1) Joe Saunders pitched the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to a 2-0 victory Tuesday night, in a tidy 2-hour, 9-minute ballgame. The southpaw improved his 2008 record to 5-0, remaining undefeated in April games in his brief career. Saunders was so clean, he didn't allow a runner to third base the entire night, surrendering only four hits along with 5 strikeouts over eight innings. Francisco Rodriguez pitched his typical entertaining ninth inning for his MLB-best 11th save.
This was typical Joe Saunders, right here. Not an overpowering lefty by any means-- he will work 89-91, usually-- but mixes and matches his pitches as good as anyone on the Angel staff. The strong outing came on the heels of a blowout where the Angel bullpen was heavily taxed. It was important for Saunders to take the ball deep into the ballgame.
The thing that sets Saunders apart from other pitchers is his mentality and approach. Saunders does not pitch like a command and feel lefty normally would. He uses his offspeed, but he does not attempt to lull the opposition to sleep by serving up soft stuff the entire ballgame. No, what Saunders does is attack the strike zone in every sense of the word. He attacks with his fastball, resulting in a lot of weak outs when it is located well. Saunders will run his heater off the plate to get good swings, but he has enough behind it to where he can challenge guys inside.
Every offspeed pitch is thrown off of the fastball. If the fastball isn't good, the hitters can afford to sit on the breaking ball or changeup a little bit more without the fear of being beaten with the hard one. That is the strength of Saunders, which in return makes his curveball and change that much better. More so, Saunders pounds the zone early in the count with his offspeed stuff. He does not throw it out of the zone-- unless he wants to-- and try to get hitters to fish. When he is on the mound, the defense can have confidence because they know Saunders is coming right after the opponent and the innings will be short and quick.
A great performance from the other dugout will go unnoticed tonight. Greg Smith, acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren deal, threw a complete game, giving up 2 runs on three hits while striking out five. Smith is Saunders' shadow. Also a lefty, Smith pounded the zone with his fastball-- working it around 88-90 mph-- and was smart with the location of his offspeed pitches.
This was the first chance I got to see Smith pitch, and I came away impressed. I loved the confidence he displayed for facing one of the best teams in baseball, and he was a real bulldog on the mound. That is unusual for a kid who is 24 years old, making his first full season in the big leagues. His stuff is very playable and he can win a lot of games if he locates it well. But the demeanor is what the A's should be very encourage about, and is probably what played a big role in them asking for him in the Haren trade. I'm a believer in this kid based off of his mentality alone. He had enough presence to make his pitches to a loaded lineup and keep the game tight when the other pitcher is dealing. This is a tough-luck loss, but Smith will be a fine pitcher if he improves upon outings like this one.
The Angels are the alpha dog of the American League West, there is no discrepancy there. But sitting right beside them in th standings are these fiesty Oakland A's, whose GM never seizes to amaze me. Billy Beane spun off two big time trades this offseason-- the aforementioned Haren and Nick Swisher-- and all but welcomed the rebuilding process. What we didn't know was the quality of players he was getting in return for his big chips.
I guess it really isn't that big of a surprise why this affluent organization tends to be in contention down the stretch. I do not know for sure, but I am guessing the strength of the organization is their scouting and player development departments. Has to be. No question, right? I have the slightest clue what sets the Oakland people apart from the rest of the other organizations, but I'm thinking Beane has a group of baseball people who are so in tuned with what type of product he wants on the field in Oakland, that they are able to create this tunnel vision when they evaluate players and pick the ones they know for sure are big league ready and that fit the Oakland mold. I don't know how they do it, but they seemingly never miss on an evaluation. I am excited to witness another piece of the scouting fruit on Wednesday night-- soutpaw Dana Eveland.
2) If I'm Roy Halladay these days, I'm thinking, "What the hell I gotta do to win a freaking game around here?". The ace of the Toronto Blue Jays is on a streak right now that is so unheard of across baseball these days that well... that is the reason why you haven't really heard of it. Halladay pitched his fourth consecutive complete game Tuesday night, only to lose 1-0 to the Boston Red Sox on a Kevin Youkilis RBI single. The problem is that Halladay has lost three of those complete games.
In a day and age of pitch counts and limited workloads, Halladay says the hell with that and takes the ball looking to give the bullpen the night off. And his offense can't say thank you by giving him even two damn runs? Hey, I guess that is the game that we chose to love and some days the hitters just don't scamper across that white plate. The way it is and the way it's always been in this game.
But nonetheless, I am completely in awe of what Halladay is all about. I love watching this guy pitch because he feels a responsibility, a deep loyalty to his teammates, to do his job and give the club the best chance to win the game. He is a true ace; every time he takes the ball the bullpen has a great chance to heal up. But how can a man keep going at this pace and keep himself mentally sane if he can't even win half of those game? Beats me. There is a serious kind of funk going through the Toronto clubhouse, and for some reason it's only landing in the batters box.
There may be no more efficient pitcher this side of Brandon Webb than Roy Halladay. Halladay may say screw Webb, I'm the guy. I don't know, but I probably wouldn't disagree. I haven't looked at any stats on average pitches per inning or some other analysis along those lines, but I don't really care to. I'm not talking effiecieny in the purest form of the word. I am talking about maximizing your pitches and getting weak swings and weak outs-- while throwing fewer pitches.
So you could say that a three pitch inning is as efficient as you can get. Which is technically true. But if those three pitches are three zingers that go to the warning track, that is not exactly what I'm looking for. Halladay keep his pitch count reasonable all the while making hitters look foolish. How many broken bats do we need to see before a hitter decides to do some a little bit different? Maybe it is because Halladay is always one step ahead of the hitter. He will throw his cutter inside just when the hitter is looking for that sinker running away from him. I would need to diligently watch each one of Halladay's starts to form a thorough analysis of his plan of attack, but for now I enjoy the view from the bleachers.
What cannot be lost in the shuffle is that as good as Halladay was Tuesday night, Jon Lester was that good or better for the Red Sox. Lester allowed one hit over eight innings-- a single in the fifth inning-- and struck out six. He did not get the win; that belonged to Jonathan Papelbon who came on in the ninth in a tied ballgame. We know how good Lester can be. We have seen him pitch at 92-94 mph with his fastball, and mix in a good change and a good breaking ball. We have seen him pound the bottom half of the strike zone and mix up his monotonous of groundballs with some strikeouts.
It is all about consistency for this kid, as it is for every other guy who is still young. Too many times I have seen Lester pitch great, and then his next start he walks for and is at 108 pitches in the fifth inning. If he is going to be a premier starter in baseball, those starts must be eliminated. But I think he will do that and make that kind of progress. He already has the stuff to be a very good pitcher. And if you are going to tell me that a kid who has already beaten cancer does not have the toughness or the maturity to make adjustments in a baseball game, I am not buying it. Lester is going to be big for Boston.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Walk, knock, and some Oakland sock
1) The Oakland A's rolled into Anaheim Monday evening looking to take over possession of the AL West division from the Angels. They did just that as they abused Angel pitching in every sense of the word. It was one of those nights at the Big A where you knew it couldn't possibly end well for the Angels. There was a thick sense of bad karma in the air, as if the baseball gods felt they needed to brign the Angels back to earth after they won 4 out of 6 on their recent roadtrip in Boston and Detroit.
Jon Garland took the ball for the Angels and lasted into the seventh inning, but allowed seven runs on 10 hits and three walks. The righty added 5 strikeouts to his final game line. Funny thing about Garland is that he did not pitch terribly bad. It was simply one of those outings where everything seemed to fall in favor of the A's. When Frank Thomas is hitting triples and broken bat singles are nestling into the outfield grass, something is up.
There were numerous dinks and dunks that found holes for the A's, setting up big jams for Garland. To the A's credit, they got the big hit when they had an opportunity to take care advantage of all the bloop singles. Daric Barton launched a three-run hoemrun into the seats in rightfield in the third inning after Kurt Suzuki walked and Mark Ellis doubled. Jack Hannahan provided the other blast of the evening in the sixth, but that was a solo shot.
The problem for Garland was that his three walks and less-than-stellar command were exposed on an evening when he wasn't getting the breaks. When bloop singles are falling in, walks only compound the problem.
But it wasn't just Garland who struggled with the strike zone on Monday. Chris Bootcheck came on in relief in the seventh inning and got two outs while walking three and allowing seven earned runs. This made for some brutal baseball-- nothing kills a game like walks, and especially when the game is already out of reach. Bootcheck couldn't finish the inning, and left to an array of boos.
There isn't much that needs to be made of this ballgame, as it is only one day on the schedule and the Angels have gotten pretty good pitching recently. It was simply one of those wacky days where all the breaks fell the other way and the Angels were relatively shut down by Oakland's Chad Gaudin.
2) After being seemingly left out of the Yankee rotation last week after Hank Steinbrenner's Joba-rant, Mike Mussina has responded like you would expect the consumate professional to respond. Mussina has put together two good starts in a row now, as he went five innings and gave up two runs against the Cleveland Indians Monday evening.
Yes, five innings is not enough for a starter. If that is as long as they can go, then the bullpen is going to be toast in September. But this is about all Mussina can give the Yankees at this point in his career, and they should be thankful if he takes the ball into the sixth inning and the opposition has three runs or less. Not stellar work, but at least they will be getting some positive return on the final year of their investment.
The good news is that this will allow the Yankees to win a lot of games from the fith spot in their rotation, due to the explosive offense. The hitters will just have to be on their game when more so when wang and Pettitte are not on the mound. But with Joba good for the seventh and/or eighth innings, things are looking good for New York because closer Mariano Rivera has been outstanding in the ninth inning this season-- he has converted all 8 save chances without issuing a walk or an earned run in 11 innings pitcher in 2008.
The Yankees will need to watch the progression of Alex Rodriguez' quad injury as he may have reaggravated it on Monday night. Rodriguez was eager to be in the lineup to "keep his leg lose", but manager Joe Girardi will have to be careful with his thirdbaseman because the Yankees can ill-afford to lose A-Rod for any extended period of time.
Jon Garland took the ball for the Angels and lasted into the seventh inning, but allowed seven runs on 10 hits and three walks. The righty added 5 strikeouts to his final game line. Funny thing about Garland is that he did not pitch terribly bad. It was simply one of those outings where everything seemed to fall in favor of the A's. When Frank Thomas is hitting triples and broken bat singles are nestling into the outfield grass, something is up.
There were numerous dinks and dunks that found holes for the A's, setting up big jams for Garland. To the A's credit, they got the big hit when they had an opportunity to take care advantage of all the bloop singles. Daric Barton launched a three-run hoemrun into the seats in rightfield in the third inning after Kurt Suzuki walked and Mark Ellis doubled. Jack Hannahan provided the other blast of the evening in the sixth, but that was a solo shot.
The problem for Garland was that his three walks and less-than-stellar command were exposed on an evening when he wasn't getting the breaks. When bloop singles are falling in, walks only compound the problem.
But it wasn't just Garland who struggled with the strike zone on Monday. Chris Bootcheck came on in relief in the seventh inning and got two outs while walking three and allowing seven earned runs. This made for some brutal baseball-- nothing kills a game like walks, and especially when the game is already out of reach. Bootcheck couldn't finish the inning, and left to an array of boos.
There isn't much that needs to be made of this ballgame, as it is only one day on the schedule and the Angels have gotten pretty good pitching recently. It was simply one of those wacky days where all the breaks fell the other way and the Angels were relatively shut down by Oakland's Chad Gaudin.
2) After being seemingly left out of the Yankee rotation last week after Hank Steinbrenner's Joba-rant, Mike Mussina has responded like you would expect the consumate professional to respond. Mussina has put together two good starts in a row now, as he went five innings and gave up two runs against the Cleveland Indians Monday evening.
Yes, five innings is not enough for a starter. If that is as long as they can go, then the bullpen is going to be toast in September. But this is about all Mussina can give the Yankees at this point in his career, and they should be thankful if he takes the ball into the sixth inning and the opposition has three runs or less. Not stellar work, but at least they will be getting some positive return on the final year of their investment.
The good news is that this will allow the Yankees to win a lot of games from the fith spot in their rotation, due to the explosive offense. The hitters will just have to be on their game when more so when wang and Pettitte are not on the mound. But with Joba good for the seventh and/or eighth innings, things are looking good for New York because closer Mariano Rivera has been outstanding in the ninth inning this season-- he has converted all 8 save chances without issuing a walk or an earned run in 11 innings pitcher in 2008.
The Yankees will need to watch the progression of Alex Rodriguez' quad injury as he may have reaggravated it on Monday night. Rodriguez was eager to be in the lineup to "keep his leg lose", but manager Joe Girardi will have to be careful with his thirdbaseman because the Yankees can ill-afford to lose A-Rod for any extended period of time.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday morning briefing
1) Was Sunday the Day Of The Pitcher, or what? The Boston Red Sox went down to Tampa Bay this weekend for a three-game set, looking to find a winning groove again. What happened? The American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays knocked them down, kicked them around, and sent them packing with a three-game sweep. Sunday's pitching matchup turned out to be one of the best on tap this past weekend.
Josh Beckett took the mound for Boston, looking to be that stopper that he was so many times in 2007. And credit to Beckett, he came through. The ace went seven innings, allowed three runs, all while striking out 13. That is almost two strikeouts per inning. Complete domination. Period.
The only problem is that Boston ran into a buzz saw by the name of James Shields. Shields was the star of the show as he carried the Rays to a 3-0 victory with a two-hit, complete game shutout. The righty, who has taken over the role of staff ace in the absence of Scott Kazmir, painted the corners with his low-90s fastball and threw a devastating changeup at the Red Sox, keeping them off balance the entire game. I knew the kid was good, but he may be taking that leap to big-time status. This performance was certainly an eye-opener.
Another note on the Rays. How impressive has Evan Longoria been in the early going of his big league career? The kid came up with much fanfare and the entire baseball world had heard the hype, but I will be the first to admit that I didn't expect him to come out of the gate like this. He has three homeruns in ten games, and has played great defense at third base. And to think that Tampa Bay was going to keep this kid down for an extended period of time this season?
2) I was going to say the best game of the day was in San Diego, but there is one other that tied for first place. But the best matchup certainly was in Southern California, as Jake Peavy took the mound for the Padres against division rival Arizona, who countered with their own Brandon Webb. The over/under was about 2 runs in this game, and the over barely covered.
Peavy was awesome on Sunday afternoon, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 9. The righty was looking for his fourth win of the season entering Sunday. But what can you really say about Webb? The guy allows one run over six innings and the Diamondbacks won the ballgame 2-1.
Webb improved to 6-0 on the season. This guy just doesn't lose anymore. It's astonishing really, and I am completely bewildered by the roll that the Diamondbacks are on. This team is for real, but who would have thought that a team this young could be capable of these things?
I have to admit that I am a little bit late on the Brandon Webb bandwagon. Not that I thought that Webb wasn't a good pitcher, or that he was mrely average. That was not the case. I knew full well that Webb was good. But I saw him live last year and I came away a little unimpressed. I can't put a finger on what left me with an empty feeling after watching him pitch-- it could have been that I expected a little bit more out of a Cy Young award winner. You know, a little more power. Maybe a little more flare.
But what I failed to realize was the reason why Webb is so damn good. He isn't like any other pitcher in baseball, and that is what sets him apart. He knows his strengths, and he pitches to them accordingly. He never strays from what makes him successful. He will never try to be that power pitcher and blow fastballs by guys. That is probably what I was expecting from a guy who was considered the best pitcher in the National League in 2006. But looking back, I have a better appreciation for the maturity and professionalism that it takes for Webb to stick to his guns and do his thing.
Webb carved up the Padres with his sinker-- like usual, this is not any news. He threw it all day long, to the tune of 5 strikeouts and lousy groundballs. Webb has been known to counter his sinker with a slider that is used as a chase pitch. But on Sunday, Webb revealed a changeup that was downright nasty. I wasn't aware that he had this type of third pitch in his arsenal, and by the looks of things, the Padres weren't either. Webb got multiple swings and misses on the pitch, and used it to work out of jams with runners on base. It is safe to say that the changeup saved Webb and the Diamondbacks on Sunday, giving baseball fans another stellar outing.
3) The ballgame in Cleveland, between the Yankees and Indians, lived up to it billing just as much as the Arizona/San Diego game. C.C. Sabathia took the mound against Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees, and the battle of the aces was on.
