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Jay Jaffe writes: Score That E-6: in last week’s column, I booted my calculation of the average rank of the NL Central, dividing the division’s cumulative ranking by five teams instead of six (as one astute reader pointed out). Here is a corrected version of the chart:

            ----2006----    ----2005----
Division    Avg RK   HLF    Avg RK   HLF
AL Central   10.6   .531     14.0   .500
AL East      12.8   .524     14.0   .508
AL West      13.0   .511     12.0   .521
NL West      15.2   .503     24.4   .443
NL East      19.0   .482     13.2   .522
NL Central   20.8   .461     14.8   .508

Also, I claimed that the AL Central had four of the eight top-ranked teams, when in fact it was four of the top 11. Apologies for any confusion this has caused. — jj

Rk Team
Overall W-L
Week W-L
Hit List Factor
Trend
Comment

1


Tigers
66-32
4-2
.630
Up
The Tigers keep cruising along, taking two of three from the second-place White Sox, opening up their lead to 6.5 games. Placido Polanco (.338/.353/.385) and Craig Monroe (.283/.290/.567) are both heating up in July; a good sign considering their early season slumps. Marcus Thames continues to hit for power, although his average (.192; .270 ISO) has fallen in July. Thames is getting hits of another kind in, and they’re helping the Tigers win. Dmitri Young returns from his rehabiliation stint, and the Tigers hope that he gives them the extra bat that they crave. Considering Chris Shelton has slugged under .400 for three consecutive months now, adding an additional bat cannot hurt, even though the Tigers run differential is already an astounding +134. Putting it bluntly, it looks as if the Tigers are as good as the Royals are bad (-134 run differential). Mike Maroth is coming back from surgery sometime in August, which raises a few questions about rotation structure. Polanco was beaned in the head on Sunday, but no word yet what the effects were.

2


Yankees
56-40
3-4
.595
Down
The Yankees remain in second on the Hit List, despite an awful week at the plate by the entire team, excepting Jorge Posada (.391/.391/.696). Alex Rodriguez is once again the center of attention on the team, and as always, not for the positives he brings. The Bombers get some bad news about Octavio Dotel, but there is plenty of positive news on Hideki Matsui. Robinson Cano seems somewhere in between the two, as the last link attests to. Mariano Rivera gives up his first walk-off homerun since the infamous Varitek-Rodriguez brawl of 2004, and Jaret Wright gets pounded in the same game Rodriguez hits career homerun #450 and hit 2,000. By the way, Rodriguez has hit .288/.350/.534 during his “slump” this month. Rumor has it that the Yankees will never rank first on the Hit List as long as Sidney Ponson is on the roster.

3


Red Sox
59-38
5-2
.587
Down
Manny Ramirez (.360/.379/.680), Kevin Youkilis (.364/.481/.500) and Jason Varitek (.312/.353/.875) led the offense the past week, while Coco Crisp and Trot Nixon continue to struggle. Crisp has only hit .251/.310/.372 since his return from injury in May, while Nixon is homerless since June 9; he’s hit .271/.350/.339 since that date, and .176/.222/.176 for the week. Luckily, Wily Mo Pena returns from his rehab assignment and immediately makes his presence felt with a few hits. Willie Harris is DFA’d, and Tim Wakefield will miss around a month with a stress fracture in his rib. Paging David Wells…Luckily for the Sox, Kason Gabbard threw a fine major league debut, which brings the Sox closer to their true goal of never using Jason Johnson again. Jon Lester‘s last start was not particularly encouraging though.

4


White Sox
59-38
2-4
.586
Down
The White Sox are looking a little pale after dropping 2 of 3 to first place Detroit. I’d like to think its karma for Ozzie Guillen’s shenanigans before and during the All-Star game, but it could have more to do with only having three useful hitters during the past week. Joe Crede (.286/.318/.762), Jermaine Dye (.350/.458/.500), and Juan Uribe (.375/.412/.625) were the entire team’s offense, with everyone else contributing a line of .159/.229/.304. Cliff Pollitte (8.70 ERA in 30 IP) gets his release. Jose Contreras and Jon Garland (1.17 ERA in 23 IP) have been the only two useful ChiSox starters all month, although Contreras has been somewhat lucky considering his peripherals, with a 4.39 K/9 and 3.04 BB/9. This does not seem like the time for Kenny Williams to be supposedly shopping a starter, although Brandon McCarthy could improve the rotation by replacing Freddy Garcia. There are also whispers that Williams could acquire Alfonso Soriano; knowing the secretive nature of the team’s transactions in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled it off.

