MLB Daily Balk Morning Rundown 5/6

 

Last Night’s Games
American
New York 3	Detroit 6
Toronto 1	Tampa Bay 3
Los Angeles 11	Boston 0
Baltimore 1	Kansas City 9
Cleveland 4	Oakland 3
Texas 1	Seattle 3
National
Houston 4	Cincinnati 10
San Francisco 2	New York 5
Florida 3	St. Louis 6
Washington 3	Philadelphia 7
Milwaukee 1	Atlanta 2
Colorado 2	Arizona 3

 

The Say Hey Kid turns 80 today!

Best of Yesterday May 5

Jay Bruce provided the offense, going 3 for 4 with a homer and 3 runs scored and Homer Bailey pitched well in his 2011 debut for the Reds. Bailey only gave up 1 run in 6 innings to earn the win over the Astros.

The Tigers snapped their 7-game losing streak on Tuesday and won their third straight against the Yankees on Thursday. Brennan Boesch, the new # 3 hitter, went 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBI and Rick Porcello gave up only 2 runs in 7 innings to earn his 2nd win for the Tigers.

Carlos Beltran hit his 5th homer and Mike Pelfrey put together a rare quality start to win for the Mets. The Mets really benefitted from the Giants‘ Jonathan Sanchez‘ lack of control with his 6 walks.

David Price shutdown the Blue Jays for 8 innings and allowed an unearned run in the 9th for his 4th win of the season. Price struck out 10 and walked none in another masterpiece. Remember when the Rays were 1-8? Well, they’re 16-6 since and a game out of first.

The Angels got the wakeup call and the Red Sox didn’t as they played a day game following their 2:45 AM finish on Thursday morning. Joel Pineiro and the rest of the Angels pitchers were effective enough to shutout the Sox and rookie Mike Trumbo blasted his 6th homer off former Angel John Lackey.

The Cardinals waited out Josh Johnson and roughed him up late in the game, punctuated by an 8th inning 3-run homer by Lance Berkman off reliever Mike Dunn with two of Johnson’s runners on base. Eduardo Sanchez came on for his 3rd save in as many chances.

Bruce Chen continued his career renaissance with 7 strong innings to earn his 4th win for the Royals and Melky Cabrera went 3 for 4 with a homer, 3 runs scored, and 4 RBI. The Royals have benefitted from a favorable schedule that has had them play 20 games at home already, but they’ve capitalized with 14 wins at Kauffman Stadium.

Jack Hannahan drove in the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and Lou Marson drove in Hannahan with a much needed insurance run for the Indians in their MLB-leading 21st win of the season. Ryan Sweeney had a 5 for 6 day for the Athletics as he drove in the tying run in the 8th inning to send the game to extra innings and then drove in another run in the 12th, but it wasn’t enough.

Roy Halladay won his 5th game with a 10 strikeout, 0 walk performance and Raul Ibanez went 3 for 4 again with another homer for the Phillies. Ibanez had a 0 for 35 streak going at the beginning of the series and proceeded to go 8 for 12 with 2 homers and 3 doubles against the Nationals in 3 games.

The Braves continue to haunt Milwaukee as they swept the Brewers in their 4-game series despite an admirable effort by Shawn Marcum. Brandon Beachy pitched well but it was Jonny Venters who picked up the win after Martin Prado blasted the go-ahead homer in the 8th.

Justin Upton got his 2nd walk off hit this week for the Diamondbacks as he blooped a single in front of Rockies RF Seth Smith to drive in Chris Young in the 11th inning. The game only went to extra innings because Huston Street blew his first save of the season by allowing home runs to Gerardo Parra and Chris Young in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game at 2. The Rockies’ players called it the toughest loss of the season.

Justin Smoak continued his very good early season hitting with a 3 for 4 night that included a solo homer for the Mariners. Jason Vargas pitched well and got his 2nd win and Brandon League earned his 9th save. Colby Lewis went the distance in the loss and struck out 11 for the Rangers.

 

What Happened (!!)Yesterday?

