{"id":659,"date":"2008-09-01T03:58:59","date_gmt":"2008-09-01T10:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/01\/diamond-rundown-%e2%80%93-edition-twenty-two\/"},"modified":"2008-09-01T03:58:59","modified_gmt":"2008-09-01T10:58:59","slug":"diamond-rundown-%e2%80%93-edition-twenty-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/01\/diamond-rundown-%e2%80%93-edition-twenty-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Diamond Rundown \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Edition Twenty Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facts, figures and other tidbits from the twenty second week of the \u00e2\u20ac\u212208 major league baseball season.<\/em><\/p>\n

Notable Quotable I<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the best pitchers in the league.\u00c2\u00a0 That guy is nasty.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Manny Ramirez <\/strong>of the Dodgers on Philadelphia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Brett Myers <\/strong>who pitched seven scoreless innings in Philadelphia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 5-0 win on Monday.\u00c2\u00a0 Myers also got the win on Saturday over the Cubs and Myers is 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA in eight starts since returning from his short stint in the Phillies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Minor League system.<\/p>\n

Club 30-30<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Cleveland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Grady Sizemore <\/strong>hit his 30th<\/sup> home run on Monday and added a 31st<\/sup> homer in their 4-3 win over the Tigers.\u00c2\u00a0 Sizemore became the 14th<\/sup> American League player and second Indian to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season.\u00c2\u00a0 The other Indian to accomplish the feat was Joe Carter <\/strong>in 1987.\u00c2\u00a0 His 30th<\/sup> homer was his seventh leadoff homer of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc08 — a club record — and 18th<\/sup> of his career tying him with Kenny Lofton <\/strong>for the club\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s All-Time mark.<\/p>\n

Revolving Door<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>The Rangers used Nelson Cruz <\/strong>for the first time this season on Monday.\u00c2\u00a0 The Minor League slugger went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and also became the 53rd<\/sup> player used by Texas this season, a club record.\u00c2\u00a0 The Rangers beat the Royals 9-4.<\/p>\n

According to Elias I<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>The Mets blew a 7-0 lead on Tuesday and the Phillies rallied to beat the Mets 8-7 in 13 innings on a Chris Coste <\/strong>walk-off single.\u00c2\u00a0 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Mets blew a lead of seven or more runs for the first time since May 13, 2003.<\/p>\n

Lucky Sevens<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 Geovany Soto <\/strong>of the Cubs went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI in Tuesday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 14-9 win over the Pirates.\u00c2\u00a0 Soto became the seventh Major League player to notch seven or more RBI in a game this season and the first Cub since Aramis Ramirez <\/strong>on September 18, 2006.<\/p>\n

Career Year<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Cleveland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cliff Lee <\/strong>won his 19th<\/sup> game on Tuesday in their 10-4 win over the Tigers.\u00c2\u00a0 Lee is now 19-2 and set a new career high in wins passing his previous high of 18 wins in 2005.\u00c2\u00a0 Lee is 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA in August.<\/p>\n

Notable Quotable II<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beauty.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of, I think, the Energizer Bunny for this team.\u00c2\u00a0 You know, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the one that stirs stuff up.\u00c2\u00a0 Every team has got to have that guy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Boston\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jason Bay <\/strong>on teammate Dustin Pedroia <\/strong>after he hit a grand slam in Boston\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 11-3 win over the Yankees on Wednesday.\u00c2\u00a0 Pedroia went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBI.<\/p>\n

Cycle<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Washington\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cristian Guzman <\/strong>became the second player since the franchise moved to D.C. to hit for a cycle in the Nationals 11-2 win over the Dodgers on Thursday to complete a sweep of Los Angeles.\u00c2\u00a0 Guzman joined Brad Wilkerson <\/strong>in Washington Nationals\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 history.\u00c2\u00a0 Wilkerson also hit a cycle as an Expo and Guzman became the seventh player in franchise history to hit for a cycle.<\/p>\n

According to Elias II<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Atlanta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Mike Gonzalez <\/strong>notched his 37th<\/sup> consecutive save in their 4-2 win over the Marlins on Thursday.\u00c2\u00a0 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his streak is the longest in the Majors.\u00c2\u00a0 The last time Gonzalez blew a save was on June 25, 2004 when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n

Extra, Extra!<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Cincinnati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Chris Dickerson <\/strong>went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run in their 11-7 win over the Giants on Friday.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the third time since his call-up on August 12 that Dickerson had two extra-base hits in the same game.\u00c2\u00a0 Through Friday, Dickerson was hitting .328 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games.<\/p>\n

In Name Only<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Minnesota\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Craig Breslow <\/strong>registered his first career save in three perfect innings of relief of Kevin Slowey <\/strong>in their 12-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday.\u00c2\u00a0 The score was 11-2 when Breslow took the mound to start the bottom of the 7th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Perfect Run<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Colorado\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Matt Holliday <\/strong>stole two bases in their 9-4 win over the Padres on Friday.\u00c2\u00a0 This season, Holliday is 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts against San Diego and 17-for-17 in career stolen base attempts against the Padres.<\/p>\n

Work Horse<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Milwaukee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jason Kendall <\/strong>started his 122nd<\/sup> game at catcher this season for the Brewers on Saturday which set a new club record previously held by Darrell Porter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Notable Quotable III<\/u><\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always proud of a walk.\u00c2\u00a0 I love walks.\u00c2\u00a0 That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my motto: \u00c2\u00a0A walk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s as good as a hit.\u00c2\u00a0 And I showed them today.\u00c2\u00a0 You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always have to get a hit.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes a walk will beat a team, too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00c2\u00a0Washington\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Elijah Dukes <\/strong>who walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th<\/sup> to force in the winning run and hand the Nationals a 9-8 win over the Braves on Saturday.<\/p>\n

