Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

Coming into 2012, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are in a rather unique position. Very few important pieces are leaving this team via free agency, and they were already an 86-win team over the previous season. The core of a fairly good team is already in place, and all of their good players are returning for 2012. But look a little deeper at this team, and you’ll find that the Angels already have a fair amount of payroll tied up in their veterans, and that the team doesn’t have a huge amount of room for improvement from within. To make the leap to the top of the AL West, and to overtake the two-time AL champion Texas Rangers, the Angels will have to have a creative offseason, and make a few moves to push the team forward.

First, it’s important to see which players are on their way out of Anaheim. With very few important free agents, and easy decisions on their arbitration-eligible players, it is easy to see who the crucial losses are for 2012. Joel Piniero, Russell Branyan, and Fernando Rodney are the three free agents who might be the biggest losses for the Angels, but in many ways, these losses can be considered addition by subtraction. Branyan was a mid-season pickup who contributed very little in his time with the team, failing to hit for his signature power. With Mark Trumbo and a hopefully healthy Kendrys Morales in the fold, Russ is very unlikely to return. Meanwhile, Joel Piniero provided 140 innings at the back of the Angel rotation, but wasn’t terribly effective in those innings, and he doesn’t look to be back either. Finally, Fernando Rodney was pretty awful since joining the Angels, logging exactly 100 major league innings at about replacement level. Rodney wasn’t exactly what the Angels had in mind when signed to stabilize the bullpen, and he’s certainly gone as well. All in all, the Angels are watching a pinch-hitter, a poor #4 starter, and an average-to-bad reliever walk, and no one in Anaheim is going to be too disappointed to watch any of them leave.

With these losses in mind, this Angel squad has several areas in which they can improve. Most importantly, the team can use more pitching both in the rotation and in the bullpen. The Halos are lucky to have two terrific arms at the top of the rotation in Jered Weaver (18 wins, 2.41 ERA) and Dan Haren (2.98 FIP, 5.82 K/BB), while Ervin Santana remains a solid #3 starter. But the back end of the rotation, especially with the loss of Piniero, could use an overhaul. If the Angels keep either Tyler Chatwood or Jerome Williams in the rotation, they’ll still need to add another starter before the season starts, and finding one who pitches better than Chatwood or Piniero would be ideal. As for the bullpen, while Jordan Walden was a revelation in 2011, and Scott Downs provides a solid setup arm, the team could use one or two more reliable arms in the bullpen before Mike Scioscia is truly comfortable at the ends of ballgames.

The Angels could also use improvement in several positions where they already have established regulars. Though the Angels appear committed to leaving Vernon Wells and Jeff Mathis in their spots at left field and catcher, the team could certainly improve by replacing either of these players. Bobby Abreu still gets on base, but an improvement at the DH slot is also a possibility. And though Alberto Callaspo has been a solid regular over the last couple of years, Angel fans yearn for the days of Troy Glaus at the hot corner, and the team could look to add more power at third base.

The Angels don’t have too many players who could be considered untouchable, or who should be deadly confident on their position with the team. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana anchor the Angel rotation, and no one doubts the abilities of Jordan Walden or Scott Downs in the bullpen. Those players are as close to sure things as you’ll find in the majors. But as far as position players go, only Howie Kendrick (.285/.338/.464) and Torii Hunter (.262/.336/.429) look to be sure things out in the field. There’s probably too much money and effort invested into Bobby Abreu to knock him loose from the DH slot, and despite being one of the worst everyday players in the majors last year, Vernon Wells is probably guaranteed his spot in left field due to his track record and pedigree. And as much as it drives Angel fans crazy, Jeff Mathis appears to be entrenched behind the plate. No matter how badly he hits, Mike Scioscia appears committed to Mathis and his ability to defend and handle the pitching staff. So unless something changes, you can expect these guys to remain standing in their respective postions.

With Mike Trout banging down the door as a potential long-term center fielder, Peter Bourjos has been the subject of some trade talk, but Bourjos is an excellent young player, and the Angels would be well-advised to keep him in the fold unless they are overwhelmed with an offer. The Angel farm system isn’t exactly stocked full of high-profile prospects, so to add players, the team would be well-served in dealing major league talent. The Angels definitely have depth in their infield, with four solid players for three infield positions. Howie Kendrick should be locked in at second base, but Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis, and Alberto Callaspo all are solid regulars, and only two can play every day on the left side of the infield. In addition, Mark Trumbo and Kendrys Morales are both solid 1B options – with Bobby Abreu dominating the DH slot, and Morales ready to return from his injury issues, either Trumbo or Morales might be a trade option for a team looking for punch at first.

The one young player poised to make the biggest impact in 2012 for the Angels has to be aforementioned super-prospect Mike Trout. Trout didn’t exactly set the world on fire during his audition in 2011, only managing a handful of homers and a terrible,VernonWells-esque .281 OBP in 40 games. But Trout was only 19 in his major league debut, and still has all the tools to be an elite player at the major league level: blinding speed, solid defensive chops, and the ability to hit for power and average. The Angels boosted Trout from Double-A directly to the majors, and I expect the team will try to give their young star a little seasoning in Triple-A before making him a regular part of theLos Angeleslineup. But once an injury comes up in the outfield, or if the phenom gets off to a blistering start inSaltLake, Trout will patrol the outfield grass at Angel Stadium in 2012. Expect Mike Trout to be a fixture in the Angel outfield for years to come.