5


Blue Jays
55-43
4-3
.577
Up
First things first: Who would win in a fight, John Gibbons or Shea Hillenbrand? It’s not every week you get to ask a question like that, which is a good thing. Hillenbrand was dealt for Jeremy Accardo along with Vinny Chulk, a nifty pickup considering their bargaining position after a DFA. The Jays quickly recovered with their post-Shea life, taking 3 of 4 from New York, including a Sunday blowout with five homeruns. A.J. Burnett has been nothing short of exceptional since his return from the DL, with a 3.14 ERA and over 8 K/9 to go along with impressive control the past week. Somehow, Roy Halladay has been even better: 2.54 ERA and a 3.20 K/BB this month. Halladay has walked 36 batters in his past 39 starts combined; that’s a BB/9 of 1.14 for those keeping score at home. They’ll need a healthy Troy Glaus and a working 2B/SS combination if they plan on spoiling the Wild Card party though.

6


Mets
59-39
4-2
.575
Flat
The class of the National League, probably even without Pedro Martinez in the rotation. Well, at least when Jose Lima won’t be his replacement. Rumor has it that Bobby Abreu could be sent packing to Shea in exchange for Lastings Milledge, but it might be more likely Milledge is dealt for pitching. Kevin Goldstein talks about yet another Mets’ pitching prospect. It’s amazing the system has brought as many guys up this year as it has, considering all the deals in the winter. Imagine this lineup with Abreu in it. Scary, eh? Who wants to replace Xavier Nady though? Besides having the great nickname of “X”, he hit .351/.421/.824 the past week, along with a game-winning homer. John Maine threw a complete-game shutout, filling in for Orlando Hernandez. It looks as if the rotation is coming together after all.

7


Twins
56-41
6-1
.547
Up
All of a sudden, the Twins entering the playoff race does not look like a dream. With the White Sox and Yankees slumping, the Wild Card is in their sights; 3 games out, and over 60 games left to play. Joe Mauer (.333/.449/.509) and Justin Morneau (.386/.416/.657) have been the obvious studs in July, but the rest of the team has chipped in: Rondell White has hit .448/.500/.862 since his return from the minors, and Nick Punto has given the lineup quite the boost himself. Johan Santana has been his regular spectacular self, and oh yeah, Francisco Liriano is a beast. 11.5 K/9, 4.30 K/BB and a 1.34 ERA in the month of July, including a 10 strikeout performance in five innings against the Tribe on Sunday. Carlos Silva struggles once again, giving up 20 runs in 16.3 IP so far this month, and Scott Baker pitched almost as poorly in his starts. Joe Nathan has not given up a run in July yet, and has a 14.6 K/9 to go along with a K/BB of 13.0.

8


Rangers
51-48
4-3
.536
Up
The Rangers are ten spots ahead of the Athletics in this week’s Hit List, but still remain half a game back in the standings. Getting Adam Eaton back in the rotation should certainly help things, and he’ll start Tuesday against the Yanks. He’ll replace one of the John’s, whether it be Koronko, Rheinecker or Wasdin. Also in that article, Mark DeRosa has finally accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify as a league leader, although maintaining his production is still a debate. Now that’s interesting. Mike Young (.345/.387/.517), Kevin Mench (.500/.519/.692) and Gerald Laird (.545/.545/.727) carried the offense this week, which is fortunate since the rest of the team hit .176/.255/.259. Mark Teixeira‘s power might finally be coming around, as he has slugged .537 with 13.4 AB/HR in July.

9


Cardinals
56-41
4-2
.540
Flat
After falling all the way to 15 in the Hit List a few weeks back, the Cardinals have worked their way back into the top 10. Jim Edmondsresurgence has certainly helped the Red Birds regain their ranking; Edmonds hit .263/.333/.895 for the week. Albert Pujols has hit .361/.448/.648 since returning from his oblique injury, but “only” .316/.458/.526 this week. Jeff Weaver‘s second start in Cardinal red was more successful than the first; he only struck out one batter and walked two, but did not give up a homerun in 5.7 innings. Jason Marquis, the league leader for the National League in wins, is second to last in the majors among ERA qualifiers. No word yet on Roger Clemens renegotiating his contract to require Marquis’ run support.

