MLB FanHouse

Footprints in the Snow: Reds

Pat Lackey — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 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.

The Reds are at a crossroads. They've compiled some nice young talent at the major league level with guys like Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Johnny Cueto (plus the injured Edinson Volquez) and they have some prospects close to the big leagues in Drew Stubbs and Yonder Alonso, but that might not be enough to get them quite over the top in 2010.

This winter the Reds have to decide what to do with their roster. Should they keep some of their older, more expensive players and gun for what might be a weak division, or should they sell off on the veterans and try to rebuild a core around the younger guys before they leave town?

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Kip Wells, RHP

Shopping List

With Bruce, Votto, Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen, the Reds certainly do not need a right fielder, first baseman, second baseman, or third baseman. They're likely going to go with Drew Stubbs in center field this year, but their options in left field right now are probably limited to Jonny Gomes, Wladimir Balentien, Chris Dickerson, Darnell McDonald, and Willy Taveras. Gomes will get some time after playing well last year, and it might be worth their time to give Balentien at-bats, but he's a Wily Mo Pena clone, with a ton of power and not much in the way of anything else.

They could also use an upgrade over Paul Janish at shortstop. Janish has a very good glove, but his bat is atrocious. He's only 27, though, so there's probably some room for improvement over his (gulp) .601 OPS, which would make him at least as good an option as the Adam Everetts of the world if he keeps up his good glovework. Their pitching staff is also quite thin with Edinson Volquez out for 2010 with Tommy John surgery, though that situation is complicated (as we'll discuss below).

Money Matters

This is where the Reds run into trouble. In 2010, they owe Francisco Cordero $12 million, Aaron Harang $12.5 million, Scott Rolen $11 million, Bronson Arroyo $11 million, and Brandon Phillips $6.75 million. That's a lot of cash for a small-market club, and in the cases of Harang and Arroyo, it's a lot of cash for not a lot of production. The Reds would obviously love to dump either one of their two salary burdens for some relief, but because there probably won't be many takers our own Ed Price recently reported that they may be forced to trade someone productive like Brandon Phillips or first-time arbitration-eligible Joey Votto.

For his part, GM Walt Jocketty is denying that and practically taunting his critics with a $3 million extension for Ramon Hernandez, who only played in half of the Reds games with a .699 OPS last year. If Jocketty does have to sell off one of his productive players, he'll only have himself to blame after trading for Scott Rolen's $11 million deal even though Rolen is injury prone and far from the last piece of the puzzle for the Reds. Why make that trade if it necessitates one that hurts the club's already slim 2010 chances?

The other potential problem those contracts create is that the Reds' payroll for 2010 is already around $62 million after the Hernandez signing, just about $9 million smaller than their Opening Day payroll last year. That doesn't include contracts for Gomes or effective relievers Jared Burton and Nick Masset, who are all arbitration eligible this winter. Having to non-tender Laynce Nix (which they'll almost certainly do) is one thing, but being forced to drop any of those other three would be detrimental to the club.

What seems more than likely to happen this winter is the Reds selling low on Harang or Arroyo, essentially paying a team to take one of their two high-salaried veterans off of their roster. That might give them some payroll flexibility, but it'll be a huge dent in a Volquez-less rotation.

Offseason Goals

I think the Reds' biggest goal this offseason is to simultaneously dump one of their two overpaid starters without weakening the rotation. If money is a problem for them, they at least have a chance to fill their holes in the outfield and shortstop internally, but beyond Cueto and Bailey, there's not much their system has to offer in terms of pitching. The problem for them is that it won't be easy to find someone willing to take Arroyo or Harang without the Reds paying a lot of their salary, and so the amount of money freed up by a trade would probably be minimal.

Footprints in the Snow: Reds originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Money Worries Could Force Reds to Move All-Star Phillips, Others

Ed Price — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:48:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Blue Jays, Giants, Nationals, Red Sox, Reds, Tigers, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop

Editor's Note: FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher contributed to this report

CHICAGO -- The Reds' need to slash payroll, according to a major league source, could lead them to explore trading second baseman Brandon Phillips as well as right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.

Cincinnati's 2009 payroll was about $71 million. General manager Walt Jocketty said during a break Tuesday at the GM Meetings that he "might" have to move some high-salaried players to meet the 2010 goal.

"We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past," Jocketty told FanHouse. "It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason."

Boras: Holliday Can Play in Either League

Cincinnati's total attendance fell from 2.06 million in 2008 to 1.75 million this year, a drop of more than 15 percent.

The source above said the Reds plan to cut back to $65-70 million, which is a challenge in part because of raises due Harang ($11 million to $12.5 million), Arroyo (from $9.5 million to $11 million) and Phillips (from $4.75 million to $5 million).

With their salaries and so-so 2009 seasons, the pitchers would be hard to trade without the Reds taking on some of their pay. So Cincinnati's best bet could be finding a taker for Phillips, who last season hit .276 with 30 doubles, 20 homers, 98 RBI and 25 stolen bases.

The source said the Reds would prefer to keep closer Francisco Cordero, who has two years and $25 million left on his deal. They also need a shortstop and a catcher and have a decision to make at first base, where Joey Votto hit .322 but prospect Yonder Alonso (.838 OPS in the minors last season) seems close to being ready.

o. In a 180-degree turn from predecessor J.P. Ricciardi, new Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos declined any comment on whether he will trade ace Roy Halladay. But baseball sources expect that to happen this winter, with one GM predicting the Dodgers as a landing spot.

o. Detroit is probably content to let second baseman Placido Polanco sign elsewhere as a free agent and replace him with prospect Scott Sizemore, who by spring training is expected to be recovered by from a broken ankle suffered in the Arizona Fall League. It would seem to make sense for the Tigers to re-sign shortstop Adam Everett, a defensive specialist who could help a rookie double-play partner.

o. Washington should name its manager by the end of the week. A source confirmed the FOXSports.com report that Jim Riggleman, who finished out the 2009 season as interim manager, and Bobby Valentine are the finalists. One major league source said the decision will be based on who can help the team develop -- rather than public personality -- which seems to point to Riggleman.

Once that is settled, the Nats may target a veteran starting pitcher to top off and mentor their young rotation. Jon Garland and Randy Wolf are free agents who fit the profile.

