MLB FanHouse

What Does Billy Beane Know That We Don't?

Tom Fornelli — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:43:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Transactions

When I first found out yesterday that the Oakland Athletics had traded Rich Harden to the Cubs, my first reaction was "Why?" I didn't even know who Oakland had gotten in return from the Cubs, and already the deal didn't make that much sense to me. Then I heard who the A's got, and the deal made even less sense to me.

Don't get me wrong, I think Matt Murton has the potential to flourish in Oakland as he's finally found an organization that can appreciate what he's capable of (Matt has struggled this season, but does still have a career OPS of .810 without ever getting regular playing time), and Sean Gallagher could end up being a very effective pitcher for the Athletics. Eric Patterson is probably just an insurance plan should Mark Ellis not re-sign with the team after the season, as the A's are pretty thin at second base in the minors, and I don't know anything about John Donaldson.

But why now, Billy Beane? Why pull the trigger on this deal when your team is only five games out of first place in the AL West, and only 3.5 behind Boston for the wild card? There is no way that Beane can honestly think his team has a better shot at making the playoffs this season without Rich Harden.

Yet, while on the surface this deal makes absolutely no sense to me, I also realize that Beane knows what he's doing and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's just tired of being held hostage by Harden's injury history and is tired of having to build a team around a pitcher who may or may not be available at any given time. If you look at Beane's history of letting his pitchers go, he seems to have great timing, as Mark Mulder and Barry Zito have never been the same since leaving the bay area.

It's still way too early to tell if this was a mistake or not, but I have to say, at the moment I don't think this was one of Beane's finest moment.

What Does Billy Beane Know That We Don't? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NL Central Arms Race: Cubs Get Rich Harden

Matt Watson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:41:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Oakland, Athletics, Cubs, AL West, NL Central, Breaking News, The Word, MLB Transactions

Just days after the Brewers made a splash by trading for CC Sabathia, the Cubs countered by acquiring an ace of their own, picking up Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the A's in exchange for Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, Matt Murton, minor leaguer Josh Donaldson and ... wait, that's it? Whoa. Advantage: Cubs.

Harden is obviously a huge injury risk, but no one can dispute that he's one of the most dominant pitchers in the game when healthy. In 13 starts he's been one of the best in the AL this year, posting a 2.34 ERA (1.14 WHIP) while averaging better than 10.7 strikeouts per nine.

And while Gaudin is clearly an afterthought, he's not all that bad himself, capable of eating innings from the bullpen or starting rotation.

What did it cost Chicago? Some intriguing prospects, sure, but absolutely nothing in terms of players capable of helping the Cubs win today.

Gallagher has more strikeouts than innings pitched over his minor league career, but the 22-year-old is still battling consistency on the big league level. Same story for Patterson, who's been able to rake minor league pitchers but has struggled in the majors (and at 25 years old, his time is running out).

Murton has never been fully appreciated for the Cubs, and he didn't give them any reason to in limited duty in The Show this year. Donaldson, the team's second-round pick from 2007, has upside, but he was hitting just .217 at Double-A Peoria this year and was blocked long-term by Geovany Soto.

In other words, if Harden goes on the DL tomorrow, they're no worse off than they were a week ago, at least looking at the short term. And if Harden stays healthy, well, it just might guarantee a division title.

Previously on FanHouse:
The Cubs Want Rich Harden
Can Anyone Answer Brewers Blockbuster?

NL Central Arms Race: Cubs Get Rich Harden originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Justin Duchscherer Would Like a New Deal

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Rumors

Oakland Athletics pitcher Justin Duchscherer had always been a valuable player for the A's coming out of the bullpen, even making the All Star team in 2005 as it's lone representative, but now that he's made the transition to starting he'd like to cash in on some of that value. Justin leads all of baseball with his 1.96 ERA, and his pitching this season is a big reason why the A's are so successful this season.

So, if you're reading, Billy Beane, your boy would like to talk new contract.

"I mentioned to my agent (Dan Horwits) that I'd like him to talk to Billy," Duchscherer said. "I like it in Oakland. I'd like to stay here. It's not up to me, but I would like to get three years."

It's hard to blame Duchscherer for wanting a new deal at this point. He's 30 years old now, and has been playing professional baseball since he was 18 and he's never had a contract longer than a year. I'm sure some security would be nice for him.

Justin also pointed out that 16-year old Michael Inoa--recently signed by Oakland--has already made more money in his signing bonus than Justin has in his entire career. Beane has been told of Duchscherer's desire to talk deal, and said that if he continues to pitch like he has so far then "it's probably something we could pursue."

Justin Duchscherer Would Like a New Deal originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did the A's Sign Michael Inoa Early?

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:21:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Gossip, MLB Transactions

In recent weeks there had been plenty of teams who were interested in the services of 16-year old Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa. The 6'7 prospect has had scout salivating for a while now, and organizations were lining up for the chance to add him to their team. Well, when it was all said and done and Inoa was allowed to sign with somebody, he ended up choosing the Oakland Athletics.

