A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

White Sox 4-Mariners 3: On a night when the AL Central-second place Tigers defeated the Angels, Chicago was able to beat both Seattle and the elements. In a rain-shortened seven inning game, the Sox scored two in the bottom of the seventh on Tyler Flowers’ two-run 453 feet bomb. Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd exited after two innings pitched with right elbow (pitching arm) discomfort. At 71-55, the White Sox remain 2.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers.

Best Hitter

Boston Red Sox infielder Pedro Ciriaco went 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI in an 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The 26-year-old Dominican has 13 hits over his last six games. He now owns a .360/.374/.500 line through 42 games. The non-roster invitee has made quite an impression on his new club after signing in free agency from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Best Pitcher

Max Scherzer allowed one run and two hits over 7 IP with 9 Ks in a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The win was Scherzer’s 14th on the season. His 11.35 K/9 puts him first in the statistic through Major League Baseball, 0.02 K/9 ahead of Washington’s Stephen Strasburg.

Stat to know

Remember Josh Hamilton’s June and July woes? Forget ’em. The Texas Rangers left fielder is batting .292 in August with 5 HR and 23 RBI. His seven doubles is the most of any month this season and his August on-base percentage is a respectable .343.

Tomorrow’s Note

The Rays and Rangers open a three-game series between AL titans. The 70-57 Rays lead the Wild Card race and the 75-52 Rangers lead the AL West by 5.5 games over the Oakland Athletics. Tampa ace David Price takes his 2.28 ERA to the Texas bump against 8-6 Derek Holland and his 4.92 ERA.

The Big Guy

The New Bats in Seattle

Following this week’s departure of Ichiro Suzuki, the Seattle Mariners were left with a bit of an identity crisis. King Felix Hernandez still pitches for Seattle, but a guy who appears once every five games cannot be the face of the franchise. If an owner is going to put butts in the seats everyday, he needs at least one exciting bat. The problem is, the Marines have exactly zero exciting bats. None.

Seattle ranks dead last in team batting average, team on-base percentage and team slugging percentage. If the abysmal numbers and the endless rain have you down, I present to you four young position players the Mariners believe could develop into the new face of the franchise.

Kyle Seager, Third Base

The 24-year-old Seager is putting together a respectable rookie campaign. Seager has 11 home runs and a team-leading 60 RBI. His .240 batting average leaves something to be desired but the University of North Carolina product is batting .303 against fastballs this season. Seager burned through the Seattle farm system in two-and-a-half seasons and hit .333 in 2011 against AA and AAA pitching over 416 plate appearances. If he can learn to read the big league curveball (.176 against), Seager could develop into a reliable middle of the order bat.

Michael Saunders, Center Field

The 25-year-old Saunders leads Seattle with a .262 average. The Victoria, British Columbia, Canada native has not hit for great power (.428 SLG%) in his first season as an everyday player, but has swiped 14 bags this year.  Drafted in the 11th round of the 2004 MLB draft by Seattle, Saunders broke into the bigs at 22. His 2.4 WAR leads the team.

Jesus Montero, Catcher

The 22-year-old catcher joined the Mariners in the trade that sent starting pitcher Miguel Pineda to the New York Yankees. Montero’s rookie year stats do not pop off the page, but his .258 average and 9 home runs is solid for a freshman catcher. The reason for excitement with Montero is his potential. At 18-years old, Montero hit .326 with 17 home runs and 87 RBI in A ball. He followed that next year with .337, 17 home runs and 70 RBI A+ and AA. The Yankees kept Montero in AAA for his 20 and 21-year-old seasons where he compiled 39 home runs, 53 doubles, 142 RBI and 82 walks over 967 plate appearances. Montero has the potential to become an annual All-Star.

Dustin Ackley, Second Base

A second-half call-up last season, Ackley hit .273 in 2011. In his first full big league season, Ackley is experiencing a setback. The left-handed hitter in only hitting .220 and slugging .316. Also a UNC product, Ackley played 200 minor league games in the Seattle farm system before earning a call-up. Ackley hit .267 in AA and AAA with 7 home runs and 51 RBI as a 22-year-old. At 23, he hit .303 with a .421 OBP in AAA. Ackley is a highly regarded prospect and at 24 still has potential for growth. Expect for Ackley to bounce back next season.

The Big Guy

 

Look At Me Now!!!

  Lets meet the newly acquired New York Yankee, Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro is currently in his 12th season in the MLB, and has finally left Seattle after 11 great seasons. The veteran hopes to add to an already loaded Yankees lineup. Ichiro was certainly a fan favorite in Seattle, and hopes to be the same in the big apple.

 Over Ichiro’s 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro compiled 2533 hits including having 10 seasons in a row to start his career with at least 200 hits. Ichiro led the league in hits in 2001(242), 2004(262), 2006(224), 2007(238), 2008(213), 2009(225), and 2010(214). Along with his incredible hitting the 11 year veteran has also won 10 gold gloves from 2001-2010. Ichiro is one of the leagues best hitters of all time, and no one ever thought he’d leave Seattle.

  So what do the Yankee’s get?

