MLB FanHouse

Footprints in the Snow: Diamondbacks

Andrew Johnson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

Since the moment they were swept out of the 2007 NLCS, the Diamondbacks have been waiting. Waiting on their impressive collection of young talent. Waiting on their dynamic rotation duo of Dan Haren and Brandon Webb to deliver a playoff spot. Waiting for everything to come together.

It hasn't happened yet. Arizona was passed by the Dodgers in late 2008 after holding the NL West lead for much of the season. Then, this past year -- one filled with calamity, including a major shoulder injury to Webb that limited him to one start -- saw the Diamondbacks dip all the way to last place.

Arizona is still waiting. There is still promising young talent on hand, including the terrific Justin Upton. There is still hope. It's just tempered by all the work that needs to be done to get the Diamondbacks back in contention.

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Doug Davis, LHP; Scott Schoeneweis, LHP; Chad Tracy, IF; Daniel Cabrera, RHP; Tom Gordon, RHP; Chris Snyder, C; Eric Byrnes OF

Shopping List

For a last-place team, the Diamondbacks don't actually need a whole lot of pieces, but the pieces they do get will be critical to their hopes of contending next year.

Offensively, the right side of the infield could use work. Arizona needs reliable options at first and second base (assuming Conor Jackson, who should be ready to go this spring, sticks in left field). There are a number of decent first base options out there -- Nick Johnson, anyone? -- and the second base market isn't bad either, with two of the top free agents there -- Felipe Lopez and Orlando Hudson -- already familiar with the club.

The Diamondbacks may not have the money to fill both holes on the free-agent market and take care of their primary need -- pitching -- but at least they'll have options.

About that pitching. With Doug Davis departing and Webb coming off a major injury, Arizona could use reliable rotation-filler, even if the club thinks about putting the recently acquired Aaron Heilman in the rotation. The good news is with Haren and Webb on hand, the D'backs don't need a top-of-the-rotation arm, just a guy who can eat innings. There's a paucity of elite starting talent on the market, and Arizona probably couldn't afford a guy like John Lackey anyway.

Money Matters

Like many clubs, the Diamondbacks are looking to shed payroll. Arizona has been looking to move Eric Byrnes, who is in the final year of a regrettable three-year, $30 million deal, for the better part of two years and is certain to try again this winter. It has also put catcher Chris Snyder squarely on the block, nearly trading him to Toronto at the outset of the offseason.

Look for the D'backs to get creative as they try to move money around. Their coffers are not deep, and they have holes to fill on the roster and younger players already on it who are due raises or merit long-term extensions. Stephen Drew is in his first year of arbitration and Conor Jackson is in his second, while Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds are a year away from arbitration eligibility themselves.

Can they pay all four on a limited budget going forward? Unless they are able to clear significant payroll, probably not. A guy like Drew might have to be sacrificed in trade so the club can take care of a special talent like Upton and keep him in Arizona for years to come.

Offseason Goals

The Diamondbacks are one of the more intriguing clubs to watch this winter. They have special talent in guys like Haren, Upton and Reynolds -- players that, surrounded by average talent elsewhere, could make Arizona contenders all by themselves. Of course, the club isn't that complete. That's why it struggled last year and why there is work to be done by general manager Josh Byrnes this winter. Byrnes will have to get creative to turn the Diamondbacks into a first-division team, and he should. It'd be a waste for them not to be contending with unheralded, but outstanding talent like Haren and Upton around.

Footprints in the Snow: Diamondbacks originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Options Aplenty: Lee, Webb Stay Put, Dye Bought Out by White Sox

Andrew Johnson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, Phillies, White Sox, MLB Transactions

The champagne is barely dry in the Yankees clubhouse, but the business of 2010 is already well under way. Three trades are in the books, a number of players have already filed for free agency and Bobby Abreu has a new deal with the Angels.

In that vein, three clubs made decisions on contract options Friday as they held on to star players for next year. The Phillies and Diamondbacks both picked up the options they held on ace pitchers Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb, respectively, while the White Sox bought out right fielder Jermaine Dye.

Chicago's World Series MVP in 2005, Dye, who will turn 36 in January, was due to make $12 million in 2010. He'll instead receive $950,000 from the White Sox and hit the open market.

Free agency was not kind to aging corner outfielders last winter (just ask Abreu), and there is a virtual consensus that Dye can not play even an average right field anymore, but his time in Chicago was remarkably successful all the same.

He shed the durability issues that plagued him in Oakland during the first half of the decade, and was, at times (particularly in 2006 and 2008), an imposing force in Ozzie Guillen's lineup. He almost certainly will not equal on the open market in terms of annual salary what he would have made had the White Sox picked up his option, but he shouldn't have trouble finding work.

The Phillies haven't made an official announcement, but MLB.com's Todd Zolecki is reporting that they've picked up Lee's $8 million option for next season, and really there are no surprises there. Lee, who came to Philadelphia in a July deal with the Indians, was a dominant force in the postseason, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five starts, including both of the Phillies' wins in the World Series.

Lee can become a free agent after 2010, but Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to try to convince him to sign a long-term extension to keep him in the City of Brotherly Love before then, so think of the option as a way station on the way to the team's ultimate goal.

As for Webb, the 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner was limited to a lone start this season because of ominous shoulder problems, for which he eventually had surgery. Given that Webb's option for 2010 costs $8.5 million -- a sizable chunk of mid-market Arizona's payroll, which was $73.5 million on Opening Day this year -- the Diamondbacks must be feeling pretty confident about the progress of his rehab from the procedure on his right shoulder.

"Since Brandon has recovered well from his surgery, we have decided to exercise his option," Arizona GM Josh Byrnes said in a statement. "His accomplishments for our organization have been significant. We look forward to him returning to the mound."

Options Aplenty: Lee, Webb Stay Put, Dye Bought Out by White Sox originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clay Zavada Is Your 'Mustached American of the Year'

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Awards

While the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are busy battling for the meaningless title of World Series champion Arizona reliever Clay Zavada was in St. Louis to receive some real hardware. Yes, after much debate throughout the country and campaigns that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars, Zavada was named the "Mustached American of the Year" by the American Mustache Institute on Sunday night.

We shall all now bow to the power of Zavada's Rollie Fingers-esque mustache, and hope that through the will of being too lazy to shave, we too can one day achieve such greatness for ourselves.

"Clay and his menacing mouth garden were a great story throughout the 2009 baseball season, and Quicken and the American Mustache Institute are proud to honor him as the 'Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year' award winner," said Chelsea Marti of Quicken(R), who herself is a robust supporter of the Mustached American way of life.

Zavada won the Goulet award after more than 100,000 total online votes were cast. He was joined at 'Stache Bash by fellow finalists Dr. John Yeutter, a Northeastern State University professor and CBS News reporter Bill Geist, who grabbed the microphone after the announcement and bellowed "Kayne West was right." Other finalists included U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Brendan Ryan of the St. Louis Cardinals, USA Today blogger Whitney Matheson, US Airways pilot Sully Sullenberger, and Mayor Dan Snarr of Murray City, Utah. Several cartoon characters including JStache and FOX Television's "Cleveland" received votes, but after much debate, were disqualified because they violated a clause that required the winner to sign an ethics agreement as well as actually exist in real life.

It's hard to disagree with Kanye West. Zavada really did deserve this award over any other members of his "competition." Captain Sullenberger? Please, how hard can it be to land a plane in the Hudson River? It's so wide! Bring that beast down in Times Square without killing anybody, and we can talk.

Let's see Sullenberger strike out 52 batters in only 51 innings. Not even his mustache could help him there.

Clay Zavada Is Your 'Mustached American of the Year' originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Bizarre, Rich Legacy at Metrodome as Twins Depart

Ed Price — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Nationals, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop, Baseball Brunch

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana had never seen the Metrodome before the Twins took him from Single-A in the Rule 5 draft.

"When I first got there," Santana told FanHouse, "my first impression was, 'How can you play baseball in a place like this?'

"I came from Single-A and from Venezuela, and we don't have any of that stuff. ... I couldn't figure it out. How could this thing [the roof] be up in the air? And then it feels like you're in a bubble. And then you play baseball."

Yes they did. The Twins won two World Series in that bubble, but unless they rally to make the playoffs, they will say goodbye to the Metrodome this week.

Open-air Target Field opens next April.

The Twins say about all they'll miss about the Metrodome is the guarantee of no rainouts (or snowouts).

Kent Hrbek -- who grew up in Bloomington and attended games outdoors at old Metropolitan Stadium -- went 2-for-4 in the April 6, 1982, regular season opener at the dome.

He said he has "so many good memories" there. But, "after playing the game there and becoming a fan again," he said, "it's a horrible place to see a baseball game."

It's not just the artificial turf. Or the noise level. And the seats that don't point the right way for baseball.

"Playing inside is not fun," former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter said. "It's not baseball."

In Minnesota, summer doesn't last very long -- and it's gorgeous. Who wants to spend it indoors?

"I just came back from five days in Canada," Jack Morris, who grew up across the river in St. Paul and pitched one of the most memorable games in Metrodome history (Game 7 of the 1991 World Series), said earlier this month. "I saw over 200 bald eagles. Believe me, what God creates is so much better than anything man can create, it's unbelievable."

Said closer Joe Nathan: "When you walk through the doors when it's a nice day out, it kind of deflates you.

"You get nice days, you see this place like half-empty and you wonder why. It's because it's nice out. People are outside."

But the Twins might lose their home-field advantage when they go outdoors.

Visiting teams, especially those in the AL Central, hated coming to the Metrodome so much they sometimes seemed psyched out.

"This ballpark is an advantage," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, "just because people hate coming in here so much that maybe it intimidates them a little bit.

