Online Gambling, Online Sportsbooks at Eye on Gambling provides Live Odds Sports News Free Picks Sports Betting and Gambling Odds Online at eog.com - View Single Post

Hache Man · 07-18-07, 06:16 PM

Ervin's Road Act Wearing Thin
Ervin Santana's tremendous road struggles have been a story all season, but it sounds like the Angels are finally fed up and close to yanking him from the rotation. Santana was shelled for seven runs on 14 hits Tuesday in Tampa Bay, making him 1-9 with an 8.79 ERA in 11 starts away from home this season and 10-20 with a 7.16 ERA on the road for his three-year career. Meanwhile, he's 23-7 with a 3.16 ERA at home, including 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA this year.

With Santana's next start scheduled to come Sunday in Minnesota, manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday that the Angels are "going to look at stuff" and "there are some options we might look at moving forward." Those options are Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley, but Saunders has a 5.11 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A and Scioscia seems hesitant to move Moseley from the bullpen given his 3.18 ERA in 34 innings as a reliever.

If Santana is removed from the rotation, general manager Bill Stoneman figures to get plenty of calls from teams interested in dealing for him. While the inability to avoid disastrous starts on the road has no doubt been incredibly frustrating for the Angels, the odds are certainly against it being a legitimate career-long problem. Plus, even with the road struggles, Santana is a 24-year-old pitcher with a 33-27 record and 4.87 ERA in 447.2 career innings.

While the Angels try to figure out Santana's Jekyll and Hyde act, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* Originally diagnosed as merely a sprain, further test results revealed Tuesday that Ben Sheets has a partial tear of the tissue surrounding the tendon in his middle finger. While not quite the worst-case scenario, Sheets will be shut down for 10-14 days and is now expected to miss a total of 4-6 weeks. The good news is that it sounds like Sheets should be back in September, giving him some time to shake off the rust in preparation for a potential Brewers playoff run.

With Sheets likely out for over a month, Yovani Gallardo will step into his spot in the rotation and may never look back. Gallardo will have at least a handful of starts to impress and could easily hold onto a rotation spot once Sheets returns, with Claudio Vargas the most likely candidate to get bumped. In the meantime, the 21-year-old right-hander a major asset in NL-only leagues and figures to have good value in mixed-league formats as well.

* One day after returning from the disabled list, Tom Gordon revealed Tuesday that he plans to pitch through a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. Labrum injuries are horrible news for pitchers and present a much bleaker outlook than even Tommy John surgery, but Gordon may be able to pitch with the injury depending on the severity of the tear. Pedro Martinez remained effective for years despite a partially torn labrum, although he was much younger than Gordon.

Brad Radke is perhaps a better comp. Already planning to retire following last season, Radke pitched through a labrum tear (among other injuries) to go 12-9 with a 4.32 ERA before calling it quits at the age of 33. At 39, Gordon is no doubt hoping to coax another season or two out of his arm, because surgery to repair the labrum would almost certainly signal the end of his career. With Brett Myers nearing a return, Gordon will have to pitch well to continue closing.

* In the midst of a 3-for-45 (.067) slump and 9-for-61 (.148) since returning from the disabled list in mid-June, Rickie Weeks is no longer the Brewers' starting second baseman. Manager Ned Yost announced Tuesday that Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino would split playing time there for now, saying that Brewers are "at the stage where production matters" and "not in the phase of developing anymore," adding that "I've got to put my most productive players on the field."

Coming back from last August's season-ending wrist surgery, Weeks posted an .859 OPS with five homers and five steals in April. Since then he's hit .197 while going 163 plate appearances without a homer, with speculation that his Gary Sheffield-like swing is being hampered by further wrist problems. At just 24 years old Weeks has far too much talent and long-term upside for the Brewers to give up on him, but he's clearly not 100 percent healthy.

AL Quick Hits: Al Reyes (shoulder) is expected to come off the disabled list Wednesday, with Gary Glover heading back to a setup role … After fielding ground balls and hitting in a batting cage Tuesday, Miguel Tejada (wrist) is optimistically targeting a July 28 return … According to the New York Post, the Yankees have been trying to acquire Wilson Betemit since last season by offering up Scott Proctor … Meanwhile, both sides shot down a rumor that the White Sox were targeting Conor Jackson … Michael Young broke out of a 10-for-53 (.189) slump Tuesday, going 5-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs … Jack Cust's two-run homer helped the A's score more than three runs Tuesday for the first time since July 2, but they still lost 11-4 … Reggie Sanders said Tuesday that he'd welcome a trade to the Red Sox, with the Boston media speculating that a deal could happen despite the presence of Wily Mo Pena … Alex Gordon had three hits Tuesday to break out of a July slump and also stole his 10th base.

NL Quick Hits: In his first appearance since reclaiming closing duties, Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to pick up his first save of the season … Kerry Wood (triceps) has begun a minor-league rehab assignment at rookie-ball, with a move up to Single-A scheduled for next week … After lining out as a pinch-hitter Tuesday, Barry Bonds is just two hitless at-bats shy of tying his career-worst 0-for-23 slump … Including among the Phillies' 26 hits Tuesday were a pair of two-run homers from Ryan Howard … Randy Johnson (back) reportedly felt good after a bullpen session Tuesday, but is not close to returning … Todd Helton was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of a headache … After tossing a perfect inning in his first rehab appearance Tuesday at Triple-A, Ryan Dempster is on track to return this weekend … A Daily Dose "buy-low" pick last week, Bronson Arroyo tossed seven shutout innings Tuesday … Barry Zito won Tuesday for the first time in seven starts … Roy Oswalt made a one-batter appearance out of the bullpen Tuesday, relieving for the fourth time since his rookie season.

