Manny Ramirez now sits but one homerun away from historic No. 500 following last night’s opposite field shot off Seattle’s Miguel Batista. There is almost no question the legendary long ball will occur at some point this season, but there is, however, the question of who will serve it up. Call me crazy to assume a future first ballot Hall of Fame player is capable of going yard in virtually every plate appearance, but I feel Manny’s next homer is to come in the very near future – in fact, by Monday.

Ramirez and his Sox will face struggling ace Erik Bedard in Seattle tonight. In 20 career at bats Manny has mere 4 hits, coupled with an uncommon 8 strikeouts. After three pretty bad starts I feel Bedard will regain his dominant mechanics en route to staving off Manny’s 500^th.

Following a day off Thursday, the weekend brings the BoSox to Baltimore where they’re to tentatively face Daniel Cabrera, Steve Trachsel, Garrett Olson and Brian Burress in the four game series.

Cabrera, too, has held Ramirez homerless. Manny is 3 for 13 (all singles) with 3 RBIs lifetime against Cabrera. But Cabrera (who has been fairly nasty on the mound this in ’08) is coming off one of his worst starts of the season where he gave up 4 runs over 5 2/3 innings. 500 could happen Friday, but unlikely at the hands of Daniel Cabrera.

Manny has better luck against Steve Trachsel, who he’s logged 15 career ABs against. He’s managed to hit .333 off the veteran with a homerun, 6 RBIs and – possibly an allusion of near four baggers – a whopping 4 doubles. If No. 500 comes off a starter, my money is on Trachsel.

As is the case with smaller sample sizes, there’s no much to be assumed about Ramirez taking cuts against Sunday’s starter Garrett Olson or Monday’s Brian Burress. Olsen has held Man-Ram hitless with a walk and a K in 3 career plate appearances; Burress has surrendered but a single to him in 4 at bats. However, Burress did give up four taters to the Yankees in a mere 3 2/3 innings outing last night. If Trachsel (or a preceding day’s reliever) doesn’t give up 500, Burress has a definite chance.

Manny is 0 for 1 lifetime with 4 BB against Orioles closer George Sherrill and has never faced Baltimore relievers Lance Cormier and Dennis Sarfate.  

The Atlanta Braves received good and bad news on Tuesday.  First, pitcher Rafael Soriano had a successful bullpen session yesterday and was healthy enough that the team expected to activate him today.  The decision-making process on who Soriano would replace on the roster was made easier when outfielder Matt Diaz crashed into the wall in their 3-2 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday night and was placed on the disabled list with a knee injury.  Diaz slid into the wall and hit the uncovered portion of the wall with his knee which caused ligament damage and a laceration that required four stitches.  Also, MLB.com reported the Braves are considering the possibility of Mark Kotsay going on the disabled list.  Kotsay missed his second consecutive game with a bad back, a problem that has plagued Kotsay who had back surgery last March that shortened his playing time last year to 56 games. 

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Corey Patterson cannot shake his slump and a day after phenom Jay Bruce made an impressive debut, Patterson was sent down to Triple-A Louisville.  Patterson batted .200 with a .240 on-base percentage in 45 games.  To replace Patterson on the roster, the Reds called up 31-year-old first baseman Andy Phillips from Triple-A.  Cincinnati signed Phillips in the offseason and he was hitting .315 with five home runs in 40 games at Louisville.  A former seventh round draft pick of the Yankees in 1999, Phillips saw time in the majors in each of the last four seasons and is a lifetime .253 hitter.

Reliever Jorge Julio was the odd man out today when the Indians activated pitcher Jake Westbrook today.  Westbrook was penciled in to start today's afternoon game with the Chicago White Sox (he went five innings and gave up three runs in a no decision that the Indians lost 6-5).  Julio had made 15 relief appearances and posted a 5.60 ERA.  Julio was designated for assignment giving Cleveland 10 days to trade, release or attempt to clear him through waivers.

