SB Nation - Anthony Jackson

Aren't You Glad You Traded For That Relief Pitcher? (Part 1)

Bryan Grosnick — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:56:11 -0000

Brandon Warne (@Brandon_Warne on Twitter, give him a follow) posted a tweet today that really stood out, partially because of it's simplicity, and partially because I immediately thought I knew the answer.

What's the last trade where a team acquiring a reliever for a position player actually won the deal?
— Brandon Warne (@Brandon_Warne) July 31, 2012

Good question, no?

In my less-than-infinite wisdom, I was sure I knew the answer. I'm of the school of thought where I believe that relievers are generally overvalued, and that the value of position players far outweighs the value of guys who pitch less than 80 innings per season. But was I right? I should probably take a page out of my math teacher's book -- a correct answer is only worth something if you show your work, and here, I've got no hard data to back up my claim. Yet.

So, I decided that I should research the last 10 years and figure out how many teams received an overall positive return from a deadline (or near-deadline) deal for a reliever where a positional player (or offensive prospect) was the return. For methodology's sake, let's use the stats fWAR and SD/MD to determine how useful the reliever was (post-season included), and fWAR and assorted ML stats for the players dealt. Also, I chose trades where a reliever was the primary or only piece in motion, because deals like the Farnsworth-Ankiel trade of 2010 are tough to judge given the additional pieces.

Let's start with 2011, and work our way back to 2002, shall we?

July 31, 2011 - The Athletics traded Brad Ziegler to the Diamondbacks for (Free) Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto

Not a bad start for the relief side. Ziegler posted 0.4 fWAR in 20.2 innings in 2011 for the D-Backs, including five shutdowns against one meltdown. Ziegler was also horrible-terrible-bad in the 2011 postseason (one meltdown, got one out despite facing seven hitters), and has been a bit better than average so far in 2012 with eight SD, seven MD, 3.05 FIP and 0.6 fWAR.

Brandon Allen still hasn't found much success at the ML level, moving to New York and Tampa in an attempt to latch on with an ML club. He's actually been worth -0.3 fWAR in limited ML action, and now plays in Japan. Norberto has been an effective reliever with the A's this season, posting 14 shutdowns against 3 meltdowns with a 3.86 FIP and 0.2 fWAR. Given Norberto's cost and staying under team control, this deal might be a wash in total, but the Diamondbacks did ok in giving up Allen.

July 30, 2011 - The Orioles traded Koji Uehara to the Rangers for Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis

Uehara was part of a massive upgrade to the Ranger bullpen at the end of 2011, but seemingly found himself in the doghouse after initially disappointing in the move to Arlington. Too many HR led to seven shutdowns against three meltdowns, but only 0.1 fWAR during the regular season, followed by a complete disaster of a postseason. Uehara has been effective in 2012, but has also struggled with injury and only pitched 21.1 innings to date.

After consistently disappointing at the ML level in Texas, Chris Davis has been worth about 0.5 fWAR in his time with the Orioles. Davis has finally emerged as a league-average hitter in Baltimore (101 wRC+), showing power to go with an extraordinary strikeout total. Tommy Hunter was a solid starter for the O's to finish 2011 (0.6 fWAR, 4.68 FIP), but has struggled in 2012 over 100 innings of work, and has been worth -0.2 fWAR. Neither side has been completely happy with the deal, but the Orioles got an inning-eater and a regular at the dish, so they probably win the trade for now.

July 19, 2011 - The Rangers traded Zach Phillips to the Orioles for Nick Green

Phillips pitched very well in the bigs in 2011 and in Triple-A for the Orioles this season, but has only been able to throw 8.2 big league innings since the trade. Green, however, never cracked the ML roster for the Rangers and is back to toiling in the minors, now with the Miami Marlins. If the O's get anything at all out of Phillips, they win this deal.

July 31, 2010 - The Pirates traded Octavio Dotel to the Pirates for James McDonald and Andrew Lambo

This did not work at all for the Dodgers. Dotel was below-replacement for 18.2 innings, I guess, since he posted a -0.1 fWAR and recorded two shudowns against three meltdowns. The Dodgers sent him to Colorado for Anthony Jackson before the season even ended, so he wasn't a difference-maker in the least.

