- 632
- 10
- Joined
- May 11, 2010
White sox... smh
2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
- Status
- 2,755
- 10
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
Can't stand Dan Plesac on Quick Pitch.
- 2,755
- 10
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
Can't stand Dan Plesac on Quick Pitch.
Piece on Liriano and Jeter's situation.
http://[h3]Will Giants make a pitch for Reyes?[/h3]
8:12AM ET
[h5]Jose Reyes | Mets [/h5]
UPDATE: The Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes has been discussed as a possible solution, reports Mychael Urban of CNSBayArea.com.
With third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the shelf for an estimated seven weeks with a broken bone in his hand and Miguel Tejada struggling, the Giants have limited internal options. A source tells Urban that a Giants-Mets swap could work because the Mets aren?t likely to demand a member of San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation.
--
We suggested last month that a perfect storm might be brewing that could have shortstop Jose Reyes sailing out of New York sooner rather than later.
With Reyes headed for free agency after the season, the shortstop's future in Queens already is an open question, particularly since his style of play does not necessarily fit the profile desired by new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
A big season in 2011 would put Reyes in line for a lucrative payday, and the price may be too much for the Wilpon ownership group that has taken a huge financial hit due to their connection to the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Reyes is doing his part with a strong start (.309 BA).
A recent six-game winning streak has quelled talk of an immediate fire sale, but at some point the Reyes issue must be broached. With the Giants struggling to score runs, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney suggests in Tuesday's blog there is a strong fit by the Bay:
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
A new home for Reyes?
http://[h3]Bautista to sit out out series[/h3]
7:57AM ET
[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays insisted it was no big deal when http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/5890/jose-bautistaJose Bautista was removed from Sunday's game against the Yankees in the seventh inning with what was described a "neck tightness."
While the injury is not considered serious, it will be enough to keep the right fielder out of a three-game series in Tampa Bay that began Tuesday, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.
In Tuesday's game, Rajai Davis shifted from center field to right with Corey Patterson getting the start in center. Yunel Escobar took over Bautista's No. 3 spot in the order. With Jayson Nix and Aaron Hill on the disabled list, manager John Farrell has limited options.
Bautista is off to a sizzling start with a .357 average, nine home runs and 16 RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Wallace moves up in the order[/h3]
7:40AM ET
[h5]Carlos Lee | Astros [/h5]
Carlos Lee rejoined the Astros Tuesday in Cincinnati, but was unable to play due to the bruised ribs suffered in a collision with teammate Angel Sanchez.
Assuming Lee needs a few more days off, the Astros get a chance to audition Brett Wallace as a cleanup hitter, writes MLB.com?s Brian McTaggert.
Wallace extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth and later added a solo homer in the fifth in Tuesday?s win over the Reds. He is batting .535 (23-for-43) during the streak.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/29262/jason-bourgeoisJason Bourgeois or http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28535/michael-bournMichael Bourn will be used in left field in Lee's absence.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Impact of V-Mart's return[/h3]
7:22AM ET
[h5]Victor Martinez | Tigers [/h5]
The Tigers announced that Victor Martinez will be activated in time for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, and the club made room by sending backup catcher Omir Santos back to Triple-A Toledo.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the return of V-Mart will bring a different look to the batting order.
Manager Jim Leyland says Martinez will take the spot he previously held, batting fifth behind Miguel Cabrera. Brennan Boesch, who had been hitting fifth, will move up to third on Wednesday in place of Magglio Ordonez, who will be moved down to sixth, or possibly lower.
With Boesch and Ordonez in the corner-outfield spots Wednesday, Ryan Raburn moves to the bench. Raburn will still get his playing time, particularly in place of Ordonez, who can't play every day due to knee issues.
Spoiler [+]
Francisco Liriano went into his start Tuesday with a 9.13 ERA, but if there were a ranking for body language, he somehow would rank lower. His frustration with his inability to throw strikes sometimes covers his face, curls his posture and slows his pace on the mound.
Getty ImagesFor Liriano, the stuff might be there, but swagger is a concern.
Liriano has been dominant in the past and he knows how much talent he has, and over the last few years, it's as if he has measured himself, within starts and within innings, by what he thinks he should be doing. And so when he hasn't executed, when he loses his arm slot and his command, Liriano's exasperation seeps out.
When Johan Santana pitched for the Twins, he was the model of mound stoicism and confidence, battling and attacking and often dominating, and when he struggled, you couldn't tell from his expression. Liriano has been very different; when you watch him pitch, you sometimes wonder what he thinks about himself.
So maybe the no-hitter he threw Tuesday will be a great thing for him, a piece of evidence to remind him just how good he can be. There will be a lot of discussion about the six walks he surrendered, and for the sake of Liriano and the Twins, hopefully the pitcher won't focus on any of that. Hopefully, Liriano will build on this, and improve his earned run average and body language.
From Courtenay Harris of ESPN Stats & Information, some notes from Liriano's no-hitter. How he won:
• Liriano adjusted to the White Sox as the game went on. The White Sox swung at just 34.1 percent of Liriano's pitches, the lowest percentage against the Twins left-hander over the last three seasons. In innings 1-3, Liriano threw just 38.7 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. That number increased to 43.6 in innings 4-6 and 48.6 in innings 7-9.
• The White Sox did not hit the ball out of the infield in the last four innings, as Liriano threw 59.6 percent of his pitches down in that span, compared to 46.5 in the first five innings.
• Twenty-one of Liriano's 26 changeups were low. He got five outs with his changeup in the last four innings (including a double play), and none left the infield.
• Liriano had six innings of 12 pitches or less. It's even more impressive considering that he threw first-pitch balls to 19 of the 30 hitters he faced.
[h4]HR and No-Hitter in 1-0 Win[/h4]
Since Expansion (1961)
[table][tr][th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]No-Hitter[/th][th=""]HR[/th][/tr][tr][td]2011[/td][td]Twins[/td][td]Francisco Liriano[/td][td]Jason Kubel[/td][/tr][tr][td]2010[/td][td]D-backs[/td][td]Edwin Jackson[/td][td]Adam LaRoche[/td][/tr][tr][td]2003[/td][td]Phillies[/td][td]Kevin Millwood[/td][td]Ricky Ledee[/td][/tr][tr][td]1968[/td][td]Giants[/td][td]Gaylord Perry[/td][td]Ron Hunt[/td][/tr][tr][td]1965[/td][td]Reds[/td][td]Jim Maloney[/td][td]Leo Cardenas[/td][/tr][/table]
It was Liriano's first complete game in his 95th start, joining these players over the last six years, with start number in parentheses: Dallas Braden (53rd); Jonathan Sanchez (51st); Jon Lester (37th); Clay Buchholz (second); Anibal Sanchez (13th).
In his no-hitter Tuesday, Liriano beat Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter last season. The two no-hitters were very similar. Both won 1-0 and walked more hitters than they struck out. In fact, the strike percentage was also similar, 53.7 percent to 53.0 percent, the called strike totals were the same (24), and Jackson went to 13 three-ball counts, Liriano 11.
• In the first two years of this decade, there have been seven no-hitters. In the entire decade of the 2000s, there were 15. Here are the AL pitchers to throw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win in the divisional era other than Liriano: Mike Witt in 1984, Dennis Eckersley in 1977 and Nolan Ryan in 1975. Liriano walked six and struck out two, the most walks ever in a no-hitter that featured two or fewer strikeouts. It's only the 24th no-hitter since 1900 with two or fewer strikeouts. Here's the list of countries-of-origin other than the U.S. with no-hitters: Dominican Republic, with four (Juan Marichal, Ramon Martinez, Jose Jimenez, Ubaldo Jimenez), Venezuela with three (Wilson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano), Ireland with two (Tony Mullane, One Arm Daily), Japan with two (Hideo Nomo has both), Puerto Rico with two (Juan Nieves, Jonathan Sanchez).
For Liriano, this was a tremendous turnaround, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins' defense helped him. The win gave Minnesota a big lift.
Maybe this was rock bottom for the White Sox -- who need a shakeup, writes Phil Rogers, who notes that the White Sox are on pace to go 57-105. White Sox fans should brace themselves for a wreck. From Joe's column, about the White Sox:
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• It was a really good night for the brothers Upton -- after B.J. hit a walk-off, Justin clubbed a decisive homer for the Diamondbacks.
• The Dodgers are right at the tipping point financially, and if they don't make payroll later this month, then they could be seized by Major League Baseball.
• Throughout Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak, he was often asked by reporters about approaching the manager and asking for a day off, and Cal's response was always the same: He thought his job was to prepare himself to play every day in the event that the manager wrote his name into the lineup.
But as Ripken approached Lou Gehrig's record -- and after he broke it -- this response was theoretically admirable but disingenuous, because the practical reality had shifted and the decision to bench Cal was in his hands. Ripken's stature in the sport had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, and so it came to pass that Ripken ended the streak by taking himself out of the lineup on Sept. 20, 1998.
Derek Jeter has achieved the same kind of status that Ripken had, as an icon within the sport. There is a generation of major leaguers running around now who wear No. 2 because of Jeter, because of the championships he won and because of his Hall of Fame caliber accomplishments, because -- like Ripken -- there is a deep respect for how he has played the game.
So as Jeter's slide has reached a month into its second season, he is in a situation similar to that which faced Ripken near the end of his career. If you stripped the names from the back of his baseball card, the numbers that remained would be stark:
• On-base percentage: .310
• Slugging percentage: .269, which ranks 183rd out of 195 players.
• OPS: .580, which ranks 171st.
• Ground ball/fly ball ratio, a sign of how the player is not driving the ball: 2.72. Only one other player, Yunel Escobar, has a ground ball ratio over 2.00.
They are not the numbers typical for someone who hits in the top two spots of the lineup of the New York Yankees, and if Jeter didn't have his resume, there is almost no chance that he would be hitting at the top of the batting order. But for Joe Girardi, the issue of dropping him to the bottom part of his lineup, and benching him more often, is a lot like Davey Johnson's circumstances with Ripken. Girardi won championship rings with Jeter and would never want to embarrass him, and what he would love to do, most of all, is to keep writing Jeter's name into the leadoff spot, with the same results as the Yankees got in 1999 and 2009.
Girardi has dropped Brett Gardner in the lineup (lately, Gardner has started getting on base regularly). Nick Swisher has moved down and up the lineup, and so has Curtis Granderson. But Jeter, who is about 325 plate appearances removed from his last homer and who has a slugging percentage under .300 since the end of last August, has remained in the top two spots.
If Derek Jeter were anybody else, it's fair to say that he would have already been dropped in the lineup. Girardi doesn't want to move Jeter, apparently, and is probably concerned about embarrassing a proud player.
What Jeter should do, as captain of the Yankees, is to draw from Ripken's example. He should take the onus off the manager. He should go to Girardi and tell him he'll be ready to hit anywhere in the lineup, and that he'll be OK with it. Until that happens -- or until Jeter actually starts to hit -- the Captain's place in the lineup, and his deep slump, will continue to be the elephant in the room for Girardi, something that everybody sees but won't talk about.
Jeter has gotten off to a powerless start, writes Ben Shpigel. Jeter's lack of power concerns his hitting coach, writes Mark Feinsand. The Yankees made base-running blunders in their loss Tuesday.
• Zack Greinke will make his debut with the Brewers today, as Tom Haudricourt writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers decided to call up Scott Sizemore, and right away, he helped Detroit. Early on Tuesday, Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email, "In regards to Sizemore, we are trying to get more offense at the top of the order. He was hitting over .400 at AAA, and we like his bat."
2. Kirk Gibson intends to keep using three guys at first base.
3. The discussions about promoting Brandon Belt are open-ended, says Bruce Bochy.
4. Milton Bradley was suspended, as Larry Stone writes.
5. I've been writing about how, among all trade candidates, Jose Reyes would fit the San Francisco Giants better than any other player would fit any team. On Tuesday night, John Harper writes, the Giants got a first-hand look at Reyes. Kevin Davidoff wonders if Reyes is auditioning for the Giants.
6. Fredi Gonzalez has to juggle his rotation.
7. Joe Maddon shuffled his rotation , writes Roger Mooney.
8. Allen Craig is getting a shot at third base.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. The Jays have lost Jose Bautista.
2. Andrew Bailey wrote in an email that he expects to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list. "I feel like I've gotten over a hump recently," he wrote. "I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."
3. Scott Rolen is feeling better, as John Fay writes.
4. Josh Hamilton will start hitting off a tee.
5. Travis Hafner is dealing with an ankle issue, but he'll return to the lineup.
6. Mitch Talbot, coming back from an elbow issue, was pleased with a bullpen session.
7. Dallas Braden is going to see Dr. Yocum again.
8. Within this notebook, there is word that Dave Aardsma has been shut down in his injury rehab.
9. Ryan Zimmerman had his surgery.
10. Domonic Brown is one step away from the big leagues.
11. Aaron Hill is almost ready to come back.
12. Zack Braddock is dealing with a sleep disorder.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. You can't stop the Indians, you can only hope to contain them: They racked up some late runs to make a winner of Fausto Carmona, and are 20-8.
2. Jonathan Broxton had a really bad inning. Along the way, Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.
3. Over the last few days, the Red Sox have beaten three great pitchers with their lineup of great hitters, writes Michael Silverman.
4. Cole Hamels was The Man for the Phillies, as David Murphy writes.
5. Jeff Francoeur continues to have a great season: His sac fly boosted the Royals' home record to 13-5, as Bob Dutton writes.
6. Ryan Dempster bounced back in a big way, as Paul Sullivan writes.
7. Brian Fuentes -- pitching for the third straight game -- had a bad inning.
8. Aubrey Huff got a huge hit at a time when the Giants are really scuffling.
9. The Angels did nothing. The Angels have been striking out a whole lot, as Kevin Baxter writes.
10. The Rangers' bullpen continues to be a problem. The one good thing about all this, from the perspective of the Rangers, is that none of the other AL West teams are sprinting away from them as they cope with their relief issues.
11. The Mariners are riding some momentum: That's six wins in their last seven games.
12. The Mets, playing short-handed, lost in extra innings.
13. The Orioles fell in extra innings, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.
14. The Nationals lost on the day that Jayson Werth returned to Philadelphia.
15. The Pirates missed a chance to get to .500.
16. The Padres' offense bailed out the team's shaky bullpen, as Dan Hayes writes.
17. For the first time this season, the Astros have three straight wins. Brett Wallace hit cleanup.
18. Daniel Descalo got a huge hit for the Cardinals. Within this Rick Hummel piece, there is word that Matt Holliday is 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
19. The Reds have fallen below .500.
20. The Marlins' bullpen let it slip away, as Manny Navarro writes.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]8-Minute ABs[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Tuesday.
[table][tr][th=""]Hitter[/th][th=""]PA[/th][th=""]Pitches[/th][th=""]P/PA[/th][/tr][tr][td]Bartlett, Jason[/td][td]4[/td][td]27[/td][td]6.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Craig, Allen[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Rodriguez, Ivan[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Beltran, Carlos[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hall, Bill[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Encarnacion, Edwin[/td][td]4[/td][td]24[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]LaRoche, Andy[/td][td]3[/td][td]18[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]Fowler, Dexter[/td][td]5[/td][td]29[/td][td]5.80[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cooper, David[/td][td]4[/td][td]23[/td][td]5.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Wallace, Brett[/td][td]5[/td][td]28[/td][td]5.60[/td][/tr][/table]
Are the Indians for real?
Hope for the Pirates?
Don't sleep on the Marlins.
Rumors.
http://[h3]Could Beltran market heat up?[/h3]
9:42AM ET
[h5]Carlos Beltran | Mets [/h5]
Carlos Beltran is in the final season of his contract with the New York Mets, and the overwhelming consensus gives him no chance of playing in Queens in 2012.
The Mets would like to find a taker for their expensive right fielder, and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes in his latest Rumblings & Grumblings that, barring a serious roll by the Mets over the next few weeks, "the Beltran outlet store could open as soon as next month."
Stark says the Mets have made it be known that the Mets are willing to absorb a significant portion of the more than $9 million left on his contract.
Beltran has looked a lot better this season and is off to a solid start with a .283 average and four homers. The 34-year-old has been an almost everyday player, which is pivotal to any interested team concerned about his history of injuries.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Root canal for Roberts[/h3]
9:23AM ET
[h5]Dave Roberts | Giants [/h5]
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts missed Tuesday's game in Kansas City after undergoing a root canal, but sounded optimistic that he could be back in the lineup Wednesday.
Cesar Izturis would likely get another start at second base if Roberts needs an extra day of rest.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Casilla out at shortstop?[/h3]
9:03AM ET
[h5]Alexi Casilla | Twins [/h5]
Lost in the euphoria of Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday night was a strong hint that the Minnesota Twins are pulling the plug on Alexi Casilla as their starting shortstop, reports Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
Manager Ron Gardenhire started Casilla at second base on Tuesday, with Matt Tolbert moving to shortstop. Christensen adds that Gardenhire has instructed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the team's Opening Day second baseman, to take grounders at shortstop as he rehabs from a broken leg injury in Florida.
The Twins also are expected to to take a good long look at shortstop Trevor Plouffe, who was recalled Triple-A Rochester Tuesday after Jim Thome was placed on the disabled list with a sore oblique.
Casilla made four errors in 21 games at shortstop and might be better suited at second base, where he has played for the bulk of his career.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Is Millwood a viable option?[/h3]
8:21AM ET
[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]
Kevin Millwood decided to opt out of his minor league contract Sunday when the New York Yankees passed on promoting him to the big leagues.
Millwood is looking for work and a return to the Orioles, where he was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA last season, may not be out of the question. A report in the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles have "mild interest" in the 36-year-old righthander.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney wonders if the Cubs might be interested following another shaky outing by James Russell on Monday night.
Does Millwood have anything left, even if he was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two minor league starts for the Yankees. In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the reviews were less than positive:
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Jayson Stark[/h5]
Rumblings & Grumblings
Getty ImagesFor Liriano, the stuff might be there, but swagger is a concern.
