Category: MLB General

mlb-general

Categories
MLB General

Full Count for Wed May 17 2006: Yankees and Rangers put on a show

1. Offensive fireworks: The Yankees-Rangers series just seemed poised to be a great hitting series, and Tuesday’s game didn’t disappoint. The Rangers crushed Yankee pitching early, with 9 runs in the first two innings. The Yanks were scoreless at that point, but they never gave up. With a 6-run sixth inning on top of 5 previous runs, the Yankees came back from the 9-run deficit. The epic comeback matched the biggest in Yankees franchise history. With the game tied at 12 entering the ninth, the Rangers scored a run in the top of the inning off Mariano Rivera. But Jorge Posada hit a walkoff, 2-run shot to end this incredible game. Derek Jeter and Posada were the Yankees’ best offensive performers on the night, with a combined 6 hits, 5 runs, and 9 RBIs. For the Rangers, Hank Blalock homered and drove in 4, and Mark Teixeria went 4-5 with two doubles. The Rangers are hit with the loss despite 17 hits, which has to feel pretty bad. They are still leading the AL West at 20-18.

2. Upside down: The White Sox and Devil Rays are at opposite ends of the league, that’s for sure. The Sox have the best record in the majors and are defending world champs, while the Devil Rays are in last as always and their minor league teams are making news for the wrong reasons. With all of this, you would think that the White Sox could easily sweep the team. Wrong. Despite a 6-run 8th inning, the Sox lost to the D’Rays 10-7 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. Thome and Konerko both homered for Chicago, but the big news was Tampa Bay’s offense. They blasted Sox pitching for 12 hits and 2 homers, knocking out starter Brandon McCarthy in the 4th inning. Carl Crawford and Johnny Gomes each hit 3 ribbies, and Scott Kazmir pitched another fine start. Kazmir allowed one and stuck out 8 to improve to 6-2 on the season. He is on pace for a 25 win season, about the entire team’s win total the past few years.

3. They missed the D-Train: Let’s face it–Marlins ace Dontrelle Willis has been very disappointing this year. But when the Marlins finally got a good game out of him, they lost. Willis pitched 9 innings and allowed only 2 runs, but Braves starter Tim Hudson allowed the same. In extra innings, the Marlins scored a run in the top of the 11th. But the Brave answered back, with an Andruw Jones RBI double and later run, giving them a narrow 4-3 victory. The game wouldn’t have gone to extras if Jeff Francoeur hadn’t hit a game-tying homerun in the 9th. Francoeur is past his slow start–his hitting streak is now at 14 games. Atlanta is now a game away from .500 for the first time since April.

4. News flash!: There were huge, HUGE surprises at Jacobs Field on Tuesday night. The Cleveland Indians came into the game with five straight losses against their opponent, the powerful Kansas City Royals. In fact, wins against the Indians have made up half the Royals’ win total. But last night, the Indians rallied to win the game. Coming into the 9th down 4-3, a Grady Sizemore homer tied the game up. With a runner on and slugger Travis Hafner up, the Royals wouldn’t give him anything to hit, right? Well, no, Hafner actually went yard to win the game. Cleveland was finally able to end an embarrassing streak, though they are still well out of the lead in the suddenly tough AL Central division.

5. It’s almost Lima Time: Anybody who thinks Jose Lima is a good pitcher is nuts. The guy hasn’t been effective this millennium. His career ERA is 5.24. He even has a losing career record. So that’s why we’re glad that he’s getting one last start for the Mets. Plus, it’s just fun to say “It’s Lima Time” whenever he starts. Lima will be filling in for injured rookie Brian Bannister, and filling in poorly. Mets manager Willie said it would be a sign of “panic” to put in Bannister, though we think he will be more panicked watching Lima get knocked out of the third inning.

