Results tagged ‘ Cliff Lee ’
The 2010 American League West Preview
As I sit and wait for baseball to begin, I decided to take the fact that I have no life and go through every MLB team and project their roster, as of the beginning of Spring Training. I like to show as often as possible that I’m not just a Phillies fan; I want to know as much about baseball as possible. I want to know to Orioles roster and I want to know the Giants roster, along with every team in the middle. I’m not going to be doing any sort of season projections now, it’s far too early to tell something like that. I just want a feel for what a team is going to look like, I’ll do my best to breakdown the strengths and weaknesses. If you see something that doesn’t look right, it is most likely because that is who I personally believe should be in that spot.
The Los Angeles Angels
Projected Rotation:
Jered Weaver – RHP
Joe Saunders – LHP
Joel Pineiro – RHP
Scott Kazmir – LHP
Ervin Santana – RHP
Not seeing John Lackey at the top of the list really does take something away from the rotation. After the year he just had, the Pineiro signing looks to be a smart one, plus, it solidifies the 3 spot pretty well. Ervin Santana will have a lot to do with the success of this club, from 16 wins in ’08 to 8 in ’09, 3.50 ERA to 5.00 ERA, they need him now more than ever.
Projected Bullpen:
Brian Fuentes – Closer – LHP
Fernando Rodney – RHP
Scot Shields – RHP
Kevin Jepsen – RHP
Jason Bulger – RHP
Matt Palmer – RHP
Sean O’Sullivan – RHP
A little unsure about this bullpen. Fuentes is an average closer at best and Rodney was good with save conversions, but the ERA was awfully high. What will help, is a healthy Scot Shields; he’s a guy that I have always liked and I hope he returns to form. Jepsen was a nice find as well last year, he’ll need to be even better this time around.
Projected Starters:
C – Mike Napoli – R
1B – Kendry Morales – S
2B – Howie Kendrick – R
3B – Brandon Wood – R
SS – Erick Aybar – S
LF – Juan Rivera – R
CF – Torii Hunter – R
RF – Bobby Abreu – L
DH – Hideki Matsui – L
I hope all of Brandon Wood’s waiting comes to fruition this season as 3rd base now belongs to him. The rest of the lineup remained relatively unchanged, except for the addition of a new DH in Hideki Matsui.
Projected Bench:
C Jeff Mathis – R
INF Maicer Izturis – S
OF Reggie Willits – S
3B Freddy Sandoval – S
Other Options:
OF Terry Evans – R
This looks to be a pretty strong bench if you ask me. Maicer Izturis really could be a starter on many teams and Reggie Willits reminds me a lot of Brandon Wood. Both of them are good enough in the Minors, but lack in the Majors.
The Oakland Athletics
Projected Rotation:
Ben Sheets – RHP
Dallas Braden – LHP
Justin Duchscherer – RHP
Brett Anderson – LHP
Trevor Cahill – RHP
Other Options:
Vin Mazzaro – RHP
Gio Gonzalez – LHP
Josh Outman – LHP
Any potential success this rotation will have relies on health. If those top three guys stay healthy, especially Sheets and Duchscherer, watch out for these guys. Ben Sheets is one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball when he’s on, and hitters make that pretty clear. Justin Duchscherer is really a very nice foil pair (my 11th grade English teacher would be proud) to Sheets, as both take very different roads to getting hitters out, but they do it.
Projected Bullpen:
Andrew Bailey – Closer – RHP
Brad Ziegler – RHP
Michael Wuertz – RHP
Joey Devine – RHP
Craig Breslow – LHP
Jerry Blevins – LHP
Jon Meloan – RHP
The A’s bullpen looks alright on paper to tell you the truth. You have a good young closer, your daily dose of two lefties and Michael Wuertz (who was crazy good last year, I had no idea). A healthy Joey Devine will also do this pen a world of good.
