ARCHIVE
JULY 2007

To make things easier for our loyal suscribers we will adopt a new format of
providing news involving AUSTRALIAN Players in yellow text, while 
news about former AMLB IMPORT Players will be in white text.

Peter Moylan

Gary Glover

Starting just quickly from today's game:  Many people in Australian baseball are well aware that our current major league pitching star PETER MOYLAN has also been a hitter of considerable quality in the ABL and in Claxton Shield competition. On that basis it should have been little surprise that Pete was given the rare opportunity to pinch hit for the pitcher late in today's blowout game with his Atlanta Braves cruising to a 14-0 belting of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Knowing Pete as we do, I reckon he may have seen the irony in the situation when he got a dose of his own medicine, hitting sharply to the short stop for a ground ball double-play! Pete faced the 'Snakes' Doug Slaten in the top of the ninth inning after team mate Scott Thorman had singled. After an injury delay in the game he worked a 3-0 count in his favour, but after a called strike he felt compelled to whack the next pitch. As a pitcher Peter Moylan has induced so many double-play balls this season that many opponents know exactly how he feels tonight!

... then back to yesterday’s games:

It must be irritating Aussie PETER MOYLAN at least a bit that he continues to do such an outstanding job out of the bullpen for the Atlanta Braves, yet they still can’t find a way to win a series of close games lately. Pete pitched another vital scoreless inning for the Braves to maintain a tied game that they eventually lost 3-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks with a walk-off run. He came on in relief of starter John Smoltz to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning of a 3-3 game and, for the umpteenth time this season, he didn’t let anyone down. He started in typical fashion with Orlando Hudson and Eric Byrnes both grounding out to the short stop, before Conor Jackson grounded out to the first baseman. Once again the highly efficient Moylan threw an economy of pitches with ten of 15 thrown for strikes and the radar gun often reporting 95mph. His ERA, which is among the best for all major league relievers, is again diving close to getting under the superb 2.00ERA mark with his latest 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (2.04ERA).

Another hard-throwing Australian reliever GRANT BALFOUR found himself in a different major league uniform following his recent trade when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays acquired our right-hander from the Milwaukee Brewers for right-hander Seth McClung. Balfour was added to the ‘D-Rays’ 25-man roster before this game, which meant a spot had to be cleared, and the Rays decided to option right-hander Shawn Camp to Triple-A Durham. Balfour was immediately thrown to the wolves in the daunting form of the visiting Boston Red Sox who didn’t allow him a comfortable debut with his new team. He pitched middle-relief in what was to be a 6-12 loss to the ‘Bosox’ in 12 innings. Grant replaced starter James Shields for the top of the sixth inning and it looked promising for him when Mike Lowell popped out to the catcher and even after he walked the dangerous Jason Varitek on four pitches that appeared to shave the outside of the zone. Any threat in that frame was averted when he had the in-form Coco Crisp ground out into an inning ending double play. Back for the top of the seventh he ran into the top of the feared Boston lineup after Alex Cora grounded out to the short stop. Pesky leadoff batter Julio Lugo hustled to beat out an infield single to the short stop, then stole second base before the consistent Kevin Youkilis won a hard battle to draw a walk. It doesn’t get much tougher than pitching to two of the big leagues greatest ever RBI men with runners aboard, and so it proved for Balfour when powerhouse David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz lined a RBI single to centrefield and Manny Ramirez followed with a sacrifice fly RBI. He concluded his day by getting left-hander J.D Drew to ground out to the second baseman for his pitching line of 2.0ip 2h 2er 2bb 0k (15.43ERA).

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 2-4 (.257) but it was not enough for the Toronto Blue Jays who were shut out 0-2 by the Chicago White Sox.

After lowering his ERA with a string of solid performances, Texas Rangers seasoned starter KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) endured a return to his dark days earlier this season with a miserable start and his ninth loss of the year in his team’s 5-6 defeat by the Kansas City Royals. Millwood pitched a nightmare 2.2ip 9h 6er 1bb 1k to see his record slump to 7-9, 5.95ERA this season.

DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) also couldn’t do quite enough with his 2-3 (.200) a good effort for the Cincinnati Reds in their 1-8 hammering by the rampant Chicago Cubs.

Helping the Washington Nationals to sneak past the New York Mets 6-5 was RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-3 (.158) with a RBI, while PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) batted 1-3 (.270) for the Mets.

… and from today’s action:

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) rather luckily collected his fourth win of the season when he pitched at just the right time with 2.1ip 2h 2er 1bb 3k for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Glover improved his record to 4-3, 5.00ERA, even though he allowed the only two runs scored against his team.

Not so fortunate was RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) who took a rare battering with 1.0ip 3h 3er 1bb 0k (2.77ERA) for the Texas Rangers who were massacred 0-10 by the unpredictable Kansas City Royals.

