Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks that doesn't occur daily.

Today's honorary bat boy is Tom Nieto.

[Nieto autographed 1983 Fleer. Estimated value: 17 popcorn kernels]


Yankees 5, Nationals 3 (14). MTD already covered Bryce Harper's big day at the plate, but how about the New York bullpen? After Corey Wade surrendered Ian Desmond's tying, solo home run in the eighth, the Yankees sent five relievers to the mound and they combined for 6 1/3 innings of three-hit ball. Freddy Garcia, who last pitched in an inter-squad game in Spring Training, 2004, got the win with two scoreless innings, and Mark Teixeira's two-run double was the difference in the 14th as the Yankees won their eighth straight.

Brewers 6, Twins 2. Chris Parmelee: DNP.

Athletics 6, Padres 4. Oakland won its fifth consecutive game despite the fact that it continues to A). open the clubhouse door when Coco Crisp knocks, and B). bat him lead off.

Crisp did draw a walk, his 13th of the season, which leads all Cocos. The A's got Jonny Gomes' pinch-hit, two-run home run (snapping Gomes' 0-for-34 as a pinch-hitter) in the seventh to help hold off the Pads, who were eliminated from the 2013 playoff race with the loss.

Gomes: "We're starting to get a little character in here. It's a nice situation." 

The 2012 Oakland Athletics: with character since Tuesday.

Mariners 7, Giants 4. This isn't about how much Tim Lincecum still stinks (5 IP, 5 ER), it's more about THIS pitching quartet for Seattle-Kevin Millwood, Hisashi Iwakuma, Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen-and some facts you might not know:

1. Millwood: 53-years old; pitched for the 1972 Baltimore Orioles.
2. Iwakuma: Once ate an ash tray to win a bar bet.
3. Furbush: Impersonated Offbase editor MTD in the made-for-TV movie Hey, Get Back Here With My Front Lawn!
4. Wilhelmsen: During a drunken evening in May, 2006, married a parking meter.

Tigers 4, Rockies 1. Wilin Rosario Watch: 1-for-3.

Reds 4, Mets 1. Good news for Cincinnati as Scott Rolen (.174/.238/.304) began a two-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville Saturday night.



Other games, but down here....

Pirates 9, Indians 2
Redsox 4, Cubs 3
Bluejays 6, Phillies 5 (10)
Cardinals 10, Royals 7
Rangers 8, Astros 3
Orioles 5, Braves 0
Whitesox 5, Dodgers 4
Angels 2, Diamondbacks 1
Marlins 4, Devilrays 3 (15)

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.
Today's honorary bat boy is Bill North.

[North's 1974 Topps card. Estimated value: nine pen caps]

Yankees 5, Tigers 1. Phil Hughes did his best Phil Hughes In Derwood's Dreams impersonation, going the distance and allowing a measly solo home run to Prince Fielder and the man subletting the apartment under Prince Fielder's jersey. Also, Derek Jeter, who should've retired last May, took the first pitch he saw from reigning MVP Justin Verlander and hit his sixth home run, and the Yanks never trailed in taking two of the three from Detroit.

Mets 6, Cardinals 1. If anyone has seen the St. Louis offense (one run in three games against New York), please return it to Busch Stadium immediately and tell it it has loved ones that are worried about it. The address is 700 Clark Avenue, St. Louis, MO.

It was a tough three-game set for the Kepshires, who were no-hit by Johan Santana Friday, then refused to let die that magic feeling, getting shut out by R.A. Dickey Saturday and nearly being shut out again Sunday before Adron Chambers had an RBI single in the top of the eighth. All day Monday, St. Louis fans were still calling it That Single By Adron Chambers In The 8th Inning.

Astros 5, Reds 3. Fernando Martinez Watch: 0-for-4, 3 K.

Whitesox 4, Mariners 2. Chris Sale has been one of the best pitchers in the AL in 2012, and Sunday was no different. The left-hander pitched a complete game, five-hitter and struck out eight, a start after fanning 15 and allowing one earned run in a win over the Devilrays. Let's ask a clearly-disappointed Mariners fan what they think of Sale's performance:

Pirates 6, Brewers 5: Cesar Izturis: DNP

Marlins 5, Phillies 1. After Carlos Zambrano's 7 2/3 IP, 1 ER pitching performance and solo home run at the plate, the rooster that lives in Zambrano's ear declined comment.



Other scores, but down here....

Braves 3, Nationals 2
Bluejays 5, Redsox 1
Royals 2, Athletics 0
Devilrays 8, Orioles 4
Giants 2, Cubs 0
Rockies 3, Dodgers 2
Twins 6, Indians 3
Rangers 7, Angels 3
Diamondbacks 6, Padres 0

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu took a brief, 33-month vacation to figure out the meaning of Stan Paulsen's life (results: inconclusive).


Today's honorary bat boy is Wayne Twitchell.

Yankees 9, Tigers 4. Sometimes it's fun to go against a guy making his major league debut. Facing Casey Crosby, the Yankees loaded the bases in the second on three walks, then Derek Jeter (pronounced 'Dehrik Jeeedih' by all women in upstate New Jersey) drew another walk to tie the game at 1-1. Curtis Granderson, who MTD famously, and full of hot dogs, labeled "a platoon player" in a July 4, 2010 post:

I really like Curtis Granderson the person. He writes a blog and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Curtis Granderson the player is nothing more than a platoon player. He can't hit lefties a lick.



ripped is 17th home run, a grand slam off the left-handed Crosby, and the Yankees pulled ahead for good.

Pirates 8, Brewers 2. With Friday's win, which spoiled Randy Ready Bobblehead Night in Milwaukee, the 26-25 Buccos are two games better than after 51 games in 2011, that magical season that saw them share first place as late as July 25, and not a second later. But enough of all of this Pittsburgh Pirates love. Let's make fun of Randy Wolf!

