Patrick Corbin named Arizona opening day starter

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson announced today on the twitter machine that lefty Patrick Corbin will be the team's opening day starting pitcher. Arizona's opener is, amazingly, less than three weeks away - they have a two-game set with the Dodgers in Australia on March 22 and 23.

The 24-year-old Corbin was acquired back in 2010 in the deal for Dan Haren - which I wrote about at the time and entirely missed the boat on Corbin. At the time I called the deal a steal for the Diamondbacks, because I didn't think Corbin and fellow minor-leaguer Rafael Rodriguez would make up the difference between Haren and Joe Saunders. As it was, that didn't look crazy a year ago - Haren was excellent for the rest of 2010 and again 2011 for the Angels before starting to break down in 2012, while Saunders didn't do anything of note for Arizona. But Corbin has shown signs of blossoming into a front-line starting pitcher.

After an uneven 2012 debut in 107 innings, Corbin won his first nine decisions in 2013. While won-loss record can be misleading, it wasn't in this case - the lefty gave up two runs in six innings in his 2013 debut against Milwaukee. After that, his ERA didn't get back above 3.00 until September 17. His last three starts really inflated his season ERA - he gave up 15 runs on 23 hits in 11 1/3 innings. Any fatigue would have been understandable, as Corbin surpassed 200 innings for the first time. His excellent strikeout, walk, and home run rates indicate that it was no fluke - his 3.41 actual ERA was in-line with his 3.48 xFIP.

Even if Corbin doesn't take that step forward to become a true ace, the pride of Clay, NY has made his 2010 acquisition look astute and his doubters (me) look foolish.

View The Dunne Deal's 2014 Opening Day Starting Pitcher Tracker

10/1 Playoffs Liveblog!

A little later starting here than I wanted to be, so let's dive right in.

2:07pm: Leadoff hitter Willie Bloomquist singles of Yovani Gallardo, on the first pitch. I haven't even had time to get my scoresheet ready. I never knew Gallardo wore #49 to honor Teddy Higuera. The stuff you learn.

2:10: Justin Upton to the plate. An excellent season to be sure, but I don't know how he can be considered an MVP candidate with the season Matt Kemp had. 

2:11: I hope someone other than Bernie is watching this series.

2:12: Willie Bloomquist thrown out at the plate in the first inning by 30 feet with the cleanup hitter on deck. It's like I'm watching the Red Sox again!

2:17: Jerry Hairston getting the start for Milwaukee over Casey McGehee. Considering that Hairston was a better hitter and pitcher this year, that seems a sensible move.


2:18: My wife is liveblogging with me. This scheme to have her watch hours of baseball with me is genius. Until about hour seven, when she dumps her yogurt on my head. 

2:24:  "Joe West is the crew chief for this series." Over/under on ejections is set at 9.5. 

2:28: Ryan Roberts probably deserved more attention for having 2011's best "where did that come from" season, except for nobody really cares about the Diamondbacks, so nobody noticed. Still,  .249/.341/.427 with good defense at 3B. Classic minor league slugger who finally got the chance to perform, and did. The strange thing is that he didn't have to sign a minor league contract with the A's for that to happen.

2:33: This seems like a good time to mention that Miller Park is probably the best park that nobody talks about being good. Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Baltimore are all great, and Fenway and Wrigley are classic, of course. Miller Park is great, complete with the best beer and food I've come across. 


2:37: Do you think the Yankees would trade Curtis Granderson for Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke? A lot has been made about how great that trade was for the Yankees, but did it? The Diamondbacks ended up getting Edwin Jackson (who they turned into Daniel Hudson) while the Tigers got Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth. With all three teams winning their divisions, and the components all playing major roles, I'd say it's a rare trade that worked out well for THREE teams. 

2:43: Pop out by Yuniesky Betancourt! Before the season, I wrote an entry questioning whether Betancourt was the best the Brewers could do. Despite the incredible .7 WAR, I still don't think he is.  When a .252/.271/.381 line gets a positive offensive WAR, it's easy to see why so many people are dismissive of the statistic. 

2:47: Christine: "This is a long inning!"  Hahaha, you have no idea what you are in for! And with that, Jonathan Lucroy lines to left.

2:52: "What time are the Red Sox on tonight?" Is that enough reason to get a divorce? Octoberfest will fix this... 

2:52: "Oh, I meant the Yankees." Yep, divorce. 

2:55: Back to baseball - Solid 1-2-3 inning from Gallardo. Matt Williams sending Bloomquist looks especially bad now, as Gallardo has really settled in.  The Diamondbacks really need to take Game 1 with Greinke going tomorrow. 

3:00: A test of the emergency broadcast system? At 3:00 on Saturdays??? What happened to Corey Hart? Comcast I should punch you. 

3:03: Corey Hart apparently grounded out to third base. I'll never get to see it, though. Ian Kennedy is settling in nicely as well.  

3:06: This "which Upton brother is the family watching" story would be much funnier if they all went to watch Justin because he's better.  


3:08: Jarrod Parker is apparently available in the Arizona bullpen. I miss the days where teams would at least call up their prospects before 9/1 in order to make sure they are playoff eligible. They should either enforce the rule, or allow anyone in the organization by 9/1 to be on the playoff roster, whether or not they're in the majors. The roster gymnastics that teams are allowed to get away with are embarrassing. 

3:14: "Don't miss new episodes of Kendra and Dirty Soap. On E!" I wouldn't say I'll be "missing" them. 

3:16: Braun/Fielder/Weeks this inning. Now, a picture of the Brewers dressed like cowboys. 


3:20: Single for Braun. Double for Fielder. Weeks is HBP. Bases loaded for Hairston, Betancourt, Lucroy. 


3:22: Decision to play Jerry Hairston pays off, RBI sacrifice fly. 1-0 Brewers. 

3:27: Christine is now opening wedding gifts. I think she has given up. 

3:29: "Allright, what's going on?" Back in. 


