The Philadelphia Phillies are running away with the division, playing baseball just like they did near the end of September and October of last year. They are currently winning the division, 3.5 games over the hated rivals, the New York Mets.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Manny-less effect
Well, it’s certainly hard to ignore Manny being Manny during times when he’s just being goofy, but he’s even more difficult to ignore when he is on the verge of serving a 50 game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. What do you think now Met’s fans? I listened daily to the ESPN-NY radio station during the off-season and it felt like every other caller was trying to persuade Minaya to go after Manny. Instead, they went with Daniel Murphy, Ryan Church and Tatis and it has been looking good so far- especially now. I’m not about to get on the soapbox to discuss the steroid issue, but it got me to thinking. A Manny-less Dodger team becomes average….Which players would have a similar effect on their respective NL East team?.In order of their importance, in my humble opinion..
1. Ryan Howard- My choice to go with Howard is the most shocking to me, mostly because of my man-crush on Chase Utley, but try and imagine the Phils without Big Ole’ Ryan Howard in the middle of that lineup. You can’t. Utley becomes just another real good second baseman, all of the table setters go for naught, Jayson Werth may become completely unserviceable in the lineup. Ibanez and Utley are would not enough to carry the weight of the lineup. Although his defense is suspect and his average not that high, he takes the pressure off of those other hitters and will still manage to drive in an absurd amount of runner this season. Not to mention how he is a constant threat to hit a long ball every time he enters the batters box. I place him first among his peers because I do believe that as he goes, so do the Phillies. Exhibit a- during the run to the playoffs at the end of last year, he was a beast and the Phils became unstoppable. Exhibit b- They are winning to open the season (first time in a long time) despite having getting almost nothing out of J-Roll. So, I guess my man-crush has shifted?
2. Carlos Beltran- He has played unbelievably so far this season. Spectacular in the field, as always to go along with his spectacular .382 BA/1.077 OPS (entering Friday) splits. This easily could have went to Johan, but I have a hard time thinking that a guy who would only miss 10 starts, in this scenario, would be as meaningful to a guy who would miss all 50. Beltran is a complete, five tool player, who has battled the Mets through their rough patch in the first 27 games. Reyes has not produced as expected, Wright has been inconsistent and Delgado looks like a grandfather with Salt n’ Peppa beard. But above it all, the Mets sit ½ a game behind the Phils in the standings. Beltran has proven to be the most important player on the Mets this season.
3. Hanley Ramirez- As far as production this season goes, Hanley remains to be one of the best hitters in the game. He combines a ridiculous amount of power and speed with a high average and obp. I don’t want to say that he has been carrying the team thus far, because Cantu and the pitching staff has done their part-save Nolasco, but without Hanley this team is plainly not in contention. He is a special player and allows the fish to have a chance at being a special team. Without him in the lineup, who scares you? Does Jorge Cantu really strike fear into the pitcher’s heart? If that took longer than 2 seconds to contemplate, maybe you should stick to watching the overhyped NBA playoffs. (note- Artest’s haircut is so ridiculous, but is anyone surprised?)
4. Chipper Jones- The senior man of the group, but he still serves as the glue that holds Atlanta together. While their pitching and talent around him has deteriorated over the years, he has just gotten better. For his career, he’s hitting .310 and he still has pop in left in the stick. And who else does in that lineup? With McCann as a question mark and Kotchman showing that he has similar power to Henry Rowengartner, the Braves’ void in the middle of that lineup would be too much to overcome without Larry for 50 games. Plus it would shatter the image of a good ole southern boy; destroying what’s left of the belief in the purity of baseball as a tornado whisking through the southeastern united states.
5. Ryan Zimmerman- I’m going to keep this short, mostly out of bitterness and disappointment towards the entire Nationals team this season- I have a bet waged on the o/u total wins for the season and the task for the loser is quite embarrassing. But Zimmerman has had a great season so far. He has a hit in every game since April 8th and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down….I guess that new contract gave him some sort of motivation? Without Zimmerman, the Nationals are much further out of first place and I would be a lot more bitter.
