The Yankees Not So Hot Corner

The punch-less Yankees dropped another game in the AL East standings Tuesday night. A game that could have been won had the Yankees' lineup been able to produce more than a single run in a 3-1 loss to the KC Royals.

Royals' starter James Shields, aka "Big Game James" has not had much success against the Yankees and struggled in the early going. The Yankees had two on and none out, and the bases loaded and one out and only scored one run. Shields and the pen then shut down the Yankees the rest of the way. Monday night's 5-1 loss in the first game of the four game set came after the Yankees had the bases loaded with no one out in the 9th and then struck out three straight times. With all the pitchers they let off the hook the Yankees should never take up fishing.

In Tuesday's piece, "Shortstop, Catchers and Pitchers, Oh My, I wrote about the need for the Yankees to upgrade at catcher. Today I am going to focus on the infield, particularly the corner position that has been anything other than hot for the Yankees this season.

Third base has been a key position for the Yankees over the years. Gil McDougald won the AL Rookie of the Year Award after he manned the position in 1951. Graig Nettles won two World Series rings (1977-1978) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will attest to Nettles' remarkable thievery with his glove. Alex Rodriguez won two AL MVP Awards after his shift to New York and a new position. The Yankees would not have won the 2009 World Series if not for the player who should really be known as "Lightning-Rod".

A-Rod's second hip surgery knocked him out of play for the first half of the 2013 season and a PED suspension could wipe out the second half. Kevin Youkilis was signed to take his place, but played just 28 games before he was lost to season ending back surgery. The Yankees replacements have contributed decent defense, but the offense has been anemic.

David Adams, Alberto Gonzalez, Jayson Nix, Chris Nelson, and Luis Cruiz have combined to go 53-247 (.215) with 2 HR (both by Adams) and 18 RBI when they played third base. Only Nix (.620) has an OPS above .600 at third and that number is nothing to write home (or text) about. The combination of poor hitting veterans and rookies is not enough with the uncertainty surrounding A-Rod's future. The Yankees need to get themselves a third baseman.

Just as is the case with catchers, the Yankees don't have anyone at the minor league level to play in the Majors right now. Ronnier Mustelier made a very good showing in Spring Training, but has missed large chunks of time with knee and groin injuries.

So who might be available? And would the Yankees want them?

Michael Young: He's the first option for teams looking for a utility guy or someone to specifically play either corner spot or second base. (His days at shortstop are long behind him.) Young has bounced all around the infield in his career until the Texas Rangers, who he spent 13 seasons with, finally forced him out. The 36-year old looked like he might be finished after he produced a sub-.600 OPS in May, but he's been above .800 the rest of the season. He could also give Lyle Overbay a rest across the infield now and then.

With one of the two wild card positions still in their sites, the Phillies are reportedly hesitant to move the pending free agent at this time. That could change as the trade deadline nears.

Aramis Ramirez: The 35-year old has hit less than 20 home runs just once since 2003 and averaged 26 home runs and 93 RBI over the last three seasons. So much for the good news; Ramirez was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday for the third time this season with a bad left knee. He is also guaranteed $16MM next year and has a $14MM mutual option/$4MM buyout for 2015. Fuh-geddabout it.

Ty Wigginton: Like Young, Wigginton is more of a utility player at this point of his career rather than a player who is settled in at one position. He's also unemployed after being released by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals owe him the remainder of the $2.5MM he's making this season plus another $2.5MM he is due in 2014. The Yankees could sign him for a minimal amount this season (The amount would be subtracted from the Cardinals' debt), but should they?  Wigginton had a sub-.500 OPS and 34 of his 57 at-bats came as a pinch-hitter. If they're interested the Yankees would be better off signing him to a minor league deal with a deadline date where he can asked to be released if he is not called up. That way he can get some regular at-bats before facing Major League pitching. With all that said, I would pass on him.

Mark Reynolds: Mash or miss, that's been Reynolds unwritten motto since his debut in 2007. He's currently on a one year deal with the Cleveland Indians for $6MM and has split time between first and third. He might be available even though the Tribe is in the thick of the AL Central race, because he hasn't produced on a consistent basis. Reynolds has homered in 4.3% of his at-bats, the second lowest percentage since his rookie season. His .700 OPS is the lowest of his career as is his .392 slugging pct. Oh, and he's a butcher defensively at third base.

Wait, the idea was to find a player that would fit. There's the problem. There isn't a whole lot to choose from.

Chase Headley: He became a household name last year and since that time Yankees fans have been calling into radio shows to say the Yankees should go after him. Those fans haven't bothered to notice what Headley is doing this season nor have they taken a look at what he did before last season. Headley's 2012 campaign produced career highs in almost every offensive category.

He had never hit more than 12 home runs or driven in more than 58 runs in a season until he put up 31 and an NL leading 115 last year. 2012 was the first season Headley had an OPS over .800 as well. Headley has come crashing back to earth in 2013. He has just 7 HR and 29 RBI in 77 games and is sporting a career worst .681 OPS. More importantly why would the Padres deal him now? 1) He has no trade value at the moment. 2) The Padres had been trying to give Headley an extension until he asked them to stop negotiations in May, because he felt it was a distraction. So it appears they would like to keep him.

Chris Johnson: The Atlanta Braves 28-year old has provided the NL East leaders with some big at-bats this season. Johnson is with his third team in three seasons, but has a slash line of .332/.375/.480 in 269 plate appearances this year. As an added bonus, he's not eligible for free agency until 2017. Since he has been a key contributor it is possible Atlanta has no plans to move him, but perhaps the Braves would like to add some depth to their bullpen with a guy named Joba Chamberlain. Throw in a mid-level prospect too or perhaps they would like to take a chance on one time prospect Fernando Martinez.

Abbott and Costello were right. "I don't know....Third base!"

Tomorrow I take a look at the rotation and bullpen.

Report: Texas Ships Young To Philly

Michael Young got tired of being shifted around the Texas Rangers' infield the last few years and having to check if and where he was in the lineup. So Young reportedly waived his no-trade clause and has been dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies for reliever Josh Lindblom and minor leaguer Lisalverto Bonilla.

