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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 |
Pickoff Moves
Slammin' Sammy: Pirates 6, Dodgers 3
The look on Takashi Saito's face after he gave up a shocking home run to the Pirates' Nate McLouth was one of near-indifference, an expression he's earned the right to wear. It's only the second time in his career he's lost a lead in the ninth, the other time being in last September's godawful slump; he kindly provided the Rockies a win on September 18, the second game of that doubleheader, and the third straight game the Rocks would win on their way to a miraculous postseason that ended with a thud in the World Series.I don't necessarily blame Saito for having one bad outing; that much is guaranteed. Besides, it overshadowed the fun moment in the game of Hiroki Kuroda getting his first major league RBI on a perfectly hit double down the line.
Being in last place is lame, but this, too, shall pass.
Interesting side note on the Pierre/Jones vs. Kemp/Ethier situation: check out the team lineups used so far this year, and one thing really sticks out at you: Jones has started in 12 of 13 games, Ethier in all 13, Pierre in 8, and Kemp in 6. It occurs to me that the shelving of Kemp has perhaps been a bit oversold; he may not be getting more starts than Pierre (missing three straight starts Apr. 5-7 didn't help that perception), but it's not like he's being totally overlooked, either.
Oliver's Army: Angels 7, Rangers 4
Some very clutch pitching by Darren Oliver, who shares the lead in WPA for this game with Gary Matthews, Jr.'s base-loaded double that gave the Angels the lead. Not the best game, and Dustin Moseley was sorely taxed to keep his team in it, but he managed four runs all earned over four innings, making this a start by the bullpen, more or less.Everybody wore 42 on their backs in this game that I could tell, a new convention I detest, but it seems there's no escaping it now. The confusion on the field multiplies with each player wearing the holy two digits.
Edit: I should also mention that this game contained two of the most hilarious baserunning gaffes I've seen in a while.
- In the bottom of the seventh, with one out and Marlon Byrd, a reasonably speedy baserunner at first, David Murphy doubled to center. The Rangers should have narrowed the lead to 7-5, but third base coach Matt Walbeck put on the brakes at the last second after heartily waving Byrd around. This confused Murphy, the trailing runner, who kept chugging on down the line with the play going on behind him. Alertly, the Angels dead-ducked Murphy, taking considerable wind out of what should have been the start of a Rangers rally.
- In the bottom of the ninth, K-Rod walked leadoff man Josh Hamilton — who apparently decided to steal second on a pitch in the dirt that didn't get far enough away from Jeff Mathis. The Texas gallery booed lustily after that.
Yanks Might Sign Piazza
With the Yankees' catching situation depleted with a double injury situation (both Jorge Posada and Jose Molina are out), there is talk that the Yanks may bring in ex-Dodger Mike Piazza.Labels: angels, dodgers, ex-dodgers, pirates, rangers, recaps, rumors
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