The Big Leagues: 2011 And On

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by sandy koufax

Greatly presented and written...I will be following for sure !!

thanks..

Thank you for the compliment!

[PhillieFever]

Saturday April 23rd, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Nationals 2 Pirates 1
Danny Espinosa's 9th inning line drive single to left brought home both Mike Morse and Jayson Werth to the give the Nats their first two runs of the ballgame, the only two in fact they would need to win in a 2-1 triumph over the Pirates at PNC Park. For the Pirates, closer Joel Hanrahan blows his second save of the year, lasting just two thirds of an inning while allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks.

Cubs 6 Dodgers 4
Hoping to rebound from their extra inning loss the day before, the Chicago Cubs battled back from a 4-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Dodgers by the score of 6-4 here at Wrigley. Fresh off signing his big extension, Dodgers hurler Chad Billingsley imploded with a 4-0 lead in the 4th, allowing the Cubs to tie the game on a bases loaded walk, a bases loaded hit batsmen, and two RBI ground outs. Still tied at 4-4 in the 6th, Chicago took the lead for good on an RBI single by Kosuke Fukudome off of reliever Mike MacDougal, they would add another run later in the inning on another bases loaded walk, this one by Alfonso Soriano.

Rangers 7 Royals 6
Second inning RBI doubles from Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton along with RBI singles from Michael Young and Adrian Beltre gave the Rangers a huge 6-1 lead after two, but it was Julio Borbon's solo homer in the third which proved the difference, as the Rangers withstood a furious comeback by the Royals to hold on for the 7-6 victory in front of 42,689 at The Rangers Ballpark In Arlington. Homers from Wilson Betemit and Mitch Maier along with key RBI hits from Irving Falu and Chris Getz brought the Royals to within a run by the end of the 7th inning, but tremendous relief pitching from Arthur Rhodes, Mark Lowe, and finally Neftali Feliz halted the Royals advance.

Indians 6 Twins 1
2B Orlando Cabrera had three hits including a homer and 2 RBI, RF Shelley Duncan smashed a three run homer, LF Matt LaPorta added three hits and RBI and a run scored, and SP Carlos Carrasco held the Twins to just one run on five hits over six and two thirds innings pitched, as the Cleveland Indians went into Target Field and stomped the Minnesota Twins by 6-1. Catcher Drew Butera homered in the loss for Minnesota.

Phillies 3 Padres 1
The good doctor Roy Halladay was dominant once again, surrendering just one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over eight and a third innings pitched, as the Phillies battled their way to a 3-1 victory over Clayton Richard and the San Diego Padres here at Petco Park. For the year Halladay is now 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP over an MLB high 41.1 innings pitched.

Injury Report

Brewers OF Corey Hart had a minor setback in his recovery and will be out of action for about three more weeks.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain which could keep him out for up to a month.

Astros SP Nelson Figueroa is suffering from a stiff back. He is day to day but could miss as much as two weeks.

Today's Scoreboard & Major Transactions

[Germaniac]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

As for the Phils, since it's so early I'm not too concerned, the starting pitching is really coming around and I have full faith it will continue. The bullpen is shaky, with a 4.96 ERA(12th in NL) and 2 blown saves in 5 chances. RF is a huge problem, Mayberry can't hit(45 AB's 17 K's .156 average) but is an above average RF 12/20. Francisco is a little bit better as a hitter overall but a bad fielder(6/20 in RF) Ross Gload can't hit or field LOL. Domonic Brown is expected back in two weeks though, if he pans out in a platoon with Mayberry(his ratings are good) that allows me to platoon Francisco(a good LF) with Ibanez if need be. Plus that shores up RF, allowing me to set my trade sights elsewhere. Utley's out until June, so who knows there. And finally 1B Ryan Howard is guaranteed $192 Million through 2017 and is batting .243 with 0 homers. He does however have 15 RBI.

Just like in RL, with that starting rotation things would have to go awfully bad not to be at least in the race until the end.