"But there's been an advantage in here. I guarantee it. We've had teams that can play on this [turf] and play in here and irritate the crap out of people, so that's been kind of fun."

Plus fly balls lost in the those 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass overhead and the strange bounces off the turf and speakers hanging overhead and the "baggie" in right field.

In 1984, Dave Kingman hit a fly ball so high it went into one of the holes in the roof and stayed there.

Double.

"Especially during day games," said Aaron Rowand, who visited often with the White Sox in 2001-05, "if you try to go back on the ball and take your eye off it to run to a spot, and try to look back up and find it, it's real tough.

"I remember once somebody hit [a fly], it was going foul, it bounced off [a speaker], came back in and one of the infielders caught it."

There have been other subtle advantages. Some accused the Twins of manipulating the air conditioning, but Hunter said that once fans started leaving in the seventh inning, the opening of doors created a swirling wind current that carried balls out to right-center field. A "napkin" -- makeshift weather vane -- near the home on-deck circle would let the Twins know when to hit to right.

In the 1987 and '91 World Series, the Metrodome's advantage was mostly fans, packed houses making noise intensified by the roof.

"It's the most intimidating home field of any team, any sport that I've ever seen or been around," Oakland general manager Billy Beane, who played for the Twins and had A's teams lose in Minneapolis in the playoffs, told FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher. "As a player, as a GM, as a fan of other sports, from what I hear Saturday night in Baton Rouge is supposed to be pretty tough, but I'd put the Metrodome up there. If you had one of those tournaments for most intimidating it would be LSU and the Metrodome in the final, and I'm going with the Metrodome.

"There is nothing like the Metrodome. There is nothing that is even close."

The Twins' winning percentage since 1982 is 100 points higher at home than on the road. Of the teams that have been in existence since 1982, only Houston and Texas have had a larger advantage at home.

Metrodome Mosts
Stat	Twins	Visitors
Hits	K. Puckett (1,269)	C. Ripken (123)
HR	K. Hrbek (138)	J. Thome (28)
Wins	B. Radke (85)	Mussina/Clemens (10)
Saves	J. Nathan (123)	Montgomery/Jones (18)

Even so, the Metrodome won't be missed by the Twins.

"It wasn't really a baseball stadium," said Hrbek, who played more games at the Metrodome than anyone but the late Kirby Puckett. "It was a football stadium, and they decided to put a baseball park in there."

Said Gardenhire: "We can't wait to get outside and have our own field and not share it with anybody."

Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who grew up in St. Paul, played his first football game in the Metrodome, as a fifth-grader, and never saw an outdoor big-league baseball game until he played in one.

"I think it's more a football stadium than anything," he said. "I have a lot of great memories here ... but I'm really looking forward to getting outside and playing outside."

Target Field, not far from the Metrodome in the Warehouse District, will seat 40,000 and cost $412 million (about six times what the Metrodome cost).

"It's typical Minnesota," said Mariners infielder Jack Hannahan, who grew up across the river in St. Paul, attended the University of Minnesota (which plays its home baseball games in the Metrodome) and still has a "Homer Hanky" from the 1991 World Series.

"It took them forever to do it, and once they finally did it, they didn't do it right. If it would have had a retractable dome, like what Safeco [Field in Seattle] has, it would have been perfect. It didn't work out, it didn't work out. But anything they'll build will be successful in Minnestota because the fans are so good."

"It's the most intimidating home field of any team, any sport that I've ever seen or been around. ... There is nothing like the Metrodome"
-- Billy Beane University of Minnesota baseball and the Vikings will continue to play in the Metrodome; Gophers football opened its new on-campus stadium this year.

A large numeral beyond left field in the Metrodome indicates how many Twins games are left there. Then a series of banners reads, "Countdown to outdoor baseball," "Countdown to farmer-tanned vendors," "Countdown to mustard-flavored lip balm," "Countdown to ch-ch-ch-chhhhh (the sound of sprinklers on natural grass), "Countdown to skyline sunsets," "Countdown to real grass stains," "Countdown to starry nights."

The team itself is counting down to when it has a decent-sized clubhouse, it doesn't have to store equipment in the hallway and it won't have to share a weight room and batting cage that are on the other side of the stadium.

"If I play next year," Seattle's Mike Sweeney said, "and it's April and I go to Minnesota and its 25 degrees, I'll miss the Metrodome big time.

"But the stadium is outdated and it's cool to move on to a new place. We just might need to pack some more [long] sleeves."

Overheard and Understood

o. Angels ace John Lackey, an impending free agent, has told people he is seeking a $100 million contract. And a major league source said the Angels have no intention of meeting that demand. Who would -- even despite Lackey's dependability over the years? There have been five nine-figure deals for pitchers; Kevin Brown and Mike Hampton didn't produce over the entire lengths of their deals, Barry Zito looks similar and the jury is still out on CC Sabathia and Santana.

Chart of the Week
Colorado's Seth Smith is 17-for-35 as a pinch hitter. In the past 35 years, just four players have batted .500 in the pinch (minimum 20 at-bats):
Player	Team	Average
Bruce Boisclair	'76 Mets	.571 (12-21)
Kevin Seitzer	'91 Royals	.550 (11-20)
Alex Arias	'99 Phillies	.545 (12-22)
Willie McGee	'92 Giants	.524 (11-21)
Seth Smith	'09 Rockies	.486 (17-35)
Source: STATS LLC

o. Washington plans to talk with Bob Melvin about its managerial position soon after the season ends. Melvin and general manager Mike Rizzo worked together in Arizona. Bobby Valentine's name has also come up as a Nationals candidate, and there is talk that those interviewed for the Washington GM job were asked directly about Valentine, an indication that he has been in the team's sights for a while.

o. Are we in a golden age of second basemen? For the first time ever, five second basemen -- Dan Uggla, Aaron Hill, Chase Utley, Jose Lopez and Ian Kinsler -- have 25-homer seasons in the same year. Then there's Brian Roberts (55 doubles), Robinson Cano ( .321 average and .519 slugging percentage,), Dustin Pedroia (110 runs scored and .297 average) and Brandon Phillips (20 homers, 95 RBI). Only Roberts and Utley are in their 30s.

o. A scout who has examined the Diamondbacks system said it is severely lacking in top prospects, and he cited three factors: some of the top young players in the organization are already in the majors; Arizona gave up prospects in the deal for Dan Haren; and a couple of bad drafts in a row. In contrasting the depth of two systems, the scout said the Giants "have 20 guys like" Diamondbacks lefty Daniel Schlereth.

o. Texas' Elvis Andrus is the fourth-youngest player to steal 30 bases in a season after Rickey Henderson, Ty Cobb and Claudell Washington.

o. The Red Sox face a tough decision on how much to play catcher Jason Varitek in the postseason. He looks terrible at the plate (.167 with 20 RBI in 156 at-bats since June 30) and in the field. About all manager Terry Francona can cite is intangibles: "There was a reason they put that 'C' (for captain) on his chest. And even through disappointment and a little bit of a reduced role, he still exhibits a lot of leadership."

o. With the Angels, Phillies and Cardinals having closer issues, we wondered: how much does a closer matter in the postseason. Conventional wisdom says a lot, since the competition is better, the games are closer, and each loss is so significant. Well, according to STATS LLC, since the three-tiered playoffs began in 1995, there has been an average of one save opportunity every 2.89 postseason games. Over the same span, save opportunities have been MORE frequent in the regular season -- an average of one save opportunity every 2.68 regular-season games. And the save percentage is about the same, 67.0 in the regular season and 67.2 in the postseason.

Still, we suspect that closers do matter, because of the importance of every game and the psychological effect of a blown save.

o. Seattle could be the second team ever to win 85 games the year after losing 100. The 1989 Orioles were 87-75 after going 54-107 the previous season.

o. Arizona vice president for player personnel Jerry DiPoto didn't get the Washington GM job, but if San Diego decides to promote long-time general manager Kevin Towers to a position such as team president, DiPoto would have a shot at becoming Padres GM.

o. The possible Game 1 matchup in one American League Division Series is Sabathia and Justin Verlander. They have faced off six times, their teams splitting the games (two this year between the Yankees and Tigers and the other four between Cleveland and Detroit). In the six games, Sabathia has gone 3-3 with a 5.13 ERA while Verlander has gone 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA.

o. An AL executive who recently saw St. Louis' John Smoltz in person said, "His stuff is really, really good. I guess Boston must be really good not to need that guy." The minuses, according to the executive: Smoltz's "command is not what it used to be" and he "labors," throwing a lot of sliders.

o. Some suspect Chad Billingsley's struggles for the Dodgers -- 3-6 with a 5.40 ERA since the All-Star break -- come from not getting along with catcher Russell Martin.

o. Derek Jeter, 35, is the oldest regular shortstop with a 200-hit season.

o. They aren't the most indicative statistics, but the Dodgers could become the first team since the 1946 Cardinals to lead the NL in club batting average, ERA and fielding percentage.

Baseball Brunch: Bizarre, Rich Legacy at Metrodome as Twins Depart originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Webb Reportedly Will Not Restructure Option for Arizona

Pat Lackey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:33:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, NL West

One of the big stories of the early offseason in 2009 is going to be Brandon Webb's 2010 option. The Diamondbacks hold a team option on their ailing ace worth $8.5 million and they're understandably a little hesitant to pay such a steep price for a pitcher coming off of a shoulder injury, even if that pitcher is Brandon Webb.

In that vein, the Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that the D'backs are planning on approaching Webb about restructuring his contract. Of course, in the same story it was reported that Webb has absolutely no interest in any sort of contract restructuring of his deal. That means the D'backs have until shortly after the World Series to figure out what they're going to do with their ace.