Young will be the Phillies regular third baseman, a role he last had with the Rangers in 2010. Originally brought to the Majors as a second baseman, Young was moved to shortstop in 2003 and manned that spot until 2008.  He shifted to third  base a year the next two years as youngster Elvis Andrus took over the shortstop position.

When Texas signed third baseman Adrian Beltre prior to the 2011 season, Young became a player without a permanent position and he split time with the likes of Mike Napoli, Mitch Moreland, and others. The 36-year old is a seven time All-Star and captured his only Gold Glove in 2008. After recording 213 hits in 2011, Young hit for a career low .682 OPS last season.

Young will earn $16MM for the 2013 season and is set to become a free agent in 2014.

Garcia Gives Yankees Boost

Freddy Garcia..or "The Rock"?

I had a nightdream yesterday. That's a combo daydream and nightmare; basically a horrible vision at night. I saw a Yankees starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Silva, and Freddy Garcia. It was understandable after Phil Hughes went on the disabled list and Ivan Nova pitched poorly for the second straight time out on Friday.

But lo and behold, Freddy Garcia threw six scoreless innings and the Yankees toppled the Texas Rangers 5-2 on a soggy Saturday afternoon. It was Garcia's first start of the season and just his second appearance (he threw one inning last Sunday vs. Boston). It was also the first time he had not allowed a run in any appearance since 2006.

Mark Teixeira gave Garcia some room to work with in the 1st inning when he launced a Derek Holland pitch into the right field seats with two aboard for a 3-0 Yankees lead. Garcia then had to face just 21 hitters, retiring 18 of them. He gave up a lead off single to Adrian Beltre and walked the hitter that followed, Nelson Cruz. But Garcia got David Murphy to line out to right, Yorvit Torrealba to ground out, and Mitch Moreland to pop out to escape the jam. The only other base runner Garcia allow would be a Murphy single in the 5th.

Holland settled down after the 1st inning and the Rangers finally got to Rafael Soriano to cut the lead to 3-2 in the 8th. But with a man aboard in the home half of the 8th Robinson Cano clanged a Holland pitch off the right field foul pole for a 5-2 lead. Mariano Rivera then came on in the 9th for his 5th save of the season.

The nightdream delayed, at least for today.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez left the game prior to the 7th inning after his back and oblique stiffened up. It's not thought to be serious.

Russell Martin finally got a day off with Gustavo Molina making his first start. He went 0-3.

BD Hot Stove: NL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

Mets prospect Wilmer Flores hopes his bat can live up to the Miguel Cabrera comparisons.

BD Hot Stove: NL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

It’s time for the Hot Stove to wrap up the top prospect look in the National League by concentrating on the NL East.

Phillies: Ever since the Phillies drafted outfielder Domonic Brown in the 2006 amateur draft (20th round) they’ve waited excitedly and patiently for his presence on the big league roster. Phillies fans got a taste last year when injuries caused a call up for Brown in late July. Brown doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice in his major league debut, but things weren’t so easy after that. Brown’s splits (.210/.257/.335) showed he wasn’t ready for prime time yet after just 28 games at the Triple-A level. But his time in the minors in 2010 did show he’s getting very close.

Brown is a tremendous athlete (He turned down a football scholarship to the U of Miami) and it showed in his game last year. The 23-yr old hit 15 HR and drove in 47 runs in just 65 games at Double-A Reading before a promotion to Lehigh Valley of the Int’l League. There he added another five home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. He also stole 17 bases between the two levels and played all three outfield positions. With Jayson Werth gone, he’ll get a chance to battle Ben Francisco for playing time in the Phillies outfield.

Mets: Pitcher Jenrry Mejia was the most talked about player in the Mets organization last year and is still ranked as their top prospect in some circles. But we’re going with shortstop Wilmer Flores as the top youngster in the Mets organization. The now 19-yr old was signed as a 16-yr old out of his native Venezuela in 2007. He made an immediate impression in rookie ball when he slugged eight home runs and drove in 42 runs and has already drawn comparisons to his fellow countrymen Miguel Cabrera.

Flores struggled mightily in ‘A’ ball in 2009, but bounce back last year, splitting his season of 133 games nearly in half between Savannah (‘A’) and Port St. Lucie (‘A+’). Flores hit 11 home runs, drove in 84 runs, and recorded a decent .758 OPS. Flores is a contact hitter who needs to learn to show more patience at the plate (He drew just 32 walks last season.). Listed as 6’3″, 175 lbs, Flores won’t last at shortstop much longer as he gets bigger and stronger. The only question is where will he go, to the outfield or to a corner position?

Marlins: Florida has had some pretty good hitting 3rd baseman in their 18 year history. Mike Lowell, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Bonilla, Gary Sheffield (the latter two saw limited time there.)…Lowell provided Gold Glove defense to boot (or in this case should it be “not to boot”?). Could Matt Dominguez be next in line? He’s shown the glove so far, but he’ll hit have to improve offensively to stick in the major leagues. Dominguez was the Marlins 1st round pick (12th overall) in the 2007 amateur draft out of Chatsworth (CA) High School. Power came quickly to Dominguez in the minors- he hit 18 home runs as an 18-yr old at Single-A Greensboro in 2008. He added 16 doubles, a .296 average, and an impressive .853 OPS. But Dominguez took a step back the last two years to the type of player the scouts feel is the truer picture. A .250 hitter with 15 home run power and a decent run producer (81 RBI, 61 runs at Double-A Jacksonville last season).

Marlins hitting instructor John Mallee had this assessment of Dominguez early last year. “(Dominguez is) a hitter whose swing had gotten long, who was chasing balls out of the zone with two strikes and who was not staying behind the ball. But he was encouraged that Dominguez still had good pitch recognition. He’s getting better and better at staying behind the ball and when he does that he’s really going to hit. He’s coming. I think he’s going to be legitimate.”

With Wes Helms manning the hot corner this season for Florida, Dominguez will have an excellent shot at taking over the job in 2012.

