Andrew Miller

Don't look now but Andrew Miller may have finally become a legitimate Major League pitcher.

Miller has a 3.20 ERA and a 1.204 ratio in 8 starts (50.2 innings) since returning from the disabled list in early mid-May (Miller had a 6.94 ERA when he went on the DL). Last night, Miller allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks in 7 innings in Florida's 7-6 win over Baltimore at Landshark Stadium, an impressive performance by any measure.

This 8-game stretch is Miller's best pitching since becoming a Major Leaguer in 2006. Benedict fans fear false hope, though, recalling Mike Pelfrey's great second half last year (3.16 ERA, 1.140 ratio in July, August and September) that gave way to this year's meltdown (4.74 ERA, 1.473 ratio though June 23). For now, we'll enjoy watching Miller mow down Major League hiters.

Nick Masset and Milton Bradley

Like clockwork the Benedicts' newly acquired relief pitcher Nick Masset continued his instant collapse last night, allowing a run in his fourth consecutive appearance since joining the Benedicts.

Readers will recall that the Benedicts acquired Masset June 15 for Chicago outfielder Milton Bradley. When the trade occurred, Masset had a 0.74 ERA and had allowed 8 hits and 9 walks in 24.1 innings pitched (0.699 ratio) for Cincinnati.

In four appearances since the trade, Masset has pitched 4.1 innings and has allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and 4 earned runs for an 8.31 ERA and 1.848 ratio. Massett had allowed 2 hits and a walk over 7.1 innings in June up to the trade.

It is worth nothing that Bradley, a .227 hitter on June 15, is on an 8-20 streak (.400) since the trade and has raised his batting average to .248 over this short stretch.

Carlos Delgado

Carlos Delgado
Boards vs. Benedicts
2008-2009 (per 162 Met games)

Team                MG  AB  H HR RBI SB  AVG
w/Benedicts        148 364 92 15  58  1 .253
w/Boards            91 328 98 27  80  0 .299 

It's really interesting to see Delgado's production stretched over 162 Met games The third line is Delgado's career average per 162 games.

Team                MG  AB   H HR RBI SB  AVG
w/Benedicts        162 399 101 16  63  1 .253
w/Boards           162 589 174 48 142  0 .299 
Career             162 580 162 38 120  1 .280

Benedict critics argue that the team never should have acquired the aging Delgado in 2008, and should not have traded for him this off-season (though Chris Young has been no great shakes for Arizona) because of his hip injury. We respond that Delgado must have the strangest hip injury in medical history - one that bothers him only when garbed in Benedict Blue.

Kevin Correia

Benedict and Padre pitcher Kevin Correia has turned things around in San Diego - in 5 June starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 0.903 ratio over 31 innings. In his last 2 starts, Correia has allowed 4 hits and 1 walk in 14.2 innings. This month, the 28-year old Cal Poly SLO product has lowered his ERA from 5.11 to 4.26.

Most consider Correia a 4th or 5th pitcher, but right now, he is the only Padre pitching well, what with Jake Peavy on the DL and Chris Young, Chad Gaudin, Josh Geer, Wade Sliva and Shawn Hill sporting ERAs over five. Correia had a 6.05 ERA in San Francisco last season, perhaps he has found himself in baseball's best pitcher's environment.

Prospect vs. Prospect

John Sickels Minor League Ball blog includes from time to time prospect vs. prospect polls, pitting two top prospects against one another and asking readers to vote which is the better prospect.

Sometimes readers get into the act in the Fanposts section, and today one appeared that interested us -- Mat Latos vs. Jarrod Parker -- Benedict prospects both.

We cast our vote for Latos -- that said, Parker holds a slight lead.

Willful Blindness

Tim Brown at Yahoo! Sports has this story Monday on Nationals' manager Manny Acta's precarious job situation in D.C. where his team holds baseball's worst record at 16-46. Acta's firing is inevitable -- the old adage says that it is easier to replace a manger than a roster usually carries the day. We were struck, though, by this passage about National president Stan Kasten in Brown's article:

Still, Kasten told reporters this weekend, “I can confess to you how perplexed I am by this season, this team and the things that are going on.”

