A Yankee record may have been tied; Roster moves

[nyy26wc]

1) Yesterday's scores--

AL
BlueJays 7, Angels 1
Rangers 6, Indians 5
A's 5, Yankees 3 (10)
Redsox 9, Twins 1
Orioles 6, Royals 1
Devil Rays 8, Tigers 6 (10)
Mariners 12, Whitesox 2

NL
Cardinals 3, Expos 1
Rockies 6, Cubs 4
Giants 9, Reds 6
Astros 5, Marlins 2
Brewers 3, Mets 2
Phillies 5, Padres 4 (10)
Diamondbacks 7, Braves 6
Dodgers 4, Pirates 1

2) Standings--

AL EAST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Yankees          23    7  .767   -     10-4   13-3   09-03 07-00 07-04 LOST 1
Redsox           20   10  .667   3     11-3    9-7   13-06 04-01 03-03 WON  1
Orioles          16   13  .552   6 1/2  8-7    8-6   07-08 09-05 00-00 WON  1
BlueJays         13   18  .419  10 1/2  7-10   6-8   05-12 05-04 03-02 WON  3
Devil Rays       12   18  .400  11      8-8    4-10  10-15 02-03 00-00 WON  2

AL CENTRAL      WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Royals           18    9  .667   -     10-0    8-9   02-06 16-03 00-00 LOST 1
Whitesox         15   15  .500   4 1/2 10-8    5-7   01-02 13-09 01-04 LOST 2
Twins            14   15  .483   5      6-7    8-8   07-11 07-04 00-00 LOST 1
Indians           8   21  .276  11      4-10   4-11  03-03 04-09 01-09 LOST 1
Tigers            3   25  .107  15 1/2  1-12   2-13  00-05 01-16 02-04 LOST 6

AL WEST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Mariners         19   11  .633   -     11-5    8-6   01-02 07-01 11-08 WON  2
A's              18   12  .600   1     12-3    6-9   01-01 07-02 10-09 WON  1
Rangers          14   16  .467   5      8-8    6-8   05-04 01-01 08-11 WON  1
Angels           13   16  .448   5 1/2  8-7    5-9   02-06 02-00 09-10 LOST 2

NL EAST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Braves           19   11  .633   -     10-6    9-5   10-09 08-01 01-01 LOST 1
Expos            18   12  .600   1     10-6    8-6   08-05 08-06 02-01 LOST 2
Phillies         18   13  .581   1 1/2 10-6    8-7   07-06 03-03 08-04 WON  1
Marlins          15   17  .469   5      9-6    6-11  09-11 04-04 02-02 LOST 2
Mets             12   18  .400   7      8-7    4-11  05-08 06-08 01-02 LOST 1

NL CENTRAL      WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Cardinals        16   12  .571   -      9-4    7-8   07-04 07-04 02-04 WON  6
Cubs             17   13  .567   -      9-6    8-7   04-02 08-05 05-06 LOST 1
Pirates          14   15  .483   2 1/2  4-11  10-4   03-03 06-06 05-06 LOST 1
Astros           13   16  .448   3 1/2  7-7    6-9   04-07 06-06 03-03 WON  2
Reds             13   17  .433   4      7-8    6-9   02-04 04-09 07-04 LOST 1
Brewers          10   20  .333   7      5-10   5-10  02-09 06-07 02-04 WON  1

NL WEST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Giants           20    9  .690   -      9-5   11-4   01-02 09-05 10-02 WON  1
Rockies          16   14  .533   4 1/2 11-4    5-10  00-03 07-07 09-04 WON  1
Dodgers          15   16  .484   6      8-7    7-9   02-02 05-03 08-11 WON  1
Diamondbacks     13   18  .419   8      7-9    6-9   06-06 03-03 04-09 WON  1
Padres           11   19  .367   9 1/2  6-9    5-10  01-01 03-06 07-12 LOST 1

