Sabathia Says He'll Pitch on Friday

From George King:

CC Sabathia will throw his first bullpen session since going on the disabled list today and said he believes he will return Friday in Cleveland.

While manager Joe Girardi would certainly welcome the Yankees? staff ace back to the rotation the first day Sabathia is eligible, he is waiting to see how the big left-hander does during workouts .

?I will do a bullpen [session today], be off [tomorrow], play catch Monday, another bullpen Tuesday and pitch Friday,?? Sabathia said following a flat-ground throwing program yesterday afternoon. ?I feel good.??

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I'll Say It...I'm sick of Teixeira

I remember a time when I was younger and I would have such blind faith in every athlete that donned the Yankee uniform. When a player struggled mightily, I cheered that much harder for him to do well. I?m 27 now (I know, still young) but Mark Teixeira is very slowly turning himself into a very unlikeable ballplayer. For their money, the New York Yankees have gotten one elite year out of ?Tex.? The version that we have seen from 2010 until now, is not the version that the Yankees signed up for. This version is certainly not worth over $20Million a year.

Now, it is unfair to expect the type of half seasons he put up with the Atlanta Braves & Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim if you hit Pasadena you?ve gone too far. Personally, I was expecting closer to the numbers he put up with while he was with Texas. Although, the 2008 he had with Atlanta would fall under that umbrella, as well. This version of Teixeira refuses to make the necessary adjustments to return to elite form. Now, we are all succumbed to a hitter that will either hit a homer, groundout to second, or pop-out weakly to the infield. We?ve gone from seeing a hitter with a high 300 OBP to one that is maxing out mid-300. We?ve gone from a hitter whose OPS is in the high 800s-low 900s to low-mid 800. For the advanced statistic fans, he is 12th among Major League First Basemen in wRC+ and 7th among the ones in the American League. Basically, there are no statistics out there that can defend Tex?s lack of production.

Now, his severely underwhelming performance on the field aside, let?s talks about Tex and his constant excuses, shall we? How many times throughout the year did we hear about him feeling under the weather whenever he was struggling? Whether it was his wrist or his respiratory issue, there was always something handy. In 2004, Jason Giambi was diagnosed with a benign tumor to which he missed most of the season. He only played 80 games and we still heard no excuses about his lack of production. Players are sore, sick, and just feeling miserable all of the time. It is a long, brutal season yet Teixeira always feels the need to point out just how poorly he is feeling. Even if that was all true, man up and just deal with it. I am sick to death of the constant excuses from this guy. What are his excuses for the numbers he put up last year? How about in 2010?

If it isn?t some phantom physical ailment, another one is ?Oh, he?s just a slow starter!? Interesting, if you look at the breakdown this year, he?s had one vintage Tex month. He?s not just a slow starter; he?s nothing special when he gets going either. Not this version anyway. Maybe if Tex would stop being so stubborn and adapt to the game that has clearly adapted to him, he could make this contract somewhat tolerable.

Twitter: @trevwolff

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Around the NL East - Stephen Strasburg and
ShutdownGate, David Wright would rather win, Marlins shutout for 30 innings, Jimmy Rollins doesn't hustle, angers fans

LOLMELKY. Even trying to get good at baseball, he was lazy. Anyway

The Tampa Bay Rays are a funny team. Ever since they emerged as a frequently-contending team in 2008, they've still been subject to some of the worst team-wide, single-game droughts. In other words, since 2008, the Rays have been no-hit four times. And of those four no-hitters, three of them were perfect games, culminating with getting put in the history books as victim to Felix Hernandez's perfecto, the 23rd in MLB history. The Rays were the victims to perfect games #18 (Mark Buehrle), #19 (Dallas Braden), and #23 (King Felix).

Over the last ten years, the Rays have been no-hit a total of five times, with Edwin Jackson (ARI, 2008), and of all people, Derek Lowe (BOS, 2002), rounding out the list of dominators. This is substantially more than any other team.

