It's Deadline Day at Ballpark Banter and, as of Thursday morning, there's plenty of speculation to go along with yesterday's games.
* When it seems like our country can't do a thing to escape the Brett Favre Media Blitz, the baseball world is being held hostage by the same treatment, the Manny Ramirez spectacle. This story is more worn out than the "Manny Being Manny" catch phrase that has made Ramirez's annual infantile tantrums and obscure on-field displays acceptable. But enough is enough. And I'm not even in Boston, where the eye of the storm is swirling.
Everybody is tired of this debacle: the fans, the media, the Boston front office, and most importantly, the other 24 guys in the Red Sox clubhouse. You can see the wear and tear that this is causing on this Red Sox club, at a time when they have plenty of actual baseball-related issues to deal with, after being swept at home by the Angels, the second Angels sweep in the last two weeks. The Red Sox need to figure out their pitching, not the Dreadlocks Dandy. They need to get Clay Buchholz to take the mound with some presence, not wasting time trying to get Manny to take the field with some perspective. They need to add an arm the the bullpen and straighten out the ones that are already down there, not worry about The Diva That Be and his admiration of a new contract. God forbid a guy make $20 million playing for a franchise like the Red Sox, in a baseball-crazed city like Boston. Gee, what a horrible situation Manny's got over there.
The Red Sox ace, Mr. Josh Beckett, was beat around by an Angels lineup that scored 9 runs backed by a big night from Garret Anderson and a hitless night from their new toy, Mark Teixeira. That's a little bit more important right? David Ortiz has suddenly become the linchpin to this offense, and that's the way it has to be. It's tough to imagine the Red Sox without Manny Ramirez, but they have enough to get the job done. They will be fine with Youkilis, Drew, Pedroia, et al., and that is without accounting for whoever they can bring in with the Ramirez trade.
And, the thing is, none of this is really news in Boston. This act is old, its tiresome, and it puts a big, black smudge on an organization that has been known for its baseball lore, not its headline captivity. But we know it's bad when the captain, Jason Varitek, is even saying that they need to figure this thing out and the team needs to move past this point. Not Manny Ramirez, but the team. Varitek understands how great a player Ramirez is, but he also realizes that the Red Sox can be a great club without him. He is in it to win, and that is saying something because Varitek is playing for a contract more than anybody else in that clubhouse. Varitek is in his walk year, and we know it's ugly when the fly that lands on his lunch has nothing to worry about. It's not as if Varitek is going to hit him. With all of that aside, we don't hear a word about Varitek's troubles and what he is going to do after this season.
Why? Because he is a baseball guy, a team guy. He worries about the championship this season, and his contract when it is over. Beckett, you could tell he is sick of it. The fiery Texan can't hide his expressions if he wanted to, and after Wednesday's ball game, he seemed as if he hadn't slept in a week. The losing sure accounts for some of that, but the last thing he wanted to do was talk about Manny. His team is struggling, the Yankees are hunting them down, the Rays are steaming straight ahead, and Captain Quicksand in left field isn't helping the cause. If the Yankees are the "Bronx Zoo", what are the Red Sox? Boston Bugaboo? Beats me.
* One last quick note on the Ramirez deal. There is plenty of speculation swirling around this morning regarding Manny going to the Florida Marlins as part of a three-team deal that includes the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manny and at least one prospect would go to Florida, with Jeremy Hermida and prospects going to the Pirates, and Jason Bay and another piece or two going to the Red Sox. This is merely a form of this deal, no carbon copy is out there just yet. The details are being worked out and many names are being thrown around.
Jason Bay would be a good return for the Red Sox, and it seems as if they could get a bullpen piece as well. No, Bay isn't Manny Ramirez. Not many people are. But for a situation as ugly as this, Bay would be a great piece to plug into left field and plug into the lineup. Bay is already a very good hitter, and he could take a Mike Lowell-type leap when he comes to Fenway Park and has the Green Monster out there to use. Lowell was a good hitter before he came to the Red Sox; he became an All-Star hitter when he stepped into Fenway.
A week ago I didn't think the Red Sox would actually trade Manny, basically because this happens every year and they always work it out. But this is uglier than anything we have seen and for the first time, I don't see how the Red Sox can move on with Manny wearing their uniform. It has gotten to that point. To top it off, Manny is making a mockery of the situation, evident by the sign that he held in the dugout before Wednesday's game: "I'm going to Green Bay for Brett Favre straight up!" That goes without mentioning Manny's latest remarks, some sort of jumbled words concerning the Red Sox "don't deserve a player like me." Thata boy, Manny. You sure know a final straw when you see one.
* ESPN.com is reporting this morning that there is breaking news on the Ken Griffey Jr. trade front. A deal is in place to send Griffey to the Chicago White Sox, pending his acceptance of the trade. The return for the Reds has not been disclosed. As of 11:35 AM eastern time, there is word that Griffey has approved of the trade and it looks like the deal is going to go through. I like this trade for the White Sox as it brings another left handed bat to their lineup with some sock, and it also adds some depth to a roster of aging All-Stars.
I have no idea how exactly the White Sox are going to work Griffey into their lineup, and anything I say is pure speculation at this point. But I would guess that the Ozzie Guillen could slot Griffey into the cleanup spot, in between Carlos Quentin and and Paul Konerko in the lineup. I would imagine that Griffey goes to center field, and Nick Swisher platoons with Konerko at first base and also plays a little bit of center to give Griffey some days off. Their could be one, big revolving door around the DH spot, with Griffey, Konerko, Thome, and Swisher all seeing time there. The problem is Swisher is hitting .230, Konerko is having a poor season at the plate, Thome can't play any position except DH, and Griffey is not the ideal center fielder anymore.
But, what else is there to do? Would you rather have Jermaine Dye in center? I don't think so. And you can't move Dye or Quentin off of the corners because they are the best hitters in the lineup. It will be interesting to see how Guillen plays his cards, but this would be a much more difficult situation if in fact Konerko and Swisher were playing like they are capable of playing. Since both of them are hitting in the low-.200s, there shouldn't be any gripes when they see the bench more than usual. I would bet that Konerko is the guy who is benched more often, simply because Swisher is more versatile in the field and he brings a fire and energy that is going to be needed to push this club through the finish line and hold off the pesky Minnesota Twins, who by the way, almost claimed first place in Central division with one home series, but dropped Wednesday's game and will need to win Thursday's affair to pull back within a 1/2 game of Chicago. But, without seeing who the White Sox give up in this Griffey deal, I like it on paper.
* The Yankees are turning up the heat in the Bronx, and they made a move that will bolster their lineup and, hopefully for them, continue the run of good baseball that they are on since the All-Star break. With Jorge Posada opting for season-ending shoulder surgery, the Yankees shipped Kyle Farnsworth to the Tigers for cather Ivan Rodriguez. There couldn't have been a better deal out here for New York at this point in time. Rodriguez is a huge upgrade over Jose Molina offensively, and we are all aware of what he brings to the catcher position. This moves Molina back to his role as backup, and that gives him greater value. As a second catching option, Molina is more than adequate. As a starter, he is a fringe guy. But that's not a knock on Molina, who has been a huge part of this Yankee resurgence, throwing out almost 50% of attempted base stealers this season.
Rodriguez is in the option year of a four-year deal he signed with Detroit, so this is a rental for the Yankees. Perfect. A free agent at the end of the season, he can walk, and the Yankees get Posada back next season and its business as usual. What cannot be quantified on paper is the intensity and passion that Pudge will bring to this Yankees club. Manager Joe Girardi had the Yanks playing some inspired ball, but I think Rodriguez will fit in great with Girardi's style, being a guy who puts it on the line and is about winning a championship. A great fit, I believe.
The deal for the Tigers is irrelevant. They took Farsnworth off of the Yankees' hands, and that is a blessing in disguise for New York. Farnsworth has a great arm, but he cannot be relied to get big outs late in the game, and that's what the Tigers acquired him for, something he failed to accomplish while in Pinstripes. The Tigers will add him to the Fernando Rodey-Joel Zumaya mix and hope they can shorten some ball games with their offense. I just don't see it in the cards for the Tigers this year. The offense takes a hit without Pudge, and the White Sox and Twins keep moving forward by playing good baseball. The only hope they have is that the Twins and Sox beat up on each other down the stretch, and conversely, the Tigers beat up on both of them. We shall see.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
A look at Monday's big matchups
* Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee Brewers
In what is, without a doubt, the most sought after ticket this week in Major League Baseball, we get a sneak peek at what the National League Central may come down to in September: Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers have their newly acquired gun on the mound in CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been everything and more manager Ned Yost could have hoped for, going 4-0 with 3 complete games in his first four starts in Milwaukee regalia.
Ryan Braun hasn't slowed down one bit since participating in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium a couple weeks ago, and he will be called upon to bolster the offense and knock the ball all over the park this week. The Brewers sit 1 game back going into tonight's ball game, and they have Ben Sheets scheduled to pitch Tuesday's game, so a great chance to take the first two games of the four-game set and create a stir in Chicago.
The Cubs, meanwhile, come into Miller Park playing average baseball, having been dashed with a little cool water since the All-Star game. They struggled to split a weekend series against the Florida Marlins this past weekend at Wrigley Field, and their great lineup has all of a sudden become a little punchless. Alfonso Soriano homered in Sunday's ball game, and his bat needs to get hot for the Cubs to continue to rule the NL Central. Furthermore, Kosuke Fukudome's struggles have been thoroughly documented throughout the Windy City.
The Cubs send Ted Lilly to the mound tonight, hoping for nothing more than a quality start and the chance to win the game during the battle of the bullpens in the later innings. Conversely, if the Cubs can win tonight's game, they have a great chance tomorrow to push their would-be lead to 3 games with their ace Carlos Zambrano going up against Sheets. With the absence of Kerry Wood putting more pressure on set-up man Carlos Marmol, manager Lou Pinella has found another gun to go to in rookie Jeff Samardzija, an electric right handed arm. It would be a gamble to say the least if the Cubs have to rely on Samardzija to close out games down the stretch, so the resurgence of Marmol is all the more crucial.
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox
The Angels come into Fenway Park tonight with a double-digit lead in the American League West. A laugher, we know. The Angels are all about playing good ball the rest of the way, finding a rhythm throughout their offense, and keeping their starters healthy. They took two out of three from the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, and some of their starters have shown some signs of tired arms. John Lackey and Ervin Santana had less-than-stellar starts, but they should rebound to form.
These two clubs squared off a week ago in Anaheim, and the Angels spanked them around Orange County and promptly swept them without having to face closer Jonathan Papelbon once in that series. Frankie Rodriguez continues his march towards Bobby Thigpen's single-season saves record, and manager Mike Scioscia will have to respect Rodriguez' opportunity to chase down a hallowed record while keeping his health, and therefore the best interest of the club, at the forefront. In spite of all the talk about the Angels lackluster offense, Howie Kendrick has become a hits machine, Torii Hunter is driving the ball with authority, and the offense is manufacturing enough runs on most nights to give their superb starters an opportunity to notch a win.
For the Red Sox, this will be an interesting few days for them, and not because there is more Manny speculation regarding his contract and/or trade talks. The Red Sox just came off a series where they dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees at home, and the last game being a late night affair due to a rain delay and ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecast. The Red Sox were able to salvage one win on Sunday, but it will be interesting to see at what cost, if any.
Papelbon was not used against the Yankees as their win was a blowout, so he is fresh and ready to pitch every day against the Angels if need be. Daisuke Matsuzaka matches up against Jered Weaver tonight, and both have been quality starters this year. Matsuzaka's MO has been to pitch behind in the count, walk more than a few, and then promptly pitch out of any and all jams. We will see how that approach works against an Angels team that likes to work the count, drive the pitch count up, and be aggressive when they get their pitch to hit. The Red Sox need to continue to win to hold off the Yankees in the wild card race and to prevent from falling too far behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
* Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees
The aforementioned Orioles are playing the role of spoilers at this point, as they are too far back to make any serious kind of run at the division or the wild card. They have their best pitcher in Jeremy Guthrie going tonight against the Yankees, and if there is anything positive we can about Baltimore, the Orioles beat the Angels yesterday, snapping their 15-week Sunday loss streak.
The Yankees, on the other hand, cannot let Sunday's thumping derail them from their winning ways that have allowed them to open the second half on fire and storm back into the division and wild card races. The Red Sox will be in a tough series with the Angels, so the Yankees need to take advantage and sweep the Orioles while they are enjoying their stay in Yankee Stadium. Mike Mussina is on the hill tonight, and he has been arguably he best starter on the staff this season. The Moose is enjoying a 3.26 ERA going into Monday, and he is going for his 14th win of the season.
Bobby Abreu has had his best at-bats as a Yankee since the All-Star break, and Robinson Cano looks like he is turning the corner and starting to fulfill the vast potential the Yankees have been waiting on. This is a great opportunity for the Yankees to pick up a couple games on Boston, and this would be a waste if they have a let down against Baltimore.
* New York Mets @ Florida Marlins
Outside of the NL Central, the NL East may be the most intriguing race in baseball this season, with regards to the Eastern teams in the American League. The Mets took care of business this past weekend, taking 2 of 3 from a solid St. Louis Cardinals club, and they take a 1 game lead over the Phillies and a 2 game lead on the Marlins into Monday.
John Maine opposes Ricky Nolasco in Miami tonight, and Nolasco has been one of the better starters in the National League this season while Maine has been mediocre, at best. Maine has the stuff to be a top-line starting pitcher for the Mets, and if he could begin to pitch like he is capable of, the Mets may make this race a little more one-sided than we can see at this point in time.
Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets have Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey going in the next two games, and both of those guys will have good chances to produce wins for New York. Florida is a club that doesn't seem to have the pitching to stay in this thing, but as we close out July and creep closer to the trading deadline, they are still right there, two games back. Their offense will keep them in the race, and they are a great hitting club at home given the pitcher's ball park that is Dolphins Stadium. One good thing for Florida, they won't have to face Johan Santana, who pitched Sunday.
* Honorable Mentions:
The Braves and Cardinals square off in Atlanta, and this series is big for the Cardinals for obvious reasons; they still have an opportunity to have a say in the NL Central. The Braves, on the other hand, are out of it in my opinion, but if they pick up a couple games early this week on the rest of the division, they may not exactly be sellers going into the trade deadline. What makes this series so important though, is that it will ultimately serve as a serious determining factor on the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes. Will he go or will he stay? Much will be learned during this series, with the trade deadline set for Thursday.
In another some-what interesting series, the Chicago White Sox head into Minneapolis, Minnesota for four games against the Twins. The White Sox take a 2.5 game lead into this series, and this may just be a flash of the competition we see coming down the stretch in September. Mark Buehrle goes for Chicago as Kevin Slowey goes for Minnesota, but the jury is still out on the Detroit Tigers, and whether or not they have what it takes to make a push for the division title.
In what is, without a doubt, the most sought after ticket this week in Major League Baseball, we get a sneak peek at what the National League Central may come down to in September: Cubs and Brewers. The Brewers have their newly acquired gun on the mound in CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been everything and more manager Ned Yost could have hoped for, going 4-0 with 3 complete games in his first four starts in Milwaukee regalia.
Ryan Braun hasn't slowed down one bit since participating in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium a couple weeks ago, and he will be called upon to bolster the offense and knock the ball all over the park this week. The Brewers sit 1 game back going into tonight's ball game, and they have Ben Sheets scheduled to pitch Tuesday's game, so a great chance to take the first two games of the four-game set and create a stir in Chicago.
The Cubs, meanwhile, come into Miller Park playing average baseball, having been dashed with a little cool water since the All-Star game. They struggled to split a weekend series against the Florida Marlins this past weekend at Wrigley Field, and their great lineup has all of a sudden become a little punchless. Alfonso Soriano homered in Sunday's ball game, and his bat needs to get hot for the Cubs to continue to rule the NL Central. Furthermore, Kosuke Fukudome's struggles have been thoroughly documented throughout the Windy City.
The Cubs send Ted Lilly to the mound tonight, hoping for nothing more than a quality start and the chance to win the game during the battle of the bullpens in the later innings. Conversely, if the Cubs can win tonight's game, they have a great chance tomorrow to push their would-be lead to 3 games with their ace Carlos Zambrano going up against Sheets. With the absence of Kerry Wood putting more pressure on set-up man Carlos Marmol, manager Lou Pinella has found another gun to go to in rookie Jeff Samardzija, an electric right handed arm. It would be a gamble to say the least if the Cubs have to rely on Samardzija to close out games down the stretch, so the resurgence of Marmol is all the more crucial.
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox
The Angels come into Fenway Park tonight with a double-digit lead in the American League West. A laugher, we know. The Angels are all about playing good ball the rest of the way, finding a rhythm throughout their offense, and keeping their starters healthy. They took two out of three from the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, and some of their starters have shown some signs of tired arms. John Lackey and Ervin Santana had less-than-stellar starts, but they should rebound to form.
These two clubs squared off a week ago in Anaheim, and the Angels spanked them around Orange County and promptly swept them without having to face closer Jonathan Papelbon once in that series. Frankie Rodriguez continues his march towards Bobby Thigpen's single-season saves record, and manager Mike Scioscia will have to respect Rodriguez' opportunity to chase down a hallowed record while keeping his health, and therefore the best interest of the club, at the forefront. In spite of all the talk about the Angels lackluster offense, Howie Kendrick has become a hits machine, Torii Hunter is driving the ball with authority, and the offense is manufacturing enough runs on most nights to give their superb starters an opportunity to notch a win.
For the Red Sox, this will be an interesting few days for them, and not because there is more Manny speculation regarding his contract and/or trade talks. The Red Sox just came off a series where they dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees at home, and the last game being a late night affair due to a rain delay and ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball telecast. The Red Sox were able to salvage one win on Sunday, but it will be interesting to see at what cost, if any.
Papelbon was not used against the Yankees as their win was a blowout, so he is fresh and ready to pitch every day against the Angels if need be. Daisuke Matsuzaka matches up against Jered Weaver tonight, and both have been quality starters this year. Matsuzaka's MO has been to pitch behind in the count, walk more than a few, and then promptly pitch out of any and all jams. We will see how that approach works against an Angels team that likes to work the count, drive the pitch count up, and be aggressive when they get their pitch to hit. The Red Sox need to continue to win to hold off the Yankees in the wild card race and to prevent from falling too far behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
* Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees
The aforementioned Orioles are playing the role of spoilers at this point, as they are too far back to make any serious kind of run at the division or the wild card. They have their best pitcher in Jeremy Guthrie going tonight against the Yankees, and if there is anything positive we can about Baltimore, the Orioles beat the Angels yesterday, snapping their 15-week Sunday loss streak.
The Yankees, on the other hand, cannot let Sunday's thumping derail them from their winning ways that have allowed them to open the second half on fire and storm back into the division and wild card races. The Red Sox will be in a tough series with the Angels, so the Yankees need to take advantage and sweep the Orioles while they are enjoying their stay in Yankee Stadium. Mike Mussina is on the hill tonight, and he has been arguably he best starter on the staff this season. The Moose is enjoying a 3.26 ERA going into Monday, and he is going for his 14th win of the season.
Bobby Abreu has had his best at-bats as a Yankee since the All-Star break, and Robinson Cano looks like he is turning the corner and starting to fulfill the vast potential the Yankees have been waiting on. This is a great opportunity for the Yankees to pick up a couple games on Boston, and this would be a waste if they have a let down against Baltimore.
* New York Mets @ Florida Marlins
Outside of the NL Central, the NL East may be the most intriguing race in baseball this season, with regards to the Eastern teams in the American League. The Mets took care of business this past weekend, taking 2 of 3 from a solid St. Louis Cardinals club, and they take a 1 game lead over the Phillies and a 2 game lead on the Marlins into Monday.
John Maine opposes Ricky Nolasco in Miami tonight, and Nolasco has been one of the better starters in the National League this season while Maine has been mediocre, at best. Maine has the stuff to be a top-line starting pitcher for the Mets, and if he could begin to pitch like he is capable of, the Mets may make this race a little more one-sided than we can see at this point in time.
Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets have Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey going in the next two games, and both of those guys will have good chances to produce wins for New York. Florida is a club that doesn't seem to have the pitching to stay in this thing, but as we close out July and creep closer to the trading deadline, they are still right there, two games back. Their offense will keep them in the race, and they are a great hitting club at home given the pitcher's ball park that is Dolphins Stadium. One good thing for Florida, they won't have to face Johan Santana, who pitched Sunday.
* Honorable Mentions:
The Braves and Cardinals square off in Atlanta, and this series is big for the Cardinals for obvious reasons; they still have an opportunity to have a say in the NL Central. The Braves, on the other hand, are out of it in my opinion, but if they pick up a couple games early this week on the rest of the division, they may not exactly be sellers going into the trade deadline. What makes this series so important though, is that it will ultimately serve as a serious determining factor on the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes. Will he go or will he stay? Much will be learned during this series, with the trade deadline set for Thursday.
In another some-what interesting series, the Chicago White Sox head into Minneapolis, Minnesota for four games against the Twins. The White Sox take a 2.5 game lead into this series, and this may just be a flash of the competition we see coming down the stretch in September. Mark Buehrle goes for Chicago as Kevin Slowey goes for Minnesota, but the jury is still out on the Detroit Tigers, and whether or not they have what it takes to make a push for the division title.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday morning notes
* It wasn't supposed to be like this for the Boston Red Sox. The defending World Champs had the best team on paper coming out of spring training, and they were expected to ride a comfortable lead to an AL East title. Those plans are going up in smoke, done in by the bats of the New York Yankees and the youthful exuberance that flows out of Tampa Bay. The Rays are enjoying a series in Kansas City this weekend that is allowing them to gain some breathing room the division race. The Yankees continue to pound the Red Sox, dropping them two back of the Rays, and the Bombers sit 3 back of the division leader and 1 back of their long-time nemesis.
This was always a concern for the Red Sox -- well, at least in my mind -- coming down the stretch: How is that suddenly thin pitching staff going to hold up when the offense isn't pounding out 9 runs per game? Manny Ramirez was finally back in the Boston lineup -- that's a whole different issue -- alongside David Ortiz, only to be shutdown on the second straight night by the Yankees' starting pitcher. Andy Pettitte allowed 1 earned run over six innings, and was the beneficiary of an offensive onslaught, led by the continuity of Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano's torrid streaks at the plate. Luckily for the Yankees, they scored enough runs to get the win without having to use closer Mariano Rivera. After recording a five-out save on Friday night, Rivera will be fresh and ready to go for tonight's ball game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.
But back to the Red Sox, their pitching is not what we thought it would be or expected it to be. Their bullpen is shaky, at best, and they are having a hard time even getting the ball to Jonathan Papelbon when they do have a lead. Tim Wakefield gave up 6 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings on Saturday, and I have been wondering for a few weeks now when are the wheels going to come off the party bus? Wakefield has been one of Boston's most consistent starters, but you are always walking on ice with a knuckle-baller. When the pitcher himself doesn't know how his signature pitch is going to move from one offering to the next, well it becomes a coin flip on whether the outcome will be good enough to win that day.
Bottom line for the Red Sox, the absence of Curt Schilling has hurt this rotation and has left holes in the back end. Beckett and Lester are studs. Matsuzaka is an anomaly; his walk totals and style of consistently pitching behind in the count would make sense if he sported a lousy record. But his 11-1 record and 2.63 ERA are one the of the greater baseball paradoxes I have come across. If I were the Red Sox, I would make a hard play to acquire Brian Fuentes before the trade deadline, and then just hope Ortiz and Ramirez can stay healthy to bulk up the middle of a great lineup. But if it comes down to pitching, which it does in the post season, the Red Sox are going to fall short of the Yankees, Rays, Angels, White Sox, or any other American League foe, not in the sense that they will necessarily lose to them in a playoff series, but it will surely be tough if they aren't scoring 7 runs per game.
* The whole Manny Being Manny theme is a bigger conundrum in Boston these days than anyone could have expected, and the feeling across baseball is that the Red Sox are tired of this circus act. Look, there are few that can do what Ramirez does with a bat in his hands. A few. He is possibly as special as hitters come, and he is a Hall Of Famer in my opinion. Nobody knows for sure the details surrounding the latest clubhouse fiasco in Boston, but it sure feels like a playground squabble that is now becoming a distraction to a baseball club that has its own share of problems to deal with.
We don't know if this whole thing about Manny "faking" an injury is true or not, all we know is that he said his knee is bothering him and that he asked for a couple days off. After neglecting to get treatment and two clean MRIs, the Red Sox are firmly telling Ramirez that he has an obligation to be in the lineup. It seems as if all of this has trickled from the contract rift that was never summed up in the last week or so. Fact is, we don't really know what the Red Sox have done or have not done, said or have not said. We only know what is made public, and that is the actions and words of Ramirez.
Boston is not off the hook; the organization could be as much at fault as anyone here, but we just don't know. But for Ramirez, his acts are impetuous. We understand Manny asked the organization what they were thinking about his $20 million option for next season. The Red Sox preferred to leave it until after the season, and Ramirez decided to pout. Ramirez was not out of line to simply ask what they were thinking, if he was curious, but when he kept on pushing once the Red Sox said they don't want to discuss it during the season, he burned bridges with the club, his teammates, and the fans. Manny has the leverage in this situation, simply because I don't see the Red Sox flat-out releasing him.
Ramirez has two club-options for 2009 and 2010, and his 10-5 rights allow him to veto any trade (10 years in the major leagues, the last five with his current club). The $20 million options and the corresponding circus that comes with Manny's light-hearted approach, may make it difficult for the Red Sox to trade Ramirez. They may ultimately have to pick up his options because, when it comes down to it, he is still one of the best hitters in the game, or they may have to trade him for fifty cents on the dollar. Contract debates are just that, and this certainly is not the first time that an athlete has been all over newspapers, airing out the club's dirty laundry. Those things are fixable; money and production heals all. What is irreparable at this point, though, is the respect for Ramirez in the clubhouse. When the Red Sox are fighting off the Yankees in the wild card race and are trying to keep in the race for the division, Ramirez seems less than interested to be on the field in a late-July series against their hated division rival. Ramirez's preference not to go to battle with his teammates, or so it seems at this point, is what will ultimately run him out of Boston and leave a glorious Red Sox career incomplete in the minds of many.
* Tony Reagins and the rest of the Angels brass and looking smarter and smarter by the day. Newspapers, radio shows, and television analysts have been clamoring for weeks about the Angels dire need for another bat to go in the middle of the lineup, and those people are not wrong. Where some opinions fall short, though, is when they concede that the Angels need that bat to make a serious run at a World Series title. That simply isn't the case.
The Angels beat the Orioles, 11-6, on Saturday evening, backed by two home runs from Torii Hunter, who is back from the bereavement list. The Angels GM, Reagins, has refused to break their bank of prospects to bring in a Mark Teixeira or a Matt Holliday, and he is proving to be right. The Angels don't desperately need that bat; they have enough to win, given the lineup performs like it is capable of. The great pitching and defense will allow them to contend for championships, and their manufacturing style at the plate will suffice for a team that is built around doubles-hitters instead of long balls.
* Here they are, the Milwaukee Brewers, sitting tied atop the National League Central division with the Chicago Cubs, and a big series looming between the two clubs next week in Milwaukee. The Cubs haven't played real poorly during this serge by the Brewers, they have just been caught on the wrong side of some tough games, and Milwaukee is simply beating everybody. The Cubs are playing the Florida Marlins at Wrigley this weekend, and have dropped the past two in extra innings. On the flip side, the Brewers are enjoying at couple of patsy games with the Houston Astros. We will see what happens today and how the standings look going into next week, but the series next week between the two clubs will tell us much more than anything this weekend can give us.
* Life With The Giants, you could call it. Tim Lincecum was dominant Saturday night, striking out 13 Arizona Diamondbacks over seven innings. He left with a 3-2 lead only for the bullpen to blow it in the 8th inning, and the Giants ended up dropping the game 5-3. Brandon Webb simply survived the game, last eight innings, enough to give him his 14th win of the season. It is tough for the Giants, this lack of offense that plagues them. In reality, this is a season that they could have had a legitimate shot at contending for the National League West, given their depth in the starting rotation and the feeble division. The Giants have plenty of pitching in the lower levels of their farm system, making it that much more important that they sign their first-round draft pick this season, catcher Buster Posey, and fast track him and his bat to the big leagues. San Francisco should go hard at bats in free agency this winter, or using some of those pitching reserves to package in a trade. With Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez in the rotation for at least the next five seasons, San Francisco has the foundation of what could potentially be a good club.
This was always a concern for the Red Sox -- well, at least in my mind -- coming down the stretch: How is that suddenly thin pitching staff going to hold up when the offense isn't pounding out 9 runs per game? Manny Ramirez was finally back in the Boston lineup -- that's a whole different issue -- alongside David Ortiz, only to be shutdown on the second straight night by the Yankees' starting pitcher. Andy Pettitte allowed 1 earned run over six innings, and was the beneficiary of an offensive onslaught, led by the continuity of Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano's torrid streaks at the plate. Luckily for the Yankees, they scored enough runs to get the win without having to use closer Mariano Rivera. After recording a five-out save on Friday night, Rivera will be fresh and ready to go for tonight's ball game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.
But back to the Red Sox, their pitching is not what we thought it would be or expected it to be. Their bullpen is shaky, at best, and they are having a hard time even getting the ball to Jonathan Papelbon when they do have a lead. Tim Wakefield gave up 6 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings on Saturday, and I have been wondering for a few weeks now when are the wheels going to come off the party bus? Wakefield has been one of Boston's most consistent starters, but you are always walking on ice with a knuckle-baller. When the pitcher himself doesn't know how his signature pitch is going to move from one offering to the next, well it becomes a coin flip on whether the outcome will be good enough to win that day.
Bottom line for the Red Sox, the absence of Curt Schilling has hurt this rotation and has left holes in the back end. Beckett and Lester are studs. Matsuzaka is an anomaly; his walk totals and style of consistently pitching behind in the count would make sense if he sported a lousy record. But his 11-1 record and 2.63 ERA are one the of the greater baseball paradoxes I have come across. If I were the Red Sox, I would make a hard play to acquire Brian Fuentes before the trade deadline, and then just hope Ortiz and Ramirez can stay healthy to bulk up the middle of a great lineup. But if it comes down to pitching, which it does in the post season, the Red Sox are going to fall short of the Yankees, Rays, Angels, White Sox, or any other American League foe, not in the sense that they will necessarily lose to them in a playoff series, but it will surely be tough if they aren't scoring 7 runs per game.
* The whole Manny Being Manny theme is a bigger conundrum in Boston these days than anyone could have expected, and the feeling across baseball is that the Red Sox are tired of this circus act. Look, there are few that can do what Ramirez does with a bat in his hands. A few. He is possibly as special as hitters come, and he is a Hall Of Famer in my opinion. Nobody knows for sure the details surrounding the latest clubhouse fiasco in Boston, but it sure feels like a playground squabble that is now becoming a distraction to a baseball club that has its own share of problems to deal with.
We don't know if this whole thing about Manny "faking" an injury is true or not, all we know is that he said his knee is bothering him and that he asked for a couple days off. After neglecting to get treatment and two clean MRIs, the Red Sox are firmly telling Ramirez that he has an obligation to be in the lineup. It seems as if all of this has trickled from the contract rift that was never summed up in the last week or so. Fact is, we don't really know what the Red Sox have done or have not done, said or have not said. We only know what is made public, and that is the actions and words of Ramirez.
Boston is not off the hook; the organization could be as much at fault as anyone here, but we just don't know. But for Ramirez, his acts are impetuous. We understand Manny asked the organization what they were thinking about his $20 million option for next season. The Red Sox preferred to leave it until after the season, and Ramirez decided to pout. Ramirez was not out of line to simply ask what they were thinking, if he was curious, but when he kept on pushing once the Red Sox said they don't want to discuss it during the season, he burned bridges with the club, his teammates, and the fans. Manny has the leverage in this situation, simply because I don't see the Red Sox flat-out releasing him.
Ramirez has two club-options for 2009 and 2010, and his 10-5 rights allow him to veto any trade (10 years in the major leagues, the last five with his current club). The $20 million options and the corresponding circus that comes with Manny's light-hearted approach, may make it difficult for the Red Sox to trade Ramirez. They may ultimately have to pick up his options because, when it comes down to it, he is still one of the best hitters in the game, or they may have to trade him for fifty cents on the dollar. Contract debates are just that, and this certainly is not the first time that an athlete has been all over newspapers, airing out the club's dirty laundry. Those things are fixable; money and production heals all. What is irreparable at this point, though, is the respect for Ramirez in the clubhouse. When the Red Sox are fighting off the Yankees in the wild card race and are trying to keep in the race for the division, Ramirez seems less than interested to be on the field in a late-July series against their hated division rival. Ramirez's preference not to go to battle with his teammates, or so it seems at this point, is what will ultimately run him out of Boston and leave a glorious Red Sox career incomplete in the minds of many.
* Tony Reagins and the rest of the Angels brass and looking smarter and smarter by the day. Newspapers, radio shows, and television analysts have been clamoring for weeks about the Angels dire need for another bat to go in the middle of the lineup, and those people are not wrong. Where some opinions fall short, though, is when they concede that the Angels need that bat to make a serious run at a World Series title. That simply isn't the case.
The Angels beat the Orioles, 11-6, on Saturday evening, backed by two home runs from Torii Hunter, who is back from the bereavement list. The Angels GM, Reagins, has refused to break their bank of prospects to bring in a Mark Teixeira or a Matt Holliday, and he is proving to be right. The Angels don't desperately need that bat; they have enough to win, given the lineup performs like it is capable of. The great pitching and defense will allow them to contend for championships, and their manufacturing style at the plate will suffice for a team that is built around doubles-hitters instead of long balls.
* Here they are, the Milwaukee Brewers, sitting tied atop the National League Central division with the Chicago Cubs, and a big series looming between the two clubs next week in Milwaukee. The Cubs haven't played real poorly during this serge by the Brewers, they have just been caught on the wrong side of some tough games, and Milwaukee is simply beating everybody. The Cubs are playing the Florida Marlins at Wrigley this weekend, and have dropped the past two in extra innings. On the flip side, the Brewers are enjoying at couple of patsy games with the Houston Astros. We will see what happens today and how the standings look going into next week, but the series next week between the two clubs will tell us much more than anything this weekend can give us.
* Life With The Giants, you could call it. Tim Lincecum was dominant Saturday night, striking out 13 Arizona Diamondbacks over seven innings. He left with a 3-2 lead only for the bullpen to blow it in the 8th inning, and the Giants ended up dropping the game 5-3. Brandon Webb simply survived the game, last eight innings, enough to give him his 14th win of the season. It is tough for the Giants, this lack of offense that plagues them. In reality, this is a season that they could have had a legitimate shot at contending for the National League West, given their depth in the starting rotation and the feeble division. The Giants have plenty of pitching in the lower levels of their farm system, making it that much more important that they sign their first-round draft pick this season, catcher Buster Posey, and fast track him and his bat to the big leagues. San Francisco should go hard at bats in free agency this winter, or using some of those pitching reserves to package in a trade. With Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez in the rotation for at least the next five seasons, San Francisco has the foundation of what could potentially be a good club.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Red Sox sent to the Gas Chamber
The folks that packed Fenway Park Friday night, that chomped on grilled hot dogs and cleansed the palate with a couple Budweisers on Yawkey Way before batting practice, that cozied into one of the finest ballparks our country can offer, witnessed baseball at its best, baseball at its finest, and made millions of television viewers downright jealous. Oh, yeah, that was everything and more we expected going into the first game of the biggest series of the year so far for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees prevailed on this night, 1-0, but the scoreboard only justifies the standings; what it fails to do is tell the story of the show, chronicle the details which will be the topic of conversation for many New Yorkers and Bostonians Saturday morning, and enrich the thrills that keep bringing us back to the game. Baseball, its players, and its story can do that for us, but mere numbers, I say, cannot.
But the numbers that do matter more than the score of tonight's ball game reside on the Green Monster in Fenway Park. That would be the standings of the American League East. The Yankees entered Friday 3 games behind the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in the division and the wild card. With this win, they pulled within 2 games of Boston in the wild card and kept pace with the Rays, who beat the Kansas City Royals.
There is hardly anyone around that expected the Yankees to be in this position come late August, let alone late July. In the outset of July, the Yankees trailed the division by 9 games and were heading towards a disappointing year, perceivably the first season since Derek Jeter broke into the major leagues where the Yankees would not qualify for the post season. With Yankee Stadium in its final season, what a shame that would be.
Fast forward to the present, and the Yankees have made up 6 games in under three weeks to put pressure on the division leaders and finally make this thing a three-team showdown instead of a two-team race. How have they done this? Simple; they have begun to play well-rounded baseball and the ball club is clicking, driven by players who are finally stepping out of the shadows of Jeter and A-Rod and are fulfilling their role, their duties to the club.
Wins don't come by hanging on the sliding shorts of superstars, praying to the bats of sluggers and the arms of a few. That is not how it works, and it appears that the Yankees are making that leap from the team that needs Rodriguez and Giambi to homer in order to win to a club that has catalysts, has guys that handle the bat and play defense, and then allows their boppers to do what they are paid to do. The pitching staff has a sub-2.00 ERA since the All-Star break, and a trip home to the Dominican Republic over the break reformed Robinson Cano, and he has responded with six multi-hit games in the last seven contests. Johnny Damon is back from the disabled list, and his bat is at the top of the line-up.
Everything about this New York team -- their confidence, swagger, ability -- was on display Friday evening in Boston, in an atmosphere that they may have crumbled in only a few weeks ago, up against a pitcher that the lineup may have draped with a white flag last month. Not now, not anymore. The Yankees are feeling this momentum, and they are tasting this division title and a playoff birth.
If there were any doubts surrounding how the Yankees were viewing this season, they were all cleaned up and thrown out in the fourth inning when it was first reported by SI.com that the Yankees had acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates for four minor league prospects. Nady will slide effortlessly into left field with Damon moving to the DH spot, and he will provide another big bat behind Giambi and in front of Cano in the order, creating a gauntlet that opposing teams will have to run four times a game to finish this club off. Marte will fill two holes for the Yankees. He is a shutdown southpaw that can get the left handed hitters out, and he also provides them with a quality option to set-up Mariano Rivera. As we saw Friday night, Kyle Farnsworth just cannot be counted out to provide critical outs in close ball games.
The story of the night was on the mound, and that is where we assumed it would come from given the pitching match-up. Joba Chamberlain and Josh Beckett both went seven innings, and both were outstanding. Everything and more you would expect from two legitimate "aces". With two great offenses like the Yankees and Red Sox, I certainly would have taken the "over" on 1 run, but this night was just a tough one for the men at the plate, it is not a precursor of slumps or sorts of offensive woes. The Yankees offense dangled mercilessly in the right arm of Beckett, while Boston's offense was chopped down by Chamberlain's slider. There is nothing more to make of it. Two dominant horses going at it. Sorry, fellas, today just isn't going to be your day.
Beckett delivered for the Red Sox Friday, it is unfortunate for them that they couldn't crack The Gas Chamber, a.k.a. Joba Chamberlain. Beckett baffled righties with his sharp breaking ball, and he froze lefties with a back-door two-seam fast ball that is simply devastating. The one run that the Yankees scored wasn't even fully earned-- a squirrelly ground ball by Jason Giambi barely rolled to the outfield grass, but with runners at the corners, two outs, and the right side of the infield playing the lefty shift, there was no man in position to field the ball as it crawled through the short stop hole.
That was all they got, but more importantly, it was all they needed. Beckett is entertaining to watch for the obvious reasons, those being that he has great stuff and is one of the best in the business. Yeah, we usually like watching those guys. But it's impossible not to gain more and more respect for this guy as we watch him progress through his career. He is a competitor, a grinder, and he just battles through each start, regardless of whether his teammates are helping him much or not. There is no reason why he should have lost this game, but that is simply the unlucky bounces of the baseball. Nothing you can do.