Meanwhile, McDonald has flourished as streaky-but-exciting starter for Pittsburgh, and is one of the reasons the team is in contention for a playoff spot. But Lambo, a former top prospect, has stalled, and currently toils in Double-A. The trade would be junk-for-junk, aside from the inclusion of McDonald, which makes this an awful deal for LA.

July 31, 2010 - The Pirates traded Javier Lopez to the Giants for Joe Martinez and John Bowker

This one, so far, looks awesome for the team that acquired the reliever. Javier Lopez has been a very solid bullpen piece for the Giants. Since 2010, Lopez has been worth 1.6 fWAR, has 41 shutdowns against 14 meltdowns, and was tremendous in 5.2 innings during the postseason in 2010, when the Giants won the World Series.

Bowker was below-replacement in his time with Pittsburgh, was traded to the Phillies for cash, and is currently playing in Japan. Martinez pitched alright during a brief stint with the Pirates, but quickly moved on to Cleveland and Arizona, where he hasn't seen much time in the bigs. This deal's a big win for the Giants.

July 31, 2010 - The Indians traded Kerry Wood to the Yankees for Matt Cusick and Andy Shive

In his brief time with the Yankees, Wood walked a boatload of batters, struck out even more, and stranded most of the guys he left on base. Wood posted a sparkling ERA in both the regular season and the postseason, and managed 14 shutdowns against a single meltdown in 34 innings. Shive is out of baseball and Cusick plays for an independent league team, with neither having sniffed the bigs, so yeah, the Yankees win this one.

July 29, 2010 - The Nationals traded Matt Capps to the Twins for Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa

When you think of bad trades of relievers for positional players, this should probably be one that jumps out most often. Capps has been the on-and-off closer for the Twins since his arrival. In 2010, Capps performed well on arrival, but once he hit the postseason, things got ugly. Despite being worth 0.6 fWAR in the 2010 regular season for Minnesota, Capps had a very bad inning in the postseason, and since then he's been below-replacement (-0.5 fWAR since 2011) or injured, or both. Because he's a "proven closer" Capps has gotten plenty of save opportunities and a nice free agent deal from the Twins, but has 35 SD against 18 MD over the past two years.

Meanwhile, Wilson Ramos has blossomed in the nation's capital. He only saw limited time behind the dish in 2010, but broke out with a 3.3 fWAR season as the regular catcher in Washington in 2011. Since 2011, Ramos has had a tough time with a kidnapping and a season-ending knee injury in 2012, but he remains one of the best young catchers in baseball, and makes this trade a clear win for the Nats.

July 31, 2009 - The Dodgers traded Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for Vinny Rottino

This one's a slight win for the Brewers, who got 50 replacement-level innings out of Vargas before he was bounced from the majors. Vargas is currently pitching in Mexico. Meanwhile, Rottino's seen about 50 major-league plate appearances with the Marlins and Mets, and now plays for the Indians. He was let go by the Dodgers as a minor-league free agent, so they got nothing at all at the ML level.

July 30, 2009 - The Orioles traded George Sherrill to the Dodgers for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson

This did not work at all for anyone, really. Sherrill had a nice finish to the 2009 season with LA, posting a 0.4 fWAR and 13 SD against 3 MD. Then, in the playoffs, Sherill blew it entirely. In 4.1 innings of work, he registered a meltdown, and gave up four earned runs. Not good. 2010 was kind of like a slow-motion trainwreck, where Sherrill was very bad, with -0.5 fWAR and six SD against nine MD.

I guess the only good news is that Josh Bell (for the Dodgers), in his time in the majors, has been awful. In parts of three seasons, Bell has been good for -1.6 fWAR in 282 plate appearances. Neither Sherrill or Bell was able to get anything in return for their teams, and Johnson has never seen the majors. No team wins this trade, everybody loses.

