a few wed notes...

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Marlins' trades on hold - for now






MILWAUKEE -- Thwarted in their efforts to complete a trade with the Montreal Expos, and with no other suitors in hot pursuit, the Marlins apparently are content to open the second half with their roster intact.

That includes prospective free agent Cliff Floyd, who said goodbye to his teammates and fans Sunday night at Pro Player Stadium, as well as right-hander Ryan Dempster. Both players were involved in a sprawling potential deal discussed by the two National League East rivals for the past week, but talks had cooled Tuesday night.

"It almost seems like it's dead in the water," an Expos source said.

Major league sources indicated the Marlins are now content to take a step back and reassess their options with the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline three weeks away. They still would like to deal Floyd, whom they don't plan to re-sign, and will make numerous other arbitration-eligible players available, but the pressure to deal immediately seems to have eased.

"We've got time," a Marlins source said. "This is not the trading deadline. We're going to just sit here and wait."

At least four other teams have expressed interest in Dempster: the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Dempster, a 15-game winner last season, is making $2.475 million this year and could see that figure rise beyond $4 million next winter through salary arbitration.

The Dodgers may have expressed some interest in Floyd as well.

The Expos, who begin a key four-game series with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves on Thursday, would like to make a move as soon as possible. Industry sources said the Expos were still weighing two possible deals besides the one with the Marlins.

One of those could be with the New York Yankees for right-hander Orlando Hernandez. Talks with the Texas Rangers for catcher Ivan Rodriguez have broken off, but the Expos may have interest in Kansas City Royals closer Roberto Hernandez.

The Marlins, 11 games out in the NL East and 61/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks' wild-card pace, open the second half Friday in Chicago.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, speaking Tuesday afternoon at a news conference, downplayed talk of an Expos-Marlins trade. Selig reiterated the league-run Expos will not be allowed to increase their $39 million payroll this season.

"As for this trade I keep reading and hearing about, [Marlins President] David Samson told me Sunday night that there was no trade," Selig said. "[MLB executives] Sandy Alderson and John McHale have not heard about the trade. ... I know as much as you do about it. As far as I'm concerned, there is no trade."

Several sources shot down published speculation that the Marlins might substitute right-hander Brad Penny for Dempster in the Expos deal. Penny has made just two starts since a six-week stint on the disabled list with arm trouble, and his last outing was a rain-shortened three innings on Sunday.

Trade interest in him has been lukewarm, even though he's only making $377,500. Penny is eligible for arbitration next winter.

"Penny hasn't proven that he's healthy or anything else," a major league source said. "Plus, he hasn't had results. He really hasn't done well when he's pitched

 

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Gonzalez to have MRI


Juan Gonzalez is scheduled to have an MRI examination on his bruised right thumb today. Gonzalez, who re-injured the thumb in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles and has had problems with it since spring training, was examined Tuesday by hand specialist Bobby Wroten in Fort Worth.


Wroten said the thumb is not fractured, just bruised, and the MRI is just a precaution. The Rangers are hopeful Gonzalez won't have to go on the disabled list for the second time this season.

 

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Rockies' Helton expects to be in the lineup when the regular season resumes Thursday with the Rockies opening a four-game series at San Francisco.

"Hopefully, (Tuesday) won't put the second half in jeopardy," Helton said. "Hopefully, two at-bats won't cause a problem. I didn't do anything (Monday) and didn't feel I had a problem. I felt fine (Tuesday) until the final round (of batting practice)."

 

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rockies mid-term report:

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Midterm report

A statistical look at the Rockies at the All-Star break in their history:

Year ERA BA W-L

2002 4.93 .274 40-49

2001 5.38 .293 39-48

2000 5.39 .292 45-40

1999 6.16 .287 40-46

1998 5.27 .274 37-52

1997 5.36 .283 43-45

1996 5.82 .287 42-44

1995 4.77 .284 39-30

1994 5.09 .276 42-48

1993 5.80 .273 33-54

On the move

Criticized for roster instability a year ago, the Rockies have made a drastic reversal this year. They have made fewer moves than any team in the National League, and all the AL teams except the Chicago White Sox.

