Longoria and Soto Capture Rookie Honors

Evan Longoria, who helped the Rays to their first playoff appearance and catcher Geovanny Soto of the NL Central champion Cubs have been named the 2008 AL and NL Rookies of the Year.

Longoria was the guy that came with all the hype this year and our pre-season prediction. Alexei Ramirez was an unknown, a Cuban defector not expected to make an impact. Joba Chamberlain, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Clay Buchholz were all hyped up by the media based on the prior year's impact.

Of the rookies not named Longoria, Ramirez made the biggest splash, helping drive the White Sox to the AL West division crown. The 27-yr old finished at .277-21-90 and hit .333 from June 1st thru August 31st. Ramirez was clutch, hitting .398 with runners in scoring position and was versatile in the field, playing 121 games at second base, 16 games at shortstop, 11 games in center field, and 1 at third base.

Joba Chamberlain enjoyed a good season between the bullpen and starting rotation, though he didn't blow everyone away as a starter. Jacoby Ellsbury had a good season as well, stealing 50 bases, but he went through a prolonged slump before finishing at .280. Buchholz was a major disappointment. After throwing a no-hitter last September, Buchholz was hammered over 15 starts to the tune of a 6.75 ERA and some trips to the minor leagues where he finished the season.

But it was the superstar in the making, Longoria, who captured the baseball nation's attention. He hit .272-27-85 in 122 games and made the All-Star team in July. Longoria added 31 doubles, 2 triples, 7 stolen bases, and an .874 OPS. His glove work at third base was also solid.

2008 AL Rookie of the Year Voting
Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Evan Longoria, TB	28			140
Alexei Ramirez, CWS		18	5	59
Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS		7	5	26
Mike Aviles, KC		2	3	9
Armando Galarraga, DET			9	9
Joey Devine, OAK		1		3
Denard Span, MIN			3	3
Nick Blackburn, MIN			1	1
Joba Chamberlain, NYY			1	1
Brad Ziegler, OAK			1	1

The Cincinnati Reds' young stud outfielder Jay Bruce and the Cubs Japanese import, and our pre-season prediction, Kusoke Fukodome, both came with even more hype than Soto, and Bruce's Cincy teammates Johnny Cuerto and Homer Bailey were also highly thought of (as it turned out another Red, Joey Votto, had a better year than all of them).

But Soto's impressive rookie season was made even more impressive by the position he plays. In addition to taking his daily swings, he had to call and manage the team's pitchers, including the always volatile Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs starters had a good season and that reflected well on Soto's defensive game.

The 25-yr old hit .285-23-86 in over 500 plate appearances. He added 35 doubles, 2 triples, and an .872 OPS. (His numbers were remarkably similiar to Longoria's). Behind the plate Soto threw out 26.5% of all base stealers and put up a .995 defensive mark.

2008 NL Rookie of the Year Voting
Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points
Geovany Soto, CHC	31	1		158
Joey Votto, CIN	1	21	8	76
Jair Jurrjens, ATL		6	16	34
Edinson Volquez, CIN*		3		9
Jay Bruce, CIN			7	7
Kosuke Fukudome, CHC		1	1	4

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The Pennant Chase - 8/27

If the Mets miss the playoffs by one game, they can look at last night's failure with the Phillies as the difference. The Mets built up a 7-0 lead behind four RBI from Fernando Tatis, but Pedro Martinez and the shaky Mets pen couldn't hold it, and the Phillies prevailed, 8-7, in 13 innings. The win moved the Phils into first place in the NL East by a half-game.

The Red Sox win moved them to within 3.5 of the Rays in the AL East. Tampa had the unfortunate task of going up against the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay last night. The Jays ace won his 16th as red hot Vernon Wells drove in three runs to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-2 win.

The White Sox are now two full games in front of the Twins in the AL Central. Orlando Cabrera had a big night (4-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs), and Nick Swisher hit seventh home run of the month as Chicago downed the Orioles 8-3. Gavin Floyd picked up his 14th win and Carlos Quentin added his 100th RBI.

The Twins meanwhile lost a nail biter to the Mariners, 3-2. Jose Lopez's RBI single snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning, and Ryan Rowland-Smith out dueled Scott Baker.

The Cubs and Brewers broke out the offense in big wins yesterday. Chicago maintained their five game lead in the NL Central with a 14-9 over the Pirates. The Cubbies put seven runs across home plate in the eighth inning to end the see-saw battle. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto hit his 20th home run and drove in a career high seven runs.

