SB Nation - Vinny Rottino

Marlins sign six minor league Free Agents

craig — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:33:16 -0000

The Marlins signed six minor league free agents to see if their is a diamond in the ruff.

The team on Friday announced the signings of six six-year free agents -- right-hander Kasey Olenberger, outfielder Brandon Tripp, right-hander John Fulton, right-hander Jesse Foppert, utility player Vinny Rottino and infielder Hector Luna.

The six are Minor League free agents who will be invited to big league camp in February.

There is next to no cost to signing them, and the team's only obligation is to carry them through Spring Training. Most of the time it doesn't workout, but every now and then it does. We will see how they do in Jupiter.

Looking back at Community Projections: Catchers

KLSnow — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:33 -0000

by Darren Hauck - AP

Jason Kendall is very proficient at getting hit by pitches, but that's about the only thing Brewer catchers did really well in 2009.

View full size photo »

Now seems like as good a time as any to start a series looking back at our expectations for 2009, who met or exceeded them, and who fell short. We'll start today with a look at catchers, to get them out of the way.

Performance:

Jason Kendall
Projected: .251/.333/.324
Actual: .241/.331/.305

Mike Rivera:
Projected: .260/.315/.406
Actual: .228/.326/.342

Surprisingly enough, we as a community were a little optimistic on Kendall, at least as optimistic as one can be while projecting a .659 OPS. While it was a narrow underperformance, Kendall underperformed our expectations in all three slash stats.

Sadly, Mike Rivera also fell short of our expectations. A year after performing exceptionally well in limited opportunities, Rivera was still used sparingly (although slightly more often), but failed to recapture 2008's magic.

Playing time:

Player	Projected %	Actual %	Diff
Jason Kendall	77.2%	79.8%	+2.6%
Mike Rivera	14.4%	22.5%	+11.1%
Angel Salome	7.5%	0%	-7.5%
Vinny Rottino	.6%	0%	-.6%
Brett Lawrie	.3%	0%	-.3%
Carlos Corporan	0%	.2%	+.2%

It looks like most of us expected the Brewers to try out some other options at catcher this season. Both Kendall and Mike Rivera gained playing time over our expectations, mainly at the expense of Angel Salome, who some of us projected to play as much as 40% of the time.

Two of sixteen projectors thought Vinny Rottino would sneak in some plate appearances this season, and one reader, before Brett Lawrie's move to second base, projected perhaps the most ambitious promotion in Brewer history. Neither of those happened, of course.

We also completely failed to project the possibility that Carlos Corporan would see fill in duty this season. His one plate appearance resulted in a hit, but his overall contribution is pretty negligible.

Overall:

	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Projected	.253	.327	.343	.669
Actual	.240	.331	.313	.644
Difference	-.013	+.004	-.030	-.025

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

New Mariner Bill Hall congratulates teammate Kenji Johjima on hitting a home run last night.

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Some things to read while writing a scouting report.

All told, it was a pretty boring off day, so the biggest news might be Bill Hall's comments upon joining the Mariners this week. Hall said he tried too hard to live up to his big contract. He gave this quote to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, and it's halfway between laughable and sad:

"I can still hit righthanders," Hall said with a laugh. "I can hit anybody. It's one of those things where, if you say something so long, you might even start believing it yourself."

Since the start of the 2007 season, Hall has faced a righty 683 times and hit .206/.271/.353. If he doesn't recognize a problem there, how is he ever going to figure it out?

Meanwhile, the picture in this Miller Park Drunk post raises what might be the greatest unanswered question regarding Hall: How does a guy who constantly has a giant wad of chew in his mouth keep his teeth that white?

Now that we know Bill Hall will never reach the 200 mark as a Brewer, this streak may live on for a long time: Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times notes that it's been 18 years since a Brewer had 200 hits, with Paul Molitor being the last to get there in 1991. Since then, 28 other teams have had at least one hitter do it. Ryan Braun enters play today with 145, so he'd need to play every day the rest of the way and hit roughly .327 to get the 55 hits he needs to get there. Braun, Fielder (134) and Mike Cameron (102) are the only Brewers with 100 hits on the season.

Of course, if Felipe Lopez (hitting .333/.398/.459 as a Brewer) was able to stretch his performance out over a full season, he'd easily reach 200. Jorge Says No! has a profile of Lopez, who can become a free agent after the season, and thinks he'll get a four year deal worth around $30 million from someone.

It's possible Prince Fielder could get there someday too. He credits improved patience at the plate for the impressive season he's putting together.

How ugly have things gotten for the Brewers? Casa de Machado threw in the towel on the 2009 season yesterday...on an off day.

And, as it turns out, getting Jeff Suppan back might not make things any better. Suppan was lit up again in AAA last night, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings. If he can make it through five innings in his big league return without pitching the Brewers out of the game, I'll be shocked.

The Brewers' second half collapse has turned up the heat on Doug Melvin, with a small but vocal percentage of fans calling for his head. If things stay this ugly, he might decide to look for a new opportunity, and Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun wants him to be the next President of the Blue Jays.

Adam McCalvy spent the day off on the farm, and has a great story on Mike Jones and Mark Rogers, as the two former highly touted prospects continue their rebound from injuries that have devastated their early careers.

On power rankings and playoff odds:

Yahoo moved the Brewers down a spot to 20th in their rankings.
Even though they were off yesterday, MLB Playoff Odds downgraded the Brewers to a .4% shot at making the playoffs.

Around baseball:

Mets: Designated Livan Hernandez for assignment.
Orioles: Claimed pitcher Chris Lambert off waivers from the Tigers.
Padres: Traded reliever Scott Patterson to the A's for cash, and signed reliever Rocky Cherry to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Released outfielder Chris Duncan.

With the Reds out of the playoff hunt for 2009, the youth movement has come on in full force: At one point last night, the eight Reds position players on the field combined to make $3.235 million, just $35,000 above the minimum possible. They beat the Giants 2-1.

