Friday, June 26, 2009

Phils Chavez Homers in 10th For Win Over Buccos


Strat-O-Matic Report




BOXSCORE: 2005 Philadelphia Phillies At 2005 Pittsburgh Pirates 5/29/2005



Phillies AB R H RBI AVG Pirates AB R H RBI AVG

M.Tejada SS 4 0 3 1 .317 B.Giles RF 3 1 0 0 .318

C.Duffy LF 4 0 1 0 .261 C-R.Freel RF 1 0 0 0 .343

A.Pujols 1B 5 0 0 0 .332 C.Sullivan CF 5 0 2 2 .302

A.Jones CF 3 1 0 0 .193 R.Winn LF 5 1 3 0 .325

N.Perez 2B 5 0 1 0 .244 S.Hillenbrand 1B 5 0 1 0 .228

D.Miller C 3 0 0 0 .253 C.Guillen SS 5 0 1 0 .256

D-T.Hunter PH 0 0 0 0 .221 B.Inge 3B 3 0 1 1 .253

E-G.Zaun C 1 0 1 0 .226 E.Guardado P 0 0 0 0 ----

E.Chavez 3B 5 1 1 2 .237 F-B.Crosby PH 1 0 0 0 .179

A.Rowand RF 5 3 3 2 .285 B.Lidge P 0 0 0 0 ----

G.Maddux P 1 0 0 0 .000 J.Castillo 2B 4 0 0 0 .213

B-M.Loretta PH 1 0 0 0 .277 J.Kendall C 3 0 1 0 .248

B.Donnelly P 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Benson P 2 0 0 0 .222

J.Frasor P 0 0 0 0 ---- A-M.Derosa 3B 1 1 0 0 .125

G-R.Palmeiro PH 1 0 0 0 .241

B.Thompson P 0 0 0 0 ----

A.Reyes P 0 0 0 0 ----

-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---

Totals 38 5 10 5 Totals 38 3 9 3



A-Subbed Defensively (3B) For Benson In 7th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Maddux In 7th Inning

C-Subbed Defensively (RF) For Giles In 8th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Miller In 8th Inning

E-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Hunter In 8th Inning

F-Pinch Hit For Guardado In 8th Inning

G-Pinch Hit For Frasor In 9th Inning



Phillies........ 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 - 5 10 0

Pirates......... 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 3 9 1



Phillies (31-20) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

G.Maddux 6 5 1 1 1 1 0 3.86

B.Donnelly BS(1st) 0 2/3 1 2 2 2 0 0 4.26

J.Frasor 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00

B.Thompson WIN(4-0) 1 1/3 3 0 0 0 1 0 1.06

A.Reyes SAVE(8th) 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.86

Totals 10 9 3 3 3 4 0



Pirates (17-22) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

K.Benson 6 1/3 6 2 2 2 2 2 3.56

E.Guardado 1 2/3 0 0 0 2 1 0 2.70

B.Lidge LOSS(0-2) BS(2nd) 2 4 3 3 1 4 1 3.21

Totals 10 10 5 5 5 7 3



ATTENDANCE- 14,127 DATE- Wednesday, May 29th 2005 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Brian O'Nora, Dan Iassogna, Mark Hirschbeck, Wally Bell

T- 3:07

LEFT ON BASE- Phillies: 9 Pirates: 8

DOUBLE PLAYS- Phillies: 0 Pirates: 1

ERRORS- M.Derosa

DOUBLES- B.Inge(13th)

TRIPLES- C.Sullivan(2nd)

HOME RUNS- E.Chavez(10th), A.Rowand-2(9th)

CAUGHT STEALING- G.Zaun

WALKS- M.Tejada, C.Duffy, A.Jones, T.Hunter, G.Maddux, B.Giles, J.Kendall,

M.Derosa

HIT BY PITCH- A.Jones

STRIKE OUTS- C.Duffy, A.Pujols, A.Jones, N.Perez, E.Chavez, A.Rowand, G.Maddux,

R.Winn, C.Guillen, B.Inge, M.Derosa

GIDP- N.Perez

WILD PITCHES- B.Donnelly, B.Lidge

WEB GEMS- Top 5th: Jason Kendall blocked the plate, saving a run!