Sabathia has had a rough early going in 2008, but he worked out some mechanical issues prior to his last start, and then went out and struck out 11 in six innings against the Royals. It was refreshing to see the C.C. that baseball has been accustomed to. Sabathia looked to build off of that outing on Sunday, and he did just that, even though a solo homerun to Melky Cabrera made him the hard-luck loser in a 1-0 ballgame.
Sabathia went 8 innings and struck out 8, allowing only four hits. What was good to see from Sabathia was his demeanor and attitude. The Yankees ahad runners on second and third with one out with Alex Rodriguez at the plate. Sabathia did not put him on to load the bases and set up the double play. He did not nibble or try to fool him with something soft. Instead, the mammoth soutpaw reared back for his fastball and brought his strength right at A-Rod. He ended up blowing a 95 mph fastball by the slugger for the punchout.
Sabathia followed that up by breaking off a slider to catch Shelley Duncan looking to end the inning, leading to an overflow of emotion from the pitcher as he strutted off the mound to the hometown roar. Sabathia needs to keep attacking with his best stuff and not shy away. He is way too good to be nibbling and walking guys. That is what I found to be most impressive from his outing. Sabathia is a scary guy when he has this type of confidence.
On the other end was Wang who struck out 9 over seven innings. Much like Webb, Wang runs his sinker/slider package over the plate and gets guys to either swing or miss, or pound the ball into the ground. Wang improved to 5-0 on the season, and has been the staple of the Yankees' rotation. What I love about Wang is that he knows what type of weapon his sinker is. He can throw it up to 95 mph, with good movement and sinking action. A pitch that is that hard and moves that much is like trying to hit a bowling ball when it gets to the plate-- it is an extremely heavy pitch. If Wang stays aggressive with that pitch and simply challenges the hitter to beat him on his best offering, he is going to win many more games this season for New York.
Josh Beckett took the mound for Boston, looking to be that stopper that he was so many times in 2007. And credit to Beckett, he came through. The ace went seven innings, allowed three runs, all while striking out 13. That is almost two strikeouts per inning. Complete domination. Period.
The only problem is that Boston ran into a buzz saw by the name of James Shields. Shields was the star of the show as he carried the Rays to a 3-0 victory with a two-hit, complete game shutout. The righty, who has taken over the role of staff ace in the absence of Scott Kazmir, painted the corners with his low-90s fastball and threw a devastating changeup at the Red Sox, keeping them off balance the entire game. I knew the kid was good, but he may be taking that leap to big-time status. This performance was certainly an eye-opener.
Another note on the Rays. How impressive has Evan Longoria been in the early going of his big league career? The kid came up with much fanfare and the entire baseball world had heard the hype, but I will be the first to admit that I didn't expect him to come out of the gate like this. He has three homeruns in ten games, and has played great defense at third base. And to think that Tampa Bay was going to keep this kid down for an extended period of time this season?
2) I was going to say the best game of the day was in San Diego, but there is one other that tied for first place. But the best matchup certainly was in Southern California, as Jake Peavy took the mound for the Padres against division rival Arizona, who countered with their own Brandon Webb. The over/under was about 2 runs in this game, and the over barely covered.
Peavy was awesome on Sunday afternoon, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 9. The righty was looking for his fourth win of the season entering Sunday. But what can you really say about Webb? The guy allows one run over six innings and the Diamondbacks won the ballgame 2-1.
Webb improved to 6-0 on the season. This guy just doesn't lose anymore. It's astonishing really, and I am completely bewildered by the roll that the Diamondbacks are on. This team is for real, but who would have thought that a team this young could be capable of these things?
I have to admit that I am a little bit late on the Brandon Webb bandwagon. Not that I thought that Webb wasn't a good pitcher, or that he was mrely average. That was not the case. I knew full well that Webb was good. But I saw him live last year and I came away a little unimpressed. I can't put a finger on what left me with an empty feeling after watching him pitch-- it could have been that I expected a little bit more out of a Cy Young award winner. You know, a little more power. Maybe a little more flare.
But what I failed to realize was the reason why Webb is so damn good. He isn't like any other pitcher in baseball, and that is what sets him apart. He knows his strengths, and he pitches to them accordingly. He never strays from what makes him successful. He will never try to be that power pitcher and blow fastballs by guys. That is probably what I was expecting from a guy who was considered the best pitcher in the National League in 2006. But looking back, I have a better appreciation for the maturity and professionalism that it takes for Webb to stick to his guns and do his thing.
Webb carved up the Padres with his sinker-- like usual, this is not any news. He threw it all day long, to the tune of 5 strikeouts and lousy groundballs. Webb has been known to counter his sinker with a slider that is used as a chase pitch. But on Sunday, Webb revealed a changeup that was downright nasty. I wasn't aware that he had this type of third pitch in his arsenal, and by the looks of things, the Padres weren't either. Webb got multiple swings and misses on the pitch, and used it to work out of jams with runners on base. It is safe to say that the changeup saved Webb and the Diamondbacks on Sunday, giving baseball fans another stellar outing.
3) The ballgame in Cleveland, between the Yankees and Indians, lived up to it billing just as much as the Arizona/San Diego game. C.C. Sabathia took the mound against Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees, and the battle of the aces was on.
Sabathia has had a rough early going in 2008, but he worked out some mechanical issues prior to his last start, and then went out and struck out 11 in six innings against the Royals. It was refreshing to see the C.C. that baseball has been accustomed to. Sabathia looked to build off of that outing on Sunday, and he did just that, even though a solo homerun to Melky Cabrera made him the hard-luck loser in a 1-0 ballgame.
Sabathia went 8 innings and struck out 8, allowing only four hits. What was good to see from Sabathia was his demeanor and attitude. The Yankees ahad runners on second and third with one out with Alex Rodriguez at the plate. Sabathia did not put him on to load the bases and set up the double play. He did not nibble or try to fool him with something soft. Instead, the mammoth soutpaw reared back for his fastball and brought his strength right at A-Rod. He ended up blowing a 95 mph fastball by the slugger for the punchout.
Sabathia followed that up by breaking off a slider to catch Shelley Duncan looking to end the inning, leading to an overflow of emotion from the pitcher as he strutted off the mound to the hometown roar. Sabathia needs to keep attacking with his best stuff and not shy away. He is way too good to be nibbling and walking guys. That is what I found to be most impressive from his outing. Sabathia is a scary guy when he has this type of confidence.
On the other end was Wang who struck out 9 over seven innings. Much like Webb, Wang runs his sinker/slider package over the plate and gets guys to either swing or miss, or pound the ball into the ground. Wang improved to 5-0 on the season, and has been the staple of the Yankees' rotation. What I love about Wang is that he knows what type of weapon his sinker is. He can throw it up to 95 mph, with good movement and sinking action. A pitch that is that hard and moves that much is like trying to hit a bowling ball when it gets to the plate-- it is an extremely heavy pitch. If Wang stays aggressive with that pitch and simply challenges the hitter to beat him on his best offering, he is going to win many more games this season for New York.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday morning briefing
1) John Smoltz reached a career milestone Tuesday night that only adds on to his Hall Of Fame career. Smoltz became the 16th pitcher in histroy to record 3,000 career strikeouts. The gritty veteran struck out ten in six innings of work, but the Atlanta Braves dropped the ballgame 6-0 to the Washington Nationals.
Smoltz has been around the block and then some in his career with Atlanta. The man has pitched in the regular season and dominated, garnering Cy Young award honors. He has made countless postseason appearances and dominated in the World Series. He has been one of the game's best starting pitchers and one of the elite closers that we have ever seen. His 210 wins and 154 wins stand alone, and I don't doubt that he would have reached the 300 win plateau by now if it wasn't for the time he had to spend in the bullpen.
There will be more great pitchers to come along in future generations and there will be other power pitchers who reach 3,000 strikeouts. But I do not think we will see a guy like John Smoltz for a long time-- if ever. Smoltz has some power and finesse in him. He had the devastating fastball in the prime of his career, yet he has the savvy to throw great offspeed pitches, and his command is impeccable. Great night for Atlanta and great night for baseball.
2) Ben Sheets is skipping his scheduled start on Thursday due to soreness in his right arm. Sheets came out of the gates on fire last season only to be doused by arm troubles, effectively giving the Milwaukee Brewers a slim chance at playoff contention. For the sake of Sheets and the Brewers, this will be no more than a couple week thing. Sometimes guys will hit a wall when they throw a lot of innings early in the season simply because their arms are not quite in game shape.
But if this turns out to be anything serious and sidelines Sheets for a considerable amount of time, there really is no hope for the Brewers to keep up with the Cubs in the NL Central. Last year, the Brew Crew had a shot. But this year, there are multiple factors that will tell us why that won't happen.
The Brewers starting rotation is already hurting with Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra battling some aches and pains. If there is ever a time where Milwaukee needs Sheets to be a horse, this is it. There is nobody at the back end of the bullpen to save games in Milwaukee in 2008. Francisco Cordero departed for big bucks in Cincinnati, Eric Gagne has been blowing saves on a record pace, and Derrick Turnbow has been utterly inconsistent for the last year. There are no answers there.
If that isn't enough, it is unlikely that the Brewers are going to score runs at the same pace that they did last year. Ryan Braun is coming off a gigantic season in which he won the Rookie of the Year award, and I suspect that he will fall off a little bit. Not because he can't be that type of hitter, but mainly because pitchers are going to make adjustments and Braun is going to have his first taste of big league adversity. Prince Fielder should start eating meat again, I think. Maybe those sausages and bratwursts in Milwaukee led to his 50 plus homeruns last season, but since the slugger has gone vegetarian, his power has gone down as well. All of this coupled with the fact that the Cubs are improved leads me to believe that this division will not be as close as expected.
3) C.C. Sabathia can finally breathe as he showed some of his old form last night, striking out 11 in six innings of work. Apparently there was nothing wrong with Sabathia physically, as he showed a 94-mph fastball and a sharp, low-80s slider. As talent evaluators try to figure out what was the cause for the horrible start for the reigning Cy Young award winner, the answer may lie beneath a myriad of reasons.
Sabathia noted that he looked at some extensive video of his mechanics and made a couple minor tweaks to get back on track. That undoubtedly is part of it, but it is not the whole story. The problem is that everything is connected and there is a trickle-down affect when the mechanics get out of wack. If Sabathia was off just a little bit to open the season, that could be cause for a bad outing or two out of the gate. After a couple of bad starts, the pressure mounts as people are crying for the solution to C.C.'s left arm, and the natural thing is to try harder and harder, which is really the opposite thing to do.
With this dominating outing, Sabathia can step back and start pitching like he is capable of again. After the Indians' slow start, they can only hope that their big guy is back to being his 2007 self, firing bullets past American League hitters.
4) There are reports cycling through the baseball grapevine that the Detroit Tigers are switching Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen on defense. These reports have been confirmed by manager Jim Leyland, noting that the organization believes this is an obvious, and simple, way to improve their ballclub. My question is, why?
Miguel Cabrera has actually played a pretty decent third base this season. He has not cost them any games a the position, and who is to say that he will not be more of a liability over at first base, a position which he has never played in his career? I don't really get this move all that much. Guillen, a former shortstop, will certainly be able to hold his own over at third base, so I guess the Tigers are banking on the fact that Cabrera will be able to pick up errant throws over at first base like Guillen could. If not, then this really doesn't make sense.
Hopefully, for the Tigers, this does not upset Cabrera too much since he is more important to their ballclub than Carlos Guillen is. Guillen is probably happy moving back to an infield position that allows him to play a little more creatively and use his athleticism to make more plays. But if this move pisses off Cabrera, it will be interesting to see what happens to his offensive output. We will find out.
5) Is win the only thing Brandon Webb knows how to do? It sure seems like it these days. The Arizona ace improved to 5-0 on Tuesday night, striking out seven in six innings of work. Webb was not as sharp as he usually is with his sinker, curveball, and changeup, as he allowed three runs to the offensively-challenged San Francisco Giants. But Webb helped himself out with a twp-run double at the plate.
Of course, there is that offense in Pheonix that I suppose has something to do with Webb's early season success. The young Diamonbacks-- led by Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Young-- are circling the bases in a fury. Not only do they provide exposions at the plate, but they have shown an ability to execute the game and win close decisions. You know this lineup is explosive when they score five runs and I really feel like it was an off-night for them. I mean, five runs is more than the New York Yankees are averaging per game so far this year. But, honestly, the offense grinded out the runs even though they were clicking on all cylinders like they have been.
When there is someone as hot as Webb is, there must be someone just as cold, and when I thought it really couldn't get any worse for Barry Zito, his fortune keeps heading south. Zito is 0-5 on the season, a season in which I thought he would be better than last year because how could he not be? I figured a fresh mind and a clean slate would be more than enough to shave a little bit off of the ERA and keep the Giants in some ballgames, but apparently I was off base. You know it is bad when the opposing pitcher is knocking you around the park like what happened on Tuesday.
Smoltz has been around the block and then some in his career with Atlanta. The man has pitched in the regular season and dominated, garnering Cy Young award honors. He has made countless postseason appearances and dominated in the World Series. He has been one of the game's best starting pitchers and one of the elite closers that we have ever seen. His 210 wins and 154 wins stand alone, and I don't doubt that he would have reached the 300 win plateau by now if it wasn't for the time he had to spend in the bullpen.
There will be more great pitchers to come along in future generations and there will be other power pitchers who reach 3,000 strikeouts. But I do not think we will see a guy like John Smoltz for a long time-- if ever. Smoltz has some power and finesse in him. He had the devastating fastball in the prime of his career, yet he has the savvy to throw great offspeed pitches, and his command is impeccable. Great night for Atlanta and great night for baseball.
2) Ben Sheets is skipping his scheduled start on Thursday due to soreness in his right arm. Sheets came out of the gates on fire last season only to be doused by arm troubles, effectively giving the Milwaukee Brewers a slim chance at playoff contention. For the sake of Sheets and the Brewers, this will be no more than a couple week thing. Sometimes guys will hit a wall when they throw a lot of innings early in the season simply because their arms are not quite in game shape.
But if this turns out to be anything serious and sidelines Sheets for a considerable amount of time, there really is no hope for the Brewers to keep up with the Cubs in the NL Central. Last year, the Brew Crew had a shot. But this year, there are multiple factors that will tell us why that won't happen.
The Brewers starting rotation is already hurting with Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra battling some aches and pains. If there is ever a time where Milwaukee needs Sheets to be a horse, this is it. There is nobody at the back end of the bullpen to save games in Milwaukee in 2008. Francisco Cordero departed for big bucks in Cincinnati, Eric Gagne has been blowing saves on a record pace, and Derrick Turnbow has been utterly inconsistent for the last year. There are no answers there.
If that isn't enough, it is unlikely that the Brewers are going to score runs at the same pace that they did last year. Ryan Braun is coming off a gigantic season in which he won the Rookie of the Year award, and I suspect that he will fall off a little bit. Not because he can't be that type of hitter, but mainly because pitchers are going to make adjustments and Braun is going to have his first taste of big league adversity. Prince Fielder should start eating meat again, I think. Maybe those sausages and bratwursts in Milwaukee led to his 50 plus homeruns last season, but since the slugger has gone vegetarian, his power has gone down as well. All of this coupled with the fact that the Cubs are improved leads me to believe that this division will not be as close as expected.
3) C.C. Sabathia can finally breathe as he showed some of his old form last night, striking out 11 in six innings of work. Apparently there was nothing wrong with Sabathia physically, as he showed a 94-mph fastball and a sharp, low-80s slider. As talent evaluators try to figure out what was the cause for the horrible start for the reigning Cy Young award winner, the answer may lie beneath a myriad of reasons.
Sabathia noted that he looked at some extensive video of his mechanics and made a couple minor tweaks to get back on track. That undoubtedly is part of it, but it is not the whole story. The problem is that everything is connected and there is a trickle-down affect when the mechanics get out of wack. If Sabathia was off just a little bit to open the season, that could be cause for a bad outing or two out of the gate. After a couple of bad starts, the pressure mounts as people are crying for the solution to C.C.'s left arm, and the natural thing is to try harder and harder, which is really the opposite thing to do.
With this dominating outing, Sabathia can step back and start pitching like he is capable of again. After the Indians' slow start, they can only hope that their big guy is back to being his 2007 self, firing bullets past American League hitters.