What is really impressive about Beckett is his poise and his ability to handle "pressure" and loud, hyped environments. The atmosphere of the big stage doesn't cause his focus to waver, doesn't force him to waffle from his game plan. Many guys are blatantly disturbed by the bright lights and the hundreds of television cameras, not to mention the millions of eyes that are tuned in. It is as if some pitchers stand on the mound like 100,000,000 fans are looking at that long, honking piece of spinach stuck between their two front teeth. Beckett stands up there and could be a spokesperson for Colgate, that is how comfortable he looks. What is the difference? Well. for beginners, a 10-game winner and a World Series champion. We will let you decide which one you prefer.
Beckett wasn't as sharp as usual Friday, and that is probably the reason why he came out on the short end. He put plenty of runners on base only to work out of the jams. His fast ball was hammered up the middle numerous times when it was left up and crept over the middle of the plate. The Yankees put on a show in the sense of how to handle arguably the best pitcher in the game. It was apparent that their plan at the plate was to wait for a good fast ball to hit and take it up the middle or the other way. Rarely was any player pulling off the ball, and by doing so, they were able to run up Beckett's pitch count quicker than he would have liked.
What happened on that same mound, though, in the other uniform, was an announcement. An inaugural address to the masses. What Joba Chamberlain did to the Fenway Park mound was nothing short of a dog pulling up on a fire hydrant. I'm here, fellas, and I'm going to do my thing. That's the essence of that message, and when a guy like Chamberlain pairs that attitude and confidence with his ability, greatness is brewing. That is the stepping stone to being the next Josh Beckett, if there is one. More likely, he will be the first Joba Chamberlain, because this kid just jumped from talented rookie to franchise cornerstone in the span of 21 outs.
Joba showed that fast ball, slider combo that makes the world's best hitters look foolish, but he also showed his curve ball and occasional change up. The curve ball buckled the best of them, because what choice did they really have? Chamberlain filled the zone with strikes but, more importantly, quality strikes. He offered up off speed pitches when the hitters had fast ball counts in their favor. One slight on Joba is that sometimes he gets too slider-happy, relying on the bender instead of abusing hitters with his explosive fast ball. When in doubt, go with the 98-mph hard one. If properly located, that pitch fails only by luck of the draw, it doesn't get flat out beat.
It was Chamberlain's dominance that captured the stage. Not many guys can go into that park, against that team, in front of those fans, and force the Red Sox to cry uncle due to a relentless moral beating. That is what happened, whether or not Red Sox Nation, the Fenway Faithful, or any other alias the greater Boston area prefers, wants to admit it. There was enough moxie spewing from the demeanor of Chamberlain to write a novel and mail it to a publisher titled, Beantown Bombing: The Night Joba Chamberlain Became A Yankee.
Hitter after hitter aimlessly walked to the plate with a prayer instead of a plan, and then sauntered back to the dugout with the hope that a Terry Francona butt-slap will lift their spirits. Mike Lowell's at-bat in the seventh inning told us all we needed to know about this night and about the Red Sox and about Joba Chamberlain. Joba broke off one of the dirtier sliders you will ever see, and Lowell buckled quicker than you can say "seat belt".
He stood at the plate for a second, confirming the nightmare, and gave an impassive peek back towards the mound, admitting his inability to compete on the same level, on this given night. The look on his face, that charcoal portrait of utter despair, should be pasted on the front page of the Boston sports sections tomorrow morning with the caption, "That's Why We Play 162". Seriously. That's no slight at Lowell or the Red Sox club. They are extremely talented, and certainly on of the favorites this season to contend for the World Series. But there is nothing to be done against a performance like the one Joba turned in, and being the savvy veteran that he is, Lowell knew it. Plain and simple.
The Red Sox still have a chance to win this series and actually pick up a game on the Yankees by the time the weekend is over. But New York is hot, winners of seven straight, and they are a team that must be choked-out when down. It may be considered somewhat vile in some circles to kick a man when he's down, but in baseball, it is absolutely imperative to choke-out the Yankees when their rival has the chance. Choke-out; as in lifeless.
Funny thing is, Boston ought to try, but Chamberlain beat them to the first punch. We can only hope for more match-ups like this one. A stage where the bright lights are dimmed, the roar is hummed down to a whisper, and the impending action bears the fruit of historically great baseball.
The Yankees prevailed on this night, 1-0, but the scoreboard only justifies the standings; what it fails to do is tell the story of the show, chronicle the details which will be the topic of conversation for many New Yorkers and Bostonians Saturday morning, and enrich the thrills that keep bringing us back to the game. Baseball, its players, and its story can do that for us, but mere numbers, I say, cannot.
But the numbers that do matter more than the score of tonight's ball game reside on the Green Monster in Fenway Park. That would be the standings of the American League East. The Yankees entered Friday 3 games behind the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in the division and the wild card. With this win, they pulled within 2 games of Boston in the wild card and kept pace with the Rays, who beat the Kansas City Royals.
There is hardly anyone around that expected the Yankees to be in this position come late August, let alone late July. In the outset of July, the Yankees trailed the division by 9 games and were heading towards a disappointing year, perceivably the first season since Derek Jeter broke into the major leagues where the Yankees would not qualify for the post season. With Yankee Stadium in its final season, what a shame that would be.
Fast forward to the present, and the Yankees have made up 6 games in under three weeks to put pressure on the division leaders and finally make this thing a three-team showdown instead of a two-team race. How have they done this? Simple; they have begun to play well-rounded baseball and the ball club is clicking, driven by players who are finally stepping out of the shadows of Jeter and A-Rod and are fulfilling their role, their duties to the club.
Wins don't come by hanging on the sliding shorts of superstars, praying to the bats of sluggers and the arms of a few. That is not how it works, and it appears that the Yankees are making that leap from the team that needs Rodriguez and Giambi to homer in order to win to a club that has catalysts, has guys that handle the bat and play defense, and then allows their boppers to do what they are paid to do. The pitching staff has a sub-2.00 ERA since the All-Star break, and a trip home to the Dominican Republic over the break reformed Robinson Cano, and he has responded with six multi-hit games in the last seven contests. Johnny Damon is back from the disabled list, and his bat is at the top of the line-up.
Everything about this New York team -- their confidence, swagger, ability -- was on display Friday evening in Boston, in an atmosphere that they may have crumbled in only a few weeks ago, up against a pitcher that the lineup may have draped with a white flag last month. Not now, not anymore. The Yankees are feeling this momentum, and they are tasting this division title and a playoff birth.
If there were any doubts surrounding how the Yankees were viewing this season, they were all cleaned up and thrown out in the fourth inning when it was first reported by SI.com that the Yankees had acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates for four minor league prospects. Nady will slide effortlessly into left field with Damon moving to the DH spot, and he will provide another big bat behind Giambi and in front of Cano in the order, creating a gauntlet that opposing teams will have to run four times a game to finish this club off. Marte will fill two holes for the Yankees. He is a shutdown southpaw that can get the left handed hitters out, and he also provides them with a quality option to set-up Mariano Rivera. As we saw Friday night, Kyle Farnsworth just cannot be counted out to provide critical outs in close ball games.
The story of the night was on the mound, and that is where we assumed it would come from given the pitching match-up. Joba Chamberlain and Josh Beckett both went seven innings, and both were outstanding. Everything and more you would expect from two legitimate "aces". With two great offenses like the Yankees and Red Sox, I certainly would have taken the "over" on 1 run, but this night was just a tough one for the men at the plate, it is not a precursor of slumps or sorts of offensive woes. The Yankees offense dangled mercilessly in the right arm of Beckett, while Boston's offense was chopped down by Chamberlain's slider. There is nothing more to make of it. Two dominant horses going at it. Sorry, fellas, today just isn't going to be your day.
Beckett delivered for the Red Sox Friday, it is unfortunate for them that they couldn't crack The Gas Chamber, a.k.a. Joba Chamberlain. Beckett baffled righties with his sharp breaking ball, and he froze lefties with a back-door two-seam fast ball that is simply devastating. The one run that the Yankees scored wasn't even fully earned-- a squirrelly ground ball by Jason Giambi barely rolled to the outfield grass, but with runners at the corners, two outs, and the right side of the infield playing the lefty shift, there was no man in position to field the ball as it crawled through the short stop hole.
That was all they got, but more importantly, it was all they needed. Beckett is entertaining to watch for the obvious reasons, those being that he has great stuff and is one of the best in the business. Yeah, we usually like watching those guys. But it's impossible not to gain more and more respect for this guy as we watch him progress through his career. He is a competitor, a grinder, and he just battles through each start, regardless of whether his teammates are helping him much or not. There is no reason why he should have lost this game, but that is simply the unlucky bounces of the baseball. Nothing you can do.
What is really impressive about Beckett is his poise and his ability to handle "pressure" and loud, hyped environments. The atmosphere of the big stage doesn't cause his focus to waver, doesn't force him to waffle from his game plan. Many guys are blatantly disturbed by the bright lights and the hundreds of television cameras, not to mention the millions of eyes that are tuned in. It is as if some pitchers stand on the mound like 100,000,000 fans are looking at that long, honking piece of spinach stuck between their two front teeth. Beckett stands up there and could be a spokesperson for Colgate, that is how comfortable he looks. What is the difference? Well. for beginners, a 10-game winner and a World Series champion. We will let you decide which one you prefer.
Beckett wasn't as sharp as usual Friday, and that is probably the reason why he came out on the short end. He put plenty of runners on base only to work out of the jams. His fast ball was hammered up the middle numerous times when it was left up and crept over the middle of the plate. The Yankees put on a show in the sense of how to handle arguably the best pitcher in the game. It was apparent that their plan at the plate was to wait for a good fast ball to hit and take it up the middle or the other way. Rarely was any player pulling off the ball, and by doing so, they were able to run up Beckett's pitch count quicker than he would have liked.
What happened on that same mound, though, in the other uniform, was an announcement. An inaugural address to the masses. What Joba Chamberlain did to the Fenway Park mound was nothing short of a dog pulling up on a fire hydrant. I'm here, fellas, and I'm going to do my thing. That's the essence of that message, and when a guy like Chamberlain pairs that attitude and confidence with his ability, greatness is brewing. That is the stepping stone to being the next Josh Beckett, if there is one. More likely, he will be the first Joba Chamberlain, because this kid just jumped from talented rookie to franchise cornerstone in the span of 21 outs.
Joba showed that fast ball, slider combo that makes the world's best hitters look foolish, but he also showed his curve ball and occasional change up. The curve ball buckled the best of them, because what choice did they really have? Chamberlain filled the zone with strikes but, more importantly, quality strikes. He offered up off speed pitches when the hitters had fast ball counts in their favor. One slight on Joba is that sometimes he gets too slider-happy, relying on the bender instead of abusing hitters with his explosive fast ball. When in doubt, go with the 98-mph hard one. If properly located, that pitch fails only by luck of the draw, it doesn't get flat out beat.
It was Chamberlain's dominance that captured the stage. Not many guys can go into that park, against that team, in front of those fans, and force the Red Sox to cry uncle due to a relentless moral beating. That is what happened, whether or not Red Sox Nation, the Fenway Faithful, or any other alias the greater Boston area prefers, wants to admit it. There was enough moxie spewing from the demeanor of Chamberlain to write a novel and mail it to a publisher titled, Beantown Bombing: The Night Joba Chamberlain Became A Yankee.
Hitter after hitter aimlessly walked to the plate with a prayer instead of a plan, and then sauntered back to the dugout with the hope that a Terry Francona butt-slap will lift their spirits. Mike Lowell's at-bat in the seventh inning told us all we needed to know about this night and about the Red Sox and about Joba Chamberlain. Joba broke off one of the dirtier sliders you will ever see, and Lowell buckled quicker than you can say "seat belt".
He stood at the plate for a second, confirming the nightmare, and gave an impassive peek back towards the mound, admitting his inability to compete on the same level, on this given night. The look on his face, that charcoal portrait of utter despair, should be pasted on the front page of the Boston sports sections tomorrow morning with the caption, "That's Why We Play 162". Seriously. That's no slight at Lowell or the Red Sox club. They are extremely talented, and certainly on of the favorites this season to contend for the World Series. But there is nothing to be done against a performance like the one Joba turned in, and being the savvy veteran that he is, Lowell knew it. Plain and simple.
The Red Sox still have a chance to win this series and actually pick up a game on the Yankees by the time the weekend is over. But New York is hot, winners of seven straight, and they are a team that must be choked-out when down. It may be considered somewhat vile in some circles to kick a man when he's down, but in baseball, it is absolutely imperative to choke-out the Yankees when their rival has the chance. Choke-out; as in lifeless.
Funny thing is, Boston ought to try, but Chamberlain beat them to the first punch. We can only hope for more match-ups like this one. A stage where the bright lights are dimmed, the roar is hummed down to a whisper, and the impending action bears the fruit of historically great baseball.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday morning notes
-- Many teams are off Thursday, but we've got a little recap action from Wednesday --
* We have one of the most intriguing races in the American League, and we also have one of the most embarrassing races in the American League. Starting with the "embarrassing", that would be the AL West. The Angels take a 10 game lead into today, 10 games over Oakland and 10.5 over Texas, and we still have a week left in July. I haven't seen anything like this. If the Angels play the kind of ball they are capable of playing, they are going to clinch the division with at least a full two weeks of regular season games left in September.
I like this Angels team, much more than everyone else I believe. Most people think they are "very, very close" -- I hear that all over talk radio -- but that they are a bat away and/or a bullpen piece away from really being a contender. I understand their shortcomings, but I don't see how those particularly will restrain them from grasping a World Series championship. Maybe they are a bat away from being absolutely the best team in baseball without a discussion? Could that be it?
I just don't quite understand why many of the baseball population refuse to acknowledge them as an American League favorite as they are, when they are simply outplaying every other team in the league. I will reserve a little judgement until they get back from this big East Coast road trip, but if they come out of that trip like they have been recently, there is no way you can continue to discount them as "the team to beat". There's no way.
Personally, I agree with Mike Scioscia and Tony Reagins when they say the offense they have now is enough to win it all this season. They scored 14 runs on Wednesday behind big days from Jeff Mathis, Casey Kotchman, and Howie Kendrick. They have averaged over 6 runs per game in almost the last month, so that is a big enough sample to assume that they are making some offensive progress. They pitch with anybody in baseball. I'm not sure any other club -- in fact, I am sure -- can match up with the Angels one through five. No team other than the Angels, has five starters that can dominate a ball game on any given night. Nobody. Their bullpen? Who has a better bullpen than the Angels? Beats me. There are other good bullpens out there -- Chicago's can be good, New York's can be good, Boston too if they can figure it out before Papelbon -- but the trio of Shields-Arredondo--Rodriguez is unparalleled in baseball.
There is a funny thing about this Angels team that I have been talking about lately, an unidentified quality that is elusive and hard to quantify. Maybe it is "chemistry", or "will", or their ability to "compete", I don't know. But every time I watch the Angels, the one thing that sticks out the most is that they are never -- I mean, never -- out of a ball game, and they simply find ways to win. Regardless of whether they are playing great baseball at the time or not. If they are playing great ball, forget about it, they are going to crush any team on the schedule, including the Red Sox. But if the offense struggles, the pitching picks them up. If the pitching is struggling, the offense pulls out a 14-run game. Funny thing, this team.
They get it done, and it is rather unexplainable. A prefect example is this Cleveland series they just wrapped up. The Angels were coming off an emotional sweep of Boston, and it wouldn't have been unpredictable if they came out flat against this Indians team that is rather known as a "patsy" this season. And that is exactly what happened. Ervin Santana wasn't good Monday night, and they were beat by Paul Byrd. Jered Weaver had to leave Tuesday night's game after three innings, and the bullpen pick up the slack and carried them to a win. And then the hit-a-thon on Wednesday capped another series victory and gave John Lackey the win on a day where he gave up six runs in five innings, when overall, they really didn't play that well for the last three games. But they won two of them. That is what is unique about this club, and we will see where that takes them. But, what I'm saying is, there is more to baseball and more to a team than the names on the roster. Plugging in expensive pieces doesn't guarantee an upgrade.
* For the intriguing race, we go to the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays have cooled off a little in the last two weeks, but they are starting to play some good baseball again, possibly getting healthy against the Oakland A's, and they take a 1/2 game lead into today over the Red Sox, winners of three straight and fresh off their first road sweep of the season. The Rays have the bats, they have the bullpen pieces when a healthy Percival is at the back end, now the only question is can their young starters remain consistent for an entire season, and potentially into the post season?
None of them have experienced this kind of workload, in any season, and they will find out this season what it means to be pitching in big games for the final month and a half. Will they be able to handle that pressure? I think so. They have a great manager in Joe Maddon, a guy who has a clear path and is driven to get this team to succeed, and most importantly he knows how to get them to play loose and let their ability take over. If it comes down to ability, well this Rays team can stack up with anybody in baseball. Longoria is a stud, Upton is a stud, Crawford is still dynamic, Pena can provide pop if he gets hot. They have the guys to do this. The mental side of dealing with uncharted waters for the first time will be the biggest test, and that is where a great manager can make a difference. I think they have an advantage there.
The Red Sox are going to be there in the end, whether that be the division title or the wild card. They are too talented a team; they will be in the post season. They certainly have the offense, but I have a couple questions -- not so much concerns -- with this club. The one issue regarding the offense is this sudden knee problem surrounding Manny Ramirez. I don't think it is serious, but he is suddenly in doubt about this weekend's series against the Yankees. With Ortiz coming back, the Red Sox can't afford to lose Manny, or else they are just running in place. On the mound, the bullpen is a mess right now. Terry Francona has no idea who to give the ball to before it gets to Papelbon. Timlin, Hansen, Delcarmen, et al. None of them have separated themselves as reliable arms. That is certainly something that will need to be worked out, and they may address that via trade before the deadline passes. And don't forget, they are in the process of converting Justin Masterson to the bullpen, and he is back with the big club.
In the rotation, you have Beckett, you have Lester, but I suddenly question if the last three spots are as stable as some believe. I don't think they are, and I am a bit surprised because I was one of many who thought this rotation would be stacked at the beginning of the season. Matsuzaka has the stuff to be dominant, but he walks so many guys I have to wonder when is that going to come back and haunt him? I wonder if they give out walks on birthdays in Japan? I'm shocked if he walks less than five in any given start. At some point, against some good team late in the season, those walks are going to cost the Red Sox a game. I have to think so because baseball simply doesn't tend to reward pitchers who walk guys.
Clay Buchholz -- a rather unknown quantity at this point. This kid is good, good stuff, has the ability to beat anyone -- shoot, he threw a no-hitter in his second career start -- but he is inconsistent like most young pitchers. Is he going to be able to pitch well in a pennant race? I would rather take the Rays young starters over him, just because I don't know if he is quite ready for the city of Boston in September. I saw him pitch in Anaheim this past weekend, and he seemed a bit timid on the mound. Not a great presence, which was surprising for a guy with such good stuff. A lack of confidence is exposed immediately in a playoff race. You have no chance in the post season if the is not the belief there. And Wakefield rounds it out. Wakefield has been great this season, and I assume he will sustain it because I don't see any reason why he shouldn't. Veteran guy who throws a good knuckleball -- that can be tough. But, like any other knuckleball guy, watching them pitch is like driving with your foot constantly hovering over the break. You are just anticipating the break lights, and you want to avoid rear-ending the car in front of you.
To much surprise, the talk of the AL East is back on the Yankees, as they have come out of the second half swinging for the division. The Yankees have won six straight including ten straight at home, and are beginning to look somewhat like the club we expect them to be -- i.e. a contender. Of course for all the good things that are going on around the Yankees right now, there is still a Buyer Beware sign attached to their cap.
The offense is surging as of late, and it has to do with the emergence of Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano. Jeter has been playing like the integral part he is, A-Rod is swinging the bat like one of the best hitters in baseball should be, and Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon round out the lineup with some spark. But, really, the resurgence is due to Cano. Cano has been little short of miserable this season, disappointing when many thought this season was going to be the year where he broke out in a big way.
Maybe the second half is what they all meant. Cano has had at least two hits in every game since the All-Star break, and is capable of carrying an offense if he hits like expected. In fact, he is so dynamic with the bat, he really could hit anywhere from the two-hole through sixth in the order and have a huge impact. He can get on base, is a hits machine, and has pop in his bat allowing him to drive in runs. I think he fits great in the fifth spot, right behind Alex Rodriguez. There should be plenty guys on base when he gets to the plate -- if A-Rod doesn't clean them all up with one swing.
