Archive for July, 2009
Nobody’s better than lee these days -
For those of you who want to discuss today’s Cubs trade with the Pirates, go to this post just below this recap.
For the rest of you, a bit of discussion of today’s 12-3 Cubs blowout of the Astros, which concluded a 6-1 homestand, would be a nice ending to this afternoon.
Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome were two of the biggest hitting heroes today — Theriot drove in four runs with a double, sac fly and groundout, and Fukudome singled, doubled and tripled, also knocking in four runs. There was plenty of longball power to go around, too — Jake Fox and Milton Bradley went back-to-back in the Cubs’ five-run third inning; Bradley’s batting average pushed over the .250 mark for the first time this season and he also made a couple of nice catches of Astros fly balls with his back against the ivy.
All told the Cubs pounded out 13 hits and drew six walks against an Astros pitching staff that has allowed ten or more runs ten times this season — and two days in a row to the Cubs. It’s gotten so bad for Houston that they released today’s starting pitcher, Russ Ortiz, following his horrendous performance in which he allowed nine hits, three walks and nine earned runs in 2.1 innings; Ortiz took 68 pitches to record seven outs.
Kevin Hart didn’t have his best stuff today — though he issued only two walks, he also hit two batters and barely survived a shaky second inning in which the Astros took a 1-0 lead and had the bases loaded with one out. Hart got Ortiz, in what very well may be his final major league at-bat, to hit into an inning-ending double play, and then the Cubs opened up on Ortiz in the bottom of the second. Even Hart’s at-bat in that inning, in which he hit with the bases loaded after Koyie Hill was intentionally passed, nearly produced a couple of runs; Hart lined a rocket that Kaz Matsui snared just before it landed in right field for a hit. Hart did smack a single to right field in the five-run third.
So thanks, Kevin, and good luck in Pittsburgh, where you’re likely going to be the #3 starter behind Zach Duke and Paul Maholm — that is, if Duke isn’t traded before tomorrow’s deadline; there have been plenty of rumors about that happening. What must it be like to be a Pirates fan right now? They’ve traded virtually every recognizable name on the team; the only starting players left from Opening Day are Ryan Doumit (who spent a lot of the year on the DL), Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss. Ronny Cedeno, who is hitting .167 with a .213 OBA, is their starting shortstop.
The Cubs have done what they needed to do in this homestand — beat up on inferior teams. Though the Astros came in with an over-.500 record, they are clearly not very good, especially with Lance Berkman out; today’s blowout gives them a -48 run differential, which is pretty bad for a team that had pretensions of diving back into the NL Central race until this series. Despite Milwaukee’s 7-3 win over Washington today, I don’t see the Brewers as serious contenders, either. (Not to mention that splitting a four-game series with the worst team in baseball in your home park isn’t a way of screaming “contender”, either.) There seems to be something missing from that club (in addition to a horrendous pitching staff); in my opinion the NL Central is now a two-team race.
Today’s announced crowd of 41,524 was the second-largest paid crowd of the season, just short of yesterday’s 41,538, the largest. It does seem odd that the two biggest crowds of the year would be on weekday afternoons vs. Houston, but the likely explanation is that those games would not have a lot of requests from players & team employees for freebies, so those tickets go on general sale. There were long lines at the day-of-game ticket windows on Waveland today even after game time, likely explaining the high paid attendance. There were some empty seats, likely reflecting the forecast of rain, and when a light rainshower hit the park in the bottom of the 8th inning, Wrigley Field emptied out faster than that “cheap brand” ketchup in that Heinz commercial from years ago.
It won’t get any easier when the Cubs visit Florida this weekend; the Marlins have a good pitching staff and they are only two games off the wild-card lead. Take two of three down there and then we’re really talking about a run that could be sustained for some time. The Cubs’ 11-3 record since the All-Star break is the best in the NL (1/2 game better than the Phillies, pending their game vs. the Giants tonight). Onward — things are looking up!
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I like it when I see news about Lee,
Time for a little rant.
In this era of internet fast - rapid dissemination of information, we’ve expected our hard-hitting beat reporters to keep asking the tough questions. Yesterday, the reporting on Reed Johnson’s foot injury disappointed me. The news was lightning fast. I got a twitter text message from David Kaplan regarding Johnson’s X-Rays showing a fracture in his foot. Then before blinking an eye there were links to articles from all of the major beat writers…Tribune’s Paul Sullivan, Gordon Wittenmeyer/Sun-Times and Bruce Miles/Herald.