4) There are reports cycling through the baseball grapevine that the Detroit Tigers are switching Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen on defense. These reports have been confirmed by manager Jim Leyland, noting that the organization believes this is an obvious, and simple, way to improve their ballclub. My question is, why?
Miguel Cabrera has actually played a pretty decent third base this season. He has not cost them any games a the position, and who is to say that he will not be more of a liability over at first base, a position which he has never played in his career? I don't really get this move all that much. Guillen, a former shortstop, will certainly be able to hold his own over at third base, so I guess the Tigers are banking on the fact that Cabrera will be able to pick up errant throws over at first base like Guillen could. If not, then this really doesn't make sense.
Hopefully, for the Tigers, this does not upset Cabrera too much since he is more important to their ballclub than Carlos Guillen is. Guillen is probably happy moving back to an infield position that allows him to play a little more creatively and use his athleticism to make more plays. But if this move pisses off Cabrera, it will be interesting to see what happens to his offensive output. We will find out.
5) Is win the only thing Brandon Webb knows how to do? It sure seems like it these days. The Arizona ace improved to 5-0 on Tuesday night, striking out seven in six innings of work. Webb was not as sharp as he usually is with his sinker, curveball, and changeup, as he allowed three runs to the offensively-challenged San Francisco Giants. But Webb helped himself out with a twp-run double at the plate.
Of course, there is that offense in Pheonix that I suppose has something to do with Webb's early season success. The young Diamonbacks-- led by Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Young-- are circling the bases in a fury. Not only do they provide exposions at the plate, but they have shown an ability to execute the game and win close decisions. You know this lineup is explosive when they score five runs and I really feel like it was an off-night for them. I mean, five runs is more than the New York Yankees are averaging per game so far this year. But, honestly, the offense grinded out the runs even though they were clicking on all cylinders like they have been.
When there is someone as hot as Webb is, there must be someone just as cold, and when I thought it really couldn't get any worse for Barry Zito, his fortune keeps heading south. Zito is 0-5 on the season, a season in which I thought he would be better than last year because how could he not be? I figured a fresh mind and a clean slate would be more than enough to shave a little bit off of the ERA and keep the Giants in some ballgames, but apparently I was off base. You know it is bad when the opposing pitcher is knocking you around the park like what happened on Tuesday.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Double or nothin'
He ran... and ran... and ran, circling the bases-- 6 total in all. Screaming line drive after screaming line drive peppered the outfield grass, and the only thing left to do was hit the races. The climax of the Torii Hunter show may not have been until the last out of the ballgame on Friday night, but Hunter pulled his best Michael Jackson impersonation, thirlling the crowd from the first inning on.
Hunter led the Angel attack Friday in front of a packed house at the Big A. His three doubles and three RBI's jump-starteded the offense and allowed Joe Saunders to cruise to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Hunter abused Seattle starter R.A. Dickey-- a knuckleballer who hung on just by a thread after being barraged in the bottom of the first inning.
Dickey struggled early as he tried to sneak his fastball by the Angel hitters for cheap strikes, but the problem was that he couldn't throw the fastball for a strike. When the fastball isn't getting over, and nobody knows where the knuckler is going to go on any given pitch, that typically equates to a pretty long night. Dickey hung in for six innings, surrendering 5 earned runs on a bevy of laced baseballs. Dickey went to his fastball more often than he should-- the reason for its ineffectivenss was that he went to it in obvious counts, and he tended to leave it over the middle when he actually did throw it for a strike.
Hunter took an 88 mph fastball with 1 out in the bottom of the first inning and rifled it down the third base line, clearing the bases. The throw home went to the backstop, and Hunter broke, looking to turn his hit into a four-run outburst. Dickey, backing up the play, got to the ball quickly, fired it to catcher Kenji Johjima, and Hunter was out by a solid ten feet.
The surprising thing was not how Torii swung the bat Friday night-- he was an eyelash away from his fourth double as it took an Adrian Beltre web gem to snag his hooking line drive out of the air, falling towards the third base line. What was surprising was that the plan of attack did not change one bit. Dickey fell behind with the knuckleball, then laid the fastball over, which Hunter promptly slammed into the gap. How about letting some other guy beat you for once? Maybe that isn't a sensible alternative, but I must report that the Mariners did try that. It just happened to be to the wrong guy.
The Mariners intentionally walked Casey Kotchman in the bottom of the sixth to pitch to Macier Izturis. Dickey-- to his credit, led in with something other than the fastball-- hung a knuckler over the plate which Izturis banged into right field to score Torii Hunter. That was just the beginning of the mark that the new center fielder left on the game though, but more on that later.
Hunter really stole the show from Joe Saunders who pitched a great game, besides the two mistakes that Richie Sexson deposited over the outfield wall. Saunders was efficient in his 8 innings, throwing an even 100 pitches (64 for strikes) while allowing four earned runs. The lefty mixed and matched his fastball and changeup to keep the Seattle hitters guessing the entire night, dropping in his curveball just for good measure. Saunders was practically trouble-free if it weren't for Sexson, who finished the night 2-for-4 with 4 RBI's.
Saunders is a great addition to this Angel pitching staff, and really fits nicely into the middle of the rotation. Saunders is the prototypical left handed starter-- pretty good stuff, good command, and a great feel for pitching. He will not blow anythign by you, nor does he have a power offspeed pitch that is going to give lineups fits. What Saunders does do is work ahead in the count with all three pitches, throw his fastball to both sides of the plate, and use his changeup effectively in fastball counts. All of these variables added up equate to weak swings and quick innings. I actually like Saunders ahead of Jered Weaver in the rotation. Saunders, I believe, has superior stuff, and he breaks up the montony of right handed arms that the Angels roll out four out of five days.
Of course there cannot be any divisional action without some bad blood, as we have seen a couple bean ball wars brewing in the last couple of days. Sean Green came on in relief for the Mariners in the seventh inning, and lets just say it wasn't his proudest moment in the big leagues. Green nailed Chone Figgins in ankle to lead off the inning, and then two batters later he drilled Vlad Guerrero flush in the helmet, leaving the hitter in the dirt for a good minute.
Naturally, this infuriorated many Angels, and frustrated Angels' manager Mike Scioscia when home plate umpire Andy Fletcher immediately issued warnings to both teams. This handcuffed the Angels, who could no longer retaliate for fear of losing key players to suspensions. But it wasn't all the unpire's fault, as the game itself did its own dictating of the situation. With a one-run lead, the Angels were not going to start throwing at guys. The game is priority number one; there will always be another opportunity to retaliate.
But let it be known, somebody on the Mariners is going to pay. No team gets away with throwing at the opponent's superstar, especially when that fastball reaches the head. It probably was not Green's intent to hit Guerrero, but merely pitch inside. And I will concede him the benefit of the doubt. But there comes a point where it really doesn't matter if the pitch was meant to be or not. Facts are facts, and sometimes those are the only guidelines for retaliation. It may not happen this weekend, but somebody down the road will where one for what happened to Vlad Friday night. It is simply part of the game.
With a 5-4 lead heading to the ninth inning and much of the crowd still on hand-- the fireworks show after the game could have had something to do with it-- Frankie Rodriguez came on to close it out. Rodriguez has been battling severely sore ankles as of late, and his velocity and command have been affected because of it. With one on and two outs, the man of the night for Seattle stepped up to the plate.
Richie Sexson had already two homeruns to his name, and there was no way he could do it a third time, could he? It felt like one of those moments where it just couldn't happen because his luck had run out and one of the best relievers in the game was on the mound. But at the same time, it was exactly the type of moment that had to happen because it would have been a historical game in sexson's career and three homerun games do not come around that often. Sexson would have single-handedly kept Seattle in the game, and then finally pushed them over the top. If Sexson were to belt this two-run homerun, I would not have sat in my seat amazed at what had just happened. I would have merely shook my head and laughed, because you had to guess that conclusion to some extent, right?
Anyways, Rodriguez goes to his most dominating the pitch-- the slider-- and leaves it a little bit up but he managed to get it over the outside corner. Sexson takes his ridiculously short swing for how big he is-- honestly, why does this 6'8" man swing like Derek Jeter-- and launches the ball high and deep into the night. I saw the ball off the bat and immediately thought, "Holy crap, Richie Sexson just did it again, that ball is gone, no doubt".
At that point in time, I didn't think there was even a chance for it to be caught, so I didn't take one second to ponder who the Angels had out in centerfield. But back when the man of the evening, Mr. Torii Hunter, and up he leapt, snagging the ball at the top of the centerfield wall. Nobody knew the ball was in Hunter's glove but him, and the crowd waited to erupt until Hunter put up his right index finger high in the air, his broad, magnifying grin easily perceptible from 400 feet away. Hunter waited until he got into the infield before he revealed the ball was actually in his glove.
Seattle couldn't believe what had just happened to them. Sexson was bent over on the infield dirt in between first and second in disbelief, wondering what else he could have done. Well, Richie, you could't have done much more. There comes a time when some teammates need to pitch in as well.
What struck me about this moment was the absolute joy that Hunter had on his face running in from the outfield. He stared at Sexson the entire way in and waved his finger as if to say, "You may have done it twice, but I got you this time, big fella". It wasn't an ecstatic look on Torii Hunter's face. It was a sick, sheepish, devilsh grin that suggested the zeal Hunter extracts from crushing others' destiny. I am fully convinced that Hunter had a little bit of fun at the plate on Friday, but his moment came at the last out. Torii hunter was born to puncture hope and shatter dreams. no doubt about it, no questions asked.
This exact moment marked the minute that I firmly believe what type of player Torri Hunter is capable of being in an Angels uniform. This newfound awe of the Gold Glove machine did not take place after watching the doubles monster tear the baseball apart. Those four at-bats were some great baseball theater, but this catch defined Hunter in my eyes. The killer came out of Torii Hunter and it was plain to see. That look in his eye when he came to congratulate his teammates was one of supreme confidence and conviction. It was pure satisfaction at its finest. He plays baseball so his opponent can end up like Sexson did on this evening-- bent over, hands on knees, wondering what the hell just happened.
If this is what were are to get accustomed to with Hunter in Los Angeles, then I am excited for what these Angels may become. As Hunter kept on rounding first for two, I was already beggin for a second helping.
Hunter led the Angel attack Friday in front of a packed house at the Big A. His three doubles and three RBI's jump-starteded the offense and allowed Joe Saunders to cruise to a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Hunter abused Seattle starter R.A. Dickey-- a knuckleballer who hung on just by a thread after being barraged in the bottom of the first inning.
Dickey struggled early as he tried to sneak his fastball by the Angel hitters for cheap strikes, but the problem was that he couldn't throw the fastball for a strike. When the fastball isn't getting over, and nobody knows where the knuckler is going to go on any given pitch, that typically equates to a pretty long night. Dickey hung in for six innings, surrendering 5 earned runs on a bevy of laced baseballs. Dickey went to his fastball more often than he should-- the reason for its ineffectivenss was that he went to it in obvious counts, and he tended to leave it over the middle when he actually did throw it for a strike.
Hunter took an 88 mph fastball with 1 out in the bottom of the first inning and rifled it down the third base line, clearing the bases. The throw home went to the backstop, and Hunter broke, looking to turn his hit into a four-run outburst. Dickey, backing up the play, got to the ball quickly, fired it to catcher Kenji Johjima, and Hunter was out by a solid ten feet.
The surprising thing was not how Torii swung the bat Friday night-- he was an eyelash away from his fourth double as it took an Adrian Beltre web gem to snag his hooking line drive out of the air, falling towards the third base line. What was surprising was that the plan of attack did not change one bit. Dickey fell behind with the knuckleball, then laid the fastball over, which Hunter promptly slammed into the gap. How about letting some other guy beat you for once? Maybe that isn't a sensible alternative, but I must report that the Mariners did try that. It just happened to be to the wrong guy.
The Mariners intentionally walked Casey Kotchman in the bottom of the sixth to pitch to Macier Izturis. Dickey-- to his credit, led in with something other than the fastball-- hung a knuckler over the plate which Izturis banged into right field to score Torii Hunter. That was just the beginning of the mark that the new center fielder left on the game though, but more on that later.
Hunter really stole the show from Joe Saunders who pitched a great game, besides the two mistakes that Richie Sexson deposited over the outfield wall. Saunders was efficient in his 8 innings, throwing an even 100 pitches (64 for strikes) while allowing four earned runs. The lefty mixed and matched his fastball and changeup to keep the Seattle hitters guessing the entire night, dropping in his curveball just for good measure. Saunders was practically trouble-free if it weren't for Sexson, who finished the night 2-for-4 with 4 RBI's.
Saunders is a great addition to this Angel pitching staff, and really fits nicely into the middle of the rotation. Saunders is the prototypical left handed starter-- pretty good stuff, good command, and a great feel for pitching. He will not blow anythign by you, nor does he have a power offspeed pitch that is going to give lineups fits. What Saunders does do is work ahead in the count with all three pitches, throw his fastball to both sides of the plate, and use his changeup effectively in fastball counts. All of these variables added up equate to weak swings and quick innings. I actually like Saunders ahead of Jered Weaver in the rotation. Saunders, I believe, has superior stuff, and he breaks up the montony of right handed arms that the Angels roll out four out of five days.
Of course there cannot be any divisional action without some bad blood, as we have seen a couple bean ball wars brewing in the last couple of days. Sean Green came on in relief for the Mariners in the seventh inning, and lets just say it wasn't his proudest moment in the big leagues. Green nailed Chone Figgins in ankle to lead off the inning, and then two batters later he drilled Vlad Guerrero flush in the helmet, leaving the hitter in the dirt for a good minute.
Naturally, this infuriorated many Angels, and frustrated Angels' manager Mike Scioscia when home plate umpire Andy Fletcher immediately issued warnings to both teams. This handcuffed the Angels, who could no longer retaliate for fear of losing key players to suspensions. But it wasn't all the unpire's fault, as the game itself did its own dictating of the situation. With a one-run lead, the Angels were not going to start throwing at guys. The game is priority number one; there will always be another opportunity to retaliate.
But let it be known, somebody on the Mariners is going to pay. No team gets away with throwing at the opponent's superstar, especially when that fastball reaches the head. It probably was not Green's intent to hit Guerrero, but merely pitch inside. And I will concede him the benefit of the doubt. But there comes a point where it really doesn't matter if the pitch was meant to be or not. Facts are facts, and sometimes those are the only guidelines for retaliation. It may not happen this weekend, but somebody down the road will where one for what happened to Vlad Friday night. It is simply part of the game.
With a 5-4 lead heading to the ninth inning and much of the crowd still on hand-- the fireworks show after the game could have had something to do with it-- Frankie Rodriguez came on to close it out. Rodriguez has been battling severely sore ankles as of late, and his velocity and command have been affected because of it. With one on and two outs, the man of the night for Seattle stepped up to the plate.
Richie Sexson had already two homeruns to his name, and there was no way he could do it a third time, could he? It felt like one of those moments where it just couldn't happen because his luck had run out and one of the best relievers in the game was on the mound. But at the same time, it was exactly the type of moment that had to happen because it would have been a historical game in sexson's career and three homerun games do not come around that often. Sexson would have single-handedly kept Seattle in the game, and then finally pushed them over the top. If Sexson were to belt this two-run homerun, I would not have sat in my seat amazed at what had just happened. I would have merely shook my head and laughed, because you had to guess that conclusion to some extent, right?
Anyways, Rodriguez goes to his most dominating the pitch-- the slider-- and leaves it a little bit up but he managed to get it over the outside corner. Sexson takes his ridiculously short swing for how big he is-- honestly, why does this 6'8" man swing like Derek Jeter-- and launches the ball high and deep into the night. I saw the ball off the bat and immediately thought, "Holy crap, Richie Sexson just did it again, that ball is gone, no doubt".
At that point in time, I didn't think there was even a chance for it to be caught, so I didn't take one second to ponder who the Angels had out in centerfield. But back when the man of the evening, Mr. Torii Hunter, and up he leapt, snagging the ball at the top of the centerfield wall. Nobody knew the ball was in Hunter's glove but him, and the crowd waited to erupt until Hunter put up his right index finger high in the air, his broad, magnifying grin easily perceptible from 400 feet away. Hunter waited until he got into the infield before he revealed the ball was actually in his glove.
Seattle couldn't believe what had just happened to them. Sexson was bent over on the infield dirt in between first and second in disbelief, wondering what else he could have done. Well, Richie, you could't have done much more. There comes a time when some teammates need to pitch in as well.
