Cueto pitches 3-hit ball over 8 innings for Reds
(Yahoo! Sports)

CHICAGO (AP) — Johnny Cueto pitched three-hit ball for eight innings, Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick homered and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 Sunday.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/08/12/cueto-pitches-3-hit-ball-over-8-innings-for
-reds-yahoo-sports/

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Lester gets easy win, Red Sox rout Indians 14-1
(Yahoo! Sports)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jon Lester struck out 12 over six innings for his first win in six weeks and the Boston Red Sox salvaged a four-game split by routing the Cleveland Indians 14-1 Sunday.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/08/12/lester-gets-easy-win-red-sox-rout-indians-1
4-1-yahoo-sports/

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Reggie Jackson 1986 Fleer Baseballs Best

Reggie Jackson 1986 Fleer “Baseball’s Best” Before Donruss debuted their ‘Baseball’s Best’ set in 1988, Fleer had already done it. Maybe not as grand, and certainly not as volumous, Fleer issued a nice 44-card set in 1986 called ‘Baseball’s Best’.  … Continue reading →

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/reggie-jackson-1986-fleer-baseballs-be
st/

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Yankees sign Derek Lowe

[...]

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http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/08/yankees-sign-derek-lowe/

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Royals Lose 5 - 3, Split Four-Game Series in
Baltimore

Well, it was a big day for Greek baseball at Camden Yards with both Mike Moustakas and Nick Markakis hanging majestic Grecian dong. That's about all that happened, though.

From a Royals fan's perspective, this game complete bore. Bruce Chen and Tommy Hunter both pitched well for them, which means they didn't record the hallowed "Quality Start" but didn't do anything to raise their putrid ERAs.

The Royals had the lead for about 30 seconds when they went ahead 3 - 2 in the top of the fifth when Mike Moustakas grounded into a double play with no outs and Gordon standing on third. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Nick Markakis decided to match the feat that his fellow Greek-American Mike Moustakas did when leading off the fourth and clubbed a Sino-Panamanian "fastball" into the seats in right.

Bruce Chen would assure himself of the loss when he came back out to start the sixth and promptly walked the first two batters he faced before getting the hook. Louis Coleman limited the damage to one run allowed, but that was the lead and ultimately the ballgame as the Orioles would tack on an insurance run off of Aaron Crow and suppress any feeble attempts at oppositional rallies with a calm and control only exhibited when teams are lulled into a sense of security by seeing Ned Yost standing at the steps of the opponent's dugout.

For those wondering, yes, the Royals did bunt a lead-off single over to second in the first inning. It'd be a shame to have a full complement of 27 outs used to the best of their worth. You have to play for a run in the first when the opportunity presents itself. That's how it was done in the Deadball Era.

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Miami Marlins Option Brett Hayes To Triple-A,
Promote Rob Brantly

After today's 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Miami Marlins decided to make a move regarding their catching situation. Here is the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi reporting:

#Marlins post-game moves: C Brett Hayes optioned to NOLA. C Rob Brantly ( #19) will be selected tomorrow

— joe capozzi (@joecapMARLINS) August 12, 2012

The Marlins have seen enough of Brett Hayes, who has hit a meager .202/.229/.254 (.204 wOBA) in 118 PA. The most appalling stat about Hayes's season is his strikeout rate; in just 118 PA, Hayes has struck out a whopping 49 times, including twice today. Jose Reyes has been to the plate more than four times as often as Hayes and has only whiffed 44 times. Hayes's 41.5 percent strikeout rate is absurd; among Marlins in team history with at least 100 PA in a season, Hayes's strikeout rate is far and away the largest in team history. Giancarlo Stanton's rookie season with a 31.1 percent strikeout rate is second in that list.

To replace Hayes, the Marlins will bring up Rob Brantly, who will be the first player from the Detroit Tigers deal that dealt away Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to make their Marlins debut. This does not come as much of a surprise, as Brantly has been raking since arriving in Triple-A New Orleans. Since getting to New Orleans, he has hit .365/.389/.558 (.411 wOBA), albeit with a very fortuitous .415 BABIP. Still, put his Triple-A numbers together and Brantly has hit a respectable .286/.321/.363 in 193 PA at that level while also spending his first 197 PA hitting .311/.359/.461 (.362 wOBA) in Double-A.