One by one, every team in baseball is getting an opportunity to learn why the others have been so happy to be rid of Gary Sheffield. Sheffield requested a contract extension from the Mets yesterday, and when they declined to offer one he asked to be taken out of the lineup for last night's game. Adam Rubin thinks the Mets should bench Sheffield until September 1, then release him when it's too late for him to make a postseason roster.

I doubt there's any other long-standing matchup in baseball that's this close: The Dodgers beat the Cubs last night, and now lead them 1015-1014 in their all-time series. (h/t True Blue LA)

The Dodgers found a way to win last night without Claudio Vargas, but you can add Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness to the list of Dodger fans who wish they hadn't traded him for Vinny Rottino.

Add Major League Baseball to the list of sports working to take concussions more seriously. Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger has a great read on some of the advancements in treatment of concussions, and the steps being taken to protect players who have had one.

Without the internet, we probably never would have known: Plunk Everyone says Brendan Ryan's grand slam last night was the only slam in 2009 hit with two men on base who reached via HBP.

On this day in 1982, Rollie Fingers pitched the last two innings of the Brewers' 3-2 win over the Mariners, becoming the first pitcher ever to record 300 saves. If Trevor Hoffman sticks around for one more season, the Brewers could also have the first pitcher to reach 600.

Happy birthday today to Craig Counsell, who turns 39, Lou Collier, who played in 138 games for the Brewers between 1999 and 2001 and turns 36, and John Henry Johnson, who appeared in 29 games as a Brewer in 1986 and 1987 and turns 53.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:58:38 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Alcides Escobar talks with Willie Randolph during the first inning Wednesday.

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Some things to read while searching for a signature sign-off.

So, yesterday morning I skipped out early for an appointment, got back home, ate some breakfast, mowed the lawn, then sat down at my coffee table to check the comments on the Mug and discovered what might have been the biggest news day of the season, as the Brewers demoted J.J. Hardy to AAA, promoted Alcides Escobar, fired Billy Castro, designated Bill Hall for assignment and called up Jason Bourgeois. Adam McCalvy has reactions from the clubhouse, and here are several more reactions from around the web:

J.J. Hardy has until Friday to join the Sounds, and says he's looking forward to a few days off.
Brewed Sports was not pleased with that response.
Brewer Paradise Lost is one of many who suspects this move might have been made to prevent Hardy from becoming a free agent following the 2010 season. Hardy would have to remain in the minors past September 1 for the demotion to count against his service time, and it seems unlikely the Brewers will leave him there once rosters expand.
R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs isn't sure the Escobar-for-Hardy swap helps the Brewers this season, or helps Hardy's trade value down the road.
Meanwhile, Cash Kruth caught up with Bill Hall, who seemed upbeat about his situation and expects to be on a team again soon. With that said, this is the same guy who still thought he was the best third baseman in baseball a few weeks ago.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that at least one NL team is interested in trading for Hall.
Cincinnati Reds Blog sees the Hall situation as "a big opportunity for the Reds to pick up a talented player."
Billy Castro, who had been with the Brewers as a coach for nearly 18 years, left with no regrets. He may not get another chance to be a pitching coach, but it sounds like he'll always have a spot in the Brewer organization, if he wants it.
A Girl's View of the Brewers wonders if these moves will be enough to get the Brewers back on track.
Big League Stew accused the Brewers of waving the white flag on the 2009 season.
PocketDoppler says the Brewers are pushing the panic button.
Aaron Gleeman of Circling the Bases says the move likely came too late for the Brewers' playoff hopes.
Keep Turning Up the Heat says "these are some dark times in the Brewers organization," and doesn't agree with the decision to call up Escobar or fire Castro.
Quevedo at the Buffet doesn't get the timing or the logic behind the moves.
The Bucky Channel wonders why Alcides Escobar was only used sparingly and Jason Bourgeois wasn't used at all last night.

Meanwhile, the Brewers did actually play a game last night, and lost their second straight to the Padres, dropping their playoff chances to 2.9%, the first time all season they've fallen below 3%.

Things could get worse today, as they play a day game against the Padres, who are sending Cesar Carrillo to the mound to make his major league debut today. The Brewers are 0-4 this season in games where the opposing pitcher is making his debut. And, of course, they haven't been good in day games either, or in games played in June, July or August.

Doug Melvin may not be done dealing. The Brewers claimed Doug Davis off waivers from the D-Backs (h/t FanShot), giving the two teams 48 hours to work out a deal to bring him back to Milwaukee. Davis says it would be fun to return to Milwaukee, but Tom H. says it's unlikely to happen.

A bunch of news got lost in the shuffle with everything else that happened yesterday. Here are the important notes that got buried in today's game preview:

Both Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan are expected back before September 1.
Jesus Colome was available to pitch last night despite his bruised pinky finger.
Nick Green cleared waivers after being DFA'd and will remain in Huntsville.

One other minor league note to pass along today: Matt Hagen of The Hardball Times nominated Jeremy Jeffress for most disappointing minor leaguer in 2009.

On power rankings:

The Brewers jumped from 23rd to 20th in WhatifSports' rankings.
MLB FanHouse has the Brewers holding steady at 19.

Around baseball:

Angels: Released reliever Justin Speier.
Cardinals: Placed Todd Wellemeyer on the DL with elbow inflammation.
D-Backs: Placed Scott Schoeneweis on the DL with depression and released Tom Gordon.
Giants: Placed Rich Aurilia on the DL with ankle tendinitis.
Indians: Claimed R.J. Swindle off waivers from the Rays.
Mariners: Erik Bedard is expected to undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
Marlins: Signed Esteban Yan to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Placed reliever Evan Meek on the DL with an oblique strain and claimed reliever John Meloan off waivers from the Rays.
Reds: Placed Scott Rolen on the DL with a concussion.
Royals: Acquired pitcher John Bannister from the Rangers.
Twins: Placed Glen Perkins on the DL with shoulder trouble and released Mark Grudzielanek.

By shuffling the deck in the bullpen a little bit this offseason the Brewers created some new problems, but at least they're done with this one: Reflections of Blue has had it with Guillermo Mota, who posted a 0.26 ERA over one 35.1 inning stretch and a 10.32 ERA since.