Projected Starters:
C – Kurt Suzuki – R
1B – Daric Barton – L
2B – Mark Ellis – R
3B – Kevin Kouzmanoff – R
SS – Cliff Pennington – S
LF – Rajai Davis – R
CF – Coco Crisp – S
RF – Ryan Sweeney – L
DH – Jack Cust – L
I wonder if this team will do a good job at working walks? Something tells me it will as the A’s brass love that sort of thing, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It is a good apporach to the plate, but too many times batting averages aren’t high enough. Nobody here really sticks out, although, I love Kurt Suzuki behind the dish, he’s grown to be a fairly good hitter too.
Projected Bench:
C Landon Powell – S
3B/1B Eric Chavez – L
INF Adam Rosales – R
1B/3B/DH Jake Fox – R
Other Options:
OF Gabe Gross – L
2B/OF Eric Patterson – L
OF Travis Buck – L
With Chavez, Rosales, and Fox on the bench, it’s looking pretty good. Chavez has proven what he can do, Rosales has annihilated the Minors, and Jake Fox could one day be starting somewhere (he has got big time power, for those who don’t know).
The Seattle Mariners
Projected Rotation:
Felix Hernandez – RHP
Cliff Lee – LHP
Ryan Rowland-Smith – LHP
Ian Snell – RHP
Doug Fister – RHP
Other Options:
Luke French – LHP
I’ve been talking ever since the trade went down that Seattle now has the best 1-2 punch in the MLB. Cliff Lee made a fan for life out of me last year when he did what he did for me and my Phillies. I tuned in with new-found excitement everytime he pitched and was wowed during Game 1 of the World Series when he dominated. In addition, I was genuinely disappointed when I heard we traded him away. It’s not all about Cliff though, King Felix was just that last year and I really like Ryan Rowland-Smith, these guys look rather good.
Projected Bullpen:
David Aardsma – Closer – RHP
Mark Lowe – RHP
Brandon League – RHP
Sean White – RHP
Garrett Olson – LHP
Shawn Kelley – RHP
Jason Vargas – LHP
Other Options:
Kanekoa Texeira* – RHP
*Rule 5 pick*
I wouldn’t say that the bullpen looks anywhere near as good as the rotation. Picking up Brandon League, even if it meant trading away Brandon Morrow, will be worth it in the end. He’s got quite the live arm and is a tough guy to face in the late innings when he’s healthy. David Aardsma may have been the surprise of the season last year, as I don’t believe anyone saw that dominance coming. Mark Lowe adds to League and Aardsma to give hitters three tough arms to face late in games.
Projected Starters:
C – Rob Johnson – R
1B – Casey Kotchman – L
2B – Jose Lopez – R
3B – Chone Figgins – S
SS – Jack Wilson – R
LF – Milton Bradley – S
CF – Franklin Gutierrez – R
RF – Ichiro Suzuki – L
DH – Ken Griffey Jr. – L
Adding former division rival Chone Figgans and giving Milton Bradley a change of scenery should do wonders for this already stable offensive team. Not to mention, the defense on this team looks spectacular. I suppose the only guy you really won’t know what to expect from is the new catcher Rob Johnson, he may not even win the job once Spring is over.
Projected Bench:
OF Michael Saunders – L
C Josh Bard – S
3B/1B Jack Hannahan – L
1B/DH Ryan Garko – R
Other Options:
LF/DH Eric Byrnes – R
C Adam Moore – R
OF Ryan Langerhans – L
INF Matt Tuiasosopo – R
This is a bench that has a lot of options, maybe some of these guys should be starting and maybe some of them should make the team. Should Ryan Garko be the DH when there is a lefty on the mound? Should Eric Byrnes get the veteran benefit of the doubt and take a spot from someone younger (and possibly more deserving)? These questions should be answered during Spring.
