Beckett shuts down Yanks, BoSox win 4-0 (AP)

Josh Beckett allowed two hits in eight shutout innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 4-0 on Sunday night to take two out of three games from their rivals after opening the season with six straight losses. Beckett (1-1) was dropped to fourth in the season-opening rotation but struck out 10 [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/11/beckett-shuts-down-yanks-bosox-win-4-0-ap/

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Show #142: The Braves Offense Goes Missing

Discussing the bats and relief pitching.  Assessing Freeman and McLouth at the plate.  And best and worst signs of the week.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.atlantabaseballtalk.com/show-142-the-braves-offense-goes-missing/

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4/10 Minor League Report

================(Triple-A) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1-2) beat Rochester (2-2) 7-5: Box - Recap 
BATTING:
Greg Golson, CF: 1-for-4, R, BB
Chris Dickerson, DH: 1-for-5, R, RBI, K, SB (2)
Jesus Montero, C: 2-for-5, 1 R
Jorge Vazquez, 1B:  1-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI
Brandon Laird, 3B: 1-for-4, R
Justin Maxwell, LF: 1-for-4, SB (2), K
Jordan Parraz, RF: 2-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI
Kevin Russo, 2B: 0-for-4, 2 K
Ramiro Pena, SS: 2-for-3, R, BB, SB (1)

PITCHING:
Adam Warren: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K (5.79 ERA)
George Kontos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (9.00 ERA)
Andy Sisco (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
Kevin Whelan (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (4.50 ERA)

(Double-A) Trenton (1-3) lost to New Hampshire (3-1) 5-0: Box - Recap
BATTING:Austin Krum, LF: 1-for-4, 2 K
Jose Pirela, SS: 0-for-4
Austin Romine, C: 1-for-4
Bradley Suttle, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B, E (fielding)
Melky Mesa, CF: 0-for-3, BB, K
Jack Rye, DH: 0-for-3, K
Addison Maruszack, DH: 0-for-3, K
Yadil Mujica, 2B: 1-for-3
Raymond Kruml, RF: all 0-for-3, 2 K

PITCHING:
Dellin Betances (L, 0-1): 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HB (1.93 ERA)
Wilkins Arias: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP (13.50 ERA)
Tim Norton, RHP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
Fernando Hernandez: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (4.50 ERA)
(High-A) Tampa (2-2) lost to Lakeland (2-2) 5-2: Box - Recap

BATTING:
Abraham Almonte, CF: 1-for-4, BB, K, SB (3)
Carmen Angelini, SS: 0-for-4, 2 K
Rob Lyerly, 3B: 0-for-3, BB
Luke Murton, 1B: 2-for-2, R, RBI, BB
Taylor Grote, RF: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Zoilo Almonte, LF: 0-for-4, SB (2)
Kyle Higashioka, C: 0-for-3, RBI
Neil Medchill, DH: 0-for-4, 2 K
Emerson Landoni, 2B: 2-for-4, 1 R, SB (1), E (fielding)

PITCHING:
Jose Ramirez (L, 0-1): 4 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 (4.50 ERA)
Michael Solbach: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
Mark Prior: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (0.00 ERA)
Preston Claiborne: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HB (0.00 ERA)

(Low-A) Charleston (1-2) lost to Lexington (2-1) 12-4: Box - Recap

BATTING:
Slade Heathcott, CF: 3-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI
Kelvin Castro, SS-2B: 2-for-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 E (throwing)
J.R. Murphy, DH: 0-for-4
Gary Sanchez, C: 1-for-4, R, 2B, K, E (throwing)
Rob Segedin, 3B: 0-for-4, 2 E (fielding, throwing)
Ramon Flores, 1B: 1-for-4, RBI
Kelvin DeLeon, RF: 1-for-4, K
Eduardo Sosa, LF: 1-for-4, R, 2B
Joe Mojica, SS: 0-for-3

PITCHING:
Kramer Sneed (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (5.40 ERA)
Freddy Lewis: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
Manuel Barreda: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K E (pickoff) (2.45 ERA)
Richard Martinez: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (21.00 ERA)

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SlidingIntoHome/~3/-eAeZPkKPcY/410-minor-league-re
port.html

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Royals Move Wilson Betemit Back to the Forefront
in Infield Shuffle

Prior to this weekend's series against the Tigers in Detroit, Wilson Betemit had not been a major part of the Kansas City attack. Ante-dating the battle at Comerica, Betemit had just two starts and 13 PAs to his credit in 2011. Betemit started all three games against the Tigers however, capping the weekend with a 4-4 performance that also included a walk and a stolen base.

