What's the Buzz? 7/14/06
A few streaks halted tonight as the Yankees handed Jose Contreras his first loss since August of last year...something like 16 straight winning decisions. Dunzo! What's worse was that Contreras left with the score tied and the bullpen let in the inherited runners. Sorry Jose, but the ride had to end sometime.
The other big streak was Nomar Garciaparra's 22 game hit streak, the longest since Jimmy Rollins' 2005-2006 attempt. Nomar grounded out all three times against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter and never saw a 4th at bat. I don't think many hit streaks get a chance to stay alive when your team is 2 hit in a shutout loss.
In other news today...
So after getting pitcher John Thompson back from the DL with his blister problem, the Braves are looking at putting him back on with his shoulder stiffness. He had been pretty bad since coming off the DL and was forced out of his last start in the third inning. His next start was pushed back and now the team just needs to put him on the disabled list. There has been no word on who his replacement will be in the rotation.
And speaking of hurting pitchers with an on again off again DL experience, John Patterson of the Nationals has found his way back on again. We saw this one coming a mile away when he left his last start with "dead arm". He won't be back until early August. The team will bring back Michael O'Connor when they need him to start, but for now the roster spot goes to shore up the pen with a Kevin Grybowski and Roy Corcoran call-up. This pitching restructuring the Nationals are going through should be interesting to watch over the next couple of weeks. Look for some major pitching help to come back when the team trades either Alfonso Soriano or Jose Guillen.
Giants' manager Felipe Alou announced that he has pushed Jason Schmidt's next start back to Monday. He says he wants to give him some extra rest. Not to worry....it gets better when you see that the NL's second best ERA now gets 2 starts next week.
Consider White Sox 3B Joe Crede day to day with a calf injury he suffered after gettin ghit in the leg by a Randy Johnson pitch tonight. He'll probably sit out on Saturday but back for the Sunday matinee afterwards.
Mets' SS Jose Reyes was forced to sit out today's game due to the pinkie injury he received right before the Break. He took 7 stiches, and the swelling has not gone down enough for him to get his glove on without pain. He;s day to day and could/should be back by the end of this weekend.
Also for the Mets, the team is calling OF Carlos Beltran day to day after he left today's game with a sore right knee. He was replaced by Endy Chavez and may sit out the next game, possibly next 2. No one seems to think he needs to go on the DL so all you Beltran owners can relax. You should still get those traditionally stronger second half numbers you've been waiting on.
The Devil Rays activated reliever Ruddy Lugo from the 15 day DL today. He'll probably set up Brian Meadows for now, but again, I see him as a better option as the team's closer. It shouldn't be too long. All it takes is one or two rocky outings, a blown save or two for Meadows and the word "committee" will be back in Tampa.
Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar is battling the injury bug again as he has been dealing with some elbow stiffness for the past few weeks. The MRI revealed no significant damage, but the pain was enough to land him on the 15 day DL. The team will wait until some of the inflammation goes down and then make a determination after a rehab start. They say he should really only miss one start, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Also for the Angels, the club brought back 2B prospect Howie Kendrick today. It's still going to be difficult to get him regualr at bats right now, but maybe this is a premonition of things to come. Is Adam Kennedy finally being traded? There are always rumors surrounding him, so maybe talks are heating up. If you can grab Kendrick and stash him away on your bench, you won't be sorry.
So the Matt Kemp experience comes to a close in Los Angeles as the Dodgers opted to ship him back to the minors in favor of activating Ricky Ledee from the 60 day DL. Kemp started out red hot, but definitely came back down to earth, struggling like a rookie the past few weeks. He should be back in September when the rosters expand.
So now the timetable on Blue Jays OF Alex Rios has him about 10 days away. He was supposed to come back today, but after experiencing more swelling in the infected area, Rios had surgery to drain the fluid. He'll take a few days to let it relax, and should then go on a rehab assignment in the minors. Now the question is...can he get the magic back? Will he continue to hit the way he did inthe second half? Should be interesting, but I'll go out on a limb here and say no.
