Thursday, April 30, 2009 |
A-Rod, Steroid-Mania Victim?
What I do care about -- and the reason I have quoted all of this stuff by and about Selena Roberts -- is the culture of character assassination that has become inextricably linked to the subject of steroids in baseball. Every big name who has tested positive has not only been branded a cheater by the media, but a dirty cheater with evil and chicanery in his heart. Every assertion of innocence -- even to subordinate allegations -- has been met with scorn. In addition to censuring players under the rules of baseball, the media (and the public at large following the media's lead) has further demanded that high-profile steroids users be ostracized, and that the historical record be expunged, as best it can be, of their very existence. It has been a shameful few years in this regard, and I hope and pray that one day some semblance of perspective on the subject of performance enhancing drugs in baseball prevails. But we're certainly not there yet.There's plenty of reasons to dislike A-Rod; the Roberts book includes allegations, far more damning if true, of A-Rod tipping opposing hitters in blowouts, with the unspoken quid pro quo being similar returns for him in blowouts for his team, the better to pad his own stats. But Roberts' prior work indicates an unwillingness to back off from a hysterical story likely to sell copy. That's not just shoddy, that's libelous.
Enter Selena Roberts. The same Selena Roberts who has already demonstrated a clear interest in making Alex Rodriguez into a villain. The same Selena Roberts who smeared the Duke lacrosse players. Even if we concede that she gets the facts right in her upcoming book, can we have any faith that she presents them with even a semblance of balance, as opposed to surrounding them with innuendo, rumor, conjecture, and false sanctimony?
Labels: newspapers, yankees
Ending The Discrimination Of The Negro Leagues?
Back in 1950, Clarizio and pitcher Lou Chirban, also white, were plucked out of "industrial league" ball in Chicago and signed to play for the Giants and their legendary manager, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.By 1950, the Negro Leagues were dying, victims, ironically enough, of the integration of the major leagues, begun in 1947 by Jackie Robinson.
Looking for players, and partially answering critics who claimed that while organized ball was integrating, the Negro Leagues were all black, the Giants sought out white players.
"When Jackie Robinson went into baseball, people kept saying, 'There are no white players in the Negro Leagues,'" Clarizio said in his living room recently. "Once he signed up and (Roy) Campanella and (Larry) Doby, it started to break up the black league because of the quality, and people stopped going.
Labels: history, jackie robinson
Dodger Stadium Gets Its Own ZIP Code
The official unveiling will take place Saturday, June 6, before the Dodgers' 1:10 p.m. PT game with Philadelphia.I'll be curious to see what the boundaries of the proposed ZIP code are."Not only do more than three million citizens call Dodger Stadium their summer home each year but fans from all over the world send cards and letters to the Dodgers organization and their favorite players," said Gregory G. Graves, the Postal Service's district manager for Los Angeles, in a statement released by the club.
The Los Angeles city council designated Dodger Stadium and its associated property "Dodgertown" last October.
Labels: dodger stadium, dodgers
Baltimore Pitcher Jamie Walker Fined For Comments In Yesterday's Game
Watson said: "Mr. Walker's comments were an inappropriate, unnecessary attack on Umpire Hernandez's professionalism. Such comments impugning the integrity and impartiality of Angel Hernandez or any other member of the umpiring staff will not be tolerated."
Labels: angels, fines, orioles, umpires
Forbes: Baseball's Best Boss
After a spring training game in march between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a half-dozen fans were waiting outside in the warm Arizona afternoon sun to catch autographs from players heading to the parking lot. Back inside Tempe's Diablo Stadium a crowd, six wide and eight rows deep, waited for Arturo Moreno, the Angels' owner, to sign baseballs and hats and pose for pictures. Moreno told his wife, Carole, he should be finished within minutes so they could drive home together. He stayed for another hour, signing almost as many autographs for Dodgers fans as he did for Angels fans.Best. Owner. In. Sports.Not very often does a professional baseball team owner get more fan attention than his star athletes, and even less often does the owner give it back, especially to fans of another team. Moreno is not your typical owner, save for the fact that he's wealthy (worth $800 million by forbes estimates). From the day he bought the Angels from Walt Disney Co. ( DIS - news - people ) in 2003, he has changed the team's image and become in many ways its face. In the process he has turned what had been a team with a small-market mentality into one of the sport's most valuable franchises.
