Tag: MLB

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Liriano steals the show

1. Overshadowed: Roger Clemens, making his first start of the season, got all of the attention before and during last night’s game against the Twins. The home crowd loved him, and so did ESPN, as the network showed montage after montage of him before the game. But in the end, it was the pitcher Clemens was facing who should have got the attention. Francisco Liriano, the Twins’ fantastic rookie pitcher, continued his success this season. He threw 8 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs. Meanwhile, Clemens was just average. He allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, but was ineffective in working the count. The Rocket threw 100 pitches, three more than Liriano, just 59 of them for strikes. Meanwhile, Liriano improved to 7-1 this season with a 2.17 ERA. Unless he completely fails down the stretch, he should be a leading contender for AL Rookie of the Year. Oh by the way, the Twins won, 4-2.

2. The scoring stops here: The first two games of the White Sox-Cardinals series featured an outstanding 44 combined runs from both sides. How bout Game 3? Not so much on the offensive side. Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes, in just the third start of his career, shut down the White Sox the first 6 innings. He allowed no hits during that time to a team that had collected 40 hits the previous two games. But then one swing by Jim Thome changed everything, as he took a ball deep to right field for his 24th homer of the season. The hit was not only all the White Sox needed to win the 1-0 game, but it also was the only hit of the night for the team. Freddy Garcia and Bobby Jenks combined to shut out the Cardinals offense, which included Albert Pujols in the lineup for the first time in 20 days. Pujols went 0-4, and the Cardinals took a sweep from the defending World Champs.

3. A Royal-like performance: What hasn’t already been said about the Braves failures this year, as their recent horrendousness has been one of the top stories in all of baseball. This team just cannot find a way to win, as they have lost 10 in a row. Only the Cubs and Pirates have worse records among all NL teams, their bullpen is the worst in baseball, and only the Brewers, Royals, and Orioles have allowed more runs. And there is no end in sight to the Braves’ failures, at least for this year. They lost again last night to the Blue Jays, 3-2, as Mike Remlinger blew his third save of the year. Meanwhile, AJ Burnett returned to the mound for the first time since April, going 6 decent innings for the Jays. Toronto is only three games back of the Red Sox in the AL East, and if Burnett is successful that gap could close quickly.

4. Not a Royal-like performance: Okay, it’s hard to make anything out of a sweep of the 29th best team in baseball. Unless you’re the 30th best team in baseball. That’s right folks, the Kansas City Royals got a sweep over the Pirates. Now the Royals have won an astounding four games in a row, and their record has improved all the way to 22-49! Last night they won a sloppy 15-7 game over Pittsburgh, with 9 combined unearned runs and 4 combined errors. But at 25 games out of first place, we don’t think the Royals care how they win ballgames.

5. Due punishment: Ozzie Guillen has been out of control recently, to say the least. Not long after sending down a rookie pitcher for not hitting a batter, Guillen was suspended one game after another questionable beanball incident on Tuesday. Ozzie was also fined and sent to sensitivity training for his much-publicized slur against Jay Mariotti. Guillen has not apologized to Mariotti, and it doesn’t seem like he will anytime soon.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: He’s back!

Many happy returns: The most highly anticipated return to the mound this year takes place tonight. Fans have waited months to finally see their key starter rejoin their rotation just in time to save them from third-place oblivion. That’s right, folks
… AJ Burnett is back! Kidding. Burnett does return to the mound for the Blue Jays in Atlanta tonight, and a healthy and effective Burnett bolsters the Jays’ rotation; but there’s a slightly more newsworthy return about 810 miles west of Turner Field. Roger Clemens finally makes his season debut for the Astros at Minute Maid Park in a nationally televised game against the Twins tonight. The Astros have been meandering around the .500 mark for most of the season and feel that the Rocket’s return will give them the boost they need in the NL Central. One, small thing, however: Clemens might not be the best pitcher on the field. Twins phenom Francisco Liriano, about half Clemens’s age, starts for the Twins. Liriano is 6-1, with a 2.16 ERA and 67 strikeouts.

Perhaps a crowbar?: That’s what you might need to take the smile off Tony LaRussa’s face right now. How could LaRussa be smiling, after his Cardinals have been outscored 33-11 in two games by the White Sox? Because the Cardinals received the wonderful news that the wonderful Albert Pujols could return to the lineup as soon as Monday against Cleveland. Pujols, out since June 3 with a strained oblique muscle, took batting practice and did some running the past few days and could be in the lineup even sooner. It would be a godsend for the Cardinals, who’ve been able to maintain their division lead in the NL Central since their star slugger went down. Pujols is still tied for the league lead with 25 homers and fell only one RBI behind Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard despite missing the last 16 games.

