2007 Kansas City Royals - Here we go Again

[Dauis]

8/21/2007
TRADE
The Giants have traded 35-year-old left fielder Dave Roberts to the Chicago White Sox for 25-year-old second baseman Angel Gonzalez.

Dave Roberts – 117 G, 442 AB, 64 R, 150 H, 23 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 30 RBI, 177 TB, 30 BB, 56 K, 45 SB, 17 CS, .339 AVG, .382 OBP, .400 SLG, .782 OPS, 28.9 VORP

Angel Gonzalez – 39 G, 129 AB, 24 R, 34 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 56 TB, 14 BB, 29 K, 1 SB, 2 CS, .264 AVG, .338 OBP, .434 SLG, .772 OPS, 5.0 VORP

Roberts will platoon at left with Ryan Sweeney, starting against righties. The Sox must feel they needed him to make a push at the Wild Card. They are 2.5 behind Baltimore right now. Their division chances seem slim, as they are 9 games behind the Twins. A pretty even, if unspectacular, trade.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 5
Cleveland 3
W: B. Bonser (11-7) L: J. Sowers (10-10) S: J. Crain (7)
HR – MIN: J. Lane (22)

Oakland 5
Boston 1
W: R. Harden (17-6) L: J. Papelbon (7-11)

Seattle 9
Tampa Bay 5
W: M. Batista (13-6) L: J. Blanton (5-10)
HR – SEA: R. Durham (17), R. Sexson 2 (29) TBA: T. Wigginton (29), F. Tatis (5)

Toronto 4
Baltimore 9
W: J. Acevedo (9-10) L: J. Towers (11-8)
HR – BAL: N. Markakis 2 (15)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 9
Washington 2
W: O. Villarreal (4-5) L: A. Kown (2-3)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (20), A. Jones (27)

Washington reliever Chad Cordero will miss 1-2 weeks with a tender shoulder.

Houston 4
Pittsburgh 6
W: S. Torres (4-4) L: D. Wheeler (4-7) S: M. Caps (21)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (37)

Philadelphia 12
St. Louis 3
W: F. Garcia (14-5) L: C. Narveson (3-5)
HR – PHI: P. Burrell (27), E. Reed (1) STL: A. Pujols 2 (39)

San Francisco 7
San Diego 1
W: P. Liriano (2-2) L: C. Young (13-5)
HR – SFN: R. Branyan 2 (26), R. Winn (13)

Arizona 4
Colorado 9
W: B. Kim (8-5) L: Y. Petit (12-10)
HR – ARI: C. Quentin (19) COL: T. Helton (22), G. Atkins (30), M. Holliday 2 (32), J. Mabry 2 (2)

Chicago (N) 2
Florida 9
W: A. Sanchez (7-9) L: T. Lilly (10-8)
HR – CHN: M. Barrett (31) FLO: M. Olivo (23), M. Jacobs (25)

Miguel Olivo owned Cubs pitching today. He went 5-5 in the win. He singled in the 2nd, hit a two-run single in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, hit a solo shot in the 7th, and hit an RBI single in the 8th.

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Dauis

Sorry Loeffle. I totally missed this post.

Right now the Brewers are 64-60, third place in the division and 8 games behind the Cubs, and 4 games behind the Phillies for the Wild Card. Their .265 batting average is 3rd in the NL, and their 4.02 ERA is 4th in the NL.

Pitching-wise they are being led by Sheets and Suppan. Sheets is 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA, 19 walks, and 185 strikeouts. I would say he is the second best pitcher in the NL behind Randy Johnson right now. Suppan seems to be suffering from a little bit of bad luck, as he is only 9-11 with a 3.23 ERA, 50 walks, and 115 strikeouts. They traded Dave Bush early in the year, but traded for Jake Westbrook to replace him.

As for the lineup, Bill Hall is the leading hitter. He's hitting .273 with 30 doubles, 1 triple, and 30 home runs, and 93 RBIs.

Their farm system is middle of the pack right now, ranked 14th. Their top prospect is their second round pick from this year's draft, center fielder Drew Stubbs. He's moved up quickly, already in AAA. He's hitting .353 there in his first 5 games. I wouldn't be surprised to see him compete for a major league roster spot next season.

Anything else you wanna know, just ask.

Interesting In my game I might trade Suppan away. No idea why he has such a big contract ...

Id also be interested in your Blown Saves Stats at the KC Royals ...

[Dauis]

Originally Posted by Loeffle

Interesting In my game I might trade Suppan away. No idea why he has such a big contract ...

Id also be interested in your Blown Saves Stats at the KC Royals ...

You just HAD to ask, didn't you?

Dotel 6
Soria 5
Evert 4
Broxton 2
Wellemeyer 2
Nunez 1
Ray 1

For a total of 21 blown saves. Thank you VERY much for making me go through that. It made me feel a whole lot better about this season. Ha.

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Dauis

You just HAD to ask, didn't you?

Dotel 6
Soria 5
Evert 4
Broxton 2
Wellemeyer 2
Nunez 1
Ray 1

For a total of 21 blown saves. Thank you VERY much for making me go through that. It made me feel a whole lot better about this season. Ha.

Btw, could it be that your pitching talent Rogers also had a history in Milwaukee?