Ultimately, no-hitters are anomalies that have little bearing on the quality of a team throughout the duration of an entire season, with perfect games magnified even more so. The last two times the Braves were no-hit happened to be in two different seasons in which the Braves were 90+ game winners and playoff teams. Regardless of the Rays' higher propensity to get no-hit than any other team, they've still notched a 431-334 (.562) record since 2008, and are easily considered a top-tier team today. Sometimes I think it's not bad when an entire team goes ice-cold for just one game; maybe not to the magnitude of getting no-hit, but kind of for all players to get all of the suckiness out in one humbling loss, as opposed to a stretch of games where a few players are slumping, scattered about, and the team throws up a mediocre 5-5 record in their last ten.

Either way; no-hitters don't really seem so special to me anymore, at the rate they're being churned out these days, and the fact that I've seen one in person now (Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Braves). After a drought where there was no no-hitters in 2005, and just one in 2006, there have been 21 individual no-hitters, and one combined no-no since 2007. That's 3.5 no-hitters a year. Someone call me the next time there's an unassisted triple play! Welcome back to the basement.

The Stephen Strasburg Shutdown refresher - Nationals Journal
Since pretty much the only thing being discussed in NatsTown this week is the ever-approaching impending Stephen Strasburg deactivation, I guess it would be best to for everyone interested, to acquaint themselves with the barebone facts.

Stephen Strasburg's dad doesn't agree with it - WaPo
Jim Strasburg might think it makes sense, but it doesn't mean he has to like it.

Tommy John himself doesn't agree with it - The Bog
Man, they're really getting everyone to come out of the woodwork for this controversy, even the man whom the infamous surgery was named after; Tommy John himself. And guess what? He disagrees!

Dennis Eckersley chimes in - The Bog
At least he brings the perspective of a former pitcher who understands what it means to be in meaningful, contending games.

Rick Sutcliffe concocts an elaborate plan - The Bog
It involves mystery DL stints, calling up John Lannan, and even incorporating a six-man rotation for a moment, but naturally it involves Strasburg getting two of his precious starts against the Braves, and supposedly would be sufficient at getting him through the end of the season at just a hair around 180 IP, provided he always goes six innings.

Jason Isringhausen chimes in next - Nationals Journal
Izzy's opinion holds a little weight, considering he's had Tommy John surgery - three times. He understands the Nationals' position, but still doesn't believe it's right considering their contending position.

Leo Mazzone calls it pathetic - The Bog
Good 'ol Leo, ready to chime in on anything related to baseball and predictably relay it back to stories of the old days. I like Leo, but it's comically predictable that how everything goes back to the old days, and how you can literally wait for the moments where he brings up "14 straight" and mentions Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz.

Naturally, Scott Boras is in full support of the Shutdown - The Bog
Strasburg gets hurt, Strasburg loses value. Lesser value = less $$$ for Boras. He'll choose money 200 times out of a hundred.

Drew Storen says nobody likes it, but understands it - Nats Enquirer
Doing something the team doesn't like? There's no way that has any impact on the game on the field. Right Boston?

One bad outing, get crucified - Nats Insider
Drew Storen had one bad outing. Suddenly, he's clearly not fully recovered from his own Tommy John Surgery, and the Nationals are clearly in jeopardy.

Stephen A. Smith - The Bog
That's pretty much all you need to see to realize that this is going to be ironically entertaining. Amazingly he doesn't pull a race card out, but if you envision him speaking these words, you can just visualize that it's on the tip of his tongue, but he just can't find the right spark. I didn't even think he even knew how to speak about baseball, but being ESPN, a teleprompter probably told him what to say.

I guess the Braves can take credit for this - Nationals Journal
During a 14-2 drubbing of the Giants, the Nationals refused to take their foot off the gas, tagging up on fly balls, taking the extra base when necessary, and playing cut-throat defense. Obviously proven by the Braves earlier in the season, no lead is genuinely safe, so Davey Johnson is refusing to let his players relax at any point of the games now.