The Texas Rangers
Projected Rotation:
Scott Feldman – RHP
Rich Harden – RHP
Tommy Hunter – RHP
Brandon McCarthy – RHP
Derek Holland – LHP
Other Options:
Colby Lewis – RHP
Neftali Feliz – RHP
What is with all this talk about Colby Lewis getting a spot in the rotation? Whatever he did in Japan or whatever is fine and dandy, but he doesn’t earn the right the be given anything. I put Tommy Hunter, Brandon McCarthy, and Derek Holland ahead of him on my depth chart. Rich Harden is a fantastic signing, those of you who know my blog know all to well how I feel about him. This guy has the nastiest stuff I have ever seen when he is healthy, Cy Young stuff.
Projected Bullpen:
Frank Francisco – Closer – RHP
C.J. Wilson – LHP
Neftali Feliz – RHP
Darren Oliver – LHP
Darren O’Day – RHP
Chris Ray – RHP
Doug Mathis – RHP
Since the Rangers decided to bring Neftali Feliz to the Majors last season as a relief pitcher, then that is where he should stay. I’ve seen the Yankees run Joba Chamberlain into the ground because they can’t figure out where they want him, and frankly I don’t want to see the same thing happen to Feliz. In addition to that, the Rangers need more help in the bullpen anyways. With Feliz having a spot in the pen, it looks to be a pretty good one.
Projected Starters:
C – Jarrod Saltalamacchia – S
1B – Chris Davis – L
2B – Ian Kinsler – R
3B – Michael Young – R
SS – Elvis Andrus – R
LF – Josh Hamilton – L
CF – Julio Borbon – L
RF – Nelson Cruz – R
DH – Vladimir Guerrero – R
It should come as no surprise to anyone that this Rangers offense looks to be awfully strong, even without Rudy Jaramillo as hitting coach. It’s good to hear that Jarrod Saltalamacchia is feeling good, so he should do just fine behind the plate. Josh Hamilton is going to need to be healthy this year, he’s exciting to watch and he really changes a game. A guy who I really like is Nelson Cruz. I first heard about Nellie in 2008 when I heard he was smashing the ball in the Minors. Well, Nellie brought his power to the Majors and if anyone hasn’t seen him yet, by all means, watch him this year.
Projected Bench:
OF David Murphy – L
C – Talyor Teagarden – R
INF Joaquin Arias – R
INF Esteban German – R
I haven’t the slightest clue what is going on in the head of Khalil Greene, but I hope he gets everything sorted out up there. I remember watching him when he first came up and being really impressed with his defense, good luck Khalil. David Murphy is a guy who, by all rights, should be a starter. Well, he would be a starter on most other clubs, but this particular team has a stacked outfield, he’ll be just fine on the bench though.
The 2010 American League Central Preview
As I sit and wait for baseball to begin, I decided to take the fact that I have no life and go through every MLB team and project their roster, as of the beginning of Spring Training. I like to show as often as possible that I’m not just a Phillies fan; I want to know as much about baseball as possible. I want to know to Orioles roster and I want to know the Giants roster, along with every team in the middle. I’m not going to be doing any sort of season projections now, it’s far too early to tell something like that. I just want a feel for what a team is going to look like, I’ll do my best to breakdown the strengths and weaknesses. If you see something that doesn’t look right, it is most likely because that is who I personally believe should be in that spot.
The Chicago White Sox
Projected Rotation:
Jake Peavy – RHP
Mark Buehrle - LHP
Gavin Floyd – RHP
John Danks – LHP
Freddy Garcia – RHP
Other Options:
Dan Hudson – RHP
How strong does this rotation look? As I was writing it down, I realized it is just good pitcher after good pitcher (Freddy Garcia is a solid 5th starter people). Can you imagine this team coming at you in the playoffs with these top four coming at you?
