Winter Meetings Day I

Winter Meetings!!!!!! What a great week to be a baseball fan. Today may very well be decision day for the Twins regarding Johan Santana, and who knows what else could go down from the Grand Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Let's hope there are as many deals as there are rooms in the sprawling building.

8:45am EST
-Ken Rosenthal says that the heat is now on Mets GM Omar Minaya. Rosenthal also reports that a trade of Miguel Tejada will likely hinge on what happens with Miguel Cabrera, but that the Astros, Cardinals, and Giants would be interested regardless. The Brewers are still the frontrunners for Scott Rolen. Many are saying that the Orioles would definitely trade Brian Roberts if Baltimore owner Peter Angelos allowed it. The Mets and Astros were interested until they got second basemen of their own, but the Cubs are still intrigued. Mike Piazza interests the Padres if Michael Barrett leaves for Tampa, Florida, or the Orioles, who would have interest if they deal Ramon Hernandez. Jim Bowden offered Chad Cordero to the Brewers for Rickie Weeks, and was flatly rejected on the spot. Atlanta no longer has interest in Coco Crisp, the Mets and Yankees are both interested in Octavio Dotel, and Craig Brazell has signed a contract with Seibu of the Japanese League.
-Jim Molony of MLB.com gives his report from Nashville: Florida may hold on to Miguel Cabrera until July. Jon Lieber could go to the Astros, and Jason Jennings could go to Colorado, San Diego, or Washington.
-Colorado could swing a trade for Chris Burke and has interest in Mark Loretta, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
-Now that Jake Peavy will be signed to an extension, Arizona could do the same with Brandon Webb. (Arizona Republic)
-The Cubs could trade Matt Murton, and the Padres have interest in Mark Prior. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Around The Majors- Hot Stove Monday

News and rumors as the day goes by, it starts right now.

8:30am EST
-Tom Glavine has agreed to a 1 year, 8 million dollar contract with the Braves. This fills a hole in the rotation, and gives Atlanta a proven 3rd starter after Smoltz and Hudson.
-Mariano Rivera will soon take the Yankees' 3 year, 45 million dollar offer.
-Mike Lowell will likely take Boston's 3 year contract offer to remain a Red Sock.
-As reported first last night on SprungOnSports2, the Mets and Luis Castillo have agreed on a 4 year contract worth 25 million dollars to play 2nd base. Several teams including Houston and San Diego coveted Castillo, and their focus will now likely turn to David Eckstein, who the Mets courted last week.
-Alex Rodriguez will collect the AL MVP Award and sign his 10 year, 275 million dollar contract, according to the New York Post. That's a pretty good day. The Post also reports that the Mets could pursue Livan Hernandez or even David Wells.
-The Rangers are entertaining Torri Hunter according to the Dallas Morning News, and the Dodgers are close to the top of Hunter's list says the Riverside Press Enterprise.
-Mariano Rivera is trying to get an option year out of the Yankees, according to the New York Daily News.
-Toronto has interest in Matt Clement, says the Toronto Sun.
-Fox Sports reported last week that Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta had signed with the Royals, but the Chicago Tribune says that Yabuta has listed the Royals, White Sox, Pirates, Rays, and Indians among his finalists.

Around The Majors- Thursday

SOS2 presents a special ATM today, because the hot stove is too smokin to ignore.

-A-Rod is negotiating basically by himself with Hank Steinbrenner for a new contract, and there are opinions from all angles on how this impacts and/or weakens Scott Boras' stranglehold on the industry. Buster Olney said today that Boras "overplayed the perfect hand" and that this will be a signifigcant red mark for Boras. Another intriguing stance came from Keith Law, who did not rule out the possibility of Boras purposely letting Rodriguez virtually negotiate by himself because that would maximize his chance for a bigger contract which could be as high as 290 million, according to a report this morning on MLB.com.
"Scott Boras really is smart." Law posted in his weekly chat on ESPN.com. "I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt any time there's a question about his strategy." If there isn't a question on his strategy now, I don't think there would ever be any doubt placed on Boras. This is obviously a very interesting story, and keep it here for the duration of this day for breaking news stories.
-Jake Peavy was the unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young Award after leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, which is the pitchers' version of the triple crown. This is the 12th time in NL history that an award was given unanimously, and the first since 2002 when Randy Johnson took it. If this is any consolation for the Diamondbacks fans, Brandon Webb was nearly the unanimous 2nd place, getting 31 of the 32 2nd place votes. Brad Penny came in 3rd.
-A New York Mets plan to split time at Catcher between Ramon Castro and Yorvit Torrealba may come to fruition as soon as today. Torrealba's agent Mark Roman told ESPN Radio in New York (the official station of SOS)that he'll sign a 3 year deal with New York today which will be worth 14.4 million dollars according to Newsday. Both Catchers will provide power to the position.
-Bud Selig said that MLB took in 6.075 BILLION dollars in revenue this season which should probably mean that the small market teams likely took in enough green to have higher payrolls. That will never happen, but there may be a shortage in excuses right about now for those penny pinching owners. -Even as the Yankees appear to be on the verge of signing Rodriguez, they still have interest in World Series MVP Mike Lowell to play first base, according to the New York Post and the Newark Star Ledger. Lowell's agent Seth Levinson said that the two parties have engaged in conversation.
-According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Mariano Rivera wants a 4th guaranteed year with the Yankees, which is why he has not yet accepted a 3 year, 45 million dollar offer. Whether another team like the Dodgers give him that 4th year is yet to be seen.

More reports and content will stream in as the afternoon and evening goes by right here on SprungOnSports2.

Around The Majors- Wednesday

A lot of little notes and rumors filling the big picture.

-ESPN's Jerry Crsanick is at the GM Meetings, and has said that the Angels are the front runners for A-Rod. The A's are the likely suitors for Barry Bonds.
-Angels OF Gary Matthews met with baseball officials about HGH allegations. If the hunt's taken out of the witch hunt, then it's just a witch isn't it?
-In the worst kept secret since Watergate, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves are interested in Tom Glavine. Wow, that was hard to admit. I guess y'all can hold the novacane, it's done.
-The Rangers still owe 9 million over 3 years for A-Rod, just think of it as a greedy and self centered mortgage.
-Juan Uribe signed a 1 year, 4.5 million dollar contract with the White Sox.
-The Mets resigned Marlon Anderson for 2 years and decline the option for Jose Valentin.
-The Yankees, Indians, and White Sox among others are interested in Miguel Cabrera according to various sources.
-Jorge Posada wants a 4 year deal worth 60 million and Mariano Rivera wants 3 for 45 says the Bergen Record.
-Kenny Rogers will likely return to Detroit next year, according to the Detroit Free Press.
-The Dodgers and Phillies are interested in Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. (Philadelphia and LA Daily News)
-The Giants are close to resigning Omar Vizquel, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
-The Kansas City Star reports that the Royals are still interested in Jose Guillen despite the recent allegations.
-Andrew Mongelluzzi, the agent for Paul Lo Duca said that the Mets led him to believe that he's not the team's top catching priority. (NY Post)
-Many teams are asking the Rangers about Gerald Laird and Hank Blalock. (Dallas Morning News)
-The Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays are up for any offer, and the Twins are interested in Rocco Baldelli.
-The Cubs are interested in Kaz Matsui, says the Denver Post. Colorado is interested in Brett Tomko.
-The Red Sox could go with a six man rotation next season, according to the Boston Herald.

