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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Sir Sidney Is Here To Save The Rangers

When the Rangers signed Sidney Ponson to a minor-league deal in the spring, I thought it was a good fit for the organization and for Ponson. The Rangers are forever in need of pitching, and Ponson fit the mold of mediocre starter that the team seems to covet so much.

While I figured it would only be a matter of time before Ponson was pitching in a Rangers uniform, I sure as hell wasn't expecting him to pitch as well as he has been (though apparently not well enough for Getty to have a picture of him as a Ranger...

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Hank Blalock Hits the DL With Hamstring Tear

I wrote yesterday that Hank Blalock would be undergoing an MRI on Monday to take a look at his hamstring. I also said that no matter what the results of the MRI were, Blalock would probably end up spending some time on the disabled list because teams generally prefer to take the cautious route when it comes to hamstring injuries, and want to ensure the injury has time to heal.

Well, Blalock has been placed on the disabled list, but not just for cautionary reasons...

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Hank Blalock to Have an MRI

The Rangers have been without third baseman Hank Blalock since Friday when he pulled his hamstring during the 10th inning of a 6-5 Rangers victory over the Twins. He sat out both Saturday and Sunday's contests, and is now slated to undergo an MRI today with team orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister.

"I don't know what to think," Blalock said. "My mind is optimistic, but I'm confused. I've never had a hamstring injury. The soreness died down a little today. It had to after I iced it down about six times yesterday."

Wow, that's pretty impressive actually...

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Nolan Ryan: No 'Knee Jerk' Reactions

A few days ago I wrote about some talk amongst baseball scouts that Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington's rear end was starting to get awfully warm from that seat he's sitting on, and after the Rangers got absolutely rocked by the Tigers for the second straight night on Wednesday to the tune of 19-6 (they only gave up 10 runs on Tuesday) I wouldn't imagine that Ron's seat is getting any cooler...

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Morning Wood

Chicago Cubs 7 Colorado Rockies 6 10 inn

They did it! By God, they did it! With their extra inning victory over the Rockies on Wednesday night, the Cubs became only the second franchise in baseball history to reach the milestone of 10,000 victories. That means they get, well, they don't get anything for it actually. Maybe a t-shirt? A commemorative plate? I don't know. I mean, do they even deserve anything for it? The majority of the players on the team right now haven't even been around for 100 of those 10,000 wins, so to give them a prize hardly seems fair to everybody else who has played for the franchise in it's history. So I guess in hindsight, this really isn't a big deal at all, is it? Sorry for wasting your time.

New York Yankees 6 Chicago White Sox 4

This game pissed me off. Mike Mussina has sucked ass for the last year, but he looked like the Mike Mussina of old on Wednesday night, picking up the 252nd win of his career to pass Bob Gibson on the all time list. And he did it all with two freaking pitches. Two pitches. One of which is an 85MPH fastball, and yet he still made the White Sox look absolutely lost at the plate all night. I mean, it couldn't really be that hard to figure him out, could it? Ignore the big, slow breaking curveball, and crush the fastball. Nobody else in MLB seems to have had any trouble with this concept, yet there we were flailing away like Amy Winehouse suffering heroin withdrawal.

Detroit Tigers 19 Texas Rangers 6

Have the Tigers bats finally woken up, or is the Rangers pitching just that bad? I'm guessing the answer lies somewhere in between. After the Rangers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead on the Tigers, Detroit responded with a 5-run 2nd inning, and then later an 11-run 6th inning. Yep, that's right, and 11-run inning. Earlier in the season Detroit wasn't even scoring 11 runs a week. "I think it was a combination of real good hitting and a couple of bad pitches for their team," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "But the biggest thing was walks." The Rangers walked 10 Tigers, and for good measure, beaned another two batters. So maybe it was the Rangers pitching. At least, I'm hoping it was the Rangers pitching.