Top 9th: Ryan Freel robbed Rafael Palmeiro of an extra base hit.



Aaron Rowand rocketed 2 homeruns and scored 3 times at Miller Park where the

Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings 5 to 3.



Both teams were tied at 3 runs apiece after nine innings. Philadelphia came

out the victor in the 10th inning. Andruw Jones got things going when he

drew a walk. Neifi Perez followed, but he was set down on strikes. Gregg

Zaun then banged out a single. One out later, Eric Chavez stepped up to the

plate and he blasted a two-run home run (his 10th of the season). Rowand got

his turn next, but he was a strikeout victim. Philadelphia rapped out 10

hits for the afternoon.



The winning pitcher was Brad Thompson(4-0) who allowed no runs in 1 and 1/3

innings. Al Reyes recorded the save, his 8th. Brad Lidge(0-2) was given the

loss in relief. He gave up 3 runs in 2 innings of work.













Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A year ago, The Blue Jays and Royals finished 4th and 5th respectively in the Killebrew Division. This season, both teams have started strong (Toronto 24-15, Kansas City 22-17) out of the gates. On May 9th, Kansas City visited Toronto for a three game series:


May 9
Royals............ 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 10 1
Blue-Jays....... 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 8 0
P.Byrd WIN(5-0), H.Street SAVE(6th), C.Sabathia LOSS(3-2)
HOME RUNS- S.Fasano(5th), M.Bradley(3rd)

Kansas City delivered all the runs required in the 4th inning when they tallied 3 runs on 2 hits. The highlight belonged to Sal Fasano who deflated the spirits of the home town crowd when he belted a three-run homer (his 5th of the season). Neither team managed to score after the 4th inning.


May 10
Royals............ 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 - 6 11 0
Blue-Jays....... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 1
C.Capuano WIN(4-2), B.Arroyo LOSS(2-2)
HOME RUNS- S.Fasano(6th)

Kansas City's victory went to Chris Capuano(4-2) who went 6 innings, allowing 1 run.
Bronson Arroyo(2-2) was the losing pitcher. He pitched 6 innings and surrendered 7 hits and 1 walk.



May 11
Royals.......... 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 - 3 8 0
Blue-Jays....... 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 X - 6 9 0
H.Street LOSS(1-2), M.Maroth WIN(2-2)
HOME RUNS- M.Grudzielanek(1st), S.Fasano(7th), J.Peralta(6th), V.Wells-2(7th)

Center fielder Vernon Wells smashed 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI and Mike Maroth tossed a complete game as the Toronto ballclub defeated the Kansas City Royals by the score of 6 to 3 at Enron Field.


Randy Johnson's 100th Millennium League Win


April 27: Randy Johnson became the first pitcher to win 100 Millennium League games by defeating the Washington Nationals 9-6 at PNC Park. Johnson struck out 11 in his complete game effort. The Big Unit has a career 100-43 mark over five seasons with the D-Backs: 21-12 (2000), 23-10 (2001), 23-8 (2002), 8-7 (2003), 23-5 (2004) and 2-1 (2005).

Nationals.......... 0 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 - 6 13 0
Diamond-Backs... 0 4 0 1 0 4 0 0 X - 9 12 0
V.Santos LOSS(0-2), R.Johnson WIN(2-1)
HOME RUNS- P.Burrell(2nd), L.Ford(1st), J.Dye(6th)




Tony Clark Leading League in Homers

Cleveland (AP) - Journeyman first baseman Tony Clark is having an incredible start for the Indians. In 32 games, Tony is batting .403 with 21 homers and 36 runs batted in. He leads the league in homers and is 2nd in batting average and RBI's. This is quite a turnaround for Clark. Tony has a career .238 batting average with just 24 total homers in his five previous seasons with Seattle, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Tony has certainly helped the Indians get off to a fast start (25-14) this season. . . .

