Completely worthless to interpret anything from. But the Phils are #2, behind the Cubs. The Marlins are 7, the Braves 10, the Mets18 and the Nats 26.
-Greg Berlin
Entries from May 2008
ESPN power rankings
May 30, 2008 · No Comments
Categories: Braves · Marlins · Mets · NL East · Nationals · Phillies
Tagged: Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Power Rankings
Kotsay to DL
May 30, 2008 · No Comments
The Braves today placed CF Mark Kotsay on the disabled list. Kotsay has long suffered from back problems, and, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves felt it would be best to let Kotsay rest (his back has been sore for several days now). Called up in his place is Josh Anderson, who is hitting .282 for Triple-A Richmond.
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Braves, Josh Anderson, Mark Kotsay, NL East
Phils go phishing at cbp
May 30, 2008 · 1 Comment
The Phillies want first place. They’re going to have to get it tonight against the Marlins. Jamie Moyer tries to win the fifth straight for the Phils and continue his strong 45 year old season. Mark Hendrickson tries to take his surprising season one more game against a blazing Phillies lineup.
It’s the bottom of the lineup truly carrying the Phils though. Pedro Feliz, Geoff Jenkins, and even Carlos Ruiz (and of course Chris Coste) are contributing. Time to take it into June.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: Marlins · NL East · Phillies
Tagged: Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste, Geoff Jenkins, Jamie Moyer, Mark Hendrickson, Marlins, Pedro Feliz, Phillies
Paul Lo Duca’s new gig [Ex-Mets Watch]
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
That’s right, while Don Sutton sits out with laryngitis, the injured Paul Lo Duca takes his place in the broadcast booth. How did Paulie do? We’d say stick to your day job, Paul, but, well, that’s not going so well either now is it?
Categories: Mets · Nationals
Tagged: Mets, Nationals, Paul Lo Duca
Zimmerman misses fourth game in row
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
Ryan Zimmerman is still day-to-day with a sore shoulder, and sat out his fourth-straight game today as the Nationals were defeated by the San Diego Padres by a score of 5-2. Aaron Boone has been an adequate replacement, but the Nationals are obviously missing one of their most dynamic players in the lineup.
Categories: Nationals
Tagged: Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman, Aaron Boone, NL East
Matt Lindstrom, future closer?
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
Joe Frisaro of MLB.com takes a look at Marlins’ hurler Matt Lindstrom, who throws a 100-mph fastball and looks to ease into the set-up role in the Fish ‘pen this year. In his second year, Lindstrom says he’d like to close some day (of course, the Marlins have a good closer in Kevin Gregg at present).
“That’s something I’d really like to do in my career,” Lindstrom said of eventually closing. “I’d jump at the opportunity. It means a lot. I think first and foremost is to get those innings under me, and learning how to pitch to Major League hitters. Being smarter. A lot of things factor into it. But yeah, I’d love to close one day.”
Lindstrom is 1-0 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. He has walked 8 and struck out 12 in 19.2 innings pitched over 23 appearances and has 5 holds on the year. Formerly a Mets prospect, Lindstrom was traded along with Henry Owens for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas.
Categories: Marlins
Tagged: Adam Bostick, Henry Owens, Jason Vargas, Kevin Gregg, Marlins, Matt Lindstrom, NL East
Beastly Braves
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
Mark Teixiera had quite the game for himself today in Atlanta’s 8-1 win over Milwaukee, going 2-3 with 4 RBIs (including a 3-run HR) and 2 walks. And in his third start of the year, Jorge Campillo shut down the Brewers offense, going 5 innings surrendering just one run on 4 hits, striking out 6 and walking none on 73 pitches. He is 2-0 with a 0.99 ERA.
This was an important win for the Braves, preventing a Milwaukee sweep and improving the Braves’ abysmal road record to 7-18 (compared to 22-7 at home).
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Braves, Brewers, Jorge Campillo, Mark Teixiera, NL East
Pedro pitches well in rehab game, outpitched by Price
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
Pedro Martinez made his first start since April 1 last night, this one a rehab appearance for Class-A St. Lucie. He gave up 2 earned runs on 4 hits in 6 innings of work, striking out 6 and issuing no walks. Phew.
