Comments (1) Chris Snow’s notebook today features a bit on our guy, Roberto Petagine.
”Most people look at how you are doing by your numbers,” said Petagine, who has made just one error, ”and my numbers say I’m ready to go.”
Sounds about right. Last check on Petagine: .327/.426/.714 in 114 plate appearances.
If you ever find yourself questioning why it is you stop by here, fear not. With the sort of firm grasp and acute understanding of the game of baseball that I am able to display on a near-daily basis, you’d be crazy not to drop by regularly. Consider what I had to say about last night’s game after Tuesday night’s blow-out at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals.
My inclination is to expect another, similar score tonight with the game pitting the inconsistent David Wells and the excellent Chris Carpenter.
You can’t find that sort of eerie forethought just anywhere, folks.
Of course what really happened last night was that David Wells was absolutely magnificent. He threw eight innings, walked nobody and allowed just five baserunners. My memory may be failing me here but I thought it was the most dominant performance by any Boston starter all season long, especially when you consider the quality of the lineup Boomer faced. Chris Snow does a nice job highlighting some of the more interesting tidbits evidencing just how fantastic Wells was.
Wells needed only 94 pitches — 74 of them strikes — to complete eight scoreless innings.
He went to only one three-ball count and two two-ball counts.
He threw first-pitch strikes to 23 of the 28 batters he faced.
He walked no one, extending his streak of innings without a walk to 25 2/3.
He allowed only five base runners — three singles, a double, and a hit batsman. Only the man who doubled, Jim Edmonds, in the fifth, and So Taguchi, in the eighth, reached second base.
Offensively, the Red Sox had just three extra-base hits but they were critical, as only those hits plated runs for the Sox. David Ortiz hit a solo home run in the 6th off of Chris Carpenter, who to that point had dominated Boston. Jason Varitek, after singles from Kevin Millar and Trot Nixon, then doubled to left-center field to score both guys. Edgar Renteria homered off of Ray King in the top of the ninth, thereby ending his personal nightmare that had been his return to St. Louis.
The Red Sox are now 7-6 in their last 13 games, a murderous stretch that included 3 at New York, 4 at home against Baltimore, 3 at home against the Angels and 3 on the road in St. Louis. Despite what you may hear to the contrary, playing .500ish ball against the class of the league is no problem at all, especially when you consider the injuries and under-performance Boston has endured thus far.
It’s onto Chicago now, where the Sox will face the Cubs in Wrigley Field for the first time ever.
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Alex Rodriguez hit his 400th home run last night. He is the youngest player ever to do that and truly a phenomenal baseball player.
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Roberto Petagine AAA OPS Watch: 1.140
- Chris Snow takes a decidedly more aggressive tone in this morning’s Boston Globe game recap and really, who can blame him? For the second consecutive night, the Red Sox had their asses handed to them by a vastly superior St. Louis Cardinals team. In the 2004 World Series, the Red Sox managed to walk 24 times in the 4 games. In the last 2, Boston has walked just twice. The trouble with managing such a paucity of baserunners is that it forces an offense to be supremely opportune, something the Red Sox, to say the least, have not been thus far in St. Louis. Edgar Renteria, in his return to St. Louis, has really done what he does like no other, grounding into 4 double plays in two nights. For his part, Manny Ramirez grounded into one too last night and has played unmistakably lethargic defense in left field. Other bad news? Boston’s de facto ace, Matt Clement, got lit up last night. My inclination is to expect another, similar score tonight with the game pitting the inconsistent David Wells and the excellent Chris Carpenter.
- Check out Baseball America for some tremendous draft coverage. No need to turn anywhere else, especially when you consider that Jim Callis nailed the first EIGHTEEN (!?!) picks yesterday. My guys over at the Baseball Analysts have a pretty good hold on this thing as well. My take on the Sox draft? I am really pumped about the first six picks, though confused by Boston’s inclination to go after a couple of high school pitchers with their next two picks. All things being equal, I’d like the college pitcher and I think Boston’s brass would too. All things must not have been equal. In other words, do you take the #40 guy on your college board before the #7 guy on your high school board? Probably not.
