Aussie Updates (30 May 08)

Justin Huber bounced back from his setback from yesterday. While he didnt get a start today (in a game where he ordinarily may have, against a left handed pitcher), he did get a pinch hit. He hit for Padres pitcher Brian Corey in the 6th inning, against LHP John Lannan. Huber got behind in the count and then grounded out to shortstop. Regarding the injury, Huber said "It kind of stung me a little bit, (I have one) every once in a while, but not generally during a game and not like that. I'm feeling really good about it. Hopefully it's a quick little thing. It was just sort of out of the blue. I felt really good in pre-game. Everything was going well with batting practice. For something like that to pop up was strange. It's pretty hard to do anything when your back locks up on you".


His average is now well below the .200 mark. But at least he's not injured.

It seems that Huber must be doing something right, and it might be related to his preparation and approach to the game. We have read about Huber's approach earlier this season, before he smacked his first ML homer off Randy Johnson he had studied the Big Unit's pitches and identified the pitch he wanted to go after. Well, today the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that before yesterday's game, Huber "prepared extensively"; taking batting practice against both a lefty and a righty; reviewing tape of Odalis Perez and reviewing his previous experience with Perez. Unfortunately it all came to nothing, as he didnt even get an at-bat. But this type of commitment and drive must surely be pleasing the Padres coaching staff.

Balfour called up to the bigs

Yep, Troy Percival is on the DL, and the Rays have called up Grant Balfour from AAA Durham. MLB.com is reporting that following today's loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Rays optioned utility infielder Ben Zobrist to Durham to make room for Balfour. Percival was placed on the 15-day DL, even though scans showed no major damage to his hamstring.

The St Petersburg Times is predicting that Balfour will operate as a setup man, while existing members of the pen will close.

Congrats Grant! The numbers of Aussies in the bigs is starting to swell!

Aussie Updates (26 May to 29 May 08)

Wow, take a few days away from the internet and it is easy to get behind. There's plenty of catching up to do, so here is the latest news about Aussies in MLB:

Justin Huber
...got a start for the Padres today as they faced lefty Odalis Perez. However, his season just got even tougher. Poor bloke has been struggling to get a start in the lineup, and when he does he injures his back on a routine play backing up a catch taken by centrefielder Scott Hairston. The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Huber suffered from back spasms, which can be pretty crippling, and had to leave the game after just half a dig. Hard luck Hubey, hopefully there is no damage and we can see him back on the park soon.


Ryan Rowland-Smith
...has been becoming a stalwart of the Mariners' bullpen. He pitched in two games earlier this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Mariners met with powerhouse Boston.

On Tuesday (Mon in US), RRS came in to the game in the eighth inning, after Mariners starter Felix Hernandez gave up 4 runs to blow a 1-1 situation. RRS got the ball with two out, and loaded bases. He faced Sean Casey, who is boasting a .348 average this year. Rowland-Smith was solid with his 90mph fastball, drawing an 0-1 groundball to end the inning. He came out in the 9th inning and kept the Mariners in it. He allowed hits to Alex Cora, and to Jacoby Ellsbury on a bunt. But he then drew Dustin Pedroia into a double play, before facing off with big unit David Ortiz, who popped out in foul territory to end the inning. You can see video of the double play at MLB Gameday. Its worth watching, as it involves some athletic work by third baseman Adrian Beltre

On Wednesday, Rowland-Smith faced off against Ortiz again. However, this time Big Papi took the honours. Rowland-Smith entered as the LOOGY on this occasion, but Ortiz hit a liner to right for a single on the second pitch, and Rowland-Smith was then taken out of the game.

In his last ten games, Ryan has posted a 0-0 record, 0.00 ERA, with 7 hits and 3 walks over 10.2 innings, striking out 7. His ERA for the season is now down to 2.49. Things are looking good for him at the moment, and its good to see.

