MLB 2008

[Dan Gould]

(And, nice to see the Yankees back in last place ... )

Interesting stat in the Times this morning - according to Elias, the Yankees are just the third team to have a .500 record at least 20 times through the first 60 decisions of a season. Is that not the epitome of an average club? I also see that their starters have worked the fewest innings and the bullpen the most in the AL. That is typically a recipe for disaster as the bullpen falters (or falters even worse). The problem is that the offense is still middling and if both trends continue, I think there really is a chance that the Yankees end up with about 85 wins or so. And the short-term doesn't look very good because it will be two more starts before Joba is off a pitch count, Mussina is a five inning guy anyway, and when Kennedy and Hughes return, they'll be on restricted pitch counts too, most likely. Bottom line - Wang and Pettitte have to be innings eaters again, but both have been slumping recently.

[Dan Gould]

Well that's two in three days that the Yankees managed to steal. What a nauseating sight, though I guess you can't put anything past the woe begotten Royals. But this time instead of getting leads and giving them up, they kept falling behind, catching up, falling behind again. I guess last licks really help.

At least they are still in last place, and Andy Pettitte looks very much like he could be on his last legs. 4.99 ERA after a ten hit, ten run outing. With Wang looking the worst he has in his career, suddenly Mike Mussina is the unquestioned "ace" of the staff.

Now its time to see what Joba can do on the second day of his new job. At least Grienke is one of the best KC has. If anyone can quiet the Yankee bats, it should be him (Johnny Damon 6 for 6, capped off by the game winning hit? )

[Tim McG]

Lincecum is 8-1 while picking up an RBI and scoring a run for himself, too. Giants 10-1 over the Nats.

I think he's a keeper.

[Tim McG]

Whoa.

Zito wins #2 and the Giants have won three straight now

[Dan Gould]

Still can't believe that two of the most disappointing teams in the AL have both lost starting pitchers for the season (most likely). Must really suck to be fans of Detroit or Cleveland right now.

Meantime, the Sox are the first to 40 wins, with another excellent performance by Masterson - six innings, three hits, one run, 4 strikeouts. He had one troublesome inning when two of his three walks came and he also needed a splending catch by the red-hot Drew (home run was the margin of victory) to avoid a big inning. Matsuzaka has just started throwing on flat ground and while they aren't saying if they'll send him out for a rehab start or two, the fact is that they are being super cautious. He's only started his throwing program, yet he is eligible to come off the DL on Thursday the 12th. So its obvious they plan to let Masterson make at least two more starts, I am guessing, and keep Dice-K inactive for three weeks or a bit more.

And I have no problem with that.

Now can Texas help us out a little? At least the Angels on the road should be a little challenging for the Rays, so if we can keep winning at home maybe we can open up a little bit of a lead before interleague play starts up again.

[papsrus]

Now can Texas help us out a little? At least the Angels on the road should be a little challenging for the Rays, so if we can keep winning at home maybe we can open up a little bit of a lead before interleague play starts up again.

Rays looked a bit discombobulated today -- kicking the ball around defensively, Gross and Upton running into one another in the outfield (I seriously think Upton may have a hearing problem. Gross was clearly calling for the ball right up until they ran into one another. And this has happened a few times now). Then Navarro and Garza got in each other's grills on the mound, and in the dugout.

Garza really had trouble finding the plate. ... Kruk was saying on BB Tonight that if it were him, he would have had a problem with Navarro coming to the mound to chew him out. Not me. Garza gets a little selfish out there sometimes. He kept shaking off Navarro because he wanted to throw the heat, then served up a fastball that went over the fence. ... Rangers' No. 8 and 9 hitters went deep today. Not real good.

Edited June 9, 2008 by papsrus

[Chuck Nessa]

Once again I'd like to find a thread about the NL where the pitchers have to bat like the rest of the players.

Real easy to follow the "sluggers".

