THT Daily: NL 8, AL 6
Major League News for July 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
Interleague DET 9 PIT 8 (Recap and Boxscore) Miner: 5.2 IP, 2 R; Sanchez: 3-4, 4 RBI NYA 16 NYN 7 (Recap and Boxscore) A-Rod: 7 RBI, 2 HR; Beltran: 4-5, 2 HR MIN 8 MIL 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Liriano: 8 IP, 0 R, 12 K, 1 BB, 3 H LAA 4 LAN 0 (Recap and Boxscore) Lackey: 6.2 IP, 0 R, 10 K, 1 BB, 4 H BOS 4 FLA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) CLE 6 CIN 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Ross: 2 HR STL 9 KC 7 (Recap and Boxscore) Pujols: 4 RBI PHI 11 TOR 6 (Recap and Boxscore) Abreu: 4 RBI; PHI sweeps TOR WAS 6 TB 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Ortiz: 7 IP, 1 R HOU 9 TEX 5 (Recap and Boxscore) Munson: 5 RBI; Matthews: 4-5 COL 4 SEA 3 (Recap and Boxscore) 11 innings CHN 15 CHA 11 (Recap and Boxscore) See below ATL 10 BAL 3 (Recap and Boxscore) Ramirez: 8 IP, 3 R; Francoeur: 2 2B ARI 3 OAK 1 (Recap and Boxscore) Webb: 9 IP, 0 R, National League SF 6 SD 2 (Recap and Boxscore) Morris: 7.1 IP, 2 R
Today’s Games
Visitors Home Time CIN - Harang A. (9-5, 3.45) MIL - Bush D. (5-6, 4.45) 2:05 NYY - Wang C. (8-3, 4.01) CLE - Sowers J.* (0-1, 7.20) 7:05 FLA - Nolasco R. (6-4, 3.26) WAS - Astacio P. (0-0, -) 7:05 BAL - Bedard E.* (8-6, 4.72) CWS - Garcia F. (10-4, 4.65) 7:05 STL - Reyes A. (1-2, 2.16) ATL - Smoltz J. (4-5, 3.73) 7:05 PIT - Maholm P.* (2-7, 4.97) NYM - Oliver D.* (3-0, 2.45) 7:10 BOS - Beckett J. (10-3, 4.64) TB - Kazmir S.* (9-5, 3.59) 7:15 SF - Lowry N.* (3-5, 3.86) COL - Cook A. (6-7, 3.49) 8:05 TOR - Lilly T.* (8-7, 3.87) TEX - Rheinecker J.* (3-2, 4.35) 8:05 CHC - Marmol C. (1-2, 4.18) HOU - Clemens R. (0-2, 2.38) 8:05 MIN - Santana J.* (9-4, 2.59) KC - Elarton S. (3-9, 5.13) 8:10 DET - Robertson N.* (8-3, 3.14) OAK - Blanton J. (7-7, 4.85) 10:05 LAA - Weaver J. (4-0, 1.37) SEA - Hernandez F. (8-7, 4.92) 10:05 ARI - Cruz J. (3-3, 4.05) LAD - Lowe D. (6-4, 3.49) 10:10
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 gray 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. Please note that some of the sparklines may be a little off. We are working out the details.
American League East Pwins Diff BOS 50 29 .633 0.0 46 4NYA 46 33 .582 4.0 47 -1
TOR 46 35 .568 5.0 46 0
BAL 38 45 .458 14.0 37 1
TB 35 47 .427 16.5 34 1
American League Central DET 56 26 .683 0.0 53 3
CHA 53 28 .654 2.5 50 3
MIN 45 35 .563 10.0 44 1
CLE 37 43 .463 18.0 43 -6
KC 27 53 .338 28.0 27 0
American League West OAK 42 39 .519 0.0 40 2
SEA 42 41 .506 1.0 44 -2
TEX 41 41 .500 1.5 42 -1
LAA 37 44 .457 5.0 37 0
National League East Pwins Diff NYN 48 33 .593 0.0 46 2
PHI 37 44 .457 11.0 37 0
FLA 35 43 .449 11.5 39 -4
ATL 35 47 .427 13.5 39 -4
WAS 35 48 .422 14.0 36 -1
National League Central STL 44 36 .550 0.0 42 2
CIN 44 38 .537 1.0 40 4
HOU 40 42 .488 5.0 38 2
MIL 40 43 .482 5.5 35 5
CHN 30 51 .370 14.5 31 -1
PIT 28 55 .337 17.5 36 -8
National League West SD 43 39 .524 0.0 43 0
COL 42 39 .519 0.5 42 0
SF 42 40 .512 1.0 43 -1
LAN 41 40 .506 1.5 44 -3
ARI 40 42 .488 3.0 40 0
Game of the Day
The wind was blowing out at Wrigley, accounting for nine home runs (including a few by some unlikely characters), as the Cubs beat the crosstown White Sox 15-11.