In my game he is a starter at AAA Nashville - maybe he will replace Suppan sooner or later ... He had two decent starts down there, just struggles with control

[Dauis]

8/22/2007
Game #127 – Detroit (C. Durbin 1-6, 6.21 ERA) at Kansas City (J. Bale 8-8, 5.73 ERA)
Detroit 6
Kansas City 3
W: C. Durbin (2-6) L: J. Bale (8-9) S: T. Jones (28)
HR – DET: I. Rodriguez (7), B. Inge (6), M. Thames (24), C. Granderson (12)

It was a pitching duel for the first 6 innings. It was tied at 2. Bale had only made 2 mistakes, both resulting in solo home runs. However, in the 7th, Detroit put up 3 runs, and with the way they were pitching, that was more than enough. Granderson was the player of the game after hitting the 3-run shot in the 7th.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 3
Boston 9
W: A. Alvarez (6-3) L: S. Komine (7-5) S: C. Hansen (20)
HR – OAK: B. Crosby (17) BOS: M. Ramirez (36), J. Lugo (14), J. Drew (15), K. Mellilo (1)

Seattle 5
Tampa Bay 3
W: C. Reitsma (2-2) L: J. Capellan (4-3) S: J. Putz (27)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (15), K. Johjima (14) TBA: H. Stanley (1)

Chicago (A) 4
New York (A) 6
W: M. Mussina (17-5) L: M. Buehrle (11-7) S: L. Vizcaino (4)
HR – NYA: J. Giambi (20), R. Cano (15)

Ouch. A HUGE blow for Yankees fans. Mariano Rivera will miss the next 12 months with back spasms. Luis Vizcaino will take over the closer’s role.

Toronto 1
Texas 2
W: K. Loe (9-14) L: G. Chacin (0-2) S: E. Gagne (21)
HR – TOR: R. Johnson (6)

Baltimore 6
Los Angeles (A) 7
W: H. Carrasco (6-3) L: O. Moreno (5-2) S: F. Rodriguez (35)
HR – BAL: J. Gibbons (13) LAA: H. Kendrick (8)

Minnesota 4
Cleveland 5 (12)
W: E. Mujica (4-3) L: J. Crain (2-4)
HR – CLE: J. Barfield (6)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 6
Washington 7
W: L. Ayala (2-4) L: B. Wickman (6-3)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (21), A. Jones (28) WSH: A. Escobar (1), N. Logan (6)

Houston 5
Pittsburgh 6
W: I. Snell (7-13) L: O. Dotel (4-6) S: B. Meadows (1)
HR – PIT: J. Bautista (23)

Philadelphia 10
St. Louis 3
W: O. Perez (11-9) L: J. Isringhausen (3-2)
HR – PHI: M. Lieberthal (18), W. Helms (15), P. Burrell (28) STL: S. Rolen (21)

San Francisco 4
San Diego 6
W: T. Stauffer (2-3) L: N. Lowry (4-17) S: T. Hoffman (24)
HR – SDN: K. Kouzmanoff (15)

Arizona 6
Colorado 4
W: R. Johnson (13-5) L: M. Gosling (1-2) S: J. Valverde (29)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson (4), J. Guillen (13) COL: R. Spilborghs (8)

Cincinnati 4
New York (N) 5
W: J. Maine (10-12) L: A. Harang (13-11) S: B. Wagner (29)
HR – CIN: J. Gutierrez (5) NYN: P. Lo Duca (2)

Los Angeles (N) 2
Milwaukee 5
W: J. Westbrook (8-9) L: D. Lowe (7-12) S: F. Cordero (24)
HR – MIL: J. Estrada (13)

Chicago (N) 4
Florida 2
W: R. Dempster (5-1) L: P. Astacio (9-9) S: B. Howry (26)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez (28), M. DeRosa (11)

[Dauis]

Originally Posted by Loeffle

Btw, could it be that your pitching talent Rogers also had a history in Milwaukee?

In my game he is a starter at AAA Nashville - maybe he will replace Suppan sooner or later ... He had two decent starts down there, just struggles with control

Yeah, that's the same one. I acquired him with Koskie early in the season.

[Dauis]

8/23/2007
Game #128 – Detroit (D. Wells 7-11, 4.90 ERA) at Kansas City (M. Rogers 4-3, 3.22 ERA)
Detroit 2
Kansas City 0
W: D. Wells (8-11) L: M. Rogers (4-4) S: T. Jones (29)
HR – DET: C. Granderson (13)

What a pitching matchup between the veteran and the rookie. David Wells went 8 innings, gave up 6 hits and a walk, and struck out 4. Rogers was nearly as good, going 8.1 innings, and he gave up the 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, and struck out 9. He just didn’t get any run support. It’s a shame a start like that had wasn’t rewarded with a win.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 17
Boston 2
W: D. Haren (10-12) L: C. Schiling (15-8)
HR – OAK: M. Piazza (10), E. Chavez (14), M. Ellis (7), D. Barton (10)

Seattle 11
Tampa Bay 12 (13)
W: B. Medders (4-4) L: C. Reitsma (2-3)
HR – SEA: J. Vidro (1), K. Johjima (15) TBA: G. Norton (12)

Chicago (A) 1
New York (A) 8
W: D. Rasner (3-1) L: J. Vazquez (9-11)
HR – CHA: J. Dye (30) NYA: A. Rodriguez (33), J. Giambi (21), B. Abreu (12)

Toronto 6
Texas 2
W: R. Halladay (9-15) L: J. Wright (5-13) S: B. Ryan (24)

Baltimore 6
Los Angeles (A) 3
W: E. Bedard (15-9) L: J. Lackey (10-6) S: D. Baez (31)
HR – BAL: K. Millar (5) LAA: M. Napoli (26)

