It looks like Greg Maddux will be heading back to L.A. as part of a deal that will send players to be named later to San Diego. The PTBNL jerseys are selling like hot cakes this season.

Monday means MLB LITE, so not much going on. The Chicago White Sox scored 13 runs again while Griffey sat on the bench. Junior has only appeared in 12 games since the trade and is hitting .225/.295/.225. Yes, that is 9-40 with 9 singles. Not much OPSing going on these days for the kid. However, in Boston – Jason Bay connected for two home runs and tallied up nine total bases to push the Red Sox over the Orioles, 6-3. That is one trade that has worked quite well for both sides.

In the National League, CC Sabathia pitched his fifth complete game as a Brewer and is now 8-0 since the trade. If the Brewers make the playoffs, there would be quite the solid argument that CC deserves the Cy Young and MVP award, something that hasn’t been done in the National League since 1968 when Bob Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA. Dennis Eckersley in 1992 accomplished this while saving 51 games with a 1.91 ERA for Oakland in the AL. Then again, the same case can be made for Brandon Webb. Where would the Diamondbacks be without him? Never the less, I’m sure there will be some satisfied and some not, as always. But, onto the offensive side of things – Corey Hart helped secure victory for the Brewers and CC while going 3-4 with a home run and a double while driving in two of the nine Milwaukee runs.

Winners of the OPS Award for 08.18.08:
Jason Bay (2) of Boston in the AL.
Corey Hart (1) of Milwaukee in the NL.

If you’re an offensive kind of guy then you got your moneys worth last night! Fans in Detroit, Boston, Kansas City, Oakland, and Seattle witnessed a lot of run scoring and a lot of poor pitching. Oddly enough, the home teams in those games all were on the losing end. Who was the best out of the best? None other than Melvin Mora, who back on 7/22 was first mentioned here at OBPS. Mora had thirteen (13!) total bases. He went 5-6 with two home runs, two doubles, a single, and six RBI! His teammate Luke Scott was right behind him with 10 total bases as he blasted two home runs as well during a thrashing of the Detroit Tigers. Over in Boston, Alexis Rios who has been mentioned here before had nine total bases as he matched a Toronto record by hitting four doubles in one game! The Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox 15-4 as Josh Beckett gave up 8 runs in 2+ innings.

In the Nation League the pitcher was a tad bit effective, but no one could get Andre Ethier out. The Dodgers right fielder had 10 total bases as he went yard twice over the Milwaukee Brewers, including the clutch two run walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning.

Winner of the OPS Award for 08.17.08:
Melvin Mora (2) with Baltimore in the AL.
Andre Ethier (1) with Los Angeles in the NL.

Chris Dickerson watch: 3-5 with a double bringing his totals to: .409/.458/.864 in 5 games.

Ty Wiggington of the Houston Astros picks up this weeks OPS Player of the Week Award as he OPS’d (err?) a whopping 1.729!

Here is a quick report for Saturday as I am extremely tired. Vote in the poll to the left!

In the National League, the Diamondbacks started the right catcher at the right time. Miguel Montero got the start behind the plate and took advantage of it by tallying up 10 total bases. He went 3-5 with 2 HR and a double while driving in five of the D-Backs 11 runs in a victory over Houston. Also in this game was the lovely stat line that makes us all drool… Adam Dunn was 2-2 with 3 walks! He has a .520 OBP in 5 games since the trade. I hope Arizona appreciates that, cause all Dusty Baker would do is bench him the next game for clogging up the bases!

In the American League, Miguel Cabrera led with seven total bases. The Detroit first baseman went 3-4 with a solo home run as the Tigers defeated the Orioles 5-3.

Winners of the OPS Award for 08.16.08:
Miguel Montero (1) of Arizona in the NL
Miguel Cabrera (1) of Detroit in the AL.

I remember noticing Fernando Tatis first in 1998, when at the trading deadline the Texas Rangers sent the 23 year old along with Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre to St. Louis in exchange for Darren Oliver and Mark Little. Being a Reds fan, I got to see my fair share of Tatis and was always impressed as well as intrigued by his batting stance. One year later in 1999 he had a monster breakout season posting a .298/.404./.553 line while hitting 34 Home Runs, driving in 107 and stealing 21 bases. He also made history. On April 23rd, Tatis became Chan Ho Park’s prime nemesis as he hit two Grand Slams in the same inning while setting a major league record for most RBI in an inning (eight). However, all of this seemed to be overshadowed by Mark McGwire’s mammoth 65 HR season.

