This Week in Baseball 7/30 - 8/5

[Brett Favre 0]

Well, DeJesus has been injured a bit. If you look at Bernie William's first few years, they're very similar to Cabrera's too. I'm not saying he'll become Bernie, but what I am saying that it doesn't necessarily mean he'll become David DeJesus either. All I'm saying is that he's producing at a young age, and has the tools to play centerfielder.

[Vern Gagne 0]

100 years since The Big Train made his big league debut

 

 

Hank Thomas, Johnson's grandson, still lives in the city, and will throw out the first pitch Thursday as the Nationals celebrate "Walter Johnson Day."

 

Thomas hopes to bring along his mother, Carolyn Johnson-Thomas. She helped with publicity in 2004 when the city lobbied for a Major League team, but has not yet been able to attend a game at RFK Stadium. The 84-year-old, who describes herself as "the biggest Nats fan in the world," will try to make it out for Thursday's ceremonies, and looks forward to meeting her favorite player.

 

"She loves Dmitri," Thomas said. "I can't wait to introduce my mother to Dmitri Young."

 

I wonder if the Twinkies are planning anything.

 

Not that I've heard of. They should do something, since it's the same franchise.The Nats are in the district but their history is in Montreal.

 

 

[mike546 0]

How do you find the compare player thing on baseball reference? I haven't used the site in awhile and its not on the players like main page.

 

edit: I can't find it for melky.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

How do you find the compare player thing on baseball reference? I haven't used the site in awhile and its not on the players like main page.

 

edit: I can't find it for melky.

 

 

It's usually on the player's main page, but it's not working for Melky. Maybe he doesn't have enough at-bats? I really have no clue.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Melky is so good no one compares to him.

 

 

[Guest]

Melky doesn't have a full season under his belt. That's why. He played 130 games, but he was a call up and not with the big club the whole way. If he was, he'd probably be on there, just like Johjima is.

 

Russell Martin doesn't have that section up either, that's how I checked to see why.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

So what do we think now that the dust has settled after the trade deadline?

 

Boston, Atlanta and Texas all look like big winners. Boston and Atlanta made themselves significantly better by acquiring the best players available on the market. They gave up a ton, but now Atlanta has the big bat at first base that they needed and a quality bullpen as well. Texas took three guys not in the team's future and turned them into 9 prospects who should all contribute in the majors.

 

The Cubs, Angels, Tigers, Indians, Dodgers and Mariners are all losers at the deadline. Each team is in the middle of a pennant race, had significant needs and chose to do nothing. In a way it's hard to fault them because we don't know what other teams were asking, but I have to believe there was something they could have done. Even a team like Philly was able to add a couple pieces on the cheap.

 

The White Sox and Nationals are huge losers for what they didn't do. Chicago had a chance to sell off a couple of over the hill players but asked exhorbitant prices that no one could meet. Their moves, or lack thereof, are going to hurt them for the next couple of years. The Nationals have no need for Belliard, Young, Rauch or Cordero, but stood still. Inexcusable.

 

The D'backs, Mets, Twins and Yankees played the market the right way. They kind of know where they are and didn't sell off pieces for marginal upgrades.

 

And the true what the fuck moment... the lowly Pirates send a good prospect for Matt Morris' corpse and his insane contract. I'm still scratching my head at that one.

[Failed Bridge 0]

ya, Melky doesn't have enough service time for the automatic comparisons at the bottom of the page. You gotta click on compare at the bottom of the page and then surf around and look at various players and make conclusions yourself.

[devo 0]

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/bra...ranco_0801.html

 

I feel kinda mean for doing so, but I found this really funny.

[Guest]

Atlanta and Boston won at the deadline.

 

The Angels and Dodgers lost for right now, but they keep the pieces for the future intact by not mortgaging them for a quick fix. I wish we could have done something, but the prices may have been so high that it just wasn't worth it. The Cubs were coming together at the right time, they could have used another piece but are good enough with what they have. The Indians could have used more, they lost. The Mariners are sort of in limbo, probably not good enough to get in the playoffs, in the position where one piece could really have helped them, and still in the picture. Could have used an extra starter, but evidently there were none out there that anyone could afford to trade for.

 

Atlanta's looking really good to win the NL, but they're Atlanta. You just don't know if they'll lay an egg in the first round or not. Their bullpen is looking really good.

 

 

[Guest •]

Now that I've had some time to think about it, I guess there really wasn't much the Cubs could've done that would've been worth it. All the moves we've made have been pretty good addition-by-subtraction moves: ridding ourselves of Michael Barrett's awful fielding and Cesar Izturis's nut-squeezing has improved our catching (till we stuck Kendall back there) and given more playing time to Theriot. Even Jacque Jones is playing well now, so he's practically a deadline acquisition. Would I have liked to have traded Angel Pagan for a reliable reliever? Sure, but obviously, Lou--and it is Lou running this team, not Jim--pieces on the market, so here we stand with what we have, one game back of Milwaukee. Hendry said he's made waiver trades before and he'll do it again, but I'm not exactly impressed by Jody Gerut for Matt Lawton.

 

Braves made out like bandits, though, I'll concede that. I still have some questions about their rotation, which seems to be Smoltz, Hudson, James, pray for rain, but the lineup is solid and the bullpen is solid. I feel like this year is Atlanta's last stand before we see some serious rebuilding. I'm also impressed with what the Red Sox did. That should be enough to hold back the Yankees.

