2006 NL West Standings: SD Clinches 1st, LA Clinches Wild Card

 September 27, 2006

   The San Diego Padres clinched 1st place in the NL West tonight with a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Though they are the winningest team in the NL (99 Wins), the Padres are the last to clinch a Division title. That's because of the outstanding Los Angeles Dodger team chasing them all season. The Dodgers (94-64) have clinched the NL Wild Card berth.

SAN DIEGO AT ST. LOUIS
Padres.......... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 3 1  -  4  9  2
Cardinals....... 0 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 0  -  1  4  0
Win:Meredith(3-1) Loss:Isringhausen(1-5) Save:Hoffman(50th)
Homeruns- T.Sledge(1st), R.Branyan(10th)
 
Second baseman Todd Walker had 2 base hits as the San Diego Padres beat the
St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 4 to 1.
 
San Diego came through with the game-winning runs in the top of the 8th inning
with 3 runs.  Walker kicked off the action when he drew a walk.  After an out
was recorded, Adam Wainwright then uncorked a wild pitch.  One out later,
Mike Cameron then drew a walk.  Russell Branyan followed and he belted a
three-run homer.  For the game San Diego out-hit St. Louis 9 to 4.  
 
The victory was credited to Cla Meredith(3-1) who went 2 innings, allowing no
runs. Trevor Hoffman recorded the save, his 50th.  Jason Isringhausen(1-5)
was charged with the loss in relief.  He gave up 2 runs and 1 hit in 2/3 of
an inning.  

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL West                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 San Diego SDN           99  59  .627 ----  *WON*   85  73 .538   88  74 .543
2006 Los Angeles(NL) LAN     94  64  .595  5.0          84  74 .532   88  74 .543
2006 Arizona ARN             84  74  .532 15.0          75  83 .475   76  86 .469
2006 Colorado CON            75  83  .475 24.0          74  84 .468   76  86 .469
2006 San Francisco SFN       70  88  .443 29.0          76  82 .481   76  85 .472

NL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Los Angeles(NL) LAN     94  64  .595 ----  *WON* 
2006 Arizona ARN             84  74  .532 10.0        
2006 Philadelphia PHN        83  75  .525 11.0        
2006 Atlanta ATN             83  75  .525 11.0        
2006 St. Louis SLN           76  81  .484 17.5        
2006 Colorado CON            75  83  .475 19.0        
2006 Cincinnati CIN          75  83  .475 19.0        

2006 AL League Leaders

 September 27, 2006

  Here are the AL League Leaders with less than a week of play in the 2006 regular season. Boston's David Ortiz (52 HR, 127 RBI), LA's Vlad Guerrero (48, 140), Chicago's Jim Thome (51, 127) and Jeremy Dye (49, 127) are in the top 4 of the AL HR and RBI leaders. NY's Robinson Cano (.364 BA) is in a tight race with Minnesota's Joe Maur (.357) for the batting title. Minnesota's Johann Santana (24-7, 2.87 ERA, 259 K's) has been the top pitcher in the AL. NY's Mariano Rivera (43 Saves) heads a list of the top closers. 

NEWSPAPER STYLE RECAP FOR 2006 American League                 Date: 9/27/2006
 
TEAM     WON LOST   BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
2006 NYA 102  55    R.Cano    NYA .364  D.Ortiz   BOA   52  V.Guerrer LAA  140
2006 TOA  82  75    J.Mauer   MNA .357  J.Thome   CHA   51  D.Ortiz   BOA  127
2006 BOA  75  83    M.Tejada  BAA .348  J.Dye     CHA   49  J.Dye     CHA  127
2006 BAA  71  86    M.Grudzie KCA .348  V.Guerrer LAA   48  J.Thome   CHA  127
2006 TBA  63  94    D.Jeter   NYA .344  OTHERS TIED W   42  A.Rodrigu NYA  126
 
2006 DEA  92  65    WINS                SAVES               ERA
2006 MNA  91  66    J.Santana MNA   24  M.Rivera  NYA   43  C.Sabathi CLA 2.70
2006 CHA  90  68    R.Hallada TOA   22  J.Nathan  MNA   42  J.Santana MNA 2.87
2006 CLA  68  89    K.Rogers  DEA   20  B.Jenks   CHA   41  R.Hallada TOA 2.90
2006 KCA  60  97    R.Johnson NYA   20  B.Ryan    TOA   40  J.Lackey  LAA 3.24
                    J.Bonderm DEA   18  J.Putz    SEA   38  J.Verland DEA 3.53
2006 LAA  85  72
2006 SEA  78  80    CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
2006 OAA  75  82    I.Rodrigu DEA   17  C.Crawfor TBA   53  J.Santana MNA  259
2006 TEA  71  87    C.Gomez   BAA   16  C.Figgins LAA   48  J.Bonderm DEA  229
                    N.Markaki BAA   15  S.Podsedn CHA   41  R.Johnson NYA  210
                    B.Kielty  OAA   15  I.Suzuki  SEA   41  J.Lackey  LAA  191
                    B.Broussa SEA   14  D.Jeter   NYA   36  F.Liriano MNA  183

2006 NL League Leaders

 September 27, 2006

  Here are the league leaders in the NL as the season comes down to its final few games. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard is on the verge of hitting a landmark 70 HR on the season. He's way ahead in RBI (173) too. Florida's Miguel Cabrera (.369 BA) is poised to win the batting title. St. Louis Cardinal Chris Carpenter (22-4, 2.13 ERA, 204 K's) has been the top pitcher in the NL this season, but Houston's Roy Oswald (19-3, 2.08 ER) isn't far behind. NL relievers have been racking up the Saves this season with San Diego's Trevor Hoffman (49 S) leading the way.