Washington seems committed to Adam Dunn at first base with an outfield of Josh Willingham, Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes. And Ian Desmond (.280 as a September call-up) will get a chance to be the everyday shortstop.

o. One official from another team expects the Red Sox to trade for a left fielder to replace Jason Bay, in part because they see Bay's rough two-month stretch from late June to late August -- .214 average with 59 strikeouts in 168 at-bats -- as a red flag. But another major league source said Boston is still engaged with Bay, a free agent. The Giants, in dire need of offense, could also get involved with the slugger.

"Chronological age does not have anything to do with a player of his genetics."
-- Scott Boras on client and free agent Johnny Damon San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said his team won't be used as a pawn in a bidding war.

"You've got to be realistic," Sabean said. "Do they really want to come to San Francisco versus the people they are going to be talking to, including their own teams? We'll gauge in that way. People who are interested in San Francisco sincerely, we'll be interested in. Are we going to chase people we have no chance of signing?"

The Giants may have a tough time convincing a slugger to play in San Francisco because AT&T Park is so pitcher-friendly.

"If you can hit, you can hit," Sabean said. "The ballpark shouldn't bother you."

o. Johnny Damon just turned 36, but, as you'd expect, that's not going to deter Scott Boras from seeking as long a contract as he can get.

"The thing I'll say about Johnny is his durability is off the charts," Boras said. "It's like when I had Maddux on the market at age 37 and he got a four-year deal. Johnny Damon is at the point he's played 12 years and played 140-plus games and put up this remarkable career. Then you are talking about Pete Rose and all those players who went on to play till they were 40 at very high levels. Chronological age does not have anything to do with a player of his genetics."

Boras also said that Damon would not necessarily want to wait until he goes on the open market to re-sign with the Yankees, even though he conceded that it is customary for Boras clients to test the waters.

"If there is a deal that comes across the table that Johnny is happy with, I'm sure he'd sign quickly," Boras said.

o. The Angels have started a dialogue with all of their free agents, including the two big ones, John Lackey and Chone Figgins. General manager Tony Reagins said it's too early to tell how those negotations will go.

He said neither player has closed the door on re-signing with the Angels before the end of the 15-day exclusive negotiating window.

o. After the main portion of the GM Meetings on Tuesday morning, there was a second meeting just for the assistant GMs. Essentially, that's the meeting where they discuss topics so mundane that MLB officials know that the GMs would leave if they were invited.

"We spent 20 minutes talking about urine samples," one assistant GM said.

Money Worries Could Force Reds to Move All-Star Phillips, Others originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball Brunch: Joe, Albert and the Rest Of the Award Winners

Ed Price — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Nationals, Phillies, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, Twins, MLB Awards, MLB Inside Scoop, Baseball Brunch

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

Ron Gardenhire was asked how teams try to pitch Joe Mauer.

"I can't give you all that information," Gardenhire, the Twins manager, said of his No. 3 hitter. "You'll write it and then other people might figure it out."

So you know, Ron, how to get him out?

"Hell, no, I don't! That's why I don't want to say anything.

"You just better have your defense standing in the right place, and that's where he's going to hit the ball hard -- that normally works. Catch the rocket that he's going to hit somewhere."

It's awards time here at Baseball Brunch, and we're casting our lot in the AL MVP race with Mr. Mauer.

Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Kevin Youkilis, Miguel Cabrera, Kendry Morales -- nice years, guys. Very nice.

But come on.

Mauer leads the American League in batting, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. And he's a catcher. Maybe as not as good a catcher as Teixeira is a first baseman, but at least as good a catcher as Jeter is a shortstop.

And better offensively, this year, than both of them.

If Mauer was playing in New York, teammate Michael Cuddyer said, "It would be ridiculous. He'd be everywhere. He would be on every billboard, every magazine cover.

"He's having arguably the best year in the history of the position. Not even arguably, really. It's pretty much the best year in the history of the position."

And that's a pretty good MVP argument.

With one caveat. We had some hesitation on Mauer because he missed the first month because of an inflamed joint in his lower back. So he has fewer total bases than Teixeira and fewer hits than Jeter. And playing time is an explicit criterion for picking the MVP.

But Mauer will end up playing in 137 or 138 games, only eight or nine fewer than last year, and with about 600 plate appearances. That's about 100 fewer than Jeter or Teixeira, but more than Youkilis. He will have been the DH more, with nearly 300 fewer innings caught than in 2008 -- but still sixth- or seventh-most innings caught in the league.

Our conclusion: his overwhelming production, and his near constant playing since returning, make up for the missed month.

Just for icing, Mauer leads the AL in batting average at home, on the road, against right-handers and in night games. He is second in average with runners in scoring position, third in average in day games and fourth in average vs. lefties.

o. NL MVP: Even an easier pick than in the AL. St. Louis' Albert Pujols also leads his league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage -- plus homers, runs scored, total bases, grand slams and extra-base hits. Like Mauer, he's second in batting average with men in scoring position.

Also worthy of being on the ballot: Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley, Prince Fielder, Derrek Lee, Troy Tulowitzki, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Ryan Howard.

o. AL Cy Young Award: There should not be a debate. The MVP award should -- in our opinion, because that is what it has come to represent -- contain an element of contributing to a contender. But not the Cy Young.

And Kansas City's Zack Greinke is the best pitcher in the AL. Period. Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia are great. And if Greinke wasn't around, it would be a tasty three-way debate.

But this year, that debate is about second place.

o. NL Cy Young Award: A similar three-way choice between San Francisco's Tim Lincecum and St. Louis teammates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They're 1-2-3 in ERA and 1-2-4 in wins.

Carpenter has been the most brilliant and dominant, but he's not in the top 10 in the NL in innings pitched because of early-season health issues. Lincecum has the lowest OPS allowed, but he plays in a great pitcher's park. And while we don't want to give wins too much weight, they are significant, and Wainwright leads the league.

So Wainwright, by a hair.

o. AL Rookie of the Year: What a great season for rookie talent, in both leagues. The White Sox are pushing third baseman Gordon Beckham, who has hit well (he has a ways to go defensively) but wasn't called up until June. And if Beckham is a candidate, Baltimore outfielder Nolan Reimold should be as well. Reimold leads Beckham in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and homers.

Texas' Elvis Andrus, meanwhile, has played all season -- excelling at shortstop with acceptable production at the plate for a 20-year-old.

And here we have to compare apples and oranges. How do we judge these position players against a closer (Oakland's Andrew Bailey with his .168 opponents' average) and starters (Detroit's Rick Porcello, Toronto's Ricky Romero, Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann and Oakland's Brett Anderson)?