3) Today's schedule--

AL
Angels (Ramon Ortiz) at BlueJays (Mark Hendrickson), 1:05
A's (Barry Zito) at Yankees (Roger Clemens), 1:05
Devil Rays (Jorge Sosa) at Tigers (Jeremy Bonderman), 1:05
Rangers (John Thomson) at Indians (Ricardo Rodriguez), 1:05
Royals (Chris George) at Orioles (Eric DuBose), 1:35
Twins (Kenny Rogers) at Redsox (Tim Wakefield), 2:05
Mariners (Gil Meche) at Whitesox (Bartolo Colon), 8:05

NL
Marlins (Michael Tejera) at Astros (Roy Oswalt), 2:05
Mets (Al Leiter) at Brewers (Matt Kinney), 2:05
Expos (Javier Vazquez) at Cardinals (Matt Morris), 2:10
Rockies (Jason Jennings) at Cubs (Kerry Wood), 2:20
Pirates (Jeff D'Amico) at Dodgers (Kevin Brown), 4:10
Braves (Greg Maddux) at Diamondbacks (Elmer Dessens), 4:35
Reds (Ryan Dempster) at Giants (Kirk Rueter), 5:00
Phillies (Randy Wolf) at Padres (Adam Eaton), 5:00

4) Yesterday's HRs--

Aubrey Huff--#6 & #7
Eric Chavez--#7
Andruw Jones--#7
Derrek Lee--#5 & #6
Jason Giambi--#6
Albert Pujols--#6
Vernon Wells--#6
Preston Wilson--#6
Jose Guillen--#6
Tony Clark--#5
Shawn Green--#4
Mike Cameron--#4
Matt Lawton--#4
Eric Young--#4
Jeff Conine--#3
Bobby Higginson--#3
Robert Fick--#3
Junior Spivey--#3
Jeff Cirillo--#2
Joe Crede--#2
Carlos Pena--#2
Craig Monroe--#2
David Eckstein--#2
Andres Galarraga--#2
Armando Rios--#1
Carlos Zambrano--#1
Yorvit Torrealba--#1

5) HR leaders--

AL
1) Juan Gonzalez--11
T2) Alex Rodriguez--10
T2) Alfonso Soriano--10
T2) Carl Everett--10
5) Carlos Delgado--9
T6) Rafael Palmeiro--8
T6) Raul Mondesi--8
T6) Jorge Posada--8
T9) Bret Boone--7
T9) Tim Salmon--7
T9) Mike Sweeney--7
T9) Aubrey Huff--7**
T9) Eric Chavez--7*

NL
1) Jeff Bagwell--10
T2) Barry Bonds--9
T2) Austin Kearns--9
T2) Richie Sexson--9
T2) Adam Dunn--9
T6) Gary Sheffield--8
T6) Mike Lowell--8
T6) Ryan Klesko--8
T9) Jim Edmonds--7
T9) Luis Gonzalez--7
T9) Jose Cruz Jr.--7
T9) Rondell White--7
T9) Alex Gonzalez (Marlins)--7
T9) Andruw Jones--7*

*--hit 1 yesterday

6) Yankees DH-1B Nick Johnson may have tied the team record by walking in his 17th consecutive game, tying the mark set by Willie Randolph, in 1980-81.

While today's reports state Johnson's streak is the longest for the Yankees since Randolph, there was a previous report that said Randolph's streak was the team mark. I don't know whether or not the 17 game streak is no longer being reported as a team record because a longer one was found.

After a -3 RCAA/.749 OPS as a 23 year old rookie in 2002 (he also played in 23 games in 2001), Johnson's off to a .527 SLG, .472 OBA, .998 OPS, 13 RCAA start in his first 28 games.

[nyy26wc]

1) The Diamondbacks sent utilityman Robby Hammock to the minors when they activated P Curt Schilling from the DL and will place P Byung-Hyun Kim on the 15 day DL and call up P Scott Service today.

Kim has an ankle injury.

Hammock hit .632 SLG, .421 OBA, 1.053 OPS, 2 RCAA in his small sample size first 8 major league games.