Braves: It would be hard to top the splash Jason Heyward made on Major League Baseball last season, but right-handed pitcher Julio Teheran may not be too far away from creating a commotion of his own. Teheran was signed as a 16-yr old by the Braves out of his native Colombia after impressing scouts with a low 90′s fastball. After playing rookie ball for two years, Teheran spent 2010 at three different levels last season, making an impression at each stop. All told, Teheran struck out 159 hitters in 142 2/3 IP (10.0 per 9 innings) and had a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Braves GM Frank Wren had this to say about Teheran: “The first time I saw him, I thought of Pedro — a little taller Pedro. I still see that. He’s live-bodied. When you watched Pedro, you could see by the way he carried himself that he knew he was good and knew he was going to get you out. He exuded that, and Julio is kind of that way.”

Teheran has a consistent mid-90′s fastball, a good curve that breaks low in the zone, and an even better changeup. He’s received an invite to the big league camp, but will start the season in Triple-A. He definitely has a great shot to get a pre-September call up in 2011 and an even better shot at being in the rotation in 2012.

Nationals: I’ll give you one guess who the Nationals top prospect is. If you didn’t say Bryce Harper, go directly to jail and don’t collect $200 (Haven’t seen any new Monopoly boards lately, is it still just $200?). Harper is of course the teen phenom that (along with his parents) ticked off people by skipping out of high school two years (he did get his GED) early to play ball at the JUCO level. The 18-yr old was the #1 selection in last year’s amateur draft. Right at the signing deadline, he inked a five year, $9.9M deal that included a $6.25M signing bonus

Harper’s first professional exposure came in the Arizona Fall League, where he torn things up in a nine game stint for the Scottsdale Scorpions. A .410 (12-35) average included three doubles, two triples, and a home run. Harper drove in seven runs and posted a 1.039 OPS. There’s no question Harper can hit, but the organization has not decided yet whether to have him play outfield or to catch, the latter of which would slow his progression to the major leagues.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Michael Young is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it any more. He may not throw a television out the window, but Young wants out of Texas..NOW! Feeling disrespected and misled by the Rangers front office, Young has demanded a trade. And Texas is happy to oblige, though it may not happen too quickly because of the $48M still owed the 3rd baseman.

Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore hopes to begin playing spring training games by mid-March as he continues his recovery from microfracture surgery on his knee. His teammate, catcher Carlos Santana, is making an even quicker recovery from his knee injury and has been cleared to hit and catch bullpen sessions.

Needing room on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, the Rays designated outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment.

White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy continues his way back from shoulder surgery and threw off of a mound earlier today.

Free agent catcher Bengie Molina has still not decided whether to play or not in 2011.

It’s not risky or even risque, but the Orioles have signed pitcher David Riske to a minor league deal. The Dodgers have done the same with infielder Aaron Miles.

BD Hot Stove: NL West Prospects | Baseball Digest

Dee Gordon hopes to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Tom "Flash" Gordon, and become a big leaguer in 2012.

BD Hot Stove: NL West Prospects | Baseball Digest

Last Friday the Hot Stove began looking at the top prospect on each team in Major League Baseball by showcasing the NL Central. Today let’s take a look at the highly competitive NL West.

Giants: San Francisco got to celebrate their first championship in 56 years thanks to the young pitching they had developed. Starting pitchers Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner were drafted (all but Sanchez were first round picks) and developed by the Giants farm system. Now the Giants can turn their attention to developing some offense- 1st baseman Brandon Belt is the top prospect in the organization. Belt was actually a three time draftee. He passed on the Red Sox (11th round) in 2006 and the Braves (11th round) in 2007. It took a 5th round selection by the Giants in 2009 for Belt to leave the University of Texas and sign a major league contract. Last season he played at three different levels of the minors, including 13 games at Triple-A. Combined he posted a 1.056 OPS, belted 23 home runs and drove in 112 runs. He also stole 22 bases and drew 93 walks. He will need to keep his strikeouts under control, though 99 whiffs isn’t bad considering the numbers he put up.

Baseball analyst John Sickels had this to say about Belt, ranked as the 26th prospect in baseball by MLB.com, “One of Belt’s advantages is that he has an uncanny way of keeping his bat in the zone for pitches, making him able to turn on fastballs but do a good job of hitting the other way. His speed is not going to be a big part of his game. He himself said that when pitchers start getting wise, the stolen bases will stop.”

Belt will begin the season in Triple-A after destroying Single- and Double-A pitching. He won’t join the Giants until 2012 unless injuries should strike or Aubrey Huff struggles, or the Giants perform poorly, which is not likely to happen.

Dodgers: Current LA shortsop Rafael Furcal is always a stolen base threat and has a little bit of pop to boot (though not as much as when he played for the Braves). His eventual replacement looks to be even more of a threat on the bases and still has time to develop some power. But right now Devaris “Dee” Gordon is content to be a table setter and base thief. Since being drafted in the fourth round out of Seminole (FL) Community College in 2008, Gordon has played at one level in each of his three seasons in the minors. He swiped 73 bases in ‘A’ ball in 2009, posting a .362 OPS. His number dropped last season at Double-A Chattanooga, but he still got on base at a .332 clip and stole 53 bags.All told, Gordon has swiped 144 bases in 194 attempts (74%) in his three seasons in the minors. He’s ranked 44th on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospect list.

The son of former big league pitcher Tom “Flash” Gordon didn’t start playing baseball until his senior year of high school and at times it shows. But new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had this time say about him. “He reminds me of a young [Omar] Vizquel. You look at him and think you can knock the bat out of his hands, but he just gets better and better. You see the tools, but he has to go out and play and continue to get better so he’ll be ready to play when he gets here.” With the guaranteed portion of Furcal’s deal up after the 2011 season, Mattingly could very well be managing Gordon next year.

Rockies: Colorado set a club record ($3.9M) to sign high schooler Tyler Matzek, their first round pick (11th overall) in the 2009 draft. The two sides didn’t come to term until mid-August so Matzek didn’t make his professional debut untl 2010. Playing for Asheville (SAL), Matzek struck out 88 batters in 89.1 innings while posting a 2.92 ERA. On the downside he walked 62 hitters, walked four more, threw seven wild pitches, and committed three balks. In other words, Matzek’s season was the life of a young pitcher in a nutshell.

Rockies player development director Marc Gustafson had this to stay about his prospect: “He can get up to 97 mph on his fastball, but his comfort zone is 92-93. With the slider, curve and changeup that he has, those can complement his fastball. He doesn’t need all that velocity, but he can go get it if he needs it.” Scouts like Matzek’s mound presence and feel he has the make up to be a legitimate major league starter. MLB.com’s #33 prospect will start the year in Double-A Modesto of the California League.

