Flintoff & Dunn's NEWS ARCHIVE
JULY 2009

It is intended that this page will maintain a historical record of previous news published on this site. From time to time we will archive old or outdated news on our "WHAT'S NEW" & "AUSSIES IN THE US LEAGUES" pages. It may interest some people to read the developments in chronological order right here.

ARCHIVED NEWS FROM JULY 2009 BEGINS BELOW:

ARCHIVE
JULY 2009

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.

 

  31 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN & ROWLAND-SMITH WIN!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan

 


Ryan R-Smith

 Aussie relief ace PETER MOYLAN was "Johnny on the spot" today, pitching at just the right time to collect the win when his Atlanta Braves rallied late to overrun the Florida Marlins 6-3. Taking over to commence the bottom of the ninth inning, Pete was rudely greeted when Dan Uggla punched a sharp single up the middle, but he was erased as the lead runner when Cody Ross grounded into a fielder's choice ground out to the second baseman. Things could have turned pear-shaped for Moylan when Ronny Paulino reached on a force attempt after a throwing error by the second baseman. However, it all ended swiftly when he induced Brett Carroll to ground into an inning-ending double play to the third baseman. Once again our Pete is enhancing his reputation by making the ground ball his friend in important late inning situations. His line today was 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k as his record improved to 3-2, 3.80ERA.

... and from yesterday:

Australia's only current major league starting pitcher RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH returned to the big league winner's list yesterday with a splendid performance of 7.0ip 3h 2er 0bb 4k. In the process he outdueled superstar Roy Halliday to anchor the Seattle Mariners' narrow 3-2 victory over Halliday's Toronto Blue Jays.  On this occasion he started in confident fashion with a three up - three down first inning, followed by another 1-2-3 second inning via three fly balls. A leadoff hit batter in the third was quelled by three successive pop ups and further 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth had him really starting to roll with confidence. His NO-HITTER was immediately broken in the seventh when a leadoff single to Aaron Hill was followed by Aaron Lind's two run homer over centre field to also break his shutout bid. Another hit to Alex Rios in the inning was a probable indication that Ryan was tiring and he was relieved after putting away the seventh, having thrown 89 pitches; 60 of those for strikes. Overall it was perhaps his finest ever moment in the US big leagues, allowing only three base runners with no walks and, as mentioned, having the rare honour of getting the better of 'Doc' Halliday who is set to become a mega-million dollar man. His 2009 major league record improved to 1-1, 3.12ERA. Toronto's VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) couldn't master Rowland-Smith with 0-3 (.265) in this game.

RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) finally secured the last out for the Kansas City Royals after pitching a shaky 0.1ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k (4.09ERA) in their 3-8 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Eagles 1995) who batted 2-5 (.274) with the RBI in their 11-6 win over the Chicago Cubs.
  30 JULY 2009 - BALFOUR & MOYLAN STRONG!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Grant Balfour


Peter Moylan

 

 It was a lot of fun as an Aussie baseball fan watching compatriot GRANT BALFOUR strutting his considerable stuff against the might of the in-form New York Yankees and helping his Tampa Bay Rays to earn a 6-2 victory over the 'Evil Empire'. Grant relieved lefty starter Scott Kazmir to pitch after a leadoff single was aboard in the eighth inning and he responded brilliantly with an electric 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k (4.34ERA), while throwing all five of his high velocity pitches for strikes. Melky Cabrera popped up his second pitch to the third baseman before Balfour himself initiated a stunning double play when Derek Jeter grounded his third pitch back towards the mound. After three successive 94mph four-seamers, Jeter slapped one to the left of Balfour who gloved it athletically before steadying to make a nice throw to second base to start the inning-ending twin killing. It was all good stuff for the Aussie ace!

Australian side-winder PETER MOYLAN was also solid for the Atlanta Braves, pitching 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (3.89ERA) during their narrow 3-4 defeat by the Florida Marlins. He started by getting Jorge Cantu to ground out to the short stop, then he caught a break when Jeremy Hermida singled into left field but he was put out on the play when he tried to stretch a double but found himself "hung up" between first and second bases. Pete finished the inning with powerful Dan Uggla flailing at a nifty curveball.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) was a key contributor for the Los Angeles Angels yesterday when he batted 2-4 (.238) with three RBIs and a run scored in a tight 7-6 win over the visiting Cleveland Indians.

