Chicago White Sox - 2009 and beyond

[Dauis]

5/14/2009
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Detroit 3
Minnesota 5
W: S. Baker (2-2) L: A. Galarraga (2-5) S: J. Nathan (5)
HR – DET: M. Cabrera (10) MIN: J. Morneau (4)

Seattle 4
Texas 5
W: V. Padilla (4-4) L: R. Rowland-Smith (2-2) S: W. Madrigal (4)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (9) TEX: C. Davis (5)

Boston 9
Los Angeles (A) 8
W: R. Ramirez (1-0) L: D. Oliver (0-3) S: J. Lopez (1)

New York (A) 0
Toronto 1
W: J. Frasor (2-1) L: A. Pettitte (2-4) S: S. Downs (9)
HR – TOR: K. Millar (3)

Cleveland 11
Tampa Bay 4
W: S. Lewis (2-5) L: D. Price (3-3)
HR – CLE: B. Francisco (3), A. Cabrera (4)

Baltimore 5
Kansas City 9
W: K. Davies (3-4) L: R. Hill (1-2)
HR – BAL: M. Wieters (9)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Florida 3
Milwaukee 6 (10)
W: T. Hoffman (2-3) L: M. Lindstrom (1-1)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (3)

Los Angeles (N) 5
Philadelphia 4 (10)
W: C. Wade (1-0) L: R. Madson (1-1)
HR – LAN: O. Hudson (3), A. Ethier (6) PHI: R. Howard (13)

Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton will be out 4 weeks due to a torn meniscus. This year he has 6 saves and is 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA.

San Diego 6
Chicago (N) 4
W: V. de los Santos (1-0) L: A. Heilman (0-1) S: D. Sanchez (1)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (7)

Houston 3
Colorado 7
W: A. Cook (2-5) L: M. Hampton (2-5) S: J. Grilli (2)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (8)

St. Louis 7
Pittsburgh 3
W: D. Reyes (2-0) L: T. Yates (1-2)
HR – PIT: R. Vazquez (1), A. LaRoche (8)

New York (N) 4
San Francisco 3
W: M. Pelfrey (4-0) L: J. Martinez (1-3) S: F. Rodriguez (7)
HR – NYN: D. Wright (8)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 3B Bill Hall (MIL) 4 for 5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#2 – 2B Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE) 3 for 3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
#3 – RF Ben Francisco (CLE) 3 for 6, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

5/15/2009
Game #36 – Chicago (A) White Sox [18-17] (M. Buehrle 3-3, 3.06 ERA) at Toronto Blue Jays [22-15] (D. Purcey 5-0, 2.54 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – CF Wise – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – LF Anderson – DH Thome – RF Broussard – C Miller – 2B Beckham
Toronto lineup: 3B Rolen – C Barrett – LF Snider – DH Lind – CF Wells – 1B Millar – RF Inglett – 2B Hill – SS McDonald

Chicago (A) 0
Toronto 3
W: D. Purcey (6-0) L: M. Buehrle (3-4) S: S. Downs (10)
HR – TOR: K. Millar (4)

Each side only had 5 hits, but Toronto turned their hits into runs. We didn't. Millar started the scoring in the fifth with a solo homer. In the eighth, Inglett led off with a triple, Hill was intentionally walked, McDonald drove in Inglett with a base hit, Rolen moved Hill to third when we couldn't turn a double play ball, and Barrett hit a sac fly to bring Hill home and end the scoring for the day. Kroeger hit a one-out double in the ninth, but that was all we could do. Purcey went 6 innings, gave up 4 hits and a walk, and struck out one on his way to a 6-0 start.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 7
New York (A) 5
W: G. Perkins (4-2) L: A. Burnett (4-4) S: M. Guerrier (1)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (5), C. Gomez (3) NYA: N. Swisher (4)

Oakland 15
Detroit 4
W: G. Gonzalez (5-2) L: Z. Miner (5-2)
HR – OAK: D. Barton (3) DET: M. Cabrera (11)

Cleveland 3
Tampa Bay 4 (10)
W: G. Balfour (2-1) L: K. Wood (3-2)

Los Angeles (A) 8
Texas 3
W: D. Davidson (1-1) L: M. Harrison (1-3) S: S. Shields (2)
HR – LAA: M. Napoli (5), K. Morales (4)

Baltimore 7
Kansas City 6 (11)
W: G. Sherrill (4-0) L: D. Waechter (0-1) S: J. Johnson (1)
HR – KCA: M. Maier (1), B. Butler (6)

Boston 10
Seattle 9 (15)
W: J. Masterson (3-5) L: C. Jimenez (0-1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 1
Chicago (N) 8
W: T. Lilly (3-2) L: R. Ortiz (3-3)
HR – CHN: M. Bradley (11), A. Ramirez (7)

Colorado 1
Pittsburgh 5
W: P. Maholm (6-1) L: J. de la Rosa (1-5)

Philadelphia 6
Washington 7
W: J. Tavarez (2-1) L: J. Moyer (1-5) S: J. Hanrahan (8)
HR – PHI: R. Ibanez (5), C. Utley (11) WAS: J. Willingham (3)

Los Angeles (N) 6
Florida 8 (14)
W: L. Kensing (2-2) L: C. Wade (1-1)
HR – FLO: J. Cantu (5), D. Uggla (9)

Arizona 0
Atlanta 1
W: J. Jurrjens (3-1) L: B. Webb (5-2) S: R. Soriano (6)

Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 4
W: K. Lohse (2-4) L: D. Bush (2-3) S: T. Miller (1)
HR – SLN: R. Ankiel (9)

Cardinals right fielder Ryan Ludwick is expected to miss at least 4 weeks with shoulder soreness. This season he is hitting .304 with 5 home runs, 25 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

Cincinnati 6
San Diego 3
W: A. Harang (2-4) L: S. Hill (1-4) S: F. Cordero (11)
HR – CIN: C. Duncan (3), J. Votto (8)

New York (N) 3
San Francisco 4 (15)
W: M. Valdez (2-0) L: S. Green (1-2)
HR – SFN: T. Ishikawa (6), C. Timpner (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Paul Maholm (PIT) 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W
#2 – SP Jair Jurrjens (ATL) 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W
#3 – C Mike Napoli (LAA) 3 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

[Dauis]

5/16/2009
Game #37 – Chicago (A) White Sox [18-18] (J. Danks 4-1, 3.47 ERA) at Toronto Blue Jays [23-15] (R. Romero 1-1, 4.80 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – RF Kroeger – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – LF Andersosn – DH Thome – CF Wise – C Miller – 2B Beckham
Toronto lineup: 3B Rolen – C Barrett – LF Snider – DH Lind – CF Wells – RF Bautista – 1B Millar – 2B Hill – SS McDonald

Chicago (A) 5
Toronto 4
W: J. Danks (5-1) L: B. Ryan (0-2) S: B. Jenks (10)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (12), D. Wise (5) TOR: M. Barrett 2 (4), T. Snider (8)

Everything was pretty quiet until the fourth, and even the top of the fourth started pretty uneventful with Konerko and Fields grounding out to start the inning. However, Anderson got a base hit, then Thome and Wise went back-to-back to give us a 3-0 lead. Danks came out in the bottom of the inning and gave up back-to-back homers to the first two hitters of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2. The Jays tied it up on another solo shot by Michael Barrett in the eighth—his second of the game. In the ninth, we took a 5-3 lead on RBI singles by Fields and Anderson. Jenks came in and got the first two outs before making things interesting. He gave up a base hit to Hill, threw a wild pitch to move Hill to second, gave up a base hit to Overbay to make it a 5-4 game, then gave up another hit to put runners at first and third with two outs and Michael Barrett coming up. Luckily, Barrett grounded out to third to end the game. Barrett was the obvious offensive star of the game, going 3-5 with the 2 solo home runs. However, Jim Thome went 2-4 to extend his hitting streak to 20 games.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 6
New York (A) 5 (11)
W: J. Nathan (1-1) L: J. Veras (0-3) S: J. Crain (2)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (6)