Unfortunately they forgot to ask a followup question. Something like…could you tell us what bone is broken? C’mon guys, this is no longer the era of “the toe bone is connected to the foot bone”. In these times when medical information is being questioned for morespecific information, you would think they could ask what bone wasbroken. It leads to less unnecessary speculation (or at least morespecific speculation). I had hoped they learned this lesson. I recall when Gordon Wittenmeyer got his dander up, when the news on Rich Harden’s MRI showed a small rotator cuff tear but they didn’t get that information after the test in October but only found out that information in January at the Cubs convention. I was proud of GW back then for raising a fuss.
Although it might not make much difference in estimating the time to recover (they all reported up front it would be 4 weeks, meaning he’s out until September), it really bugs me that the baseball reporters didn’t ask what bone was broken in Reed Johnson’s foot. Group think often leads to complacency. They just might be missing something important here. After reading all 3 biggies (Sullivan, Wittenmeyer and Miles), none of them wrote anything more than this:
Sullivan: “Johnson continued to play and flied out in the second inning. He was removed in the top of the fourth and sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for X-rays, which revealed a non-displaced fracture on the top of the foot.”
Wittenmeyer: “The platoon lead-off man suffered a non-displaced fracture when he fouled a pitch off his foot in the first inning Wednesday. He later singled and scored the first run and batted once more before leaving as the pain got worse.”
Miles: “The Cubs originally announced Johnson had a bruise, but X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture…”
There are 11 bones in the foot not counting toes (phalanges). If it’s a metatarsal fracture (there are 5 metatarsals) it probably doesn’t make much difference in terms of time to heal but if he broke a bone called the navicular it could be longer than 4 weeks…much longer. Dempster broke a phalanx (big toe) and it took 2 weeks so I assume it’s not that…they would have said he broke a toe, not his foot if that were the case.
A navicular fracture was what Frank Thomas as well as Michael Jordan had early in his career and currently has led to big problems with Yao Ming.
I found this link with some info on why Navicular fractures are different but it does mention one thing in common with what they said about Reed Johnson’s injury…it’s located at the top of the foot:
As early as 2002, the American Academy of Family Physicians reported a rise in tarsal navicular bone fractures in active people. It is most common in athletes who indulge in running sports, and is very difficult to spot, which causes further complications as the condition worsens. The bone is located at the top of the foot.
The first symptom is usually pain in the midfoot area, gradually spreading throughout the rest of the foot. Regular x-rays donât usually pick up the damage right away, so doctors are often led in another direction in trying to diagnose the source of the trouble. Slight injuries are often treated with six to eight weeks of immobilization in a cast. Worse cases like Yaoâs often necessitate surgery.
Navicular fractures can be difficult to diagnose and often don’t show up on initial X-Rays because they can happen initially as a stress fracture. That’s a subtle hairline crack that is like a crack in a car winshield. It can extend or propagate if it gets continued activity and RJ did play after he was hit in the foot during the 1st inning at bat, in fact he singled and subsequently scored on DLee’s sac fly…then continued in the outfield for another inning and even batted again until he couldn’t handle the pain.
I’m not saying RJ’s got a navicular fracture.
We don’t know what bone is injured when they say a fracture in the foot even if they have said the X-Ray’s showed a non-displaced fracture. So I’m just sayin’ that reporting a non-displaced fracture in the foot isn’t enough these days. Especially when it’s two day’s before the trade deadline and any DL stint longer than 4 weeks could be a significant issue.
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Nobody’s better than Lee nowadays -
It’s only July, but the Dodgers got the message when the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee: The NLCS race is on.
I bet nobody saw that one coming!
Here’s a video of Lee doing his best work:
KcCollectibles Baseball Auto#2 Jeremy Bonderman, Lee Smith
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Francisco sure has been in the news a lot lately -
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The Astros will face the Cubs this afternoon with a depleted pitching staff. Ex-Cub LaTroy Hawkins, who is already in trouble with MLB for his comments made about the umpiring crew after Monday night’s game, will go on the disabled list today with shingles. Much as I don’t like Hawkins, I wouldn’t wish shingles on him — it can be extremely painful.
Doug Brocail, who is 42 years old and who had, among others, as teammates his rookie year in San Diego in 1992 Mike Maddux, Tony Gwynn Sr. and Larry Andersen (who is 56 years old), will be recalled to take Hawkins’ roster spot. The Astros will also be without Wesley Wright (who likely wouldn’t have pitched anyway today after throwing 51 pitches last night), because he was “rushed to the hospital following Tuesdayâs win because he was experiencing discomfort in the area around his appendix.”
