Grant Balfour earns the save as the Rays make it to the ALCS

Their first year into the postseason, and the Tampa Bay Rays have made it to the ALCS! Grant Balfour today pitched the Rays into the American League Championship Series, earning the save in a 6-2 victory over the White Sox. He pitched both the 8th and the 9th innings, facing 7 hitters. He walked 1 and struck out 2, including Ken Griffey Jnr to end the game. The Rays will now face the winner of the Angels v Red Sox series currently underway.

Season Review - Part Two

Top 5 Most Impressive Aussie Baseballers in 2008

2. Ryan Rowland-Smith

Maybe he knew something we didn't?

Speaking of his chances of making the 2008 Opening Day roster for the Mariners, Ryan Rowland-Smith said 'I always try to stay positive and tell myself that it's not where I am in April, it's where I am in September'. At that time, the Mariners were boasting about their 'best rotation (on paper) in several seasons'. There was some uncertainty about the makeup of the bullpen, but Rowland-Smith had his eyes set on a spot. 'I knew the rotation was set and I just tried to get one of the spots in the bullpen. I think I've given myself a good opportunity', he said during Spring Training.

Rowland-Smith displayed real maturity, determination and versatility through the 2008 season, and his wise words were a real insight into what lay ahead for him. I really hate the word 'journey', and I think it is bandied about way too much in this the reality TV era. But 2008 was a real journey for Ryan Rowland-Smith.

During the winter between the 07 and 08 MLB seasons, Ryan Rowland-Smith trekked to Venezuela to build his arm strength for the season ahead. RRS ended up making the 2008 opening day roster, after posting impressive numbers during Spring Training. He pitched 11 innings during the spring, and did not allow an earned run; giving up 9 hits and 7 walks. What particularly impressed me was his ability to pitch well when the other members of the Mariners' pitching staff were off their game. On 15 March, Erik Bedard (who is on about US$8 million a year and pitched just 81 innings through 2008) gave up 8 runs over 4 innings against the Giants. Rowland-Smith then came in and pitched 2 scoreless digs! 

 

In his first appearance in the regular season, Ryan pitched 1.2 innings, striking out 2, and picking up his first Major League save. Through the early parts of the season, he continued to feature out of the 'pen. Through the middle of June, he had appeared in 25 games, pitching 27 innings. His ERA was a very respectable 2.33, and he had 2 saves from 3 opportunities. He had struck out 21, and his WHIP was also very respectable at 1.18. Things were looking pretty good by any measure. But was this where Ryan wanted to be? 

By July, the Mariners' rotation was struggling. Bedard had battled injuries. Felix Hernandez busted up his ankle. RA Dickey got smacked around a few times. Rowland-Smith had proved himself as an effective long reliever on a couple of occasions, and their new manager Jim Riggleman tossed the ball to him to fill a spot starter role. He didnt set the world on fire during his first start - pitching 3.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs, with 1 walk and 1 strikeout - but it was a taste of things to come. He did well enough to earn another chance during the same week, with an increased pitch count. In that second outing he held the Detroit Tigers to 1 run over 5 innings, and worked his way out of a number of jams. 

Ryan made no secret of the fact that he wanted to be a starter. Posting on his blog on 13 July, RRS wrote 'to be honest with you mate, in the long run, I really wanna be a starter. To me, it’s the ultimate, to have the game in my control, and try and go the entire nine innings.' But, after the two spot starts, he was back in the 'pen.

In late July, Rowland-Smith was dropped/demoted/sent to AAA Tacoma to work on his role as a starter.  Like his words from the pre-season, Rowland-Smith's response to being sent to Tacoma showed real perspective. 'All I can do is pitch, go to Triple-A and work my ass off and give them no reason to keep me out of Seattle', he said. On his blog he gave some real insights into how it felt to be sent to Tacoma, and recalled some advice he'd received from his mother that 'the journey is more important than the destination'. 

Rowland-Smith was effective in his starts at Tacoma, and after a few weeks he found himself back in the bigs. He got 10 starts at the Mariners over the last month or two of the season, and he pitched really well. In all but one of the 10 starts, he gave up 4 or less runs, and he went 5 innings or more in every one of his appearances. In August, he became only the second Mariners pitcher to pitch more than 7 innings in consecutive starts. (Yes, that is not a typo - AUGUST and only Felix Hernandez had pitched more than 7 innings in consecutive starts) He got very little run support over those 10 starts, and ended up with a 3-2 record over that period. He ended the season on a high, earning the win against the Oakland A's in front of an appreciative Safeco Field crowd. 

Looking back at his words from Spring Training, Rowland-Smith must be pretty happy. His stocks rose significantly through 2008, and entering the 2009 season, he will be a leading contender for a spot in the Mariners' (or perhaps someone elses' - plenty of teams, including the Yankees, have had some pitching problems this year...) rotation. A simple Google search now shows plenty of superlatives describing RRS as a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy season for the Mariners. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre was impressed - 'boy did he jump in and do a tremendous job', he said - and Manager Jim Riggleman was also pleased, saying there is nothing more RRS can do other than 'come to Spring Training and nail down his spot in the rotation'.

By any assessment, Ryan was in a much better position in September than he was in April. The destination for Ryan and the Mariners in 2008 was the bottom of the AL West standings. The journey was a lot more than that for one promising lefty. There can be no doubt that Rowland-Smith learnt a lot through 2008, and his experience pitching in a number of roles in the bullpen, and as a starter at both AAA and Major League level was quite a journey. 

Looks like Mrs Rowland-Smith was right. Hopefully Ryan Rowland-Smith's destination in 2009 can hold some of the promise of his 2008 journey. 

Grant Balfour - King of the Mountain!

Ahh its more than 12 hours since Balf's bust-up with the White Sox, and I am still loving it. Here is a little photo and video tribute to the man of the moment....I cant wait to see what lies ahead in the coming playoff games (and fingers crossed the WS).

Balf pumps his fist like so many times this season

Dioner Navarro keeps the peace

What a great shot!

Longo pats Balf on the head while he calls out to Orlando Cabrera to give directions back to the dugout

What a shot! James Shields thanks Balf for saving his ass in the 7th inning jam.

And the video tribute...the Oils rocking out:

There are a ton of articles out there today about the game, here are a few choice selections:

• Baseball.com.au story
• The Blacktown Advocate story
• Herald Tribune Story

Season review - Part One

I had intended to post the following when I finished my full review, but after Grant Balfour's fireworks today as the Rays beat the White Sox, I couldnt help myself, and had to post it today. Stay tuned for the full review of Aussie MLB players performances in 08.

Top 5 Most Impressive Aussie Baseballers in 2008

1. Grant Balfour

Before the season began, I wrote that 'my prediction is that Balfour is a solid contender for the Rays' opening day bullpen. If he does not make it, he will likely pitch in AAA, and I would expect he will see some time in the majors this year'.

Not a bad prediction in the end.

Balfour missed out on the opening day roster, but he pitched amazingly at AAA Durham, and he saw plenty of time with the Rays. What I, and probably nobody on the planet (with the exception perhaps of the brilliant Joe Maddon), could have predicted was the level of success that Balfour (and the Rays) have found this year. There are a number of things that stand out about Balfour's success this year, but it seems that he really worked hard to earn his spot, and once he got it he hung on to it for grim death.

Coming into 2008, Balfour had tasted some success at Major League level, but had also had injury problems. He had appeared in post-season play for the Minnesota Twins in 2004, but 2005 and 2006 were soured by arm and shoulder injuries. He found his way to the Rays via the Reds and Brewers, and in 2007 he showed some of his firepower potential, striking out 30 over 24.2 innings pitched. However, he also gave up 20 walks, and posted a 7+ ERA.