All in all, the Angels have the makings of a solid team, if not one that is unquestioned masters of their four-team division. If they are going to challenge the Rangers and the rest of the AL, they’ll need to make changes and squeeze every possible advantage from the market, and complement their solid core by replacing their poor performers like Wells, Mathis, and Piniero with better options.

Bryan Grosnick
Contributor at RotoHardball.com
Contributor at CloserNews.com
@bgrosnick

Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

The Diamondbacks should have a quiet off-season – not because they’re hamstrung by bad contracts, ownership changes or small-market dollars, but because they’ve done a good job locking up players and shopping the value section of the free-agent marketplace. They’d love a starting pitcher, some more offense at third base, and possibly a more offensively consistent CF, but if they can’t find it those a reasonable price, they’ve got some decent in-house options with which to try and repeat as NL West champions.

Key Free Agents Leaving The Team
The Diamondbacks rid themselves of most of their free agents long before the 2011 season ended, jettisoning 1B Russell Branyan, RHP Aaron Heilman and 3B Melvin Mora. OF/1B Xavier Nady ended the year on the DL and is unlikely to return. Frequent pinch-hitter Sean Burroughs could leave if another team thinks they could make more use of him, as could Lyle Overbay, who played just 18 games after being released by the Pirates.

Key Areas Needing Improvement
The tattooed Ryan Roberts appears to be the starter at 3B, but his offensive numbers leave a bit to be desired. There’s no questioning his work ethic and energy, but should a better bat come along, the D-backs would be foolish not to consider it.

Likewise, CF Chris Young is under contract through 2013 with a club option in 2014, but given his off-and-on performance, there has to be some speculation how long his offensive inconsistencies will be tolerated, despite being an above average defender.

Pieces That Are In Place
The majority of Arizona’s roster seems set for 2012: RF Justin Upton is locked up through 2015, and could prove to be one of the best bargains in baseball. He’s signed for just under $7MM in 2012, with his salary maxed out at $14.7MM in 2015. LF Gerardo Parra will be around league minimum as he isn’t arbitration eligible until 2013, and could evolve into a solid player when he puts all his tools together. CF Chris Young will also be back, unless the concerns mentioned earlier result in a new player coming in.

Likewise, the majority of the infield from 2011 will return: SS Stephen Drew is locked up at $7.75MM, though he’ll be coming back from surgery on both a broken ankle and a sports hernia. 1B Paul Goldschmidt and 3B Ryan Roberts will be back, while the club resigned UT Willie Bloomquist, 2B Aaron Hill and SS John McDonald.

The starting rotation will have RHPs Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Josh Collmenter back for near league minimum, and could end up delivering some of the best bang for the buck. Wade Miley is also under team control, and after seven decent starts in 2011, could be the 5^th starter. Several in-house prospects could also make a case for a starting gig: the potential battle between Jarrod Parker, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs and Patrick Corbin should make spring training very interesting.

The bullpen has closer J.J. Putz in the second year of his two-year deal, earning $4.5MM with a club option for 2013 or a $1.5MM buyout. Setup man RHP David Hernandez and LHP Joe Paterson are under team control, while Juan Gutierrez missed most of 2011 with a right shoulder injury but could become the 7^th inning guy the D-backs need. RHP Brad Ziegler should also be back, though he struggled at times to be the effective reliever the D-backs expected when they traded for him in 2011. RHP Micah Owings could be the long-man out of the bullpen, as well as a spot starter and pinch-hitter. RHP Sam Demel is questionable after a rough 2011, but will be in the mix. A number of pitchers that split time between Triple-A Reno and Phoenix could make the roster, including Ryan Cook, Bryan Shaw and Zack Kroenke, Each has shown some potential, but if and how they fit into the bullpen will be determined during spring training.

The catchers are also set, with Miguel Montero eligible for arbitration. He wants a long-term deal and the D-backs would like to keep him around, thought there’s been disagreement on terms. Backup Henry Blanco signed a one-year deal for $1.2MM, while Konrad Schmidt waits behind them at Triple-A.

Possible Trade Pieces Within The Organization
LHP Joe Saunders is up for arbitration, and the D-backs are in a dilemma with him – while he’d be welcomed back at a reasonable salary, an arbitration decision could turn him into an overpaid pitcher. The D-backs will likely need a starter; the question is whether they can find a better deal than Saunders on the open market or in-house.

3B/1B Geoff Blum has a $1.35MM deal for 2012, though after an injury-plagued 2011 his outlook is questionable.

The minor league outfielders may have the hardest time cracking the big leagues, given the defensive prowess and youth of Upton, Young and Parra, plus the versatility of Roberts and Bloomquist to backup those spots. If a deal needed to be made, Collin Cowgill, Cole Gillespie and David Winfree could certainly be included without straining the organization.

Any Moves Already Completed
The Diamondbacks inked SS John McDonald to a two-year, $3MM deal on Nov. 2, then utility man Willie Bloomquist accepted his invitation to return the team after some communication problems seemed to indicate he wouldn’t be back. Henry Blanco signed a one-year deal two days after electing free agency, while 2B Aaron Hill cashed in on a offensive resurgence after being traded to Arizona in August, agreeing to a two-year, $11MM deal.

