Wednesday, May 02, 2007 |
Pickoff Moves, Lunchtime Edition
And You Think I Write Bad Headlines...
"Royals To Get A Taste Of Angels' Colon", WSOC-TV, Kansas City.Hey Hey, Na, Na, Tulo's Got His Ball Back
A Denver DJ claims he has Troy Tulowitzki's unassisted triple-play ball:Steffan Tubbs, co-host of KOA-AM's morning show said he was shocked when Helton tossed the ball his way. He announced he had the ball during his show Monday and the station issued a statement on his behalf Tuesday night.Ember Nickel (which I assume is an anagram, a nom de plume, or both) has an ode to Tulo's feat."I was thrilled to have the ball, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was a piece of Rockies' history," Tubbs said in the statement. "Considering how rare a ball it is, it definitely belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame."
Roster Notes
- Mike Napoli's woes at the plate continue, and it's a case of meet-the-new-advice, same-as-the-old-advice from Mickey Hatcher:
"I'm pretty unhappy because I feel I'm a better offensive player than I'm showing," he said. "I know it. They know it.
"Me and Hatch (hitting coach Mickey Hatcher) talked about it today and we're going to keep it simple. I made a couple little adjustments, but I just need to go back to hitting line drives — playing baseball and having fun."
What makes Napoli's early slump more troubling is the second-half disappearing act of his offensive game last season. After hitting .288 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs in his first 50 games, he hit .156 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in the next 49.
"He's been stuck in a rut for awhile," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think there are some similarities (carried over from last year's struggles). … Sometimes his swing gets a little too big. He's trying to find a blend of patience and the aggressiveness you need to square up a baseball.
"We've talked to him about having a simpler approach at the plate. He'll get better. … Mike's upside offensively is clearly there. There is an offensive package there that will contribute to any lineup."
- Garret Anderson's ETA now looks like it won't be until after this series, in which case, there's a DL the Angels could put him on.
- Mike Scioscia tied Bill Rigney with 625 career victories yesterday; if the Angels win today, he becomes the winningest manager in team history.
- Yhency Brazoban is nearing a return to the Dodgers, and Grady Little is considering going to a 12-man pitching staff.
Trimming a position player would be a challenge. The two most expendable players, third baseman Wilson Betemit and utility player Wilson Valdez, would have to clear waivers before being sent to triple-A. The Dodgers believe Valdez could clear waivers but that Betemit would have no chance.
- The A's should get back outfielder Milton Bradley and first baseman Nick Swisher within the week, but Rich Harden has been advised by Dr. Lewis Yocum to rest for ten days.
- Jeff DaVanon fans: the Human Walk Machine has been on the Diamondbacks' DL with left shoulder problems, but should return in late May.
Labels: angels, athletics, diamondbacks, dodgers
Last year, Napoli saw 4.54 P/PA; this year, that figure has dropped to 4.16. Although the latter figure is still very good, the dropoff is quite large. Sluggers such as Giambi, Thome, Dunn, Bonds, and The Big Hurt have NEVER had drops that large.
My hunch is that Napoli, deep down, knows what kind of hitter he is (and what he is NOT). However, after having a few called third strikes against him last year, it wouldn't surprise me if our esteemed hitting coach encouraged him to be more aggressive and not let all those juicy, "hittable" strikes go by.
Here's the result of that philosophy: Napoli's contact pct. remains the same from last year (i.e., he ISN'T hitting and making contact on more pitches he swings at). Unfortunately, he is NOW making contact on pitcher's pitches, and not his own.
Or not.
: 5/02/2007 09:55:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.