Some late week updates...

Well, there's plenty to keep an eye on at the moment, its all happening. Here's a summary of some news stories about the place:

• Brad Harman had his first outing as a Philly (that doesnt sound very masculine does it?)yesterday. With Philly leading, he got a pinch hit in the 9th inning. He worked to a 3-1 count before popping out to short. You can read more about Harman's debut and his thoughts about being called up here and here. Harman yet again is a great example of the down to earth attitude held by Aussie players: 'I got the call on my birthday, so it was a nice little birthday present to be put on the 40 [man roster]. It's been a fun ride the past five months for me. It's been indescribable in a sense. It's been one good thing after another'.
• Thanks to MatM from Ozcardtrader.com.au, here is a top article from the San Diego Union-Tribune about Justin Huber. In the article, Padres manager Bud Black notes 'he's a better all-around player than I thought' . That cant be bad! The article also gives an insight into Huber's approach to the game and at the plate on the night he hit his first MLB homer. He arrived at the game early to study tape of Johnson, and he had a clear plan to stay away from the slider. I have a lot of respect for people (not just baseball players) who can have such 'gameplans' and execute them. I think Manny Ramirez (and probably most of the Red Sox roster actually) are awesome at being able to get into hitters counts and draw out the pitch that they want to hit. Huber has shown an ability to get deep into counts and pick the right pitch to hit. This level of professionalism and attention to detail should bode him well in his MLB career.
• Speaking of Huber, he played again today - pinch hitting late in the game for the Padres, who lost 3-2 in 13 innings. He played leftfield and went 0-for-2 with the bat. His season average is now .333, after 15 at-bats.
• Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched today. He gave up a homer on the first pitch. Ouch. He came on in the 8th inning with 1 out. He faced Baltimore right-fielder Nick Markakis, who lined a 90mph fastball over the right field fence. Rowland-Smith took the loss, as the shot gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead. He recovered, and retired the next two batters to escape the 8th. He also retired the first hitter in the 9th, before being replaced. It was a disappointing (and maybe unlucky) outing for Rowland-Smith, who has been good lately. "I tried to get ahead of him with a fastball, and it probably was a stupid choice," Rowland-Smith said. "I should have started him out with something else. It was like he was sitting dead-red on a fastball, and no matter what I threw him, he was going to be swinging." This is an interesting observation from Rowland-Smith, particularly as he has made use of his slider heavily this year...as his first pitch too. I guess he was trying to vary it up a bit.
• In minor league action, Travis Blackley had a bad outing yesterday. That's the only word for it - bad. He did not make it out of the first inning, giving up 4 walks, 2 hits and 6 runs. He obviously struggled with his command, with only 16 of his 35 pitches being strikes. After 4 games this year, Blackley is 0-3 , with an ERA of 8.22, and a WHIP of 1.72. Over 11 innings pitched he has managed to strike out 12...but has given up 11 walks. Meanwhile, at Tucson, Trent Oeltjen had a busy old day. He took 5 catches in the field, and made one error, as well as scoring the tying run late in the game. A couple of Aussies faced off in AAA today, with Craig Anderson and the Tides meeting Damian Moss, Phil Stockman and the Richmond Braves. Anderson and Moss both pitched in relief, and while the Tides won the game, Moss won the statistical battle against Anderson - who gave up 2 runs in his 1 IP. Michael Collins hit a triple and got 1 RBI, as he went 1-for-4 for the Travs today. His season average is still hot at .355.