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Sox' Smoltz Off to Fast Start


Boston (AP) - One of the main reasons for the Red Sox' resurgence this season is starter John Smoltz. The "reliever turned starter" is off to a great start: 5-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 8 games. Smoltz, a #1 round draft pick for the Red Sox in 2001, had saved 107 games the prior three seasons. He was turned into a starter for the 2005 seasons and is anchoring a formidable stable of starters: P. Martinez (6-2 2.90), J. Contreras (2-1 3.03), T. Wakefield (3-1 3.77) and D. Lowe (3-2 4.80). Boston has jumped out to a strong 24-15 mark this season and looks to be a playoff contender. . . . .

Around the League - Walk Off Homers

Four walk off homers occurred in the second block of games:


April 25: Javy Lopez bombed a two-run dinger (his 4th of the season) to give the Yankees an exciting come from behind win over Philly.

Phillies........... 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 9 1
Yankees......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 5 6 3
A.Reyes LOSS(0-1), D.Weathers WIN(2-2)
HOME RUNS- M.Tejada(4th), R.Sexson(6th), J.Lopez(4th)


May 5: Toronto pulled the game out in the 12th inning as catcher Mike Matheny ripped a solo home run (his 1st of the season) giving Toronto the win much to the delight of the home town crowd.

Diamond-Backs... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 8 2
Blue-Jays........... 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 9 0
M.Wise LOSS(0-2), J.Putz WIN(2-1)
HOME RUNS- C.Pena(2nd), V.Wells(8th), K.Mench-2(5th), M.Matheny(1st)



May 10: Boston won the hard fought contest in the 10th inning as Jason Varitek hit a bases-empty home run (his 5th of the season) resulting in an exciting win for Boston and a raucous post-game celebration by the home town fans.

Diamond-Backs... 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 - 5 8 0
Red Sox............. 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 6 11 0
J.Speier LOSS(1-1), R.Villone WIN(1-0)
HOME RUNS- R.Furcal(1st), J.Damon(3rd), J.Varitek(5th)


May 11: Tony Clark launched 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI at The Ballpark as the Cleveland Indians won a thriller over the San Francisco Giants 5 to 4. Cleveland won the game with a run in the bottom of the 9th inning as Clark delivered a solo blast (his 11th of the season) making Cleveland the victors to the delight of the home town faithful.

Giants.......... 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 - 4 10 0
Indians......... 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 5 11 0
T.Worrell LOSS(0-2), S.Hasegawa WIN(4-1)
HOME RUNS- J.Kent(5th), J.Morneau(3rd), T.Clark-2(11th)

Monday, June 22, 2009

Indians Acquire John Patterson

Cleveland (AP) - The Indians recently acquired righty starter John Patterson from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for relief pitcher Kevin Gregg and a 2006 6th round draft pick. Patterson, in three previous seasons with the Dodgers, was just 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA. He is 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 50 innings this year.

Gregg, a 7th round pick by Cleveland in the 2004 Draft, was 4-3 with a 5.88 ERA in 90 innings last season.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Current Standings Midway Thru Block 2




Strat-O-Matic Report






LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2005 Millennium League

Brock WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Cleveland CLA 14 10 .583 ---- 134
2005 Florida FLN 18 15 .545 .5
2005 Anaheim ANA 20 19 .513 1.5
2005 Seattle SEA 10 20 .333 7.0
2005 San Francisco SFN 10 23 .303 8.5

Killebrew WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Kansas City KCA 15 9 .625 ---- 137
2005 Toronto TOA 16 11 .593 .5
2005 Houston HON 14 13 .519 2.5
2005 Atlanta ATN 16 20 .444 5.0
2005 Los Angeles LAN 11 22 .333 8.5

Koufax WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Oakland OAA 13 8 .619 ---- 139
2005 Boston BOA 16 11 .593 ----
2005 Arizona ARN 13 11 .542 1.5
2005 Pittsburgh PIN 10 11 .476 3.0
2005 Washington WAN 7 14 .333 6.0

Aaron WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Minnesota MNA 22 14 .611 ---- 125
2005 Philadelphia PHN 19 17 .528 3.0
2005 New York NYA 19 17 .528 3.0
2005 St. Louis SLN 17 16 .515 3.5
2005 Chicago CHA 20 19 .513 3.5









Phillies Acquire Andruw Jones

Philadelphia (AP) - The Phillies acquired centerfielder Andruw Jones from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for their 2006 Round 1 draft pick. Entering this season, Jones had played 772 games for the Braves and had a .266 career average with a 172 homers (15th on the all-time list). However, Jones was hitting just .189 with 6 homers through May 11th of this season.

