Crisps 3-run HR gets As by Yanks in 10 (AP)

Coco Crisp homered twice and drove in five runs, going 4 for 4 with a three-run shot in the 10th inning that sent the Oakland Athletics to a 6-4 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. The loss knocked the Yankees out of first place in the AL East, dropping them behind Boston [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/08/25/crisps-3-run-hr-gets-as-by-yanks-in-10-ap/

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Bautista and Lawrie Slug Jays Past Royals 4-3

Quick hits:

• Butler drives in Alex twice.  Haven't we been waiting been waiting for years?
• Lo Danger Ox blasts a HR.
• Bautista had a 2 run bomb. Lawrie had a 3B and HR.
• Yunel Escobar acted like a  whiny punk after getting hit. He is going to take a spike in the shin tomorrow for that crap.
• Luke had his token break down inning in the 4th. Not really a bad out.  5K, 1BB, 1 HBP.  The problem is that they all were bunched together.
• Coleman gives up a home run.  His HR/FB% is only 7.1%.  The problem is that he is an extreme fly ball pitcher with 58% FB%.

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Remember June 9, 2009 Overflow Thread: Braves @
Cubs 8/24

On June 9, 2009, Randy Wells no-hit the Braves for six innings.  The Braves came back in late innings, and won the game in extra innings, with a Chipper Jones walk-off double.  Repeat history please?

Cubbies up 3-0 going into the 7th.  :(

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Ex-Cy Young winner Flanagan found dead (AP)

Former Cy Young winner Mike Flanagan, who won 167 games over 18 seasons with Baltimore and the Toronto Blue Jays, has died. Authorities found a body outside Flanagan’s home on Wednesday afternoon, and it was later determined to be the former left-handed pitcher. Flanagan was 59. The Orioles confirmed Flanagan’s death Wednesday night.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/08/25/ex-cy-young-winner-flanagan-found-dead-ap/

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Tigers lose on fielders choice in 10th (AP)

Elliot Johnson had a game-ending fielder’s choice in the 10th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night. Evan Longoria opened the 10th with an infield single off Duane Below (0-2), but was forced out at second on Ben Zobrist’s grounder. After Matt Joyce struck out, Casey Kotchman was [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/08/25/tigers-lose-on-fielders-choice-in-10th-ap/

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Ortiz helps Red Sox rout Texas in return (AP)

David Ortiz had an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in 10 days and scored twice in his return to Boston’s lineup, a 13-2 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez hit two-run homers in consecutive innings for the Red Sox, who took [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/08/25/ortiz-helps-red-sox-rout-texas-in-return-ap
/

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In The Sabermetric Spotlight: Desmond Jennings

Desmond Jennings, OF Tampa Bay Rays

This week we look to the future, at one of the games highly touted prospects. Desmond Jennings has appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect list for 4 straight years, reaching as high as #6 in 2010. Despite his 5-tool potential, the Rays waited 4 months into 2011 to call him up. So far, it's fairly safe to say the wait was worth it, and many are left to wonder why it took so long to call him up in the first place.

Jennings stats don't look like someone that is having a hard time adjusting to big league pitchers. His line, thus far (8/22/11), is below.

It's remarkable that with this kind of production, right out of the gate, Jennings was held in AAA so long. Many scouts have long proclaimed that Jennings bat was pro-ready for about the year, so why the wait in bringin him up? His main competition, who himself was involved in numerous trade rumors (related to Jennings future with the team?), is B.J. Upton. In the last 30 days, take a look at the comparison of their production.

It seems as though if Desmond Jennings isn't "pro-ready" then his fellow 24-year old outfielder Upton certainly is not. Jennings has outperformed Upton in every category, fantasy or otherwise. If this doesn't give the Rays incentive to shop Upton in the off-season, I'm not sure what does.

So, with the potential that Jennings will be a full-time outfielder for the Rays next season, what can we expect from him next season, and for years to come? It's obvious that his speed is elite, and his bat appears to be ready for the battering ram that is major league pitching. Perhaps his minor league stats will give us a glimpse into the future.

Jennings most coveted skill should help you immediately, and the others wont necessarily hurt you either. Even his power, which is theoretically the least developed of his skills, has shown some exciting potential. Doubt his power potential? I submit to you exhibit A, B and C.

I realize there is no way to quantify a pretty swing, but Jennings is smooth and fluid, exactly what you like to see in a hitter.

It's hard to predict his future numbers, as he's already 24 years old. When you hear highly touted prospect, most people think of someone who is nearly half a decade younger, and will need some time to adjust and mature. This isn't necessarily the case for Jennings, as he's already the same age as Upton, who's been a mainstay in the Rays outfield for the last 5 years.

So lets quickly analyze each of his counting stats, and where we can realistically expect them to be in the near future.