3:31: 13 of the last 14 retired by Gallardo. We're through four and a half innings in like 80 minutes. Being a Red Sox fan doesn't prepare me for things that move this quickly. 


3:36: Hitting Nyjer Morgan with a pitch with Braun on deck and Fielder in the hole doesn't seem like a great strategy. 

3:38: ".332. So almost 1/3 of his runs are batted in?" Still, I think my wife knows more about baseball statistics than Dan Shaughnessy. 

3:45: Wait, why is the roof closed?  


3:46: "The biggest sports weekend in Wisconsin history." That sounds like a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one. 

3:49: Is it just me, or has sliding into first base become something of an epidemic this year? Someone has to be keeping a stat on this, right? "Hey, I might be out at first, why do I do something that slows me down and increases my chances of getting hurt!" Didn't you listen to your little league coach?

3:53: Whoa,  weird backwards shadows, with the pitcher in the shade and the batter in the sun. I think that might even be harder than the opposite. 

3:56: Triple for Yuniesky Betancourt, who I have never spoken poorly of. Genius move for the Brewers to acquire him and stick with him through his struggles. 

3:59: RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy on a pitch way up and in. 2-0 Brewers lead. With the way Gallardo is going, that's a valuable insurance run. For what it's worth, the Brewers now have an 86% chance of winning, according to ESPN.com's Gamecast.  


4:01: The avocado commercial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

4:07: Nyjer Morgan with the nice catch crashing off the wall. I'm happy Good Nyjer Morgan showed up this year. Evil Nyjer Morgan is probably lurking somewhere, ready to strike, and giving both Washington Nationals' fans recurring nightmares. 

4:10: Do my ears deceive me, or did someone at TBS think it was a good idea to use a Britney Spears song as a bumper coming out of commercial? I hope somebody has been fired. 

4:18: Ryan Braun with a nice double down the right field line on a pitch low and way off the outside corner. He's now 3 for 4.


4:19: Surprised to see Kennedy pitching to Prince Fielder.... and as I type this, he hammers a home run over the right field fence. I was starting to write - I'm surprised, because Kennedy is probably going to be pinch hit for in the next inning, so either a lefty reliever pitching to Fielder, or having Kennedy walk him to pitch to Weeks, would have made more sense.


4:23: I didn't even realize the Diamondbacks had traded for Brad Ziegler. Ziegler has been one of the better relievers of the past few years - career ERA of 2.43 in 252 career innings. He gets the Weeks ground out to end the inning. Brewers lead 4-0, going into the 8th. 

4:27: Is the Brewers organist playing "Sweet Caroline" in an attempt to mock me?  He even did it to me in the 8th inning! I had a discussion regarding this with some friends, and the "new" Red Sox "fans" who would sing Sweet Caroline when they just blew a lead against the Yankees has become my least favorite part of the Fenway experience. It made steam come out of my ears. Does that mean I take baseball to seriously? YES! Of course it does! I'm writing an 18,000 word blog about 12 hours of games, and having my wife do it too! What extra sign did you need that I take baseball too seriously?


4:28: Ryan Roberts sticks it to the Brewers' organist with a solo homer. Brewers' lead is cut to 4-1. 

4:31: Awesome to see Sean Burroughs pinch hitting. No sarcasm here, really an amazing comeback.  

4:33: After the Roberts home run, Gallardo strikes out the next three batters. That gives him nine through 8 innings. At 106 pitches, I expect to see Axford for the 9th. 

4:37: Yep, there's Axford warming up in the bullpen. 

4:40: Jerry Hairston walks. The Brewers were already my pick to win the World Series. With Hairston in instead of McGehee, I'm feeling even stronger about that. 

4:43: Mark Kotsay is up. Christine posts: "I believe that is the guy with a really attractive wife." Note to self - I could talk for days about Mark Kotsay's throwing arm or his performance in the college World Series and his excellent years with the Marlins and A's, and she's not going to remember. Mention that his wife is hot, and she never forgets...

4:46:  Axford is in. After a rough start to the season, he was dominant the last five months. Really though, we remember him because of his mustache. 

4:49: Axford blows a 96 mph fastball by Justin Upton. One out to go.  

4:53: Miguel Montero with a routine grounder to Rickie Weeks to end it. Brewers win 4-1, and go up 1-0 in the series. Seven minutes until the next game! 

5:04: Settling in for the Cardinals-Phillies game. I've opened a new bottle of beer. Christine has opened a new bottle of wine.  All is well!


5:06: Roy Halladay vs. Kyle Lohse. Good luck Cardinals!


5:06: Tony LaRussa is managing, so I need to leave an extra half dozen pitcher spots on my scorecard... 


5:08: Rafael Furcal with the leadoff single. That's one more hit than Halladay allowed in Game 1 of the NLDS last year. 

5:11: Halladay vs. Pujols. Can't type, watching. 

5:12: Four pitch walk. Roy is no fool. He'll take his chances with Berkman.


5:13: Three run homer for Lance Berkman. 3-0 Cardinals. Already more runs allowed by Halladay than in 20 of his 32 starts. He only gave up one home run in the regular season with men on base.

5:20: Lohse with three straight groundouts on six pitches. It's like he and Halladay switched bodies.  

5:25: Ryan Howard, defensive ace! Retires John Jay, one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, 3-1, Halladay covering.  

5:29: Deion Sanders is still trying to convince me to buy DirecTV.  


5:33 Kyle Lohse has retired the first six Phillies. They should probably try taking a couple pitches. If they hadn't been in the playoffs the last four years, the announcers would probably be talking about how nervous and inexperienced they are. 

5:37: Halladay vs. Pujols. Take two.

5:38: Pujols ripped two straight balls foul. He then slightly rolled over an inside changeup to third base. Sounded like a broken bat.


5:39: Halladay breaks Berkman's bat as well. He's settling in, I think.

5:45: Kyle Lohse with another 1-2-3 inning, this one on only 10 pitches.  After three, he's only at 23 pitches. Phillies need to make him work harder. 