And for that, Davey Johnson's re-jiggering his lineup with the Braves in mind - Nationals Journal
For the third straight year, the division leader stops to deliberate their rotation, and makes some tweaks to ensure that the second-place Braves get the full brunt, when the teams eventually collide. Also conveniently, whenever a reconfigure is made, Stephen Strasburg is put at the back of the line, in order to "give him extra rest."

But you know something, maybe the Nationals never really needed Strasburg to be good - MASN
Sure, Stephen Strasburg makes the Nationals the best in the NL right now, but even if the Nats didn't have him, the numbers hint that they would still be contenders regardless.

People really like to watch winning baseball - The Bog
Television ratings for Nationals games on home network MASN are up an astounding 62% this season. The largest increase in viewership in all of baseball this season.

Ian Desmond activated, Cesar Izturis DFA'd - Nats Insider
Nothing to really see here, everyone knew it was coming. It's not going to be as unanimous as what's going to happen between Paul Janish and Jack Wilson when Simba returns.

Jayson Werth appears to be hurt again - Nationals Journal
This time it's his ankle, and was seen wearing a big boot around his right foot this week.

But that's okay because Roger Bernadina has been playing out of his head lately - MASN
Mostly in part from a suggestion from Mark DeRosa to go to a lighter bat.

Just a tad bit late to the party, but the official Nationals Clown Question shirsey has arrived - The Bog
Just in case those unsatisfied with the Under Armour attempt, the Nationals have unveiled a shirsey for those who want the entire iconic quote, as well as Bryce Harper's name and number along with it.

Speaking of Bryce Harper, he's currently not exactly whom I'd want to be motivational speaking to my kids right now - The Bog
According to the 19-year old phenom, kids are to get out there and "be as sexy as they can," and that losing is most certainly not okay. I can't say I'd be telling children those same things.

David Wright values winning over money - NY Post
Clearly, he's a smart enough fellow to know that a talent the caliber of him will almost always get his cake and be able to eat it too, but saying stuff like this makes him look more endearing and hard-nosed, and one that "truly loves the game." It's kind of awkward though, because he insinuates that despite the sentiment, he hints at some optimism that he'll remain with the Mets for the long haul; both goals seem a little impeded in Flushing, possibly.

R.A. Dickey on pace for a lot of historic marks - NY Times
At his current pace, Dickey could end the season a twenty-game winner, as well as leading the National League in strikeouts, and will have a loud argument in the Cy Young Award discussion. All this, despite being a soft-tossing knuckleballer. Such feats has him currently mentioned in the same breath as top-billing pitchers as Stephen Strasburg and Johnny Cueto, and all-time legend, Phil Niekro.

Well, maybe not - NY Times
The source of Dickey's magical pitching prowess has been clearly identified and eliminated, as umpires noticed, and made Dickey remove two handmade bracelets on his glove hand. Afterward, Dickey would proceed to forfeit three home runs, and the Mets lost badly to the Reds. These bracelets were made by Dickey's daughters prior to his ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro over the off-season, and he had been wearing them all 20+ prior starts on the season. Needless to say, Dickey was not happy about it.

But it's okay, Jason Bay will rescue the Mets - AA
Sometimes, the fellas over at AA just say something that makes me stop everything I'm doing, and kind of clutch my chest as well as cover my mouth, because I'm trying to not bust out laughing:

Over the last one game, Bay is hitting .400 with a 1.400 OPS. Does any one of Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, David Ortiz, or Mike Trout have an OPS that high this season? Nope, didn't think so.

The Daily News proclaims season over, time to shut down Johan Santana - NY Daily News
Because he got owned by the Braves, the Daily News apparently has pretty much stuck a fork in the Mets, and have decided that it's probably best if the team deactivated Johan Santana, to save his arm for next year. Old school thinkers would disagree with this notion, and that it's owed to the fans to play hard all the way to 162, but you might have to ask, what fans?

Guess who else is going to experiment with a six-man rotation? - MetsBlog
Ideally, it's to give extra rest to salvage Johan Santana and Chris Young, whom both as we all know came back from shoulder surgeries, but at the same time, R.A. Dickey is going to be on a normal five-day pace. Not to mention concerns over Matt Harvey's development at the big league level, and the tinkering with his schedule.

