This Week in Baseball 8/11 - 8/17

[naiwf]

I feel bad for the Nats and their fans tonight. They're down 10-0 in the 3rd and Acta doesn't have anyone up in the bullpen yet.

[Mike wanna be]

Is/was Maine on a pitch count? Seems kinda odd that with the bullpen as shoddy as it's been you'd pull Maine after five innings of one-hit shutout ball regardless of the twelve-run lead.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Is/was Maine on a pitch count? Seems kinda odd that with the bullpen as shoddy as it's been you'd pull Maine after five innings of one-hit shutout ball regardless of the twelve-run lead.

Twelve runs has been overcome twice in MLB history, once against one of the better teams in recent memory. If they can't hold that, it's time to pack it in.

[devo]

Well, his count was getting up there anyway, and there's really no reason to push him on the first start after an injury, especially in a game like this. Hopefully Stokes will be able to finish the game out by himself.

[Bruiser Chong]

Watching the Tigers right now is like watching the Yankees in October the last few seasons. Lots of big names and potential for success, but looking utterly listless at the plate.

[Bruiser Chong]

Speaking of the Yankees, I know they're never really out of it, but at what point does the media fess up and admit it's not happening? They aren't winning the East and they aren't exactly poised to snatch the WC either. I know it's the Yankees and ESPN and other media outlets have to pander to them because of the immense fanbase, but if this is just about any other team in their position right now, the media isn't even acknowledging them as being still in either race.

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

If it's any other team, the rest of the major league teams aren't tripping over themselves to hand over Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez, either, so it is a bit of a different dynamic with the Yankees than, say, the Rockies.

[KingPK]

It's because they've had a knack of suddenly turning it on right when the other teams they are chasing hit a cold streak late in the year. If they sweep either the Rays or Sawx in their next series', it'll all come back.

 

In other news, the end of Mike Timlin's contract can't come fast enough for me. That fork in his back is starting to resemble the one seen in The Muppet Movie.

[Guest Smues]

The Yankess aren't out of it until they are mathematically eliminated. I can't wait for that day, but don't count them out until it happens.

 

Edit: Ok that sounded very Marvin/Tim McCarverish. Obviously they aren't out until they're out, but what I meant is like it the Yankess are a team that always seem to give that false hope that they're out of it, then surge and come charging back. I personally don't count them out until they are officially eliminated. I do personally count out Baltimore despite being alive technically.

[KingPK]

Of course, if the Orioles can string together some more Sunday victories, all bets are off.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

NBCOlympics.com has the baseball competition, USA/Netherlands going on as we speak. Steve Strasberg, a candidate to go #1 overall in next year's draft is on the mound for the Americans.

 

Update: Nine up, nine down for Strasburg, including 6 Ks.

[Precious Roy]

I never count the Yankees out, they're the F'n New York Yankees, they haven't missed the playoffs in over a decade, they have the talent to get on a sudden hot streak at any point and the potential to win a series against any team in the league.

 

That said, it's hard to be as confident as I usually am at this point. The injuries are one thing, even with losing their ace and franchise catcher for the season, the potential future ace for most of the season, and Joba now hurt too, they still have a lot of firepower but the offense just hasn't gotten it done consistently this year. The bullpen isn't perfect but has come together pretty well since they moved Joba to the rotation, the rotation is patchwork and flimsy but they haven't really been the problem lately, the offense just isn't coming through. Melky and Cano have killed us this year, Girardi can sit Melky but Cano has to play because he's just potentially too good to take out of there. Losing Posada hurt us a lot because even though nobody expects him to have a repeat of 2007 he's a tough, professional hitter and a fixture in the lineup for the last decade. Jeter is having, for him, a bad year, putting up the lowest OPS of his career so far, and he hasn't run very much either. This is actually worse than the year where he started out in that long slump, because once he got out of it he was red hot for the rest of the season. This year he's just been average all season. So that's 4 spots in the lineup where we're not getting the production we need, everyone else has been good, but when you rely on your offense so heavily it's not enough.

 

So yeah, we've got some issues, and things aren't breaking the way they have the last couple years when we got hot after the all-star break. If Joba misses too much time we're probably in serious trouble. Hughes coming back and pitching well would be huge, but he can't be counted on at this point.

[MarvinisaLunatic]

Of course, if the Orioles can string together some more Sunday victories, all bets are off.

 

I wish they could clone Guthrie and have him pitch every game. 4 ER allowed in the past 4 games over 29 1/3 ip (including 1 CG), and since the offense is scoring runs, hes won all 4 to improve to 10-8. Early in the year he had stretch of 12 out of 13 quality starts and went 3-5 cause they werent scoring runs for him. Tomorrow they face one of the guys the Indians got for CC Sabathia so I have no idea what will happen, though I can hope they manage a split of the 4 game series. At 57-62 they are still well within range of a .500 finish, which is all Im really rooting for at the present time. That and a better finish than the Yankees, partnered with beating them in the Yankee Stadium finale...but thats a month away.

 

 

[Dobbs 3K]

That was amusing seeing Soriano hit a banger off the outfield wall yesterday and only get a single out of it. The Cubs ended up picking up two wins against the Braves to help their division lead.

 

Sabathia had another stellar outing yesterday. Not much more you can say than the man is on fire right now.

[sfaJack]

Dear God,

 

Please let the Brewers sweep the Astros next week so that I no longer have to listen to Astro fans (and Ed Wade and Drayton McLane) chatter about "another second half run" and other assorted playoff nonsense.

