Hump Holiday Hot Stove

The Big Unit has found a new home to call his own. Randy Johnson agreed to a one year, $8 million deal on Friday to join the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps the Giants are hoping he can help Barry Zito suck less.

Willy Taveras has also found a new home. Taveras, who was non-tendered by the Rockies, has a new 2 year deal with the Reds.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says he'll still listen to offers for Jake Peavy, but is no longer shopping him. If so, that means the likelihood of Trevor Hoffman returning to San Diego is even less.

The Orioles have been in contact with Ivan Rodriguez and Greg Zaun as they look for a catcher to pave the way for Matt Wieters. Offers for Pudge and Jason Varitek are few and far between.

If you can believe anything Scott Boras says, the A's are interested in long time Angel Garrett Anderson. The A's have also had some preliminary discussions with former Yankee Bobby Abreu, but aren't close to a deal as of yet.

Roger Clemens' name took another blow, this time at Houston's Memorial Hermann Medical Center. The Roger Clemens Sports Institute for Medicine will no longer have the Rocket's name attached. We understand it, but at the same time Clemens donated $3 million to the hospital's pediatric wing.

UPDATE 9:07 EST

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing free agent starter Brad Penny.

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The Pennant Race - 9/19

Fortunes changed in both the AL East and AL Central last night when the Twins met the Rays. Tampa had a 7-4 lead and led 8-6 in the 9th. Joe Maddon used Troy Percival as a set up man in the eighth before turning things over to Dan Wheeler in the ninth. Maddon would now like a do over. Alexi Castilla hit a game tying home run and the Twins scored three more times for an 11-8 victory.

The win moved the Twins back to 1.5 games of the White Sox, while the Rays lead, over the idle Red Sox, shrunk to 1.5 games. Lost in the loss with a monster, 3-home run night by Evan Longoria.

The Dodgers maintained their 3.5 game lead in the NL West, with a 3-2, 12 inning win over the Pirates. James Loney knocked in the game winner. The Diamonbacks kept pace with a 3-2 win over the Giants, as Randy Johnson and the Dbacks pen out pitched Tim Lincecum, who went the distance for San Fran. Adam Dunn singled in the game winner in the bottom of the eighth.

The Phillies nipped the Braves 4-3 on the strength of a 2-run home run by Pat Burrell and six strong innings from Cole Hamels (14-9). Ryan Howard picked up RBI #138.

The Mets remained a half-game back, behind a big game from Johan Santana (7 IP, 1 ER), with a 7-2 win over the Nationals. Santana's battery mate, Brian Schneider, provided the power with a pair of home runs.

The Mets also added a game on their wildcard lead when the Brewers blew a 4-run lead in the ninth to the Cubs. Rookie sensation Geovany Soto hit a game tying 3-run home run and Derrek Lee singled in the game winner in the 12th for a 7-6 Cubs win. Somewhere Harry Caray was yelling, "Cubs win, Cubs win.".

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The Pennant Race - 8/28

The Mets leap frogged the Phillies back into first place in the NL East. One day after blowing a 7-0 lead, the Mets came back from a 3-1 deficit behind a pair of Carlos Delgado home runs and beat the Phillies bullpen 6-3.

Rookie Glen Perkins won his 12th game as the Twins defeated the Mariners, 6-5, to move back within a game of the White Sox in the AL Central. John Danks and Lance Broadway got shelled in the Orioles 11-3 win over Chicago. Aubrey Huff and Brian Roberts drove in three runs each.

Joe Saunders had a rare bad start, getting knocked out in the second inning as the Angels fell to the A's 6-5. The Halos are still 28 games over .500.

The Rays maintained their lead over the Red Sox with a 1-0 dazzler against the Blue Jays. Matt Garza pitched into the eighth inning to pick up his 11th win. Carlos Pena's 27th home run was the game's lone run.

Jason Marquis, Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood combined on a shutout as the Cubs beat the Pirates 2-0. That pushed their lead over the Brewers to six games after Milwaukee lost to the Cardinals, 5-3. The Cards struck for four runs in the eighth and now trail the Brewers by 3.5 in the NL wildcard race.

