This Week in Baseball 6/4 - 6/10

[CanadianChris 0]

Awesome, Jays score 6 in the bottom of the 9th against the Rays to win 12-11. Winning on a walk-off walk by Aaron Hill.

 

Halladay got his ass kicked, though.

Yeah, that was the worst I've seen Doc pitch since his rookie year. The offence sure picked a good time to wake up, though.

[vivalaultra 0]

The Astros are working on a blood feud with the Colorado freakin' Rockies. It's been a very well-pitched game by Jason Hirsh and WANDY (2-1 'Stros in the 8th). Berkman was up to bat and got run up by 3rd base ump Ed Hicox on a bullshit check swing call. Berkman went freakin' nuts and had to be restrained. Hicox tossed him and then things got really fun, as Berkman threw his helmet and batting gloves on the field before going into the dugout and throwing his ballbag (not that ballbag, the one that actually contains balls) onto the field. Then, in the top of the 9th, Manny Corpas reared back and hit Carlos Lee up around the top of the lead shoulder with a fastball. Lee was staring down Corpas and Corpas approached Lee. The benches and bullpens cleared. Both teams ended up getting warned by Ed Rapuano, which Phil objected to, as if, in the top of the 9th, a ball got away from Wheeler, his closer would get tossed. Luke Scott proceeded to hit a 2-run shot off of Corpas to give the 'Stros a 3-run cushion, to make the whole thing kinda moot, but it was still fun to see the big staredown.

[Guest George's Box]

I'll be at the Cubs-Brewers game in about 11 hours, so that'll be fun. Suppan is up against Punchy, so I don't like our odds.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Heh, punchy.

 

I actually had a chance to go to the game today, but had to pass. I'm laid up at home right now, and going to a baseball game is out of the question. Ah well.

[sfaJack 0]

Is Barrett going to catch today?

[Slayer 0]

This season has been ridiculous in terms of 5+ run comebacks in the 9th.

So what does that say about the state of relief/closing pitching

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I know Colin Cowherd is easy to pick on but he was on fire this morning. He should just not talk about baseball because it makes him sound ever more stupid than he usually does. In about a ten minute time frame, we got these gems:

 

-Ken Griffey Jr. in Cincinnati was a failure because he even though he had great talent, he was never a clutch player. Supposedly, like A-Rod, he can only perform well in blowouts or with nobody on base.

 

-Randy Johnson has more strikeouts than Clemens but he was never that good of a pitcher. He was only known for throwing at Kruk and hitting a bird. He never came up big when it mattered like Clemens (?!). He only pitched well in the National League and never in the playoffs (?).

 

Doesn't hurt to try and talk baseball once in a while Colin, but maybe take ten minutes before the show and look up some numbers, champ.

[sfaJack 0]

Randy Johnson isn't a good pitcher? If you ignore the fact that it's only taken him about 1,000 less IP to get to 4,600 K's than Clemens did, maybe you could start to make such an argument.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Apparently the five Cy Youngs and World Series MVP don't mean anything either.

 

I turned off the show before he finished his argument, but he said Randy was never more than the 5th or 6th best pitcher in his era. Who was better? I can think of Clemens, Maddux and Pedro and that's it.

[Guest Smues]

He never came up big when it mattered like Clemens (?!). He only pitched well in the National League and never in the playoffs (?).

 

Didn't he go like 5-0 in the 2001 postseason, in addition to that mvp? And Cowman forgets about the AL Cy young he won.

[Brett Favre 0]

He pitched like every game in the 2001 World Series as well.

[CanadianChris 0]

I'm trying to think of when Clemens came up big when it mattered. Was it when he asked out of Game 6 against the Mets because of a blister? When he swore at the umpire in the 1990 ALCS and got tossed? When he got destroyed by Pedro in the 1999 ALCS? When he threw the bat at Piazza? When he got rocked against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS and didn't even make it out of the fourth inning? When he gave up three runs in the first inning in his only start against the Marlins in 2003? When he pulled his hammy and only pitched two innings against the White Sox in the 2005 Series?

[Brett Favre 0]

In 2000 and 2001 against Seattle, and Game 7 in Arizona. Against the Red Sox in 2003, the game where Pedro threw down a charging Don Zimmer. And against Atlanta in '99. Against the Mets in 2000 as well.

[CanadianChris 0]

Game 3 in 2003 is negated by the fact that he gave up 4 runs in 3+ innings in Game 7*. And while winning the final game of the World Series is surely impressive, the fact that the Yankees were up 3-0 already doesn't exactly make it the biggest of big moments.

 

*Hey, I need to add that one to my original post.

[Brett Favre 0]

Game 3 was huge considering we lost game 4.

[CanadianChris 0]

Maybe, but I'm pretty sure Game 7 > any other game.

 

Game 7 against Arizona WAS pretty clutch, I'll give him that. He should have won that game.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Keith Law's not my favorite, but this was funny.

 

Gina (LA): Hughes or Buchholz?

 

Keith Law: How to tick off half the readership in one question...

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I want to know where Clemens all of a sudden got this "big game pitcher" title. As it's already been pointed out, he's anything but a big game pitcher, save for a few instances. He was no more than mediocre as a Yankee from 1999-2003, except in '01 when he won the CYA.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Clemens is 3-0 in eight World Series starts, with a 2.37 ERA and 49 Ks in 49.3 IP to show for it. He certainly hasn't gotten trashed in a majority of his big games. Most great pitchers are good "big game" pitchers. I wouldn't sweat having prime Clemens on the mound for a game seven.

[mike546 0]

When he threw the bat at Piazza?

 

He threw like 8 shutout innings in that game.

[devo 0]

Shane Victorino is amazing. There, I said it.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Shane Victorino is amazing. There, I said it.

Watching him play every day in Scranton will always be a cherished memory. Simply an exciting ballplayer.

[Red Baron 0]

Jordan De Jong of the Jays just struck out the side in his Major League debut.

 

Pretty fucking impressive.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

This David Newhan fella on the Mets has a weird, pitcher-esque batting stance.

[Brett Favre 0]

He looks like a fusion of Mark Buehrle and Kurt Russell.

[World's Worst Man 0]

God damn Bronson Arroyo. What the hell is wrong with him? Was last year just a fluke?

[Hawk 34 0]

I think he's more concerned about his music career these days. Who could blame him?

[vivalaultra 0]

Or his career hawking new and used cars in the Cincinatti area.

[Hawk 34 0]

Or his career hawking new and used cars in the Cincinatti area.

 

Please. That's Ryan Freel's gig.

[devo 0]

That was the kinda game I need a big bowl of ice cream and an episode of MST3K to bounce back from. And now Endy Chavez is hurt, too. Maybe it's just as well - he's really exposed by everyday play.

 

Still, 3.5 up with three regulars out for an extended amount of time on top of everyone else being randomly banged up? I'll take that any day of the week.