On Deck: Break Up the Twins

I tried to put an end to it yesterday by mentioning it in the On Deck, but apparently the On Deck Curse is only effective when I lead the post with it. So today, now that the Minnesota Twins have climbed within a half-game of the White Sox and won their last eight games, the Twinkies are getting the star treatment.

As I've already explained in recent days, I have no idea how the Twins are winning so much this season, yet here they are. Earlier this month the Twins were three games under .500 and 6.5 games behind the White Sox, and I thought their record then was a lot more indicative of the type of team they had.

It was only a matter of time before the suddenly resurgent Tigers and maybe even the Indians passed them by, and the Twins became merely a footnote in the 2008 season. All they've done since then is win, win, and win some more...

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Junior Has His Eyes on Tampa

Now that Ken Griffey Jr. has surpassed the 600 home run milestone, and the Reds are sitting in last place in the NL Central (though they're only three games under), if there's ever going to be a time when Cincinnati would trade Junior, this is it. Griffey has already gone on record as saying that he expects to be traded this season, but since he has a no-trade clause, he's going to have a say in where he's going.

One of those places Junior would consider? According to SI's Jon Heyman, Tampa is looking nice this time of year...

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On Deck: Return of the Peavy

As much of a disappointment as the 2008 season has been for the San Diego Padres, looking at the big picture, things aren't nearly as bad as they seem. They've won five of their last six games, and even though they're still nine games under .500, they play in the NL West so they're still alive.

The Diamondbacks have plummeted back to earth after starting out so hot this season, and the Friars find themselves only 6.5 games out of first place. If San Diego's offense could ever manage to consistently score some runs, the Padres could find themselves right back in the thick of things.

Of course, it's entirely possible they could do it without their offense as they get their ace back on the mound this afternoon. Will Jake Peavy's return be the spark the Pads need?

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Ken Griffey Jr. Hits #600

Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 600th home run of his career yesterday in Miami (in front of approximately 600 people ironically enough), and I have to say, it makes me feel old. I can still remember the first time I saw Junior play in a game against the White Sox.

He was a 19-year old kid, and I was 8-years old, and I remember that skinny punk kid hitting an RBI single up the middle at the Kingdome that I believe gave the Mariners the lead. I'm not sure why I can remember that game, but it probably had something to do with Hawk Harrelson going on and on about how great this kid was going to be, so I paid attention.

I wasn't old enough to know any better at that point. Hawk was right, though.

Junior has always had one of the most beautiful swings I've ever seen, and as Pat Lackey said over at FanHouse yesterday, "If you're between the ages of 20 and 30, you're lying if you say you never tried to mimic Junior's swing in your backyard (I did, and I'm right-handed)."

I still do.

Junior was the first non-White Sox player that I ever took a real interest in rooting for and following in this sport, and even though he's already a Hall of Famer, I wonder what could have been had it not been for all the injuries the last few seasons. He's already one of the greatest baseball players I've ever seen, and had he never been hurt, I don't think there'd be much debate that he would have been my generation's Willie Mays.

On Deck: The Rays Are Sick With Rage

It's pretty much a consensus that Tropicana Field is far and away the worst "baseball stadium" in the big leagues, but don't tell that to the Rays. They love the place, as they've gone 24-10 there this season. The road, on the other hand, has not been so kind.

Outside of the Trop, the Rays are only 13-16 and they find themselves in the midst of a nine-game road trip that has not been kind. After being swept by the Red Sox to start it off, they won two in Texas before losing yesterday. To make matters worse, the frustration is starting to show. The Rays are just an angry team.

After getting into a brawl with the Red Sox on Thursday, they were fighting themselves yesterday as Matt Garza and Dioner Navarro had a disagreement about, hell, I don't know, the best Doritos flavor?


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On Deck: Homer's Back

You can't blame the Reds for trying to strike while the iron is hot, especially given the way that Jay Bruce has lit the world up since making his debut with the big league ball club last week, and they'll hope that success carries over to the pitcher's mound as well. Today the Reds will be handing the ball to Homer Bailey as they just called him up from Louisville and they're hoping he'll do a lot better in his second tour of duty.

Bailey was supposed to be Edinson Volquez when the Reds brought him up last season, and though he showed some signs of why the Reds are so high on him, his first season in the Majors wasn't that great.

He'll look to get his career started this afternoon against one of the most potent offenses in all of baseball.

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It's Jay Bruce's World, We're Just Living in It

Jay Bruce's first week in Major League Baseball has been pretty fantastic so far. Six games into his career he's hitting .591/.690/1.000, though of course 22 at bats isn't enough to warrant starting work on his Hall of Fame plaque. I mean, odds are those numbers are going to even out at somepoint, and Bruce will probably finish the season hitting a meager .450 or something.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that Bruce has lived up to the hype surrounding his call-up, and there was a lot of hype, but now we have an indicator that he's truly made it.