Bruce Miles blogs about the Cubs’ continued interest in Pittsburgh’s John Grabow and Washington’s Joe Beimel as Lou continues to overwork his bullpen for no particular reason:
Worse yet, Lou had to use lefty Sean Marshall for a third straight game, making Marshall doubtful for Wednesday.
A number of us (yes, I hear you, Jessica) have been shouting real loud at Lou about this, but let’s try it again: Hey, Lou! Sean Marshall is a starting pitcher. If you have to use him early in a game, why not use him the way Cecil Cooper used Wright last night — for multiple innings? Marshall can get both LHB and RHB out.
The Cubs have more motivation to keep Houston from scoring today: shut them out and it costs Astros fans money. How? The Astros are discounting tickets for their next home series based on how many runs they score in Chicago:
For every run that the team scores during its July 27 to 30 series on the road against the Chicago Cubs, the team will drop the price on its field box tickets by $1 for the next home stand against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants play at Minute Maid Park Aug. 3 to 5.
So far Astros fans can save $12 per field box ticket. Let’s keep it that way. Onward to this afternoon’s matchup. (Hat tip to Big League Stew for the link.)
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Randy Wells threw the first six innings vs. the Astros on May 16 at Wrigley Field, giving up no runs but winding up with a no-decision after Kevin Gregg blew the lead — Sean Marshall got the win when the Cubs came back in the last of the ninth. Wells gave up only four hits in that game, his only career appearance vs. Houston, all singles.
Mike Hampton might have been a Cub had Andy MacPhail been willing to spend as much as the Rockies did when they signed him in 2001. Good thing he didn’t — Hampton’s been pretty mediocre since signing that eight-year deal (save one decent year with Atlanta in 2003), which finally expired at the end of last year. The Cubs jumped all over him in the first inning on April 6 in Houston and he’s gotten pounded in his last three starts (7.80 ERA). Derrek Lee is only 7-for-31 (.229) vs. Hampton, but three of those hits are homers.
The Cubs are on WGN again today, and also on FSN Houston. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Astros site The Crawfish Boxes.
Overflow comment threads will post today at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
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What do you think.
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News about Wood:
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Jay the Joker one-ups Woody Paige with a human prop. The baby’s tears represent America, except America would have tried to poop on him. H/T reader Dan
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Forget the fact that it’s James Madison University vs. Marist. A dispute over a departed coach bringing previously recruited players to his new school has led to one of the oddest lawsuits in college sports.
Matt Brady was the basketball coach at Marist from 2004 to 2008, when he left for JMU. Four of his prep prospects - one signed, two orally comitted, one had not announced a decision - followed. In the world of college hoops, that’s pretty standard.
What’s not standard is the contract Brady had signed with Marist. It included a provision preventing him from continuing to recruit players he had contact with at Marist. So the school is suing Brady, JMU, and the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
From a legal standpoint, the contract’s standing is iffy. Specifically, it affects third parties who were not party to the contract at all: the players. You can’t bar an 18-year-old from attending a specific college because of a contract he had nothing to do with.
I don’t know how something like that could hold up. If a coach leaves and a young man says, âCoach, I want to go where you’re going,’ a university doesn’t have that power,” Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said. “If they don’t have anything signed, how in the world could a university dictate their recruitment? As much as we want to say recruits sign with a university, there is a relationship there.”
Pretty much everyone agrees this lawsuit will have larger implications, if not an immediate impact. The wording of contract clauses could get a lot more specific and effective in reining in coaches planning to jump ship. Will John Calipari ever agree to a contract again?
Marist Clause Unusual? Daily News-Record
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I have always been a fan of choo, I have to say, seeing news like this gives me mixed feelings.How do you think this news will affect the rest of the team this season?
Here’s a vid of choo at his finest:
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Check out who is making news again - choo! Jays and Rays. To make things easier to read: What’s the difference between these two teams anyway?
Everybody’s got an opinion. I, however, have the Truth.The difference between these two teams is 38 runs of offense. Over 99 games. That is all.
There’s simply nothing to choose from between the two pitching staffs. Despite their much-lamented procession of injuries, the Blue Jays have allowed just 441 runs this season - that’s 2 runs less than Tampa. Only Boston in the division has given up fewer. The 2009 Jays have the fifth best ERA in the league, four rookies in the rotation and all. The starters have pitched to a 4.26 ERA, fifth best in the league and the best in the division. Boston is next, with a 4.46 ERA from their starters. The Rays’ starters have a 4.65 ERA.