July 26, 2009 - The Cardinals traded Chris Perez and Jess Todd to the Indians for Mark DeRosa

Chris Perez has been on. Over the past few years, since that 2009 trade, Perez has been the closer for the Indians and has notched 89 saves. More tellingly, Perez has given his team 102 shutdowns against 26 meltdowns and has posted 2.7 fWAR over parts of four seasons. The fWAR numbers along with mediocre FIPs (aside from a very good 2012) paint the picture of a good, but not great closer. However, Perez has been a cheap, cost-controlled option for the Indians at the back of the bullpen.

Meanwhile, people LOVE Mark DeRosa. Many of those people are general managers. Ever since this trade took place, Mark DeRosa has been a below-league-average bat and a below-league-average fielder. At any rate, DeRosa only spent about 262 plate appearances with St. Louis, and posted 0.6 fWAR in that time. He hit 10 homers, drove in more than a few runs, and hit the ball well in the 2009 postseason with a .385/.385/.462 triple slash in 13 PA. But given that DeRosa spent only a few months with St. Louis, compared to Perez's extended time in Cleveland, I'd give the Indians the win here in this deal, even though DeRosa was a little better on a rate basis.

July 19, 2009 - The Padres traded Cla Meredith to the Orioles for Oscar Salazar

Cla Meredith was quite an effective reliever for the Padres in 2005 and 2006, but faded quite a bit leading up to 2009. The Orioles still bought in on Meredith in 2009, and got a replacement-level reliever, as Meredith put up 0.1 fWAR in 28.2 innings (5 SD and 2 MD) through the end of the season. 2010 was not nearly as successful with Meredith and the Orioles, as he managed -0.4 fWAR with three shutdowns and four meltdowns. This wound up being his last season in the bigs to date. Salazar actually was worth more than Meredith both in 2009 and in 2010 for the Padres, although it isn't saying too much. In 2009, Salazar hit quite well and posted 0.4 fWAR in 121 PA. In 2010, Salazar was also below-replacement, but only with -0.2 fWAR, and followed Meredith out of the majors after 2010. I guess the Padres win this deal, but it was very close both in terms of performance and time with their new teams.

So, there you have it. That's every late-July trade of a reliever for a positional player over the last three years. There's seven more years to go to get a clear picture of the last decade, so look for another part to this article (as well as a couple of takeaways) later today.

PART TWO

2012 Fantasy Baseball Real Teams Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

Robert L. Bishop — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:00:54 -0000

Our team-by-team preview of the 2012 MLB season from a fantasy perspective continues today with the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you've just jumped on with our series or need a reminder, we are spending a day with each major league team, looking at 9 different fantasy angles for each franchise while also paying homage to the things we watch for as real life fans. The hope is that through this exercise we might all come to a greater understanding of the various environments that contain the players we spend so much time obsessing over. Fantasy baseball would be a lot easier if these guys played in a vacuum, but since they don't, it's a good idea to learn as much as we can about the circumstances that affect their play.

Make sure you check out Kenneth Arthur's spotlight on various Dodgers players. Our series will return Monday with the San Diego Padres.

2011 in Review & 2012 Outlook

The Dodgers finished above .500 in 2011, which is really quite an accomplishment given the off-the-field distractions that have plagued the team, from a messy divorce and ongoing team sale to fan-on-fan violence that dominated the headlines early on in the season. Los Angeles finished third in the NL West, mostly thanks to Herculean performances from Clayton Kershaw, who won the Cy Young and completed the pitching Triple Crown, and Matt Kemp, who many felt was deserving of the MVP (he finished second in voting). That the team could only muster an 82-79 finish is indicative of the talent surrounding these two superstars more than anything else.

Heading into 2012, GM Ned Colletti was hamstrung by the budget of a man going through bankruptcy court (some might say he was also limited by his own player evaluation skill), so the pieces he added weren't exactly what you might call impact signings. I count 7 additions to the 40-man roster; of the 7, 6 are 33 years old or older (and the seventh is journeyman reliever Todd COFFEY, who is 31). Coffey might just be the best of the acquistions...or does that short-change Jerry Hairston, Jr.? This conversation should be very depressing to Dodgers fans. In any case, a team that employs so many second-division stopgaps will probably not contend in the near future, but with a new owner (the list of prospective bidders is supposed to be trimmed from 11 to 5 today) and a new TV deal on the horizon, Los Angeles could be competitive again very soon.

