TWIB #4: now to the end of the month

[treble 0]

Apparently, no structural damage in AJ Burnett's elbow, so it's probably just the scar tissue again.

[Brett Favre 0]

The Yankees win/loss records for night games is disturbing, to say the least.

 

I'm guessing they prefer day games so they can get to Old Country Buffet for the early bird???

 

We'll see how long it lasts, but its pretty interesting when you think about it. 9-0 during the day compared to 1-7 at night? Somethings up.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Zambrano's out of his damn mind. He tries to drop down a bunt with no one on and then snaps his bat over his knee when he strikes out later.

 

His lack of command is maddening, though. Absolutely maddening. Walks clog up the bases, but two of those walks account for the three runs the Fish have.

[naiwf 0]

Zambrano's out of his damn mind. He tries to drop down a bunt with no one on and then snaps his bat over his knee when he strikes out later.

 

His lack of command is maddening, though. Absolutely maddening. Walks clog up the bases, but two of those walks account for the three runs the Fish have.

 

His last name IS Zambrano.

[Mik 0]

Vargas has been pretty awful to this point so watching him spin this 1 hitter on the Cubs has been something.

 

And if Miguel Cabrera didn't play tonight - it would be 0-0.

 

Just as I type this... HANLEY RAMIREZ! He's making plays like that every night to go along with his great hitting. Not ready for the major leagues? HA.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Of course, the refusal on the Cubs' part to make a guy who walks a lot of batters and has an ERA over 7.00 is equally, if not more maddening.

[jwest27 0]

Tonight's game so far reaffirms what I already knew; Albert Pujols is really good, Carpenter is really good, Mike Shannon is still terrible. There was a commercial where Shannon said he had been announcing for 30 years and hopefully 30 more, and I shuddered a little bit.

 

Edit: And as I say that, Carpenter gives up 2 runs. I should maybe wait till after at least the 5th inning to make judgments about the pitcher.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Dear Matt,

 

Thank you.

 

Bruiser

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Dear Jacque,

 

Thank you.

 

Bruiser

[Mik 0]

The thing is Josh Johnson is a decent pitcher. But why would you leave him out there to die like that? He's NEVER been in a situation like that before.

 

As a Marlins fan this year - you have to take whatever positives you can from every game. Vargas looked the best he's looked this year and probably his 2nd best major league start behind his CG 1 ER effort last year, and Hanley Ramirez continues to impress the hell out of me. I never thought I would enjoy watching a losing team so much.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

See Mik, you're the kind of fan I admire, but could never be. I'm too fickle to sit by and accept the team losing. I understand that with this particular club, you can't really have it any other way. I guess I've just never been good at finding that silver lining.

[Guest Felonies!]

Williams' was better than Rusch in the Pittsburgh series, but came out on the short end of the stick since the Cubs only scored one run, unlike the seven they scored the next day for Glendon.

 

Oh, I was referring to Jerome's showing in the Cardinals game, which was the same sort of "win or else" game as Glendon's game against the Pirates.

[naiwf 0]

See Mik, you're the kind of fan I admire, but could never be. I'm too fickle to sit by and accept the team losing. I understand that with this particular club, you can't really have it any other way. I guess I've just never been good at finding that silver lining.

 

 

But, you're a Cubs fan? Isn't finding the silver lining what you guys do since you know it's been almost 100 years since you could celebrate a championship? As a Mets fan I've found the last 20 years maddening, I can't imagine what it's like knowing that even my great grandmother wasn't alive when the Cubs last won.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

NOMAR!

[Guest Smues]

Braves lose 3-2. I guess getting over .500 will have to wait for another night.

[vivalaultra 0]

Apparently Andy Pettitte has taken Roger Clemens's spot in the rotation, as he throws a damn no-hitter through 6 1/3, gives up one run and can't get the team that scores 10 or so runs for Wandy Rodriguez to get him a win. And Lidge blew it. Damn him. Oh well, at least we're still not the Cubs.

