This Week in Baseball 5/28 - 6/3

[vivalaultra 0]

I don't wanna jinx it, but the Astros might win tonite!!!!!!!! 8-2 after 5 innings. Woody Williams struck out 9 batters and Lance Berkman got his 7th extra base hit this season, a 3-run homer. All they gotta do is win uh...9 in a row...and they'll be...back at.... .500 and probably 1st in the division the way the NL Central's been playing this season.

[strummer 0]

Giants trade Armando Benitez to the Marlins

[cbacon 0]

Roy Halladay was so great tonight that he caused a White Sox player to possibly break his ankle swinging at a pitch. And Toronto wins despite getting two hits. Hurray.

 

Starting to worry about their offense.

[vivalaultra 0]

Giants trade Armando Benitez to the Marlins

 

Who'd they get for him?

[strummer 0]

according to a board I frequent, Messenger

[humanoid92 0]

My initial reaction to the A-Rod thing was that it was a smart play. If guys are allowed to decoy, why shouldn't you be able to do what he did? Believe me, I'm far from being a Yankees fan but in general I think A-Rod gets way more crap than he deserves. As far as being bush league goes, the glove slapping incident in the LCS was pretty comical and reflected poorly on him, but the Pedroia thing? Please. He was breaking up a double play. That stuff happens. It wasn't exactly Albert Belle forearming Fernando Vina. And the fact that Pedroia is 5'7 has nothing to do with anything. He's a second basemen. There aren't exactly a ton of 6'5 second basemen walking around. That's just something middle infielders have always had to deal with.

 

But hearing other player's reactions, I'm not so sure. Heard an interview with Luis Gonzalez today and he wouldn't come out and call it bush league but it was clear he disapproved. He said it's an unwritten rule not to do that and it just doesn't go on. He equated it to little leaguers calling out "swing batta batta." It's not immoral but it's just something big leaguers don't do.

[bob_barron 0]

Al-

 

One of my co-workers went to a game in 77, Texas v. NY and saw back to back inside the park home runs. Do you when else this has happened? Just curious

[Mik 0]

And somewhere Scott Olsen breathes a sign of relief.

 

Another meh trade for the Marlins.

 

I'm really wishing they had the guts to pull the trigger on the BJ Upton trade in spring training because forget it now.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Roy Halladay was so great tonight that he caused a White Sox player to possibly break his ankle swinging at a pitch. And Toronto wins despite getting two hits. Hurray.

 

Starting to worry about their offense.

 

Thomas should get going soon. If not, I don't think he'll ever get going. Wells has been a load this year too, and he's probably in for one of his "off" years. Then the C platoon of Fasano and Phillips is of course, absolutely terrible. At this point, they've got Rios and Hill hitting, and Overbay coming around, and Glaus coming down from his high, and everyone else sucking. Glaus should settle in, but Wells and Thomas are the big question marks.

[Bored 0]

Al-

 

One of my co-workers went to a game in 77, Texas v. NY and saw back to back inside the park home runs. Do you when else this has happened? Just curious

Well I was Bored enough and interested enough to see if this were true and your co-worker ain't lying, if they were at the game, because on August 27th of that year Toby Harrah and Bump Willis went back-to-back in New York:

 

Boxscore

 

RANGERS 7TH: Washington grounded out (second to first); Horton

singled to center; ALOMAR RAN FOR HORTON; May singled to center

[Alomar to second]; Harrah hit an inside the park homer to right

[Alomar scored, May scored]; Wills hit an inside the park homer

to center; back-to-back inside-the-park home runs;

PATTERSON REPLACED CLAY (PITCHING); Beniquez singled to right;

Beniquez was caught stealing second (catcher to second);

Sundberg popped to catcher in foul territory; 4 R, 5 H, 0 E, 0

LOB. Rangers 8, Yankees 2.

[bob_barron 0]

Yea, I made him retrosheet it today while at work.

 

Was wondering if it happened any other time

[Bored 0]

D'oh didn't read your post right.

 

Quick Google search reveals that Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert of the Cubs did it on June 23, 1946. Too old of a game to find a boxscore for though.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I was at that game.

[Guest George's Box]

Roy Halladay was so great tonight that he caused a White Sox player to possibly break his ankle swinging at a pitch. And Toronto wins despite getting two hits. Hurray.

That wasn't just any player, dude. THAT WAS DARIN ERSTAD. He's such a grindy grinder, that he grinds his bones to swing at pitches, and then breaks them! He really put everything into whiffing at that Halladay pitch. WHITE SOX BACK TO THE GRIND

 

EDIT:

"If it wasn't that big of a deal he would have stayed in there, because he's a gamer," losing pitcher Mark Buehrle added.

