6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

If it is possible for the Dodgers to have a more ignominious end to their season, I cannot think of it. Battered in Game 3, Dave Roberts sent Yu Darvish out for second helpings in a win-or-die scenario; Darvish made it clear early that the second option was his choice. The Astros out pitched the Dodgers, whose offense never bothered to show up. Honestly, that was the team I watched through much of August and September, the hellacious losing streak that made you wonder which team would be playing in October.

Dylan Hernandez' LAT piece pulls no punches. I think he oversteps by claiming

The Rangers probably knew something. They probably knew he was as likely to perform how he did in this World Series as he was of ever realizing his breathtaking potential. Darvish made two postseason starts for the Rangers and lost both.

 The Dodgers knew that too, but I suspect they were hopeful the better pitching environment of Dodger Stadium would attenuate those bad outings. Nevertheless, Dave Roberts leaving him in for so long was a critical failure; he had to be on a very short leash. Darvish got only two swings-and-misses total in the ten batters he faced, a bad sign that Roberts ignored. Not that it mattered with the offense failing; the two runs the Astros collected in that first inning would be enough.

So, congratulations to the now American League Astros, who win their first title ever for America's fourth-largest city. The Dodgers have their work cut out for them in the offseason.

ESPN Box • MLB Recap

Labels: astros, dodgers, postseason, world series

The New York Times uncorked a doozy today when they broke the story that the FBI is investigating the St. Louis Cardinals for hacking into the Astros' network and stealing proprietary player data.

The Astros hired Mr. Luhnow as general manager in December 2011, and he quickly began applying his unconventional approach to running a baseball team. In an exploration of the team’s radical transformation, Bloomberg Business called it “a project unlike anything baseball has seen before.”

Under Mr. Luhnow, the Astros have accomplished a striking turnaround; they are in first place in the American League West division. But in 2013, before their revival at the major league level, their internal deliberations about statistics and players were compromised, law enforcement officials said.

The intrusion did not appear to be sophisticated, the law enforcement officials said. When Mr. Luhnow was with the Cardinals, the organization built a computer network, called Redbird, to house all of their baseball operations information — including scouting reports and player personnel information. After leaving to join the Astros, and bringing some front-office personnel with him from the Cardinals, Houston created a similar program known as Ground Control.

Which suggests that Luhnow and others in the Houston front office didn't bother to change their passwords from their time at St. Louis. It also suggests that the Cardinals store their passwords in plaintext, which, why?

Fangraphs has a fine piece on the legal ramifications:

The primary law implicated by the Cardinals’ alleged hacking would appear to be the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The CFAA was originally passed back in 1984 to protect both the government and the financial industry from electronic espionage. The law was later expanded in 1996, however, to cover any unauthorized, remote access of another’s computer.
Under Section (a)(4) of the CFAA, anyone who “knowingly … accesses a protected computer without authorization” in order to “obtain[] anything of value” is subject to potential criminal liability for the hacking. Similarly, Section (a)(5)(B) of the law prohibits “intentionally access[ing] a protected computer without authorization,” should it result in any damage being inflicted on the computer’s owner.

The act provides for a five year sentence per instance of access, which could mean life imprisonment for ongoing spying. Also, the Electronic Espionage Act of 1996 makes the entire Cardinals organization possibly complicit in criminal activity, but only if the government can show high-level Cardinals knew or should have known about the matter.

But is that likely? As one of the commenters at a Facebook group observed, commissioner Rob Manfred has been pleased to use stolen evidence when it suited him; how hard can he really come down on the Cards? (Ignoring for the moment the consequence of criminal investigations, and assuming that there will be repercussions at the MLB commissioner's office.) One thing's for sure, there'll be a lot of billable hours among all parties.

Labels: astros, cardinals, front office, scams

It's been a long offseason, and I've felt little to nothing newsworthy to write about; the Angels moves are largely an afterthought of two consecutive offseasons of disaster, between the Pujols and Hamilton contracts, with only the former ending before the decade does. Whether, as Matt Welch intimated in his writeup in this year's Baseball Prospectus, this is the fault of owner Arte Moreno or of GM Jerry Dipoto, the contracts are now inked and indisputable and due, sunk costs. It is not insignificant that the Angels have two of Grantland's 15 worst contracts in MLB.