5:51: Halladay responds with a 10 pitch inning. The commercial breaks are lasting longer than the innings.  

5:55: Lohse strikes out Jimmy Rollins for his first K of the night. 


5:56: One out double for Chase Utley, first hit for the Phillies. When I was at the University of Rochester, we would go to Red Wings games. In the 2003 opener, Chase Utley, Playing for the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons, hit two massive home runs. He was called up that summer, and has been generally awesome ever since. 

6:02: David Freese drops a Shane Victorino foul pop... This usually ends badly.

6:04: Indeed. RBI single for Victorino, Chase Utley scores to cut the lead to 3-1.

6:04: Raul Ibanez flies out on the first pitch to end the fourth. After several years of consistent performance, putting up OBP's between .345 and .358 every year from 2001 through 2010, Ibanez really cratered this year, down to .289. 


6:06: "You never write about me anymore." 

6:08: Halladay strikes out John Jay. What a Commie.  

6:10: Christine appears to be editing her Google+ account. There's bored, there's very bored, and there's so bored that even google+ is more exciting than what you're doing. 

6:11: 11 in a row retired by Halladay. After an hour, we're halfway through the game. Josh Beckett takes this long between pitches.  

6:23: Halladay vs. Pujols, Take 3.  

6:24: Long at bat there - Halladay really wanted that curveball on the 0-2 pitch. Ended up  inducing a 2-2 groundout on a curve. 

6:25: Halladay strikes out Berkman. 14 in a row retired by Halladay. He now has 7 K's through 6 innings. Lohse is shutting down the Philly offense though.


6:25: Avocado commercial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6:33: Bad swing by Chase Utley on a nasty changeup leaving Rollins on first with one out. Hunter Pence with a first pitch single up the middle now, bringing up Ryan Howard with first and second. Howard had the lowest SLG of his career for the second straight year. Big AB here, as the heart of the Philly lineup may not be up again until the 9th.

6:39: This is what Ryan Howard thinks about your "falling slugging percentage." Three run homer to right, Phillies take a 4-3 lead.  

6:42: Victorino follows the homer with a solid single. Lohse shouldn't be tiring, he's only at 73 pitches. His pitches have been all over the place since the homer. 

6:43: Raul Ibanez with a two run homer, and this game has quickly gotten away from Lohse. This one was on a high hanging change-up. Philly fans seem ok with Ibanez now. That'll be it for Lohse, here comes Octavio Dotel. 

6:50: "I'm sick of this song." I agree, Christine. I agree. I don't know who at TBS is in charge of music, but no.  

6:53: The good news for the Cardinals is that Octavio Dotel stopped the bleeding. The bad news is that they're loing by 3 runs and are facing Roy Halladay. With nine outs left, Albert Pujols is eight batters away. Uh oh.  

6:58: Three straight ground outs. And Cliff Lee tomorrow.  

7:00: Iced coffee time!


7:04: Leadoff single by Halladay off Mark Rzdjfsaigfedfgliagxzvczynski. Texas game scheduled to start in three minutes. Double duty!

7:08: Desmond Jennings back up to leadoff for the Rays. Meanwhile, Chase Utley singles to load the bases in Philly, with the middle of the order coming back up. Rzepczynski fails to retire any of the three batters he faces. Mitchell Boggs will relieve him.

7:10 First big scoresheet error of the night. I just put Cardinals reliever Mitchell Boggs as the CF batting second for the Rays. Keeping two scoresheets at once is dangerous business.  

7:12: Grounder back to Boggs by Hunter Pence forces Halladay at home, bringing up Ryan Howard with the bases loaded. Ducks on the Pond, as Joe P. would say. Meanwhile, B.J. Upton doubles in Texas, bringing up Longoria.  

7:15: Howard hits a sac fly to right, scoring Rollins. 7-3 Phillies lead.  

7:17: Shane Victorino rips an 0-2 slider to right for an RBI single. 8-3. Meanwhile, the Rays have loaded the bases off of Derek Holland, with game one hero Kelly Shoppach coming up. 

7:19: Philly Phan Phavorite Raul Ibanez rips a high straightball to right, scoring Hunter Pence. 9-3 Phillies.  

7:21: Boggs gets Placido Polanco to fly out to right, ending the inning. Polanco and Carlos Ruiz are the only Phillies without hits. Holland and Shoppach are engaged in a 8+ pitch at bat.


7:22: Shoppach walks, scoring Upton. 1-0 Rays. 

7:23: Holland gets out of the jam allowing only the one run. He gets Sean Rodriguez to hit a grounder to Kinsler, forcing Shoppach at second. Here comes the reputed "Big Game" James Shields.  

7:28: You know, it's easy to bash announcers, so I need to say what an excellent job Dick Stockton is doing in this game. Thumbs up. 


7:29: 21 in a row retired by Halladay. 

7:33: Roy Halladay comes out to bat in the bottom of the 8th! And Dick Stockton hasn't even referred to a complete game as "a lost art" yet. I think he's violating his contract.

7:35: The narrative, repeated on the telecast by Bob Brenley, that the Phillies "window of opportunity" may be closing, because of the advancing age of their team, seems to be overstated. They seem to do a good job developing players who they can either insert in the lineup or trade for an established regular. And while Roy Oswalt showed some signs of age this year, Halladay, Lee and Hamels were three of the four best pitchers in the NL. This team will be good going forward. 

7:39: Chase Utley with a double to right, sending Jimmy Rollins to third. They might want to save some of this, no? Meanwhile in Texas, Desmond Jennings with a two out double.

7:40: Hunter Pence with a two-run single up the middle, knocking Mitch Boggs from the game. 11-3 Phillies. 

7:43: Arthur Rhodes in for the Cardinals. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Rhodes has been around so long that he was a teammate of Dwight Evans and the late Mike Flanagan on the 1991 Baltimore Orioles.  

7:45: Rhodes gets Ryan Howard to ground out, ending the 8th. On to the 9th with the Phillies up 11-3.  