What struck me about this moment was the absolute joy that Hunter had on his face running in from the outfield. He stared at Sexson the entire way in and waved his finger as if to say, "You may have done it twice, but I got you this time, big fella". It wasn't an ecstatic look on Torii Hunter's face. It was a sick, sheepish, devilsh grin that suggested the zeal Hunter extracts from crushing others' destiny. I am fully convinced that Hunter had a little bit of fun at the plate on Friday, but his moment came at the last out. Torii hunter was born to puncture hope and shatter dreams. no doubt about it, no questions asked.
This exact moment marked the minute that I firmly believe what type of player Torri Hunter is capable of being in an Angels uniform. This newfound awe of the Gold Glove machine did not take place after watching the doubles monster tear the baseball apart. Those four at-bats were some great baseball theater, but this catch defined Hunter in my eyes. The killer came out of Torii Hunter and it was plain to see. That look in his eye when he came to congratulate his teammates was one of supreme confidence and conviction. It was pure satisfaction at its finest. He plays baseball so his opponent can end up like Sexson did on this evening-- bent over, hands on knees, wondering what the hell just happened.
If this is what were are to get accustomed to with Hunter in Los Angeles, then I am excited for what these Angels may become. As Hunter kept on rounding first for two, I was already beggin for a second helping.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Wednesday review
1) The Yankees and Red Sox met for the fourth time this season on Wednesday night, but it was the first meeting between the two teams in Yankee Stadium. Again, New York and Boston decided to pull an all-nighter. Seriously, it takes less time for Congress to pass a bill than for the Yankees and Red Sox to play a baseball game these days. Wednesday's game was just another one among the four-hour affairs that have become routine when these two clubs meet.
It is beyond absurd that it takes them this long to play a baseball game, and it kills the momentum and fluidity of the game. Baseball has monotone roll to it-- the innings are played out with a tempo and one frame blends right in with the next. That is what makes up the feel of the game and it is important to keep that in persepctive. Baseball games are not supposed to near midnight, but the Yankees and Red Sox play such a methodical and deliberate style of game that you lose feel for the baseball. The games they play resemble a national crisis or some bomb defusion more than baseball. The managers and players seem to be thinking before every pitch-- to the point where they are trying to figure out some mathematical equation, when really, they just need to react and play like they do any other game.
It took Felix Hernandez half the time to throw a complete game against the Oakland A's on Wednesday night, and that made for some great baseball. There could be multiple reasons for why the Yankees and Red Sox play at a snail's pace, but I'm thinking it has to do with the pitching being overly cautious. We know that these are two of the best offenses in baseball, and that these are divisonal games, and that the Yankees and Red Sox are arguably the fiercest rivalry in all of sports. Got it.
But where does that factor in to the pitching gameplan? It feels as if the pitchers are almost scared of everyone from Coco Crisp to Melky Cabrera that walks up to the plate. Nobody wants to get shelled-- like both starts did on this night-- but it is time to stop giving the hitters so much credit. Pitchers need to pound the strike zone and force the hitters to react to their pitches. When both teams walk the world every time they play, the game drags along because it seems like every hitter is Babe Ruth and therefore we gotta pitch around him. It is time to move past that and make these games more enjoyable to watch, because after all, it really is the best series that baseball can offer. Anyways, Yankees took this one 15-9 in a slugfest.
2) How 'bout them Tigers, huh? Huh? Ok, not really, but they are starting to turn this thing around even though they still have a dismal record (5-10). What may be more surprising is that there hasn't been nearly as much talk about Cleveland's struggles, and yet they are dead even with Detroit in the standings now. The Tigers erupted in a 13-2 victory over the Indians Wednesday night, and newly acquired Miguel Cabrera led the charge with a homerun and 5 RBI.
We knew that it was only a matter of time before this lineup woke up, and it appears as if they may be coming out of their spring coma. The good news for the Tigers is that they are starting to get some pitching help to go along with the offense, and now they are poised to play the way everyone expected them to play for the remainder of the season. I love the story of the Kansas City Royals right now, but they are going to have some angry fellows on their tails real quick.
Armando Galarraga made his first start of the year for the Tigers and was outstading-- 6 2/3 inning, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts. Galarraga was nowhere to be found in the plans of the Tigers pitchign staff when Opening Day rolled around, but with Dontrelle Willis on the DL and others struggling, the rookie is getting his shot, and made the most out of his first start in 2008. Jason Grilli came out of the pen to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing 2 hits to go along with 1 strikeout.
Grilli is supposed to be an important piece for the Detroit bullpen this year but has struggled out of the gate (5.87 ERA). With Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney down for an unknown amount of time, Grilli's role has been magnified, which may have exposed the righthander in the beginning. In order for Detroit to continue their success though, Grilli will have to adjust to a late-inning role and take on the responsibility of getting the ball to closer Todd Jones. He certainly has the stuff to do it.
What may be more surprising than the records of the Tigers and the Indians so far, is the performance of C.C. Sabathia. The 2007 Cy Young award winner has absolutely no answers for what has occured in his first four starts of the season. Sabathia got rocked on Wednesday, giving up 9 earned runs in four innings, with five walks, and one strikeout. The big soutpaw is no 0-3 on the season with a whopping 13.50 ERA.
There are a couple reasons that could attribute to why C.C. has pitched so poorly this spring. First of all is his walk totals. He has 14 walks this season in 18 innings. The poor command has led Sabathia into numerous jams that sometimes are too tough to get out of before the damage has been done. When command is poor, major league hitters can discard the offspeed stuff and sit on a fat fastball in their happy zone. All of these walks bump the pitch count up, and before you know it, the manager is coming out to get you and the game hasn't reached the fifth inning. Command would not be as much of an issue with a power pitcher like C.C., but that leads me to my second point.
Sabathia has always relied on power stuff-- a high-90s fastball, devastating slider, and a useable changeup. He has always been able to parlay those pitches into a ton of strikeouts. Sabathia's strikeouts this season (14 K's) equal the amount of walks he has given up. A strikeout pitcher will throw more pitches than a finesse guy simply because he will miss more bats. If Sabathia isn't striking many guys out and he's walking a ton, well it is not too hard to imagine the type of results he is going to get-- as we are witnessing right now.
The only other possibility that I can think of is if something physically is wrong with the guy. Who knows if his arm isn't feeling quite right, or if he is just going through a very rough patch when the weather is frigid in Cleveland. Hard to tell. But if the Indians want to contend at all this season, it is time for their team doctors to really start looking into the performance of their ace and evaluating his arm and body. When his big time fastball is absent, and his slider is mediocre, it is time to get checked out.
It is beyond absurd that it takes them this long to play a baseball game, and it kills the momentum and fluidity of the game. Baseball has monotone roll to it-- the innings are played out with a tempo and one frame blends right in with the next. That is what makes up the feel of the game and it is important to keep that in persepctive. Baseball games are not supposed to near midnight, but the Yankees and Red Sox play such a methodical and deliberate style of game that you lose feel for the baseball. The games they play resemble a national crisis or some bomb defusion more than baseball. The managers and players seem to be thinking before every pitch-- to the point where they are trying to figure out some mathematical equation, when really, they just need to react and play like they do any other game.
It took Felix Hernandez half the time to throw a complete game against the Oakland A's on Wednesday night, and that made for some great baseball. There could be multiple reasons for why the Yankees and Red Sox play at a snail's pace, but I'm thinking it has to do with the pitching being overly cautious. We know that these are two of the best offenses in baseball, and that these are divisonal games, and that the Yankees and Red Sox are arguably the fiercest rivalry in all of sports. Got it.
But where does that factor in to the pitching gameplan? It feels as if the pitchers are almost scared of everyone from Coco Crisp to Melky Cabrera that walks up to the plate. Nobody wants to get shelled-- like both starts did on this night-- but it is time to stop giving the hitters so much credit. Pitchers need to pound the strike zone and force the hitters to react to their pitches. When both teams walk the world every time they play, the game drags along because it seems like every hitter is Babe Ruth and therefore we gotta pitch around him. It is time to move past that and make these games more enjoyable to watch, because after all, it really is the best series that baseball can offer. Anyways, Yankees took this one 15-9 in a slugfest.
2) How 'bout them Tigers, huh? Huh? Ok, not really, but they are starting to turn this thing around even though they still have a dismal record (5-10). What may be more surprising is that there hasn't been nearly as much talk about Cleveland's struggles, and yet they are dead even with Detroit in the standings now. The Tigers erupted in a 13-2 victory over the Indians Wednesday night, and newly acquired Miguel Cabrera led the charge with a homerun and 5 RBI.
We knew that it was only a matter of time before this lineup woke up, and it appears as if they may be coming out of their spring coma. The good news for the Tigers is that they are starting to get some pitching help to go along with the offense, and now they are poised to play the way everyone expected them to play for the remainder of the season. I love the story of the Kansas City Royals right now, but they are going to have some angry fellows on their tails real quick.
Armando Galarraga made his first start of the year for the Tigers and was outstading-- 6 2/3 inning, 2 earned runs, 6 strikeouts. Galarraga was nowhere to be found in the plans of the Tigers pitchign staff when Opening Day rolled around, but with Dontrelle Willis on the DL and others struggling, the rookie is getting his shot, and made the most out of his first start in 2008. Jason Grilli came out of the pen to pitch the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing 2 hits to go along with 1 strikeout.
Grilli is supposed to be an important piece for the Detroit bullpen this year but has struggled out of the gate (5.87 ERA). With Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney down for an unknown amount of time, Grilli's role has been magnified, which may have exposed the righthander in the beginning. In order for Detroit to continue their success though, Grilli will have to adjust to a late-inning role and take on the responsibility of getting the ball to closer Todd Jones. He certainly has the stuff to do it.
What may be more surprising than the records of the Tigers and the Indians so far, is the performance of C.C. Sabathia. The 2007 Cy Young award winner has absolutely no answers for what has occured in his first four starts of the season. Sabathia got rocked on Wednesday, giving up 9 earned runs in four innings, with five walks, and one strikeout. The big soutpaw is no 0-3 on the season with a whopping 13.50 ERA.
There are a couple reasons that could attribute to why C.C. has pitched so poorly this spring. First of all is his walk totals. He has 14 walks this season in 18 innings. The poor command has led Sabathia into numerous jams that sometimes are too tough to get out of before the damage has been done. When command is poor, major league hitters can discard the offspeed stuff and sit on a fat fastball in their happy zone. All of these walks bump the pitch count up, and before you know it, the manager is coming out to get you and the game hasn't reached the fifth inning. Command would not be as much of an issue with a power pitcher like C.C., but that leads me to my second point.
Sabathia has always relied on power stuff-- a high-90s fastball, devastating slider, and a useable changeup. He has always been able to parlay those pitches into a ton of strikeouts. Sabathia's strikeouts this season (14 K's) equal the amount of walks he has given up. A strikeout pitcher will throw more pitches than a finesse guy simply because he will miss more bats. If Sabathia isn't striking many guys out and he's walking a ton, well it is not too hard to imagine the type of results he is going to get-- as we are witnessing right now.
The only other possibility that I can think of is if something physically is wrong with the guy. Who knows if his arm isn't feeling quite right, or if he is just going through a very rough patch when the weather is frigid in Cleveland. Hard to tell. But if the Indians want to contend at all this season, it is time for their team doctors to really start looking into the performance of their ace and evaluating his arm and body. When his big time fastball is absent, and his slider is mediocre, it is time to get checked out.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Running Diary: Yankees/Red Sox Round 3
*It is a frigid, windy night at Fenway Park and the Red Sox and Yankees are set to play the rubber game of their first series of 2008. The Yankees are Jeter-less and Boston is without Mike Lowell or David Ortiz; that will not upset the excitement. It's Phil Hughes vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka. It's baseball's best rivalry. It's next on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
TOP 1: Matsuzaka works around two walks to get Alex Rodriguez to ground into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play. This has been the story with Matsuzaka for the most part during his short time in the big leagues. He has great stuff but sometimes falls into trouble by walking people and falling behind in the count. If this trend continues, the Yankees will pounce on him at some point and/or the Boston bullpen will be in action by the 6th inning.
Rodriguez was welcomed with a swarm of boos from Red Sox Nation, and looked utterly eager at the plate, hacking at the first pitch-- a sinker diving down and in that he really couldn't do anything with. Easier said that done, but with a runner in scoring position and less than 2 outs-- and A-Rod up, no less -- how can you possibly swing at the first pitch when it isn't something that can be driven? Emotions get even the best big leaguers sometimes.
BOT 1: Manny Ramirez showed why he is one of the best hitters in the game. With runners on first and third and 1 out, Hughes attacked Ramirez relentlessly with his fastball. Manny worked the at-bat to a full count and then sat back on a breaking ball, after seeing nothing but fastballs prior to the full count, and pounded it over the second baseman. This hit drove in Jacoby Ellsbury who led off the inning with a walk, making the score 1-0 Boston.
Hughes came out of the gate with good stuff-- the problem is that he worked behind in the count, much like Dice-K did in the first. Working behind in the count is death to a pitcher, especially when the hitters can simply take the breaking ball and wait for the fastball over the plate. Hughes left a fastball over the plate to Youkilis who drove it to center for a sacrifice fly, and Sean Casey drilled a gorund rule double to left off of a fastball left middle in. This is a monumental inning for Hughes in terms of his pitch count, as he spent 39 pitches. Of course, not being on the same page with catcher Jose Molina-- he crossed him up twice, the second one leading to a run -- doesn't help. Red Sox 3-0 after the first.
TOP 2: Dice-K continues his walking ways but survives the inning with no damage. 3-0 Boston.
On a side note, I get a kick out of the infatuation cameramen have with superstars. Maybe they are ordered to spend every second in between pitches on Derek Jeter, I don't know. We know Jeter is nursing an injury and is not going to play tonight, yet the biggest story so far is Jeter standing up at the rail of the dugout with a thick Yankee jacket zipped all the way up and his collar pulled up to protect his neck from the wind chill. Seriously? I know the women of America would rather watch Jeter stand still than the actual game, but how about mixing it up one time, huh? Maybe, just maybe, one of these days we will be able to see the pre-pitch routine of a great hitter or great fielder while the action is suddenly halted. Until then, hey, guess we have to enjoy picking apart the attire and facial expressions of people who wll play no part in the game. So, back to the beloved Mr. Jeter...
BOT 2: The most impressive stretch thus far from Phil Hughes came in the bottom of the second. The Red Sox were sniffing another run after Coco Crisp got on with an infield single, stole second, and reached third with one out. Hughes made his best pitches of the night in the next two at-bats. The right hander pound Ellsbury inside with fastballs, getting him to pop up to shortstop Alberto Gonzalez. Then Hughes absolutely exposed Dustin Pedroia as he threw him two curveballs in a row before getting him to swing and miss on a 93-mph fastball down and in. Boston 3, Yankees 0.
Another snipet I get a great laugh from-- the volatile reaction of some players. Pedroia screamed his favorite four-letter expletive after striking out to end the inning, which then prompted him to show off his arm by slamming his bat into the ground. Bad Bat! Seriously, I cannot laugh enough when I see these things from big leaguers. This certainly is no example for youth baseball players, but I am not here to criticize these guys for not being models all of the time. I understand the emotions and frustrations of the game, and sometimes they happen to boil over. I just find it ironic that players at the highest level get away with showing this type of emotion when high school players are thrown out for such actions. Maybe it has something to do with having money involved and this being the livelihood for these players? Anyways, anybody see Ted Lilly in the NLDS last year against Arizona after giving up a homerun (to Eric Byrnes if I remember correctly)? Classic powder keg.
TOP 3: Another inning, another walk for Matsuzaka-- that is four though three innings of work. But New Yokr finally cracked his armor, mustering 1 run on a Bobby Abreu double off of the Green Monster, scoring Johnny Damon who has two walks and two stolen bases thus far. Matsuzaka was let off the hook cheaply as A-Rod popped up to end the inning with Abreu standing on second base. It goes to show you that falling behind in the count-- Matsuzaka has thrown less than 50% of his pitches for strikes through three innings-- will inevitably lead to trouble and a stressed bullpen. Dice-K is getting by so far, but he sure is playing with fire.