Mike Aviles, it should be said, was nowhere to be seen in Michigan. Aviles went 0-12 in the brief Chicago series pushing his batting average down near .100. Coupled with only one walk and three errors at third, and we have a hitter who appears to be headed towards the organizational doghouse. Again. Aviles did earn the Opening Day job over Betemit, but he wasn't able to hold his job after a bad week.

Earlier last week, Yost had this to say:

"We’re tied solely to one player at that position. We’ll keep mixing both in and see what happens."

Betemit wasn't spectacular prior to Sunday... and he earned a third consecutive start. After Sunday, it's hard to imagine he'll be out of the lineup anytime soon.

The best Royal lineup probably has both Aviles and Betemit, with Aviles replacing Chris Getz at second base. Getz however, is having the week of his life. Getz is hitting .345 with (presumptively) good defense and is now Yost's preferred lead off man. Needless to say, Getz isn't this good, but that doesn't really matter. It wouldn't make sense to stop playing him now.

At short, Alcides Escobar is quite plainly, the man for the job. Escobar, at the plate at least, was verring close to "we need to give this guy a day off to clear his mind" territory, but he managed two hits on Sunday, raising his average to .200. Aviles wasn't going to replace him at SS, but now even an ocassional spot start looks unlikely for the next few days.

This is a big year for Mike Aviles, and he needs to play well to establish himself as at least a utility infielder. For now, Aviles might be best off hoping that he gets traded to the Phillies.

But to return to Betemit: a larger role for Wilson isn't a bad thing. Betemit posted a 141 OPS+ last season, which for a Royal is a Ruthian number. He might be capable of another similar performance and he might have some trade value at the deadline. Yost's handling of Aviles provides the same lesson for Betemit, but also suggests that the full time job can be his with a well-timed hot streak.

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Rockies Rewind with Silver: The All-Greg Reynolds
Edition

Man, that Greg Reynolds. Can we start with him? He's just so dreamy. If it's not the 89-mph fastball or the caveman hair, it's the skinny legs and high socks -- or oh yeah, the 2 runs in 6 innings in his first major league start since 2008. Although it'll only be (hopefully) one more start until Ubaldo returns, I know all of us here at the Greg Reynolds Fan Club will be very sad to see him go. But we can always

/looks up

/realizes auditorium is empty

/tumbleweed rolls by

GOSH YOU GUYSSSSSSS

Sigh. If I am to be prevented from expounding at length on the virtues of the Little Seventh-Choice Spot Starter That Could, I guess I can get around to reviewing the good, the bad, and the ugly from the first full week of Rockies baseball. Take a flying leap.

Aside from Greg Reynolds, there has been plenty of good to be found in the Rockies' first eight games -- if one doesn't count their two losses, both of which have been excruciatingly painful extra-inning affairs, and by one run apiece. One on Opening Day to the D'backs, which was a direct result of Ubaldo's thumb cut costing him both velocity and command (sort of important things to have as a pitcher, especially when you're usually made out of GRADE A AWESOMESAUCE) and one two nights ago to the Pirates, in which all the runs came in the form of a first-inning, three-run bomb by Jason Giambi -- and there was thirteen innings of deafening silence to follow. But as aggravating as both these defeats were, it's important not to overlook the fact -- as pointed out in the Post after the game today -- that while it's good to be 6-2, they very easily could be 8-0. They have been in a position to win ALL of their games thus far, and while Small Sample Size is of course the obvious rejoinder, it does lend some credence to their proclamations that this year, they'd be ready to go at the sound of the starting gun. Today in particular was something we didn't see much of, if at all, last year. It would have been very easy to let the Pirates keep the momentum after they'd scored 5 unanswered runs, shrug and say, "Well, at least we got a split on the road." But instead, they started a two-out rally, let Michael Crotta dig his own grave, squeaked out just enough, and ultimately came out on top. Maybe it wasn't very pretty, but hey, I'll win ugly instead of losing with style every time. Also, I think Ty Wigginton is going to put a hit out on Pedro Alvarez.