Tough call, but we go with Porcello. He's 20, he made 30 starts while pitching in a pennant race to the finish and he went 14-9 with a 4.04 ERA.

o. NL Rookie of the Year: Just as loaded, with Philadelphia's J.A. Happ, Atlanta's Tommy Hanson, Randy Wells of the Cubs, Milwaukee's Casey McGehee, Florida's Chris Coghlan, Colorado's Dexter Fowler and Pittsburgh's Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen.

If we whittle it down to one position player and one pitcher, we get Coghlan (229 total bases, 82 runs scored and .319 average) over McCutchen and Jones and a very close call between Happ (12-4, 2.85 ERA) vs. Hanson (11-4, 2.89 ERA).

The cop-out would be to go with Coghlan to avoid the choice between the pitchers. But while Hanson is a terrific prospect, Happ threw 164 innings and the Phillies would have been in big trouble without him.

o. AL Manager of the Year: Great job by Ron Washington to help make the Rangers relevant. Jim Leyland may take the Tigers from worst to first -- their first division title since 1987!

But Mike Scioscia didn't just guide the Angels to another division title. He kept the team from falling apart through a rough first few months, not only because of a rash of pitching injuries but also because of the death of Nick Adenhart. Managing a team is about managing people, and Scioscia did a great job this year.

(Amazingly, Joe Girardi will manage his team to 102 or 103 wins and not get a sniff of this award.)

o. NL Manager of the Year: We have a vote on this award this year, so due to BBWAA rules, we can't reveal our vote before the award is announced in November.

But there are good candidates. Fredi Gonzalez kept the Marlins in contention for 25 weeks. Tony La Russa had little in his lineup other than Pujols for the first three months. Charlie Manuel got the Phillies back on top, as did Joe Torre with the Dodgers. And Colorado has gone 74-41 since Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle -- the equivalent of a 104-win season.

Overheard and Understood

o. The Angels could look a bit different in 2010. Unless owner Arte Moreno puts his foot down, they seem likely to not pick up the option on Vladimir Guerrero. Then, if Bobby Abreu comes back -- no slam dunk -- he could be the DH. Otherwise, it could rotate among a few players. Ace John Lackey is bound to go elsewhere, as mentioned last week in this space, meaning the Angels will probably try to add a mid-rotation pitcher.

Chart of the Week
No team has ever been more efficient at stealing bases than the recent vintage Phillies -- who have three of the seven best seasons ever in stolen-base percentage:
Team	SB%
2007 Phillies	87.9
2008 Phillies	84.5
1994 Orioles	84.1
1995 Blue Jays	82.4
1975 Reds	82.4
2004 Mets	82.3
2009 Phillies	82.3
2007 Diamondbacks	82.0
STATS LLC

The potential free agent the Angels feel the best about keeping, although it isn't a sure thing, is leadoff man Chone Figgins. And if he comes back, he'd likely move to left field, with Juan Rivera going from left to right and Brandon Wood taking over at third.

o. The Reds, whose attendance will drop about 15 percent from 2008, have to cut payroll for 2010. Which could make some pitching available on the trade market.

o. By going 57-24 at home, the Yankees tied the record for most wins in the first year at a new park. The Red Sox went 57-20 at Fenway Park in 1912.

o. We have gone six years without a World Series going to a deciding game, the longest such stretch since 1913-23. In fact, there hasn't been more than one winner-takes-all postseason game in any year since 2004 (the two LCS).

o. Through June 14, Washington had 16 losses in its opponent's final at-bat and just three wins in its final at-bat. But since then, the Nats have 12 last-at-bat wins and eight last-at-bat losses.

o. Jason Bartlett is likely to be the second Tampa Bay player ever to finish in the top 10 in the AL in batting average. The other? Aubrey Huff, when he hit .311 in 2003 to finish ninth in the league.

o. The Rockies are the second team since the 1989 Blue Jays to reach the playoffs after being 12 games under .500 at some point. The other was the 2005 Astros.

o. Pujols has an NL-record 184 assists from first base. He also the big-league record of 184, set by Bill Buckner in 1985. In other words, don't leave Pujols in for the ninth inning of Game 6 of the 2010 World Series.

Baseball Brunch: Joe, Albert and the Rest Of the Award Winners originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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La Russa Accuses Reds of 'Shenanigans'

Pat Lackey — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Reds, NL Central

Wednesday night, while John Smoltz was in the middle of his worst start with the Cardinals, he could be seen constantly trading balls with the home plate umpire, clearly unhappy with something. After the game ended, he said it was because he felt the balls were improperly rubbed down, causing them to be more slippery than normal and preventing him from getting a proper grip.

The story could've ended there, but apparently Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan have been reading a little bit too much Raymond Chandler lately, because they got their Phillip Marlowe on and after some investigating, are charging the Reds with a larger conspiracy.

Apparently, La Russa actually kept some of the slippery balls from the game and showed them to the Reds' clubhouse attendant tasked with rubbing the game balls down with mud to remove the sheen and create a better grip for pitchers. The attendant denied any wrongdoing, saying the balls "weren't like that" when he finished with them.

Meanwhile, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan have both charged the Reds' starter from last night, Bronson Arroyo, with keeping pine tar under the brim of his cap, allowing him to get a better grip on the slippery balls and giving him a distinct advantage over Smoltz on the mound.

Arroyo, for his part, has denied doctoring the ball, and I've got to say that while the Cardinals may think they have some circumstantial evidence, I'm really failing to see a motive for this crime here.

The Cardinals have clinched the NL Central. The Reds are in fourth place and could potentially jump to third, but that's not really something worth cheating over. And Smoltz was quite literally the only pitcher to struggle with the balls last night. The Cardinals' relievers only walked one hitter in the five innings after Smoltz departed and the Reds pitchers only walked two in nine innings.

Unless Dusty Baker and Dick Pole have a noted anti-Smoltz agenda, I'm just not sure I understand why the Reds would be doing this now.

La Russa Accuses Reds of 'Shenanigans' originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Vazquez Dealing, Braves Streaking Into Contention

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Reds, 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 when we told you a few weeks ago that the Braves were just about dead, we might have been a bit premature. Led by Javier Vazquez's third complete game of the season, the Braves beat the Nationals, 4-1, winning their fourth game in a row and 12th out of the past 14.

The Braves are still 3 1/2 behind the Rockies in the wild-card race (and mathematically alive in the NL East, believe it or not), but they do have at least one thing in their favor. They play the Nationals six more times in their final nine games, with the other three against Florida.