As details came out about the signing, other teams (like the Rangers and Reds) found out that even though they offered Inoa more money, he still chose the Athletics over them. This didn't make sense to these other teams, so in their minds, the only logical explanation is that Oakland cheated and signed Inoa before the deadline. Now it looks like MLB will be taking a look into the deal.

Adam Katz, Inoa's agent, would not discuss the offer from Texas (or a reportedly larger offer from Cincinnati), but he said the A's did not sign Inoa until the 12:01 a.m. EDT deadline Wednesday.

"There was no contract before the deadline," Katz told The Chronicle on Sunday. "Absolutely not. Billy (Beane) and the team followed all the rules carefully. Billy and I were both very aware how high profile (Inoa) is."

Personally, I don't think Oakland did anything wrong here. I mean, maybe Inoa and his agent chose a smaller offer from the A's because they've seen the success Oakland has had in developing young pitchers. You know, guys like Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito (he used to be good Giants fans, I swear), Dan Haren, and now Rich Harden and Justin Duchscherer.

Needless to say, the Rangers and Reds don't have the same kind of history. Well, the Rangers can develop good pitching, they just trade it all away before it's ready for the bigs. Just ask John Danks and Edinson Volquez.

Did the A's Sign Michael Inoa Early? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Cubs Want Rich Harden

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:50:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Oakland, Athletics, Cubs, MLB Rumors

So now that the Brewers have traded for C.C. Sabathia, one has to wonder what move, if any, the Chicago Cubs are going to make to counter it. After all, a top of the rotation that features Ben Sheets and Sabathia is quite formidable, and the Brewers are currently constructed are more than capable of making up the 3.5 game gap between themselves and the top of the division.

So what are the Cubs going to do to answer Milwaukee's challenge? Word out of Chicago is that general manager Jim Hendry has been talking to Billy Beane a lot lately, and the topic of their conversation is not the weather, but rather what it would take to get Rich Harden in a Cubs uniform.

While this move would make a lot of sense for the Cubs if they could pull it off, I wouldn't exactly plan on seeing it happen anytime soon. First of all, Beane has showed us in his recent deals for Dan Haren and Nick Swisher that if you want one of his top players, you better have a truckload of prospects to send back his way. I'm not sure the Cubs have enough players who would qualify as somebody Beane would be interested in taking.

Then there's the fact that while Harden was on the block at the beginning of the season, that was because everybody expected the A's to suck this season, including Billy Beane. The fact that they're only six games out of first place right now will probably cause Beane to hold off on pulling the trigger on this deal. Though if Oakland falls out of it by the trading deadline, then all bets are off.

The Cubs Want Rich Harden originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eric Chavez's Shoulder Still Hurts

Tom Fornelli — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:38:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Injuries

Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez missed the first two months of the 2008 season thanks to surgery he had on his shoulder last November, and now after playing in 23 games for the A's, Chavez's shoulder has put him back on the disabled list.

"It's frustrating," said Chavez. "I just want to get to the point where I can get out there and know I can be a productive player, and right now I'm not."

In the press release announcing the Chavez move, the A's said his right shoulder surgery in November 2007 was "to repair a torn labrum." Chavez, 30, said the surgery "didn't fix anything."

"They just went in and cleaned it up. Nothing was repaired."

The signs that Eric was going to be placed back on the DL have been apparent since the weekend when Chavez sat out the A's entire series against the Giants. He played in the first two games of the Angels series, but did so as a designated hitter since hitting doesn't hurt his shoulder nearly as much as throwing.

Whether or not Chavez is going to need to undergo another surgery isn't known yet, but he did undergo an MRI on it earlier today. Obviously, if he has to go back under the knife, his 2008 campaign is over. The team has called up first baseman Wes Bankston from Sacramento to take Eric's place on the roster.

Eric Chavez's Shoulder Still Hurts originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bonus Baby: A's Give 16-Year Old Michel Inoa $4.25 Million Contract

Josh Alper — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:20:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Biz

The Oakland A's have been known for many things in the Billy Beane era, chief among them their distaste for spending big money on players. That appears to have changed with the news that they've agreed to a deal with 16-year old Dominican pitcher Michel Inoa. When the international signing period opens on Wednesday, they're expected to announce that they've given him a record $4.25 million signing bonus to join the Oakland organization.

The A's had never spent more than $350,000 on an international player before but Inoa is 6'7", 210 pounds, throws in the 90s and is described as rather polished for such a young pitcher. That's enough to get you a record bonus but don't presume that he's a future star. The previous record bonuses went to Willy Mo Pena and Joel Guzman. The former is a marginal pro while Guzman has a 689 OPS at Tampa's AAA affiliate. The previous record for a pitcher was Ricardo Aramboles, who pitched 10 games above A ball.

