SB Nation - Ryan Braun

The Weekend Mug, now with more Australians! And another Canadian!

NoahJ — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:12:07 -0000

After trading J.J. Hardy, Doug Melvin realized he had to win back the hearts of Wisconsin women everywhere. Enter Oeltjen.

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Some things to read while on a social networking site far, far away.

So far this is my second week doing the weekend post. My first weekend was immediately after the Carlos Gomez trade, and this weekend comes after the Brewers announce signing Gregg Zaun. It's my turn again the weekend following Christmas, so maybe Brewers fans can be expecting a Christmas present from Doug Melvin and the gang.

About the Zaun signing:

Adam McCalvy tells us that Zaun was assured the starting catching spot. Zaun has played more than 110 games only once in his career and more than 100 games four times, and he's not getting any younger. There should be plenty of opportunities for whoever the backup catcher should be.
Right Field Bleachers thinks that backup will be either Mike Rivera or George Kottaras, with the idea being another year of minor league polishing for Angel Salome and Jonathon Lucroy.
In Between Hops likens Zaun to a cheaper Jason Kendall. Neither is very good at hitting (some would claim they are atrocious), but over the last three years, Zaun has been Kendalls slight superior in OBP and has been significantly better slugging. Zaun did this in close to half of the plate appearances of Kendall.
I think that View From Bernie's Chalet is more excited about the end of the Jason Kendall era than for the signing of Zaun.
Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turning Up the Heat! finds the signing to be strange and suggests that Milwaukee had enough readily available options. Personally, I prefer having someone like Zaun around. I don't think that Rivera would be a viable option to start the whole season, and the other options (Kottaras, Lucroy and Salome) are all younger and could really struggle, particularly Lucroy who would be skipping triple-A. I think that I would like Lucroy to either back up Zaun for the first couple months of the season (like I said, there should be plenty of opportunities) or for him to be called up sometime in June provided he isn't massively struggling in Nashville. Gradually working in what appears to be the heir apparent to the Catchers position seems like a much better idea than throwing him straight into the fire.
And the Grand National Championships thinks this is the most logical move in the history of sports.
Oh, and if I ever met Gregg Zaun, he does not look like a guy I would want to piss off.

Also from the Grand National Championships, they believe that re-signing Craig Counsell--who Doug Melvin has made an offer to--would be a bad idea and suggests signing someone like Esteban German instead. If we were to go with someone else, I think that going with someone in house (like Adam Heether) would be just as good as signing someone from outside the organization. I also think that a player like Craig Counsell is a boon to any team, though, and would serve as a very very good mentor to Alcides Escobar.

The Brewers also signed former Diamondback and full-time Australian Trent ~~Durrington~~ Oltjean...whichever. Brew City Sports tried to reach him for comment, but unfortunately, Oltjean was too busy doing Australian type activities. Oltjean is expected to provide protection for Ryan Braun in the cuteness batting order after the departure of J.J. Hardy.

For those hoping that the Brewers decide to pursue Brad Penny, the bad news is that he rejected a one year offer to stay with the GIants. So it looks like any team that wants to sign him would either have to offer multiple years or a pretty significant--and guarenteed--amount of money for one year.

In Between Hops reminds us again of the comparison that can be made between Casey McGehee and Bill Hall.

Around the Majors:
Atlanta Braves: Rafael Soriano is considering accepting their offer of arbitration.
Chicago Cubs: Could announce a signing of Mike Cameron as soon as Monday.
Houston Astros: Signed former Giant Ryan Sadowski
Kansas City Royals: Signed Cuban lefty Noel Arguelles
Minnesota Twins: Signed 16 year old Dominican Shortstop Miguel Sano.
Seattle Mariners and Jack Z: Signed Chone Figgins to a $36MM, 4 year deal.

If you were disappointed when they announced they were shutting down production, good news! A movie adaptation of Moneyball is going to be back underway!

Oh, and potentially the most exciting news of the day, Metsblog cites Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus as saying that there will be two big announcements at the winter meetings that will be way bigger than "any player signing or news made during". I don't have any idea what it could be, so feel free to speculate.