A great night spoiled: Ever do a really good job on something, like write a great paper only to have ink poured all over it? Or paint your entire house, only to have vandals spray graffiti on it? That’s what Jose Reyes of the Mets must have felt like after last night’s game against Cincinnati. Reyes went 4 for 5 and hit for the cycle against the Reds, with a homer, double, triple and single. Then Billy Wagner spilled all over it in the top of the ninth by blowing his fourth save of the season. Wagner got the first two outs, but then loaded the bases and gave up a game-winning, two-run single to Brandon Phillips. The Mets could have extended their lead in the NL East to double digits, since no other team below them won, but the 6-5 loss means their lead remains at 9 ½ games.

Good night for good, Kerry?: While other pitchers are getting healthy, including teammate and DL buddy Mark Prior, the Cubs’ Kerry Wood is having no such luck. Wood told reporters that he might not be able to pitch again this year. “With each passing day, I get more and more doubts,” he said. You almost have to feel sorry for the guy. The hard throwing Texan, once thought to be the next Nolan Ryan, has made only four starts this season, and missed most of last season. He was to possibly return Sunday, but said, “it seems to shut down on me,” after getting to 65-70 pitches in a simulated game. There is no timetable as to whether he will throw again soon. Perhaps Wood should seriously consider this idea.

An old friend, indeed: There probably has been no bigger free agent bust in recent baseball history than Adrian Beltre of the Mariners. Ever since leaving the Dodgers after a monster 2004 in which he hit 48 homeruns, only Beltre has stunk more than the dead fish they toss around at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. This hasn’t stopped him from torturing the Dodgers the last few nights, however. Maybe returning to Chavez Ravine (and being loudly booed) has woken up the 64 million dollar man. Beltre has gone 5 for 8, with a homerun, four RBI and four runs scored against his former team. His two-run double in the eighth inning last night broke a tie game in an 8-5 Seattle triumph. Now, if Beltre can only do something against the other 27 teams in the league, he might be able to live up to that contract.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: What happened to Coors field?

1. Now, what’s going on?: Memo to the Oakland A’s: you’re in Coors Field, act like it! The A’s were shut again by the Rockies, 6-0. Colorado’s Jason Jennings and two relievers held the A’s to just one hit (insert that Bob Uecker Major League quote here if you wish) in the second consecutive shutout of the former hottest team in baseball. Cory Sullivan and Garret Atkins drove in two runs each for the Rockies, who have quietly climbed back to a game over .500 in the competitive NL West. They are a game and a half behind the Padres. The A’s, meanwhile, have fallen back into a tie with Texas in the AL West.

2. It’s the balls, naturally: What might be going on, according to A’s manager Ken Macha, is the baseballs that the Rockies keep in the humidor were the main factor for the A’s impotent bats the past two nights. They are complaining that the balls are tougher to hit. “I think it should be investigated,” Macha told mlb.com. He did add that the A’s used the same ball, and that there were no excuses for his team’s magically disappearing bats the past two nights. All of this being said, it is a little surprising that the once ridiculously hitter-friendly park is now tied with Comerica Park in Detroit, Safeco Field (Seattle) and Minute Maid Park (Houston ) for the most shutouts in the majors with seven.

3. Continuing a bad idea: Quick, who won the NBA All-Star game this year? How about the Pro Bowl? Of course nobody remembers, because the games just aren’’t that important. It’s simply a reward for players who are the best in the league and just forgettable exhibition games for the fans. So why does Major League Baseball continue with the ridiculous idea of awarding home-field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the Midsummer classic? We’’ll never know, but get used to the idea; because they plan on doing it for at least two more seasons, according to mlb.com. This has been in place since the 2003 season. The idea was to drum up interest in the game, which had suffered declining ratings and hit a low point in 2002 with the infamous tie game. But it needs to stop. Can anyone rationalize the possibility that say, the Mets, who might win 105 games this year could end up starting the series on the road against the A’s, who might win 90? All because say, Mark Grudzielanek of the last-place Royals hits a meaningless RBI single July 11 at PNC Park to give the AL the win? The concept of giving the team with the best record home-field advantage? Now, that’s radical.