But it is now Go time for the Dodgers. If the Angels have bad player deals, it is because their shiny new Fox Sports contract enabled them to spend stupidly and big. The Dodgers decided they needed to one-up the Angels, and in an effort to do so, launched their own cable TV network. In this, they followed the Yankees, who created YES Network in 1999. But, as happened in San Diego (also this), and to a lesser degree, Houston, the Dodgers now find their own greed locking them away from the fans they claimed they wanted to reach.

The cable operator is optimistic that it will have wide distribution by the time the Dodgers' regular season starts March 22.

"We're coming off a tremendous season and interest in Dodger baseball is at an all-time high," Time Warner Cable Sports President David Rone said.

But that may be wishful thinking.

Many distributors are upset about being pressured to carry a new sports network in a region that already has several similar channels, including not only Prime Ticket but also Fox Sports West, Pac-12 Los Angeles and Time Warner Cable's SportsNet and Deportes.

"It is really hard to understand why everyone needs their own channel when they didn't need one before," said Andy Albert, senior vice president of content acquisition for Cox Communications.

Those channels, along with ESPN, cost customers as much as $20 a month whether they watch them or not. The Dodgers channel threatens to dramatically increase that figure.

I will not be surprised to learn there is a considerable amount of pushback among the cable operators, who weary of downside cable-cutting should prices escalate too high. And there are signs that we have reached the moment of collapse.

Joe Kennedy, the bootlegger and patriarch of that political family, famously got out of the stock market when even cabbies and shoeshine boys started giving him stock tips. So we begin to suspect the jig is up on cable TV networks when the likes of icon YES Network sells itself to Fox. Why might they do such a thing?

One of the next things on the YES Network's to-do list is to negotiate a new carriage contract with Time Warner Cable, one of the largest cable operators in the New York metro region. Time Warner Cable has said the channel's distribution agreement is about to expire.

Some have speculated that the negotiation process could be ticklish because Fox and Time Warner Cable have clashed in the past. Fox lost the rights to televise L.A. Lakers and Dodgers games after Time Warner Cable agreed to pay the teams substantially more than Fox had been paying.

In other words, the Yankees still get the benefits of operating a RSN without the headaches of having to extract revenue from cable operators. This, to me, is the rats leaving the sinking ship -- with the Dodgers viewing such a ship as their salvation. One expects one of those views will prevail, and it isn't the Dodgers'. Well, it wouldn't be the first time the Bombers proved better than the Bums.

Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, padres, tv, yankees

I Will Not Mention Tuesday's Loss (Much)

Deja vu, all over again? 4-1 on Monday, an execrable 6-1 loss on Tuesday that included a rare meltdown by ex-Athletic starter Danny Haren. But today? Another 4-1 win, partly fueled by back-to-back jacks by Torii Hunter and Alberto Callaspo (of all people!). Ervin Santana got a win, something of a pleasant surprise.

Dodgers Call Up Rubby De La Rosa, But Have Little Else To Crow About

The callup of top prospect Rubby De La Rosa was by far the best news for the Dodgers this week. The actual news of the series has been all but uniformly bad for the Blue; not only did they lose the first and last games of the series, but enemy of the people Frank McCourt thinks he can make payroll this month after all. I hope his loans come with a blood oath.

Update 5/26: Apparently Frank was never worried about this upcoming payroll, but the first one in June, and that because there's a big bonus due to the still-not-playing-in-major-league-baseball Manny Ramirez. We'll see, but either way, I do wish he would depart.

Labels: angels, astros, athletics, dodgers, mccourts, recaps

Maury Brown has a new piece up this morning in which he likens new Astros owner Jim Crane (the sale completed yesterday, for $680M) to Frank McCourt. No, that's not a typo.

The similarities between McCourt and Crane cover two areas. For lack of a better term, they were both bridesmaids in club sales. For McCourt, it was the Red Sox. For Crane, it was the Cubs and Rangers (and technically, the Astros once prior). Baseball has a tendency to bring in owners that truly want in, if they meet the financial muster.

Which brings us to what will likely be the most concerning aspect of any approval by the league’s 30 owners. Crane’s purchase, like McCourts’, is heavily debt-laden.

Of the $680 million purchase, just under half ($300 million) is going to be financed with debt. According to Mike Ozanian of Forbes, “In 2010 the Astros had operating income of $14 million, so if Crane parks $300 million of debt on the team the franchise would be in technical default of the league’s debt limit, which is 10 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.”

