6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

UTK Quick Hits

• Unfortunately, Will doesn't have anything new for us on Gagné's bum elbow save for the comment that he might end up needing a do-over of his Tommy John surgery.
• Padres starter Adam Eaton "could be headed for the DL" and will certainly miss his next start as he heard a cracking sound in his finger during a pitch to Placido Polanco.
• A's starter Rich Harden will make a rehab start at Sacramento, with a 60-pitch limit. His velocity is said to be down, so not to be worried.
• Mike Sweeney's injury in yesterday's game is unlikely to send him to the DL, but simultaneously lowers his trade value. Sweeney has had numerous problems with low-grade injuries sapping his ability, and this isn't helping.
• J.T. Snow took a fastball near the knee, but fortunately for him, not directly on it; the damage should put him in the day-to-day category rather than on the DL.
• Scott Spiezio is listed as out "indefinitely" after a back injury during his rehab. Some think he'll never play for the M's again.
• Brendan Donnelly admitted his use of pine tar, the result of his heavy sweating on the mound. He expects to see a lot of new gloves on pitchers around the league after his ejection. I don't think that pine tar is that extensively used. Donnelly seems like a guy with a really high core temperature when he's pitching.

Who Won The Ohka/Spivey Trade?

Ohka's BABIP this season stands in sharp contrast to the rest of his career. Ergo, it's highly likely that Ohka is surviving by dint of good fortune and is ripe for a serious regression should those supporting metrics remain at basement levels. Ohka's new team, the Brewers, actually have a better Defensive Efficiency Rating than the Nationals, but good glovework alone won't maintain such an outlying BABIP. Recent shutout of the D-Rays notwithstanding, I'll eat my kitchen garbage if Ohka posts a sub 4.00 ERA as a Brewer*.

(*-Not really.)

As for those who perceive a fleecing of the Nats, I don't see it. What I do see for them is a potentially significant upgrade at a key position at a cost of a pitcher who's about to come hurtling earthward in a hurry.

Chris Kahrl At It Again: Trade Analysis

• Angels: The staff was only briefly back at full strength, but now that Santana left a nice initial calling card, the Angels have that much more of a comfort zone when it comes to making a decision about what to do with Escobar. Surgery, or rest? As Will Carroll has pointed out, recovery from cleaning out his elbow will cost Escobar six to eight weeks. It’s a decision that should be made quickly, so that they can make a move before the end of July in case Santana struggles, or should they get dissatisfied with Paul Byrd, or perhaps if Bartolo Colon feels the need to personally empty out an ice cream truck.

  Less promising was Kotchman’s call-up, since it didn’t herald a useful decision on who to play when. Spattering playing time between Juan Rivera and Jeff DaVanon hasn’t seen either of them pick it up, and Kotchman was doomed while the Angels kept settling for more Darin Erstad than even the Erstads might find socially acceptable. Happily, Vladi’s arrival makes life on the offensive side of the ledger easier, and with Dallas McPherson slowly heating up, Adam Kennedy apparently up to speed, and even Erstad and Steve Finley finally contributing some hitting, the Angels might be gearing up to make tracks between themselves and the Rangers. If only 'twere so...

• Dodgers: ...serves me right for ever wishing the Dodgers well, and pegging them to be the NL’s best team. Could things get any worse? The rotation has to rely on Thompson and D.J. Houlton, which isn’t good, but at least Scott Erickson has been sent to the pen, where he might do less harm. But still, losing both Perez and Alvarez leaves a club you can reasonably expect to contend struggling with prospect auditions and Rule 5 picks.

  ...

  I’m with a lot of the lilly-livered types wondering if paying that sort of money for Brad Penny makes sense. I guess it’s defensible through the logic that "everybody’s doing it," but the Kris Benson/Jaret Wright defense isn’t a bragging right if it only leaves you with as much egg on your face as the next guy.

  "Guy", Chris?

Draft Signings

• The Toronto Blue Jays signed CSUF pitcher Ricky Romero. Romero was Toronto's first round draft pick.
• The Angels signed fifth-round pick RHP Thomas Mendoza.

  They've also signed sixth-rounder Jerome Moore (high school outfielder), ninth-rounder Robert Mosebach (pitcher, Hillsborough Community College in Florida), 19th-rounder John Sullivan (pitcher, St. John's University) and 27th- rounder Colby Overstreet (first baseman, Oklahoma City University).

• Baseball America says the following players have signed with the Dodgers already:

  Round  Player            Pos.
  ==============================
    6    Brent Leach       LHP
    8    David Horlacher   RHP
   10    Trayvon Robinson  OF
   11    Adam Godwin       OF
   12    Kris Krise        RHP
   15    Wilfredo Diaz     LHP
   19    Drew Locke        OF
   21    Shane Justis      SS
   40    Jason Mooneyham   1B
  

  In addition, redraiders.com says seventh-rounder RHP Chris Hobdy signed with the Dodgers Monday.

// posted by Rob @ 12:55 PM link  //  1 comments