That’s right - the 2009 Blue Jays have had the best starting pitching in the AL East. Obviously, Roy Halladay has a lot to do with that. A lot. But 80 of those games were started by other guys, and 48 of them were started by rookies.
The bullpen has not been as impressive. As we all know, they’ve lost two of last season’s key contributors (Ryan and Tallet) while two others (Carlson and League) have been wildly inconsistent. But even so, the pen has hardly been bad - they rank sixth in the AL with a 3.93 ERA. They’re obviously behind the truly outstanding pens in Boston (3.15) and Tampa (3.37), but they’re still better than average. What has been disturbing, however, has been the tendency of the Toronto relievers to… well, to lose the damn game. The Jays relievers have picked up just 10 wins while losing 20 games. No relief corps has lost more often, and only Kansas City’s relievers have scooped up fewer wins.
But on the whole, the difference between Toronto and Tampa isn’t on the pitcher’s mound. And anyway, you have to figure it’s easier to find a useful relief pitcher than an effective starter. So let’s look at the bats.
And here we go. Tampa has outscored Toronto by 38 runs. The Blue Jays have scored 478 runs (4.83 per game), which is not bad. It’s a wee bit better than the league average, in fact. It’s significantly better than Baltimore, almost as good as Boston. But Tampa and New York both have a really good offense. The Rays have scored 516 runs (5.21 per game). That’s third best in the league, behind the Angels (a fluke, shurely?) and the Yankees (playing half their games in Coors East - the Bombers have hit 91 HRs at home, 55 on the road.)
So let’s go round the division by position and see where these extra runs are coming from.
CATCHER GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCNY Yankees 98 356 48 98 21 0 14 58 29 72 1 2 5 4 4 9 .275 .333 .452 .786 52Boston 97 335 49 76 27 0 14 49 48 77 0 0 0 6 3 4 .227 .324 .433 .757 50Baltimore 97 333 33 83 17 2 8 24 38 61 0 0 0 0 3 8 .249 .332 .384 .716 42Toronto 99 375 32 90 18 0 10 54 14 61 1 0 5 5 1 4 .240 .266 .368 .634 37Tampa Bay 99 360 38 82 16 0 7 37 12 48 4 2 7 2 4 12 .228 .259 .331 .590 28
The Blue Jays don’t get much offense from their catchers, but Tampa gets even less. Minnesota (natch!) is the only team that actually gets a lot of offense from behind the plate. Jays ahead by 9 runs created.
FIRST BASE GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCNY Yankees 98 386 66 109 27 1 26 74 57 67 1 0 0 2 7 8 .282 .383 .560 .942 84Boston 97 348 63 100 22 2 18 63 55 87 5 0 0 3 10 11 .287 .397 .517 .914 73Tampa Bay 99 361 66 81 21 2 25 65 65 130 2 1 0 2 7 2 .224 .352 .501 .853 69Toronto 99 357 50 98 31 1 12 64 58 64 0 0 0 3 0 9 .275 .373 .468 .841 64Baltimore 97 382 41 99 21 0 10 52 32 58 0 5 0 5 2 15 .259 .316 .393 .709 43
The Yankees are the class of the division here, and they’ve got the cancelled cheques to prove it. Morneau in Minnesota has a slight edge over Teixeira league-wide. I think we’re in the habit of assuming that Tampa enjoys a large edge over Toronto at first base, and it’s possible that we’re somewhat bitter about it. After all, they scooped Carlos Pena off the scrap heap after Texas, Oakland, Detroit, Boston, and New York had all decided they could get along quite nicely without him. Hey - when you’re running together more consecutive 90 loss seasons than any team in the history of the American League, you can afford to take a flyer on a guy from time to time. It’s not like you have any serious hopes or anything. But Tampa’s edge over Toronto isn’t that impressive. Pena plays very good defense and hits a lot of home runs, but he doesn’t do very much else at all. Overbay gets on base more often, and between his additional singles and doubles makes up for much of the gap in slugging. As a bonus, Kevin Millar has hit very well when he’s in the lineup at first base (.306/.364/.472). Pena’s biggest advantage might actually be that he strikes out so often that he practically never hits into a double play. Jays still ahead, by the way, by 4 runs created.
