Two big innings

The Dodgers scored four in the first, and it was enough to beat Cleveland, 4-3. A two-run double by James Loney and a two-run homer by Russell Martin proved too much for Cleveland to overcome. The Tribe did score three in the 3rd, but couldn't score again the rest of the way.

Fantasy Impact: Loney's bat is coming alive. He has a 10-game hitting streak, but only one home run in that span. Martin is probably the best all-around catcher in baseball. Interesting to note that Paul Byrd managed seven innings today, despite the four-run first. Chad Billingsley, who got the win, only pitched five innings. He's still a very good fantasy pitcher with an ERA that climbed to 3.64. He seems to be stumbling into bad luck more often than he actually struggles.

Lincecum lit up

How rare was Tim Linceum's horrendous day? Lincecum gave up five runs on six hits in five innings, ending up with a no-decision in an 11-10 loss at Kansas City. Lincecum suffered only his third non-quality start of the season, and it was just the second time Lincecum hadn't gone at least six innings (the last was a four-inning win on Opening Day).

Going back to his rookie season in 2007, this was the first time Lincecum gave up as many runs as innings pitched since last August.

Fantasy Impact: Lincecum's ERA jumped from 1.99 to 2.54 over just two starts. His BB/9 and H/9 are both down from last year, but his career ERA was 3.28 coming in, meaning there's a possibility he slides back toward that number. Lincecum's career does not provide enough of a sample size to project where he goes from here, but young pitchers who have success early are more likely to improve than veterans who pitch well for a few months.

Youkilis kills sweep

The Cardinals-Red Sox thriller went 13 innings with Kevin Youkilis hitting his second home run of the game, this time a two-run shot for a walk-off win.

There were a number of exciting plays and scoring chances in extra innings, especially for the Red Sox who had three good chances to win before the home run. The best shot was probably the first one. In the 10th inning with one out and Jacoby Ellsbury on third, Tony La Russa elected to pitch to J.D. Drew with right hander Kyle McClellan. Drew came in with a .331 average against righties and only needed a fly ball or well-placed grounder to win the game, but McClellan managed to strike him out on a full count. It was a gusty move, or a crazy one, by La Russa. With the Cardinals TV play by play guys cringing with every pitch, McClellan incredibly got out of the inning, but the Red Sox still find a way to avoid the sweep.

Big Tex -- from Baltimore -- Hotlanta

When Mark Teixeira was traded from the Rangers to the Braves last season, media speculated that the move would rejuvinate his hitting. He had played at Georgia Tech, so perhaps the familiar surroundings would bring him to life. It apparently worked. He hit four more home runs in Atlanta than he did in Arlington in 78 fewer at bats, totalling 30 for the year.

Today Big Tex snapped out of a funk that had plagued him even in his college town. With just 10 homers entering Sunday play as we near the halfway point of the season, Teixeira smacked three bombs against the Seattle Mariners in an 8-3 Braves victory. In the last two seasons Teixeira improved dramatically in the second half, leaving the Braves hope that he can provide another post all-star break streak.

While Teixeira's probably very much at home in Atlanta, and getting hot for the time being, there's at least some talk back in his native Baltimore of bringing the hometown boy a step closer to home. It's right here in this piece on Andy McPhail's job performance (which I linked at an earlier date).

Mark Teixeira's contract is due to expire at the end of this season, so a trade wouldn't have made sense. (The Orioles) need to flash some cash at the 28-year-old free agent this offseason.

Who knows if Teixeira remains in Atlanta after the season, but as long as he stays hot while the Braves stay in contention (they're a game below .500 now), there's little chance he's leaving the Peach State. If he does become a free agent, however, Baltimore could do far worse than bring Tex to the the Mid Atlantic for 2009.

Weaving a way over wayward Phils

Couldn't help but notice that Jeff Weaver outpitched Cole Hamels in Hamels' home park. Weaver's been shaky at times this year, and there's no margin for error in Philly against that lineup. Or is there? With a 3-2 loss, the Phillies drop their 5th straight. They've scored just nine runs in those losses, and even after forcing Weaver out in just 5.1 innings, they struggled some more with just two hits against three relievers.

If Florida wins in Oakland, the Mighty Marlins pull into a tie for first in the N.L. East with the floundering Phils.

What's in the Cards?

For a team expected to do no better than middle-of-the-pack in the N.L. Central, the St. Louis Cardinals are hanging with the big boys. Not only are they nipping at the heels of the Chicago Cubs, but Saturday the Cardinals became just the second club all year to win a series at Fenway Park. Now they're on their way to a sweep. Through 6 innings the Redbirds own a 2-0 lead. Joel Pineiro is throwing a 5-hitter, while unsung standouts Brian Barton and Ryan Ludwick each have an RBI.

Update: Kevin Youkilis just went yard as I finished typing this post. The lead is halved at 2-1. Youkilis with his 12th. At any moment the Bo Sox could force open the floodgates. That's what they do.

