SB Nation - Russ Adams

NL West exceeds expectations as a whole in 2009's first half

Poseidon's Fist — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:00:14 -0000

So we have reached the All-Star Break. The mid-way point. I guess it's a good time to reflect on how the season has played out in the NL West. The Rockies have the most wins in franchise history by the All-Star Break and are the most games over .500 since 1995. So how does this bipolar Rockies season stack up in the NL West?

NL West Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Los Angeles	56	32	.636	0	Won 1
San Francisco	49	39	.556	7	Lost 1
Colorado	47	41	.534	9	Won 1
Arizona	38	51	.426	18.5	Lost 1
San Diego	36	52	.409	20	Won 1

(updated 7.12.2009 at 6:49 PM MDT)

Of course, those standings hardly surprise you I'm sure, given you probably keep good track of this daily. Besides, the order of the teams placed in the division are pretty well in line with popular opinion prior to Opening Day. In fact, they fall perfectly in line with Baseball Prospectus' pre-season projections. Yawn. We knew the Dodgers would be good and that the Padres would be terrible.

What might be more interesting is measuring the teams' record against what was expected. Which team is overachieving their expectations? Which team is performing far worse than anyone thought? And how has that changed over the course of the season?

This is why graphs are cool. I put together the graph below that depicts the number of games over (or under) the projected win percentage for each NL West team, after every game of the season. Each individual team's graph will mirror their win percentage graph, but this is normalized to each team's expected playing level. So any team above zero is exceeding projections - any team below is disappointing.

Blue denotes the Dodgers, green the Padres, orange the Giants, purple the Rockies, and red the Diamondbacks. Click wide view to see the graph in all its primitive glory.

A couple things to take from this, most of which you already know:

The Dodgers have been playing at a high level since mid-April, lost very little during Manny Ramirez' suspension, and are currently outperforming projections more than any current team. In fact, this is their best record at the All-Star Break since 1977.
The Padres have spent less than five days in the black. Despite their abysmal record, they've been above BP's expectations practically the entire year. That means two things: 1) We all knew the Friars would be terrible, and 2) Bud Black has done a fantastic job despite losing 60% of his games. In fact, if this was your criteria, Black could be Jim Tracy's best competition for Manager of the Division.
The Rockies' start to the season was BAAAAD, but winning streaks do serious damage in the standings no matter how you look at it.
The Diamondbacks have underperformed the entire season, but the Rockies were the team to hit rock bottom, a full seven games below their expected record, six games after Jim Tracy took over.
AJ Hinch initially recovered after a lull, but Arizona is worse off now than they ever were with Bob Melvin.
Other than the Diamondbacks, the NL West has been surprisingly successful to date. The other four divisional teams sit at least a win better than their expected record at the All-Star Break.

So we've covered the present and the past. Might as well complete the trifecta by looking at the future. How about Baseball Prospectus' projected final standings, which takes the first half's games into account.

NL West PROJECTED Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	PLAYOFF ODDS
Los Angeles	100	62	.617	0	98.94%
Colorado	87	75	.537	13	42.60%
San Francisco	86	76	.531	14	35.43%
Arizona	73	89	.451	27	0.34%
San Diego	67	95	.414	33	0.01%

(updated 7.12.2009 at 6:49 PM MDT)

So there you go. The Giants and Rockies are given 32.34% and 39.04% chances of winning the wild card, while no other NL team has more than a 3.65% chance. Compare that to the Rockies' 3.56% chance of winning the NL West. Mr. Kruk, BP says the Rockies have twice the chance to win the NL West than the Mets making the playoffs...Hmm...

For a smaller timescale, check the week in review of the NL West after the jump.

NL West Report

Arizona (38-51, 4th, L1, 18.5 GB)

Last Week: 5-2. 3-0 vs Padres, 2-2 vs Marlins. In spite of a strong 5-2 week, Arizona gained just a half game on Los Angeles and gained no ground on Colorado or San Francisco.

This Week: ASB, 3 game road series @ Cardinals.

News: Arizona finally cut the cord and released the ineffective Tony Clark. The big pinch-hitter has looked completely overmatched this season, except for Opening Day of course. AZ SnakePit reacts.

Tony Clark

#31 / First Base / Arizona Diamondbacks

Height: 6-7

Weight: 245

Bats: B

Throws: R

Born: Jun 15, 1972

	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Tony Clark	.182	.295	.424

(Note: As bad as that stat line is, it's still better than Chris Young)

Jon Heyman of SI says offers for Chad Qualls may be "too tempting to ignore." However, Arizona might lean towards keeping Doug Davis, as they won't get the 1st to 2nd round talent they desire in a trade and would gain from a compensatory pick should Davis leave in free agency.

The Diamondbacks traded reliever Tony Pena to the White Sox for power hitting first baseman Brandon Allen. Allen will DH or play 1B in AAA, especially now that Josh Whitesell can play with the big club with the Clark transaction.

There is no new injury news to report. Arizona did option Ryan Roberts to AAA and recall Leo Rosales

Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Eric Byrnes	hand	06/26/2009
Chris Snyder	lower-back	06/21/2009

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 (56-32, 1st, W2)

Last Week: 4-2. 2-1 @ Mets, 2-1 @ Brewers. An impressive road trip helped close out the Dodgers' best start in 32 years.

This Week: ASB. 4 game home series vs Astros. Houston has quietly climbed to .500 and sits just one game below .500 on the road, so this series isn't necessarily as cupcakey as one might think.

News: All-Star closer Jonathan Broxton will miss the All-Star Game with a toe injury. There's no word on how long he'll be out, but with Ronald Belisario injured as well, two of the Dodgers' top three relievers are on the shelf with injuries.

Jonathan Broxton

#51 / Pitcher / Los Angeles Dodgers

Height: 6-4

Weight: 290

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 16, 1984

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jonathan Broxton	6-0	3.10	0.93	65	17

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times suggests a package of Russell Martin, Josh Lindblom and Devaris Gordon to land Roy Halladay, then suggests LA wouldn't even do that deal because Gordon is "untouchable" and "the coaching staff would be reluctant to lose Martin." Yeah okay.

Apparently, there were two LA scouts at a Toronto game, but not for Halladay. For Scott Rolen.

LA is still interested in Mark Mulder.

Manny Ramirez tied Mickey Mantle for 15th on the career HR list with 536 Friday.