In Friday's game, Vazquez added another line to his under-appreciated resume. He is 10-2 since July 7. He has 15 victories this season. The only pitcher to win at least 10 games every year since 2000, Vazquez is second only to Randy Johnson in strikeouts in the decade.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

From The Trainer's Room ...
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee couldn't play on Friday night because of a neck spasms. The injury was aggravated by teammates whacking him too hard on the head after he scored ahead of Jeff Baker's ninth-inning two-run homer on Thursday night. Pitcher Angel Guzman was identified as the player who hit Lee. Manager Lou Piniella didn't blame Guzman, though.

"All Guzman was trying to do was congratulate him for the stolen base and getting on base and scoring a run. It's something that just happened. I'm not faulting anybody."

Numbers Game ...
The Reds pounded out a 10-1 victory over the Astros, the 22nd win in their past 32 games. They have the best record in the majors since Aug. 22.

In Their Own Words ...
"Regardless of what happens this winter, it means a lot to me." -- Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, who was greeted by fans chanting "Thank You Roy" after his final home game of the season. Halladay is signed through next year, but the Blue Jays may opt to trade him over the winter, considering they shopped him at the trading deadline.

Advance Scouting ...
The Dodgers and Cardinals will both try again to lock up playoff spots. Each failed on Friday. The Dodgers, who play the Pirates (7:05 PM ET) need a win or a Braves loss to clinch a playoff spot. The Cardinals, who play the Rockies (8:10 PM ET), need a win or a Cubs loss to clinch the NL Central.

Starting Five: Vazquez Dealing, Braves Streaking Into Contention originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 26 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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Starting Five: No Power Rangers Here

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, Reds, Tigers, Twins, 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 Rangers could not have fallen out of the playoff race any more quietly than this. Not only have they been losing, but their bats have fallen silent. Including Friday night's 2-0 loss to the Angels, the Rangers have scored just one run in the past five games, a first in franchise history. The last team to score once in five games was the Braves in June 2007.

Scott Kazmir handed them a critical defeat on Friday. The Angels, who had been scuffling themselves on a trip to New York and Boston, came into Texas and pushed the Rangers a season-high 7 1/2 games back in the AL West. The Rangers trail Boston by seven games in the wild-card race.

From the Angels side, Kazmir seems to have turned around his season with the trade from the Rays to Angels. Kazmir had a 5.92 ERA with Tampa Bay, but he's got a 1.42 ERA in four starts with the Angels.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

From The Trainers' Room...
The Phillies simply want to get through the rest of the regular season without anyone getting hurt, which is why they were being extra careful with rookie pitcher J.A. Happ on Friday night. Happ had been out of the rotation for two weeks with a strained side, and in the third inning of his return, he was pulled for what the team labeled "precautionary" reasons. Happ insisted he was OK. The Phillies also lost catcher Carlos Ruiz with a sprained left wrist. X-rays were negative, but the Phillies aren't sure when Ruiz will be back.

By The Numbers...
The Reds haven't been best in the National League at much, but in one respect they were perfect. Until Friday. The Reds had been the only team in the National League yet to blow a ninth-inning lead, winning all 57 games they led after eight, but the Marlins scored four times in the ninth to end that streak.

In Their Own Words...
"He just hit it absolutely perfect, as pure as you can hit it. If you hit great all the time, you hit .400 or .500, and nobody does that." -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, on Matt Holliday's walk-off homer to beat the Cubs. Apparently Holliday has hit the ball perfect more than usual since he's joined the Cardinals. He's hit .356 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 50 games with St. Louis.

Advance Scouting...
The Tigers need Justin Verlander to step up and right the ship before the Twins get any closer. Verlander starts for Detroit in the second game of a three-game series at Minnesota (4:10 PM ET). The Tigers have lost eight of their past 11 and the Twins are within three games. It's the Tigers' smallest lead since Aug. 23.

Starting Five: No Power Rangers Here originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Honoring Those Who Brought the Game to the Fans

Ed Price — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Phillies, Rangers, Reds, Royals, Tigers, Yankees, 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 ...
The names Hal McCoy and Ernie Harwell.

Both were honored at ballparks on Wednesday, and their absence from the game will be felt by fans in Cincinnati and Detroit.

Harwell, the long-time Tigers radio announcer, has inoperable, terminal cancer. So the team chose Wednesday night to honor him at Comerica Park, and after a video tribute in the third inning, he thanked the fans:

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

"In my almost 92 years on this earth, the good Lord has blessed me with a great journey, and the blessed part of that journey is it's going to end here in the great state of Michigan.

"I deeply appreciate the great people of Michigan. I love their grit. I love the way they face life. I love the family values they have. And you Tiger fans are the greatest fans of all. No question about that.

"And I certainly want to thank you from the depth of my heart, for your devotion, your support, your loyalty and your love. Thank you very much and God bless you."

About 250 miles southwest, at Great American Ball Park, it was Hal McCoy Night.

Like Harwell, McCoy is in a wing of the Hall of Fame -- writers' instead of broadcasters'. McCoy has been the Reds beat writer for the Dayton Daily News for 37 years, but he is retiring after the season, another victim of the newspaper industry's short-sighted cutbacks.

In a nice touch, the Reds arranged for the Astros' Aaron Boone to catch McCoy's ceremonial first pitch. It was Boone, who when he was with the Reds, talked McCoy out of retiring after a stroke in his left eye damaged his vision.

McCoy stuck with it, and his writing and reporting didn't miss a beat.

There are no men in baseball classier than Hal McCoy and Ernie Harwell. So they will be missed.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Chan Ho Park, who has a 2.52 ERA in his 38 relief appearances for the Phillies, might be out for a while. Park left Wednesday's game with a strained left hamstring and said afterward he felt it "pop." It's another blow to the scrambled Philadelphia bullpen.

Numbers Game ...
The Rangers, who got just one hit Wednesday, have been shut out in three of their past four games -- scoring a grand total of one run. That's the franchise's worst four-game output since it moved from Washington to Texas. The last time any team scored one run over four games was in June 2007, when the Braves were shut in out three straight games, managed a run and then got shut out again.

