Daily Notes for Sunday

Daily Notes for Sunday: Harang back in Reds' rotation

By Adam Madison
Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)

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<!-- end story header --><!-- begin left column --> <!-- begin page tools --> August 9, 2008, 4:29 PM

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<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --> <!-- template inline -->Aaron Harang makes his return from the disabled list Sunday after being on the shelf for a month because of a strained forearm. However, Harang wasn't pitching well before he went on the DL, so it will be telling to see how effective he is now that he's healthy again.
A number of other starting pitchers with health questions also take the mound Sunday. Despite rumors his start would be skipped because of arm trouble, Andy Pettitte will start against the Angels and fellow southpaw Joe Saunders. Josh Johnson, just five starts removed from Tommy John rehab, faces the division rival Mets. And Chris Carpenter, himself a Tommy John surgery patient, gets a tough test at Wrigley Field against the Cubs and Ryan Dempster.


Injury report
Day-to-day
Milton Bradley, OF, Rangers (quadriceps)
Michael Cuddyer, OF, Twins (finger)
Jack Cust, OF, Athletics (thumb)
David DeJesus, OF, Royals (ankle)
Carlos Guillen, SS/1B/3B, Tigers (back)
Andy LaRoche, 3B, Pirates (thumb)
Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays (wrist)
Scott Rolen, 3B, Blue Jays (shoulder)
Kerry Wood, RP, Cubs (back)
Jack Wilson, SS, Pirates (shoulder)

Start 'em, sit 'em
Hitters: Thirteen of Curtis GrandersonJay Bruce is another left-handed slugger who, well, doesn't slug against lefties: one home run, a .210 average and a .310 slugging percentage in 87 at-bats. Bruce's teammate, Edwin Encarnacion, however, is another story: His .302 average against southpaws is 79 points higher than his average versus righties. … Chris Young is hitting nearly 100 points higher (.303 versus .205) against lefties, and his opponent, Mike Hampton, hasn't looked too impressive since coming off the disabled list three starts ago.
Joel Auerbach/US Presswire
Aaron Harang certainly looks more promising to fantasy owners now than he did a month ago.


Pitchers: While Harang was regularly lit up in the starts preceding his trip to the disabled list, he now sounds healthy and without limits, and he fired six scoreless innings in a rehab start. You're welcome to activate him versus the Astros. … After allowing just four home runs in 108 2/3 innings before the All-Star break, it was a given that Mike Pelfrey's impossible home run rate would rise. In 24 2/3 innings since the break, Pelfrey has allowed five homers, and he now faces an offense that is third in the majors in home runs. Also, the Marlins have hit Pelfrey hard two previous times, so keep him reserved. … In a combined five starts against top-five offenses (in terms of OPS), Gavin Floyd has a 5.88 ERA (four starts against the Tigers, one against the Rangers). He faces the Red Sox on Sunday, who are also in the top five, so don't be ashamed to put Floyd on your bench. … Chris Young has looked pretty good in his first two starts since being activated from the disabled list. While you normally would play it safe and bench a pitcher at Coors Field, Young has a 2.40 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 10 career starts against the Rockies, and a 2.42 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five starts at Coors. … Andy Pettitte refuted a report that he was going to miss his next scheduled start due to arm stiffness, and the Yanks still have him penciled in. Either way, the 14 earned runs he has allowed his past two starts is far from pretty. Let's hope Pettitte is not hiding an injury, but it would conveniently explain those two starts. Keep him reserved until he gets it together. Waiver-wire pickups
Hitters: Kelly Shoppach is hitting a scorching .375 with five home runs since the All-Star break, and his average and production have gone up each month since he has been a full-time catcher. Though Victor Martinez might return soon, the lack of production from first baseman Ryan Garko gives Shoppach a window of opportunity to retain most of his value since Martinez can play first base often enough to keep Shoppach's bat in the lineup.
Pitchers: Jamie Moyer is now up to 11 consecutive starts without allowing more than three earned runs, and he has a 2.90 ERA in that span. Somehow that results in availability in 88 percent of ESPN standard leagues, but it gives you the opportunity for a prime spot start versus the Pirates, whose lineup is lacking with Adam LaRoche on the disabled list, Andy LaRoche banged up and Brandon Moss and Steve Pearce struggling to replace Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. … Though Manny Parra has been inconsistent, his strikeouts have not. Though he has a 5.78 ERA in his past five starts, he also has 31 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. With a start against the lowly Nationals, that strikeout potential should be the only reason you need to put him in your lineup despite his recent troubles. … Gil Meche continued his superb pitching in his last start, striking out nine Red Sox in six innings en route to just two runs allowed. He's an easy player to plug every week because he's still available in nearly two-thirds of ESPN standard leagues, and there's no reason to believe his streak won't continue versus the Twins. … Scott Baker has allowed a home run in five straight starts and is coming off a poor start against the Mariners (six runs in 5 1/3 innings). Baker's combined 3.26 ERA in June and July give him a bit of a mulligan, though, and a Sunday matchup versus the Royals is too soft to pass up.
Weather concerns
A handful of contests might be threatened by rain, beginning with the Athletics-Tigers game, which has a 30 percent chance of being hit by showers. Both the Marlins-Mets and Padres-Rockies have a 30-40 percent chance of thunderstorms as well. … The Pirates-Phllies and Rangers-Orioles have the worst weather prospects, with an expected 40 percent chance of rain throughout the afternoon and evening. … Finally, Indians-Blue Jays, Nationals-Brewers, Braves-Diamondbacks and Rays-Mariners all have the benefits of a dome.
Adam Madison is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com