Almost everything Moreno has done has been in the service of winning over fans and, as he says, "putting butts in seats." The Angels, with the best record in baseball last year, offer the third-cheapest visit to the park. He has cut ticket and food prices at Angel Stadium and dropped the price of draft beer from $8.50 to $6.50. Most teams charge $20 or more for souvenir caps. The Angels charge $7. In his first spring training in Tempe, Moreno couldn't understand why a section of great seats between third base and left field always remained vacant while people crowded into the section farther out in left field. Moreno walked over to the ticket vendors, who told him that people always asked for the cheapest seats. The outer section was $6. So Moreno cut the empty $12 seats to $6. "Now they're the first to go. Should it have been $8? Maybe. But now their butts are in there. They'll go buy a beer or a dog. We got them in the stadium."
Minor League Scorebook
News
- Here's
a piece about Tyler Chatwood down in Cedar Rapids:
He's only two starts into his first full season of professional baseball, but Tyler Chatwood of the Cedar Rapids Kernels is pitching like he's just about ready to pop.
The 19-year-old right-hander allowed one hit and struck out four over six innings Wednesday as the Kernels blanked the West Michigan Whitecaps, 3-0.
- Rotoworld says the optioning of LHP Scott Elbert was done to provide room for Cory Wade, who should be returning from the DL before today's game.
- Update: The Travs are sending Gary Patchett to AAA Salt Lake, to replace Luis Figueroa, who broke a fibula Tuesday. Nolan Brannon will move up from extended spring training to replace Patchett on the roster for the duration of the current series.
Scores
Sutton: 2-5, 1 2B
Mount: 1-4, 3 K
Trumbo: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K
Conger: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Johnson, Be: 1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Patchett: 2-4, 1 K
Anton: 1.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 5.51 ERA
Albano: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 4.22 ERA
Brasier: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 4.50 ERA
Herndon: (S, 4), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Romine: 1-3, 2 BB
Perez, Ju: 2-5, 2 RBI, 1 K
Navarro: 4-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Moore: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Fuller: 1-4, 2 K
Jimenez: 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 6.62 ERA
Howard: (L, 0-1) (in relief), 0.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 0 K, 2 BB, 19.64 ERA
Leon: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 5.40 ERA
De Los Santos: 1-3, 1 K
Chatwood: (W, 1-0), 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 K, 4 BB, 0.00 ERA
Kohn: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
Veras: (S, 3), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 4.05 ERA
Hoffmann: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Martinez, G: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Bell: 0-3, 1 BB
Closser: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Adkins: 0-2, 1 K
Adkins: 6.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 7.45 ERA
Cali: (BS, 2), 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 K, 2 BB, 5.68 ERA
Meque: (W, 1-3) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 18.00 ERA
Gonzalez, Ad: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Washington: 2-3
Sexton: (L, 1-2), 5.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 2 HR, 3.86 ERA
Gallagher: 3-4, 1 K
Russell: 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Delmonico: 2-4, 1 K
Silverio: 0-4
Smit, K: (L, 0-1), 4.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 H, 4 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 5.68 ERA
Labels: minors
Two Games
Loux No Loser This Time: Angels 3, Orioles 2
There's something to be said for the adage that timing is everything. The Angels needed depth and Loux represented it; his heartwarming return to the Show was the game's subtext, his first win since his only other one in the majors, a 4-3 Tigers victory over the Royals on Sep. 24, 2003 as a second-half callup.The Angels found their firepower in Torii Hunter, who hit a solo homer in the seventh that untied the game at 2-1, and Kendry Morales, who tripled in a run in the fourth to give the Angels the ultimate margin of victory. Heck, even Brian Fuentes even had a 1-2-3 inning. Some days you have the story book.
Lincecum Shows Cy Young Stuff Again: Giants 9, Dodgers 4
The magic carpet skidded a bit yesterday with Eric Stults proving not quite the equal of Tim Lincecum (sarcasm alert!); the Giants chased Stults after only two and two thirds, so the outcome proved to be pretty preordained. I mean, when Bengie Molina ends the day a double away from the cycle, something funny is going on. (That would be his fifth career triple.)As a consequence of the late rough air, the Dodgers announced a couple of changes, promoting Jeff Weaver from AAA Albuquerque (my fingers are having a hard time spelling that out — they keep wanting to type "Las Vegas"), and optioning Scott Elbert to AA Chattanooga. Weaver is expected to join the bullpen but might become a starter if the situation warrants; with only two of the team's rotation having pitched more than five innings (Billingsley and Wolf) in any games this year, it seems likely he'll get that chance, assuming he can show he can still get major league hitters out.