Liriano has been dominant in the past and he knows how much talent he has, and over the last few years, it's as if he has measured himself, within starts and within innings, by what he thinks he should be doing. And so when he hasn't executed, when he loses his arm slot and his command, Liriano's exasperation seeps out.
When Johan Santana pitched for the Twins, he was the model of mound stoicism and confidence, battling and attacking and often dominating, and when he struggled, you couldn't tell from his expression. Liriano has been very different; when you watch him pitch, you sometimes wonder what he thinks about himself.
So maybe the no-hitter he threw Tuesday will be a great thing for him, a piece of evidence to remind him just how good he can be. There will be a lot of discussion about the six walks he surrendered, and for the sake of Liriano and the Twins, hopefully the pitcher won't focus on any of that. Hopefully, Liriano will build on this, and improve his earned run average and body language.
From Courtenay Harris of ESPN Stats & Information, some notes from Liriano's no-hitter. How he won:
• Liriano adjusted to the White Sox as the game went on. The White Sox swung at just 34.1 percent of Liriano's pitches, the lowest percentage against the Twins left-hander over the last three seasons. In innings 1-3, Liriano threw just 38.7 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. That number increased to 43.6 in innings 4-6 and 48.6 in innings 7-9.
• The White Sox did not hit the ball out of the infield in the last four innings, as Liriano threw 59.6 percent of his pitches down in that span, compared to 46.5 in the first five innings.
• Twenty-one of Liriano's 26 changeups were low. He got five outs with his changeup in the last four innings (including a double play), and none left the infield.
• Liriano had six innings of 12 pitches or less. It's even more impressive considering that he threw first-pitch balls to 19 of the 30 hitters he faced.
[h4]HR and No-Hitter in 1-0 Win[/h4]
Since Expansion (1961)
[table][tr][th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]No-Hitter[/th][th=""]HR[/th][/tr][tr][td]2011[/td][td]Twins[/td][td]Francisco Liriano[/td][td]Jason Kubel[/td][/tr][tr][td]2010[/td][td]D-backs[/td][td]Edwin Jackson[/td][td]Adam LaRoche[/td][/tr][tr][td]2003[/td][td]Phillies[/td][td]Kevin Millwood[/td][td]Ricky Ledee[/td][/tr][tr][td]1968[/td][td]Giants[/td][td]Gaylord Perry[/td][td]Ron Hunt[/td][/tr][tr][td]1965[/td][td]Reds[/td][td]Jim Maloney[/td][td]Leo Cardenas[/td][/tr][/table]
It was Liriano's first complete game in his 95th start, joining these players over the last six years, with start number in parentheses: Dallas Braden (53rd); Jonathan Sanchez (51st); Jon Lester (37th); Clay Buchholz (second); Anibal Sanchez (13th).
In his no-hitter Tuesday, Liriano beat Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter last season. The two no-hitters were very similar. Both won 1-0 and walked more hitters than they struck out. In fact, the strike percentage was also similar, 53.7 percent to 53.0 percent, the called strike totals were the same (24), and Jackson went to 13 three-ball counts, Liriano 11.
• In the first two years of this decade, there have been seven no-hitters. In the entire decade of the 2000s, there were 15. Here are the AL pitchers to throw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win in the divisional era other than Liriano: Mike Witt in 1984, Dennis Eckersley in 1977 and Nolan Ryan in 1975. Liriano walked six and struck out two, the most walks ever in a no-hitter that featured two or fewer strikeouts. It's only the 24th no-hitter since 1900 with two or fewer strikeouts. Here's the list of countries-of-origin other than the U.S. with no-hitters: Dominican Republic, with four (Juan Marichal, Ramon Martinez, Jose Jimenez, Ubaldo Jimenez), Venezuela with three (Wilson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano), Ireland with two (Tony Mullane, One Arm Daily), Japan with two (Hideo Nomo has both), Puerto Rico with two (Juan Nieves, Jonathan Sanchez).
For Liriano, this was a tremendous turnaround, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins' defense helped him. The win gave Minnesota a big lift.
Maybe this was rock bottom for the White Sox -- who need a shakeup, writes Phil Rogers, who notes that the White Sox are on pace to go 57-105. White Sox fans should brace themselves for a wreck. From Joe's column, about the White Sox:
- Rest in peace, you $125 million pile of dung.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• It was a really good night for the brothers Upton -- after B.J. hit a walk-off, Justin clubbed a decisive homer for the Diamondbacks.
• The Dodgers are right at the tipping point financially, and if they don't make payroll later this month, then they could be seized by Major League Baseball.
• Throughout Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak, he was often asked by reporters about approaching the manager and asking for a day off, and Cal's response was always the same: He thought his job was to prepare himself to play every day in the event that the manager wrote his name into the lineup.
But as Ripken approached Lou Gehrig's record -- and after he broke it -- this response was theoretically admirable but disingenuous, because the practical reality had shifted and the decision to bench Cal was in his hands. Ripken's stature in the sport had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, and so it came to pass that Ripken ended the streak by taking himself out of the lineup on Sept. 20, 1998.
Derek Jeter has achieved the same kind of status that Ripken had, as an icon within the sport. There is a generation of major leaguers running around now who wear No. 2 because of Jeter, because of the championships he won and because of his Hall of Fame caliber accomplishments, because -- like Ripken -- there is a deep respect for how he has played the game.
So as Jeter's slide has reached a month into its second season, he is in a situation similar to that which faced Ripken near the end of his career. If you stripped the names from the back of his baseball card, the numbers that remained would be stark:
• On-base percentage: .310
• Slugging percentage: .269, which ranks 183rd out of 195 players.
• OPS: .580, which ranks 171st.
• Ground ball/fly ball ratio, a sign of how the player is not driving the ball: 2.72. Only one other player, Yunel Escobar, has a ground ball ratio over 2.00.
They are not the numbers typical for someone who hits in the top two spots of the lineup of the New York Yankees, and if Jeter didn't have his resume, there is almost no chance that he would be hitting at the top of the batting order. But for Joe Girardi, the issue of dropping him to the bottom part of his lineup, and benching him more often, is a lot like Davey Johnson's circumstances with Ripken. Girardi won championship rings with Jeter and would never want to embarrass him, and what he would love to do, most of all, is to keep writing Jeter's name into the leadoff spot, with the same results as the Yankees got in 1999 and 2009.
Girardi has dropped Brett Gardner in the lineup (lately, Gardner has started getting on base regularly). Nick Swisher has moved down and up the lineup, and so has Curtis Granderson. But Jeter, who is about 325 plate appearances removed from his last homer and who has a slugging percentage under .300 since the end of last August, has remained in the top two spots.
If Derek Jeter were anybody else, it's fair to say that he would have already been dropped in the lineup. Girardi doesn't want to move Jeter, apparently, and is probably concerned about embarrassing a proud player.
What Jeter should do, as captain of the Yankees, is to draw from Ripken's example. He should take the onus off the manager. He should go to Girardi and tell him he'll be ready to hit anywhere in the lineup, and that he'll be OK with it. Until that happens -- or until Jeter actually starts to hit -- the Captain's place in the lineup, and his deep slump, will continue to be the elephant in the room for Girardi, something that everybody sees but won't talk about.
Jeter has gotten off to a powerless start, writes Ben Shpigel. Jeter's lack of power concerns his hitting coach, writes Mark Feinsand. The Yankees made base-running blunders in their loss Tuesday.
• Zack Greinke will make his debut with the Brewers today, as Tom Haudricourt writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers decided to call up Scott Sizemore, and right away, he helped Detroit. Early on Tuesday, Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email, "In regards to Sizemore, we are trying to get more offense at the top of the order. He was hitting over .400 at AAA, and we like his bat."
2. Kirk Gibson intends to keep using three guys at first base.
3. The discussions about promoting Brandon Belt are open-ended, says Bruce Bochy.
4. Milton Bradley was suspended, as Larry Stone writes.
5. I've been writing about how, among all trade candidates, Jose Reyes would fit the San Francisco Giants better than any other player would fit any team. On Tuesday night, John Harper writes, the Giants got a first-hand look at Reyes. Kevin Davidoff wonders if Reyes is auditioning for the Giants.
6. Fredi Gonzalez has to juggle his rotation.
7. Joe Maddon shuffled his rotation , writes Roger Mooney.
8. Allen Craig is getting a shot at third base.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. The Jays have lost Jose Bautista.
2. Andrew Bailey wrote in an email that he expects to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list. "I feel like I've gotten over a hump recently," he wrote. "I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."
3. Scott Rolen is feeling better, as John Fay writes.
4. Josh Hamilton will start hitting off a tee.
5. Travis Hafner is dealing with an ankle issue, but he'll return to the lineup.
6. Mitch Talbot, coming back from an elbow issue, was pleased with a bullpen session.
7. Dallas Braden is going to see Dr. Yocum again.
8. Within this notebook, there is word that Dave Aardsma has been shut down in his injury rehab.
9. Ryan Zimmerman had his surgery.
10. Domonic Brown is one step away from the big leagues.
11. Aaron Hill is almost ready to come back.
12. Zack Braddock is dealing with a sleep disorder.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. You can't stop the Indians, you can only hope to contain them: They racked up some late runs to make a winner of Fausto Carmona, and are 20-8.
2. Jonathan Broxton had a really bad inning. Along the way, Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.
3. Over the last few days, the Red Sox have beaten three great pitchers with their lineup of great hitters, writes Michael Silverman.
4. Cole Hamels was The Man for the Phillies, as David Murphy writes.
5. Jeff Francoeur continues to have a great season: His sac fly boosted the Royals' home record to 13-5, as Bob Dutton writes.
6. Ryan Dempster bounced back in a big way, as Paul Sullivan writes.
7. Brian Fuentes -- pitching for the third straight game -- had a bad inning.
8. Aubrey Huff got a huge hit at a time when the Giants are really scuffling.
9. The Angels did nothing. The Angels have been striking out a whole lot, as Kevin Baxter writes.
10. The Rangers' bullpen continues to be a problem. The one good thing about all this, from the perspective of the Rangers, is that none of the other AL West teams are sprinting away from them as they cope with their relief issues.
11. The Mariners are riding some momentum: That's six wins in their last seven games.
12. The Mets, playing short-handed, lost in extra innings.
13. The Orioles fell in extra innings, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.
14. The Nationals lost on the day that Jayson Werth returned to Philadelphia.
15. The Pirates missed a chance to get to .500.
16. The Padres' offense bailed out the team's shaky bullpen, as Dan Hayes writes.
17. For the first time this season, the Astros have three straight wins. Brett Wallace hit cleanup.
18. Daniel Descalo got a huge hit for the Cardinals. Within this Rick Hummel piece, there is word that Matt Holliday is 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
19. The Reds have fallen below .500.
20. The Marlins' bullpen let it slip away, as Manny Navarro writes.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]8-Minute ABs[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Tuesday.
[table][tr][th=""]Hitter[/th][th=""]PA[/th][th=""]Pitches[/th][th=""]P/PA[/th][/tr][tr][td]Bartlett, Jason[/td][td]4[/td][td]27[/td][td]6.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Craig, Allen[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Rodriguez, Ivan[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Beltran, Carlos[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hall, Bill[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Encarnacion, Edwin[/td][td]4[/td][td]24[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]LaRoche, Andy[/td][td]3[/td][td]18[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]Fowler, Dexter[/td][td]5[/td][td]29[/td][td]5.80[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cooper, David[/td][td]4[/td][td]23[/td][td]5.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Wallace, Brett[/td][td]5[/td][td]28[/td][td]5.60[/td][/tr][/table]
Are the Indians for real?
Spoiler [+]
If you were looking at the MLB standings this morning you could be forgiven if you did a double take when you got to the AL Central. We're more than a month into the season and that division's standings are currently the opposite of what many people would have predicted before the season began; the Cleveland Indians are in first, followed by the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
When the Indians first started playing well, it was easy to write them off as an early-season fluke. But as the Tribe's lead grows, it's come time to start taking them seriously. Not only are they are a lot better than they were given credit for in the preseason, but, more importantly, their competition is a lot worse.
In ESPN The Magazine's MLB preview, the ZiPS projection system pegged Cleveland for a 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish. However, that was based on a couple of assumptions that appear to be false. For example, ZiPS projected the oft-injured Grady Sizemore to have just 373 at-bats and post a .793 OPS. Sizemore, who currently has a 1.058 OPS, missed the season's first couple of weeks, but if he stays healthy would easily bypass that playing-time projection. Sizemore playing a full season and producing at an All-Star level easily adds a few wins to the Indians' projection.
Another reason to think Cleveland would struggle is its bullpen, but it has been one of the best units in the league with a 3.04 ERA. And that's not a fluke: The Tribe's bullpen FIP is 3.25, which is second in the AL. Both Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith are whiffing more than 10 men per nine innings, and lefties are 0-for-14 against southpaw Tony Sipp; the entire unit has allowed just four homers in 80 innings. Bullpen performance is extremely hard to predict and it was hard to foresee the Indians having one of the best units in the league, but so far it appears they do.
The most remarkable aspect of Cleveland's hot start is that Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo have barely contributed. Most expected them to be the team's best two players in the preseason, but Santana is slugging just .383 and Choo's OBP is a paltry .317. In other words, the Tribe's record is not based on unsustainable performances across the board. So when Jack Hannahan and Shelley Duncan come back down to the earth (and they will), Choo and Santana will be there to pick up the slack. And with those two, as well as Sizemore and Travis Hafner, hitting well, Cleveland has a legitimately strong lineup.
Let's assume that the Indians' true talent level is that of a 78-win team (and that might be conservative). If so, that means they will win roughly 65 of their remaining 135 games. Since you can't take away any of the 20 wins they've already banked, that would put them at 85 wins. And that brings us to the main reason we need to take Cleveland seriously: the AL Central stinks.
Even before Joe Mauer went down and Magglio Ordonez and Adam Dunn forgot how to hit, there was no clear-cut favorite in this division. ZiPS picked the White Sox to win the Central, but with just 86 wins. So no matter what, this was going to be a dogfight. And as we've seen thus far, the Twins, Tigers and White Sox are all probably a little worse than most thought they were. Even if they're not, we have to revise our expectations of each of them after their slow starts. If Chicago is really a .530 team, as projected in our preview, that means they will end up with roughly 81 wins if they play that way the rest of the year. Using the same method, the Detroit and Minnesota, which were both projected for 83 wins, are now on pace for about 79 wins. (And so as not to exclude the Royals, they are now on pace for 75 wins based on their current standing and preseason projection. However, they are probably a bit better than that, particularly when you consider they could get help from prospects such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery and Mike Moustakas later in the year.)
The Twins and White Sox are both at least 10 games behind the Indians. For a little perspective, just three times in the wild card era has a team that was 10 games back at any point in the season come back to win its division. Minnesota fans can take solace in the fact that the Twins were one of those teams; they came back from 10 games back in August of 2006 to win the AL Central with 96 wins. Of course that club featured vintage Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, not to mention full, healthy seasons from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, who finished sixth and first in the MVP voting, respectively. And while Liriano's no-hitter last night is certainly promising for Minnesota, he had six walks, two strikeouts and a game score of 83, tying him with Lefty Chambers for the lowest Game Score in history for a nine-hitting no-hitter according to Baseball Reference. In other words, it was far from a dominant outing.
The one saving grace for the Twins and White Sox is that according to ZiPS' preseason projections, April was their toughest month in terms of scheduling. The Indians' April schedule, however, was their easiest. Minnesota and Chicago's weakest month is September, which happens to be Cleveland's most difficult and that could be a big factor down the stretch. It's certainly worth noting that some of the Indians' early success can be attributed to their soft slate, as they had a total of 11 April wins against the Royals, Mariners and Orioles. That said, the Tribe's run differential currently sits at plus-50, which is the best in baseball (by a full 12 runs) and a strong indication that they aren't winning ugly.
It's way too early to call this division for Cleveland, but it's too late to simply be dismissing the Indians as an early-season fluke, either -- the rest of the division is far too weak. Let the dogfight for the AL Central crown begin.
When the Indians first started playing well, it was easy to write them off as an early-season fluke. But as the Tribe's lead grows, it's come time to start taking them seriously. Not only are they are a lot better than they were given credit for in the preseason, but, more importantly, their competition is a lot worse.
In ESPN The Magazine's MLB preview, the ZiPS projection system pegged Cleveland for a 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish. However, that was based on a couple of assumptions that appear to be false. For example, ZiPS projected the oft-injured Grady Sizemore to have just 373 at-bats and post a .793 OPS. Sizemore, who currently has a 1.058 OPS, missed the season's first couple of weeks, but if he stays healthy would easily bypass that playing-time projection. Sizemore playing a full season and producing at an All-Star level easily adds a few wins to the Indians' projection.
Another reason to think Cleveland would struggle is its bullpen, but it has been one of the best units in the league with a 3.04 ERA. And that's not a fluke: The Tribe's bullpen FIP is 3.25, which is second in the AL. Both Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith are whiffing more than 10 men per nine innings, and lefties are 0-for-14 against southpaw Tony Sipp; the entire unit has allowed just four homers in 80 innings. Bullpen performance is extremely hard to predict and it was hard to foresee the Indians having one of the best units in the league, but so far it appears they do.
The most remarkable aspect of Cleveland's hot start is that Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo have barely contributed. Most expected them to be the team's best two players in the preseason, but Santana is slugging just .383 and Choo's OBP is a paltry .317. In other words, the Tribe's record is not based on unsustainable performances across the board. So when Jack Hannahan and Shelley Duncan come back down to the earth (and they will), Choo and Santana will be there to pick up the slack. And with those two, as well as Sizemore and Travis Hafner, hitting well, Cleveland has a legitimately strong lineup.
Let's assume that the Indians' true talent level is that of a 78-win team (and that might be conservative). If so, that means they will win roughly 65 of their remaining 135 games. Since you can't take away any of the 20 wins they've already banked, that would put them at 85 wins. And that brings us to the main reason we need to take Cleveland seriously: the AL Central stinks.
