Back on May 24, I commented on the volume of claims made within the first two months of the season attributing a lack of home run hitting and run scoring to stricter drug testing. The article I cited was written by Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, who wrote:


Even further back, on May 9, I talked extensively about the lack of offense. I noted:


I included this handy-dandy screenshot of my Excel spreadsheet that organized the information:



Here's an updated look:



AL run-scoring and NL run-scoring have both regressed to the mean a bit: the AL run-scoring average went up; the NL run-scoring average went down.

It looks like the warmer temperatures, as expected, had at least some effect on the increase in offense. We still have the warmth of the next three weeks of July and the month of August for the offense to pick up even more.

The AL is on pace to score 706 less runs; the NL is on pace to score 590 less.
The AL is on pace to hit 105 less HR; the NL is on pace to hit 86 less.
The AL is on pace to walk 23 less times; the NL is on pace to walk 369 more times.

Even though the 2008 offenses still aren't up to par with '07, it isn't at all significant enough to signal some kind of effect from anything, especially MLB's drug policies; it's simple randomness.

It looks like those who were lauding the sport's tougher drug policies and crediting them with the drop in offense were hasty in jumping to such a conclusion, which isn't really a surprise. Too bad we won't see any, "Sorry, we were wrong" articles. The media has a hard time admitting fault!

Toronto Blue Jays starter Dustin McGowan exited Tuesday's contest with the Orioles with a sore shoulder after four innings and today was placed on the 15-day disabled list.  McGowan underwent an MRI today but no test results were made available.  With the All-Star break approaching, the move was made as a precaution.

The trip to the DL means the Jays will be without his services for his start on Sunday against the Yankees.  In his place, reliever Brian Tallet was announced to replace McGowan in the rotation.  Tallet is 0-1 with a 2.83 ERA in 35 innings this season in 32 relief appearances.  Tallet's last start in the Majors came on August 7, 2006 against the Orioles -- he went 2 1/3 innings and gave up one unearned run on four walks -- and the Blue Jays won 8-1.  He is 1-2 with a 2.70 ERA in six career starts.

McGOWAN'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

TALLET'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

---

Cincinnati's Aaron Harang struggled through his 11th loss of the season last night in Chicago and today was scheduled for an MRI on his right forearm.  In 20 games (19 starts) this season, Harang is 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA.

Since making a scoreless four inning relief appearance in their 18 inning loss to the San Diego Padres on May 25, Harang is 1-5 with a 7.31 ERA in eight starts and made it to the seventh inning only twice. 

Harang is still scheduled to pitch on Sunday against CC Sabathia and the Milwaukee Brewers but that start could be in jeopardy based on the results of the MRI.  The exam was prompted by an apparent loss in velocity experienced by Harang during their 7-3 loss to the Cubs on Tuesday in which he lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs on five hits and a career-high seven walks.

HARANG'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

---

It's official!  The Chicago White Sox placed closer Bobby Jenks on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday.  In his place, reliever D.J. Carrasco was recalled to provide the bullpen with an additional arm through the All-Star break. 

Jenks' injury is listed as left scapula bursitis and the move is retroactive to June 30.  Before the injury, Jenks owned a 1.95 ERA and posted 18 saves.

Carrasco returns to the Majors for the first time since 2005.  In 2006, he played in Japan and last season spent the year in the Minor League system of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  At Triple-A Charlotte, Carrasco was 0-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings in six appearances.  During his three seasons with the Kansas City Royals from 2003-2005, Carrasco was 14-15 with two saves and a 4.81 ERA in 101 games including 22 starts.

JENKS' PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

CARRASCO'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

Hype Up the Story!

Slightly delayed with this weeks blogger poll, but nonetheless, the Awards for the American League as of the thirteenth week are up at Roto Junkie. Things are beginning to get very tight in the American League according to the voters.

Check out how I voted for week eleven.

MVP
The separation between first place in the MVP and 4th is becoming tighter with the passing weeks. Although not much has changed from my perspective, other voters are beginning to jump from hot streak to hot streak, while I maintain my stance on value towards a team.

Winner - Milton Bradley
Runner Up - Alex Rodriguez
3rd - Grady Sizemore

Had Bradley and Rodriguez both been healthy for the entire season, I would have had an impossible time separating the two. However, because Bradley has played in a few more games, and due to my belief that Josh Hamilton's outstanding can predominantly be placed on the switch hitting shoulders of Bradley, the decision becomes slightly easier. As Bradley continues to miss a game here and there, and Rodriguez continues to rake, I may begin drawing names from a hate.

Sizemore has cut down on his strikeouts which has invariably led to a breakout season. It is incredible what can happen when a player puts the ball in play an extra 4 or 5%. As mentioned, there is a marginal amount of homer-ism with this.