The deal doesn't come without a bit of controversy. Baseball America reports that Inoa's Dominican buscon, scout essentially, had agreed to a $2.7 million deal with the Yankees but U.S. agent Adam Katz was brought into the deal and upped the price. The Yankees pulled out of bidding after Katz reneged on their agreement, leaving the somewhat unlikely trip of the A's, Rangers and Reds to duke it out.

Bonus Baby: A's Give 16-Year Old Michel Inoa $4.25 Million Contract originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Subway Santana

Mullet — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Minnesota, New York, Oakland, Yankees, Twins, Athletics, Mets, Brewers, Giants, San Francisco, Milwaukee

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

New York Yankees (43-37) at New York Mets (39-40) - 3:55 PM ET

Now that the dual stadium doubleheader is done, the Yankees and Mets can go back to the normal over-hype that the Subway Series entails, and not have to worry about the added pressure of police escorts between stadiums and such. But here's some worry: Johan Santana, who matches up with Andy Pettitte today, is 7-6 with a batting average against of .249, and a WHIP of 1.22. Not bad. But consider that Santana has never had a half a season, whether it be before the all-star break or after it, where his BAA and WHIP have been nearly that high. So even by Santana's first half standards, it's been an off half-year for Johan. Stuck near .500 after 79 games, the Mets could use the second half Santana to make an appearance at Shea today.

Milwaukee Brewers (43-36) at Minnesota Twins (44-36) - 7:10 PM ET

Santana's old team, the Twinkies, are on one of their famous rolls where nobody really knows how they're doing it, but they're doing it. Minny's tenth straight victory last night against Milwaukee put the White Sox squarely in the cross hairs, as the Twins are now only a half game behind Chicago for the division lead. The first nine wins of the streak came against two last place teams (Washington and San Diego) and a slumping first place team (the .500 Diamondbacks), but hey, ten in a row is ten in a row.

San Francisco Giants (34-46) at Oakland Athletics (44-35) - 9:05 PM ET

The Athletics have been dominant in this geographical interleague rivalry. Last night was the seventh straight win for Oakland in this matchup. They've also won ten of the last 11, and 15 of 19. If the Giants are going to break the hex, tonight's the night with Tim Lincecum (8-1, 2.54) on the mound. But going against Justin Duchscherer (8-4, 1.99) isn't going to be a picnic for the Giants either. Duchscherer not only has given up only five runs in his last 29 and 1/3 innings, he's also been getting a ton of run support in those four starts. A mere bushel full of runs is usually enough for any pitcher.

Everyone else:

Braves at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Cubs at White Sox 3:55 ET
Reds at Indians 7:05 ET
Rays at Pirates 7:05 ET
Red Sox at Astros 7:05 ET
Rockies at Tigers 7:05 ET
Diamondbacks at Marlins 7:10 ET
Cardinals at Royals 7:10 ET
Orioles at Nationals 7:10 ET
Phillies at Rangers 8:05 ET
Mariners at Padres 10:05 ET
Angels at Dodgers 10:10 ET

On Deck: Subway Santana originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Ellis Would Like to Stay in Oakland

Tom Fornelli — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:23:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Gossip

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis is slated to become a free agent after this season since he's in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with Oakland back in 2006. He's never been the type of player to carry a team or anything, but generally, he's the type of player any GM would have as their second baseman.

I mean, he's no Chase Utley or anything, but he gives you solid offensive production and has one of the best gloves of any second sacker in the game today. Odds are that if he were to hit the market this off-season, he could pull in anywhere from $6-$10 million a season from a team that sees him as a nice alternative to Orlando Hudson (who should be the most sought after free agent second baseman this winter).

Unfortunately for anybody who was hoping to sign him, it doesn't look like he's going to be available.

Ellis is in the final year of a three-year contract, and he isn't all that interested in leaving Oakland, so he's encouraged that his agent, Jamie Murphy, recently started talking with A's assistant general manager David Forst about an extension.

"It's only been a couple of conversations, so we'll see where it goes from there," Ellis told MLB.com on Wednesday before the second game of a three-game Interleague series against the visiting Phillies at McAfee Coliseum. "But it's nice we're talking."

The Athletics are just as interested in keeping Ellis around as well, because even though they just drafted second baseman Jemile Weeks in the first round of the draft, the team could move him to the outfield. After Weeks, the A's don't have any other real prospects at second, so keeping Ellis would be ideal.

Mark Ellis Would Like to Stay in Oakland originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Oakland A's Wouldn't Mind Getting Paid

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:24:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Oakland, Red Sox, Athletics, MLB Biz

Remember all those moons ago when the baseball season kicked off in Japan? The Red Sox and Athletics played that two game series a week before the regular season started for everybody else, the Japanese crowds loved it, and the baseball players begrudgingly went along. It was all peaches and cream!