Moves each team has made this year, how many of them involved the disabled list, and the total number of players moved:

Team Moves DL Players

Chi. White Sox 9 8 18

Colorado 11 7 22

Pittsburgh 12 9 18

San Francisco 12 9 19

Boston 12 10 26

Atlanta 12 9 24

Minnesota 13 11 26

Arizona 13 10 26

Anaheim 13 9 26

Oakland 13 4 26

Philadelphia 14 12 24

Los Angeles 14 11 23

Seattle 16 7 21

Montreal 16 9 32

St. Louis 16 12 32

NY Yankees 17 11 34

Florida 17 13 34

Milwaukee 17 13 34

Baltimore 17 7 34

Houston 18 9 36

Chi Cubs 18 11 36

Cleveland 19 8 38

NY Mets 19 12 42

Tampa Bay 18 7 36

Cincinnati 19 13 38

Toronto 20 12 38

Kansas City 23 13 46

San Diego 29 19 58

Detroit 34 23 69

Texas 35 19 70

Market watch



A look at the most likely Rockies to be moved in the next few weeks, other than Hampton and Neagle:

1 RHP Todd Jones (above left)- American League Fireman of the Year two years ago has regained velocity on his fastball.

2 OF Todd Hollandsworth - Free agent at the end of the season, which makes him likely bait for prospects.

3 IF Terry Shumpert - Another potential free agent who has value to a contender because of his versatility.

4 IF Greg Norton - Contenders like bats off the bench, particularly those with power.

5 RHP Rick White - Veteran could be of interest to a team that needs bullpen depth.

Worth a glimpse

The Rockies have shown a desire to give prospects a two-month late-season look. They did it with Juan Pierre two years ago, and Jason Jennings and Juan Uribe last year. This year's candidates:

1 OF Jack Cust (above)- Need to decide whether he can handle defense or should be dealt to American League, where he can be a designated hitter.

2 OF John Barnes - Has played all three outfield positions and shows plate discipline at Class AAA level.

3 RHP Aaron Cook - Has made strides since end of last season, moving from Class A to AA to AAA.

4 RHP Jason Young - Is moving along with Cook, keeping stride along the way.

5 RHP Victor Santos - Acquired from Detroit in spring training, coming off injury.

 

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Astros midterm exam
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com







First-half review
Rotation
Key injuries to the only two veteran starting pitchers -- Shane Reynolds and Dave Mlicki -- turned the Astros rotation from one of the stronger ones in the division to one loaded with question marks. Practically overnight, Wade Miller became the "old man" of the rotation at the ripe age of 25. Reynolds, a 10-year big-league veteran, had season-ending surgery on his back, which made way for righty Kirk Saarloos, 23, who was promoted from Double-A to the Majors. That experiment lasted exactly three starts before the Astros sent Saarloos, who allowed 16 earned runs over 8 2/3 innings, to Triple-A. Miller missed nearly seven weeks of the season with a pinched nerve in his neck but has been the Miller of old since returning to the rotation in late May, and Roy Oswalt has had few struggles in his first full season in an Astros uniform. Miller and Oswalt appear to be emerging as an effective 1-2 punch in '02 -- only Miller's missed time will prevent the two from combining for 30 wins as they did in 2001. Tim Redding and Carlos Hernandez have had mixed reviews all year -- at times they pitch like veterans, but too often their inexperience shines through as evidenced by high pitch counts and control issues.
Bullpen
The Astros bullpen has improved tremendously over the last two months, lowering its ERA from 5.24 on May 17 to 4.07 on June 30. Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner have provided the solid setup-closer duo that was expected of them, although Wagner's save opportunities have been limited due to the Astros' mediocre record. The Astros have benefited from the acquisition of left-handed veteran specialist Pedro Borbon, whom they picked up from the Blue Jays on May 15. The middle relievers have been without question overworked because of a number of early exits by Kirk Saarloos and Carlos Hernandez, but righties Nelson Cruz and Brandon Puffer have done a nice job of picking up the slack. Puffer, perhaps the most pleasant surprise this year, earned his first big-league win with four scoreless innings against the Rangers, giving the Astros enough time to overcome a 5-0 deficit to beat Texas 8-5 on June 29. Rookie Ricky Stone has also emerged as one of the Astros' most reliable relievers after waiting eight years in the minor leagues. He has led all big-league rookie pitchers in appearances and ERA for most of the season.

Offense
Without question, the Astros' offense has collectively underachieved. While a lot of attention has been placed upon the inexperience of the young pitchers, the fact still remains that with the exception of Lance Berkman, the rest of the Astros' regulars are hitting far below expectations and below their career averages. Sure, the Astros took a gamble when they let 190 RBIs in Vinny Castilla and Moises Alou walk after the 2001 season, but other than Berkman, who is among the league leaders in homers and RBIs, no one is close to picking up the slack. Three players tied up in lucrative contracts -- Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Richard Hidalgo -- have not played up to par. There were high offseason hopes for Daryle Ward, who finally received a chance to be an everyday starter after Alou's departure, but he has only a handful of first-half homers after knocking 20 as a bench player last year.

Defense
The Astros were among the best defensive teams in the National League through the first half of the '02 campaign and are on pace to match or better their club record of a .983 fielding percentage, which has been accomplished four times, most recently in 1999. Julio Lugo's defense has markedly improved over last year and is proving club officials to be right in giving the starting job back to him after temporarily handing it over to Adam Everett. Third baseman Geoff Blum has emerged as one of the club's most reliable infielders and is practically a sure thing in double-play situations.