Randy Johnson pitched well for Arizona, but the Diamondbacks blew a 4-0 lead and lost to the Padres 5-4. No harm though as the Dodgers lost to the Nationals again, 5-4. Tim Redding out pitched Greg Maddux for the win.
Other News

The Indians won again, their 10th straight, beating the Tigers 9-7. Kelly Shoppach hit his career high 17th home run. The Indians lost 10 in a row earlier this season.
Josh Johnson is back for Florida and excelling. He pitched a complete game last night in the

Marlins 4-1 win over the Braves, to improve to 4-0, 3.12.
Tim Lincecum is 15-3 after the Giants beat the Rockies 4-1. Lincecum struck out 10 in 7.2 innings pitched.

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Around the Horn - 7/22

Great pitching match up last night at the warehouse they call a ball park in Phoenix. The Cubs sent recently acquired Rich Harden up against Dbacks oldster Randy Johnson. Apparently the Big Unit still has something left in him. He tossed 2 hit ball over 7 innings to pick up his 291st win in the Dbacks 2-0 victory. Hard luck loser Harden allowed just 1 hit, a home run, in 7 innings and struck out 10.

Harden has thus far lived up to expectations - 1 earned run allowed in 12.1 innings pitched. He's yet to get a win though as the bullpen blew his first start and no offense spoiled his second time out.

CC Sabatha is also living up to expectations in Milwaukee. He's allowed just 5 earned runs in 24 IP (1.88 ERA), while winning 3 games, going the distance in 2 of them. He's also homered! After starting the season 1-5, 7.51, Sabathia has gone 8-3, 1.92.

Teammates Miguel Cabrera and Matt Joyce combined for 9 hits and 11 RBI last night in the Tigers 19-4 blow out of the Royals.

B.J. Upton's offensive numbers are down for the Rays, but he did reach 30 stolen bases for the first time in his career with a pair of swipes last night. Scott Kazmir was dominant in the Rays 4-0 win over the A's, striking out 9 and allowing just 2 hits over 7 innings.

Curt Schilling has been out, Dice-K hasn't been fantastic, and Clay Buccholz has not yet lived up to the hype, but the Red Sox are very much in the thick of things, in great part due to the performance of Jon Lester. Known more for his cancer battle and a no-hitter earlier this year, Lester has put together a very solid campaign, improving to 8-3 after 7 shutout innings against the Mariners last night. Boston won 4-0 with Lester lowering his ERA to 3.20.

The Dodgers and Rockies banged out 38 hits last night in the Dodgers 16-10 road win. James Loney drove in 5 runs in this horribly pitched game.

Watching him pitch, you wonder how he ever wins a game, but Paul Byrd did it again last night. He and the Indians out dueled All-Star Ervin Santana in the Tribe's 5-2 win against the Angels.

The Astros were on the brink of victory last night, leading the Pirates 3-2 in the 9th. Then Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche, and Freddy Sanchez each hit round-trippers. Sanchez's was a 3-run inside the parker that took a weird carom off the fence. Final score, Pirates 9 Astros 3.

You never expect pitching with the Rangers, but last night Scott Feldman and three relievers held the White Sox to one run in a 6-1 win. Josh Hamilton hit a 3-run home run to give him 98 RBI on the season. Carlos Quentin's 24th home run was the lone Chisox run.

The Brewers blew a 9th inning lead, but Bill Hall homered in the 10th and the Brewers added two more to beat the Cards 6-3. The victory moved Milwaukee into a tie for 2nd with the Cards in the NL Central, 2 games back of the Cubs.

Jose Campillo allowed just 2 hits over 7 innings in the Braves 4-0 blanking of the Marlins. The rookie is now 5-4, 2.83.

The Padres rallied for 3 runs in the 9th inning to overcome the Reds, 6-4. Kevin Kouzmanoff stroked the game winning 2-run double. Ken Griffey Jr. smacked career home run number 606.

Adam Jones and Ramon Hernandez both went deep in the Orioles 8-3 win over the Blue Jays. Toronto has lost 14 of 18 on the road.

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Around the Horn - 6/4

There was a huge impact felt by a New York pitcher's start last night and it wasn't Joba Chamberlain. Pedro Martinez made his return to the Mets starting rotation and immediately gave them a lift, putting in a quality efforts in the Mets 9-6 win over the Giants. Pedro stepped on the mound for the first time since April 1, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings for his first won of the year and the 210th of his career.

The Cubbies ran wild in their come from behind 9-6 win over the Padres. Alfonso Soriano hit a 3-run home run and had one of the 6 Cubs stolen bases. The win was Chicago's 9th straight, their longest streak since 2001.

