Around the NL East - Carlos Lee traded to
Marlins, R.A. Dickey All-Star, Pitcher of Month, Ryan Howard on the cusp of return, The Clown Shirt, Bro

When I saw the National League's "All-Star" starting roster, I cringed. Rafael Furcal over Starlin Castro or Ian Desmond? Pablo Sandoval over David Wright? Melky #($*ing Cabrera over six other outfielders with higher WAR totals? On paper, I actually loathe this starting lineup with the exceptions of Joey Votto and of course, Dan Uggla. I don't like it one bit. Not only do I think it's an absurd lineup with compromised talent, I actually think about actively rooting against it. All it says to me is that San Francisco did a bang-up job of stuffing the ballot this year, and of course, the oft-repeated statement that letting the fans vote is dumb.

But then clearer heads prevail, and I realize the inadvertent beauty of this National League roster. Since starting the All-Star Game is somewhat of an inconsequential formality to begin with, it's safe to assume that as the game progresses, the talent level of the NL squad will exponentially increase with every substitution made. It won't be so much "get this guy into the game for his cameo" for Tony LaRussa as it will be "let's improve our chances," for when Sandoval, Furcal and Melky are pulled for the likes of Ryan Braun, Starlin Castro and David Wright. As the game gets into later innings, the talent level of the NL should improve, but the question is if the NL can not fall too behind for when the superior reinforcements hit the field.

Things I hope to see at the All-Star Game:

• Andrew McCutchen rob someone of a home run
• Giancarlo (if he plays) blast one into the Kaufmann Stadium CF fountains
• Carlos Ruiz hit one of his patented late-game doubles to break the hearts of AL supporters
• Chipper Jones get a stading ovation
• Chipper Jones taking his likely gift-wrapped fastball down the pipe and hitting it out
• National League win for the third straight year

Welcome back to the basement.

Marlins acquire Carlos Lee from Astros for two minor leaguers - Fish Stripes
Houston pays for ALL of Lee's remaining salary minus the league minimum the Marlins pay, and they get once-heralded prospect Matt Dominguez and pitcher Rob Rasmussen. At first blush, I'm kind of unimpressed by this move, considering Lee is 36 and hasn't shown any indication that he isn't declining, not to mention he's a free agent at the end of the season, but the Marlins are kind of starving for some more offense.

Gaby Sanchez demoted to make room for Lee, Ozzie hits him in the butt with the door - Fish Stripes
Despite the validity of sending Gaby back down to AAA, you don't often see too many managers be so blatant about who's fault it is:

he should blame himself. We gave him plenty of opportunities.

Gaby Sanchez's future now suddenly bleak - Sun Sentinel
An interesting catch by blogger Juan C. Rodruguez, but Gaby Sanchez is on the cusp of not becoming a Super Two eligible player. And due to the fact that he has suddenly fallen on hard times, it's going to be a tougher decision for the Marlins on whether or not they want to bother tendering him a contract if he manages to hit arbitration next year.

Speaking of Ozzie rants, here's Ozzie throwing everyone under the bus - Fish Bytes
After Heath Bell's fifth blown save of the season which ended a 13-12 slobberknocker in Milwaukee, Ozzie accidentally sticks up and defends Heath Bell by essentially declaring that ALL Marlins sucked on that day:

Bell gave up two runs. How about the rest of the (expletives) 10 or 12 runs they scored?

Regardless, Heath Bell is public enemy number one... to Marlins fans - Fish Bytes
Bell has five blown saves, which is tied for second worst in all of baseball, but his path of destruction goes beyond blown saves. Here's a convenient list of all of Heath Bell's screwups for the year to date.

The rest of baseball can not like Hanley Ramirez instead, for his thirty-second home run trot - Deadspin
Sure, it's always great to see the Phillies suffering and I'm all about prolonging their misery, but HanRam isn't going to be making any friends outside the Marlins any time soon by taking extended trots around the bases for whenever he homers.