Well, not exactly. After all, the whole thing was nearly cancelled when the Red Sox refused to make the trip if their coaching staff wasn't paid the same $40,000 that every player on both the teams were supposed to get for playing in the series. Thankfully, the whole thing was resolved, and the games were played.

There's still one tiny problem, though, because according to Oakland's Huston Street, the A's still haven't gotten paid yet.

Street, the team's player representative, said he was told by an official in his most-recent conversation with the major-league office that the checks won't be issued until the beginning of July. The players were under the impression that the money would arrive months sooner, and Street even recruited help from the A's brass to expedite a response from MLB.

"When you're talking about thousands of dollars, the guys expect me to know what's going on, and I take a lot of pride in it," Street said. "I'm sure it's frustrating for a guy who isn't in the majors anymore and is waiting on the check, instead of a guy who is in my (financial) position."

Nobody on the Red Sox has said anything on the subject, so I'm not sure whether they've been paid or not, but I'm guessing they're in the same boat. If not, well, then Bud Selig would have some serious explaining to do.

I'm sure Bud has a pretty good reason for not paying the players yet, though, as he probably found a really good deal on some baby blood and he had to dip into the MLB coffers for it. That stuff is expensive you know, but oh so sweet.

The Oakland A's Wouldn't Mind Getting Paid originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Rats Lifting Weights in Chicago

Mullet — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Chicago, Miami, Oakland, Red Sox, White Sox, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Cardinals, St. Louis

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Chicago White Sox (41-32) at Chicago Cubs (46-28) - 1:05 PM ET

Friday was the first time that both Chicago's baseball teams entered a series against each other in first place. The initial game did not disappoint, with Aramis Ramirez smacking two home runs, including the walk off extravaganza in the ninth to win the game for the Cubs. But the Cubs have more surprises for the White Sox. Before the game yesterday, Ozzie Guillen took another shot at Wrigley Field, saying that under the right field bleachers, there are "rats out there are lifting weights" while the assembled media laughed. Little does Guillen know that Lou Piniella is thinking about using a couple of those rats in key pinch hitting situations today. Then ... who will be laughing?

St. Louis Cardinals (43-32) at Boston Red Sox (46-30) - 3:55 PM ET

Daisuke Matsuzaka returns today for the Red Sox ... and not a moment too soon as his return from the disabled list comes one day after Curt Schilling announced he was done for the year, and just days after Bartolo Colon went on the disabled list from trying to swing like Babe Ruth. But it's not like they've missed Dice-K all that much ... the Sox were 14-7 without Matsuzaka on the roster, and Colon was 4-2 this season while helping fill in. Also, the Sox gained two games on Tampa while Dice-K was on the shelf. So as good as Tampa's been playing lately (and having just swept the Cubs I'd say they're doing all right), they're still looking up at Boston even through their injuries. Scary.

Florida Marlins (39-34) at Oakland Athletics (40-33) - 9:05 PM ET

During Friday night's extra inning Oakland win, the A's announcers were raving about the Marlins lineup ... especially middle infielders Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla (Uggla hit two dingers including a game tying shot off of Huston Street in the ninth). Here's the dirty little secret about the Marlins: although they lead the league in HR's and are seventh in RBI, they're also near the bottom of the league in batting average and on base percentage. An incredible 48% of their runs have come as a result of home runs. That's an incredible pace to keep up for a team who's hitters also lead baseball in strikeouts. If the home runs run dry, there will be trouble.

Everyone else:

Reds at Yankees 1:05 ET
Indians at Dodgers 3:55 ET
Astros at Rays 6:10 ET
Blue Jays at Pirates 7:05 ET
Orioles at Brewers 7:05 ET
Angels at Phillies 7:05 ET
Rangers at Nationals 7:10 ET
Giants at Royals 7:10 ET
Diamondbacks at Twins 7:10 ET
Mariners at Braves 7:10 ET
Mets at Rockies 8:05 ET
Tigers at Padres 10:10 ET

On Deck: Rats Lifting Weights in Chicago originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Still Relevant in Florida

Mullet — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Miami, Oakland, Orioles, Rays, Athletics, Marlins, Pirates, Giants, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Tampa Bay

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Florida Marlins (36-31) at Tampa Bay Rays (39-28) - 6:10 PM ET

All right, so I'm having a conversation today with a buddy of mine and we're discussing the fact that it's June 14th, and both the Marlins and Rays are still relevant in the conversation of baseball. I'm sure that neither of these teams are content with just being in the hunt in mid-June. But the question is, are either of these teams capable of being in the race all the way through? Could both teams be there at the end? Regardless of what your feeling is on this, it will be fun to see a Florida interleague game with some juice ... even though both the Marlins and the Rays have more intense rivalries out there.

P.S. If I had to choose one team there at the end, my money's on the Rays. But that's if you put a gun to my head.