Mike Dunn of the Marlins came into the game in the 8th inning to face Lance Berkman with two runners on base on Thursday afternoon. Dunn had pitched 2 perfect innings of relief on Wednesday night and one wonders why manager Edwin Rodriguez would go to Dunn in that situation so soon after his extended effort on Wednesday. The result was a 3-run homer by Lance Berkman and the Marlins lost the game. The Marlins are going to need better judgment by Rodriguez if they’re going to compete with the Braves and Phillies to win the NL East.

Chris Tillman got lit up again for the Orioles and manager Buck Showalter needs the 23-year old to regain his confidence in AAA. It’s still early in the season and Tillman just appears to be overmatched so far this season. He’s started 6 games and only has 27 2/3 innings with 22 earned runs in those games. It’s not his strikeouts, walks, or homers allowed that’s hurting him. It’s his opponents’ batting average that is at .314. If the O’s aren’t willing to send Tillman back to the minors, then they at least have to consider moving him into a middle relief role until he gets a better feel for major league hitters. Logging less than 5 innings per start is a sure way to destroy a bullpen.

 

AL News/Notes

The Royals are calling up top prospect Eric Hosmer as they get serious about competing in the AL Central race this season.

The Angels and Red Sox marathon game on Wednesday night was the longest in Fenway Park’s history. Red Sox owner John Henry was passing out free coffee and hot chocolate to the fans who remained to the end.

Jose Bautista went back to Toronto early and the Blue Jays aren’t sure when he’ll be available to play again due to his stiff neck.

Eduardo Nunez struggled in the field for the Yankees playing for Derek Jeter on Thursday and Alex Rodriguez thinks that he might know why. Also, Eric Chavez broke a toe and could be out for awhile.

  

NL News/Notes

The Cubs are having issues with their starting pitching and they could turn to journeyman lefty Doug Davis. Davis is pitching in A-ball for the Cubs and could be activated to start on May 14.

The Astros’ Bill Hall got tossed by home plate umpire Tom Hallion and didn’t have anything flattering to say about the veteran ump after the game. Also, the Astros placed struggling closer Brandon Lyon on the DL on Thursday.

Roy Oswalt returned to the Phillies and should be good to start on Saturday against the Braves. Also, despite his starting success, Vance Worley is likely headed back to AAA when Joe Blanton returns. The Phils really need a good stretch from Blanton when he returns in order to entice a potential trade partner to take Blanton’s contract, or a significant part of it.

Nyjer Morgan just came off the DL for the Brewers and is headed back to the DL after breaking his middle finger on his left hand. Morgan has provided a much needed spark at the top of the order that is absent with Carlos Gomez. The Brewers haven’t been able to put it all together yet this season and continued injuries and performances like Yovani Gallardo‘s threatens their chances in the NL Central.

The Diamondbacks got a homer from pitcher Barry Enright on Wednesday and sent him to AAA on Thursday. The problem hasn’t been Enright’s hitting, but his poor pitching. The D’backs activated Aaron Heilman from the DL.

  

Top Friday Matchups

7:05 EDT Braves (Lowe 2-3, 3.72) at Phillies (Lee 2-2, 3.66)

7:05 EDT Rays (Shields 2-1, 2.14) at Orioles (Britton 5-1, 2.63)

8:15 EDT Brewers (Wolf 3-2, 2.39) at Cardinals (Garcia 3-0, 2.48)

10:10 EDT White Sox (Humber 2-3, 3.06) at Mariners (Hernandez 3-2, 3.21)

10:15 EDT Rockies (Jimenez 0-2, 7.20) at Giants (Cain 2-2, 3.28)

 

Yesterday’s Balks: 2

• Chris Tillman of the Orioles against the Royals
• Brett Anderson of the A’s against the Indians

MLB Daily Balk Morning Rundown 4/20

Enter Sandman, Exit Loss

Best of Yesterday April 19

James Shields crafted a complete game victory for the Rays over the White Sox. Shields gave up only 4 hits, 1 BB, and 1 run while getting 9 strikeouts in the 2-1 win. The Rays have now won 8 of 11 and only trail the Yankees by 2 games in the AL East.