What's disturbing about this is how MLB is bringing in one heavily indebted owner around the same time it's trying to kick out another one. Brown asks, "Is McLane and MLB more concerned about setting market value than possibly setting themselves up for another debacle, such as McCourt wound up in?" I would be inclined to answer "yes". Though the Red Sox eventually went to a group led by John Henry, they were not the high bidder, and concern around Massachusetts was that MLB steered the team into their hands.

A good half or more of the Dodgers' attendance problems can be directly attributable to the poor quality of the team on the field, but much of this can be laid at the feet of a historic reluctance to pay for international talent and underspending on the Rule 4 draft. Last year's surprise signing of LSU pitcher Zach Lee was the first time since the 2006 draft that yielded Clayton Kershaw that the team has spent more than $2M on a signing bonus. Some of that can be explained by the team's veteran lust that fritters away top draft slots for dubious free agent acquisitions, but it's hard not to see how the McCourt's personal extravagance is steadily corroding the team and the fan experience at the ballpark. One hopes, for the sake of Astros fans, that Crane isn't like McCourt in that way — and more, that this doesn't become yet another talking point in the coming legal battle between MLB and Frank McCourt.

Labels: astros, dodgers, mccourts, owners

• Beyond The Boxscore has its preliminary 2011 defensive catcher ratings out. Hank Conger and Rod Barajas are both in the upper half, while Jeff Mathis is one of the worst, as is (surprisingly) ex-Dodger, current Yankee Russell Martin. #1? Baltimore's Matt Wieters.
• Rafael Furcal is nowhere near ready for a rehab stint, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. (Via Aaron Gleeman at NBC's Hardball Talk blog.)
• Maury Brown says the Astros sale is down to the details, and should complete soon. Jim Crane will buy the club for $680 million.

Labels: analysis, angels, astros, dodgers, injuries, ratings, sabermetrics

The announcement came from Allen & Company, which retains the services of Steve Greenberg, son of Hall of Fame slugger Hank Greenberg. McLane is 74.

Labels: astros

Kazmir's Longest Outing Still A Loss: Rangers 4, Angels 3

More of the same, though Kazmir completing seven innings (his longest outing of the year) should be viewed positively, even if it comes at the expense of one run too many to qualify for a quality start; Kazmir was, after all, pitching in Hell, or Texas. A seemingly accidental hit by 2010's favorite piñata, Brandon Wood, overshadowed the fact that he didn't strike out at all for the second game in a row. He's now struck out four times in his last 29 plate appearances, giving us a glimmer of hope for his future success, even though he's only hitting .154/.148/.154 over that depressing span.

No, the real problem would seem to be the top of the order, i.e. Erick Aybar, whose conversion to leadoff man appears to have gone about as well as that iceberg safety test the Titanic made. After an icy .253/.330/.333 May, he's only gotten worse, posting a .200/.268/.262 line in May. Part of that is a lousy .236 average on balls in play, but the guy's had three no-hit games in a row, and hasn't reached by error, walk, or hit-by-pitch, either, during that span. I don't know how much longer the Angels can hold out like this, but something needs to be done, and soon.

In that, he wasn't unique; none of Howie Kendrick, Hideki Matsui, or Kendry Morales got hits either. But then, they're not paid to be singles hitters who get on base a lot.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

Dodgers Batter Astros Even Without Ethier: Dodgers 6, Astros 2

With Andre Ethier still unavailable, the Dodgers found a way to beat up on the worst team in the National League. Mostly they accomplished that with help from Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt, the latter getting himself a couple of RBI triples. Wandy Rodriguez and Brandon Lyon, the latter the former Diamondback, coughed up all the runs the Dodgers scored. It didn't even seem like they were trying; John Ely posted yet another fine game, for the moment looking like an island of stability in a rotation of turmoil.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Ethier To Hit The DL

No duh. If you're gonna have your best player out for a while, best to do it while you're mostly facing mediocre or bad teams. The Dodgers will be looking at the Astros, Tigers, Cubs, Rockies, Snakes, and Braves over the next week or two, a schedule which gives them a fair chance at at least a .500 record over that span, and maybe better.

Xavier Paul is his most likely replacement.

Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, injuries, rangers, recaps

Angels One-Hit Texas To Take The Series: Angels 5, Rangers 0

And the Angels' series against the Rangers ends, not with a whimper, but a one-hit shutout against a depleted lineup*. It's a satisfying conclusion to a season that may very well not be as happy next year, but ends the 2009 season with the Halos winning the division but nonetheless with a losing 8-10 record against their division rivals.