The Phillies have a history of trading their future season #1 round draft picks away to acquire players. Last season, the Fightin' Phils acquired Jim Thome from the Indians for their top pick. And, two seasons ago, Greg Maddux from the Braves was acquired for the Phils' #1 rounder.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Current Standings Midway Thru Block 1



Strat-O-Matic Report






LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2005 Millennium League

Brock WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Cleveland CLA 6 3 .667 ---- 152
2005 Anaheim ANA 7 5 .583 .5
2005 Florida FLN 9 9 .500 1.5
2005 Seattle SEA 6 9 .400 3.0
2005 San Francisco SFN 5 10 .333 4.0

Killebrew WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Kansas City KCA 12 3 .800 ---- 149
2005 Toronto TOA 3 3 .500 4.5
2005 Atlanta ATN 5 7 .417 5.5
2005 Houston HON 1 2 .333 5.0
2005 Los Angeles LAN 0 3 .000 6.0

Koufax WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Boston BOA 2 1 .667 ---- 159
2005 Oakland OAA 6 6 .500 .5
2005 Pittsburgh PIN 4 5 .444 1.0
2005 Arizona ARN 4 5 .444 1.0
2005 Washington WAN 1 2 .333 1.0

Aaron WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2005 Chicago CHA 9 6 .600 ---- 148
2005 Philadelphia PHN 8 7 .533 1.0
2005 Minnesota MNA 6 6 .500 1.5
2005 New York NYA 10 11 .476 2.0
2005 St. Louis SLN 7 8 .467 2.0


Saturday, May 23, 2009

White Sox Young Guns

Chicago - The White Sox have been slowly rebuilding their team and now have a strong nucleus of players, including third baseman David Wright and shortstop Jose Reyes. A recap of the White Sox recent drafts:

2005
1 Hernandez,F 2 Jacobs,M 2 Maholm,P

2004
1 Wright,D 1 Rios,A 2 Gonzalez,M 3 Qualls,C 3

2003
1 Reyes,J 1 Bonderman,J 2 Phillips,B 2 Betancourt,R 2 Heilman,A

The White Sox are 5-1 in the early going.......

Monroe Hits Walk-Off Homer for Yankees





Craig Monroe hit a 2-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th to give New York an exciting 2-1 win over St. Louis. Roger Clemens was brilliant for New York - he pitched 10 innings and gave up only one unearned run.