Grant pitched his arse off during spring training. He gave up 7 hits and 3 walks over 8.1 innings, and struck out 7. He posted an ERA of 3.24, and faced off against some tough hitters, including the core of the Yankees lineup - Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Morgan Ensberg. On 21 March, he pitched two innings against the Bronx Bombers and gave up no hits and just the one walk. His spring performance was high quality, but really only a very small taste of what lay ahead for the firebrand from Sydney.

It was not smooth sailing for Grant though, and he hit some rough seas at the end of spring training; missing out on an opening day roster spot. A lesser man would have struggled to get over such disappointment, especially after the 2 years battling injuries, and such a quality spring training. But Balf did not muck around. He copped his assignment to AAA Durham on the chin, and set about forcing his way back into the big league squad.

Remarkably, Balfour was out of options entering 2008, meaning that he was effectively pitching to secure his major league future.

Balfour worked hard at Durham to prove his worth and to maintain his confidence in his pitching. "Pitching is about confidence," Balfour said. "Get on a little bit of a roll and take it from there. Just go out there and drop a zero. Then go out there and drop another one. Like hitters getting hits. I just tried to roll with it as long as I could". And roll with it he did.

In 15 appearances for Durham, Grant pitched 23.2 innings and allowed just 5 hits and 1, yes that's right - just 1 run, for an ERA of 0.38! He picked up 8 saves and 39 strikeouts in the process. On 23 May, he struck out 5 hitters over 1.2 innings against the Richmond Braves. A week later he picked up his first major league save, drawing a flyout from the one hitter he faced, as the Rays beat the White Sox 2-0. Rays manager-cum-saviour Joe Maddon said that Balf had to work on controlling his pitches. 'If he can locate with his pitches he can be very successful here,' said Maddon.

He must have done something right, because he was unstoppable throughout the season. Through 58.1 innings Grant showed his versatility, filling all roles in the bullpen, including that of middle reliever, setup man, and closer, and he pitched one or two games as a mop-up man. Through it all, he struck out 82 and gave up just 10 hits and 24 walks.

What really impressed me about Balfour's season was that he absolutely owned his spot on that roster. Once he was in the Rays squad, there was no way anyone was getting him out of it. You could see the intensity in his body language when he pitched, and you could hear it in the yells he made on the mound. There were testing times for the Rays bullpen throughout the year, with their #1 closer Troy Percival going on the DL a number of times. Each time Percy came back, there was the chance that Balf would find himself back at Durham. But he pitched so well that they were forced to keep him, and to use him.

It seems that Balfour became an absolutely integral part of the Rays team. He was heavily involved in the mohawk craze that took over during the team's race to the pennant, and it seems that his energy and intensity had a real impact on his teammates every time he toed the rubber.

His obvious hard work and intensity have paid dividends so far. Balfour and the Rays are headed into the post-season. Grant has pitched in some absolutley massive situations throughout the season, and has usually done amazingly well. He will be looking to bring the same firepower into October, and beyond. He has a lot to play for; a possible ALCS; the World Series, and not insignificantly, a contract for 2009. 

However it all ends up, Balfour has provided one of the best single-season performances of any Australian Major Leaguer ever. We can only hope that he succeeds in the post-season and into 2009, and sit back and enjoy watching a fierce competitor being tested against the best teams in MLB. 

PS - and now his intensity and fire has kicked into the postseason, with Grant pitching the Rays out of a bases loaded jam in Game 1 of the ALDS and getting into a bit of a slanging match with Orlando Cabrera! Onya Balf!

Season review

With the dust settling on the last of the games from the 2008 Major League season, and with the bulldozers about to move in on Yankee Stadium, it is time to look back at the year that was. The highlights and lowlights, the stories good and bad, and a few surprises, it was a pretty good year for Australia's US pro-baseballers. There's the awesome story of Grant Balfour's storming onto the scene as a first rate major league reliever. There's the emergence of Ryan Rowland-Smith as a genuine starting pitcher. There are the stories of Aussies like Trent Oeltjen and Luke Hughes, blazing their way through the minor leagues. And there are the hard luck stories of players like Peter Moylan, who would probably rather forget 2008.

I have taken a bit of time to reflect on the season, and have come up with a few 'top 5' lists for this year. I acknowledge that there are a few Aussies doing pretty good things in Asian baseball, my focus has been on the Aussies in the US.

Top 5 Most Impressive Aussie Baseballers in 2008

1. Grant Balfour

Before the season began, I wrote that 'My prediction is that Balfour is a solid contender for the Rays' opening day bullpen. If he does not make it, he will likely pitch in triple-A, and I would expect he will see some time in the majors this year'. Not a bad prediction in the end. He missed out on the opening day bullpen, but he pitched amazingly at AAA Durham, and he saw plenty of time with the Rays. What I, and probably nobody on the planet, could have predicted was the level of success that Balfour, and the Rays, have found this year. There are a number of things that stand out about Balfour's success this year, but it seems that he really worked hard to earn his spot, and once he got it he hung on to it for grim death.

Coming into 2008, Balfour had tasted some success at Major League level, but had also had injury problems. He had appeared in post-season play for the Minnesota Twins in 2004, but 2005 and 2006 were soured by arm and shoulder injuries. He found his way to the Rays via the Reds and Brewers, and in 2007 he showed some of his firepower potential, striking out 30 over 24.2 innings pitched. However, he also gave up 20 walks, and posted a 7+ ERA.

Grant pitched his arse off during spring training. He gave up 7 hits and 3 walks over 8.1 innings, and struck out 7. He posted an ERA of 3.24, and faced off against some tough hitters, including the core of the Yankees lineup - Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Morgan Ensberg. On 21 March, he pitched two innings against the Bronx Bombers and gave up no hits and just the one walk. His spring performance was high quality, but really only a very small taste of what lay ahead for the firebrand from Sydney.

It was not smooth sailing for Grant though, and he hit some rough seas at the end of spring training; missing out on an opening day roster spot. A lesser man would have struggled to get over such disappointment, especially after the 2 years battling injuries, and such a quality spring training. But Balf did not muck around. He copped his assignment to AAA Durham on the chin, and set about forcing his way back into the big league squad. Remarkably, Balfour was out of options entering 2008, meaning that he was effectively pitching to secure his major league future.

Balfour worked hard at Durham to prove his worth and to maintain his confidence in his pitching. "Pitching is about confidence," Balfour said. "Get on a little bit of a roll and take it from there. Just go out there and drop a zero. Then go out there and drop another one. Like hitters getting hits. I just tried to roll with it as long as I could". And roll with it he did.

In 15 appearances for Durham, Grant pitched 23.2 innings and allowed just 5 hits and 1, yes that's right - just 1 run, for an ERA of 0.38! He picked up 8 saves and 39 strikeouts in the process. On 23 May, he struck out 5 hitters over 1.2 innings against the Richmond Braves. A week later he picked up his first major league save, drawing a flyout from the one hitter he faced, as the Rays beat the White Sox 2-0. Rays manager-cum-saviour Joe Maddon said that Balf had to work on controlling his pitches. "If he can locate with his pitches he can be very successful here," said Maddon.

He must have done something right, because he was unstoppable throughout the season. Through 58.1 innings Grant showed his versatility, filling all roles in the bullpen, including some as a middle reliever, some as a setup man, and some as a closer, and one or two as a mop-up man. Through it all, he struck out 82 and gave up just 10 hits and 24 walks.

What really impressed me about Balfour's season was that he absolutely owned his spot on that roster. Once he was in the Rays squad, there was no way anyone was getting him out of it. You could see the intensity in his body language when he pitched, and you could hear it in the yells he made on the mound. There were testing times for the Rays bullpen throughout the year, with their #1 closer Troy Percival coming off and on the DL a number of times. Each time Percy came back, there was the chance that Balf would find himself back at Durham. But he pitched so well that they were forced to keep him, and to use him.