Phil Stockman
...played on Monday and struck out 4 batters over 2.1 innings. He came in to the game after Tom Glavine gave up a grand slam in the fifth inning against the Mets. With two outs, Stockman drew an 0-2 grounder from Mark Reynolds to end the inning. In the sixth he struck out slugging pitcher Micah Owings, he then walked Chris Burke. But he wrapped up the inning drawing a fly out from Stephen Drew, and a groundout from Orlando Hudson. In the seventh he gave up a triple to Conor Jackson, struck out Justin Upton, walked Eric Byrnes before striking out Chris Snyder and Mark Reynolds. After the game, Phil spoke about the Mets getting after Glavine: "It was just one of those days, you know, that's going to happen, but we battled pretty well, and hopefully tomorrow we can go out there with a clean slate."

Stockman has impressed in his time with the Braves in recent weeks. However, his opportunities may be decreasing. The Braves have re-activated closer Rafael Soriano from the DL, and he will likely move back to the pen very quickly. Luckily, the Braves Matt Diaz has been placed on the DL, which means that there is still a roster spot for Stockman. So for now things seem ok, but we will have to wait and see, especially given that there has been talk that Braves veteran John
Smoltz may pitch in the pen on his return from injury.

Grant Balfour
...could get a callup to Tampa Bay this week. The Rays' closer Troy Percival went down with a hamstring injury today. And he has had hamstring problems earlier this year. The St Petersburg Times is reporting that at the very least Percival is looking at a few days out of action, and they are tipping Balfour to get called up. OzMLBPlayers would be very happy to see Balfour in MLB action. We have been following his hot year in the minors closely, and hope to see some good performances from him in the show. And the Percival injury comes just a matter of days after we said that "unless there are some injuries or trades, it looks like Balfour is stuck in Durham for a while longer". Fancy that!

Aussie Updates (23-25 May)

There were no Aussies in MLB action on Friday (Aus time), but there have been a few appearances over Saturday and Sunday, and some high quality minor league performances too.

Stockman pitches again
On Saturday (Friday in the US), Phil Stockman had his second appearance with the Atlanta Braves as they faced the Diamondbacks. The game was already over by the time he pitched, with the Braves on the wrong end of an 11-1 scoreboard. He came in at the top of the 9th inning, and retired the three batters he faced - Augie Ojeda on a popout, Conor Jackson on a pop out and Justin Upton on a strikeout.

Ryan Rowland-Smith still solid
Ryan Rowland-Smith continued his solid form, while the Mariners continued to flounder. Today they lost 12-6 against the Yankees, their fifth in a row. Rowland-Smith came in at the bottom of the 7th, after the Yanks had already scored 4 that dig. He came in with loaded bases and 2 out, and walked the first batter he faced - Hideki Matsui. Things got better from there, as he struck out pinch hitter Morgan Ensberg on a 1-2 changeup. RRS returned in the 8th inning, and gave up a hit to Robinson Cano, but then got Jose Molina to ground into a double play, before having Melky Cabrera pop out in foul territory. So while he was not as tight as he has been in recent games, taking out the walk, he pitched well. There has been some talk on Mariners blogs about RRS being given a shot at the Mariners rotation...with some calling for him to be sent to AAA for a while to build up his strength, and others saying he should be given a chance straight up. He has seen plenty of action lately, and has shown versatility in terms of short and long relief. The Mariners rotation has been underwhelming at best, so it could be a real chance for RRS to see more action. Time will tell.

Huber gets another atbat, news on Padres roster moves
Justin Huber finally got another at bat today, as the Padres continued to struggle. It came as the Padres continue to make adjustments to their roster, and speak about the future. It looks like Padres top prospect left fielder Chase Headley - currently hitting about .300 at AAA Portland - will get the call up to the bigs in June. Padres GM Kevin Towers has said that they want more time to have a look at Huber, and fellow leftfielders Paul McAnulty and Scott Hairston. Today, his first game in a week, saw Huber get a pinch hit to lead off the fifth inning. He probably didnt do much to impress, striking out on 3 pitches. To read more about the Padres roster moves, check out this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Balfour continues to impress
In Minor League action, Grant Balfour has continued has outstanding season at AAA Durham Bulls. Yesterday, Balfour faced 5 hitters, and struck them all out, to earn his eighth save of the season. He has now struck out 36 hitters over just 21.2 innings, with a 0.42 ERA he is really a class above at the moment. However, the Tampa Bay Rays bullpen is pretty solid right now, so unless there are some injuries or trades, it looks like Balfour is stuck in Durham for a while longer.