Around The Majors- Wednesday

It's playoff time, and if Monday night's thriller is any indication of the October excitement we're gonna have, then it's gonna be a wild ride. The Mets won't be on this ride known as the postseason, but they will keep manager Willie Randolph but the rest of the coaching staff could be a different story. As heralded as Rick Peterson is, the staff faltered down the stretch and he could pay for it with his job. Another Met that was key to the collapse was Tom Glavine, he'll be declining his option for next season and rumors are already starting that he could head to either Washington or back to Atlanta. Speaking of the Braves, GM John Schuerholz has told CF Andruw Jones that they will not be resigning him, and he will head elsewhere. Jones batted a paltry .222 in 2007, his worst year since becoming a starting player 10 years ago, all spent with Atlanta. In managerial news, Jim Leyland had his contract extended by the Tigers until 2009, and Cards skipper Tony LaRussa will take some time to decide whether he'll return to the Cards in 2008. Carlos Pena and Dmitri Young were named the comeback players of the year, congrats to them and their terrible teams.

Division Series Notes
- The Red Sox will be without supersub postseason pitcher Tim Wakefield because of a back injury, and will carry a 3rd catcher in Kevin Cash instead. Jon Lester will be used in long relief. Their opponents the Angels will be without both Bartolo Colon and Gary Matthews Jr. Reggie Willits will be in CF and Erik Aybar replaces him on the LDS roster. Adam Eaton will be off the postseason roster for the Phillies after a 10-10 season with an ERA of 6.29. Hamels, Kendrick, Lohse, and Moyer will start for Philadelphia.

Divsion Series Picks
Angels vs Red Sox
The BoSox are banged up, but the Angels are a good matchup for them. John Lackey has to pitch at Fenway Park in game one, where he has a lifetime ERA of over 7. But if the Halos can manage a win in Boston, they could easily take the series with their MLB leading home record and some Rally Monkey mojo. The Angels will have to scratch and claw for every run they get, and their bullpen hasn't been that great as of late. Neither has Boston's pen, but a deeper staff will win them the series in 4.
Indians vs Yankees
Everyone is concentrating on A-Rod, but the pitching will have to do much more with the series. The Indians have a clear advantage over the Yankees in the starting staff, but if New York gets a lead after 6, the Joba Rules have been lifted and it's him and Mariano Rivera for the finish. Both lineups are really talented, but a psychological edge shouldn't be discounted. Not only do the Yanks have that experience factor, they're also 6-0 this year against the Tribe. But SOS, the Yankees never faced CC Sabathia? Cleveland never faced Chien Ming Wang, and Joe Borowski has been trouble this season. I'll take the Yankees in 5.
Diamondbacks vs Cubs
Both pitching staffs have been excellent this year, but the deciding factor could be keeping Carlos Zambrano away from the Wrigley mound. His road record is sensational, and he'll be throwing games 1 and 5 on the road in Phoenix. The depth in the starting staffs also go the Cubbies way, with Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez going after Brandon Webb. I think this will be the tightest series, with Chicago winning in 5.
Phillies vs Rockies
Both lineups are fantastic, and both clubs have incredible momentum. High octane baseball and lots of homers will be on the menu, but none of the Rockies have been there before. The Phillies bullpen has been terrible, but they have guys like Tom Gordon and JC Romero who have climbed the mountain before. But sometimes inexperienced power arms like the ones Colorado have in Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales could be the difference. This is really tough to call, so i flipped a coin and have the Rox in 5.

Around The Majors- Monday

The American League is set, with Boston hosting the Angels and the Yankees visiting Cleveland. The NL had a lot of turmoil on the regular season's final day, including the Mets completing one of the largest collapses in sports history, getting tagged by the Marlins, while the Phillies got their first division title and playoff appearance since their NL Pennant year of 1993. New York was up 7 games with 17 to play, and they just didn't have that sense of urgency save their Saturday win. But in that 13-0 blowout win over Florida, they enraged the Marlins, who had zero reason to put out any kind of effort on the final day. Due to the brawl and melee that ensued the previous day, it gave the Fish a sense of passion and determination, and it seemed like everything was on the line for them. That couldn't be any more opposite then what it was. In Philadelphia, the fans were riled up, and the players had that vigor and enthusiasm, led by Jimmy Rollins. It's not just his numbers are fantastic and worthy of this year's NL MVP, it's his leadership, his day in and day out effort of giving it his all every day (he played all 162), and his courage to stir the pot at the beginning of the season. He proclaimed that the Phils were the team to beat in the NL East, and not only did he back it up, he riled up his team and an entire city starving for a winner.
Another team that badly want to taste October baseball is Colorado, who have reeled off 12 of 13 to force a 1 game playoff with San Diego, who have faltered down the stretch, particularly after the infamous Milton Bradley incident. Not only have the Rockies fed off stellar play from Matt Holliday and stud rookie Troy Tulowitzki, they've gotten good outings from their young starters Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales, and a stable back end of the bullpen with youngster Manny Corpas. This team could be dangerous in the long term, but they have to beat Jake Peavy and the Friars tonight at 7:30 on TBS and ESPN Radio. The Rox send hot starter Josh Fogg.
One game overlooked because of the pennant races was the final game of future Hall of Famer, Long Island native, and all out gamer and lifer Craig Biggio. He was the ultimate team player, constantly changing positions over the years, and always being a franchise cornerstone for the Astros. There are fewer and fewer players like this, and everyone should take a moment to realize what kind of player baseball is losing in Biggio.

In closing, I'll give my Fantasy Top 30 for this year based on the SprungOnSports points system.
1) Peavy
2) A-Rod
3) Rollins
4) Sabathia
5) Webb
6) Prince
7) Hanley
8) Lackey
9) Pujols
10) Harang
11) Magglio
12) Beckett
13) Holliday
14) Jose Reyes
15) Haren
16) Carlos Pena
17) Carmona
18) Penny
19) Ortiz
20) Smoltz
21) David Wright
22) Vazquez
23) Santana
24) Helton
25) Brandon Phillips
26) Halladay
27) Howard
28) Hudson
29) Bedard
30) Verlander

