According to MLB.com, Braves closer Rafael Soriano will undergo an MRI after experiencing a setback during a bullpen session. The same article says that Peter Moylan will likely need Tommy John surgery. Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama said that there’s a five percent chance Moylan doesn’t need to undergo Tommy John, which would obviously be great news for the Braves.
But since that’s not likely, it’s time for Frank Wren to start looking for relievers on the market.
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Braves, Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham Alabama, Frank Wren, Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano
The Game: New York Mets (16-14) at Los Angeles Dodgers (18-14)
The Matchup: Nelson Figueroa (2-1, 4.08 ) vs. Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 3.82)
The Story: The Mets are hoping their bats make it from Arizona to Los Angeles tonight as they look to do a little better offensively than last night, when Chad Billingsley shut New York’s hitters down. Jose Reyes, Ryan Church, and David Wright went a collective 0-10 on the night against Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, and Takashi Saito.
Tonight, the Mets face rookie Hiroki Kuroda, the Dodgers’ big offseason acquisition out of Japan. Kuroda has been a good story for the Dodgers, just as Nelson Figueroa has for the Mets. Figgie was skipped over last go-around in the rotation in favor of Johan Santana, but he did take over for Oliver Perez after his disaster against Pittsburgh last week. The super-journeyman out of Brooklyn has been a great story so far, and looks to continue the magic tonight.
Carlos Delgado has certainly come around for the Mets, and is 8 for his last 25 with 3 HR and 6 RBI. It would be nice if the rest of the team decides to join him tonight at Chavez Ravine.
Lineups:
Mets: Reyes (SS), Church (RF), Wright (3B), Beltran (CF), Alou (LF), Delgado (1B), Schneider (C), Castillo (2B), Figueroa (P)
Dodgers: Pierre (LF), Jones (CF), Kemp (RF), Kent (2B), Martin (C), Loney (1B), DeWitt (3B), Hu (SS), Kuroda (P)
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, Nelson Figueroa, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Ryan Church, Oliver Perez, Dodgers, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Jonathan Broxton, Takashi Saito
Thomas Boswell thinks so. In today’s Washington Post, Boswell argues that the Nats have to keep up with the rest of the division by signing free agents this offseason, mentioning Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal, C.C. Sabathia, and Ben Sheets as possible targets.
Well first of all, scratch Sabathia right off that list, because there’s no way the Nats are getting anywhere close to C.C.
The article brings up a good point (even if Boswell is a bit delusional). The Nationals are at somewhat of a crossroads here. There is talent on this current team, but Jim Bowden’s “dream” lineup of players like Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez is more of a nightmare at this point. Sure, the Nationals are winning games right now, but if you told NL Beast that it was the starting pitching, not the core offense of Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, and Lastings Milledge that was most responsible, we’d be shocked.
It’s clear at this point that Stan Kasten’s philosophy is to wait for the farm system to develop and then compete. There some great players coming up in the future, including Ross Detweiler, Chris Marrero, and Colin Balester, but there is no way this team is going to compete in the near future without signing free agents.
NL Beast is sick of the excuse that the Nationals don’t have the money to compete in the free agent market (Forbes ranked the Nationals as the 13th most profitable team in baseball).
With Felipe Lopez, Cristian Guzman, Wily Mo Peña, and Odalis Perez all becoming free agents after this year, it’s very possible that the starting nine will look very different next year. Or, if history has told us anything, maybe not.
Categories: Nationals
Tagged: Austin Kearns, Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Chris Marrero, Colin Balester, Cristian Guzman, Felipe Lopez, Lastings Milledge, Nationals, Nick Johnson, Odalis Perez, Orlando Hudson, Rafael Furcal, Ross Detweiler, Ryan Zimmerman, Wily Mo Peña
Note: The State of the AL will be a weekly column written every Tuesday by Alex Kellner, a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Alex also blogs at alexkellner.com where he discusses politics, technology and sports.
We have now reached the 1/5th mark in the 2008 baseball season and so far the surprise of the year in the American League has been the Detroit Tigers’ struggles. After losing their first seven games, the Tigers have rebounded –going 14-12– but still sit in last place in the AL Central. The Tigers were predicted by many to dominate the 2008 regular season and while there is still plenty of baseball to be played (it is the first week in May after all), the team’s weaknesses have been on display for all.
The Tigers are going to score a ton (this is a technical term) of runs this year with an offense that may be one of the best of all time. However, as the Tigers learned the hard way last year, scoring runs alone does not guarantee a playoff berth. In 2007, the Tigers ranked third in runs scored behind the Yankees and the Phillies, but still finished eight games back of Cleveland for the division and six games behind the Yankees for the wildcard. Pitching and defense were the Tigers downfall as they ranked 9th in the AL for runs allowed.