As a fan of a team that recently went through a similar process, I feel your pain, Dodger fans. A word of caution: Don't get too optimistic about any deadline. The most recent promise is April 30, and that date will almost certainly pass with little to no progress. Stay vigilant. Your hour will come. Hopefully yours is as epic as ours was.

Home Ballpark

Dodgers Stadium ranks in the last third of ballparks in every measure except one - home runs, where it actually came in 19th. That number surprised me a little. I knew the stadium suppressed homers, but I didn't know it was also such a poor run environment overall. It sits in a recessed bowl, so the wind doesn't play much of a factor, which certainly helps pitchers. As a symmetrical field, Dodger Stadium does not favor hitters or pitchers of either handedness.

Manager & Coaching Staff

This will be Don Mattingly's second year at the helm, and hopefully for the Dodgers, he learned a few things, like not to play for 1 run when down by a bunch, or how to fill out a lineup card. It's easy to criticize Mattingly - he's surprisingly crotchety for a 50 year-old man - but he has the respect of his players and honestly doesn't have a lot to work with when it comes to on-field talent.

Expected Position Battles

Matt Treanor was brought in to push A.J. Ellis, but Mattingly is publicly backing Ellis to make the majority of starts behind the plate with Treanor in a true backup role. The other battle worth noting is at closer, where Kenley Jansen will challenge Javy Guerra for his throne...or so we thought. Mattingly says Guerra is his man, but apparently nobody believes him. Other than that, the most fierce competition will be over the utility spots and middle relief roles.

Projected Lineup & Rotation

Dee Gordon - SS

Mark Ellis - 2B

Matt Kemp - CF

Andre Ethier - RF

Juan Rivera - LF

James Loney - 1B

Juan Uribe - 3B

A.J. Ellis - C

Don Mattingly is on record saying Gordon at 1 and Kemp at 3 are his only locked-in spots, but we all know he's going to put his high-OBP catcher at 8 and Mark Ellis at 2, because tradition! Jerry Sands gets special mention as a guy who might platoon with Loney and/or Rivera against left-handed pitching.

Clayton Kershaw | Chad Billingsley | Ted Lilly | Aaron Harang | Chris Capuano

Rubby De La Rosa could challenge for a back-end spot once he returns from Tommy John surgery, but that might not even happen in 2012. Nathan Eovaldi is available for spot starts. He showed flashes of quality last year after being called up, but needs more seasoning.

Bullpen Situation

As I noted above, Javy Guerra is the team's closer, but Kenley Jansen will be knocking on the door. Jansen set the record last year for highest K-rate ever (minimum 50 IP), and he actually struck out more than 50% of the batters he faced after returning from the disabled list in mid-June. I'd draft him before half of the closers in the league even if he had a 0% chance of receiving any saves this year. Let's not forget about Guerra, who will contribute to your rate stats and won't hurt you in the strikeout department. Jansen's presence means you can grab him at a discount, and who knows? If he doesn't blow any saves early in the year, what motivation does Mattingly have to switch things up?

Potential Fantasy Sleepers

My definition of sleeper and yours may vary. I use the term to refer to a player who may be undervalued, no matter his current or expected draft position.

It's hard to find a sleeper among a team that's built on a studs and duds philosophy (or so it seems), but try this on for size: In August and September, James Loney hit .357/.416/.608 with 8 HR and 32 RBI. There's no guarantee any of that will carry over, but Loney could be a useful half of a fantasy platoon...if you're into doing that sort of thing with your first base spot.

Spring Storylines to Watch

Usually in this space I highlight an injury recovery or a new swing or pitch a guy has developed, but LA's situation is unique - they will have a different identity in a few months than they do now. A new owner can change everything. Will there be a fresh infusion of cash? Will Colletti retain his job? Will the new guy come in with a mandate to contend now? New ownership watch starts in earnest today as the final 5 bidders are announced.