Of course, the rotation faces the same questions of whether or not they can sustain their performance, and the injuries have held the Yankees back in this race. They are thin at catcher now that Jorge Posada is done catching for the season, and possibly done playing for the season if he decides to undergo surgery to repair his right shoulder. Hideki Matsui looks like he will not return, and right there the Yankees are missing two big pieces of their offense.
The rotation has been solid, but can they keep it up is the question. After last season, who would have thought Mike Mussina would be pitching like this? Eight shutout innings against the Twins the other night, god for his 13th win of the season. What a great story. Andy Pettitte has found himself again after getting off to a slow stat this year. He has been great in the last month and has taken over the "ace" role after knowing that Chien-Ming Wang is done for the season. Joba Chamberlain is becoming a dominant starter with every start. So there is a lot to be excited about in The Bronx right now. Of course, the four and five spots are uncertain at best, in the long run. Sidney Ponson and Darrel Rasner occupy them, and to their credit have turned in some good starts, but what they can provide is still somewhat of a mystery. Could they get the job done for the Yankees? Absolutely. Will they? Like all of these other teams facing the same questions, only the remaining games will tell.
* We have one of the most intriguing races in the American League, and we also have one of the most embarrassing races in the American League. Starting with the "embarrassing", that would be the AL West. The Angels take a 10 game lead into today, 10 games over Oakland and 10.5 over Texas, and we still have a week left in July. I haven't seen anything like this. If the Angels play the kind of ball they are capable of playing, they are going to clinch the division with at least a full two weeks of regular season games left in September.
I like this Angels team, much more than everyone else I believe. Most people think they are "very, very close" -- I hear that all over talk radio -- but that they are a bat away and/or a bullpen piece away from really being a contender. I understand their shortcomings, but I don't see how those particularly will restrain them from grasping a World Series championship. Maybe they are a bat away from being absolutely the best team in baseball without a discussion? Could that be it?
I just don't quite understand why many of the baseball population refuse to acknowledge them as an American League favorite as they are, when they are simply outplaying every other team in the league. I will reserve a little judgement until they get back from this big East Coast road trip, but if they come out of that trip like they have been recently, there is no way you can continue to discount them as "the team to beat". There's no way.
Personally, I agree with Mike Scioscia and Tony Reagins when they say the offense they have now is enough to win it all this season. They scored 14 runs on Wednesday behind big days from Jeff Mathis, Casey Kotchman, and Howie Kendrick. They have averaged over 6 runs per game in almost the last month, so that is a big enough sample to assume that they are making some offensive progress. They pitch with anybody in baseball. I'm not sure any other club -- in fact, I am sure -- can match up with the Angels one through five. No team other than the Angels, has five starters that can dominate a ball game on any given night. Nobody. Their bullpen? Who has a better bullpen than the Angels? Beats me. There are other good bullpens out there -- Chicago's can be good, New York's can be good, Boston too if they can figure it out before Papelbon -- but the trio of Shields-Arredondo--Rodriguez is unparalleled in baseball.
There is a funny thing about this Angels team that I have been talking about lately, an unidentified quality that is elusive and hard to quantify. Maybe it is "chemistry", or "will", or their ability to "compete", I don't know. But every time I watch the Angels, the one thing that sticks out the most is that they are never -- I mean, never -- out of a ball game, and they simply find ways to win. Regardless of whether they are playing great baseball at the time or not. If they are playing great ball, forget about it, they are going to crush any team on the schedule, including the Red Sox. But if the offense struggles, the pitching picks them up. If the pitching is struggling, the offense pulls out a 14-run game. Funny thing, this team.
They get it done, and it is rather unexplainable. A prefect example is this Cleveland series they just wrapped up. The Angels were coming off an emotional sweep of Boston, and it wouldn't have been unpredictable if they came out flat against this Indians team that is rather known as a "patsy" this season. And that is exactly what happened. Ervin Santana wasn't good Monday night, and they were beat by Paul Byrd. Jered Weaver had to leave Tuesday night's game after three innings, and the bullpen pick up the slack and carried them to a win. And then the hit-a-thon on Wednesday capped another series victory and gave John Lackey the win on a day where he gave up six runs in five innings, when overall, they really didn't play that well for the last three games. But they won two of them. That is what is unique about this club, and we will see where that takes them. But, what I'm saying is, there is more to baseball and more to a team than the names on the roster. Plugging in expensive pieces doesn't guarantee an upgrade.
* For the intriguing race, we go to the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays have cooled off a little in the last two weeks, but they are starting to play some good baseball again, possibly getting healthy against the Oakland A's, and they take a 1/2 game lead into today over the Red Sox, winners of three straight and fresh off their first road sweep of the season. The Rays have the bats, they have the bullpen pieces when a healthy Percival is at the back end, now the only question is can their young starters remain consistent for an entire season, and potentially into the post season?
None of them have experienced this kind of workload, in any season, and they will find out this season what it means to be pitching in big games for the final month and a half. Will they be able to handle that pressure? I think so. They have a great manager in Joe Maddon, a guy who has a clear path and is driven to get this team to succeed, and most importantly he knows how to get them to play loose and let their ability take over. If it comes down to ability, well this Rays team can stack up with anybody in baseball. Longoria is a stud, Upton is a stud, Crawford is still dynamic, Pena can provide pop if he gets hot. They have the guys to do this. The mental side of dealing with uncharted waters for the first time will be the biggest test, and that is where a great manager can make a difference. I think they have an advantage there.
The Red Sox are going to be there in the end, whether that be the division title or the wild card. They are too talented a team; they will be in the post season. They certainly have the offense, but I have a couple questions -- not so much concerns -- with this club. The one issue regarding the offense is this sudden knee problem surrounding Manny Ramirez. I don't think it is serious, but he is suddenly in doubt about this weekend's series against the Yankees. With Ortiz coming back, the Red Sox can't afford to lose Manny, or else they are just running in place. On the mound, the bullpen is a mess right now. Terry Francona has no idea who to give the ball to before it gets to Papelbon. Timlin, Hansen, Delcarmen, et al. None of them have separated themselves as reliable arms. That is certainly something that will need to be worked out, and they may address that via trade before the deadline passes. And don't forget, they are in the process of converting Justin Masterson to the bullpen, and he is back with the big club.
In the rotation, you have Beckett, you have Lester, but I suddenly question if the last three spots are as stable as some believe. I don't think they are, and I am a bit surprised because I was one of many who thought this rotation would be stacked at the beginning of the season. Matsuzaka has the stuff to be dominant, but he walks so many guys I have to wonder when is that going to come back and haunt him? I wonder if they give out walks on birthdays in Japan? I'm shocked if he walks less than five in any given start. At some point, against some good team late in the season, those walks are going to cost the Red Sox a game. I have to think so because baseball simply doesn't tend to reward pitchers who walk guys.
Clay Buchholz -- a rather unknown quantity at this point. This kid is good, good stuff, has the ability to beat anyone -- shoot, he threw a no-hitter in his second career start -- but he is inconsistent like most young pitchers. Is he going to be able to pitch well in a pennant race? I would rather take the Rays young starters over him, just because I don't know if he is quite ready for the city of Boston in September. I saw him pitch in Anaheim this past weekend, and he seemed a bit timid on the mound. Not a great presence, which was surprising for a guy with such good stuff. A lack of confidence is exposed immediately in a playoff race. You have no chance in the post season if the is not the belief there. And Wakefield rounds it out. Wakefield has been great this season, and I assume he will sustain it because I don't see any reason why he shouldn't. Veteran guy who throws a good knuckleball -- that can be tough. But, like any other knuckleball guy, watching them pitch is like driving with your foot constantly hovering over the break. You are just anticipating the break lights, and you want to avoid rear-ending the car in front of you.
To much surprise, the talk of the AL East is back on the Yankees, as they have come out of the second half swinging for the division. The Yankees have won six straight including ten straight at home, and are beginning to look somewhat like the club we expect them to be -- i.e. a contender. Of course for all the good things that are going on around the Yankees right now, there is still a Buyer Beware sign attached to their cap.
The offense is surging as of late, and it has to do with the emergence of Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano. Jeter has been playing like the integral part he is, A-Rod is swinging the bat like one of the best hitters in baseball should be, and Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon round out the lineup with some spark. But, really, the resurgence is due to Cano. Cano has been little short of miserable this season, disappointing when many thought this season was going to be the year where he broke out in a big way.
Maybe the second half is what they all meant. Cano has had at least two hits in every game since the All-Star break, and is capable of carrying an offense if he hits like expected. In fact, he is so dynamic with the bat, he really could hit anywhere from the two-hole through sixth in the order and have a huge impact. He can get on base, is a hits machine, and has pop in his bat allowing him to drive in runs. I think he fits great in the fifth spot, right behind Alex Rodriguez. There should be plenty guys on base when he gets to the plate -- if A-Rod doesn't clean them all up with one swing.
Of course, the rotation faces the same questions of whether or not they can sustain their performance, and the injuries have held the Yankees back in this race. They are thin at catcher now that Jorge Posada is done catching for the season, and possibly done playing for the season if he decides to undergo surgery to repair his right shoulder. Hideki Matsui looks like he will not return, and right there the Yankees are missing two big pieces of their offense.
The rotation has been solid, but can they keep it up is the question. After last season, who would have thought Mike Mussina would be pitching like this? Eight shutout innings against the Twins the other night, god for his 13th win of the season. What a great story. Andy Pettitte has found himself again after getting off to a slow stat this year. He has been great in the last month and has taken over the "ace" role after knowing that Chien-Ming Wang is done for the season. Joba Chamberlain is becoming a dominant starter with every start. So there is a lot to be excited about in The Bronx right now. Of course, the four and five spots are uncertain at best, in the long run. Sidney Ponson and Darrel Rasner occupy them, and to their credit have turned in some good starts, but what they can provide is still somewhat of a mystery. Could they get the job done for the Yankees? Absolutely. Will they? Like all of these other teams facing the same questions, only the remaining games will tell.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Round two nothing more than rocky road
This time around certainly didn't carry as much hype as the debut, naturally, and at least for the time being, the weight of the world and the Dodgers didn't fall on the shoulders of Clayton Kershaw. The top pitching prospect in the Dodgers' organization was recalled to the major leagues on Tuesday to start against the Colorado Rockies that evening, his second big league stint this season.
Kershaw, Los Angeles' first round pick in the 2006 first-year player draft, came out of high school throwing his fast ball in the mid-90s to go along with a curve ball that we haven't seen since, well, Sandy Koufax, as some scouts say. That is without mentioning that the youngster is a 6 foot 3 inch, 210 pound southpaw, and you completely understand why he is a big time prospect, arguably among the top prospects in all of baseball.
The folks in Los Angeles, and the diehards around the country for that matter, have been checking their calendars and adjusting their Kershaw Arrival Countdowns daily. He is a kid that graduated high school with so much fanfare that we wanted him in the big leagues within months. Forget the maturation process that every ball player has to go through, this kid has great stuff and we want him in the big leagues now.
That was the attitude, and you can't really blame the Dodger fan base. I mean, what has there been to really be excited about since Jose Lima's gem in the 2004 playoffs? That seems like the high light of the franchise since Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series, and that was only one playoff win before the Dodgers realized they were playing Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. With Lima being the keeper of this franchise's proudest moment of the new millennium, it is understandable why the Kershaw Bandwagon filled up faster than a Mobil station would if it were offering $1.50 per gallon of gas.
Of course, James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier have risen to the big league level and are beginning to supplant the old Dodgers core and make their name as the future of this franchise. We can't forget about the emergence of Russell Martin as one of the best catchers in the game today, nor do we need to be reminded about Chad Billingsley and his ace-like repertoire or Jonathan Broxton at the back of the bullpen with his fast ball/slider combo that effectively detonates upon release. We've got all of that and understand that there is a foundation in place. As long as no more old, injury-prone contracts are added to this club, the Dodgers have something cooking.
So, no, I'm not putting this Dodgers club on the same level as the Mariners, Royals, Astros, or any other of the handful of clubs that have more than some rebuilding to do. The Dodgers are not rebuilding, they are making their push to the top. But you can see what all the fuss was about when Kershaw finally put that Dodger Blue on and pulled that "LA" down to his brow, standing 60 feet 6 inches away from baseball euphoria.
In a time where there hasn't been a whole lot to get real excited about, more frustration than production, the kid from Highland Park, Texas gave this city, this organization, a reason to be excited and to project. That is the natural thing to do, and that is the beauty of following your favorite team and their prospects. It is all part of it. But projection is a two-way street, in the sense that we must be able to cope with reality and endure the shortcomings until our prize reaches the final stage. We cannot get too wrapped up in short stints and shorter starts in the big leagues, because we ought to expect these growing pains from even the most promising of young hurlers.
Kershaw came to LA in late May, and made his debut against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched well, probably well enough to win, but the bullpen couldn't hang on to his lead after he departed following six strong innings. Nonetheless, he was here, in LA, in the big leagues, and in his first start, he showed glimpses of everything that we have thought he would be since the Dodgers drafted him. That was the hook, the sickening line and sinker that pulls you right down with the rest of us. That is the time to tamper expectations and realize what is on hand. Much easier said than done.
He spent eight starts with the Dodgers before being sent back to the minor leagues to hone his fast ball command and the feel for the off speed pitches, and here he was Tuesday, back with the big club, displaying his Dodgers No. 22, ready to take on the Rockies at Coors Field. And the subsequent performance is not out of the ordinary when it comes to 20-year-olds in the major leagues -- the kid got crushed, and the Dodgers were embarrassed by Ubaldo Jimenez in a 10-1 rout.
Kershaw lasted into the fourth inning, surrendering five runs on 10 hits and three walks. This is where we need to gain a little perspective and tap into some patience. Sure, bad day at the ball park, but it beats a bad day at the office. And no, they are not the same, regardless of whichever athlete refers to the stadium as "the office". It wasn't the best day for any major league pitcher, let alone a kid that still can't buy a beer with his teammates after taking a tough one on the chops like he did Tuesday evening.
I was as guilty as anybody to succumbing to the hype and anticipation of Kershaw arriving in a Dodger uniform. I pulled hard for the kid, I mean hard on a start-to-start basis, for him to find that command of the fast ball and stick in the big leagues without having to return to the long bus rides and smelly motels that accompany the minor league lifestyle. I wanted him to throw a no-hitter or strike out 20 hitters every time out, simply because I couldn't get over what a story all of this would be. I was so inebriated on the toxin that is young, supernatural talent, I expected this kid to reinvent pitching to the game of baseball. Hey, splashes of glory sometimes get the best of us; I can testify.
So when I learned that Kershaw was back for another trip and he would be on the mound on Tuesday night, I was intrigued for sure, but I was not overjoyed like I was in his first trip to The Show. This time around, I was smarter than that. I didn't take everything as a given, rather I waited for it to be proven. Has he really improved his fast ball command? Can he really throw his secondary stuff for strikes and as an out-pitch? Instead of buying into unproven lore, I simply kicked around questions and waited for the answers.
What did we see? Well we saw the same good stuff, but we also saw that this is a process and that we may have to wait until 2009 before Kershaw can even begin to scratch the surface of his potential. And that is alright. We don't have to have the goods over night, like we thought we did in June. That's not how this game works, or any profession for that matter. Talent can't be taught, but experience has to be gained, regardless.
Kershaw said after the game that he actually felt he had pretty good command. He wasn't bad, but that is the difference between big leaguers and minor leaguers. If the fast ball is up and over the plate, it is not going to get by these guys. If the curve ball hangs a little bit, the No. 7 hitter isn't going to be fooled. That is life on the highest level, and don't worry, Clayton will adjust to that.
Kershaw still has refinement to do, but who doesn't? No pitcher is ever done tweaking something until the day he retires. The nature of the business, as they say. Joe Torre said before the ball game that he plans on keeping Kershaw in the big league rotation for the rest of the season. Maybe the kid needs some more time in the minor leagues, or maybe he needs to make these adjustments at the big league level, since he is obviously dominating the farm.
The thing is, we shouldn't be surprised about anything that transpires from here to the end of the season. When it clicks, it clicks; it sure is an elusive thing, this maturing process. If Kershaw pitches nothing like the guy he is capable of becoming, well I won't be that surprised because I ask myself what other 20-year-old pitchers look like. Where are they? Double-A? Maybe? Exactly.
At the same time, if Kershaw joins Billingsley at the front of this rotation along with Kuroda and Lowe, and is an integral part in the Dodgers run for the NL West title and beyond, that wouldn't be some revelation by any means. We never said that we weren't sure of what this kid is capable of. The unclear thing is when he will get there. That, only time and innings will tell.
Kershaw needs to learn to throw his great fast ball at the knees consistently, and be smart with his breaking ball and change up. Be smart, as in know the count. Learn how to throw it over the plate for a strike when he wants to pitch "backwards", and know how to bury it when he is ahead. When he masters those two elements of pitching, he will begin to take off like we were hoping for when he first came around.
So for now, we ought to tune into Vin Scully's telecast when Kershaw pitches with the interest that we may see something special, witness some growth in the kid that is going to bring more playoff games to Chavez Ravine. At the same time, before you get too riled up or irritated because Kershaw isn't taking a shutout into the eighth inning, ask yourself what you were doing at 20 years old. If we can do that, we will begin to understand what this is all about and actually how far ahead he is of the rest of the game, not how much work he still needs to accomplish. Enjoy the talent, but enjoy the process more so, since that is more important . Understand this isn't basketball or football. You can't have LeBron James' body and drive the ball to plate like he drives to the hoop, and you can't have Reggie Bush's speed and run the ball through the catcher's mitt like he takes it to the end zone. This game, our game, requires the mastery of technicalities and specific skill.
Don't worry, the great performances are coming, but if Clayton Kershaw would have fulfilled his college commitment to Texas A & M out of high school instead of signing with the Dodgers, he would report to campus this fall, and still have another full season of baseball to play before he would even be eligible to enter the pro ranks. Just think about that.
Kershaw, Los Angeles' first round pick in the 2006 first-year player draft, came out of high school throwing his fast ball in the mid-90s to go along with a curve ball that we haven't seen since, well, Sandy Koufax, as some scouts say. That is without mentioning that the youngster is a 6 foot 3 inch, 210 pound southpaw, and you completely understand why he is a big time prospect, arguably among the top prospects in all of baseball.
The folks in Los Angeles, and the diehards around the country for that matter, have been checking their calendars and adjusting their Kershaw Arrival Countdowns daily. He is a kid that graduated high school with so much fanfare that we wanted him in the big leagues within months. Forget the maturation process that every ball player has to go through, this kid has great stuff and we want him in the big leagues now.
That was the attitude, and you can't really blame the Dodger fan base. I mean, what has there been to really be excited about since Jose Lima's gem in the 2004 playoffs? That seems like the high light of the franchise since Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series, and that was only one playoff win before the Dodgers realized they were playing Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. With Lima being the keeper of this franchise's proudest moment of the new millennium, it is understandable why the Kershaw Bandwagon filled up faster than a Mobil station would if it were offering $1.50 per gallon of gas.
Of course, James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier have risen to the big league level and are beginning to supplant the old Dodgers core and make their name as the future of this franchise. We can't forget about the emergence of Russell Martin as one of the best catchers in the game today, nor do we need to be reminded about Chad Billingsley and his ace-like repertoire or Jonathan Broxton at the back of the bullpen with his fast ball/slider combo that effectively detonates upon release. We've got all of that and understand that there is a foundation in place. As long as no more old, injury-prone contracts are added to this club, the Dodgers have something cooking.
So, no, I'm not putting this Dodgers club on the same level as the Mariners, Royals, Astros, or any other of the handful of clubs that have more than some rebuilding to do. The Dodgers are not rebuilding, they are making their push to the top. But you can see what all the fuss was about when Kershaw finally put that Dodger Blue on and pulled that "LA" down to his brow, standing 60 feet 6 inches away from baseball euphoria.
In a time where there hasn't been a whole lot to get real excited about, more frustration than production, the kid from Highland Park, Texas gave this city, this organization, a reason to be excited and to project. That is the natural thing to do, and that is the beauty of following your favorite team and their prospects. It is all part of it. But projection is a two-way street, in the sense that we must be able to cope with reality and endure the shortcomings until our prize reaches the final stage. We cannot get too wrapped up in short stints and shorter starts in the big leagues, because we ought to expect these growing pains from even the most promising of young hurlers.