- Roberto Petagine AAA OPS Watch: 1.109
- The mainstream angle on the Yanks this season is that they are a gutless lot of underachieving, overpaid Prima Donnas. In other words, they are very good, just struggling because of exterior forces and attitude problems. Check out this quote from Bill Hall after Milwaukee’s 2-1 victory over New York last night.
“They’re still a good ballclub no matter what people say,” insisted Bill Hall, whose two-run homer proved to be the difference. “They might be struggling in the win-loss column, but I’m sure any GM would take that lineup any day of the week.
“On paper, it looks like they’re going to beat us three games in a row, 20-0. But let’s play it on the field, and I’ll match our heart with any team’s,” he added.
See what he’s saying? The Brewers won because of their superior character. The timing of the quote was perfect, because over at Baseball Prospectus yesterday, Jim Baker did an interesting comparison between Milwaukee and New York to look and see who really was the better team…
Just for fun, let’s look at the head-to-head matchups, by position and VORP, for these two teams. I never thought these were an effective way to see which team is better in that first basemen don’t have to fight a duel with one another–they’re both contributing to a mass attack, after all. I think it’s informative from the standpoint of salary, though. The Yankees and Brewers have long been considered the respective poster children for the haves and the have-nots.
C: Jorge Posada over Damian Miller, 16.2 to 10.5 (Yanks)
1b: Lyle Overbay over Tino Martinez, 17.8 to 9.7 (Brewers)
2b: Junior Spivey over Robinson Cano, 2.9 to 1.8 (draw)
3b: Alex Rodriguez over Jeff Cirillo, 34.1 to 4.3 (Yanks)
ss: Derek Jeter over Bill Hall, 18.5 to 14.6 (Yanks)
lf: Carlos Lee over Hideki Matsui, 21.0 to 7.7 (Brewers)
cf: Brady Clark over Bernie Williams, 20.8 to 2.4 (Brewers)
rf: Gary Sheffield over Geoff Jenkins, 26.5 to 7.8 (Yanks)The Yankees have the edge here as their folks outpoint the Brewers by almost 20. Pitching, though, is a different story. Here are the six most-used starters, the four highest-ranking set-up men and the closers, matched head-to-head:
SP: Chris Capuano over Randy Johnson, 23.0 to 13.3 (Brewers)
SP: Victor Santos over Mike Mussina, 19.1 to 9.9 (Brewers)
SP: Doug Davis over Chien-Ming Wang, 15.4 to 8.8 (Brewers)
SP: Wes Obermueller over Kevin Brown, 6.6 to -1.4 (Brewers)
SP: Ben Sheets over Carl Pavano, -.6 to -2.8 (Brewers)
SP: Gary Glover over Jaret Wright, -6.6 to -9.3 (Brewers)
RP: Matt Wise over Tanyon Sturtze, 10.1 to 8.8 (Brewers)
RP: Tom Gordon over Tommy Phelps, 8.5 to 5.2 (Yanks)
RP: Michael Adams over Felix Rodriguez, 4.2 to .5 (Brewers)
RP: Ricky Bottalico over Buddy Groom, 4.1 to -1.0 (Brewers)
RP: Derrick Turnbow over Mariano Rivera, 6.8 to 4.0 (Brewers)Understanding that this is not the most scientific comparison in the world, that it can be made at all is a glaring light on the Yankees’ predicament.
Jim is a phenomenal writer who does fantastic research and uncovers tidbits you would never think of yourself. I excerpted a long bit of a subscription-only article, something I have reservations about. So consider this an advertisement for Jim, Baseball Prospectus and the good work they do.
Anyway, the point is that the problem with the Yankees is not the character of its players, but the competence of those in charge of hiring their players.
Comments Off After playing baseball on 13 consecutive days, the Red Sox took a much-needed day off yesterday. Problem was, there was a game scheduled against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team firing on all cylinders thus far in 2005. It’s difficult enough to beat the Redbirds when you bring your A-game, much less when everyone on the team agrees to sleep-walk around Busch Stadium for 3 hours or so. The Cardinals took the opener of the three-game set last night, 7-1.