Projected Bullpen:
Bobby Jenks – Closer – RHP
Matt Thornton – LHP
J.J. Putz – RHP
Scott Linebrink – RHP
Tony Pena – RHP
Freddy Dolsi – RHP
Randy Williams – LHP
Looks to be a strong bullpen too, but put the question marks next to Dolsi, Williams, and even J.J. Putz. Putz is coming off a rough year in New York, although I don’t believe he was happy with that situation from the start. He wanted to be a closer, and I’m sure he still does. Hopefully his attitude has changed, because he’s not the closer here either. He’s got a nice pitch selection and could really be a tough guy to face in the 8th inning,
Projected Starters:
C – A.J. Pierzynski – L
1B – Paul Konerko – R
2B – Gordon Beckham – R
3B – Mark Teahen – L
SS – Alexei Ramirez – R
LF – Juan Pierre – L
CF – Alex Rios – R
RF – Carlos Quentin – R
DH – Mark Kotsay – L / Andruw Jones – R (RHP/LHP)
The rotation may look fantastic, and honestly the lineup doesn’t look much worse. This is a lineup that had endless potential. While guys like Beckham and Ramirez have showed it, guys like Mark Teahen and Alex Rios haven’t shown us what they’re really capable of. Teahen can play any position you ever wanted him to, although he’s capable of more with the stick. Alex Rios had a down year, plain and simple, I know how good this guy can be and I hope he shows the South Side of Chicago in 2010.
Projected Bench:
OF/DH Andruw Jones / 1B/OF/DH Mark Kotsay
INF Omar Vizquel – S
UTIL Jayson Nix – R
C Ramon Castro – R
The bench may be the weakest part of the team, but really it’s pretty solid. In the American League you don’t need to have a really strong bench to be successful, so they should be alright with this group of guys.
The Cleveland Indians
Projected Rotation:
Jake Westbrook – RHP
Fausto Carmona – RHP
Justin Masterson – RHP
Aaron Laffey – LHP
David Huff – LHP
Other Options:
Jeremy Sowers* – LHP
Mitch Talbot* – RHP
Carlos Carrasco – RHP
*Out of options*
Decisions, decisions. Sowers and Talbot are both out of options, does this increase their odds of making the rotation? Not in my book. Sowers has proven that maybe his one good season was a bit of a fluke; if he struggles in Spring, then you don’t want him on your roster. Mitch Talbot has pitched three games in the majors with an ERA over 11, don’t lose sleep over him.
Projected Bullpen:
Kerry Wood – Closer – RHP
Chris Perez – RHP
Joe Smith – RHP
Rafael Perez – LHP
Tony Sipp – LHP
Jensen Lewis – RHP
Jess Todd – RHP
Other Options:
Jeremy Sowers/Mitch Talbot*
Hector Ambriz**
Jason Grilli***
Saul Rivera***
Jamey Wright***
*If not starters*
**Rule 5 pick**
***Non-roster invitees***
Speaking of decisions, some more come about here in the bullpen. Six of them seem to be pretty much a lock, but that other spot will have about six able pitchers gunning for it. I really like those three non-roster guys, I would give them all a pretty good shot at making the club, but we all know that can’t happen.
Projected Starters:
C – Lou Marson – R
1B - Russell Branyan - L
2B – Luis Valbuena – L
3B – Jhonny Peralta – R
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera – S
LF - Matt LaPorta - R
CF – Grady Sizemore – L
RF – Shin-Soo Choo – L
DH – Travis Hafner – L
I actually think this lineup is fairly capable, but obviously you can’t be sure about all of them. Can Choo and Cabrera keep it up? How will the guy I never want traded from the Phillies do (Lou Marson)? Some interesting questions. I think Choo and Asdrubal are great players and I don’t doubt their ability one bit. I’m hoping that Lou Marson blows away this organization, I want him to make the Phillies rue the day they put him in the Lee deal. Not to mention, I can’t wait to see what Matt LaPorta can do, seeing as how I personally didn’t see him that much last season.
Projected Bench:
C Mike Redmond – R
OF Trevor Crowe – S
1B/3B Andy Marte – R
INF Brian Bixler – R
Other Options:
LF Michael Brantley – L
OF Austin Kearns* – R
With the Indians seemingly deciding that Michael Brantley was going to be in Triple-A, the bench got weakened some. I really don’t know what to expect from Andy Marte, when is this guy going to come around?