Labels: angels, dodgers, giants, orioles, recaps, transactions
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 |
Adenhart Mourned In Williamsport, MD
Nicholas James Adenhart -- the 22-year-old rookie pitcher for the Angels killed by a suspected drunken driver on April 9 -- called Williamsport his home. He lived on Rockcrest Court. He played in the Halfway Little League for Gehr Construction. He attended Springfield Middle School and Saint Maria Goretti, a private parochial school in nearby Hagerstown, then Williamsport High School after his sophomore year.Rod Steiner, retired baseball coach for Williamsport High School, lit a candle for his former player, Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, at Greenlawn cemetery in Williamsport, Md.
He acted up in class. He stole Christmas decorations with his buddies and charmed his way out of sticky situations. He pitched a no-hitter and led Williamsport High to a state championship game his senior year. Even after being drafted by the Angels in 2004, Adenhart returned every offseason to spend time with his father, Jim.
"He loved this place," Jim Adenhart said. But the town loved Nick Adenhart even more. Without Adenhart, professional baseball scouts would have had little reason to make the 77-mile journey from Baltimore or Washington, D.C., to the small river town on the West Virginia border.
By 2003, they arrived by the dozens, toting notebooks and radar guns, and camped behind the backstop for each 94 mph fastball. They loved Adenhart's composure and took note of his poise -- qualities, scouts surmised, he learned by growing up in a town where nothing was achieved without hard work.
Labels: nick adenhart
Minor League Scorebook
Pettit: 4-5, 1 3B
Sandoval, F: 2-5, 1 RBI
Evans: 2-5, 2 K
Rodriguez, S: 1-5, 1 3B, 3 K
Wilson: 1-4, 1 RBI
Pavkovich: 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K
Figueroa, L: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Denham: 4.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 K, 3 BB, 1 HR, 3.22 ERA
McKiernan: (L, 0-1) (in relief), 1.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 8.10 ERA
Mount: 1-3, 1 BB
Trumbo: 2-4, 1 K
Ortiz, W: 2-3, 1 2B
Diaz: 7.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 5.79 ERA
Blackwell: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 11.42 ERA
Herndon: (S, 3), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Romine: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Perez, Ju: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Moore: 3-4, 1 RBI
Fuller: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 K
Fish: (L, 0-3), 4.2 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 8 H, 4 K, 4 BB, 2 HR, 8.18 ERA
Younger: 0-0, 2 BB
Correa: (L, 1-2), 6.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 6.55 ERA
Paul: 1-4, 2 K
Pascucci: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Hu: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Ellis: 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Estes: (W, 1-1), 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 2.37 ERA
Sturtze: (S, 4), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 6.14 ERA
Lambo: 1-5, 1 K
Hoffmann: 5-5
Martinez, G: 1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Bell: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
May: 2-4, 2 K
Gonzalez, J: 0-1, 1 RBI, 3 BB
Leach: 0-1, 1 K
Felix: 3.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 3.07 ERA
Rodriguez, J: (W, 1-1) (in relief), 3.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 1.26 ERA
Leach: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 0.71 ERA
Caseres: 3-4
Lara: 3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Jansen: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Wade: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA
Withrow: (W, 2-1) (in relief), 5.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 7 K, 3 BB, 4.26 ERA
Miller: (H, 2), 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 3.00 ERA
Sanfler: (H, 2), 1.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 3.97 ERA
Pfeiffer: (S, 1), 0.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 3.86 ERA
Martin: 5.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 1.35 ERA
Pratt: (L, 1-2) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 7 BB, 6.55 ERA
Boothe: 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 3 BB, 3.60 ERA
Labels: minors
Two, Two, TWO In A Row! Angels 7, Orioles 5
And once more, Erick Aybar at short. And did I mention that he made an error that eventually turned into a run? No?
Two wins in a row, now. It's an improvement.
Labels: angels, orioles, recaps
A Stooges' Pas De Deux: Dodgers 5, Giants 3
And yet despite it, neither team really capitalized all that much on the sloppiness; the game had the feel of one that should have gotten out of control, but it never did, testimony to the kind of pitcher that Chad Billingsley has become this year so far. On the other side of the plate, the sixth inning was pretty demonstrative: Matt Kemp walked to lead off the frame, got erased on a 2-6 caught stealing, and eventually the Dodgers managed to load the bases with two out — and got nothing to show for it.