I just wished it was that "easy" for the Brewers

Anyway, it looks like a real interesting dynasty, and everybody following it can pick out his team and follow its progress and compare it with the just completed season

And just like always, the way you present your dynasties ... it's second to none

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by Germaniac

Just like in RL, with that starting rotation things would have to go awfully bad not to be at least in the race until the end.

I just wished it was that "easy" for the Brewers

Anyway, it looks like a real interesting dynasty, and everybody following it can pick out his team and follow its progress and compare it with the just completed season

And just like always, the way you present your dynasties ... it's second to none

I know you're going to think I'm nuts, but I actually just started to track(with a simple slash) what teams I actually report on, that way I don't inadvertently ignore certain teams. So Far the Phillies(surprise!) have 12 and lead. The Yankees and Blue Jays, are right behind with 11 recaps. The Cards have 10 the Astros have 9, and a whole bunch of teams have 8. On the low side the Cubs have just 4 while the Mets, Rockies, Giants, and Padres have just five. I gotta work on those Western teams! Thanks again.

[PhillieFever]

Sunday April 24th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

White Sox 9 Tigers 8
DH Adam Dunn's solo homer in the top of the 9th, his third hit of the day gave the Chicago White Sox a heart pounding 9-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park today. The victory is the fourth straight overall for Chicago and their third straight over the Tigers with all three victories coming in their final at bat of the game. RF Carlos Quentin had another huge day for the White Sox, going 3 for 5 with a double, a homer, 4 RBI and a run scored. Ryan Raburn and Brandon Inge each had a homer and two RBI for the Tigers.

Yankees 6 Orioles 5
SS Derek Jeter had five hits including the game winning RBI single in the top of the 10th as the New York Yankees survived another tough battle with the Orioles, winning by the score of 6-5. RP Mariano Rivera twirled two innings of hitless ball, striking out four of the six batters he faced to up his record to 3-0.

Athletics 7 Mariners 4
RBI singles from Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui along with a bases loaded walk from David DeJesus allowed the Athletics to overcome a two home run 3 RBI day from up and coming 24 year old Justin Smoak as the Oakland Athletics outlasted the Seattle Marinera in a 15 inning 7-4 triumph. A's Reliever Grant Balfour whiffed all four batters he faced including Milton Bradley, Adam Kennedy, and Brendan Ryan to lock down his 3rd win of the year.

Brewers 7 Astros 6
Prince Fielder and Brett Carroll each had two homers and three RBI while closer John Axford survived a very rocky 9th inning in which he allowed two runs before striking out Matt Downs looking to end the game and give the Milwaukee Brewers a 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros in front of 32,758 here at Miller Park.

Giants 8 Braves 7
In a wild game in San Francisco, the Atlanta Braves capped a three run 8th inning with a 2 run blast from Martin Prado, then followed it up an inning later with a game tying solo homer by Nate McClouth in the 9th, suddenly giving themselves new life. In the bottom of the 9th however their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Mark DeRosa scored from third on a line drive base hit into left by Nate Schierholtz off of Jonny Venters, giving the World Champion Giants an 8-7 walk off win in front of 41,645 at AT&T Park.

Injury Report

Reds 2B Brandon Phillips has been diagnosed with an intercostal strain and will be out of action for 1-2 weeks.

[PhillieFever]

Monday April 25th, 2011

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

MLB Players Of The Week
W/E April 24th, 2011

[PhillieFever]

Monday April 25th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Rockies 12 Cubs 8
Alfonso Soriano's three run home run gave the Cubs and 8-6 lead after just two innings of play, but the Rockies clawed their way back, closing the gap to 8-7 on an RBI sac fly by Ian Stewart in the 5th before taking the lead for good an inning later when Troy Tulowitzki's game tying RBI single was followed two batters later by a two run double from Chris Iannetta as the Rockies went on to defeat the Cubs by the score of 12-8 here at Wrigley Field. CF Dexter Fowler continued his strong play going 3 for 6 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored while Tulo added three hits including a homer and 3 RBI.

