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Friday, July 21, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Wally Clement BRO b. 1881, played 1909, d. 1953-11-01
Claude Corbitt BRO b. 1915, played 1945, d. 1978-05-01
Brett Hinchliffe ANA b. 1974, played 2000
Earl Mossor BRO b. 1925, played 1951, d. 1988-12-29. Mossor pitched an inning and two thirds over his career, giving up six earned runs for a 32.40 ERA. But it's not his brief and unsuccessful pitching record I want to talk about, it's his batting record: he was perfect, getting a hit in his only major league at bat. There have been 80 players to have done so: the longest such record belongs to John Paciorek, older brother of major leaguers Tom and Jim. He had three hits and two walks in his only five major league plate appearances, all thanks to a September 29, 1963 blowout by the expansion Houston Colt .45's against the hapless Mets. Over time, we've tended to see fewer such players, as they peaked in the 1920's, with 14:
Obviously, there are more in recent years than in the 40's and 50's, no doubt an artifact of expansion, and in the more recent cases, of guys who simply haven't had the at bats that will prove them mortal.
And Now, Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Skid: Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 2
Is there anything to say? Mark Hendrickson is awful. We knew this. Meantime, Dioner Navarro is throwing out 50% of his opposing basestealers, in small sample sizes, and hitting a not-unrespectable-for-a-catcher .256. Of course, Jae Seo isn't any good, so Colletti at least has that reed to cling to.The Lesser Angels: Royals 9, Angels 4
This game featured another Santana road implosion and a bullpen collapse from Kevin Gregg, who isn't exactly making the case to stick around in 2007. The not-bad offensive showing had another 0-5 game from Figgins; those who thought I was harshing out on the lil' guy should keep the words "Mr. Small Sample Size" in your heads after his brief but brilliant run going into this series. Mike stubbornly put Garret Anderson up against a lefty with predictable results.Four freakin' errors, including catcher's interference on a pitchout. Huh?
Well, harrumph. Lick 'em, tomorrow, I suppose.
Roster Notes
- Jered Weaver and Kelvim Escobar will make their next starts as scheduled.
- Chris Bootcheck was called up from Salt Lake, and Tommy Murphy sent down.
- Brett Tomko will start a two-game rehab assignment in Vegas on Saturday and Monday.
- Doctors "have ruled out all known procedures" to fix Bill Mueller's busted right knee.
- The Dodgers sent Justin Ruggiano to the Devil Rays as the PTBNL in the Dioner Navarro trade.
Tom Meagher v5.0
For those who couldn't stay away.
Comments:
Brilliant! You were completely right about Hendrickson. What he did for half the year in T.B. had to be pure luck and the few starts he's had here were surely indicative of how he will pitch from here on in his career (forget that he pitched terrifically against a very good Cardinals team). As for Navarro, we should assume that his 50% success rate in the last couple of weeks will continue and he won't regress to the terrible percentage he has had before. I wonder what percentage of powerless, lazy starting catchers are hitting at least .256 in the league? No worries, as long as he can throw out 50% of runners in spurts and get an occasional single. Incredibly prescient of you, really.
# posted by 
: 7/21/2006 10:26:00 AM
: 7/21/2006 10:26:00 AM
Your feeble attempt at sarcasm has been duly noted. If you wanted to make an actual argument, you might start by showing where in his copious and very dubious record Hendrickson has been even a league average pitcher. Allowing anonymous posting has its disadvantages, and your post is an example thereof.
Is that really the return of the fearless and peerless Fourth Outfielder writing Meagher? Is it wrong that I am starting to root against the Dodgers because I am hoping that a losing streak will keep Flanders from trading Laroche, Guzman and Elbert for Smoltz?
# posted by : 7/21/2006 11:26:00 AM
: 7/21/2006 11:26:00 AM
Garret Anderson against another LHP? At what point does this stop?! It's not like Salmon can't hit them, either.
# posted by : 7/21/2006 11:44:00 AM
: 7/21/2006 11:44:00 AM
"Mark Hendrickson is awful. We knew this."
In spite of the anonymous commenter above, we really did know this which is what makes the trade so galling. Half a year of lucky pitching--just look at the rest of his career for evidence--does not justify a place in the rotation for a competitive team.
In spite of the anonymous commenter above, we really did know this which is what makes the trade so galling. Half a year of lucky pitching--just look at the rest of his career for evidence--does not justify a place in the rotation for a competitive team.
# posted by : 7/21/2006 12:17:00 PM
: 7/21/2006 12:17:00 PM
Also, in response to Anon's feeble attempt at sample size-based sarcasm, it should be pointed out that in 22 years' worth of samples, Toby Hall has always been 8+ years older than Dioner Navarro.
# posted by : 7/21/2006 12:48:00 PM
: 7/21/2006 12:48:00 PM
Did I not phrase my comment properly? I reread it, and I don't think I said that Salmon couldn't hit lefties. (But I used a double negative - not the best way to get a point across)
Anyway, what I meant: Anderson is horrible against LHP; since Salmon CAN hit them, he should be starting when there is a LHP on the mound. Scioscia has made the move to platoon Kennedy and Morales; it's baffling why he hasn't made the same commitment with Salmon/Anderson. The inconsistency is weird...
Anyway, what I meant: Anderson is horrible against LHP; since Salmon CAN hit them, he should be starting when there is a LHP on the mound. Scioscia has made the move to platoon Kennedy and Morales; it's baffling why he hasn't made the same commitment with Salmon/Anderson. The inconsistency is weird...
# posted by : 7/21/2006 01:45:00 PM
: 7/21/2006 01:45:00 PM
This morning on Jim Rome's radio show, G.A. admitted that he is hurting, and could go on the D.L. He doesn't want to, because he feels he can still help the team. He also admitted that serving as the DH helps save him some wear and tear. Too bad Rome didn't ask him about lefties...he probably would have admitted that he can't hit them anymore.
If GA will admit on a national radio show that he's hurting so much that he could be on the DL, then why o why will Scioscia not give him a day off against ALL lefties? He needs the time off anyway, and he can no longer hit them.
If GA will admit on a national radio show that he's hurting so much that he could be on the DL, then why o why will Scioscia not give him a day off against ALL lefties? He needs the time off anyway, and he can no longer hit them.
# posted by : 7/21/2006 02:53:00 PM
: 7/21/2006 02:53:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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