Tag: MLB

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MLB General

The Full Count: Sweeps season

1. Bring out the Brooms: Sunday’s games featured 5 teams that completed a sweep. Two of them are the aforementioned Yankees and Braves, while the others are the LA Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds. The Angels crushed the D-Rays by a combined 20-7 in the series, including a 7-5 win yesterday. Howie Kendrick, their highly touted prospect, went 3-4 with two RBIs. The team is now above .500 for the first time in months and appears to have finally recovered from their awful start to the season. Meanwhile, the Reds completed a Rockies sweep with a 6-4 win. All four of this series’ games were decided by two runs or less, meaning this is one of the closest sweeps you’ll ever see. Adam Dunn hit his 30th homer of the year, becoming the third-fastest Red ever to reach that mark in a single season. For the Rockies Jose Mesa blew his 6th save of the year. The final sweep was in St. Louis, as the Cards used a 4-5, 3-RBI performance by Albert Pujols to finish off the Dodgers. Brad Penny, in his first start since the All Star game, allowed 6 runs and 10 hits in five innings. The combined score of that series was 21-6.

2. Another Braves Streak: The Braves’ 14-year division title streak arguably isn’t the most important 14-game streak for the team right now. Chipper Jones, the former All-Star and NL MVP, notched an extra-base hit for the 14th consecutive game last night. He did so by nailing a homerun and going 3-3 in the Braves’ 10-5 win over the Padres. The win gave the Braves a much-needed road sweep of San Diego, with a total of 36 runs in the series. Chipper’s extra base hit streak has tied an 80-year-old major league record, first set in 1927 by Paul Waner. Jones is now hitting .564 with a remarkable 1.836 OPS in July. He has raised those stats from .291/.839 going into the month to .329/.976 now, both good for fifth in the NL. Jones has also hit 6 of his 15 homeruns and 18 of his 57 RBIs this month and is a sure-fire lock for NL Player of the Month. Atlanta is still a dozen games behind the Mets, though they are just 5.5 back in a loaded NL Wild Card race.

3. The worst beats the best: Kansas City, who owns the worst record in the AL, had yet to beat the division-leading Tigers on the season going into Sunday’s game. Well that finally changed, as the Royals edged Detroit 9-6. Before the loss the Tigers were 11-0 against the Royals on the season with 3 series sweeps. They narrowly missed out on their fourth as they were up 3-0 in the series until yesterday’s loss. Leading the Royals was Joey Gathright, a Devil Rays outcast, who hit 4 RBIs and a triple. Underrated David DeJesus, likely the Royals’ best hitter, went 4-6 on the day to improve his average to a team-best .309. The loss ruined a great day by the Tigers’ Marcus Thames, a breakout player this year who homered twice and drove in 5 runs. It’s not that this game truly matters–the Tigers still own a 29.5 game lead over incompetent Kansas City.

4. Ready for battle: Many thought the Red Sox owned the AL East going into the All Star break. The Yankees changed that kind of thinking when they completed a sweep of the defending champion White Sox on Sunday. That moved New York to a mere half-game back of the stumbling Red Sox, who went 1-3 against the A’s over the weekend. The Yanks defeated the White Sox 6-5, 14-3, and then 6-4 yesterday to capture the sweep. The big news from Sunday’s game was Mariano Rivera, who worked two innings to complete his 400th career save. He is one of only four players–including Padres All-Star Trevor Hoffman–to reach that mark. 21 of Rivera’s saves have come this season and he has a 2.02 ERA. His career ERA is just 2.31 with a 1.04 WHIP. While many closers–including the all-time saves leader, Lee Smith–have struggled getting into the Hall of Fame, Rivera is one who will be first-ballot.