It seems that Balfour became an absolutely integral part of the Rays team. He was heavily involved in the mohawk craze that took over during the team's race to the pennant, and it seems that his energy and intensity had a real impact on his teammates every time he toed the rubber.

2. Ryan Rowland-Smith

Maybe he knew something we didn't?

Speaking of his chances of making the 2008 Opening Day roster for the Mariners, Ryan Rowland-Smith said 'I always try to stay positive and tell myself that it's not where I am in April, it's where I am in September'. At that time, the Mariners were boasting about their 'best rotation (on paper) in several seasons'. There was some uncertainty about the makeup of the bullpen, but Rowland-Smith had his eyes set on a spot. 'I knew the rotation was set and I just tried to get one of the spots in the bullpen. I think I've given myself a good opportunity', he said during Spring Training.

Rowland-Smith displayed real maturity, determination and versatility through the 2008 season, and his wise words were a real insight into what lay ahead for him. I really hate the word 'journey', and I think it is bandied about way too much in this the reality TV era. But 2008 was a real journey for Ryan Rowland-Smith.

During the winter between the 07 and 08 MLB seasons, Ryan Rowland-Smith trekked to Venezuela to build his arm strength for the season ahead. RRS ended up making the 2008 opening day roster, after posting impressive numbers during Spring Training. He pitched 11 innings during the spring, and did not allow an earned run; giving up 9 hits and 7 walks. What particularly impressed me was his ability to pitch well when the other members of the Mariners' pitching staff were off their game. On 15 March, Erik Bedard (who is on about US$8 million a year and pitched just 81 innings through 2008) gave up 8 runs over 4 innings against the Giants. Rowland-Smith then came in and pitched 2 scoreless digs! 

 

In his first appearance in the regular season, Ryan pitched 1.2 innings, striking out 2, and picking up his first Major League save. Through the early parts of the season, he continued to feature out of the 'pen. Through the middle of June, he had appeared in 25 games, pitching 27 innings. His ERA was a very respectable 2.33, and he had 2 saves from 3 opportunities. He had struck out 21, and his WHIP was also very respectable at 1.18. Things were looking pretty good by any measure. But was this where Ryan wanted to be? 

By July, the Mariners' rotation was struggling. Bedard had battled injuries. Felix Hernandez busted up his ankle. RA Dickey got smacked around a few times. Rowland-Smith had proved himself as an effective long reliever on a couple of occasions, and their new manager Jim Riggleman tossed the ball to him to fill a spot starter role. He didnt set the world on fire during his first start - pitching 3.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs, with 1 walk and 1 strikeout - but it was a taste of things to come. He did well enough to earn another chance during the same week, with an increased pitch count. In that second outing he held the Detroit Tigers to 1 run over 5 innings, and worked his way out of a number of jams. 

Ryan made no secret of the fact that he wanted to be a starter. Posting on his blog on 13 July, RRS wrote 'to be honest with you mate, in the long run, I really wanna be a starter. To me, it’s the ultimate, to have the game in my control, and try and go the entire nine innings.' But, after the two spot starts, he was back in the 'pen.

In late July, Rowland-Smith was dropped/demoted/sent to AAA Tacoma to work on his role as a starter.  Like his words from the pre-season, Rowland-Smith's response to being sent to Tacoma showed real perspective. 'All I can do is pitch, go to Triple-A and work my ass off and give them no reason to keep me out of Seattle', he said. On his blog he gave some real insights into how it felt to be sent to Tacoma, and recalled some advice he'd received from his mother that 'the journey is more important than the destination'. 

Rowland-Smith was effective in his starts at Tacoma, and after a few weeks he found himself back in the bigs. He got 10 starts at the Mariners over the last month or two of the season, and he pitched really well. In all but one of the 10 starts, he gave up 4 or less runs, and he went 5 innings or more in every one of his appearances. In August, he became only the second Mariners pitcher to pitch more than 7 innings in consecutive starts. (Yes, that is not a typo - AUGUST and only Felix Hernandez had pitched more than 7 innings in consecutive starts) He got very little run support over those 10 starts, and ended up with a 3-2 record over that period. He ended the season on a high, earning the win against the Oakland A's in front of an appreciative Safeco Field crowd. 

Looking back at his words from Spring Training, Rowland-Smith must be pretty happy. His stocks rose significantly through 2008, and entering the 2009 season, he will be a leading contender for a spot in the Mariners' (or perhaps someone elses' - plenty of teams, including the Yankees, have had some pitching problems this year...) rotation. A simple Google search now shows plenty of superlatives describing RRS as a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy season for the Mariners. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre was impressed - 'boy did he jump in and do a tremendous job', he said - and Manager Jim Riggleman was also pleased, saying there is nothing more RRS can do other than 'come to Spring Training and nail down his spot in the rotation'.

By any assessment, Ryan was in a much better position in September than he was in April. The destination for Ryan and the Mariners in 2008 was the bottom of the AL West standings. The journey was a lot more than that for one promising lefty. There can be no doubt that Rowland-Smith learnt a lot through 2008, and his experience pitching in a number of roles in the bullpen, and as a starter at both AAA and Major League level was quite a journey. 

Looks like Mrs Rowland-Smith was right. Hopefully the destination in 2009 can hold some of the promise of RRS's 2008 journey. 

Luke Hughes

Trent Oeltjen

Adam Morrissey

top 5 most disappointing seasons

Peter Moylan

Rich Thompson

Justin Huber

Chris Snelling

Craig Anderson

top 5 Aussie baseball moments in 2008

Huber homer off Randy Johnson

Brad Harman earns the call up

Snelling sparks game

RRS ends on a high

Balf bound for playoffs

top 5 prospects to watch in 2008

Luke Hughes

Trent Oeltjen

David Welch

Clint Naylor

Brad Tippett

Rowland-Smith notches up a win against Twins

Ryan Rowland-Smith finally notched up a win as an official starter against the Twins yesterday. He was given a bit of run support from the M's offense, and took advantage of it. The victory takes him to a record of 3-2, and comes after a strong outing against the A's last week. The game against the A's was a big stepping stone for Ryan, as he threw 114 pitches over 7 innings, striking out six. It was especially notable because the previous start he gave up 10 hits and 5 runs against the Twins.

He didnt do it all easy against the Twins this time round, and dug himself out of a couple of holes. The first two innings went by relatively easily, but in the third he found himself with runners on second and third, with the dangerous Joe Mauer at the plate. However, he stood his ground and was able to draw a groundout thanks to a great grab by firstbaseman Bryan LaHair, and good hustle from RRS to cover the bag. Again, in the sixth inning he found himself in another tricky situation. With runners at the corners and none out he had Justin Morneau ground into a double play - driving in a run. He then gave up a solo homer to Randy Ruiz, before striking out Delmon Young with a seething 92mph fastball.

After the Mariners reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 6th, Ryan came out for a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, before being taken out of the game, hanging on to a 3-2 lead.

Young Seattle reliever Roy Corcoran managed to get the save and Rowland-Smith was awarded the win. Somewhat amazingly (although perhaps not surprisingly), RRS is only the second M's pitcher this year (Felix Hernandez was the other) to pitch at least seven innings in back-to-back starts. What an amazing stat, and one that highlights how pathetic the Mariners' rotation has been. Right from spring training RRS has been dishing out the pitching lessons to the Mariners more fancied names. What a bust Erik Bedard has been! I bet they wish they could send him back to the O's!

Not only did he earn the win, he also earned some good wraps from Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire:

"Rowland pitched against us well,” Gardenhire said. “He’s effectively in and out of the zone. His ball’s surprising. He’s got some zip. He’s learned to throw breaking balls. We saw him a few years ago. We Rule 5′d him, and you know what? He’s come a long way as a pitcher. He’s a big-strong pitcher, and he kind of shut us down."

