2007 Kansas City Royals - Here we go Again

[Dauis]

7/21/2007
ROYALS EXTENSION
We signed reliever Steve Stemle to a 1 year extension for $530,000 today. He’s been one of our better relievers, going 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 30.1 innings.

Game #98 – Los Angeles (A) (K. Escobar 8-5, 4.09 ERA) at Kansas City (J. Gobble 4-9, 5.38 ERA)
Los Angeles (A) 5
Kansas City 4
W: K. Escobar (9-5) L: O. Dotel (3-4) S: F. Rodriguez (26)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (18), M. Napoli 2 (18) KC: S. Spiezio (28)

We just couldn’t pull this one out. It was a good game for a while. It was tied at 3 until Dotel came in and gave up 2 runs in his third of an inning to raise his ERA to 6.57. I hope someone takes him. He’s not even our closer anymore—he hasn’t been for probably a month or so. Mike Napoli went 2-4 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored, and 4 RBIs for the Angels.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 10
Cleveland 2
W: R. Harden (13-5) L: J. Sowers (5-9)
HR – OAK: B. Crosby (12) CLE: B. Francisco (2)

Chicago (A) 1
Detroit 4
W: N. Robertson (9-6) L: J. Vazquez (7-7) S: T. Jones (22)
HR – DET: O. Infante (3), C. Jackson (5)

New York (A) 8
Tampa Bay 7
W: M. Mussina (14-4) L: J. Blanton (4-7) S: M. Rivera (30)
HR – NYA: A. Rodriguez (27), J. Posada (14) TBA: C. Pena (11), T. Wigginton 2 (19)

Seattle 3
Minnesota 9
W: B. Bonser (9-4) L: J. Washburn (7-10)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (10), R. Sexson (22) MIN: J. Morneau (33), J. Lane (16)

Baltimore 6
Texas 2
W: C. Ray (5-3) L: V. Padilla (10-6) S: C. Bradford (4)
HR – BAL: N. Markakis (11)

Toronto 5
Boston 3
W: J. Towers (10-6) L: J. Papelbon (4-9) S: B. Ryan (16)
HR – TOR: A. Rios (10) BOS: M. Ramirez (24)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 6
Atlanta 7
W: T. Hudson (8-9) L: B. Chen (6-10) S: B. Wickman (22)
HR – STL: A. Pujols (29), C. Duncan (27)

Florida 6
Philadelphia 2
W: A. Sanchez (5-8) L: B. Myers (6-9) S: R. Messenger (2)
HR – FLO: M. Jacobs (22), D. Uggla (15) PHI: M. Lieberthal (15)

Houston 6
New York (N) 3
W: C. Sampson (6-8) L: J. Maine (7-9) S: B. Lidge (3)
HR – HOU: C. Lee 2 (29), L. Scott (8) NYN: B. Johnson (7)

Milwaukee 4
Pittsburgh 5 (11)
W: M. Capps (3-1) L: E. Dessens (6-4)
HR – MIL: J. Estrada (6) PIT: N. McLouth (2)

Los Angeles (N) 6
Arizona 7
W: M. Schultz (1-0) L: J. Beimel (3-2) S: J. Valverde (22)
HR – ARI: R. Garko (23)

Cincinnati 3
San Francisco 6
W: N. Lowry (4-13) L: S. Kim (2-9) S: F. Cabrera (2)

Bad news for the Reds today, as they learned that Adam Dunn will miss 4 weeks with a strained rib cage muscle.

Chicago (N) 7
Washington 3
W: T. Lilly (9-6) L: A. Kown (1-1)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (16) WSH: N. Logan (4)

San Diego 3
Colorado 11
W: R. Lopez (13-5) L: C. Young (11-4)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (25), B. Hawpe (17), M. Holliday (23)

[Dauis]

7/22/2007
ROYALS EXTENSIONS
We signed a couple of our minor leaguers to minor league extensions. Closer Scott Schneider and starting pitcher Isauro Pineda will continue to be a part of our minor league system.

Game #99 – Los Angeles (A) (E. Santana 8-5, 4.59 ERA) at Kansas City (M. Rogers 3-1, 2.25 ERA)
Los Angeles (A) 4
Kansas City 2
W: E. Santana (9-5) L: M. Rogers (3-2) S: F. Rodriguez (27)

Rogers got in trouble early, giving up 2 runs in each of the first 2 innings. For the game he went 6, gave up the 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, and struck out 5. Unfortunately, he’s suffering from dead arm syndrome, so we have to put him on the DL. Santana went 8 and gave up the 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, and struck out 6 for the Angels.

We’ll call up Jose Diaz for the time being to take Rogers’ spot.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 7
Cleveland 4 (10)
W: H. Street (5-3) L: R. Hernandez (1-2)
HR – OAK: D. Johnson (7) CLE: T. Hafner (24), G. Sizemore (13)

Chicago (A) 6
Detroit 4
W: J. Garland (5-9) L: D. Wells (6-9) S: F. Bastamonte (9)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (24) DET: M. Thames (21)

New York (A) 4
Tampa Bay 3
W: A. Pettitte (9-3) L: A. Reyes (3-4) S: M. Rivera (31)
HR – TBA: T. Wigginton (20)

Seattle 4
Minnesota 1
W: M. Batista (10-5) L: R. Ortiz (3-4) S: J. Putz (21)

Baltimore 3
Texas 5
W: K. Loe (7-10) L: A. Garcia (3-3) S: E. Gagne (16)
HR – BAL: B. Roberts (8) TEX: G. Laird (9)

Toronto 2
Boston 13
W: A. Alvarez (2-2) L: T. Ohka (9-6)
HR – TOR: A. Lind (2) BOS: M. Ramirez 2 (26), J. Lugo (10), J. Drew (10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 0
Atlanta 4
W: C. James (6-7) L: C. Narveson (2-3) S: R. Soriano (3)
HR – ATL: E. Renteria (10), B. McCann (17)