Departing the yard for the fifth time this season was Houston Astros journeyman GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) who batted 2-5 (.274) with the RBI in their 11-6 win over the Chicago Cubs.
  29 JULY 2009 - BALFOUR BATTLES THE YANKEES!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Grant Balfour

 

 

 In a game where the rampant New York Yankees punished his Tampa Bay Rays 11-4, at least Aussie reliever GRANT BALFOUR was perhaps the most effective of the Rays' pitchers with 1.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 0k (4.44ERA). Grant entered an already lop-sided contest with one on and none out in the eighth inning and he was required to face the top of the Yanks lineup, starting with skipper Derek Jeter who singled into right field. Things improved after a fine defensive play when Johnny Damon reached on a fielder's choice to the second baseman but the lead runner was thrown out at home plate while attempting to score from third base. 'Balf' then secured the second out when Mark Teixeira flied out to centre field, but he could not escape scot-free when Alex 'A-ROD' Rodriguez punched a two RBI double into centre field. He finished his job when Hideki Matsui flied out to left field. Only one of the runs scored in the inning was earned.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted a useful 2-4 (.233) for the Los Angeles Angels but it wasn't enough to save them from a nasty defeat when the Cleveland Indians scored four runs in the ninth inning to snatch the "W" from right under their noses 8-6.

Back in some form since the All-Star break is Toronto Blue Jays slugger VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) who batted 2-5 (.260) with a run scored in their 11-4 win over the Seattle Mariners.
  27 JULY 2009 - PETER MOYLAN BAFFLES BREWERS!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Geoff Blum

 Bobby Cox's Australian bullpen favourite PETER MOYLAN nailed down another scoreless eighth inning for the Atlanta Braves in a lop-sided 10-2 thrashing of the Milwaukee Brewers. Pete pitched like a man in a hurry, tucking away the three outs with only nine pitches, including seven thrown for strikes. He took advantage of the aggressive power hitters in the Brewers lineup, starting with Ryan Braun who popped up his second pitch to the short stop. Home Run Derby king Prince Fielder then topped a changeup to the second baseman, before Corey Hart struck out swinging at a fourth pitch curveball. That was all he needed to bank another impressive 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (3.98ERA) on this day.

One player who could not be blamed for the Houston Astros taking a heavy 3-8 defeat by the New York Mets was utility infielder GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) who batted 2-4 (.277) with a RBI.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.258) to help the Toronto Blue Jays to top the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 today.

Texas Rangers "horse" KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) left the game early today with "muscle tightness" after pitching a brief 2.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 2k (3.39ERA), yet he would have enjoyed watching his team roll on for a 7-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Not so delighted was KC reliever RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) who took the loss after pitching an ill-fated 0.0ip 2h 2r 0er 0bb 0k to drop his season record to 1-1, 4.13ERA.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 1-4 (.228) as a minor contribution for the Los Angeles Angels who were pounded 1-10 by the Minnesota Twins.
  26 JULY 2009 - RRS LOSES; MOYLAN & BALFOUR HOT!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Ryan R-Smith


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour


Nick Green

 Firstly, from yesterday:

Even though he collected a loss for his first major league decision of the year, it was just great to see talented Aussie RYAN ROWLAND-SMITH earning promotion back to the Seattle Mariners big league team. Ryan started with a decent 7.0ip 5h 4er 1bb 2k in a 0-9 shutout loss to the Cleveland Indians and, obvious to say, he didn't get a scrap of help from his offence. A hit by pitch allowed his only base runner in the first inning, while in the second a Jhonny Peralta leadoff single combined with a Ryan Garko double and a Ben Francisco sacrifice fly opened the scoring for the 'Tribe'. A fly out and two ground outs gave him a tidy 1-2-3 third frame, which he repeated with a fly out, a ground out and a line out in the fourth. He then impressively sat down 14 batters in succession with a ground out plus two fly balls in the fifth, then two ground outs and a strike out in the sixth. It is not unreasonable to say that Ryan might have been low on fuel when a couple of home runs in the seventh took a little shine on what might have been an even more impressive performance. A Jhonny Peralta single was magnified by Travis Hafner's long ball to open the inning, before Ben Francisco added a solo shot with two out. Quite importantly he went deep into the game for his team with a quality 91 pitch outing that left his record standing at 0-1, 3.48ERA. In the same game team mate RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 0-3 (.228).

Fellow Australian PETER MOYLAN added yet another strong scoreless inning of relief for the Atlanta Braves with his 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 2k (4.07ERA) in their big 9-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Pete pitched a scoreless eighth inning, doing his job to near perfection by sitting down three of the more dangerous "Brew Crew' batters in the back end of their lineup. He started by fanning Casey McGehee with a nasty slide piece before getting veteran Mike Cameron to ground out to the second baseman. Moylan finished the job in style by striking out Corey Hart who waved over a 92mph sinker.

... and from some of today's games:

Aussie GRANT BALFOUR was a key component of the Tampa Bay Rays biggest ever comeback win when they rallied from 0-8 and 1-9 down to overrun the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 after 12 innings. 'Balf' came into the game to start the bottom of the seventh right in the thick of the Rays' revival and he did what was badly needed by striking out slugger Vernon Wells with 97mph GAS, then Alex Rios with the same 97mph GAS... phew! He walked Jose Bautista before sitting down Raul Chavez with a 95mph heater for three 'Special Ks' for the inning. Returning for the eighth, Balfour gave up a double into centre field by Marco Scutaro before getting Aaron Hill to ground out to the short stop for his last contribution. There is no question that his 1.1ip 1h 0er 1bb 3k (4.34ERA) was a vital contribution to the record triumph.