Despite what I remember, Rangers starter Derek Holland actually had a unremarkable first and second halves of this season; it's just his outstanding April that caught my attention, but he pretty much cratered the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he ends the season tied against the Angels, going 2-2 on the year.

Matt Palmer and four relievers — Darren Oliver, Jose Arredondo, Kevin Jepsen, and Rafael Rodriguez all pitched scoreless, hitless frames, though each of the latter three walked one apiece. It's post-clinch time, as evidenced by Vlad's early exit from the game. Terry Evans and Chris Pettit got more playing time, and Evans even got a hit and an RBI, too.

Four more games and it's the postseason.

ESPN Box • Angels recap

---

Dodgers Wait Another Day To Clinch: Padres 5, Dodgers 0

The last five Dodgers struck out, just like yesterday, and another day, another shut-out. Jon Garland got knocked out in the fourth, and as Charley Steiner put it, it's something of a nightmare scenario, though those are pretty limited for the Dodgers, who've already clinched a playoff berth. That's four straight unclinches, for those of you keeping score at home.

ESPN Box • Dodgers recap

Rockies Creep Up On Sleepy Dodgers: Rockies 10, Brewers 6

The Rocks beat the snot out of Jeff Suppan, continuing their late hot play. It's well to remember that they have to win out and the Dodgers have to lose out for their situations to reverse. One Colorado loss tomorrow is all it takes. Get some sleep, boys.

ESPN Box

Phillies Clinch NL East: Phillies 10, Astros 3

Not quite as exciting as the 2007 Phillies and their tie-untie-tie-untie sequence in the very last days of the season, finally beating the Nats while the Marlins crushed the Mets 8-1 in New York, with predictable catcalls. Thanks to a 6-1 Cardinals loss to Cincinnati, the Phils also passed St. Louis for the second-best record in the league, meaning they'll likely draw the Rockies and not the Dodgers in the first round.

ESPN Box

Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, padres, phillies, rangers, recaps, suck

Not the GM? Huh. Cooper was hired on August 27, 2007 to replace Phil Garner, and had a 171-170 record as Astros manager. The Astros were eliminated from NL Central contention on Friday with a 3-2 loss to the Brewers, their fifth of a seven game losing streak.

Cooper was the fourth manager fired this year, and all of them have been in the NL; the other three were Bob Melvin in Arizona, Clint Hurdle in Colorado, and Manny Acta in Washington.

Labels: astros, firings, managers

The Rangers sent two minor leaguers to Houston to re-acquire Pudge Rodriguez. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, their regular starting catcher, was placed on the DL Saturday with arm fatigue "and was told today by vascular specialist Dr. Greg Pearl that he has thoracic outlet syndrome" according to the Dallas Star-Telegram. This appears to be a defensive move, because an earlier report in the Dallas Morning News indicated Saltalamacchia could return to starting duties once he was eligible to come off the DL. No word on the identity of the minor leaguers returned to the Astros.

Update: Fanhouse says it's RHP Matt Nevarez and a player to be named later. Nevarez is a project — missing all of 2007 with an arm injury — but he's got good stuff, with a 2.83 ERA for single-A Hickory in the Sally League in 35 innings as a 22-year-old.

Labels: astros, rangers, trades, transactions

The Cubs murdered the Astros 12-3, taking nine runs out of the hide of Houston starter Russ Ortiz, all of them earned, including two home runs; Ortiz only lasted 2.1 innings. The former Giants starter had an 0-3 record with a 12.23 ERA in five July starts, and was later placed on unconditional release waivers.

The Cubs' starter in that same game, Kevin Hart, also got the win, the third of his season. He, Jose Ascanio, and Class A infielder Josh Harrison were all shipped to Pittsburgh for reliever John Grabow and minor league starter Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny was a 14-game winner in 2006 but has scuffled since. Tough deal for both pitchers, especially Hart: thanks for the win, here's your ticket to Pittsburgh.

Labels: astros, cubs, haha, trades, transactions

Ex-Dodger prospect Joel Hanrahan was traded to Pittsburgh on June 30 but that didn't prevent him from acquiring a win in relief in a suspended game for his old team, the Nationals. (The game was started on May 5.) Nyger Morgan (who was the return on that same trade) scored from third in the bottom of the 11th on a throwing error by Houston shortstop Miguel Tejada.

Thanks to Jay Jaffe (via Facebook) for the heads-up.