New York Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy left Tuesday night's game with a straight right lat muscle and the winless 23-year-old's worst fears were realized when the decision was made to place him on the 15-day disabled list.  While the move is not yet official, manager Joe Girardi stated that he expects Kennedy's next stop to be the DL.  Speculation has already begun on what this will do to the timetable for Joba Chamberlain's insertion into the rotation.  The plan is for Chamberlain to work in extended relief of Andy Pettite tonight to continue the bullpen-to-rotation conversion and Chamberlain could get his first starting opportunity as early as next Tuesday.  Kennedy has been very disappointing this season and was already sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wikes-Barre once this season.  The 2006 first-round selection was 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA after last night's game.

Starter Joel Pineiro was placed on the 15-day disabled list of the St. Louis Cardinals retroactive to May 21st after he strained his right groin shagging fly balls in the outfield the day after his last start.  The Cardinals recalled pitcher Kelvin Jimenez to take his roster spot who has been up and down in the Cardinals organization over the past two seasons and is 3-0 with a 7.20 ERA in 45 innings in the majors.  Jimenez has been hot for Triple-A Memphis with a 1.88 ERA in 20 relief appearances. 

Pineiro was scheduled to pitch on Saturday and no decision has been made on who will take his turn in the rotation.  The most likely options would be long reliever Mike Parisi or Triple-A Memphis starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.  Parisi is 0-1 in 8 appearances and 15 2/3 innings of work with a 2.87 ERA.  Reyes spent some time with the Major League club out of the bullpen earlier in the season and posted a 1-1 record with one save in nine relief appearances.  He recorded a 5.27 ERA over 13 2/3 innings.  With Memphis, Reyes has made four starts and is 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA.

The Astros had to make room for starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez who is slated to pitch tonight against St. Louis and relief pitcher Dave Borkowski was designated for assignment to make room for Rodriguez's return from the DL.  The club has 10 days to trade, release or reassign Borkowski and as a three-year veteran Borkowski could refuse a Minor League assignment should he clear waivers and instead become a free agent.  In 18 relief appearances, he has posted a 6.86 ERA and gave up six runs in his last appearance on Sunday against the Phillies.  While Borkowski's preference would be a trade to a team with room on their Major League roster, he did say he would accept an assignment to Triple-A Round Rock.

Rodriguez will be making his first start since April 19th and is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts this season.

Kelly Theiser of MLB.com reported that struggling starter Boof Bonser could lose his spot in the rotation when Scott Baker is ready to return for Minnesota.  Bonser is 2-6 with a 6.16 ERA in 11 starts this season.

Frank Thomas' 40th birthday was not as happy as he wanted it to be and after aggravating a quadriceps injury, he's hoping to get good news as a late birthday present today.  Thomas is scheduled for an MRI after going 1-for-2 with a double against Toronto, his old team, on Tuesday.  His new team (which was also his old team at one point) finished strong and won the game 3-1.  Thomas has been playing with a knee injury since May 13th.  Both Thomas and the A's are hoping the injury is not serious - he's hitting .319 with four home runs in 29 games since re-joining Oakland after being released by the Blue Jays earlier this season.

There is also no word on what the Blue Jays plan to do with the 10,000 Frank Thomas bobble heads currently in storage.  They were supposed to be part of a giveaway on Sunday but since Thomas is no longer with the team, Toronto gave away tote bags instead.

….1B Ben Broussard who was Designated for Assignment by the Texas Rangers and then cleared waivers has been signed to a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. In Scranton he'll be the starting 1B and bat clean up.

…There seems to be a bit of a mystery as to why Boston Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka left in the fifth inning of yesterdays game against the Mariners. When he left he was clutching his lower back, yet Red Sox Officials said it was “shoulder fatigue”. It's up in the air right now if he'll make his next start Sunday or Monday.

…Ken Davidoff of Newsday is reporting that the New York Mets have “some” interest in the recently designated for assignment Scott Hatteberg. He goes on to say that when he clears waivers, the Mets will see if he's up for a minor league deal.

…If you're not sure, former Cleveland Indian and Boston Red Sox OF Trot Nixon has been playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple-A club the Tucson Sidewinders. His chances with the Snakes went from Slim to None recently.

