Cubs are hurting, their pitching depth is not what we thought it might be. Ryan Dempster is back to Earth after 08, a year in which we all knew he was pitching well over his head. Derek Lee is hurt, Aramis Ramirez is hurt, Milton Bradley is hurt, and Geovanny Soto is hurt too. As long as the Cubs hang around they will be ok, but they need these guys healthy to win the division.
The Tigers have no pitching, I dont care what anybody says. Justin Verlander is overrated, Rick Porcello is garbage, their pen is garbage (any pen with Nate Robertson and Brandon Lyon in it, sucks). They may have the best hitter in the AL (Miguel Cabrera) on their team, and they play in a garbage division, but their pitching still sucks.
Something is wrong with Tampa. I guess its the bullpen. Or maybe they feel no sense of urgency as it is only the end of April, but there is something missing. I will revise my pick to say they wont make the playoffs. I still think they are going to win more games than they lose, but I dont think they are going to pitch like they did last year, which saddens me.
The Braves have great pitching, just like the old days. Unlike the old days, however, they have no hitting at all. Chipper Jones has lost his power apparently, there is no flow to their offense, and they just seem to need a big bat in the middle of the order.
The Mets still have no pitching, just like every other year. They also lack any semblance of chemistry. In fact, I will be so bold as to say the Mets make the Yanks look like a team.
The Phillies are going to win that division again. I dont care if all their pitchers die. I dont care if Brad Lidge is hurt, they will find a way to win that division. They define the word team, and they have the best offense in the major leagues, not just the NL.
The Rangers finally have a closer. Frank Francisco is legit. The problem is that CJ Wilson and Eddie Guardado are horrendous and worthless, but apparently, due to the fact they have left arms hanging from their shoulders, they are allowed to collect a major league paycheck. This is an insult to actual major league pitchers, and to other human beings on planet Earth.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A few bold Player Projections for 2k9
1. Andre Ethier, RF, Dodgers: Batting behind (or in front of, or below, or sideways ) Manny Ramirez is going to improve your numbers, it has done so for every player who ever played with him. The Dodgers' rightfielder has seen his numbers rise for 3 consecutive years already, in homers (11 in 06, 13 in 07, 20 in 08), in RBI's (55,64, 77), in doubles (20,32,38), and in walks as well (34,36,59). I expect him to hit close to 25 homers this year, with an OBP above both his career average (366) and his career high (375). Even though his high in RBI's was 77, with Ramirez, Furcal, and Hudson (who benefits equally as much batting 2nd in the lineup) batting in front of him, he will top 90 this season. I expect a batting average above .290 as well, likely topping .300. He has an outside chance at being selected as a reserve all-star because I expect the Dodgers to have the best record in the NL or close to it, all year long. There is simply no way he doesn't exceed his 2008 totals in every single category, if only because the men batting in front of him will all have monster years.
2. David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox: This will be the first year Ortiz will spend in Boston without Ramirez' protection behind him. He was on a downward trajectory even with Ramirez batting behind him (due to injury, age, and possibly weight-related issues). His homerun totals have dropped (from 54, 35, 23) demonstrably, though he did play a shorter season last year, because of wrist problems. It's not very fair to judge last years stats as the sole downward indicators, due to playing only 109 games. However, his OBP, Slugging, and Batting Average were all down quite a bit last year, even before the injury, so I will go off of those rather than his totals. I will project Ortiz to finish hitting around .285, under 30 homers, and less than 110 RBI's. Granted those are gaudy totals to begin with, but with the hitters ballpark he plays in, and the lineup surrounding him, he should put up better numbers, if were anywhere near his prime. I do not believe he is, and I feel the numbers bear it out.
3. Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers: While the Rangers seem to swing at everything, and abhor defense and basic fundamentals, Kinsler is their biggest exception. He is a good defender, and arguably the best hitting second baseman in the AL. His OBP has risen every year (347, 355, 375), he gets on base and scores runs (65,96,102) and he steals bases more effectively than anyone in baseball (11 stolenbases/4caught stealing in 06, 23/2 in 07, 26/2 in 08). The only problem is that he has yet to play 150 games. He has been unlucky (a hernia in 08 for example) and has therefore been limited to around 120-130 games per year. If he can play 155+ this year, I expect possibly the biggest all around offensive season in the AL. I project a 320 average, 25 homers, 120+ runs, 35+ sbs, and an OBP topping 390. With the ballpark they play in, and the hitters surrounding him, he may also have a shot at 80+ RBI's out of the leadoff spot, which is a very impressive stat in itself. Now, about that pitching....
4. Matt Holliday,LF, A's : The best outfielder ever produced by the Rockies' system is also the biggest beneficiary of his former club's ballpark. He has possibly the biggest differential between home-to-road splits of any player in baseball that I can recall. A career .356 hitter at Coors field, with 84 homers, a .642 SLG%, and a 1.064 OPS, he was as valuable as any hitter in baseball, when he played in Denver. Outside of Coors is another story though. He hit .279 , with 44 hrs, .798 OPS, and .453 SLG%. Keep in mind he played 365 home games and 343 away games. His away numbers are still good, but hardly top tier, and probably not even an all star. He goes from the best hitters park in the NL to the worst hitters park in the AL. Add to that , of course, that the A's surrounding him are not very productive to begin with, and a HUGE fall-off is projected. I don't think he will sniff his career average of .318, in fact, i think he will be fairly lucky to get within 20 points of that number. It's certain he won't come near his career high of 36 homers, I will project him to max out near 25. And, in no small part due to Oakland's lineup, 100 RBI's would be pretty impressive. The guy is a good player, but he has a long way to go to prove that he is near stardom outside of Colorado.
2. David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox: This will be the first year Ortiz will spend in Boston without Ramirez' protection behind him. He was on a downward trajectory even with Ramirez batting behind him (due to injury, age, and possibly weight-related issues). His homerun totals have dropped (from 54, 35, 23) demonstrably, though he did play a shorter season last year, because of wrist problems. It's not very fair to judge last years stats as the sole downward indicators, due to playing only 109 games. However, his OBP, Slugging, and Batting Average were all down quite a bit last year, even before the injury, so I will go off of those rather than his totals. I will project Ortiz to finish hitting around .285, under 30 homers, and less than 110 RBI's. Granted those are gaudy totals to begin with, but with the hitters ballpark he plays in, and the lineup surrounding him, he should put up better numbers, if were anywhere near his prime. I do not believe he is, and I feel the numbers bear it out.
3. Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers: While the Rangers seem to swing at everything, and abhor defense and basic fundamentals, Kinsler is their biggest exception. He is a good defender, and arguably the best hitting second baseman in the AL. His OBP has risen every year (347, 355, 375), he gets on base and scores runs (65,96,102) and he steals bases more effectively than anyone in baseball (11 stolenbases/4caught stealing in 06, 23/2 in 07, 26/2 in 08). The only problem is that he has yet to play 150 games. He has been unlucky (a hernia in 08 for example) and has therefore been limited to around 120-130 games per year. If he can play 155+ this year, I expect possibly the biggest all around offensive season in the AL. I project a 320 average, 25 homers, 120+ runs, 35+ sbs, and an OBP topping 390. With the ballpark they play in, and the hitters surrounding him, he may also have a shot at 80+ RBI's out of the leadoff spot, which is a very impressive stat in itself. Now, about that pitching....
4. Matt Holliday,LF, A's : The best outfielder ever produced by the Rockies' system is also the biggest beneficiary of his former club's ballpark. He has possibly the biggest differential between home-to-road splits of any player in baseball that I can recall. A career .356 hitter at Coors field, with 84 homers, a .642 SLG%, and a 1.064 OPS, he was as valuable as any hitter in baseball, when he played in Denver. Outside of Coors is another story though. He hit .279 , with 44 hrs, .798 OPS, and .453 SLG%. Keep in mind he played 365 home games and 343 away games. His away numbers are still good, but hardly top tier, and probably not even an all star. He goes from the best hitters park in the NL to the worst hitters park in the AL. Add to that , of course, that the A's surrounding him are not very productive to begin with, and a HUGE fall-off is projected. I don't think he will sniff his career average of .318, in fact, i think he will be fairly lucky to get within 20 points of that number. It's certain he won't come near his career high of 36 homers, I will project him to max out near 25. And, in no small part due to Oakland's lineup, 100 RBI's would be pretty impressive. The guy is a good player, but he has a long way to go to prove that he is near stardom outside of Colorado.