5. O Brother, Where art thou?: While rookie Jered Weaver is tearing it up for the Angels with a 1.12 ERA and 6-0 record, his brother Jeff is just trying to start over. Big Weaver was recently traded to the Cardinals for a minor-leaguer, and he will have to prove that he is even worth that. He went 3-10 with a 6.29 earlier this year for the Angels, and he will make his first start for his new team tonight against the red-hot Braves. Weaver is one of the most overpriced players in the majors this year, with the above performance for an 8 million dollar price tag. The Cardinals need him to perform, as Mark Mulder is on the DL and much of their staff has struggled.

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Cleveland Indians

July 17 in Sports History: Joltin’ Joe’s streak ends

In 1941: Pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby, Sr. of the Cleveland Indians combine to halt one of the greatest feats in sports history: Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. In front of 60,000 fans in Cleveland, third baseman Ken Keltner made two great plays to keep the Yankee Clipper off the score sheet. He would start a more modest hitting streak of 17 games the next day, thus hitting safely in 73 of 74 games. DiMaggio hit .409 during the streak, and went on to win the MVP and the World Series for the Yankees. His record has barely been approached, with Pete Rose reaching 44 games in 1978 and Paul Molitor getting to 39 in 1987. baseball-almanac.com

In 1994 In the first-ever championship game to be decided on penalty kicks, Brazil defeated Italy to win the World Cup in front of 94,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The 0-0 tie capped an otherwise very successful World Cup on American soil. While many believed that the supposedly soccer-ignorant Americans could not hold a tournament of this magnitude, it was the most-attended World Cup ever. Down 3-2 in penalties, Italian superstar Roberto Baggio’s attempt sailed over the crossbar, giving the Brazilians their fourth World Cup.

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MLB General

July 13 in Sports History: the saga of Carl Mays

In 1919: Pitcher Carl Mays of the Boston Red Sox abruptly left the field during a game at Chicago in protest of what he thought was a lack of support in the field from his teammates. He refused to pitch again for the Red Sox. This caused a major controversy in baseball and would set off a course of history that would change the game. First, Mays was traded to the Yankees (right before another famous Boston player), but league president Ban Johnson would not let him play. The Yankees were able to get a court order allowing him to play, thus eroding Johnson’s power. This would be a main reason (along with the Black Sox scandal) for the need for a commissioner the following season. As a member of the Yankees the following year, Mays – a known spitballer and very unpopular player – would throw a pitch that would hit Cleveland’s Ray Chapman, which Chapman would die from. The spitball, although not directly blamed for Chapman’s death, would be outlawed the following year.

In 1999: Ted Williams is honored before the Fenway Park faithful in a touching ceremony before the All-Star Game in Boston. Teddy Ballgame was carted around the field and doffed his cap (finally) to the adoring fans before meeting with the All-Stars from both leagues. Williams, always known as surly with the Boston crowd, is moved to tears by the tribute and thoroughly enjoyed talking hitting with the players. The spontaneous and poignant moment delayed the game’s start by 15 minutes. In the game, Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez struck out the first four batters and five of the six he faced in a 4-1 AL victory. He would become only the second player in All-Star history to win MVP honors in his home park (Sandy Alomar did it in Cleveland in 1997).

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MLB General

The Full Count: Michael Young saves the AL



Showing off his MVP trophy

1. Young talent: Michael Young wasn’t about to let the American League lose for the first time in a decade. The three-time All Star shortstop wasn’t in the best position–two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning against a future Hall of Fame closer. But Young rocked an 0-2 fastball from Trevor Hoffman into right center, scoring Jose Lopez and Troy Glaus and giving the lead to the American League. The National League, who had been leading for five innings and had been setting up the victory, suddenly found themselves trailing 3-2 and needed a desperation run off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth. They didn’t get it, as Rivera was perfect in the inning and Young made the final out. The AL stunned the NL, and they are now 9-0-1 in the last 10 All Star games. That, by the way, is the second longest streak of dominance in the game’s history (the NL went 19-1 from `63 to `82).

