Well, you gotta lose sometime, but what a weird game last night. Oswalt leaves early due to injury. A ball gets lost in the pitchers jersey. Very very strange stuff. We’re out of 1st again, so let’s put the pressure on St. Louis again with a win today.

Tough outing for Dempster. Do you…



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Just when I start dissing on Jeremy Papelbon, he drops a great outing on us.

Jeremy Papelbon pitched 4.1 scoreless innings
Rafael Dolis pitched 5.0 scoreless innings
Austin Bibens-Dirkx only allowed one run in 9.0 innings pitched
Melvin Camarena was 4-for-6 with 6 RBI
Rebel Ridling went 4-for-4…



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I think Ruben Amaro Jr. feels pretty bad for botching that whole Roy Halladay thing. Maybe that’s why the Philadelphia Phillies have proposed a trade with the Cleveland Indians for the next best thing: staff ace Cliff Lee.

The Indians are definitely selling at this point, so it’s not like this trade is completely out of the question. But what would the Phils offer in return? Not Kyle Drabek, that’s for sure. And it better be good for Cleveland to shop their best hurler.

The defending World Series champs have apparently offered the Tribe a package deal, and judging from the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs‘ lineup card for Wednesday, right-hander Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson — all scratched from today’s game — could be moved.

This information is, of course, via a source close to team negotiations, who would rather remain anonymous so he/she doesn’t get canned.

With the non-waiver deadline sneaking up on us this Friday, it’ll be interesting to see what goes down. Lee’s response to the trade rumors?

“If everything written was true, I would have been traded about 12 times by now.”

We’ll see about that, Clifford.

Update: According to pretty much the entire internet, Lee has been traded along with left fielder Ben Francisco to Philadelphia for the above-mentioned minor leaguers. The kicker was throwing 6’5″, 18-year-old Class-A righty Jason Knapp into the mix. He’s pretty awesome, I guess.

I’m gonna go ahead and high-five the Tribe for getting this deal done. You guys ditched an aging, though still great, pitcher (sorry Cleveland fans, I know it stings at first) but came out on top. And it’ll show in the long run — the very, very long run.

[MLB] | [MLB Rumors] | [The Scores Report] | [Phillies Nation] | [That Ball's Outa Here]

Randy Johnson is one of those guys with a voice so booming that when he tells a joke, it rarely gets more than a courtesy chuckle. However, Tuesday night he managed to make a funny regarding his recent accident at the plate.

“Obviously the first thing I thought is that I won’t be able to do my instructional hitting video,” he joked.

zing!

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Chien-Ming Wang and the fans of his team have finally been put out of their misery.

The New York Yankees right-hander has struggled all year long with control issues and injuries, his latest being a problem with his throwing shoulder. After landing on the disabled list on July 5th, he made the decision to undergo arthroscopic surgery which will end his season.

There isn’t a timetable for his return quite yet, but manager Joe Girardi says the team should know more once the procedure is done. Wang led the American League in wins in 2006 and matched that total in 2007, but missed the last 3 1/2 months of 2008 after hurting his foot running the bases. He’s 1-6 with an unsightly 9.64 ERA in just 12 games this season, missing a month early on with a [hip injury] bruised ego.

It’s a sad day for dick jokes in the blogosphere. Until next year, dirty Wang headlines.

P.S. Bob Biscigliano from the great Motown-based blog Detroit 4 Lyfe has just schooled me to the French meaning of Chien’s first name, “dog”. You can go ahead and put that one together yourself. After some research though, the Taiwanese meaning of his first name is actually “Clear, shining Dusk.” Sadly, I can’t find a falic joke in there anywhere.

[NY Times] | [Fanhouse] | [MLB Wire] | [MLB Youtube Blog]

Mark Buehrle‘s badassery knew no bounds for quite a while there. The Chicago White Sox ace set a major league record Tuesday night by retiring 45 straight batters. In a row.

Right on the heels of his perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Buehrle sailed through the first five innings against the Minnesota Twins. He retired the first 17 batters he faced, breaking Jim Barr’s 1972 record of 41 which was tied by White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks back in 2007.

His bid for a second consecutive perfect game, which no man has ever done, ended with a walk to Alexi Casilla with two outs in the sixth inning. I found this rather funny, since Casilla is batting like .162 and has no business even being in the big leagues.

After a standing ovation by the Metrodome crowd with the no-hitter still in tact, Denard Span followed with a base hit to fizzle that dream as well. The Twins went on to win 5-3 after Joe Mauer, Brendan Harris and Nick Punto all drove in some runs behind Scott Baker and the Twins bullpen.

Regardless of the game’s outcome, congratulations are in order for Mr. Burly. That’s pretty badass.

[MLB] | [Fanhouse] | [Hardball]

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes, 5-2.