AL

• Angels 6 Red Sox 4
• Rays 5 Jays 3
• A's 3 Twins 0
• Orioles 3 Mariners 2

NL

• Marlins 7 Braves 2
• Pirates 7 Cardinals 4
• Astros 9 Reds 3
• Mets 7 Nats 2
• Brewers 5 Phillies 4
• Giants 3 Padres 2 13 inn
• Dodgers 8 DBacks 3

Is Ron Washington On the Hot Seat?

While April is way too early in the season for teams to start making changes with their managers (Well, unless your team is owned by a Steinbrenner.), that doesn't mean it's too early for teams to start thinking about a managerial change, or rumors to start swirling around that one could be on the horizon. Whether it's fair or not, it's a reality in baseball.

After losing another ugly game on Monday against the Red Sox, the Rangers find themselves in a very familiar place, the bottom of the AL West...

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Morning Wood

Boston Red Sox 5 Detroit Tigers 0

You know, at FanHouse, while I'm not specifically told by anyone that I can't rip on the Tigers anytime I choose, I generally try to remain as objective about any team I cover not named the White Sox as I can be. Here? Well I give myself no restrictions. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (breath) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD THEY SUCK! The Tigers are now 0-7 on the season, and obviously, I'm loving every second of it. Dice-K pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, though he wasn't anywhere near perfect, walking three Tigers, and Kevin Youkilis drove in two runs to propel Boston to the victory. The Tigers offense only managed 5 hits, and were shutout for the second time in this young season. After 7 games Detroit is hitting only .234 and have scored 15 runs. In other words, this year's Tigers are last year's White Sox.

Baltimore Orioles 8 Texas Rangers 1

While the Tigers are surprising everyone with their horrible start to the season, the Orioles are surprising everyone for the right reasons. They won their sixth straight game on Tuesday night to improve to 6-1 on the season, and still sit atop the AL East. Aubrey Huff had four hits and drove in four runs to lead the O's offense, and Brian Burress pitched 6+ innings of seven hit ball to shut down the Rangers lineup. "We've already had more fun than at any time last year," Huff said.

Philadelphia Phillies 5 New York Mets 2

Tell me if this story sounds familiar to you at all. The Mets had a late lead on the Phillies, but then collapsed down the stretch and let the Phillies pass them by. It's how the 2007 season ended for the Mets last season, and it's exactly how their last home opener in Shea Stadium went on Tuesday afternoon. The Phillies scored 5 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to notch their 9th straight victory over the Mets and get to 4-4 on the season. "There's none of us in here going, geez, the Phillies are coming to town, we're probably going to lose," Mets closer Billy Wagner said. "I think all of us are tired of hearing the Phils have our number. The Phils don't have our number. We shoot ourselves in the foot every time we go out there." So what you're saying is, the Phils have your number? Got it.

AL

• Royals 5 Yankees 2
• A's 9 Blue Jays 8
• Mariners 6 Rays 5
• Indians 4 Angels 3

NL

• Brewers 3 Reds 2 10 Inn.
• Cardinals 5 Astros 3
• Rockies 4 Braves 3
• DBacks 10 Dodgers 5

John Patterson Finds a New Home in Texas

It came as somewhat of a surprise when the Washington Nationals released John Patterson last week, but it didn't take Patterson long to find a new home. After being unemployed for three whole days, the oft-injured starter agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.

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Salty Is Going to Feel Salty

The Rangers saw the writing on the wall with Mark Teixeira last season, and knowing the odds of Tex returning to Arlington were slim when he becomes a free agent after this season, they dealt the slugging first baseman to Atlanta a year early so they could get a better return. It was a smart move by the Rangers, and one that landed them a very nice prospect in catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Saltalamacchia was brought over to not only replace Tex's bat, but also handle the Rangers pitching staff for years to come. Well, as opening day draws nearer, it's becoming more apparent that Salty's future with the Rangers is going to be put on hold for a while. All signs are pointing to Jarrod starting the season at AAA.

