WP: Johan Santana (4-2, 3.10)
LP: Matt Belisle (1-3, 7.45)
Johan Santana gave up 10 hits, but it didn’t matter, as the Mets bats came to play today at Shea. Carlos Beltran drove in a season-high 5 RBIs, going 2-3 with a walk. Joining him in breaking out of offensive slumps were Carlos Delgado, who went 3-4 with a home run, and Brian Schneider, who went 2-4 with a long ball as well. Moises Alou drove in two runs, and both Ryan Church and David Wright also drove runs in.
Santana was not his dominant self, but he was still effective. Johan allowed 3 runs on 10 hits, walking 1, striking out 5, and giving up a home run to Edwin Encarnacion. Reds starter Matt Belisle did not pitch very well, pitching just 5 innings, allowing 6 runs, 5 earned, on 7 hits, walking 3 and striking out 2.
The Mets’ bullpen did not pitch well today. Aaron Heilman threw 32 pitches in the 7th, and gave up an earned run on a hit and a walk. Pedro Feliciano followed, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits. Jorge Sosa shut the door in the 9th, however, and did not surrender a hit.
It’s going to be a different team that takes the field tonight when Mike Pelfrey faces Bronson Arroyo in game two of this doubleheader. The possibility remains that Matt Wise will rejoin the bullpen for that game, which would require a roster move. I’m guessing that the two possibilities are a demotion for Joe Smith, which would be a shame, or a retroactive move of Angel Pagan to the DL. I’d prefer the second, but wouldn’t be surprised if Smith got sent down.
-Jonathan Kraft
Categories: Mets
Tagged: Mets, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, David Wright, Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Matt Wise, Moises Alou, Brian Schneider, Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa, Ryan Church, Mike Pelfrey, Reds, Carlos Beltran, Bronson Arroyo, Angel Pagan, Matt Belisle, Edwin Encarnacion
I had to take this baby out of the garage today since the game’s not on TV. It’s sort of nice listening to the game on the radio. I don’t drive much, so it’s usually tv or nothing for me. I guess a radio broadcast is cool every once in a while. And you still can’t beat Harry’s voice.
2-1 Giants early. Howard has a homer.
4:57: They just mentioned that Charlie Manuel presented Aaron Rowand with his 2007 gold glove before the game today. The guy tries harder than anyone in the league, but he is not deserving of any gold glove. Too many dives and missed balls. Not to mention the potential for injury. Rowand was a great teammate, but I’m not devastated he’s gone.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Aaron Rowand, Charlie Manuel, Harry Kalas, Phillies, Ryan Howard
Braves injury update, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
John Smoltz - Planning on going straight to the pen upon his return, the right-hander still has yet to do any light throwing. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bobby Cox doesn’t know whether or not he will begin tossing a ball this weekend.
Rafael Soriano - Soriano is closer to getting back. He had a catch yesterday and could throw a bullpen session this weekend.
Mike Gonzalez - He’s throwing in extended spring training and could be back by the end of May. According to the AJC, Gozalez “needed just nine pitches (eight strikes) to record three outs…The lefty’s fastball was clocked at 90 mph, and Braves officials reported he ‘felt good.’ His next outing is tentatively scheduled for Monday in Florida.”
Categories: Braves
Tagged: Bobby Cox, Braves, John Smoltz, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano
The Marlins are about to lock their superstar Hanley Ramirez up for the next six years, with a 6-year, $70 million contract that will make him the highest-paid Florida Marlin in history. Obviously, this is a great move for both parties. Hanley is the kind of player to build a team around, and this rapidly developing Marlins team should have great success in the next few years starting with their shortstop.
Categories: Marlins
Tagged: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
The Game: San Francisco Giants (14-22) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (21-16)
The Matchup: Tim Lincecum (4-1, 1.49, 45/17 K/BB, 1.37 WHIP) vs. Jamie Moyer (2-2, 4.45, 17/10 K/BB, 1.59 WHIP)
The Story: Old versus new again for Jamie Moyer. The 45 year-old faces off against Tim Lincecum, only 23. Never mind the fact that Moyer is almost twice the age of his opponent, he’s pitched phenomenally against his expectations this year. Moyer is coming off his best start of the season: 7 innings, 5 strike outs, no walks, and only 2 earned runs. And he did that against the Diamondbacks, one of the hottest lineups in the league. The Giants have lost the last two Lincecum starts, after winning his first five outings. He outpitched Cole Hamels last week in Philadelphia, but the Giants pen was not able to hold it together.
Jimmy Rollins leads the way for the Phils. With three RBIs and three hits last night in his first game back from the DL, the Phillies hope his spark is contagious. Pat Burrell is hitting only .158 in the last week, and Chase Utley is not doing much better at .200. Yet, with good starting pitching and great relief, the Phillies are finding a way to win games. That’s certainly a mark of a winner. When you’re hot, everything just seems to go your way.
But it’s not all by chance that the Phils are winning despite the anemic performance of their stars. While Utley and Burrell struggle, Carlos Ruiz is hitting .350, Pedro Feliz is hitting .400, and Eric Bruntlett is hitting .308. Everyone on this team is contributing (sans Ryan Howard).
Stat of the Day: Pat Burrell’s BB/K ratio is 1.03 (30/29). That’s the best on the team, but good enough for only 17th in the NL. Albert Pujols leads the category with a ratio of 2.92 (35/12).
