DAILY PITCH Jul,21,11

Cleveland Indians to summon Jason Kipnis for debut

The Indians will call up one of their leading prospects, rookie infielder Jason Kipnis from Class AAA Columbus for Friday's game against the White Sox.
Kipnis is expected to make his major league debut at second base.His promotion fuels speculation that veteran Orlando Cabrera, a former Gold Glove winner, could be dealt to another contending team in need of infield help.

Kipnis, 24, was hitting .279 with 12 homers and 12 steals. and was second in the International League with 64 runs scored. He recently homered for the U.S. Team against Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Julio Teheran in the XM Futures Game prior to the MLB All-Star Game in Phoenix.
Kipnis was Cleveland's second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2009. He was an outfielder in college.
Some have speculated that Kipnis has the tools to be one of baseball's blossoming stars.
To make room, the Indians optioned infielder Luis Valbuena to Columbus. Cleveland also designated infielder Jared Goedert for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Not so fast: Hideki Matsui not at 500 homers yet

Contrary to popular discussion in the news media, Hideki Matsui has not yet hit 500 home runs. At least not during the regular season.
The 500 figure being reported includes 10 homers he hit for the Yankees in the postseason, not included in traditional measuring standards.

Matsui homered Wednesday for the Oakland A's, giving him 168 major league home runs. Added to the 322 he hit in Japan, that brings his total to 490.
One must factor in the 10 postseason homers he hit for the Yankees to get him to 500.
Using that criteria, Jim Thome, with 17 postseason homers, would already be a member of the 600-homer club, not standing at 596.
Derek Jeter would have 3,194 hits, not 3,009.
This is not meant to diminish any of Matsui's accomplishments. He backed up his $13 million salary from the Yankees when he batted .615 with three homers, leading New York to victory against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series.
By any calculation, Matsui is the first to hit 500 homers professionally (including the postseason), combining numbers from the Japanese and U.S. major leagues.

Worley's world the latest hit in Philadelphia (and Chicago)

CHICAGO -- Philadelphia Phillies rookie starter Vance Worley no longer asks his favorite opposing players for autographs.

He no longer is too nervous to talk to the megastars in his own clubhouse, trying to remember they're co-workers, not idols.The way Worley is pitching these days, he may soon find himself the subject of hero worship.
Certainly, the Cubs were in awe Wednesday, with Worley producing his latest gem in the Phillies' 9-1 victory, while the folks at Wrigley Field made him comfortable in the oppressive heat.
Worley, 6-1, who has a 0.94 ERA in his six starts since rejoining the Phillies in mid-June, actually looked rather refreshed on the mound, despite the heat index hitting 110. He yielded just four hits and one run in eight innings. It was his sixth consecutive start yielding no more than a run. He looked as relaxed as the fans hanging out on the Wrigley rooftops when he departed.
That's what drinking eight Gatorades, seven bottles of water and a Pedialyte on the eve of a start will do for you, he said, making sure he didn't suffer heat exhaustion like teammate Roy Halladay two nights earlier. The extra liquid may have interrupted Worley's sleep pattern, forcing him to hit the bathroom frequently throughout the night Tuesday, but the Cubs actually took extraordinary measures to assist his comfort.

Tigers designate Brandon Inge; Wilson Betemit to play 3B

The Tigers' acquisition of infielder Wilson Betemit from the Royals for two minor league player didn't move the interest meter much in Motown. But the ensuing move to drop Brandon Inge did.
The Tigers designated Inge for assignment Wednesday.
"We like Betemit. We feel he upgrades us at third base at this time," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said. "We've scuffled offensively at that spot."
Inge, two years removed from an All-Star season in which he hit 27 homers and drove in 84 runs, was hitting .177 with one homer in 70 games this season. Despite his struggles, he has been a heart-and-soul anchor in the Tigers' clubhouse since 2001.
Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News wrote that it was a move that had to happen and that not even Inge could disagree.
Wojnowski wrote: "Some fans may miss Inge and others may love the demotion, but something had to be done."
And he quoted Inge:

"If I was the GM, it's probably the route I'd go. They gave me ample time to screw up. I'm not one to sit here and play the whole poor me thing. It's my fault. I'm not holding anybody else responsible."

"It's a tough move — Brandon has done a lot for the franchise," Dombrowski said. "He knows he's scuffling, he's the first one to admit it."
Betemit, a .268 career hitter with five previous teams, was hitting .281 with three homers in 57 games for the Royals.

See photos of: Detroit Tigers, Brandon Inge

Stephen Drew out for season; Jose Reyes said to be unavailable

Two broken bones in the same inning.
Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew broke his right ankle while sliding across home plate Wednesday night. On the next play, Milwaukee center fielder Carlos Gomez broke his left collar bone on a sliding catch.
The damage for Arizona extends far beyond the 5-2, 10-inning loss. After the game manager Kirk Gibson said Drew will require surgery and be lost for the season.

Drew, the Diamondbacks' first-round draft pick in 2004, is a .269 career hitter and with 45 RBI this year (second among NL shortstops). He was on his way to a fifth consecutive season with 60 or more.
He will not be easily replaced and quality shortstops -- especially those who can produce on offense -- are hard to find.
Just last night, ESPN reported that the Mets will not be trading Jose Reyes, the top shortstop thought to be available for the right price. Reyes, who returned from the disabled list on Tuesday, is the NL's leading hitter

First pitch: Angels' rally ends Rangers' 12-game streak

Just maybe, the Angels of Anaheim saved their season Wednesday night.
The Rangers were on the verge of winning their 13th consecutive game before the Angels rallied with six runs in the sixth to pull out a 9-8 victory.

That not only slowed the Rangers' runaway train but prevented the Angels from falling six games behind Texas in the AL West.
And it makes this afternoon's pitching matchup (C.J. Wilson, 10-3, vs. Jered Weaver, 12-4) that much more scintillating. The Angels could come out of the series a mere 3 games out in the AL West.
"These are the type of games that can turn things around," Angels left fielder Vernon Wells said. "Obviously, (Wednesday is) a big game for us. We've got our work cut out for us with C.J. on the mound, but I like the guy we've got going, too."
From a Texas standpoint, the six-run Angels' inning came out of the blue. The six runs were more than opponents had scored against them in the previous 61 innings. Prior to Wednesday's outburst against Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter, the Rangers had four shutouts in a six-game stretch.
During their 12-game winning streak that began on July 4, the Rangers had outscored the Orioles, A's, Mariners and Angels 78-24. Thursday's loss snapped a 10-game winning streak against AL West opponents.

White Sox lose on wild pitch; Ozzie Guillen calls it 'pathetic'

The Chicago White Sox and manager Ozzie Guillen suffered an agonizing defeat to the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.Hoping to gain ground on American League Central co-leaders Cleveland and Detroit, who both lost Wednesday, the White Sox bullpen crumbled after seven shutout innings from John Danks and lost 2-1.