The NL had certainly set themselves up to win, however. Starting pitcher Brad Penny came out throwing heat, striking out Ichiro, Jeter, and Ortiz in the first inning with 95+ mile-per-hour fastballs. But he did give up a run in the second inning, as Vladimir Guerrero swung at a high fastball and it ended up in the right-field bleachers. But the National League was quick to answer that. David Wright, who finished second in Monday’s Home Run Derby, showcased the same swing as he lined a Kenny Rogers pitch into the left field stands. Carlos Beltran scored a run in the third on a double, a steal, and a passed ball that gave the National League the lead for the next five innings.

The rocking atmosphere in PNC Park was about 90% NL fans, and they supported them all they could. Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates both made some plays, and the crowd was boisterous in their support. But it wasn’t enough, so the NL will look to win in San Francisco next year.

2. Giving him up: Despite numerous rumors for years, the Devil Rays had held onto slugger Aubrey Huff for years. But that changed in the first big-name deal before the trade deadline. The Rays sent Huff to the Astros, who desperately need bats, for two minor-league prospects. Huff has been injured the past few years but has made multiple All Star appearances in the past.

3. The 83-year-old slugger: The record for the oldest professional ballplayer in history was set yesterday. Jim Eriotes appeared for the Sioux Falls Canaries, striking out in his only plate appearance. Eriotes is actually taking this seriously. He said that he doesn’t care about the record, but just wants to get a hit. We still think it’s more of a publicity stunt.

4. Giles is an ostrich: Bill Giles, part owner of the Phillies, claims that the Randy Myers incident was blown out of proportion. Giles said in an interview, “I do know what really happened was a lot less than what the public thinks happened and that’s the sad part because some bystander saw something that really didn’t happen. Brett was trying to help his wife. One of our employees [marketing manager Debbie Nocito] saw the whole thing. She said, ‘He did not hit her at all, and he didn’t grab her hair or anything.’ So all the reports were untrue, from what I understand.” Meanwhile, Phillies President David Montgomery is running damage control and saying that he explained it poorly to Giles and that the incident did happen.

5. Separation of Church and Baseball?: The Tulsa Drillers recently gave away Moses bobbleheads to 1,500 fans as part of a faith and family night. The promotion was sponsored by Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Christian radio station. There might not be crying in baseball but there certainly is praying.

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MLB General

July 12 in Sports History: Disco Sucks!

In 1976: Owner Ted Turner of the Atlanta Braves offers perhaps one of the goofiest promotions of all time to fans attending the game versus the Mets. First, 34 couples were married in a ceremony at home plate. Then, Turner held a card for his fledgling Championship Wrestling league on the field; thus the (I guess) appropriately named “Headlocks and Wedlocks” promotion.

In 1979: As strange as Turner’s promotion might have been, it doesn’t hold a candle (or should I say blowtorch?) to a charter member of the Sick Promotions Hall of Fame: Disco Demolition Night at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The White Sox were playing a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, and White Sox owner Bill Veeck encouraged fans to exchange their unwanted disco records for a dollar admission to the game. Fans also brought records into the game and were tossing them like Frisbees. It quickly got ugly, as Chicago DJ Steve Dahl blew up a box of disco records in center field (and tearing a hole in the field). Fans quickly rushed the field, started their own fires, and police in riot gear had to clear the field. The White Sox forfeited the second game of the doubleheader.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Marathon baseball

1. The never ending game: The longest game of the year was played right when the two teams involved didn’t want it–the day before the All Star break. The Red Sox and the White Sox battled for a total of 19 innings–the longest game since April 2003. The Red Sox should have had it won it the ninth–Jonathan Papelbon was in and they were leading by one. But then Jermaine Dye homered, his 25th of the year and third in the last two days. That sent the game into extras, and in the 11th, both teams scored two runs. Then it was scoreless again until the 19th inning, when Tadahito Iguchi hit a game-winning RBI single. The White Sox’s win avoided a sweep, and they are only two back of Detroit now. Boston has kept their three-game lead. This was the longest game of the year at 6 hours and 19 minutes. Boston’s Trot Nixon became the first player to go 0-9 since 1991. Teammate Jason Varitek wasn’t much better at 0-8.

