Killeverything's (New)NeverEndingBaseballThread

[Machado]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice but a jury failed to reach a verdict on three other counts that the home run king lied to a grand jury in 2003 when he specifically denied that he knowingly used steroids and human growth hormone.

Following a 12-day trial and almost four full days of deliberation, a jury could not reach a unanimous vote on three of four counts, a messy end to a case that put the slugger in the spotlight for more than three years.

Bonds sat stone-faced through the verdict, displaying no emotion.

The case also represented the culmination of the federal investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroids ring. Federal prosecutors and the Justice Department will have to decide whether to retry Bonds on the unresolved counts.

[TawnyVonJagger]

AAAHHHHH!!!

JJ pitches a no-no through 7.1 innings. Fuck Freddie Freeman!

He's gonna get it this season. That's 2 close calls now. God I love him.

[killeverything]

Carlos Delgado announces retirement. Does he make the Hall?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/stor ... NHeadlines

[Atomicpunk18]

AAAHHHHH!!!

JJ pitches a no-no through 7.1 innings. Fuck Freddie Freeman!

He's gonna get it this season. That's 2 close calls now. God I love him.

He was my pre-season pick for NL Cy Young and my favorite pitcher to watch over the past few years. Just a beast.

Hopefully he requests a trade to come to NY so he can experience winning

[killeverything]

AAAHHHHH!!!

JJ pitches a no-no through 7.1 innings. Fuck Freddie Freeman!

He's gonna get it this season. That's 2 close calls now. God I love him.

He was my pre-season pick for NL Cy Young and my favorite pitcher to watch over the past few years. Just a beast.

Hopefully he requests a trade to come to NY so he can experience winning

Yeah! Like experiencing winning the last time Florida did........by beating NY.

[johnk5150]

I'd like to repeat. White Sox fans may kill Matt Thornton.

[Machado]

Yankees lefty reliever
Pedro Feliciano is probably out for the rest of this season with a shoulder injury.

His injury is described as a similar injury that Chien Ming Wang suffered two seasons ago.

[Atomicpunk18]

AAAHHHHH!!!

JJ pitches a no-no through 7.1 innings. Fuck Freddie Freeman!

He's gonna get it this season. That's 2 close calls now. God I love him.

He was my pre-season pick for NL Cy Young and my favorite pitcher to watch over the past few years. Just a beast.

Hopefully he requests a trade to come to NY so he can experience winning

Yeah! Like experiencing winning the last time Florida did........by beating NY.

Back in the day when Josh Beckett actually used to be good

[MurrayFiend]

Are the Mets that bad or are the Rockies just that hot right now? Probably a combination of the two... fucking Tulowitzki, homering in all four games.

[killeverything]

Back in the day when Josh Beckett actually used to be good

Yep. 2003 as the WS MVP, or 2007 as the 20 game winner, ALCS MVP, starting pitcher for the WS Champion, 2nd runner up to the ( rightful ) Cy Young recipient CC Sabbathia, or maybe the guy who pitched an 8 inning, 10K, 2 hit shutout.....

[killeverything]

Are the Mets that bad or are the Rockies just that hot right now? Probably a combination of the two... fucking Tulowitzki, homering in all four games.

The Mets are bad, I don't give a fuck what ESPN.com says, but that's beside the point. Actually I agree with Yonkel on that one. The Rockies are a lot better than people are giving them credit for. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see them take the West. They're kinda one of those under the radar teams.

Not unlike Cincy last season. Though a lot of people ( rightfully IMO ) are predicting the Reds to take the Central again. Their pitching is phenomonal, but I think that SF is facing an upset with Colorado.

[Atomicpunk18]

Back in the day when Josh Beckett actually used to be good

Yep. 2003 as the WS MVP, or 2007 as the 20 game winner, ALCS MVP, starting pitcher for the WS Champion, 2nd runner up to the ( rightful ) Cy Young recipient CC Sabbathia, or maybe the guy who pitched an 8 inning, 10K, 2 hit shutout.....

You know what they say... even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Seems for Josh Beckett that's every four seasons or so. The rest of his time is spent pitching more like a #3 starter.


Here's something for you:

Since 2008...