[Bored 0]

A's offense

 

Eric Chavez & Nick Swisher: 17 HR, 25 extra base hits

 

Rest of team: 10 HR, 27 extra base hits

[Guest Smues]

A's offense

 

Eric Chavez & Nick Swisher: 17 HR, 25 extra base hits

 

Rest of team: 10 HR, 27 extra base hits

 

That's insane.

[treble 0]

Is Dan Johnson going to start hitting soon? My fantasy teams would like that.

[Bored 0]

I wouldn't hold your breath. Even though he put up good numbers in the minors he was never a highly regarded prospect. He was red hot his first couple of months after being called up last year but he tailed off as the season wore on and had a terrible September. I fear that he's already been figured out by big league pitchers and if he doesn't start making adjustments he won't have much of a future. If he continues to struggle this badly, along with most of the rest of the line-up, they'll be feeling the pressure to call up Daric Barton ahead of schedule.

[devo 0]

That rubber chicken bit the Giants fans have going is really fucking obnoxious.

[Guest Felonies!]

The whole "San Francisco Giants" thing has run its course with me.

[Guest]

Nomar will probably be hurt by Sunday, so I'll just enjoy the GS for now.

[vivalaultra 0]

I hope Lidge is hurt by Sunday. Oh well, by next week Clemens will be back and he can be our new closer.

[Just John 0]

I think Lidge needs some psychotherapy to recover from that Pujols Game 5 homer last year in the NLCS. He was unstoppable before that, and now he's as shaky and inconsistent as a Braves mid-reliever.

 

On the bright side, Rodriguez and Buchholz are looking very sharp early, so the overall pitching will still be solid.

[vivalaultra 0]

I don't think it's as much the Pujols homerun as it is that hitters are just figuring him out, and they're laying off his slider and pounding the shit out of his fastball. I mean, he's only given up homeruns to Daryle Ward (who's a strong muthafucka), Carlos Lee, and No-mah, but damned if he doesn't make me nervous everytime he comes in. I think he'll be alrite in the end, but he needs to adjust fast.

 

And Buchholz and Wandy are doing great. That does create a problem, though. Assuming we sign Clemens next month, that gives us a rotation of Oswalt, Pettitte, Clemens, Wandy, and Buchholz, and if Backe comes back in a couple months, who goes to the bullpen or AAA? Even if we don't sign Clemens, we still have the Backe problem.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Eddie Guardado sucks. He's one strike away from saving the game against the White Sox and gives up the tying homer. He's so Cubs.

[vivalaultra 0]

Eddie Guardado sucks. He's one strike away from saving the game against the White Sox and gives up the tying homer. He's so Cubs.

 

...Not "Everyday" Eddie!

[Just John 0]

Assuming we sign Clemens next month, that gives us a rotation of Oswalt, Pettitte, Clemens, Wandy, and Buchholz, and if Backe comes back in a couple months, who goes to the bullpen or AAA?

 

Eziquiel Astacio, if he's not already there.

 

Would it be possible to do a 6 man starting rotation, thereby allowing us to always have at least one starter on call for a couple innings of relief if someone's struggling?

[vivalaultra 0]

Assuming we sign Clemens next month, that gives us a rotation of Oswalt, Pettitte, Clemens, Wandy, and Buchholz, and if Backe comes back in a couple months, who goes to the bullpen or AAA?

 

Eziquiel Astacio, if he's not already there.

 

Would it be possible to do a 6 man starting rotation, thereby allowing us to always have at least one starter on call for a couple innings of relief if someone's struggling?

 

Astacio's in the pen right now. I'm assuming he'll be the first to go back. But then there's Nieve, as our long man with Springer. Trever Miller's been sucking lately, but he's not likely to go to AAA. As I see it, when Backe comes back, our rotation will be something like this....

 

Oswalt

Pettitte

Backe

Wandy

Buchholz

 

Bullpen:

 

Springer

Nieve

Gallo

Miller

Qualls

Wheeler

Lidge

 

See, that wouldn't be a problem, just send Zeke back to Round Rock, but if we get Clemens (who today announced that he absolutely won't come back until at least June), that means we've got to demote someone else, probably Nieve. And then comes the question of who goes to the pen out of Backe, Wandy, or Buchholz.