Padres: San Diego’s top prospect wasn’t even in their system when the 2010 season ended, but Casey Kelly was part of the package sent to the left coast by Boston to acquire 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez in December. Kelly was the 30th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, plucked out of Sarasota (FL) High School. This past year was the first full season in the minors as a pitcher for Kelly, who strictly played shortsop in 2008 and split his time between the two positions in 2009. He had previously put up solid pitching numbers between ‘A’ and advanced-’A’ ball, but regressed a bit last year at Double-A Portland as his full focus was on pitching.

Kelly throws his fastball consistently in the low 90′s and he can reach the mid 90′s as well. The command of his fastball and curve is something he needs to work on, but scouts are impressed with his changeup and his composure on the mound. It’s why he’s been projected as a top of the rotation starter. The destination for the #22 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com, will be determined during spring training. The thinking here is that the Padres won’t be as aggressive with Kelly as the Red Sox were and will have him start the season once again in Double-A at their affiliate in San Antonio.

Diamondbacks: Despite missing all of the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Jarrod Parker finds himself in the #1 position among Arizona’s prospects. Parker made 16 of his 20 starts at Double-A in 2009, putting up very respectable numbers, including 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The former 9th pick in the 2007 amateur draft (Norwell HS in Indiana), had four pitches he could throw for strikes prior to having surgery. Whether he can still hit his targets remains to be seen.

Parker’s surgery and rehab have gone well. He threw in some instructional league games in the fall and began bullpen sessions in late Janaury. Diamondbacks’ GM Jerry DiPoto told Paolo Bovin of the Arizona Republic, “We do want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for his future. We’ll bring him along a little more slowly than would normally be the case, but . . . “. By not finishing his thought, DiPoto intimated that if Parker is healthy the team might be a little more aggressive than originally planned. That being said Parker will most likely pick up where he left off in Double-A Mobile.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

In case you missed it over the weekend, the Baltimore Orioles came to terms with Vladimir Guerrero on a one year, $8M deal ($3M of which is deferred). The O’s were hoping to pay about half of that, but Guerrero’s representatives won out in the end. Francisco Liriano and the Twins avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one year, $4.3M contract.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are at a standstill in discussing a new contract.

Former Pirate pitcher Ian Snell has inked a minor league deal with the Cardinals that includes an invite to the big league camp.

Talks broke down between the Rockies and Rangers regarding Michael Young, but the Rangers still expect to deal the 3rd baseman within the next few weeks. How much of Young’s contract the Rangers are willing to pick up will help determine how quickly a deal gets done. The Rockies wanted Texas to pay out $20M of the $48M owed Young.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo hears the Red Sox are interested in former Yankee reliever/spot starter Alfredo Aceves.

BD Hot Stove: NL Central Prospects | Baseball Digest

The Cardinals Shelby Miller coming soon to a ball park near you.

BD Hot Stove: NL Central Prospects | Baseball Digest

It’s the second to last Friday before pitchers and catchers report. Yes, the Hot Stove may be cooling off, but we’re just getting warmed up here at Baseball Digest. Spring training is a time for rejuvenations, the sound of ball popping into mitt and glove, the crack of the bat, the warmth of the Florida or Arizona sun, and the chance to get a glimpse of the talent pool in each organizations. So starting today the Hot Stove takes a look at the top prospect in each organization, beginning with the NL Central. These are some of the kids that will be getting eye balled during the coming month and a half.

NL Central Prospects

Reds: Obviously, Aroldis Chapman is the top man, but he’ll be on the 25 man roster heading North for opening day. The next most popular prospect is catcher Devin Mesoraco (Baseball America rates Billy Hamilton as the #2 guy behind Chapman). Mesoraco was the 15th overall pick in the 2007 draft and was selected from Punxsotawney High School. (No word on if he saw his shadow on draft day.) Listed as 6’1″, 220 lbs, Mesoraco split 99 games in 2010 between High ‘A’ and Double-A ball before a 14 game look at Triple-A Louisville. The 22-yr old should spend the entire season in Triple-A this season after he hit26 home runs last year and put up a combined .302/.377/.587 split.

Mesoraco also showed some good discipline at the plate, drawing 43 walks while striking out just 80 times in 451 plate appearances. As for defense, this from baseball analyst John Sickels, “Defensively, he remains vulnerable to passed balls and excessive errors, but he’s thrown out 40% of runners trying to steal on him, and there seems to be a general consensus that his other defensive issues will get better in time.” Sickels actually did a 180 degree flip on Mesoraco, thinking he was a complete bust prior to the 2010 season. It should be noted that Mesoraco’s development was also slowed by Tommy John surgery in high school.

Cubs: Outfielder Brett Jackson and pitcher Trey McNutt (great name) are the top choices among those in the know. For today, we’re going to focus on Jackson, the 31st overall pick in the 2009 draft. The University of California-Berkley junior was ranked by Baseball America as the second best athlete in his draft class. After posting a .908 OPS in rookie and ‘A’ ball, Jackson showed some of the offensive skills in 2010 that turned scouts on to him. Playing at Dayton (‘A+’) and Tennessee (‘AA’), Jackson showed power (12 HR), speed (30 SB, 14 2B, 12 3B), and the ability to set the table (73 BB, .395 OPS). He will need to cut down considerably on his strikeouts (126) though.

Ranked as the #43 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, Jackson should start the season in Double-A, but will make his way to Triple-A Iowa rather quickly.

Cardinals: Without question, Shelby Miller is the top ranked prospect in the St. Louis organization. The hard throwing right-hander was selected 19th overall in the 2009 draft out of Brownwood (TX) High School. He blew away hitters for Quad Cities of the Midwest League (‘A’) last season, striking out 140 over matched batters in 104 1/3 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio was better than 4:1 and he allowed less than a hit an inning.

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus describes Miller’s delivery as “..free and easy.Classic, almost textbook 3/4 delivery with nothing exaggerated in leg kick, landing, or follow through. Hands remain exceptionally quiet during windup with a quick load of right hand into position and lightning release. Landing is soft, in-line, and well balanced.” Miller’s fastball is generally in the low to mid-90s and is expected to be more consistently in the higher range. He mixes in a low 80′s curve and a low to mid-80′s changeup. Just 19 and ranked 20th among all prospects by MLB.com, Miller is expected to start the season at High-A Palm Beach.