Brendan Scolari at TrueBlueLA has exceprts from a Ned Colletti radio interview regarding the Dodgers and the trade market.

TrueBlueLA's Week in Review.

Eric Milton's 15-day DL stint will expire over the All-Star Break, but the Dodgers have yet to make a roster move accordingly that I can see. Integral rookie reliever Ronald Belisario landed on the 15-day DL with an elbow injury last Monday. Cory Wade was called up to replace him in the bullpen, and has since thrown 1.2 scoreless innings. Scott Elbert also joined the pen.

Los Angeles Dodgers Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Will Ohman	shoulder	05/28/2009
Jason Schmidt	shoulder	03/30/2009
Xavier Paul	knee	05/21/2009
Ronald Belisario	elbow	07/06/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Doug Mientkiewicz	shoulder	04/17/2009
Hong-Chih Kuo	elbow	04/30/2009

San Diego (36-52, 5th, W1, 20 GB)

Last Week: 1-6. 0-3 @ Diamondbacks. 1-3 @ Giants. San Diego has won just 3 of their last 14 and is falling fast in the division, as no other NL West team won less than 4 games last week. They now have the worst run differential in MLB.

This Week: ASB, 4 game home series vs Rockies.

News: Susan Slusser of SFGate reports that the PTBNL in the Scott Hairston deal is Sean Gallagher, the same pitcher that was regarded as the centerpiece of the Rich Harden trade last year. Gallagher has upside but his stock has fallen due to injury. He will switch to San Diego's disabled list with a knee injury. Reaction from A's fans, and the reaction from Padres fans.

Sean Gallagher

#39 / Pitcher / San Diego Padres

Height: 6-2

Weight: 235

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 30, 1985

Former 2002 Blue Jay first round pick Russ Adams has signed a minor league deal with the Padres. The infielder was DFA'd July 3rd by Toronto and has reported to San Diego's AAA affiliate. Also signed and assigned to AAA was catcher Yamid Haad.

GasLampBall apparently has video of Matt Bush being arrested.

Adrian Gonzalez is a good dude. The Padres' 1B will be in the Home Run Derby tonight and will donate $200 to charity for ever home run hit. His NL compadres are all first basemen - Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

In a Ken Rosenthal piece, Kevin Towers compares Everth Cabrera to Rafael Furcal.

Cliff Floyd is still on the 60day DL - I'm not sure why the widget lost him. Luke Gregerson was activated from the 15day DL Tuesday setting off a flurry of other roster moves. San Diego recalled Mike Ekstrom, placed David Eckstein on the 15day DL with a hamstring injury, optioned Joe Thatcher to AAA, added Ryan Webb (he of the Hairston trade) to the roster, DFA'd Walter Silva and called up RH SP Tim Stauffer.

San Diego Padres Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jake Peavy	ankle	06/09/2009
Chris Young	shoulder	06/15/2009
Nick Hundley	forearm	06/18/2009
Brian Giles	knee	06/19/2009
Henry Blanco	hamstring	07/05/2009
David Eckstein	hamstring	07/06/2009

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

San Francisco (49-39, 2nd, L1, 7 GB)

Last Week: 2-1 vs Marlins, 3-1 vs Padres. The only thing to complain about the Giants lately has been their inability to slam the door. They have lost the final game of their last four series.

This Week: ASB, 3 game road series @ Pirates. IT doesn't look like it, but this could be a good place to make up ground on SF. The Rockies draw the paltry Padres for four games while the Giants take their 18-24 road record to PNC Park, where the Pirates are 22-17.

News: You have surely heard it by now, but if not, Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter Friday. If it hadn't been for an 8th inning error on Juan Uribe, it would have been a perfect game. It was just the 6th time in MLB history a pitcher got 11+ K's, zero walks and zero hits. Sanchez' start was the only non-perfect game of the bunch. Not bad for a guy who was 2-8 with a 5.30 ERA coming in. He had been banished to the bullpen and only got the start due to a Randy Johnson injury.

Jonathan Sanchez

#57 / Pitcher / San Francisco Giants

Height: 6-2

Weight: 190

Bats: L

Throws: L

Born: Nov 19, 1982

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jonathan Sanchez	3-8	4.69	1.50	79	46

The no-hitter is a boon for Sanchez' trade value (maybe), and Henry Schuman at SFGate suggests he could be part of a trade bringing back Freddy Sanchez and perhaps All-Star Zach Duke.

Tim Lincecum will start the All-Star Game. He was the only NL All-Star not to appear in 2008 due to illness, so this is a nice way for the Cy Young winner to jump in.

Dave Allen at Fangraphs has a great read on former Rockie Jeremy Affeldt and his newfound propensity for getting ground balls with the best in the league.

Not enough people voted from the West coast. Shane Victorino beat out the Kung Fu Panda for the last slot on the All-Star Team. Jayson Werth replaced Carlos Beltran on the roster, so Philadelphia now has five of their eight hitters on the All-Star squad. That is disgusting. Only Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz were left out. Sick.

Two of the Giants top three starters in their rotation are injured. Randy Johnson's shoulder injury has landed him on the 15day DL, while Matt Cain is being monitored after taking a line drive off the elbow. X-rays are negative. He hasn't been put on the DL - watch this. Kevin Frandsen was called up. The Giants won't need a fifth starter until July 20, so they optioned Ryan Sadowski to Single-A and recalled John Bowker.

San Francisco Giants Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Matt Cain	elbow	07/12/2009

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Randy Johnson	shoulder	07/06/2009

60 Day DL / Out for the season

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Noah Lowry	ribs	03/27/2009
Kelvin Pichardo	shoulder	06/28/2009
Joe Martinez	concussion	04/10/2009

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:20:17 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

5 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun fails to make the catch on a home run by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Orlando Hudson during the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 12, 2009, in Milwaukee. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers 7-4. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while walking your kangaroo.

While most of the Brewers settled in early for a few days of rest, Trevor Hoffman was making last minute reservations for St. Louis yesterday. Hoffman was a late addition to the NL All Star squad, replacing Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton, who will sit out with an injured toe. Hoffman called the invite "a big surprise" and "a big honor." Hopefully he won't give up a big inning.