It was originally thought that this would be a pitching duel, featuring All-Stars Mark Buehrle and Carlos Zambrano on the mound, but the wind changed that. Angel Pagan hit two (!) home runs, the first two of his career, and was joined by Michael Barrett, Neifi Perez (!) and Carlos Zambrano (!) in the home run department.
CHI WHITE SOX (11) VS CHICAGO CUBS (15) - FINAL
CHI WHITE SOX ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
S Podsednik lf 5 2 2 0 0 2 0 .265
T Iguchi 2b 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 .293
P Konerko 1b 5 0 1 1 0 2 2 .314
J Dye rf 5 2 2 1 0 1 3 .311
A Pierzynski c 4 1 1 1 1 0 3 .326
A Cintron 3b 3 1 0 0 0 0 3 .289
C Politte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-R Gload ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .291
R Mackowiak cf 4 1 2 0 1 1 2 .289
J Uribe ss 4 1 1 4 0 2 3 .238
M Buehrle p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D Riske p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-J Thome ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .292
J Crede 3b 2 1 1 2 0 0 2 .303
Totals 40 11 14 11 3 9 19
a-homered to right center for D Riske in the 7th; b-singled to left for C
Politte in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - J Dye (12, C Zambrano); S Podsednik (17, C Zambrano). 3B - R
Mackowiak (1, S Williamson). HR - J Uribe (10, 4th inning off C Zambrano 2 on,
2 Out), J Thome (27, 7th inning off C Zambrano 0 on, 0 Out), J Crede (16, 8th
inning off S Williamson 1 on, 1 Out), T Iguchi (9, 8th inning off S Eyre 0 on,
2 Out). SF - J Uribe. RBI - J Dye (57), A Pierzynski (27), J Uribe 4 (41), J
Thome (68), P Konerko (63), J Crede 2 (57), T Iguchi (38). 2-out RBI - J Dye, A
Pierzynski, J Uribe 3, T Iguchi. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A
Cintron 2, J Crede 1. Team LOB - 7.
FIELDING: E - R Mackowiak (1, throw); A Cintron (4, ground ball).
CHICAGO CUBS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Pierre cf 5 1 2 0 0 1 0 .260
R Cedeno ss 5 1 2 0 0 1 1 .273
B Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
D Lee 1b 5 1 2 1 0 2 1 .303
A Ramirez 3b 4 1 0 1 0 1 1 .255
M Barrett c 5 3 4 1 0 1 1 .313
A Pagan rf-lf 5 2 3 3 0 0 1 .320
M Murton lf 4 3 2 1 0 0 2 .268
S Williamson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Walker 2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .293
N Perez 2b-ss 5 2 2 4 0 0 3 .243
C Zambrano p 3 1 1 2 0 1 0 .171
R Novoa p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
a-J Jones ph-rf 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .308
Totals 43 15 20 14 0 7 10
a-doubled to deep center for R Novoa in the 7th.
BATTING: 2B - D Lee (6, M Buehrle); M Murton (9, M Buehrle); N Perez (8, M
Buehrle); J Jones (17, C Politte). HR - M Barrett (9, 1st inning off M Buehrle
0 on, 1 Out), C Zambrano (3, 1st inning off M Buehrle 1 on, 2 Out), N Perez (2,
5th inning off M Buehrle 2 on, 1 Out), A Pagan 2 (2, 7th inning off C Politte 0
on, 0 Out, 8th inning off C Politte 1 on, 2 Out). SF - A Ramirez. RBI - D Lee
(13), A Ramirez (49), M Barrett (31), N Perez 4 (20), C Zambrano 2 (8), M
Murton (22), A Pagan 3 (4), J Jones (43). 2-out RBI - N Perez, C Zambrano 2, A
Pagan 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Cedeno 1. Team LOB - 5.
BASERUNNING: SB - M Murton (4, 2nd base off C Politte/A Pierzynski). CS - J
Pierre (9, 2nd base by M Buehrle/A Pierzynski).