Giancarlo Stanton named Marlins sole All-Star - Marlins Diehards
Thank goodness for technicalities, but the Marlins have an All-Star and his name is Giancarlo.

But he might not even participate, due to balky knee - Fish Bytes
He's had an MRI, and the team awaits results, but if he doesn't show up to play in St. Louis over the weekend, he might just not be able to take part in both the home run derby, or the ASG itself. But hey, maybe this is the door that Michael Bourn needs to get in?

Emilio Bonifacio starting rehab assignment, Leo Nunez almost playing - Palm Beach Post
If everything goes well, Bonifacio will be back with the team in mid-July when the Fish play the Nationals. Also mentioned is Leo Nunez who will be eligible to start playing again around that time, who will make a few appearances in the Minors to make sure everything is still working.

R.A. Dickey named NL Pitcher of the Month for June - MetsBlog
If you're paying attention, so far a pitcher out of the NL East has claimed this award every month this season, with R.A. Dickey joining Washington's Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez as the two prior recipients. In six starts over the month, Dickey pitched a gargantuan 48.1 innings, went 5-0 with an ERA of 0.93, 55 strikeouts versus just eight walks. Three of those starts were complete games, and two were consecutive one-hitters. Kind of a no-brainer.

R.A. Dickey named an All-Star for the first time in career - NY Post
The 18-year veteran has finally made it, and will be a National League All-Star for the first time, and may even be considered to go on short rest in order to be on schedule to be capable of pitching in the All-Star game in Kansas City.

Naturally, Amazin' Avenue asks the most important of questions - AA
If you're behind in Game of Thrones, don't click on the link, but know that Dickey's as big of a nerd as most of us here, and is probably the coolest guy in baseball, even if he does play for the Mets. Google loves the face too!

R.A. Dickey has a name for his bat, too - The Mets Police
lol

The Post demands that R.A. Dickey start the All-Star Game - NY Post
Leave it to the Post to twist Tony LaRussa's words around and claim that he was criticizing R.A. Dickey in comparison to other options to possibly start for the National League team, and then use it as justification for why exactly Dickey should be the starting pitcher, and that it would be a travesty if he didn't.

David Wright also named All-Star, but not how he would have imagined it - NY Daily News
Due to the silly practice of letting the fans vote, David Wright will be starting the All-Star Game on the bench, while the far inferior Pablo Sandoval starts at third base. The good news is that this could be a blessing in disguise, because everyone knows the starters are almost always all gone by the middle of the game, leaving the far more important crucial innings to the "reserves." And lots of lolz at Sandy Alderson going off on New York fans and San Francisco fans.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis's hand in pain, listed as day-to-day - MetsBlog
A DL stint was considered a possibility, but the Mets are tentative right now. Day-to-day, but a DL trip could be retroactively available if he doesn't play.

Mets would "be okay" with re-acquiring K-Rod - NY Post
If the Mets want to upgrade their bullpen, why is Francisco Rodriguez on their radar? I'm not just being sarcastic, his numbers really aren't that great; career low K/9, career high ERA/FIP, walks are up, HR% up, etc, etc. But he's "a great guy!"

Jason Bay creeping closer to return - NY Times
Still no definitive schedule for return, but at least he's running, throwing, and taking some swings again.

Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Ian Desmond named All-Stars - Nationals Journal
The two pitchers are kind of a no-brainer, but Ian Desmond has also quietly had a solid season, and may have warranted his first-ever All-Star selection. He's still not taking enough walks, but has reduced the strikeouts from a year prior, and is no longer embarrassing himself defensively. But more importantly, he has shown a propensity for delivering timely hits in late-games which has likely made him stand out to get the nod.

Washington D.C., a fairweather town, who'd have thunk that? - The Bog

"I’d rather spend $50 a game to watch them win than $5 to watch them lose," said another fan, 26-year old David Wood.

Yeah, that kind of sums it up. Having grown up in the area, I can tell you from experience that things will drastically change when the day comes that this good fortune isn't the case.