Baseball Playoff Preview

Let’s start in the American League where a new rule could change the playoffs this year. The team with the league’s best record will get to choose whether they want to start the postseason on October 3rd or October 4th because of a new TV schedule during the postseason. There’s an extra off day between games 4 and 5 of the Division Series this year, and the team that has that extra day off would be able to use their starters from games 1 and 2 on full rest for games 4 and 5. This may sound complicated, but it has major ramifications for the playoffs.
The Boston Red Sox are in the playoffs this year, and have gotten in with pitching and stellar bullpen play rather then from their usual offensive ways. Josh Beckett has emerged as the leading candidate for the AL Cy Young award, and is backed up by Curt Schilling and Japanese rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka. The bullpen has been great this season with Mike Timlin, trade acquisition Eric Gagne, and rookie Hideki Okajima to set up closer Jonathan Papelbon. But the bullpen has struggled as of late, and Matsuzaka and Okajima have been tired of late, and the team has fallen on hard times. Their pitching staff could have more questions then an SAT exam right now, and Manny Ramirez has been injured of late. Given their recent poor play, they’d probably take the extra day off to rest their players. David Ortiz still makes this lineup tick despite a sub par season, but this team seems to be fading.
One team I would not want to face in the playoffs are the Cleveland Indians. Sure they lack experience, but they possess the best 1-2 starting pitching combination in the game with C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona with solid starting possibilities in Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook. The team also has a very good offense, with speedy Grady Sizemore setting the table for monster mashers Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner, and a team with five 20 home run players. The weak point of this team could be their closer Joe Borowski, who may lead the AL in saves, but has an E.R.A. of almost 5 with a lot of blown games. If Sabathia and Carmona get to start two games each on regular rest, they’ll be hard to beat in the ALDS and beyond.
If the Los Angeles Angels get home field throughout the playoffs, they may be the favorites to win their first World Series since 2002 because of their major league leading home record and a phenomenal bullpen to go along with an NL style lineup led by Vladamir Guerrero. Their team doesn’t supply a lot of power, but they steal bases, execute the hit & run, and scratch and claw their way to victory led by Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera, and Reggie Willits. John Lackey has been a valuable ace, and surprising Kelvim Escobar is the second starter, and the 8th and 9th are covered with Scott Shields setting up Francisco Rodriguez.
It’s been a wild ride for the Yankees, but another October appearance is on the horizon. You know about their potent offense led by Alex Rodriguez, but will this year be another disappointment for A-Rod? Derek Jeter is always clutch in the postseason, but he can’t start games at Pitcher. After Chien Ming Wang, nobody knows what Pettitte and Mussina will do in their old age. Even Mariano Rivera has looked shaky of late, but rookie sensation Joba Chamberlain looks like the setup bridge that the team has lacked since the championship days.
People may not be paying attention but with a week left in the regular season, Arizona owns the NL’s best record. Nobody stands out in that lineup, but 9 players have double figures in home runs led by rookie Chris Young who has 32. Orlando Hudson is the veteran leader, and Eric Byrnes is the vocal guy with almost 50 steals to back it up. They have a 32-18 mark in 1 run games, which usually bodes well for the postseason. Brandon Webb leads the starting staff, and Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis provide experience but not much else. The bullpen led by Jose Valverde has been excellent, and relief pitching has been their strength.
The Mets have been sliding over the last few weeks, but one never knows when that lineup led by Beltran, Reyes, and Wright could catch fire and start lighting it up. They now have Pedro Martinez to assist Tom Glavine and John Maine in the rotation, but their poor setup relief may be their eventual downfall. If they can get the ball to Billy Wagner with the lead, it could be smooth sailing in a weak NL. That’s easier said then done.
Somebody has to win the NL Central, so why not the lovable losers, the Cubs. They have a lot of power in their lineup led by Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez, but their pitching has been downright schizophrenic. Carlos Zambrano has been up and down this year, especially after he signed his new contract. The ace has actually been Ted Lilly, and Hill and Marquis make up the rest of the starters. The bullpen has been very shaky, and it doesn’t seem like Ryan Dempster, Bobby Howry, or Carlos Marmol want to close out games.
The Brewers have gone on a tailspin since June, but led by Prince Fielder and star rookie Ryan Braun, they remain in the NL Central race. The injury problems that Ben Sheets has had has been a huge blow to the Milwaukee staff, and they may not have enough left in the tank this year, but their future is quite bright.
San Diego could pose a huge scare to a lot of postseason teams if they can actually score. The lineup hasn’t been that great, but the triumvirate of Peavy, Young, and Maddux matches up with any team in baseball, and their bullpen of Heath Bell setting up Trevor Hoffman is tough to stop. If they can find a way to score, watch out.
The Phillies are almost the opposite of the Padres, with no pitching and a huge offense. Howard, Utley, Burrell, and co have almost gotten to the point where they know that the pitching will be bad and they have to come back and score a ton of runs to win. If they reach the playoffs, that could be a dangerous factor.The Colorado Rockies are in the discussion for a postseason berth, which would be great for longtime loser Todd Helton. Like every Colorado team, they can hit with the best of them led by Garrett Atkins and rookie Troy Tulowitzki, but after Jeff Francis their starting staff consists of Josh Fogg and Ubaldo Jimenez. Yikes. So enjoy the last week of the regular season as we gear up for October baseball. There’s really nothing like it.

Around The Majors- Friday

Feel the excitement of the 2nd to last weekend. Can't take the heat? Then stay out of the postseason. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN chimes in on the struggles of the choking Mets.

Thursday Recap
Zach Greinke struck out 10 over 8 shutout frames as the Royals blanked the White Sox 3-0. Tony Pena Jr drove in 2 for KC. Baltimore scored 5 times in the 10th, 3 on a Brian Roberts homer to defeat Texas 6-3. Garrett Anderson drove in 3 as the Angels clinched at least a tie for the AL West crown with a 9-5 win over Seattle.
Tulowitzki and Holliday each homered and drove in 3 as Colorado scored 6 in the 2nd to down the Dodgers 9-4. Barrett and Kouzmanoff each drove in 2 as Brett Tomko pitched the Padres past Pittsburgh 6-3. Philadelphia scored 4 in the 7th, 3 on a Jayson Werth bomb to edge Washington 7-6 and inch closer to the NL East lead. The Mets scored 4 in the 9th led by a 3 run triple by Marlon Anderson, only to have Jorge Sosa blow it by giving up 3 in the bottom half. Enter bottom 10, where Dan Uggla's double off of Sosa scored Hanley Ramirez to shock the free falling Mets 8-7. Amazin, isn't it? Miggy Cabrera homered and knocked in 3 for the Fish. Chipper Jones drove in 2 as the Braves beat the Brewers 3-1. Rookie JR Towles broke an Astros franchise record with 8 RBI's as Houston hammered the Cardinals 18-1. Jeff Keppinger drove in 2 as Homer Bailey did nicely in Cincy's 4-2 win over the Giants.

News and Notes
- The Astros have named former Phillies GM Ed Wade their new General Manager. The Pirates are close to naming Indians Special Assistant Neal Huntington their new GM, according to the Beaver County Times.
- Junior Griffey will miss the remainder of the year with groin problems, Albert Pujols could be shut down as well with a strained calf.

Weekend Preview
Friday
2:20 today has Maholm facing Marquis in Wrigley. Good game in Cleveland tonight as Carmona battles Blanton and the A's. Hudson faces Villanueva as Braves-Brewers is at 7pm on ESPN. Halladay faces Wang, Eaton pitches in Washington, Beckett and Kazmir go in Tampa, and Pedro battles the Marlins. On some ESPN stations, Backe and the Astros will face Piniero and St Louis at 8pm. Buehrle battles Santana, Loaiza-Hernandez in Phoenix, Peavy faces Colorado, and the Angels go for the division title.
Saturday
Vazquez faces the Twins, Duke and Hill go in Chicago, and Marcum and Kennedy battle in The Bronx. FOX games today include Smoltz and Gallardo, Batista and Escobar, and Perez and Kim in Miami. Haren and Byrd battle, Rogers faces the Royals, Dice-K battles the Rays, Arroyo faces the Giants, Liz faces Volquez in a 'spect show, and Brandon Webb and David Wells square off. Wells is more like round, though.
Sunday
Hamels battles the Nats, Harden faces Westbrook, Meche battles Verlander, and Sheets goes against the Braves. McGowan battles Clemens, Maine faces the Marlins, Wakefield battles Tampa, and Gorzalanny and Zambrano duel. Floyd faces Slowey, Francis faces Maddux, Harang faces the Giants, Weaver battles Lackey, Billingsley battles the Dodgers, and Oswalt goes to St Louis on sunday night. (8pm ESPN).

State of The Mets
What would happen if the Mets don't make the playoffs? Jerry Crasnick of ESPN had this to say:
"It will be extremely ugly. But the Mets still owe Willie Randolph more than $4 million on his contract over the next two seasons. That's an awful lot of money for a team to eat."