Aussie Updates (22 May 08)

Ryan Rowland-Smith solid in long relief

Ryan Rowland-Smith had a fantastic outing today for the Mariners, showing real versatility and calm under pressure. The M's starter Jarrod Washburn took another caning today against the Tigers, giving up 12 hits and 9 runs over 2.1 innings of work. The Tigers were living up to their reputation and leading 9-1 in the bottom of the third. Seattle needed someone to come in and settle things down a bit, and they turned to Rowland-Smith to steady the ship just a day after another successful performance against the Tigers.

Today was more of the same for Rowland-Smith. It was a suberb performance. He came into the third inning, with the Mariners having already scored 7 runs that dig, and with Pudge Rodriguez standing on first, with one out. Rowland-Smith faced 8 hitters over his 2.2 innings of work (that is, he gave up no hits and no walks, and retired every one of them). That is a quality effort. The Tigers, while they havent lived up to the hype so far this year, boast a high quality lineup. These are the hitters he retired:

• Placido Polanco flew out to CF on a 2-2 fastball
• Gary Sheffield struck out swinging at a 2-2 changeup
• Magglio Ordonez flew out to right on a 2-2 fastball
• Miguel Cabrera grounded out to short on a first pitch changeup
• Carlos Guillen popped out to catcher on a 0-2 curveball
• Marcus Thames grounded out to short on a 1-2 fastball
• Edgar Renteria grounded out to third on a 3-1 fastball
• Brandon Inge struck out swinging at a 2-2 changeup

Those are 8 pretty quality hitters. When you consider that he retired the side yesterday in his one inning of work, that shows he must be doing something right at the moment. There is little doubt that he is the most successful active Aussie MLB player at present. In the last week he has posted a 0.00 ERA, pitched 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk and three strikeouts. These steady numbers will do him good, particular in a club where the pitching has been a bit erratic this year. Hopefully he can keep it up.

Huber's future uncertain?

While there is no specific word on Huber himself, Padres GM Kevin Towers has flagged that there could be 'wholesale changes' at the club this week. This news comes on after Padres ace Jake Peavy went on the 15-day DL with an elbow problem; the second arm in their rotation Chris Young got smacked in the face by an Albert Pujols line drive, breaking his nose, and; starting catcher Josh Bard went on the 15-day DL with an ankle injury after some contact by ....Albert Pujols. Peavy has been replaced, Young will probably need replacing, and Bard is likely to be replaced by Michael Barrett, who is himself coming off the DL. Towers feels the Padres have underperformed, and it is hard to argue with this while looking at a 17-31 record. As such, he may take the chance to shake things up a bit.

YahooSports noted the other day that the three leftfielders employed by the Padres this year, Justin Huber, Scott Hairston and Paul McAnulty have combined to hit .199 (32-for-161) with four homers and 10 RBIs. Those are pretty appalling numbers. Personally I think it is a bit harsh to lump Huber with a lot of blame here. The guy has only had a handful of starts, and they have been a bit ad hoc. He hasnt played since 17 May though, so I wonder where he sits in the Padres plans. Top Padres prospect Chase Headley - who has converted from third base to left field - has hit quite well in AAA this season, batting .297 over 43 games, with 8 homers and 21 RBIs. We will have to wait and see what is in store, but I would hope that Huber would get some more opportunities before being dropped.

Snelling's knee recovering

Chris Snelling, who has been on the DL for over a month, is showing signs of recovery. Apparently he has taken some batting practice, and will play DH in an extended spring game (whatever the heck that is) on Saturday. Not clear yet whether he will stay in the bigs, but he would have to be a big chance to be assigned back to AAA, with Shane Victorino and the other members of the Phillies outfield back on deck.

For a bit of a laugh...

check out this article about how the brouhaha between Ryan Rowland-Smith and Ramon Vazquez started.

Ryan Rowland-Smith solid in relief again

While it was somewhat of a whitewash in Detroit today, Ryan Rowland-Smith saw time against the quality Tigers lineup. He came in in the 8th inning with the Tigers leading 12-4. First up he faced Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco. He threw a breaking ball low to miss, and then had him ground out to short for the first out.