Strat-O-Matic Report




BOXSCORE: 2005 St. Louis Cardinals At 2005 New York Yankees 4/7/2005



Cardinals AB R H RBI AVG Yankees AB R H RBI AVG

E.Renteria SS 4 0 2 1 .348 D.Dejesus CF 4 1 1 0 .217

P.Polanco 2B 5 0 0 0 .435 M.Teahen 3B 4 0 1 0 .091

J.Drew RF 3 0 0 0 .000 C.Monroe LF 5 1 2 2 .500

P.Konerko 1B 4 0 0 0 .316 J.Uribe SS 2 0 0 0 .170

J.Edmonds CF 4 0 0 0 .111 W.Pena RF 4 0 1 0 .209

J.Lane LF 4 1 2 0 .227 E.Alfonzo 2B 4 0 1 0 .227

M.Mora 3B 4 0 0 0 .158 D.Mientkiewicz 1B 4 0 1 0 .083

J.Estrada C 4 0 0 0 .091 C.Snyder C 4 0 0 0 .125

B.Chen P 3 0 1 0 .333 R.Clemens P 4 0 0 0 .000

A-R.Branyan PH 1 0 0 0 .143

C.Cordero P 0 0 0 0 ----

-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---

Totals 36 1 5 1 Totals 35 2 7 2



A-Pinch Hit For Chen In 10th Inning



Cardinals....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 5 0

Yankees......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 2 7 1



Cardinals (3-2) IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

B.Chen 9 6 0 0 3 7 0 0.00

C.Cordero L(0-1) BS(1st) 0 1/3 1 2 2 1 1 1 10.80

Totals 9 1/3 7 2 2 4 8 1



Yankees IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

R.Clemens WIN(2-1) 10 5 1 0 2 8 0 2.18

Totals 10 5 1 0 2 8 0



ATTENDANCE- 56,532 DATE- Sunday, April 7th 2005 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Doug Eddings, Charlie Reliford, Mark Carlson, Dana Demuth

T- 2:49

LEFT ON BASE- Cardinals: 7 Yankees: 9

DOUBLE PLAYS- Cardinals: 0 Yankees: 0

ERRORS- E.Alfonzo

DOUBLES- J.Lane(2nd), M.Teahen(2nd)

HOME RUNS- C.Monroe(4th)

WALKS- E.Renteria, J.Drew, D.Dejesus, M.Teahen, J.Uribe-2

STRIKE OUTS- P.Polanco-2, J.Drew, P.Konerko, M.Mora-3, B.Chen, M.Teahen-2,

C.Monroe-2, J.Uribe, W.Pena, D.Mientkiewicz, R.Clemens



Roger Clemens went 10 strong innings at Petco Park where the New York Yankees

beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 10 innings by the score of 2 to 1.



The score was a scoreless tie after nine. New York ended up winning it in the

10th inning. David Dejesus started the inning off right when he drew a walk.

Mark Teahen got his chance to keep things going, but he went down on

strikes. Craig Monroe then cleared the fences for a two-run home run (his

4th of the season) giving New York the victory and sending the 56,532

home-town fans home happy. New York managed 7 hits in their victory.



Clemens(2-1) was the winner allowing 1 run for the game. Chad Cordero(0-1) was

the losing pitcher in relief. When questioned, Ron Tidrow remarked, 'It's

been a while since a win felt this good - heck, it's been a while since we

had a win period!'











Royals Expecting Big Crowds at Kaufmann Stadium

Kansas City (AP) - The Royals are the hottest team in the league right now as they jumped fast out of the gate with a strong 12-3 mark. The Royals have never made the playoffs. Kansas City's past won-lost records:

2004: 65 - 97 (5th Place)
2003: 57 - 105 (5th Place)
2002: 75 - 87 (2nd Place)
2001: 82 - 80 (3rd Place)
2000: 71 - 91 (5th Place)

Time will tell to see if the Royals are for real this season, but expect some big crowds at Kaufmann Stadium in the early going.....

Twins & Tribe Deal


Minnesota (AP) - The Twins acquired veteran reliever Todd Jones from Cleveland in exchange for Adam LaRoche and a fourth round pick in the 2006 draft. Jones has a career 13-12 record, 47 saves and a 5.55 ERA while playing for the Indians and Phillies. The right handed reliever is expected to close for the Twins.

Adam LaRoche, drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the 2004 draft, hit .237 with 4 homers in limited playing time last season.



Opening Day Around the League



Dontrelle Willis pitched strong into the 9th inning as the defending champions St. Louis Cardinals opened the 2005 season with a win over Minnesota.

Cardinals....... 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 - 6 11 0
Twins........... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 10 0
D.Willis WIN(1-0), C.Cordero SAVE(1st), J.Santana LOSS(0-1)
HOME RUNS- J.Francoeur(1st), C.Lee(1st)


Rookie Robinson Cano drove in two runs as the New York Yankees cruised to a 8 to 3 victory over Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park in their home opener.