See the video at FanHouse

On Deck: The Cubs Hit the Road

For the first time since 1908, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball on June 2nd. You know what else the Cubs haven't done since 1908? Yep, they haven't won a World Series. I'm pretty sure that this is a sign that the 100-year wait is finally going to come to an end.

Don't worry about the fact that even though they've won seven in a row, they've yet to experience an injury to a starting pitcher the last two seasons (how long can that last?), and they currently have a run differential of freaking +92 on the season, they're still only 2.5 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals.

That World Series is theirs.

Unless, of course, the league forces them to play games on the road in the postseason.

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Dusty Baker Admires Bobby Cox's Body Control Whilst Arguing

There are a lot of exciting things going on in Cincinnati right now. The Reds have won five of their last six games, Edinson Volquez is leading the National League in ERA (1.46) and strikeouts (83), Ken Griffey Jr. is one homer shy of 600 in his career, and Jesus Christ Jay Bruce is now manning center field instead of Corey Patterson.

In other words, there's a lot going on out on the field that manager Dusty Baker should feel good about. Unfortunately, instead of paying attention to his team or finding new ways to keep the bases unclogged...

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On Deck: OMG!! JAY BRUCE!!

There are certain events in human history which leave indelible marks on our lives and our memories. While we can't always remember where we left our car keys, or that cute girl from the bar on Friday's phone number, there are moments we just can't forget no matter how hard we try.

You remember exactly what you were doing and where you were doing it the moment you found out that John F. Kennedy had been shot. You remember everything about the morning that the World Trade Center came down.

Tonight we fast forward in time a full 30 years when you'll be telling your children or grandchildren the story of where you were the very first time Jay Bruce stepped into a Major League batter's box...

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On Deck: Lance Berkman Is a Machine

While some people are busy spending their time pondering whether or not Chipper Jones is going to be able to maintain that .400 batting average of his (here's a hint: he's not), Lance Berkman is looking to join Larry in the discussion.

Lance is currently in the midst of a 17-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .565--Can he hit .500 for the rest of the season? I say yes--with 8 home runs and 27 runs driven in. He's used that streak to raise his average on the season up to .399. In other words, he hit ball good. Make ball go far.

Of course, Lance won't be the only player in Minute Maid Park tonight who's swinging the magic wand...

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On Deck: Round Two in Arlington

Let's start today's On Deck by taking a trip in the FanHouse Time Machine. We're going to go all the way back to May 8th, 2008. The world was a different place back then. Ok, so the world was really any different as all, as it was just five days ago, but it was sort of exciting!

That was the day when Richie Sexson threw his helmet and charged Kason Gabbard after taking exception to a pitch. Sexson thought that Gabbard's eye-high fastball was meant for his face even though it was over the heart of the plate, and he took umbrage...

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On Deck: The Marlins!?

Quick, without looking it up, who has the best record in baseball right now? Did you say the Diamondbacks? Close, you were right up until yesterday, but getting swept by the Cubs knocked them off the top of the mountain. The Red Sox? Good choice, they are the defending champs after all, but even though they have the best record in the American League, they aren't the best in baseball.

No, that honor somehow belongs to the Florida Marlins, who have managed to win their last 7 games and are currently an MLB-best 23-14.

Just what the hell is going on here?

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Morning Wood

Minnesota Twins 13 Chicago White Sox 1

I'll bet you're glad you waited through that nearly two-hour rain delay for this one, aren't you? I know Carlos Gomez was. Gomez led off the game with a home run, and then went on to complete the cycle in descending order. He's the first Twin to do so since one of my favorites, Kirby Puckett, back in 1986.

Now don't be fooled by the score, just because the Sox lost this game by twelve, that doesn't mean it wasn't close. If you take out the 6th and 9th innings, we only lose 2-0. Yep, we were that close to a pitcher's duel.

Livan Hernandez did his part, going the full 9 innings, and only giving up one run on a harmless solo shot by Jermaine Dye in the 9th.

Cincinnati Reds 9 Chicago Cubs 0

Look, Wednesday was just a crappy day to be a baseball fan in Chicago. The Cubs got it started before noon by tossing batting practice to the Reds, and the Reds showed their appreciation by knocking out 7 home runs.

Three of them belonged to Joey Votto, who, if given the chance to play the Cubs 162 times a year, would already have a wing built for him in the Hall of Fame. The rookie has now played five games against the north siders, and he's hitting .408 with 5 homers and 11 RBI. In 22 at bats. The kid has 7 home runs and 18 RBI on the season.