2nd Update: Problem for St. Louis: Rick Ankiel just fell down attempting to catch a routine fly ball. Bigger problem: Coco Crisp was the batter and used his wheels to stretch out a triple. He's on 3rd with no outs in the bottom of the 8th.

3rd Update: Brand new ballgame as Crisp scores on a sacrafice fly.

To Double-A, and beyond?

The Tampa Bay Rays moved David Price to Double-A today. Interesting, because a month of seasoning at that level could be enough to prepare him for a stretch run with the parent club. It took Price exactly six starts and one month to move from A-ball to Double-A, and while that doesn't mean he's going to breeze through the next level, he is on the fast track at this point. Tampa's not exactly long on experience at the MLB level, and Price is an experienced pitcher having thrown in the SEC at Vanderbilt.

Blue Jays until you're blue in the face

There's enough Blue Jays news from Saturday to last several postings, but I'm going to try to cram it all into one. First off, Shaun Marcum is on the DL with an elbow problem, and Adam Lind is finally back up. Cito Gaston says he wants to play Lind, so I'm wondering if his call-up is Gaston's call. From the MLB.com site:

"I'm going to play him," Gaston said. "This kid is having a great year down there and he's hit everywhere. I think he's one of the kids that's going to be a part of the future of this club. He's going to get a chance to play."

Gaston's got to give Lind a stab at left field, where the Jays have been terrible. Lind is only 1-19 with the big league club, but check out his Triple-A stats vs. the guys he'll be up against for the job:

Adam Lind: .328 AVG/.394 OBP/.534 SLG
Brad Wilkerson: .243/.332/.347
Matt Stairs: .255/.330/.411

You'd think Lind can at least compete with the veterans.

While Lind is the more notable call-up, the Jays also recalled Brandon League. He's a former 2nd-round draft pick who's never been called on to start in 72 big league outings. A quick look at his minor league numbers reveals that in 20 appearances this year he has zero starts. With the time it took the Yankees to "lengthen out" Joba Chamberlain it would seem impossible for the Blue Jays to insert League into their rotation. The wire story from the Canadian Press said Gaston hadn't decided on a replacement for Marcum in the rotation, appearing to leave open the possibility for League to be considered. If he hasn't started a game in the minors, however, that possibility would seem to be highly improbable.

Finally, Richard Griffin is more or less calling for Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi's head in an opinion piece in the Toronto Star.

Ricciardi is clearly feeling the heat of late. When he ripped into Adam Dunn on his own radio show three days ago as the result of a probing question from a fan, while at the same time questioning Jays fans on their baseball intelligence, Paul Godfrey was furious. The prez is the consummate politician and knows you don't bite the hands that feed you.

As for the incident with Dunn, the Reds outfielder and all of his friends and many others in the very close-knit players union will now have nothing to do with Ricciardi and the Jays into the future. It was tough enough to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox when Ricciardi wasn't perceived as a loose cannon and a foreigner.

If the Jays were ever seriously considering allowing Ricciardi to continue in his role, they aren't now. The word "clown," as used by Dunn in his description of the Jays GM, was devastating to an organization that has always prided itself on its dignity.

I'm surprised Ricciardi isn't gone already.

That's enough Toronto talk for a while.

Vlad swats two

Vladimir Guerrero smoked two homers on Saturday to bring his season total to 13. Two more bombs this month and Guerrero is on pace for 30 this season. His batting average nearing .300, it looks like he's on pace for a slightly off-year statistically, which this certainly has been. Angels beat the Phillies, 6-2.

Fantasy Impact: He's hitting well again. Somehow I have the feeling that he's going to hit more than 30 this year. Guerrero is one of the most consistently dominant hitters of his era.

Back to top

Bronx babes deliver

The matchup didn't jump off the sports page prior to the game, but Daryl Thompson vs. Dan Giese provided us a little baseball history on Saturday. They became the first pair of first-time starters at Yankee Stadium in over 80 years. The last time it happened was April 22, 1926. The ballpark had just turned three.

Today, each debutant delivered a remarkable performance. As the fill-in for injured Yankee Chien-Ming Wang, Giese's results remind us of Wang.

His stat line against the Reds: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER

Giese picked up the loss, and those three unearned runs were due to his own error.

The more fortunate pitcher in this game was the Reds' rookie, Thompson, who is yet another heralded prospect in the Cincinnati system. Thompson worked five innings and allowed eight base runners, but nobody scored. He threw 59 of his 96 pitchers for strikes, walking four in a no decision. Pretty decent when your first time out is in "The House that Ruth built."

Fantasy Impact: Not sure how long either of these guys lasts. Thompson got knocked around in the minors recently, but the Reds tried him after sending down Homer Bailey. The first moment Giese struggles, the Yankees will likely pull him for someone else. They're rumored to be in the pitcher market, especially with Wang out.

Back to top