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Foul Balls MLB Preview: AL West

As the end of spring training draws near, I figure it's about time I got off my ass and started with the Foul Balls 2008 season previews. Each day I'll preview a separate division followed by individual previews for the White Sox and Cubs. Expect expert analysis bad jokes.

Today we look at the American League West, which is baseball's smallest division. It's also the easiest one to pick.

2007 Finish

1. Los Angeles Angels 94-68
2. Seattle Mariners 88-74
3. Oakland Athletics 76-86
4. Texas Rangers 75-87

2008 Predictions

1. Los Angeles Angels - The Angels were the class of the AL West last season, and this year they've gotten even better. While keeping the core of the team intact, they added Torii Hunter's bat and golden gloves to the outfield, and Jon Garland to what was already one of baseball's better starting rotations. Barring an earthquake swallowing the team whole, I don't see too much changing for the Angels this season. It also doesn't hurt that they have one of the smartest game managers in baseball in Mike Scioscia. Barring a bunch of major injuries, and this spring isn't a good sign with John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar already on the shelf, the Angels should have an easy time of it out west this season. INTERESTING FACT: Beloved Angels mascot, and World Series hero, the Rally Monkey, has AIDS. And not the Magic Johnson kind where you survive, either.
   
2. Seattle Mariners - The Mariners were a bit of a surprise last season, actually being in the playoff hunt for the majority of the season. Like the Angels did this offseason, the Mariners also improved their starting rotation, bringing in Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva to join Felix Hernandez and giving the team a formidable top 3. Well, as formidable as any rotation with Carlos Silva can be anyway. What worries me about this team this season is that their bullpen was a major strength last year, and they gave up a couple key parts to it in the trade that brought Bedard over from Baltimore. I get the feeling that may end up biting them in the ass in 2008. Other than that, though, they still have Ichiro and enough offense to take 2nd place in the division and fight for the AL wild card spot. INTERESTING FACT: Ichiro Suzuki's smile, personality, and fantastic quotes have lowered Seattle's suicide rate 10%.
   
3. Texas Rangers - The Rangers have spent the majority of the decade finishing dead last in the AL West, but this year, this year is about progress! They're going to move up all the way to 3rd place, and at their current rate of improvement, they should be winning the division by 2018. What bothers me about this team is that they never seem to learn from their mistakes. Every year the have a good offense, and a pretty sub-standard pitching staff. How do they try to fix it? They add bats to the lineup while never improving their pitching staff. An example this year is bringing in Josh Hamilton from Cincinnati, who is having a fantastic spring, but they gave up one of their top pitching prospects in Edinson Volquez to get him. It doesn't make any sense, but maybe now that Nolan Ryan is back as team president, he'll remind the organization that pitching is somewhat important in this sport. INTERESTING FACT: Vicente Padilla is a fat drunken slob, and I hope that somebody on the White Sox hits a line drive off of his skull at some point this season. Hell, it doesn't even have to be a member of the Sox, it could be anybody. Just happen.
   
4. Oakland Athletics - Last season was a new feeling for the Athletics and Oakland baseball fans. After battling through injury after injury to key players like Rich Harden, Eric Chavez, and Huston Street, the A's finished with a losing record for the first time since 1998. That's an impressive streak when you consider that the team has a budget of $500 to spend every season. General manager Billy Beane's response to the losing season? BLOW IT UP. Just about anybody on the team that made a million dollars last season was shipped out. Dan Haren went to Arizona, Nick Swisher to Chicago, Mark Kotsay to Atlanta...Oakland is in full blown rebuilding mode. What Beane did manage to do with all these trades, though, is restock Oakland's farm system. So while this season will probably be a tough pill to swallow, I won't be shocked if Oakland's winning 100 games again within a few years. INTERESTING FACT: The average age of Oakland's starting lineup is 16 years, and 7 months.