2010 UZR Projections - Updated 11/15/09

Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:46:04 -0000

Note: I posted a spreadsheet on 11/14/09 that was not age adjusted. I would prefer for people to used the new age-adjusted spreadsheet. I posted it at 9:30 MST on 11/15/09, but will be leaving the non-age-adjusted one available. Sorry for this inconvenience. --Jeff

I created UZR projections for the 2010 season and the values are available on Google Documents Spreadsheet (original non age adjusted spreadsheet). I got 4 years worth of UZR numbers from Fangraphs. Then I did a 5-4-3-2 yearly weighting regressed to 125 games with a -0.7UZR aging factor (article where the math is explained).

I selected for the worksheet any players that played in at least 63 games at the position over the last 4 years. Some retired players are included, but I don't want to make any judgment on whether they will come back and play. Also, for players who played in less than 63 games, I added their UZR value if it was greater than 1 or less than -1. Sorry for the lack of team-wide charts, but I might add them near the beginning of the season once rosters are more finalized. Please let me know if you have any questions about the data. Here are a couple charts of the projected leaders and laggards at each position (players that played that position in 2009).

Leaders

Position	Name	Projected UZR
1B	Albert Pujols	5.5
2B	Chase Utley	11.0
3B	Evan Longoria	11.0
SS	Adam Everett	8.6
RF	Austin Kearns	8.3
CF	Franklin Gutierrez	14.8
LF	Carl Crawford	9.8

Laggards (glad my Royals keep trading for such great glove men)

Position	Name	Projected UZR
1B	Mike Jacobs	-5.6
2B	Kelly Johnson	-5.2
3B	Ryan Braun	-12.4
SS	Yuniesky Betancourt	-9.7
RF	Brad Hawpe	-19.3
CF	Jacoby Ellsbury	-9.0
LF	Adam Dunn	-13.4

Help with downloading the file after the Jump

A couple of people have asked, so the spreadsheet can be downloaded by going to "File" -> "Download as" and then selecting desired file type.

2009 SBNation Awards: MVP

Al — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

Mike Fontenot after a forceout of Albert Pujols in April at Wrigley Field.

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No surprises here, at least not for me. I expected Albert Pujols to be the unanimous MVP among SBN voters, and he was.

The AL winner is the guy I would have chosen; you may be a bit surprised at the second-place finisher.

Points for MVP are awarded as follows: 14 points for a first-place vote, then 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for 2nd through 10th place.

BCB ballots:

Al: 1) Albert Pujols 2) Ryan Howard 3) Prince Fielder 4) Chase Utley 
5) Pablo Sandoval 6) Adrian Gonzalez 7) Hanley Ramirez 
8) Troy Tulowitzki 9) Derrek Lee 10) Adam Dunn

Mike: 1) Albert Pujols 2) Ryan Howard 3) Hanley Ramirez 4) Troy Tulowitzki 
5) Prince Fielder 6) Tim Lincecum 7) Chase Utley 
8) Adam Wainwright 9) Raul Ibanez 10) Mark Reynolds

National League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Albert Pujols	St. Louis Cardinals	31	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	434
2	Hanley Ramirez	Florida Marlins	-	6	8	11	2	1	2	-	-	-	220
3	Chase Utley	Philadelphia Phillies	-	7	11	2	3	1	-	1	-	1	192
4	Prince Fielder	Milwaukee Brewers	-	5	4	4	7	7	1	-	-	-	186
5	Troy Tulowitzki	Colorado Rockies	-	4	1	5	2	3	3	4	1	2	134
6	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	-	4	1	-	1	2	2	3	1	-	79
7	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	-	4	-	1	4	1	-	-	3	1	79
8	Ryan Zimmerman	Washington Nationals	-	-	1	3	3	3	3	1	-	2	79
9	Adrian Gonzalez	San Diego Padres	-	-	1	-	3	3	2	4	3	4	71
10	Pablo Sandoval	San Francisco Giants	-	-	-	1	2	2	2	3	4	3	57
11	Matt Kemp	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	1	1	1	1	5	3	-	1	56
12	Ryan Braun	Milwaukee Brewers	-	-	2	-	-	2	2	1	1	-	39
13	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	-	1	2	25
14	Derrek Lee	Chicago Cubs	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	3	2	25
15	Andre Ethier	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	1	2	2	-	-	-	24
16	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	1	4	1	23
17	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	1	16
18	Matt Holliday	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	12
19	Joey Votto	Cincinnati Reds	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	11
20	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	10
21	Todd Helton	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
22	Jayson Werth	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
23	Adam Dunn	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	5
24	Juan Pierre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
25	Justin Upton	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
26	Raul Ibanez	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
27	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
28	Brian McCann	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
29	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
30	Michael Bourn	Houston Astros	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
31	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
32	Nyjer Morgan	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
33	Yunel Escobar	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

American League

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

SB Nation NL MVP Award

Eric Stephen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:34 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

"So Joe, you aren't really going to walk me every time a runner is in scoring position, right? Right?"