If you were thinking of skipping tonight's Home Run Derby, I can't say I blame you. If you're watching, though, there's another reason to cheer for Prince Fielder: The Brewers are taking $1 off the price of loge outfield seats for the August 11-13 Padres series for each home run Fielder hits tonight. And if you need a drink in your hand to enjoy the derby, Chuckie Hacks has a drinking game that will give you a long day at work tomorrow and Home Run Derby has one that almost assures you won't make it to the second round.

Players will tell you that making the All Star Game is "a big honor," but for most it's also an extra paycheck. The Biz of Baseball has a list of players receiving a bonus for playing in the game this season. Ryan Braun is pocketing an extra $50,000 and Prince Fielder is getting $25k. The list was compiled before Trevor Hoffman was added to the team, so I don't know what he's getting.

J.J. Hardy, meanwhile, is just happy to take a break. Hardy has typically been a better hitter in the second half, and if he doesn't turn it around soon this season he'll likely have Alcides Escobar nipping on his heels for playing time down the stretch.

Escobar and Brett Lawrie represented the Brewers well in yesterday's Futures Game. Escobar started the game at shortstop for the World team and went 2-for-4 with a pair of infield singles. Lawrie started at DH for the World (a pretty nice honor for a guy who's never played above Low A) and went 1-for-3 with a seventh inning double that sparked a rally in the seventh inning. Some notes from the game:

Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News listed Escobar as one of his six "Stars in Waiting" in yesterday's game, and tweeted that Lawrie had one of the most impressive BP sessions.
Tom H. profiled Escobar, who says he's ready to be called up.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated listed Escobar as one of eight prospects who are "close to untouchable" in trade talks.

Elsewhere in the minors:

Dave Bush pitched well for the Timber Rattlers on Friday, allowing just four hits and an unearned run while throwing 53 pitches over 4.2 innings. He's still expected to return on July 20, when the Brewers open a series with the Pirates.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball spent three days last week watching the Rattlers play in Burlington, and has scouting reports on sixteen players, including top ten prospects Brett Lawrie and Lorenzo Cain.
Wily Peralta and Evan Anundsen checked in at #12 and #22 on Project Prospect's list of the top 25 prospects who didn't make the Top 100. I guess that makes them #112 and #122 overall.

Manny Parra pitched well in his return from Nashville and many are crediting Sounds pitching coach Chris Bosio for helping him turn things around. Maybe there's another explanation, though: Miller Park Drunk tells the tale of Parra's meeting with Billy Ray Cyrus.

Maybe Billy Ray has some time for Chris Narveson, too. Narveson is expected to accept an assignment to Nashville today, when he officially clears waivers.

Mike Cameron is quietly getting hot again, hitting .394/.488/.667 in ten games in July (after posting a .536 OPS in June). Padres GM Kevin Towers says he regrets letting Cameron go after the 2007 season, crediting his leadership abilities. Cameron, along with Braden Looper (option) and Jason Kendall is one of three Brewers who would be Type B free agents if the season ended today. Trevor Hoffman would be a Type A. (h/t Pro Ball NW)

This morning's Mug is going to be late enough, so I'll lump these notes into one group:

Jayson Stark listed Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun among his candidates for first half NL MVP, Bill Hall among his candidates for LVP, Casey McGehee among his candidates for Rookie of the Year and Ken Macha for manager of the year, but did not select a Brewer for any of those awards.
Rob Neyer selected Robin Yount as the Brewers' representative in his All Time AL All Star Team.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham ranked the Brewers outfield fourth in all of baseball in his midseason rankings.
The Hardball Times' Dartboard ranked the Brewers #16.

Another homestand, another story about a player scared to stay at the Pfister Hotel. This week, it's Twins OF Carlos Gomez and another unnamed player.

Around baseball:

Angels: Placed Torii Hunter (hip abductor strain) and Vlad Guerrero (calf strain) on the DL.
Astros: Claimed catcher Chris Coste off the DL from the Phillies.
Braves: Acquired Ryan Church from the Mets for Jeff Francoeur and cash.
Cubs: Placed Geovany Soto on the DL with a strained oblique.
D-Backs: Released Tony Clark.
Mariners: Acquired Jack Hannahan from the A's for a minor league pitcher.
Mets: Signed Angel Berroa to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Fired manager Manny Acta and will replace him with Jim Riggleman.
Pirates: Released outfielder Chris Snelling.
Padres: Acquired Sean Gallagher as the PTBNL in the Scott Hairston deal with the A's and signed Russ Adams to a minor league deal.
Reds: Jay Bruce has a broken wrist and will be placed on the DL.

If you're hanging out in St. Louis this week and you're not interested in the Hone Run Derby, perhaps you should be a part of the All Star Treasure Hunt Reebok is putting on. Also, if you're the guy wandering around St. Louis wearing a Tyler Houston Brewers jersey, keep up the good work.

Here's a strategic move to debate: Lou Piniella, who needed a lefty to face two out of three Cardinal batters in last night's game, moved lefty Sean Marshall into left field for one batter, then brought him back to the mound. Good idea? Would you lose your mind if Ken Macha did it with Mitch Stetter? Discuss.

This makes sense in concept, but now a study has proven it: Dr. Ian Byram of Vanderbilt Medical Center says pitchers who come to camp with weakness around their rotator cuff are more likely to get injured during the season.

I'll admit my interest in the Moneyball movie was fading, but they did exactly what they needed to do to bring me back: asked Aaron Sorkin to redraft it. Now I'll go see it. (h/t C. Trent Rosecrans)

One year ago today, CC Sabathia pitched a complete game, 3-2 victory over the Reds, and hit a home run. For whatever it's worth.

Oh, and if you're going to haul your suitcase on the subway, you should zip up the pocket with your dirty underwear first.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:31:06 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Doug Melvin, pictured here sitting behind Ken Macha in spring training, probably doesn't take fashion advice from Ryan Braun either.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while learning about the history of grit. (h/t Royals Review)

As you may have heard, the saga surrounding Ryan Braun's comments about Brewer pitching took a surprising turn yesterday when Doug Melvin fired back. (Also noted in FanShot.) There's a fair amount of reaction around the blogosphere today:

Doug Melvin's quote about making Braun his deputy was Circling the Bases' quote of the day.
The True Blue Brew Blog says Braun should shut up and play baseball.
Sheffield's House wants Braun to keep doing what he's doing.
Miller Park Drunk shows us what the world would be like if Ryan Braun were the Brewer GM.
Quevedo at the Buffet says Melvin should have known better than to go public with his remarks.
CZWief.com called Melvin's comments "a public slap on the wrist."