Categories
MLB General

Full Count for Tues May 16 2006: Half Empty or Half Full



Property of Boston Red Sox

1. It’s not that bad: The Braves’ situation isn’t as bad as it was a few weeks ago. After defeating the Marlins last night, they improved to 18-20 on the season. They are 6-2 in May, and are only 5.5 games out of the division lead. Last night, they put on an offensive showcase in a 11-8 win over the Marlins. Brian McCann, the Braves’ vastly underrated catcher, drove in five runs and hit his 5th homer. McCann is leading the NL in batting average with .352 on the season. Andruw Jones also was excellent, going 4-4 with 4 RBIs. The Braves are taking advantage of a 10 game stretch against lowly Washington and Florida.

2. It is that bad: The Orioles, expected by many to finish last in the AL East, have surprised many this season by going 18-21 so far. Actually, their record would be a lot better had they not played the Red Sox so many times. They have lost all of their 7 games against the Sox this year, and dating back to last year the streak is 12 games. Nothing changed last night, as Boston soared to a 11-1 romp. Josh Beckett pitched excellently, with a 2-hitter through 7 innings on his 26th birthday. Jason Varitek scored a career-high 4 runs, and Willy Mo Pena homered and drove in 3. The Sox, at 22-14, have a one-game lead in the East.

3. Stuck on you: We haven’t written about Barry Bonds in a while here at Full Count, and that’s because he hasn’t done anything. Last night, he continued his homerless streak in the Giants’ 10-1 blowout over the Astros. Bonds did hit an RBI double, but he failed to go yard for his seventh straight game. The pressure of getting the next one (and another) homers is weighing on Barry. Before, Bonds spoke of the “ghost of Babe Ruth” hovering around.

4. Inner City Rivalries: Interleague play starts this week for some teams, and there are definitely some interesting matchups to look forward to. The Yankees and Mets play at Shea, which could prove to be one of the more intense series of the regular season. The White Sox host the Cubs, which might look intriguing on paper but will likely be a blowout. On Sunday, Carlos Zambrano and Jose Contreras face off in a guaranteed pitcher’s duel. And, in what is inferably considered an inter-town rivalry based on the name change, the Dodgers and Angels play. There are also multiple interstate rivalries which are less interesting. St. Louis travels to Kansas City, San Francisco to Oakland, Texas to Houston, Baltimore to Washington, and Florida vs. Tampa Bay (which will easily be the least-attended series of all time). Atlanta and Arizona are the teams left out of interleague play this time around, though the Hudson vs. Webb matchup on Sunday could be worth watching.

5. This is where the pot goes: Freddie Garcia’s tokin’ in the offseason hasn’t affected his game. Last night, he won his sixth game in a row, allowing 3 runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. That’s good enough to lead the league in wins. Let’s hope little leaguers don’t take notice of his training habits.

Categories
MLB General

Jose Canseco is tearing it up



MSBL uniform?

Jose Canseco insists he can still hit Major League pitching but while he’s waiting for the call, he’s honing his skills in the Los Angeles Men’s Senior Baseball League. Or maybe he just enjoys being the ringer. Valley Mets manager Gary Zelmen quotes, “What a weapon. It’s like cheating.”

Aluminum bats, high school fields, Canseco hitting it about 480 feet. That pretty much sums up the league. That, and Jose’s gotta chip in $5 to pay the umpire. You gotta give it to Canseco though. The guy clearly loves to play the game. People (ok.. we) make fun of Canseco and Rickey Henderson all the time for trying to stay in the game past their expiration date but unless they’re doing it for the money, it’s actually refreshing. Could you imagine Barry Bonds playing any kind of organized ball after he retires? Bonds doesn’t just not love the game, he clearly hates it.

Meanwhile, Canseco is jacking em out of high school fields and the other guys in the league get to say they played ball with a major leaguer. Oh, and if you want to go check it out. The Mets are playing the Cardinals at Westminster High School on 5/21.

Links:

[SF Gate]: Canseco back on the diamond, having fun as an amateur
[MSBL]: The Men’s Senior Baseball League of Southern California

Categories
MLB General

Odds and Ends for Mon May 15 2006: The myth of steroid testing

There’s an excellent piece in the Charlotte Observer today by Stan Olson about why the major league steroids policy is a sham. Olson contends that if steroids testing were working, then home runs should be down. Instead, home run totals are the highest they’ve been since 2000, the “heart of what we now believe to have been the steroid era”.