What else shouldn't be overlooked? As was also pointed out in the Game Thread today, the Rockies currently have the best ERA in baseball. That is not a misprint. While a few notches might have been added after Chacin's uneven outing today, going into the game the Rox were #1 with a 2.71 team ERA. And that's without a healthy Uball (as a matter of fact, it was his Opening Day turd that contributed to most of that). Not that this is going to get any of the so-called baseball experts to notice, and while I'll take a few more turns through the rotation at least before I drink the Kool-Aid, it could be that our unheralded (by the rest of the baseball world) young arms are prepared to really help carry the load. It will be necessary to see if Esmil Rogers can put together several solid starts in a row, for example, and how Chacin bounces back from his battle today, but those are always the sorts of caveats you have to include early in the season. I know for damn sure I wouldn't want them to be at the bottom of the table, so I'll accept this development quite happily for the moment. Huston Street didn't have nearly as many adventures as usual closing out the game today, which is another trend I hope continues; he'll need to get back to his 2009 groove as fast as possible. For no reason I can quite put my finger on, Matt Lindstrom kind of scares me. Frankie Mo... oh, Frankie Mo. What are we going to do with you? And here ends my deeply scientific and rigorously researched disquisition on the State of the Pitching.

What about the hitting? Well, for a start, the fact that there's been any of it on the road has been pretty awesome. And not just any, but in three of the four games, we scored at least 6 runs. (The only one we didn't is the one we don't talk about.) Chris Iannetta started hot and has gone cold now, which may or may not be attributable to the fact that he has a hairdo that looks like someone gave him a buzz cut in a dark room while drunk. But he was 4-for-10 to open the season, and went 4-for-31 before being demoted last year, so just steering clear of unadulterated suckage would be a win for him. New addition Jose Lopez is officially in the team lead with 7 RBI; his three-run bomb in the first inning today ended more happily than did Giambi's. But the real catalysts thus far have been the guys at the top of the lineup: Dexter Fowler and Jonathan Herrera. Herrera in particular has been walking like OJ Simpson, and added 3 more BBs to his total today. Once CarGo and Tulo get back to their ordinary selves (CarGo sat today after a heinously stupid GIDP on a 3-0 pitch last night, compounded with contamination from the chemical weapon known as Ian Stewart, and Tulo, after going on a brief homer spree, has cooled off dramatically again) and assuming Herrera and Fowler can keep up even a fraction of this pace, there are going to be ribbie opportunities aplenty. In fact, from my privileged viewpoint of April 10th, I'm almost tempted to keep Herrera and Lopez as the everyday 2B and 3B. In my opinion Stewart, at this point, is going to have to earn whatever playing time he gets, and the jobs certainly look like Johnny and Jose's to lose. I was underwhelmed by Herrera in the past, and didn't really think he had anything more to show, but I have been pleasantly surprised. This pace is, of course, unsustainable, but it does give you an underdog to root for. One thing is for sure, I don't really miss Clint Barmes.

Other performers of note are Seth Smith, itching to avenge a subpar 2010 campaign (then again, that could be said of nearly everyone except Ubaldo, Tulo, and CarGo) and who drove in two runs today, including the tiebreaking walk. Ty Wigginton won the game for us last night, and Jason Giambi has played well in spot starts for the Cranky Back of the Toddfather, including driving in the tiebreaking run today with 2 outs and 2 strikes. (Supposedly, Todd says he's good to go, but the Back is a fickle organism and must be handled with care.) Likewise, Ubaldo has made a quick recovery from the thumb injury that doomed him against the D'backs (everyone say it with me: THANK YOU JEEBUS) and is currently scheduled to return -- most appropriately -- on his bobblehead day, April 17th against the Cubs. (Big draw, according to our team site. Who could miss out on the chance to come out to Coors to see "Marlon Byrd and the Chicago Cubs?") That homestand will also feature our first clash with the Midgets. Man, I get irritated just thinking about them.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the way the team is playing thus far. Last year, it took them until June 1st (!!!) to get four games north of .500, and they're already there now. (April Winnars!!!) While being the NL West champions on April 10 is not exactly an accomplishment to write home about, there is truth in the old chestnut that while pennants aren't won in April, they can be lost in them. And I know I don't want to spend May and June trying frantically to dig out of our typical early-season hole, so picking up any wins early can only be a good thing. The team always tends to heat up with the weather, so let's hope it proves so again. Just for my own selfish pleasure, I'd like for them to have just a couple games where they absolutely beat the crap out of their opponent, but steady, unglamorous wins will get the job done just as well.