Cleveland 7
Tampa Bay 11
W: T. Percival (1-0) L: C. Lee (3-5)
HR – CLE: B. Francisco (4) TBA: B. Zobrist (3), E. Longoria (3)

Oakland 7
Detroit 2
W: J. Outman (2-1) L: E. Jackson (2-3)
HR – DET: C. Guillen (3)

Baltimore 6
Kansas City 1
W: M. Hendrickson (5-2) L: L. Hudson (3-3)
HR – BAL: M. Mora (6), A. Jones (7), F. Pie (1) KCA: M. Aviles (2)

Los Angeles (A) 10
Texas 4
W: C. James (1-2) L: S. Feldman (0-3)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (1), K. Morales (5)

Boston 4
Seattle 5 (10)
W: B. Morrow (3-1) L: T. Saito (1-1)
HR – BOS: J. Ellsbury (1) SEA: R. Branyan (3), G. Jenkins (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 4
Chicago (N) 5
W: L. Vizcaino (2-0) L: J. Valverde (1-2)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (9), M. Tejada (3) CHN: M. Bradley (12), D. Lee (1)

Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 3
W: J. Pineiro (3-0) L: J. Suppan (4-1) S: J. Motte (9)
HR – MIL: R. Weeks (7) SLN: R. Ankiel (10), A. Pujols (6)

New York (N) 5
San Francisco 1
W: J. Santana (3-3) L: R. Johnson (2-6)
HR – SFN: E. Velez (2)

Los Angeles (N) 5
Florida 6
W: K. Calero (3-0) L: R. Wolf (1-4) S: R. Pinto (1)
HR – LAN: J. Loney (1) FLO: C. Ross (6), D. Uggla (10)

Colorado 0
Pittsburgh 1
W: I. Snell (4-2) L: G. Rusch (1-3) S: M. Capps (10)

Philadelphia 2
Washington 6
W: J. Lannan (5-3) L: J. Happ (2-4)
HR – WAS: J. Willingham (4)

Arizona 2
Atlanta 7
W: B. Carlyle (1-0) L: M. Scherzer (3-2)
HR – ATL: G. Anderson (1)

Cincinnati 5
San Diego 3
W: J. Cueto (3-3) L: P. Martinez (3-1) S: F. Cordero (12)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP John Lannan (WAS) 9.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W
#2 – C Michael Barrett (TOR) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
#3 – SP Ian Snell (PIT) 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, W

[Dauis]

5/17/2009
CONTRACT EXTENSION
Felix Hernandez has signed a 2-year extension for $8.28 million a year with the Seattle Mariners. This season in 8 starts he is 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA.

Game #38 – Chicago (A) White Sox [19-18] (B. Colon 2-3, 5.08 ERA) at Toronto Blue Jays [23-16] (R. Halladay 1-6, 4.76 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Ramirez – 3B Fields – RF Wise – LF Kroeger – 2B Beckham
Toronto lineup: 3B Rolen – C Barrett – LF Snider – DH Lind – CF Wells – RF Bautista – 1B Catalanotto – 2B Hill – SS Adams

Chicago (A) 3
Toronto 6
W: S. Richmond (6-0) L: B. Colon (2-4) S: S. Downs (11)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (13) TOR: F. Catalanotto (3), A. Lind (7)

Things started off well, at least. We took a 1-0 lead on a Lillibridge double in the third and added another run in the fourth off a Jim Thome solo homer. Toronto took the lead in the fifth on a 2-run double by Barrett and an RBI single by Snider to make it 3-2. We tied it up in the sixth on a base hit by Wise, but that was all we could do. Toronto scored a run in the seventh on a Barrett single, and added two more in the eighth on solo shots by Lind and Catalanotto. Michael Barrett went 2 for 4 with a double, 3 RBIs, and a run scored. He really hurt us this series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 2
New York (A) 9
W: J. Veras (1-3) L: K. Slowey (1-6)
HR – MIN: D. Span (1) NYA: J. Posada (5)

Oakland 3
Detroit 4
W: B. Lyon (2-0) L: D. Eveland (2-3) S: B. Seay (12)
HR – OAK: M. Holliday (5) DET: M. Ordonez (4), M. Cabrera (12)

Cleveland 3
Tampa Bay 2
W: F. Carmona (6-2) L: S. Kazmir (5-3) S: K. Wood (10)

Baltimore 0
Kansas City 14
W: Z. Greinke (5-2) L: J. Guthrie (3-4)

Zack Greinke shut out the Orioles on a 4-hitter, ringing up 8 strikeouts and issuing 2 walks. This year he is 5-2 with a 2.81 ERA.

Los Angeles (A) 3
Texas 7
W: K. Millwood (1-5) L: N. Adenhart (2-3)
HR – LAA: B. Abreu (4) TEX: J. Hamilton (8)

Boston 0
Seattle 4
W: F. Hernandez (3-4) L: D. Matsuzaka (4-3) S: D. Aardsma (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 4
Florida 8
W: R. Nolasco (3-4) L: C. Billingsley (3-5)

Philadelphia 6
Washington 4
W: C. Hamels (4-0) L: S. Martis (3-5) S: B. Lidge (11)

Arizona 6
Atlanta 5
W: D. Haren (4-2) L: B. Carlyle (1-1) S: C. Qualls (11)
HR – ATL: B. McCann (4), J. Francoeur (8)

Colorado 0
Pittsburgh 5
W: Z. Duke (5-3) L: J. Marquis (2-4)
HR – PIT: F. Sanchez (2), N. McLouth (6)

Milwaukee 3
St. Louis 7
W: A. Wainwright (4-4) L: C. Villanueva (0-1) S: J. Motte (10)
HR – SLN: S. Schumaker (2), J. Jay (1)

Houston 19
Chicago (N) 1
W: R. Oswalt (3-4) L: R. Harden (2-6)
HR – HOU: L. Berkman (7), C. Lee (10), M. Bourn (2), H. Pence (5)

Cincinnati 9
San Diego 3
W: E. Volquez (4-3) L: J. Peavy (5-3)
HR – CIN: A. Gonzalez (5), R. Hernandez (5)

New York (N) 4
San Francisco 2 (10)
W: J. Putz (1-0) L: B. Wilson (2-3)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – LF Carlos Lee (HOU) 4 for 5, HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, BB
#2 – SP Zack Greinke (KCA) 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W
#3 – SP Felix Hernandez (SEA) 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, W

[Dauis]

WEEK IN REVIEW
That was an ugly week. It's amazing what happens when you play good teams. We went 2-4 to bring our record to 19-19. We sit 2 games back of the Tigers. We got Ramirez back for the last game, but it didn't help. I think we will get better, though, as the rest of our guys get off the DL. All I can do is wait and hope we don't get too far behind. I could also use a fifth starter (sound familiar Sox fans?) since Richard has a 6.66 ERA.