Minnesota 7
Cleveland 4
W: P. Neshek (4-0) L: C. Lee (13-11) S: J. Nathan (31)
HR – MIN: M. Bellhorn (14)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 0
Washington 2
W: J. Patterson (15-8) L: K. Davies (2-6) S: L. Ayala (32)

Houston 12
Pittsburgh 0
W: R. Oswalt (14-5) L: S. Kim (5-11)
HR – HOU: M. Ensberg (25), E. Bruntlett (15), L. Scott (11)

Philadelphia 1
St. Louis 2
W: B. Looper (1-9) L: T. Gordon (4-6)
HR – PHI: E. Reed (2) STL: C. Duncan (35)

San Francisco 6
San Diego 3 (10)
W: F. Cabrera (2-3) L: T. Hoffman (0-5)
HR – SFN: R. Klesko (9)

Arizona 6
Colorado 7
W: J. Fogg (2-0) L: L. Hernandez (9-8) S: B. Fuentes (27)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (31), B. Hawpe (23)

Cincinnati 5
New York (N) 6
W: T. Tucker (7-3) L: B. Arroyo (10-10) S: B. Wagner (30)
HR – CIN: B. Phillips (13), J. Shanks (1) NYN: J. Valentin (18), S. Green (10)

Los Angeles (N) 5
Milwaukee 3
W: J. Beimel (4-2) L: V. Perkins (2-2) S: T. Saito (32)
HR – LAN: J. Guzman (4) MIL: P. Fielder (17)

Chicago (N) 1
Florida 2 (10)
W: J. Julio (4-6) L: B. Howry (4-5)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez (29)

[Dauis]

8/24/2007
Game #129 – Detroit (Z. Miner 1-5, 6.81 ERA) at Kansas City (Z. Greinke 5-16, 6.26 ERA)
Detroit 10
Kansas City 2
W: Z. Miner (2-5) L: Z. Greinke (5-17)
HR – DET: B. Inge 2 (8), M. Thames (25), C. Granderson (14), C. Jackson (6)

What a disaster. Greinke lasted all of one inning. He gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, including 3 home runs. That means we had to use 4 relievers, leaving us with a very tired bullpen. Brandon Inge went 3-4 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBIs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Seattle 6
Tampa Bay 4
W: P. Wilson (2-1) L: J. Shields (6-8) S: C. Daigle (1)
HR – SEA: R. Durham (18), I. Suzuki (8) TBA: C. Pena (17)

Chicago (A) 2
New York (A) 4
W: C. Pavano (7-10) L: J. Contreras (11-5) S: L. Vizcaino (5)
HR – NYA: J. Giambi (22)

Toronto 2
Texas 5 (11)
W: S. Feldman (4-1) L: J. Accardo (3-4)
HR – TOR: L. Overbay (16) TEX: G. Laird 2 (11)

Baltimore 4
Los Angeles (A) 5
W: B. Colon (5-15) L: A. Garcia (3-6) S: F. Rodriguez (36)

Minnesota 4
Cleveland 3
W: J. Santana (20-6) L: P. Byrd (10-10) S: J. Crain (8)
HR – CLE: C. Blake (13), H. Luna (12)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Cincinnati 0
New York (N) 4
W: C. Capuano (10-7) L: E. Milton (3-7)
HR – NYN: D. Wright (16), C. Lambin (1)

Los Angeles (N) 1
Milwaukee 2
W: B. Sheets (17-6) L: W. Juarez (3-10) S: F. Cordero (25)
HR – MIL: J. Estrada (14)

Chris Capuano shut down the Mets on 4 hits and struck out 8.

Houston 8
Chicago (N) 7
W: T. Miller (5-2) L: W. Ohman (3-1) S: B. Lidge (4)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (38) CHN: A. Ramirez (30), J. Jones (20), A. Soriano (33), C. McGehee (13)

Alfonso Soriano will miss at least 4 weeks with a hyperextended knee.

Pittsburgh 4
Colorado 6
W: J. Francis (8-11) L: V. Santos (7-6) S: B. Fuentes (28)
HR – COL: T. Helton (23), M. Holliday (33)

Philadelphia 6
St. Louis 1
W: B. Myers (10-11) L: G. Meche (7-10) S: B. Claussen (1)
HR – PHI: P. Burrell (29), R. Howard (45)

[Dauis]

8/25/2007
Game #130 – Kansas City (C. Hamels 5-3, 3.63 ERA) at Boston (D. Matsuzaka 15-10, 3.07 ERA)
Kansas City 4
Boston 3
W: J. Peralta (4-3) L: D. Matsuzaka (15-11) S: J. Broxton (7)

Hamels started off well, pitching a shutout through 5 innings and leading us to a 2-0 lead. However, he gave up 3 runs in the 6th to put us behind 3-2. In the 8th, Betemit and Brown each hit RBI doubles to give us the lead and the eventual win.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 3
New York (A) 8
W: C. Wang (16-9) L: B. Stokes (0-8) S: M. Myers (1)

Oakland 4
Seattle 3
W: B. Halsey (4-15) L: J. Washburn (9-14) S: H. Street (30)

Chicago (A) 3
Minnesota 5
W: C. Silva (16-9) L: D. Bush (12-9) S: J. Nathan (32)
HR – CHA: A. Pierzynski (8) MIN: J. Mauer (12)

Baltimore 2
Texas 4
W: V. Padilla (11-12) L: H. Penn (4-9) S: R. Mahay (1)
HR – TEX: A. Marte (7), I. Kinsler (13)

Toronto 4
Los Angeles (A) 2
W: T. Ohka (12-9) L: K. Escobar (13-7) S: J. Accardo (3)
HR – TOR: V. Wells (21) LAA: J. Rivera (25)