Oakland Athletics (36-31) at San Francisco Giants (30-38) - 9:05 PM ET

One team was supposed to be too young ... the other: way too old. But while we're on the subject of relevance, the fact that this was supposed to be a rebuilding season for Oakland and they're 36-31 is cool enough. But I'm more impressed by the fact that the Giants aren't nearly as putrid as I thought they were going to be. Even though they're 30-38, there seems to be some hope around the corner for the Giants thanks to, among other things, Tim Lincecum pitching like the prospect he once was, and Aaron Rowand proving that last season wasn't merely a product of playing in a hitters' park. But does he really lead the team with only eight home runs?

Rowand may stay at eight with today's pitching matchup: hard throwers Rich Harden and Matt Cain ~~battle to the death~~ hook up.

Pittsburgh Pirates (33-35) at Baltimore Orioles (33-33) - 7:05 PM ET

Neither of these two teams were supposed to be any good either, but alas, both teams are either at or near .500 this season. That's reason enough to watch ... but I just wanted to go on a rant about how cool it would be to see both these teams wear their colorful jerseys from 1979, when they played each other in the first World Series I ever saw and Willie Stargell won his way into my heart and became my one of my first favorite players. But coincidentally enough, the Orioles actually did wear their throwback duds on Friday night ... and forgot to tell the Pirates about it. So even though the O's advertised that the Bucs would also be wearing the pillbox hats and bright uniforms from '79, they never did. Awkward!

Everyone else:

Phillies at Cardinals 3:55 ET
Cubs at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Red Sox at Reds 3:55 ET
Dodgers at Tigers 3:55 ET
Twins at Brewers 7:05 ET
Yankees at Astros 7:05 ET
Padres at Indians 7:05 ET
Rockies at White Sox 7:05 ET
Rangers at Mets 7:10 ET
Royals at Diamondbacks 8:05 ET
Braves at Angels 9:05 ET
Nationals at Mariners 10:10 ET

On Deck: Still Relevant in Florida originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Angelic

Mullet — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Rays, Angels, Athletics, Rangers, Braves, Phillies, Anaheim, Tampa Bay

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (38-24) at Oakland Athletics (33-28) - 9:05 PM ET

Not that your L.A. Angels of A. were in any real trouble anyway with Vladimir Guerrero and Scot Shields suffering nagging injuries. But even through that, the Angels have won their last six games, and did so with Guerrero back in the lineup last night (Shields seems to be on his way back soon) in their 3-1 win over Oakland, who's now four and a half games back of the Halos in the A.L. West.

Oakland's been just as hot, following up a four game losing streak by winning four in a row before last night's loss. But the way the Angels have been going, the swingin' A's had better do some swinging before the Angels make a mockery of this division.

Tampa Bay Rays (36-25) at Texas Rangers (31-32) - 8:05 PM ET

The Rays dropped a 12 spot on the Rangers last night, meaning they dramatically dropped the amount of swings and misses that they had in the previous night's brawl against the Red Sox. The next few games will tell a bit about their character as they shuffle through some suspensions, but they'll be staggered so the Rays aren't going to lose everybody at once. As for the Rangers, they've only lost Sidney Ponson, who was designated for assignment for being a general pain in the posterior.

Philadelphia Phillies (37-26) at Atlanta Braves (32-30) - 7:10 PM ET

Teams that hope to have successful seasons need wins like the Phillies had last night ... wins where they take advantage of ninth inning errors to tie the game, take the lead in the tenth inning thanks to guys like Shane Victorino, and then come up with defensive plays that may or may not be made by Victorino where the tying run gets thrown out at the plate by mere inches. Yeah, that's what potential champions do. And the Phillies who are proving themselves to be potential champions, get another crack at the Atlanta Braves tonight.

Everyone else:

Royals at Yankees 1:05 ET
Orioles at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Cubs at Dodgers 3:55 ET
Mariners at Red Sox 3:55 ET
Indians at Tigers 3:55 ET
Diamondbacks at Pirates 7:05 ET
Cardinals at Astros 7:05 ET
Twins at White Sox 7:05 ET
Giants at Nationals 7:10 ET
Reds at Marlins 7:10 ET
Brewers at Rockies 8:05 ET
Mets at Padres 10:05 ET

On Deck: Angelic originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: The Clayton Rules

Mullet — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Athletics, Cardinals, Dodgers, MLB Video, St. Louis, Tampa Bay

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

St. Louis Cardinals (30-21) at Los Angeles Dodgers (25-23) - 4:10 PM ET

Yeah, so I gave this matchup top billing for the second day in a row, which exposes a severe lack of imagination on my part. For that, I apologize. But really, you should watch this game if you want to check out Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw making his major league debut. Kershaw is such a prized prospect for the Dodgers, that they put out a decree to keep him under 25 innings a month at AA Jacksonville to prepare him for a pennant run in L.A. And he's been great down on the farm so far, putting up a 2.34 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP while averaging over a strikeout an inning. And in his 42 and 1/3 innings of work in AA, he has given up a grand total of zero home runs. For a Dodger rotation which has been slogging along lately (Derek Lowe has one quality start since April 12th, and Brad Penny's last quality start was April 26th), this team could use Kershaw to become the next big thing.

