Fortunately, the Orioles Exist
The Red Sox ran their record to 12-1 against the O’s this season, which is simultaneously fun and depressing. Fun in the sense that the Sox own a division foe to the extent that they do, depressing in the sense that their record against all other Big League competition gets unimpresive quickly when you take Baltimore out of the mix.
Anyway, here is the game recap, half of which for one reason or another Edes devotes to allowing David Ortiz clarify his MVP position. I never really had much of a problem with Papi’s comments - he’s dead wrong for what it’s worth - but they were not malicious. This notion that one must hit 40 bombs and drive in 120 runs in order to even qualify for MVP consideration is just beyond silly, however.
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Carlos Guillen, another one of these non-40 home run types that is pretty darn valuable himself, last night hit two home runs including a walk-off and helped the Tigers squeek out a badly needed win against Texas. I was actually watching this game on MLB EI last night and wondering to myself how it was that the Tigers had managed to play .333 ball over the last 33 games. There are multiple answers of course but chief among them is that this team no longer hits at all. Granted the pitching has been this team’s strength all season long and though it has fallen off its more or less historic pace, has continued to be the team’s best asset in the second half.
The main problem is that while the Tigers sported a more than adequate, 9th best in MLB .788 OPS up to the All-Star Break, since, they have managed just a 25th ranked .740 team OPS. Well above average offensive contributors in the first half, Curtis Granderson, Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez have been awful of late. Post-ASB numbers for all three (BA/OB/SLG):
Granderson: .229/.286/.333
Pudge: .276/.298/.378
Magglio: .265/.310/.384
Over this terrible 11-22 stretch, Detroit has managed just 118 runs, or just north of 3.5 a game. That’s just not going to get it done.
On the pitching side, outside of Jeremy Bonderman’s slide, they look fine. Bonderman is still a very good pitcher too, it would not be the least bit surprising to see him return to form. With or without a high-quality Bonderman, Detroit has a playoff-capable rotation with Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers. A returned-to-form Bonderman elevates it from adequate to formidable.
If the Tigers are going to hold on and then make any noise come playoff time however, it will be the offense that will need to step up. Curtis Granderson, Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez are all too good to be letting down their team the way they have been. It’s not too late, but time is ticking and the pressure is on these three to play closer to their respective ability levels.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Ortiz isn’t completely wrong though. Take a look at recent MVP winners in both leagues since 1990. You’ve got Pujols, Bonds, A-Rod, Vlad, Tejada, Kent, Giambi, Pudge, Chipper, Sosa, Juan Gone, Griffey, Walker, Caminiti, Vaughn, Thomas, Bagwell, etc. All of those guys are seen as “big boppers” and definitely fit the power hitter mold more than the table setter mold that Jeter would be in. The only people like that to win the award are Ichiro, Larkin and Pendleton (and of course Eck, but he isn’t pertinent to this conversation).
The MVP award has become a joke anyway. Pitchers aren’t supposed to win it and there’s a huge ruckus when a Clemens or Eckersley does win the award. Now it is designated hitters that shouldn’t be winning the award because they don’t play the field. I’m sure there would be a similar uproar if Ortiz were to win the award.
The Hank Aaron award should be elevated to one of the major awards in baseball. That way the hitters have an award based solely on hitting, pitchers have an award based solely on hitting and rookies have their award. Then the MVP can be left to the sportswriters who all have a different view as to what is “valuable” and they can let their grudges and biases against certain players or positions continue to make the award a joke.
“Valuable” usually seems to come down to the player with the most glamorous stat line on a playoff team. To me, that’s ridiculous. If Ryan Howard was on a team that went 1-161 this season, he should still win the award.
September 16th, 2006 at 12:03 am
Re Bonderman, although he was 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA in his last five starts prior to tonight, Jeremy’s peripherals were still quite solid. To wit, he had not allowed a HR during this span and had struck out more than a batter an inning while fashioning a K/BB ratio over 2.5 and getting 1.33 GB for each FB.
Not surprisingly, Bonderman picked up his 12th win tonight. He sailed along for four innings, then gave up solo shots to Markakis and Newhan in the fifth and sixth. A solid, if unspectacular, game.
Put me in charge and Bonderman would definitely be among the top three in the DET rotation come playoff time.