Follow the Team

Official: Site | Twitter

MLB.com beat reporter: Ken Gurnick (Blog | Twitter)

Los Angeles Time beat reporter: Dylan Hernandez (Blog | Twitter)

ESPNLosAngeles.com beat reporter: Anthony Jackson (Blog | Twitter)

SBN: True Blue LA (Blog | Twitter)

Other Blog(s) of Note:

Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness (Blog | Twitter)

Know of any other sites or Twitter accounts that deserve a mention? Let me know in the comments.

D-backs Sign RHP Takashi Saito

Dan Strittmatter — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:59:51 -0000

Fresh off the weekend swap of Jarrod Parker for Trevor Cahill (et al), D-backs GM Kevin Towers made another splash on Monday evening, signing right-handed reliever Takashi Saito. The signing was first reported by Jim Bowden of ESPN and CBS's Jon Heyman on Twitter. Anthony Jackson, a beat reporter for the Dodgers, reports that the deal is a one-year contract. More terms of the move have yet to come out, but it seems like another solid acquisition for Towers, finishing off what looks to be a dangerous pitching staff for 2012. [Hat-tip to battlemoses for the original Fanshot]

Update: Terms of the contract are out, and it's a one-year, $1.75MM contract, according to Heyman. Hat-tip to G.O.B. for the link

Saito came to the US from Japan in 2006 as a 36-year-old, where he had three phenomenal years as L.A.'s closer, working in 180 games and throwing 189.2 innings with the Dodgers with a combined 1.95 ERA - good for a fabulous 227 ERA+ - 11.6 K/9, and 2.5 BB/9. Saito missed some time in his final year with the Dodgers, working in just 47 innings with them that year but still managing to post a 2.49 ERA while on the mound.

Over the next few years, either age and injury concerns or simply Saito's preferences would limit him to a series of one-year deals. Saito settled for a one-year deal from the Red Sox the following season - 2009 - Saito's age-39 campaign, and though Saito worked only 55.2 innings over 56 appearances for Boston that year, he still posted a 2.43 ERA and 194 ERA+. The following year, Saito signed another one-year contract with Atlanta, working 54 innings over 56 games with a 2.83 ERA, good for a 139 ERA+. Then, last year, Saito joined Milwaukee on a one-year pact, and while he was as sharp as ever when on the mound, with a 2.03 ERA and 195 ERA+, he had his most injury-riddled year, working just 26.2 innings over 30 appearances.

Still, Saito has yet to have big-league season in which he has posted an ERA over 3 or ERA+ under 139, and sports career average rates of 10.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9. He had a down-year in 2011 in terms of peripherals, with just a 7.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with Milwaukee, but given the small size of that sample and the 11.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 Saito had in 2010 with the Braves, it's not overly concerning, especially on a one-year contract. As Arizona showed last year with J.J. Putz, GM Kevin Towers and Manager Kirk Gibson is willing to treat relievers with kid gloves as far as workloads are concerned so long as they provide elite performance when they take the mound, and Saito offers a good chance of providing just that.

With the signing of Saito and the acquisition of left-hander Craig Breslow in the trade on Saturday, it seems that GM Kevin Towers has finished rounding out the bullpen for 2012. Health permitting for all involved, Putz will return to his closer role, with David Hernandez setting up, Saito working the seventh, Bryan Shaw filling in the seventh when either Putz or Saito need a day off, Joe Paterson working as the primary lefty specialist, Brad Ziegler as a right-handed specialist, and Breslow offering a left-hander capable of going through a full inning.

Breakout Week! Dave Coley, Stony Brook

Redwyn — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:00:20 -0000

Whenever I write about Stony Brook, I like to think to the days of my wee boyhood as an undergraduate. I remember fondly attending football games against historic football powers such as Robert Morris (a college that - even as a
former Pittsburgh native - I still cannot locate on a map) with LaValle Stadium filled to the brim..... with all 500 fans. I remember basketball games where so few people attended that I was able to - at the very clear angst of whoever played Wolfie at the time - spread all my textbooks out on an entire bleacher and study while watching the games. It was during this era that I figured out who SBU played, why Vermont was to go on to beat Syracuse that season, and why the play-in game was referred to by many in jest as the "Stony Brook Classic".

