Bucs acquire Rays' Iwamura for Chavez
Second baseman addresses one of club's biggest needs.
The Pirates acquired infielder Akinori Iwamura from the Rays on Tuesday in exchange for right-hander Jesse Chavez in a move that gave Pittsburgh its second baseman and saved Tampa Bay the cost of declining Iwamura's option.
In announcing the trade, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington also said the club had exercised Iwamura's option for 2010. It calls for a $4.85 million salary.
Iwamura, 30, has played the past three seasons with the Rays after nine years in Japan. He's a career .281 hitter in the U.S. Major Leagues who batted .290 in 2009 with 19 extra-base hits and 22 RBis in 69 games but missed nearly three months with a left knee injury.
Iwamura was a third baseman for most of his career but converted to second base in 2008.
"Akinori Iwamura brings to the Pittsburgh Pirates solid attributes offensively, defensively, on the base paths and in the clubhouse," Huntington said in a statement released by the team. "He is a good athlete with above-average speed and is a tough out with a solid career on-base percentage. Additionally, he played Gold Glove-caliber third base for years in Japan and has made a smooth transition to second base. We are very pleased to add a player of his caliber to our lineup and to our organization."
Iwamura, a six-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star in Japan, signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay on Dec. 15, 2006, that included a club option for '10.
The Rays were expected to decline that option. The move would have cost them $550,000.
Instead, Tampa Bay added 26-year-old Chavez, who is coming off his first full Major League season. He led the Pirates with 73 appearances to go with a 4.01 ERA and a better than two-to-one strikeouts to walks ratio (47 strikeouts vs. 22 walks in 67 1/3 innings).
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Greinke, Wainwright named top pitchers by peers
Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals were named the top pitchers by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Greinke appeared in 33 games this season and went 16-8 with a 2.16 earned run average for a Kansas City team that went just 65-97 on the season. He led the majors in ERA and finished third with 242 strikeouts.
His six complete games and three shutouts were second in the majors behind Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Wainwright went 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA in 34 starts. His 19 wins tied with three other players for the most in the majors while his amount of starts was just one behind Detroit's Justin Verlander.
(c) The News Tribune.
Dodgers attempt to shake off heartbreaker
PHILADELPHIA -- To a man, the Dodgers insisted on Sunday night they would have little trouble forgetting the beating they took in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. On Monday, after a sucker-punch of a 5-4 loss, they said they'd have to forget, but more than anything it sounded like they were trying to convince themselves.
The Dodgers did everything right on Monday. They did bounce back from the 11-0 thrashing. They got key hits against Phillies starter Joe Blanton and they handed a lead over to their usually impenetrable bullpen. Monday's Dodgers looked nothing like a shellshocked team.
And even so, they found themselves coping with defeat. Jimmy Rollins' two-run, two-out, game-ending double ruined the Dodgers' hopes of earning a 2-2 split. If Los Angeles had won on Monday, it would have assured that the series would head back west for a Game 6 on Friday. Instead, it could end on Wednesday.
"They'll show up," manager Joe Torre said on Monday night. "We're going to show up here day after tomorrow, there's no question. They'll be ready to play. It's obviously a tough one to get past, but you know, that's our job. They still have to win four games."
The challenge the Dodgers face lies not only in rebounding from the backbreaking loss, but in facing daunting odds. Two teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NLCS: the 1996 Braves against St. Louis, and the 2003 Marlins against the Cubs. The 2007 Red Sox turned around a 3-1 hole against the Indians in the American League Championship Series, and of course the 2004 Red Sox came from down 3-0 against Torre's Yankees. But it hasn't happened much.
"Anything is possible, but we know it's not an easy battle," second baseman Orlando Hudson said. "It's going to be a grind every inning. With the guys they've got in the bullpen, the two unbelievable lefties they've got on the mound [Game 5 starter Cole Hamels and likely Game 6 starter Cliff Lee], and I tell you what, man, that lineup is dangerous. And along with this crowd they have, we've got a lot of things to fight against."
And that was the tone throughout the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. On Sunday, the mood was almost cavalier. The Dodgers knew they'd taken a beating, but it was easy to believe the repeated insistence that an 11-0 loss is quickly forgotten. On Monday, it was quiet, with many players knowing they'd turn over the 5-4 defeat again and again.
"You don't really say anything in a situation like that," said starting pitcher Randy Wolf. "You feel stunned. It's not a good feeling. But you've just got to move on. They're always tough to swallow. But the good thing is we have an opportunity to make something magical happen, win three games in a row. It's not over yet. As much as it's going to be a tough battle, there is a chance."