One young player in the minors to see time in 2012.
Jarrod Parker would be the most likely player to see a fair amount of time in a D-backs uniform in 2012. The 23-year-old got one start on Sept. 27 against the Dodgers as a taste of the big leagues to keep him motivated in the off-season. He made a steady progression through the minors, posting an 11-8 mark with a 3.79 ERA in 26 starts at Double-A Mobile in 2011, offering a four-pitch mix of low 90s fastballs, curves and sliders around 80 mph and a slow curve that will hover around 70 mph. He’ll have competition from several other minor league pitchers as the D-backs have stocked up on starting pitching, so don’t be surprised to see several fresh faces on the mound in 2012.

Patrick Lagreid
BaseballOnMyBrain.com
@PatLagreid

It did not happen that way.  The Mariners slipped to another 101 loss season in 2010.

From a high of 794 runs scored in 2007, Seattle scored 123 fewer runs in 2008.  It stood to reason, given they went from an 88-win team to a 61-win team.  Yet even though they rebounded in 2009 to win those 85 games, they actually scored fewer runs than the previous year (640 total).  Last year they allowed virtually the same number of runs to their opponents as they did in 2009 (698 to 692), but set a franchise record for the fewest runs scored in a full season by only plating 513 runs, a 127 run drop from 2010.

Seattle struggled all around the diamond.  Other than Russell Branyan (acquired in June from Cleveland), Mike Sweeney (who went to Philadelphia in August), and Ichiro, no Mariner position player posted an OPS+ over 100.  Following the season General Manager Jack Zduriencik made moves to improve the offense, notably making Justin Smoak the everyday first baseman, Michael Saunders the everday left fielder, and acquiring Jack Cust to become the team’s designated hitter.  Chone Figgins was moved back to third, both in preparations for the expected arrival of prized prospect Dustin Auckley mid-season to play second and with the hope a more familiar position would awaken his bat.

So far it is not working out that way either.  Two-thirds of the Seattle lineup are currently posting worse OPS+ numbers than in 2010, as the following list reveals (Red indicates a lower OPS+ so far in 2011 than in 2010, Green higher, Black no change.  Players at each position are based on data from Baseball Reference).

• Catcher: 2010 44 (Moore), 2011 21 (Olivo)
• First Base: 2010 73 (Kotchman), 2011 161 (Smoak)
• Second Base: 2010 84 (Figgins), 2011 51 (Jack Wilson)
• Third Base: 2010 71 (Lopez), 2011 33 (Figgins)
• Shortstop: 2010 62 (Josh Wilson), 2011 79 (Ryan)
• Left Field: 2010 86 (Saunders), 2011 118 (Bradley)
• Center Field: 2010 87 (Gutierrez), 2011 77 (Saunders)
• Right Field: 2010 113, 2011 111 (Ichiro)
• Designated Hitter: 2010 123 (Branyan), 2011 55 (Cust)

As with all statistical presentations, the 2011 numbers encompass a small sample size, as they represent barely 15% of a total season-worth of effort.  It is likely these players will rebound and hit closer to their career norms, especially Cust, Figgins, and Miguel Olivo.

Franklin Gutierrez’s return will help the lineup defensively, and will also allow Bradley to shift to a DH role, improving the offense overall.  In fact, his return in a couple of weeks may spell the end for Jack Cust, as Geoff Baker writes, unless Cust is able to rediscover his swing and begin hitting line drives with more regularity.

Until this team rebounds at the plate, and in spite of some sparkling pitching so far from Hernandez, Michael Pineda, and Doug Fister, they will continue to struggle to score runs.  Challenging for the top of the division will remain a task for another season.

Mike Metzger is a Senior Writer covering the AL West for BaseballDigest.com.  He can be reached at metzgermg@yahoo.com and followed on Twitter @metzgermg.  Mike blogs about the Cardinals and Padres in his spare time.

The Yankees were able to overcome the right-hander’s shortest outing since May 1, when Vazquez also lasted just three innings, by beating up on Jason Vargas and the Mariners’ bullpen.

Vazquez was diagnosed with a dead arm several starts ago and has regressed rapidly. His last five starts have gone from bad to worse – 6.1, 5.1, 4.1, 4, and 3 innings pitched. He’s been tagged for 16 earned runs in 20 innings and has seen his ERA rise from 4.45 to 5.05 since July 10. He’s also been ripped for 35 hits during the stretch and has walked 12 batters to boot.

Dead arm, tired arm, call it what you want, it’s not something a pitcher can work through. What it does, however, is wear out the bullpen. The Yankees got exceptional work from the pen today, specifically the beleaguered Chad Gaudin who shut down the M’s after entering the game in a 4-4 tie.

When Vazquez has no velocity, which has been the case in his last five starts, he has to be perfect with his location. That’s just as hard to do as it sounds. And when Vazquez doesn’t hit locations, home runs are sure to follow. Today it was a pair from Ichiro Suzuki and a monster upper deck shot, the first in the new Yankee Stadium, to right field by Russell Branyan.

