THT Daily: Road Trips

Major League News for September 2

Yesterday’s Results
Today’s Games
Standings
Game of the Day
Top Minor League Performances
Player News
Stats

Yesterday’s Results

American League
TOR     5  BOS     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
MIN     6  NYA     1    (Recap and Boxscore)
SEA     4  TB      3    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAA     7  DET     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
CHA     5  KC      3    (Recap and Boxscore)
BAL     6  OAK     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
CLE     6  TEX     5    (Recap and Boxscore)

National League
PHI    16  ATL     4    (Recap and Boxscore)
ATL     4  PHI     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
WAS     4  ARI     3    (Recap and Boxscore)
WAS     7  ARI     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
SF      4  CHN     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
NYN     4  HOU     2    (Recap and Boxscore)
FLA     9  MIL     6    (Recap and Boxscore)
PIT     1  STL     0    (Recap and Boxscore)
LAN    14  COL     5    (Recap and Boxscore)
SD      7  CIN     1    (Recap and Boxscore)

Today’s Games

Visitors                          Home                             Starts
ARI - Webb B. (14-5, 3.02)        WAS - Armas T. (8-10, 5.28)        1:05
MIN - Garza M. (1-3, 5.06)        NYY - Rasner D. (0-0, 0.00)        1:05
SEA - Hernandez F. (11-12, 4.54)  TB - Stokes B. (0-0, -)            1:15
ATL - Cormier L. (2-4, 5.87)      PHI - Moyer J.* (1-1, 6.00)        1:35
CLE - Byrd P. (9-6, 4.74)         TEX - Millwood K. (13-9, 4.64)     2:05
FLA - Olsen S.* (11-7, 4.24)      MIL - Ohka T. (4-3, 4.40)          2:05
NYM - Hernandez O. (9-9, 5.29)    HOU - Oswalt R. (10-8, 3.25)       2:05
CWS - Garcia F. (13-8, 5.05)      KC - Redman M.* (8-8, 5.47)        2:10
PIT - Snell I. (12-8, 4.70)       STL - Reyes A. (4-6, 4.73)         2:15
SF - Schmidt J. (10-8, 3.37)      CHC - Guzman A. (0-4, 7.20)        2:20
BAL - Penn H. (0-0, -)            OAK - Loaiza E. (8-7, 4.82)        4:05
CIN - Milton E.* (8-7, 5.16)      SD - Wells D.* (0-0, -)            4:05
TOR - Chacin G.* (6-3, 5.90)      BOS - Beckett J. (14-9, 5.11)      4:05
COL - Kim B. (7-10, 5.49)         LAD - Sele A. (7-5, 4.11)          4:10
ATL - Hudson T. (11-10, 4.85)     PHI - Myers B. (10-6, 4.24)        5:05
LAA - Escobar K. (9-12, 3.79)     DET - Ledezma W.* (2-1, 2.27)      8:05

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     80  54 .597    0.0   78      2      
BOS     73  63 .537    8.0   69      4      
TOR     70  66 .515   11.0   71     -1      
BAL     61  74 .452   19.5   60      1      
TB      54  82 .397   27.0   55     -1      
American League Central
DET     84  52 .618    0.0   82      2      
CHA     79  56 .585    4.5   77      2      
MIN     78  56 .582    5.0   75      3      
CLE     65  69 .485   18.0   74     -9      
KC      50  87 .365   34.5   51     -1      
American League West
OAK     78  57 .578    0.0   72      6      
LAA     71  65 .522    7.5   70      1      
TEX     69  68 .504   10.0   72     -3      
SEA     64  71 .474   14.0   65     -1      

National League East         Pwins Diff
NYN     84  50 .627    0.0   79      5      
PHI     68  67 .504   16.5   70     -2      
FLA     67  68 .496   17.5   67      0      
ATL     64  70 .478   20.0   69     -5      
WAS     58  77 .430   26.5   57      1      
National League Central
STL     72  62 .537    0.0   68      4      
CIN     68  68 .500    5.0   65      3      
HOU     66  70 .485    7.0   68     -2      
MIL     62  74 .456   11.0   59      3      
CHN     55  80 .407   17.5   55      0      
PIT     54  82 .397   19.0   59     -5      
National League West
LAN     73  62 .541    0.0   74     -1      
SD      69  66 .511    4.0   69      0      
SF      67  69 .493    6.5   68     -1      
ARI     64  71 .474    9.0   65     -1      
COL     62  73 .459   11.0   66     -4      