7:48: After a 20 minute wait, Halladay does not come out for the 9th, depriving us of a final Halladay-Pujols encounter. Michael Stutes in for Philly.  

7:50: Allan Craig leads off the 9th with a walk. First Cardinal baserunner since Skip Schumaker led off the 2nd with a single.  

7:52: James Shields strikes out Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli in the 2nd, but has to use a lot of pitches to get through the inning. He's at 28 pitches through two innings, which isn't so bad, but it is a lot for facing only six batters. 

7:53: Backup catcher Gerald Laird will pinch run for Albert Pujols. The Big Puma is up with runners on first and second. I apologize to both of my readers everywhere for failing to use the name "Big Puma" until we're almost done with this game.


7:56: Adron Chambers, who I first heard of yesterday when I was looking over the team rosters, hits an RBI single off of Michael Stutes. 11-4. 


7:57: Michael Stutes gives up his third hit of the inning, this one to Yadier Molina. Charlie Manuel decides he's had enough and is going to Ryan Madson. 


7:59: Tommy Lee Jones' delivery in this Ameriprise commercial is reminiscent of Sam Waterston trying to sell us Old Glory Insurance.

8:01: Christine's boy Skip Schumaker with a two-run double off of Madson.  This is why Roy Halladay likes to complete his games. 11-6 Phillies.


8:03: Matt Holliday to pinch hit! With two on and two out, a homer here will make Tony LaRussa feel stupid for pinching running for Albert Pujols.


8:04: LaRussa is saved that ignominy. Madson strikes out Holliday, Phillies win 11-6.


8:10: Don Orsillo informs us that the six RBI that Kelly Shoppach has in the playoffs equal his total in any month this year. However, I should point out that yesterday's game was in September, so Shoppach only has one playoff RBI this month. Me trying to point out what month his RBI counts in is probably a good sign that I've gone insane.

8:11: Am I the only one who considers throwing errors by the pitcher to be ironic? Anyway, Casey Kotchman reaches, then goes to second, on Derek Holland's overthrow.  

8:15: The error is costly. Two run homer for Matt Joyce that clears the right field wall by plenty. 3-0 Rays.  

8:22: James Shields throws five straight change-ups to Josh Hamilton. He knocks the fifth one between the first and second basemen for a single. Two-on, nobody out for the middle third of the Texas lineup. 

8:24 Buck Martinez tells us that Michael Young is the right person to have up with a man in scoring position, because he had the most at bats in 2011 with runners in scoring position. Ok. Young singles anyway. Bases loaded for Adrian Beltre.  

8:26: Adrian Beltre drives in Andrus the hard way, as he's hit in the leg with what looked like a curveball. 3-1 Rays, with MIKE NAPOLI coming up with the bases loaded.  

8:31: Mike Napoli hits a two run single, tying the game and proving once again that Mike Scioscia is always wrong. 3-3 tie.  

8:37: We're underway in New York. Meanwhile in Texas, David Murphy gets a second life when umpire Kirwin Danley calls a ball foul prematurely.  

8:38: David Murphy strikes out, but the pitch bounces away from Kelly Shoppach. Adrian Beltre scores, Murphy reaches, 4-3 Rangers.

8:39: Grounder to shortstop by Mitch Moreland. Sean Rodriguez throws him out at first. James Shields thinks it's the third out, and walks off the field. Except, it wasn't the third out. Mike Napoli scored on the play. 5-3 Rangers. 

8:44: Brandon Inge throws out Jorge Posada at home for the first out of the second, then Doug Fister strikes out Derek Jeter, the greatest and most clutch baseball player of all time.  

8:46: The always informative in-game manager interview.  

8:47: Fister strikes out Granderson, and the Tigers get out of a jam. In Texas, a leadoff double by BJ Upton leads Alexi Ogando to start getting warmed up. Ogando really seemed to run out of gas in the second half. 9-3, 2.92 ERA, 3.4 K/BB ratioin the first half, 4-5, 4.48 ERA, 2.4 K/BB in the second. That's why he's in the bullpen rather than the rotation.


8:48: Mike Napoli thows out BJ Upton stealing, proving once again that Mike Scioscia is always wrong. 

8:59: Doug Fister strikes out Alex Rodriguez. Ben Zobrist makes a nice play on a ball up the middle hit by Michael Young, but can't get quite enough on the throw to get him at first.


9:00: Christine gives up. That was quite a run. Meanwhile, Fister strikes out Mark Teixeira to end the 3rd. In Texas, Adrian Beltre ends the 5th with a grounder to second that forces Young. 

9:02: TBS keeps telling me that "The Big Bang Theory" is very funny, but in my experience, that's not the case.  

9:03: Ron Washington goes to Alexi Ogando, which seems to me to be the right decision. It's as close to a must-win as it can be for the Rangers in a non-elimination game, and Ogando's stuff is better naturally than Holland's. Holland wasn't especially sharp tonight anyhow. 


9:04: Ogando is throwing smoke, 95 with natural movement, striking out John Jaso. 


9:05: Why is Jim Leyland batting Ordonez/Young in the 2 and 3 spots? To make sure Miguel Cabrera comes up with as few runners on as possible? Yes, I know Young homered, but that sort of exaggerates the point - he has good power, but low on base skill. He's a born 6 or 7 hitter. 

9:08: Ivan Nova strikes out Cabrera to end the 4th, as Fister vs. Nova turns into the pitching duel that Sabathia vs. Verlander was supposed to.  

9:11: Did Ron Darling just reference Warren Zevon's "Excitable Boy"? That's pretty awesome. 

9:12: Jorge Posada steps in. Meanwhile, Jesus Montero still exists. 


9:13: Mike Napoli with a lead off single, giving me another chance to rag on Mike Scioscia. 

9:14: Doug Fister strikes out Posada. Jesus Montero is making sure all of the helmets in the dugout are in the correct compartment, and making sure the canisters of Big League Chew are full. 