The Rockies snapped an 8-game losing streak and a 13-game road losing streak by beating the Dodgers 3-0. Jeff Francis turned in 7 stellar innings to pick up his 2nd win. The game also featured a brawl between Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Kemp struck out on a pitch that he chased in the dirt. When Torrealba tagged him, Kemp shoved him, and Torrealba shoved back. Kemp admitted afterwards that it was his fault.

“I’m not used to acting in that way. It’s not in my character. It was out of frustration,” Kemp said. “We were losing the game and it was stupid— really stupid. It was not a good decision on my part. But it happened, and we have to deal with whatever happens after it.

You can catch a video of the fight at the bottom of the thread.

Wandy Rodriguez and 3 relievers combined on a 5-hit shutout in the Astros 2-0 win over the Pirates. Lance Berkman drove in his 48th run.

Greg Norton's 2-run double in the 8th lifted the Braves over the Marlins 5-4. Chipper Jones hit his 399th career home run in the game, while the Marlins Dan Uggla had a pair to give him 18 this season.

Randy Johnson passed Roger Clemens for 2nd place on the all-time strike out list, but took the loss as the Diamondbacks fell to the Brewers 7-1. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and J.J. Hardy homered for the Brewers. Fielder has hit one out in 4 of the last 5 games.

Yadier Molina belted a 3-run home run to lift Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals over the Nationals 6-1. Albert Pujols was forced to leave the game with a strained calf.

Pat Burrell smacked a 2-run home run and Chase Utley drove in his 53rd run to help the Phillies hold off the Reds 3-2.

The Indians lost for the 13th time in 17 games when the Rangers pasted them last night 12-7. Josh Hamilton, Milton Bradley, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and David Murphy all went deep. Ian Kinsler (18 games) and Michael Young (19 games) each extended their hitting streaks.

Justin Masterson has struggled in the minors this season, but he's 2-0, 2.95 in 3 major league starts for the Red Sox. Last night Boston beat the Tampa Rays 7-4. Coco Crisp's 2-run double highlighted a 4-run 6th inning.

Carlos Quentin, A.J. Pierzynski, and Alexi Ramirez homered to help lift the White Sox over the Royals 9-5. Gavin Floyd won his 6th game as the White Sox moved 5 games over .500.

Radhames Liz won his first major league in the Orioles 5-3 victory over the Twins. Melvin Mora and Kevin Millar homered for the O's.

The A's rallied to beat the Tigers 5-4 in 11 innings. Newly recalled Travis Buck singled in the tying run in the 8th before Jack Cust's single sent everyone home happy in extras. Dontrelle Willis returned to the starting rotation for Detroit and tossed 4 shutout innings. He gave up 2 hits, walked 5, and struck out 3.

Maecir Izturis drove in 3 runs and the Angels held off the Mariners 5-4. Francisco Rodriguez notched his major league leading 23rd save to preserve the win for Joe Saunders (9-2). The loss left the Mariners 17 games under .500. Vlad Guerrero missed his 2nd straight game with hyperflexion in his right knee, but may return to the lineup tonight.

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Big Unit Strikes Out a Place in History

Randy Johnson moved past Roger Clemens tonight into 2nd place on the all-time strikeout list when he fanned the Brewers Mike Cameron. It was K number 4,673.

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Around the Horn - 5/30

Joe Torre was back in the city so nice they named it twice. But it wasn't at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees weren't playing. Torre took his Dodger blue to Shea and got pummeled by David Wright and the Mets, 8-4. Wright belted a couple of home runs off of Brad Penny to help the Mets win their 3rd. Jose Reyes has reached base safely in 29 straight games.

The Giants completed a very unexpected 3-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 4-3 win. The Giants tied the game in the 8th on Fred Lewis' bases loaded walk and went ahead for good in the top of the 9th on Randy Winn's home run. Barry Zito came up with arguably his best start of the season (6 IP 3 ER 6 H 3 BB 5 K) while Randy Johnson allowed 2 runs and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

The Pirates pounded the Reds 7-2 behind a big night from starter Phil Dumatrait. The lefty allowed 1 unearned run, 2 hits, and struck out 9 in 7 innings.

Kyle Lohse out pitched Roy Oswalt in the Cardinals 3-2 win over the Astros. Albert Pujols belted his 13th home run for the Cards while Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman went deep for Houston. Berkman's home run tied him with Chase Utley for the major's lead with 17.

Jody Gerut's 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th gave the Padres a 5-2 win over the Nationals. Padres pitcher Chris Young, who was hit in the head by a liner off the bat of Albert Pujols last week, will need surgery on his septum and there is concern about a small skull fracture he suffered.