Tim Wakefield had another mediocre outing, though not quite as bad as his line appears. The Cards didn’t notch an extra-base hit until the eighth inning when David Eckstein tripled off of John Halama. Up until that point, the Cards mixed in patience at the plate (4 walks against Wakefield) with fortunate placement of some batted balls that were not necessarily struck all that hard. Seeing-eye grounder after seeing-eye grounder made their way into the outfield and even before Eckstein’s back-breaking triple in the eighth, St. Louis managed a 4-1 lead.
4 Runs was more than enough for Matt Morris on this night. He mixed his pitches all game long, keeping Sox batters off balance. Though he only struck out 1 batter, he also only allowed 5 baserunners as he went the distance while tossing just 101 pitches. Of course without Johnny Damon and a DH, it was sort of a “Diet” version of the Sox lineup. Still, Morris deserves credit for a hell of an outing.
Matt Clement and Jeff Suppan go at it tonight.
- The Draft is today and the Sox have 6 of the first 59 picks. Check out Jeff’s piece summing up what 2004 draftees are up to.
Comments Off Where are they now?
This is a look at the 49 gentleman that were drafted by the Boston Red Sox back before they became World Champions. As a little backstory, the Sox didn’t pick until the 65th pick in the draft, as payment for signing Keith Foulke.
Basic draft stats:
24 pitchers, and 25 hitters were drafted
30 College, 13 High school, 6 Juco
Twenty-six signed during the normal signing period, and one draft and follow signed.
This isn’t meant to be a in-depth anaylsis of who these guys are, more like a snapshot into what has changed since the Red Sox coerced them into their organization.
Dustin Pedroia, 2b (Arizona St. 2nd round, 65th overall)
2004: Split over both full season A-ball teams. Hit a combined .357/.435/.535
2005: Second baseman for the Portland Sea Dogs (AA). Hitting .313/.388/.506.
Outlook: BA: 6th in Bos system. Sickels: B.
Andrew Dobies, lhp (Virginia, 3rd, 95th overall)
2004: In 26.7 innings for Lowell, he tossed up a 2.02 ERA, and a good 4.5 K:BB ratio.
2005: Starter for Greenville. Posting a 3.59 ERA. Recently promoted to Wilmington.
Outlook: BA: 19th. Sickels: B-
Tommy Hottovy, lhp (Wichita St, 4th, 125 overall)
2004: He pitched very well for Lowell, enough to jump Low A.
2005: Starting for Wilmington. He’s scuffling so far despite good peripherals. His ERA is worst on the Blue Rocks staff, by almost a run and a half.
Outlook: BA: 18th. Sickles: C+.
Ryan Schroyer, rhp (San Deigo St, 5th, 155 overall)
2004: In the bullpen of Lowell last year, posting decent K numbers, and high walk rates, Schroyer posted a 4.44 ERA in 48.7 innings.
2005: Pitching out of the bullpen of Greenville, with a pedestrian 2:1 K:BB, but has a respectable good 2.86 ERA in 34.7 innings.
Outlook: BA: NR Sickels: C
Cla Meredith, rhp (Virgina Commonwealth, 6th, 185 overall)
2004: Pitched 29 games for Sarasota and Augusta, allowing 4 runs in his pro debut.
2005: Meredith has pitched in 3 levels so far, including being the first 2004 draftee to make his major league debut. After not allowing a run in Portland, he got knocked around in Boston, and is currently in Pawtucket, back to his batter killing ways.
Outlook: BA: 21st. Sickels: C+.
Patrick Perry, c (Northern Colorado, 7th, 215 overall)
2004: Debuted in short season Lowell. Hit 176/254/196 as a Spinner.
2005: Projected to be the starting catcher for the Lowell Spinners.
Outlook: N/A
Kyle Bono, rhp (Central Florida, 8th, 245 overall)
2004: Draft eligible sophomore signed towards the end of the Lowell season, and appeared in 6 games, starting 5.
2005: Pitching for Wilmington out of the bullpen. In 22 innings, he’s walked 15 guys, and K’ed 22.
Outlook: BA: 22nd Sickels: C+.
Matt Van Der Bosch, of (Oral Roberts, 9th, 275 overall)
2004: Starting for Lowell, Van Der Bosch posted a .271/.376/.400 line. He also stole 28 bases while being caught once.