9:16: Russell Martin, who hates the Red Sox, is up. Now is a good time to mention that he got run out of LA because he enjoyed partying more than baseball.  Martin grounds out the third base. So yeah, the feeling is mutual, Russy boy. 


9:19: Back to back singles by Napoli and Cruz will drive Not So Much Game James out in the 6th. Jake McGee in. 

9:23: Craig Gentry in for David Murphy to counter the Jake McGee move. Possible overmanaging here by Ron Washington - Gentry is more likely to hit McGee, but Murphy is the better defensive player, and the Rangers already have the lead. I'd prefer to have Murphy in.


9:24: WOW. For the second day in a row, the Rangers sacrifice bunt at a WRONG time. If the Rangers were going to take David Murphy out for a pinch hitter who is worse defensively in a game they have a lead, they're doing it for immediate offense, right? Then WHY OH WHY is Craig Gentry sacrifice bunting here?? Couldn't Murphy have done that, then still been in the game? Terrible. 


9:25: Ivan Nova walks Alex Avila. He is the first baserunner to reach of Avila, and this ends a string of 11 straight retired by Yankee pitching. In Texas, McGee hits Mitch Moreland, loading the bases. This will knock McGee from the game. 


9:26: Juan Cruz in for Tampa. In New York, Jhonny Peralta singles to center with two on. The Tigers try to score Avila, but he is thrown out by 20 feet, even though Granderson sort of angled the ball in funny, and Jeter's relay was about five feet up the line. Wasted outs all over the place here.


9:28: Two run double for Ian Kinsler. 7-3 Rangers. 

9:38: Juan Cruz strikes out Michael Young to end the 6th. In New York, Curtis Granderson singles to end a streak of 11 consecutive batters retired by Doug Fister.


9:40: Robinson Cano hits a ball off of the top of the left field wall, scoring Granderson from first. 2-1 Yankees. 


9:41: Koji Uehara relieves Alexi Ogando for reasons I don't really understand. Off day tomorrow, and Ogando is stretched out. Hm. 

9:42: They're reviewing Cano's double to see whether it left the park. Uehara walks Jennings to lead off the 7th.  


9:44: Cano's ball ruled in the park after the review. In Texas, a three run homer for Evan Longoria off Uehara cuts the Rangers lead to 7-6. Remember, Alexi Ogando was removed from this game for no reason. This will drive Uehara from the game, after he retires none of the three batters he faces.


9:45: Alex Rodrigez flies out to center, stranding Cano at 2B. Give Girardi credit though - he has Granderson/Cano batting 2 and 3. On other teams, they'd still be batting 5th and 7th. 

9:49: Darren Oliver, who the Red Sox traded Carl Everett for back when Oliver was still a bad starter, before he became a good reliver. Oliver was released after two months by the Sox, but considering it got Everett off of the team, it might have been the best trade they ever made.  Could the Red Sox have made him a reliver? Sure, Grady Little could've done a lot of things. 

9:52: Following an Austin Jackson leadoff walk, Maggio Ordonez hits into a double play. Delmon Young then swings at the first pitch, and flies it lazily to right. In Texas, Darren Oliver settles the game back down. Rangers still lead 7-6. 

9:57: It should be mentioned that the Tigers are batting three of the four lowest OBPs in their lineup in the first three spots. Which is why Miguel Cabrera didn't drive in enough runs to get MVP consideration.

9:59: Brandon Gomes in for Tampa. This may sound like a sportscaster cliche, but Adrian Beltre does NOT get cheated on his swings. He pops to the second baseman in short right field to start the 7th. 

10:04: Doug Fister is pitching a little too carefully to Jorge Posada, consider that this isn't 1999.  He walks him, on what Brian Anderson terms an "unintentional intentional walk." 


10:05: Russell Martin hits a soft grounder to short because he is a short, drunk, lazy punk. 

10:06:  Mike Adams in for Texas. April superstar Sam Fuld pinch hits for Sean Rodriguez. Brett Gardner hits a two out single to score Teixeira and Posada, making the decision to pitch carefully to Posada even more foolish. Compared to the decision to bat your three lowest OBP guys in the first three spots though, it's small bananas. 

10:07: Fuld flies to center, because it's not April.  

10:12: Charlie and Ethan are here, with beer! This will get me through.

10:14: It won't get Doug Fister through, though. He walks Curtis Granderson and is knocked from the game. 


10:18: Al Albuquerque does much worse. Grand Slam Robinson Cano, giving the Yankees an 8-1 lead. 


10:18: Seconds later, Mitch Moreland homers to deep right field, giving the Rangers an 8-6 lead. 

10:19: At least Alex Rodriguez still can ground out to second, allowing us to continue our game of "how bad can Alex Rodriguez get while the announcers still talk about how dangerous he is."

10:22: Joel Peralta in for the Rays. Neftali Feliz warming in the bullpen for the Rangers.  


10:29: Neftali Feliz in for the 9th, and is throwing 98 as usual. In New York, Victor Martinez works a 12 pitch walk, which is why he's batting after Miguel Cabrera, and Delmon Young is before? Ok. 

10:36: Feliz holds down the save. Rangers win 8-6, and the series is tied 1-1. Game 3 will be Monday, with David Price vs. Colby Lewis.


10:37: Ryan Perry in for Detroit, which is a sign of what Leyland thinks of Ryan Perry. 

10:41: Perry strikes out Posada, which Fister probably would have done if he'd thrown him strikes rather than a series of off speed pitches out of the zone.  

10:45: Short fat drunk Russell Martin strikes out.  

10:48: Still can't understand why Verlander and Sabathia aren't starting tomorrow. They threw about the same amount as their usual side session yesterday. Down 1-0, the Tigers can't afford to have Verlander start only one game. 

10:51: Austin Jackson strikes out to end the 8th. It's Jackson's second strikeout of the game, following a regular season where he struck out 181 times. Jackson's defense makes him a sensible start in CF, but that doesn't mean he should bat leadoff.  