Cleveland 1
Detroit 2
W: J. Verlander (7-6) L: D. Denham (0-1) S: T. Jones (30)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 10
Colorado 5
W: B. Meadows (6-2) L: A. Cook (8-7)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (32), B. Hawpe (24)

Philadelphia 2
New York (N) 3 (18)
W: A. Burgos (3-1) L: B. Claussen (5-4)
HR – PHI: M. Lieberthal (19), P. Burrell (30) NYN: D. Wright (17)

Atlanta 4
Florida 3
W: J. Smoltz (13-10) L: S. Olsen (9-6) S: B. Wickman (28)

Milwaukee 8
Washington 5
W: J. Suppan (10-11) L: J. Williams (5-14) S: F. Cordero (26)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (31), R. Weeks (5) WSH: R. Church (16)

St. Louis 5
Cincinnati 6 (11)
W: E. Guardado (5-11) L: M. Lincoln (2-3)
HR – STL: A. Kennedy (6) CIN: R. Sanders (13), J. Valentin (21)

San Diego 2
Los Angeles (N) 4
W: J. Schmidt (9-11) L: C. Carillo (9-11) S: J. Lieber (1)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (15) LAN: J. Guzman (5), J. Kent (10)

San Francisco 3
Arizona 8
W: B. Lyon (4-5) L: B. Zito (9-16)
HR – SFN: R. Branyan (27) ARI: O. Hudson (5)

Houston 3
Chicago (N) 4
W: K. Wood (4-1) L: C. Qualls (2-4)
HR – CHN: C. McGehee (14)

[Dauis]

8/26/2007
Game #131 – Kansas City (J. Gobble 4-12, 5.79 ERA) at Boston (J. Papelbon 7-11, 5.10 ERA)
Kansas City 4
Boston 6
W: J. Papelbon (8-11) L: S. Stemle (4-3) S: M. Delcarmen (6)
HR – KC: S. Spiezio (32) BOS: J. Drew (16), J. Varitek (10)

Sign. Once again, the bullpen blows it. We had a 3-0 lead after 6. Gobble ended up going 7, giving up 1 run on 3 hits a 4 walks, and striking out 6. In the bottom of the 8th, Evert came in and gave up a double to Joe McEwing. Peralta came in and got Castillo to ground out to 3rd, and McEwing advanced to third. Then Steve Stemle came in and the wheels came off. Youkilis hit a single to score McEwing to make it 3-2. Manny hit a single to move Youkilis to second. David Ortiz walked to load the bases for J.D. Drew, who launched a 2-2 pitch into the right field seats for a grand slam and a 6-3 lead. We got one back with 2 outs in the ninth on a solo shot by Scott Spiezio, and back-to-back singles by Brown and Stavinsky to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but David Ross struck out to end the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 3
New York (A) 6
W: K. Igawa (5-3) L: S. Kazmir (7-10) S: L. Vizcaino (6)
HR – TBA: E. Hinske (21) NYA: R. Cano (16)

Oakland 14
Seattle 3
W: R. Harden (18-6) L: M. Batista (13-7)
HR – OAK: B. Crosby (18), N. Swisher (22)

Chicago (A) 9
Minnesota 5
W: J. Garland (6-14) L: B. Bonser (11-8)
HR- CHA: J. Dye (31) MIN: J. Morneau (38), M. Bellhorn (15)

Baltimore 6
Texas 9
W: B. Anderson (8-7) L: J. Acevedo (9-11) S: E. Gagne (22)
HR – BAL: C. Crespo 2 (4) TEX: J. Piedra (17)

Toronto 4
Los Angeles (A) 5 (10)
W: F. Rodriguez (3-3) L: B. Ryan (2-3)
HR – TOR: A. Rios (13)

Cleveland 2
Detroit 3
W: N. Robertson (11-11) L: J. Sowers (10-11) S: T. Jones (31)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 5
Colorado 1
W: Z. Duke (4-9) L: B. Kim (8-6)
HR – PIT: J. Bay (27), J. Bautista (24) COL: G. Atkins (33)

Philadelphia 4
New York (N) 0
W: F. Garcia (15-5) L: T. Glavine (6-5)

Freddy Garcia shut down the Mets, racking up 5 strikeouts, surrendering 2 hits, and issuing 2 walks.

Atlanta 5
Florida 7
W: A. Sanchez (8-9) L: T. Hudson (9-12) S: J. Julio (37)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (22)

Milwaukee 10
Washington 5
W: C. Villanueva (7-4) L: A. Kown (2-4)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (32), R. Weeks (6), C. Hart (10) WSH: R. Church (17)

St. Louis 4
Cincinnati 5
W: R. Cormier (1-0) L: C. Narveson (3-6) S: E. Guardado (21)

San Diego 2
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: B. Penny (10-7) L: C. Young (13-6) S: T. Saito (33)
HR – LAN: J. Guzman (6)

San Francisco 6
Arizona 9
W: Y. Petit (13-10) L: M. Morris (5-10) S: J. Valverde (30)
HR – SFN: R. Klesko (10), B. Broussard (15)

Houston 2
Chicago (N) 7
W: T. Lilly (11-8) L: C. Sampson (6-13)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (39)

[Dauis]

WEEKLY THOUGHTS
Not a good week at all. We went 1-5. To top it off, it looks like Alex Gordon might be another Royals first-round bust. All of a sudden, he seems to have lost the ability to hit. This is extremely disappointing. Living in Nebraska, I was really looking forward to having Alex as the cornerstone of this franchise for years to come.