ESPN box

Labels: astros, nationals, recaps, weird

Apparently, there was a 52-minute delay in today's Padres game while the team called a beekeeper to tranquilize a swarm that had infested left field and chased Padre Kyle Blanks in the top of the ninth.

Imagine you're Kyle Blanks for a moment, a 22-year-old rookie not even a month in the Major Leagues. You're a first baseman by trade, but you're in left field, learning a brand new position and trying to just slide under the radar.

The plan is working just fine. It's a sun-splashed day at PETCO Park in the ninth inning in what has become an otherwise forgettable game with most of the crowd of 23,284 long gone as the Padres are trailing the Houston Astros by six runs.

Suddenly, standing there in left field, Blanks notices a bee milling around his head. And then another. He's not allergic to bees, or at least he doesn't think so, but Blanks and bees don't mix, he would say after the game.

"I saw one or two floating around my head, and then I turned around and there was just a wall [of bees]," Blanks said. "There was just a ton of them. I started walking in and tried to get out of there. It's not something I want to tempt."

Who could blame him?

It was probably a smart, as what the Padres estimated were 2,000 bees had flown in from center field, passed high over the left-field seats and then settled down near Blanks in left field.

The bees (not the Salt Lake variety) left peaceably, and so did the Padres. Of course, as they pointed out in the Angels broadcast tonight, Manny Ramirez is scheduled tomorrow in left at Petco. Huh.

Yahoo box

Labels: astros, padres, recaps, weird

UTK Quicky

From today's UTK:

Darren Oliver (5 DXL)
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.

See below on that subject...

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.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

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.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, injuries, recaps, tigers

Charter Cable Customers Frozen Out Of Angels Games

Reports at Halos Heaven and The Fabulous Forum indicate that Charter Cable customers aren't getting to see 25 of the Angels games, mainly because these were sold outside of the main agreement and so need to be purchased separately by individual cable companies. Or something.

There are 25 games this season that, because of contractual details, needed to be purchased separately by area cable and satellite companies and Charter, as of now, has not purchased those games. According to Mead, Charter is the only local company that has not purchased the 25 games.

Bad as Time-Warner has sometimes been, at least they don't pull stunts like that.

Dodgers Fourth, Angels Sixth In Forbes Team Valuations

Forbes has its annual team valuations out, and the Dodgers pull in at fourth overall with a net value of $722M, back of the Yankees ($1.5 billion), Mets ($912M), and Red Sox ($833M). The Angels rank sixth ($509M), just back of the fifth-ranked Cubs. The Cubs are valued at $700M, quite a bit under the $900M the team actually sold for; Mark Cuban must feel like he dodged a bullet on that one.

Maury Brown notes that ten clubs have decreased in valuation from 2008, and one of them is the Florida Marlins. With the current cash flow situation derived from welfare payments revenue sharing, the Marlins have now been given to Jeffrey Loria by the league for free.

Belisario Loses It: Astros 6, Dodgers 5

I came into this game in about the sixth, and by the time I was headed home from the office, Charley Steiner was describing how Ronald Belisario was sitting glumly in the bullpen with his head in his hands. He should be:

The offense picked up a bit from yesterday's game, but Randy Wolf is what he is, and that left not a lot of margin for the bullpen.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Angels Cited As "Preferred" Option For Paul Byrd

No surprise; he wants to pitch for a contender, but you have to wonder whether the Angels qualify this year. On the other hand, both the Angels and A's, the top two teams in the division according to many analysts, presently have losing records.

Darren O'Day Now A Ranger

He was picked up on waivers before he had a chance to go back to the Angels. Too bad — he was one of my favorite stories from 2008 even though he kinda fell apart at the end.

Vlad's Return Date A Fantasy?

Jayson Stark thinks so:

The official prognosis on Vladimir Guerrero's torn pectoral muscle is that he could be back in a month. But Guerrero's mounting physical issues have people around the sport wondering now about his long-term prognosis.

For one thing, said one baseball man, "How's he coming back in a month from a torn pec? When those offensive linemen get that injury in the NFL, they're out for the year."

Meanwhile, a front-office man was asking: "He may come back, but what's he going to be like the rest of the year? That's a tough injury -- especially for a guy who lets it fly the way he does."

Guerrero, 33, was supposed to be one of the biggest names on the 2009-10 free-agent marquee. But add this issue to his offseason knee surgery, and he's making potential bidders very nervous.

"He could be a $1 million player in a year, with $4 million in incentives," said an official of one team. "He's a tough guy to commit to."