Phillies 13 Diamondbacks 6
LF Raul Ibanez had two homers and four RBI, 1B Ryan Howard hit his first homer of the year and knocked in two, and SS Jimmy Rollins was 4 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI, and two runs scored as the Phillies won for the fourth straight time, defeating the Diamondbacks by the score of 13-6. SP Roy Oswalt survived a rough first inning to go six innings and pick up his third win on the season, and Kyle Kendrick mopped up, allowing two runs on five hits over the final three innings.

Rangers 3 Blue Jays 2
Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton each had homers, but it was Moreland's walk off RBI single in the 11th that gave Texas the hard fought 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at The Ballpark at Arlington. Reliever Mark Lowe twirled two and two thirds innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win, while Bobby Seay took the loss.

Angels 4 Athletics 3
Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells each had a homer and two RBI while on the mound DP Ervin Santana allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 7 innings pitched, as the Los Angeles Angels won for the third time in succession, defeating the A's by the score of 4-3. Third baseman Adam LaRoche had a homer and 2 RBI to lead Oakland.



Rangers pitcher Arthur Rhodes will be out for about a week with a sore wrist, he'll most likely not be placed on the DL.



Twins Extend Cuddyer
Eligible for free agency at season's end, Twins 32 year old RF Michael Cuddyer has decided to stick around in Minnesota, signing a two year contract extension today said to be worth a total of $16.5 Million dollars.

MLB Scoreboard & Major Transactions

[PhillieFever]

Tuesday April 26th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Cubs 7 Rockies 2
Homers from Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena in the third followed later by a two run single by Tyler Colvin and an RBI single by Kosuke Fukudome in the 5th allowed the Cubs to build a huge early lead on their way to a 7-2 victory over the visiting Rockies in front of 40,982 at The Friendly Confines. SP Marcos Mateo surrendered two run on seven hits over six innings pitched for the first win of his young career.

Pirates 5 Giants 2
A Garrett Jones three run homer in the 4th off of the Giants Matt Cain was the difference in the game, as the Pittsburgh Pirates upped their record to 13-11 with a 5-2 victory over the struggling World Champion Giants. SP Kevin Correia lasted five and two thirds to get the win, while Joel Hanrahan got the save.

Orioles 8 Red Sox 7 (10 Innings)
Trailing 7-3 after seven, the Baltimore Orioles rallied for one in the 8th and three in the 9th to force extra innings where in the bottom of the 10th a two out bases loaded walk by Nick Johnson gave the O's a thrilling 8-7 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox. 3B Mark Reynolds led the way for Baltimore going 2 for 5 with 2 homers and 4 RBI, Felix Pie also had a homer for Baltimore.

Angels 4 Athletics 3
The LA Angels continued their resurgence with Vernon Wells slamming a two run double to cap off a four run third inning as the Angels won for the 4th straight time by defeating the visiting Oakland Athletics by the score of 4-3. SP Scott Kazmir allowed a run on five hits over seven innings pitched for his first win of the season. Dallas Braden took the loss for Oakland.

Mariners 5 Tigers 0
SP Justin Vargas allowed just 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 in a complete game 5-0 shutout victory of the Detroit Tigers here at Safeco Field on Tuesday. Catcher Adam Moore had three hits including a double and a homer to lead the Seattle offense. 3B Chone Figgins also chipped in with three hits and two RBI of his own.



Nationals LF Laynce Nix has a strained rotator cuff and will miss the next six weeks.

Tigers CF Austin Jackson has a strained hamstring and will miss about a month.

Orioles pitcher Michael Gonzalez has been diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back and will be out for 4 weeks.

Brewers CF Nyjer Morgan will miss the next two weeks with a sprained knee, suffered while attempting to make a diving catch on Tuesday.