In case you've forgotten, the Brewers acquired C.C. Sabathia one year ago today. Meanwhile, if the Brewers do make a move, it could be for Javier Vazquez. The Brewers have reportedly placed a call to the Braves regarding Vazquez, although Melvin denied the report. Todd Welter of WTMJ wants the Brewers to steer clear of Vazquez, who has posted a 10+ ERA in 15.2 postseason innings. In other news, Todd Welter has never heard of sample size.

Everyone still loves Casey McGehee:

FanGraphs says McGehee has "perhaps the quietest .343/.396/.567 line in the land."
The Collective Troll named McGehee their NL Rookie of the Year for the first half of 2009.
McGehee also has four three-hit games, but that's no longer good enough to lead all rookies: D-Backs rookie Gerardo Parra picked up his fifth such game last night. (h/t TheJay)

McGehee was also one of several Brewers mentioned in Jon Heyman's midseason awards, appearing third on his ballot for NL Rookie of the Year. Also appearing: Prince Fielder (4th, NL MVP), Yovani Gallardo (4th, NL Cy Young) and Ken Macha (4th, NL Manager of the Year).

The Brewers open a key series with the Cardinals tonight, and Stan Musial's Stance has a preview of the three pitching matchups: Yovani Gallardo v. Adam Wainwright tonight, Jeff Suppan v. Todd Wellemeyer tomorrow, and Braden Looper v. Joel Piniero on Thursday.

Prince Fielder was confirmed yesterday as a participant in next week's Home Run Derby. (Also noted in FanShot) Fielder's first-half mashing in 2009 earned him the DH spot on The Collective Troll's NL All Troll Team. Unfortunately, this year's All Stars won't actually have a DH.

In the minors:

John Sickels of Minor League Ball is watching the Timber Rattlers play in Burlington this week and has been impressed by Brett Lawrie's bat speed. Lawrie is also Between the Green Pillars' Prospect of the Week.
Lawrie may be among the last generation of Brewer prospects to play AA games in Huntsville. The Stars are last in the Southern League in attendance, and while attending Sunday's sparsely attended contest, Gord Ash was quoted as saying, "They're going to be sorry in a couple of years when they don't have baseball." (h/t BrewerFan.net)

The Brewers moved up one spot from eleventh to tenth in Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star's Power Rankings.

Around the league:

Blue Jays: Russ Adams, designated for assignment over the weekend, has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent.
Cubs: Traded Ryan Freel to the Royals for a PTBNL and placed David Patton on the DL with a right groin strain.
Giants: Placed Randy Johnson on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Nationals: Kip Wells, who had been designated for assignment, has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent.
Orioles: Placed reliever Chris Ray on the DL with biceps tendinitis.
Padres: Placed David Eckstein on the DL with a hamstring strain.

Via the Baseball America Minor League Transaction Report, I learned that former Brewer Gary Glover is on the move again: this time he was released by the Marlins.

Happy birthdays today to R.J. Swindle who turns 26, and Dave Burba, who appeared in 62 games for the 2003 and 2004 Brewers and turns 43. Today is also the 35th anniversary of the 1974 game where Don Money set the major league record for most consecutive errorless games by a third baseman.

Oh, and now I know what to eat at midnight between Mac & Cheese Tuesday and Pizza Wednesday.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:46:46 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Mike Burns has had one bad outing in four Brewer appearances. Is that really that bad?

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while waiting out your lag period.

So, as noted in this FanShot, Ryan Braun called out the front office yesterday regarding the current situation with the Brewer rotation, highlighted by poor starts by Seth McClung and Mike Burns over the weekend. I understand the anxiety, but let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture:

Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper all pitched well in their most recent trip through the rotation, allowing a combined four runs in three starts. Gallardo is a true ace and Suppan and Looper are at least as good as most of the pitchers who will likely be available for a price the Brewers are willing to pay at this point.
As noted in the Braun link above, Dave Bush threw 33 pitches off of a mound yesterday and is making strides in his rehab. He's expected to be able to return around July 20.
Manny Parra had a good start in AAA over the weekend and Jordan is making the case for his return. Parra could make one more AAA appearance and still be ready the next time the Brewers need a fifth starter, on July 11.
Mike Burns did not pitch well yesterday but, of his four extended appearances this season, yesterday's game was the only really bad one, and three productive appearances out of four isn't all that bad for a guy who essentially becomes your sixth starter.
And, for whatever it's worth, the Brewers still haven't given a shot to Mark DiFelice, as discussed at Brewers Bar and Brewerfan.net.

As such, I'm inclined to agree with Mike Woods of the Appleton Post-Crescent, who thinks the Brewers should stand pat.

Would any of us have been that upset about this weekend's series if the Brewers had found a way to win Friday? Over at Beyond the Box Score, jhmoore looks at the call that ended the game in the tenth inning, and uses it as a launching pad for a discussion on umpire inconsistency and the alternatives. The Brewers backed themselves onto the ledge on Friday, walking Milton Bradley and Geovany Soto to load the bases, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the umpires shoved them off of it.

The Brewers struggles this weekend can't be blamed on Casey McGehee, who went 9-for-19 against his former team and raised his OBP to .396. At current pace, McGehee might actually be the Brewers' best option to lead off games most days. The Chicago Tribune says McGehee could have been a nice fill-in for Aramis Ramirez.

With that said, the Brewers have an opportunity to make up lost ground this week, as they open a series with the Cardinals tomorrow. How important is this series? That depends on who you ask. Adam McCalvy asked both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Here's what Braun said:

"It's crucial," said Braun, who along with Prince Fielder was named to the NL All-Star team on Sunday. "We don't want to dig ourselves too big of a hole."

And Fielder:

"It's important, but it's still a long season," he said. "Hopefully, we can come out all right, but if not, that's just the way it is. I don't want to put too much pressure on the situation. It's early. We have a long way to go."

Braun and Fielder may also have differing opinions on the Home Run Derby. The Inquisitr is reporting that Prince Fielder is interested in being a part of the competition, but Ryan Braun is not.