[Dauis]

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
2B Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE) .423 (11-26), 3 HR, 7 RBI

NL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RF Rick Ankiel (SLN) .636 (14-22), 6 HR, 16 RBI, 8 R

[Dauis]

5/18/2009
Game #39 – Chicago (A) White Sox [19-19] (G. Floyd 2-3, 5.48 ERA) at Toronto Blue Jays [24-16] (J. Litsch 3-3, 5.13 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Ramirez – 3B Fields – RF Wise – LF Anderson – 2B Beckham
Toronto lineup: 3B Rolen – C Barrett – LF Snider – DH Lind – CF Wells – RF Bautista – 1B Overbay – 2B Hill – SS McDonald

Chicago (A) 4
Toronto 0
W: G. Floyd (3-3) L: J. Litsch (3-4)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (14)

Wow. We had a solid performance against a good team! We played solid ball, scoring single runs in the first, fourth, fifth, and ninth innings, and Floyd was outstanding. He gave up 3 hits with 7 strikeouts and no walks. He really needed this start. This season in 9 games he's pitched 53.1 innings, has a 3-3 record with a 4.56 ERA. He has struck out 36 and walked 11.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Minnesota 8
New York (A) 6
W: J. Crain (1-0) L: M. Rivera (2-1) S: J. Nathan (6)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (7) NYA: D. Jeter (2), N. Swisher (5)

Oakland 5
Tampa Bay 1
W: S. Gallagher (4-1) L: J. Shields (4-4) S: B. Ziegler (8)
HR – OAK: J. Cust (7), J. Giambi (7)

Los Angeles (A) 5
Seattle 7
W: C. Cordero (4-0) L: T. Armas (2-5) S: B. Morrow (9)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (2) SEA: K. Johjima (3)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 1
Washington 3
W: D. Cabrera (3-4) L: J. Karstens (1-5) S: J. Hanrahan (9)
HR – WAS: A. Dunn (10)

Arizona 5
Florida 3
W: D. Davis (2-1) L: J. Johnson (2-4) S: C. Qualls (12)
HR – ARI: C. Tracy (4)

Colorado 3
Atlanta 5
W: K. Kawakami (4-3) L: G. Smith (0-3) S: R. Soriano (7)

New York (N) 7
Los Angeles (N) 6 (11)
W: F. Rodriguez (4-1) L: T. Sturtze (0-1) S: D. O'Day (1)
HR – NYN: C. Beltran (3), D. Wright (9) LAN: C. Barmes (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Gavin Floyd (CHA) 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, W
#2 – SP Sean Gallagher (OAK) 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K, W
#3 – 3B David Wright (NYN) 4 for 5, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB

[Dauis]

5/19/2009
Game #40 – Minnesota Twins [14-25] (S. Baker 2-2, 3.48 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [20-19] (C. Richard 0-4, 6.66 ERA)
Minnesota lineup: CF Gomez – LF Young – C Mauer – 1B Morneau – DH Wigginton – RF Cuddyer – 2B Punto – 3B Crede – SS Casilla
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynki – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Ramirez – 3B Fields – RF Wise – LF Anderson – 2B Beckham

Minnesota 3
Chicago (A) 6
W: C. Richard (1-4) L: S. Baker (2-3) S: B. Jenks (11)
HR – MIN: J. Crede (3) CHA: G. Beckham (3)

Wow. We get two quality starts in a row by our two “worst” pitchers on staff. We jumped on the Twins early, scoring five in the first and chasing Baker after only 2/3 of an inning. Richard must've heard about my fifth starter comments, as he went 8 innings, gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk, and struck out 1. He was very efficient, only throwing 96 pitches in 8 innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Baltimore 2
New York (A) 5
W: A. Pettitte (3-4) L: R. Hill (1-3) S: M. Rivera (12)
HR – NYA: R. Cano (4)

Toronto 2
Boston 5
W: J. Beckett (5-1) L: B. Tallet (3-1) S: J. Papelbon (11)
HR – TOR: J. Bautista (4)

Texas 4
Detroit 9
W: J. Verlander (4-3) L: B. McCarthy (2-5) S: J. Zumaya (2)
HR – TEX: C. Davis (6) DET: M. Cabrera 2 (14)

Oakland 6
Tampa Bay 2
W: T. Cahill (3-0) L: D. Price (3-4) S: B. Ziegler (9)
HR – OAK: R. Davis (2) TBA: G. Kapler (6)

Cleveland 5
Kansas City 7
W: R. Tejeda (2-0) L: J. Meloan (1-1) S: J. Soria (7)
HR – CLE: B. Francisco 2 (6)

Los Angeles (A) 3
Seattle 2
W: E. Santana (1-0) L: D. Aardsma (1-1) S: B. Fuentes (5)
HR – LAA: K. Morales (6)

Seattle starting pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith will be out 4 months with an inflamed shoulder. This season he is 2-2 in 9 starts and has a 3.33 ERA.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 3
Washington 8
W: J. Tavarez (3-1) L: P. Maholm (6-2)
HR – WAS: E. Dukes (12)

Colorado 7
Atlanta 9
W: B. Boyer (2-1) L: J. Peralta (1-1) S: R. Soriano (8)
HR – COL: Y. Torrealba (1), D. Fowler (3)

Arizona 1
Florida 2
W: T. Tankersley (1-0) L: D. Slaten (1-1) S: M. Lindstrom (9)

Philadelphia 5
Cincinnati 4
W: C. Park (4-0) L: B. Bray (0-2) S: B. Lidge (12)
HR – PHI: G. Dobbs (5), R. Howard (14) CIN: A. Gonzalez (6), B. Phillips (7)

Milwaukee 7
Houston 3
W: M. Parra (5-2) L: W. Rodriguez (2-5) S: M. Stetter (4)

Chicago (N) 4
St. Louis 1
W: R. Dempster (6-0) L: C. Carpenter (4-5) S: C. Marmol (11)
HR – CHN: M. Hoffpauir (3)

Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez suffered a strained oblique and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. This season he is hitting .259 with 7 home runs.

San Francisco 3
San Diego 5
W: C. Young (5-3) L: B. Zito (1-5) S: C. Meredith (4)
HR – SFN: E. Renteria (1)

New York (N) 10
Los Angeles (N) 4
W: M. Pelfrey (5-0) L: J. McDonald (4-2)
HR – NYN: C. Beltran 2 (5), F. Tatis (2) LAN: A. Ethier (7)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 1B Miguel Cabrera (DET) 3 for 3, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB
#2 – SP Trevor Cahill (OAK) 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W
#3 – CF Carlos Beltran (NYN) 2 for 5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

5/20/2009
Game #41 – Minnesota Twins [14-26] (G. Perkins 4-2, 3.45 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [21-19] (M. Buehrle 3-4, 3.10 ERA)
Minnesota lineup: CF Gomez – LF Young – C Mauer – 1B Morneau – DH Wigginton – RF Cuddyer – 2B Harris – 3B Crede – SS Casilla
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – LF Anderson – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – CF Ramirez – DH Thome – RF Wise – C Miller – 2B Beckham

Minnesota 4
Chicago (A) 7 (10)
W: M. Wuertz (5-0) L: J. Nathan (1-2)
HR – MIN: B. Harris (3) CHA: B. Lillibridge (2)

Things weren't looking good after we gave up 4 runs in the fourth. We got one back in the sixth, but it still looked bleak entering the ninth, especially after Beckham and Lillibridge both grounded out to start the inning. Anderson, Konerko, and Fields all had base hits to load the bases for Ramirez, then Nathan threw a wild pitch to score Anderson. Ramirez struck out, and we headed to extra innings. After Wuertz held the Twins scoreless, we went to the bottom of the tenth. Thome flew out to center, and Wise struck out. Myrow then pinch hit and drew a walk, Beckham had a base hit, then Lillibridge of all people hit a walk-off, 3-run home run.


AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Baltimore 4
New York (A) 6
W: A. Burnett (5-4) L: K. Uehara (3-4) S: D. Marte (2)
HR – BAL: F. Pie (2) NYA: J. Posada (6), A. Rodriguez (1)

The Yankees will be without left fielder Johnny Damon for 6 weeks after he strained a hip muscle. This season he is hitting .275 with 2 home runs, 12 RBIs and 34 runs scored. He has 23 walks and a .369 OBP.