Really? Washington was regarded as a vitual lock for baseball's worst record this pre-season and the pitching staff - one of least experienced and least regarded staffs assembled in memory, has performed exactly as expected. Yet Kasten is "perplexed?" What irony that the one person that is "perplexed" by Washington's sorry state of affairs is perhaps the one person most responsible for assembing that very same sorry state of affairs in the first place. No one is blinder, it seems, than he who will not see.

Uncanny

Through June 14, Cincinnati pitcher Nick Massett allowed 8 hits and 9 walks over 24.1 innings of the Red bullpen.

The Benedicts acquired Massett on June 15 and Masset made his first Benedict appearance last night. He allowed 3 hits and a walk in 1 inning pitched.

Uncanny.

Benedicts Lose in Charlie Morton Sweepstakes

The Benedicts hoped to nab Charlie Morton in this week's FAAB but came up a dollar short. Morton has joined the Pirate rotation after last week's trade from Atlanta. Talk that Morton will become a fixture in Pittsburgh's rotation is apparently based on something other than Morton's career 6.07 ERA in 76 Major League innings to date.

Benedicts Acquire Nick Masset

The Benedicts made a late morning trade today with the Eulogy, sending disappointing outfielder Milton Bradley (20A) packing for reliever Nick Masset (6A).

Bradley hit .321 last year for Texas with 22 home runs in 122 games, a fine season that, coupled with an off-season move to Chicago, spurred some real interest at this year's action. The Benedicts acquired him then watched in horror as Bradley began the season in a 1-24 (.042) slump. Bradley has rebound from that, some early leg injuries and an April 2-game suspension, but only so far. At .227-5-16, Bradley became expendable and one of many candidates for this year's Pedro Guerrero Award.

Masset, 27, is an interesting project for the Benedicts. A tall, hard-throwing right-hander, Masset washed out as a starter in the minor leagues, and experienced false starts in long relief with the Rangers and White Sox before finding his groove with Cincinnati after a late-season deal last year. So far this year, Masset has been amazing -- he has a 0.74 ERA and has allowed only 8 walks hits and 9 bases on balls in 24.2 innings. Francisco Cordero has a firm hold on the Cincinnati closer's job but the Reds are going nowhere again and are always one losing streak away from a shake-up. It hardly hurts Masset's cause though that Cordero is 34, has a history of inconsistency and earns over $12 million per season (signed through 2011) while Massett is earning just $418,000 this season. Hey, stranger things have happened.

So Long, Jonathan Broxton

The Benedicts have faced recriminations over the team's decision not to extend free agent (and now traded) reliever Jonathan Broxton this spring. Broxton entered the season as a 10C and the Dodgers closer-apparent after solid work in 2008 in that role -- Broxton was 3-5 with 14 saves in 22 opportunities in 2008 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.174 ratio last season. Rival Dodger reliever Takashi Saito's move to Boston this winter cleared the way for Broxton to post big number as the Dodger lone closer this year.

The Benedicts did not extend Broxton -- as it happens this was a mistake as Broxton has been completely brilliant in the closer's role. Broxton has allowed only 11 hits and 11 walks against 52 strikeouts over 32 innings so far in 2009. He has 16 saves in 18 opportunities and has allowed opponents to hit a microscopic .103 against him (.217 last year). Broxton has thrived in the closer's role and at age 25, has a bright future ahead of him. He would be a great fit for the Benedicts at 15D or 20D next year, but instead, he will only be available now at a great closer's premium in the auction.