You've probably heard by now that both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder were selected to the NL All Star team. There was a little less fanfare for FanGraphs' defensive All Star team, but both J.J. Hardy and Mike Cameron are on it.

The Brewer schedule is pretty tough this week, with division leaders St. Louis and Los Angeles visiting, but it gets easier from there. In fact, Purple Row cites the Brewers' weak schedule the rest of the way when naming them the favorites to win the NL Central.

In the minors:

Project Prospect is listing Brett Lawrie as a hitter who is significantly better than his competition in the Midwest League. Lawrie could be a candidate to finish the season at Brevard County, before possibly playing in the Arizona Fall League.
For now, though, Lawrie is teammates with Lorenzo Cain (#7 in our Community Prospect Rankings), who is continuing his rehab assignment.

Just one Power Ranking note: The Hardball Times' Dartboard has the Brewers at #14.

Around the league:

A's: Acquired Scott Hairston from the Padres for two minor league pitchers and a PTBNL.
Blue Jays: Placed reliever Scott Richmond on the DL with shoulder soreness and designated infielder Russ Adams for assignment.
Braves: Placed Kelly Johnson on the DL with wrist tendinitis.
Cubs: Signed Casey Fossum to a minor league deal.
Dodgers: Placed Eric Milton on the DL with a back injury.
Indians: Designated Matt Herges for assignment and signed Bobby Livingston to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Placed reliever Chris LeRoux on the DL with shoulder inflammation and signed Brendan Donnelly.
Nationals: Designated Jesus Colome for assignment.
Padres: Placed Henry Blanco on the DL with a hamstring strain and designated reliever Edwin Moreno for assignment.
Phillies: Designated reliever Jack Taschner for assignment.
Yankees: Placed Chien-Ming Wang on the DL with a shoulder issue.

Ever wonder what would happen if a team were built just to beat the Brewers? Sheffield's House attempted to put together a starting lineup of Brewer killers.

Oh, and happy birthday to Willie Randolph and former Brewer hitting coach Jim Skaalen, who both turn 54 today.

Drink up.

It's easy as 1, 2, 3. Simple as Do - Re - Mi. Reds win, 7-5

Brendanukkah — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:46:25 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

Dusty's new "Get a hit or I'll punch you!" strategy is paying dividends. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Browse more photos »

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto. Joey came back to play in front of his home town and had a big day at the plate. He went 4-5, with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. We missed you, big guy.

Key Plays

A rested Willy Taveras got things started for the Reds with a double to lead off the game. Votto drove him in with a double of his own, then Jonny Gomes drove in Votto with a double of his own, Ramon Hernandez walked, and Jay Bruce drove both of them in with a double of his own. Dusty started lifting his glasses up and down and called over to Cito Gaston, saying, "I can't see real good, is that Bronson Arroyo you've got pitching out there?"
Gaston told him to STFU, then instructed Aaron Hill to hit a home run off Johnny Cueto. "Sure thing, Skip." 4-1.
No worries, eh? The Reds got that run right back in the second with singles from Chris Dickerson, Jerry Hairston, and Votto. With a 5-1 lead, they were laughing so hard that they didn't care that failed to knock anyone in when the bases were loaded in the 3rd.
Cueto was cruising, but ran into some trouble in the fifth inning. Everyone was watching to see what L.Overbay would do. He was walking for the weekend, drawing a base on balls to start the inning. Russ Adams singled, but Cueto got Marco Scutaro to fly out. Two outs, and everything's cool, yeah? No, Aaron Hill walked, and Vernon Wells hit a two run double. Scott Rolen then hit a single, scoring another two runs and tying the game. The Blue Jays were going off the deep end, insisting that everyone needs a second chance.
Votto then informed them that that shit was played out and hit a home run to put the Reds back on top, in our Frisch's Big Boy Big Play of the Game.
The Reds decided to pick up some traveler's insurance in the eighth inning. Previously unknown Paul Janish led off the inning with a double, and Dickerson bunted him to third. It's called playing the percentages. It's what good managers do to win ballgames. Then they have Willy Taveras try a suicide squeeze. But because it was that type of day, the squeeze worked! That's right, T-Virus got an RBI. He also HAVOC'd his way to third base with a stolen base and a wild pitch, but Hairston and Phillips managed to strand him there.

FanGraphs

Other Notes

This was the first time this season Joey Votto batted cleanup. He did pretty well there, bagging his first homer since May 26.
Overshadowed like Farrah Fawcett, Willy Taveras had one of his best games of the season, going 3-5 with a double, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Since Dusty's gonna play him there regardless, let's hope our leadoff hitter has turned a corner.
Jonny Gomes has thrived against the AL, especially in his last five games. He is 7-14 with 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 4 BB.
The Reds held the Jays to only five hits, although they maximized their efforts for five runs. They also drew four walks, which came back to haunt. It's probably for the best though, since Reds pitching was on the verge of killing smooth music for the next ten years.

Final - 6.25.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati Reds	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	7	15	0
Toronto Blue Jays	1	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	5	5	0
WP: Johnny Cueto (7 - 4) SV: Francisco Cordero (18) LP: Shawn Camp (0 - 3)

Complete Coverage >

I'm Not the Way I Thought I Was: Solving the Blue Jays' DH-Sized Dilemma

hugo — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:25:56 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Travis Snider's ineffectiveness and subsequent injury has left the Jays in the lurch for a competent designated hitter. How to solve this vexing problem? (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Browse more photos »

So, as you B^3-ers likely remember, the Jays had a bit of trouble at the DH spot last season. Jays' DHs batted .247/.325/.418, well below league-average DH production. It was especially problematic for a team like the 2008 Jays, who were built around pitching and defense, to have such tepid production out of the offense-only DH spot. Even worse was the production out of left field (.258/.325/.384), the second-least important defensive position.

Going into this season, Jays faithful were told that this was the year of Adam Lind and Travis Snider. Most of the "credit" for the poor DH/LF performance was due to Frank Thomas, Shannon Stewart, Matt Stairs, Brad Wilkerson, and Kevin Mench -- I won't even show their numbers, because they are awful, but just trust me -- and those 5 gentlemen were all gone. Here on B^3, we thought Lind was ready for prime-time, but we debated the merits of acquiring a LF/DH bat, especially with the market cold on guys like Pat Burrell, and starting Snider in the minors rather than just throwing him into the fire. I can't remember what we concluded, so let's assume that we all unanimously agreed that Snider wasn't quite ready to make the necessary adjustments once the league got a taste of him and that he should start in the minors.