In 2000, Tatis signed a $15 Million, four year contract with the Cardinals and started the season strong. However, a torn groin muscle caused him to miss most of the season and hit .204 upon his return. In the post-season, the Cardinals showed their frustration by benching him in favor of Placido Polanco. He would finish the season batting .253/.379/.491 with 18 Home Runs, 64 RBI and only 2 stolen bases. After being knocked out of the playoffs in the NL Championship Series in five games, the Cardinals traded Tatis to Montreal along side Britt Reames for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. Walt Jocketty’s reasoning for trading Tatis: A kid named Albert Pujols who tore up the minor leagues in his first professional season hitting 19 HR and sporting a .916 OPS.

Tatis would spend the next three seasons on and off of the disabled list for the Expos. He tallied up only 35 home runs in 202 games with an average OPS of .648. Not quite what the Expos had hoped for.

In 2004, the Tampa Bay [Not So] Devil Rays signed Fernando and invited him to Spring Training. He was released two months later and did not return to baseball for two years. Apparently, his return in 2006 was fueled by the passion to build a Church in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris. He signed a minor league deal with Baltimore and spent most of the year at Triple A. In 2007, he was signed by the Dodgers, but asked for his release when he did not make the team. The New York Mets signed him and he agreed to play for Norfolk, the Triple-A affiliate. He hit 21 Home Runs and batted .276/.359/.485 without getting any action with the big club. In 2008, Tatis started to play the outfield to become more valuable. Thanks to injuries to Angel Pagan, Moises Alou and Ryan Church, Tatis has become a fixture in the Mets lineup and has kind of returned to his 24 year old self posting a .860 OPS while hitting 10 Home Runs with 35 RBI in only 209 at bats. He has cooled off a bit here in August, but hit .397/.463/.767 with about 30 walk off hits (or so it seemed) last month.

In June, the New York Mets were 34-35 and 6 and half out of first. Since then, as Tatis has started playing more regularly, the Mets are 33-21 with a 1 and a half game lead over the Phillies. Fernando Tatis’s emergence, not Jerry Manuel - has turned this team around. I think the term, coined by New York fans is “Tatisian”. Will Tatis stay healthy? If so, he’s a force. No doubt about it.

In the American League, Melvin Mora was good, but Jack Cust was better. Mora had eight total bases while going 3-4 with a triple, a home run and four RBI in a eleven to two win over the Detroit Tigers. However, Cust was perfect going 3-3 with two home runs, 3 RBI and a walk pushing the Oakland Athletics over the Chicago White Sox.

In the National League, Randy Winn came close to hitting for the cycle. The fans in Atlanta already witnessed this feat on Friday when Mark Kotsay became the first Brave since 1987 to do so. Winn’s fourth hit in the 9th inning would have likely been the triple that he had needed to complete the cycle but it bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. Still, Winn was 4-4 with a home run, a single, and two doubles while driving in 2 as the Giants defeat the Atlanta Braves, 5-1.

Winner of the OPS Award for 08.16.08:
Jack Cust (1) of Oakland in the AL.
Randy Winn (1) of San Francisco in the NL.

A quick one: Chris Dickerson is 6-13 with 4 doubles, a triple and a home run in his first three Major League games. It’s nice to know Corey Patterson is on pace for a .576 OPS in 350 at bats while Dickerson has been raking in Triple-A all season. I wonder if he is swinging a baseball bat made out of bamboo…

Mark Kotsay had a remarkable game last night against the Cubs, despite the Braves loss. Kotsay tallied up 11 total bases as he hit for the cycle, the first Brave to do so since 1987. It was almost like a fairy tale for the Atlanta outfielder as the double in the 7th inning to complete the cycle was the 1,500th hit of his career. Obviously, he would have liked to have 5 home runs instead of a cycle – but nonetheless, it’s a neat treat us baseball fans like to watch happen before us. Kotsay singled, tripled, and homered off of Ted Lilly and then knocked a double off of reliever Bob Howry. As mentioned, the last time a Brave hit for the cycle was Albert Hall in 1987. Glavine, who took the loss tonight after giving up 7 runs in 4+ innings, witnessed Hall’s cycle as he was a rookie in 87.

In the American League, let’s talk White Sox – who, in the 6th inning hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs for the first time in franchise history. Jim Thome got it started off of Joel Peralta, followed by Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez. Robinson Tejeda came in only to give up the final shot to Juan Uribe. If I was handing out tem awards, I guess that would be the favorites, but since not – let’s go with Paul Konerko who besides hitting a home run in that 6th inning also 2 singles for six total bases.

Winners of the OPS Award for 08.14.08:
Mark Kotsay (1) of Atlanta in the NL.
Paul Konerko of Chicago in the AL.

Bronson Arroyo says Adam Dunn is wanting $120M.