Florida 5
Philadelphia 6
W: G. Geary (5-4) L: T. Bowyer (3-3) S: T. Gordon (12)
HR – PHI: J. Rollins (18), P. Burrell (20), R. Howard 2 (35)

Houston 8
New York (N) 3
W: P. Barzilla (4-8) L: T. Glavine (6-4)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (30), L. Berkman (35), C. Burke (9) NYN: D. Easley (7)

Milwaukee 5
Pittsburgh 4
W: D. Marte (1-4) L: M. Capps (3-2) S: F. Cordero (17)
HR – MIL: J. Estrada (7), R. Weeks (3) PIT: J. Gerut (3)

Los Angeles (N) 4
Arizona 2
W: B. Penny (8-5) L: L. Hernandez (7-6) S: T. Saito (24)

Cincinnati 9
San Francisco 10 (13)
W: F. Cabrera (1-3) L: T. Shearn (2-3)
HR – CIN: B. Phillips 2 (9), R. Sanders (9) SFN: B. Broussard (9)

Chicago (N) 10
Washington 5
W: R. Dempster (3-1) L: E. Fruto (0-3)
HR – CHN: M. Barrett (22) WSH: N. Logan (5)

San Diego 6
Colorado 3
W: S. Linebrink (6-2) L: M. Corpas (1-2) S: T. Hoffman (17)
HR – SDN: T. Walker 2 (6)

[Dauis]

WEEKLY THOUGHTS
What a terrible week. We went 2-5. We lost our best starter, Mark Rogers, for the next 2 weeks. And nobody is interested in Dotel, which means I’m on the hook for the rest of his $5 million salary for the rest of the season. Just great. This season can’t get over soon enough.

We traded Wichita starting pitcher Brandon Duckworth to the Padres for their 4th round selection, 17-year-old starting pitcher Giraldo Ropp. I doubt he’ll develop, but he has an outside chance, which is probably more than Duckworth has right now.

AL Player of the Week
3B Ty Wigginton (TBA) .444, 5 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, .464 OBP

NL Player of the Week
OF Brad Hawpe (COL) .481, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 10 R

[Dauis]

7/23/2007
TRADE
The Cincinnati Reds have traded 29-year-old starting pitcher Sunny Kim to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Joe Wilson.

Game #100 – Los Angeles (A) (J. Lackey 9-3, 3.92 ERA) at Kansas City (O. Perez 8-7, 6.36 ERA)
Los Angeles (A) 4
Kansas City 3 (11)

In what might have been his final start in a Royals uniform, Perez did ok. He went 7.1 innings, gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks, and struck out 4. We were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the 8th, when RB’s hero, John Buck, hit a solo shot to tie it up. In the 10th inning, Buddy made a weird decision, pinch-hitting Costa for Buck. That wasn’t all though—he left Costa in the game at catcher! He swore he hadn’t been in my liquor cabinet before the game, but when I went back and checked, I was missing a bottle of Vodka. Gary Matthews Jr. went 2-5 with a double, a home run, a run scored, 3 RBIs, and a walk.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 0
Cleveland 1
W: C. Sabathia (11-10) L: D. Haren (9-9)

C.C. pitched a great game, giving up only 2 hits and a walk. He also struck out 7.

Chicago (A) 5
Detroit 4 (12)
W: E. Rodriguez (1-2) L: T. Jones (3-6)

Detroit shortstop Carlos Guillen is day-to-day with a strained rib cage muscle.

New York (A) 13
Tampa Bay 2
W: R. Clemens (5-3) L: J. Shields (5-7)
HR – TBA: G. Norton (7)

Seattle 8
Minnesota 6 (11)
W: M. Lowe (5-3) L: S. Ponson (2-1)
HR – SEA: R. Ibanez (14), A. Beltre (11) MIN: J. Morneau (34)

Baltimore 9
Texas 4
W: H. Penn (4-3) L: J. Wright (3-10)
HR – BAL: N. Markakis (12) TEX: J. Piedra (11)

Toronto 14
Boston 3
W: J. Thomson (3-9) L: D. Hansack (1-5)
HR – TOR: L. Overbay (11), F. Thomas (11), A. Amezaga (3), A. Hill (3)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 2
Atlanta 3
W: C. Paronto (5-5) L: B. Looper (0-8)

Florida 9
Philadelphia 2
W: S. Olsen (7-4) L: R. Madson (2-8)
HR – FLO: D. Uggla (16)

Houston 4
New York (N) 5
W: C. Park (4-2) L: D. Wheeler (4-4)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (31), L. Berkman (36) NYN: J. Valentin (15), C. Delgado (18)

Luke Scott suffered a fractured finger after being hit by a pitch. He will miss one week.

Milwaukee 11
Pittsburgh 4
W: J. Westbrook (5-9) L: Z. Duke (1-8)
HR – MIL: J. Estrada (8)

Los Angeles (N) 7
Arizona 2
W: R. Wolf (3-0) L: D. Davis (3-2)
HR – LAN: B. Clark (1) ARI: D. Bautista (1)

Cincinnati 6
San Francisco 4
W: A. Harang (12-7) L: B. Zito (7-12) S: E. Guardado (17)
HR – CIN: B. Phillips (10), J. Valentin (17)

Chicago (N) 3
Washington 6
W: J. Williams (5-10) L: J. Marquis (6-6) S: C. Cordero (3)
HR – CHN: M. Murton (11)

San Diego 5
Colorado 8
W: J. Morillo (2-1) L: J. Peavy (7-10) S: B. Fuentes (22)
HR – SDN: B. Giles (6), J. Rodriguez (3) COL: B. Hawpe (18), M. Holliday (24)

[MDanbom]

That gives you a good reason to fire Buddy and shake up the clubhouse a little bit!

[Dauis]

7/24/2007
ROYALS TRADE
We found a taker for Octavio Dotel. The Houston Astros sent us a bunch of minor-league prospects/projects. The 2 headliners are 25-year-old starting pitcher Josh Muecke and 19-year-old starting pitcher Chris Barwick. We also got right fielder Hunter Pence.