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Albert Pujols unanimously won the 2009 SB Nation National League MVP award, easily defeating Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins. Dodgers who received votes were Matt Kemp (11th), Andre Ethier (15th) and Juan Pierre (24th). Here are the results:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Albert Pujols	St. Louis Cardinals	31	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	434
2	Hanley Ramirez	Florida Marlins	-	6	8	11	2	1	2	-	-	-	220
3	Chase Utley	Philadelphia Phillies	-	7	11	2	3	1	-	1	-	1	192
4	Prince Fielder	Milwaukee Brewers	-	5	4	4	7	7	1	-	-	-	186
5	Troy Tulowitzki	Colorado Rockies	-	4	1	5	2	3	3	4	1	2	134
6	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	-	4	1	-	1	2	2	3	1	-	79
7	Ryan Howard	Philadelphia Phillies	-	4	-	1	4	1	-	-	3	1	79
8	Ryan Zimmerman	Washington Nationals	-	-	1	3	3	3	3	1	-	2	79
9	Adrian Gonzalez	San Diego Padres	-	-	1	-	3	3	2	4	3	4	71
10	Pablo Sandoval	San Francisco Giants	-	-	-	1	2	2	2	3	4	3	57
11	Matt Kemp	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	1	1	1	1	5	3	-	1	56
12	Ryan Braun	Milwaukee Brewers	-	-	2	-	-	2	2	1	1	-	39
13	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	-	1	2	25
14	Derrek Lee	Chicago Cubs	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	1	3	2	25
15	Andre Ethier	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	1	2	2	-	-	-	24
16	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	1	4	1	23
17	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	1	16
18	Matt Holliday	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	12
19	Joey Votto	Cincinnati Reds	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	11
20	Mark Reynolds	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	2	10
21	Todd Helton	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
22	Jayson Werth	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
23	Adam Dunn	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	5
24	Juan Pierre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
25	Justin Upton	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
26	Raul Ibanez	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
27	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	4
28	Brian McCann	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
29	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	4
30	Michael Bourn	Houston Astros	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
31	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	3
32	Nyjer Morgan	Washington Nationals	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
33	Yunel Escobar	Atlanta Braves	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

Here are our ballots:

Eric: Pujols, Lincecum, Utley, Hanley, Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Fielder, Kemp, Vazquez, Tulo

Phil: Pujols, Hanley, Utley, Kemp, Tulo, Sandoval, Ethier, Werth, McCann, Escobar

Joe Mauer won the SB Nation AL MVP award.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:02:44 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Nyjer Morgan hit a leadoff home run last night, but at least the Nats didn't go back-to-back.

Browse more photos »

Some things to read while not showing up so early.

Time is running out before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and while the Brewers seem to be headed downhill, Doug Melvin says he's still looking to buy. Trevor Hoffman, meanwhile, says the Brewers have enough to win now. Hoffman, for whatever it's worth, has played on six winning teams in 17 seasons, but also five that lost 90 or more games.

If the Brewers are in fact buying, they may have another hole in the starting rotation to fill. Jeff Suppan underwent an MRI yesterday and was diagnosed with an oblique strain. (Also noted in FanShot.) He hasn't been ruled out for his scheduled start on Saturday, but this is Jeff Suppan we're talking about: do you really want him pitching at less than full strength?

With two games left against the Nationals the Brewers have already clinched a losing homestand, and several more blogs are ready to throw some dirt on the 2009 season:

The Brew Town Beat says the season ended on Sunday.
Brew City Sports thinks the Brewers should be sellers at the deadline.
The Bucky Channel has also left the Brewers for dead.
Miller Park Drunk, though, is still holding out hope.

Ryan Braun has home runs in each of his last two games, and Monday's shot made him the first Brewer ever to hit 20 in each of his first three major league seasons. A recent poll of his peers also ranked Braun the fifth most likely young player to eventually make it to the Hall of Fame. (h/t FanShot)

Meanwhile, after beating the Brewers twice, the Nationals have won four straight games for the first time in 2009, and Ben Goessling of the Washington Times wonders if their luck has turned around.