10


Indians
43-54
2-4
.524
Down
Even with their 43-54 record, the Indians have a run differential of +35. This is largely due to their seven victories of 10 runs or more against only two defeats of that nature, not to mention all of the games they won by 7-9 runs or more. They have looked the part of both the best team in the league, and the worst, and that just won’t fly in this year’s AL Central. Mark Shapiro knows the jig is up, and he continues to deal veterans for prospects. Of course, why stop there? Regardless of whether there is a market for Aaron Boone, it’s time to bring up Andy Marte to give him the David Wright 2004 treatment. Mike Adams is also dealt, and Fausto Carmona takes over as the closer. Travis Hafner is hitting .314/.423/.635 against lefties, and .304/.449/.639 against right-handers. Did I mention Pronk is a lefty himself? He leads the league in homers against southpaws.

11


50-48
4-3
.523
Down
After coming back from the dead and inching closer to taking over the division, the Angels split a series with the lowly Royals. The next few weeks they have to face Boston, Oakland and Texas; certainly one of their more significant stretches of the season. Jered Weaver won Sunday to remain undefeated, and become the first rookie since to win his first seven starts. since Fernandomania. Vladimir Guerrero finally looks like the hitter the Angels need, hitting .397/.451/.616 in July after a .293/.329/.493 April through June. Maicer Izturis was the only standout offensive player in the past week, with his .407/.429/.667 line. The rest of the team hit .252/.328/.395, and the Halos were a sad 6 for 12 on the basepaths. The rotation was not particulary strong this week either, with Weaver, Bartolo Colon, Joe Saunders and John Lackey all having poor starts. It didn’t necessarily hurt them in the standings, but if the rotation starts to falter, the Angels won’t be in this thing long. Brandon Wood is hitting .261/.376/.536 in July, but he is striking out in 28 percent of his plate appearances with a .373 BABIP on the season. Trade bait, or learning curve?

12


Padres
51-47
3-4
.515
Down
The Friars had a scare over the weekend, falling into second place behind the surging Giants, but quickly climbed back into first with an extra-inning victory Sunday. Releasing Vinny Castilla was a long overdue move, and the Padres will get by with Mark Bellhorn — .221/.333/.453 in Petco, as opposed to Castilla’s .176/.209/.244 — unless they snag a new third basemen at the deadline. Chris Young is expected to start Monday night, and Will Carroll has some news on Jake Peavy‘s shoulder problems. Adrian Gonzalez was a demi-god at the plate this week, destroying the ball with a .607/.645/.964. His season line is quite deceiving: AGon has hit .339/.373/.609 since May 12, and .382/.420/.724 in July. He’s even hitting .357/.368/.591 at Petco since May 12. He’s also earned 7 FRAA. Here’s some nifty analysis of Peavy’s hard-luck season, and the Padres acquire Scott Williamson to shore up their bullpen.

13


Reds
52-47
3-3
.507
Up
The Adam Dunn quote within this link is a necessary read. Ryan Freel thanked the Reds for his newfound playing time by smacking two homers against the Brew Crew.In the week after “the trade”, the Reds went 3-3, and spoiled Bronson Arroyo‘s efforts for his 10th victory yet again, with bullpen stabilizer Gary Majewski shouldering the blame. Arroyo has been outstanding this season; he’s second in the league in SNLVAR behind only Brandon Webb, and lefties aren’t teeing off on him like they did last year, although they are still a problem (.294/.338/.484 against LHB, .199/.238/.299 against RHB). His numbers are actually very consistent with his 2003-2005 road numbers with the Red Sox, although he seems to be more of an ace at home this year. Have to love bargain shopping.

14


Dodgers
47-52
1-6
.502
Down
The Dodgers had about as awful a week as you can, dropping 6 of 7, falling in Hit List, and watching the Giants surge past them in the standings. Thanks to hyperbaric chambers, J.D. Drew started Sunday’s game after taking a ball off his knee. last week. No one hit especially well, although Russell Martin‘s .318/.348/.455 and Jose Cruz‘s .286/.375/.429 aren’t bad. As a team, the Dodgers line was .225/.290/.313 with zero homeruns. They were also only 4/7 on the basepaths and grounded into 10 double plays, so it isn’t difficult to picture a 1-6 record on the week. Mark Hendrickson is now 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA, 4.3 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and around 1.2 HR/9 with the Dodgers. Justin Ruggiano was sent to the Devil Rays as thanks for this display of mediocrity. The Rays should try to sneak one more veteran player into the Dodger camp before the deadline, after all, rumor has it Joel Guzman is available in the right deal. Plus, who doesn’t love a hat trick?