Mariners manager Jim Riggleman backed up Gardenhire's kind words:

"He did a good job for us in the bullpen and made a case for himself there. But to pitch like he has now after coming back from the minor leagues as a starter, it will be a real boost if he can continue anything like this."

Its all looking good for Ryan at this time of the season. The Mariners season is all but over, but there is plenty for him to play for, and it seems he is doing a good job. His next start is likely to be against the under-the-radar Cleveland Indians at Cleveland. Hopefully he will keep up the good form (and the M's bats will give him something to work with).

Check out the latest interview from KOMO radio, Ryan Rowland-Smith talks about winning silver at the 2004 Olympics, including facing his M's teammate Kenji Johjima to make the gold medal game. He seems to be a real easygoing, but hardworking, baseball-loving bloke. Check out the interview here

Huber hits, Oeltjen above .300, Thompson back in action

Not to be outdone by Trent Oeltjen, Justin Huber had a cracker of a day today. He led the Portland Beavers in a 17-hit night against Oeltjen's Sidewinders. Justin went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. It was his first 3-hit game of the season, and take his average over the last 10 games to .342. It was a good bounce back from Huber, who went 0-for-7 in his previous two starts, with 4 strikeouts. Oeltjen also hit again, going 1-for-5, to take his season average to .304.

Meanwhile, Rich Thompson has begun a rehab stint in the Rookie Arizona League. Rich has battled a shoulder injury for much of the season, but has been effective in his last three starts. He has given up no hits or runs and two walks over 3 innings, striking out four. It seems unlikely that Rich would get a call up to the Bigs this late in the season. That said however, the Angels bullpen has been one of the weak points in a very strong side this year. Also, their AAA affiliate - the Salt Lake Bees - look to be headed for the postseason. Both these sides would be looking to bolster their bullpens, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Rich could get called up. Hopefully he can keep up the good form.

Oeltjen batters Beavers

Things have been a bit quiet round here lately, but this was worth making time for a post! Trent Oeltjen absolutely pounded the daylights out of the Portland Beavers today. He did such a good job that he made the headlines on MILB.com!

He had 4 hits, including 2 triples, and 7 RBIs. He is running second in the PCL for triples. Read more about his hot streak here (interestingly the writer of the article seemed to think the Aussie baseball team was playing in Beijing). Trent has his average up to .298 for the season, and while it seems unlikely that he'd get a callup to the D'Backs, he is playing to impress for 2009, and to maybe look for a spot on a MLB roster next year.

Snelling back in action

PhuturePhillies.com is reporting that a number of roster moves occurred late this week, between AAA Lehigh Valley and the Phillies. Part of these involved activating Chris Snelling from the DL. Snelling had been on the DL for more than a month, recovering from further knee problems.

He has played in three games since being re-activated, going 0-for-8, with 2 strikeouts and a walk.

Luke Hughes promoted to AAA

2008 just keeps getting better and better for Luke Hughes. So far he has:

• hit .319, with 15 homers and 40 RBIs in 70 games at AA New Britain
• appeared in the 2008 All Star Futures Game
• hit an important homerun in the AA All Star game.

He can add to that list a call up to AAA. The Rochester Red Wings have called up Hughes to replace injured outfielder Darnell McDonald. We predicted a call up to AAA here at OzMLBplayers just 2 weeks ago, and now it has happened! Next stop for Hughes, the Minnesota Twins!

He hasnt mucked about in his new team, going 3-for-9, with a double, a run, and RBI and a stolen base in his first two games. Tomorrow he is coming up against Lehigh Valley and Travis Blackley, who is 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA in his last 10 starts (5-7, 4.74 ERA for the season) .

Congratulations to Luke, and hopefully we will see him in the bigs soon!

Balfour pitching well; RRS starts at Tacoma

Well things have been a bit slow around here of late, but there is no sign of a slowdown when it comes to Aussie MLB action. Grant Balfour has been absolutley hot for the Rays lately, and Ryan Rowland-Smith has made two solid starts at AAA Tacoma.

Rays' manager Joe Maddon seems to be passing the ball to Balfour with increasing regularity. And Balf is doing his best to make sure this keeps happening, by striking out opposing batters like clockwork.

Since 24 July, Balf has pitched 5.2 innings, striking out 9 and allowing just one walk, no hits and no runs. The last hit he gave up was on 13 July.

Balfour has only allowed 4 runs all year, and has struck out 45 over 30 innings pitched. His opponents are batting only .103 against him. This as an MLB leading stat. He is fourth in MLB in K's per 9 innings (13.5), and his ERA of 1.20 puts him in the top 10 or so pitchers who have made more than a handful of appearances.

These numbers are simply amazing. There are no other words for it.

All this from someone who has not had amazing success previously.

Inside the Box offers some insight into a possible reason for Balfours outstanding year to date:

Rays reliever Grant Balfour hurled a scoreless inning to drop his ERA to
1.26 for the season. A mostly forgettable reliever his previous four campaigns
in the majors, Balfour is focusing on his mid-90s fastball this year, throwing
it nearly 87 percent of the time, compared to 76 percent a year ago. The results
have been impressive as in addition to the fine ERA he also sports a 3.5:1
strikeout:walk ratio with 42 strikeouts in 28.2 IP.

Hopefully Balf can keep up the velocity, guts and determination and smash it home with the Rays. He picked up a win today, striking out 3 of the 4 batters he faced, including getting out of a jam by striking out Gary Sheffield with runners on to end an the 5th inning. The AL East race is really a classic at the moment. The Rays are 3 games up, with the Red Sox and the Yanks trying real hard to get back at them. The Rays seem to be playing like a real team, with no real superstars, just good, solid baseball. If you havent had a chance to see any of their games, make the effort now. MLB.TV is having a free 5-day trial at the moment, so go and check it out.


Meanwhile, Ryan Rowland-Smith has been effective in his two starts at Tacoma. He threw 5.2 innings on 25 July at Nashville in a no-decision effort. He gave up 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs, while striking out 5. His second start on 30 July was excellent. He threw plenty of first pitch strikes, and allowed 3 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs over 7 innings. He got plenty of run support from the Rainiers, and was awarded the win.

The Mariners made one trade before the 31 July deadline, sending reliever Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins. This left only 24 men on the roster. Some say it is likely that Rhodes spot will be taken by either Rowland-Smith or Jared Wells. Others say it is unlikely that RRS will be called up again, as he is still working on being a starter. While MLB.com say that it is likely that the M's will call up RRS. If he does get the call up again, it will be interesting to see in what capacity he plays. He has shown real potential as a starter, and has made it clear that that is where he wants to be. However, for him to join the roster as a starter, there would have to be some roster shuffling occur.

While I would love to see him back in action asap, I reckon one or two more starts in AAA might be the ideal situation. He has strung together 4 reasonable games as a starter this year, I think another couple could really seal the deal for him. I think if he comes back too soon and runs into trouble, it could see him relegated to the pen again in the long term. Fingers crossed that either way, things will be alright. Mariner's manager Jim Riggelman is full of praise for RRS. 'He's doing everything we've asked. He's done well. ... I don't know that it'll be next week or whatever, but I think we'll see him in the near future', he told mlb.com.

As we wait and see whether he will return to the bigs at this time, check out this video from youtube, showing Ryan clowning around with some bozo DJs. He talks about striking out Ken Griffey, eating meat pies, and singing Olivia Newton John songs in the clubhouse. Enjoy!


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Ryan Rowland-Smith dropped to make way for a Putz

After pitching 4 pretty strong innings on Sunday, Ryan Rowland-Smith was dropped to AAA Tacoma Rainiers to make way for a putz - JJ Putz who was returning from the DL. It seems that he is supposedly being groomed to come back as a starter. While it must have been pretty disheartening, RRS seems to be taking it in his stride: "All I can do is pitch, go to Triple-A and work my ass off and give them no reason to keep me out of Seattle," he said. For more of his thoughts, check out his latest blog post.