Jose Ascanio got the start this afternoon and took the loss, allowing three runs over five innings. Ascanio gave up eight hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Bobby Scales was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Shortstop Darwin Barney was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies beat the Mobile BayBears, 8-2.

David Patton had the rehab start tonight and he allowed two runs on three hits over 2.2 innings. However, both runs were unearned. Patton didn’t walk anyone and struck out one. Patton threw 45 pitches, 28 for strikes

Jeremy Papelbon got the win with 4.1 innings of shutout relief. Papelbon allowed three hits, struck out two and didn’t walk anyone.

Second baseman Tony Thomas hit his ninth home run tonight, a two-run homer in the second inning. Thomas was 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Right fielder Doug Deeds also homered and had a double as well. Deeds was 2 for 3 with a walk. Deeds scored three times.

First baseman Blake Lalli went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. However, he committed two errors as well.  Catcher Mark Reed had a double in a 2 for 4 night. Reed scored twice and had two RBI.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were infiltrated by the Sarasota Reds, 1-0.

Starter Rafael Dolis allowed only one hit over five shutout innings. Dolis didn’t walk anyone and struck out four.

Henry Williamson got the loss in relief. He allowed one run on four hits over 2.2 innings. Williamson didn’t walk anyone and struck out two.

Center fielder Brandon Guyer was 2 for 3 with a double.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs skinned the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 2-1.

Tonight’s game was about as rare as you’ll see in the minor leagues, especially in the lower minors. In a nine-inning game, both starting pitchers threw a complete game. The winning pitcher was the Chiefs’ Austin Bibens-Dirkx, who allowed his one run on a solo home run in the fourth inning. He allowed five hits total, didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven.

First baseman Rebel Ridling was 4 for 4 with a solo home run. Shortstop Ryan Flaherty was 1 for 4 with a solo homer.

Right fielder Kyler Burke went 2 for 4.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks were made green with envy by the Eugene Emeralds, 10-2.

Starter Robert Hernandez took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits over three innings. Hernandez walked one and struck out three.

Center fielder Brett Jackson kept his hitting and on-base streaks alive by going 1 for 4 with a run scored.

AZL Cubs

Got pummeled by the Athletics, 12-4.

The Cubs inhabit first place by themselves today for the first time in 2009. And, the schedule, for once, seems to favor them — they’ll play the Astros at home, while the Cardinals host the team with the NL’s best record, the Dodgers, who St. Louis has not yet faced this year. LA has the 2nd-best road record in baseball. Only the Phillies have been better away from home. Meanwhile, the Brewers, now in fourth place, host the Nationals — that might be a get-well potion for them.

So, there’s a real chance that the Cubs could extend the lead — especially since Houston is outplaying its Pythagorean win projection by four games, a fairly large number at this stage of the season. They’re 50-48 despite being outscored by 28 runs. Such a differential is rarely sustainable; the most recent example of this was the 2005 Washington Nationals, who were 55-44 and in first place on July 24, 2005, despite being outscored by 20 runs on that date. They finished at .500.

Koyie Hill may not be hitting, but he’s been playing excellent defense and calling good games for his pitchers and truly enjoying his time in the spotlight:

“It’s a ton of fun and I’m having a blast,” Hill said. “I come to the ballpark every day excited I get to play baseball.”

Good for him, and good for the Cubs, although they could probably use another “real” catcher if Geovany Soto is going to be out for any extended length of time. The triple Hill hit yesterday was the first of his career. The Cubs are 22-13 in games Hill has started this year.

Today’s Starting Pitchers

Carlos Zambrano Cubs vs. Wandy Rodriguez Astros 7-4 W-L 10-6 3.48 ERA 2.72 95 SO 117 50 BB 42 7 HR 13 vs. Hou – vs. Cubs

Soft-tossing lefty Wandy Rodriguez usually drives Cubs hitters nuts. He has pitched twice against them already this year, getting two no-decisions in games the Astros won. One of those was against Carlos Zambrano on June 10 in Houston; Z threw eight good innings but Angel Guzman lost the game in the 9th. Derrek Lee (12-for-27, .444, 3 doubles, 2 HR) and Ryan Theriot (10-for-21, .476, 4 doubles, 1 HR) hit him well.

Z also has two good outings vs. Houston this year — the June 10 game linked above and six one-run innings in a 4-2 Cubs win at Wrigley Field on April 6. Carlos Lee is still Z’s nemesis: 19-for-52 (.365), 5 doubles, 4 HR. Z won’t get to face Lance Berkman, who is on the DL.

Cable-only today in Chicago and Houston, and on EI and MLB.TV. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Astros site The Crawfish Boxes.

Overflow comment threads will post today at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Big ups to Sori for the walk off grand slam after another moron moment in the 11th where he didn’t even run on a ground out to third. It feels good to see this team hitting a hot streak at just the right time, but I came away from the game with a few questions [...]



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