6 IP, 6 ER, 4 BB

Indians 7, Twins 1. Any time Carl Pavano fails at whatever he's doing in life: ordering from a $1 menu at a drive thru, trying to pluck nose hairs, pitching against the Indians, it's always an enjoyable experience for the Offbase staff. The Twins' right-hander allowed 6 ER in 3 2/3 innings, lost again (he's 2-5), and his ERA Tim Leary'd to 6.00.

Whitesox 7, Mariners 4. Chone Figgins Watch: DNP

Padres 7, Diamondbacks 1. Bevacquas win! Bevacquas win! Bevacquas win! Bevacquas win! Bevacquas win!

Royals 2, Athletics 0.

- Announced attendance at Kauffman Stadium: 29,527
- Estimated attendance if game was played in Oakland and announced by anyone: 14
- Estimated actual attendance at Kauffman Stadium: 11,400


Other scores, but down here....

Braves-Nationals, PPD (Otis Nixon)
Angels 4, Rangers 2
Giants 4, Cubs 3
Redsox 7, Bluejays 2
Phillies 6, Marlins 4
Reds 4, Astros 1
Mets 8, Cardinals 0
Devilrays 5, Orioles 0

Curveballs for Jobu 8/31/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the daily trip around the ballparks Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Jody Davis.


[Davis' autographed 1988 Fleer. Estimated value: 11 Pop Tart crumbs]



Yankees 5, Redsox 2. This series started, I don't know if you heard anything about it, but New York pulled to within a half game of Boston behind a gutsy (excruciating) six innings from C.C. Sabathia, who gave up a ton of base-runners but got big outs when he needed to. Frankie Cervelli crushed a home run off the Ugliest Man on Earth™ and provided his usual assortment of fist pumps. Also: big work from the bullpen by Boone Logan, Rafael Soriano and Momar-2 2/3 IP, 2 H, and the play of the day was Brett Gardner's running catch on Marco Scutaro's fly ball in the 8th, which if not caught could've caused problems. Instead, I slow-danced with a loaf of bread when he made the catch.

Tigers 2, Royals 1 (10). Tied in the 10th and need a big hit? Let Ramon Santiago playa' hate. The Detroit second baseman hit a walk-off home run against Aaron Crow to keep the Tigers five up in the Central.

Marlins 6, Mets 0. Javier Vazquez picked up his 2,500th strike out in his win over the Mets. Marlins fans making the trip to New York for the game had plenty to say about the milestone:

Indians 6, Athletics 2. Fantasy Watch-Lou Marson: 1-for-3, run scored.

Cardinals 2, Brewers 1. Edwin Jackson pitched seven innings of one-run ball and singled in the go-ahead run to lead St. Louis. Unfortunately for the Cards, still 9 1/2 back in the NL Central, their petition to have the regular season extended to 185 games was denied.

Astros 8, Pirates 2. Angel Sanchez: DNP

Nationals 9, Braves 2. Livan Hernandez continues to make all 54-year old men look bad, as he pitched seven innings of two-run ball to win his 8th game. As for the NL Wild Card-leading Braves, three of Jair Jurrjens' last four starts: 17 IP, 16 ER. Those starts came against Washington, twice, and San Francisco, which actually doesn't even have an offense any more, they just send up cardboard cut outs of Willie McCovey in different poses.

Phillies 9, Reds 0. Raul Ibanez hit a home run!




Other games, but down here....

Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 4
Orioles 6, Bluejays 5 (10)
Whitesox 8, Twins 6
Rangers 2, Devilrays 0
Dodgers 8, Padres 5
Angels 13, Mariners 6
Cubs 5, Giants 2

Curveballs for Jobu 8/28/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Jody Reed.


[Reed autographed 1991 Score card. Estimated value: 8 kidney beans]


Indians 8, Royals 7. Cleveland trailed 7-5 in the bottom of the eighth when Asdrubal Cabrera launched a three-run home run to put the Tribe ahead for good. That was Cabrera's 21st home run, which leads all Asdrubals.

Pirates 7, Cardinals 0. Chris Carpenter came into his Saturday start with a 2.33 ERA in 19 career starts against the Pittsburgh, but the Overbays got to the right-hander for six earned. That's not only the most he's ever allowed to the Pirates, but the most since surrendering seven to the Reds May 15. You know who else gave up seven runs that day? Brian Duensing.

Angels 8, Rangers 4. The California Angels Based Out of Anaheim hit five home runs Saturday, including one from rookie Mike Trout, MTD's new imaginary boyfriend since Chase Utley extended the restraining order to 1,000 feet.

MTD after Trout's home run: "I want to take him to prom."

Devilrays 6, Bluejays 5. While watching this game I was forced to look at this logo



and that wasn't a nice thing for the Bluejays to do.

Tigers 6, Twins 4. Carl Pavano: 6 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 2 HR, LOSS.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 6 (11). A day after becoming the fastest Dodger to reach the 30-30 plateau, Matt Kemp hit a walk-off home run in the 11th as LA won its fifth straight game.

Whitesox 3, Mariners 0. Ken Harrelson's pick to click, Johnny Danksy, twirled a three-hit shut out and had 10 hegones! The Seattle offense, which had been lost for months, was finally spotted in a grocery store parking lot in Livingston, Montana.

"I told you it was in Livingston!"

- Fake Mariners fan fighting with his girlfriend

Diamondbacks 3, Padres 1. Fantasy Watch: Aaron Cunningham: 0-for-4.

Yankees at Orioles DH ppd John Habyan
Marlins at Phillies DH ppd hot dog bun riot
Braves at Mets ppd Chip Caray skinned knee



Other games, but down here....