2005: Recently promoted to Wilmington, after hitting .290/.427/.427 in Low-A. So far in High-A, he’s hitting .370/.414/.407 in 8 games.
Outlook: BA: NR. Sickels: C.
Steve Pearce, 1b (South Carolina, 10th, 305 overall)
2004: Did not sign.
2005: Hit .349/.410/.679 for the Gamecocks this season. South Carolina went 39-22, and is ranked 2nd in the Georgia Tech sub-regional in the College World Series.
Outlook: BA sees him as a post-5th round pick.
Ryan Phillips, lhp (Barton County CC, 11th, 335 overall)
2004: Did not pitch after signing.
2005: Projected to be in the Spinners’ rotation.
Mike Rozier, lhp (Henry County HS (GA), 12th, 365 overall)
2004: Signed too late to play.
2005: Starter for Greenville, posting a 3.35 ERA in 51 innings for the Bombers. However, his K:BB is 31:27.
Outlook: BA: 13th. Sickels: C+.
Matt Ciaramella, of (Utah, 13th, 395 overall)
2004: As a starter for Lowell, he hit .189/.242/.256, managing only 8 extra base hits.
2005: Hitting .272/.328/.350 as an OF/DH for Greenville.
RJ Swindle, lhp (Charleston Southern, 14th, 425 overall)
2004: Posted a 1.94 ERA for Lowell, striking out 56 while only walking 4 in 51 innings.
2005: He was released for undisclosed reasons in March 05. He’s currently pitching for the Schrumberg Flyers of the Northern League. In 19 innings, he’s K’ed 20 vs. 1 walk, and has notched a 4.26 ERA.
Dustin Kelly, ss (Cuesta JC (CA), 15th, 455 overall)
2004: Due to injuries, Kelly actually jumped from GCL to AA for 4 games. His combined line was .263/.342/.341.
2005: After starting the season injured at Greenville, Kelly has been promoted to Wilmington and is expected to fill the utility infielder role. In 9 games this year over the two levels, he’s hit .286/.333/.321.
Matt Clarkson, c (Arkansas-Fort Smith JC, 16th, 485 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Clarkson hit .323/.431/.489 this year. Not draft eligible this year.
Jeremy Haynes, of (Madison County HS (FL), 17th, 515 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Converted primarily to a pitcher at Tallahassee Community College. Not eligible to be drafted.
Randy Beam, lhp (Florida Atlantic, 18th, 545 overall)
2004: Split last year in the bullpens of the lowest A teams. In 40 innings, he put up a 0.68 ERA, with a k-rate over 10, and a walk rate under 2. His K:BB was 46:7.
2005: Now in Wilmington, he’s kept the low ERA (2.22) and the good rates, (25 Ks, 8 BB in 24.3 innings).
Outlook: BA: NR Sickles: C
Logan Sorensen, 1b (Wichita St., 19th, 575 overall)
2004: In Lowell last year, Sorensen hit .273/.292/.432 in limited action.
2005: As the Greenville starting first baseman, Sorensen is hitting .233/.307/.301. That’s 8 extra base hits in 146 at bats.
Brian Van Kirk, c (Westminster Acadamy (FL), 20th, 605 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Did not enroll at Florida Atlantic, instead going to Miami Dade CC.
Chuck Jeroloman, ss (Auburn, 21st, 635 overall)
2004: As the starting shortstop for Lowell last year, Jeroloman hit .170/.285/.233.
2005: In 31 games for the Bombers as a utility infielder, he’s hit .216/.344/.294 in 102 at bats.
Tim Burgess, 1b (Georgia State, 22nd, 665 overall)
2004: Burgess started out at Low-A Augusta last season, posting a .233/.343/.316 line.
2005: Expected to start at first base for Lowell this season, which is of course a demotion from last year.
Matt Goodson, rhp (Texas, 23rd, 695 overall)
2004: Goodson pitched for Lowell, primarily in relief. .
2005: Currently is acting as a swing man for Greenville, he’s appeared in 12 games, with a 4.05 ERA, and a 2.4 K:BB.