On top of making one of the outstanding defensive plays of the day, Boston Red Sox platoon short stop NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 1-4 and scored a run to help the Sox to outgun the Baltimore Orioles 7-2.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 0-3 (.227) but he walked and scored a run to help the Los Angeles Angels earn an eighth straight win 11-5 over the Minnesota Twins.
  24 JULY 2009 - FOUR FORMER IMPORTS LEAVE THE YARD!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Geoff Blum


Nick Green


Vernon Wells

 GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) launched his fourth dinger of the 2009 season while batting 1-3 (.280) with a walk, the RBI and two runs scored for the Houston Astros to help them to an 11-6 win over the St.Louis Cardinals. Also making his first appearance for the big league Astros in 2009 was relief pitcher CHAD PARONTO (Perth Heat 1998) who may not be given many more chances after a horror outing of 0.1ip 3h 4er 1bb 0k (108.00ERA) that almost let the Cards back into the game.

Leaving the yard for the first time in a while was journeyman outfielder RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-5 with two RBIs coming via his two out homer for the Seattle Mariners who still came up short 7-9 against the Detroit Tigers. Langerhans followed this by batting a more than useful 1-2 (.235) plus two walks to help the M's to strike late for a 2-1 win over the 'Tiggers' yesterday.

NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) also chimed in with his fifth long ball of the season, but his 1-3 (.250) effort produced the lonely single run for the slumping Boston Red Sox who were swept after their latest 1-3 defeat by the surprising Texas Rangers.

Also keeping the air raid sirens blaring yesterday was VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) who crushed his tenth homer of the year while batting 1-4 (.260) for the Toronto Blue Jays who won a 10-6 battle over the visiting Cleveland Indians.

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) was a key performer for the Los Angeles Angels in their 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals with 2-4, a walk and two RBIs. However, in game two of the double header, he could only manage 0-4 with a walk and a RBI as the Angels won again 10-2. Meanwhile, RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996)pitched a wayward 0.2ip 0h 0er 3bb 1k (4.26ERA) for the Royals in game one of the twin bill. The following day, Gary Junior was a pest again with 1-3 (.231) plus a pair of walks in a 9-6 win over 'KC' while Mahay soaked up the last inning with 1.0ip 2h 0er 1bb 2k (4.13ERA).
Chad Paronto


 Ryan Langerhans


 Gary Matthews
  21 JULY 2009 - GRANT BALFOUR WINS No.4!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Grant Balfour


Kevin Millwood
Geoff Blum

 Reliable Australian right-hander GRANT BALFOUR added another scoreless relief inning today with 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (4.86ERA), but this time it came during a narrow 3-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. On this occasion Grant was given the opportunity to start with a clean slate in the bottom of the seventh but he immediately allowed a runner in scoring position when Scott Podsednik doubled into centre field and worse followed when Alexei Ramirez reached on a fielding error by the second baseman. Our guy then had to endure the tension of seeing a foul pop up dropped by the second baseman before getting the first out when the dangerous Jermaine Dye struck out swinging at a 94mph missile. To repeat his heroics from the previous day Balfour conjured up another inning ending double play when Paul Konerko grounded one to the second baseman. It concluded another fine effort under pressure from the Aussie.

Evergreen starting pitcher KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) did a sterling job again today, pitching 6.0ip 6h 2er 1bb 3k to collect the win when his Texas Rangers rolled over the visiting Boston Red Sox 6-3. He improved his record to 9-7, 3.44ERA for the 2009 season.
... and from yesterday:

Aussie rocket-arm GRANT BALFOUR snared his fourth win of the 2009 campaign with a strong middle relief effort of 1.1ip 1h 0er 1bb 0k which helped the Tampa Bay Rays to prevail 4-3 over the Kansas City Royals. 'Balf' took over with two runners on and only one out in the seventh inning and he started by issuing a "semi-intentional" walk to Miguel Olivo to load the bases. The tactic worked to perfect effect when he then induced Yuniesky Betancourt to ground into an inning ending double play to the third baseman. Back to start the eighth inning, Grant had David DeJesus fly out to the right fielder and Willie Bloomquist ground out to the second baseman. But, when Billy Butler singled up the middle with two out, it was time for him to hand the ball to lefty Randy Choate. His record improved to 4-1, 4.57ERA. In this game RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) got the last out for KC with 0.1ip 0h 0er 1bb 0k (4.35ERA).

