Game over….

Well, I can say that I’m pretty happy to report that Eric Gagne is back. But not, as I had previously believed, with the Phillies. Instead, the great Gagne will be back in the place that he should never have left in the first place. That’s right. Dodgertown. And while he won’t be trotting out in the 9th inning with ‘Welcome to the jungle’ and ‘GAME OVER‘ flashing from every locale within Dodger stadium, it’s nice to know that the man who holds the record for most consecutive saves (84 – a streak that began and ended with a save and a blown save against which team? Answer at the end of the entry) will be back where he belongs in Dodger Blue.

I guess you could say it’s been a rocky road for Gagne to get back to this point. After being on top of the world as only the second Canadian (along with Cubbie great Fergie Jenkins) to ever win the Cy young award in 2003 with a sparkling 1.20 ERA and 137 k’s in just 82 1/3 innings, things started to go downhill after the 2004 season. 2005 began what would be the first of many surgeries, including a season ending surgery that alleviated a trapped nerve in his pitching elbow. Any thoughts of a 2006 comeback were sabotaged through early season surgery to completely remove the same nerve that was causing Eric problems in 2005. After a brief midseason return however, the Dodger great went back on the DL with further elbow pain. Before he could return, Gagne underwent season ending back surgery for 2 herniated discs. 
The following year Gagne wound up in Texas, and closing games for the Rangers, he found some of that old magic that was once seen lighting up radar guns and scribing zero’s into the scoreboard in Chavez Ravine. Still, with the Rangers well out of the playoff hunt and Gagne pitching well, his services were shipped to beantown where he played out the remainder of the season in Boston as second fiddle to Jonathan Papelbon. However, Gagne rarely got the chance to pitch in close games, and suffered mightily to the tune of a 6.75 ERA in just 20 games. Still, Gagne made the Sox playoff roster and pitched 4 1/3 total innings in the 07 postseason as Boston captured their second World Series championship in 4 years by downing the Rockies. 
Gagne didn’t return to Boston after the season and decided to plough his seed in greener pastures (or so he hoped), signing on with the Milwaukee Brewers. Things didn’t start well, with Gagne blowing it up in the Brewers season opener at Wrigley, serving up a 3 run bomb in the 9th inning to newcomer Kosuke Fukudome that tied the game. Milwaukee won the game in the 10th however. Still, Gagne struggled to get comfortable all season long, and never looked right, being demoted to middle relief, a role in which he finished the year. 

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After re-signing on a minor league contract with the Brewers for 2009, Gagne was released in spring training and he eventually signed on to pitch with the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League. 
And that;s where the Gagne story stands right now. While he might not light up the gun like he used to in Dodgertown, it sure will be nice to hear Vin Scully calling Gagne’s ‘Bugs Bunny changeup’ once again. Seriously, I still have a video tape of a 2004 Dodger/Yankee game in which Gagne came on with 2 outs in the 8th inning, Kenny Lofton on 3rd base with A-Rod due up and the Dodgers clinging to a 5-3 lead. With a 2-2 count on A-Rod, Gagne struck him out with an ‘almighty’ heater at 100mph that Rodriguez just simply could not match (See left). Pure power. It was incredible. One of my favourite moments to this day. 
So, here’s hoping that Gagne earns his way onto the major league roster and has a successful season! And the answer to today’s trivia question is none other than the Arizona Diamondbacks! The streak began on August 28th 2002, and ended on July 5th, 2004. 