[captaincarl]

Players seem to be dropping like flies in the early going.

Phillies are playing .500 ball but are last in the division. That certainly won't last as I expect the team to get hot as the weather does and the teams above them to come down to earth, especially the financially strapped Marlins.

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by captaincarl

Players seem to be dropping like flies in the early going.

Phillies are playing .500 ball but are last in the division. That certainly won't last as I expect the team to get hot as the weather does and the teams above them to come down to earth, especially the financially strapped Marlins.

Checking the injury rates, they're a little less than real life. During the real 2011 season there were 931 injuries reported in the big leagues or an average of 31 per team. Here's the breakdown:

Day to Day injuries: 408 or 13.6 per team.
Injuries needing 15 day DL: 385 or 12.8 per team
Injuries needing 60 day DL: 138 or 4.6 per team

So breaking this down, there were an average of 155.17 injuries per month in the big leagues, or 5.17 per team per month. Fans of the club just have to hope that the big boys are spared.....

[PhillieFever]

Wednesday April 27th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Brewers 4 Reds 3
3B Casey McGehee was 3 for 4 with a 6th inning solo homer and the go ahead RBI single in the 7th helping lead the Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds here at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The win is the 2nd straight for Milwaukee and moves them into a flat footed tie with the Reds for 5th place.

Rays 5 Twins 2
RBI singles from Alberto Gonzalez and Evan Longoria along with a two run double by Matt Joyce were the key hits in a four run 8th inning for the Rays who came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Minnesota Twins by the score of 5-2 for their fourth straight win. SP Jeff Niemann allowed 2 runs(1 earned) on 9 hits over seven and a third for his second win of the season, Cesar Ramos picked up the save.

Angels 7 Athletics 1
Catcher Bobby Wilson was 2 for 3 with a double, a homer, and five RBI, rookie 1B Mark Trumbo smashed his second homer of the season, and SP Matt Palmer twirled seven and a third effective innings, as the Los Angeles Angels picked up their 5th straight win in a 7-1 pounding of the Oakland Athletics.

Giants 5 Pirates 0
SP Jonathan Sanchez was tremendous for the Giants today, surrendering just 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 over 8 shutout innings in a 5-0 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. A two run double by Buster Posey and a two run single by Pablo Sandoval were the key offensive knocks.

Red Sox 10 Orioles 2
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia was 2 for 3 with 2 homers and 5 RBI, DH David Ortiz slammed a two run homer, and SP John Lackey went the route, allowing 2 runs on six hits to up his record to 3-0 as the Boston Red Sox destroyed the sagging Orioles by the score of 10-2 here at Baltimore's Camden Yards. Making his first career start, O's pitcher Zach Britton was torched by the powerful Red Sox who racked up 5 runs on 7 hits and 5 walks over just four and a third innings of work.



Giants RF Cody Ross has had a setback in his recovery from a calf injury and he'll now miss an additional 1-2 weeks.

Diamondbacks SS Stephen Drew suffered a torn ligament in his thumb in the opener against the Phillies and will miss about two weeks.

Already racked with injuries, the Brewers will now be without superstar LF Ryan Braun for roughly three weeks with a fractured foot.



Pujols Out With Major Concussion

St. Louis- Nailed in the head and knocked out cold by a line drive off the bat of the Reds Daniel Dorn back on April 23rd, Cardinals all-world 1B Albert Pujols has been hospitalized since for what was deemed early on as a "head injury." Today however, Cards GM John Mozeliak called a noon press conference to announce that along with a broken jaw, Pujols suffered a major concussion and his immediate future is in serious doubt. Asked about a timetable for return, Mozeliak announced that Pujols would definitely miss significant time, perhaps the rest of the season. As for now he's being placed on the 60 day disabled list, meaning he'll miss at least the next two months.