Kershaw came to LA in late May, and made his debut against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched well, probably well enough to win, but the bullpen couldn't hang on to his lead after he departed following six strong innings. Nonetheless, he was here, in LA, in the big leagues, and in his first start, he showed glimpses of everything that we have thought he would be since the Dodgers drafted him. That was the hook, the sickening line and sinker that pulls you right down with the rest of us. That is the time to tamper expectations and realize what is on hand. Much easier said than done.
He spent eight starts with the Dodgers before being sent back to the minor leagues to hone his fast ball command and the feel for the off speed pitches, and here he was Tuesday, back with the big club, displaying his Dodgers No. 22, ready to take on the Rockies at Coors Field. And the subsequent performance is not out of the ordinary when it comes to 20-year-olds in the major leagues -- the kid got crushed, and the Dodgers were embarrassed by Ubaldo Jimenez in a 10-1 rout.
Kershaw lasted into the fourth inning, surrendering five runs on 10 hits and three walks. This is where we need to gain a little perspective and tap into some patience. Sure, bad day at the ball park, but it beats a bad day at the office. And no, they are not the same, regardless of whichever athlete refers to the stadium as "the office". It wasn't the best day for any major league pitcher, let alone a kid that still can't buy a beer with his teammates after taking a tough one on the chops like he did Tuesday evening.
I was as guilty as anybody to succumbing to the hype and anticipation of Kershaw arriving in a Dodger uniform. I pulled hard for the kid, I mean hard on a start-to-start basis, for him to find that command of the fast ball and stick in the big leagues without having to return to the long bus rides and smelly motels that accompany the minor league lifestyle. I wanted him to throw a no-hitter or strike out 20 hitters every time out, simply because I couldn't get over what a story all of this would be. I was so inebriated on the toxin that is young, supernatural talent, I expected this kid to reinvent pitching to the game of baseball. Hey, splashes of glory sometimes get the best of us; I can testify.
So when I learned that Kershaw was back for another trip and he would be on the mound on Tuesday night, I was intrigued for sure, but I was not overjoyed like I was in his first trip to The Show. This time around, I was smarter than that. I didn't take everything as a given, rather I waited for it to be proven. Has he really improved his fast ball command? Can he really throw his secondary stuff for strikes and as an out-pitch? Instead of buying into unproven lore, I simply kicked around questions and waited for the answers.
What did we see? Well we saw the same good stuff, but we also saw that this is a process and that we may have to wait until 2009 before Kershaw can even begin to scratch the surface of his potential. And that is alright. We don't have to have the goods over night, like we thought we did in June. That's not how this game works, or any profession for that matter. Talent can't be taught, but experience has to be gained, regardless.
Kershaw said after the game that he actually felt he had pretty good command. He wasn't bad, but that is the difference between big leaguers and minor leaguers. If the fast ball is up and over the plate, it is not going to get by these guys. If the curve ball hangs a little bit, the No. 7 hitter isn't going to be fooled. That is life on the highest level, and don't worry, Clayton will adjust to that.
Kershaw still has refinement to do, but who doesn't? No pitcher is ever done tweaking something until the day he retires. The nature of the business, as they say. Joe Torre said before the ball game that he plans on keeping Kershaw in the big league rotation for the rest of the season. Maybe the kid needs some more time in the minor leagues, or maybe he needs to make these adjustments at the big league level, since he is obviously dominating the farm.
The thing is, we shouldn't be surprised about anything that transpires from here to the end of the season. When it clicks, it clicks; it sure is an elusive thing, this maturing process. If Kershaw pitches nothing like the guy he is capable of becoming, well I won't be that surprised because I ask myself what other 20-year-old pitchers look like. Where are they? Double-A? Maybe? Exactly.
At the same time, if Kershaw joins Billingsley at the front of this rotation along with Kuroda and Lowe, and is an integral part in the Dodgers run for the NL West title and beyond, that wouldn't be some revelation by any means. We never said that we weren't sure of what this kid is capable of. The unclear thing is when he will get there. That, only time and innings will tell.
Kershaw needs to learn to throw his great fast ball at the knees consistently, and be smart with his breaking ball and change up. Be smart, as in know the count. Learn how to throw it over the plate for a strike when he wants to pitch "backwards", and know how to bury it when he is ahead. When he masters those two elements of pitching, he will begin to take off like we were hoping for when he first came around.
So for now, we ought to tune into Vin Scully's telecast when Kershaw pitches with the interest that we may see something special, witness some growth in the kid that is going to bring more playoff games to Chavez Ravine. At the same time, before you get too riled up or irritated because Kershaw isn't taking a shutout into the eighth inning, ask yourself what you were doing at 20 years old. If we can do that, we will begin to understand what this is all about and actually how far ahead he is of the rest of the game, not how much work he still needs to accomplish. Enjoy the talent, but enjoy the process more so, since that is more important . Understand this isn't basketball or football. You can't have LeBron James' body and drive the ball to plate like he drives to the hoop, and you can't have Reggie Bush's speed and run the ball through the catcher's mitt like he takes it to the end zone. This game, our game, requires the mastery of technicalities and specific skill.
Don't worry, the great performances are coming, but if Clayton Kershaw would have fulfilled his college commitment to Texas A & M out of high school instead of signing with the Dodgers, he would report to campus this fall, and still have another full season of baseball to play before he would even be eligible to enter the pro ranks. Just think about that.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday afternoon notes
* The title for Best American League Team is becoming more and more clear as the Angels continue to dismantle friend or foe, home or away. The Angels opened the second half by sweeping the Boston Red Sox in a three game series in Anaheim, leaving the "AL Power" discussion open for debate.
The Angels beat the Red Sox in more ways than one. They out-hit them on the weekend, routing them 11-3 on Friday night. They pitched better than them, had better at-bats, played (arguably) better defense, even utilized their bullpen better. Josh Beckett shoved it for six innings on Saturday, before the Angels tagged him with four runs in the seventh inning, and handed the ball to closer Frankie Rodriguez to save the game.
On Sunday, Jon Garland pitched seven strong innings, out-dueling Tim Wakefield, and the Angels took control of the game in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases against Wakefield, allowing Casey Kotchman to hit a bases-clearing double against Manny Delcarmen. Of course, Rodriguez came on and struck out the side in the ninth for his major league-leading 40th save.
The Red Sox didn't even use Jonathan Papelbon during the series, and they will be getting David Ortiz back from the disabled list soon. We get that. For kicks, the Red Sox have been horrible on the road, and the Angels have the best road record in baseball. I'm going to call these two points a wash, and disregard both of them just for the sake of matching these teams up.
Sure, winning on the road is an attitude, and some teams do it better than others. But I don't believe the Red Sox are necessarily a "worse" team because their road record says they have underachieved. There are plenty of variables that could have gone into those ball games that they lost, and if they caught a few more breaks and won five of those games that they lost on the road, we would all of a sudden be talking about them in a different light? I'm not buying into that; that's baseball.
I'm not buying into the Red Sox road record just like I'm not buying into the fact that they are the best team in the AL when Ortiz comes back and they straighten that bullpen out. There is no saying that they will be better than the Angels, or the Yankees or Rays for that matter. It is time that the baseball world accept this Angels team for what they are -- consistent winners.
Most baseball critics believe they are a bat away from being the favorites to win the World Series. Would another bat take their lineup to another level and add much needed depth to the middle of the order? Absolutely. Do they need that bat to win the World Series? I don't think so. It would be nice, but I think they are plenty well equipped. This team is a funny one to explain because it seems as if their offense does just enough to win games. When their starters get shelled, they score 8 runs to win by one. When their starters are on, okay, maybe Frankie gets some breathing room and has a two or three run lead when he comes into his save situation.
Bottom line, he is still going to be in plenty more save situations and this great bullpen of theirs is going to be required to record important outs for the remainder of the season. That is just how it is going to be. They are so good in their execution, though, that they can get by with what they have because their lineup is confident and they don't shy away from the spotlight.
When it comes down to it, Matt Holliday would be a nice piece in left field. But my point is exactly this: Without Holliday, their pitching staff is going to have to perform the way they have been in order for them to win it all. With Holliday, their pitching staff is going to have to perform the way they have been in order for them to win it all.
Nobody blows anybody out in the playoffs, Boston's dismantling of Colorado last October notwithstanding. Any winner is going to have to pitch and they are going to have to pitch well. No team, be it the Red Sox or Tigers or anyone else, with a great offense is going to be able to mash their way to a ring. It just doesn't happen that way. Yes, a bat would increase the Angels' chances of winning the World Series. But no, that bat will not make or break their post season. The Angels are already arguably the best team in baseball, and the defending World Champs can attest to that.
* Some Yankee news on today's front. I am among those who had written the Yankees of in the past few weeks, not entirely but mostly. They were never "dead" in my mind, but they had certainly entered the stage of "it's going to be quite difficult" to make the post season. That being said, I always leave room for a New York comeback of some sort, if only because they are the Yankees and we expect them to field a contending club each season.
With the Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Twins, Tigers, and Angels competing for a total of four playoff spots, I didn't see much room for the Bombers to fit in. And that was a sad situation, given this being the final season in Yankee Stadium. But here they come, the Yankees have won 7 of their last 10 and sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East, and 3 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card standings, with a weekend series against Boston coming up.
That is the good news. The bad news is that it looks inevitable that Jorge Posada will make a trip to the disabled list, and it is possible that he may have season-ending surgery on his shoulder. That would be a huge blow for the Yankees, not only because it exposes their lack of depth at the catching position, but because Posada's bat is supposed to be an integral part of the lineup. All of that goes without mentioning his leadership and experience in chasing down a post season birth.
Jose Molina has been doing the bulk of the catching in the last week, and he will now become the starter. Molina is a solid defender and an adequate replacement to Posada. Molina has never been much of a stick -- he is hitting .215 in 172 at-bats this season -- but he is capable of giving a professional at-bat, seeing some pitches, and executing. He can move runners and can score them from third with less than two outs. So it is not as if Molina is Jason Varitek at the plate right now, but it will be more important now that the rest of the lineup avoid slumps at all costs during Posada's absence. Robinson Cano has knocked the baseball around lately like he and the cowhide are scheduled for 15 rounds, so look for him to pick up much of the slack behind Jeter, A-Rod, and Giambi.
* We have all but labeled the NL Central race as the Cubs-Brewers Showdown, but we are in the final third of July and the St Louis Cardinals are not going away. They are two games back of the Cubs in the division, one game ahead of the Brewers entering Monday. The Cardinals got a big lift from Aaron Miles on Sunday, with his walkoff grand slam.
St. Louis is a dangerous club because they have some sort of magical aroma permeating throughout their ball club. They are like any other team who is exceeding expectations -- nobody knows how far guys who aren't known to the average fan will continue to carry the club. Logic tells us that they will drift off and St. Louis will realize that they are not supposed to have the pitching to compete this season. Problem is, those "no name" guys may say otherwise. That's the great thing about this.
For Derek Lee, the Cardinals give you Ryan Ludwick. For Ryan Braun, St. Louis offers us the new and improved Rick Ankiel. Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse aren't supposed to be Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden, and maybe they aren't, but the key is they are keeping this team afloat. Chris Carpenter should come back at some point and help the Cardinals rotation, and you never know what an Albert Pujols hitting binge can do to a club. We expect the Cubs to take this division, and we expect the Brewers to make some noise in the wild card. There is plenty of regular season left to allow this Cardinals club to prove itself, or expose itself, but they certainly have to be buyers as we steamroll towards the trade deadline.
The Angels beat the Red Sox in more ways than one. They out-hit them on the weekend, routing them 11-3 on Friday night. They pitched better than them, had better at-bats, played (arguably) better defense, even utilized their bullpen better. Josh Beckett shoved it for six innings on Saturday, before the Angels tagged him with four runs in the seventh inning, and handed the ball to closer Frankie Rodriguez to save the game.
On Sunday, Jon Garland pitched seven strong innings, out-dueling Tim Wakefield, and the Angels took control of the game in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases against Wakefield, allowing Casey Kotchman to hit a bases-clearing double against Manny Delcarmen. Of course, Rodriguez came on and struck out the side in the ninth for his major league-leading 40th save.
The Red Sox didn't even use Jonathan Papelbon during the series, and they will be getting David Ortiz back from the disabled list soon. We get that. For kicks, the Red Sox have been horrible on the road, and the Angels have the best road record in baseball. I'm going to call these two points a wash, and disregard both of them just for the sake of matching these teams up.
Sure, winning on the road is an attitude, and some teams do it better than others. But I don't believe the Red Sox are necessarily a "worse" team because their road record says they have underachieved. There are plenty of variables that could have gone into those ball games that they lost, and if they caught a few more breaks and won five of those games that they lost on the road, we would all of a sudden be talking about them in a different light? I'm not buying into that; that's baseball.
I'm not buying into the Red Sox road record just like I'm not buying into the fact that they are the best team in the AL when Ortiz comes back and they straighten that bullpen out. There is no saying that they will be better than the Angels, or the Yankees or Rays for that matter. It is time that the baseball world accept this Angels team for what they are -- consistent winners.
Most baseball critics believe they are a bat away from being the favorites to win the World Series. Would another bat take their lineup to another level and add much needed depth to the middle of the order? Absolutely. Do they need that bat to win the World Series? I don't think so. It would be nice, but I think they are plenty well equipped. This team is a funny one to explain because it seems as if their offense does just enough to win games. When their starters get shelled, they score 8 runs to win by one. When their starters are on, okay, maybe Frankie gets some breathing room and has a two or three run lead when he comes into his save situation.
Bottom line, he is still going to be in plenty more save situations and this great bullpen of theirs is going to be required to record important outs for the remainder of the season. That is just how it is going to be. They are so good in their execution, though, that they can get by with what they have because their lineup is confident and they don't shy away from the spotlight.
When it comes down to it, Matt Holliday would be a nice piece in left field. But my point is exactly this: Without Holliday, their pitching staff is going to have to perform the way they have been in order for them to win it all. With Holliday, their pitching staff is going to have to perform the way they have been in order for them to win it all.
Nobody blows anybody out in the playoffs, Boston's dismantling of Colorado last October notwithstanding. Any winner is going to have to pitch and they are going to have to pitch well. No team, be it the Red Sox or Tigers or anyone else, with a great offense is going to be able to mash their way to a ring. It just doesn't happen that way. Yes, a bat would increase the Angels' chances of winning the World Series. But no, that bat will not make or break their post season. The Angels are already arguably the best team in baseball, and the defending World Champs can attest to that.
* Some Yankee news on today's front. I am among those who had written the Yankees of in the past few weeks, not entirely but mostly. They were never "dead" in my mind, but they had certainly entered the stage of "it's going to be quite difficult" to make the post season. That being said, I always leave room for a New York comeback of some sort, if only because they are the Yankees and we expect them to field a contending club each season.
With the Red Sox, Rays, White Sox, Twins, Tigers, and Angels competing for a total of four playoff spots, I didn't see much room for the Bombers to fit in. And that was a sad situation, given this being the final season in Yankee Stadium. But here they come, the Yankees have won 7 of their last 10 and sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East, and 3 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the wild card standings, with a weekend series against Boston coming up.
That is the good news. The bad news is that it looks inevitable that Jorge Posada will make a trip to the disabled list, and it is possible that he may have season-ending surgery on his shoulder. That would be a huge blow for the Yankees, not only because it exposes their lack of depth at the catching position, but because Posada's bat is supposed to be an integral part of the lineup. All of that goes without mentioning his leadership and experience in chasing down a post season birth.
Jose Molina has been doing the bulk of the catching in the last week, and he will now become the starter. Molina is a solid defender and an adequate replacement to Posada. Molina has never been much of a stick -- he is hitting .215 in 172 at-bats this season -- but he is capable of giving a professional at-bat, seeing some pitches, and executing. He can move runners and can score them from third with less than two outs. So it is not as if Molina is Jason Varitek at the plate right now, but it will be more important now that the rest of the lineup avoid slumps at all costs during Posada's absence. Robinson Cano has knocked the baseball around lately like he and the cowhide are scheduled for 15 rounds, so look for him to pick up much of the slack behind Jeter, A-Rod, and Giambi.
* We have all but labeled the NL Central race as the Cubs-Brewers Showdown, but we are in the final third of July and the St Louis Cardinals are not going away. They are two games back of the Cubs in the division, one game ahead of the Brewers entering Monday. The Cardinals got a big lift from Aaron Miles on Sunday, with his walkoff grand slam.
St. Louis is a dangerous club because they have some sort of magical aroma permeating throughout their ball club. They are like any other team who is exceeding expectations -- nobody knows how far guys who aren't known to the average fan will continue to carry the club. Logic tells us that they will drift off and St. Louis will realize that they are not supposed to have the pitching to compete this season. Problem is, those "no name" guys may say otherwise. That's the great thing about this.
For Derek Lee, the Cardinals give you Ryan Ludwick. For Ryan Braun, St. Louis offers us the new and improved Rick Ankiel. Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse aren't supposed to be Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden, and maybe they aren't, but the key is they are keeping this team afloat. Chris Carpenter should come back at some point and help the Cardinals rotation, and you never know what an Albert Pujols hitting binge can do to a club. We expect the Cubs to take this division, and we expect the Brewers to make some noise in the wild card. There is plenty of regular season left to allow this Cardinals club to prove itself, or expose itself, but they certainly have to be buyers as we steamroll towards the trade deadline.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Angels buck the system, survive by own design
How is all of this happening? For a team that employs more than one utility player on any given night, the Angels continue to win. For a team that has more than one revelation in their starting rotation, the Angels can pitch with the best of them. For a team that supposedly has huge holes in their lineup, the Angels seem to be doing just fine. That is about the tune in Los Angeles, where the Angels are looking like one of baseball's best teams despite having a rather concealed roster.
Actually, it has been that way since 2002, the official year where the Angels broke the barrier and stepped up as on of baseball's prime franchises. The 2002 World Series championship was the catapult for this club, a stepping stone to perennial contention. Every year now, we find the Angels at or near the top of the AL West, and we are never completely sold on them. Sure, there are ups and downs and slumps like any other team, but we say they don't have the "firepower" to run away with the division, or if they could add "one more quality arm", then they could match up against the Red Sox or other American League "powers".
It is time for that kind of talk to stop. Finally. The Angels are the premier power.
The Angels win because they know how to win, they know how to develop players, and they grade each prospect by their own standards, not the criterion of the rest of baseball's pretentious powers. The Angels opened the second half of play this weekend by beating the Boston Red Sox in the first two games of their three-game series. They laid the wood on Clay Buchholz on Friday night, beating Boston 11-3. So much for a barren offense.
They came back on Saturday and rope-a-doped Josh Beckett until he finally cracked in the seventh inning, knocking him around for four runs. Oh, it wasn't easy. Nothing is easy in this game. They looked beat for the first six frames, Beckett throwing back-door two-seamers and hellacious breaking balls to freeze hitters when he needed a strikeout to work out of a jam. But, above all of that, the consistency in the mentality was the most telling part. It was the Angel Way on display, and nothing else was going to take away from their game plan.
Sure, they could have lost the game. But then they would have just went home and came back at it tomorrow. Sounds simple, right? Yeah, well we wonder why more teams can't do it the way they do it, but it is no mystery how the Angels have mastered this winning philosophy. It all has to do with a mental and physical balance, from top to bottom.
From General Manager Tony Reagins, to manager Mike Scioscia, and the rest of the coaches and players, there is a team-wide philosophy of pitching, defense, and applying pressure to the other team when at the plate. The Angels probably aren't the best at anything they do, but they do everything well. You don't need to spend millions upon millions of dollars in order to put a winning team on the field. You don't need to have standout names all over the field in order to compete come September and October. The Angels maintain all facets of the game, and they do that by staying true to they type of ball player they prefer, and the attitude they want their players to possess.
The biggest question regarding Los Angeles and their post season prowess is how they will do at the plate. That has been the concern for a while now. Are they going to swing power-packed pieces of lumber, or splintering broom sticks are the plate? We are a week and change from the trading deadline, and the Angels have had their name involved in talks concerning many hitters on the market. The two biggest prizes are Colorado's Matt Holliday and Atlanta's Mark Teixeira, either one of them would automatically vault the Angels offense to near the top of the league.