•    Bat- Ichiro is .261 with a 105 hits, 15 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, and 28 RBIs on the season. Ichiro’s numbers are down, but much of that could be from playing on one of the worst teams in baseball for the past 3 seasons. Ichiro has a career .322 batting average, and look for his average to spike once a Yankee, especially using the short porch in right with Ichiro’s swing.
• Glove- Known to be one of the best right fielders in the game, Ichiro will do nothing but improve the Yankees on the field. Ichiro has one of the strongest arms in the game with 3 assists this season and 100 over his career. Ichiro has only 33 errors in 11 seasons played.

This could be Ichiro’s final chance to get a World Series ring, and a trade like this could really change around his season. Ichiro went from a team with a record of 43-56 and last in their division, to a team with the record of 58-39, 1st in their division and in the middle of the A.L. East race. Ichiro could end up being a key piece to what the Yankees need to go all the way this season.

 

Coach Tom

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Best Win

White Sox 7-Twins 4: Why do we fall, Master Wayne? So we ca learn to pick ourselves up. Fresh off of losing the AL Central lead by dropping three straight to the division rival Tigers, not to mention five games overall, Chicago kicked the AL Central dog Monday night. After going 1-11 in Detroit over the weekend, Adam Dunn hit his MLB-best 29th homer. Gavin Floyd went 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 BB and Paul Konerko awoke with 3 RBI. The Sox trail Detroit by 1 game going into Tuesday.

Best Hitter

Nothing like chilling through 7 1/2 innings, taking one hack, and earning hero honors for the day. Los Angeles Angels DH Kendrys Morales had the day off Monday until the bottom of the 8th. With the bases loaded and the score knotted 3-3, Morales singled to deep right to clear the sacks. Half an inning later and the Angeles sealed a 6-3 victory over the hapless Kansas City Royals.

Best Pitcher

Don’t look now, but Hiroki Kuroda is pitching light out for the Yanks. Kuroda went 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K against the Ichiroless Mariners. The $10 million man allowed only 4 fly ball outs on the way to his 10th win of the season. Kuroda lowered his ERA to 3.34 and has won his last four decisions. The Yankees have won his last six starts.

Stat to know

Cleveland Racists reliever Vinnie Pestano has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 appearances. The 27-year-old righty has a 1.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. After making 67 relief appearances in 2011 with a 2.32 ERA, Pestano is only improving.

Tomorrow’s note

Seattle fans will experience mixed emotions Tuesday when traded hero Ichiro Suzuki will face current Mariners franchise face, and Big Guy favorite, Felix Hernandez. Prediction: Ichiro goes 1-3 against King Felix.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

Red Sox 2- Mariners 1: The Sox pushed across a run in the eighth to send the game into extras and scored on a David Ortiz sac fly in the tenth to earn their sixth win in their last ten games. Boston’s bullpen combined to go 5.2 scoreless innings and Alfredo Aceves picked up his 19th save. Now 42-37, Boston trails Baltimore by 0.5 games for second in the AL East. With the New York Yankees out at 48-30, the race out East may well be for runner up.

Best Pitcher

Cleveland starter Justin Masterson went 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 K in his fifth win of the season. Masterson silenced the Baltimore bats and the Indians won on the road 6-2. Currently holding a 3.92 ERA, Masterson lowered his ERA one full point in June.

Best Hitter

Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe hit his 17th and 18th home runs of the season. His 2-4 day brought two solo home runs. The .250-hitting 26-year-old entered the season with 10 career home runs. The right-handed hitter’s first full season in the bigs could easily finish with a 30 home run campaign.

Stat to know

The Tampa Bay Rays are 3-7 in their last ten. With their 28th ranked team batting average (.233), the Rays may have to consider adding a bat through a trade. The Rays top fielding prospects, shortstops Tim Beckham and Hak-Ju Lee are hitting .258 and .252 respectively. The Rays impressive young pitching rotation could use better than the 18th best run support.

Tomorrow’s Note

New York Yankees righty Freedy Garcia makes his first start since April 28 against Matt Moore and the Rays. Garcia has a 12.18 ERA in his four starts this year, but posted ERAs of 1.93 in May and 1.13 in June as a reliever. The absence of Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia have pushed Garcia back into starting duty.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

Red Sox 8-Braves 4: Relief pitcher Franklin Morales picked up the win after 6 IP in his second straight spot start. His 17 K’s in his last two starts (11 IP) might get Boston to wondering if a full time conversion might be worth pursuing. Remaining in the sprint that is the AL East standings, Boston improved to 37-34. Boston is 8-2 in its last ten. HOT!

Best Pitcher

The Big Guy’s favorite pitcher did it with his arm and hit bat Saturday. Felix Hernandez went 7 IP, 1 ER, 10 K as he picked up his fifth win on the season. King Felix’s 2 RBI double in the second inning gave Seattle all the runs they needed as they won 5-1 over the San Diego Padres.

Best Hitter

Rookie Will Middlebrooks continues to make Kevin Youkilis look like trade bait for the Boston Red Sox. THe 23-year-old went 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2B. With a .331 BA, 9 HR and 33 RBI, Middlebrooks is the early favorite for AL Rookie of the Year.