Reliever Todd Wellemeyer was called up from Omaha to take Dotel’s place.

TRADE
The Cincinnati Reds made another trade today, sending 26-year-old right fielder Eric Reed to the Philadelphia Phillies for 19-year-old minor league shortstop Justin Upton and 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Zach Segovia. A good deal for the future of the Reds. Upton is going to be something special in a few years.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 6
Tampa Bay 16
W: S. Kazmir (7-8) L: J. Weaver (9-7)
HR – LAA: P. Konerko (21), C. Figgins (6) TBA: C. Pena (12), G. Norton (8)

Toronto 1
Seattle 3
W: J. Weaver (7-9) L: R. Halladay (7-11) S: M. Lowe (2)
HR – SEA: R. Ibanez (15), R. Durham (16)

Chicago (A) 0
Minnesota 4
W: J. Santana (17-4) L: G. Floyd (0-1)

Johan Santana made Chicago batters look foolish today. He gave up only 2 hits and a walk, and he struck out 15.

Boston 4
Texas 2
W: C. Schilling (10-7) L: K. Millwood (8-10) S: C. Hansen (17)
HR – BOS: D. Mirabelli (6), D. Ortiz (32)

Baltimore 7
Oakland 1
W: E. Bedard (12-6) L: B. Halsey (3-10)
HR – BAL: E. Garabito (2)

Cleveland 0
Detroit 3
W: J. Bonderman (4-6) L: C. Lee (11-9) S: T. Jones (23)
HR – DET: I. Rodriguez (5)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 2
New York (N) 3
W: P. Martinez (7-7) L: C. Carpenter (10-11) S: B. Wagner (26)
HR – NYN: J. Valentin (16), M. Alou (18)

Chicago (N) 6
Milwaukee 13
W: B. Sheets (11-6) L: C. Zambrano (13-7)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (17), A. Soriano (24), M. Murton (12)

Cincinnati 7
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: B. Arroyo (10-6) L: W. Juarez (2-7) S: M. Stanton (3)
HR – CIN: E. Encarnacion (17)

San Diego 3
San Francisco 2
W: C. Carillo (8-8) L: M. Cain (7-7) S: T. Hoffman (18)
HR – SFN: B. Broussard (10)

Florida 0
Philadelphia 1
W: R. Nolasco (10-6) L: D. Willis (7-7) S: T. Gordon (13)
HR – PHI: C. Henry (1)

[Dauis]

7/25/2007
ROYALS EXTENSION
We signed catcher John Vanden Berg to a minor league extension.

TRADE PROPOSAL
The Devil Rays have offered us 29-year-old first baseman Carlos Pena for 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Luis Cota. I need to keep all the pitching prospects I can, so I turned it down, even though we could use a first baseman. Besides, I’m not sure Pena is the answer at first base.

Game #101 – New York (A) (C. Wang 10-9, 3.67 ERA) at Kansas City (Z. Greinke 4-14, 6.79 ERA)
New York (A) 4
Kansas City 3
W: C. Wang (11-9) L: Z. Greinke (4-15) S: M. Rivera (32)

Greinke actually didn’t pitch too bad. He went 8.1 innings and gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks and struck out 4. We had a 3-2 lead going into the 8th, when A-Rod hit a single and scored on an Abreu triple. After Matsui lined out to first, Abreu scored on a Cano base hit for the game winner.

In injury news, we will be without Esteban German for 1-2 weeks after he strained his hamstring.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 9
Tampa Bay 6
W: B. Colon (3-12) L: E. Gonzalez (7-7) S: F. Rodriguez (28)
HR – LAA: H. Kendrick (4) TBA: C. Pena (13), E. Hinske (17)

Toronto 0
Seattle 3
W: H. Ramirez (3-7) L: T. Taubenheim (3-2)

Horacio Ramirez shut down Toronto, permitting 3 hits and a walk, and striking out 2.

Chicago (A) 3
Minnesota 2
W: J. Contreras (10-4) L: C. Silva (12-7) S: F. Bastamonte (10)
HR – CHA: J. Crede (13)

Boston 7
Texas 6
W: S. Mori (2-2) L: S. Feldman (3-1) S: C. Hansen (18)
HR – BOS: C. Crisp (8), L. Castillo (2)

Baltimore 6
Oakland 7
W: A. Embree (2-0) L: D. Baez (2-5)
HR – OAK: J. Gomes (17), N. Swisher (20)

Cleveland 9
Detroit 7
W: P. Byrd (8-9) L: Z. Miner (1-4) S: R. Betancourt (22)
HR – DET: O. Infante (4), R. Raburn (13)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Chicago (N) 1
Milwaukee 2
W: C. Villanueva (6-2) L: S. Marshall (5-4) S: F. Cordero (18)

Cincinnati 6
Los Angeles (N) 13
W: J. Lieber (6-8) L: E. Milton (2-4)
HR – CIN: E. Encarnacion (18)

San Diego 7
San Francisco 3
W: T. Stauffer (1-1) L: M. Morris (2-9)
HR – SFN: O. Vizquel (6)

Colorado 1
Atlana 2
W: C. Paronto (6-5) L: B. Fuentes (2-5)

Arizona 6
Philadelphia 7
W: T. Harper (4-4) L: B. Lyon (3-4) S: T. Gordon (14)
HR – PHI: R. Howard (36)

Washington 4
Florida 1
W: J. Patterson (12-7) L: R. Pinto (4-2) S: L. Ayala (26)
HR – WSH: N. Johnson (13)

Pittsburgh 2
Houston 4
W: J. Johnson (4-10) L: I. Snell (5-11) S: D. Wheeler (17)

St. Louis 2
New York (N) 4
W: C. Capuano (8-4) L: G. Meche (7-6) S: B. Wagner (27)
HR – NYN: J. Valentin (17), B. Johnson (8)

[RoyalsBlue]

Good deal getting Pence in the Dotel deal. Are you planning on inserting him into the everyday lineup or starting him in the minors?

