Minor Issues: Popham, Berger help teams to
shutouts

post from The Tribe Daily on 04 July 2009 08:08:00 AM. © The Tribe Daily

WHAT'S THE NEWS

The Tribe now have half of their picks signed with the inking of 28th rounder Nick Sarianides.

The first part of a new Minor Happenings is up and Tony dives in deeper to the Marte situation. Do we give Marte one more shot at the major league level and possibly ruin what value he seemed to gain with this recent rip he's been on?

I personally would love to give him one more shot, but at the risk of losing that value and not getting bupkiss for him in the end, and the fact we really have no spot for him, leads me to just say, trade him and we'll figure it out.

Tony also has some quotes from Columbus manager Torey Lovullo.

COLUMBUS

Looks like Aaron Laffey is going to have to make another start before he's called up to the big leagues, unless the Indians don't care about his awful outing for the Clippers in their loss to Toledo.

Laffey pitched four innings, gave up seven runs off ten hits and two walks... Awful

Rafael Betancourt also pitched in rehab, threw 22 pitches in one scoreless inning with just a walk and a strikeout.

The top four hitters in the Clipper lineup, Brantley, Crowe, Graffanino, and LaPorta had four of the five hits and Michael Brantley knocked in one of the two runs with a solo home run.

AKRON

Akron got beat in one-run fashion yesterday with Bowie scoring a run in the eighth to pull the victory.

Carlos Santana walked twice, didn't have a hit, but knocked in a run and Cristo Arnal had the other. Jose Constanza had two hits and scored a run.

Josh Tomlin started and went seven innings, but gave up all the runs as he pitched to a hitter in the eighth. He gave up three runs off nine hits and a walk.

KINSTON

Kinston blanked Wilmington and put some runs on the board yesterday.

Lonnie Chisenhall and Lucas Montero both went 1-2 with an RBI, a run scored, and two walks. Montero had a triple.

Adam Davis hit a two-run home run and Bo Pickens hit a solo shot.

Eric Berger won number seven after going six solid, giving up just four hits and a walk. CC Lee pitched two scoreless with no hits, and Kyle Landis pitched the ninth.

LAKE COUNTY

The Captains scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, but they fell 11 runs short. Yikes.

Nate Recknagel had two hits, half of the Caps four, and he knocked in the lone run.

Trey Haley took the loss and he only went two innings, giving up one unearned run off a hit and two walks. No word on if Haley is injured.

Chris Jones took over and he too pitched just two innings. He gave up eight runs off ten hits and a walk.

MAHONING VALLEY

The Valley got out hit last night, but that didn't stop them from shutting out and beating Williamsport.

Kyle Bellows doubled in a run and scored twice for the Scrappers. Tim Palincsar had the other hit and the other run batted in.

Marty Popham was terrific, going six shutout innings, giving up just three hits and striking out six hitters. Guido Fonseca gave up just on hit in his two innings and Cory Burns struck out two for his second save.

ARIZONA LEAGUE

The AZL Indians and Giants are in a 2-2 tie and their game will be finished in August on the 18th.

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Happy Birthday Tommy

post from Texas Rangers News Bag on 04 July 2009 08:03:00 AM. © Texas Rangers News Bag

Tommy Hunter earned his first major league win on, you guessed it, his birthday. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and celebrated his 23rd birthday in fashion. This win, along with the Angels loss yesterday, puts us in a tie for first place with the Angels. This win also came against Rays starter Scott Kazmir, who was the Rays ace for their World Series team. Hopefully, we can come back tonight and back Derek Holland for another win. GO RANGERS!

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Saturday Links, Thoughts and Other Fun-ness

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 04 July 2009 08:00:00 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Please employ me.

Browse more photos »

Save the bees!

That's probably more than I ever wanted to know about bees, bee colonies, queen bees, etc.

In defense of the Padres' groundskeepers/maintenance people, I have to say that they did well to alleviate the difficult situation in a timely fashion, without any injuries...to people, at least. Yes, I suppose there is a more humane way to do just about anything, but it was the end of a game- a long, somewhat boring game. The beekeeper got there in less than an hour and got the players back on the field. What's more, everyone got to make their own "Killer B's" joke.

Honey bees, as the article indicates, are dying off at an alarming rate. So much of our food supply depends on the pollination that these bees provide that this could get pretty ugly, and quick. This got me to thinking about the Fourth of July, and the tasty treats that are enjoyed on this day. Be sure to vote in the poll, and let your favorite be known.