In fact, the craziness also manifest itself with bases-loaded walks for both sides, one by Broxton in the eighth (and why he didn't pitch the ninth is a question I'd like to see answered — perhaps it had to do with the blown save), and one by the Dodgers in the seventh by James Loney against Brandon Medders. (Breaking the spell, Casey Blake then proceeded to bounce into a 1-2-3 double play, in keeping with the night's general disbelief-suspending-ness.)
With time running short, the Dodgers finally broke through in the top of the ninth against Bobby Howry, an odd choice for Bruce Bochy; Manny Ramirez crushed a double into the deepest part of the yard, but after getting the oddly-placed (and struggling) Russell Martin to strike out (in the three hole? Really, Torre?), Andre Ethier hit a laser to knock Manny home. Matt Kemp followed that up with a triple to that part of AT&T that yields so many of them. Will Ohman, not the kind of guy I normally associate with "getting it done in the ninth", did just that against the Giants' 1-2-3 batters. A fascinating game and yet a comedic one, all at once.
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 |
Jon Wilhite, Passenger In Adenhart Collision, Upgraded To Fair Condition
Via Jon.
Labels: nick adenhart
OMG PONIES!!!
Josh Hamilton Likely To Hit 15-Day DL With Bruised Ribcage
"I'm in extreme pain, no matter what I do," Hamilton said.Hamilton injured the rib cage running into a wall last Tuesday in Toronto. He has started just three of the Rangers last six games. He was not in the lineup on Sunday or Monday.
"I probably need to rest it and let it heal," Hamilton said. "I've been battling through it the last four or five days. I tried it yesterday in batting practice and it didn't feel right."
The Rangers have not made any formal decision yet. But it doesn't look good. Hamilton is having trouble breathing.
"I can't do much of anything," Hamilton said. "I can't work out, I can't run, I can't swing, I can't throw. We'll see. All I know is I prayed about it and have peace about it. I'm going to do what I need to do to get it right."
Minor League Scorebook
News
- Tommy Mendoza was assigned to the Travs and Jordan Walden moved to the 7-day DL with right elbow muscle inflammation.
- No Dodger or Angel prospect made Offensive Player of the Week, though 33-year-old Eric Milton continues to mow down AAA batters as the PCL's Pitcher of the Week. His ERA dropped from 9.00 to 3.86 over the course of the last week.
- Belated from last week: Andrew Lambo made the Prospect
Hot Sheet in the "In the Team Photo" category:
Double-A Jacksonville LF Andrew Lambo (Dodgers) hit .389 in a short eight-game stint with the Suns last year. While he's not keeping up that pace, he has been one of the Southern League's best hitters as a 20-year-old. He reached base in all six games going .304/.407/.652 (7-for-23) with two doubles, two home runs and a stolen base. . .
Scores
Pettit: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Rodriguez, S: 0-2, 1 K
Wilson: 0-1, 1 BB
Evans: 1-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI
MacDonald: (W, 2-1), 5.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 6.35 ERA
Thompson: (H, 1), 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 3.86 ERA
Hill: (S, 4), 1.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 2.70 ERA
Pettit: 3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Rodriguez, S: 0-3, 1 K
Evans: 0-3, 1 K
Budde: 0-1, 2 BB
Pavkovich: 2-3
Salmon: 4.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 1.80 ERA
Rodriguez, Fr: (W, 2-0) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0.84 ERA
Mount: 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K
Conger: 1-5, 1 K
Trumbo: 2-5
Patchett: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
Mendoza: 4.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 2 BB, 5.79 ERA
Rembisz: (L, 1-1) (in relief), 2.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA
Browning: 1.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 2.89 ERA
Bell: 2-4, 1 3B
May: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Lindblom: (W, 2-2), 5.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 6.00 ERA
Garate: (S, 2), 0.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 2.16 ERA
Gallagher: 3-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Russell: 2-5, 1 2B, 2 K
Hatch: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Silverio: 1-4, 1 RBI
Vetters: 0-4, 4 K
Blevins: (L, 1-2), 4.0 IP, 7 R, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 6.11 ERA
Brannon: 2.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 2.70 ERA
Next Time, Try Pitching Better: Giants 5, Dodgers 4
Labels: dodgers, giants, recaps
Monday, April 27, 2009 |
3DOC Goes Dark, For Now
The Angels Suck In The Field
Labels: angels, sabermetrics
Dodgers Offer Discount Tickets For Facebook Members
Minor League Scorebook
News
- Brandon Wood might be headed back to Salt Lake:
“I don’t think anything’s changed. If Brandon is a guy who’s going to get five or six at-bats every couple weeks, that’s not a role for him,” Scioscia said. “We certainly don’t want a young player like Brandon up here just sitting.”