2. Another long game: The battle of the Sox wasn’t the only game to go into extras last night. The Astros-Cardinals matchup went into 12 innings–on Sunday Night Baseball. The Astros were down 2 runs in the eighth but battled back with a Chris Burke two-run homer and a Craig Biggio sac fly. So the game went into extras and was scorless until the 12th, when pinch-hitter Aaron Miles hit a two-run single off Houston closer Brad Lidge, whose struggles this year have yet to stop. The Cardinals now have a four-game division lead going into the break. Houston is six games out.

3. AL’s best pitcher?: Roy Halladay has just dominated this season. He picked up his 12th win yesterday against the Royals, becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach that mark. His solid 7 inning, 1 earned run start lowered his ERA to 2.92 and his WHIP to 1.03. Halladay has now won four starts in a row, and 7 of his last 8 decisions have been victories. His excellent performance this year has earned him a trip to Pittsburgh for the All Star game and has helped out the Blue Jays’ somewhat inconsistent rotation.

4. They’ll welcome the break: The Pittsburgh Pirates are certainly glad the All Star break is here. They have fallen to 30-60 on the year, the worse record in the majors. Their 8-3 loss to the Phillies yesterday gave Philly their first series win in a month. The Pirates have gone 4-20 in their last 24 games and are even worse than the Chicago Cubs. They are five games behind the Cubs and 19.5 games behind the division-leading Cardinals.

5. Leading at the break: The first half of the season is now in the books, and here are some interesting notes from the statistical leaders. David Ortiz, who wasn’t on the leaderboard until recently, is now first in the majors in RBI (87) and homeruns (31). Also, Albert Pujols, despite missing 15 games, is first in homers (29) and second in RBIs (76) in the NL. Adam Dunn (28), Jason Giambi (27), and Travis Hafner (25) rank in the top 10 in homers but won’t be going to the All Star game. Now to the pitchers. Jason Isringhausen is first in the NL in saves (26) despite an underwhelming 3.35 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Meanwhile, two rookies (Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander) are in the AL’s top five in ERA, but neither will be going to Pittsburgh for the All Star game.

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MLB General

July 10 in Sports History: All-Star Game edition



Caption Text

In 1934: Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants and the National League struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row in the second ever All-Star Game in front of his home fans at the Polo Grounds. Hubbell fanned American Leaguers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin consecutively. The AL rallied to win the game 9-7, however.

In 1940: The NL defeated the AL 4-0 in the first shutout in All-Star Game history at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis . Max West of the Boston Bees (?) hit a three-run homer in the first inning while the Junior Circuit only managed three hits.

In 1945: The All-Star Game to be played at Fenway Park in Boston was cancelled due to travel restrictions during the end of World War II. The Midsummer Classic would return to Fenway the following year.

In 1951: The NL used four home runs to pummel the AL 8-3 at Briggs Stadium (a.k.a. Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Ralph Kiner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a round-tripper for the third straight year.

In 1962: The NL won the first All-Star Game of two to be played that year 3-1 at D.C Stadium, the home of the Washington Senators. Roberto Clemente of the Pirates had three hits, but Maury Wills of the L.A. Dodgers won MVP honors.

In 1984: National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers and Dwight Gooden of the N.Y. Mets combined to break Hubbell’s consecutive strikeout record by fanning six straight at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on the 50th anniversary of Hubbell’s feat. Gooden also was the youngest All-Star ever at the age of 19.

In 1990: In a rain-soaked All-Star Game at Wrigley field, the AL shutout the NL 2-0. Six AL pitchers combined on a two-hitter. Julio Franco (!) of the Texas Rangers drove in both runs and was named MVP.

In 2001: In his final All-Star Game, the soon-to-be-retiring Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles homered to the delight of the Safeco Field crowd in Seattle, leading the AL to a 4-1 victory. The game also featured a classy gesture by Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who insisted Ripken switch positions with him at third base so Ripken could play short one final time. Although some questioned the pitch (cough-gopher ball) that Chan Ho Park served to Ripken, Ripken received what was believed to be the longest ovation in All-Star history. He and Tony Gwynn were also presented achievement awards by Commissioner Bud Selig during the game.