JOHNSON is 3-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 1.52 and a WHIP of 1.056.
His team's record is 3-1 (+3.0 units)

PELFREY is 1-3 when starting against FLORIDA with an ERA of 6.40 and a WHIP of 1.777.

His team's record is 1-4 (-4.1 units After allowing just four home runs in 108 2/3 innings before the All-Star break, it was a given that Mike Pelfrey's impossible home run rate would rise. In 24 2/3 innings since the break, Pelfrey has allowed five homers, and he now faces an offense that is third in the majors in home runs. Also, the Marlins have hit Pelfrey hard two previous times, so keep him reserved


New York hasn't swept the Marlins in three or more games at home since taking three in a row in June of 2000

Josh Johnson. The big right-hander beat the Phillies on Tuesday, throwing six shutout innings in an 8-2 victory

Pelfrey dropped his last three starts against the Marlins, pitching only 14 1-3 innings in those games and compiling a 7.53 ERA.
Johnson, meanwhile, has never lost to the Mets, going 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four career starts.

While Harang was regularly lit up in the starts preceding his trip to the disabled list, he now sounds healthy and without limits, and he fired six scoreless innings in a rehab start. You're welcome to activate him versus the Astros.



Aaron Harang makes his return from the disabled list Sunday after being on the shelf for a month because of a strained forearm. However, Harang wasn't pitching well before he went on the DL, so it will be telling to see how effective he is now that he's healthy again.


.

Since falling into last place in the NL Central on July 23, Houston (57-59) has won 11 of 15 games to pull into the outskirts of contention in the NL wild-card race. The Astros are in sixth place, trailing first-place Milwaukee by 8 1-2 games.

The Reds have dropped seven of eight against the Astros this year and 11 of 12 against them dating to last May.
Harang has won his last six decisions against the Astros, posting a 3.00 ERA in that seven-start stretch. He's 8-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 17 career starts against Houston.

Wandy Rodriguez (6-4, 3.98) gets the start for the Astros on Sunday. The left-hander opened the second half strong, holding opponents to two runs and 12 hits while striking out 14 in 12 2-3 innings spanning his first two starts - both victories. In his last two outings, however, he's been tagged for 12 runs in 9 2-3 innings. He gave up six runs in five innings of the Astros' 11-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

In eight career starts against the Reds, Rodriguez is 2-3 with a 6.26 ERA. He's 1-0 with a 4.82 ERA in three starts at Great American Ball Park - all Astros victories.

Lee, however, won't get a chance to continue his hot streak anytime soon. He left Saturday night's 3-1 win over Cincinnati with a broken left pinkie after getting hit by a pitch from Reds starter Bronson Arroyo in the third inning, and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks.


Jul 31
News: Rodriguez had a tough outing on Wednesday against the Reds, giving up six runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings of work. He struck out four and walked one.

Spin: Rodriguez gave up the homers to Dunn and Griffey and lost for the first time in four starts. He lasted only 4.2 innings after allowing one run and striking out seven in each of his previous two outings.