If you've been watching this week's games, you've probably seen Pat Listach coaching for the Nationals. On top of being one of just three Brewers to steal 50 bases in a season, Listach also holds the major league record for longest at bat to lead off a game. He forced Ron Darling to throw 17 pitches while drawing a walk on September 26, 1992.

Just one minor league note today: Maverick Lasker is the Prospect of the Week over at Between the Green Pillars.

Around baseball:

Astros: Placed LaTroy Hawkins on the DL with shingles.
Giants: Nate Schierholtz has been placed on the DL with a strained hip, and Randy Johnson has been moved to the 60-day DL with tearing in his rotator cuff that will keep him out until at least September.
White Sox: Acquired Mark Kotsay from the Red Sox for outfielder Brian Anderson.
Yankees: Chien-Ming Wang will have season ending shoulder surgery today.

I also found a couple of notes of interest in the most recent Baseball America Minor League Transactions:

The Brewers signed a pitcher out of the independent leagues: lefthander Donald Brandt, who had been pitching for San Angelo of the United League.
Former Brewer farmhand Adam Pettyjohn was released by the Reds (and later signed by the Mets).

Obviously, making the Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor for the players involved, but it's also a huge income opportunity. The Wall Street Journal has a look at the extra revenue made by Hall of Famers, which is especially significant for players from earlier eras who played for much less money. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

The Brewers travel to LA next week, and if you get the chance, listen to Vin Scully call the game for a few innings. Scully is reportedly retiring after the 2010 season, so you might not get many more opportunities.

Here's a first for the "Odd Ballpark Promotions" file: Cheezburger Night at Safeco Field.

Nyjer Morgan may have hit a leadoff home run last night, but on this day in 1975 the Brewers one upped him, as Don Money and Darrell Porter went back to back to lead off the game. The Brewers won the game, 4-0.

Happy birthday today to Mike Adams, who pitched in 61 games for the Brewers between 2004 and 2006 and turns 31 today. Also, happy birthday to the other Ryan Braun, who turns 29.

Oh, and if you still have some time to kill this morning, here's a nine minute video on counting the M&M's in a jar.

Drink up.

Josh Willingham Hits Grand Slams In Back To Back AB's In The Washington Nationals' 14-6 Win Over The Milwaukee Brewers.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 04:55:38 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

4 months ago: Washington Nationals' Josh Willingham (16) is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a grand slam during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, July 27, 2009, in Milwaukee. The grand slam was his second of the game. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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According to the Stats_MLB Twitter Feed, Josh Willingham became the third player in National League history, and according to an article at CBS Sports.com, the 13th player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one game when he hit grand slams in two straight at bats tonight in Milwaukee. Willingham also tied the franchise record, held by the Expos' Tim Wallach, for RBI's in a game with the 8 he collected tonight in the Nationals' 14-6 win over the Brewers.

Josh Willingham hit his first Grand Slam on a first pitch fastball from Milwaukee right-hander Jeff Suppan with two outs in the fifth inning to put the Nationals up 6-2, but the Brewers responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to pull within one at 6-5 DC. Adam Dunn hit a ground rule double with runners on first and second in the sixth, to make it 7-5 Washington, so it was runners on second and third when Nick Johnson took a one-out walk from Brewers' reliever Mitch Stetter. Stetter was replaced on the mound by right-hander Mark DiFelice and once again, Josh Willingham stepped to the plate. DiFelice threw an 83 mph "fast"ball by Willingham outside for strike one, but the second "heater" was up and out over the plate for the Hammer, and Willingham put it out to left center in a hurry for his second Grand Slam in his second consecutive at bat. 13-5 Nationals, and Ryan Zimmerma--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Ryan Zimmerman hits his 18th HR in the eighth to end the scoring for the evening. 14-6.

Courtesy of MLB.com: Here's the List of Players to Hit Two Grand Slams In One Game:

Tony Lazzeri - NYY- 5/24/1936
Jim Tabor - Red Sox - 7/4/1939
Rudy York - Red Sox - 7/27/1946
Jim Gentile - Orioles - 5/9/1961
Tony Cloninger - Braves - 4/3/1966
Jim Northrup - Tigers - 6/24/1968
Frank Robinson - Orioles - 6/26/1970
Robin Ventura - White Sox - 9/4/1995
Chris Hoiles - Orioles - 8/14/1998
Fernando Tatis - Cardinals - 4/23/1999
Nomar Garciaparra - Red Sox - 5/10/1999
Bill Mueller - Red Sox - 7/29/03
Josh Willingham - Nationals - 7/27/2009

Nationals win, 14-6 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Check Out The SBN's Brewers Blog: Brew Crew Ball GameThread...(Totally Outcommented Them)

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals Win Three Straight Heading Into Deadline...