Pitcher A: 35-22, 4.39 ERA, 104 ERA+, 9.1 H/9, 1.1 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 3.63 K/BB

Pitcher B: 41-34, 4.42 ERA, 99 ERA+, 8.9 H/9, 1.0 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.19 K/BB

Pitcher A is Josh Beckett. Pitcher B is AJ Burnett. Pretty startling how similar they've pitched over the past few seasons.

[killeverything]

Back in the day when Josh Beckett actually used to be good

Yep. 2003 as the WS MVP, or 2007 as the 20 game winner, ALCS MVP, starting pitcher for the WS Champion, 2nd runner up to the ( rightful ) Cy Young recipient CC Sabbathia, or maybe the guy who pitched an 8 inning, 10K, 2 hit shutout.....

You know what they say... even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Seems for Josh Beckett that's every four seasons or so. The rest of his time is spent pitching more like a #3 starter.


Here's something for you:

Since 2008...

Pitcher A: 35-22, 4.39 ERA, 104 ERA+, 9.1 H/9, 1.1 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 3.63 K/BB

Pitcher B: 41-34, 4.42 ERA, 99 ERA+, 8.9 H/9, 1.0 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.19 K/BB

Pitcher A is Josh Beckett. Pitcher B is AJ Burnett. Pretty startling how similar they've pitched over the past few seasons.

They call him "odd year" Beckett for a reason

John Henry actually wanted Burnett over Beckett, because he was convinced he has better "stuff" so to speak. I'm kind of on the fence about it personally. They both have health and/or conditioning issues. When they are "on" they are fucking on, when they're not AJ is a bullpen pitcher and Beckett pitches the homerun derby.

John Dewan's Stat Of The Week

Contender or Pretender? The Predictive Value of the First Ten Games of the Season

April 12, 2011

Much has been made of the slow starts of the Red Sox and Rays, each losing the first six games of the 2011 season. The Rays, who finished with the best record in the American League last year, were expected to contend despite heavy offseason losses but have limped to a 2-8 start. The Red Sox, after trading for slugger Adrian Gonzalez and signing outfielder Carl Crawford, were heavy favorites in AL East heading into Opening Day but have started the season 2-8. Are these slow starts reason to panic?

We looked at the first ten games of the season for every team since 2002, specifically focusing on teams that won 90 or more games on the season and/or made the playoffs.

Performance in First Ten Games (2002-10)
Wins in First 10 Teams Finished 90+ Wins Pct of Total Made Playoffs Pct of Total
0-3 39 1 3% 3 8%
4 62 13 21% 13 21%
5 69 18 26% 21 30%
6 59 19 32% 18 31%
7-10 41 19 46% 17 41%
It's clear from the chart that there is some correlation between a team's first 10 games and the rest of the season. Out of the 39 teams that won three or fewer of their first ten games, only the 2002 Angels finished the season with 90 or more wins. (After starting the season 3-7, that Angels team won 99 games and the World Series!) Two others (the 2006 Padres and the 2007 Phillies) managed to make the playoffs despite slow starts. Though it wouldn't be an unprecedented comeback, the Red Sox and Rays have a lot of work to do to catch up to preseason expectations.

On the flip side, the Rangers are off to a 9-1 start in their quest to defend their American League Pennant. Of the 41 teams in our sample who won at least seven of their first ten games, 17 (41 percent) have made the playoffs. They're far from a lock to make the playoffs at this point in the season, but they're off to a great start.

They finally got it done.

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on a seven-year contract worth $154 million, multiple media outlets, including ESPN, are reporting.

The deal is expected to be announced Friday afternoon.

Gonzalez receives a $6 million signing bonus, $21 million per year from 2012-16 and $21.5 million per year in 2017 and 2018, sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. Sources also said the deal has a partial no-trade clause.

The Red Sox acquired Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres in the offseason. The parameters of the deal were discussed at the time, but by waiting until after the season started, the Red Sox saved luxury tax money.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/ne ... id=6359978

[Machado]

Back in the day when Josh Beckett actually used to be good

Yep. 2003 as the WS MVP, or 2007 as the 20 game winner, ALCS MVP, starting pitcher for the WS Champion, 2nd runner up to the ( rightful ) Cy Young recipient CC Sabbathia, or maybe the guy who pitched an 8 inning, 10K, 2 hit shutout.....