The Brewers couldn't gain any ground on the Cubs, but they did increase their wildcard lead to 4.5 games over the Mets and Cardinals, by pounding St. Louis, 12-0. Ben Sheets picked up his 12th win and Ryan Braun hit his 33rd home run of the season. He now has 67 home runs and 189 RBI in 234 big league games.

There was no movement in the NL West as Brandon Webb failed in his attempt to become the first pitcher to win 20 games this year. The Padres shelled him in a 9-2 win. Meantime, the Dodgers were done in 2-1 by the Washington Nationals, despite a complete game by Derek Lowe.

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Cliff Lee tied Brandon Webb for the major league lead in wins with his 19th as the Tribe won their ninth straight, 10-4 over the Tigers.

Were those really a bunch of complete games we saw last night? In addition to Lowe, John Lackey (11-2, 2.95) threw one in the Angels 5-1 win over the A's, Bronson Arroyo went the distance in the Reds 2-1 win over the Astros, and Texas' Kevin Millwood threw his second straight CG in beating the Royals, 2-1.

Boston had to place J.D. Drew on the DL with a herniated disk in his back, but acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Braves for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.

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The Pennant Race - 8/14

NL WEST

A couple of former Red Sox helped influence two National League races last night. Manny Ramirez hit another homer and Nomar Garciaparra hit the walk-off game winner when the Dodgers came from behind to beat the Phillies 7-6. It moved the Dodgers into a first place tie with Arizona in the NL West. It also allowed the Mets to move into a first place tie with the Phillies in the NL East.

Brad Hawpe's 2-run, eighth inning home run snapped a 4-4 tie and was the game winner in the Rockies 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. Adam Dunn was 1-5 and left four men on base.


NL CENTRAL

Big day for the Cubbies as they swept a twin-bill from the Braves. They won the opener easily, 10-2 behind a combined 7 RBI from Geovany Soto and Jim Edmonds. Pitching took over the nightcap as Rich Harden and four relievers blanked the Braves 8-0.

The Cubs added a half-game to their lead since the Brewers played just one. That one game was another win for CC Sabathia, who improved to 7-0, 1.55 since being traded to Milwaukee. Corey Hart drove in 3 runs and Prince Fielder homered in the 7-1 Brewers rout.

Braden Looper pitched the Cards to a 6-4 win over the Marlins as they too dropped just a half-game in the standings. Troy Glaus was 4-4 and Jason LaRue and Adam Kennedy drove in two runs each.


NL EAST

The Mets drew 11 walks in a 12-0 blowout of the Nationals. More importantly, John Maine is back from the DL and threw 5 innings of 1-hit ball for the win. Rookie Dan Murphy continued to make a big impact with a home run and 3 RBI. He's hitting .467 with 8 RBI in 11 games.


AL EAST

The Rays and Red Sox both were winners and put themselves a game further away from the Yankees. Ben Zobrist's RBI double in the seventh inning snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the Rays a 3-2 win over the A's. Troy Percival walked two hitters in the ninth but escaped unscathed for the save.

The Red Sox pounded the Rangers 8-4 behind Jon Lester with a couple of RBIs each for Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, and Jed Lowrie.


AL CENTRAL

The White Sox blanked the Royals for the second straight game, winning 4-0 as Mark Buehrle won his 10th game. The win kept them one-half game ahead of the Twins.


AL WEST

The Angels' bullpen had a rare meltdown as they fell to the Mariners, 10-7. Francisco Rodriguez blew his 5th save of the season when he allowed 3 runs in the ninth inning. Mark Teixeira temporarily got him off the hook with his second home run of the game, but the M's tagged Justin Speier for three more in the twelfth. The Angels still maintain a 15 game lead over second place Texas.

Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez were both claimed on waivers yesterday and the Mariners will try to work out a deal for both.

The Padres put pitcher Chris Young on the DL with a strained forearm.

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Around the Horn - 5/29

Can things get much worse in Kansas City? The Royals looked like they would snap their 9 game losing streak. They lead the Twins 8-3 in the 9th. Before you could say George Brett, the Twins tied the game, the capper being a Craig Monroe 3-run homer, and then won it in the 10th on Justin Morneau's home run. Trey Hillman must have known he might have to endure a 10-game losing streak, no?

The White Sox blew one lead, but came back from two deficits to beat the Indians 6-5 and take 2 of 3 in their series. Carlos Quentin drove in 3 runs and has flown under the radar with an AL 2nd best 47 RBI on the season.

The Tigers salvaged the finale of their 3-game series with the Angels, 6-2. Marcus Thames belted a pair of 2-run HRs. Joe Saunders lost for just the 2nd time in 10 decisions.

