Good news for the Braves as closer Rafael Soriano can resume his rehabilitation after an MRI came up negative. Results on Peter Moylan are expected tomorrow.
No major damage to Soriano
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Braves, Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano
It’s only fun until somebody loses a head
May 7, 2008 · 1 Comment
Looks like Mr. Redlegs had a little accident. Thanks to Hot Foot for the video.
Categories: General
Tagged: Mr. Redlegs, Reds
Phillies Pregame - 5/7, 9:40 PM EDT
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
The Game: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Matchup: Kyle Kendrick (6 GS, 2-2, 5.01, 16 SO, 11 BB, 4 HR, 1.55 WHIP) vs. Micah Owings (6 GS, 4-1, 4.42, 30 SO, 12 BB, 6 HR, 1.20 WHIP)
The Story: Kyle Kendrick on the mound as the Phillies look to rebound from last night’s frustrating loss against the Diamondbacks and Randy Johnson. With any luck, Kendrick will be better than Adam Eaton was last night, walking the Big Unit on FOUR PITCHES! Of the walk, Eaton said after the game, “It’s pretty pathetic.” Pathetic indeed. Eaton started well, but he may be regressing to 2007 form…
The Phils bats weren’t silent last night, but they didn’t get the job done. They left seven men on base, including men on first and third in the 9th. The Phils could use this game, as they are going up against surefire Brandon Webb tomorrow. He’s 7-0 with a 2.49 ERA, and yes, you read that correctly.
Phils are gonna need some luck in the next couple days. All hands on deck!
Stat of the Day: Kyle Kendrick’s opponents’ batting average is .293. Oy…
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Adam Eaton, Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, Kyle Kendrick, Micah Owings, Phillies, Pregame, Randy Johnson
O’Connor replacing Chico in rotation
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
Mike O’Connor will replace Matt Chico in the Washington rotation. Chico will be available out of the bullpen effectively immediately.
Well, he can’t be much worse.
Categories: Nationals
Tagged: Matt Chico, Mike O'Connor, Nationals
Postgame: Mets 12-Dodgers 1
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
The Mets scored early and often off of the Dodgers and their ace Brad Penny today, erasing the possibility of a sweep in Los Angeles and going 3-3 on their short West Coast swing.
John Maine put in a superb outing for the Mets, going 8.1, allowing just one earned run off of 4 hits, striking out four and walking two. Maine looked absolutely dominant, and was within easy reach of a complete game shutout until the ninth inning, when he ran out of gas and was quickly replaced by Duaner Sanchez, who quickily retired the side. It says something that Maine was still throwing 94 mph fastballs in the top of the ninth (albeit ones that missed completely). Maine improves to 4-2 on the year.
Penny got hit hard by the Mets bats. His line: 4.2 IP, 10 H, 10 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO. Ouch.
It was nice to see an actual team effort today, with almost every Mets batter driving in at least a run, with the exceptions of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Endy Chavez (who replaced Angel Pagan after he left the game with shoulder soreness after an incredible foul ball catch). It was nice to see David Wright contribute after two big 0-fers in LA, with a ground-rule double off of Scott Proctor that drove in two.
These past two nights have highlighted the Jekyll & Hyde nature of this year’s ballclub. One night, an emotionless team throws a game away–the next day, they come out angry and stomp all over the opponent. The problem is, Maine and Johan Santana can’t pitch every day. Other pitchers are going to have to step up, or there’s going to be a lot more of last night and a lot less of today down the stretch.
The Mets now return home to face the Reds and Nationals next. Two very beatable teams that the Mets need to beat up on.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, Johan Santana, David Wright, Duaner Sanchez, Jose Reyes, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Beltran, Dodgers, Angel Pagan, Brad Penny, Endy Chavez, Scott Proctor
Will the Mets sign Teixiera?
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Mets are the second-most likely destination for Mark Teixiera (who becomes a free agent after this season), after the Yankees.
I’ve long been a proponent of the Mets signing Mark. But competing with the Yankees…how could the Mets ever beat out the Bombers for a star player?
