R.A. Dickey Snake-Bitten by a Pair of 3-Run Homers
The Mets jumped out to an early lead with a David Wright two RBI double in the top of the first off Randy Wells. They added another run on a botched double play off the bat of Joaquin Arias to take a 3-0 lead. R.A. Dickey looked like his stellar self through the first three innings, allowing only one hit. However, with two outs in the fourth and a run already home, Alfonso Soriano crushed a 3-run homer to left to give the Cubbies the lead. The Mets would fight back to tie the game in the top of sixth when recent call-up Lucas Duda notched his first major league hit and RBI with a double down the line in right. Although Duda had been 0-for-10 before his hit, Jerry Manuel had been raving about his performance in batting practice the last few days. Duda’s hard work finally paid off. Though Duda’s RBI tied the game, Dickey uncharacteristically could not protect the lead. Once again with two outs but this time in the sixth inning, Dickey allowed a 3-run bomb to Blake DeWitt to give the Cubs a 7-4 lead. The wind had been blowing out fiercely to right field all day, and DeWitt used that to his advantage. Over the next two innings, the Mets mounted a comeback with solo homers from David Wright (his 23rd However, the Mets could only muster a two-out walk in the ninth against the erratic Carlos Marmol, who picked up his 26th save in the Cubs’ win. It was great to see Duda get his first hit in a clutch situation. He had been robbed a few times this last week, but now he has a moment he will never forget. Wright and Angel Pagan each had three hits which was also a good sign, especially for Pagan who had sat out the last few games with a wrist injury. As for Dickey, the two “two-out” 3-run homers did him in today. He falls to 9-6 on the season. Though the Mets provided Dickey with some runs for a change, his knuckleball did not fool Soriano or DeWitt. Good luck to Jenrry Mejia, who makes his first major league start tomorrow. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Even when the Mets’ bats finally wake up, they still lose. This afternoon against the Cubs, the team scored six runs, something they hadn’t done since August 24, but still could not earn the victory. of the year) and Luis Hernandez (his first home run since 9/27/2007) to cut the Cubs lead to one run.
Florida Marlins Say Altercation With Washington Never Happened (Satire)
The Marlins have become synonymous with having a very low attendance average. On television, there are not any fans in the seats and thus a ton of orange seats are left exposed to the cameras. Last night was no exception. When Nyjer Morgan charged the mound last night, both benches were cleared and just about everyone on both teams were involved in the brawl. But it seems like those were the only people around to see what happened. You may ask what about the television cameras and the live broadcast of the game? Well, according to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, he says that what was seen on television was a staged commercial. It was all a fake advertisement during the inning. It doesn't seem to add up even in the Commissioner's office. Bud Selig has refused to comment on what "reportedly" went down in Miami. The eight game suspension to Nyjer Morgan issued today was due to the inappropriate language used in the commercial. Baseball officials are still looking for the possible one fan in attendance at the Marlins vs. Nationals game. The fan holds the key testimony as to what really occurred on the Thursday night in Miami. Looks like this is where having fans of your team actually comes in handy! Sadly, it doesn't seem like there is such thing as a Florida Marlins fan. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comThe Florida Marlins have publicly stated that whatever media sources are reporting a brawl during their game last night are false. Major League Baseball says that since there were no fans at the Marlins game last night, there are no witnesses to prove otherwise.
Tigers Catcher Mike St. Pierre Called Up after 14 Years in the Minor Leagues
St. Pierre has had many ups and downs in his minor league career, especially with his hitting. St. Pierre had struggled as a hitter for his first 13 years in the minors, but something clicked in the 2010 season. Before his promotion, St. Pierre was hitting .300 with five home runs and 22 RBI in Tripe-A. St. Pierre's defense was what has kept him around for so long in the minor leagues, but with upgraded hitting, the 30-year-old catcher finally got called up to the MLB. St. Pierre said that when he heard of his promotion, he got the chills and his goosebumps lasted for about an hour. "It's never been about the money," he told MLB.com. "It's always been about a dream. I want to get there, and I want everybody back home to see." St. Pierre is yet to get into a game and is not in the lineup for tonight's game against the Royals, but Tigers manager Jim Leyland promised that St. Pierre would play before the end of the season. Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter for more sports news, or reach him by email at jessekr@heschel.org. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comWith the expansion of the roster on September 1, Detroit Tigers catcher Max St. Pierre finally got the promotion he has been waiting for since he started playing baseball. St. Pierre, a native of Quebec, grew up speaking French and did not begin playing baseball until he was 10 years old. In 1997, St. Pierre was drafted in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Since then, St. Pierre has traveled around the minor leagues. He has spent every year of his career in the Tigers organization except for 2007, when he played in the Brewers farm system.
MLB Managers For Hire: Managers Who Will Have a New Home for 2011 Season
With at least four jobs available for Managers following the 2010 Campaign, the following are the top candidates for those vacancies, as well as others which may open up after the season is over. These are not in any particular order, but possible teams will be included for each candidate. The teams who will most likely have vacancies following the season includes: Marlins, Cubs, Mariners and Diamondbacks.
The New York Yankees Cannot Be Stopped—Not Even By Hurricane Earl
The Yankees game was threatened because of Hurricane Earl, but they managed to get the game in as the Yankees won 7-3 over the Toronto Blue Jays for their seventh consecutive victory. Here are some highlights: Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
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Washington Nationals’ Nyjer Morgan Draws Eight Game Suspension
Frankly, an eight game suspension for Morgan seems just about right. He charged the mound, but only after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning and a second pitch was thrown behind his back in the sixth. I don’t think MLB could reasonably suspend Morgan for either of the two big home plate collisions, mainly because they waited too long on the cheap shot Morgan took on Cardinals’ catcher Bryan Anderson last Saturday and the collision with Marlins’ catcher Hayes on Tuesday really wasn’t a play justifying discipline. MLB does not have unlimited discretion in disciplining players, because the Players’ Association will file a grievance for any discipline that does not comply with prior precedents for similar conduct. MLB could take into account Morgan’s previous suspension, but it’s also worth noting that MLB justified Morgan’s relatively long eight game suspension (five or six games seems like a more typical suspension for charging the mound and setting off a brawl in these circumstances) by handing out significant suspensions to the other players, managers and coaches involved in the brawl. One has to suspect that Morgan’s recent spate of bad conduct has a lot to do with the poor season he’s having and the fact that he must at some level realize his major league career is in serious jeopardy. He turned 30 in July, which is getting old for a marginal major leaguer. Also, after a fine 2009 campaign in which Morgan was a solid lead-off man (.369 on-base percentage, 42 steals with a 71 percent success rate and a .757 OPS) and was also one of the Senior Circuit’s best defensive outfielders, (according to fangraphs’ UZR ratings), Morgan has been terrible in 2010. His .317 OBP doesn’t cut it, and his center field defense (according again to fangraphs) has been a shade below average. Not surprising then Morgan is either frustrated or determined to be more aggressive to try to get better results as the season winds down. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comMLB handed out suspensions today following Wednesday’s brawl between the Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals. Nyjer Morgan received eight games (in addition to the seven game suspension he has been appealing for hitting a fan in the head with a ball he threw into the stands on August 21); Chris Volstad received six games; Marlins’ pitcher Alex Sanabia received five games, Gaby Sanchez and Nationals’ pitcher Doug Slaten and 3B coach Pat Listach each received three games, and managers Jim Riggleman and Edwin Rodriguez received two and one game suspensions respectively.
