MLB 2009 Season

[Big Al]

How 'bout this: the Rays went 1 for 25 with runners in scoring position against the Rangers and still won the series (although got shut out today).

I would not be a bit surprised to see Tampa Bay take the WC this year. Reality has finally caught up with the Rangers, and while it was fun while it lasted, I don't hold out much hope for them: their next series is three in NY. Yikes!

[Patrick]

This Bos/NY series was a lot less exciting to non-partisan fans than the previous series. When the close game/"pitchers' duel" is decided by 4 runs and includes 5 HRs all by one team... Joe Morgan is brutal. I've also grown a bit tired of Jon Miller, but I think that's because he sits next to Joe. Thoughts?

Gotta say it's still disheartening/frustrating to see Yankee CC Sabathia pitching to Red Sox Victor Martinez. These guys should be playing catch with each other while wearing politically incorrect native americans (or a cursive "I" or nondescript "C") on their caps. Small markets may compete from time to time, but the margin of error is extremely thin--the stars have to align perfectly or demolition is in order. Hopefully Tribe will get lucky with the talent they received in exchange for Sabathia, Martinez, and Lee. Matt LaPorta, the key component of the Sabathia trade, is not yet turning heads. Patience. If/when the next golden era in Cleveland comes, at least some of us will remember the high price they paid for that young talent. For now, go Rangers, go Rays.

[Soulstation1]

20 years ago today

Pete Rose banned from Baseball

He will never get into the HOF

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stor...&id=4418586

Edited August 24, 2009 by Soulstation1

[WorldB3]

The most enjoyable one for me tonight was A-Rod's crushing of a 3-2 curve down the left field line and over the Green Monster as the Sox faithful were standing screaming for an inning ending strikeout. . Meanwhile Cano giveth and taketh what with his two errors, the second of which gave the Sox one gift run, sandwiched between an impressive shot over the Sox bullpen into the right center field bleachers.

As someone the doesn't like either team (right now I dislike the Red Sox more) I have to say the A-Rod home run was awesome. Cano's home run swing was also thing of beauty.

I give props to Beckett for going as long as he did and saving the bullpen. I know his line did not look good but there were times when he flat out dominated. With the way runs were being scored in that series he still gave them a chance.

If it makes Sox fans feel any better I still like them for the Wild Card, (though huge win for Texas yesterday) if they get in you have two top front line starters and if you can steal a game on the road you come back to the one of the best home field advantages in baseball.

[WorldB3]

Zito only has 8 wins. With all due respect, I don't see how he can be credited for 19 wins. Using that as a reference then, he's a winner only when sitting on the bench. That is cold comfort, indeed.

And Nate is a good player, no doubt. But his BA is inflated due to the fact he is at the plate so infrequently; not enough ABs.

The stat I listed was over the three years he has been with the club and has gotten four or more runs. Now it doesn't take into account the games he got 3 runs or less and gave up more than five runs in his career with the Giants but you can't deny that this year he has pitched well. I say he comes up big tonight and Giants get the split.

Saturday and Sunday were brutal losses.

Edited August 24, 2009 by WorldB3

[Tim McG]

Zito only has 8 wins. With all due respect, I don't see how he can be credited for 19 wins. Using that as a reference then, he's a winner only when sitting on the bench. That is cold comfort, indeed.

And Nate is a good player, no doubt. But his BA is inflated due to the fact he is at the plate so infrequently; not enough ABs.

The stat I listed was over the three years he has been with the club and has gotten four or more runs. Now it doesn't take into account the games he got 3 runs or less and gave up more than five runs in his career with the Giants but you can't deny that this year he has pitched well. I say he comes up big tonight and Giants get the split.

Saturday and Sunday were brutal losses.

If by pitching well you mean he wasn't 0-11 like he was last year before notching his first win then, yeah, I suppose that's right. And 19 wins in three years is just plain awful for a starter, wouldn't you agree?

My point is if Zito constantly needs four or more runs to win a ballgame then he's pretty much useless. You have to win those low scoring games, too. Cain and Lincecum pitch for the same team and have 12 wins each and 2.43 ERA. Zito is pushing to a five run ERA with a 4.26.

And I hope you're right about tonight. The Giants need to get focused here....and soon.

Edited August 24, 2009 by GoodSpeak

[WorldB3]

If by pitching well you mean he wasn't 0-11 like he was last year before notching his first win then, yeah, I suppose that's right. And 19 wins in three years is just plain awful for a starter, wouldn't you agree?

29 total with the Giants in three years. This is the first year with the Giants I will say he hasn't sucked. Last year Cain got no run support this year its Zito's turn.

If the Giants win tonight they split the series and the Rockies have to come to the phone booth twice. It ain't over yet.

[ghost of miles]

Beckett having a bad outing tonight- 7 runs allowed and it's the 5th inning. As a Yank fan I like it.

Ecstatic to take 2 of 3 at Fenway--I didn't think there was any way we were going to pull off another sweep, but this certainly puts NY in a very good position to potentially lock up the AL East over the next several weeks. And five home runs tonight--what's the current team record for most HRs in a season? Haven't glanced at the team stats lately, but I'd think that NY has a shot at setting a new mark.