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Braves · Mets
Tagged: Braves, Johan Santana, Mark Teixiera, Mets, Yankees
Perez’s big payday
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
According to John Delcos of the Journal News, Oliver Perez and agent Scott Boras could be asking for a five-year $60 million deal at the end of this season.
MetsBlog says that Boras wants to compare Perez to Erik Bedard, and Matt Cerone wants to “laugh in Boras’ face.”
Sabernomics “doesn’t think so,” and expects something more in the $30 million range.
Not unexpected, of course, because Scott Boras is who he is. If Perez keeps playing like he has been, it’s going to be much harder for Boras to keep this kind of talk up.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, Erik Bedard, Oliver Perez, Scott Boras
Pagan’s Amazin’ Catch
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
Angel Pagan just made possibly the best catch I’ve ever seen. With 1 out in the bottom of the first, Andre Ethier hit a drifting foul ball towards the left foul pole. Pagan ran it down and flipped over the wall head-first into the stands, holding the ball the whole time. When he didn’t get up at first, Willie and Ray Ramirez came running out of the dugout, but Pagan soon came up smiling.
Just wait until Sportscenter tonight. Wow.
UPDATE: Pagan left the game in the third inning with “tightness in his left shoulder.” Could have been much, much worse.
UPDATE (10:30 PM): According to Adam Rubin, Pagan will have an MRI on his shoulder tomorrow. He says he felt something separate when he landed in the stands. Hope he’s ok. If not, perhaps Matt Wise could take his roster spot for now and the Mets can play with a short bench.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Angel Pagan, Matt Wise, Mets, Ray Ramirez
Mets Pregame: 5/7 at LAD
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
The Game: New York Mets (16-15) at Los Angeles Dodgers (19-14)
The Matchup: John Maine (3-2, 3.48 ) vs. Brad Penny (5-2, 3.19)
The Story: After an extremely disappointing night in which the Mets left 13 runners stranded on base, New York looks to bounce back and take one last game to go .500 on the roadtrip. Losing today means that the third-place Mets would fall to .500 on the season. Don’t expect many cheers at Shea on Friday night if the Dodgers bring out the brooms today.
John Maine looks to assert himself on the mound today after a somewhat disappointing start to the year. The glaring problem with Maine’s pitching right now is the amount of walks that he is giving up, which is unlike him. His K/BB ratio stands at 1.53 this year, down from 2.40 last year.
Brad Penny is the ace of the Dodgers’ staff, and has pitched well so far this year. He faces a weaker Mets lineup than the one that stranded 13 runners on base last night (how many times can I bring that up today?), one without Moises Alou, Brian Schneider, and Carlos Delgado, who are all getting the day game off after last night. Carlos Beltran will start today after missing most of last night with “flu-like symptoms.”
Rafael Furcal will not start again for the Dodgers. Apparently he’s resting his sore back for the weekend.
Lineups:
Mets: Reyes (SS), Castillo (2B), Wright (3B), Beltran (CF), Church (RF), Pagan (LF), Anderson (1B), Casanova (C), Maine (P)
Dodgers: Pierre (LF), Ethier (RF), Kemp (CF), Kent (2B), Loney (1B), Martin (C), DeWitt (3B), Hu (SS), Penny (P)
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Brad Penny, Brian Schneider, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Moises Alou, Rafael Furcal
Braves and Marlins recaps
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
Braves 5 - Padres 3
Jair Jurrjens has established himself as The Man in the Braves rotation, and he continued his dominance last night. Jurrjens went 6 strong innings last night, striking out eight, walking one, and giving up just one run on seven hits. He is now 4-2 on the year. Padres starter Chris Young couldn’t keep the ball in the park, giving up home runs to the Braves two hottest hitters, Chipper Jones (10 HR, 29 RBI) and Mark Kotsay (3 HR, 14 RBI). The Braves had three pitchers close out the game, pulling Manny Acosta after giving up two hits in favor of a combination of Royce Ring and Jeff Bennett (who picked up the save).