Bench
The Astros' bench has been a part of some of the most clutch performances to date. Brian Hunter hovers around the .300 mark in pinch-hit opportunities and is a solid defensive outfield replacement in center field. Jose Vizcaino has started plenty of games but is still considered one of the better bats off the bench and is one of the few Astros hitters batting better than .300. Orlando Merced has made the most of his limited playing time, and backup catcher Gregg Zaun is not only the personal catcher of both Tim Redding and Dave Mlicki, but his fearless approach at the plate gives the Astros a solid left-handed hitting option during games he doesn't start. Who could forget his pinch-hit grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on June 27 that beat the Arizona Diamondbacks?

Manager
Jimy Williams inherited a talented team and it's certainly not his fault that his superstars have collectively underachieved. Williams has a keen sense of what it takes to keep a pitching staff fresh through the rigors of a long 162-game season. While he has received some criticism for pulling his starting pitchers too early on occasion, many of his previous pitching staffs were noted for their readiness come September. The players respect Williams for his hard-nosed approach to the game and are comforted to know that his guarded relationship with the media will limit exposure to in-house business. Williams has a fierce competitive fire and is a loyal mentor, traits that have received ringing endorsements from no-nonsense veterans such as Bagwell and Biggio.



Second-half outlook: Could make a run
Because no team in the division is running away with the title yet, the Astros still have a chance to make a run at their fifth NL Central championship in six years. But a lot must go right from here on out, and there is practically no margin for error. First and foremost, the hitters must start hitting. Bagwell and Biggio carried the team on their shoulders throughout the championship years and are essential components if the team is expected to contend in the second half. Hidalgo, though he's put up respectable numbers, has not reached the success that the club had in mind for him when they locked him up with a four-year contract in 2001. Ward says he is still learning to hit on an everyday basis, but the trial period is over -- after three months of getting acclimated, it's time to prove his worth as an everyday starter.

The Astros can only hope that the pitching holds up as well as it did for much of the first half. With Mlicki's return on the horizon, things could look up for the rotation by August, but the jury's still out on Redding's ability to turn in solid numbers on a regular basis. Oswalt and Miller appear to be the only "sure things" among the Astros' starters. Hernandez must stay healthy and pitch deep into games as he did in the earlier stages of the 2002 season, something the Astros haven't seen from the young lefty in more than a month.

Needs to address
Starting pitching. While the Astros can only hope for the hitters to come around, they will need some help in the rotation if they are serious about making a second-half push. With Reynolds out indefinitely and Mlicki not slated to return until late July, the club may have to use a smoke-and-mirrors approach for the time being. The Astros are hesitant to make any splashy trades at the deadline, but with most of their top farm prospects already on the big-league level, the pickings are slim at Triple-A.

On the mend
The return of right-handed reliever T.J. Mathews and right-handed starter Mlicki can't come soon enough. They are veterans and were pitching effectively prior to injuries. Mathews, out for two months with a strained right bicep, should be ready to head out on a rehab assignment immediately after the All-Star break. Mlicki has just started throwing again after missing a month with a strained intercostal muscle and is anxious to get back into playing shape in lieu of his return to the team.

Doug Brocail remains the biggest question mark of the injured players. Continuing to rehab from Tommy John surgery, the right-hander has good days and bad days and has no immediate plans to return to the team.

Coming up
Who may get the call? No one, really. Sure, you may see Adam Everett and Morgan Ensberg, and maybe even Jason Lane or Keith Ginter, back in the Astros' clubhouse as September call-ups, but as far as bringing up a young pitcher or two who may be able to bolster the team ... they're already here. It's hard to believe, but the Astros are still replenishing the upper levels of their farm system after trading away a slew of talented pitching prospects in the Moises Alou and Randy Johnson trades of 1997 and '98. Right-hander Rodrigo Rosario is making quite an impression on his Round Rock coaches, but the Astros will be hesitant to bring up another Double-A pitcher after watching Kirk Saarloos struggle in his three big-league starts.

 

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Key series
The Astros will begin the second half of the season with 18 straight games against NL Central opponents, including four against the Cincinnati Reds at home immediately after the break. Quirky scheduling resulted in the Astros and Cardinals playing 12 contests against each other in the first half of the season; in fact, the two division rivals meet only seven more times, and all of those games will be played in September. The Astros will travel to Cincinnati for what could be a crucial four-game set Aug. 16-19.

Playoff outlook
It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Astros could end up playing baseball in October, but it is a long shot. The NL Central title run could go down to the last week of the season -- and the victors may need only around 85 victories to win it. The Astros backed into the playoffs in 1997 with 84 wins, but last year, it took 93 wins and Houston barely squeaked by the Cardinals to clinch that title. The Astros won't be breaking any franchise records for wins this year, but if the club can tweak the pitching staff and get its lineup on the right track, it may be able to squeak by once again