Brantly should take a spot as John Buck's backup catcher, with a decent shot at getting more than the usual backup catcher's share of appearances given Buck's struggles and Brantly's left-handedness. Perhaps the Marlins will test out Brantly to see if he can be the team's catcher in the immediate future by spelling Buck more often against righties in addition to the usual afternoon off-days.

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Fish Cap: Miami Marlins 0, Los Angeles Dodgers 5

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 28,388

Hero Of The Game: Wade LeBlanc (.208 WPA)

Goat Of The Game: Heath Bell (-.207 WPA)

Play Of The Game: With runners on second and third and one out in the top of the eighth inning, Hanley Ramirez singled to left past a drawn in infield to drive in two and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. (.099 WPA)

After being inserted into the starting rotation due to the struggles of Carlos Zambrano, Wade LeBlanc had been on a strictly established pitch limit. His last outing in New York, LeBlanc's limit was 85 pitches. When asked before the game if LeBlanc had a pitch limit against the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon, manager Ozzie Guillen laughed and responded, "If he gives me six innings, I will be very happy." LeBlanc dominated Los Angeles' lineup for seven innings on Sunday, however he still received the loss.

Playing in his first series against his former team since being traded, Hanley Ramirez shined. Ramirez was 6 for 13 with two runs scored and five RBIs. One of those came in the bottom of the third off of LeBlanc, a sacrifice fly that scored Dodgers starter Chris Capuano. Matt Kemp struck out with the bases loaded and nobody out in the frame, and after the sacrifice fly, LeBlanc got Andre Ethier to ground out to limit the damage and keep it a 1-0 game.

Both pitchers settled in, however aside from two walks to Austin Kearns and one to Jose Reyes, Capuano, who pitched with the Mets last season and had Tommy John surgery twice, shut the Marlins down. Capuano consistently fooled Marlins' hitters, and kept the Marlins hit-less through 6 1/13 innings. Jose Reyes broke up the no-hit bid in the seventh with a single up the middle.

LeBlanc was done after pitching seven solid innings, giving up six hits and one run while striking out four and not issuing a walk. LeBlanc was replaced by Heath Bell, who Ozzie Guillen has considered putting back in the closer role, in the bottom of the eighth, an inning in which the Dodgers essentially put the game out of reach for the Marlins.

Shane Victorino lined out to center to begin the inning, but following an infield single by Mark Ellis and a double by Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez singled to drive in a pair. Andre Ethier then singled to drive in Ramirez, and Chris Hatcher, who replaced Bell after he was only able to record one out in the frame, gave up a two out double to Luis Cruz before recording the final out of the inning, which extended the Dodgers' lead to five.

Capuano pitched a scoreless eighth, an inning in which he struck out pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton on two fastballs up in the zone followed by a sharp slider. Caupano earned his eleventh win of the season, pitching eight scoreless innings while giving up two hits, walking three, and striking out ten. The Marlins, whose only other hit came in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Green popped a ball down the line that stayed fair and was out of the reach of Ethier, failed to get a runner in scoring position.

Chad Gaudin worked out of trouble in the top of the ninth, but the Marlins were unable to rally against Jamey Wright in the bottom of the inning, as the Dodgers took the series and didn't allow a run, marking the 11th time on the season the Marlins have been shut out.

Miami will look to bounce back on Monday night, as the Phillies head to Marlins Park for a three game series. Nathan Eovaldi will get the start against Cole Hamels, who the Marlins have beaten multiple times this season.

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Davis has 5 RBIs, Blue Jays beat Yankees 10-7
(Yahoo! Sports)

TORONTO (AP) — Rajai Davis matched a career high with five RBIs, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 10-7 Sunday, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/08/12/davis-has-5-rbis-blue-jays-beat-yankees-10-
7-yahoo-sports/

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Capuano holds Miami hitless until 7th, Dodgers
win (Yahoo! Sports)

MIAMI (AP) — Chris Capuano held Miami hitless until the seventh inning and Hanley Ramirez drove in three runs against his former team, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Marlins 5-0 Sunday.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/08/12/capuano-holds-miami-hitless-until-7th-dodge
rs-win-yahoo-sports/

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Padres sign Kotsay to 1-year contract (Yahoo!
Sports)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The San Diego Padres have signed first baseman/outfielder Mark Kotsay to a one-year contract that keeps him with the team through 2013.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/08/12/padres-sign-kotsay-to-1-year-contract-yahoo
-sports/

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