The Major League Baseball Post

[Retroballer]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

God damn the Orioles are so !*!%$%% hard to watch....

i feel your pain with the astros. Battle for the number one pick

 

[proshares]

Hanley is not happy about being benched last night and not being in the lineup today.

Angry at being benched Monday night for his lack of hustle, Florida Marlins star shortstop Hanley Ramirez said Tuesday he has no plans to apologize to his teammates and has lost some respect for manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Ramirez, the 2009 NL batting champion, committed a costly error in the second inning of the Marlins' loss to the Diamondbacks. After Tony Abreu's looper dropped near him in short left field, he accidentally kicked the ball about 100 feet toward the left-field corner and loafed after it, allowing two runners to score as Abreu advanced to third.

“

We got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They don't apologize.

 

[651akathepaul]

Griffey is going yard tonight.

 

[proshares]

Both Weaver and CJ gave up 7 earned tonight

 

[kiddin like jason]

Why did Adam Jones throw to third on Nelson Cruz' game-winning sac fly?

...

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Probably hoped the guy jumped early so he could have a chance at being swift.

 

[kiddin like jason]

No, he was certainly trying to throw home; he just... missed. By a lot.

Ian Kennedy.

 

[djaman]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

18 pitchers added at least 0.5 mph to their fastball this year:

1. Francisco Liriano - 1.7 mph increase
2. Luke Hochevar - 1.7
3. Tommy Hanson - 1.3
4. James Shields - 1.2
5. Kevin Slowey - 1.1
6. Scott Olsen - 1.0
7. Jered Weaver - 1.0
8. Matt Garza - 0.9
9. Joe Saunders - 0.8
10. Tim Hudson - 0.8
11. Ubaldo Jimenez - 0.7
12. Tim Wakefield - 0.7
13. Brett Myers - 0.6
14. Jonathon Niese - 0.6
15. Gio Gonzalez - 0.6
16. Randy Wells - 0.5
17. Cole Hamels - 0.5
18. Aaron Harang - 0.5

In turn, 27 pitchers lost at least 1.0 mph:

1. C.J. Wilson - 2.7 mph decrease
2. John Maine - 2.4
3. Zach Duke - 2.1
4. David Bush - 2.0
5. Rich Harden - 1.8
6. Max Scherzer - 1.8
7. Homer Bailey - 1.7
8. Scott Feldman - 1.6
9. Chris Carpenter - 1.6
10. Randy Wolf - 1.4
11. Paul Maholm - 1.4
12. Matt Cain - 1.4
13. Jonathan Sanchez - 1.3
14. Zack Greinke - 1.3
15. Kevin Millwood - 1.2
16. Johan Santana -1.2
17. Ricky Romero - 1.2
18. Justin Masterson - 1.2
19. Tim Lincecum - 1.2
20. Mike Pelfrey - 1.2
21. Phil Hughes - 1.1
22. Ricky Nolasco - 1.1
23. Kenshin Kawakami - 1.0
24. Carl Pavano - 1.0
25. C.C. Sabathia - 1.0
26. Brandon Morrow - 1.0
27. Brian Matusz - 1.0

This is interesting. Thanks for posting.

 

[kiddin like jason]

In a few hours, Livan Hernandezwill take the hill against the Mets, and he will look to continue oneof the luckiest runs in the history of major league baseball.

A quick look at the gap between Hernandez's ERA (1.46) and his xFIP(5.09) would tell that he's gotten fortunate, but I don't even thinkthose numbers do justice just how incredibly Hernandez has walked thetightrope this season.
He's thrown 49 1/3 innings in his seven starts and allowed just nineruns while putting 51 men on base. Well, that's not really true,because he's allowed six home runs, so those guys were never really "baserunners" in the sense that most of us think of the word. Take thehome runs out of the picture, and Hernandez has put 45 guys on base.Three of them have scored.

Three. Out of 45.

And the hilarious part is that he hasn't even pitched all that wellwith runners on base. He's pitched to 71 hitters when there as at leastone man on. Of those 71, he's walked nine, struck out just six, andposted an okay-but-not-spectacular 47% groundball percentage. However,opponents have an .054 batting average on balls in play against him inthose situations. Oh Fifty Four.

It's even better when opponents have put a runner in scoringposition. In the 38 batters who have faced Hernandez with a chance todrive in a run, one has gotten a hit, and it was a single. Opponentsare 1 for 30 with seven walks and a sac fly against Livan in RISPsituations. Only four of those 29 outs were strikeouts.

I figured I should write about this while I still had the chance,because every time he takes the hill, there's a chance it will all justblow up. No one can sustain this for very long, especially not a guywho just throws the ball over the plate and hopes the ball finds one ofhis fielders. But yet, for seven miraculous starts, Hernandez has seenjust that happen.
It's one of the most amazing things we'll ever see on a baseball field.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Strasburg - 6.1 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits and 9 strikeouts.

