-I live about 25 minutes from the Canadian border and got my Master's degree from a college that you could walk out of and see Canada from. So our neighbors to the north hold a special place in my heart to say the least. Great things from their country include: Niagara Falls, the ballet in Niagara Falls, the two casinos in Niagara Falls, nice beaches, hockey night in Canada, Niagara-on-the-Lake (|STAR|great|STAR| ice wine and if you're a fan of dry reisling), coins worth more than a dollar, universal health care, John Cougar Mellencamp, the phrase "eh", many, many lakes, high taxes (maybe not good), maple syrup, Jason Bay, Blake Hawksworth, Erik Bedard, Jesse Crain, Rich Harden, Eric Gagne, George Kottaras (mentioned later), Russell Martin, Justin Morneau, Jeff Francis, Joey Votto and Ryan Dempster. On a serious note, if you ever want to visit Niagara Falls, the Canadian side is ridiculously better than the American side. It's a pain to cross the border but well worth it. Ok, enough rambling, onto today's baseball notes. And there is no real ballet in Niagara Falls, figure it out for yourself...
Notables:
-USA Today is reporting that A.J. Hinch has been fired as manager of the Diamondbacks. When your team has given up the most home runs, most blown saves (thanks Chad Qualls) and worst ERA, this fate shouldn't be a surprise. He can now spend some time golfing with Freddy Gonzalez. Dodger's hero Kirk Gibson takes over for now.
-Alex Rodriguez hit his 12th home run which proved to be the game winner in the bottom of the eighth inning even though he thought it was the ninth. Last year he hit seven home runs in July with five stolen bases. I'd target him in trade talks and look at giving up pitching (like Ubaldo Jimenez) to get him. The Yankees have seven more games at home than away this season and (not shockingly) ARod has shown a better home than away split.
-Carlos Santana (insert redundant joke here) broke a six-game hitting streak going 0-for-2 at the dish. The important note to take from here was his two walks and his 15:9 BB:K ratio and .467 OBP since joining the Tribe. Think a 2.0 version of John Jaso and the four home runs are more than Joe Mauer's three.
-Justin Masterson was awesome, pitching eight shutout innings before giving up a run in the ninth. He's now up to 94.2 innings this year after throwing less than 130 total last season. Consider him a "limited innings" candidate for the second half. I'll be writing Dave Regan's Mound Musings next week and have some thoughts on him, including why left-handed batters have had so much success against him. Wait with baited breath.
-Matt LaPorta hit his third home run in as many days. I guess regular playing time without worrying about being benched helps a young player's psyche. Amazing.
-The summer of Livan continued as the portly Cuban held the Mets to one run over seven innings. He also struck out seven without a walk and lowered his ERA to 2.98. In the same game Johan Santana was equal to the task, allowing one run over seven innings with seven Ks himself. That was the most strikeouts since April 17th, so there may be some truth to the idea that he was tipping his pitches.
-Trevor Cahill held the Orioles to one run over seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.74 in the process. In his last nine starts he's 7-0 with a 2.12 ERA. Isn't this the correct choice for the Athletics' All-Star? Teammate Ryan Sweeney went 4-for-5 to raise his batting average to .303. Another teammate, Cliff Pennington also went 4-for-5 and is now hitting .366 for the month of June plus a day.
Save Chances:
-Francisco Cordero, converted. Cordero got a favorable call from the first base umpire to end the game when the replay clearly showed Tyler Colvin beat the throw on a double play ball.
-Frank "Pee-Wee" Herrmann, converted. Herrmann got a game-ending double play to get his first big league save. Better movie, Big Adventure or Big-Top? Discuss below.
-John Axford, converted. He's now 9-for-9 with save opportunities even though he supposedly isn't the official closer.
-Jon Rauch, blown. With two outs, Rauch gave up a single to Carl Crawford, then a double to Evan Longoria which tied the game. Better fantasy third baseman going forward, Longo or ARod? Discuss below.