Terry Collins has no guarantees ahead of him - NY Post
Collins has an option for the 2013 season, which the Mets have already exercised back in September of last year. But Collins isn't really at all that concerned about his future despite the fact that he has nothing lined up for beyond 2013, and more or less things will fall where they are dealt.

Tim Byrdak going to have shoulder surgery with a side of knee surgery - MetsBlog
How convenient, while he's already under the knife to repair the torn anterior capsule, Tim Byrdak is going to have surgery on his left knee. It kind of reminds me of former Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, when he had like three surgeries at once, one of which being Tommy John surgery, and then came back two years later like a bionic machine. That being said, if Byrdak gets healthy, he could be a super-LOOGY to anyone seeking his services next year.

Mets acquire Kelly Shoppach for PTBNL - AA
Well, the thing about PTBNLs is that we'll never be able to truly designate whether this move is a win or a loss, because the player is named later, most of the time being way later, and discreetly in press clippings. But for what it's worth, Kelly Shoppach is a more bat than glove catcher who is also a free-agent after the year, so it's kind of against the Mets unless they can secure him cheaply after this year is over.

Mike Pelfrey will start playing catch next week; future deliberated - MetsBlog
It's good news to hear that Pelfrey will begin the slow and arduous road back to the show, but it's speculated that coming off of surgery, he'll most likely get non-tendered and re-signed at a lower deal, because well, he'd still be injured, and not many other teams would want to pick him up.

To no surprise, moving in the fences has boosted home run totals - MetsBlog

There have been 29 home runs this season that would not have been home runs using last years wall configuration

Of these, opponents have hit 15 home runs scoring 28 runs while the Mets have hit 14 homeruns scoring 23 runs

Gary Carter viewed as originator of the F-bomb - The Mets Police
To no surprise, Eric Gregg's name is mentioned at the root of the origins too.

Marlins go 30 straight innings of getting shutout, a new team record - Fish Stripes
Three straight shutouts, combined with three innings of Roy Halladay before deciding to score a run, the Marlins set a new low in offensive futility, for the record books.

Ozzie thinks his team is pressing too hard - Palm Beach Post

"I almost activated myself a couple days ago," Guillen joked. "I can catch it and throw it; I don’t know if I can hit it."

We only know he was joking because the Fish actually made a catching move - Fish Stripes
Prior to 2012, Rob Brantly had never seen above High-A, but after a few months of rapidly climbing through the Tigers' and Marlins' system, the Fish have had enough with the inept tandem of John Buck and Brett Hayes, and have called the inexperienced 22-year old catcher up to the big leagues. A kind of surprising move for the stingy Fish, because this gets his service clock moving, well before the "free" cup of coffee period.

Speaking of service clocks, where's Chris Coghlan? - Marlin Maniac
Despite the revolving door of transactions due to injury or ineptitude, with guys like Austin Kearns, Justin Ruggiano, Bryan Petersen, Scott Cousins and other fairly negligible names, one has to ask, where the former Rookie of the Year and centerfield experiment, Chris Coghlan is at? He has been steadily playing regular ball and getting regular at-bats at New Orleans, where he's hitting a respectable .286/.367/.436 against AAA competition. Speculation leads to believe that he is being held at AAA and being passed over for lesser-talent because the Marlins are attempting to game his service time, so that they can avoid, or pay him less money if/when he enters his arbitration years, possible starting in 2013.

Should the Marlins pursue Melky Cabrera now that his price dropped? - Fish Bytes
Y'know, now it sounds like Melky was trolling baseball even more. Now that he's been busted for juicing, every team with outfield needs kind of wants a piece of the Melkman, since he won't likely be getting the lucrative long-term deal he was aspiring to get. But a short or one-year deal? Players can pretty much commit murder and still get a one-year deal, if a team thinks he can be useful.

Emilio Bonifacio might be put back in the outfield upon return from DL - Sun Sentinel
In an attempt to protect him from collision and to further patch up the outfield, Emilio Bonifacio might be put back in the outfield when he returns from the disabled list.