Foul Balls All-Division Team

• Kenji Johjima-SEA-C
• Casey Kotchman-LAA-1B
• Ian Kinsler-TEX-2B
• Adrian Beltre-SEA-3B
• Michael Young-TEX-SS
• Raul Ibanez-SEA-LF
• Ichiro Suzuki-SEA-CF
• Vladimir Guerrero-LAA-RF
• Juan Rivera-LAA-DH
• Felix Hernandez-SEA-SP
• Francisco Rodriguez-LAA-CP

Youngsters to Watch

• Joe Saunders-LAA-SP
• Daric Barton-OAK-1B
• Jack Hannahan-OAK-3B
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia-TEX-C
• Jason Botts-TEX-1B

Guys Who Will Disappoint

• Bobby Crosby-OAK-SS
• Rich Harden-OAK-SP
• Richie Sexson-SEA-1B
• Carlos Silva-SEA-SP
• Kevin Millwood-TEX-SP
• Milton Bradley-TEX-OF

Tomorrow will be the NL West's turn. Also, this will be the only post of the day today. I don't know if you've heard anything about it, but there's this big dance on today, and I wanna watch it.

Josh Hamilton Owns The Spring

St. Patrick's Day may be an official holiday here at Foul Balls, but it isn't at FanHouse where I am writing today

Last season was a great year for Josh Hamilton. Sure, he missed a lot of the season due to injury, but when he was healthy he was able to hit 19 home runs and drive in 47 runs in only 90 games. The greatest part for Josh, though, was that he was able to play at all.

Hamilton was one of my favorite stories last spring, after four years away from the game thanks to a drug suspension, the former first pick of the Devil Rays hit over .400 in the spring to make the Reds roster when camp broke. Then during the offseason the Reds traded Hamilton to the Rangers, and in his first spring with Texas, he has been out of his mind.

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Morning Wood - Holding On at Wrigley

Chicago Cubs 5 Milwaukee Brewers 4

Ryan Dempster made things a lot more interesting in the 9th inning than they needed to be. He loaded the bases before walking in a run, but then got Kevin Mench to ground out to short to end the game. The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Cubs were able to battle back and tie it at three. Then in the 6th inning, Matt Murton and Alfonso Soriano went back-to-back to give the Cubs all the runs they'd need. It was Soriano's first home run since returning, and he had been 1-for-12 before connecting, including three strike outs last night. "I was feeling a little pressure because I'm coming back quick," Soriano said. "Maybe I'm a little anxious and I have to calm down a little more because I had three weeks where I didn't play."

Texas Rangers 5 Chicago White Sox 1

What the fuck ever.

Philadelphia Phillies 11 New York Mets 10

And the award for craziest game of the day goes to Mets/Phillies! First the Phillies jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Orlando Hernandez, but the Mets battled back to tie it at five. Then the Phillies responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead at 8-5. Well, the Mets didn't appreciate it, and as a result they scored five runs in the top of the 8th to take a 10-8 lead. Pat Burrell then chipped in with a solo shot in the Phillies half of the 8th to make it 10-9. Finally, in the 9th inning, Chase Utley hit a single to right field that brought home Tadahito Iguchi (whom I'm sure really wishes he was still on the White Sox) to win the game for the Phillies. So Philly swept a four game series from the Mets, and now find themselve only two games behind New York in the NL East.

Elsewhere...

AL

• Yankees 5 Red Sox 0
• Tigers 6 Royals 1
• DRays 8 Orioles 6
• Indians 6 Mariners 5

NL

• Astros 2 Cardinals 1
• Reds 5 Pirates 4
• DBacks 8 Padres 7

Morning Wood - Carlos' ERA Approaches His Salary

Milwaukee Brewers 6 Chicago Cubs 1

So Carlos Zambrano finishes the month of August without a single win. Sure, in his five starts the Cubs only managed to score five runs, but you can't really blame the offense. Zambrano's got an ERA over 7.00 in that span. That's not exactly what the Cubs gave him $91.5 million for. "He [Piniella] will see the same Zambrano that was in June and July. Any pitcher can be in a tough situation during the season," Zambrano said. Ben Sheets on the other hand came off the disabled list for the Brewers and did what aces are supposed to do. Ben lasted six innings, and allowed only the one run as the Brewers got back to 1.5 games behind the Cubs.