Jon Lieber gave up four of the home runs, and gave them all up in the 2nd inning, as his first start in place of Rich Hill did not exactly go well.

Edinson Volquez struck out 10 Cubs in 7 shutout innings to improve to 5-1 on the season, but did walk six batters, which kept him from a complete game.

AL

• A's 6 Orioles 5
• Indians 3 Yankees 0
• Tigers 10 Red Sox 9
• Raptors 6 Rays 2
• Royals 9 Angels 4
• Rangers 2 Mariners 0

NL

• Mets 12 Dodgers 1
• Braves 5 Padres 2
• Pirates 3 Giants 1
• Marlins 6 Brewers 2
• Astros 4 Nats 3
• Rockies 4 Cardinals 3
• Phillies 5 DBacks 4

Morning Wood

Chicago White Sox 7 Minnesota Twins 1

Poor Gavin Floyd. First it was Edgar Renteria breaking up a Floyd no-hitter after 7.1 innings on April 12, and last night it was Joe Mauer doubling into the left-center gap to break up Gavin's no-hit bit after 8.1 innings last night. Try as he might, Nick Swisher just couldn't get there. "I wasn't really looking at the ball and then I turned back and I saw Swish and Carlos coming after it. Swish made a great effort -- you know, Superman." Let's look at the bright side though, the way the White Sox had been playing the last two weeks, I wouldn't have been surprised if Gavin did throw a no-hitter, and the Sox lost anyway. Thankfully the offense returned, for one night at least, as the Sox put more points on the board last night than they did during four games in Toronto. So I guess that means blow-up dolls take 48 hours to have an effect.

Chicago Cubs 3 Cincinnati Reds 0

Gavin Floyd wasn't the only Chicago pitcher to have a strong night. While Carlos Zambrano gave up three more hits than Floyd, he gave up one less run, as he shutout the Reds for 8 innings and helped the Cubs break out of a little slump as well. "Every team passes through some slumps," Zambrano said. "That's normal. We're doing the right things, but we've kind of slowed down. We need to put everything together." Kerry Wood celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his 20 strikeout performance by actually converting a save for once.

AL

• Red Sox 5 Tigers 0
• Indians 5 Yankees 3
• Rays 5 Blue Jays 4
• Angels 5 Royals 3
• A's 4 Orioles 2
• Rangers 10 Mariners 1

NL

• Braves 5 Padres 3
• Pirates 12 Giants 6
• Marlins 3 Brewers 0
• Astros 6 Nats 5
• Cardinals 6 Rockies 5
• DBacks 6 Phillies 4
• Dodgers 5 Mets 4

Reds Radio Booth Continues Making Friends

Monday marked the first time that the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds met since Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman called Cubs fans "the most obnoxious in baseball" after they threw a bunch of baseballs on the field. Marty then followed that comment up by calling Cubs fans "brain dead" a few days later.

Needless to say, those comments didn't make Brennaman very popular amongst Cubs fans (though White Sox fans no doubt loved it). Well, Brennaman's partner in the radio booth, former Red Jeff Brantley, decided to one up his colleague on Sunday...

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Morning Wood

Toronto Blue Jays 1 Chicago White Sox 0

Here's all you really need to know about this game. In the 3rd inning, the White Sox put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out after a Juan Uribe single, and a Toby Hall double. Then the top of the lineup came to the plate, and the White Sox weren't able to manage a single run in the inning. Of course, a lot of that was Uribe's fault, as he should have scored on Orlando Cabrera's single to short, but instead stayed at third. Even though the shortstop was David Eckstein, and Eckstein generally needs a cut-off man to get the throw to first from deep in the hole. Then, in the 9th inning, Jays closer B.J. Ryan walked the bases loaded with one out, but Pablo Ozuna hit a weak ground ball back to Ryan that resulted in the wonderful 1-2-3 game-ending double play. All Javier Vazquez did for the Sox was pitch 8 innings, allowing only the one run, and striking out nine. Oh, and picking up the loss. The only good thing about this game was the tall blonde beer girl serving the fans behind home plate at the Rogers Centre. You, my darling, are the reason God invented HD television. I love you. If you're reading this, send me an email at tomfornelli@yahoo.com. Seriously, I don't care if you're Canadian.

Cincinnati Reds 5 Chicago Cubs 3

Do you see what happens when the Cubs don't score 19 runs everytime Ryan Dempster starts a game? His dream of having an undefeated season comes to an end. Dempster went 6 innings, and gave up 5 runs, but not a single one of them was earned thanks to a couple of errors by Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa. They did have a chance though, as Derrek Lee had a chance with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th, but grounded out to first to end the game.