Wildcard Standings
American League
CHA     79  56 .585    0.0
MIN     78  56 .582    0.5
BOS     73  63 .537    6.5
LAA     71  65 .522    8.5
TOR     70  66 .515    9.5
National League
SD      69  66 .511    0.0
PHI     68  67 .504    1.0
CIN     68  68 .500    1.5
FLA     67  68 .496    2.0
SF      67  69 .493    2.5

Game of the Day

The Nationals won both ends of a doubleheader with the Diamondbacks, even though they were losing both games entering the bottom of the ninth inning. The first game was the most dramatic, as Washington was behind 6-1 entering the bottom of the eighth. But the Nationals rallied to tie the game by the end of the ninth, then Ryan Zimmerman drew a bases-loaded walk from Brandon Lyon to score the winning run in the 11th.

Alfonso Soriano’s two-run home, which tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, also tied Vladimir Guerrerro’s franchise home run record. Chris Young, playing in only his ninth major league game, was Arizona’s star, going 3 for 5 with two doubles and five RBI’s.

ARIZONA (6) VS WASHINGTON (7) - FINAL IN 11 INNINGS  (1ST GAME)

ARIZONA                ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
C Young cf              5  0  3  5   0  0   1  .409
O Hudson 2b             6  0  1  0   0  1   4  .288
C Jackson 1b            4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .279
 b-C Counsell ph-3b     1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .269
E Byrnes lf             5  0  2  0   0  0   1  .279
J Estrada c             5  0  1  0   0  1   3  .303
C Quentin rf            4  1  1  1   0  2   3  .233
D Easley 3b-1b          3  3  1  0   0  0   3  .217
 c-C Tracy ph-1b        1  0  0  0   0  1   0  .277
S Drew ss               4  2  2  0   1  0   0  .325
M Batista p             1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .118
 a-T Clark ph           1  0  1  0   0  0   0  .200
 T Pena p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 J Julio p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 L Vizcaino p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 d-A Green ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .211
 B Lyon p               0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000

Totals                 41  6 13  6   1  5  17

a-singled to right for M Batista in the 8th;  b-fouled out to first for C 
Jackson in the 9th;  c-struck out swinging for D Easley in the 10th;  d-flied 
out to left for L Vizcaino in the 11th.

BATTING: 2B - E Byrnes (34, B Traber); C Young 2 (4, B Traber 2). HR - C 
Quentin (5, 8th inning off C Schroder 0 on, 1 Out). S - M Batista 2. SF - C 
Young. RBI - C Young 5 (8), C Quentin (20). 2-out RBI - C Young 2. Runners left 
in scoring position, 2 out - J Estrada 2, O Hudson 2, C Jackson 1. GIDP - D 
Easley. Team LOB - 8. 
 
BASERUNNING: CS - C Young (1, 2nd base by B Perez/B Schneider). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 1 (O Hudson-S Drew-C Jackson). 

WASHINGTON             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
A Soriano lf            5  1  1  2   1  2   0  .292
F Lopez ss              3  0  1  0   3  1   0  .276
R Zimmerman 3b          5  0  1  1   1  1   2  .283
N Johnson 1b            5  1  2  0   0  1   3  .289
 C Cordero p            0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
A Kearns rf             4  1  1  0   1  0   1  .261
R Church cf             4  2  1  3   1  2   2  .253
B Schneider c           4  0  0  0   1  2   2  .246
B Castro 2b             3  2  1  1   2  1   2  .250
B Traber p              1  0  0  0   0  1   1  .091
 C Booker p             0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 a-H Mateo ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .188
 B Perez p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 b-N Logan ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 C Schroder p           0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 J Rauch p              0  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
 c-R Fick ph-1b         1  0  0  0   0  1   1  .230