Grant Balfour

David Ross

Peter Moylan

Aussie PETER MOYLAN added another chapter to his heroics this season when he kept his Atlanta Braves in the game with scoreless seventh and eighth inning in what turned out to be a tough 7-8 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks after 11 innings. 'Big Pete' once again faced the hardest of all cleanup jobs when he entered the game following an intentional walk with the bases loaded and none out in the seventh. Just six pitches later he was headed back to the dugout with no runs added to the scoreboard and plenty of pats on the back from admiring team mates. His first victim was Mark Reynolds who grounded to the second baseman for a force out at home. He then had Chris Snyder struck out on three pitches, fanning at a nasty change-up. He slammed the door shut when Stephen Drew grounded out to the first baseman for Pete to get the covering put out. Back to start the eighth inning, Pete caused himself some concerns when he hit leadoff batter Carlos Quentin in the leg with a pitch, before getting ageless pinch hitter Tony Clark to ground out to the short stop. He then failed to impress the plate umpire with a couple of very close pitches when he issued a four pitch walk to Chris Young. Just when the pressure was mounting again Moylan escaped from the jam again with a full-count strike out of Orlando Hudson who was caught looking and the lead runner was also thrown out at third base on the same play. Another great day in the big leagues concluded for Moylan with a marvelous 2.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 2k (2.08ERA) pitching line.

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) enjoyed his opportunity to start at second base for the San Diego Padres, contributing 1-2 (.244) with two RBI's and two runs scored in their 9-4 victory over the Houston Astros.

Geoff Blum

Peter Moylan

It may not have been the most spectacular performance of a brilliant season by Australian pitching star PETER MOYLAN, but it was another solid effort under pressure to keep his Atlanta Braves in touch in what proved to be a 2-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants. As often this season, our Pete was asked to pitch out of a jam with runners on first and second bases and two out. The first batter he faced was speedster Dave Roberts who promptly loaded the bases when he “legged out” a ground ball to the short stop. Not to be fazed, Moylan prevented further damage when he had the dangerous Randy Winn ground into a force out to the second baseman. It was a short but effective 0.1ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (2.15ERA) for Moylan today. 

MIKE HESSMAN (Melbourne Monarchs 1999) made another start today, but his 1-4 (.333) with a RBI was not quite enough for the Detroit Tigers who fell narrowly 3-4 to the Chicago White Sox.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays versatile pitcher GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) was tidy enough again today, pitching 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (4.80ERA) in their 7-10 defeat by the Baltimore Orioles.

MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) was not so impressive for the Colorado Rockies, pitching a miserable 0.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k (5.40ERA) in their tight 4-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mike Hessman

Paul LoDuca

Star catcher PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) was typically productive for the New York Mets offensively today with his 2-4 (.270) with four huge RBI’s a monster contribution to their 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) kept the Atlanta Braves well and truly in the game today, pitching a very tidy 2.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k (3.66ERA) at the end of their tight 1-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Another former AMLB catcher DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) came off the bench to help the Cincinnati Reds to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 when he batted 1-2 (.196).

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.254) as a minor contribution to the Toronto Blue Jays 13-1 hammering of the Minnesota Twins.

Chad Paronto

Ryan Rowland-Smith  

Firstly, from yesterday’s late game:

Aussie RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH had perhaps his best game so far in the major leagues when he pitched splendidly for the Seattle Mariners in the heat of a battle that they ultimately lost 7-8 to the home standing Texas Rangers. Ryan came into the game not long after they had lost an early lead to the Rangers, getting the final out of the fifth inning with Jerry Hairston Jnr. flying out to centrefield. He returned to put up most important blanks in both the sixth and seventh inning in a truly superb performance against some mighty tough big league hitters. In the bottom of the sixth he had Travis Metcalf struck out swinging before veteran Kenny Lofton slapped a single to centrefield. This was to be the only hit allowed by Rowland-Smith when he then had Michael Young ground out to the second baseman and Mark Teixeira called out on strikes. In the bottom of the seventh he had the great Sammy Sosa ground out to the second baseman, Marlon Byrd struck out swinging and Adam Melhuse fly out to centrefield. His line today was a tremendous 2.1ip 1h 0er 0bb 3k (4.22ERA) in the unfortunate losing cause. On the winning side was KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) who was able to shrug off early struggles to collect a lion-hearted win with 5.1ip 8h 4er 4bb 4k and to improve his record to 7-8, 5.56ERA. 

Making his second appearance for the season with the Detroit Tigers was former Atlanta Braves giant MIKE HESSMAN (Melbourne Monarchs 1999) who also pounded his first home run of the season with his new club. The 6'5" giant was an unfamiliar sight at third base today, batting 1-4 (.375) in the Tigers tough 7-8 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) also launched his 14th 'jack' of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 7-0 shutout win over the Minnesota Twins. He batted 2-4 (.255) with four huge "rib eye steaks".

In the San Diego Padres 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) batted 1-4 (.244) to assist the winners. 'Rox' reliever MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) pitched 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (5.40ERA).

PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) batted a useful 2-4 (.268) and he scored twice to help his New York Mets to double the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4.