The State of the Mets

There are few words that could describe how the Mets have played for the past few weeks. The only one that comes to mind is bad. After being swept by the Phillies a few weeks ago, the Mets swept the Braves in Atlanta and went on to win 7 of their next 9 games against the Reds, Astros, and Braves. This is when all Mets fans thought that the team was going to pull off a big run and win the NL East. Then the Phillies came to town. All the Mets had to do was win one out of the three games to squash the Phillies hopes of winning the division. They got swept, and they have been on a free fall losing some brutal games to the Nationals and last night to the Marlins. As a Mets fan, I have lost most of my hope with this team. The only hope I have left is seeing what has happened in the past that 1. the Phillies always find a way to lose, and 2. the Cardinals and Tigers both struggled before the playoffs last year and both teams ended up playing in the World Series. It seems now that the Mets are finding every way to lose and let the Phillies and Braves back in the race (the Braves are only 4.5 out, and with the way the Mets have been playing, and with the Braves playing against the Phillies next week anything is possible).

Everyone on this team is to blame. Jose Reyes has been struggling for the past month and a half both offensively and defensively. David Wright can't make a routine throw to first base. Both John Maine and Oliver Perez have not been as effective in the second half. The bullpen is a mess. All these reasons and then some are why the Mets have struggled. Some blame has to be put on Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya as well. Minaya misjudged the free agent market this past winter, and let Chad Bradford go, and ended up paying Scott Schoeneweis the same amount of money Bradford. Any Mets fan will tell you he would rather have Bradford in the pen then Schoeneweis. Mets fans will also agree that they don't want to see Guillermo Mota on the mound in a Mets uniform any more, but Willie Randolph keeps putting him in big situations. It is just mind boggling to me. This team is a mess right now, and all Mets fans could hope for is a miracle.

Around The Majors- Wednesday

One city, two tales. One Central and one West tightens, while the others pull away. ATM back on SOS, let's roll.

Tuesday Recap
Cleveland's magic number is 5 as they beat Verlander and Detroit 7-4. Travis Hafner homered and drove in 3, and Joe Borowski earned his 41st save. The Yankees now lead Detroit by 4.5 in the Wild Card race, and only trails Boston by 2.5 in the AL East. New York got 7 shutout innings from Mike Mussina and blasted Baltimore 12-0. Doug Mientkiewicz homered and drove in 4 for the Yanks. Toronto scored 3 in the 8th off of Eric Gagne to beat the Red Sox 4-3. Russ Adams drove in 2 for the Jays, and AJ Burnett struck out 11 in 8 plus innings. The Royals scored 3 in the first to beat the White Sox 3-2. Billy Butler drove in 2 for KC. Carlos Silva pitched 6 solid and Torii Hunter drove in 2 as Minnesota tamed Texas 4-2. John Lackey struck out 10 over 8 innings to earn his 17th win as the Angels edged Tampa Bay 2-1. Chad Gaudin allowed 8 over 4 innings, and Raul Ibanez homered and drove in 5 as Seattle edged Oakland 8-7.
Jeff Francis struck out 10 over 6 plus as Colorado downed the Dodgers 3-1 in the first of a twinbill. In the second game, Todd Helton hit a walkoff 2 run homer in the 9th off of Takashi Saito to beat LA 9-8. Holliday and Spilborghs each drove in 3 for the Rox. Both teams are 4.5 back in the Wild Card. The Mets lost their 5th straight 9-8 to Washington. Ronnie Belliard homered and drove in 3 for the Nats. New York only leads the Phillies by 1.5 in the NL East, the Phils got 3 in the 14th off of Mike Maroth to outlast the Cards 7-4. They're also 1.5 back in the Wild Card race. Jo-Jo Reyes pitched 5 innings for his first ML win as Atlanta edged Florida 4-3. The Cubs have now fallen into a tie for the NL Central lead. Edwin Encarnacion homered and drove in 2 as Aaron Harang bested Carlos Zambrano in the Reds 5-2 win over Chicago. Milwaukee pulled up for the tie, as the got an Estrada grand slam in a 5 run 4th to pound the Astros 9-1. Ben Sheets left after the first inning, keep it here for the latest. Arizona kept their 1 game lead atop the NL West as Micah Owings threw a complete game 2 hit shutout in a 5-0 win over the Giants. Chris Snyder drove in 2 for the Snakes. San Diego kept pace as Khalil Greene drove in 2 in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh.

News and Notes
- Orioles OF Jay Gibbons talked with officials from the Commissioner's Office to discuss a report he received performance-enhancing steroids and human growth hormone after both substances were banned by baseball. A company that gave HGH to well known athletes and entertainers has paid 10.5 million dollars in penalties and the copmany Specialty Distribution Services Inc., has agreed to cooperate with an ongoing federal investigation.
- Lou Merloni homered and drove in 4 as the Sacramento River Cats beat the Richmond Braves 7-1 in the AAA Bricktown Showdown Championship Game from OKC. This is the 2nd year that the champions of the International and Pacific Coast leagues have competed for the ultimate AAA crown.
- After Monday's poor start, Brian Lawrence was designated for assignment and Dave Williams will take his roster, and possibly his rotation spot.

Wednesday On Tap
In what's probably a must win for the Tigers, Detroit sends Nate Robertson to the hill against CC Sabathia and the Indians. First pitch is at 12:05. JP Howell and Ervin Santana play day at 3:35 in LA. Pelfrey and Chico go in Washington as the Mets try to stop the bleeding. Battle of lefties in Atlanta as Dontrelle Willis battles Chuck James. Andy Pettitte goes for the Yankees as they try to catch the Red Sox. Boston sends Clay Buchholz to Toronto against Jesse Litsch. The Cubs look to regain their outright division lead when they send Ted Lilly to the hill at home against the Reds (8pm ESPN). The Brewers send Dave Bush to Houston. The Phillies look to get closer to a postseason spot as Jaime Moyer faces Adam Wainwright and St Louis. Contreras and Bannister go in KC, Penny and Fogg in Denver, Zito-Davis in Phoenix, and Snell-Young in San Diego.

Fantasy Studs & Duds
Hitting Studs
1) Matt Holliday, OF, COL
2) Frank Thomas, 1B/DH, TOR
3) James Loney, 1B, LAD
4) Aaron Rowand, OF, PHI
5) Rafael Furcal, SS, LAD
Hitting Duds (min 24 AB's)
1) Ken Griffey Jr, OF, CIN
2) Jose Guillen, OF, SEA
3) Kevin Millar, 1B/DH, BAL
4) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY
5) Hunter Pence, OF, HOU
Pitching Studs
1) Javier Vazquez, SP, CWS
2) Gil Meche, SP, KC
3) Mike Mussina, SP, NYY
4) AJ Burnett, SP, TOR
5) Aaron Harang, SP, CIN
Pitching Duds
1) Paul Maholm, SP, PIT
2) Daniel Cabrera, SP, BAL
3) Scott Olsen, SP, FLA
4) Anthony Reyes, SP, STL
5) Matt Morris, SP, PIT

Around The Majors- Tuesday Special

Just when you thought all the races were clear, right? The rest of the season now calls for cloudy with a chance of surprise, or for some Queens team disappointment and utter collapse. Let's get to the regular stuff done here at ATM today on SOS2.