It may help that the series offers up an off-day on Tuesday. On one hand, it's an extra day to stew over the defeat. On the other, it's an extra day for players to collect themselves, so as not to worry about a hangover from the loss.
"We've just got to take tomorrow and [recuperate] from it and come back on whatever day after that, play again," said reliever George Sherrill. "We know what we've got to do. We've just got to do it. We have an off-day, so I guess that's good. But either way, we know what we have to do."
The question, of course, is not what to do, but how to do it. And on that front, it was hard to find answers. The Dodgers will do the best they can, but there's not exactly a blueprint for getting back off the horse after falling off the way they did on Monday.
"You've got to train your mind to where you have a short memory," said reliever Jonathan Broxton, who took the loss on Monday. "Forget about the past and come back the next day ready to go."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Familiar foe adds excitement for Hunter
NEW YORK -- Torii Hunter lobbied hard for Mark Teixeira to re-sign with the Angels over the winter, to no avail.
But when the Angels met the Yankees earlier this season, in a precursor to the American League Championship Series that kicks off Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Teixeira assured his buddy Hunter that all would be well.
"The first time I got to first base, he told me, 'We'll see you in the ALCS,'" Hunter recalled Thursday. "I thought, 'I like that.' And it's true. Here we are."
Hunter is here in the playoffs facing the Yankees for the third time in his career, having previously faced them in the 2003 and '04 AL Division Series, while with the Twins.
He's feeling a little more optimistic about his club's chances this time around.
"With the Twins in '03 and '04, we had no chance," Hunter said with a laugh. "We were making minimum wage! ... Everywhere I go, we play the Yankees. But now I feel we've really got that chance."
And the Yankees then, as now, were making significantly more. Asked what makes this installment of the Bronx Bombers so tough, Hunter was quick with his response.
"They've got a $10 billion payroll," he joked, before turning more serious. "Those guys over there are tough. They're good players. They work pitchers and they play consistent baseball. They've got a lot of guys who know how to play the game."
Of course, the Angels aren't short on such players, either. And if finances are going to be part of the equation, then the Angels are no paupers with a payroll of about $113 million.
Hunter himself gets a nice chunk of that change, having signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Angels before the 2008 season. But he does all he can to earn his paycheck.
"He's probably our highest-paid player," general manager Tony Reagins said, "but he also works the hardest. So what kind of message does that send to our young players? That's the kind of leader he is."
Hunter also leads the Angels' clubhouse in quotes. He was his typical, entertaining self when addressing a horde of media at Yankee Stadium during Thursday's rained-out workout session.
He talked about the weather.
"I don't think it's that cold, is it?" he asked.
When told it was in the low 40s, he changed his tune.
"That," he confirmed, "is cold!"
He talked about his good friend CC Sabathia, his Game 1 opponent.
"He's one of my favorites in the game," Hunter said. "We faced each other a lot when I was with the Twins and he was with the Indians. After the game, we'd go out to dinner. He'd throw a 97 mph up by my chin, then we'd go out to dinner. That's why I wanted him on my club. He's a bulldog."
And Hunter talked about his high school football days, when he referred to himself as "The Sandman," because, he said, "I used to put the other team to sleep."
Hunter will be facing a different "Sandman" in Yankees closer Mariano Rivera during this series, and he'll be facing the only team in baseball that won more games than his Angels in 2009.
But he's entering the ALCS, freezing weather and all, with his usual enthusiasm. And while Teixeira's premonition proved correct, Hunter would have been pleased with any opponent.
"I don't care where it is," he said. "Being in the ALCS, period, is exciting."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Twins latest to take advantage of home field
Home teams win three consecutive tiebreakers.
With the Twins' thrilling 6-5 victory Tuesday, it marked the third consecutive season the home team in a one-game tiebreaker advanced to the postseason.
Two years ago, the Rockies outlasted the Padres in an epic tiebreaker for the NL Wild Card and later won the NL pennant before being swept by the Red Sox in the World Series. Last season, the White Sox edged the Twins, but were eliminated by the Rays in the AL Division Series.
Overall, the team with home-field advantage has won five of Major League Baseball's nine play-in games. Of the prior four winners, only the Rockies advanced to the World Series.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Sox in postseason as Wild Card winners
BOSTON -- A couple of hours after a nearly epic comeback against the Blue Jays fell short in an 8-7 loss, the Red Sox at last got the ending they were looking for, even if it occurred 3,000 miles from Fenway Park on Tuesday.