Why? Because the best performance enhancer is HGH, which can only be detected in a blood test. So despite MLB’s recent tough penalties on minor league players, it’s all a joke. Major Leagues know that they only have to pee in a cup… and so the homers go on.

In other news…

[SwanShadow]: Doug Flutie calls it a career

[Tom Bejamin’s NHL weblog]: Why the Ottawa Senators screwed the pooch

[Chicago Sports]: Azumah taken to the cleaners

[HockeyDirt.com]: As if low ratings for hockey on OLN weren’t enough, the USHHOF closes

[Detroit Free Press]: Need4Sheed blogger gets some love

[Jes Golbez]: There’s nothing better than irrational hate for a team

Categories
MLB General

Full Count for Mon May 15 2006: The MLB’s worst pitcher



LVP

1. Simply the worst: Who is the worst pitcher in the major leagues this season? Carlos Silva, who blew the game for the Twins, certainly has a valid claim. He is 2-6 with an 8.80 ERA on the year. The Padres’ Dewon Brazelton has been downright awful, with a 12.0 ERA and a laughable 2.06 WHIP. But the title–for now–goes to Toronto’s Josh Towers, who was 0-7 until winning yesterday. Towers’ ERA is 7-98, and he has allowed 59 hits in 38 innings pitched. Before last night’s game, Towers had never lasted more than 6 innings or allowed less than 3 earned runs in a start.

2. On a roll doesn’t even describe this: The Phillies might just be the hottest team in the MLB. On Sunday, they won their 13th game out of the last 14 contests, topping the Reds in a 12-inning battle. Ryan Howard, despite not even being in the starting lineup, proved to be the hero for the Phils. He hit 2 homers, producing the only Phillies runs of the day in a 2-1 victory. Howard didn’t come in until the 8th inning due to the stomach flu, but he still hit his 11th and 12th shots of the season. Now the Phillies are only one game back of the Mets for the division lead. A Philly-New York series next week will likely determine the division leader.

3. Passing Ruth: No, Barry Bonds didn’t hit any homeruns last night. But Luis Gonzalez hit his 507th double, passing the Babe on the all-time list. Gonzalez went 4-5 and scored two runs for the Diamondbacks, who edged St. Louis 7-6 to avoid a sweep. Another start by the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter was wasted, as he allowed no earned runs (though 3 unearned) yet fell to 3-2. Carpenter’s record is unimpressive despite his 1.98 ERA, which is nearly a full point lower than last year’s. But St. Louis struggled defensively, making 3 errors that likely lost them the game. Of course, don’t fell sorry for St. Louis–they still have the best record in the NL at 24-14.

4. Walk me up: After sweeping the Cleveland Indians last week, the Kansas City Royals have returned to their old ways. Though leading 7-4 entering the 9th inning, they blew the game to complete a series sweep by Baltimore. The Royals allowed 4 runs in the ninth, with Ambiorix Burgos walking the bases loaded to start the inning. After those three runners scored, Kevin Millar won the game with a two-out RBI single. The win excused awful Orioles pitching. They walked 12 Royals in the first 8 innings, including 7 by starter Daniel “Free Pass” Cabrera. Cabrera nearly has a walk per inning on the year. The O’s still managed a win, however, and are a respectable 18-20 this season.

5. Sunday night craziness: The Sunday Night Baseball matchup this week, Twins vs. White Sox, turned out to be unexpectedly entertaining from the start. The first inning was downright wild, with Torii Hunter robbing Jim Thome of a homer but Jermaine Dye hitting a three-run shot in the top of the inning. Then the Twins put on an offensive showcase against Mark Buehrle, ripping the ace for seven runs and seven hits in the first. However, due to two errors, Buehrle was only charged with one earned run. Though down 7-3, the White Sox didn’t allow a run the rest of the game and blasted Twins starter Carlos Silva. Nobody robbed Thome of a homer in the fourth inning, when he crushed an opposite-field shot. AJ Pierzynski also homered for the White Sox, and Beurhle settled down to pitch for six innings and get the win. The White Sox also turned a rare triple play in the 6th inning, catching a Luis Castillo bunt in the air and tagging 1st and 2nd base. They are now virtually tied with streaking Detroit for the division lead.

