Posted August 1, 200520 yr comment_3040328 Just four games today. The White Sox and Orioles wrap up their series at 12:35pm ET. The Orioles have been faltering and I have to think their run as serious contenders is near the end. Pittsburgh/Atlanta at 1pm sees Zach Duke battle Tim Hudson. Oakland at Minnesota at 8pm as the white hot Athletics run straight into the left arm of Johan Santana. ESPN is airing an 8pm game between the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, Ismael Valdez vs. Jason Marquis. Early this week, Chicago/Philadelphia, Cleveland/Yankees, and Twins/Athletics look to be important wild card race matchups. This weekend we have Cubs/Mets and Blue Jays/Yankees. Roy Halladay returns Sunday for the Jays. Gavin Floyd pitched outstanding yesterday, allowing just four hits and one walk over 8 innings, striking out six and giving up no runs. Floyd has now walked just 2 batters in his last 15.7 innings, so perhaps Johnny Podres is making a difference. I'm headed up tonight to watch the Red Barons play the Minnesota Twins (well, Rochester). Jason Bartlett and Luis Rivas are the starting infield.
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3041084 Given how Floyd pitched against the Cardinals in the game I saw in person, it blows my mind that he was ever really struggling enough to get sent down to the minors in the first place. Was he having mechanical issues?
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3041276 I'm wondering Al's opinion, now that Zach Duke has a handful of MLB starts and still has a sub 1.00 ERA. You think he's the real deal? He's dominated at every level in the minors so far, you think he can keep it up in the bigs? If so, a rotation of Duke, Burnett, Snell, Wells/Fogg, and Perez at his 2004 level would have to be right up there among the top in baseball.
August 1, 200520 yr Author comment_3041923 I had the opportunity to see Zach Duke in person and he pitched very well. The only problem with Duke in AAA was his relatively low K rate, but he seems to have improved upon that in the Majors. And keep in mind that even with the K rate, that's only the difference between a B+ prospect and an A- in Duke's case. He's good. The Pirates also have John VanBenschoten, but he's out for the year.
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3041932 Since the Cubs take on the Phillies, Al can finally tell me why this team can't win.
August 1, 200520 yr Author comment_3042127 Since the Cubs take on the Phillies, Al can finally tell me why this team can't win. They're a .500 team. They win half their games. If they had better players, they'd win more games. Is this really complicated?
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3043337 It is when the talent is seemingly there. Even with the injuries, they still have a good core group of players. I had this discussion with Steve last night and he attributes it mostly to Bake and the rest of the coaching staff. I don't expect them to be on the Cardinals level, but on paper, it doesn't seem like they should be a .500 team.
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3043687 Another solid outing for Duke, keeps the Pirates from getting swept.
August 1, 200520 yr comment_3043875 It is when the talent is seemingly there. Even with the injuries, they still have a good core group of players. I had this discussion with Steve last night and he attributes it mostly to Bake and the rest of the coaching staff. I don't expect them to be on the Cardinals level, but on paper, it doesn't seem like they should be a .500 team. Umm yeah they look like a .500 team, at least for now. When Nomar returns and etc, they should improve.
August 2, 200520 yr Author comment_3056251 Placido Polanco has signed a four year extension with Detroit, for $18.4 Million. Meanwhile, while I had hoped the Orioles would call up Walter Young, the team instead elected to take OF Midre Cummings to take Palmeiro's spot on the roster. Walter Young has the advantage of being the most athletic 300 lb. man I've ever seen play baseball. Cummings meanwhile posts a better than .500 Slugging percentage year after year in the International League. Why a team continually bemoans their outfield woes while keeping a guy like this in AAA is beyond me. Hopefully the team gives Midre an honest shot.
August 2, 200520 yr comment_3056702 Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin has apparently tested positive for steroids. I just saw that our old friend Corey Patterson is hitting a pinch above .200 in AAA Iowa. Sounds like he still hasn't changed anything at the plate.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3058188 Al Leiter with another quality start. Two innings, five earned runs and five walks. Surely he didn't think he could allow so many baserunners like he did against the Twins and not get burned.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3058528 Five walks in two innings? Talk about nibbling. Even if/when the Yankees get their rotation issues sorted out, Leiter won't be much use to them out of the bullpen unless he can throw strikes consistently again. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the most ignorant column that I've read in the last five years, which firmly asserts that anybody who thinks that Dusty should get fired is a racist. This is a column on a globally-recognized sporting news source - absolutely disgraceful. If Ralph Wiley were still around and he saw his name invoked like that, he'd walk over to Scoop Jackson and slap the black out of him for writing such a racially insensitive and alarmingly ignorant column.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3058732 What the fuck is Dusty Baker on? He rarely uses the sac bunt, but does to move Lawton to second with Lee coming up. Um jeez, I wonder what they're going to do? If the announcers know it's coming, why in the world would you still make that move?