NEWSPAPER STYLE RECAP FOR 2006 National League                 Date: 9/27/2006
 
TEAM     WON LOST   BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
2006 NYN  95  62    M.Cabrera FLN .369  R.Howard  PHN   68  R.Howard  PHN  173
2006 PHN  83  74    J.Drew    LAN .350  C.Beltran NYN   56  A.Ramirez CHN  126
2006 ATN  82  75    F.Sanchez PIN .336  A.Dunn    CIN   50  C.Beltran NYN  124
2006 FLN  71  86    T.Helton  CON .335  A.Pujols  SLN   49  M.Hollida CON  122
2006 WAN  59  98    N.Garciap LAN .333  OTHERS TIED W   44  C.Delgado NYN  122
 
2006 HON  91  66    WINS                SAVES               ERA
2006 SLN  76  80    C.Carpent SLN   22  T.Hoffman SDN   49  R.Oswalt  HON 2.08
2006 CIN  75  82    R.Oswalt  HON   19  B.Fuentes CON   45  C.Carpent SLN 2.13
2006 CHN  72  86    J.Smoltz  ATN   17  B.Wagner  NYN   44  B.Webb    ARN 2.74
2006 PIN  66  91    J.Peavy   SDN   17  T.Saito   LAN   43  C.Hensley SDN 2.93
2006 MLN  65  92    OTHERS TIED W   16  B.Lidge   HON   40  J.Peavy   SDN 3.14
 
2006 SDN  98  59    CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
2006 LAN  93  64    D.Ross    CIN   12  J.Pierre  CHN   62  A.Harang  CIN  237
2006 ARN  84  73    M.Lamb    HON   10  J.Reyes   NYN   62  J.Smoltz  ATN  220
2006 CON  75  82    R.Theriot CHN    9  D.Roberts SDN   54  J.Peavy   SDN  219
2006 SFN  69  88    OTHERS TIED W    7  R.Furcal  LAN   53  C.Zambran CHN  215
                                        F.Lopez   WAN   49  C.Carpent SLN  204

2006 AL Standings: LA Clinches the West. AL Central still undecided

 September 25, 2006

   The Los Angeles Angles defeated the Texas Rangers tonight 11-5. With the Win, LA clinched the AL West title.

  In the AL Central the Detroit Tigers had the day off after losing to KC 3-1 the day before. Both Minnesota and Chicago lost today while the Tigers were idle. The Toronto Blue Jays come into Detroit tomorrow for the start of a 3 game series. The Tigers are 2-1 this season against the potent Blue Jays.

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL West                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Los Angeles(AL) LAA     84  72  .538 ----  *WON*   85  71 .545   89  73 .549
2006 Seattle SEA             77  80  .490  7.5          76  81 .484   78  84 .481
2006 Oakland OAA             75  81  .481  9.0          90  66 .577   93  69 .574
2006 Texas TEA               71  86  .452 13.5          78  79 .497   80  82 .494
 

                                                     ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Detroit DEA             91  65  .583 ----     6    94  62 .603   95  67 .586
2006 Minnesota MNA           90  66  .577  1.0          93  63 .596   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        90  67  .573  1.5          87  70 .554   90  72 .556
2006 Cleveland CLA           67  89  .429 24.0          73  83 .468   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         60  96  .385 31.0          58  98 .372   62 100 .383

AL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Minnesota MNA           90  66  .577 ----     6  
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        90  67  .573   .5        
2006 Toronto TOA             82  74  .526  8.0        
2006 Seattle SEA             77  80  .490 13.5        
2006 Oakland OAA             75  81  .481 15.0        
2006 Boston BOA              75  82  .478 15.5        

2006 Game and Standings: Det. @ KC. Rogers wins 20th

 September 23, 2006

  Kenny Rogers won his 20th game of the season as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3. Rogers didn't have his best stuff, leaving after 5 innings and a 4-1 lead. 3 Tiger double plays got him out of big jams and the bullpen was able to hang on to the lead for the victory despite some very tense moments.

  The Tigers have now won 7 in a row and are 9-1 their last 10 games. Minnesota lost tonight while Chicago won, so Detroit holds a 1.5 games lead over Minnesota.

