Mike Piazza officially announced his retirement; I thought he would have held out a little longer to see if an AL team would need a DH for the stretch. Piazza will go down as one of the greatest hitting catchers ever – but his defense left a lot to be desired.
We also have a few double digit scores, Pedro retirment talk, and Yankee GM info.
Scores
STL 2 SD 3
CHN 2 HOU 4
NYN 1 ATL 6
MIL 7 PIT 2
ARI 2 FLA 3
PHI 1 WAS 0
NYN 2 ATL 6
SF 6 COL 5
CIN 1 LAN 4
TB 3 OAK 2
KC 1 BOS 2
SEA 8 DET 12
BAL 12 NYA 2
LAA 3 TOR 1
TEX 2 MIN 11
CLE 1 CHA 4
Transactions
Boston Red Sox
Julian Tavarez outrighted to the minors; Justin Masterson called up from the minors.
Chicago Cubs
Jason Dubois signed to a minor league contract; Jose Ascanio called up from the minors; Chad Fox placed on the DL (15-day, ulnar neuritis in right arm).
Cleveland Indians
Joe Borowski sent to the minors for rehabilitation; Jason Tyner outrighted to the minors.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Esteban Loaiza sent to the minors for rehabilitation; Jason Schmidt transferred to the 60-Day DL; Gary Bennett placed on the DL (15-day, plantar fasciitis in left foot); Danny Ardoin purchased from the minors.
New York Yankees
Alex Rodriguez removed from the DL; Chris Britton sent to the minors.
Oakland Athletics
Lenny DiNardo called up from the minors; Andrew Brown placed on the DL (15-day, appendectomy); Mike Piazza retired.
San Diego Padres
Justin Hampson sent to the minors for rehabilitation; Jake Peavy placed on the DL (15-day, strained right elbow); Joe Thatcher called up from the minors.
Toronto Blue Jays
David Eckstein sent to the minors for rehabilitation.
Washington Nationals
Chris Schroder called up from the minors; Ronnie Belliard placed on the DL (15-day, strained left calf).
Daily Rumors from MLB Trade Rumors
– Potential players available from the Padres: Maddux, Giles, Wolf, Greene, Iguchi, Clark, Estes, Barrett.
– The Phillies could deal Shane Victorino for pitching.
– Scott Hatteberg and one of the catchers are expected to be dealt by the Reds before Griffey or Dunn.
– Paul Byrd could draw interest from the Brewers, Braves or Astros if the Indians decide to deal him.
– Pedro Martinez won’t rule out retirement when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
– The Rockies still have interest in Julian Tavarez; he accepted his assignment to the minors so a trade could be worked out.
– Hank Steinbrenner said the GM job is Cashman’s if he wants it.
– The Royals are leaning towards a bat in the draft.
– The Pirates will likely draft Pedro Alvarez if the Rays don’t take him.
– College pitching is the target for the Cardinals at 13.
– Mike Piazza decided to finally hang it up.
Around the Web
Injury Report
Top Prospect Alert’s Top MiLB Performances.
BA Prospect Blog
All Star Voting
Today’s Matchups
San Francisco at Colorado, 3:05
Sanchez (2-3) vs Jimenez (1-4)
Tampa Bay at Oakland, 3:35
Sonnanstine (6-1) vs Eveland (3-3)
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 7:05
Sheets (4-1) vs Snell (2-2)
Kansas City at Boston, 7:05
Tomko (2-4) vs Colon (0-0)
Seattle at Detroit, 7:05
Washburn (2-5) vs Rogers (3-4)
Baltimore at New York (A), 7:05
Olson (3-0) vs Rasner (2-0)
Los Angeles (A) at Toronto, 7:07
Garland (4-3) vs Marcum (4-2)
Arizona at Florida, 7:10
Webb (9-0) vs Nolasco (2-3)
New York (N) at Atlanta, 7:10
Pelfrey (2-4) vs Jurrjens (4-3)
Philadelphia at Washington, 7:10
Moyer (3-3) vs Chico (0-5)
Chicago (N) at Houston, 8:05
Gallagher (1-0) vs Chacon (0-0)
Texas at Minnesota, 8:10
Ponson (2-0) vs Blackburn (4-2)
Cleveland at Chicago (A), 8:11
Byrd (2-3) vs Vazquez (4-3)
St. Louis at San Diego, 10:05
Looper (5-3) vs Young (4-3)
Cincinnati at Los Angeles (N), 10:10
Cueto (2-4) vs Kuroda (1-3)