Totals                 37  7  8  7  10 12  14

a-flied out to center for C Booker in the 5th;  b-flied out to center for B 
Perez in the 7th;  c-struck out swinging for J Rauch in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - N Johnson (39, T Pena). HR - R Church (8, 8th inning off T Pena 2 
on, 2 Out), A Soriano (44, 9th inning off J Julio 1 on, 1 Out). S - R Fick. RBI 
- B Castro (3), R Church 3 (27), A Soriano 2 (86), R Zimmerman (90). 2-out RBI 
- B Castro, R Church 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - B Traber 1, B 
Castro 1. GIDP - N Johnson. Team LOB - 10. 
 
BASERUNNING: SB - R Church (6, 2nd base off M Batista/J Estrada), B Castro 
(3, 2nd base off M Batista/J Estrada). 
 
FIELDING: DP: 1 (R Zimmerman-B Castro-N Johnson). 

----------------------------------------------------
    ARIZONA         - 020 200 020 00  --   6
    WASHINGTON      - 010 000 032 01  --   7

One out when winning run scored.
----------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
M Batista                     7       5   1   1   3   5   0   4.34
T Pena                        1       2   3   3   1   3   1   5.40
J Julio (B, 4)                  1/3   1   2   2   2   1   1   4.58
L Vizcaino                    1 2/3   0   0   0   0   3   0   3.32
B Lyon (L, 2-4)                 1/3   0   1   1   4   0   0   3.84

WASHINGTON                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
B Traber                      4      10   4   4   0   1   0   7.36
C Booker                      1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
B Perez                       2       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
C Schroder                    1       2   2   2   1   1   1   4.96
J Rauch                       1       0   0   0   0   0   0   3.23
C Cordero (W, 6-4)            2       0   0   0   0   2   0   3.08

B Traber pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.


IBB - A Soriano (by B Lyon). HBP - C Quentin (by B Traber); D Easley (by C 
Schroder). Pitches-strikes: M Batista 104-63; T Pena 28-17; J Julio 18-8; L 
Vizcaino 27-16; B Lyon 23-7; B Traber 69-45; C Booker 7-5; B Perez 21-13; C 
Schroder 35-19; J Rauch 9-5; C Cordero 19-13. Ground balls-fly balls: M Batista 
10-6; T Pena 0-0; J Julio 0-0; L Vizcaino 1-1; B Lyon 1-0; B Traber 5-6; C 
Booker 2-0; B Perez 3-2; C Schroder 0-2; J Rauch 1-2; C Cordero 1-3. Batters 
faced: M Batista 28; T Pena 6; J Julio 4; L Vizcaino 5; B Lyon 5; B Traber 23; 
C Booker 2; B Perez 6; C Schroder 7; J Rauch 3; C Cordero 6. 
 
UMPIRES: HP--Mark Carlson. 1B--Scott  Barry. 2B--C.B. Bucknor. 3B--Kevin  
Causey. 

T--3:37.
Weather: 71 degrees, rain. Wind: 5 mph, in from right.

The following graph tracks the game’s Win Probability, courtesy of Fan Graphs.

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 AAA Corky Miller       1B  4  3  0  0  1  0  1  4 RBI
CHC AAA Buck Coats         RF  4  3  0  0  1  1  0   
CLE A+  Rodney Choy Foo    3B  3  2  0  0  2  3  1  3 runs scored
COL AAA Josh Wilson        SS  4  3  0  0  1  0  0   
NYY A+  P.J. Pilittere      C  2  2  0  0  1  1  0  .52 OBP during past week
OAK AA  Matthew Allegra    CF  4  4  2  0  0  0  0  3 runs scored
OAK AA  Landon Powell       C  4  3  0  0  1  0  1   
OAK A-  Jermaine Mitchell  CF  5  4  3  0  1  0  1   
SEA A-  Ogui Diaz          SS  4  4  1  0  0  0  0   
STL A   Chad Gabriel       LF  4  3  0  1  1  0  0  3 runs scored
 