You know what they say... even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Seems for Josh Beckett that's every four seasons or so. The rest of his time is spent pitching more like a #3 starter.


Here's something for you:

Since 2008...

Pitcher A: 35-22, 4.39 ERA, 104 ERA+, 9.1 H/9, 1.1 HR/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 3.63 K/BB

Pitcher B: 41-34, 4.42 ERA, 99 ERA+, 8.9 H/9, 1.0 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.19 K/BB

Pitcher A is Josh Beckett. Pitcher B is AJ Burnett. Pretty startling how similar they've pitched over the past few seasons.

Thanks for the comparison.

Right now I am much more concerned with Phil Hughes and not A.J.
I don't know very many Yankees fans that could have predicted how poorly Hughes is pitching after 3 starts.
His velocity is down.
He is not getting hitter's to swing and miss on his fastball.
Any swing and misses are coming when he throws off-speed stuff

[Atomicpunk18]

They call him "odd year" Beckett for a reason

John Henry actually wanted Burnett over Beckett, because he was convinced he has better "stuff" so to speak. I'm kind of on the fence about it personally. They both have health and/or conditioning issues. When they are "on" they are fucking on, when they're not AJ is a bullpen pitcher and Beckett pitches the homerun derby.

I sort of agree with Henry. In terms of pure "stuff" I think Burnett has the slight advantage. Just because if he's locating his fastballs and his curve is off, he can still pitch the 4 seamer and use the 2 seamer as his out pitch. When the curve is on, it's one of the filthiest pitches in baseball.

However, Beckett has actually put it together and had a Cy Young worthy season; something AJ Burnett has never come close to achieving. That to me is worth way more than any debate about "stuff." Beckett has proven that he can shut down hitters throughout a season. He just doesn't seem to be able to do it for more than one season at a time.

In the end, I think they're both pitchers who had/have the potential to be dominating starters. I think they've underachieved most of their careers and are extremely overrated by the media. Neither are the "ace" the media has dubbed them, yet they get paid like they are. Go figure.

[Atomicpunk18]

Thanks for the comparison.

Right now I am much more concerned with Phil Hughes and not A.J.
I don't know very many Yankees fans that could have predicted how poorly Hughes is pitching after 3 starts.
His velocity is down.
He is not getting hitter's to swing and miss on his fastball.
Any swing and misses are coming when he throws off-speed stuff

Personally, I think the team is better suited with Joba in the rotation. I've always liked him as a starter better than I have Hughes.

Hughes is just enigmatic. I don't get it at all. It makes me wonder if his conditioning is shot. He's not coming off an injury. Did he even do anything last offseason? I just hope that when the temperatures rise so does his fastball velocity. A two-seamer would suit him well.

[killeverything]

Right now I am much more concerned with Phil Hughes and not A.J.
I don't know very many Yankees fans that could have predicted how poorly Hughes is pitching after 3 starts.
His velocity is down.
He is not getting hitter's to swing and miss on his fastball.
Any swing and misses are coming when he throws off-speed stuff

They've always questioned his conditioning. As it stands now.

His fastball was in the 88-89 range. His cutter at 84-84 with no "cut". Fangraphs has his fastball average at 89.4, down from 92.5 in 2010, and his cutter at 84, down from 88.8 in 2010.

Post May 12th last year he was awful despite a better fastball than 2011. Had a 4.98 ERA and 24 HR in 137 IP. His high win total was a function of run support and bullpen.

Last night he started off at 90-91 mph and then slipped to 88-89 by the 3rd. Not sure if he is just not in very good shape or hiding an arm injury, There is obviously more to the story.

[Machado]

Right now I am much more concerned with Phil Hughes and not A.J.
I don't know very many Yankees fans that could have predicted how poorly Hughes is pitching after 3 starts.
His velocity is down.
He is not getting hitter's to swing and miss on his fastball.
Any swing and misses are coming when he throws off-speed stuff

They've always questioned his conditioning. As it stands now.

His fastball was in the 88-89 range. His cutter at 84-84 with no "cut". Fangraphs has his fastball average at 89.4, down from 92.5 in 2010, and his cutter at 84, down from 88.8 in 2010.

Post May 12th last year he was awful despite a better fastball than 2011. Had a 4.98 ERA and 24 HR in 137 IP. His high win total was a function of run support and bullpen.