Most home runs by a Yankee team -- 242 in 2004. The current team has 191 with the five tonight.

They'll probably break their own team record, but I doubt they'll catch the major league record-holders--the 1997 Seattle Mariners, with 264. NY would have to hit 74 homers in 38 games to surpass that. The 2000 Houston Astros hold the NL record with 249.

[sheldonm]

The Cubs finally won one against the Dodgers.

I'm afraid they are out of it now.

I'm inclined to agree w/ you but just remember the Mets were up by 7 games w/ 17 to play in 2007 and the Phillies won the division. Still a lot of baseball to play.

Plus Zambrano is coming back, and I just think the Cardinals are a catchable team for some reason. Milton Bradley has been an unmitigated disaster though...

....I don't think the cubs have a chance of catching the cards. I think the cards would need to play .500 ball the rest of the way for this to happen...and I don't think it will happen with the line-up at this time.

Edited August 24, 2009 by sheldonm

[Chuck Nessa]

How's your Indiana team doing?

[Tim McG]

If by pitching well you mean he wasn't 0-11 like he was last year before notching his first win then, yeah, I suppose that's right. And 19 wins in three years is just plain awful for a starter, wouldn't you agree?

29 total with the Giants in three years. This is the first year with the Giants I will say he hasn't sucked. Last year Cain got no run support this year its Zito's turn.

If the Giants win tonight they split the series and the Rockies have to come to the phone booth twice. It ain't over yet.

29 wins against 41 losses, WB3. At $18 mil a year, that is pathetic.

TBH, if you do a game by game study on Zito you will note that he shoots himself in the foot by too often giving up runs in the first three innings. Cain was doing the same thing; not so this year and his record shows it. I just think it's too easy to go with the lack of run support idea. Lincecum hasn't seen much of that either.

And you're right....it ain't over. Lotta baseball left.

You know what would make me really happy this year? If the Rocks knocked LA out of first place, then the Giants knocked the [hated] Dodgers out of the playoffs.

Edited August 24, 2009 by GoodSpeak

[Dan Gould]

There's no argument that makes Zito a particularly good pitcher over the last several years, let alone to justify that contract, but judging pitchers by wins is so last century.

Meanwhile, Dice-K has started on the road back to Fenway with a strong three innings in the Gulf Coast League. Up next is a start at AA, followed by a start for Pawtucket, with September 8 as the target for a return to the Fens.

What I found surprising is how much better Matsuzaka looks physically. Check out the video on the right side of the page:

http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=10981572

They said they wanted to work on fitness as well as shoulder strength, and it really shows. He had a noticeable paunch when he returned from the WBC. Looks like he's lost some of the jowls too. I don't know if it will help his pitching but for the money they paid for his services, at least now he looks like he actually gives a shit.

He better be ready to help because the current number three, Buchholz, has gotten pounded by the White Sox. Thank god the bats are alive against Contreras, its 7-4 in the third.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Dan Gould

[Dan Gould]

And BTW, according to MLB.com, Johan Santana will miss his scheduled start and is resigned to elbow surgery. His arm has been bothering him for some time, and he's been limiting his between starts work just to avoid the pain, which reached an unacceptable level in his last start. Imagine if he's looking at Tommy John surgery. That would be a crushing blow for the Mets and make the Yankees and Red Sox look even smarter for not making that deal.

And what does that say about C.C. Sabathia? Similar age, similar wear & tear, how soon before C.C. sees Dr. Jobe?

And is it possible that Doc Holladay has physical issues, too? He has not pitched well in a while if I am not mistaken. The Sox got to him last time, and the Rays have rung up six runs tonight. Doc hasn't been Doc basically since his groin problem.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Dan Gould

[Chalupa]

Wow, that's terrible news about Santana. I can't believe how badly the Mets have been hit by injuries this season. If Santana needs surgery he might as well get it done now. He can be back by the 2nd half(assuming he needs a Tommy John procedure). This season is over for them anyway. The Phillies supposedly have a rule that they refuse to sign any pitcher beyond 3 years. I've always thought that was a silly rule but look what happened to 3 of the Mets' signings that were 4 years or more - Pedro, Wagner, and now Santana. Just sayin'.

[Dan Gould]

And is it possible that Doc Holladay has physical issues, too? He has not pitched well in a while if I am not mistaken. The Sox got to him last time, and the Rays have rung up six runs tonight. Doc hasn't been Doc basically since his groin problem.

I was right - clobbered some more by Tampa after I posted, Halladay fell to 3-6 in 11 starts since his return from the DL, with 12 home runs allowed.

(Of course, Beckett gives up 12 homers in 3 starts lately but still ... not the Doc we expect. Either he's hurt, or he just doesn't want to bias the race for the playoffs, so he's serving them up to the Yanks, the Sox and the Rays. Seriously though it makes me think that not making the deadline deal for Halladay might have been the right move, if he is in fact hurt in some way. He might not have helped enough anyway.)