In Their Own Words ...
"There's that feeling you can always do it because we've done it so many times. When guys have confidence, they are different players. When you have success in situations, you learn how to relax in those situations." -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi, whose team got its 14th walk-off win of the year, the franchise's most since 1943

Advance Scouting ...
Zack Greinke could use a win for his Cy Young Award campaign (not that wins are the be-all and end-all, but they certainly help). Edwin Jackson needs to get on track by the time the playoffs start. The two right-handers square off today in Detroit (1:05 PM ET). Greinke leads the AL in ERA, WHIP, shutouts and fewest homers per nine innings, but in three of his past six starts he has allowed zero or one earned run and gotten a no decision. Jackson, meanwhile, has a 5.31 ERA over his past seven starts after starting out 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA.

Starting Five: Honoring Those Who Brought the Game to the Fans originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: These Rocks Are Rolling Uphill Out West

Ed Price — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Astros, Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Reds, Rockies, Twins, NL West, 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 NL West is up for grabs.

With their seventh straight win, the Rockies closed within two games of the idle Dodgers for the division lead on Thursday.

Colorado downed Cincinnati 5-1 with a five-run third inning and six scoreless innings from its bullpen after starter Jose Contreras suffered a strained quadriceps running to first base.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

By sweeping four games from the Reds, the Rockies wrapped up a 9-1 homestand -- one of their best in franchise history. Next, Colorado embarks on a nine-game road trip that includes three in San Francisco.

"We are playing great baseball," Jason Giambi said. "I'm excited that we are doing the little things, moving runners, getting big hits when we need it and getting great pitching. That's what you want to do down the stretch."

Colorado has picked up four games in 11 days to make things interesting in the NL West.

If the Rockies can pass the Dodgers (they finish the season against each other, Oct. 2-4), then it seems likely Colorado would open the playoffs against Philadelphia and Los Angeles would lose home-field advantage and have to go to St. Louis.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez will not start again until Tuesday. Jimenez -- 13-10 with a 3.32 ERA and 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA since June 2 -- suffered a strained left hamstring last Monday while running the bases.

[Manager Jim] Tracy said he simply did not want to risk losing Jimenez for the season on a "quick-twitch" play such as a fielding play.

"Could he pitch on Saturday? Yeah, he could," Tracy said. "Would we be taking a little bit of a chance? Yes, I think so."

Esmil Rogers will make his big-league debut Saturday against San Diego in Jimenez's place. Rogers, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 11-7 with a 4.41 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A.

Numbers Game ...
Roy Oswalt still has yet to get a win against the Braves in the regular season (seven starts). Atlanta hammered the Houston ace for six runs on 10 hits in two innings, dropping Oswalt to 8-6 with a 4.03 ERA. Before this season, Oswalt had never had an ERA worse than 3.54 or a record worse than five games over .500.

In Their Own Words ...
"It's a game we needed to win, and we didn't do it. That's why we're a .500 team.'' -- Minnesota's Justin Morneau after a 3-2 loss at Toronto.

Advance Scouting ...
The Giants, trying to climb back into the wild-card race, open a three-game series against the Dodgers in San Francisco (10:15 PM ET). Matt Cain is scheduled to start for the Giants, who are 5-7 against Los Angeles this year. The Dodgers plan to go with Hiroki Kuroda, in his second outing after a line drive off his head put him on the disabled list.

Starting Five: These Rocks Are Rolling Uphill Out West originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips Forgives, But He Doesn't Forget

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:12:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central, MLB Injuries

There are a few different ways that a baseball player can react after being hit by a pitch that he believes was thrown at him intentionally. He can shake it off and walk down to first base, or if that isn't his style, he can charge the mound and end up getting suspended for at least five games. Then there are the guys who just file it away in their minds and plot their revenge against the pitcher that hit him.

Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips falls into the latter category. Phillips informed the media that he's been playing with a hairline fracture in his left wrist that is a direct result of being hit by a pitch from Washington's J.D. Martin, and he also wants Martin to know that he's on the list.

"He came up and in and I still think he did it on purpose, but it's all good," Phillips said. "We don't play them again (this year) but I'm gonna face him again. I mean I'm not trying to fight, I'm just trying to get him back for hitting me."

That name again?

"J.D. Martin," Phillips said. "You can look at my hat and his name is in there. I write names in my hat and remember who I need to get ... Not fighting or nothing, but getting back at that dude. You give some hard look at 'em, let 'em know, let 'em see your name. ...

"It's just a game. He did what he did to get me out of playing, and he did that. It's just baseball, man."

If you look inside Phillips' hat you'll find Martin's name written below "Milk, eggs and laundry detergent."

As for what Phillips' plans are for dealing with the hairline fracture, he was told that the injury can't get any worse and he has no plans to go on the disabled list even if the Reds are out of the playoff picture. He also had a hairline fracture in his right thumb earlier this season, and played through that as well.

UPDATE: As it turns out, Phillips does not have a broken or fractured wrist. From the esteemed Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News:

Phillips sheepishly walked up to the writers and said, "I, um, my wrist is not broken. So, uh, I didn't mean to say broken. I know I didn't say broken. I said fractured. I didn't know fractured and broken were like the same thing.

"My wrist feels like it is fractured," Phillips added. "And, you know, yeah, it's that right there." Then there was a long pause.

"The last time I took an X-Ray, it said nothing broken," he said. "Broken or fractured, basically is the same thing, so, well, it feels like it is broken, I mean fractured. Broken. It's the same thing.

"But my (left) wrist really does bother me," he continued. "Is that it? Is it cool? Is that cool? I'd have to sit out, sit on the bench, that's the only thing that will make it better. And I won't do that. So that's why I'm talking to you all right now."

Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips Forgives, But He Doesn't Forget originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Dickerson and Aaron Harang Join Reds' Teammates on Disabled List

Pat Lackey — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central

Two good things happened to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and emerged from their one-day stay in last place in the NL Central. That coincided with Scott Rolen's return from the disabled list. Unfortunately with the Reds, their two pieces of good news were balanced with two more players hitting the disabled list. Aaron Harang will miss the rest of 2009 after an appendectomy on Saturday night and Chris Dickerson badly sprained his ankle during a pick-off attempt during Sunday's game.

The list of Reds' injuries this year is staggering. John Fay at the Cincy Enquirer has a good run down of all of them; every opening day starter except Brandon Phillips has spent time on the DL while Harang joins Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto there, making up 3/5ths of their opening day starting rotation. It's an incredible run of bad luck that's certainly part of the reason the Reds are battling the Pirates for last place. I also think it's creating an easy excuse for a team that has deeper running problems.

A blog post of Fay's really struck me as I read it this weekend. When discussing Rolen's return, he wrote this:

The Rolen trade is [owner Bob] Castellini's latest attempt to change things with one move. It's along the lines of the hiring of Dusty Baker, the signing of Francisco Cordero, the hiring of Walt Jocketty, the firing of Wayne Krivisky and the trading of Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn.