Toronto 8
Boston 4
W: D. Purcey (7-0) L: J. Masterson (3-6) S: S. Downs (12)

Texas 3
Detroit 2 (10)
W: J. Albaladejo (1-1) L: J. Zumaya (0-1)

Oakland 4
Tampa Bay 3
W: G. Gonzalez (6-2) L: D. Wheeler (1-1) S: R. Springer (3)
HR – OAK: D. Barton (4)

Cleveland 4
Kansas City 0
W: A. Reyes (3-1) L: K. Davies (3-5)

Anthony Reyes pitched a great game against the Royals. He shut them out on 4 hits. This season he is 3-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 56.2 innings, and has struck out 36.

Los Angeles (A) 6
Seattle 1
W: D. Oliver (1-3) L: G. Hernandez (1-2)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (3), K. Morales (7) SEA: K. Johjima (4)

Angels starter John Lackey will miss 2 weeks with a sore shoulder.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Pittsburgh 4
Washington 1
W: I. Snell (5-2) L: T. Clippard (0-1) S: M. Capps (11)
HR – PIT: A. LaRoche (9)

Pittsburgh reliever Sean Burnett will be out 9-10 months with a stretched elbow ligament. This season he has appeared in 12 games, has a 4.15 ERA, and has fanned 5 batters in 13 innings. Opponents hit him at a .264 clip.

Colorado 8
Atlanta 0
W: J. de la Rosa (2-5) L: J. Jurrjens (3-2)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (3), J. Baker (3)

Arizona 11
Florida 2
W: B. Webb (6-2) L: A. Miller (2-5)
HR – ARI: E. Byrnes (6), C. Snyder (3), M. Reynolds (10) FLO: G. Sanchez (3)

The Marlins will be without center fielder Cameron Maybin for 8 weeks after he sprained his ankle. This season he is hitting .341 with 3 home runs, 17 RBIs, and 17 runs scored.

Philadelphia 7
Cincinnati 5
W: J. Blanton (3-3) L: B. Bray (0-3) S: B. Lidge (13)
HR – PHI: J. Rollins (5), C. Utley (12), R. Howard 2 (16)

Milwaukee 3
Houston 4
W: M. Hampton (3-5) L: B. Looper (4-3) S: J. Valverde (5)
HR – MIL: J. Hardy (2) HOU: L. Berkman (8), C. Lee (11)

Chicago (N) 4
St. Louis 6
W: T. Wellemeyer (5-2) L: C. Zambrano (6-2) S: J. Motte (11)

San Francisco 6
San Diego 5 (10)
W: B. Wilson (3-3) L: C. Meredith (1-2)
HR – SFN: F. Lewis (2) SDN: K. Kouzmanoff (6)

New York (N) 6
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: T. Redding (2-3) L: C. Kershaw (1-6) S: F. Rodriguez (8)
HR – NYN: C. Beltran (6) LAN: J. Loney (2)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SS Brent Lillibridge (CHA) 4 for 6, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
#2 – SP Anthony Reyes (CLE) 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W
#3 – 1B Ryan Howard (PHI) 4 for 4, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

5/21/2009
Game #42 – Minnesota Twins [14-27] (B. Duensing 0-2, 6.39 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [22-19] (J. Danks 5-1, 3.46 ERA)
Minnesota lineup: 2B Harris – LF Young – C Mauer – 1B Morneau – DH Wigginton – RF Cuddyer – CF Span – 3B Crede – SS Casilla
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – LF Anderson – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – CF Ramirez – DH Thome – RF Wise – C Miller – 2B Beckham

Minnesota 4
Chicago (A) 5
W: M. MacDougal (2-0) L: J. Nathan (1-3)
HR – CHA: J. Thome 2 (16), J. Fields (8)

Minnesota started off the game taking a 1-0 lead in the first on a Morneau double. We took the lead in the bottom of the inning after Josh Fields parked one in the left field seats with one on. Joe Crede gave the Twins the lead again in the fourth, with a 2-run single, but Jim Thome extended his hit streak to 25 with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the inning. The Twins tied it up off MacDougal in the seventh when Mauer brought home Young with a double. It was still tied going to the bottom of the ninth. The Twins brought on Joe Nathan to face Jim Thome to start the inning. Thome fouled off the first three pitches, took two balls, then hit the next pitch 426 feet to center to win the game!

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Texas 3
Detroit 7
W: A. Galarraga (3-5) L: M. Harrison (1-4)
HR – TEX: H. Blalock (4) DET: M. Ordonez (5), C. Granderson (2)

Cleveland 4
Kansas City 5 (10)
W: D. Waechter (1-1) L: J. Lewis (1-1)
HR – CLE: V. Martinez (2) KCA: M. Jacobs (6), M. Aviles (3)

Oakland 8
Tampa Bay 4
W: S. Casilla (1-1) L: D. Wheeler (1-2) S: C. Schroder (3)
HR – Oak: W. Betemit (2)

Toronto 2
Boston 3 (11)
W: T. Saito (2-1) L: J. Carlson (1-2)
HR – BOS: J. Lowrie (2)

Baltimore 5
New York (A) 7
W: E. Ramirez (3-0) L: N. Blackburn (1-7) S: M. Rivera (13)
HR – BAL: L. Scott (5), A. Jones (8) NYA: A. Rodriguez (2)

Los Angeles (A) 2
Seattle 1 (12)
W: S. Shields (1-1) L: C. Jimenez (0-2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Philadelphia 4
Cincinnati 5 (10)
W: M. Lincoln (2-0) L: S. Eyre (0-3)
HR – PHI: J. Werth (8), R. Howard (17) CIN: B. Phillips (8)

Pittsburgh 7
Washington 4
W: Z. Duke (6-3) L: J. Lannan (5-4) S: M. Capps 912)
HR – WAS: K. Casto (3)

Colorado 11
Atlanta 2
W: G. Rusch (2-3) L: O. Perez (1-3)
HR – COL: J. Baker 2 (5)

Arizona 0
Florida 1
W: L. Kensing (3-2) L: C. Qualls (0-3)

Milwaukee 5
Houston 2 (11)
W: T. Hoffman (3-3) L: L. Hawkins (2-1)

The Brewers will be without Prince Fielder for 3 months after he suffered a strained hip muscle. This season he's hitting .340 with 6 home runs and 27 RBIs.

Chicago (N) 7
St. Louis 8 (16)
W: K. McClellan (1-0) L: L. Gardner (0-1)
HR – CHN: K. Fukudome (1) SLN: J. Phelps (1), S. Schumaker (3)

San Francisco 13
San Diego 0
W: R. Johnson (3-6) L: P. Martinez (3-2)
HR – SFN: R. Aurilia (3), T. Ishikawa (7)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 2B Jeff Baker (COL) 3 for 4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, BB
#2 – C Bengie Molina (SFN) 4 for 5, 2B, 4 RBI, R
#3 – SP Dan Meyer (FLO) 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

[Dauis]

5/22/2009
ILLNESS
Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum could be out of the lineup for 3 months due to buerger's disease.

Game #43 – Pittsburgh Pirates [23-19] (J. Karstens 1-5, 5.98 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [23-19] (B. Colon 2-4, 4.73 ERA)
Pittsburgh lineup: CF McCutchen – 2B Sanchez – LF McLouth – 1B LaRoche – RF Moss – C Doumit – 3B Jaramillo – DH Vazquez – SS Wilson
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Ramirez – 3B Fields – RF Wise – LF Anderson – 2B Beckham

Pittsburgh 7
Chicago (A) 2
W: J. Karstens (2-5) L: B. Colon (2-5) S: C. Hansen (1)
HR – PIT: R. Vazquez (2), F. Sanchez (3) CHA: J. Fields (9), A. Ramirez (3)

We never had a chance against this solid Pirates team. Thome was held hitless to end his streak at 25 games. Beckham is now out for 2 weeks with wrist tendinitis. Freddy Sanchez went 2 for 5 with a home run, an RBI, and 2 runs scored to lead the Pirates' attack.

