It's not sexy, but it works
by chuckb on May 25, 2008 1:42 AM EDT
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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PrintWell I’ll be damned if the Cards aren’t once again tied for first w/ the Cubbies. I’m still surprised the Astros are hanging in there but we’ll save that story for another day. There’s no way their pitching will hold up. Will ours? I’m beginning to think it just might.
Wow! What a ninth for Chris Perez last night. After falling behind Jeff Kent and giving up a solid single to right, he simply blew away James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Blake DeWitt. You can really see Perez’s evolution, too. Last night there was one fastball after another and he was just pounding them down in the zone (where Duncan likes them). He missed w/ some of them but he went right back to it w/ every successive pitch and they just couldn’t hit it at 95 – 96. At one point he touched 98. By the time he went up in the zone for strike 3 against Kemp, he had no prayer. Then, after throwing about 15 straight fastball, he dropped 2 sliders in right over the plate against DeWitt. The night’s final pitch came in at 95 and DeWitt was toast.
Perez has always had the reputation of being somewhat wild. In the minors, he has a career BB/9 of 6.13. He was even over 4.50 at Memphis this season before being recalled. In 4.2 IP w/ the big club he’s walked one batter. Yes, I know – small sample size but he doesn’t appear wild at all w/ the fastball. As I said, he was dealing those fastballs down in the zone one after another. When he missed, it was narrowly and his strikes were, for the most part, right at the knees. The two sliders he threw DeWitt were right on the money. If he continues to throw strikes, he’s going to be special. It was good to see him on the mound as the game ended. My guess is that we’ll see more of that this year and in the future.
There’s been a lot of chatter here about the Cards’ rough-goings w/ men on base. LB addressed the Cards improvement w/ RISP here. It was pretty timely b/c, earlier in the week, Derek Jacques over at Baseball Prospectus wrote an article about offensive efficiency. It’s a good one. Take a look if you have a subscription. It, essentially, dealt with the question of how best to evaluate offensive efficiency. Should we go by runs scored? By runners left on base? Shouldn’t caught stealings and double plays affect the measurement? His conclusion – a logical one (and fairly simple, too) – is basically that an offense is most efficient when it scores a high percentage of the runners that reach base. In other words, we shouldn’t focus necessarily on the number of runners left on base.
He uses the example of the Red Sox of a couple of years ago who left a ton of runners on base but scored a ton of runs as well. It stands to reason if you have a lot of runners reach base, you’ll strand a fair number as well. The point was that the Red Sox offense was very efficient despite leaving a large number of runners on base b/c they scored a relatively high percentage of their runners.
So how then should we evaluate this year’s Cards so far? Jacques says that the best measurement of offensive efficiency is simply the % of runners who reach base that end up scoring (R/TOB, where TOB = number of times a runner reaches base). To this point in the season, the Cards have reached base 731 times – most in the majors. None of us expected this coming into the season. It should bode well for our offense. However, the Cards have only scored (before last night) 232 runs – 4.64 per game. This rate is 10th in the NL. Clearly, considering the number of times we’re reaching base, we should be scoring more runs. Of course I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.
Using Jacques’ suggestion, then, the Cards have scored 31.7% of their runners who have reached base. This rate is 26th in baseball – terrible. Only 4 teams – Toronto, San Diego, San Francisco, and Kansas City – have been less efficient so far this year. I’m not sure if we’re going to be able to keep up our rate of reaching base but either we’ll have to or we’ll have to be able to score more of them in order to keep winning. LB’s Thursday post discussed that we are going through a period where we’re being more successful in getting those runners home. Hopefully that can become a trend.
This team is really playing good baseball after 50 games and it’s pretty surprising b/c in looking at the numbers, nothing really stands out. Sure, Pujols is tremendous and Ludwick’s playing great (2nd in the NL in OPS) but it’s not like we’re scoring a ton of runs (as referenced above). The pitching’s been solid but, again, not spectacular. Wainwright is an emerging star and Wellemeyer’s pitched tremendously so far but Pineiro’s been OK at best and Lohse has been up and down. The bullpen, at times, has pitched well but it’s also had its share of problems – Izzy, Springer. It’s really difficult to point to anything and say "That’s why the Cards are tied for 1st place almost a third of the way into the season."