Reds 6, Nationals 3
Brewers 6, Cubs 4
Redsox 9-4, Athletics 3-0
Giants 2, Astros 1 (10)

Curveballs for Jobu 8/26/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Tim Bogar.


[2001 Topps Limited Tim Bogar. Estimated value: 6 sea shell pieces]


Yankees 22, Athletics 9. Oakland led 7-2 in this game and then a whole lot of horrible happened. After a run in the fourth, New York got to work. Robinson Cano popped a grand slam in the fifth, then Russell Martin hit a slam of his own (2nd home run of the game) in the sixth. The Yankees weren't done, sending 12 to the plate in the six-run seventh, capped by Curtis Granderson's grand slam. It's the first time in baseball history one team has hit three grand slams (or "salamis") in one game, and it capped a Simply SteveTroutian day for a number of Oakland pitchers. Starter Rich Harden wasn't good: six earned in 4 1/3 IP, but compared to two people called Jordan Norberto and Bruce Billings-2 IP, 11 ER, 9 BB-Harden was Kit Keller in the championship against the Rockford Peaches. The absurd run total overshadowed the performance of Yankees' starter Phil Hughes, who stunk: 2 2/3 IP, 6 ER.

*UPDATE* - 8:17 p.m. EST - While walking to Oakland's gate at LaGuardia Airport, Billings walked a security guard and gave up a two-run double to a baggage handler.

Diamondbacks 8, Nationals 1. Paul Goldschmidt Watch: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs.

Royals 9, Bluejays 6. Don't look now, but the Royals are 54-77. Seriously, don't look.

Astros 3, Giants 1. While watching these two powerhouse offenses go at it in San Fran, I asked my cat an important question: who has a smaller head, Juan Pierre or Jordan Schafer? Results are still to be determined (though my cat did throw up a rubber band, so those results have been determined), but the distance of Schafer's seventh-inning home run went further than all of Pierre's 2011 hits combined, according to my landscaper, Elias.

Reds at Marlins: no game. Projected attendance at Sun Life Stadium if there was a game: Randal McPherson and his new girlfriend, Diane, Carlos Mejia + guest, Tony Shapiro and his son, Tony Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Hector Sandoval, the Dade County 11-year old all star team.

cbssports.com


Who is Aldridge? I can only find three Aldridges in the history of baseball, so it's two of these three:

1. Vic Aldridge, who retired after the 1928 season and died in 1973
2. Cory Aldridge, who last played for the Angels in July of 2010
3. Ernie Aldridge, who is a player I made up



Other games, but down here....

Braves 8, Cubs 3
Redsox 6, Rangers 0
Orioles 6, Twins 1
Cardinals 8, Pirates 4
Tigers 2, Devilrays 0

Curveballs for Jobu 8/23/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Kiko Garcia.


[Kiko Garcia autographed 1982 Donruss. Estimated value: 24 cat hairs]



Braves 3, Cubs 0. Jair Jurrjens allowed 13 base-runners, but no runs because the Cubs stink. Jurrjens was helped by rookie Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla, who each hit a solo home run. Have you seen Uggla's arms? They look like my arms in that dream I had the other night when the I rode a bear around solving the townspeople's problems. I had a patch of a head of lettuce on my chest, but that's the part of the dream I didn't really understand.

Orioles 4, Twins 1. Carl Pavano: 7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, LOSS. Just 27 more bad starts and I can move on from the New York Carl Pavano Era. We're almost there.

Phillies 10, Mets 0. Cliff Lee pitched seven shut out innings, yes, but here at Jobu we're more about the guys who give off a distinct odor while on the mound. Dillon Gee? He smelled like Cecil Fielder's undershirt after an August day game in Texas. Gee walked six and allowed eight runs in 3 2/3 innings, putting the Backmans in an 8-0 hole after just four innings. That's not going to win you any of Lenny Dykstra's licorice. Ross Gload: 0-for-1.

Tigers 5, Devilrays 2. Justin Verlander gave up a lead off home run to Matt Joyce and just two hits after that in winning his seventh consecutive decision.

Mariners 3, Indians 2. Chance Ruffin didn't let having the first name of Chance hold him down as the right-hander picked up his first major league win with a scoreless eighth. Seattle won it a half inning later on Franklin Gutierrez's sacrifice fly. Casper Wells Watch: 1-for-3, run scored.

Rangers 4, Redsox 0. I'm always a fan of new Boston players failing, so Monday's 6 IP, 4 ER performance by Erik Bedard was a pleasant experience for me. And for Vinny in Jersey.




Other games, but down here.....

Milwaukee 8-2, Pittsburgh 1-9
Nationals 4, Diamondbacks 1
Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1
Rockies 9 Astros 5

Curveballs for Jobu 8/22/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Fred Manrique.


[Manrique autographed 1989 Fleer card. Estimated value: 6 pumpkin seed shells]


Yankees 3, Twins 0. Alex Rodriguez returned to the New York lineup, but the story was Ivan Nova. The rookie right-hander followed A.J. Burnett's C.P.V. (chicken parmesan vomit) start Saturday with a sterling, seven innings of five-hit ball. Nova was helped by Curtis Granderson, who hit his third career inside-the-park home run, and Mark Teixiera who followed with solo shot. The Yankees took three of four from Minnesota and stayed a half game up on Boston in the East. Fantasy update: Drew Butera 0-for-3.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 2. Chicago lost, but it's their own fault for employing Rodrigo Lopez, who allowed four home runs in 5 1/3 smelly innings. Daniel Descalso: 1-for-4.

Nationals 5, Phillies 4. The Nats did it again to Philly, rallying for a win in their last at bat for the second time in three days. Washington tied the game in the ninth on Ian Desmond's two-out, two-strike home run, and won it in the tenth when Jonny Gomes, who was a member of a dream team no one was notified about,



was hit with a pitch with the bases loaded. This loss severely damages the Phillies chances of three-peating in 2013.

