There was good news and there was bad news for the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.
The good news was that recent call-up Justin Hampson pitched very well over 3.2 innings, shutting down the Rockies. The bad news was, that the Padres needed Hampson for 3.2 innings.
After starter and MLB ERA leader Chris Young went down after 2 innings pitched with a strained abdominal muscle, Hampson came in and threw nearly four innings of shutout ball and was an integral part of the Padres 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. After the game manager Bud Black said that Young would likely miss his next start, previously scheduled for Sunday.
Victory and everything that goes with it aside, if Chris Young is down for any significant amount of time this ball club is in some serious trouble. For a team last in all of baseball in runs scored, they need their starting pitching to be lights out and with Young, Jake Peavy, Justin Germano, Greg Maddux and David Wells, it has been for most of the year. However now, with Young down for at least a week, if not more, this team will need a little boost from the bats in the lineup to keep pace with the Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks.
On to the win, the Padres were able to put 3 runs up on the board against rookie Ubaldo Jimenez in his 7 innings pitched and then added two more against reliever Ramon Ramirez to get the win.
Jimenez was making only his second start of the season and the third start of his Big League career. He did all he could, keeping the Rockies in it for seven innings and giving them a chance to gain some ground on the 2nd place Padres who are 4.5 games up on Colorado. If Jimenez can keep this up, he may become an invaluable piece of the puzzle for the Rockies who are searching desperately for some quality starting pitching to help them keep up in the intense arms race that is the NL West.
The Rockies now need to focus on getting All-Star slugger Matt Holliday back to form as his offensive numbers have dropped off the radar. After being one of the hottest batters in all of baseball before the All-Star Break, Holliday has cooled off dramatically since going a pitiful 8 for 45 in his past 13 games for an average of .167. Holliday has added 2 homers and 8 RBI in that span but Colorado needs him at his 1st half form in order to even think about contending in the very treacherous NL West.
We should find out fairly early tomorrow whether or not Young will be hitting the disabled list, and if indeed he does, be sure to monitor the situation in San Diego. Long thought to be in the market for one more arm, it might become necessary rather than optional for Padres GM Kevin Towers.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Calling Carlos Beltran.....
It was obvious right from the start that one of these teams was going to play in the postseason and one of them would not be.
The New York Mets looked ready and primed for the postseason during their win over the dilapidated Pittsburgh Pirates. They received a strong start from John Maine, who has been dominant all year, they received quality defensive play from their outfielders and an especially nice snag by 1st baseman Carlos Delgado and last but not least, they received some significant offense from some unsuspected sources.
With both Carlos’s, Beltran and Delgado, struggling to produce the way they have, the offense has been reliant upon secondary contributions and on Tuesday night, it was young, brash outfielder Lastings Milledge and starter John Maine who brought the pop.
Milledge hit an RBI single to precede his 2 run home run that sealed the game for the Mets while John Maine hit his first career home run, a 2 run job of his own. Infielder Ruben Gotay also had an RBI as did declining outfielder Shawn Green, while the middle of the lineup, the superstars failed to hold their own, especially Beltran who struck out three times and is really falling apart at the seams.
The next week of games favors the Mets in their playoff run as well as they still have two games hosting the lowly Pirates and then play host to the unsightly Washington Nationals for 4 games. If the Mets can hit a nice hot streak here and put some distance between them and their nearest competitors without having to give up the farm for some last-minute help, that would certainly be the ideal.
Their opponent tonight was the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates don’t have much to look forward to come postseason time, other than an extended vacation.
With tonight’s loss Pittsburgh is now 41-57 and is a seller to be sure over the next week. Unlike previous years though, the Pirates have been trying to add some quality help now but were quickly turned down by the Blue Jays when they requested Troy Glaus for Jack Wilson and a packaged deal. Shocking.
The Pirates will likely move some relievers and perhaps some offensive power all to make room for players even younger than those currently starring for the disappointing club. Pittsburgh did have one bright spot on Tuesday though, and it wasn’t the poor pitching of highly acclaimed starter Ian Snell, it was the reappearance of struggling slugger Jason Bay who had a huge night with 2 home runs and 3 RBI.
Perhaps Bay enjoyed the 6th slot in the batting lineup where Manager Jim Tracy put him to hide him a little bit from the glare of the clean-up role. If these are going to be standard results, I say keep him 6th. If only Bay could get some help to come and help revitalize this team for this winner-starved town.
The New York Mets looked ready and primed for the postseason during their win over the dilapidated Pittsburgh Pirates. They received a strong start from John Maine, who has been dominant all year, they received quality defensive play from their outfielders and an especially nice snag by 1st baseman Carlos Delgado and last but not least, they received some significant offense from some unsuspected sources.
With both Carlos’s, Beltran and Delgado, struggling to produce the way they have, the offense has been reliant upon secondary contributions and on Tuesday night, it was young, brash outfielder Lastings Milledge and starter John Maine who brought the pop.
Milledge hit an RBI single to precede his 2 run home run that sealed the game for the Mets while John Maine hit his first career home run, a 2 run job of his own. Infielder Ruben Gotay also had an RBI as did declining outfielder Shawn Green, while the middle of the lineup, the superstars failed to hold their own, especially Beltran who struck out three times and is really falling apart at the seams.
The next week of games favors the Mets in their playoff run as well as they still have two games hosting the lowly Pirates and then play host to the unsightly Washington Nationals for 4 games. If the Mets can hit a nice hot streak here and put some distance between them and their nearest competitors without having to give up the farm for some last-minute help, that would certainly be the ideal.
Their opponent tonight was the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates don’t have much to look forward to come postseason time, other than an extended vacation.
With tonight’s loss Pittsburgh is now 41-57 and is a seller to be sure over the next week. Unlike previous years though, the Pirates have been trying to add some quality help now but were quickly turned down by the Blue Jays when they requested Troy Glaus for Jack Wilson and a packaged deal. Shocking.
The Pirates will likely move some relievers and perhaps some offensive power all to make room for players even younger than those currently starring for the disappointing club. Pittsburgh did have one bright spot on Tuesday though, and it wasn’t the poor pitching of highly acclaimed starter Ian Snell, it was the reappearance of struggling slugger Jason Bay who had a huge night with 2 home runs and 3 RBI.
Perhaps Bay enjoyed the 6th slot in the batting lineup where Manager Jim Tracy put him to hide him a little bit from the glare of the clean-up role. If these are going to be standard results, I say keep him 6th. If only Bay could get some help to come and help revitalize this team for this winner-starved town.
Houston, We Have a Problem
The potential National League Rookie of the Year hit a major obstacle yesterday.
Hunter Pence was placed on the disabled list on Monday after hurting his wrist in game action on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pence was sliding into second when he jammed his wrist, knocking him out of action for the next four to six weeks.
This is a huge blow to Pence’s rookie of the year chances as the National League race is heating up with Ryan Braun slugging his way through his rookie year and both Chad Billingsley and Tim Lincecum have been phenomenal in their starting rolls this season. Pence’s injury is a also a blow to the Astros.