Top 10 things to look forward to in 2010

Ok folks, I haven’t blogged for a few days, primarily cause I’ve been bogged down with some uni work. In the meantime, with pitchers and catchers set to report in just 6 days, I’ve been jotting down some things that I’m most excited to see in the upcoming baseball season. 
So here goes, in no particular order (they’re just numbered cause I think it gives it a sense of organisation):
10. The sounds of the game. There’s nothing better than sitting at the park and just hearing the therapeutic sound that is cowhide meeting leather once again. Or the ‘crack’ of the bat. Or maybe it’s just a vendor advertising products that you could get anywhere else in the country for half the price, but just wouldn’t taste half as good as they are at the ballpark. Perhaps its just being there at the game. Taking it all in. Hearing the roar of hope from the crowd as everyone rises from their seats to watch the majestic path of another Albert Pujols bomb. Or the groans as that stud reliever for the ‘other team’ strikes out your best hitter on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and your team down by a run. Or maybe it’s just the sound of silence. When I got the chance to go to some games last August and September (13 to be exact!), the first thing that I remember realising is how nice it is to just watch a game without any commentary. I’m so used to watching games on tv, that at first, I almost felt lost. It felt like I needed help. If I looked away for one second, I might miss some of the action. But after a while, I realised that this made me focus more on the game, and I got more out of it. So with no commentary, no analysis, it was just the sweet sounds of baseball. It’s just you, the game, and most of the time, a gorgeous day. 
9. Watching a game (albeit on tv) from brand new Target Field. I honestly don’t think I can contain my excitement about the Twins finally moving outdoors. Seriously. I used to hate watching games on tv from the Metrodome. It just had that echo about it. Just didn’t feel like baseball at all. But now, the Twins have got one of the nicest looking parks in the game. Seriously. So nice in fact, that I’m planning on trying to visit it either this season or next. 
8. Listening to some truly great calls in the 2010 season. Thank the heavens that Vin Scully announced he was returning to broadcast Dodger baseball this season for a record 60th season. Seriously, that’s incredible. What’s even more incredible is that fact that Vin does it going solo. No colour commentary here please. You know, everyone has guys in the booth that they love and guys that they just can’t stand listening to. For me, Scully is incredible. it’s not just how he sounds though. It’s how intense Scully is. He’s got a story for everyone, from rookies stepping to the plate (from either team I might add), to veteran starting pitchers, to coaches who have been around the game as long as Vin himself has. I’m going to make a dedicated effort to listen to a couple of Scully’s broadcasts this season, cause it might be his last year with the Dodgers. 
7. Speaking of great calls, I really can’t wait for the return of ESPN’s Sunday night baseball. For those of you that haven’t heard already here’s the schedule for the first couple months of the year. When first started watching baseball back in 2000, the only tv coverage I could get of baseball was ESPN’s Sunday night baseball way back on UK tv’s channel 5. It’d be John Miller, Joe Morgan, me and a game that I was vigorously trying to get to grips with. And I loved every minute of it. So whenever I watch Sunday night baseball these days, it’s takes me back to those happy times when I’d rush home from school, put my tape in the video machine and watch the Sunday night game of the week. Speaking of John Miller, I just love the guy. The way he calls the game is totally different from Scully, but again, I just can’t get enough. His voice just captures the excitement of every game and elevates it to another level. His games have so much character, so much life, that even the most simple play can feel like it’s a turning point of a game. It’s attention grabbing. Miller takes baseball’s many microcosms and makes them into a metropolis. Whether it be a ‘SAFE’ on a play at the plate or ‘A HOME RUN’, it doesn’t matter. I could watch every game that I’ve ever seen John Miller call again and it’d be just as entertaining. I don’t think Giants fans know how lucky they are to have Mr Miller calling their games on the radio every year. On a side note, congrats to John on winning the Ford Frick award. It’s about time. 
6. The return of the ‘Sunday problem’ If you ever read this entry I once wrote, then you’d know straight off what I’m on about. Now, this might sound like a complaint, but in reality, it’s the perfect problem. There’s just something I love about Sunday’s during baseball season. I think it boils down to the fact that its the only time during the week that every single game on the baseball schedule takes place during daylight hours here in the UK. That way, I can watch games live, and flip between multiple games while they’re actually going on. This might not sound like much, but on every other day of the regular season, waking up in the morning and  flipping through the archives to watch games that are already done, it’s not quite the same. 
5. Scoring. Ever since I scored my first game way back in 2000, I was hooked. It’s such a simple art, yet at the same time, so much fun and fascinating. No two people will ever score the same way, and that’s perhaps what makes it so interesting. I could pick up a scorecard of mine from a game 5 years ago and know instantly what I’m on about, but someone else who picked up the same card might not. The second great thing about scoring is that instantly you have a memory of that game other than the memories in your head. I could pick up Justin Verlander’s gem against the Cleveland Indians back on May 8th 2009, take one look at the game and instantly remember Curtis Granderson’s game saving catch with 1 on and one out in the bottom of the 9th to preserve a 1-0 Tigers victory and Verlander shutout. 