We sent down Chris Clapinski to Omaha to make room for Donnie Murphy. Chris will be back in a few days for the September call-up.

AL Player of the Week
C Joe Mauer (MIN) .476, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R

NL Player of the Week
OF Matt Holliday (COL) .444, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R

[Dauis]

8/27/2007
Game #132 – Kansas City (J. Bale 8-9, 5.65 ERA) at Boston (A. Alvarez 6-3, 3.41 ERA)
Kansas City 1
Boston 7
W: A. Alvarez (7-3) L: J. Bale (8-10)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (37)

We were pretty much dominated from start to finish. Manny Ramirez went 3-5 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 11
New York (A) 2
W: B. Stokes (1-8) L: R. Clemens (6-5)
HR – TBA: R. Baldelli (8) NYA: E. Duncan (6)

Rocco Baldelli went 5-5 in Tampa Bay’s 11-2 thrashing of the Yankees. He singled in the 1st, hit an RBI triple in the 2nd, singled in the 5th, hit a three-run home run in the 7th and singled in the 8th.

Oakland 4
Seattle 6
W: F. Hernandez (9-15) L: E. Loaiza (9-11) S: J. Putz (28)
HR – OAK: M. Ellis (8) SEA: R. Sexson (30), R. Ankiel (1), K. Johjima (16)

Chicago (A) 10
Minnesota 3
W: M. Buehrle (12-7) L: R. Ortiz (4-6)
HR – CHA: A. Pierzynski (9), J. Thome (33)

Baltimore 5
Texas 4
W: S. Trachsel (8-5) L: R. Mahay (1-2) S: D. Baez (32)
HR – TEX: M. Teixeira (22), M. Young (8)

Toronto 3
Los Angeles (A) 2
W: G. Chacin (1-2) L: E. Santana (12-7) S: B. Ryan (25)
HR – TOR: A. Hill (4)

Cleveland 5
Detroit 4
W: C. Sabathia (15-11) L: F. Rodney (4-2) S: R. Betancourt (30)
HR – DET: C. Granderson (15)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 2
Colorado 6
W: M. Gosling (2-2) L: I. Snell (7-14)
HR – PIT: C. Duffy (8) COL: J. Carroll (10)

Philadelphia 5
New York (N) 6
W: C. Park (6-2) L: T. Harper (4-5) S: S. Schoeneweis (2)
HR – NYN: B. Johnson (14)

Atlanta 5
Florida 3
W: K. Davies (3-6) L: P. Astacio (9-10) S: B. Wickman (29)
HR – ATL: M. Diaz (8) FLO: M. Olivo 2 (25)

Milwaukee 1
Washington 2 (10)
W: L. Ayala (3-4) L: F. Cordero (2-8)

St. Louis 12
Cincinnati 2
W: R. Springer (5-3) L: A. Harang (13-12)
HR – STL: S. Rolen (22), C. Duncan (36)

San Diego 1
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: D. Lowe (8-12) L: G. Maddux (7-10) S: T. Saito (34)

San Francisco 5
Arizona 3
W: J. Taschner (2-2) L: J. Cruz (3-2) S: F. Cabrera (9)
HR – SFN: R. Klesko (11), R. Branyan (28)

Houston 8
Chicago (N) 6
W: W. Williams (10-4) L: W. Miller (7-4) S: B. Lidge (5)
HR – CHN: J. Jones (21), M. Murton (17)

Cubs reliever Will Ohman’s career is over after rupturing a disc in his back.

[Dauis]

8/29/2007
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 1
Texas 3
W: J. Wright (6-13) L: J. Lackey (10-7) S: E. Gagne (23)
HR – TEX: M. Teixeira (23)

Baltimore 6
Oakland 8
W: K. Calero (3-1) L: O. Moreno (5-3) S: J. Witasick (1)
HR – BAL: C. Patterson (13), M. Tejada (19) OAK: J. Gomes (21), B. Crosby (19), N. Swisher (23)

Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis will miss 2 weeks due to a finger blister.

Boston 2
Detroit 0
W: C. Schilling (16-8) L: D. Wells (8-12) S: M. Delcarmen (7)
HR – BOS: K. Mellilo (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 2
Chicago (N) 7
W: C. Zambrano (16-9) L: C. Carpenter (14-12)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez 2 (32), D. Lee (29), M. Murton (18)

San Diego 5
Arizona 6
W: D. Davis (6-3) L: T. Hoffman (0-6)

Pittsburgh 4
San Francisco 3
W: S. Kim (6-11) L: F. Cabrera (2-4) S: M. Capps (22)
HR – PIT: J. Bautista (25) SFN: R. Klesko (12)

San Francisco starting pitcher Matt Cain has a tender shoulder. He’s expected to be out for 1-2 weeks.

Milwaukee 0
Washington 4
W: J. Patterson (16-8) L: C. Vargas (5-12)
HR – WSH: N. Johnson (17)

John Patterson shut down the Brewers on 5 hits, ringing up 9 strikeouts and allowing 1 walk.