It has been a very disappointing season in Houston this year and for the Astros management and their fans, Pence was one of the bright spots. Now Houston will likely become a seller in an aggressive market right away and try and get some fair market value for some of their veterans so that they have some young pieces to put around Pence in years to come.
Jason Lane was called up to take the star rookie’s spot from the teams Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.
Hunter Pence was placed on the disabled list on Monday after hurting his wrist in game action on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pence was sliding into second when he jammed his wrist, knocking him out of action for the next four to six weeks.
This is a huge blow to Pence’s rookie of the year chances as the National League race is heating up with Ryan Braun slugging his way through his rookie year and both Chad Billingsley and Tim Lincecum have been phenomenal in their starting rolls this season. Pence’s injury is a also a blow to the Astros.
It has been a very disappointing season in Houston this year and for the Astros management and their fans, Pence was one of the bright spots. Now Houston will likely become a seller in an aggressive market right away and try and get some fair market value for some of their veterans so that they have some young pieces to put around Pence in years to come.
Jason Lane was called up to take the star rookie’s spot from the teams Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.
Monday, July 23, 2007
#100
Its hard to envision any player other than Alex Rodriguez taking home the AL MVP this season. A-Rod picked up his 100TH RBI of the season on Monday for the Yankees as they beat the Kansas City Royals 9-2.
He hit magical number 100 in under 100 games, becoming the first player to do so since Manny Ramirez with Boston in 1999. Yet another little notch to add to the Rodriguez belt. Hard to believe this guy was being vociferously and lustily booed by the Yankees faithful last year for underperforming.
Rodriguez has been having one of those seasons that will live on in history. He is approaching 40 home runs on the season and 500 for a career, perhaps on his way to break Bonds’s eventual home run mark. He is just 2 home runs away from 500 and will likely break that barrier in the very near future pushing him into very elite company.
A-Rod, by breaking 100 RBI’s has now done it for 10 straight years and 11 total in his storied and still young career. He will likely hit 1500 RBI this season, moving him from 53rd on the all-time RBI list up to about 47th. He has the potential to move into the top 10 in the next five years with his swing and his power and if he can find a quality team this offseason when he inevitably explores his free agency.
A few days shy of his 32nd birthday, Alex Rodriguez is entering the stage of his career that could be him acquire the largest contract in North American sports history and the numbers that he is putting up this season are doing nothing to dissuade potential suitors. Rodriguez, when he opts out, will be able to field offers from whichever club finds the money to do so as his production and star power are worth their weight in gold.
He hit magical number 100 in under 100 games, becoming the first player to do so since Manny Ramirez with Boston in 1999. Yet another little notch to add to the Rodriguez belt. Hard to believe this guy was being vociferously and lustily booed by the Yankees faithful last year for underperforming.
Rodriguez has been having one of those seasons that will live on in history. He is approaching 40 home runs on the season and 500 for a career, perhaps on his way to break Bonds’s eventual home run mark. He is just 2 home runs away from 500 and will likely break that barrier in the very near future pushing him into very elite company.
A-Rod, by breaking 100 RBI’s has now done it for 10 straight years and 11 total in his storied and still young career. He will likely hit 1500 RBI this season, moving him from 53rd on the all-time RBI list up to about 47th. He has the potential to move into the top 10 in the next five years with his swing and his power and if he can find a quality team this offseason when he inevitably explores his free agency.
A few days shy of his 32nd birthday, Alex Rodriguez is entering the stage of his career that could be him acquire the largest contract in North American sports history and the numbers that he is putting up this season are doing nothing to dissuade potential suitors. Rodriguez, when he opts out, will be able to field offers from whichever club finds the money to do so as his production and star power are worth their weight in gold.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Tim Lincecum is Now
This just in, Tim Lincecum is really good.
One of Baseball America’s most heralded prospects coming into the season has just started to show his stuff in his past five starts and more importantly, show some consistency.
He dismantled the powerful Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday with an 8-0 shutout performance to push his record to 5-2. Lincecum has been fantastic for the Giants, giving them a chance to win every time he has pitched recently.
On June 19th, Lincecum’s ERA was an unpleasant and disappointing 5.88. The Giants are glad they didn’t send him back down to Triple-A. Since that time, Lincecum has steadily lowered his ERA with each start, posting a remarkable 1.05 ERA over the five starts and have come since.
His ERA is now at a respectable 3.96 level and he is developing into the Giants ace of the future and the bedrock of a brilliant pitching staff along with Matt Cain and Noah Lowry. Another impressive stat line has been his strikeout to walk ratio. Over his five start coming out party, Lincecum has k’d 41 opposing batters and only walked 13 in his 34.1 innings. That is very impressive for a rookie pitcher.
With Ryan Braun and Hunter Pence battling for the NL Rookie of the Year award thus far, Tim Lincecum is giving notice that he should be in the discussion as well. With another month or two like he has just had, it would be hard not to include him in the debate.
One of Baseball America’s most heralded prospects coming into the season has just started to show his stuff in his past five starts and more importantly, show some consistency.
He dismantled the powerful Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday with an 8-0 shutout performance to push his record to 5-2. Lincecum has been fantastic for the Giants, giving them a chance to win every time he has pitched recently.
On June 19th, Lincecum’s ERA was an unpleasant and disappointing 5.88. The Giants are glad they didn’t send him back down to Triple-A. Since that time, Lincecum has steadily lowered his ERA with each start, posting a remarkable 1.05 ERA over the five starts and have come since.
His ERA is now at a respectable 3.96 level and he is developing into the Giants ace of the future and the bedrock of a brilliant pitching staff along with Matt Cain and Noah Lowry. Another impressive stat line has been his strikeout to walk ratio. Over his five start coming out party, Lincecum has k’d 41 opposing batters and only walked 13 in his 34.1 innings. That is very impressive for a rookie pitcher.
With Ryan Braun and Hunter Pence battling for the NL Rookie of the Year award thus far, Tim Lincecum is giving notice that he should be in the discussion as well. With another month or two like he has just had, it would be hard not to include him in the debate.
Quality Pitching
Joe Mauer hit an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the 8th inning, knocking in three runs and sealing the victory and the series for the Minnesota Twins. Angles centerfielder Gary Matthews slammed into the fence trying to make a play on the Mauer drive but missed and Mauer ended up back at home where he started and the three runs that came in gave Joe Nathan enough of a cushion as he finished the Angels off in the 9th.
The game was 0-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Jason Bartlett took Jered Weaver deep to make it 1-0. Torii Hunter did the same one inning later, making it 2-0. It was only one inning later when Mauer had his monumental achievement and that was all the run support that the Twins needed on Saturday.
The 5-2 final is not very indicative of what you saw if you only watched the first 6 innings of this ball game. Both pitchers, Weaver, and his counterpart Boof Bonser pitched extraordinarily well and dominated the game for the first 6 innings allowing only a handful of hits given up all tolled.
Weaver gave up the first 2 runs to make it a 2-0 shutout for Bonser, who had never pitched the 8th inning in the Major League’s before this game. Bonser had a career game but lost his shutout when Maicer Izturis singled and Chone Figgins hit a triple to send him home. Pat Neshek than came in and gave up a game-tying RBI single to Orlando Cabrera to give Boof Bonser yet another No Decision.