Enjoy the weekend and stay away from the female fertility drugs.
T-Bone
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1. Ryan Howard- My choice to go with Howard is the most shocking to me, mostly because of my man-crush on Chase Utley, but try and imagine the Phils without Big Ole’ Ryan Howard in the middle of that lineup. You can’t. Utley becomes just another real good second baseman, all of the table setters go for naught, Jayson Werth may become completely unserviceable in the lineup. Ibanez and Utley are would not enough to carry the weight of the lineup. Although his defense is suspect and his average not that high, he takes the pressure off of those other hitters and will still manage to drive in an absurd amount of runner this season. Not to mention how he is a constant threat to hit a long ball every time he enters the batters box. I place him first among his peers because I do believe that as he goes, so do the Phillies. Exhibit a- during the run to the playoffs at the end of last year, he was a beast and the Phils became unstoppable. Exhibit b- They are winning to open the season (first time in a long time) despite having getting almost nothing out of J-Roll. So, I guess my man-crush has shifted?
2. Carlos Beltran- He has played unbelievably so far this season. Spectacular in the field, as always to go along with his spectacular .382 BA/1.077 OPS (entering Friday) splits. This easily could have went to Johan, but I have a hard time thinking that a guy who would only miss 10 starts, in this scenario, would be as meaningful to a guy who would miss all 50. Beltran is a complete, five tool player, who has battled the Mets through their rough patch in the first 27 games. Reyes has not produced as expected, Wright has been inconsistent and Delgado looks like a grandfather with Salt n’ Peppa beard. But above it all, the Mets sit ½ a game behind the Phils in the standings. Beltran has proven to be the most important player on the Mets this season.
3. Hanley Ramirez- As far as production this season goes, Hanley remains to be one of the best hitters in the game. He combines a ridiculous amount of power and speed with a high average and obp. I don’t want to say that he has been carrying the team thus far, because Cantu and the pitching staff has done their part-save Nolasco, but without Hanley this team is plainly not in contention. He is a special player and allows the fish to have a chance at being a special team. Without him in the lineup, who scares you? Does Jorge Cantu really strike fear into the pitcher’s heart? If that took longer than 2 seconds to contemplate, maybe you should stick to watching the overhyped NBA playoffs. (note- Artest’s haircut is so ridiculous, but is anyone surprised?)
4. Chipper Jones- The senior man of the group, but he still serves as the glue that holds Atlanta together. While their pitching and talent around him has deteriorated over the years, he has just gotten better. For his career, he’s hitting .310 and he still has pop in left in the stick. And who else does in that lineup? With McCann as a question mark and Kotchman showing that he has similar power to Henry Rowengartner, the Braves’ void in the middle of that lineup would be too much to overcome without Larry for 50 games. Plus it would shatter the image of a good ole southern boy; destroying what’s left of the belief in the purity of baseball as a tornado whisking through the southeastern united states.
5. Ryan Zimmerman- I’m going to keep this short, mostly out of bitterness and disappointment towards the entire Nationals team this season- I have a bet waged on the o/u total wins for the season and the task for the loser is quite embarrassing. But Zimmerman has had a great season so far. He has a hit in every game since April 8th and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down….I guess that new contract gave him some sort of motivation? Without Zimmerman, the Nationals are much further out of first place and I would be a lot more bitter.
Enjoy the weekend and stay away from the female fertility drugs.
T-Bone
.
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Sunday, May 3, 2009
Team Carriers
Throughout the first month of the 2009 season, baseball fans have noticed who has been overmatched, and who is playing great. We have seen players that aren’t up to par with the Major League level, and others who are playing so effortlessly great that it seems that the competition is too easy for them. I have accumulated four players from the NL East that have contributed to their team more than anyone else. These four players have been relied on more than any other player for either a clutch hit or a strikeout. No matter what place their team is in according to the official standings, these players have and will continue to rip up the National League.