2ND BASE GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCToronto 99 433 58 127 18 0 25 68 24 65 4 1 1 3 3 13 .293 .333 .508 .841 69Boston 97 395 72 122 32 1 5 44 45 30 14 5 1 2 3 13 .309 .382 .433 .815 65Baltimore 97 397 75 112 35 1 8 46 47 67 20 5 1 6 0 6 .282 .353 .436 .789 64Tampa Bay 99 361 54 102 17 3 10 46 55 74 14 3 1 3 2 4 .283 .378 .429 .807 64NY Yankees 98 400 67 123 27 1 14 54 19 33 4 4 0 2 2 13 .308 .340 .485 .825 60
Aaron Hill has been the most productive second baseman in the league this year. And his edge over Zobrist/Iwamura turns out to be almost exactly equivalent to Pena’s edge over Overbay/Millar. This position is loaded, is it not? Jays stretch their lead over to Tampa to 8 runs created.
3RD BASE GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCTampa Bay 99 383 63 108 29 1 22 82 48 88 2 0 0 6 5 16 .282 .364 .535 .900 72Toronto 99 384 60 118 30 0 9 42 36 54 5 2 1 3 4 3 .307 .370 .456 .826 67NY Yankees 98 344 51 77 18 1 16 59 55 78 7 0 2 1 6 12 .224 .340 .422 .761 50Boston 97 387 48 103 27 2 15 56 27 62 1 2 0 1 3 17 .266 .318 .463 .781 50Baltimore 97 369 35 95 14 0 7 39 27 40 3 4 1 2 3 8 .257 .312 .352 .664 39
Edge for Tampa, as Longoria is the most productive third baseman in the league. But Scott Rolen has certainly held his own. Longoria has a big edge in power, but undoes many of his good works by hitting into lots and lots of double plays. And is it not weird to see the Yankees in the middle of the pack. Longoria cuts Toronto’s edge to 3 runs created.
SHORTSTOP GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCTampa Bay 99 360 62 122 30 5 10 48 30 69 22 4 2 3 2 3 .339 .390 .533 .923 78NY Yankees 98 413 64 130 21 1 11 46 46 61 18 5 1 0 3 9 .315 .387 .450 .838 73Toronto 99 404 71 116 30 1 8 46 61 48 8 4 5 4 2 10 .287 .380 .426 .806 67Boston 97 339 39 78 21 0 6 39 28 77 4 4 1 4 8 6 .230 .301 .345 .646 35Baltimore 97 326 36 81 12 1 2 23 13 47 11 3 2 2 2 11 .248 .280 .310 .590 26
Marco Scutaro has been a pleasant and delightful surprise to most of us, although I seem to remember one scout saying it’s because the PEDs are washing out of the league, and the guys who could always play are… playing. But Jason Bartlett? Come on - he’s a good player but .337? A guy who’s hit 11 HRs in more than 1500 major league at bats coming into 2009 is slugging .516? This is Pena and Zobrist all over again. Is it possible that they’re doing something with the bats down there? Bartlett has been the best hitting shortstop in the league ths year, ahead of Jeter and Scutaro. He puts Tampa ahead by 8 runs created as we head for the outfield.
LEFT FIELD GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCTampa Bay 99 405 67 126 17 3 12 50 39 66 46 9 0 2 4 5 .311 .376 .457 .832 75NY Yankees 98 401 73 110 27 2 18 61 47 67 8 0 1 1 1 8 .274 .351 .486 .837 70Boston 97 348 60 88 22 2 20 73 65 96 11 2 0 3 5 7 .253 .375 .500 .875 70Toronto 99 352 47 93 24 1 15 42 40 82 4 0 5 0 4 8 .264 .346 .466 .812 57Baltimore 97 346 38 85 16 0 13 40 44 79 5 2 0 1 2 6 .246 .333 .405 .738 48
Carl Crawford is a wonderful player having a fine season. This is the third position in a row where a Devil Fishie has been the best hitter in the league at his position. As for the home team, Adam Lind and Jose Bautista have both been pretty good for Toronto in LF - the problem is in the 135 ABs soaked up by Snider, Inglett, Dellucci, and Adams - that quartet hit .185 (25-135) with 3 HR and 13 RBI. Snider was the only one who did anything at all. Big edge for Tampa, and they stretch their advantage to 26 runs created.