Jered Weaver was the main reason for me to check out this game and he didn’t disappoint. Aside from two solo homeruns to Bartlett and Hunter, he was fantastic and allowed only 5 hits through his seven innings. He has been lighting it up lately and yesterday was no different.
Since June 4th, a span of seven starts, Weaver has been pitching to his potential and showing signs of the dominant arm he was last year. He has thrown 41.1 innings and allowed only 10 runs for a blistering ERA of 2.18. With John Lackey struggling a little bit with inconsistency lately and Ervin Santana being sent down to fine tune his mechanics, Weaver has been a god-send for the Angels and Mike Scioscia.
The Angels, with their loss Saturday, have now lost 5 of 6 to teams like Tampa Bay and Texas and now 2 in a row to Minnesota. They could use a win and a solid outing from the freshly recalled Joe Saunders on Sunday. Saunders pitched well in his previous stints with the club and will be looking to assure himself a spot on the roster long-term with another quality start. The only problem? He’s facing Twins prospect Matt Garza who has been phenomenal since being called up this season. Garza has started two games and has not allowed an earned run in either.
The Angels will be looking to break that streak early if they can get some run production going.
The game was 0-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Jason Bartlett took Jered Weaver deep to make it 1-0. Torii Hunter did the same one inning later, making it 2-0. It was only one inning later when Mauer had his monumental achievement and that was all the run support that the Twins needed on Saturday.
The 5-2 final is not very indicative of what you saw if you only watched the first 6 innings of this ball game. Both pitchers, Weaver, and his counterpart Boof Bonser pitched extraordinarily well and dominated the game for the first 6 innings allowing only a handful of hits given up all tolled.
Weaver gave up the first 2 runs to make it a 2-0 shutout for Bonser, who had never pitched the 8th inning in the Major League’s before this game. Bonser had a career game but lost his shutout when Maicer Izturis singled and Chone Figgins hit a triple to send him home. Pat Neshek than came in and gave up a game-tying RBI single to Orlando Cabrera to give Boof Bonser yet another No Decision.
Jered Weaver was the main reason for me to check out this game and he didn’t disappoint. Aside from two solo homeruns to Bartlett and Hunter, he was fantastic and allowed only 5 hits through his seven innings. He has been lighting it up lately and yesterday was no different.
Since June 4th, a span of seven starts, Weaver has been pitching to his potential and showing signs of the dominant arm he was last year. He has thrown 41.1 innings and allowed only 10 runs for a blistering ERA of 2.18. With John Lackey struggling a little bit with inconsistency lately and Ervin Santana being sent down to fine tune his mechanics, Weaver has been a god-send for the Angels and Mike Scioscia.
The Angels, with their loss Saturday, have now lost 5 of 6 to teams like Tampa Bay and Texas and now 2 in a row to Minnesota. They could use a win and a solid outing from the freshly recalled Joe Saunders on Sunday. Saunders pitched well in his previous stints with the club and will be looking to assure himself a spot on the roster long-term with another quality start. The only problem? He’s facing Twins prospect Matt Garza who has been phenomenal since being called up this season. Garza has started two games and has not allowed an earned run in either.
The Angels will be looking to break that streak early if they can get some run production going.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Rolling
This is the Chuck James that the Atlanta Braves expected to see this season.
The Braves young star opened the year wildly inconsistent and rarely pitching into the 7th or beyond. Now, in his four most recent starts, James has been the Braves best pitcher and with Smoltz coming back from an injury and dominating this past week and Tim Hudson continuing to be a steadying hand, the Braves are now loaded with a very dangerous starting trio.
Back on June 24th, Chuck James had a mediocre 4.29 ERA. Since that time, he has pitched 24.2 innings over four starts and allowed only 3 runs in those four starts. James has given up only 16 hits as well, making him one of the most dominant pitchers in the past month. His ERA has dropped from 4.29 to a nice 3.58 and it shows no signs of slowing.
Coming into the season, there were some big expectations placed on James as he was thought to be the staff ace of the future. Early on, his consistency and control issues plagued him and limited his effectiveness. Now, he is giving the Braves everything they hoped for and more.
With the Braves in the middle of a division race, they need James to keep throwing the way he is and the young lineup to keep hitting the way they are. Add in Smoltz and Hudson and a solid bullpen staff, well, the Braves look to have all the pieces in place to make a real run at the Mets and their NL East lead.
The Braves young star opened the year wildly inconsistent and rarely pitching into the 7th or beyond. Now, in his four most recent starts, James has been the Braves best pitcher and with Smoltz coming back from an injury and dominating this past week and Tim Hudson continuing to be a steadying hand, the Braves are now loaded with a very dangerous starting trio.
Back on June 24th, Chuck James had a mediocre 4.29 ERA. Since that time, he has pitched 24.2 innings over four starts and allowed only 3 runs in those four starts. James has given up only 16 hits as well, making him one of the most dominant pitchers in the past month. His ERA has dropped from 4.29 to a nice 3.58 and it shows no signs of slowing.
Coming into the season, there were some big expectations placed on James as he was thought to be the staff ace of the future. Early on, his consistency and control issues plagued him and limited his effectiveness. Now, he is giving the Braves everything they hoped for and more.
With the Braves in the middle of a division race, they need James to keep throwing the way he is and the young lineup to keep hitting the way they are. Add in Smoltz and Hudson and a solid bullpen staff, well, the Braves look to have all the pieces in place to make a real run at the Mets and their NL East lead.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Carpenter No More
After being expected to ride in on a white horse and save his team, the St. Louis Cardinals, Chris Carpenter found out that he would be doing anything but.
It was announced on Thursday that Carpenter, the Cardinals ace and former Cy Young winner would be missing the rest of the season and a hearty chunk of next year as well as he will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.
You can now officially blow the Cardinals extraordinarily thin playoff hopes out the window. Whatever shot they had will now rest squarely on the shoulders of Kip Wells’ and his 5.75 ERA (although it should be said that Wells went 8 and only allowed 2 hits in his last start).
Tony LaRussa is in some serious trouble and should start praying to whomever he prays to that Adam Wainwright and the rest of the thrown together starting staff can equal Caprenter’s production and the bullpen’s efficiency.
Good luck.
It was announced on Thursday that Carpenter, the Cardinals ace and former Cy Young winner would be missing the rest of the season and a hearty chunk of next year as well as he will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.
You can now officially blow the Cardinals extraordinarily thin playoff hopes out the window. Whatever shot they had will now rest squarely on the shoulders of Kip Wells’ and his 5.75 ERA (although it should be said that Wells went 8 and only allowed 2 hits in his last start).
Tony LaRussa is in some serious trouble and should start praying to whomever he prays to that Adam Wainwright and the rest of the thrown together starting staff can equal Caprenter’s production and the bullpen’s efficiency.
Good luck.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Four Team Race
The division race in the National League West is one of the most interesting and entertaining at this point in the season and promises to be through the remainder. At 48-46 and only 5 ½ games back of division leader Los Angeles, the Colorado Rockies are intent on playing a major role.