 

Sincerely,

Jack

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

I may to have to invoke "embarrassed to be a fan" for this finale of this Braves series, though not because they were ever in danger of losing either game yesterday. Rather, it's all the Braves-vs-Soriano ridiculous beanball posturing and Lou's not-so-veiled threat to the Atlanta hitters for tonight's game, that "our pitchers can hit guys too." I've made my philosophical opposition to the intentional hit batsman very clear in the past, and I really don't want to see the Cubs sink to the Braves' level here, which, with all due respect to Smues and Bob, is a really fuckin' low level. The Braves have nothing to lose at this juncture, but for the Cubs, there's too much at stake right now to bring on any suspensions or injuries that could come from things getting out of hand. Want to hit them where it hurts? Sweep them and be done with them. It's Glavine tonight, who should be on a strict allocation for his first start off the DL, so just worry about getting him out fast and beating up their bullpen. Don't worry about plunking goddamn Omar Infante as some stupid sort of retribution.

 

I'm as annoyed as anybody that the Houston Astros have come back from the dead, but let's not say things we'll come to regret, sfaJack.

[sfaJack]

Eh, since the Cubs get both the Reds and not-the-Expos at Wrigley next week, I'll take my chances with a Brewers sweep. Especially if said sweep means the annoying bandwagoners around here finally pack it in and resume paying full attention to the Texans. They're (mostly) insufferable.

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

Houston is still all the way back at 12 out with 31 games left. It's more important that the Brewers lose than the Astros, annoying Texans be damned. In fact, I hope the Astros do the sweeping. Three and a half with CC Sabathia playing like a man possessed is way too close for comfort.

 

Brewers after the break sans the Cubs series: 18-4

Cubs after the break sans the Brewers series: 12-9

 

Now that's the first place team controlling its own destiny. Thank fuck.

[Cheech Tremendous]

Legitimate question that may seem crazy: Has CC played himself in the Cy Young conversation? On the surface I would be inclined to say no, but it's not completely unprecedented for a half-year player to win it (Sutcliffe in '84). If he were able to keep this pace for the rest of the season, and the other candidates fade a bit, I could see someone making the case for him.

[Smartly Pretty]

The way I see it, if you don't record enough innings to lead the league in ERA (I have no idea how many innings that is, by the way) you probably shouldn't win the Cy Young. Having said that, since the time of his trade, he's been the best pitcher in the majors.

[Cheech Tremendous]

...the offense just isn't coming through. Melky and Cano have killed us this year, Girardi can sit Melky but Cano has to play because he's just potentially too good to take out of there. Losing Posada hurt us a lot because even though nobody expects him to have a repeat of 2007 he's a tough, professional hitter and a fixture in the lineup for the last decade. Jeter is having, for him, a bad year, putting up the lowest OPS of his career so far, and he hasn't run very much either. This is actually worse than the year where he started out in that long slump, because once he got out of it he was red hot for the rest of the season. This year he's just been average all season. So that's 4 spots in the lineup where we're not getting the production we need, everyone else has been good, but when you rely on your offense so heavily it's not enough.

 

This is a very astute observation and I am surprised that this hasn't gotten a little more attention from the media. One of the things that was truly remarkable about the Yankees over the past decade was their ability to get elite offensive production from the traditional, up-the-middle defensive positions (C, SS, 2B and CF). That was really the backbone of the offensive machine that won the titles and it's what kept them as the best offense in baseball throughout the '00s.

 

New York is going to have a ton of money to spend in the next few years and it will be interesting to see how they address the offensive side of the equation. Jeter could be in a season-long slump, but it's not crazy to suggest that he may be in his decline phase of his career. Posada is most likely going to have to DH or play first from here on out. How they address those two player's roles in the next couple of years could be interesting. They've lived with their respective defensive deficiences because the bats were so good, but that might not be the case going forward.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Legitimate question that may seem crazy: Has CC played himself in the Cy Young conversation? On the surface I would be inclined to say no, but it's not completely unprecedented for a half-year player to win it (Sutcliffe in '84). If he were able to keep this pace for the rest of the season, and the other candidates fade a bit, I could see someone making the case for him.

The problem is that Brandon Webb is 17-4. If he wins 20, he will probably win it unanimously. Sabathia would have to be perfect to pull it off, and that's not his track record.

[C Dubya 04]

The media can't suggest that because they're too busy blaming A-Rod because he got out with the bases loaded 3 months ago. That was clearly the real problem with the Yankees this year.

 

You'd lose your media credentials if you suggested Jeter was any part of the problem.

[Guest]

Nomar needs to stay healthy. Good win last night.

 

Please stay healthy Nomar.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

For the Phils and Yankee fans, tonight I'll catch Carlos Carrasco and Ian Kennedy in Scranton.

[devo]

Hey! Ever wished you could read about J.D. and Stephen Drew gettin' it on? With each other? Well, here's your chance!

 

http://wrennette.livejournal.com/tag/drewcest

 

Deadspin is great for finding stuff like this, if nothing else.

[Dandy]

The Reds might lose Yonder Alonso to Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez makes more than the Reds, so it might be a good move on Alonso's part.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/08/draft-roundup-d.html

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

Deadspin is great for finding stuff like this, if nothing else.

There really isn't much else, to be honest.

 

[Bruiser Chong]

The White Sox hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers today. Impressive feat, even if it was against the Royals.

[cabbageboy]

Normally I would be a bit disturbed by this recent Astros surge, but let's face it they are way behind the Cubs in the Central and also the Brewers as well. In fact they are still a few games behind the Cardinals. About all they could do is finish 3rd if the Cardinals really hit the skids.