Last night he started off at 90-91 mph and then slipped to 88-89 by the 3rd. Not sure if he is just not in very good shape or hiding an arm injury, There is obviously more to the story.

I made sure to watch the game last night and you know what, "he had nothing".
If he would have remined in the game for another inning, he would have giving up at least 2-3 more runs, or more.

There has to be more to the story.
How can he lose that much off his fastball without an injury?
It's very possible Hughes is out of shape and that is the sole reason for his loss of velocity.
I would not put it past any MLB team to hide an injury or downplay a player's physical well being from the fans/media.

[killeverything]

Right now I am much more concerned with Phil Hughes and not A.J.
I don't know very many Yankees fans that could have predicted how poorly Hughes is pitching after 3 starts.
His velocity is down.
He is not getting hitter's to swing and miss on his fastball.
Any swing and misses are coming when he throws off-speed stuff

They've always questioned his conditioning. As it stands now.

His fastball was in the 88-89 range. His cutter at 84-84 with no "cut". Fangraphs has his fastball average at 89.4, down from 92.5 in 2010, and his cutter at 84, down from 88.8 in 2010.

Post May 12th last year he was awful despite a better fastball than 2011. Had a 4.98 ERA and 24 HR in 137 IP. His high win total was a function of run support and bullpen.

Last night he started off at 90-91 mph and then slipped to 88-89 by the 3rd. Not sure if he is just not in very good shape or hiding an arm injury, There is obviously more to the story.

I made sure to watch the game last night and you know what, "he had nothing".
If he would have remined in the game for another inning, he would have giving up at least 2-3 more runs, or more.

There has to be more to the story.
How can he lose that much off his fastball without an injury?
It's very possible Hughes is out of shape and that is the sole reason for his loss of velocity.
I would not put it past any MLB team to hide an injury or downplay a player's physical well being from the fans/media.

I don't think that they're hiding it from the media/fans. I think that either A. He's out of shape or B. he himself is hiding an injury.

There is no way the MFY put him out on the mound if he's hurt. He's a young pitcher with a lot of development potential. One of the guys they hope to groom to be a front of the line starter. If he's hurt I guarantee Girardi or anyone in the FO knew about it.

[Machado]

Yankees just announced Phil Hughes has been placed on the DL.

IMO, one of two things is happening-

Instead of 'demoting' him by sending him down due to poor performance, Yankees decided to DL Hughes and allow him the 15 or so days to get right.

Or

Hughes is actually injured and needs the 15 days or more to recover from his injury.

[killeverything]

Yankees just announced Phil Hughes has been placed on the DL.

IMO, one of two things is happening-

Instead of 'demoting' him by sending him down due to poor performance, Yankees decided to DL Hughes and allow him the 15 or so days to get right.

Or

Hughes is actually injured and needs the 15 days or more to recover from his injury.

You know that Feliciano is done for the season too right?

[killeverything]

Tincan! Holy shit he's still doing it.

Haren: 6.1IP 7H 0BB 2ER 6K 1.16ERA

Dayum.

[tin00can]

Tincan! Holy shit he's still doing it.

Haren: 6.1IP 7H 0BB 2ER 6K 1.16ERA

Dayum.

I didn't get to watch the game today but I listened to it while driving. Fuck yeah. With every start Haren makes that trade is looking more and more awesome. I'm gettin' a new man-crush.

[killeverything]

Tincan! Holy shit he's still doing it.

Haren: 6.1IP 7H 0BB 2ER 6K 1.16ERA

Dayum.

I didn't get to watch the game today but I listened to it while driving. Fuck yeah. With every start Haren makes that trade is looking more and more awesome. I'm gettin' a new man-crush.

On Friday he goes up against Lester in Anaheim, in what they're saying is the pitching matchup of the week.

There are a lot of good series coming up this week. The Angels roll into Texas Mon - Wed. With Santana @ Wilson. Palmer @ Lewis. Weaver @ Harrison. Should be a good matchup especially with the MFY taking their previous series.

Plus San Francisco goes against Denver on Monday, which I think will be the race all season. The Giants are trotting out the top of their rotation too. Lincecum at Rodgers, Ubaldo ( who kept the Giants to a .168 clip last season ) faces Sanchez on Tues. I'm not sure who Cain faces Wednesday.

