Around The Majors

[Gene Honda Civic]

Here's an original column idea

 

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/baseball/artic...4008963,00.html

[CWSGuy406]

Any chance that Todd Helton cleared waivers or was placed on waivers?

[WHarris1]

Any chance that Todd Helton cleared waivers or was placed on waivers?

I was gonna ask something about Helton on a different note.

He's having a good year and all but wtf happend to his power?

[CWSGuy406]

I was gonna ask something about Helton on a different note.

He's having a good year and all but wtf happend to his power?

 

I have no idea -- people will point to steroids, but I really don't like doing that.

 

I brought up Helton's name because over at John Sickel's blog, they were talking about the Rockies, and how to fix them.

 

I'd love to grow up and be the Rockies GM (after, of course, having proper training). It would be so cool to see that team succeed, just, 'cause the circumstances in which they play half of their games under.

[Kalapse]

Some players that have reportedly cleared waivers this month:

Tom Glavine, Mike Piazza, Ken Griffey Jr., Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Kris Benson, Doug Mientkiewicz, Victor Zambrano, Danny Graves, Miguel Cairo, Ramon Castro, Jorge Posada, Shawn Chacon, Tony Womack, Al Leiter, Felix Rodriguez, Wayne Franklin, Felix Escalona, Aaron Small, John Flaherty, Mike Sweeney, Sammy Sosa, Steve Kline, Ryan Vogelsong, Josh Fogg, Jason Christiansen, Edgardo Alfonzo and about 275 others

[Kalapse]

I can see how Mark Grace was accidentally heard swearing over the D-Backs Television broadcast. I'm watching a replay of the Reds/D-Backs game on MLB.tv. Everytime the inning ends they don't go to commercial, instead they show shots of the field and there is nothing but crowd noise comming through, every once in awhile you'll hear someone say something or you'll hear some music. There's no commercials, very odd.

[Kalapse]

Our offense is SO bad that we're getting shutdown in games that we're not even participating in.

 

Per Rotoworld

 

Gustavo Chacin held the White Sox to two runs over seven innings tonight but was not involved in the decision.

Both runs scored on solo homers by Ivan Rodriguez and Craig Monroe. Chacin walked one, struck out two, and gave up five hits tonight. He's 11-6 with a 3.40 ERA.

[southsider2k5]

Any chance that Todd Helton cleared waivers or was placed on waivers?

 

I would bet money that Helton has been on and cleared waivers. I would also make a larger bet that the Rockies would take crappier prospects than were mentioned in the Griffey deal if someone would take a huge chunk of that horrible contract.

[Gene Honda Civic]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Twins Claim Soriano, Have until Monday to work out trade.

[Ozzie Montana]

Aug 21 The Giants placed closer Tyler Walker on the disabled list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. In a corresponding move, they recalled pitcher Brian Cooper from Triple-A Fresno.

 

Benitez made it interesting, and gave up two hits, a walk, and an earned run before closing the door. He struck out two, but still isn't particularly sharp. "I waited for the moment, they gave me the moment, and I tried to do the job," said Benitez, according to the Giants' official site, who tore his hamstring on April 26. "I don't feel any difference from before, even though it's been a long time. I knew I had to be ready, and I felt good and comfortable." With Tyler Walker hitting the DL, Benitez will likely get a good share of save chances in the next two weeks.

 

per Yahoo Sports - MLB

 

good idea for this thread

Edited August 22, 2005 by Ozzie Montana

[Benchwarmerjim]

Monty Burns.. erm. I mean Ebeneezer Scrooge..erm I mean Carl Pohlad turns 90 years old today

[santo=dorf]

Atlanta is playing the Braves on TBS right now.

[Gene Honda Civic]

Atlanta is playing the Braves on TBS right now.

They had TBS on the lone TV not on the bears game at the bar I just got back from. I couldn't figure out what teh f*** was going on.

[YASNY]

Atlanta is playing the Braves on TBS right now.

 

Ya, I kinda did a double take when I turned that game on as well.

[Texsox]

Ya, I kinda did a double take when I turned that game on as well.

