Baseball thread No. 8 - play nice

There, then the problem's solved and the Tigers can put him on the DL and call up Humberto Sanchez or Chad Durbin and sent Kenny Rogers out to pasture to the pen.

 

The Mets are sending Mike Pelfrey back to the minors today, which seems to indicate that John Maine makes their rotation. They're calling up Royce Ring, giving them another lefty arm in the bullpen.

What say you, Mets fans?

 

Royce Ring ... didn't the White Sox once see him as their closer of the future?

 

I like it. Maine's been good to very good for three straight starts. He's earned a chance to see if he can keep this up. If he's really just Alay Soler in a much thinner body, then Pelfrey's there in reserve.

I think putting Pelfrey in AAA is going to be good for developing his secondary pitches. I know the the conventional thinking is that power pitchers don't need to pitch at AAA, but I think it's going to be beneficial for him. They're not big leaguers there, but they're also not AA players. I think the Four-A types in the IL are going to bring more of a major league approac to hitting against them then some AA kids would. From everything I heard, he was getting by in Binghamton throwing pretty much all fastballs. Now he's got a chance to refine the change and the slider without the pressure of being in the big leagues (even if there isn't much pressure down the stretch for the Mets this season).

As for Ring, I'm happy he's getting another chance with the big club. All reports have him as being shut-down at Norfolk, and if he's competent enough in the majors, that should help keep Feliciano fresh. I, for one, didn't think he was all that terrible last year. I know he had his rough patches, but I remember him having his moments too, specifically getting lefties out against the Phils in June.

One more thought: When Pelfrey was first drafted, I read somewhere, I think Baseball Prospectus, that there was thinking he might be better suited working as a reliever. I'm wondering, should something happen (like Hernandez not being effective, or Heilman regressing again), if the Mets might think about using him out of the pen in the playoffs. He could maybe dial that fastball up a couple MPH more, and concentrate on only one of his secondary pitches. I could see him being pretty good for one inning.

 

Like a Zumaya? Yeah, I would think that would work for the Mets.

 

Anybody just see ARod slide into second? Whether you like him or not, that was pretty neat. Great camera work on that as well.

 

Christ, does Jeff Weaver stink. I know he wasn't great with the Dodgers, but he was average to slightly above-average there. What happened?

With the Cardinals: 18 2/3 IP, 32 H, 18 R (all earned), 6 HR. Who would have thought he'd be even worse in St. Louis than he was in Anaheim?

 

He lost his job to his little brother. That'll rip the heart, soul and testosterone out of a guy every time.

 

Marlins making Wagner sweat again....

1st and second, no one out

 

Utley's 0-for-4 through 7, I believe.

 

And Mark Loretta pulls a Big Papi. Two-run single off the Monster with two outs in the 9th.

 

Fausto Carmona fails at life, or at least at closing the deal against the Red Sox.