But Logan Morrison is effectively kaput for the rest of the year - Fish Stripes
The knee surgery he was hoping to avoid cannot be avoided any longer. LoMo moves to the 60-day DL, effectively ending his year.

Hanley Ramirez is glad he doesn't have to be the hero in Los Angeles - Fish Bytes
It's sentiments like this that kind of make me feel precisely why Hanley won't ever be the man, no matter where he goes. Not to say it's always the best idea to want to be the hero, but the feeling of skirting away from responsibility and accountability seems kind of sheepish.

Jimmy Rollins breaks Phillies record for most games played by a shortstop - Beerleaguer
Against the Marlins earlier in the week was Jimmy Rollins' 1,731st game as the Phillies' shortstop, breaking the mark previously head by Larry Bowa.

But still dogs it down the line, angers Phillies Twitterverse - Crossing Broad
Another week, another great collection of pissed off Phillies fans venting towards their own in 145 characters or less. As always, some discretionary language, but amusing as a train wreck.

TGP comes to Jimmy Rollins' defense - TGP
Why J-Roll not running out the grounder might not have been the worst idea on the planet, explained.

Fractured toe leads to DL stint for Nate Schierholtz - TGP
He's barely been a Phillie for three weeks, but Nate Schierholtz joins the ranks of Phillies to have spent some time on the DL this season, for a fracture in his right big toe.

Placido Polanco to begin rehab stint this week - Phillies Zone
You know, to be perfectly honest, I actually forgot that Placido Polanco existed. That's how long he's been on the DL this year, or so it seems. I know there's that whole integrity of the game thing and all, but Polanco just seems like the kind of guy that would really benefit from simply not doing anything baseball-related for about a year.

Ryan Howard is not having a very good return from injury - Crashburn Alley
Walks, down. Strikeouts, up. Power, down. Oh yeah, it also happens to be the first of five years where the Phillies owe him $25M per. lol?

Should the Phillies pursue Melky? - Phillies Nation
Well, it's no secret that the Phillies need outfielders come next year. But the recent suspension of Melky Cabrera could be a blessing in a hideous, ugly disguise, since most potential suitors are generally turned off by a cheater, and suddenly Melky's pursuit of a multi-year deal looks more and more likely to be a one-or-short-term deal, since the next employer will have to deal with five remaining suspended games, and the whole "can Lazy really do it off the juice?" question. Who would be willing to lower their expectations to seeking Melky Cabrera? It could be the Phillies.

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Chris Getz Commits Fatal Mistake - Breaks Thumb
on Bunt Attempt

It almost feels as if the Baseball Gods are speaking to Ned Yost.

Move one of the most productive leadoff hitters in the game out of the top spot in the lineup, and you will feel the wrath. In this case, it's in the form of a broken thumb suffered by one of the new members of the leadoff rotation in Chris Getz. The injury will end his season.

The irony that this fracture was suffered during a bunt attempt is lost on no one.

So Getz was in the leadoff spot on Friday. Horribly misguided managing by Yosty. We've hashed and rehashed this. The horse has died a thousand deaths.

In the bottom of the fifth, he strode to the plate with no outs and Tony Abreu on first. With the Royals down one run, this naturally called for a sacrifice. As Getz squared, he took the pitch off his hand. Fracture.

I mocked his "power stroke" the Royals touted in spring training. (Remembering Billy Butler and Ned Yost talking up his ability to steal 10 bases from the previous spring made me skeptical - sue me.) However, there may have been something to that. This year, Getz had a line drive rate just north of 29 percent. He normally had a batting average on balls in play around .290, but the elevated rate on liners undoubtedly helped to a .302 BABIP. That, in turn, boosted his OBP to .317, his best mark with the Royals. Then, there was his .366 slugging percentage... a career high. Ten doubles in under 200 at bats. That's a helluva accomplishment for Getz.