I had a Twitter discussion a short time ago with Jack Curry of YES, who felt there was no need for the Yankees to bring in another starting pitcher. I disagreed then and I do now. How long the call up will last remains to be seen, but Ivan Nova has been summoned from Scranton to take A-Rod’s place on the 25-man roster and is scheduled to start Monday night in Toronto.

With Andy Pettitte probably not back until early September and A.J. Burnett’s continued inconsistency, the Yankees should definitely take a long look at Nova or another minor leaguer. Brian Cashman’s daily to-do list should also include checking the waiver wire for a decent starter. While they’re not likely to land a top notch starter, perhaps a serviceable arm will be available.

With an off day this coming Thursday, manager Joe Girardi is also likely to revise the rotation so that Burnett and Vazquez are not throwing on back to back days.

Speaking of waiver wires, the Detroit News reported earlier today that both Johnny Damon and Brandon Inge have been placed on waivers. Stop before you start, the Yankees do NOT need Damon back. It shouldn’t even be up for discussion.

Inge, on the other hand, should be a player the Yankees put in a claim on. The third baseman is pretty slick with the glove, and though he doesn’t hit for average, he does have pop; he had career highs in HR (27) and RBI (84) last season. Inge’s numbers are down this season, but he missed a large chunk of games with a broken hand. The former catcher could also be used in that position in a pinch- he caught 60 games as recently as 2008, and has some outfield experience as well.

In the meantime, Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena figure to split the bulk of the work at third base. Nunez had his first major league hit and RBI in this afternoon’s contest.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

On the Field

The Mariners actually managed to go .500 on the weak, a vast improvement over their play throughout July, when they contrived to win just six games all month. First up on the homestand was a series against AL-West leading Texas. Fortunately, Seattle avoided Ranger ace Cliff Lee, throwing Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, and Felix Hernandez against Colbey Lewis, C.J. Wilson, and Tommy Hunter. With Vargas and Felix both having legitimately excellent seasons, it was a good opportunity to throw a wrench into Texas’s plans at making a playoff run. The formula seemed to be working on Tuesday, when Gutierrez’s home run put the Mariners on the path to a 3-2 victory, some terrifying bullpen work turning out to be just a wobble. Alas for the team, they crumbled in the two games following, scoring six runs against the Rangers’s eleven on Wednesday and getting shut out on Thursday, losing Michael Saunders to an injury in the process.

The Kansas City Royals were next in line, and they flung Mariner-killer Zack Greinke against Mariner-killer (in a more insidious way) Luke French, but for the first time in team history, the M’s managed to smack Greinke around a little bit. Ryan Langerhans was the star, finishing 3-4 and a triple away from the cycle, as the team snatched the lead in the third inning and never looked back, 7-1 the final score. In a-not-so-amusing twist, the Mariners proceeded to come on the verge of being shut out by Bruce Chen, the soft-tossing lefty’s only blemish against Seattle being a Russell Branyan home run in the fourth. The M’s managed to get the tying run in scoring position with one out in the ninth, but a pair of strikeouts sealed the deal for Kansas City. The rubber game was also close. The Royals took the lead in the 6^th only for Casey Kotchman to take it right back with a two run single to plate Ichiro and Chone Figgins. Figgins singled in Ichiro for an insurance run in the eighth, which turned out to be fortuitous as Alex Gordon stung a pitch from Seattle closer David Aarsdma into the right field seats to close the gap to one with two outs remaining. A close-you-eyes-and-hope lineout from Chris Getz later, and Aardsma was faced with the relatively trivial task of retiring Gregor Blanco on a ground ball to second. .500! It’s so much easier to enjoy baseball when you have low expectations.

Injury Report

Eric Bedard had season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs in his left shoulder on Friday. Bedard hadn’t managed to pitch yet this year, but this was a relatively minor procedure and he’s expected to be healthy again by spring. I’ve heard that before…

Reliever Shawn Kelley is going under the knife for season-ending surgery as well, the right-handed pitcher having suffered from elbow issues for the better part of two months. Hopefully he comes back as his strike-throwing self – elbow injuries tend to mess with command – because otherwise he’s just another generic bullpen arm.

On the Farm

A few switches in this edition, as interesting prospects (previously uncovered) make some noise.

Justin Smoak: A couple of home runs, a ton of walks – it’s business as usual for the slugging first baseman, the crown jewel of the Cliff Lee deal, recently demoted after a troubling performance in Seattle. .207 BA, 2 HR, 4 RBI (AAA Tacoma)

Josh Lueke: Ace-reliever in the making Lueke, another part of the Lee trade, gave up his first run in a month on Tuesday, but otherwise was comfortable, allowing two hits and two strikeouts in a pair of innings. 0-0, 2.25 ERA, 6 K (AAA Tacoma)

Dustin Ackley: More strikeouts than we’re used to from the best pure hitter in the organization, but with the Ks came some power, Ackley adding to his home run tally and smacking a triple as well. .277 BA, 2 HR, 10 RBI (AAA Tacoma)

Nick Franklin: The switch-hitting shortstop’s locking in a bit of a cold streak right now.  Of course, a bad week from Franklin still means five hits, including a double and a home run, but he’s making more outs than we’d like to see right now. .278 BA, 19 HR, 52 RBI (A Clinton)