Phillies........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 - 3 6 1
Yankees......... 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 0 X - 8 7 2
F.Garcia LOSS(0-1), D.Cabrera WIN(1-0)
HOME RUNS- S.Stewart(1st)



Chris Carpenter, who the Blue Jays are counting on for a big season, shut down Atlanta in Toronto’s home opener.

Braves.......... 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 - 3 6 0
Blue-Jays....... 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 X - 5 9 1
J.Lackey LOSS(0-1), C.Carpenter WIN(1-0), D.Turnbow SAVE(1st)
HOME RUNS- J.Crede(1st)

Carlos Zambrano out-pitched Roy Oswalt in an exciting home opener for Oakland.

Pirates......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 0
A's............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X - 1 5 0

R.Oswalt LOSS(0-1), C.Zambrano WIN(1-0), J.Isringhaus SAVE(1st
HOME RUNS- M.Stairs(1st)

Jeff Kent hit a homer and a pair of doubles as the Giants spoiled the Mariners home
Opener with a 8-5 victory.

Giants.......... 0 0 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 - 8 13 0
Mariners........ 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 5 8 1

L.Hernandez WIN(1-0), J.Baldwin SAVE(1st), E.Milton LOSS(0-1)
HOME RUNS- J.Cantu(1st), J.Kent(1st), O.Saenz(1st), D.Mohr(1st),
A.Rodriguez(1st)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Papelbon Ready To Energize Blue Jays

Toronto - Jonathan Papelbon was selected by the Blue Jays as the 7th player overall in the 2005 draft. The rookie right hander will certainly bring energy to the Jays bullpen and will team up with third round draft pick Derrick Turnbow to form a brand new look for Toronto's bullpen. Last season's closer, Ryan Madson, finished with a 2-6 record, 17 saves and a 4+ ERA and was released in the off season.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

John Smoltz is ready to join Red Sox Rotation


This offseason Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz has been getting ready to go from closer to starting pitcher for the 2nd time in his Hall of Fame career. Since being selected 7th overall in the 2001 draft, all Smoltz has done is save 107 games and help anchor the bullpen as Boston went to it's only World Series in 2002. The most memorable game that postseason was when he and Pedro Martinez combined for a no-hitter in Game 7 of the Semi Final round against Pittsburgh.

This season Smoltz will join Pedro, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield and Jose Contreras in the rotation for the 2005 season. Unfortunately the move will leave a huge void in the bullpen but the Red Sox front office believes it will be more valuable to have Smoltz pitch 7 innings in a game rather then 1 or 2. Only time will tell but the Red Sox are looking forward to a good season in 2005.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Woody Williams Back With Cards

St. Louis - Left off the Cardinals protected roster, the Redbirds re-drafted the veteran right hander in the 7th round and immediately signed him to a two-year contract. "Woody has been a key ingredient of the Redbird success these past few years and we wanted him back in St. louis", said Cardinal skipper John Helmbrecht. Williams was initially drafted in the first round in the first Millennium League draft way back in 2000. Over five seasons with St. Louis, Williams has notched 53 career wins. Woody played a huge part in last season's World Series as he fired 7 2/3 innings of 2-hit ball vs. Atlanta in Game #3.

Seattle Acquires Closer Rodriguez

Seattle is quickly improving their team - the latest evidence is with the acquisition of closer Francisco Rodriguez. The Mariners sent Shea Hillenbrand (.266 12 HR's 70 RBI's in 2004) and a #4 round draft pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for the right-handed reliever. Rodriguez, who was the setup man for Brad Lidge last season, finished 9-1 with a 2.88 ERA last season for the Buccos.

Seattle also had four draft picks in the top thirty this season and selected Prince Fielder (#1), Ryan Zimmerman (#6), Kelly Johnson (#21) and Kelvim Escobar (#26). With all this new talent, the Mariners are definitely on the upswing.



Robinson Cano Selected #5 by Yankees

New York - The Yankees made second basemen Robinson Cano their first selection in the 2005 draft and immediately slotted the young infielder as a starter at second base. Splitting time last season between Trenton (AA) and Columbus (AAA), Cano batted a combined .283 with 13 HR and 74 RBI in 135 games.....Cano was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.