Ryan Zimmerman: Though the Washington Nationals’ record might not be as superb as others in the National League East, there is no doubt that they have some rising stars on their squad. Along with the powerful Adam Dunn and Elijah Dukes, there is the underrated and unnoticed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Ryan Zimmerman may be just 25, but he is already acting like a veteran in the clubhouse for the Nationals. Besides Adam Dunn, he is their major power source and seems to come up to the plate in every key situation and deliver. Zimmerman is currently hitting .306, with five homeruns and 16 RBIs. Though it is obvious the National’s future has barely any hope left for the rest of the season, Zimmerman’s future seems to hold the exact opposite.
Raul Ibanez: Though the Phillies didn’t get off to the greatest start, Raul Ibanez has stayed completely within himself and consistent since the beginning of the year. Just like Zimmerman, Ibanez has produced in key situations as well. Aside from Raul’s 2-run walk-off shot to beat the Padres 5-4, and his grand-slam against the Nationals to win 13-11, Ibanez has done the “little things” to keep himself hitting consistently atop the Phillies lineup in which he is placed second. Ibanez is hitting an unbelievable .361, with 8 homeruns and 21 RBIs. He also has a .733 slugging percentage and .424 on base percentage. Along with the Phillies other powerful stars such as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez has been nothing but a positive influence on the Phillies lineup.
Johan Santana: The Mets ace, Johan Santana, has reached his expectations for the year so far if not exceeded. Every fifth day Santana is given the ball to start the game, the Mets defense and offense can give a sigh of relief, knowing that they will only have to allow one or two runs and score a few to win the ballgame. Santana has an amazing 1.10 ERA, 3 wins, and a .95 WHIP. He ranks tied for second among all of MLB with 44 strikeouts and second for era, only behind the surprising Matt Greinke of the Royals with an untouchable .50 ERA. Though it is usual to assume that the Mets are going to win every time Santana starts, his natural ability and talent that he displays on the field always amazes the baseball world. Just as Santana has proved in the past, he is a showstopper when he steps onto the mound, and is one of the most consistent players on the Mets if not in the entire league.
Jorge Cantu: Along with the surprising Marlins start as a team is the unexpected consistency of first baseman Jorge Cantu. Cantu, who finished the 2008 season off strong has been one of the Marlins top run producers. Not only is he beneficial in the field because he can play either first or third base, but he helps the Marlins at the plate where he is currently hitting .352, with 7 homeruns, 24 RBIs, and an incredible .718 slugging percentage. Cantu ranks third in RBIs, tied for fourth in homeruns, and sixth in batting average among all first basemen in MLB. Who knows if Cantu will continue to rack up these astonishing numbers, and if he does, who knows how long it will last? All that matters right now is that he is producing and if he does happen to continue this hot streak for a very long time, the Marlins could be in a better position then they originally thought.Read more...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
PANIC! Well, maybe not.
Doesn’t it always seem that this is the week of panic? Every year, right when it is about to turn into May, fans stop thinking optimistically and start thinking “oh s***.” You stop saying, player x is a notorious slow starter to, we gotta bench that guy, he sucks. So who’s over exaggerating and who should be genuinely concerned? And who will be falling back to earth? Check it after the jump….
Who you should be genuinely concerned about-
1.Oliver Perez- There were a lot of questions surrounding his signing this offseason, paying a premium for a pitcher who has always been sporadic is a hard sell. And this is why. A couple starts in and Perez may be demoted or moved to the pen. This is an example where every Met fan should panic. Here are some scary stats. Perez’s BAA is .295 and he has walked almost a batter per inning. That does not translate to wins. I’m expecting a long tumultuous season from Olie.
2.Matt Lindstrom- Everywhere I read before the season started put Matt Lindstrom on the list of closers that would have no trouble keeping the job all season. Welp, that certainly isn’t the case. Lindstrom’s inconsistency through the first couple of weeks has raised a lot of question marks, most importantly his job security. It’s hard to find too many things wrong with those pesky fish, but this is something that they have to figure out and I predict Lindstrom won’t be the answer for much longer. Look for Leo Nunez to take over soon.