Indeed, I was a boy quite a long time ago - or at least in SBU basketball's development it sure as hell feels like it.

But indeed I could go on and on about the rapid development of this program, its impressive growth in fanbase and student support, the intelligence behind the program's ascent, how it brought my dad and I closer together than we'd ever been, and my honest belief that it's not anywhere close to its potential - but you're not reading to hear what I think about all of that. We're here to discuss Dave Coley, my pick for Stony Brook's breakout player of the year.

First, I should note that Coley is clearly not the only player poised for a big year. Anthony Jackso n was a very close runner-up, playing cleanly and effectively as backup PG, a role I expect him to reprise next season with even better performances. Anthony Mayo is just too much of a presence to ignore, with size nearly unrivaled in the conference this season and blocks and shots that threw fans into a frenzy. Dallis Joyner was also a late add to my list - having finally seemed to have figured "it" out late last season (and Leonard Hayes is already well broken out).

Dodgers Minor League Update, 07-08-11

Phil Gurnee — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:01:20 -0000

Minor League Player of the Day – I'm going to give this to old friend John Ely for reasons discussed below. Honorable mention goes to Pratt Maynard of the Raptors and Hector Gimenez of the Lookouts.

AAA – John Ely with his second great start in July led the Isotopes to a 7 - 1 victory. Ely tossed 7 innings of one run ball and has now allowed only one run in 14 July innings. Dee Gordon got two hits for the fourth straight game, or every game since he was returned to AAA.

AA – Lookouts played to a 4 - 4 tie before the game was suspended. Hector Gimenez led the offense with a double and home run, driving in three of the four Lookout runs. Will Savage started the game but left after one inning so it became a bullpen game with Wall, St Clair, and Tolleson all putting up zero's on the board. In his last eleven games Tolleson has struck out 20, walked 2 in only 12 innings of work.

HiA – Quakes got pounded 12 - 8 with Santiago / Solano taking the brunt of the attack. The offense was carried by no longer prime time prospects Anthony Jackson and Preston Mattingly. Jackson hit his first two home runs of the year on his way to a four hit night. Mattingly had a perfect night with his home run, single, and two walks. Maybe his best night as a professional since his rookie season. Hard to believe is still only 23.

LoA – Loons win 4 - 1 behind WIlborn who went five one run innings. As usual 22 year old Logan Bawcom finished the game flawlessly. Bawcom become the closer when Tolleson was promoted and he's been almost as dominating as Tolleson had been. In his last ten games, Bawcom has seven saves, pitched 13 innings, given up one run, walked one, struck out 13. Leon Landy led the offense with his second home run. Jonathan Garcia pickup up two singles and is sporting a .989 OPS in July.

Rookie Ogden –Raptors win 8 - 3 behind the brilliant relief work of Yimi Garcia and the bat of recently signed Maynard. Garcia entered the game in the fourth inning and threw six innings of one run ball, walking zero, while striking out nine. The twenty year old has an excellent K/BB ration with 22 K's and only four walks in 20 innings of work. Pratt Maynard in only his second professional game blasted his first home run as he collected three hits. The 21 year old catcher has been used as the DH so far. Noel Cuevas had two hits and stole a base to continue his good fortune in the Pioneer league. James Baldwin did not play again.

Rookie Arizona – Arizona Dodgers lose 9 -6. Jay Gibbons is rehabbing from something and played his second game for them. Alex Santana had two hits.