Friday, April 17, 2009
In game updates, 4pm PST games
1. Mets get em loaded in the first, with nobody out. They have 1 run in and Ramon Castro up to bat. IF Milwaukee gets out of this jam, thats a huge win for them. Their pitching has been GOD AWFUL thus far in the year. God awful. Castro works a walk, coming back from 1-2 count. I think Milwaukee will have a bad year, they may end up dealing Fielder sooner rather than later. Infield single for Castillo and 3-0 Mets in the first inning, just like yesterday.
2. Chase Utley hits a 3 run homer off the Pads' Chris Young. Big start for Cole Hamels to show people he is just fine. Ibanez and Feliz get on base, and Coste nails a two out double inches inside the 3b line. 5-0 Phils. Gotta make Hamels feel good.
3. The Braves have been horrid since their first series. They load the bases with no outs and cant score a run. Rookie Jordan Schafer hits into a 1-2-3 DP, the worst thing you can do.
2. Chase Utley hits a 3 run homer off the Pads' Chris Young. Big start for Cole Hamels to show people he is just fine. Ibanez and Feliz get on base, and Coste nails a two out double inches inside the 3b line. 5-0 Phils. Gotta make Hamels feel good.
3. The Braves have been horrid since their first series. They load the bases with no outs and cant score a run. Rookie Jordan Schafer hits into a 1-2-3 DP, the worst thing you can do.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Padres (Peavy) @ Mets (Maine)
| San Diego | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| J. Gerut cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .263 | |
| D. Eckstein 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| B. Giles rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 | |
| A. Gonzalez 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .281 | |
| C. Headley lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .171 | |
| K. Kouzmanoff 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .188 | |
| H. Blanco c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | |
| E. Cabrera ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | |
| J. Peavy p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
NY Mets | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| J. Reyes ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| D. Murphy lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .294 | |
| D. Wright 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .323 | |
| C. Delgado 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .367 | |
| C. Beltran cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .355 | |
| R. Church rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .407 | |
| R. Castro c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| L. Castillo 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .364 | |
| J. Maine p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| San Diego | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| J. Peavy | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.52 | |
| NY Mets | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| J. Maine | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.60 | |
Today should be an interesting match-up. Arguably the top power pitcher in the NL (Peavy) vs arguably the most dynamic offense in the NL (Mets). I expect a Mets win, but I have yet to see how their new ballpark plays. Should be fun!
Top 1: Gerut pops up to short. Eckstein grounds out to first. Giles grounds out as well. The weak hitting Pads have lived up to their billing thru one!
Bottom 1: Batting lefty, Reyes slaps one deep into the shortstop hole and no throw can be made. Reyes will be running soon. Murphy is up, works the count full. Reyes runs, but he doesnt need to, as Peavy walks the batter. Wright up now, and the Mets looking for an early lead here. Wright fouls off a few 2-2 heaters before succumbing for a strikeout. Delgado is up, and Peavy and the middle infielders cross signals, a throw to an empty base is a balk and both runners move up. The extra base doesnt matter as Delgado crushes a 3 run jack to deep right center. A quick early lead for the Mets, who look to win their first ever home series in their new digs. Interestingly, it was a 3-0 count and Delgado was given the green light, assuming it would be a fastball down the middle. He was correct. Dong! Beltran almost beats out a gounder to the first base hole, but Peavy covers second and they get the runner in time. Church is up, another Met batting from the left side today. He lines one past first for another Met hit. Peavy is almost to 40 pitches now and will surely be past that by time the inning ends. Mets may have buried the Pads already. Castro pops up to first but at 44 pitches, the game could not possibly be any better for the Mets.
Top 2: For the Pads to stay in this game, they will need to answer back relatively soon. Gonzalez leads off, and if he homers today , it would be his 3rd straight game at the new CitiField in which he jacks one, making him the first batter since the 1890's to do such a feat. Twas not to be , for his first AB anyhow, as Gonzalez k's. Headley knocks one up the middle for the first hit of the day. Kouzmanoff strikes out, as he does as well as anyone in the business. 2 down. Headley is thrown out stealing. Inning over. Mets have a chance to bury Peavy right now.
Bottom 2: First pitching swinging , Castillo lines one to the right of Peavy for a single. Maine, in an awful attempt and I can only assume was a bunt, pops it up for the first out. Reyes flies out to center ona full count pitch. Peavy will be close to 60 soon. Murphy tried to go opposite field but Headley runs it down for the final out. I still think the Mets are in great shape here, regardless of the small lead.
Top 3: Blanco walks on 4 pitches to get the leadoff man on for the first time today. Cabrera hits one just under the glove of Castillo for a single. Peavy moves both the runners with a bunt. Gerut singles to right for an RBI. 3-1 Mets. Eckstein with a single to right and its 3-2 now. Wow. the Pads seem to be a new team this year, so far anyhow! Giles grounds out, runners on 2nd and 3rd and Gonzalez will be walked to load them up for Headley, 2 outs. On a full count heater up and over the plate, Headley drives two more in with a single, 4-3 now. This is suprising to me. Kouzmanoff with another hit, 5-3 now. Not suprised that Maine is getting hit, I am suprised that the Pads are the ones doing it. Blanco ends it with a K, but a TON of damage has been done. Both pitchers above 60 already!
Bottom 3: Wright walks to lead off, and takes 10 pitches to do it. Delgado flies out to deep center for out number 1. Wright steals second on the first pitch of the Beltran AB. RISP, 1 down. Beltran walks on 5 pitches, Peavy is now up to 73!! He will not go past 5, no way. Church is up, 2 on, 1 out. Groundout for Church, Castro up with 2 RISP. A slider is the end of Castro's AB, but at 80 pitches, the Mets cant complain too vociferously just yet.
Top 4: Cabrera pops out. Peavy is up and grounds out on 2 pitches. Gerut strikes out on a full count breaking ball and its a 1-2-3 fourth.
Bottom 4: Castillo lays down a soft bunt, he is still a top 5 bunter, and beats the throw from third. Maine lays down a bunt but Peavy throws to second to nail the lead runner. Nice play. Reyes grounds out to first, again, the lead runner is nailed. Reyes on first now with Murphy up. They are really bailing Peavy out in the last inning or two. Murphy hits one down the 3b line for a double, and a fan touches it, robbing the Mets of a run. Jackass fan. 2nd and 3rd, two down. Huge play if the Mets dont score here. Wright strikes out looking to end it.
Top 5: Eckstein grounds out to begin. Giles flies out. Gonzalez walks on 7 pitches. Headley triples into the corner to score Gonzalez and its 6-3 Mets. Kouzmanoff grounds out to end it.
Bottom 5: Delgado pops up. Beltran walks and here comes Church, who k's looking on an inside heater. Peavy k's Castro and thats 5 now.
top 6: Reliever O'Day comes in and gets Blanco to fly out. Up steps Rodriguez who strikes out looking. Peavy's day is done and Edgar Gonzalez, Adrian's smaller, less talented brother, steps up with 2 down. Ground out. Another 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom 6: Cla Meredith is in to relieve Peavy. Castillo leads off again, perhaps a bunt is coming? Doubtful though, as the Pads are going to be ready this time. Reyes hits one to the corner but Giles runs it down to save a triple.
Top 7: Pedro Feliciano comes in to face Gerut, who smacks a single to right. Eckstein chases a pitch out of the zone for the second out. Giles and Gonzlez ground out to end the inning.
Bottom 7: Edwin Moreno comes in and induces a sleepy grounder from Murphy. apparently, the Mets seem content to go down without a fight. A single by Wright seems promising, until Delgado swings at the first pitch for a popup out. Beltran follows with a grounder to first. Inning over.
