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Tuesday, June 28, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves
Too Bad They Don't Let You Pitch With The Batting Helmet On
Kyle Denney, the Cleveland Indians prospect whose cheerleader go-go boots saved him from more serious injury when he received a gunshot to the leg (he was wearing a cheerleader costume as part of his rookie hazing ritual), got hit directly on the head with a hard line drive, resulting in a cerebral contusion, a ruptured eardrum, and fractured skull. Earlier this year, a broken bat hit him on the knee, causing him to miss the first month of the season. Some guys have all the luck, I guess.Bradley Still Out
Milton Bradley tried swinging a bat again, only to find it too painful after five swings. The injury is now bothering him left-handed as well as right-handed.We Could Be Heroes
- Derek Thompson gave up three earned runs in five innings in a 8-3 win for Las Vegas over the Tucson Sidewinders. Chin-Feng Chen had two hits and four RBIs on the night.
- I somehow missed this last week, but it's been a while since I checked in: Edwin Jackson finally had a good outing last Friday, beating West Tennessee 11-2, giving up two earned runs with three strikeouts over seven innings.
- Joel Hanrahan blew up on the mound, giving up six earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings in a 7-5 loss. Adam LaRoche went 3-5 with an RBI, and Joel Guzman went 3-4 on the night.
- Chris Bootcheck coughed up five earned runs in a 6-4 loss to Tacoma. The Stingers pitcher now has a 3-2 record with a 5.01 ERA. Wandering Japanese pitcher Masao Kida got the save for the Rainiers, his twelfth.
- Stingers starter Corey Lee was released to allow him to pitch in Japan, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Also, Robb Quinlan was sent up to the big club; Orlando Cabrera is expected to go on the DL after an MRI revealed fluid in his elbow. (Hat tip: FutureAngels.)
Update: Now confirmed on the official roster page.
Update 2: instead of the OC being disabled, Curtis Pride was DFA'd. According to the AP article, Pride has already cleared waivers.
- Kendry Morales continues to struggle at AA Arkansas, who lost last night, 5-4, to San Antonio. Morales had another 0-fer night at the plate; he's presently hitting .156.
The Not-So-Splendid Splinters
Bats are breaking at an alarming rate in the majors, sayeth the Times. Why? Two reasons: hitters used to swinging aluminum bats are demanding similarly light wooden bats. Such bats are hard to make with becoming fragile. Second, pitchers increasingly throw cut fastballs and sliders when behind in the count, tending to increase the amount of kindling made.
Comments:
Actually, Newhan's article sort of reverses its premise near the end:
Ken Higdon, the Angel equipment manager, said his budget of the last few years hasn't significantly changed. All clubs pay for bats. Higdon said he continues to order about eight dozen per player per season. He doesn't think there's been a significant increase in broken bats.
If the nightly camera suggests otherwise, as skittish infielders duck, dodge and take cover, the widespread and generally unanimous view is that maple simply breaks in a different and more visible way than ash. Thus, because of the significant increase in the number of players using maple bats, it appears that more bats are breaking.
"Maple tends to break in two, and what you see is half of the bat flying across the infield," said Chuck Schupp, Hillerich & Bradsby's director of professional sales. "Ash tends to splinter or flake. It's not always visible from the stands, and a hitter may not realize it's cracked until he gets back to the dugout and looks at it."
Ken Higdon, the Angel equipment manager, said his budget of the last few years hasn't significantly changed. All clubs pay for bats. Higdon said he continues to order about eight dozen per player per season. He doesn't think there's been a significant increase in broken bats.
If the nightly camera suggests otherwise, as skittish infielders duck, dodge and take cover, the widespread and generally unanimous view is that maple simply breaks in a different and more visible way than ash. Thus, because of the significant increase in the number of players using maple bats, it appears that more bats are breaking.
"Maple tends to break in two, and what you see is half of the bat flying across the infield," said Chuck Schupp, Hillerich & Bradsby's director of professional sales. "Ash tends to splinter or flake. It's not always visible from the stands, and a hitter may not realize it's cracked until he gets back to the dugout and looks at it."
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