I love today. That's no exaggeration. The Fourth of July is about pride, being with family and friends, and enjoying the liberties that we as Americans enjoy every single day of our lives. I don't want to get on a soapbox, but as a proud American, no day on the calendar beats 7/4. There is one aspect about today that I do not enjoy: Nathan's hot dog eating contest.

In theory, it seems that I would. I like food, and I don't necessarily employ moderation when eating. I like hot dogs. I enjoyed Nathan's hot dogs the only time I ate them. Something about eating them until you can barely move grosses me out to the max though. Oh well. I guess that whole "liberties" thing I wrote about earlier means respecting the liberties of others, as well.

Oh, wait. This is a BASEBALL blog?

The Astros claimed German Duran off of waivers on Wednesday. He will be put on the DL after having his appendix removed recently.

Meanwhile, the obvious is stated.

JJO asks if the bullpen is on "empty".

Man-Ram returned last night. At Petco Park. In left-field. Where the bees were. Could the baseball gods have meant to send a plague tonight to chastise Manny for his steroid usage, and just sent it a day early?

While making dinner last night, I had Sportscenter on TV, and Manny's face popped up on the screen. My sister asked me, "Is that Manny? Or should I say, Woman-y?" Hilarious. Just like her brother...

In honor of Independence Day, I had to post this link of Benjamin Franklin at a Phllies game.

Poll

***UPDATE 3:24 p.m.: Michael Kay just said that Wang has a strained right shoulder. That's not good. He's headed for an MRI.

UPDATE 2:46 p.m.: Wang leaves game in sixth with injury - more info as it comes.

Regular Season Game 80
Yankees vs. Blue Jays
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (46-33)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-39)
Marco Scutaro SS
Aaron Hill 2B
Adam Lind DH
Scott Rolen 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Vernon Wells CF
Alex Rios RF
David Dellucci LF
Rod Barajas C

Pitching: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

Yanks vs. Halladay
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS J. Damon 84 29 5 1 1 2 9 13 .345 .409 .464 .873 D. Jeter 79 19 4 0 0 4 7 21 .241 .302 .291 .593 A. Rodriguez 63 18 5 0 1 12 4 12 .286 .338 .413 .751 H. Matsui 47 11 1 0 2 7 3 3 .234 .280 .383 .663 J. Posada 42 12 2 0 1 2 9 10 .286 .423 .405 .828 R. Cano 34 7 2 0 2 5 1 3 .206 .229 .441 .670 M. Cabrera 29 7 0 0 1 1 0 5 .241 .241 .345 .586 E. Hinske 24 6 0 0 1 6 0 8 .250 .240 .375 .615 M. Teixeira 22 4 0 0 1 3 1 4 .182 .217 .318 .536 J. Molina 14 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 .071 .133 .143 .276 N. Swisher 14 2 2 0 0 0 1 7 .143 .200 .286 .486 X. Nady 13 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 .308 .308 .385 .692 B. Gardner 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .273 .333 .364 .697 K. Cash 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 F. Cervelli 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 R. Pena 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .667 1.000 C. Ransom 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .333 .000 .333 Totals48712425110423793.255.311.372.682
Jays vs. Wang
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS A. Rios 20 4 1 0 0 1 2 4 .200 .273 .250 .523 K. Millar 19 9 2 1 0 4 1 5 .474 .500 .684 1.184 V. Wells 19 6 2 0 0 3 1 2 .316 .350 .421 .771 A. Hill 17 10 4 1 0 3 1 2 .588 .611 .941 1.552 L. Overbay 14 6 2 0 0 5 0 1 .429 .429 .571 1.000 J. McDonald 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 M. Scutaro 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .167 .286 .167 .452 D. Dellucci 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .400 .500 .400 .900 R. Chavez 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 A. Lind 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 M. Barrett 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .333 .000 .333 S. Rolen 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .667 .000 .667 R. Barajas 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .500 .000 .500 J. Inglett 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 Totals121411120181118.339.398.463.861
News & Notes

- Happy 79th birthday to Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III.

- Happy 233rd birthday to the United States of America.

- Chien-Ming Wang has made 9 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-2, with a 4.63 ERA. His last start against Toronto came on June 5th of last year, a game that saw the Jays beat up Wang for 7 runs (6 earned) on five hits and four walks in just 4.1 innings pitched.

- In 33 games (31 starts) Roy Halladay is 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Yanks. In the Bronx he's 7-4 with a 2.97 ERA. And in the only time he's faced them this year, struck out five and held them to just one run in a complete game five-hitter.

- Robinson Cano is 0 for his last 15 with runners in scoring position, and on the year he's batting .208 with RISP.

- Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak.

- Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has a 20-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the AL. Hopefully The Wanger can put an end to that.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/mkLkIMlObwg/game-80-yanks-vs-ja
ys-happy-4th-of-july.html

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Game 80: Yanks vs. Jays - Happy 4th of July!

Regular Season Game 80
Yankees vs. Blue Jays
New Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Game Time: 1:05 p.m.
TV: YES | Radio: WCBS 880

Here are the lineups:

YANKEES (46-33)
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Melky Cabrera RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA)

BLUE JAYS (42-39)

TBA

Pitching: RHP Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.56 ERA)

Yanks vs. Halladay
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS J. Damon 84 29 5 1 1 2 9 13 .345 .409 .464 .873 D. Jeter 79 19 4 0 0 4 7 21 .241 .302 .291 .593 A. Rodriguez 63 18 5 0 1 12 4 12 .286 .338 .413 .751 H. Matsui 47 11 1 0 2 7 3 3 .234 .280 .383 .663 J. Posada 42 12 2 0 1 2 9 10 .286 .423 .405 .828 R. Cano 34 7 2 0 2 5 1 3 .206 .229 .441 .670 M. Cabrera 29 7 0 0 1 1 0 5 .241 .241 .345 .586 E. Hinske 24 6 0 0 1 6 0 8 .250 .240 .375 .615 M. Teixeira 22 4 0 0 1 3 1 4 .182 .217 .318 .536 J. Molina 14 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 .071 .133 .143 .276 N. Swisher 14 2 2 0 0 0 1 7 .143 .200 .286 .486 X. Nady 13 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 .308 .308 .385 .692 B. Gardner 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .273 .333 .364 .697 K. Cash 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 F. Cervelli 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 R. Pena 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .667 1.000 C. Ransom 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .333 .000 .333 Totals48712425110423793.255.311.372.682
Jays vs. Wang
AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS A. Rios 20 4 1 0 0 1 2 4 .200 .273 .250 .523 K. Millar 19 9 2 1 0 4 1 5 .474 .500 .684 1.184 V. Wells 19 6 2 0 0 3 1 2 .316 .350 .421 .771 A. Hill 17 10 4 1 0 3 1 2 .588 .611 .941 1.552 L. Overbay 14 6 2 0 0 5 0 1 .429 .429 .571 1.000 J. McDonald 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 M. Scutaro 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 .167 .286 .167 .452 D. Dellucci 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .400 .500 .400 .900 R. Chavez 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 A. Lind 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 M. Barrett 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .333 .000 .333 S. Rolen 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .667 .000 .667 R. Barajas 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .500 .000 .500 J. Inglett 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 Totals121411120181118.339.398.463.861
News & Notes

- Happy 79th birthday to Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III.

- Happy 233rd birthday to the United States of America.

- Chien-Ming Wang has made 9 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 4-2, with a 4.63 ERA. His last start against Toronto came on June 5th of last year, a game that saw the Jays beat up Wang for 7 runs (6 earned) on five hits and four walks in just 4.1 innings pitched.

- In 33 games (31 starts) Roy Halladay is 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA against the Yanks. In the Bronx he's 7-4 with a 2.97 ERA. And in the only time he's faced them this year, struck out five and held them to just one run in a complete game five-hitter.

- Robinson Cano is 0 for his last 15 with runners in scoring position, and on the year he's batting .208 with RISP.

- Derek Jeter has a nine-game hitting streak.

- Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has a 20-game hitting streak, the longest current streak in the AL. Hopefully The Wanger can put an end to that.

Stick around and discuss the game
as it happens in the comments section

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/mkLkIMlObwg/game-80-yanks-vs-ja
ys-happy-4th-of-july.html

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Hernandez Leads the Way, Huff Homers, O's Win
Against Angels, 6-4

post from Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond on 04 July 2009 06:09:00 AM. © Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond

The Orioles snapped a two game skid as they won against the Angels, 6-4, out in Anaheim last night. Rookie David Hernandez showed himself to be major-league worthy as he kept the Los Angeles lineup -- one of the better in baseball -- at bay as he went 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Hernandez was not perfect in any sense of the word, but his teammates gave up a him comfortable lead and he did his job by keeping runs off the board along with preserving the lead for Baltimore. George Sherill got the save -- his 18th of the season.

The Baltimore offense came alive on Friday they took advantage of a shaky Ervin Santana -- who started the game for Los Angeles -- and did all their scoring before the fifth inning. Luke Scott had a two-RBI double in the 1st inning, and the Aubrey Huff had a three run homer in the third inning (his 11th) to put Baltimore up 5-0. Nick Marakis raised the score 6-0 after a RBI-single that plated Brian Roberts.

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