Los Angeles Angels 4 Kansas City Royals 0

I featured him in my On Deck yesterday, and I'd like to take this chance to thank Ervin Santana for making me look incredibly smart. Santana pitched a complete game shutout against the Royals, striking out nine along the way. The win improved his record to 6-0 after finishing last season 7-14. "He got a little frustrated last year because he was going out there at times without the tools he needed to do what he's doing now," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "He needed to work on his delivery and get back into his game. When he's out there on the mound and he has his mechanics together, it's a great combination. He got a little frustrated last year." You gotta feel bad for Brett Tomko, who pitched seven shutout innings himself, but got no support from his teammates.

AL

• Red Sox 6 Tigers 3
• Mariners 7 Rangers 3
• Athletics 2 Orioles 1 10 inn
  

NL

• Cardinals 6 Rockies 5
• Phillies 11 DBacks 4
• Dodgers 5 Mets 1

On Deck: Skipper, I Cannot Lose a Game

Who the hell needs John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar? It's a question that many Angels fans have probably been asking themselves a bit the last few weeks. I mean, those two were only the two best starters on the Angels staff last year, winning a combined 37 games.

Who needs those 37 wins when you have Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana? Those two have pitched back-to-back all season long, and neither have bothered to try losing a game yet. Yesterday Saunders improved to 6-0 on the year with a win over the Orioles, and today Ervin will try to join his teammate at 6-0...

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Marty Brennaman Continues to Make Fans in Chicago, Calls Cubs Fans 'Brain Dead'

There's been quite an uproar amongst Cubs fans in Chicago the last few days over the comments that Reds announcer Marty Brennaman made about Cubs fans being "the most obnoxious in baseball." As should be expected, Cubs fans have cursed Brennaman's name between sips of Old Style and not paying attention to the game they're watching.

Well, calling Cubs fans obnoxious just wasn't enough for Marty...

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Morning Wood

Baltimore Orioles 6 Chicago White Sox 5 10 inn.

Oh, now I remember what 2007 felt like. After Gavin Floyd pitched another solid game, allowing two runs in six innings, he left with what was a 5-2 White Sox lead. Then the bullpen came in and promptly allowed Baltimore to score a run in the 8th, two more in the 9th, and the game-winner in the 10th. Really though, while I'm not exactly happy about it, I'm not that upset either. Our bullpen had been pitching extremely well so far this season, so I kind of figured they were due for a crap performance at some point, and it was on Thursday night. On the bright side, Carlos Quentin went deep two more times for the Sox, as did Joe Crede. "The best thing we have had so far is our bullpen, and they didn't get it done tonight," Ozzie Guillen said, which was a lot more than Bobby Jenks said, as Bobby didn't want to talk to the media after blowing his first save of the season. Or maybe he was just touching up his beard, who knows?

Cincinnati Reds 9 Chicago Cubs 2

So what's wrong with Ted Lilly? The Cubs lefthander got knocked around again on Thursday afternoon, but at least he got through a whole six innings this time! Lilly gave up five runs on six hits, and the three walks didn't help matters much either. For the Reds, youngster Edinson Volquez battled through control problems to allow only one run in five innings, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 596th home run of his career. Though he says he couldn't care less when and where he hits number 600. "Why is that such a big deal? Do you think I will?" he said. "100 was at home, 200 was in Boston, 300 was in Cleveland, 400 was in Colorado and 500 was St. Louis. What do you think the odds are going to be?" Nope, not a big deal at all, which is probably why he remembers exactly where he was when he hit all those previous ones.

Milwaukee Brewers 5 St. Louis Cardinals 3 10 inn

Some good news for the Cubs, as the Brewers were able to stop the Cardinals from distancing themselves any further. Prince Fielder his first home run since he gave up meat, and along with being a victory for pussies vegetarians everywhere, it also gave the Brewers the lead in the top of the 10th inning and a victory. "You've always got to promise yourself you're going to be as positive as you can, no matter what," Fielder said. "It was actually getting easier, to tell you the truth, the worse I was doing. I just kind of realized that whatever's going to happen is going to happen." Prince then snuck off to the showers where he totally ate like 6 cheeseburgers, 2 porterhouse steaks, and an entire pig.

AL

• Indians 11 Tigers 1


• Red Sox 7 Yankees 5


• Rangers 4 Blue Jays 1


• Rays 7 Twins 3


• Angels 5 Royals 3


• Mariners 8 A's 1

NL

• Phillies 10 Astros 2


• Mets 3 Nats 2 14 inn


• Braves 8 Marlins 0


• Rockies 2 Padres 1 22 inn