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Chicago Cubs

The Full Count: The NL’s Worst Team

1.Bottom of the Barrel: It might not be the Pittsburgh Pirates anymore. In fact, the Chicago Cubs could be considered the worst team in the majors. They haven’t been able to buy a win, literally. Despite a payroll that borders on $100 million, they have a 31-54 record on the year. And their offense, which is last in the league in homeruns, OPS, and runs scored, provided another dismal performance on Thursday. Facing Chris Capuano and the Brewers, the Cubs were held to just 6 hits and no runs on the day. Capuano, who finished second in the NL Final Man voting, pitched like he was an All Star. He is now 10-4 on the year with a 3.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Cubs now only have a record one game better than the Royals’. Now that’s what we call bad.

2. Nomar and AJ win Final Vote: The voting for the final two All Stars is in. Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers and AJ Pierzynski of the White Sox were the last two players to make the cut. Garciaparra was clearly deserving as he is second in the NL in batting average. But with Pierzynski, the only reason he got voted in was because of the White Sox’s substantial fan base. The other AL nominees–Ramon Hernandez, Travis Hafner, Francisco Liriano, and Justin Verlander–probably would have made better picks. Anyway, we personally find all this talk of All Star snubs and players that shouldn’t be on the team quite ridiculous. Does anyone remember that eventual Cy Young winner Johan Santana wasn’t on the AL team in 2004? Few do now that he is a perennial All Star. So we expect Liriano, Verlander, Hafner, and Hernandez will have plenty of future opportunities to make the team. As for Pierzynski, he probably won’t get much playing time anyway with Joe Mauer also at backup catcher.

3. Derby time: The Home Run Derby participants have been finalized, and this will be the first derby in two years without any gimmicks. Last year, every player was from a different country as part of an effort to promote the World Baseball Classic. In 2004, every active member of the 500 Home Run club participated. But this year, we will go back to the tried-and-true selection process of, well, just about anybody who can hit the long ball. For the NL, David Wright of the Mets, Ryan Howard of the Phillies, and Miguel Cabrera of Florida have confirmed their participation. Albert Pujols, who is tied for the NL lead with Howard at 28 homers, withdrew from the event yesterday due to injury risk. He will be replaced by two-time Derby vet Lance Berkman, who came in second in 2004. the AL will feature 2004 winner Miguel Tejada, David Ortiz (last year’s runner-up), Troy Glaus, and Jermaine Dye. It should be one of the more fun competitions in sports as usual, and Full Count will be there live from Pittsburgh to tell you about it.

4. Ready for the Derby: David Ortiz seemed plenty ready for the Derby in his game yesterday. Facing the Devil Rays, the slugger jacked two homeruns, giving him 29 on the season. Ortiz hit a grand slam in the ninth to seal the deal on the Red Sox’s 12-5 victory. His 6 RBIs gave him 82 on the season, the major-league high by a wide margin. The win helped the Red Sox avoid a four-game sweep in Tampa. They lead the AL East by 3 games.

5. Thome performs too: Jim Thome exactly equaled David Ortiz’s impressive line in a bizarre statistical occurrence. Thome jacked two homers, six RBI, and a grand slam for the White Sox against the Orioles. According to Elias Says, that is the first time two players have had that stat line on the same day since July 28, 2003 (Marcus Giles and Rafael Palmeiro). Thome’s two jacks tied him for the major-league lead at 29 with Ortiz. Fellow All-Stars Jermaine Dye and AJ Pierzynski also went deep for Chicago, who won 11-8. By the way, White Sox starter Javier Vasquez’s run support is becoming one of the more interesting developments of the year. The White Sox have averaged 9.03 runs in his starts, a full run more over everyone else. That has given him an 8-4 record despite a 5.15 ERA.