Angels 7, Orioles 1. Sad news from Anaheim as it was learned after the game that this loss mathematically eliminated Baltimore from the following races: the race to cure athlete's foot, the 2012 race for the democratic nomination and the 2012 American League East pennant race.

Rockies 5, Dodgers 3. Who had Kevin Millwood is alive in the Is Kevin Millwood Alive poll? Millwood pitched seven innings of three-run ball and won for the first time since September 29. You know who else won that day? Bobby Cassevah.

Tigers 8, Indians 7. After allowing no earned runs in eight strong innings against Detroit August 10, Ubaldo Jiminez was simply Lapointian Sunday. The righty gave up 8 earned in 3 1/3 innings as the Tigers completed the sweep and moved 3 1/2 up in the Central.

Devilrays 8, Mariners 7. Johnny Damon's walk-off home run won it for Tampa, but more importantly, Wily Mo Pena and Casper Wells each hit home runs for Seattle. That's the first time in baseball history a Wily Mo and a Casper have homered in the same game, according to my neighbor, Elias.

Padres 4, Marlins 3. San Diego won on a walk-off hit the same day they retired Trevor Hoffman's jersey number. Unfortunately, the Padres did all that while wearing these uniforms:



Braves 1, Diamondbacks 0. Collin Cowgill: 0-for-3.




Other games, but down here....

Reds 5, Pirates 4
Redsox 6, Royals 1
Whitesox 10, Rangers 0
Bluejays 1, Athletics 0
Giants 6, Astros 4 (11)
Brewers 6, Mets 2

Curveballs for Jobu 8/20/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks that Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Luis de los Santos.


[Santos' 1989 Donruss card. Estimated value: 1 Dixie cup of mayonnaise]


That's two consecutive days for Jobu. Let the Espinoza-like streak begin!


Cubs 5, Cardinals 4 (10). It was quite a day in Chicago: the Cubs fired their general manager Jim Hendry right before batting practice, then Tyler Colvin, who after a solid rookie season in 2010 has been Simply Rey Sanchezian this season (.144/.197/.301), delivered a pinch-hit single to send the Cubbies to their first consecutive win. Meanwhile, St. Louis continues to allow 68-year old Arthur Rhodes (0 IP, 1 BB, 1 ER) and 57-year old Octavio Dotel (1/3 IP, 2 H, ER, LOSS) to pitch in games at the highest level of organized baseball.

Devilrays 3, Mariners 2. Felix Hernandez really should learn how to hit. The righty allowed one run through seven, then gave up a bunch of singles in the eighth and Tampa went ahead for good. Of course, the Seattle offense could only muster a Kyle Seager solo home run in the seventh. If Kyle Seager is your only offense, that's a problem. Let's get a Tampa fan's opinion:

Padres 4, Marlins 3. Alfredo Amezaga: 0-for-3, walk.

Nationals 8, Phillies 4. Philadelphia, which has already won the 2011 and 2012 World Series, led 4-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth when Ryan Madson happened. The Philly right-hander gave up three straight singles to make it 4-3, then after a sacrifice and intentional walk, Madson did his best Greg Cadaret impersonation, giving up Ian Desmond's single and Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off grand slam. Wilson Valdez: 1-for-4.

Yankees 8, Twins 1. Two things happened at Target Field Friday: Russell Martin actually brought his bat to the plate (2 HRs, 3 RBIs) and Phil Hughes took another step towards establishing himself as New York's No. 2 starter. The righty had his fourth consecutive solid start, tossing 7 2/3 innings of two-hit ball and there was nothing Rene Tosoni could do about it. The much-anticipated Hughes vs. Hughes match up in the eighth went Luke Hughes' way as the Twins' second baseman singled. Also, from the DJCINOSTTCDD (Derek Jeter's Career Is Not Over So Try To Calm Down Department): the shortstop is 19-for-37 (.513) during an eight-game hitting streak and has raised his average to .292 with a fantastic August.

Angels 8, Orioles 3. MTD informed me that Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler no longer broadcast Angels games. I found that sad since I had May 3, 2012 in the Rex Hudler Bludgeons Steve Physioc to Death with a Baseball Pool.

Astros 6, Giants 0. Astros win! Astros win! Astros win! Astros win! Astros win!




Other games, but down here....

Dodgers 8, Rockies 2
Tigers 4, Indians 1
Rangers 7, Whitesox 4
Reds 11, Pirates 8
Brewers 6, Mets 1
Redsox 7, Royals 1
Braves 4 Diamondbacks 2
Athletics 2, Bluejays 0

Curveballs for Jobu 8/19/11

Curveballs for Jobu is the trip around the ballparks that Offbasepercentage keeps forgetting to take.

Today's honorary bat boy is Brook Fordyce.




Jobu last appeared on June 29, when candy was only five cents and the Astros had Mike Scott. Since that time, MTD has been on a journey trying to discover the true meaning of the third day after Christmas, while Derwood took up work as a traveling air guitar salesman.


Yankees 8, Twins 4. My first Jobu since May 3 and of course we lead off with the Yankees. But this game was more about the Twins. It's been an interesting year for Minnesota, for hilarious reasons: Carl Pavano stinks, and for historic reasons: James Thome recently hit his 600th home run. But Thursday may have been the most bizarre day of the season for the Hrbeks. Minnesota came to the park with no bench, and that's not me trying to make fun of the caliber of players on the bench, or suggesting that the players were forced to stand all game. The Twins did not have anyone available on the bench: Michael Cuddyer (neck), Denard Span (concussion symptoms), and Matt Tolbert (?) were all banged up with injuries and didn't play, Jason Kubel was away from the team for family reasons, and a person named Luke Hughes missed his flight from Triple-A Rochester because HE WAS AT THE WRONG GATE. That's like the time when I was supposed to fly to New York for a family reunion, but was at the wrong airport. It's not that Uncle Ralph was mad, he was just disappointed. Anyway, Hughes arrived just in time to strike out on three pitches in the ninth, and New York stayed a half game up on Boston in the AL East.

