Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the
Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 |
Pickoff Moves
Two On Ervin Santana, The Best Pitcher (At The Moment) In Las Ligas Grandes
David Brown thinks Ervin Santana is (maybe) the best pitcher in the majors, though Jeff Passan's article is far more illuminating:Of the 31 Royals at-bats, 21 took three or fewer pitches. In the remaining 10, Santana struck out seven hitters. Right-handed Royals went 2 for 21 against him, dropping righties’ batting average against Santana to .126. And even though he skews an extreme fly-ball pitcher, Santana pitched another game without giving up a home run, which, considering his propensity last year, either points to improved stuff or lots of luck.Both could apply. Santana’s fastball velocity is up nearly 1½ mph from last season, and his last pitch of the day, a 96-mph dart, struck out Jose Guillen swinging. Against Kansas City, he relied nearly as much on a changeup that he rarely breaks out as he did his slider, which induces the majority of his ground balls. Whatever the case, in 49 innings, Santana has given up three home runs. In his first 49 innings last season, he yielded 11.
Baseball-Intellect On Brandon Wood's Future
I find myself underwhelmed with Brandon Wood because of his problems with the strikeout, something Baseball Intellect recently took a look at:When you have a new player that strikes out a lot and has problems with pitch recognition, there is a tendency for things to snowball on that player when they start slumping. The reasons include a tendency to press, deciding to swing at a pitch before it is thrown, not feeling confident hitting with two strikes, and the list goes on. If Wood is able to maintain his confidence and not worry about striking out, he should be fine.It should be noted that the homer Wood hit in the ninth inning of Monday's game came on an 0-2 count. (And incidentally, nice touch for ESPN to add a inning-specific box score page on their box scores. I may have to rethink using them for my daily recaps.) (Via BTF.)
Roster Notes
- Howie Kendrick could return to the big club as soon as today.
- Andy LaRoche "continues to feel numbness and 'tingliness' in his thumb" when he throws the ball, but is otherwise normal.
- Jason Schmidt's simulated game was postponed a day because he hadn't recovered from his previous bullpen session.
- Tony Abreu has been shut down for 3-7 days with continued groin tightness after an extended spring training game.
- Barry Zito will return to the Giants' rotation for the Pirates series.
- Mariners closer J.J. Putz is over his ribcage injury but has lingering finger issues.
- Jarrod Washburn had a calf muscle cramp up in his start yesterday (which the M's won 7-3), but is expected to make his next start.
- Speaking of that game, Kevin Millwood left the game early after giving up seven runs in three innings of work. Since the Angels last saw him, his ERA has climbed from 2.92 to 4.94. The loss represented a club high tenth straight.
Labels: angels, dodgers, giants, injuries, mariners, rangers
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.