Another thing that I love about scoring is that it keeps you in the game. I like to keep a record of the count in each at bat, so that I’m always paying attention to the action. This past year I also started keeping a note of pitch counts too, so that instantly, you’ve got a record of some stats without having to go anywhere. And for me, when I’m watching games as-live, that’;s pretty important, cause I can’t go click on mlb.com and draw up the gameday application and check out the stats without blowing the result of the game. 
4. Browsing the box scores. Boy do I love doing this. There’s nothing better than logging onto mlb.com in the morning and checking how many k’s Tim Lincecum had the previous night, whether your favourite team won or lost and how it affects the standings, who had a 4 for 4 night, or who threw a shutout. Even better is the prospect that you might find out something special, like a perfect game, or a no hitter, or a cycle. For the record, I find browsing the box scores just to be therapeutic and relaxing. While I’d love to be able to read them in a paper, which is impossible for me in the UK, mlb.com is awesom
e. They’ve got clips of the best plays right there on the same page as the box score, and of course, every player’s page is just a click away, so for a stat nut like me, I can easily check out how many points Albert Pujols 3-3 night bumped him up, or how many consecutive saves Mariano Rivera now has. It’s beautiful. 
3. Checking the pitching probables. This is another one of my favourite ‘pastimes’ during baseball season. Before the first game of each day, I always peruse the probables over at mlb.com just for general interest. Of course, this also enables me to bump into some truly awesome matchups, and if I’ve got nothing going on the next day or late that evening, I might just stay up late and watch a couple innings or even watch the whole thing or the rest of the game the next day. Usually, I’ll jump ahead a couple days as well so I can plan on watching a couple of different matchups too. For me there’s perhaps nothing better than just tuning in and watching a random game every now and then. Especially on sundays. By the end of the season, I usually try to ensure that I’ve watched at least 1 game played by everyteam, and although this never happens, it’s a nice goal that I like to set for myself. Maybe I’ll get round to it this year. 
2. Following favourite players and the potential that I might get to see some live games. Seriously, I get attached to certain players. Everyone’s got their own faves, and for me it seems, the list just keeps on growing. Now, there are certain circumstances when guys get removed from my list. Take Jake Peavy for instance. I absolutely love the guy. His work ethic, his stuff, his attitude, mound presence, drive, determination, you name it, I love it. But, being a Tigers fan, now that number 44 is on the south side of the Windy City, I can no longer give him my undivided support. And boy was I ever annoyed when he was traded to the Sox. So currently, I’d have to take Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols, Heath Bell and Justin Verlander as the guys that are at the top of my list. It’s just great following these guys throughout the year, and it reminds me of the days when I’d avidly follow Eric Gagne’s every move as closer of the Dodgers. ‘Game over’ was fun. Too bad it ended so fast. Here’s hoping Gagne can hook on with the Phillies for the upcoming season. 
In a tie here is also the thought that I might be able to hop on a plane and see some live games. I managed to do this late last season, and I’m sure glad that I did. (big thanks to my cousin Jessica for helping me out here i might add!!) Having not watched live baseball for 2 years, it was truly amazing. And oh yea, I rediscovered my addiction for pretzels too. I’ve now visited 5 AL ballparks (Comerica, US Cellular, Jacobs field (it was when I went!!!), Fenway and the Mausoleum in Oakland) and 7 NL ballparks (Wrigley, Busch Stadium III, PNC Park, Shea Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, Dodger Stadium and AT&T Park). Where next? Who knows. But it’s always fun to browse the schedules and see where I COULD end up. 
1. Opening day. Nothing during baseball season is as good as Opening day. Seriously. Not even the World Series (Ok, maybe if the Tigers won the fall classic). It’s just so symbolic in so many ways. Summer’s on it’s way. Every team is 0-0. The dream is still alive for every team (Yes, that includes you Pittsburgh). Each matchup is a beauty, with staff aces starting for every team in the league. You just can’t go wrong. Even better, ESPN usually broadcasts 4 games, and most importantly from a personal perspective, the majority are played during daylight hours here in the UK. So, I can eat dinner, and then unwind with an evening of ball for the first time in months. And oh yea, the morning of Opening day always starts by watching the first Sunday night game of the year. This year’s matchup will be a gem. Red Sox/Yankees from Fenway. Pitching matchup tbd. But I can guarantee it’ll be CC for the Bombers and for the Sox? Jon Lester? Lackey? Beckett? Daisuke? Whatever, it’s going to be a gem. Last year I missed opening day because I was in Hong Kong, so rest assured I’ll be making the most of this tremendous day this year. Aside from Red Sox/Yankees, I’ll be making a determined effort to watch the Tigers/Royals, and I’ll probably check in on Phillies/Nationals and the Cubs/Braves.  As there are no day games on the tuesday, I’ll probably be watching the Giants/Astros game from that day as well. Oh the joys of baseball are almost back!!
Honorable mention: 
Following prospects. Again, this is another of my favourite things to do during the season. I’ll regularly check milb.com and get updates on who’s hot, who’s not etc etc. I’ll also be getting the Baseball America prospect handbook for the 3rd season in a row, and it’s a truly brilliant book if you love following the future stars of the game. 
5 days and counting till pitchers and catchers report! Bring on the summer! 