[zen archer]

I don't know what the hell went on between him and Youk in the dugout. That's not what I expect to see lately from that roster. The Baseball Tonight guys asked if there was an issue between them over who went out to the mound during the brawl - was Youk really upset if Manny didn't make it out of the dugout or dawdled? Its nothing like it was in the early 2000s - there was one brawl where almost everyone stayed in the dugout. I remember Trot Nixon berating some of his "team"mates for not sticking up for their comrades.

Just finished watching Sports Final on WBZ here in Boston and they had Sean McAdam from the Providence journal on.

He said that some of the Red Sox veterans are upset with Youk for throwing things around the dugout and complaining about balls and strikes.

I guess Youk flied out to the warning track and when he came back he started to throw stuff around the dugout and Manny told him to cut that crap out . So thats why they went at it.

[papsrus]

I don't know what the hell went on between him and Youk in the dugout. That's not what I expect to see lately from that roster. The Baseball Tonight guys asked if there was an issue between them over who went out to the mound during the brawl - was Youk really upset if Manny didn't make it out of the dugout or dawdled? Its nothing like it was in the early 2000s - there was one brawl where almost everyone stayed in the dugout. I remember Trot Nixon berating some of his "team"mates for not sticking up for their comrades.

Just finished watching Sports Final on WBZ here in Boston and they had Sean McAdam from the Providence journal on.

He said that some of the Red Sox veterans are upset with Youk for throwing things around the dugout and complaining about balls and strikes.

I guess Youk flied out to the warning track and when he came back he started to throw stuff around the dugout and Manny told him to cut that crap out . So thats why they went at it.

Youkilis does have something of a reputation that way.

Manny, the voice of reason ....

[papsrus]

Yankees lose and Rivera looks suddenly vulnerable his last couple of outings.

With the Yankees, it may be a case of -- fix something here and something breaks over there. Not enough parts to go around.

And in NL news, Arizona falls to the Pirates, who are actually doing a lot better than I thought they would coming out of spring training. The D-Backs are now 4-6 in their last 10 and almost flirting with .500.

[Dan Gould]

Well, the Yankees have to hope that this isn't one of Mo's customary 4-6 appearances where he isn't quite right and blows a save or loses a game or two. But it does seem to happen every season. Some of the time he'll get by after giving up a hit or two but giving up two home runs, at home, in the ninth inning over three games is pretty shocking. Then again you might just figure that the Baseball Gods are getting even for their last two ridiculous comeback wins.

At least now they go to Oakland which may not be playing great but they've got the pitching and defense to keep a til-recently-struggling Yankee offense down. If they can get some hits I could definitely see Oakland take two of three.

And I finally saw the mound confrontation between Garza and Navarro. Wow! I've never seen that before, a catcher getting in a pitcher's face on the mound. I don't care if the pitcher is stubborn - that's disrespectful and wrong. If I was Garza I'd kick the shit out of him in the tunnel.

But if the Rays want to distract themselves with inter-team fighting, that's fine with me.

[Chuck Nessa]

Still looking for the NL thread, where men are men and pitchers are batters.

[Dan Gould]

Crisp gets 7 games, Shields 6, Gomes just 5 ...

Lester got 5 and Casey 3. Jackson got 5, Crawford 4 and Aki 3.

Lester finally spoke out about his suspension, saying that he didn't like accepting it because it makes him look guilty when he didn't intentionally throw at anyone, and he pointed out that he hit Crawford with a curveball.

From the Herald:

“ It’s stupid,” Lester said. “They have no idea. (Watson) didn’t watch the video. He doesn’t have a feel for the game. He doesn’t understand baseball.”

Uh, Jon, Bob Watson was playing baseball before you were alive. He hit .295 in a 19 year career with an OPS+ of 129. I think he understands baseball and has a feel for the game.

[BERIGAN]

Still looking for the NL thread, where men are men and pitchers are batters.

Well, you could always drum up some talk about NL clubs!

Clearly, you only watch the cubs pitchers hit, cuz everywhere I look I see a bunch of girlymen who swing like its the first time they have ever seen a baseball, and most of them can't even bunt worth a damn!