3.Brian McCann- McCann fits in a different category than those above, but I think as a Braves fan you have to worry about his eye injury. They sent him down to the minors to try out new lenses and in his first game, he put up an 0-3. My concern is: If McCann doesn’t return to 07-08 form, the heart of the lineup goes from mediocre to shaky. And now all of a sudden, you’re depending on Franceour to hit 30hr and be a force. That would scare me.
4.Manny Acta- I touched on this last week, but the guy is out of his mind. Not starting Dukes right away, truncating Milledge’s development (he was a top player in the Mets farm system, let him play through it), and now he has come out and said when Willie Harris returns, he will serve as an outfielder. They all ready have too many guys playing in the outfield, so what is Harris going to do? Take away at-bats from players that should be getting them. Oh yeah, the Nats are also 4-15. He’s out by the All-Star break.
Players that will fall back to earth-
1.Raul Ibanez Pedro Feliz- I’ve always been high on him, ever since the Phils signed him. I think he has the ability to hit 20-25 hrs because of his pull power and short porch out in left field at The Bank and he can play pretty good defense. But, let’s get real. He will not finish the season near his current BA- .333, it’s just not going to happen. I’m thinking he’ll fall somewhere around .270 when the season is all said and done.
2.Jorge Cantu- Call me a hater, but I’m pretty sure that a castaway from a terrible Rays team (save Josh Hamilton and maybe Elijah Dukes) cannot continue to put up ridiculous numbers in limited at bats. He’s hitting over .350 with almost half of his hits going for extra bases and he leads the team in RBIs even though he hasn’t gotten into 5 games all ready this year.
3. Jair Jurrjens & Javier Vazquez- Both for different reasons: Jurrjens is playing around with a near 1:1 K:BB ratio and you can’t go through 35 starts with that kind of ratio and keep a sub 2 ERA…Vazquez’s ratio is fantastic, but as a White Sox fan, I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen. He will start walking more people and leaving the ball up for easy gopher balls. Look for his ERA to start climbing and the number of QS dwindling.
4. Luis Castillo- Probably the easiest player for me to place on this list. First off, he’ll turn 34 during the season and his back has all ready forced him to miss a few games. On top of that, Castillo had less than 300 ABs last season, so I would assume that would approximate his totals this season. More importantly, when he was most effective was when he had the legs to beat out an infield hit. He’s regained some of the speed he lost, but not enough of it. Look for his BA to drop substantially in the coming weeks from that gaudy .370
T-Bone.
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Who you should be genuinely concerned about-
1.Oliver Perez- There were a lot of questions surrounding his signing this offseason, paying a premium for a pitcher who has always been sporadic is a hard sell. And this is why. A couple starts in and Perez may be demoted or moved to the pen. This is an example where every Met fan should panic. Here are some scary stats. Perez’s BAA is .295 and he has walked almost a batter per inning. That does not translate to wins. I’m expecting a long tumultuous season from Olie.
2.Matt Lindstrom- Everywhere I read before the season started put Matt Lindstrom on the list of closers that would have no trouble keeping the job all season. Welp, that certainly isn’t the case. Lindstrom’s inconsistency through the first couple of weeks has raised a lot of question marks, most importantly his job security. It’s hard to find too many things wrong with those pesky fish, but this is something that they have to figure out and I predict Lindstrom won’t be the answer for much longer. Look for Leo Nunez to take over soon.
3.Brian McCann- McCann fits in a different category than those above, but I think as a Braves fan you have to worry about his eye injury. They sent him down to the minors to try out new lenses and in his first game, he put up an 0-3. My concern is: If McCann doesn’t return to 07-08 form, the heart of the lineup goes from mediocre to shaky. And now all of a sudden, you’re depending on Franceour to hit 30hr and be a force. That would scare me.