There is, however, one area at which the Cards have excelled during the first 50 games: their defense. It’s been tremendous, according to the hardball times. Defense is very difficult to measure statistically, as we all know. Judging a team by number of errors is specious b/c it doesn’t factor in scorekeepers’ biases or, often, fielders’ range. Fielding percentage – same thing; it’s dependent on errors. THT does as good a job as anyone though and, according to their numbers, the Cards defense is easily the best in the NL .
The league average number of unearned runs allowed is 20. The Cards have allowed 12. Their fielding +/- is 23 – 4 plays better than the next highest in the NL. The Cards team RZR is .873 compared to a league average of .831. The next highest in the NL is .846. Their infield RZR is 50 points higher than the league average and 22 points higher than the next highest. In the outfield, the Cards are 28 points higher than the league average and, again, first in the NL. The team has made 145 plays outside of their defensive zone – highest in the NL and 17 plays more than the league average. We saw Albert make another last night. There were probably a couple others as well.
I was ready to heap plaudits on Mozeliak and LaRussa for making changes to help ensure a better defensive team but the only real addition is Izturis. He was, clearly, brought in for defensive reasons and he’s played very well defensively but most of the others – Ludwick, Skip, Ankiel – were players we already had. We did change Rolen for Glaus but that didn’t improve the defense measurably. Glaus has played well but Rolen would have also.
Whatever the reason, it’s worth noting that Skip, Ankiel, and Ludwick have all become above average OF’s. The fact that they’ve been playing well offensively has allowed them to stay in the lineup. Izturis and Glaus have been very good and Pujols and Molina are the best in the bigs defensively. Maybe if the team can continue to be pretty good at the plate, pretty good on the mound, and tremendous defensively, this team has a chance.
The Cards are going for a 5-1 west coast swing. When was the last time we could say that? After today’s game, they’ll get an off day and then 7 at home against the Astros and Pirates. It’ll be Wellemeyer against Dodgers’ rookie phenom Clayton Kershaw. He’s their Colby Rasmus. I’m looking forward to watching this one.
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a late night post is always great when least expected
as much as we bitch about iz2’s bat, i really think his glove has helped the team out a lot
im not saying he is the answer long term, but this year im happy with what he has given us
lets keep the tide rolling
i take your signatures and use them as away messages
the guy is tearing up SS
but like I keep saying, you can’t give away half your outs….Iz2 needs to be on a firepower team that can afford his anemic bat. If the cards had Dan Uggla I’d be happy to have the no hit wonder on the team.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
If the Cards had Dan Uggla
I’d start sleeping outside Busch for NLCS tickets.
by Hardcore Legend on May 25, 2008 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions
lol yeah, thats what I thought
I figured name dropping Dan Uggla would be overkill to prove a point but I figured it actually would take such a player to allow them to give away 3 outs and call it a day.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
On MLB.com I've gotten to hear Vin Scully announce
and I haven’t really realized before how great of a caller he is. Its been very enjoyable…and he’s classy like Jack Buck….something else great to say about this trip to LA.
mattnj
Did You notice
that Vin Scully is the only one in the booth? No color commentators running their mouth after every pitch. That is a throwback to the old days and that is the way it should be. I remember Frank Scott on the old NFL telecasts did it that way and it was much more injoyable.
I did notice
and I was amazed… there was no interview overtop of the play… no reporter in the stands talking about the Dodger Dogs… Vince talked about about the game, and inbetween pitchers he had interesting things to say about the batter. He did his homework. WOW what a pro!... Then last night it was back to the Cards annoucers what a contrast… Two or three pitches would go by and they would not interupt their boring chatter about who care what. It is like the game is secondary to what Al has to say and isn’t nearly as important as to his words.
Please some one help me! Get new announcers!
Like honey for the ears
I’ll watch Dodgers games just to listen to him call a game…it doesn’t get any better than that.
I’d take JB over Vin, only because I grew up listening to Jack and Mike…but if anyone thought Vin was better, I couldn’t quibble. I hope Dodgers fans know how lucky they are.
"The only thing you know about pitching is that you can't hit it." Bob Gibson to Tim McCarver
by player2bnamedl8r on May 25, 2008 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I really enjoyed Eucker during the Brews Series
then again I was just dying for him to say something Major League-ish.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Totally Agreed on Vin
I grew up listening to Vin, and I completely agree with you’all. Vin is just great! The Dodger broadcast booth is a bit different as Rick Monday and Charley Steiner sub in. It used to be Ross Porter a few years ago. Anyway, that’s the way they’ve done it as far as I can remember.