Next up, Rowland-Smith duelled with veteran Gary Sheffield. Sheffield fouled the first pitch, before Rowland-Smith was a bit loose on his curve for a ball. Sheffield then swung way in front of a change up for strike two. Rowland-Smith missed his curve high to go 2-2, and Sheffield then fouled the 2-2 pitch. Rowland-Smith missed high and outside on breaking ball to go to 3-2 before Sheffield fouled off another two pitches. Rowland-Smith then drew a high pop up to shallow left field for the second out.

Ryan Raburn stepped in. Rowland-Smith threw the first pitch as a strike on inside corner. Then raburn fouled one off. Rowland-Smith missed inside for 1-2 and Raburn fouled off another. Rowland-Smith finally had some success with his curve, drawing a swing and a miss to strike him out and retire the side.

His line for the day, 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 strikeout, 11/16 strikes.

More news on Phil Stockman

Click here to read about Stockman's thoughts on his call up and first appearance in 08.

May 16 - a good day for Stockman

Before we start, let's pause to reflect on May 16, courtesy of Lagwagon:



The good folk at Flintoff & Dunn's Australian Major League Baseball beat me to the punch on this one; Phil Stockman has been called up from the Richmond Braves to their Major League affiliate Atlanta. Bobby Cox and the Braves must be avid readers of OzMLBPlayers, as it was suggested here on 7 May that Stockman would be a more than capable replacement for Peter Moylan, who underwent season-ending surgery. Things didnt quite work out exactly this way, but there are a few reasons that combined to see Stockman earn the call up:

1. Braves reliever and fellow Aussie Peter Moylan was forced to have season-ending surgery
2. Braves starter Chuck James has had it rough this year, going 2-3 from 5 starts with an 8.22 ERA, and was optioned to the AAA Braves on May 16
3. It is likely that one of the current Braves relievers, probably Jeff Bennett or Jorge Campillo, will move into James' spot in the rotation, which opens up a spot in the bullpen
4. Stockman has posted shit-hot numbers in AAA this year, over 14 appearances this year he pitched 17.1 innings and has not given up a single run. He has allowed just 4 hits and 6 walks, while striking out 12

So congrats to Phil, good to get the numbers up to 3 active players in the majors again.

Stockman made his first appearance for the Atlanta Braves today against the Oakland A's. He was solid, battling hard against a couple of hitters and throwing plenty of strikes. He retired the side in order, with one strike out against Rajai Davis.

Aussie Updates (16-18 May)

With interleague play kicking off this week we got the chance to see some more Aussie vs Aussie matchup action, as the only two Aussies in the majors - Justin Huber and Ryan Rowland-Smith - met in Seattle.

On Saturday (Friday in the States), Justin Huber and the Padres travelled to Safeco Field to open their 3 game series against the Mariners. We didnt see too much of Huber in the first game. He started on the bench, and came on as a pinch runner in the 9th inning.

We did though see more Ryan Rowland-Smith, who has pitched reasonably well in the last week or so. Mariners' starter Miguel Batista gave up three runs over 5 innings and then came out to start the 6th. He walked Scott Hairston and gave up a single to Jody Gerut, before drawing a force out of Gerut at second from Tadahito Iguchi. This left runners at the corners, with Padres left hander Brian Giles stepping up to the plate and lefty "sluggers" Adrian Gonzalez and Tony Clark in the hole. So it was time for RRS to get to work.

Rowland-Smith started throwing to Giles, and mixed in a few pickoff attempts at first base. Working to a 1-2 count, Rowland-Smith went to his curveball, which Giles managed to connect with to pick up a single to first base, scoring Hairston from third.

Adrian Gonzalez was up next, and he also hit to first. This time Richie Sexson managed to get to the ball and make a play at second for the second out. No more damage, but still with runners at the corners.

Tony Clark came ot swinging; hitting two fouls on the fisrt two pitches. RRS threw a ball for the third pitch and then drew a grounder to shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt who made the force out to two.

Rowland-Smith came out of the game in the next dig, after dealing with the leftys without too much damage. His line for the day, 0.2 innings pitched, 1 hit, 0 runs (Batista wore the Hairston run), 0 ks and 0 walks.

