carpenter shiell
8-4, 2.85 0-0, 0.00
near as i can tell, tonight's atlanta starting pitcher has been out of baseball since 2003; got back into the game earlier this month, made 3 minor-league starts, and voila. has he been pitching overseas or something? anybody know?
mike carminati reports that the braves are the 1st team since 1930 to score 10 runs or more five games in a row. hear that, people? 1st time it has happened in 76 years. by the way, he adds,
the "record" for consecutive games with at least ten runs scored is eleven. It was recorded in 1873 by the Philadelphia Whites (or White Caps). They scored a total of 170 runs over their streak for an average of 15.45 per game.
something for the braves to shoot for.
then there are the cardinals, whose rash of rotation meltdowns in 2006 is significant, if not record-setting. see Cardinal70's diary and follow the link for a boatload of data on the subject, which quantify how much more often than normal the stl starting pitchers are putting the team in a shoulder-deep hole.
baseball prospectus' kevin goldstein reports the following about jaime garcia's transition to high-a ball:
Like [Cubs lefthander Donald] Veal, Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia broke out this year in the Midwest League. Unlike Veal, he's struggled since the jump to Florida, with a 4.45 ERA in five starts. Nonetheless, one National League scout was impressed. "He's 90-92 mph on both sides of the plate," he said. "Both the curveball and the changeup show flashes of being plus." What puts Garcia over the top however, is how he uses his arsenal. "The pitchability is really advanced for his age--he just turned 20," said the scout. "He mixes everything up, throws strikes, keeps guys off balance--he just knows how to pitch. It was fun to watch."
only not so much fun last night;
garcia got knocked around and took the loss. it's taking him some time to settle in at this level; has allowed 43 hits in his first 30 innings.
jim leyland does hemingway -- great guest article at Yard Work.
