record of 18 in a row by Jose Mesa in 2004.
Former Yankee Shawn Chacon limited Atlanta to one run in five innings to win his Pittsburgh debut, pitching the Pirates to a 3-2 victory Thursday and preventing a sweep by the Braves. Former Phillie Cory Lidle pitched six effective innings in his first start with the Yankees to help New York beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1.
Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb was sent back to Phoenix with soreness in his right elbow, and the All-Star is expected to miss his next start. Webb threw a side session at Chase Field on Thursday and the reports were good, though. “Webby threw today and threw good,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. “He had no problems. We’ll still talk to him tomorrow and see where we’re going with that. But it’s encouraging to know that he threw and had no problems.” An MRI exam Wednesday showed no structural damage in Webb’s elbow.
The Boston Red Sox are talking to Baltimore about a trade for Javy Lopez, hoping the former All-Star could take over as their full-time catcher while Jason Varitek recovers from a knee injury. “We’re obviously optimistic and hopeful something is about to happen,” Lopez’s agent, Chuck Berry, said Thursday night. “We’ve become aware of the Boston possibility, and there have been discussions.” Varitek had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee earlier in the day and was expected to start rehabilitation right away. The Red Sox have not given an indication of when their captain might return. The Red Sox are competing with New York for the AL East title while the Orioles have fallen out of contention. Boston would likely send a prospect to the Orioles and pick up a portion of his salary.
Boston Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke pitched one scoreless inning Thursday night in a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket. “I felt pretty comfortable,” said Foulke, who threw 18 pitches, 10 for strikes.
The Texas Rangers said they would “reserve judgment” on the drunken driving arrest of pitcher Vicente Padilla, who will continue to play until his case is resolved. Padilla was arrested July 7 in Dallas County, according to court records. He has made for starts since, winning two, and is scheduled to take the mound Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Ranger released right-hander John Wasdin, a spot starter who became expendable with the return of Adam Eaton from a finger injury and the acquisition of Kip Wells. Wasdin was 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA in nine appearances, including five starts. This was Wasdin’s third season as a spot starter and reliever for the Rangers. His 11-year career has included stops in Oakland, Boston, Colorado, Baltimore and Toronto.
Jeff Weaver will stay in the St. Louis rotation despite giving up nearly a run per inning in his four starts for the NL Central-leading Cardinals. Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in early July, Weaver is 1-2 with an 8.68 ERA for his new team. He gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings Wednesday night in a 16-8 loss to Philadelphia. “Is he the only guy struggling?” manager Tony La Russa said. “No, he’s not. We’re looking at everybody that’s struggling and trying to get them right. I think when his turn comes up, he’ll start.”
The Diamondbacks placed Andy Green on the 15-day DL in between the games Thursday with left shoulder inflammation. He struck out in the sixth as a pinch-hitter. The team activated reliever Mike Koplove from Triple-A Tucson.
Cubs reliever Glendon Rusch went on the 15-day DL with an injured left elbow. RH reliever David Aardsma was recalled from Triple-A Iowa.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Twins remain reluctant to bring up Matt Garza from Triple-A Rochester. But if Brad Radke’s shoulder or Francisco Liriano’s forearm don’t improve, they might have to call on the young right-hander. “I’m not worried about ifs,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “I’m hoping we don’t have to make more changes. Let’s see what happens.” Garza is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA, including two complete games, in four starts since being promoted to Triple-A. “I want him here,” team leader Torii Hunter said of Garza. “I don’t think it’s ever too early to bring a guy up.”
LHP Francisco Liriano said Wednesday that he felt fine one day after the team announced he was being scratched from Wednesday’s start because of inflammation in his forearm near his elbow. And he said he anticipates no problem in rejoining the rotation when his turn comes up again on Monday.
Todd Walker had a rough debut for the Padres against Houston Wednesday, committing two throwing errors in his first start at third base since 1997, while with Minnesota. “It’s no fun to struggle and I feel sorry for Woody,” Walker said. “He threw the ball fairly well tonight and it takes a lot to run out there when you haven’t played there in a while. I expect a little more out of myself, but at the same time, it’s a very, very difficult thing to do.” Walker went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Rookie OF Carlos Quentin has had quite a start to his big league career, batting .320 with four homers and 11 RBI in only 25 plate appearances. He’s also been productive off the bench with a homer and two doubles in five pinch-hit at-bats. “He’s fit in right away,” Melvin said. “He’s been a productive guy. The thing that’s surprised me the most about him is that he’s been productive coming off the bench. He’s gotten big hits off the bench.”
RHP Kerry Wood has decided not to have surgery to repair his partially torn rotator cuff. “I think anytime you can avoid surgery that’s what you need to do,” said Wood. “In the situation right now, at this time surgery is not the best option.”
1B Doug Mientkiewicz received a shot on Tuesday for his lower back strain and might be able to begin some baseball activities on Thursday. “My back feels great,” Mientkiewicz said. “You feel like you are totally useless on the disabled list.”
PHP Chan Ho Park had a blood transfusion and received iron supplements Thursday to help restore his anemia. Manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Park “to be ready to go” when he comes off the DL on Aug. 10. Park went on the 15-day DL Sunday, retroactive to July 26, and rookie Mike Thompson started in his place that afternoon against the Rockies.
Rangers RHP Kameron Loe, on the DL since June 20 with a bone bruise on his right elbow, was reactivated and assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma.
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