He was faced by prized Rays prospect David Price, whom Pedro called “amazing.” Price struck out 9 and walked none giving up just 2 hits and no runs in 6 innings. His fastball topped off at 97, according to Mets.com. It’s unfathomable how dangerous the Rays are going to be in the near future. I’m jealous.
Martinez is scheduled to start next Tuesday at San Francisco.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: David Price, Mets, Pedro Martinez, Rays
A Character Win
May 29, 2008 · No Comments
When people speculate what can spark a team’s turn-around, they often look to an extra-innings win as a catalyst. It’s impossible to say that one game can remedy a season of mediocrity, but the New York Mets certainly made a statement Wednesday night, winning in the 12th inning on a Fernando Tatis walk-off double.
On the back of Tatis, an unlikely hero, the Mets take the series from first-place Florida, making a strong statement in the first series of the homestand after a roadtrip to forget. Of course, taking two from the Yankees elicited the same sort of “turn-around” talk from Mets fans.
But what was different last night was the fact that every part of the Mets team contributed to the victory. Oliver Perez wasn’t dominant, but still struck out seven despite giving up four earned runs in six innings. Aaron Heilman looked brilliant in two innings of work, striking out four in two innings. Scott Schoeneweiss and Billy Wagner were phenomenal in an inning each. Endy Chavez forced extras with a pinch-hit home run. Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes also homered. David Wright walked twice. And then there was Tatis, the forgotten star, who is to the Mets right now what Angel Pagan was in Spring Training–invaluable.
Sure, there were faults. The Mets left ten on base, to start. That’s been a problem all year, and it continues. The Mets are a talented team. What they have needed all year is a spark, something to start the engine of a lineup that should be producing a heck of a lot more than it has. Only time will tell, but a win like last night’s, a series win like this one, might be what it takes to jump-start this team.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Marlins · Mets
Tagged: Mets, Marlins, David Wright, Aaron Heilman, Billy Wagner, Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, NL East, Angel Pagan, Endy Chavez, Scott Schoeneweiss
Speaking of Utley…
May 28, 2008 · 1 Comment
From the 700 level:
Everyone Loves Chase Utley
And for a good reason.
Utley leads all NL players with 537,788 votes, and it isn’t even close. Utley is more than 100,000 votes ahead of the next most popular player, Astros first baseman Lance Berkman (329,723). But Utley is the only Phillies player leading at his position, which tells me that he’s getting votes from all NL precincts, not just Philadelphia.
>>Early All Star Returns [Scott Lauber]
3 in a row?
-Greg Berlin
Categories: General · NL East · Phillies
Tagged: All Star Game, Astros, Chase Utley, Lance Berkmann, Phillies
Chase Utley leads the league in home runs
May 28, 2008 · No Comments
17, as of five minutes ago. Chut is a BEAST.
Oh, and Geoff Jenkins just hit one, too. 6-1 Phils.
UPDATE: Just looked and Utley’s tied for first with Lance Berkmann at 46 RBIs. Damn!
-Greg Berlin
Categories: General · NL East · Phillies
Tagged: Chase Utley, Geoff Jenkins, Phillies
Diaz to DL, Soriano will be activated
May 28, 2008 · No Comments
The Braves will place OF Matt Diaz on the disabled list with a ligament strain in his left knee. Diaz was injured while crashing into the wall while catching a Prince Fielder fly ball in last night’s 3-2 loss to Milwaukee. Atlanta is already suffering from a lack of outfield depth, as Mark Kotsay has missed games with a sore back. According to Braves.com, Omar Infante and Gregor Blanco will start seeing more time in the outfield.
The DL move will allow Atlanta to activate Rafael Soriano, who has been out since the second week of the season. The Braves’ closer will rejoin a depleted bullpen that is a combined 6-7 with a 3.42 ERA this year.