15


Giants
51-48
5-2
.501
Up
After an early week surge, the Giants acquired Shea Hillenbrand from the Jays in exchange for Jeremy Accardo. Making an already weak bullpen weaker in favor of “upgrading” over Mark Sweeney (.260 EqA and climbing after a dip in June) seems a bit odd, but maybe Hillenbrand will do well back in the NL with a chip on his shoulder, and the Giants don’t want to chance playing Lance Niekro (-5.4 VORP) anymore than they have to. Hey, he didn’t get indicted. Bonds did injure his knee in the same game though. The offense was clicking, hitting .284/.347/.444 with 25 extra-base hits and an 88% success rate stealing. Jason Schmidt (6.75 ERA) and Matt Morris (7.71 ERA) struggled in their starts, but Matt Cain (2.08 ERA, 5.19 K/9, 8.7 IP) and Noah Lowry (3.24 ERA, 6.48 K/9, 8.3 IP) were there to pick up the pieces. They will need better work from their bullpen if they expect to keep pace with San Diego for the rest of the year, but the rotation and lineup look ready to go for the most part.

16


Diamondbacks
50-48
5-2
.499
Up
The D’backs jump from 20th to 16th this week, and improve on their run differential by +16 runs to get much closer to pulling even. A 5-2 week puts them back into the race and ahead of the Dodgers by 3.5 games. Orlando Hudson (.407/.448/.630), Stephen Drew (.385/.429/.654), Luis Gonzalez (.458/.519/.833) and Jeff DaVanon (.368/.400/.579) led the offensive surge, and recently called up Carlos Quentin slugged .444/.500/1.033 with two dingers in his first four games. The Snakes hit .320/.373/.529 as a team this week; considering Juan Cruz was the only ineffective starter for the week, it’s no wonder the D’backs week went well. Brandon Webb threw 8 innings, only giving up 2 runs, and Miguel Batista threw a complete game shutout. Injecting talented youth alongside useful veterans players is a strategy that might get the Snakes into the playoffs this year, especially if they can regain their early season success.

17


Braves
46-51
3-2
.498
Up
Even though the Braves are still clawing their way back into the Wild Card race, they made a deal for Bob Wickman a good ways before the deadline to shore up their bullpen. Andruw Jones says the Braves are still the team to beat out east, although the massive gap in the standings might convince many otherwise. It’s hard to believe the Braves went 3-2 on the week when they hit .309/.343/.617 as a team, with even young Jeffrey Francoeur chipping in positively (.333/.364/.762). Frenchy is hitting .329/.364/.575 for the month, which has helped him raise his EqA all the way to .242; considering he was well below replacement level in June, that’s quite an accomplishment. If you’re wondering why the Braves didn’t sweep the week, take a look at the pitching performances.

18


Athletics
51-47
3-3
.491
Up
Considering Bobby Crosby’s recent injury Considering Bobby Crosby‘s recent injury troubles and hitting woes — as well as the offensive issues of the team as a whole — it’s a wonder the Athletics are still in first place out west. This of course reflects in their poor Hit List ranking. Milton Bradley (.455/.486/.697) and Bobby Kielty (.316/.350/.526) have had the most productive July’s, but they have had the least playing time among regulars. As a unit, the A’s are hitting a paltry .230/.302/.361 for the month of July; about the only thing they are doing properly is stealing bases (8/9), oddly enough. It’ll be interesting to see if Billy Beane does in fact trade Barry Zito before the trade deadline; word is he’d want a pitcher in return to step in, although “not necessarily in that deal.” With Rich Harden going to get a second opinion on his injury, the A’s might need to keep Zito after all. See if you can read between the lines in this Beane interview.

19


Rockies
46-51
2-4
.490
Down
The Rockies bullpen has been falling apart lately, although there weren’t many leads to uphold this week with Aaron Cook (5 runs in 4.7 IP), Jason Jennings (6 runs in 6 IP), and Byung-Hyun Kim (10 runs in 11 IP) all struggling in their starts. Clint Barmes (.417/.481/.625), Garrett Atkins (.409/.519/.919), and Choo Freeman .500/.588/.714) powered the offense, or better yet, were the offense, this past week. The rest of the Rox limped along at a .188/.253/.315 clip; 2-4 records are what happens when only three players on the roster show any life in a week’s games. Apparently five teams are pursuing slugger Ryan Shealy, who was called up this week to showcase his bat. The only other rumored deal in the works is Ray King for another struggling reliever, such as Boston’s Julian Tavarez.