Pittsburgh Pirates Dropped the Ball on Aroldis Chapman
That's right, I said 103 mph. He was actually clocked at 105 mph during a minor league game a week ago. Now, I have no problem with Chapman or the fact that he's wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform. What I have a big problem with is why he's not wearing a Pirates uniform instead. The deal Chapman signed with the Reds was for six years and $30 million. The sixth year is an option year worth $5 million and the money is spread out pretty liberally. His signing bonus, which is worth around $15 million of the deal, is spread out between when he signed the contract and 2020. That seemed to be the best way for the Reds to fit the big contract into their small budget. If the Reds could do that then why not the Pirates? What the Pirates do need is a phenom left-hander who can hit triple digits. The Pirates have done a fine job of rebuilding the organization, but this was a guy to go out and get. There's no excuse. You can't use the usual built in excuse that, "the Yankees will out bid us." It's one thing to get beaten out by the deep pockets of the Yankees or Red Sox, but being out bid by the Reds shouldn't have happened. That's no knock on the Reds at all. I like what they are doing and good for their organization and their fans. The Pirates were involved and it's rumored that they fell under $1 million short of Chapman's asking price. That's absurd. That should have been exactly the situation where the Pirates swept in and trumped everyone with a bigger number. Give the kid $7-8 million. We keep hearing that money isn't an issue and the Pirates will spend. Yet in less than a year, the Pirates have lost out on two potential phenoms. They lost shortstop Miguel Angel Sano to the Twins over a mere $500,000 and must now watch Chapman excel for the rival Reds, when maybe a couple more million may have had him wearing a Pirates uniform. Very few opportunities come along where you can get a guy that can make an impact like Chapman will, and while it's likely Chapman wouldn't have signed with the Pirates, the reality is that they had a chance and once again flat out dropped the ball. If the Reds can do it then the Pirates better be able to do it as well. That's right though, money doesn't matter. Remember that when both of these kids become major league stars and the likely only thing that kept them out of Pittsburgh was a tight check book. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comIf you've been paying attention lately, the Cincinnati Reds called up left-handed phenom Aroldis Chapman and his 103 mph fastball this week.
Washington Nationals OF Nyjer Morgan Doesn't Understand Why He's Suspended
"Man, they threw the book at me. What did I do? I feel I haven't done anything. They are blowing this way out of proportion because I'm a hard-nosed player—because I knocked over a catcher. They throw the ball at me. Come on, what am I supposed to do? I have to take this and try to keep playing. I feel I haven't done anything wrong expect for playing the game hard and play the game like it's supposed to be played. Wow. I don't know what else to say. It's just a fact that people are blowing this way out of proportion. I don't think you should be suspended for hitting a catcher...I don't understand what I did wrong to get an eight-game suspension. They make it seem like I'm Mike Tyson." Morgan has appealed this current suspension, since he is in Friday night's lineup (hitting leadoff, no less), and he has appealed the pending seven-game suspension for throwing a ball into the stands in Philadelphia The league can't appreciate Morgan making these further statements in the press, and it certainly won't help him in the hearing. Morgan should consider himself fortunate that he "only" got eight games. Marlins pitcher Alex Sanabia got five for his part, and the video shows him throwing a couple punches on the bottom of the pile and then getting tossed around like a rag doll by Adam Dunn. If Morgan got just three more games than Sanabia, with the Cardinals incident and the yelling at fans incident lumped in, Morgan is lucky he didn't get two weeks. It amazes me that Morgan appears so clueless to not realize what he's done, unless this is still part of this "underdog tough guy" act. I also wonder why his agent hasn't taken it upon himself to shut his client up. But I suppose it shouldn't surprise me. Find out why it shouldn't surprise anyone at Nats News Network. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comCourtesy of Bill Ladson at MLB.com, here were Nyjer Morgan's comments this afternoon upon learning about his eight-game suspension for "three separate incidents" in the past week, including clipping St. Louis Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson instead of touching home plate, exchanging expletives with fans in Miami after bowling over Florida Marlins catcher Brett Hayes—ending his season with a separated shoulder—on Tuesday night, and the resultant brawl Wednesday night:
, injuring a patron. His original hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, but has been pushed to next Friday, presumably so they can handle both cases.
Why Nyjer Morgan-Style Base-Brawls Are Good for Major League Baseball
However, something happened recently that brought my attention back to Major League Baseball: The bench-clearing brawl between the Marlins and the Nationals. Down here in South Florida, baseball is normally filler until football season starts, but the Marlins in recent years have managed to keep things interesting by contending for the playoffs almost every season. This year, however, has been a different story. With a lackluster bullpen, a superstar that does not seem to show much interest, injuries, and a front office that continually lies to its fanbase, it's been a rough year to be a Marlins fan. Most fans, if not all, have resigned themselves to the fact that the postseason is a mere pipe dream, even though mathematically the Marlins do stand a chance. Interest in the team is down, and fan morale is even lower after recent reports indicated that the front office has been a little less than truthful. However, last Wednesday proved that with a few punches and some breaking of unwritten rules, baseball can come off that back burner, at least for a little while. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, ESPN, and local and national news were all abuzz about the Marlins and Nationals! These two teams have no business leading headlines, yet there they were front and center for all the world to see. All people wanted to talk about the next few days was if they saw "the fight" and if they saw Gaby Sanchez deck Nyjer Morgan. Jokes were made that Sanchez should play linebacker for the Dolphins. Morgan became public enemy No. 1 down here for a few days, and EVERYONE was talking about Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball is no longer the national pastime, so it's time drastic changes are made before it becomes completely irrelevant. So where do you start? I say where the Marlins and Nationals left off. Max Kellerman once said that the No. 1 sport in the world is boxing, because if you put one guy shooting hoops in one corner, another guy throwing footballs in another, and two guys fighting in the third, the biggest crowd will form near the guys fighting—not to mention the rapid rise in popularity by the UFC. Why can't this work for baseball? Stop warning benches when guys throw at each other, and stop suspending guys when they rush the mound; let them duke it out, and let the players police themselves when it comes to these unwritten rules of baseball. If the Marlins and Nationals can captivate the sports world for a few days, why can't the rest of the league do the same thing? (Follow me on Twitter.com/DavidAlen) Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comI live in South Florida, and right now I am not in baseball mode. My attention has shifted to other teams in the area.
Curtis Granderson's New Swing Is a Hit for New York Yankees
He homered in his first at-bat as a Yankee and then hit a game-winning home run against Boston two days later. He put up a .357/.419/.607 triple slash line with two homers, five RBI's, and three stolen bases in his first week in pinstripes. Yankee fans everywhere celebrated. They had their first true center fielder since Bernie Williams' heyday. But the exciting opening act quickly gave way to a less than appealing second one, and Granderson saw his numbers fall precipitously to .225/.311/.375 until he hit the disabled list in early May with a groin injury. By that time, many fans had soured on the energetic center fielder, and Granderson's struggles, coupled with Austin Jackson's otherworldly start for Detroit, prompted calls for Brian Cashman's job. But Granderson returned from the DL smoking hot, temporarily quieting doubting fans by hitting .417/.461/.750 the first week back from his injury with four doubles, a homer, and four RBI's. But just like he did in April, Granderson slumped, and all the concerns and worries about him came to the forefront again. Through the summer, Granderson continued to struggle with consistency. His offensive performance in general was of concern, but more specifically troublesome was his dismal showing against left-handed pitching. Coming off his worst season as a professional in 2009, Granderson was showing little to no improvement in 2010, despite moving into a better lineup and a friendlier hitting environment. After taking three oh-fers in four days against Boston in early August, Granderson requested that hitting instructor Kevin Long take a long look (pun intended) at his swing and make any necessary adjustments to improve it. Long did so, although both reported that only minor mechanical changes were made. After two days out of the lineup, Granderson returned with noticeably fewer moving parts during his at-bats. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk that day and recorded both hits against a left-handed pitcher. One game told very little, but progress was progress. Granderson had two three-hit games over the next few games and slowly inched his numbers towards respectability. Since his extensive work with Long, Granderson has hit .288/.358/.602 with seven home runs in 21 games, numbers that are notably better than what he has posted beforehand. After Thursday's game against the Athletics and lefties Dallas Braden and Jerry Blevins, Granderson is hitting .248 against righties and .247 against lefties. Again, not overly impressive numbers by any means, but a welcome improvement. While his season totals remain unspectacular, his performance against lefties since he debuted his reworked swing is utterly phenomenal. In 21 at-bats, Granderson has posted a line of .428/.476/.809, which translates to a ridiculous 1.285 OPS—in other words, a better number than Mark McGwire posted during his 70-home run season and a better mark than any National League or American League MVP since Barry Bonds in 2004. Granted, it's an extremely small sample size, but Granderson's improvement has been a very welcome development for the Yankees, even more so as they've dealt with injuries to Alex Rodriguez, Lance Berkman, Jorge Posada, and Nick Swisher in the past month. Granderson has been an asset defensively for the Yankees all season, and getting his bat going for the playoffs would be a huge boost to the league's top-rated offense. His transition from the Motor City to the City That Never Sleeps hasn't gone as smoothly as anticipated, but Granderson has played excellent defense in center field this year and has been a league average hitter so far in 2010. His rejuvenated offense only makes him that much more of an asset to the Yankees as they attempt to repeat in 2010. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comAbout a week into the 2010 season, Curtis Granderson looked like a terrific addition to the Yankees.