Vin did the World Series a few years ago and that really made my day. I forgot which network it was on, maybe Fox? I am not a big Joe Buck fan (he stopped doing Cards games, anyway). And I never had the privilege to watch Jack, although I really wish I did.
I agree with most that Al and Dan are not great. I don’t mind them, and Al is definitely a character, while Dan is just plain vanilla. But I really do like Mike Shannon. I wish he would do the telecast on FSN. I guess I could just mute Dan and Al and turn up the radio.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
I only watch FSN with the mute button these days.
And it’s hard sometimes to KNOW actually what’s happening on the field with Shannon and Rooney. I just put the gameday up on the computer screen and watch it unfold. I love Mr. Shannon, but he and Mr. Rooney leave a lot out of what’s going on…..they sometimes don’t even mention the score at the inning break. And Mr. Rooney sounds like he’s yelling at me through the radio. Ah, for the good old days…...
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
He was part of NBC's team, at least in the glorious pre-FOX days
He’s the one calling the Buckner play when you watch the video of it.
They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...
present duo is depressing to listen to!
need the equivalent of the “good ol days” trio of buck, caray, garagiola. entertaining! present guys are non descript and make the game less interesting. one aspect of extra innings is getting to listen to all team’s announcers. our crew is sad.
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, perhaps you haven't grasped the situation!
He's lost a step
but he’s still the best there is. And ridge is right—he’s the only one in the booth so there are no stupid jokes or idiots playing around. It’s just Vin calling the game. Still, really good.
to be fair . . .
the edmonds move was aimed (at least partially) to shore up the defense. So the addition of Izturis and the removal of edwards has really done a lot to fix the D. As you pointed out, ank, luddy, and skippy are all playing above average while edmunds had really slowed down last year.
who will be the new MV3?
JEd
I thought Jimmy was moved because he wanted to be traded; he didnt want to accept a diminished role in the OF, or be moved to RF. He wanted to be the field general in CF. I do agree though, it did shore up the OF D.
C'mon you Redbirds, lets prove em' wrong, again!
by yer dog first on May 25, 2008 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
right
jimmy was unwilling to accept diminished playing time. he was going to get that diminished playing time because his skill set had badly eroded.. he had lost quite a bit in the field and at the plate.
who will be the new MV3?
just to be fair
and I know I am belaboring this point, but our “best in the NL” OF defensively (.932 overall by RZR) is largely due to Ankiel being the best defender in all of baseball, by RZR, and Chris Duncan being WAY above average in LF—at .941, only Luis Gonzales, Eric Byrnes and Matt Holiday have been better in LF out of guys with more than 100 innings played there, and Duncan is catching a significantly larger number of OOZ balls per inning played that any of those guys, which doesn’t factor in to RZR.
For whatever reason, he is turning a ton of fly balls into outs this year. if we’re going to talk about our improved defense”, I think the conversation has to start with him.
For completeness, Skip and Luddy pull us down in LF and though Luddy helps in CF (2 for 2), Schu hurts us there. In LF, Schu helps us about as much as Duncan helps us in LF and Luddy and Barton drag us down.
And I awoke in California, far far from Spancilhill...
and actually
Luddy doesn’t really pull us down in LF; at .929, he’s right there with our team average. It’s a sample size thing with Luddy in LF, i think.
And I awoke in California, far far from Spancilhill...
Perez
Echo what has been said above about the pleasant surprise Izturis has been defensively, especially given that he was a butcher in the field much of spring training (he went almost a month with more errors than hits). But for me, the real evolution of the 2008 Cards is embodied in one move—phantom injury to DL Izzy and promote Chris Perez. It makes all the sense in the world but we are talking about the vet loving / Izzy defending TLR. Not only that the move was made but when it was made. They didn’t jack around. Got it done in relatively short order after Izzy imploded.
It’s still early but I like our chances against the Cubs and Astros. It’s hard for Sweet Lou to single-handedly alter a century of tradition. The Cubs will find a way to hand the division to the Cards!