Should be a great game. Same guy pitching for both teams?

 

Did you know?

 

Indians chatter

Sunday, September 04, 2005

 

Clubhouse confidential: Hitting the Teflon roof of the Metrodome with a foul ball -- it's 195 feet above the field at the highest point -- didn't make much of an impression on Travis Hafner on Friday night in the second inning.

 

"It's not good when the highlight of your day is a foul ball," said Hafner, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

 

The ball hit the roof in foul territory. Second baseman Nick Punto caught it, but it didn't count as an out. If the ball had hit the roof in fair territory and been caught, Hafner would have been out.

[Texsox]

OLD-SCHOOL WAYS: The topic before the game turned to former New York Yankees great Yogi Berra, prompting another commentary from Guillen.

 

''You could ask a couple of players, 'Who is Yogi Berra? They wouldn't know, I guarantee you,'' Guillen said. ''You ask them who [agent] Scott Boras is, they know.''

[Yoda]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Carpenter notches 20th win

St. Louis ace surrenders eight hits to Astros, but only two runs

 

HOUSTON -- Chris Carpenter strengthened his Cy Young Award credentials, becoming the first pitcher in either league to win 20 games this season, as St. Louis beat Houston, 4-2, on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

As a sellout crowd of 42,817 looked on, Carpenter (20-4) went the distance for a league-leading seventh time while winning his 12th straight decision. He also outlasted seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.

 

"It's just amazing how he does that," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Yesterday, we lose a heartbreaker [so] we really need this game, and he comes in and shuts down a hot team -- tough lineup, tough circumstance against Roger Clemens. He's done it so many times this year; it's the [darnedest] thing I've ever seen."

 

Carpenter gave up two runs on eight hits, walking two and striking out eight. He has won his last 12 decisions and is 12-0 with 1.44 ERA in his last 14 starts with three shutouts and six complete games.

 

The right-hander's amazing level of pitching is matched only by his relentless consistency. He's had quality starts in 26 of 28 outings, including his last 21 in a row. He's 12-0 against National League Central teams. He's unbeaten on the road. He reached 20 victories in just 28 starts, faster than any Cardinal pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934.

 

"I can't remember a pitcher as long as I've been managing who has been so good every time out," La Russa said. "He just concentrates about as good as he can concentrate."

 

"It has a lot to do with mental strength," Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "He prepares as good as you can prepare. He doesn't let anything distract him, whether it's a bad call by an umpire, a call that he thinks is bad, an error, or whatever else might go on. He stays focused on what he wants to do and doesn't let anything distract him from that purpose."

 

Carpenter is the first Cardinals 20-game winner since Matt Morris in 2001. The Cardinals have won 24 of the right-hander's 28 starts. He leads the league in wins, innings, complete games and winning percentage. He is the first NL pitcher to win 10 straight road games since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson won 12 in 1970 and the first NL pitcher since Houston's Mike Scott in 1986 to have 20 consecutive quality starts.

 

Just don't try to tell him he's the Cy Young Award winner.

 

"I try not to let it enter my mind because, again, we've got a long way to go," Carpenter said. "We've got a month left. I've got to go out and continue to compete for the rest of the month, and our main goal is to give ourselves a chance to be in the playoffs."

 

La Russa echoed those sentiments.

 

"I think the healthiest attitude for our club [and] for Chris is to just go out and play the game and let the results fall where they may, and then the other stuff falls into place," La Russa said. "What you saw here is what he's been doing."

 

With the game tied, 3-3, Mark Grudzielanek's double to center off Russ Springer (4-4) scored Abraham Nunez with two outs in the seventh to give the Cardinals the lead to stay. Yadier Molina added a run-scoring single in the eighth.

 

Lance Berkman's solo homer to the opposite field leading off the sixth tied the game, 2-2, and took Clemens off the hook for the loss.

 

Clemens left the game after the fifth inning because of a strained left hamstring trailing Carpenter, 2-1. Clemens gave up two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out two.

 

"Tip your to hat to Roger Clemens. You could tell he was ouchy there, and we didn't get anything off him," La Russa said.