Matt Spencer, 1b (Morristown West (TN), 24th, 725 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Pitched in 7 games for North Carolina, walking 5, and striking out 4 in 5 innings. As a first baseman, he hit .222/.294/.489 for the Tar Heels.
Michael Jones, of (Arizona Western JC, 25th, 755 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Signed as a draft and follow after the season in Arizona Western, and will be assigned to Lowell.
Jake Renshaw, rhp (Ventura CC (CA), 26th, 785 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Was named the 145th best Californian prospect elegible to be drafted in this draft by Baseball America after his sophomore season at Ventura.
Justin Phillabaum, rhp (Royal Palm Beach (FL), 27th, 815 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Pitched for Indian River Community College (FL).
Mike James, rhp, (Connecticut, 28th, 845 overall)
2004: Was beat up to the tune of a 10.90 ERA in Lowell in 34.7 innings.
2005: Pitching in the bullpen for Greenville, appearing in 16 games while striking out a batter an inning while sporting a 2.79 ERA.
David Seccombe rhp, (Nevada-Las Vegas, 29th, 875 overall)
2004: Pitched for Lowell in 2004.
2005: Now pitching for the Surprise Fightin’ Falcons, posting a 2.08 Era in his 2 starts. This is the same league that Rickey Henderson is playing in.
Drew Ehrlich rhp, (Stanford, 30th, 905 overall)
2004: Pitched in two levels last year, eschewing Sarasota and Augusta to finish the year up in Portland. In 35 innings, he posted a good ERA despite poor peripherals.
2005: Will be reassigned to Lowell.
Brendan Winn, of (South Carolina, 31th, 935 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Is hitting .228/.308/.484 as a senior for the Gamecocks.
Brad Hertzler, lhp (East Providence (RI), 32nd, 965 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Attended Tallahassee Community College.
John Wells, lhp (Timber Creek (FL), 33rd, 995 overall)
2004: On the inactive list for 2004
2005: Released on 3/23. Currently walking the earth like Kane from Kung-Fu.
Andrew Pinckney, 3b (Emory, 34th, 1025 overall)
2004: Struggled a bit in Lowell, posting a .273/.338/.355 as the starting 3rd baseman.
2005: As the 3b for Greenville, he’s hitting .290/.344/.471, which makes him one of the only 2004 draftees with power.
Bo Lanier, rhp (Georgia, 35th, 1055 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Pitching in relief for the Georgia Bulldogs, Lanier has struck out more than a batter per inning, but has walked 16 guys in 28 innings, and has a 6.28 ERA.
Cooper Eddy, rhp (New Mexico, 36th, 1085 overall)
2004: Pitched for Lowell, in relief, allowing 22 runs in 35.7 innings.
2005: Was released before the season.
Glen Swanson, lhp (California-Irvine, 37th, 1115 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Has only pitched in 3 games this year for UC-Irvine.
Colby Summer, rhp (Hawaii, 38th, 1145 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: In 14 games for Hawaii, he posted a 5.61 ERA. Twelve of his 14 games were starts. BA names him the best prospect in a bad crop out of Hawaii and Alaska.
Zak Farkas, ss (Harvard, 39th, 1175 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: For Harvard, Farkas hit .350/.432/.583. Sixth ranked draftable player from Massachusetts, according to BA.
Nick Francona, lhp (Lawrenceville (PA), 40th, 1205 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: As a freshman for Penn, Francona appeared in 9 games, allowing 28 runs in 35 innings. He is not draft elegible.
Steven Edlefsen, ss (Barton County CC (NE), 41st, 1235 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Hit .350/.381/.600 for Barton County in his sophomore year. Expected to enroll in at Nebraska.
Kyle Peter, of (Archbishop O’Hara (MO), 42nd, 1264 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Is currently at Cloud County CC in Nebraska, playing as an outfielder
Tyler Latham, rhp (Hewitt-Trussville (AL), 43rd, 1293 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Giving Kane some company.
Beau Mills, 3b (Golden West (CA), 44th, 1322 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Hit .319/.424/.699 for the Fresno State Bulldogs as their starting third baseman.
Adam Campbell, 3b (British Columbia, 45th, 1351 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Hit .317/.411/.594 for UBC, and is ranked as the 7th best Canadian prospect, heading into the draft by BA.