Because Webb finished in the top five in Cy Young voting in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the buyout on the option is a hefty $2 million. The Diamondbacks haven't indicated what they want to do, but it's hard to imagine them paying Webb $2 million to stay away unless the questions about his shoulder (he did have surgery on it, but it was just a scope and it didn't reveal anything terrible) are more serious than we realize.

Webb's refusal to restructure is probably just a bet on his part that the Diamondbacks will be willing to pay him because of the price of the buyout. Of course, if Arizona refuses he'll start the winter with $2 million in his pocket, which means that he doesn't have to worry about someone matching his option price on the open market. For him, refusing the option just seems to make the most business sense.

Webb Reportedly Will Not Restructure Option for Arizona originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Bucs Are Bottoming Out

Andrew Johnson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Braves, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the Pittsburgh Pirates keep finding new lows.

Apparently a North American professional sports record 17th straight losing season wasn't enough of an indignity, so the 2009 Bucs went out and put together the second-worst 24-game stretch in the franchise's 123-year history.

The Pirates lost for the 21st time in their last 24 games Tuesday night, a 10-4 defeat suffered at the hands of the Reds.

"It's no fun, that's for sure," Pirates manager John Russell said. "It bothers every player in that clubhouse and everyone on our coaching staff. All we can do, though, is come back tomorrow and prepare ourselves to come back out and try to win a game."

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

"It's wearing," losing pitcher Zach Duke said. "We need a win and a well-played game right now. We need one desperately."

The last time the Pirates played this poorly over a similar stretch, Benjamin Harrison was president. The year was 1890.

From the Trainer's Room ...
All-Star catcher Brian McCann is day-to-day after taking a foul ball off of his left wrist in the Braves' 3-1 win over the Mets. McCann came out of the game in the fourth inning after suffering the injury in the bottom of the third. X-rays were negative.

Numbers Game ...
Mark Reynolds struck out three times in Arizona's 10-8 win over San Francisco, helping break his own single-season record for strikeouts. Before Tuesday night it was 204. Now, it's 206 ... and climbing. The question, of course, is does anyone care beyond the general numerical fascination with baseball and records?

People tend to abhor strikeouts -- maybe because it seems like the ultimate failure not even being able to put the ball in play -- but really we have an abundance of evidence that shows they aren't really worse than any other kind of out. Enter Reynolds who, other than all the whiffs, is having a great season, with 43 home runs, 100 RBI and a .919 OPS. Maybe we're all just ready to move on. The Diamondbacks sure seem to be.

"So what?" Reynolds said when asked about the strikeouts. "So what?"
...
"Deep down inside, I'm sure it bothers him more than he likes to portray," manager A.J. Hinch said. "At the end of the day, he is 40-plus home runs and 100 RBIs. That's a productive season, for anyone to really focus on the strikeout record being reset. When that production is coming with the strikeouts, it's almost a moot point. We all want him to be a more productive player and strike out less, but when the production follows, it is hard to knock him."

In Their Own Words ...
"Edwin was just what the doctor ordered. We needed a big outing from him and we got it." -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland on Edwin Jackson, who pitched seven shutout innings, all with the score either tied 0-0 or 1-0 in Detroit's favor, to preserve his club's 2 1/2-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. Jackson had posted a 6.03 ERA over his previous five starts, a rough stretch pitching coach Rick Knapp believes may have been caused by him tipping his pitches. Jackson and Knapp worked on the apparent problem this week, and it appears Detroit's No. 2 starter in the playoffs is rounding back into form.

Of course, the Tigers have to get there first, and Minnesota isn't making things easy on them. The Twins stayed right on their heels in the division with an 8-6 win against the White Sox.

Advance Scouting ...
The Yankees were the first team to clinch a playoff spot, but the Cardinals could become the first to clinch their division Wednesday night. St. Louis, which has a magic number of two, will send John Smoltz to the mound in Houston (8:05 PM ET), needing a victory and a Cubs loss to officially lock up the NL Central. Chicago is going for a three-game sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee (8:05 PM ET) with spot starter Jeff Samardzija on the hill.

Starting Five: Bucs Are Bottoming Out originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Angels Become Patients For Dr. Abreu's Lessons

Ed Price — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Twins, Yankees, Baseball Brunch

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

Bobby Abreu's influence has its limitations.

Vladimir Guerrero is still going to swing at everything.

But besides his fine season -- 89 runs scored, 96 RBI, .823 OPS -- Abreu seems to have passed on his patience at the plate to the rest of his Angels teammates.

"He's got the younger players understanding patience isn't a bad thing," Chone Figgins told FanHouse. "It's not about not being aggressive, but being patient, getting a pitch to hit. There's nothing wrong with being 1-1 and hitting, or 1-2, or 2-2.

"It's not something simple to do, but I think we did a good job of it in spring training and have tried to bring it into the season and have so far done a good job."

Figgins has crushed his career high in walks, previously 65, and leads the AL with 95. He is fourth in the league in pitches seen per plate appearance, at 4.23.

And he's not alone.

The Angels last year were last in the league in running up the count, with 3.65 pitches per plate appearance. In fact, they ranked in the AL's bottom three very year from 2002 through 2008.

Now they're fourth in the league, at 3.88.

And, by the way, are second in the AL in runs.

As the Yankees and Red Sox have shown in recent years, working the count forces starting pitchers out of the game and allows the lineup to attack the soft underbelly of middle relief. And patience also leads to walks, which leads to men on base, which lead to runs.

The ability to work the count seems more a skill than a learned behavior -- either you have it or you don't, like a strong arm or speed.

But maybe the Angels are proving otherwise.

"You have to just look for a pitch," Abreu said. "They're going to throw a pitch to you [some] time. Just be patient. You don't have to rush yourself. And have a plan whenever you go to the plate. You have to have a plan. If you have a plan, you just go up there and execute, that's all."

In spring training, hitting coach Mickey Hatcher asked Abreu to specifically tutor Kendry Morales and Erick Aybar in that philosophy.

Well, Morales' pitches per plate appearance is up 14 percent from last year and Aybar is up 7 percent. Howie Kendrick has gone up 10 percent and Juan Rivera 8 percent.

And even veteran Torii Hunter is at a career-high 3.77, 7 percent higher than his career mark coming into the season (3.52).

"Bobby Abreu has brought something different," Hunter said. "A lot more patience. Get a pitch around the plate, that's something he's been preaching to me from day one."

It's all part of a subtle strategy.

"The most important thing that Bobby does," Hatcher said, "is the fact that when the game starts, he might be willing to give an out but he wants to see every pitch that pitcher throws. He's not just taking. If that pitcher's got three pitches, he wants to see them all.

"That's what we talked about with our guys: You don't know what his pitches are, you're just swinging. So you're really not seeing what he has. And I think it's paid off for a lot of these guys. You might get a walk out of it, but the more pitches you see from a guy, you come to understand what he's trying to do to you. I think that's what Bobby does."

The key, Abreu said, is having no fear of hitting while behind in the count.

"They've been doing great," he said of his teammates. "They're not afraid, which is good. ... They've started to feel comfortable. They don't worry about it."

No player is less afraid of a two-strike count than Abreu. He'll "spit on" borderline strikes, as players say, until he gets one he's looking for or until he has to swing.

Abreu leads the majors with 484 two-strike hits since 2004, including a remarkable 90 in 2007. He has also had 137 more at-bats with two strikes than any other player in that time.

"Bobby has fit right in to give some of the balance [to] a team that was maybe lacking the ability to work counts as well as Bobby does," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's been an important piece to that puzzle.

"But I think Bobby's biggest impact is just the production that he's brought. He's set the table for the middle of our lineup as well as anybody could possibly imagine."

It shouldn't be a surprise, really, but Abreu's remarkable consistency is rivaled only by his ability to go unnoticed.

With four more RBI, Abreu can join Albert Pujols as the only players to drive in 100 runs every season since 2003. He has 11 straight years with 20 or more steals (29 this year, his most since 2005). And he has a chance to play in 150 games for the 12th consecutive season, something done only by Pete Rose, Cal Ripken Jr., Billy Williams and Willie Mays.

(This is a guy who was left unprotected by Houston in the 1997 expansion draft. He wound up in Philadelphia because Tampa Bay wanted shortstop Kevin Stocker and gave the Phillies a choice: the Devil Rays would take either Abreu or Quinton McCracken in the draft and trade him for Stocker. Philadelphia wisely chose Abreu.)

The Angels took advantage of last winter's slow free-agent market to swoop in and sign Abreu, 35, for just $5 million (plus a potential $1 million in playing-time bonuses).

"I couldn't believe we got him," Hunter said. "What a discount, man. That's what we call in the hood, 'The hookup.'"

Yes, it has turned out to be a great bargain, and there are indications both sides may have even had preliminary discussions on an extension.

Like some actors, Abreu functions best as part of an ensemble. He didn't thrive as the highest-paid player on the Phillies, when he expected to be the centerpiece of the team. But as a piece with the Yankees and Angels, he is comfortable.

"Pretty much the same, third hitter, set up the table for the guys behind me," Abreu said.

And teach some of them the art of patience.

Overheard and Understood

o. There has been speculation on whether the Diamondbacks will pick up the 2010 option on ace Brandon Webb, who underwent shoulder surgery last month. Our guess is Arizona makes a low-base, incentive-laden offer to keep Webb; But since he didn't need major repairs in the shoulder and could be ready for the start of the season, he might be able to find a two-year deal in the Ryan Dempster ($9 million per) range.