4. A funny thing happened on the way to a baseball game: A football game broke out. At least that’s the way it looked on the scoreboard, as the White Sox bombed the Cardinals 20-6 at U.S. Cellular field. Joe Crede homered twice, including one in the 11-run third inning off Mark Mulder. Mulder lasted only 2.1 innings and gave up nine earned runs. The teams combined for 40 hits, including 24 by the White Sox. Then it got testy in the sixth. As the Sox plated six more runs to make it 19-2, Cardinals pitcher Sidney Ponson hit Brian Anderson and Pablo Ozuna (with the bases loaded) on consecutive at-bats. Everyone in the park knew what was coming in the next inning, and of course, Ozzie Guillen wouldn’t disappoint. Chicago’s David Riske plunked Chris Duncan, earning ejections for both Riske and Guillen. The teams meet again tonight and Thursday.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Cain isn’t able to finish the job

No-no not quite: Matt Cain of the SF Giants came close to throwing a no-hitter against the Angels last night in San Francisco. Cain went into the eighth inning without allowing a base hit until Chone Figgins lashed a clean single up the middle. Cain did give up an unearned run in the first; he walked Figgins and allowed him to steal second, where he scored on a throwing error. He struck out 10 batters, while walking four and leaving after the eighth inning of the 2-1 Giants victory. It was the fourth time in the past month  a pitcher has flirted with a no-hitter. Chris Young of the Padres (twice) and Carlos Zambrano of Cubs also flirted with destiny, only to fall short. There has not been one in the majors since Randy Johnson’s perfect game against the Braves in May of 2004.

Team Turmoil: Speaking of the Angels, what exactly are they doing out there this year? Not only are they in last place in AL West, which is possibly the worst division in baseball, but they‘re looking really bad doing it. They are last in defense in the AL with 56 errors on the season and are giving up close to one unearned run per game They recently benched Chone Figgins for lackluster play (and possibly for a reported scuffle with Adam Kennedy) and they need to find him a permanent position in the field and in the batting order. Rookie pitcher Jered Weaver, who has won his first four starts, had a 1.37 ERA and was by far the Angels best starting pitcher the past month, was sent down to the minors in favor of his older brother Jeff, who is 3-9 with a 6.02 ERA. They are sitting seven games behind the A’s and Rangers and haven’t won more than four games in a row all season.

All good things must end: The Oakland A’s ten-game winning streak took a Holliday last night. Colorado’s Matt Holliday paced the Rockies with a home run and two RBI and four Rockies pitchers combined to keep the sizzling A’s off the board, 7-0 at Coors Field. The A’s managed only seven hits and hit into four double plays. Has there been anything more predictable in baseball over the last few years than the Oakland A’s? They follow the same formula every year: get off to a horrible start, then heat up with the weather and go on some ridiculous winning streak (they once won 20 in a row), and battle to the last week of the season for a playoff spot. This all despite having a payroll in the lower half of baseball. They’ve been right on cue in 2006 as the hottest team in June with 15 wins in 18 games; and they now sit tied with the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.

World Series preview? Despite the lack of  interesting interleague match ups this week, a possible October preview could take place on the South Side of Chicago starting Tuesday. The Cardinals, who have been holding their own without the injured Albert Pujols, meet the defending champion Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox trail the Tigers in the AL Central by two games, while the Cards lead the Reds by five in the NL Central. Unfortunately, Chris Carpenter and John Garland will not be available to pitch in the series.

Team Turmoil: Part Two: Ever have your boss call you out for poor work performance in front of your co-workers? That’s one thing, but how about your owner mentioning your name for no good reason in baseball’s steroid scandal? Ken Kendrick did exactly that to Luis Gonzalez last week, telling the Arizona Republic that there “have been whispers,” that Gonzo “must have been doing something,” because of the fact that he hit 57 homers in 2001 and has not hit more than 31 in any other season. Gonzalez had to call a press conference to defend himself, saying, “the damage has already been done.” Full Count has to ask: In the wake of the Jason Grimsley debacle (in which the D-Backs have gone 2-10 since), why add fuel to the fire by calling out perhaps your most popular player and World Series hero? Perhaps because, according to USA Today, Arizona has a club option for $10 million on Gonzalez for 2007 that he doesn’t plan on paying and needs a convenient reason to justify it, just as he did with Grimsley. Kendrick also made a baffling financial move, releasing pitcher Russ Ortiz and eating 22 million dollars.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Glavine and Rogers win number 10

1. Pair of aces draw 10s: Tom Glavine and Kenny Rogers became the first pitchers in each league to win 10 games on Sunday. Glavine paced the Amazins with six innings while the Mets avoided a sweep by the Orioles, 9-4. He is now just 15 wins away from the magic 300. Rogers had an easier time getting career win no. 200, letting the big bats of the Tigers pound the Cubs 12-3. Rogers pitched eight innings and walked only one batter . This is the second straight year the Gambler has had a terrific first three months. Combining just the first halves of the last two seasons, Rogers would be a Cy Young candidate with a 21-7 record and a 2.90 ERA. Let’s just hope he doesn’t meet any cameras between now and late September.