Vet Loving TLR
I am not addressing your point per se, but your point reminded me of something. I can’t disagree that TLR has a track record for preferring vets. But the monicker “vet loving” is used mostly as a negative on VEB, IMHO. However, I am just not sure that it should always be negative. From a risk/reliability standpoint, a vet means that there is a longer track record to estimate the probability of success and the impact (or likelihood and benefit in other parlance). It is tougher to estimate a younger player’s probability and impact. And there is the opportunity cost issue. So a manager is trying to optimize all these factors while at the same time trying to take a long term approach of developing players and keeping vets happy.
I guess to me it is not as binary as TLR loves vets, and management forces him to play younger players. This year could have gone to to two extremes: blow up the team or stick with aging vets (Rolen/JED). Instead, I am seeing an amazing juggling of the young and seasoned, and it is making me very happy. I think the credit goes to all involved: management, players, and should I dare include TLR?
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
And the other thing
once a kid gets TLR’s trust it’s pretty absolute. He’s thrown Perez, who has less than 10 MLB innings, into some pretty tight, important game situations.
They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...
Glaus taken to LA hospital for appendicitis
I guess that’s one way of opening up a spot for Mather.
Oh, and Joey Bombs hit #11 last night.
by Hardcore Legend on May 25, 2008 9:37 AM EDT reply actions
Is it confirmed?
Last I heard:
It could be anything, but the Los Angeles Times suspects Glaus is dealing with appendicitis. If that’s the case, he could be out several days. Brendan Ryan and Aaron Miles will likely take turns at third.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
If he goes on the DL
they really need to consider promoting a 3B. Freese probably isn’t ready but Barden could be promoted. Mather just isn’t a 3B and neither is Miles. It will be unpopular but it would probably make more sense to promote Barden than Mather.
It probably does make more sense to promote Barden. And he's been playing well in Memphis.
I think that would be the best thing to do, at least for now.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
Barden not on 40 Man Roster
What problems does that create then?
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on May 25, 2008 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
not a big problem
Rico Washington is on the 40 man so if Barden has supplanted him as the 1st 3B called up from the minors, then we should remove Washington from the 40 man. Another easy move would be to move Clement from the 15 day to the 60 day DL. Last I heard, the guy was nowhere ready to pitch.
Only problem with Barden
is that I’m pretty sure his options were used up by the Diamondbacks, so he’d have to clear waivers after his call-up ends.
There really isn’t a better choice than Brendan Ryan to back-up Glaus if he’s out for a while.
Uh, maybe not...
the latest info I found (on the team site) said:
“It feels better now than it did before,” Glaus told reporters in the clubhouse postgame. “I couldn’t stand up.”It was unclear what exactly was causing the pain.
“He felt discomfort in his stomach,” manager Tony La Russa said. “We’re not sure if it’s something he ate or his appendix or something. But he had trouble moving.”
Glaus said that he has not had his appendix removed. However, he noted that some treatment and rest had already caused the condition to feel better than it did at its worst, giving him some optimism.
“I’ll go to the hospital right now and get it checked out,” he said.
The LA Times article I saw said “possible appendicitis”... for whatever that’s worth. I guess we’ll learn something later today…
"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
by The Ol Goaler on May 25, 2008 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Expect Lower Half Removal
after 3 weeks of rehab.
Paletta’s on the case!
by Hardcore Legend on May 25, 2008 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
this could be horrible
i dont know how long he would be out for but cutting into those stomach muscles?
If you are in St. Louis check out my band, Griffin and the Gargoyles
(formerly Gargoyle Reign, Gargoyle Lounge)
www.GriffinandtheGargoyles.com
www.myspace.com/GriffinandtheGargoyles
:-D
by jealousblues on May 25, 2008 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I had my appendix out
a long time ago, complete with 4 inch incision, staples, and a couple of months of recovery. I think they do it laprosocopically now so it is less invasive. FWIW, I had a couple of episodes like Glaus’ over the years that lasted about a day and then got better. From first appendicitis attack to appendectomy was about 15 years.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Question
Can we buy single games on mlb.tv? I’m going to be stuck at a family party today and I really want to see Kershaw’s start.
no single games
shortest you can get are monthly subscriptions
C'mon you Redbirds, lets prove em' wrong, again!
by yer dog first on May 25, 2008 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
easily the best $20 a month I've ever spent.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
i could be nice
and give u my password. totally illegal but screw mlb : )
Proud President of the Unofficial Skip Schumaker Fan Club!