One\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Not Won<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>The Atlanta Braves lost their 28th<\/sup> consecutive one-run road decision to the Nationals on Saturday.\u00c2\u00a0 The streak dates back to last year and is a Major League record.<\/p>\n

Dazzling Debut I<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>San Diego\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Josh Geer <\/strong>won his Major League debut on Saturday pitching five innings and giving up two runs on five hits and three walks as the Padres downed the Rockies 9-4.<\/p>\n

First Time for Everything<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Cincinnati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bronson Arroyo <\/strong>picked up his 13th<\/sup> win and his first career stolen base in the Reds 9-3 win over the Giants on Sunday.\u00c2\u00a0 When Arroyo arrived at his locker, the base he stole was propped up in his locker.<\/p>\n

A \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No-No\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>The Brewers beat the Pirates 7-0 on Sunday behind a complete game one-hitter by CC Sabathia <\/strong>which raised his National League record to 9-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.43.\u00c2\u00a0 However, the one hit is under dispute because the Milwaukee Brewers disagreed with the official scorer and sent a DVD to the league of the play.<\/p>\n

Still Perfect<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Philadelphia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Brad Lidge <\/strong>saved his 33rd<\/sup> game in 33 tries on Sunday as the Phillies beat the Cubs 5-3.\u00c2\u00a0 Lidge has never blown a save in a Phillies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 uniform.<\/p>\n

Dazzling Debut II<\/u><\/strong>:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Oakland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Aaron Cunningham <\/strong>went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in his Major League debut on Sunday.\u00c2\u00a0 Cunningham was the 10th<\/sup> player to make his debut with the Athletics this season.<\/p>\n

Numbers Game<\/u><\/strong>
\n<\/u><\/strong>20:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Atlanta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Chipper Jones <\/strong>hit his 20th<\/sup> home run on Saturday in their 9-8 loss to the Nationals.\u00c2\u00a0 It was his 14th<\/sup> consecutive season with 20 homers.\u00c2\u00a0 Only Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews<\/strong> started off their careers with 14 consecutive seasons of 20 home runs.
\n82:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>The Tampa Bay Rays won their 82nd<\/sup> game on Friday when they beat the Orioles 14-3.\u00c2\u00a0 The blow-out win guaranteed the Rays their first winning season in franchise history.
\n286:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>Houston\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Lance Berkman <\/strong>finally ended a game with a walk-off homer on Friday.\u00c2\u00a0 Before his 286th<\/sup> career home run gave the Astros a 3-2 win over the Cardinals, Berkman owned the distinction of having the most home runs of any active player without a walk-off home run.
\n535:\u00c2\u00a0 Jim Thome <\/strong>of the White Sox slammed his 535th<\/sup> career home run on Monday in their 4-3 win over the Orioles.\u00c2\u00a0 The home run vaulted him past Jimmie Foxx <\/strong>for 15th<\/sup> on the All-Time Home Run list.
\n536:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>On Sunday, Thome added to his career home run total and moved into a tie for 14th<\/sup> place with Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0
\n1500:\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>St. Louis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Albert Pujols <\/strong>doubled in the third inning of their 8-5 loss to the Astros on Saturday for his 1,500th<\/sup> career hit.\u00c2\u00a0 Pujols went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.<\/p>\n

Grand Slams<\/u><\/strong>
\n<\/u><\/strong>Dustin Pedroia, Boston <\/strong>vs. NY Yankees (8\/27)
\nAramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs <\/strong>vs. Philadelphia (8\/28)
\nEdwin Encarnacion, Cincinnati <\/strong>vs. San Francisco (8\/29)
\nCarlos Beltran, NY Mets <\/strong>vs. Florida (8\/29)
\nBen Zobrist, Tampa Bay <\/strong>vs. Baltimore (8\/29)<\/p>\n

Walk-Off Archive<\/u><\/strong>
\nSingle:\u00c2\u00a0 Chris Coste, Philadelphia <\/strong>vs. NY Mets (8\/26); Yunel Escobar, Atlanta <\/strong>vs. Florida (8\/26); Jason Giambi, NY Yankees <\/strong>vs. Boston (8\/28); Luis Rodriguez, San Diego <\/strong>vs. Colorado (8\/31)
\nDouble:\u00c2\u00a0 Kurt Suzuki, Oakland <\/strong>vs. Minnesota (8\/28); Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay <\/strong>vs. Baltimore (8\/30) <\/strong>
\nTriple:\u00c2\u00a0 None\u00c2\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nHome Run:\u00c2\u00a0 Jody Gerut, San Diego <\/strong>vs. Arizona (8\/25); Adrian Beltre, Seattle <\/strong>vs. Minnesota (8\/25); Lance Berkman, Houston <\/strong>vs. St. Louis (8\/29)
\nWalk:\u00c2\u00a0 Josh Willingham, Florida <\/strong>vs. NY Mets (8\/30); Elijah Dukes, Washington <\/strong>vs. Atlanta (8\/30)
\nError:\u00c2\u00a0 Ryan Sweeney, Oakland <\/strong>vs. Minnesota (8\/30)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Facts, figures and other tidbits from the twenty second week of the \u00e2\u20ac\u212208 major league baseball season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t