The Cubs 4th straight win sent the Rockies to their 4th straight loss. Derek Lee homered for the 2nd straight night to help the Cubs to an 8-4 victory.

The Braves pounded the Brewers 8-1. Mark Texeira homered and drove in 4 and Jose Campillo won his 2nd big league game. He also drove in 2 runs. Rafael Soriano returned to the Braves bullpen after 45 days on the DL.

Jesse Litsch has been flying under the radar for much of the season, but certainly not in Toronto. The Blue Jays starter improved to 7-1, 3.18 in the Jays 12-0 trouncing of the A's. Rod Barajas, who will be getting the bulk of playing time with Greg Zaun on the DL, capitalized on his chances with a 3-hit, 3 RBI day.

John Danks improved to 4-4 in the White Sox 5-1 win over the Rays. Joe Crede and Paul Konerko homered in a battle between division leaders.

Kevin Slowey pitched a complete game as the Twins sent the Royals down to their 11th straight loss, 5-1. Carlos Gomez was 4-5 with 2 RBI.

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Milestone Men

Time to take a look at who around baseball is close to achieving greatness, or greater greatness(?).

Because chicks love the long ball.

Player Total
Ken Griffey Jr. 597
Alex Rodriguez 522
Frank Thomas 516
Jim Thome 514
Manny Ramirez 498
Gary Sheffield 482
Carlos Delgado 436
Chipper Jones 397


Games Played
Manny Ramirez 1,991

Wins
Greg Maddux 350 (5 wins to pass Clemens)
Randy Johnson 287

Strikeouts
Randy Johnson 4648 (5 more to pass Clemens for 2nd place)

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Around the Horn - 5/7

Gavin Floyd came oh so close again. For the 2nd time this season Floyd flirted with a no-hitter. Before Edgar Renteria singled, Floyd had no-hit the Tigers through 7.1 innings on April 12. Last night Floyd gave the U.S. Cellular crowd another thrill as he entered the 9th inning without allowing a hit. After striking out Brendan Harris for the first out (which meant we had to hear Hawk Harrelson give a "he gone"), Floyd's attempt came to an end when Joe Mauer doubled to the gap in left-center field. Center fielder Nick Swisher dove about 15 feet (seemed that way) , but to no avail). Floyd improved to 3-1 as the White Sox dropped the Twins 7-1.

The Red Sox keep rolling and the Tigers keep sliding. Tim Wakefield threw 8 innings of 2-hit ball in the Sox 5-0 win. Look out AL, Big Papi is heating up. David Ortiz homered for the second straight night and has a 6-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .440 (11-25).

Andy Sonnanstine is now 5-1 after the Rays beat the Blue Jays 5-4. Aki Iwamura drove in 2 runs and Eric Hinske homered. The Jays got a scare when slick fielding John McDonald went down with what appeared to be a badly sprained ankle. Starting shortstop David Eckstein is also bothered by a bad hip.

Garrett Anderson 5 Royals 0. The Angels veteran drove in all 5 LA runs with a home run and two singles. Nick Adenhart's start was nearly as bad as his first one, but the Angels bullpen picked him up. Royals starter Brian Bannister has seen his ERA go from 0.86 to 4.46 over his last four starts.

The Rangers used a 7-run 3rd inning to pound the slumping Mariners 10-1. Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, and Dave Murphy drove in 3 runs each. The big shocker though? Sidney Ponson is now 2-0, 1.33 in 2 starts.

Justin Duscherer and the A's bullpen limited the Orioles to 4 hits in the A's 4-2 win. Emil Brown drove in his 28th run, second best in the AL.

The Dodgers overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat the Mets 5-4. Blake DeWitt's 2-run inside-the-park home run was the game winner. The rookie drove in 4 runs on the night.

Carlos Zambrano is 5-1 after limiting the Reds to 3 hits over 8 innings in the Cubs 3-0 win. He was also 1-3 and is hitting .261.

The Marlins got a dominant performance from Scott Olson who allowed 2 hits over 8 and struck out 8 in a 3-0 win against the Brewers. Mike Jacobs slugged his 9th home run and Luis Gonzalez was 4-4.

The Pirates pounded the Giants 12-6 as Zach Duke earned his first win. Nate McClouth slugged a pair of home runs and is hitting .333.

Braden Looper came within 2 outs of a complete game in the Cards 6-5 win over the slumping Rockies. Rick Ankiel homered and Ryan Ludwick was 4-4.