After dropping 8 games at the end of June, the Rockies have gone 10-4 since, thrusting themselves back into the NL West picture. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 on Wednesday on the back of Jeff Francis who threw down another strong outing.
Francis went 7, allowing only two runs on six hits with 6 k’s for good measure. Francis also helped out on offense, knocking in Troy Tulowitzki in the 3rd to tie the game up at one. He had hit a bit of a rough patch before the All-Star break and in his first start after so maybe this effort will help get him back on track.
The Rockies real strength though is their offense and their big-time hitters came through again for manager Clint Hurdle. Against the offensively poor Pirates, the Rockies needed only 5 runs today. After the RBI single from Francis, a 2 run homer by Brad Hawpe and a 2 run homer by Todd Helton was all Francis, Jorge Julio and Manual Corpas needed to shut the door and send the Pirates home with their sixth loss in a row, the longest current streak after the A’s snapped their dreadful 8 game slide.
Pittsburgh is just scuffling right now and they can’t seem to produce anything beyond 3 runs, but then the few times that they do? Well, their pitching staff lets them down.
Despite having a very good season, Wednesday was not starter Ian Snell’s day. He gave up two home runs, pushing his season’s total to 15, and got little help from his teammates. After the game, Snell was very adamant about the Rockies stealing signs and even threatened retaliation the next time the two teams meet, which will take place in Colorado in late August.
While not an advocate of sign stealing, I do believe it is a part of the game and pitchers just need to deal with it and compensate in other ways. Getting angry, rather than adjusting your stuff or talking to the catcher about it is stupid and foolhardy. This should make the showdown in the Rockies quite interesting though if Snell is indeed involved in the four game set.
After dropping 8 games at the end of June, the Rockies have gone 10-4 since, thrusting themselves back into the NL West picture. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 on Wednesday on the back of Jeff Francis who threw down another strong outing.
Francis went 7, allowing only two runs on six hits with 6 k’s for good measure. Francis also helped out on offense, knocking in Troy Tulowitzki in the 3rd to tie the game up at one. He had hit a bit of a rough patch before the All-Star break and in his first start after so maybe this effort will help get him back on track.
The Rockies real strength though is their offense and their big-time hitters came through again for manager Clint Hurdle. Against the offensively poor Pirates, the Rockies needed only 5 runs today. After the RBI single from Francis, a 2 run homer by Brad Hawpe and a 2 run homer by Todd Helton was all Francis, Jorge Julio and Manual Corpas needed to shut the door and send the Pirates home with their sixth loss in a row, the longest current streak after the A’s snapped their dreadful 8 game slide.
Pittsburgh is just scuffling right now and they can’t seem to produce anything beyond 3 runs, but then the few times that they do? Well, their pitching staff lets them down.
Despite having a very good season, Wednesday was not starter Ian Snell’s day. He gave up two home runs, pushing his season’s total to 15, and got little help from his teammates. After the game, Snell was very adamant about the Rockies stealing signs and even threatened retaliation the next time the two teams meet, which will take place in Colorado in late August.
While not an advocate of sign stealing, I do believe it is a part of the game and pitchers just need to deal with it and compensate in other ways. Getting angry, rather than adjusting your stuff or talking to the catcher about it is stupid and foolhardy. This should make the showdown in the Rockies quite interesting though if Snell is indeed involved in the four game set.
Going Down
No one really knows what’s going on with Ervin Santana. Whatever it is, the Angels are hoping that he can figure it out in triple-A.
On Wednesday the Los Angeles Angels sent Santana down to triple-A Salt Lake to straighten himself out and calm his nerves, at least for hi starts away from home. The dichotomy of Santana’s season has been remarkable to say the least.
Many players will do better on the road or vice versa. However, for Santana, the discrepancy between the two was cavernous. Santana posted a respectable 3.42 ERA in Los Angeles over 52.2 innings, pitching in the friendly confines of Angel Stadium. He started 8 games and allowed 52 hits, 20 earned runs, only 14 walks and 38 strikeouts and in the process went 4-2. As a member of the visiting team, things were vastly different.
While on the road, Santana started 11 games. He pitched 57.1 innings, only 4.2 more than at home, allowed 84 hits, 32 more than at home and had an ERA of 8.79. I genuinely do not understand how one man can be so good at home and so unspeakably and unfathomably terrible on the road.
The likely replacement for Santana in Joe Saunders. Saunders has been struggling some in Triple-A but was stellar in his infrequent starts in the Majors. It should be interesting to keep an eye on this Santana situation though as he was so good last year and looked to form one of the best young pitching tandems in baseball alongside Jered Weaver. Now, the Angels are just hoping he can become a productive member of their team again as they prepare to enter the playoffs.
On Wednesday the Los Angeles Angels sent Santana down to triple-A Salt Lake to straighten himself out and calm his nerves, at least for hi starts away from home. The dichotomy of Santana’s season has been remarkable to say the least.
Many players will do better on the road or vice versa. However, for Santana, the discrepancy between the two was cavernous. Santana posted a respectable 3.42 ERA in Los Angeles over 52.2 innings, pitching in the friendly confines of Angel Stadium. He started 8 games and allowed 52 hits, 20 earned runs, only 14 walks and 38 strikeouts and in the process went 4-2. As a member of the visiting team, things were vastly different.
While on the road, Santana started 11 games. He pitched 57.1 innings, only 4.2 more than at home, allowed 84 hits, 32 more than at home and had an ERA of 8.79. I genuinely do not understand how one man can be so good at home and so unspeakably and unfathomably terrible on the road.
The likely replacement for Santana in Joe Saunders. Saunders has been struggling some in Triple-A but was stellar in his infrequent starts in the Majors. It should be interesting to keep an eye on this Santana situation though as he was so good last year and looked to form one of the best young pitching tandems in baseball alongside Jered Weaver. Now, the Angels are just hoping he can become a productive member of their team again as they prepare to enter the playoffs.
Precipice
One of the worst losing streaks in baseball this season ended on Wednesday when Lenny DiNardo pitched a gem of a game and shut down the Texas Rangers as the Oakland Athletics picked up their first win in 9 games, stopping an 8 game slide.
It took a combined effort from DiNardo, who pitched a strong 7 innings of 3 hit ball and Santiago Casilla who finished the Rangers off with 2 shutdown innings for the A’s to kick the losing skid. DiNardo has had an up and down season for Oakland but he has come up big for a spot starter/long relief guy. DiNardo is cruising along with a nice 2.51 ERA and is becoming very appealing in the eyes of opposing GM’s looking for a little pitching help for the stretch drive, as the A’s were virtually eliminated with their recent crash.
The Athletics got solid offensive support in the 6-0 game, helping them buck their losing skid. The A’s had scored only 20 runs over their 8 losses, and had not hit the 6 runs scored plateau since July 2nd against Toronto. The team has been offensively inept all season which has been crippling their solid pitching staff.