Good decision on passing on Carlos Pena. I think Cota could be a solid 3 starter in the bigs, but I don't think Pena will do much in the majors. He's had his chances already.

Oh, and before I forget...FIRE BUDDY BELL! Pinch hit for Buck and then keep Costa in the game behind the plate?!?

[majormet]

Hunter Pence is the real deal, not many rookies look that menacing at the plate, this early in their career. Hope he turns wonders for the Royals.

[Dauis]

I'm going to start Pence in the minors. In this roster set, he's still a little ways from being ready for the big leagues. I'm not even putting him on my 40-man roster.

Right when I saw that Buddy made that move, I thought, "I can't wait to see RB's reaction to this."

Keep the comments coming, guys. I love reading and responding to them.

[Dauis]

7/26/2007
ROYALS TRADE
We made a big trade today, sending Corey Koskie to the Dodgers for Nomar Garciaparra, reliever Jonathan Broxton, third baseman Wilson Betemit, and a couple C-list prospects. I know Nomar is making a lot of money, but we’re right at budget for this season now, and we’ll cut some more once we get rid of Perez. The fans loved the fact that we got Nomar and Broxton.

To make room for the new acquisitions, we sent down Chad Allen and reliever Todd Wellemeyer. We’ll put Betemit at short until German comes back, then probably DH him. Nomar obviously fills our glaring need at first, and Broxton becomes our new closer.

Game #102 – New York (A) (M. Mussina 14-4, 3.92 ERA) at Kansas City (J. Bale 5-7, 6.41 ERA)
New York (A) 4
Kansas City 2
W: M. Mussina (15-4) L: J. Bale (5-8) S: M. Rivera (33)
HR – NYA: J. Damon (16)

We gave up 3 runs in the top of the first, and never did mount much of a threat. Nomar went 1-4 in his first game in KC, and Betemit had an….interesting…line. He went 0-0 with a run, RBI, and 3 walks. Johnny Damon went 3-4 with a home run, a run scored, and 3 RBIs for the Yankees.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Los Angeles (A) 4
Tampa Bay 5
W: A. Reyes (4-4) L: F. Rodriguez (2-2)
HR – LAA: V. Guerrero (18), B. Wood (6) TBA: C. Crawford (7), D. Young (10)

Toronto 4
Seattle 3
W: J. Towers (11-6) L: J. Washburn (7-11) S: B. Ryan (17)
HR – TOR: R. Johnson (5), T. Glaus (9) SEA: R. Sexson (23)

Chicago (A) 4
Minnesota 6
W: B. Bonser (10-4) L: J. Vazquez (7-8) S: J. Nathan (27)
HR – CHA: J. Thome (25) MIN: J. Morneau (35), M. Bellhorn (12), J. Bartlett (2)

Boston 10
Texas 2
W: J. Papelbon (5-9) L: V. Padilla (10-7)
HR – BOS: J. Drew (11)

Baltimore 1
Oakland 4
W: R. Harden (14-5) L: H. Penn (4-4) S: H. Street (25)
HR – BAL: N. Markakis (13)

Cleveland 5
Detroit 3
W: J. Sowers (6-9) L: N. Robertson (9-7) S: R. Betancourt (23)
HR – CLE: C. Blake (9)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Chicago (N) 5
Milwaukee 4
W: M. Wuertz (5-4) L: F. Cordero (2-7) S: B. Howry (22)
HR – CHN: J. Jones (16), M. Barrett (23)

Cincinnati 8
Los Angeles (N) 1
W: D. May (3-1) L: J. Schmidt (7-8)
HR – CIN: K. Griffey Jr (7)

San Diego 8
San Francisco 4
W: C. Young (12-4) L: N. Lowry (4-14)
HR – SDN: B. Estalella (2), J. Leone (3), K. Kouzmanoff (12) SFN: B. Broussard (11), R. Winn (12)

Colorado 2
Atlanta 3
W: T. Hudson (9-9) L: B. Kim (5-5) S: B. Wickman (23)
HR – COL: M. Holliday (25)

Arizona 12
Philadelphia 5
W: Y. Petit (10-7) L: B. Myers (6-10)
HR – ARI: R. Garko (24) PHI: P. Burrell (21)

Washington 4
Florida 5
W: A. Sanchez (6-8) L: S. Hill (6-10) S: J. Julio (30)
HR – WSH: N. Johnson (14)

Pittsburgh 6
Houston 3
W: S. Kim (3-9) L: C. Sampson (6-9) S: M. Capps (15)
HR – PIT: J. Peralta (9), J. Gerut (4), J. Bautista (19), C. Duffy (7) HOU: D. Miller (7)

St. Louis 3
New York (N) 5
W: J. Maine (8-9) L: B. Chen (6-11) S: A. Sele (1)
HR – NYN: S. Green (8)

[Dauis]

7/27/2007
ROYALS EXTENSION
We signed minor league closer Andrew Brown to a minor league extension.

TRADES
The Pirates sent 24-year-old starting pitcher Sean Burnett to the Texas Raners for 21-year-old minor league starting pitcher Eric Hurley. Pretty even trade, I think.

The Mariners traded 31-year-old left fielder Jose Guillen to the Diamondbacks for 26-year-old reliever Casey Daigle. Seems to be purely a cost-cutting move, since the Mariners didn’t even get a prospect back.

Cleveland traded 27-year-old shortstop Mike Rouse to St. Louis for 25-year-old reliever Brad Thompson and 24-year-old minor league starting pitcher Mark Michael. I’d have to give the edge to Cleveland here, as they are getting a pretty good reliever in Thompson. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of having a good bullpen.