Here's something to ponder for all of you who want to make the case that J.J. Hardy should be moved to second or third base, Rickie Weeks should be moved to center field and Mat Gamel should play first base or right field: Will Carroll says a player playing out of position has a 30 percent greater chance of getting injured, based on unfamiliarity with the position.

Brian Anderson wants your help to raise money for the I Back Jack Foundation. Follow the link for more info on how you can help Jack Bartosz, a young man fighting neuroblastoma.

Speaking of causes that could use your money, UW-La Crosse, alma mater of former Brewers Jerry Augustine and Vinny Rottino, has raised enough money to keep the program alive for one more season, but is still on the chopping block.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor homered in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 28 games, but the Brewers still lost to the Orioles, 5-4.

Happy birthday today to Corey Patterson, who turns 30, and former Milwaukee Brave Tony Cloninger, who turns 69.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:57:25 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

Jason Kendall, on one of the rare occasions when his "out making" was a good thing.

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Some things to read instead of hanging out with The Least Interesting Man in the World.

Coming off another series loss that dropped their playoff chances to 4.9%, the Brewers have a day off today to travel home and get ready to resume play tomorrow. When they get there, they'll be joined by new Brewer David Weathers, who was acquired from the Reds for a PTBNL yesterday. Some notes on the move:

Jesus Colome was the 20th Brewer pitcher to appear in a game over the weekend, meaning Weathers will likely be the 21st sometime this week. Before the season, 88% of readers in the Over/Under contest said the Brewers would use more than 19.5 pitchers this season. Congratulations to all of you.
Ken Macha suggested Weathers will be used as an occasional fill in for Todd Coffey in the setup man role.
Weathers and his family don't sound too excited about leaving Cincinnati.
This move could be more than a rental: Weathers has a team option for next season. Exercising that option would be a nice way to get rid of $3.7 million without clogging a toilet.

Another day, another story about Jason Kendall's ineptitude: Mike Rivera got into a game on Saturday and responded by hitting a three run double as part of a night that saw him get on base three times. The Bucky Channel makes the case once again that Kendall should be sitting and Rivera should be playing more.

With that said, Kendall was hit by two pitches yesterday, the 240th and 241st of his career. Plunk Everyone has a bunch of statistical nuggets related to that.

Entering play tomorrow, Mike Cameron has been worth 2.8 Wins Above Replacement on the season, third most on the team. Should the Brewers make an offer to bring him back for next season? The Junkball Blues makes the case for it. Baseball Digest Daily says Cameron is the third best defensive outfielder in the NL.

In the minors:

Fifth round pick D'Vontrey Richardson signed his contract Friday night and is expected to report to Arizona to spend a few weeks with the Rookie Brewers before their season concludes.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff continues to look at the average age of minor league teams, and finds the Huntsville Stars are one of the oldest teams in AA. The average probably falls a bit if you remove Vinny Rottino, who is a Dodger now.

Around baseball:

Astros: Placed Doug Brocail on the DL with a strained shoulder.
A's: Released Jason Giambi.
Cubs: Placed Carlos Zambrano on the DL with back spasms.
Dodgers: Placed Jason Schmidt on the DL with shoulder trouble.
Mets: Acquired outfielder Jason Dubois from the Cubs.
Phillies: Released infielder Pablo Ozuna.
Pirates: Placed reliever Donnie Veal on the DL with a sprained index finger.
Rangers: Designated Vicente Padilla for assignment.
Rays: Acquired Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a PTBNL or cash, claimed Russ Springer off waivers from the A's, and designated Joe Dillon, R.J. Swindle, reliever Jonathan Meloan and catcher Michel Hernandez for assignment.
Red Sox: Designated reliever Enrique Gonzalez and John Smoltz for assignment and placed Jed Lowrie on the DL with forearm irritation.
Yankees: Designated Josh Towers for assignment.

Yesterday's Brewer game wasn't the only one over the weekend impacted by poor umpiring. As is becoming customary, here's your Umpiring Roundup from the weekend:

Ed Rapuano ejected Shane Victorino for complaining about a strike call in center field. (h/t Al)
Lance Barksdale ejected Padres manager Bud Black after missing a call at home plate Saturday.
Jerry Crawford ejected D-Backs manager A.J. Hinch after missing a call at first base.

This morning's Mug is probably a little late because I got hooked on this story and ended up reading the whole thing: Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated has an incredible profile of Mpho "Gift" Ngoepe, the South African shortstop in the Pirates organization, and the incredible path he's traveling in an attempt to become the first African-born major leaguer. (h/t Bucs Dugout)

The economy may suck, but if you're the official manufacturer of baseballs for MLB, you'll probably always have a job. MLB Daily Dish estimates the major leagues will go through about 220,000 balls this season.

Playing a Timber Rattlers game at Miller Park seemed to work pretty well for all involved, so maybe the Brewers should try this: The Red Sox have an annual Futures at Fenway doubleheader, featuring games with two of the team's affiliates. I'd pay to see that.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor went 2-for-4 with two walks, extending his hit streak to 25 games as the Brewers beat the Rangers 4-3 in 12 innings.

Happy birthday today to Chuckie Carr, a 1996 Brewer and first-ballot entry into the "Don't Be That Guy" Hall of Fame, who turns 42 today.

Oh, and please, for your sake and ours, stop dressing up your cat.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:56:03 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Manny Parra is congratulated by second baseman Felipe Lopez and catcher Mike Rivera as he waits to be relieved during the ninth inning Monday.

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Some things to read while removing the technology from your tarot cards.

If you went to bed at a reasonable hour last night, you missed some late-night drama for the Brewers, ending in a bases loaded, two out confrontation between Trevor Hoffman and Manny Ramirez with the game on the line. Ken Macha was holding his breath in the dugout, but Hoffman retired Ramirez to end the game and bring the Brewers back to .500 on the season.

The Brewers played the ninth inning last night without Ryan Braun, who left the game with tightness in his elbow after uncorking a wild throw in the seventh. Braun says it doesn't hurt to hit, so don't be surprised if he's held out of today's game and used as a pinch hitter.