Meanwhile, Grant Balfour has continued his strong season. He pitched a clean inning on Tuesday against the A's.

Balf saves again

Grant Balfour is back in business after a small slip before the All Star break. He recorded his fourth save of the season today against the Toronto Blue Jays. Balf came in to the top of the 8th with 2 out, and a runner on 3, with the Rays clinging to a 2-1 lead. He got behind early, going to 3-0 against Alex Rios, but bounced back to strike him out swinging. He came out again in the top of the 9th and retired the side in order, with 2 strikeouts and 1 popout to third. He ended the day with the tidy figures of 1.1 inning pitched, 3 strikouts, no hits, no walks.

There are a couple of interesting articles about Balfour online at the moment. Tampa Bay Online reflects on Balf being DFA'd after spring training, and also considers what role he may play if and when the Rays' regular closer Troy Percival is healthy again. And if you are into fantasy baseball, or just want a slightly amusing take on Balfour as an Aussie, check out today's Closing Time from Yahoo fantasy baseball.

Hughes the man?

Just a couple of days after appearing in the All Stars Future Game at Yankee Stadium, Perth native Luke Hughes made waves in the Double-A All Star Game today. He smashed a 400-foot homerun in the 6th inning to score 3 runs and give the North All-Stars the lead over the South. Hughes was the designated hitter for the North, and went 1-for-4, but he made sure the hit counted.

He jumped on a 3-1 fastball and sent it sailing over the left field fence to score three. Hughes has had a big year so far, and could reasonably expect a promotion to AAA, or even to the Bigs later this year.

Aussie Updates (15 July)

As we head into the All Star break, there was a bit of Aussie action earlier this week:

• Both Ryan Rowland-Smith and Grant Balfour made appearances. RRS gave up a couple of hits and an earned run, Balf regained some form, giving up 1 hit, but allowing 0 runs, and striking out 2 over 2 innings of work against the Indians. What a difference a week makes. The Rays have dropped seven in a row, and are no longer atop the AL East standings.
• There is a video of Luke Hughes and Scott Campbell on MILB.com, showing them touring the Big Apple prior to the All Star Futures Game. Both players featured in the game, with Hughes going 0-for-2 and Campbell going 0-for-4 but scoring a run.

Aussie Updates (10 July 2008)

The shine has rubbed off the success of Ryan Rowland-Smith and Grant Balfour today:

• Balfour pitched in the Rays loss to the Yankees, and he took the loss after giving up the game winning hit to Bobby Abreu. He hadn't pitched too badly, coming on in the ninth and getting out of a jam by striking out Melky Cabrera and drawing a pop out from Jose Molina, to leave the winning run stranded at third. He came out again in the bottom of the tenth, and struck out Brett Gardner. He then walked Derek Jeter, before giving up a long double to Abreu that allowed Jeter to score and the game to end. Unlucky Balf. He battled long and hard with both Jeter and Abreu, but just couldnt make the outs.
• Ryan Rowland-Smith featured in long relief today, as Seattle's starter Miguel Batista was forced to leave the game early with a groin strain. That's the last thing the Mariners need - more pitching injuries. He came into the game in the bottom of the third. He drew a ground out from Donnie Murphy, but then gave up a first pitch single to Daric Barton. Mark Ellis almost grounded into a double play, but the M's made an error and couldnt get the second out. RRS struck out Carlos Gonzalez and then drew a ground out from Ryan Sweeney. He returned in the fourth. He got a 1-3 ground out from Jack Cust but then gave up four hits in a row. Wes Bankston singled to centrefield on a 2-2 curveball. RRS threw nothing but fastballs to Kurt Suzuki, and he singled on a full count. Jack Hanahan then singled to right on the first pitch fastball. RRS went to his changeup for the first pitch against Donnie Murphy, but he slapped it down the left field line for a double, and scoring three runs. This prompted a visit to the mound, but RRS was left in the game. He then walked Daric Barton, and was replaced by Roy Corcoran. It seemed he had a bit less zip than he had in his previous two outings, perhaps because he was pitching on only 2 days rest after his longest outing of the year? Hopefully there are no injury concerns and he can bounce back quickly. Luckily, the M's offence bounced back in the fifth, scoring 5 runs. It is now the top of the 5th with 2 out, and the M's lead 6-4.
  

Aussie updates (9 July 08)

A couple of bits and pieces in the news today:

• Grant Balfour pitched today against the Yankees, in a non-save situation. He kept up his hot form. He came in to pitch in the bottom of the 6th inning, with the Rays trailing 2-0. He faced the core of the Yankees top-dollar lineup, and he fared pretty well. He was off to a flyer, striking out Bobby Abreu on an 88mph change/sinker. Next up was the almighty Alex Rodriguez. Balf made short work of him too, striking him out on four pitches. Things didnt go totally according to plan, and Jorge Posada hit a single in the next atbat. But all was ok, as Balf drew a ground into force out from Wilson Betemit. He left the game after this inning, having thrown 11 of his 16 pitches strikes, and regularly hitting 95mph on the radar. The Rays went on to lose 5-0, but they are still 3 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL West.
• It looks like Ryan Rowland-Smith's time as a starter is over for now. The News Tribune is reporting that he will return to the bullpen this week. The Mariners are fielding injuries to key pitchers Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez and JJ Putz, so there is likely to be some more tinkering going on in their roster in coming weeks. Meanwhile, RRS has posted another blog talking a bit about his second outing, check it out at prolebrity.com.
• Phil Stockman, who hasnt pitched since being returned to AAA Richmond Braves, is recovering from a strained left hamstring

Wrap up from Rowland-Smith's second start

Well, if you thought that Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal was the only epic sporting contest of the last 24 hours, you'd be wrong. There were also 2 epic contests in MLB, one of which featured Ryan Rowland-Smith. It took the Mariners and the Tigers 15 innings to sort out their game, while the Astros and Braves played a 17 inning marathon!


As you might have read below, it was a pretty solid performance from Rowland-Smith. All things considered, to hold the Detroit Tigers to 1 run over 5 innings is a pretty good effort. And the Tigers had their opportunities too. They had baserunners on in scoring position in both the first and second innings, but were unable to convert them to runs. Ryan had good support from the field, but did a commendable job of getting back on top. He managed to bounce back and get through the 4th and 5th innings pretty effectively.

Once Ryan left the game, with the score tied at 1-1, things got a bit interesting. The Tigers' starter Nate Robertson went 9 innings, throwing only 100 pitches. Rowland-Smith's mates from the bullpen did a valiant job to back up his performance, Mark Lowe threw 1 inning, Roy Corcoran threw 2, Miguel Batista and Sean Green threw 1 a piece, and Cesar Jiminez threw 4 innings of hitless ball. By then it was the 15th inning. Considering that the bullpen had effectively thrown the entire game, things were starting to get a bit sketchy for the Mariners. The Mariners' interim manger Jim Riggleman was running out of options.

"I had a couple guys come to me and say, 'Hey, skip, I can pitch,'" Riggleman told MLB.com. "A couple position players -- Bloomquist, [third baseman Adrian] Beltre. But [R.A.] Dickey threw 100-and-plus pitches yesterday and he said, 'Let me see if I can get loose' ". But eventually, Riggleman settled with backup catcher Jamie Burke on the mound. Apparently he pitched pretty well, but he was unable to prevent the Tigers from scoring a run on a sac fly in the top of the 15th. The Mariners were unable to rein in the run in the bottom of the dig, and the game ended up with the Tigers winning 2-1.