BOXSCORE: 2006 Detroit Tigers At 2006 Kansas City Royals            9/23/2006
 
  Tigers             AB  R  H RBI AVG     Royals             AB  R  H RBI AVG
  C.Granderson CF     5  0  1  0 .309     D.Dejesus LF        4  1  2  0 .321  
  P.Polanco 2B        4  0  1  1 .280     E.German 2B         4  0  1  0 .302  
  I.Rodriguez C       5  0  1  0 .308     M.Sweeney DH        5  1  3  3 .273  
  M.Ordonez RF        4  1  2  0 .291     E.Brown RF          2  0  0  0 .318  
  C.Guillen SS        4  1  2  0 .329     R.Shealy 1B         4  0  0  0 .241  
  C.Monroe LF         4  1  1  2 .292     J.Buck C            3  0  2  0 .215  
  M.Thames DH         3  1  1  0 .269   B-P.Bako PH,C         1  0  0  0 .202  
  C.Shelton 1B        4  0  1  0 .259     A.Berroa SS         3  0  0  0 .248  
A-S.Casey 1B          0  0  0  0 .209   C-A.Blanco PH,SS      1  0  0  0 .346  
  B.Inge 3B           4  0  1  0 .275     J.Keppinger 3B      3  0  0  0 .353  
                                          J.Gathright CF      2  1  0  0 .241  
                                        D-S.Costa PH          1  0  1  0 .225  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      37  4 11  3                 Totals      33  3  9  3
 
A-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Shelton In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Buck In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Berroa In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Gathright In 9th Inning
 
Tigers.......... 0 0 1  3 0 0  0 0 0  -  4 11  0
Royals.......... 0 0 0  1 0 0  2 0 0  -  3  9  2
 
Tigers (91-64)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
K.Rogers WIN(20-6)        5       6   1   1   4   1   1  97   3.94
J.Grilli HOLD(3rd)        1 1/3   1   2   2   1   1   0  24   5.43
J.Zumaya HOLD(15th)       0 2/3   1   0   0   1   1   0  14   2.75
F.Rodney HOLD(12th)       1       0   0   0   0   0   0   7   2.09
T.Jones SAVE(14th)        1       1   0   0   0   0   0  15   4.21
Totals                    9       9   3   3   6   3   1
 
Royals (58-96)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
M.Redman LOSS(6-13)       5 1/3  10   4   3   1   5   1 101   5.11
S.Dohmann                 3       0   0   0   1   2   0  37   6.91
A.Sisco                   0 2/3   1   0   0   0   0   0  12   4.38
Totals                    9      11   4   3   2   7   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 17,478 DATE- Saturday, September 23rd 2006 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Larry Vanover, Greg Gibson, Paul Nauert, Charlie Reliford
T- 3:23
LEFT ON BASE- Tigers: 8  Royals: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Tigers: 3  Royals: 2
ERRORS- A.Berroa, M.Redman
DOUBLES- D.Dejesus-2(48th), M.Sweeney(13th), J.Buck(11th), S.Costa(17th)
HOME RUNS- C.Monroe(34th), M.Sweeney(11th)
RBIs- P.Polanco(53rd), C.Monroe-2(115st), M.Sweeney-3(37th)
WALKS- P.Polanco, M.Thames, D.Dejesus, E.German, E.Brown-2, J.Keppinger,
       J.Gathright
STRIKE OUTS- C.Granderson, I.Rodriguez, M.Ordonez, C.Monroe, C.Shelton-2,
             B.Inge, E.German, R.Shealy, J.Gathright
GIDP- M.Ordonez, C.Monroe, E.German, R.Shealy, J.Keppinger
WILD PITCHES- M.Redman
2-out RBI- P.Polanco, M.Sweeney-2
RLISP 2-out- I.Rodriguez, P.Polanco, A.Berroa, E.Brown-2, R.Shealy, M.Sweeney
TEAM RISP- Tigers: 3 for 7  Royals: 1 for 10
 
Magglio Ordonez had 2 base hits as the Detroit Tigers defeated the dreadful
Kansas City Royals 4 to 3 at Kauffman Stadium.
 
Detroit jumped on top of Kansas City in the 3rd inning scoring a single run on
2 hits.  Marcus Thames lined a single.  Chris Shelton dug into the batters
box next, but he struck out.  Brandon Inge then reached on an error.  After
another out, Placido Polanco came up and he ripped a one-base hit scoring the
run.  Kansas City had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.  
 
Kenny Rogers(20-6) went 5 innings allowing 1 run for the victory. Todd Jones
earned the save, his 14th.  Mark Redman(6-13) ended up with the loss. 

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Detroit DEA             91  64  .587 ----     7    93  62 .600   95  67 .586
2006 Minnesota MNA           89  65  .578  1.5          91  63 .591   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        89  66  .574  2.0          86  69 .555   90  72 .556
2006 Cleveland CLA           65  89  .422 25.5          71  83 .461   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         58  96  .377 32.5          58  96 .377   62 100 .383

2006 AL Central Standings

 September 22, 2006

  The Detroit Tigers are back in 1st place in the AL Central. The Tigers pounded the Kansas City Royals tonight 10-0 while both Chicago and Minnesota lost. Detroit had led the AL Central Division for most of the season but haven't been in the top spot since the middle of August. 

  Both Chicago and Detroit have 8 games left in the season while Minnesota has 9. Chicago and Minnesota play each other their last 3 games of the year which may go a long way into determining who will make the post season. 