Harang has won his last six decisions against the Astros, posting a 3.00 ERA in that seven-start stretch. He's 8-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 17 career starts against Houston.

Jul 30
News: Robertson allowed a season-high eight runs over three innings Wednesday against the Tigers, but managed to avoid taking a loss thanks to the Indians' offense.

Spin: Robertson has allowed five runs or more in four of his six July starts, and hasn't made it into the fourth inning in two of the three.



Nate Robertson (6-8, 6.11 ERA) will try to turn around his own individual problems and the team's pitching struggles on Sunday. The left-hander has not won since June 21, going 0-2 with an 8.42 ERA in seven starts since the beginning of July.
Lately, however, Cabrera has been living up to his billing as one of the league's top young players. After homering twice in Detroit's 10-2 win over the A's on Saturday, he leads the majors with 32 RBIs since the All-Star break, hitting .348 with seven homers in 22 games over that span.
As a result, the Tigers' offense has improved, as their 140 runs since the break are tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the most in the majors.


Greg Smith (5-10, 3.99) will try to deliver it while earning his first win since June 30. Since then, Smith is 0-4 with a 5.61 ERA in six starts, though he has received 2.14 runs of support per nine innings over that span.
The southpaw has never faced Detroit, which is hitting .290 against left-handers this season.

Aug 5
News: Smith allowed two runs in six innings in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Spin: Smith had three losing starts in a row leading up to Tuesday's game, but pitched solid ball and left with the opportunity for the win, before Huston Street blew a save opportunity.

Philadelphia (63-53) had scored 17 runs in its first seven games in August, an unusually bad stretch for a team that entered the month with the fourth-most productive offense in baseball (546 runs).

But the Phillies' big bats haven't been hitting. Left fielder Pat Burrell has two hits in his last 24 at-bats (.083), first baseman Ryan Howard is 1-for-11 (.091) since Thursday, and second baseman Chase Utley is hitless in his last 10 at-bat
They'll be seeing a pitcher they've yet to face Sunday. Jason Davis (1-1, 2.57 ERA), moved into the rotation after another ineffective outing from Yoslan Herrera, has started 52 games in the majors, but all of those came from 2002-05 with Cleveland.

45-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer (10-7, 3.78), the oldest player in the majors. Moyer, though, certainly hasn't looked his age over the last month, going 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA in five starts since July 10.

Moyer was 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts against Pittsburgh last season.

Jamie Moyer is now up to 11 consecutive starts without allowing more than three earned runs, and he has a 2.90 ERA in that span. Somehow that results in availability in 88 percent of ESPN standard leagues, but it gives you the opportunity for a prime spot start versus the Pirates, whose lineup is lacking with Adam LaRoche on the disabled list, Andy LaRoche banged up and Brandon Moss and Steve Pearce struggling to replace Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. …

Spin: Moyer doesn't get a ton of love in the fantasy community due to his ancient age of 45, but you can't ignore the fact that all five of his appearances in July were quality starts. He is incredibly consistent, as he has gone at least five innings and given up no more than three runs in his last 10 starts.


Aug 6
News: Davis is tentatively scheduled to start on Sunday for the Pirates in Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Spin: Davis has a 2.57 ERA for Pittsburgh in four relief appearances but isn't recommended in a tough first start on the road.

The Texas Rangers relied heavily on baseball's most prolific offense while making an unexpected return to playoff contention. With their lineup struggling lately, however, the club finds itself in the midst of its longest skid since April.

Texas (60-58) easily leads the majors with 652 runs, and also ranks in baseball's top five with 143 home runs and a .279 batting average. That offense has helped the Rangers overcome one of the major leagues' worst pitching staffs and a 7-16 start to the season to climb into the wild-card race.

While the Rangers have gone cold at the plate, the Orioles (56-59) are heating up. They've recorded a double-digit hit total in nine of their last 12 games, going 8-4 while batting .315 in that stretch.

The Orioles look to keep their offensive surge going for Sunday's starter Chris Waters (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who will be trying to build on a spectacular major league debut. The left-hander held a powerful Los Angeles Angels lineup to one hit in eight innings of a 3-0 victory
Aug 6
News: Waters made his debut a memorable one on Tuesday, allowing just one hit in eight innings against the Angels.

Spin: Waters might be this season's biggest underdog. Thrust into the Orioles' rotation despite a 5.70 ERA in Triple-A, Waters pitched the Orioles to a win over the red-hot Angels. He'll certainly get a couple more looks after this performance.