Monday Recap
This was probably a game Detroit had to have. Cleveland scored 3 in the 8th to tie it and then won it 6-5 on a solo homer by Casey Blake off of Zach Miner. Johnny Peralta had 3 RBI's for the Tribe, who now leads Detroit by 5.5 games. The Tigers are now 3.5 games behind the Yankees for the Wild Card, New York held on to beat Baltimore 8-5. Abreu and Mientkiewicz each drove in 2. The Yankees are now 3.5 games behind Boston for the AL East lead, the Red Sox were shut down for one run over the complete game by Dustin McGowan as Toronto won 5-1. It was the Frank Thomas show for the Jays as he hit 3 homers and drove in all the runs. Javy Vazquez struck out 13 and Josh Fields homered and drove in 4 as the White Sox ripped the Royals 11-3. Minnesota scored twice in the 9th off of Joaqin Benoit as the Twins edged the Rangers 5-4. Figgins, Cabrera, and Kotchman each drove in 2 as the Angels nipped the Rays 10-7. Delmon Young drove in 3 for Tampa. Jose Lopez hit a big 3 run homer as the Mariners defeated Oakland 4-0.
BK Kim allowed 9 runs over 4 innings as the Braves mauled the Marlins 11-6. Jeff Francouer and Andrew Jones each drove in 3 for Atlanta. The Mets lead over Philly is now 2.5 as they committed 4 errors in a 12-4 loss to Washington. Church, Pena, Belliard, and Schnieder each drove in 2 for the Nats. Philadelphia had to slug and sweat as they edged the Cardinals 13-11. Ryan Howard homered twice and drove in 5 for the Phils. The Cubs kept their NL Central lead with 3 in the 9th off of David Weathers to win 7-6. Ramirez, Floyd, and DeRosa each drove in 2 for the Cubbies. Milwaukee stayed a game back as Yovani Gallardo threw 8 shutout frames in a 6-0 win over the Astros. The Giants scored 5 in the 8th to slither past the Snakes 8-5. Randy Winn drove in 4 for Frisco. San Diego now trails by only a game in the NL West as they got 2 ribs from Khalil Greene in a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh. The Pads lead the NLWC by 1.5 over Philly and 3 over the Dodgers.

News and Notes
- It's no secret that the Mets are in a state of peril. Pedro Martinez said that he probably won't play again if he suffers another serious injury. Carlos Delgado doesn't know when he'll return from a hip flexor injury. Willie Randolph said that he could go this weekend in Miami. Orlando Hernandez is day to day with a bunion on his right foot. Dinner will be served at 4:30.
- Apparently, towards the end of the season, rookies dress up in some odd costumes on plane rides. Dice-K Matsuzaka and his translator were dressed as Telletubbies. I'm not going to say which one he was, but you could email me (blueguy223@aol.com) for his name. Mike Lowell said he had to dress as a hobo on a team flight when he was a rook. On a recent Orioles trip, Fernando Cabrera was a gorilla, Jeremy Guthrie was a female nurse, and Kurt Birkins was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
- Big move for the Phillies as Cole Hamels went off the DL. The Yankees brought up Chase Wright and Tyler Clippard.

Tuesday On Tap
Billingsley and Francis go at Coors in the first of a twinbill. Team rejects David Wells and Mark Redman go in the nightcap. The AL Central showdown continues at The Jake, as Verlander battles Westbrook. Mike Mussina faces Baltimore, and John Maine gets the call to save the Mets in Washington. Jon Lester and AJ Burnett battle in Toronto, Floyd faces Meche in KC, and Harang and Zambrano is a duel to watch at Wrigley. Ben Sheets goes in Houston, Lackey faces Tampa, and Cole Hamels comes back against St Louis. Gorzelanny and Maddux duel in San Diego.

- ATM will be back tomorrow on SOS.

Around The Majors- Monday Express

Not a lot of time, so let's jetset.

Game Action
Cleveland lost 4-3 to KC, their AL Central lead is 4.5 over Detroit who beat Minnesota. They meet tonight Rogers against Byrd. The Tigers are 2.5 back of the Yankees for the AL Wild Card, they got a 3 run jack from Derek Jeter to take 2 of 3 from Boston 4-3. New York is 4.5 behind the Red Sox, they send Phil Hughes to the hill in Baltimore against Daniel Cabrera, they beat Toronto 8-6 in 10. The Jays send Dustin McGowan against Boston and Tim Wakefield. Jim Thome hit his 500th career homer, a walkoff to lead the White Sox over the Angels 9-7. Volquez and Slowey duel in Minnesota, Texas got 7 RBI's from Michael Young in an 11-9 win over Oakland. 17 game winner Kelvim Escobar goes tonight against Tampa who beat Seattle 9-2.
The Phillies have won 8 straight against the Mets including a 10-6 win over New York where the Mets committed 6 errors and walked 11 batters. The Phils are 3.5 back, and they send Kyle Kendrick on the mound in St Louis, the Mets are in Washington. The Nats got shut out by Tim Hudson and the Braves 3-0, they pitch John Smoltz at home against BK Kim and Florida. The Fish got fried 13-0 against the Rockies, Todd Helton hit career homer 300. The Cubs topped St Louis 4-2, they play Cincy who beat Milwaukee to give Chicago a 1 game lead in the NL Central. Milwaukee pitches Yovani Gallardo in Houston. The Giants lost to now 18 game winner Jake Peavy and the Padres 5-1, Frisco faces Brandon Webb and Arizona. The Snakes beat the Dodgers 6-1 and own a 2 game division lead.

Transactions
The Indians recalled Jeremy Sowers, Washington claimed Enrique Gonzalez off of waivers.

Less than 2 weeks left, enjoy the games.

Around The Majors- Wednesday

The playoff push continues. I go through last night's games, go through some news and notes including one very questionable decision, we'll see what's on tap today, and look at this week's fantasy studs & duds.

Tuesday Recap
Marlon Byrd homered twice and drove in 3 as Texas tamed the Tigers 13-6 in the first of a twinbill at Comerica. In the 2nd game, Detroit scored 3 in the first and won behind Jair Jurrjens 4-1. Vlad Guerrero homered twice and drove in 4 as the Angels blasted Baltimore 10-5. Tampa got off to a 9-1 lead, but Boston came all the way back to win 16-10 behind 3 ribs by Youkilis and Cash and 2 RBI's each by Ellsbury, Pedroia, Crisp, and Lugo. The Yankees broke it open with a Jason Giambi slam in the 5th and beat Toronto 9-2. Johnny Damon drove in a pair for New York. Scott Baker pitched a solid game as the Twins defeated the Royals 6-3. Travis Hafner drove in 3 as the Indians shellacked Chicago 8-3. Juan Uribe homered twice to account for all the White Sox runs. Shannon Stewart and Mike Piazza each drove in 2 as Oakland socked Seattle 7-4.
Matt Holliday homered twice and drove in 3 as Colorado filleted the Phillies 8-2. Ryan Braun drove in 3 as Yovani Gallardo pitched the Brewers past the Pirates 6-1. Mike Jacobs drove in 5 and Hanley Ramirez homered twice as Florida walloped Washington 13-8. Adam Dunn hit 2 homers while driving in 5 as the Reds raked the Cardinals 7-2. Orlando Hernandez allowed 8 runs in 3 innings as the Braves mauled the Mets 13-5. Teixeira and Harris each drove in 3 for Atlanta. A Luke Scott triple off of Ryan Dempster in the 11th gave Houston a 5-4 win over the Cubs. Hunter Pence drove in 2 for the Astros. Jake Peavy won his 17th as the Padres pounded the Dodgers 9-4. Marcus Giles, Khalil Greene, and Kevin Kouzmanoff each drove home a pair for San Diego. A Pedro Feliz sac fly off of new Snakes reliever Bob Wickman gave the Giants a 2-1 win over Arizona.

News and Notes
- Roger Clemens has been suffering shoulder issues but is recovering and will likely start on Sunday night against Boston.
- In the idiot move of the year, the White Sox gave Ozzie Guillen a 4 year contract extension through 2012. Chicago has been struggling all year, and you reward your fool of a manager? And to top this absurdity, it gives the rambling morom more job security then GM Kenny Williams. This move has just clinched the Pale Hose sucking for a long time.
- Frank Coonelly has been named the President of the Pirates. Rueben Amaro Jr seems to be the leading candidate for the GM job.
- Tom Glavine is unsure whether he'll return next season.
- Gary Matthews Jr will be out at least 5 games with a sprained ankle.