Top 8: Stokes is in to pitch, a righty. Headley leads off with a single, his first career 4 hit game. Congrats are in order, especially since he is a loyal reader of my blog. Kouzmanoff erases him immediately with a 5-4-3 DP. Blanco grounds out also.
Bottom 8: Duaner Sanchez is in to pitch now. He used to be a stud. He also used to roid. Church leads off and reaches first on a crazy wild throw from Sanchez, in fact he advances to second when the ball goes into the stands. Castro crushes a ball to deep right, and its fair by about 10 feet, 6-5 Pads. GAME ON! Castillo flies out, Sheffield in to pinch hit now. He draws a full pitch walk and Reyes comes on. Great chance for the Mets here. And as I finish the sentence, 4-6-3 DP. Inning over.
Top 9: Cabrera leads off vs the closer Frankie Rodriguez who strikes him out on a slider. Hairston pinch hits and goes down swinging also. And KROD strikes out the side.
Bottom 9: Heath Bell is in now, and he will face Murphy, Wright, and Delgado. This win won't come easily. Murphy grounds out to short and Cabera makes a great play on the run to gun him at first. Wright pops out and Delgado is up to try to tie it. Delgado works a 10 pitch at bat to a full count. The ump is being very generous on some of these balls. Delgado is called out on strikes to end it. He is not happy.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Yanks (burnett) @ Rays (Garza)
| NY Yankees | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| B. Gardner cf | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .261 | |
| D. Jeter ss | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .233 | |
| M. Teixeira 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| N. Swisher lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .450 | |
| J. Posada dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .350 | |
| R. Cano 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .385 | |
| X. Nady rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .280 | |
| R. Pena 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| J. Molina c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .429 | |
| Totals | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tampa Bay | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| B.J. Upton cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | |
| C. Crawford lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| E. Longoria 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .467 | |
| C. Pena 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .276 | |
| P. Burrell dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .240 | |
| D. Navarro c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | |
| B. Zobrist rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| A. Iwamura 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .385 | |
| J. Bartlett ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NY Yankees | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| A.J. Burnett | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | |
| Tampa Bay | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| M. Garza | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.29 | |
top 1st: Bases are loaded with Yanks for Nick Swisher, who is batting cleanup early in the year, apparently. Swisher has fouled off 3 straight curveballs already, and on a 3-2 slider (or sinker?), swings and misses. 1 out, loaded for Posada, from the left side. On a 1-2 count Posada knocks a sac fly to medium left field. Cano up with 2 outs, 1st and 2nd. Cano swings and lines out to short. Only one run off a bases loaded-no outs, jam.
bottom 1st: Upton is back for his second game now, and leading off vs Burnett. On a 2-2 heater (97MPH), Upton swings and misses at a ball above the hands. Nice pitch. Burnett has as good pitches as anyone in baseball, consistency is the issue. Next pitch is a grounder to second from Crawford. 2 down for Longoria, who swings and misses at a vicious curveball. Burnett is good!
Top 2nd: Nady leads off the 2nd. Slider in the dirt gets Nady checking going too far on a check swing. 1 out for Pena, the Yanks' latest stop-gap solution for the loss of A-Rod. The switch hitter was apparently a good minor leaguer. He swings and misses at a 2-2 curve and thats two k's in the inning. Molina up to finish the inning, perhaps? Yep, he grounds out to short.
Bottom 2nd: Pena flies out to right to start. Burrell fouls a heater straight back to get the count to 1-2. Burnett's stuff is very very good today. The full count breaking pitch misses and Burrell walks. Navarro k's on a curve and that's 2 down. Zobrist is hit on the foot by a slider but the third base ump overrules it. Bad call. Zobrist strikes out looking to end the inning.
Top 3: Gardiner swings and misses at a ball in the dirt to start the 3rd. Jeter grounds out to short on the first pitch, surprise! 2 down. Texiera strikes out looking and thats 5 now for Garza.
Bottom 3: Imwamure grounds out to second, and Bartless steps in, on a 3-1 heater, pops out to 2nd. upton just misses a fastball and drives it close to the track, for a long out.
Top 4: Some great pitching by both starters so far. Swisher leads off the 4th. Swisher crushes a 2-2 heater into the right-center bleachers. Thats 4 hr's for him, and 2-0 NYY now. Posada pops out behind second, 1 down. Cano grounds out to first. 2 down. Nady grounds out to end it.
bottom 4: Crawford leads off. The Rays need to get rolling here. Just one baserunner thru 3, and no hits yet. He grounds out to short. Longoria is up now, and he goes down looking. Wow. Burnett is dealing. Pena rolls over on one and grounds out to first. no hitter thru 4 for Burnett.
top 5: Pena is up again, and has a nice 3-1 count. He walks on the next pitch, and Jose Molina comes up, probably bunting. Hit and run is on, nice stab by Pena, who catches it and tags first. 2 down. Gardiner k's swinging.
bottom 5: Burrell grounds out to third on the first pitch. Navarro strikes out on a check swing and thats 2 down. Burnett is rolling. Zobrist grounds out meekly to Cano and thats a nono thru 5!
Top 6: Jeter leads off the 6th with a strikeout. 7 now for Garza, who is pitching quite well himself! Teixera stands in now. Garza has him at a 3-2 count, the third time today he has worked it full today. He grounds out, 6-3, and thats 2 down for Swisher. Swisher takes a 1-2 count down the first base line for a 2 out double. Garza has to strand this runner with the way Burnett is rolling today. Posada is up again, but he grounds out 6-3 to end the threat.
Bottom 6: Iwamura strikes out looking to start the 6th, thats 7 k's for Burnett also. Bartlett lines out to medium left, probably the best swing of the day thus far for TB. Upton strikes out looking. No hitter thru 6. 8 k's for Burnett.
top 7: Cano opens the inning with a swinging K and thats 8 now for Garza. The shame of this game so far is that Garza is having one of the best games of the year, but it will be overshadowed, deservedly so, by Burnett. Nady hits a hard grounder off Longoria's glove. Thats now just 5 hits for the Yanks, which is still 5 better than the Rays. Pena grounds out slowly to first, so Pena has no option but to tag the bag. Two outs, runner on second. The run must not score if the Rays want to win. Molina is up now, this will be Garza's last hitter, as he is now over 100 pitches. Full count pitch to Molina , in the dirt, swing and miss. Thats 9k's for Garza today, 2 ER, 7 IP.
Bottom 7: Crawford has ended the no- hitter in the 7th with an opposite field single. Longoria follows with a single and thats 2 on, no outs. Pena follows with another hit, a run scores and Longoria goes to third. Corners, no outs. What a team the Rays are! Burell up now, 3-0 count already. Burnett has suddenly lost it. On the 3-0 pitch, he hits a SacFly to right. 2-2 game, 1 out. Navarro up now, on the 0-2 count he k's looking. Pena is picked off of first somehow, and thats the inning. I guess Pena was going to run?!
Top 8: JP Howell is in for Garza. Crawford was playing too shallow and Gardiner hits a routine flyball that goes over his head for a double. Can't blame the Rays for playing the lefty shallow in left, with a southpaw throwing. Jeter comes up, he may be bunting with two switch-hitters up after him. Full count to Jeter and the biggest pitch of the game is forthcoming. Jeter fights off an inside pitch and singles to shallow right. 1st and 3rd, no outs. Rays are in major trouble now. Texiera is up now, works it full and drives the run in with a SacFly to deep left. Swisher hits a fly out to center and thats 2 down for Posada, who grouns out quickly to the pitcher. 3-2 to the bottomhalf.
Bottom 8: Zobrist fouls out to left to start. Iwamura follows with a grounder to Cano. 2 down already. Bartlett bounces one to short for a fast 1-2-3.
Top 9: Dan Wheeler comes in for the 9th. Cano leads off with a single to left. Pinch hitter Melky Cabrera follows with a single. Pena is going to try to move the runners here. A nice deep drive to left center but Upton snags it and the runners stay put. Close call. Molina is up now, 2 on, 1 out. And he strikes out on 3 pitches. One more batter go go to save the inning! Gardiner does it again, as the Rays follishly play him shallow. Ground rule double. 4-2 Yanks. Jeter follows with a 3 run homer. Game over. 7-2. Good game for a while!