ORG LVL PLAYER             IP   H  R ER SO BB HR  Notes
BOS AAA Charlie Zink       7.0  3  0  0  4  0  0   
BOS AA  Thomas Hottovy     7.0  2  0  0  6  1  0   
LA  AAA D.J. Houlton       9.0  5  0  0  7  1  0   
MIN AA  Colby Miller       9.0  2  0  0  7  1  0   
NYY AA  Matt Childers      7.0  4  0  0  7  1  0   
NYY AA  Tyler Clippard     7.0  2  0  0  8  1  0  47 K over last 38 IP
PHI AA  Allen Davis        8.0  5  0  0  8  1  0   
TB  A-  Matthew Falk       7.0  2  0  0  5  1  0   
TOR AA  Kyle Yates         7.0  2  0  0  5  4  0   

Player News

Player news items are provided by CBS SportsLine.com.

According to Elias, Jake Peavy brought a 2-11 record in games following Padres’ losses into Saturday night’s game against the Reds, who had defeated San Diego the previous night. So, what happened? Peavy threw a masterpiece: a complete-game victory, with 14 strikeouts, allowing only two hits.

Barry Bonds hit his 728th career homer Saturday, connecting in the fourth inning off Sean Marshall of the Chicago Cubs. The 42-year-old San Francisco Giants slugger is now 27 homers shy of tying career leader Hank Aaron (755).

Carlos Beltran injured his knee when he crashed into the right field wall when making a catch on a long fly in the ninth inning against the Astros Saturday. He made the throw and then went down to the ground.

Back pain sent the 22-year-old Jon Lester on the disabled list Monday, and tests discovered enlarged lymph nodes. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list Saturday.

The Dodgers boosted to their league-leading batting average with runners in scoring position to .290 in their 14-5 win over the Rockies. The Dodgers last led the National League in that category in 1988, the year of their last World Series appearance (and championship).

The Pirates prevailed in an improbable low-scoring game involving starters with ERAs of 7.88 (Shawn Chacon) and 5.92 (Jeff Weaver).

Salomon Torres’ first save of the year was far from routine. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ reliever escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth inning then got Albert Pujols to ground out with a man on for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night. He worked the final two innings because closer Mike Gonzalez is on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow injury. “Those two innings, it has to be the best performance of this year for myself,” Torres said. “I felt in total control of all my pitches and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I just executed it.”

How many times have you seen it? A lefty reliever is brought in to face a lefty batter in the ninth inning, protecting a one-run lead, and that batter hits a go-ahead home run? That’s what Adam LaRoche did against Arthur Rhodes in the Braves’ 4-3 win at Philadelphia.

But actually, to answer the question, had you watched every major-league game over the past 20 years, you would have seen that happen exactly twice (prior to LaRoche). In 2003, Scott Podsednik, then with the Brewers, rehearsed for his 2005 World Series heroics by greeting Pittsburgh lefty Joe Beimel with a three-run homer that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead (and eventual victory); and in 1987, Seattle’s Alvin Davis greeted Detroit’s Guillermo Hernandez with a two-run blast that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead (and eventual victory). (Source: Elias).

Jon Lieber pitched eight solid innings. He allowed just two runs on eight hits, but did not factor in the final decsision.

Chase Utley hit two homers in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday vs. Atlanta.

Oscar Villarreal allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings Saturday at Philadelphia in his fourth straight start after pitching in relief most of the season.

Florida’s Josh Johnson, who defeated Ben Sheets in his previous start five days ago, struggled to find the strike zone at Milwaukee Saturday. Johnson was leading the majors in ERA coming into the start, but it rose to 2.99 after he allowed four runs. He now trails Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter.

Brewers starter Ben Sheets dominated the Marlins early Saturday. He allowed four hits and struck out eight, while allowing three earned runs in a no decision.

Cleveland’s Tom Mastny pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances despite allowing a run.

Justin Verlander got a no-decision against the Angels Saturday despite pitching seven shutout innings for Detroit. Verlander, who threw a career-high 126 pitches, allowed four hits and four walks while striking out six.

Angels starter Joe Saunders pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run and five hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Vlad Guerrero went 4-for-6 with an RBI at Detroit Saturday.