Picture of the day

How’s about this little gem, taken by yours truly last September on the 44th anniversary of Sandy Koufax‘ perfect game. 

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Curtis, oh Curtis

Well, I never thought that I’d be writing a blog entry about how Curtis Granderson was traded away by Dave Dombrowski. Just goes to show what I know eh? And as shocking as this trade actually was, in many ways it makes a lot of sense. While it maybe still way too early to judge who’s the eventual winner of the trade that went down at the winter meetings in December, I’ve personally got a good feeling that this one could bring some pretty positive results down the line and hopefully work out a little better than the Jeff Weaver 3 team deal did back in 2002. Although having said that, Jeremy Bonderman, the only player left of the 3 the Tigers got back in that deal (now there’s a trivia question – who were the other 2 players? Answer at the end of this article)

And there, really, is the key term when discussing this trade: Down the line. This isn’t a one year quick fix to try and win now. This isn’t the Cabrera/Willis mash up of December 2007. And yes it’s painful to see the best centre-fielder the Tigers have had in a long long time leave, made even more painful perhaps by the fact that he was a Tiger right from the beginning, you’ve got to look at the upside of what’s coming into the motor city. But before I give my opinion on what the Tigers got from the Yankees and Diamondbacks, let’s just mention what they’re giving up first and why I think this isn’t a bad deal.
  • If you want to be negative about Granderson, let’s face it, he couldn’t hit lefties at all (a meager .183 average to go with a .484 OPS in 2009), really didn’t do much better as a leadoff hitter (checking in at .235 with a .300 OPB) struck out way too much for a guy who was being counted on to set the table (141 k’s in 09) and didn’t draw nearly enough walks as required for a leadoff man. 
  • And yes while Granderson had tremendous power from that top spot, he was never cut out to be a leadoff man, and while the Tigers will badly miss his gold glove caliber defence in centre, the positives of what they’re getting in return outweigh the loss of number 28.
  • As for Edwin Jackson, well, you’ve got to wonder what it could possibly be about him that has him joining his 4th organisation of his young major league career. Because honestly, from the games I saw him start in 2009, Jackson was dominant, and he and Justin Verlander gave the Tigers arguably one of the best 1-2 punches in the American League. But, Jackson struggled in the second half, going from a 1st half of 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA to a 6-5 record with an astounding 5.07 ERA in the second half. You’ve also got the fact that he was left of the Rays 2008 Division series roster, although he did rejoin the team for the ALCS and World Series. Either way you look at it though, despite a respectable 14-11 record and a 4.42 ERA in 2008, the Rays were more than willing to ship in off to the Tigers for Matt Joyce. Again, something just doesn’t seem to fit here. But all signs point to Dombrowski making the right move.
So what’s to like about this deal then you ask?
  • Let’s start with Austin Jackson. I see a ton of comparable characteristics to Granderson, but if I’m being totally honest, he’s a bit of an enigma. I’ve read reports on him ranging from a potential five tool player and future star to more of a jack of all trades, master of none type guy who won’t be an elite player but will be a solid major leaguer. What to believe? Well, a lot of that will be determined this spring when the Tigers give him a shot to head north to the frozen tundra at the start of April. Will he be able to man the spacious landscape at Comerica? He’s certainly athletic enough, with the Yankees signing him away from a basketball scholarship at Georgia Tech. And you can’t say he;’s been rushed to the majors, having spent all of 2008 in double-AA Trenton and then all of 2009 in triple-AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But with all young prospects who haven’t yet made it to the majors, you don’t know truly what you might get when you put them to the test. 
  • As for Phil Coke, here’s a guy who comes in having a pretty good first full season out of a Yankees bullpen that had a 3.91 ERA on a pitching staff that was 4th in the AL in ERA in 2009. Three things Coke’s got going for him. Versatility. This guy was a proven starter in his minor league career, so if Leyland wants to look at him for the rotation, he’s certainly a candidate. Second, he’s a southpaw, and he held lefties under the Mendoza line in 2009 at  .195. Add in the fact that righties only hit .227 against him and you’ve got a pretty good shut down reliever who’s more than just a lefty specialist. With Bobby Seay and Fu-te Ni in the Tigers pen, that gives our favourite chain smoker a whole lot of options in the late innings in 2010. Thirdly, this guy had a 2.97 ERA in Yankee Stadium in 2009! As the season went on, the house that George built got a reputation for the long ball, so you’ve got to wonder what might happen when he goes from pitching most of his games in a bandbox to the more friendly confines of Comerica park, and also a little bit further away from some of the offensive juggernauts of the AL East. 
  • So what to make of the prospects the Tigers got from our friends in the desert. Well, according to baseball america, Scherzer ranked 4th on the Diamondbacks 2008 top 30 prospect list, and Daniel Schlereth ranked 3rd on the 2009 iteration. (Schlereth now moves to a comfortable 5th on the Tigers top 30 for 2010 in case you were wondering, behind only 2009 first round pick Jacob Turner, promising southpaw Casey Crosby, the aforementioned Austin Jackson and 2010 second rounder Andy Oliver) To be honest, I love guys like Scherzer, and he fits the mold of a Dave Dombrowski type pitcher to a tee. take a look at the kinds of guys Dombrowski has drafted during his tenure with the Tigers. Verlander, Perry, Andrew Miller, Turner, Porcello, Crosby, Cody Satterwhite. Big buys with big arms and even bigger fastballs. And that’s exactly what Scherzer brings to the table. Oh and he’s also got a pretty damn good change and a developing slider as well. So look out. yes there’s concerns about his delivery being to violent, but that’s never scared Dave away, and if they didn’t believe that Scherzer couldn’t hold it together, they wouldn’t have wanted him in the deal. While it took Max 24 games and 14 starts just to pick up his first major l
    eague victory, thats not a sign of a poor pitcher. Scherzer’s a quality arm, who, now having spent a year and a half in the bigs, is ready to slot nicely behind Verlander giving the Tigers a pretty good 1-2-3 with Porcello. Schlereth’s another power arm, and seriously, watch out for this kid, because he could be good someday if he can piece it all together. Things to like, sorry, love, about Schlereth. 1. He’s got a rocket of an arm. 2. He’s got an awesome breaking ball that will really get you off balance if you’re sitting on number 1. 3. He’s left handed (and you can never have too many lefties) 4. He’s got the potential to be a closer someday or at least the stuff to become one. If not, then he’ll definitely be featuring prominently in the back end of the Tigers bullpen for years to come. The only downside I can find right now on Schlereth is his command issues, but, as many people have perhaps figured out by now, Rick Knapp is one hell of a pitching coach (see Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander and Nate Robertson (at times) last season and you’ll know what I’m on about – this guy knows how to get the most out of a pitcher) and if he can’t straighten him out then you might have to go out an hire Leo Mazzone. 
So there ya go folks, that’s what I love about this deal. And while I hate to see Curtis go, particularly because he was a hard working, fan friendly, hustle guy who played the game the right way, looking back at this deal could bring a smile to my face. 
And here’s your trivia answer:
The Tigers got Franklyn German, Carlos Pena and Jeremy Bonderman from the A’s for Jeff Weaver, who was then sent on to the Yankees for Ted Lilly, John Ford-Griffin and Jason Arnold! 
Oh and if you’re wondering why I’m hyperlinking everything on this entry (!!!) it’s in homage to Paul Lukas’ tremendous Uniwatch blog over at ESPN’s page 2. Ta dah! Always nice to have some visual content to illustrate your text! 