I don't care about your fantasy team.
used to be that they offered a 1 day pass
for $3.99.
They also offered a 5 day free trial (at any time) courtesy of Gilette.
by Hardcore Legend on May 25, 2008 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Not quite follow on the POBWAS
Sorry, HC, but I don’t quite follow your point on Percentage of Baserunners who are Stranded. I don’t have BP subscription, so I couldn’t read the article you linked. My understanding is that
LOB%=(H+BB+HBP-R)/(H+BB+HBP-(1.4HR))
So are you suggesting:
R/(H+BB+HBP-(1.4HR))
So wouldn’t percentage of runners that score that have reached base be correlated with LOB%. If so, isn’t looking at LOB% the same thing?
I am really confused.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
Runners left on base is related
but doesn’t answer the whole question. For example, runners lost in double plays and caught stealings aren’t counted in LOB but they should factor into offensive efficiency b/c if we’re losing runners on the bases to double (or triple) plays, to being caught stealing, or to being thrown out trying to go 1st to 3rd on a single, it’s going to affect the number of runs we score. Yet none of those are considered LOB. Therefore, since we are among the worst at DP% and at SB% in baseball, our high number of LOB’s doesn’t tell the entire story.
So Jacques’ article makes it much simpler than that. What % of the people that reach base actually cross home plate. LOB’s are included in runners that don’t, but so are those lost to DP, CS, or any other way.
Thanks for the explanation
That does make sense now. So LOB is still correlated, but the correlation is not 1.
born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red
Just how many
emergency left handers will the Cards face this year? At least Barton should get a start today, but who knows with TLR. Miles at SS last night….. what was Tony thinking?
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on May 25, 2008 11:56 AM EDT reply actions
Getting as many left-handed bats
in the lineup as possible…I assume that’s what he was thinking, anyway.
"The only thing you know about pitching is that you can't hit it." Bob Gibson to Tim McCarver
by player2bnamedl8r on May 25, 2008 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
At LEAST
Tony got Miles off SS once the Cards had a lead in the 7th… after Grit had butchered those earlier grounders, I kept yelling at the TV, “Dammit, Tony, Miles ain’t a shortstop!!!” I guess he heard me (grin)...
"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
by The Ol Goaler on May 25, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Miles should only be the emergency SS
which reminds me… who is our emergency catcher this year, now that Speez is gone?
I have a love/hate relationship with the Cardinals' middle relief corps.
Miles probably
That’s TLR solution for everything. Miles is a decent 2b…. and that’s all. Miles at SS last night just made me appreciate what Izturis does. Glad Loshe was able to pitch around the mistakes.
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on May 25, 2008 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Miles, I guess...
Ludwick throws left, so he can’t do it. Duncan and Skip throw right… maybe one of them? While Young Dunc’s daddy was a catcher, it’s hard for me to imagine Chris getting that 6-5 frame into a crouch…
"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra
by The Ol Goaler on May 25, 2008 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Kershaw is slightly better than an "emergency left hander"
With no evidence to the contrary, Colby Rasmus is clutch
ouija board misfired
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, perhaps you haven't grasped the situation!
2008 Brewers are the 2007 Cardinals
I feel sorry for them… they just called up Russell Branyan.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Cardinals' middle relief corps.
Technically
Branyan was massacring AAA: .359 .453 .693
With no evidence to the contrary, Colby Rasmus is clutch
lboros - Ticket Exchange
Would you consider adding an area for people to post tickets they have for sale to upcoming Cardinals games similar to what they do at BCB?
Proud President of the Unofficial Skip Schumaker Fan Club!
I don't care about your fantasy team.
Oh, dear. Jon Lester's father is undergoing treatment for cancer......
that’s got to be tough on the family.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
another blown HR call in the Cubs/Pirates game
can’t complain though… 1-0 Pittsburgh.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Cardinals' middle relief corps.
What will the Cubs do with themselves
since they won’t get to play with the Pirates again until August.
Ted Lilly is pretty awful
The Cubs should be thanking Ryan Dempster for not sucking.
by Hardcore Legend on May 25, 2008 2:23 PM EDT reply actions
cubs are on a pace,
before today, to score 935 runs. Good lord.
And I awoke in California, far far from Spancilhill...