Game #103 – New York (A) (A. Pettitte 9-3, 4.52 ERA) at Kansas City (4-9, 5.32 ERA)
New York (A) 6
Kansas City 1
W: A. Pettitte (10-3) L: J. Peralta (3-3)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (15) KC: W. Betemit (13)

Pretty good pitching duel for the first 7 innings. The Yankees put up an early run in the first, and Betemit hit a solo shot in the sixth. Gobble left the game after 7, pitching better than player of the game Pettitte, but Peralta gave the game away in the 8th, giving up 5 runs in 0.2 innings. Pettitte went 7.1 innings and gave up the 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3. Gobble went 7, gave up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 9.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORE
Boston 11
Oakland 4
W: A. Alvarez (3-2) L: E. Loaiza (7-9) S: S. Mori (1)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (27), C. Crisp 2 (10), K. Youkilis (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Arizona 2
Philadelphia 14
W: F. Garcia (12-3) L: R. Johnson (10-4)
HR – ARI: C. Tracy (8) PHI: P. Burrell (22), C. Utley (17), R. Howard (37)

Washington 5
Florida 8
W: P. Astacio (7-6) L: A. Kown (1-2) S: J. Julio (31)
HR – WSH: R. Church (12), M. Vento (13) FLO: J. Hermida (4), R. Ramirez (3)

Pittsburgh 11
Houston 10
W: M. Capps (4-2) L: R. White (1-2)
HR – PIT: J. Peralta (10), J. Bay (22) HOU: M. Ensberg (20), E. Perez 2 (4)

Cincinnati 5
St. Louis 12
W: R. Springer (2-2) L: K. Saarloos (4-11)
HR – CIN: R. Freel (7) STL: A. Pujols (30), M. Rouse (1)

San Diego 3
Los Angeles (N) 11
W: J. Sanchez (1-0) L: G. Maddux (6-8)
HR – SDN: K. Greene (10) LAN: C. Koskie (18), J. Loney (11), J. Kent (6)

Colorado 7
Atlanta 2
W: A. Cook (7-6) L: C. James (6-8)
HR – COL: T. Helton (19), M. Holliday (26) ATL: C. Jones (19)

Chipper Jones will be out 1-2 weeks after he strained an abdominal muscle.

[Dauis]

7/28/2007
ROYALS EXTENSIONS
We signed closer Dale Thayer and reliever Orlando Rodriguez to minor league extensions.

Game #104 – Kansas City (O. Perez) at Seattle (F. Hernandez)
Kansas City 2
Seattle 4
W: F. Hernandez (8-13) L: O. Perez (8-8) S: J. Putz (22)
HR – SEA: R. Petagine (6)

Nothing too special about this game. To be honest, I accidentally hit the “Finish Today” button while scrolling through the list of players while working on a trade for Perez. Good thing he didn’t hurt himself this game. Roberto Petagine went 2-2 with a double, home run, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and a walk for the Mariners to earn player of the game honors.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Texas 4
Detroit 5
W: M. Maroth (4-5) L: K. Loe (7-11) S: T. Jones (24)
HR – DET: C. Guillen (13)

Minnesota 2
New York (A) 1 (12)
W: P. Neshek (3-0) L: M. Rivera (0-4)
HR – MIN: J. Lane (17)

Tampa Bay 8
Toronto 2
W: P. Maholm (5-12) L: T. Ohka (9-7) S: J. Capellan (1)
HR – TBA: L. Rivas (1), T. Wigginton (21)

Los Angeles (A) 6
Baltimore 4
W: E. Santana (10-5) L: A. Garcia (3-4) S: F. Rodriguez (29)
HR – LAA: R. Quinlan (12), M. Napoli (19)

Cleveland 7
Chicago (A) 2
W: C. Sabathia (12-10) L: M. Buehrle (10-5)
HR – CLE: G. Sizemore (14) CHA: P. Lopez (12)

Boston 11
Oakland 6
W: D. Hansack (2-5) L: D. Haren (9-10)
HR – BOS: D. Mirabelli (7), D. Ortiz 2 (34) OAK: J. Gomes 2 (19)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Diego 1
Los Angeles (N) 2 (11)
W: B. Tomko (2-4) L: S. Linebrink (6-3)
HR – LAN: C. Koskie (19)

Washington 2
Philadelphia 3
W: G. Geary (6-4) L: L. Ayala (1-3)
HR – PHI: P. Burrell (23), R. Howard (38)

Colorado 7
Chicago (N) 8 (15)
W: W. Miller (7-2) L: M. Herges (0-1)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (26), B. Hawpe (19) CHN: A. Ramirez (22), J. Marquis (1), D. Lee (18)

New York (N) 5
Florida 4 (11)
W: B. Wagner (1-2) L: T. Bowyer (3-4) S: P. Feliciano (2)
HR – NYN: M. Alou (19)

Pittsburgh 6
Milwaukee 7
W: V. Perkins (2-1) L: T. Oldham (2-2)
HR – PIT: J. Gerut (5) MIL: J. Estrada (9)

Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez will miss one week with a tender shoulder.

Arizona 7
Houston 8 (10)
W: R. White (2-2) L: J. Cruz (2-1)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson (2), J. DaVanon (6), C. Tracy (9) HOU: C. Lee (32), L. Berkman (37)

Atlanta 7
San Francisco 4
W: M. Gonzalez (3-3) L: B. Zito (7-13) S: B. Wickman (24)
HR – ATL: K. Johnson (9) SFN: E. Alfonzo (16)

Braves catcher Brian McCann is listed as day-to-day as a result of a bruised ankle.

Cincinnati 4
St. Louis 5 (10)
W: J. Isringhausen (2-1) L: E. Guardado (4-9)
HR – CIN: M. Lawton (12), A. Gonzalez (1)

[Dauis]

7/29/2007
CONTRACT EXTENSION
The Philadelphia Phillies and Freddy Garcia have reached an agreement on a 4 year, $40 million extension.

TRADE
The Cincinnati Reds have traded 23-year-old reliever Bill Bray to the San Francisco Giants for 24-year-old minor league first baseman Nate Schierholtz and 16-year-old minor league starting pitcher Jaime Varela.