Michael Pineda: Pineda is getting close to being shut down for the season, and he’s now thrown 80 more innings this year than last. He started twice this week, going six innings against Reno and just three at Omaha as the team seeks to limit his innings tally. He was effective in both outings, if a little wild during his appearance against Omaha yesterday. 3-2, 3.67 ERA, 59 K (AAA Tacoma)

On the Field

The games were mostly the same this week, so I was able to condense things somewhat:

On [fill in day] the Mariners squared off against the [White Sox in Chicago/the Minnesota Twins at Target field]. Unfortunately [Mariners starting pitcher] found himself throwing a disappointing game, completely outclassed by [opposing starter]. The defense was shoddy, which didn’t help, and the bats were once again anemic despite playing in offence friendly stadia. [Ichiro Suzuki/Chone Figgins/Michael Saunders/Russell Branyan] had a good game, but the complete lack of support from their teammates doomed the team to yet another loss, the [many]-[few] result meaning that the team’s losing streak has run to [many] games.

Transactions

No trades to report here, but star-in-waiting Justin Smoak found himself demoted to AAA Tacoma, and Milton Bradley was placed on the disabled list, helping to clear out the 1B/DH logjam on the roster. Reliever Sean White and utilityman Matt Tuiasosopo came up from the minors in to replace Smoak and Bradley. Tuiasosopo has some promise as his .392 OBP in Tacoma shows (although the power is curiously absent this year), and Sean White should reduce fan stress by turning close games into blowout losses. It was an excited deadline for most other teams, but after dealing Cliff Lee, the Mariners decided to stand pat.

On the Farm

Dustin Ackley: Ackley continued his strong start in AAA, drawing more walks than strikeouts while grabbing a double and a triple for good measure. The second overall pick in the 2009 draft is now running a .397 OBP with Tacoma. .288 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI (AAA Tacoma)

Nick Franklin: The switch hitting shortstop found himself homerless this week while racking up strikeouts, an unusual state of affairs. A three-hit day on Friday helped to salvage things, and he’ll surely get his twentieth long ball of the season sooner rather than later. .288 BA, 18 HR, 46 RBI (A Clinton)

Alex Liddi: After belting five home runs last week, Liddi’s supply seems to have dried up again. He did, however, hit three doubles and a triple, while drawing a few walks. .271 BA, 12 HR, 74 RBI (AA West Tennessee)

Michael Pineda: Six innings of one-run ball from the young phenom on Wednesday, walking one while striking out four (the one run he conceded was on a homer). 3-1, 3.38 ERA, 46 K (AAA Tacoma)

Mauricio Robles: Although Robles gave up five runs in seven innings on Friday, he actually had a fairly strong game. The left-hander fanned nine while walking just one – the batters just put the ball where the defenders weren’t. 6-6, 4.24 ERA, 109 K (AA West Tennessee)

On The Field

Fresh off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, the Mariners welcomed old friend Carlos Silva and his Chicago Cubs to town for a three game set. The series was quickly marred by Silva deciding that he would rather not face the boo-birds at Safeco Field, taking the coward’s way out by going down with one of the ‘injuries’ that Mariner fans are so familiar with. However, things were quickly put to right by Jason Vargas’s excellent performance in Tuesday’s game, striking out seven in seven innings and giving the Cubs fits with his changeup. The offense struggled again, but it didn’t matter, with Franklin Gutierrez’s second inning home run to left field providing more than enough fireworks to put Chicago away for a 2-0 win.

Cliff Lee took the mound for Wednesday’s game, and the best pitcher in the American League this year put in another unbelievable performance, giving up one solo home run but no walks while striking out nine Cubs en route to a complete game. The Mariner bats, which had been silent during the previous games of the homestand, suddenly sprang to life with a four-run fourth, and kept at it all evening, eventually providing six more runs than Lee needed. The star of the show was Michael Saunders, who walked in the go-ahead run, then doubled and homered to add some insurance in the late innings. It’s entirely possible that the 8-1 victory was Lee’s last start as a Mariner, and it’s even probable that it’s his last start in Safeco Field. So, if you don’t come back, Mr. Lee, it’s been a big pleasure having you.

Felix Hernandez had his (and the team’s) second complete game on the trot ruined by the Mariner offense. Normally, holding the Cubs down to two runs over nine innings gives you a pretty good shot at a win, but it was not to be here. The Mariners had chance after chance to put the Cubs away, but in each occasion could not get the run across the plate. It was a game that both teams seemed determined to lose – the Cubs serving up runs on a platter for the M’s and the Mariners, being good Seattlelites, politely declined these friendly overtures. Finally Don Wakamatsu tired of the whole thing and sent Sean White out to end the game. It finished 3-2 in the 13^th innings, with Josh Wilson standing out as a major culprit in the loss, striking out after Chone Figgins and Mike Sweeney had pulled off a double steal to put the winning run at third with one out in the 10th.

After narrowly failing to sweep Chicago at home, the Mariners sauntered off to Milwaukee to meet their National League opposite in the Brewers, a team who can hit but cannot pitch or defend to save their lives. Ryan Rowland-Smith, who had miraculously conjured up a shutout against the Red in his prior outing, was effective enough to deal with most lineups, but not the Brewers. After the M’s raced out to an early 3-0 lead, Jonathan LuCroy and Carlos Gomez(!) went back to back in the 5^th to tie the game up. Things would only go downhill from there, and the Mariners suffered death by 1,000 papercuts (actually, five) on the way to an 8-3 reverse.