It was fitting, in a way, that the final out of last night's contest was hit to Bill Hall, playing his first career game in right field. Hall went 0-for-3 but drove in a run with a bases loaded walk last night, and told Adam McCalvy before the game that the Brewers need him to step up. Meanwhile, Ian Casselberry of Bless You Boys wonders if Hall might be a candidate to fill the vacancy at third base in Detroit.

If you were at last night's game, you might have seen Kenny Mayne. You'd know him if you saw him, because he's very tall and was wearing a Seattle Pilots jersey. I'm not sure I've ever even seen one.

Yovani Gallardo takes the mound tonight for the Brewers. He's been much better over his last three starts, and is crediting a mechanical adjustment for the improvement. After Manny Parra was able to go eight innings last night, a long outing by Gallardo would give most of the Brewer bullpen two days off, which would be nice.

Adam McCalvy has a look at the soft underbelly that is the Brewers' upcoming schedule, and reminds us that the Brewers won 20 games in August last year on their way to the playoffs. Now that the team has played reasonably well for a couple of games, I feel better talking about beating up on weaker opponents in August. I wasn't comfortable having that conversation while they were struggling to beat the Nationals and Padres.

National pundits continue to pile on the Brewers for failing to make a major splash at the trade deadline. Today, it's Jon Heyman listing the Brewers among trade deadline losers. With that said, I do have a handful of notes on a move the Brewers did make:

Tyler Maas of Right Field Bleachers gives us a look inside his grieving process on the loss of Vinny Rottino.
FanGraphs rated Vinny 35th among 35 minor leaguers traded at the deadline (and ranked Roque Mercedes 33rd).
Claudio Vargas' B-Ref page has a new sponsor.

Baseball Digest Daily continues to unveil their defensive rankings, with J.J. Hardy coming in third among shortstops and Bill Hall checking in at second among third basemen.

In the minors:

Jeff Sackmann and Sean Smith have come together once again to apply the TotalZone defensive metric to minor league players. Alcides Escobar and former Brewer prospect Cole Gillespie are among the leaders at their positions, while Huntsville CF Adam Stern brings up the rear at 23 runs below average. (h/t Chone Smith)
Corey Patterson appears to have signed his minor league deal and was in uniform for Nashville last night.
The Brewers promoted SS Josh Prince and pitcher Mike Fiers, both 2009 draftees, to Wisconsin and demoted Michael Marseco to Helena.

On Power Rankings:

The Brewers dropped six spots to #23 in WhatifSports' rankings.
The Hardball Times Dartboard has the Brewers at #20.

Around baseball:

D-Backs: Signed Daniel Cabrera to a minor league deal.
Dodgers: Acquired minor leaguer Harvey Garcia from the Pirates to complete the Delwyn Young deal.

How good would Gabe Kapler look in a Brewer uniform right now? Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay says the Rays made the right decision by picking Kapler up last offseason. I'd feel a lot better about the bench right now if Kapler had Jody Gerut's spot.

Perhaps if I report on it every day, I can help Major League Baseball's umpiring situation reach its tipping point. David Weathers was ejected from yesterday's game for the Reds, and after the game Reds beat reporter Mark Sheldon (@M_Sheldon) had this quote in his Twitter:

Weathers on his ejection by HP ump Paul Emmel: "I said 'why are you staring at me?' He said 'you're outta here.'"

Looking for a few extra hours of work and the opportunity to do it for a prominent baseball analyst? Keith Law is looking for an intern to do some databasing work. I'm not sure if I'm qualified, but you might be.

On this day in 1973, Johnny Briggs led off the game and went 6-for-6 as the Brewers beat the Indians, 9-4. Only one other Brewer (Kevin Reimer in 1993) has ever collected six hits in a game, and Briggs is both the only one to do it in a nine inning game, and in six plate appearances.

It's a big day for Brewer birthdays today: Happy birthday to B.J. Surhoff, who played in 1102 games as a Brewer between 1987 and 1995 (10th most all time), and turns 45 today. On the other end of the spectrum, Troy O'Leary, who played in 46 games as a Brewer in 1993 and 1994, turns 40. Scott Linebrink, who threw 25.1 innings for the 2007 Crew, turns 33.

If you've finished the Mug and you're still looking for something to read, here's my open letter to the ice cream truck.

Drink up.

NL West Report: Talent in, Talent out at the trade deadline.

Rox Girl — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:30:57 -0000

The good news for competitors in the NL West this week is that none of their rivals added what we would consider a major impact talent at the trade deadline along the lines of a Cliff Lee, Matt Holliday or Victor Martinez, the bad news is that this means that neither did they, leaving the division in pretty much the same state it was last week save for the one team at the very bottom, who did wind up making a very interesting move on Friday. The overall talent flow still seems to be flowing into the division rather than out, however, and the division as a whole still seems to be on the ascent.

NL West Report

San Francisco (58-47, t-2nd, W2, 7.0 GB)

Last Week: 6-1. 3-0 vs. Pirates, 3-1 vs Phillies. At some point you've just got to forget the projections and say a team is what it is. The Giants really seem to be that team this year, similar to the 2007 Diamondbacks, where they are combining some excellence in pitching with a favorable circumstance or two (in this case a deadly home field advantage) to mask over their flaws. While sweeping a rebuilding Pirates team isn't a huge accomplishment, taking three of four against the defending world champions is. The Giants are a very real threat, but an up and down one.

Pace: 86-76.

Divisional Change: Gained 3.0 games.

This Week:

News: The Giants were the most active NL West squad at the deadline, acquiring Ryan Garko from the Indians in exchange for Scott Barnes and Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates in exchange for Tim Alderson. Both prospects were immediately downgraded by pundits from potential aces to potential fifth starters after the transactions.

Ryan Garko

#23 / First Base / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-2

Weight: 225

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 02, 1981

Freddy Sanchez

#21 / Second Base / San Francisco Giants

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 21, 1977

Kidding about that last part, sort of. Barnes wouldn't have been a name most Giants fans would recognize, but he's a decent LHP prospect a bit beyond the Keith Weiser level but quite a bit below the Bumgarner level. With Barnes and Connor Graham added to their pitching depth the last couple of weeks, the Indians have put quite a dent on the starting talent in the Cal League's North division. I was curious about the amount of articles downplaying Alderson that came after the trade compared to the hype he was getting before it.