The Detroit Tigers
Projected Rotation:
Justin Verlander – RHP
Rick Porcello – RHP
Max Scherzer – RHP
Nate Robertson – LHP
Jeremy Bonderman – RHP
Other Options:
Armando Galarraga – RHP
Eddie Bonine – RHP
The top three pitchers on this team have a real good chance to be one of the bigger threats t baseball. Although, a lot has to do with Porcello in his second year and Scherzer in the American League. Robertson and Bonderman will have a lot to do with the Tiger team, they need to at least be average for them to have any success.
Projected Bullpen:
Jose Valverde – Closer – RHP
Joel Zumaya – RHP
Ryan Perry – RHP
Bobby Seay – LHP
Phil Coke – LHP
Zach Miner – RHP
Fu-Te Ni – LHP
Other Options:
Daniel Schlereth – LHP
I almost like the look of the bullpen more than the rotation, it seems so much more solid. Health is obviously a key for Joel Zumaya, as per usual. He went from 83.1 innings in ’06 to 88 innings in ’07, ’08, and ’09 combined. 100 miles per hour isn’t so fast when it’s on the DL; if I’m the Tigers, I don’t expect much. What I like is that they have a lot of good options for left handed relief, which is always a plus.
Projected Starters:
C – Gerald Laird – R
1B – Miguel Cabrera – R
2B – Scott Sizemore – R
3B – Brandon Inge – R
SS – Adam Everett – R
LF - Johnny Damon - L
CF – Austin Jackson – R
RF – Magglio Ordonez – R
DH – Carlos Guillen – S
I expected to be writing about Ryan Raburn getting the chance to start, seems I don’t have to worry about that anymore. A big risk for the Tigers is that they are putting a lot of stock in two guys who have never played in the Majors before. So, who really knows what to expect from Scott Sizemore and Austin Jackson? I would say this projected lineup is average at best.
Projected Bench:
INF Ramon Santiago – S
OF Ryan Raburn – R
OF Clete Thomas – L
C Alex Avila – L
Other Options:
OF/3B Don Kelly – L
Sorry Ryan, back to the bench you go. Raburn is a wonderful player who really has a lot of talents. Go out there and have a huge Spring, make the Tigers think about their decision to sign Johnny Damon.
The Kansas City Royals
Projected Rotation:
Zack Greinke – RHP
Gil Meche – RHP
Luke Hochevar – RHP
Brian Bannister – RHP
Kyle Davies – RHP
Other Options:
Kyle Farnsworth – RHP
Robinson Tejeda – RHP
If I’m Kansas City, I entertain the idea of Farnsworth and Tejeda starting, but really, both of them are so much more valuble in the bullpen. I like the starting five for the Royals, it is basically what they expected to have all of last season, which obviously didn’t go according to plan. Zack Greinke, you could not have impressed the world more than you did last season, go out there and do it again, prove you aren’t some fluke.
Projected Bullpen:
Joakim Soria – Closer – RHP
Juan Cruz – RHP
Dusty Hughes – LHP
Roman Colon – RHP
Anthony Lerew – RHP
Kyle Farnsworth*
Robinson Tejeda*
Other Options:
Victor Marte – RHP
Edgar Osuna – RHP**
Matt Herges – RHP***
*If not starting*
**Rule 5 pick**
***Non-roster invitee***
You see how much chance I give Farnsworth and Tejeda to start, I already wrote them in as bullpen arms, which is how it should be. This really has the looks of a sub-par bullpen, worse than the one last season. Obviously Soria is a wizard down there, and I like Juan Cruz even after the poor ’09. Good luck to this makeshift bullpen.