                                                     ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Detroit DEA             90  64  .584 ----     9    92  62 .597   95  67 .586
2006 Minnesota MNA           89  64  .582   .5          90  63 .588   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  66  .571  2.0          85  69 .552   90  72 .556
2006 Cleveland CLA           65  88  .425 24.5          70  83 .458   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         58  95  .379 31.5          58  95 .379   62 100 .383

2006 AL Game and Standings: Det. @ Bal.

 September 21, 2006

  The Detroit Tigers staged a 9th inning rally and went on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 today at Camden Yards. The score was tied at 2 when Ivan Rodriguez came up to pinch hit in the top of the 9th with 2 outs and a man on 2nd. Rodriguez came through for Detroit with a 2-run homer and the Tigers exploded for 3 more runs after that for their 7-2 margin of victory.

  The Win left Detroit with sole possession of 2nd place in the AL Central, .5 game behind the Minnesota Twins. Detroit also now holds the top spot in AL Wild Card race.

BOXSCORE: 2006 Detroit Tigers At 2006 Baltimore Orioles             9/21/2006
 
  Tigers             AB  R  H RBI AVG     Orioles            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  C.Granderson CF     5  1  2  1 .308     C.Gomez 2B          4  1  2  1 .400  
  A.Gomez LF          5  2  2  1 .214     M.Mora 3B           4  0  0  0 .277  
  C.Guillen SS        5  1  2  1 .326     N.Markakis RF       4  0  1  0 .314  
  M.Ordonez RF        3  0  0  0 .287     M.Tejada SS         4  0  0  0 .347  
  M.Stairs DH         3  0  0  1 .246     R.Hernandez C       3  1  1  0 .275  
  B.Inge 3B           4  1  1  0 .276     K.Millar 1B         4  0  0  0 .301  
  S.Casey 1B          4  0  1  0 .209     C.Patterson CF      3  0  1  1 .309  
  N.Perez 2B          2  0  0  0 .208     F.Tatis DH          2  0  1  0 .163  
A-I.Rodriguez PH,C    1  1  1  2 .309     D.Newhan LF         3  0  0  0 .281  
  V.Wilson C          4  0  1  0 .211                                          
B-R.Santiago PR,2B    0  1  0  0 .214                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      36  7 10  6                 Totals      31  2  6  2
 
A-Pinch Hit For Perez In 9th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Wilson In 9th Inning
 
Tigers.......... 0 0 0  1 0 1  0 0 5  -  7 10  0
Orioles......... 0 1 0  0 0 0  0 1 0  -  2  6  3
 
Tigers (89-64)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
N.Robertson WIN(12-8)     8       6   2   2   1   3   1  98   3.88
J.Grilli                  1       0   0   0   1   0   0  10   5.26
Totals                    9       6   2   2   2   3   1
 
Orioles (69-84)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
K.Benson                  5       3   2   2   1   1   0  81   4.30
R.Lopez LOSS(7-15)        3 2/3   4   2   2   0   3   1  57   6.34
L.Hawkins                 0       3   3   1   0   0   0  11   3.82
B.Chen                    0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   5   5.37
Totals                    9      10   7   5   1   4   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 7,039 DATE- Thursday, September 21st 2006 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Gary Darling, Larry Poncino, Bruce Dreckman, Mike Dimuro
T- 2:33
LEFT ON BASE- Tigers: 5  Orioles: 5
DOUBLE PLAYS- Tigers: 1  Orioles: 0
ERRORS- C.Gomez-2, C.Patterson
DOUBLES- A.Gomez(2nd), C.Guillen(45th), B.Inge(41st), V.Wilson(7th),
         N.Markakis(24th), R.Hernandez(30th)
TRIPLES- A.Gomez(3rd), F.Tatis(2nd)
HOME RUNS- I.Rodriguez(12th), C.Gomez(2nd)
RBIs- C.Granderson(80th), A.Gomez(12th), C.Guillen(86th), M.Stairs(54th),
      I.Rodriguez-2(76th), C.Gomez(18th), C.Patterson(70th)
STOLEN BASES- C.Patterson(35th)
SACRIFICE HITS- N.Perez
SACRIFICE FLIES- M.Stairs, C.Patterson
WALKS- M.Ordonez, R.Hernandez, F.Tatis
STRIKE OUTS- C.Granderson, A.Gomez, M.Ordonez, B.Inge, M.Tejada, C.Patterson,
             F.Tatis
GIDP- K.Millar
WILD PITCHES- K.Benson-2
2-out RBI- I.Rodriguez-2, C.Granderson, A.Gomez
RLISP 2-out- M.Tejada, A.Gomez, S.Casey, C.Gomez, B.Inge, C.Granderson,
             D.Newhan
TEAM RISP- Tigers: 3 for 12  Orioles: 0 for 5
WEB GEMS- Bot 2nd: Curtis Granderson robbed Corey Patterson of an extra base hit.
 
The Detroit Tigers broke up a 2-2 tie at Camden Yards in the 9th inning, downing
the Baltimore Orioles.  The final score was 7 to 2.
 
Detroit came through with the game-winning runs in the 9th inning when they
scored 5 runs on 5 hits.  The key offensive moment was provided by Ivan
Rodriguez who disappointed the partisan crowd when he popped a two-run clout
over the fence.  Detroit had 10 hits overall, while Baltimore had 6.  
 
Nate Robertson(12-8) picked up the victory, allowing 2 runs in 8 innings.
Rodrigo Lopez(7-15) was given the loss in relief.  He allowed 2 runs and 4
hits in 3 and 2/3 innings.  