Texas Rangers 5 Chicago White Sox 4

Sammy Sosa tied it in the seventh inning, and then he won it in the 11th with a sac fly that scored Ian Kinsler. All because the White Sox suck. Just ask their manager. "It's embarrassing day in and day out to do the same stuff. People are blaming our pitching staff, but the offense comes along and puts more dirt on the grave. Everyone in that room should look in the mirror and be embarrassed. We've got a $100 million payroll and they don't show it on the field. If this keeps up, bring on the Double-A kids. They're killing me. They're killing my family, my coaching staff and the White Sox fans. I hope they care the way we care. I'm tired of seeing this [expletive] every day."

Elsewhere...

AL

• A's 5 Blue Jays 4
• Angels 8 Mariners 2
• Yankees 4 Red Sox 3
• DRays 5 Orioles 4
• Indians 4 Twins 3
• Royals 5 Tigers 0

NL

• Dodgers 10 Nationals 9
• Rockies 8 Giants 0
• Phillies 3 Mets 2
• Reds 8 Pirates 0
• Braves 7 Marlins 4
• Astros 7 Cardinals 0
• Padres 3 DBacks 1

Morning Wood - Bud Selig Wins Championships

Chicago Cubs 5 Milwaukee Brewers 3

If the Cubs somehow manage to win the World Series, or even if they just make the playoffs, I think Cubs fans should thank Bud Selig. After all, if it wasn't for Bud, Jacque Jones would be in Miami right now playing for the Marlins. Instead he's in Chicago, where during the seventh inning yesterday he hit a double that scored two runs and tied the game at 3. He then came around to score thanks to an error by Scott Linebrink, as the Cubs beat the team Selig used to own. It's the 14th time this season the Brewers have lost a game they had a lead of at least three runs. They're now under .500 and in third place in the NL Central.

Texas Rangers 4 Chicago White Sox 3

The game was tied at three in the 8th inning when the White Sox loaded the bases with nobody out. They failed to score a run as Wes Littleton, yes the same Wes Littleton who picked up a save in Texas' 30-3 win last week, worked his way out of the jam. In other words, the same things the Sox haven't been able to do all season, they did last night. College football starts on Thursday, and the Bears start in 12 days.

Elsewhere...

AL

• DRays 15 Orioles 8
• Indians 6 Twins 5
• Yankees 5 Red Sox 3
• Royals 6 Tigers 3
• Blue Jays 5 A's 4
• Angels 10 Mariners 6

NL

• Pirates 6 Reds 4
• Phillies 4 Mets 2
• Marlins 4 Braves 3
• Cardinals 7 Astros 0
• Pirates 3 Reds 2
• Padres 6 DBacks 4
• Dodgers 4 Nationals 3
• Giants 3 Rockies 1

Morning Wood - 30?!

Texas Rangers 30 Baltimore Orioles 3

How in the hell do you score 30 runs in a game? The Baltimore Ravens give up 30 points every three games, the Orioles are doing it in one?! Jared Saltalamacchia was 4-for-6 with two homers, five runs, and seven RBI. That's a week's worth of numbers. Ramon Vazquez had two homers of his own, while Marlon Byrd and Travis Metcalf chipped in with grand slams. Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera was responsible for 6 of the runs, and he had the best night of any Orioles pitcher. The greatest stat of all from this game though, belongs to Wes Littleton. Wes came out of the bullpen and pitched three solid innings of two hit baseball. Oh, and he also got a save in a game his team won by 27 runs. Way to protect the lead, Wes!!

Chicago Cubs 4 San Francisco Giants 2 10inn.