Nice writeup BadCo!

While the Brewers hope Braun's injury isn't long term, they might be able to get by without him Sunday as they try for a third consecutive shutout of the Nationals (44-73), who are scoreless in 22 consecutive innings.

Though Manny Parra has been inconsistent, his strikeouts have not. Though he has a 5.78 ERA in his past five starts, he also has 31 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. With a start against the lowly Nationals, that strikeout potential should be the only reason you need to put him in your lineup despite his recent troubles. …
Parra is 0-3 with a 7.27 earned run average during his recent losing streak, having lost at Cincinnati the last time out on August 4. Parra was roughed up for six runs and four hits in six innings of a 6-3 loss.

The left-hander, who is a solid 5-2 at home this season, faced Washington for the first time in his career on May 25 this season at Nationals Park. Parra allowed six runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings of a 7-6 setback on May 25 in his only career start against the Nationals.




Washington's John Lannan (6-11, 3.55) tries to avoid a third straight losing decision Sunday. He did not factor in the decision of an 8-2 loss at Colorado on Tuesday despite allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings

The left-hander gave up three runs in five innings of a 5-2 loss to Milwaukee on May 24 in his only previous start versus the Brewers.

Aug 6
News: Lannan was sharp Tuesday, allowing two runs and striking out eight over seven innings.

Spin: He gave up five hits and walked two, but ended up with a no-decision when

On Vacation and delving into this shit.
Early game predictions


FLA MARLINS +115

HOU ASTROS o9-105

WAS NATIONALS +151

OAK A S +132

OAK A S o9½-120

CLE INDIAN-146

1H PHI PHILLIES J MOYER -L -210

The Twins have averaged 6.2 runs in their last six games, led by Span, who is hitting 10-for-26 (.385) with seven RBIs, and Kubel, who is batting .368 (7-for-19) with two homers and six runs scored in his last five games.
Since the All-Star break, Minnesota has the fifth-highest scoring offense in the AL at 5.4 runs per game.
BAKER is 4-2 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 0.869.He
.His team's record is 5-2



Meche pitched six innings Monday against Boston, allowing two runs and four hits, while striking out nine in a 4-3 win. The Royals have won each of Meche's last six starts and are 9-1 in his last 10 outings

The right-hander is 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 14 career starts against the Twins.
He's lost both outings against them this season, allowing 11 runs and 11 hits in 11 2-3 innings

Meche (10-9, 4.17), who has won his last four starts and seven of his last eight decisions. He has a 2.80 ERA during that stretch.

MECHE is 6-5 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 4.66 and a WHIP of 1.294.
His team's record is 7-7 (-0.9 units)

The Angels have posted victories of 10-5 on Friday and 11-4 on Saturday in running their overall winning streak to three games. Los Angeles has scored 30 runs in its last three games and is averaging 6.8 runs per game over its previous 12 tests.

Anderson extended his hitting streak to 15 games, batting .421 (26-for-62) over his run with three homers and 16 RBI.



Joe Saunders (14-5, 3.03) has been enjoying the run support while continuing to give the Angels a chance at a victory nearly every time out. The southpaw has pitched at least six innings in each of his last six starts, going 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA over that span.





New York (63-54) has dropped four of six to start its 10-game road trip, falling to 5-9 in its last 14 games overall. The main problem has been pitching, as the Yankees' staff has a 6.95 ERA over that span.




The New York Yankees' recent swoon has exposed weaknesses in their starting pitching and bullpen as they've slipped further back in the race for a playoff berth.



With a banged-up rotation that has Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Chien-Ming Wang all on the disabled list. Pettitte (12-9, 4.34 ERA) has been looked to for stability, but he hasn't provided it recently.
Instead of saving the bullpen and giving the Yankees quality innings, the veteran left-hander has failed to make it out of the sixth inning in each of his last two starts, losing both. He gave up five runs in five-plus innings of an 8-6 loss to Texas on Tuesday.

Los Angeles also pegged him with a loss in the Bronx on July 31, when he gave up nine runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings of a 12-6 defeat, part of the teams' four-game split. Pettitte has faced the Angels three times since 2003, with a 9.35 ERA in those starts.

PLAYER NEWS updated August 7, 2008
Aug 7
News: Pettite said he does not have an arm injury, and will make his next scheduled start Sunday, the New York Post reports.