Davey Johnson hopes Bryce Harper doesn't make All-Star Team - Nationals Journal
After showing his age again, proclaining he has zero idea how the concept of last-voting works, he pretty much says he'd rather Harper not make the team so he can go home and get some rest, because whether Harper realizes it or not, he'll need it.

Bryce Harper would be a fireman if the whole baseball thing didn't work out - The Bog
And the thing is, he wants to go get training over the off-season to become one. I'm pretty sure the Nationals might have a tiff with him dabbling in a field where people fall through burning floors, get hurt, and potentially die, as noble of a cause it may be.

Chien-Ming Wang put on DL for sucking, Henry Rodriguez returns, Drew Storen ready to rehab - Nats Insider
"Hip strain" is the artificial reasoning, but everyone and their mother knows Wang is getting put on the DL so he can stop hurting the Nationals in the meantime.

Kind of unfair to say he's a fifth starter - Nationals Journal
Despite the ambiguity of Stephen Strasburg's innings limit, the actions of the team often lead fans to believe it's true, and after the All-Star Game, Strasburg will be the fifth pitcher to start when play resumes. Most unfair fifth starter ever, perhaps.

Bryce Harper's current ride - The Bog
All I have to say is that I kinda preferred the ridiculous truck over this boring old generic luxury car, even with all the customization.

Very disappointed in the Clown Shirt, Bro - Nats Enquirer
I have to mind my tongue somewhat since I have a friend who works for Under Armour, but I have to say that I absolutely am disappointed with the "official" Clown Shirt. Due to the alternating colors, all I see is "DON'T CLOWN; BE A BRO," which isn't really kosher with me.

Phillies send Carlos Ruiz, Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon to All-Star game - CBS Philly
I actually like the idea of Carlos Ruiz being a reserve for the NL this year. For all the times I've seen him hit some sort of back-breaking double in the seventh inning or later, I'm really hoping he does the same thing to the American League this year.

The inevitable trade rumors running rampant in Philadelphia - TGP

At 36-46, the Phillies now stand a season-worst twelve games out of first place and only have a 1.6% chance of making the playoffs.

Phillies trade Jim Thome to Orioles for two minor leaguers - Beerleaguer
I like the man Jim Thome and all, but my first thought of when this happened was WHY??? (for the O's) He might be the nicest guy in MLB history, but Thome is still 41 years old, with a declined skillset and is likely done after this year, but regardless how Gabriel Lino (catcher) and Kyle Simon (RHP) progress in the Phillies' system, they're still two controllable assets for multiple years and at worst, provide minor league depth. Since it's vitally important to declare winners and losers in transactions, the O's may have gotten taken to the toolshed with this one.

Ryan Howard is progressing, but slowly - Phillies Zone
He's played every day since starting his rehab assignment, but hasn't played first in consecutive days, let alone for an entire nine-inning game. PZ thinks he will be on rehab for almost all of the entire 20-day period. Nevermind, he'll likely be playing against the Braves this weekend.

Cliff Lee finally wins a game, celebrations, kinda awkward - Crossing Broad
Gatorade baths, hugs, bumps and more hugs. Not quite in that order though.

Roy Halladay throwing bullpen sessions - Phillies Zone
To no surprise, Halladay's rehabilitation from the strained lat is ahead of schedule, and he's believed to be back in action not long after the All-Star break.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/7/7/3141201/around-the-nl-east-carlos-lee-ra-dick
ey-ryan-howard-bryce-harper

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You Really Cant Blame Tom Browning

You Really Can?t Blame Tom Browning? On this day in 1995, Tom Browning left a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs while the game was still going on.  In fact, he left during the third inning!! Where … Continue reading →

Read The Full Article:
http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/you-really-cant-blame-tom-browning/

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Pictures of David Robertsons wife Erin Robertson

[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/07/pictures-of-david-robertsons-wife-erin-robe
rtson/

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Astros History: The Astros Sign Tony Eusebio

The Astros made quite possibly one of the most important signings of the franchise in the Summer of '85. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. Still, Tony Eusebio was a fan favorite in Houston which is the reason why he'll be highlighted in advance of game number 85 on the season.