R: His speed definitely helps here, as does playing for the Rays, a team that regardless of highly paid players or all-world talent, always seem to compete (at least under Joe Madden). Looking at his minor league numbers doesn't really help here, so lets simply compare it to another player in the same system with elite speed. Upton has averaged about 85 runs a year in the previous 4 seasons, so this is a reasonable expectation should Jennings be given a full time gig.

HR: This might be the toughest of the bunch to predict. It's obvious that he will never be an elite power hitter, but his bat does have some pop (See exhibit A, B and C again if need be). Jennings current numbers translated into a full season, would make him a 28 HR hitter. I don't think you can expect him to ever eclipse that total, but 20 HR in a season, perhaps even 25 could be obtainable. Realistically, I think he could be a mid-teen HR threat for the majority of his career, occasionally touching the 20 HR mark. This type of production isn't something you would expect from a Jose Bautista type, but it certainly isn't going to lose you any points in the standings either.

RBI: Jennings past performance doesn't bode well for great RBI production, only eclipsing 39 RBI in a season once. But do you really expect more than 70 RBI from a leadoff hitter, which is what many project Jennings to be? I think that 65 RBI a season is a decent expectation, and again, it's not going to hurt you.

SB: This is where the future shines just a little brighter. Any time you can legitimately expect 50 SB from a player in a full season, roto combatants salivate. With the elite speed he has, and the tendency of Joe Madden teams to play small ball and run, 50+ SB in a season is not only reasonable, I dare say expected.

AVG: Another category he won't kill you in, but your not necessarily drafting him for upside. Despite his torrid pace this season, I think he projects as a .275 career hitter, possibly posting the occasional .300+ season (but also the inevitable sub .250 season). It's going to be hit or miss, and I expect a great deal of regression next season in his average. Near future, I think he's a .250-.260 hitter (still better than Upton).

So, lets put that all together and see what we get. In the hypothetical full season, possibly a year or two down the road, we're looking at 85 R, 15 HR, 65 RBI, 50 SB and a .275 average. Using last years ESPN Player Rater, Desmond would have ranked as the 18th best player overall, and the 9th best OF. How's that for potential? Keeper and Dynasty leagues beware.

Have a question or comment? Want to suggest the next player featured In The Sabermetric Spotlight? Leave a comment below or drop me a line on Twitter @SillyLittleGame.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/COSFBA/~3/tr76RoeUvrQ/in-sabermetric-spotlight-des
mond.html

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Game 130 Overflow Thread

Game 130 Overflow Thread

This is when the game gets good.

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Astros Swept but Go Down Fighting in Extras

If there's something positive to take away from this sweep it's that the Astros remained competitive for every game. Sure they were down 9-1 heading into the ninth inning of the first game in the series, but they made it interesting in that ninth inning scoring four runs and bringing the tieing run to the on-deck circle before Clint Barmes struck out to end the game. 

In fact this past week and a half we've seen some relatively competitive baseball from the Astros taking series from the Cubs and Giants before being swept by the Rockies. 

This game had the same feel as Tuesday's game in which each team traded blows throughout the nine inning affair. Unlike Tuesday this one went into extras, unfortunately like Tuesday Colorado came out the victor scoring the winning run on a wild pitch by Aneury Rodriguez with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning. The game ended in quite possibly the same way you would describe this season. 

There were however some bright spots offensively.

Everyone's new favorite right fielder Brian Bogusevic went 3-4 with a double and a run batted in and everyone's new favorite third basemen Jimmy Paredes went 2-4 driving in 2 runs. Returning to where it all started, Clint Barmes was 2-4 with a homerun and the "should be playing more" Matt Downs also played well scoring 2 runs on a 2-5 day.

The pitching, well it was another beautiful day in the thin air of Colorado, so let's just move on. 

According to Ed Wade, Wandy Rodriguez will be staying with the Astros after failing to make a deal with the Rockies who claimed the lefty.

Earlier in the day the Astros placed Sergio Escalona on the 15-day DL and called up Juan Abreu of Michael Bourn trade fame. 

Finally J.B. Shuck was optioned back to AAA in order to make room for J.A. Happ who will be pitching Friday with Henry Sosa going on three days rest tomorrow against the Giants.

I have a feeling things may be different this time around.

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Hudson misses shutout but Arizona wins (AP)

Daniel Hudson fell one out short of his first career shutout Wednesday night, and the Arizona Diamondbacks turned another casual arrival at the ballpark into a win, beating the Washington Nationals 4-2. Hudson (13-9) allowed nine hits, struck out six, walked none, had a run of 13 consecutive batters retired and threw 102 pitches.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/08/25/hudson-misses-shutout-but-arizona-wins-ap/

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