Grant's reactions to both trades at McCovey Chronicles were suspiciously understated:

Sanchez

Garko

Clearly something's up with these players that they're not telling us about, like how they wouldn't tell us that Fred Lewis will eat the children of Rockies fans if we let them stay out to late or how Pedro Feliz was able to control the forces of nature of his mind as long as he wore a Giants uniform and the Giants were playing the Rockies. You're not fooling me this time Grant, word to Rockies pitchers: approach these two players like you would Babe Ruth. If Babe Ruth was alive. And not really old.

Players Gained:

Freddy Sanchez
Ryan Garko

Players Lost:

Tim Alderson (AA)
Scott Barnes (A+)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS INJURIES

15-DAY

PLAYER	INJURY TYPE	INJURY DATE
Rich Aurilia	toe	07/21/2009
Nate Schierholtz	hip	07/27/2009
Andres Torres	hamstring	07/31/2009

60 DAY DL / OUT FOR THE SEASON

PLAYER	INJURY TYPE	INJURY DATE
Randy Johnson	trapezius	07/06/2009
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Kelvin Pichardo	shoulder	06/28/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Arizona (46-59, 4th, W1, 19.0 GB)

Last Week: 3-3. 1-2 vs Phillies, 2-1 @ Mets.

Pace:

Divisional Change: Gained 0.5 games.

This Week: The Snakes wrap up a long road trip with three game series @ Pittsburgh and @ Washington

News: The Diamondbacks had a quiet week leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, but general manager Josh Byrnes expects August's waiver trade market to be active.

Brandon Webb finally decided to undergo the knife to fix his ailing shoulder, but no timetable has been established for when he is expected to return to the mound. Will the Diamondbacks pick up his $8.5 million option for 2010? Byrnes is taking a wait and see approach.

Brandon Webb

#17 / Pitcher / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height:6-2

Weight:230

Bats:R

Throws:R

Born:May 09, 1979

Steve Gilbert writes that Byrnes' faith in his core is a large part of the reason why the trade deadline was so quiet for Arizona:

"There are a lot of components there that we think are real positives," Byrnes said. "I think a lot of the pieces to get back to winning are already in place."

Certainly Justin Upton has to be a major component that Byrnes is thinking of, AZ Snakepit's Jim McClennan took a look at the elite club the phenom's track thus far puts him in.

The Snakes are negotiating with Daniel Cabrera for added pitching depth

Added Comment: Arizona remains a flawed team for 2010 until it gets the pitching ironed out, but a very dangerous one for 2009. The fact that they didn't sell off at the deadline doesn't leave them nearly as weak as other non-contenders. I'm relieved that the Rockies only have six more games against this team compared to nine for the Giants and ten for the Dodgers, because it really looks like they've finally righted the ship in Phoenix. Over the last thirty games, the D-backs have scored the fourth most runs in the NL in going 16-14. Other key potential spoiler series for Arizona will be in Philadelphia at the end of August and at Chicago for the last series of the season in October.

Players Gained:

Brandon Allen (AAA)
Cole Gillespie (AAA)
Roque Mercedes (AA)

Players Lost:

Felipe Lopez
Tony Pena

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric Byrnes	hand	06/26/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tom Gordon	hamstring	05/04/2009
Conor Jackson	pneumonia	05/12/2009
Brandon Webb	shoulder	04/07/2009

Los Angeles (62-36, 1st, L1)

Last Week: 3-4. 1-3 vs Cardinals. 2-1 vs Braves. The Dodgers road trip started out poorly against Matt Holliday and the Cardinals, but much like the Rockies, the Dodgers finished well, going over the last four games of the trip, against much tougher competition than we had to face.

Pace:

Divisional Change: Lost 0.5 games to Colorado and 3.0 games to San Francisco

This Week: The Dodgers return home where they will face a Brewers team (3 games) that's been caught in a rut for much of the last two months and then get a four game set against the Braves who will want revenge for losing a series in Atlanta this weekend.

News: The Dodgers had been rumored for much of last week to be in on every prominent trade target supposedly available, and apparently came close to reeling in Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell in a mega deal with the Padres. Unwilling to part with prize major league talent such as Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw (wisely, I might add, Kershaw's change-up is starting to be as devastating as his fastball and curve) Los Angeles wound up making one major move, trading minor leaguers Josh Bell and Steve Johnson for Orioles closer George Sherrill.

George Sherrill

#0 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 230

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Apr 19, 1977

The Dodgers made one other minor depth move to clear a roster space for Sherrill, trading Claudio Vargas to Milwaukee for catcher Vinny Rottino. Rottino actually has an engaging baseball biography, as he was an undrafted free agent out of college and wound up getting signed out of a try-out camp. He caught for team Italy in the WBC this Spring. Still, not going to supplant team Canada's catcher anytime soon.

Even with the Sherrill addition, Los Angeles continues to wage a war against an unseen and unknown enemy as the workload for their young pitching continues to mount. Chad Billingsley seemed like he might be the latest to succumb when he was pulled from Sunday night's start with what turned out to be just a case of leg cramps. Rockies and Giants fans are all hoping this menace proves more real than it has, but that just might be wishful thinking on our parts. Sherrill hasn't been the only cavalry to arrive to rescue Los Angeles' young arms, as both Jason Schmidt and Hong Chi Kuo made returns from long injury absences this week.

Eric Stephen's monthly reviews are always worth reading to catch up on the rest of the Dodgers news.

Players Gained:

George Sherrill
Vinny Rottino (AA)

Players Lost:

Josh Bell
Steve Johnson
Claudio Vargas

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chad Billingsley	hamstring	08/03/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Casey Blake	wrist	08/03/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009
Ronald Belisario	elbow	07/06/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric Milton	lower-back	06/28/2009
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Xavier Paul	ankle	05/21/2009

San Diego (43-63, 5th, W2, 22.0 GB)

Last Week: 5-2. 3-1 @ Reds, 2-1 vs Brewers. Visiting Cincinnati has become a medicinal spa retreat for ailing NL West teams, as the Padres and Rockies combined to go 6-1 against the hapless Reds. San Diego carried their winning ways home with them against the Brewers.

