This Week in Baseball 8/6 - 8/12

[Guest •]

Braves and Phillies on ESPN

 

Cubs play the Astros, then the Rockies

 

I don't care about the rest of the world

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe]

Be prepared to witness JOBA

[treble]

The Jays have won 8 straight at home, are 14 games over .500 there, and are 5 games out of the wild card now. If they didn't play like complete shit on the road, they might have a shot.

 

I'm going to AJ Burnett's rehab start for Syracuse in Ottawa tomorrow afternoon. I've never been to a game there before, despite it being only an hour away, and I probably don't have much time left.

[USC Wuz Robbed!]

Uh-oh, Czech didn't do what Al asked for this week's thread starter to note.

[Bruiser Chong]

Time to see how the Cubs adjust to life without the 130-Million Dollar Man.

[Bored]

Uh-oh, Czech didn't do what Al asked for this week's thread starter to note.

WEDNESDAY

alkeiper Nerdgasm: Mythbusters on the National Pastime (Roger Clemens), 9:00/6:00 PM, Discovery Channel

[Vern Gagne]

The Jays have won 8 straight at home, are 14 games over .500 there, and are 5 games out of the wild card now. If they didn't play like complete shit on the road, they might have a shot.

 

I'm going to AJ Burnett's rehab start for Syracuse in Ottawa tomorrow afternoon. I've never been to a game there before, despite it being only an hour away, and I probably don't have much time left.

 

You're dying?

 

 

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe]

Prepare to....NOT witness Joba

[Bruiser Chong]

I hope there comes a time when this Joba is mentioned where I don't immediately think of...

 

[Guest frostdude1]

Joba just got his passport last week in new york ... he will probably join the team on tuesday

 

btw , its pronounced Jah-ba not Joe-ba

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe]

Yeah, thanks for the lesson.

[Guest frostdude1]

wtf ? Im not sayin u dont know , im just sayin it for casual mlb fans who will know his name soon ... thats idiot Kevin Kennedy or whatever on FOX pregame show pronounced it wrong and I know many others will

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe]

All you've gotta do is curb your enthusiasm a little bit there, sparky.

[Bruiser Chong]

Soriano out two-to-four weeks with a strained quad. Hopefully the team's more accurate on returns with its position players than it is with its pitchers. This is a big blow, obviously, and a potential difference-maker in the NL Central.

 

Trying to find the sliver of silver lining here, Soriano had been pretty cold at the dish and Theriot could prove to be an adequate lead-off man. Still, I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more Angel Pagan in the coming weeks.

[Guest frostdude1]

[World's Worst Man]

The Jays have won 8 straight at home, are 14 games over .500 there, and are 5 games out of the wild card now. If they didn't play like complete shit on the road, they might have a shot.

 

I'm going to AJ Burnett's rehab start for Syracuse in Ottawa tomorrow afternoon. I've never been to a game there before, despite it being only an hour away, and I probably don't have much time left.

 

You know, at this point I'm just hoping they're in the race with a legitimate shot at getting in. Even if they don't make it, it'd be nice to see some meaningful September baseball.

[Guest Smues]

I hope there comes a time when this Joba is mentioned where I don't immediately think of...

 

 

When I see Joba mentioned I immediately think of jobbers like the Brooklyn Brawler.

 

 

But NOT VAL VENIS!

[mike546]

Jim Brower?

 

Over Edward Rameriz or Britton? I don't get that.

[Cheech Tremendous]

 

 

This isn't the WWE folder. We have some (not many) standards around here to keep up. It's not a good idea to go over the top ballistic for your team without anything worthwhile to offer.

 

By the way, we all know how to say Joba's name. It's TSM, not the BBWAA.

[Guest •]

Soriano is ass in the field and slumping at the plate, so we'll survive. Go with the Cajuns in the middle infield, Floyd-Jones-DeRosa in the outfield, and that should get us by.

[Vern Gagne]

It wouldn't hurt Joe-Ba to get some more innings in the minors.

 

Joe Mauer should not be moved to a different position. He is far too valuable behind the plate.

[Bruiser Chong]

He's been cold at the dish since the second half began, but I still feel like viewing his absence as "no big loss" makes the costly seven years left on his contract look that much worse.