[BERIGAN]

The Red Sox guy and the Braves guy bemoaning the baseball gods.

Well, the Braves I can understand this year. But -- what -- 15-20 years of excellence ought to sustain you for a little while. And they're just a hot streak away from clawing back into the thick of things now. As a Rays fan, I've been stuck in baseball hell for 10 years. But I guess the suffering makes this year all that more enjoyable.....

I know it has to look bad, but if you have watched this team day in and day out for years, you would know that they haven't had a chance in hell come playoff time for years. The team really has been weak ever since Time/Warner started to cry poor. We knew the good old days of at least getting past the first round were over when Maddux accepted arbitration for the 2002 season, when they thought he'd walk. And because he did, we had to trade 18 game winner Kevin Millwood a few days later(No, they really didn't need to do that, that's just what the GM John Schuerholz was told to do) for a catcher that had never succeeded at the major league level(Johnny Estrada) Apparently, no team was willing to take on a 10 million dollar a year pitcher who had just won 18 games....ah collusion

It was just dumb luck that Estrada hit, and we still made it to the playoffs for a few more years...dumb luck, and the fact the Mets and Phillies(Larry Bowa had no business being a manager, and he couldn't hit worth a crap either!) kept screwing up every year. No more.

We will be lucky to finish 3rd this year, and that's sad, because on paper, it looked to be the best team they had put on the field in many a year.

Smoltz and Hampton being injured isn't even close to being the biggest problems this team has. No left fielder, a center fielder that was doing pretty well, but unfortunately, he was playing for a really stupid manager that must have forgotten he has a bad back, and was running him out there every day(Or, in true Booby Cox fashion, giving a guy a day "off" then having him pinch hit in the 7th, and play in the field the next 2 innings-does that all the time with the catcher McCann as well)

And our right fielder Jeff Francoeur, is hitting about .250 for the year(OBP around .300), with zero power. He seems to be getting batting tips from Andruw Jones...yeah, swing at the first pitch every time, and try to pull that low outside pitch, it's the best way to ground into double plays! I can't even tell you how many runners he left on base when the Phillies swept us over the weekend, 12-14??? A ton.

Teixeira is finally hitting like a guy wanting a big contract, but just like last year when he was driving in a run a game, we still are a .500 club. Now we face the team with the best record in the NL(Cubs) then the first place Angels, no off day, a make up game in Colorado, and a series against the Rangers, who will no doubt pound the ball off of our pitchers.

They are 6 1/2 games out now, if we continue with the worst record in baseball on the road, we will be out of the race in 10 days....

Pap, I really wish we had half the talent, and even more importantly, the enthusiasm your team has....it's so much fun when a team is just starting to win, and has no ceiling.....

Edited June 10, 2008 by BERIGAN

[papsrus]

The Red Sox guy and the Braves guy bemoaning the baseball gods.

Well, the Braves I can understand this year. But -- what -- 15-20 years of excellence ought to sustain you for a little while. And they're just a hot streak away from clawing back into the thick of things now. As a Rays fan, I've been stuck in baseball hell for 10 years. But I guess the suffering makes this year all that more enjoyable.....

I know it has to look bad, but if you have watched this team day in and day out for years, you would know that they haven't had a chance in hell come playoff time for years. The team really has been weak ever since Time/Warner started to cry poor. We knew the good old days of at least getting past the first round were over when Maddux accepted arbitration for the 2002 season, when they thought he'd walk. And because he did, we had to trade 18 game winner Kevin Millwood a few days later(No, they really didn't need to do that, that's just what the GM John Schuerholz was told to do) for a catcher that had never succeeded at the major league level(Johnny Estrada) Apparently, no team was willing to take on a 10 million dollar a year pitcher who had just won 18 games....ah collusion

It was just dumb luck that Estrada hit, and we still made it to the playoffs for a few more years...dumb luck, and the fact the Mets and Phillies(Larry Bowa had no business being a manager, and he couldn't hit worth a crap either!) kept screwing up every year. No more.