Tribe Talk: Life After Arbitration Eligibility for Cabrera and Choo
This week we discuss the fate of the Tribe's 2011 arbitration-eligible players, project next season's payroll, wonder what's wrong with Mitch Talbot, and share our thoughts on possibly playing spoiler for the Twins or the White Sox this month. I would like to thank this week's participants, Dale Thomas at Dan Tylicki, for their contributions. This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on the questions we're addressing this week. Go Tribe! 1. This winter, Shin Soo Choo will be eligible for arbitration. There hasn't been much talk of signing him to a multi-year contract, at least that we know of. Do you think the Indians will avoid arbitration and sign him to a multi-year deal this offseason? What do you think is a reasonable contract length/dollar amount? Is there any chance the Tribe signs Choo for a deal longer than three years that not only avoids arbitration but goes into the beginning of his free agency? Samantha Bunten: There's no way they'll avoid arbitration with Scott Boras involved. I expect they'll make an offer to buy out his arbitration years anyway, but I don't see them trying to push anything that goes into his free-agent years. The Indians are no longer in the habit of buying that far into the future unless the player comes at a serious bargain price, which no one repped by Scott Boras ever will. If they're smart, and if Boras agrees to play ball, they should look at a deal in the neighborhood of three years, $16-18 million. Dale Thomas: I'm not too worried about Boras pushing Choo into free agency, and I don't think the Indians will attempt a long-term deal. Let's call it the "Hafner lesson." I think they will try to buy out his arbitration years with a low-ball offer. Maybe $15-20 million. He is in his offensive prime right now and will be 31 years old at the free-agency stage. That's typically when a player's performance might begin to decline, so I don't think free agency will be all that kind to Choo. I figure a three-year deal, then the Indians will cut him loose. Dan Tylicki: They probably will not avoid arbitration, given that he's a Boras client, but I hope they do and sign him to a multi-year agreement. He's earned a pretty hefty contract with his play, I'd say in the $5 million per year range. I'd go higher but this is the Indians we're talking about. I don't see anything beyond a three-year deal happening, though. 2. Another core player who will be eligible for arbitration this winter is Asdrubal Cabrera. What do you think is a reasonable offer of years/salary for Cabrera? Any chance the Indians lock him up for longer than just his arbitration years by giving him a contract that extends into free agency? Now for the really tough question: If the Indians are only willing and/or able, financially speaking, to give a long-term contract to either Choo or Cabrera but not both, which one do you think they should choose? Why? Samantha Bunten: Cabrera is a far better candidate for a long-term deal than Choo given his age and representation. Moreover, the team's needs should also make Cabrera the stronger candidate. The system is full of outfielders. Obviously, it would hurt to lose Choo in the future, but it would be easier to absorb than losing Cabrera. I would try to go six years with Cabrera, back-loaded with a club option on the last year. The Indians are also in a better position to negotiate with Cabrera than they are with Choo, given Cabrera's injuries, unproven consistency on offense, and relationship/attachment to the team. Dale Thomas: Cabrera is a lot like Choo in that they both had breakout seasons in 2009 and both continue to improve...except Cabrera is way younger, and is a great candidate for a six-year deal. They could probably get a discounted price early on in the deal then jack it up toward the later years. It could look something like this: 2011, $2 million; 2012, $3.5 million; 2013, $6 million; 2014, $8 million, 2015, $9.5 million; and 2016, $10 million (club option.) This would lock him up for his best years. Dan Tylicki: Cabrera is probably an easier case to lock up past arbitration, since he's emerged as a leader, and due to his injuries, the Indians may be able to get a bit of a break money-wise. Not sure how much he'd get, but he deserves a good contract as well. He's more likely to get the longer deal that goes into free agency, but again I think this is unlikely. The second question is a tough one indeed. Do you pick the clubhouse leader-infielder, probably the only spot in the infield that's actually nailed down, or do you pick the most productive player at a position we're deeper in, who's a Boras client? If they had the same agent, I'd go with Choo just because we need that spark in the lineup, even though based on need right now, Cabrera seems the more urgent player to get signed up. 3. On a related note to the above, the Indians payroll this season was about $61 million. Roughly $27 million of that has or will come off the books this year, putting the total going into next year at about $34 million. Obviously that number will go up from $34 million in 2011 (through players entering arbitration and scheduled raises for players under contract if nothing else), but how much do you think it will go up beyond that? What do you estimate the Indians' payroll entering 2011 to be? Do you think the projection is a reasonable amount for them to spend given the team's revenue and chances of contending? Samantha Bunten: The total for payroll will likely end up about the same, let's say about $58 million. Not much will change. The Indians will spend about the same amount, they'll rank about the same amongst other MLB teams in terms of payroll, and they won't contend. They'll bring in a stopgap third baseman on a one-year deal, give the same sort of deal to a veteran low-risk, high-reward pitcher, say the word "rebuilding" a lot, and then finish last in the Central. Business as usual. At least we know what to expect. Dale Thomas: Payroll will end up about where it is now, then they will complain about it. I honestly don't feel that they are 'building' a team. It's more like they are becoming adept at tearing the team down. Deconstruction specialists, so to say. Yeah, they're obligated to raise certain salaries, then obliged to dump those same salaries and thumb their noses to the general public while explaining how "we don't understand". Sadly, contending has come to mean 'not coming in last.' How many Walmart TVs do you have to get before you realize that your audience doesn't want to watch a blank screen? Our ballpark is empty for a reason and it doesn't take a brilliant analyst to figure out why. Everyone knows you have to invest first to get the dividend later. Ownership has sunk to buying lottery tickets with the hope of getting lucky. Dan Tylicki: I think we'll finish somewhere in the neighborhood of $56-58 million. It will remain near the bottom, and it will look like they won't contend. Factoring in Choo and Cabrera, there wouldn't be too much more for others, and as usual, Cleveland will take the low-risk, high-reward route, finding a one-year third baseman and perhaps another player or two. 4. Mitch Talbot was a hugely pleasant surprise the first half of the season, pitching far better than anyone expected and making the Kelly Shoppach trade with the Rays look like a complete steal. These days, he's the poster child for how quickly things can start to go down the drain. Initially Talbot's struggles landed him on the DL, but it's only gotten worse from there. Upon returning to the team, he gave up 12 runs in his first three starts, and was touched for five runs in the first inning last week by the anemic Oakland offense. So what exactly is wrong with Talbot? Why do you think he was able to pitch so well in the first half of the season but then took such a dramatic turn for the worse? Do you think Talbot can adjust and return to his early season form? Do you think this is just a bad spell for Talbot that he'll eventually emerge from, or do you think his success at the beginning of the year was just a fluke? Samantha Bunten: There doesn't appear to be any sort of mechanical issue or flaw in his delivery, though I think there's a strong possibility he could be tipping, even if it's only in such a way that it nets opposing batters more walks/an easier go at pitch selection rather than allowing them to tee off on him. He's also relatively young and doesn't have a ton of major league experience, so he may have had a few bad outings that were just part of the way things go for everyone but was then unable to get past them mentally. Ultimately, I think Talbot will be fine. It may just be an issue of getting his confidence back. If not, we can always just ship him off to Arizona. Hey, it worked for Fausto. Sort of. Dale Thomas: I think the long ugly season wore him down and he just doesn't give a sh** anymore. Oh wait! Maybe that's me... Dan Tylicki: I wish I could say it's because of the teams he's faced, but he's played against the Athletics and Mariners and got torched by both, so that's clearly wrong. Looking through his stats doesn't show anything other then him just pitching worse, so I'm quite certain it's mental. These kinds of slumps are what separates the good and the bad pitchers. If he can shake this off and return to form, he'll be worth keeping. If he's even worse in September, then it will be a problem. I don't think his early success was a fluke, he's just someone who still needs to develop at the major league level. I think he has the tools to snap out of it, but I don't know if he will. 5. Fun Question of the Week: Beginning this week, the Tribe still has six games each left with division contenders Chicago and Minnesota before the end of the season. This leaves them with a chance to play spoiler for someone's playoff chances. Given the choice, whose season would you rather the Tribe ruin, the Twins or the White Sox? Realistically, which of those teams do you think the Tribe has a greater chance of victimizing in an effort to play spoiler? Samantha Bunten: Since Torii Hunter is no longer with the Twins and around to run his mouth off about how much he hates the Indians, the choice is pretty easy: Chicago, all the way. We can make the choke sign at Ozzie Guillen like he did to us a few years ago. We can ruin AJ Pierzynski's winter. We can keep Mark Buehrle from getting additional chances to hit yet another batter in the head and then refuse to apologize for it. That's right, Chicago—what goes around comes around. Dale Thomas: White Sox get my vote, but I hope we don't have to vote on whose season we wreck next year. Dan Tylicki: Hmm, who would I rather see beaten by the Tribe, Manny or Thome? Probably Manny, since Thome was with the team longer, so I'd rather spoil Chicago. We're 8-5 against Chicago and 5-7 against Minnesota, so I'd say we have a better shot against Chicago. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comWelcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Cleveland Indians fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the club each week throughout the season.