The Brewers pitchers shut out the Phillies at Citizens Bank. Starter and ex-Phillie Randy Wolf went 6 innings giving up only 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

Jake Arrieta led the Orioles pitchers in shutting out the Twins at Camden Yards. Arrieta’s battery mate, Matt Wieters drove in 4 of the O’s 11 runs. Buck Showalter was impressed with Wieters.

Travis Snider broke his bat over his knee last night before hitting the game winning double in the 10th inning to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 win over the Yankees.

Ryan Roberts of the Diamondbacks blasted two homers, drove in 3 runs, and even stole a base in the D’backs 5-4 win over the Reds. Roberts is now hitting .382 on the season and might not even be in the majors if Geoff Blum hadn’t been injured before opening day.

The Marlins Josh Johnson continues to establish his Cy Young credentials during the first month of the season as he threw 7 scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.00 on the season. His 9 strikeouts give him a 27-6 K-BB ratio in 27 innings this season.

Rookie 1B Mike Trumbo delivered his 3rd homer and drove in 4 runs in the Angels rout of the Rangers on Tuesday night. Rangers starter Colby Lewis and the rest of their pitchers were feeling labor pains throughout this one.

Royals starting pitching Bruce Chen went to 3-0 on the season after giving up 2 runs in 7 innings in the Royals 5-4 win over the first place Indians on Tuesday night. Chen’s ERA is now at 2.42 and the Royals are 11-6 and one game behind the Tribe in the AL Central.

Panda time as Pablo Sandoval took Ubaldo Jimenez deep in the first inning for a 3-run homer as the Giants beat the Rockies 6-3 on Tuesday night. There are only two games separating the teams in the NL West now.

The Athletics Brett Anderson was spectacular in their win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night. Anderson won his first game by shutting out the Sox for 8 innings, giving up only 4 hits, 1 walk and he had 8 strikeouts. His ERA is now 1.63 on the season.

Ichiro and Chone Figgins combined to go 7 for 9 and steal 3 bases at the top of the order for the Mariners in their 13-3 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night.

What Happened Yesterday?

Mariano Rivera showed that he was human as the Yankees iconic closer as he blew his first save opportunity of the season on Tuesday night in Toronto. The usually immaculate Rivera walked one and gave up four hits in the 9th inning and only a brilliant double play initiated by 3B Eric Chavez kept Mo from losing his first game.

Terry Francona got tossed for the first time this season in the Red Sox 5-0 loss at Oakland. Francona was arguing a, you guessed it, a balk that wasn’t called on A’s pitcher Brett Anderson in the 4th inning when Dustin Pedroia was picked off first base.

Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero is hitting a gaudy .380 so far this season. But the backstop committed his fifth error of the season against the Reds on Tuesday night. There’s no DH in the National League to hide your glove, Miguel.

The Dodgers entered the top of the 9th inning against the Braves down 2-1 and hoping for another walk off win. Unfortunately, Dodgers relievers Kenley Jansen and Ramon Troncoso didn’t get the memo and gave up 8 runs between them in the inning. That’s going to leave a mark on their ERAs for awhile.

The Daily Balk’s Take

Geoff Baker writes that the Mariners won’t be trading ace Felix Hernandez this season, but might entertain that possibility during the winter or next season.

• The bottom line here is that Felix is 25 years old and under contract through the 2014 season for very palatable salaries. The Mariners, or any team, would be foolish to trade a pitcher of this quality and value until they know if their young talent is going to pan out for them. If the young players don’t improve enough for the Mariners to contend by the end of the 2013 season, then maybe the Mariners could look to deal Felix. Until then, it just doesn’t make practical sense.

 

AL News/Notes

Sam Fuld of the Rays has led them to an 8-4 record since moving into the leadoff spot. The once 0-6 Rays are now right back into the AL East race at only 2 games behind the Yankees. Rays manager Joe Maddon even believes that Fuld is playing defense better than Carl Crawford in left field.