Seattle home opener LAA (Loux) @ SEA (silva)
I cant believe I'm going to watch these awful starting pitcher, and the horrid Mariners lineup:
I have no clue how the Mariners score runs with this offense, and I think when all is said and done, unless they have unreal pitching, they will not be a .500 team
top 1: Figgins steps in and grounds out to second. Kendrick breaks his bat and grounds out to third. Both of these teams will have MAJOR trouble scoring runs this year, I have no doubt of that. Abreau is up now, easily the most selective hitter on the Angels, probably the only guy who takes pitches or walks. He flies out to center. 1-2-3 inning
bottom 1: Im looking foward to the ovation Griffey will get in his Mariners' second honeymoon debut. Leading off is Chavez, who grounds a breaking ball right back to the pitcher for an out. Cedeno up next, a LOT of guys making their Mariners' home debuts here, a very new team. Their ceiling is low, I expect. Cedeno works it full, fouls off 3 or 4 payoff pitches, then draws a walk. Griffey gets a big hand as he steps up. He then rips one to right for a single. 1st and 3rd, one out for Beltre. Beltre ground back to the pitcher, but a bad throw from Aybar to first scores the run, 1-0 M's. Branyan takes a pitch and Beltre steals second. Branyan strikes out looking though. Inning over.
Top 2: Vlad leads off and pops up to third. Torii Hunter comes up next, gets into a 1-2 hole and strikes out looking. Kendry Morales is up with 2 down. He works it full, and on the payoff pitch swings and misses.
Bottom 2: Betancourt grounds out to third quickly, and now Johjima is up. The guy hasnt hit for a few years now, and bumps one 25 feet in front of the plate, Loux picks it up and fires to first. 2 down. Former Indian Gutierrrez, who has played great CF thus far, steps up, swings at misses at a 1-2 slider in the dirt. Inning over. Snore fest so far.
top 3: Catcher Napoli leads off. He gets the count to 3-1 and pops one to shallow right. 1 down. After this half of the inning, ##I am moving over to the Yanks/Rays game. Two of the top 5 teams and much more offense than this game. ## Gary Matthews strikesout looking and this game is moving fast, or slow, depending upon how you look at it. Aybar grounds out to short to end it.
| LA Angels | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| C. Figgins 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .263 | |
| H. Kendrick 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .296 | |
| B. Abreu lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .292 | |
| V. Guerrero dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .292 | |
| T. Hunter cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .222 | |
| K. Morales 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .304 | |
| M. Napoli c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .444 | |
| G. Matthews Jr. rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | |
| E. Aybar ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .083 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Seattle | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| E. Chavez rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .379 | |
| R. Cedeno lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 | |
| K. Griffey Jr. dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .133 | |
| A. Beltre 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .269 | |
| R. Branyan 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| J. Lopez 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .238 | |
| K. Johjima c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | |
| F. Gutierrez cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .185 | |
| Y. Betancourt ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .364 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| LA Angels | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| S. Loux | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NA | |
| Seattle | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| C. Silva | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.80 | |
I have no clue how the Mariners score runs with this offense, and I think when all is said and done, unless they have unreal pitching, they will not be a .500 team
top 1: Figgins steps in and grounds out to second. Kendrick breaks his bat and grounds out to third. Both of these teams will have MAJOR trouble scoring runs this year, I have no doubt of that. Abreau is up now, easily the most selective hitter on the Angels, probably the only guy who takes pitches or walks. He flies out to center. 1-2-3 inning
bottom 1: Im looking foward to the ovation Griffey will get in his Mariners' second honeymoon debut. Leading off is Chavez, who grounds a breaking ball right back to the pitcher for an out. Cedeno up next, a LOT of guys making their Mariners' home debuts here, a very new team. Their ceiling is low, I expect. Cedeno works it full, fouls off 3 or 4 payoff pitches, then draws a walk. Griffey gets a big hand as he steps up. He then rips one to right for a single. 1st and 3rd, one out for Beltre. Beltre ground back to the pitcher, but a bad throw from Aybar to first scores the run, 1-0 M's. Branyan takes a pitch and Beltre steals second. Branyan strikes out looking though. Inning over.
Top 2: Vlad leads off and pops up to third. Torii Hunter comes up next, gets into a 1-2 hole and strikes out looking. Kendry Morales is up with 2 down. He works it full, and on the payoff pitch swings and misses.
Bottom 2: Betancourt grounds out to third quickly, and now Johjima is up. The guy hasnt hit for a few years now, and bumps one 25 feet in front of the plate, Loux picks it up and fires to first. 2 down. Former Indian Gutierrrez, who has played great CF thus far, steps up, swings at misses at a 1-2 slider in the dirt. Inning over. Snore fest so far.
top 3: Catcher Napoli leads off. He gets the count to 3-1 and pops one to shallow right. 1 down. After this half of the inning, ##I am moving over to the Yanks/Rays game. Two of the top 5 teams and much more offense than this game. ## Gary Matthews strikesout looking and this game is moving fast, or slow, depending upon how you look at it. Aybar grounds out to short to end it.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thought of the day
Note to Rangers management:
This team doesnt play baseball. They dont pitch, they dont move runners, they dont play defense. They are clueless on the road. The manager is a nice guy, Im sure, but he is a mile out of his league. You can have as many prospects as you wish, but until they learn to play defense, it just doesnt matter. ITs all for naught.
This team doesnt play baseball. They dont pitch, they dont move runners, they dont play defense. They are clueless on the road. The manager is a nice guy, Im sure, but he is a mile out of his league. You can have as many prospects as you wish, but until they learn to play defense, it just doesnt matter. ITs all for naught.
dodgers home opener Giants (Randy Johnson) vs Billingsley
Lineups:
I expect a solid game, though Im pretty confident the Dodgers win this one versus an awful Giants team.
top 1: Winn, Renteria, and Lewis start it off. I do project Winn to have 35-40+ steals this year, batting leadoff. Underrated in the field also, not a bad player. Flies out to left on 5 pitches. Renteria grounds out to third on 3 more pitches. Lewis rakes a 2 out single up the middle and Molina comes up and pops out to right.
Bottom 1: Furcal steps up, batting right-handed. Strikes out swinging. Hudson is up, also batting from the right side. Nubs one 15 feet in front of the plate and beats it out. Manny comes up and drives Winn to the wall where he grabs it. Loney grouns out to second to end the inning. Poor Manny.
Top 2: Sandoval first pitch swinging, as always, flies to center. Ishikawa strikes out quickly. Rowand stands in. He singles up the middle and Burriss comes up, and another K for Billingsley.
Bottom 2: Martin leads off. He has not been hitting the ball well at all thus far. He is a guy who hits line drives up the middle when he is on. This at bat is another deep fly out, caught by Winn. Ethier strikes out next. Dodgers have had two very near homers, but nothing to show for it. Kemp works it even at 2-2, and grounds on thru the left side for a single. Righties are having no trouble at all with Big Unit today. Blake , lifetime 0-6 vs Unit, comes up, would be nice to clear the pitchers spot for the 3rd inning. Blake is now 0-7 career vs Unit.
top 3: johnson swings and misses. Interesting (to me) note: Giants have ZERO walks in the last 2 games. Pitiful. Reminds me of the Rangers. Top of the order up again, no action in this game thus far. Winn singles to left. Renteria is up. First decent threat SF has had to date. Renteria is battling here, fouling off pitches, but eventually chases one high and outside, thats 4 k's for SF thru 2.2 innings. Lewis pops out to second. Giants cant hit. PERIOD>
Bottom 3: billingsley leads off. Eventually, someone will score! Strikeout. 1 down. Furcal is up and he hits one hard to third but Sandoval sucks it up like the giant cake he ate for breakfast .2 down. Hudson homerun barely clears the wall, 1-0 dodgers. Manny up again and gets ahold of another one for a double to the wall. Loney works the count full , and k's.