Once the Rangers suffered a 5-2 loss to the Angels in Anaheim, the Red Sox officially clinched their sixth postseason berth in the past seven years. The magic number, which had been three six days earlier, was finally down to zero, and Boston will be the American League Wild Card entry in the postseason.
The Red Sox will meet the Angels in the AL Division Series for the third year in a row and fourth time in the past six years.
"We play from the first day of Spring Training, and this is the goal," said Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell. "I know it wasn't the ideal thing, and you'd probably much rather do it on the field after a victory, but you know, we battled hard all year to get to this point. I don't care how it comes. We deserve to celebrate just like the other teams that have made the playoffs. We're excited to be here. This is hopefully step one. I think we've got our team where we want it to be, and we're excited."
With the lights off at Fenway Park shortly before 1 a.m. ET, Boston nailed down the AL Wild Card spot that it had control of for a couple of weeks. The clinching was delayed gratification of sorts, thanks to the Red Sox losing five in a row and seven of their past nine.
But Boston players felt no need to apologize for their path to October.
"We lost tonight, but we're faced in this situation, because we've done better in the regular season and we've worked our way to get here," said Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. "Even not winning this game tonight, you [still] move into the playoffs, so it's a celebration."
Once the Red Sox lost, there was a bizarre feeling in the clubhouse. Some players packed up and went home, while others milled around and watched the Rangers-Angels game on television. Ortiz said he would go out to a local establishment and then return to Fenway if the Rangers gave him reason to celebrate. Rookie reliever Daniel Bard went to his apartment across the street to have a late-night dinner, but he was prepared to return and enjoy the clinching moment with his teammates.
By the time the Rangers lost, Lowell and left fielder Jason Bay estimated that close to 90 percent of the players on Boston's roster was on hand for the clubhouse celebration.
"It's a little different waiting around for another game to end, but at the same time, any time you get to the playoffs, ultimately that's where you want to be," said Bay. "I don't see how this would ever get old."
Before the delayed celebration, it was a roller-coaster loss against the Blue Jays.
Despite three home runs by Adam Lind -- and six by the Blue Jays overall -- the Red Sox didn't quit, even when they trailed, 8-2.
Instead, the bats came alive in a big way in a five-run bottom of the eighth. Kevin Youkilis and Ortiz both belted RBI doubles, and J.D. Drew's three-run blast put the Sox within one.
But that was as close as they got, as Blue Jays closer Jason Frasor turned in a scoreless ninth. Even that didn't come without a scare. Jacoby Ellsbury struck a one-out opposite-field single to left. Then Dustin Pedroia ripped a drive to right-center that landed just in front of the bullpen wall. After a walk to Victor Martinez, Youkilis struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
"We tried, but it didn't work out," said Ortiz. "It's crazy. These guys, they came out and they've been hitting the [heck] out of the ball the last two days. Not much you can do about it."
Even still, Fenway was full of energy in the past two innings, as the Red Sox pushed for what could have been a most dramatic clincher.
"That happens in this ballpark," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who got on a flight after the game to attend his son's graduation from military school. "If we just show some life, the crowd goes crazy and we've seen it a lot of times. It didn't happen, but we've had games where we've won like that. Just try to get the trying run to the plate and give yourself a chance. Or in this case, the winning run. We had speed on the bases, we had a great hitter up, but he threw a fastball and [Youkilis] was frozen."
Early on, the night had a decidedly down feel for the Red Sox. Clay Buchholz -- who had given up just four home runs over his previous 58 1/3 innings -- got rocked for a career-high five home runs over five innings.
The six long balls by the Blue Jays were the most allowed by the Red Sox since the Tigers swatted seven on Aug. 6, 2004.
"On the home runs, on a couple of them at least, they were sitting on soft two-strike [pitches]," Buchholz said. "Some days you've got it, some days you don't. The stuff was there, and I felt like the velocity was good. Whenever they got a pitch up in the zone, they hit it."
Buchholz came in with a 6-0 record in his past eight starts, posting a 2.40 ERA in the process. Not only that, but he had allowed one run or fewer in his past four starts.
But the righty got knocked around right from the outset in this one. His very first pitch was hit over the Green Monster by Jose Bautista. Lind made it 3-0 with a two-run shot to center. Travis Snider's RBI single put the Red Sox in a four-run hole before they even took a swing against Jays starter Ricky Romero.
"Well, I think it was one of those days," said Martinez. "He was pitching up in the zone today. Everything he threw was like middle up. They have a lot of good hitters. They didn't miss at all."