 

Carpenter knows Clemens from their days together in the Toronto organization.

 

"I love competing against a guy like him," Carpenter said. "I know him pretty well and I know the type of person he is, and he is going to give everything he's got. It was a well-played game, and it was fun to have Roger out there."

 

Said Clemens: "He's come a long way since we were teammates in Toronto. He was a good pitcher then. Obviously, he has far more experience now."

 

The Cards got on the board in the fourth inning. Albert Pujols led off with a single and moved to second on a groundout. Pujols took third on a wild pitch, barely beating the throw in the process, and after a walk to Larry Walker, came home on So Taguchi's ground ball. Molina's infield hit plated Walker to give Carpenter and the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

 

Carpenter had trouble in each of the first two innings.

 

In the first, Craig Biggio singled with one out. He tried to score on Berkman's two-out double down the right-field line, but was out at the plate, as the Cardinals completed the relay from Walker to Grudzielanek to Molina successfully.

 

"He has the ability to get out of trouble because he knows when to make a big pitch to get a ground ball for a double play or get that big strikeout with a man on third," Houston catcher Brad Ausmus said of Carpenter. "That's why he's 20-4."

 

Carpenter didn't get away unscathed in the following inning. Consecutive doubles by Mike Lamb and Luke Scott gave Houston a 1-0 lead. Carpenter gave up one more hit in the inning, but escaped further damage by striking out Clemens and getting Willy Taveras to fly out to center.

 

"I definitely felt better than I felt the last couple of starts, mechanically," Carpenter said. "I felt like I was getting through the ball a lot better. My sinker was better, my cutter was better and my command was better."

 

When the game ended, the entire team, led by La Russa and Duncan, congratulated Carpenter.

 

"Everybody was excited for me," Carpenter said. "Twenty is a big number, but if I start worrying about 20, I've got five starts left. I've got a long way to go."

 

Carpenter is going to be very tough to beat in the playoffs if he stays healthy through out the end of the season.

[Yoda]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

Marlins rally for McKeon's 1,000th win

Cabrera's three-run double puts Florida ahead for good

 

MIAMI -- Nothing has ever come easy for Marlins manager Jack McKeon, so it was fitting that his milestone 1,000th career Major League victory ended in high drama.

Miguel Cabrera's three-run double in the seventh inning rallied the Marlins to a 5-4 win over the Mets on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 37,336 at Dolphins Stadium.

 

The second-largest crowd of the season -- only the 57,405 on Opening Day was bigger -- watched the Marlins honor their 74-year-old manager after closer Todd Jones retired Carlos Beltran in a tense situation on a ground ball to first base with two Mets on base in the ninth inning.

 

With Jose Reyes on second and Miguel Cairo on first, Beltran rolled a slow grounder that Marlins first baseman Jeff Conine corralled before tagging the bag, completing a crucial victory.

 

Jones presented the ball to McKeon and said: "Congratulations, 1,000 wins is a big number. Not too many people can say that."

 

McKeon is the seventh active manager and 52nd in Major League history to reach the milestone.

 

To celebrate the occasion, team management popped open a couple of bottles of champagne in McKeon's office. Among the front office members on hand were owner Jeffrey Loria, president David Samson, general manager Larry Beinfest and assistant general manager Mike Hill. The group smoked victory cigars and toasted McKeon while presenting him with a jersey that read: "McKeon 1000."

 

"I want 1,001 next," McKeon said. "That's the big one. I didn't think anything about it until they flashed it on the board, because you were so involved with the game. You didn't think about this."

 

It also was a significant save for Jones, who has closed the door on 24 straight save opportunities. The veteran right-hander, who now has 34 on the season, also has logged saves in 20 straight appearances, now a National League record. The Major League mark for consecutive outings with saves is 24 by John Wetteland, from April 18-June 25, 1995.

 

The win moves the Marlins into a tie with the Astros for second place in the Wild Card race, one-half game behind the Phillies, who lost in extra innings to the Nationals.