Even before Joe Mauer went down and Magglio Ordonez and Adam Dunn forgot how to hit, there was no clear-cut favorite in this division. ZiPS picked the White Sox to win the Central, but with just 86 wins. So no matter what, this was going to be a dogfight. And as we've seen thus far, the Twins, Tigers and White Sox are all probably a little worse than most thought they were. Even if they're not, we have to revise our expectations of each of them after their slow starts. If Chicago is really a .530 team, as projected in our preview, that means they will end up with roughly 81 wins if they play that way the rest of the year. Using the same method, the Detroit and Minnesota, which were both projected for 83 wins, are now on pace for about 79 wins. (And so as not to exclude the Royals, they are now on pace for 75 wins based on their current standing and preseason projection. However, they are probably a bit better than that, particularly when you consider they could get help from prospects such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery and Mike Moustakas later in the year.)
The Twins and White Sox are both at least 10 games behind the Indians. For a little perspective, just three times in the wild card era has a team that was 10 games back at any point in the season come back to win its division. Minnesota fans can take solace in the fact that the Twins were one of those teams; they came back from 10 games back in August of 2006 to win the AL Central with 96 wins. Of course that club featured vintage Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, not to mention full, healthy seasons from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, who finished sixth and first in the MVP voting, respectively. And while Liriano's no-hitter last night is certainly promising for Minnesota, he had six walks, two strikeouts and a game score of 83, tying him with Lefty Chambers for the lowest Game Score in history for a nine-hitting no-hitter according to Baseball Reference. In other words, it was far from a dominant outing.
The one saving grace for the Twins and White Sox is that according to ZiPS' preseason projections, April was their toughest month in terms of scheduling. The Indians' April schedule, however, was their easiest. Minnesota and Chicago's weakest month is September, which happens to be Cleveland's most difficult and that could be a big factor down the stretch. It's certainly worth noting that some of the Indians' early success can be attributed to their soft slate, as they had a total of 11 April wins against the Royals, Mariners and Orioles. That said, the Tribe's run differential currently sits at plus-50, which is the best in baseball (by a full 12 runs) and a strong indication that they aren't winning ugly.
It's way too early to call this division for Cleveland, but it's too late to simply be dismissing the Indians as an early-season fluke, either -- the rest of the division is far too weak. Let the dogfight for the AL Central crown begin.
Hope for the Pirates?
Spoiler [+]
When we think of Cinderella teams, the club with a 14-15 record isn't the team we think of as the protagonist of the fairy tale. For the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates, hovering around .500 and only two games out in May is practically cause for celebration.
The Pirates have had good starts (or at least non-terrible starts) throughout the two decades since their last .500 season in 1992. In most of those cases, however, success proved fleeting as the April overachievers came back to Earth, and the teams were usually safely out of the pennant race by June.
This year, for a change of pace, there are actually reasons to be hopeful about the decent start. Perhaps the most striking thing about Pittsburgh this season is just how few drastic overachievers it's taken to get the team to .500. Garrett Jones isn't going to sustain a .940 OPS over an entire season -- the ZiPS projection system has him with a .776 OPS the rest of the way to finish at .801 -- but nobody else in the lineup is outperforming expectations to any significant degree. Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen should hit better the rest of the way (OPS of .788 and .807, respectively, the rest of the way, via ZiPS) and even a poor hitter like Ronny Cedeno should be a little better. The Pirates' offense isn't going to be confused with the Yankees' at any time in the near future, but there should be enough improvement to get the team from 14th in the NL in scoring to 10th or so by the end of the year.
There's a similar story with the rotation. Kevin Correia isn't going to finish the season with a 2.90 ERA while striking out only four batters a game and Charlie Morton's low .267 BABIP is no more real than last season's very high .353, but both pitchers have FIPs in the low-to-mid 4s. While that's not exactly King Felix or Doc Halladay, it's enough to have real value to the Pirates. On the other side of the coin, James McDonald is pitching better lately and Ross Ohlendorf should be returning from injury and both are capable of being league-average starters. A rotation of No. 3 and No. 4 starters isn't going to scare the NL, but it's a step forward for the Bucs.
One of the biggest reasons for the Pirates' start has been the bullpen, which has combined for a 2.33 ERA so far. That number will rise, but it's an encouraging sign that the Pirates have taken to heart some of the lessons from the successful small-market teams. It's hard to find cleanup hitters or ace starters on the cheap, but teams have had success cobbling together impressive bullpens thanks to a combination of creativity and thrift. The Moneyball-era A's, recent editions of the Rays, and last year's Padres all had an inexpensive, productive group of relievers, mostly built from low-key signings, minor trades and waiver-wire claims. While hardly a small-market team, this was also a trademark of the Angels and general manager Bill Stoneman for a number of years. Every year, the team would bring in unheralded pitchers like Scot Shields or Brendan Donnelly or Ben Weber and get All-Star performance out of them.
In the past, the Pirates would bring in retreads like Octavio Dotel or Jose Mesa in to be the closer, but giving the job to Joel Hanrahan displays a sea change in organizational thinking. Hanrahan always had a terrific fastball, but the Nats traded him, along with Lastings Milledge, to the Pirates in 2009 after Hanrahan put up a 7.71 ERA in 34 games despite striking out more than a batter an inning. The Pirates gave him a chance, despite a .431 BABIP for the Nats that year, and in Pittsburgh, has a 2.85 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 117 innings. He's taken it to another level this year by trusting his fastball, increasing the rate he's thrown it by nearly 40 percent from last season.
The rest of the 'pen was constructed in a similar fashion. Chris Resop was once considered a prospect, but arrived in Pittsburgh as a journeyman minor league reliever, claimed off waivers from the Braves. Jose Veras was non-tendered by the Marlins last winter and had to sign a minor league contract with Pittsburgh. Evan Meek is a former Rule 5 Draft pick.
Are the Pirates the best team in the NL Central? No. Are they a good team? Also no. But after nearly 20 years of futility, Neal Huntington has the team clearly pointed in the right direction. The big question remaining is how supportive ownership will be in investing the team as players like McCutchen and Walker accumulate service time and head to arbitration and eventually free agency. The biggest hurdle may be the skepticism of the fan base, but it's hard to blame them at this point and it's going to require an aggressive commitment from ownership to the team's stars to get fans believing in this team again.
The Pirates have had good starts (or at least non-terrible starts) throughout the two decades since their last .500 season in 1992. In most of those cases, however, success proved fleeting as the April overachievers came back to Earth, and the teams were usually safely out of the pennant race by June.
This year, for a change of pace, there are actually reasons to be hopeful about the decent start. Perhaps the most striking thing about Pittsburgh this season is just how few drastic overachievers it's taken to get the team to .500. Garrett Jones isn't going to sustain a .940 OPS over an entire season -- the ZiPS projection system has him with a .776 OPS the rest of the way to finish at .801 -- but nobody else in the lineup is outperforming expectations to any significant degree. Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen should hit better the rest of the way (OPS of .788 and .807, respectively, the rest of the way, via ZiPS) and even a poor hitter like Ronny Cedeno should be a little better. The Pirates' offense isn't going to be confused with the Yankees' at any time in the near future, but there should be enough improvement to get the team from 14th in the NL in scoring to 10th or so by the end of the year.
There's a similar story with the rotation. Kevin Correia isn't going to finish the season with a 2.90 ERA while striking out only four batters a game and Charlie Morton's low .267 BABIP is no more real than last season's very high .353, but both pitchers have FIPs in the low-to-mid 4s. While that's not exactly King Felix or Doc Halladay, it's enough to have real value to the Pirates. On the other side of the coin, James McDonald is pitching better lately and Ross Ohlendorf should be returning from injury and both are capable of being league-average starters. A rotation of No. 3 and No. 4 starters isn't going to scare the NL, but it's a step forward for the Bucs.
One of the biggest reasons for the Pirates' start has been the bullpen, which has combined for a 2.33 ERA so far. That number will rise, but it's an encouraging sign that the Pirates have taken to heart some of the lessons from the successful small-market teams. It's hard to find cleanup hitters or ace starters on the cheap, but teams have had success cobbling together impressive bullpens thanks to a combination of creativity and thrift. The Moneyball-era A's, recent editions of the Rays, and last year's Padres all had an inexpensive, productive group of relievers, mostly built from low-key signings, minor trades and waiver-wire claims. While hardly a small-market team, this was also a trademark of the Angels and general manager Bill Stoneman for a number of years. Every year, the team would bring in unheralded pitchers like Scot Shields or Brendan Donnelly or Ben Weber and get All-Star performance out of them.
In the past, the Pirates would bring in retreads like Octavio Dotel or Jose Mesa in to be the closer, but giving the job to Joel Hanrahan displays a sea change in organizational thinking. Hanrahan always had a terrific fastball, but the Nats traded him, along with Lastings Milledge, to the Pirates in 2009 after Hanrahan put up a 7.71 ERA in 34 games despite striking out more than a batter an inning. The Pirates gave him a chance, despite a .431 BABIP for the Nats that year, and in Pittsburgh, has a 2.85 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 117 innings. He's taken it to another level this year by trusting his fastball, increasing the rate he's thrown it by nearly 40 percent from last season.
The rest of the 'pen was constructed in a similar fashion. Chris Resop was once considered a prospect, but arrived in Pittsburgh as a journeyman minor league reliever, claimed off waivers from the Braves. Jose Veras was non-tendered by the Marlins last winter and had to sign a minor league contract with Pittsburgh. Evan Meek is a former Rule 5 Draft pick.
Are the Pirates the best team in the NL Central? No. Are they a good team? Also no. But after nearly 20 years of futility, Neal Huntington has the team clearly pointed in the right direction. The big question remaining is how supportive ownership will be in investing the team as players like McCutchen and Walker accumulate service time and head to arbitration and eventually free agency. The biggest hurdle may be the skepticism of the fan base, but it's hard to blame them at this point and it's going to require an aggressive commitment from ownership to the team's stars to get fans believing in this team again.
Don't sleep on the Marlins.
Spoiler [+]
Their best player is fighting to stay above the Mendoza Line. So's their new catcher. Last year's best power hitter was shipped out of town after getting too expensive. The second baseman they added to replace him is hitting like a glorified pitcher.
Yet here the Florida Marlins sit tied for the second-best record in the National League, and it's not a fluke. The Fish have the talent to be a legitimate contender this season.
The Marlins have been criticized often throughout the years for their thrifty ways regardless of who owned the team. They spent a fortune to build a World Series-winning team in 1997, then immediately tore down their roster. They parlayed copious homegrown talent and a few key acquisitions into another World Series title in 2003, then dealt Josh Beckett at the height of his powers. And rather than pay up for one of the best hitters in a generation, they flipped Miguel Cabrera to Detroit for a bunch of kids.
This past offseason's trade of Dan Uggla to the Braves further cemented that reputation. By traditional (.287, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 100 R) and more advanced metrics (.877 OPS, .381 weighted on-base average -- both tops among NL starting second basemen), Uggla was a beast last year. But with his price tag about to skyrocket, the Marlins sent him to the Braves for versatile infielder Omar Infante and young relief pitcher Michael Dunn. How would a team with a middle-of-the-pack offense and a seemingly thin pitching staff overcome that kind of loss?
Easy -- with more of that trademark homegrown talent and a few typically clever pickups.
[h4]Great guppies[/h4]
With Hanley Ramirez and top prospect Mike Stanton slumping, the Marlins have leaned on three less touted, homegrown hitters (and Josh Johnson and a killer bullpen) to fuel their hot start.
[table][tr][th=""]PLAYER[/th][th=""]AGE[/th][th=""]AVG/OBP/SLG[/th][/tr][tr][td]L. Morrison[/td][td]23[/td][td].327/.424/.636[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chris Coghlan[/td][td]25[/td][td].283/.345/.505[/td][/tr][tr][td]Gaby Sanchez[/td][td]27[/td][td].289/.381/.433[/td][/tr][/table]
Infante, John Buck and franchise player Hanley Ramirez have had suppressed offense so far this season. But the Marlins still rank a respectable sixth in the National League in runs scored per game. The team has gotten a huge lift from three born-and-raised Marlins hitting prospects, Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez (see chart). Morrison has been out with a foot injury since April 20. But his return (likely this week) coupled with an expected bounce-back for Ramirez (he finally hit his first homer of the season Sunday, although he's hitting just .200) and another for 21-year-old phenom Mike Stanton could trigger an uptick in Florida's offense.
That's scary, considering how good the Marlins' pitching has looked so far. In a league that's filthy with elite starting pitchers, Josh Johnson ranks with the best of the best. After posting a 2.30 ERA and 2.41 FIP (fielding-independent pitching, a FanGraphs stat that runs along a similar scale to ERA but strips out defense, bullpen support and other pitching-independent factors) in 2010, he's got a microscopic 0.88 ERA and 2.19 FIP through 41 innings this season. Johnson has received ample support from fellow starters Ricky Nolasco (3.35 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (3.86 ERA/3.37 FIP). Johnson, like many of the Marlins' top hitters, is homegrown. Nolasco (from the Cubs) and Sanchez (along with Ramirez, grabbed from Boston for Beckett) were both acquired in trades while they were still minor leaguers.
The bullpen also has offered stellar support -- at bargain prices. Dunn, he of the sky-high strikeout rate and flawless ERA, makes the league minimum. So does Sanchez, the soft-tossing right-hander who was so bad that even the lowly Nationals didn't want him. (He has a 1.80 ERA this year and is on pace for his third straight solid season with the Fish.) Randy Choate has been unhittable as a lefty specialist through the first month for a fraction of the cost (two years, $2.5 million) of Pedro Feliciano and other pricey left-handed one-out guys. The only reliever making real money is closer Leo Nunez; the Marlins could shop his $3.65 million salary depending on whether they're in the race later in the year.
So if the Marlins appear so well positioned for so little money (their Opening Day payroll came in just under $57 million, 24th in MLB), why don't they have more believers? It might be because they haven't shown sustained success the way smaller-payroll clubs like the Twins and A's have in the past. Florida has made the playoffs only twice in its 18-year history and has topped 85 wins only three times. On the other hand, both times the Marlins made the playoffs, they won a World Series. When they do well, they do really well.
Perhaps there's something to be said for hoarding prospects and waiting for the right moment to strike. The Marlins played in the same division as the Braves for most of Atlanta's 15-year run. Since then, the Phillies have emerged as a powerhouse, the NL version of the Yankees and Red Sox, both in terms of wins and relative payroll. Both of Florida's World Series wins came after wild-card runs; the Marlins have never won a division title. The NL East crown figures to be a tough get again this year, with the Phillies overloaded with killer starting pitching and the Braves likely to improve as the year goes on.
Still, there's an opportunity with only a few key parts missing. Despite a hot start, Emilio Bonifacio might need to be replaced at third base, whether by slick-fielding prospect Matt Dominguez or someone outside the organization. The starting rotation almost surely will require reinforcements, with Javier Vazquez seemingly on his last legs and Nolasco and Sanchez no sure thing to be playoff-caliber complements to Johnson at the top of the rotation. A bench bat or two wouldn't hurt, either.
Marlins president Larry Beinfest made a number of key acquisitions before and during the 2003 season to push that team to the World Series. The team already has opened its checkbook to sign Ramirez and Johnson to lucrative (but still very team-friendly) long-term contracts. A new stadium, built with taxpayer money and promising to further enrich team owner Jeffrey Loria, will open next spring. A few well-placed moves, and the Marlins could reel in another big one.
Yet here the Florida Marlins sit tied for the second-best record in the National League, and it's not a fluke. The Fish have the talent to be a legitimate contender this season.
The Marlins have been criticized often throughout the years for their thrifty ways regardless of who owned the team. They spent a fortune to build a World Series-winning team in 1997, then immediately tore down their roster. They parlayed copious homegrown talent and a few key acquisitions into another World Series title in 2003, then dealt Josh Beckett at the height of his powers. And rather than pay up for one of the best hitters in a generation, they flipped Miguel Cabrera to Detroit for a bunch of kids.
This past offseason's trade of Dan Uggla to the Braves further cemented that reputation. By traditional (.287, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 100 R) and more advanced metrics (.877 OPS, .381 weighted on-base average -- both tops among NL starting second basemen), Uggla was a beast last year. But with his price tag about to skyrocket, the Marlins sent him to the Braves for versatile infielder Omar Infante and young relief pitcher Michael Dunn. How would a team with a middle-of-the-pack offense and a seemingly thin pitching staff overcome that kind of loss?
Easy -- with more of that trademark homegrown talent and a few typically clever pickups.
[h4]Great guppies[/h4]
With Hanley Ramirez and top prospect Mike Stanton slumping, the Marlins have leaned on three less touted, homegrown hitters (and Josh Johnson and a killer bullpen) to fuel their hot start.
[table][tr][th=""]PLAYER[/th][th=""]AGE[/th][th=""]AVG/OBP/SLG[/th][/tr][tr][td]L. Morrison[/td][td]23[/td][td].327/.424/.636[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chris Coghlan[/td][td]25[/td][td].283/.345/.505[/td][/tr][tr][td]Gaby Sanchez[/td][td]27[/td][td].289/.381/.433[/td][/tr][/table]
Infante, John Buck and franchise player Hanley Ramirez have had suppressed offense so far this season. But the Marlins still rank a respectable sixth in the National League in runs scored per game. The team has gotten a huge lift from three born-and-raised Marlins hitting prospects, Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez (see chart). Morrison has been out with a foot injury since April 20. But his return (likely this week) coupled with an expected bounce-back for Ramirez (he finally hit his first homer of the season Sunday, although he's hitting just .200) and another for 21-year-old phenom Mike Stanton could trigger an uptick in Florida's offense.