In particular, Lind didn't miss, as he put on a show. It was the first time a visiting player hit three homers at Fenway since Sept. 15, 1996, when Frank Thomas did so with the White Sox. And that wasn't the only Big Hurt crossover reference. It was the first time a Jays player hit three homers in a game since Thomas did the trick against -- yes -- the Red Sox, back on Sept. 17, 2007.
"I hit three home runs once in high school," said Lind. "I guess I've been there once before, but to do it here at Fenway Park is pretty special."
Not even a career night by Lind, however, could derail the Red Sox.
"On a night you get to throw champagne around, you have a little bit of fun," said Bay. "I think that everyone is entitled to that."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Verlander continuing to throw high heat
CLEVELAND -- One of the many quirks of the Metrodome is that the football play clock above left field serves to show the stadium's radar gun reading during baseball games. It only goes to two digits, being a football play clock and all, so any pitch that hits 100 mph or better shows up as only the final two numbers.
Thus, the reading Justin Verlander put on the board on Saturday was literally off the charts. But that wasn't the only reason it opened eyes. Verlander's 128th and final pitch of his last start, his 3,562nd pitch of the season, hit 101 mph on MLB.com's Gameday application.
The pitch broke Jason Kubel's bat. The ball landed in left field for a bloop single, but that was almost beside the point.
"Verlander," catcher Gerald Laird said at the time "pitched a Verlander-type game."
Earlier in the year, those games started off with Verlander throwing a little slower before building velocity. Now, when the games mean the most, he starts off throwing hard and stays there. He still isn't slowing down.
In a sport where hard throwers can quickly become cautionary tales, Verlander is a study in sustained velocity -- over the course of an outing, or a full Major League season. As potential postseason opponents watch the American League Central race unfold, including Verlander's meeting with the Indians on Thursday night at Progressive Field, he's the biggest reason why teams might fear the Tigers.
Nobody in the Majors has thrown more pitches this season than Verlander, and it isn't even close. The next-closest arm, Yankees ace and fellow AL Cy Young Award candidate CC Sabathia, entered Wednesday with 3,408. The difference is the equivalent of almost two full starts.
For pitches 95 mph or faster, it's truly not a comparison. Verlander's fastball has averaged 95.6 mph, according to data on fangraphs.com, and has actually gone up since August. In other words, he isn't just staying strong as the game goes on, but as the season goes along.
"He's got a gifted right arm," said Laird, who has been on the receiving end of many of those pitches this year.
It's the same arm Verlander had as a rookie in 2006, the last time fans saw the big righty and his fastball in the postseason. He did not have the arm buildup then, and he ran out of gas down the stretch to the point where his fastball was in the lower 90s during the World Series.
That falloff prompted him to change. He has another postseason berth in sight, but not another dropoff.
"I'm extremely happy about that," Verlander said. "A lot of work and preparation has gone into that. It's not just that I happen to feel good. I think I've been preparing myself for this the past few years, ever since my rookie year."
Verlander calls his rookie season a "warning sign," not just a motivation. If he didn't change his routine between seasons and between starts, he didn't just worry about getting tired down the stretch, but maybe getting hurt.
"I think I heeded the warning sign," Verlander said.
Verlander couldn't do much but rest after his rookie season, but he went about a new routine after 2007. After a disappointing 2008 season that included a drop in his velocity, he changed it again, quite a bit. Verlander liked how he felt, but he didn't like the results.
Verlander goes at his offseason workouts with the same intensity with which he approaches his games.
"He works his tail off," pitching coach Rick Knapp said. "Everybody knows that working isn't the prerequisite for sustaining your stuff, but he doesn't take any chances with that."
Verlander's other big step came about midway through Spring Training, when he lowered his arm slot. It was a big risk that late in camp, with little time to get comfortable with it. Once he did it, however, his arm felt the difference.
For the unnatural motion of throwing a ball, it feels natural enough to Verlander that he can throw all-out time and again.
"Lowering my arm angle just a little bit got me in that natural slot," he said, "so I don't have to fight it. That's the way I naturally release the ball. So for me to repeat my mechanics, as long as my body's working well, it's pretty easy."
How easy is it? When manager Jim Leyland asked him during a recent start if he felt like he had another inning in him, Verlander startled him.
"He actually told me he feels better the next day after 120 [pitches] than he does after throwing 100," Leyland said. "How that is, I have no idea."
Nor does Verlander. He just knows he does.
"I guess this whole year, my body's gotten used to 110, 115," Verlander said. "It just bounces back better."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
|