Eusebio was signed May 30, 1985. Six years later he would make his debut with the club August 8, 1991. He didn't stick with the club and wasn't a permanent fixture in Houston until 1994, at the age of 27. Once he was up for good he would spend the next eight years as the Astros backup catcher.

Only once did he get more than 400 plate appearance, and that was his second year. That year he batted .299/.354/.410 in 408 plate appearances. His best year came in 2000 when he batted .280/.361/.459 in 249 plate appearances. That's the same year he went on his 24 game hitting streak in part-time duty.

Clack already talked about that streak earlier in the year so I just quote what he had earlier regarding the streak:

Eusebio's hit streak was unique because he was a back up player and pinch hitter. His hit streak covered 54 days between July 9 and Aug. 28, due to the intermittent nature of his playing time. Eusebio batted .409 during the streak, and raised his OPS from .611 to .843 over that period. Eusebio was hitting .285 at the end of the streak. Eusebio's streak was the fifth longest by a ML catcher since 1900.

Eusebio perhaps was the most improbable player to be associated with a long hitting streak, and not just because of his role as a reserve player. Tony was slow, like many catchers. Eusebio's career batting average was .275. However, he had shown the ability to hit for high average early in his career (.296 and .299 in 1994 and 1995). Eusebio's hitting style was based on a opposite field swing.

The sponsor of Eusebio's Baseball Reference.com player page points out another hitting streak oddity:

"Did you know Tony Eusebio had a 24 game hit streak for the AAA Tucson Toros in 1993? Better yet, he extended it to 30 games during a rehab stint in 1996. That's why we love tough Tony."

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/7/7/3142277/astros-history-the-astros-sign-tony
-eusebio

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July 7, 2012

July 7, 1993 - In one of the most legendary gags in the history of baseball, Reds pitcher Tom[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.lovemyteam.com/2012/07/07/july-7-2012/

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BBDP July 6th: Another strong outing for Cote

[...]

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http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/07/bbdp-july-6th-another-strong-outing-for-cot
e/

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Game 83: Braves 5, Phillies 0

Source: FanGraphs Game MVP: Tim Hudson, 68 game score Least Valuable Brave: Martin Prado, -.220 Most Valuable Phillie: Kyle Kendrick, 73 game score Least Valuable Phillie: Antonio Bastardo, -.486 Big plays: 8th – (ATL) Freddie Freeman walked with the bases loaded for a 1-0 Braves lead, .249 8th – (ATL) Brian McCann grand slam for [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CapitolAvenueClub/~3/miYFM-ob_xo/

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Marte Homers Twice, Bethancourt Hits Walkoff
Single, And Drury Stays Hot In Friday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

Felix Marte hit a pair of homers as part of an offensive explosion for Danville, Christian Bethancourt had a walkoff single for Mississippi, Brandon Drury continued his hot hitting, and Peter Moylan had a rough rehab appearance.

Gwinnett Braves 1, Durham Bulls 4

• Felix Pie RF 2-4, 2B, .288 AVG
• Ruben Gotay 3B 1-3, HR (2), RBI, .188 AVG
• Todd Redmond 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 3.40 ERA
• Cole McCurry 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 2.08 ERA

The only G-Braves run came from a solo homer by Ruben Gotay, who's gone 3-8 with a double, a homer, and 3 walks in his last 3 games. Felix Pie had a pair of hits, making him 5-13 with 2 doubles, a triple, a RBI, and 2 walks in his last 4 games. Todd Redmond struck out 8, but he also allowed 4 earned runs in 6 innings. In his last 2 starts, he's allowed 7 earned runs in 11.2 innings. Cole McCurry pitched 3 scoreless innings in his debut for Gwinnett, and he's pitched for 4 different teams this year, also seeing time with Lynchburg, the AAA Norfolk Tides, and the AA Bowie Baysox.

Yohan Flande will face the Bulls on Saturday.