Mike Hessman

Vernon Wells

Peter Moylan

Grant Balfour

Firstly, from the Minor League Baseball web site comes some sad news about a former ABL import player MIKE COOLBAUGH. Coolbaugh played the first half of the 1996 season with the Sydney Blues before returning home to be replaced by Sharnol Adriana who starred in Sydney’s Championship win. He had batted .277/13/4 in 21 games for the ABL Blues. Coolbaugh made it to the major leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. Here is some text transposed incomplete from the MiLB web site:

Mike Coolbaugh

David Ross

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Australia ’s latest major league pitcher RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH found the going tough again at baseball’s highest level, but he still managed to add at least one more monster scalp to his career scrapbook. Ryan was asked to pitch the eighth inning for the Seattle Mariners of what would be a 0-8 shutout loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. They don’t come too much bigger than his first victim today when he had ‘The Big Hurt’ Frank Thomas, one of the all-time home run leaders, struck out swinging. Ryan may have been so excited with seeing the back of Thomas that he could have been stunned to see lesser known Aaron Hill homer off a decent ‘low and in” pitch in the next at bat. Things went a little downhill from there when veteran Gregg Zaun walked and Reed Johnson singled to the third baseman. He earned his second out, but allowed his second earned run, when power hitter Lyle Overbay lifted a sacrifice fly to left field. The inning concluded with Home Run Derby candidate Alex Rios lining out sharply to right field. Rowland-Smith’s pitching line today was 1.0ip 3h 2er 1bb 1k (5.40ERA). In the same game VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-5 (.252) for the Blue Jays.

It’s not often that we would get excited about GARY GLOVER’s (Sydney Storm 1999) very good pitching performance of 1.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 3k (4.89ERA) that he produced today. However, it becomes quite spectacular when you put in the context of his Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ bullpen team mates who were slaughtered by the New York Yankees in a 21-4 “laugher”. The fact that Glover did not allow a hit in middle relief, while striking out three, is a mighty effort when you consider that four other ‘D-Ray’ hurlers allowed 25 safe hits for the game!

Gary Glover

Grant Balfour

Firstly, from yesterday:

Yep, OK subscribers, I fully understand that we will probably be accused again of applying the “sugar coating” to a mediocre performance by an Australian player in the US big leagues, but we will not be deterred from calling it exactly as we see it. And, if we do have a hint of bias for our Aussie boys, then I reckon we are entitled to see it that way! Anyway, we don’t think that Australia ’s ‘comeback kid’ GRANT BALFOUR was nearly as bad as his pitching line, or his monster ERA might indicate today. In his second big league appearance for some years Grant was handed a pretty tough gig, just after his Milwaukee Brewers lost control of a tight contest on their way to a 4-8 loss to the San Francisco Giants. He was summoned from the bullpen in the top of the seventh inning to replace Carlos Villanueva who had banked two outs, but then he suffered a melt-down with three successive walks, a wild pitch and a RBI single to take the loss in the game. Balfour made sure that there was no more humiliation in the inning when he struck out the dangerous Mark Sweeney swinging at a trademark 94mph “heater”. Back to start the eighth, Grant allowed a leadoff single to left field to speedy Dave Roberts, before he “fanned” veteran Omar Vizquel… one of the toughest men to strike out in recent major league history and a probable future Hall-of-Famer. In the process Roberts stole second, probably convincing Balfour and the catcher to pitch carefully to Randy Winn who ultimately walked. With two on and one out, I doubt that Balfour would have liked to have been lifted for bullpen mate Derrick Turnbow who cashed in both of those runners to load up Grant’s ERA… that’s baseball! As mentioned, his unflattering line was 0.2ip 1h 2er 1bb 2k (16.88ERA), but I’m betting that he would have liked the opportunity to clean up his own mess in the eighth.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 1-3 (.281) with a RBI, but it was not enough for his Los Angeles Angels who were topped 7-5 by the Minnesota Twins.

Too late to help the Atlanta Braves in their 2-4 loss to the St.Louis Cardinals was late reliever CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) who pitched 1.0ip 1h 1er 2bb 0k (3.86ERA).

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) also produced a fruitless 2-4 (.239) for the San Diego Padres in their 3-7 defeat at the hands of the in-form Philadelphia Phillies.

… and from yesterday’s MLB action:

In a middle-relief effort highlighted by five strikeouts, Texas Rangers RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) was in the right place at the right time to collect the win in their 8-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The former ABL outfielder pitched 2.2ip 2h 1er 0bb 5k to improve his record to 2-0, 2.17ERA.