GAMES IN AMERICAN LEAGUE PARKS
New York (N) 2
Boston 7
W: H. Okajima (1-2) L: J. Santana (3-4)
HR – BOS: D. Pedroia (1), J. Lowrie (3)

The Red Sox were dealt a severe blow when Daisuke Matsuzaka had to leave the game early today. He is out the rest of the season with a stretched elbow ligament. Doctors indicated it would take Matsuzaka at least 10 months to heal. In 10 starts this season Matsuzaka is 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA.

Colorado 7
Detroit 3
W: J. Marquis (3-4) L: R. Porcello (3-1) S: H. Street (3)
HR – DET: B. Inge (6)

Philadelphia 1
New York (A) 2
W: C. Sabathia (6-1) L: C. Hamels (4-1) S: M. Rivera (14)
HR – NYA: H. Matsui (4)

Milwaukee 2
Minnesota 1
W: M. DiFelice (2-0) L: K. Slowey (1-7) S: T. Hoffman (8)
HR – MIL: R. Weeks (8), C. Hart (6)

Arizona 2
Oakland 4
W: D. Eveland (3-3) L: D. Haren (4-3) S: B. Ziegler (10)

San Francisco 6
Seattle 7
W: C. Cordero (5-0) L: B. Howry (2-2)
HR – SFN: P. Sandoval (7) SEA: R. Branyan (4)

GAMES IN NATIONAL LEAGUE PARKS
Baltimore 3
Washington 5
W: S. Martis (4-5) L: J. Guthrie (3-5) S: J. Hanrahan (10)
HR – BAL: R. Freel (1), M. Mora (7), A. Jones (9)

National catcher Josh Bard will miss 5 months with a broken bone in the elbow.

Tampa Bay 5
Florida 3
W: S. Kazmir (6-3) L: R. Nolasco (3-5) S: G. Balfour (10)
HR – FLO: W. Helms (1)

Cleveland 7
Cincinnati 6
W: J. Lewis (2-1) L: J. Burton (1-1) S: K. Wood (11)
HR – CLE: V. Martinez (3), G. Sizemore (7), B. Francisco (7) CIN: C. Duncan (4)

Toronto 7
Atlanta 5
W: S. Richmond (7-0) L: B. Carlyle (1-2) S: J. Carlson (3)
HR – TOR: S. Rolen (3) ATL: C. Jones 2 (7)

Texas 3
Houston 7
W: R. Oswalt (4-4) L: K. Millwood (1-6)

Kansas City 2
St. Louis 3
W: A. Wainwright (5-4) L: Z. Greinke (5-3) S: K. McClellan (1)
HR – SLN: A. Pujols (7)

Chicago (N) 5
San Diego 4 (10)
W: C. Marmol (1-1) L: C. Meredith (1-3)
HR – CHN: G. Soto (11) SDN: A. Gonzalez (8)

Los Angeles (A) 5
Los Angeles (N) 6 (11)
W: H. Kuo (2-0) L: J. Arredondo (0-2)
HR – LAA: B. Abreu (5), M. Napoli (6) LAN: M. Ramirez (6)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP CC Sabathia (NYA) 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W
#2 – 1B Russell Branyan (SEA) 3 for 5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
#3 – SP Jeff Suppan (MIL) 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

[Dauis]

5/23/2009
Game #44 – Pittsburgh Pirates [24-19] (P. Maholm 6-2, 2.56 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [23-20] (G. Floyd 3-3, 4.56 ERA)
Pittsburgh lineup: CF McCutchen – 2B Sanchez – 1B LaRoche – RF Moss – 3B LaRoche – C Doumit – LF Morgan – DH Vazquez – SS Wilson
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – LF Anderson – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – 2B Ramirez – DH Thome – CF Wise – RF Kroeger – C Miller

Pittsburgh 6
Chicago (A) 8
W: M. Wuertz (6-0) L: M. Capps (1-3)
HR – CHA: P. Konerko (11), C. Miller (1), B. Anderson (6), B. Lillibridge (3)

Pittsburgh started the scoring in the third, thanks to a bases-clearing double by Sanchez to make it 3-0. We got two back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a 2-run shot by Lillibridge. Pittsburgh got those two runs back in the fourth on a sac fly by Morgan and an RBI double by Wilson to make it 5-2. Anderson hit a solo shot for us in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3. When McCutchen scored in the seventh on a throwing error by Miller trying to catch him stealing, it looked like we were in trouble. In the bottom of the seventh, Kroeger led off with a single. Miller came up and took the 1-0 pitch deep to right, cutting the lead to 6-5. After Lillibridge grounded out and Anderson flew out, Konerko kept the inning alive with a base hit to the left side. Fields followed with a double to right, and Konerko showed off his wheels to score from first and tie the game. It stayed that way into the ninth. Capps came on to pitch for the Pirates and got pinch-hitter Myrow to strike out. Lillibridge smacked one back through the middle for a base hit, and when Anderson flew out to center, it looked like we were headed to extras. Capps hurt himself, however, and Yates came on to face Konerko. With a 3-1 count, he served one up and Konerko deposited it in the right field seats for the walk-off winner.

GAMES IN AMERICAN LEAGUE PARKS
Philadelphia 7
New York (A) 6
W: J. Happ (3-4) L: C. Wang (0-4) S: B. Lidge (14)
HR – PHI: R. Howard 2 (19) NYA: R. Cano (5), M. Cabrera (1)

Colorado 3
Detroit 5
W: E. Jackson (3-3) L: G. Smith (0-4) S: B. Seay (13)
HR – COL: B. Hawpe (5) DET: M. Thames (7)

New York (N) 7
Boston 3 (11)
W: F. Rodriguez (5-1) L: H. Okajima (1-3)
HR – NYN: C. Beltran (7)

Milwaukee 2
Minnesota 10
W: F. Liriano (4-4) L: S. McClung (1-1)
HR – MIN: T. Wigginton (5)

Arizona 2
Oakland 6
W: S. Gallagher (5-1) L: D. Davis (2-2) S: B. Ziegler (11)
HR – OAK: M. Ellis (6)

San Francisco 6
Seattle 4
W: J. Martinez (2-3) L: E. Bedard (4-3) S: J. Miller (1)

GAMES IN NATIONAL LEAGUE PARKS
Kansas City 1
St. Louis 2
W: J. Pineiro (4-0) L: L. Hudson (3-4) S: J. Motte (12)

Texas 5
Houston 6 (14)
W: W. Wright (2-1) L: J. Albaladejo (1-2)
HR – TEX: N. Cruz 2 (9) HOU: H. Pence 2 (7)

Baltimore 4
Washington 3
W: C. Ray (1-2) L: J. Tavarez (3-2) S: G. Sherrill (7)

Toronto 0
Atlanta 1 (16)
W: J. Campillo (1-0) L: C. Janssen (0-2)

Tampa Bay 8
Florida 6
W: J. Shields (5-4) L: J. Johnson (2-5) S: G. Balfour (11)
HR – TBA: G. Kapler (7) FLO: C. Ross (7)

Cleveland 9
Cincinnati 7
W: J. Smith (1-0) L: N. Masset (2-1) S: K. Wood (12)
HR – CLE: V. Martinez (4), G. Sizemore (8) CIN: J. Votto (9)

Chicago (N) 2
San Diego 3
W: V. de los Santos (2-0) L: N. Cotts (1-3) S: D. Sanchez (2)
HR – CHN: M. Hoffpauir (4) SDN: A. Gonzalez (9)

Los Angeles (A) 7
Los Angeles (N) 6
W: S. Shields (2-1) L: H. Kuo (2-1) S: D. Oliver (3)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (4) LAN: O. Hudson (4), B. DeWitt (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 1B Ryan Howard (PHI) 3 for 4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
#2 – SP Joel Pineiro (SLN) 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W
#3 – C Victor Martinez (CLE) 3 for 5, HR, 4 RBI, R

MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
-Kannapolis second baseman Jesus Avila hit for the cycle in the Intimidators' 10-3 victory over the Blue Claws.