10:57: Daniel Schlereth is in the game for Detroit. This is only interesting because his father was on the Redskins. 

11:07: This game is wicked boring. Alex Rodriguez struck out again though, which is cool. 

11:18: There are a lot of reasons Ivan Nova's game is impressive. The "number of innings in relief" record is not one of them. Because this game is a continuation based on new rules. So can we stop talking about it, announcers? Ok, thanks.  

11:24: Slow grounder to Jeter by Alex Avila scores a run. 9-2.

11:27: Single between short and third by Raburn scores Cabrera. 9-3, which serves to make Nova's pitching line look a little less great. Final count: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.


11:29: Jhonny Peralta single to load the bases means Mariano Rivera is in the game. Luis Ayala stinks again. 

11:33: Rivera strikes out Betamit to end the game. But beer is still yummy. After way too many words, I'm signing off. If you read all of this, seek help.

2011 Playoff Preview, NL Division Series Edition

Ok - I spent all that time creating projected lineups, and they keep changing, so I'm going to put that on the back burner, and just go ahead and dive right into the projections. You know where to find rosters and lineups, you don't need my help.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Initial Irrelevant Thought: The Rays comeback got more press because of the Red Sox component. The Cardinals was more impressive.

Breakdown:

This is the classic Pitching vs. Hitting matchup. The Phillies had middle of the road offense and the best pitching, by far, in the NL. The Cardinals had the opposite, with an average pitching staff held up by the NL's top scoring offense. So, does good pitching beat good hitting?

This series brings another element to that dynamic, with the post-Bonds generation best hitter (Albert Pujols) against the post-Pedro generation best pitcher (Roy Halladay). These matchups are what will make this, in my mind, the most exciting of the first round series.

The Cardinals needed to use Chris Carpenter on Wednesday, so he'll be available only once in the series. I think that's enough to make up the difference, as the Phillies are just too tough to beat in succession.

Prediction: Phillies in 4.

Milwaikee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Initial Irrelevant Thought: A Brewers vs. Diamondbacks playoff series? That's kind of cool. I hope people watch.

Breakdown:

The Brewers took some flak for their offseason strategy, trading several prospects and focusing on this season. It seems to have paid off though. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks seemed well into the depths of a rebuilding program, but GM Kevin Towers quickly rebuilt the bullpen, and youngsters Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Justin Upton all took big steps forward.

The Diamondbacks are a nice story, but the Brewers have the advantage in talent. Their defense is mediocre at best, but they have both great pitching and an excellent offense. Gallardo, Greinke and Marcum make up the playoff's second best top 3 this side of Philly, and Prince Fielder has a huge potential contract to motivate him.

Prediction: Brewers in 3

For the record:

Milwaukee over Philly in 7 in the NLCS

Milwaukee over Detroit in 6 in the World Series.

Potential Impact Callups

It's hard to believe we're already here, but in only three days, it will be September 1. Teams in contention will be racing to set up their playoff rosters, those out of contention will be checking out some of the players who could help them in the future. I just wanted to look at a few of the guys who could make an impact either in the pennant races or playoffs.

Mike Trout, Angels: I've discussed Trout a couple times, and I maintain my belief that he's the #1 "prospect" in baseball. It's possible that Trout will exhaust his rookie status in September, making him ineligible for the 2012 ROY award. If he doesn't, he is the serious favorite. That's not the Angels concern right now, though. Sitting only three games behind the Rangers, Trout may give them the best shot to close that gap.

Trout got the start in only one of the three games in the important series against the Rangers this past weekend, getting the right field nod in Saturday's game. Just by chance, it's the only game in the series the Angels won. Trout also got two at bats after coming in as a pinch hitter in Friday nights game. For the series, he went 3 for 6, with a home run and a strikeout. His impact down the stretch will depend entirely on how much Scioscia plays him.

Jesus Montero, Yankees: Let's all say this together. Jesus. Montero. Is. Not. A. Catcher.

We have that out of the way. It's ok, Yankee fans. Carlos Delgado wasn't a catcher either, no matter how much the early '90's Blue Jays wanted him to be. Delgado hit so much that nobody cared. I don't know if Montero will become the hitter Delgado was, but he'll hit enough that it won't make a difference.

The Yankees overall production at DH this year hasn't been as bad as you probably think. They've hit .247/.331/.432, good for 8th in the AL in OBP and 5th in SLG. However, that number is inflated some by the time spent DH-ing by guys who play other positions. In 21 games, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have gone .256/.351/.512. The "regular" DH, Jorge Posada, has gone .232/.306/.390 at the position. Among the 14 regular DH's, that puts him tied for last in OBP, and 11th in SLG, a number that may be inflated by Yankee Stadium, since 7 of his 9 doubles, and 9 of his 12 home runs are there. Away from the Stadium's short porch, he's hit a paltry .187/.274/.302.

Meanwhile, much has been made of Montero's season. Is he a catcher, is he overrated because of the Yankees, is he better than Posada? Short answers - no, maybe, yes. Despite a drop in production from last year, Montero has hit .289/.348/.465 for Scranton. The lack of power from his first half has been forgotten - since the All-Star Break he's at .287/.353/.559. He's not the #3 prospect in baseball, where he was placed before the season, but he's ready for the majors. The Yankees' insistence on keeping him in the minors has cost them, but shouldn't for much longer. Expect to see him starting on Thursday at the latest.

Trevor Bauer, Diamondbacks: The #3 pick in the 2011 draft may well be the first to debut. Bauer signed early and has dominated since - in six starts and 24 innings across two levels, he has a 2.62 ERA, 30 strikeouts and only 9 walks. There has been some worry about his workload, but he may well get a chance to help the already-excellent Arizona bullpen. I doubt we'll see him start unless there is an obvious opening or the playoff race opens up.