2011 MLB Free Agents: Los Angeles Dodgers' Future Uncertain
Amidst a failing 2010 campaign, a messy divorce between owners, and uncertainty regarding funds for next season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have several key players that will be eligible for free agency next season. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has said that, given a likely lack of funds stemming from the McCourt divorce, he is uncertain regarding the approaching free agency period. Given the circumstances, here are possible outcomes for all of the possible 2011 Dodgers free agents.
Is It Possible To Hate CC Sabathia?
As the title says, my question is, is it possible for Yankee fans to hate CC Sabathia? He is in the midst of another fine season for the Yankees, standing at 19 wins, matching his win total from last season with a month to play. All the man does is win, winning 38 games in his two seasons with the Yankees, especially at Yankee Stadium. Since the All-Star break last season, he is 16-0 at Yankee Stadium, including 10-0 in the Bronx this year. He also genuinely loves it in New York. When he signed his $161 million contract last offseason, he included an opt out clause, which allows him to opt out after the first three years of the deal. It is safe to assume that he wanted this clause in his contract because he was unaware if he would truly love it in New York. But, when Mark Hale of the New York post “I’m here,” Sabathia said. “Hundred percent.” “I think you know I’ve built a house here, right?” he said. “My kids go to school here. We live here year round. So I’m not going anywhere. To add to his genuine love for New York, he also genuinely loves his teammates. Right from the beginning, Sabathia was organizing team outings, such as taking some of his teammates to Orlando Magic games during spring training 2009. He was an instant hit in the Yankee clubhouse. Sabathia also sticks up for and defends his teammates. Example A: Earlier this season on May 7th, the Yankees were in Fenway Park facing Josh Beckett. Beckett threw at Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter, and Jeter’s was with the bases loaded. He also came close to hitting Fransisco Cervelli and Nick Swisher. Who was the first Yankee to bark at Beckett? Sabathia, on the top step of the dugout voicing his displeasure with the hard throwing right hander. The very next day, Sabathia defended his teammates, unleashing a 98 mph fastball at Dustin Pedroia, the first pitch he saw in the at-bat. Example B: On June 25th of this season, the Yankees were playing Joe Torre’s Los Angeles Dodgers. Notorious head hunter Vicente Padilla was on the mound for the Dodgers. Sabathia drilled Padilla with a pitch on the leg, while glaring at him the entire time while he was recovering and walking towards first base. Last season, Padilla drilled Mark Teixeira And who could forget his Dallas Braden comments during the whole Braden vs Alex Rodriguez debacle. “He’s a clown,” Sabathia said of Braden. “Guy says he’s from the 209, what the [bleep] is that? That’s where I’m from and I don’t know what he’s talking about. Two-oh-nine. He needs to just calm down—put that in the paper. That’s just tired.” (NorthJersey.com) Sabathia has been nothing but a pleasure during his first two seasons in New York. Hes been something that the Yankees had lacked from 2004-2008. A true ace. He embraces the role, and excels, and even that may be an understatement. So I pose the question again, how can Yankee fans not love CC? Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
asked CC the question this season if he will opt out, he replied with this:
twice in a game last June, so the bean ball was naturally seen as retaliation. And, based on the body language of both Sabathia and Padilla, it is fair to say that it was retaliation.
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Mark Prior Story a Warning To Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman
Although Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds fans may not want to hear it, the fate of hard-throwing prospects is all to familiar. In Will Carroll’s book, Saving the Pitcher, he talks about the struggles and frequent arm troubles that seem to so often hinder the careers of today’s most promising stars. Carroll states, “more than half of all starting pitchers will end up on the disabled list and over the last three seasons, more than two hundred pitchers at all levels of professional baseball have undergone ligament replacement surgery.” Strasburg and Prior get all the attention because they are the biggest names and the pitchers who had the most hype. Chapman has avoided the disabled list in his brief career, but the facts are this type of thing is happening far too often and pitchers who throw hard tend to hit the disabled list just as hard. Mark Prior was the second pick in the 2001 MLB draft and signed for $10.5 million. Fast forward nine years and Prior is pitching for the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League trying to fight his way back into the majors, where he hasn’t pitched since 2006. Prior knows exactly what it is like to be Stephen Strasburg. Eerily similar to Strasburg, Prior also faced premature hype, excessive expectations and injuries. Although it is possible Strasburg comes back just as dominant as before, his injuries cannot be ignored. This is Strasburg’s second trip to the disabled list and baseball fans know how quickly injuries can begin to pile up. There is hope because Tommy John surgeries have a high success rate and Chapman is still healthy, but the tides can turn quickly and before you know it Strasburg and Chapman could find themselves in the Independent league trying to get noticed. Just ask Mark Prior. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comStephen Strasburg. Aroldis Champan. Meet Mark Prior.
Colorado Rockies: Don't Count Them Out Just Yet
The NL Wild Card has a few possible candidates: the Phillies lead the Giants by two games and are 5.5 up on the fading Cardinals. The Rockies find themselves 6.5 games out of the Wild Card lead after a seemingly season-killing, eight-game losing streak at the end of July. They are still 7.5 games out of the NL West, despite the Padres' continued slide. Yesterday's gut-wrenching, 12-11 loss to the Phillies really hurts. Like, soap in both eyes hurt. But with 29 games to play, the Rockies will still be a player down the stretch run. The Rockies have been able to tread water with injuries to Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa, Manuel Corpas and Huston Street. They have a Pirate-like road record of 26-42. The offense tends to go into hibernation outside of the friendly confines of Coors Field. Their ace Ubaldo Jimenez hasn't won a decision since August 4th despite allowing no more than three earned runs in his past seven starts. The flamethrower has taken it in stride, but people were talking about this guy winning 30 games in July; now he might not even reach 20! The Rockies have had to deal with the aging of their local legend, Helton, who has been a force for the Rockies for over 10 years. But age is creeping up on him very quickly; Helton hit a paltry .246 before being placed on the DL in early July with a stiff back. The $17.7M dollar man only had two homers to that point. Since coming off the DL in early August, Helton has improved dramatically. The re-energized Helton has hit .307 while launching four bombs and knocking in 10 runs, making the offseason choice for Rockies' management that much harder. Helton's gargantuan contract runs through the '11 campaign. Tulo has returned to All-Star form after being sidelined for 33 games with a broken wrist. He was red hot in August with a .351 average and 16 RBI. His Gold-Glove-caliber defense has shined as well. But the biggest reason the Rox aren't completely buried is the one they call CarGo. Carlos Gonzalez has been an absolute monster for the Rockies this season. He is hitting a sizzling .331 with 31 home-runs and 93 ribbies. He is in the top five of all three major categories in the NL. If it wasn't for Joey Votto and Albert Pujols, CarGo would be the runaway choice for MVP. The five-tool star plays a magnificent left field and also has some speed, collecting 20 SBs on the year. The Rockies have a history of late season magic; everybody remembers "Roxtober" of 2007, when they ripped off 14 wins in 15 games to sweep their way into the World Series. In 2009, the Rockies played nine games over .500 in September en route a Wild Card berth. In both instances, the team struggled mightily throughout the spring and into the summer. But for whatever reason—depth, conditioning, concentration, or something else—the Rockies never give up till the bitter end. Fast forward to this year and they find themselves in a eerily similar position. World beaters they are not, but the team has refused to fold. Sure, it looks bleak for the Mile High City, but they are finally healthy again. They have a set lineup featuring a ton of speed with Dexter Fowler and Eric Young Jr. at the top of the order. The rotation has been solid of late and a healthy Aaron Cook will be back next week. Catching the Phillies won't be easy, but this team has as good a chance as any to give them all they can handle. Recent history suggests that the Rockies may not be a team to count out just yet. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comAs the calendar turns to September, baseball races are really starting to heat up.