Don’t trade Doc…..

As I watched Roy Halladay mow down the Red Sox yesterday en route to his 44th career complete game and 4th such feat this season, I was forced to ask myself this: Why the hell does J.P. Ricciardi want to trade ‘Doc’? Seriously. It feels like de-ja vu all over again but with the Jays ace instead of Jake Peavy. I mean come on. The guy has been absolutely dominant this year. His 11 wins rank 2nd in the majors, and he’s top 5 in the AL in ERA, K’s, 6th in Innings Pitched and has 1 complete game less than Zack Greinke, who leads the majors in that category. Despite all this, some part of the Jays front office seems to want to cash in Halladay for a bunch of prospects. And yes I can see the temptation, but if you ask me, unless you’re getting some guy who is of equal caliber to Doc, then it’s just not worth it. It’s not worth it because of the energy that having Halladay on the mound that day brings to the team. The Fans. Hell. The broadcast crew. They know they’re about to watch one of the majors premium pitchers. They know that everytime this guy toes the rubber, their team has it’s best chance to win, with it’s number 1 guy on the hill. The players know that. Halladay’s teammates have an elevated confidence level because of him. The players on the opposing bench are a little nervous. They know how good he is. Hell. there might be some fear in there somewhere. And for the fans out there, this is what you pay to see. The great matchups. Yesterday it was Halladay vs Ortiz in the first inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out. Want more evidence? How about the noise inside Rogers centre as Doc went full on Jacoby Ellsbury with 2 out in the 9th? And the subsequent roar from the crowd when he struck out the Red Sox’ speedster with a nasty cutter that tied Jacoby right up inside? 


Seriously. If there’s a guy the Blue Jays should trade, perhaps look at Lyle Overbay. Maybe try and unload Vernon Wells contract if you’re looking for a salary dump. But don’t get rid of Roy Halladay. It’s just not right.  

Brandon Inge…

Well, I got what I wanted, Brandon Inge was an all star this year. I for one am over the moon for him. Seriously. Inge has to be one of the most underrated defensive third basemen in baseball, and if you ask me has the most range of any guy who can play the hot corner in the bigs. And there’s some damn good ones out there too. Ryan Zimmerman, David Wright, Evan Longoria. We could go on. But Inge deserved this nod at the all star game this year. He’s worked so hard, and really, as Jim Leyland attested to at the start of this year, is a big reason why the Tigers are atop the AL Central right now. 

I would love for Brandon to win a gold glove, but maybe that and an All star nod are too much to ask for in one season? Still, if Inge can keep his batting average around .270, hit a few more bombs and maintain his ever solid play at third, then perhaps he’s got a chance. 
Having said that, I’m a little weary about him heading into the second half. The one thing I hate about the home run derby is that it forces hitters to swing for the fences. It’s not like BP, where you can work on timing, or line drives, or have the pitching coach throw you a ton of breaking balls to get your act together. And unfortunately, it throws a lot of guys off. Take Bobby Abreu for example. In 2005, Bobby had this line going into the break:
.307/.428/.526 18HR, 58RBI
Then, in a mammoth showdown with Pudge Rodriguez at Comerica in the homer run derby, Abreu hit 41 total homers. But then check out his line after the break:
.260/.376/.411 6HR, 44RBI. 
See what I mean? Inge is also a slightly better 1st half hitter than a second half hitter, coming in at .245/.324/.429 before the break and .233/.289/.368 after. However, more importantly, Inge has just experienced a monumental high point in his career with his selection to St Louis. Some could say the only way is down, but I disagree. With Inge’s work ethic, he should be just fine. Just as long as he remembers that he’s not a pure power hitter and keeps working on the things that got him off to .319 clip in April.
Speaking of all star third basemen, let’s talk a little about Ryan Zimmerman. And I’m not just mentioning him because of his 30 game hitting streak he had earlier this year. no way. this guy, like Inge, is a spectacular defender at third, making great plays night after night. Take for instance, the Nationals/Red Sox game on 25th June that I watched. I hadn’t watched a Nationals game all year in full, and it was John Smoltz first start for the Sox. Great game, with young Nationals righty Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. Jordan might well have been the story, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball, but Ryan came up with countless defensive plays that would have made Baseball tonights webgems anyday. Hell, he’s a human webgem. 
And while the Nationals still suck, they’ve got some promise. Zimmerman and Zimmermann (yes they are spelt differently as I discovered on that night against the Red Sox) have high ceilings, and they’ve got a slew of other young arms coming too. Ross Detwiler, Collin Balester, Shairon Martis has shown flashes this year, and 2009 first rounder Drew Storen is already wowing people with more than just high 90′s heat. If they can get Stephen Strasburg signed then who knows. But one things for sure, the Nats are building things the right way. Pitching and defense first. Plus, they’ve got one hell of a beautiful ballpark. I’d love for them to succeed. But it’ll come. These things take time. 
Here’s a quick peek of the games I’ll be keeping an eye on over the next 2 days:
Thursday:
Cubs @ Nationals – Harden vs Detwiler. Great matchup of a dominating righty vs a young lefty at gorgeous Nationals Park. Couldn’t be better. 
Friday:
Red Sox @ Blue Jays – Buccholz vs Romero. Even though I detest Rogers Centre and it’s artificial turf and cookie cutter feel, this matchup is a gem. Clay Buccholz returns to the majors and faces one of the hottest rookie pitchers in the AL in Romero in an AL East showdown. Should be a good un. 
Astros @ Dodgers – Oswalt vs Billingsley. What more can I say about this? What a pitching matchup at Chavez Ravine. Oswalt’s been hot recently and Billingsley has been dominant all year long. I can’t wait! 