top 4: Molina drives one to the wall for a double. Sandoval moves him to third on a grounder to first. And Ishikawa comes up with an RBI chance. It will take a deep fly because Molina is slower than mud. The score is tied at 1 after a single to the OF. Rowand up with a runner on first. Billinglsey is throwing a lot of pitches in the 4th. Rowand grounds to short. 6-4-3. but its tied.
bottom 4: Martin leads off. Works it full and fouls off 3 or 4 pitches, before striking out. NExt pitch, to Andre Ethier, solo shot to deep center left. 2-1 Dodgers. Kemp draws a 6 pitch walk. Johnson has been lucky all game, he could easily be down 4-1 or so. Loney up the middle on a hit and run and Renteria covers it but cant make a throw, 1st and 2nd, 1 out for billingsley's bunt attempt. He gets it down and almost beats it out! furcal up with 2 RISP. Furcal singles to right and its 4-1. Full count to Hudson so Furcall will be running. hudson drives a double to the wall and its 5-1 LA! Unit is done. Manny is intentionally walked, and Kemp is walked unintentionally. Loaded, 2 outs. Merkin Valdez comes in from the pen. Martin can end the game right here with a hit. And I can go walk my dog, who is whining incessantly because he wants to go outside and urinate on every bush he sees. Martin is going to work this pitcher, and the Giants have a garbage pen so LA is in great shape. 3-1 count to Martin now. He can sit here and wait for a nice juicy heater. And he gets it and drives in 2 runs, 7-1 Dodgers. Expect this a lot this year, the dodgers can hit, and the Giants suck bigtime. Perhaps you saw my projections?
If this becomes a game, I will be back to cover it. IT was nice for about 3 innings, but Randy Johnson is a 4 inning pitcher these days. Ethier has 2 on and 2 out. I think the game is over, but they can close the door even tighter with another RBI or two. He flies out to center. Inning over.
| San Francisco | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| R. Winn rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .375 | |
| E. Renteria ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .190 | |
| F. Lewis lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .450 | |
| B. Molina c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .304 | |
| P. Sandoval 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .217 | |
| T. Ishikawa 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 | |
| A. Rowand cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .389 | |
| E. Burriss 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .111 | |
| R. Johnson p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| LA Dodgers | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| R. Furcal ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | |
| O. Hudson 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | |
| M. Ramirez lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| J. Loney 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .370 | |
| R. Martin c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | |
| A. Ethier rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .208 | |
| M. Kemp cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .375 | |
| C. Blake 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | |
| C. Billingsley p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| San Francisco | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| R. Johnson | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.20 | |
| LA Dodgers | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| C. Billingsley | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | |
I expect a solid game, though Im pretty confident the Dodgers win this one versus an awful Giants team.
top 1: Winn, Renteria, and Lewis start it off. I do project Winn to have 35-40+ steals this year, batting leadoff. Underrated in the field also, not a bad player. Flies out to left on 5 pitches. Renteria grounds out to third on 3 more pitches. Lewis rakes a 2 out single up the middle and Molina comes up and pops out to right.
Bottom 1: Furcal steps up, batting right-handed. Strikes out swinging. Hudson is up, also batting from the right side. Nubs one 15 feet in front of the plate and beats it out. Manny comes up and drives Winn to the wall where he grabs it. Loney grouns out to second to end the inning. Poor Manny.
Top 2: Sandoval first pitch swinging, as always, flies to center. Ishikawa strikes out quickly. Rowand stands in. He singles up the middle and Burriss comes up, and another K for Billingsley.
Bottom 2: Martin leads off. He has not been hitting the ball well at all thus far. He is a guy who hits line drives up the middle when he is on. This at bat is another deep fly out, caught by Winn. Ethier strikes out next. Dodgers have had two very near homers, but nothing to show for it. Kemp works it even at 2-2, and grounds on thru the left side for a single. Righties are having no trouble at all with Big Unit today. Blake , lifetime 0-6 vs Unit, comes up, would be nice to clear the pitchers spot for the 3rd inning. Blake is now 0-7 career vs Unit.
top 3: johnson swings and misses. Interesting (to me) note: Giants have ZERO walks in the last 2 games. Pitiful. Reminds me of the Rangers. Top of the order up again, no action in this game thus far. Winn singles to left. Renteria is up. First decent threat SF has had to date. Renteria is battling here, fouling off pitches, but eventually chases one high and outside, thats 4 k's for SF thru 2.2 innings. Lewis pops out to second. Giants cant hit. PERIOD>
Bottom 3: billingsley leads off. Eventually, someone will score! Strikeout. 1 down. Furcal is up and he hits one hard to third but Sandoval sucks it up like the giant cake he ate for breakfast .2 down. Hudson homerun barely clears the wall, 1-0 dodgers. Manny up again and gets ahold of another one for a double to the wall. Loney works the count full , and k's.
top 4: Molina drives one to the wall for a double. Sandoval moves him to third on a grounder to first. And Ishikawa comes up with an RBI chance. It will take a deep fly because Molina is slower than mud. The score is tied at 1 after a single to the OF. Rowand up with a runner on first. Billinglsey is throwing a lot of pitches in the 4th. Rowand grounds to short. 6-4-3. but its tied.
bottom 4: Martin leads off. Works it full and fouls off 3 or 4 pitches, before striking out. NExt pitch, to Andre Ethier, solo shot to deep center left. 2-1 Dodgers. Kemp draws a 6 pitch walk. Johnson has been lucky all game, he could easily be down 4-1 or so. Loney up the middle on a hit and run and Renteria covers it but cant make a throw, 1st and 2nd, 1 out for billingsley's bunt attempt. He gets it down and almost beats it out! furcal up with 2 RISP. Furcal singles to right and its 4-1. Full count to Hudson so Furcall will be running. hudson drives a double to the wall and its 5-1 LA! Unit is done. Manny is intentionally walked, and Kemp is walked unintentionally. Loaded, 2 outs. Merkin Valdez comes in from the pen. Martin can end the game right here with a hit. And I can go walk my dog, who is whining incessantly because he wants to go outside and urinate on every bush he sees. Martin is going to work this pitcher, and the Giants have a garbage pen so LA is in great shape. 3-1 count to Martin now. He can sit here and wait for a nice juicy heater. And he gets it and drives in 2 runs, 7-1 Dodgers. Expect this a lot this year, the dodgers can hit, and the Giants suck bigtime. Perhaps you saw my projections?
If this becomes a game, I will be back to cover it. IT was nice for about 3 innings, but Randy Johnson is a 4 inning pitcher these days. Ethier has 2 on and 2 out. I think the game is over, but they can close the door even tighter with another RBI or two. He flies out to center. Inning over.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Cubs (Dempster) @ Brewers (Suppan)
Cubs should finish up this series by winning the rubber game, Marmols seems to be the closer, the Cubs had a great rally last night, and they have the better starter, defense, and lineup too.
Dempster , for some reason, is generally nails vs the Brewers. Suppan is garbage versus everyone. I am still reeling over the Rangers blowup today. Millwood throws an incredible game. but the Rangers play awful baseball, they dont move runners, and their pen does what I expect to happen quite regularly all year. The pen allowed 6 runs, though half earned, in 1 inning today, completing the road sweep at the Tigers hands. I hate the Tigers, and I am ready to give up on Texas after one week.
top 1: Soriano leads off. First pitch. Fastball. Going. going. GONE. 1-0. Suppan sucks. Fukodome follows. 5 pitch walk. Cubs left a lot of runners on third with less than 2 outs in the last 2 games, perhaps it would be advantageous to get those runners in early today. I suppose homeruns dont strand too many runners, so thats one way to go. Fukodome is thinking about running...
He should have run, because Lee grounds out to short. Milton Bradley is batting cleamup today. I dont like him in this spot at all. But he is a switch-hitter, so I guess it makes sense today, Bradley grounds out to second and it should have been a 4-6-3 but Hardy bobbles and doesnt make the throw. Ramirez is up with 1 on , 2 down. Great AB for Ramirez, he has worked a full count and fouled off 7 pitches thus far. On the 9th pitch, Ramirez grounds out to second.