Why the wait then, you say? The Angels have the prospects to swing a deal like this, and they also have the resources necessary to sign their new toy to a long-term contract, if they wish. But Reagins continues to tell the public to settle down because the Angels are not in a hurry to trade for a big time bat. If the deadline comes and goes and they are left where they stand today, they will be fine. Reagins and Scioscia both say that they are happy with their offense and that their lineup is plenty formidable if they produced like they are capable of.
They will not dole out a package of top prospects when they feel that they have the right guys in place to win now. And why would they? The Angels are not delusional. They are fully aware that they do not do anything great offensively. Every which way you look at the plate, mediocrity surrounds them. The Angels are 11th in the league in batting average, 11th in hits, and 10th in runs. There is more where that came from-- they are 9th in home runs, 10th in slugging percentage, and 12th in on-base percentage. That is a stable of pretending statistics if I have ever seen one, but the funny thing is, they work for the Angels. And that is all that matters.
It may not make any sense at all to me or you. We could be crying for Matt Holliday or hollering for Jason Bay. Who is to say that we are wrong in doing so? But what makes the Angels great is that they don't follow suit like the rest of the league does, and they don't succumb to pressure when the media and fan base openly worry about their operations. They stay on the path and have confidence in their plan.
It all makes sense because the Angels are not the Yankees. They don't make a fuss over any big name that hits the market, nor do they throw contracts at players that have good track records to go along with poor present production. They don't get caught up in the jargon that masks a club's real problems. They are not going to pick up a Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds out of baseball's junkyard to give their fans some reason to have hope. They don't work like that.
The organization is more concerned about the type of player they employ, not the name on the back of their jersey. Kotchman or Sexson? They'll take Kotchman. The Angels have principles that they live by, specific codes that they evaluate by. The attitude and mentality of a prospect is equally as important as their "potential" or their "tools". Tools are great; they will get you looks and plenty of minor league opportunities to prove yourself. What they do not get you -- alone, I should say -- is a long, successful big league career. The Angels understand this, and this is the foundation of their consistent success. They would rather have a less-talented guy who executes and believes in a winning style of baseball rather than a guy who can hit the ball out of any part of any park, but clogs their offensive fluidity and disrupts their chemistry. It just isn't worth it to them as a team, and that is why they operate on such a monotonous level.
The staple of this club -- and the foundation of any winning team -- is pitching. The Angels are 1st in wins, 1st in saves, 3rd in wallks, 5th in ERA, and 6th in hits. As a staff, they allow a little over one base runner per inning. With the health of John Lackey and Jered Weaver, the emergence of Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and the trade for Jon Garland, the Angels have five starters in their rotations that are all well above-average major league pitchers. Every one of their starters is of high caliber and quality. This rotation is so good that every guy, one through five, has the ability to dominate on any given night. Any one of them can make two runs hold up for a victory and give the bullpen a night off. That is great, but it is not the most important thing.
The strength of the rotation is their ability to consistently keep the team in the ball game and give them a chance to win. It may be pretty, it may be ugly, could even be horrendous, but they find a way to get it done. John Lackey gave up 15 hits in one game this season against the Texas Rangers and the Angels won. "Keeping the club in the game" has everything to do with how the offense is producing on that particular night, but that is starting pitching in a nutshell. Rarely will you see a game get out of hand with the Angels. Their starters are so much better than that.
What comes after all of those good starts? One of the best bullpens in the league, with the heavy lifting being done by Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo, all capped off by All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez, who is on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen's single-season save record this year. Talk about a finisher, a safety net. The team knows that if they get the ball to the late innings with a lead, it is a close to over as you can get in baseball.
What we have seen in the first two games of this series against the Red Sox this weekend epitomizes what the Angels are all about. Friday night had a number of great defensive plays that got the pitchers out of jams and made the innings shorter. This is a testament to the Angels' philosophy of putting athletes on the field who like to go get the baseball. We saw perfect sacrifice bunts from Reggie Willits, a ground ball to the right side with a runner on second and nobody out by Kotcham, and sacrifice flies by a few. Not to mention Chone Figgins running wild on the bases. None of this is extremely exciting to read, but that is what makes it great, and that is how the Angels would like to keep it.
This is a team built of guys with one-track minds who play Scioscia's brand of baseball and care about winning. That is it. They can grind out elite pitchers like Josh Beckett and pound rookie mistakes like what was offered up by Buchholz. It doesn't matter. Either way works for them. What they all share, from top to bottom, is a belief in their abilities and their style of play.
These Angels teams carry a swagger on the road that only comes from humble confidence... and winning. The front office is filled with astute minds who have a clear blueprint for what this team ought to be, and what it will be, and that club is designed to make the post season and bring championships to Anaheim. The Angels are fine with the fact that they don't necessarily stand out and they don't play with flair. They are not about flamboyancy. The Angels will let the rest of baseball's top dogs make the big name splashes and dominate the sports pages across America; they will quietly run the other way. In the end, they know their audacity will serve October's last laugh up on a tee.
Actually, it has been that way since 2002, the official year where the Angels broke the barrier and stepped up as on of baseball's prime franchises. The 2002 World Series championship was the catapult for this club, a stepping stone to perennial contention. Every year now, we find the Angels at or near the top of the AL West, and we are never completely sold on them. Sure, there are ups and downs and slumps like any other team, but we say they don't have the "firepower" to run away with the division, or if they could add "one more quality arm", then they could match up against the Red Sox or other American League "powers".
It is time for that kind of talk to stop. Finally. The Angels are the premier power.
The Angels win because they know how to win, they know how to develop players, and they grade each prospect by their own standards, not the criterion of the rest of baseball's pretentious powers. The Angels opened the second half of play this weekend by beating the Boston Red Sox in the first two games of their three-game series. They laid the wood on Clay Buchholz on Friday night, beating Boston 11-3. So much for a barren offense.
They came back on Saturday and rope-a-doped Josh Beckett until he finally cracked in the seventh inning, knocking him around for four runs. Oh, it wasn't easy. Nothing is easy in this game. They looked beat for the first six frames, Beckett throwing back-door two-seamers and hellacious breaking balls to freeze hitters when he needed a strikeout to work out of a jam. But, above all of that, the consistency in the mentality was the most telling part. It was the Angel Way on display, and nothing else was going to take away from their game plan.
Sure, they could have lost the game. But then they would have just went home and came back at it tomorrow. Sounds simple, right? Yeah, well we wonder why more teams can't do it the way they do it, but it is no mystery how the Angels have mastered this winning philosophy. It all has to do with a mental and physical balance, from top to bottom.
From General Manager Tony Reagins, to manager Mike Scioscia, and the rest of the coaches and players, there is a team-wide philosophy of pitching, defense, and applying pressure to the other team when at the plate. The Angels probably aren't the best at anything they do, but they do everything well. You don't need to spend millions upon millions of dollars in order to put a winning team on the field. You don't need to have standout names all over the field in order to compete come September and October. The Angels maintain all facets of the game, and they do that by staying true to they type of ball player they prefer, and the attitude they want their players to possess.
The biggest question regarding Los Angeles and their post season prowess is how they will do at the plate. That has been the concern for a while now. Are they going to swing power-packed pieces of lumber, or splintering broom sticks are the plate? We are a week and change from the trading deadline, and the Angels have had their name involved in talks concerning many hitters on the market. The two biggest prizes are Colorado's Matt Holliday and Atlanta's Mark Teixeira, either one of them would automatically vault the Angels offense to near the top of the league.
Why the wait then, you say? The Angels have the prospects to swing a deal like this, and they also have the resources necessary to sign their new toy to a long-term contract, if they wish. But Reagins continues to tell the public to settle down because the Angels are not in a hurry to trade for a big time bat. If the deadline comes and goes and they are left where they stand today, they will be fine. Reagins and Scioscia both say that they are happy with their offense and that their lineup is plenty formidable if they produced like they are capable of.
They will not dole out a package of top prospects when they feel that they have the right guys in place to win now. And why would they? The Angels are not delusional. They are fully aware that they do not do anything great offensively. Every which way you look at the plate, mediocrity surrounds them. The Angels are 11th in the league in batting average, 11th in hits, and 10th in runs. There is more where that came from-- they are 9th in home runs, 10th in slugging percentage, and 12th in on-base percentage. That is a stable of pretending statistics if I have ever seen one, but the funny thing is, they work for the Angels. And that is all that matters.
It may not make any sense at all to me or you. We could be crying for Matt Holliday or hollering for Jason Bay. Who is to say that we are wrong in doing so? But what makes the Angels great is that they don't follow suit like the rest of the league does, and they don't succumb to pressure when the media and fan base openly worry about their operations. They stay on the path and have confidence in their plan.
It all makes sense because the Angels are not the Yankees. They don't make a fuss over any big name that hits the market, nor do they throw contracts at players that have good track records to go along with poor present production. They don't get caught up in the jargon that masks a club's real problems. They are not going to pick up a Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds out of baseball's junkyard to give their fans some reason to have hope. They don't work like that.
The organization is more concerned about the type of player they employ, not the name on the back of their jersey. Kotchman or Sexson? They'll take Kotchman. The Angels have principles that they live by, specific codes that they evaluate by. The attitude and mentality of a prospect is equally as important as their "potential" or their "tools". Tools are great; they will get you looks and plenty of minor league opportunities to prove yourself. What they do not get you -- alone, I should say -- is a long, successful big league career. The Angels understand this, and this is the foundation of their consistent success. They would rather have a less-talented guy who executes and believes in a winning style of baseball rather than a guy who can hit the ball out of any part of any park, but clogs their offensive fluidity and disrupts their chemistry. It just isn't worth it to them as a team, and that is why they operate on such a monotonous level.
The staple of this club -- and the foundation of any winning team -- is pitching. The Angels are 1st in wins, 1st in saves, 3rd in wallks, 5th in ERA, and 6th in hits. As a staff, they allow a little over one base runner per inning. With the health of John Lackey and Jered Weaver, the emergence of Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and the trade for Jon Garland, the Angels have five starters in their rotations that are all well above-average major league pitchers. Every one of their starters is of high caliber and quality. This rotation is so good that every guy, one through five, has the ability to dominate on any given night. Any one of them can make two runs hold up for a victory and give the bullpen a night off. That is great, but it is not the most important thing.
The strength of the rotation is their ability to consistently keep the team in the ball game and give them a chance to win. It may be pretty, it may be ugly, could even be horrendous, but they find a way to get it done. John Lackey gave up 15 hits in one game this season against the Texas Rangers and the Angels won. "Keeping the club in the game" has everything to do with how the offense is producing on that particular night, but that is starting pitching in a nutshell. Rarely will you see a game get out of hand with the Angels. Their starters are so much better than that.
What comes after all of those good starts? One of the best bullpens in the league, with the heavy lifting being done by Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo, all capped off by All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez, who is on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen's single-season save record this year. Talk about a finisher, a safety net. The team knows that if they get the ball to the late innings with a lead, it is a close to over as you can get in baseball.
What we have seen in the first two games of this series against the Red Sox this weekend epitomizes what the Angels are all about. Friday night had a number of great defensive plays that got the pitchers out of jams and made the innings shorter. This is a testament to the Angels' philosophy of putting athletes on the field who like to go get the baseball. We saw perfect sacrifice bunts from Reggie Willits, a ground ball to the right side with a runner on second and nobody out by Kotcham, and sacrifice flies by a few. Not to mention Chone Figgins running wild on the bases. None of this is extremely exciting to read, but that is what makes it great, and that is how the Angels would like to keep it.
This is a team built of guys with one-track minds who play Scioscia's brand of baseball and care about winning. That is it. They can grind out elite pitchers like Josh Beckett and pound rookie mistakes like what was offered up by Buchholz. It doesn't matter. Either way works for them. What they all share, from top to bottom, is a belief in their abilities and their style of play.
These Angels teams carry a swagger on the road that only comes from humble confidence... and winning. The front office is filled with astute minds who have a clear blueprint for what this team ought to be, and what it will be, and that club is designed to make the post season and bring championships to Anaheim. The Angels are fine with the fact that they don't necessarily stand out and they don't play with flair. They are not about flamboyancy. The Angels will let the rest of baseball's top dogs make the big name splashes and dominate the sports pages across America; they will quietly run the other way. In the end, they know their audacity will serve October's last laugh up on a tee.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Chills and thrills, The Bronx does it right
Everything was planned out to the minute, every pre-game introduction was marked on the schedule at precisely what time it was supposed to take place, the National Anthem being sung, and the first pitch of the 79th All-Star Game being thrown. All of these were mapped out weeks ahead of time, a plan from start to finish. It began that way, with detailed order, and then Yankee Stadium decided that it was going to close out its last All-Star Game on its schedule, not anybody else's. When the legends, ghosts, and heroes of Yankee Stadium decided that they had witnessed enough baseball, had seen enough of today's great players, then they would find a way to wrap this thing up and send The Stadium off into the sunset. Make that the sunrise. It took 15 innings and two full rosters to complete the game, but the AL prevailed, yet again, 4-3, with Justin Morneau scoring on a Michael Young sacrifice fly just more than halfway through the one o'clock morning hour.
For everything that went into the planning of this magnificent event, the idea that Major League Baseball wanted to devise up the most historic of All-Star Games with one of the most historic venues in sports coming to a close, I'd have to say that the plan was executed quite well. Seeing Ted Williams carted onto the field at Fenway Park in the 1999 All-Star Game was a touching moment and may be the only thing that can replicate the feeling that we felt before this one in 2008.
There were plenty of chills to go around, plenty of moments to be caught in amazement and to drown out to the deafening sounds of the Yankee Stadium roar. It is a song that has been sung for decades worth of champions, its chorus knows no end. When Mariano Rivera was announced with the last of the American League non-starters, the ovation shivered down the spine of every soul in the building, regardless of your sporting alliance or the purpose of your very presence at the game. You had to feel it, you had to recognize the respect and admiration for everything that No. 42 has done in Yankee Pinstripes.
That moment could have lasted a few more minutes than it did, and nobody would have bothered to interrupt. That is what this game was meant to be about, honoring the great players of this game, but applauding the class acts that have done their share in writing the record books of The House That Ruth Built. There is no other way to describe that moment than simply breathtaking. No man has done more with the baseball for this franchise than Mariano Rivera, and it was fitting to see him appreciated as such.
Welcoming as many Hall Of Famers onto the field as possible was a touch that will make this game memorable, not because there was a collection of names you read about in baseball history books all on the same field, but because they stood at the position where they made their name, and in return they were greeted by the All-Star starters who were making a name for themselves as well. The past met the present, and if there was ever a passing of the torch, this was it. To see baseball legends in suits and ties graced with today's stars donning their franchise's regalia, representing where the game has come and where it is going, was the ultimate ending, the final goodbye, to the ball park that gave birth to greatness and baptized the biggest of names.
The authenticity of the crowd was evident even when the game started. The famous Roll Call was performed for Jeter, A-Rod, and the late Bobby Murcer. Chants of "Der-ek Jet-er!", echoed through Monument Park, and ricocheted off the walls of baseball's cathedral. The ruthless boos for all Red Sox, Jonathan Papelbon in particular, were only fitting given the rich history of the rivalry. If you thought for one second that this passionate crowd was going to let some Bostonians enjoy the best All-Star game to date, a farewell party on the biggest dance floor, you were quite mistaken. There was post season cynicism in the air when the crowd chanted for Mariano Rivera when Papelbon came into the game, and echoed "overrated" when the Red Sox closer surrendered the lead. What a game, what a crowd, what a city.
Derek Jeter has had many great moments in his career, a handful of them built around the winning of World Series championships, but his introduction Tuesday evening had to rank towards the top of them all. Jeter jogged out to his shortstop position to meet Cal Ripken Jr. and Ernie Banks, among others, all while the crowd chanted his name and rocked every last stadium seat as if they were attempting to tear this stadium down without the aide of a bulldozer. A natural death, to say the least. The energy and adoration for the city's biggest icon was palpable, and there wasn't a better man in the building to celebrate than the current Yankee Captain.
What made that moment so legendary, so thrilling, so much more captivating than any real-life moment should be, is that is was a transcendence in Jeter's career. If this were six years ago, then it would have been 55,000 strong cheering on their All-Star, a bona-fide superstar who plays the game the right way. But we are well beyond that with Jeter, this being his 13th season in the big leagues.
When I watched Jeter jog out onto the field, with his freshly white New York Yankee uniform draped over his body with the respect that he has always carried it with, I couldn't help but think back to watching Field Of Dreams, when the ball player-turned-doctor steps over the line to help the little girl when nobody else but him could fulfill the task. The man knew that once he stepped over that line, he was going back to real life, ending his dream of continuous baseball, and that he would drift back off into the cornfields as the doctor who saved a life when called upon, and gave himself up for the goodness of others.
That, in a sense, was the script for the night of Jeter. He has done so much in a Yankee uniform, has touched so many post season moments with his greatness at the plate and his athleticism in the field; his plaque is awaiting him in Cooperstown. In the Yankee record books, Derek Jeter's name is beginning to be mentioned with Ruth and Mantle and Dimaggio. That tells you all you need to know about what this man has meant to the game of baseball, the city of New York, and Yankee Stadium itself.
When he sat in the home dugout on the first base side awaiting his glorious introduction to the masses that came to celebrate him, Jeter was the kid we have known for the past thirteen years, the guy who has been a model for every Little Leaguer in America on how to play this game the right way and how to carry yourself. Sitting in that dugout, he is the player that we still are lucky enough to watch today, and he is in the point of his career where he probably has another five seasons left in him, and we still have time to take notice of whatever has passed us up. This is the guy who we should follow around for the last years of his career, because soon enough he will be gone with the other legends and we will be looking back to remember his career.
That line was drawn on Tuesday night. In the dugout, Jeter was a current ballplayer, one that we still have time to appreciate. When he stepped onto the field to the roar of the Stadium, he was accepting his legend and his concrete place in Yankee lore. For Derek Jeter, the first base line was the line that the doctor faced when he had to make the decision on whether to hold onto his dream, or do the right thing. The choice was his.
Jeter made that choice Tuesday evening, but he didn't have the option. There was only one way to go, one thing to do. He jogged across that line, met Cal Ripken Jr. with a big hug, and took his place at shortstop with the all-time greats. The difference was, we got to witness a current player step up on the platform that is reserved only for baseball's most hallowed names. A lot of great players took the field with the Hall Of Famers during the introductions, but that was exactly what it felt like. Today's great players stepping onto the field with the best baseball has to offer.
Except for Jeter. When Jeter made that jog out onto the infield that has been such an enormous part of his life, he took his position with his peers, not his superiors. Jeter was the only guy on the field where it actually felt natural that he was standing next to legends. He fit in perfectly, even if he was still wearing a uniform that those others had given up years ago. He was not a man trying to live up to the hype. He was a current Yankee accepting his position among the greatest players to ever play the game, and he joined the best fraternity in America.
This night was meant to honor the Yankee greats, and to capture all the memories Yankee Stadium has provided. The latter was an impossible task to accomplish. But the moment of the night was impromptu in its design, and it trumped any other three minutes this game could have given us. We saw the epitome of a professional, a ballplayer, a man, a legend, a Yankee, take the field for what felt like his final salute, although there are many more games for Jeter to play. The magnitude is what you felt, where history and present greatness meet.
Derek Jeter has captured the essence of baseball's aura, and he has done it with class on the game's biggest stage, and stage that can be crippling to some and overwhelming to most. We were celebrating the life of Yankee Stadium, but we were saluting the careers of No. 42 and No. 2. For all the other All-Stars, they had a chance to run out on the field and shake hands with people that they only dreamed of meeting. For Jeter, it was the appropriate time to join his class of brethren, the ones in the suits and ties with Hall Of Fame plaques resting only a couple hours away. We saw something we never get to see; the most deserving of guys make the jump from "great player" to "legend", right before our eyes.
Jeter was introduced, he eyed that first base line, the ultimate divider between his name and his legacy, and he hopped right over it without missing a beat.