Chart of the Week
Three players have hit 20 or more home runs every year since 2000, making the 2000s the decade with the most players to have 20 homers every year. And three more players could join the group: Manny Ramirez (has 19 this year), Chipper Jones (16) and Vladimir Guerrero (15).
Decade	20-HR Player(s)
1920s	Babe Ruth
1930s	Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx
1940s	None
1950s	Gil Hodges
1960s	Hank Aaron
1970s	Reggie Jackson
1980s	None
1990s	Barry Bonds, Matt Williams
2000s	Carlos Lee, Alex Rodriguez, Lance Berkman
Source: Astros

o. One rumor around front offices is that Pat Gillick is going to come out of retirement to return as general manager of the Blue Jays, whom he ran from 1978 to 1994 as they won two World Series. The rumor also has Gillick bringing back Tim Wilken, who was Toronto scouting director (1996-2000) and is now the Cubs' scouting director.

o. How important will home-field advantage be in the playoffs? It looks like six of the eight teams in the field will have a home winning percentage better than .600. And home teams overall this year have a .551 winning percentage, the sixth-highest mark ever, according to STATS LLC. Last year's home winning percentage was .556 -- but the team with home-field advantage won just four of the seven series.

o. When the Rays traded Scott Kazmir to the Angels, they were 69-58 and 4 1/2 games out in the wild-card race. While the idea behind the Kazmir trade made some sense -- with some pitching depth, save the money remaining on his contract to help keep the rest of the club together -- the timing seems to have sent the wrong message in the clubhouse. One friend of some Rays said the players wondered if the front office had given up on a playoff push this year. And since the trade, Tampa Bay has gone 7-15 and fallen out of contention while looking lethargic for long stretches.

o. When Adam Moore caught all 14 innings of the Mariners' Thursday win over the White Sox, it marked the most innings caught in a big-league debut in at least 55 years.

o. Cincinnati's recent success is meaningless, and doesn't necessarily presage a playoff run in 2010, but it does seem to affirm that for all the criticism leveled at Dusty Baker, he has a knack for getting his team to play hard. And that's no small thing.

o. What does good play in September mean the next year? The best record in last year's final month belonged to Kansas City. The best teams in September 2007 were the Yankees, Indians and Rockies; both missed the playoffs in 2008.

o. Only once since 1900 has a shortstop batted .325 with 15 homers and 25 stolen bases -- Hanley Ramirez two seasons ago. But Ramirez, Jason Bartlett and Derek Jeter could all do it this year.

o. Quotes from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Carl Pavano that Yankees fans will find hard to believe: "I like the way he goes about his business. ... Plus, he's very competitive. ... Since he's come here, he's been really good for our ballclub. A real bonus."

o. Red Sox manager Terry Francona was asked about how teams position their left fielder at Fenway Park. "When Manny [Ramirez] was here," Francona cracked, "we didn't know what our philosophy was. We tried to have one, but we didn't always know what it was."

Baseball Brunch: Angels Become Patients For Dr. Abreu's Lessons originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Meet the Rarest Breed

Ed Price — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Athletics, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Orioles, Rays, Royals, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, MLB Awards, MLB Biz, MLB Inside Scoop, Baseball Brunch

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

Cody Ross blames his mom.

"My dad was a really good athlete (Kenny Ross, who played safety at New Mexico in the late 1960s)," said Ross, the Marlins' right fielder. "My dad was all right[-handed]. My mom's a lefty, so maybe I got that gene from her."

Ross and St. Louis' Ryan Ludwick are the only two active position players who throw left and bat right. Just 14 such players in baseball history have gotten as many as 1,000 at-bats -- and that list now includes a Hall of Famer, Rickey Henderson.

"He kind of put us on the map," Ross said.

Some of the other names are recognizable -- early 20th-century Yankees star Hal Chase, Mets outfielder Cleon Jones, and more recent players Mark Carreon, Brian Hunter and David McCarty.

Some aren't -- Rube Bressler, Johnny Cooney, Al Nixon and Delos Drake.

"I think it's something that's kind of cool, something to be proud of," Ludwick said. "It's kind of an honor to be able to be in such little company."

Why so rare? There have certainly been plenty of players who throw right and bat left (582 with 1,000 or more at-bats), so it can't be that it's hard to be opposite-handed for hitting and throwing.

The simplest explanation is that a left-handed thrower can really play only four of the eight positions -- outfield and first base -- and is even less valuable if he bats right-handed, since lefties are less common and have the advantage against right-handed pitching.

"I think being a left-handed hitter is viewed as having an advantage," Ludwick said, "so you see a lot more people who throw right and are taught to hit left because it's an advantage."

Nether Ross nor Ludwick could explain how they ended up batting right and throwing left.

"It just happened," said Ludwick, who last year joined Henderson and Jones as the only bat-right/throw-left players to make an All-Star Game. "Natural."

Said Ross: "I have no reason why I do it. Nobody ever taught me to do it."

Both tried switch-hitting as kids -- "for a minute," Ludwick said, "but I was so much better right-handed."

Said Ross, "My dad tried to get me to switch-hit when I was younger. I did for a little while. But I realized really quickly that I had a lot more power from the right side and I didn't want to waste an at-bat [left-handed]."

It's not like Ross and Ludwick can't play. Ross, 28, is third on the Marlins with 22 homers and 83 RBI. Ludwick, 31, has 20 home runs and has driven in 87 runs, both second on the Cardinals.

"I feel like you see a lot of left-handed hitters that are right-handed throwers that have a lot of pop because they're right-hand-dominant, so they can really pull that bat through the zone," Ludwick said. "So I feel like being left-hand-dominant, I can [do the same]."

The bottom hand provides the power in a swing, and some recent boppers who throw right and bat left include Jim Thome, Prince Fielder, Larry Walker, Tino Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Adam Dunn, Jason Giambi and Mo Vaughn.

But those guys who throw left and bat right -- they don't get the love.

Ludwick was a second-round draft pick out of UNLV in 1999, so he never felt a bias because of his bat/throw combination. But Ross, a fourth-rounder in the same draft out of high school in New Mexico, said it worked against him. (Louie Medina, who played 51 games in the majors while throwing left and batting right, scouted both players for that '99 draft. Medina, now a special assistant to the GM in Kansas City, was then a scout for Arizona.)

"You have scouts come to watch you," Ross said, "and I was already challenged because of my height and I wasn't your prototypical baseball player, pushing 5-10. And also throwing left and hitting right, that's a lot against you going into pro ball. Or even college. So I think it affected me a little bit when it came to drafting and stuff like that.

"It's one of those things I knew I had to overcome, and I just did. A little bump in the road."

Both Ludwick and Ross didn't get a chance to become regulars in the majors until they had gone through multiple organizations. Ludwick was traded from Oakland to Texas to Cleveland and then had to sign on with Detroit and St. Louis as a minor-league free agent.

Ross was traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers to the Reds to the Marlins, including being traded twice in 33 days in 2006.

But he didn't blame that bouncing around on throwing left-handed and batting right-handed.

"I think once I got into pro ball, I think all of that kind of goes out the window," he said. "If you can play, you can play, and they'll find a spot for you."

Overheard and Understood

-- If you think Derek Jeter's pursuit of the Yankees' franchise hits record was overblown, wait until next spring training. Because the Yankees seem intent on letting Jeter go into 2010 without a contract beyond this year, and it will be a season-long storyline next year: Is this the Captain's last year in pinstripes?

Chart of the Week
Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria became the ninth player to have 40 doubles, 30 homers and 100 RBI in a season before the age of 24:
Player	Year
Hal Trosky	1934/36
Ted Williams	1939
Alex Rodriguez	1996
Scott Rolen	1998
Eric Chavez	2001
Aramis Ramirez	2001
Albert Pujols	2001-03
Miguel Cabrera	2005
Evan Longoria	2009
Source: Rays

While it might seem good public relations and, emotionally, a no-brainer to try to lock up Jeter long-term this winter, that wouldn't be good business for the Yankees. Not that they don't want him, but Jeter will be coming off his best season in at least three years, maybe 10. So in any contract negotiations this winter, Jeter would have the upper hand. The Yankees couldn't tell Jeter they have an alternative in mind, since both sides know he'll be the team's shortstop in 2010.

And it's not like the Yankees have ever gotten any kind of hometown discount from Jeter; the sides went to arbitration in 1999, avoided arbitration in 2000 with a $10 million salary and then worked out his current 10-year, $189 million deal in February 2001. Considering what he means to the franchise -- and its fans -- Jeter now could have every right to ask for more than Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia.

The only way an extension would get done before Jeter's contract is up (or close to up) is if ownership -- the Steinbrenner brothers -- steps in. They did in the fall of 2007, after the Joe Torre fiasco, to bring back Rodriguez (after his ugly opt-out), and with Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera on above-market deals. But the Steinbrenners may realize now they overpaid then and hold firm on Jeter.

Which will make for a fascinating winter of 2010-11, because the next negotiations will determine how much Jeter makes compared to A-Rod, whether he will be signed for the same length of time (through 2017!) and -- as part of the whole equation -- whether he ever moves from shortstop, and when, and where.

-- With a new ballpark opening next year, the Twins plan to spend more this winter than in any recent offseason. They "won't be picking up the scraps" of free agency, as one person put it.

-- Washington (including its Montreal years) is the only franchise never to have had two teammates with 100 RBI in the same season, but that could be corrected this year as Adam Dunn has 99 RBI and Ryan Zimmerman has 94. Tampa Bay got its first 100-RBI duo this year, with Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena.

-- The Angels could be the first team since the 2005 Cardinals to make it through the season without a four-game losing streak.

-- Figure this: Seven of the Dodgers' final 18 games are against the Pirates. Three others are against the Nationals.

-- Arizona's Chris Young last Sunday became the first player to go into a game batting less than .200 and then hit three homers.

