Chicago White Sox - 2009 and beyond

[Dauis]

4/30/2009
We called up third baseman Dale Mollenhauer from Birmingham to take Jermaine's spot on the roster. Josh Kroeger and Ben Broussard will platoon in right.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Toronto 3
Kansas City 5
W: L. Hudson (2-1) L: R. Romero (0-1) S: J. Soria (4)
HR – KCA: M. Olivo (3), M. Aviles (1)

Los Angeles (A) 8
New York (A) 11
W: A. Burnett (3-2) L: M. Redman (0-1) S: D. Marte (1)
HR – NYA: M. Teixeira (2)

Boston 2
Tampa Bay 3
W: D. Wheeler (1-0) L: J. Lester (1-1) S: G. Balfour (6)

Kevin Youkilis had his 21-game hit streak come to an end, going 0-4 on the day.

Oakland 4
Texas 3 (10)
W: B. Ziegler (1-1) L: J. Albaladejo (0-1)
HR – OAK: J. Cust (5)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 6
Washington 2
W: J. Pinerio (2-0) L: D. Cabrera (2-3) S: B. Thompson (1)
HR – SLN: R. Ankiel (3)

Florida 8
Chicago (N) 3
W: C. Volstad (2-1) L: S. Marshall (1-1)
HR – FLO: R. Paulino (1) CHN: M. Fontenot (3)

Arizona 3
Milwaukee 4
W: J. Suppan (2-0) L: M. Scherzer (1-1) S: T. Hoffman (4)
HR – ARI: M. Reynolds (5)

Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun will miss 6 weeks with a strained hamstring.

San Diego 11
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: K. Correia (2-2) L: R. Wolf (1-1)
HR – SDN: D. Eckstein (2), B. Giles (2), K. Kouzmanoff 2 (4) LAN: R. Furcal (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 1B Mark Teixeira (NYA) 3 for 6, HR, 6 RBI, R
#2 – SS David Eckstein (SDN) 3 for 5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#3 – 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (SDN) 2 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

MONTH IN REVIEW
We finished right at .500 for the month at 11-11. We currently sit 2 games back of the Tigers in our division, which is surprising considering how we've played. This month is going to be rough, as Ramirez is still out for 2 more weeks, and Dye is out for 4 more. Hopefully we can get through this month without giving up too much ground. Our pitching is continually improving, as you'll see in the stat rankings I post, but our lineup is still miserable—except in the home run department.

Team Batting Stats & Rankings
Batting Average - .223 (14th in AL)
On-Base Percentage - .287 (14th in AL)
Slugging Percentage - .389 (9th in AL)
On-Base + Slugging - .675 (14th in AL)
Runs Scored – 93 (11th in AL)
Hits – 161 (14th in AL)
Extra-Base Hits – 55 (13th in AL)
Home Runs – 31 (1st in AL)
Bases-On-Balls – 58 (11th in AL)
Strikeouts – 148 (12th in AL)
Stolen Bases – 8 (11th in AL)

Team Pitching Stats & Rankings
Earned Run Average – 3.67 (5th in AL)
Starters' ERA – 3.99 (6th in AL)
Bullpen ERA – 2.95 (2nd in AL)
Runs allowed – 94 (5th in AL)
Hits allowed – 208 (8th in AL)
Opponents AVG - .266 (8th in AL)
BABIP - .296 (7th in AL)
Home Runs allowed – 20 (6th in AL)
Bases-On-Balls – 57 (3rd in AL)
Strikeouts – 127 (10th in AL)

[Dauis]

AL BATTER OF THE MONTH
CF Adam Jones (BAL) .397, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 15 R, 5 BB, .453 OBP

NL BATTER OF THE MONTH
2B Chase Utley (PHI) .379, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 17 R

AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH
SP Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) 4-0, 35.1 IP, 1.78 ERA, 26 K, .192 OBA

NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH
SP Jake Peavy (SDN) 3-1, 38 IP, 0.95 ERA, 27 K

AL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
LF Travis Snider (TOR) .261, 5 HR, 17 RBI

NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
CF Cameron Maybin (FLA) .351, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R

[Dauis]

5/1/2009
TRADE RUMOR
There are rumors that the Dodgers are looking to trade 36-year-old pitcher Shawn Estes. He is currently playing for their AAA team in Albuquerque.

Game #23 – Chicago (A) White Sox [11-11] (J. Danks 3-1, 2.37 ERA) at Texas Rangers [7-15] (M. Harrison 0-2, 8.84 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – 2B Getz – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Wise – RF Broussard – C Miller
Texas lineup: 3B Young – LF Hamilton – 2B Kinsler – DH Cruz – 1B Davis – CF Jones – RF Byrd – C Teagarden – SS Duran

Chicago (A) 5
Texas 3 (13)
W: O. Dotel (2-1) L: E. Guardado (0-3)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (7), B. Anderson (3), G. Beckham (2) TEX: N. Cruz (4)

What a game. We had a 3-0 lead after 4 and looked to be cruising. However, Texas added runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth to tie the game. Beckham pinch-ran for Thome in the eighth, but when we didn't score and went into extras, he had to stay in the game. It's a good thing, though, because he turned out to be the star of the game with a 2-run shot off Guardado in the top of the thirteenth to give us the win. Danks was decent, going 8 innings, giving up the 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks, and he struck out 8.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Cleveland 7
Detroit 6 (10)
W: K. Wood (3-1) L: B. Seay (0-1)
HR – CLE: T. Hafner 2 (4)

Cleveland right fielder Shin-Soo Choo will be out a week with a knee sprain.

Los Angeles (A) 6
New York (A) 9
W: C. Sabathia (3-1) L: J. Weaver (2-1) S: M. Rivera (8)
HR – LAA: V. Guerrero 2 (6), H. Kendrick (1) NYA: M. Lamb (1), X. Nady (1), M. Teixeira (3)

Baltimore 11
Toronto 6
W: M. Hendrickson (4-1) L: R. Halladay (0-5) S: B. Bass (2)
HR – BAL: M. Wieters (2) TOR: A. Lind 2 (5), T. Snider (6)

Boston 0
Tampa Bay 7
W: S. Kazmir (4-1) L: D. Matsuzaka (4-1)

Scott Kazmir was brilliant, allowing 4 hits while totaling 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.