4.Manny Acta- I touched on this last week, but the guy is out of his mind. Not starting Dukes right away, truncating Milledge’s development (he was a top player in the Mets farm system, let him play through it), and now he has come out and said when Willie Harris returns, he will serve as an outfielder. They all ready have too many guys playing in the outfield, so what is Harris going to do? Take away at-bats from players that should be getting them. Oh yeah, the Nats are also 4-15. He’s out by the All-Star break.
Players that will fall back to earth-
1.Raul Ibanez Pedro Feliz- I’ve always been high on him, ever since the Phils signed him. I think he has the ability to hit 20-25 hrs because of his pull power and short porch out in left field at The Bank and he can play pretty good defense. But, let’s get real. He will not finish the season near his current BA- .333, it’s just not going to happen. I’m thinking he’ll fall somewhere around .270 when the season is all said and done.
2.Jorge Cantu- Call me a hater, but I’m pretty sure that a castaway from a terrible Rays team (save Josh Hamilton and maybe Elijah Dukes) cannot continue to put up ridiculous numbers in limited at bats. He’s hitting over .350 with almost half of his hits going for extra bases and he leads the team in RBIs even though he hasn’t gotten into 5 games all ready this year.
3. Jair Jurrjens & Javier Vazquez- Both for different reasons: Jurrjens is playing around with a near 1:1 K:BB ratio and you can’t go through 35 starts with that kind of ratio and keep a sub 2 ERA…Vazquez’s ratio is fantastic, but as a White Sox fan, I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen. He will start walking more people and leaving the ball up for easy gopher balls. Look for his ERA to start climbing and the number of QS dwindling.
4. Luis Castillo- Probably the easiest player for me to place on this list. First off, he’ll turn 34 during the season and his back has all ready forced him to miss a few games. On top of that, Castillo had less than 300 ABs last season, so I would assume that would approximate his totals this season. More importantly, when he was most effective was when he had the legs to beat out an infield hit. He’s regained some of the speed he lost, but not enough of it. Look for his BA to drop substantially in the coming weeks from that gaudy .370
T-Bone.
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Saturday, April 25, 2009
Fired Up
It's the top of the ninth inning and the Phillies trail the Marlins 3-0. The hope of regaining the lead seemed slim to none. Through a couple of walks by Marlins "closer" Matt Lindstrom a couple of runs, and a base hit, the Phillies managed to load the bases with one out, which came from a rocket off the bat of Ryan Howard. As Shane Victorino stepped up to the plate, the fire in his eyes let everybody know that something special was going to happen. Nonetheless, Victorino pulled a grand slam over the right field wall to take the lead 6-3.
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The Philadelphia Phillies headed into the Marlins series pessimistic. After two heart-breaking loses to the Brewers during their series at home in Philadelphia, the Phillies seemed lifeless and out of breath. Almost getting no-hit by Brewers starting pitcher Dave Bush didn't help them either.
Going into the Marlins series in Florida, the Phillies knew that they just needed to play the game that they had been used to all last season and play it the right way. The Phillies hadn't scored one run through the first eight innings; but, the Phillies became fired up in the ninth and were able to rally for a seven-run ninth inning, which eventually led to a 7-3 victory. This momentum carried over to Saturday night's game against the Marlins as well. Down 4-3 in the top of the ninth, again, the Phillies became energized and were able to rally for two runs to tie the game. This led to the first extra-inning game of the year for the Phillies. In the bottom of the ninth, relief pitcher Ryan Madson shut the door and paved the way for victory in the 10th. In the top of the 10th inning, the Phillies rallied for 2 more runs on clutch hits and at-bats by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez. Now of course, the bottom of the tenth should have been a 1-2-3 inning. But since this is Philadelphia, everyone always knows that Philadelphia does not win the easy way.
Never.
After shaky closer (this year so far) Brad Lidge struck out the first two batters of the inning, one of which included powerhouse Hanley Ramirez and a couple of walks, one of which was also very controversial and caused Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to be tossed, the Marlin managed to load the bases. Fortunately for the Phillies, Lidge was able to strike out the last batter to win the game.