Bill Bray (AAA) 2-0, 2 SV, 1.90 ERA, 17 G, 23.2 IP, 18 HA, 8 R, 5 ER, 4 HR, 9 BB, 21 K, 1.14 WHIP, .220 OAVG, .246 BABIP

Bill Bray (CIN) 2-0, 3.90 ERA, 20 G, 27.2 IP, 31 HA, 12 R, 12 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 22 K, 1.55 WHIP, .295 OAVG, .358 BABIP

Nate Schierholtz (AA) 108 G, 433 AB, 39 R, 99 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 143 TB, 22 BB, 72 K, 2 SB, 1 CS, .229 AVG, .266 OBP, .330 SLG, .596 OPS, 11.0 VORP

Game #105 – Kansas City (J. Diaz) at Seattle (J. Weaver)
Kansas City 5
Seattle 4
W: B. Evert (4-1) L: J. Weaver (7-10) S: J. Broxton (2)

I did it again. Pushed the Finish Today button on accident. We got down 2-0 after 5, but tied it up in the 6th and scored 3 in the 7th. We gave up 1 in the 7th and then 1 in the 9th to make things interesting, but we held on for the win. Nomar went 2-5 with a double, a run scored, and 2 RBIs. Ichiro went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs to win player of the game honors.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Texas 8
Detroit 2
W: K. Millwood (9-10) L: J. Bonderman (4-7)

Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen will be day-to-day for about a week with back spasms.

Minnesota 1
New York (A) 3
W: K. Farnsworth (4-2) : J. Santana (17-5) S: M. Rivera (34)

Tampa Bay 2
Toronto 6
W: R. Halladay (8-11) L: S. Kazmir (7-9)
HR – TBA: C. Pena (14)

Los Angeles (A) 5
Baltimore 4
W: D. Oliver (2-4) L: E. Bedard (12-7) S: F. Rodriguez (30)
HR – LAA: J. Mathis (5), B. Wood (7), H. Kendrick (5)

Cleveland 9
Chicago (A) 5
W: C. Lee (12-9) L: J. Garland (5-10)
HR – CLE: E. Byrnes (13) CHA: J. Dye (25), J. Fields (13)

Boston 5
Oakland 4
W: C. Schilling (11-7) L: B. Halsey (3-11) S: C. Hansen (19)
HR – BOS: D. Ortiz (35)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Diego 7
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: C. Carillo (9-8) L: W. Juarez (2-8) S: T. Hoffman (19)
HR – SDN: M. Cameron (13) LAN: J. Guzman (1)

Padres right fielder Wily Mo Pena will miss the next 5 days with a fractured finger.

Washington 1
Philadelphia 4
W: R. Nolasco (11-6) L: M. Bacsik (8-6) S: T. Gordon (15)
HR – PHI: J. Rollins (19)

Colorado 2
Chicago (N) 7
W: C. Zambrano (14-7) L: J. Morillo (2-2)
HR – COL: K. Matsui (3) CHN: D. Lee (19), J. Jones (17), A. Soriano (25)

New York (N) 2
Florida 4
W: D. Willis (8-7) L: P. Martinez (7-8) S: J. Julio (32)
HR – FLO: M. Olivo (19)

Pittsburgh 1
Milwaukee 3
W: B. Sheets (12-6) L: T. Mastny (0-1) S: F. Cordero (19)
HR – MIL: P. Fielder (11)

Arizona 12
Houston 4
W: D. Davis (4-2) L: B. Moehler (3-2)
HR – ARI: J. Guillen (11), C. Quentin (13) HOU: M. Lamb (10), L. Berkman (38)

Atlanta 5
San Francisco 4 (12)
W: R. Soriano (3-0) L: B. Bray (2-1)
HR – SFN: A. Berroa (1), R. Aurilia (20), E. Alfonzo (17)

Cincinnati 0
St. Louis 6
W: C. Carpenter (11-11) L: B. Arroyo (10-7)
HR – STL: C. Carpenter (1)

Chris Carpenter had a great game, hurling a 5-hit shutout, surrendering 1 walk and putting up 9 strikeouts. On top of that, he hit his first career home run.

[Dauis]

AL Player of the Week
1B Justin Morneau (MIN) .500, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R

NL Player of the Week
C Johnny Estrada (MIL) .571, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R

I'll give an update at the end of the month.

[Dauis]

7/30/2007
ROYALS TRADE
We made a blockbuster trade today. We sent Odalis Perez to Philadelphia for Cole Hamels, right fielder Brian Stavinsky, and 2 other throw-in prospects. Hamels and Stavinsky will both join the major league team. Hamels will be slotted in behind Greinke, who becomes our new number 1 (Yikes). Stavinsky is our new left fielder, leaving Spiezio to DH. I couldn’t have asked for a better return for Perez. To make room for Stavinsky, we removed Tony Perez from the 40-man roster, and sent Murphy back to Omaha.

Game #106 – Kansas City (Z. Greinke 4-15, 6.63 ERA) at Seattle (M. Batista 10-5, 3.58 ERA)
Kansas City 9
Seattle 4 (12)
W: S. Stemle (3-2) L: M. Lowe (5-4)
HR – KC: N. Garciaparra (14), R. Gload (6) SEA: R. Sexson (24)

For a 12-inning game, this one wasn’t really that spectacular. We left 19 on base, and Seattle left 24. Each team barely had over a hit per inning. The player of the game was Seattle’s Richie Sexson, who went 2-6 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBIs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Texas 0
Detroit 3
W: J. Verlander (6-5) L: J. Wright (3-11) S: T. Jones (25)
HR – DET: R. Raburn (14)

Minnesota 0
New York (A) 1
W: C. Wang (12-9) L: C. Silva (12-8)

Chien-Ming Wang had 3 strikeouts, 1 walk and allowed only 1 hit as he shut out the Twins.