That's scary, considering how good the Marlins' pitching has looked so far. In a league that's filthy with elite starting pitchers, Josh Johnson ranks with the best of the best. After posting a 2.30 ERA and 2.41 FIP (fielding-independent pitching, a FanGraphs stat that runs along a similar scale to ERA but strips out defense, bullpen support and other pitching-independent factors) in 2010, he's got a microscopic 0.88 ERA and 2.19 FIP through 41 innings this season. Johnson has received ample support from fellow starters Ricky Nolasco (3.35 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (3.86 ERA/3.37 FIP). Johnson, like many of the Marlins' top hitters, is homegrown. Nolasco (from the Cubs) and Sanchez (along with Ramirez, grabbed from Boston for Beckett) were both acquired in trades while they were still minor leaguers.
The bullpen also has offered stellar support -- at bargain prices. Dunn, he of the sky-high strikeout rate and flawless ERA, makes the league minimum. So does Sanchez, the soft-tossing right-hander who was so bad that even the lowly Nationals didn't want him. (He has a 1.80 ERA this year and is on pace for his third straight solid season with the Fish.) Randy Choate has been unhittable as a lefty specialist through the first month for a fraction of the cost (two years, $2.5 million) of Pedro Feliciano and other pricey left-handed one-out guys. The only reliever making real money is closer Leo Nunez; the Marlins could shop his $3.65 million salary depending on whether they're in the race later in the year.
So if the Marlins appear so well positioned for so little money (their Opening Day payroll came in just under $57 million, 24th in MLB), why don't they have more believers? It might be because they haven't shown sustained success the way smaller-payroll clubs like the Twins and A's have in the past. Florida has made the playoffs only twice in its 18-year history and has topped 85 wins only three times. On the other hand, both times the Marlins made the playoffs, they won a World Series. When they do well, they do really well.
Perhaps there's something to be said for hoarding prospects and waiting for the right moment to strike. The Marlins played in the same division as the Braves for most of Atlanta's 15-year run. Since then, the Phillies have emerged as a powerhouse, the NL version of the Yankees and Red Sox, both in terms of wins and relative payroll. Both of Florida's World Series wins came after wild-card runs; the Marlins have never won a division title. The NL East crown figures to be a tough get again this year, with the Phillies overloaded with killer starting pitching and the Braves likely to improve as the year goes on.
Still, there's an opportunity with only a few key parts missing. Despite a hot start, Emilio Bonifacio might need to be replaced at third base, whether by slick-fielding prospect Matt Dominguez or someone outside the organization. The starting rotation almost surely will require reinforcements, with Javier Vazquez seemingly on his last legs and Nolasco and Sanchez no sure thing to be playoff-caliber complements to Johnson at the top of the rotation. A bench bat or two wouldn't hurt, either.
Marlins president Larry Beinfest made a number of key acquisitions before and during the 2003 season to push that team to the World Series. The team already has opened its checkbook to sign Ramirez and Johnson to lucrative (but still very team-friendly) long-term contracts. A new stadium, built with taxpayer money and promising to further enrich team owner Jeffrey Loria, will open next spring. A few well-placed moves, and the Marlins could reel in another big one.
Rumors.
Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]What can Brown do for the Phils?[/h3]
11:42AM ET
[h5]Domonic Brown | Phillies [/h5]
Domonic Brown reported to spring training with a chance to win the right field job in Philadelphia vacated by the departure of Jayson Werth to Washington. Those plans were derailed by a broken hand suffered early in spring training.
Brown is coming off a five-game rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater, where he went 7-for-19 with two home runs and a double, and is now at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. David Murphy of the Philly Daily News writes that Brown is one stop away from the majors, but it is unclear when the top prospect will get the call.
The Phillies are hoping that second baseman Chase Utley will return at some point before the All-Star break, but Murphy says manager Charlie Manuel could want an additional offensive boost, especially if Raul Ibanez continues to struggle.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr., however, seems intent on keeping Brown at Triple-A until he is ready to make an immediate contribution at the big league level.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]La Russa sticks by Theriot[/h3]
11:16AM ET
[h5]Ryan Theriot | Cardinals [/h5]
Eight errors by Ryan Theriot is not enough for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to make a change at shortstop, reports Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch.
There was some speculation of moving Theriot to second base, but La Russa feels that Theriot's offensive production makes up for his defensive miscues. Acquired from the Dodgers in a November trade, Theriot is batting .317 with four doubles, eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases in 26 games.
The Cardinals already are dealing with issues at third base following an injury to David Freese, so La Russa is looking to avoid a complete infield overhaul.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Cause for concern with Aardsma?[/h3]
11:11AM ET
[h5]David Aardsma | Mariners [/h5]
UPDATE: Aardsma has made five rehab appearances with Tacoma, but is experiencing forearm stiffness and will be shut down for a couple of days, reports Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Manager Eric Wedge insists it's nothing serious and Aardsma will play catch in a couple of days.
--
David Aardsma made another appearance on rehab for Triple-A Tacoma and while he's yet to have a clean inning, his arm strength is improving, according to Darren Brown, the big club's interim skipper a year ago and Rainiers manager.
Aardsma has made four appearances on rehab, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and four bases on balls. The results don't necessarily mean much but the M's may want to see a clean outing once or twice before activating Aardsma, but he could return this week.
Once "The DA" comes back, he'll be worked back into the closer's role which will return Brandon League to setup duties. Dan Cortes, Tom Wilhelmsen and Chris Ray could be roster casualties, with the two youngsters being more likely.
- Jason A. Churchill
http://[h3]Who's on first in the desert?[/h3]
10:41AM ET
[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]
Finding enough at-bats for two players at the same position is difficult enough. In Arizona, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson carves up the first base job into threes and has no plans to change things.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that Russell Branyan, Xavier Nady and Juan Miranda have shared time there and likely will for the immediate future.
None of the three candidates has made a definitive claim to the job, so Gibson could be sending out a message that no job is safe. Branyan and Nady are candidates to be trade bait by July, but have combined for just eight RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Hardy moving closer[/h3]
10:19AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Orioles [/h5]
If all goes well, the Baltimore Orioles could have shortstop J.J. Hardy back in the lineup by next week.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Hardy, who hasn?t played since April 9 due to a strained oblique, is tentatively scheduled to start a rehab assignment Friday at Single-A Frederick or Triple-A Norfolk. Zrebiec guesses that Hardy would likely play three or four games on the minor league level.
When Hardy returns, manager Buck Showalter will have to find some at-bats for Robert Andino, who is hitting an impressive .291 in Hardy's absence. If Andino does end up in the minors, he has at least earned the right for a callup at a later date,
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Could Jeter make it easier for Girardi?[/h3]
10:05AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Yankees manager Joe Girardi appears to be walking on egg shells when the discussion turns to where Derek Jeter bats in the lineup.
It is the most delicate of issues since the franchise icon is off to a lackluster start (.250) as he moves methodically toward the coveted 3,000-hit plateau. The problem is the Yankees may be a better offensive team with Jeter batting down in the batting order.
As Jeter continues to struggle, Girardi will soon have a big decision on his hands.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney compares Jeter's situation to that of Cal Ripken during the time the Orioles' icon was extending his record for consecutive games played. Ripken had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, so Ripken did it on his own.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Derek and Cal
11:42AM ET
[h5]Domonic Brown | Phillies [/h5]
Domonic Brown reported to spring training with a chance to win the right field job in Philadelphia vacated by the departure of Jayson Werth to Washington. Those plans were derailed by a broken hand suffered early in spring training.
Brown is coming off a five-game rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater, where he went 7-for-19 with two home runs and a double, and is now at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. David Murphy of the Philly Daily News writes that Brown is one stop away from the majors, but it is unclear when the top prospect will get the call.
The Phillies are hoping that second baseman Chase Utley will return at some point before the All-Star break, but Murphy says manager Charlie Manuel could want an additional offensive boost, especially if Raul Ibanez continues to struggle.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr., however, seems intent on keeping Brown at Triple-A until he is ready to make an immediate contribution at the big league level.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]La Russa sticks by Theriot[/h3]
11:16AM ET
[h5]Ryan Theriot | Cardinals [/h5]
Eight errors by Ryan Theriot is not enough for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to make a change at shortstop, reports Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch.
There was some speculation of moving Theriot to second base, but La Russa feels that Theriot's offensive production makes up for his defensive miscues. Acquired from the Dodgers in a November trade, Theriot is batting .317 with four doubles, eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases in 26 games.
The Cardinals already are dealing with issues at third base following an injury to David Freese, so La Russa is looking to avoid a complete infield overhaul.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Cause for concern with Aardsma?[/h3]
11:11AM ET
[h5]David Aardsma | Mariners [/h5]
UPDATE: Aardsma has made five rehab appearances with Tacoma, but is experiencing forearm stiffness and will be shut down for a couple of days, reports Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Manager Eric Wedge insists it's nothing serious and Aardsma will play catch in a couple of days.
--
David Aardsma made another appearance on rehab for Triple-A Tacoma and while he's yet to have a clean inning, his arm strength is improving, according to Darren Brown, the big club's interim skipper a year ago and Rainiers manager.
Aardsma has made four appearances on rehab, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and four bases on balls. The results don't necessarily mean much but the M's may want to see a clean outing once or twice before activating Aardsma, but he could return this week.
Once "The DA" comes back, he'll be worked back into the closer's role which will return Brandon League to setup duties. Dan Cortes, Tom Wilhelmsen and Chris Ray could be roster casualties, with the two youngsters being more likely.
- Jason A. Churchill
http://[h3]Who's on first in the desert?[/h3]
10:41AM ET
[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]
Finding enough at-bats for two players at the same position is difficult enough. In Arizona, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson carves up the first base job into threes and has no plans to change things.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that Russell Branyan, Xavier Nady and Juan Miranda have shared time there and likely will for the immediate future.
None of the three candidates has made a definitive claim to the job, so Gibson could be sending out a message that no job is safe. Branyan and Nady are candidates to be trade bait by July, but have combined for just eight RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Hardy moving closer[/h3]
10:19AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Orioles [/h5]
If all goes well, the Baltimore Orioles could have shortstop J.J. Hardy back in the lineup by next week.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Hardy, who hasn?t played since April 9 due to a strained oblique, is tentatively scheduled to start a rehab assignment Friday at Single-A Frederick or Triple-A Norfolk. Zrebiec guesses that Hardy would likely play three or four games on the minor league level.
When Hardy returns, manager Buck Showalter will have to find some at-bats for Robert Andino, who is hitting an impressive .291 in Hardy's absence. If Andino does end up in the minors, he has at least earned the right for a callup at a later date,
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Could Jeter make it easier for Girardi?[/h3]
10:05AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Yankees manager Joe Girardi appears to be walking on egg shells when the discussion turns to where Derek Jeter bats in the lineup.
It is the most delicate of issues since the franchise icon is off to a lackluster start (.250) as he moves methodically toward the coveted 3,000-hit plateau. The problem is the Yankees may be a better offensive team with Jeter batting down in the batting order.
As Jeter continues to struggle, Girardi will soon have a big decision on his hands.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney compares Jeter's situation to that of Cal Ripken during the time the Orioles' icon was extending his record for consecutive games played. Ripken had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, so Ripken did it on his own.
- Doug Mittler
Derek and Cal
9:42AM ET
[h5]Carlos Beltran | Mets [/h5]
Carlos Beltran is in the final season of his contract with the New York Mets, and the overwhelming consensus gives him no chance of playing in Queens in 2012.
The Mets would like to find a taker for their expensive right fielder, and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes in his latest Rumblings & Grumblings that, barring a serious roll by the Mets over the next few weeks, "the Beltran outlet store could open as soon as next month."
Stark says the Mets have made it be known that the Mets are willing to absorb a significant portion of the more than $9 million left on his contract.
Beltran has looked a lot better this season and is off to a solid start with a .283 average and four homers. The 34-year-old has been an almost everyday player, which is pivotal to any interested team concerned about his history of injuries.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Root canal for Roberts[/h3]
9:23AM ET
[h5]Dave Roberts | Giants [/h5]
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts missed Tuesday's game in Kansas City after undergoing a root canal, but sounded optimistic that he could be back in the lineup Wednesday.
Cesar Izturis would likely get another start at second base if Roberts needs an extra day of rest.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Casilla out at shortstop?[/h3]
9:03AM ET
[h5]Alexi Casilla | Twins [/h5]
Lost in the euphoria of Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday night was a strong hint that the Minnesota Twins are pulling the plug on Alexi Casilla as their starting shortstop, reports Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
Manager Ron Gardenhire started Casilla at second base on Tuesday, with Matt Tolbert moving to shortstop. Christensen adds that Gardenhire has instructed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the team's Opening Day second baseman, to take grounders at shortstop as he rehabs from a broken leg injury in Florida.
The Twins also are expected to to take a good long look at shortstop Trevor Plouffe, who was recalled Triple-A Rochester Tuesday after Jim Thome was placed on the disabled list with a sore oblique.
Casilla made four errors in 21 games at shortstop and might be better suited at second base, where he has played for the bulk of his career.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Is Millwood a viable option?[/h3]
8:21AM ET
[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]
Kevin Millwood decided to opt out of his minor league contract Sunday when the New York Yankees passed on promoting him to the big leagues.
Millwood is looking for work and a return to the Orioles, where he was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA last season, may not be out of the question. A report in the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles have "mild interest" in the 36-year-old righthander.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney wonders if the Cubs might be interested following another shaky outing by James Russell on Monday night.
Does Millwood have anything left, even if he was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two minor league starts for the Yankees. In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the reviews were less than positive:
- Doug Mittler
Rumblings & Grumblings
8:12AM ET
[h5]Jose Reyes | Mets [/h5]
UPDATE: The Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes has been discussed as a possible solution, reports Mychael Urban of CNSBayArea.com.
With third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the shelf for an estimated seven weeks with a broken bone in his hand and Miguel Tejada struggling, the Giants have limited internal options. A source tells Urban that a Giants-Mets swap could work because the Mets aren?t likely to demand a member of San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation.
--
We suggested last month that a perfect storm might be brewing that could have shortstop Jose Reyes sailing out of New York sooner rather than later.
With Reyes headed for free agency after the season, the shortstop's future in Queens already is an open question, particularly since his style of play does not necessarily fit the profile desired by new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
A big season in 2011 would put Reyes in line for a lucrative payday, and the price may be too much for the Wilpon ownership group that has taken a huge financial hit due to their connection to the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Reyes is doing his part with a strong start (.309 BA).
A recent six-game winning streak has quelled talk of an immediate fire sale, but at some point the Reyes issue must be broached. With the Giants struggling to score runs, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney suggests in Tuesday's blog there is a strong fit by the Bay:
- Doug Mittler
A new home for Reyes?
7:57AM ET
[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays insisted it was no big deal when http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/5890/jose-bautistaJose Bautista was removed from Sunday's game against the Yankees in the seventh inning with what was described a "neck tightness."
While the injury is not considered serious, it will be enough to keep the right fielder out of a three-game series in Tampa Bay that began Tuesday, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.
In Tuesday's game, Rajai Davis shifted from center field to right with Corey Patterson getting the start in center. Yunel Escobar took over Bautista's No. 3 spot in the order. With Jayson Nix and Aaron Hill on the disabled list, manager John Farrell has limited options.
Bautista is off to a sizzling start with a .357 average, nine home runs and 16 RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Wallace moves up in the order[/h3]
7:40AM ET
[h5]Carlos Lee | Astros [/h5]
Carlos Lee rejoined the Astros Tuesday in Cincinnati, but was unable to play due to the bruised ribs suffered in a collision with teammate Angel Sanchez.
Assuming Lee needs a few more days off, the Astros get a chance to audition Brett Wallace as a cleanup hitter, writes MLB.com?s Brian McTaggert.
Wallace extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth and later added a solo homer in the fifth in Tuesday?s win over the Reds. He is batting .535 (23-for-43) during the streak.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/29262/jason-bourgeoisJason Bourgeois or http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28535/michael-bournMichael Bourn will be used in left field in Lee's absence.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Impact of V-Mart's return[/h3]
7:22AM ET
[h5]Victor Martinez | Tigers [/h5]
The Tigers announced that Victor Martinez will be activated in time for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, and the club made room by sending backup catcher Omir Santos back to Triple-A Toledo.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the return of V-Mart will bring a different look to the batting order.
Manager Jim Leyland says Martinez will take the spot he previously held, batting fifth behind Miguel Cabrera. Brennan Boesch, who had been hitting fifth, will move up to third on Wednesday in place of Magglio Ordonez, who will be moved down to sixth, or possibly lower.
With Boesch and Ordonez in the corner-outfield spots Wednesday, Ryan Raburn moves to the bench. Raburn will still get his playing time, particularly in place of Ordonez, who can't play every day due to knee issues.
Piece on Liriano and Jeter's situation.
http://[h3]Will Giants make a pitch for Reyes?[/h3]
8:12AM ET
[h5]Jose Reyes | Mets [/h5]
UPDATE: The Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes has been discussed as a possible solution, reports Mychael Urban of CNSBayArea.com.
With third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the shelf for an estimated seven weeks with a broken bone in his hand and Miguel Tejada struggling, the Giants have limited internal options. A source tells Urban that a Giants-Mets swap could work because the Mets aren?t likely to demand a member of San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation.
--
We suggested last month that a perfect storm might be brewing that could have shortstop Jose Reyes sailing out of New York sooner rather than later.
With Reyes headed for free agency after the season, the shortstop's future in Queens already is an open question, particularly since his style of play does not necessarily fit the profile desired by new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
A big season in 2011 would put Reyes in line for a lucrative payday, and the price may be too much for the Wilpon ownership group that has taken a huge financial hit due to their connection to the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Reyes is doing his part with a strong start (.309 BA).
A recent six-game winning streak has quelled talk of an immediate fire sale, but at some point the Reyes issue must be broached. With the Giants struggling to score runs, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney suggests in Tuesday's blog there is a strong fit by the Bay:
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
A new home for Reyes?
http://[h3]Bautista to sit out out series[/h3]
7:57AM ET
[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays insisted it was no big deal when http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/5890/jose-bautistaJose Bautista was removed from Sunday's game against the Yankees in the seventh inning with what was described a "neck tightness."
While the injury is not considered serious, it will be enough to keep the right fielder out of a three-game series in Tampa Bay that began Tuesday, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.