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 31-68.

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals Win Three Straight Heading Into Deadline...

For the first time since since June 17-20th, when DC took four straight, (two from the New York Yankees, and two in a row over Toronto), the Nationals are on a genuine win streak after taking the last two games of their weekend series with San Diego and now the first of four in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Nationals have had just one other such streak all season, when they won three in a row, (1 from LA and 2 from Arizona) from 5/7-5/09. The Nationals are now just four days away from the 2009 Trading Deadline, and the possibility of trading first baseman Nick Johnson to the San Francisco Giants took a blow Monday when the Giants acquired right-handed first baseman Ryan Garko from the Cleveland Indians. Now the two teams, San Francisco and Boston, who were originally said to be interested in the Nationals' slick fielding, single-hitting, high OBP first baseman, are seemingly out of the running...Will Nick Johnson get traded? Can the Nationals afford to move Josh Willingham? Is Adam Dunn untouchable? Four days to find out...

Can the Riggleman Era Nationals win their fourth-straight Tuesday?

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At Milwaukee Brewers. Game 99 Of 162.

Nyjer Morgan reaches on an excuse-me single that dies in front of the plate. Brewer’s backstop Jason Kendall doesn’t bother throwing to first. Morgan steals second with Cristian Guzman up against Milwaukee righty Jeff Suppan. Guzman K’s when he can’t check his swing on a two-strike curve in the dirt. Ryan Zimmerman pops a 3-1 pitch up over second. Adam Dunn rips a low liner into the shift and Felipe Lopez makes a diving play and throw to first to end the frame...Felipe Lopez lines up the middle for a leadoff single on a fastball from Craig Stammen. Craig Counsell lines out to short. Ryan Braun drills a double to left and Adam Dunn bobbles it, Lopez breaks for home and the relay beats him by five feet. Lopez out at the plate. Prince Fielder goes the other way 3-1 change outside to left for an RBI double. 1-0 Brewers. Cristian Guzman throws out Mike Cameron to end the first.

Nick Johnson grounds back to the mound, Suppan stabs it and throws on target to first. Josh Willingham gets a chest-high fastball that ends up bouncing off the left field wall. Josh Bard works a one-out walk. Alberto "The General" Gonzalez grounds to Felipez Lopez, to J.J. Hardy to Fielder at first, double play...Corey Hart gets hold of a fastball and takes it deep to left and GONE, HR 2-0 Milwaukee. J.J. Hardy flies out to right. Ryan Zimmerman throws out Jason Kendall. Stammen gets Suppan looking.

Craig Stammen doubles to left center off Suppan. Nyjer Morgan lines out to short. Guzman’s groundout moves Stammen to third. Ryan Zimmerman flies to center, but Mike Cameron’s there...Adam Dunn sprints to the left field line and slides into the wall to make a backhand catch on a diving liner by Felipe Lopez. Craig Counsell goes back up the middle for a one-out single. Braun flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center. Prince Fielder ground to short, Guzman tosses to Alberto Gonzalez covering.

Adam Dunn grounds to short, and the shift works against Milwaukee. Dunn safe on an infield single. Nick Johnson K’s swinging over a two-strike sinker. Adam Dunn takes second on a wild pitch from Suppan with Josh Willingham up. Hammer grounds back to the mound. Josh Bard K’s looking and Suppan’s through four with the lead...Mike Cameron grounds out to start the Brewers’ fourth. Craig Stammen gets a line drive to right from Corey Hart for out No. 2. J.J. Hardy pushes Nyjer Morgan back to the track and completes his second scoreless of four.