Lineups:
Phillies
Rollins (SS)
Victorino (CF)
Utley (2B)
Howard (1B)
Burrell (LF)
Jenkins (RF)
Feliz (3B)
Ruiz (C)
Moyer (P)
Giants
Lewis (LF)
Vizquel (SS)
Winn (RF)
Molina (C)
Rowand (CF)
Castillo (3B)
Burriss (SS)
Ortmeier (1B)
Lincecum (P)
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Albert Pujols, Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Eric Bruntlett, Giants, Jamie Moyer, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Pedro Feliz, Phillies, Ryan Howard, Tim Lincecum
Gregg at Phuture Phillies recaps JA Happ’s excellent performance last night:
The performance tonight of prospect JA Happ is worthy of special recognition. Happ started and went seven dominant innings giving up only one run (in the 7th) on 4 hits. He walked two and struck out thirteen. He threw 110 pitches, 75 of them for strikes and lowered his ERA to an outstanding 2.72. He was pinch hit for in the bottom of the 7th and left with a 3-1 lead. This is the fourth consecutive excellent performance by Happ, and I would hope discussions have begun about the possibility of replacing Adam Eaton, who has drifted back into the same doldrums that have followed him the last several years as a Phillie.
As Gregg points out, this is the fourth strong performance in a row for Happ. He hasn’t recorded a win in those four starts, but that can be attributed to how bad the IronPigs are. Mr. Eaton, on the other hand, has had three poor performances in a row. Eaton really had me going. I was just stepping onto the bandwagon before he started mailing it in, a la 2007. Eaton is a lost cause, not that there ever was a cause. I’d say Happ is up by June.
UPDATE: I forgot about stud Kris Benson, who would most likely get the call before Happ. Benson can’t seem to get healthy, but Todd Zolecki reports that he’s throwing a bullpen session in Clearwater today. I’d rather take the chance with Happ.
-Greg Berlin
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Phillies, Adam Eaton, Ironpigs, JA Happ
Jimmy Rollins is back. The reigning MVP was 3 for 5, with 3 RBIs and a home run in the 5th that brought the Phillies back into the game. His spark was clearly palpable at the top of the lineup and, although only judging from one game, he seems to be taking pressure off from th rest of the players. After his big homer, Jimmy goes into the dugout and talks to Ryan Howard about how he hit the ball. That’s the kind of stuff you miss from him. He’s an excellent player, but he’s also the leader of this team.
Cole Hamels went seven innings and did not record a decision. His start turned out to be okay, allowing 4 earned runs, striking out 7 and walking 3. While he didn’t have his best stuff, he kept the Phillies in the game. Hamels has got to kick this habit of giving up early inning runs. He seems to settle down after a few innings in every game. His best stuff is usually in the 4th to 7th innings. Perhaps a change of warm up routine is necessary?
Overall, a very good win for the Phightins. Jimmy Rollins is the obvious player of the game. Let’s hope that spark continues to carry the team.
———
Oh, by the way, the Phils game will not be broadcasted today due to Fox’s ridiculous broadcasting rules. The 4:15 pm game is blacked out because Fox has the broadcast rights to all games that don’t start before 7 pm on Saturdays. Time to hit up the radio.
Categories: Phillies
Tagged: Cole Hamels, Giants, Jimmy Rollins, Phillies, Ryan Howard
When asked on Sportscenter this morning if the Marlins are for real, Buster Olney identified two pitchers, Andrew Miller and Ricky Nolasco, who are integral to Florida’s chances. Buster called the NL East a “muddy horse race,” and said that the Marlins can remain competitive if the back end of the rotation pitches well more consistently.
Miller’s stats so far this year: 2-2, 7.96 ERA, 2.12 WHIP, 15 BB, 22 SO
Nolasco’s stats: 2-3, 5.35 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 13 BB, 21 SO
Categories: Marlins
Tagged: Andrew Miller, Buster Olney, Marlins, Ricky Nolasco
Marlins 7-Nationals 3 [BEAST-OFF]
Tim Redding never had it for the Nationals, going only 5.1 and giving up 6 runs, 5 earned, walking 4 and striking out 3. He got the loss on the night, and now stands at 4-3 on the year. Luis Gonzalez drove in three runs on the night and Jorge Cantu drove in two. Hanley Ramirez notched his 21st RBI of the year. For the Marlins, Ricky Nolasco was very good, getting the win and surrendering just one run on 4 hits in 6 innings of work, striking out 6 and walking 2. The reliable Doug Waechter was not so good in relief, surrendering two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning of work. But the rest of the fish pen held up. For the Nationals, Wily Mo Peña, Cristian Guzman, and Nick Johnson drove in runs. Ryan Zimmerman went 0-4 with a walk. Elijah Dukes returned to the Nationals, going 0-2 on the night.
Pirates 3-Braves 2
Tom Glavine is still winless after 6 starts, pitching well (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO), but getting no run support. Glavine got the no-decision after Freddy Sanchez hit a walk-off single in the ninth off of Jeff Bennett to snap the Braves’ perfect May. Ian Snell pitched well for the Bucs, going 7 full, giving up 1 run on 2 hits, walking 6 and striking out 5. John Grabow picked up his second year of the year for the Pirates. Jeff Francoeur represented the entirety of the Braves’ offense, driving in both runs, one off of Snell and one off of Tyler Yates, who blew the save for Pittsburgh.
Categories: Braves · Marlins · Nationals
Tagged: Nationals, Marlins, Braves, Hanley Ramirez, Tom Glavine, Pirates, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Snell, Tim Redding, Nick Johnson, Elijah Dukes, Freddy Sanchez, John Grabow, Luis Gonzalez, Cristian Guzman, Ricky Nolasco, Doug Waechter, Jeff Francoeur, Wily Mo Peña, Jeff Bennett, Jorge Cantu, Tyler Yates