BOT 3: The night is over for Phil Hughes as he did not get an out in the third inning, as he walked (that is seven total walks so far-- we gotta be on pace for some sort of record) J.D. Drew to lead off the inning, and then gave up three consecutive hits. All three of Hughes' walks scored, and he leaves the game losing 5-1 with runners on first and second, nobody out, and Jason Veritek at the plate. I was curious to see how Hughes would handle his first start ever at Fenway. This type of performance is not a huge surprise, even though big things are expected from Hughes, and I do expect him to pitch many great games in this rivalry before his career is over.
That being said, I thought it would be tougher for Hughes to control his emotions than Matsuzaka and that was evident as Hughes wasn't very sharp. Three walks in two plus innings is a problem, and that problem compounds when the majority of the strikes that he does throw get fat parts of the plate. Rough night for the rookie, but there will be another day.
PITCHING CHANGE: Ross Ohlendorf- NYY
Ohlendorf, another rookie, opened up on an impressive note but faltered at the end of the inning. Ohlendorf got two outs immediately, then threw a wild pitch that scored Youkilis, walked Lugo, and let Ellsbury off cheaply by hanging a changeup, which is promptly pounded into right field to score another run. Bost 7- 1 after three.
I don't understand the thinking behind some of these pitch selections, especially from a reliever who comes into a game with runners on and needs to get outs. When your team is already trailing by a substantial margin, that is not the time to try to fool the opposition. Throw your best stuff and get out of the jame. Ohlendorf has a 94-97 fastball that runs, and yet he came out throwing a bunch of sliders and gave a gift to Ellsbury in the form of a fat changeup. Is that not bewildering to anybody else? When you have 97-mph cheese that moves, you can tell the hitter it is coming and you will get him out if it is put in a good spot. I'd like to see all of these pitchers tonight be a little more aggressive with the fastball.
TOP 4: Good inning for the Yankees as the tacked on three runs to bring the score to 7-4. Matsuzaka may just ruin the lead the offense has given him and/or not make it through the required five full innings to be in line for the win. Matsuzaka is continuing to walk guys-- that is five -- and leave pitches over the middle of the plate. Alberto Gonzalez, who is filling in for Derek Jeter at shortstop, had a run-scoring sinlge which also set up a Johnny Damon sac fly by moving Jose Molina over to third.
This game is moving at a snails pace, which is typical for this rivalry. Tons of offense and tons of pitches being thrown. Not my type of ballgame, but at least we should probably be in store for a late inning pressure-cooker. Is that Julian Tavarez warming up in the bullpen? Yes it is; the Yankees are still in this game after all.
BOT 4: Six days later, we have completed four innings at Fenway. Ohlendorf contributed the eleventh walk of the ballgame and was in a bases loaded jam before he got Varitek to hit into an inning-ending double play. This game is full of the same recurring theme which is killing the fluidity of the ballgame, allowing for day dreaming throughout the inning. I mean seriously, games like this remind me of watching 8-year-old basketball or 3-hour movies that are 3 1/2 hours too long. Brutal. 7-4 Red Sox.
Side note-- interesting point in the ballgame when color man Joe Morgan talked about hitting when Manny Ramirez was at the plate. Morgan said that Ramirez is such a great hitter because he is able to maintain excellent balance throughout his swing, keeping his head still and allowing his hips and lower body to produce the power in his swing. Morgan talked about Youkilis when he came to the bat and showed the difference between Ramirez and Youkilis in their styles-- Youkilis does not put much emphasis on gaining power with his lower body, but rather trusts his hands to spray the ball all over the field. Morgan equated this more "handsy" approach that Youkilis uses to the reason why he does not hit for as much power as Ramirez or some of the other sluggers. Great commentary segment.
TOP 5: I was tremendously excited to report the first walkless frame of the night... until Matsuzaka walked Hideki Matsui with two outs in the fifth. Jorge Posada followed up that walk with a single to left before Matsuzaka got Giambi to fly out to center as he used 117 pitches to get through five innings of work-- yikes! His night is definitely over. 7-4 Boston.
Side note-- I raved about how Joe Morgan spewed on hitting for a few minutes last inning, but then it dawned-- well actually "dawned" is the wrong word because I already knew-- on me that ESPN needs to add another member to this telecast crew, one that is qualified to talk about pitching. I suspect that Orel, who already works ESPN games, would be happy to be that extra color man on Sunday Night to shed light on the pitching side of the game. Morgan is qualified to talk about hitting, but it is hard to really talk about pitching when you haven't been there. No disrespect to Morgan, but he just doesn't have the experience to really talk about that part. He talked about the great job that Varitek is doing hanging with Matsuzaka and calling the game-- this would be the perfect spot for a guy like Orel who has been in those shoes. A commentator like Jon Miller can learn a lot about the game, but there is something to be said for the knowledge that is gained by actually experiencing it first hand.
Miller could have never done the type of analysis that Morgan did when talking about Manny Ramirez, and to Miller's credit, he defers those insights to Morgan. On the flip side, Morgan really can't talk about game calling or what a pitcher is trying to do-- those questions should be left for a genuine pitching guy. I don't know why this hasn't been thought of or hasn't happened. Maybe ESPN doesn't want to intrude on the relationship that Jon Miller and Joe Morgan have on the Sunday night telecast, but it seems like a good idea, right? ESPN definitely needs to do this, I think.
BOT 5: Ta-da! No walks this half inning. 7-4 Boston.
TOP 6:
PITCHING CHANGE: David Aardsma-- BOS
Not sure what the single game record is for most walks by two teams, but we are now up to 14 total walks after David Aardsma added two more to the pot. The Yankees are not making the Red Sox pitchers pay for their mistakes, though. Bobby Abreu popped up a 2-0 fastball to left field with A-Rod on deck and runners on second and third. There have been chances for the Yankees to tie the ballgame or take the lead-- and there will undoubtedly be more, the way this has been going-- but they have yet to capitalize. Pretty sloppy so far. 7-4 Boston.
BOT 6:
PITCHING CHANGE: LaTroy Hawkins-- NYY
Quick work for Hawkins. Boston up 7-4 heading to the seventh.
Peter Gammons did some reporting on Dustin Pedroia, providing us with this gem: "He is more like 5-foot-5, doesn't run well, his hands are as big as mine, but he has a tremendous work ethic, he makes contact, and he is just a pure baseball player". Peter also provided the following Pedroia nugget: He has never had a season-- not highschool, college, or pro ball-- where he has struck out more times than he walked or had extra base hits. That is amazing. Gotta love Gammons.
TOP 7: Clean work for Aardsma, no walks, three up three down. Pedroia goes in the hole to make a great play to throw out Jorge Posada to send it to the seventh inning stretch. Quiet night for A-Rod as he is 0-for-4. There really is a hole in the lineup on nights when A-Rod does absolutely nothing because it seems like the Yankees do not get too many 2-out hits with runners in scoring position. Now they are a great offense so they may actually be good in those situations and I could eat my words-- more than likely it is just this game that is making me feel that way. Tons of runners left on base and plenty of wasted opportunities. 7-4 Boston.
BOT 7: Hawkins continues to do a job for the Yankees, retiring the Red Sox in order in his second inning of work. He is a valuable arm, but may not be the shut down guy he was for the Rockies late last year. That stretch seemed to me like he was playing beyond his limits for a little while, and I don't think he is capable of coming in and slamming doors. He can be a serviceable 7th inning guy, but if the Yankees are in a jam in the seventh and they really want to win the ballgame, Joba Chamberlain will be handed the ball. Still 7-4 Boston.
TOP 8:
PITCHING CHANGE: Mike Timlin-- BOS
Jason Giambi greeted Timlin with a solo shot to right. Jose Molina and pinch hitter Melky Cabrera followed with singles to knock Timlin out of the ballgame. Wilson Betemit on to pinch run for Molina. Runners on first and second, 7-5 Red Sox. We've got some more steroid/Mitchell Report talk by Morgan and Miller to fill the time during warm up pitches. Beautiful.
PITCHING CHANGE: Javier Lopez-- BOS
Timlin should be buying Lopez dinner for the entire road trip after he way he just bailed him out. Lopez got Johnny Damon to ground into a double play, and then got Robinson Cano to ground weakly to second base to end the threat. It is amazing for such a great lineup like the Yankees to strand so many baserunners and not take advantage of a number of opportunities. The Yankees flat out do not look like the Yankees tonight. Known for working counts and being patient, forcing the pitcher to come over the plate and then hammering the mistake, New York is chasing the pitcher's pitch in hitters counts and are flailing anxiously when they need to sit on pitches to drive. 7-5 Boston.
BOT 8:
PITCHING CHANGE: Kyle Farnsworth-- NYY
Boston manufactures another to push their lead to 8-5 heading to the ninth. It has been reported that Jonathan Papelbon is not available tonight due to a manager's decision. Guess Francona thinks all of that throwing and stopping due to the rain delay last night warranted a day off for his closer.
TOP 9: Lopez and Manny Delcarmen combine to set the Yankees down in order and put the nail in the coffin of a sluggish, walk-filled ballgame. Time to put this one to bed from Fenway Park. FINAL: Boston 8, New York 5.
TOP 1: Matsuzaka works around two walks to get Alex Rodriguez to ground into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play. This has been the story with Matsuzaka for the most part during his short time in the big leagues. He has great stuff but sometimes falls into trouble by walking people and falling behind in the count. If this trend continues, the Yankees will pounce on him at some point and/or the Boston bullpen will be in action by the 6th inning.
Rodriguez was welcomed with a swarm of boos from Red Sox Nation, and looked utterly eager at the plate, hacking at the first pitch-- a sinker diving down and in that he really couldn't do anything with. Easier said that done, but with a runner in scoring position and less than 2 outs-- and A-Rod up, no less -- how can you possibly swing at the first pitch when it isn't something that can be driven? Emotions get even the best big leaguers sometimes.
BOT 1: Manny Ramirez showed why he is one of the best hitters in the game. With runners on first and third and 1 out, Hughes attacked Ramirez relentlessly with his fastball. Manny worked the at-bat to a full count and then sat back on a breaking ball, after seeing nothing but fastballs prior to the full count, and pounded it over the second baseman. This hit drove in Jacoby Ellsbury who led off the inning with a walk, making the score 1-0 Boston.
Hughes came out of the gate with good stuff-- the problem is that he worked behind in the count, much like Dice-K did in the first. Working behind in the count is death to a pitcher, especially when the hitters can simply take the breaking ball and wait for the fastball over the plate. Hughes left a fastball over the plate to Youkilis who drove it to center for a sacrifice fly, and Sean Casey drilled a gorund rule double to left off of a fastball left middle in. This is a monumental inning for Hughes in terms of his pitch count, as he spent 39 pitches. Of course, not being on the same page with catcher Jose Molina-- he crossed him up twice, the second one leading to a run -- doesn't help. Red Sox 3-0 after the first.
TOP 2: Dice-K continues his walking ways but survives the inning with no damage. 3-0 Boston.
On a side note, I get a kick out of the infatuation cameramen have with superstars. Maybe they are ordered to spend every second in between pitches on Derek Jeter, I don't know. We know Jeter is nursing an injury and is not going to play tonight, yet the biggest story so far is Jeter standing up at the rail of the dugout with a thick Yankee jacket zipped all the way up and his collar pulled up to protect his neck from the wind chill. Seriously? I know the women of America would rather watch Jeter stand still than the actual game, but how about mixing it up one time, huh? Maybe, just maybe, one of these days we will be able to see the pre-pitch routine of a great hitter or great fielder while the action is suddenly halted. Until then, hey, guess we have to enjoy picking apart the attire and facial expressions of people who wll play no part in the game. So, back to the beloved Mr. Jeter...
BOT 2: The most impressive stretch thus far from Phil Hughes came in the bottom of the second. The Red Sox were sniffing another run after Coco Crisp got on with an infield single, stole second, and reached third with one out. Hughes made his best pitches of the night in the next two at-bats. The right hander pound Ellsbury inside with fastballs, getting him to pop up to shortstop Alberto Gonzalez. Then Hughes absolutely exposed Dustin Pedroia as he threw him two curveballs in a row before getting him to swing and miss on a 93-mph fastball down and in. Boston 3, Yankees 0.
Another snipet I get a great laugh from-- the volatile reaction of some players. Pedroia screamed his favorite four-letter expletive after striking out to end the inning, which then prompted him to show off his arm by slamming his bat into the ground. Bad Bat! Seriously, I cannot laugh enough when I see these things from big leaguers. This certainly is no example for youth baseball players, but I am not here to criticize these guys for not being models all of the time. I understand the emotions and frustrations of the game, and sometimes they happen to boil over. I just find it ironic that players at the highest level get away with showing this type of emotion when high school players are thrown out for such actions. Maybe it has something to do with having money involved and this being the livelihood for these players? Anyways, anybody see Ted Lilly in the NLDS last year against Arizona after giving up a homerun (to Eric Byrnes if I remember correctly)? Classic powder keg.
TOP 3: Another inning, another walk for Matsuzaka-- that is four though three innings of work. But New Yokr finally cracked his armor, mustering 1 run on a Bobby Abreu double off of the Green Monster, scoring Johnny Damon who has two walks and two stolen bases thus far. Matsuzaka was let off the hook cheaply as A-Rod popped up to end the inning with Abreu standing on second base. It goes to show you that falling behind in the count-- Matsuzaka has thrown less than 50% of his pitches for strikes through three innings-- will inevitably lead to trouble and a stressed bullpen. Dice-K is getting by so far, but he sure is playing with fire.
BOT 3: The night is over for Phil Hughes as he did not get an out in the third inning, as he walked (that is seven total walks so far-- we gotta be on pace for some sort of record) J.D. Drew to lead off the inning, and then gave up three consecutive hits. All three of Hughes' walks scored, and he leaves the game losing 5-1 with runners on first and second, nobody out, and Jason Veritek at the plate. I was curious to see how Hughes would handle his first start ever at Fenway. This type of performance is not a huge surprise, even though big things are expected from Hughes, and I do expect him to pitch many great games in this rivalry before his career is over.
That being said, I thought it would be tougher for Hughes to control his emotions than Matsuzaka and that was evident as Hughes wasn't very sharp. Three walks in two plus innings is a problem, and that problem compounds when the majority of the strikes that he does throw get fat parts of the plate. Rough night for the rookie, but there will be another day.
PITCHING CHANGE: Ross Ohlendorf- NYY
Ohlendorf, another rookie, opened up on an impressive note but faltered at the end of the inning. Ohlendorf got two outs immediately, then threw a wild pitch that scored Youkilis, walked Lugo, and let Ellsbury off cheaply by hanging a changeup, which is promptly pounded into right field to score another run. Bost 7- 1 after three.
I don't understand the thinking behind some of these pitch selections, especially from a reliever who comes into a game with runners on and needs to get outs. When your team is already trailing by a substantial margin, that is not the time to try to fool the opposition. Throw your best stuff and get out of the jame. Ohlendorf has a 94-97 fastball that runs, and yet he came out throwing a bunch of sliders and gave a gift to Ellsbury in the form of a fat changeup. Is that not bewildering to anybody else? When you have 97-mph cheese that moves, you can tell the hitter it is coming and you will get him out if it is put in a good spot. I'd like to see all of these pitchers tonight be a little more aggressive with the fastball.
TOP 4: Good inning for the Yankees as the tacked on three runs to bring the score to 7-4. Matsuzaka may just ruin the lead the offense has given him and/or not make it through the required five full innings to be in line for the win. Matsuzaka is continuing to walk guys-- that is five -- and leave pitches over the middle of the plate. Alberto Gonzalez, who is filling in for Derek Jeter at shortstop, had a run-scoring sinlge which also set up a Johnny Damon sac fly by moving Jose Molina over to third.
This game is moving at a snails pace, which is typical for this rivalry. Tons of offense and tons of pitches being thrown. Not my type of ballgame, but at least we should probably be in store for a late inning pressure-cooker. Is that Julian Tavarez warming up in the bullpen? Yes it is; the Yankees are still in this game after all.
BOT 4: Six days later, we have completed four innings at Fenway. Ohlendorf contributed the eleventh walk of the ballgame and was in a bases loaded jam before he got Varitek to hit into an inning-ending double play. This game is full of the same recurring theme which is killing the fluidity of the ballgame, allowing for day dreaming throughout the inning. I mean seriously, games like this remind me of watching 8-year-old basketball or 3-hour movies that are 3 1/2 hours too long. Brutal. 7-4 Red Sox.