...
“You don’t want a young player – at any level – rotting on your bench. But we have to define ‘rotting on your bench.’ Is it one start in six days? If you’re getting into 10, 11, 12 days and you’ve only had five, six at-bats, you’re probably starting to alter that young player’s game and we don’t want to get into that.”
- Kevin Jepsen has had his back spasms pass and is heading to AAA Salt Lake for a rehab assignment.
- Dustin Moseley's elbow irritation is improved but he wants to strengthen up before starting a rehab assignment.
- Kelvim Escobar threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, and will throw again on Tuesday.
- Something I missed late last week: Tyler Chatwood and Ryan Chaffee joined the Kernels Thursday from extended spring training.
- RHP Matt Shoemaker also joined the Kernels from extended spring training.
Scores
Statia: 0-4, 1 K
Breen: 0-2, 2 BB
Conger: 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mount: 1-4
Ortiz, W: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Sutton: 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Reckling: (W, 1-0), 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 3 BB, 0.00 ERA
Brasier: (S, 2), 3.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Romine: 3-5, 1 RBI
Moore: 2-5, 1 3B, 1 K
Nieves: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Navarro: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Rosenbaum: 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Norman: 3-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Kiely: 4.1 IP, 8 R, 6 ER, 11 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 5.01 ERA
Taylor: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 2.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 7.20 ERA
Carmona: (S, 3), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 3.12 ERA
De Los Santos: 3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Scholl: 4.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 9 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 5.40 ERA
Thorne: (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) (in relief), 0.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 7.11 ERA
Paul: 1-5, 1 K
Jones, M: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Luna: 0-2, 2 BB
Hu: 1-4, 1 RBI
Ellis: 1-1, 3 BB
Milton: (W, 2-2), 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 3.86 ERA
Bell: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K
May: 0-2, 1 BB
Corcoran: (L, 0-1), 5.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 K, 5 BB, 3.72 ERA
Perez, E: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Van Slyke: 4-5, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Gonzalez, Ad: 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 K
Garabedian: 2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 K
Johnson: 5.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 K, 5 BB, 4.66 ERA
Batista: (BS, 1), 0.2 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 9.00 ERA
Miller: 0.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 3.86 ERA
Rondon: (W, 1-1) (in relief), 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 2 BB, 4.50 ERA
Orenduff, J: (S, 2), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 0.96 ERA
Gallagher: 2-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Silverio: 0-3, 1 K
Wallach: 2-3, 1 K
Eovaldi: (L, 0-2), 3.2 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 6.57 ERA
Walter: 3.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 8 K, 1 BB, 0.93 ERA
Vetters: 0-1, 2 BB
Silverio: 1-3, 1 RBI
Redding: (W, 2-1), 5.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 5.50 ERA
Guerra: (S, 5), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA
Labels: minors
Sunday, April 26, 2009 |
Two Games
Rocks Shock Kershaw: Rockies 10, Dodgers 4
Kershaw had nothing, or little; he walked two batters in the third, and then gave up a home run to the next batter each time. So the game; Jason Marquis outdueled Clayton Kershaw, Kershaw failing to find snap on his curveball, or command on his fastball.With games against the Rocks, I always find myself split whenever Troy Tulowitzky comes to the plate, for I saw him as a college player, and thrill to hear the chants of "Tu-lo" coming from thirty thousand instead of three thousand. He's hitting below .200 now, and in the second year of a big deal, it's got to be chafing him. I wish him better luck now that the Dodgers are out of town.
Weaver Salvages One: Angels 8, Mariners 0
I opted to stay away from the park for an entire weekend, missing all but Friday's game of the homestand. It's something I haven't done in forever, especially since I became a season ticket holder. That's too bad, especially since Howie Kendrick used this opportunity to bust out of a season-opening slump in a big way, 3-for-5 with a homer, and Juan Rivera going yard, too. The Weav even went through seven innings on 95 pitches, which for him amounts to a revelation.