I don't mind Getz as a player. It's true he doesn't waste plate appearances - generally. And when you need something from him like a grounder to the right side to advance a runner to third or a fly ball, it seems like Getz delivers. Here's a little stat that can convey the value he does bring to a team. Ten times this season Getz came to the plate with a runner on third and less than two outs. He brought home eight of those runners. Another stat: Fourteen times Getz came up with a runner on second and no outs. He advanced the runner twelve of those times. We tend to dismiss those who talk about a ball player doing "the little things" like moving the runners. A lot of time that's code for, "This guy isn't very good, but the manager sure loves him." Except in the case of Getz - this season at least - it was the truth. There wasn't anyone better on the Royals at moving runners.

On the baserunning side of the ledger, let's say Getz was around the break even point when it came to swiping a base. He was successful nine times in twelve attempts - a 75 percent success rate. Yet on a team stocked with players noted for running the bases with their heads firmly planted in their posterior, Getz was an exception. He ran into only one out on the bases this season. And according to Baseball Reference, Getz took an extra base (defined as being on base for a teammate's plate appearance and advancing more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double) 63 percent of the time. That is the best rate on the team.

As a card carrying member of the Pop Tart Brigade, I'm not supposed to laud players for The Little Things. I'm not even supposed to acknowledge their existence. Yet Getz has earned a smidgen of my admiration for doing The Little Things. Would I like someone else at second base? Sure, but Robinson Cano isn't walking through that door. The way the Royals have chosen to built their roster, he's been their best option at the position for most of the season. He shouldn't be a leadoff hitter in any way, shape or form, but he can be trusted to prop up the bottom part of the lineup... Keep fanning the flames of a rally so the batting order can roll over for the big hitters. That sort of stuff. There's value there. Yes, I said it... Chris Getz when used properly has some value.

Defensively, Getz has been worth minus one run according to the Fielding Bible. He's converted only 90 percent of balls he's fielded into an out. That's about two percentage points below league average. Let's be clear on Getz's defense. Compared to Betancourt, he's Frank White and Bill Mazeroski combined. Compared to the rest of the league he's slightly below average. He's not a horrible defender, but he's not as rangy as you would like a middle infielder. He would have so much more value if he had some versatility. That's probably his biggest crime. We could live with Getz as a bit player, but for him to be a bit player in this age of limited roster spots for hitters, he has to be able to play multiple positions.

Looking back, I've taken my share of knocks at Getz, but it's been misguided on my part. The blame isn't on Getz. The dude gets the most out of his talents. That's exceptional. It's not his fault his manager touted his "power." Or that Dayton Moore lovingly referred to him as "Mistake Free." My problem has always been the same: This team is supposed to be built on youth and you have a solid prospect in Triple-A with nothing left to prove at that level, yet he can't get any attention from management. The anger should be (and is) directed at Ned Yost for filling out a poor lineup card and at Dayton Moore for keeping Johnny Giavotella in the minors for so long.

Getz is the kind of player you can carry on a stacked offensive team. Sadly, the Royals are far from stacked. They're more representative of Jenga sticks after your two year old decides to play human bulldozer.

Now the pressure falls squarely on the shoulders of Giavotella. The Royals gave it their best shot to keep him on the farm all year, blocking him not just with Getz but with that disaster Yuniesky Betancourt. With Betancourt properly disposed of and Getz on the DL, there are no more obstacles. Gio got a taste last summer and didn't do so well. Nor did he perform well while being jerked around by Yosty earlier this year (which is totally understandable.) But this is the Royals and who knows what they're thinking. This could be Gio's final shot at the bigs with this team. He has to show improved range at second and has to bring some of that Triple-A power with him to KC. Fair or not, he has six weeks to show what he can do in the majors. To me, this brings a bit of excitement back to the team which has gone stagnant for me this year. That's a good thing.

Meanwhile, I'm raising a glass of Boulevard to Chris Getz. May you heal quickly and bunt often.