A very interesting placement belongs to Evan Longoria. While he is undoubtedly having a fantastic season, especially when you consider his age and experience, I think it is difficult to call him the most valuable player on the Rays, let alone one of the top three in all of baseball.

CY Young
There is a substantial gap for this award, and I can somewhat understand where the voters are coming from. Overall, my voting was quite similar to that of the other bloggers.

Winner - Roy Halladay
Runner Up - John Lackey
3rd - Cliff Lee

For me, the combination of great numbers, and in game longevity are what separate Halladay from the rest of the pack. Halladay owns a considerable lead in innings pitched among his competitors and has provided his bullpen with a night off in 33% of his starts. While Lackey has probably been more impressive, not qualifying for the ERA title hurts his odds. However, like Halladay, Lackey has been an incredible innings eater and downright dominant.

Lee has been incredibly impressive, even more so because of the limited expectations entering this season. However, he lacks the 'stopper' mentality of Halladay and Lackey, which is something I look for when comparing pitchers. All else being equal of course.

All that being said, it is going to be difficult to ignore John Danks and Justin Duchscherer during week 15's poll.

Rookie of the Year
Similar to the Cy Young award, there really isn't much of a debate here. The voters pretty much had their first and second place votes etched in stone and just rolled the dice on the final player to receive 1 point.

Winner - Evan Longoria
Runner Up - Jacoby Ellsbury
3rd - Joba Chamberlain

As I mentioned in the previous poll, this is hardly a competition. Longoria has taken this award and simply run away with it. Ellsbury has done his best to act like a rookie, rather then a seasoned veteran, and in doing so watched his on base percentage fall from an outstanding .402 to a still strong, but fading .343. At this rate, Ellsbury may have worked his way from consensus #1 rookie, to out of the ballot altogether (for everyone not located in Boston that is).

I suppose the Chamberlain pick is more of a preemptive one. He has been strong, yet unspectacular as a starter. His relief work definitely helps his cause, as does the mediocre work of the Yankees bullpen since his departure to the rotation.

Lastly, I can't argue with the pick of Greg Smith as the #3 rookie thus far. While not performing at a spectacular level, he is having a nice season for a rookie. That being said, has he been that much better then Aaron Laffey to this point?

As always, I encourage everyone to give feedback on my votes, and/or to suggest whom they would have voted for. Keep in mind, however, that this is a 'if the season were to end today' vote.

Hype Up the Story Here!

...When the Los Angeles Dodgers return from the All-Star break they will have a new hitting coach. It's no surprise that it will be Don Mattingly who turned the position down at the start of the season to devote time to family as he was in the middle of a divorce. But he has since told the Dodgers he's ready to join in a full time capacity. He will be replacing Mike Easler.

...After having season ending shoulder surgery, Boston RHP Curt Schilling isn't making any concrete plans on whether or not he's going to pitch come the 2009 season.

"We're in the initial phase of my rehab," he said. "Whether I was a plumber or a pitcher, I'd have to do it just to have use of my shoulder and arm. There's no real critical decision-making point for a good five, seven or eight weeks from now, until I need to decide whether I want to progress past the normal surgery rehab into very specific job rehab and we'll figure that out then."

...With Eric Byrnes likely done for the long term, the Arizona Diamond Backs are looking at outfield options, which may or may not include Barry Bonds - a former Arizona State Sun Devil. This according to Nick Piercoro of The Arizona Republic, here's what Josh Byrnes - the Snakes GM had to say.

"I don't want to talk about him specifically but, believe me, we've considered a lot of options. There is sort of no one obvious option right now, but there are a lot of considerations."

Honestly, take that for what it's worth.

...The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Tigers first round draft pick Ryan Perry (who they just signed) could see time in the Majors come September. With the signing, Perry will collect a $1.48 million dollar signing bonus.

...Albert Belle, remember him? He seems to have come out of hiding or whatever to voice his displeasure in the CC Sabathia Trade.

"Imagine that the Cleveland Indians trade away another great player because they didn't want to pay him," said Belle from his home in Arizona. "The saga continues."

[..snip]

"When is Larry Dolan going to sell the club?" said Belle. "I could buy a piece of it. There are a lot of people on teams making a lot of bad decisions. You don't always have to spend a lot of money. Look at what Billy Beane does in Oakland."

He also goes on to talk about how he'd like to be an owner, and how the Seattle Mariners wanted to hire him as a roving instructor - but he turned it down because they were going to pay him "peanuts". I think it's time for Albert to disappear again.

Hype Up the Story Here!