Alberto "The General" Gonzalez doubles on the first pitch of the fifth. Craig Stammen’s bat is wasted on a sac bunt. Nyjer Morgan lines to short right, Corey Hart dives, but comes up empty, Gonzalez scores from third, 2-1 Brewers. Cristian Guzman drives a single through second. Suppann hits Ryan Zimmerman to load the bases for Dunn. Adam Dunn works back from 0-2 to draw a two-out walk and load the bases. Nick Johnson gets an 0-2 slider on the outside edge for a called strike three. Josh Willingham gets first pitch hanger and he lifts it to left and, oh, it’s GONE!! GRAND SLAM!!! 6-2 Nationals. Josh Bard grounds out to end the fifth...Jason Kendall hits a high chopper to third and over a drawn in Zimmerman. Jeff Suppan sacs Kendall over to third. Felipe Lopez’s infield single scores Kendall, and is too deep in the hole at short for a throw, 6-3 DC. Nyjer Morgan gets under a flyout from Craig Counsell. Ryan Braun takes a 2-1 pitch that gets by DC backstop Josh Bard. Ryan Braun, oh no, fly ball to deeeep center and GONE!! Two-run HR, 5-4 Nationals. Prince Fielder goes the other way with a two-out single. Jason Bergmann’s on and he gets Mike Cameron swinging.

Jeff Suppan walks Alberto Gonzalez after the Brewers fight their way back. Jason Bergmann tries to bunt, but hits it down and back to the catcher, who tags and throws to first, but they never tag Gonzalez, who’s ruled safe. Weird play. Nyjer Morgan singles on a line drive to center, and takes second when Cameron throws to the infield. Crisitan Guzman doubles both runners in with a line drive to the right field corner. 8-4 Nationals. Suppan’s out after walking Zimmerman intentionally. Adam Dunn crushes a fastball from the Brewers’ reliever Mitch Stetter. Ground rule double, 9-5 Nationals. Nick Johnson walks. Josh Willingham gets a fat fastball outside from Mark DiFelice and he takes it DEEEEEEEP TO LEFT CENTER AND GONE!! ANOTHER GRAND SLAM!!!!!! 13-5 DC!!! Mike Cameron catches two fly balls from Josh Bard and Alberto Gonzalez in succession to end the Nationals’ sixth...Jason Bergmann gets a groundout from Corey Hart to start the seventh. Ryan Braun goes down chasing. Jason Kendall walks with two down. Jody Gerut hits a two-out double to score Kendall. 13-6 Nationals. Felips Lopez singles to center, Gerut rounds third, Nyjer Morgan charges in and unloads toward home, on the mark and on time, Bard makes the tag, "You’rrrrrrrre OUT !!!" yells the Ump!!! NMIMH!!! Nyjer Morgan Is My Hero!!!

Anderson Hernandez grounds out to short. Brewers’ lefty R.J.Swindle gets Nyjer Morgan and Cristian Guzman to ground out to end the top of the seventh...Sean Burnett’s on against Craig Counsell. Counsell grounds to first, Nick Johnson fields and throws to the pitcher covering. Ryan Braun takes a one-out walk. Prince Fielder grounds out to Anderson Hernandez at second. Burnett walks Mike Cameron in front of Corey Hart. Hart K’s looking at a low two-strike slider from Burnett.

Ryan Zimmerman takes a high fastball to left center and over Mike Cameron, who climbs the wall but can’t reach it, Ryan Zimmer-- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! 14-6 Nationals. Austin Kearns is on for Adam Dunn, and he grounds out to J.J. Hardy at short. Nick Johnson K’s swinging at a sharp slider across the plate. Willingham gets an eephus from R.J. Swindle, who ends the inning there...Logan Kensing gives up a long fly ball to left center, J.J Hardy’s robbed by a sprinting Nyjer Morgan. Frank Catalanotto grounds out to Anderson Hernandez, and Kensing gets Mike Rivera to fly to right to end the eighth.

Brewers’ righty Chris Smith saws off Josh Bard and gets a groundout to second. Alberto Gonzalez and Anderson Hernandez both ground out to end the top of the ninth...Logan Kensing gets a ground ball from Felipe Lopez to third. Craig Counsell flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center. Ryan Braun delays the inevitable with a single through short. Prince Fielder K’s swinging to end the game. Nationals win, 14-6.

Nationals now 31-68.

Graph of the Day II: 2009 All-Star Starting Player's UZR/150 Values

Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:00:12 -0000

Here is a quick look at the UZR/150 values for the elected starters of the All-Star game along with the totals for each team. Since Pedoria (family) and Beltran (injury) will not be starting to the game but their replacements in the starting lineup have not been announced and when they are, I will add the information. The AL looks to be putting a stronger defensive team on the field if you use these numbers.

