"I'm out of it for a little while, and everyone gets delusions of grandeur!" Now you have to know where that quote is from. If you don't, well then I just feel sorry for you. Once again, I've been out of the loop for a little bit. Not quite as long as last time of course, but a lot of big stories have come up in the past couple of weeks. I'm going to try and touch on them all here..., but not in the creepy way. Begin!
The Atlanta Braves won their 10,000th game on July 15th against the Washington Nationals. It is only the third time a team has crossed this milestone in baseball history, and congratulations are in order for one of the best franchises ever assembled. (In case you are wondering, the Giants and Cubs have the first and second-most wins.) It is hard enough to put together a good team over the course of 10 years, let alone for decade upon decade, and especially in today's game with free-agency and high contracts throwing things out of whack. It was easier back when the Braves began as the Red Stockings, because players were basically indentured servants to the owners. Still though, to keep talent around long enough, and to scout the next young phenom for over 135 years, as the Braves organization has done, is truly something special. If you would like to read a more detailed synopsis of how, when, and where those 10,000 wins were collected, check out this article http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/662374/Braves-10000-Wins-Timeline.png It's a great read, and has a super graphic attached to it.
A few less spectacular, but nonetheless interesting feats were accomplished recently. The Texas Rangers won 12 games in a row dating back to July 4th, having been slightly interrupted by the All-Star break. The winning streak had been over by this point, but Ranger's right-fielder Nelson Cruz tried to have a winning streak all by himself on July 22nd versus the Blue Jays, by driving in 8 runs during a 12-2 rout. Nellie has been up and down this year, especially due to his earlier injury, but he's still on schedule to have one of his best statistical years ever in RBI, doubles and homers. When Nellie does get hot, it get hot in heare. That last sentence was not a typo.
The Seattle Mariners were at the opposite end of the winning spectrum, as they lost 17 straight games between July 6th, and uh, yesterday. They finally won a game versus the lowly... wait. The Yankees? The team who lost a franchise-record 17 games in a row, turns around and breaks the streak against the third-best team in the league? Go figure! I have to give credit where credit is due, though. The Mariners had been hanging tough like New Kids with the rest of their division up until that point. However, I think they were playing way above their potential, and reality is a cruel mistress. Sometimes she smacks you down, hard. The Mariners will be fine though. In a couple of years.
Speaking of the American League division, Mr. Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui hit his 500th career homerun last week. That's right, Hideki Matsui has gone yard 500 times in his career. It does have to be stated that 332 of those homeruns were in Japan, in a different league with a different style of play and different caliber of players. However, it should not be said that Matsui got any of those 500 dingers the cheap way. It may not count in MLB record books alone, but Matsui should be extremely proud to have crossed such a historic feat.
Some major roster moves are being made since the trading deadline comes and goes in just three more days. The New York Metropolitans managed to move another big piece of their team, by sending rightfielder Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants yesterday for a highly touted hurler named Zach Wheeler. Many teams were suitors for Beltran, including strangely, the Yankees, Phillies, Rangers and Indians. The Indians did end up getting an outfielder piece today though, as they traded a couple of minor leaguers to the Chicago Cubs for Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome is hitting at a .273 clip, but his playing time this year has been considerably reduced, so it's not like he was lighting the world on fire. The first Japan-born player to ever play for the crowd in The Friendly Confines, didn't find the confines so friendly. Kosuke was largely considered a bust signing by many a Cub fan, as his average and defense never amounted to much. Maybe Cleveland will be a better home for him.
Another big deal happened the other day and it included three teams. The Chicago White Sox sent starter Edwin Jackson and utility-man Mark Teahen to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart. The Jays then turned that around and immediately traded Jackson, outfielder Corey Patterson, and relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski to the St. Louis Cardinals for center-fielder Colby Rasmus, and three other relievers. Sorry, I just couldn't type anymore relievers names after Rzepczynski-whosi-whazits-now.
Edwin Jackson is no stranger to being traded, as he's been with five teams in the last four years. Rasmus, however, is a different story. He's been a highly regarded centerfielder for what feels like forever now, but he's also been underperforming for the Cards this year. Some sabermetric lovers out there think that this lack of production is actually the norm for Rasmus, and that his solid 2010 numbers were a mere mirage. The truth may prove otherwise as Rasmus will try to replicate what his new teammate Yunel Escobar did last year when he was traded to the Jays and turned his career around for the better.
Last but certainly not least, we should mention a very special accomplishment by Ervin Santana. The 28-year-old threw the third no-hitter of 2011 last night in Cleveland and turned around his personal history at Progressive Field. That was the place of his Major League debut, which was quite a harsh welcome for the young man back in 2005. As a Sports Illustrated article put it, "The first four batters he faced in the majors teamed up to hit for the cycle - Grady Sizemore led off with a triple, Coco Crisp doubled, Travis Hafner singled and Ben Broussard homered." Well Ervin got the last, or at least most recent laugh, as he fanned 10 batters and was in control all evening. Congrats to Santana, who threw the first no-hitter for the Angels in 27 years.
There is still lots more baseball to be played, but I can't believe that the season only has two more months left. I'm going to try and do my mid-season reviews next time, but at this rate, they might be late-mid-season reviews. Thanks for keeping the love alive folks! Until next time.
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