Projected Starters:
C - Jason Kendall - R
1B – Billy Butler – R
2B – Chris Getz – L
3B – Alex Gordon – L
SS – Yuniesky Betancourt – R
LF – Scott Podsednik – L
CF – Rick Ankiel – L
RF – David DeJesus – L
DH – Jose Guillen – R
The lineup? It has some potential. For the record, I picked the Kansas City Royals to finish in 2nd place in the AL Central last season (by all means, enjoy your collective chuckle). This team just does not look as good as last years did, on paper of course. Not sure what Rick Ankiel will give you, and here’s to hoping that Mike Aviles comes back strong. Alex Gordon is another young gun that I still have faith in, as for now, I’ll just wait. Billy Butler is the real deal though, if anybody needs a player to watch, make it him. He is a prime example of a pure hitter, it’s not all about power for this big man.
Projected Bench:
2B/3B Alberto Callaspo – S
UTIL Willy Bloomquist – R
C Brayan Pena – S
3B/LF/1B Josh Fields – R
Other Options:
SS Mike Aviles – R
OF Mitch Maier – L
The bench is one aspect of the team that looks good. You have a good offensive infielder in Callaspo, utility man defense with Willy Bloomquist, and a ton of power with Josh Fields.
The Minnesota Twins
Projected Rotation:
Scott Baker – RHP
Kevin Slowey – RHP
Carl Pavano – RHP
Nick Blackburn – RHP
Brian Duensing – LHP
Other Options:
Francisco Liriano – LHP
Glen Perkins – LHP
Looks solid to me. I hear that Francisco Liriano has looked really good in whatever offseason league he’s pitching for, so there is something for the Twins to think about. If you don’t follow baseball all that closely this rotation may slip past you. Don’t be fooled, you have a veteran presence in Pavano, surrounded by promising young arms who have each tasted a little success.
Projected Bullpen:
Joe Nathan – Closer – RHP
Matt Guerrier – RHP
Jose Mijares – LHP
Jesse Crain – RHP
Clay Condrey – RHP
Pat Neshek – RHP
Jon Rauch – RHP
This is the most stable I have seen a Minnesota bullpen look in a few years. Every season I would check and see how they look and it always looked suspect, this time it looks different. My only concern is having only one lefty, but the righties they have are all really good, solid relievers. I would take this bullpen any day of the week.
Projected Starters:
C – Joe Mauer – L
1B – Justin Morneau – L
2B – Orlando Hudson – S
3B – Brendan Harris – R
SS – J.J. Hardy – R
LF – Delmon Young – R
CF – Denard Span – L
RF – Michael Cuddyer – R
DH – Jason Kubel – L
I’ve looked at the lineup, and there really isn’t much to talk about here, especially in terms of criticism. Obviously, Mauer and Morneau are MVP candidates every single year, while Span and Kubel really had breakout seasons. I do like the Hudson grab, he worked out alright for the Dodgers, I’m sure the Twins would take more of the same.
Projected Bench:
C Jose Morales – S
INF Nick Punto – S
3B Matt Tolbert – S
DH Jim Thome – L
Not a bad looking bench, but is this what they signed Thome for? I don’t see him taking Jason Kubel’s job, especially after the year he just had.
Well, I Got It
I was complaining the other day about how my Phillies can never have an easy win, it has to be a challenge.
Well, that easy win was wrapped up and sent my way yesterday.
The offense was one thing to behold, but Cliff Lee was absolutely incredible. I love watching that man pitch, especially when his control is like that.
Today, Joe Blanton will take the mound, and i’ve been calling for him to start for a while, so hopefully he doesn’t let me down.
He’ll be taking on former Phillie Randy Wolf, I will not be angry if some Phillies fans bring back the Wolf Pack, that is totally fine with me.
On the other side of things, Jered Weaver takes on Andy Pettitte. I would like to see a good game from Weaver, and he needs it if the Angels want to stay alive.
The 2009 Playoffs, Day 6
First of all, I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to stay up until 2:15 IN THE MORNING to watch my Phillies win. Poor scheduling MLB, poor scheduling. I guess I can just be thankful that they won that game.