Fast forward to the 9th inning, and Tony Clark earns a walk. With the Padres up by 2, and keen to score a few more for a bit of a buffer, Justin Huber came into the game to run for Clark. Singles from Kevin Kouzmanoff and Khalil Greene advanced Huber to 3d, before Josh Bard hit the ball to Sexson at first, who made trhe force out at home to nab Huber.

In today's game (Sunday in the States), Justin Huber got the start against lefty Erik Bedard, who found some rhythm today and struck out plenty of Padres.

Huber played in left field and batted 9th. Huber wasnt involved in anything eventful in the field, but you can see some footage of him making a play in the bottom of the 1st on a Raul Ibanez double here. He took two catches off Kenji Johjima in the third and eighth innings. At the plate in the third inning he flew out to centrefield. In the fifth inning, Bedard got Huber swinging and missing at a curve. In the eighth, Bedard threw him three curveballs - 2 strikes and a ball, all 77mph - before upping the ante with a 92mph fastball outside to get Huber swinging.

Aussie Update (14-15 May)

Ryan Rowland-Smith is getting plenty of action, and Justin Huber got a start today with e Padres facing lefty Ted Lilly:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched yesterday, and came through with some good pitching under pressure. He did it quite easily, knocking over the three hitters he faced with flyouts. Today he came into the game under some big pressure, but was unable to contain the runs. He drew some outs from quality Rangers hitters, however he did give up a sac-fly, which meant he blew a save opportunity. He came into the game in the 8th inning, with the Mariners holding a 3-2 lead. Fellow reliever Sean Green had got the first out, but left runners at the corners. First up, Josh Hamilton cracked a high flyball to centrefield, for the sac fly. David Murphy then singled on a liner to centre to put runners on 1 and 2. Rowland-Smith then had Brandon Boggs hit a weak fly ball to rightfield, where Wladimir Balentien took an impressive diving catch to end the inning. RRS came out again in the 9th, but walked the first hitter he saw, and was replaced by a righty. The M's went on to win in a close one, so all was not lost for Rowland-Smith.
• Also in action today was Justin Huber, who started the game in left for the Padres. He went 1-for-3, with a single to left field and 2 strikeouts. His single in the fifth inning was the start of a bit of a rally for the Padres, and they went on to score three runs that inning. It wasnt enough though, as they went down 8-5.
  

Adam Morrissey promoted to AAA, and then sent straight back to AA

Quick note to congratulate Adam Morrissey on earning the call up to AAA. It was a heck of a short call up for Morrissey, who was making strides at AA Arkansas. He was called up on 11 May, when the LA Angels recalled Kendry Morales from Salt Lake to the bigs. However, it lasted only three days for Morrissey, as Morales was optioned back to the Bees. It was a short but sweet time for Morrissey with the Bees. He hit .400 with one double, two RBI, and one stolen base over three games.

Aussie updates (13 May 08)

Interesting day today for Ryan Rowland-Smith. He pitched in an exciting, interesting and close game, and did a pretty good job. The Mariners eventually lost the game in the 10th inning, but not before plenty of hits, runs, walks, lead changes, homers, and aggressive exchanges. There is a bit of friction developing between the Mariners and the Rangers, and Rowland-Smith was in the thick of it today. While this goes a bit beyond the 'OzMLBPlayers' theme, it is a story worth telling.

The game started out with the Mariners' ace Erik Bedard facing off against Rangers' veteran Vicente Padilla. So far this year Bedard has not really lived up to the expectations present when the M's acquired him from the Orioles at the end of 07. Padilla on the other hand has had a pretty solid start to the year, going 5-2 in his 9 starts compared to Bedard's 2-2 from 6 starts. The two last met on 7 May, and Padilla and the Rangers won in a close one, 2-0.