Bottom 1: Weeks rakes a single to left. I truly think he will have his best year yet in 09. The guy may only hit .240 every year, but his OBP is like 360, which is very very solid. He will only get better. Counsell walks on 4 pitches. Now Dempster has put himself in an awful spot, facing Braun with nobody out and 2 on. Braun has worked the count to his advantage early, 2-1, and he will get a nice fat pitch here or on the next one. He gets it, and fouls it down the line. 2-2 count. Braun chases a low slider and grounds meekly to short, it was so slowly hit that the runners advance, and only one down with 2 RISP. Fielder is up now, and Id guess he gets walked. And he is walked. Loaded, 1 out, for Hardy. Big early chance for the Crew. Hardy flies out to center but the throw comes into third. 1-1. 2 outs. Hart is up. Wild pitch puts runners on 2nd and 3rd. This AB becomes a lot larger now, with 2 runs at stake. HArt breaks his bat and flies out to right.
top 2: Fontenot lines to left, Theriot lines to right. Hill grounds to second. That was like 7 pitches or so.
bottom 2: Duffy strikes out looking. Kendall grounds out to third. Suppan strikes out. As slow as the first inning was, the second was fast.
top 3: Dempster flies out to center. Soriano works it full and walks, then takes second on a pitch in the dirt. Fukodome works it full and is called out on a check swing, unable to move Soriano to third. Lee comes to the plate and grounds out to third.
bottom 3: Weeks hits a 10 foot grounder and is thrown out. Counsell with his second walk in as many AB's, and Braun is up again with a runner on. Braun first pitch pop up to Ramirez. Fielder hits into the giant shift, putting it in shallow right, but Fontenot takes too long to throw and Fielder beats it out. Hardy up with 2 on, 2 out. A nice hard shot but stabbed by Fontenot to end the threat.
top 4: Bradley is plunked, leadoff runner on. Ramirez drives one to the left center gap but Braun gets a great read on it and there's one out. Fontenot steps in. Walks. Theriot up the middle for a single. Bases loaded, one out. Bradley pulls up lame at third (suprise), and is pinch-run for by Reed Johnson. Hill is up. 4 pitch walk. 2-0 Cubs. Dempster is up now. Anything but a GIDP is fine. He grounds out to third, who comes home. 2 down, loaded. Soriano up and he is gonna sit on a heater. 2-1 count, showtime methinks. Nope. Suppan cannot find the plate. 3-1 count now. And he walks him. 3-1 Cubbies. Second bases loaded walk in the inning. Another walk, Fukodome full count walk. 4-1 Cubs. suppan is gone. In comes Jorge Julio and he is garbage, its just a matter of time before everyone sees it. 4 pitch walk to Lee. 5-1 Cubs. Reed Johnson fills in for Bradley here, and if anyone is gonna end the inning, its him. And he grounds out to short. Im smart.
Bottom 4: cubs had a shot to bust it open, and didnt. They lead but the lead isnt insurmountable. And a long homer for HArt makes it 5-2. Dempster k's Duffy and Kendall is up now. Inning should end 5-2 with the pitchers spot up next. Kendall k's, Julio bats for himself and also k's. thats the side.
top 5: Ramirez leads off. cubs need a few runs off Julio. Ramirez drives one deep but Duffy runs it down. Theriot drives one into the gap for a double, 6-2 Cubs. Dempster drops one down but he is slow. Inning over.
bottom 5: maybe a make or break for brewers here. Dempster is at 76 pitches after 4. So he wont go past the 6th I'm guessing. Weeks is up and he loops one in front of fukodome for a single. Counsell with a single, 2 on, nobody out. Dempster has had trouble with the top of the order all day. I still think the Cubs may need more than 6 runs to win this game. Dempster beans Braun, loaded, no outs, Fielder is up. big chance here. I dont see why the Brewers dont score at least 2-3 runs. And Reed Johnson ROBS Fielder of a grand slam by going over the wall. WOW. Thats as good as I have ever seen! 6-3 cubs. runners on the corners. ground out for Hardy, 6-4 Cubs. Hart strikes out.
Top 6: Soriano and Fukodome both fly out to left. Lee grounds to third but a bad throw by Counsell cant be handled by Fielder at first. Johnson is then nailed in the back, 2 on, 2 out. Ramirez is up and wastes a nice chance by grounding out to second. Thats 8 LOB already for the Cubs. Same story as the last 2 games.
Bottom 6: Dempster is in, presumably his last inning. Duffy flies out to left. Kendall grounds out to third. Pinch hitter McGehee hits one into the 2b hole and beats it out. Weeks up again, last hitter for Dempster I think. Weeks grounds out to second.
Top 7: Seth McClung is in. He sucks too. so the Cubs may want to net a run or two here. Fontenot leads off. And pops out to center. Theriot fouls out to Hart, a nice catch. Hill k's. Nice inning for Mcclung. suprising, but nice.
bottom 7: Sean Marshall is in to start the 7th. Counsell leads off and works it full. On the payoff pitch grounds out to short. Braun follows him with a groundball laser dropped by Ramirez, but his arm does the makeup work and there are 2 down for Fielder, who flies out to left.
Top 8: Joey Gathright pinc hits for Marshall, walks, and steals second. The guy would steal 80 bases if he played regularly. Of course, if he could hit, he would play regularly. Soriano is robbed of an RBI by Counsell. Also, the runner doesnt advance. Fukodome hits a hard line drive single to left, so hard that Gathright stops at third. Derek Lee, GIDP machine is up. And he crushes one to the track, just missing a 3run HR. A run scores, 7-4 Cubs. I assume the Cubs can hold this lead, since the heart of the Brewers lineup probably wont bat again unless 3+ runners get on in the 8th or 9th. Nice to see the Cubs manufacture a run, if youre a Cubbies fan. Johnson grounds out to short to end the top half.
bottom 8: Hardy, Hart, and Duffy (or a pinch hitter) due up. Apparently Marmol is not the closer yet. He starts out the 8th. Pinella is confusing me already. Strikes out Hardy on 4 pitches. Hart does the same, and Duffy pops out to short. Fast inning.
top 9: Ramirez grounds out. A nice big fat 0-5 tonite for him. Fontenot k's. I think the Cubs just want to finish this fast. Theriot walks, and Hill is up. He drives one down the line that scores Theriot. 8-4 Cubs and that should do it.
I will be back tomorrow!
| Chi Cubs | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| A. Soriano lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .280 | |
| K. Fukudome cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .421 | |
| D. Lee 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .091 | |
| M. Bradley rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .062 | |
| A. Ramirez 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | |
| M. Fontenot 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .389 | |
| R. Theriot ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .562 | |
| K. Hill c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | |
| R. Dempster p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Milwaukee | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| R. Weeks 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | |
| C. Counsell 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | |
| R. Braun lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .238 | |
| P. Fielder 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .235 | |
| J.J. Hardy ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .100 | |
| C. Hart rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .278 | |
| C. Duffy cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| J. Kendall c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| J. Suppan p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chi Cubs | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| R. Dempster | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | |
| Milwaukee | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| J. Suppan | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | |
Dempster , for some reason, is generally nails vs the Brewers. Suppan is garbage versus everyone. I am still reeling over the Rangers blowup today. Millwood throws an incredible game. but the Rangers play awful baseball, they dont move runners, and their pen does what I expect to happen quite regularly all year. The pen allowed 6 runs, though half earned, in 1 inning today, completing the road sweep at the Tigers hands. I hate the Tigers, and I am ready to give up on Texas after one week.
top 1: Soriano leads off. First pitch. Fastball. Going. going. GONE. 1-0. Suppan sucks. Fukodome follows. 5 pitch walk. Cubs left a lot of runners on third with less than 2 outs in the last 2 games, perhaps it would be advantageous to get those runners in early today. I suppose homeruns dont strand too many runners, so thats one way to go. Fukodome is thinking about running...
He should have run, because Lee grounds out to short. Milton Bradley is batting cleamup today. I dont like him in this spot at all. But he is a switch-hitter, so I guess it makes sense today, Bradley grounds out to second and it should have been a 4-6-3 but Hardy bobbles and doesnt make the throw. Ramirez is up with 1 on , 2 down. Great AB for Ramirez, he has worked a full count and fouled off 7 pitches thus far. On the 9th pitch, Ramirez grounds out to second.
