A friend has been touting the White Sox Timo Perez as the worst outfielder in baseball today. But I have to strongly disagree with his assessment. And no I don’t think Timo has pictures of manager Ozzie Guillen. To be fair Perez won a game for the Sox the other day when he threw out a guy at the plate and later delivered the game winning hit. My candidate for the worst outfielder in the game today has to go to the Kansas City Royals Aaron Guiel. Last season Guiel batted .156 with 42 strikeouts in only 135 at bats. This season his numbers are even worse. Aaron has only two hits in 22 at bats for a .091 average, and he’s not even a good fielder.

Tags: Articles by Teddy Ballgame by Teddy Ballgame
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Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates

8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (Win)

Add Paul Maholm to the list of young Pirate hurlers to watch.  This was Maholm’s first start and like Zack Duke earlier this year he’s performing so people will pay attention. 

Tags: Linescores of the Day, Rookie Watch by The Baseball Zealot
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Ever notice how good teams seem to get the breaks? Well the Chicago White Sox are a very good team and were playing a very bad Seattle Mariner team Saturday night. In the bottom of the 8th inning Bobby Jenks was firing 102 MPH pellets at Richie Sexson. There were runners on 1st & 2nd, with two outs, and the White Sox were leading 4-2. That’s when the BIG fellow sent a screamer that landed at the base of the RF wall. Jermaine Dye fired to Tadahito Iguchi, who relayed to the 1st base side of home. A J Pierzynski reached across the plate to tag Ichiro out with the potential tying run. The White Sox held on for a 4-2 winner. GO SOX GO!!!

Tags: Articles by Teddy Ballgame by Teddy Ballgame
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Jason Giambi, New York Yankees

2 for 3, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 walk

New York was trailing the Mariners 4-0 going into the top of the 5th in Seattle when Jason Giambi took things into his own hands. Giambi launched a solo shot off starter Ryan Franklin to get New York on the board. Then he hit a three run blast off reliever Matt Thornton in the 6th to give the Bronx Bombers the lead 5-4. The Yankees never looked back winning 7-4. It was Jason’s 2nd straight game with two homers, and this one wasn’t off Greinke.

Tags: Linescores of the Day by Teddy Ballgame
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Jason Giambi, New York Yankees
Jeff Weaver, Los Angeles Dodgers

3 for 3, 2 HR’s, 7 RBIs, 2 runs, 1 walk
8 IP, 0 runs, 7 hits, 10 K’s, 0 walks

Both of these players deserved Linescore of the Day with asterisks. Jason Giambi’s came against the Kansas City Royals Zack Greinke. Jeff Weaver was matched up against Roger Clemens and beat the Houston Astros 1-0. The reason for the asterisks is obvious. EVERYBODY hits Greinke and NOBODY allows Astro runs when the Rocket starts.

Tags: Linescores of the Day by Teddy Ballgame
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“I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.” — The Pride of Nashville, Tennessee.

Actually, for me, it was Saturday morning after a Friday night at The Cell in Chicago. In the company of half of our fantasy league and other serious degenerates.

Having nothing to do the rest of the weekend, I drove up to Minneapolis to see the Mariners and the Twins. Almost exactly 400 miles. Games were Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. This was my first trip to the MetroDome, and my first “inside baseball,” other than when the roof is closed at Miller Park. I have now been to 20 major league parks. Only 10 of them are still open.

Saturday night’s game featured young Felix Hernandez. This kid is going to be pretty good. He hit 97 on the gun, and his change-up was a consistent 82. The Twins had 5 singles in 8 innings. Two were infield hits. One walk.

The Handsome Man hit two LONG home runs, one a Grand Slam in the 10th inning, as the Mariners posted an 8-3 win.

The Twins came alive to take the Sunday game.

Saturday night, they honored the 1965 Twins, who lost to the Dodgers in the World Series. The only living Twin who was a “no-show” was Jimmie Hall. I think I remember reading years ago that he never forgave the Twins for trading him to the Angels for Dean Chance. Mudcat Grant and Jim Kaat said a few words. Earl Battey, Bob Allison and Zoilo Versalles are no longer with us; I think everyone else was there. Some on crutches, one in a wheel chair, but they all looked GREAT to me. At my age, I get emotional at settings like that. I was in high school in 1965; what an avalanche of memories for me. Worth the trip.

Quick Trivia Question: Who is the only man in Twins history who was a Twins PLAYER, a Twins MANAGER and a Twins RADIO COLOR MAN? Answer later.

Tags: Articles by DonS by DonS
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Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox

4 for 4, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 1 BIG assist

Jermaine Dye drove in two, scored twice, and his throw to relay man Tadahito Iguchi cutdown the potential tying run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Ichiro was nailed at the plate when he tried to tie things up for the Mariners on a two out double by Richie Sexson. Final result White Sox 4, Seattle 3. GO SOX GO!!!

Tags: Linescores of the Day by Teddy Ballgame
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Steve Trachsel, New York Mets

8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, (Win)

Steve Trachsel pitching his first game of the season, did an all right job.  Trach allowed only 2 hits in 8 innings and got the win. 

He gets a bad rap sometimes but he’s won over 10 games in the last 4 seasons and has had an ERA at or below 4.00 in the last three.

Tags: Linescores of the Day by The Baseball Zealot
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Jim Edmonds, St Louis Cardinals

3 for 4, HR, 3 runs, 2 rbis

Diamond Jim did it all for the Cards.  Including a HBP.

Tags: Linescores of the Day by The Baseball Zealot
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Justin Thompson was one of the top young lefthanders in MLB in 1997, but then he hurt his shoulder. Thompson had a 15-11 record with a 3.02 ERA, allowed just 118 hits in 223 1/3 innings, struck out 151, while allowing only 66 walks. The following season with the Tigers he slipped to 11-15, 4.05 ERA, 227 hits allowed in 222 innings, walked 79, but still managed to strike out 149. 1999 was the last time he pitched in the big leagues before shoulder ailments shut him down. His record in 1999 was a dismal 9-11, 5.11 ERA, he let up 152 hits in 142 2/3 innings, he walked 59, but struck out only 83.

Then after six years and four shoulder surgeries he resurfaced. Former Tiger Justin Thompson might not be done, after all. Thompson, 31, had a 3.07 ERA in 14 2/3 innings for Frisco, the Texas Rangers’ Double-A team in the Texas League, and got a callup to the big leagues.

Because of arm problems, Thompson hasn’t pitched in the majors since 1999. After that season, he was traded to Texas in the deal for Juan Gonzalez.

But then I was reading today’s transactions and saw where the Rangers farmed out Justin Thompson after he allowed two home runs in his two appearances, with an ERA of 21.60, four hits, and four earned runs in an inning & two thirds. Thompson was dejected when he got the news of his demotion. But this guy is not a quitter and I wish him luck in his quest for a return to the show!

Tags: Articles by Teddy Ballgame by Teddy Ballgame
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