…According to ESPNdeportes.com that although he's not looking for a job, Sammy Sosa wont retire - well until after next years World Baseball Classic.

“It's part of the plan. It would be great if folks can see me for the
last time wearing the uniform of the [Dominican Republic] National
Team,” Sosa told Hoy, a Dominican newspaper.
“It's always an honor to represent your country,” added Sosa, whose
motivation to play in the WBC increased once Felipe Alou, a fellow
Dominican, was named manager of the national club.

…Speaking of retirement, its official Brett Boone calls it a career. This was after a comeback attempt this season with the Washington Nationals.

As per usual, it is time to get ready for my weekly segment on ESPN 1450’s Mike Gill Show. Today we toss around the following…

Q. Are the Mets better off without Willie Randolph?

The questions are “Would the players feel they would be better off without Willie Randolph” and “Would Willie Randolph‘s replacement be an improvement or a liability?” The expression ‘Better to go with the devil you know’ was coined for a reason. Right now, the Mets are only having a world of problems because the media say they are–in most other markets it would be said that they’re off to a slow start. 

The Mets front three have a 3.73 ERA (lg. avg for starters: 4.47), despite Aaron Heilman’s recent struggles, they have a solid bullpen that’s not overly walk-happy with Billy Wagner at the end. Right now the bats have gone cold (.235/.278/.367) since sweeping the Yankees. Brian Schneider is hitting .097/.152/.194, Carlos Delgado is batting .138/.212/.483 (three of his four hits were HR), Luis Castillo is .219/.286/.344, David Wright: .270/.325/.378 and Carlos Beltran .278/.333/.417 (OBP & SLG are down) are all struggling since then. Fernando Tatis cannot be realistically expected to continue his pace, Endy Chavez and Marlon Anderson are acts of desperation and Nick Evans is one year removed from high A ball. Granted, Evans was hitting reasonably well in the Eastern League (.292/.356/.538–but with 7 GIDP in just 45 games) but hardly a solution.

The Mets do need to make a significant move before much longer because in the NL, left field and first base are production spots and the Mets are getting .225/.298/.393; 8 HR 29 RBI out of first base (lg. avg: .271/.357/.476; 9 HR 33 RBI) and .258/.311/.335; 1 HR 21 RBI (lg. avg: .265/.345/.446; 8 HR 28 RBI) from those spots. A contending team cannot afford to be so far below league average in key offensive positions as that and expect to compete.

It seems to me that the onus is on Omar Minaya to make sure Randolph has the tools to put a decent offense on the field. That said, the Mets problems are (1) hardly insurmountable and (2) the Phils, Fish and Braves aren't exactly problem-free either.

Q. Pedro is due back June 3rd, is this the lift the Mets need?

Martinez is a career .094/.132/.118 hitter so I would have to say no. Seriously though–it pains me to say it because I loved the man as an Expo and cheered him as a Red Sox in games not involving the Blue Jays–I think he may be done. Yes, he can still get batters out but will his body allow him to do that? I’m thinking no–I hope and pray he proves me wrong because Pedro deserves to go out like the king that he is; he was a joy to watch and for a time was one of the best at his craft in an era of pitching giants.

Q. The Phillies have scored 43 runs over the past three games–are they ready to turn it on and blow past the Braves and Marlins?

Actually, the Phillies offense has enjoyed an MVP season over their last 15 games. What I mean is this–here is the club's line since May 13…

 AB  R   H   2B  3B  HR  RBI   BA  OBP  SLG  SB  CS544 102 171  44   1  23  100 .314 .380 .526  15   1

Obviously, Ryan Howard finding his stroke has helped (.297/.387/.766; 8 HR 21 RBI since May 10). Pedro Feliz has been enjoying a nice season (by his standards) with the bat and has been killing the ball since mid-May (.365/.389/.558). Geoff Jenkins is starting to contribute batting .360/.389/.480 over his last 16 games and of course Jimmy Rollins’ has been superb (.329/.382/.512) since he returned and has actually walked as often as he’s struck out (with seven of each) giving Pat Burrell and Chase Utley some offensive support.