Though the Phillies may have started the 2009 season off slowly, I believe that the first two games of the series have fired them up and have reminded them of the mental game that they had left behind from last year. In the first couple of weeks, if the Phillies were down by 3 runs in the ninth, Phillies fans could turn the television off and know that it was over. But now the Phillies are different then they were two weeks ago. If the Phillies are down by three runs in the ninth, Phillies fans will know that even if they don't comeback to win the game, they will die trying.
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Friday, April 24, 2009
Slow Cooking
After two weeks of completed play, you can only take away so much from a team's performance. The MLB season is the ultimate marathon and tribute to ebb and flow. Chances are the teams that are in first now, and the teams that are in last now won't stay there all year. Guys won't hit .440 all year, and pitchers won't win every game they pitch no matter how good they are. But certain patterns become distinguishable after the first couple of weeks, and tracks are laid down.
With the 2009 Milwaukee Brewers a few undeniable patterns have become very clear. The Brewers will only go as far as their starting pitching and the middle of their lineup takes them.You may say that this is the case for all teams, but for the Brewers this is more so. Off to a rocky 6-9 start, which could easily be 9-6 the Brewers are going through he awkward transition of a new manager and a starting pitching staff that lacks their 1 and 2 starters from last season. On top of that they have a new look bullpen, that has been anything but steady thus far.
The Brewers need their starters to get to through the 7th inning because of their very thin bullpen. This became painfully obvious last weekend when Manager Ken Macha had to use reliever Todd Coffey for a 3 inning save against the Mets, because quite simply, he didn't trust any of his other options in the pen. Granted the Brewers are without the services of closer Trevor Hoffman, but even with the future HOFer things are looking rather thin in the relief corps.
Speaking of the 7th inning the Brewers hadn't gotten a starter through the 7th until Dave Bush did so against the Phillies on Thursday. Bush carried a no-hitter into the 8th, and eventually picked up his first win of the year, and first career win against Philadelphia. On a side note, Bush has carried no-hitters into the 8th inning 3 times in his career. Is it just me, or does this seem to be a lot of near no-no's for your prototypical back-end-of-the-rotation type guy?
So far one would have to day that free agent acquisition Braden Looper has been the Brewers best starter to date, and most pleasant surprise. In 3 starts Looper is 2-0 with 2.12 ERA allowing only 4 earned runs in his first 17 innings of record. The biggest disappointment in the rotation thus far has undoubtedly been Manny Parra. Big things were expected from Parra heading into the season, and it appears as though he has regressed from his solid 2008 performance. Unable to throw strikes, Parra has walked 2 less batters than he has struck out so far. He is 0-3 with 8.16 ERA. I could easily say that Jeff Suppan, at 1-2 with 8.36 ERA is the biggest disappointment, but quite frankly, this was expected. The Brewers alleged ace coming into the season, Yovanni Gallardo, is off to a good start. Gallardo, 23, stymied the Mets on April 19th, leading the Brewers to a 1-0 victory. Outside from 1 bad start against the Reds earlier this month, Yo has looked like the ace he has been billed.
Undoubtedly the biggest strength coming into the season for the Brewers was their stacked lineup. At times this season it has been stacked like a Jenga tower, where if one piece isn't holding up it's end of the bargain the whole thing collapses. Prince Fielder hitting a buck-ninety out of the gates, and looking completely out of sync, has added pressure to other parts of the lineup that could certainly do without the pressure. I had mentioned in an earlier blog that the Brewers could afford a weak hitting catcher like Jason Kendall, because the rest of the lineup was good enough to excuse this. When the middle of the lineup isn't hitting this thought no longer applies. Many fans and media types have called for increased action for backup cathcer Mike Rivera, who can really hit. These rumblings will likely cool down once Prince and the boppers start hitting, masking the need for a hitter in the 8 hole.