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Swallowed by the Cracks and Failed by the Pen

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ladodgertalk.com/2012/08/failed-by-the-bullpen/

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Astros History: Jeff Kent

One of the most memorable moments for Astros fans both young and old is Jeff Kent's walk-off homerun in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. I'm sure Jeff Luhnow also remembers this moment very well, seeing as he was working for the opposing team, St. Louis Cardinals. I don't remember being any happier as an Astros fans, and I think it surpasses even the 2005 team. Not only were the Astros one win away from their first World Series win, but they also had a killer team both offensively and defensively.

One of those offensive players was Jeff Kent who posted a 121 OPS+ in two seasons with the Astros.

Signed to play second base, Kent hit .293/.350/.521 in 1158 plate appearances. He hit 49 homeruns, nine triples, 73 doubles and collected 306 hits overall. He also drove in 200 runs and walked 88 times. He was a force to be reckoned in the middle of the lineup.

One of the interesting things about Kent's career is that he was only slightly above average to begin his career. from age 24 to age 28 he hit for a 107 OPS+, with Toronto, New York (Mets) and Cleveland. In the 1996 offseason, after being traded to the Cleveland Indians during the season, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants were he suddenly took off. In six season with the Giants he posted a 136 OPS+, he then moved onto Houston were he posted the 121 OPS+.

He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after his short stint with Houston, posting a 119 OPS+ in his final four years in the league. Even though he only spent a couple years with Houston, he certainly left a huge mark on the history of this franchise.

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Happy Birthday Roberto Clemente!!!

Happy Birthday Roberto Clemente!!! Today is Roberto Clemente’s birthday.  He would have been 78 years old today. One of the most dynamic Latin baseball players of all-time, Roberto Clemente was a pioneer for putting Latino players on par with the … Continue reading →

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/happy-birthday-roberto-clemente-2/

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August 18, 2012

August 18, 1973 - Atlanta Braves outfielder Hank Aaron breaks Stan Musial’s record with his[...]

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http://blog.lovemyteam.com/2012/08/18/august-18-2012/

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Francisco Gives Braves 4-3 Walk-Off Win; Atlanta
Moves to Twenty-Juan Games Over .500

Juan Francisco singled through the hole between shortstop and third base in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Atlanta a walk-off 4-3 win against the Dodgers Friday night in Atlanta.

Francisco's single scored David Ross to bring home the winning run against Dodgers reliever Jamey Wright.

Chipper Jones got the scoring going in the second inning, homering to center field to start the frame against Chris Capuano.

Things stayed at that score until the sixth, when Los Angeles finally got to Tommy Hanson. Mark Ellis doubled to left field to start, and scored two batters later when Hanson threw a horrible slider to Andre Ethier. Ethier crushed it to right field, and his 12th home run of the year gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

The Dodgers chased Hanson in the seventh, as Luis Cruz doubled to start, and scored on a Shane Victorino double two batters later. That made the game a 3-1 score. The final line on Hanson was 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

Atlanta finally chased Capuano in the eighth, but it was a fantastic start for the soft-tossing lefty. Back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt from Michael Bourn (not the biggest fan of that decision) put runners on second and third. That was the end of the night for Capuano, sporting a final line of 7.1, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.

Ronald Belisario replaced him, and allowed the runners on base to score. Martin Prado grounded out, scoring Paul Janish to make it a 3-2 game.

Jason Heyward followed with a line drive single to center, plating Reed Johnson and tying the game at three after eight innings.

Chad Durbin, Craig Kimbrel, Eric O'Flaherty , and winning pitcher Jonny Venters combined to pitch 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.

With tonight's win, Atlanta moves to a season best 21-games over .500 with a record of 70-49.

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Game 119: Braves 4, Dodgers 3 (11 innings)

Source: FanGraphs Game MVP: Juan Francisco, .373 Least Valuable Brave: Martin Prado, -.376 Most Valuable Dodger: Luis Cruz, .255 Least Valuable Dodger: Jamey Wright Big plays: 2nd – (ATL) Chipper Jones solo homer for a 1-0 Braves lead, .122 5th – (LAD) Chris Capuano flyout with two in scoring position and one out, -.118 6th [...]

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