Doug Fister was activated for the Saturday game, and looked like a man who’d spent the better part of the month on the disabled list. The Mariners spotted him an early lead and once again, it was coughed up. This time, the Mariners pulled it back. Franklin Gutierrez doubled Figgins in the fourth to draw the Mariners to within one, and Jose Lopez followed that up with his 5^th home run of the season to give Seattle a 5-4 lead, one which they wouldn’t relinquish. In fact, the game became hideously boring from then on out, with just six hits (all singles) combined for the rest of the game. Right handed non-prospect Brian Sweeney, recently recalled from Tacoma, pitched effectively in relief, keeping the Brewers off balance with a good mix of pitches after he took over for Fister in the fifth.

Of course, the team could not resist embarrassing themselves on Sunday. It was the perfect opportunity to get shut out by the worst pitching team in the game, and the Mariners rose to the occasion magnificently, spending nine futile innings getting demolished by someone named Chris Narveson in a game I have no intention of re-living.

Transaction Report

In an attempt to give the Mariners a much-needed power boost, Russell Branyan was re-acquired from the Cleveland Indians for AAA outfielder Ezekiel Carerra and A+ shortstop Juan Diaz. Neither are top-line prospects, so losing them doesn’t hurt too much, but picking up Branyan for the remainder of a lost year seems rather pointless. It’s entirely possible that the front office just think it’s fun to watch long home runs – and Branyan is certainly a more interesting player than Casey Kotchman.

Injury Report

Doug Fister returned from the 15-day DL after an outing in Tacoma on Sunday. He showed some signs of rust, only able to go four innings against a powerful Brewers attack.

Erik Bedard had his second rehab start in rookie ball, where he threw 94 with a hammer curve for four innings, apparently without hurting himself. It’s progress, and a healthy Bedard would go some way to mitigating the impending loss of Cliff Lee.

On the Farm

Dustin Ackley: The second baseman had his share of extra base hits, with a double, a triple, and his second home run of the season. However, the singles dried up, meaning that the second overall pick in the 2009 draft managed zero multi-hit games all week. .250 BA, 2 HR, 24 RBI (AA West Tennessee)

Nick Franklin: Not much went on for Nick Franklin this week, at least in Clinton, as the Midwest League took their All-Star break midweek. Franklin, of course, was named to the team (albeit as a backup), but otherwise didn’t manage to do much with limited time. .294 BA, 14 HR, 38 RBI (A Clinton)

Alex Liddi: The top Italian prospect in the minors only scraped a handful of hits this week, but he made up for it by walking six times. Unfortunately, he also struck out in bunches – nine strikeouts in five games isn’t anyone’s definition of success. .281 BA, 6 HR, 52 RBI (AA West Tennessee)

Michael Pineda: Pineda was the recipient of a well-deserved promotion to Tacoma in midweek, and help his own against a Salt Lake Bees lineup determined to cut him down to size. The right handed wavered with his control in the middle innings, but ultimately finished strong, going six shutout innings and striking out five, allowing just one hit on the way. 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5K (AAA Tacoma)

Mauricio Robles: Robles has struggled all month (his last good start was on May 31^st), and he started on the same day ex-rotation mate Pineda made the jump to AAA. Robles was far less effective than his former colleague, going five innings and giving up four runs, striking out just three. He managed to pick up the win, though, and sometimes that’s what counts. 6-4, 4.61 ERA, 75K (AA West Tennessee)

WP – Batista (5-2)  LP – Sabathia (7-5)

The Seattle Mariners couldn’t come up with clutch hits in the first two games of their first series at the new Yankee Stadium, but last night they smacked CC Sabathia around en route to an 8-4 win over the Yankees.  The loss snapped the Bombers’ 7 game winning streak and dropped them 3 games behind idle Boston in the AL East.

Although he allowed a lead off, frozen rope double to Ichiro Suzuki to start the ball game, Sabathia looked dominant in the 1st inning.  But a mid-90s fastball, up in the zone with no movement can get you in trouble fast and that’s what happened to the Yankee ace.  Franklin Gutierrez belted a solo home run off Sabathia in the 2nd inning for a 2-0 M’s lead.  Back-to-back singles by Kenji Johjima and Ryan Langerhans followed and Chris Woodward came through with a run-scoring sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead after two.

The Yankees kept rallying against Mariners starter Jason Vargas, but couldn’t completely erase the deficit, thanks to Sabathia’s ineffectiveness.  With his team back in the game at 3-2, Sabathia gave up four hits in the 4th inning, including RBI-producing base knocks by Woodward and Ichiro.  Melky Cabrera nearly made a long running catch of Ichiro’s fly ball, but it ticked off the top of his glove for a 2-run double that pushed the Mariners’ advantage to 6-2.

Ichiro’s countryman, Hideki Matsui, answered with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 4th, but the Yankees couldn’t solve the Mariners’ bullpen.  Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, and David Aardsma scattered three hits over the final five innings, and a potential Yankees’ rally fell short in the 9th.