Hindsight is 20/20 though and one look at the other high-profile Benedict reliever justifies the Benedict's cautious approach to Broxton. Chicago's Carlos Marmol has been one of baseball's most feared relief pitchers the last two seasons. Over those two years, Marmol fanned 210 batters in 156 innings and allowed opponents to hit just .150 against him. Like Broxton, Marmol's path to the closer's role was cleared for him in the off season -- Kerry Wood, the Cubs closer, signed with Cleveland this off-season. On draft day, Marmol was very similarly situated to Broxton.

Marmol, however, has hardly justified his $31 draft day salary. Chicago manager Lou Pinella named Kevin Gregg as his closer after the auction, a seemingly inexplicable decision at the time. Marmol, though, has not proven to be closer material, despite his prior campaigns. This year, Marmol's strikeouts are down (31 in 30 innings), his walks are way up (30 in 30 innings) and he has been so inconsistent that he has not been able to oust the moderately skilled (but more reliable) Gregg from closer duties -- despite that Gregg has been far from a dominant closer himself this season (4.18 ERA, .248 average against). Some commentators attribute Marmol's lost effectiveness to overuse the last two years, and Marmol indeed has been very busy as Chicago's set-up man. It's worth noting that Broxton, Los Angeles' set-up man over that same period, in the last two season made 12 more appearances than Marmol and pitched only 4 fewer innings. Somehow, concerns about Broxton's overuse the last two seasons are harder to come by these days.

The Benedicts will enter 2010 without a closer candidate on the roster, left hoping for better in next year's auction day closer roulette.

Benedict House Cleaning - Broxton and Dunn Jettisoned

The Benedicts house cleaning continued tonight as the team turns its back on 2009 while casting an eye to the 2010 season.

Broxton to Varks -- Bruce, Posey to Benedicts

The team traded bullpen ace Jonathan Broxton along with John Maine, Ryan Theriot and Brian Giles in exchange for Jay Bruce, Buster Posey, Kevin Frandsen and Wilmer Flores.

Bruce and Posey are the big names in this deal. Bruce, Cincinnati's starting right fielder, is hitting .212-15-32-3 in 217 at bats for the Reds this year. The 22-year old Beaumont native was Cincinnati's No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America last year. The Reds brought him up in mid-season and he hit .254-21-52-4 in 108 games for the Reds. Bruce has struggled with batting average this year, thanks largely to a .132 June so far, but he is a big-time power prospect for 2010 -- despite the low average, Bruce is on pace to top 40 home runs this season.

Posey, also 22, is hitting .318-10-45-5 in 60 games for San Francisco's San Jose affiliate (Class A). Baseball America named Posey the Giants' No. 2 prospect this season, and the former Florida State star has emerged as one of baseball's top catching prospects. Posey is in his first full professional season after being taken fifth overall by San Francisco in last year's free agent draft.

Flores, 17, is one of baseball's most intriguing prospects. Signed by New York as a free agent at age 16 out of Venezuela, Flores wowed the Mets last year hitting .307-8-42-2 at three rookie levels last season. At Savannah (Class A Sally League) this year, Flores is hitting .255-1-16-1 as the Sand Gnats everyday shortstop -- not bad at all for a player that by age should have graduated earlier this month. Instead, Flores has played over 110 professional games. Earlier this year, Baseball America named Flores as the Mets No. 2 prospect.

The Benedicts included Frandsen in the deal to provide needed depth this year in the middle infield.

Dunn Exiled to Boards -- Willingham, Roberts Join Benedicts

The Benedicts traded slugging outfielder Adam Dunn, the only Benedict hitter to meet expectations this year, to the Boards for National outfielder Josh Willingham and D-back infielder Ryan Roberts. The Benedicts also included Brave second baseman (and Austin, Texas native) Kelly Johnson (10C) in the deal.

Willingham, 30, is hitting .246-9-12-0 in an injury plagued 2009 season. Currently, Willingham is on bereavement leave from Washington following his brother's death. Willingham hit 47 home runs as Florida's regular left fielder in 2006-07, but slipped to 15 home runs in a 2008 season marred by injury. He is a legitimate 25 home run threat if he can return to full health in Washington.