Spin: A New York Daily News report earlier in the day said Pettite had some arm stiffness, but he said that was news to him. "I am pitching," he said. "I have not discussed missing a start with anybody."

BadCo said:

On Vacation and delving into this shit.
Early game predictions


FLA MARLINS +115

HOU ASTROS o9-105

WAS NATIONALS +151

OAK A S +132

OAK A S o9½-120

CLE INDIAN-146

1H PHI PHILLIES J MOYER -L -210

Click to expand...

Adding
Kans 1h under 4½ -110

Freakin A's making Nate look like Cy Young .......Bastards

Why did Smith come out after 4 and Huston Street?

Had this fucking game all wrong lets hope for the over as I figured if A's lose would be high scoring?

BadCo said:

The Texas Rangers relied heavily on baseball's most prolific offense while making an unexpected return to playoff contention. With their lineup struggling lately, however, the club finds itself in the midst of its longest skid since April.

Texas (60-58) easily leads the majors with 652 runs, and also ranks in baseball's top five with 143 home runs and a .279 batting average. That offense has helped the Rangers overcome one of the major leagues' worst pitching staffs and a 7-16 start to the season to climb into the wild-card race.

While the Rangers have gone cold at the plate, the Orioles (56-59) are heating up. They've recorded a double-digit hit total in nine of their last 12 games, going 8-4 while batting .315 in that stretch.

The Orioles look to keep their offensive surge going for Sunday's starter Chris Waters (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who will be trying to build on a spectacular major league debut. The left-hander held a powerful Los Angeles Angels lineup to one hit in eight innings of a 3-0 victory
Aug 6
News: Waters made his debut a memorable one on Tuesday, allowing just one hit in eight innings against the Angels.

Spin: Waters might be this season's biggest underdog. Thrust into the Orioles' rotation despite a 5.70 ERA in Triple-A, Waters pitched the Orioles to a win over the red-hot Angels. He'll certainly get a couple more looks after this performance.

Click to expand...

I should of gotten on the over in this game fuck the 11hno:

Adding


WagerType: Parlay
Date: Team:
Aug 10 MLB [961] LOS DODGERS -132 [BILLNGSLEY-R/M CAIN -R]
Aug 10 MLB [964] ARI D BACKS -215 [M HAMPTON -L/B WEBB -R]


+155




WagerType: Parlay
Date: Team:
Aug 10 MLB [964] ARI D BACKS -215 [M HAMPTON -L/B WEBB -R]
Aug 10 MLB [978] LAA ANGELS -125 [A PETTITTE-L/J SAUNDERS-L]


+162

Need Dodgers to hang on bitches.....

Speaking of bitches those f'n senators had 4-1 lead 8th bases juiced with two out bang bases clearing fuckin double.

Lose in extras of course.......OH well

Dempster continued his excellent season by striking out nine Brewers over seven innings Wednesday, allowing just one run to collect his 12th win .


In 14 appearances at Wrigley Field this season, Dempster is 10-2 with a 2.77 earned run average, while holding the visitors to a .201 batting average.

Dempster went 10-0 with a 2.58 ERA in his first 11 starts at Wrigley, but is 0-2 with a 3.57 ERA in his last three.

He allowed two runs in five innings of a 2-0 loss to Houston on Monday, a game called in the bottom of the eighth due to severe weather.

The former reliever is making his first start since 2005 against St. Louis. He's 2-4 with a 5.66 ERA in eight starts versus the Cardinals.



Aug 6
News: Carpenter scattered three hits in five shutout innings on Tuesday.

Spin: Carpenter's road back to the big leagues has been very efficient. He cruised through 51 pitches, but a rain delay kept him from pitching further in the game.


The veteran righty and 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner has enjoyed success throughout his career against the Cubs, going 7-2 with a pair of complete games and a 3.07 earned run average in 13 career starts.


Edmonds is 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts versus his former team this season

Soriano is batting .400 (10-for-25) with two homers and seven RBIs in his career versus Carpenter.

Both these pitchers come in fresh from rain shortened games.

Dempster threw 75 pitches Carp 51

Dempster always over 100 pitches per start and I notice last time he was under 100 the next out he went 7.0 2 hits 1 run.

Dempster is nails.





TOTAL u7½-120

CHI CUBS -163