Castellini was behind all those moves, or at least had the final word.

None of them has righted the listing ship that is the Reds franchise.

The "one move" strategy is one of the most dangerous things for a small market club to engage in. Rebuilding is a long, slow, and painful process. It upsets fans and drives them away from the park and if it's not done right, it drags on forever (see: the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Kansas City Royals , and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). Thus, a lot of small teams see a glimpse of promise and pounce on that, hoping that a quick rearranging of the deck chairs can make something magical happen.

Since the start of the 2008 season, an interesting foundation has emerged in Cincy. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto are all very good young players worth building around and rightly generated some buzz before the 2009 season. Still, the Reds opening day roster supplemented them without much more than Brandon Phillips. They came into the season with a question marks at third base (the since-traded Edwin Encarnacion) and left field, and black holes at shortstop, centerfield, and catcher. Throw in a rotation that backed Cueto and Volquez with two over-the-hill guys (Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo) and a pinch hitter (Micah Owings) and, well, you've got a team that was a long way away from contending.

Now, they're entering the Scott Rolen era, but at the same time they're running the Wladimir Balentien experiment in the outfield, hoping Drew Stubbs is ready for the big leagues in center, and they're no closer to answering any of their questions at shortstop or behind the plate. None of those situations are really impacted by their injury troubles at all, unless you consider Willy Taveras, Laynce Nix, or Alex Gonzalez to be something other than what they are. The Reds also owe Harang and Arroyo $23.5 million in 2010 and Volquez likely won't pitch until late in the year or at all. Even without injuries and with Rolen aboard, this Reds team has a lot question marks and holes to fill.

Keep that in mind as the off-season slowly approaches. If November rolls around and the free agency period starts up and Walt Jocketty and Dusty Baker and Bob Castellini are talking about "getting a lot of players back from injury" and saying that they're just a (choose two: shortstop, left fielder, catcher, number two starter, number three starter, number four starter, number five starter) away from contending, it could be another long year in Cincinnati in 2010.

Chris Dickerson and Aaron Harang Join Reds' Teammates on Disabled List originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reds' Aaron Harang Out for Season After Appendectomy

Ed Price — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:09:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, MLB Injuries

Right-hander Aaron Harang's season is over for the Cincinnati Reds, as the team announced he underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday night.

Harang, 31, went 6-14 despite a not-as-awful 4.21 ERA, thanks to the third-worst run support in the National League. He leads the NL in losses and hits allowed (186 in 162 1/3 innings). He won just one of his final 16 starts, going 1-10 with a 4.78 ERA

To fill the roster spot, third baseman Scott Rolen was activated from the disabled list.

Rolen, acquired from Toronto in late July, had been out because of a concussions suffered Aug. 2 when he was hit in the head by a pitch from Colorado's Jason Marquis. Rolen played in two Triple-A rehabilitation games, going 2-for-6 with an RBI.

Reds' Aaron Harang Out for Season After Appendectomy originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Russell Martin, Brendan Ryan Slam Their Teams to Wins

Ed Price — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Padres, Rays, Red Sox, Reds, Rockies, Yankees, MLB Injuries, MLB Inside Scoop, 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 Russell Martin and Brendan Ryan felt just grand last night.

The Dodgers catcher and Cardinals' shortstop both swatted grand slams for some rare RBI as their division-leading teams won.

Martin's sixth-inning blast broke a tie with the Cubs, and the Dodgers went on to win 7-2. His four RBI on that swing were more than he had in the previous 21 games. It was also Martin's first homer since July 26 and his fourth of the season after hitting 13 a year ago.

"I haven't trotted around the bases too often this year," Martin said. "It was nice just to get a breather."

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Ryan had never before had more than three RBI in a game, and he went into last night with five career home runs and just one in the past 12 months, on June 22.

But he connected off San Diego's Tim Stauffer in the second inning after Stauffer hit two batters and walked one, and St. Louis won 5-1.

"Every day I'm trying to prove to myself, to prove to the other team, prove to everybody that I belong," Ryan said. "I want to play at this level a long time."

From the Trainer's Room ...
Attention Angels, Tigers, Cubs, Marlins and anyone else who could use bullpen help: Billy Wagner looked pretty good last night.

In his first game after about 11 months after major elbow surgery, Wagner hit 96 on the radar gun and showed a decent slider as he struck out two in a 1-2-3 inning for the Mets.

One note about the possibility of the Mets' trading Wagner: despite missing most of this season, he should still wind up a Type-A free agent. So the acquiring team would have to risk offering him arbitration to get the two draft picks as compensation if he left.

Numbers Game ...
Tampa Bay Opening Day starter James Shields, who took the loss Thursday against Baltimore, has one win since June 20. Shields, who tied the franchise record last year with 14 wins, is 7-10 with a 3.81 ERA. Over his past 11 starts, Shields is 1-5 with a 4.44 ERA. He also has the lowest run support in the AL.

In Their Own Words ...
"Again, baseball is something you can't figure. He only hit three down there in the minors, and then he comes up here and hits one. What a dramatic way to get your first home run." -- Reds manager Dusty Baker on rookie Drew Stubbs, who beat the Giants with a walkoff, 10th-inning homer off the foul pole in his second big-league game.

Advance Scouting ...
Two series between playoff contenders open tonight. It's the usual Armageddon when the Yankees visit the Red Sox (7:10 PM ET). In the series opener, Brad Penny goes for Boston, 6 1/2 games back of New York in the AL East, against Andy Pettitte. Later, the Giants visit the Rockies (9:10 PM ET) as the two NL wild-card leaders go head-to-head. Aaron Cook starts for Colorado against Jonathan Sanchez, who is 2-2 with a 4.04 ERA in six starts since his July 10 no-hitter.

Starting Five: Russell Martin, Brendan Ryan Slam Their Teams to Wins originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joey Votto's Blurred Vision Caused by 'Retinal Migrane'

Pat Lackey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central, MLB Injuries

The Cincinnati Reds are finally getting some good injury news, as the team is saying that Joey Votto's blurred vision last night was unrelated to his anxiety issues from earlier this season. He saw an eye doctor Thursday for what's being called a "retinal migrane" and he's back in the lineup.