Categories
MLB General

MLB Cost Index for May 15 2006

[We’ve moved the Cost Index to Mondays because what better way is there to start a week at your crappy job but to see how GMs are wasting millions of dollars on your underachieving team. For most you anyway, both on the job and on the team.]

It’s good to be the Padres, Phillies, White Sox, Astros, Cardinals and Tigers. Those teams are legitimate contenders at a relatively bargain price. It’s not good to be the Dodgers, Cubs or Angels, 3 of the most expensive teams in the league who are playing sub-.500 ball. And despite leading the league in cost per win, it still sucks to be the Marlins.

** all $ are in millions.

Rank (Pv) Team 2006 Payroll GP Wins YTD Payroll Cost/Win
1 (1) Marlins $15.0 35 11 $3.24 $0.29
2 (2) Rockies $41.1 38 21 $9.65 $0.46
3 (3) Devil Rays $35.4 38 15 $8.31 $0.55
4 (4) Reds $59.5 38 23 $13.95 $0.61
5 (5) D’backs $59.2 37 20 $13.53 $0.68
6 (7) Brewers $56.8 38 19 $13.32 $0.70
7 (12) Padres $69.7 38 22 $16.36 $0.74
8 (9) Rangers $65.5 36 19 $14.55 $0.77
9 (11) Blue Jays $71.9 37 21 $16.43 $0.78
10 (10) Tigers $82.3 37 24 $18.80 $0.78
11 (6) Indians $56.8 38 17 $13.32 $0.78
12 (8) A’s $62.3 37 18 $14.23 $0.79
13 (18) Twins $63.8 37 17 $14.57 $0.86
14 (15) Pirates $40.2 38 11 $9.44 $0.86
15 (13) Cardinals $88.4 38 24 $20.75 $0.86
16 (19) Phillies $88.3 37 22 $20.16 $0.92
17 (20) Orioles $72.6 38 18 $17.03 $0.95
18 (14) White Sox $102.9 36 24 $22.86 $0.95
19 (17) Astros $92.6 38 22 $21.71 $0.99
20 (16) Mets $100.9 37 23 $23.05 $1.00
21 (22) Royals $47.3 35 10 $10.22 $1.02
22 (21) Nationals $63.3 38 13 $14.84 $1.14
23 (24) Giants $90.9 38 18 $21.31 $1.18
24 (26) Dodgers $99.2 38 19 $23.26 $1.22
25 (23) Red Sox $120.1 35 21 $25.95 $1.24
26 (27) Braves $92.5 37 17 $21.12 $1.24
27 (28) Mariners $88.3 39 17 $21.26 $1.25
28 (25) Cubs $94.8 37 15 $21.66 $1.44
29 (29) Angels $103.6 38 16 $24.31 $1.52
30 (30) Yankees $198.7 35 21 $42.92 $2.04

Categories
MLB General

MLB Power Rankings Roundup for May 12 2006

While the White Sox and Mets still are the cream of the crop, there has been some movement below them. The Rockies and Phillies are the darlings of the Power Rankings this week.

The Rockies made the top 10 in four of the six sites we surveyed and narrowly missed out on the other two. Of course, TSN already had them in their top 10 last week, as they did the Tigers before everyone jumped on the Detroit bandwagon. So, are our neighbors to the north that much more savvy than the rest of us? Or are they just getting lucky?