Side note-- interesting point in the ballgame when color man Joe Morgan talked about hitting when Manny Ramirez was at the plate. Morgan said that Ramirez is such a great hitter because he is able to maintain excellent balance throughout his swing, keeping his head still and allowing his hips and lower body to produce the power in his swing. Morgan talked about Youkilis when he came to the bat and showed the difference between Ramirez and Youkilis in their styles-- Youkilis does not put much emphasis on gaining power with his lower body, but rather trusts his hands to spray the ball all over the field. Morgan equated this more "handsy" approach that Youkilis uses to the reason why he does not hit for as much power as Ramirez or some of the other sluggers. Great commentary segment.
TOP 5: I was tremendously excited to report the first walkless frame of the night... until Matsuzaka walked Hideki Matsui with two outs in the fifth. Jorge Posada followed up that walk with a single to left before Matsuzaka got Giambi to fly out to center as he used 117 pitches to get through five innings of work-- yikes! His night is definitely over. 7-4 Boston.
Side note-- I raved about how Joe Morgan spewed on hitting for a few minutes last inning, but then it dawned-- well actually "dawned" is the wrong word because I already knew-- on me that ESPN needs to add another member to this telecast crew, one that is qualified to talk about pitching. I suspect that Orel, who already works ESPN games, would be happy to be that extra color man on Sunday Night to shed light on the pitching side of the game. Morgan is qualified to talk about hitting, but it is hard to really talk about pitching when you haven't been there. No disrespect to Morgan, but he just doesn't have the experience to really talk about that part. He talked about the great job that Varitek is doing hanging with Matsuzaka and calling the game-- this would be the perfect spot for a guy like Orel who has been in those shoes. A commentator like Jon Miller can learn a lot about the game, but there is something to be said for the knowledge that is gained by actually experiencing it first hand.
Miller could have never done the type of analysis that Morgan did when talking about Manny Ramirez, and to Miller's credit, he defers those insights to Morgan. On the flip side, Morgan really can't talk about game calling or what a pitcher is trying to do-- those questions should be left for a genuine pitching guy. I don't know why this hasn't been thought of or hasn't happened. Maybe ESPN doesn't want to intrude on the relationship that Jon Miller and Joe Morgan have on the Sunday night telecast, but it seems like a good idea, right? ESPN definitely needs to do this, I think.
BOT 5: Ta-da! No walks this half inning. 7-4 Boston.
TOP 6:
PITCHING CHANGE: David Aardsma-- BOS
Not sure what the single game record is for most walks by two teams, but we are now up to 14 total walks after David Aardsma added two more to the pot. The Yankees are not making the Red Sox pitchers pay for their mistakes, though. Bobby Abreu popped up a 2-0 fastball to left field with A-Rod on deck and runners on second and third. There have been chances for the Yankees to tie the ballgame or take the lead-- and there will undoubtedly be more, the way this has been going-- but they have yet to capitalize. Pretty sloppy so far. 7-4 Boston.
BOT 6:
PITCHING CHANGE: LaTroy Hawkins-- NYY
Quick work for Hawkins. Boston up 7-4 heading to the seventh.
Peter Gammons did some reporting on Dustin Pedroia, providing us with this gem: "He is more like 5-foot-5, doesn't run well, his hands are as big as mine, but he has a tremendous work ethic, he makes contact, and he is just a pure baseball player". Peter also provided the following Pedroia nugget: He has never had a season-- not highschool, college, or pro ball-- where he has struck out more times than he walked or had extra base hits. That is amazing. Gotta love Gammons.
TOP 7: Clean work for Aardsma, no walks, three up three down. Pedroia goes in the hole to make a great play to throw out Jorge Posada to send it to the seventh inning stretch. Quiet night for A-Rod as he is 0-for-4. There really is a hole in the lineup on nights when A-Rod does absolutely nothing because it seems like the Yankees do not get too many 2-out hits with runners in scoring position. Now they are a great offense so they may actually be good in those situations and I could eat my words-- more than likely it is just this game that is making me feel that way. Tons of runners left on base and plenty of wasted opportunities. 7-4 Boston.
BOT 7: Hawkins continues to do a job for the Yankees, retiring the Red Sox in order in his second inning of work. He is a valuable arm, but may not be the shut down guy he was for the Rockies late last year. That stretch seemed to me like he was playing beyond his limits for a little while, and I don't think he is capable of coming in and slamming doors. He can be a serviceable 7th inning guy, but if the Yankees are in a jam in the seventh and they really want to win the ballgame, Joba Chamberlain will be handed the ball. Still 7-4 Boston.
TOP 8:
PITCHING CHANGE: Mike Timlin-- BOS
Jason Giambi greeted Timlin with a solo shot to right. Jose Molina and pinch hitter Melky Cabrera followed with singles to knock Timlin out of the ballgame. Wilson Betemit on to pinch run for Molina. Runners on first and second, 7-5 Red Sox. We've got some more steroid/Mitchell Report talk by Morgan and Miller to fill the time during warm up pitches. Beautiful.
PITCHING CHANGE: Javier Lopez-- BOS
Timlin should be buying Lopez dinner for the entire road trip after he way he just bailed him out. Lopez got Johnny Damon to ground into a double play, and then got Robinson Cano to ground weakly to second base to end the threat. It is amazing for such a great lineup like the Yankees to strand so many baserunners and not take advantage of a number of opportunities. The Yankees flat out do not look like the Yankees tonight. Known for working counts and being patient, forcing the pitcher to come over the plate and then hammering the mistake, New York is chasing the pitcher's pitch in hitters counts and are flailing anxiously when they need to sit on pitches to drive. 7-5 Boston.
BOT 8:
PITCHING CHANGE: Kyle Farnsworth-- NYY
Boston manufactures another to push their lead to 8-5 heading to the ninth. It has been reported that Jonathan Papelbon is not available tonight due to a manager's decision. Guess Francona thinks all of that throwing and stopping due to the rain delay last night warranted a day off for his closer.
TOP 9: Lopez and Manny Delcarmen combine to set the Yankees down in order and put the nail in the coffin of a sluggish, walk-filled ballgame. Time to put this one to bed from Fenway Park. FINAL: Boston 8, New York 5.
Yankees/Red Sox rubber match
There never really needs to be any explanation for the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, and tonight is no different. In the first series of the year between these two historic franchises, the series victory comes down to the third game. on the weekend's brightest stage-- ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. After splitting the first two games, New York and Boston will battle it out on a national stage, implicating an early postseason atmosphere.
Chien-Ming Wang finally emerged as the Yankees' ace on Friday night when he threw a complete game, two-hitter at the Red Sox, stifling one of baseball's best offenses. The sinker-baller has been making strides to anchor the rotation, but it is performances like these that will permanently stamp his name in the number one slot. These are the kind of nights that aces need to pull out every once in a while. Show stopping performances-- Wang's left the Fenway faithful in dead silence.
But for one team's ace, the opposition counters with another, and Boston sent out their best in Josh Beckett to even up the series on Saturday. Beckett threw 6 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs, and leaving with a 4-3 lead. After starting the season on the DL, Beckett appears to be getting himself into game shape and will soon be rearing those bullets of his past lineups everywhere.
Mike Mussina opposed Beckett on Saturday and did a serviceable job, but it wasn't good enough going up against Boston's number one. Manny Ramirez sucker-punched Mussina with a bases loaded single, leaving Mussina with a job well done and nothing to show for it.
Saturday's contest endured a soggy field, miserable weatcher, and a healthy rain delay that extended over two innings. The most crucial moment of the game came immediately after the delay, when play was stopped with two runners on in the top of the 8th inning, with Alex Rodriguez at the plate and the scoreboard indicating a 4-3 ballgame. Boston manager Terry Francona went straight to his best gun-- closer Jonathan Papelbon-- to get Rodriguez, knowing that here lied the ballgame.
Papelbon promptly brought his rageful persona to the Fenway mound and struck out Rodriguez to end the threat. The All-Star closer struck out two more in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save and gain momentum going into Sunday night.
That brings us to this ballgame-- an interesting matchup it will be. Both teams have endured injuries in the early going, and substantila ones at that for this series. The Yankees are without shortstop Derek Jeter who is nursing a strained quadriceps, and Boston put third baseman Mike Lowell on the DL with a thumb injury. Both pieces are integral part of their respective lineups, but their absences have failed to dull the action.
The game will be decided on the mound, like usual, and the two starters tonight differ in experience, but compare in stuff. Phil Hughes will be taking the mound for the Yankees-- a rookie who has never pitched in Fenway Park. The last rookie to make his first start in Fenway for the Yankees did not turn out so well; Chase Wright gave up four homeruns in a row-- on a Sunday Night telecast no less.
But this debut shall certainly be different as the aforementioned Wright pales in comparison to Phil Hughes, who is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Hughes has the presence and the moxie to shut down the Red Sox under the bright lights of the game's fiercest rivalry. Hughes will bring a fastball, changeup, and curveball to the mound and must pound the zone early and often. His stuff is good, but his velocity has been a tick down so far this season and he cannot afford to work behind in the count to a lineup as potent as Boston's.
Matsuzaka has an electric arsenal as he will throw variations of three or four pitches, making it appear as if he actually has about eight pitches. The Japanese import has seemingly pitched around the world in the first week and a half of the season, making starts on both coasts of the United States and in Japan. Matsuzaka has the advantage when it comes to experience as he has pitched against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, and has pitched in numerous big games in his career with the Red Sox and in Japan. It will probably be a bit more difficult for Hughes to control his emotions on Sunday evening, giving Matsuzaka the early advantage.
The one absolute of this ballgame-- weather permitting-- is that the atmosphere will electric, the competition will be fervent, and the crowd will be defeaning. We are months away from postseason baseball but, as tonight will indicate, it is never too early for a taste.
Chien-Ming Wang finally emerged as the Yankees' ace on Friday night when he threw a complete game, two-hitter at the Red Sox, stifling one of baseball's best offenses. The sinker-baller has been making strides to anchor the rotation, but it is performances like these that will permanently stamp his name in the number one slot. These are the kind of nights that aces need to pull out every once in a while. Show stopping performances-- Wang's left the Fenway faithful in dead silence.
But for one team's ace, the opposition counters with another, and Boston sent out their best in Josh Beckett to even up the series on Saturday. Beckett threw 6 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs, and leaving with a 4-3 lead. After starting the season on the DL, Beckett appears to be getting himself into game shape and will soon be rearing those bullets of his past lineups everywhere.
Mike Mussina opposed Beckett on Saturday and did a serviceable job, but it wasn't good enough going up against Boston's number one. Manny Ramirez sucker-punched Mussina with a bases loaded single, leaving Mussina with a job well done and nothing to show for it.
Saturday's contest endured a soggy field, miserable weatcher, and a healthy rain delay that extended over two innings. The most crucial moment of the game came immediately after the delay, when play was stopped with two runners on in the top of the 8th inning, with Alex Rodriguez at the plate and the scoreboard indicating a 4-3 ballgame. Boston manager Terry Francona went straight to his best gun-- closer Jonathan Papelbon-- to get Rodriguez, knowing that here lied the ballgame.
Papelbon promptly brought his rageful persona to the Fenway mound and struck out Rodriguez to end the threat. The All-Star closer struck out two more in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save and gain momentum going into Sunday night.
That brings us to this ballgame-- an interesting matchup it will be. Both teams have endured injuries in the early going, and substantila ones at that for this series. The Yankees are without shortstop Derek Jeter who is nursing a strained quadriceps, and Boston put third baseman Mike Lowell on the DL with a thumb injury. Both pieces are integral part of their respective lineups, but their absences have failed to dull the action.
The game will be decided on the mound, like usual, and the two starters tonight differ in experience, but compare in stuff. Phil Hughes will be taking the mound for the Yankees-- a rookie who has never pitched in Fenway Park. The last rookie to make his first start in Fenway for the Yankees did not turn out so well; Chase Wright gave up four homeruns in a row-- on a Sunday Night telecast no less.
But this debut shall certainly be different as the aforementioned Wright pales in comparison to Phil Hughes, who is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Hughes has the presence and the moxie to shut down the Red Sox under the bright lights of the game's fiercest rivalry. Hughes will bring a fastball, changeup, and curveball to the mound and must pound the zone early and often. His stuff is good, but his velocity has been a tick down so far this season and he cannot afford to work behind in the count to a lineup as potent as Boston's.
Matsuzaka has an electric arsenal as he will throw variations of three or four pitches, making it appear as if he actually has about eight pitches. The Japanese import has seemingly pitched around the world in the first week and a half of the season, making starts on both coasts of the United States and in Japan. Matsuzaka has the advantage when it comes to experience as he has pitched against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium, and has pitched in numerous big games in his career with the Red Sox and in Japan. It will probably be a bit more difficult for Hughes to control his emotions on Sunday evening, giving Matsuzaka the early advantage.
The one absolute of this ballgame-- weather permitting-- is that the atmosphere will electric, the competition will be fervent, and the crowd will be defeaning. We are months away from postseason baseball but, as tonight will indicate, it is never too early for a taste.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Off the schnide
It took 8 games, 7 more than anyone expected, to finally erase any possibilities of a 0-162 season. Such has been the mood around baseball as of late, but finally, the people of Detroit can breathe. The Tigers earned their first win of the young season with a 7-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The win puts the Tigers at 1-7 in 2008.
Edgar Renteria led the offensive outburst, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Carlos Guillen scored three runs. The Tigers supposed vaunted offense had been dormant so far in the year, only scoring 15 runs in its first seven runs. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez each added one hit apiece, but neither has been themselves through the first week and half of the season. It took a few Jon Lester pitches in a four-run fourth inning to get Detroit rolling before they was a fresh sence of confidence flowing throughout the visitors dugout. This type of swagger was all but left in Lakeland, Florida as the club headed north to open the season.
This club has been questioned repeatedly on sports talk shows across the country this week as headlines were coming in along the likes of "Will the Tigers EVER win a game?". That was the consensus feeling throughout baseball as this momentum sure looked to be heading in the wrong direction. It definitely is way too early to be making any statements like that and writing the Tigers out of the playoffs. But with expectations so high, there really isn't any reason to blame the folks who thought like this.
There has been nothing but gushes of amazement over the Tiger lineup in the last four months-- precisely ever since Miguel Cabrera fell into their lap. Fair or not, this team was suppossed to be the most dangerous lineup any organization has put together since... well, since never. There was talk of scoring 1,000 runs and averaging 10 runs per ballgame, and all sorts of gaudy statistics.
I guess these feats can still be accomplished since it took us all of ten days to witness the unimaginable-- an 0-7 start for Detroit. But realistically, this should prove to us that there is a reason why umpires roll the baseballs out and why percieved underdogs like the Kansas City Royals strut into town believing they are the Yankees. As much as fans and the media wish to rave about certain teams-- which is undoubtedly good for the game-- baseball still has to be played and there is an opponent on the other side of the field who is going to try and have a say.
This ballclub the Tigers have assembled is way too good to continue to play the way they have been playing. This is a slump, no different than any other seven-game skid teams will face in June, or August, or any other time of the year. It just so happened to come right out of the gate, therefore beckoning for national attention. A few bad breaks, and the absence of Curtis Granderson , set the Tigers on a tailspin that took a few games to come out of. So be it.
Now this win doesn't really mean anything if Detroit drops its next four games. They certainly need to string together a nice little streak over the next month or two and resestablish themselves as the power atop the AL Central. But the reason why the Tigers won't revert back to their early losing ways is fairly simply: they were not as bad of a team as they were showing, they were just in their own heads. Once the Tigers lost the third and fourth and fifth games, they started to listen to all of the early chirping flying around on the air, and started dwelling on their winless start.
That is what happened, and that is why one win against a good club can turn it around as fast as Nick Swisher took Justin Verlander deep on Sunday Night Baseball. The pressure is off of the Tigers. They no longer have to worry about getting that first one in the win column. They can proceed to being the team that they are capable of being.
It took a strong effort from Jeremy Bonderman to right the ship in Boston. Bonderman was not on his game by any means nor did he have anything resembling his best stuff or command. What Bonderman did do exceptionally well on Wednesday night, though, was battle and keep his team in the ballgame. Bonderman denied a bad performance and was simply not going to accept an eigth loss.
Over five innings of work, the right hander walked four and gave up 1 earned run. This game was important for a couple of reasons for the Detroit pitching staff. First of all, Bonderman took the ball and gave them an outing from a starter without getting torched. Detroit's starting pitching has been putting pressure on an already depleted bullpen. By leaving the game with his team ahead, Bonderman gained some confidence not only in himself, but in his teammates as well. This is the type of game that could set the tone for the rest of the staff. Pretty? Not close. Does that matter? No way.