CF GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCBaltimore 96 397 65 118 19 4 15 58 27 83 8 5 1 2 6 7 .297 .350 .479 .828 65NY Yankees 97 345 55 98 12 6 8 43 39 57 18 6 8 4 2 5 .284 .353 .423 .776 55Boston 96 394 52 114 16 3 6 37 25 49 44 8 3 3 4 9 .289 .336 .391 .727 54Tampa Bay 98 407 64 99 27 2 10 40 36 74 15 8 6 3 6 2 .243 .325 .393 .718 52Toronto 98 404 57 103 24 2 10 41 33 61 14 2 0 5 0 13 .255 .308 .399 .706 48
I thought this would be worse - as you may or may not have noticed, Vernon Wells is not having a banner year. (And once again, Alex Rios is not hitting a lick when he lines up in CF). But neither is B.J. Upton, and the Rays’ edge here is pretty minimal. The Orioles, so spectacularly bad elsewhere, are the class of the division - Granderson in Detroit has been the best in the league. Tampa stretches its edge over Toronto to 30 runs created.
RF GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCBaltimore 97 396 61 118 30 1 12 66 33 65 3 1 0 7 3 9 .298 .351 .470 .820 65Boston 97 357 62 92 19 4 17 49 56 92 2 2 0 2 3 7 .258 .361 .476 .837 63NY Yankees 98 349 55 88 22 0 17 56 61 81 2 1 2 5 5 10 .252 .367 .461 .828 61Tampa Bay 99 331 45 89 27 2 10 53 47 68 11 5 0 2 0 3 .269 .358 .453 .811 56Toronto 99 399 49 104 24 2 12 53 30 64 17 3 0 3 6 14 .261 .320 .421 .741 52
See the previous position. Suzuki in Seattle has been the class of the league, while Nick Markakis has given the Orioles the best production in the division. As some have observed, Alex Rios is not having the year of his life, and Tampa’s Gross-Zobrist-Kapler combo gives them a small edge, enough to stretch their advantage over Toronto to 34 runs created.
DH GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF HBP GDP BAVG OBP SLG OPS RCNY Yankees 89 325 52 85 19 2 19 57 52 62 3 1 0 3 3 6 .262 .366 .508 .873 62Baltimore 88 329 48 92 18 1 20 62 36 61 1 1 0 0 2 6 .280 .354 .523 .877 60Tampa Bay 89 320 45 79 15 0 11 56 53 77 2 0 0 4 3 7 .247 .355 .397 .752 48Boston 88 330 41 75 21 2 11 51 44 86 0 2 0 5 5 5 .227 .323 .403 .726 45Toronto 90 350 49 86 24 0 12 48 35 65 2 1 1 0 1 12 .246 .316 .417 .733 44
Ouch. I didn’t see that coming either. Adam Lind is the closest thing to a full-time DH in the whole American League - he leads AL hitters in plate appearances as a DH - and Lind has been very, very good. But even so, Lind has played 62 games as a DH and the guys who have filled in when he’s been in LF have been, without exception, awful. In those 28 games, Toronto DHs not named Adam Lind have hit .147 (15-102 ) with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Might as well let the pitcher hit. This has mostly been Kevin Millar (8-62), of course, but the occasional fill-ins have been just as horrible. Aaron Hill is 0-9 as a DH. Wells is 1-6. Dellucci went 1-7. Snider and Bautista are both 0-3. In fact, Lind, Millar, and Russ Adams - Russ Adams! - are the only Blue Jays with more than one hit as a DH. The White Sox, who have the good fortune to employ Jim Thome, have received the best productionfrom the DH position. As for Tampa, Pat Burrell has been pretty awful but Willy Aybar has been sensational when used as a DH, and he’s more than made up for it. It pads their edge over Toronto to 38 runs created… and great gosh almighty! That’s where we came in.
To summarize:
C TOR + 91b TBR + 52b TOR + 53b TBR + 5SS TBR + 11LF TBR + 18CF TBR + 4RF TBR + 4DH TBR + 4
Tampa has an edge at seven of the nine spots in the lineup. In five of those cases, it’s a small edge. Of course, when you’re running the table, small edges add up. From small things, baby, big things someday come. But it’s still noteworthy that almost half of the gap between the two offenses comes from one position on the diamond.
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This might be shocking news for choo fans, but some of you who will say that you saw it coming. I can’t say I’m all that surprised. choo is awesome, I really hope this doesn’t affect the rest of the team.
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Look who is in this news again: DeRosa! This time, It’s National Rumor Week. , we have a summary -
It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year, so gather the kids around the fire and let’s speculate away to our heart’s content.