Raul Ibanez is moved to RF in the following chart and graphs

	National League Starters
Position	Name	Team	UZR/150
1B	Albert Pujols	STL	-2.3
2B	Chase Utley	PHI	1.8
SS	Hanley Ramirez	FLA	-0.4
3B	David Wright	NYM	-10.3
RF	Raul Ibanez	PHI	-0.4
CF	Carlos Beltran	NYM	-7.5
LF	Ryan Braun	MIL	-6.2
		Total =	-25.3
	American League Starters
Position	Name	Team	UZR/150
1B	Mark Teixeira	NYY	-4.3
2B	Dustin Pedroia	BOS	8.6
SS	Derek Jeter	NYY	1.4
3B	Evan Longoria	TB	14.1
RF	Ichiro Suzuki	SEA	13.4
CF	Josh Hamilton	TEX	19.9
LF	Jason Bay	BOS	-9.8
		Total =	43.3

Brewers Contacted Braves About Acquiring Javier Vazquez

Matt Buggenhagen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:21:57 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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According to ESPN.com Jerry Crasnick, the Milwaukee Brewers placed a call to the Atlanta Braves about the possibility of acquiring starter Javier Vazquez.

However, it doesn't appear the two sides will be able to complete a deal unless Brewers GM Doug Melvin is willing to part ways with one of his best prospects Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar. Melvin has balked at the idea of trading either prospect in the past. Here is what he recently said about the idea of giving up Gamel or Escobar.

"Highly unlikely, it's almost impossible, you never say never but it's not my focus at all. Those young players are very valuable."

Yesterday Brewers all-star Ryan Braun publicly criticized the teams starting pitching.

"No matter who is in there, we have to find a way to throw the ball better for us to have success. I think when you're constantly behind in games, its' not easy and it's not fun."

The Braves are only four games out in the NL East, and Vazquez has been one of the most dominant starters in baseball with 130 strikeouts and 23 walks, so Atlanta GM Frank Wren isn't going to make a deal unless he's overwhelmed. Vazquez gives him a huge chip in a weak trade market for starters.

Unlike what happened with CC Sabathia last year, Vazquez would represent more than a rental for Milwaukee. He is signed through the end of next season, and would be owed $11.5 million in 2010.

The Brewers, like a lot of teams I believe are going to be patient and wait out the next few weeks to see how the market develops. As of today there is a plethora of contending teams, but as we approach the July 31 deadline expect several teams to drop out. The market is bare right now, but given the likely hood that several teams will drop out, more players should soon become available. It doesn't seem like anybody wants to make a deal for a pitcher until the market begins to open up. The price for any elite starter is just out of control right now, but as always it tends to decrease, as we get closer to July 31.

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Poll

Should Brewers GM Doug Melvin part with either Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar in order to acquire Javier Vazquez?

Yes

108 votes

No

92 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

All-Star Game Starters Announced (Pujols and Jeter Top Vote Getters)

Matt Buggenhagen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:50:35 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

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The All-Star game starters have been announced, and as usually their are a few surprises. Here is a list of the complete rosters.

Here are some early thoughts on the rosters.

American League-

Josh Hamilton no disrespect but you have no business being there. I'll be excited if you're in the home run derby, but that's about all you deserve.

Mark Teixeira- I said about a week ago I thought Tex would edge out Youk, and in the end and it looks like I was right. I don't have a problem with this decision either way, their both great ballplayers.

Derek Jeter- Top vote getter. Do you need anymore proof that this is a popularity contest.

Joe Mauer- Probably should have been the top vote getter.

Dustin Pedoria- No problem here, just somewhat surprising, seemed like Kinsler was leading from Day one, guess he ran out of time.

And just a side note congratulations to Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox, much deserved all-star spot.

National League-

Albert Pujols- Enough said! Hometown hero, and unquestionably the best hitter in the game today.

Raul Ibanez- Career year, clearly deserving.

David Wright- Down year in terms of power, but still batting well over .300. Has been the one constant for the Mets this year.

Yadier Molina- By default. Hometown vote, benefits from a weak catching group in the NL.

That's about it at first glance. We'll have some more detailed thoughts on this throughout the day. However, we would love to hear from you the fans. What are your early thoughts on the all-star rosters? Who was left out? Who shouldn't be there? Comment away!