Roberts, 28, is a journeyman infielder earning some playing time in Arizona as he is hitting .298 in 84 at bats so far this year. He has a chance to become a utility fixture in Arizona as he can play almost every defensive position.

Summary

PLAYERS TRADED             PLAYERS ACQUIRED
Adam Dunn (34A)            Josh Willingham (7A)
Kelly Johnson (10C)        Ryan Roberts (8B)
Jonathan Broxton (10C)     Jay Bruce (10B)
John Maine (10C)           Wilmer Flores (NC)
Ryan Theriot (10C)         Buster Posey (6A)
Brian Giles (12A)          Kevin Frandsen (6A)
Stephen Drew (10C)         Dominic Brown (NC)
Randy Winn (20A)           Cameron Maybin (10A)

Mat Latos

Padre pitching prospect Mat Latos has continued his dominant pitching since being promoted to Class AA San Antonio. In four starts for the Missions, Latos is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA and a 0.926 ratio (13 hits and 8 walks allowed in 22.2 innings). For the year, including 4 appearances at Class A Fort Wayne, Latos is 6-0, 0.56 ERA and 0.708 ratio (23 hits, 11 walks in 48 innings). Latos, a 6'6" righthander from Alanderia, Virginia and Broward Community College in Florida, was San Diego's 11th round draft pick in the 2006 free agent draft. He was 3-3, 2.57 at three minor league levels in 2008.

Benedicts Trade Winn for Maybin

Continuing a stockpiling of young, promising outfield prospects, the Benedicts traded Randy Winn to the Ho-Dogs today for Marlin prospect Cameron Maybin.

Winn (20A) is enjoying a good year by Benedict standards, hitting .277-2-24-8, but at age 35 is showing signs of decline. Winn makes $9.6 million and he is a free agent after this season, so all things considered, it is no surprise the Benedicts considered him expendable.

Maybin, 22, is hitting .284-1-10-3 at Triple A after washing out in his first extended starting opportunity with Florida earlier this year, when he hit .202-1-3-1 in 84 at bats. Maybin, who came to Florida from Detroit with fellow Benedict Andrew Miller in the Miguel Cabrera deal after the 2007 season, was named Florida's No. 1 overall prospect this spring by Baseball America.

The trade gives the Benedicts a nice collection of highly-regarded young outfielders going into 2010:

Cameron Maybin (10A), 22, Florida Marlins' No. 1 prospect
Dominic Brown (NC), 21, Philadelphia Phillies' No. 1 prospect
Colby Rasmus (NC), 22, St. Louis Cardinals' No. 1 prospect
Dexter Fowler (10A), 23, Colorado Rockies' No. 1 prospect
Jordan Schafer (10A), 22, Atlanta Braves' No. 3 prospect
Chris Coghlin (NC), 24, Florida Marlins' No. 9 prosect
Chase Headley (10A), 25, San Diego Padres

Drew to Payolahs

The Benedicts traded disappointing Diamondback shortstop Stephen Drew to the Payolas today for Phillie outfield prospect Dominic Brown.

Drew, 26, hit .291-21-67 with a .502 slugging percentage last year and emerged as one of baseball's most promising young shortstops. The Benedicts fortunately declined to extend Drew, but nonetheless expected Drew to improve further this year. Instead, Drew struggled from the outset, hitting a weak .205 in his first 44 at bats before landing on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. Drew has rebounded upon his return, hitting .354 so far in June, but this is too little and too late to salvage the Benedict train wreck season.

Dominic Brown, 21, is a rising star in the Philadelphia system. He is a toolsy outfielder who is enjoying a fantastic season at Class A, hitting .299-9-38-14 in 57 games. Brown is in the FLS top three in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage (.540) and OPS (.919). Brown declined a football scholarship at the University of Miami to sign with the Phillies in 2006 after the Phillies drafted him in the 20th round in 2006. Baseball America tapped Brown as Philadelphia's No. 1 prospect entering the 2009 season -- Brown joins fellow No. 1 prospects Colby Rasmus, Jarrod Parker and Dexter Fowler on the Benedict roster. Brown is an exciting prospect to watch and the Benedicts are thrilled to have him on board for 2010.