Dodgers 5, Brewers 1. How do you slow down a red-hot team? Let Rod Barajas playa hate. The LA catcher hit a solo home run in the second to get the Barajas (new word for "party") started and the Dodgers never trailed in preventing Milwaukee from completing a 7-0 home stand. Clayton Kershaw was pretty good, too, tossing eight shut out innings in winning his 15th game.

Nationals 3, Reds 1. Now, I've been away for quite a while, but I think I may know what's wrong with the Reds: Miguel Cairo is batting fifth. Anyway, Thursday belonged to Jesus Flores, who homered for the first time since May 8, 2009. You know who else homered that day? Chris Coste.

Indians 4, Whitesox 2. The return of KenHarrelsonVoice™!

"Well, the good guys came into Thursday's game hoping to pick up a half-sandwich on the idle Tiggers. Sox got a little bingo from Pauly in the third, you can put it on the boarrrrrd, yes! Attaboy Pauly. But the Tribe came right back with two in the fourth against Zach Stewart. Stewsie left one out over the plate and Matt Laporta put it on the boarrrrrd, no. Our Sox threatened in a couple innings, but couldn't push any peas across the dish. The good guys did strike out 13 bad guys: Jason Donald in the first, he gone! Shin-Soo Choo in the second, he gone! Carlos Santana in the ninth, he gone! Wimpy's pick to click, Juan Pierre, went 1-for-5."

Braves 1, Giants 0. Mike Minor (6 IP, 4 H, 9 K) and three relievers combined on a five-hitter as Atlanta won on Paul Runge bobblehead night.

Bluejays 7, Athletics 0. Actual announced attendance: 14.




Other games, but down here...

Padres 3, Marlins 1
Angels 2, Rangers 1
Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 1
Redsox 4, Royals 3

Curveballs for Jobu 6/29/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Kevin Sefcik.

Phillies 5, Red Sox 0.
The matchup of the night between Cliff Lee and Josh Beckett was one sided as the Red Sox fell victim to another Cliff Lee special. Lee threw a 2-hitter for his 3rd consecutive complete game shutout. He's now allowed 1 earned run over his last 42 innings. It's nearly impossible to score on Lee right now. I can sympathize with opposing teams as I too am currently having trouble scoring. Shane Victorino and Domonic Brown each homered off Beckett who saw his ERA balloon all the way to 2.20.

Giants 13, Cubs 7.
Giants 6, Cubs 3.
The Cubs fulfilled their win quota on Monday so it was back to business as usual on Tuesday.

Rays 4, Reds 3.
Jay Bruce briefly awoke from his June slumber to hit a home run but it wasn't enough. David Price struck out 12 over 7.2 innings and Evan Longoria hit the walk-off homer in front of the dozens of Rays fans brave enough to cross that bridge.

Mets 14, Tigers 3.
Rick Porcello had a rough 3.2 innings giving up 11 of the Mets 18 hits and 7 of the 14 runs. Daniel Schlereth didn't fare much better as both Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran hit grand slams off of him. The Mets are over .500 and somehow not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet. I guess I'll have to make fun of how the Dodgers are being run nowadays.

Pirates 7, Blue Jays 6.
Speaking of oddly over .500, the Pirates ran their record to 40-38 thanks to home runs by Andrew McCutchen and Alex Presley. Jose Bautista hit his 24th of the season but his .328/.469/.664 line just doesn't get me as giddy as it did when he was OBPing over .500. I miss Barry Bonds.

Angels 11, Nationals 5.
My Halos took the lead back in the bottom of the 6th and broke it open in the 8th thanks to home runs by Vernon Wells and Hank Conger. Since returning from the DL on June 7, Wells has only been disappointing instead of tear-inducingly awful. So, bully for you, Tony Reagins.

Other games, but down here...
Cardinals 6, Orioles 2.
Yankees 12, Brewers 2.
Twins 6, Dodgers 4.
A's 1, Marlins 0.
Braves 5, Mariners 4.
Rangers 7, Astros 3.
Rockies 3, White Sox 2 (13).
Diamondbacks 6, Indians 4.
Padres 4, Royals 2.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/28/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Tarick Brock.

Cubs 7, Rockies 3.
I gave the Cubs the top spot because, let's face it, it's going to be quite some time before the Cubs sit atop a list of other teams. They just aren't good. But on Monday, Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena both hit a pair of home runs to get back to 14 games under .500 and 11.5 games out of first. Matt Garza pitched pretty well but he gave up a pair of home runs to Carlos Gonzalez. Actually, it was a good day to be a Carlos in Chicago.

Dodgers 15, Twins 0.
If there's one thing I don't like about Twitter, it's the ability to run a joke into the ground within minutes. So when the Dodgers were up 11-0, the Chapter 11 jokes went from clever to stab-me-in-the-eye annoying within half an inning. In yesterday's Jobu, I mentioned Trent Oeltjen is a real thing. Well, he sure is and went 4-4 with a walk, a triple and a home run.

Angels 4, Nationals 3 (10).
Jordan Walden blew his 2nd save in as many days and 3rd in a row. Danny Espinosa crushed a fastball for his 15th homer of the season to tie the game in the 9th. But Maicer Izturis came through with the walk-off single in the 10th after the Nats intentionally walked Bobby Wilson to load the bases. It was probably the right move since the Angels lead the planet with 437* GIDPs this year. *Actual stats may vary as I've lost the rest of my staff and don't look things up on my own.