This should be a good series, SF is out of first right now. They could leave 7 down. The Rockies have a 85-59 scoring difference on their opponents, and it will be interesting to see how their big bats do against SF's aces.

[Monkey_Julius_Bowaffle_]

Well, my Reds have (so far) dropped 2 to a not so great Pirates team this weekend (final game of the series is tonight). Friday night, the nearly always ace of the rotation, Bronson Arroyo didn't pitch worth a broke dick, Charlie Morton pitched one HELL of a game (damn his stuff looked GREAT) and we lost to a usually crappy but suddenly energized Pirates offense. We got a great win Sat. with the Reds offense swinging the bat extremely well and then Sunday, the (IMO) DREADFUL Edinson Volquez started (the fuckwad couldn't pitch the 1st inning of a game if his life depended on it - it's the same EVERY fucking game this fucker pitches) - he gave up 4 runs right off the bat. Then he "sort of" calmed down a bit, but still didn't pitch the greatest in the world. Pitch count in the 80's by the 4th inning. Horrible. I can't believe the Reds traded Josh Hamilton for this clown. His only "all-star" stretch was about a 4 month stretch in 2008, before he got hurt in 2009 and had to have TJ surgery. Not to mention, getting busted for PEDs. One has to wonder if the PEDs were possibly the difference when he pitched so well during his good stretch in 08. IMO, he has had ample time to show more improvement than what he has shown. I'm also looking at his stats pre-TJ, not just post TJ and it's the same ole song and dance for the most part. Control issue after control issue. What very LITTLE he has some command, he can throw some downright killer stuff, but the problem is, the fucker rarely has any real consistent command. I've just about had it with this fucker (me and a HUGE contingency of Reds fans). I am SOOOO glad he didn't sign their offer of a LTC and I REALLY hope, unless by some miracle he gets his shit together, which I doubt he will, that they cut their losses (namely the aforementioned Hamilton) and bid him adios. Let some other team deal with this piece of work, that is, if any team wants to bother taking a chance.

Anyways, enough about Volquez, the Reds bats lit up, but the Pirates kept clawing and clawing and ended up beating us 7-6. Damn, I hope we can at least win the final game of the 4 game set tonight and end up at .500 for the series. I mean, it's the Pirates for Gods sake

Then it's the Diamondbacks for a 3-game set, then we go to our rivals, St. Louis (and I'll be damned if fucking Volquez isn't slated to pitch the opener of that series ). REALLY looking forward to playing the Cards this coming weekend. Should be a great series (minus the aforementioned EV starting out the series).

Also watched the Yankees/Rangers game last night, damn that was a pretty good game. Too bad the Rangers didn't pull out the victory, but it was a damn entertaining game.

Man, do I ever LOVE baseball season. Easily my favorite season of the year. I can talk baseball all day damn near everyday.

[killeverything]

Well, my Reds have (so far) dropped 2 to a not so great Pirates team this weekend (final game of the series is tonight). Friday night, the nearly always ace of the rotation, Bronson Arroyo didn't pitch worth a broke dick, Charlie Morton pitched one HELL of a game (damn his stuff looked GREAT) and we lost to a usually crappy but suddenly energized Pirates offense.

We got a great win Sat. with the Reds offense swinging the bat extremely well and then Sunday, the (IMO) DREADFUL Edinson Volquez started (the fuckwad couldn't pitch the 1st inning of a game if his life depended on it - it's the same EVERY fucking game this fucker pitches) - he gave up 4 runs right off the bat. Then he "sort of" calmed down a bit, but still didn't pitch the greatest in the world. Pitch count in the 80's by the 4th inning. Horrible. I can't believe the Reds traded Josh Hamilton for this clown. His only "all-star" stretch was about a 4 month stretch in 2008, before he got hurt in 2009 and had to have TJ surgery. Not to mention, getting busted for PEDs.

One has to wonder if the PEDs were possibly the difference when he pitched so well during his good stretch in 08. IMO, he has had ample time to show more improvement than what he has shown. I'm also looking at his stats pre-TJ, not just post TJ and it's the same ole song and dance for the most part. Control issue after control issue. What very LITTLE he has some command, he can throw some downright killer stuff, but the problem is, the fucker rarely has any real consistent command.