Hamilton, Cecil Suspended

Following a first inning homer by Michael Young on Tuesday, Jays hurler Brett Cecil gave slugger Josh Hamilton a little chin music, not once but twice, causing Hamilton to storm the mound and hurl several punches at the Jays pitcher. The benches emptied and mayhem ensued, ending with both Hamilton and Cecil as well as both Managers being ejected. Today, the hammer fell as Commissioner Bud Selig announced at both players were being suspended for 5 game each. Neither player is expected to appeal the suspension.

Today's Scoreboard, Transactions, & Leaders

[PhillieFever]

Thursday April 28th, 2011

MLB Standings

[PhillieFever]

Thursday April 28th, 2011

Today's Top Stories

Battered Cards Continue To Win
Despite losing both Albert Pujols and Adam Wainright to injuries, the St. Louis Cardinals moved into a first place tie with the Cubs today following an 8-3 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Lance Berkman, David Freese, and Mark Hamilton each had homers, while on the mound SP Jake Westbrook improved to 4-0, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits over 6 and two thirds.

Reds Cueto Returns To Fold
Out since March with a biceps problem, Reds hurler Johnny Cueto has been activated from the disabled list today and is expected to make his first start of the season in the coming days. With the club's starting pitcher's ranked 14th with a 4.57 ERA, his return could not have come at a better time for the struggling Reds.

Tigers Drop 6th Straight Decision
After spending the early part of the season leading the division, the Detroit Tigers have started to go backwards, and now find themselves in third place in the AL Central following their 6th straight loss, a 4-1 setback to the Seattle Mariners. Pinch Hitter Mike Carp's two run single in the 7th put the game away for Seattle.

Rays Stop Twins For 5th Straight Win
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to show their resiliency, and now sit in second place in the AL East following their 6-2 victory over the Twins. The win is the 5th straight for Joe Maddon's boys whose .339 OBP is good enough for 3rd in the American League behind the White Sox(.356) and Yankees(.343)

Injury Report

Yankees CF Curtis Granderson will miss roughly three weeks with a strained hamstring

White Sox CF Alex Rios suffered a strained PCL on Thursday and will be out for about 3-4 weeks.

Orioles 1B Derrek Lee has a torn groin muscle and will be shelved for 6 weeks.

[Germaniac]

Looking like a looooooong season

While you promised all the injured players to return, now Morgan and Braun have landed on the DL, too

We didn't have much offense before, so our pitchers better pitch shutouts every day now

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by Germaniac

Looking like a looooooong season

While you promised all the injured players to return, now Morgan and Braun have landed on the DL, too

We didn't have much offense before, so our pitchers better pitch shutouts every day now

Although it is still April, it's beginning to look as if Milwaukee may be headed for one of those "lost seasons." On the bright side, if their luck changes they are without a doubt the most talented team in the division now that Pujols is out.

[PhillieFever]

Friday April 29th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Phillies 10 Mets 0
Raul Ibanez had two hits including a three run triple to extend his hitting streak to 13 games while on the mound SP Roy Halladay allowed just 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out six in a complete game 10-0 plastering of the Mets in front of an enthusiastic sellout crowd here at Citizens Bank Park.

Blue Jays 4 Yankees 2 (11 Innings)
Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez had two hits including a home run, but it was the Jays Jose Bautista who was the star of this game, going 3 for 5 with two run homers in the 6th and 11th innings, leading Toronto to a 4-2 victory in front of 52,141 at Yankee Stadium.

Rangers 3 Athletics 1
In the first game of their weekend showdown, the Texas Rangers moved into a tie for first place in the AL West with a 3-1 victory over the Athletics at The Coliseum. DH Michael Young had three hits and 2 RBI to lead the Texas offense, while on the mound SP Derek Holland surrendered a run on five hits over eight innings pitched to get the win, Neftali Feliz earned the save, his 7th.

Cardinals 7 Braves 2
The Cardinals moved into sole possession of first place in the NL Central today by defeating the Atlanta Braves by the score of 7-2 here at Turner Field. LF Matt Holliday had three hits including a homer and scored three runs, and CF Colby Rasmus smashed a grand slam to pace the St. Louis attack.