[Dauis]

8/29/2007
Game #133 – Kansas City (Z. Greinke 5-17, 6.49 ERA) at Chicago (A) (J. Vazquez 9-11, 4.46 ERA)
Kansas City 3
Chicago (A) 2
W: Z. Greinke (6-17) L: B. Jenks (4-3) S: J. Broxton (8)
HR – KC: W. Betemit (21)

We jumped out to a 2-0 lead on an RBI single in the 2nd by Stavinsky and another one by Mark Teahen in the 3rd. The Sox tied it up in the 5th on a Pedro Lopez single that scored Josh Fields and a fielders choice that allowed Dave Roberts to score. In the top of the 9th, Wilson Betemit took the first pitch he saw and hit a 405 foot home run to give us the lead. Broxton came on in the bottom of the inning and walked Jim Thome before getting the next three outs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 1
Texas 3
W: K. Millwood (13-10) L: J. Weaver (10-8) S: E. Gagne (24)

Baltimore 3
Oakland 4
W: A. Embree (3-0) L: D. Baez (2-6)
HR – OAK: M. Piazza (11), M. Bradley (18)

Cleveland 0
Toronto 3
W: R. Halladay (10-15) L: C. Lee (13-12)
HR – TOR: V. Wells (22)

Roy Halladay baffled the Indians all game, yielding 5 hits and getting 5 strikeouts and 1 walk.

New York (A) 10
Seattle 5
W: M. Mussina (18-5) L: J. Weaver (9-12)
HR – NYA: E. Duncan 2 (8) SEA: J. Reed (1), K. Johjima (17)

Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt went 5-5 today. He singled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, singled in the 7th, and singled in the 9th. That might be one of the most inconsequential 5-hit games in history.

Tampa Bay 7
Minnesota 9
W: J. Crain (3-4) L: J. Capellan (4-4) S: J. Nathan (33)
HR – TBA: G. Norton (13), C. Crawford (10)

Boston 2
Detroit 6
W: K. Rogers (5-1) L: D. Hansack (2-7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Diego 5
Arizona 6 (12)
W: G. Frizzell (1-0) L: C. Meredith (1-4)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson 2 (7), C. Tracy (15)

Pittsburgh 7
San Francisco 5
W: M. Capps (6-2) L: B. Bray (2-3) S: T. Mastny (1)
HR – PIT: J. Peralta (11) SFN: R. Aurilia (27)

Philadelphia 0
Atlanta 5
W: J. Parr (1-0) L: B. Myers (10-12)
HR – ATL: E. Renteria (14), B. McCann (28)

Colorado 3
Florida 4
W: D. Willis (10-10) L: J. Francis (8-12) S: J. Julio (38)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (34) FLO: D. Uggla (19)

Milwaukee 5
Houston 7
W: R. Oswalt (15-5) L: B. Sheets (17-7) S: B. Lidge (6)
HR – MIL: C. Hart (11) HOU: M. Lamb (14), E. Bruntlett (16)

Washington 6
Cincinnati 2
W: M. Bacsik (10-6) L: B. Arroyo (10-11) S: L. Ayala (33)
HR – WSH: R. Church (18) CIN: R. Freel (10)

New York (N) 6
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: P. Martinez (9-9) L: R. Wolf (3-2) S: D. Sanchez (1)
HR – LAN: J. Guzman (7)

Los Angeles right fielder Andre Ethier fractured his ribs and is expected to be out for 4 weeks.

St. Louis 1
Chicago (N) 8
W: S. Marshall (6-5) L: G. Meche (7-11)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (30), J. Jones (22), M. Barrett (32)

[Dauis]

8/30/2007
Game #134 – Kansas City (C. Hamels 5-3, 3.67 ERA) at Chicago (A) (D. Bush 12-9, 4.25 ERA)
Kansas City 3
Chicago (A) 2 (11)
W: B. Evert (7-3) L: B. Jenks (4-4)
HR – KC: S. Spiezio (33), B. Stavinsky (2) CHA: T. Hall (7), J. Thome (34)

What a duel between Hamels and Bush. Cole went 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, and he struck out 8. Bush went 8 innings, giving up 0 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, and he struck out 4. For a while it looked like Cole’s fine performance would be wasted, as the solo home run by Toby Hall in the 5th held up until the 9th. However, Scott Spiezio launched a solo shot of his own to tie the game and send the game into extras. In the 11th, Stavinsky hit a 2-run shot to put us up 3-1. Jim Thome hit a 1-out solo homer to bring the Sox within 1, and Fields hit a 2-out double to put the tying run in scoring position, but Evert got Willits to ground out to second to end the game.

However, we did get some bad news. Jonathan Broxton will miss 7-8 months due to a torn bicep muscle. That means he’ll be back in time for next season if lucky.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 6
Texas 12
W: V. Padilla (12-12) L: K. Escobar (13-8) S: S. Feldman (7)
HR – LAA: C. Figgins (7), O. Cabrera (7) TEX: M. Teixeira (24), A. Marte (8)

Baltimore 8
Oakland 1
W: H. Penn (5-9) L: B. Halsey (4-16)

A tough blow for the Athletics, as Houston Street will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a strained elbow ligament. It will be interesting to see if the A’s can hold onto their slim ½ game lead in Street’s absence.

Cleveland 4
Toronto 0
W: P. Byrd (11-10) L: T. Taubenheim (4-5)
HR – CLE: V. Martinez (12), D. Dellucci (13)

Victor Martinez went 5-5 in the win. He singled in the 1st, hit a solo shot in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, doubled in the 7th, and singled in the 9th.