The A's have announced that they will be without 3B Eric Chavez for atleast the next 4 games with his chronic forearm problems. He still isn't going on the DL just yet, but if he doesn;t get better with a little time off, a stint on the disabled list is a strong possibility.
Royals 2B Mark Grudzielanek is another day to day guy as his back problems are flaring up again. He's going to get some time off now and go back to Kansas City for some tests, so it looks like Tony Graffanino will get the bulk of the playing time for now.
Don't look now, but there's been a Dmitri Young sighting in the Triple-A ranks...
So I said the countdown on Andy Marte was beginning yesterday, right? Well guess who just got his first start at third for the Indians tonight? No, no, not our boy Andy. But Ronnie Belliard, who hasn't started a game at third since 2002. If you own Aaron Boone, you should start to look for a replacement....fast!!! You were warned.
Since the Twins have been dealing with so many OF/DH problems lately, the team signed free agent Erubial Durazo to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate. With Jason Kubel day to day (although he did start today), Lew Ford on the DL and Rondell White sucking balls, Durazo becomes a relatively immediate upgrade. Monitor his progress, because if he impresses, he coul dbe the Twinkies DH for the second half.
Yup!! It's official. Sidney Ponson is a Yankee. He gets his first star against the Mariners on Tuesday, so look out!!!
The Phillies finally got back a major league catcher when they activated Mike Lieberthal from the DL today. Carlos Ruiz will remain the primary backup with Sal Fasano still hurting but Chris Coste will go back to the minors, probably for the rest of the season. It should be safe to get Lieberthal back into your lineup.
Anyone see that the Cubs put Mark Prior back on the Dl, this time with his strained oblique? Ho hum!!! This guy just bores me now.
And speaking of boring hurt pitchers, Ben Sheets is on schedule to return to the rotation on July 24th. He got beat up in his rehab start today giving up 5 runs on 8 hits in only 4 1/3 innings, but topped out at 94 mph on the gun. He'll make another start soon, so we'll see which number is more meaningful here.
So the Orioles are going through more pitching problems, again. You would have thought that bringing in Leo Mazzone would have solved a lot of the issues, but apparently not. To start the second half, the team sent Daniel Cabrera and Sandy Rleal to the minors and brought back Canadian pitching hopeful Adam Loewen back to the big club. I'm guessing there's some serious internal strife going on right now as the organization is putting the onus on the Triple-A pitching coaches to turn around a guy like Cabrera. Is it any wonder that this organization is floundering the way it is?
The Nationals picked up a little more OF depth today when they signed Luis Matos for the rest of the season. He doesn't have any value right now, but when Soriano or Guillen gets trade, Austin Kearns will move over to one of the corners and Matos will battle with Alex Escobar for playing time. Marlon Byrd was designated for assignment, so he doesn't even figure to be in the mix anymore.
Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow is just not making things easy for manager Ned Yost. The All Star entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with a one run lead and proceded to give up a base hit to Luis Gonzalez and a 2 run shot to Johnny Estrada (very bittersweet as I own Estrada in the same league I own Turnbow). There is a chance that Yost gives him a break, but his options for a replacement are somewhat limited. Matt Wise and Danny Kolb have been struggling and it appears that the team doesn't want to move Jose Capellan from his set up role right now. Maybe it's just because I have him in my primary league, but I think Turnbow will bounce back. He looked fine in the All Star Game, so maybe he just needed to get this last bit out of his system.
Bad news for Craig Counsell owners and great news for those hoping that rookie sleeper Stephen Drew would make his way to Arizona this season. Turns out Counsell fractured a rib while swinging at a pitch today and is expected to miss anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. Drew will probably start off in a platoon with Damion Easley, but if he shows he can hit, he could take over the full time job. He should be a nice pickup in NL only leagues.
And finally, get ready for some serious trade winds again. Aside from the Nationals impending moves, the Bobby Abreu sweepstakes should be picking up with the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets all being interested. Also, the White Sox are actively shopping Javier Vazquez and Freddy Garcia in search of bullpen help while the Phillies may be looking to deal closer Tom Gordon. Expect some serious fantasy fallout soon if you're not in a mixed league.