2. Bombs over Wrigley: Speaking of those Tiger bats, perhaps Mark Prior of the Cubs should have waited one more day before returning to the rotation. Instead, the Tigers rocked the oft-injured pitcher in his season debut for four home runs in 3.2 innings. The Tigers tied their own club record – set earlier in the year – with a total of eight. The game also set a major league record with a total of 11 home runs between two teams in a nine-inning game. Curtis Granderson got the party started with a leadoff shot in the first, and Chris Shelton and Brandon Inge added two more each in the 12-3 victory. They now have 97 as a team for the season. In fact, every run scored in the game was on a homer, which also shattered a major league record.

3. We waited all night for this?: The Dodgers and A’s kept playing Saturday night. And playing. The game went on until the 17th inning, when Bobby Crosby’s bases loaded walk in the 137th plate appearance of the evening settled the anti-climax and sent the A’s to their ninth straight win (they would end up sweeping the Dodgers), 5-4. The teams combined to use 12 pitchers for the game that lasted just over five hours. They also walked 19 batters, left 28 men on base, and Jay Payton went 0 for 7. It was the second longest game in the majors this year by innings and the third longest by time.

4. Another user surfaces: I know we here at Sportscolumn are getting sick of the ongoing drug scandal in baseball, but former journeyman David Segui recently stated that he is one of the players mentioned in Jason Grimsley’s affidavit. Segui told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that he used Human Growth Hormone (HGH) legally. He claims that it was prescribed to him legally through a doctor because of a deficiency of the hormone in his body. Segui played 15 seasons for 8 teams (including the Orioles twice) and hit 139 career home runs in 4,847 at-bats. His season-high in home runs was 21 in 1997.

5. Interleague play continues: Once again, there aren’t many marquee match ups this week, with the possible exception of Pirates-Royals. The Worst Series — the battle for next year’s top draft pick, gets underway Tuesday in Kansas City, with the loser to be assured the bottom of the sportscolumn.com power rankings for the balance of the season. Seriously, there’s just not a lot of exciting games this week, unless you‘re all fired up for the Phillies to get revenge on the Yankees for that 1950 World Series sweep of the Whiz Kids or maybe seeing the Giants get some payback against the Angels by whizzing on the since-fired Rally Monkey for helping the Halos take the 2002 Series. (We put that in there to see if you were paying attention, by the way). In fact, the best of the week might be that odd-man-out, non-interleague series, as the Mets greet the Reds at Shea.

Categories
MLB General

Full Count: Video iPods will be in every clubhouse

1. The competitive edge: It seems as though Apple iPods have already infiltrated every aspect of our lives. Well, here’s another: the Rockies are using video iPods to store game film on. Pitchers can watch films of themselves or hitters, while position players can store nearly every at-bat they’ve ever taken. While the ability to take home DVDs of their performances has been common for a while, storing the videos on their iPods is much more convenient. The Rockies are the only team doing this right now, but reportedly Florida and Seattle are also interested.

2. The final blow: The Braves had worked themselves out of the division picture anyways, but their loss to the Marlins yesterday might have sealed the deal. They suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of pitiful Florida, even though about a combined 22,000 people showed up for the games at Dolphin Stadium. The pitching victim was Jorge Sosa yesterday. After last season’s 13-3 record and 2.55 ERA, Sosa lost again to fall to 1-9 this year. He has a 5.35 ERA, about where he was in his first three seasons with the Devil Rays. But the Braves keep starting him, and they almost have to with Mike Hampton out for the season and Kyle Davies out for a while. At 30-37, the Braves are 13 games back in the NL East and have only won 2 games in June. Looks like they won’t have to find room for another division title banner at Turner Field this year.