Fast forward to the end of June, we're almost but not quite halfway through the season, and the Jays are doing well, sitting 5 games over .500 and just 1 game behind the New York Yankees for the AL Wild Card lead. And, yet, a familiar problem...

Snider started hot but cooled off quickly and drastically. He was sent to the minors where he hurt himself and won't even be swinging a bat again until July. I think it's safe to assume he'll be a September callup, if anything. Adam Lind started the season as the regular DH and was fantastic but took over leftfield duties when Snider was sent down. Lind, unlike Snider, plays against lefties and righties (a healthy .847 OPS against lefties), so he doesn't need a platoon partner. But so who should play DH?

The Contenders:

Kevin Millar: Copacetic Up? Millar started the season as Lyle Overbay's platoon partner but Overbay has been hitting so well lately (though his numbers against lefties are pretty poor still) and offers so much more defensively that you can make the argument that Lyle should be playing every day. Millar has never shown much platoon-i-ness, and offers all that gooey clubhouse stuff, so he'd seem like a logical choice to take the everyday DH spot, right? Not so fast! You might not have noticed if you don't have a Millar effigy you punch in the face every morning like our very own Tom Dakers, but old Kev's hitting hasn't exactly been up to par lately. He's presently batting a putrid .246/.318/.388, which is actually worse than our DH production from last year. He's doing all right against lefties (.821 OPS) but absolutely putrid against righties (a Mac-like .596 OPS) so he might be half of the answer (actually more like 1/3 of it) but definitely is not the full answer. And he's been awful for the past two months (.647 OPS in May, .618 in June). Next.

Jose Bautista: Bautista has always hit lefties well -- he has a career .819 OPS against them -- and this season is no exception. Jose is batting .302/.383/.472/.855 against portsiders, definitely well enough to be the right-handed third of a DH platoon. But he has always been a bad hitter against righties, and this season, far from being an exception, has been much worse -- we're talking .217/.397/.250 bad, albeit in just 80 plate appearances. You'll notice from the high OBP that Bautista has earned a lot of walks against righties, and that's certainly true. On the flipside, he has seemed afraid to swing the bat against them, and perhaps for good reason given his poor hitting. Bautista has a long career of being a bad major-league hitter against righthanded pitching (.683 career OPS against them). Bautista wouldn't be a bad option to DH against lefties, but as an everyday DH he's a terrible choice. And of course DH-ing him would compromise his versatility in the field (since the DH can't replace a fielder unless the pitcher bats). And Jose is needed to spell Rolen fairly frequently.

Russ Adams: Recently called up to the Jays, Russ Adams isn't anybody's first idea of a DH. He has an 81 OPS+ over his major-league career and, up until recently, was a middle infielder. That said, Adams has been attempting to re-make himself into a utility player over the past few seasons, with some success. He hasn't lit up AAA at all the past two seasons, but he had a nice second half last year and started well this season (.876 OPS with Las Vegas in 2009). Of course, you have to look at those numbers in the context of the PCL, but in truth Adams has never been all that bad of a hitter against right-handed pitching. Over Russ' career, he has a .725 OPS against starboard-side hurlers, not great but considerably better than Millar and Bautista are doing against righties at the moment (and, in Bautista's case, over his career). Consider that Adams is in his hitting prime while Millar is way past it. And Russ certainly offers more than either of those two on the basepaths.

An interesting comparison for Adams is Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is the same age as Adams and his career has followed a similar path - a former SS whose plate discipline in the minors didn't translate to the majors right away and who moved from SS amidst concerns about his defense. Zobrist, unlike Adams, is a switch-hitter, but he's pretty much exclusively used as a lefty hitter and has remade himself as a platoon utility player and corner-infielder. Zobrist had a great 1/3 or so of a season last year in that role and has been even better this season in the same role. He's not all that different of a hitter than Adams and, while I'm not suggesting Adams will put up an OPS north of 1.000 in 225 plate appearances, as Zobrist has done thusfar, there's at least some precedent for the idea that a former middle-infield prospect can become a successful platoon-type corner outfielder.

Randy Ruiz: Ruiz, essentially a career minor-leaguer, has a nice track record in the minors, and is currently OPS-ing .971 with AAA Las Vegas, with solid power numbers. On the other hand, he's a right-handed hitter (though he has hit well against righties in the minors) so a platoon isn't really an option and his hitting didn't translate to the majors last season in his first taste of the bigs (at 30). He probably wouldn't be any worse than starting Millar every day, but that doesn't necessarily make him a great option as an everyday DH.

David Dellucci: Dellucci was recently acquired by the Jays as a lefthanded bat and has been playing a bit in AAA. Looch hit .275/.333/.350 in 45 plate appearances for Cleveland earlier this season, isn't doing much in the minors, and is 3 years removed from his last even league average season. His bat speed seems to be fading. I don't think he's the answer either.

Brian Dopirak: He's only at AA, but with the 1st base and DH spots occupied by guys hitting well (Ruiz and Brett Harper) at AAA, he's more than earned a promotion and with the hole we have at DH, why not to the bigs? There's no doubt that Dopirak's line -- .307/.369/.580, with 16 home runs, 22 doubles, and 1 triple in 291 plate appearances -- is impressive, and he's 25 years old so there's no argument that he's too young. Dopirak, like Ruiz , Millar, and Bautista, bats righthanded, so he would need to be the everyday DH to get the at-bats he'd need to make it worth bringing him up. He's hit righties quite well this season though.

????: I haven't heard the Jays to be seriously involved in trade talks for a bat, but it's possible they could bring someone in from outside the organization to DH. Dakers has mentioned Nick Johnson, and he's certainly a good hitter (126 lifetime OPS+). He's putting up excellent numbers in a pitchers' park right now, and he is a patient, tough out with a gap to gap approach. Folks have said he's having a career year, but he's not -- he's in with his career numbers, but just healthy after an awful string of bad luck and accidents. DHing might keep him healthy, and his contract runs out at the end of this season so I can't imagine the Nationals would want more than a minor-league arm or two for him. It might be worth a look. Other possibilities? For sentimental reasons, how about Frank Catalanotto? He wouldn't cost more than a PTBNL, I'd imagine. But he hasn't done anything this season and he wasn't great last year either, so I'm not sure what type of upgrade he'd be over Dellucci. There are other bats available, so by all means, who do you want to DH for the Jays? Unless they make a move for Johnson or someone else, I'm afraid the best option is a Bautista/Adams or Millar/Adams platoon, and that's not exactly encouraging if the Jays plan to continue to contend, is it? So let's hear it -- who would you DH from now on?