Catch you next time...
The other big streak was Nomar Garciaparra's 22 game hit streak, the longest since Jimmy Rollins' 2005-2006 attempt. Nomar grounded out all three times against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter and never saw a 4th at bat. I don't think many hit streaks get a chance to stay alive when your team is 2 hit in a shutout loss.
In other news today...
So after getting pitcher John Thompson back from the DL with his blister problem, the Braves are looking at putting him back on with his shoulder stiffness. He had been pretty bad since coming off the DL and was forced out of his last start in the third inning. His next start was pushed back and now the team just needs to put him on the disabled list. There has been no word on who his replacement will be in the rotation.
And speaking of hurting pitchers with an on again off again DL experience, John Patterson of the Nationals has found his way back on again. We saw this one coming a mile away when he left his last start with "dead arm". He won't be back until early August. The team will bring back Michael O'Connor when they need him to start, but for now the roster spot goes to shore up the pen with a Kevin Grybowski and Roy Corcoran call-up. This pitching restructuring the Nationals are going through should be interesting to watch over the next couple of weeks. Look for some major pitching help to come back when the team trades either Alfonso Soriano or Jose Guillen.
Giants' manager Felipe Alou announced that he has pushed Jason Schmidt's next start back to Monday. He says he wants to give him some extra rest. Not to worry....it gets better when you see that the NL's second best ERA now gets 2 starts next week.
Consider White Sox 3B Joe Crede day to day with a calf injury he suffered after gettin ghit in the leg by a Randy Johnson pitch tonight. He'll probably sit out on Saturday but back for the Sunday matinee afterwards.
Mets' SS Jose Reyes was forced to sit out today's game due to the pinkie injury he received right before the Break. He took 7 stiches, and the swelling has not gone down enough for him to get his glove on without pain. He;s day to day and could/should be back by the end of this weekend.
Also for the Mets, the team is calling OF Carlos Beltran day to day after he left today's game with a sore right knee. He was replaced by Endy Chavez and may sit out the next game, possibly next 2. No one seems to think he needs to go on the DL so all you Beltran owners can relax. You should still get those traditionally stronger second half numbers you've been waiting on.
The Devil Rays activated reliever Ruddy Lugo from the 15 day DL today. He'll probably set up Brian Meadows for now, but again, I see him as a better option as the team's closer. It shouldn't be too long. All it takes is one or two rocky outings, a blown save or two for Meadows and the word "committee" will be back in Tampa.
Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar is battling the injury bug again as he has been dealing with some elbow stiffness for the past few weeks. The MRI revealed no significant damage, but the pain was enough to land him on the 15 day DL. The team will wait until some of the inflammation goes down and then make a determination after a rehab start. They say he should really only miss one start, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Also for the Angels, the club brought back 2B prospect Howie Kendrick today. It's still going to be difficult to get him regualr at bats right now, but maybe this is a premonition of things to come. Is Adam Kennedy finally being traded? There are always rumors surrounding him, so maybe talks are heating up. If you can grab Kendrick and stash him away on your bench, you won't be sorry.
So the Matt Kemp experience comes to a close in Los Angeles as the Dodgers opted to ship him back to the minors in favor of activating Ricky Ledee from the 60 day DL. Kemp started out red hot, but definitely came back down to earth, struggling like a rookie the past few weeks. He should be back in September when the rosters expand.
So now the timetable on Blue Jays OF Alex Rios has him about 10 days away. He was supposed to come back today, but after experiencing more swelling in the infected area, Rios had surgery to drain the fluid. He'll take a few days to let it relax, and should then go on a rehab assignment in the minors. Now the question is...can he get the magic back? Will he continue to hit the way he did inthe second half? Should be interesting, but I'll go out on a limb here and say no.
The A's have announced that they will be without 3B Eric Chavez for atleast the next 4 games with his chronic forearm problems. He still isn't going on the DL just yet, but if he doesn;t get better with a little time off, a stint on the disabled list is a strong possibility.