AL STARTERS
STARTERS
Position	Player	Team
C	Joe Mauer	Twins
1B	Mark Teixeira	Yankees
2B	Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox
SS	Derek Jeter	Yankees
3B	Evan Longoria	Rays
OF	Ichiro Suzuki	Mariners
OF	Jason Bay	Red Sox
OF	*Josh Hamilton	Rangers

NL STARTERS
STARTERS
Position	Player	Team
C	Yadier Molina	Cardinals
1B	Albert Pujols	Cardinals
2B	Chase Utley	Phillies
SS	Hanley Ramirez	Marlins
3B	David Wright	Mets
OF	Ryan Braun	Brewers
OF	*Raul Ibanez	Phillies
OF	*Carlos Beltran	Mets

Braves Looking to Trade Yunel Escobar and Javier Vasquez?

Matt Buggenhagen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:32:05 -0000

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According to ESPN.com Buster Olney, the Atlanta Braves may consider trading infielder Yunel Escobar, and pitcher Javier Vasquez, in order to acquire a big bat in return.

The Braves currently rank 22^nd in the majors in runs scored and 20^th in OPS could certainly use a big offensive addition. However, parting ways with Vasquez (who would immediately become the best pitcher on the market) might be tough to do given the fact that the team is only three games behind the NL East leading Phillies.

The emergence of Tommy Hanson has certainly given the Braves some flexibility within their rotation, which makes the idea of moving Vasquez somewhat possible.

The Braves by all indications don't have much payroll wiggle room, so it's believed that any sort of trade would have to be a dollar-for-dollar type deal. That alone greatly reduces the chances of anything realistically happening.

Starting pitching has steadily become a premium item in this current market, and given the lack of available depth, a player of Vasquez quality could be an extremely valuable commodity. In Escobar's case there are several teams that are looking for added help in the middle infield, which could give the Braves multiple suitors for his services. Here are six teams Olney believes could be potential options.

Boston Red Sox:

On the surface it looks like the Red Sox could be the perfect trade partner for the Braves. Only problem is it would most likely require them involving a third team. The Braves are looking for a big bat, and the Red Sox have no obvious trade choices in that department, however, they have what every other team wants and that's pitching. Here are some scenarios.

They could engage the Brewers about Corey Hart, or the Indians about someone like Shin-Soo Choo or Matt LaPorta. The Red Sox could flip a pitcher to another team, and that team could flip a hitter to the Braves. Boston also could eat a lot of money on Julio Lugo's contract and hand him over to Atlanta, as a short-term stopgap at shortstop.

Kansas City Royals:

This could be a real easy swap. Braves send over Escobar, who would fill a much needed void for the Royals, and the Royals send over Mark Teahan, whose solid offensive production and versatility would be a perfect match for the Braves. In addition if the Royals eat some of the contract of Jeff Francouer the Braves could include him in the deal. Apparently Royals GM Dayton Moore has liked Francouer for some time.

Milwaukee Brewers:

The Brewers definitely would have no interest in Escobar, but acquiring Vasquez would be intriguing for them. They have plenty of big bats on their team, but don't expect them to part with Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder. An obvious choice would be moving Corey Hart for Javier Vasquez.

Minnesota Twins:

Have a few expendable pieces that they could move for Escobar Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span or Delmon Young. Look for Span to be the likely choice if the Braves elected to deal with the Twins, however, it doesn't seem to be a great match for either team. I'm not sure Span fits the mold of "big bat", but he does have big upside, so who knows.

Los Angeles Dodgers:

They would love to add someone like Vasquez to their rotation especially after loosing Derek Lowe in the offseason. They have some real quality young bats, but I can't imagine them trading any of them. Juan Pierre could be a name that interests the Braves, he bat .318 during Manny Ramirez absence, but in all likelihood the Braves would be looking for more of a power hitter.

Oakland Athletics

Matt Holliday alert! Matt Holliday alert! The A's would certainly be interested in acquiring Escobar, who could be a long-term solution for them at shortstop. In exchange the A's could give up Matt Holliday and Orland Cabrera (could fill shortstop position for the Braves short-term), and the A's probably would be willing to eat a bit of their salary as well.

In the end if I had to pick one team who is the best fit it has to be the Boston Red Sox. While understandably deals can become more complicated when trying to involve a third team, everybody wants the Red Sox's pitching. I'm not sure what they have in Jed Lowerie, and I'm not sure it matters because he's not as good as Escobar. However, all word out of Boston is they are not going to be making any deals until they have a better understanding of Mike Lowell's injury. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, at that point it might be too late.

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Poll

Which player would you expect to have a greater impact on a contending team?

Yunel Escobar

45 votes

Javier Vasquez

170 votes

215 votes | Poll has closed