[Chalupa]

Yeah and to think that Halladay was this close to be being a Phillie. Thank goodness for that greedy Toronto GM who made us go for Plan B and Cliff Lee, who has been lights out for the Phils. 5-0 (including two complete game shutouts) w/ a 0.68 ERA.

[Patrick]

Yes, indeed Cliff Lee!!! The poor man's Doc Holladay.

[Soulstation1]

Can we get Cliff Lee back?

Crap

[Noj]

Hehehe, loved that end. Great job Rockies.

[BERIGAN]

I think Barry Zito's ERA going from sub 4 in the AL to above 4 in the NL West clearly shows the NL west is the toughest division in baseball!

He does have a 2.37 ERA in the last 7 games....

[BERIGAN]

Wow, that's terrible news about Santana. I can't believe how badly the Mets have been hit by injuries this season. If Santana needs surgery he might as well get it done now. He can be back by the 2nd half(assuming he needs a Tommy John procedure). This season is over for them anyway. The Phillies supposedly have a rule that they refuse to sign any pitcher beyond 3 years. I've always thought that was a silly rule but look what happened to 3 of the Mets' signings that were 4 years or more - Pedro, Wagner, and now Santana. Just sayin'.

No one has made it this year without going on the DL, that was supposed to be a starter, correct??? Or has Castillo managed to not go on the DL???? Well, just checked, doesn't look like he, or Daniel Murphy have been on the DL. That's it. And say what you want about Francoeur's hitting style, he plays hurt, but he now has torn ligaments in his left thumb. He's going to try to play through it....

If Santana has something worse than say bone spurs, someone has been really stupid in the way he has been handled. Manuel said he hasn't been throwing between starts since the All star break. Well, they should have found out what was wrong then. What was the point of him pitching in meaningless games, so if he has Tommy John, he can only come back next year in September????

Doesn't it make you wonder why just about every pitcher seems to have Tommy John now??? Steroid issue??? Splitters??? Not that I ever heard of Santana throwing them.

[Dan Gould]

The Sox have placed a waiver claim on Mets reliever Billy Wagner.

And while Wagner said he is interested in a chance to win, he's apparently about as smart as Papelbon, which is to say, exceptionally stupid. Apparently the Red Sox and Mets have reached an agreement and now Wagner will use his no-trade protection to cancel it. Why? Well, Wagner wants to make sure he has a chance to get a free agent contract with a team in need of a closer, so he insisted on a Red Sox commitment not to exercise the 8 million dollar 2010 option in his current contract. The Red Sox said no problem.

But according to the Player's Agreement, if a pending free agent is offered salary arbitration, the team losing him will get compensatory draft picks - two of them for a "Type A" free agent like Wagner. He thinks that he will be more attractive to other teams if there is no draft pick penalty to signing him, so he wants the Red Sox to commit to not offering him arbitration, which they won't do since I am sure they are giving up someone with some value to get Wagner in the first place, and paying him the remaining two million on his contract is kind of ridiculous if you don't get some draft picks out of the deal.

But isn't it obvious why its a stupid thing for Wagner to reject the trade?

The Mets are absolutely guaranteed to offer him arbitration in order to get to the two draft picks and try to rebuild their farm system a tiny bit.

That is an incredibly stupid move, considering that his choices are:

Go to Boston, perhaps make the playoffs, maybe even reach the World Series or win it, and be assured of unrestricted free agency afterward.

Stay in New York, where the Mets will:

Offer arbitration and theoretically make him a less attractive free agent

Exercise his option and keep him for 2010 in which case he's not a closer

Exercise his option and trade him, which will inevitably restrict his options for 2010 even if he has the no-trade protection, because the Mets could make a deal to send him somewhere he doesn't really want to be, and his choices are either to accept the trade or risk staying on the Mets where K-Rod is the closer.

There are about 3 1/2 hours left for someone to convince this moron why he is being a freaking idiot to hold up a chance at free agency over draft compensation. Hell, if he cares about the money, an arbitration offer guarantees him a substantial salary against the risk that his elbow isn't fully healed and he gets hurt again.

And we thought Papelbon was being the dumb ass.

Edited August 25, 2009 by Dan Gould

[WorldB3]

Hehehe, loved that end. Great job Rockies.

Your evil. I guess one way to look at is that at least the Giants had a brutal loss that means something, its been since 2003, the other good thins is that Good Speak can't blame Zito for last night.

Even though the Giants lost it was one of those games that make you realize why Baseball is the best sport ever invented. What an epic last night.

What was the deal with Spilborgh tossing the helmet? Come on dude, act like you've hit a game winning grand slam in the bottom the 14th with your team down by two before.

[Dan Gould]

What was the deal with Spilborgh tossing the helmet? Come on dude, act like you've hit a game winning grand slam in the bottom the 14th with your team down by two before.

Assuming he did this after passing third base, he's only doing what Big Papi started. Ortiz got tired of the pounding headaches he'd get if he went into the dogpile with his helmet on, and 24 guys pounded on his head. Apparently helmets really amplify the force being exerted on the hero's head.

[Tim McG]

WB3,

Bruce Jenkins in the Chron....and I have to say: He's right.

Get Off Zito's Back