Reasons to be Thankful:
Reason 1: That would have been the worst loss ever if I had to sit up that long for nothing.
Reason 2: The Phillies really didn’t play all that well of a game, in my opinion at least. The pitching was weak and everytime the offense got something going, the Rockies put us back in our place.
Reason 3: Brad Lidge. Lidge did his job in giving Phillies fans reason to scream at the television and chew their fingernails down to the bone. You may say he got the save, but I really don’t think that was a good sign, he still wasn’t all that good.
At the end of the day, the Phillies won, their up 2-1, and Cliff Lee is pitching today.
There were other games yesterday as well. The Los Angeles Angels completed the sweep of a team they couldn’t beat in the playoffs. Congrats to the Angels because now they’ve showed me they can beat Boston, not to mention the way they did it. I have nothing against Boston, but I really don’t like Papelbon at all, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy, good job LA.
The New York Yankees also completed their sweep of the Minnesota Twins, a team they’ve beat every single time this season. That baserunning error by Nick Punto actually broke my heart, because I could only imagine what all those Twins fans were feeling, watching their season disappear right before their eyes. The Twins did a good job to get there, it’s just sad the way it ended. On a side note, I feel for Carl Pavano too, he pitched a phenominal game, and made two bad pitches that ruined him.
Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies – Game 4 (2-1 Philadelphia)
6:07 ET: Cliff Lee v. Ubaldo Jimenez
Cliff Lee’s Record: 14-13, 3.22 ERA
Postseason Record: 1-0, 1.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
This Postseason Record: 1-0, 1.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Ubaldo Jimenez’ Record: 15-12, 3.47 ERA
Postseason Record: 0-2, 3.86 ERA (4 starts, 0 relief)
This Postseason Record: 0-1, 9.00 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)
Cliff Lee was nothing short of phenominal in Game 1 of the series, watching that game was a pleasure. I really hope Cliff can go out there tonight and battle the weather and do the same thing all over again, if he can, the Phillies move on to play the Dodgers.
Ubaldo Jimenez was rolling right along in Game 1, and then, it all just fell apart for Jimenez. What makes me nervous though is that when he was on, he was running over the Phillies hitters. Ubaldo is capable of domination, let us see what he can do in this big game for the Rocks.
The 2009 Playoffs, Day 1
Three games on today to start the postseason, The Rockies take on the Phillies, the Twins face the Yankees, and the Cardinals meet the Dodgers.
Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies – Game 1
2:37 ET: Ubaldo Jimenez v. Cliff Lee
Ubaldo Jimenez’ Record: 15-12, 3.47 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 0-1, 2.25 ERA (3 starts, 0 relief)
Cliff Lee’s Record: 14-13, 3.22 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees – Game 1
6:07 ET: Brian Duensing v. CC Sabathia
Brian Duensing’s Record: 5-2, 3.64 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
CC Sabathia’s Record: 19-8, 3.37 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 2-3, 7.92 ERA (5 starts, 0 relief)
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 1
9:37 ET: Chris Carpenter v. Randy Wolf
Chris Carpenter’s Record: 17-4, 2.24 ERA
Past Postseason Record: 5-1, 2.53 ERA (8 starts, 0 relief)
Randy Wolf’s Record: 11-7, 3.23 ERA
Past Postseason Record: N/A
Of the six pitchers today, three have them have pitched in the playoffs before. Of those three, two of them have been pretty successful.
Judging by regular season record and past playoff experience, Chris Carpenter is the best pitcher on the mound today.
CC Sabathia really needs to turn things around this year. The Yankees have 0 chance to win if he pitched poorly.
The Twins are starting a rookie in Brian Duensing, clearly they’ve had a lot of work to do this past week, but I find it surprising, then again, who else is there?
Cliff Lee hasn’t been Cliff Lee over his last seven games, I hope his first playoff experience is a good one.