Secondly, this was the first game of the season that Detroit's bullpen had to play a key role in a tight game, and actually got the job done. With Rodney and Zumaya on the shelf, the Tigers are leaning on some unknown faces to get crucial outs down the stretch. This hadn't happend up until Wednesday night, and was a big reason why the Tigers were losing ballgames. Detroit used three arms before handing the ball over to closer Todd Jones, albeit a non-save situation.
This was a crucial game for the bullpen to save a lead and carry the team to the finish line. The only thing that will prevail over a depleted roster is confidence of the players who are currently active. The Tigers have no control over the pieces that are currently missing; they must find a way to get the most out of the names that are on the backs of the jerseys today, and tomorrow, and the next day, until the regular come back and fill their roles.
Luckily for this ballclub, the confidence movement has begun. The incredible weight that was the expectations of a historic offense and an automatic World Series championship was lifted off of their shoulders and dumped in the Boston harbor in the span of nine innings-- never to be seen again. It is time for this mojo to set the ball rolling so the Tigers can get back to playing the brand of baseball that we have expected from them all season long. Relax, Motown mumblers, the worst of the 2008 season has come and gone and is long out of sight.
Edgar Renteria led the offensive outburst, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Carlos Guillen scored three runs. The Tigers supposed vaunted offense had been dormant so far in the year, only scoring 15 runs in its first seven runs. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez each added one hit apiece, but neither has been themselves through the first week and half of the season. It took a few Jon Lester pitches in a four-run fourth inning to get Detroit rolling before they was a fresh sence of confidence flowing throughout the visitors dugout. This type of swagger was all but left in Lakeland, Florida as the club headed north to open the season.
This club has been questioned repeatedly on sports talk shows across the country this week as headlines were coming in along the likes of "Will the Tigers EVER win a game?". That was the consensus feeling throughout baseball as this momentum sure looked to be heading in the wrong direction. It definitely is way too early to be making any statements like that and writing the Tigers out of the playoffs. But with expectations so high, there really isn't any reason to blame the folks who thought like this.
There has been nothing but gushes of amazement over the Tiger lineup in the last four months-- precisely ever since Miguel Cabrera fell into their lap. Fair or not, this team was suppossed to be the most dangerous lineup any organization has put together since... well, since never. There was talk of scoring 1,000 runs and averaging 10 runs per ballgame, and all sorts of gaudy statistics.
I guess these feats can still be accomplished since it took us all of ten days to witness the unimaginable-- an 0-7 start for Detroit. But realistically, this should prove to us that there is a reason why umpires roll the baseballs out and why percieved underdogs like the Kansas City Royals strut into town believing they are the Yankees. As much as fans and the media wish to rave about certain teams-- which is undoubtedly good for the game-- baseball still has to be played and there is an opponent on the other side of the field who is going to try and have a say.
This ballclub the Tigers have assembled is way too good to continue to play the way they have been playing. This is a slump, no different than any other seven-game skid teams will face in June, or August, or any other time of the year. It just so happened to come right out of the gate, therefore beckoning for national attention. A few bad breaks, and the absence of Curtis Granderson , set the Tigers on a tailspin that took a few games to come out of. So be it.
Now this win doesn't really mean anything if Detroit drops its next four games. They certainly need to string together a nice little streak over the next month or two and resestablish themselves as the power atop the AL Central. But the reason why the Tigers won't revert back to their early losing ways is fairly simply: they were not as bad of a team as they were showing, they were just in their own heads. Once the Tigers lost the third and fourth and fifth games, they started to listen to all of the early chirping flying around on the air, and started dwelling on their winless start.
That is what happened, and that is why one win against a good club can turn it around as fast as Nick Swisher took Justin Verlander deep on Sunday Night Baseball. The pressure is off of the Tigers. They no longer have to worry about getting that first one in the win column. They can proceed to being the team that they are capable of being.
It took a strong effort from Jeremy Bonderman to right the ship in Boston. Bonderman was not on his game by any means nor did he have anything resembling his best stuff or command. What Bonderman did do exceptionally well on Wednesday night, though, was battle and keep his team in the ballgame. Bonderman denied a bad performance and was simply not going to accept an eigth loss.
Over five innings of work, the right hander walked four and gave up 1 earned run. This game was important for a couple of reasons for the Detroit pitching staff. First of all, Bonderman took the ball and gave them an outing from a starter without getting torched. Detroit's starting pitching has been putting pressure on an already depleted bullpen. By leaving the game with his team ahead, Bonderman gained some confidence not only in himself, but in his teammates as well. This is the type of game that could set the tone for the rest of the staff. Pretty? Not close. Does that matter? No way.
Secondly, this was the first game of the season that Detroit's bullpen had to play a key role in a tight game, and actually got the job done. With Rodney and Zumaya on the shelf, the Tigers are leaning on some unknown faces to get crucial outs down the stretch. This hadn't happend up until Wednesday night, and was a big reason why the Tigers were losing ballgames. Detroit used three arms before handing the ball over to closer Todd Jones, albeit a non-save situation.
This was a crucial game for the bullpen to save a lead and carry the team to the finish line. The only thing that will prevail over a depleted roster is confidence of the players who are currently active. The Tigers have no control over the pieces that are currently missing; they must find a way to get the most out of the names that are on the backs of the jerseys today, and tomorrow, and the next day, until the regular come back and fill their roles.
Luckily for this ballclub, the confidence movement has begun. The incredible weight that was the expectations of a historic offense and an automatic World Series championship was lifted off of their shoulders and dumped in the Boston harbor in the span of nine innings-- never to be seen again. It is time for this mojo to set the ball rolling so the Tigers can get back to playing the brand of baseball that we have expected from them all season long. Relax, Motown mumblers, the worst of the 2008 season has come and gone and is long out of sight.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Ballpark Banter- Talking Angels and Yankees
1) I'm not sure who has gotten off to the better homecoming, Torii Hunter or Kosuke Fukudome. But there will be time to catch up on the Japanese import later. This space belongs to Mr. Hunter, who has come out of the gate on fire for the Angels. Hunter continued his torrid streak on Monday night, blasting two homeruns against the Cleveland Indians, the second one being a walkoff grand-slam in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting Los Angeles to a 6-4 victory.
The homerun was impressive-- it was a moon shot down the left field line off of Cleveland close Joe Borowski. But this homerun was important for the Angels on many different levels. After dropping 2-of-3 to Texas over the weekend, the Halos have a tough slate this week with Cleveland at home for three games to finish off their homestand before they head to division-rival Seattle for the weekend.
It is important that the Angels keep their winning ways and build a little momentum to ride out the injury bug that has depleted their starting pitching in the early part of the year. If the Angels can build a little bit of a cushion, it will take the pressure off of John Lackey when he comes back from his triceps strain. With Seattle taking its turn with the injuries-- Erik Bedard is experiencing some pain with his hip-- this will allow them a chance to gain a few games on the team who will likely battle them at the end, if the Oakland A's don't have something to say about it.
The most important part of this homerun though is how it saved tonights ballgame, which could have been a mood setter for the week. The Angels got a stellar outing from Joe Saunders who gave up 1 run over eight innings and was in line to get the win before Frankie Rodriguez blew the save in the ninth and had to be pulled from the game with his ankles flaring up. Scot Shields came in and didn't do much better, as the Tribe built a two-run lead going to the bottom half of the inning.
If the Angels would have lost this game, it may have spoiled the entire series and sent them into a 4-5 game spiral. Blown saves leave an unmistakably bitter taste in a team's mouth-- matter of fact, it is losing games that you ought to win that creats the bitterness. There is no worse feeling than giving away a game, especially when it is a chance to steal one from one of the best teams in baseball. But anyways, blowing inevitable wins does something mysterious to a ballclub sometimes.
Baseball is built largely on momentum and feel and confidence; that is the reason for long winning streaks, and that is the reason for slumps that span over multiple weeks. The mental part of the game is huge, both individually and collectively, and hopefully the Angels can ride this nice win and take a couple days to figure Rodriguez out, because they need him to save games. If Hunter doesn't hit that ball out, the entire team leaves the ballpark on the verge of vomitting. But since he did, a fresh dash of enthusiasm will fill the diamond when they return to action tomorrow.
2) Mike Mussina did a job for the Yankees Monday night, allowing the Yankees to take the final two games of a 4-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays. Mussina threw six innings of one-run ball, before handing the ball over to the bullpen, who had a sizeable lead to work with. These are the type of outings that will make or break the Yankees this year. If Mussina can go six innings with three runs or less, the Yankees are going to win the AL East by a nice margin.
If Mussina gets shelled and the Yankees have to bring Joba out of the bullpen, they could wind up anywhere. The ironic thing about this year is that this is the smallest role that Mussina has filled in a big league rotation in his entrie career, but yet, this may be the most that any of those ballclubs needs him to pitch well. Think about the difference in this Yankee club if Mussina is a steady arm at the back of the rotation, and if he needs to be subjected to long relief and mop up time.
The affect comes in the 7th and 8th inning-- more precisely, the time when Joba Chamberlain dominates the ballgame. New York has such an advantage when the can shorten a game down to seven innings, knowing that Chamberlain and Rivera will seal the deal. All ofthat falls on the shoulders of Mussina. The other startes are expected to do their share of heavy lifting. But with Mussina, the feeling is that the Yankees owe him one more year on his contract, so they feel inclined to put him out there and hope he gives them something respectable. It could just be me, but I almost feel like the Yankees are holding their breath this season with Mussina and are like a criminal trying to get away clean with a crime. Give Mussina the ball 30 times, get 13 wins, and then brush your hands off and exhale at the end of the season. I don't know, that is just how it looks from here. But, hey, so far so good for Moose.
The homerun was impressive-- it was a moon shot down the left field line off of Cleveland close Joe Borowski. But this homerun was important for the Angels on many different levels. After dropping 2-of-3 to Texas over the weekend, the Halos have a tough slate this week with Cleveland at home for three games to finish off their homestand before they head to division-rival Seattle for the weekend.
It is important that the Angels keep their winning ways and build a little momentum to ride out the injury bug that has depleted their starting pitching in the early part of the year. If the Angels can build a little bit of a cushion, it will take the pressure off of John Lackey when he comes back from his triceps strain. With Seattle taking its turn with the injuries-- Erik Bedard is experiencing some pain with his hip-- this will allow them a chance to gain a few games on the team who will likely battle them at the end, if the Oakland A's don't have something to say about it.
The most important part of this homerun though is how it saved tonights ballgame, which could have been a mood setter for the week. The Angels got a stellar outing from Joe Saunders who gave up 1 run over eight innings and was in line to get the win before Frankie Rodriguez blew the save in the ninth and had to be pulled from the game with his ankles flaring up. Scot Shields came in and didn't do much better, as the Tribe built a two-run lead going to the bottom half of the inning.
If the Angels would have lost this game, it may have spoiled the entire series and sent them into a 4-5 game spiral. Blown saves leave an unmistakably bitter taste in a team's mouth-- matter of fact, it is losing games that you ought to win that creats the bitterness. There is no worse feeling than giving away a game, especially when it is a chance to steal one from one of the best teams in baseball. But anyways, blowing inevitable wins does something mysterious to a ballclub sometimes.
Baseball is built largely on momentum and feel and confidence; that is the reason for long winning streaks, and that is the reason for slumps that span over multiple weeks. The mental part of the game is huge, both individually and collectively, and hopefully the Angels can ride this nice win and take a couple days to figure Rodriguez out, because they need him to save games. If Hunter doesn't hit that ball out, the entire team leaves the ballpark on the verge of vomitting. But since he did, a fresh dash of enthusiasm will fill the diamond when they return to action tomorrow.
2) Mike Mussina did a job for the Yankees Monday night, allowing the Yankees to take the final two games of a 4-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays. Mussina threw six innings of one-run ball, before handing the ball over to the bullpen, who had a sizeable lead to work with. These are the type of outings that will make or break the Yankees this year. If Mussina can go six innings with three runs or less, the Yankees are going to win the AL East by a nice margin.
If Mussina gets shelled and the Yankees have to bring Joba out of the bullpen, they could wind up anywhere. The ironic thing about this year is that this is the smallest role that Mussina has filled in a big league rotation in his entrie career, but yet, this may be the most that any of those ballclubs needs him to pitch well. Think about the difference in this Yankee club if Mussina is a steady arm at the back of the rotation, and if he needs to be subjected to long relief and mop up time.
The affect comes in the 7th and 8th inning-- more precisely, the time when Joba Chamberlain dominates the ballgame. New York has such an advantage when the can shorten a game down to seven innings, knowing that Chamberlain and Rivera will seal the deal. All ofthat falls on the shoulders of Mussina. The other startes are expected to do their share of heavy lifting. But with Mussina, the feeling is that the Yankees owe him one more year on his contract, so they feel inclined to put him out there and hope he gives them something respectable. It could just be me, but I almost feel like the Yankees are holding their breath this season with Mussina and are like a criminal trying to get away clean with a crime. Give Mussina the ball 30 times, get 13 wins, and then brush your hands off and exhale at the end of the season. I don't know, that is just how it looks from here. But, hey, so far so good for Moose.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Raffy steals one from the Giants
It took all of two games for the Los Angeles Dodgers to establish a new identity in the next era of Dodger Baseball. This is a different team with a new regime, and it only feels proper that the club transitions itself for a new time with all of the 50th Anniversary ceremonies being conducted.
There is a youth movement in LA; not only in the age of the roster, but also in the mindset of the coaches and players and the style of play that will be filling the Dodger Stadium grounds in 2008. The Dodgers were hung up in a pitchers duel on Tuesday night with their arch rival, the San Francisco Giants.
Derek Lowe took the hill for Los Angeles and followed his mantra, which is pounding his sinker down in the zone and watching his infielders run left and right. Sounds like a pretty good gameplan right? Works for Lowe. The righthander was cruising into the seventh inning until he surrendered a couple of hits, one which he took off of his left leg, and exited stage right with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Lowe brings an edge to the Dodgers' pitching staff that will go mostly unnoticed this season, but should not be underappreciated. Lowe is not flashy, nor does his bring a sexy arsenal of pitches to the mound. No high-octane fastballs zip towards the plate during his starts, and there are no knees buckling as he breaks of some otherworldly hammer. Those duties are left for Brad Penny and Chad Billingsley.
But what Lowe brings to the club is immeasurable. Lowe is workman like; he takes the ball every fifth day and does his job. He is not about striking out 15 batters or throwing no-hitters. The man is humble enough to recognize his weaknesses, yet intelligent enough to pitch to his strengths. Lowe is a ballplayer who grinds through pitches, at-bats, and innings. The average fan may find him boring, as he works quick under a monotonous manner. But ask manager Joe Torre, and he will tell you that there is nothing boring about recording out after out.
There will come a day this season where Dodger fans recognize the indellible mark that Derek Lowe will leave on Billingsley, and soon-to-come Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers are adapting a tough mentality and that will ultimately prevail.
But of course it takes two sides to make a great duel, and San Francisco has something extremely special in 23-year-old Matt Cain. Cain dominated through five innings, before running into a little bit of trouble in the sixth, due to his high pitch count. Cain left the game with two outs in the sixth and the bases loaded, but the bullpen slammed that door, leaving him with an all too familiar no-decision.
Cain is the epitome of future ace and Cy Young award contender. His stuff is elite and his confidence is rare. Cain is lighting in a bottle, mixed with 96 miles per hour of moxie. He will take the ball and combine with Tim Lincecum to keep the Giants off of the McCovey Cove floor this season, but 2008 may end up like 2007 if the Giants cannot find a way to push any runs across the plate. Last seaosn, Cain went 7-16 on a club where he recieved the second-worst run support in all of baseball. Put him on a contender, and he could of easily won 18 games with the same performances.
But all of that was irrelevant at Dodger Stadium this night, when Rafael Furcal brought the mail home from second base on an infield single by rookie Delwyn Young in the bottom of the ninth inning, propelling the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory and a 2-0 start to the young season.
Furcal was 2-5 and Andre Ethier had 3 hits to lead the offense. With the emergence of the young studs and support of the veteran cast, there is an undeniable chemistry being built throughout this clubhouse. It is seen from top to bottom when the Dodgers take the field. The attitude and the swagger in Los Angeles is built around aggressiveness these days, and who knew it would take a stoic face from Joe Torre to make it happen.