West Stars for Woeful Benedicts

Florida Marlin southpaw Sean West has been a lone bright spot in the woeful Benedict squad this year. The recent FAAB pickup is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.033 ratio in 5 starts with Florida. In his fourth Major League start, West took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against San Francisco. So far this year, hitters are hitting .165 against the 6'8" Houston native.

The Other Side of Jack Kerouac

Charles McGrath of the New York Times wrote a story a couple of weeks ago about a new display at the Jack Kerouac Archive at the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library that features Kerouac's amazing hobby: fantasy baseball.

Believe it or not, Kerouac, the iconic literary figure and author of the essential Beat Generation classics "On the Road" and "Dharma Bums" was an avid fantasy baseball (and horse racing) hobbiest. From the story:

Almost all his life Jack Kerouac had a hobby that even close friends and fellow Beats like Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs never knew about. He obsessively played a fantasy baseball game of his own invention, charting the exploits of made-up players like Wino Love, Warby Pepper, Heinie Twiett, Phegus Cody and Zagg Parker, who toiled on imaginary teams named either for cars (the Pittsburgh Plymouths and New York Chevvies, for example) or for colors (the Boston Grays and Cincinnati Blacks).

He collected their stats, analyzed their performances and, as a teenager, when he played most ardently, wrote about them in homemade newsletters and broadsides. He even covered financial news and imaginary contract disputes. During those same teenage years, he also ran a fantasy horse-racing circuit, complete with illustrated tout sheets and racing reports. He created imaginary owners, imaginary jockeys, imaginary track conditions.

All these “publications,” some typed, some handwritten and often pasted into old-fashioned composition notebooks, are now part of the Jack Kerouac Archive at the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. The curator, Isaac Gewirtz, has just written a 75-page book about them, “Kerouac at Bat: Fantasy Sports and the King of the Beats,” to be published next week by the library and available, at least for now, only in its gift shop.

Reading this story, I was reminded about Robert Coover's book, "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.," which I highly recommend.

Benedicts Nab Three in FAAB

The Benedicts added three players to the roster in this week's FAAB. All three have a good chance to contribute to the Benedicts' pennant run this year.

The Benedicts first acquired San Francisco Giant corner infielder Jose Guzman for $6, waiving fading Brewer pitching prospect Jeremy Jeffress. The Giants signed Guzman to a Minor League contract last November and then watched with great pleasure, no doubt, as the 24-year old Venezuelan claimed MVP honors two months later in the Venezuelan Winter League. Guzman was tearing up the Pacific Coast League when the Giants called him up - hitting .363-6-32 with a .983 OPS in 39 games. Guzman hit .364-14-76 in 80 games at Double A Midland last year, and he hit .314-25-112 at Class A High Island in 2006, so his hitting bona fides are genuine. Guzman is a defensive liability, though, and will have to improve in that area to stick in San Francisco.

Next, the Benedicts acquired Marlin pitching prospect Sean West for $6, waiving Pittsburgh reliever Craig Hansen. The Benedicts have long held a soft spot for tall pitchers, and West, at 6'8" qualifies. Once a top Marlin prospect, West lost that status by missing the entire 2007 season after shoulder surgery. West struggled with command last year at Class A Jupiter. This year, West made 8 starts at Double A Jacksonville, going 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched, and looked good enough to regain prospect status. West made his Major League debut May 23, going 5 innings and allowing 4 hits, 4 walks and 2 earned runs against 5 strikeouts. West, who turns 23 next month. West has a chance to be a good one for Florida, and the Benedicts.