Ron Mahay

Geoff Blum

Peter Moylan

After allowing a couple of runs for the first time in many outings last time, Aussie reliever PETER MOYLAN was back in the groove today with a scoreless eighth inning near the end of the Atlanta Braves 10-1 win over the St.Louis Cardinals. Pete was back doing what he has done so effectively for most of the season, making the ground ball and the double-play his friend. He started by having Gary Bennett ground out to the first baseman, before allowing a couple of “cheap singles” to Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker. Ryan singled to the second baseman who allowed him to advance to second base on a throwing error, then he was bumped around to third when Schumaker lined a floater to centrefield. Moylan made sure that the damage didn’t compound when he induced a ground ball double-play from Adam Kennedy to the short stop. His effective line was 1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k (2.32ERA).

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) helped the Toronto Blue Jays to sneak past the New York Yankees 3-2 by batting 2-4 (.281).

Helping the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 shutout win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays was GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) who batted 2-4 (.281), while for the ‘D-Rays’ GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) pitched in relief with a tidy 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (5.06ERA).

Gary Matthews

Grant Balfour

It has been a long road back to the big leagues for hard throwing Aussie pitcher GRANT BALFOUR who returned to the major leagues after battling arm injuries and bouncing around the minor leagues with various clubs since last playing in the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2004. Balfour had become Australia’s 14th major league player way back in 2001 when he made his debut with the Twins and it was great to see him back at the pinnacle of baseball with the division leading Milwaukee Brewers today. Unfortunately Balfour did not have much luck although he pitched quite well and he probably didn’t deserve to take the loss in his comeback game. Grant was asked to close a deadlocked 2-2 ballgame in the top of the eighth inning when he replaced starter Chris Capuano. Things started well for him when he quickly erased Chris Young, who struck out swinging, and Orlando Hudson who grounded his first pitch to the second baseman. However, he didn’t help himself when he hit Eric Byrnes with a pitch and Byrnes stole second base while Balfour was in the process of issuing a “tight” walk to Conor Jackson. Much like compatriot Peter Moylan yesterday, Balfour didn’t get the call on a couple of high pitches that may have caught the strike zone and he could easily have been out of the inning with Jackson struck out. As the baseball gods would often decree, next batter Mark Reynolds took an inside fastball deep over left centrefield for a three run jack to effectively “ice” the game and to consign Balfour to the “L column”. If there was any consolation Balfour bounced back to end the frame when Scott Hairston popped up to the first baseman and he returned to put up a blank in the top of the ninth inning. In the ninth he had Chris Snyder fly out to right field and Augie Ojeda pop out to the short stop, before veteran pinch hitter Tony Clark raked a single to left field. Balfour disposed of Chris Young for the second time with a fly out to centrefield. Balfour pitched 2.0ip 2h 3er 1bb 1k (13.50ERA) today and, while he may not be grinning about the three run homer that cost his team the game, he must be quietly satisfied that all of his hard work has paid off with a return to baseball’s big time. We are delighted for you Grant!

Another pitcher who was a trifle unfortunate to take a loss due to a total lack of run support was Texas Rangers veteran starter KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) who was beaten for the eighth time this year in spite of allowing only one earned run in his team’s 0-6 shutout loss to the Oakland A’s. Millwood pitched a sturdy 6.0ip 3h 1er 3bb 4k but he saw his record slide to 6-8, 5.50ERA.

RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) emerged from a miserable season with the lumber to crack his fifth home run of the season for the Washington Nationals today. Langerhans batted 1-4 (.164) with three vital RBI’s contributing to his team’s narrow 7-6 win over the Houston Astros.

In the Atlanta Braves 4-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Braves reliever CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) could not have done much more than 2.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 0k (3.72ERA) as one of seven pitchers used by Atlanta. Having a rough day at the plate was Reds’ catcher DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) who came up empty with 0-6 (.190).

Ryan Langerhans

Peter Moylan

Last time they met Australian pitcher PETER MOYLAN was able to get out of a jam by issuing an intentional walk to Cincinnati Reds All-Star batting great and future first-ballot Hall-Of-Famer Ken Griffey Junior, unfortunately he didn’t have a spare base to do likewise today. Pete felt the brunt of ‘Junior’s’ talents while pitching in relief for the Atlanta Braves during their 5-6 loss to the Reds. This time Moylan couldn’t quite escape the pressure of inherited runners at second and third with one out in the top of the seventh inning, even though a couple of VERY close calls may have cost him hero status again. Pete quickly put away the second out of the inning with Ryan Freel called out on strikes then, in the decisive at bat, he didn’t get the call on a couple of outside pitches that appeared to clip the plate before loading the bases with a walk to Jeff Keppinger… the inning could have been ended right there! Next up was Ken Griffey Junior who promptly singled to right field for two RBI’s , before stealing second base himself. Those runs didn’t count against Moylan, but the next two did when Brandon Phillips singled in two more RBI’s with a poke into right field. He finally put an end to the biggest scoring inning of the game when he had Adam Dunn fly out to right field. It wasn’t Peter Moylan’s day today with 0.2IP 2H 2ER 1BB 1K (2.37ERA), but it all could have been so different if he had got the call to strike out Keppinger… that’s baseball! In the same game Cincinnati catcher DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) batted a handy 2-4 (.196). 

RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) showed his versatility again to earn his first save of the year, pitching three long innings at the end of the Texas Rangers 11-4 win over the Oakland A’s. Mahay pitched a valuable 3.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 2k (2.12ERA) to get the save.

Typically productive in the New York Mets 7-0 shutout of the San Diego padres was catcher PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) who batted 1-4 (.269) with 2RBI’s.

Ron Mahay

Peter Moylan

Like most relief pitchers, Aussie PETER MOYLAN probably would not have enjoyed getting the call from the bullpen to pitch the final inning of a blowout loss for the Atlanta Braves at the end of their 3-10 massacre by the Cincinnati Reds today. In a no-win situation, our Pete did a solid job once more allowing only one run, unearned, with 1.0ip 2h 0er 1bb 1k (2.03ERA). He was greeted rudely when Norris Hopper singled up the middle, but then he missed out on a possible double-play opportunity when Ryan Freel reached on a force attempt throwing error by the first baseman after he had induced the ground ball. When Scott Hatteberg grounded back to the mound and advanced the runners on Pete’s put out, there was no option but to fill first base with an intentional walk when Ken Griffey Junior was waiting on deck. Pete got a big bases loaded second out when he had Brandon Phillips called out on strikes, but an unearned run scored when pinch hitter Jeff Kippinger bumped a floating single in front of the centerfielder. Moylan finally lowered his ERA close to the magical 2.00 mark when he had Javier Valentin fly out to centrefield. It was another pretty good performance in a difficult situation. Earlier in the game his bllpen mate CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) was also hurt by two unearned runs when he pitched the fifth and sixth innings with 2.0ip 4h 0er 1bb 1k (3.93ERA).

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 2-4 (.255) for the Toronto Blue Jays who fell 4-6 to the New York Yankees.

Not so convincing today was Colorado Rockies reliever MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) who pitched 1.0ip 2h 2er 1bb 1k (7.36ERA) during their high-scoring 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Vernon Wells

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Australia ’s rookie major league pitcher RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH took on the might of the Detroit Tigers offence today, allowing one home run ball as his only blemish during his Seattle Mariners 7-11 defeat. Ryan came on in relief to start the top of the seventh inning and he started in fine style by having All-Star catcher Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez ground out softly to second base, followed by the dangerous Brandon Inge who flied out to centrefield. Having got past the tougher part of the order Rowland-Smith threw a decent inside pitch to the less likely Omar Infante who dispatched it over the left field fence. Rowland-Smith was touching 94mph when he ended the inning with leadoff batter Curtis Granderson struck out swinging. His line today was 1.0ip 1h 1er 0bb 1k (4.76ERA).

The versatile GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) enjoyed a rare start at second base today by batting 1-3 (.206) with a walk to help his San Diego Padres to blank the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0.

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) was one of the bullpen culprits for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who were unable to hold out the New York Yankees in a narrow 6-7 defeat. Glover pitched 1.1ip 2h 1er 2bb 2k (5.17ERA).

Also battling to find the strike zone today was RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) who pitched an untidy 0.0ip 1h 0er 2bb 0k (2.32ERA) for the Texas Rangers during their 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels. 

Geoff Blum

Peter Moylan

Starting with yesterday’s action:

Reliable Aussie reliever PETER MOYLAN found himself in an unusual scenario today when he was asked to pitch in the “low pressure” situation of the top of the eighth inning with his Atlanta Braves already 9-0 ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates… and it wasn’t our ‘Pete’ who let the shutout slip in a 9-1 win for the Braves. Moylan needed only 11 pitches, eight of which he threw for strikes, to maintain the shutout with 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (2.08ERA). He started by having Josh Phelps ground out to short stop, then Nate McLouth popped up to short to be followed by Matt Kata who flied out to right field. Another conclusive and effective 1-2-3 by Peter Moylan… looking very, very good to us ‘big fella’!!

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) earned his second save of the year when he pitched an important 1.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (5.12ERA) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to help them to overcome the New York Yankees 6-4.

Starting to resurrect his ML career is veteran pitcher MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) who pitched a solid 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (6.00ERA) for the Colorado Rockies during their 10-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 1-1 (.166)to help his Washington Nationals to secure a “wild” 14-10 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Helping the Los Angeles Angels to dominate the current series against the Texas Rangers is GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) who batted a vital 2-3 in their very tight 2-1 win yesterday and 2-4 (.285) with two RBI’s in their 9-5 triumph today. On the unfortunate losers’ side of the ledger yesterday was revitalised veteran starter KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) who did very little wrong with 7.0ip 5h 1er 3bb 7k (5.77ERA) in a no-decision, while RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) pitched 0.1ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (2.32ERA) in relief for the Lone Star State.

… and in other games yesterday:

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 2-5 (.254) to no avail for his Toronto Blue jays who were beaten 4-9 by the high rolling Boston Red Sox.