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With the 2009 Milwaukee Brewers a few undeniable patterns have become very clear. The Brewers will only go as far as their starting pitching and the middle of their lineup takes them.You may say that this is the case for all teams, but for the Brewers this is more so. Off to a rocky 6-9 start, which could easily be 9-6 the Brewers are going through he awkward transition of a new manager and a starting pitching staff that lacks their 1 and 2 starters from last season. On top of that they have a new look bullpen, that has been anything but steady thus far.
The Brewers need their starters to get to through the 7th inning because of their very thin bullpen. This became painfully obvious last weekend when Manager Ken Macha had to use reliever Todd Coffey for a 3 inning save against the Mets, because quite simply, he didn't trust any of his other options in the pen. Granted the Brewers are without the services of closer Trevor Hoffman, but even with the future HOFer things are looking rather thin in the relief corps.
Speaking of the 7th inning the Brewers hadn't gotten a starter through the 7th until Dave Bush did so against the Phillies on Thursday. Bush carried a no-hitter into the 8th, and eventually picked up his first win of the year, and first career win against Philadelphia. On a side note, Bush has carried no-hitters into the 8th inning 3 times in his career. Is it just me, or does this seem to be a lot of near no-no's for your prototypical back-end-of-the-rotation type guy?
So far one would have to day that free agent acquisition Braden Looper has been the Brewers best starter to date, and most pleasant surprise. In 3 starts Looper is 2-0 with 2.12 ERA allowing only 4 earned runs in his first 17 innings of record. The biggest disappointment in the rotation thus far has undoubtedly been Manny Parra. Big things were expected from Parra heading into the season, and it appears as though he has regressed from his solid 2008 performance. Unable to throw strikes, Parra has walked 2 less batters than he has struck out so far. He is 0-3 with 8.16 ERA. I could easily say that Jeff Suppan, at 1-2 with 8.36 ERA is the biggest disappointment, but quite frankly, this was expected. The Brewers alleged ace coming into the season, Yovanni Gallardo, is off to a good start. Gallardo, 23, stymied the Mets on April 19th, leading the Brewers to a 1-0 victory. Outside from 1 bad start against the Reds earlier this month, Yo has looked like the ace he has been billed.
Undoubtedly the biggest strength coming into the season for the Brewers was their stacked lineup. At times this season it has been stacked like a Jenga tower, where if one piece isn't holding up it's end of the bargain the whole thing collapses. Prince Fielder hitting a buck-ninety out of the gates, and looking completely out of sync, has added pressure to other parts of the lineup that could certainly do without the pressure. I had mentioned in an earlier blog that the Brewers could afford a weak hitting catcher like Jason Kendall, because the rest of the lineup was good enough to excuse this. When the middle of the lineup isn't hitting this thought no longer applies. Many fans and media types have called for increased action for backup cathcer Mike Rivera, who can really hit. These rumblings will likely cool down once Prince and the boppers start hitting, masking the need for a hitter in the 8 hole.
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
It's About Time
There was no argument going into the 2009 season that if the Arizona Diamondbacks had any chance to win the West the young players would have to develop and the pitching would have to be phenomenal. At the same time there was no one who expected that after 15 games Brandon Webb and Dan Haren would be 1-3 and that Webb would be on the DL with only four innings pitched. With Webb on the DL it was up to Haren to carry the D-Backs’ rotation, but he got off to an 0-3 start to the season. Even so, if Haren pitches all year the way he has thus far he will win the NL Cy Young.
Through his first three starts Dan Haren was 0-3 with a 1.89 ERA. Haren is only the second pitcher in the past 25 years to start a season 0-3 with an ERA under 2.00. In those three starts Haren pitched 19 innings, had 17 strikeouts, and gave up a mere 4 runs. The problem was that he received only one run of support from the offence.
The story wasn’t very different for Haren or the offence on Wednesday except for the final outcome. Haren struck out nine and gave up six hits over seven shutout innings against Colorado. He was pulled in the seventh for a pinch hitter during a 0-0 game. As Ryan Roberts dug in at the plate Haren watched from the steps of the dugout. Roberts came through and singled home Chris Young to give the D-Backs a 1-0 lead.