Rank Sportscolumn ESPN FoxSports Sportsline USA Today TSN.ca
1 White Sox White Sox White Sox White Sox White Sox Yankees
2 Mets Mets Tigers Mets Mets Tigers
3 Cardinals Red Sox Mets Red Sox Yankees Mets
4 Reds Yankees Cardinals Yankees Red Sox White Sox
5 Yankees Blue Jays Yankees Reds Astros Rockies
6 Tigers Reds Reds Cardinals Cardinals Red Sox
7 Red Sox Cardinals Red Sox Astros Tigers Cardinals
8 Astros Tigers Blue Jays Tigers Reds Reds
9 Blue Jays Phillies Diamondbacks Phillies Blue Jays Phillies
10 Rockies Rockies Rockies Rangers Indians Diamondbacks
11-30 more more more more more more

Categories
MLB General

Full Count for Fri May 12 2006: Now that’s a sacrifice hit

1. Rowand wins over the Philly fans: Yesterday was possibly one of the rainiest days in MLB history, as games were called off in Baltimore, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. Though it was also drizzling in Philadelphia, they played anyway, but only for five innings. The Phillies took advantage of the shortened game, winning the game and the series against New York. The only two runs of the game were off a Chase Utley homerun and David Bell’s RBI single. But the play of the day was made by Aaron Rowand in centerfield, who made an unbelievable catch while crashing into the wall with the bases loaded. Rowand was sent to the hospital because he was broke his nose after the collision against the wall. But we’re sure he’s fine–his catch saved the game against the Mets.

2. Are we sure he didn’t get hurt again?: Ken Griffey Jr. is back for the Reds, and no one could have asked for anything more out of him in Thursday’s 5-4 win over the struggling Nationals. Through 8 innings this was a one-run game, but a sacrifice fly in the ninth sent this contest to extras. In the 11th, everything went wild. The Nationals scored three runs in the top of the inning, but the Reds answered back against their bullpen. First Felipe Lopez hit an RBI single, and then it was Griffey’s turn with two on base. Naturally, Griffey hit a 413-foot shot, winning the game and keeping the Reds in first place at 22-13. before the extra inning craziness, Bronson Arroyo had another superb start for Cincy, allowing no runs in 8 innings.

3. It’s Peavy time: Jake Peavy, the Padres’ ace, has struggled throughout most of this season. In fact, he had a losing record coming into last night’s game against the Brewers. Well, his struggles are over now, as he shut out the Brew Crew through seven innings and fanned 13 batters. Peavy (3-3) was even successful at the plate–he went 2-3 and drove in two runs. However, the Padres bullpen almost blew the game, despite being given an 8-run lead with two innings left. Dewon Brazelton, possibly the worst pitcher in the majors, allowed 4 runs and didn’t record and out. Thankfully for Peavy, the Padres still came out on top, 8-5.

4. Double Blow: The Yankees did not have a good day at all on Thursday. They lost to the Red Sox, surrendering the division lead and giving the Red Sox the series win at Yankee Stadium. Mark Loretta went 4-6 and drove in 3 runs, including a go-ahead two-run single in the 7th. Tim Wakefield pitched well for the Sox, striking out nine in 6 innings, and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his league-leading 13th save. Both teams now have 13 losses, though the Red Sox have two more wins. But here’s the worst news for Yankees fans: Hideki Matsui broke his wrist in the first inning and will be out for three months.

5. Cut off: What is it with these ESPN personalities? Rick Sutcliffe, a former Cy Young winner and now a baseball analyst for You-Know-Who, got his mic cut off after a rambling interview during the local TV broadcast of the Padres-Brewers game. The manager of Channel 4 called the interview “embarrassing” and said Sutcliffe used “remarkably poor judgment.” Sutcliffe, a former announcer for Channel 4, joined Matt Vasgersian and Mark “Mud” Grant in the booth during Thursday’s game. The interview started out fine but then Sutcliffe began to talk random topics. He said his daughter was going to Africa “like George Clooney” and asked Vasgersian why he was broadcasting Padres games when he could be working for ESPN. Then his mic was cut off. At least this isn’t the only controversial thing that happened with announcers at Petco Park. I’m sure the name Keith Hernadez reminds you guys of something…

Categories
MLB General

Full Count for Thu May 11 2006: Did the Royals play a minor league team?