I know it's about ratings and all
but it would be nice if TBS/FOX/ESPN would start showing a few other teams besides the Yankees & Red Sox every week for poor folks like me who can’t swing MLB extra innings in their budget this year.
i've finally
become a dedicated customer at Buffalo Wild Wings, which has DirectTV and every MLB game all season
welcome, i'll teach you the handshake
I love the summer at BWW, you can see 7 different games at once, unless the table touchers are being lame and refuse to change the stupid X-Games or Womens Curling or whatever lame ass “sport” is on.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
A win is a win?
Last nights win had little merit from a coaching stand point, save some of the pitch calling from the bench…....... Tony says of Mather
“I wouldn’t even discuss him, because there is no role for him,” La Russa said. “How can he have a role? I’m sitting Ryan Ludwick today. So what’s [Mather’s] role? To sit?
This is defending the idea the Barton is worth his spot….... that Duncan is in some way a productive package, That the Miles at short stop move almost killed us….. luckily Duncans range and arm weren’t tested…... and Ankiel was again in a position as cleanup that is a completely unfair expectation of his skills. Spare me the 2 rbi flare into left as production.
I see some of these move as Tony’s justification that his platoon mentality, which glaringly didn’t work last night..(thanks Brad Penny) is some how a gift of intuition …...you couldn’t help but seen the disappointment on Ludwicks face on the bench and during his at bat…....
this attitude that we have to sacrifice to give, and validate a position for Duncan is ridiculous. If he were a only a pinch hitter and 1st base backup, his uselessness would be easily documented.
It was a damn miracle that Lohse pitched through the short stop debacle without going mental. In my opinion…......and it is a greedy one…. I like watching playoffs from a home team perspective…............Please keep Perez and let Izzy retire…...those of you calling for a opportunity for Izzy to get 300 saves” sober up!!!!!
Westcoastbirdwatcher
by westcoastbirdwatcher on May 25, 2008 3:31 PM EDT reply actions
Is their a manager in baseball
that would sit Ludwick like Larussa did last night with the season Ludwick is having? That is mind boggling, he would be playing every game if he was on any of the other 29 teams.
The thing with Chris Duncan is…I think Tony feels like some sort of godfather to him considering his long time relationship with Dave and in turn Chris will always have a spot on the roster no matter how bad he struggles.
Miles at SS was a complete puzzler…Tony loves the guy and will get at least 2 starts somewhere a week.
But we did win last night,......go figure.
duncan's range was tested.
I was at the game the last two nights, and he made one very, very nice running grab on a line drive hit to shallow left-center field and a couple of routine plays.
I was pretty annoyed by Skip starting over Luddy, especially when Skip missed that shallow popup to right that he dove for- he got a TERRIBLE jump and should have caught it standing up. It was tailing a bit towards the first base line, much like the triple that Luddy gave up the night before but not as extreme, but it still should have been caught (i was in the field boxes just off of first base, so I had a great vantage point).
Anyway, Penny is the kind of pitcher that Luddy tees off on, so I hated to see skip start over him, but Skip is from LA and deserved a chance to start in front of his folks. OTOH there was nothing wrong with using Duncan, imho. He did get the GW RBI, after all ;)
And I awoke in California, far far from Spancilhill...
Your bias is showing.
It doesn’t make sense to bring Mather up, right now. He clearly won’t get significant playing time if he is called up, and he is young enough that he benefits more from playing time than what he would from limited ABs against ML pitchers.
Barton has value. He is a potential solution at the leadoff position for this team, and they would have to give him away with no return. It is silly to advocate such an option.
Duncan has value. He will not be sent down. He provides a power bat, though he is clearly struggling, right now. It will be necessary to wait for his struggles to be over before you could consider trading him in favor of someone else.
Ankiel needs some time to identify his skills. His minor league numbers would indicate that he IS a middle of the order bat. It remains to be seen if he can do that at the major league level. His value isn’t as great if he can’t become that guy.
Mather will fill an hole created by trade at the deadline. Until then, let him play at AAA and continue to hone his skills. It would be good to see him get some time at 3B while he is there, as I am unconvinced that Freese will be an option.
Haven't read through all the above posts....
but Glaus is indeed in the lineup today batting 5th.
It's only a flesh wound.....
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
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- Livan Hernandez welcomes ball boy to the bigs with shower of sunflower seeds (VIDEO)
- Man beaten by four others in Dodger Stadium parking lot