Service has a 4.90 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.49, and -15 RSAA in 286 games, including a 4.50 ERA/0 RSAA in 2 games earlier this season, which were his first major league appearances since 2000.

2) The Mets will place 1B Mo Vaughn on the 15 day DL today and call up C Jason Phillips.

Vaughn has an arthritic left knee. The discovered that a MRI this spring, without their knowledge, which showed a bone spur that needs daily treatment. That pain has worsened and he may headed for arthroscopic surgery. Meanwhile, GM Steve Phillips says the treatment that Vaughn has been receiving is the same treatment he would have been getting if the team had known of the bone spur.

After missing the entire 2001 season, Vaughn had a 8 RCAA/.805 OPS in 2002 and is off to a .329 SLG, .323 OBA, .652 OPS, -4 RCAA start in his first 27 games. He has a .906 career OPS, compared to his league average of .769, and 304 RCAA in 1512 games, but just a .838 OPS/35 RCAA in 466 games since leaving the Redsox.

Phillips has a .762 OPS/0 RCAA in 21 career games (35 PA), including 1 for 5, with a walk, in 4 games this year.

3) The Devil Rays called up P Dewon Brazelton and sent INF Felix Escalona to the minors.

Brazelton, 22, was given a B+ grade by John Sickels (37th best pitching prospect in baseball) and was ranked as the Devil Rays #4 prospect by Baseball America. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 draft and had a 3.33 ERA in AA in 2002, followed by 5 shutout innings in AAA and a 4.85 ERA/-1 RSAA in 2 September starts in the majors. Brazelton was off to a 4.21 ERA start in his first 5 starts in AAA in 2003.

After having a .555 OPS/-12 RCAA in 59 games as a 23 year old rookie in 2002, Escalona was 0 for 6 in 3 games in 2003.

4) A's Ramon Hernandez had to leave yesterday's game, due to a bruised thumb. The team's trainer says X-rays aren't going to be necessary, unless Hernandez feels terrible when he comes to the stadium today.

After -7 RCAA/.724 OPS and -20 RCAA/.648 OPS seasons, Hernandez is off to a .547 SLG, .412 OBA, .959 OPS, 8 RCAA start in his first 26 games. He has a .713 career OPS, compared to his league average of .772, and -38 RCAA in 481 games.

5) The Braves placed RF Gary Sheffield on the bereavement list and called up OF Ryan Langerhans.

Langerhans was 0 for 1 in his major league debut in 2002.

6) Twins P Rick Reed had to leave yesterday's game, due to a strained lower back. It's not known yet whether he'll have to miss any time.

After 4.05 ERA/4 RSAA and 3.78 ERA/13 RSAA seasons, Reed's off to a 5.87 ERA/-3 RSAA start in his first 6 starts. He has a 3.97 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.31, and 36 RSAA in 252 games.

Reed's getting close to 1500 career IP (he has 1441 IP) and when he reaches that mark, he'll rank among the all time leaders in best BB/9 IP vs. the league average, with that minimum--

WALKS/9 IP                      DIFF   PLAYER   LEAGUE   
1    Tiny Bonham                1.86     1.66     3.52   
2    Bob Tewksbury              1.86     1.45     3.32   
--   Rick Reed                  1.80     1.66     3.45   
3    Brad Radke                 1.73     1.84     3.57   
4    Bret Saberhagen            1.68     1.65     3.33   
5    Jon Lieber                 1.65     1.85     3.50   
6    Robin Roberts              1.64     1.73     3.37   
7    Ken Raffensberger          1.60     1.88     3.48   
8    Fritz Peterson             1.56     1.73     3.29   
9    Babe Adams                 1.53     1.29     2.83   
10   Mike Mussina               1.52     2.04     3.56   

7) The Indians released P Dave Burba, who was in AAA, and he signed a minor league contract with the Brewers, and they traded minor league P Jason Rakers to the Orioles for future considerations.

Burba has a 4.52 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.44, and -10 RSAA in 443 games, including a 5.20 ERA/-5 RSAA with the Rangers and Indians in 2002.