Kansas City 12
Minnesota 6
W: R. Mahay (1-0) L: M. Guerrier (0-1)
HR – KCA: B. Butler (2) MIN: J. Morneau (3), C. Gomez (2)

Oakland 5
Seattle 3
W: T. Cahill (2-0) L: F. Hernandez (1-4) S: R. Springer (2)
HR – OAK: J. Giambi (4), T. Buck (1)

Congratulations to Jason Giambi on his 400th career home run.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Florida 2
Chicago (N) 7
W: R. Harden (1-4) L: J. Johnson (2-1)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez (4), M. Fontenot (4), M. Hoffpauir (1)

New York (N) 4
Philadelphia 5 (16)
W: C. Park (3-0) L: B. Parnell (0-1)
HR – NYN: D. Wright (4) PHI: P. Feliz 2 (3)

Cincinnati 1
Pittsburgh 5
W: P. Maholm (4-1) L: B. Arroyo (1-3)
HR – PIT: B. Moss (2)

St. Louis 1
Washington 4
W: J. Lannan (2-3) L: C. Carpenter (3-3) S: J. Hanrahan (6)
HR – WAS: A. Dunn (7), J. Flores (4)

Houston 3
Atlanta 2 (10)
W: J. Valverde (1-0) L: R. Soriano (1-3)

Arizona 5
Milwaukee 6
W: D. Bush (1-2) L: B. Buckner (0-1) S: T. Hoffman (5)
HR – ARI: M. Reynolds (6) MIL: R. Weeks (5), C. Hart (4)

San Diego 9
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: S. Hill (1-3) L: C. Billingsley (3-3)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (4), C. Headley (2)

Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal will miss 5 weeks with a strained anterior cruciate ligament.

Colorado 1
San Francisco 5
W: R. Johnson (2-3) L: J. de la Rosa (0-4) S: B. Wilson (2)
HR – COL: B. Hawpe (4)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – LF Billy Butler (KCA) 4 for 4, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB
#2 – SP Scott Kazmir (TBA) 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W
#3 – 1B Travis Hafner (CLE) 2 for 4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB

[Dauis]

5/2/2009
Game #24 – Chicago (A) White Sox [12-11] (B. Colon 1-1, 5.55 ERA) at Texas Rangers [7-16] (K. Millwood 0-4, 6.28 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – 2B Getz – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Broussard – C Pierzynski – RF Kroeger
Texas lineup: 3B Young – DH Blalock – LF Hamilton – 1B Davis – RF Cruz – C Saltalamacchia – 2B Andrus – CF Byrd – SS Duran

Chicago (A) 7
Texas 2
W: B. Colon (2-1) L: K. Millwood (0-5)
HR – CHA: P. Konerko (8), J. Thome (8) TEX: J. Hamilton (6)

A dominating performance all-around. We pounded out 13 hits, and Colon was pretty good as well. Colon went 8 innings, gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits and a walk and struck out 3. Getz hurt himself in the third, and Beckham came in to take his place. Beckham ended up 3-3 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Getz will miss 6 weeks with a sprained elbow. We now have 4 would-be regulars on the DL.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 5
New York (A) 6
W: E. Ramirez (2-0) L: D. Davidson (0-1) S: M. Rivera (9)
HR – LAA: M. Napoli (4), K. Morales (1)

Baltimore 3
Toronto 6
W: J. Litsch (3-2) L: J. Guthrie (2-3) S: S. Downs (6)
HR – TOR: M. Barrett (2)

Cleveland 3
Detroit 2
W: F. Carmona (4-2) L: A. Galarraga (1-4) S: K. Wood (8)
HR – CLE: G. Sizemore (3)

Boston 3
Tampa Bay 4 (14)
W: J. Howell (1-1) L: H. Okajima (0-2)

Kansas City 1
Minnesota 5
W: K. Slowey (1-4) L: Z. Greinke (4-2)

Oakland 4
Seattle 6
W: E. Bedard (3-2) L: D. Braden (0-3) S: B. Morrow (4)
HR – SEA: T. Nixon (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Florida 3
Chicago (N) 8
W: R. Dempster (4-0) L: R. Nolasco (2-4)
HR – FLO: J. Cantu (4)

St. Louis 13
Washington 3
W: A. Wainwright (3-3) L: S. Martis (2-3)
HR – SLN: J. LaRue (1), A. Pujols (2), K. Greene (1), C. Rasmus (3)

Houston 4
Atlanta 6
W: J. Vazquez (4-1) L: M. Hampton (2-3) S: B. Carlyle (1)
HR – HOU: J. Michaels (1)

Colorado 1
San Francisco 6
W: J. Sanchez (2-2) L: J. Marquis (1-2)
HR – SFN: J. Valentin (1)

Arizona 11
Milwaukee 6
W: D. Slaten (1-0) L: T. Hoffman (0-3)
HR – ARI: C. Tracy (2) MIL: B. Hall (1), P. Fielder (5)

New York (N) 10
Philadelphia 2
W: O. Perez (3-0) L: J. Blanton (1-3)
HR – NYN: R. Church (3), D. Wright (5), D. Murphy (1) PHI: R. Howard (10)

Cincinnati 6
Pittsburgh 7 (10)
W: M. Capps (1-2) L: A. Rhodes (0-1)
HR – CIN: J. Bruce (5)

San Diego 2
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: H. Kuroda (3-1) L: J. Peavy (3-2) S: J. Broxton (4)
HR – LAN: J. Pierre (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 3B David Wright (NYN) 4 for 5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#2 – 1B Chad Tracy (ARI) 3 for 5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
#3 – 1B Albert Pujols (SLN) 3 for 6, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

5/3/2009
Game #25 – Chicago (A) White Sox [13-11] (G. Floyd 1-1, 4.44 ERA) at Texas Rangers [7-17] (B. McCarthy 1-2, 5.54 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Broussard – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Texas lineup: C Saltalamacchia – DH Blalock – 2B Kinsler – 1B Davis – RF Cruz – 3B Andrus – LF Byrd – CF Jones – SS Duran

Chicago (A) 3
Texas 4
W: B. McCarthy (2-2) L: G. Floyd (1-2) S: W. Madrigal (2)
HR – CHA: B. Anderson (4)

Sigh. So close to a sweep. We took a 3-2 lead into the seventh. Duran led off with a double, Saltalamacchia moved him over to third, and Blalock lined out to right, but not far enough to score Duran. Things were looking good. Just one more out to get. But on a 1-0 pitch to Kinsler, Floyd balked and allowed Duran to score to tie the game. Kinsler then doubled, and Davis brought him home with a base hit to give them the winning margin. We stranded Broussard at third with one out in the ninth. McCarthy went 8 innings, gave up 3 runs on 8 hits and struck out 6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 5
New York (A) 6 (10)
W: D. Marte (1-0) L: B. Fuentes (0-2)
HR – LAA: B. Abreu (3), K. Morales (2) NYA: J. Damon (2)

Cleveland 11
Detroit 4
W: A. Reyes (1-1) L: J. Verlander (2-3)
HR – CLE: D. Dellucci (2), G. Sizemore (4) DET: M. Thames (4), M. Cabrera (4)

Baltimore 2
Toronto 3
W: B. Tallet (3-0) L: K. Uehara (2-2) S: S. Downs (7)
HR – TOR: V. Wells (5)