With another game against Texas than three vs. Baltimore before a trip to face division leader Los Angeles and Wild Card contender Seattle the A’s need to get their offense rolling and use today’s victory as a turning point. If not, expect Billy Beane to start the sale, auctioning players like DiNardo, fellow pitcher Joe Kennedy, Shannon Stewart and perhaps even Mike Piazza, if he’s back in time. Beane has never been overly hesitant to sell the old and bring in the new.
It took a combined effort from DiNardo, who pitched a strong 7 innings of 3 hit ball and Santiago Casilla who finished the Rangers off with 2 shutdown innings for the A’s to kick the losing skid. DiNardo has had an up and down season for Oakland but he has come up big for a spot starter/long relief guy. DiNardo is cruising along with a nice 2.51 ERA and is becoming very appealing in the eyes of opposing GM’s looking for a little pitching help for the stretch drive, as the A’s were virtually eliminated with their recent crash.
The Athletics got solid offensive support in the 6-0 game, helping them buck their losing skid. The A’s had scored only 20 runs over their 8 losses, and had not hit the 6 runs scored plateau since July 2nd against Toronto. The team has been offensively inept all season which has been crippling their solid pitching staff.
With another game against Texas than three vs. Baltimore before a trip to face division leader Los Angeles and Wild Card contender Seattle the A’s need to get their offense rolling and use today’s victory as a turning point. If not, expect Billy Beane to start the sale, auctioning players like DiNardo, fellow pitcher Joe Kennedy, Shannon Stewart and perhaps even Mike Piazza, if he’s back in time. Beane has never been overly hesitant to sell the old and bring in the new.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Great Expectations
The Oakland Athletics have Kurt Suzuki lined up to take over as the everyday catcher and they have been prepping him for this role for the past month or two. The Chicago Cubs, on the other hand, had their catcher of the future on Geovany Soto at the Major League level, but only allowed him 7 AB’s before dispatching him back to triple –A Iowa. Something seems a little off here.
Soto has been a dynamic force in the minor leagues with his bat and given the time in Chicago, he had the potential to be a nice piece of the puzzle for the Cubs this season and beyond. Instead, Chicago sent down the young stud and made the foolhardy deal to acquire Jason Kendall.
So while the Cubs paid next to nothing for him, they’re also getting next to nothing in return, at least on the offensive side of things. Kendall has been an utter failure as an offensive threat for the A’s this year and has never been the type of produce that the Cubs need. His offensive numbers are just brutal though and far below what he used to amass. Kendall is 33 years old and has brought in all of 2 home runs and 22 RBI in 292 AB’s. That is not a stat you as a GM want to see, and that doesn’t even include his .226 average.
Chicago, when they dealt away Michael Barrett for Rob Bowen, knew they were getting rid of a strong bat in Barrett but his clubhouse antics and fiery temper got him replaced. They paid for a calm demeanor and some veteran leadership and they did get some by acquiring Kendall.
Now, if only they can get Kendall to double his atrocious production thus far, they may be ok in Chicago.
Soto has been a dynamic force in the minor leagues with his bat and given the time in Chicago, he had the potential to be a nice piece of the puzzle for the Cubs this season and beyond. Instead, Chicago sent down the young stud and made the foolhardy deal to acquire Jason Kendall.
So while the Cubs paid next to nothing for him, they’re also getting next to nothing in return, at least on the offensive side of things. Kendall has been an utter failure as an offensive threat for the A’s this year and has never been the type of produce that the Cubs need. His offensive numbers are just brutal though and far below what he used to amass. Kendall is 33 years old and has brought in all of 2 home runs and 22 RBI in 292 AB’s. That is not a stat you as a GM want to see, and that doesn’t even include his .226 average.
Chicago, when they dealt away Michael Barrett for Rob Bowen, knew they were getting rid of a strong bat in Barrett but his clubhouse antics and fiery temper got him replaced. They paid for a calm demeanor and some veteran leadership and they did get some by acquiring Kendall.
Now, if only they can get Kendall to double his atrocious production thus far, they may be ok in Chicago.
What's Wrong With Jason?
What is wrong with Jason Bay? The Pittsburgh Pirates slugger is in a lengthy and abhorrent slump that has killed whatever slim chances the Pirates had at making the playoffs this season. With the starters pitching well and the relievers holding their own, the Pirates just needed an offensive star to keep them relevant but for whatever reason Bay has been unable to pull his weight lately.
Bay has decent numbers on the year thus far, but he as tailed off dramatically since June 4th. On June 4th, Bay’s batting average was a respectable .312. Since that day, up to and including last night, Bay is now hitting .249. The problem being that to drop his average to a meager .249, Bay has hit .142 since early June and he has seen his power numbers disappear as well.
Before June 4th Bay had 10 home runs and 42 RBI, and since? Well, the Pirates star has knocked out an insufficient 3 homers and a brutal 15 RBI. With such sluggers as Xavier Nady and Adam LaRoche (who for much of the season was locked in a slump far worse than Bay’s) as the secondary power sources behind Bay, is it any wonder the team is struggling?
Hopefully for Pirates fans and management Jason Bay can turn it around because he is talented and is the future of the Pittsburgh franchise. With Bay back on track and the young and talented infield of the future soon to arrive in Pittsburgh, the future is looking bright. Until then, Jason Bay is still in one of the worst slumps for a player of his quality that I’ve seen in a long time.
Bay has decent numbers on the year thus far, but he as tailed off dramatically since June 4th. On June 4th, Bay’s batting average was a respectable .312. Since that day, up to and including last night, Bay is now hitting .249. The problem being that to drop his average to a meager .249, Bay has hit .142 since early June and he has seen his power numbers disappear as well.
Before June 4th Bay had 10 home runs and 42 RBI, and since? Well, the Pirates star has knocked out an insufficient 3 homers and a brutal 15 RBI. With such sluggers as Xavier Nady and Adam LaRoche (who for much of the season was locked in a slump far worse than Bay’s) as the secondary power sources behind Bay, is it any wonder the team is struggling?
Hopefully for Pirates fans and management Jason Bay can turn it around because he is talented and is the future of the Pittsburgh franchise. With Bay back on track and the young and talented infield of the future soon to arrive in Pittsburgh, the future is looking bright. Until then, Jason Bay is still in one of the worst slumps for a player of his quality that I’ve seen in a long time.
Filling Gaps
Two top notch prospects got called up to the Major’s on Tuesday. Colorado recalled Ubaldo Jimenez from triple-A and Florida did the same with prospect Rick Vanden Hurk. Vanden Hurk will be pressed into starting duty for the Marlins tonight as the Marlins take on the St. Louis Cardinals, while Colorado has decided to bring up Jimenez for bullpen relief work.
Vanden Hurk was up earlier this season but struggled and got sent down with an 8.38 ERA to his name. He had some serious success in the minors and did well in the Future’s Game so the Marlins brought him up. With Josh Johnson on the disabled list there is a spot open for Vanden Hurk if he can lower his ERA some. If you can, check out Vanden Hurk tonight when he and the Marlins face St. Louis.