Update: I should also mention Brandon Wood getting his first start of the season, going 1-for-4. Also, with their seventh win, the Angels miss having the worst month in franchise history:
Update 2: Actually, this is not true, as (1) the Angels can't possibly lose 22 games this month since there are only 21 scheduled for the month, and (2) the numbers presented previously were incorrect. The corrected numbers are given above. Also, the Angels surpassed their worst win total for a single month with 15 or more games played when they beat Detroit last Thursday.+---------+------+------+ | month | w | l | +---------+------+------+ | 1961-06 | 12 | 22 | | 1964-05 | 10 | 22 | | 1980-06 | 6 | 21 | | 1999-08 | 8 | 21 | | 1968-08 | 13 | 21 | +---------+------+------+
Labels: angels, dodgers, mariners, recaps, rockies
Your Last-Place Los Angeles Angels Of Nowhere: Mariners 9, Angels 8
The Angels are 6-11, which makes for a .353 winning percentage. That's horrible no matter how you try to paper over it; if they finish the month that badly, it's a 7-14 month; for the year, it's a 52-110, i.e. we're looking at 2003 Tigers levels of frustration. Not literally, of course, because that was a 116-loss team. But once you cross the 100-loss threshold, it simply becomes a long, numb grind to the end of the season, and September's talk of golf and "next year". Not necessarily that I think this is the Angels' lot, but a team that can't find ways to pitch its way out of trouble — my fundamental problem with the silliness that the RISP2 crowd has consistently overlooked is that this team, by clinging to a dysfunctional offensive model, has failed to give itself any cushion in case of disaster, i.e. the Angels' 2009 season.
So, the conundrum of not playing Wood. Well, really, not a conundrum; if you're losing this bad this often, it just doesn't make sense to pretend there's some compelling reason to keep him out of a power-starved lineup. Maybe it's a way for the organization to pretend they're not giving up the ship on this season. I see Wood's in today's game, so maybe there's a trickle of hope. But I'm getting more than a little fed up with the Angels' constant refusal to give us the satisfaction of seeing a young player try to figure it out at the major league level, rather than pretending that Maicer Izturis is a competent three-hole hitter.
Labels: angels, mariners, recaps
Minor League Scorebook
Coon: 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Sandoval, F: 2-5
Brown, M: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Pettit: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
Rodriguez, S: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K
Evans: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
O'Sullivan: (W, 1-0), 6.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 2.84 ERA
Mosebach: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA
Really nice debut outing by Sean O'Sullivan at Salt Lake.
Statia: 1-3, 1 RBI
Trumbo: 0-4
Conger: 3-4
Mount: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Sutton: 3-3, 1 2B, 1 BB
Bell: (W, 2-0), 7.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 2 BB, 1.59 ERA
Herndon: (S, 2), 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Romine: 1-4
Moore: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Phillips: 0-3
Torres: 4.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 6 BB, 3.20 ERA
Towns: (L, 0-1) (in relief), 1.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 12.00 ERA
Pugliese: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 6.35 ERA
Jacobo: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Brooks: 2-4, 1 2B
Younger: 2-4, 1 K
Perez, D: 2-3, 1 RBI
Chaffee: 4.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 2 BB, 2 HR, 9.00 ERA
Nabors: (L, 0-3) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 6.97 ERA
Paul: 3-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K
Luna: 3-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 K
Garcia, S: 2-4, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Weaver: 3.1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 3.55 ERA
Alvarado, C: (W, 1-2) (in relief), 3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 6 K, 1 BB, 3.44 ERA
Hoffmann: 2-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Bell: 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
Closser: 1-2, 1 2B, 2 BB
Castillo, J.A.: (L, 0-2), 5.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 3 BB, 5.68 ERA
Leach: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0.84 ERA
Mattingly: 0-5, 3 K
Van Slyke: 5-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Gonzalez, Ad: 2-5, 1 K
Jansen: 2-4, 2 RBI
Vasquez: (L, 0-1), 1.1 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 10.13 ERA
Sanfler: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 3.72 ERA
Labels: minors
Angels Designate Dan Davidson For Assignment, Call Up Fernando Rodriguez
Labels: angels, transactions
Saturday, April 25, 2009 |
Dodgers Beat Rockies On First Four-Inning Save In Six Years: Dodgers 6, Rockies 5
Labels: dodgers, recaps, rockies
A Letter From Arte Moreno On Nick Adenhart
Rich Thompson Optioned To AAA
Labels: angels, transactions
Minor League Scorebook
Pettit: 1-4, 1 K
Wilson: 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Rodriguez, S: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Knox: (L, 1-1), 3.0 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 3 HR, 6.91 ERA
And this was the Angels' other option. God.