I've just about had it with this fucker (me and a HUGE contingency of Reds fans). I am SOOOO glad he didn't sign their offer of a LTC and I REALLY hope, unless by some miracle he gets his shit together, which I doubt he will, that they cut their losses (namely the aforementioned Hamilton) and bid him adios. Let some other team deal with this piece of work, that is, if any team wants to bother taking a chance.

Anyways, enough about Volquez, the Reds bats lit up, but the Pirates kept clawing and clawing and ended up beating us 7-6. Damn, I hope we can at least win the final game of the 4 game set tonight and end up at .500 for the series. I mean, it's the Pirates for Gods sake

Then it's the Diamondbacks for a 3-game set, then we go to our rivals, St. Louis (and I'll be damned if fucking Volquez isn't slated to pitch the opener of that series ). REALLY looking forward to playing the Cards this coming weekend. Should be a great series (minus the aforementioned EV starting out the series).

Also watched the Yankees/Rangers game last night, damn that was a pretty good game. Too bad the Rangers didn't pull out the victory, but it was a damn entertaining game.

Man, do I ever LOVE baseball season. Easily my favorite season of the year. I can talk baseball all day damn near everyday.

Paragraphs are your friend.

Volquez is coming of TJ surgery. There's a few things that suck for the Reds about that. 1. Dusty Baker is his manager. 2. It usually takes a couple seasons to regain arm strength and control. ( like how Joe Nathan just lost his starting job to Matt Capps ). 3. Dusty Baker is his manager ( that needs to be mentioned again ).

The Reds Farm is deep with good young pitching that Chapman will make a debut this season ( assuming his arm issues are alright ):


Plus the rotation is pretty deep, especially with Donnie Joseph slated to make an appearance in 2011. Not sure about the Volquez trade, remember Hamilton is out with broken arms right now too. I think the Reds will be alright.


* The Mighty Red Sox recalled LHP Hideki Okajima from AAA Pawtucket, and sent Felix Dubront down *

[Monkey_Julius_Bowaffle_]

Paragraphs are your friend.

And typing WAY too fast while still trying to be at least halfway coherent is my enemy when it comes to piling up too much shit into one long-winded one.

Volquez is coming of TJ surgery. There's a few things that suck for the Reds about that. 1. Dusty Baker is his manager. 2. It usually takes a couple seasons to regain arm strength and control. ( like how Joe Nathan just lost his starting job to Matt Capps ). 3. Dusty Baker is his manager ( that needs to be mentioned again ).

I know what you're saying about coming off of TJ, BUT, and this is my real concern; I'm also looking at his stats prior to having TJ and it seems as though control has ALWAYS been somewhat of an issue for the guy. I'm hoping he gets his shit together, but I would rather (at least once Bailey/Cueto get back AND if they pitch well-enough) that EV get his shit worked out in Louisville.

The Reds Farm is deep with good young pitching that Chapman will make a debut this season ( assuming his arm issues are alright )

Not sure exactly what you mean about Chapman making a "debut" - are you meaning as a starter vs. coming out of the bullpen? I highly doubt Chapmen is going to end up in the starting rotation, at least not this season. He'll have to be sent back down to Louisville for a decent stretch of time if they decide they want to remold him back into a starting pitcher. They will NOT do it up in the big leagues (take him from 'pen to starter). It will be something where they will build his stamina up and HOPEFULLY introduce him to a 3rd pitch down in Louisville if they plan on going that route, but he will NOT become a starter this season (IF that is what you were getting at).

And even though he got beat last night, I REALLY like Sam LeCure. His stamina still isn't quite there, as before Bailey got hurt in ST, LeCure was being groomed to come out of the pen and only got one start as a starter at the end of ST. But I really like the guy and I think he could become a VERY solid 3rd/4th spot in the rotation guy. I really HOPE that they keep him when Cueto and Bailey return to the rotation at the end of this month or early on in May. Send EV down to work on his control issues, and I think Leake could use a good dose of reality and get sent down for a nice little stint in Louisville - and I think that even MORE SO after his little shoplifting embarrasment the other day.