[Dauis]

5/24/2009
YANKEES-ANGELS TRADE
The Yankees have sent 33-year-old shortstop Cody Ransom to the Angels for 35-year-old right fielder Bobby Abreu and 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher David Herndon.

Ransom is hitting .168 this season with 18 RBIs and 12 runs scored. He has 22 hits including 5 home runs, 12 walks and a .247 OBP. He will be the Angels' starting third baseman and hit eighth.

Abreu on the season is batting .296 with 5 home runs. His totals include 23 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He will start in right field for the Yankees and hit sixth against right-handers and leadoff against left-handers.

David Herndon was assigned to the Yankees' short-season A affiliate in Staten Island, where he will be their number 3 starter. He is now New York's 12th-best prospect, and their 9th-best pitching prospect.

ROYALS-ATHLETICS TRADE
The Royals traded 25-year-old starting pitcher Kyle Davies to the Oakland Athletics for 22-year-old minor league starting pitcher Tyson Ross and 21-year-old minor league shortstop Jason Christian.

This year Davies has compiled a 3-5 record with a 4.01 ERA. He will be Oakland's number four starter.

Tyson Ross was assigned to Double A Northwest Arkansas.

Jason Christian was assigned to Single A Wilmington where he is their starting shortstop and will hit seventh. He is rated as the Royals' 19th-best prospect (7th-best position batting prospect).

Game #45 – Pittsburgh Pirates [24-20] (I. Snell 5-2, 3.84 ERA) at Chicago (A) White Sox [24-20] (C. Richard 1-4, 5.88 ERA)
Pittsburgh lineup: CF McCutchen – 2B Sanchez – LF McLouth – 1B LaRoche – DH Moss – 3B LaRoche – RF Doumit – C Jaramillo – SS Cruz
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – C Pierzynski – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 2B Ramirez – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Kroeger – RF Broussard

Pittsburgh 5
Chicago (A) 6
W: C. Richard (2-4) L: I. Snell (5-3) S: O. Dotel (1)
HR – PIT: N. McLouth (7), B. Moss (3) CHA: D. Wise (6), A. Ramirez (4)

Things looked pretty good for most of the game. We got out to a 4-0 lead, and led 6-3 entering the ninth. Ozzie brought in Jenks to close it down. Except he didn't really. He walked Moss and LaRoche to start the inning, then gave up a base hit to Doumit to load the bases. He got Jaramillo to ground out, but Moss scored, and LaRoche and Doumit each moved up a base. Garrett Jones pinch hit and flew out to center, scoring LaRoche and making it a 6-5 game. Ozzie (and me, to be honest) had seen enough from Jenks, and with the top of the order coming up, he brought in Dotel to face McCutchen. Dotel got him to strike out to end the game.

GAMES AT AMERICAN LEAGUE PARKS
Philadelphia 4
New York (A) 5
W: E. Ramirez (4-0) L: C. Park (4-1) S: M. Rivera (15)

The game after being traded, Bobby Abreu celebrated his return to New York by collecting his 2000th hit, going 2-4 against the Phillies.

New York (N) 4
Boston 1
W: O. Perez (4-1) L: J. Beckett (5-2) S: F. Rodriguez (9)

Colorado 3
Detroit 5 (10)
W: N. Robertson (3-2) L: H. Street (3-1)
HR – COL: O. Quintanilla (1) DET: B. Inge (7)

Rockies pitcher Jason Hammel will be out of action for 4 months with a torn labrum. This season he is 0-1 with no saves. He has made 15 relief appearances, logged 24 innings and fanned 24 batters while fashioning a 2.25 ERA and allowing the opposition a .264 batting average.

Arizona 6
Oakland 3
W: J. Garland (3-3) L: G. Gonzalez (6-3) S: C. Qualls (13)
HR – ARI: C. Jackson (3)

Arizona's shortstop Stephen Drew suffered a separated shoulder in a collision at second base. He will be out 4 weeks. This year he has hit 3 home runs and posted a .268 batting average.

San Francisco 12
Seattle 5
W: B. Zito (2-5) L: G. Olson (0-1)
HR – SFN: B. Molina (3), T. Ishikawa (8), P. Sandoval (8) SEA: A. Beltre (10), M. Tuiasosopo (2)

Milwaukee 3
Minnesota 0
W: M. Parra (6-2) L: S. Baker (2-4) S: T. Hoffman (9)

GAMES AT NATIONAL LEAGUE PARKS
Tampa Bay 6
Florida 1
W: D. Price (4-4) L: A. Sanchez (2-4)

Cleveland 1
Cincinnati 8
W: B. Arroyo (2-4) L: S. Lewis (2-6)
HR – CIN: A. Gonzalez (7), C. Duncan (5), J. Votto (10)

Toronto 5
Atlanta 2
W: B. Tallet (4-1) L: C. Morton (0-1) S: S. Downs (13)
HR – TOR: A. Rios (5)

Baltimore 3
Washington 5
W: S. Olsen (4-1) L: J. Johnson (0-1) S: J. Hanrahan (11)
HR – BAL: R. Freel (2) WAS: J. Flores (5), E. Dukes (13)

Texas 8
Houston 5
W: B. McCarthy (3-5) L: W. Rodriguez (2-6)
HR – TEX: N. Cruz (10)

Kansas City 2
St. Louis 1
W: G. Meche (3-4) L: C. Carpenter (4-6) S: J. Soria (8)

Chicago (N) 0
San Diego 1
W: E. Moreno (1-0) L: C. Marmol (1-2)
HR – SDN: A. Gonzalez (10)

Los Angeles (A) 1
Los Angeles (N) 2
W: C. Wade (2-1) L: J. Arredondo (0-3) S: T. Sturtze (1)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (5) LAN: M. Ramirez (7)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Manny Parra (MIL) 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W
#2 – SP Chris Young (SDN) 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
#3 – C Bengie Molina (SFN) 2 for 4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

[Dauis]

WEEK IN REVIEW
What a great week. We went 6-1, with our only loss coming Saturday against the Pirates. Now, three of the wins were over the Twins who are last in the division, but I really don't care. We've got three games at the Angels and three more at the Royals this week. Both teams are under .500, so we should have another decent week to end the month. Plus we get Jermaine Dye back in a few days. Right now we sit at 25-20, ½ game behind the Tigers.

[Dauis]

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
C Victor Martinez (CLE) .519 (14-27), 3 HR, 8 RBI

NL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
1B Ryan Howard (PHI) .636 (14-22), 6 HR, 11 RBI

[Dauis]

5/25/2009
Game #46 – Chicago (A) White Sox [25-20] (M. Buehrle 3-4, 3.13 ERA) at Los Angeles (A) Angels [18-27] (J. Weaver 2-2, 4.78 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – 2B Ramirez – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Anderson – RF Kroeger – C Pierzynski
Los Angeles (A) lineup: CF Figgins – 2B Kendrick – RF Guerrero – C Napoli – 1B Morales – LF Rivera – SS Clark – 3B Ransom – DH Aybar

Chicago (A) 5
Los Angeles (A) 2
W: M. Buehrle (4-4) L: J. Weaver (2-3) S: B. Jenks (12)
HR – CHA: B. Anderson (7) LAA: M. Napoli (7)

Another game where we weren't really threatened. I'm starting to like these types of games. We were helped out by 2 Angels errors. Buehrle pitched well. He went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs on 9 hits. He also struck out 4.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Toronto 6
Baltimore 4
W: D. Purcey (8-0) L: K. Uehara (3-5) S: J. Frasor (1)
HR – TOR: T. Snider (9)

New York (A) 7
Texas 0
W: A. Burnett (6-4) L: V. Padilla (4-5)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (7), M. Teixeira (6), R. Pena (1)

A.J. Burnett had a superb performance, shutting out the Rangers 7-0, giving up 5 hits while registering 9 strikeouts and no walks. This season he is 6-4 in 10 games. He has an ERA of 5.43 and has fanned 45 batters in 56.1 innings.