The Rays topped the Rangers 5-3 in an afternoon contest. The game ended weirdly when closer Troy Percival collapsed on the mound with a hamstring injury as he was striking out Brandon Boggs for the 2nd out of the inning. Dan Wheeler got the final out for his first save of the season.

RH night in Oakland. Roy Halladay facing off against Rich Harden and both lived up to their reputations. Armando Rios' RBI double snapped a 1-1 tie in the 9th to give Halladay the victory. Harden allowed 1 run over 7 in getting a no decision.

Yuniesky Betancourt's home run was the lone run in the Mariners 1-0 victory over the Red Sox. Erik Bedard outdueled Tim Wakefield, who threw a complete game. The Red Sox have lost 5 of their last 6.

The Mets got a much needed win against the NL East leading Marlins. Endy Chavez hit a pinch-hit home run off of closer Kevin Gregg to tie it in the 9th, and down a run in the 12th, Fernando Tatis doubled in 2 to give the Mets a 7-6 win.

Adam Wainwright dominated the Astros, allowing just 3 hits over 8 innings in the Cardinals 6-1 win. Yadier Molina and Caesar Izturis drove in 2 runs each.

The Phillies completed a 3-game sweep of the Rockies with a 6-1 win. Chase Utley and Geoff Jenkins each homered and drove in 3 runs. Utley's 17 dingers leads the majors.

Jeff Suppan and Jo Jo Reyes hooked up in a great pitcher's duel in Milwaukee. Richie Weekes' 8th innings triple drove in the game lone run to give Suppan the victory. The two teams combined for just 7 hits.

The Reds pounded the Pirates 9-1 behind 4 RBI from David Ross. Jay Bruce was 1-3 with 2 more walks and his 2nd stolen base.

The Cubs rallied against the Far East to beat the Dodgers 2-1 in 10 innings. Geovanny Soto's sac fly against Japan's Takashi Saito tied the game in the 9th and Alfonso Soriano's single off of Korea's Chan-Ho Park won it in extras.

The Giants beat up on the division leading Diamondbacks for the 2nd straight night. Ray Durham homered and drove in 4 as the Giants won 11-3.

Jesus Flores hit a grand slam and Lastings Milledge added a solo shot in the Nationals 6-4 win over the Padres. Odalis Perez picked up the win after getting a root canal earlier in the day.

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Around the Horn - 5/20

Quite a night for the Red Sox Jon Lester. The cancer survivor had already been the winning pitcher in last year's World Series clincher, but last night he accomplished something for his own game- a complete game no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals. Lester threw a career high 130 pitches, issuing 2 walks while striking out 9 as the Sox won 9-0. He walked the lead off man, Estaban German to start the 9th, but retired Tony Pena Jr. and David DeJesus on ground outs, and struck out Alberto Collaspo to seal the deal. He was mobbed his teammate and coaches while a jubilant Fenway Park crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Evan Longoria's 2-run home run in the 13th inning gave the Rays a 7-6 win over the A's. Daric Barton tripled in a run in the bottom of the 13th, but was left stranded at 3rd.

Howie Clark, A-Rod's "HA" guy, singled in the game winner in the Twins 7-6 win over the Rangers in 12 innings. Joe Mauer tied the game off of closer C.J. Wilson in the 9th with an RBI single.

Alfonso Soriano didn't drive in any runs, but rookie stand out, Geovany Soto came through with an inside the park 3-run home run against the Astros. Replays showed the Soto's should have been called a home run (seems to be an epidemic of this going on), but he made it the hard way anyway. The Cubs won it 7-2.

Yorvit Torrealba's 2-run double in the bottom of the 6th rallied the Rockies to a 4-3 win over the Giants. Jason Grilli earned his first win since being acquired by Colorado.

Blake DeWitt came up with a walk off RBI single in the Dodgers 6-5 win over the Reds. Adam Dunn homered for the 5th straight game for Cincy.

Tim Redding and 3 relievers shutout the Phillies 4-0. Lastings Milledge drove in 2 runs for the Nationals.

The Cardinals banged out 16 hits in an 8-2 win over the Padres. Red hot Ryan Ludwick hit his 4th home run in the last 3 games, and Albert Pujols smacked a pair.

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Around the Horn - 5/6

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz each homered as the Red Sox doubled up the Tigers, 6-3. Lowell's was his first blast of the year as well as his first RBI. It was an odd night for Dice-K (5-0) who allowed only 2 hits over 5 innings, but walked 8. It was the 4th straight win the Sox while the Tigers dropped their 4th straight.