In Tuesday's game, Rajai Davis shifted from center field to right with Corey Patterson getting the start in center. Yunel Escobar took over Bautista's No. 3 spot in the order. With Jayson Nix and Aaron Hill on the disabled list, manager John Farrell has limited options.
Bautista is off to a sizzling start with a .357 average, nine home runs and 16 RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Wallace moves up in the order[/h3]
7:40AM ET
[h5]Carlos Lee | Astros [/h5]
Carlos Lee rejoined the Astros Tuesday in Cincinnati, but was unable to play due to the bruised ribs suffered in a collision with teammate Angel Sanchez.
Assuming Lee needs a few more days off, the Astros get a chance to audition Brett Wallace as a cleanup hitter, writes MLB.com?s Brian McTaggert.
Wallace extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth and later added a solo homer in the fifth in Tuesday?s win over the Reds. He is batting .535 (23-for-43) during the streak.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/29262/jason-bourgeoisJason Bourgeois or http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28535/michael-bournMichael Bourn will be used in left field in Lee's absence.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Impact of V-Mart's return[/h3]
7:22AM ET
[h5]Victor Martinez | Tigers [/h5]
The Tigers announced that Victor Martinez will be activated in time for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, and the club made room by sending backup catcher Omir Santos back to Triple-A Toledo.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the return of V-Mart will bring a different look to the batting order.
Manager Jim Leyland says Martinez will take the spot he previously held, batting fifth behind Miguel Cabrera. Brennan Boesch, who had been hitting fifth, will move up to third on Wednesday in place of Magglio Ordonez, who will be moved down to sixth, or possibly lower.
With Boesch and Ordonez in the corner-outfield spots Wednesday, Ryan Raburn moves to the bench. Raburn will still get his playing time, particularly in place of Ordonez, who can't play every day due to knee issues.
Spoiler [+]
Francisco Liriano went into his start Tuesday with a 9.13 ERA, but if there were a ranking for body language, he somehow would rank lower. His frustration with his inability to throw strikes sometimes covers his face, curls his posture and slows his pace on the mound.
Getty ImagesFor Liriano, the stuff might be there, but swagger is a concern.
Liriano has been dominant in the past and he knows how much talent he has, and over the last few years, it's as if he has measured himself, within starts and within innings, by what he thinks he should be doing. And so when he hasn't executed, when he loses his arm slot and his command, Liriano's exasperation seeps out.
When Johan Santana pitched for the Twins, he was the model of mound stoicism and confidence, battling and attacking and often dominating, and when he struggled, you couldn't tell from his expression. Liriano has been very different; when you watch him pitch, you sometimes wonder what he thinks about himself.
So maybe the no-hitter he threw Tuesday will be a great thing for him, a piece of evidence to remind him just how good he can be. There will be a lot of discussion about the six walks he surrendered, and for the sake of Liriano and the Twins, hopefully the pitcher won't focus on any of that. Hopefully, Liriano will build on this, and improve his earned run average and body language.
From Courtenay Harris of ESPN Stats & Information, some notes from Liriano's no-hitter. How he won:
• Liriano adjusted to the White Sox as the game went on. The White Sox swung at just 34.1 percent of Liriano's pitches, the lowest percentage against the Twins left-hander over the last three seasons. In innings 1-3, Liriano threw just 38.7 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. That number increased to 43.6 in innings 4-6 and 48.6 in innings 7-9.
• The White Sox did not hit the ball out of the infield in the last four innings, as Liriano threw 59.6 percent of his pitches down in that span, compared to 46.5 in the first five innings.
• Twenty-one of Liriano's 26 changeups were low. He got five outs with his changeup in the last four innings (including a double play), and none left the infield.
• Liriano had six innings of 12 pitches or less. It's even more impressive considering that he threw first-pitch balls to 19 of the 30 hitters he faced.
[h4]HR and No-Hitter in 1-0 Win[/h4]
Since Expansion (1961)
[table][tr][th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]No-Hitter[/th][th=""]HR[/th][/tr][tr][td]2011[/td][td]Twins[/td][td]Francisco Liriano[/td][td]Jason Kubel[/td][/tr][tr][td]2010[/td][td]D-backs[/td][td]Edwin Jackson[/td][td]Adam LaRoche[/td][/tr][tr][td]2003[/td][td]Phillies[/td][td]Kevin Millwood[/td][td]Ricky Ledee[/td][/tr][tr][td]1968[/td][td]Giants[/td][td]Gaylord Perry[/td][td]Ron Hunt[/td][/tr][tr][td]1965[/td][td]Reds[/td][td]Jim Maloney[/td][td]Leo Cardenas[/td][/tr][/table]
It was Liriano's first complete game in his 95th start, joining these players over the last six years, with start number in parentheses: Dallas Braden (53rd); Jonathan Sanchez (51st); Jon Lester (37th); Clay Buchholz (second); Anibal Sanchez (13th).
In his no-hitter Tuesday, Liriano beat Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter last season. The two no-hitters were very similar. Both won 1-0 and walked more hitters than they struck out. In fact, the strike percentage was also similar, 53.7 percent to 53.0 percent, the called strike totals were the same (24), and Jackson went to 13 three-ball counts, Liriano 11.
• In the first two years of this decade, there have been seven no-hitters. In the entire decade of the 2000s, there were 15. Here are the AL pitchers to throw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win in the divisional era other than Liriano: Mike Witt in 1984, Dennis Eckersley in 1977 and Nolan Ryan in 1975. Liriano walked six and struck out two, the most walks ever in a no-hitter that featured two or fewer strikeouts. It's only the 24th no-hitter since 1900 with two or fewer strikeouts. Here's the list of countries-of-origin other than the U.S. with no-hitters: Dominican Republic, with four (Juan Marichal, Ramon Martinez, Jose Jimenez, Ubaldo Jimenez), Venezuela with three (Wilson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano), Ireland with two (Tony Mullane, One Arm Daily), Japan with two (Hideo Nomo has both), Puerto Rico with two (Juan Nieves, Jonathan Sanchez).
For Liriano, this was a tremendous turnaround, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins' defense helped him. The win gave Minnesota a big lift.
Maybe this was rock bottom for the White Sox -- who need a shakeup, writes Phil Rogers, who notes that the White Sox are on pace to go 57-105. White Sox fans should brace themselves for a wreck. From Joe's column, about the White Sox:
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• It was a really good night for the brothers Upton -- after B.J. hit a walk-off, Justin clubbed a decisive homer for the Diamondbacks.
• The Dodgers are right at the tipping point financially, and if they don't make payroll later this month, then they could be seized by Major League Baseball.
• Throughout Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak, he was often asked by reporters about approaching the manager and asking for a day off, and Cal's response was always the same: He thought his job was to prepare himself to play every day in the event that the manager wrote his name into the lineup.
But as Ripken approached Lou Gehrig's record -- and after he broke it -- this response was theoretically admirable but disingenuous, because the practical reality had shifted and the decision to bench Cal was in his hands. Ripken's stature in the sport had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, and so it came to pass that Ripken ended the streak by taking himself out of the lineup on Sept. 20, 1998.
Derek Jeter has achieved the same kind of status that Ripken had, as an icon within the sport. There is a generation of major leaguers running around now who wear No. 2 because of Jeter, because of the championships he won and because of his Hall of Fame caliber accomplishments, because -- like Ripken -- there is a deep respect for how he has played the game.
So as Jeter's slide has reached a month into its second season, he is in a situation similar to that which faced Ripken near the end of his career. If you stripped the names from the back of his baseball card, the numbers that remained would be stark:
• On-base percentage: .310
• Slugging percentage: .269, which ranks 183rd out of 195 players.
• OPS: .580, which ranks 171st.
• Ground ball/fly ball ratio, a sign of how the player is not driving the ball: 2.72. Only one other player, Yunel Escobar, has a ground ball ratio over 2.00.
They are not the numbers typical for someone who hits in the top two spots of the lineup of the New York Yankees, and if Jeter didn't have his resume, there is almost no chance that he would be hitting at the top of the batting order. But for Joe Girardi, the issue of dropping him to the bottom part of his lineup, and benching him more often, is a lot like Davey Johnson's circumstances with Ripken. Girardi won championship rings with Jeter and would never want to embarrass him, and what he would love to do, most of all, is to keep writing Jeter's name into the leadoff spot, with the same results as the Yankees got in 1999 and 2009.
Girardi has dropped Brett Gardner in the lineup (lately, Gardner has started getting on base regularly). Nick Swisher has moved down and up the lineup, and so has Curtis Granderson. But Jeter, who is about 325 plate appearances removed from his last homer and who has a slugging percentage under .300 since the end of last August, has remained in the top two spots.
If Derek Jeter were anybody else, it's fair to say that he would have already been dropped in the lineup. Girardi doesn't want to move Jeter, apparently, and is probably concerned about embarrassing a proud player.
What Jeter should do, as captain of the Yankees, is to draw from Ripken's example. He should take the onus off the manager. He should go to Girardi and tell him he'll be ready to hit anywhere in the lineup, and that he'll be OK with it. Until that happens -- or until Jeter actually starts to hit -- the Captain's place in the lineup, and his deep slump, will continue to be the elephant in the room for Girardi, something that everybody sees but won't talk about.
Jeter has gotten off to a powerless start, writes Ben Shpigel. Jeter's lack of power concerns his hitting coach, writes Mark Feinsand. The Yankees made base-running blunders in their loss Tuesday.
• Zack Greinke will make his debut with the Brewers today, as Tom Haudricourt writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers decided to call up Scott Sizemore, and right away, he helped Detroit. Early on Tuesday, Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email, "In regards to Sizemore, we are trying to get more offense at the top of the order. He was hitting over .400 at AAA, and we like his bat."
2. Kirk Gibson intends to keep using three guys at first base.
3. The discussions about promoting Brandon Belt are open-ended, says Bruce Bochy.
4. Milton Bradley was suspended, as Larry Stone writes.
5. I've been writing about how, among all trade candidates, Jose Reyes would fit the San Francisco Giants better than any other player would fit any team. On Tuesday night, John Harper writes, the Giants got a first-hand look at Reyes. Kevin Davidoff wonders if Reyes is auditioning for the Giants.
6. Fredi Gonzalez has to juggle his rotation.
7. Joe Maddon shuffled his rotation , writes Roger Mooney.
8. Allen Craig is getting a shot at third base.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. The Jays have lost Jose Bautista.
2. Andrew Bailey wrote in an email that he expects to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list. "I feel like I've gotten over a hump recently," he wrote. "I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."
3. Scott Rolen is feeling better, as John Fay writes.
4. Josh Hamilton will start hitting off a tee.
5. Travis Hafner is dealing with an ankle issue, but he'll return to the lineup.
6. Mitch Talbot, coming back from an elbow issue, was pleased with a bullpen session.
7. Dallas Braden is going to see Dr. Yocum again.
8. Within this notebook, there is word that Dave Aardsma has been shut down in his injury rehab.
9. Ryan Zimmerman had his surgery.
10. Domonic Brown is one step away from the big leagues.
11. Aaron Hill is almost ready to come back.
12. Zack Braddock is dealing with a sleep disorder.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. You can't stop the Indians, you can only hope to contain them: They racked up some late runs to make a winner of Fausto Carmona, and are 20-8.
2. Jonathan Broxton had a really bad inning. Along the way, Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.
3. Over the last few days, the Red Sox have beaten three great pitchers with their lineup of great hitters, writes Michael Silverman.
4. Cole Hamels was The Man for the Phillies, as David Murphy writes.
5. Jeff Francoeur continues to have a great season: His sac fly boosted the Royals' home record to 13-5, as Bob Dutton writes.
6. Ryan Dempster bounced back in a big way, as Paul Sullivan writes.
7. Brian Fuentes -- pitching for the third straight game -- had a bad inning.
8. Aubrey Huff got a huge hit at a time when the Giants are really scuffling.
9. The Angels did nothing. The Angels have been striking out a whole lot, as Kevin Baxter writes.
10. The Rangers' bullpen continues to be a problem. The one good thing about all this, from the perspective of the Rangers, is that none of the other AL West teams are sprinting away from them as they cope with their relief issues.
11. The Mariners are riding some momentum: That's six wins in their last seven games.
12. The Mets, playing short-handed, lost in extra innings.
13. The Orioles fell in extra innings, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.
14. The Nationals lost on the day that Jayson Werth returned to Philadelphia.
15. The Pirates missed a chance to get to .500.
16. The Padres' offense bailed out the team's shaky bullpen, as Dan Hayes writes.
17. For the first time this season, the Astros have three straight wins. Brett Wallace hit cleanup.
18. Daniel Descalo got a huge hit for the Cardinals. Within this Rick Hummel piece, there is word that Matt Holliday is 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
19. The Reds have fallen below .500.
20. The Marlins' bullpen let it slip away, as Manny Navarro writes.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]8-Minute ABs[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Tuesday.
[table][tr][th=""]Hitter[/th][th=""]PA[/th][th=""]Pitches[/th][th=""]P/PA[/th][/tr][tr][td]Bartlett, Jason[/td][td]4[/td][td]27[/td][td]6.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Craig, Allen[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Rodriguez, Ivan[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Beltran, Carlos[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hall, Bill[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Encarnacion, Edwin[/td][td]4[/td][td]24[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]LaRoche, Andy[/td][td]3[/td][td]18[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]Fowler, Dexter[/td][td]5[/td][td]29[/td][td]5.80[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cooper, David[/td][td]4[/td][td]23[/td][td]5.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Wallace, Brett[/td][td]5[/td][td]28[/td][td]5.60[/td][/tr][/table]
Are the Indians for real?
Hope for the Pirates?
Don't sleep on the Marlins.
Rumors.
http://[h3]Could Beltran market heat up?[/h3]
9:42AM ET
[h5]Carlos Beltran | Mets [/h5]
Carlos Beltran is in the final season of his contract with the New York Mets, and the overwhelming consensus gives him no chance of playing in Queens in 2012.
The Mets would like to find a taker for their expensive right fielder, and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes in his latest Rumblings & Grumblings that, barring a serious roll by the Mets over the next few weeks, "the Beltran outlet store could open as soon as next month."
Stark says the Mets have made it be known that the Mets are willing to absorb a significant portion of the more than $9 million left on his contract.
Beltran has looked a lot better this season and is off to a solid start with a .283 average and four homers. The 34-year-old has been an almost everyday player, which is pivotal to any interested team concerned about his history of injuries.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Root canal for Roberts[/h3]
9:23AM ET
[h5]Dave Roberts | Giants [/h5]
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts missed Tuesday's game in Kansas City after undergoing a root canal, but sounded optimistic that he could be back in the lineup Wednesday.
Cesar Izturis would likely get another start at second base if Roberts needs an extra day of rest.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Casilla out at shortstop?[/h3]
9:03AM ET
[h5]Alexi Casilla | Twins [/h5]
Lost in the euphoria of Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday night was a strong hint that the Minnesota Twins are pulling the plug on Alexi Casilla as their starting shortstop, reports Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
Manager Ron Gardenhire started Casilla at second base on Tuesday, with Matt Tolbert moving to shortstop. Christensen adds that Gardenhire has instructed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the team's Opening Day second baseman, to take grounders at shortstop as he rehabs from a broken leg injury in Florida.
The Twins also are expected to to take a good long look at shortstop Trevor Plouffe, who was recalled Triple-A Rochester Tuesday after Jim Thome was placed on the disabled list with a sore oblique.
Casilla made four errors in 21 games at shortstop and might be better suited at second base, where he has played for the bulk of his career.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Is Millwood a viable option?[/h3]
8:21AM ET
[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]
Kevin Millwood decided to opt out of his minor league contract Sunday when the New York Yankees passed on promoting him to the big leagues.
Millwood is looking for work and a return to the Orioles, where he was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA last season, may not be out of the question. A report in the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles have "mild interest" in the 36-year-old righthander.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney wonders if the Cubs might be interested following another shaky outing by James Russell on Monday night.
Does Millwood have anything left, even if he was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two minor league starts for the Yankees. In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the reviews were less than positive:
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Jayson Stark[/h5]
Rumblings & Grumblings
Getty ImagesFor Liriano, the stuff might be there, but swagger is a concern.
Liriano has been dominant in the past and he knows how much talent he has, and over the last few years, it's as if he has measured himself, within starts and within innings, by what he thinks he should be doing. And so when he hasn't executed, when he loses his arm slot and his command, Liriano's exasperation seeps out.
When Johan Santana pitched for the Twins, he was the model of mound stoicism and confidence, battling and attacking and often dominating, and when he struggled, you couldn't tell from his expression. Liriano has been very different; when you watch him pitch, you sometimes wonder what he thinks about himself.
So maybe the no-hitter he threw Tuesday will be a great thing for him, a piece of evidence to remind him just how good he can be. There will be a lot of discussion about the six walks he surrendered, and for the sake of Liriano and the Twins, hopefully the pitcher won't focus on any of that. Hopefully, Liriano will build on this, and improve his earned run average and body language.
From Courtenay Harris of ESPN Stats & Information, some notes from Liriano's no-hitter. How he won:
• Liriano adjusted to the White Sox as the game went on. The White Sox swung at just 34.1 percent of Liriano's pitches, the lowest percentage against the Twins left-hander over the last three seasons. In innings 1-3, Liriano threw just 38.7 percent of his pitches in the strike zone. That number increased to 43.6 in innings 4-6 and 48.6 in innings 7-9.
• The White Sox did not hit the ball out of the infield in the last four innings, as Liriano threw 59.6 percent of his pitches down in that span, compared to 46.5 in the first five innings.
• Twenty-one of Liriano's 26 changeups were low. He got five outs with his changeup in the last four innings (including a double play), and none left the infield.
• Liriano had six innings of 12 pitches or less. It's even more impressive considering that he threw first-pitch balls to 19 of the 30 hitters he faced.