The official line from Dusty Baker and the Reds is that this issue is unrelated to Votto's previous anxiety problems, but when asked directly about it Votto didn't rule that out. Doctors have told him it's a stress-related issue and Votto admitted that it could be indirectly related to the anxiety issues stemming from his father's death last August. The fact that he's back in the lineup so quickly is a good sign for both him and for the Reds, though, so it seems unlikely there's much to worry about right now.

Even though he's in the midst of an ugly slump (.679 OPS in his last 23 games), Votto's still having a breakout season with the Reds. He was also incredibly forthcoming about a tough issue when talking about his father's death and his struggles dealing with it when he came off the DL in June. It was a bit worrisome to see him leave Wednesday night's game with vague symptoms like that, but both he and the team seem to think there's little reason for concern, and that's a very good thing.

Joey Votto's Blurred Vision Caused by 'Retinal Migrane' originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battered Reds Send 2 More to DL

Matt Snyder — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central, MLB Injuries

The good folks of Cincinnati should probably start calling Great American Ball Park "The Infirmary," because this is just ridiculous. Willy Taveras and Johnny Cueto have both been placed on the disabled list. Taveras has a strained right quad -- so, a leg injury to a player whose strength is running fast. Cueto, a right-handed pitcher, has, naturally, a right shoulder injury.

Considering the way things have gone for the Reds this season, hearing the news of players falling injured isn't exactly a new experience.

Related: Drew Stubbs Gets Chance

The following players have been on the DL for the Reds at some point this season: Edwin Encarnacion, Nick Masset, Edinson Volquez, Joey Votto, Alex Gonzalez, Wilkin Castillo, Danny Richar, Jay Bruce, Ramon Hernandez, Chris Dickerson, Micah Owings, Scott Rolen, Taveras and Cueto.

That means, using the true core of the ballclub (starters, starting pitchers, setup men and closer) from Opening Day, only Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes and Brandon Phillips have managed to elude a stint.

It's hard to imagine any team in the majors has been more afflicted with injuries, especially taking into account the level of talent and length of stints. It could easily be argued their awful 19-41 record since June 10 excusable. They were four games over .500 before then.

It is entirely possible injuries have derailed a decent-to-good season for the young Reds. Instead, they are left scraping the bottom of the barrel, and the roster hits don't seem to be slowing down.

Battered Reds Send 2 More to DL originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Sox Bring Back Alex Gonzalez to Fill Shortstop Hole

Ed Price — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:09:00 EST

Filed under: Red Sox, Reds, MLB Transactions

Since declining to bring back Orlando Cabrera after winning the 2004 World Series, the Red Sox have used 13 different shortstops.

Next up, Alex Gonzalez. Actually, Gonzalez -- who Boston acquired Friday from Cincinnati for Class A shortstop Kristopher Negron -- was already on that list, having played for the Red Sox in 2006.

Gonzalez, an excellent defensive player. hit .210 in 68 games for the Reds, but he was hampered early in the season by bone chips in his right elbow, and he eventually had four loose bodies removed, causing him to miss more than four weeks. Since returning July 24, he has hit .197 with a .279 slugging percentage.

But Nick Green had not been doing much better in recent weeks, and Boston would rather have him in a utility role. Julio Lugo's performance earned him a dump trade to St. Louis, and Jed Lowrie is injured.

Gonzalez's defense was even more appealing to the Red Sox because they see Clay Buchholz pitching down more now and getting more groundballs.

Boston's .621 OPS from its shortstops is 25th in baseball.

Gonzalez's contract calls for a $6 million team option for 2010, but it seems unlikely the Red Sox pick that up.

Red Sox Bring Back Alex Gonzalez to Fill Shortstop Hole originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: No Slowing Yankees Down

Andrew Johnson — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Marlins, Rangers, Red Sox, Reds, White Sox, 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 ...
That the Yankees are awfully potent, even without their All-Star catcher and third baseman in the lineup. New York opened a weekend series in Seattle without Alex Rodriguez or Jorge Posada available and crushed the Mariners anyway, riding a two-homer night from Hideki Matsui to an 11-1 win.

New York is 21-6 since the All-Star break and is on pace to finish the year with 101 wins. Oh, yes, its win and Boston's loss to Justin Verlander and the Tigers restores its edge in the AL East to 6 1/2 games.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

It wasn't just the offense that showed up in a big way. CC Sabathia won his 13th game of the season, striking out a season-high 10 and running his lifetime August record to 31-9.

"That lineup is just stupid. They shouldn't be allowed to have a lineup like that, but that is why their payroll is what it is," [Seattle starter Ian] Snell marveled. "That is a lineup nobody in the National League has."

From the Trainer's Room ...
Jake Peavy took his first step toward returning to a major league mound, pitching three scoreless innings for Triple-A Charlotte in his first rehab start since going on the disabled list in June. The former Cy Young-winner, who was traded to the White Sox on July 31, struck out five. He's expected to make his next start on Tuesday.

Numbers Game ...
How hot is the Marlins offense? They've recorded double digit hits in 10 consecutive games following an 11-hit, nine-run performance in a win over the Astros Thursday night. It's the longest streak in the majors this year by three whole games, and the longest since the Red Sox recorded 11 straight double digit hit games from May 2-12, 2008.

"We've been swinging it well, and putting together some good at-bats," [Dan] Uggla said. "I think through the lineup, we've been doing that. I think it all starts with those two -- [Chris] Coghlan and Nick [Johnson]."

In Their Own Words ...
"It was emotional for me. Let's not forget, I was in Triple-A when we started this thing off." -- Outfielder Jonny Gomes on his three-homer night, which helped the Reds beat the Nationals 7-0 and spoil slugger Adam Dunn's return to Cincinnati.

Advance Scouting ...
If you had this circled on your calendar as a key series before the season, you're probably lying, but here we are anyway. The Red Sox and Rangers, the top two teams in the AL wild-card race, open a three-game set (8:05 PM ET) with plenty of playoff implications in Arlington, Texas. Jon Lester will go for Boston, which leads Texas by a 1/2 game, against Kevin Millwood. The Red Sox are 1-5 against the Rangers this year.

Starting Five: No Slowing Yankees Down originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bronson Arroyo Isn't Afraid of the Big, Bad Steroid Wolf

Josh Alper — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:50:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central, MLB Media Watch, MLB PEDs

It's a safe bet that there wasn't much of a race to bring Bud Selig a copy of Thursday's USA Today at the MLB offices on Thursday morning. After all, it's not exactly a strong career move to bring your boss an interview with a major league player making a mockery of everything you've said and done about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

That's just what Bronson Arroyo did in a wide-ranging interview that's required reading for anyone on any side of the debate of drug use in Major League Baseball. Arroyo starts by admitting he takes a slew of supplements that aren't on the league's approved list, and has never failed a drug test, and then goes on to lacerate just about every sacred cow of the baseball world.