Title from a great song by the great Madison, Wisconsin band Rainer Maria

Tuesday Linklove: Russ Adams, All-Star Electioneering, Jeremy Accardo, Adam Lind, and Scott Rolen Edition

hugo — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:02:57 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Dirk Hayhurst: Pitcher or Jedi? (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

We'll be back with a more substantive post later on in the day, but here's some quick links if you're thinking Jays. This city has been a mess since the horrific train collision yesterday (it took me 2 1/2 hours to get to work today, about 2 hours longer than normal) so if you have any kind thoughts to spare, send them to the poor folks who were involved and their families.

mlb.com Jays beat writer Jordan Bastian does good work, and I'm not just saying that because he's a fellow runner. Here, he talks with former 1st round pick Russ Adams. Welcome back to the big leagues, Russ. We'll talk a bit later about what you might be able to do for us.

Bastian also talks to some Jays about who they think the starting middle infielders should be on the 2009 AL all-star team. Yep, you guessed it.

And what to say about those fake umpires? By far my favourite song by the National. Oh, wait, those guys. I have to say, Stoeten from Drunk Jays Fans pretty much covered everything I could ever say about those guys. I don't get it, and I don't like it.

Fangraphs takes a look at Adam Lind's performance so far and they like what they see:

Lind’s scorching start to the 2009 season does not look like a mirage. He’s doing exactly what you’d like a hitter to do: he’s showing more restraint by laying off pitcher’s pitches off the plate, working the count, improving his performance against breaking stuff and hitting fewer grounders. It may have taken him a while to figure things out, but Lind looks like legitimate breakout hitter.

Nice. Adam may have demolished the traditional projection systems, but here at Bluebird Banter we were expecting big things from Lind this season all along.

Tao of Stieb gets to speculating about Jeremy Accardo's recent injury. You guys are the best, hope the computer issues resolve soon!

Speaking of the once and future Jay, Mockingbird takes a look at a new pitch that Accardo has been throwing with success - a cut fastball.

We and Ghostrunner on First share something besides our mutual love for Chuck Ragan's howling take on the Alkaline Trio song 'Radio' --- much manlove for Scott Rolen. Great post.

Add your thoughts and your love for other Jays' related content around the internets in the comments!

Jays Beat Nationals to Avoid the Sweep

hugo — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:02:30 -0000

More photos » by Charles Dharapak - AP

5 months ago: Washington Nationals' Austin Kearns (25) is out at second as Toronto Blue Jays' Aaron Hill, top, attempts a double play during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Washington, Sunday, June 21, 2009. The Blue Jays won 9-4. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Browse more photos »

Well, some of us rolled into Capitol City with sweeps in our eyes, but the Jays dropped the first two in extra innings and avoided the sweep today with a fairly convincing victory.

On the Mound:

Ricky Romero started and he was fine. He struck out 6 and walked three over his 7 innings, giving up two runs to which some shaky fielding by Aaron Hill made a contribution. That said, Romero got himself into trouble at times and was helped out by some timely pitches and some great defense, so he can hardly complain. It wasn't his best start of the season, but it was certainly adequate.

At the Plate:

Marco Scutaro had another great day from the leadoff spot with three hits. Lyle Overbay crushed a home run into the second deck of rightfield. Vernon Wells had another encouraging day at the plate with an RBI double and a walk on which he later scored. The Jays bounced out to a quick lead in the first with singles by Scoot, Scott Rolen, Alex Rios, and Lyle Overbay and walks by Vernon Wells and Adam Lind. Lind walked thrice in the game, actually. The Jays added some insurance runs that seemed unnecessary at the time but turned out to be quite timely (more on that later). Russ Adams made his first major-league appearance of 2009 (since 2007, I believe) and singled sharply to centre.

From the Pen:

Jeremy Accardo entered in relief of Romero in the 8th but had to exit after just one batter with what Jordan Bastian called a dehydration-caused cramp. Weird he should be dehydrated after a day of sitting in the pen, it wasn't particularly hot or sunny (at least, by DC standards) today. Anyway, it was just a cramp in his calf and that doesn't sound too bad at all. Maybe the flight from Vegas and instant action has tired him out. Brandon League finished the 8th and looked sharp, but Cito wasn't about to send him out there in the 9th after what's happened to him in successive inning outings (and because the Jays tacked on some insurance runs). Instead, Jesse Carlson entered with a 7-run lead and 3 outs to get and immediately ran into trouble, yielding 4 very sharp hits and 2 runs. Jason Frasor had to be summoned from the pen to get the final out, but he got it.

Jays 9, Nats 4

All in all, a rough series, in which the Jays easily could have swept. The flipside of that is that they were very much in all three games. A 4-2 road trip is certainly nothing to sneeze at, is it? Bring on Cincy!

Jays of the Day: Overbay, Rios, Romero.

Room Without a Window: Monday Off-Day Open Thread

hugo — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:40:38 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Stiff Upper Lip, Vernon! (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

Hi everyone - hope you all had a better weekend than the Jays did. After another interleague sweep, this time at home, and this time at the hands of the Florida Marlins, the Jays sit 0-6 in interleague. The "good" news? They'll have a chance to get in the win column on Tuesday against the defending world champions, and a series win there will go a long way toward erasing this bad taste. After the sweep, the Jays are 3 games behind the New York Yankees and the AL wild card. Things could be much worse, but the team needs to start playing better soon. With the wild card in reach, you have to wonder whether the Jays are going to try to make some moves. I can't be the only one who thinks that Kevin Millar and Jose Bautista are playing more than they should be against right handed pitching.

Nowhere is that more evident than in centre field. Vernon Wells is suffering through one of the worst slumps of his career and, as you might imagine (unless you are of the "he got his money and now he is lazy and doesn't care" ilk), he's pretty bummed out about it. With Alex Rios hitting very well recently, I wonder if it isn't time to swap Rios and Wells, give Wells a chance to settle in a bit and watch some other hitters before taking his first at-bat of each game and taking advantage of what is looking like a burgeoning hot streak for Rios. I wouldn't expect it to make a big difference as to when he comes out of his slump, but it can't hurt.