[h4]HR and No-Hitter in 1-0 Win[/h4]
Since Expansion (1961)
[table][tr][th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]No-Hitter[/th][th=""]HR[/th][/tr][tr][td]2011[/td][td]Twins[/td][td]Francisco Liriano[/td][td]Jason Kubel[/td][/tr][tr][td]2010[/td][td]D-backs[/td][td]Edwin Jackson[/td][td]Adam LaRoche[/td][/tr][tr][td]2003[/td][td]Phillies[/td][td]Kevin Millwood[/td][td]Ricky Ledee[/td][/tr][tr][td]1968[/td][td]Giants[/td][td]Gaylord Perry[/td][td]Ron Hunt[/td][/tr][tr][td]1965[/td][td]Reds[/td][td]Jim Maloney[/td][td]Leo Cardenas[/td][/tr][/table]
It was Liriano's first complete game in his 95th start, joining these players over the last six years, with start number in parentheses: Dallas Braden (53rd); Jonathan Sanchez (51st); Jon Lester (37th); Clay Buchholz (second); Anibal Sanchez (13th).
In his no-hitter Tuesday, Liriano beat Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter last season. The two no-hitters were very similar. Both won 1-0 and walked more hitters than they struck out. In fact, the strike percentage was also similar, 53.7 percent to 53.0 percent, the called strike totals were the same (24), and Jackson went to 13 three-ball counts, Liriano 11.
• In the first two years of this decade, there have been seven no-hitters. In the entire decade of the 2000s, there were 15. Here are the AL pitchers to throw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win in the divisional era other than Liriano: Mike Witt in 1984, Dennis Eckersley in 1977 and Nolan Ryan in 1975. Liriano walked six and struck out two, the most walks ever in a no-hitter that featured two or fewer strikeouts. It's only the 24th no-hitter since 1900 with two or fewer strikeouts. Here's the list of countries-of-origin other than the U.S. with no-hitters: Dominican Republic, with four (Juan Marichal, Ramon Martinez, Jose Jimenez, Ubaldo Jimenez), Venezuela with three (Wilson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano), Ireland with two (Tony Mullane, One Arm Daily), Japan with two (Hideo Nomo has both), Puerto Rico with two (Juan Nieves, Jonathan Sanchez).
For Liriano, this was a tremendous turnaround, writes Joe Christensen. The Twins' defense helped him. The win gave Minnesota a big lift.
Maybe this was rock bottom for the White Sox -- who need a shakeup, writes Phil Rogers, who notes that the White Sox are on pace to go 57-105. White Sox fans should brace themselves for a wreck. From Joe's column, about the White Sox:
- Rest in peace, you $125 million pile of dung.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• It was a really good night for the brothers Upton -- after B.J. hit a walk-off, Justin clubbed a decisive homer for the Diamondbacks.
• The Dodgers are right at the tipping point financially, and if they don't make payroll later this month, then they could be seized by Major League Baseball.
• Throughout Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak, he was often asked by reporters about approaching the manager and asking for a day off, and Cal's response was always the same: He thought his job was to prepare himself to play every day in the event that the manager wrote his name into the lineup.
But as Ripken approached Lou Gehrig's record -- and after he broke it -- this response was theoretically admirable but disingenuous, because the practical reality had shifted and the decision to bench Cal was in his hands. Ripken's stature in the sport had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, and so it came to pass that Ripken ended the streak by taking himself out of the lineup on Sept. 20, 1998.
Derek Jeter has achieved the same kind of status that Ripken had, as an icon within the sport. There is a generation of major leaguers running around now who wear No. 2 because of Jeter, because of the championships he won and because of his Hall of Fame caliber accomplishments, because -- like Ripken -- there is a deep respect for how he has played the game.
So as Jeter's slide has reached a month into its second season, he is in a situation similar to that which faced Ripken near the end of his career. If you stripped the names from the back of his baseball card, the numbers that remained would be stark:
• On-base percentage: .310
• Slugging percentage: .269, which ranks 183rd out of 195 players.
• OPS: .580, which ranks 171st.
• Ground ball/fly ball ratio, a sign of how the player is not driving the ball: 2.72. Only one other player, Yunel Escobar, has a ground ball ratio over 2.00.
They are not the numbers typical for someone who hits in the top two spots of the lineup of the New York Yankees, and if Jeter didn't have his resume, there is almost no chance that he would be hitting at the top of the batting order. But for Joe Girardi, the issue of dropping him to the bottom part of his lineup, and benching him more often, is a lot like Davey Johnson's circumstances with Ripken. Girardi won championship rings with Jeter and would never want to embarrass him, and what he would love to do, most of all, is to keep writing Jeter's name into the leadoff spot, with the same results as the Yankees got in 1999 and 2009.
Girardi has dropped Brett Gardner in the lineup (lately, Gardner has started getting on base regularly). Nick Swisher has moved down and up the lineup, and so has Curtis Granderson. But Jeter, who is about 325 plate appearances removed from his last homer and who has a slugging percentage under .300 since the end of last August, has remained in the top two spots.
If Derek Jeter were anybody else, it's fair to say that he would have already been dropped in the lineup. Girardi doesn't want to move Jeter, apparently, and is probably concerned about embarrassing a proud player.
What Jeter should do, as captain of the Yankees, is to draw from Ripken's example. He should take the onus off the manager. He should go to Girardi and tell him he'll be ready to hit anywhere in the lineup, and that he'll be OK with it. Until that happens -- or until Jeter actually starts to hit -- the Captain's place in the lineup, and his deep slump, will continue to be the elephant in the room for Girardi, something that everybody sees but won't talk about.
Jeter has gotten off to a powerless start, writes Ben Shpigel. Jeter's lack of power concerns his hitting coach, writes Mark Feinsand. The Yankees made base-running blunders in their loss Tuesday.
• Zack Greinke will make his debut with the Brewers today, as Tom Haudricourt writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers decided to call up Scott Sizemore, and right away, he helped Detroit. Early on Tuesday, Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email, "In regards to Sizemore, we are trying to get more offense at the top of the order. He was hitting over .400 at AAA, and we like his bat."
2. Kirk Gibson intends to keep using three guys at first base.
3. The discussions about promoting Brandon Belt are open-ended, says Bruce Bochy.
4. Milton Bradley was suspended, as Larry Stone writes.
5. I've been writing about how, among all trade candidates, Jose Reyes would fit the San Francisco Giants better than any other player would fit any team. On Tuesday night, John Harper writes, the Giants got a first-hand look at Reyes. Kevin Davidoff wonders if Reyes is auditioning for the Giants.
6. Fredi Gonzalez has to juggle his rotation.
7. Joe Maddon shuffled his rotation , writes Roger Mooney.
8. Allen Craig is getting a shot at third base.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. The Jays have lost Jose Bautista.
2. Andrew Bailey wrote in an email that he expects to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list. "I feel like I've gotten over a hump recently," he wrote. "I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."
3. Scott Rolen is feeling better, as John Fay writes.
4. Josh Hamilton will start hitting off a tee.
5. Travis Hafner is dealing with an ankle issue, but he'll return to the lineup.
6. Mitch Talbot, coming back from an elbow issue, was pleased with a bullpen session.
7. Dallas Braden is going to see Dr. Yocum again.
8. Within this notebook, there is word that Dave Aardsma has been shut down in his injury rehab.
9. Ryan Zimmerman had his surgery.
10. Domonic Brown is one step away from the big leagues.
11. Aaron Hill is almost ready to come back.
12. Zack Braddock is dealing with a sleep disorder.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. You can't stop the Indians, you can only hope to contain them: They racked up some late runs to make a winner of Fausto Carmona, and are 20-8.
2. Jonathan Broxton had a really bad inning. Along the way, Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.
3. Over the last few days, the Red Sox have beaten three great pitchers with their lineup of great hitters, writes Michael Silverman.
4. Cole Hamels was The Man for the Phillies, as David Murphy writes.
5. Jeff Francoeur continues to have a great season: His sac fly boosted the Royals' home record to 13-5, as Bob Dutton writes.
6. Ryan Dempster bounced back in a big way, as Paul Sullivan writes.
7. Brian Fuentes -- pitching for the third straight game -- had a bad inning.
8. Aubrey Huff got a huge hit at a time when the Giants are really scuffling.
9. The Angels did nothing. The Angels have been striking out a whole lot, as Kevin Baxter writes.
10. The Rangers' bullpen continues to be a problem. The one good thing about all this, from the perspective of the Rangers, is that none of the other AL West teams are sprinting away from them as they cope with their relief issues.
11. The Mariners are riding some momentum: That's six wins in their last seven games.
12. The Mets, playing short-handed, lost in extra innings.
13. The Orioles fell in extra innings, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.
14. The Nationals lost on the day that Jayson Werth returned to Philadelphia.
15. The Pirates missed a chance to get to .500.
16. The Padres' offense bailed out the team's shaky bullpen, as Dan Hayes writes.
17. For the first time this season, the Astros have three straight wins. Brett Wallace hit cleanup.
18. Daniel Descalo got a huge hit for the Cardinals. Within this Rick Hummel piece, there is word that Matt Holliday is 12-for-25 with runners in scoring position.
19. The Reds have fallen below .500.
20. The Marlins' bullpen let it slip away, as Manny Navarro writes.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]8-Minute ABs[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Tuesday.
[table][tr][th=""]Hitter[/th][th=""]PA[/th][th=""]Pitches[/th][th=""]P/PA[/th][/tr][tr][td]Bartlett, Jason[/td][td]4[/td][td]27[/td][td]6.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Craig, Allen[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Rodriguez, Ivan[/td][td]3[/td][td]20[/td][td]6.67[/td][/tr][tr][td]Beltran, Carlos[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Hall, Bill[/td][td]5[/td][td]31[/td][td]6.20[/td][/tr][tr][td]Encarnacion, Edwin[/td][td]4[/td][td]24[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]LaRoche, Andy[/td][td]3[/td][td]18[/td][td]6.00[/td][/tr][tr][td]Fowler, Dexter[/td][td]5[/td][td]29[/td][td]5.80[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cooper, David[/td][td]4[/td][td]23[/td][td]5.75[/td][/tr][tr][td]Wallace, Brett[/td][td]5[/td][td]28[/td][td]5.60[/td][/tr][/table]
Are the Indians for real?
Spoiler [+]
If you were looking at the MLB standings this morning you could be forgiven if you did a double take when you got to the AL Central. We're more than a month into the season and that division's standings are currently the opposite of what many people would have predicted before the season began; the Cleveland Indians are in first, followed by the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
When the Indians first started playing well, it was easy to write them off as an early-season fluke. But as the Tribe's lead grows, it's come time to start taking them seriously. Not only are they are a lot better than they were given credit for in the preseason, but, more importantly, their competition is a lot worse.
In ESPN The Magazine's MLB preview, the ZiPS projection system pegged Cleveland for a 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish. However, that was based on a couple of assumptions that appear to be false. For example, ZiPS projected the oft-injured Grady Sizemore to have just 373 at-bats and post a .793 OPS. Sizemore, who currently has a 1.058 OPS, missed the season's first couple of weeks, but if he stays healthy would easily bypass that playing-time projection. Sizemore playing a full season and producing at an All-Star level easily adds a few wins to the Indians' projection.
Another reason to think Cleveland would struggle is its bullpen, but it has been one of the best units in the league with a 3.04 ERA. And that's not a fluke: The Tribe's bullpen FIP is 3.25, which is second in the AL. Both Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith are whiffing more than 10 men per nine innings, and lefties are 0-for-14 against southpaw Tony Sipp; the entire unit has allowed just four homers in 80 innings. Bullpen performance is extremely hard to predict and it was hard to foresee the Indians having one of the best units in the league, but so far it appears they do.
The most remarkable aspect of Cleveland's hot start is that Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo have barely contributed. Most expected them to be the team's best two players in the preseason, but Santana is slugging just .383 and Choo's OBP is a paltry .317. In other words, the Tribe's record is not based on unsustainable performances across the board. So when Jack Hannahan and Shelley Duncan come back down to the earth (and they will), Choo and Santana will be there to pick up the slack. And with those two, as well as Sizemore and Travis Hafner, hitting well, Cleveland has a legitimately strong lineup.
Let's assume that the Indians' true talent level is that of a 78-win team (and that might be conservative). If so, that means they will win roughly 65 of their remaining 135 games. Since you can't take away any of the 20 wins they've already banked, that would put them at 85 wins. And that brings us to the main reason we need to take Cleveland seriously: the AL Central stinks.
Even before Joe Mauer went down and Magglio Ordonez and Adam Dunn forgot how to hit, there was no clear-cut favorite in this division. ZiPS picked the White Sox to win the Central, but with just 86 wins. So no matter what, this was going to be a dogfight. And as we've seen thus far, the Twins, Tigers and White Sox are all probably a little worse than most thought they were. Even if they're not, we have to revise our expectations of each of them after their slow starts. If Chicago is really a .530 team, as projected in our preview, that means they will end up with roughly 81 wins if they play that way the rest of the year. Using the same method, the Detroit and Minnesota, which were both projected for 83 wins, are now on pace for about 79 wins. (And so as not to exclude the Royals, they are now on pace for 75 wins based on their current standing and preseason projection. However, they are probably a bit better than that, particularly when you consider they could get help from prospects such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery and Mike Moustakas later in the year.)
The Twins and White Sox are both at least 10 games behind the Indians. For a little perspective, just three times in the wild card era has a team that was 10 games back at any point in the season come back to win its division. Minnesota fans can take solace in the fact that the Twins were one of those teams; they came back from 10 games back in August of 2006 to win the AL Central with 96 wins. Of course that club featured vintage Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, not to mention full, healthy seasons from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, who finished sixth and first in the MVP voting, respectively. And while Liriano's no-hitter last night is certainly promising for Minnesota, he had six walks, two strikeouts and a game score of 83, tying him with Lefty Chambers for the lowest Game Score in history for a nine-hitting no-hitter according to Baseball Reference. In other words, it was far from a dominant outing.
The one saving grace for the Twins and White Sox is that according to ZiPS' preseason projections, April was their toughest month in terms of scheduling. The Indians' April schedule, however, was their easiest. Minnesota and Chicago's weakest month is September, which happens to be Cleveland's most difficult and that could be a big factor down the stretch. It's certainly worth noting that some of the Indians' early success can be attributed to their soft slate, as they had a total of 11 April wins against the Royals, Mariners and Orioles. That said, the Tribe's run differential currently sits at plus-50, which is the best in baseball (by a full 12 runs) and a strong indication that they aren't winning ugly.
It's way too early to call this division for Cleveland, but it's too late to simply be dismissing the Indians as an early-season fluke, either -- the rest of the division is far too weak. Let the dogfight for the AL Central crown begin.
When the Indians first started playing well, it was easy to write them off as an early-season fluke. But as the Tribe's lead grows, it's come time to start taking them seriously. Not only are they are a lot better than they were given credit for in the preseason, but, more importantly, their competition is a lot worse.
In ESPN The Magazine's MLB preview, the ZiPS projection system pegged Cleveland for a 71-91 record and a fourth-place finish. However, that was based on a couple of assumptions that appear to be false. For example, ZiPS projected the oft-injured Grady Sizemore to have just 373 at-bats and post a .793 OPS. Sizemore, who currently has a 1.058 OPS, missed the season's first couple of weeks, but if he stays healthy would easily bypass that playing-time projection. Sizemore playing a full season and producing at an All-Star level easily adds a few wins to the Indians' projection.
Another reason to think Cleveland would struggle is its bullpen, but it has been one of the best units in the league with a 3.04 ERA. And that's not a fluke: The Tribe's bullpen FIP is 3.25, which is second in the AL. Both Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith are whiffing more than 10 men per nine innings, and lefties are 0-for-14 against southpaw Tony Sipp; the entire unit has allowed just four homers in 80 innings. Bullpen performance is extremely hard to predict and it was hard to foresee the Indians having one of the best units in the league, but so far it appears they do.
The most remarkable aspect of Cleveland's hot start is that Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo have barely contributed. Most expected them to be the team's best two players in the preseason, but Santana is slugging just .383 and Choo's OBP is a paltry .317. In other words, the Tribe's record is not based on unsustainable performances across the board. So when Jack Hannahan and Shelley Duncan come back down to the earth (and they will), Choo and Santana will be there to pick up the slack. And with those two, as well as Sizemore and Travis Hafner, hitting well, Cleveland has a legitimately strong lineup.
Let's assume that the Indians' true talent level is that of a 78-win team (and that might be conservative). If so, that means they will win roughly 65 of their remaining 135 games. Since you can't take away any of the 20 wins they've already banked, that would put them at 85 wins. And that brings us to the main reason we need to take Cleveland seriously: the AL Central stinks.
Even before Joe Mauer went down and Magglio Ordonez and Adam Dunn forgot how to hit, there was no clear-cut favorite in this division. ZiPS picked the White Sox to win the Central, but with just 86 wins. So no matter what, this was going to be a dogfight. And as we've seen thus far, the Twins, Tigers and White Sox are all probably a little worse than most thought they were. Even if they're not, we have to revise our expectations of each of them after their slow starts. If Chicago is really a .530 team, as projected in our preview, that means they will end up with roughly 81 wins if they play that way the rest of the year. Using the same method, the Detroit and Minnesota, which were both projected for 83 wins, are now on pace for about 79 wins. (And so as not to exclude the Royals, they are now on pace for 75 wins based on their current standing and preseason projection. However, they are probably a bit better than that, particularly when you consider they could get help from prospects such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery and Mike Moustakas later in the year.)
The Twins and White Sox are both at least 10 games behind the Indians. For a little perspective, just three times in the wild card era has a team that was 10 games back at any point in the season come back to win its division. Minnesota fans can take solace in the fact that the Twins were one of those teams; they came back from 10 games back in August of 2006 to win the AL Central with 96 wins. Of course that club featured vintage Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano, not to mention full, healthy seasons from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, who finished sixth and first in the MVP voting, respectively. And while Liriano's no-hitter last night is certainly promising for Minnesota, he had six walks, two strikeouts and a game score of 83, tying him with Lefty Chambers for the lowest Game Score in history for a nine-hitting no-hitter according to Baseball Reference. In other words, it was far from a dominant outing.