Now, you may be saying to yourself that it makes sense that he hasn't failed a drug test because clearly nothing he takes actually enhances performance. Perhaps, but it's everything else that Arroyo has to say that's making this interview a hot read around the country.

He takes fans and media to task for their outrage about steroid use, saying they're only concerned with records being broken and hypocritical about the health risks that may be associated with using the drugs.

"At the end of the day, you think anybody really (cares) whether Manny Ramirez's kidneys fail and he dies at 50? You were happy if the Red Sox won 95 games. You'd go home, have a cookout with your family. No big deal ... You think this country really cares about what ballplayers put in their bodies?" Arroyo asks. "If we really care, why are we pumping Coca-Cola in every kid's mouth, and McDonald's, and Burger King and KFC? That (stuff) is killing people."

Owners are also in the firing line when Arroyo says that none of them care what players are doing so long as they keep making money, which is also true of the player's union as they work to make sure players can make as much money as possible for as long as possible.

He cops to using amphetamines as well as androstenedione, when they were legal, even though he was warned about risks to his health. Arroyo also makes it clear that he doesn't regret either one because he felt they helped him be a better baseball player.

By the end of the interview Arroyo sounds a lot like Jose Canseco, both in his willingness to discuss what's actually going on and the lengths he goes to in trying to justify his own decisions. That doesn't make him particularly likable, but, just as with Canseco, it doesn't make any of what he said less true, either.

For all of the time spent discussing the use of steroids, HGH, supplements and all the others over the past few years, there's been far too little of this kind of raw speech without fear of the consequences. Baseball's better for it, even if they get a black eye in the process.

Bronson Arroyo Isn't Afraid of the Big, Bad Steroid Wolf originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Junior Ends Scoreless Seattle Marathon

Ed Price — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Cubs, Indians, Mariners, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Reds, Tigers, White Sox, 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 ...
That the game in Seattle did end last night. Someone even scored a run.

Ken Griffey Jr. singled home Adrian Beltre in the bottom of the 14th to give the Mariners a 1-0 victory over the White Sox.

It was the longest 1-0 game since July 20, 2004, when Oakland beat Toronto in 14 innings. (Alex Rios played in both games, going 1-for-6 each time.)

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

Griffey, who was batting for catcher Rob Johnson, is now 2-for-5 with three RBI as a pinch hitter this season. But this was his first career walk-off pinch hit.

It was the first time in Seattle history a game went scoreless to the 14th inning and the franchise's first-ever extra-inning, 1-0 win.

The White Sox had not gone scoreless that long in a game since a 16-inning, 3-0 loss to the Angels in September 1975.

Chicago on Wednesday went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base, eight of them in scoring position. Plus, Scott Podsednik was picked off third base in the 10th inning by Johnson.

"We did everything bad to lose this game," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We got picked off at third base. We had a lot of opportunities to score when we didn't.

"You expect everyone to know what they're doing. I guess [Podsednik] was thinking about something else."

From the Trainer's Room ...
What hurts worse than giving up a long home run to Albert Pujols? Taking a Pujols liner off your body. Pujols' rocket off the left foot of Reds pitcher Homer Bailey knocked Bailey from the game in the first inning. X-rays were negative.

"I knew it wasn't broken because I was walking on it," said Bailey. "But the first time I lifted my leg to take a practice throw it was like a balloon went off and it swelled up right away. Not broken, great news.

"I never saw the ball. It got to me in about .0004 seconds," he said. "If it doesn't hit a fat size 13 shoe, if it's not in the way, it's a double play."

Numbers Game ...
Including 7 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday at Cleveland, Texas right-hander Tommy Hunter is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his past seven starts. Opposing hitters this year are 6-for-44 with runners in scoring position, a .136 average. Hunter, 23, was the 54th overall pick in the 2007 draft.

In Their Own Words ...
"That shouldn't happen. That's not good sportsmanship, and that's not good behavior. We apologize to Victorino and the Phillies for that." -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella after a Wrigley Field bleacherite threw his beer on Phillies center field Shane Victorino as Victorino caught a fifth-inning fly ball.

Advance Scouting ...
Detroit will try to avoid getting swept in a four-game series at Boston when the teams meet today (1:35 PM ET). Having used the bullpen for 19 innings the past three days, including Zach Miner's emergency start Wednesday, the Tigers need a strong outing from ace Justin Verlander. The Red Sox counter with Clay Buchholz, who is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA since being called up.

Starting Five: Junior Ends Scoreless Seattle Marathon originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Rolen Headed to Disabled List With Concussion After Four Games with Reds

Pat Lackey — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:16:00 EST

Filed under: Reds, NL Central, MLB Injuries

After just four games in a Cincinnati Reds uniform, Scott Rolen is headed to the disabled list. The Reds put him on the 15-day DL Tuesday afternoon to give him time to recover from a concussion he received from a Jason Marquis fastball just two days after the Reds acquired him at the trade deadline. Rolen has tried to play through the injury twice, but apparently the team and their doctors have decided that the best thing for Rolen is rest.

With the Reds well out of contention for 2009, it certainly doesn't make sense for Rolen to try and push himself and risk another head injury while he's recovering from this one. The risk/reward ratio in this scenario skews way too heavily to the wrong side for the Reds and so the decision to put him on the DL here seems like the right one.

Still, this can't be what the Reds wanted to see from Rolen so early into his Cincy tenure. Rolen hasn't played more than 150 games since he played in 154 back in 2003. Since then, he's topped 115 twice (2004 and 2006, with a chance to do it this year depending on how long he misses with this concussion). Getting a concussion from a fastball to the head is a freak thing, but it can have lasting effects, and the last thing the Reds need with Rolen is another potential injury to worry about.

This means that since the Reds acquired Rolen and set their sights on 2010 (Rolen will be a free agent after that season), they've put Rolen on the disabled list and lost Edinson Volquez for most (or all) of 2010. Chances are certainly good that Rolen will recover from this injury without complications (which isn't to say that he'll be free from another unrelated injury), but this can't be how GM Walt Jocketty envisioned things when he traded for Rolen just 12 days ago.

Scott Rolen Headed to Disabled List With Concussion After Four Games with Reds originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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