What's crazier? A team scoring 30 runs in a game, or the Cubs being in first place in August? A two-run double by Aramis Ramirez, a suicide squeeze by the just activated Henry Blanco, and seven solid innings from Rich Hill have put the Cubs a game up on the Brewers in the NL Central. For the second straight night, Cliff Floyd came through with the big hit. He sparked the two run rally in the 10th inning with a lead-off double.

Kansas City Royals 7 Chicago White Sox 6

And we're back in a tie for last place in the AL Central. It's truly been a season to cherish! Bears kickoff in 16 days!

Elsewhere...

AL

• A's 4 Blue Jays 1
• Twins 8 Mariners 4
• Indians 11 Tigers 8
• Devil Rays 2 Red Sox 1
• Rangers 9 Orioles 7
• Yankees 8 Angels 2

NL

• Dodgers 15 Phillies 3
• Padres 7 Mets 5
• Reds 4 Braves 2
• Astros 3 Nationals 2
• Cardinals 6 Marlins 4
• Pirates 11 Rockies 2
• DBacks 3 Brewers 2

Morning Wood - This Week Is Going To Suck

Chicago Cubs 3 Chicago White Sox 0

I may have quit on this season already, but that doesn't mean seeing the Sox get swept by the Cubs this weekend didn't hurt. At the same time, I wasn't really surprised. What the weekend represents is the end of this team as we all know it. There's a firesale coming, I can feel it. I don't think Mark Buehrle and Jermaine Dye are the only guys who Kenny Williams is going to deal. The Cubs meanwhile look like they're on the way up. Of course, they'll have to get to .500 first.

Seattle Mariners 3 Cincinnati Reds 2

Ken Griffey Jr capped off his return to Seattle with two home runs on Sunday to pass Mark McGwire on the all-time list for 7th place with 584 home runs, and the way he's swinging the bat right now there will probably be six guys with 600 home runs before this season is over. "You play long enough, you hit a few out and you catch people," Griffey said. Though none of this was good enough to get the Reds a victory as Seattle was able to overcome the 2-0 deficit to get the win.

Houston Astros 12 Texas Rangers 9 10 inn

Speaking of milestones, after going 3-for-5 on Sunday in Arlington, Craig Biggio now finds himself four hits shy of 3,000. For those of you who are mathematically challenged, that means he now has 2,996. (I'm a dual threat!) One of those hits proved to be the game winner in the 10th inning after the Astros bullpen blew a lead in the 9th inning. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. That was a pretty special one right there," Biggio said. "It was a big run for us right there. To come back like we did, there are a lot of heroes." Biggio also hit the 658th double of his career to move into 6th all-time, but still the most ever by a right-handed hitter.

Elsewhere...

• Blue Jays 5 Rockies 0
• DRays 9 Dodgers 4
• Angels 4 Pirates 3
• Twins 7 Marlins 4
• Mets 10 A's 2
• Nationals 3 Indians 1
• Royals 4 Brewers 3
• Phillies 5 Cardinals 1
• Red Sox 4 Padres 2
• Giants 7 Yankees 2
• DBacks 8 Orioles 3
• Tigers 5 Braves 0

Morning Wood - Cubdumb

Texas Rangers 6 Chicago Cubs 5

The Cubs made a valiant effort to come back from a 5-0 deficit before losing in the 9th, but the truth is they should have never been in that position to begin with. They loaded the bases with no one out in the second inning, and failed to score a run. The Rangers then hit back-to-back jacks in their half of the inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Later with the score tied at five in the 9th and one out and Kenny Lofton on second, Bobby Howry induced a ground ball back to the mound. He fielded the ball and got Lofton stuck between second and third. He did the right thing and ran at Lofton making him make the decision. That's when Howry fucked up. After Lofton started back towards second, Howry held onto the ball too long before throwing to Cesar Izturis. Lofton slid back in safely, and then Frank Catalanotto hit a game winning single that Angel Pagan just missed making a diving catch on. Game over.