Mississippi Braves 3, Jackson Generals 2, 12 innings

• Jason Christian PR-3B 1-2, RBI, .227 AVG
• Christian Bethancourt C 2-4, RBI, BB, .254 AVG
• Alden Carrithers LF 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, .225 AVG
  
• Sean Gilmartin 9 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K, 3.42 ERA
• Cory Rasmus 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 3.79 ERA

Mississippi won in the bottom of the 12th inning on back to back RBI singles by Jason Christian and Christian Bethancourt. Bethancourt reached base 3 times today after going 1-10 in his last 3 games. In his last 2 games, Jason Christian has gone 2-5 after going 0-10 in his previous 4 games. Sean Gilmartin had an outstanding start, striking out 7 and allowing just 1 earned run over 9 innings, a nice comeback after allowing 9 earned runs in 11 innings over his last 2 starts.

The M-Braves head to Birmingham tomorrow for a doubleheader to begin a series with the Barons.

Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 6, 10 innings

• Tommy La Stella 2B 2-3, SB (12), .265 AVG
• Adam Milligan DH 2-5, .244 AVG
• Edward Salcedo 3B 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, .269 AVG
• Braden Schlehuber C 2-5, 2B, RBI, .286 AVG
• Gus Schlosser 6 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.64 ERA
• Caleb Brewer 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.82 ERA

Tommy La Stella snapped a 1-12 skid over his last 4 games with a 2 hit night, stealing his 12th base of the season. Adam Milligan also had a 2 hit day, and over his last 7 games he's gone 9-29 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 3 RBI. Edward Salcedo had his second straight multi-hit game, going 5-7 with 2 doubles and 2 walks in those 2 games. Braeden Schlehuber also had a 2 hit day, and over his last 3 games he's gone 5-15 with a double, a triple, and 3 RBI. Gus Schlosser made a quality start, and in his last 2 starts he's allowed 2 earned runs over 12 innings, striking out 10.

The Hillcats will head to Winston-Salem on Saturday to begin a series against the Dash, with JR Graham scheduled to start.

Rome Braves 0, Greenville Drive 4, Game 1

• Alex Wood 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2.25 ERA
• Navery Moore 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 4.16 ERA

The R-Braves were shutout as they collected just 3 hits in this one. Alex Wood picked up the first loss of his career as he allowed the first runs of his career. In 8 innings over 3 starts he's allowed 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, and has struck out 9. Navery Moore has struggled since being paired with Wood as a tandem starter, allowing 6 earned runs, 8 hits, and 6 walks in 9 innings while striking out 4 in 3 appearances.

Rome Braves 6, Greenville Drive 3, Game 2

• Elmer Reyes SS 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, .267 AVG
• Kyle Kubitza 3B 1-4, 3 SB (9, 10, 11), .256 AVG
  
• William Beckwith DH 1-3, HR (9), 2 RBI, BB, SB (7), .294 AVG
• Brandon Drury 1B 2-3, 2B, HR (3), 2 RBI, .214 AVG
• Greg Ross 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 7 K, W (2), 5.51 ERA
• Ronan Pacheco 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1.13 ERA
• David Peterson 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (2), 1.42 ERA

Brandon Drury had a double and a homer, and in his last 10 games he's hitting .395 with a .978 OPS, 3 doubles, a homer, 8 RBI, and 9 runs scored. William Beckwith hit his ninth homer and stole his seventh base, and over his last 10 games he's hitting .300 with a .817 OPS, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBI. Elmer Reyes hit a pair of doubles in the second game, and over his last 10 games, he's hitting .357 with a 1.013 OPS, 3 doubles, 3 triples, 6 RBI, and 7 runs scored. Kyle Kubitza only had 1 hit in the second game, but he managed to steal 3 bases, stealing both second and third after reaching on a fifth inning fielder's choice. Greg Ross allowed 3 earned runs over 5 innings, but he did strike out 7 and pick up his second win of the year. Ronan Pacheco tossed a scoreless inning, and since being sent down to Rome he's allowed just 1 earned run in 8 innings over 4 appearances, striking out 8. David Peterson picked up is second save with a scoreless inning, and he's allowed 1 earned run in 6.1 innings over 5 appearances since being selected in the 8th round this season.