----------------------------------------------------
CHI WHITE SOX - 200 300 231 -- 11
CHICAGO CUBS - 700 040 22x -- 15
----------------------------------------------------
CHI WHITE SOX ip h r er bb so hr era
M Buehrle (L, 9-5) 5 13 11 10 0 4 3 3.86
D Riske 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.60
C Politte 2 6 4 4 0 1 2 8.37
CHICAGO CUBS ip h r er bb so hr era
C Zambrano (W, 7-3) 6 7 7 7 3 6 2 3.33
R Novoa 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.93
S Williamson 1/3 2 2 2 0 1 1 4.56
S Eyre 1/3 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.52
B Howry (S, 2) 1 1/3 3 1 1 0 0 0 3.37
C Zambrano pitched to 3 batters in the 7th.
WP - C Zambrano. HBP - A Cintron (by C Zambrano). Pitches-strikes: M Buehrle
76-58; D Riske 19-14; C Politte 39-25; C Zambrano 112-63; R Novoa 13-10; S
Williamson 7-6; S Eyre 7-5; B Howry 25-19. Ground balls-fly balls: M Buehrle
4-6; D Riske 0-1; C Politte 3-2; C Zambrano 7-5; R Novoa 1-1; S Williamson 0-0;
S Eyre 0-0; B Howry 1-3. Batters faced: M Buehrle 28; D Riske 4; C Politte 12;
C Zambrano 29; R Novoa 4; S Williamson 3; S Eyre 2; B Howry 7.
UMPIRES: HP--Jerry Meals. 1B--Andy Fletcher. 2B--Mike Reilly. 3B--Jeff
Kellogg.
T--2:53. Att--40,919.
Weather: 78 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, out to center.
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.
According to Hittracker, it was a huge day for wind-aided tape measure shots. There were 11 home runs that went 440 feet or more (three during the Yankees-Mets game alone).
Hitter Pitcher True Dist. Std. Dist. HR # Rodriguez, Alex NYY Bell, Heath NYM 445 446 19 Guillen, Carlos DET Snell, Ian PIT 456 437 10 Barrett, Michael CHC Buehrle, Mark CWS 442 414 9 Belliard, Ronnie CLE Milton, Eric CIN 461 413 7 Cabrera, Miguel FLA Tavarez, Julian BOS 411 412 13 Thomas, Frank OAK Webb, Brandon ARI 388 412 18 Shelton, Chris DET Snell, Ian PIT 443 407 16 Thome, Jim CWS Zambrano, Carlos CHC 441 404 27 Langerhans, Ryan ATL Benson, Kris BAL 422 403 5 Green, Nick NYY Bell, Heath NYM 440 401 1 Beltran, Carlos NYM Beam, T.J. NYY 441 399 23 Rodriguez, Alex NYY Soler, Alay NYM 431 399 18 Ortiz, David BOS Johnson, Josh FLA 378 399 26 Betemit, Wilson ATL Benson, Kris BAL 414 394 6 Howard, Ryan PHI Burnett, A.J. TOR 402 394 28 Rolen, Scott STL Wood, Mike KC 445 392 12 Uribe, Juan CWS Zambrano, Carlos CHC 415 388 10 Edmonds, Jim STL Wood, Mike KC 442 387 9 Ross, David CIN Sabathia, C.C. CLE 440 387 11 Utley, Chase PHI Downs, Scott TOR 394 387 16 Durham, Ray SF Young, Chris SD 404 386 10 Jones, Chipper ATL Rleal, Sendy BAL 408 383 10 Pagan, Angel CHC Politte, Cliff CWS 414 382 2 Mora, Melvin BAL Ramirez, Horacio ATL 388 380 10 Sexson, Richie SEA Jennings, Jason COL 386 377 15 Morneau, Justin MIN Jackson, Zach MIL 381 376 21 Youkilis, Kevin BOS Johnson, Josh FLA 381 374 10 Varitek, Jason BOS Johnson, Josh FLA 379 373 8 Pagan, Angel CHC Politte, Cliff CWS 395 369 1 Perez, Neifi CHC Buehrle, Mark CWS 397 367 2 Iguchi, Tadahito CWS Eyre, Scott CHC 392 365 9 Broussard, Ben CLE Belisle, Matt CIN 422 363 10 Pujols, Albert STL Wood, Mike KC 397 363 27 Zambrano, Carlos CHC Buehrle, Mark CWS 381 363 3 Suzuki, Ichiro SEA Dohmann, Scott COL 365 363 6 Zimmerman, Ryan WAS Seo, Jae TB 373 362 11 Crede, Joe CWS Williamson, ScottCHC 392 361 16 Ramirez, Hanley FLA Lester, Jon BOS 361 360 4 Feliz, Pedro SF Sweeney, Brian SD 363 358 13 Boone, Aaron CLE Weathers, David CIN 402 351 4 Ross, David CIN Sabathia, C.C. CLE 406 350 12 Posada, Jorge NYY Soler, Alay NYM 377 341 11 Beltran, Carlos NYM Proctor, Scott NYY 369 339 24 Guerrero, VladimirLAA Billingsley, ChadLAD 351 330 17