Pace:

Divisional Change: Gained 2.0 games.

This Week: Braves (3 games) fans and Mets (4 games) fans will learn just how easy it is to go into PETCO Park and win series.

News: The Padres traded away their erstwhile ace Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox in the trade deadline's most surprising move. Peavy must have felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day in getting a chance to change a decision he made two months ago, for whatever reason, the White Sox held more appeal this time around.

Coming back from Chicago are four of the White Sox better prospects in Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell. This move was typical of other blockbusters in 2009, where the selling team generally walked away with the buying team's quality depth, but not their creme de la creme as far as talent is concerned.

jbox gets oddly, I don't know, pragmatic, in his review of the trade at Gaslamp Ball.

Clayton Richard

#41 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-5

Weight: 240

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Sep 12, 1983

The Heath Bell/Adrian Gonzalez trade to the Dodgers wasn't the only big deadline deal that San Diego was involved in that fell through, apparently there was also a blockbuster that could have send Gonzalez to Seattle, Felix Hernandez to the Red Sox, and a bushel of prospects to the Padres that got nixed by the Mariners. The day was so busy, that Kevin Towers told the LA Times Bill Shaiken:

"It's almost comical," he said. "I wish we had a video camera in there. You tend to worry about everything moving so fast."

Players Lost:

Players Gained:

Ryan Webb (AAA)
Craig Italiano (A+)
Sean Gallagher
Aaron Poreda
Clayton Richard
Dexter Carter
Adam Russell
Oscar Salazar

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Chris Young	shoulder	06/15/2009
Nick Hundley	forearm	06/18/2009
Brian Giles	knee	06/19/2009
Edgar Gonzalez	concussion	07/19/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mark Worrell	elbow	03/27/2009
Cha Seung Baek	forearm	03/30/2009
Shawn Hill	elbow	04/26/2009
Cliff Floyd	shoulder	06/18/2009

Poll

Which NL West team helped itself the most via non-waiver trades?

Arizona: The D-backs didn't sell low on their players and added a couple of key parts for 2010 and beyond.

3 votes

Colorado: The Rockies major weakness was the bullpen and they addressed it without giving up top ten prospects.

98 votes

Los Angeles: The Dodgers got the one elite reliever dealt this year.

22 votes

San Francisco: The Giants held onto most of their elite prospects, including their very best, and still added the bats they needed.

90 votes

San Diego: The Padres were in desperate need of restocking the system and added a boatload of talented young arms.

29 votes

242 votes | Poll has closed

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Trevor Hoffman still doesn't untuck, but it's nice to see him celebrating a Brewer victory anyway.

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Some things to read while getting your MST3K fix.

Today's biggest news is, without question, the health of Corey Hart. After complaining of abdominal pain during Saturday's game and again on Sunday, Hart left the clubhouse before yesterday's game and ended up having an appendectomy in San Diego last night. Hart will be placed on the DL and is expected to miss a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily wonders if losing him might be the last straw for the Crew.

Hart will be replaced on the roster by Bill Hall, who returns to the team after just a few days in AAA. Hall was 4-for-8 in AAA entering play yesterday, but went 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in a doubleheader last night. Hall and Frank Catalanotto are expected to platoon in right field while Hart is out.

At least one Brewer starting pitcher on the DL is getting closer to returning: Dave Bush threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday, and could head out on a rehab assignment as soon as the end of this week. Jeff Suppan, meanwhile, is complaining of "fatigue" in his strained oblique muscle when he throws. He's not expected to miss much more than 15 days, at any rate.

With Bush and Suppan still out, the Brewers made one minor move at the trading deadline, picking up Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers in exchange for Vinny Rottino. There's plenty of reaction from all over the web on that move:

Gordon Edes of Yahoo listed the Brewers as a trade deadline loser.
Right Field Bleachers notcied Tim Kurkijian's disappointment with the Brewers as well.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Vargas has more value than Rottino.
Rottino and the Brewers parted with no hard feelings. Rottino will be assigned to the Dodgers' AA team.
Tim Dillard was returned to AAA to make room for Vargas on the roster.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff says that, if Doug Melvin was going to acquire a stopgap fifth starter, he at least should have acquired one he hasn't had before.

Here's the first few paragraphs of Anthony Witrado's story on Vargas from this weekend:

The last time Claudio Vargas was in a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, he was packing his belongings and trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

That was during spring training last year right after Vargas, who wasn't pitching poorly, was released by the club because, get this, they had an abundance of starting pitching.

How times have changed.

Actually, after two slow-moving appearances where Vargas allowed four baserunners and two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, maybe times haven't changed that much at all. It could always be worse, though: The Brewers could sign Sidney Ponson, who was recently designated for assignment by the Royals and surfaced in Speculationville.

The Brewers managed to win just one of three games over the weekend in San Diego, and are digging themselves a pretty deep hole in the NL Central:

Cool Standings gives the Brewers a 7.6% shot at making the playoffs.
Adam McCalvy noted that the Cardinals are on pace for 88 wins, and the Brewers would have to go 37-21 (36-21 following yesterday's win) down the stretch to reach that mark.
Vegas is giving the Brewers 50-1 odds of winning the World Series.

With that said, Tyler Maas has ten reasons to keep watching the Brewers down the stretch.

As the Brewers pitching continues to struggle, the calls continue to come for Bill Castro's head, but Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com says firing Castro would be the wrong decision.

Prince Fielder made some very impressive defensive plays over the weekend, but still came in 15th of 16 NL first basemen in Baseball Digest Daily's defensive rankings. The good news for the Brewers: Craig Counsell finished first among second basemen.