Royals 2B Mark Grudzielanek is another day to day guy as his back problems are flaring up again. He's going to get some time off now and go back to Kansas City for some tests, so it looks like Tony Graffanino will get the bulk of the playing time for now.
Don't look now, but there's been a Dmitri Young sighting in the Triple-A ranks...
So I said the countdown on Andy Marte was beginning yesterday, right? Well guess who just got his first start at third for the Indians tonight? No, no, not our boy Andy. But Ronnie Belliard, who hasn't started a game at third since 2002. If you own Aaron Boone, you should start to look for a replacement....fast!!! You were warned.
Since the Twins have been dealing with so many OF/DH problems lately, the team signed free agent Erubial Durazo to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate. With Jason Kubel day to day (although he did start today), Lew Ford on the DL and Rondell White sucking balls, Durazo becomes a relatively immediate upgrade. Monitor his progress, because if he impresses, he coul dbe the Twinkies DH for the second half.
Yup!! It's official. Sidney Ponson is a Yankee. He gets his first star against the Mariners on Tuesday, so look out!!!
The Phillies finally got back a major league catcher when they activated Mike Lieberthal from the DL today. Carlos Ruiz will remain the primary backup with Sal Fasano still hurting but Chris Coste will go back to the minors, probably for the rest of the season. It should be safe to get Lieberthal back into your lineup.
Anyone see that the Cubs put Mark Prior back on the Dl, this time with his strained oblique? Ho hum!!! This guy just bores me now.
And speaking of boring hurt pitchers, Ben Sheets is on schedule to return to the rotation on July 24th. He got beat up in his rehab start today giving up 5 runs on 8 hits in only 4 1/3 innings, but topped out at 94 mph on the gun. He'll make another start soon, so we'll see which number is more meaningful here.
So the Orioles are going through more pitching problems, again. You would have thought that bringing in Leo Mazzone would have solved a lot of the issues, but apparently not. To start the second half, the team sent Daniel Cabrera and Sandy Rleal to the minors and brought back Canadian pitching hopeful Adam Loewen back to the big club. I'm guessing there's some serious internal strife going on right now as the organization is putting the onus on the Triple-A pitching coaches to turn around a guy like Cabrera. Is it any wonder that this organization is floundering the way it is?
The Nationals picked up a little more OF depth today when they signed Luis Matos for the rest of the season. He doesn't have any value right now, but when Soriano or Guillen gets trade, Austin Kearns will move over to one of the corners and Matos will battle with Alex Escobar for playing time. Marlon Byrd was designated for assignment, so he doesn't even figure to be in the mix anymore.
Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow is just not making things easy for manager Ned Yost. The All Star entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with a one run lead and proceded to give up a base hit to Luis Gonzalez and a 2 run shot to Johnny Estrada (very bittersweet as I own Estrada in the same league I own Turnbow). There is a chance that Yost gives him a break, but his options for a replacement are somewhat limited. Matt Wise and Danny Kolb have been struggling and it appears that the team doesn't want to move Jose Capellan from his set up role right now. Maybe it's just because I have him in my primary league, but I think Turnbow will bounce back. He looked fine in the All Star Game, so maybe he just needed to get this last bit out of his system.
Bad news for Craig Counsell owners and great news for those hoping that rookie sleeper Stephen Drew would make his way to Arizona this season. Turns out Counsell fractured a rib while swinging at a pitch today and is expected to miss anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. Drew will probably start off in a platoon with Damion Easley, but if he shows he can hit, he could take over the full time job. He should be a nice pickup in NL only leagues.
And finally, get ready for some serious trade winds again. Aside from the Nationals impending moves, the Bobby Abreu sweepstakes should be picking up with the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets all being interested. Also, the White Sox are actively shopping Javier Vazquez and Freddy Garcia in search of bullpen help while the Phillies may be looking to deal closer Tom Gordon. Expect some serious fantasy fallout soon if you're not in a mixed league.
Catch you next time...
posted by Howard Bender at
10:43 PM
