Over 16,534,893 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?

ekansekans's blog: "df"

created on 10/29/2012  |  http://fubar.com/df/b351055

SEATTLE -- Eric Thames had already struck out three straight times when he came to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning to face baseballs most dominant closer. The Seattle Mariners were all even with the Tampa Bay Rays after Justin Smoaks sacrifice fly off of Fernando Rodney, who came into the game with a 0.82 ERA and the AL lead in saves. Chone Figgins stood on third, and Thames fell into an 0-2 hole. Thames took a pitch and then focused on low and away. He was able to flip Rodneys next changeup into short right field to score Figgins, giving the Mariners a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night that snapped the Rays seven-game winning streak. "Casper (Wells) said to me in the seventh inning, Hey, in the ninth, youll be the hero, dont worry about it," Thames said. "Its crazy how this game works." Kyle Seager started the winning rally with a single to right field off Rodney, and pinch-hitter Figgins pushed a bunt that first baseman Carlos Pena fielded. Pena glanced at second, pivoted, double-clutched, and then threw wide of first base. Seager sprinted to third, and Figgins advanced to second. Smoaks deep fly to centre field scored Seager to tie the game, and gave Rodney (2-2) his first blown save since May 26 -- ending the closers run of 22 consecutive saves. "(Carlos) makes that play 100 out of 100 times," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "That was the 101st time, I guess, right there." Thames hit into short right field scored Figgins and made a winner of Stephen Pryor (2-0), who worked 1 2-3 innings. Smoaks contribution to the end of Rodneys streak was as surprising as Penas error. He found out he was coming back to the majors on Monday when was replaced by a pinch-hitter while playing minor league-ball in Memphis. He flew to Seattle on Tuesday morning and doubled on the first pitch he saw. Smoak also walked, and both outs he made were on deep fly balls. He was hitting just .189 this year coming into the game. "I knew something was going to happen tonight where it was going to come up to me at some point in the game," Smoak said. "Its good to come through like that." Tampa Bays Matt Moore allowed one run and six hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and walked one. The Rays staff has the best ERA in the majors since the All-Star break. Kevin Millwood gave up two runs and eight hits in seven innings for Seattle. He struck out a season-high eight. Four pitches into the game, Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead. Desmond Jennings singled and B.J. Upton followed with a broken-bat fly ball to left that became a triple when Trayvon Robinson dove but failed to make the catch. Jennings scored, and Upton had his second triple of the season. Evan Longorias sacrifice fly to right scored Upton. Miguel Olivo followed with a double that drove in Smoak and pulled the Mariners within 2-1 in the second inning. Moore and Millwood controlled things from there. Jeff Keppinger doubled to left, and Pena walked with two out in the Rays fourth. Millwood then fell behind Ryan Roberts 3-0 before coming back to strike him out and end the threat. Millwood wriggled out of trouble again in the fifth when Jennings and Upton hit consecutive singles. Millwood struck out Matt Joyce and Longoria to end the inning. He struck out Keppinger and Pena in the sixth, setting a season-high with eight strikeouts. Joyce struck out three times. The Rays pressured Millwood more in the seventh when Roberts and Jose Molina began the inning with singles. Jennings, already 3-for-3, bounced a high grounder toward third base to Seager, who started a double play. Millwood then retired Upton. NOTES: The Mariners placed 1B Mike Carp on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left groin. ... The Rays have the lowest team ERA, bullpen ERA and opponents batting average since the All-Star break. ... Tampa Bay also leads the majors in strikeouts (284) since the break. ... The Mariners promoted this years top draft pick, Mike Zunino, from rookie-level Everett to Double-A Jackson. ... Seager has a hit in eight consecutive home games. Cheap Jerseys Paypal . In a game of wild swings and wild swings of emotion, the Tigers took a 4-0 lead into the ninth before Raul Ibanez struck again, hitting a tying, two-run homer with two outs that turned a sombre crowd into a delirious one. And then came a little grounder up the middle that devastated the Yankees and their fans, who saw their leader writhing on the ground, screaming in pain. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . Thats a major step for Clevelands rocket-armed rookie quarterback, who acknowledged that the first few days of training camp this summer left him dizzy. http://www.bwjerseys.com/ . When the Detroit Red Wings signed free-agent forward Damien Brunner over the summer, they did so with the idea of playing him alongside Henrik Zetterberg.In a couple of separate deals, the Philadelphia Phillies traded away two starting outfielders, doing their best to clean house and start looking ahead to the 2013 season. Numbers Game looks at the deals sending Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence to the National League West. The Dodgers Get: CF Shane Victorino. Victorino, 31, has been a reliable contributor for the Phillies throughout his career, but this years .724 OPS does represent a career low. There is some concern that Victorinos bat has slowed -- according to Fan Graphs, he has struggled with fastballs more this