There have been plenty of celebrations already this year but I cannot think of one as sweet as the one going on in the D-Backs’ dugout as Chris Young crossed the plate. A few batters later Conor Jackson got a bases loaded walk to give Haren and the D-Backs a 2-0 lead. Two runs may not seem like a lot and it probably won’t win many games but it is enough for Haren. First baseman Chad Tracy pointed out in an interview that, “He doesn’t need that many (runs). He’d rather have four and he’d be all right.”
After Haren left the game in the seventh the bullpen shut down the Rockies to give Haren his first win. Tony Pena pitched a scoreless eighth inning and closer Chad Qualls got his fourth save of the year by pitching a scoreless ninth.
I know it is way too early to even consider the Cy Young award, but with his first win Haren is now 1-3. That definitely doesn’t seem like Cy Young type numbers but if you look beyond the wins and losses Haren has 26 strikeouts in 26 innings and with his win Wednesday his ERA dropped to 1.38. Not to mention he also has a WHIP of 0.88 and a BAA of .194. At this point Haren’s ERA is second only to Johan Santana (0.46) but Haren has started more games than Santana.
Opposing teams have noticed how good Haren has been and his own teammates know it for sure. It seems that Dan Haren is the only person not satisfied with the way Dan Haren has pitched thus far this season. He looks at his 1-3 record and can’t believe it. After Wednesday’s game, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton told Haren, “The wins will come” and one can only hope he is right. Haren could easily put together a Cy Young caliber season but won’t even get considered if he doesn’t get the run support needed to get wins.
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Through his first three starts Dan Haren was 0-3 with a 1.89 ERA. Haren is only the second pitcher in the past 25 years to start a season 0-3 with an ERA under 2.00. In those three starts Haren pitched 19 innings, had 17 strikeouts, and gave up a mere 4 runs. The problem was that he received only one run of support from the offence.
The story wasn’t very different for Haren or the offence on Wednesday except for the final outcome. Haren struck out nine and gave up six hits over seven shutout innings against Colorado. He was pulled in the seventh for a pinch hitter during a 0-0 game. As Ryan Roberts dug in at the plate Haren watched from the steps of the dugout. Roberts came through and singled home Chris Young to give the D-Backs a 1-0 lead.
There have been plenty of celebrations already this year but I cannot think of one as sweet as the one going on in the D-Backs’ dugout as Chris Young crossed the plate. A few batters later Conor Jackson got a bases loaded walk to give Haren and the D-Backs a 2-0 lead. Two runs may not seem like a lot and it probably won’t win many games but it is enough for Haren. First baseman Chad Tracy pointed out in an interview that, “He doesn’t need that many (runs). He’d rather have four and he’d be all right.”
After Haren left the game in the seventh the bullpen shut down the Rockies to give Haren his first win. Tony Pena pitched a scoreless eighth inning and closer Chad Qualls got his fourth save of the year by pitching a scoreless ninth.
I know it is way too early to even consider the Cy Young award, but with his first win Haren is now 1-3. That definitely doesn’t seem like Cy Young type numbers but if you look beyond the wins and losses Haren has 26 strikeouts in 26 innings and with his win Wednesday his ERA dropped to 1.38. Not to mention he also has a WHIP of 0.88 and a BAA of .194. At this point Haren’s ERA is second only to Johan Santana (0.46) but Haren has started more games than Santana.
Opposing teams have noticed how good Haren has been and his own teammates know it for sure. It seems that Dan Haren is the only person not satisfied with the way Dan Haren has pitched thus far this season. He looks at his 1-3 record and can’t believe it. After Wednesday’s game, Rockies first baseman Todd Helton told Haren, “The wins will come” and one can only hope he is right. Haren could easily put together a Cy Young caliber season but won’t even get considered if he doesn’t get the run support needed to get wins.
Read more...
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