Colorado Rockies 4 New York Yankees 3

Roger Clemens is going to have to wait five more days for victory #350. The Rocket had his worst start of the season lasting only 4.1 innings, and allowing all four Rockies runs. Rodrigo Lopez on the other hand was able to overcome a bomb by Hideki Matsui that gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead, and held the Bombers scoreless for the rest of his 5.1 innings. After that it was all the bullpen for Colorado as they finished off their sweep of the Yankees, outscoring them 13-5 in the series. "It's something we certainly didn't expect," Joe Torre said. "And again, not that we take anybody for granted because that's not the way you play this game. [But] it's not the way we've been playing over the last few weeks."

Seattle Mariners 3 Pittsburgh Pirates 0

When Jeff Weaver shutout the Pirates on Wednesday, it was a shock. Sure, it's the Pirates, but it's also Jeff Weaver. On Thursday night when Felix Hernandez shut the Pirates down, nobody was suprised. Hernandez lasted eight innings striking out nine and allowing only six hits in his best start since coming back from a forearm injury. Ichiro Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 16 games with an RBI single in the 5th that proved to be the only run the Mariners would even need. Of course that didn't keep Jose Lopez from following it up with a two-run double a few pitches later.

Elsewhere...

• Dodgers 8 Blue Jays 4


• Orioles 6 Padres 3

The Good News Keeps Coming for the Cubs

First, they booted Barrett. Now this.

The Cubs may have found somebody stupid enough to take Jacque Jones, and they might be adding a Hall-of-Famer to their outfield.

Griffey has a history with manager Lou Piniella and is unhappy in Cincinnati, where he was moved from center field to right this year. Not only are the Reds shopping him, but he has said privately to those close to him that he would welcome a move to Chicago.

Griffey is signed through next season with a team option for 2009 at salaries of $6.5 million each year. While the Cubs' uncertain ownership future makes acquiring a player with a multiyear contract more difficult, team officials say they haven't been told they can't take on salary beyond this year.

A chance to get Griffey and get rid of Jacque Jones?

I'm aquiver with joy.

Morning Wood - 600

Texas Rangers 7 Chicago White Sox 3

When Sammy Sosa played in Chicago he wore #21. Last night, Jason Marquis was on the mound for the Cubs wearing #21, so it was fitting that he was the pitcher that gave up the 600th home run of Sosa's career. Sosa did his trademark hop after driving a 1-2 pitch to right-center in the fifth inning before being mobbed at home plate by his teammates. "It was something that cannot be explained," Sosa said. "Getting my 600th against the Chicago Cubs, and my first team [was] the Texas Rangers. It's like everything clicked. My emotions, I don't know what they are." Sammy of course is only the fifth player to ever reach the 600 mark, joining Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

Florida Marlins 5 Chicago White Sox 4

Another game, another lead, another loss. An error by Juan Uribe in the 8th inning proved to be fatal as the Marlins scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead against the White Sox. The Marlins had a runner on first with no outs, trailing 2-1. Jon Garland then fielded a sacrifice bunt attempt and turned to fire to second base where Uribe shortarmed the catch and the ball rolled into center field. "I take full responsibility for it," said Garland, whose throw tailed away from Uribe but was very catchable. "I'm better than that." A classy thing for Jon to say, but it was Uribe's fault. Bobby Jenks then came in and gave up a three-run homer to pinch hitter Jason Wood. The Sox scored a run in the 8th, and again in the 9th thanks to a Paul Konerko solo shot, but it wasn't enough.

Elsewhere...

• A's 5 Reds 3
• Indians 10 Phillies 6
• Blue Jays 12 Dodgers 1
• Angels 8 Astros 4
• Mariners 7 Pirates 0
• Brewers 7 Giants 5
• DBacks 7 DRays 4
• Tigers 8 Nationals 4
• Twins 6 Mets 2
• Red Sox 11 Braves 0
• Cardinals 7 Royals 6
• Rockies 6 Yankees 1
• Orioles 7 Padres 1