The offensive lineman also has to shove his way through a bunch of other guys; Vlad could be useful as a DH-only type, but it's a severe penalty to place on a team that really has been built around the DH as a rest stop for its significantly large roster of aging players. My suspicion is that his torn pec was hurting him more than he cared to let on when he was in the batter's box, and that the hope was that he could be well enough if he let it rest for a month that he could return to the DH.

Cole Hamels Takes A Line Drive On His Pitching Shoulder

He got pulled in the fourth. That's probably not gonna help the Phillies.

Lackey, Santana To Pitch In Extended Spring Training; Escobar Out Until June

Help is just around the corner, but as I discovered in Boy Scouts, when someone says something is "just around the corner", it pays to ask "which one?"

Labels: angels, astros, biz, injuries, phillies, rangers, recaps, rumors, transactions, tv

The Wood Who Wasn't There

In the last 48 hours we've had articles from Steve Bisheff and Rob Neyer (really, Bisheff's article with Neyer — a not-so-closeted A's fan — applauding) talking about Brandon Wood's surprising non-presence in the LAAnaheim lineup. One game is not enough to determine whether a player is or should be on a given day's lineup card, but I do have a question that neither of them asked, and that is: considering Jered Weaver is an extreme flyball pitcher (his career G/F factor is 0.53), why wasn't Wood manning short last night? If there were an ideal moment for him to get a shot where his allegedly suspect defense at short — or even third — would be only a minimal factor, this would have been it. I'm not ready to break out the pitchfork and torches, but it does seem odd, doesn't it?

Dodgers Streak Ends At Eight: Astros 8, Dodgers 5

Clayton Kershaw clanked one, giving up six runs over 4.1 very shaky innings, and the Dodgers' magic carpet ride comes to a skidding stop. That included a Carlos Lee homer that positively got Charley Steiner apoplectic with its majesty and distance; I forget where I saw it lately, but the Bull Durham quote ("anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it") seemed apropos.

If there were doubts that Russ Ortiz might have something left after a fairly brutal three-run first, they were erased when he failed to allow any more runs through four more frames. He's probably going to end his career soon, but it's good to see a guy who's struggled as much as he has recover just a little.

The best part of the game for the Dodgers was probably loading the bases in the ninth; along the way, Jose Valverde got hit in the shin with a batted ball, and this space sincerely hopes for his speedy recovery. That's gotta hurt.

Yahoo box • Dodgers recap

Angels Name Matt Palmer Thursday Starter

Good grief, I was wondering whether this was Coach Weathers and Cal State Long Beach. Interesting note on the 30-year-old righty's minor league career: all of a sudden he started striking guys out last year in the Giants organization at AAA Fresno as a starter at about double his career rate (9.0 K/9 in 2008 over 142 IP). Here's a three-year-old scouting report from Baseball America; he was an all-star as a closer in 2003, but then ...

Arm injuries forced him to spend most of last season rehabbing at the club's minor league complex in Arizona, but Palmer still entered this year sporting an impressive career 2.59 ERA. And he opened the eyes of club officials when he got an opportunity to move into the rotation at Double-A Connecticut.

Filling a spot vacated by Jonathan Sanchez, Palmer was 5-3, 1.30 in 15 games, including nine starts, and his ERA led the Eastern League when he was promoted to Triple-A Fresno. He had struck out 51 batters against just 10 walks in 62 innings.

The 28-year-old was a 31st-round selection out of Southwest Missouri State in 2002 and sparkled in his pro debut. He had a 1.84 ERA at short-season Salem-Keizer and then had a 1.20 ERA in 44 games at Hagerstown while chalking up 25 saves.

But he still had plenty to learn.

"He was a hard thrower but he would try to muscle it," farm director Jack Hiatt said. "In muscling, he lost velocity. He was always in deep counts. We really had to keep an eye on his pitch counts.

"As he's gained his experience, he's developed a pretty good breaking ball and a changeup to boot. He is throwing 85-90 percent. It's allowed his fastball to explode."

Overdue: Trevor Reckling Makes Prospect Hot Sheet

Last Friday, clocking in at #8:

Team: high Class A Rancho Cucamonga (Angels)
Age: 19
Why he's here: 1-1, 0.75, 12.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 Ks
The Scoop: An eighth-round pick in 2007 out of Newark, N.J., Reckling jumped to BA's No. 4 Angels prospect after winning 10 games in the low Class A Midwest League and showing three pitches that graded better than average. It looks like he's picked up where he left off, only now he's dealing in the hitter friendly high Class A California League and doing so as he works on throwing arm-side away (he loves pitching inside). So far, he's stretched both of his starts to six innings, taking the loss Tuesday despite allowing just one earned run—on Collin Cowgill's first-inning homer for Visalia (Diamondbacks).