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) went yard for his third home run of the season while batting 1-2 (.284) with two RBIs and two walks, but it was all to little avail when his Houston Astros were overrun 3-4 by the home standing Los Angeles Dodgers.
  19 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN STRONG & BALFOUR BRIEF!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour

 Australia's every day man PETER MOYLAN added another to his National League leading total of 51 appearances with another sound performance for the Atlanta Braves in what turned out to be a nasty 1-5 loss to the visiting New York Mets. In fact, Pete could just as easily have collected another hold or the win when he nailed down a scoreless eighth inning while the Braves were still well within striking distance and their offence spurned bases loaded threats in both the seventh and eighth innings! Once again our man was chosen by venerable manager Bobby Cox to pitch to the tough part of the Mets' batting order, led by David Wright who singled into left field and stole a base to provide an immediate scoring threat. Moylan held his composure to strike out Jeff Francoeur swinging, before getting Jeremy Reed to ground out to the second baseman and Omir Santos to smack one back to the mound for Pete to glove neatly and make the easy assist. He pitched a valuable 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (4.38ERA) and it was certainly not his fault that the Braves let the game slip away in the ninth for a wider looking margin of defeat.

Aussie right-hander GRANT BALFOUR wasn't required to do a lot today for the Tampa Bay Rays with a brief 0.1ip 0h 1r 0er 1bb 0k (4.71ERA) in their 4-2 comeback victory over the luckless Kansas City Royals. Grant came on to start the seventh inning which began with Alex Gordon flying out to the left fielder in foul ground. There were concerns when Alberto Collaspo then worked a six pitch walk, followed by a fielding error when Yuniesky Betancourt slapped one to the second baseman. Balfour was then replaced by lefty Randy Choate in order to get the "lefty v lefty" match-up with David DeJesus. Collaspo scored on the next play but it was an unearned run.

Former ABL star GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) is nothing if not unpredictable and, while his hot and cold bat has deprived him of regular playing time this year, he was in the zone today. The 'Son of Sarge' batted 3-5 with a walk and run scored for the LA Angels in their dominant 11-6 win over the Oakland Athletics.
  18 JULY 2009 - PETE MOYLAN HOLDS 15TH!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


 Ron Mahay

 Australian side-armer PETER MOYLAN played a key role for the Atlanta Braves in the midst of the hottest action yesterday, earning his 15th hold of the season with 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (4.50ERA) in their 5-3 win over the New York Mets. Pete was asked to pitch to the heart of the depleted Mets' lineup when he took over at the beginning of the eighth inning. His first victim was Mets' star David Wright who flied out to right field thanks to a nice running catch by Matt Diaz. He then struck our fearsome veteran Gary Sheffield swinging on three straight sliders before getting recent team mate Jeff Francoeur to ground out to the short stop. It was a job well done to really cement the important victory for his team.

... now from today's games:

RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 1-3 (.244) and walked to help his Seattle Mariners to roll over the Cleveland Indians 6-2.

Collecting his fourth hold for the year was converted ABL outfielder RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) who pitched 1.1ip 2h 1er 0bb 0k (4.40ERA) for the Kansas City Royals in what turned into a nasty 7-8 defeat by the Tampa Bay Rays who rallied late for the "W".

... and from yesterday's other MLB games:

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 1-3 (.228) with a walk and a run scored to help his Los Angeles Angels to beat the rival Oakland Athletics 6-2.
  13 JULY 2009 - PETE MOYLAN BLOWS FIFTH SAVE!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan

 


Nick Green

Aussie star PETER MOYLAN would certainly not be enjoying the relative epidemic of blown saves that have plagued him recently. Our Pete was unfortunately saddled with his fifth 'BS' of the season following his Atlanta Braves' skinny 7-8 defeat at the hands of a strong finishing Colorado Rockies. In fairness to him, the game had already started to slip from the grasp of the Braves when the 'Rox' rallied with a three run seventh before Pete took the ball to start the eighth inning. Moylan secured the first out by getting Troy Tulowitzki to ground out to the short stop but his trouble started when Ian Stewart singled into right field, followed by a walk issued to Chris Iannetta. This allowed pinch hitter Ryan Spilborghs to deliver the tying run with a RBI double into centre field. Things could have been worse if not for the fact that Iannetta was thrown out at home plate trying to score a second run on the play. There was no further damage when Dexter Fowler popped out to the short stop to end the frame. Pete was left with 1.0ip 2h 1er 1bb 0k (4.62ERA) and he could only look on as the Rockies scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Utility infielder NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) may not have managed a safe hit for the Boston Red Sox during their 6-0 shutout win over the Kansas City Royals, but he did walk three times and he also scored twice while batting 0-2 (.257)

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) is just starting to find his batting stroke leading into the All-Star break, batting2-4 (.263) for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 2-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Helping the Los Angeles Angels to continue their domination of the New York Yankees was GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) who batted 0-3 (.226) but he walked and scored a vital run in the 'Halos' latest 5-4 victory over the 'Evil Empire'.

RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 1-2 (.257) plus a walk for the Seattle Mariners in their 5-3 home win over the Texas Rangers.
  12 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN HOLDS; BALFOUR BATTLES!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour

 

 


Gary Matthews

 Australian side-arm reliever PETER MOYLAN wasn't at his most efficient today, but that didn't stop him from adding his 14th hold of the 2009 season for the Atlanta Braves who squeaked the Colorado Rockies by 4-3. This time Pete was asked to take over from tiring starter Jair Jurrjens who had just coughed up a home run and a double to the first two batters in the seventh inning. He began well by striking out Chris Iannetta on three pitches before Seth Smith singled up the middle to drive in the runner on second. Worse was to follow when Garret Atkins singled into left field and a passed ball allowed Smith to scamper home from third. Thankfully, and importantly in the context of a one run result, Pete didn't allow the game to drift any further with a couple of timely ground balls to the short stop from Dexter Fowler and Clint Barmes. His line today stood at 1.0ip 2h 1er 0bb 1k (4.50ERA).

Aussie power thrower GRANT BALFOUR had a rare rough outing today, pitching 0.2ip 1h 2er 1bb 1k (4.75ERA) for the Tampa Bay Rays who fell 2-7 against the visiting Oakland Athletics. In fairness, Grant did perhaps the most important part of his job when he took the mound during a horrid seventh inning with runners at the corners, two out and four runs already scored in the frame. He helped his team to minimise that jam by winning a seven pitch battle with Jack Cust who struck out swinging at a curveball after seeing a barrage of 93mph four-seamers. Starting the top of the eighth he was immediately under the pump when Kurt Suzuki singled into left field and he was advanced to second by Bobby Crosby's sacrifice bunt that Balfour fielded himself for the assist. A passed ball by the Rays' reserve catcher didn't help and nor did he help himself when he walked Rajai Davis after an eight pitch at bat. Grant was replaced by veteran Dan Wheeler who proceeded to cash in Balfour's two earned runs while he looked on helplessly.

Helping the Boston Red Sox to out-slug the Kansas City Royals 15-9 at Fenway Park was infielder NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-4 (.260) with two RBIs and a walk. In the Royals camp specialist lefty reliever RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) ran into the 12th home run of the season bat 'Big Papi' David Ortiz to leave him with an otherwise good 2.1ip 1h 1er 0bb 3k (4.30ERA).

GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) has been getting splinters on the bench for most of the 2009 season, but he enjoyed the opportunity to start at centre field today in the absence of injured star Torii Hunter. And, Matthews certainly helped his Los Angeles Angels to get the better of the visiting New York Yankees in another 14-8 slug fest. Gary batted 2-4 (.231) with two RBIs, a walk and a run scored.

Unable to prevent his Toronto Blue Jays from tumbling 3-4 to the Baltimore Orioles after 12 tense innings was VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) who batted 1-4 (.260) plus a stroll to first on a walk.

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) batted 2-4 (.286) but even that was not enough to prevent the Washington Nationals from earning a rare "percentage booster" 13-2 over his Houston Astros.
  11 JULY 2009 - BALFOUR HOLDS, MOYLAN DOESN'T!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Grant Balfour


Peter Moylan

 Reliable Aussie ace reliever GRANT BALFOUR continues to keep pace with compatriot Peter Moylan after collecting his 11th hold of the season with 1.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (4.39ERA) for the Tampa Bay Rays in their tight 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Grant took over a precarious bases loaded and one out situation in the seventh inning and he did a critical job for the Rays to extinguish the threat while pitching to the beef of the Blue Jays lineup. He put away the scoreless seventh by getting Kevin Millar to pop out to the second baseman, then Vernon Wells to fly out to centre field. Returning to snuff out the eighth, he had Alex Rios called out on strikes, Lyle Overbay fly out to centre field and Rod Barajas fly out to right field. It was another man-sized effort by the Australian. In this game former All-Star VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.263) for the Canadian team.

Australia's PETER MOYLAN found himself pitching at the wrong time for the Atlanta Braves when he was saddled with his fourth blown save of the season in their narrow 6-7 defeat by the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. On this occasion 'Big Pete' was unable to keep the Braves ahead after taking over the hill to commence the seventh inning. He got Ryan Spilborghs to ground out to the second baseman but things didn't go his way when a similar hit by Dexter Fowler was deflected by the second baseman into right field and was scored as a single. The speedy Fowler then stole second base before tying the game when he was driven home by a Clint Barmes double into left field. That concluded Moylan's outing which finished with a disappointing pitching line of 0.1ip 2h 1er 0bb 0k (4.37ERA). That's baseball!

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) batted a very solid 2-4 (.271) with a run scored for the Houston Astros in their 9-4 victory over the hapless Washington Nationals. But, in a strange circumstance, third baseman Blum also batted 1-5 with a RBI and scored a run in the completion of a game that was held over from May 5th. This wild affair finally concluded with Washington beating the Astros 11-10 in the bottom of the eleventh inning due to a throwing error. The game which started in Nationals Stadium had to be completed at Houston's Minute Maid Park with the Nationals walking off winner's as the home team in the contest!
  10 JULY 2009 - AUSSIE TRIO PITCH IN BIGS!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour


Rich Thompson

 PETE MOYLAN was the best of an Aussie tri-fecta to pitch in the US big leagues yesterday when he collected his 13th hold of the year for the Atlanta Braves in their 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Moylan backed up a quality start from Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami with a scoreless bottom of the seventh. He got Milton Bradley to ground out to the second baseman before Jamie Fox singled into right field. In rather typical Moylan fashion, he snuffed out the frame with pinch hitter Mike Fontenot grounding into a double play to the second baseman. His line was 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 0k (4.15ERA).

