Category: Linescores of the Day

Tony Clark, Arizona Diamondbacks

2 for 6, 2 HR, 2 runs, 5 rbis

Hitting .310 with 25 homers and 20 doubles, Tony is surprising everyone by having quite a year for Arizona.  But no one is more surprised than the managers in my Illowa APBA League. 

See even though the IAL is a continous ownership league, we are, under certain circumstances allowed to drop a player.  Well, the owner of Clark saw fit to drop him and when that happens, that player can usually can be had for a song.  No IAL manager saw the need or desire to pick him up.  I’m sure a lot of us are wishing we had given Clark a second look.

Even with Pujols at first, I certainly could have used him for trade bait..

 

J J Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers

4 for 6, 1 GS, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, 2 runs

Defensive specialist J J Hardy got offensive Wednesday. Hardy is the Milwaukee Brewers rookie shortstop who might be the best defensive shortstop in the National League right now, if not all of baseball. Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds he showed it’s not all about the glove. J J hit a grand salami in the 6th, to go along with two doubles, while driving in six in the contest. Hardy missed most of last season with a shoulder injury and the Brewers thought it would take a half season for him to recover. His club looks to be right on with this assessment as he’s batted .308, with five of his six homers, and 23 of his 42 RBIs since the All Star break, raising his average to .235.

David Dellucci, Texas Rangers

2 for 5, HR, run, 5 rbis

Batting leadoff didn’t prevent Dellucci from collecting five ribbies.  He did this thanks to a grand slam in the second inning and a base knock in the fourth. 

Kudos to my fantasy league firstbaseman Mark Teixeira who in the same game, joined some select company.  Along with Joe DiMaggio, Ralph Kiner, Eddie Matthews and Albert Pujols, Teixeira became the fifth major leaguer to collect 100 homers in first three seasons. 

Aaron Small, New York Yankees

9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (Win)

Small, taking the place of the injured Mussina, did not disappoint the Yankee faithful.  He breezed through the Oakland lineup pitching a five-hit game for his first career shutout. 

Small has been pitching off and on in the majors since 1994 but this year has made the most of his time since coming up with the Yanks.  Since joining them in July, he’s 6-0 with a 2.42 ERA.  With the Yankees’ staff in shambles, this is the kind of production they need from him.

Two LSOTD today, from two very different players.  One rookie, one veteran.

Mark Teahen, Kansas City Royals

4 for 5, 2 2B, run, 3 rbis

Teahen came up to the majors with a lot of promise.  I recall someone (maybe it was DonS) saying he was the real deal.  So far, he hasn’t shown a lot of offense, hitting .238 with 3 homeruns.  He did his job last night though KC lost anyway 8-7 to the Rangers.

Scott Hatteberg,  Oakland Athletics

3 for 5, 2B, HR, 2 runs, 4 rbis

This is Hatteberg’s 11th season in the bigs.  That’s kinda hard to believe for a catcher-turned-firstbaseman with no real power and a batting average that over the years has hovered around .270-.290.  In the last 4 years, he’s been the A’s full-time firstbaseman (with some time at DH). In those 4 years, he’s has had as many homeruns (49) as some have had in one season.  Yet, the A’s find a reason to play him.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy.  He’s scrappy and hits in the clutch.

But I probably wouldn’t pick him for my fantasy team.

 

Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

8 1/3 IP, 0 runs, 6 hits, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts

Ervin Santana was brilliant as he mastered the Oakland A’s 3-0. The win brought the Angels into a 1st place tie with the Athletics. Santana a 22 year old righthander out of the Dominican Republic kept the A’s hitters off balance mixing up his 96 MPH heater with changeups and a sharp breaking ball. He has poise beyond his years. DonS plays, “Black Magic Woman” everytime this kid takes the hill. Hey DonS, you’re going to wear that vinyl out!

Randy Johnson, New York Yankees
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Johnson 7 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 Ks
Hernandez 8 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, 7 Ks

What a pitching matchup! These types of ballgames are what baseball is all about. Randy Johnson of the New York Yankees matched up against his old mates the Seattle Mariners and phenom Felix Hernandez. The grizzled veteran southpaw against the young gun righthander. This pitching duel played out before a packed Seattle ballpark of 47,447 fans and the game did not disappoint. The five time Cy Young Award winner limited the home team to just three hits over seven innings of work for a 2-0 win. While the 19-year-old sensation allowed the Bronx Bombers two runs in his eight innings on the hill. Rookie Robinson Cano took a Hernandez changeup over the RF wall in the 3rd. Then Gary Sheffiled (the quickest bat in the game today) turned a 98 MPH heater around in the 4th sending it far into the LF stands. The Big Unit will be 42 years old on September 10th, but he still showed a lot of emotion as he pumped his fist and yelled when getting big outs in key moments throughout the game.

Jason Giambi, New York Yankees

2 for 3, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 walk

New York was trailing the Mariners 4-0 going into the top of the 5th in Seattle when Jason Giambi took things into his own hands. Giambi launched a solo shot off starter Ryan Franklin to get New York on the board. Then he hit a three run blast off reliever Matt Thornton in the 6th to give the Bronx Bombers the lead 5-4. The Yankees never looked back winning 7-4. It was Jason’s 2nd straight game with two homers, and this one wasn’t off Greinke.

Jason Giambi, New York Yankees
Jeff Weaver, Los Angeles Dodgers

3 for 3, 2 HR’s, 7 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 walk
8 IP, 0 runs, 7 hits, 10 K’s, 0 walks

Both of these players deserved Linescore of the Day with asterisks. Jason Giambi’s came against the Kansas City Royals Zack Greinke. Jeff Weaver was matched up against Roger Clemens and beat the Houston Astros 1-0. The reason for the asterisks is obvious. EVERYBODY hits Greinke and NOBODY allows Astro runs when the Rocket starts.