Jimenez, meanwhile, has not dominated triple-A like expected but he was still very highly regarded in the Rockies organization. He really struggled to start the season but has had much more success in recent outings. He had his Major League debut last fall for the Rockies and had moderate success. The Rockies bullpen has sustained some injuries lately, including closer, Brian Fuentes so instead of starting, which is where Rockies management would prefer Jimenez to be, his primary workload will stem from the bullpen for the time being and the foreseeable future.
Vanden Hurk was up earlier this season but struggled and got sent down with an 8.38 ERA to his name. He had some serious success in the minors and did well in the Future’s Game so the Marlins brought him up. With Josh Johnson on the disabled list there is a spot open for Vanden Hurk if he can lower his ERA some. If you can, check out Vanden Hurk tonight when he and the Marlins face St. Louis.
Jimenez, meanwhile, has not dominated triple-A like expected but he was still very highly regarded in the Rockies organization. He really struggled to start the season but has had much more success in recent outings. He had his Major League debut last fall for the Rockies and had moderate success. The Rockies bullpen has sustained some injuries lately, including closer, Brian Fuentes so instead of starting, which is where Rockies management would prefer Jimenez to be, his primary workload will stem from the bullpen for the time being and the foreseeable future.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Here's Your Chance
The news wasn’t good for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, when they found out that their ace, Ben Sheets, had been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a sprained finger.
Sheets was injured Saturday against Colorado when in the 3rd inning, after releasing a pitch to Todd Helton, he felt it “pop”. The right hander left the game immediately to have the finger looked at by team physicians. Initially it was thought to be not terribly serious, but on Monday, the decision was made to rest him for the next two weeks.
Sheets has been having a fantastic season so far and has been the steady hand for the Brewers, leading the way for their pitching staff all year. He already has 10 wins for the club and has been a big part of the Brewers resurgence this season as they lead the NL Central. His absence will leave a huge hole in the Brewers rotation for these few weeks but the Brewers have a few promising young pitchers to fill it.
The first choice will be top prospect Yovani Gallardo who has started a few times this season already and pitched in relief as well. He has been successful in each role and will get another shot at starting now. He is the ace of the future for this club and has the stuff to dominate whomever he faces.
Another option will be Manny Parra, another rookie, who will compete for playing time and be used in a Carlos Villanueva-type role for spot duty and long relief. Parra has been destroying the minor leagues this season and has been lights out in triple-A Nashville with a few good outings, including a perfect game, only the 8th in PCL history. Needless to say a call up was inevitable and with Sheets hitting the disabled list, the future is now for these fine young pitchers.
Sheets was injured Saturday against Colorado when in the 3rd inning, after releasing a pitch to Todd Helton, he felt it “pop”. The right hander left the game immediately to have the finger looked at by team physicians. Initially it was thought to be not terribly serious, but on Monday, the decision was made to rest him for the next two weeks.
Sheets has been having a fantastic season so far and has been the steady hand for the Brewers, leading the way for their pitching staff all year. He already has 10 wins for the club and has been a big part of the Brewers resurgence this season as they lead the NL Central. His absence will leave a huge hole in the Brewers rotation for these few weeks but the Brewers have a few promising young pitchers to fill it.
The first choice will be top prospect Yovani Gallardo who has started a few times this season already and pitched in relief as well. He has been successful in each role and will get another shot at starting now. He is the ace of the future for this club and has the stuff to dominate whomever he faces.
Another option will be Manny Parra, another rookie, who will compete for playing time and be used in a Carlos Villanueva-type role for spot duty and long relief. Parra has been destroying the minor leagues this season and has been lights out in triple-A Nashville with a few good outings, including a perfect game, only the 8th in PCL history. Needless to say a call up was inevitable and with Sheets hitting the disabled list, the future is now for these fine young pitchers.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Top 5 AL Pitchers 25 and Under
Here’s the first in a series of top 5’s we’re going to be doing here at The High Heat. In this first countdown, we’ll take a brief look at the top five pitchers 25 and under in the American League. This is only a look at the current season, not the player’s career or the player’s potential, but his stats and value in this season.
5. Joakim Soria, Kansas City – 23
The rookie has been nothing short of spectacular for the lowly Royals. Soria has had an especially good stretch since the end of May, the last time he allowed a run. An opposing batter hasn’t crossed the plate against Soria in 15 appearances and 16.2 innings. Soria’s also had a 21/3 strikeout to walk ratio as well during that time. His WHIP is quite impressive as well going into Sunday’s game with a 1.04 number. He has been a huge part of the success in the Royals bullpen this season, and looks to have closers stuff if needed in the future, despite his struggles in the role early in the year. If and when Octavio Dotel gets dealt this summer, Soria may be the man that Bell calls on to close again and 45 strikeouts in 38.1 innings will almost always garner you some attention in that type of a race.
4. Chad Gaudin, Oakland – 24
After struggling in Tampa Bay to start his career, followed by a brief stint with Toronto, Chad Gaudin has found a home with the Oakland Athletics. A 3.18 ERA in 113.1 innings will do that for a guy. Gaudin has made himself a fixture in the Athletics rotation behind Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, helping to fill the void created by Rich Harden’s incessant injury woes. Gaudin is not an overpowering pitcher who’s going to dominate but he is very effective by pitching to contact, and yet despite this method, he has given up only 5 home runs so far this year, far less than pitchers cut from the same cloth. Gaudin’s also not the type to pitch deep into games as he has pitched 7 only four times in 19 starts, but again, he is terribly efficient and is carrying a solid 8-4 record into the second half of the season. With his ERA consistently in the top 15 for starters in the AL, the Athletics have themselves a winner who will give them consistency outing after outing.
3. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles AL – 25
Hard to believe that K-Rod is only 25 as it feels like he’s been around forever, pitching and performing in big-time situations for the Angels. In his fifth year in the league and his fourth full year of closing, Rodriguez is truly having a solid year, even by his elevated standards. He has saved 24 games already and blown only two chances, all the while posting a nice ERA of 2.27. Rodriguez has had some inconsistencies so far this year but he has been the rock at the back end of the Angels bullpen closing games out for them nicely. His strikeout totals are impressive with 55 in only 39.2 innings while only allowing 17 walks. Rodriguez has also allowed just 2 home runs this season, just one of his many stats that are well on their way to being new career marks for the 25 year old Los Angeles closer.
2. Jeremy Bonderman, Detroit – 24
The first of two Detroit starters on our list, Bonderman has been the staff ace for the Tigers this year and has been a huge reason for their turnaround as a team over the past two seasons. He is also one of the main factors in the Tigers World Series chase with his cool demeanor and awesome control. Bonderman is having an absolute career year as he will likely set new career highs in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched and new lows in walks allowed. After suffering through the down years for the Tigers, Bonderman is now reaping the benefits of having a great starting staff around him and at 24 he is one of the main pieces of the puzzle. As hard as it is to believe, Bonderman has been somewhat undervalued by the baseball media due to the fact he is overshadowed by Kenny Rogers and the #1 pitcher on this list.