Tyson Ross will take over for the injured Dallas Braden in the Athletics rotation. Ross pitched well in spring training and almost won the fifth starter’s job. Ross is ranked by Baseball America as the A’s 4th ranked prospect and if he pitches well, could join the rotation fulltime or become a trade piece for GM Billy Beane to use to improve the offense in June or July.

The A’s are 26-22 against the Red Sox since 2006. That’s the best in the AL over that time period.

First baseman Kila Ka’aihue of the Royals is only hitting .151 this season in 15 games. With top prospect Eric Hosmer off to a quick start in Omaha, Ka’aihue’s days in KC could be numbered.

NL News/Notes

Starting pitchers for the Pirates, Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton have combined for the most complete games in April, 2, by the Pirates staff since 1992. The 92 Bucs won the NL East and lost to the Braves in the NLCS in Barry Bonds last season in Pittsburgh.

The Cubs and Padres will play a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley on Wednesday after Tuesday night’s rainout.

Crazy weather in St. Louis sets up a doubleheader on Wednesday at Busch between the Nationals and Cardinals. This will be a day-night doubleheader like the Cubs and Padres.

Ike Davis of the Mets has been in the majors for a year now.

“Five Finger” Mike Leake of the Reds is still scheduled to make his start on Thursday despite his legal issues from Monday.

David Hernandez and JJ Putz have stabilized the 8th and 9th innings for the Diamondbacks. Last year, the D’backs were historically bad.

Opposing hitters are batting .524 against the Braves Tim Hudson in the first inning this season. Hudson has yielded 7 runs in the first inning and only 6 runs for all of the other innings combined. Also, Hudson’s pitch in the vicinity of Jerry Sands’ head on Monday night was a purpose pitch. But Hudson signed a ball for him after the game.

Cody Ross is back with the Giants but was not activated for Tuesday’s game at Colorado. He should be in the lineup on Wednesday.

Brandon Belt of the Giants turns 23 on Wednesday and could get a plane ticket to Fresno as a “gift” from manager Bruce Bochy.

Streak of the Day

The Royals Wilson Betemit and Alex Gordon both extended their career long hitting streaks to 11 and 13 games respectively.

Top Wednesday Matchups

3:10 EDT Giants (Cain 2-0, 1.42) at Rockies (De La Rosa 2-0, 3.18)

3:35 EDT Red Sox (Buchholz 0-2, 6.60) at Athletics (Gonzalez 2-0, 0.47)

8:05 EDT Angels (Weaver 4-0, 1.30) at Rangers (Harrison 3-0, 1.23)

8:10 EDT Indians (Masterson 3-0, 1.33) at Royals (Hochevar 2-1, 4.21)

8:15 EDT Nationals (Zimmerman 1-2, 2.45) at Cardinals (Garcia 2-0, 1.35)

Last night’s balks: 1 – Bobby Parnell of the Mets against the Astros

MLB Daily Balk Morning Rundown 4/19

"The Freak" matched the great Christy Mathewson last night for the Giants

Best of Yesterday April 18

Dice-K shuts out the Blue Jays for 7 innings (1H, 1 BB, 3 K) and Jed Lowrie goes off again (4 for 5, HR, 4 RBI) for the Red Sox on Patriot’s Day at Fenway. Lowrie is now hitting .516 on the season.

David Price and the Rays shut out the White Sox. Price went 8 innings with 9 Ks and 2 BBs. Cult hero Sam Fuld went 4 for 4 to raise his average to .396.

Tim Lincecum was filthy on the mound for the Giants as he didn’t give up a hit through 6 1/3 until Carlos Gonzalez singled in the seventh. The Freak had 10+ strikeouts for the 29th time in his career. That ties Christy Mathewson for the most in Giants history.

The Giants Nate Schierholtz blasted a homer into the 3rd deck at Coors Field on Monday night. His brother, who is a cadet at the Air Force Academy, was at the game and tracked down the 467 foot blast.