-- The Cubs did not gain ground on the Cardinals in any day from Aug. 3 through Thursday.

-- If the A's, who have 85 errors, can finish with fewer than 100, they will set an all-time record by doing that for the sixth straight year. The Phillies had double-digit errors from 2001 to 2005.

-- Attendance at the Mets' new Citi Field on Thursday, for a game against the Marlins, was 37,620. But the Mets estimated 20,000 no-shows and about 17,000 in the stands.

-- The Rays are promoting right-hander Jeff Niemann (12-5, 3.57 ERA) for AL Rookie of the Year. They cite that he is in the top 10 all-time for winning percentage by an AL rookie starter; the first rookie to beat Roy Halladay twice; the first rookie in 55 years to lead the defending AL champs in wins and ERA; and that he could have three more wins but for two blown two-run leads and a blown three-run lead by his bullpen.

-- Since the start of last year, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, just two AL teams have swept four series from the same opponent (three or more games). It figures that the Yankees swept the Orioles five times, but not that the Royals have swept the Tigers four times.

-- Detroit's Brent Dlugach, called up Sept. 1, is the first big-leaguer ever whose name begins with "DL." Unless you count Mike Hampton.

Baseball Brunch: Meet the Rarest Breed originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Senior Circuit Resembles Rest Home for Pitchers

Ed Price — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Athletics, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Tigers, Twins, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop, Baseball Brunch

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

Ahhh, the National League -- where pitchers can play out their golden years without a care in the world.

Think of the NL as baseball's rest home.

Just in the past few weeks, Brad Penny and John Smoltz have reached the legendary fountain of youth that Ponce de Sabathia discovered last year in the wilds of Wisconsin.

"In reality, it's a little tougher to pitch in the American League than it is the National League," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who formerly managed in Seattle and Tampa Bay.

At least he admits it.

Others asked about the difference between leagues tried to downplay it.

"If you make pitches, you're going to get outs," Penny told FanHouse a few days after joining the Giants. "When I got hit in the American League, it was because I didn't make pitches.

"Obviously the American League's a little harder, but it's not as big of a gap as everyone would think."

As Red Sox this year, Penny and Smoltz combined to go 9-13 with a 6.24 ERA and a .310 opponents' average.

Thus far, back in the comfy NL, they are 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA and .205 opponents' average.

Then -- in perhaps the ultimate indignity -- Jose Contreras, who went 5-13 with a 5.42 ERA this year for the White Sox, held the Diamondbacks to one run in 6 2/3 innings in his NL debut for Colorado.

Sounds like a pretty big gap.

"I don't see how it could be," Cubs GM Jim Hendry said. "How many American League lineups are better than the Phillies?"

Point taken, and for Penny to shut down the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park was pretty impressive.

Ted Lilly, who went from the Blue Jays to the Cubs two years ago, would admit to only noticing "a little bit" of a difference between leagues.

Penny said Smoltz wasn't bothered by the AL as much as he wasn't fully recovered from shoulder surgery.

"He was trying to rush things," Penny said, "and got back out there probably a little too soon."

Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton also claimed to notice no drop in class when he switched leagues.

"Hitters are hitters," said Blanton, who was 47-46 with Oakland and has gone 13-6 with Philadelphia. "I mean, other than facing the pitcher, hitters are hitters."

It's not just the presence of the DH that makes the AL harder on pitchers. Lineups are deeper, ballparks are smaller and the style of play different.

For example, through Friday's games, according to STATS LLC, American League No. 8 hitters had combined for a .400 slugging percentage and a homer every 33.4 at-bats. In the NL, No. 8 hitters had a .374 slugging percentage and a home run every 52.4 at-bats.

The National League has pitcher-friendly parks in San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Florida and Los Angeles. The AL has Seattle and Oakland -- and hitter's havens in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago and Texas.

"I think the teams are put together a little differently," Piniella said. "The [AL] teams are put together with a little more offense in mind."

More AL teams, notably in Boston and New York, seem to emphasize patience at the plate and building opposing pitchers' pitch counts.

"I think that the lineups in the American League are more powerful," said Johan Santana, in his second year with the Mets after winning two Cy Young Awards for the Twins. "You see more guys with longer swings than you see here in the National League. ... You don't see that many bunt plays, you don't see that many hit-and-runs in the American League.

"What I found out here, is that here they make a lot of contact and they put the ball in play. In the American League, there are more swing-and-misses."

In any case, it seems not to bode well for Jake Peavy, who (eventually) will make the reverse trip, from a team that plays in one of the NL's top pitchers' parks to an AL team that plays in a home-run den.

Maybe, for Smoltz and Penny, it was just getting out of the AL East. Scott Kazmir stayed in the league but left the division when he went from the Rays to the Angels, and he allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings in his first start after having a 5.92 ERA in Tampa Bay.

Or maybe Smoltz and Penny will eventually revert to their Boston form.

"Well, let's wait and see how it goes," Lilly said. "Four games, that doesn't give you much to go on."

Overheard and Understood

o. The early AL MVP talk -- and it's early, since September performance can swing the race -- has focused on Twins catcher Joe Mauer and Yankees teammates Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter. But I see drawbacks with all three.

Mauer (back) and Teixeira (.200 average, 10 RBI) took April off. Jeter recently bunted against Contreras with two men on, a 2-0 lead in the second inning with Sergio Mitre pitching for his team. Jeter is a great player having a great year, but that's not an MVP play.

Chart of the Week
Seattle's David Aardsma has 34 saves -- sixth-most all-time for a pitcher who had zero career saves coming into that season:
Pitcher	Team/Year	S
Eric Gagne	'02 Dodgers	52
Derrick Turnbow	'05 Brewers	39
Kaz Sasaki*	'00 Mariners	37
Shawn Chacon	'04 Rockies	35
J. Papelbon	'06 Red Sox	35
Kerry Wood	'08 Cubs	34
David Aardsma	'09 Mariners	34
Chris Ray	'06 Orioles	33
Billy Koch*	'99 Blue Jays	31
* - First year in majors Source: Mariners

So let's expand the discussion. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is in the top five in slugging and on-base percentage for a first-place team. And as the Angels went on a 44-16 tear from June 12 to Aug. 19, Kendry Morales led the league with a 1.083 OPS over that span (.345, 18 homers, 47 RBI).

o. A friend of Bobby Abreu's said Abreu would be open to remaining with the Angels, but if there have been talks about extending him past his current one-year deal, they have not progressed significantly.

o. Interesting managerial matchup last week when the Diamondbacks played the Dodgers. Arizona manager A.J. Hinch was born on May 15, 1974 -- at which point counterpart Joe Torre already had won an MVP, been an All-Star nine times, and accumulated 2,035 hits. Torre managed his first game, as player/manager for the Mets, 16 days after Hinch's third birthday.

o. The Giants have that rare combination of neither power nor speed. San Francisco is on pace for 118 homers and 78 stolen bases. But give the Giants credit for somehow being in contention anyway. Since the three-tiered playoffs began in 1995, four teams have failed to have either 80 stolen bases or 120 home runs -- the 1995 Phillies and Cardinals, the 2005 Nationals and the '07 Royals -- and none had a winning record or finished higher than third place.

o. One scout, using the 20-80 scouting scale, rated San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera, 22, an 80 on range and a 75 on arm. A year ago, Cabrera was with Asheville, N.C., in the lower-level Single-A South Atlantic League. Then the Padres took him from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft. "Within a year or two," the scout said, "he's going to be the best defensive shortstop in the National League."

o. Oakland has used a starting pitcher age 23 or younger 85 times this year and could wind up with the most such starts since the woeful 1998 Marlins had 135. (Livan Hernandez and Ryan Dempster turned out OK; Brian Meadows, Jesus Sanchez, Rafael Medina and Joe Fontenot are not as easily remembered.)

o. The Rangers have clinched home field for a playoff tiebreaker game against the Red Sox or Rays and need one more win over the Angels to have an AL West playoff, if needed, at home.

o. The Division Series with an extra day off -- the one that allows teams to use a three-man rotation without anyone going on short rest -- is in the American League this year. The AL team the finishes with the best record has the choice of whether to play in the seven-day series or the eight-day series.

Baseball Brunch: Senior Circuit Resembles Rest Home for Pitchers originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diamondbacks Not Happy With Dodgers After Garland Trade

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, MLB Transactions

There's a bit of a storm brewing between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in the wake of last week's trade of Jon Garland from Arizona to Los Angeles.

The Diamondbacks, who were expecting to get infielder Tony Abreu from the Dodgers as the player to be named for Garland, now believe that the Dodgers, presumably GM Ned Colletti, may not have negotiated the deal in good faith, sources told the Arizona Republic.

The issue stems from a grievance Abreu filed over a situation in 2007. The Dodgers sent him to the minors when he believed he should have been on the major league disabled list with an injury. Apparently that grievance is about to be settled by awarding Abreu extra service time, perhaps as much as the entire 47 days he was in Triple-A.

If Abreu gets the extra service time, it could make him arbitration eligible a whole year earlier than the Diamondbacks were expecting. That could cost them a million bucks or more.

So far it's not clear how all this will be resolved. Neither side was talking, but it's likely the commissioner's office is going to have to get involved. The Diamondbacks might be allowed to pick another player from the Dodgers system, perhaps a better one. The Dodgers might be forced to kick in some money to pay the extra money that Abreu could earn.

It would be pretty amusing if the Dodgers had to give Garland back to Arizona -- after he beat Arizona in his first start for Los Angeles -- but that's pretty unlikely. This particular dispute, although fascinating, does not seem to be that serious. There will certainly be an easier remedy.