Pitching, specifically, looks to be the Tigers’ issue this year as well, as they have allowed the second most runs in the American League (only behind the horrendous Texas Rangers’ pitching staff). Team ace, Justin Verlander, has been struggling so far this year with a 6.28 ERA, which joins Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers as starters with ERAs over six. The only positive point is rookie Armando Gallaraga who has impressed through four starts this year, with 1.88 ERA and a WHIP under one. The bullpen is equally as bad, and despite the hopes of Tiger fans, probably won’t see significant help from either Fernando Rodney or Joel Zumaya. All in all, unless the Tigers pitching steps it up and soon, they may miss the playoffs again despite possibly leading the league in runs.
Categories: General
Tagged: American League, Bill James, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Joe Posnanski, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays
The Game: Arizona Diamondback (21-11) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (19-14)
The Matchup: Randy Johnson (4 GS, 1-1, 4.79, 22 SO, 9 BB, 1.45 WHIP) vs. Adam Eaton (6 GS, 0-0, 4.72, 19 SO, 13 BB, 1.37 WHIP)
The Story: You never want to look up and see Randy Johnson opposing you, but it’s safe to say he’s not the pitcher he once was. Regardless, he’s should get a lot of Ks against the Phillies hackers. Adam Eaton is bound to never get a decision this year, posting none in 6 starts. The righty has lasted at least 5 innings in five of his six starts, and continues to be quite the pleasant surprise for the Phillies.
It’s unlikely that the Phils’ bats with be as hot as they were last night, but overall the team is just hot all around. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard seem to be taking baby steps towards getting back to their old selves. Even Eric Bruntlett is starting to swing the bat with a triple and two hits last night. Look for Jason Werth to be back in the lineup after sitting out the last two games.
The Dbacks will look to recover from an all around poor performance yesterday. The NL’s second best offense (183 RS) owns the highest slugging percentage in the league (.459) and are still posting the major’s best record (21-11).
Stat of the Day: The Phillies own the NL’s best road record at 9-6.
Lineups later.
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Adam Eaton, Diamondbacks, Eric Bruntlett, Jason Werth, Phillies, Pregame, Randy Johnson, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino
Via Beerleaguer:
Swindle promoted: It is with great pleasure to annouce that extreme junkball left-hander and Beerleaguer favorite R.J. Swindle has been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after mastering yet another level of the minor leagues. In 16 2-3 innings, the left-handed reliever, who works from the very left edge of the rubber and clocks in the low-50s with his breaking ball, allowed just one run and one walk while striking out 16 for Double-A Reading. The Phillies are reportedly seeking another left-hander for the pen, so this promotion suggests the 24-year-old lefty might be in the mix. In four minor league seasons, he’s averaging almost a strikeout per inning with a K/BB ratio of 308/56. Beerleaguer is pulling for you, R.J.
So is NL Beast. I don’t care how fast you throw, if you get outs you deserve a place in the bigs. He’s maybe an injury or two away.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Phillies, Reading Phillies, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, R.J. Swindle
As I’ve written time and time again, Jose Reyes is the number one catalyst for the Mets offense. When Jose gets on base, he 1) often represents a run in scoring position (which is great unless Luis Castillo is batting next) and 2) disrupts pitchers by serving as one of the league’s most dangerous stolen base threats. The Mets’ most serious offensive problem this year, even more important than Carlos Delgado’s lack of production, is Reyes’ failure to get on base. Here are some stats comparing Reyes to the NL East’s other leadoff hitters as ranked by On Base Percentage:
1. Hanley Ramirez: .322 BA, .591 OBP, .591 SLG, 9 SB, 19 RBI
2. Felipe Lopez: .281 BA, .349 OBP, .344 SLG, 4 SB, 12 RBI
3. Kelly Johnson: .268 BA, .333 OBP, .433 SLG, 3 SB, 10 RBI
4. Jose Reyes: .263 BA, .326 OBP, .449 SLG, 10 SB, 12 RBI
I didn’t include the Phillies because Jimmy Rollins has been injured for so much of the year. The point here is that, compared to the rest of the division, Reyes is not getting on base. And that lack of excitement on the bases is making it easy for pitchers to get around the rest of the Mets order (which is 20th in the MLB for OPS, 23rd for RBIs, 25th for HR, and 26th for BA).
But if Reyes is out, who to replace him with? How about David Wright? David’s OBP of .394 is far superior to Jose’s, and would be tied for 4th in baseball with Nate McLouth. David walks far more (23) than Jose (12), and is also a base-stealing threat. A hitter who hits well, has a great eyes and steals a lot of bases? Sounds like a leadoff hitter to me. But putting the team’s best player in the leadoff position, that would be crazy, right? Just ask the Florida Marlins (Hanley Ramirez). Or the Orioles (Brian Roberts). Or Seattle (Ichiro). Here’s how the batting order could look, should this change ever happen: Wright, Reyes, Church, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Schneider, Castillo. I’m not advocating making this a permanent switch; a couple weeks batting second could do wonders for Reyes. Another candidate for the leadoff spot could be Carlos Beltran, who leads the Mets in walks, and, like Wright, is also a threat on the bases. Beltran is not hitting, which could make a switch very desirable as well. If that were to happen, look for a possible batting order like this: Beltran, Reyes, Wright, Church, Alou, Delgado, Schneider, Castillo.