Typically useful both offensively and defensively for the New York Mets was feisty catcher PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) who batted 2-4 (.270) in their 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Gary Glover

Gary Matthews

Richard Thompson

Peter Moylan

At the traditional baseball All-Star break ‘Flintoff & Dunn’ would like CONGRATULATE young Australian pitching prospect RICHARD THOMPSON (or as the Americans prefer… Rich Thompson) for earning selection in the prestigious All-Star FUTURES GAME. Thompson, the only Aussie representative this year, pitched solidly in relief to help the World Team to beat the USA Team 7-2. Let’s hope that the NSW right-hander, who plays in the minor leagues with the Los Angeles Angels, can use this game as a stepping stone to a future in the major leagues.

The mid-term report for our major league players is not too difficult this season as we start by congratulating RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH on becoming the 24th Australian to play major league baseball when he pitched in relief for the Seattle Mariners.

As we now tend to look past the fairytale story that brought him back to the ‘big leagues’ PETER MOYLAN has continued to establish himself as a vital component of the Atlanta Braves bullpen. The versatile side-arm righty has been equally as effective as a long man, set-up guy, fireman and late innings reliever. His performances have been highlighted by his unique ability to pitch under the most extreme pressure and he has earned the confidence of venerable Atlanta manager Bobby Cox as the man for the big occasion. Make no mistake about this… Peter Moylan is a key reason why the Braves are still in contention for the post season and he looks likely for an extended career in the majors.

What can you say other than <GROAN!> when you think of Aussie CHRIS SNELLING. The determined outfielder is already recognised as a bona fide offensive talent, but he simply cannot take a trick with respect to injury. After a disrupted start to 2007 with the lowly Washington Nationals, Chris seemed ready to run hot after being traded to the Oakland Athletics when… no need to guess is there?... he found himself back on the disabled list for the “umpteenth time”. If, and it becomes more problematic each time he is injured, Chris Snelling ever does get a sustained period of good health, he just might be able to become the consistent major league star that he has often threatened to become.

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Chris Snelling

Peter Moylan

Australian reliever PETER MOYLAN was back in harness today with another valuable scoreless frame helping his Atlanta Braves to earn a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres. Pete pitched 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (2.12ERA) after hurling seven of his eleven pitches for strikes. His first victim was catcher Michael Barrett who grounded out to the second baseman, followed by the dangerous Kevin Kouzmanoff who he 'whiffed' on three straight pitches. He completed his inning without allowing a base runner when he had Jose Cruz Jnr. ground out to the first baseman while Moylan covered the bag himself to get the put out. Just to repeat the obvious once more, Pete is really cementing himself in the 'bigs'.

KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) continues to resurrect his 2007 season after struggling to make a successful return from injury earlier in the year. 'Big Kev' is getting back to the type of form we have expected over recent seasons with another quality start for the Texas Rangers, collecting the win in the 2-1 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles. Millwood pitched 6.0ip 5h 1er 3bb 4k for his 6-7, 6.16ERA record.

It was another typically unpredictable offensive performance from Cincinnati Reds catcher DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) in his team's 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks today. The epitome of "hit or miss", Ross struck out to end three of his four at bats today, but his other at bat resulted in his 14th home run of the season! He batted 1-4 (.196).

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 1-2 (.279) with a walk for the Los Angeles Angels 0-12 shutout loss to the New York Yankees, 

Kevin Millwood

David Ross 

Peter Moylan

Australian bullpen ace PETER MOYLAN did what he has done so regularly this season, contributing an important scoreless inning for the Atlanta Braves during their tough 5-8 loss to the San Diego Padres. Pete entered the game to start the bottom of the sixth inning with his team already trailing 3-5 and he did his best to keep them in the contest. He started by having Josh Bard ground out back to the mound, then Kevin Kouzmanoff flied out to left field. Moylan next walked Russell Branyon on four "careful" pitches just to tease the Padres before he overmatched their veteran cleanup man Brian Giles who he struck out with three straight pitches. Pete regularly registered 94 and 95 MPH on the radar gun today in another splendid 1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 1k (2.17ERA) performance. Backing him up again was bullpen team mate CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) who started the bottom of the seventh with 0.2ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (4.18ERA).

On a day that was highlighted by the number of very long extra innings games, reliable New York Mets catcher PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) had the unusual and most forgettable experience of batting 0-8 (.274) in their 5-3 win over the Houston Astros in a game that took 17 innings to resolve!

... and from yesterday's MLB games:

2006 All-Star VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) has left his run just too late in 2007 with his 13th home run of the season coming amid a hot streak for the Toronto Blue Jays during their 8-6 win over the Cleveland Indians. A career-long cleanup batter, Vernon seemed to adjust well to the leadoff role with 2-4 (.258) and three RBI's.

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) collected his first save of the year with a moderate 1.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 0k (5.32ERA) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Not able to do enough to prevent his San Diego Padres from falling 4-7 to the Atlanta Braves was back-up utility infielder GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) who batted a most useful 2-4 (.204) with a RBI.

MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) was on the mound again for the Colorado Rockies, pitching 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (7.20ERA) in relief to help them to hold out the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6. 