The day after Padilla held down the Mariners, the two teams met again. This time round, the game turned into somewhat of a brouhaha. In the fourth inning, 6'8" Mariner's firstbaseman Richie Sexson took offense to a bit of chin music from Rangers starter Kason Gabbard. Sexson charged the mound, smacked Gabbard in the back with his helmet, and then proceeded to tackle him, inciting a clearing of the benches. If you havent already seen the footage, check it out below:



Sexson was then ejected from the game, and has since been suspended for 6 games. The Rangers got the last laugh, going on to win 5-0. Obviously there has been a bit of tension caused by the fracas. During the game, Rangers shortstop Ramon Vazquez compiled 4 hits and 1 RBI from 5 at bats. Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched 3 good innings of relief. He gave up 3 hits and 1 run - one of the hits came off the bat of Ramon Vazquez, and drove in a run in the 6th inning. Vazquez was thrown out at 2nd though, trying to stretch a single into a double.

Fast forward to today, and we have Bedard and Padilla going at it again. Both Bedard and Padilla bled runs early today, with Bedard lasting only 2 and a bit innings. He gave up 6 runs over those 2 digs, before being replaced. Padilla went into the 6th inning, and gave up 6 runs. Ryan Rowland-Smith came on to pitch in the bottom of the 6th, after the Mariners tied it up at 6 all. He worked quicklym retiring Josh Hamilton on a liner to left, striking out Milton Bradley and also Brandon Boggs, using mostly fastballs to Bradley, and plenty of changeups to Boggs.

The Mariners didnt trouble the scorers in the top of the 7th, and RRS came out to face the Rangers in the bottom of the inning. Rangers catcher Gerald Laird caught everyone by surprise and made it to first on a bunt. Rangers first baseman Chris Shelton then sac bunted to advance Laird, with RRS throwing Shelton out at first. With one out, and the go-ahead runner in scoring position, Rangers rightfielder German Duran worked RRS to a full count, before drawing a walk.

Up steps Ramon Vazquez. Rowland-Smith opens with a changeup that misses for a ball. He then throws a wild pitch in the dirt, but somehow drew a swing out of Vazquez. The pitch gets away from catcher Kenji Johjima, and both runners advanced a base. Rowland-Smith threw another changeup, but missed again, taking the count to 2-1. He went to the curve for a called strike, taking the count to 2-2, before missing with the changeup again. On the full count, RRS relied on the changeup yet again, and took down Vazquez as he swung and missed at the pitch for the second out.

Rowland-Smith, fondly referred to by some of his teammates as a 'bulldog' on the mound, pumped his fist in satisfaction at getting his man. This didnt go down too well with Vazquez, who voiced his anger towards Rowland-Smith. Apparently Rowland-Smith had a bit of a nibble back at Vazquez, and tensions were raised, as the homeplate umpire moved to prevent Vazquez from taking things further. It is not known exactly what was said, but perhaps Rowland-Smith was advising Vazquez that the last pitch was a better one to swing at than the one in the dirt earlier.

Anyways, Rowland-Smith was then taken out of the game, as a right handed hitter came up. The Rangers ended up scoring 4 runs in the 7th to seemingly put the game out of reach. However, the Mariners bounced back in the 8th to score 2, and take it to 10-8. But, the Rangers scored another 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, to go to 12-8. In the top of the 9th, Rangers closer CJ Wilson allowed 1 run, but then had the M's at two out, with two on. Kenji Johjima stepped up, and promptly found himself down in the count 0-2. He then dispatched a high fastball into the left field stand, to bring home 3 runs, and take the game to extra innings, silencing the raucous Arlington crowd.

In the end, Vasquez and the Rangers got the last laugh, hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th to end the game. So the rivalry continues...

Rowland-Smith's line for the day:
1.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, neither of them earned, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.

Aussie MLB Updates (10-12 May 08)

It was a pretty quiet weekend for the Aussies in the majors. Peter Moylan has hung up the boots for the year, and Chris Snelling is still on the DL. Brad Harman has now returned to the minors, so that just leaves Ryan Rowland-Smith and Justin Huber waving the flag. Here is the latest news from the weekend:

• On Saturday, Justin Huber got a pinch hit in the ninth inning of the Padres opener against the Rockies. He struck out looking on the third pitch at a ball on the outside corner of the plate.
• On Sunday, Ryan Rowland-Smith got the final out for the Mariners, as they lost 8-4 to the White Sox. Rowland-Smith was called on to face switch hitter Nick Swisher, and he drew a fly ball to right to end the top of the 9th inning.
• There were no Aussies in MLB action today.