Boston 3
Tampa Bay 6
W: J. Shields (3-3) L: T. Wakefield (1-2) S: G. Balfour (7)

Kansas City 2
Minnesota 4
W: G. Perkins (3-1) L: G. Meche (1-3) S: J. Nathan (2)
HR – KCA: M. Olivo (4), A. Gordon (6)

Oakland 4
Seattle 5 (10)
W: C. Cordero (2-0) L: B. Ziegler (1-2)
HR – OAK: M. Holliday (4) SEA: Y. Betancourt (1)

Mariners center fielder Endy Chavez went 5-5 today to raise his batting average to a robust .237.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 9
Washington 3
W: T. Wellemeyer (3-2) L: J. Bergmann (0-2)
HR – SLN: R. Ankiel (4), A. Pujols (3) WAS: A. Dunn (8), E. Dukes (7)

Cincinnati 4
Pittsburgh 6
W: Z. Duke (3-2) L: A. Harang (1-3) S: M. Capps (6)
HR – PIT: A. LaRoche (1)

Houston 4
Atlanta 5
W: K. Kawakami (2-2) L: W. Rodriguez (1-3) S: R. Soriano (5)

New York (N) 6
Philadelphia 9
W: B. Myers (3-1) L: J. Maine (1-4) S: B. Lidge (6)
HR – NYN: D. Murphy (2) PHI: R. Howard (11)

Florida 2
Chicago (N) 3
W: C. Zambrano (5-1) L: A. Miller (1-4) S: C. Marmol (8)

Colorado 8
San Francisco 7 (10)
W: H. Street (3-0) L: B. Wilson (2-2)
HR – SFN: R. Aurilia (1), A. Rowand (1)

Giants right fielder Nate Schierholtz will be out for 2 weeks with a sore shoulder.

San Diego 3
Los Angeles (N) 8
W: J. McDonald (3-1) L: C. Young (3-3)
HR – LAN: M. Ramirez (5)

Arizona 6
Milwaukee 4
W: J. Garland (2-3) L: M. Parra (3-1) S: C. Qualls (8)
HR – ARI: M. Reynolds (7)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – LF David Dellucci (CLE) 3 for 5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
#2 – CF Endy Chavez (SEA) 5 for 5, 2 RBI, BB
#3 – LF Matt Holliday (OAK) 3 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

[Dauis]

WEEK IN REVIEW
Not a bad week, going 4-2 to get to 13-12 on the year and 1 game back of Cleveland. It would've been nice to get at least one sweep against two of the worst teams in the league though, especially Texas. I just need to wait out the injuries. Ramirez will be back in 2 weeks, and the others should be back a couple weeks or so after that. Except Quentin, of course. He's out until about the trading deadline.

[Dauis]

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
3B Melvin Mora (BAL) .480 (12-25), 3 HR, 6 RBI

NL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
2B Chase Utley (PHI) .667 (14-21), 5 HR, 12 RBI

[Dauis]

5/4/2009
Game #26 – Chicago (A) White Sox [13-12] (M. Buehrle 1-3, 3.29 ERA) at Kansas City Royals [13-12] (K. Davies 2-3, 3.09 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Broussard – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Kansas City lineup: 2B Bloomquist – SS Aviles – LF Butler – DH Jacobs – CF Crisp – 3B Teahen – RF DeJesus – 1B Shealy – C Olivo

Chicago (A) 4
Kansas City 2
W: M. Buehrle (2-3) L: K. Davies (2-4) S: B. Jenks (6)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (9)

Despite being outhit (surprise, I know), we held on for the win. We were up 4-0 halfway through, and the Royals scored one in the seventh and one in the ninth, but they never really threatened. This was a big early-season win over one of the early contenders in the division. It pulled us into a tie for first at 14-12. Buehrle was solid like he usually is in big games. He went 8 innings, gave up 1 run on 9 hits and a walk and struck out 2.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 1
Detroit 5
W: Z. Miner (4-1) L: S. Baker (0-2) S: J. Zumaya (1)

Boston 6
New York (A) 4
W: J. Masterson (2-4) L: J. Chamberlain (2-3) S: J. Papelbon (9)

Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain will be out for 3 weeks with shoulder inflammation.

Cleveland 1
Toronto 4
W: D. Purcey (4-0) L: S. Lewis (1-4) S: J. Carlson (1)
HR – CLE: D. Ward (4) TOR: F. Catalanotto (2)

Baltimore 3
Tampa Bay 12
W: J. Houser (2-0) L: R. Hill (0-1)
HR – BAL: M. Mora (4) TBA: G. Gross (1), B. Zobrist (2)

Los Angeles (A) 1
Oakland 2
W: G. Gonzalez (4-1) L: T. Armas (2-3) S: C. Schroder (1)
HR – OAK: J. Cust (6)

Texas 0
Seattle 1
W: R. Rowland-Smith (2-0) L: V. Padilla (3-3) S: B. Morrow (5)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 7
Washington 12
W: S. Olsen (3-0) L: R. Ortiz (2-2)
HR – HOU: J. Michaels (2)

Milwaukee 16
Pittsburgh 4
W: B. Looper (3-2) L: J. Karstens (1-3)

Cincinnati 8
Florida 2
W: J. Cueto (2-3) L: A. Sanchez (1-3)
HR – CIN: R. Hernandez 2 (4), J. Votto (4)

New York (N) 4
Atlanta 3 (10)
W: F. Rodriguez (2-0) L: R. Soriano (1-4)
HR – NYN: D. Wright (6) ATL: K. Johnson (3)

San Francisco 5
Chicago (N) 4
W: J. Affeldt (2-0) L: C. Marmol (0-1) S: B. Wilson (3)
HR – SFN: E. Velez (1) CHN: G. Soto (8)

Philadelphia 1
St. Louis 5
W: K. Lohse (1-3) L: J. Moyer (0-4)
HR – SLN: C. Rasmus (4)

Colorado 2
San Diego 6
W: K. Correia (3-2) L: A. Cook (1-4)

Arizona 6
Los Angeles (N) 4
W: B. Webb (5-1) L: C. Kershaw (1-4) S: T. Pena (1)
HR – ARI: E. Byrnes (2), C. Snyder (2), C. Tracy (3)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – C Ramon Hernandez (CIN) 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#2 – SS Ben Zobrist (TBA) 3 for 4, HR, 5 RBI, R, BB
#3 – CF Jason Michaels (HOU) 2 for 5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

5/5/2009
Game #27 – Chicago (A) White Sox [14-12] (C. Richard 0-2, 4.61 ERA) at Kansas City Royals [13-13] (L. Hudson 2-1, 3.27 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Broussard – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Kansas City lineup: 2B Bloomquist – SS Aviles – LF Butler – 3B Gordon – DH Jacobs – RF Guillen – CF DeJesus – 1B Teahen – C Pena