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           89  63  .586 ----    10    90  62 .592   96  66 .593
2006 Detroit DEA             89  64  .582   .5          91  62 .595   95  67 .586
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  65  .575  1.5          85  68 .556   90  72 .556
2006 Cleveland CLA           65  87  .428 24.0          70  82 .461   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         58  94  .382 31.0          58  94 .382   62 100 .383

AL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Detroit DEA             89  64  .582 ----     9  
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  65  .575  1.0        
2006 Toronto TOA             80  72  .526  8.5        
2006 Seattle SEA             76  77  .497 13.0        
2006 Oakland OAA             73  79  .480 15.5        
2006 Boston BOA              73  80  .477 16.0        

 

2006 AL Game and Standings: Det. @ Chi.

 September 20, 2006

  The Detroit Tigers took the 3rd game of the series tonight against the Chicago White Sox 13-3, tightening up the AL Central race even more. Detroit actually trailed Chicago 3-2 heading into the 7th inning when they scored 3 runs for a 4-3 lead. The Tigers then exploded for 2 runs in the 8th and 7 in the 9th for the large margin of victory. With the Minnesota Twins losing today both Detroit and Chicago are only .5 game out of 1st place.

DETROIT AT CHICAGO (AL)
Tigers.......... 0 0 0  1 0 0  3 2 7  - 13 16  0
White Sox....... 0 0 0  2 1 0  0 0 0  -  3 10  2
Win:Bonderman(17-10) Loss:Thornton(5-3)
Homeruns- C.Granderson(27th), M.Thames(33rd), J.Thome(51st)
 
They almost ran out of baseballs at US Cellular Field as Detroit Tigers
clobbered the Chicago (AL) White Sox pitching staff, scoring 13 runs while
Jeremy Bonderman(17-10)with the help of the bullpen surrendered 3 runs to
Chicago (AL).
 
Curtis Granderson was a seemingly constant irritant to the hometown fans as he
provided much of the offense for the visitors.  He laced a one-base hit
scoring two baserunners in the 8th inning and cleared the fences for a
two-run home run in the 9th inning.  Detroit had 16 hits for the game and
Chicago (AL) had 10.  
 
Matt Thornton(5-3) suffered the loss in relief.  He gave up 3 runs and 2 hits
in 1 and 1/3 innings.

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           88  63  .583 ----    11    90  61 .596   96  66 .593
2006 Detroit DEA             88  64  .579   .5          91  61 .599   95  67 .586
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  64  .579   .5          85  67 .559   90  72 .556
2006 Cleveland CLA           64  87  .424 24.0          70  81 .464   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         58  94  .382 30.5          58  94 .382   62 100 .383

2006 AL Game and Standings: Det. @ Chi.

 September 19, 2006

  The Detroit Tigers took the 2nd game in the 3 game series against the Chicago White Sox 7-3 tonight. Justin Verlander pitched a fine game and won his 15th of the season. It was a tight game until Detroit blew it open in the 9th. Jim Thome hit his 50th homer of the season for Chicago. With a Minnesota loss today, Detroit closed the gap on 1st place in the AL Central.

DETROIT AT CHICAGO (AL)
Tigers.......... 0 2 1  0 1 0  0 0 3  -  7  9  1
White Sox....... 0 0 2  0 0 0  0 0 1  -  3  7  0
Win:Verlander(15-11) Loss:Garcia(15-5)
Homeruns- C.Granderson(26th), I.Rodriguez(11th), J.Thome(50th)
 
The Detroit Tigers bested the Chicago (AL) White Sox by a 7 to 3 score at US
Cellular Field.
 
Chicago (AL) was unable to claim the lead after Detroit went ahead in the top
of the 2nd inning scoring 2 runs using 2 hits.  Craig Monroe opened up the
inning nicely when he drew a walk.  Chris Shelton came next and he lashed a
single.  Shelton took second on the throw.  After an out was recorded, Neifi
Perez then doubled knocking home two runners.  Detroit totaled 9 hits on the
night.  
 
Justin Verlander(15-11) got credit for the victory, pitching 7 innings and
allowing 2 runs. Freddy Garcia(15-5) was the loser.  He gave up 4 runs and 6
hits in 8 innings.  
 
Wth the win Detroit now has a record of 87-64.  With the loss, the Chicago
(AL) ballclub's record is 88-63.

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           88  62  .587 ----    12    89  61 .593   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  63  .583   .5          85  66 .563   90  72 .556
2006 Detroit DEA             87  64  .576  1.5          90  61 .596   95  67 .586
2006 Cleveland CLA           64  86  .427 24.0          70  80 .467   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         58  93  .384 30.5          58  93 .384   62 100 .383

2006 NL Standings: Houston Clinches!

 September 19, 2006

  The Houston Astros clinched the NL Central title tonight with their 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The Astros have now won 7 in a row and are the 2nd team in the NL to clinch their division.

CINCINNATI AT HOUSTON
Reds............ 2 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  2  4  1
Astros.......... 0 2 0  0 0 0  4 0    -  6 10  1
Win:Qualls(7-4) Loss:Coffey(6-6)
Homeruns- L.Scott(7th)
 
The seemingly unstoppable Houston Astros plated 4 runs in the 7th inning and
bested the Cincinnati Reds by a 6 to 2 score at Minute Maid Field.
 