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Detroit Tigers have signed 1st round pick Ryan Perry. The signing bonus is said to be $1.48 million. Perry said that the Tigers would like him "to be in the big leagues...once the rosters are expanded" on Sept. 1, and that he will start the season in Class A Lakeland this week.

There's one good thing about the MLB slotting system. I love the way all the players start to sign once a few set the market.

(Photo courtesy of the Tucson Citizen)

Hype Up the Story Here!

- Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI, and Marcus Thames added a double, a homer, and 3 RBI to give Justin Verlander and the Tigers plenty of offensive support to go on and beat the Indians, 9-2.
- Kevin Youkilis singled, doubled, tripled, and scored 2 runs, and Manny Ramirez led a 4-run 8th inning comeback with a 2-run game tying blast as the Red Sox stunned the Twins, 6-5. Brendan Harris doubled, tripled, and knocked in 2 runs for Minnesota.
- Andy Pettitte pitched a 4-hitter over 8 scoreless innings, and Derek Jeter drove in 2 runs as the Yankees stopped the Rays, 5-0.
- Arizona only managed 4 hits on the day, but 2 Washington errors and 6 flawless innings by Brandon Webb were enough to get the Diamondbacks past the Nationals, 2-0.
- Matt Harrison gave up just 2 runs on 5 hits in his 7 inning major league debut, and Josh Hamilton drove in runs #86 and #87 on the season as the Rangers edged the Angels, 3-2. Joe Saunders allowed 3 runs in an 8 inning complete game for Los Angeles.
- Rickie Weeks went 3-for-5 and scored 3 times, and Ryan Braun hit a 3-run homer to help CC Sabathia pick up his first win in Milwaukee as the Brewers knocked off the Rockies, 7-3. Garrett Atkins reached base 4 times and scored twice for Colorado.
- Randy Wolf allowed just one run in 7 innings, Scott Hairston doubled twice, homered, and drove in 3 runs, and Chase Headley went 3-for-4 with a double and 4 RBI as the Padres pounded the Marlins, 10-1.
- Jair Jurrjens gave Atlanta another quality start, Mark Kotsay collected 3 singles, and Brian McCann launched 2 home runs as the Braves cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Dodgers. Yunel Escobar had 3 RBI, and Kelly Johnson scored 3 times as well for Atlanta.
- Adam LaRoche went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, and Nate McLouth hit a solo homer and laced a 2-run single to help rally the Pirates past the Astros, 4-3. Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence went deep for Houston.
- Rick Ankiel hit his 18th home run of the year, and Ryan Ludwick crushed his 19th to lead the Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Phillies at CBP. Joel Pineiro shut out Philadelphia for 6 1/3 innings. Cole Hamels gave up just 3 hits over 7 innings, but unfortunately for the Phillies, 2 of the hits were the home runs.
- Alex Rios tripled and drove in 3 runs, and Vernon Wells collected a pair of hits and added 2 more RBI as Toronto rallied for 4 runs in the 7th inning to tie the game and added another in the 9th to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 walk-off win over the Orioles. Two Baltimore errors in the game's last frame led to the winning run for Toronto.
- Carlos Beltran went 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI, and Mike Pelfrey threw 7 innings of 3-hit ball to help the Mets blank the Giants, 7-0. Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis also had 2 hits and a homer apiece for New York.
- Mike Fontenot doubled, homered, drove in 2, and scored 2, and Geovany Soto smacked home run #16 on the season and contributed 3 RBI as the Cubs coasted to a 7-3 triumph over the Reds.
- Jim Thome and Alexei Ramirez each had 4 hits, and Joe Crede hit a home run, drove in 2 runs, and scored 2 runs as the White Sox outlasted the Royals, 8-7. Mike Aviles and Esteban German had 4 hits apiece for Kansas City.
- Justin Duchscherer was brilliant yet again, tossing a complete game 2-hit shutout on Tuesday, and Emil Brown and Donnie Murphy knocked in the game's only runs as the Athletics hammered the nail just a little bit further into the Mariners' coffin, 2-0.

Tuesday's Scoreboard

American League

National League

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Cleveland 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 Detroit « 0 0 4 0 2 1 2 0 X 9 13 1 W:J.Verlander(6-9) L:J.Sowers(0-5) HR: CLE- J.Peralta (14) DET- I.Rodriguez (4), M.Thames (17), M.Cabrera 2 (15)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Minnesota 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 5 11 0 Boston « 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 X 6 11 1 W:D.Aardsma(3-2) L:M.Guerrier(4-4) S:J.Papelbon (27) HR: MIN- None BOS- M.Ramirez (17)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Tampa Bay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 NY Yankees « 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 X 5 11 0 W:A.Pettitte(10-6) L:S.Kazmir(7-4) HR: TAM- None NYY- M.Cabrera (8)   Final 1 2 3 4 5