Friday, September 15, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Jim Barbieri LAN b. 1941, played 1966
Doc Bushong BRO b. 1856, played 1890, d. 1908-08-19
Bud Clancy BRO b. 1900, played 1932, d. 1968-09-26
Todd Fischer CAL b. 1960, played 1986
Fritz Ostermueller BRO b. 1907, played 1943-1944, d. 1957-12-17. Once walked 12 Washington Senators in a single game as a rookie. The Dodgers sent Bobo Newsom (q.v.) to get him from the Cards; his stint with the wartime Dodgers represented a nadir of his career, no doubt what he meant when he said that he didn't learn to pitch until "I lost all my stuff and had to start thinking." The Dodgers were about to send him down to the minors (not sure if players were DFA'd in those days or not), and the Pirates somehow ended up with him. It was quite a deal for them, as he went 11-7 down the stretch as a starter with a very solid 2.73 ERA for a second-place team.
I always thought that Don Newcombe was the first black pitcher in the majors, but it turns out that he was the first good one; it was really Don Bankhead, who pitched for the Memphis Red Sox in the Negro Leagues and later the Dodgers, who broke the color barrier on the mound. On August 26, 1947, Bankhead homered in his first major league at bat, the only dinger he was to record in his brief, three-year career; Ostermueller surrendered the tater.
After Ostermueller retired, he operated a motel, which maybe tells you about the difference between those days and now; today, you'd probably read about a player owning a chain of motels.
Rich Robertson ANA b. 1968, played 1998
Charley Smith LAN b. 1937, played 1960-1961, d. 1994-11-29
The Southpaw Gambit: Cubs 6, Dodgers 5
I just realized the only way the Dodgers are going anywhere in the postseason, if they can get there now that their division lead has shrunk to only a half a game: run their lefties hard and often. Looking at how clubs hit them, the Dodgers are very good against southpaws, while all their conceivable opposition isn't. Of course, at some point the Dodgers have to bring out some relief, and Brett Tomko seems to serve up a lot of straightballs, like the one he gave up to Aramis Ramirez. If the Dodgers go 1-3 in this Padres series, they end up a game and a half back of the division, and probably near the top for the Wild Card. They'd better hope for a split. Stay tuned.Nothing Learned: Angels 2, Rangers 1
The Angels, fresh off a Freddie Garcia disaster, looked no better. Seriously, weren't we at this place last year? Relying on a homer from your reserve catcher. Tsk.Roster Notes
- It's unlikely the Angels will pick up J.C. Romero's option.
- Mike Scioscia will leave the rotation alone for the time being, despite Joe Saunders' latest blowup.
- Kevin Gregg thinks his new motion makes him more effective, allowing seven runs over 21.1 IP.
- The Angels may not be able to count on Casey Kotchman next season, either.
"I've never seen it before or heard of it before," Stoneman said of Kotchman's extended illness. "It's certainly an unusual situation. To me - and I'm not a medical guy - it's a mystery. Medical people know a bit more than I do about it but still that seems like a long time to be out without being able to get out on the field.
Hey, Bill, maybe you should read this. - Jered Weaver's getting tired and sore:
"I can feel my body wearing down, obviously, with the long season," said Weaver, who will make his 17th start with the Angels today. "I've never gone through this before so obviously I'm going to feel a little tiredness in my body, but when I get into the game, my arm feels fine and everything feels fine."
- Bartolo Colon's rehab is on schedule.
- Jeff Kent still has a side strain.
- UTK on Chad Billingsley:
The Dodgers get Chad Billingsley back in the rotation after he missed nearly three weeks with an oblique strain and various setbacks. While Billingsley’s pitch count will be kept low, Grady Little also needs to get a good look at his young stud, trying to decide on what looks to be an extremely complex playoff roster. Billingsley has been watched closely throughout his rehab, so if he’s cleared to pitch as expected on Saturday, he’s going to be healthy enough to win.
- Kevin Goldstein on the Angels' prospects:
The once highly-regarded trio of Jeff Mathis, Casey Kotchman and Dallas McPherson was a complete disappointment, but the Angels still reaped some dividends from one of the best systems in baseball. Howie Kendrick has been a joy to watch, batting over .300 since his return and looking like a future batting champion in the process. Mike Napoli was outstanding in the first half when he took over for Mathis behind the plate, but then he reverted back to being Mike Napoli, or even worse, going just 15-for-105 (.143) since the break. Kendry Morales was given the opportunity to step in for Kotchman at first base, but failed to capitalize. On the mound, Jered Weaver has been downgraded from absolutely ridiculous to merely very good, with the fact that the team has won 12 of his 16 starts being one of the primary reasons the Angels are in it at all.
I wonder if Kotch has been looked at intensely by the doctors to determine if there's something else wrong. The Angels were killed by the trifecta DMacMathisKotch this season.
I'm beginning to wonder when there's ever been such a troika of complete busts in the history of Baseball America.
: 9/15/2006 09:59:00 AMSteve Balboni from KC, MO asks:
How good is the Gordon-Butler combination now, and how good can they be in the future? Do they profile as perennial All-Stars? What pair of position prospects from the past are they comparable to? Mauer-Morneau? Teixeira-Blalock? Thome-Ramirez?
A: John Manuel: An honor, Mr. Balboni . . . great question. Both those guys are all-star caliber hitters. That's pretty good. Butler's also gotten better defensively, and Gordon isn't just a masher, he's got some all-around game. That's one of the things I like most about Gordon. As for prospects from the past . . . that's a great part of this Q. You know, McCann-Francoeur is a pretty nice tandem, particularly because they are roommates. I'd also throw out Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn, the Reds 1st-and 2nd-rounders in 1998. The one with a lot of hype that hasn't panned out, I'm sorry to say, was the Angels trio of Kotchman-Mathis-McPherson. Injuries haven't helped, and Mathis' bat hasn't kept pace, but two years ago, when they all started at Double-A Arkansas, we thought very, very highly of that group.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/262432.html
: 9/15/2006 10:07:00 AMNewer› ‹Older
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