Chad Qualls(7-4) won the game with a masterful relief performance.  He gave up
just 1 hit and no walks in 2 innings.  Cincinnati was out-hit by Houston, 10
hits to 4.  
 
Todd Coffey(6-6) suffered the loss in relief.  The winning ways continue for
Houston.  They now have a record of 8-2 in recent days.  With the loss, 

Cincinnati has a record of 5-5 lately, 72-79 overall. 

  ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Houston HON             87  63  .580 ----  *WON*   72  78 .480   82  80 .506
2006 St. Louis SLN           73  76  .490 13.5          80  69 .537   83  78 .516
2006 Cincinnati CIN          72  79  .477 15.5          74  77 .490   80  82 .494
2006 Chicago (NL) CHN        67  85  .441 21.0          62  90 .408   66  96 .407
2006 Milwaukee MLN           65  86  .430 22.5          68  83 .450   75  87 .463
2006 Pittsburgh PIN          62  89  .411 25.5          64  87 .424   67  95 .414

2006 AL Game and Standings: Det. @ Chi.

 September 18, 2006

  In a big game in the race for the AL Central Championship my Detroit Tigers dropped a 2-1 decision to the Chicago White Sox tonight. The 1st of 3 games in the series, Detroit took an early lead in the 2nd inning on a Carlos Guillen homerun, but that would be all the runs the Tigers would score. Chicago came right back in the bottom of the 2nd with an unearned run to tie it up at 1-1.  The White Sox added a run in the bottom of the 4th for a 2-1 lead and would hold on the rest of the game for the 2-1 victory.

  Mark Buehrle and Kenny Rogers both pitched well with Buehrle getting the Win and Rogers taking the tough Loss. Bobby Jenks came on in the 8th inning to get Chicago out of a jam then pitched a perfect 9th for his 40th Save of the season. 

  The Win moved Chicago within a .5 game of the 1st place Minnesota Twins and Detroit dropped back to 2.5 GB.

BOXSCORE: 2006 Detroit Tigers At 2006 Chicago (AL) White Sox        9/18/2006
 
  Tigers             AB  R  H RBI AVG     White Sox          AB  R  H RBI AVG
  C.Granderson CF     4  0  0  0 .307     P.Ozuna LF          4  0  2  0 .287  
  M.Thames DH         4  0  2  0 .270     T.Iguchi 2B         4  0  1  0 .282  
B-A.Gomez PR,DH       0  0  0  0 .200     J.Dye RF            4  0  0  0 .301  
  I.Rodriguez C       4  0  1  0 .307     J.Thome DH          3  1  1  0 .307  
  M.Ordonez RF        4  0  1  0 .287     P.Konerko 1B        3  1  1  0 .311  
  C.Guillen SS        4  1  1  1 .325   A-R.Gload 1B          1  0  0  0 .368  
  C.Monroe LF         4  0  0  0 .292     J.Crede 3B          4  0  1  1 .295  
  C.Shelton 1B        3  0  2  0 .260     A.Pierzynski C      3  0  1  0 .317  
C-M.Stairs PH         1  0  0  0 .249     B.Anderson CF       4  0  1  1 .238  
  B.Inge 3B           3  0  1  0 .278     J.Uribe SS          3  0  0  0 .234  
  N.Perez 2B          2  0  1  0 .209                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      33  1  9  1                 Totals      33  2  8  2
 
A-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Konerko In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Thames In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Shelton In 9th Inning
 
Tigers.......... 0 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  1  9  1
White Sox....... 0 1 0  1 0 0  0 0    -  2  8  0
 
Tigers (86-64)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
K.Rogers LOSS(19-6)       7       7   2   1   2   5   0 122   3.99
J.Walker                  1       1   0   0   0   0   0  17   3.44
Totals                    8       8   2   1   2   5   0
 
White Sox (88-62)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA
M.Buehrle WIN(9-9)        7 1/3   9   1   1   0   3   1  81   5.54
B.Jenks SAVE(40th)        1 2/3   0   0   0   0   2   0  16   4.46
Totals                    9       9   1   1   0   5   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 40,043 DATE- Monday, September 18th 2006 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Larry Poncino, Bruce Dreckman, Mike Dimuro, Gary Darling
T- 2:39
LEFT ON BASE- Tigers: 6  White Sox: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Tigers: 0  White Sox: 2
ERRORS- K.Rogers
DOUBLES- J.Crede(30th)
HOME RUNS- C.Guillen(25th)
RBIs- C.Guillen(85th), J.Crede(81st), B.Anderson(42nd)
STOLEN BASES- A.Gomez(5th)
SACRIFICE HITS- N.Perez
WALKS- J.Thome, A.Pierzynski
STRIKE OUTS- C.Granderson, M.Ordonez, C.Guillen, C.Monroe-2, J.Dye, J.Thome,
             P.Konerko, B.Anderson, J.Uribe
GIDP- M.Thames, I.Rodriguez
WILD PITCHES- K.Rogers
2-out RBI- B.Anderson
RLISP 2-out- J.Uribe-3, M.Thames-2, P.Konerko, J.Thome, M.Ordonez
TEAM RISP- Tigers: 0 for 3  White Sox: 2 for 11
 
In a game for the baseball purist, Mark Buehrle(9-9) and Kenny Rogers(19-6)
squared off in a tense pitching duel with the very strong Chicago (AL) White Sox
finally emerging victorious over Detroit Tigers, 2 to 1.
 