20


Mariners
47-51
3-3
.490
Flat
The Red Sox threw two lefty starters at a team who struggles against them (.254/.317/.375 as a team), and the Mariners answered the challenge by handing the Sox their only defeats of the week. They still split the week even, going 3-3. Adrian Beltre (.308/.333/.538) and Richie Sexson .292/.346/.667) led the offense, with Ichiro! and his .370 average the only other consistent support. Even with those three quality performances, the Mariners only managed a .283/.336/.392 line as a team. An interesting look at what might be helping Gil Meche rebound this season. Jamie Moyer had one of the worst starts of his career Friday, giving up five homeruns without striking out any Sox in 4.7 IP. Felix Hernandez was on the winning end of a quality start on Saturday though, which is a good sign against a tough Sox lineup…even if he had a little help from an umpire. Jarrod Washburn looked awful on Sunday though, unable to take advantage of opposing starter Jon Lester‘s shakiness.

21


Marlins
45-52
5-2
.478
Up
Joe Girardi thinks a trade by the Marlins is unlikely, which basically means they should be keeping Dontrelle Willis on the roster, and saving their playoff push for 2007 and beyond. Even with their fantastic young lineup and potentially even better rotation, the Marlins aren’t quite ready, and the Braves look to be attempting a push of their own anyways. Jeremy Hermida led the offense with a .400/.444/.600 week, with Miguel Cabrera chipping in at .391/.500/.435. Outside of that, the team was relatively quiet offensively. Anibal Sanchez threw seven shutout innings, Joshua Johnson struck out 6 in 7 IP while only letting up 2 runs, Scott Olsen gave up an unearned run in his 6.7 innings, and Ricky Nolasco pitched wonderfully, throwing 14.3 innings while only allowing a single run and striking out 11. Best rotation in the National League? It’s certainly reached the point where you can argue for it, now that Moehler has disapeared.

22


Astros
47-52
2-4
.462
Down
Aubrey Huff quickly realized his mistake of being a productive hitter in Houston, and reverted to a .238/.333/.333 line for the week. He fits in much easier that way, especially when the ‘Stros churn out .222/.287/.347 lines as a team. Lance Berkman probably had the most productive week of any Astros hitter, coming in at .211/.348/.421. The rotation’s Run Average was 6.45 this week, and that’s with Roger Clemens throwing six shutout innings, and actually earning a win for a change. The win also moved him into eighth-place all-time on the wins list. The Astros still have this week to decide if they’re contenders or not, although you’d think that with Clemens on board one last time (again) that they may be serious in their push for Miguel Tejada. Considering Adam Everett is the best defensive shortstop on the planet, it seems like an odd spot for an upgrade, although Miggy is a good place to start.

23


Brewers
47-52
2-4
.455
Flat
The Brewers have only a week’s worth of games left to decide if they are really in this thing or not. With Alfonso Soriano on the move/moved by the time this publishes, Carlos Lee would be the next in line for acquisition by a contender, considering the high asking-price for Bobby Abreu. Even with the injuries they have had, they’ve performed better than their -69 run differential leads you to believe, which means there isn’t a more productive team lurking underneath the surface. Losing J.J. Hardy for the season isn’t going to help things, especially when Corey Koskie‘s return date is unknown. Ben Sheets has looked good in his rehab starts, and the Brewers are suddenly without a useful closer. If you need more proof, check out this WPA graph. What’s the going rate on Carlos Lee’s nowadays anyways?

24


Phillies
44-51
2-3
.454
Flat
The Phillies continue to underachieve, and the Bobby Abreu rumors start to come in with a little more frequency. Ed Wade continues to haunt Phillies fans, even from his scouting job with the Padres. The Phillies have actually found a new and interesting way to screw up their record. You get the sense that the Phillies are either going to move everyone at the deadline, or they’re going to sit on all of their chips and continue to disapoint. But hey, not everything’s bad news; Randy Wolf is set to return on July 30. Cole Hamels pitched well this month, although he is giving up too many homeruns (1.42 HR/9 in July). Otherwise, it’s tough to complain about 10.7 K/9 and a K/BB of 3.0. The offense meshed well, putting together a .313/.379/.489 week, but the pitching allowed the opponents to be just as good at .284/.341/.562; an ERA of 6.70 will spoil a week for anyone.

