Baseball Thread V

Do they have to go back to Shea? ;D

 

Wright...3-run HR, 4-0, one out top of first.

NL East "race" is over.

 

It seems like Wright should have 20 HRs.... it seems like I hear his name going deep every day.

 

PTBNL was Ricardo Rodriguez, who the Phillies released at the end of spring training.

And it wasn't simply a money move -- there were some off-the-field issues that Padilla even acknowledged when he got to Texas. But you're right -- if he can keep pitch the way he's pitched in his last couple of starts, it could be huge. The AL West is awful, and there's no reason the Rangers can't make a run at it.

 

Rangers need Padilla to step up, and last night was a great start. They needed a strong outing for their bullpen and got one.

Millwood's been nails (as expected), and Rheinecker has been solid as their fifth guy (who knew?) But Loe has been good for five innings max lately, and the league has finally sussed out Koronka.

The good news is that Adam Eaton is all set for a couple of rehab starts and he will be back very soon. But can Texas hold off Oakland? I doubt it.

 

Tommy Murphy got sent down to SLC. The Weaver thing is anyone's guess. I say they don't fuck with him for now.

 

Tommy Murphy, a 26 year old minor league CFer who played well in some spots.

At the beginning of the week, word was that Weaver was on his way down. It is starting to sound like Angels management is *finally* trying to find a creative solution to keeping him in the rotation. Nothing disclosed yet, though he was taking batting practice yesterday (Angels visit NL parks next week).

Only the Angels would send down a 4-0, 1.37 ERA guy with a WHIP under 1.00.

 

I usually find myself defending Scioscia, but there's no way I can with last night (BTW, Morales was on deck as a pinch-hitter when the DP ended the game). Not only could he have brought up Morales to hit, but Dallas McPherson was was an option with a right-hander on the mound.

That said, last name's game featured the two things that make me rip my hair out as a fan: Double plays to kill a rally (it happens every time, I mean EVERY TIME, I tune into an Angels game this year) and Chone Figgins making a stupid error to let in a run.

And a third might become Erstad getting any playing time. The whole Erstad-Scioscia thing is beginning to resemble the 11-year-old Twins manager's blind faith in the washed-up second baseman in "Little Big League."

 

Ozzie Guillen demoted a rookie relief pitcher last night for not throwing at Hank Blalock when ordered to. Apparently Guillen slammed a water bottle to the ground and then berated the kid when he got back to the dugout after he yanked him.

Fine? Suspension? Is Guillen out of control or is the kid a first-rate pussy? (Guillen wanted retribution for Vincente Padilla throwing at - who else? - A.J. Pierzynski).

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2485365

 

Remember all the talk about A-Rod as the best player in baseball these past few years? Well now that he's batting FIFTH in a banged up Yankees lineup and leading all AL 3rd basemen in errors - you don't seem to be hearing that talk all that much anymore.

Prior to the season I would have said the best player was Pujols but the HGH/steroids allegations have me spooked on him. Tejada same deal.

Could David Wright be the best all-around (clean) player in baseball today? Andruw Jones? Lance Berkman?

 

I don't think you can say, without a doubt, that any player is clean.

But Wright sure does seem Brady Bunchish.

ARod is probably the best player in baseball. Yet I can't think of anyone I'd be more reluctant to see in a pressure situation.