Around the majors reports--July 23

[nyy26wc]

1) Yesterday's results--

AL NL
Yankees 7, BlueJays 3 Braves 8, Expos 2
Indians 6, Tigers 3 Phillies 3, Mets 2
Devil Rays 7, Rangers 4 Pirates 2, Cardinals 0
Angels 9, Orioles 4 (1st) Astros 3, Cubs 0
Orioles 5, Angels 1 (2nd) Marlins 11, Reds 7
Whitesox 13, Redsox 8 Diamondbacks 12, Giants 4
Mariners 6, Twins 3 Padres 4, Brewers 0
Royals 5, A's 4 Dodgers 9, Rockies 8

2) Standings--

AL EAST W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Yankees 57 41 .582 - 5-5 W-1 30-19 27-22
Redsox 56 42 .571 1 5-5 L-2 26-20 30-22
BlueJays 47 52 .475 10 1/2 4-6 L-1 23-28 24-24
Orioles 42 55 .433 14 1/2 2-8 W-1 22-29 20-26
Devil Rays 32 67 .323 25 1/2 4-6 W-2 19-32 13-35

AL CENTRAL W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Twins 58 40 .592 - 2-8 L-3 34-18 24-22
Indians 56 40 .583 1 6-4 W-2 26-22 30-18
Whitesox 48 48 .500 9 7-3 W-2 28-23 20-25
Tigers 43 53 .448 14 5-5 L-2 25-23 18-30
Royals 38 60 .388 20 4-6 W-1 21-29 17-31

AL WEST W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Mariners 71 27 .725 - 7-3 W-3 32-14 39-13
A's 52 46 .531 19 7-3 L-1 26-21 26-25
Angels 49 49 .500 22 6-4 L-1 25-21 24-28
Rangers 40 57 .412 30 1/2 5-5 L-2 20-27 20-30

NL EAST W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Braves 56 42 .571 - 6-4 W-2 27-23 29-19
Phillies 54 44 .551 2 4-6 W-1 30-19 24-25
Marlins 51 48 .515 5 1/2 7-3 W-1 31-17 20-31
Mets 45 55 .450 12 6-4 L-1 25-24 20-31
Expos 43 56 .434 13 1/2 6-4 L-2 24-24 19-32

NL CENTRAL W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Cubs 56 41 .577 - 4-6 L-1 28-16 28-25
Astros 54 43 .557 2 6-4 W-1 26-25 28-18
Cardinals 49 48 .505 7 6-4 L-1 31-20 18-28
Brewers 43 54 .443 13 1-9 L-9 23-24 20-30
Pirates 38 59 .392 18 4-6 W-1 22-24 16-35
Reds 36 62 .367 20 1/2 3-7 L-1 13-37 23-25

NL WEST W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away
Diamondbacks 57 41 .582 - 6-4 W-2 26-21 31-20
Dodgers 56 43 .566 1 1/2 8-2 W-2 31-18 25-25
Giants 52 47 .525 5 1/2 6-4 L-2 33-20 19-27
Padres 48 51 .485 9 1/2 6-4 W-4 22-31 26-20
Rockies 41 57 .418 16 2-8 L-2 24-26 17-31

3) Today's schedule--

AL
Angels (Ismael Valdes 6-5) at Orioles (Sidney Ponson 5-6), 12:35 p.m.
Mariners (Jamie Moyer 9-5) at Twins (Brad Radke 10-6), 1:05 p.m.
BlueJays (Steve Parris 4-5) at Yankees (Roger Clemens 13-1), 7:05 p.m.
Whitesox (Mark Buehrle 7-5) at Indians (C.C. Sabathia 9-3), 7:05 p.m.
A's (Tim Hudson 11-5) at Royals (Chad Durbin 6-8), 8:05 p.m.

NL
Mets (Kevin Appier 5-9) at Marlins (Chuck Smith 5-5), 7:05 p.m.
Expos (Javier Vazquez 8-9) at Phillies (Omar Daal 10-2), 7:05 p.m.
Reds (Elmer Dessens 6-8) at Braves (Tom Glavine 9-5), 7:35 p.m.
Cubs (Kerry Wood 8-6) at Astros (Roy Oswalt 8-1), 8:05 p.m.
Dodgers (Chan Ho Park 9-6) at Brewers (Allen Levrault 4-4), 8:05 p.m.
Giants (Russ Ortiz 11-5) at Rockies (Mike Hampton 9-7), 9:05 p.m.
Padres (Woody Williams 6-8) at Diamondbacks (Robert Ellis 6-5), 10:05 p.m.