Bourjos: 1-4
Trumbo: 0-4, 2 K
Conger: 0-3, 1 BB
Mount: 0-4
Statia: 0-3
Anton: (L, 0-2), 6.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 4 BB, 4.80 ERA
Cassevah: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 1.93 ERA
Browning: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 2.16 ERA
A one-hitter through six and Michael Anton still loses.
Romine: 2-4, 1 2B
Perez, Ju: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Rosario, Al: 3-4, 1 BB, 1 K
Phillips: 2-3, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Miller: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Leon: (BS, 1)(L, 1-2) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 2 HR, 6.75 ERA
Crawford: 2-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Colmenares: 0-4, 4 K
Younger: 0-1, 3 BB
De Los Santos: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 K
Perez, D: 2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Chatwood: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 6 K, 5 BB, 0.00 ERA
Armstrong: (BS, 1), 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 2 HR, 2.25 ERA
Cabrera: (W, 1-0) (in relief), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 37.80 ERA
Hu: 1-5, 1 2B, 1 K
Paul: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K
Pascucci: 3-4, 1 RBI
Jones, M: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K
Ellis: 0-2, 2 BB
Pinango: 5.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 7.52 ERA
Sturtze: (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) (in relief), 0.1 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 7.11 ERA
Bell: 3-4, 1 2B
Mitchell: 1-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
May: 0-3, 1 BB
Mercedes, V: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Adkins: 0-2, 2 K
Adkins: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 9.45 ERA
Cali: (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 13.50 ERA
Mattingly: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 K
Perez, E: 0-4, 4 K
Bastardo: 5.1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 K, 3 BB, 2.74 ERA
Batista: (L, 0-2) (in relief), 2.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 5.79 ERA
Miller: 4.1 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 4 BB, 4.24 ERA
Pratt: (L, 1-1) (in relief), 1.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 5.00 ERA
Brannon: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 2.35 ERA
Labels: minors
Friday, April 24, 2009 |
2003+6=2009: Mariners 8, Angels 3
Rich Thompson allowed two of his three — yes, Loux left with the bags juiced and nobody out, how thoughtful — inherited baserunners to score. The first was on a wild pitch, in fact the first of the at-bat against slap-hitter Franklin Gutierrez — and then the other turned out to be Yuniesky Betancourt's sac fly. Scot Shields' outing was equally horrible, dropping five or six pitches in a row into the dirt; he just completely lost it on the mound.
Which is what gets me with this team. Even if you were to call back to life Nick Adenhart, even if John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana were pitching well and in the rotation from day one, the bullpen has turned into garbage. Maybe Darren Oliver's injury was a direct result of his usage as a starter, something that hadn't happened since 2004, but Shields' inability to find the plate or keep himself from throwing meatballs has been a key weakness. So has the frank mediocrity of Brian Fuentes, Jose Arredondo's cold start, and pretty much everyone else in the bullpen, too.
Seitz came here a while ago in the comments and pronounced this as the beginning of the rebuilding — the Angels just don't have the pieces anymore to make up for the fact that they're old and grasping at straws to keep themselves winning (Abreu? GMJ?). Proof of this came just before the game with word that Anthony Ortega will start tomorrow's game. Fortunately, Ortega was already on the 40-man roster, so the Angels won't have to jettison another useful part to get him to the Anaheim of Los Angeles. It's the kind of thing that scares you into thinking that a throwaway piece about a AA one-hitter might end with the subject on a jet the next day.
And one more time, everybody: got Wood? Maybe there's good reason for that, but if the team has confidence in his abilities, they have a funny way of showing it. And — if you believe this year is a replay of 2003 — Wood will need all the at-bats he can get so the team has a fighting chance of being good in 2010.
Labels: angels, mariners, recaps, suck
Pickoff Moves
UTK Quicky
From today's UTK:Darren Oliver (5 DXL)See below on that subject...
It's bad enough that Oliver is penciled in as a starter. It's worse when he can't even take the ball. It's been that kind of season for the Angels, unfortunately. Oliver is suffering from stiffness in his pitching shoulder, which I guess is better than most expected from him considering where he was just a few years ago. With Ervin Santana and John Lackey still away for awhile, the Angels are trying to patch through with guys like Oliver. Without him, they're down deep into the ninth and 10th slots of their rotation. Nick Adenhart's death hangs over all of this, and while the quick fix would be to sign Mark Mulder or Pedro Martinez, I'm wondering if there might not be a more creative solution. Could a fantasy-style "pitch-and-ditch" strategy work (and could Salt Lake keep playing if the big-league club tried it?) Could a bullpen game be worked into the rotation? The next few weeks will be interesting to watch, since no manager has more job security than Mike Scioscia.