Out of the box? Maybe a little bit. But look at Detroit, where manager Jim Leyland just decided to totally revamp the batting order to try and get some chemistry going in his lineup. That is the kind of smart managing that wins games. Saying “Reyes will get it together” and hoping for the best does not. Would Willie ever consider this kind of switch? Don’t count on it.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, Hanley Ramirez, Carlos Delgado, Nate McLouth, Felipe Lopez, Jimmy Rollins, Kelly Johnson, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Brian Roberts, Ichiro, Jim Leyland
Phillies 11 - Diamondback 4
A great game all around from the Phillies. Jamie Moyer pitched 7 fabulous innings of baseball, allowing only 6 hits and 2 earned runs and striking out 5. The 45 year old spent the night methodically painting the plate and tricking batters. Only experience lends itself to the type of game Moyer pitched last night. Oh, by the way, he had no walks.
Moyer’s counterpart, Max Scherzer, the highly touted Dbacks prospect and fastball hurler, did not fair so well. Scherzer only lasted 4 innings, with a line of 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 5 SO. At times he looked magical, throwing fastballs in perfect spots and catching hitters off guard. At other times he looked inexperienced and desperately in need of another pitch. Take a look at his pitch breakdown:
Through 4 innings, Scherzer pitched almost all fastballs, with the occasional slider and a couple of change ups. His fastball comes in several varieties, but if he can’t develop a curve he’s may very well be destined for the closer’s spot.
As I wrote in the pregame, this game would be sink or swim for Scherzer. The Phils have a ton of strikeouts, but also a ton of homers in this lineup. It was sink for Scherzer and walk on water for the Phils. Rather than go through each batter, let’s just put it this way: Pat Burrell was the only player without a hit. The Phillies totaled 17 hits through the game, pounding pitcher after pitcher for the Dbacks. Even Ryan Howard looked on his game last night. After two smoked balls to outfielders - one an RBI sacrifice - he finally got on the board with a hit. But really, all you need to know last night is that everybody hit.
Despite the great hitting performance, the player of the game still goes to Jamie Moyer. You’d think he was 25 if he didn’t throw like a grandma. Oh yea, he had two hits of his own, including an RBI double, and very nearly a third hit.
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Diamondbacks, Jamie Moyer, Max Scherzer, Pat Burrell, Phillies, Postgame, Ryan Howard
As Matt Wise looks to return from his stint on the DL, the question is, who gets bumped from the bullpen?Adam Rubin outlines the possible scenarios in today’s Daily News, which include moving Jorge Sosa to the rotation and sending Nelson Figueroa down to the minors. On behalf of all Mets fans, I will throw up many, many times if that happens. My pick? Leave Figgie in the rotation, leave Joe Smith in the bullpen, and designate Sosa for assignment. If he decides not to accept the assignment, oh well, he can go grace another bullpen with his mediocrity.
Always Amazin’ has a piece today asking whether or not the Mets’ pitching woes should be blamed on The Jacket aka Rick Peterson. The piece looks at the mediocre starts for Oliver Perez and John Maine in addition to the roller coaster also known as the Mets bullpen, and asks if Peterson should be held accountable. Don’t be surprised if Rick is out of a job by June 1 if the quality of both starting and relief pitching doesn’t improve.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Joe Smith, John Maine, Jorge Sosa, Matt Wise, Mets, Oliver Perez, Rick Peterson
One run. That’s all the Mets could manage tonight in Chavez Ravine as the Dodgers came up big on the back of their young fireballer Chad Billingsley, winning 5-1. Mets starter Oliver Perez was better than the last time he took the mound, but could not keep the ball in the park, surrendering 3 home runs, one each to Rafael Furcal, Blake DeWitt (his first Major League long ball), and Matt Kemp. Both DeWitt’s solo shot and Kemp’s 3-run homer came in the 5th inning (anybody surprised that Oliver Perez broke down in the 5th?). Perez took the loss, and is now 2-3 on the year. His line tonight: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR. Not good.
Billingsley pitched well, but was not perfect by any means. His line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO. The problem offensively was the top of the order (which was very offensive to Mets fans). Jose Reyes, Ryan Church, and David Wright combined to go 0-10 on the night. Luis Castillo also grounded out to end two innings when Mets were in scoring position, stranding 4 on the night.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 New York Mets, a team that lacks in everything but payroll. This team plays with absolutely no emotion and no sense of urgency. Yes, maybe it’s only early May. But enough is enough with the excuses on this team. It’s time for the 9 batters on the lineup card to realize that they are on the same team and start playing with some sort of cohesion. This team is just not fun to watch anymore.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Blake DeWitt, Chad Billingsley, David Wright, Dodgers, Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Matt Kemp, Mets, Oliver Perez, Rafael Furcal, Ryan Church