——-
Marlins 3-Brewers 0
The Marlins continue to win on starting pitching that has far exceeded expectations, this time on the back of Scott Olsen. Olsen was masterful, limiting Milwaukee to 2 hits over 8.2 before turning the ball over to Kevin Gregg for the final out and his sixth save of the year. Olsen’s line on the night: 8.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 SO. Keep in mind this is a Brewers lineup that includes players like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Mike Jacobs hit his ninth HR of the year off of Jeff Suppan.
Categories: Braves · Marlins
Tagged: Braves, Brewers, Chipper Jones, Chris Young, Jair Jurrjens, Jeff Bennett, Jeff Suppan, Kevin Gregg, Manny Acosta, Mark Kotsay, Marlins, Mike Jacbos, Padres, Prince Fielder, Royce Ring, Ryan Braun, Scott Olsen
Capital Punishment shutting down
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
The Nationals blogosphere will be without its most prolific and influential blog, as Chris Needham “moves on” from Capital Punishment. NL Beast has really enjoyed reading CP, which we have found to provide smart, witty commentary on the Nationals, and wishes Chris all the best.
SNY vs. YES
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
New York Baseball breaks down the two New York baseball networks in a must-read for any Mets or Yankees fan. They basically conclude (accurately) that YES does a better job with non-game coverage but SNY destroys on the field. They give a lot of props to Gary, Ron and Keith and their “brutal honesty” which is something I completely agree with. Having watched many other teams’ broadcasts, I can say that, with the exception of Vin Scully, there are no finer, more objective announcers than the Mets’ crew. The piece also gives lots of props to Kevin Burkhardt, a guy who calls a great game and a guy who is stuck as sideline reporter for now, until another network steals him away.
http://nybaseball.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/ny-baseball-report-card-yes-and-sny/
Categories: General · Mets
Tagged: Kevin Burkhardt, SNY, YES
Postgame: Dodgers 5-Mets 4
May 7, 2008 · No Comments
Unacceptable. It is unacceptable to strand 13 runners on base as Hiroki Kuroda blows up in the first few innings, loading the bases not once, but twice, only for Mets hitters to falter in the clutch. It is unacceptable for this team to be hitting a collective .245. And it is unacceptable to let the Dodgers steal the victory that they did last night.
Kuroda was troubled from the start, serving up a long ball to Ryan Church in the first. The man from Osaka then loaded the bases, giving up RBI singles to Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes. The only other time the Mets would score was in the third, when Moises Alou stole home on a great double-steal call by Willie Randolph. As previously mentioned, the Mets stranded 13, yes, 13, on the night. Nelson Figueroa never looked dominant, and his breaking ball missed badly all night. He took the loss, going 5 full innings giving up 5 runs, all earned, on 8 hits, striking out 3 and walking 4. As per usual, when the team is losing, the bullpen pitched very well, with Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, and Pedro Feliciano each turning in a scoreless inning.
Church barely missed a long fly ball at the wall that allowed Blake DeWitt to hit an inside the park home run. DeWitt might as well be Pat Burrell, because he has been tearing the Mets a new one, going 3-4 with 4 RBI last night. Juan Pierre also drove in a run for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers stole this one, with Hong Chih-Kuo pitching a masterful 3.2 in relief of Kuroda, striking out 8 Mets batters. The Dodgers’ great 8th and 9th combo of Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito subsequently finished off the Mets.
Carlos Beltran didn’t start last night because of flu-like symptoms. He struck out pinch hitting in the 8th. Beltran is hitting .219 on the year, by the way.
I’ve been the first one to defend Willie this season, but a few more games like this and my attitude is going to change very quickly.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Aaron Heilman, Black DeWitt, Carlos Beltran, Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda, Hong Chih-Kuo, Joe Smith, Jonathan Broxton, Jose Reyes, Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo, Mets, Moises Alou, Pat Burrell, Pedro Feliciano, Ryan Church, Takashi Saito, Willie Randolph