Bottom 1: Weeks rakes a single to left. I truly think he will have his best year yet in 09. The guy may only hit .240 every year, but his OBP is like 360, which is very very solid. He will only get better. Counsell walks on 4 pitches. Now Dempster has put himself in an awful spot, facing Braun with nobody out and 2 on. Braun has worked the count to his advantage early, 2-1, and he will get a nice fat pitch here or on the next one. He gets it, and fouls it down the line. 2-2 count. Braun chases a low slider and grounds meekly to short, it was so slowly hit that the runners advance, and only one down with 2 RISP. Fielder is up now, and Id guess he gets walked. And he is walked. Loaded, 1 out, for Hardy. Big early chance for the Crew. Hardy flies out to center but the throw comes into third. 1-1. 2 outs. Hart is up. Wild pitch puts runners on 2nd and 3rd. This AB becomes a lot larger now, with 2 runs at stake. HArt breaks his bat and flies out to right.
top 2: Fontenot lines to left, Theriot lines to right. Hill grounds to second. That was like 7 pitches or so.
bottom 2: Duffy strikes out looking. Kendall grounds out to third. Suppan strikes out. As slow as the first inning was, the second was fast.
top 3: Dempster flies out to center. Soriano works it full and walks, then takes second on a pitch in the dirt. Fukodome works it full and is called out on a check swing, unable to move Soriano to third. Lee comes to the plate and grounds out to third.
bottom 3: Weeks hits a 10 foot grounder and is thrown out. Counsell with his second walk in as many AB's, and Braun is up again with a runner on. Braun first pitch pop up to Ramirez. Fielder hits into the giant shift, putting it in shallow right, but Fontenot takes too long to throw and Fielder beats it out. Hardy up with 2 on, 2 out. A nice hard shot but stabbed by Fontenot to end the threat.
top 4: Bradley is plunked, leadoff runner on. Ramirez drives one to the left center gap but Braun gets a great read on it and there's one out. Fontenot steps in. Walks. Theriot up the middle for a single. Bases loaded, one out. Bradley pulls up lame at third (suprise), and is pinch-run for by Reed Johnson. Hill is up. 4 pitch walk. 2-0 Cubs. Dempster is up now. Anything but a GIDP is fine. He grounds out to third, who comes home. 2 down, loaded. Soriano up and he is gonna sit on a heater. 2-1 count, showtime methinks. Nope. Suppan cannot find the plate. 3-1 count now. And he walks him. 3-1 Cubbies. Second bases loaded walk in the inning. Another walk, Fukodome full count walk. 4-1 Cubs. suppan is gone. In comes Jorge Julio and he is garbage, its just a matter of time before everyone sees it. 4 pitch walk to Lee. 5-1 Cubs. Reed Johnson fills in for Bradley here, and if anyone is gonna end the inning, its him. And he grounds out to short. Im smart.
Bottom 4: cubs had a shot to bust it open, and didnt. They lead but the lead isnt insurmountable. And a long homer for HArt makes it 5-2. Dempster k's Duffy and Kendall is up now. Inning should end 5-2 with the pitchers spot up next. Kendall k's, Julio bats for himself and also k's. thats the side.
top 5: Ramirez leads off. cubs need a few runs off Julio. Ramirez drives one deep but Duffy runs it down. Theriot drives one into the gap for a double, 6-2 Cubs. Dempster drops one down but he is slow. Inning over.
bottom 5: maybe a make or break for brewers here. Dempster is at 76 pitches after 4. So he wont go past the 6th I'm guessing. Weeks is up and he loops one in front of fukodome for a single. Counsell with a single, 2 on, nobody out. Dempster has had trouble with the top of the order all day. I still think the Cubs may need more than 6 runs to win this game. Dempster beans Braun, loaded, no outs, Fielder is up. big chance here. I dont see why the Brewers dont score at least 2-3 runs. And Reed Johnson ROBS Fielder of a grand slam by going over the wall. WOW. Thats as good as I have ever seen! 6-3 cubs. runners on the corners. ground out for Hardy, 6-4 Cubs. Hart strikes out.
Top 6: Soriano and Fukodome both fly out to left. Lee grounds to third but a bad throw by Counsell cant be handled by Fielder at first. Johnson is then nailed in the back, 2 on, 2 out. Ramirez is up and wastes a nice chance by grounding out to second. Thats 8 LOB already for the Cubs. Same story as the last 2 games.
Bottom 6: Dempster is in, presumably his last inning. Duffy flies out to left. Kendall grounds out to third. Pinch hitter McGehee hits one into the 2b hole and beats it out. Weeks up again, last hitter for Dempster I think. Weeks grounds out to second.
Top 7: Seth McClung is in. He sucks too. so the Cubs may want to net a run or two here. Fontenot leads off. And pops out to center. Theriot fouls out to Hart, a nice catch. Hill k's. Nice inning for Mcclung. suprising, but nice.
bottom 7: Sean Marshall is in to start the 7th. Counsell leads off and works it full. On the payoff pitch grounds out to short. Braun follows him with a groundball laser dropped by Ramirez, but his arm does the makeup work and there are 2 down for Fielder, who flies out to left.
Top 8: Joey Gathright pinc hits for Marshall, walks, and steals second. The guy would steal 80 bases if he played regularly. Of course, if he could hit, he would play regularly. Soriano is robbed of an RBI by Counsell. Also, the runner doesnt advance. Fukodome hits a hard line drive single to left, so hard that Gathright stops at third. Derek Lee, GIDP machine is up. And he crushes one to the track, just missing a 3run HR. A run scores, 7-4 Cubs. I assume the Cubs can hold this lead, since the heart of the Brewers lineup probably wont bat again unless 3+ runners get on in the 8th or 9th. Nice to see the Cubs manufacture a run, if youre a Cubbies fan. Johnson grounds out to short to end the top half.
bottom 8: Hardy, Hart, and Duffy (or a pinch hitter) due up. Apparently Marmol is not the closer yet. He starts out the 8th. Pinella is confusing me already. Strikes out Hardy on 4 pitches. Hart does the same, and Duffy pops out to short. Fast inning.
top 9: Ramirez grounds out. A nice big fat 0-5 tonite for him. Fontenot k's. I think the Cubs just want to finish this fast. Theriot walks, and Hill is up. He drives one down the line that scores Theriot. 8-4 Cubs and that should do it.
I will be back tomorrow!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Texas (Benson) @ Tigers (Galarrago)
Todays only early game involves two of the top 5 offenses in the majors. Texas is now the only undefeated team in the AL, and will be hard pressed to go 4-0 with Kris Benson making his first start since 2006. The lineups:
I expect a game that goes over 10+ runs, easily. Kinsler leads off and crushes a foul ball about 375 feet, but foul. Just a tiny bit out front. He follows up with an easy grounder to 3B Inge. Young comes up next and strikes out on 4 pitches, none of them in the strike zone. Hamilton bloops a ball that should fall for a single but Inge makes an incredible grab to rob him.
Kris Benson's first pitches since 2006 to follow....
Granderson leads off, a very solid hitter, more XBH's since 07 than anyone in MLB but Arod. Davis robs Granderson of AT LEAST a single on a diving stab, then Benson covers and barely beats the speedy Granderson. Thats two ESPN plays already, one per team. Polanco pops out to left. Magglio Ordonez works the count full before drawing a walk. The best hitter on either team, fatman Cabrera steps up, first pitch swinging grounds out to Young, who bobbles but, due to the girth Cabrera carries, throws him out by more than a few feet. Quick 1st inning!
Top 2: Blalock grounds out and Cruz follows with a line drive single. Byrd drives one to the gap, but Granderson cuts it off, saving a run,. 1st and 3rd, one out. Davis immediately grounds into a 4-6-3 DP and his miserable beginning continues....
