The big baseball news of the day was Roger Clemens, who will be indicted on federal perjury charges. I'm not defending Clemens even a little bit and I'd say the evidence is overwhelming against him but shouldn't more names such as Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire be indicted too? (I'm giving Bonds a pass here based on a lack of evidence, even though everyone knows the truth)
Notables:
-Mat Latos was filthy yet again, striking out a career-high 10 Cubbies while allowing only two earned runs over seven innings. Where do you have him O/U top-10 SPs next year? I'm taking the under. Carlos Zambrano was his usual self with a 6:1 BB:K ratio. However, he didn't allow anything more than a single and gave up only one earned run.
-Robinson Cano went 3-for-5, missing the cycle by a triple. While it's a small sample size, he's averaged one homer per 8.5 at-bats in the cleanup spot while only one homer every 22.3 at-bats out of the five hole.
-Brian Matusz threw eight shutout innings, scattering five hits. Don't sleep on the Jay or Orioles over the next five years; there's enough upside on both teams to make the playoffs.
-Jonathan Sanchez tossed eight innings of one run ball. If you look at his numbers, they're identical from last year except he's got a more even split between home and away which accounts for the improvement in the ERA department from last year (69 innings home, 94.1 away).
-Bud Norris followed up his 14 strikeout performance with another outstanding outing despite his lack of Ks. He threw seven innings, giving up only two runs. However, a walk, HBP, groundout, groundout and infield single led to both runs.
-Mark Buehrle went for seven shutout innings against the Twins. Meanwhile, Carl Pavano was lit up for 15 hits and seven runs over six innings. I believe Dave Regan warned against him in this week's Pitching Value Meter.
-Ted Lilly is making the Dodgers look brilliant with a complete game shutout. He allowed only two hits and struck out 11. If he sticks in LA next year rank him high (top-25); if he goes to Seattle (which plays to lefties), rank him higher. He now has more wins with the Dodgers than he had with the Cubs.
Save Chances:
-Brandon Lyon, converted. Matt Lindstrom is on the DL and remember that Lyon is on the payroll next year while Lindstrom has only a one-year deal.
-Chris Perez, converted. A tad extra work with 1.1 innings; he'll make for a nice sleeper among closers next year.
-Jerry Blevins, converted. The rest is an inside joke. If you've read the Nightcap and hopped on the waiver wire to grab Blevins, you're both a loyal reader and wise fantasy owner. End inside joke, I can't do any more. Feel free to email me if you don't get it.
Other Closer Outings:
-Drew Storen threw a scoreless ninth with a four run lead. He recorded a save his last time out so the committee approach may be over in Washington.
Non-Closer Outings:
-Sergio Mitre got the save via the random three-inning variety. He was hit pretty hard but allowed the members of the Yankee bullpen who actually matter to get some rest today.
Tough Days:
-Rick Porcello continues to be a mystery, holding the Yankees hitless through three innings before allowing six earned over two.
-Sean Marshall only retired one batter and was hit for four earned runs despite allowing four singles.
-Cole Hamels allowed five runs over five innings. Other than today, he's been one of the better pitchers no one is talking about. Coming into today he posted a 2.45 ERA over three August starts after owning a 2.16 ERA during July. He's the 2009 version of Johan Santana as far as run support goes to explain the lack of wins (7).
-I'm starting to think something isn't right with Josh Beckett. After surrendering six runs over 6.1 innings on Thursday, his ERA now stands at 6.67 for the year. To make matters worse, he's now given up 19 earned runs over his last three starts (16 innings, 10.68 ERA).
Injuries/Lineup-ology:
-On the DL-Matt Lindstrom, Lance Berkman, Tony Gwynn Jr., Sean West, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Josh Willingham (done for the year)
-Off the DL-Nyjer Morgan, Derrek Lee (Friday), Eric O'Flaherty (Friday), Tommy Manzella, Rod Barajas
-Carlos Beltran, J.J. Hardy, Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Carlos Quentin and Hanley Ramirez all got the day off.
Stolen Bases:
-Brett Gardner (35), Nyjer Morgan (30), Jason Heyward (9), Angel Pagan (30), Juan Pierre (48), Jason Donald (3), John Jaso (4)
Caught Stealing:
Home Runs:
-Miguel Cabrera (31, he likes Yankee Stadium, hit the 100 RBI mark today), Jhonny Peralta (12), Robinson Cano (24), Michael Morse (9), Willie Harris (6), Andrew McCutchen (12), Gaby Sanchez (13), Pablo Sandoval (9), Hideki Matsui (16), David Ortiz (27), Carlos Lee (16), Paul Konerko (31), Alexei Ramirez (14), Ramon Hernandez (6), Jay Bruce (13), Mark Reynolds (27), Reed Johnson (1), Carlos Pena (24), Evan Longoria (17), Chris Young (22)
Pickup?
-It's time to take notice of Michael Morse. He should be in Washington's lineup on a regular basis from here on out with Josh Willingham out for the season and makes for a sneaky play in deeper/NL-only leagues. He strikes out a lot (over 20|PERCENT| of the time) but he's a big man (6'5", 230 lbs.) with solid power (nine homers in 144 at-bats).