In the minors:

Alcides Escobar has missed a few games recently to attend to a family matter. I've heard his wife is giving birth to a child, but don't have a source to confirm it. He's expected to rejoin the Sounds tomorrow.
Escobar ranked eleventh on Jonathan Mayo's list of baseball's top 50 prospects. (h/t Larry Stone)
Mat Gamel ranked 13th and Alcides Escobar 24th in Project Prospect's Top 25.

With Friday's trade deadline, it's been a busy weekend on the transaction wire:

Blue Jays: Placed reliever Scott Downs on the DL with an injury to his left big toe.
Braves: Acquired Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman.
Giants: Placed outfielder Andres Torres on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Designated relievers Winston Abreu and Mike Gosling for assignment.
Mariners: Designated first baseman Chris Shelton for assignment.
Marlins: Acquired Nick Johnson from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher and placed Burke Badenhop on the DL with a sore neck.
Mets: Designated Robinson Cancel for assignment.
Orioles: Placed pitcher Brad Bergesen on the DL with a bruised shin.
Padres: Released Mark Prior.
Rangers: Placed Ian Kinsler on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Rays: Signed reliever Jeff Bennett and added him to their 25-man roster.
Red Sox: Acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers.
Reds: Acquired Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays for three minor leaguers and traded Jerry Hairston to the Yankees for a minor league catcher.
Rockies: Acquired Joe Beimel from the Nationals for two minor leaguers and placed reliever Juan Rincon on the DL with elbow stiffness.
Tigers: Acquired Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners for Luke French and a minor league pitcher.
Twins: Acquired Orlando Cabrera from the A's for a minor league shortstop.
White Sox: Acquired Jake Peavy from the Padres for Clayton Richard and three minor league pitchers.

Some parents pick their children's names out of baby books or name them after relatives. Not everyone does it that way, though: Here's the story of how the parents of Astros rookie Bud Norris got his name off a beer can.

On this day in 1997, Jeromy Burnitz hit a pinch hit home run for the second straight day. The Brewers lost both games to the Mariners.

Happy birthday today to Justin Lehr, who pitched in 39 games for the Brewers in 2005 and 2006 and turns 32 today.

Drink up.

Dodgers Week 17 In Review: Road Weary

Eric Stephen — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:00:13 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Sometimes playing on the road causes people to make this face.

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Previous Weekly Recaps: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

The Dodgers stumbled out of the gate on their seven-game road trip, getting drubbed the first two games in St. Louis by the new-look Cardinals. Clayton Kershaw's gem on Wednesday made it seem like a Dodger win was in order, but a stumbling offense -- lots of hits and baserunners, but very few runs -- couldn't come through as the Dodgers dropped their third straight game in 15 innings.

However, as they have all season, the Dodgers rebounded, winning the finale in St. Louis, then pasting the Braves on Friday and Sunday to salvage the week. The Dodgers were almost one dropped catch at home -- on Saturday in Atlanta -- away from actually having a winning trip. After starting the trip with four hits in 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers hit .318 (14 for 44) in such situations to finish the trip.

It is worth noting that the worst ten-game stretch for the Dodgers all season is 4-6, something they have done only three times all year. Avoiding long losing spells will go a long way toward winning a division.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Even though he missed Sunday's game with a wrist injury, Casey Blake was the top batter for the Dodgers this week. Entering the week in an eight-for-45 slump, The Beard was a hit machine this week, tallying 11 hits in six games while hitting .440/.464/.600. Andre Ethier made a strong bid for his second straight award, hitting a pair of big home runs in Atlanta while hitting .300/.400/.567 for the week.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: For the fifth time in seven weeks, this award goes to Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw was brilliant in his lone start this week, pitching scoreless frames for a career-high eight innings against the Cardinals. Even though Kershaw exited with a 1-0 lead, the Dodgers were unable to get him a win, and ended up losing in 15 innings in what was, despite the outcome, one of the best games of the year. Honorable mention goes to a pair of oft-injured pitchers: Hong-Chih Kuo, who after three months off, intentionally walked two batters but retired the other 11 he faced, and Jason Schmidt, who allowed just one hit (and five walks) in six scoreless innings Friday in Atlanta.

Week 17 Record: 3-4
25 runs scored (3.57 per game)
27 runs allowed (3.86 per game)
.462 pythagorean winning percentage

Overall Seasonal Record: 65-40 (.619)
516 runs scored (4.91 per game)
408 runs allowed (3.89 per game)
.615 pythagorean winning percentage

Vice Versa: In a blowout loss on Tuesday in St. Louis, Mark Loretta was asked to get the final out of the game on the mound, and did retire Ryan Ludwick on a flyball after plunking Matt Holliday in the foot with a 78 MPH pitch. As Loretta, who also pitched a scoreless inning for the Brewers in 2001, told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, "It's been eight years. I was well rested."

On Sunday night, after Chad Billingsley was removed for precautionary reasons with a cramp in his right leg, pitcher Jason Schmidt was asked to pinch-hit in the sixth inning. Schmidt lined a single, and ended up scoring later in the inning. It was the first time Schmidt had a hit, as well as the first time he had a run, since the Dodgers' home opener in 2007, when he homered.

No Steaks For Me, I'm On A Diet: Manny Ramirez, in the midst of his first real slump as a Dodger, doesn't have a run batted in since hitting his Bobbleslam, a span of nine games. Manny has gone 43 plate appearances without an RBI, the fourth longest streak of his career:

Dates	Team	PA
5/31/97-6/16/97	Indians	53
5/29/95-6/13/95	Indians	47
4/20/08-5/2/08	Red Sox	44
7/24/09-present	Dodgers	43

A Striking Debut: George Sherrill, acquired from the Orioles on Thursday, became just the third Los Angeles Dodger reliever to have three strikeouts in his first inning with the team, by striking out three Braves in the seventh inning on Friday. Pete Richert actually struck out the first six hitters of his big league career (one reached base on a passed ball) on April 12, 1962 against the Reds in just the third game at Dodger Stadium. The last Dodger to accomplish this feat was Bob O'Brien, who struck out three Padres in his first inning on April 11, 1971.

Personal Best: Andre Ethier set a new career high by hitting his 21st home run of the season on Friday in Atlanta, a three-run shot that propelled the Dodgers to victory. Ethier, whose previous career high was 20, set last year, homered again on Saturday for number 22. The season is not quite two-thirds completed yet, as there are still 57 games remaining on the schedule.