4) Yesterday's HRs--

Jim Thome--#31
Jeff Bagwell--#28
Alex Rodriguez--#27
Vladimir Guerrero--#27
Shawn Green--#25
Mike Sweeney--#22
Greg Vaughn--#22
Paul Konerko--#21
Bobby Abreu--#21
Tino Martinez--#20
Ivan Rodriguez--#20
Carlos Lee--#19
Ryan Klesko--#19
Tony Batista--#17
Jorge Posada--#17
Bernie Williams--#16
Brian Daubach--#16
Brian Jordan--#14
Jay Gibbons--#14
Paul O'Neil--#13
Jeff Kent--#13
Mark Grace--#12
Aaron Boone--#11
Brad Fullmer--#11
Greg Norton--#10
Adrian Beltre--#10
Troy O'Leary--#9
Alex Gonzalez (BlueJays)--#8 & #9
Dante Bichette--#9
Shea Hillenbrand--#8
Damian Miller--#7
Greg Myers--#6
Johnny Estrada--#5
Benito Santiago--#4
Eric Davis--#3
Dave Hansen--#2
D.T. Cromer--#2

5) HR leaders--

AL
1) Jim Thome--31*
2) Manny Ramirez--30
3) Alex Rodriguez--27*
4) Rafael Palmeiro--26
T5) Juan Gonzalez--25
T5) Carlos Delgado--25
7) Troy Glaus--24
8) Bret Boone--23
T9) Jason Giambi--22
T9) Ellis Burks--22
T9) Mike Sweeney--22*
T9) Greg Vaughn--22*

NL
1) Barry Bonds--42
2) Luis Gonzalez--38
3) Sammy Sosa--33
T4) Jeff Bagwell--28*
T4) Larry Walker--28
T4) Chipper Jones--28
T4) Cliff Floyd--28
T8) Todd Helton--27
T8) Lance Berkman--27
T8) Vladimir Guerrero--27*

*--hit 1 yesterday

6) Jeff Bagwell tied Don Baylor for 68th place on the all time HR list, with 338.

7) Greg Vaughn tied Ron Santo for 63rd place on the all time HR list, with 342.

8) Reds P Frankie Rodriguez tied the major league record with 4 SO in the 7th inning of yesterday's game against the Marlins.

Rodriguez struck out Charles Johnson, Dave Berg and Ryan Thompson, but Thompson reached 1st when strike 3 was a wild pitch. After a couple of hits and another wild pitch, Mike Lowell became the 4th SO of the inning.

9) Phillies RF Bobby Abreu's HR off Mets P John Franco was the 1st HR Franco allowed to a lefthanded hitter since Dave Clark hit one in 1993.

[nyy26wc]

1) The Braves activated P John Smoltz from the DL and placed P Odalis Perez on the 15 day DL.

Perez suffered a cut between the thumb and left index finger, which required 5 stitches, on Saturday.

Smoltz is being moved to the bullpen and made the first relief appearance of his career, after 361 career starts, and he is expected to be given a shot at the closer's spot.

Smoltz's 159 wins ranks him 16th for pitchers without any career saves, a list which he would drop off of.

2) Expos OF Rob Ducey ruptured his right Achilles tendon and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Ducey finishes the season with a .397 SLG, .374 OBA, .771 OPS, -1 RCAA, .457 OWP, .233 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI in 57 games.

3) The Redsox designated P Bryce Florie for assignment, sent P Sun Woo Kim to the minors, activated P Pete Schourek from the DL and recalled P Carlos Castillo.

4) The Devil Rays called up SS Chris Gomez and designated INF Andy Sheets for assignment.

MGR Hal McRae says the Gomez will be given a chance to win the starting job.

On the one hand, Gomez isn't a good choice to be given a starting job. His .674 career OPS is almost 100 points under his league average of .771 and is below the SS average of .669. He's never had a single season with a positive RCAA, although he did get all the way up to 0 in 1998. In his 8 years in the majors, he's only had 2 years with a positive RCAP (1994, 1998).

On the other hand, at least he's less bad than Felix Martinez.

5) The Pirates activated INF Pat Meares from the DL and sent P Rich Loiselle to the minors.

Unless their goal is overtake the Reds for the cellar, Meares isn't going to the Pirates. This season, he's only hitting .330 SLG, .264 OBA, .594 OPS, -15 RCAA, .236 OWP, .234 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI in 56 games. This is likely to be his 3rd season with under -20 RCAA in the past 4 years.

6) The Indians will place P Paul Shuey on the 15 day DL today, and will recall P David Riske.

Shuey has pain in his elbow.

7) Tony Gwynn would have been in the Padres's lineup yesterday, but was a late scratch, due to swelling in his right knee. He's day to day.

8) Marlins SS Alex Gonzalez was given yesterday off, to rest his sore elbow.

9) Devil Rays (at least for now) P Albie Lopez had a bullpen throwing session yesterday and it was determined he can make his next scheduled start, which is Thursday. Lopez had to leave his last start, due to a sprained ankle.

10) The Rockies designated P Horacio Estrada for assignment and recalled P Justin Speier.

[nyy26wc]

1) Dr. Lewis Yocum has recommended Brewers OF Jeffrey Hammonds have season ending surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. GM Dean Taylor says a decision will likely be made today.

2) Rockies RF Larry Walker was out of yesterday's starting lineup, so he rest a bruised hamstring. He was used a pinch hitter and was immediately replaced by a pinch runner after he walked. Walker may also be out of the lineup today.

3) The Whitesox expect P Keith Foulke, who left the team after his grandfather's death late last week, to return today.

4) Indians 2B Roberto Alomar had to leave yesterday's game, after the 7th, due to a sore arch in his foot and is day to day.