Wednesday On Tap
12:30 today has Dave Bush and Milwaukee playing against Gorzalanny and the Pirates. Westbrook and Vazquez go at 2pm as the Indians face the White Sox. Escobar faces Cabrera, Kyle Kendrick faces the Rockies, Jon Lester battles the Rays, and Smoltz faces Maine at 7pm (ESPN). Edinson Volquez battles Detroit, Mussina and McGowan, Hill for the Cubs in Houston, and Haren faces Batista in Seattle. NL West is on, Germano faces Lowe in LA and Brandon Webb pitches against the Giants.

Fantasy Studs & Duds
Hitting Studs
1) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY
2) Carlos Pena, 1B, TB
3) Matt Holliday, OF, COL
4) Pat Burrell, OF, PHI
5) Curtis Granderson, OF, DET
Hitting Duds (min 19 ab's)
1) Felipe Lopez, IF, WSH
2) Carlos Guillen, IF, DET
3) Joey Gathwright, OF, KC
4) Nook Logan, OF, WSH
5) Yadier Molina, C, STL
Pitching Studs
1) Yovani Gallardo, SP, MIL
2) Vicente Padilla, SP, TEX
3) Fausto Carmona, SP, CLE
4) Joe Blanton, SP, OAK
5) Tony Armas, SP, PIT
Pitching Duds
1) Dave Bush, SP, MIL
2) Mark Mulder, SP, STL
3) Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, BOS
4) Orlando Hernandez, SP, NYM
5) Jeremy Bonderman, SP, DET

Around The Majors- Wednesday

It was a big night in baseball, I'll go through the games, get to the news and notes, and last week's fantasy studs & duds before I check out what's on tap.

Tuesday Recap
Josh Beckett became the first pitcher to 17 wins, he outdueled Roy Halladay as Boston bested Toronto 5-3. Jacoby Ellsbury homered and drove in 2 for the Red Sox. Chien Ming Wang became the second to 17 victories as the Yankees put up 7 runs in the 7th to maul the Mariners 12-3. Jorge Posada homered twice for New York. Jon Garland pitched 7 strong innings as Alex Cintron drove in 2 as the White Sox downed Detroit 3-1. Baltimore scored 4 in the 8th to defeat Tampa Bay 8-4. Ramon Hernandez drove in 3 for the Birds. Kinsler, Botts, and Wilkerson each drove in 2 as Texas edged the Royals 9-8. Travis Hafner homered twice and drove in 4 including a sacrifice fly as part of a 2 run 11th in a 7-5 win over Minnesota. Kendrick and Anderson each drove in 2 as the Angels edged the A's 4-3.
Jesus Flores hit a 2 run double in the 9th inning off of Kevin Gregg as the Nationals shocked the Marlins 4-3. Paul Lo Duca homered twice and drove in 7 as the Mets ripped the Reds 11-7. Howard and Ruiz each drove in 2 as the Phillies beat the Braves 5-2. Carlos Villanueva pitched 6 solid innings as Milwaukee defeated Houston 5-3. Juan Pierre drove in 2 as Brad Penny pitched the Dodgers past the Cubs 6-2. Chris Duncan drove in 3 as the Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 6-2. Brad Hawpe hit the game winning single off of Brad Hennessey as the Rockies beat the Giants 6-5. Arizona took over first place as the knocked Chris Young around as they pummeled the Padres 9-1. Eric Byrnes drove in 3 runs for the Snakes.

News and Notes
- After a collision in last night's win over Seattle, A-Rod got an MRI on his right ankle and is listed as in the lineup for tonight's game against the M's.
- Jake Peavy will pitch tonight for San Diego on 3 days rest, more on this later in the blog.
- Cardinals OF Juan Encarnacion was released from the hospital, but it's unknown whether he'll have surgery of his fractured right eye socket. Encarnacion was hit with a foul ball while waiting on deck and also got a concussion, for which he's still feeling the after effects according to a source close to the St Louis Post Dispatch. I wish Juan a speedy recovery, needless to say his season is over.
- An MRI showed that Orioles ace Erik Bedard has a strained right oblique muscle, and the team will announce whether he'll pitch or not this season later in the week.
- Ruben Amaro will interview for the Astros GM position, accoridng to ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- Baltimore released Paul Shuey and Detroit activated Kenny Rogers from the DL and will join their rotation for the first time this season.
- Mets 1B Carlos Delgado will likely be out 7-10 days with a strained right hip flexor.

Wednesday On Tap
Already today, 4 Reds pitchers combined on a 3 hit shutout as Cincinnati mauled the Mets 7-0. John Maine gave up 6 runs in 4 and a third innings, and Brandon Phillips broke a franchise single season record for homers by a second baseman with his 28th, 1 more then SOS guest analyst Joe Morgan. Atlanta scored 4 in the 8th and then 3 in the 9th on a bases clearing double by Matt Diaz off of Brett Myers to lead the Braves past the Phillies 9-8. Willie Harris also had a pair of ribs for Atlanta. Fausto Carmona won his 15th as the Indians tamed the Twins 6-2. Victor Martinez and Kenny Lofton each drove in 2 for the Tribe. The A's defeated the Angels 6-2 as Mark Ellis homered and drove in 4 for Oakland. Joe Blanton got the win for the A's.
Tonight, Boston looks to extend their AL East lead when they send Curt Schilling to the hill against the always tough Shawn Marcum of Toronto. Kenny Rogers returns to the mound as Detroit takes on Gavin Floyd and the White Sox, and Jarrod Washburn looks to get the Mariners closer in the Wild Card race as they take on Phil Hughes and the Yankees. Liz and Sonnanstine are the 2 young SP's in Tampa as the O's take on the Rays.
In the NL, the Dodgers send out young Eric Stults for the sweep of the Cubs, Ted Lilly counters for Chicago at 8pm on ESPN. Milwaukee is only a half game out, they send Yovano Gallardo against Matt Albers of the Astros. Mark Mulder makes his season debut for the Cardinals, Tony Armas counters for Pittsburgh. Young Ubaldo Jimenez leads Colorado against the Giants. Jake Peavy will go on 3 days rest for the 2nd time in his career as the Padres battle the Diamondbaks for first place. Livan Hernandez pitches for Arizona.

Fantasy Studs & Duds
Hitting Studs
1) Garret Anderson, OF, LAA
2) Hunter Pence, OF, HOU
3) Carlos Pena, 1B, TB
4) Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI
5) Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX
Hitting Duds (min 23 ab's)
1) Nick Swisher, 1B/OF, Oak
2) Vernon Wells, OF, TOR
3) Joey Gathright, OF, KC
4) Gary Matthews, OF, LAA
5) Jose Guillen, OF, SEA
Pitching Studs
1) CC Sabathia, SP, CLE
2) Chien Ming Wang, SP, NYY
3) Jered Weaver, SP, LAA
4) Jeff Francis, SP, COL
5) Doug Davis, SP, ARZ
Pitching Duds
1) JD Durbin, P, PHI
2) Noah Lowry, SP, SF
3) Jarrod Washburn, SP, SEA
4) Antonio Alfonseca, RP, PHI
5) Andrew Miller, SP, DET

Around The Majors- Monday

Happy Labor Day everyone! It's time for that last trip to the beach, that last chance to fire up the grill, and a great opportunity to kick back with a cold one and watch some big matches in all the pennant races. But before I tell you what's on tap for today, I'll take a look at the standings and how the pennant races are taking shape.