In any case, if the Dodgers actually made this deal without telling the Diamondbacks about the grievance, that doesn't look good for general manager Ned Colletti. The chance that a player could get more than a quarter-season worth of service time in one swoop would seem to be significant information.

Diamondbacks Not Happy With Dodgers After Garland Trade originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: New Dodger Garland Garners Win Over Former Team

Ed Price — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, Pirates, Rays, Rockies, Royals, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
Jon Garland couldn't beat them. So he joined them. And then he beat the old them.

Traded from the fourth-place Diamondbacks to the first-place Dodgers earlier in the week, Garland on Friday faced Arizona in his first start for Los Angeles.

"It was fun. I grew up coming to games here, and getting a chance to pitch for this team is definitely a dream come true," Garland said. "It's kind of awkward the way it happened -- but nevertheless, it did -- and I was able to throw a good one up. I didn't leave too many tickets. I cut the phone off and told people if they want to come, they can pay for it and support the team."

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Garland allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings, retiring the final 14 batters he faced, as the Dodgers won 4-2.

"I think it was more uncomfortable because I was in that other dugout the first game and then came over," Garland said. "I mean, if it would have been like a week or two weeks down the road, it would have been a little bit different. But the fact that it was in the same series, there was a little extra the first few innings."

... "Being able to go out there and give this team a good quality start, coming out of the game with the lead and ending up winning it, I couldn't have asked for much more," Garland said. "Once I finally calmed down and got my feet underneath me, the ball started moving a little bit more and I was getting more ground balls and we got off a nice little run."

The Dodgers expanded their lead in the NL West to 5 1/2 games; their magic numbers are 22 to eliminate the Giants and 23 to eliminate the Rockies.

Garland became the 12th different starter used this year by the Dodgers, one shy of the L.A. team record set in 1964. And the Dodgers have gotten a win from 21 different pitchers, most in the majors since the 2007 Rockies and Yankees had 22.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Not only did the Rays fall six games out in the wild-card race with 29 to play by losing 6-3 to the Red Sox, but center fielder B.J, Upton left the game with a sprained left ankle. Upton collided with left fielder Carl Crawford in the fifth inning and will miss at least two more games.

Numbers Game ...
Mets lefty Pat Misch, in the rotation because of injuries to Oliver Perez and Johan Santana, got his first big-league win in his 55th career appearance (13th start). Misch, who held the Rockies to two runs in seven innings, was the first southpaw to go winless in his first 12 starts since Mike Mohler of the 1993-97 A's.

In Their Own Words ...
"In our immediate-gratification society, everybody wants to point fingers. But from what I've seen from everything that goes on in this organization, Trey Hillman's leadership is one of the strengths of our organization. People can debate that, and I know they will, but it's one of the strengths of our organization because the guy is a winner and he works and he cares." -- Royals GM Dayton Moore, four-year extension in hand, saying that manager Trey Hillman will be back in 2010 as well.

Advance Scouting ...
Adam Wainwright can add to his case for the Cy Young Award -- he's right there, along with teammate Chris Carpenter and San Francisco's Tim Lincecum -- as St. Louis visits Pittsburgh (7:05 PM ET). Wainwright (16-7, 2.47 ERA) is tied for the major league lead in wins and is third in the NL in ERA. His streak of 12 starts going at least six innings while allowing no more than two runs is the longest since Greg Maddux had 13 such games in a row in 1995.

Starting Five: New Dodger Garland Garners Win Over Former Team originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dodgers Snag Jim Thome, Jon Garland

Jeff Fletcher — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:26:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, White Sox, MLB Transactions

The Dodgers bolstered their rotation and lineup by acquiring Jim Thome from the White Sox and Jon Garland from the Diamondbacks, squeezing the deals in just before the deadline for both players to be eligible for Los Angeles' postseason roster.

The Dodgers reportedly sent infielder Justin Fuller to the White Sox in exchange for Thome and cash considerations. Fuller, a former 11th-round pick, was hitting .254 with four homers as a 26-year-old at Single-A, so he's not much of a prospect. The move amounts to a dump for the White Sox, while the Dodgers are looking for Thome to provide some pop to their lineup.

They acquired Garland for a player to be named.

More Coverage: Rockies Land Contreras From White Sox

Thome, 39, has hit .249 with 23 homers for the White Sox. He was the designated hitter in Chicago, so he'll obviously have to play first for the Dodgers. Thome has not played regularly in the field since 2005 with the Phillies. The Dodgers will also have to figure out how to split time with Thome and James Loney at first. Loney, 25, was hitting .275 with nine homers prior to Monday's game.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said that Thome will come off the bench.

The Garland deal was less of a surprise. The Dodgers have been looking to add a veteran presence to their rotation for a couple months. Garland, who will turn 30 later this month, is quietly one baseball's most dependable pitchers. He's 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA for the Diamondbacks, including a 3.45 ERA over his past 12 starts.

Garland ranks sixth in the majors in starts since 2002, and he's on his way to his eighth consecutive season of 30 or more starts and 190 or more innings.

Dodgers Snag Jim Thome, Jon Garland originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chad Qualls to Have Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Matt Snyder — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB Injuries

What a quick turnaround for Chad Qualls. He had just recorded the final out in his 24th save of the 2009 campaign -- 15 more than his previous career-high -- but, in the process, had taken a liner off his knee. Tests have shown the shot did enough damage to tear his patella femoral ligament in his left knee. In layman's terms, it's a ligament that connects the knee-cap (patella) to the thigh bone (femur) and he will need surgery to repair it.

The surgery will end Qualls' season prematurely, as he'll need three to four months to get back on the hill. The good news, though, is the the Diamondbacks aren't going anywhere this year and Qualls has plenty of time to recover before 2010 spring training.

Qualls has been a productive reliever for his entire career. The worst ERA he's ever finished with in a single season is 3.76 (2006). His career ERA is 3.32 in 390 appearances. His control has always been a strength, but it was impeccable in 2009, as he walked only seven batters in 52 innings. He was serviceable in his first full season as a closer, successfully saving 24 of 29 chances.

With both Tony Pena and Jon Rauch having been dealt during August, the Diamondbacks will not name an official closer. The names provided who might get a chance in the ninth-inning by manager A.J. Hinch? Well, it's not a short list: Juan Gutierrez, Esmerling Vasquez, Clay Zavada, Daniel Schlereth and Blaine Boyer.

Considering the D'backs don't exactly win often, fantasy players looking to grab some cheap saves should probably look elsewhere. There won't be anything predictable or consistent in the way of saves from the desert.

Chad Qualls to Have Season-Ending Knee Surgery originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Make Your Cy Young Case

Andrew Johnson — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That it was a good day to state your Cy Young case.

There was Adam Wainwright picking up his major league best 16th win of the season over the Nationals. And Justin Verlander throwing 125 pitches over eight innings for his 15th victory. And Zack Greinke one-hitting the Mariners for his 13th win, third shutout and sixth complete game.

All three will certainly be in the hunt for the Cy over the final month of the season, but Wainwright's stunning run is worth looking at in more depth.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Wainwright hasn't pitched fewer than six innings in a start since April, and hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since June 21. He's 8-3 with a 1.33 ERA since then.

"Adam by far is the best pitcher I've faced this year," Nationals leadoff hitter Willie Harris said. "That's why he's where he is right now."

From the Trainer's Room ...
Diamondbacks closer Chad Qualls dislocated his left kneecap on the final play of Arizona's 4-3 win over the Astros Sunday, when he dodged and deflected a comeback liner by Jason Michaels to shortstop Stephen Drew, who assisted on the last out of the game. Qualls had to be helped off the field and will have an MRI in the near future.

"You could see the dislocation," said Arizona manager A.J. Hinch. "The trainer popped the kneecap back in place, but now we'll just have to wait and see how much damage there was."

Numbers Game ...
John Lackey became the fifth pitcher in Angels history to win 100 games for the franchise in Los Angeles' 9-1 win over the lowly A's. Lackey joins Chuck Finley, Frank Tanana, Mike Witt and Nolan Ryan in the team's century club. The right-hander, who is due to be a free agent at season's end, would need 65 wins to tie Finley for the all-time team lead.

In Their Own Words ...
"I'm throwing to a 13-and-under team and the Red Sox called and I say, 'I don't know how long I'll take to get ready.' ... I'm just so excited to be back. I want a World Series ring. Hopefully I can help this team get there. I'll clean toilets if I have to, and I told them that." -- Paul Byrd, who returned to Boston weeks after signing a minor-league deal with the team, and threw six shutout innings in the Red Sox' 7-0 win over the Blue Jays.

Advance Scouting ...
The White Sox and Twins open a critical series with the AL Central-leading Tigers beginning to pull away in the division. Gavin Floyd will take the mound for Chicago (8:10 PM ET) against Minnesota's Nick Blackburn. Though both clubs are staring up at Detroit, they appear to be headed in opposite directions. The Twins have won seven of their last 10, while the reeling Sox have dropped eight of their last 10 games.

Starting Five: Make Your Cy Young Case originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Fifth Team in 7 Years, Has Javier Vazquez Finally Found Home?

Ed Price — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Braves, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Yankees

NEW YORK -- Maybe Javier Vazquez has finally found a home.

Despite remarkable consistency, Vazquez has been traded four times in the past six years and has made 100 starts for just one of the five franchises for which he has played.

The latest is Atlanta, where Vazquez is having a strong but somewhat overlooked season.

"I love it here," Vazquez told FanHouse. "It was always a place that I saw myself playing one day. It never happened until this year, but I'm happy it did."

The Braves seem just as happy to have him.