Tampa Bay 9
Toronto 5
W: E. Gonzalez (8-7) L: T. Taubenheim (3-3)
HR – TBA: E. Hinske (18), C. Crawford (8), R. Baldelli (7), T. Wigginton (22), D. Young (11)

Los Angeles (A) 4
Baltimore 8
W: J. Acevedo (7-8) L: B. Colon (3-13) S: D. Baez (25)
HR – LAA: G. Matthews Jr. (9), M. Napoli (20) BAL: A. Huff (12), C. Crespo (2)

Cleveland 4
Chicago (A) 2 (10)
W: R. Betancourt (2-5) L: M. MacDougal (4-4)
HR – CLE: H. Luna (7)

Boston 3
Oakland 7
W: J. Stephens (3-0) L: D. Matsuzaka (14-9)
HR – BOS: J. Lugo (11) OAK: D. Barton (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
San Diego 11
Los Angeles (N) 14 (10)
W: T. Saito (5-3) L: D. Brocail (0-2)
HR – SDN: K. Greene (11), J. Bard (11), A. Gonzalez (13) LAN: M. Anderson (2)

Khalil Greene went 5-6 with a double, a home run, and 4 RBIs in the loss.

Washington 4
Philadelphia 3
W: C. Cordero (2-3) L: B. Myers (6-11) S: L. Ayala (27)

Colorado 6
Chicago (N) 8
W: R. Dempster (4-1) L: L. Hawkins (1-5) S: B. Howry (23)
HR – COL: M. Holliday (27) CHN: M. Barrett (24), C. McGehee 2 (9)

New York (N) 6
Florida 5 (10)
W: B. Wagner (2-2) L: J. Julio (3-5)
HR – NYN: J. Reyes (19), S. Green (9), D. Wright (14)

Pittsburgh 0
Milwaukee 3
W: J. Westbrook (6-9) L: A. Miller (0-1)

Jake Westbrook blanked the Pirates on 3 hits, registering 7 strikeouts and no walks.

Arizona 6
Houston 7 (10)
W: B. Lidge (5-1) L: B. Lyon (3-5)
HR – ARI: S. Drew (7) HOU: L. Berkman (39)

Atlanta 4
San Francisco 8
W: M. Morris (3-9) L: C. Paronto (6-6) S: F. Cabrera (3)
HR – SFN: A. Berroa (2), E. Alfonzo 2 (19)

Cincinnati 5
St. Louis 7 (12)
W: R. Springer (3-2) L: T. Coffey (1-2)
HR – CIN: K. Griffey Jr 2 (9), B. Phillips (11), E. Encarnacion (19) STL: A. Pujols (31), C. Rasmus (2)

[Dauis]

7/31/2007
Game #107 – Minnesota (B. Bonser 10-4, 3.42 ERA) at Kansas City (C. Hamels 3-3, 4.79 ERA)
Minnesota 1
Kansas City 3
W: B. Evert (5-1) L: B. Bonser (10-5) S: J. Soria (7)
HR – KC: D. Ross (17)

Not a bad debut by Hamels. He went 6.1 innings, gave up 1 run on 4 hits and 5 walks, and struck out 8. A little high walk total, but not a terrible start. All the scoring came in the 7th inning, as it was a decent pitchers’ duel for most of the game. David Ross was the hero, going 1-3 and driving in all 3 runs with his home run in the 7th.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Detroit 7
Baltimore 3
W: N. Robertson (10-7) L: H. Penn (4-5) S: R. Colon (1)

Cleveland 2
Tampa Bay 1
W: J. Sowers (7-9) L: J. Blanton (4-8) S: R. Betancourt (24)
HR – CLE: H. Luna (8)

Seattle 0
Chicago (A) 7
W: J. Vazquez (8-8) L: J. Washburn (7-12)
HR – CHA: T. Hall (6), J. Crede (14), P. Lopez (13)

Javier Vazquez was impressive, giving up 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks in the shutout.

Oakland 2
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: K. Escobar (10-5) L: R. Harden (14-6)
HR – LAA: J. Rivera (19), G. Matthews Jr. (10), P. Konerko (22), M. Napoli (21)

Texas 7
New York (A) 10
W: M. Mussina (16-4) L: V. Padilla (10-8) S: M. Rivera (35)
HR – TEX: M. Teixeira (18), J. Botts (2) NYA: R. Cano (12)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Arizona 2
St. Louis 3
W: B. Chen (7-11) L: Y. Petit (10-8) S: B. Looper (23)
HR – ARI: C. Tracy (10)

Milwaukee 5
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: J. Suppan (8-8) L: J. Schmidt (7-9) S: F. Cordero (20)
HR – MIL: B. Hall (26)

Atlanta 6
Colorado 5
W: M. Gonzalez (4-3) L: M. Corpas (1-3) S: B. Wickman (25)
HR – ATL: A. Jones (21), B. McCann 2 (19) COL: B. Hawpe (20), M. Holliday (28)

Washington 7
Philadelphia 4
W: S. Hill (7-10) L: F. Garcia (12-4) S: L. Ayala (28)
HR – PHI: J. Rollins (20), R. Howard (39)

[Dauis]

AL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Yankees      68 40  .630  --- 108       9-1       W3
Baltimore Orioles     59 47  .557  8.0 106       4-6       L1
Boston Red Sox        52 53  .495 14.5 105       7-3       L1
Tampa Bay Devil Rays  46 60  .434 21.0 106       4-6       L1
Toronto Blue Jays     44 60  .423 22.0 104       5-5       L1

AL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Minnesota Twins       65 40  .619  --- 105       4-6       L3
Chicago White Sox     57 47  .548  7.5 104       4-6       W1
Cleveland Indians     51 55  .481 14.5 106       7-3       W6
Detroit Tigers        50 55  .476 15.0 105       5-5       W2
Kansas City Royals    45 62  .421 21.0 107       3-7       W3