 

Ideally, it'd be nice to see Murton get the majority of the starts in right. Maybe the heat of a pennant race isn't the ideal time to rebuild a guy's confidence, but I still remember the potential Murton showed after his call-up in 2005. He may never pan out, but I'll give him the nod over Angel Pagan in right field any day.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Jim Brower?

 

Over Edward Rameriz or Britton? I don't get that.

No doubt experience comes into play. Brower is having an excellent season though, he's been just about automatic coming out of the bullpen this season. I don't think they're enthralled with Britton's conditioning. There is no other reason for him not to be in the majors as he already had a good season in Baltimore last year. But if you want a guy who doesn't flatten out the mound every time he pitches, that's a valid reason. Edwar left a bad impression his first time up. Hopefully he gets another shot because he's obviously too good for AAA.

 

Brower's pitching great now though, and since he's a guy that has gotten the job done before in the majors, I think this is a solid move for the Yanks.

 

As for Joba Chamberlain, I'd really like to see him stay in Scranton long enough to catch at least one pitching appearance. I don't know how wise it would be to call up a 21 year old kid to your bullpen who has only two games of experience in relief.

[CanadianGuitarist]

The Jays have won 8 straight at home, are 14 games over .500 there, and are 5 games out of the wild card now. If they didn't play like complete shit on the road, they might have a shot.

 

I'm going to AJ Burnett's rehab start for Syracuse in Ottawa tomorrow afternoon. I've never been to a game there before, despite it being only an hour away, and I probably don't have much time left.

 

You know, at this point I'm just hoping they're in the race with a legitimate shot at getting in. Even if they don't make it, it'd be nice to see some meaningful September baseball.

 

Spot on. The 'race to get into second place' last year just didn't cut it as meaningful.

[Cheech Tremendous]

FYI, Baseball Prospectus is doing a chat today at 1PM to offer explanation of many of BP's advanced stats, as well as sabermetrics in general. So if you've ever been confused or disinterested in my or anyone else's nerd stats, it's a chance to learn why these things are important and how they can be managed and interpreted simply without a degree in mathematics.

[Failed Bridge]

I wonder if Joe Morgan ever gets the urge to just join and spam one of those chats.

[mike546]

Jim Brower?

 

Over Edward Rameriz or Britton? I don't get that.

No doubt experience comes into play. Brower is having an excellent season though, he's been just about automatic coming out of the bullpen this season. I don't think they're enthralled with Britton's conditioning. There is no other reason for him not to be in the majors as he already had a good season in Baltimore last year. But if you want a guy who doesn't flatten out the mound every time he pitches, that's a valid reason. Edwar left a bad impression his first time up. Hopefully he gets another shot because he's obviously too good for AAA.

 

Brower's pitching great now though, and since he's a guy that has gotten the job done before in the majors, I think this is a solid move for the Yanks.

 

As for Joba Chamberlain, I'd really like to see him stay in Scranton long enough to catch at least one pitching appearance. I don't know how wise it would be to call up a 21 year old kid to your bullpen who has only two games of experience in relief.

 

 

I'm not sure which report is right, but the report from the NYPost says Joba was called up and will be active for todays game. The pregame comes o in 30 minutes so I guess I'll find out which report is right then.

[Cheech Tremendous]

I wonder if Joe Morgan ever gets the urge to just join and spam one of those chats.

 

 

Nah, he'd have to use a computer. That's not Joe's cup of tea.

[Guest •]

I haven't been to North Side Baseball yet to check in on those morons, but I bet there are two prevailing schools of thought:

 

1) OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD. GAME: OVER. ROAD TRIP: SWEPT. SEASON: DONE. TEAM: FOLDING. WORLD: ENDING.

 

2) Hey, no biggie, we can finally just put Matt Murton in; since he's been rumored to take a lot of walks and he's a skinny white guy, he's perfect.

[Bruiser Chong]

In a strange twist, Corey Patterson's little brother Eric is getting the call-up instead of Felix Pie. Patterson's been one of the Cubs' top prospects and is reportedly a more natural baseball player than his brother, but this move confuses me. Patterson's a second baseman, although he's gotten work in the outfield this year.