We will be lucky to finish 3rd this year, and that's sad, because on paper, it looked to be the best team they had put on the field in many a year.

Smoltz and Hampton being injured isn't even close to being the biggest problems this team has. No left fielder, a center fielder that was doing pretty well, but unfortunately, he was playing for a really stupid manager that must have forgotten he has a bad back, and was running him out there every day(Or, in true Booby Cox fashion, giving a guy a day "off" then having him pinch hit in the 7th, and play in the field the next 2 innings-does that all the time with the catcher McCann as well)

And our right fielder Jeff Francoeur, is hitting about .250 for the year(OBP around .300), with zero power. He seems to be getting batting tips from Andruw Jones...yeah, swing at the first pitch every time, and try to pull that low outside pitch, it's the best way to ground into double plays! I can't even tell you how many runners he left on base when the Phillies swept us over the weekend, 12-14??? A ton.

Teixeira is finally hitting like a guy wanting a big contract, but just like last year when he was driving in a run a game, we still are a .500 club. Now we face the team with the best record in the NL(Cubs) then the first place Angels, no off day, a make up game in Colorado, and a series against the Rangers, who will no doubt pound the ball off of our pitchers.

They are 6 1/2 games out now, if we continue with the worst record in baseball on the road, we will be out of the race in 10 days....

Pap, I really wish we had half the talent, and even more importantly, the enthusiasm your team has....it's so much fun when a team is just starting to win, and has no ceiling.....

Nice rundown on the Bravos. I guess they do have a few fatal flaws. The Mets have been up and down. The Phillies look strong and have a great road record.

Rays busted out the bats last night in Anaheim.

Back-to-back-to-back dingers in the second inning. Longoria with a couple of home runs in the game. Navarro had four hits, including a homer. And who's the first to congratulate him in the dugout? Garza. All's well.

(Speaking of which, I saw some Arizona State players got into a fracas amongst themselves before their Super Regional game last night. Must be something in the air).

Edwin Jackson still has a penchant for leaving pitches out over the middle of the plate. Worrisome. But he was throwing extreme heat late -- one registering 99 mph in the 7th, I think.

[WorldB3]

At least for the next three days Dan, Paps and myself can all agree on Go A's, Yankees Suck.

Though the A's might be battling the Rays for the wild card so maybe Paps should be rooting for the Yankees?

Paps, if the A's fall out of the race can I join the Rays bandwagon? Fun bunch to watch.

[papsrus]

At least for the next three days Dan, Paps and myself can all agree on Go A's, Yankees Suck.

Though the A's might be battling the Rays for the wild card so maybe Paps should be rooting for the Yankees?

Paps, if the A's fall out of the race can I join the Rays bandwagon? Fun bunch to watch.

Hop on! ... and yeah, go A's.

And ... a belated congrats to Junior. One of the best. Saw him hit a bomb in spring training and it was a thing of beauty.

[Dan Gould]

At least for the next three days Dan, Paps and myself can all agree on Go A's, Yankees Suck.

Though the A's might be battling the Rays for the wild card so maybe Paps should be rooting for the Yankees?

I don't root against the A's unless they are playing the Sox - or the Cubs if that is going to happen this year. So, Go A's! And even with the possibility of the Wild Card going to the Rays, A's or Yankees, I think that Paps will agree that anytime you can put the Yankees further into a hole is a good time. If they come back, the Rays will deal with them later.

[Dan Gould]

Still looking for the NL thread, where men are men and pitchers are batters.

Well, you could always drum up some talk about NL clubs!

Clearly, you only watch the cubs pitchers hit, cuz everywhere I look I see a bunch of girlymen who swing like its the first time they have ever seen a baseball, and most of them can't even bunt worth a damn!