Finally, the Benedicts acquired Washington journeyman Jason Bergmann for $5 and waived Luis Perdomo (himself, a recent Benedict FAAB acquisition). Bergmann is nothing special -- in 100 career games, Bergmann is 10-19 with a 4.99 ERA. Bergmann has made 5 relief appearances for the Nationals this year with a 2.67 ERA, making him, along with everyone else in the National pen a candidate to close this year. That fact alone, along with Perdomo's ineffectiveness, makes him worth the claim.

Colorado Disables Iannetta

The Colorado Rockies placed catcher Chris Iannetta on the disabled list today with a strained right hamstring. Iannetta leads the Rockies in home runs with 8.

The Ups and Downs on the Farm

Mat Latos made his first Double A start last night for the San Antonio Missions at Frisco - it was a good start. The 21-year old Padre farmhand pitched four one-hit innings with three bases on balls and four strikeouts. This year, in five appearances, Latos has allowed 11 hits and 6 walks with 31 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched this season.

Meanwhile, Brett Wallace has made a successful jump to Triple A Memphis, at least in the early going. Wallace, who hit .281-5-16 in 32 games at Double A Springfield prior to the promotion, is 12-for-32 (.387) in his first seven games, with 1 home run, 3 RBI and a .940 OBS.

San Diego reliever Mike Adams began his minor league rehab at Double A San Antonio on May 21. Adams has made two appearances and has allowed 2 hits and a walk against 4 strikeouts in 2 innings pitched. Adams had a 2.48 ERA and 1.041 ratio last year for the Padres and figured in this year's closer race until sidelined with a shoulder problem.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee has demoted pitcher Jeremy Jeffress to Class A Brevard County following 8 poor starts at AA Huntsville. In his first start for the Manatees, Jeffress's command problems continued as he pitched 3 innings allowing 3 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks with 6 strikeouts. Jeffress turns 22 in September and his control issues seem to be worsening over time -- his status as a prospect may be soon in jeopardy.

Theriot Responds to Steriod Rumors

Ryan Theriot is a light-hitting Chicago shortstop who hit just one home run in all of 2008, but has inexplicably blasted five home runs so far in May. Naturally, rumors have now surfaced that Theriot's two-week power surge is steroid-driven have surfaced. Theriot responded to those rumors today in Tribune Hard Ball, the Chicago Tribune's baseball blog.

Cub manager Lou Pinella chimed in as well with this gem:

Theriot laughed, but manager Lou Piniella didn't find the accusations comical at all, calling them "absurd" and "crazy."

"Isn't that crazy?" Piniella said. "Look, when the wind is blowing out at Wrigley and you can show some bat speed and get the ball up in the pull field, you're going to get rewarded.

"The biggest problem with the steroid thing is not that the people took steroids. It's that the people that haven't get tainted, along with everyone else... And that's why, truthfully, when they named Alex (Rodriguez), I thought it was unfair. They should've named all 103 (players who tested positive in 2003).

"Look, if I were clean, I would want to let people know I was clean, so if I hit a few home runs people wouldn't look at me like 'Is this guy Popeye, or what?'

Meanwhile, in a response to this response, Amy Longmeyer of the National Spinach Growers Association protested Pinella's suggestion that a vegetable as wholesome, nutritious and tasty as spinach is among Major League Baseball's banned substances. "It is irresponsible for Mr. Pinella to suggest that spinach is somehow associated with improper or banned subtances," an indignant Ms. Longmeyer stated at the NSGA's headquarters in Leaf, Iowa. "We demand an apology."

Chris Coghlan Debuts

Chris Coghlan, 23, made his Major League debut with Florida on May 8. The Mississippi Rebel standout earned a call-up from Triple A New Orleans after hitting .344-3-22-9 in 96 at bats for the Zephyrs. Coghlan, the heir apparent at second base for the Marlins once Dan Uggla prices himself out of South Florida, hit .298-7-74-34 at Double A Carolina in 2008. Coghlan is 2-7 with two singles in his first two Major League games.

Good luck, Chris!