"I always thought that he would look good in a Brave uniform," Chipper Jones said. "I always wanted to have him on this club because he knew how to pitch. He's not a guy with overpowering stuff but he knows how to pitch. He can get big strikeouts when you need it, which is important. I've been very impressed.

"People have said, with the Yankees and with the White Sox that he just wasn't getting the job done, but man he's done nothing but pitch lights out all year for us."

Pitchers with most consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and 150-plus strikeouts:
Pitcher	Seasons
Steve Carlton	18 (1967-84)
Don Sutton	13 (1966-78)
Tom Seaver	12 (1967-78)
Walter Johnson	11 (1908-18)
Jim Bunning	11 (1957-67)
Mickey Lolich	11 (1964-74)
Don Drysdale	10 (1959-68)
Gaylord Perry	10 (1966-75)
Roger Clemens	10 (1996-05)
Javier Vazquez	10 (2000-09)
Source: Elias and baseball-reference.com

Vazquez, scheduled to start Friday night against the Marlins, is 10th in the National League in ERA (2.99), second in strikeouts (178), eighth in innings pitched (162 1/3) and eighth in average allowed (.225). But he is also just 10-8 because the Braves have scored two runs or fewer in nine of his 24 starts.

Said Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, who's had a few good pitchers on his staffs: "He's got everything going for him -- great athlete, he hits, he fields, he hold runners, every pitch is above average, he's always been among the strikeout leaders and he's a professional. He's focused and goes to the post every fifth day."

His 1,358 strikeouts since the start of the 2003 season are more than anyone but Johan Santana. And Vazquez is just the 10th pitcher ever with 10 straight seasons of double-digit wins and 150 or more strikeouts, and the other nine includes eight Hall of Famers and Roger Clemens (see chart).

"The consistency, I guess, is something that I pride myself in," Vazquez said.

And Vazquez's character has never been questioned. He is intelligent, well-respected by teammates and, as agent Seth Levinson put it, "truly one of the very best people we have ever known."

So why has Vazquez bounced around so much?

"You always want to stay in a place," Vazquez said. "Also you understand that you can get traded at any time. Sometimes you get traded and you don't want to be traded. Sometimes you get traded and you want to be traded.

"People see us making lots of money but they never realize you've got a family, you've got kids. You'd like to stay in a place. But when you want to be a professional athlete you understand that is something that's going to come with the territory."

Vazquez came up with the Expos, who traded him to the Yankees after the 2003 season, a year before he was eligible for free agency. The trade included a four-year contract for Vazquez.

But after the 2004 ALCS collapse and Vazquez's rough second half, the Yankees dealt him to the Diamondbacks for Randy Johnson. Except Vazquez didn't want to be that far west; he felt it was important to be on the East Coast so he could get home to Puerto Rico as often as possible.

After a year with Arizona, Vazquez exercised his right to demand a trade, and that got him to the White Sox in December 2005. After one year in Chicago, he signed another extension, for 2008-10 (with a no-trade clause that allowed him to veto any deal sending him to the West).

But the White Sox wanted to move his salary last winter, so they sent him to the Braves for a package of minor-leaguers.

"I liked Chicago and I still do," Vazquez said. "But now I'm here and hopefully I'll be here for a few years."

Maybe so. Atlanta general manager Frank Wren declined comment, and Levinson said in an e-mail, "Javy loves Atlanta but it remains to be seen whether he will be with the Braves long-term."

Said Vazquez: "I've never been a free agent. ... I've never really chosen a place myself. But definitely Atlanta was always a place I was interested in playing.

"So far I think I've had a pretty good career. And we'll see what happens."

On Fifth Team in 7 Years, Has Javier Vazquez Finally Found Home? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Moyer the Same -- or Better -- In Relief Debut

Ed Price — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Braves, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Phillies, Rangers, Rockies, Twins, MLB Injuries, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
Jamie Moyer can still win games.

Moyer bristled when the Phillies demoted him to the bullpen in favor of Pedro Martinez, and when a rain delay Tuesday forced Martinez from his start against the Diamondbacks, Moyer took over when play resumed in the fourth inning for his first outing since the decision.

He went the rest of the way, allowing two hits and striking out five in six scoreless innings and earning his first relief win since May 15, 1996, for the Red Sox. (That day he worked two innings in relief of Tom Gordon.)

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

The victory kept Philadelphia's lead in the NL East at 4 1/2 games. Moyer was the first 46-year-old to get a win in relief since Jesse Orosco in 2003.

"I didn't know what to expect," Moyer said. "Just go out and pitch. Try to pitch the way I'm capable of pitching and rely on my defense. It was a little different coming into the game from the bullpen. I haven't done this in a long time."

... Martinez was jovial after the game. Moyer seemed dour. He still seems unhappy about the demotion to the bullpen, although he declined to talk about it.

"I'd rather just talk about the game," he said.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Braves infielder Martin Prado, who has hit .329 since June 2, had to leave Tuesday's game against the Mets after a half-inning with "sudden onset headaches." Prado was trying to play for the first time since leaving Saturday's game with dizziness. He was to return to Atlanta on Wednesday for further examination.

"We thought he was good to go," manager Bobby Cox said. "He had a good batting practice, he took groundballs. [Then] it reared up again. ... We're not going to disable him right now."

Numbers Game ...
The Marlins have reached double-figures in hits in 14 straight games, the longest such streak since the 1937 St. Louis Browns and the longest in the NL since the 1929 New York Giants. Since Aug. 4, Florida is 9-5 with a .331 team average and 6.7 runs per game.

In Their Own Words ...
"I don't know if there's a guy hitting the ball much harder right now per at-bat than Carlos Gonzalez. It goes without saying we have one very special player on our hands." -- Rockies manager Jim Tracy on his outfielder, who has hit .380 this month with 11 RBI and five homers, including one Tuesday against the Nationals.

Advance Scouting ...
Locked in a wild-card battle, the Rangers could use Kevin Millwood's first-ever win against the Twins (8:05 PM ET). Millwood is 0-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 career starts against Minnesota; he has especially struggled against Justin Morneau (6-for-16, two doubles, three homers, six walks); Michael Cuddyer (8-for-18, three doubles, one homer); and Jason Kubel (4-for-10, three doubles). The Twins, trying to stay within striking distance in the AL Central, are scheduled to start Scott Baker, who, over his past 12 starts, is 6-1 with a 3.58 ERA.

Starting Five: Moyer the Same -- or Better -- In Relief Debut originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dodger Hiroki Kuroda Sent to Hospital After Taking Liner to the Head

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:58:00 EST

Filed under: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, MLB Injuries

PHOENIX (AP) -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda suffered a concussion when he was hit in the head by a line drive during a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, but tests revealed no fracture or internal bleeding.

"Amazingly, things look really pretty good," Dodgers head athletic trainer Stan Conte said. "The fact that he didn't lose consciousness is a very good sign."

Kuroda was to spend the night at St. Joseph's Hospital for observation.

"We worry about, even though there's no bleeding now, that there could be in the next 12, 14 hours," Conte said. "That's why we want to keep him at the hospital. The first 12-to-24 hours is important. The doctors feel very, very good. In fact, the doctors at the hospital didn't even want to keep him overnight. We thought it would be best just to make sure."

A shot off the bat of Arizona pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal caught Kuroda on the right side of his head with Los Angeles leading 3-0 in the sixth inning. The 34-year-old Kuroda crumpled to the mound, clutching his head, as the ball deflected into the seats behind first base.

"One of the first things he asked out there was if anybody caught the ball out there, if it was an out," Conte said.

All eight Dodgers fielders stood on the mound as trainers tended to Kuroda, who was placed on a stretcher and loaded onto a cart. He raised both of his arms as the cart rolled off the field, and was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital for tests.

Ryal was awarded a ground-rule double, and James McDonald relieved Kuroda.

Los Angeles led 3-0 at the time of Kuroda's injury, but the Diamondbacks rallied against the Dodgers' bullpen.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Dodger Hiroki Kuroda Sent to Hospital After Taking Liner to the Head originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Braves Keeping Up Heat in Playoff Chase

Jeff Fletcher — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the Braves have gotten themselves back into the thick of the pennant race, and on Tuesday they did it by beating the hottest team in baseball. The Braves whipped the Nationals, 8-1, snapping Washington's eight-game winning streak. Rookie Tommy Hanson picked up the latest victory, allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings to improve to 7-2.

Atlanta, winners of six of its past seven, is now just three games out in the wild-card race. It remains 4 1/2 games out in the NL East, with the Marlins a game ahead of them.

"You can definitely feel what's going on in this division, with us and Florida putting a lot of pressure on the Phillies," said Braves center fielder Ryan Church. "It's going to be a heck of a September."

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

From The Trainer's Room ...
Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who has been out with a strained left hamstring since July 28, is set to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday. Kinsler may be activated as soon as Friday.

Numbers Game ...
First baseman Adrian Gonzalez had six hits for the Padres, becoming the first player in franchise history to do so in a nine-inning game. Two other players, Freddy Sanchez and Kinsler, have had six-hit games this year, both in regulation.

In Their Own Words ...
"Every day I still pinch myself, is it real or is it a dream," -- Diamondbacks rookie Trent Oeltjen, who had four hits against the Mets. He finished a homer short of the cycle. Oeltjen has 12 hits in his first 24 big league at-bats.

Advance Scouting ...
Pedro Martinez will make his Philies debut against the Cubs at Wrigley Field (8:05 PM ET). Martinez hasn't pitched in the majors since last year. In three minor-league games, he was 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA. He did have 16 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings, though.