The fallacy of the all star game ballot 2

Hey, I might be a little late, but still, I feel this was worth commenting on for a second straight year. Once again, mlb has done itself a disservice by allowing fans to vote up to 25 times. This is crazy. And as such, it becomes a popularity contest. Having said that, I was pretty pleased with how the all star starters turned out. At least there was no Manny Ramirez, and all of the guys pretty much with the exception of Josh Hamilton, deserve to be there. No disrespect to him, but the only reason that Hamilton was voted in was because he put on a clinic in last years home run derby. And don;t get me wrong, I love Josh Hamilton, I’m so happy for him and how he’s battled back from his problems to fulfill his potential. But the all star game should be a celebration in my eyes of the guys who are having the best seasons at that time.  

Anyway, having said that, as I sit here and watch the home run derby, here’s how I voted. 

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Bear in mind that I tried to base my votes on players that I thought were deserving for all star selection and not based on reputation alone. Also bear in mind that my one and only vote took place on 23rd May. There was still well over a month in all star voting to go. However, I’m pretty pleased. 
One thing I do like though is the final all star selection. It’s a pretty cool idea that fans get to vote for the last guy on each roster too. However, it suffers from the 25 times voting system once again. Why can’t they just leave it at 1 and done? Naturally, I voted for Brandon Inge, because I believe he was deserving and also Pablo Sandoval of the Giants, who really does have a great future ahead of him. 
Hope you enjoyed the all star game, and I’ll be watching next year’s contest to see if any homers can reach the rockpile out in Anaheim. 

If only….

…exams didn’t exist.
If only, I could pause the baseball season, finish exams and then jump right back in.
If only on top of that, the Stanley Cup Finals were not during baseball season, and baseball season wasn’t during the Stanley Cup Finals

Still, despite my concerns, I’ve been unable to blog in what seems like ages, and haven’t been able to watch a full ballgame in quite some time. So real quick, here’s what’s on my mind cause it may be a couple weeks before I can blog again:

  • Wrigley Field looks awesome with the ivy fully green. Can’t wait eventually go there again.
  • How about Chris Carpenter huh? You’ve been on the shelf for a year, you come back, you get two good outings, you go back on the shelf straining an oblique, and then you come back and in your second start, you’re perfect through six innings. Carpenter hasn’t allowed a run yet this year in 23 innings, and his control has been impeccable.
  • The Tigers are still looking good, Justin Verlander has just been nasty, and Rick Porcello is quietly trying to etch his name on the AL Rookie of the year trophy.
  • How about a 10 game winning streak for those Padres? Amazing. And Jake Peavy’s looked good recently. Oh and by the way, after K’ing 10 Cubbies on May 22nd, the only NL team Mr Peavy hasn’t had a double digit K game against is the Phillies.
  • Speaking of hot, what about those Yankees?
  • Or Maybe Joe Mauer, who has 11 home runs in just 27 games this year. Here’s some perspective for you. He had 9 in 146 games last year.
  • Zack Greinke is just incredible. AL Cy Young right there. You know you’re good when you give up 1 earned run and your ERA actually GOES UP!!! After his complete game vs the Tigers earlier this week, Greinke’s ERA went from 0.82 to 0.84. Sick.
  • They say Albert Pujols is in a slump, but hey, but people seem to forget that he’s still batting a measley .308 in May. Hang in there Albert.
  • Ryan Zimmerman’s hitting streak might have ended at 30 games and the Nationals might well be 13-34 yes folks, 13 and 34, but hey, it was one hell of a ride.
  • Why is it that whenever I see or hear of Clayton Kershaw, I can’t help but think of Sandy Koufax? Not the dominant Koufax that won 129 games between 1961 and 1966, posted a 2.19 ERA in that span, won 3 Cy Young awards and an MVP title along with 2 world series championships. No, the young, raw Koufax who showed signs and flashes of his future self but was suppressed by Dodger manager Walter Alston throughout his early years.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks. Exams, Stanley Cup Finals, hopefully the odd baseball game thrown in as well, starting with Dodgers/Cubs on ESPN on sunday night baseball. Can’t wait for that one. If only I get the time to watch it. Oh and Matt Wieters has finally been called up and went 0-4 for the O’s last night. However, since I have virtually no time, I can’t see him play against the Tigers this weekend. Still, it could be worse. Looking forward to a summer of baseball.