Diamondbacks 4 Cubs 0
Ian Kennedy hurled seven and a third scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9 to lead the D-Backs to a 4-0 shutout of the Chicago Cubs here at Chase Field. Kelly Johnson and Justin Upton each had homers to lead the Arizona offense.

White Sox 6 Orioles 4
Chicago 1B Paul Konerko extended his hitting streak to an MLB season high 20 games today with a 4th inning line drive single, as the Chicago White Sox continued their strong play with a 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. 2B Omar Vizquel homered and knocked in three to lead the Chicago attack.

Rays 2 Angels 1
In the battle between two of the hottest teams in the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays got a 9th inning walk off RBI single from Ryan Church on their way to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels here at Tropicana Field. Reliever Joel Peralta twirled two innings of perfect relief to earn the win for Tampa. The Angels Scott Downs was saddled with the loss.



Blue Jays SS Yunel Escobar will miss about two weeks after straining his rib cage in today's victory over the Yankees.

[PhillieFever]

A little delay there, nothing major. I was just gathering minor league player photos over the weekend. Of the 7,200 or so players in the game, there are photos for roughly 5,800(maybe more, but not less) of them not counting FG's. That's going to have to do because the process of acquiring photos is so tedious that I'd rather walk on hot coals than do it LOL.

[PhillieFever]

Saturday April 30th, 2011

Recap Of Today's Action

Giants 8 Nationals 6 (17 Innings)
Aubrey Huff's three run home run off of Todd Coffey in the top of the 17th was the decisive blow in a game that lasted five hours and fourteen minutes and ended with the Nationals stranding the tying runs on base, as the Giants prevailed in this one 8-6 at Nationals Park. Pitcher Dan Runzler pitched two and two thirds innings to get the win for San Francisco, ToddCoffey absorbed the loss.

Tigers 9 Indians 7 (10 Innings)
Shin-Soo Choo was 3 for 5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored, but it wasn't enough for the Tribe who fell in extras to the Tigers by the score of 9-7 here in Cleveland. After blowing leads of 6-1 and 7-6, the Tigers finally went ahead to stay in the 10th on an RBI sac fly by Gabe Kapler and a bases loaded walk by Will Rhymes before handing the ball back to Joaquin Benoit, who nailed down the win with the help of a tremendous OF assist by Gabe Kapler, who's laser beam of a throw nailed Jack Hannahan as he attempted to turn a leadoff double into a triple.

Reds 4 Marlins 0
SP Bronson Arroyo surrendered five hits and two walks while striking out six over eight and a third scoreless innings, as the Cincinnati Reds blanked the Florida Marlins by the score of 4-0 in front of just under 35,000 here at The Great American Ballpark. Veteran 3B Scott Rolen led the Reds offense, going 3 for 4 with a two run homer.

Athletics 5 Rangers 4 (13 Innings)
With first place on the line, the Athletics bounced back from Michael Young's game tying RBI single in the 9th to win the game by the score of 5-4 on a walk off RBI single by Josh Willingham in the bottom of the 13th inning. Following a pop out by Mark Ellis to start the inning, Rangers hurler Darren Oliver allowed back to back singles to Coco Crisp and David DeJesus, to put runners on first and third for Willingham who lined a first pitch fastball right over the head of 2B Michael Young and into right field allowing Crisp to score easily with the game winner.



Yankees OF Nick Swisher is still having problems with his hamstring and will miss an additional two weeks.

Marlins OF Josh Kroeger has a sprained thumb and will be out of action for about three weeks.

The Marlins will also be without the services of OF Chris Snelling for a week or two due to a herniated disc in his back.

[Amazin69]

6 out of 7 in the wrong direction. When you can't even win with Brad "Mick" Emaus having a 2-homer game…

Well, I think "Bleargh" about covers it, actually.