POWER
RANKINGS
1. TIGERS:
Losing Mike Maroth to elbow surgery
is a mjor blow. Last week (1)
2. CARDINALS:
Pujols lands on the DL with strained
right oblique muscle. (3)
3. WHITE SOX:
Ozzie Guillen says Sox haven't
played "good ball" yet. (2)
4. METS: Rookie
Lastings Milledge makes a big
initial impact. (4)
5. RED SOX: Wily
Mo Pena will miss two months after
wrist surgery. (6)
6. DIAMONDBACKS:
Turning to Jorge Julio as closer.
(10)
7. YANKEES:
Injuries becoming a big concern. (5)
8. BLUE JAYS:
Jays having trouble finishing off
series sweeps. (7)
9. PADRES:
Starter Jake Peavy has a sore
shoulder. (11)
10. REDS: Wheels
starting to wobble on the Big Red
Machine. (8)
11. DODGERS: Eight
rookies on 25-man roster. (12)
12. BRAVES:
Hanging close with strong starting
pitching. (14)
13. PHILLIES: Hope
to add starting pitching soon. (9)
14. RANGERS: Phil
Nevin experiment officially a
failure. (15)
15. ROCKIES:
Nine-game homestand started this
weekend. (16)
16. ASTROS: Roger to the rescue? (17)
17. BREWERS:
Pitching starting to fall apart.
(13)
18. ATHLETICS:
Rich Harden ready to return to
rotation. (18)
19. INDIANS: Took
three of four from defending
champion White Sox. (19)
20. GIANTS:
Finally, Barry gets his record. (20)
21. ORIOLES: Are
there problems looming in the
clubhouse? (21)
22. TWINS: Boof
Bonser pitched well in a loss to
Oakland. (24)
23. ANGELS: This
might just be a bad team. (25)
24. DEVIL RAYS:
Bullpen is a disaster. (26)
25. CUBS: Phil
Nevin to the rescue, not quite the
answer to North Siders struggles.
(22)
26. MARINERS: Had
17 singles in a win against Rangers.
(23)
27. NATIONALS: 3B
Ryan Zimmerman is someone to build
with. (27)
28. MARLINS: Just
finished 6-3 homestand. (29
29. PIRATES: Kip
Wells closer to returning. (28)
30. ROYALS:
Helpless and hopeless. (30)
FANTASY
CORNER
COLE HAMELS, Phillies:
After saying he heard two pops in
his left shoulder while playing
catch, the Phillies' rookie landed
on the DL, but tests were negative.
Hamel made a rehab start last week
and reports were good. He was
eligible to come off the DL
Saturday.
TROY GLAUS, Blue Jays:
If you happen to be in one of those
leagues where a player only needs to
play one game to qualify at a
position, the Blue Jays' slugging
third baseman played a game at
shortstop in a recent stretch where
Toronto played five different
shortstops in five games. Glaus has
17 homers and 45 RBIs this season,
pretty stout power numbers for a
middle infielder.
AMBIORIX BURGOS, Royals:
Now that the Elmer Dessens as closer
experiment has failed, Burgos is
back in that role. But beware.
Yes, he picked up back-to-back saves
this week, but he has a 7.09 ERA,
and it's not like the Royals are
going to give him many save
opportunities.
AL EXTRA
BASES
Boston made a serious run at signing
Roger Clemens for a farewell
tour at Fenway Park. The Sox played
on sentiment, offering a one-year
worth $21,000,021 to Clemens, who
wore No. 21 for the Red Sox from
1984-96. Houston, where Clemens
signed, was too smart for that and
offered $22,000,022 because Clemens
wears No. 22 in Houston. Agent Randy
Hendricks quipped, "It was too bad
Roger didn't wear [No.] 27 as a Red
Sox." … The Anaheim City Council
voted to appeal its defeat in its
lawsuit against the Angels over the
name change to the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim. The city may be
on the hook for the $7 million the
Angels had to spend to defend the
lawsuit. That decision is pending.
The city already has spent $3.8
million in taxpayer funds to fight
the battle.
NL EXTRA BASES
Longtime Cincinnati Reds announcer
Joe Nuxhall was hospitalized
for treatment of double pneumonia
and throat cancer. Nuxhall holds a
record that will never be broken -
he is the youngest player to appear
in a big-league game, breaking in
with the Reds in 1944 at age 15. ...
Luis Gonzalez of Arizona just
completed his first homerless full
month since August, 1997. He was
with Houston then. The power drop
could come at a better time, since
Gonzalez almost certainly will
become a free agent after this
season. There is a mutual $10
million option in his contract,
which the Diamondbacks almost
certainly will not exercise. … The
career for Washington Nationals
reliever Joey Eischen is in jeopardy following a tear in his left
rotator cuff. Eischen, 36, will be
out for at least a year. … The
Phillies will try to get involved in
trade talks with the Marlins if
Dontrelle Willis becomes
available.