AAA to date: 18.1 innings, 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 runs, 4 hits, 4 walks, 22 strikeouts, .068 BAA.

Does anybody have a FanGraphs account?

 

[jaysfordays]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../05/20/stephen.strasburg/1.html#ixzz0oRyH6VtB

"Wednesday, it was clear, Rochester was not going to score runs off him. More than 12,500 people squeezed into a stadium that officially seats about 1,700 fewer people. They were sitting in the grass. Stephen Strasburg T-shirts sold for $19.99 -- about five dollars more than the T-shirts of Rochester hero Cal Ripken. It was a special night ... one of those nights that had that feel of history. You got the feeling that a lot of people hope to one day say: "Yeah, I saw Stephen Strasburg before, right here in Rochester."

i was one of the 12,500+ witnesses. it was quite a scene, and Strasburg delivered. definitely an event i will be proud to say i attended.

 

[jaysfordays]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

In a few hours, Livan Hernandez will take the hill against the Mets, and he will look to continue one of the luckiest runs in the history of major league baseball.

A quick look at the gap between Hernandez's ERA (1.46) and his xFIP (5.09) would tell that he's gotten fortunate, but I don't even think those numbers do justice just how incredibly Hernandez has walked the tightrope this season.
He's thrown 49 1/3 innings in his seven starts and allowed just nine runs while putting 51 men on base. Well, that's not really true, because he's allowed six home runs, so those guys were never really "baserunners" in the sense that most of us think of the word. Take the home runs out of the picture, and Hernandez has put 45 guys on base. Three of them have scored.

Three. Out of 45.

And the hilarious part is that he hasn't even pitched all that well with runners on base. He's pitched to 71 hitters when there as at least one man on. Of those 71, he's walked nine, struck out just six, and posted an okay-but-not-spectacular 47% groundball percentage. However, opponents have an .054 batting average on balls in play against him in those situations. Oh Fifty Four.

It's even better when opponents have put a runner in scoring position. In the 38 batters who have faced Hernandez with a chance to drive in a run, one has gotten a hit, and it was a single. Opponents are 1 for 30 with seven walks and a sac fly against Livan in RISP situations. Only four of those 29 outs were strikeouts.

I figured I should write about this while I still had the chance, because every time he takes the hill, there's a chance it will all just blow up. No one can sustain this for very long, especially not a guy who just throws the ball over the plate and hopes the ball finds one of his fielders. But yet, for seven miraculous starts, Hernandez has seen just that happen.
It's one of the most amazing things we'll ever see on a baseball field.

fangraphs = haters. they can say all they want about how what Livan's doing won't last, but he continues to get the job done.

  

 

[proshares]

I used to be on Fangraphs, I don't remember my password though. Isn't it free KLJ?

 

[proshares]

Andre Dawson and Tony Perez pulled Hanley into a room to talk to him.  Apparently Andre said, "I won't say much but if you say anything back I may have to put you on your rear end."  An apology came soon after.

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by JaysForDays

fangraphs = haters. they can say all they want about how what Livan's doing won't last, but he continues to get the job done.

He's been unsustainably lucky. Period.

 

[jpzx]

I've been telling JRAIN that this whole Livan thing is a facade but he refuses to believe

It's unbelievable what Atlanta pulled off today. They were down 3-9 entering the 9th inning, and ended up scoring seven runs that inning and winning 10-9. In fact, they won on a grand slam. Amazing.

Video:

 

[jdcurt2]

^ Such a sickening loss.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

What's worse is JRain refuses to acknowledge that Livan got off to a great start with the Mets last year as well, and didn't falter until June.

John Maine with another injury tonight, pulled after 6 pitches. Dude is shot.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Poor Mike Leake.

Mike Leake.

 

[messiahchild]

Being a Braves fan is so weird this year. Everything that can possible happen this year, has happen. Losing streaks, unbelievable walk-offs, No-Hitters, getting swept by the Mets, our best player is 20-years old, and our 5th starter has YET to win a game.

 

[supraturbo619]

Brooks Conrad, MVHS (Spring Valley, CA) c/o 98! 

 

[venom lyrix]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRedStorm

What's worse is JRain refuses to acknowledge that Livan got off to a great start with the Mets last year as well, and didn't falter until June.

John Maine with another injury tonight, pulled after 6 pitches. Dude is shot.

5 pitches

 

[wildkycat]

STILL can't believe how we lost today.

Griffey.

Tampa

 

[kiddin like jason]

I used to be on Fangraphs, I don't remember my password though. Isn't it free KLJ?

I guess not.

They have a section called "Bonus Blog," and when you open an entry, there's the first line of the article, and then:

To read the rest of this post either Buy the Second Opinion or Log In if you've already purchased.
http://www.fangraphs.com/bonus/index.php/the-best-pitch-in-baseball/

Edit: I guess it's connected to ESPN Insider?