Buehrle pitched well for Chicago (AL) in their victory.  He went 7 and 1/3
innings and surrended up 9 hits and no walks.  Both teams' bats went to sleep
after the 4th inning with no runs scored after that point.  
 
Bobby Jenks gained credit for his 40th save.

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           88  61  .591 ----    13    88  61 .591   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        88  62  .587   .5          84  66 .560   90  72 .556
2006 Detroit DEA             86  64  .573  2.5          90  60 .600   95  67 .586
2006 Cleveland CLA           64  85  .430 24.0          70  79 .470   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         57  93  .380 31.5          58  92 .387   62 100 .383

2006 NL Standings: NY Clinches!

 September 18, 2006

   The New York Mets are the first team to clinch their Division in the NL this season after pounding the   Florida Marlins 13-4 today.  Carlos Beltran led the way to the Mets winning the game and the NL East title. His 2 HR (54) and 4 RBI (120) in the game put him right behind Ryan Howard for the league lead in both categories. 

 ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL East                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 New York (NL) NYN       92  57  .617 ----  *WON*   91  58 .611   97  65 .599
2006 Philadelphia PHN        79  71  .527 13.5          77  73 .513   85  77 .525
2006 Atlanta ATN             77  73  .513 15.5          73  77 .487   79  83 .488
2006 Florida FLN             68  82  .453 24.5          74  76 .493   78  84 .481
2006 Washington WAN          56  94  .373 36.5          65  85 .433   71  91 .438

FLORIDA AT NEW YORK (NL)
Marlins......... 0 1 0  0 2 0  1 0 0  -  4  6  0
Mets............ 2 0 0  2 3 2  2 2    - 13 19  3
Win:Trachsel(14-5) Loss:Moehler(5-9)
Homeruns- M.Jacobs(14th), M.Olivo(12th), C.Beltran-2(54th)
 
Carlos Beltran smashed 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI at Shea Stadium as the very
talented New York (NL) Mets beat the Florida Marlins by the count of 13 to
4.
 
Beltran was spectacular at the plate.  The hometown fans showed their
appreciation with a standing ovation his last time at bat.  He cracked a
two-run shot in the 1st inning, doubled in the 5th inning and blasted a
two-run home run in the 6th inning.  Offensively, New York (NL) was a
juggernaut.  They scored in 6 separate innings.  
 
Steve Trachsel(14-5) allowed 4 runs in 8 innings, and picked up the victory.
Brian Moehler(5-9) took the loss.  'I had good swings tonight,' Beltran said,
'Everything felt right'.
 

2006 AL Central Standings

 September 18, 2006

   The AL Central pennant race is red hot with 13 games left in the regular season. My Detroit Tigers have won 5 in a row and are in Chicago for a huge 3 game series against the White Sox. The 2 teams are 8-8 against each other. The Minnesota Twins are in 1st place in the Central Division with Chicago 1 GB and Detroit 2 GB. In the Wild Card race, where 1 team will make the playoffs, Chicago is 1 game up on Detroit. 

                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           88  61  .591 ----    13    88  61 .591   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        87  62  .584  1.0          84  65 .564   90  72 .556
2006 Detroit DEA             86  63  .577  2.0          89  60 .597   95  67 .586
2006 Cleveland CLA           64  84  .432 23.5          69  79 .466   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         57  93  .380 31.5          58  92 .387   62 100 .383
 

AL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        87  62  .584 ----    13  
2006 Detroit DEA             86  63  .577  1.0        
2006 Toronto TOA             80  69  .537  7.0        
2006 Seattle SEA             73  76  .490 14.0        
2006 Boston BOA              71  79  .473 16.5        
2006 Oakland OAA             70  78  .473 16.5        

2006 MLB Standings

 September 15, 2006

  With a little more than 2 weeks left in the 2006 MLB season most of the Division winners have all but been determined. Except in the AL East where the NY Yankees are the only team to HAVE clinched, and the AL Central where there is a very intense race going on. 

  My Detroit Tigers sit in 2nd place in the AL Central, 2 GB the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins who are tied for 1st. The Tigers sit in the same position in the race for the 1 Wild Card spot in the AL. 1 of those 3 teams is going to be left out of the 2006 MLB post season. 

