Floyd again flirts with a no-no

ESPN.com

Updated: May 6, 2008

AP Photo/M. Spencer Green

Gavin Floyd took a no-hitter into the ninth before having it broken up by Joe Mauer.

HARD TO HANDLE

By Mark Simon, ESPN Research

It wasn't that long ago that Gavin Floyd was considered one of baseball's top pitching prospects, and now he's back on the map after coming close to a no-hitter for the second time this season.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BASEBALL
• Indians at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

Floyd showed that his April 12 no-hit bid against the Tigers was no fluke, throwing 8 1/3 hitless innings in Tuesday's win over the Twins, one that got the White Sox back on the winning track and took some of the attention away from what has been a frustrating week for manager Ozzie Guillen.

Floyd's previous claim to fame was that he was the pitcher for the Phillies in the game in which former teammate Aaron Rowand smashed his face into the outfield fence, making an amazing catch against Xavier Nady. Now, Floyd is making a name for himself as one of baseball's most unhittable pitchers. After Tuesday's gem, opponents are hitting just .149 against him this season.

FIGURING OUT FLOYD
Gavin Floyd's last four years
2005-2007 2008
W-L 6-10 3-1
ERA 6.82 2.50
Opp. BA .302 .149

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: May 5 | May 4 | May 1 | April 30 | April 29 | April 28

WAINWRIGHT ANCHORING THE ST. LOUIS ROTATION

By Rick Sutcliffe, ESPN

When analysts talk about a complete player, it's usually in reference to a position player who can hit for average and power, run and play defense. There are also complete players who happen to pitch, and the St. Louis Cardinals' Adam Wainwright, who pitches tonight at Colorado, is one of them. He takes the ball every fifth day, works quick -- which helps his defense behind him -- and fields his position well. He even handles the bat better than most pitchers. (Wainwright hit .290 in 2007, and was even called on to pinch-hit, going 3-for-5).

Before he was traded in 2003 (in the deal that sent J.D. Drew to Atlanta), the one knock I had heard about Wainwright was that he wasn't tough enough. But he's put those concerns to rest. He was a very good set-up man in 2006 (team-high 23 holds) before closer Jason Isringhausen got hurt. Wainwright made the transition to closer, and in the 2006 postseason, he pitched 9 2/3 scoreless innings and found himself on the mound for the final out in National League Division Series, NL Championship Series and World Series.

He transitioned to the starting rotation in 2007 and didn't show much in the way of fatigue as the season wore on. In fact, his numbers were better in the second half of the season (7-7, 4.66 ERA, 102 1/3 innings pitched before the All-Star break; 7-5, 2.71 ERA, 99 2/3 inning pitched after the break).

No one expected the Cardinals to be in first place -- especially without Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder in the rotation. Right now, Wainwright is the ace of Tony La Russa's pitching staff and he's one of the primary reasons St. Louis has the second-best record in the NL. Rarely do you see the Braves part with great pitching prospects. While Drew had a great season in 2004, it was his only year in a Braves uniform. Wainwright, who won't turn 27 until August, appears to be the Cardinals' ace for years to come.

FORWARD THINKING: WEDNESDAY

Cliff Lee • Indians at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: The best pitching matchup of the year so far, featuring unbeatens Cliff Lee (5-0, 0.96 ERA) and Chien-Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00 ERA). Yankees hitters better come ready to swing; Lee has issued just two walks all year. Cleveland has already seen Wang's stuff this year; the Yankees' righty shut out the Indians for seven innings in a 1-0 win April 27.

Mark Buehrle • Twins at White Sox, 7:05 p.m. ET: Opponents are having their way so far this season with Mark Buehrle (1-3, 4.42 ERA). Hitters are batting .301 against him. Livan Hernandez's (4-1, 4.43) numbers are similar -- the ERAs are nearly identical and opponents are hitting .306 against him, but his record is in far better shape than Buehrle's.

John Maine • Mets at Dodgers, 3:10 p.m. ET: John Maine (3-2, 3.48 ERA) has given up 13 runs this season, eight of which have come in the first three innings of games. After starting 1-2, Brad Penny (5-2, 3.19 ERA) has run off four consecutive wins. He has received at least eight runs of support in each of those outings.

• Complete list of pitching probables for Wednesday's games


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BBTN ON THE AIR: WEDNESDAY

TIME WHO'S ON?
10 p.m. ET
ESPN		 Host: Karl Ravech
Analysts: John Kruk, Steve Phillips
12 a.m. ET
ESPN		 Host: Steve Berthiaume
Analysts: John Kruk, Steve Phillips

BASEBALL TONIGHT MINUTE: FLOYD IMPRESSIVE

BIG NAMES WITHOUT JOBS

By Karl Ravech, ESPN

Interesting reading that the MLB Players Association is at the very least taking a look at the possibility that teams are in cahoots in not expressing interest in signing Barry Bonds. There are other free agents out there, some with Hall of Fame credentials, like Mike Piazza, and others with impressive regular-season and postseason resumes, like Kenny Lofton.

Do you have a question or comment for Karl Ravech? Click here to send one and check back on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page to see if he responded to it.

Bonds is the biggest fish in the free-agent pond. The MLBPA is just doing its job by asking questions and seeking information about the level of interest in these guys. But -- and this is a fairly big "but" -- each has issues that, as of right now, appear to outweigh the benefits of adding them to a roster.

For incredibly obvious reasons, Bonds is a reach for any team. All the issues -- clubhouse concerns, negative publicity, the possibility that he ends up in court and, even worse, jail -- certainly justify a team's hesitancy to sign him.

Piazza will get into the Hall of Fame as a catcher because of his ability to hit for average and power. His ability, though, has been on a steady decline since the late 1990s, when 40 home run seasons were his norm. He hit eight last year. Enough said.

Lofton is the most intriguing player out there. His speed is down, but he still is capable of stealing 20 bases. His on-base percentage (.380 last year) has not slipped. There are a handful of teams in real need for a leadoff man with speed. Lofton seems like the MLBPA's most legitimate complaint.

TUESDAY'S NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

GOOD
Scott Olsen• Gavin Floyd wasn't the only pitcher who had a big night. Scott Olsen, Tim Wakefield and Carlos Zambrano all tossed shutouts Tuesday.
BAD
Joba Chamberlain• Joba Chamberlain served up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter David Dellucci in the eighth inning, turning a one-run lead into a 5-3 Yankees loss.
UGLY
Brian Bannister• Brian Bannister was smacked around for 13 hits by the Angels. The right-hander has now lost four starts in a row. His last victory came on April 13.

FANTASY FIRST TAKE: HOT STREAKS

FANTASY: PREVIEW OF WEDNESDAY'S GAMES

Sean Allen examines the pitching matchups in store for the 15 games on Wednesday's schedule in the American League and National League.

Fantasy Sean also looks at injuries and details player reports that could help shape the way you put together your roster for Wednesday's games. Daily Notes

NEWS AND NOTES

Curt Schilling • Curt Schilling played catch Tuesday, but the Red Sox said he is not quite ready to begin throwing off a mound. Alex Cora (right elbow strain) will start his rehab stint with Pawtucket today; Sean Casey (right shoulder strain) is set to start his Thursday.

Ian Kennedy • Ian Kennedy, recently demoted by the Yankees, allowed just one hit over 7 2/3 shutout innings in his first start of the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.