Boston Red Sox (31-21) at Oakland Athletics (26-24) - 4:05 PM ET

The current big thing in Boston is, of course, Jon Lester. When last we saw Lester, he was toeing the rubber at Fenway Park pitching the first no-hitter of the season against Kansas City. Today he goes against Oakland with hopes of becoming the next Johnny Vander Meer (Vander Meer, for the uninitiated, is the only pitcher to pitch no-hitters in consecutive starts.) Good luck with that, Mr. Lester. But in the likely case that it doesn't happen, you could always come back here and check out the culmination of Lester's gem.

P.S. Justin Duchscherer's 6 and 1/3's innings of no -hit ball against the Red Sox last night got us wondering so we checked it: Twice has a team thrown a no-hitter, and then had a no-hitter spun against them within a span of five days ... and both times it happened in consecutive days. Gaylord Perry of the Giants and Ray Washburn of the Cardinals each threw a no-hitter against the other on September 17th and 18th, 1968. One season later, Jim Maloney of the Reds threw a no-hitter against Houston on April 30th. The next day, Houston's Don Wilson turned the trick on the Reds. It was the second no-hitter each for Maloney and Wilson.

There, now go win a bet in a bar and tell 'em FanHouse sent you. (But if the guy you bet is so drunk that he beats the snot out of you for taking his beer money, we aren't going to admit we know you.)

Baltimore Orioles (24-24) at Tampa Bay Rays (29-20) - 1:40 PM ET

Daniel Cabrera has seemingly found his way this season, and he's a big reason why the Orioles are still playing .500 ball. Forgive my obsession with the quality start today, but every outing Cabrera has had since April 12th has fit the definition of "quality". More importantly, his walk rate is down to 3.21 BB/9 ... which would easily be the lowest of his career. Cabrera is going to have to play stopper for the birds as his last start on May 20th against the Yankees was their last win. And he'll have to cool off a Rays team that put up 11 runs last night which included two dingers by Evan Longoria.

Everyone Else:

Rangers at Indians 1:05 ET
Twins at Tigers 1:05 ET
Mariners at Yankees 1:05 ET
Royals at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Giants at Marlins 1:10 ET
Diamondbacks at Braves 1:35 ET
Cubs at Pirates 1:35 ET
Brewers at Nationals 1:35 ET
Phillies at Astros 2:05 ET
Mets at Rockies 3:05 ET
Reds at Padres 4:05 ET
Angels at White Sox 8:05 ET

On Deck: The Clayton Rules originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 25 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Who is Ryan Ludwick?

Mullet — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Red Sox, Athletics, Phillies, Astros, Cardinals, Dodgers, St. Louis

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

St. Louis Cardinals (29-21) at Los Angeles Dodgers (25-22) - 10:10 PM ET

The consensus this season had the St. Louis Cardinals to stink, and stink mightily. Wrong again, America. You want a reason for the renaissance of the Cardinals? Look no further than Ryan Ludwick. The outfielder has some Pujolsian splits this season (.336/.418/.733 going into Friday night), and has sprinkled in some big hits including a walk-off HR against Tampa Bay, and a two run HR to provide the margin of victory last night against the Dodgers (a game interrupted by rain in Los Angeles, if you can believe that one). Want another reason? Ryan Franklin taking over ably for the injured Jason Isringhausen is another reason St. Louis is near the top of the standings.

Philadelphia Phillies (27-23) at Houston Astros (28-22) - 8:11 PM ET

Speaking of hot and speaking of surprises (that sounds so wrong yet so right), Lance Berkman is hitting .500 in the month of May. Let that statement wash over you for a second. Five oh oh. There's really no intelligent way to describe that except to say that's freakin' insane. Berkman is a huge reason why his Astros are right up there with the Cardinals in the N.L. Central. The first game of this series was entertaining, as 'Stros closer Jose Valverde took a line drive in the cheek from Pedro Feliz, yet still managed to close out the win for Houston after a shaky ninth. Next up, perhaps, Brad Lidge facing his former Astro teammates for the second time in the series after a save on Thursday.

Boston Red Sox (31-20) at Oakland Athletics (26-23) - 9:05 PM ET

Josh Beckett hasn't gotten out of the gate too strong so far, coming in at 5-3 with a 4.67 ERA ... his last two starts saw him give up 11 runs in 13 and 2/3's innings lowlighted by the four home runs he gave up against the Brewers. But with a WHIP of 1.09, success is never too far away for Beckett. He looks to get on the right track for the Red Sox against Oakland tonight. Justin Duchscherer will have his hands full starting for Oakland against that Red Sox lineup, but Duchscherer has been a key in Oakland's surprising season in the starting rotation for the first time in Oakland.

