This week in baseball 8/29 - 9/5

[Mik 0]

We're just about ready to hit the home stretch.

 

Great pitching matchup in St. Louis tonight as AJ Burnett faces off against Chris Carpenter.

 

Also Boston faces off against the suddenly very hot D-Rays.

[devo 0]

Mets have a very big week ahead of them as they face the Phillies at Shea and then the Marlins in Miami.

 

I have a feeling that that's who the Mets'll mainly be fighting for the Wild Card until the end of the year, hence why it's so important to get a good jump on them right now.

 

And yeah, the Cardinals/Marlins game tonight should be fantastic. I'll definitely be watching.

 

Edit: Also, this annoys me.

 

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/new...t=.jsp&c_id=nym

 

Yeah, Trachsel's getting kinda pissy about it, but he's got a point. Zambrano is an astoundingly mediocre pitcher and I'm amazed that they'd pick him over Trachsel after the terrific return start he had.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Oh good Lord, Cholly Manuel said today that Michael Tucker will "spell" Pat Burrell for the rest of the year against "tough right-handed pitching". Part of me wants the Phillies to miss the playoffs just to expose management as the incompetent boobs that they are. It's amazing that they found a manager that's even more incompetent than Bowa was...

[Vampiro69 0]

Well if the Twins are going to make a final push for this season they got a great team to do against in the Kansas City Royals.

[CanadianChris 0]

Hey, look...Kerry Wood's out for the season. Must be the end of August.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Oh good Lord, Cholly Manuel said today that Michael Tucker will "spell" Pat Burrell for the rest of the year against "tough right-handed pitching". Part of me wants the Phillies to miss the playoffs just to expose management as the incompetent boobs that they are. It's amazing that they found a manager that's even more incompetent than Bowa was...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Because you've determined that Tucker can't play? Tucker owns a career .782 OPS against right handed pitching. Burrell's career OPS against righties is .805. A 23 point drop in OPS three or four games is going to ruin our pennant hopes? Burrell is going to need a day off here and there, and it's better than seeing Endy F'n Chavez as our left-handed bat off our bench. There's a difference between "spelling" and "platooning" a player.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Pedro is going to dominate any hitter, I'd rather have Burrell up against him and take my chances than Tucker, and ESPECIALLY the fact that Lieberthal and Bell in the lineup without one of the good players(Burrell, Utley, Abreu, Howard) scares me.

 

Maybe I'm just sick of watching Bell do absolutely nothing other than be useless. After this weekend's series I'm ready to anoint him, Lieberthal and Rheal Cormier the Unholy Trinity...

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Go ahead. Personally, I think Liebverthal's done too much for the franchise to dump on him for a bad season. Same with Bell, to a lesser extent.

 

I'll be attending the Phillies game September 9th.

[therealworldschampion 0]

I wouldn't mind holding onto Lieberthal for another year as long as they can get Carlos Ruiz ready for 2007, but Bell....ugh....

[mike546 0]

Ken Rothensal reports Bellhorn is signing with the Yankees after he clears waivers. I know he Ks a ton, but he walks alot, has the short porch in right, and is better than any other backup infielder we have.

[Mik 0]

So much for the pitcher's duel in Florida. 5-0 Cards.

[Guest Smues]

I'm flying down south tomorrow to visit my grandma and catch a couple of Braves games (assuming they don't all get rained out). When I bought the tickets back in the Spring I was 100% sure Ken Griffey Jr. would be on the DL for the rest of the season long before the games against the Reds I'll be at. It seems wierd that it's almost September and he's still healthy.

[Fartsauce 0]

I predict he gets injured next week.

[mike546 0]

The Yankees aren't going to score tonight, I guarantee it.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

Kerry Wood out for the year and Czech hasn't run in here and blown up yet? Shocking.

[NoCalMike 0]

A's win.

[Guest Brian]

Yanks have had two "strike 'em out-throw 'em out"s against the M's. They're down four-to-one.

[cabbageboy 0]

No reason for anyone to blow up over Wood now. The Cubs are totally out of it and he was mainly coming out of the pen anyway.

[the max 0]

At least one of the big two Cubs pitchers will actually be *GASP* healthy for spring training.

[Fartsauce 0]

David Wells blew up again.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

It was expected weeks ago that Wood would be shut down eventually this season.

 

And thank the good lord, Todd Hollandsworth is now an Atlanta Brave(s). Good to see Jim Hendry take away one of Dusty's toys.

[Boon 0]

MLB.com reporting that Mark Bellhorn will sign with the Yankees.

 

Yanks picking up more Red Sox table scraps- good riddance.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Go ahead.  Personally, I think Liebverthal's done too much for the franchise to dump on him for a bad season.  Same with Bell, to a lesser extent.

 

I'll be attending the Phillies game September 9th.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But Lieberthal hasn't done much since he got his big contract, so it's not like this season has been an anomaly.

 

Anyone listen to 610 WIP this morning? I guess Cataldi's on vacation, so John Marzano's been in the studio last week and this week. The show's been pretty good w/ him, Al, Rhea. Marzano came up w/ a great nickname for Tomas Perez: No-mas. I can't stand watching that guy swing for the fences in every at-bat.

 

They were discussing the Phillies lineup, and each person came up w/ their lineup based on the premise that you had to win 1 game, or the season would be over. The consensus seemed to be

 

1) Abreu

2) Lofton

3) Utley

4) Burrell

5) Howard

6) Bell

7) Rollins

8) Lieberthal (somebody wanted Pratt instead)

9) pitcher

 

I know Al will disagree w/ Abreu leading off, but it's either Abreu or Lofton or Michaels. I think Rollins has shown (outside of his rookie year, and parts of last year) that he isn't a leadoff hitter. It's a little radical, but you break up the inning killing trio of Bell/Lieberthal/pitcher, get Rollins out of leadoff, and put your best on-base guy at the top. I'd be at least interested in seeing how that lineup would work. The only caveat would obviously be losing out on RBI's w/ Abreu.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Actually, I think using Abreu as the leadoff hitter is quite a sensible idea. Give a high OBP guy more at bats. Also, I would use Jason Michaels if there was a lefty on the mound. The main concern with the Phillies lineup is that you MUST use Burrell to break up the lefties. Otherwise, the other team can use their situational lefty and kill a late inning rally.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Congratulations to Shane Victorino for winning the International League's MVP Award.

[mike546 0]

Not a great night for Schilling.

[therealworldschampion 0]

4-2 Phillies in the top of the 6th, but the Inning Killing Trio are coming up (Bell, Lieberthal, pitcher)

[KingPK 0]

Not a great night for Schilling.

 

Though a positive is that he's only given up three hits and a walk in the last four innings. He's got to get out of the gate better than he did tonight.

[Mik 0]

Marlins coughed up a 4-0 lead to the Cards to go down 5-4 in the 8th.

 

But for once this year, they rallied for 3 runs in the 8th on a Castillo bunt, a Cabrera single (warning track), Delgado triple, and an Encarnacion sac fly.

 

It's good to see that this team is actually capable of a necessary comeback.

[devo 0]

Mets come back from 4-1 to win 6-4. I was leaping out of my seat when Castro hit that three-run homer to take the lead.

 

Half a game behind the Phillies and Marlins.