That lets them keep a spot for Lecure and opens up the 2 spots for Cueto/Bailey. But, once again, I have to reiterate that god only knows how those 2 are going to end up pitching. They have both been inconsistent throughout their careers, but they both seem to have considerable upside/potential.

But my Reds, since starting the season pretty hot, have really went to shit.C'mon, dropping 3 of 4 to the fucking PIRATES!? WTF? That's almost like getting your ass whipped by a triple-A club. Pathetic.

Of course, they got SWEPT last April by the Pirates and started off slow, so, while I do not think that the "sky is falling" I do have some concerns and most of it lies with the pitching.

Travis Wood, whom I was SO high on seems to have "lost it" for whatever reason(s) - I'm REALLY hoping the guy pulls it back together again. I thought he would have a stellar season, and, in all fairness, he still might. But I'm pretty concerned right now.

I'll give Bronson Arroyo a pass for his poor performance last Fri. as the weather as horrible (even though it didn't seem to affect Charlie Morton, his stuff was great), but I'm not one of those fans that expects a great showing every game by a great pitcher like Arroyo. More times than not, that guy is going to give his team a chance to win. He pitches tonight, so hopefully he'll be back on again.

Not sure what is going to happen tomm. night as it's Leake's turn in the rotation. ESPN said he was still going to pitch, but I didn't hear any comments from the REDS during last nights game during the pre-game/post-game show. So I'll just have to wait and see.

I just really hope these guys pull their shit together as Milwaukee has now tied us and are really starting to play some terrific baseball and St. Louis have warmed up and are only a half-game back as well.

[Monkey_Julius_Bowaffle_]

BTW, are your Red Sox starting to turn it around for the better? I think they have won 5 games now, but forgetting the win-loss record, are they starting to look more like the team so many thought that they were going to be? I've only gotten to watch one of their games this year (I still have not bought the MLB.TV package, I just havent had time yet) which was the Sunday night ESPN game vs. the Yankees, which they won against C.C. Sabathia.

Looked pretty fine to me that night, but like I said, that's all I have seen of them this year. Are they having much the same problem as the Reds (pitching problems) or is their problem the result of many various factors?

And what about those Indians? Didn't not only myself, but just about everyone else expect those guys to just completely suck this year, much like last year, or did some folks actually expect this?

Must be something about Orlando Cabrera That fucker seems to swap teams every year and the teams he goes to seem to go from not-so-great to turning into a winning team I was listening to the Mike North Show on Fox Sports Radio Sunday night and he brought up that very thing. Really odd as he's not a "great" player by any stretch (a good player, but not all-star caliber or anything of that sort, plus, he is pretty much in his "decline" years when it comes to age).

And one last thing; I actually hope the Orioles get back to actually winning. They pulled out a win last night after dropping 8 in a row. I would actually like to see those guys have a decent yr. after sucking for so many.

[killeverything]

Volquez is coming of TJ surgery. There's a few things that suck for the Reds about that. 1. Dusty Baker is his manager. 2. It usually takes a couple seasons to regain arm strength and control. ( like how Joe Nathan just lost his starting job to Matt Capps ). 3. Dusty Baker is his manager ( that needs to be mentioned again ). I know what you're saying about coming off of TJ, BUT, and this is my real concern; I'm also looking at his stats prior to having TJ and it seems as though control has ALWAYS been somewhat of an issue for the guy. I'm hoping he gets his shit together, but I would rather (at least once Bailey/Cueto get back AND if they pitch well-enough) that EV get his shit worked out in Louisville.

The deal is is unfortunatley a lot of pitchers have to learn to pitch again after that surgery, to not "tax" their arm so to speak. So maybe he can learn control, his FB is fooling no one. Sucks he has to figure it out in the middle of what COULD be a bad ass Pennant race.

I've been waiting for Bailey for quite sometime. Baseball Prospectus was all over this guy as a top prospect. I wouldn't hold your breath though. He's more of a Todd Van Poppel than a Tim Lincecum.

The Reds Farm is deep with good young pitching that Chapman will make a debut this season ( assuming his arm issues are alright )

Not sure exactly what you mean about Chapman making a "debut" - are you meaning as a starter vs. coming out of the bullpen? I highly doubt Chapmen is going to end up in the starting rotation, at least not this season. He'll have to be sent back down to Louisville for a decent stretch of time if they decide they want to remold him back into a starting pitcher. They will NOT do it up in the big leagues (take him from 'pen to starter). It will be something where they will build his stamina up and HOPEFULLY introduce him to a 3rd pitch down in Louisville if they plan on going that route, but he will NOT become a starter this season (IF that is what you were getting at).