Pirates: Bryce Harper- that’s the player that stood in the way of Jameson Taillon being the first, rather than second, overall pick in this past year’s amateur draft. The 6’7″, 230 lb right-hander has a fastball that topped out at 99 mph in high school, with an excellent curveball and slider. He also has a good change up, but didn’t need to throw it often against high school competition. He has also gotten high marks for his composure on the mound.

Taillon didn’t sign until mid-Augst so he did not pitch at the professional level last season. He’s ticketed for rookie ball this season.

Astros: Another right-handed pitcher is the top prospect for Houston; Jordan Lyles was the 38 overall pick of the 2008, 1st round draft out Hartsville (SC) High School. The 6’4″ pitcher spent most of the last season at Double-A Corpus Christi, posting a 7-9, 3.12 mark with 46 walks and 137 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched. Lyles also saw 31 innings at Triple-A Round Rock, but had much less success (5.40 ERA, 2:1 K to BB ratio). Lyles is not a power pitcher and must be accurate with his upper 80′s to low 90′s two seam fastball to be successful.

This could be a make or break season for Lyles, who should be in Round Rock when the minor league season opens. Once again, Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein: “Lyles has little margin for error, and his inability to blow away hitters led to some struggles following a late-season promotion to Triple-A. Despite his length and a frame that should fill out, he’s not very projectable; it seems like his current velocity already requires effort, leaving many to feel he’s close to his ceiling.”

Brewers: With 2nd baseman Brett Lawrie dealt to Toronto, right-hander Mark Rogers became Milwaukee’s top rated prospect. It was no easy feat for the former #5 pick in the 2004 draft; Rogers missed all of 2007 and 2008 after undergoing shoulder surgery. But he topped 20 starts each of the last two seasons and threw a career high 116 innings in 2010. His command is still a question (72 walks), but he did strikeout nearly a batter an inning and gave up less hits than innings pitched in his 25 starts (All but one were at Double-A Hunstville). For his hard work, Rogers was rewarded with a four game stint with the major league club in September. In 10 innings pitched (two starts), Rogers allowed just two hits, two earned runs, walked three, and struck out 11.

No one questions Rogers’ stuff, but he must get his command under control at Triple-A Nashville this season if he is to eventually make the step up to the majors a permament one.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Andy Pettitte held his retirement press conference this morning in New York, though he never mentioned the word retirement specifically and said you can never say never. That being said, he also said he was happy with his decision and his head and heart were just not up to the grind of another major league season.

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal heard the Yankees were “kicking around” the idea of acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Angels. The Yankees front office probably came to their senses a short time later.

Jim Edmonds has decided to return for another year after the results of a physical convinced him to return to the Cardinals. For now he’s on a minor league contract until room can be freed up on the 40 man roster.

The Michael Young trade rumors are alive and well again. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that Texas has once again begun to explore dealing the 3rd baseman. With the signing of free agent hot corner man Adrian Beltre and the acquisition of Mike Napoli to DH, Young could be dealt to shore up the team’s pitching staff.

The Tigers have signed outfielder Timo Perez to a minor league deal. Perez has not been in the majors since 2007.

Juan Cruz will try to come back from shoulder surgery with the Rays organization after inking a minor league deal.

The Dodgers have signed left-handed journeyman Ron Mahay to a minor league deal, while the Orioles added outfielder Randy Winn with a minor league contract.

Yankees Live to Fight Another Day

CC Sabathia wasn't as sharp as he is capable of being, but he was a lot sharper than he was in game 1 of the ALCS. The Yankees gave him run support just as they did in the series opener and forced a game 6 with a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers this afternoon.

Unlike the earlier games in the series the Yankees came up with some big hits when they needed them. They also got some help from some sloppy Texas play and C.J. Wilson who wasn't nearly as good as he was in game 1.

Sabathia gave up three hits in the first two innings, but with the help of a double play, the game was scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd inning. That's when Wilson's troubles began. He walked the lead off man Alex Rodriguez and one batter later issued a free pass to Lance Berkman. Jorge Posada singled through the right side to plate Rodriguez, who went in standing just ahead of catcher Matt Treanor's tag.

Curtis Granderson then dropped one in front of Jeff Francoeur in right to score Berkman and Posada followed when Francoeur's throw ricocheted off the outstretched glove of third baseman Michael Young. Wilson backed up the play and had a shot at Posada at the plate, but threw over the head of Treanor for a 3-0 Yankees lead.

The Yankees brought out the big guns an inning later; Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano hit back to back home runs for a comfortable 5-0 lead. It was Cano's fourth home run of the series, tying him with Hamilton for the LCS high.

Sabathia bent, but never broke. He gave up a solo home run to Treanor in the 5th and ran into trouble in the 6th when he gave up three straight singles. But after Treanor's ground out produced a second run, Sabathia froze Mitch Moreland with a strike three breaking pitch to end the inning.

The Yankees got one of the runs back on a sac fly by Berkman in the 5th and added another in the 8th on a Granderson solo home run.

Joe Girardi, highly criticized here earlier today, didn't have to make too many decisions in this one. The lineup worked out for the most part, he had his ace on the mound and then he went to a Kerry Wood-Mariano Rivera duo for the 7th through 9th innings. It was just a matter of determining who would get how many outs.

As it turned out Woods was the two inning man, pitching a very effective 7th and 8th innings. His work included picking Elvis Andrus off of second base to quash any possible rally in the 7th inning. Rivera, working for the first time since game 1, allowed a two out single to Moreland, but retired Andrus on a foul out to earn his second save of the series.

On to Texas for a Phil Hughes-Colby Lewis rematch on Friday night.

Notes

As expected, Mark Teixeira was removed from the roster with a badly strained hamstring. Infielder Eduardo Nunez took his place. Should the Yankees advance to the World Series, Teixeira would not be eligible to play even if he miraculously recovered.

The Yankees nearly lost another first baseman when Berkman slipped on the warning track chasing a foul ball. His feet went out from under and he slammed down hard on the firm surface. He got the wind knocked out of him and stayed down for several minutes. Though he's sure to be sore on Thursday he was able to continue for the rest of the game...with a better pair of shoes.