Jarrett Miller will start against the Drive Saturday night.

Danville Braves 13, Bluefield Blue Jays 3

• Eric Garcia SS 1-2, 3 BB, .214 AVG
• Ronald Luna PH-2B 2-3, 2 RBI, E (4), .265 AVG
• Carlos Franco 3B 2-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, .294 AVG
• Edison Sanchez LF 2-4, 3B, HR (4), 2 RBI, BB, OF Assist, .269 AVG
• Felix Marte RF 2-5, 2 HR (3, 4), 5 RBI, .397 AVG
• Frank Lafreniere 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 3 K, W (2), 2.70 ERA
• Carlos Perez 2.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.79 ERA
• Clint Wright 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0.00 ERA

Felix Marte clubbed out a fourth inning solo homer and then added on a grand slam in the ninth, giving him 5 RBI on the day. The 21 year old Dominican is absolutely crushing the ball with the D-Braves, hitting .397 with a 1.107 OPS, 3 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, 15 RBI, and 3 stolen bases in 58 at bats over 13 games. Carlos Franco hit his first homer of the year and drove in 3 runs, and over his last 5 games he's gone 7-19 with a double, a triple, a homer, and 4 RBI. Edison Sanchez also homered, and he's gone 5-12 with a triple, 3 homers, and 5 RBI in his last 4 games. Ronald Luna extended his hitting streak to 5 games, and during that span he's gone 6-19 with 3 RBI during that stretch. Eric Garcia reached base 4 times today, and in his last 2 games he's gone 3-7 with a double and 3 walks. Frank Lafreniere only allowed 3 earned runs in 14.2 innings over his first 3 starts, but he allowed 3 earned in 5.1 innings today and still managed to pick up his second win of the year. Carlos Perez stuck out 5 in 2.2 scoreless innings, and in his last 4 appearances he's struck out 13 and allowed 1 earned run in 9 innings.

The D-Braves head to Princeton tomorrow to begin a series against the Rays, with Rafael Briceno scheduled to start.

GCL Braves 2, GCL Blue Jays 1, completion of 6/26

• Jose Peraza S 1-4, RBI, .400 AVG
• Tyler Tewell D 2-3, HR (1), RBI, .667 AVG
• Lucas Sims 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
• Chad Rodgers 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 15.43 ERA
• Roberto Estrella 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 2.25 ERA

The stats from this game actually count back to the 26th, which is why Jose Peraza's batting average is .400 instead of his current .309. This game was Lucas Sims' professional debut, even though the stats didn't count until today, and he tossed 2 perfect innings, striking out 3. Roberto Estrella pitched when play resumed today, and it was his best outing of the season, as he allowed just 1 unearned run and struck out 3 over 5 innings, picking up his first win of the year. This game technically became Tyler Tewell's GCL debut, after he played in 1 game with Danville, and will be counted as the first hits and first homer of his career.

GCL Braves 7, GCL Blue Jays 11

• Jose Peraza SS 1-4, E (5), .302 AVG
• Cody Livesay CF 1-3, BB, SB (2), .370 AVG
• Jackson Laumann DH 2-4, 3 RBI, .304 AVG
• Tyler Tewell C 1-3, 2 RBI, .273 AVG
• Robinson Arno 1B 1-4, HR (2), E (2), .278 AVG
  
• Peter Moylan 1 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 12.00 ERA
• Richie Tate 4 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA

After tossing 2 scoreless innings in his first 2 rehab appearances, Peter Moylan ran into a rough patch today, allowing 4 earned runs in an inning of work. These kinds of hiccups are bound to happen when a player is rehabbing, so unless Moylan says something felt wrong with his arm, the stats themselves are nothing to worry about. Richie Tate allowed his first runs this season, but they were unearned, giving the 20 year old righty 15.1 innings without allowing an earned run. Jose Peraza has recorded a hit in 9 of his last 10 games, but he's hitting just .238 with a .589 OPS during that stretch. Cody Livesay reached twice and stole his second base of the year. During his 5 game hitting streak, he's gone 6-16 with a RBI, 2 walks, and 2 steals. In his last 7 games, Jackson Laumann has gone 9-21 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 5 RBI. Tyler Tewell drove in a pair of runs, giving him 8 RBI in 8 games. Robinson Arno homered for the second straight day, making him 2-6 with 3 RBI and a walk in his last 2 games.