For everything that went into the planning of this magnificent event, the idea that Major League Baseball wanted to devise up the most historic of All-Star Games with one of the most historic venues in sports coming to a close, I'd have to say that the plan was executed quite well. Seeing Ted Williams carted onto the field at Fenway Park in the 1999 All-Star Game was a touching moment and may be the only thing that can replicate the feeling that we felt before this one in 2008.
There were plenty of chills to go around, plenty of moments to be caught in amazement and to drown out to the deafening sounds of the Yankee Stadium roar. It is a song that has been sung for decades worth of champions, its chorus knows no end. When Mariano Rivera was announced with the last of the American League non-starters, the ovation shivered down the spine of every soul in the building, regardless of your sporting alliance or the purpose of your very presence at the game. You had to feel it, you had to recognize the respect and admiration for everything that No. 42 has done in Yankee Pinstripes.
That moment could have lasted a few more minutes than it did, and nobody would have bothered to interrupt. That is what this game was meant to be about, honoring the great players of this game, but applauding the class acts that have done their share in writing the record books of The House That Ruth Built. There is no other way to describe that moment than simply breathtaking. No man has done more with the baseball for this franchise than Mariano Rivera, and it was fitting to see him appreciated as such.
Welcoming as many Hall Of Famers onto the field as possible was a touch that will make this game memorable, not because there was a collection of names you read about in baseball history books all on the same field, but because they stood at the position where they made their name, and in return they were greeted by the All-Star starters who were making a name for themselves as well. The past met the present, and if there was ever a passing of the torch, this was it. To see baseball legends in suits and ties graced with today's stars donning their franchise's regalia, representing where the game has come and where it is going, was the ultimate ending, the final goodbye, to the ball park that gave birth to greatness and baptized the biggest of names.
The authenticity of the crowd was evident even when the game started. The famous Roll Call was performed for Jeter, A-Rod, and the late Bobby Murcer. Chants of "Der-ek Jet-er!", echoed through Monument Park, and ricocheted off the walls of baseball's cathedral. The ruthless boos for all Red Sox, Jonathan Papelbon in particular, were only fitting given the rich history of the rivalry. If you thought for one second that this passionate crowd was going to let some Bostonians enjoy the best All-Star game to date, a farewell party on the biggest dance floor, you were quite mistaken. There was post season cynicism in the air when the crowd chanted for Mariano Rivera when Papelbon came into the game, and echoed "overrated" when the Red Sox closer surrendered the lead. What a game, what a crowd, what a city.
Derek Jeter has had many great moments in his career, a handful of them built around the winning of World Series championships, but his introduction Tuesday evening had to rank towards the top of them all. Jeter jogged out to his shortstop position to meet Cal Ripken Jr. and Ernie Banks, among others, all while the crowd chanted his name and rocked every last stadium seat as if they were attempting to tear this stadium down without the aide of a bulldozer. A natural death, to say the least. The energy and adoration for the city's biggest icon was palpable, and there wasn't a better man in the building to celebrate than the current Yankee Captain.
What made that moment so legendary, so thrilling, so much more captivating than any real-life moment should be, is that is was a transcendence in Jeter's career. If this were six years ago, then it would have been 55,000 strong cheering on their All-Star, a bona-fide superstar who plays the game the right way. But we are well beyond that with Jeter, this being his 13th season in the big leagues.
When I watched Jeter jog out onto the field, with his freshly white New York Yankee uniform draped over his body with the respect that he has always carried it with, I couldn't help but think back to watching Field Of Dreams, when the ball player-turned-doctor steps over the line to help the little girl when nobody else but him could fulfill the task. The man knew that once he stepped over that line, he was going back to real life, ending his dream of continuous baseball, and that he would drift back off into the cornfields as the doctor who saved a life when called upon, and gave himself up for the goodness of others.
That, in a sense, was the script for the night of Jeter. He has done so much in a Yankee uniform, has touched so many post season moments with his greatness at the plate and his athleticism in the field; his plaque is awaiting him in Cooperstown. In the Yankee record books, Derek Jeter's name is beginning to be mentioned with Ruth and Mantle and Dimaggio. That tells you all you need to know about what this man has meant to the game of baseball, the city of New York, and Yankee Stadium itself.
When he sat in the home dugout on the first base side awaiting his glorious introduction to the masses that came to celebrate him, Jeter was the kid we have known for the past thirteen years, the guy who has been a model for every Little Leaguer in America on how to play this game the right way and how to carry yourself. Sitting in that dugout, he is the player that we still are lucky enough to watch today, and he is in the point of his career where he probably has another five seasons left in him, and we still have time to take notice of whatever has passed us up. This is the guy who we should follow around for the last years of his career, because soon enough he will be gone with the other legends and we will be looking back to remember his career.
That line was drawn on Tuesday night. In the dugout, Jeter was a current ballplayer, one that we still have time to appreciate. When he stepped onto the field to the roar of the Stadium, he was accepting his legend and his concrete place in Yankee lore. For Derek Jeter, the first base line was the line that the doctor faced when he had to make the decision on whether to hold onto his dream, or do the right thing. The choice was his.
Jeter made that choice Tuesday evening, but he didn't have the option. There was only one way to go, one thing to do. He jogged across that line, met Cal Ripken Jr. with a big hug, and took his place at shortstop with the all-time greats. The difference was, we got to witness a current player step up on the platform that is reserved only for baseball's most hallowed names. A lot of great players took the field with the Hall Of Famers during the introductions, but that was exactly what it felt like. Today's great players stepping onto the field with the best baseball has to offer.
Except for Jeter. When Jeter made that jog out onto the infield that has been such an enormous part of his life, he took his position with his peers, not his superiors. Jeter was the only guy on the field where it actually felt natural that he was standing next to legends. He fit in perfectly, even if he was still wearing a uniform that those others had given up years ago. He was not a man trying to live up to the hype. He was a current Yankee accepting his position among the greatest players to ever play the game, and he joined the best fraternity in America.
This night was meant to honor the Yankee greats, and to capture all the memories Yankee Stadium has provided. The latter was an impossible task to accomplish. But the moment of the night was impromptu in its design, and it trumped any other three minutes this game could have given us. We saw the epitome of a professional, a ballplayer, a man, a legend, a Yankee, take the field for what felt like his final salute, although there are many more games for Jeter to play. The magnitude is what you felt, where history and present greatness meet.
Derek Jeter has captured the essence of baseball's aura, and he has done it with class on the game's biggest stage, and stage that can be crippling to some and overwhelming to most. We were celebrating the life of Yankee Stadium, but we were saluting the careers of No. 42 and No. 2. For all the other All-Stars, they had a chance to run out on the field and shake hands with people that they only dreamed of meeting. For Jeter, it was the appropriate time to join his class of brethren, the ones in the suits and ties with Hall Of Fame plaques resting only a couple hours away. We saw something we never get to see; the most deserving of guys make the jump from "great player" to "legend", right before our eyes.
Jeter was introduced, he eyed that first base line, the ultimate divider between his name and his legacy, and he hopped right over it without missing a beat.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Ballpark Banter- All-Star morning notes
* All-Star week is a love-hate relationship for baseball fans. It is a great time to celebrate the game and its players, but it is also a time to count the days until teams resume regular season play this weekend. Look, I love watching the All-Star game and the Home Run Derby, mainly because of all the great stories that surround the ballplayers and the fans and the park and even down to the unusual fellows who throw the batting practice. But at the same time, it is the worst three or four days of the year for me, since the only thing that can be followed is the hype and the buzz and the elusive story lines that may or may not be true. That is All-Star week, a spotlight shined on a camouflaged subject.
But as I watched the Derby last night, basked in the glory of Josh Hamilton, I realized that those feelings slowly dissipated, and I enjoyed the show like it is meant to be enjoyed. Maybe the reason I dreaded this down time in baseball because all of the stories were about steroids and cheaters and determining whether or not a record or achievement genuine. That grew old quite quickly. Today is a different story as baseball is in a different place. There is a rising crop of young, exciting talent in the game, and cast of ball players that can makes us proud to take a few days off and draw our attention to the bright lights and center stage.
We are not uncovering any skeletons or peeking under any unturned rocks or keeping tabs on the next court date. Maybe there are still some of those sentiments around the game, but as Chris Berman would put it, they are on the back-back-back-back burner. There are a few columns written and questions answered about those who are not here, but for the most part, our words and ink are spent on the names that are. This is exactly how it should be.
* Speaking of Hamilton, last night was the best Home Run Derby of All-Time, and not because the competition was the best or the show was the greatest. Well, the show was the greatest. Mark McGwire's light show at Fenway Park in 1999 could have something to say about the best performance, and I'm sure Ken Griffey Jr. would like to chime in as possibly the best Derby hitter ever.
But it is no secret why we all fell in love with Hamilton and his sweet left handed swing Monday evening. It was all too good to be true, to say the least. The setting, Yankee Stadium, the story behind Hamilton, and the nostalgic feelings towards the man who barely made it to the place where he was destined to make his name. That being baseball's biggest stage.
Hamilton's first round was definitely the single-best round ever, that made sure by the fact that his 28 home runs are a new single-round record. At one point, he couldn't miss, slamming balls into the upper deck and off the back wall in right center with repetition. A packed crowd that filled Yankee Stadium, who barely knew the name on the jersey much less understanding the man who donned it, chanted his name and sent chills down the spine of the millions of viewers. There was a sense of pride and accomplishment when the boy from North Carolina, scarred by a man's distant wounds, slammed home runs in the place where Ruth and Gehrig and Mantle all crushed baseballs into utter oblivion.
It was refreshing to see how this country, the baseball part of it at least, can lift up a soul who has been grinding away for almost three years to stay clean. We are awash in spiteful words and cynical thoughts on a daily basis, but Monday night showed that the people who follow our beloved sports figures can still care so deeply for a man and his family and his story that they welcome him into their home with open arms and cool him off with a cold bottled water and damp towel.
There is a reason I have yet to mention the outcome of the Derby and Justin Morneau's name, and that is because it simply doesn't matter. The first place trophy is nothing but a hollow piece of meaningless hardware, a reminder for Morneau that he got witness firsthand one of the best heartfelt stories in sports. It was Hamilton's night to shine, a night for us to embrace and applaud a true hero, a ballplayer who is preaching to the masses what it means to keep the faith and trounce demons.
We may never witness a more emotional and electric, for lack of better words to describe the indescribable, setting than New York during the 2001 World Series, when the Yankees were doing their small part to lift up a city that was freshly struck by the harrowing events of 9/11. That stands alone in every sense because it was on a much bigger level than any one person, on a platform that one uniform would find empty. But let me tell you, Josh Hamilton brought us back to that place and he brought Yankee Stadium down with him. The 2001 World Series was a venue for grieving. This venue was one for admiration. If Yankee Stadium skipped the All-Star game tonight, canceled the remaining 32 regular season home games and any possible playoff games should the Yankees earn a birth, and was sent straight for the bulldozer tomorrow, I get a feeling that everything would be just right. The Stadium would have been given the ultimate farewell.
* When we talk about comeback stories, we have to mention Cliff Lee. Lee practically flamed out last year, was sent to the minor leagues to work on his command and regain the feel for his pitches, and was barely an afterthought this spring when it came to the Cleveland Indian's rotation. On Monday morning, Lee was named the starter for the American League in tonight's All-Star game. This is simply another great story about a guy who battled back and salvaged a career that was heading towards a premature ending. Lee has come from nowhere to be one of the most dominant starters in the American League this season and one of the few bright spots for the Indians. Cleveland's record and underachieving nature this season should not erase the story that has taken the mound every five days.
But as I watched the Derby last night, basked in the glory of Josh Hamilton, I realized that those feelings slowly dissipated, and I enjoyed the show like it is meant to be enjoyed. Maybe the reason I dreaded this down time in baseball because all of the stories were about steroids and cheaters and determining whether or not a record or achievement genuine. That grew old quite quickly. Today is a different story as baseball is in a different place. There is a rising crop of young, exciting talent in the game, and cast of ball players that can makes us proud to take a few days off and draw our attention to the bright lights and center stage.
We are not uncovering any skeletons or peeking under any unturned rocks or keeping tabs on the next court date. Maybe there are still some of those sentiments around the game, but as Chris Berman would put it, they are on the back-back-back-back burner. There are a few columns written and questions answered about those who are not here, but for the most part, our words and ink are spent on the names that are. This is exactly how it should be.
* Speaking of Hamilton, last night was the best Home Run Derby of All-Time, and not because the competition was the best or the show was the greatest. Well, the show was the greatest. Mark McGwire's light show at Fenway Park in 1999 could have something to say about the best performance, and I'm sure Ken Griffey Jr. would like to chime in as possibly the best Derby hitter ever.
But it is no secret why we all fell in love with Hamilton and his sweet left handed swing Monday evening. It was all too good to be true, to say the least. The setting, Yankee Stadium, the story behind Hamilton, and the nostalgic feelings towards the man who barely made it to the place where he was destined to make his name. That being baseball's biggest stage.
Hamilton's first round was definitely the single-best round ever, that made sure by the fact that his 28 home runs are a new single-round record. At one point, he couldn't miss, slamming balls into the upper deck and off the back wall in right center with repetition. A packed crowd that filled Yankee Stadium, who barely knew the name on the jersey much less understanding the man who donned it, chanted his name and sent chills down the spine of the millions of viewers. There was a sense of pride and accomplishment when the boy from North Carolina, scarred by a man's distant wounds, slammed home runs in the place where Ruth and Gehrig and Mantle all crushed baseballs into utter oblivion.
It was refreshing to see how this country, the baseball part of it at least, can lift up a soul who has been grinding away for almost three years to stay clean. We are awash in spiteful words and cynical thoughts on a daily basis, but Monday night showed that the people who follow our beloved sports figures can still care so deeply for a man and his family and his story that they welcome him into their home with open arms and cool him off with a cold bottled water and damp towel.
There is a reason I have yet to mention the outcome of the Derby and Justin Morneau's name, and that is because it simply doesn't matter. The first place trophy is nothing but a hollow piece of meaningless hardware, a reminder for Morneau that he got witness firsthand one of the best heartfelt stories in sports. It was Hamilton's night to shine, a night for us to embrace and applaud a true hero, a ballplayer who is preaching to the masses what it means to keep the faith and trounce demons.
We may never witness a more emotional and electric, for lack of better words to describe the indescribable, setting than New York during the 2001 World Series, when the Yankees were doing their small part to lift up a city that was freshly struck by the harrowing events of 9/11. That stands alone in every sense because it was on a much bigger level than any one person, on a platform that one uniform would find empty. But let me tell you, Josh Hamilton brought us back to that place and he brought Yankee Stadium down with him. The 2001 World Series was a venue for grieving. This venue was one for admiration. If Yankee Stadium skipped the All-Star game tonight, canceled the remaining 32 regular season home games and any possible playoff games should the Yankees earn a birth, and was sent straight for the bulldozer tomorrow, I get a feeling that everything would be just right. The Stadium would have been given the ultimate farewell.
* When we talk about comeback stories, we have to mention Cliff Lee. Lee practically flamed out last year, was sent to the minor leagues to work on his command and regain the feel for his pitches, and was barely an afterthought this spring when it came to the Cleveland Indian's rotation. On Monday morning, Lee was named the starter for the American League in tonight's All-Star game. This is simply another great story about a guy who battled back and salvaged a career that was heading towards a premature ending. Lee has come from nowhere to be one of the most dominant starters in the American League this season and one of the few bright spots for the Indians. Cleveland's record and underachieving nature this season should not erase the story that has taken the mound every five days.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Something's brewing in Milwaukee, but Wrigley ain't eating that stinky cheese
Since when did the National League Central become trading capital of baseball? The Cubs and Brewers are throwing punches and counter-punches, and this is no longer trade season action. This is high stakes poker, at its best. But there isn't any bluffing going on here, no trickery or mischievous games flying through the Midwest. One team has K-Q, the other has A-J, and its all money in the pot, lets see whose hand is going to hit. That is where we are after the recent Sabathia and Harden trades that have taken the spotlight off the AL East for once and shined it right onto one of baseball's most surprising divisions. We are not forgetting that as of today, the Brewers sit behind the Cardinals in the NL Central as well, but St. Louis has decided to stay out of these one-up games for now, making their placement irrelevant. This is going to be a two-team race, unless the Cardinals go and get AJ Burnett.
The Brewers got the better pitcher, and certainly got less risky of the two power arms, but that does not mean that they are now poised to win the division. Sabathia shirts are flooding greater Milwaukee with regularity this week, and a city that is known for its passionate football fan base, is starting to fill their home ballpark expecting to cheer on a winner. That is great news. Great for baseball, great for the division, great for the fans. Brewers GM Doug Melvin has done a tremendous job putting this Brewers club together, giving them a chance to make a run at the post season, and possibly deep into it.
But before we start grilling up the bratwursts and chasing them down with ice cold Miller Lights, the Friendly Confines has a message for you: Calm down, kids, the division and the pennant still runs through me.
That was probably true before Cubs GM Jim Hendry threw Sean Gallagher into the mix and brought Harden and Chad Gaudin to Chicago for second half insurance. The Cubs have a comfortable lead with a handful of games to finish up before heading into the All-Star break, and there is every reason to believe they are going to be better after next week's mini vacation. A rivalry just got hotter if it wasn't born already, and we get to welcome the second half of the baseball season with an abundance of deep dish pizzas and sausages. Great news for us.
I'm enjoying this surge of Brewers baseball, especially after thinking the Cubs were going to run away with this division when the season started. There are Cubbie faithfuls and Brewers believers, all of them plugging their voice of reason into an amp to make sure it reaches over the Great Lakes, and wraps right around into the others backyard. This energy and life is what baseball, and sports, is about. But it's time to step away from the Sabathia Sizzle and the Harden Hustle, and be real for a moment.
The Brewers are good, but they aren't "Cubs" good. The Brewers have pitching, but they don't have "Cubs" pitching. The Brewers have hitters, but they don't have "Cubs" hitters. That is just the way it is in this division right now, and there is no shame in that for Milwaukee. They are a talented club and absolutely can make some noise in the playoffs. But the Cubs are the better team, and there is no denying that fact. We see this type of thing in every industry. Chris Cagle is good, but he isn't Tim McGraw. Rookie of the Year is a good movie, but it is not Field of Dreams. Matt Damon is a fine Jason Bourne, but would you really put him on the same level as 007?
No you wouldn't, and you wouldn't consider the Brewers on the same level as the Cubs, either. Unless you are a Wisconsin native, that is. Draw it up any way you wish, but the gap between these two clubs is greater that you think.
The aforementioned trades are both big boosts to their respective rotations, but the Cubs have the better overall rotation, and that's what matters here. Take the top two guys from each team out of it in order to really see where the division will be won. CC Sabathia has been as dominant as anyone since May, and Ben Sheets can stifle any lineup at any time. Those guys will perform simply because they are that good. On the flip side, Rich Harden can be untouchable, and what you saw last night from Carlos Zambrano, well, there is more where that came from. So discard those two guys to even this up.
Ryan Dempster matches up against Dave Bush as the number three starters, and this is what takes the Cubs rotation to a different level. A complete mismatch to say the least. Bush is 4-8 with a 4.74 ERA, and is pitching where above himself in the middle of the rotation. Dempster, on the other hand, has made the switch from closer to starter seamlessly, and will take his 10-3 record and 3.13 ERA to the All-Star game next week.
Manny Parra has a big advantage over Ted Lilly, but if you put Parra up against Dempster and Bush against Lilly, I would take what the Cubs have to offer in both spots. Seth McClung's numbers are better than Jason Marquis' in the fifth spot, but Marquis has thrown about 23 more innings and could be replaced with either Sean Marshall or Chad Gaudin, both upgrades. If Yovani Gallardo was healthy and pitching in the rotation instead of Bush, then this would be a serious argument, and the Brewers may have the advantage. But put Gallardo on the DL, and it's not that close.
The biggest difference between these two clubs may be in the bullpen. How big is the difference between HD TV and a grainy, local cable feed? Right, and that is where we stand with the Cubs and Brewers. The Cubs have one of the best bullpens and the Brewers have one of the worst. Outside of dominant starting pitching, a deep bullpen may be the most important thing down the stretch, and certainly during the post season. You have no chance if you can't lock down the 7th, 8th, and 9th.