One qualifier - I sincerely hope he doesn't pull a Jonathan Papelbon or Neftali Feliz and dominate so much out of the bullpen that he is made the "future closer." Bauer is worth more as a starter, both to his team and in consideration of his own checkbook.

Matt Moore, Rays: Are the Rays still in contention? Well, they have six games left with the Yankees, and they're 6.5 games behind. So, while it would take a pretty amazing comeback for them to get into the playoffs, it's not out of the realm of possibility. It's also very possible they'll end up with the 3rd best record in the American League and still miss the playoffs.

Moore was the darling of the future's game, and has been dominant since his promotion to Triple A Durham. In 46.2 innings, he has a 1.35 ERA, a 0.943 WHIP, 69 strikeouts, 15 walks and 3 home runs allowed, and he is a southpaw, which makes him a great matchup for the lefty-heavy opponents at the top of the division. If Trout loses rookie status, Moore becomes the front runner for the 2012 award. Unlike Bauer, I don't see Moore being used in the bullpen - he'll either get a couple starts, or be shut down. (Unless I'm wrong, of course. That's happened before.)

Michael Restovich and Wily Mo Pena have New Homes

Yesterday was a big day around baseball - major trades, a no-hitter, a Mariner win - so I won't blame anyone who didn't notice that Dunne Deal fan favorite Michael Restovich was dealt yesterday from the Chicago White Sox to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The release of Wily Mo Pena and call up of Collin Cowgill left the Triple A Reno Aces a little short on outfield depth. This led to the acquisition of Restovich, who was a BA top 100 prospect four times from 1999 to 2003, peaking at #26 in 2000.

Restovich, now 32, hasn't played in the majors since 2007. After very good minor league seasons in 2009 and 2010, he was hitting only .229/.282/.365 in 103 plate appearances this year. A consistent power source in the minors (211 career homers in the US minor leagues), his propensity to strike out and his poor defense have limited his chances in the majors: in 297 plate appearances, he has a .239/.313/.377 line with 68 strikeouts. In short, he's a less extreme version of Wily Mo Pena, with less prodigious power, less frequent strikeouts, less abysmal defense. He's probably been a better player than a few of the guys who have gotten shots in the last 10 years. He makes sensible depth on the Diamondbacks who don't value pure athleticism quite as much as the White Sox and a few other teams, and who are willing to give chances to failed top prospects from last decade who they think can help them (Pena, Sean Burroughs, Yhency Brazoban).

Speaking of Wily Mo Pena, he signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners this week. Mariner DH's have a .216/.328/.312, led by Jack Cust's take n' rake approach. Unfortunately, that approach only works when you both take AND rake, and Cust has rarely done the second, with three homers in 269 plate appearances. Rather than take n' rake, Pena has spent his career firmly planted in the "swing hard in case you hit it" category. He hits the ball about as hard as anyone I've ever seen, in the category with Gary Sheffield and Vlad Guerrero in their primes. His career line of .251/.304/.449 would represent Pena's true ability, and it would be an upgrade for the Mariners. His 46 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks represent extreme-Wily Mo: .196/.196/.522, with five home runs, 0 walks, and 19 strikeouts.

Pena is still only 29 (supposedly), and hit .363/.439/.726 in hitter-friendly Reno. To call him an "upgrade" over Jack Cust might be a misnomer, since they're such different types of hitters. Pena has exactly one skill, but it is a useful skill, especially in the DH league. I certainly wouldn't want to depend on him in a pennant race, but in two months of trying to bring excitement and play spoiler? Pena's the perfect choice, an exciting hitter who won't be taking plate appearances away from anyone who will be part of the next Mariner contender.


Aside: A note to both of my readers - it's been a busy couple days in baseball, as I mentioned above, and I haven't had a chance to write quite as much this week. As such, I have quite a bit to write about. I'm going to write in smaller, more concentrated posts, since they're about some pretty variant topics. This isn't an attempt to increase my "hit count" or what have you, but for ease of reading. People can simply skip over topics they are uninterested in. Is this something you prefer? Or is it easier for you if a single column is posted? Comment below or e-mail at jamesdunne24@gmail.com to let me know.

Sean Burroughs is Back in the Majors

Remember Sean Burroughs? I wouldn't say I'd forgotten about him, but I'll admit that I hadn't thought about him in years, when I read in spring training that the Arizona Diamondbacks had signed him to a minor league contract. He last appeared in a major league game on May 4, 2006 with the Rays, then spent the next year and a half in the minors with Tampa and Seattle, before falling out of affiliated baseball.

For anyone who needs a refresher, Burroughs was the can't miss prospect who did. The son of Jeff Burroughs, the 1974 MVP, Sean was first introduced to a national audience as the pudgy-faced star of the Long Beach team that won the 1993 Little League World Series, even appearing on the Dave Letterman show.

Burroughs continued to star throughout high school, and was drafted 9th overall by the San Diego Padres, who gave him an impressive bonus in order to convince him that he didn't need to go to USC. Burroughs' combination of ability to make solid contact and his good batting eye shot him to the top of prospect lists - #7 before 2000, #6 in 2001, and up to #4 in 2002. His power hadn't yet developed, but the power is always last to develop, and 3B who get on base at a .390 clip have a value anyway.

At 21, Burroughs broke camp with the Padres in '02, and struggled. Perhaps it was the pressure of expectations, or maybe the fact that he just wasn't quite ready, he had a .221/.261/.282 line through two months, and was sent back to AAA for seasoning. Where he continued to do what he had always done - hit lots of singles and walk a lot. After a September callup, Burroughs was fantastic, .377/.433/.410, leading to increased optimism going into 2003.

In 2003, Burroughs had his best season going .286/.352/.402 as a 22 year old. He hit only 7 home runs, but again, power is the last skill to develop, right? Burroughs was a big guy, 6'2", 200 pounds - he HAD to develop power. Things started going backwards, though. In 2004, perhaps wanting Burroughs to prove that he could hurt them, teams started pitching him more aggressively, and the result was .298/.348/.365, with only two home runs. His batting average had improved some, but he was seeing too many strikes to keep his walk total up. In '05, tried to lengthen his swing to generate more power. What it generated instead was more strikeouts, a .250/.318/.299 line, a demotion back to the minor leagues, and a complete loss of any confidence in his hitting mechanics.