Russell Branyan, who had struck out 7 times, combined in Wednesday and Thursday’s games, extended the M’s lead with a titanic 2-run blast off the facing of the restaurant in dead center field in the top of the 9th.  In a non-save situation, Aardsma gave up back-to-back singles to Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher to start the Yankees’ last licks, but retired Matsui and Cabrera on fly balls, and struck out pinch-hitter Jorge Posada to preserve the lead.

Game Notes

Not counting his start in Florida when he left the game early due to bicep tightness, last night marked the first game since April 16 that Sabathia didn’t pitch into the 7th inning.

Jose Molina’s rehab stint will conclude with four games with the Scranton Yankees.  He’s expected to be activated for Tuesday night’s game in Minnesota.

Mark Teixeira’s throwing error in the 9th inning was his first miscue in 107 games.

The Yankees begin a 4-game holiday series with the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon (1:05 p.m. ET).  A.J. Burnett makes his 2nd start against his old teammates and will face lefty Brian Tallet.

On June 15, 1985, in the seventh inning of an otherwise uneventful 4-1 victory over the Rangers, Ron Washington singled off Texas reliever Greg Harris, then stole second base. That steal broke a 24 game streak in which the Twins had not stolen a single base, the longest in team history. In those 24 games, they went 7-17, including a 10 game losing streak, and were caught stealing six times. They scored 3.5 runs per game, a full run lower than they averaged in the other 138 games of the season.

Six years later, on June 17, 1991, the team’s fortunes had turned, as they rode a 15 game winning streak into a date with Baltimore at Memorial Stadium. After falling behind 3-1 early on, the Twins tied the score in the fifth, then went ahead with single tallies in the seventh and eighth innings. Kirby Puckett was 3-5 with two doubles, and Chili Davis hit a solo home run in the second inning. After starter Allan Anderson exited in the seventh, Steve Bedrosian held the lead through the eighth inning, and closer Rick Aguilera was summoned to finish. He quickly got into trouble, allowing singles to David Segui and Brady Anderson. The runners were bunted over, and pinch-hitter Joe Orsulak knocked in one run with a sacrifice fly. With two outs, Cal Ripken Jr. was intentionally walked, putting runners on first and second for first baseman Randy Mulligan. On a 1-2 pitch, Mulligan knocked a double into right-center. Ripken scored from first with the go-ahead run, and the Twins’ streak had ended at 15.

During that streak, Minnesota hit .300/.367/.448, and scored 5.8 runs a game. Kent Hrbek hit .353 in 51 at-bats, and Scott Leius was 10-21. The pitching staff, meanwhile, put up a 2.17 ERA. It remains the team’s longest winning streak ever.

On the theme of cups running over, last year on June 15, Scott Baker became the first Twin to ever strike out four batters in an inning. In the bottom of the third inning of an interleague game against the Brewers, Baker struck out Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to start, but Fielder reached on a wild pitch. Unperturbed, the righty proceeded to set down Russell Branyan and Mike Cameron on strikes. Baker struck out nine on the day, but the Twins managed only four hits and lost, 4-2.

On June 15, 1964, the Indians traded veteran starter Jim ‘Mudcat’ Grant for pitcher Lee Stange and infield prospect George Banks. Grant, the only big leaguer to ever come from Lacoochee, Florida, led the American League with 21 victories and six shutouts in the Twins’ 1965 pennant season. In Cleveland, Banks appeared in only 17 games before leaving baseball, and Stange was dealt to Boston a year later.

This week is a big birthday week for minor league middle infielders. June 18 is the 29th birthday of Tommy Watkins, alias, the Mayor of Fort Myers. After toiling in the minors for ten seasons, Watkins was promoted to Minnesota in 2007 and went 10-28 before suffering an injury. He’s the only 38th round selections to appear in Minneapolis, although Chris Cates (2007) and Toby Gardenhire (2002) may challenge that distinction.

On June 15, Watkins’ Rochester teammate Trevor Plouffe will be 23. Plouffe was a first round pick in 2004, and is currently hitting .240 with the Wings. At the lower levels, Beloit shortstop Ramon Santana will also turn 23, on the 19th of this month. In his second season at Low-A, he’s raking to the tune of .343, and may get a promotion shortly. On that same day, Snappers pitcher Blake Martin will be 23 as well.

Among former Twins, Doug Mientkiewicz celebrates his 35th birthday on June 19. In 643 games as a Twin, Mientkiewicz hit .275/.367/.408 and was one of the league’s top defensive first basemen; currently he’s playing for the Dodgers. One of his Twins teammates, Dustan Mohr, shares his birthday and will be 33 years old.

The next day, June 20, former Twins shortstop Juan Castro turns 37. Like Mietkiewicz, he’s now employed by Los Angeles, where he’s hitting a surprising .347 through 21 games. With the Twins in 2005, Castro reached base only 79 times in 292 plate appearances, a .292 on-base percentage.

Finally, June 16 is the birthday of Joe Decker, who won 16 games for Minnesota in 1974. On June 26, 1973, he struck out 15 Chicago White Sox hitters in a complete game shutout; that performance is tied for second all-time among Twins pitchers for most strikeouts in a game. Decker died in 2003 at the age of 55 after falling down a flight of stairs. He is the only major leaguer to hail from Storm Lake, Iowa.