year than ever before. Nevertheless, Victorino is productive and is one of four players to have at least 20 steals and 30 extra-base hits so far this season. Adding that to a lacklustre Dodgers offence presents an immediate upgrade. In addition to his offensive contributions, Victorino has pretty much always been above average defensively in centre field, which should make him a definite improvement in left field for Los Angeles. So far this season, Bobby Abreu, Tony Gwynn and Juan Rivera have seen the most action in left field for the Dodgers, so Victorino is a more reliable option for a team that holds hopes for playoff contention. Victorino is earning $9.5-million this season and will be a free agent at seasons end. Adding his salary simply furthers the commitment of the Dodgers new ownership group, making a push for an immediate impact as they try to win now. The Giants Get: RF Hunter Pence. Pence is a 29-year-old who is headed towards arbitration in the offseason, as his $10.2-million contract expires at the end of the season. After a slow start to the season, Pence was terrific in May and June, posting a .912 OPS over those two months, but hes slumped in July, with a .531 OPS this month representing the lowest monthly mark of his career. He also has the lowest contact rate of his career and has his highest percentage of swinging strikes since his rookie season (per www.fangraphs.com). Even so, Pence is very likely to surpass 20 home runs for the fifth straight season and hes an improvement for the Giants batting order. Gregor Blanco, who has been surprisingly productive for the Giants, is better suited to a fourth outfielder role over the long haul anyway, so hell slide into that spot with Pence taking over in right field. The Phillies Get: RHP Josh Lindblom, RHP Ethan Martin, RF Nate Schierholtz, C/1B Tommy Joseph and RHP Seth Rosin. Lindblom, 25, has been serviceable in 75 career relief appearances, posting a 2.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP while striking out 71 in 77 1/3 innings. Hes been remarkably fortunate, stranding 93.3% of his base-runners (best in the National League among those with at least 20 innings pitched), so that is likely to regress soon enough, but even if Lindblom isnt a significant difference-maker for the Philadelphia pen, he is capable of filling a setup role and is only in his second major league season so he remains inexpensive ($483,000 this season)).dddddddddddd The Dodgers first-round pick in 2008, Martin is a 23-year-old starting pitcher who is having a decent season (8-6, 3.58 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 112 K, 118 IP) in a repeat year at Double-A Chattanooga. If he can continue to improve his control (4.5 BB/9 this season is a career-best), Martin has long-term potential that could see him challenge for a spot in Philadelphia a couple of years down the line. 28-year-old Nate Schierholtz has not been able to parlay moderate success into a full-time job with the Giants, reaching a career-high 362 plate appearances in 2011. Left in a reserve role this season, Schierholtz has dramatic split differentials, with an .850 OPS in 146 plate appearances against righthanded pitchers and a .483 OPS in 50 plate appearances versus lefties. He couldnt hold down a full-time gig ahead of Blanco in San Francisco and doesnt figure to start in Philadelphia either (the Phillies have called up Domonic Brown), but he should get some playing time in the last couple months before hitting arbitration in the offseason. The prize of these deals for the Phillies should be Joseph, a second-round pick in 2009 who slugged 22 home runs, drove in 95 and hit .270 with a .787 OPS as a 19-year-old in Advanced A-ball last season. At Double-A this season, Joseph has eight home runs, 38 RBI, a .260 average and .705 OPS -- not overpowering numbers, but at 20-years-old, hes quite young for that level. Joseph has primarily been a catcher, seeing a little time at first base in each of his pro seasons. The Phillies currently have Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard at catcher and first base, respectively, but the situation could be different two or three years from now when Joseph should be ready to challenge for a spot in the bigs. As he matures, Joseph needs to improve his plate discipline because a .307 on-base percentage in the minor leagues isnt indicative of a player that will be a productive offensive player in the major leagues. 23-year-old Seth Rosin is a 6-foot-6 righthander who has been working as a closer this season, saving 10 games while posting a 4.31 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 68 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings at Advanced-A San Jose. He might develop into a major league reliever at some point, or he may never advance beyond the minor leagues. These moves are radical for the Phillies. Its obviously been a disappointing season for a team that hoped to compete for the World Series, but moving out two starting outfielders leaves some gaping holes in a lineup that was already subpar, ranking 18th in baseball in runs scored prior to these trades. How the Phillies address those holes in the offseason will help determine whether or not they have a chance at returning to contender status in 2013 or if this is going to take a more extensive rebuild to right what ails the Phillies roster. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' ' 

Leave a comment!
html comments NOT enabled!
NOTE: If you post content that is offensive, adult, or NSFW (Not Safe For Work), your account will be deleted.[?]

giphy icon
blog.php' rendered in 0.0495 seconds on machine '205'.