After the 2005 season, hoping that a change of scenery might help him, the Tampa Bay (then Devil) Rays traded their own frustrating failed prospect Dewon Brazelton for Burroughs. He didn't hit in the majors there, and didn't hit in the minors either, being designated for assignment in late June. In 2007, he had a very short stint with the Mariners AAA affiliate before again being released, and he then fell out of organized baseball.

Until last fall. Burroughs contacted his agents, who had assumed he was retired, and told them he was interested in making a comeback, and to see if he could get a workout with anyone. His agents contacted Kevin Towers, the man who originally drafted Burroughs 12 years earlier, who now is the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Towers sent scout Tom Schmidt to conduct a workout for Burroughs. Sufficiently impressed, Towers signed him to a minor league contract. Burroughs reported to the Padres AAA affiliate in Reno, where he hit .386/.434/.571 in 77 plate appearances, before having his contract purchased on Wednesday.

Last night, Burroughs finally made it back. In the 6th inning, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson called on him to pinch hit. With two outs and men on first and third, Burroughs came to the plate for the first time in five years and 16 days. He hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by Dan Uggla, and Burroughs was out 4-3--just about the most satisfying 4-3 groundout you'll ever see.

It is, of course, impossible to predict what kind of production Burroughs will produce - we don't even know how much chance he'll get to play. Still, after all those years away, his comeback should already be considered a success. Everything from here is just gravy.

Angels get Haren

My first impression was that it is a bad move for Arizona. Upon further review, it just looks worse.

The Angels today received starting pitcher Dan Haren for Joe Saunders, Rafael Rodriguez and Patrick Corbin. In doing so, the Diamondbacks traded an excellent player who is under contract for two more years, at reasonable money, and did it at the lowest point in his value, getting minimal value in return.

First, Haren is not perfect, and is not a “counter” to the Rangers deal earlier in the month for Cliff Lee. Lee is the best pitcher in the American League right now, and no single player can counter the value Lee provides a playoff contender. He nearly single-handedly won a World Series for the Phillies last year. On the other hand, this isn’t meant to be a counter. Unlike Lee, Haren is signed through 2012. If the Angels can get back in the race this year, that’s great. Haren is immediately the ace of the 2011 and 2012 teams.

Haren’s drawback, and the one thing that keeps him from being elite, is the fact that he just gives up too many home runs. Last year, having a very good year, he was giving up a homer once every 33.7 batters. This year, it is up to 26.3 batters. Arizona is a tough place to pitch, but that’s simply too many. However, Haren’s 4.60 ERA this year is also a function of bad luck and bad defense. Arizona is the third worst team in baseball in defensive efficiency. Accordingly Haren has the 5th worst batting average on batting average on balls in play, at .344. The median qualified pitcher this year has a .288 BABIP, so if Haren was getting average luck and defensive support, he would have 22 fewer hits allowed this year, lowering his overall batting average against from .286 to .246, and his ERA about half a run. Moving to a more pitcher friendly park, in front of a better defense should on its own lower his ERA a good amount.

Meanwhile, Haren’s strikeout to walk ratio, the best indicator of future success, has stayed consistently near 5 for three years now – his 2010 stat of 4.86 puts him at 4th in the majors, just behind new teammate Jered Weaver.

Trading a very good but perhaps not elite pitcher like Haren isn’t necessarily a terrible move, but the Diamondbacks have done it in just about the worst way possible. Haren does not have free agency pending, so he did not NEED to be traded. So the Diamondbacks inability to get something to help them in the future in return is really a disaster for them.

Joe Saunders is the known piece here, and he did win 33 games the previous two seasons. However, he is not a building block for the future. First of all, he is only 10 months younger than Haren. Secondly, while his win-loss record is an unimpressive 6-10, his 4.62 ERA is right in line with his 4.60 of a year ago, and not significantly higher than his 4.29 career number. He strikes out less than five per nine innings, and his walk rate has climbed to 3.4 per nine. On pace to surpass 180 innings for the third straight season, Saunders is a solid back and of the rotation guy. The cost-savings for Arizona aren’t even going to be that great here. Haren is due $12.5M next year, while Saunders will likely early between $6M and $7M. So unless they plan to turn around and either trade Saunders or non-tender him, then Arizona is not going to save a ton of cash.

As far as the two prospects, neither are considered impact talents. Rafael Rodriguez is a 25 year old reliever, who has some good minor league ERAs, but his stuff is considered average and his peripheral numbers are not indicative of someone who is dominant. In 50 innings at Salt Lake, he has 30 strikeouts and 15 walks. At AAA since 2008, Rodriguez may be able to help some in the Diamondbacks struggling bullpen, but he does not profile as someone who will be a high-leverage guy.

Patrick Corbin is younger, and his numbers do show some flashes of potential. Only 20, he has moved up from Single A Cedar Rapids to High A Rancho Cucamonga, and shown good consistency, overall striking out 106 and walking only 28 over 118.2 innings, posting a 3.87 ERA. He was not on any prospect lists coming into the season, but he was considered an excellent athlete coming out of college, so the performance may be starting to catch up with the potential Still, his fastball peaks at only around 93, and sits at 89-91. His slider is considered his one “plus” pitch. He is a solid organizational piece to follow and develop, but not the prime prospect in a trade for an all-star.

Two years ago, Brandon Webb and Dan Haren looked like they would be the two aces at the front of a contending Diamondbacks team for many years. It did not work out that way, and Arizona fans cannot be blamed for being disappointed in their organization for failing to get more in return. Meanwhile, after an offseason that saw their team lose a lot of talent, and in the midst of a regular season that has them losing more games than usual, Angel fans have a right to be hopeful again about 2010 and the future.