Everyone else:

Mariners at Yankees 1:05 ET
Royals at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Diamondbacks at Braves 3:55 ET
Mets at Rockies 3:55 ET
Angels at White Sox 3:55 ET
Orioles at Rays 6:10 ET
Cubs at Pirates 7:05 ET
Twins at Tigers 7:05 ET
Rangers at Indians 7:05 ET
Brewers at Nationals 7:10 ET
Giants at Marlins 7:10 ET
Reds at Padres 10:05 ET

On Deck: Who is Ryan Ludwick? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 24 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playing for the A's Is the Most Dangerous Job in America Part Duex

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Injuries

It was nearly a year ago today that I wrote this post here at FanHouse chronicling the amazing amount of injuries the Oakland Athletics were suffering. It was ridiculous. It felt like everyday I was writing a post titled "Oakland Places [Insert name] on the Disabled List."

Now, here I am nearly a year later, and the Athletics are putting players on the disabled list at a higher rate than they were in 2007.

We're not even two months into the season and Oakland's already had ten players who have had to go on the disabled list! That's ahead of the pace the team set last year, when they placed a record 22 players on the disabled list during the season. Luckily for them, each player only counts once, or else Rich Harden would have the count up to 89 by now.

Seriously, I don't know if there's something in the water at McAfee Coliseum, but the Athletics have to make some changes and soon. They're currently playing well above expectations, but if this injury bug doesn't go away, it's hard to see them staying in contention all season long.

I'm not sure how long Clarence Cockrell (strength and conditioning coach), Stephen Sayles (head trainer), and Walt Horn (assistant trainer) have been working in Oakland, but I think it's about time the Athletics started exploring other options.

Playing for the A's Is the Most Dangerous Job in America Part Duex originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Catching Up With an Old Friend

Mullet — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Atlanta, Cleveland, Houston, New York, Oakland, Yankees, Indians, Athletics, Rangers, Braves, Mets, Reds, Astros, Cincinnati

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Oakland Athletics (23-19) at Atlanta Braves (20-20) - 7:10 PM ET

It's probably safe to say that out of the former "Big Three" in Oakland, Tim Hudson has been the most successful of the bunch since leaving the nest after the 2004 season. Four seasons later, Hudson faces his former club for the first time (the two teams played a three game set in '05 but Hudson did not make an appearance). A lot of Hudson's old teammates from his last season in Oakland are gone, but his mound opponent for today, Rich Harden, is still around. And Harden was hoping he'd match up against him. Harden is probably also hoping that he makes it through the game intact.

Cleveland Indians (22-20) at Cincinnati Reds (19-23) - 3:55 PM ET

You like pitching matchups? I like this pitching matchup, with the backdrop of the battle of Ohio. On Cleveland's end you have Fausto Carmona, who's at 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA. On the Cincinnati end, you have Aaron Harang, who is 2-5 with a 3.32 ERA. But look a bit deeper. Carmona is 4-1 despite striking out only 18 hitters and walking 35. That's not a typo: Carmona has 35 walks in 48 and 2/3's inning pitched, and he has a 1.62 WHIP. While Carmona's season looks better than it is, Harang's season is better than it looks. Harang, who led the N.L. in strikeouts in 2006, has 51 K's in 62.1 innings, while only walking 15. Harang's WHIP is a much more respectable 1.12. (P.S. If you still believe that bobblehead doll giveaways are good luck for the player who is depicted, then watch out for Brandon Phillips today).

Houston Astros (24-19) at Texas Rangers (21-22) - 7:05 PM ET

Has anybody noticed lately that the Texas Rangers have been playing the part of a pretty good baseball team lately? They're 12-4 in their last 16 games, and in those games have scored 97 runs which include a 16 spot against the Astros last night. Leading the way is Josh Hamilton, who leads baseball with 49 RBI after his two HR, five hit, five RBI effort on Friday night. (Talk about a trade that's win/win, Hamilton for Edinson Vólquez certainly qualifies as such for both sides.) Of course, it's the Rangers' pitching that will ultimately tell their story. And blowing an 8-2 lead last night doesn't fortell good things. But Vincente Padilla will try to get it done today against Houston's Roy Oswalt..

Bonus: New York Mets (20-19) at New York Yankees (20-22) - 1:05 PM ET

Welcome to the special supersized edition of On Deck, where to commemorate interleague play, we give you four games instead of three. How could we leave out a matchup which this season is as much for the New York haters as the New York fans these days? The Yankees are in last place (seemingly an annual occurrence this time of the season before they inevitably heat up), and the Mets are showing signs of "dysfunctionality" (no, I'm not sure that's a real word either), what with Billy Wagner calling out his teammates and rumors of Willie Randolph's imminent departure. New York fans can look forward to a rainout induced pitching matchup of Johan Santana (4-2, 3.10) and Andy Pettitte (3-4, 4.40). New York haters can look forward to the fact that somebody has to lose.