Some of us have been talking about reinforcements from AAA so here's some minor league news: David Dellucci has started playing for AAA Las Vegas, and Scott Campbell has been tearing the cover off the ball in his rehab at Dunedin. Russ Adams has returned as well, and is continuing to hit well and is playing shortstop everyday. David Purcey also had a good start for the 51s, striking out 9 and walking 3 over 7 2/3 innings, giving up just 2 runs and 4 hits and lowering his ERA to a respectable 4.28 (though his K/BB ratio is a different story). And Jeremy Accardo picked up a save and is now sitting with a very nice looking 22/7 K/BB ratio over 24 innings (3.38 ERA) as closer for Las Vegas. Brett Cecil pitches for Vegas today. None of Cecil, Mills, or Purcey have really been consistently good, but I don't think the Jays will necessarily hesitate to go to one or more of them if Richmond, Tallet, and Janssen struggle in the future. That said, Richmond's overall numbers are still solid, Tallet has given the Jays a quality outing more often than not despite yesterday's blowup, and Janssen has 3 good starts to 2 awful ones, not a great ratio but it has been a long time since he's pitched, you can't expect him to just come back and dominate. I think it's worth giving them a bit more time as no one is really knocking the door down. That can change quickly though.

But enough of what I think. What are you all thinking? Ideas for how the team can turn things around? Players you'd be interested in acquiring? Anything about which you would like to talk?

Today's title comes from the great Operation Ivy song (wow, they were amazing).

I'm Achin' to Be: Minor League Update

hugo — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:45:18 -0000

Thanks to the great band the Replacements for today's minor-league update, which certainly fits for many of our young players trying to work their way up and out of the minors.

Las Vegas

J.P. Arencibia has turned it on a bit of late, hitting .300/.364/.625 over his last 10 games, with 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 4 doubles. Also very encouraging is his 4 walks over that span (he only had 2 prior to that). Arencibia's on-base numbers over the season are still poor (.283), but he is starting to pick up steam. Scott Campbell, on the other hand, picked up an injury and hasn't played in a while. I haven't been able to find out much about his injury, so if someone could clue us in, that'd be great. Russ Adams has also been out with an injury. Kyle Philips has been hitting well since his promotion to Las Vegas (.373/.433/.525 in 65 plate appearances).

On the pitching side, Brad Mills has been excellent after a rough start. He still hasn't won a game (0-5) but it's through no fault of his own as he has had an excellent May, with a 2.66 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks over 23 2/3 innings. Fabio Castro has been even better, with a 1.03 ERA over his 4 Las Vegas starts. And David Purcey had a great start his last time out after 2 shaky ones, going 8 scoreless innings and striking out 7 while walking only 2 and yielding 3 hits. Another good outing from Purcey and the Jays will have 3 very viable callup options. Ricky Romero is scheduled to make his first start for the 51s today after a few so-so starts for New Hampshire. Jeremy Accardo had a rough outing last week, his first poor outing of the year. He's a good candidate for a bullpen callup.

New Hampshire

Brian Dopirak continues to make his case for promotion -- he's now hitting .324/.370/.569 and has 8 home runs, 12 doubles, and 1 triple. He has hit both lefties and righties well. Brad Emaus (.299/.378/.479) continues to do a nice job at the plate and has shown a good batting eye recently, with 7 walks to 7 Ks over his last 10 games. On the other hand, Brian Jeroloman and David Cooper have struggled recently and both are now OPS-ing less than .700 for the season. Sean Shoffit (.154/.298/.253) has really had problems after an encouraging spring for the Jays.

New Hampshire's starting pitching continues to be excellent in the absence of Castro, with Marc Rzepczynski really standing out. Zep is 6-2 with a a 2.93 ERA and 52 Ks to 21 walks in 43 innings, not to mention tons of ground ball outs. And he has turned it up even more in May, with a 17/4 K/BB ratio over his 3 starts (18 1/3 IP). And rehabbing Casey Janssen has been nothing short of fantastic - the 27-year old has a 0.77 ERA in his 2 appearances for New Hamphsire after a 0.75 in 3 starts at Dunedin. Overall, Casey has 17 Ks to just 5 walks.

Dunedin

Eric Thames (.340/.418/.462), Darrin Mastroianni (.308/.423/.377) with 23 BBs and 23 Ks and 25/28 on the basepaths, and Moses Sierra (.302/.386/.440) continue to play superb outfield. Justin Jackson has returned and has been red hot, going 8-11 with a double, a walk, and just one K in his four games back. Kevin Ahrens is still rather quiet, and John Tolisano has quieted down but still has, by far, the best numbers of the three at .255/.345/.459. Adam Loewen (.621 OPS) hasn't picked it up yet.

Tim Collins, who started off the season on an absolute tear, has actually been rather shaky lately, with a 6.00 ERA and a 7/5 K/BB ratio over his last 5 appearances. Andy Liebel, who has been having trouble despite excellent peripheral numbers all year a 29/11 K/BB ratio and just 3 HRs allowed in 40 2/3 innings, had by far his worst peripheral start of the season (4 walks and 3 Ks over 6) but just gave up 1 earned run. That was following a start where he struck out 7 and walked no one over 6 innings and gave up 4 runs.

Lansing

Johermyn Chavez continues to swing a very hot bat (.314/.345/.610) with 7 home runs, 6 doubles, and 4 triples on the season. 2008 draftee and third-base prospect Mark Sobelewski has had a very nice May, hitting .309/.408/.418. Balbino Fuenmayor has turned it up after a horrible start to the season, and is hitting .364/.364/.545 in May. However, the majority of Lansing's hitters, incluing Ty Pastornicky, Jon Del Campo, Marcus Brisker, Kenneth Wilson, and the catching tandem of Jon Talley and AJ Jimenez, are not hitting well.

On the other side of the ball, Henderson Alvarez, John Anderson, and Charles Huggins are pitching well, with Huggins (1.78 ERA, 1.02 Whip, and 31 Ks and 10 walks over 30 2/3 innings, though he just turned 23) the best of the three thusfar.