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 ARI A+ Jereme Milons LF 4 3 0 1 1 1 1 CHC A- Russell Canzler 1B 4 3 0 1 2 1 0 4 runs scored CLE A+ Jordan Brown LF 4 3 1 1 1 0 0 KC A+ Edward Lucas 3B 4 3 0 0 2 0 1 LAA A+ Ben Johnson DH 3 3 1 0 2 2 0 6 RBI NYY A+ Cody Ehlers 1B 5 4 0 0 2 0 0 4 runs scored PIT A Mike McCuistion 1B 4 3 0 0 1 1 1 4 RBI SD AA Luis Cruz 2B 4 3 1 0 1 0 0 4 RBI TB A James Hall LF 5 5 0 0 1 0 0 .56 OBP during past week WAN AA Josh Whitesell 1B 5 4 0 0 1 0 1 ORG LVL PLAYER IP H R ER SO BB HR Notes CHW AA Tyler Lumsden 7.0 5 0 0 3 1 0 CIN AA Homer Bailey 5.0 2 0 0 9 2 0 1 ER allowed over last 31 IP CLE AA Sean Smith 7.0 5 0 0 6 0 0 COL A+ Ching-Lung Lo 7.0 3 2 1 10 0 1 FLA AA James Russ 6.0 4 0 0 5 1 0 FLA A+ Gabriel Hernandez 8.0 6 0 0 9 1 0 48 K over last 37 IP FLA A- Kyle Winters 6.0 3 0 0 3 1 0 HOU A- C. Salamida 5.0 2 0 0 5 0 0 HOU AA Matt Albers 7.0 5 0 0 6 3 0 0.88 ERA over past month MIN AA Kevin Slowey 7.0 5 1 1 6 1 0
Player News
Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.
In case you missed them, the All-Star selections can be found here.
Pedro Martinez will miss his scheduled start Monday night for the Mets because of a sore hip. Mets manager Willie Randolph said Martinez slipped in the bathroom and fell on his hip while he was changing his shirt during a series in Florida in May. Darren Oliver was the anticipated fill-in starter, but Elias Sports Bureau was told by a Mets source John Maine will be the replacement in a call-up from Triple-A. Monday would have been his day to start in Triple-A. Also, Alay Soler’s hold on a rotation spot is tentative after being embarrassed by the Yankees on Sunday night. Red-hot Double-A phenom Mike Pelfrey could be a candidate to replace him Friday vs. the Marlins.
Manager Dusty Baker said Glendon Rusch (back) will be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Monday for the start of a three-game set at Houston.
Ryan Dempster will remain the closer for now. Dempster blew his fifth save in 17 opportunities Saturday, when A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run homer with two out in the ninth to lift the White Sox over the Cubs 8-6. “The other guys are in the roles they’re supposed to be in,” manager Dusty Baker said. “(Scott) Eyre and (Bob) Howry are in the setup role; that’s why we got them.”
Adam Dunn’s RBI single off C.C. Sabathia in Sunday’s game against Cleveland left him with the same number of singles and homers – 26 each.
After Saturday’s pinch hit grand slam home run in Cincinnati, Travis Hafner is the first player since 1968 to hit four grand slams before the All-Star break, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Only four others have done it: Lou Gehrig in 1934, Sid Gordon in 1950, Jim Gentile in 1961 and Jim Northrup in 1968. Hafner hit his fourth slam on Saturday night as a pinch hitter.
San Diego manager Bruce Bochy said that Jake Peavy will go to the back of the rotation after the All-Star break, giving him additional time to rest his sore right shoulder. His last start before the break will come on Wednesday at Philadelphia, so he is a safe play for Fantasy Week 14 (July 3-9).
Dave Roberts (bruised right knee) played in a rehab game with Class A Lake Elsinore on Sunday. He was 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts, leaving for a defensive substitution after his at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Tony Armas said that he expects to come off the DL when eligible on July 5. Armas could replace Michael O’Connor for July 5 or Pedro Astacio for July 8 at this point.
Kevin Millwood left the Texas Rangers’ game against Houston in the fourth inning Sunday night with a strained right biceps. After Millwood gave up an RBI single to Craig Biggio that gave the Astros a 5-4 lead, pitching coach Mark Connor visited the mound. Manager Buck Showalter and a trainer were then called out, and Millwood left the game after a very brief discussion.