Cardinals - Like those annoying folks that get their Christmas shopping done early, the Cards are probably done wheeling and dealing picking up Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa. They missed out on the Christmas sales and paid a steep price in prospects, but they should help a team that has basically been riding a 16-7 April to justify the spending spree.
Brewers - They found an early deal getting Felipe Lopez to play second base for them and you know they’re searching far and wide for a starting pitcher. They seemed to scoff at adding Doug Davis into that Lopez deal, but looks like they have their sites set on Wisconsin native, Jarrod Washburn. Considering they have the third worst ERA in the league, and second worst among starters, I’m not sure adding Washburn and his Safeco-aided ERA is really gonna be much of a boost.
Astros - Quietly the best team in the Central since June, they’ve been pretty quiet in the rumor mill. Despite some reported financial struggles, Drayton McClane has a never quit mentality, soI wouldn’t be surprised if they skip this deadline and look to make an August waiver trade if necessary.
Reds - Rumors abound that they were still looking for hitting, and they are in desperate need of some, but the current 6-game losing streak, has put them a lot closer to last than first. We’ll see if they switch to sellers and start pawning off some of their bullpen or be bold and look to move Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo, although that’s doubtful. Arthur Rhodes has received the most buzz so far as a player that could be moved.
Pirates - The Pittsburgh Perpetual Sellers still have a few chips they could move, namely Zach Duke, John Grabow, Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson. And Grabow and Sanchez sure wouldn’t be poor additions to the Cubs. Sanchez though has that $8M vesting option based on plate appearances(600 since he made the All-Star team) which it looks like he’ll hit, so that complicates matter significantly. If the Cubs could fit that $8M into the budget, my guess is they’re going to try and keep second base flexible for a run at Chone Figgins this offseason.
Cubs - There’s no doubt that Hendry is working the phone lines and trying to find something. Lou recently pined for that left-handed middle of the order bat again as Bradley isn’t cutting it there with the walks and the singles. Chances are they’ll just have to hope he figures it out in the last two-plus months.
A left-handed reliever seems to be the main focus. With the potential additions of B.J. Ryan and a trade, they could move Sean Marshall back to the rotation and try and weather the starting pitching injuries that have recently hit the team. Some names mentioned are Grabow, Rhodes, Joe Beimel and George Sherrill.
Knowing Hendry, he is looking to go big and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s at least kicked the tires on Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee and then realized the sticker price is too high. I guess if there’s one pitcher that may justify the load in prospects it could be Dan Haren. He’s having another fantastic season in Arizona, with an obscene 7.42 K/BB ratio to follow up his 5.15 from last year. He’s also signed through 2012 with a 2013 club option. The problem with Haren though is that he seems to tail off in the second half with a 3.08 career ERA before the break and 4.10 after the break, although the win percentage has stayed about the same if you’re into that kind of thing. Plus he’s an ex-Cardinal, so the Cubs can get back at the Cards for acquiring Mark DeRosa.
Bruce Levine also mentioned Mark Teahen and Orlando Cabrera in his article yesterday. I guess you can’t have enough utility players in the NL. Cabrera has warmed up a bit since his awful start and brings solid defensive work with him and could move Ryan Theriot to second base at times.
We get a sideshow to go along with the actual show this week, as those super-hot Astros show up for a four-game set to take on our FIRST PLACE Cubs.
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This might be shocking news for DeRosa fans, but there are those of you who will say that you saw it coming from a mile away. I’m pretty surprised. DeRosa is neat, I hope this doesn’t affect the season.
Here’s a vid of DeRosa:
Edwin Lindo and Dr. DeRosa Play Catch
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Iowa Cubs
The I-Cubs lost the Albuquerque Isotopes, 4-2.
Esmailin Caridad kept the ball in the park, but allowed six doubles on the way to allowing four runs in five innings. Cardiad gave up eight hits total. He walked three and struck out three. Caridad saw his record fall to 5-10.
Catcher Chris Robinson was 2 for 4 and scored once. Second baseman Aaron Miles was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
Tennessee Smokies
Sunday is a day of rest, isn’t it?
Daytona Cubs
The Daytona Cubs blacklisted the Sarasota Reds, 3-1.
Starter Chris Carpenter pitched tonight after having his last start bumped back two days and allowed only one unearned run over four innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out three.
Jose Pina threw a perfect seventh inning to get the win. He didn’t strike out anyone.
David Cales pitched the final two innings without allowing a run for his 12th save. Cales allowed one hit. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two.