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3058754 Ah yes, when you have no facts pull the race card. It's really tempting to take them up on that e-mail offer and just rip this guy to shreds but it's wasted effort.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3058883 Someone should buy Burnitz that Fred McGriff fundamentals video, since he didn't seem to know you don't advance on a wild pitch when runners ahead of you aren't. Luckily Aramis picked him (and Baker, I should add) up, by getting one through the left side to break up the scoreless game and drive in two.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3059370 Ryan Dempster just gave me a heart attack. FOUR walks in the ninth and FOURTY-ONE pitches. Bottom 9TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Pitcher Change: Ryan Dempster replaces Carlos Zambrano, batting 1st. Bottom 9TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive Substitution: Todd Hollandsworth remains in the game as the left fielder. Bottom 9TH B:2 S:1 O:1 Kenny Lofton pops out to shortstop Neifi Perez. Bottom 9TH B:4 S:2 O:1 Chase Utley walks. Bottom 9TH B:4 S:2 O:1 Bobby Abreu walks. Chase Utley to 2nd. Bottom 9TH B:4 S:1 O:1 Pat Burrell walks. Chase Utley to 3rd. Bobby Abreu to 2nd. Bottom 9TH B:0 S:0 O:1 Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Matt Kata replaces Pat Burrell. Bottom 9TH B:4 S:2 O:1 Ryan Howard walks. Chase Utley scores. Bobby Abreu to 3rd. Matt Kata to 2nd. Bottom 9TH B:2 S:3 O:2 David Bell strikes out swinging. Bottom 9TH B:0 S:0 O:2 Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Tomas Perez replaces Mike Lieberthal. Perez at-bat: Pitch 1 - Called Strike Pitch 2 - Swinging Strike Pitch 3 - Ball Pitch 4 - Foul Pitch 5 - Swinging Strike Tomas Perez strikes out swinging. Thankfully, Perez swung at absolute shit. My brother came in during the last inning and the drama was so high he jumped out of his seat in excitement on the last strikeout, even though he's not really a fan. *lets out sigh of relief*
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3059623 Somebody should give LoDuca an emmy for that "performance" at the plate behind Carpenter. Just cost us a run and an out. For those who aren't watching the game, bases loaded, one out, Chris Carpenter at the plate. The squeeze play is on so the runner at third is coming towards home...Ron Villone throws at Carpenter's ankles, so he's backing out. The runner's still coming and LoDuca has the ball, but LoDuca goes behind Carpenter (who's still catching his balance from evading the pitch), muddles around, and then dives to the plate, failing to get Grudzielanek. The umpires completely buy it, call Carpenter out for interference even though LoDuca just had to take one step forward onto the plate to block it, and the run doesn't score.
August 3, 200520 yr Author comment_3060370 Thankfully, Perez swung at absolute shit. My brother came in during the last inning and the drama was so high he jumped out of his seat in excitement on the last strikeout, even though he's not really a fan. *lets out sigh of relief* Ah Tomas Perez. .301 On Base, .302 Slugging. WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING PINCH HITTING?! Jesus Fucking Christ. What drugs to you have to injest to stare at Todd Pratt, Jason Michaels, and Perez, and deside that Perez is an ideal hitter with the game on the line? The only players on the Phillies' roster with lower OBPs are pitchers. There are three or four players on the Red Barons who could outhit Perez right now. Fuck.
August 3, 200520 yr comment_3060384 Mark Bellhorn's first rehab AAA start: 0-5, 2 Ks. Today: 0-3, 2 Ks. Yep, he's back to midseason form. Seriously, I REALLY like Graffanino at second and Cora's a decent backup. I don't want Bellhorn even sniffing the bench right now.
August 3, 200520 yr Author comment_3060959 For a moment I thought I had this all figured out. Charlie Manuel used Tomas Perez because he wanted a lefty batter. Of course! So I browsed the stats for the Phillies left/right splits... Tomas Perez (vs. RHP): 77 ABs, .195/.241/.234. I miss Larry Bowa.
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