The Brewers bullpen has thrown 273 1/2 innings this season, and has compiled a 4.12 ERA. To make matters worse, we are 91 games through the season as of today, and the Brewers still have a revolving door at the closer position. Eric Gagne was given $10 million to handle that role, and he blew a handful of saves before winding up on the DL. He is back in the bullpen now, but it is not clear whether or not he will reclaim that spot this season. In his absence, Milwaukee has turned its lonely eyes to Salomon Torres. Torres has done an adequate job, but the journeyman is still somewhat of an unknown in the ninth inning. He has 15 saves and a 2.83 ERA, but the 19 walks in 47 2/3 innings are a bit scary.
The closer is the last line of defense, and with a weak closer, you may be wondering what is next? Well, to be blunt, not much. Guillermo Mota has decent stuff but can't seem to get anyone out, and he brings a 5.82 ERA to the table. We mentioned Gagne, and that's not pretty either -- a 6.04 ERA and more walks than saves. What about David Riske? Show us Riske, we will show you a 4.50 ERA and a 17/13 strikeout to walk ratio.
This is where the Cubs excel. Kerry Wood came into the league as a dominant young starter, and then hasn't been able to pan due to multiple arm injuries. After trying and trying again to handle the workload of a starter, the Cubs decided to make Wood a closer, and presto, a dominant closer was born. Wood has an explosive fastball and toxic slider that he uses to mesmerize opponents in the ninth inning. Woods' 23 saves and 2.89 ERA are impressive, but his 12 walks and 30 hits in 43 2/3 innings speak more about his consistent performance. Cubbie fans will still hold their breath until Wood gets through an entire season, even as a closer, but he is half way there, and manager Lou Pinella probably has dreams about Wood repeating this kind of work in the second half.
Luckily for the Cubs, Wood is only part of the story. Carlos Marmol may be the most valuable piece in the pen and, although he has struggled with some control issues in the last couple weeks, is arguably the best set-up man in all of baseball. He has an inflated 3.51 ERA due to a couple of poor outings, but his 70 strikeouts in 51.1 innings is purely dominant and shows the quality of his stuff. Bob Howry is a middle relief arm that eats up innings in a non-glamourous role, saving Wood and Marmol for the close ball games. Howry's 34 strikeouts to only 6 walks proves his value to the club. The newly acquired Chad Gaudin can take the ball often and fits Pinella's style of pitcher -- one who doesn't walk many people. Nothing will irk Pinella more than free passes, and Gaudin has only given up 17 in almost 63 innings.
Both clubs have powerful offenses that are capable of knocking in plenty of runs, but the Cubs still take the cake at the plate as well. The Brewers are a group of big boppers, built around a core of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart. Braun is the prize of the bunch, and the left fielder is heading to the All-Star game with a .286/.326/.550 line, with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs to boot.
The Cubs are a deeper, more well-rounded lineup, that drives in plenty of runs but has role players who will get on base and kill you. Derek Lee, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome are great pieces that complement this lineup, and that is without mentioning Alfonso Soriano who has yet to return from his broken hand. But the back bone of this offense is Aramis Ramirez, who has been on a tear in the last month. Ramirez boasts a .291/.384/.521 line, leads the team in RBIs with 63, and is tied with Soto for the lead in home runs at 16. All of those guys will represent the Cubs in the All-Star game except for Lee, and that is because Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols are having big seasons, and Adrian Gonzalez is having a career year.
Outside of the standard numbers for individual players, the Cubs prominence runs even deeper on a team-wide scale. There is a couple ways to look at the lineups; as a whole, or broken down into parts. As a whole, the Cubs' starting players are hitting 30 points higher than the Brewers' starters in 2008. When broken down by position, left field and right field are the only positions where the Brewers possess a higher batting average this season, and the left field numbers don't tell the full story as the aforementioned Soriano has missed 40 games on the disabled list. If you look at the outfield as one unit, the Cubs hit 1 point better than Milwaukee.
Lets break down the orders into "roles" -- catalysts and producers. Batters in the first two spots will be considered as "catalysts" and batter in the third through sixth spots will be considered "producers" with the 7th and 8th hitters and pitcher's spot discarded. What have the "catalysts" for the Cubs done thus far? They have a .276/.344/.407 line, with 72 walks, 25 stolen bases, 127 runs, and 100 RBI's. Catalysts for the Brewers? .250/.331/.449, 79 walks, 19 stolen bases, 123 runs, and 93 RBI's.
There is an anomaly within the "producers" numbers, but it is not a disguised one. Cubs "producers": .293/.384/.502, 94 doubles, 62 home runs, 241 runs, 239 RBI's. Brewers "producers": .269/.328/.498, 78 doubles, 77 home runs, 200 runs, 218 RBI's. You may be thinking how does Milwaukee have 15 more home runs than Chicago, but yet have 41 less runs, a staggering number? A theory is that most of those home runs hit by the Brewers were probably solo shots, and that is backed up by the fact that the Cubs have a 69 point on-base percentage advantage if you add the "catalysts" and "producers" numbers together; there lies the difference.
Individually, the Cubs hitters are in a class of their own. Broken down, the numbers justify the Cubs depth from top to bottom and their superiority over Milwaukee's offense. Maybe Milwaukee is a "clutch" team and really takes advantage of their opportunities with runners in scoring position. Could that be their forte? We looked at that, and, no, sorry Milwaukee fans, that's not it either. With runners in scoring position, the Cubs hit .282 and the Brewers hit .249. A step further, runners in scoring position with two outs, and the Cubs are one point better than the Brewers.
Pitching and defense is what wins in the post season when runs are at a premium because teams are facing another team's top guys most games. That would leave the defense, and we have a take on that as well. Short stop, left field, center field, and pitcher are the only positions where the Brewers have a higher fielding percentage than the Cubs, but two of those come with caveats. The short stop numbers favor the Brewers, but when you look at the starters, J.J. Hardy is only 11 points better than Ryan Theriot, and Theriot has 17 more putouts. Brewers pitchers are 9 points better than the Cubs hurlers, but the Cubs have over fifty percent more putouts than the Brewers on the mound.
It should be noted, though, that even though the overall numbers favor the Cubs at second base, those figures are deceiving. If you look at the starters, it is not even close. Rickie Weeks of the Brewers has a better fielding percentage than the Cubs' Mark DeRosa, and that's without mentioning that Weeks has 61 more putouts than DeRosa.
It is clear that the Chicago Cubs are the team to beat in the National League Central. All of this that is in favor of the Cubs is concrete evidence that can be calculated and mulled over. What cannot be quantified though is the mystique and aura that surrounds the Cubs franchise and Wrigley Field. Some believe that "aura" and "mystique" are bogus labels for luck, and that is fine, but tell New Yorkers that Yankee Stadium is the same playing field as Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City, and see what happens.
Teams don't go into Wrigley Field and feel comfortable. The Wrigley Faithful have been raised better than that. There is a definite home field advantage in favor of the Cubs, and that could be the deciding factor in a post season series. The Brewers are a young, talented team that is poised for the playoffs, but I don't feel the same sense of hunger from them, and I don't know why. Those are gut feelings that can't be described, but I do know one thing: There is a distinct difference between the front office and the fans feeling a sense of urgency to win, and the players playing with that sense of urgency.
I don't feel the hunger and dire need to win a championship this season from the Brewers like I feel it from the Cubs. The fact that the Cubs haven't won a championship in 100 years is being played up so big by the city and the media, that is probably the reason why the pressure is on. But this team has the "it" factor that is indescribable, and they play like they HAVE to win it this season. The Brewers don't give off that energy on the field. For some reason which I can't explain. The 2007 Colorado Rockies had "it", and you could feel it. Do you feel that same way about these Brewers? Not me, not even close. It is true though that the "it" factor is an elusive phenomenon that can come and go with some inspired ball and extensive winning streaks. We will have to wait and see if that happens in the second half for Milwaukee.
It is guaranteed to be a fun race come August and September, and it is possible that this division goes down to the final weekend of play, when the Cubs play three games at Milwaukee and autumn leaves are falling. We will hear about every goat and every Bartman until these Cubs write their names in history as World Champions, but Milwaukee will be hearing from the Friendly Confines the most. Both franchises are all in, now lets see if the Brewers can clip that ivy.
The Brewers got the better pitcher, and certainly got less risky of the two power arms, but that does not mean that they are now poised to win the division. Sabathia shirts are flooding greater Milwaukee with regularity this week, and a city that is known for its passionate football fan base, is starting to fill their home ballpark expecting to cheer on a winner. That is great news. Great for baseball, great for the division, great for the fans. Brewers GM Doug Melvin has done a tremendous job putting this Brewers club together, giving them a chance to make a run at the post season, and possibly deep into it.
But before we start grilling up the bratwursts and chasing them down with ice cold Miller Lights, the Friendly Confines has a message for you: Calm down, kids, the division and the pennant still runs through me.
That was probably true before Cubs GM Jim Hendry threw Sean Gallagher into the mix and brought Harden and Chad Gaudin to Chicago for second half insurance. The Cubs have a comfortable lead with a handful of games to finish up before heading into the All-Star break, and there is every reason to believe they are going to be better after next week's mini vacation. A rivalry just got hotter if it wasn't born already, and we get to welcome the second half of the baseball season with an abundance of deep dish pizzas and sausages. Great news for us.
I'm enjoying this surge of Brewers baseball, especially after thinking the Cubs were going to run away with this division when the season started. There are Cubbie faithfuls and Brewers believers, all of them plugging their voice of reason into an amp to make sure it reaches over the Great Lakes, and wraps right around into the others backyard. This energy and life is what baseball, and sports, is about. But it's time to step away from the Sabathia Sizzle and the Harden Hustle, and be real for a moment.
The Brewers are good, but they aren't "Cubs" good. The Brewers have pitching, but they don't have "Cubs" pitching. The Brewers have hitters, but they don't have "Cubs" hitters. That is just the way it is in this division right now, and there is no shame in that for Milwaukee. They are a talented club and absolutely can make some noise in the playoffs. But the Cubs are the better team, and there is no denying that fact. We see this type of thing in every industry. Chris Cagle is good, but he isn't Tim McGraw. Rookie of the Year is a good movie, but it is not Field of Dreams. Matt Damon is a fine Jason Bourne, but would you really put him on the same level as 007?
No you wouldn't, and you wouldn't consider the Brewers on the same level as the Cubs, either. Unless you are a Wisconsin native, that is. Draw it up any way you wish, but the gap between these two clubs is greater that you think.
The aforementioned trades are both big boosts to their respective rotations, but the Cubs have the better overall rotation, and that's what matters here. Take the top two guys from each team out of it in order to really see where the division will be won. CC Sabathia has been as dominant as anyone since May, and Ben Sheets can stifle any lineup at any time. Those guys will perform simply because they are that good. On the flip side, Rich Harden can be untouchable, and what you saw last night from Carlos Zambrano, well, there is more where that came from. So discard those two guys to even this up.
Ryan Dempster matches up against Dave Bush as the number three starters, and this is what takes the Cubs rotation to a different level. A complete mismatch to say the least. Bush is 4-8 with a 4.74 ERA, and is pitching where above himself in the middle of the rotation. Dempster, on the other hand, has made the switch from closer to starter seamlessly, and will take his 10-3 record and 3.13 ERA to the All-Star game next week.
Manny Parra has a big advantage over Ted Lilly, but if you put Parra up against Dempster and Bush against Lilly, I would take what the Cubs have to offer in both spots. Seth McClung's numbers are better than Jason Marquis' in the fifth spot, but Marquis has thrown about 23 more innings and could be replaced with either Sean Marshall or Chad Gaudin, both upgrades. If Yovani Gallardo was healthy and pitching in the rotation instead of Bush, then this would be a serious argument, and the Brewers may have the advantage. But put Gallardo on the DL, and it's not that close.
The biggest difference between these two clubs may be in the bullpen. How big is the difference between HD TV and a grainy, local cable feed? Right, and that is where we stand with the Cubs and Brewers. The Cubs have one of the best bullpens and the Brewers have one of the worst. Outside of dominant starting pitching, a deep bullpen may be the most important thing down the stretch, and certainly during the post season. You have no chance if you can't lock down the 7th, 8th, and 9th.
The Brewers bullpen has thrown 273 1/2 innings this season, and has compiled a 4.12 ERA. To make matters worse, we are 91 games through the season as of today, and the Brewers still have a revolving door at the closer position. Eric Gagne was given $10 million to handle that role, and he blew a handful of saves before winding up on the DL. He is back in the bullpen now, but it is not clear whether or not he will reclaim that spot this season. In his absence, Milwaukee has turned its lonely eyes to Salomon Torres. Torres has done an adequate job, but the journeyman is still somewhat of an unknown in the ninth inning. He has 15 saves and a 2.83 ERA, but the 19 walks in 47 2/3 innings are a bit scary.
The closer is the last line of defense, and with a weak closer, you may be wondering what is next? Well, to be blunt, not much. Guillermo Mota has decent stuff but can't seem to get anyone out, and he brings a 5.82 ERA to the table. We mentioned Gagne, and that's not pretty either -- a 6.04 ERA and more walks than saves. What about David Riske? Show us Riske, we will show you a 4.50 ERA and a 17/13 strikeout to walk ratio.
This is where the Cubs excel. Kerry Wood came into the league as a dominant young starter, and then hasn't been able to pan due to multiple arm injuries. After trying and trying again to handle the workload of a starter, the Cubs decided to make Wood a closer, and presto, a dominant closer was born. Wood has an explosive fastball and toxic slider that he uses to mesmerize opponents in the ninth inning. Woods' 23 saves and 2.89 ERA are impressive, but his 12 walks and 30 hits in 43 2/3 innings speak more about his consistent performance. Cubbie fans will still hold their breath until Wood gets through an entire season, even as a closer, but he is half way there, and manager Lou Pinella probably has dreams about Wood repeating this kind of work in the second half.
Luckily for the Cubs, Wood is only part of the story. Carlos Marmol may be the most valuable piece in the pen and, although he has struggled with some control issues in the last couple weeks, is arguably the best set-up man in all of baseball. He has an inflated 3.51 ERA due to a couple of poor outings, but his 70 strikeouts in 51.1 innings is purely dominant and shows the quality of his stuff. Bob Howry is a middle relief arm that eats up innings in a non-glamourous role, saving Wood and Marmol for the close ball games. Howry's 34 strikeouts to only 6 walks proves his value to the club. The newly acquired Chad Gaudin can take the ball often and fits Pinella's style of pitcher -- one who doesn't walk many people. Nothing will irk Pinella more than free passes, and Gaudin has only given up 17 in almost 63 innings.
Both clubs have powerful offenses that are capable of knocking in plenty of runs, but the Cubs still take the cake at the plate as well. The Brewers are a group of big boppers, built around a core of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart. Braun is the prize of the bunch, and the left fielder is heading to the All-Star game with a .286/.326/.550 line, with 22 home runs and 62 RBIs to boot.
The Cubs are a deeper, more well-rounded lineup, that drives in plenty of runs but has role players who will get on base and kill you. Derek Lee, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome are great pieces that complement this lineup, and that is without mentioning Alfonso Soriano who has yet to return from his broken hand. But the back bone of this offense is Aramis Ramirez, who has been on a tear in the last month. Ramirez boasts a .291/.384/.521 line, leads the team in RBIs with 63, and is tied with Soto for the lead in home runs at 16. All of those guys will represent the Cubs in the All-Star game except for Lee, and that is because Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols are having big seasons, and Adrian Gonzalez is having a career year.
Outside of the standard numbers for individual players, the Cubs prominence runs even deeper on a team-wide scale. There is a couple ways to look at the lineups; as a whole, or broken down into parts. As a whole, the Cubs' starting players are hitting 30 points higher than the Brewers' starters in 2008. When broken down by position, left field and right field are the only positions where the Brewers possess a higher batting average this season, and the left field numbers don't tell the full story as the aforementioned Soriano has missed 40 games on the disabled list. If you look at the outfield as one unit, the Cubs hit 1 point better than Milwaukee.
Lets break down the orders into "roles" -- catalysts and producers. Batters in the first two spots will be considered as "catalysts" and batter in the third through sixth spots will be considered "producers" with the 7th and 8th hitters and pitcher's spot discarded. What have the "catalysts" for the Cubs done thus far? They have a .276/.344/.407 line, with 72 walks, 25 stolen bases, 127 runs, and 100 RBI's. Catalysts for the Brewers? .250/.331/.449, 79 walks, 19 stolen bases, 123 runs, and 93 RBI's.
There is an anomaly within the "producers" numbers, but it is not a disguised one. Cubs "producers": .293/.384/.502, 94 doubles, 62 home runs, 241 runs, 239 RBI's. Brewers "producers": .269/.328/.498, 78 doubles, 77 home runs, 200 runs, 218 RBI's. You may be thinking how does Milwaukee have 15 more home runs than Chicago, but yet have 41 less runs, a staggering number? A theory is that most of those home runs hit by the Brewers were probably solo shots, and that is backed up by the fact that the Cubs have a 69 point on-base percentage advantage if you add the "catalysts" and "producers" numbers together; there lies the difference.
Individually, the Cubs hitters are in a class of their own. Broken down, the numbers justify the Cubs depth from top to bottom and their superiority over Milwaukee's offense. Maybe Milwaukee is a "clutch" team and really takes advantage of their opportunities with runners in scoring position. Could that be their forte? We looked at that, and, no, sorry Milwaukee fans, that's not it either. With runners in scoring position, the Cubs hit .282 and the Brewers hit .249. A step further, runners in scoring position with two outs, and the Cubs are one point better than the Brewers.
Pitching and defense is what wins in the post season when runs are at a premium because teams are facing another team's top guys most games. That would leave the defense, and we have a take on that as well. Short stop, left field, center field, and pitcher are the only positions where the Brewers have a higher fielding percentage than the Cubs, but two of those come with caveats. The short stop numbers favor the Brewers, but when you look at the starters, J.J. Hardy is only 11 points better than Ryan Theriot, and Theriot has 17 more putouts. Brewers pitchers are 9 points better than the Cubs hurlers, but the Cubs have over fifty percent more putouts than the Brewers on the mound.
It should be noted, though, that even though the overall numbers favor the Cubs at second base, those figures are deceiving. If you look at the starters, it is not even close. Rickie Weeks of the Brewers has a better fielding percentage than the Cubs' Mark DeRosa, and that's without mentioning that Weeks has 61 more putouts than DeRosa.
It is clear that the Chicago Cubs are the team to beat in the National League Central. All of this that is in favor of the Cubs is concrete evidence that can be calculated and mulled over. What cannot be quantified though is the mystique and aura that surrounds the Cubs franchise and Wrigley Field. Some believe that "aura" and "mystique" are bogus labels for luck, and that is fine, but tell New Yorkers that Yankee Stadium is the same playing field as Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City, and see what happens.
Teams don't go into Wrigley Field and feel comfortable. The Wrigley Faithful have been raised better than that. There is a definite home field advantage in favor of the Cubs, and that could be the deciding factor in a post season series. The Brewers are a young, talented team that is poised for the playoffs, but I don't feel the same sense of hunger from them, and I don't know why. Those are gut feelings that can't be described, but I do know one thing: There is a distinct difference between the front office and the fans feeling a sense of urgency to win, and the players playing with that sense of urgency.
I don't feel the hunger and dire need to win a championship this season from the Brewers like I feel it from the Cubs. The fact that the Cubs haven't won a championship in 100 years is being played up so big by the city and the media, that is probably the reason why the pressure is on. But this team has the "it" factor that is indescribable, and they play like they HAVE to win it this season. The Brewers don't give off that energy on the field. For some reason which I can't explain. The 2007 Colorado Rockies had "it", and you could feel it. Do you feel that same way about these Brewers? Not me, not even close. It is true though that the "it" factor is an elusive phenomenon that can come and go with some inspired ball and extensive winning streaks. We will have to wait and see if that happens in the second half for Milwaukee.
It is guaranteed to be a fun race come August and September, and it is possible that this division goes down to the final weekend of play, when the Cubs play three games at Milwaukee and autumn leaves are falling. We will hear about every goat and every Bartman until these Cubs write their names in history as World Champions, but Milwaukee will be hearing from the Friendly Confines the most. Both franchises are all in, now lets see if the Brewers can clip that ivy.
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