Chicago (A) 3
Kansas City 4
W: L. Hudson (3-1) L: C. Richard (0-3) S: J. Soria (5)
HR – CHA: B. Lillibridge (1) KCA: B. Butler (3)

A pretty uneventful game. We gave up 2 in the first on a Gordon double, and 2 in the sixth on a home run by Butler to put ourselves in a 4-0 hole. Lillibridge hit a 3-run, one-out homer in the 8th to pull us within one. Pierzynski followed with a base hit, but Konerko struck out looking. Thome added a base hit of his own to move the tying run to second with two outs, but Fields grounded out to short to end the inning and our last real chance.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Cleveland 2
Toronto 10
W: S. Richmond (5-0) L: A. Laffey (1-2)

Baltimore 5
Tampa Bay 3
W: N. Blackburn (1-5) L: A. Sonnanstine (2-1) S: G. Sherrill (6)
HR – BAL: M. Wieters 2 (4)

Texas 2
Seattle 7
W: C. Jakubauskas (1-1) L: S. Feldman (0-2)
HR – TEX: I. Kinsler (7) SEA: K. Griffey Jr. (5), Y. Betancourt (2)

Mariners starting pitcher Chris Jakubauskas and Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton were both suspended for 3 games after their fight during the game.

Minnesota 3
Detroit 4
W: B. Seay (1-1) L: J. Nathan (0-1)
HR – DET: C. Guillen (2), M. Cabrera (5)

Boston 6
New York (A) 1
W: J. Lester (2-1) L: A. Burnett (3-3)
HR – BOS: J. Varitek (2), J. Bay (1)

Los Angeles (A) 2
Oakland 6
W: J. Outman (1-0) L: J. Weaver (2-2) S: C. Schroder (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 4
Washington 5
W: S. Shell (1-1) L: J. Valverde (1-1)
HR – WAS: A. Dunn (9), J. Willingham (2), E. Dukes (8)

San Francisco 11
Chicago (N) 5
W: M. Redman (1-1) L: S. Marshall (1-2)
HR – SFN: A. Rowand (2), R. Winn (2), P. Sandoval (3) CHN: G. Soto (9)

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval went 5-5 with a triple and a home run. He's hitting .354 with 3 home runs this season.

Milwaukee 5
Pittsburgh 1
W: J. Suppan (3-0) L: J. Barthmaier (1-2)
HR – MIL: P. Fielder (6)

Cincinnati 1
Florida 6
W: D. Meyer (2-0) L: M. Owings (2-2)
HR – CIN: J. Bruce (6) FLO: D. Uggla (7)

New York (N) 2
Atlanta 8
W: O. Perez (1-1) L: T. Redding (1-3)
HR – NYN: D. Wright (7)

Philadelphia 2
St. Louis 4
W: D. Reyes (1-0) L: J. Happ (1-3) S: J. Motte (6)
HR – SLN: K. Greene (2)

Colorado 0
San Diego 3
W: P. Martinez (2-0) L: G. Rusch (1-1) S: H. Bell (2)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (5)

Arizona 3
Los Angeles (N) 2
W: M. Scherzer (2-1) L: R. Wolf (1-2) S: C. Qualls (9)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Pedro Martinez (SDN) 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K, W
#2 – 3B Pablo Sandoval (SFN) 5 for 5, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
#3 – SP Dan Meyer (FLO) 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W

[Dauis]

5/6/2009
Game #28 – Detroit Tigers [15-12] (R. Porcello 2-0, 4.17 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [14-13] (J. Danks 3-1, 2.58 ERA)
Detroit lineup: LF Guillen – 2B Polanco – RF Ordonez – 1B Cabrera – DH Thames – 3B Inge – C Treanor – CF Raburn – SS Santiago
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – CF Broussard – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham

Detroit 6
Chicago (A) 8
W: M. Wuertz (4-0) L: N. Robertson (2-2) S: B. Jenks (7)
HR – DET: B. Inge (4), M. Ordonez (3), M. Thames (5) CHA: J. Thome (10)

This game couldn't have started off any worse. Danks' outing went like this: strikeout, double, 2-run homer, walk, 2-run homer, solo homer, done. Estrada came in and struck out Treanor, walked Raburn, hit Santiago, walked Guillen, gave up a base hit to Polanco to score Raburn, and got Ordonez to fly out to right. After the top of the first, we were down 6-0 and this game looked hopeless. We got 2 runs back in the second thanks to 2 errors by the Tigers. Thome added a solo shot in the fifth to cut the lead in half. In the seventh, Pierzynski scored on a Thome double, Konerko scored on a wild pitch, and Thome scored on a sac fly by Anderson to complete our comeback and tie the game at 6. Pierzynski gave us the final margin with a 2-run double in the eighth to score Beckham and Lillibridge. Jim Thome went 3 for 5 with a double, a home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored to lead our attack.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Cleveland 9
Boston 4
W: C. Lee (3-3) L: D. Matsuzaka (4-2)
HR – CLE: T. Hafner (5) BOS: K. Youkilis (4)

Minnesota 6
Baltimore 5
W: F. Liriano (3-3) L: M. Hendrickson (4-2) S: J. Nathan (3)
HR – MIN: D. Young (3) BAL: N. Reimold (2), M. Wieters (5)

Tampa Bay 1
New York (A) 3
W: C. Sabathia (4-1) L: D. Price (3-2) S: M. Rivera (10)
HR – TBA: B. Upton (1) NYA: N. Swisher (3)

Seattle 5
Kansas City 2
W: F. Hernandez (2-4) L: J. Wright (2-2) S: B. Morrow (6)
HR – SEA: J. Lopez (1) KCA: B. Butler (4)

Texas 6
Oakland 3
W: M. Harrison (1-2) L: D. Eveland (2-2) S: W. Madrigal (3)
HR – TEX: N. Cruz (5)

Toronto 7
Los Angeles (A) 3
W: R. Halladay (1-5) L: C. James (0-2)
HR – TOR: A. Lind (6)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Philadelphia 8
New York (N) 3
W: C. Hamels (3-0) L: J. Santana (2-3)
HR – PHI: R. Ibanez (1) NYN: R. Castro (2)

Atlanta 4
Florida 0
W: D. Lowe (4-1) L: J. Johnson (2-2)

Milwaukee 6
Cincinnati 4
W: D. Bush (2-2) L: B. Arroyo (1-4) S: T. Hoffman (6)
HR – CIN: L. Nix (1), D. Richar (1), J. Votto (5)

Chicago (N) 5
Houston 2
W: R. Harden (2-4) L: R. Oswalt (1-4) S: C. Marmol (9)
HR – CHN: J. Dubois (1), G. Soto (10)

Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 1
W: P. Maholm (5-1) L: C. Carpenter (3-4) S: M. Capps (7)