Not to be lost in all this is the bench strength the Phillies have enjoyed from Chris Coste (.341/.402/.568) and Greg Dobbs (.366/.395/.549) who is batting a cool .400 in May.

Right now the Phillies have the best bullpen in MLB and Cole Hamels is starting to get some support from the rotation: Kyle Kendrick is 3-0, 4.46 ERA, 1.64 BB/9, with a GB/FB ratio of 1.84 over his last seven starts. He may never be ace material but if a young guy doesn’t walk many and throws a lot of ground balls he’ll be an asset in any rotation since he won’t beat himself. The ageless Jamie Moyer is 4-3, 4.13 ERA, 1.88 BB/9 with a GB/FB ratio of 1.54 over his last eight starts.

In both cases the Phillies have a type of pitcher that will keep teams in games. They have a solid infield defense and play half their games in a ballpark that punishes fly ball pitchers. Who would’ve thought that Brett Myers would be a problem? I think he will come around provided he’s healthy (but his history and lack of velocity would indicate otherwise); while his walks are up (3.44 BB/9) it’s still better than league average and like Moyer and Kendrick–manages to keep the ball down (1.49 GB/FB ratio). 

Having said this–I can’t see anybody pulling away from the pack. As mentioned earlier–I don’t think the Mets are done and I’m beginning to think that the Marlins may be the genuine article as I’ll discuss in a moment. I think the NL East will be a compressed division 1-4 with lots of flip-flopping in the standings as the season goes on. I, for one, would not be surprised if 85-87 wins takes the division.

Q. Speaking of the Marlins, they and the Phillies play this weekend–will this series show us of the Fish are for real?

I’m beginning to think the Marlins are for real. The biggest knock against them was their (save Mark Hendrickson) was a young, inexperienced rotation. The starters seem to be getting their feet under them. Granted, their’s has not been a tough schedule of late but they did sweep the D-Backs with the starting staff posting a 0.95 ERA in 19 IP walking four and whiffing 23. Ricky Nolasco has a 3.99 ERA over his last seven turns, despite getting roughed up by the Mets last night Andrew Miller has posted a 3.80 ERA over his last eight starts and prior to getting dinged by the Giants a few days back, Scott Olsen was 4-1, 2.47 ERA over his previous eight turns. Since dropping an opening day decision to the Mets, Hendrickson is 7-1, 3.57 ERA; only Burke Badenhop continues to struggle.

The Fish have a power-packed lineup that only needs to learn patience and that is showing a bit of improvement–after posting an OBP of .323 in April, they’re .335 this month. The bullpen currently enjoys a 3.11 ERA which is third in the NL behind the Phillies and Dodgers. There’s a lot of baseball to be played yet and as of this moment I wouldn’t be taking the Marlins lightly.

The legendary and 100% rectally extracted John Brattain Power Rankings

I tweaked the formula (such as it is) for my power rankings. Instead of taking simply teams that would qualify for the playoffs were the season to end, I added clubs that were as good as a division leader within their league even if they weren’t on top of the wild card standings–that way I could get five teams per league as candidates. Further, instead of comparing teams within their respective leagues, I’m doing in using all 30 teams.

I just thought it might shake things up a bit and see what it would do to my glower rankings. It didn’t change a whole lot with one notable exception… 

5. Boston Red Sox
4. Oakland A’s
3. Arizona Diamonbacks
2. Philadelphia Phillies
1. Chicago Cubs

Under the old format, the Phillies–a half game behind the Astros (Astros?) for the NL wild card would not have been in the running. Go figure.

Best Regards

John

How did my first day following the Royals go? Actually it went quite well — mainly because the Padres won.

But seriously, even though Kansas City dropped its ninth straight on Tuesday, my newly adopted team showed a lot of fight. Down 3-0 headed to the bottom of the ninth, they came back to tie on a three-run inside-the-park home run by Mark Teahen off elite closer Joe Nathan.