Chipper Jones belted his 396th career home run in the Braves 5-3 win over the Padres. Mark Kotsay also homered to help sink the Padres to 12-21.

Carlos Lee doubled home 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th as the Astros beat the Nationals 6-5. Lance Berkman went 5-5 and is hitting .353.

Stephen Drew hit a 3-run HR and Randy Johnson drew a bases loaded walk in the Diamondbacks 6-4 win over the Phillies. The Big Unit earned his 286th career win.

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Around the Horn - 4/15

Scores

The Red Sox rallied from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Indians 6-4 last night. Manny Ramirez capped the comeback with a game winning 2-run HR in the 9th off of Joe Borowski. It was career HR number 493 for Man-child. Many people, us included, picked the Indians to win the AL Central based on the strength of their bullpen. The ERAs of their top 3 in the pen? Borowski (18.00 - actually not a shock), Rafael Betancourt (5.14), and Rafael Perez (8.41). Borowski also said after the game that his arm felt tired. He hit only 83 mph on the radar gun.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m EDT: Joe Borowski has been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained tricep. One day too late.

The Tigers got the offensive explosion they've been waiting for all year, in an 11-9 win over the Twins. Detroit scores 6 runs in the 8th to rally from a 9-4 deficit. Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez drove in 3 runs each.

Miguel Olivo had 3 hits, including a home run, in the Royals 5-1 win over the Mariners. Zach Grienke tossed a complete game 4-hitter to improve to 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA.

Kevin Millar homered and drove in 3 in the Orioles 4-3 win over the Blue Jays. The win kept the O's in 1st place in the AL East.

Ervin Santana improved to 2-0 with 7 solid innings in the Angels 7-4 triumph over the Rangers. More importantly, Scot Shields and K-Rod were lights out in relief.

Greg Smith went 7 innings to earn his first major league win in the A's 2-1 triumph over the White Sox. Mark Buerhle (7 IP 2 ER) was the hard luck loser. Kurk Suzuki went 4-4 with an RBI and is hitting .370.

Nate McLouth hit a game winning 3-run HR in the 9th off Takashi Saito in the Pirates 6-4 win over the Dodgers. The win put the Pirates a game over .500 (7-6).

Randy Winn had 2 RBI and 2 stolen bases in the Giants come from behind 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Arizona, which has lost 2 straight, welcomed back Randy Johnson. The Big Unit allowed 3 unearned runs in 5 innings, walked 4, and struck out 7.

News

Erik Bedard is hoping to avoid the disabled list with a sore hip. The Mariners left-hander will throw a side session to determine where he goes from here.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal is reporting that the Brewers have signed free agent pitch Jeff Weaver to a 1-year, incentive laden deal.

Mets GM Omar Minaya said Pedro Martinez will be out until at least the middle of May and possibly the beginning of June. Not good news for our projected comeback player of the year.

Angels 2nd Baseman Howie Kendrick is out until at least the weekend with a strained hamstring. He may yet end up on the DL.

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Thursday Hot Stove

The Mets introduced Johan Santana to the media yesterday. Today they may be answering questions about Pedro Martinez's participation in cock-fighting in the Dominican Republic. Well, no, he isn't one of the fighters. But a video has popped up on Youtube of Pedro and Juan Marichal acting as "solitardes"- the person who puts the animal to fight. While cock-fighting is legal in the D.R., this is the 21st century!!!

In more baseball-related news, the Mets are said to be interested in former Yankee, Craig Wilson, and have been rebuffed by pitcher Oliver Perez in an attempt to sign him to a long-term deal. Perez, a Scott Boras client, would rather keep his arbitration eligibility and his free agency. It may be a big mistake for the very inconsistent left-hander. And with Santana now in the fold, the anticipated Hernandez bros. reunion will not occur, with the Mets taking a pass on Livan Hernandez.

Chris Carpenter is hoping to rejoin the Cardinals by mid-season, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last July. The D'Backs' Randy Johnson threw off a mound for the first time since his back surgery.

Still no update on the Erik Bedard front. The left-hander has yet to take a physical for any proposed trade.

The Red Sox re-signed Bobby Kielty to a minor league deal yesterday. It's reportedly worth $800k. Eric Hinske has left the Sox to take the same contract offer from the Rays. Also, Brendan Donnelley, recently accused of P.E.D. use, has signed with the Indians.

Nolan Ryan has been hired by the Texas Rangers as their new team president.

The Phillies are getting desperate looking for pitching, taking a look at Odalis Perez and Kris Benson.

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