1. Royal Flush: The Kansas City Royals seemed destined to be one of the worst teams in the MLB from the time the season started. They fulfilled their destiny for a while, but now, they aren’t the worst team anymore! KC completed a sweep of the Indians on Wednesday, with a surprise offensive outburst of 10 runs and 12 hits. We didn’t know the Royals offense was capable of this kind of production, as they scored a combined 24 runs on the series. Kansas City was balanced throughout the lineup, as each starter had an RBI. Jake Westbrook was their main victim, allowing 8 runs in 5.2 innings. The Royals now own the Indians, as their season record against the team is 5-1. Their overall record is now a game better than the Marlins.

2. The 77 year old battle: The Yankees-Red Sox game last night featured some of the best oldie pitchers in the majors. Mike Mussina and Curt Shilling were the starters, but Shilling was clearly outpitched as the Yankees won 7-3. Shilling gave up six runs and fell to 5-2 on the year. Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, and Jorge Posada went yard off Shilling for the Yanks. And despite David Ortiz’s 4-4 with a homerun performance, Mussina (6-1) held the Sox to 3 runs in his 6 innings. Now the two teams are tied for the division lead again. Whoever wins tonight will take a one-game lead.

3. Un-der-rated!: Quick–name the best pitcher in the MLB so far this season. Martinez, Shilling, Maddux? No, it’s Arizona starter Brandon Webb, a Cy Young candidate who has established himself as one of the game’s best pitchers. He improved to 6-0 on the season last night, defeating Pittsburgh with six strong innings. His ERA is 2.30, and he is the league leader in innings pitched. In speaking of underrated, Arizona closer Jose Valverde earned his 10th save of the season. His ERA is 2.70. Oh yeah, Arizona got some offense too. Chad Tracy went 4-4, and the suddenly quiet Shawn Green drove in 3 runs. `Zona is in second place in the NL West.

4. Opposite directions: The Astros and the Cardinals were very close in the standings a week ago, but now the teams are on opposite streaks. While the Astros (19-15) have lost 6 in a row now, the Cards (22-13) have won 5 of their last 6. Last night Albert Pujols hit his 18th homer of the year for St. Louis, becoming the fastest to reach 18 homers since 1923. His 2 RBIs gave him 43 on the year, and he is on pace for over 200 in this category. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies, 7-4. Meanwhile, Houston fell to Los Angeles, 9-6. Lance Berkman (12) hit a three-run homerun, but the Dodgers got two round-trippers of their own from Rafeal Furcal and Jeff Kent. The Dodgers have won five in a row.

5. Moving backward: While the NFL’s labor situation received plenty of attention recently, the MLB’s labor situation could turn out to be just as improtant. If they cannot agree to a new labor contract by August, the MLB will scrap the 2006 drug policy and use the 2005 policy. This year’s drug policy mandates a 50 game suspension for the first offense, 100 for the second, and a lifetime ban for the third. The 2005 plan is much weaker: it gives 10/30/60 suspensions instead and doesn’t include testing for amphetamines. Of course, this doesn’t make Congress very happy. Government Reform Committee chairman Tom Davis sent a letter to commissioner Bud Selig stating that the issue raises “congressional concern.” This could get very, very interesting…

Categories
MLB General

Odds and Ends for Wed May 10 2006: Game of Shadows authors could face jail time



Lucky Jake

The two guys who wrote Game of Shadows, Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, could face jail time if they don’t fess up to their sources. Of course, this is a time honored tradition of journalists refusing to name sources and courts threatening them with contempt… blah blah blah. In the end, the journalists and first amendment rights usually win out.

In other news…

[SignOnSanDiego]: Pink bats for mothers day. How sweet.

[US Weekly]: Another snowboarding medalist lands a celeb. This time, Gretchen Bleiler and Jessica Alba. Oh wait, that’s just a fantasy. It’s Gretchen and that Brokeback guy.

[Screwballs!]: Billy Wagner makes more friends in Philly

[The Hater Nation]: Phil Mickelson really should be the spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret sports bras

[Lakers Blog]: Kobe vs Sir Charles in text message wars