Australian reliever GRANT BALFOUR suffered a rare blown save while pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in a wild game that they eventually won 10-9 over the unfortunate Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. 'Balf' came on in relief of starter Scott Kazmir with a runner on third base and with one out in the seventh inning but it was not to be his best day which ended with 0.2ip 3h 2er 0bb 1k (4.58ERA). It started poorly when Scott Rolen punched a RBI single up the middle, but then improved when slugger Vernon Wells grounded into a force out to the third baseman. Veteran Kevin Millar next doubled into left field to drive in another run, allowing Alex Rios to drive him in with a line drive single into centre field. After a coach's visit to the mound Balfour re-grouped to strike out Jose Bautista on a foul tip. In this game VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) spanked his ninth home run of the year while batting 2-5 (.264) and scoring three times.

Fellow Aussie reliever RICHARD THOMPSON suffered an even tougher time while pitching middle relief for the LA Angels in a game that was already plummeting out of control in a 1-8 loss to the Texas Rangers. On this occasion Rich was hit hard in a 1.1ip 4h 3er 2bb 2k (5.40ERA) performance that included a pair of long balls. He replaced disappointing starter Ervin Santana for the top of the fifth innings and things began without incident when Michael Young grounded out to the short stop and Josh Hamilton grounded out to the first baseman. However, the honeymoon was short lived when powerful Andruw Jones went yard over left field, followed by Hank Blalock's single to right field and Marlon Byrd's home run to left centre field. Rich then walked David Murphy before ending the inning with Taylor Teagarden struck out looking. Back to start the top of the sixth, Thompson fanned Elvis Andrus before walking veteran Omar Vizquel on five pitches. A Michael Young double into right field signaled the end of his torrid outing. Team mate GARY MATTHEWS JNR. (Brisbane Bandits 1997) batted 0-3 (.223) with a walk in the losing cause.

NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 2-4 (.262) but to no avail when his Boston Red Sox were upset 6-8 by the visiting Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park.

Not able to do enough to help the Seattle Mariners in their 3-5 defeat by the Baltimore Orioles was journeyman outfielder RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-3 (.304) plus a walk.

  9 JULY 2009 - THOMPSON TANGLES WITH TEXAS!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Rich Thompson

 Aussie RICHARD THOMPSON was able to tip-toe around a couple of hits to put up a scoreless final inning for the Los Angeles Angels in a 5-8 loss to the in-form Texas Rangers. Rich pitched a scoreless top of the ninth inning with 1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k to reduce his major league ERA to 4.11 for 2009 so far. After allowing a leadoff hit to Marlon Byrd who slapped a line drive into right field, Thompson cleared the bags by inducing David Murphy to ground into a double play to the first baseman. This proved vital when the man with the longest name in major league history Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled into right field. He polished off the third out by getting Elvis Andrus to pop out to the first baseman in foul territory. The Australian right-hander was touching 94mph during his stint in this contest.

RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) closed the final inning for the Kansas City Royals in a 5-8 defeat by the Detroit Tigers with a tidy 1.0ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (4.33ERA).

One man who could not be blamed for the Toronto Blue Jays losing a heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-3 after 11 innings was VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) who batted a game best 3-5 (.262).
  8 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN WORKS AT WRIGLEY!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan

 


 Vernon Wells

 Taking the opportunity to watch Aussie PETER MOYLAN in the televised game, I'm still convinced that his arm angle is even (perhaps slightly?) lower than before his arm surgery last season. Whatever, 'Big Pete' seems to have regained most of that nasty swerving and sinking movement on his pitches that makes him a difficult ground ball customer coming out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen. On this occasion he was to pitch 1.0ip 1h 0er 1bb 1k (4.28ERA) for the Braves in their entertaining 2-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Taking over from unlucky starter Jair Jurrjens to start the seventh inning, he faced the top of the Cubs lineup with Kosuke Fukudome grounding out to the short stop, then he struck out Ryan Theriot with his fourth pitch curveball. Moylan was a little unhappy with a close call on a third strike to Derrek Lee which, as ever, was immediately followed by a ringing double into the left centre field alley. After being told to intentionally walk Milton Bradley, he finished the deal exactly as prescribed by getting the dangerous Aramis Ramirez to ground into a force out to the short stop.

The Texas Rangers are most disappointed that their veteran ace KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) missed out on All-Star selection after what has been a quite magnificent start to the 2009 season. Looking as trim as he did during his ABL days after carrying more beef in recent seasons, Millwood has carried the Rangers this year, even though he was not at his sharpest during their 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Millwood may have felt that he was being "squeezed" by the plate umpire during his hard-hit 5.0ip 9h 9er 3bb 0k effort that dipped his record to 8-6, 3.34ERA.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted a mighty 3-5 (.257) and scored twice to help the Toronto Blue Jays to get the better of the New York Yankees in a tight 7-6 game.