Indians 5, Diamondbacks 4.
The Lonnie Chisenhall era began for Cleveland and the 3rd base prospect went 2-4 with a double. Unfortunately for their other star prospect, Orlando Cabrera hit the go ahead home run in the top of the 9th to keep Jason Kipnis in the minor leagues for another week.

Other games, but down here...
Tigers 4, Blue Jays 2.
Reds 5, Rays 0.
Braves 3, Mariners 1.
Padres 4, Royals 3.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/27/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Len Matuszek.

Dodgers 3, Angels 2.
Vernon Wells hit a home run to give the Angels the lead in the 9th but then Jordan Walden happened. Walden walked the first two batters he faced, gave up a run on a sac fly and the go ahead on a Tony Gwynn Jr walk-off single. Clayton Kershaw got the win after going the distance and striking out 11. Jered Weaver surrendered one run in 7 innings but ended up on the no decision end of the ace duel. Leave it Tony Gwynn Jr to avoid the sweep. Trent Oeltjen is a real thing.

Phillies 3, A's 1.
Roy Halladay gave up 8 hits and 1 run on the way to his 5th complete game of the season. Of course, it was against the A's so Doc's numbers are rather disappointing. You'd think Halladay could strike out more than 4 minor leaguers. Chase Utley: DNP.

Rays 14, Astros 10.
Pitching took the day off in Houston and Evan Longoria filled up a stat sheet. The Rays third baseman went 4-6 with a double and 2 home runs for 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. Carlos Lee hit a triple which I assume got lodged in a wall or Tampa only deployed one outfielder that inning.

Giants 3, Indians 1.
Madison Bumgarner rebounded nicely and struck out 11 over 7 innings. He infamously surrendered 8 runs in a third of an inning in his last outing. It's good to see it didn't shatter his confidence and leave him with the mental capacity of a 3-year-old. I almost didn't recover from watching that start.

Mariners 2, Marlins 1.
The Marlins, bored with losing the conventional way, found an exciting way to throw away Sunday's game. Dustin Ackley scored the game winner after Florida reliever Steve Cishek managed to throw a wild pitch during an intentional walk. I can't wait to see what the Marlins do next.

Other games, but down here...
Padres 4, Braves 1.
Tigers 8, Diamondbacks 3.
Orioles 7, Reds 5.
Nationals 2, White Sox 1.
Royals 6, Cubs 3.
Yankees 6, Rockies 4.
Mets 8, Rangers 5.
Red Sox 4, Pirates 2.
Brewers 6, Twins 2.
Blue Jays 5, Cardinals 0.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/24/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Greg Pirkl.

Nationals 1, Mariners 0.
Seattle's rookie phenom pitcher, Michael Pineda, was on the no decision end of a 7 inning, 4 hit, 9 strikeout performance. The 22-year-old lowered his ERA to 2.45 and his FIP to 2.92 but is now on pace to throw over 200 innings. The kid is quickly becoming must see TV which is the exact opposite of what Chone Figgins has melted down into. Figgins pinch ran and, frankly, I'm amazed he didn't find a way to cost his batting average 10 points doing so. Oh, and the Nationals won. Speaking of the Nats, the Futures Game participants were announced and the United States will have Bryce Harper and Mike Trout in the same outfield.

Giants 2, Twins 1.
Topping the list of must see TV pitchers is still Tim Lincecum. He might not be throwing as well as he did in 2008 and 2009 but he is still a lot of fun to watch. He struck out 12 in 7 innings Thursday night. Check this out, I can spell Nate Schierholtz. Okay, I copy and pasted it.

Mets 4, A's 1.
Chris Capuano threw 6 innings of 5-hit, shutout ball while striking out 7. He also grounded into a double play. Lucas Duda. That is all.

Diamondbacks 5, Royals 3.
It's good to have Wily Mo Pena back in the big leagues. He possesses two of my favorite abilities in hitters. He has light tower power and, if a game goes into extra innings, there's a chance he could strike out 6 times. The latter was closer Thursday as Pena went 1-4 with 3 strikeouts. He also manned the position for which he is best suited for the Diamondbacks, DH.

Other game, but down here...
Cardinals 12, Phillies 2.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/23/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Gookie Dawkins.

Yankees 4, Reds 2.
Reds 10, Yankees 2.
I'm just going to skip over the Freddy Garcia and Mike Leake duel from game one to get to the good stuff. In the second match, my good friend Mevs from Diamond Hoggers enjoyed watching his boy Chris Heisey go crazy. Heisey hit 3 home runs including one to lead off the bottom of the first. Jay Bruce, perhaps the streakiest player in baseball, was a combined 1-7 as he continues to take the month of June off after his torrid May. If history has taught us anything, Bruce is in for a big July. Or not, what am I, a scientist?

Mets 3, A's 2 (13).
I love zany baseball and we got a small dose of it Wednesday night. Justin Turner produced the walk-off win in the 13th by a good old fashioned, bases loaded hit by pitch. Not quite as exciting as the walk-off balk but it will do. Brad Ziegler had trouble locating the strike zone and grazed Turner after giving up 3 hits and walking 3 in 1.2 innings. In 13 innings, the 2 teams only managed to use 12 pitchers which is roughly how many Tony La Russa uses in a normal 9 inning game.

Giants 5, Twins 1.
I don't what kind of smoke and mirrors are being deployed by Ryan Vogelsong but he tossed another 7 inning, 4 hit, 1 run gem to lower his ERA to 1.86 on the year. Coming into the game, Vogelsong was sporting a 1.92 ERA but his FIP said he was more of a 2.93 pitcher which is still quite impressive. His xFIP suggests he will be more of a 3.37 guy which is also still pretty good. I can't explain it but I am pretty lazy and didn't take more than a cursory look at his numbers.

Padres 5, Red Sox 1.
Clearly the Padres just have the Red Sox number. That or the 15 rain delays lulled the Red Sox to sleep.