Detroit 5
Kansas City 2
W: Z. Miner (6-2) L: J. Wright (2-3) S: B. Seay (14)
HR – DET: B. Inge 2 (9), C. Granderson (3)

Boston 10
Minnesota 6
W: J. Masterson (4-6) L: G. Perkins (4-3) S: J. Papelbon (12)

Seattle 3
Oakland 4
W: R. Springer (2-0) L: B. Morrow (3-2)
HR – OAK: T. Buck (2)

Tampa Bay 5
Cleveland 0
W: J. Nelson (3-0) L: A. Reyes (3-2)
HR – TBA: C. Pena (5), M. Joyce (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Houston 2
Cincinnati 7
W: A. Harang (3-4) L: M. Hampton (3-6)
HR – CIN: R. Hernandez (6)

St. Louis 3
Milwaukee 5
W: B. Looper (5-3) L: T. Wellemeyer (5-3) S: T. Hoffman (10)

Los Angeles (N) 3
Colorado 4
W: J. de la Rosa (3-5) L: C. Kershaw (1-7) S: H. Street (4)
HR – LAN: J. Salazar (1) COL: G. Atkins (4)

Atlanta 7
San Francisco 4
W: J. Jurrjens (4-2) L: J. Affeldt (2-1) S: R. Soriano (9)
HR – SFN: A. Rowand (3), R. Winn (3)

San Diego 8
Arizona 0
W: K. Correia (4-3) L: B. Webb (6-3)
HR – SDN: H. Blanco (1)

Florida 3
Philadelphia 4
W: J. Taschner (2-1) L: A. Miller (2-6) S: B. Lidge (15)
HR – FLO: D. Uggla (11) PHI: P. Feliz (4), J. Werth (9)

Washington 7
New York (N) 2
W: J. Lannan (6-4) L: M. Pelfrey (5-1) S: S. Shell (1)
HR – WAS: A. Dunn 2 (12)

Pittsburgh 5
Chicago (N) 7
W: N. Cotts (2-3) L: R. Ohlendorf (0-1) S: C. Marmol (12)
HR – CHN: K. Reynolds (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP A.J. Burnett (NYA) 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W
#2 – 3B Brandon Inge (DET) 3 for 4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
#3 – SP Jorge de la Rosa (COL) 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W

[Dauis]

5/26/2009
CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Yankees, for some unknown reason, have signed Chien-Ming Wang to a 2-year, $10 million extension. This season he is 0-4 in 9 starts and has a 6.85 ERA.

Game #47 – Chicago (A) White Sox [26-20] (J. Danks 5-1, 3.52 ERA) at Los Angeles (A) Angels [18-28] (N. Adenhart 2-3, 4.18 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – 2B Ramirez – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – 3B Fields – CF Wise – LF Anderson – RF Doolittle – C Pierzynski
Los Angeles (A) lineup: CF Figgins – 2B Kendrick – RF Guerrero – C Napoli – 1B Morales – LF Rivera – SS Izturis – 3B Ransom – DH Aybar

Chicago (A) 6
Los Angeles (A) 10
W: N. Adenhart (3-3) L: J. Danks (5-2) S: J. Arredondo (1)

This game wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated. We were down 10-0 going into the ninth before scraping together 6 runs to make it look somewhat respectable. Mike Napoli hurt us, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and a walk.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 0
Cleveland 2
W: C. Lee (4-5) L: A. Sonnanstine (2-2) S: K. Wood (13)
HR – CLE: D. Ward (6)

Toronto 2
Baltimore 3
W: N. Blackburn (2-7) L: R. Halladay (1-7) S: G. Sherrill (8)
HR – TOR: L. Overbay (1)

New York (A) 13
Texas 4
W: J. Chamberlain (3-3) L: M. Harrison (1-5)
HR – NYA: T. Linden (1), H. Matsui (5)

Texas center fielder Josh Hamilton is expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks with shoulder tendinitis. This season he's hitting .298 with 50 hits, 8 home runs and 19 RBIs.

Detroit 10
Kansas City 4
W: A. Galarraga (4-5) L: S. Ponson (0-1)
HR – DET: A. Everett (1) KCA: A. Gordon (7)

Boston 0
Minnesota 4
W: B. Duensing (1-2) L: J. Lester (2-3)
HR – MIN: C. Gomez (4)

Seattle 1
Oakland 0 (11)
W: B. Morrow (4-2) L: B. Ziegler (3-3) S: R. Corcoran (1)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Florida 7
Philadelphia 5
W: D. Meyer (4-0) L: J. Moyer (1-6) S: M. Lindstrom (10)
HR – FLO: J. Hermida (1) PHI: R. Ibanez 2 (7), R. Howard (20)

Houston 2
Cincinnati 5
W: J. Cueto (4-3) L: R. Ortiz (3-4) S; F. Cordero (13)
HR – CIN: B. Phillips (9)

Washington 5
New York (N) 6
W: B. Parnell (1-1) L: J. Hanrahan (0-1)
HR – WAS: W. Harris (1), R. Zimmerman (7) NYN: D. Wright (10)

Pittsburgh 2
Chicago (N) 4
W: T. Lilly (4-2) L: Z. Duke (6-4) S: L. Vizcaino (1)
HR – PIT: C. Monroe 91) CHN: N. Spears (1)

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto suffered a hamstring strain and is expected to miss 2 weeks. This year he has hit .297 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs.

St. Louis 1
Milwaukee 9
W: D. Bush (3-3) L: K. Lohse (2-5)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (4)

Los Angeles (N) 1
Colorado 3
W: G. Rusch (3-3) L: J. McDonald (4-3) S: H. Street (5)
HR – LAN: R. Martin (3) COL: B. Hawpe (6)

San Diego 2
Arizona 0
W: P. Martinez (4-2) L: M. Scherzer (3-3) S: C. Meredith (5)
HR – SDN: B. Giles (3)

Atlanta 7
San Francisco 10
W: A. Hinshaw (1-0) L: B. Carlyle (1-3) S: B. Wilson (6)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (8)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – SP Cliff Lee (CLE) 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W
#2 – SP Josh Outman (OAK) 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
#3 – SP Dave Bush (MIL) 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W

[Dauis]

5/27/2009
Game #48 – Chicago (A) White Sox [26-21] (B. Colon 2-5, 4.66 ERA) at Los Angeles (A) Angels [19-28] (T. Armas 2-5, 3.96 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: SS Lillibridge – 2B Ramirez – 1B Konerko – DH Thome – CF Wise – LF Anderson – 3B Mollenhauer – RF Kroeger – C Pierzynski
Los Angeles (A) lineup: CF Figgins – 2B Kendrick – RF Guerrero – C Napoli – 1B Morales – SS Izturis – LF Willits – 3B Ransom – DH Aybar

Chicago (A) 1
Los Angeles (A) 4
W: J. Saunders (1-1) L: B. Colon (2-6) S: B. Fuentes (6)
HR – LAA: K. Morales (8)

Well, this is certainly not the way this series should have gone. Tony Armas of all people shut down our offense. He went 6 1/3 innings, gave up just the one run on 5 hits and struck out 5. And to make things worse, Brent Lillibridge is out for 3 weeks with hamstring tendinitis. At least Dye comes back tomorrow.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Toronto 7
Baltimore 2
W: S. Richmond (8-0) L: J. Guthrie (3-6)
HR – TOR: M. Barrett (5), T. Snider (10)

Purcey and Richmond are a combined 16-0 for the Jays. Not bad for their number 4 and 5 starters. If Halladay can ever get back on track, this team could be very dangerous.