Tom Caple, of (San Deigo, 46th, 1380 overall)
2004: Played outfield for the Gulf Coast Sox with a .282/.385/.362
2005: Was released in March.
Austin Easley, 1b (Florida, 47th, 1409 overall)
2004: Hit .380/.415/.460 in rookie ball
2005: Converted to the outfield in Greenville, Easley has hit .244/.297/.507 in 19 games.
Felipe Garcia, c/1b (Cal St Fullerton, 48th, 1437 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: As a DH for Cal St-Fullerton, he hit .304/.369/.400.
Blake Tillett, lhp (Brandon (FL), 49th, 1465 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Named the number 3 starter for South Florida, posting a 5.72 ERA, striking out 30 and walking 28 in 45.7 innings.
Raudel Alfonso, rhp (Hialeah (FL), 50th, 1493 overall)
2004: Did not sign
2005: Pitched 7 games for Miami Hurricanes, all in relief and tossing a 5.73 ERA.
Comments Off To brutally simplify what’s going on with our beloved Bo-Sox these days, they won a key series against the Halos and are embarking on perhaps the coolest road trip they have ever set out for. Say what you will about Interleague play and I am sure no proponent but this’ll be a fun-ass week as the Sox play the two teams against whom they have won their last two World Series championships. I’ll be back with a game recap of tonight’s matchup between Matt Morris and Tim Wakefield tomorrow morning. Enjoy.
With the San Diego Padres coming off a 22-6 month, three surprise American League division leaders, some truly remarkable seasons in the works from A-Rod, Derrek Lee, Bobby Abreu and Brian Roberts and Derek Jeter hitting .257/.314/.394 in May, what better time for a feature piece on the Yanks Captain?
Jeter has a nice face, a rugged face, a handsome face, equal parts black and white, the son of a black father and white mother who had simple rules for him in high school, including being home by 10 p.m. every night and eating his lunch every day. He was taught well, and he has never forgotten his lessons. That’s why he is such a good player and team captain. That’s why he is the face of baseball.
Comments Off 
The amazing David Ortiz does it again, this time to the Orioles and their phenomenal lefthanded closer, B.J. Ryan.
From Michael Silverman’s piece in the Herald…
The last starter Epstein traded for during the season was Jeff Suppan two years ago. That deal did not quite pan out. Are the Red Sox [stats, schedule] willing to bet the farm and package together a Jon Lester-Hanley Ramirez-Kevin Youkilis [stats, news]-type of deal to land a prize arm?
Maybe we should toss in Papelbon, Pedroia and Anibal Sanchez too. I mean we do need a “prize arm”.
Comments Off What a drag of a game. The Sox had their asses handed to them last night, losing 9-3 to the Orioles at Fenway Park. The Orioles hit .306/.375/.722 on the night, largely against Tim Wakefield, while all the Sox could muster was a .250/.325/.250 line against Sir Sidney Ponson and company. I always find losses like these somewhat easy to take in that some nights you’ll just get your ass whipped. It’s those losses to which Sox fans have grown so accustomed over the last 3 or 4 years in which Boston outplays its opponent only to lose that truly infuriate. But hey, we’re the Pythag champs, right?!?!
And yet for as badly as the AL East leaders outplayed the defending champs, Boston still had a crack at winning this thing. Manager Terry Francona, trailing 7-0 after 6 innings, decided to lift his star catcher and one of the very best hitters in the American League, Jason Varitek. And wouldn’t you know it? With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Varitek’s spot in Boston’s order came up to the plate representing the tying run in a 7-3 ballgame. Only instead of Varitek stepping up, it was Kelly Shoppach making his 7th career plate appearance. From Nick Cafardo’s recap, here’s what Francona had to say;
”Yeah, believe me. I’m aware of the situation Shop came up in,” said Francona. ”I guess that’s the best thing I can say. I’m aware. I know. You try and do the best you can. These games for me are almost harder. In close games you know what you’re going to do. I want him to catch tomorrow. I want him to catch a lot. I think if I said I regretted it, I’d be wrong. I don’t do anything without thinking it through, but at the same time I’m aware of the situation he came up in.”