Yankees Win Bigger Than Texas

CC Sabathia has picked up his teammates up many times with outstanding starts. Friday night it was his teammates turn to pick up the top Cy Young contender with a come from behind, 6-5 victory in game 1 of the ALCS.

Bolstered by a 5-0 lead, C.J. Wilson dominated the Yankees through six innings before Robinson Cano finally put the Yankees on the board with a solo home run. An inning later the Yankees took advantage of a shaky Rangers bullpen.

Brett Gardner started things off with pure hustle on a tapper to first baseman Jorge Cantu. Gardner flew down the line and slid head first to beat Wilson to the first base bag. Derek Jeter followed with a double into the left field corner and Gardner scored as the ball kicked around in the corner. Ron Washington pulled Wilson and opted for left-hander Darren Wilson to keep Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira batting from the right side.

The move didn't matter though when Oliver, who faced the Yankees in the post-season as a member of the Rangers in 1996, walked both hitters to load the bases. Washington went to right-hander Darren O'Day to face Alex Rodriguez, but the Yankees third baseman ripped a 2-run single through his counterpart Michael Young to cut the lead to 5-4.

Washington's moves continued to backfire when he brought in lefty Clay Rapada to face Cano. The Yankees MVP candidate lined a single to center field that Josh Hamilton mishandled to allow Teixeira to score the tying run. Cue another pitching change.

This time Washington went with another left-hander, Derek Holland, but Marcus Thames singled home A-Rod to put the Yankees on top for the first time, 6-5.

Sabathia appeared to be rusty after not having pitched since October 6. His lack of command affected him immediately as he walked lead off man Elvis Andrus in the 1st inning. Young followed with a single and Josh Hamilton hit a 2-strike frozen rope into the right field seats for a 3-0 lead.

The Rangers would eventually load the bases and could have broken the game open early, but Posada fielded Sabathia's wild pitch and threw out Nelson Cruz racing home from third. Replays showed that Sabathia got the tag on Cruz's shoulder just before the Rangers outfielder crossed home plate. Sabathia appeared to settle down somewhat, but the Rangers staged a two out rally in the 4th inning that culminated with a Young 2-run double for the 5-0 advantage.

The Yankees bullpen combo of Joba Chamberlain and Dustin Moseley plugged up the leak and enabled the comeback. Moseley picked up the first post-season win of his career after Mariano Rivera escaped a jam in the 9th. Pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland led off the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Andrus. But Rivera won a long duel with Young with a strikeout and got Hamilton to ground out to end the game.

Notes

The Rangers relievers were most responsible for the loss, but Ian Kinsler has some goat horns as well. After drawing a lead off walk against Kerry Wood in the 8th, Kinsler was picked off for a huge out.

Cano's home run was the first by a left-hander off of Wilson since June, '08.

Good Things Happen To Those Who Don't Watch

I admit it. I shut off the TV last night when the 6th Texas run crossed home plate last night. Down 6-1 against Cliff Lee there was no way the Yankees were coming back.

Only they did.

Now while I messed around on Facebook and played Spider Spolitaire and considered going to bed early, I also kept checking the score on Yahoo Sports.

A wild pitch, a Lance Berkman ribbie double. Brett Gardner finally gets a hit..hmm, 6-4.

Resisting urge to turn the game back on; they're doing fine without me.

Marcus Thames homers off Frank Francisco in the 8th to cut the lead to 6-5. Will NOT put the game on.

The game is tied and two are on...CLICK...we now return you to your normal programming day. Just in time to see Marcus Thames single through the left side to put the Yankees on top 7-6.

But this isn't over yet. Elvus Andrus triples off Mariano Rivera to start the bottom of the 9th. Perhaps I should have left the game off.

But Mo would make Houdini proud.

Michael Young bloops one to right for a sure game tying single. But wait. Austin Kearns shoe top catch saves the day for a moment. Even Mo said "Oh God" to himself when Kearns caught it.

Next Mo gets the league's leading hitter Josh Hamilton to hit a comebacker for the 2nd out. That leaves it up to the dangerous Nelson Cruz, but the big outfielder grounds out to A-Rod. Yankees win. THeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!

Notes

Kerry Wood picked up his first win as a Yankee. Though he's walked too many hitters, he's allowed just one earned run and struck out nine in six innings pitched.

Jorge Posada was back behind the dish after sitting out all of Tuesday's game with a sore shoulder.

George King of the NY Post reported that Andy Pettitte was scratched from a simulated start today. No reason was given.

Curtis Granderson has had his swing revamped by Kevin Long in hopes of turning his season around. Granderson will unveil the new look tonight in Kansas City.

Javier Vazquez's last three starts have not been good - 6.1 - 5.1 - 4.1 innings pitched. He's allowed 13 earned runs in the 15 innings with 22 hits and 7 walks.

Rangers Walkoff Cuts Bombers Lead To 1/2 Game

These nights are going to happen; when Mariano Rivera will be human. You just wish they wouldn't happen on nights when the Yankees offense was short handed and short on big hits. On nights when the Yankees have won only 3 of 7 coming in. But they do and tonight was one of them. Texas used three singles, none of them hit hard, and an intentional walk to beat the Yankees 4-3 in 10 innings.

Alex Rodriguez had forced the extra frame with his 601st career home run in the 8th, but the Yankees failed to take the lead despite opportunities in two of the final three innings.

Michael Young beat Derek Jeter's throw to first for an infield single to start the 10th and Josh Hamilton followed with a bouncer through the right side to put two men aboard.

A-Rod temporarily saved the day when he made a diving stop of a Vlad Guerrero ground out and threw out the big DH at 1st base. Rivera intentionally walked Nelson Cruz to load the bases and quickly fell behind David Murphy 3-0. The Yankees closer came back to get the count full, but then left a cutter up in the zone that Murphy laced to right for the game winning RBI.

A.J. Burnett bounced back from his rough outing against Toronto last week and back spams that pushed his start back three days, but gave up a go ahead 2-run blast to Murphy in the 6th.