All or Nothing

The Benedicts left the auction this year with starters at every offensive position and a decent pitching staff anchored by Aaron Harang, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Jonathan Sanchez in the rotation and Jonathan Broxton and Carlos Marmol in the bullpen. The team looked good on paper, but needed work to compete for the title (don't they all). The Benedicts on the field have now spent better than a week either in last place or very near it.

Meanwhile, the Kaos are in first place. The Kaos are built around Albert Pujols and Carlos Beltran, a trio of last year's Benedict rejects (Ryan Zimmerman, Chris Duncan, Adam LaRoche -- all keys to the team's race to the cellar last year) and reserve players like Fernando Tatis, Blake DeWitt, Jerry Hairston, and Nate Schierholtz. The Kaos's best pitchers are Johnny Cueto (4.81, 1.414 in 2008) and Jason Marquis (4.59, 1.449 last year - now in Colorado).

The Benedict players are underachieving in such a uniform fashion that it is hard to believe the performances are not a plot.

Milton Bradley, a .321 hitter last year and a .306 hitter the year before, is hitting .170 through May 11. Carlos Delgado struggled again in April and like clockwork, began to complain about an injured hip. The Benedicts reserved him and he went on a tear, hitting over .400 with an OPS over 1.100 (!) in 26 at bats. He returned to the team's active roster yesterday only to proclaim immediately that his hip is again hurt. He is out of the line up indefinately. Delgado's road to Cooperstown does not run through the Benedicts' active roster.

Brian Giles, who hit .306 last season, is hitting .158. He has been reserved to make room for Stephen Drew, returning from an injury. The smart money says Giles has the week of his life this week.

Someone reading this might wonder how Adam Dunn and Ryan Theriot missed the memo.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff is in shambles -- Mike Pelfrey, who pitched so brilliantly after July 1 last year (3.15 ERA, 1.140 ratio) has stumbled to 5.46, 1.714 this year. Andrew Miller (6.94, 1.886) continues to be a train wreck - a shadow of the dominant pitcher he was in college. Sanchez, still a promising pitcher, has inexplicably walked 22 batters in 26 innings this year (he walked 75 in 158 last year). Yusmeiro Petit, another promising pitcher last year (4.31, 1.037 in 19 games, 8 starts), has ballooned to 8.14, 1.767.

Even Carlos Marmol, virtually unhittable the last two seasons (2.13 ERA, 1.002 ratio, 12.06 K/9IP) has been affected by this curse (4.20 ERA, 1.600 ratio this year).

In shades of 2006 and Takashi Saito, the Benedicts missed on the Jorge De La Rosa bidding by one dollar.

The league's history has examples where teams have rallied from the depths in May to win the title or finish competitively. The 1990 Benedicts, lodged in 7th place in mid-May, rallied to the title; the famous Boards championship team in the 1990s came from last to first over that period with the never-again-tried One Dollar Pitching Staff.

The Benedicts have been shopping Colby Rasmus, which tells us they are not going to throw in the towel early this year. So far, these offers are discussion-phase only. There have been no signs of Adam Dunn going on the block. This may well be a do-or-die, all-or-nothing year for the Benedicts.

On Jonathan Broxton.

It's worth taking a look at Jonathan Broxton's pitching line so far this year:

IP - 14
H - 2
R - 1
ER - 1
BB - 4
K - 25
Sv - 8/9

The league is batting .045 against Broxton so far this year.

Delgado Returns

Carlos Delgado returned to the Mets' starting lineup last night. The slugging first baseman was 1-4 with a run scored.

Four Starter Night

The Benedicts have four starters on the hill tonight. Let's see how they did:

Pitcher          IP  H  R ER BB SO Dec.
Corriea         3.1  8  5  5  2  4  ND
Harang          7.0  7  2  2  3  9  ND
Maine           6.0  3  3  3  6  7  W
Sanchez         4.0  5  3  3  3  6  L
Total          20.1 23 13 13 14 26

For those scoring at home, thats a 5.76 ERA and a 1.819 ratio.