The one saving grace for the Twins and White Sox is that according to ZiPS' preseason projections, April was their toughest month in terms of scheduling. The Indians' April schedule, however, was their easiest. Minnesota and Chicago's weakest month is September, which happens to be Cleveland's most difficult and that could be a big factor down the stretch. It's certainly worth noting that some of the Indians' early success can be attributed to their soft slate, as they had a total of 11 April wins against the Royals, Mariners and Orioles. That said, the Tribe's run differential currently sits at plus-50, which is the best in baseball (by a full 12 runs) and a strong indication that they aren't winning ugly.
It's way too early to call this division for Cleveland, but it's too late to simply be dismissing the Indians as an early-season fluke, either -- the rest of the division is far too weak. Let the dogfight for the AL Central crown begin.
Hope for the Pirates?
Spoiler [+]
When we think of Cinderella teams, the club with a 14-15 record isn't the team we think of as the protagonist of the fairy tale. For the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates, hovering around .500 and only two games out in May is practically cause for celebration.
The Pirates have had good starts (or at least non-terrible starts) throughout the two decades since their last .500 season in 1992. In most of those cases, however, success proved fleeting as the April overachievers came back to Earth, and the teams were usually safely out of the pennant race by June.
This year, for a change of pace, there are actually reasons to be hopeful about the decent start. Perhaps the most striking thing about Pittsburgh this season is just how few drastic overachievers it's taken to get the team to .500. Garrett Jones isn't going to sustain a .940 OPS over an entire season -- the ZiPS projection system has him with a .776 OPS the rest of the way to finish at .801 -- but nobody else in the lineup is outperforming expectations to any significant degree. Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen should hit better the rest of the way (OPS of .788 and .807, respectively, the rest of the way, via ZiPS) and even a poor hitter like Ronny Cedeno should be a little better. The Pirates' offense isn't going to be confused with the Yankees' at any time in the near future, but there should be enough improvement to get the team from 14th in the NL in scoring to 10th or so by the end of the year.
There's a similar story with the rotation. Kevin Correia isn't going to finish the season with a 2.90 ERA while striking out only four batters a game and Charlie Morton's low .267 BABIP is no more real than last season's very high .353, but both pitchers have FIPs in the low-to-mid 4s. While that's not exactly King Felix or Doc Halladay, it's enough to have real value to the Pirates. On the other side of the coin, James McDonald is pitching better lately and Ross Ohlendorf should be returning from injury and both are capable of being league-average starters. A rotation of No. 3 and No. 4 starters isn't going to scare the NL, but it's a step forward for the Bucs.
One of the biggest reasons for the Pirates' start has been the bullpen, which has combined for a 2.33 ERA so far. That number will rise, but it's an encouraging sign that the Pirates have taken to heart some of the lessons from the successful small-market teams. It's hard to find cleanup hitters or ace starters on the cheap, but teams have had success cobbling together impressive bullpens thanks to a combination of creativity and thrift. The Moneyball-era A's, recent editions of the Rays, and last year's Padres all had an inexpensive, productive group of relievers, mostly built from low-key signings, minor trades and waiver-wire claims. While hardly a small-market team, this was also a trademark of the Angels and general manager Bill Stoneman for a number of years. Every year, the team would bring in unheralded pitchers like Scot Shields or Brendan Donnelly or Ben Weber and get All-Star performance out of them.
In the past, the Pirates would bring in retreads like Octavio Dotel or Jose Mesa in to be the closer, but giving the job to Joel Hanrahan displays a sea change in organizational thinking. Hanrahan always had a terrific fastball, but the Nats traded him, along with Lastings Milledge, to the Pirates in 2009 after Hanrahan put up a 7.71 ERA in 34 games despite striking out more than a batter an inning. The Pirates gave him a chance, despite a .431 BABIP for the Nats that year, and in Pittsburgh, has a 2.85 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 117 innings. He's taken it to another level this year by trusting his fastball, increasing the rate he's thrown it by nearly 40 percent from last season.
The rest of the 'pen was constructed in a similar fashion. Chris Resop was once considered a prospect, but arrived in Pittsburgh as a journeyman minor league reliever, claimed off waivers from the Braves. Jose Veras was non-tendered by the Marlins last winter and had to sign a minor league contract with Pittsburgh. Evan Meek is a former Rule 5 Draft pick.
Are the Pirates the best team in the NL Central? No. Are they a good team? Also no. But after nearly 20 years of futility, Neal Huntington has the team clearly pointed in the right direction. The big question remaining is how supportive ownership will be in investing the team as players like McCutchen and Walker accumulate service time and head to arbitration and eventually free agency. The biggest hurdle may be the skepticism of the fan base, but it's hard to blame them at this point and it's going to require an aggressive commitment from ownership to the team's stars to get fans believing in this team again.
The Pirates have had good starts (or at least non-terrible starts) throughout the two decades since their last .500 season in 1992. In most of those cases, however, success proved fleeting as the April overachievers came back to Earth, and the teams were usually safely out of the pennant race by June.
This year, for a change of pace, there are actually reasons to be hopeful about the decent start. Perhaps the most striking thing about Pittsburgh this season is just how few drastic overachievers it's taken to get the team to .500. Garrett Jones isn't going to sustain a .940 OPS over an entire season -- the ZiPS projection system has him with a .776 OPS the rest of the way to finish at .801 -- but nobody else in the lineup is outperforming expectations to any significant degree. Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen should hit better the rest of the way (OPS of .788 and .807, respectively, the rest of the way, via ZiPS) and even a poor hitter like Ronny Cedeno should be a little better. The Pirates' offense isn't going to be confused with the Yankees' at any time in the near future, but there should be enough improvement to get the team from 14th in the NL in scoring to 10th or so by the end of the year.
There's a similar story with the rotation. Kevin Correia isn't going to finish the season with a 2.90 ERA while striking out only four batters a game and Charlie Morton's low .267 BABIP is no more real than last season's very high .353, but both pitchers have FIPs in the low-to-mid 4s. While that's not exactly King Felix or Doc Halladay, it's enough to have real value to the Pirates. On the other side of the coin, James McDonald is pitching better lately and Ross Ohlendorf should be returning from injury and both are capable of being league-average starters. A rotation of No. 3 and No. 4 starters isn't going to scare the NL, but it's a step forward for the Bucs.
One of the biggest reasons for the Pirates' start has been the bullpen, which has combined for a 2.33 ERA so far. That number will rise, but it's an encouraging sign that the Pirates have taken to heart some of the lessons from the successful small-market teams. It's hard to find cleanup hitters or ace starters on the cheap, but teams have had success cobbling together impressive bullpens thanks to a combination of creativity and thrift. The Moneyball-era A's, recent editions of the Rays, and last year's Padres all had an inexpensive, productive group of relievers, mostly built from low-key signings, minor trades and waiver-wire claims. While hardly a small-market team, this was also a trademark of the Angels and general manager Bill Stoneman for a number of years. Every year, the team would bring in unheralded pitchers like Scot Shields or Brendan Donnelly or Ben Weber and get All-Star performance out of them.
In the past, the Pirates would bring in retreads like Octavio Dotel or Jose Mesa in to be the closer, but giving the job to Joel Hanrahan displays a sea change in organizational thinking. Hanrahan always had a terrific fastball, but the Nats traded him, along with Lastings Milledge, to the Pirates in 2009 after Hanrahan put up a 7.71 ERA in 34 games despite striking out more than a batter an inning. The Pirates gave him a chance, despite a .431 BABIP for the Nats that year, and in Pittsburgh, has a 2.85 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 117 innings. He's taken it to another level this year by trusting his fastball, increasing the rate he's thrown it by nearly 40 percent from last season.
The rest of the 'pen was constructed in a similar fashion. Chris Resop was once considered a prospect, but arrived in Pittsburgh as a journeyman minor league reliever, claimed off waivers from the Braves. Jose Veras was non-tendered by the Marlins last winter and had to sign a minor league contract with Pittsburgh. Evan Meek is a former Rule 5 Draft pick.
Are the Pirates the best team in the NL Central? No. Are they a good team? Also no. But after nearly 20 years of futility, Neal Huntington has the team clearly pointed in the right direction. The big question remaining is how supportive ownership will be in investing the team as players like McCutchen and Walker accumulate service time and head to arbitration and eventually free agency. The biggest hurdle may be the skepticism of the fan base, but it's hard to blame them at this point and it's going to require an aggressive commitment from ownership to the team's stars to get fans believing in this team again.
Don't sleep on the Marlins.
Spoiler [+]
Their best player is fighting to stay above the Mendoza Line. So's their new catcher. Last year's best power hitter was shipped out of town after getting too expensive. The second baseman they added to replace him is hitting like a glorified pitcher.
Yet here the Florida Marlins sit tied for the second-best record in the National League, and it's not a fluke. The Fish have the talent to be a legitimate contender this season.
The Marlins have been criticized often throughout the years for their thrifty ways regardless of who owned the team. They spent a fortune to build a World Series-winning team in 1997, then immediately tore down their roster. They parlayed copious homegrown talent and a few key acquisitions into another World Series title in 2003, then dealt Josh Beckett at the height of his powers. And rather than pay up for one of the best hitters in a generation, they flipped Miguel Cabrera to Detroit for a bunch of kids.
This past offseason's trade of Dan Uggla to the Braves further cemented that reputation. By traditional (.287, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 100 R) and more advanced metrics (.877 OPS, .381 weighted on-base average -- both tops among NL starting second basemen), Uggla was a beast last year. But with his price tag about to skyrocket, the Marlins sent him to the Braves for versatile infielder Omar Infante and young relief pitcher Michael Dunn. How would a team with a middle-of-the-pack offense and a seemingly thin pitching staff overcome that kind of loss?
Easy -- with more of that trademark homegrown talent and a few typically clever pickups.
[h4]Great guppies[/h4]
With Hanley Ramirez and top prospect Mike Stanton slumping, the Marlins have leaned on three less touted, homegrown hitters (and Josh Johnson and a killer bullpen) to fuel their hot start.
[table][tr][th=""]PLAYER[/th][th=""]AGE[/th][th=""]AVG/OBP/SLG[/th][/tr][tr][td]L. Morrison[/td][td]23[/td][td].327/.424/.636[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chris Coghlan[/td][td]25[/td][td].283/.345/.505[/td][/tr][tr][td]Gaby Sanchez[/td][td]27[/td][td].289/.381/.433[/td][/tr][/table]
Infante, John Buck and franchise player Hanley Ramirez have had suppressed offense so far this season. But the Marlins still rank a respectable sixth in the National League in runs scored per game. The team has gotten a huge lift from three born-and-raised Marlins hitting prospects, Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez (see chart). Morrison has been out with a foot injury since April 20. But his return (likely this week) coupled with an expected bounce-back for Ramirez (he finally hit his first homer of the season Sunday, although he's hitting just .200) and another for 21-year-old phenom Mike Stanton could trigger an uptick in Florida's offense.
That's scary, considering how good the Marlins' pitching has looked so far. In a league that's filthy with elite starting pitchers, Josh Johnson ranks with the best of the best. After posting a 2.30 ERA and 2.41 FIP (fielding-independent pitching, a FanGraphs stat that runs along a similar scale to ERA but strips out defense, bullpen support and other pitching-independent factors) in 2010, he's got a microscopic 0.88 ERA and 2.19 FIP through 41 innings this season. Johnson has received ample support from fellow starters Ricky Nolasco (3.35 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (3.86 ERA/3.37 FIP). Johnson, like many of the Marlins' top hitters, is homegrown. Nolasco (from the Cubs) and Sanchez (along with Ramirez, grabbed from Boston for Beckett) were both acquired in trades while they were still minor leaguers.
The bullpen also has offered stellar support -- at bargain prices. Dunn, he of the sky-high strikeout rate and flawless ERA, makes the league minimum. So does Sanchez, the soft-tossing right-hander who was so bad that even the lowly Nationals didn't want him. (He has a 1.80 ERA this year and is on pace for his third straight solid season with the Fish.) Randy Choate has been unhittable as a lefty specialist through the first month for a fraction of the cost (two years, $2.5 million) of Pedro Feliciano and other pricey left-handed one-out guys. The only reliever making real money is closer Leo Nunez; the Marlins could shop his $3.65 million salary depending on whether they're in the race later in the year.
So if the Marlins appear so well positioned for so little money (their Opening Day payroll came in just under $57 million, 24th in MLB), why don't they have more believers? It might be because they haven't shown sustained success the way smaller-payroll clubs like the Twins and A's have in the past. Florida has made the playoffs only twice in its 18-year history and has topped 85 wins only three times. On the other hand, both times the Marlins made the playoffs, they won a World Series. When they do well, they do really well.
Perhaps there's something to be said for hoarding prospects and waiting for the right moment to strike. The Marlins played in the same division as the Braves for most of Atlanta's 15-year run. Since then, the Phillies have emerged as a powerhouse, the NL version of the Yankees and Red Sox, both in terms of wins and relative payroll. Both of Florida's World Series wins came after wild-card runs; the Marlins have never won a division title. The NL East crown figures to be a tough get again this year, with the Phillies overloaded with killer starting pitching and the Braves likely to improve as the year goes on.
Still, there's an opportunity with only a few key parts missing. Despite a hot start, Emilio Bonifacio might need to be replaced at third base, whether by slick-fielding prospect Matt Dominguez or someone outside the organization. The starting rotation almost surely will require reinforcements, with Javier Vazquez seemingly on his last legs and Nolasco and Sanchez no sure thing to be playoff-caliber complements to Johnson at the top of the rotation. A bench bat or two wouldn't hurt, either.
Marlins president Larry Beinfest made a number of key acquisitions before and during the 2003 season to push that team to the World Series. The team already has opened its checkbook to sign Ramirez and Johnson to lucrative (but still very team-friendly) long-term contracts. A new stadium, built with taxpayer money and promising to further enrich team owner Jeffrey Loria, will open next spring. A few well-placed moves, and the Marlins could reel in another big one.
Yet here the Florida Marlins sit tied for the second-best record in the National League, and it's not a fluke. The Fish have the talent to be a legitimate contender this season.
The Marlins have been criticized often throughout the years for their thrifty ways regardless of who owned the team. They spent a fortune to build a World Series-winning team in 1997, then immediately tore down their roster. They parlayed copious homegrown talent and a few key acquisitions into another World Series title in 2003, then dealt Josh Beckett at the height of his powers. And rather than pay up for one of the best hitters in a generation, they flipped Miguel Cabrera to Detroit for a bunch of kids.
This past offseason's trade of Dan Uggla to the Braves further cemented that reputation. By traditional (.287, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 100 R) and more advanced metrics (.877 OPS, .381 weighted on-base average -- both tops among NL starting second basemen), Uggla was a beast last year. But with his price tag about to skyrocket, the Marlins sent him to the Braves for versatile infielder Omar Infante and young relief pitcher Michael Dunn. How would a team with a middle-of-the-pack offense and a seemingly thin pitching staff overcome that kind of loss?
Easy -- with more of that trademark homegrown talent and a few typically clever pickups.
[h4]Great guppies[/h4]
With Hanley Ramirez and top prospect Mike Stanton slumping, the Marlins have leaned on three less touted, homegrown hitters (and Josh Johnson and a killer bullpen) to fuel their hot start.
[table][tr][th=""]PLAYER[/th][th=""]AGE[/th][th=""]AVG/OBP/SLG[/th][/tr][tr][td]L. Morrison[/td][td]23[/td][td].327/.424/.636[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chris Coghlan[/td][td]25[/td][td].283/.345/.505[/td][/tr][tr][td]Gaby Sanchez[/td][td]27[/td][td].289/.381/.433[/td][/tr][/table]
Infante, John Buck and franchise player Hanley Ramirez have had suppressed offense so far this season. But the Marlins still rank a respectable sixth in the National League in runs scored per game. The team has gotten a huge lift from three born-and-raised Marlins hitting prospects, Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez (see chart). Morrison has been out with a foot injury since April 20. But his return (likely this week) coupled with an expected bounce-back for Ramirez (he finally hit his first homer of the season Sunday, although he's hitting just .200) and another for 21-year-old phenom Mike Stanton could trigger an uptick in Florida's offense.
That's scary, considering how good the Marlins' pitching has looked so far. In a league that's filthy with elite starting pitchers, Josh Johnson ranks with the best of the best. After posting a 2.30 ERA and 2.41 FIP (fielding-independent pitching, a FanGraphs stat that runs along a similar scale to ERA but strips out defense, bullpen support and other pitching-independent factors) in 2010, he's got a microscopic 0.88 ERA and 2.19 FIP through 41 innings this season. Johnson has received ample support from fellow starters Ricky Nolasco (3.35 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (3.86 ERA/3.37 FIP). Johnson, like many of the Marlins' top hitters, is homegrown. Nolasco (from the Cubs) and Sanchez (along with Ramirez, grabbed from Boston for Beckett) were both acquired in trades while they were still minor leaguers.
The bullpen also has offered stellar support -- at bargain prices. Dunn, he of the sky-high strikeout rate and flawless ERA, makes the league minimum. So does Sanchez, the soft-tossing right-hander who was so bad that even the lowly Nationals didn't want him. (He has a 1.80 ERA this year and is on pace for his third straight solid season with the Fish.) Randy Choate has been unhittable as a lefty specialist through the first month for a fraction of the cost (two years, $2.5 million) of Pedro Feliciano and other pricey left-handed one-out guys. The only reliever making real money is closer Leo Nunez; the Marlins could shop his $3.65 million salary depending on whether they're in the race later in the year.
So if the Marlins appear so well positioned for so little money (their Opening Day payroll came in just under $57 million, 24th in MLB), why don't they have more believers? It might be because they haven't shown sustained success the way smaller-payroll clubs like the Twins and A's have in the past. Florida has made the playoffs only twice in its 18-year history and has topped 85 wins only three times. On the other hand, both times the Marlins made the playoffs, they won a World Series. When they do well, they do really well.