Everyone else:

Pirates at Cubs 1:05 ET
Rays at Cardinals 1:10 ET
Brewers at Red Sox 3:55 ET (Game 1)
Dodgers at Angels 3:55 ET
Blue Jays at Phillies 7:05 ET
Orioles at Nationals 7:05 ET
Royals at Marlins 7:10 ET
Twins at Rockies 8:05 ET
Tigers at Diamondbacks 8:10 ET
Brewers at Red Sox 8:35 ET (Game 2)
White Sox at Giants 9:05 ET
Padres at Mariners 10:10 ET

On Deck: Catching Up With an Old Friend originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 17 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barack Obama Has His Own Bill James

Eamonn Brennan — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:50:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics

It was just a few weeks ago, that, this piece in the New Republic about Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, I thought: hmm. This sounds familiar. Plouffe is the sober, focused advisor, while Obama is the incredibly gifted face of the franchise, as it were. I didn't give it too much deep thought, but it sounded like Moneyball-era Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta. Turns out, that whim wasn't far off the mark.

Today, The Politico has a story about Barack Obama's "Bill Jamesesque" delegate counter, Jeffrey Berman. By quietly dealing solely with delegate math, Berman has helped the Obama campaign cut through the mess of competing all-or-nothing primaries, winning the nomination where it really counted: the delegates. The symmetry to sober-minded sabermatricians using new math for insightful, predictive baseball analysis is kind of eerie:

A glimpse at Berman's, and the campaign's, detailed, Bill-Jamesesque approach to the game of politics came in a spreadsheet the campaign sent to Bloomberg reporters, it said inadvertently, on Feb. 5. The spreadsheet had estimates of the outcomes and delegate counts in every state; it has called the winner wrong just twice.

As Craig Calcaterra writes, the Bill James parallels run deep, even down to James's trademark beard. One more similarity: winning. Obama's done it. The A's have done it (in the regular season). The Red Sox have done it. It's probably not all that coincidental.

Barack Obama Has His Own Bill James originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 May 2008 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rich Harden Gets Rocked, But Will Live to Pitch Another Day

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:37:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Injuries

Normally when Rich Harden pitches, he's pretty dominant. Unfortunately, when he pitches and he's dominating, he also usually gets hurt. So Harden's return to the mound for Oakland on Sunday afternoon may have been a very good sign for the Athletics.

Rich was far from dominant on Sunday. He only lasted 3.2 innings against the Rangers, and allowed five runs on eight hits, four walks and five strikeouts. Whether or not such a performance would have merited a return to the mound in the fifth inning, we'll never know because Rich was on a pitch count and had surpassed it at that point.

The good news for Oakland, is that even though Harden didn't pitch well, the Athletics were able to get the win over the Rangers anyway, and are now a game ahead of the Angels in the AL West. Oh, and of course the fact that Rich's arm didn't explode. That's a plus too.

"I was definitely a little tired out there," Harden said. "They were working the count pretty well. That was the approach to take knowing it's my first start back. In the (fourth inning), I hit a wall, got a little tired and started missing my spots. Overall, I was somewhat happy. It felt good. That's all I can ask for my first start back. It helps to get past that first one, getting my confidence back in the arm."

The real test for Harden will have been this morning, when he woke up to what was undoubtedly a very sore arm. The good news is that it's just about 10:30AM local time in Oakland, and we haven't heard any news regarding Harden going back on the disabled list.

Remember, I set the over/under at 20 innings. He's at 3.2 now.

Rich Harden Gets Rocked, But Will Live to Pitch Another Day originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 May 2008 13:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rich Harden Is Ready to Get Hurt Again

Tom Fornelli — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, AL West, MLB Injuries

The Oakland Athletics are still tied for first place in the AL West, much to everybody's surprise, and it's all the more surprising that they've done it without Rich Harden. Still, if the Athletics are going to continue playing this well, and stay atop the division with the Angels all season, they're probably going to need Rich to stay healthy for the rest of the season.

Something that anybody who has been paying attention to Harden's career knows isn't likely to happen. Still, Harden will make his latest return from the disabled list this afternoon and start Oakland's series finale against the Rangers.

His teammates know how much he means to the team, but they're also aware of how fleeting his appearances usually are.

"Rich is very good when he's out there. We just want him to be out there," second baseman Mark Ellis said. "We hope he can throw well the rest of the season. The guy's in great shape and has an incredible arm. We want him out there because when he's out there, we've got a good chance to win."

Harden has only been healthy enough to make 18 starts since 2006 (two of them coming this year), and while I'd like to be able to say that this is the time he finally stays healthy, I know I'd be wrong. In fact, I'm setting the over/under at 20 innings pitched before Harden is back on the disabled list.

Rich Harden Is Ready to Get Hurt Again originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 May 2008 14:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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