In the Los Angeles Angels 9-14 defeat at the hands of the New York Yankees, GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 1-4 (.282) with a RBI.

Vernon Wells
 

Geoff Blum

Gary Glover

Peter Moylan

Aussie pitcher PETER MOYLAN will soon be supplied a ‘Superman suit’ by the Atlanta Braves after yet another tremendously poised performance under pressure during his team’s exciting 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pete is building on his reputation as the ‘stopper’ for the Braves having been asked to stop the bleeding once again after ace starter Tim Hudson had allowed six runs on nine hits and a leadoff triple to Juan Pierre to start the fourth inning. Pete entered the tense 6-6 tied game with an inherited runner on third and none out. He started by having All-Star selected catcher Russell Martin ground back to the mound on three pitches, before erasing veteran RBI machine Jeff Kent who struck out swinging on three straight pitches. He ended the threat in that frame by stranding Pierre on third when Arizona's former World Series hero Louis Gonzalez grounded out to the second baseman from the second pitch he faced. Returning to eat another vital inning in the bottom of the fifth, Pete kept his team in the game again with former Boston hero Nomar Garciaparra grounding out on his second pitch to the third baseman and James Loney flying out to left field on four pitches. He made life more than a little bit interesting for himself when Andre Ethier singled up the middle on four pitches, followed by a second pitch single to right field by pitcher Eric Stults . Moylan should have been out of the inning on his next pitch, but the speedy Rafael Furcal drew a fielding error from the first baseman to load the bases. It didn’t faze our laconic Aussie who had Juan Pierre fly out to left field just two pitches later. At the risk of repeating ourselves, Peter Moylan has been a VERY vital component of the Atlanta Braves bullpen this season and his 2.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 1k performance today was just another example of his value. He was arguably the star of the game with his third win of the season taking his record to 3-1, 2.22ERA. His immaculate 17 strikes punctuated an amazingly economical 22 pitch effort. Backing him up was bullpen team mate CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) who pitched the bottom of the seventh with 1.0ip 1h 0er 1bb 0k (4.26ERA) to earn his second hold of the year.

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) somehow managed to escape most of the mayhem today, even though he allowed two of the 21 hits served up by his Tampa Bay Devil Rays during their 4-15 massacre by the brutal Boston Red Sox. Glover pitched 1.0ip 2h 0er 1bb 1k (5.23ERA) at the end of the game.

Helping the Los Angeles Angels to top the Texas Rangers 5-2 was GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) who batted 2-3 (.282), while RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) provided some handy long relief for the Rangers with 3.2ip 4h 1er 1bb 2k (2.35ERA) to finish the game while easing some strain on the rest of his bullpen.

Gary Matthews
 

Ron Mahay

Peter Moylan

Aussie pitching star PETER MOYLAN produced his customary “Houdini act” for the Atlanta Braves to pull them out of a sticky mess and help them to stave off the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 today. It was the bottom of the sixth inning when Wilfredo Ledezma was called upon to relieve effective Braves starter Chuck James. A few pitches later and Ledezma had served up a double and a single to have Dodgers’ runners at the corners and none out. Braves’ manager Bobby Cox didn’t need much “think music” to signal for the Aussie sidewinder Moylan. Things didn’t start too brilliantly for Pete either when he immediately walked Nomar Garciaparra on four inside pitches, just as he had done to a different batter in his last outing. Thankfully our Pete had the poise and confidence to force the dangerous Matt Kemp to ground into a double-play to the short stop, even though the unearned run scored from third. He put a lid on his rescue act by having Andre Ethier ground back to the mound for Moylan to get the innings ending assist. It was yet another important job done for his team with 1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 0k (2.32ERA).

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) continued his recent power surge today with his 12th ‘jack’ of the season coming during a 2-4 (.255) performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, helping them to overpower the Oakland A’s 10-3. 

Amid the embarrassment of the New York Mets 7-17 flogging by Colorado Rockies stood feisty Mets catcher PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) who batted 2-5 (.283) with two RBI’s. Making a return to the mound for the ‘Rox’ at the end of the blowout was MATT HERGES (Adelaide Giants 1999) who pitched 1.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 0k (9.00ERA).

Vernon Wells
 

Matt Herges

Ryan Rowland-Smith

Peter Moylan

There is a saying in baseball that applies to most sports, and other things in life, that you can only do your best with the opportunities you receive… and so it was for the latest major league Aussie RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH today. OK, so he only got to pitch in “junk time” near the end of his Seattle Mariners’ horrible 3-17 annihilation by the upstart Kansas City Royals, but he did just about all you could ask of a rookie reliever to soak up 2.1 innings quite effectively. Ryan was asked to get the final out of another ugly inning in the bottom of the sixth and he managed this most impressively with Mark Teahen called out on strikes after just four pitches. 
Back for the bottom of the seventh he had Emil Brown ground out to the short stop and Alex Gordon struck out swinging before Billy Butler singled deep to the short stop. Next batter Jason LaRue was hit by a pitch, then Ross Gload reached on a fielding error by the second baseman. The situation may have compounded when Fernando Cortez chopped a slow roller back to the mound for an infield RBI single and an unearned run, but Rowland-Smith snuffed out further damage when Joey Gathright lined out to the third baseman. Back for the bottom of the eight ‘RRS’ ended his day on a positive note with Esteban German flying out to right field, Shane Costa doing likewise to left field and Emil Brown lining out to right field. In all Rowland-Smith threw a tidy 27 of 41 pitches for strikes with the line of  2.1ip 2h 1r 0er 0bb 2k (3.86ERA).