Stat to know

Oakland Athletic outfielder Josh Reddick is eighth in the AL with 17 home runs. The 25-year-old centerpiece of the trade that sent Andrew Bailey to Boston is playing every day for the first time in his career and is displaying the power that validates him as a quality young talent.

Tomorrow’s Note

24-year-old Garrett Richards takes the bump Sunday for the L.A. Angels against the L.A. Dodgers. With a 2-0 record and 0.86 ERA, Richards is making a case to stay in The Show after a cup of coffee at the end of last season in which he picked up a 5.79 ERA.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

Orioles 8-Red Sox 6: Sports Illustrated says the Orioles hot start is Fool’s Gold. Apparently the AL East doesn’t know the difference. Baltimore scored two in the 10th to overcome the Red Sox 2 in the 9th. The Orioles #2-7 and #9 hitters all had RBIs as closer Jim Johnson ended up winning the game he blew. The Orioles moved into a tie for first with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Best Hitter

Angels corner infielder/outfielder Mark Trumbo went 4-4, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R against the Mariners. The 26-year-old is enjoying a breakout year with a .337 BA, 12 HR and .384 OBP.

Best Pitcher

No doubt about it, Andy Pettitte still has it. The 39-year-old lefty went 7.1 IP with 10 Ks and 0 ER. Tampa Bay bats managed 2 hits. Pettitte has gone at least 7 IP in all four of his starts since his season debut against the Mariners on May 13 and holds a 2.78 ERA.

Stat to know

Despite picking up a loss to the Kansas City Royals Tuesday, Francisco Liriano allowed 1 ER over 6 IP. After an horrific start to the season, the former ace has allowed 1 ER with 17 Ks over his last two starts.

Tomorrow’s Note

Angels starting pitcher Jerome Williams has thrown a quality start in each of his last three outings, two of them being wins. The 29-28 Angels are 6-4 in Williams starts, with the 30-year-old righty picking up a win in all six victories. Williams takes his 6-2 record to the bump against the Mariners Wednesday.

A Night in the American League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

Rays 8-Orioles 4: Tampa Bay reclaimed the AL East lead with their win Sunday. 22-year-old starting pitcher Matt Moore earned his second win of the season with 6 IP and 1 ER. Leadoff bopper Carlos Pena reached base three times and five Rays batters drove a man in. The Rays take their 31-23 record to the Bronx Tuesday to begin a 3-game series with the Yankees. The Rays managed 8 runs on only 6 hits.

Best Pitcher

Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes threw a complete game 4-hitter Sunday. A fourth inning Prince Fielder solo shot provided the only blemish on the 25-year-old’s best outing of the season. Hughes lowered his ERA to 4.96, the lowest it has been since his second start.

Best Hitter

Mark Reynolds’ scouting report reads something like this: great bat speed. That line is scoutese for: looks great when he strikes out. The ball found Reynolds’ plane three times Sunday. The Baltimore #6 hitter went 3-5, HR, 2 RBI Sunday as the Orioles fell 8-4 to Tampa Bay.

Stat to know

White Sox 23-year-old utilityman Eduardo Escobar reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances Sunday. Escobar batted ninth, played third base and left field. The career .160 hitter did all he could as Chicago beat Seattle 4-2.

Tomorrow’s Note

The Kansas City Royals start a 3-game home series against the Minnesota Twins. The young Royals defy the sports adage that young teams perform better at home with a 7-18 mark at home and 16-11 record on the road.

A Night in the Amerian League

Every night The Big Guy breaks down the action in the American League.

Biggest Win

White Sox 9-Indians 3: The Chi Sox made it a winning streak and drew themselves within 2.5 games of the division leading Racists. Adam Dunn hit his 15th home run of the season which tied him for second in the majors. Jose Quintana, a 23-year-old prospect, won his first big league start and earned praise from manager Robin Ventura for his composure. A 7-3 stretch over their last 10 has the White Sox sitting at 24-22.

Best Hitter

Hard to ignore a 4-5, HR, 8 RBI night. Nelson Cruz helped his future contract negotiations in a big way Friday. The Rangers 7 hitter saw teammate Josh Hamilton leave early with a head cold and apparently borrowed the triple crown threat’s focus at the dish. The 14-3 romping of the Blue Jays has become a scoreline you almost expect to see from Texas.

Best Pitcher

Jason Hammel cruised to his 6th victory of the season Friday. Not like he faced much of a challenge. The anemic Royals bats poked out five hits over Hammel’s 6 scoreless IP. The 29-year-old righty is well on his way to career year. His 2.78 ERA is over 2 ER thinner than his career ERA and his next W will tie his 2011 total with Colorado.

Stat to know

Josh Hamilton broke an 11-game homerless streak Friday. Despite the drought, Hamilton still leads the majors by four with 19 HR on the year.

Tomorrow’s Note

The Big Guy’s favorite pitcher and 2010 Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez takes the bump for Seattle Saturday. The ultimate argument against measuring pitchers on wins, Hernandez takes his flossy 2.80 ERA to the hill as the Mariners look to avenge Friday’s 9th inning collapse against the Angels.