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2006 Major Leagues
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL East                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 New York (AL) NYA       95  50  .655 ----  *WON*   89  56 .614   97  65 .599
2006 Toronto TOA             78  69  .531 18.0          77  70 .524   87  75 .537
2006 Boston BOA              68  78  .466 27.5          78  68 .534   86  76 .531
2006 Baltimore BAA           67  80  .456 29.0          63  84 .429   70  92 .432
2006 Tampa Bay TBA           59  88  .401 37.0          57  90 .388   61 101 .377
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Minnesota MNA           86  61  .585 ----    16    86  61 .585   96  66 .593
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        86  61  .585 ----          84  63 .571   90  72 .556
2006 Detroit DEA             84  63  .571  2.0          88  59 .599   95  67 .586
2006 Cleveland CLA           64  82  .438 21.5          69  77 .473   78  84 .481
2006 Kansas City KCA         56  92  .378 30.5          57  91 .385   62 100 .383
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL West                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Los Angeles(AL) LAA     78  70  .527 ----    10    80  68 .541   89  73 .549
2006 Seattle SEA             72  75  .490  5.5          70  77 .476   78  84 .481
2006 Oakland OAA             69  77  .473  8.0          84  62 .575   93  69 .574
2006 Texas TEA               68  80  .459 10.0          74  74 .500   80  82 .494
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL East                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 New York (NL) NYN       89  57  .610 ----     5    90  56 .616   97  65 .599
2006 Philadelphia PHN        78  69  .531 11.5          75  72 .510   85  77 .525
2006 Atlanta ATN             75  72  .510 14.5          70  77 .476   79  83 .488
2006 Florida FLN             67  80  .456 22.5          74  73 .503   78  84 .481
2006 Washington WAN          54  93  .367 35.5          63  84 .429   71  91 .438
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL Central                  WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 Houston HON             83  63  .568 ----     5    71  75 .486   82  80 .506
2006 St. Louis SLN           71  75  .486 12.0          78  68 .534   83  78 .516
2006 Cincinnati CIN          70  77  .476 13.5          73  74 .497   80  82 .494
2006 Chicago (NL) CHN        67  81  .453 17.0          59  89 .399   66  96 .407
2006 Milwaukee MLN           64  83  .435 19.5          67  80 .456   75  87 .463
2006 Pittsburgh PIN          61  87  .412 23.0          61  87 .412   67  95 .414
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
NL West                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 San Diego SDN           95  51  .651 ----     8    76  70 .521   88  74 .543
2006 Los Angeles(NL) LAN     87  60  .592  8.5          78  69 .531   88  74 .543
2006 Arizona ARN             80  67  .544 15.5          70  77 .476   76  86 .469
2006 Colorado CON            70  77  .476 25.5          68  79 .463   76  86 .469
2006 San Francisco SFN       62  85  .422 33.5          74  73 .503   76  85 .472
 
 
AL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Minnesota MNA           86  61  .585 ----    16  
2006 Chicago (AL) CHA        86  61  .585 ----        
2006 Detroit DEA             84  63  .571  2.0        
2006 Toronto TOA             78  69  .531  8.0        
2006 Seattle SEA             72  75  .490 14.0        
2006 Oakland OAA             69  77  .473 16.5        
 
NL Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2006 Los Angeles(NL) LAN     87  60  .592 ----     9  
2006 Arizona ARN             80  67  .544  7.0        
2006 Philadelphia PHN        78  69  .531  9.0        
2006 Atlanta ATN             75  72  .510 12.0        
2006 St. Louis SLN           71  75  .486 15.5        
2006 Colorado CON            70  77  .476 17.0        
2006 Cincinnati CIN          70  77  .476 17.0        
 

2006 AL Standings

 September 13, 2006

  The New York Yankees became the first team this 2006 season to clinch a division title with their 11-1 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. They are now the AL East Champions.

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2006 Major Leagues
 
                                                      ACTUAL-TODATE  ACTUAL-TOTAL
AL East                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC# WON LOS  PCT  WON LOS  PCT
2006 New York (AL) NYA       95  49  .660 ----  *WON*   88  56 .611   97  65 .599
2006 Toronto TOA             77  69  .527 19.0          76  70 .521   87  75 .537
2006 Boston BOA              68  77  .469 27.5          77  68 .531   86  76 .531
2006 Baltimore BAA           66  79  .455 29.5          63  82 .434   70  92 .432
2006 Tampa Bay TBA           58  87  .400 37.5          57  88 .393   61 101 .377

2006 NL Game Story: Phil. @ Atl.

September 13, 2006

Though the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Atlanta Braves 5-2 tonight, 1st baseman

Ryan Howard connected on his league leading 60th homer of the season in the 1st inning. He also upped his league leading RBI total to 156 with the blast.

PHILADELPHIA AT ATLANTA

Phillies........ 2 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  2  8  1
Braves.......... 0 0 0  0 0 5  0 0    -  5  8  1
Win:Hudson(8-14) Loss:Lieber(8-10) Save:Wickman(12th)
Homeruns- R.Howard(60th), A.Laroche(40th), B.McCann(15th)
 
First baseman Adam Laroche homered and had 3 RBI as the Atlanta Braves beat
the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 5 to 2.
 
Atlanta scored all of the necessary runs in the 6th inning as they scored 5
runs on 5 base hits.  The key offensive moment was provided by Laroche who
thrilled the crowd when he lost the ball over the fence for three runs.  Both
teams finished the game with 8 hits. The Phillies Ryan Howard blasted his 60th
homerun of the season in a losing effort in the 1st inning. 

Tim Hudson(8-14) picked up the victory, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings. Hudson
got help from Bob Wickman who was credited with his 12th save.  Jon
Lieber(8-10) was charged with the loss.