3. From jail to the pitching mound: Esteban Loaiza has more to worry about than pitching right now. Loaiza, who committed DUI earlier this week, spent Tuesday night in jail. But he was released (his trial date is July 14) and pitched 6 strong innings last night for the win. Loaiza allowed 3 earned runs and helped the A’s to a sweep of the Mariners. First baseman Dan Johnson drove in 4 runs and had 4 hits. For the Mariners, Jarrod Washburn (4-8) was hit with the loss after allowing 6 runs. It wasn’t all good news for the A’s last night: slugger Frank Thomas was put on the 15-day DL.

4. The Wright to win: Lately, David Wright and the New York Mets have been tearing up the National League. Wright, who was touted before the year as a future star, has even exceeded those expectations. He has 14 homers, 50 RBIs, and is among the National League leaders with a .335 batting average. Wright has homered in three straight games, driven in a run in 6 straight, and has a nine-game hitting streak. Meanwhile, the Mets dusted the Phillies last night 5-4 to sweep the series. They have won 8 straight, and as of now their record is the best in baseball (42-23).

5. The Western Frontier: No division in modern baseball history has had all of its teams achieve winning records. But if the season ended today, the NL West would do just that. It is the closest division in baseball, as only two games separate first place from last. Currently the Dodgers, at 36-30, are on top. The reeling Diamondbacks, losers of 9 of their last 10, are still in second at 35-31. Three teams — San Diego, San Francisco, and Colorado — are tied for third (or last depending on how you look at it) with a 34-32 record. This marks almost a complete reversal from last season, when for a while we thought that no team would emerge from this division with a winning record.

Categories
Detroit Tigers

Tiger on the lam



choke artist

An arrest warrant was issued yesterday for Tigers DH Dmitri Young. Young failed to show up for a pre-trial hearing on a domestic violence charge where he is accused of choking a 21-year-old woman in Toledo. Young’s lawyer claimed he had a medical emergency and was out of state but the judge demanded proof from a legitimate medical facility.

Young was placed on the 15 day DL on 5/22. The Tigers said that the warrant would not affect Young’s status with the club and added “cause we’re in first place, bitch!”. That last part was made up…

Dmitri is the older brother of Delmon Young, a Tampa Bay prospect who was suspended 50 games for throwing a bat at an umpire. The Young family must be very proud.

Links:
[Detroit Free Press]: Young, attorney no-shows at hearing; judge wants explanation

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Jason Grimsley gets 50 games

The amazing disgrace continues: Major League Baseball officially suspended former Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley 50 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He is the first player to be suspended without testing positive on a drug test (can that certain someone else be next?). Not that it matters much, as Grimsley will probably never pitch again. Also, according to MLB.com, the Diamondbacks have officially filed termination papers (like he works at Pizza Hut or something) with the commissioner’s office. They claim that Grimsley was mentally unfit to play and should not be paid the remainder of the $825,000 he is under contract for.

Just plain amazing: Ichiro is at it again – albeit quietly. While Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been getting most of the press, Suzuki is arguably the hottest player in the league. The Mariners’ star is hitting .366 and already has 102 hits, which is ahead of his record-breaking pace of 262 in 2004. He is hitting .532 in June with 36 total bases during the first 12 days of the month. Despite this, he is currently in 4th place in the AL all star voting.

Sweet fifteen: Do you think Steinbrenner would like a do-over? Yankee discard Jose Contreras won his 15th consecutive decision last night for the Chicago White Sox, pitching eight innings, striking out 11 Rangers and improving to 7-0 on the season. Contreras – making a strong case to be the first on the hill in Pittsburgh July 11th – is two victories shy from tying Johan Santana’s 17 straight wins in 2004-2005, according to the Elias sports Bureau. Just think, Steinbrenner practically gave Contreras to the White Sox, only getting Esteban Loaiza in return.

On schedule: Roger Clemens’s “rehab” from being a lazy slob is right on course. Kidding. The Rocket pitched six strong innings for the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks on Sunday night, striking out 11 and looking sharper than his first outing. The struggling Astros are counting down the days until the $12.6 million aggregated superstar goes from pitching in the likes Whataburger Field to pitching in Minute Maid Park. From the How Far Will People Bend Over Backwards for Roger Clemens Department, the Astros received special permission from the Texas League for Clemens to use an official Major League baseball and Hooks‘ catcher J.R. House gladly gave up his number 22 for Clemens, according to the Houston Chronicle. Clemens is scheduled to return June 22 against the Minnesota Twins.