25


Nationals
43-56
4-2
.441
Up
The paperwork for the Nationals sale was finalized Friday night, and the sale was completed on Monday afternoon. Just before that, we had a lesson in high baseball comedy. Ok, so not everyone thought it was funny. Opponents hit .254/.300/.447 off of Nats’ pitchers for the week, with the offense doing their part as well at a .268/.359/.469 clip. Alfonso Soriano helped his trade value out immensely with a monster Saturday afternoon, and has now hit .391/.488/.884 for the month. Livan Hernandez helped his value out somewhat within the same game, but there is nowhere near as much interest in him yet.

26


Orioles
45-55
2-4
.437
Down
That Erik Bedard is something special, huh? Daniel Cabrera still had no control in his first minor league start with the Ottawa Lynx, walking 3 while only striking out 4 in 6.7 innings. Miguel Tejada continues to be the subject of trade rumors, but Peter Angelos says he doesn’t want to deal him. Nick Markakis has hit .346/.386/.462 in July, and .342/.395/.427 since June 1. He still has no homerun power, but he’s one of the top defensive left fielders in the league according to Zone Rating. Russ Ortiz was demoted from the rotation (what a twist!)

27


Devil Rays
41-58
2-5
.409
Down
The Rays hit a paltry .243/.301/.464, and the pitching staff let up a .373/.430/.531 performance from the opponents. That’s the stuff 2-5 weeks are made of I suppose. The worst part of all of that is that Scott Kazmir pitched 13 innings and only gave up 6 runs, meaning the rest of the team was even worse than advertised in the cumulative line. Certainly a brutal week for the pitching staff. Trade bait Julio Lugo performed well enough, coming in at .308/.333/.654 in six games, and new catcher Dioner Navarro hit .429/.500/.643. Want to learn more about the man who makes a living out of trading for Dodger prospects like Navarro? Rocco Baldelli has slowed down after a ridiculously hot start on his return from injury, and has settled in at .289/.331/.450; he’s only hitting .219/.237/.233 for July after .355/.417/.658 in June.

28


Cubs
37-60
2-4
.405
Down
The Cubs have placed Derrek Lee back on the disabled list, after he hit only .227/.326/.320 since returning June 25. Rumor has it the Reds want that kind of production at shortstop, and are trying to put together a deal for Neifi! and the injured Lee. As for the rest of the Cubs, they hit (?) .230/.270/.435, and struggled mightily against lefties (.195/.236/.354). Mark Prior made another return to the mound, and started the night off with a hit batsmen, a walk, and two wild pitches. 4 runs, 3.3 innings. No reports of physical pain from Prior after the game. Dusty Baker was supposed to be a guest on Stephen A. Smith’s show, but declined after an interesting e-mail turned up online. The Cubs have managed to raise their team EqA above the replacement level, but at .246, it still isn’t exactly inspiring.

29


Pirates
35-65
3-4
.395
Down
The Giants trade for Shea Hillenbrand was sad news for Pirates fans, who would’ve liked to unload Sean Casey. isn’t the only one complaining about the way the Pirates roster was built. You know, outside of the legions of Pirates fans building anti-management websites anyways. Interestingly enough, Jack Wilson was the only Pirates hitter with some pop this week; .345/.387/.517 for Wilson, .237/.315/.341 for the Bucs as a whole. The pittching wasn’t any better, allowing opponents to hit .281/.360/.472. Kip Wells (4 R in 12.7 IP) pitched effectively, but the rest of the staff had a Run Average over six. The Bucs would like to move Jeromy Burnitz, but his replacement level EqA isn’t exactly a thrilling investment.

30


Royals
34-64
2-5
.371
Up
This has to be one of the best matchups of the season, for obvious reasons. The Royals were swept by the Red Sox, falling in two straight 1-0 contests,, but then split a four game series with the surging Angels. The Royals also picked up two low-level minor league pitchers in exchange for Mike MacDougal; it’ll be interesting to see who and how much the Royals unload with the deadline approaching. Reggie Sanders might not be heading anywhere, thanks to a visit to the disabled list. I’d just like to announce that Angel Berroa has been worth around 30 runs below average this season (-19 BRAA, -10 runs above average according to Zone Rating), and has a VORP of -7.5. Esteban German is hitting .331/.429/.396, and cannot possibly be worse defensively than Angel Berroa. Not to mention he’s listed as a DH who slugs under .400, which is ineffieciency considering Matt Stairs is still a Royal; why is Berroa still on the roster?

The Prospectus Hit List rankings are derived from Won-Loss records and several measurements pertaining to run differentials, both actual and adjusted, from Baseball Prospectus Adjusted Standings through the close of play on every Sunday.

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