Livan Hernandez (10-12) allowed four earned runs on 11 hits in 7 2/3 innings at Washington Saturday. He was traded from the Nationals to Arizona on Aug. 7.

Scott Mathieson left Saturday’s game at Philadelphia with a strained right elbow following one pitch to the second batter he faced. Eude Brito (1-2) allowed two runs and four hits in four innings of relief after Mathieson came out. Brito surrendered a two-run homer to Chipper Jones in the first inning, but settled down.

Pete Orr started for 2B Marcus Giles at Philadelphia Saturday, who missed both games because he was feeling ill.

Mike Lieberthal homered and drove in four runs, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 16-4 to gain a split of their day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

Delmon Young homered against Seattle Saturday. He went 1-for-4 while hitting second in the lineup behind Rocco Baldelli and in front of Carl Crawford.

J.J. Putz pitched two innings at Tampa Bay Saturday to earn his 29th save. Putz gave up a two-out solo homer to Ben Zobrist in the ninth.

Mark Buehrle pitched six solid innings to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 Saturday night. Buehrle improved to 3-1 in his last four starts after going 0-6 with two no-decisions in his previous eight outings. Buehrle (12-11) gave up three runs and nine hits in six innings, while walking one and striking out three.

Bobby Jenks struck out the side in the ninth at Kansas City Saturday for his major league-leading 39th save in 41 opportunities.

Cliff Floyd had a double and two RBI in his return from the disabled list at Houston Saturday. Floyd, activated from the 15-day DL before the game, had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the ninth to help the Mets to their 13th win in the last 15 games. John Maine (5-3) pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up just two hits, but they were both home runs, and struck out three at Houston Saturday.

Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw in the majors at the White Sox only hours after the Cleveland Indians purchased his contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. “He’s hit everywhere he’s been,” manager Eric Wedge said. “We’ll try to get him in there at first and at third. He’s a third baseman by trade. Today we’ve got a chance to get him in the lineup at DH.”

Dan Haren (12-11) lost his second straight start after winning his previous six. He matched his season low with five innings, allowing five runs and six hits. He struck out three and walked one. “The early innings have given me trouble,” Haren said. “I don’t know if it’s a focus thing, or something physical or mental. I’m going to take a look at it.”

San Francisco starter Matt Cain (11-9) was perfect in the first four innings and the only run he allowed was unearned at the Cubs Saturday. He yielded four hits, walked two and struck out seven in 7 2/3 innings.

Frank Thomas hit his 30th homer Saturday against the Orioles.

Sean Marshall (5-9), who just came off the disabled list Friday (strained oblique muscle) and was making his first start since July 22, gave up five hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Giants Saturday.

Scott Baker shut down New York’s loaded lineup for the second time this season Saturday, pitching the Twins to only their second victory in their past 14 games at Yankee Stadium. Recalled from the minors Friday, Baker (4-7) allowed only two hits in five innings for his first big league win since July 17 against Tampa Bay. He walked three and struck out four. He also beat Mike Mussina and the Yankees 5-1 on April 14 in Minnesota, yielding just three hits in seven innings. This time, he defeated rookie Jeff Karstens (1-1) in a matchup of 23-year-old right-handers.

Gusting winds wreaked havoc with popups and fly balls all day in Saturday’s rain shortened game between the Yankees and Twins at Yankee Stadium, but the heavy residual rain that was expected from Tropical Storm Ernesto held off until the late innings. Alex Rodriguez made solid contact on a shot to center in the fourth, but the wind knocked it down and turned it into a routine fly for Torii Hunter, who mouthed “Wow!” after making the catch. A-Rod shook his head in disbelief and smiled as he rounded first.

A.J. Burnett pitched a three-hit complete game to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Francisco Liriano came through a 12-minute bullpen session pain-free Saturday. The rookie left-hander, on the disabled list since Aug. 8 with a strained ligament in his pitching arm, threw all his pitches off a mound at Yankee Stadium and felt no discomfort. “He let it fly,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. Liriano, who wore spikes during the session, is slated to throw batting practice Wednesday at Tampa Bay and could go to Triple-A Rochester for a rehabilitation assignment after that.