If you're down to your final two outs against a guy like Nathan and get a reprieve on an inside-the-park homer, that's pretty much a victory in my book. Sure, the Twins eventually won in 12 innings, but that's just a footnote.

Tony Pena singled in four at-bats to raise his OPS on the season to 390. His OPS+ is now 7 over 152 plate appearances. The last big leaguer to have a lower OPS+ in as many PAs? Pat Rockett, 1978. (You laugh, but before that, it was Maury Wills, 1972.)

Only one man in big-league history has notched an OPS+ in the single digits in more than 300 plate appearances. Bill Bergen did it in 1909, so we'll be keeping an eye on that.

Meanwhile, let's see if the Royals can break this skid…

Arizona    

Eric Byrnes - Hamstring, 15-day DL.
Alex Romero - Recalled from Tucson (AAA).
    
Cincinnati    

Scott Hatteberg - Designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds.
Jay Bruce - Contract purchased from Louisville (AAA).
    
Cleveland    

Travis Hafner - Right shoulder injury, day-to-day.
    
Colorado    

Garrett Atkins - Missed 3 games (stiff neck).
    
Detroit  

Gary Sheffield - Oblique injury, 15-day DL.
Jeff Larish - Contract purchased from Toledo (AAA).
    
Los Angeles Anaheim    

Reggie Willits - Missed 2 games (finger injury).
    
Los Angeles Dodgers    

Jeff Kent - Back injury, day-to-day.
    
Milwaukee    

Zach Jackson - Optioned to Nashville (AAA).
Julian Tavarez - Signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers.
    
NY Mets    

Ryan Church - Mild concussion, day-to-day.
Matt Wise - Shoulder injury, 15-day DL.
Carlos Muniz - Recalled from New Orleans (AAA).
    
NY Yankees

Ben Broussard - Signed by the New York Yankees to a minor league contract.
    
Philadelphia    

Pat Burrell - Neck injury, day-to-day.
    
Pittsburgh    

Jack Wilson - Missed 47 games (calf injury).
Brian Bixler - Optioned to Indianapolis (AAA).

San Diego

Cha Seung Baek - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners.

Seattle

Jared Wells - Acquired from the San Diego Padres.
    
St. Louis    

Joel Pineiro - Right groin, day-to-day.
    
Texas    

Frank Catalanotto - Missed 5 games (back injury).
    
Toronto    

David Eckstein - Missed 19 games (hip flexor).
Hector Luna - Optioned to Syracuse (AAA).
    
Washington    

Shawn Hill - Missed 7 games (right elbow inflammation).

The San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners swapped pitchers in a Tuesday trade.  San Diego sent Jared Wells to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Cha Seung Baek. 

Seattle had 10 days to trade, release, option or assign Baek to the minors after designating him for assignment on May 21 and found an interested party in the Padres.  Baek, who turns 29 tomorrow, had been in the Mariners organization since being signed as a free agent out of South Korea in 1998 and resigned in 2006.  The Mariners were out of options with Baek and he needed to clear waivers if Seattle were to send him to the minors.  He struggled in 10 appearances with the Mariners, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 30 innings.

To get Baek, San Diego sent Wells, a recent call-up, to Seattle.  He was in the Padres organization since 2002 when he was drafted in the 31st round of the First-Year Player Draft.  Wells made his Major League debut on Sunday and blew a save opportunity in the 11th inning but pitched a scoreless 12th inning in their 18-inning 12-9 win.  He appeared in two games since being called up and gave up two runs in three innings of work.

Wells is best known for participating in the World Cup in Holland in 2005 as a member of Team USA and posting a 2-0 record with a 1.64 ERA in two starts.  He was originally a starter but was converted to the bullpen last year and earned nine saves with Triple-A Portland before being called up.

Baek will join the Major League roster for the Padres and Wells will be sent down to the Tacoma Rainiers, Seattle's Triple-A affiliate.