Supplying one of only two hits for the Boston Red Sox in their 0-6 shutout defeat by the Oakland Athletics was NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-3 (.268).

RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 1-3 (.375) plus a RBI and a run scored for the Seattle Mariners during their 5-0 shut out of the Baltimore Orioles.

Supplying one of the biggest hits of the game for the Houston Astros in their 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates was GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) whose 1-3 (.267) included a triple, a walk and two RBIs.

  7 JULY 2009 - GRANT BALFOUR TOILS IN TEXAS!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Grant Balfour

 Australian reliever GRANT BALFOUR didn't have everything his own way yesterday pitching 0.2ip 1h 0er 1bb 1k (4.19ERA) during a 2-5 loss to the well performed Texas Rangers. Grant took over the start the sixth inning in relief of starter Matt Garza and he quickly induced Ian Kinsler to ground out to the third baseman before walking Michael Young on five pitches. After David Murphy singled up the middle, he struck out Marlon Byrd with a 93mph heater. Balfour was then replaced in favour of a "lefty v lefty" matchup when bullpen mate Randy Choate was brought in to pitch to Hank Blalock... he struck him out!

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.251) for the Toronto Blue Jays in their wild 8-10 defeat by the New York Yankees.

Once again earning his dues with the Seattle Mariners was RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) who batted 1-3 (.385) with a RBI in what was to be a 4-8 defeat by the Boston Red Sox. NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) had a quiet day for the Bosox with 0-3 (.267), but he did earn a walk.
  5 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN COPS THIRD BLOWN SAVE!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan
 Ryan Langerhans

 The unpredictable and unforgiving nature of relief pitching revealed itself again today for Australian star PETER MOYLAN when he failed to get an out while suffering his third blown save as his Atlanta Braves went into melt-down in a 3-5 loss to the lowly Washington Nationals. Pete, who has been very good since a slowish start to the 2009 season, pitched 0.0ip 1h 1er 0bb 0k (4.41ERA) today after being tossed to the wolves in the seventh inning facing a bases loaded and one out jam. Moylan was asked to induce a ground ball from Washington's best hitter Ryan Zimmerman and he almost succeeded, except for the fact that Zimmerman hammered his second pitch back up the middle to plate two more runs. It was to be the only batter he faced on this occasion. As our man found out again today, it can be very hard to halt the momentum of a game that is already skidding out of control.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.252) and added a walk for the Toronto Blue Jays who fell again 5-6 to the charmed New York Yankees after a 12 innings epic.

Journeyman RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) batted 0-0 (.400) but he walked twice for the Seattle Mariners who pinched another narrow win over the Boston Red Sox 3-2.

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) batted 1-4 (.266) as one of only three hits for the Houston Astros who were shut out 0-9 by ace Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants.
  4 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN, BALFOUR & THOMPSON PITCH!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour


Rich Thompson

 

 Aussie PETER MOYLAN was just one of the pitchers who took a lump while pitching in a wild game that was finally won 9-8 by his Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals. In doing so he collected his 12th hold of the year with 1.0ip 1h 1er 1bb 0k (4.13ERA). Things started shakily for Pete in the bottom of the seventh inning when Ryan Zimmerman singled with an infield "squibber" to the third baseman before he issued a five pitch walk while pitching carefully to the dangerous monster Adam Dunn. Moylan induced Josh Willingham to ground into a force out to the third baseman but, with the runners advancing on the play, Christian Guzman was able to drive ion the runner from third with a sacrifice fly to left field. He ended the inning with Josh Bard grounding out to the second baseman.

Hard throwing Australian GRANT BALFOUR did everything he could with a strong two-inning relief effort for the Tampa Bay Rays who fell short in a 1-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. 'Balf' supplied a terrific middle relief performance of 2.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 2k (4.26ERA) to keep the Rays in the game today. His first job was to de-fuse a jam in the sixth inning with runners on the corners and just one out just after an intentional walk had been issued. In exciting fashion, Grant struck out both Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus fanning with a barrage of fastballs to end the inning. He then retired the Rangers 1-2-3 in the seventh with Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and Marlon Byrd each lofting fly balls to a busy right fielder. His final task was to get Andruw Jones to pop out to the first baseman in foul territory to secure the first out for the eighth stanza.

Aussie right-hander RICHARD THOMPSON supplied a scoreless inning of relief for the Los Angeles Angels today with 1.0ip 2h 0er 0bb 0k (4.40ERA) in what turned out to be a 3-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. He put up a zero in the top of the seventh dig by getting Luke Scott to fly out centre field before finding some strife when both Melvin Mora and Matt Weiters singled up the middle. Rich avoided further trouble when Robert Andino flied out to right field and Brian Roberts grounded out to the third baseman.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 2-4 (.252) with a RBI coming via his eighth home run of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 2-4 defeat by the New York Yankees.