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Braves, Gregor Blanco, Mark Kotsay, Matt Diaz, NL East, Omar Infante, Prince Fielder, Rafael Soriano
Rypod
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
I’m not sure if this fits into a category, but Deadspin has a must-read about Ryan Howard from the perspective of an unsuspecting rookie journalist.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: General · Phillies
Tagged: Phillies, Ryan Howard
Injury Roundup
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
Ryan Zimmerman was held out of the lineup tonight as the Nationals take on San Diego. Here’s what Zim said about his apparent shoulder injury, courtesy of Chico Harlan’s Nationals Journal:
“It’s just soreness. It’s been checked out, and they said there’s nothing structurally wrong with it. Basically just wait for [the soreness] to go away. I mean if I had to play today I probably could, but we’ve got the hottest guy playing. (A reference to Aaron Boone.) But no, it’s good. I think it just makes sense. There’s no reason to rush it. If it was August or September and we had made a move and were competing for something, there’s no doubt I would have played. But it’s kind of a risk-reward kind of thing. Do I really want to play now and risk hurting it more, or take two or three days and get it better and then have four months to play? So it just makes sense.”
Mark Kotsay missed a start tonight for the Braves with back pain and, according to Braves.com, might be placed on the DL. Kotsay, of course, has suffered from back pain many times in the past.
The Mets placed RHP Matt Wise on the DL today with right rotator cuff tendonitis, according to Mets.com. Taking his roster spot will be Carlos Muniz, the young closer for Triple-A New Orleans.
And, as reported earlier on NL Beast, Pat Burrell missed tonight’s start with apparent neck stifness.
Categories: Braves · Mets · NL East · Nationals · Phillies
Tagged: Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Braves, Pat Burrell, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Wise, Mark Kotsay, NL East
Kris Benson to start for Clearwater Sunday
May 27, 2008 · 2 Comments
From David Murphy:
…[Ruben] Amaro said [Kris] Benson’s velocity was between 86 and 90 miles an hour, which is better than it has been. Previously, he’d been topping out at 88 miles an hour.“It was encouraging for him and it was encouraging for us,” Amaro said.
After a couple of set-backs that appeared to put him severely behind the curve in his quest to make it back to the big leagues, it sounds like Kris Benson is progressing steadily again. The Phillies just sent word to reporters that the veteran right-hander will likely make his first minor league start on Sunday for Class A Clearwater. I didn’t talk to assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. directly, but it sounds like this is a very, very encouraging step. Benson threw 75 pitches today in an extended spring training game, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 4 while walking 1.
Benson was originally expected to contend for a spot in the Phillies rotation in may. But after a bout with biceps tendinitis and a strained groin, he seemed stuck in a perpetual “day-to-day” state. There’s no word on when he might be ready to seriously contend for a major league start. A lot will depend on Sunday, I’m sure.
*Gulp*
He can’t be worse than Eaton. Can’t hurt to see what he can do.
UPDATE: Thanks to Jeff who points out that Benson will pitch for Clearwater in Sarasota.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: NL East · Phillies
Tagged: Clearwater Threshers, David Murphy, Kris Benson, Ruben Amaro Jr.
Burrell out tonight
May 27, 2008 · 2 Comments
He has neck stiffness. Who knows if that’s true. The Phils have scored 20 yesterday and Pat Burrell didn’t have a hit. Perhaps Charlie Manuel is just giving him a night off after some consistent struggles this month.
I doubt it. Burrell hit 3 homers last week. No one expects his average to be high, and he still walks. Most likely he’s legitimately hurt. Greg Dobbs started in his place.
Oh, and the Phillies are up 7-1 in the top of the 6th. That’s 42 runs over the last three days…
-Greg Berlin
Categories: NL East · Phillies
Tagged: Charlie Manuel, Greg Dobbs, Phillies
Tonight’s Mets lineup
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
Umm…this doesn’t look remotely close to the expected opening day lineup, does it?
Reyes (SS), Castillo (2B), Wright (3B), Beltran (CF), Easley (1B), Tatis (RF), Castro (C), Evans (LF), Santana (P)
How ’bout those standings
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
Another week has passed and the Florida Marlins are still in first place. We’ve talked again and again about how surprised we are here at NL Beast that the Marlins have continued to overachieve as much as they have so far this season. We’ve said that the Marlins have the pieces to achieve and that they should be a real contender as soon as next year. We’ve said it can’t last this season, and that it’s a nice story until the Phillies, Braves, or Mets step up and regain the top spot in the division.