1. Justin Verlander, Detroit - 24
The 2006 American League Rookie of the Year is our #1 AL Pitcher under 25, thus far. Justin Verlander’s career is on an absolute meteoric rise. He has won awards and this season he has already pitched a no-hitter and simply dominated all kinds of teams throughout the American League. In over half of his starts, 9 of 17, Verlander has gone seven innings or longer, including his amazing no-hitter against the offensively potent Milwaukee Brewers. Verlander still probably walks to many batters with 39 getting free passes already this season but they just don’t come around to score, which is yet another reason to back this superstar in the making. Luckily for the Tigers, his strikeout totals are quite impressive so they balance each other out. Verlander has 10 wins already and is more than likely to hit 20 wins for the first time in his short career. With guys like Bonderman, Rogers and the young Andrew Miller in the same rotation, Verlander will continue to dominate and is going to be in the discussion when it comes to Al Cy Young voting time at the end of the season. He has had the best season thus far by a pitcher 25 or under.
5. Joakim Soria, Kansas City – 23
The rookie has been nothing short of spectacular for the lowly Royals. Soria has had an especially good stretch since the end of May, the last time he allowed a run. An opposing batter hasn’t crossed the plate against Soria in 15 appearances and 16.2 innings. Soria’s also had a 21/3 strikeout to walk ratio as well during that time. His WHIP is quite impressive as well going into Sunday’s game with a 1.04 number. He has been a huge part of the success in the Royals bullpen this season, and looks to have closers stuff if needed in the future, despite his struggles in the role early in the year. If and when Octavio Dotel gets dealt this summer, Soria may be the man that Bell calls on to close again and 45 strikeouts in 38.1 innings will almost always garner you some attention in that type of a race.
4. Chad Gaudin, Oakland – 24
After struggling in Tampa Bay to start his career, followed by a brief stint with Toronto, Chad Gaudin has found a home with the Oakland Athletics. A 3.18 ERA in 113.1 innings will do that for a guy. Gaudin has made himself a fixture in the Athletics rotation behind Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, helping to fill the void created by Rich Harden’s incessant injury woes. Gaudin is not an overpowering pitcher who’s going to dominate but he is very effective by pitching to contact, and yet despite this method, he has given up only 5 home runs so far this year, far less than pitchers cut from the same cloth. Gaudin’s also not the type to pitch deep into games as he has pitched 7 only four times in 19 starts, but again, he is terribly efficient and is carrying a solid 8-4 record into the second half of the season. With his ERA consistently in the top 15 for starters in the AL, the Athletics have themselves a winner who will give them consistency outing after outing.
3. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles AL – 25
Hard to believe that K-Rod is only 25 as it feels like he’s been around forever, pitching and performing in big-time situations for the Angels. In his fifth year in the league and his fourth full year of closing, Rodriguez is truly having a solid year, even by his elevated standards. He has saved 24 games already and blown only two chances, all the while posting a nice ERA of 2.27. Rodriguez has had some inconsistencies so far this year but he has been the rock at the back end of the Angels bullpen closing games out for them nicely. His strikeout totals are impressive with 55 in only 39.2 innings while only allowing 17 walks. Rodriguez has also allowed just 2 home runs this season, just one of his many stats that are well on their way to being new career marks for the 25 year old Los Angeles closer.
2. Jeremy Bonderman, Detroit – 24
The first of two Detroit starters on our list, Bonderman has been the staff ace for the Tigers this year and has been a huge reason for their turnaround as a team over the past two seasons. He is also one of the main factors in the Tigers World Series chase with his cool demeanor and awesome control. Bonderman is having an absolute career year as he will likely set new career highs in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched and new lows in walks allowed. After suffering through the down years for the Tigers, Bonderman is now reaping the benefits of having a great starting staff around him and at 24 he is one of the main pieces of the puzzle. As hard as it is to believe, Bonderman has been somewhat undervalued by the baseball media due to the fact he is overshadowed by Kenny Rogers and the #1 pitcher on this list.
1. Justin Verlander, Detroit - 24
The 2006 American League Rookie of the Year is our #1 AL Pitcher under 25, thus far. Justin Verlander’s career is on an absolute meteoric rise. He has won awards and this season he has already pitched a no-hitter and simply dominated all kinds of teams throughout the American League. In over half of his starts, 9 of 17, Verlander has gone seven innings or longer, including his amazing no-hitter against the offensively potent Milwaukee Brewers. Verlander still probably walks to many batters with 39 getting free passes already this season but they just don’t come around to score, which is yet another reason to back this superstar in the making. Luckily for the Tigers, his strikeout totals are quite impressive so they balance each other out. Verlander has 10 wins already and is more than likely to hit 20 wins for the first time in his short career. With guys like Bonderman, Rogers and the young Andrew Miller in the same rotation, Verlander will continue to dominate and is going to be in the discussion when it comes to Al Cy Young voting time at the end of the season. He has had the best season thus far by a pitcher 25 or under.
Up and Coming
Gil Meche started but struggled, giving up four runs in five innings but the team got solid outings from former starter Zack Greinke and rookie reliever Joakim Soria, who has been outstanding in his debut season for the club. Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia struggled as well as the youthful Royals had no problem getting hits off of him, amassing 11 in his seven innings pitched. The Tribe made a charge against Meche after being down 5-0, but they couldn’t pull it off against the strong Royals bullpen.
One of the big stars for the Royals was outfielder Billy Butler, who has been on fire as of late. At only 21 years old, Billy Butler is still a very young ball player and only in his rookie season. He’s sure not playing like a rookie though with the recent hot streak he’s been on.
When the Royals beat the playoff-contending Cleveland Indians on Saturday, Butler found himself right in the middle of the action as per usual, and highly instrumental in the win (despite getting nailed for wandering off third). With a 3 for 5 outing and 2 RBI, the kid from Orange Park, Florida is fighting his way into the AL Rookie of the Year debate.
Over his past 11 games, Butler has gone 16 for 39 for an average of .410, raising his previous average from .268 to .315, and his OBP from .288 to .347. The power numbers are coming too, with Butler hitting 2 homers and 11 RBI during this stretch.
Butler’s strike out to walk ratio isn’t all that impressive yet, mainly because he doesn’t walk much, not because he strikes out too often. He does provide some badly needed pop in the middle of the Royals lineup though, and should team with Alex Gordon, to give the Royals a strong 1-2 punch the in the heart of their lineup for years to come.
One of the big stars for the Royals was outfielder Billy Butler, who has been on fire as of late. At only 21 years old, Billy Butler is still a very young ball player and only in his rookie season. He’s sure not playing like a rookie though with the recent hot streak he’s been on.
When the Royals beat the playoff-contending Cleveland Indians on Saturday, Butler found himself right in the middle of the action as per usual, and highly instrumental in the win (despite getting nailed for wandering off third). With a 3 for 5 outing and 2 RBI, the kid from Orange Park, Florida is fighting his way into the AL Rookie of the Year debate.
Over his past 11 games, Butler has gone 16 for 39 for an average of .410, raising his previous average from .268 to .315, and his OBP from .288 to .347. The power numbers are coming too, with Butler hitting 2 homers and 11 RBI during this stretch.