AL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Los Angeles Angels    59 47  .557  --- 106       7-3       W1
Oakland Athletics     58 49  .542  1.5 107       4-6       L1
Texas Rangers         46 59  .438 12.5 105       2-8       L2
Seattle Mariners      45 61  .425 14.0 106       5-5       L3

NL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
New York Mets         61 43  .587  --- 104       7-3       W1
Atlanta Braves        58 49  .542  4.5 107       8-2       W1 
Florida Marlins       55 51  .519  7.0 106       5-5       L1
Philadelphia Phillies 53 52  .505  8.5 105       6-4       L2
Washington Nationals  51 54  .486 10.5 105       4-6       W2 

NL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Chicago Cubs          64 42  .604  --- 106       7-3       W4
Houston Astros        57 48  .543  6.5 105       6-4       W1
Milwaukee Brewers     54 52  .509 10.0 106       8-2       W4
Cincinnati Reds       48 56  .462 15.0 104       3-7       L4
Pittsburgh Pirates    46 59  .438 17.5 105       3-7       L3
St. Louis Cardinals   45 60  .429 18.5 105       5-5       W5

NL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Colorado Rockies      55 51  .519  --- 106       3-7       L4
Arizona Diamondbacks  53 52  .505  1.5 105       3-7       L2
San Diego Padres      52 53  .495  2.5 105       5-5       L1
Los Angeles Dodgers   51 54  .486  3.5 105       6-4       L1
San Francisco Giants  34 71  .324 20.5 105       3-7       W1

[Dauis]

Team Battings Stats & Rankings
Batting Average .266 – 5th in AL
On-Base Percentage .334 – 5th in AL
Slugging Percentage .439 – 6th in AL
On-Base + Slugging .773 – 5th in AL
Runs Scored 553 – 3rd in AL
Hits 1005 – 3rd in AL
Extra-Base Hits 368 – 2nd in AL
Home Runs 121 – 5th in AL
Bases-On-Balls 378 – 4th in AL
Strikeouts 704 – 10th in AL
Stolen Bases 48 – 8th in AL

Team Pitching Stats & Rankings
Earned Run Average 5.81 – 14th in AL
Starters’ ERA 5.74 – 14th in AL
Bullpen ERA 5.94 – 14th in AL
Runs allowed 645 – 14th in AL
Hits allowed 1068 – 14th in AL
Opponents AVG .283 – 14th in AL
BABIP .313 – 14th in AL
Home Runs allowed 159 – 14th in AL
Bases-On-Balls 434 – 14th in AL
Strikeouts 706 – 3rd in AL


MONTHLY THOUGHTS
We went 11-16 this month. Not great. It included a stretch from the 21st-28th where we lost 7 in a row. Hopefully the last 3 games are a sign of things to come, as we ride into August on a 3 game winning streak.

As you can see, our pitching is still extremely bad, though our ERA has inched below 6. Once Rogers comes back, I think we’ll have a decent rotation to build on, with Greinke, Hamels, Gobble, and Rogers. I’d like to find a pitcher in the free agent market to take Bale’s spot. I have to believe that Greinke will bounce back sooner or later and provide a solid foundation for us. Our bullpen is looking better with Broxton as our closer. He can provide some interesting moments, since he’s a hard thrower with only average control, but he’s only 23.

I’m excited with some of the changes we made. We provided some payroll flexibility so we can maybe sign a player or two this offseason. We got some good young players who will provide a solid core to build around. I’m excited for the future, and I think the fans are starting to get excited, too. I know some of you are wondering why I signed Nomar, but he’s under contract through next season, and to be honest, we don’t have much depth at first base in the minors, at least not any that will be ready next season.

After all the changes, I figure I should give a run-down of our pitching staff and lineups.

Rotation
R Zack Greinke (4-15, 6.48 ERA)
L Cole Hamels (0-0, 1.42 ERA)
L John Bale (5-8, 6.38 ERA)
L Jimmy Gobble (4-9, 5.08 ERA)
R Jose Diaz (0-0, 4.38 ERA) (will be replaced by Rogers)

Middle Relievers
R Brett Evert (5-1, 3.90 ERA)
R Steve Stemle (3-2, 3.03 ERA)
R Leo Nunez (2-0, 5.13 ERA)

Setup Relievers
R Joakim Soria (0-5, 7.99 ERA)
L Joel Peralta (3-3, 6.62 ERA)

Closer
R Jonathan Broxton (1 SV, 3.00 K/9, 3.00 ERA)


Lineup
CF Joey Gathright (.254, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
2B Esteban German (.308, 7 HR, 40 RBI)
1B Nomar Garciaparra (.283, 14 HR, 71 RBI)
3B Mark Teahen (.323, 20 HR, 72 RBI)
SS Wilson Betemit (.244, 13 HR, 54 RBI)
DH Scott Spiezio (.276, 29 HR, 82 RBI)
RF Emil Brown (.259, 9 HR, 44 RBI)
C David Ross (.182, 17 HR, 51 RBI)
LF Brian Stavinsky (.143, 0 HR, 2 RBI)


AL Batter of the Month
Our very own Scott Spiezio, who hit .382 with 6 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 23 runs scored.

NL Batter of the Month
1B Ryan Howard (PHI) .393, 14 HR, 28 RBI, 29 R

AL Pitcher of the Month
Johan Santana (MIN) 4-2, 1.59 ERA, 6 GS, 51 IP, 34 HA, 5 BB, 55 K, .185 OBA

NL Pitcher of the Month
Yusmeiro Petit (ARI) 4 W, 2.08 ERA, 6 GS, 43.1 IP, 43 K

AL Rookie of the Month
1B Daric Barton (OAK) .373, 3 HR, 18 RBI

NL Rookie of the Month
SS Casey McGehee (CHN) .301, 5 HR, 15 RBI

[Dauis]

My cat stepped on the power button on my laptop and turned it off before I had a chance to save the game after 8/1. The new 8/1 report will be up shortly.