So what next for Rowland-Smith? In his two starts he has posted the following figures:

• 8.2 innings pitched
• 9 hits
• 4 walks
• 4 earned runs
• 3 strikeouts
• 4.15 ERA and 1.50 WHIP

The Mariners rotation problems continue to plague them. Erik Bedard has been scratched from another start, and Felix Hernandez is still not ready to return yet. Rowland-Smith's ERA of 4.15 as a starter (2.92 season total) is better than three of the Mariners' five recognised starting pitchers (Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard are doing better than 4.15, with 2.83 and 3.67 respectively, while Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista are all posting ERAs greater than 5.00).

Obviously he has had a heck of a lot less starting appearances than these guys, but he has been consistently effective all year. Right through spring training. He has cleaned up after poor outings from Silva , Washburn, and Dickey, and has shown versatility, toughness, and consistency. Both games he has started for the Mariners have been quite stirring team performances. While he hasnt been awarded with a win yet, the team did beat the Blue Jays in his first outing, and today's performance was certainly a remarkable one, with some great defensive plays and desire to pitch in to try and get the win. I definitely dont want to jinx things for Rowland-Smith, but I reckon the Mariners should show some faith in him and let him join the rotation.

Since the management changes that have occurred of late, the Mariners have been a somewhat different outfit. They have won 7 of their last 10 games. There seems to be a new energy at the club. This season really seems to be done and dusted for the M's as far as making the playoffs is concerned. They have the worst record in the American League and are third behind the Padres (poor old Padres) and the Washington Nationals when it comes to the worst record in MLB. They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by blooding some youngsters. They have found a good one in Felix Hernandez, and Ryan Rowland-Smith is starting to show more and more potential every time he picks up the ball. He has shown that he wants to be a starter, and he has delivered the goods whenever he gets the chance. I think that the Mariners really ought to chuck him into the rotation for the rest of the season and let him have a shot. The biggest con for them would be losing his effectiveness out of the bullpen.

What do you think?

Ryan Rowland-Smith's second start: live comments

Ryan Rowland-Smith has begun his second start. Here's a summary of the game :

Top 1st

• RRS battled Curtis Granderson for six pitches, throwing plenty of strikes and getting some fouls, before drawing a groundout to second.
• Placido Polanco took the first pitch for a strike, before smacking the second to left field for a double.
• He got ahead of Carlos Guillen with his first pitch strike, and drew a pop out to 1st on his 1-1 changeup.
• He walked Miguel Cabrera after battling for nine pitches
• Marcus Thames came out swinging and missing at Ryan's heat, before grounding into a forceout at third on 1-2 curveball to end the inning.

Not a bad start from Ryan, he started off pretty much where he left off after his last start; throwing plenty of strikes and getting ahead early in the count. 18 of his 25 pitches so far are strikes, and he bounced back well after giving up the hit and walking Cabrera; which probably ended up a pretty good move. Next dig he'll face Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria and Clete Thomas.

Top 2nd

• Ivan Rodriguez fouled off the first two pitches before slapping a weak line drive to left field for a single
• Edgar Renteria smacked his first pitch into shallow center on a hit run play. Willie Bloomquist busted in hard to take the catch and save the day
• Clete Thomas went down on strikes, swinging and missing at a 76mph curveball to notch up RRS's first strikeout of the game
• Ryan Raburn walked on four pitches, with a pickoff attempt in the midst
• Curtis Granderson came up for his second at bat, and took the first pitch for a ball. Rowland-Smith came back at him with a curveball for a strike, before missing inside with a changeup. At 2-1 he threw a breaking ball that missed low. He drew a foul down the first base line to take the count to 3-2. Ryan missed again and walked him.
• Placido Polanco was the victim of an outstanding play by third baseman Adrian Beltre. He smacked a grounder down the line, and it looked like it was going to score some runs, but Beltre made a great stop and threw Polanco out at first to end the inning.

Ryan has continued to throw plenty of strikes, but that inning nearly got away from him. He was saved by two very solid defensive plays. I guess that's a nice luxury in the bigs, you have a team that is going to take every opportunity they get to make an out. His pitch count is up to 45, which is probably a lot higher than he would have liked to be at at this point.

Top 3rd

It would be nice if he could get some support from his team in the batter's box as well as in the field. They only forced Nate Robertson to throw eight pitches in the second.

• He began effectively, throwing a first pitch strike to Carlos Guillen, before another spectacular defensive play got him out. He lined one at third, Adrian Beltre deflected it to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who threw him out.
• Ryan got to 2-2 against Miguel Cabrera, who then grounded out to third.
• Marcus Thames struck out on a foul tip.

Good inning. Very good inning. Ryan got back on top and showed good control of his fastball and changeup. He only threw 12 pitches, so is up to 57.

The Mariners got a couple of hits and scored a run in the bottom of the third, giving Ryan a 1-0 lead to protect. Good stuff.

Top 4th

Like the 2nd, he'll face Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria and Clete Thomas.

• Ryan punched the first pitch in for a strike, before giving up another hit to Ivan Rodriguez, this time to shallow centre.
• Edgar Renteria flew out to left field on the second pitch.
• Clete Thomas flew out to right field on a 1-2 curveball, courtesy of another neat defensive play, this time from Ichiro.
• While Ryan Raburn was batting, Rowland-Smith made two attempts at picking off Pudge Rodriguez. When he went to the plate and Rodriguez ran, Kenji Johjima threw him out at second to end the inning.

This is exciting stuff. The Mariners are playing good baseball today, giving Ryan a lot of support. So far we have had two great catches, two very nice infield plays, and now a caught steal. Ryan should be feeling pretty good out there. He's now up to 69 pitches, 46 of them strikes. Word before the game was that he would be given 80. So he should come out in the 5th, if he can get through it he will be in line to take the win should the Mariners hold on.

Top 5th

• Ryan Raburn got to a full count before smacking a big homerun to left field on a high fastball. This prompted the Mariner's bullpen to action.
• Curtis Granderson smacked a hard single to right.
• Rowland-Smith battled to get back on top, getting behind 2-0 against Placido Polanco, before throwing a strike. Polanco then flew out to left on a hard hit fly ball.
• Carlos Guillen stepped in and took the first pitch for a ball. He hit a broken bat single to third but the M's got the force out of Granderson at second.
• Miguel Cabrera popped up to shallow right field.

Ryan went 5 innings, and threw 86 pitches. That will probably be it for him today, but it was a strong outing. 5 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts and 1 earned run. It'd be awesome if the Mariners hitters can come out in the bottom of the fifth and re-claim that lead for Ryan to take a win.

Bottom 5th

That was optimistic. The Mariners came out and were retired in order off 6 pitches. Not sure yet if Ryan will continue, but it doesnt look like he will. So he will be in line for a no-decision.

Top 6th

Mark Lowe replaced Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Bits and pieces, RRS second start

Baseball Radio National has just launched a forum where you can discuss local and international baseball. You can find it at Baseball Radio National's website.

Ryan Rowland-Smith is scheduled to start against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow. He has a good record against them this year, striking out 3 and not giving up any hits in 3.2 innings of work. Sounds like he is missing hanging out in the bullpen, but he is focused on trying to do well as a starter. ''It's a big opportunity for me to show that I can do that,' and hopefully it leads on to more opportunities", he said in a report on MLB.com.

The game starts at 6.10am Sydney time, and we will be doing a live in-game commentary. Be sure to check by

Aussie Updates (6 Jul 08)

Grant Balfour picked up another save today (his third for the season), as the Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0. He regularly clocked 95-96mph, and struck out Jose Guillen and Billy Butler. His numbers in recent times are impressive. In his 10 games between 10 Jun and 10 July he has:

• a record of 2-0, with 2 saves
• pitched 15 innings, giving up only 5 hits and 6 walks (WHIP of 0.73)
• he has allowed only 2 earned runs, for an ERA of 1.17 (and those 2 runs were given up back on 5 Jun against the Red Sox, since that game he has not given up an earned run
• he has struck out 23, which is an average of 1.5 per inning.