New York (A) 11
Seattle 6
W: C. Wang (17-9) L: J. Washburn (9-15)
HR – NYA: R. Cano (17) SEA: R. Sexson (31)

Tampa Bay 3
Minnesota 10
W: C. Silva (17-9) L: E. Gonzalez (8-9)
HR – TBA: E. Hinske (22)

Boston 11
Detroit 8
W: C. Hansen (3-5) L: M. Maroth (5-7) S: M. Delcarmen (8)
HR – BOS: H. Choi (9), K. Youkilis (12) DET: C. Jackson (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Diego 1
Arizona 2
W: B. Webb (11-11) L: S. Linebrink (7-5) S: J. Valverde (31)

Pittsburgh 5
San Francisco 1
W: A. Miller (3-2) L: B. Zito (9-17)
HR – PIT: M. Ryan (2), J. Peralta (12), R. Paulino (13) SFN: R. Branyan (29)

Philadelphia 0
Atlanta 7
W: J. Smoltz (14-10) L: R. Nolasco (14-7)
HR – ATL: E. Renteria (15)

In the 4-hit shutout, John Smoltz chalked up 8 strikeouts and 1 walk.

Colorado 4
Florida 5
W: J. Gogal (1-0) L: B. Fuentes (5-7)
HR – COL: C. Iannetta (15) FLO: M. Olivo (26)

Milwaukee 5
Houston 3
W: J. Suppan (11-11) L: S. Baker (4-4) S: F. Cordero (27)
HR – MIL: G. Jenkins (12), J. Estrada (15)

Washington 5
Cincinnati 8 (11)
W: T. Shearn (3-3) L: R. Wagner (0-1)
HR – WSH: M. Vento (15) CIN: K. Griffey Jr (13), A. Dunn (20)

New York (N) 1
Los Angeles (N) 4
W: J. Sanchez (3-0) L: C. Capuano (10-8) S: T. Saito (35)
HR – LAN: M. Kemp (2)

St. Louis 5
Chicago (N) 8
W: M. Wuertz (6-4) L: B. Chen (8-12) S: B. Howry (27)
HR – STL: A. Pujols 2 (41) CHN: M. Barrett (33)

[Dauis]

8/31/2007
We called up Todd Wellemeyer from Omaha and made Soria our new closer to replace Broxton.

Game #135 – Kansas City (M. Rogers 4-4, 3.10 ERA) at Chicago (A) (J. Contreras 11-5, 5.26 ERA)
Kansas City 6
Chicago (A) 3
W: M. Rogers (5-4) L: J. Contreras (11-6) S: J. Soria (10)
HR – KC: N. Garciaparra (15), M. Teahen (24)

We scored 3 in the first, thanks in part to a 2-run shot to right by Teahen. The Sox got 1 back in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Pedro Lopez that scored Jermaine Dye from third. It became a tie game in the 4th when Lopez hit another RBI single to score Dye from second, and Cintron had an RBI single that scored Josh Fields. However, we put the game out of reach by scoring 3 runs in the top of the 8th, thanks to Nomar’s 2-run shot, and Emil Brown’s RBI single.

Rogers had a decent game, going 8 innings and giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, and striking out 8. I like the fact that he seems to be improving his K/BB ratio. The star of the game, however, was Mark Teahen, who went 2-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
New York (A) 7
Seattle 6
W: A. Pettitte (12-4) L: M. Batista (13-8) S: L. Vizcaino (7)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (34), R. Cano (18) SEA: Y. Betancourt (5)

Tampa Bay 12
Minnesota 3
W: J. Blanton (6-10) L: B. Bonser (11-9)
HR – TBA: L. Rivas (2)

The Twins will have to finish the regular season, and most likely the postseason, without reliever Sidney Ponson. He will miss at least 8 weeks with a strained elbow ligament.

Boston 6
Baltimore 2
W: J. Papelbon (9-11) L: J. Acevedo (9-12)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (38), H. Choi (10) BAL: R. Hernandez (14)

Cleveland 6
Toronto 7
W: J. Towers (12-8) L: J. Sowers (10-12) S: B. Ryan (26)
HR – CLE: J. Barfield (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Colorado 2
Florida 8
W: A. Sanchez (9-9) L: J. Morillo (2-4)
HR – FLO: J. Willingham (12)

Milwaukee 6
Houston 1
W: C. Villanueva (8-4) L: J. Johnson (6-11)
HR – MIL: C. Counsell (2)

Washington 4
Cincinnati 9
W: E. Milton (4-7) L: A. Kown (2-5)
HR – WSH: F. Lopez (7), A. Escobar (2) CIN: M. Lawton (13), A. Dunn (21), J. Valentin (22)

Cincinnati outfielder Adam Dunn will miss 2 weeks with a fractured hand.

New York (N) 1
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: B. Tomko (5-5) L: A. Heilman (7-6) S: T. Saito (36)

Philadelphia 4
Atlanta 10
W: T. Hudson (10-12) L: F. Garcia (15-6)

[Dauis]

AL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Yankees      84 50  .627  --- 134       8-2       W3
Baltimore Orioles     72 63  .533 12.5 135       3-7       L1
Boston Red Sox        69 65  .515 15.0 134       6-4       W2
Tampa Bay Devil Rays  59 75  .440 25.0 134       3-7       W1
Toronto Blue Jays     57 76  .429 26.5 133       5-5       W1

AL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Minnesota Twins       80 53  .602  --- 133       6-4       L1
Chicago White Sox     67 65  .508 12.5 132       2-8       L3
Cleveland Indians     68 67  .504 13.0 135       3-7       L1
Detroit Tigers        61 71  .462 18.5 132       6-4       L1
Kansas City Royals    60 75  .444 21.0 135       4-6       W3

AL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Oakland Athletics     72 61  .541  --- 133       7-3       L1
Los Angeles Angels    72 62  .537  0.5 134       4-6       L4
Texas Rangers         62 71  .466 10.0 133       7-3       W3
Seattle Mariners      58 77  .430 15.0 135       4-6       L3