Former IBLA guys RYAN LANGERHANS (IBLA Internationals 2001) and NICK GREEN (IBLA Internationals 2001) were in opposing camps today and both were very good contributors for the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox respectively. Langerhans batted 2-4 (.500) with a walk and two runs scored for the M's who topped the Bosox 7-6 in the 11th inning at Fenway. Green was almost the hero for Boston with 2-4 (.272) and the two huge RBIs that tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.
  3 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN BS; BALFOUR SOLID!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Grant Balfour

 

I'm not sure that Australia's renowned competitor PETER MOYLAN would be too upset with his unusual blown save today given the fact that Atlanta Braves were able to rally later to overrun the world champion Philadelphia Phillies 5-2. Pete came into the game in relief of Braves' starter Javier Vazquez with runners perched on second and third bases and only one out in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, he allowed a run to score on Pedro Feliz' ground ball out to the short stop before ending the inning with another ground ball hit by Carlos Ruiz to the second baseman. Back for the seventh inning, Pete struck out J.A Happ swinging at a sinker, followed back to the dugout by Jimmy Rollins who grounded out to the second baseman. Moylan was lifted after Shane Victorino doubled into centre field having done a good job in the circumstances. The blown save sounded worse than it was after his 1.1ip 1h 0er 0bb 1k (3.98ERA) outing.

... and yesterday:

Aussie fireman GRANT BALFOUR got the last two outs for the Tampa Bays Rays in a 0-5 shutout loss to the Toronto Blue Jays with a tidy 0.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (4.50ERA). Grant pitched in the bottom of the eighth with one on and one out after the Blue Jays had already added-on with two home runs in the inning. He got Kevin Millar to fly out to left field before whiffing Alex Rios with four straight fastballs that clocked between 95 and 97 miles per hour. I wonder if Rios actually saw the ball flashing by like a comet? VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) pinch hit in this game with 0-0 (.248).

RON MAHAY (Gold Coast Cougars 1996) pitched the final inning of a 1-5 loss for his Kansas City Royals to the Minnesota Twins with an uneventful 1.0ip 0h 0er 0bb 1k (4.38ERA).

It was not the most effective performance by veteran KEVIN MILLWOOD (Melbourne Monarchs 1997) for the Texas Rangers when he took a no-decision after starting in a 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels. His line from this game was 6.1ip 8h 4er 3bb 4k (2.80ERA).

GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) batted 1-3 with a walk, a RBI and a run scored for the Houston Astros to help them to a 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
  1 JULY 2009 - MOYLAN WINS; THOMPSON SOLID!
Here is an update of what some Aussies and former AMLB imports have been doing in the US major leagues:


Peter Moylan


Rich Thompson

 

Australian relief ace PETER MOYLAN was "Johnny on the spot" today, picking up his second win of the 2009 season when his Atlanta Braves rolled past the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 in the bottom of the tenth inning. Pete locked down the final two outs in the top of the tenth to become the pitcher of record with his 0.2ip 0h 0er 0bb 0k. Much like his last outing, Moylan did the business with his immediate inning ending ground ball double play when he got the dangerous Jayson Werth to roll over on a hit to the third baseman. This time he faced one batter for four pitches to pick up the "W". Sometimes baseball can be cruel, but this time it was kind to our man as his record improved to 2-2, 4.15ERA.

Aussie right-hander RICHARD THOMPSON did a valuable job for his Los Angeles Angels with a solid middle relief effort of 2.1ip 3h 0er 0bb 3k (4.72ERA) after starter Joe Saunders was shelled from the mound with eight runs and just two out in the fourth frame. Unfortunately his efforts were too late to really help the Angels who were vanquished 5-9 by the Texas Rangers. With one on and two out, things started shakily for Rich when a stolen base and a Nelson Cruz single into left field scored another run. After throwing away a pickoff attempt for an error he finally ended the inning when he got David Murphy to ground out to the second baseman. Returning for the fourth, Thompson struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a third pitch curveball before getting Chris Davis to ground out to the second baseman. He then caused himself a problem when Elvis Andrus singled up the middle and then proceeded to steal second, then third bases. Thankfully for the Aussie he was left at third when Ian Kinsler flied out to left field. In the sixth he allowed a leadoff infield single to Michael Young before striking out both Marlon Byrd and Andruw Jones. His work was done for this day when he got Nelson Cruz to ground out to the third baseman.

VERNON WELLS (Sydney Storm 1999) batted 1-4 (.248) in his Toronto Blue Jays 1-4 loss to the streaking Tampa Bay Rays.

Proving his value again was utility infielder GEOFF BLUM (Hunter Eagles 1995) who may not have managed a safe hit, but he did deliver a most important RBI via a sacrifice fly for the Houston Astros in their narrow 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

If anyone takes the trouble to contact us with any reasonably substantiated news of interest to AMLB supporters, we will publish this news on this site! Click these to contact Adrian Dunn or Peter Flintoff.