San Francisco 1
Colorado 3
W: J. de la Rosa (1-4) L: R. Johnson (2-4) S: H. Street (2)

Arizona 4
San Diego 5
W: J. Thatcher (1-0) L: C. Qualls (0-2)

Washington 8
Los Angeles (N) 4
W: J. Lannan (3-3) L: C. Billingsley (3-4)
HR – WAS: R. Zimmerman (4)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Derek Lowe (ATL) 8.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W
#2 – SP Paul Maholm (PIT) 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, W
#3 – SP CC Sabathia (NYA) 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, W

[Dauis]

5/7/2009
Game #29 – Detroit Tigers [15-13] (A. Galarraga 1-4, 5.35 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [15-13] (B. Colon 2-1, 4.45 ERA)
Detroit lineup: CF Granderson – 2B Polanco – 1B Cabrera – DH Thames – LF Guillen – 3B Inge – RF Anderson – C Laird – SS Santiago
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynki – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Anderson – RF Broussard – 2B Beckham

Detroit 6
Chicago (A) 4
W: A. Galarraga (2-4) L: B. Colon (2-2) S: B. Seay (8)
HR – DET: M. Cabrera (6) CHA: A. Pierzynski (2)

Nothing like blowing a 4-1 lead after one by giving up five runs in the sixth. Colon only got one out while giving up 4 runs in the sixth before Wuertz came in and allowed another run to score. There's not really much else to say about this game, except that it was very disappointing. Pierzynski went 1 for 4, hitting a 2-run homer in the first.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Seattle 7
Kansas City 6
W: C. Cordero (3-0) L: K. Farnsworth (0-1) S: B. Morrow (7)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (6) KCA: M. Olivo (5), M. Jacobs (5), B. Butler (5)

Texas 4
Oakland 5
W: B. Ziegler (2-2) L: W. Madrigal (1-1)
HR – OAK: J. Giambi (5)

Cleveland 9
Boston 7
W: J. Meloan (1-0) L: M. Delcarmen (0-1) S: K. Wood (9)
HR – CLE: G. Sizemore (5)

Tampa Bay 13
New York (A) 3
W: S. Kazmir (5-1) L: C. Wang (0-3) S: D. Wheeler (2)
HR – NYA: S. Duncan (1)

Minnesota 5
Baltimore 9
W: G. Sherrill (3-0) L: C. Breslow (0-1)
HR – BAL: M. Mora (5), A. Jones (6)

Toronto 3
Los Angeles (A) 9
W: J. Speier (4-1) L: J. Litsch (3-3)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 4
Florida 5 (10)
W: L. Kensing (1-1) L: R. Soriano (1-5)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (3)

Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 3 (11)
W: J. Motte (2-1) L: T. Yates (1-1)
HR – SLN: C. Duncan (1)

San Francisco 1
Colorado 6
W: J. Marquis (2-2) L: J. Sanchez (2-3)
HR – SFN: T. Ishikawa (5)

Arizona 3
San Diego 5
W: J. Peavy (4-2) L: D. Haren (2-2) S: H. Bell (3)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (6), N. Hundley (4)

Milwaukee 3
Cincinnati 7
W: E. Volquez (3-2) L: Y. Gallardo (0-3) S: F. Cordero (9)
HR – MIL: B. Nelson (1) CIN: J. Votto (6), J. Bruce (7)

Philadelphia 7
New York (N) 4
W: J. Blanton (2-3) L: O. Perez (3-1) S: B. Lidge (7)
HR – PHI: R. Howard (12)

Chicago (N) 5
Houston 3
W: R. Dempster (5-0) L: M. Hampton (2-4) S: C. Marmol (10)
HR – CHN: M. Bradley (6), A. Ramirez (5) HOU: C. Lee (4)

Washington 0
Los Angeles (N) 6
W: H. Kuroda (4-1) L: S. Martis (2-4)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Hiroki Kuroda (LAN) 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W
#2 – SP Jason Marquis (COL) 8.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W
#3 – CF Grady Sizemore (CLE) 3 for 5, HR, 3 RBI, R

[Dauis]

5/8/2009
CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Arizona Diamondbacks and reliever Chad Qualls have agreed to a 2-year extension that will pay him $2,535,000 per year.

Game #30 – Texas Rangers [9-20] (B. McCarthy 2-2, 5.03 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [15-14] (G. Floyd 1-2, 4.54 ERA)
Texas lineup: 3B Young – DH Blalock – 2B Kinsler – LF Hamilton – 1B Davis – RF Cruz – C Saltalamacchia – CF Byrd – SS Andrus
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – LF Anderson – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – C Miller – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham

Texas 7
Chicago (A) 10
W: G. Floyd (2-2) L: B. McCarthy (2-3) S: B. Jenks (8)
HR – TEX: N. Cruz (6), J. Saltalamacchia (4) CHA: P. Konerko (9), J. Fields (6)

We jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one thanks to a passed ball and 2-run double by Fields. Fields added a solo homer in the third to make it 4-0. Saltalamacchia hit a 2-run homer for the Rangers to cut the lead to 2, but we scored 5 in the bottom of the inning thanks to a 3-run homer by Konerko, an RBI double by Fields, and an RBI single by Wise. Nelson Cruz hit a 2-run homer in the sixth to make it 9-4, but we got one back in the bottom of the inning thanks to a sac fly by Miller. Things got a little interesting in the seventh when Davis hit an RBI double, and Byrd hit a 2-run double to make it 10-7 with 1 out. However, pinch-hitter Andruw Jones hit into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. Fields had a good game, going 4 for 5 with 3 doubles, a home run, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Detroit 3
Cleveland 4
W: R. Betancourt (2-0) L: B. Seay (1-2)

New York (A) 3
Baltimore 7
W: K. Uehara (3-2) L: A. Pettitte (2-3) S: C. Ray (1)
HR – BAL: L. Scott (3), M. Wieters (6)

Tampa Bay 4
Boston 5
W: T. Saito (1-0) L: G. Balfour (1-1)
HR – TBA: E. Longoria (2)

Seattle 4
Minnesota 0
W: G. Hernandez (1-1) L: G. Perkins (3-2)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (7), Y. Betancourt (3)

Gaby Hernandez shut down the Twins, pitching a 3-hit shutout. He recorded 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Toronto 5
Oakland 6 (10)
W: J. Blevins (1-0) L: S. Downs (1-1)
HR – TOR: T. Snider (7) OAK: J. Giambi (6)

Kansas City 3
Los Angeles (A) 1
W: G. Meche (2-3) L: T. Armas (2-4) S: J. Soria (6)
HR – LAA: V. Guerrero (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 5
Philadelphia 2
W: K. Kawakami (3-2) L: B. Myers (3-2) S: P. Moylan (1)
HR – ATL: O. Infante (2), J. Francoeur (6), J. Schafer (3) PHI: C. Utley (10)

Pittsburgh 6
New York (N) 0
W: Z. Duke (4-2) L: J. Maine (1-5) S: J. Grabow (2)

St. Louis 9
Cincinnati 7
W: T. Wellemeyer (4-2) L: A. Harang (1-4) S: J. Motte (7)
HR – SLN: A. Pujols (4), R. Ludwick (5) CIN: A. Gonzalez (1), C. Dickerson (3)

Cincinnati starter Aaron Harang will miss 6 days due to elbow soreness, and right fielder Jay Bruce will be out a week with a sore shoulder.