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Weekend Series Preview
The fate of the entire universe was supposed to be decided this weekend, but given recent (shocking) events, the Reds find themselves eight games up, and the Cardinals are grasping at straws in the wild card chase. St Louis recently completed a 2-8 stretch against the woeful Pirates, Nationals, and Astros, and the Reds have taken full advantage of that skid. Coming off the successful 6-3 West Coast trip, they won five out of six against the Cubs and Brewers at home. Tony LaRussa's decision to align the rotation so that Carpenter/Wainwright/Garcia would pitch against the Reds looks bad in hindsight. They could have used someone more efficient than Jeff Suppan in their series finale against the Astros. Now, the Cardinals need a sweep. Their season may depend on it. If the Reds even so much as win a game, they would maintain a seven-game lead with less than 30 games to play. Before we get too overconfident, lets look at the New York Mets as a recent example of a team who blew a huge division lead. It can happen. We have to continue to play Cincinnati Reds' baseball, because nothing is guaranteed until the division title is clinched. Additionally, as badly as the Cardinals have struggled, we all know how well they have fared against Cincinnati. Following this weekend visit is a trip to Colorado. Critics point out that this team doesn't fare well against winning teams, so this is a chance to silence some of them. Kick a team while they are down. Don't give them an ounce of daylight. I feel that St. Louis still has a good squad, and all they need is a little momentum to get the ball rolling. Carpenter and Wainwright have had a lot of success against the Reds, and have pitched in big spots. Brandon Phillips had his choice comments a few weeks ago about the Cardinals. I think it's a bit over the top to suggest that they saw that, and THEN ramped up their efforts in sweeping that series. Athletes are pretty motivated people in general. However, looking back, did they place all their eggs into that one basket? Did they leave their heart and soul back at Great American Ballpark? Regardless of what's transpired since then, it should be a fun weekend, and there is still a lot that the Reds need to prove. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comThis had the potential to be a much, much bigger series.
Philadelphia Phillies: Ruben Amaro, Thank You for Roy Oswalt
You read about Oswalt’s propensity to shut down the opposition in August, September, and even October when he was an Astro, but you tempered your expectations after realizing that those impressive playoff numbers were from 2004 and 2005. Those were the days when Cole Hamels was dominating hitters by day and breaking bones (in his own valuable left hand, unfortunately) at night in Clearwater, Florida. Nonetheless, it was hard not to be excited. After all, in the eyes of every baseball analyst, the Phillies' starting rotation (or at least the three arms at the top) was the best in baseball. Then came Oswalt’s first start as a Phillie, and even though it was less than twenty-four hours after his arrival from the deep south, and with a catcher he had just met, his 8-1 loss to the last place Nationals still gave you that unsatisfied feeling. The kind of feeling you get when you go to a Panera with a huge appetite. What’s happened since, however, has made you forget those bitter Cliff Lee thoughts and envision another season with Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels beginning or prolonging the offensive slumps of National League opponents. In his first month as a Phillie, Oswalt is 4-1 with an ERA of 1.89. Take away that hurried first start against the Nationals, and those numbers go to 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA. Maybe those late season statistics from years past weren’t a myth after all. With nearly 200 innings under his belt in 2010, Oswalt seems to be surging when it matters the most. Isn’t it amazing what a pennant race can do for a terrific player freed from a losing atmosphere? The Phillies have now seen this phenomenon in two straight years with Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt. With Oswalt, the move to a contender has already proven that this undersized, 33-year-old Mississippian plays to win. In a crucial stretch of August baseball, we have seen him win with or without his best stuff. At times, his location has been Halladay-esque, but there have also been days like this week’s start against the Dodgers, when Oswalt simply dug deep and competed when the strike zone didn‘t seem as friendly. Firing a 95-mph fastball for a strikeout on his 90th pitch of the afternoon was something you see $15 million pitchers do. What you don’t often see $15 million pitchers do are things like pinch hitting at crucial spots in late-season games, and substituting as a surprisingly slick left fielder. Oswalt is leaving little doubt that he is here to win. And the best part is that he will be wearing a Phillies uniform for at least another full season, and possibly two. Maybe this Ruben Amaro, Jr. guy learned a thing or two during those three years under Pat Gillick. After all, have you heard anyone describe former Phillie J.A. Happ using the word “untouchable” since Roy Oswalt arrived in town? Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comAdmit it, even though you were kind of giddy when Ruben Amaro picked Roy Oswalt from Ed Wade’s pocket at the trade deadline, you still weren’t sure that the Phillies' new No. 2 starter belonged in any discussions of the league’s top pitchers. After all, discussions of baseball’s top arms usually includes names like Sabathia, Halladay, Wainwright, and of course, Lee.
Colorado Rockies Take Tough Loss
The Rockies just dropped one of the most emotionally exhausting games I’ve ever seen, 12-11. Hey, it’s football season, so I guess they needed to have a football game score. The big number now is 6.5 games. If the Rockies had won, it would have been 4.5 games. That’s how big it is to play the team currently in the lead of the National League wild-card race, the Philadelphia Phillies. This was a makeup game from a rainout earlier in the season—a one-game home stand at Coors Field squeezed into a six-game road trip. The Rockies fly right back out to San Diego for a three-game series with the National League West-leading San Diego Padres. I can’t imagine what the Rockies are feeling right now. I know how drained I am, and I’m not playing. But the Rockies have to win baseball games. That’s what winning teams do...they win. Pretty simple concept, but that’s where we are in the season. Yeah, it’s tough for the Rockies to hit on the road. Yeah, it’s particularly tough for the Rockies to hit in PETCO Park. Yeah, it’s a tough week of travel on top of all that. Tough. The Rockies have to win this series, if not sweep it. That’s it. No excuses are left. No room for errors. It doesn’t matter if Mark Belisle's arm finally fell off in the seventh inning at Coors against the Phillies, or if Matt Reynolds finally proved he’s human, or if Joe Beimel still has whiplash from watching Chase Utley’s homer go out. The Rockies' new bullpen arm acquisition from the Boston Red Sox, Manny Delcarmen, met the team for the first time Thursday, and then he got a chance to show what he can do for the Rockies. Four runs on four hits and only one out in the seventh inning...he’ll fit right in. “Not the way I wanted my first day to go, but I want to get the ball and get back out there,” said Delcarmen, who allowed Jayson Werth’s 19th homer on a bad change-up that tied it at seven (quote from Yahoo! Sports and the AP). Funny...I don’t have the same desire to see you have the ball. Carlos Gonzalez should have been given two runs for his single-shot home run...that got out of there faster than the crowd after someone yells, “Cops!” at a backroom casino. The clock is running out. Keep fighting, Rockies...I know I don’t have it in me after Thursday’s game. The good news: The Padres are only 3-7 in their last 10 games. A sweep of the Friars would put the Rockies only 4.5 games back in the National League West race. This article also featured on The Rockies Reporter and on My Team Rivals: Rockies. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comTwo games...that was two games.
Nyjer Morgan's Rampage: Washington Nationals' Bad Boy Heckled Me, Too
As the Washington Nationals were warming up in the field, I and about 20 other people began heckling centerfielder Nyjer Morgan. First off, I want to clear up for everyone who has a negative connotation of “heckling” that most of the time it is harmless. Some “you suck Morgan” and a few a-hole chants, but that’s it. In my years of heckling opposing players, 99 percent of them pay no attention to the fans in the crowd, but this night was special. As the pitcher was finishing up his warm-ups people began to scream at Nyjer Morgan to throw the ball in the stands. He responded by hiding the ball and pretending to throw an imaginary one into the crowd. Bad choice Nyjer. He was then greeted with the customary and aforementioned “you suck Morgan” screams. Then, if it wasn’t enough that it was 35 below, Nats' manager Jim Wriggleman decided that he would try to see how many pitching changes he could make in one half inning. As bad as this seemed at the moment it allowed us fans and Nyjer to continue to bond. A fan screamed out during one of the pitching changes, “Hey Morgan, show us your slap shot.” He proceeded to pretend to skate and shoot slap shots in the vast Citi Field outfield. More amusing then that was him blowing kisses at the 20 of us still in the left field bleachers. Thing was, we were all dudes. The jeering began to get worse, but thankfully for him, the inning had ended. I was tempted to leave after the Mets were unable to score in the eighth, but why should Nyjer Morgan get off that easy? So I braved the cold and stayed for the ninth. We continued to scream at him as he warmed up" “Throw us the ball Morgan." Well in response to our pleas, Morgan thought it would be funny to show us the ball in his glove and then grab the family jewels. People who thought that heckling was inappropriate before, a major-league centerfielder just grabbed his avocados, enough said. The last straw was when Morgan finally threw the ball into the stands, but over everyone’s head into the 20 empty rows behind. He continued to tip his cap towards us as the jeering got worse, but in the end, Nyjer got the final word as the Nats held of the Mets 3-2. As much as I dislike most opposing players, after this encounter, I will always have a special space in my heart for Nyjer Morgan. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comI was at the New York Mets' game on Monday and sat for the first time in the left-field reserved seats. It was the bottom of the eighth and the Mets were down 3-1; there had to be only about 4,000 people left in the entire stadium at this point because of the unbearable cold.
Bipolar San Francisco Giants Still Pushing Towards Playoffs, Fans Reap Benefits
The team itself had a real good April (.591) followed by a .500 May, a sub-par June (.481), a torrid July (.714), and a dismal August (.464). This is the team that scored one run in three games against Oakland in May and then scored 11 runs in three straight games against the Reds in August. After having one of the top defensive teams in the country over the first portion of the season, San Francisco has made 23 errors in their last 30 games. They have had stellar starting pitching. In their best two months (April and July), the starters had ERAs of 2.64 and 3.29, respectively. The starters pitched 80 percent of the innings, keeping the bullpen fresh and sharp. But in their worst two months, it was a different story. In May they maintained a respectable ERA of 3.80, but in August it ballooned to 4.55, and it showed in other places as well. In August, the runs allowed jumped 20 runs from July, and the batting average against leapt up 40 points. The starters only pitched 67 percent of the innings, meaning a lot of long relief and bullpen games, which can be both physically and emotionally draining for the team and the fans. But if you're going to have a bad month followed by a good month, there's no better time to have a spike in performance than September. We're seeing that from the Padres right now: if you perform well all season and drop off in the last month of the season, nobody cares about the first five. On Wednesday Tim Lincecum followed up an abysmal August (0-5, 7.82 ERA) with a dominant start to September, hurling eight innings of one-run, five-hit ball and striking out nine batters for the first time since July 30. Hopefully Barry Zito can emulate that against the Dodgers. Usually a strong second half pitcher, Zeets had an equally rough August (0-4, 7.76 ERA) that included three losses in one week (one in emergency relief). But his career line in September (27-14, 3.65) is encouraging, to say the least. Many were ready to write off Pablo Sandoval as a one-season wonder. His first-half line was unimpressive (.267/.322/.382) compared to 2009's production. But then August came around, and even though the Giants didn't have a great month on the pitching side, Sandoval suddenly rediscovered his stroke. After hitting a low point on August 1 of .263, the Panda's August average of .321 has raised his average significantly and is certainly encouraging to this Giants team. He also pounded six homers in August, matching the amount of dingers he hit in the entire season up to that point. In the middle of August, Freddy Sanchez had significantly cooled off from his torrid return from the disabled list, hitting a low point of .255 on August 11. Since then, he's raised his average 40 points in 17 games, including back-to-back four-hit games against Cincinnati. This comes at a good time for San Francisco, as Juan Uribe's stats have dropped every month so far this year. Baseball is a streaky game, and the Giants have been playing well lately. If not for the "Broken Bat Heard 'Round the West" on Monday, they could have swept the Rockies (how often does that happen?). And even though there's been our fair share of fan heartbreak in 2010, there have been just as many games that the Giants have proved worthy of praise. This 2010 team can come back from the dead (10-1 against the Reds to 12-11), can make things exciting (any time Brian Wilson comes in), and can win when they need to most (Darren Ford flying home against Ubaldo Jimenez). Now they're entering the final month of the season in the heat of a pennant race. There are still four head-to-head games with San Diego, and six games against the Dodgers. And if we base this final month on the season as a whole, I can promise you that the rest of the way will be about as far from boring as possible. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comFor the entirety of the San Francisco Giants 2010 season, there has been an air of inconsistency that can only be described as Duane Kuiper has: torture.
Stephen Strasburg Latest to Prove How Tenuous a Pitcher's Career Can Be
Seaver, while traveling as a player, wouldn’t carry any of his luggage with his right appendage. In fact, he tried mightily to do nothing with his right arm other than hurl baseballs at 90+ mph toward enemy hitters. Seaver was the prototypical power pitcher of the 1970s—strong leg kick, violent arm action. His right knee would often scrape the dirt off the mound as he delivered the baseball to home plate. Seaver got more strength from his legs than any pitcher I’ve ever seen. But it was his exemplary right arm that earned him his living, and so Seaver treated it as the mythical goose who laid the golden eggs. Seaver enjoyed a long, storied career. A sure-fire Hall of Famer, Seaver was. You could see it coming in the late-1960s, when he burst onto the scene, and throughout the ’70s Seaver was among the top two or three pitchers in baseball. Seaver knew rightly that at any moment, it all could have come crashing down, no matter how much care he took of his right arm. The pitcher’s arm wasn’t cobbled together by God to withstand the whiplash-like tension that throwing baseballs incur on it. There’s nothing natural about the pitcher’s throwing motion. If a pitcher’s arm could talk, it would need a seven-second delay. The American worker is all too familiar with layoffs and downsizing. Most of the time, the worker has no control over whether he stays or he goes. In a profession where control is everything, a pitcher ironically has none of it, either—in the truest sense. Companies and corporations lay off workers. A pitcher’s arm decides such matters. How many times have we seen it? One last, violent whipping of the arm, and something goes snap, crackle, or pop and that’s the last we ever see of that hurler on a big league mound. Every pitcher is one throw away from the end of his career. Not trying to be dramatic—it’s the truth. In Detroit, we may have seen the last of lefty Bobby Seay and right-hander Joel Zumaya. Maybe not, but perhaps. Both of them have serious arm/shoulder issues. Seay is scheduled to have surgery soon that may knock him out for all of 2011—after missing all of 2010. It could also knock him out, period. Zumaya’s injury-pocked career has been frightfully documented. When last seen, Zumaya was rolling around on the grass at Target Field in Minneapolis, in tears due to a broken elbow—an elbow literally broken by throwing a pitch. Dave Dravecky’s left arm just about snapped off as he delivered a pitch, leading to the arm eventually being amputated. Amputated! The young phenom Stephen Strasburg’s career hangs in the balance today, his golden right arm in disrepair. Strasburg, the biggest thing to hit a pitcher’s mound in years, is 22 years old and will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. If all goes well, Strasburg has a shot of pitching sometime in 2012. If it doesn’t. People often ask: What did they call Tommy John surgery before Tommy John came along? It’s a trick question. Unlike Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which had a medical name prior to Gehrig’s diagnosis, Tommy John surgery had no name because Tommy John was the first professional athlete to undergo it. The surgery works thusly: a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee, or foot of the patient). You can imagine how groundbreaking this was when Dr. Frank Jobe famously performed the operation on the Dodgers’ John in 1974. And you can imagine how amazing it was when John returned to form and was pitching again in the big leagues in 1976. Even more astounding was that John pitched until he was 46 years old. So there’s certainly hope for Strasburg, and baseball, which needs a kid of his freakish ability on an MLB roster. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a professional pitcher and feeling a “twinge” in my elbow or shoulder, or anywhere on my arm for that matter. I can see why Seaver went to such great lengths to protect his golden egg-laying goose. Still, it can all end so quickly, without any warning. I don’t ever begrudge the big league pitcher his large salary. You could be out of the game in your 20s, just like that. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comIt was no less than Tom Seaver—”Tom Terrific”—who went to extraordinary lengths to protect his right arm, which he astutely realized was nothing more than his livelihood.
Pittsburgh Pirates Still Doing Poorly on the Road
Actually, the Chicago Cubs are one of two teams that the Bucs have beaten (5-4) on the road this season. The other one is the Colorado Rockies (2-1). (Although they barely managed a 2-2 tie in PNC Park.) A sorry road record is the main reason Pittsburgh's overall record is the worst in the majors. Their home record is better than that of the Chicago Cubs, the Cleveland Indians, and the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates are 14-53 on the road with 14 more games to go. That winning percentage is barely above .200. The team that they are now competing for in the "race to the bottom" in road games is the 1962 New York Mets, the all-time worst team who won all of 17 games away from home. It didn't get off to such a bad start. The first two months, the Bucs won five road games in April and four in May. The April wins featured two road game victories against the Milwaukee Brewers, which represented a (relative) high for the Pirates. They also included one win each against three western division teams away from home. In May, the Bucs feasted on the Cubs and won one each on the road from the now-contending Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies. Since June 30th, the Pirates have won only the two games against the Rockies, and one against the Cubs, outside of PNC Park. They've been blanked on the road by the division leading San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves, as well as the relatively weak Washington Nationals, and the Houston Astros in their own division. (We haven't closed the books on the road seasons against the St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins, or New York Mets.) The weakness on the road is a testament to the inexperience of the team, among the youngest in the majors. The home record (and other factors such as the dominance of the Cubs) suggests the team's raw talent is NOT league worst. But it is rookies who will play the worst on the road relative to their overall ability. Pirates that fall into this category are heralded call ups like Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Jose Tabata. Andy McCutchen and Garett Jones are barely out of this category. Among everyday position players, only Ronny Cedeno, Ryan Doumit, and Lastings Milledge can be considered even close to "veteran." This team is better than the 1962 Mets. However, it seems to play like those Mets away from home because they are relatively new players for which all the veterans have been traded. Some call it "trading up." Others call it rebuilding. Overall, the Pirates have a cyclically weak team on the field—even for them—one headed for a 100-110 loss season. Let's hope that 2010 represents the low point of their record. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comThe Pittsburgh Pirates did win the season series against the Chicago Cubs, but the final series, in Wrigley Field, left a bad taste in the mouth, losing two out of three on the road.But then the Pirates had a horrible June, 6-26 overall, which meant only two road wins (against the Cubs). Four out of five American League opponents swept the Bucs 3-0 during Interleague Play, with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Oakland A's doing so in their home parks.
New York Yankees News: Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Alfredo Aceves
on the mound. This will be a big test to see which one will be reliable for the playoffs. Here are some notes: That’s all for now. I’ll have some more updates later on today so stay tuned. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comThe Yankees have a tough series coming up this weekend, not only because they are facing the Blue Jays, but because they have Ivan Nova, Javier Vazquez, and Phil Hughes
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A good number of predictions have the Cubs going out into free agency and trying to buy their way into a title, as they did after the abysmal 2006. There are a lot of similarities: managerial vacancy, terrible record, and obvious holes to be filled. However, one obvious thing is different from now and then: prospects. Lots and lots of prospects. The Cubs can reasonably fill all the holes they have now with up-and-coming players, rather than spending themselves into a budget nightmare (see: Soriano, Alfonso).
Fantasy Baseball Minor League Player of the Year: Atlanta Braves
First, the criteria: Other then that, everything is pretty much fair game. Let’s kick things off with the Atlanta Braves. And the award goes to… First Baseman Freddy Freeman Maybe this is a little anticlimactic, but he certainly deserves the honor. He spent the entire year at Triple-A, prior to his September recall (though, with Derrek Lee having been acquired he shouldn’t see much time), and was incredibly impressive: 461 At Bats The power is the number that most concerns you, considering the position that he plays. However, there are some underlying metrics that are encouraging, that the home runs will come for the 20-year old, (he turns 21 in less then two weeks) in time. First of all is his 35 doubles, which placed him second in the International League (Chris Richard of the Tampa Bay Rays had 39). Secondly, his line drive rate of 23.4% is extremely impressive (though his 29.7% fly ball rate is not). If you take the doubles and line drives into account, it is not impossible to see him add strength and power as he gets a little bit older. With that, some of these line drives and doubles should get more air under them, clearing the fences. Is it a guarantee? Of course not, but you certainly have to like the underlying metrics and what could come of them. Prior to the season Baseball America ranked him as the Braves second best prospect, saying the following: “He drives the ball with consistency with a sweet, fluid swing, and scouts believe his doubles will become homers as he gains experience and strength. Comparisons to Keith Hernandez and Mark Grace with more power have become commonplace because of his defense, which managers rated the best among first basemen in both the Carolina and Southern leagues last season.” That just helps to add to the hope that the long ball will develop in time. The average is a little bit inflated, with the BABIP, but there is reason to believe that he could maintain a .280+ mark in the Major Leagues. First of all, if we are to expect more power, that will mean less balls put in play and therefore a higher average. Also, he does not strikeout an excessive amount, with 84 Ks (a strikeout rate of 18.2%). Granted, that’s not an elite mark, but it certainly is not one that would dissuade us from believing in him. There was a concern at one point during the year about his ability to hit against left-handed pitching. He alleviated that, however, by ending the year hitting .268 (33-123) with 4 HR and 17 RBI against southpaws. He certainly lived up to his preseason hype and with Lee set to be a free agent at year’s end, it is very conceivable that the cost conscious Braves turn to Freeman to start at first base next year (Troy Glaus and Eric Hinske aren’t the answer). That certainly should put him on fantasy radars, with September serving as his opportunity to get his feet wet. That way, he can hit the ground running in April. Others considered: What are your thoughts? Who deserved the award? What do you like/dislike about Freeman? Make sure to check out our Prospect Tracker, for links to the latest updates on all the top prospects in baseball, by clicking here. THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comAs the minor league season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at each organization and determine who is the team’s Fantasy Baseball Minor League Player of the Year.
.319 Batting Average (147 Hits)
18 Home Runs
87 RBI
73 Runs
6 Stolen Bases
.378 On Base Percentage
.521 Slugging Percentage
.359 Batting Average on Balls in Play
Forget Cy Young, CC Sabathia Is the AL MVP
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comOne of the more annoying aspects of 21st century baseball fandom has come by way of the dreaded stat geek.
You probably think I'm going down the route of "The RBI is the only stat that matters", "VORP is only for loners and dudes who really hate the Discovery Channel," or some other get-off-my-lawn type rant, but you'd be mistaken.
I'm actually all in on much of the new statistical analysis that has taken baseball by storm in the past decade. Anything that helps you understand the game better has to be considered a good thing.
I just wish stat geeks weren't so obnoxious about it all.
Having successfully tarnished the image of oldie-but-goodies like batting average, saves and runs batted in, the geeks are now on a crusade to diminish the significance of the win.
Seriously. The win.
You have to admire their gusto, going after the very thing that the idea of sport revolves around. It's almost as if people have forgotten the wise nice man with really poor clock-management skills who taught us the one indisputable fact that drives the engine of competition...
"YOU PLAY. TO WIN. THE GAME."
CC Sabathia took the A's behind the woodshed—whatever the hell a woodshed is—on Thursday, allowing just one hit over eight innings to collect his 19th win of the season. Those 19 victories stand against just five losses, and his ERA sits at a tidy 3.02.
You would think numbers like that—all within the prism of being the unquestioned ace of the best team in baseball—would make Sabathia the hands down favorite in the American League Cy Young race.
But the stat geeks say otherwise, and they may even make fun of your educational background as they do.
The geek is convinced that Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez has been the AL's best pitcher in 2010. They say his mediocre 10-10 record is purely the product of playing for a last-place team, and that if Hernandez and Sabathia switched places, it would be King Felix who would be knocking on the door of his first 20-win season.
That these statements are 100 percent true is beside the point. It's like me saying, "If I were a world-class tennis player with a bottomless bank account and astounding bone structure, it'd be me and not Andy Roddick watching Brooklyn Decker get out of the shower in the morning."
Again, this would (probably) be true. And part of me wants to die after crystallizing the limitations of my life simply to prove a point on this stupid blog. But ultimately it's just an example of how ridiculous it is to disparage what Sabathia has done this season just because he's better setup for success than King Felix.
Now to get the geeks really fired up, I'm about to take it a step further. I'd like to make the case that in addition to the Cy Young award, Sabathia is the American League's MVP in 2010.
Don't scoff. Think about it. Even without Josh Hamilton putting up monster numbers, the Rangers are beating out the weak competition in the AL West. Miguel Cabrera is a bonafide stud, but his team will be lucky to break 80 wins. Robinson Cano has enjoyed a breakout season in the Bronx, but it's safe to say the Yankees were still a playoff team even if he didn't make the leap.
Sabathia, meanwhile, is the one constant on a Yankee rotation being held together by spit and the last shreds of Javier Vazquez's dignity. Without their ace, are the Yankees even a 90-win team this season? Do they win 80?
He's been the rock, the slump buster, the very definition of what an ace is supposed to be. He is, in so many ways, the most valuable player.
Don't let the geeks tell you otherwise.
Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached via e-mail at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus .
New York Mets Should Consider Jerry Manuel for Managerial Position in 2011
To read more from Matthew Blaszka, Frank Gray, and the rest of the staff of Mets Gazette, click here Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comJerry Manuel gets criticized for many of the Mets' issues on and off the field. Fans get on him for his in-game decisions, which at times is deserved. But what I ask here is that the Mets give Jerry Manuel the opportunity he is owed to manage the team in 2011.
Jerry Manuel took over the Mets back in '08 in the middle of the night. The Mets were floundering at 34-35. From the beginning, Manuel made his presence felt when he pulled Jose Reyes from the (first) game when he came up lame running out a grounder. Reyes argued with Manuel, but Manuel was stern.
Manuel would lead the Mets back into contention, and even to a division lead late in September. We all know the Mets blew-it down the stretch to finish 89-73 and out of the playoffs.
But none of it was Manuel's fault.
To continue reading Matthew Blaszka's article, click here
The Top 100 San Francisco Giants Players of All Time
The New York Giants were established in 1883. In 1958 the club moved out west, becoming who they are today—the San Francisco Giants. Along the way, there have been many fun players, many great players. Some players we hated and loved to boo and heckle. Many players stuck around for a season or two at best, while others played their entire career for the Giants. Who is your favorite Giants player? Giants fans everywhere have their own opinion about how they would rank their favorite players. Who is No. 1? What about No. 2? No. 3? This list can go on. How do you rank these players? When you think of the all-time great Giants, are you including the New York Giants? In the pages to come we will discuss my list of The Top 100 Giants of All Time.
2010 World Series: American League Teams Still in the Hunt for October
For playoff staples, like the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, things could not have gone any worse. As they say, "When it rains, it pours" and both the above two ball clubs will be noticeably absent. The presence of the Red Sox and Cardinals will be deeply missed, a true heartbreak for all fans of baseball. So, which American League teams are in contention? Legitimately, no team has clinched anything just yet and that needs to remain the mindset. Every baseball fan witnessed the 2007 New York Mets lose 14 of 17 games, followed by losing the NL East and a spot in the playoffs. Say what you want about presumptions, but nothing is ever guaranteed and it only comes off as arrogant. One team that looks sure to clinch is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have zero competition in the AL West. Unless a Mets-like implosion is on the horizon, it’s the Rangers' division to lose. The remaining two divisions are all off to the races, literally. In the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox picked up Manny Ramirez attempting to gain on the division-leading Minnesota Twins. The usually competitive Detroit Tigers have fallen out of the postseason talks, which gives the White Sox some breathing room to try. Same old story in the AL East, except the Tampa Bay Rays are the new Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have been hit with an injury bug that hasn’t let up all season. Considering the situation up in Beantown, skipper Terry Francona should be the manager of the year for keeping his team in the hunt for so long. As for the Rays, the New York Yankees will fight them till the end for the division. This is by far the tightest battle in baseball, but the wild card looks to be coming out of the AL East so both teams will most likely be in October. AL East: New York Yankees AL West: Texas Rangers AL Central: Chicago White Sox Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comThe 2010 MLB season has not disappointed, as competition is fierce but so is disappointment.
Predictions
New York Mets Shock the Baseball World (and Themselves) by Winning in Atlanta
In 116 contests over the course of 14 seasons, the Mets have won only 38 games while dropping 78 in the new "Home of the Braves." However, despite losing the first three games of the series in pitiful fashion, the Mets came out swinging in game four, scoring four runs—a feat they have accomplished only twice in their last seven games—to earn a 4-2 victory. The Mets plated two runs early, thanks in part to Melky Cabrera's misplay of a Carlos Beltran line drive that rolled all the way to the wall. Beltran turned on the jets and arrived at third base standing. Following back-to-back singles and a walk to Chris Carter, David Wright, and Ike Davis respectively, newest Met Joaquin Arias hit a slow grounder to third that Martin Prado had no play on, allowing Carter to score. The Mets have been abysmal with the bases loaded this season so it was nice to finally see someone get a hit in that situation, albeit an infield hit. Naturally, even in a Mets' victory, something has to go wrong. Tonight was no different as Johan Santana left after five innings, only having surrendered one run. Reports claim that he is day-to-day with a strained pectoral muscle. Despite leaving, he earned the win and is now 11-9 on the year with a 2.98 ERA. David Wright cracked his 22nd home run of the year off Tim Hudson in the sixth inning to give the Mets some needed insurance. Though inconsistent most of the time, Wright has put up some solid numbers for the Amazins this season. Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell, and Hisanori Takahashi combined for one run on four hits over the final four innings to seal the win for Johan. Once again, we saw Takahashi in the closer's role, where he recorded his third save of the year. The win marks the last time the Mets will visit Atlanta this season. They will head to Chicago to open a three-game series with the fifth place Cubs. Saturday will be the highly anticipated first major league start by Mets prospect Jenrry Mejia. In his only start at AAA Buffalo, Mejia allowed one run over eight innings of work while striking out nine. If the Mets can discover what they have in their young players such as Mejia, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, and even Lucas Duda, this final month may actually serve a valuable purpose. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.comSince its opening in 1997, Turner Field, home to the first place Atlanta Braves, has seemed like hell to the New York Mets, with Bobby Cox playing the role of the devil. Even when the Mets have fielded competitive teams, they still have struggled in Atlanta.
Omar Infante's ill-advised relay throw wound up in the Mets' dugout, allowing Beltran to score. It was great to see Beltran stretch out that injured knee as he rounded second base. Maybe there will be a happy ending after all to the Beltran saga?
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