A’s 3B Eric Chavez sat out his third straight game with inflammation in his forearms on Sunday vs. Arizona.
Mariners manager Mike Hargrove indicated there might be a minor injury with right-hander Rafael Soriano. Asked why Soriano wasn’t used in Sunday’s game, Hargrove said the reliever wasn’t available for Saturday or Sunday’s game and his availability for Monday was unknown. Soriano had elbow surgery on his throwing arm in August 2004 and didn’t pitch again for Seattle until September of 2005. He last pitched on June 28, throwing a perfect inning against Arizona. “It’s nothing serious,” Hargrove said.
Arizona RHP Juan Cruz will come off the DL to start on Monday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Mariners center fielder Jeremy Reed broke his right thumb in the 11th inning of Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies. With two outs in the top of the 11th, Reed made a diving attempt at Brad Hawpe’s sinking line drive. Both Reed and right fielder Ichiro Suzuki made aggressive initial moves toward the liner, but there appeared to be a miscommunication over who would take the ball.
Alfonso Soriano did not play for the first time this season on Sunday vs. Tampa Bay. In his last eight games, he is 2-for-33.
In the midst of his best start of the season, Ramon Ortiz also flashed a little baserunning savvy. Ortiz scored from second base on a wild pitch during a bizarre sixth inning and was in control on the mound to help the Washington Nationals beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-2 Sunday. Ortiz reached second on a misplayed sacrifice attempt in the sixth. With Ortiz on second and Marlon Anderson on third with two outs, reliever Jon Switzer threw a wild pitch, which slowly bounded away from catcher Dioner Navarro. Navarro got the ball and flipped it behind his back to try to get Anderson, but the ball sailed over Switzer’s head. Ortiz alertly hurried around third and beat Navarro back to the plate for the Nationals’ final run.
Orlando Cabrera reached base safely in his 59th straight game Sunday for the longest such streak since 1960. He celebrated by stealing home for the first time he can remember.
Their dominating June led to a clean sweep of the AL monthly awards for the Twins. Joe Mauer was named player of the month, Johan Santana pitcher of the month and Liriano was named the top rookie, the first time in the five-year history of the award that all three players came from one team.
The Atlanta Braves placed reliever Chris Reitsma back on the disabled list with ulnar neuritis in his right arm. The team recalled pitcher Kevin Barry from Triple-A Richmond to fill Reitsma’s spot on the roster. Barry was demoted on Friday when Reitsma was activated.
Jeff Cirillo’s single in the sixth inning on Sunday in Minnesota was his 1,500th career hit. He finished the game 2-for-4.
John Lackey pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings and matched a career high with 10 strikeouts and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 Sunday. Lackey (6-5) scattered four hits before being relieved by Scot Shields with two outs and one on in the seventh. Lackey, who threw 108 pitches on a hot day, was taken out after issuing his only walk of the game.
Dodgers 1B Nomar Garciaparra, the NL batting leader, doubled in the ninth Sunday to extend his hitting streak to a season-high 14 games.
Francisco Liriano struck out a career-high 12 in eight innings in the Minnesota Twins’ 8-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, the Twins’ 10th victory in a row. Liriano (9-1) allowed just three hits and won his fifth straight start for the streaking Twins, who have won 20 of their last 22 and are enjoying their longest winning streak since 1985. Liriano was 1 1/2 years old when that happened. But the Twins’ latest surge coincided with the 22-year-old Dominican’s insertion into the starting rotation back on May 19. He faced the Brewers at Miller Park in his debut, and he’s only gotten better since giving up one run and two hits in five innings to win that one.
THT Stats
Runs and RBI’s are obviously situational in nature (it’s hard to rack up RBI’s unless men are on base), but they still tell you a lot about a batter. So let’s list the top 21 major league batters with 94 or more “Runs Produced,” which is simply runs plus RBI’s minus home runs (since home runs count as both runs and RBI’s). It’s said that Runs Produced was Lyndon Baines Johnson’s favorite baseball stat.
Player Team RP Ortiz D. BOS 107 Rodriguez A. NYA 105 Hafner T. CLE 105 Thome J. CHA 104 Pujols A. STL 103 Cabrera M. FLA 102 Abreu B. PHI 101 Reyes J. NYN 101 Beltran C. NYN 100 Ibanez R. SEA 100 Tejada M. BAL 99 Utley C. PHI 99 Wright D. NYN 99 Holliday M. COL 97 Jeter D. NYA 96 Jones A. ATL 95 Lopez J. SEA 95 Konerko P. CHA 94 Lee C. MIL 94 Cabrera O. LAA 94 Rolen S. STL 94
Access all of THT’s stats here…