Cycles and Shutouts

The Daily Dose: Rotoworld's daily darling (I love alliteration). And, look, they gave me the reigns. I'd like to say "you're in for a treat," but I don't want to lie to a bunch of folks I've never met. You all seem nice and, if you're reading this, your fantasy baseball team is probably better than mine. If you're still scouring all this information and gearing up for a playoff run, I sure am proud of you. Get out there and bring home that trophy, even it's just a little .jpeg . We'll do the best we can to help you out.

Amidst all the September call-ups that are in a near-constant stream on our Player News Page, there are plenty of big stories breaking all over baseball. Let me attempt to guide you through 'em, in the mold of one of my idols, Aaron Gleeman.

* Cliff Lee picked up his major league-leading 20th victory on Monday night. He did it with style too, shutting out the White Sox for nine innings without issuing a walk. This is the same guy that finished the 2007 season with a 5-8 record, a 6.29 ERA, and was left off the Indians' postseason roster. He had to fight for a rotation spot this spring. It's safe to say things have worked out nicely. Here's a quote from Lee exactly one year ago when he was relegated to bullpen duty: "I thought I had a pretty set role, and now, it's not there anymore. I'm kind of curious what the future holds for me here." The future is good, Cliff. The future is quite nice. It'll be interesting to see where he goes on draft boards next season.

* Stephen Drew hit the first cycle in the 11-year history of the Diamondbacks' stadium on Monday night. It's called Chase Field now, but we all remember the good old days when it was "The BOB," or Bank One Ballpark. This bears no relevance to Drew's feat, I'm just saying... that was a cool nickname. Sort of. Drew didn't stop after he got all four of the necessary hits either. He added a double in the eighth just for kicks. It's reasonable to think he can keep up a good amount of production down the stretch. He's 10-for-17 in his last four games.

What? Seriously? There was another cycle last night? And it was done by Adrian Beltre? Unreal. He finished 5-for-6, with all the required elements, and found home plate five times. The last time two players hit for the cycle in the same night was September 17, 1920. Bobby Veach did the deed for the Tigers and George Burns helped out his New York baseball Giants. Still, Beltre's batting average is just .256 and he's hitting a measly .230 against right-handed hurlers. Oh, and the Mariners are 29.5 games back.

* The Red Sox have to be happy with their decision to take on the $2 million remaining on Paul Byrd's contract. Including Monday night's victory over the Orioles, Byrd has won three of his first four starts with Boston. The impending free agent isn't shutting teams out, but he is what he is (that was clich‚, I know). His first start: seven innings, four earned runs. Second start: six innings, four earned runs. Third start: six innings, two earned runs. Last night's start: seven innings, four earned runs. Those kind of numbers aren't going to net the 37-year-old father of two a big money deal this offseason, but you keep that offense in the game and you'll be picking up victories like. like. like USC in the Pac-10. It's college football season. Come on, bear with me.

* Ben Sheets departed his start after five innings Monday with tightness in his left groin. While groin injuries can be tricky, Sheets said afterward that he feels fine and hopes to make his next scheduled outing. We're talking sports here, where anything can happen, but the Brewers have a firm grasp on the National League Wild Card and can afford to give Sheets a little rest. The organization hasn't been to the postseason since 1982, so maybe they need a little guidance here: Slow down. Take it easy. The fellas might have to grind it out until late October this year. You don't need C.C. Sabathia pitching complete games every night and you certainly don't need to rush a groin injury.

* Taylor Teagarden is a cool story. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was in China picking up a bronze medal with the U.S. baseball team. On Monday night, he hit his second career home run for the Rangers. The former Texas Longhorn will share time behind the plate with Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, so his fantasy value is minimal. But, hey, I'm a sucker for a feel-good narrative. Field of Dreams, Remember the Titans, Hoosiers - those are the movies in my collection. You can have your Brian's Song.

* Greg Maddux notched career win No. 354 on Monday night, tying Roger Clemens for eighth place on the all-time list. Maddux held the Padres to two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter, earning his first victory in three starts with the Dodgers. He showed all sorts of class, and maybe a little honesty, when asked after the outing if one more victory will mean he's better than Clemens. "No, it won't," Maddux said. "It just means I played longer, pitched more times." Speaking of Clemens and "class," his son, Koby, was arrested and briefly jailed in Salem, Virginia early Sunday morning after being involved in a scuffle outside of Mac and Bob's restaurant. What a family.

AL Quick Hits: Joba Chamberlain is expected to come off the disabled Tuesday and work out of the bullpen . Royals called up first baseman Kila Kaaihue, who's having a break-out season at Triple-A Omaha with a line of .314/.456/.628 . An MRI on Mark Grudzielanek's injured ankle has pretty much ruled out a return this season . Mike Lowell is aiming to return Friday . Garrett Olson allowed six earned runs in his return to the Orioles' rotation . Coco Crisp and Kevin Youkilis appear to be finally done with the flu . Dontrelle Willis has been activated from the disabled list, but the Tigers haven't determined his role . It's doubtful that Frank Thomas will be able to return this season . The Indians will limit Masahide Kobayashi's workload in September and hope it'll help him maintain his strength for next season . Jarrod Saltalamacchia has a sore elbow and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday . Adam Jones has returned from the disabled list and to his role as the Orioles' starting center fielder . Bartolo Colon had a solid rehab start Monday and will be asked to make just one more.

NL Quick Hits: Manager Joe Torre believes Jason Schmidt is done for the season and may need another shoulder operation . Justin Upton suffered a head injury after getting pegged with a pickoff throw, but was able to walk off the field . Eric Gagne blew another save Monday . Billy Wagner hopes to begin a rehab assignment later this week . Chipper Jones seems to be over his allergies and has rejoined the starting lineup . Chris Carpenter is back with the Cardinals, but in a relief role . Wandy Rodriguez's oblique injury isn't too serious and he plans to make his next start . Johan Santana continued his streak of hot pitching with a solid outing against the Brewers . Chris Young is back in the Padres' rotation after missing a few weeks with a strained forearm . Dallas McPherson has made his way back to the bigs, this time with the Marlins . Padres released Tadahito Iguchi, who may be headed back to Japan in 2009 . Andruw Jones was activated from the disabled list, only to find that Andre Ethier has a tight grip on his old position.

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