Chicago (N) 10
Milwaukee 3
W: C. Zambrano (6-1) L: M. Parra (3-2)
HR – CHN: M. Bradley 2 (8), R. Theriot (1)

San Diego 5
Houston 2
W: C. Young (4-3) L: W. Rodriguez (1-4) S: H. Bell (4)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (5)

Florida 9
Colorado 0
W: A. Miller (2-4) L: G. Smith (0-1)
HR – FLO: R. Paulino (2)

Washington 2
Arizona 12
W: Y. Petit (1-0) L: J. Bergmann (0-3)
HR – WAS: E. Dukes (9)

San Francisco 0
Los Angeles (N) 1
W: J. McDonald (4-1) L: B. Zito (1-4) S: J. Broxton (5)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Gaby Hernandez (SEA) 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W
#2 – 3B Josh Fields (CHA) 4 for 5, 3 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#3 – SP James McDonald (LAN) 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W

[Dauis]

5/9/2009
Game #31 – Texas Rangers [9-21] (V. Padilla 3-3, 3.46 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [16-14] (M. Buehrle 2-3, 2.91 ERA)
Texas lineup: 3B Young – LF Hamilton – 2B Kinsler – DH Cruz – CF Jones – RF Byrd – 1B Sweeney – C Teagarden – SS Duran
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Broussard – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham

Texas 3
Chicago (A) 10
W: M. Buehrle (3-3) L: V. Padilla (3-4)
HR – TEX: M. Byrd (2), J. Hamilton (7) CHA: B. Broussard (2)

If we could play Texas all the time, I'd be happy. Buehrle struggled a bit early, giving up 3 runs in the first 2 innings, and we were tied after 2. However, Buehrle settled down, and we added a run in each of the third through sixth innings, and 3 more in the seventh. It was nice to be able to give Estrada the last 2.1 innings since he hasn't had much time out of the bullpen. He only gave up one hit and struck out one. Pierzynski had a good day. He went 3 for 6 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and scored 2 runs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 8
Boston 1
W: J. Houser (3-0) L: J. Masterson (2-5) S: B. Shouse (2)
HR – TBA: G. Gross (2) BOS: M. Lowell (3)

Toronto 8
Oakland 6
W: D. Purcey (5-0) L: G. Gonzalez (4-2) S: S. Downs (8)
HR – TOR: K. Millar (2), J. Bautista (3) OAK: O. Cabrera (2)

Detroit 7
Cleveland 6
W: Z. Miner (5-1) L: S. Lewis (1-5) S: F. Rodney (1)
HR – DET: B. Inge (5), M. Thames (6) CLE: G. Sizemore (6)

New York (A) 3
Baltimore 9
W: R. Hill (1-1) L: P. Hughes (0-1)
HR – NYA: D. Jeter (1), M. Teixeira (4) BAL: L. Scott (4), M. Costanzo (1)

Yankees reliever Phil Coke will miss the rest of this season and part of next season with a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament. He will be out at least 12 months.

Seattle 1
Minnesota 4
W: S. Baker (1-2) L: R. Rowland-Smith (2-1) S: J. Nathan (4)

Kansas City 9
Los Angeles (A) 7
W: R. Tejeda (1-0) L: D. Oliver (0-1) S: J. Cruz (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 3
New York (N) 13
W: M. Pelfrey (3-0) L: J. Karstens (1-4)
HR – PIT: A. McCutchen (1)

San Francisco 2
Los Angeles (N) 1
W: J. Martinez (1-2) L: C. Kershaw (1-5) S: B. Wilson (4)
HR – SFN: P. Sandoval (4)

Chicago (N) 2
Milwaukee 13
W: B. Looper (4-2) L: T. Lilly (2-2)
HR – CHN: M. Bradley (9)

The Cubs will be without left fielder Alfonso Soriano for three weeks after he tore his hamstring running the bases.

Atlanta 3
Philadelphia 4
W: J. Moyer (1-4) L: J. Jurrjens (2-1) S: B. Lidge (8)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (4) PHI: R. Ibanez (2), J. Rollins (4), J. Werth (6)

San Diego 0
Houston 2
W: R. Ortiz (3-2) L: K. Correia (3-3) S: J. Valverde (3)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (6)

St. Louis 2
Cincinnati 5
W: M. Owings (3-2) L: K. Lohse (1-4) S: F. Cordero (10)
HR – SLN: D. Freese (2), C. Rasmus (5) CIN: J. Votto (7), C. Dickerson (4)

Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene tore ankle ligaments while stealing a base and will be out for 6 weeks.

Washington 4
Arizona 14
W: S. Schoeneweis (1-0) L: S. Olsen (3-1)
HR – WAS: R. Zimmerman (5) ARI: E. Byrnes 2 (4), M. Reynolds 2 (9)

Nationals center fielder Lastings Milledge will miss 2 weeks with a strained quad.

Florida 7
Colorado 5
W: A. Sanchez (2-3) L: A. Cook (1-5) S: M. Lindstrom (8)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (2), I. Stewart (2)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – RF Corey Hart (MIL) 3 for 5, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R
#2 – LF Eric Byrnes (ARI) 2 for 5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#3 – 1B Carlos Delgado (NYN) 2 for 3, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

[Dauis]

5/10/2009
Game #32 – Texas Rangers [9-22] (S. Feldman 0-2, 5.24 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [17-14] (C. Richard 0-3, 4.57 ERA)
Texas lineup: 3B Young – LF Hamilton – 2B Kinsler – DH Cruz – CF Jones – RF Byrd – 1B Saltalamacchia – C Teagarden – SS Andrus
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Anderson – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham

Texas 10
Chicago (A) 5
W: E. Guardado 91-3) L: C. Richard (0-4)
HR – TEX: A. Jones (3), M. Byrd (3) CHA: D. Wise (4), J. Fields (7)

Once again, we can't sweep the lowly Rangers. Richard was terrible, giving up 8 runs in 4+ innings. Pitching depth is one of our many problems on this team. Marlon Byrd went 4-5 with a grand slam and 2 runs scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Detroit 6
Cleveland 4
W: E. Jackson (2-2) L: A. Laffey (1-3) S: B. Seay (9)
HR – DET: M. Cabrera 2 (8) CLE: A. Cabrera (2)