Bullshit. Now, I see Francona’s rationale. Day game today, long season, etc. That said, there is no way in hell Francona lifts Varitek if he thinks there is a chance Shoppach could come up in such a situation. I am not going to wax holier-than-thou here and say Francona surrendered and you never say quit and blah blah blah. A Manager has many considerations to take into account. That said, against a pitcher like Sidney Ponson, a guy that serves ‘em up with the best of them and overseeing an offense that can score in bunches like few others in baseball, I just question the intelligence of the decision more than I really concern myself with the larger implications of what it means to have your Manager essentially concede a game.
Two lasting impressions from the game. One, Wake’s knuckler did nothing last night. It just sat there hanging for Oriole hitters to pound. Two, Miguel Tejada is awesome. Not so much the 10 total bases he had last night as much as the energy he brings to the….rrrriiiiight. All the talk about this guy’s attitude really shortchanges what a wonderfully talented baseball player he is. Not that his attitude isn’t a benefit – I am sure it is. It’s just not as much of a benefit as a 1.000 OPS and solid shortstop defense. He is the best shortstop in Major League Baseball by a wide margin, maybe the largest margin between the best and 2nd best at any position.
Baltimore youngster and beautiful La Jolla, CA native Hayden Penn goes for the O’s this afternoon against Boston ace du jour Matt Clement as the Sox look to salvage a split in the four-game set.
A really good win, recapped here by Chris Snow.
I arrived at the park early to watch the O’s take batting practice. Anybody that knows me at all knows that I have kinda been all over the O’s ever since they acquired Sosa. Turns out I have been right, but my reasoning has not necessarily been prescient. When I was screaming in my buddies’ faces about how good Baltimore would be, I was screaming about the upgrade Sosa would provide to an anemic outfield, not about how Brian Roberts was going to be the best player in baseball. Either way, I wanted to see these guys get their hacks. I was left with three distinct impressions. One, a lot of the O’s players work diligently on specific areas of hitting while taking their rips. David Newhan was trying to go the other way and pepper the Green Monster. Melvin Mora was trying to hit the ball on the ground to the right side. Miguel Tejada was working diligently to lay down a couple of good bunts before he took his cuts. The second impression I was left with was that Mora can really hit. The ball jumped off of his bat, and he hit to all fields too. Mora even shot a few line drives that never got more than 40 feet off of the ground that smacked off of the center field wall. And finally, Rafael Palmeiro really has a beautiful swing. Palmeiro continuously launched long, majestic, towering fly balls that were landing well beyond the right field fence. It was the first time in a while I had arrived at the park that early. I’m glad I did.
I had terrible seats (grandstand section 6) but they did allow me a great view of both bullpens. As gametime drew closer, watching Wade Miller and Daniel Cabrera warm up provided a contrast in styles. Every pitch Miller throws is an effort. His mechanics are terrible, there is a world of strain on his shoulder and he kind of throws the ball like a dart, his release point just beside his right ear. Cabrera, on the other hand, stands 6’7″ tall and throws in a very loose and fluid manner. His mechanics appeared to be tremendous. To me it was a great instance of the place that both scouting and performance analysis have in a front office. You want a proven righty, albeit with some injury problems, to slot in somewhere near the front of your rotation? Turn your head away from the ugly bullpen session, pull up his B-Ref page and enjoy the work you will get out of Miller. You want a kid with serious potential, the type of kid that could very easily be a perennial Cy Young candidate if he ever puts it together? Ignore the BB/9 stats all the way through the minors, sit back and watch this kid deal during warm-ups. You might even take your radar gun out of the bag too since he gets it up there around 98 or so.
I don’t have much to offer about the game itself. There isn’t a person that will read this that didn’t have a better view than I did, and that includes those that didn’t see the game. Of note? Johnny Damon hit his head on the right-center field wall and came out of the game. Good thing too, as John Olerud delivered a key double in the pivotal fifth inning. Cabrera had a no-hitter through 4 but then fell apart in the fifth. Wade Miller was solid and had his longest outing of the year, lasting a full 7 innings.
The Sox picked up a game on the O’s and gained a game’s worth of separation from the Yanks, who were dropped by the Kansas City Royals 5-3.
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