Yeah, but take a look at this:

Teams with 300 runs scored or more:

AL:

Texas, 361

Red Sox, 334

White Sox, 302

NL:

Cubs, 352

Phillies, 344

Pirates, 309

Arizona, 306

St Louis, 303

So despite the pitcher batting and no DH, there are a bunch more high-scoring offenses in the NL than in the AL. WTF?

[Dan Gould]

JESUS MOTHERFUCKING CHRIST they fucking deserve to fall out of first place.

6-4, at home, seventh inning and Okajima pisses it away with yet another fucking disastrous appearance. Its like night and day with him from last year to now. Last year, there were absolutely no worries at all. Now all I ever see is his crappy velocity and shitty location and walk after walk followed by balls getting hit all over the fucking yard.

Then of course a one run deficit gets blown up into four in the top of the ninth, a surefire double play ball muffed by Pedroia and then a late, offline throw on a forceout at the plate that would have kept the score where it was.

THIS ONE FUCKING MAKES ME NAUSEOUS.

So go ahead, Rays, and fucking take what you deserve.

[papsrus]

Angels score 4 in bottom of first --

[BERIGAN]

Well, the Braves are really going to be an.....interesting team, for the next few weeks or so. Tom Glavine, who had never been on the DL til he hurt his hammy this year, now goes back on because of an elbow "strain" Of course, now we find out he has been feeling pain their for the last month, and in the last 2 starts, he has had pain with every single pitch!

Then, the 22 year old Jair Jurrjens the best starter this year til his last couple of starts(Cox wants him to be the next Steve Avery, worthless by 30, so pitches him like crazy) somehow sprained his ankle, and won't make his start today!

So, people will just talk about the injuries, and not Cox....lucky Cox.

Left fielder? Hurt. CF??? Hurt. Right fielder??? Hurt, but playing every single day, and hitting .250(I think they said he has left 24 runners on the last 5 games, but will be out there every day) Best hitter in baseball? Hurt, but will rush back out there to make that tear in his quad worse.

Closer to start the season, Soriano??? Elbow troubles, missed most of the year, can't pitch back to back days. 8th inning guy??? Moylen out for the year, TJ surgery.

Hampton has never made a start for us this year. Smoltz out for the season, and after the surgery yesterday, sounds like with Labrum issues, he career is most likely over.

Yet, other guys have come out of nowhere to pitch well in relief(Will Ohman, Blaine Boyer), and as starters(Jose Campillo, Jo-Jo Reyes)

Pitching isn't the problem, a complete lack of clutch hitting, guys who cannot bunt, and a manager that keeps making stupid moves like running out a pitcher (Manny Acosta) night after night, when everyone knows he can't get it done right now(most likely overuse)that is the problem. Tony LaRussa would have this team 10 games over .500.

[Dan Gould]

This doesn't look good:

Kazmir has taken 34 pitches to get through 3 innings in Anaheim, without allowing a baserunner.

At that rate, he can easily throw a complete game, and it used to be that you could steal a Kazmir start by wearing him down and getting to the bullpen while the game is close.

Colon better be ready to go tonight, or the Rays will take over first place a day later than I said they would.

[papsrus]

Just ordered the Direct TV MLB package in high def ...

Took me about a half hour to do it though, including having to reset the receiver and getting past the first customer service rep who A) yawned into the phone when I told her the MLB channels weren't showing up as available in high def, and B) refused to do anything beyond telling me that the MLB package apparently wasn't available in high def. When I asked to speak to someone else (because she obviously didn't know wtf she was talking about) she just put me on perma-hold and I had to call back. ... 2 demerits for DTV customer service. ... The second woman was real sweet and straightened things out. Even tried to help me find the Angels-Rays game today, which is on one of those Fox Sports Net channels, and so I'd need yet another sports package to get it. But since I already get 95% of Rays games without it -- no thanks.

Nonetheless, tonight will be a high def feast of baseball. I'm thinking of running out to get some strawberries and whipped cream ... :excited:

(well, at the very least, I'll fire up some popcorn and have myself a seltzer or two)