But every week proves us wrong as the Marlins keep winning. They’ve been criticized for beating up on the bottom of the barrel. Then they sweep the Diamondbacks. Their pitching has been criticized as young and inexperienced. Then Andrew Miller outpitches Brandon Webb. Their offense has been described as resting on Hanley Ramirez. But it is Dan Uggla who is setting the pace not just for Marlins hitters but for Major League Baseball. Make no mistake about it, the Marlins are a dangerous team.
Categories: Braves · Marlins · Mets · NL East · Nationals · Phillies
Tagged: Andrew Miller, Brandon Webb, Braves, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, NL East, Phillies
Around the Mets [Willie-gate Edition]
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
Everyone on ESPN seemingly has to have a say about the Willie Randolph situation today, including Rob Neyer (”The owners seem to have decided to send exactly the wrong message, which is that nobody’s accountable for this mess”), Peter Gammons (”What [the Wilpons and Omar] don’t seem to know is what role Randolph’s managing plays in all this or, at this point, who would be the right person to change it”), and Buster Olney (”What occurred privately is that Randolph was put on notice, probably for the last time this summer.”).
Ken Rosenthal says what I’ve been saying for some time now, that Omar Minaya is the man who ultimately deserves the blame for the Mets’ shortcomings. Rosenthal also expands on a problem that could be plaguing the Mets clubhouse, a lack of cross-cultural camaraderie. It’s well worth the read.
Newsday’s Arthur Staple wonders why the Mets would have a press conference to essentially say nothing.
And on, and on, and on the media firestorm goes. I could link to more, but there’s really no point, you get the drift. Everyone reads something else into the Mets’ latest meltdown but the conclusion is essentially the same in each person’s analysis. The Mets are a team with no grit and no chemistry, a team that may have a lot of talent, but isn’t going to win anything unless some sort of major change takes place.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, NL East, Omar Minaya, Willie Randolph
Beltran: Willie situation was a distraction
May 27, 2008 · No Comments
Newsday, this morning, reported Carlos Beltran’s dissatisfaction with the media circus surrounding the controversy over Willie Randolph.
“I think they should say that and come out with something like that,” Beltran said. “Because it is a distraction. The reality is people say, ‘No, that doesn’t affect the ballclub,’ but it does. It does because you come to the ballpark wondering what’s going to happen. It’s natural as players, we all think like that.
“At one point, I was in that situation when they were talking every day about me being traded when I was in Kansas City. To me, it was thinking it might be today. Tomorrow might be the day. It’s not fun coming wondering like that every day to the ballpark.”
Later today, according to Newsday’s David Lennon, Beltran updated his remarks.
“It was. Not anymore,” Beltran said when asked if it was still a distraction. “Like I said, before all the rumors about Willie being fired and all that, it is a distraction. You try not to think about it, but it’s still in the clubhouse because people talk about it. Right now they said that he’s going to be with us. We don’t want to talk about it anymore and we don’t want to hear about it anymore. It’s all about us playing better baseball.”
This puts into words what many of us have expected, that the team feels more pressure because of the extra media attention and the fact that their manager might not be with them tomorrow. It seems that they are pushing too hard to compensate, and the results on the field are visible. It goes to show that you can put a talented team together, but if the dynamic isn’t right in the clubhouse, it’s going to show on the field. I think this team can—and will—win, but it’s going to take a sustained stretch of good, solid play to convince these guys that they are a winning bunch. Ron Darling said it perfectly in last night’s broadcast, it starts with winning the first game of a series, then winning the series, then suddenly you’re winning more games than you are losing. In a division that is this close, it only takes a couple weeks of winning play to turn the tide. And if there is a team that has the talent to make a run in the NL East, it’s the Mets.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Carlos Beltran, Mets, NL East, Ron Darling, Willie Randolph