Rakers had a 8.76 ERA/-10 RSAA in 13 games with the 1998-99 Indians and 2000 Royals.

8) The Twins traded minor league P Josh Dawes to the Reds for minor league 3B Ryan Owens.

9) Orioles P Jason Johnson has been scratched from his start today, due to a blister on his middle finger. He'll be replaced by Eric DuBose, who will be called up today, and Johnson is now scheduled to start tomorrow. Either B.J. Surhoff will go on the DL, due to a hamstring injury, or Larry Bigbie will be sent to the minors.

DuBose, who turns 27 later in the month, had a 3.00 ERA/1 RSAA in his first 4 major league games, all in relief, in 2002, and was off to a 2.40 ERA start in AAA in 2003. He was ranked as the Orioles #20 prospect by Baseball America, but since the publication ranks the Orioles as dead last in the majors, that's the equivalent of being out of many team's top 30 lists.

10) The Rangers released minor league P Rudy Seanez, at his request.

Seanez has a 4.49 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.33, and -9 RSAA in 275 games, including a 5.73 ERA/-3 RSAA with the 2002 Rangers.

11) The Cubs sold minor league P Nate Teut to the Brewers, who assigned him to AAA.

Teut had a 9.82 ERA/-5 RSAA in 2 games with the 2002 Marlins.

12) The Rangers sent Ps Rosman Garcia and Erasmo Ramirez to the minors and activated Ps Todd Van Poppel and Jay Powell from the DL.

After 3.24 ERA/14 RSAA and 3.44 ERA/9 RSAA seasons, Powell's off to a 10.80 ERA/-6 RSAA start in his first 6 games. He has a 3.89 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.36, and 27 RSAA in 439 games.

Garcia went to AAA, Ramirez went to AA and both have been removed from the 40 man roster. Garcia had a 9.00 ERA/-5 RSAA in his first 5 major league games. Ramirez pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings in his first 2 major league appearances.

13) Pirates 1B Kevin Young played in his 1000th game with the team as a 1B (1122th overall). He became the 3rd player in team history (2nd modern) to do it, joining Gus Suhr (1330) and Jake Beckley (1045, 19th century).

After having 3 consecutive double digit negative RCAA's, Young is off to a .294 SLG, .241 OBA, .535 OPS, -3 RCAA start in his first 24 games. He has a .762 career OPS, compared to his league average of .774, and -70 RCAA in 1177 games.

Young is the Pirates all time leader in worst RCAA by a 1B--

RCAA                           RCAA    
1    Kevin Young                 -55   
2    Charlie Grimm               -32   
3    Preston Ward                -30   
4    Duff Cooley                 -29   
5    Fritz Mollwitz              -24   
T6   Tony Bartirome              -23   
T6   Sam Barkley                 -23   
8    Babe Dahlgren               -21   
9    Ed Stevens                  -20   
10   Bill McKechnie              -17   

He also has another -11 RCAA with the Pirates, when his primary position was 3B (1992, 1995).

14) Royals CF Carlos Beltran was scratched from yesterday's lineup, due to soreness in his right shoulder, and is day to day.

After 31 RCAA/.876 OPS and 8 RCAA/.847 OPS seasons, Beltran's off to .413 SLG, .288 OBA, .702 OPS, 0 RCAA start in his first 12 games. He has a .808 career OPS, compared to his league average of .774, and 18 RCAA in 597 games.

15) The Rangers signed INF Manny Alexander to a minor league contract.

Alexander was with the Rangers in the minors earlier in the year, before being released.

16) The Marlins placed P Mark Redman on the 15 day DL, called up P Justin Wayne and then after Wayne didn't last through the 1st inning, he was sent to the minors after the game.

Redman has a broken thumb.

17) The Padres traded minor league P Dan Giese to the Phillies for future considerations.

18) The Giants traded minor league 1B-OF Joe Vitiello to the Expos for minor league P Ben Washburn.

Vitiello had a .725 OPS/-19 RCAA in 244 games with the 1995-99 Royals and 2000 Padres.