5) The Diamondbacks may place SS Tony Womack on the 15 day DL today, with Nick Bierbrodt being called up. If it happens, Bierbrodt is expected to get the start tonight.

6) Ivan Rodriguez became the 3rd player in Rangers history to hit 20+ HR for 5 consecutive years, joining Pete Incaviglia (1986-90) and Juan Gonzalez (1995-99).

[nyy26wc]

1) The BlueJays, Cardinals, Twins, Astros and Giants had scouts watching Pedro Astacio's start against the Dodgers yesterday.

2) According to the New York Post, "over the next week the Yanks will be linked with every available player in the sport, but very likely will get none. As of yesterday, the Yankees did not anticipate dealing before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, mainly because they do see an impact player to land.

"The best pitcher likely to be traded is Pedro Astacio, who the Yanks like, but are not in on right now. The Yanks are monitoring if Jason Giambi or Magglio Ordonez are made available, but do not believe they will be. If that is the case, the best hitters to be had will be guys like Garret Anderson, Jermaine Dye and Dmitri Young, all of whom would cost plenty in prospects with doubt if they would be better than what they are replacing."

3) According to the Flint Journal, "despite the Tigers' statements that they're willing to wait and try to sign Cedeno, many in baseball expect him to be traded before the July 31 non-waiver deadline" and "Sources said Sunday that the San Francisco Giants have some interest in reliever Todd Jones. The Tigers have talked to the Giants and are apparently interested in left-hander Shawn Estes, even though he's a year away from free agency and it seems almost impossible to come up with any deal in which the Tigers could get him."

4) According to the Colorado Spring Gazette, the Giants are interested in Pedro Astacio, Jeff Cirillo and Neifi Perez, with the Rockies expected to be interested in Ryan Vogelsong, Kurt Ainsworth, Pedro Feliz and maybe Armando Rios.

The BlueJays are interested in Astacio and Jose Jimenez, while they're offering Shannon Stewart and Jose Jimenez.

The Cardinals refuse to give up Bud Smith, while "[w]ith a system thin at the top, the Cardinals may be willing to part with prospects in the low minors."

The Twins are interested in Astacio, but haven't been able to come up with a package the Rockies like, while the Astros have "a mix of young major-leaguers (right-hander Tim Redding, outfielder Daryle Ward) and prospects the Rockies have interest in."

5) According to the Seattle Times, "While the Mariners were in Minnesota, Seattle General Manager Pat Gillick was in Toronto visiting family and he was also thought to have met with Blue Jays GM Gordon Ash.

"The Mariners have been seeking an outfielder and undoubtedly inquired about Jose Cruz Jr. and Shannon Stewart, both rumored to be on the trading block.

"Sources said last week that Toronto is demanding a top of the rotation pitcher for Stewart, but the likelihood is that Cruz, who has developed into a solid hitter, won't come cheap, either."

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by nyy26wc
1) Dr. Lewis Yocum has recommended Brewers OF Jeffrey Hammonds have season ending surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. GM Dean Taylor says a decision will likely be made today.

Could have predicted this last winter. Brew Crew sure made a bad signing here. How could they have been so stupid?

[NetShrine]

Lee - BTW, how can you post all this great info without giving yourself a plug? ;) Tell the people more about it!

[nyy26wc]

Originally posted by NetShrine


Could have predicted this last winter. Brew Crew sure made a bad signing here. How could they have been so stupid?

Hammonds is a star in the getting hurt category.

He's never played more 123 games. He's only played at least 100 games 3 times.

He's only had 500+ PA once and 400+ twice.

By giving him $8 million a year, the Brewers showed they were fooled into thinking his 2000 season was the real thing. But, is .529 SLG, .395 OBA, .924 OPS, .335 AVG, 20 HR, 106 RBI were the result of playing in Coors Field.

According to RCAA, which is a park adjusted stat, Hammonds added a mere 2 runs above what an average player would have produced, while according to RCAP, he cost the Rockies 9 runs from what an average OF would have done.

[nyy26wc]

Originally posted by NetShrine
Lee - BTW, how can you post all this great info without giving yourself a plug? ;) Tell the people more about it!

Each day, I write around the majors reports, which feature news, rumors, commentary and stats. Each Sunday, I send out a statistical package, which features everyone's OPS, RCAA, RSAA and the league's hitting and pitching leaders.

To receive these reports, by email, you just need to go to http://www.totk.com/subscribe.php

I run the two lists that are at the bottom of the list of TOTK.com lists.

The Around the Majors list receives all of the messages that I've described. I'm the only one who can send anything to that list.

The BBI Discussion list receives all of the messages that I've described and it also doubles as a discussion list. So, you and other people can have discussions.

The cost is everyone's favorite word--free.

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by nyy26wc
By giving him $8 million a year, the Brewers showed they were fooled into thinking his 2000 season was the real thing.

I know Bud's daughter is running the team. Still, I have to think he has some input. Regardless, if the family is stupid enough to authorize that contract, what hope can we have for fruitful change/actions in baseball? But, then again, why should Bud be any different than any other past Commish? :D