Standings
Boston has a 6 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. Toronto has won 7 of 10 to be respectable. Cleveland has won 8 of 10 and leads Detroit by 5.5 in the AL Central. Seattle has dropped 9 in a row and trail the Angels by 6.5 in the AL West. Atlanta has lost 7 of 10 and are now 7.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East. Philadelphia is 4 out in the race. The Cubs are 1.5 ahead of Milwaukee and 2 clear of St Louis in the NL Central. The Padres and Diamondbacks are 4 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West. The Yankees are 2 games clear of Seattle for the AL Wild Card and 3 ahead of Detroit. The Padres/D-Backs are 3 ahead of the Phillies, 4 ahead of the Dodgers, and 5 ahead of Colorado in the NL Wild Card race.

Monday On Tap
Huge series starts in The Bronx as Roger Clemens take on King Felix Hernandez and the Mariners. Philly and Atlanta begin an elimination series in the NL East with Jaime Moyer going for the Phils. Sabathia and Santana lock up in a Labor Day Duel, and Pedro Martinez makes his first start after rotator cuff surgery for the Mets as they face the tough Aaron Harang and the Reds. Dice-K Matuszaka faces Toronto up North, and James Shields faces Baltimore. Oswalt and Sheets match up in Milwaukee, Cain and Francis in Denver, Esteban Loaiza goes for the Dodgers against Carlos Zambrano, and Maddux faces Owings in Phoenix. Gaudin faces Ervin Santana in LA.

Welcome To Citizens Bank Park

As a Mets fan, I have never experienced the fun in going to another stadium while the Mets were the away team. Monday night as the Phillies hosted the Mets, I was there, sitting in the upper deck with first inning drunk fans and a beautiful skyline to look at.
Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004, is very smartly planned out. Parking is very convenient and the outside view of the stadium is unreal. When you walk in, either through the right field entrance or the left field entrance, you see the field immediately. There is an abundance of room to walk around and enjoy the experience of the park. With a great amount of standing room and restaurants, you could go there three hours early and have something to do. The lit up Liberty Bell which swings after a home run is a very smart and entertaining idea. The bleachers are great and during batting practice you could never get so close to the players in the outfield as the wall is directly above the field in left. Overall it is a great ballpark and a fun place to visit.
The atmosphere as a baseball fan was great. Besides for the fact that it was playoff baseball in late August, the fans were really into it. There happened to be a large group of Mets fans there but as the game went on and I started to get cursed at, I decided to cover my Reyes shirt with my sweatshirt. I wasn't exactly in the mood to get beered. Constant cheers and being pumped up by the Philly Fanatic really shows that these fans are there to enjoy the baseball game. Even though the Mets lost, the bullpen crashed and burned and Pat Burrel decided to do a little more damage on the Mets, it was still an amazing and fun trip, well worth it.

Around The Majors- Monday

I'll recap Sunday's action, go through news and notes, and we'll see what's on tap for today here on ATM.

Sunday Recap
Wilson Betemit drove in 4 and Hideki Matsui had 3 RBI's as the Yankees took 3 out of 4 from Detroit with a 9-3 win at Yankee Stadium. Roy Halladay and Jeremy Guthrie had a pitchers duel that needed extra innings to decide. Aaron Hill's sac fly off of Chad Bradford in the 10th gave Toronto a 3-2 victory over Baltimore. Sabathia and Shields also had a duel that went into extra frames, and a Joel Guzman single in the 12th won it for the Rays 4-3. Victor Martinez drove in 2 in the loss for the Tribe. Joe Saunders pitched a fantastic game as the Angels bested Boston 3-1. Julian Taverez took the tough luck loss. Johan Santana may have had his best career start yesterday, pitching a complete game two hit shutout while striking out a Minnesota record 17 batters as the Twins tamed Texas and Kevin Millwood 1-0. Marco Scutaro went 4-4 with a homer and 2 driven in as Oakland defeated KC 6-1. Jose Guillen drove in 5 as Seattle beat up Jon Garland and the ChiSox 11-5. Jerry Owens drove in 2 for the Pale Hose. Mark Teixeira homered twice and drove in 4 as John Smoltz struck out 12 to take over the all time Braves record in a 6-2 win over Arizona to salvage the last game in the set. The Giants scored 3 in the 7th to edge the Marlins 6-5. Ray Durham drove in 2 for Frisco. Carlos Beltran homered twice as the Mets scored 4 in the 8th to sweep Washington 8-2. Marlon Anderson and Shawn Green each drove in a pair for New York. The Pirates pushed across 7 in the 7th to fry the Phillies 8-4. Matt Kata hit a pinch hit 3 run double and Xavier nady drove in 2 for the Bucs. The Reds scored 2 in the 8th to earn a wild 7-6 win over the Brewers that saw a combined 6 homers. Phillips, Dunn, and Valentin each drove in 2 for the Reds. San Diego edged the Astros 5-3, the Dodgers beat the Rockies 4-3, and Cubs-Cards was postponed by rain.

News and Notes
- The White Sox resigned Jermaine Dye to a 2 year, 22 million dollar extension. Apparently, Chicago wants to reload rather then rebuild. Can't say that i agree with this plan.
- Double-A Montgomery pitcher James Houser tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, and was suspended 50 games.
- Yusmeiro Petit was activated yesterday to lose yesterday's game for the Snakes. Cliff Floyd was moved to the retricted list by the Cubs, Joel Zumaya will give a huge boost to the Tigers off of the DL, and the White Sox inked Mike Myers as a lefty for the stretch run. Damion Easley was placed on the DL with a severe ankle sprain, Anderson Hernandez was recalled.

Monday On Tap
Ortiz and Mitre do battle as the Giants and Marlins complete their series in Miami. Joel Piniero has been excellent in his stint with St Louis, he faces Ted Lilly and the Cubs in day action. The Braves need to get back in the NL East race, they send Tim Hudson to the mound against Phil Dumatrait and the Reds. Redding and Jennings go in Houston, and youngster Ubaldo Jimenez leads Colorado against Matt Morris and the Pirates. Big series in the desert as Doug Davis and the Snakes face Yovani Gallardo and Milwaukee.
Padilla faces Cabrera in Baltimore and Blanton faces Marcum in Toronto. Boston wants to keep it's lead in the AL East, they send Tim Wakefield against Scott Kazmir. The Mariners want to keep their WC lead, Horacio Ramirez goes in Minnesota against Matt Garza. Meche and Buehrle go in Chicago, and Phil Hughes faces Dustin Moseley as the Angels and Yankees throw down in LA (10pm ESPN)

Around The Majors- Monday

My extended summer vacation is over, and it's time to get back to last night's scores, standings, news and notes, and what's on tap today around the majors.