Detroit 2
Kansas City 0
W: R. Porcello (4-1) L: Z. Greinke (5-4) S: B. Seay (15)

Seattle 8
Oakland 1
W: F. Hernandez (4-4) L: D. Eveland (3-4)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre 2 (12) OAK: J. Cust (8)

Tampa Bay 5
Cleveland 4
W: S. Kazmir (7-3) L: F. Carmona (6-3) S: G. Balfour (12)
HR – CLE: M. DeRosa (2), A. Cabrera (5)

New York (A) 10
Texas 8
W: J. Veras (2-3) L: K. Millwood (1-7) S: M. Rivera (16)
HR – NYA: B. Abreu (6), N. Swisher (6)

Boston 0
Minnesota 4
W: F. Liriano (5-4) L: T. Saito (2-2) S: L. Ayala (1)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (8)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 1
Milwaukee 5
W: J. Suppan (5-1) L: A. Wainwright (5-5)

Pittsburgh 5
Chicago (N) 3
W: J. Grabow (1-1) L: L. Gardner (0-2) S; P. Dumatrait (1)
HR – PIT: A. McCutchen 2 (3)

Los Angeles (N) 2
Colorado 3
W: M. Corpas (1-0) L: H. Kuo (2-2)
HR – COL: I. Stewart (3)

Florida 5
Philadelphia 3
W: R. Nolasco (4-5) L: R. Madson (1-2) S: M. Lindstrom (11)
HR – FLO: C. Ross (8), J. Hermida (2), D. Uggla (12) PHI: M. Stairs (1)

Houston 7
Cincinnati 1
W: R. Oswalt (5-4) L: E. Volquez (4-4)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (12) CIN: E. Encarnacion (6)

Washington 2
New York (N) 3 (10)
W: F. Rodriguez (6-1) L: J. Hanrahan (0-2)
HR – WAS: J. Willingham (5)

San Diego 1
Arizona 5
W: D. Haren (5-3) L: J. Peavy (5-4)

Atlanta 5
San Francisco 3
W: J. Vazquez (5-1) L: J. Sanchez (2-5) S: J. Campillo (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – CF Andrew McCutchen (PIT) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
#2 – SP Dan Haren (ARI) 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W
#3 – SP Rick Porcello (DET) 8.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W

[Dauis]

5/28/2009
CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Mets have reached an agreement with starting pitcher John Maine on a 3 year, $16.8 million deal. In 10 starts this year Maine is 2-5. He has pitched 60.1 innings, allowed 72 hits, struck out 48 and has a 5.22 ERA.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Tampa Bay 4
Cleveland 5
W: A. Laffey (2-3) L: J. Shields (5-5) S: K. Wood (14)

Boston 3
Minnesota 5
W: K. Slowey (2-7) L: T. Wakefield (1-3) S: J. Nathan (7)
HR – MIN: C. Gomez (5)

Detroit 8
Baltimore 3
W: E. Jackson (4-3) L: A. Eaton (1-3)
HR – DET: M. Ordonez 2 (7), M. Cabrera (15), C. Granderson (4) BAL: M. Mora (8), R. Andino (3)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 6
Chicago (N) 2
W: H. Kuroda (5-2) L: S. Marshall (1-4)
HR – LAN: B. Ausmus (1)

Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda will miss 4 weeks with elbow soreness. This season he is 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA.

Atlanta 14
Arizona 5
W: M. Gonzalez (1-1) L: T. Gordon (0-1)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (9) ARI: C. Snyder (4)

Believe it or not, Arizona led 5-3 going into the ninth.

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – RF Magglio Ordonez (DET) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
#2 – 3B Chipper Jones (ATL) 2 for 5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
#3 – C Brian McCann (ATL) 4 for 5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB

[Dauis]

5/29/2009
Game #49 – Chicago (A) White Sox [26-22] (G. Floyd 3-3, 5.05 ERA) at Kansas City Royals [21-26] (G. Meche 3-4, 3.47 ERA)
Chicago (A) lineup: CF Wise – SS Ramirez – RF Dye – 1B Konerko – 3B Fields – DH Thome – LF Andersson – 2B Doolittle – C Pierzynski
Kansas City lineup: CF Crisp – SS Aviles – DH Butler – 3B Gordon – 1B Jacobs – RF Lubanski – LF Teahen – 2B Bloomquist – C Pena

Chicago (A) 3
Kansas City 7
W: G. Meche (4-4) L: G. Floyd (3-4)
HR – CHA: A. Pierzynski (3), B. Anderson (8)

What is going on here? We've lost 3 straight to teams we should be beating. Committing 3 errors didn't exactly help us this game. The Sean Doolittle experiment at second base wasn't the only reason, either. He committed one error, Dye committed his first, and Fields committed his 11th. Coco Crisp definitely did his job as the leadoff hitter for the Royals, going 5 for 5. He had 2 doubles, 1 RBI, and scored a run.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
New York (A) 3
Cleveland 2
W: E. Ramirez (5-0) L: J. Meloan (1-2) S: M. Rivera (17)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez 2 (4)

Detroit 4
Baltimore 12
W: R. Hill (2-3) L: J. Verlander (4-4)
HR – DET: G. Laird (2), C. Granderson (5) BAL: A. Huff 2 (4)

Detroit was dealt a blow when they discovered left fielder Marcus Thames broke his kneecap and will be out for 6 months. He hit .272 with 7 home runs, 28 RBIs and 27 runs scored.

Boston 8
Toronto 2
W: J. Beckett (6-2) L: J. Litsch (3-5)
HR – BOS: J. Bay 2 (4) TOR: S. Campbell (1)

Minnesota 3
Tampa Bay 2
W: S. Baker (3-4) L: D. Price (4-5) S: J. Nathan (8)
HR – MIN: B. Harris 2 (5)

Oakland 6
Texas 2
W: R. Springer (3-0) L: B. McCarthy (3-6) S: S. Casilla (1)
HR – OAK: T. Buck (3)

Seattle 10
Los Angeles (A) 1
W: E. Bedard (5-3) L: E. Santana (1-1)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (13), R. Branyan (5), Y. Betancourt (4)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (N) 3
Chicago (N) 8
W: L. Vizcaino (3-0) L: R. Wolf (1-5)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (2)

Houston 5
Pittsburgh 8
W: C. Hansen (1-0) L: G. Geary (0-2) S: M. Capps (13)
HR – HOU: L. Berkman (9), J. Towles (2) PIT: N. McLouth 2 (9)

Washington 3
Philadelphia 12
W: B. Myers (5-2) L: C. Balester (0-1)
HR – PHI: C. Utley (13)

Florida 3
New York (N) 2
W: L. Nunez (1-0) L: J. Putz (1-1) S: M. Lindstrom (12)

Cincinnati 7
Milwaukee 3
W: B. Arroyo (3-4) L: Y. Gallardo (0-4) S: F. Cordero (14)
HR – CIN: R. Hernandez (7), J. Votto (11) MIL: J. Koshansky (1)

San Diego 5
Colorado 3
W: C. Young (6-3) L: A. Cook (2-6) S: C. Meredith (6)
HR – SDN: C. Young (1)

Atlanta 4
Arizona 3
W: C. Morton (1-1) L: J. Garland (3-4) S: R. Soriano (10)
HR – ATL: G. Anderson (2), B. McCann (5) ARI: M. Montero (4)

St. Louis 4
San Francisco 1
W: C. Carpenter (5-6) L: B. Zito (2-6) S: J. Kinney (1)

PERFORMANCES OF THE DAY
#1 – 1B Aubrey Huff (BAL) 3 for 5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R
#2 – SS Brendan Harris (MIN) 3 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
#3 – LF Nate McLouth (PIT) 2 for 4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB