Archive for May, 2009
I wonder how young’s fans feel:
Final Scores: 6-3 Rangers and 5-2 Rangers
Game 1: Travis Buck hit a 2-run HR in the 2nd and Josh Outman struck out a career high 9 in 6.2 IP of 3 hit ball, but Marlon Byrd’s HR off Outman tied the game 3-3 in the 7th and back-to-back HRs off Santiago Casilla in the 8th, by Andruw Jones and Nelson Cruz, gave Texas a 6-3 win.
Game 2: Texas scored 4 runs in the 1st inning off of Edgar Gonzalez, capped off by Taylor Teagarden’s bases loaded two-run single, and the A’s offense was…well…the A’s offense.
This double-header was painful for me to watch, but not because the A’s lost twice, not because the A’s fell 10 games under .500, not because the A’s dropped to 10 games out of 1st place. The most painful part was the occasional shot in the dugout of Ron Washington, whose intelligence, intensity, and high expectations cannot be denied by anyone who has followed his career. The A’s aren’t going to win the West, so I hope the Rangers do - they were smart enough to hire Ron Washington to manage their team and they deserve, as he deserves, some success.
What’s remarkable to me is that a decision Bob Geren made in New York, to bring the infield in with runners at second and third and nobody out in the 2nd inning of a 0-0 game (Brett Gardner vs. Dana Eveland), which I thought was evidence of a manager who had no strategic understanding of the game, is now only the THIRD dumbest decision that I think Geren has made. I thought walking Russell Branyan in Seattle (ahead of Jose Lopez’ game-winning hit) to load the bases was even more moronic, but tonight Geren outdid even himself, ordering an intentional walk to Chris Davis to load the bases in the 1st inning of Game 2.
Chris Davis had struck out all four ABs in Game 1, and finished the double-header 0-7 with 6 Ks. He has now struck out a major league leading 77 times, including 23 times in his last 34 ABs. He is batting .194 and will likely be optioned to AAA. In sum, he is essentially, this season and especially right now, the equivalent of a pitcher batting. I was truly in disbelief when I saw this move being made.
I’m sorry. Bob Geren is simply not fit to manage a major league baseball team. Even stupid managers don’t make some of the decisions he has made - and it’s not like his team plays good fundamental baseball, or exudes any noticeable intensity or joy in the dugout or on the field. A’s players - who are both young and limited in talent and need every advantage they can get - and A’s fans, deserve better.
what do you think?This will be shocking news for young fans, but there are those of you who will say that you saw it coming from a long way away. I’m pretty surprised. young is great, I really hope this doesn’t affect the rest of the team.
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Look who is in this news again, Young! Saturday Pebble Report: “I struck out 13 batters and all I got was the loss”. To make things easier -
The Springs, W 13-9: Eric Young, Jr. and Matt Miller had big nights. Young went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored, and his 28th stolen base. Miller went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and five RBI. Christian Colonel hit a two-run homer for his second on the season. Carlos Gonzalez had a triple and two walks.
The Triple A level doesn’t like Matt Belisle much either. He allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. He also had a balk.
Tulsa, W 6-2: Brandon Durden made a successful Double A debut last night. He allowed one run (unearned) on four hits and three walks in five innings. Ryan Harvey had a two-run homer, and Darin Holcomb hit his first longball of the season.
Modesto, L 0-2: Bruce Billings struck out 13 Inland Empire batters in the losing effort. He allowed an unearned run in 6 2/3 IP.
Asheville, W 3-2: Jimmy Ceasrio and Tyler Massey combined to knock in the three runs in the first, third, and fourth innings. Carlos Martinez and Kiel Roling each had two hits.
In his 2009 debut, Juan Nicasio went four innings, allowed a run (on a homer), walked two, and struck out three. Stephen Dodson pitched the next two innings, allowed a run (on a homer), walked one, and struck out three. Adam Jorgenson struck out three in the ninth ti pick up his ninth save.
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This will be shocking news for Young fans, but some of you who will say that you saw it coming. I can’t say I’m all that surprised though. Young is interesting, I really hope this doesn’t affect the rest of the team.
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My vote for MVP this year goes to young:
With yesterday’s news that Phillies starter Brett Myers has officially opted for potentially season-ending hip surgery, the team is left scrambling for a replacement, be it a long-term or short-term option.
General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has already stated that the initial replacement will be internal, and specifically mentioned four names: Andrew Carpenter, Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Kendrick, and Antonio Bastardo.
But who is the best option?
Andrew Carpenter: Arguably the “safe” choice, the least likely to completely blow-up but with the least upside. Mediocre K/BB and K/IP numbers. Had a decent spot start for the Phillies earlier this month, they may want to play it “safe” and go with a guy like Carpenter, which may not be the worst idea, since this offense is capable of winning nearly any game.
Carlos Carrasco: On the surface his stats this year look absolutely grim, but a closer look shows excellent peripheral stats — his K/BB numbers are terrific, and he’s doing a solid job at keeping the ball in the park (5 HR in 55.0 IP). His 0-6 record is primarily a function of a terrible IronPigs bullpen (which just yesterday blew another lead for him). He has also strung together three good starts in a row (including yesterday’s 7 IP, 2 R, 6 K outing). At 22, he’s the youngest candidate. Carrasco was considered a candidate for the fifth starter slot on the big club in Spring Training, and there’s a decent chance the team will move him up now. Anecdotally known for melting down with runners on and in the face of the slightest adversity, pitching on a club with better defense may boost his confidence. However, his meltdown tendencies may be exacerbated by pitching in the majors. An elite talent, but probably needs gentle treatment.
Kyle Kendrick: Yes, two years ago this guy started Game Two of a playoff series for a Major League Baseball team. Since then, he’s struggled, and has yet to develop that “out pitch” that he was sent to the minors to work on. His pro and con lists both start with “familiarity” - the Phillies, for knowing him and how he works, and the rest of the league, for having a fairly extensive book on him.
Antonio Bastardo: Kind of a surprising choice, being that he has not really been mentioned among the Phillies best prospects over the past couple of seasons. All Bastardo has done is quietly dominate in every level he’s pitched. Over his career he’s averaging well over a strikeout per inning pitched (109 Ks, 97.2 IP); his Achilles’ heel, especially in Philadelphia, may be his flyball tendencies. The lack of “respect” from scouts may stem from his smallish stature (5′11″, 195 lbs. listed, but likely smaller than that), and his stuff which isn’t exactly filthy, he nonetheless has shown that he knows how to pitch. Also, Myers’ turn in the rotation corresponds with Bastardo’s next scheduled turn, which may be a factor. Minuses: He’d be the fourth lefty in the Phillies rotation, which may or may not matter much. He only has two starts at AAA, but both have been good (13 IP, 12 K, 3 ER).
And let’s face it, how great is his name?
WRITER’S CHOICE: Bastardo.
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Let us know w you think!
Take a look at a video of young:
TY YOUNG
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haha, I can’t believe this guy:
“Cubs SS Ryan Theriot officially qualified for post-2008 salary arbitration yesterday, and Aaron Heilman hit five years of MLB service time a week ago, meaning that although he has two minor league options left, he can’t be sent to the minors without his permission.
Also, the Cubs have released OF Richie Robnett from AAA Iowa and RHP Jesse Estrada from AA Tennessee, and have signed minor league FA OF John-Ford Griffin, with Griffin replacing Robnett as the “4th OF” at Iowa.
Robnett was one of two players the Cubs got from Oakland for Michael Wuertz in February. The other one (INF Justin Sellers) was traded to LAD at the end of Minor League Camp for a PTBNL (or ca$h) and is presently at AA Chattanooga. I wonder how Wuertz is doing at Oakland?
Now 28, Griffin was the Yankees 1st round draft pick out of Florida State in 2001, and was rated by Baseball America as a Top 100 prospect and one of the Yankees Top 10 prospects in 2002, and one of the A’s Top 10 Prospects in 2003 after he was traded to the A’s along with Ted Lilly in the deal that sent 1B Carlos Pena and RHP Franklyn German from OAK to DET and RHP Jeff Weaver from DET to NYY.
Griffin hit 310/386/527 at Las Vegas (Dodgers AAA) in 2008, but was released by the Dodgers recently after hitting only .122 with 13 K in only 41 PA in his first 16 games in AAA in 2009. He has logged 13 games in the big leagues (with Toronto 2005-07), and he will be a Rule 55 minor league FA post-2009 if he is not added to the Cubs 40-man roster by the end of the World Series.
In addition, LHP James Russell has been promoted from Tennessee to Iowa and LHP Jayson Ruhlman has been demoted from Iowa back to Tennessee, and RHP Marco Carrillo has been promoted from Daytona to Tennessee (replacing Estrada). The son of ex-MLB closer Jeff Russell, James Russell was the Cubs 14th round draft pick of out the U. of Texas in 2007, although he got “3rd round money” to give up his college career (he dropped to the 14th round only because he was considered to be a “tough sign,” because he was telling everybody that he wanted to return to Texas for his senior season). Along with 2008 draft picks RHP Jay Jackson and RHP Casey Coleman (who is also the son of an ex-MLB pitcher), Russell is one of the more-polished pitchers in the Cubs system.
Drafted by the Cubs out of a Texas JC in 2004 but signed as a “Draft & Follow” in May 2005, the now 25-year old 6′8 300+ Estrada progressed steadily through the Cubs system over the past few seasons, and was considered enough of a prospect that the Cubs sent him to the AFL last fall, and he looked OK there. But he was not added to the Cubs 40-man roster in November, and then he pitched poorly at Minor League Camp in march with Iowa, where he was given every opportunity to nab a spot in the I-Cubs starting rotation. So instead he began the 2009 season in the Iowa bullpen, but he was demoted to Tennessee earlier this month, and he continued to perform poorly when given a chance to start at AA.
Besides the PTBNL the Cubs are yet to get back from the Dodgers for Sellers, the Cubs are stilled owed a PTBNL from BAL (for LHP Rich Hill) and a PTBNL from OAK (for RHP Rocky Roquet), although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs will get ca$h instead in both cases (probably around $20,000, which they could use to claim a player off waivers at a time & place of their own choosing).
And Rule 5 LHP Donald Veal is still on the Pirates 25-man roster. although he has appeared in only one game in the last three weeks (and he has pitched in just five games & logged only 6.1 IP so far in 2009, although he did throw two innings in relief versus the Astros last night).
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Any thoughts on The Riot Hits Pay Dirt, While Robnett Gets Released?
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Check out who is making news: young! If You Should Fall, You Know I’ll Be There / To Catch the Call, You Know I’ll Be There. , we have a summary,
So if you think back to the doomsayers regarding the Jays this offseason, many folks thought that the reason the Jays couldn’t compete was the starting rotation - namely, injuries to Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum and the departure of A.J. Burnett to free agency. Here on Bluebird Banter, we disagreed, saying that the rotation would be, while not as excellent as last season’s, fully competent, but let’s put that aside for now. Throw in the fact that Jesse Litsch has basically missed the entire season thusfar and David Purcey’s ineffectiveness, and one might think things would be even bleaker for the starting rotation (and the Jays) than was suggested in the offseason.
This hasn’t happened. The Jays starting rotation ranks 5th in the AL in ERA, 7th in OPS against, and 1st in the league in K/BB ratio. The Jays have gotten the expected fantastic contribution from Roy Halladay and good performances from Brian Tallet, Ricky Romero, Scott Richmond, Brett Cecil, and lately, a couple of quite servicable starts from Casey Janssen. These pitchers all deserve credit for stepping in, and have gotten plenty of kudos, but just as importantly to the performance of these gentlemen has been the great job their friends behind them are doing.
John Dewan, he of the the Fielding Bible, highlighted just how good the Jays defense has been with his recent stat of the week (h/t to our good friend, Mockingbird) Dewan ranks the Jays tops in the AL East in defensive runs saved this season, and second in all of baseball (just behind the Texas Rangers):
| Defensive Runs Saved—Top Five Teams | |
| Texas Rangers | 28 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 25 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 21 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 18 |
| Houston Astros | 14 |
According to Dewan, Marco Scutaro (9 runs saved) and Aaron Hill (8 runs saved) are leading the way. The defense’s proficiency at turning batted balls into outs has really helped the Jays’ young starters do the great job they’ve been doing and keep the Jays in almost every game this season, even during our horrendous 10-game losing streak. It’s hard to draw up a better defensive infield than Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill, Marco Scutaro, and Scott Rolen.
The fact that the Jays’s starters lead the league in K/BB ratio means that if they can do a bit of a better job limiting home runs (not a particular strenght for the starters thusfar), their performance could even be expected to improve, especially with the defense continuing to do such a fantastic job.
Our title today comes from Green Day’s great friend anthem “Pop Rocks and Coke”. See you all in the game thread!
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How do you think this news about young will affect the rest of the team this season?
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News about Young:
Pebble Star of the Night
Mark Bellhorn hit 2 HR, one in each game of Colorado Springs’ double header agaisnt Albuquerque. He was only 2-for-8 with 2 BBs, but there’s not anyone else that qualifies, sadly.
AAA Colorado Springs, L 8-10 & L 5-7 - (27-18, 1st)
GAME 1: The Sky Sox built a 7-1 lead against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers) going into the eighth and couldn’t hold it. Unfortunately, the guilty parties were Ryan Speier (4 ER) and Ryan Mattheus (2 ER), two reliever the Rox hope will help out on the big club soon. Scott Munter walked two Isotopes and then gave up a 3-run walk-off HR to Blake DeWitt in the tenth. Mark Bellhorn homered in the loss. Box Score
GAME 2: With the help another home run from Mark Bellhorn, the Sky Sox gaved Alan Johnson a 5-run lead before he every took the mound against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers). It apparently was not enough, as Johnson allowed 7 runs on 9 hits in 5.1 IP. He also allowed three hits to opposing pitcher Charlie Haeger, who scored two runs, good for the difference in te 7-5 Sky Sox loss. It was the third time in four starts that Johnson has given up at least six runs. Here’s a great feature article on Alan Johnson, who went undrafted.
Carlos Gonzalez also hit a home run, in the ninth off long-time MLBer Scott Strickland. CarGo, Eric Young Jr and Sal Fasano (yes :C) all stole a base. Box Score
Colorado Springs finishes off the 4-game set with the Isotopes tonight at 7:05 MDT.
AA Tulsa, L 0-5 - (23-21, 3.0 GB)
Omar Poveda of the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) threw a complete game three-hit shutout against the Drillers last night. Poveda was protected from the Rule 5 draft last November by Texas as a 21-year-old.
Keith Weiser (2-4, 4.78) allowed 4 runs, 2 earned in 7 effective innings for the loss. The Drillers managed just three singles off Poveda, one each by Mike Paulk, Jeff Kindel and Daniel Carte.
Esmil Rogers (3-1, 3.00) squares off with Frisco’s Kasey Kiker (3-2, 2.74) tonight at 6:05 MDT. Andy Graham was added to the disabled list, and Brandon Durden was promoted to Tulsa from Modesto.
High-A Modesto, W 8-7- (27-19, 2.0 GB)
Despite blowing a 7-2 lead, committing five errors and striking out 10 times in five innings against relief pitcher Chris Withrow, the Nuts held it together and managed to eek out the only organizational win, 8-7 in 10 inn. vs. the Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers). Jeffrey Cunningham doubled twice and Brandon Rike, Matt Repec and Jason van Kooten also doubled. Lars Davis collected a 2-run triple off Dodger Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda. Radames Nazario singled van Kooten home for the winning margin in the tenth.
Nazario did not start but replaced Hector Gomez, who left after three at-bats. No word yet on if the switch was due to injury, dugout squabble or promotion. Connor Graham allowed five runs (two earned) in four innings but struck out seven. Box Score
Modesto will play at the Inland Empire again tonight at 8:05 MDT.
Low-A Asheville, L 3-9 - (17-28, 8.5 GB)
After losing again last night to the Augusta Green Jackets (Giants), the Tourists have dropped to the worst record in all of the South Atlantic League. Robinson Fabian (1-4, 5.96) got lit up for 8 runs in 5.2 IP while the hitters struck out ten time and managed just one run off Paul Oseguara, who was making his second start of the year.
Delta Cleary reached base three times with both hits coming from the right side against the lefty starter. Cleary now has a ridiculous split, hitting .311/.354/.486 RH but just .120/.154/.160 from the left side. David Christenson went hitless with three strikeouts. Box Score
Parker Frazier (1-3, 5.40) takes on Robert Carson of the Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets) at 5:05 MDT.
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I want to see how this is going to effect the rest of the season!
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My vote for MVP this year goes to Monroe -
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Looking at weather radars late yesterday afternoon, I wouldn’t have given real good odds that the game would have been played at all — the Chicago area seemed surrounded by thunderstorms and more were heading north from downstate.
But the area got just enough of a break from the weather — it was mostly dry from about 5:00 until a downpour hit just before 9:00 — for the Cubs and Pirates to get an official five innings in before the umpires finally called everyone off the field with a 1-2 count on ex-Cub Craig Monroe in the top of the sixth. Result: a 6-1 rain-shortened Cubs win over the Pirates, the second game of the year that went into the books with fewer than nine innings played, and the eight-game losing streak is history. The Cubs returned to the .500 mark and with the Cardinals’ 8-1 win over the Brewers, crept back to four games out of first place (three in the loss column).
With only five innings played, both Sean Marshall and Ian Snell, the game’s starting pitchers, get credit for complete games; Marshall threw perhaps his best game of the year, allowing only four hits (all singles), striking out six, and making two slick defensive plays — catching a line drive and also snagging a sharply hit grounder up the middle for an easy 1-3 putout.
Meanwhile, the Cubs offense continued its awakening from the dismal road trip; Kosuke Fukudome hit his first home run in a month. Micah Hoffpauir drove in a pair of runs with a double, and Marshall, who has turned himself into a pretty good hitter (3-for-12 this year with two RBI), singled in a run. The club also resumed its patient ways, walking four times in only five innings of batting.
How baseball has changed: I remember a game day around this time of year in 1978, when a game was called at 10 am because of the mere threat of rain. Of course, that was in the days where the average attendance was about 18,000 and the average ticket price was about $5 (yes, seriously, $5 — even box seats weren’t that pricey), so the team’s financial exposure wasn’t that high for a postponement. Today, with the price of an average ticket approaching $50 and virtually every game a sellout, a rainout could cost the Cubs somewhere in the range of $1.5 million to $1.8 million — or, to put it in another way, about the cost of Aaron Heilman’s salary for 2009. In addition, there are other pressures, such as tight schedules with no scheduled doubleheaders (and no, I’m not arguing in favor of that — there’s no way the owners are giving up the revenue to give two games for the price of one, not to mention the fact that you can’t get a regular DH finished in less than seven hours these days) and the rule requiring a day off at least every 20 days.
That’s why we see games like last night’s, played in part in very difficult conditions — the last inning was played in a pretty hard downpour and you could just imagine fielders saying to themselves, “Please don’t hit me a popup!” — pushed to at least be official games. A little more than half of the listed paid crowd, 38,303, actually showed up to brave the rain and almost all of us, myself included, ducked out when the delay was called just before 9:00. After an hour and six minutes, the result was made official at 10:05. Strangely enough, at the 7:05 scheduled game time, it was not raining — though it had much of the time when batting practice normally would have been held — the field was uncovered, and pitchers had warmed up, but no one, not even the umpires, had appeared. Finally, about 7:10 the umpires came out of the dugout — one of the few times you’ll ever see umpires applauded — and the first pitch was thrown at 7:12.
The Cubs will take them, these days, any way they can. The offense seems to have awakened and if the pitching can settle back into the groove it had even during the road trip portion of the losing streak, things can turn around quickly. The two teams will try again this afternoon, weather permitting:
Today: Today: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Patchy fog before 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 69. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Notes: sources tell me, despite me and some others wanting the Cubs to go after Mark DeRosa, the Cubs will not seek his return, nor are they at this time looking for help outside the organization; and, further, there are no immediate plans to call up Jake Fox. If the team keeps hitting the way they have the last two games, a turnaround could come as quickly as the losing streak did.
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I wonder how this is going to effect the rest of the season.
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Freddy Sanchez went 6-for-6 with a homer and a double in a rollercoaster win against the slumping Cubs on Monday, and Andy LaRoche and Jason Jaramillo both added three hits apiece. Matt Capps left the game after being struck by a line drive, however, and Sean Burnett got the save.
With Capps presumably on the shelf, the closer duties might go to… Jesse Chavez? Evan Meek might be the Pirates’ closer at some point in the future, but right now his walk totals are awful. Chavez has been the Bucs’ best reliever so far this year, and he has good stuff. If Capps misses a substantial amount of time and the PIrates actually pick a closer (and I’m not sure they will), Chavez probably should get the first shot at the job.
A few other notes:
-P- Virgil Vasquez had a great start for Indianapolis against Gwinnett County today, with six strikeouts, one run and no walks and six innings. His overall numbers are now downright decent, with 42 strikeouts against only six walks so far. Unfortunately, he has allowed a ton of homers, and he’d probably get lit up like a Christmas tree if he were called up.
-P- Vasquez was pitching against Todd Redmond, who pretty much is Vasquez but three years younger. Redmond has solid control, but he’s posting a 4.98 ERA against AAA hitters so far because he’s allowed a bunch of homers. He’s a pretty extreme flyball pitcher, so I think it’s pretty likely that he ends up stuck at AAA for a few years, gets pretty good at pitching there, and then never really makes the leap to pitching successfully in the majors. I wasn’t a big fan of the Tyler Yates trade, but I’m not sure losing Redmond will turn out to be a big deal.
-P- Robbie Grossman went 0-for-2 with four walks today for West Virginia against Class A Lake County. Grossman has had trouble making contact so far this year, with 54 strikeouts in 141 at bats, but at least the walks are there. He has a .388 OBP so far. Those are extremely interesting numbers for a 19-year-old, but I wonder if he’ll have to make adjustments at higher levels, maybe by being a little more aggressive and looking for good pitches to hit earlier in the count. Anyway, Rudy Owens also played well for West Virginia today, striking out eight batters in five innings.
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I have always been a big fan of Sanchez, but I have to say, seeing news like this gives me mixed feelings.This will be shocking news for Sanchez fans, but there are those of you who will say that you saw it coming from a long way away. I’m pretty surprised. Sanchez is sweet, I really hope this doesn’t affect the season.
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I wonder how Wilson’s real fans feel:
| Batter | Team | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escobar, Alcides | Nashville | 2B-SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .280 | |
| Salome, Angel | Nashville | C | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .245 | |
| Green, Taylor | Huntsville | 3B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 | 2B |
| Gillespie, Cole | Nashville | LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .228 | |
| Gindl, Caleb | Brevard | RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .299 |
| Pitcher | Team | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffress, Jeremy | Brevard | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 9.00 | ||
| Aguilar, Omar | Huntsville | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.15 | (S, 2) | |
| Braddock, Zach | Brevard | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.90 | (W, 1-1) |
| Batter | Team | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemp, Corey | Wisconsin | C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .323 | 2B |
| Katin, Brendan | Nashville | RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .277 | 3B, HR |
| Melillo, Kevin | Huntsville | 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .248 | HR |
| Wilson, Steffan | Brevard | 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .302 | HR |
| Duran, Jose | Wisconsin | DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .299 |
| Pitcher | Team | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watten, Trey | Wisconsin | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5.45 | (W, 2-5) | Game Score: 59 |
| Rogers, Mark | Brevard | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1.50 | Game Score: 55 | |
| Axford, John | Brevard | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.42 | ||
| Wooten, Robert | Brevard | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.47 | (S, 15) | |
| Ritchie, Brandon | Wisconsin | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.92 |
Follow the jump for full results!
Lost 6-4 at Portland Beavers (SDP) (box / pbp)
| Batter | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourgeois, Jason | CF | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .303 | |
| Escobar, Alcides | 2B-SS | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .280 | |
| Heether, Adam | 3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .354 | |
| Katin, Brendan | RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .277 | 3B, HR |
| Salome, Angel | C | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .245 | |
| Almonte, Erick | 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .295 | |
| Gillespie, Cole | LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .228 | |
| Garciaparra, Michael | SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .304 | 2B |
| Burns, Mike | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .125 | |
| Koshansky, Joseph | PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .218 | |
| Iribarren, Hernan | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .317 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns, Mike | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2.56 | (L, 6-1) | Game Score: 45 |
| Littleton, Wes | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.88 | ||
| Narveson, Chris | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.26 |
Won 10-7 vs West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (SEA) (box / pbp)
| Batter | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stern, Adam | CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .340 | |
| Justis, Shane | 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .306 | |
| Catalanotto, Frank | DH | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | 2B |
| Anderson, Drew | LF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .345 | |
| Rottino, Vinny | RF-1B | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .271 | |
| Green, Taylor | 3B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 | 2B |
| Melillo, Kevin | 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .248 | HR |
| Hopf, Mike | C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .184 | 2B |
| Raburn, John | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .179 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bramhall, Robert | 5.3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7.36 | Game Score: 34 | |
| McClendon, Michael | 2.7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1.72 | (W, 3-1) | |
| Aguilar, Omar | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.15 | (S, 2) |
Won 4-3 at Dunedin Blue Jays (TOR) (box / pbp)
| Batter | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schafer, Logan | CF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .289 | 2B |
| Farris, Eric | 2B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .258 | |
| Gindl, Caleb | RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .299 | |
| Wheeler, Zelous | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .244 | |
| Errecart, Christopher | DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .250 | HR |
| Haydel, Lee | LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .295 | |
| Wilson, Steffan | 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .302 | HR |
| Miranda, Sergio | 3B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .319 | |
| Maldonado, Martin | C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .244 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers, Mark | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1.50 | Game Score: 55 | |
| Axford, John | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.42 | ||
| Jeffress, Jeremy | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 9.00 | ||
| Mercedes, Roque | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.95 | ||
| Braddock, Zach | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.90 | (W, 1-1) | |
| Wooten, Robert | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.47 | (S, 15) |
Won 9-1 at Beloit Snappers (MIN) (box / pbp)
| Batter | Pos | AB | R | H | RBI | W | K | E | AVG | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller, Erik | CF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .276 | 2B |
| Sanchez, Juan | 2B | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .288 | |
| Duran, Jose | DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .299 | |
| Kjeldgaard, Brock | LF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .236 | |
| Kemp, Corey | C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .323 | 2B |
| Dennis, Christopher | RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .444 | 2B |
| Trejo, Edgar | 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .237 | |
| Delaney, John | 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .265 | |
| Marseco, Michael | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .199 |
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | W | K | HR | ERA | Dec | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watten, Trey | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5.45 | (W, 2-5) | Game Score: 59 |
| Ritchie, Brandon | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.92 | ||
| Tyson, Nicholas | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
what do you think?How do you think this news about Wilson will affect the rest of the team this season?
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Another Rangers win, another solid piching performance. I definitely can get used to this.
Jeff Wilson has praise for Scott Feldman, who dropped his ERA down to 4.04 on the season, and who says that his command is improving in each outing.
Evan Grant has praise for Nelson Cruz, who has broken out of a recent slump with three homers in the past two games, and who may be replacing Hank Blalock as the team’s regular cleanup hitter. Grant suggests that Blalock’s approach suffers when he’s hitting cleanup, resulting in bad at bats and bad performance, and dropping him in the lineup could result in less of the all-or-nothing approach he’s exhibited of late. And Blalock responded to the move with three hits yesterday…
T.R. Sullivan’s game story includes this quote from Ron Washington about the first-inning replay that resulted in Miguel Tejada’s home run being upheld:
“They went in and checked it and said home run,” Washington said. “I had nothing more to say about it. It was just one run. I figured if we couldn’t score more than one run, we didn’t need to worry about that.”
I realize such a level-headed approach isn’t likely to gain Washington much support from the segment of fandom that wants him to go out there and scream and yell and get ejected all the time, but…well, his explanation makes sense to me.
Washington said that Ian Kinsler was showing signs of mental fatigue, particularly in going 0 for 5 on Friday, which led to Kinsler getting the day off yesterday. Without checking the numbers, my sense is that Kinsler has tended to be pretty streaky, so while this bad stretch is not a good thing, I’m not too worried about him snapping out of it.
Some more praise for Mike Maddux — Darren O’Day says that an adjustment to where he stands on the rubber has been key to his performance since coming to Texas.
Jim Reeves wrote yesterday about how the Rangers need to take a more patient approach at the plate, and today writes that this isn’t necessarily at odds with Rudy Jaramillo’s teaching an aggressive approach. Rudy says that it is a matter of balancing working the count with swinging at hittable strikes.
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I have always been a big fan of Wilson, I have to say, seeing news like this gives me mixed feelings.This will be shocking news for Wilson fans, but there are those of you who will say that you saw it coming from a long way away. I’m pretty surprised. Wilson is cool, I hope this doesn’t affect the season.
Take a look at a vid of Wilson:
Wilson Baseball
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