Brandon Wood Watch, Day 3, But This Time A Win: Angels 10, Tigers 5
Let's get something straight: there's no good reason to keep Brandon Wood out of the lineup even though the Halos finally won their ... sixth game. It was a fairly ordinary game up until the seventh — save, of course, for Matt Palmer's season debut, a heartwarming story whose happy conclusion willl no doubt will get him additional playing time, given the alternatives. I didn't see the early innings, but if the nearby reports of his deer-in-the-headlights first were correct, Palmer at least settled down and gave the Angels far more innings than they had any right to expect.Figgins dropped a brilliant and unexpected bunt in the seventh, an event which garnered a lot of attention, but the inning's real spark came from the leadoff hit by Gary Matthews, Jr. and Howard (no more Howie — I believe that's the way he wants it now) Kendrick's reach on Adam Everett's misplay at short; things really started getting out of control for the Tigers when Jeff Mathis got an infield single followed by a two-base error (so it was recorded, anyway, though Mathis ended up at second) on Brandon Inge's wild throw.
The next inning was one of extreme frustration for me; Scioscia let Palmer load the bases with nobody out. Now, never mind that it was clear he didn't have anything after walking the second batter he faced (pinch-hitter Jeff Larish); Scioscia felt it was more important to keep the bullpen out of the game as long as possible. Maybe so, but given the shaky nature of the starter on the mound, it's a six of one, half a dozen of the other situation.
Luckily, the Angels wrestled a win out of it. It just bugs me to think they'll need a five-run lead to win a ballgame because of the leakiness of the bullpen.
Dodgers Salvage A Shutout Win: Dodgers 2, Astros 0
Really a great game, with tight pitching all the way through, for both sides; Wandy Rodriguez, who looks godawful on the road, limited the Dodgers to a pair of runs, but Chad Billingsley was better than that, allowing only three hits through 7.1 IP. While Jonathan Broxton had a nervous eighth and ninth that included a hit batter, the Stros weren't able to get any traction and that was that.Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, injuries, recaps, tigers
Minor League Scorebook
Rodriguez, S: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
Wilson: 0-4, 2 K
Evans: 0-4, 2 K
Willits: 0-1
Denham: (W, 2-0), 7.0 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 2.95 ERA
Hill: (S, 3), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 1.59 ERA
Breen: 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K
Trumbo: 1-2, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Conger: 1-4, 1 K
Mount: 1-3, 1 2B
Statia: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 K
Diaz: 4.1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 2 BB, 8.49 ERA
Albano: (W, 1-1) (in relief), 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 6.43 ERA
Brasier: (S, 1), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Romine: 1-4, 1 K
Sweeney: 2-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Perez, Ju: 3-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
Navarro: 2-3, 1 BB
Phillips: 0-4, 1 K
Jimenez: (W, 1-1), 5.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HR, 7.11 ERA
Taylor: 1.2 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB, 11.57 ERA
Carmona: (S, 2), 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 4.05 ERA
Jacobo: 2-4, 1 K
Castillo: 1-2, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Correa: (W, 1-1), 6.2 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 7.31 ERA
Kohn: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Paul: 0-3, 1 K
Hu: 0-3, 1 K
Estes: (L, 0-1), 5.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 9 K, 0 BB, 3.46 ERA
Threets: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 3.52 ERA
Lambo: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
Bell: 1-5, 1 K
May: 0-5, 2 K
Chick: 4.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 2 BB, 3.12 ERA
Felix: 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 5 K, 3 BB, 2.38 ERA
Meque: (L, 0-3) (in relief), 0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 K, 1 BB, 20.77 ERA
Sexton: (L, 1-1), 5.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 2.81 ERA
Miller: 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Melgarejo: 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 5.59 ERA
Sanfler: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 4.15 ERA
Pedroza: 3-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K
Gallagher: 1-2, 1 RBI, 2 BB
Russell: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Silverio: 0-4, 1 BB
Vetters: 3-5, 2 K
Martin: (W, 3-0), 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 0.60 ERA
Garcia, L: (S, 1), 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 0.00 ERA
Labels: minors
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