Keith Olbermann To Join MLBAM, Donate Salary To Charity

Via BTF, MLBAM has hired Keith Olbermann to write an at-large column; he will donate his at-large salary to three different charities.

At his request, Olbermann’s full salary for his work as an at-large columnist will be split equally among three charitable organizations. They will be: the Baseball Assistance Team, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Jayden Braden/Ariana Marzano College Fund, established in support of the late John Marzano’s grandchildren. Marzano, a former Major Leaguer and MLB.com host, died just over one year ago in a home accident in Philadelphia.

MILB To Lease Dodgertown

MILB will lease Dodgertown:

Minor League Baseball was set to announce today that it has reached a memorandum of understanding with Indian River County and the city of Vero Beach to lease and operate the Dodgertown spring training complex, which was left vacant this year for the first time since opening in 1948 after the Dodgers relocated to a new spring home outside Phoenix. MILB plans to take over in May and provide a year-round facility for tournaments, clinics and non-baseball events; attracting Northern teams to Florida for spring break trips is a central part of their business plan.

"This is a great opportunity for Minor League Baseball," MILB president Pat O'Conner said. "This moves the organization to another level. And we're excited about the prospects of working in Vero in such an historic facility.

"In the spring there is a tremendous influx of teams from the Northeast corridor wanting to come to Florida . . . It's an ideal place for colleges to set up shop."

Labels: angels, astros, dodgers, mlbam, recaps

Off On The Right Foot: Dodgers 4, Padres 1

No Manny required, but a lot of good things going on for the Dodgers, who beat Jake Peavy for the first time since September 13, 2003, when Kevin Brown toed the mound for the Dodgers. Needless to say, I missed this game in its entirety, and consequently have little to say on it.

MLB.com Recap • Yahoo box

Quitcher Bitchin': Cubs 4, Astros 2

Roy Oswalt hasn't seen much of the old dominator he used to was back in the day; his ERA+ in 2008 was 120, a fine showing but quite a ways from the 149 he had only two years prior. We listened to this game on the way to Angels Stadium, with the Astros announcers calling the game on XM, and the funny part was how much whining they were doing, complaining about this checked swing call or another. It recalled the "Bud Killed Us" t-shirts the team wore under their uniforms in the wake of a Hurricane-Ike-mandated move to Milwaukee during a crucial series late in the season. The predictable result: a Carlos Zambrano complete game shutout, but then, they were whipped before they entered the building. I can't imagine the Astros are going anywhere this year, and it's moments like this that compound that feeling.

Aside from Zambrano's mastery (again) of the Astros' lineup, the story to come of this game was an early pull of the troubled Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome, after he bobbled a ball while playing out of position in center field. (Shockingly, Al still supports the idea that Fukudome is a "plus" fielder, at right, anyway; he's seen him play more than me.) I can easily see Fukudome becoming a free agent by the All-Star break.

Yahoo box

Ronald Who? Belisario Makes The 25-Man

A real head-scratcher. A player who's never had an overly impressive K/9 rate (his most recent season at AA Altoona was 5.7), these comments in the BTF thread would seem to apply:

Since the linked article is advancing the claim that Belisario/Belizario's season stats aren't representative because he learned a new pitch and made drastic improvements over the last month or so:

RB, August 2008: 15.0 IP, 4.14 FIP, 1.53 WHIP, 6.60 K/9.

He was crap in April and May, good but not overwhelming in June, and mediocre in July and August.

Call him the 2009 Dodgers' answer to Darren O'Day: expendable, but if he can pitch, well, yay, free pitcher.

Don't You Wish You Had Pitching: Diamondbacks 9, Rockies 8

Aaron Cook lasted two and a third, Brandon Webb four, and between them they gave up a dozen runs. Webb would be the main guy I would be concerned with, and he's apparently suffering from shoulder stiffness. Nice euphemism, that ...

Yahoo box

Did I Miss The New Times Angels Blog?

Looks like it. Orange County Register sportswriting alumnus Steve Bisheff anchors a team blogging crew. Sidebar changes a-coming.

Dodgers Release Greg Miller

Jon clues us in, and what a world of change it's been for him.