This made me laugh, I don't know why. "Well if it wasn't a big deal he would've stayed, but it was, so he didn't." Okay.

[devo 0]

So, Beltran's hurt now too thanks to a collision with Rich Aurilia last night, so the Mets' outfield is going to consist entirely of backups at least for tonight. I'd be more annoyed by this if they hadn't already been winning to this date with a bench cocktail out there.

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

Roy Halladay should've smeared fake blood on his stomach.

[Guest George's Box]

Why would he impersonate Jesse Jackson?

[Guest Smues]

Is it only when the Braves are in town, or do the Cubs always just forget how to play basic defense at home? Routine pop-up that should end the inning, even in little league, gets dropped making it 2-0 Braves in the 4th. Last year's series in Chicago was a comedy of errors, this year's is off to a great start. I doubt anything will top the 2 run sac fly, but then again it is the Cubs.

[Guest Smues]

Hit the circus music! Runners on 1st and 2nd. Passed ball, runner on 2nd attempts to take 3rd. Barret tries to throw him out, and throws it past both the 3rd baseman and the short stop who was backing the throw up and the runner scores. From 2nd. Passed ball/E2, that's a rarity. And Kyle Davies just hit a double as I'm typing this. Yeah baby.

[Guest Smues]

Another double and it's 7-1 as Zambrano is just getting lit up now (I'd stop caring too with this defense) and the boooooooooooooooooooooooo is out in full force.

[Guest Smues]

And now Zambrano and Barrett are fighting in the dugout. The Braves series in Chicago is quickly becoming my favorite road trip of every season.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Carlos Zambrano is clearly pitching hurt. He hasn't looked like himself all season. Even in his stronger outings, he hasn't looked too sharp. I think today's the worst I've seen him look all season, as he issued in the neighborhood of a dozen hits, couple of walks, and NO strikeouts.

 

And in a sign that I think the Cubs have already hit a lower low than last season, Michael Barrett and Zambrano exchange blows after a 5th inning that saw Barrett toss up another error which led to another run. The two were arguing in the dugout and only came to blows when Barrett rightfully pointed up at the scoreboard. The papers in Chicago should be fun to read tomorrow.

[Guest Smues]

Now Barrett is out of the game, and during the bottom of the 5th Lou had to go into the clubhouse. I may hate the Cubs, but I'll be damned if they aren't providing me with lots of entertainment.

[Guest George's Box]

Is it only when the Braves are in town, or do the Cubs always just forget how to play basic defense at home?

At home, on the road, in day games, in night games, they do it on a boat, they do it with a goat, they do it against the Nats, they do it with a cat.

 

Oh, the Cubs are fun. Fun fun fun fun fun.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=j8CQm6DVmcc

[strummer 0]

So, Beltran's hurt now too thanks to a collision with Rich Aurilia last night, so the Mets' outfield is going to consist entirely of backups at least for tonight. I'd be more annoyed by this if they hadn't already been winning to this date with a bench cocktail out there.

 

And now David Wright has back spasms and will not play tonight. I guess that means Julio Franco at third or God forbid "Super" Dave Mc Newhan

[Vern Gagne 0]

More fighting in the clubhouse.

[2GOLD 0]

All it needs is Bob Uecker talking about the Cubs showing life for the first time in weeks and we have Major League 4. Only it won't end with them winning it all. Because it's the Cubs.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Lou said the fight spilled over into the clubhouse and that Barrett's lip was cut pretty good as a result. Excellent. I've been as big a defender of Zambrano as there's been, but it's tough to stand by him in this case. He's been pitching like crap all year, is obviously hurt, but because it's a contract year, he's insisting he's okay. I understand that he's emotional, but when you bloody up a teammate over an error, especially when you've been throwing BP the entire game, it's time to grow up.

 

At this point, it seems stupid to re-sign Zambrano to the kind of deal he's expected to get. He may go flourish elsewhere, but at this point, he's not showing any signs of maturing and it's possible the Cubs have gotten many of his best years. I wouldn't mind seeing them let Zambrano walk, except them being the Cubs, they'd probably put their new-found wealth towards bringing in someone like Tori Hunter.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Zambrano dealt, even though he's value has sure taken a hit in the first two months of the season. Cubs sure have a knack for doing that with players.

 

Lou concluded the press conference with something along the lines of, "I only have so many players that I can play, you know? And it's about time some of them started playing like major leaguers. Or, get somebody else in here who can catch a damn ball or run the bases properly. All right? That's all I can say."

[Matt Young 0]

Hey, don't look now, but Lou Piniellais going crazy over yet another Cubs mishap. Didn't see that one coming.

[Guest]

I'll take Zambrano. Hopefully it works out like our last deal.