Ben Sheets Saves the Athletics!

Alright, I may have gotten a little excited with the title.

The Oakland Athletics have signed free agent pitcher Ben Sheets to a $10 million, one-year contract.

At 31 years old, Sheets has spent a considerable amount of time on the disabled list. In fact, he didn’t even pitch in the majors last season since he was recovering from elbow surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.

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Midsummer Badassery

The starters for the 2008 All Star game have been chosen.

Milwaukee Brewers ace Ben Sheets (pictured above-right resembling a GQ fashion model) will be given the ball by Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle for the National League, marking not only his first All-Star start, but his first trip to Yankee Stadium. He is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA on the season for the Beermakers, who have never had a pitcher start the All-Star game.

"It’s the best lineup that I’ve ever written down on paper," Hurdle said.

1,082 Sheets to the Wind

Ben Sheets has just become the Milwaukee Brewers all-time strikeouts leader, after fanning Albert Pujols during the first inning of Saturday afternoon's game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 29-year-old righty surpassed Brewers great Ted Higuera with his 1,082nd career strikeout in his eighth season with the club, striking out Aaron Miles before getting Pujols to swing and miss. Rather retributive, as Prince Albert has a career .403 batting average when facing Sheets.

The Brewers are Screwed

Milwaukee Brewers righty Ben Sheets was busy dominating the Cincinnati Reds Friday before tightness in his pitching arm forced him to abandon the hill after five innings. The bullpen actually held on this time for a 5-2 victory.

"It’s just sore," Sheets said. "It’s really sore. It’s kind of a crampiness in there."

Oh no, crampiness? Never a good sign.

Sheets, 29, had been just cruising along this season, compiling a 3-0 record and 0.96 ERA, highlighted by a great performance against Johan Santana and the New York Mets last Monday, when he sent down 18 straight at one point.

His history of injuries tells us this soreness and crampiness may be a bigger deal than Sheets would like us to believe. Over the past two seasons, he's been plagued by a strained groin, shoulder tendinitis, a torn finger tendon, and a sore chest muscle.

However, all hope is not lost. He's not on the DL, yet.

[Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

Ben Sheets Returns Tonight

The Milwaukee Brewers have taken their righty ace, Ben Sheets off the disabled list today, just in time to start against the division rival Chicago Cubs tonight at Wrigley Field.

After accumulating a 10-4 record and 3.39 ERA by mid-July, Sheets sprained his right middle finger and suffered painful blistering on his pitching hand that landed him on the DL.

In the 40 games Sheets has missed, the Brew Crew have completely lost their lead in the NL Central, going 14-26 in his absence.

They sit just 2.5 games behind the division-leading Cubbies and trail the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals by just half a game - so the timing could not be any better.

[Sports Network]

Sheets Out At Least A Month

It always sucks when one of a team's best hurlers lands on the DL.

The story is no different for the Milwaukee Brewers, as right-hander Ben Sheets is expected to miss four to six weeks after an ultrasound showed a partial tendon tear in his right middle finger this week.

Sheets felt something "pop" while pitching the fourth inning Saturday and left the game against the Colorado Rockies immediately. The Brew Crew placed him on the 15-day disabled list and called up righty Grant Balfour to take his place on the roster.

Balfour was 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 8 minor league relief appearances with the AAA Nashville Sounds this season.

Sheets, an NL All-Star, is 10-4 with a 3.39 ERA.

[Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

It's Been a Good Month for Pitchers

Ladies and gentlemen, your Pitchers of the Month.

American League

Seattle Mariners closer J.J. Putz has been named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for June.

In 13 appearances last month, the righty set a club record by converting all eleven save opportunities he was handed, boasting a 23-for-23 mark on the season at third in the AL. He struck out 19 batters and walked three in 15.1 innings, allowing just one earned run.

With a 1-0 record, Putz was named to the All-Star roster after allowing just four earned runs in 39 innings this season for a magnificent 0.92 ERA, holding opponents to a .107 batting average.


National League

Milwaukee Brewers filthy ace Ben Sheets was honored as the National League's Pitcher of the Month.

As the one and only five-game winner on the Senior Circuit at the start of June, Sheets posted a 2.16 ERA over six starts. He didn't allow an earned run over his last 17 innings and struck out 40 batters in 41.2 innings - the second-most in the NL.

The righty tossed a six-hit complete game against the San Francisco Giants on June 19th and recorded a season-high 11 Ks against the Chicago Cubs on the last day of June. Sheets is 10-3 on the season with a 3.19 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 110 innings.

Both players will receive a super special trophy to commemorate their Pitcher of the Month performances.

More NL vote-getters
Francisco Cordero
Claudio Vargas
Chris Young
Brad Penny
Carlos Zambrano
Jeff Francis
Derek Lowe
Matt Morris
Aaron Harang
John Maine

More AL vote-getters
C.C. Sabathia
Justin Verlander
Brian Bannister
Johan Santana
Joe Blanton
Dan Haren
Jeremy Guthrie

[Mariners Weblog] | [Brewers Bar]

Sheets Bothered By Groin Injury

Milwaukee Brewers ace Ben Sheets left Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning with a strained right groin.

The tough-as-nails righty apparently suffered the injury on the final play of the inning - a Derrek Lee forceout - and walked gingerly to the dugout without returning to the game.

Sheets had given up four hits over three scoreless innings and was replaced by right-hander Elmer Dessens.

Sheets, 28, entered the game with a 1-2 record and a 5.00 ERA over his first four starts after battling a variety of injuries over the previous two seasons.

[ESPN]