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/tmi...1&_slug_=fangraphs-the-best-pitch-in-baseball

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/tmi...slug_=fangraphs-whos-really-carrying-his-team

 

[proshares]

Hmm, I don't remember ever paying for it. I mean I got an extra $8 in Paypal, why not. Check your inbox KLJ.  Here's the insiders:

Adam Wainwright pitched 233 innings during the 2009 season while posting a 2.63 ERA and a 3.11 FIP and earning himself a fair share of Cy Young Award votes. It would have been perfectly acceptable and understandable if Wainwright’s performance took a step back this season as hitters adjusted and Wainwright’s ERA increased. Yet the 28-year-old hasn’t taken a step back, and so far, he’s actually taking a step forward by pitching well enough in his first seven starts to record an ERA of 2.08 and a FIP of 2.55.

Seemingly the only change in Wainwright’s approach is an increase in the amount of breaking balls used. Earlier this season on TMI, Mark Simon noted how frequently Wainwright was using his curve last year, and he is even more reliant on his breaking stuff this season.

Throughout his career, about half of the pitches Wainwright threw were fastballs. This season he’s throwing his heater less than 42 percent of the time and instead focusing on his always excellent slider and curve. FanGraphs’ linear weights based on pitch type give run values for each offering, and for his career, Wainwright’s curve is worth 45.2 runs above average and his slider 35.3 runs. It's a stark contrast from the minus-7.6 runs his fastball is valued at, or the plus-3.9 run value of his change-up.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Wainwright’s success is how predictable his usage has become. The only counts in which Wainwright is throwing a fastball more than 50 percent of the time are obvious fastball situations (1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, 3-1, and 3-2). He’s using his curveball more than 70 percent of the time in 0-2 counts, and nearly 60 percent of the time in 1-2 and 2-2 counts.

When Wainwright gets ahead –- and he usually does –- batters have to know the hammer is on the way, and yet they still can’t hit the thing. Nearly 13 percent of the curves Wainwright has thrown have been swung at and missed and roughly 70 percent have been strikes –- whether it be of the foul, called, or swinging variety. As far as out pitches go, it’s hard to find one that gets the job done as often as Wainwright’s curve, and it’s easy to see why he’s on the path to a career year.

Today on ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick writes about players who are carrying their teams in a variety of ways. And while we can't put a number on any emotional or intangible lift a player gives his squad, we do have some cold, hard numbers that tell us which guys are really carrying their squads. To start, let's look at which players have the highest percentage of their team's wins above replacement.

Carrying Their Teams
These players represent the highest percentage of their respective teams' wins above replacement (WAR).

Name WAR Percentage of team's total WAR
Shin-Soo Choo 1.5 14%
Nelson Cruz 1.9 13%
Chase Utley 2.5 13%
Alex Rios 1.7 12%
Andrew McCutchen 1.1 12%
Michael Bourn 1.2 12%
Vernon Wells 2 11%
Jered Weaver 1.1 11%
Franklin Gutierrez 1.4 11%
Justin Morneau 2.2 10%


Based on the numbers, no one is carrying his team quite like Choo, but that's a byproduct of being an excellent player on a bad team. The same can be said for McCutchen and Bourn. But I think the spirit of carrying a team implies something more. To make it relevant, you have to be able to carry a team that wins.

Therefore, let's give extra credit to Chase Utley and Roy Halladay of the Phillies. The pair has the most WAR of any batter (2.5) and pitcher (2.2) respectively this season and account for 23 percent of a first-place team's WAR.

Moving to the American League, Nelson Cruz and Justin Morneau are both are off to scorching starts for division-leading clubs. Morneau’s 2.2 wins above replacement is already more than half as many wins as he has in any season of his career, including his 2006 MVP season and accounts for 10 percent of the Twins' total WAR. Cruz’s 1.9 wins above replacement is possibly more impressive given that he did that in only 19 games before hitting the disabled list with a hamstring issue. He’s been a force in a lineup that has so far disappointed in offensive production. His production has accounted for 13 percent of the Rangers' total WAR.

On the other end of the spectrum are some players that teams were counting on to perform and have faltered so far. Chief among those would be Aramis Ramirez (-0.9 WAR) of the Cubs, who has been well below replacement level.

Howie Kendrick (-0.5 WAR) and Erick Aybar (-0.2 WAR) of the Angels have seen bigger than expected regressions from their highs in 2009. Both are under replacement level and are a big reason why the Angels have been so disappointing. Over in Boston, a team that Theo Epstein built on pitching and defense has seen good hitting and the expected solid defensive play, but has been completely let down by its vaunted pitching staff. Josh Beckett’s struggles are highly visible (0.5 WAR), but the entire staff has been less than dominating, and excluding Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon, the bullpen has combined for -0.6 WAR. Defenders can only do so much when the ball is being lined all over the park.