Ping!!!: Break out the aluminum bats and dial up the dramatic, walk-off grand slams; it’s time for the College World Series! The annual tournament, which has introduced baseball fans to the likes of Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Will Clark and Joey- uh, I mean Albert – Belle is in full swing. The usual powerhouses are there, with Clemson, Georgia Tech, Cal State-Fullerton and Rice and Miami set to play. Defending champ Texas was upset by Oregon State. Clemson is the top seed overall, and they needed one of those walk-off slams by Cubs’ first round pick Tyler Colvin to squeak by upset-minded Oral Roberts. The World Series kicks off in Omaha, Neb. on Friday.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Rooks come up big

Give him a cigar: Mets Rookie Alay Soler followed up fellow Cuban Orlando Hernandez’s complete game victory over the suddenly hapless Diamondbacks with a shutout of his own. Soler handed Brandon Webb his first loss of the season, giving up only two hits in a 5-0 victory. It was the first shutout by a Mets rookie since 1994. The Diamondbacks have fallen fast; going 0-6 (including a 15-2 drubbing Sunday) since the Grimsley affair and dropping into second place behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Mets, meanwhile, have increased their lead over the Phillies in the East by 5.5 games. If Hernandez and Soler can provide consistent starts at the back-end of the rotation, the Mets might wrap it up by Independence Day.

Rookie what we have here: Soler wasn’t the only rookie to turn in a brilliant performance over the weekend. Seattle Mariners phenom Felix Hernandez put together his best outing of the season, a complete game four hitter over the baffling and punchless Angels. Hernandez had nine strikeouts, no walks and retired 17 straight batters at one point. In D.C., it was a battle of rookie hurlers as the Nationals Shawn Hill outshined the Phillies Cole Hamels. Hill allowed only two hits over seven innings to earn his first victory since 2004 (he missed the entire 2005 season with an elbow injury) as the Nats defeated the Phils‘ 6-0.

Believe the hype (finally): The Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer has finally begun living up to the promise of being the top draft pick. The 2001 no. 1 overall has been on a tear, raising his batting average over a eighty points in the last month. Mauer was hitting .305 on May 10. Going into today’s action, he is leading the league with a .386 mark. He is hitting ..528 in June while slugging .778; and has failed to reach base in only two of the last 31 games. In fact, it is believed (according to the Elias Sports Bureau) that Mauer is only the third player in Major League history to reach base four times in five consecutive games.

That’’s entertainment: The Chicago White Sox have been one of the most entertaining teams during the first half. They didn’t disappoint this weekend with a wild series against the Indians. On Friday night, Jermaine Dye homered late to give the White Sox a 5-4 win. On Saturday, the Indians bullpen melted down again (causing a reported locker room shouting match between Bob Wickman and Paul Byrd), allowing another late-inning rally as the Sox won 4-3. On Sunday, the Indians jumped out to a 10-2 lead before giving up six runs in the ninth as another Chicago miracle came up just a little short.

Did that just happen?: The Royals have won only 16 games this year, but on Sunday they etched themselves into baseball lore positively (for a change) by turning one of the most unique triple plays in baseball history. With nobody out and runners on first and third, Tampa’s Russell Branyan hit a shallow fly ball to center field. Aubrey Huff tagged up from third and apparently scored when the throw from center was wild. Pitcher Scott Elarton was backing up the play and alertly threw out Rocco Baldelli trying to advance to second. In a bizarre twist, the Royals felt that Huff had left third early and appealed the tag up. The umpire agreed that Huff did take off a step too soon and called him out. Did you get all that? Just your ho-hum 8-1-6-1-5 triple play. “I’ve never seen any triple play quite like that,” Royals manager and master of the obvious Buddy Bell said. The Royals, however, stayed true to form and lost the game 8-2.

Categories
MLB General

Jason Grimsley is no snitch



photo from NY Daily News

Jason Grimsley was asked to wear a wire to gather evidence against Bonds but he refused. (The Diamondbacks play San Francisco next week.) His attorney also denied that Grimsley sold out any of his ex-teammates and (former) friends and that the court documents merely included names of people that federal investigators questioned Grimsley about.


They asked him specifically about Barry Bonds, and Jason said he didn’t know Bonds well and didn’t know if he did or didn’t use drugs. Grimsley refused, Novak said, and told investigators “baseball players don’t go around talking about who is using and who isn’t.

So far, the only two players named, either by investigators or Grimsley, are Bonds and Lenny Dykstra. Is there any baseball story that comes out without Bonds being mentioned in it? Is there anyone left who doesn’t think he has used steroids?

Links:
[MSNBC]: Steroid investigator wants to interview Bonds
[NY Daily News]: Grimsley tale growing wild