Dustin McGowan and Javier Vazquez settled into a good pitcher's duel last night in the Blue Jays 1-0 win over the White Sox. A Matt Stairs home run in the 7th inning was the game's lone run as closer B.J. Ryan escaped a bases loaded jam in the 9th to preserve the victory for McGowan.

The Angels and Royals also hooked up in a pitcher's duel between the rejuvenated Ervin Santana and veteran Brett Tomko. Tomko only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings, but wouldn't be around for the finish. The Angels scored 4 times in the 9th with Garrett Anderson and Brandon Wood each hitting home runs. Santana went the distance on 97 pitches, allowing just 4 hits, while issuing no walks, and striking out 9.

Emil Brown singled in the game winner in the bottom of the 10th for Oakland as the A's beat the Orioles 2-1. The O's had tied the game in the 9th off of closer Huston Street after starter Dana Eveland (7 IP) and the A's set up men blanked the O's for the first 8 innings.

The Mariners snapped a 5-game losing streak when they beat the Rangers 7-3 last night. Wladimir Balentien belted a 3-run home run and Richie Sexson added a solo shot to back the quality start of Jarrod Washburn.

Johnny Cueto won his first game since April 3rd when the Reds beat the Cubs 5-3. Cueto struck out 8 in 6 innings and Adam Dunn belted a tape measure 2-run home run. Cubs rookie standout Geovany Soto continues to open eyes. He homered as part of a 3-3 day and is hitting .352.

The Dodgers Rafael Furcal homered off the Mets Oliver Perez to start the bottom of the 1st inning and it was all down hill for Perez after that. Blake DeWitt hit his first major league home run and Matt Kemp also went deep against Perez, who had his 3rd bad start in a row (and 4 out of 5). Chad Billingsley picked up the win in the Dodgers 5-1 victory.

The Cardinals blew 3 leads before Rick Ankiel's RBI ground out in the 9th finally beat the Rockies 6-5. Jason Isringhausen picked up his 11th save for the Cards who are now 21-12.

The Phillies rolled over the Diamondbacks 11-4 as Jamie Moyer beat AZ with his arm and his bat. Moyer became the 3rd pitcher in MLB history to record a multi-hit game at age 45 or over. The game was a contrast in styles and age, as Moyer, making his 558th appearance hit 78 mph for much of the night, while 23-yr old DBacks rookie Max Schuerzer, who threw as hard as 98 mph on the night, made his major league debut.

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Around the Horn - 4/11

Mad Dog Russo must be having a wet dream, the Giants have won 3 in a row. Kevin Correia gave them 7+ shutout innings last night in a 5-1 win over the Cardinals.

Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto had 4 hits, including a home run in the Cubs 7-3 win over the Pirates. Jon Lieber threw 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball to pick up the win.

The Marlins sent the Nationals to their 7th straight loss, 4-3. Jorge Cantu enjoyed a 3-hit, 2 RBI night.

Aaron Heilman and the Mets blew a 3-0 lead, but Angel Pagan saved the day with the game winning single in the bottom of the 12th for a 4-3 win over the Phillies. Heilman has allowed 6 runs in 6 innings this season.

Edwin Encarnacion's 2-run HR snapped a 1-1 in the 7th to lead the Reds over the Brewers 4-1.

The Braves-Rockies game was rained out and will be made up at a later date. The Braves did place closer Rafael Soriano on the 15-day DL with elbow tendinitis.

The Orioles 6-game winning streak came to a screeching halt, as the Texas Rangers swept them in a twi-night doubleheader. Kevin Millwood improved to 1-2, 1.29 in helping the Rangers take game 1, 3-1. Michael Young homered, and C.J. Wilson completed a two-save night as the Ranger took the nightcap, 5-4.

Travis Buck drove in all 3 A's runs, including the game winning 2-run double in the 12th, as Oakland topped the Blue Jays 4-3. Keith Foulke gave up a run in the bottom of the 12th, but picked up his first save since 2005. The A's lost Rich Harden to the DL once again, this time with a strained back.

The Tigers got offense for the 2nd straight night- 6 runs- but their pitching got pummeled in a 12-6 loss to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell was put on the DL with a sprained left thumb, but his replacement, Sean Casey, knocked in 3 runs.

2-0, 0.64 ERA. Looking at those stats, you wouldn't think we would be taking about Rays starter Edwin Jackson, but that's exactly what his numbers are so far. The normally erratic right-hander went 8 innings in the Rays 7-0 pasting of the Mariners. Backup catcher Mike DeFelice knocked in 3 runs.

The Twins and White Sox were rained out and we'll make it up at a later date.

The Indians had the day off, but rewarded Fausto Carmona with a 4-year, $15 million deal.

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