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)

Ogden Raptors Box Score (Rookie)

Arizona Dodgers Box Score (Rookie)

http://firstinning.com/daily/la

Dodgers 6/3/11 Minor League Report - Call Upon an Angel

Brandon Lennox — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:28:53 -0000

A couple of minor league notes before we get to the recaps. First the Midwest League All Stars were announced on Friday, and 3 Loons pitchers were selected to participate; Red Patterson, Garrett Gould, and Ryan Christenson. The other news relates to minor league transactions that occurred. Shawn Tolleson and Anthony Jackson were removed from the Lookouts roster and were replaced by Stuart Pomeranz and Joel Lima. The surprise here is that Lima, who I had ranked as the #88 prospect heading into this season, has been promoted all the way to AA after spending 2010 in the Arizona Rookie League and 2008 - 2009 in the DSL. Also, I wouldn't read too much into Tolleson being taken off the Chattanooga roster. The team probably just needed another arm in their bullpen and Shawn had thrown 2 innings the night before. One other roster move is that Luis Vasquez has finally been activated from the DL while Andres Santiago has been sent to extended spring training.

Minor League Player of the Day – Angel Sanchez - 5 IP, 2 hits, 0 Runs, 4 K's. Sanchez is a new name to the Dodger organization as he was signed as a 20 year old last season and didn't debut until 2011, but so far he has been great. All I know about the 6'3" Dominican is that he throws in the low 90's, but I'm guessing he has decent secondary stuff since he's shut down the opposition thus far this year.

AAA – Dava Eveland and the rest of the Isotope pitching staff had a solid game on Friday as Albuquerque pulled off a 3 to 2 victory over the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals). Eveland tossed 7 innings of 5-hit ball in which he allowed just 2 runs and struck out 4. Mario Alvarez and Merkin Valdez each allowed a hit and a walk in an inning of relief, but both left the game unscathed to secure the victory. At the plate it was three different Isotope hitters that lead the team to the victory. John Lindsey went 2 for 4 with a homer, while Russ Mitchell had 2 doubles in 4 at bats with an RBI. Marcus Thames also left an impression in his final game in AAA as he hit his 2nd homer as an Isotope.

AA – The Lookouts' game out out of hand quickly as the Barons (White Sox) scored 8 runs in the first 2 innings and ended up beating Chattanooga 13 to 3. Starter Michael Antonini took the majority of the beating as the gave up 9 hits and 9 runs (7 earned) in 4 innings of work. He was followed by Joel Lima, who excelled in his full season debut with 2 shutout innings. Justin Miller struggled yet again in relief as he gave up 3 runs to increase his ERA to 7.23, so infielder Ivan Ochoa had to come in and get the final out for the Lookouts. The hitters managed just 6 hits in the game, all singles, so there really isn't anything worth writing about in terms of offense.

HiA – The Quakes made 5 errors which resulted in 5 unearned runs and a 7 to 4 loss to the High Desert Mavericks. Rancho starting pitcher Aaron Miller threw 6 innings and stuck out 5 while allowing just 6 hits, but he gave up 5 runs (2 earned) and picked up the loss in this game. Luis Vasquez made a successful return to the Quakes with a shutout inning of work, then Javy Solano threw the final 2 innings of the game and struck out 4 while allowing 2 unearned runs. At the plate, the rehabbing Juan Uribe went 2 for 4 with a double, while Travis Denker crushed a double and a homer which resulted in 3 RBI's. Blake Smith also had 2 hits and collected an RBI in this game.

LoA – The Loons didn't record a 3rd straight walk-off on Friday, but they did score a go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th and held on a for 4 to 3 victory over the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs). Preston Mattingly was the de-facto hero in this one as he hit the sac fly to score Christian Lara and put Great Lakes ahead. He was supported by Bobby Coyle, Michael Pericht, and Lara, who all had a double and a single in this game. Zach Lee got the start but was again limited to a strict pitch count as he lasted just 3 innings. Zee gave up 4 hits and 3 runs in his outing, although he did strike out 4 and didn't walk a batter. Angel Sanchez threw 5 innings in relief and yet again had a superb outing as he gave up just 2 hits and 1 walk without allowing a run. I'm not sure how this 21 year old rookie is getting the job done, but he has been outstanding thus far in 15.1 innings as batters are hitting just .140 against him. Logan Bawcom finished off the game in style as the struck out all 3 batters he faced for his 4th save of the year.

DSL – Postponed

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)

http://firstinning.com/daily/la