Meanwhile, Brad Harman has returned to the minors, and has reflected on his cameo in the bigs. His time with the Phillies ended (for now) when Jimmy Rollins came off the DL. "Obviously the first time in the big leagues, I'll remember it forever. It's been a great couple of weeks. It's going to be fun in a sense to go back, get some more at-bats and play every day" said Harman. In his first game back on Saturday, Harman went 0-for-3. On Sunday he struck out twice, but also belted a 2-run homer to signal his return. A deep shot to left field in the third, you can check it out at http://www.readingphillies.com/.

Aussie updates (9 May 08)

Here are today's updates:

• Brad Harman got a couple of at bats today, as his time in Philly seems to be winding up. He came into the game in the 6th inning as a pinch hitter, and got a second swing in the 8th. He flew out in the 6th, and grounded into a double play in the 8th. He fielded at second and was solid. Philly's MVP shortstop Jimmy Rollins is expected to join the squad again, as he is returning from a leg injury. It is expected that Harman will be sent back to the minors to make room for Rollins.


• Justin Huber started today for the Padres, he went 1 for 3 with a walk. He was forced out at second, but as this photo shows, it looks like he did a pretty good job of breaking up the double:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith continued to impress working out of the Mariner's pen. He pitched 3 solid innings today. He gave up only 3 hits and 1 run, while striking out 3. Over the past week he has pitched 6.1 innings, and struck out 6, with a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Over his last 3 starts he has a 1.49 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.

And in the injury corner:

• at AAA Lehigh Valley, Travis Blackley has been on the DL for about a week with a groin strain
• Peter Moylan has had elbow ligament transplant (Tommy John) surgery and will miss the rest of 2008. During the surgery, the doc confirmed that the bone spur in his elbow had lodged into Moylan's ligament and compromised it to the point that rehab was 'definitely not an option'.
  

Aussie update 7 May 08

More Aussie action this week, following up from the bad news about Pete Moylan:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith was very effective again today, as the Mariners went down to the Rangers. He pitched in the 8th inning, striking out one and drawing two flyouts for a 3 up 3 down inning, throwing an effective 11 pitches.
• Brad Harman had a go at third base, after starting at second in Phillie's game against the D-Backs. Not much luck at the plate though.
• Justin Huber was out on a pinch hit again today, as the Pads went down to Atlanta. You really have to wonder how much longer the Padres can keep going the way they are. CF Jim Edmonds is batting .176!!! If this keeps up, you'd have to think starting left fielder Scott Hairston could fill in in centre, opening the way for Huber and Paul MacAnulty to platoon in left.

In minor league action:

• Grant Balfour got another save (his 4th for the year), striking out 2 in 1 inning of work
• Trent Oeltjen smacked a homer for the Tucson Sidewinders, hitting his first for the season in the 5th inning as the Sidewinders went down 4-1
  

Moylan done for 2008 (and maybe some of 2009)

Rotowire is reporting that Braves.com stated Moylan will undergo surgery on Thursday to repair the tendon in his right elbow:

"He'll likely have Tommy John elbow ligament transplant surgery, but there's a small chance the surgery can clean up the bone spur that's impeding the ligament.
Recommendation: Moylan won't pitch again this season in either scenario, but Tommy John surgery could cause him to miss much of the 2009 season as well. "

Bad luck Pete. That is a massive disappointment, especially in light of a fantastic 2007 season, and a solid start to 2008. We wish Moylan all the best for the surgery and hope to see him back in action as soon as possible.

In making light of the situation, Moylan's injury could open the door for another Aussie in Phil Stockman. He has been pretty much unhittable for the Richmond Braves in AAA this season, and would be a very good replacement in the Braves bullpen.

But for now, it is commiserations to Peter Moylan :( Hope to see you next year Pete.

Aussie Update (5 and 6 May 08)

Yesterday saw some good Aussie action in MLB:

• Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched 2 digs of relief after Mariners' starter Carlos Silva gave up 6 runs to the Yankees over 3 and a bit innings. Rowland-Smith gave up 1 hit, walked one, and struck out one in his 40 pitch appearance. The Mariners lost 8-2.
• Justin Huber pinch hit in the Padres game against the Marlins. He grounded into a forceout in the 7th inning. Interestingly, he is 1-for-14 after hitting his first MLB homerun off Randy Johnson
• Brad Harman also got a pinch hit, as the Phillies beat the Giants. He grounded out in the 6th inning.