The United States defeated the Netherlands yesterday as Stephen Starsburg flirted with a no-hitter and Matt LaPorta connected for a three run bomb. That is your Olympic update.

It was Brad Hawpe who decided the outcome against the Diamondbacks last night. He homered, doubled twice, and walked once while driving in the go ahead runs in the 8th inning to secure victory. Colorado remains eight games out, but after a Dodger walk off win over the Phillies, the NL West is once again in a dead heat. Over in the East, the Phillies who are trying to avoid a four game sweep today allowed the Mets sneak into a tie in first as well. Finally, in the central – the Brewers won their eighth straight, but are still three behind the Cubs.

In the American League, Mark Teixeira and Raul Ibanez tallied up nine total bases in a dramatic game out west. Ibanez, who along with teammate Jarrod Washburn was claimed on waivers yesterday, went 4-5 with a homerun, two doubles, a walk and an RBI – while in the other dugout, Teixeira went 3-6 with two home runs and three RBI. Trade rumors are swirling about Raul going to Tampa.

Winners of the OPS Award for 08.13.08:
Brad Hawpe (1) of Colorado in the NL.
Raul Ibanez (1) of Seattle; Mark Teixeira (2) of Los Angeles in the AL.

37 hits, 36 runs, 401 pitches, and an endless amount of records made August 12th an interesting night in Boston. The thirty-six runs ties the single game American League record set in 1950 when the Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 22-14. David Ortiz became the fourth player in Red Sox history to hit two home runs in an inning, and obviously is our OPS award winner of the day. After the 2-2 first inning, he finished up going 1-2 with a double and two walks. However, Kevin Youkilis blasted two home runs as well while tallying up eight total bases, two shy of Ortiz’s ten. The game left Boston asking “Who needs Manny?” … and “WHAT THE ZINK?!”

Things were not as exciting in the National League. Chad Tracy hit home run number 7 as he went 3-5 with 2 RBI in Arizona’s win over Colorado. Tracy tallied up six total bases which led the NL.

Winners of the OPS Award for 08.12.08:
David Ortiz (1) of Boston in the AL.
Chad Tracy (1) of Arizona in the NL.

More from around the diamond:
- Adam Dunn went 1-3 with a double and 2 walks in his Diamond debut.
- Randy Johnson struck out 7 and gave up 2 runs in 6 innings for his 294th win.
- Micah Owings is said to be one of the PTBNL headed to Cincinnati in the Dunn deal.
- Tim Lincecum was drilled by a line drive on the knee; x-rays reveal no fracture.
- Chris Dickerson made his big league debut for the Reds going 1-3 with a walk.

The Boston Red Sox have acquired veteran RHP Paul Byrd from the Cleveland Indians today in exchange for a minor leaguer or cash. With Wakefield now on the DL, Boston had to do something. Byrd is 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.

Is Seattle asking too much for Jarrod Washburn or what? I would think the effectively mediocre 33 year old would have been in pinstripes by now.

Monday is in the books, and as always – not a whole lot going on. That’s on the field of course. Off the field, I am attempting to recover after the Adam Dunn trade. The more I think about it, the more I know the Reds aren’t getting anything in return, and the more I hate this trade. I do know one thing; the offense for the remainder of the season is going to be unbearable. Enjoy the OPS upgrade, Arizona. I’ll be rooting for a White Sox – Diamondback World Series. Erm..

In the American League, Nick Markakis had a triple, a double, and a single as he drove in four RBI and tallied up seven total bases for the Orioles. Over in Los Angeles, Casey Blake in the National League had five total bases as he hit his 14th home run and drove in 2 for a Dodger victory over the Phillies.

I wanted to mention quickly that I decided Adam Dunn as the OPS player of the month of July. This was before I heard anything about a trade. Dunn blasted 12 HR and drove in 26 as he hit .310/.381/.762. Xavier Nady got the week of 7.28.08 to 8.04.08 award. In the upcoming days, weeks, and months – I’ll make sure to remember to post about these things! You can see the archive here.

Winner of the OPS Award for 08.11.08:
Nick Markakis (1) of Baltimore in the AL.
Casey Blake (1) of Los Angeles in the NL.

OPS Winner of the Month for July 2008:
Adam Dunn (1) of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

OPS Player of the Week for 07.28.08 - 08.04.08:
Xavier Nady (1) of the New York Yankees.

I’ll go ahead and mention Scott Hairston who had a phenomenal week batting .542/.560/1.417 with five home runs, 4 doubles, and 8 RBI. He is the player of the week for 8-04-08 to 8-11-08.

OPS Player of the Week for 08.04.08 - 08.11.08:
Scott Hairston (1) of San Diego.