Sunday Recap
Andy Pettitte pitched wonderfully as the Yankees completed a sweep of Cleveland 5-3. Jason Giambi homered and drove in 2 in the win. Magglio Ordonez homered twice in an 8 run 2nd inning as Detroit pummeled Oakland 11-6. Ordonez drove in 4, Marco Scutaro homered and drove in 4 for the A's. Miguel Tejada hit a 2 run homer off of Eric Gagne in the 8th tied it, and a 3 run homer by Kevin Millar won it in the 9th as Baltimore shocked Boston 6-3. Manny Ramirez drove in 2 in the loss. Jeff Weaver pitched a 5 hit shutout as the red hot Mariners shut out the White Sox 6-0. Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless 9th, and he's now retired 41 consecutive hitters which ties an all time major league record. Adrian Beltre homered and drove in 3 for the M's. The Angels completed a sweep of the Twins with a 6-2 win on Sunday. Jered Weaver pitched a solid game, and Chone Figgins drove in 2 for Los Angeles. Jason Bartlett drove in 2 in the loss. AJ Burnett got the win in his first start back as Toronto beat Kansas City 4-1. Lyle Overbay drove in 2 in the win. Texas trounced Tampa Bay 9-1 as Ian Kinsler and Marlon Byrd each drove in 2 runs. Kason Gabbard left in the 2nd inning with an injury.
A pregame ceremony celebrated Tom Glavine's 300th victory, and the Mets scored 5 in the 8th to maul the Marlins 10-4. Moises Alou homered twice and drove in 4, and Carlos Delgado and Lastings Milledge each drove in 2 for the Mets. Brian Giles homered twice as the Padres ripped the Reds 10-4. Khalil Greene drove in 3 for the Friars. Houston scored 4 in the 8th to defeat Milwaukee 6-4. The woes of the Dodgers continue as they were pounded by St Louis 12-2. Ryan Ludwick homered and drove in 4 for the Cards. Tom Gorzelanny pitched a 5 hit shutout as Josh Phelps homered and drove in 4 for the Pirates. Colorado beat the Cubs 6-3 as Troy Tulowitzki homered and drove in 3 for the Rox. Washington scored 4 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to best the white hot D-Backs 7-6. Ryan Church and Jesus Flores each drove in 2 for the Nats. Ryan Howard's 3 run homer in the 5th lifted the Phillies past the Braves 5-3 as Jaime Moyer earned his 11th win.

Standings
The Yankees have won 3 in a row and 8 of 10 to get within 4 games of Boston in the AL East. Cleveland has lost 3 straight and are now a half game behind Detroit in the AL Central. Minnesota has lost 4 in a row and 7 of 10 to go 7 games back. The Angels have won 3 in a row and 7 of 10 to keep their 3.5 game lead over Seattle in the AL West. The Mariners have also won 7 of 10. Texas has lost 7 of 10. The Mets lead the Phillies by 3 and the Braves by 3.5 games in the NL East. The Cubs have lost 7 of 10 and are 1.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. St Louis is 5.5 back. Arizona has won 7 of 10 and has a 3 game lead over San Diego in the NL West. Colorado is 5 back, the Dodgers are 6 games behind the Snakes. Seattle is a percentage point ahead of the Yankees for the AL Wild Card. Cleveland is 1.5 back, Toronto is 6.5 back. The Padres lead the Phillies by a game for the NL Wild Card, Atlanta by 1.5, Colorado by 2, and the Cubs and Dodgers by 3 games.

News and Notes
- Paul Lo Duca went on the DL yesterday, and his backup Ramon Castro left yesterday's game with back discomfort.
- Jay Gibbons will have season ending surgery for his torn labrum.
- Cliff Floyd went on bereavement leave, Daryle Ward was activated from the DL.
- Josh Hamilton was activated from the DL, Mark Bellhorn was designated for assignment. Adam Kennedy and Brandon League were both placed on the DL.
- On tap for today, the Giants and Pirates play a twinbill at 5 and 8:30. Cain and Lowry go for the Giants. The Astros and Dodgers play tonight at 10 on ESPN2, Oswalt and Billingley are the starters. Wakefield goes for Boston against Tampa Bay, Oakland faces Detroit, and Guthrie faces Wang in New York. Johan Santana and King Felix go in Seattle in a dazzling pitching matchup.

M.L.B. Live!

Live!
The Yankees edged out Toronto 5-4 this afternoon to pull into a tie for the Wild Card lead in the AL. Mariano Rivera struck out the side for the save. The call up of Joba Chamberlain is expected soon as Mike Myers was designated for assignment, and replaced with Jim Brower who recorded an out this afternoon.

In a sport where the refs have so much power on the impact of a game, the M.L.B. umps rejected having background checks calling the request a "knee jerk witch hunt" in response to the NBA referee scandal. I think that it'd be a good PR move for the umps to allow it, but it would obviously be an invasion of their privacy. The NFL already does it, and it appears that they'll be the only ones.

Alfonso Soriano got injured last night during Live, and will miss 2-4 weeks with a strained quad. Kerry Wood returned and pitched a scoreless inning for the Cubs, but the Cubbies lost 8-3.

Tom Glavine got his 300th win in that game, and is only the 5th lefty all time to achieve that feat.

Barry Bonds will try to break the record against Washignton against rookie John Lannan tonight (10pm ESPN2).

Buster Olney gave a report of the White Sox claiming Miguel Tejada off of waivers, but was pulled back as they were unable to work out a trade. Mike Piazza was placed on waivers and cleared through, so he can be dealt. The St Louis Post Dispatch reports that Jim Edmonds would be open to a trade if it helps the Cards out. Bobby Kielty is weighing his options, but he's likely to sign with Boston. He's gotten offers from the Red Sox, Yankees, D-Backs, and Astros are all interested according to the Boston Herald. A fairly large roster shuffle could happen to the Reds by tomorrow, says the Cincinnati Inquirer.

After giving up 755, Clay Hensley was optioned to AAA by the Padres. The Cubs brought up prospect Eric Patterson to replace Soriano, and Wade Miller was released. Melvin Mora was activated from the shelf, and he may be dealt according to scouts.

On tap for tonight, Justin Verlander tries to get Detroit back on track against the Rays, and Cleveland finishes a big series in Minnesota. Curt Schilling makes his return in Anaheim against Jered Weaver. David Wells and the Padres are in St Louis (7pm ESPN), and Rich Hill and the Cubs start a series in Houston. Milwaukee starts a series against the Rockies, followed by Bonds against the Nats.

Today in the minor leagues, AJ Burnett struck out 7 in 5 innings as AAA Syracuse edged Ottawa 5-4 in 13 innings.

M.L.B. Live!

Lots of movers and shakers over the last day or so. There were some pretty good players that changed teams via the waiver wire. I go through them, gauge their impacts, and go over what's gone down thus far today in the big leagues.

Waiver Wire News
Yesterday, Arizona made a couple of signings to possibly counteract the deadline dealings of their division foes in San Diego. They picked up a nice cog for their bench in Jeff Cirillo who was released by the Twins, and they inked BK Kim who was dropped by Florida. He'll provide help to their middle relief. Today they also picked up a usefull arm in Joe Kennedy, who was released by Oakland. To make room for these guys, the Snakes said goodbye to Brian Barden and Jeff DaVannon. The latter will find a home, Boston comes to mind as a team that needs a backup OF. Seattle designated Jason Ellison for assignment, and Toronto claimed IF Hector Luna.

Saturday Night Live
Alex Rodriguez finally hit career home run number 500 as the Yankees rolled the Royals 16-8 at The Stadium. He drove in 3, as did youngsters Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit who has stroked the ball quite well since he's come over from the Dodgers this week. David DeJesus homered and drove in 3 in the loss. New York is now 2 games back of wild card leader Cleveland, who fell to Minnesota 3-2 in Minneapolis. Michael Cuddyer drove in 2 for the Twinkies. Shawn Marcum pitched 6 solid innings and Frank Thomas homered twice as Toronto tamed Texas 9-5. Joe Blanton outdueled Kelvim Escobar as Oakland bested the Angels 2-1. Dice-K Matsuzaka faces Jarrod Washburn at 10 eastern, be sure to catch this one. The Cubs scored 6 times in the 3rd off of John Maine to defeat the Mets 6-2. Ted Lilly struck out 8 over 7 and 2 thirds for the win. Barry Bonds continues his quest for 755 tonight in San Diego at 10 against Clay Hensley. The Snakes play the Dodgers in the quest for the NL West at 10 as Livan Hernandez goes against Derek Lowe.