There were no Aussies in MLB action today, but there were two solid performances from Aussie pitchers in AAA:

• Rich Thompson pitched 2 innings of relief in Salt Lake's 5-1 victory over Nashville. He allowed 4 hits and 1 run, striking out 1.
• Grant Balfour also pitched two innings, as Durham beat Pawtucket 1-0. Balfour faced six batters over 2 innings, and struck out 5 of them. He drew a fly out from the sixth, and took the save - his third for the year. He has allowed only 1 hit, and no runs, in seven appearances for Durham, and is positioning himself well should the Rays need a replacement arm in the pen.

In more news:

• Bad news abounds about Peter Moylan's elbow. Both the Braves official site, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are reporting that he had to stop throwing halfway through a bullpen session on Saturday. There is no further word yet on whether he will need surgery. However, he has been moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL - so there is no indication he will be back anytime soon. Stats.com is reporting that this move was merely to make room for newly acquired first baseman Greg Norton on the Braves roster.
• Tristan Crawford has come off the DL in the Phillies minor league system. He finished 2007 playing AAA, but has started this year at AA Harrisburg Senators. He has had two starts, and was roughed up a bit in his first on 24 April, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs over 2 innings. On 30 April he was more effective, giving up 5 hits and 1 run over 5 innings.
• Scott Mitchinson has had a good start to the year with Class A Kane County Cougars. Over 5 games he has gone 3-0. He has struck out 28 in 28.1 IP. He has allowed 26 hits, and 10 runs, for an ERA of 2.54

Huber and Rowland-Smith see more action; Moylan throwing again

Justin Huber started in left for the Padres today as they travelled to Florida. He had three at bats, and got some good bat on ball, hitting solid line drives to left center but being caught twice. He then lined out to short. The Padres lost 6-4.

Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched 0.1 innings today, facing 4 batters as they Mariners went down to the Yankees 5-1. He gave up 2 hits, 2 runs, and a walk, and he managed to strike out Hideki Matusi, after an epic at bat. He threw 9 pitches, before finally getting him out swinging on an 89mh fastball.

In Atlanta, there are reports that Peter Moylan may throw a bullpen session this weekend. Despite having a bone spur growing into the ligament in his elbow, Moylan threw some 120-foot long toss today. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Moylan said "weeks ago I thought there was no chance I'd be able to pick up a ball again without surgery. But then all of a sudden it just sort of loosened up, and my arm is straight again. The only time that I really feel anything is when I extend my arm, and that's not the same sort of pain." I hate to be cynical about it, but you really have to wonder how likely it is that he could come back with such an injury. He is reporting a "tiny pinch" when he extends the arm...and it seems hard to believe that he could pitch over any significant period without further pain - since he has a bone growing through a ligament!!!! He said:"The training staff is sort of saying 'Don't get too excited.' I'm not getting too excited, but from where it was two weeks agoit's opened my eyes and made me feel really good."
More reports on Moylan as they come to hand.

RRS appearance today; article on Huber and Harman; Oeltjen hot in AAA

Ryan Rowland-Smith got a pitch in the Mariners' loss to the Indians today. The game was pretty much over when he was handed the ball in the 8th inning, with the Indians leading 8-3. He struggled with his control, with only 9 of his 20 pitches being strikes. He gave up a double, before walking 2. However he then escaped the inning without damage, drawing a pop up and then a grounder into a double play.

Corey Brock from MLB.com has posted an article on the meeting up of Brad Harman and Justin Huber at the Padres' series in Philly. You can check it out here. Theirs is an amazing story really, with both coming from the same club - the same club as pitcher Michael Nakamura, who is currently pitching in the Japanese majors.

In AAA action, Trent Oeltjen continued his impressive start to the season today. Batting third as the Sidewinders met Round Rock, Trent went 3-for-4, with a double and 1 run. He also drew a walk. He now boasts a .317 average.