Starting Five: Braves Keeping Up Heat in Playoff Chase originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Under-the-Radar Jackson Deal Pays Huge Dividends

Ed Price — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Athletics, Diamondbacks, Indians, Marlins, Mets, Orioles, Phillies, Rangers, Rays, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, AL Central, MLB Media Watch, MLB Milestones, MLB Inside Scoop, Baseball Brunch

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

The most significant trade of last winter barely caused a ripple at the time.

The same day the Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez and traded for J.J. Putz, and the day after the Yankees came to terms with C.C. Sabathia, the Tigers sent outfielder Matt Joyce to the Rays for right-hander Edwin Jackson.

Or don't you remember?

Eight months later, Jackson is second in the AL with a 2.62 ERA and leads the league with a .217 opponents' average. Ignore his 8-5 record; Detroit has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of his 22 starts, and more than five runs just twice.

"We liked him," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told FanHouse. "We thought he'd be one of our starters. But to say we thought we'd be trading for an All-Star starter, I would not ever have projected that."

While it may seem that Jackson is one of those pitchers who had plodded along forever, doing nothing special, and has put together a fluke year, it should be noted that he is just 25.

Jackson's unusual career is the result of getting to the big leagues too soon. He made his debut with the Dodgers on Sept. 9, 2003 -- his 20th birthday -- winning against 40-year-old Randy Johnson.

But Jackson then bounced back and forth between the minors and majors, understandable since he was still in his early 20s. He was traded to the Rays in January 2006 and by 2007 he was out of minor-league options despite being only 23. He went into that season with an 11-19 career record and a 5.64 ERA.

In other words, much of his development took place in the majors.

"When I did struggle it was in the limelight," Jackson said. "It wasn't like I was in the minor leagues and had a chance to struggle under the radar.

"I think it all just worked out to make me a stronger person at the end."

And Detroit caught him on the upswing.

"He's been tremendous for us," Dombrowski said. "I don't think anybody could anticipate he'd be good to this extent. I think everybody in the game has been aware of his ability. That goes back for a long time. He's always had great stuff. It was just one of those things where sometimes you get a guy at the right time."

It's not like Dombrowski set out to steal Jackson from Tampa Bay.

Jackson went into last winter eligible for arbitration, meaning he was in line for a big raise from his $412,700 salary (it wound up being $2.2 million this year). With top prospect David Price and others, the low-payroll Rays had some pitching depth, so trading Jackson was a way to save some money that could be spent elsewhere.

It was Tampa Bay that approached Detroit first, Dombrowski said.

"They liked Matt Joyce a lot," Dombrowski said. "And we liked Matt Joyce a lot. I still think Matt Joyce is going to be a good player."

And Jackson didn't take it personally.

"A trade is a trade," he said. "That's the business aspect of it. ... As long as a team wants me, I don't have a problem.

"Without the opportunity [the Rays] gave me, I wouldn't be [an All-Star]. But at the end of the day you can only do so much with a player. You have to kind of let them go out and find themselves. That's what I went through when I had my struggles."

Jackson has thrown more strikes, going from 4.9 walks per nine innings in 2007 to 3.8 last year to 2.9 this year, and success has followed.

"I was just trying to continue to do the same thing I did last year," he said. "I just wanted cut down on my walks, attack the strike zone more. You make the hitters put the ball in play, good things happen for you."

Another reason Jackson took time, as former Rays teammate Carl Crawford noted, is that when the Dodgers signed Jackson out of Columbus, Ga., he was a pitcher and outfielder.

"So he's still learning," Crawford said. "He's not gonna do nothing but get better. He's going to be a dangerous guy for a long time."

But Jackson said he won't mind if, like when he was traded to Detroit, not too many people notice.

"It's not a bad thing to fly under the radar," he said. "It makes life a little easier."

Overheard and Understood

o. Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said ace Dan Haren excels at, as Hinch put it, breaking a game down into 110 one-pitch games -- i.e., focusing on one pitch at a time. But Hinch is also monitoring the mental and physical strain from putting so much effort into every delivery. Including Saturday at Washington, Haren has failed to get into the seventh inning in four of his past seven starts. "He executes that one pitch at a time," Hinch said, "and he exhausts about every bit of energy that he has on every one of his pitches."

o. The Twins' best chance to win the AL Central lies in their schedule. Of their 52 remaining games, 35 are within the division -- including 12 against Kansas City, nine against Cleveland and eight against Detroit (which is 3-7 against Minnesota).

o. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles are the first team in 121 years to have five pitchers (Brian Matusz, David Hernandez, Jason Berken, Brad Bergesen, Koji Uehara) start and win in their major league debut. The only other team to accomplish that was the 1888 Chicago White Stockings.

Chart of the Week
The Mariners are 27-14 in one-run games, putting them on pace for 40 one-run victories this season. That would rank tied for fourth all-time and the most since 1978:
Team	Record
1978 Giants	42-26
1969 Mets	41-23
1940 Reds	41-17
1974 Orioles	40-21
1970 Orioles	40-15
1979 Astros	39-27
1985 Reds	39-18
Source: Mariners, baseball-reference.com

o. The trade of Carl Pavano to Minnesota left Cleveland with just 11 players on its 25-man roster who were on the Opening Day roster or disabled list. Only four players have made it all season on the Indians' active roster: Kerry Wood, Kelly Shoppach, Jhonny Peralta and Shin-Soo Choo.

o. Colorado's Todd Helton reached 500 doubles in 1,749 career games -- third fastest all-time after Joe Medwick and Nap Lajoie.

o. Since Luis Castillo's game-losing dropped popup against the Yankees on June 12, Rodriguez has a 7.71 ERA, four blown saves in 12 chances, and 17 walks and four homers allowed in 18 2/3 innings.

o. Because Dallas Braden is out with a foot infection, Oakland has started a rookie in eight straight games, with Brett Anderson scheduled to make it nine Sunday. The last team to use a rookie starter in nine straight games was the 1997 Cardinals, who used rookies Manny Aybar, Rigo Beltran, Matt Morris, Sean Lowe, Mike Busby and Brady Raggio over their final 19 games.

o. Darren O'Day retired 18 straight batters before walking the first man he faced Friday and has a 1.91 ERA for the Rangers. The Mets took him in last winter's Rule 5 draft but, shortsightedly, opted to cut him in April when they called up Nelson Figueroa for a spot start.

o. Bruce Chen's win Thursday for Kansas City was his first since Oct. 2, 2005, for Baltimore against Tampa Bay. In between Chen's wins, Roy Halladay and C.C. Sabathia each won 63 games.

o. Florida's Dan Uggla joined Joe Gordon as the only second basemen ever to begin their careers with four 20-homer seasons.

o. The Phillies broadcasters have created a sports-broadcasting scholarship for Philadelphia-area college students, called the Kalas Award, in memory of their late colleague Harry Kalas. Scholarship applications and the eligibility requirements are available at www.phillybroadcasters.org.

Baseball Brunch: Under-the-Radar Jackson Deal Pays Huge Dividends originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Shoe Is Now on Other Foot In Bronx

Matt Snyder — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Athletics, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins, Yankees, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
The New York Yankees started the season 0-8 against their despised rival Boston Red Sox. After a 5-0 win Saturday, the Yankees have now won three straight against Boston and six straight overall. They have built a commanding 5-1/2 game lead in the vaunted AL East. As much as the games count, the mental gain made this series for the Bronx Bombers has to be immense.

As for the Red Sox, talk about a role reversal. They went from owning the Yanks to not being able to score a run. In fact, they've now gone 24 innings without crossing the plate.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

From the Trainer's Room ...
Oakland A's starting pitcher Dallas Braden has been placed on the disabled list with a ... rash? Braden, a 25-year-old left-hander who is 8-9 with a 3.89 ERA for the A's in 22 starts, is suffering from a rash on his left foot. The uninspiring Chad Reineke will keep his rotation spot warm for the time being, not that it matters. Oakland is well out of playoff contention for 2009.

Numbers Game ...
Mark Reynolds went deep again Saturday night. He now has 35 home runs, trailing Albert Pujols by just one for the major league lead. No one else even has 30. He even seems to be picking up steam. He had five homers through April, and then hit eight in each month thereafter until August. So far this month, Reynolds has left the yard six times in just seven games. Keep watching, because the 26-year-old is on pace to hit 50 this season. Only 11 times in baseball history has a player 26 or younger hit 50 or more home runs. The last time it happened was just two years ago, though, when 23-year-old Prince Fielder accomplished the feat.

In Their Own Words ...
"I thought the ball was a little higher than I'd like, but I was able to make some adjustments ... I kind of pride myself on my command. I want to control both sides of the plate and go from there." - Carl Pavano, being his own harshest critic after summarily shutting down the Tigers. Pavano, in his Minnesota Twins debut, worked seven scoreless frames and only allowed five hits. He struck out five and didn't walk anyone. Considering he lowered his ERA to a still-hefty 5.09, it's a bit odd he'd be dissatisfied with anything.

Advance Scouting ...
Big game for both the Cubs and the Rockies in Denver (3:10 PM ET). The Cubs trail division-leading St. Louis by a game, and the Cardinals are playing the hapless Pirates. The Rockies trail the Giants by a game in the Wild Card race, and the San Francisco is sending Matt Cain to the hill against the hapless Reds. Randy Wells takes the ball for the Cubs, and he's been as good as they have in the rotation this season (8-4, 2.73). He's 8-1 with a 2.85 ERA in his last nine starts and has never faced the Rockies (which means advantage pitcher). Opposite Wells is Jason Hammel (6-6, 4.62). Hammel had a brilliant June but struggled in July. He is coming off a victory in which he worked 6 2/3 innings and allowed just three runs against the Phillies' stacked offense, and the Cubs have never seen him.

Starting Five: Shoe Is Now on Other Foot In Bronx originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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