Philadelphia Phillies closer Tom Gordon pitched two scoreless innings in his final rehab start for Class A Clearwater on Saturday. Gordon, who has been on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder, allowed one hit to Dunedin and struck out two. He threw 22 strikes out of his 26 pitches. “Thank God, everything is ahead of schedule,” said Gordon of his right shoulder. “Today I really expected good things and I felt like every pitch I threw out there I had a purpose and knew where it was going. Today I wasn’t forcing pitches, I had an idea where they were going and where I wanted them to be. I was in that zone.”

Mariano Rivera’s stiff elbow will keep the Yankees’ star closer off the mound all weekend. Manager Joe Torre said Saturday that Rivera would not pitch during the final two games of his team’s series against the Minnesota Twins so he can rest his right arm. “I’m just going to shut him down for a few days. Let’s see if a few days off will help, try and relieve some of the discomfort,” Torre said. “It doesn’t feel normal. We’ll see Monday when we get to Kansas City where we’re at.”

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz returned to Fenway Park, confident that wearing a heart monitor for a few days will hasten his return to the lineup. Ortiz held a press conference with team physician Thomas Gill before Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “The most important thing right now is that I have no problem with my heart,” Ortiz said. “The doctors told me ‘Your heart is fine. We’re just going to keep tracking.”‘

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon hopes to return in a week after walking off the mound with a muscle strain in his right shoulder on Friday night. Papelbon, attempting his 36th save of the season, felt a burning sensation in his shoulder during the 2-1 win over Toronto. He expects to have an MRI Monday. “Best case scenario, I’ll be back in five, six or seven days,” he said Saturday ahead of the game against the Blue Jays. “It just feels weak and fatigued. I’m going to try and stay positive, hopefully I can pitch in a week or so.”

Blue Jays called up RHP Dustin McGowan from Triple-A Syracuse before Saturday’s game.

The Yankees activated backup infielder Andy Phillips from the 15-day disabled list. Phillips had been sidelined since Aug. 17, when he strained a left rib muscle against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Detroit Tigers recalled Chris Shelton from Triple-A Toledo on Saturday to serve as an emergency catcher. Shelton hit .326 with a team-record 19 extra-base hits in April, including 10 homers, helping Detroit to a 16-9 record. His batting average had slid down to .277 by the time he was sent down on July 31 to make room for newly acquired Sean Casey. He hit only six homers after April 30. Shelton hit just .266 in 28 games for Toledo and was not called up when rosters expanded to 40 players on Friday.

RHP Todd Coffey’s 18 appearances in August were the most by a Reds pitcher in any month since RHP Wayne Granger pitched in 20 games in September 1969. Also that year, Granger set the club record for appearances with 90.

The Rockies called up INF Vinny Castilla from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday, and he joined the team in Los Angeles for the start of a three-game series against the Dodgers. The 39-year-old Castilla rejoined the Rockies by signing a minor league contract on Aug. 14.

OF Nick Markakis hit 10 home runs in August, the most by an Orioles rookie in a month. He’s hitting .405 (30-for-74) his last 19 games. “He deserves consideration for (rookie of the year) especially if he has another month like August,” Manager Sam Perlozzo said. “He was sort of off everybody’s radar until August.”

RHP Winston Abreu, RHP Julio Manon and OF Jeff Fiorentino were added to Baltimore’s roster for Friday night’s game. RHP Hayden Penn will be recalled to start Sunday’s game and RHP Chris Britton will be called up and join the team for Monday’s game against the Angels.

Oakland added LHP Ron Flores, OF Hiram Bocachica, and C Jeremy Brown to the roster. Flores and Brown made previous appearances this season though Brown has yet to appear in a major league game. Bocachica spent parts of the past six seasons in the majors.

The New York Post reports that the Mets called up Royce Ring and Heath Bell before Friday’s game at Houston.

Gary Sheffield (wrist) was so encouraged by the progress of his wrist that he said he expects to be cleared to begin full workouts next Friday. “I feel rejuvenated,” he said. “I’m going to play three more years and then I’m going to call it quits.”

THT Stats

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