New York (A) 8
Baltimore 2
W: A. Burnett (4-3) L: N. Blackburn (1-6) S: J. Veras (1)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (3), S. Duncan (2)

Seattle 4
Minnesota 8
W: L. Ayala (1-2) L: C. Jakubauskas (1-2) S: J. Crain (1)
HR – MIN: T. Wigginton (4)

Kansas City 5
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: S. Loux (1-0) L: L. Hudson (3-2) S: B. Fuentes (4)
HR – KCA: B. Pena (2) LAA: K. Morales (3), H. Kendrick (2)

Toronto 5
Oakland 3
W: R. Romero (1-1) L: J. Outman (1-1) S: J. Carlson (2)

Tampa Bay 4
Boston 2
W: M. Garza (2-1) L: J. Lester (2-2) S: G. Balfour (8)
HR – BOS: D. Ortiz (2), J. Bay (2)

Tampa Bay right fielder Gabe Gross will miss 2 months due to a broken hand.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 6
New York (N) 4
W: J. Chavez (2-0) L: D. O'Day (0-1) S: M. Capps (8)
HR – PIT: A. LaRoche 2 (7), A. LaRoche (2) NYN: R. Castro (3)

St. Louis 9
Cincinnati 6
W: T. Miller (2-0) L: F. Cordero (0-2) S: J. Motte (8)
HR – SLN: R. Ankiel 2 (6), A. Pujols (5) CIN: A. Gonzalez (2), B. Phillips 2 (6), C. Dickerson (5)

Cardinals center fielder Colby Rasmus suffered an elbow sprain and will miss 2 weeks.

Atlanta 3
Philadelphia 6
W: J. Happ (2-3) L: O. Perez (1-2) S: B. Lidge (9)
HR – ATL: K. Johnson (4) PHI: C. Ruiz (3)

Chicago (N) 4
Milwaukee 7
W: J. Suppan (4-0) L: S. Marshall (1-3) S: T. Hoffman (7)
HR – CHN: M. Bradley (10), A. Ramirez (6), M. Hoffpauir (2) MIL: M. Cameron (6), R. Weeks (6)

San Diego 5
Houston 3
W: P. Martinez (3-0) L: F. Paulino (0-1) S: H. Bell (5)

Florida 6
Colorado 1
W: D. Meyer (3-0) L: G. Rusch (1-2)
HR – FLO: C. Ross (5), D. Uggla (8), G. Sanchez (2)

San Francisco 9
Los Angeles (N) 2
W: B. Howry (2-1) L: R. Wolf (1-3)
HR – SFN: P. Sandoval 2 (6)

Washington 3
Arizona 4
W: M. Scherzer (3-1) L: D. Cabrera (2-4) S: C. Qualls (10)
HR – WAS: A. Hernandez (1) ARI: C. Young (7)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – RF Rick Ankiel (SLN) 3 for 4, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 R
#2 – 3B Pablo Sandoval (SFN) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R
#3 – 1B Miguel Cabrera (DET) 3 for 4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

WEEK IN REVIEW
Another decent week, going 4-2. That's two weeks in a row of going 4-2, and it puts us at 17-15, a game back of the Tigers. The good news is that we're doing this without 4 guys who would normally be on our roster. Ramirez will be back by the end of the week, too. We're starting to climb the list on some of our batting rankings, and we have the best bullpen in the AL.

[Dauis]

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SS Yuniesky Betancourt (SEA) .455 (10-22), 3 HR, 6 RBI

NL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LF Carlos Lee (HOU) .500 (12-24), 3 HR, 7 RBI

[Dauis]

5/11/2009
Game #33 – Chicago (A) White Sox [17-15] (J. Danks 3-1, 3.72 ERA) at Cleveland Indians [17-15] (C. Lee 3-3, 4.86 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – CF Wise – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – DH Thome – RF Broussard – C Miller – 2B Beckham
Cleveland lineup: LF Francisco – 3B DeRosa – CF Sizemore – RF Choo – 1B Ward – SS Peralta – C Shoppach – DH Hafner – 2B Carroll

Chicago (A) 5
Cleveland 2
W: J. Danks (4-1) L: C. Lee (3-4) S: B. Jenks (9)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (11) CLE: T. Hafner (6)

We won this game in the sixth, when we scored four runs in the innings thanks to RBI singles by Konerko and Anderson, and a 2-run homer by Thome. Danks pitched well. He went 8 innings, gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, and he struck out 8.


NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 7
New York (N) 8 (10)
W: F. Rodriguez (3-0) L: R. Soriano (1-6)
HR – NYN: C. Delgado (3)

Braves pitcher Derek Lowe will miss 4 weeks with a sore shoulder. This season he is 4-1 in 8 starts with a 2.01 ERA.

Cincinnati 11
Arizona 5
W: N. Masset (2-0) L: J. Rauch (1-3)
HR – CIN: E. Encarnacion (5), C. Dickerson (6) ARI: C. Young (8), M. Montero (3)

Washington 6
San Francisco 0
W: J. Lannan (4-3) L: R. Johnson (2-5)
HR – WAS: R. Zimmerman (6), E. Dukes (10)


PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP John Lannan (WAS) 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W
#2 – CF Chris Dickerson (CIN) 2 for 5, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, R
#3 – SP John Danks (CHA) 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, W

[Dauis]

5/12/2009
TRADE
The Reds and Cardinals have reached an agreement that will send 25-year-old second baseman Danny Richar to the Cardinals and 28-year-old left fielder Chris Duncan to the Reds. Richar is hitting .143 with 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and has scored 4 times in a limited role with the Reds. He will platoon at short against right handers and hit seventh. Duncan is hitting .239 with 4 RBIs and 8 runs scored for the Cardinals. He will be the Reds' starting right fielder and bat fifth.