The fire is coming from the higher power and trickling down to the men who swing the bat and run the bases. Huroki Kuroda will have a nice impact and Mark Sweeney will be a key piece in late-inning situations, but Larry Bowa is arguably the biggest offseason acquisition for the Dodgers. Why? Bowa's intensity, passion, and pursuit of winning cannot be matched. That much is for sure.
All it took on Tuesday night to get Bowa riled up was a few words from umpire Ed Montague, suggesting that Bowa remain in the third base coaching box, instead of warily wondering wherever he pleases. A couple words lead to a couple shouts, and before you knew it, Torre was out on the field holding back an irate Bowa who had been sent to an early shower. Bowa stormed off in style as he sent dugout water coolers crashing to the floor.
This is not some senseless outburst, mind you. This is an attitude and this is Bowa setting the bar high, early in the season. The Dodgers may have been a bit too soft last season, equating to their late season collapse. That surely will not happen this season. It can't if the ballclub takes to the style of their third base coach. Stand your ground and stick up for what you believe in. That is Bowa's message and it is one which is tried and true.
Los Angeles was trailing 2-0 in the seventh inning with runners on first and second and nobody out when they ran a double steal, with Blake DeWitt barely squeaking his foot past the tag at first. It is not exactly by the book, and it certainly would be a rally killer if DeWitt had made the first out of that monumental inning at third base, but it ignited the comeback, and that is what matters in the box score.
Then the aggressive decision of Furcal to round third on a diving stop by second baseman Ray Durham in the bottom of the ninth puts the stamp on the evening that showed of what the Dodgers are all about. The first fifty years in Los Angeles have their own memories, ones that untouchable amidst the minds of that generation, and hallowed in the annals of Dodger history.
But this is a new generation. It is time for a new tradition to be built, and tradition must be built on principles and attitude. The people of LA should like what they saw on the bases from the Dodgers tonight, and ownership should be ecstatic by the inclination that Derek Lowe has made a priority when he takes the mound. Lowe, Torre, and Bowa are all about the business and mindless about style. Once this era of Dodgers comes along for the ride, there will be an abundance of jubilant celebration in the next half-century. So far, so good.
There is a youth movement in LA; not only in the age of the roster, but also in the mindset of the coaches and players and the style of play that will be filling the Dodger Stadium grounds in 2008. The Dodgers were hung up in a pitchers duel on Tuesday night with their arch rival, the San Francisco Giants.
Derek Lowe took the hill for Los Angeles and followed his mantra, which is pounding his sinker down in the zone and watching his infielders run left and right. Sounds like a pretty good gameplan right? Works for Lowe. The righthander was cruising into the seventh inning until he surrendered a couple of hits, one which he took off of his left leg, and exited stage right with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Lowe brings an edge to the Dodgers' pitching staff that will go mostly unnoticed this season, but should not be underappreciated. Lowe is not flashy, nor does his bring a sexy arsenal of pitches to the mound. No high-octane fastballs zip towards the plate during his starts, and there are no knees buckling as he breaks of some otherworldly hammer. Those duties are left for Brad Penny and Chad Billingsley.
But what Lowe brings to the club is immeasurable. Lowe is workman like; he takes the ball every fifth day and does his job. He is not about striking out 15 batters or throwing no-hitters. The man is humble enough to recognize his weaknesses, yet intelligent enough to pitch to his strengths. Lowe is a ballplayer who grinds through pitches, at-bats, and innings. The average fan may find him boring, as he works quick under a monotonous manner. But ask manager Joe Torre, and he will tell you that there is nothing boring about recording out after out.
There will come a day this season where Dodger fans recognize the indellible mark that Derek Lowe will leave on Billingsley, and soon-to-come Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers are adapting a tough mentality and that will ultimately prevail.
But of course it takes two sides to make a great duel, and San Francisco has something extremely special in 23-year-old Matt Cain. Cain dominated through five innings, before running into a little bit of trouble in the sixth, due to his high pitch count. Cain left the game with two outs in the sixth and the bases loaded, but the bullpen slammed that door, leaving him with an all too familiar no-decision.
Cain is the epitome of future ace and Cy Young award contender. His stuff is elite and his confidence is rare. Cain is lighting in a bottle, mixed with 96 miles per hour of moxie. He will take the ball and combine with Tim Lincecum to keep the Giants off of the McCovey Cove floor this season, but 2008 may end up like 2007 if the Giants cannot find a way to push any runs across the plate. Last seaosn, Cain went 7-16 on a club where he recieved the second-worst run support in all of baseball. Put him on a contender, and he could of easily won 18 games with the same performances.
But all of that was irrelevant at Dodger Stadium this night, when Rafael Furcal brought the mail home from second base on an infield single by rookie Delwyn Young in the bottom of the ninth inning, propelling the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory and a 2-0 start to the young season.
Furcal was 2-5 and Andre Ethier had 3 hits to lead the offense. With the emergence of the young studs and support of the veteran cast, there is an undeniable chemistry being built throughout this clubhouse. It is seen from top to bottom when the Dodgers take the field. The attitude and the swagger in Los Angeles is built around aggressiveness these days, and who knew it would take a stoic face from Joe Torre to make it happen.
The fire is coming from the higher power and trickling down to the men who swing the bat and run the bases. Huroki Kuroda will have a nice impact and Mark Sweeney will be a key piece in late-inning situations, but Larry Bowa is arguably the biggest offseason acquisition for the Dodgers. Why? Bowa's intensity, passion, and pursuit of winning cannot be matched. That much is for sure.
All it took on Tuesday night to get Bowa riled up was a few words from umpire Ed Montague, suggesting that Bowa remain in the third base coaching box, instead of warily wondering wherever he pleases. A couple words lead to a couple shouts, and before you knew it, Torre was out on the field holding back an irate Bowa who had been sent to an early shower. Bowa stormed off in style as he sent dugout water coolers crashing to the floor.
This is not some senseless outburst, mind you. This is an attitude and this is Bowa setting the bar high, early in the season. The Dodgers may have been a bit too soft last season, equating to their late season collapse. That surely will not happen this season. It can't if the ballclub takes to the style of their third base coach. Stand your ground and stick up for what you believe in. That is Bowa's message and it is one which is tried and true.
Los Angeles was trailing 2-0 in the seventh inning with runners on first and second and nobody out when they ran a double steal, with Blake DeWitt barely squeaking his foot past the tag at first. It is not exactly by the book, and it certainly would be a rally killer if DeWitt had made the first out of that monumental inning at third base, but it ignited the comeback, and that is what matters in the box score.
Then the aggressive decision of Furcal to round third on a diving stop by second baseman Ray Durham in the bottom of the ninth puts the stamp on the evening that showed of what the Dodgers are all about. The first fifty years in Los Angeles have their own memories, ones that untouchable amidst the minds of that generation, and hallowed in the annals of Dodger history.
But this is a new generation. It is time for a new tradition to be built, and tradition must be built on principles and attitude. The people of LA should like what they saw on the bases from the Dodgers tonight, and ownership should be ecstatic by the inclination that Derek Lowe has made a priority when he takes the mound. Lowe, Torre, and Bowa are all about the business and mindless about style. Once this era of Dodgers comes along for the ride, there will be an abundance of jubilant celebration in the next half-century. So far, so good.
Ballpark Banter- A Motown Monday
1) Welcome to Detroit Mr. Miguel Cabrera. In his first game as a Tiger, Cabrera launched a solo shot to left field, igniting the crown as the Tigers were trailing to the Kansas City Royals. This guy is a massive specimen who absolutely pulverizes anything near the plate, the homerun was on a changeup, and surprisingly plays a better third base than most people give him credit for.
It was exciting to see the Detroit fans welcome their new, waiting-to-be-anointed unsung hero to his home park after being shipped over from the Marlins in the offseason. Cabrera has ungodly expectations to live up to, as some bill him as the best player in the history of the game in regards to what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time in his career.
And that is certainly a bold statement, but one that may not be too much of a stretch. I would not exactly dispute it. That is how great this guy is. It is always nice to see these superstars have good starts to a season, especially when they are beginning a new chapter in their careers with a new team, and double-especially after the season opener comes at the heels of signing one of the largest contracts in baseball history. That is some sort of pressure, and nobody could ever wish Barry Zito's situation upon any player.
The thing I was so impressed with, if I can only pick one from Opening Day, was Cabrera's pitch recognition, which is phenomenal. This guy looks as if he will pound the fastball at any speed, but could be vulnerable to offspeed pitches away. But those thoughts only come to mind if we are comparing him to the average power hitter, and this guy undoubtedly much more than that. Cabrera is a complete hitter at the highest degree, and it was amazing to watch him read the ball out of the pitcher's hand.
Cabrera reacted to changeups and sliders and curveballs the same way he acted to the fastball-- without a flinch. The guy looks so comfortable in the box, it is disheartening for the opposing pitching staff. Every hitter goes through slumps when their timing is off, but if pitch recognition and plate disciplineremain consistent, it wil be quite a treat watching Miguel perform on a winning team.
2) It was good to see Jim Leyland give Justin Verlander the Opening Day nod, as he is without question the leader of that pitching staff. Verlander is a pivotal piece to the Tigers success this year because he must be the one to hold down the rotation and pitch a lot of innings.
Verlander was sensational for the first five innings in Monday's ballgame, giving up only one hit. He ran his fastball from 91-96 on he day and mixed in his breaking ball in the high-70s. It was apparent that Verlander made more of an effort to use his changeup, in a variety of counts, much like what Bonderman was working on in the spring. Makes you wonder if the changeup is being stressed organization wide.
Verlander's impeccable day came to halt when Alex Gordon launched an inside fastball out of the ball park, making the score 3-2 Tigers. After six innings and a lead, it all but seemed that Verlander's day was over, and he could be content with a solid performance on the first day of the season.
But here lies the difference between this years Tiger club and the 2006 AL Championship club. Leyland decided to run Verlander out for the seventh inning, hoping to squeak another 3 outs out of his ace. The problem was it looked like on a frigid, Detroit day that Verlander was at the end of his rope. He walked the leadoff batter and then gave up a single to the next hitter, before being yanked with runners at the corners and nobody out.
Jason Grili came in from the bullpen and allowed those two runs to score, ultimately leaving Verlander with 4 runs and on the hook for the loss. Leyland's reasoning in this situation is understable given the status of the Tigers' bullpen, but this type of style could raise all sorts of red flags if it persists. If every starter is pushed to limit season long, they will most likely not perform as well in September. But it could have zero affect since no manager really asks that much out of their starters these days.
A below-average bullpen is a below-average bullpen, but at some point they must be trusted and expected to get outs to close off a ballgame. I am not sure it is better running the risk of your starter getting in a jam when you ask for that one extra inning. Now, instead of bringing a reliver in to start a fresh inning, you bring him in with runners all over the place and put him in a position where he needs to make great pitches to hold the lead. Not exactly a recipe for success, but I keep the faith when it comes to Leyland.
3) Carlos Guillen belted a 2-1 fastball from Brett Tomko for a homerun in the 8th inning, tying the game at 4-4. This may not seem like an all too important event, but this is the summit of the Tigers lineup. Guillen and Polanco and Inge are the second-tier hitters in that incredible lineup, and therefore have the power to make that offense a very good offense, or baseball's best.
The big guns are going to get their hits and drive in their share of runs, but I believe it is this lower-level, you could throw Pudge Rodriguez into the mix as well, that will determine just how far the Tigers go. If these guys are catalysts and simply keep the production moving by being efficient in their execution of their at-bats within the framework of the game, there is no telling how many more opportunities that leads to for guys like Ordonez, Sheffield, and Cabrera.
And this may be the most impressive thing about this Detroit club. The depth is phenomenal as Polanco contends for batting titles, Carlos Guillen is a great hitter, and Pudge would probably hit fifth on a number of different clubs. Time will tell how well these guys pick up the back end of the order and how well they can turn over the lineup, but if they are picking up slack on the days when the big boppers are connecting, this team is going to be scary good.
It was exciting to see the Detroit fans welcome their new, waiting-to-be-anointed unsung hero to his home park after being shipped over from the Marlins in the offseason. Cabrera has ungodly expectations to live up to, as some bill him as the best player in the history of the game in regards to what he has accomplished in such a short amount of time in his career.
And that is certainly a bold statement, but one that may not be too much of a stretch. I would not exactly dispute it. That is how great this guy is. It is always nice to see these superstars have good starts to a season, especially when they are beginning a new chapter in their careers with a new team, and double-especially after the season opener comes at the heels of signing one of the largest contracts in baseball history. That is some sort of pressure, and nobody could ever wish Barry Zito's situation upon any player.
The thing I was so impressed with, if I can only pick one from Opening Day, was Cabrera's pitch recognition, which is phenomenal. This guy looks as if he will pound the fastball at any speed, but could be vulnerable to offspeed pitches away. But those thoughts only come to mind if we are comparing him to the average power hitter, and this guy undoubtedly much more than that. Cabrera is a complete hitter at the highest degree, and it was amazing to watch him read the ball out of the pitcher's hand.
Cabrera reacted to changeups and sliders and curveballs the same way he acted to the fastball-- without a flinch. The guy looks so comfortable in the box, it is disheartening for the opposing pitching staff. Every hitter goes through slumps when their timing is off, but if pitch recognition and plate disciplineremain consistent, it wil be quite a treat watching Miguel perform on a winning team.
2) It was good to see Jim Leyland give Justin Verlander the Opening Day nod, as he is without question the leader of that pitching staff. Verlander is a pivotal piece to the Tigers success this year because he must be the one to hold down the rotation and pitch a lot of innings.
Verlander was sensational for the first five innings in Monday's ballgame, giving up only one hit. He ran his fastball from 91-96 on he day and mixed in his breaking ball in the high-70s. It was apparent that Verlander made more of an effort to use his changeup, in a variety of counts, much like what Bonderman was working on in the spring. Makes you wonder if the changeup is being stressed organization wide.
Verlander's impeccable day came to halt when Alex Gordon launched an inside fastball out of the ball park, making the score 3-2 Tigers. After six innings and a lead, it all but seemed that Verlander's day was over, and he could be content with a solid performance on the first day of the season.
But here lies the difference between this years Tiger club and the 2006 AL Championship club. Leyland decided to run Verlander out for the seventh inning, hoping to squeak another 3 outs out of his ace. The problem was it looked like on a frigid, Detroit day that Verlander was at the end of his rope. He walked the leadoff batter and then gave up a single to the next hitter, before being yanked with runners at the corners and nobody out.
Jason Grili came in from the bullpen and allowed those two runs to score, ultimately leaving Verlander with 4 runs and on the hook for the loss. Leyland's reasoning in this situation is understable given the status of the Tigers' bullpen, but this type of style could raise all sorts of red flags if it persists. If every starter is pushed to limit season long, they will most likely not perform as well in September. But it could have zero affect since no manager really asks that much out of their starters these days.
A below-average bullpen is a below-average bullpen, but at some point they must be trusted and expected to get outs to close off a ballgame. I am not sure it is better running the risk of your starter getting in a jam when you ask for that one extra inning. Now, instead of bringing a reliver in to start a fresh inning, you bring him in with runners all over the place and put him in a position where he needs to make great pitches to hold the lead. Not exactly a recipe for success, but I keep the faith when it comes to Leyland.
3) Carlos Guillen belted a 2-1 fastball from Brett Tomko for a homerun in the 8th inning, tying the game at 4-4. This may not seem like an all too important event, but this is the summit of the Tigers lineup. Guillen and Polanco and Inge are the second-tier hitters in that incredible lineup, and therefore have the power to make that offense a very good offense, or baseball's best.
The big guns are going to get their hits and drive in their share of runs, but I believe it is this lower-level, you could throw Pudge Rodriguez into the mix as well, that will determine just how far the Tigers go. If these guys are catalysts and simply keep the production moving by being efficient in their execution of their at-bats within the framework of the game, there is no telling how many more opportunities that leads to for guys like Ordonez, Sheffield, and Cabrera.
And this may be the most impressive thing about this Detroit club. The depth is phenomenal as Polanco contends for batting titles, Carlos Guillen is a great hitter, and Pudge would probably hit fifth on a number of different clubs. Time will tell how well these guys pick up the back end of the order and how well they can turn over the lineup, but if they are picking up slack on the days when the big boppers are connecting, this team is going to be scary good.
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