Astros 5, Rangers 3.
Matt Downs hit a pinch hit home run in the 9th off of Neftali Feliz because baseball is a weird, weird game. The Astros scored 4 in the 9th to win Wednesday's battle of Texas. The Astros remain frighteningly terrible though.

Angels 6, Marlins 5 (10).
Hanley Ramirez is 4-9 after being benched by Jack McKeon and then plugged into the cleanup spot. I'd like to think McKeon has used his century of baseball experience to light a fire under Hanley but I suspect Ramirez is just high off of that old man smell. Either way, a single by Mark Trumbo in the 10th took a bad hop over Ramirez, who made a few nice defensive plays earlier, to score Bobby Abreu for the go ahead run. Torii Hunter is day-to-day after getting crushed by the outfield wall following a running catch. I'm almost positive that Mike Trout is, right now, the best outfielder the Angels have at any level.

Other games, but down here...
Phillies 4, Cardinals 0.
Indians 4, Rockies 3.
White Sox 4, Cubs 3.
Diamondbacks 3, Royals 2.
Pirates 5, Orioles 4.
Braves 5, Blue Jays 1.
Rays 6, Brewers 3.
Tigers 7, Dodgers 5.
Nationals 2, Mariners 1.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/22/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Nelson Santovenia.

Nationals 6, Mariners 5.
Wilson Ramos hit the walk-off home run to finish off the 5-run comeback in the 9th inning against the Mariners. My immediate thought was why would the Mariners let Chone Figgins pitch the 9th but it was actually Brandon League and David Pauley with an assist from a Justin Smoak error combining to spoil a solid outing from Doug Fister.

Marlins 5, Angels 2.
The Angels get the dubious honor of halting the Marlins 11 game losing streak and handed Jack McKeon his first managerial win as an octogenarian. The Marlins celebrated by giving McKeon an Ensure shower. Javier Vasquez got the win by managing to allow zero runs on 10 hits over 5+ innings. The Angels continue to find new ways to make me sad during the 2011 campaign.

Rangers 5, Astros 4 (11).
Mitch Moreland hit his second bomb in as many days. Tuesday's was the walk-off variety in the bottom of the 11th. The Astros remained competitive against C.J. Wilson by knocking him around for 4 runs on 11 hits in 6+ innings. I think the Astros could turn things around by following in the Marlins footsteps. Perhaps they could hire a cardboard cutout of Casey Stengel to manage the team.

A's 7, Mets 3.
The Athletics have won 7 in a row thanks to Bob Melvin or, more likely, interleague play. Jemile Weeks went 1-3 with 2 walks, 2 stolen bases and 3 runs scored. Jason Bay went 3-3 with a triple and a home run. With that offensive outburst, Bay was able to keep his slugging (.322) above his on base (.320) but at least he's only making $18M.

Padres 5, Red Sox 4.
That's gotta be a typo.

Brewers 5, Rays 1.
Zack Greinke struck out 10 over 7 innings and Yuniesky Betancourt even accidentally hit a home run. The Royals made the Brewers take on Betancourt as part of the Greinke trade and Yuni has been every bit as bad as everyone knew he'd be. His .229/.251/.339 line gets the Brandon Wood nod of approval. Which might get renamed the Hanley Ramirez nod of approval.

Other games, but down here...
Phillies 10, Cardinals 2.
Rockies 4, Indians 3.
White Sox 3, Cubs 2.
Diamondbacks 7, Royals 2.
Pirates 9, Orioles 3.
Braves 5, Blue Jays 1.
Yankees, Reds PPD.
Dodgers 6, Tigers 1.
Twins 9, Giants 2.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/21/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Tripp Cromer.

Dodgers 4, Tigers 0.
Clayton Kershaw is really good at throwing a baseball. The 23-year-old lefty tossed a 2-hitter against the Tigers walking 1 and striking out 11. Get ready for some nerdy numbers. Kershaw lowered his ERA to 3.01 but his FIP (2.52) and xFIP (2.83) actually suggest that he is pitching better than his ERA reflects. He's already to 3.1 WAR and should easily pass his career high of 4.8 from last season. His K/9 and BABIP are inline with his career averages but he's cut his walk rate by almost a full walk per 9 from last year which was his previous best. So, um, he's pretty good.

Braves 2, Blue Jays 0.
More accurately, this should read Tim Hudson 2, Blue Jays 1. Hudson took matters into his own hands throwing 8 shutout innings, surrendering just 2 hits and striking out 8. He also hit a 2-run home run in the 7th to account for all of the scoring. Jose Bautista, Adam Lind and Corey Patterson combined for an 0-12 day. Hmm, one of those doesn't belong.

Angels 2, Marlins 1.
Jered Weaver only made it through 7 innings, allowed a run and struck out just 6 Marlins. He lowered his ERA to 2.01 on the season but, frankly, anything less than a complete game shutout of the Fish is a disappointment. The Marlins are 1-19 in June and 0-1 under the corpse of 80-year-old Jack McKeon.

Red Sox 14, Padres 5.
In their quest to catch the Yankees in run differential (+98 to +92), the Red Sox dumped double digit runs on an opponent for the 6th time in June. Chase Headley went 4-5 for the Padres and is sporting a .297/.389/.407 line this year. If you split the difference between his terrific defensive year at third base last season (16.5 UZR) with his below average 2011 (-2.7 UZR), you have a pretty valuable player. In a wasteland for NL hot corner men, Headley might make a surprise appearance in my All Star voting for the BBA later this week.

Other games, but down here...
Rockies 8, Indians 7.
Rangers 8, Astros 3.
Cubs 6, White Sox 3.
Yankees 5, Reds 3.
Orioles 8, Pirates 3.
Rays 8, Brewers 4.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/18/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Luis Ugueto.