Perhaps there's something to be said for hoarding prospects and waiting for the right moment to strike. The Marlins played in the same division as the Braves for most of Atlanta's 15-year run. Since then, the Phillies have emerged as a powerhouse, the NL version of the Yankees and Red Sox, both in terms of wins and relative payroll. Both of Florida's World Series wins came after wild-card runs; the Marlins have never won a division title. The NL East crown figures to be a tough get again this year, with the Phillies overloaded with killer starting pitching and the Braves likely to improve as the year goes on.
Still, there's an opportunity with only a few key parts missing. Despite a hot start, Emilio Bonifacio might need to be replaced at third base, whether by slick-fielding prospect Matt Dominguez or someone outside the organization. The starting rotation almost surely will require reinforcements, with Javier Vazquez seemingly on his last legs and Nolasco and Sanchez no sure thing to be playoff-caliber complements to Johnson at the top of the rotation. A bench bat or two wouldn't hurt, either.
Marlins president Larry Beinfest made a number of key acquisitions before and during the 2003 season to push that team to the World Series. The team already has opened its checkbook to sign Ramirez and Johnson to lucrative (but still very team-friendly) long-term contracts. A new stadium, built with taxpayer money and promising to further enrich team owner Jeffrey Loria, will open next spring. A few well-placed moves, and the Marlins could reel in another big one.
Rumors.
Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]What can Brown do for the Phils?[/h3]
11:42AM ET
[h5]Domonic Brown | Phillies [/h5]
Domonic Brown reported to spring training with a chance to win the right field job in Philadelphia vacated by the departure of Jayson Werth to Washington. Those plans were derailed by a broken hand suffered early in spring training.
Brown is coming off a five-game rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater, where he went 7-for-19 with two home runs and a double, and is now at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. David Murphy of the Philly Daily News writes that Brown is one stop away from the majors, but it is unclear when the top prospect will get the call.
The Phillies are hoping that second baseman Chase Utley will return at some point before the All-Star break, but Murphy says manager Charlie Manuel could want an additional offensive boost, especially if Raul Ibanez continues to struggle.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr., however, seems intent on keeping Brown at Triple-A until he is ready to make an immediate contribution at the big league level.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]La Russa sticks by Theriot[/h3]
11:16AM ET
[h5]Ryan Theriot | Cardinals [/h5]
Eight errors by Ryan Theriot is not enough for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to make a change at shortstop, reports Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch.
There was some speculation of moving Theriot to second base, but La Russa feels that Theriot's offensive production makes up for his defensive miscues. Acquired from the Dodgers in a November trade, Theriot is batting .317 with four doubles, eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases in 26 games.
The Cardinals already are dealing with issues at third base following an injury to David Freese, so La Russa is looking to avoid a complete infield overhaul.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Cause for concern with Aardsma?[/h3]
11:11AM ET
[h5]David Aardsma | Mariners [/h5]
UPDATE: Aardsma has made five rehab appearances with Tacoma, but is experiencing forearm stiffness and will be shut down for a couple of days, reports Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Manager Eric Wedge insists it's nothing serious and Aardsma will play catch in a couple of days.
--
David Aardsma made another appearance on rehab for Triple-A Tacoma and while he's yet to have a clean inning, his arm strength is improving, according to Darren Brown, the big club's interim skipper a year ago and Rainiers manager.
Aardsma has made four appearances on rehab, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and four bases on balls. The results don't necessarily mean much but the M's may want to see a clean outing once or twice before activating Aardsma, but he could return this week.
Once "The DA" comes back, he'll be worked back into the closer's role which will return Brandon League to setup duties. Dan Cortes, Tom Wilhelmsen and Chris Ray could be roster casualties, with the two youngsters being more likely.
- Jason A. Churchill
http://[h3]Who's on first in the desert?[/h3]
10:41AM ET
[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]
Finding enough at-bats for two players at the same position is difficult enough. In Arizona, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson carves up the first base job into threes and has no plans to change things.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that Russell Branyan, Xavier Nady and Juan Miranda have shared time there and likely will for the immediate future.
None of the three candidates has made a definitive claim to the job, so Gibson could be sending out a message that no job is safe. Branyan and Nady are candidates to be trade bait by July, but have combined for just eight RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Hardy moving closer[/h3]
10:19AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Orioles [/h5]
If all goes well, the Baltimore Orioles could have shortstop J.J. Hardy back in the lineup by next week.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Hardy, who hasn?t played since April 9 due to a strained oblique, is tentatively scheduled to start a rehab assignment Friday at Single-A Frederick or Triple-A Norfolk. Zrebiec guesses that Hardy would likely play three or four games on the minor league level.
When Hardy returns, manager Buck Showalter will have to find some at-bats for Robert Andino, who is hitting an impressive .291 in Hardy's absence. If Andino does end up in the minors, he has at least earned the right for a callup at a later date,
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Could Jeter make it easier for Girardi?[/h3]
10:05AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Yankees manager Joe Girardi appears to be walking on egg shells when the discussion turns to where Derek Jeter bats in the lineup.
It is the most delicate of issues since the franchise icon is off to a lackluster start (.250) as he moves methodically toward the coveted 3,000-hit plateau. The problem is the Yankees may be a better offensive team with Jeter batting down in the batting order.
As Jeter continues to struggle, Girardi will soon have a big decision on his hands.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney compares Jeter's situation to that of Cal Ripken during the time the Orioles' icon was extending his record for consecutive games played. Ripken had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, so Ripken did it on his own.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Derek and Cal
11:42AM ET
[h5]Domonic Brown | Phillies [/h5]
Domonic Brown reported to spring training with a chance to win the right field job in Philadelphia vacated by the departure of Jayson Werth to Washington. Those plans were derailed by a broken hand suffered early in spring training.
Brown is coming off a five-game rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater, where he went 7-for-19 with two home runs and a double, and is now at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. David Murphy of the Philly Daily News writes that Brown is one stop away from the majors, but it is unclear when the top prospect will get the call.
The Phillies are hoping that second baseman Chase Utley will return at some point before the All-Star break, but Murphy says manager Charlie Manuel could want an additional offensive boost, especially if Raul Ibanez continues to struggle.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr., however, seems intent on keeping Brown at Triple-A until he is ready to make an immediate contribution at the big league level.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]La Russa sticks by Theriot[/h3]
11:16AM ET
[h5]Ryan Theriot | Cardinals [/h5]
Eight errors by Ryan Theriot is not enough for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to make a change at shortstop, reports Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch.
There was some speculation of moving Theriot to second base, but La Russa feels that Theriot's offensive production makes up for his defensive miscues. Acquired from the Dodgers in a November trade, Theriot is batting .317 with four doubles, eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases in 26 games.
The Cardinals already are dealing with issues at third base following an injury to David Freese, so La Russa is looking to avoid a complete infield overhaul.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Cause for concern with Aardsma?[/h3]
11:11AM ET
[h5]David Aardsma | Mariners [/h5]
UPDATE: Aardsma has made five rehab appearances with Tacoma, but is experiencing forearm stiffness and will be shut down for a couple of days, reports Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Manager Eric Wedge insists it's nothing serious and Aardsma will play catch in a couple of days.
--
David Aardsma made another appearance on rehab for Triple-A Tacoma and while he's yet to have a clean inning, his arm strength is improving, according to Darren Brown, the big club's interim skipper a year ago and Rainiers manager.
Aardsma has made four appearances on rehab, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and four bases on balls. The results don't necessarily mean much but the M's may want to see a clean outing once or twice before activating Aardsma, but he could return this week.
Once "The DA" comes back, he'll be worked back into the closer's role which will return Brandon League to setup duties. Dan Cortes, Tom Wilhelmsen and Chris Ray could be roster casualties, with the two youngsters being more likely.
- Jason A. Churchill
http://[h3]Who's on first in the desert?[/h3]
10:41AM ET
[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]
Finding enough at-bats for two players at the same position is difficult enough. In Arizona, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson carves up the first base job into threes and has no plans to change things.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that Russell Branyan, Xavier Nady and Juan Miranda have shared time there and likely will for the immediate future.
None of the three candidates has made a definitive claim to the job, so Gibson could be sending out a message that no job is safe. Branyan and Nady are candidates to be trade bait by July, but have combined for just eight RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Hardy moving closer[/h3]
10:19AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Orioles [/h5]
If all goes well, the Baltimore Orioles could have shortstop J.J. Hardy back in the lineup by next week.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Hardy, who hasn?t played since April 9 due to a strained oblique, is tentatively scheduled to start a rehab assignment Friday at Single-A Frederick or Triple-A Norfolk. Zrebiec guesses that Hardy would likely play three or four games on the minor league level.
When Hardy returns, manager Buck Showalter will have to find some at-bats for Robert Andino, who is hitting an impressive .291 in Hardy's absence. If Andino does end up in the minors, he has at least earned the right for a callup at a later date,
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Could Jeter make it easier for Girardi?[/h3]
10:05AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Yankees manager Joe Girardi appears to be walking on egg shells when the discussion turns to where Derek Jeter bats in the lineup.
It is the most delicate of issues since the franchise icon is off to a lackluster start (.250) as he moves methodically toward the coveted 3,000-hit plateau. The problem is the Yankees may be a better offensive team with Jeter batting down in the batting order.
As Jeter continues to struggle, Girardi will soon have a big decision on his hands.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney compares Jeter's situation to that of Cal Ripken during the time the Orioles' icon was extending his record for consecutive games played. Ripken had grown to the point that no manager had the power to take him out of the lineup without his consent, so Ripken did it on his own.
- Doug Mittler
Derek and Cal
9:42AM ET
[h5]Carlos Beltran | Mets [/h5]
Carlos Beltran is in the final season of his contract with the New York Mets, and the overwhelming consensus gives him no chance of playing in Queens in 2012.
The Mets would like to find a taker for their expensive right fielder, and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes in his latest Rumblings & Grumblings that, barring a serious roll by the Mets over the next few weeks, "the Beltran outlet store could open as soon as next month."
Stark says the Mets have made it be known that the Mets are willing to absorb a significant portion of the more than $9 million left on his contract.
Beltran has looked a lot better this season and is off to a solid start with a .283 average and four homers. The 34-year-old has been an almost everyday player, which is pivotal to any interested team concerned about his history of injuries.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Root canal for Roberts[/h3]
9:23AM ET
[h5]Dave Roberts | Giants [/h5]
Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts missed Tuesday's game in Kansas City after undergoing a root canal, but sounded optimistic that he could be back in the lineup Wednesday.
Cesar Izturis would likely get another start at second base if Roberts needs an extra day of rest.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Casilla out at shortstop?[/h3]
9:03AM ET
[h5]Alexi Casilla | Twins [/h5]
Lost in the euphoria of Francisco Liriano's no-hitter on Tuesday night was a strong hint that the Minnesota Twins are pulling the plug on Alexi Casilla as their starting shortstop, reports Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
Manager Ron Gardenhire started Casilla at second base on Tuesday, with Matt Tolbert moving to shortstop. Christensen adds that Gardenhire has instructed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the team's Opening Day second baseman, to take grounders at shortstop as he rehabs from a broken leg injury in Florida.
The Twins also are expected to to take a good long look at shortstop Trevor Plouffe, who was recalled Triple-A Rochester Tuesday after Jim Thome was placed on the disabled list with a sore oblique.
Casilla made four errors in 21 games at shortstop and might be better suited at second base, where he has played for the bulk of his career.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Is Millwood a viable option?[/h3]
8:21AM ET
[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]
Kevin Millwood decided to opt out of his minor league contract Sunday when the New York Yankees passed on promoting him to the big leagues.
Millwood is looking for work and a return to the Orioles, where he was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA last season, may not be out of the question. A report in the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles have "mild interest" in the 36-year-old righthander.
In Tuesday's blog, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney wonders if the Cubs might be interested following another shaky outing by James Russell on Monday night.
Does Millwood have anything left, even if he was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two minor league starts for the Yankees. In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the reviews were less than positive:
- Doug Mittler
Rumblings & Grumblings
8:12AM ET
[h5]Jose Reyes | Mets [/h5]
UPDATE: The Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes has been discussed as a possible solution, reports Mychael Urban of CNSBayArea.com.
With third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the shelf for an estimated seven weeks with a broken bone in his hand and Miguel Tejada struggling, the Giants have limited internal options. A source tells Urban that a Giants-Mets swap could work because the Mets aren?t likely to demand a member of San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation.
--
We suggested last month that a perfect storm might be brewing that could have shortstop Jose Reyes sailing out of New York sooner rather than later.
With Reyes headed for free agency after the season, the shortstop's future in Queens already is an open question, particularly since his style of play does not necessarily fit the profile desired by new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
A big season in 2011 would put Reyes in line for a lucrative payday, and the price may be too much for the Wilpon ownership group that has taken a huge financial hit due to their connection to the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Reyes is doing his part with a strong start (.309 BA).
A recent six-game winning streak has quelled talk of an immediate fire sale, but at some point the Reyes issue must be broached. With the Giants struggling to score runs, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney suggests in Tuesday's blog there is a strong fit by the Bay:
- Doug Mittler
A new home for Reyes?
7:57AM ET
[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays insisted it was no big deal when http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/5890/jose-bautistaJose Bautista was removed from Sunday's game against the Yankees in the seventh inning with what was described a "neck tightness."
While the injury is not considered serious, it will be enough to keep the right fielder out of a three-game series in Tampa Bay that began Tuesday, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.
In Tuesday's game, Rajai Davis shifted from center field to right with Corey Patterson getting the start in center. Yunel Escobar took over Bautista's No. 3 spot in the order. With Jayson Nix and Aaron Hill on the disabled list, manager John Farrell has limited options.
Bautista is off to a sizzling start with a .357 average, nine home runs and 16 RBI.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Wallace moves up in the order[/h3]
7:40AM ET
[h5]Carlos Lee | Astros [/h5]
Carlos Lee rejoined the Astros Tuesday in Cincinnati, but was unable to play due to the bruised ribs suffered in a collision with teammate Angel Sanchez.
Assuming Lee needs a few more days off, the Astros get a chance to audition Brett Wallace as a cleanup hitter, writes MLB.com?s Brian McTaggert.
Wallace extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth and later added a solo homer in the fifth in Tuesday?s win over the Reds. He is batting .535 (23-for-43) during the streak.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/29262/jason-bourgeoisJason Bourgeois or http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/28535/michael-bournMichael Bourn will be used in left field in Lee's absence.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Impact of V-Mart's return[/h3]
7:22AM ET
[h5]Victor Martinez | Tigers [/h5]
The Tigers announced that Victor Martinez will be activated in time for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, and the club made room by sending backup catcher Omir Santos back to Triple-A Toledo.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the return of V-Mart will bring a different look to the batting order.
Manager Jim Leyland says Martinez will take the spot he previously held, batting fifth behind Miguel Cabrera. Brennan Boesch, who had been hitting fifth, will move up to third on Wednesday in place of Magglio Ordonez, who will be moved down to sixth, or possibly lower.
With Boesch and Ordonez in the corner-outfield spots Wednesday, Ryan Raburn moves to the bench. Raburn will still get his playing time, particularly in place of Ordonez, who can't play every day due to knee issues.
- 11,986
- 19
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
The Jeter contract gets funnier and funnier by the day
And who wants Jose Reyes, anybody?
And who wants Jose Reyes, anybody?
- 11,986
- 19
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
The Jeter contract gets funnier and funnier by the day
And who wants Jose Reyes, anybody?
And who wants Jose Reyes, anybody?
GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- 6,551
- 2,063
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2005
Who you want? Other than Gio, Cahill, or Brett
But really, I wish we could pull a deal of for him or Wright, but no way a deal like that gets done unless we give up 1 of our top 3 pitchers plus more.
GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- 6,551
- 2,063
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2005
Who you want? Other than Gio, Cahill, or Brett
But really, I wish we could pull a deal of for him or Wright, but no way a deal like that gets done unless we give up 1 of our top 3 pitchers plus more.
- 28,043
- 10,465
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Is Eduardo Sanchez looking like STL's long-term closer? You never know with "Cheerleader" LaRussa.
Longoria off the DL yesterday and Vic Martinez is back for Detroit today.
Andrew Bailey looks at least two weeks away and there's some concern over Aardsma's forearm stiffness.
Longoria off the DL yesterday and Vic Martinez is back for Detroit today.
Andrew Bailey looks at least two weeks away and there's some concern over Aardsma's forearm stiffness.
- 28,043
- 10,465
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Is Eduardo Sanchez looking like STL's long-term closer? You never know with "Cheerleader" LaRussa.
Longoria off the DL yesterday and Vic Martinez is back for Detroit today.
Andrew Bailey looks at least two weeks away and there's some concern over Aardsma's forearm stiffness.
Longoria off the DL yesterday and Vic Martinez is back for Detroit today.
Andrew Bailey looks at least two weeks away and there's some concern over Aardsma's forearm stiffness.
- 11,986
- 19
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
You think we could get get Bumgarner from the Giants possibly? Or is that a stretch?
- 11,986
- 19
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
You think we could get get Bumgarner from the Giants possibly? Or is that a stretch?
- 10,371
- 653
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
Big stretch.
- 10,371
- 653
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
Big stretch.
I think you could possibly poach Zach Wheeler from their farm. It depends, some teams might know he's already leaving and not offer much to the Mets. Or the Giants might be out of contention by then.
Mets said they're willing to eat most of Beltran's contract and I think that's where the big haul comes from. Just need pitching. It's horrible at every level.
Mets said they're willing to eat most of Beltran's contract and I think that's where the big haul comes from. Just need pitching. It's horrible at every level.
I think you could possibly poach Zach Wheeler from their farm. It depends, some teams might know he's already leaving and not offer much to the Mets. Or the Giants might be out of contention by then.
Mets said they're willing to eat most of Beltran's contract and I think that's where the big haul comes from. Just need pitching. It's horrible at every level.
Mets said they're willing to eat most of Beltran's contract and I think that's where the big haul comes from. Just need pitching. It's horrible at every level.
- Status