NL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Mets         76 56  .576  --- 132       6-4       L2
Atlanta Braves        73 61  .545  4.0 134       6-4       W4 
Philadelphia Phillies 72 62  .537  5.0 134       4-6       L4
Florida Marlins       70 64  .522  7.0 134       7-3       W3
Washington Nationals  62 71  .466 14.5 133       5-5       L2 

NL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Chicago Cubs          78 56  .582  --- 134       6-4       W3
Houston Astros        71 63  .530  7.0 134       4-6       L2
Milwaukee Brewers     70 64  .522  8.0 134       6-4       W2
Pittsburgh Pirates    65 69  .485 13.0 134       7-3       W3
St. Louis Cardinals   57 76  .429 20.5 133       2-8       L3
Cincinnati Reds       56 76  .424 21.0 132       4-6       W2

NL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Arizona Diamondbacks  72 61  .541  --- 133       6-4       W3
Colorado Rockies      71 63  .530  1.5 134       4-6       L3
Los Angeles Dodgers   65 68  .489  7.0 133       7-3       W2
San Diego Padres      59 74  .444 13.0 133       2-8       L7
San Francisco Giants  45 88  .338 27.0 133       3-7       L3

[Dauis]

MONTHLY REVIEW
Woo hoo!!! We had a winning month, going 15-13. We’re going in the right direction. Our “big three” of Hamels, Rogers, and an improved Greinke have done a pretty good job of going deep in games. Teahen has been steady the entire season. Hopefully we can start to be competitive in the next year or so for his sake.

For the September call-ups, we called up relievers Ryan Braun, Sammy Lemond, Jose Diaz, Bubba Nelson, and Ken Ray for our pitching staff. Diaz will be our spot starter, Lemond will be our lefty middle reliever, and Nelson and Wellemeyer will be our mop-up relievers.

For our bench, we called up utility man Chris Clapinski, catchers Paul Phillips and Nick Hundley, shortstops Andres Blanco and Mike Aviles, third basemen Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, and right fielder Chad Allen. These guys will mostly just be backups and get the major league experience. Plus it will allow us to see how they mesh with the other guys and see if there may be any conflicts in the future.

AL Batter of the Month
OF Manny Ramirez (BOS) .396, 11 HR, 27 RBI, 27 R

NL Batter of the Month
1B Albert Pujols (STL) .460, 10 HR, 24 RBI, 29 R

AL Pitcher of the Month
Chien-Ming Wang (NYA) 5-0, 2.27 ERA, 6 GS, 16 K, 47.2 IP

NL Pitcher of the Month
Roy Oswalt (HOU) 5-0, 1.69 ERA, 6 GS, 48 IP, 28 HA, 6 BB, 44 K, .165 OBA

AL Rookie of the Month
1B Eric Duncan (NYA) .291, 16 H, 8 HR, 20 RBI

NL Rookie of the Month
OF Joel Guzman (LAN) .293, 6 HR, 16 RBI

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Dauis

AL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Yankees      84 50  .627  --- 134       8-2       W3
Baltimore Orioles     72 63  .533 12.5 135       3-7       L1
Boston Red Sox        69 65  .515 15.0 134       6-4       W2
Tampa Bay Devil Rays  59 75  .440 25.0 134       3-7       W1
Toronto Blue Jays     57 76  .429 26.5 133       5-5       W1

AL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Minnesota Twins       80 53  .602  --- 133       6-4       L1
Chicago White Sox     67 65  .508 12.5 132       2-8       L3
Cleveland Indians     68 67  .504 13.0 135       3-7       L1
Detroit Tigers        61 71  .462 18.5 132       6-4       L1
Kansas City Royals    60 75  .444 21.0 135       4-6       W3

AL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Oakland Athletics     72 61  .541  --- 133       7-3       L1
Los Angeles Angels    72 62  .537  0.5 134       4-6       L4
Texas Rangers         62 71  .466 10.0 133       7-3       W3
Seattle Mariners      58 77  .430 15.0 135       4-6       L3

NL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Mets         76 56  .576  --- 132       6-4       L2
Atlanta Braves        73 61  .545  4.0 134       6-4       W4 
Philadelphia Phillies 72 62  .537  5.0 134       4-6       L4
Florida Marlins       70 64  .522  7.0 134       7-3       W3
Washington Nationals  62 71  .466 14.5 133       5-5       L2 

NL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Chicago Cubs          78 56  .582  --- 134       6-4       W3
Houston Astros        71 63  .530  7.0 134       4-6       L2
Milwaukee Brewers     70 64  .522  8.0 134       6-4       W2
Pittsburgh Pirates    65 69  .485 13.0 134       7-3       W3
St. Louis Cardinals   57 76  .429 20.5 133       2-8       L3
Cincinnati Reds       56 76  .424 21.0 132       4-6       W2

NL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Arizona Diamondbacks  72 61  .541  --- 133       6-4       W3
Colorado Rockies      71 63  .530  1.5 134       4-6       L3
Los Angeles Dodgers   65 68  .489  7.0 133       7-3       W2
San Diego Padres      59 74  .444 13.0 133       2-8       L7
San Francisco Giants  45 88  .338 27.0 133       3-7       L3

Your final month and the NL wild card race promise a lot of tension. With some good games you can even finish 2nd, but would it be good for your future draft picks?
What happened to those SF Giants?

[Dauis]

Yeah. I'm real excited to see how the NL Wild Card plays out. There's 6 teams all with a great shot at that last spot, half of them from the NL East. I don't think you have to worry about us finishing second in the division. We'll still have a decent pick in next year's draft. That is, assuming I still have a job.