Brewers rookie Brandon Kintzler got his first career win by pitching two scoreless innings as the Brewers win 6-3 in 12 innings. John Axford blew the save in the 9th for the Brewers, but manager Ron Roenicke feels that Axford’s control problems are fixable.

Joe Blanton finally pitched well for the Phillies as he went 7 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. His success will make it easier for the Phillies to trade him later in the season to free up money.

Kevin Correia of the Pirates pitched a complete game (3R, 2ER) to claim his third win of the season as the Pirates beat the Reds in 3 of 4 to win their weekend series.

The Reds Aroldis Chapman hit 106 MPH on the GABP radar gun. But that has been adjusted by more “accurate” readings down to 103 MPH. That’s still better than the mid 90s he was throwing last week.

CJ Wilson gave up 1 run over 7 innings as the Rangers beat the Angels 7-1. Wilson overpowered the Angels with 9 Ks and only walked one to go to 2-0. Adrian Beltre hit his 5th HR for the Rangers and is now tied for the AL lead in RBI with 16.

More inches of snow in Chicago on Monday, 1.2 inches, than runs scored at Wrigley during the Cubs 1-0 win over the Padres.

Carlos Zambrano has 10 Ks and only 1 walk in 8 inning of shutout ball for the Cubs. Tim Stauffer went 7 innings for the Padres. Tyler Colvin provided the walk off double for the Cubs.

Tigers Ryan Raburn alledgedly became the first player to hit the roof at Safeco Field in Seattle. He did it on a foul ball.

Ted Lilly threw 7 scoreless innings for the Dodgers in their win over the Braves 4-2. Lilly got his first win of the season.

AL News/Notes

The A’s reacquired pitcher David Purcey from the Blue Jays. Purcey had been traded from the A’s to Jays in the offseason and was designated for assignment last week.

The Yankees are going to be cautious regarding Alex Rodriguez’ injuries. That’s easier with Eric Chavez filling in the way he has so far this season (.467 AVG, 2 2Bs).

The Mariners OF Franklin Gutierrez is heading to the Mayo Clinic for tests to help figure out why his stomach is continuing to be an issue.

The Angels are trying to do everything to get lefty starter Scott Kazmir back on track. Now he’s off to Arizona for extended spring training.

NL News/Notes

Jason Bay could return to the Mets on Thursday. Bay is scheduled to play in minor league rehab games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

After his leadoff homer on Sunday, the Pirates Andrew McCutchen now has seven leadoff homers in his career.

The Brewers aren’t ready to activate setup reliever LaTroy Hawkins yet despite rejoining the team in Philly. He might be activated on Wednesday or Friday. Also, RF Corey Hart is beginning an AAA rehab assignment on Tuesday and could be back in a week or so.

The Giants could activate OF Cody Ross on Tuesday if everything went well during his rehab start at AAA Fresno on Monday night. Rookie 1B Brandon Belt could be sent down when Ross returns according to manager Bruce Bochy.

The Braves reliever Peter Moylan has a bulging disc in his back and is looking to avoid surgery. The Braves finally moved Jason Heyward to the 2 hole in the lineup and dropped Nate McLouth to 8th in the order.

The Phillies lefty reliever JC Romero strained his right calf and could be heading to the DL. That will make fellow lefty Antonio Bastardo even more important in the Phillies bullpen going forward.

Dodgers rookie OF/1B Jerry Sands debuted with a double against Tim Hudson and the Braves. Manager Don Mattingly said that Sands, who started in LF, could see time at first base if James Loney struggles.

Streak of the Day

The Baltimore Orioles have now lost 8 straight games after starting the season 6-1.

Top Tuesday Matchups

6:40 EDT White Sox (Danks 0-1, 3.15) at Rays (Shields 0-1, 3.98)

7:05 EDT Brewers (Wolf 1-2, 4.32) at Phillies (Halladay 2-0, 1.23)

7:07 EDT Yankees (Burnett 3-0, 4.67) at Blue Jays (Drabek 1-0, 1.93)

8:40 EDT Giants (Sanchez 1-1, 3.24) at Rockies (Jimenez 0-0, 7.50)

Last night’s balks: 0