But, At Least We Had More Hits: On Tuesday, the Dodgers were shutout 10-0 by the Cardinals, despite outhitting them nine to eight. This was the first time the Dodgers have outhit an opponent and lost by 10 or more runs since April 24, 1958 against the Cubs.

Transactions: There were quite a few transactions during trade deadline week:

Monday: Xavier Paul was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL, opening up a 40-man roster spot, along with...
Monday: Blake DeWitt was optioned to AAA Albuquerque for the fifth time this year, opening up a 25-man roster spot for...
Monday: Hong-Chih Kuo was activated from the 60-day disabled list, seeing his first major league action since April 29
Thursday: Brent Leach was optioned to AAA Albuquerque, after allowing six straight batters and 11 of his last 16 to reach base, in order to make room for...
Thursday: Scott Elbert was recalled from AAA Albuquerque, the third time he has been called up to the Dodgers this season, trying to catch Blake DeWitt in frequent flyer miles.
Thursday: Will Ohman was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL, opening up a 40-man roster spot for...
Thursday: George Sherrill was acquired via trade from the Orioles, for 3B Josh Bell and SP Steve Johnson, minor leaguers ranked 10th and 13th, respectively, by Phil Gurnee in the True Blue LA midseason prospect rankings.
Friday: To open up a spot on the 25-man roster for Sherrill, Claudio Vargas was traded to the Brewers for 29-year old nonroster minor league catcher Vinny Rottino, who reported to AA Chattanooga
Sunday: Cory Wade was activated from the 15-day disabled list after pitching three games with AAA Albuquerque on a rehabilitation assignment, but he will stay with the Isotopes since he was also simultaneously optioned to AAA

There are currently 39 active players on the 40-man roster, but that open spot will presumably be taken by Doug Mientkiewicz, who is close to being activated from the 60-day disabled list.

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers return home this week, halfway done with their latest 20-games-in-20-days stretch. The Brewers come to town for three games, and the Braves begin a four-game series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

Week 17 Stats

Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SB/CS	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS
Blake	25	4	11	2	1	0	1	2	0/1	.440/.464/.600	1.064
Ethier	30	5	9	2	0	2	5	5	1/0	.300/.400/.567	.967
Kemp	30	2	10	1	0	1	9	2	1/0	.333/.364/.467	.830
Loney	33	1	12	2	0	0	4	1	0/0	.364/.382/.424	.807
Martin	25	2	8	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	.320/.346/.400	.746
Furcal	33	3	11	1	0	0	4	2	1/0	.333/.361/.364	.725
Hudson	27	2	7	2	0	0	1	4	0/0	.259/.375/.333	.708
Manny	29	2	5	2	0	0	0	5	0/0	.172/.294/.241	.535
Castro	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1.000/1.000/1.000	2.000
Ausmus	5	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.400/.400/.400	.800
Pierre	6	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.333/.333/.333	.667
Loretta	9	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0/0	.222/.222/.333	.556
Pitchers	17	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.118/.118/.118	.235
Totals	270	25	82	15	1	3	25	21	3/1	.304/.355/.400	.755

Pitcher	G	W-L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Kershaw	1	0-0	--	8.0	4	0	0	2	7	0.00	0.750
Schmidt	1	1-0	--	6.0	1	0	0	5	3	0.00	1.000
Kuroda	1	0-0	--	6.0	4	2	2	0	5	3.00	0.667
Wolf	2	0-2	--	12.0	16	6	5	4	11	3.75	1.750
Billingsley	2	1-1	--	10.2	6	6	6	7	14	5.06	1.406
Kuo	4	0-0	--	3.2	0	0	0	2	4	0.00	0.545
Sherrill	2	0-0	--	1.1	0	0	0	1	3	0.00	0.750
Loretta	1	0-0	--	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0.000
McDonald	3	1-0	--	3.2	2	3	1	1	2	2.45	0.818
Mota	5	0-0	--	3.1	5	1	1	0	1	2.70	1.500
Elbert	1	0-0	--	2.2	1	1	1	1	1	3.38	0.750
Weaver	1	0-1	--	2.2	2	1	1	1	2	3.38	1.125
Troncoso	3	0-0	--	2.1	6	1	1	1	1	3.86	3.000
Broxton	2	0-0	1	2.0	2	1	1	1	1	4.50	1.500
Vargas	1	0-0	--	2.0	2	1	1	1	4	4.50	1.500
Leach	2	0-0	--	0.0	3	4	4	2	0	∞	∞
Totals	7	3-4	1	66.2	54	27	24	29	59	3.24	1.245

Did We Mention There Was A Game Tonight?

Eric Stephen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:07:17 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

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The trade deadline came and went at 1pm today, and other than the Earth-shattering Claudio Vargas for Vinny Rottino swap, the Dodgers stood pat. New acquisition George Sherrill has joined the team in Atlanta and is active for tonight's game with the Braves.

Jason Schmidt improbably makes his third start for the Dodgers since being activated from the two-year disabled list. He has allowed ten hits, eight runs, and four walks in his eight innings of work in his firs two outings. I would expect a healthy dose of yesterday's call up, Scott Elbert, tonight.

Just as Schmidt was once a young Braves' pitcher, tonight's starter for Atlanta is 22-year old Tommy Hanson, who is 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA in his first 9 major league starts. His FIP, however, is 4.49, and his x-FIP is 5.23.

Per the Dodger game notes, "Sherrill was born in Memphis and becomes just the fifth Tennessee-born pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history, joining Claude Osteen (339 games), pitching coach Rick Honeycutt (128), Greg McMichael (12), and Jim Hickman (1)."

The Braves reacquired Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman, in an exchange of first basemen. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, with LaRoche en route to Atlanta, Barbaro Canizares has been promoted from AAA Gwinnett, and will start at first base for the Braves tonight.

Get your guesses in for tonight's finale of "Clogging The Bases" here.

Game Time: 4:35pm

TV: Prime Ticket

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