The Yankees had pushed two runs across the board in 5.1 innings against Rangers starter C.J. Wilson, but it took Rodriguez's 18th home run of the year off of Frank Francisco to even things up. The Yankees, with a starting lineup missing Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano, had a chance to do further damage in the inning when Austin Kearns drew a walk and pinch-runner Curtis Granderson advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch.

Granderson moved to 3rd on Lance Berkman's fly out, but Francisco Cervelli lined out softly to 1st and Brett Gardner grounded out to short.

The Yankees also had a chance in the 9th against Rangers closer Neftali Feliz. Robinson Cano, who entered the game in the 6th as a pinch-hitter, led off the inning with a single. That's when the Yankees luck ran out. With the hit and run on, Derek Jeter bounced a ball to the right side that Cano had to hold up on to avoid being out for interference. He might as well have been as the bouncer turned into a back breaking 4-6-3 double play.

Notes

Mark Teixeira will miss the conclusion of the series on Wednesday as well. He was with his wife Leigh for the birth of their third child, William Charles.

Robinson Cano sat out the start of the game with a bad cold.

Home plate ump Mike Estabrook was a thorn in the Yankees side all night. He reversed a safe call on Lance Berkman in the early going and had a moving strike zone, especially when Brett Gardner was up. Joe Girardi was so incensed after the call reversal (even though it was the right call), that bench coach Tony Pena came out to usher him off the field.

Michael Young will NOT Replace Robinson Cano

Okay, those of you throwing that crazy idea out there of trading for Michael Young and playing him at second base, can stop now. Young has agreed to play third base for the Rangers and has retracted his request to be traded.

Some Yankees fans, those who need an all-star at every position, were hoping the Yankees would deal for Young, enabling them to either move Cano to center field or trade him for pitching or a star center fielder.

Elvis is in the building - Young's spot at shortstop will be taken by 20-yr old rookie Elvis Andrus, who was acquired in 2007 as part of the Mark Teixeira deal with the Braves. He hit .295 last season at Double-A Frisco, with a .350 on-base percentage, and 54 stolen bases, and is considered a stellar defender. He also got a glimpse of Yankee Stadium in it's final season as a participant in the Futures game.

Young know his transition will be tough, but knows it will be even tougher for the rookie.

"Elvis is a good kid," Young said. "There were a couple of things about this that were tough. One is, the fans shouldn't have to choose between the club and a player. We're all working for the same thing. That's the last thing I wanted to happen.

"It's also tough for Elvis. He's a good kid. I met him last year in Spring Training and really like him. I want to be there for him and do everything I can to help him.

Marathon Man

Steve Politi of the Star Ledger put it best, Yankee Stadium had the last laugh last night. The American League finally prevailed in 15 innings, 4-3. Michael Young's sac fly brought home Justin Morneau with the winning run at 1:37 a.m., some 4 hours and 50 minutes after play began. We were sacked out by the 11th inning, but would have continued to watch had the game started, at oh 8:00. But Fox Sports sucks.

23 pitchers were used in the game, including Brandon Webb, who had pitched Sunday and said he wouldn't be able to go last night. The NL was down one pitcher due to the hospitalization of Giants starter Tim Lincecum, who was dehydrated and suffered from flu-like symptoms.

Perhaps the MLB front office should change the game to a Thursday and then teams can have a full 3 days off before the game so that pitchers will be more rested and can go more than one inning. Aaron Cook was the hero of the night, going 3 innings, and escaped a Dan Uggla disaster to extend the game.

We did enjoy seeing Bud Selig sweating at the possibility of another game ending in a tie. Other highlights included the Bleacher Creatures doing roll call for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and chanting "Bobby Murcer". They threw out some "Red Sox suck", as well.

There was a video tribute to Bobby Murcer in the 2nd inning, which was neither mentioned nor shown. But as we said Fox Sports Sucks.

The pre-game festivities with all of the Hall of Fame members in attendance it was truly special. Kudos to Wade Boggs, who went into the Hall as a member of the Red Sox, but wore a Yankees hat last night. And Dave Winfield, who wore a Padres hat, but carried a Yankees hat as well. And having Yogi, Whitey, Reggie, and Goose throw out the first pitch. George Steinbrenner, bawling his eyes out, delivering the balls to the mound. Dan Graziano says George wasn't a nice person back in the day, but he deserves to be in the Hall. We have to agree.

We found it odd that Joe Morgan was there for the home run derby Monday night, but didn't stick around for the game. Was he concerned about the possibility of being booed? No Johnny Bench either.

One person who was at the game was Willie Randolph, as a guest of George Steinbrenner. Willie will always be a Yankee.

Joe Buck and Tim McCarver did a good job, which is not an easy compliment to make. Buck did a very good job handling the pre-game ceremony, and was self deprecating at mispronouncing Justin Duscherer's name.

The excitement of Mariano Rivera coming on in the 9th, and Fox cutting away before he reached the mound, because Fox really sucks. Mo looked like he would get the win before Cook pulled his Houdini act.

It was a typical game for Derek Jeter, a single and a double play grounder in 3 at-bats. A-Rod failed with a runner in scoring position. The Mets didn't fare well either. Billy Wagner blew another save, and David Wright struck out his first two times up before getting a single and a walk.

Boston's J.D. Drew homered, drawing the only applause for a Red Sox player, and captured the game's MVP award.

July 15, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15		R	H	E
NL All-Stars	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	13	4
AL All-Stars	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		4	14	1