Oh Justin

I’ll say it right now. Curtis Granderson’s game saving catch in the bottom of the 9th against the Indians last night at Progressive Field was the greatest catch I think I’ve ever seen. And I’m not being biased here either. (at least I’m trying not to) Either that or I just can’t remember recently a better one. The situation undoubtedly made the catch that much better too. If this was in the first inning say, then yea it’s an awesome catch, but it’s not a game saver. Here, bottom 9, tying run on first, winning run at the dish, Verlander’s got a shutout going, and Granderson brings back a big L in the loss column for the Tigers by flashing the leather. The only thing that could have made the catch bigger perhaps were if it the scenario was 2 outs in game 7 of the World Series.
 
(oh and by the way, Tim McCarver just said the word discombobulated on
the Sox/Rays FOX game of the week – don’t you just love the English
language)

But what about Verlander? Well, that’s three straight starts now where he’s been downright dominant, and to be honest, I haven’t seen him look this good since 2007 when he notched 18 wins. So things are looking up. In fact, his start in mid April in Seattle was a beauty as well. But the line doesn’t look all that good – 7 1/3, 8 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned. The misguiding this about that line was that the runs all came in the 5th inning. Prior to that, JV had thrown 4 perfect innings. He was lights out. So it seems that Mr Verlander’s turned it around. Speaking of guys who’ve turned it around, Cliff Lee has done the same. After compiling a 9.90 ERA in his first 2 starts, the 2008 AL Cy Young award winner has thrown 5 straight quality starts – but due to the Tribe’s anaemic offense, Cliff has just 1 win out of those last 5, including 2 straight losses to Verlander and the Tigers.

And while we’re on the topic of Cy Young, hows about Zack Greinke for the AL’s top pitching award? Man this guy has been crazy. How about a 6-0 record in 6 starts. A 0.50 ERA in April to lead the majors. 3 complete games, including 2 shutouts. And his May 4th complete game shutout against the White Sox lowered his ERA to an incredible 0.40. What’s next for Greinke? I watched Zack dominate the Tigers April 24th and it was just ridiculous. Kinda what it miust have felt like last night as a Tribe fan watching Justin Verlander put up zero after zero – helpless. 

My pick right now for NL Cy Young winner is Chad Billingsley. At this point, he’s been virtually untouchable. 5-1, a 2.45 ERA in 7 starts. He might not have gone past 7 1/3 innings yet in any of his starts, but each one has been a quailty outing.

Continuing on the theme of guys who’ve turned it around, hows this about Barry Zito? The Giants lefty has thrown 4 straight quality outings, so maybe that 7 year, $126 deal he signed back in late 2006 might actually be worth something? Some would say it’s about time.

And you know what else I’m liking right now that came out of last night’s Tigers game? The fact that the Tigers got great pitching, and didn’t blow it. They’re winning tight, well pitched ballgames, and yes the offense has been harshly inconsistent, but at least the pitchers aren’t getting bombed just yet. They’ve got improved defense, a little dash of speed and hell, even Jim Leyland has been sending runners this season from time to time. Underlying point: These Tigers aren’t one dimensional anymore. There’s a reason why the phrase pitching and defense wins ballgames is true.

A couple more observations:

  • Boy it’s nice to see Joel Zumaya back and healthy. So far so good for Zoom, 5 scoreless innings. Let’s hope he keeps it going, cause he’s fun to watch
  • Nice to see Rick Porcello keep pitching well. After getting roughed up against the Yankees, he rebounded nicely by blanking the Twins for 7 scoreless. This guy is gonna be something special.
  • Also I’m glad that Dontrelle Willis is making it back to the big leagues. He’ll make his first start Wednesday at Minnesota, and you betcha I’ll be watching. I remember watching the D-train duel with then Diamondback Randy Johnson in his rookie year in 2003 when he won 14 games. The excitement, the energy he brought to the table. He’s one hell of a character. And it makes for great entertainment. For his sake, I hope he’s got himself straightened out.
  • It’s got to be frustrating to be Jake Peavy right now. Once again marred by inconsistency, high pitch counts and a lack of run support, Jake sits at 2-4 with a 4.27 ERA. His last two starts he was lights out. 8 shutout innings of the Dodgers last friday went for naught after Clayton Kershaw was more than equal to the task and the Dodgers won in the bottom of the 9th. Then in his last start, Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, who ranked last in the NL in just about seemingly every offensive category, managed to claw out a 3-1 win. Jake makes one single mistake that ends up costing him the game – a meaty fastball with one man on that Justin Upton drilled over the wall in center field at Petco Park. As per the norm for the Pads when Peavy starts, they couldn’t generate anything offensively, grounding into 4 double plays including a huge on with the bases loaded in the 9th inning. The D-backs made 4 errors, but the Padres couldn’t get anything except for the single run off the double play in the 9th. Crazy. What does jake have to do?
  • Does Jordan Schafer want to strike out anymore? This guys got 40 K’s already! That’s tops in the National League right now. Only perennial strikeout king Mark Reynolds of the Diamondbacks is close at 39. Schafer’s a promising rookie who will blossom into one of the games best for sure, but only if he cuts down those K’s.
  • Still, as always, Albert Pujols remains the best hitter in the game today.
  • The less said about Manny Ramirez, the better.
  • I’m pulling for Ryan Zimmerman right now. It’s about time the Nationals had some sort of success. They’re finally settled in in Washington. They’ve got a great new ballpark. They’ve got a few promising young players (See Jordan Zimmerman), and I love their jerseys. (hey, these things matter to me! If a team looks more asthetically pleasing, then that’s a plus in my book) In May, Zimm is batting .484, and he’s got the 26 game hitting streak rolling right now. And if you’re counting, that means that Ryan has only not got a hit in one game this year! One game! And that was the second game of the season.
  • One guy I want to give a shoutout to is Toronto’s Adam Lind. This guy is mashing the ball. Currently swatting .333 in 123 AB’s, Lind’s a big reason why the Jays are having such a great start.  