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Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brian Shackleford arrested

You know, the sports pages sometimes read like the police blotter and it seems to be happening more and more recently. The latest is Brian Shackleford who was arrested at Miller Park on suspicion of third-degree sexual assault for an incident that took place in a hotel room on July 3rd.

According to a radio station in Milwaukee, Shackleford met a woman through Match.com and she claimed that something improper happened at the hotel. On one hand, the sexual assault is really bad publicity for Match.com. On the other hand, Match.com is so popular that you can meet professional athletes on it!

Check out Brian Shackleford’s Match.com profile. “Im a baseball player looking to meet new people. I love to have a good time and can have fun with anyone. I like going out to eat, having a good time, having a coupel of drinks…” Except for the baseball player part, this could be any lame ass profile on match. How sad is it that a professional baseball player has to do online dating?

Before we jump to conclusions, let us remind you that allegations are not always the truth. Remember the woman who claimed she was raped by Erik Williams and Michael Irvin and then lated admitted she made it up? We’ll keep you updated on this story.

Links:
[WCPO]: Reds’ Shackelford Arrested For Sexual Assault

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MLB General

The Full Count: Who will Ozzie start?

1. All Star start to Rogers?: Kenny Rogers won his 11th game yesterday, tying him with Tom Glavine for most wins in either league. But the bigger news is that his success this season could lead him to the All Star game start. That’s right, Ozzie Guillen said he was leaning towards Rogers to start the game over Jose Contreras, the White Sox’s undefeated right-hander. Rogers this year is 11-3 for the division-leading Tigers, though his ERA is just 3.85. But Guillen inferred that the choice was based more on what dates the pitchers would start. Rogers’ start yesterday is his last before the All Star game, while Contreras and most others have another start. Guillen also said that his closer for the game should he need one would be Mariano Rivera instead of Bobby Jenks.

2. First to 50: The American League has already had three teams with 50 wins for a while now, but the National League got their first yesterday. The team? The New York Mets, whose 11.5 game division lead is by far the largest in baseball. The Mets won 5-0 yesterday over the hapless Pirates, with all the scoring coming in the first inning. Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez had his best start of the season, shutting out the Pirates in 7 innings. The Mets are so good because they are so balanced; they have scored the 2nd most runs in the NL and allowed the 3rd fewest.

3. Team of the Future: The Mets may be on top of the NL East now, but the Marlins showed yesterday why they will be the class of the division in about 2 years. They trounced the Nationals 18-9, with all of their young stars coming through on offense. Miguel Cabrera hit a home run and had four RBIs, Dan Uggla went 4-6 with 4 driven in, and Josh Willingham went 4-6 with a homer and 3 RBIs. The Nationals scored some runs of their own, but their pitching completely broke down. Reliever Saul Rivera had one of the best lines of the year, allowing 8 hits and 8 runs in just 0.1 innings pitched. His ERA jumped from 3.44 to 6.75 as a result. The Marlins are 12.5 games back with a 36-45 record, though interestingly they have scored and allowed an identical amount of runs (383).

4. Payback: After the Cleveland Indians demolished the Yankees 19-1 on Tuesday, the Yanks responded with an offensive showing of their own. They beat the Indians 11-3, including an 8-run 4th inning. That inning included a grand slam by Melky Cabrera, who has filled in decently for Hideki Matsui. The Yankees stole 6 bases off Indians catcher Victor Martinez, and 6 different players drove in a run. Meanwhile, Mike Mussina won his 10th game of the year, the 15th year in a row that he has won double digits. Mussina didn’t make the All Star team despite a 3.24 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, both of which rank in the top 5 in the league.

5. A complete mess: That is the only thing that can describe the situation with Barry Bonds’ trainer, Greg Anderson. Yesterday Anderson was held in contempt of court and sent to prison for an undisclosed amount of time. Anderson, who served three months in prison last year, refused to testify to a grand jury. He was supposed to testify as to whether Barry Bonds committed perjury in December 2003, but he refused to cooperate with the jury. We have a feeling this won’t be the last prison sentence Anderson gets.