 

White Sox = biggest losers of the year. Kenny Williams dropped the ball big-time here by failing to shed Dye, Contreras, and Garland, to say nothing of the whole Joe Crede fuckup. Unless Reinsdorf is willing to keep dropping a hundred million dollars on this team every year, which I doubt he'll be able to do when Comiskey Park attendance inevitably regresses back to 50% capacity, I don't see where this team is headed for 2008. There's no farm system. Like, at all. There could've been some semblance of one had Kenny traded away some expiring contracts not yesterday, but way back in June when they were swept at home by the Cubs, but he held on to these guys and it got him nowhere. Dye is either going to be extended (if only his knees' lifespan could be extended) or depart for practically nothing. Podsednik is gone. Erstad is gone. What are they going to do? There's nobody in the system! Andy Gonzalez? Luis Terrero?

 

Jim Hendry is the dumbest general manager in town, but Kenny Williams isn't far behind. Unfortunately, he's guaranteed a job for life, much like Farmer, Hawkeroo, and Ozzie, insufferable bastards all, but beloved by Jerry. Remember, Sox fans hated this guy until he found that asshole catcher on the scrap heap.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

So yeah...I remember a certain someone on this board mouthing off about where the Brewers would be in August, way back in April...

[CanadianChris 0]

The Jays' announcers were making a big deal Sunday about how the Jays could get back on a run with the Tampa Bay series, since they'd be missing the Rays' best two starters.

 

So what do they do? They go ahead and lose 2 out of 3, scoring only eight runs in the process.

 

This team frustrates the hell out of me.

[devo 0]

Three-run homer from Ramon Castro puts the Mets up 4-3 in the top of the second. I've heard that Castro simply can't handle a full-time assignment, but from what I've seen of him this year, I don't think management should go nuts looking for a catcher to replace Lo Duca after this season. A decent platoon partner might be all they need. Provided they resign Castro, that is.

[mike546 0]

Shelly Duncan aka Shane Spencer 2007.

[Dandy 0]

Anyone see Brandon Phillips steal two bases during one play? It hasn't had an official ruling yet, but the announcers are playing it up because no one thinks it has happened in the history of the game.

 

The play unfolded as Phillips got a huge jump and there was no throw to second. They had the shift on for Dunn, so the 3rd baseman was covering the bag. Phillips glanced and saw there was no throw and consequently no one covering third. He barely broke stride and won a footrace to third. Pretty heads up play.

[migoli 0]

So Twins Royals got cancelled for tomorrows day game and there was supposed to be the groundbreaking on the new stadium,that got moved to.

[CanadianChris 0]

Jerry Remy announced that he was giving away free T-shirts on his website. I went to the website, and it looks like it's crashed. People like the free stuff.

[CanadianChris 0]

Jeez, the Yankees have now hit 13 home runs in two nights against the White Sox. Sick stuff.

 

Al, do you know what the record is for home runs by a team in consecutive games? I know the Blue Jays hit 12 in two games against the Orioles back in 1987, and I can't imagine it would be much more than that, if that isn't in fact the record.

 

EDIT: Never mind, the record is 14. Thanks, Retrosheet!

[ISportsFan 0]

And because they hit 13 home runs in two nights, the umpire threw Charlie Haeger out of the game for hitting Cano with a pitch. Even though the pitch was a knuckleball.

[mike546 0]

Even Torre was disgusted over that.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Jeez, the Yankees have now hit 13 home runs in two nights against the White Sox. Sick stuff.

 

Al, do you know what the record is for home runs by a team in consecutive games? I know the Blue Jays hit 12 in two games against the Orioles back in 1987, and I can't imagine it would be much more than that, if that isn't in fact the record.

It's 14.

 

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B09040PHI1999.htm

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1999/B09050PHI1999.htm

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The record for three consecutive games by the way is 16, set by the 1977 Red Sox.

[strummer 0]

Three-run homer from Ramon Castro puts the Mets up 4-3 in the top of the second. I've heard that Castro simply can't handle a full-time assignment, but from what I've seen of him this year, I don't think management should go nuts looking for a catcher to replace Lo Duca after this season. A decent platoon partner might be all they need. Provided they resign Castro, that is.

 

 

I would love to see them re-sign Castro and give him a chance but with Paul Lo Duca being "fiery", a "clubhouse leader" and someone who will "push over a buffet table" there's no doubt the Mets will re-sign him for fear of upsetting the rest of the veteran players (and the fan base)

[devo 0]

I dunno. It's not like Lo Duca has achieved a Piazza-like following, and that coupled with his relative lack of production this year should prevent the fanbase from getting too upset. The clubhouse got over Franco's departure pretty much instantly, so I figure they'll manage Lo Duca leaving pretty well also.

 

Let's go Cubbies!

[strummer 0]

Braves DFA Julio Franco

 

Brian Lawrence will make the start tomorrow for the Mets as apparently Jorge Sosa is out of the rotation.

[strummer 0]

Joe Morgan is going on a monotonous rant about his whole whacky bat speed/strength/homeruns theory.

 

Truly compelling analysis.

 

Hopefully FJM is watching

[Guest •]

The Chicago Cubs are in first place.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Crazy. Look at that ninth inning. If this is three months ago, the roles are reversed and it's Scott Eyre blowing the game with a wild pitch.

 

That Julio Franco thing didn't last very long, did it? Not that it'd make much sense to keep him on with Teixeira aboard.

[Guest]

Hey, Juan Pierre did something useful.

 

Go him!