07-18-07, 06:16 PM	#256
Hache Man "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 64,496	Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2007 Ervin's Road Act Wearing Thin Ervin Santana's tremendous road struggles have been a story all season, but it sounds like the Angels are finally fed up and close to yanking him from the rotation. Santana was shelled for seven runs on 14 hits Tuesday in Tampa Bay, making him 1-9 with an 8.79 ERA in 11 starts away from home this season and 10-20 with a 7.16 ERA on the road for his three-year career. Meanwhile, he's 23-7 with a 3.16 ERA at home, including 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA this year. With Santana's next start scheduled to come Sunday in Minnesota, manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday that the Angels are "going to look at stuff" and "there are some options we might look at moving forward." Those options are Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley, but Saunders has a 5.11 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A and Scioscia seems hesitant to move Moseley from the bullpen given his 3.18 ERA in 34 innings as a reliever. If Santana is removed from the rotation, general manager Bill Stoneman figures to get plenty of calls from teams interested in dealing for him. While the inability to avoid disastrous starts on the road has no doubt been incredibly frustrating for the Angels, the odds are certainly against it being a legitimate career-long problem. Plus, even with the road struggles, Santana is a 24-year-old pitcher with a 33-27 record and 4.87 ERA in 447.2 career innings. While the Angels try to figure out Santana's Jekyll and Hyde act, here are some other notes from around baseball … * Originally diagnosed as merely a sprain, further test results revealed Tuesday that Ben Sheets has a partial tear of the tissue surrounding the tendon in his middle finger. While not quite the worst-case scenario, Sheets will be shut down for 10-14 days and is now expected to miss a total of 4-6 weeks. The good news is that it sounds like Sheets should be back in September, giving him some time to shake off the rust in preparation for a potential Brewers playoff run. With Sheets likely out for over a month, Yovani Gallardo will step into his spot in the rotation and may never look back. Gallardo will have at least a handful of starts to impress and could easily hold onto a rotation spot once Sheets returns, with Claudio Vargas the most likely candidate to get bumped. In the meantime, the 21-year-old right-hander a major asset in NL-only leagues and figures to have good value in mixed-league formats as well. * One day after returning from the disabled list, Tom Gordon revealed Tuesday that he plans to pitch through a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. Labrum injuries are horrible news for pitchers and present a much bleaker outlook than even Tommy John surgery, but Gordon may be able to pitch with the injury depending on the severity of the tear. Pedro Martinez remained effective for years despite a partially torn labrum, although he was much younger than Gordon. Brad Radke is perhaps a better comp. Already planning to retire following last season, Radke pitched through a labrum tear (among other injuries) to go 12-9 with a 4.32 ERA before calling it quits at the age of 33. At 39, Gordon is no doubt hoping to coax another season or two out of his arm, because surgery to repair the labrum would almost certainly signal the end of his career. With Brett Myers nearing a return, Gordon will have to pitch well to continue closing. * In the midst of a 3-for-45 (.067) slump and 9-for-61 (.148) since returning from the disabled list in mid-June, Rickie Weeks is no longer the Brewers' starting second baseman. Manager Ned Yost announced Tuesday that Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino would split playing time there for now, saying that Brewers are "at the stage where production matters" and "not in the phase of developing anymore," adding that "I've got to put my most productive players on the field." Coming back from last August's season-ending wrist surgery, Weeks posted an .859 OPS with five homers and five steals in April. Since then he's hit .197 while going 163 plate appearances without a homer, with speculation that his Gary Sheffield-like swing is being hampered by further wrist problems. At just 24 years old Weeks has far too much talent and long-term upside for the Brewers to give up on him, but he's clearly not 100 percent healthy. AL Quick Hits: Al Reyes (shoulder) is expected to come off the disabled list Wednesday, with Gary Glover heading back to a setup role … After fielding ground balls and hitting in a batting cage Tuesday, Miguel Tejada (wrist) is optimistically targeting a July 28 return … According to the New York Post, the Yankees have been trying to acquire Wilson Betemit since last season by offering up Scott Proctor … Meanwhile, both sides shot down a rumor that the White Sox were targeting Conor Jackson … Michael Young broke out of a 10-for-53 (.189) slump Tuesday, going 5-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs … Jack Cust's two-run homer helped the A's score more than three runs Tuesday for the first time since July 2, but they still lost 11-4 … Reggie Sanders said Tuesday that he'd welcome a trade to the Red Sox, with the Boston media speculating that a deal could happen despite the presence of Wily Mo Pena … Alex Gordon had three hits Tuesday to break out of a July slump and also stole his 10th base. NL Quick Hits: In his first appearance since reclaiming closing duties, Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to pick up his first save of the season … Kerry Wood (triceps) has begun a minor-league rehab assignment at rookie-ball, with a move up to Single-A scheduled for next week … After lining out as a pinch-hitter Tuesday, Barry Bonds is just two hitless at-bats shy of tying his career-worst 0-for-23 slump … Including among the Phillies' 26 hits Tuesday were a pair of two-run homers from Ryan Howard … Randy Johnson (back) reportedly felt good after a bullpen session Tuesday, but is not close to returning … Todd Helton was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of a headache … After tossing a perfect inning in his first rehab appearance Tuesday at Triple-A, Ryan Dempster is on track to return this weekend … A Daily Dose "buy-low" pick last week, Bronson Arroyo tossed seven shutout innings Tuesday … Barry Zito won Tuesday for the first time in seven starts … Roy Oswalt made a one-batter appearance out of the bullpen Tuesday, relieving for the fourth time since his rookie season.