Game #34 – Chicago (A) White Sox [18-15] (B. Colon 2-2, 4.54 ERA) at Cleveland Indians [17-16] (F. Carmona 4-2, 4.14 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Anderson – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Cleveland lineup: RF Choo – 2B Cabrera – C Martinez – CF Sizemore – 1B Ward – DH Hafner – LF Dellucci – 3B DeRosa - SS Peralta

Chicago (A) 3
Cleveland 8
W: F. Carmona (5-2) L: B. Colon (2-3)
HR – CHA: P. Konerko (10), B. Anderson (5)

All it took was one inning to turn a 1-1 game into an 8-1 Indians lead. Three straight singles to lead off the seventh loaded the bases, and Choo drew a walk to make it 2-1. Cabrera grounded to third, and we got the out at home. Martinez grounded out to first base, and Peralta scored to make it 3-1, and it looked like we might escape with minimal damage. Sizemore drew a walk, and that was the end of Colon's day. Wuertz came in to face Ward, and he gave up a 2-run double, then a 2-run single to Hafner, then an RBI double to Dellucci, and suddenly it was game over. Fausto Carmona was decent for the Indians. He went the distance, gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 1
Baltimore 6
W: J. Guthrie (3-3) L: S. Kazmir (5-2)
HR – BAL: R. Andino (2), N. Reimold (3), M. Wieters (7)

New York (A) 5
Toronto 1
W: C. Sabathia (5-1) L: R. Halladay (1-6)
HR – NYA: C. Ransom (5)

Seattle 9
Texas 6 (11)
W: B. Morrow (2-1) L: C. Wilson (1-1) S: C. Jimenez (1)
HR – TEX: H. Blalock 2 (3)

Detroit 4
Minnesota 2
W: R. Porcello (3-0) L: K. Slowey (1-5) S: B. Seay (10)
HR – DET: M. Cabrera (9)

Kansas City 2
Oakland 3 (10)
W: B. Ziegler (3-2) L: J. Soria (1-2)
HR – KCA: J. Guillen (3) OAK: R. Sweeney (2)

Boston 5
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: B. Fuentes (1-2) L: J. Papelbon (0-2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 7
Philadelphia 6
W: H. Kuo (1-0) L: J. Taschner (1-1) S: J. Broxton (6)
HR – LAN: J. Repko (1), A. Ethier (5) PHI: J. Werth (7)

Dodgers first baseman James Loney went on a 5-5 hitting spree—all of them singles—with two RBIs.

St. Louis 3
Pittsburgh 4
W: I. Snell (3-2) L: A. Wainwright (3-4) S: M. Capps (9)
HR – SLN: R. Ankiel 2 (8)

Atlanta 5
New York (N) 3 (12)
W: P. Moylan (1-0) L: F. Rodriguez (3-1)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (5) NYN: D. Murphy (3)

Florida 5
Milwaukee 6 (10)
W: T. Hoffman (1-3) L: L. Kensing (1-2)
HR – MIL: C. Hart (5), B. Nelson (2)

Yovani Gallardo suffered a strained biceps and is expected to miss 2 weeks.

San Diego 9
Chicago (N) 3
W: J. Peavy (5-2) L: R. Harden (2-5)
HR – SDN: K. Kouzmanoff (5)

Houston 5
Colorado 2
W: R. Oswalt (2-4) L: J. Marquis (2-3) S: J. Valverde (4)
HR – HOU: G. Blum (4)

Cincinnati 1
Arizona 9
W: D. Haren (3-2) L: E. Volquez (3-3)
HR – CIN: A. Gonzalez (3) ARI: E. Byrnes (5)

Washington 7
San Francisco 6
W: S. Martis (3-4) L: J. Sanchez (2-4) S: J. Hanrahan (7)
HR – WAS: E. Dukes (11), K. Casto 2 (2) SFN: R. Aurilia (2)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (SDN) 3 for 5, 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, R
#2 – 1B Hank Blalock (TEX) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
#3 – RF Nolan Reimold (BAL) 4 for 4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

[Dauis]

5/13/2009
Game #35 – Chicago (A) White Sox [18-16] (G. Floyd 2-2, 4.95 ERA) at Cleveland Indians [18-16] (A. Reyes 1-1, 5.14 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Wise – LF Anderson – 3B Mollenhauer – RF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Cleveland lineup: RF Choo – 2B Cabrera – C Martinez – CF Sizemore – LF Francisco – 1B Ward – DH Hafner – 3B DeRosa – SS Peralta

Chicago (A) 3
Cleveland 9
W: A. Reyes (2-1) L: G. Floyd (2-3) S: J. Meloan (1)
HR – CLE: D. Ward (5), S. Choo (3), A. Cabrera (3)

What a pitiful effort. We gave up a run in each of the first three innings, tied it up after the top of the fifth, but gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth, and that was it. Cleveland first baseman Daryle Ward went 2 for 4 with a home run, 4 RBIs, and a run scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 5
Baltimore 2
W: J. Shields (4-3) L: K. Uehara (3-3) S: G. Balfour (9)
HR – TBA: B. Upton (2) BAL: M. Wieters (8)

New York (A) 10
Toronto 7
W: B. Bruney (1-0) L: B. Ryan (0-1) S: M. Rivera (11)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (4), M. Teixeira (5) TOR: V. Wells (6)

Jose Bautista and Chien-Ming Wang both received 3-game suspensions for fighting.

Seattle 5
Texas 3
W: E. Bedard (4-2) L: B. McCarthy (2-4) S: B. Morrow (8)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (8) TEX: N. Cruz (7), I. Kinsler (8)

Detroit 2
Minnesota 0
W: J. Verlander (3-3) L: F. Liriano (3-4) S: B. Seay (11)

Boston 7
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: M. Delcarmen (1-1) L: D. Oliver (0-2) S: J. Papelbon (10)
HR – BOS: J. Drew 2 (3) LAA: H. Kendrick (3)

Kansas City 4
Oakland 6
W: D. Braden (1-3) L: G. Meche (2-4) S: B. Ziegler (7)
HR – OAK: R. Sweeney (3)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 3
New York (N) 6
W: J. Maine (2-5) L: K. Kawakami (3-3) S: B. Parnell (1)
HR – ATL: J. Francoeur (7) NYN: C. Delgado 2 (5)

Washington 1
San Francisco 3
W: M. Valdez (1-0) L: J. Bergmann (0-4) S: B. Wilson (5)

Los Angeles (N) 0
Philadelphia 3
W: B. Myers (4-2) L: H. Kuroda (4-2) S: B. Lidge (10)
HR – PHI: R. Ibanez 2 (4)

St. Louis 8
Pittsburgh 3
W: C. Carpenter (4-4) L: Z. Duke (4-3)

Florida 1
Milwaukee 7
W: M. Parra (4-2) L: J. Johnson (2-3)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (2)

San Diego 6
Chicago (N) 4 (12)
W: E. Mujica (1-0) L: K. Gregg (0-1)
HR – CHN: R. Durham (1)

Padres pitcher Heath Bell will miss 3 months with a forearm strain.

Houston 7
Colorado 3
W: W. Rodriguez (2-4) L: G. Smith (0-2) S: W. Wright (1)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (7), H. Pence (4)

Cincinnati 8
Arizona 2
W: M. Owings (4-2) L: Y. Petit (1-1)
HR – CIN: A. Gonzalez (4), J. Hairston Jr. (2), C. Duncan (2), P. Janish (1) ARI: S. Drew (3)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 1B Carlos Delgado (NYN) 2 for 3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB
#2 – RF J.D. Drew (BOS) 2 for 4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
#3 – 1B Daryle Ward (CLE) 2 for 4, HR, 4 RBI, R