The Herd:
The Buffalo Bisons took an early lead, but a tough day on the mound for Brandon Knight helped Rochester take a 7-3 win at Frontier Field on Monday night.
The win for the Red Wings gives them a split of the four-game series.
Knight (4-9) gave up six runs on 12 hits in four innings with two wild pitches. Box score
The Herd went up, 2-0, in the first inning with an RBI double by Emil Brown and Mike Lamb's sacrifice fly. But that's all the offense the team would get until the ninth.
In the bottom of the first, the Red Wings took a 3-2 lead. RBI singles by Steven Tolleson and Justin Huber tied the game, 2-2. A wild pitch by Knight moved runners into scoring position and allowed a ground out by Danny Valencia to score a run and give Rochester the 3-2 lead.
So here's a stat for your enjoyment: The B-Mets have lost 52 games so far this season. Of those, 21 have been by four or more runs. So that's more than 40 percent of the team's losses this season have been ... well, not all blowouts (a 4-0 game isn't really a blowout) ... let's say convincing losses.That's not a good thing.That's indicative of the kind of season it's been for the boys at Fayette and Henry streets. The B-Mets are a season-worst 22 games below .500 after today's 12-4 loss to Erie.
Clones:
The Brooklyn Cyclones (15-2) scored nine runs to win their ninth straight game on Monday afternoon, in a matinee 9-8 slugfest victory over the Tri-City Valley Cats (5-10). Monday's game in Troy, NY began at 11:00am.3B Nick Giarraputo put the Cyclones on the board right away, with a two-run home run -- his first of the year -- in the first inning. Giarraputo (pictured, by George Napolitano) finished the day 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.DH Dock Doyle later belted a bases-loaded, three-run triple in the third inning. It was Doyle's second triple in as many games. The next batter, RF Luis Rivera, then crushed a two-run home run to cap a five-run inning for Brooklyn. Rivera finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and now leads the league with a .417 average. LF Alex Gregory and SS Luis Nieves each chipped in one RBI, as well.RHP Collin McHugh started for Brooklyn, but left the game after 3.2 innings, and was not eligible for the win. LHP Lance Hoge relieved McHugh, and surrendered three runs in 2.2 innings. LHP Matias Carrillo (1-0) then shut down Tri-City over 2.1 innings for his first win, before RHP Michael Powers closed out the game with a strikeout for his third save of the season. Both Carrillo and Powers have yet to allow a run all season.The Cyclones return to Brooklyn on Tuesday, July 7th to take on the Aberdeen IronBirds. That night is Jewish Heritage Night at the ballpark, with an on-field hora before the game, a knish-eating contest and themed entertainment throughout the night. In addition, the first 2,500 fans will receive Cyclones Playing Cards, presented by Harrah's.
Teams in New York, where fans expect winners year after year, have been brutalized when they overhauled their clubs. Shea Stadium turned into a ghost town for seven years after the Mets traded Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman in 1977. When the Knicks finished in last place two seasons ago, there were thousands of empty seats at Madison Square Garden and chants of “Fire Isiah,” referring to Isiah Thomas, then the team’s president.
The situation is different now for the Mets because they play in a new $800 million ballpark, not Shea Stadium, which was owned by the city. Like other new ballparks, the financing for the 41,800-seat Citi Field was based on the assumption that the team would have a steady stream of customers for its luxury boxes and premium seats, some of which cost $500 a game.
If Minaya and the Mets organization signal to fans that 2009 is a lost cause and that 2010 may be, too, ticket sales for the remaining home games will suffer. Fans with tickets, already struggling to resell them at face value because of the team’s poor play, will be stuck with even bigger losses.
Team PECOTA Actual +/- Win %
Yankees .611 .593 -.018 .593
Cubs .586 .506 -.080 .481
Red Sox .586 .605 +.019 .591
Rays .580 .530 -.050 .630
Dodgers .574 .634 +.060 .593
Mets .568 .481 -.087 .516
D'backs .543 .402 -.141 .466
Braves .537 .481 -.087 .501
Phillies .537 .532 -.005 .487
Indians .531 .398 -.133 .475
Ricciardi says the Jays will not trade Halladay if they do not receive the right offer, knowing that the team’s best chance of competing next season is with the pitcher at the top of the rotation.
C’mon.
Once this process starts, it’s almost impossible to stop. Rest assured, the Jays are assembling prospect lists and preparing to assign their scouts to investigate rival farm systems. Halladay is a goner. It’s just a matter of when and where.
Here’s an early handicap of the Halladay sweepstakes. Warning! While I’m basing this list on some initial conversations with major-league executives, it is largely speculative. To my knowledge, none of the names mentioned below have even been discussed yet.
** Red Sox. Where the Yankees sniff, the Red Sox follow. No doubt the Sox could put together a stunning package for Halladay, starting with right-hander Clay Buchholz. They then would control Halladay and right-hander Josh Beckett through 2010 and lefty Jon Lester through ‘14. Wow.
Then again, the Red Sox could determine that their greater need is a hitter, and Indians catcher Victor Martinez still looms as an ideal option. The Indians would want Buchholz plus other prospects, but their price for Martinez would not be as steep as the Jays’ price for Halladay.
Martinez, under club control through 2010, could play first base if the Red Sox needed Kevin Youkilis at third to replace Mike Lowell. He also could catch if Jason Varitek dropped off in the second half and spell David Ortiz at
DH.
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