Bottom 2: Guillen leads off, and pops out to shallow center, right behind the 2b bag. Cannot believe its 0-0 still! Jeff Larish is up, whoever he is, and hits one about 10 feet, Saltalamacchia fields it, throws it into the OF and Larish gets a 15 foot 2-bagger. Cruz almost throws him out at second, but Salty makes a bad decision. Laird nets a single and the error leads to a run, 1-0 Tigers. the Rangers do have the league's worst defense and it shows so far today. Inge pops up to first, 2 down, runner on 1st. No hit Everett comes up and pops out to center. First time this year Texas has trailed.
Top 3: First pitch swinging Saltalamacchia grounds out to first. Work the count guys, jees. They are making it very easy on Galarraga. Andrus works the count a bit, but strikes out looking on an inside pitch that is very very questionable. Kinsler is up, works the count full and fouls off a few sliders before succumbing to one. K.
Bottom 3: Granderson strikes out looking, but Benson is at 43 pitches thru 2 and a third. Polanco hits one hard, off the 3rd base bag and ends up with a single. Weird luck so far for Benson. Ordonez follows up and hits one under the glove of Young, they call it a hit. Top 5 hitter in baseball comes up, 2 on, 1 down, for Cabrera. this is a big moment for Benson.
Cabrera drives one hard to right field, a single, but hit so fast that the runners only advance one base. Loaded, 1 down. Rangers look like garbage right now. Guillen is up, and I'd be very happy to get out of this inning with less than 2 runs coming in. 0-2 count to Guillen, but he is good enough to make this a good AB regardless. guillen drives one to the track, SAC Fly RBI, 2-0 Tigers. 2 down though. Larish is up, need to get him out, and fast. The Rangers pen will be coming into this game by the 6th, if not earlier. Benson is going to be at 60 pitches in a minute here. Larish strikes out on a nice slider inside. Not too much damage done.
Top 4: Young crushes one on a line, but caught in center by Granderson. Hamilton follows with a walk and the Rangers finally have a lil something going with Blalock up to bat. Galarraga is an average pitcher, and if Texas would simply work the count, they could get somewhere. Blalock swings at a ncie fastball, but drives it hard right at Polanco. Two very hard hit balls this inning with zip to show for it. 2 down. Cruz k's and its on to the bottom. I'm not worried yet but the Rangers swing at EVERYTHING!
bottom 4: Laird pops out on the first pitch. 3-1 count to Inge who proceeds to hit a heater (if thats what Benson calls it) to centerfield for a single. Hit and run is on and Everett bloops one to rightfield, 1st and 3rd, no outs. Benson has not pitched too poorly at all, the defense has been bad and thats why it's 2-0. More bad defense, Cruz comes in on a ball driven to depp rightfield and instead of a sacfly, its a double. The game is getting close to out of hand here, and its 3-0 in a game that could easily be 1-0 at worst. Only one out. Polanco is beaned on the elbow and they are loaded with Ordonez coming up. This game is about to be blown wide open. Ordonez strikes out on a 80 mph slider, 2 down, but Cabrera is now up. This is the biggest moment in the game, for sure. Cabrera will not be an easy out. And just like that, grand slame, 7-0. Game over. I pick yet another stinker to watch. AWFUL
| Texas | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| I. Kinsler 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | |
| M. Young 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .417 | |
| J. Hamilton cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .273 | |
| H. Blalock dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| N. Cruz rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .364 | |
| M. Byrd lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | |
| C. Davis 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .091 | |
| J. Saltalamacchia c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .429 | |
| E. Andrus ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .375 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Detroit | |||||||||
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | LOB | Season Avg | ||
| C. Granderson cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .312 | |
| P. Polanco 2b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .154 | |
| M. Ordonez rf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .267 | |
| M. Cabrera 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .615 | |
| C. Guillen lf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 | |
| J. Larish dh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| G. Laird c | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .182 | |
| B. Inge 3b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
| A. Everett ss | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .100 | |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Texas | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| K. Benson | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NA | |
| Detroit | |||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | ||
| A. Galarraga | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NA | |
I expect a game that goes over 10+ runs, easily. Kinsler leads off and crushes a foul ball about 375 feet, but foul. Just a tiny bit out front. He follows up with an easy grounder to 3B Inge. Young comes up next and strikes out on 4 pitches, none of them in the strike zone. Hamilton bloops a ball that should fall for a single but Inge makes an incredible grab to rob him.
Kris Benson's first pitches since 2006 to follow....
Granderson leads off, a very solid hitter, more XBH's since 07 than anyone in MLB but Arod. Davis robs Granderson of AT LEAST a single on a diving stab, then Benson covers and barely beats the speedy Granderson. Thats two ESPN plays already, one per team. Polanco pops out to left. Magglio Ordonez works the count full before drawing a walk. The best hitter on either team, fatman Cabrera steps up, first pitch swinging grounds out to Young, who bobbles but, due to the girth Cabrera carries, throws him out by more than a few feet. Quick 1st inning!
Top 2: Blalock grounds out and Cruz follows with a line drive single. Byrd drives one to the gap, but Granderson cuts it off, saving a run,. 1st and 3rd, one out. Davis immediately grounds into a 4-6-3 DP and his miserable beginning continues....
Bottom 2: Guillen leads off, and pops out to shallow center, right behind the 2b bag. Cannot believe its 0-0 still! Jeff Larish is up, whoever he is, and hits one about 10 feet, Saltalamacchia fields it, throws it into the OF and Larish gets a 15 foot 2-bagger. Cruz almost throws him out at second, but Salty makes a bad decision. Laird nets a single and the error leads to a run, 1-0 Tigers. the Rangers do have the league's worst defense and it shows so far today. Inge pops up to first, 2 down, runner on 1st. No hit Everett comes up and pops out to center. First time this year Texas has trailed.
Top 3: First pitch swinging Saltalamacchia grounds out to first. Work the count guys, jees. They are making it very easy on Galarraga. Andrus works the count a bit, but strikes out looking on an inside pitch that is very very questionable. Kinsler is up, works the count full and fouls off a few sliders before succumbing to one. K.
Bottom 3: Granderson strikes out looking, but Benson is at 43 pitches thru 2 and a third. Polanco hits one hard, off the 3rd base bag and ends up with a single. Weird luck so far for Benson. Ordonez follows up and hits one under the glove of Young, they call it a hit. Top 5 hitter in baseball comes up, 2 on, 1 down, for Cabrera. this is a big moment for Benson.
Cabrera drives one hard to right field, a single, but hit so fast that the runners only advance one base. Loaded, 1 down. Rangers look like garbage right now. Guillen is up, and I'd be very happy to get out of this inning with less than 2 runs coming in. 0-2 count to Guillen, but he is good enough to make this a good AB regardless. guillen drives one to the track, SAC Fly RBI, 2-0 Tigers. 2 down though. Larish is up, need to get him out, and fast. The Rangers pen will be coming into this game by the 6th, if not earlier. Benson is going to be at 60 pitches in a minute here. Larish strikes out on a nice slider inside. Not too much damage done.
Top 4: Young crushes one on a line, but caught in center by Granderson. Hamilton follows with a walk and the Rangers finally have a lil something going with Blalock up to bat. Galarraga is an average pitcher, and if Texas would simply work the count, they could get somewhere. Blalock swings at a ncie fastball, but drives it hard right at Polanco. Two very hard hit balls this inning with zip to show for it. 2 down. Cruz k's and its on to the bottom. I'm not worried yet but the Rangers swing at EVERYTHING!
bottom 4: Laird pops out on the first pitch. 3-1 count to Inge who proceeds to hit a heater (if thats what Benson calls it) to centerfield for a single. Hit and run is on and Everett bloops one to rightfield, 1st and 3rd, no outs. Benson has not pitched too poorly at all, the defense has been bad and thats why it's 2-0. More bad defense, Cruz comes in on a ball driven to depp rightfield and instead of a sacfly, its a double. The game is getting close to out of hand here, and its 3-0 in a game that could easily be 1-0 at worst. Only one out. Polanco is beaned on the elbow and they are loaded with Ordonez coming up. This game is about to be blown wide open. Ordonez strikes out on a 80 mph slider, 2 down, but Cabrera is now up. This is the biggest moment in the game, for sure. Cabrera will not be an easy out. And just like that, grand slame, 7-0. Game over. I pick yet another stinker to watch. AWFUL
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