These numbers speak for themselves. Balf has been hot this year. He was hot during spring training but was unlucky not to make it to the Rays opening day roster. He went to AAA Durham and was nearly unhittable. Since his call up in late May he has worked hard to show he deserves his spot in the pen. He has been versatile; featuring as a long reliever at times, but it seems he has found his calling as a closer, and he is starting to get noticed (at least among fantasy leagues) as a closer with some real potential. This sort of exciting baseball is just the sort of thing that should be making our Australian sports news. Wham-bam, thank you for coming, one inning, 2 strikeouts and a save, lets get out of here. If the free TV networks here cant squeeze that into their bulletins there is a real problem. Anyway, enough of the rant, good work Balf, keep it up.

Rowland-Smith enters the blogosphere

How cool is this? Ryan Rowland-Smith has started his own blog! You can read his thoughts about his first MLB start, and can leave a comment direct to the man. Check it out; it will be awesome if he keeps posting through the rest of the season.

In other RRS news, he is scheduled to start the game on Sunday against the Tigers. His form against them this year has been excellent. He announced on his blog that he will be given 80 pitches in this outing, so he will have a real chance to go the 5 digs required to notch up a win - assuming the M's offense can produce some runs. He'll face up against Nate Robertson, who is boasting a 5+ ERA at the moment. Fingers crossed it will all go well. The game will start at about 6.10am Sydney time, and we will be sure to be listening in.

Listen to RRS breakdown his performance

Thanks to KOMO News, you can hear a short bit of Ryan Rowland-Smith talking about his performance yesterday. If there is one clear thing to come out of it, i think it would be that he wanted to slow it down!

Watch highlights of Balf's save

They will probably take this down quicker than an Aussie closer taking down the Red Sox, so act quick, watch the highlights of Grant Balfour's ninth inning against the Red Sox yesterday:

Aussie Updates - Balf makes front page of MLB.com; RRS effective as M's win

Grant Balfour made it to the front page of MLB.com! See it here:

There is also a good article recognising his awesome effort today. You gotta love Balf's approach to the game. He said 'I'll be honest, I love going out there in the ninth inning. I loved going out there tonight. If [Maddon] gives me that opportunity, I'll be more than welcome to take it. Whatever helps the team win....I'm pretty fiery. Just the way I am, I fire myself up. I'm talking to myself out there. That's how I like to be'

It's all good stuff. We love it. Keep up the good work Balf. Hopefully he can get out there and blow away some more Red Sox tomorrow!

Meanwhile, Ryan Rowland-Smith did a pretty good job in his first major league start. He cruised through the first 3 innings against the Blue Jays. He threw stacks of strikes, and was looking real good. He ran into a bit of trouble in the third though, after giving up a hit and a walk and a hit by pitch. He let in 3 runs that inning and was then pulled. His line for the day was 3.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, and his season ERA is now back up to 3.05. All in all he did plenty well. The Mariner's couldnt have asked for much more, and he certainly got a big pat on the back after leaving the game. The Mariners went on to win the game in the 9th, after trailing all game, so it was happy times all round.

Aussie Update - Wow - Balf saves against the Sox

Grant Balfour just recorded a save in front of more than 30,000 incredibly excited Tampa Bay fans. He pitched in the 8th and 9th innings, and dealt with some bloody sticky situations. With the Rays clinging to a 2-1 lead in the top of the 8th, and with runners on 2 and 3 and 2 out, Balf came in to pitch to the hitting monster Manny Ramirez. He got to a full count against Manny, but ended up walking him to load the bases. Never one to shy away from a challenge and a bit of pressure, Balf came through with the goods, to draw a ground out from Mike Lowell and end the inning.

The Rays picked up another run in the bottom of the 8th, to get a bit of insurance at 3-1, and they stuck with Balf in the ninth. The crowd were on their feet, screaming and cheering Grant on. He didnt disappoint them. He started off by striking out Kevin Youkilis on 3 pitches. He then battled Brandon Moss for 7 pitches and struck him out on the 8th. Things got a bit hairy when he gave up a double to Alex Cora, but came back strong and struck out Jason Varitek on 3 pitches.

That is a bloody awesome performance. One of the best Aussie MLB performances for the year, and a very important win for the Rays, giving them a 2.5 game lead in the AL East. Good stuff!!

Aussie (and Kiwi) Updates: Balf and RRS in action & Futures Game Roster announced

We have been a bit slow on the uptake in the last week or so due to some exceptionally busy things going on. The baseball world never stops though, and both Grant Balfour and Ryan Rowland-Smith have been in the thick of things over the last week.

Balfour has appeared in two games in recent days. He struck out 3 over 2.1 innings against the Pirates on the weekend, and did not allow a hit. Today, he pitched 0.2 innings in the Rays important win over the Red Sox. He came on with runners on 1 and 2, and 1 out in the top of the 7th, with Boston chasing down Tampa’s 4-2 lead. He had Jason Varitek foul out to the catcher, and had Julio Lugo ground out to end the inning. This series against the Red Sox is crucial for the Rays, and it gives them a real chance to take the lead in the AL East! Balfour’s season ERA is now 1.17.

In other Tampa Bay news, their closer Troy Percival left the game today with what his manager thought was a strained hamstring. Bad news for the Rays, but possibly more time in the middle for Balfour. We should know in a few days the extent of the damage, and can assess the impact, if any, on Balfour at that time.

In Seattle, Ryan Rowland-Smith last pitched last Wednesday, when he went 2 innings, allowing no hits and no walks, and striking out one as the Mariners lost to the Mets. There is a reason why he has not pitched since. He is gonna start a game tomorrow. Starting pitcher Felix Hernandez has an ankle injury and is unavailable for his scheduled start tomorrow. The Mariners’ new leadership are turning to the bullpen, led by the effective long-man Ryan Rowland-Smith. He will take the mound to start the M’s game against the Blue Jays tomorrow. It is expected he won’t pitch more than 5 innings, given that his previous high pitch count is only in the 50s. I guess it will depend on how the Jays handle him! It’s kind of an exciting prospect, but a bit daunting at the same time. We wish Ryan all the best for his first MLB start! We will be tuning in for sure.

Meanwhile, in Minor League news, the rosters for the 2008 Futures Game have been announced. 23-year old Luke Hughes from the AA New Britain Rock Cats has been selected to play in the game. The Rock Cats’ third baseman is having a stellar year, hitting .333, with 13 homeruns, and 34 RBI. His OBP is .408, and his OPS is 1.015! This is an amazing stat, as hitters with more than 1.000 OPS are generally considered to be the ‘greats’. Good luck Luke, we will be sure to follow up to see how things go. Also worth mentioning is the one New Zealand born player on the roster – Scott Campbell from the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Good to see the Kiwis getting in amongst it as well!

Aussie Updates (24-25 June)

Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched again yesterday, and picked up another win. This time over the New York Mets and Johan Santana. He came into the game in the 5th inning, and pitched 2 innings, giving up no hits, no runs, and striking out 3. "It's a big deal that they go to me with the game close," Rowland-Smith said. "I feel I've been pitching well lately, and it helps your confidence to pitch in games that are close."


Indeed he has been pitching well. It has been great to see. There were a couple of times early in the season where Ryan's ERA blew out a little bit, but he has been very, very steady in recent weeks, even bouncing back after giving up a few homers like he did against Dan Uggla the other day.