Until next week, Twins fans.

In yesterdays 5-0 loss to the Rockies, the names Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore were in the same lineup for the first time this spring. Though they each went 0-3, it was a positive sign that the team is indeed getting healthy.

Hafner was playing in his fourth spring game, but it was the first time he had played in consecutive days. He underwent surgery during the offseason on a weakened shoulder, but now says that he feels great and that the problem has been fixed. He began taking live batting practice just a few weeks ago, and is again hitting line drives back at pitchers as he once would…just ask the Angels Jered Weaver.

Sizemore was back in his familiar centerfield position for the first time since February 26 after suffering a groin injury early in camp. The injury was enough to keep him out of the WBC, and out of action for about a week. Manager Eric Wedge said there were “no issues” with the injury after the game.

Also good news for the Tribe is that Kerry Wood and Joe Smith have made their debuts this week. Wood, who signed a 2-year $20.5 million deal with the Indians to close games, had been suffering from back stiffness. Smith, who was acquired in the Franklin Gutierrez trade from the Mets, had been dealing with a serious viral infection that kept him out of camp for nearly a week. Both threw scoreless innings of relief in their debuts.

Finally, Shin-Soo Choo got a check-up with the Indians staff yesterday and was given a clean bill of health. No word on what the problem was, but the elbow/triceps pain he was said to be experiencing is gone, and Choo will continue playing for Korea in the second round of the WBC this weekend in San Diego. Still no decision to whether he will be allowed to play the outfield, or again just DH.

Double Your Pleasure

Bill James has been doing it for decades, and now is no exception. He is soon to release his latest publication, Bill James Goldmine 2009, which will again have cutting-edge analysis to keep you reading. I bought last year’s version and still refer back to it quite often. It truly is what it is promoted as.

But one thing you will not find in this years book is this little nugget of information that was rejected according to The Hardball Times (who helped to submit information to James):

The Cleveland Indians defense led the American League in turning ground balls into double plays. Not only did they turn the most DP’s, they were very efficient given the number of opportunities they had.

Tribe shortstop Jhonny Peralta may not rank among the league’s leading defenders overall but he did have the most efficient year of his career in turning double plays. Converting 66.3% of his potential chances into double plays, he had the fourth-best average among shortstops in the majors last season.

Peralta’s primary double play partner Asdrubal Cabrera probably deserves some of the credit for his improvement. Cabrera led the league in double play turned efficiency for second basemen, turning 70.5% of his opportunities into double plays. The Cardinals’ Adam Kennedy was the second best among major league second basemen in double play efficiency, turning 62.4% of his chances into double plays.

Cabrera played 776.2 of the Indians 1437 innings at second last season, Jamey Carroll covered 580.1 of the remaining innings. Carroll was efficient in double-play opportunities also, turning 57.5% of his chances into double plays. While that figure is dwarfed by Cabrera’s rate, Carroll’s rate was the 8th most efficient in the majors last season. Carroll was also the major league leader in double play efficiency in 2006 when he was a member of the Rockies.

The Indians announcers have said it, but until this piece of information, we really had no idea how well the middle infield turns the double play. You figured that Asdrubal Cabrera was good at making a quick turn around the 2nd base bag, but did we expect Jhonny Peralta to be the major league’s 4th best at turning the DP? That goes back to my previous discussions to why Peralta is just fine at shortstop. To only judge fielders with your eyes can be very deceiving.

Impact Rookie?

The folks over at fangraphs.com have been doing a great series profiling potential impact rookies that fantasy baseball players could buy into this season. The Indians representative of the series was Adam Miller.

It is a pretty straightforward profile hitting all of the key points that you’d expect, highlighting the good numbers with the injury history, but I like the final paragraph.

“From a fantasy perspective, Miller will likely be extremely frustrating – as a starter or reliever. He has the stuff to dominate – and he could be an impact arm during the 2009 season at the Major League level. But he could also break your heart if you rely on him too heavily.”

Yeah, exactly what the Indians feel from a real life perspective too. Especially now that he is out indefinitely again with the same finger causing problems.

Walk Around the Park

If you love ballparks as much as me, I recommend you check out Baseball Reflections.com. Bill Jordan is doing a series of reviews of minor league parks and has recently done a few Indians affiliates in Akron and Lake County.

I have yet to go to Classic Park in East Lake, home of the Lake County Captains, but according to the report it sounds like one of my must sees. Who could go wrong with easy parking, wide concourses, unobstructed views, diverse menus of food, and plain old minor league baseball at its best with Indians minor leaguers.

I have been to Canal Park in Akron however. It was about 12 years ago when Russell Branyan was there. I remember him hitting a bomb and then a double a few innings later. He had me so excited about him. I believe that I even got his autograph. But how soon I forget after his career tanked with the Tribe after striking out so darn much.

But back to the stadium, Jordan states that, “There truly isn’t a seat in the whole park that has a bad view of the action”. I second that. This was really the first time that I was able to get a real close seat at a ballpark and felt like I was right there and a part of the action. Canal Park is a great place to watch a game. I recommend it if you’ve never been, I’ll be back there this summer to watch the kids Weglarz, Santana and others.