Labels: angels, astros, blogs, cubs, dodgers, padres, recaps, transactions

The Dodgers are on Jake Peavy's short list of trade destinations:

“Jake has a strong preference to stay in the National League,” [Peavy's agent, Barry] Axelrod said. “It is hypothetical, but Jake, by any measure, has had a great deal of success in the National League. He has a comfort level with knowing how to approach hitters here.”

...

Axelrod made one concrete stipulation to any trade scenarios: “Jake would only approve a trade to a team with a solid chance of winning and a winning tradition. Those teams in the National League may be in locations that are more acceptable, or would be.”

He said “the ability or opportunity to win is very important to Jake, and hopefully some sort of coincidence with his and his family's lifestyle.”

Among the cities Axelrod mentioned were Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and St. Louis.

Peavy and his wife Katie have three boys, one an infant, and this year moved into a home north of San Diego. Because of Peavy's intention to keep his family in San Diego for at least part of the year, Axelrod acknowledged that the Anaheim Angels are one AL club that would draw extra consideration.

Via Gaslamp Ball, which points out that Chicago's "winning tradition" might need some work.

Crossposted (sort of) at Halos Heaven and Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Earlier: Padres Put Peavy On The Block, Other Roster Notes

Labels: angels, astros, braves, cardinals, cubs, dodgers, padres, rumors, trades

Weaver Cruises, Then Collapses: Mariners 9, Angels 6

Undone by another fielding miscue of his own, which recalled his earlier odd loss against the Dodgers, Jered Weaver actually was very good through five innings but collapsed after an infield single somehow got him to lose focus. I didn't see it, being that I was at Dodger Stadium last night, but Weaver's presence on the mound bugs me a lot the way he throws approximately 3,772 pitches in each at-bat, with 3,769 of them being fouls, so it's likely just as well I missed this game.

And yet, Kevin Jepsen took the loss, his first major league decision. It don't seem fair.

The good news: more longball power from Mike Napoli, a gift dinger from Gary Matthews, Jr., and Howie Kendrick going 2-for-3 in a brief "rehab" appearance.

The Angels' five-game winning streak ended, while the Mariners staved off being a 100-loss team for another day.

Yahoo box • Angels recap

Other Races

• AL East, Wild Card: Despite beating Toronto 3-1, the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason thanks to a pair of wins by the Rays (sweeping a doubleheader against the Orioles 5-2 and 7-5 in Baltimore) and a 5-4 win by Boston over Cleveland. Boston has now clinched a postseason spot with their win.
• AL Central: The Twins kept their postseason hopes alive with a 9-3 drubbing of the Chisox. Javier Vazquez took the loss, going four innings and giving up five runs. Ozzie Guillen called Vazquez out yesterday for his inability to pitch well when the heat is on, leading to the interesting question of why Ozzie started him), too.
• NL East, Wild Card: The Phillies lost 3-2 to the Braves, with Casey Kotchman's solo homer providing the margin of victory. The Brewers came back from an early 3-2 deficit and beat the Pirates 7-5. The Mets beat the Cubs 6-2, eliminating the Cardinals and Marlins from the postseason. Per Bob Timmermann, the Astros will now have to win out all their remaining five games and get help from the Cubs (who must beat the Mets) to stay in the Wild Card race.

Billy Beane Looks Up At The Angels

Via HH, a nice post-Moneyball piece on the real model franchise in the AL West:

What must disturb Beane is that the Angels, unlike such wildly fluctuating entities as Detroit, Colorado or Houston, aren't going away. They easily could be the runaway favorite in the AL West for the next 10 years.

In terms of management, no team can match the Angels' combination of Arte Moreno, the wealthy and beloved owner; Tony Reagins, the aggressive general manager (and one of baseball's few African Americans holding an upper-level job), and manager Mike Scioscia.

San Francisco Chronicle author Bruce Jenkins later calls Scioscia "the best manager in baseball", and lauds his running game that mocks the A's style, which is to "seek out players fit for a patient, station-to-station offense that runs dry, too often, in the absence of legitimate power." Of course, the other side of the fence is that the Angels' offense can be shut down by junkballers who get the Angels hackers to bounce out to an infielder in the absence of legitimate power. Hitting the ball hard is still king.

Labels: angels, astros, athletics, blue jays, braves, brewers, cardinals, mariners, orioles, phillies, pirates, postseason, rays, recaps, red sox, reds, twins, white sox, yankees