Center fielder Tony Campana hit a bases-loaded triple in the eighth inning to account for all of Daytona’s scoring. Campana was 1 for 4.
Peoria Chiefs
The Chiefs skinned the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 12-5.
Aaron Shafer started and got the win with five innings of work. He allowed two runs on five hits. Shafer walked one and struck out three.
First baseman Rebel Ridling hit his 11th home run today in the first inning. Ridling was 1 for 2 with three walks this afternoon. Ridling scored three times and had two RBI off of the HR.
Third baseman Jovan Rosa hit a grand slam in the third inning. It was his second home run in the Midwest League. Rosa was 2 for 5 with a double and six RBI total. He also scored twice.
Right fielder Kyler Burke went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Burke scored twice and had one RBI.
Center fielder David Macias was 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. Macias scored once.
Boise Hawks
The Boise Hawks expelled the Eugene Emeralds, 7-4
Jeff Antigua earned the win today with an impressive relief outing. Antigua pitched 4.2 innings and allowed one run on two hits. That’s pretty good, but the impressive part was that he struck out eleven. Antigua walked two.
Ryan Sontag pitched a scoreless ninth and got his second save. He gave up one hit and struck out one.
Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and right fielder Jose Valdez both were 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Valdez also had a steal.
Center fielder Brett Jackson was only 1 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI, but that was good enough to extend his streak of reaching base to 22 games. He has a seven-game hitting streak.
AZL Cubs
DJ LeMahieu was 3 for 5.
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I have always been a fan of Lee, but I have to say, seeing news like this gives me mixed feelings.How do you think this news will affect the rest of the team this season?
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haha, I can’t believe this guy -
Rich Harden’s day/night splits this year are well known, but just so you don’t have to look them up again:
Day games: nine starts, 1-5, 7.38, 11 HR in 42.2 innings
Night games: seven starts, 5-1, 2.23, 6 HR in 44.1 innings
So what the Cubs should do is: turn the lights on today, even though it’s supposed to be sunny most of the afternoon, give Harden sunglasses so it looks darker, wear the blue alternate jerseys (the Cubs’ record while Harden pitches and the team wears pinstripes is 1-3; it’s 7-5 with the alt jerseys), and reset all the clocks in the clubhouse so that it will seem to Harden as if the starting time is 7:05.
Yes, I know. It shouldn’t make any difference, but for some reason, this year it does. And for his career, Harden’s day/night splits aren’t nearly as extreme (career day-game ERA: 3.83; career night-game ERA: 3.13). Still, splits that extreme over the course of 16 starts have to mean something.
The Tribune’s real estate section today tells us that Ryan Dempster is becoming a North Side real estate mogul:
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, who currently is on the disabled list, has paid $480,000 to buy a two-bedroom condominium on the North Side, giving him a third piece of residential real estate on the Cubs’ side of town.
Dempster’s newly-built unit has Brazilian cherry hardwood floors throughout, recessed lighting, high ceilings, crown moldings, walk-in closets in both bedrooms, and a kitchen with an island, granite counters and stainless steel appliances, according to listing information. Other features include a large private deck and a master bath with a Jacuzzi, a double vanity and a steam shower with jets. The unit had been listed for $499,900.
Dempster is scheduled to be activated from the DL and start Tuesday night vs. the Astros. Hope he’s used that Jacuzzi to help heal that broken toe.
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The last time the Cubs saw Micah Owings in Chicago, he was facing Rich Harden on April 21, one of Harden’s better outings at home this year. That game resulted in the first-ever homer by a Micah (Hoffpauir) off a Micah (Owings). Owings pitched a little better against the Cubs in Cincinnati on June 5, but the Cubs won that game anyway. Owings has allowed 16 HR this year, but Hoffpauir is the only player on the active Cubs roster who has homered off him… time to change that today. It may be more important to watch out for Owings’ bat: he is a .294 lifetime hitter and has hit three homers this year. (His games played total above, 32, includes 14 pinch-hitting appearances, in which he’s gone 3-for-14 with two doubles and a HR.)
As noted above, the April 21 game — a night game — was one of Harden’s few good outings at Wrigley Field this season. He is 3-0, 2.95 lifetime vs. the Reds and even the dreaded Joey Votto, who is becoming a Cub-killer (10 of his 42 career HR have been against the Cubs), is 0-for-5 vs. Harden.
The Cubs are on WGN today, also on FSN Ohio for those of you who have EI. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter.
Overflow comment threads will post today at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
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I want to see how this is going to effect the rest of the team!
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