Texas Rangers' seasoned starter KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) continues to re-build after a horrid, injury plagued start to the season with a strong performance bringing his fifth win of the year, anchoring his team to an 8-3 win over the tough Los Angeles Angels today. ‘Big Kev’ hurled a mighty 8.0ip 5h 2er 0bb 4k to take his record to 5-7, 6.54ERA. In this game GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 0-4 (.277) for the ‘Halos’.

... and from yesterday:

Australian reliever PETER MOYLAN had another eventful day in the USA, adding some more big names to the batters he has faced in the major leagues so far during his Atlanta Braves disappointing 2-8 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Braves’ ace starter John Smoltz had just been relieved in the bottom of the seventh inning by Tyler Yates who immediately let a tight game slip from Atlanta’s grasp. Moylan was asked to put out a raging fire after a spate of singles and stolen bases had allowed the Dodgers to score three runs with one on, one out and a healthy 1-5 lead. Moylan battled the dangerous Louis Gonzalez before leaving one just too far out over the plate which he singled into centrefield to advance the pinch runner to third base. He was then most unfortunate when another big name star Nomar Garciaparra reached on a throwing error by the third baseman. With runners camped on second and third, Pete was called to issue an intentional walk to James Loney to load the bags. He then pitched a little too far inside to Matt Kemp who he walked on four pitches to force in a run, unearned. Pinch hitter Olmedo Saenz then produced a sacrifice fly to left field for another unearned run. Pete was one the verge of allowing his first earned run of the day when speedster Rafael Furcal singled up the middle, but he was bailed out when his gold glove team mate Andruw Jones threw out James Loney at home plate. As I said, our Pete had another most eventful day on the diamond with 0.2ip 2h 2r 0er 2bb 0k (2.38ERA). Moylan’s team mate CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) pitched the bottom of the eighth with 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (4.40ERA).

Toronto Blue Jays All-Star slugger VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) may be finally catching fire nearing the All-Star break with a stunning 4-5 (.256) performance in his team’s 11-7 win over the Oakland A’s. In the process, Wells went deep for home runs numbers ten and eleven in the game for his two RBI contribution. Toronto catcher JASON PHILLIPS (Hunter Eagles 1998)batted 1-5 (.212) in the same game.

GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) is not enjoying his life as a big league reliever lately with another shaky 0.1ip 1h 2er 1bb 0k (5.36ERA) pitched for his Tampa Bay Devil Rays who were thumped 2-10 by the Cleveland Indians.

Kevin Millwood

Vernon Wells

Peter Moylan

Australian right-hander PETER MOYLAN was near his efficient best again today, needing only 13 pitches, including eight strikes, to put up an important blank in the eighth inning for the Atlanta Braves during their narrow 5-6 defeat by the Florida Marlins. His first victim was ‘Fish’ superstar Miguel Cabrera who he had fly out to centrefield, followed by Mike Jacobs who flied out to left field. After Josh Willingham singled to right field, Pete out-battled Jeremy Hermida who he had called out on strikes. For some reason Moylan didn’t concentrate on keeping the ball down in the zone for ground balls, but he had enough velocity and movement to get the job done with 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (2.41ERA). Pete replaced CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) on the mound who had pitched 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (4.55ERA) in the seventh.

DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) continues to wield a dangerous bat lately with his 13th home run of the season coming while batting 1-4 (.202) for the Cincinnati Reds in their 7-11 loss to the St.Louis Cardinals.

Unable to do enough to save his Tampa Bay Devil Rays from a 2-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians was reliever GARY GLOVER (Sydney Storm 1999) who pitched 1.1ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (4.97ERA).

PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995)  batted 1-3 (.285) with a RBI for the New York Mets who fell 3-5 to the Philadelphia Phillies.

David Ross

Ron Mahay

showedCincinnati Reds unpredictable catcher DAVID ROSS (MLB All-Stars 2001) struck 'lightning in a bottle' again today with his 12th long ball of the season coming while batting 2-4 (.201) with two RBI's in the Reds' 5-1 win over the St.Louis Cardinals.

Another former AMLB catcher to leave the yard was the more reliable PAUL LoDUCA (Adelaide Giants 1995) who clouted his 5th for 2007 while batting 2-4 (.284) for the New York Mets during their 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Paul LoDuca