Here’s what to look for this weekend:

  • The FOX saturday games of the week feature a couple of gems. I’m watching Braves/Phillies right now and this one’s a good un. Then there’s Giants/Dodgers. And if that wasn’t enough, check out Saturday’s best pitching matchup of Scott Kazmir and Jon Lester.
  • Zack Greinke will be shooting for his 7th win of the year when he takes on Joe Saunders on Saturday night in LA. My money’s on Greinke.
  • As far as Sunday goes, Edinson Volquez will try and get Albert Pujols to take a seat at Great American Ballpark. Volquez has given up just 5 hits in his last 3 starts, including back to back 8 inning, no run performances against Houston and Florida. After a shaky start, it seems he’s found the groove once again.
  • Tim Lincecum will battle the Dodgers and Jeff Weaver at 4:05pm ET, and this one will be worth watching. Seabiscuit is always worthy of a look, and it’s Giants/Dodgers. Enough said.
  • Finally, ESPN’s Sunday night baseball comes our way from Fenway Park, where it’s the almost perfect Matt Garza against Josh Beckett.

Keep watching folks, cause we’re only a month in. And in just over a month’s time, I’ll be done with exams, so I’ll be free to watch an absolute ton of ball!

The resurgence of Rodney and ‘the sunday problem’

Well folks, we’re what, 3 weeks into the baseball season now and I’m loving it. (if you just count the fact that the Tigers aren’t 0-7 to start the year then we’re already onto a winner!)

After watching several Tigers games this year, including today’s rubber game 3-1 victory in Kansas city over the Royals, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve seen so far. Here’s what I’m liking:

  • Fernando Rodney looks damn good. He’s throwing strikes, and getting outs. And that’s what counts. One thing Tigers analyst Rod Allen pointed out today was how Rodney is not falling violently off the mound so much anymore after his deliveries. It seems this is leading him to more strikes. Good on ya Fernando. Keep it up.
  • Brandon Inge is red hot. Seriously, I’d heard Inge made a couple of subtle changes to his swing, and I gotta tell ya, they’re working alright. While we know the power from Brandon has always been there, it’s his ability to put the ball in play so far and avoid the strikeout that has most impressed me. even though he K’d twice on friday night against Zack Grienke (to be honest, who didn’t K against Grienke on that night??) he’s shown solid consistency. Let’s hope he can keep this going.
  • I love Josh Anderson. Speed definitely has an impact. And Anderson, everytime he has been in the lineup, has contributed somehow, whether it be beating out singles, stealing bases, whatever, it’s having a positive impact on those guys like Inge, Santiago (who is also scorching hot) and Adam Everett.
  • Joel Zumaya made his way back and appears to be healthy. That can only be good news for Tigers fans.

And while today is a Sunday, I’ve got to say as a fan living in the UK, sunday’s are awesome days for baseball. You get all of the games during the UK evening hours instead of what usually happens, that being most games beginning at 12am with those on the West Coast at 3am. Brutal.  

And there’s nothing better than watching live baseball. I just love flipping between multiple games. However, there enters the dilemma. With so many games to choose from, how does one decide? Does one watch a different game every half inning? Does one utilise Mlb.tv’s multi-game viewing capacity and bust out 4 at once? Or does one try and break it down a little and just concentrate on one or two games? Today, I was utterly torn. Tigers/Royals. Stop. Flip to Cubs/Cards to watch Pujols hit. Stop. Well how about young Jordan Zimmerman taking on the Mets? Stop. It’s 9pm already. Turn over to San Diego to watch Jake mow down the Pirates. Hang on. Back to the Tigers game. Wait, Pujols is on deck. Now can you see my dilemma? That said, I wouldn;’t change it for the world.

Add in the fact that it’s real baseball, at least according to the great Lou Gehrig:

‘Real baseball should be played in the daytime, in the sushine’ I just
love to see the sun shine down on a major league field and listen to
the crack of the bat and the pop of the mitt.

And make sure you don’t miss Yankees/Red Sox tonight (or tomorrow in my case) on ESPN’s sunday night baseball. It’s gonna be a beauty.

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