The Rockies' next test is a four-game set in Citi Field, against those oh-so-lovable Mets. For some reason, they have historically been completely terrible in New York, especially at Shea Stadium. While Shea is gone, its bad hoodoo carried over to Citi Field last year (then again, it carried nearly everywhere that wasn't Coors) and the Rockies haven't played well there in a long, long time. If they can put a thumping on the Metropolitans, or at least get out of there without looking like a JV team, it may be seriously time to start hoping for good things. But then again, we always do. That's what makes us fans.

I myself have been noticing that I've gotten addicted again already. I really didn't have much time to follow the Rockies last summer, but already this year, I'm like, "When's the game?????" I start with the Tourists on Friday, and this year I'll be ushering, which essentially means I'll get paid (peanuts, but hey) to stand and watch the game. Yeaaahhhh. It always makes me realize just how much I can't live without baseball.

One other thing: While nothing has been decided yet, and I don't know what's going to happen with pretty much anything (an annoying state of affairs to say the least) it's just possible that I may be moving back to Denver. This would be weird, as it's been five full years since I lived in Colorado full time, but it's a legit possibility. In which case, there would be a whole lot of games I need to catch up on.

Bring 'em on.

Goooooo ROCKIES!!!!!!!!!

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Hoover, Spruill, Rohm, And Simmons Highlight
Sunday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

Durham 4, Gwinnett 5 - 11 Inning

• J. Constanza 2-5 BB, K, SB(3)
• D. Hernandez 2-5 2B, K
• M. Gomez 2-5 2B, 2 K
• M. Kennelly 2-4 2B, RBI
• J. Asencio 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Gwinnett breaks even in the series with a walk off win in the bottom of the 11th thanks to a sacrifice fly from Willi Cabrera. The big blow came from Dan Nelson who tied the game up in the bottom of the ninth with a solo homer. Jacob Thompson put together a solid start and was the recipient of some solid bullpen help with Yohan Flande, Jairo Asencio and Scott Proctor allowing just two hits and one run in seven innings. Also, I had no idea that Matt Kennelly was on this team. He is just 22 years old and completely skipped AA after a well below average season at the plate in Myrtle Beach last season. He is in Gwinnett filling in for Boscan, who is in the Majors for a week. His presence speaks more to the Braves lack of depth at the catching position than anything else. 

Jair Jurrjens starts tomorrow for Gwinnett, in what should be his last rehab start. The game will be televised on CSS. Since it's an off-day for Atlanta, we'll have a minor league open thread to discuss as we watch.

Jackson 2, Mississippi 1 - 10 Innings

• T. Pastornicky 2-4 SB(3)
• C. Harrilchak 1-3 BB, SB(2)
• E. Mejia 1-3 HR(2), BB
• J. J. Hoover 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K
• R. Sullivan 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• T. Bullock 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Jackson and Mississippi have played a great series. Two games have gone into extras and another was decided by a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth. J. J. Hoover made his first start of the year and he pitched almost as well as the rest of our starting pitchers. The depth in this system is something else. Ernesto Mejia has gotten off to a hot start this season and has struck out just once in his first five games. This is a small sample size but man I would love for him to get his Ks under control. Tyler Pastornicky is hitting a smooth .533 so far this year. His average actually dropped today. 

Tomorrow for the Mississippi Braves, KK will face KK ... Kenshin Kawakami will face Kenn Kasparek.

Lynchburg 6, Potomac 7 - 10 Innings

• A. Simmons 3-4 2B, RBI, SB
• P. Gosselin 1-5 HR, 3 RBI
• A. Milligan 1-5 3B, K
• J. Leonard 1-4 BB, E
• C. Brownsten 2-3 2B, BB
• Z. Spruill 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• D. Delgado 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Free baseball is the order of the day! Unfortunately only one of them went our way. Zeke Spruill turned in a solid start getting a lot of groundballs. Dimaster Delgado came into relieve him and did not fair well recording just one out after facing just five batters. Andrelton Simmons bounced back after a rough season debut and will do his best to prove that he belongs in the field and not on the mound. Adam Milligan also made his debut today after missing a big portion of last season. 