Pedro Martinez will face Rays prospect and the top pick in the 2007 draft David Price on Wednesday in Vero Beach. Martinez is making his first start since straining his hamstring on April 1. Last week, Price pitched five shutout innings in his professional debut.

Red Sox first base prospect Lars Anderson (#3 Boston, Baseball America) went on the Lancaster JetHawks' (high A) DL with sore wrists. Those wrists have kept Anderson off the field since May 17. The lefty slugger has a 1.205 OPS against lefties (47 AB) and .727 against righties (112 AB) this year.

Padres righty prospect Matt Latos (#3 Padres, BA) hit the Fort Wayne (low A) DL with strained ribcage muscle. Latos will miss one to three starts and is expected to throw off flat ground today.

Yankees righty prospect Dellin Betances (#13 Yankees, BA) suffered an “upper-body injury” and was placed on the Charleston RiverDogs (low A) DL.

It seems like everyone wants to play the blame game these days. Blame Bud Selig and the other MLB big wigs for allowing performance-enhancing drug use. Blame Alex Rodriguez for the Yankees’ post-season woes. Blame the umpires for not having eagle-eyesight and missing a call. Blame Willie Randolph for his team’s ability to be consistently average with a $138 million payroll.

The most popular version of The Blame Game, however, is Blame Billy Wagner. Blame him for being outspoken and not sugarcoating his opinions, for expecting more out of his teammates, and for sticking up for Randolph. Wagner has made controversial comments on three different occasions and has been roasted by the media and bloggers alike. In none of those instances was he wrong.

Comment #1: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

After starter Oliver Perez gave up 7 runs in one and two-thirds of an inning on a day in which manager Randolph was severely limited with the bullpen, Wagner said:

Perez honestly has got to step up and know that we've just used every guy in the bullpen the night before. He can't come in and come out there and decide that he doesn't have it today, and so be it.

This seems like it's motivational rather than a finger-poke in the chest. What was so wrong about that? Far be it for the media to blow something out of proportion, right?

Comment #2: Thursday, May 15, 2008

After a 1-0 loss to the Nationals in which the Mets made a host of base running blunders, including Carlos Beltran’s getting doubled off at third base to end the game, only a few Mets hung around to talk to the media. One of them was Wagner and he wasn’t happy about his teammates not hanging around to own up to their mistakes.

Can somebody tell me why the closer’s being interviewed and I didn’t even play? Why they’re over there not getting interviewed? I get it. They’re gone. Shocker.

As employees of a Major League Baseball team – one of thirty who need to have their players represent the club to the media on a daily basis – the Mets players have a responsibility to hang around and answer questions. We are not talking about the paparazzi; no one’s rights are being infracted and no one’s privacy is being invaded.

So, when Wagner is upset at the lack of accountability on the part of his absent teammates, he absolutely has a point. Wags excluded third baseman David Wright, and despite the media’s urge to have you believe otherwise, the closer never cited Carlos Delgado as an escape artist.

As mentioned, the Mets made numerous base running gaffes:

Bottom third Inning, two outs: David Wright poorly hit a fly ball to right field and assumed it would be caught. So, too, did Luis Castillo, who was on first base. Both lazily jogged around the bases while Kearns lost it in the sun. Castillo could have easily scored and Wright should have been on second base. Instead, they had runners on first and third with two outs for Carlos Beltran, who lined out to right field.

Bottom eighth inning, no outs: Jose Reyes reached base via an infield single. Luis Castillo attempted to move him up with a bunt. Due to the bunt, no one was covering third base for the Nationals, so Reyes decided to advance. Shortstop Cristian Guzman, who is nimble, reacted quickly and caught the throw from first base and tagged Reyes out.

Bottom ninth inning, one out: Carlos Beltran led off with a single to right field. After Ryan Church flied out to left field, Carlos Delgado came up. Beltran stole second base and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Jesus Flores. With the score 1-0, a runner on third base, and a fly ball-machine in Delgado, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Mets would tie the game, right? However, Delgado yanked a line drive down the right field line that was caught by first baseman Aaron Boone. Beltran, who had been running on contact, was easily doubled off third base to end the game.