 

In the seventh inning, the Marlins filled the bases when Juan Padilla walked Luis Castillo. Shingo Takatsu entered to face Cabrera, who ripped a liner over Cliff Floyd's head in left field, clearing the bases.

 

Ron Villone (1-2 since joining the Marlins) collected the win, while Padilla (1-1) suffered the loss in relief of Kris Benson.

 

Villone previously played for McKeon with the Reds, and he was happy to be associated with his manager's memorable win.

 

"I went in for a short period of time, and my name is part of Jack's win," Villone said. "He's been around the game a long time. It's great to see stuff like that."

 

The Marlins were able to take two straight from the Mets on a night the start time was delayed 27 minutes because of rain.

 

A high pitch count led to Josh Beckett exiting after five innings, trailing, 3-2. Despite giving up three hits and surrendering three runs (two earned), Beckett logged 98 pitches before he was lifted in the bottom of the fifth inning for pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida, who walked. In that threat, the Marlins were unable to score despite having the bases loaded and one out.

 

In the humid conditions, and sometimes pitching in light rain, Beckett never felt he got a comfortable grip on the ball.

 

"I was just getting behind," Beckett said. "It wasn't a day I could consider myself having great stuff. Luckily, the team pulled it out. It was big, scoring those runs late; a big hit by Miggy."

 

Benson kept the Marlins off the bases through the first three innings and retired the first 11 he faced before Cabrera's double on a fly ball that right fielder Victor Diaz lost in the lights. After getting a late jump, Diaz had the ball dribble out of his glove while making a sliding attempt. Three pitches later, the Marlins knotted the score at 2 on Carlos Delgado's two-run homer to deep right field. The 415-foot drive was the first baseman's 27th homer of the season.

 

Diaz's two-out RBI single in the sixth inning gave the Mets a 4-2 lead. Doug Mientkiewicz, who singled, scored from second on Diaz's single to center off Antonio Alfonseca. Floyd's opposite-field two-run homer in the fourth inning opened the scoring. Beltran opened the inning with a double, and he came home on Floyd's 28th homer.

 

The Marlins wrap up their six-game homestand on Sunday, looking to complete a sweep of the Mets.

 

"Now we're shooting for something special and see if we can't make that 1,025 or something like that," McKeon said. "That would be nice."

 

Congrats McKeon!

[Rowand44]

Don't look now but the Giants are 5.5 games back and have 7 left with the Pads, and Bonds maybe returning. Gotta love the nl west.

Edited September 4, 2005 by Rowand44

[Balta1701]

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel dirty when they learn that Viagra is sponsoring the "Comeback player of the year" award.

[Balta1701]

The A's just came back from 4 down in the bottom of the 9th inning to avoid being swept by the Mariners.

 

They got 2 men on then Everyday Eddie came in...he gave up a single to Kendall to load the bases, then back to back doubles by Kotsay and Chavez to tie the game...an intentional walk, a popped up bunt, and and infield single loaded the bases again. Nelson came in, and promptly walked in the winning run.

 

Ouch.

[jackie hayes]

I'm sick to death of seeing yet another damn Red Sox-Yanks game on national tv. Enough. Show me something else. Who the hell watches all these games? Okay, I was hoping for Sox-Angels, but I would watch Tampa Bay, I swear, just make this stop!!!

 

Then the triple-whammy, McCarver. Trot Nixon's great slide caused the throw to sail. Sure, even when he hadn't reached the bag yet. Christ.

 

/end rant

[southsider2k5]

DAYUM!!!

 

First base or offensive line?

 

Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo was impressed with rookie Walter Young, who made his starting debut Saturday at first base. He had one hit in three at-bats.

 

"I thought he did good," Perlozzo said. "We yelled some adjustments before his hit (a single in the third) and he stayed in there nicely and hit a line drive. He didn't look intimidated."

 

At 6 feet 5 inches and 322 pounds, Young is said to be the biggest major leaguer ever. "It didn't look like he couldn't play his position," Perlozzo said.

[southsider2k5]

What a mess

[jackie hayes]

What a mess

Lol, understatement of the year:

Sosnick countered that Boras doesn’t have a monopoly on the moral high ground