In bad news, poor old Chris Snelling has busted his knee up. Apparently he has suffered a 'serious left knee injury' and will undergo an MRI next week. That bites. Snello cant take a trick this year. When he was first called up to the bigs, he smacked a homer, then hurt his leg. Then he recovered and went to rehab, and was called up again. He smacked a few hits, and boasted a 2.000 OPS, but was sent back to AAA because there was no room on the Phillies roster for him. And now he has hurt his knee. We can only hope that it is nothing major, and that he will be back in action soon. It must be pretty demoralising for the poor bloke. Our thoughts are with you Chris!

Aussie Updates (23 Jun 08)

Short on time today, so just some quick links:

• Grant Balfour continued his good form, striking out 4 over 2 innings, but the Rays went down to the Astros
• Ryan Rowland-Smith gave up 3 hits and 2 runs over his one inning of work today. He struck out two, but gave up a homer to Mark Teixeira, as the Braves beat the M's 8-3.

There are a couple of good stories about Grant Balfour in the sidebar to the right. If you havent seen them, you can find them here and here.

Justin Huber has begun playing at Triple-A Portland. Yesterday he was 1-for-3 with a walk. Today he was 0-for-4, with three strikeouts.

Aussie updates (21 Jun)

Today Ryan Rowland-Smith must have been feeling left out, after Grant Balfour had picked up two 'Ws' this week. He put in a good performance against the Braves today, and the M's did the hard yard with the sticks to give him his first win of the year.

Seattle's starting pitcher - Erik Bedard - actually had a pretty good outing today. He only gave up 2 hits, and 0 runs over 3 innings. But then he had to leave the game with a dodgy back. The Mariners put Roy Corcoran in the 4th. He gave up 1 run. He came out in the 5th and gave up a hit, before getting one out on a sac bunt, putting a runner in scoring position. The Braves were up 1-0 at this point.

Rowland-Smith came in and blanked the Braves for 1.2 digs. He gave up no hits, one walk and struck out one. He retired some dangerous hitters including Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann. The Mariners hitters tied things up in the top of the sixth, and smacked three runs in the top of the seventh, as they

A few links for a bit of weekend reading

...a small bit anyway. Here are a couple of short articles worth reading:

• The Tri-City Herald has a short article about the biggest transition Ryan Rowland-Smith had moving from Australian baseball to the big league US game.
• TBO.com is reporting that Grant Balfour's clutch pitching and strikout of Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday (Aus time) played a crucial role in the scheme of the match.

Aussie Updates (17-20 June)

Well, there are now only 2 Aussies active in the majors, and both have had plenty of work late this week. Grant Balfour has picked up 2 wins in as many appearances, and Ryan Rowland-Smith has continued his excellent work as the Mariners mop up man.

The Tampa Bay Rays are now 43-29 (.597), and sitting pretty in the AL wildcard race. Their success this year has been based on a tight defensive unit, and an outstanding bullpen. While he started the year in the Minors, Grant Balfour has really cemented his place in the Rays' pen since his call up on 30 May.

Balfour earned 2 wins in his 2 appearances for the Rays late this week against the NL-leading Cubs. On Wednesday he pitched in the very exciting, very close series opener. Rays' starter Scott Kazmir went 4.2 innings, giving up only 3 hits and 1 run. While he was economical, he was not efficient, throwing more than 100 pitches over that time. He got a bit loose in the 5th, which was when he gave up the 1 - tying - run. With 2 outs, loaded bases, and the usually dangerous Aramis Ramirez on deck, the Rays called in Balfour to get out of a jam.

Balfour did not muck about. He threw five 95mph fastballs to Ramirez. While he missed with a couple, the one he threw on the 2-2 count made Ramirez look ordinary. It tailed in beautifully across the plate, and Aramis turned to the ump knowing he was out looking. Grant worked quickly through the 6th, retiring the side on a grounder and two fly outs. He was removed from the game at the top of the 7th, after the Ryas scored the go ahead run in the bottom of the 6th - courtesy of a homer to Evan Longoria. Balf took the win, and totook his ERA to 2.08.

Balfour also took the win for the Rays today as they swept the Cubs. Rays' starter James Shields had a good outing, striking out 9 over 6.1 innings. He ran into trouble in the 7th though, and with runners on 2 and 3, the Rays turned to Trever Miller to tidy up the final two outs. He didnt though, and he gave up another run when Kosuke Fukudome smacked a double. Time for Balfour to come in and get out of the dig without any more damage. He wasnt able to do so today though, as he gave up a one-run single to Ryan Theriot, who then advanced to 2nd on a throwing error, to put runners on 2 and 3. Balfour bounced back, striking out Derrek Lee before getting Aramis Ramirez to fly out. At the middle of the 7th, the Cubs were up 3-1.

The Rays came out and pounded the Cubs in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 7 runs, to take the lead 8-3. Balfour found his rhythm again in the top of the 8th, retiring the side, - including strikeouts against Micah Hoffpauir and Mark De Rosa - on 14 pitches. The Rays went on to win 8-3, and Balf took the win. His ERA got below the 2.00 mark - down to 1.74.

Unlike the Rays, Ryan Rowland-Smith's Mariners are struggling. They just sacked their GM, and their manager, and they have under-performed all year. That said, Rowland-Smith has been pitching pretty well.

Following a bizarre turn of events on Tuesday, the Mariners turned to Rowland-Smith to calm things down. In the 5th inning, with one out, and with runners at the corners, Mariners starter induced a grounder from the Marlins' rightfielder Jeremy Hermida. The Mariners went to roll the double, and in a bang-bang call at first, the ump gave Hermida safe, meaning the run from third scored. Silva blew up, and got himself ejected.

Cold as a spud, Ryan Rowland-Smith came in to take over the pitching duties. He walked Jorge Cantu, before striking out Mike Jacobs looking. In the top of the 6th, RRS gave up a single to Dan Uggla, before getting Luis Gonzalez to pop out. Wes Helms then hit a single to left, advancing Uggla to third. Cody Ross then hit a sac fly to left, scoring Uggla, before RRS struck out Matt Treanor to end the inning. Rowland-Smith was removed in the top of the 7th. His figures were 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 2 strikouts.

On Thursday, Rowland-Smith was called on to clean up after RA Dickey lost the plot again. It was not Rowland-Smith's best outing. He gave up 3 walks and 2 hits, including a 2 run shot to Dan Uggla. His line for the day was 2.1 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and his season ERA went up to 2.65. The Mariners ended up losing 8-3 (despite outhitting the Marlins 13-11; between the Mariners hitters they left 25 runners on base - eek).

It will be interesting to see if or how Rowland-Smith's role may or may not change given the changes in the Mariners' leadership this week.

2 in 2 days - Stockman sent to AAA

A day after Justin Huber was sent down to AAA Portland, the Atlanta Braves have sent Phil Stockman back to the Minors again. Stockman was optioned to AAA Richmond to make way for lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez, who will be hoping to be the solution to the Braves closing problem. Phil posted good numbers in the bigs in his two stints so far this year, and I expect we will see him in the majors again soon.

Justin Huber sent to AAA Portland

Yep. Huber is no longer on the Padres 40-man roster. That sucks. Huber has been outrighted to the Padres AAA affiliate Portland Beavers to make way for their top prospect Chase Headley. I really feel for the guy, who has clearly been working his arse off to make an impact based on the limited opportunities he has had. I hope he goes to AAA and bats .400 and smacks 50 homers.

Justin Huber: teaching Yanks how to eat Vegemite

Check out Justin Huber's five favourite uses for Vegemite. I'm not so sure about numbers 3 and 4, i think he might be pulling someone's leg there:

1. It's not butter: Toast and crackers are the mainstays.
2. Meat substitute:Sandwiches, with or without cheese.
3. Vegemite shake: Mix it with milk, shake it up.
4. This is nuts: Mix it with walnuts and again have it in a sandwich.
5. Smile when you eat: As entertainment value. Serve it to Americans and watch their reactions. It is always good for a laugh.

Whatever he does with it, hopefully it keeps producing the big hits.