Hagerstown 7, Rome 6

• M. Lipka 1-5 K
• E. Reyes 1-5 2B, 2K
• E. Salcedo 1-4 2B, BB, 3 K, SB(2)
• D. Rohm 3-4 2B, 3 RBI
• R. Pacheco 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), BB, 2 K

Another game spoiled by the bullpen. The Braves were up 6-3 going into the ninth inning but Wesley Alsup gave up four runs in the top of the inning and the Braves failed to get the lead back in the bottom of the frame. Edward Salcedo continues his good hitting by collecting his first extra base hit of the season. David Rohm had a big day driving in three runs. Ronan Pacheco is a guy that hasn't been talked about much but could be a surprise guy this year. He is a lefty with good K ratios over the past three seasons but he has been too hittable. If the hits come down he could take off. 

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Braves Quote For The Day ... A Black Eye For
Milligan

From a game report today by our own C.B. Wilkins, here is a story from the Lynchburg Hillcats about another unfortunate injury to Braves prospect Adam Milligan:

Adam Milligan can’t catch a break. Yesterday he got hit in the eye by a BP pitch, which gave him a black eye. Bobby Moore, the coach who hit him, said the ball was wet and it just got away from him. He felt bad, but felt even worse when he realized they were taking pictures for baseball cards today.

I'm totally going to get that baseball card.

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Nationals 7 Mets 3 April 10, 2011

The Nationals took the series today at Citi Field with a win in 11 innings. Chris Young had an excellent start going 7 IP and only allowing 1 run. The Mets offense only managed 8 hits in the game and struck out 17 times including 4 by Willie Harris alone. Blaine Boyer blew another game ... Continue Reading

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MetsReport/~3/DLMMieJNSCQ/

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Freese tags Zito as Cards beat Giants

Freese was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI.David Freese hit a home run, double, and single and drove in three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-1 Sunday at AT&T Park to snap a three-game losing streak.

Freese's one-out double in the sixth inning off Giants starter Barry Zito (0-1) gave the Red Birds their first lead of the game. He later hit a solo homer off Guillermo Mota in the eighth inning.

Zito went 5.1 innings and allowed six hits while walking five batters in his second start of the season. He allowed four earned runs and only struck out one batter.

Zito's counterpart, Kyle Lohse (1-1), got the win by throwing eight solid innings (he allowed just five hits and walked none while striking out five). Giants shortstop Mike Fontenot struck out three times and finished the day 0-for-4 as the leadoff hitter.

Lohse was money on Sunday.The Giants threw out their "B" lineup Sunday, mainly so manager Bruce Bochy could find some at bats for Fontenot and other reserves like Nate Schierholtz and Eli Whiteside, who started behind the plate.

Starting catcher Buster Posey got the day off, but was honored by the team prior to the game for winning the NL Rookie of the Year award last season.

The Giants scored their lone run of the game in the first inning. Pablo Sandoval had an RBI single to drive in Freddy Sanchez, who had singled [watch video].

Other notes:

• The win by St. Louis snapped a modest three-game winning streak by the Giants.
• Albert Pujols went 0-for-5 and is now batting .143.
• The Giants won the three-game series, 2-1 and have beaten the Cardinals 10 of the last 15 times the two teams have played at AT&T Park.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers will be in town Monday to open a three-game series against the Giants. Monday's game will be dedicated to Bryan Stow, who was attacked and suffered critical injuries following the season opener in Los Angeles on March 31. The Giants will collect donations at the park to benefit a fund established to support Stow and his family. The club will also partner with Stow's employer, American Medical Response, to collect donations at the gates and throughout the ballpark. Approximately 100 of Stow's fellow paramedics will volunteer for this effort. Also, the Giants Community Fund will hold a silent auction Monday with all proceeds benefiting The Bryan Stow Fund.

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Game #9: Yankees at Red Sox

Yankees (5-3) vs. Red Sox (1-7) Pitching Matchup:  LHP CC Sabathia (0-0, 1.38) vs RHP Josh Beckett (0-1, 5.40) Yankees Lineup Gardner LF Jeter SS Teixeira 1B Cano 2B Granderson CF Swisher RF Posada DH Chavez 3B Martin C The game will take place at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. It?s scheduled to start at 8:05p.m. ET. The [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://zellspinstripeblog.com/2011/04/10/game-9-yankees-at-red-sox/

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