Butler’s strike out to walk ratio isn’t all that impressive yet, mainly because he doesn’t walk much, not because he strikes out too often. He does provide some badly needed pop in the middle of the Royals lineup though, and should team with Alex Gordon, to give the Royals a strong 1-2 punch the in the heart of their lineup for years to come.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Jimmy Rollins is Burning
Jimmy Rollins is having one heck of a July. Of course it helps that his team has played most of their games against teams in the NL Central such as Houston and St. Louis, not to mention a few against pitching-poor Colorado.
Rollins has put up decent number so far this season but in July, he has been growing them exponentially. The Phillies shortstop, during this nice nine game run has knocked out 5 homers and batted in 10, doing his part for the Phillies potent offense. Rollins has also batted .378 this month in his nine games going 17 for 45.
Rollins has benefited from having guys like Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand directly behind him in the order. Those four guys are a nightmare for any pitching staff and with Rollins leading off every night, the top five in the Phillies lineup is as tough as any in baseball.
The Phillies have put up 23 runs already against the Cardinals in only 2 games. Of course, the Cardinals starting pitching is hardly triple-A legit without Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter. The team goes to Los Angeles and San Diego for a seven game road trip next week which will pose a tougher challenge for the Phillies than the soft pitching staffs that they’ve recently been abusing.
After feasting on the sisters of the poor in Houston, Colorado and St. Louis, ranked 23rd, 24th and 27th in team ERA respectively, the Phillies now will face the Dodgers and the Padres, ranked 4th and 1st in team ERA.
Can Rollins’ hot bat and the four sluggers behind him keep it up out west? Can they use this momentum to pick up ground on the inconsistent Braves and the division leading Mets? Lots of questions, time for some answers.
Rollins has put up decent number so far this season but in July, he has been growing them exponentially. The Phillies shortstop, during this nice nine game run has knocked out 5 homers and batted in 10, doing his part for the Phillies potent offense. Rollins has also batted .378 this month in his nine games going 17 for 45.
Rollins has benefited from having guys like Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand directly behind him in the order. Those four guys are a nightmare for any pitching staff and with Rollins leading off every night, the top five in the Phillies lineup is as tough as any in baseball.
The Phillies have put up 23 runs already against the Cardinals in only 2 games. Of course, the Cardinals starting pitching is hardly triple-A legit without Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter. The team goes to Los Angeles and San Diego for a seven game road trip next week which will pose a tougher challenge for the Phillies than the soft pitching staffs that they’ve recently been abusing.
After feasting on the sisters of the poor in Houston, Colorado and St. Louis, ranked 23rd, 24th and 27th in team ERA respectively, the Phillies now will face the Dodgers and the Padres, ranked 4th and 1st in team ERA.
Can Rollins’ hot bat and the four sluggers behind him keep it up out west? Can they use this momentum to pick up ground on the inconsistent Braves and the division leading Mets? Lots of questions, time for some answers.
Mowing Them Down
It seems that the Cubs have been getting a lot of press from this site as of late, so if you’re a Cubs hater, than I apologize. However, this needs to be known.
Carlos Zambrano is back on track. Maybe getting rid of Michael Barrett was the magic elixir to make him go.
Zambrano has been absolutely untouchable over his last 7 starts. Including Friday’s effort, he has pitched 51.1 innings over that time and allowed only 8 earned runs against. Add all that up and you end up with a killer 1.40 ERA. Zambrano had a 5.38 ERA before this nice run, and has lowered it to a far more respectable 3.83. Maybe his preseason prediction that a Cy Young Award would be adorning his mantle this fall wasn’t so off the mark.
The Cubs have made up some serious ground on Milwaukee over the past month trimming their lead significantly and Zambrano has been one of the main reasons. His temper can flare at any time but since the now infamous blow up with Barrett, Big ‘Z’ has lit it up and appropriately focused all of his energy towards pitching.
He is a smoldering volcano that could go off anywhere at anytime but there’s pretty much no other pitcher that you’d rather have throwing in game 7 for you. Come to think of it, there’s really no other pitcher I’d rather have throwing beside me in a bar fight either.
Carlos Zambrano is back on track. Maybe getting rid of Michael Barrett was the magic elixir to make him go.
Zambrano has been absolutely untouchable over his last 7 starts. Including Friday’s effort, he has pitched 51.1 innings over that time and allowed only 8 earned runs against. Add all that up and you end up with a killer 1.40 ERA. Zambrano had a 5.38 ERA before this nice run, and has lowered it to a far more respectable 3.83. Maybe his preseason prediction that a Cy Young Award would be adorning his mantle this fall wasn’t so off the mark.
The Cubs have made up some serious ground on Milwaukee over the past month trimming their lead significantly and Zambrano has been one of the main reasons. His temper can flare at any time but since the now infamous blow up with Barrett, Big ‘Z’ has lit it up and appropriately focused all of his energy towards pitching.
He is a smoldering volcano that could go off anywhere at anytime but there’s pretty much no other pitcher that you’d rather have throwing in game 7 for you. Come to think of it, there’s really no other pitcher I’d rather have throwing beside me in a bar fight either.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Trade that should happen
Kansas City sends Emil Brown and David Riske to Oakland for 1B Daric Barton.
The A’s may balk at giving up Barton as he is MLB ready and will contend for a starting job in the infield next season, but this summer to get quality you have to give quality as it is a seller’s market.
Brought over in the Mark Mulder trade from St. Louis, Barton has been tearing things up in triple-A Sacramento with a .323 average and 6 homers and 49 RBI to go with a great walk to strikeout ratio of 44/38. Barton would get immediate playing time in Kansas City as Ryan Shealy hasn’t been the answer and is now on the DL. Barton would also form a great duo with Alex Gordon on the corners for years to come in K.C.
If Oakland refuses on Barton, K.C. could also ask for Travis Buck or Michael Madsen but again, that is a steep price for the A’s to pay.
Oakland would get some immediate bullpen help as Riske has been a quality arm for the Royals from the pen’ all season. Emil Brown would bring some pop to a lineup that lacks it.
Overall, this trade works well for both teams and if Oakland doesn’t want to give up one of their upper-echelon prospects, I’m sure another team wouldn’t mind, as good strong bullpen help is near impossible to find at this time of year.
The A’s may balk at giving up Barton as he is MLB ready and will contend for a starting job in the infield next season, but this summer to get quality you have to give quality as it is a seller’s market.
Brought over in the Mark Mulder trade from St. Louis, Barton has been tearing things up in triple-A Sacramento with a .323 average and 6 homers and 49 RBI to go with a great walk to strikeout ratio of 44/38. Barton would get immediate playing time in Kansas City as Ryan Shealy hasn’t been the answer and is now on the DL. Barton would also form a great duo with Alex Gordon on the corners for years to come in K.C.
If Oakland refuses on Barton, K.C. could also ask for Travis Buck or Michael Madsen but again, that is a steep price for the A’s to pay.
Oakland would get some immediate bullpen help as Riske has been a quality arm for the Royals from the pen’ all season. Emil Brown would bring some pop to a lineup that lacks it.
Overall, this trade works well for both teams and if Oakland doesn’t want to give up one of their upper-echelon prospects, I’m sure another team wouldn’t mind, as good strong bullpen help is near impossible to find at this time of year.
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