What's Gotten Into Ryan Theriot

Coming into May, Cub shortstop Ryan Theriot had 7 career home runs in 1,346 Major League at bats. After hitting a two-run blast in the second inning in tonight's Chicago game against San Francisco, Theriot has 3 home runs in 15 at bats this month.

Delgado Returns

Carlos Delgado was penciled into the New York Mets' starting lineup for today's game. Rains ultimately caused the game to be postponed.

We Won't Get Fooled Again

Stories are pouring out of New York City about Carlos Delgago's injured hip. Don't expect the Benedicts to get fooled again.

The Benedicts signed Delgado last season and watched in horror as the veteran slugger endured an horrific April. Delgado was .198 with an anemic .322 slugging percentage after April 30th. May was only a little better when word starting coming out of New York that Delgado's hip problem might never go away, things looked grim for Delgado's return to form. When the Benedicts had the chance to trade him to the Boards for a song on June 23, with Delgado hitting .237/.311/.411, they jumped on it. On June 27th, Delgado hit 2 home runs and drove in 9 runs, and a month later, Delgado had blasted 9 more home runs and had raised his OPS by 129 points. Delgado finished the year .271/.353/.518 and with 38 home runs and 115 RBI. Delgado finished 9th in National League MVP voting. The joke was on the Benedicts.

The Benedicts reacquired Delgado this off-season, giving up much more than they received for him in June, and locked Delgado into the middle of the line-up. Delgado has been better this year, hitting .250/.346/.471 and leading the Mets in RBI through April 26th. Delgado has not played since that date, however, after he aggravated his hip sliding into third on a triple. Delgado now has already missed more games with this injury than he did all of last year, when he missed just three starts.

The Benedicts are not panicking. "We panicked last year and look where it got us," said one Benedict front office staffer. "We don't believe that Delgado's production is tied to what Dixie Chicken League team he plays for. There is no reason under the sun why Delgado will not hit his usual .270-35-110 again this year."

Minor Updates

* Brett Wallace, 22, is hitting .276/.422/.483 at Double A Springfield (St. Louis).

* Chris Coghlan, 23, is hitting .291/.367/.405 at Triple A New Orleans (Florida). Coghlan, who stole 34 bases in Double A last year, is 6-6 in stolen base attempts so far this year.

* Brett Lawrie, 19, is hitting .284/.337/.568 at Class A Wisconsin (Milwaukee). Lawrie, in his first full professional season, leads the Timber Rattlers in slugging, triples, total bases, RBIs, and stolen bases, and he is tied for the team lead in runs (12) and home runs (3).

* Jarrod Parker, 20, who was 1-1, 0.95 with 21 strikeouts in 17 innings at Class A Visalia to start the year, has been promoted to Double A Mobile (Arizona). Parker was roughed up in his first start for the Bay Bears, allowing 8 hits, a walk and 3 earned runs in 4.1 innings.

* Jeremy Jeffress, 21, is 1-1, 4.91 in 5 starts for Double A Huntsville (Milwaukee). Jeffress has struck out 26 and walked 17 in 18.1 innings pitched. Last season, Jeffress struck out 117 and walked 52 hitters in 94 innings, splitting time between Class A and Class AA.

* Mat Latos, 21, made his first 2009 appearance for Class A Fort Wayne yesterday following a stint in extended spring training and was brilliant, throwing six innings of 2-hit, shutout ball in relief.

Andrew Miller, recovering from an oblique injury, will make his first minor league rehab start on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. He is expected back on the roster in mid-May.

Bradley Breaks Slump on Reserve List

Milton Bradley, reserved by the Benedicts after starting the season 1-23, has rebounded on the team's reserve list, hitting 4-16 (.250) with a home run. Bradley hit .321-22-77 for Texas last season.

Rasmus HR

St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Colby Rasmus hit his first career home run last night in the Cardinals' 6-1 loss to Washington. Congratulations, Colby!