The Braves and Blue Jays will play another doubleheader on Saturday.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2012/7/6/3141532/marte-homers-twice-bethancourt-hits-w
alkoff-single-and-drury-stays

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Rockies 5, Nationals 1: Colvin and Pomeranz Best
Best Team In NL, Quit Rockies, Go Into Business Together

Drew Pomeranz finally looks to be meeting some of that hype that preceded him when he was traded to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez.

Over 6 innings of work and 81 pitches, Pomeranz held the Nationals to 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 6 batters.

Tyler Colvin went 3-for-4 while almost going 4-for-4 with 3 bombs. Instead, he only hit 2 bombs and a single, notching 3 runs in the Rockies' total.

Rex Brothers had a real scary 9th, allowing a solo homer to Ryan Zimmerman and a couple of hits after that, but his shaky performance was bookended by the usual excellence we've come to expect out of Rafael Betancourt and Matt Belisle.

Outside of Colvin, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, and Johnny Herrera all had 2 hits.

Strasburg's final line was 6 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs (2ER), 2 HR (both to Colvin), 6 strikeouts and a walk.

That's 2 openers against Strasburg, and 2 wins for the Rockies. Nice work, team!

---

32 - 51

Games Back: 14.5

Streak: Won 1

Games Left: 79

---

Source: FanGraphs

PitcherIPHHRERBBSOpLIWPAD Pomeranz6.1100260.88.306R Betancourt1.0000011.36.089M Belisle1.1100020.25.020R Brothers0.1311000.37-.079Total9.0511290.79.335
PitcherIPHHRERBBSOpLIWPAH Rodriguez1.0000020.02.001R Mattheus1.0000000.07-.005T Gorzelanny1.0212020.17-.041S Strasburg6.0822160.75-.121Total9.010341100.54-.165
BatterABRHHRRBIBBSOpLIWPAD Fowler41211000.68.034M Scutaro40000010.70-.103C Gonzalez32200110.37.053M Cuddyer30001020.77-.049T Colvin42323000.60.300C Nelson10000000.02-.001J Pacheco30100010.55.003W Nieves40000020.41-.072J Herrera40200000.39.043R Brothers10000010.01.000R Betancourt0000000 M Belisle0000000 D Pomeranz20000020.76-.042Total33510351100.54.165BatterABRHHRRBIBBSOpLIWPAD Espinosa40000020.90-.092B Harper30100100.57.051R Zimmerman41111000.88-.068M Morse40100010.85-.051A LaRoche40100020.98.001I Desmond40000010.85-.080H Rodriguez0000000 R Mattheus0000000 T Moore30000020.63-.045R Bernadina10000001.25-.035J Flores30000100.48.020T Gorzelanny0000000 S Lombardozzi10100000.13.007S Strasburg10000011.13-.043Total321511290.79-.335

Read The Full Article:
http://www.purplerow.com/2012/7/6/3142473/rockies-5-nationals-1-colvin-and-pomera
nz-best-best-team-in-nl-quit

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Marlins fans need more than just cut-rate
insurance against mayhem like- HEATH BELL!!!! (H/T Jeremy...

Marlins fans need more than just cut-rate insurance against mayhem like- HEATH BELL!!!! (H/T Jeremy Hulme)

Read The Full Article:
http://www.fishstripes.com/2012/7/6/3142558/marlins-fans-need-more-than-just-cut-
rate-insurance-against-mayhem

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