NL All-Stars	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Ramirez, H, SS	3	1	2	0	0	1	0	.667
Tejada, SS	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	.667
Utley, 2B	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.333
Uggla, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	3	6	.000
Berkman, 1B	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	.000
Gonzalez, A, 1B	3	0	1	1	0	1	3	.333
Pujols, DH	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	.667
a-Wright, PH-DH	3	0	1	0	1	2	1	.333
Jones, C, 3B	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	.333
Ramirez, A, 3B	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000
1-Guzman, PR-3B	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000
Holliday, RF	3	1	1	1	0	0	3	.333
Hart, C, RF	3	0	0	0	0	1	3	.000
Braun, LF	3	0	0	0	0	2	1	.000
Ludwick, LF	2	0	0	0	1	1	2	.000
Fukudome, CF	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
McLouth, CF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Soto, C	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Martin, C	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
McCann, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	52	3	13	3	4	17	25
a-Struck out for Pujols in the 8th. 1-Ran for Ramirez, A in the 9th.
BATTING HR: Holliday (1, 5th inning off Santana, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Ramirez, H 2; Tejada 2; Utley; Gonzalez, A; Pujols 2; Wright; Jones, C; Holliday 4; McLouth; Martin. RBI: Holliday (1), Berkman (1), Gonzalez, A (1). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Braun; Holliday; Gonzalez, A 2. S: Martin. SF: Berkman; Gonzalez, A. GIDP: Uggla. Team LOB: 11. BASERUNNING SB: Tejada (1, 2nd base off Papelbon/Navarro). CS: Guzman (1, 2nd base by Rivera/Navarro). FIELDING E: Ramirez, H (1, throw), Uggla 3 (3, fielding, fielding, fielding). Outfield assists: McLouth (Navarro at home). DP: (Ramirez, H-Utley-Berkman). Pickoffs: Zambrano (Bradley at 1st base).

NL All-Stars	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Sheets	2.0	1	0	0	2	3	0	0.00
Zambrano	2.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Haren (H, 1)	2.0	2	0	0	1	2	0	0.00
Volquez (BS, 1)	1.0	2	2	2	0	2	1	18.00
Wilson (H, 1)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Wagner (BS, 1)	0.1	2	1	1	0	0	0	27.00
Dempster	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
Cook	3.0	4	0	0	3	1	0	0.00
Marmol	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Webb	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Lidge (L, 0-1)	0.2	2	1	1	1	0	0	13.50

AL All-Stars	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Suzuki, RF	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	.333
Drew, RF	4	1	2	2	1	1	0	.500
Jeter, SS	3	0	1	0	0	0	3	.333
Young, SS	4	0	1	1	0	2	1	.250
Hamilton, CF-LF	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.333
Quentin, LF	4	0	0	0	0	1	3	.000
Rodriguez, A, 3B	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Crede, 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
b-Guillen, PH-3B	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.333
Ramirez, M, LF	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Sizemore, CF	5	1	1	0	0	2	5	.200
Bradley, DH	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	.000
c-Longoria, PH-DH	4	0	1	1	0	2	4	.250
Youkilis, 1B	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Morneau, 1B	4	2	2	0	1	0	4	.500
Mauer, C	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	1.000
1-Kinsler, PR-2B	5	0	1	0	0	1	4	.200
Pedroia, 2B	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	.000
Varitek, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Navarro, PH-C	4	0	1	0	1	2	1	.250
Totals	57	4	14	4	7	17	34
a-Struck out for Varitek in the 7th. b-Struck out for Crede in the 8th. c-Doubled for Bradley in the 8th. 1-Ran for Mauer in the 5th.
BATTING 2B: Morneau (1, Volquez), Longoria (1, Wagner), Guillen (1, Cook). HR: Drew (1, 7th inning off Volquez, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Suzuki; Drew 5; Jeter; Young; Hamilton; Guillen 2; Sizemore; Longoria 2; Morneau 3; Mauer; Kinsler; Navarro. RBI: Drew 2 (2), Longoria (1), Young (1). 2-out RBI: Drew 2; Longoria. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A; Pedroia; Jeter; Bradley; Morneau 3; Quentin 3; Kinsler 2. SF: Young. GIDP: Jeter. Team LOB: 17. BASERUNNING SB: Drew (1, 2nd base off Marmol/Martin), Sizemore (1, 2nd base off Wagner/Martin), Jeter (1, 2nd base off Sheets/Soto), Hamilton (1, 2nd base off Haren/Martin), Bradley (1, 2nd base off Sheets/Soto), Kinsler (1, 2nd base off Haren/Martin). CS: Kinsler (1, 2nd base by Cook/Martin). PO: Bradley (1st base by Zambrano). FIELDING E: Navarro (1, throw). Outfield assists: Suzuki (Pujols at 2nd base). DP: 2 (Navarro-Kinsler, Kinsler-Young-Morneau).

AL All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Lee 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 Saunders 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Halladay 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Santana 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 9.00 Duchscherer 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 9.00 Nathan 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Papelbon 1.0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0.00 Rodriguez, F 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Rivera 1.2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Soria 1.2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0.00 Sherrill 2.1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Kazmir (W, 1-0) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00

IBB: Guillen (by Cook), Morneau (by Cook), Tejada (by Soria). Pitches-strikes: Sheets 42-24, Zambrano 20-12, Haren 36-22, Volquez 18-11, Wilson 12-7, Wagner 9-6, Dempster 18-10, Cook 42-21, Marmol 19-12, Webb 13-8, Lidge 19-12, Lee 20-16, Saunders 12-8, Halladay 9-8, Santana 20-15, Duchscherer 22-15, Nathan 8-5, Papelbon 11-9, Rodriguez, F 8-4, Rivera 26-18, Soria 30-17, Sherrill 25-18, Kazmir 14-7. Ground outs-fly outs: Sheets 0-3, Zambrano 4-0, Haren 1-3, Volquez 1-0, Wilson 0-1, Wagner 1-0, Dempster 0-0, Cook 6-0, Marmol 1-0, Webb 0-1, Lidge 0-2, Lee 2-1, Saunders 2-1, Halladay 1-0, Santana 1-0, Duchscherer 0-2, Nathan 0-2, Papelbon 0-1, Rodriguez, F 0-1, Rivera 2-0, Soria 1-2, Sherrill 2-3, Kazmir 1-1. Batters faced: Sheets 9, Zambrano 6, Haren 9, Volquez 5, Wilson 2, Wagner 3, Dempster 3, Cook 16, Marmol 4, Webb 3, Lidge 5, Lee 7, Saunders 4, Halladay 3, Santana 4, Duchscherer 6, Nathan 3, Papelbon 4, Rodriguez, F 2, Rivera 5, Soria 9, Sherrill 8, Kazmir 4. Inherited runners-scored: Rivera 1-0, Sherrill 3-0. Umpires: HP: Derryl Cousins. 1B: Ed Rapuano. 2B: Tom Hallion. 3B: Mark Wegner. LF: Greg Gibson. RF: Phil Cuzzi. Weather: 82 degrees, clear. Wind: 8 mph, Out to CF. T: 4:50. Att: 55,632.