Mariners 4, Phillies 2.

Seattle had its future on display Friday night and it looks pretty good. Dustin Ackley made his major league debut and recorded his first hit. He even turned a nice double play. Justin Smoak was 1-1 with a pair of walks and Michael Pineda gave up 1 run in 6 innings. Chone Figgins went 0-4 confirming he has no future, or present either. Figgins is the Scott Kazmir of position players.

Red Sox 10, Brewers 4.
Boston has scored double digit runs in 4 games in June and look more or less unstoppable. John Lackey pitched 8 innings and allowed all 4 Brewer runs but the outing still looks like a masterpiece for this current version of the Angels former ace.

Blue Jays 3, Reds 2.
The Jays will keep getting mentioned here as long as Adam Lind continues his consecutive game home run streak which is at 4 now. If history has taught us anything, it's that I'm a huge jinx. Sorry Pittsburgh Pirates, although a 2 game win streak isn't something you should have been bragging about in the first place.

Angels 4, Mets 3.
After some of my finer analysis, I've come to the conclusion that the Angels number 3 hitter Torii Hunter (.232/.309/.365) and 4 hitter Vernon Wells (.194/.235/.326) stink. I'm expecting my offer from Grantland.com any day now. Jordan Walden walked 2 but struck out the side for his 16th save. He has some nasty stuff.

Rays 5, Marlins 1.
Things could get worse for the Marlins but it involves the cast of Jersey Shore being added to the roster. Hanley Ramirez put up another goose egg and his .201/.295/.299 line isn't what you typically look for from your leadoff hitter let alone franchise player. The Marlins even made Wade Davis look like a good pitcher.

Twins 6, Padres 5.
Interleague at its finest. Two last place teams battling it out for pride or oil change coupons or something. Exciting.

Other games, but down here...
Astros 7, Dodgers 3.
Indians 5, Pirates 1.
Cubs 3, Yankees 1.
Nationals 8, Orioles 4.
Rangers 6, Braves 2.
Royals 5, Cardinals 4.
Rockies 13, Tigers 6.
Diamondbacks 4, White Sox 1.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/17/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Todd Frohwirth.

Phillies 3, Marlins 0.
Cliff Lee was not to be left out of all the recent shutout fun and got to face the Marlins on Thursday. Florida is derailing at a record pace losing 16 of 18 in June with no real end in sight. Lee threw a 2-hit, 2-walk shutout against the Fish who might as well be battered because they're fried. I can't begin to explain how unproud of that sentence I am.

Braves 9, Mets 8 (10).
Jason Heyward, using only his mind, won the game for the Braves in the bottom of the 10th. His mere presence at the plate caused Mets reliever D.J. Carrasco to balk in the winning run from third. The Force is strong with this one. Also, the walk off balk is wildly unpopular.

Pirates 5, Astros 4.
The Pirates have won 4 straight and are 2 games over .500 so they get mentioned until this madness stops. Andrew McCutchen is quietly hitting .294/.397/.492 after a slow start.

Orioles 4, Blue Jays 3.
The world is collapsing on Jose Bautista. After a 1-4 night, Joey Bats is hitting just .332/.486/.678 on the season and has only 1 home run in June. Adam Lind has stepped up though and, after belting his 14th homer of the year, has a .341/.384/.629 line for 2011. All of which would be career bests. Baltimore also participated.

Yankees 3, Rangers 2 (12).
After winning back to back games 12-4, the Yankees got boring and went to extra innings. Brian Gordon got the start for New York and Cory Wade got the win. It's unclear what kind of raise they received from their usual concessionaire gigs.

Other games, but down here...
Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2 (10). J-Up walk-off homer.
Cubs 12, Brewers 7.
Nationals 7, Cardinals 4 (10).
Tigers 6, Indians 2.
Twins 1, White Sox 0.
A's 8, Royals 4.
Red Sox 4, Rays 2.

Curveballs for Jobu 6/16/11

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Melvin Dorta.

Nationals 10, Cardinals 0.
The Cardinals have some legitimate firepower in their lineup. But that means nothing when you go up against Livan Hernandez and his 73 mph fastball. Hernandez threw a 3-hit shutout and even struck out 6. Matt Morse hit his 11th and 12th homers of the season in the rout. Games like this is why Tony La Russa drinks.

Phillies 8, Marlins 1.
Phillies 5, Marlins 4 (10).
The Phils keep rolling in the East and opened up a 5 games lead over the Braves. The Marlins are headed in the other direction and actually were passed in the division by the Mets. The Mets? Shame on you Florida. Chase Utley went 2-10.

Pirates 7, Astros 3.
Charlie Morton only lasted 5 innings and gave up 8 hits and 3 runs but he got a win! And that win pushed the Pirates over .500 for the season. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

Red Sox 3, Rays 0.
Josh Beckett did his best LIvan Hernandez impression and threw a one-hitter. Kevin Youklis hit the 3-run home run to beat the Rays. Jacoby Ellsbury was thrown out for the 9th time this year. I was thrown out of a casino Saturday night after my language was deemed unfit for public consumption.

Indians 6, Tigers 4.
Indians managed to move back into a tie with Detroit. I bet Cleveland finishes below .500 at season's end. The lineup should get better and the pitching should get worse. Brad Penny pitched a reverse Justin Verlander giving up 8 hits and 2 walks in just 3.2 innings.

Mariners 3, Angels 1.
The post Kazmir era Angels got off to a rough start.

Other games, but down here...
Reds 7, Dodgers 2.
Rockies 6, Padres 3.
Mets 4, Braves 0.
Brewers 9, Cubs 5.
Giants 5, Diamondbacks 2.
Yankees 12, Rangers 4.
Blue Jays 4, Orioles 1.
Twins 4, White Sox 1.
A's 2, Royals 1.