Other Closer Outings:
-David Aardsma took the loss by giving up a two-homer in the eighth inning with the game tied. 0-5 with a 5.33 ERA is not good for a closer with a nice home park for pitching. Is it long before we see Brandon League closing games?
-Matt Capps got the win after throwing a clean slate in the top of the ninth and watched his team get him the win in the bottom of the inning.
-Carlos Marmol made things interesting, loading the bases with one out before working full counts to Orlando Cabrera and Joey Votto. He got both players to swing at ball four to get out of the jam. Interesting note: base runners are 7-for-7 in the stolen base department against him.
Non-Closer Outings:
-Jordan Smith picked up the win for the Reds and has done a fine job since making the jump from Double-A ball. His minor league numbers don't suggest anything special here but he was used in a critical situation today and came through.
-Evan Meek tossed two scoreless frames, lowering his ERA to 0.98. If Dotel is traded, be ready to pounce.
Tough Days:
-Shaun Marcum was touched up for five earned runs over four innings. Owners should note: his home ERA is 2.52, away is now 4.36.
Injuries/Lineup-ology:
-The most crushing news to owners was the timetable for Chase Utley's return from thumb surgery – not until September. To make matters worse for the Phillies, Placido Polanco will miss 3-4 weeks as well. Brian Schneider left today's game with a hand injury, leaving only one healthy catcher on the roster. Might we see Jayson Werth (who was drafted as a catcher) behind the plate this weekend?
-Daric Barton was removed from Thursday's game with what is being labeled as a knee contusion. Consider him day-to-day.
-Elijah Dukes signed with the Newark Bears of the Independent Atlantic League. Umpires there need to watch for flying bats.
-Luke Scott went on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury. If you saw him rounding the bases after his home run yesterday, you'll agree he probably won't be back in 15 days.
-Jason Varitek has a broken foot and will miss 4-6 weeks. If you're absolutely desperate for a catcher, Kevin Cash is your man.
Stolen Bases:
-Ryan Langerhans (3), Shane Victorino (17), Raul Ibanez (2), Cliff Pennington (12), Corey Patterson (13), Ben Zobrist (14), Carl Crawford (28), Orlando Hudson (6), Alcides Escobar (6), Dexter Fowler 2 (8), Carlos Gonzalez (12), Aaron Rowand (2), Denard Span (16)
Caught Stealing:
Home Runs:
-Alex Rodriguez (12), Robinson Cano (16, AL MVP so far?), Matt LaPorta (4), Shelley Duncan (4 – went back-to-back with LaPorta and hit it in the exact same spot), Wilson Valdez (4), Albert Pujols (19), Prince Fielder (18), George Kottaras (6), Casey McGehee (13), Carlos Gonzalez (13, three homers in four games now), Buster Posey (2), Delmon Young (9), Jason Michaels (5)
Called Up:
-Josh Bell, 3B, Baltimore-The third baseman of the future for the O's was called up today and could get some playing time with the injury to Luke Scott. He had 10 home runs at Triple-A but his 26.2|PERCENT| strikeout suggests he won't have any fantasy value this season.
Pickups:
-In case you missed it, I recommended Cliff Pennington, Matt Joyce and Matt LaPorta in Mark's Stopa's Barometer column this week (I'm not Nostradamus, I also upgraded Jake Fox who is doing what he did in Oakland - sit the bench) and my mid-week recommendation is Dexter Fowler. Fowler swiped two bags tonight during a 3-for-5 effort. He raked at his quick stop at Triple-A, posting a 1.001 OPS over 106 at-bats. If you need speed (don't forget his five SB effort against San Diego last April) take a chance on him.
Late Games:
-Because I'm old (33) and live on the east coast it's bedtime. I'll update the late games; Jered Weaver is tossing another gem while Jon Garland is learning that giving up six walks isn't good. Garland entered tonight with a home/away split for ERA of 2.34/3.97. Gotta love Petco.