And even though he got beat last night, I REALLY like Sam LeCure. His stamina still isn't quite there, as before Bailey got hurt in ST, LeCure was being groomed to come out of the pen and only got one start as a starter at the end of ST. But I really like the guy and I think he could become a VERY solid 3rd/4th spot in the rotation guy. I really HOPE that they keep him when Cueto and Bailey return to the rotation at the end of this month or early on in May. Send EV down to work on his control issues, and I think Leake could use a good dose of reality and get sent down for a nice little stint in Louisville - and I think that even MORE SO after his little shoplifting embarrasment the other day.

That lets them keep a spot for Lecure and opens up the 2 spots for Cueto/Bailey. But, once again, I have to reiterate that god only knows how those 2 are going to end up pitching. They have both been inconsistent throughout their careers, but they both seem to have considerable upside/potential.

I mean introduced in the bullpen. They don't need to Chamberlain that guy, especially a guy with so much potential. He could come into the game and be a difference maker. Look for him to be lethal in the "holds" department.

I like how Lecure has looked. I'm still skeptical as all hell about Bailey.

BTW, are your Red Sox starting to turn it around for the better? I think they have won 5 games now, but forgetting the win-loss record, are they starting to look more like the team so many thought that they were going to be? I've only gotten to watch one of their games this year (I still have not bought the MLB.TV package, I just havent had time yet) which was the Sunday night ESPN game vs. the Yankees, which they won against C.C. Sabathia.

Looked pretty fine to me that night, but like I said, that's all I have seen of them this year. Are they having much the same problem as the Reds (pitching problems) or is their problem the result of many various factors?

And what about those Indians? Didn't not only myself, but just about everyone else expect those guys to just completely suck this year, much like last year, or did some folks actually expect this?

Must be something about Orlando Cabrera That fucker seems to swap teams every year and the teams he goes to seem to go from not-so-great to turning into a winning team I was listening to the Mike North Show on Fox Sports Radio Sunday night and he brought up that very thing. Really odd as he's not a "great" player by any stretch (a good player, but not all-star caliber or anything of that sort, plus, he is pretty much in his "decline" years when it comes to age).

And one last thing; I actually hope the Orioles get back to actually winning. They pulled out a win last night after dropping 8 in a row. I would actually like to see those guys have a decent yr. after sucking for so many.

It looked like they were. Beckett is finally looking like he's Beckett again ( it's an odd year number ), Matsuzaka didn't suck ( once ), Lackey pitched one-run ball ( but he's still an unlikeable SOB. I wonder if they can trade him back to Anaheim for Haren? Remember 2002! Yay! )

The problem was offense last night. They have a terrible time against LHP, which this two game series in Oakland it's what they're facing. The game came close in the 8th, a rally was started! Crawford ( who always starts off slow ) got an important hit. Then Overatedsby Ellsbury got thrown out a 2nd after Ortiz's walk, Cameron and McDonald struck out to end it. Then came in Wheeler and Okajima......5 runs down.

The team still has the potential to be really fucking good. But going 0-7 on the road? 100 wins? Compared to the 1998 MFY? Nope. No they're not going to be THAT good. Everything will start "clicking" soon. Fortunately no one came out of the gate firing on all cylinders yet, I mean fuck, Rivera blew a save last night. Cleveland started off strong, but I don't see them continuing that all season.

The pitching matchup I wanna see is Friday. Lester @ Haren. That should be good.



*edit*

I looked up some numbers, and tonite doesn't look too good either. Buchholz @ Gonzalez. Just a quick team round-up ( with only JD having any real impact in 6ABs ):

BOS vs. Gonzalez: 61PA .212/.328/.231/.559
OAK vs. Buchholz: 54PA .400/.500/.489/.989

Neither pitcher has given up a 3B or HR, but Gio has given up 1 double to Clay's 4.

[sludge_ducks_sick]

THANK GOD!!!!!


http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... b&c_id=mlb