Ubaldo Jimenez will be in a very familiar place today, back in Philadelphia where he made his postseason debut, where, much to my dismay, his Rockies destroyed my Phillies.
Randy Wolf has been in the league a long time, but just now will he be pitching in the playoffs for the fisrt time, I wish him the best and I hope the Wolf Pack is with him.
I’m looking forward to these games today, playoff baseball is back.
Duel of the Day – Friday, September 25, 2009
It’s amazing how much easier a game is when you score 9 runs, the Phillies should try that out more often.
Pitchers that went 7 innings: Bronson Arroyo (W, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 K’s), Charlie Morton (L, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 3 K’s), Justin Verlander (W, 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 11 K’s), Ryan Dempster (ND, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 6 K’s)
Pitchers that went 8 innings: Felix Hernandez (W, 7 hits, 4 runs – 3 earned, 2 walks, 11 K’s), Brad Penny (ND, 7 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 K’s)
The Duel of Yesterday: Ryan Dempster v. Brad Penny
The Matchups:
7:05: Baltimore Orioles (David Hernandez, 4-8, 5.34) at Cleveland Indians (Fausto Carmona, 3-12, 6.81)
7:05: Atlanta Braves (Javier Vazquez, 14-9, 2.91) at Washington Nationals (John Lannan, 9-12, 4.07)
7:05: Boston Red Sox (Jon Lester, 14-7, 3.33) at New York Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, 8-6, 4.72)
7:05: Los Angeles Dodgers (Jon Garland, 11-11, 4.02) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Jeff Karstens, 3-5, 5.53)
7:07: Seattle Mariners (Doug Fister, 2-3, 4.37) at Toronto Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 15-10, 3.01)
7:10: New York Mets (Tim Redding, 3-6, 5.25) at Florida Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 12-9, 5.34)
8:05: Tampa Bay Rays (James Shields, 10-11, 4.09) at Texas Rangers (Derek Holland, 7-12, 6.17)
8:05: Cincinnati Reds (Matt Maloney, 1-4, 5.35) at Houston Astros (Brian Moehler, 8-10, 4.86)
8:05: Philadelphia Phillies (Cliff Lee, 14-11, 2.99) at Milwaukee Brewers (Manny Parra, 10-10, 6.42)
8:10: Minnesota Twins (Carl Pavano, 12-11, 4.82) at Kansas City Royals (Robinson Tejeda, 4-1, 2.94)
8:10: St. Louis Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 16-4, 2.34) at Colorado Rockies (Aaron Cook, 10-6, 4.47)
8:11: Detroit Tigers (Eddie Bonine, 0-0, 5.96) at Chicago White Sox (Jake Peavy, 7-6, 4.05)
9:40: San Diego Padres (Kevin Correia, 11-10, 4.08) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Max Scherzer, 9-10, 4.08)
10:05: Oakland Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 5-6, 6.15) at Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver, 15-7, 3.87)
10:15: Chicago Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 8-6, 3.91) at San Francisco Giants (Tim Lincecum, 14-6, 2.47)
Some good pitching going on today, guys like Halladay and Peavy and Carpenter and Lincecum are going today. However, i’d like to talk about John Lannan. I saw John Lannan live when I was in Washington this summer, he faced the Padres and probably pitched his best game of the season. I think a guy like him can really be a very good lefty in this league for the next 10 seasons at least. Emphasis on “lefty.” Lannan is already considered a crafty left-hander, which is a really good thing. Guys like Jamie Moyer, Randy Wolf, and Doug Davis have had incredible successful careers being the “crafty lefties.” Good luck to Lannan, I hope i’m right and I hope I see him as a good pitcher in the MLB for seasons to come.
Duel of the Day – Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Pitchers who went 7 innings: Jered Weaver (L, 7.1 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 2 K’s), David Price (W, 7 hits, 4 runs – 3 earned, 2 walks, 4 K’s), Justin Verlander (ND, 10 hits, 5 runs, 0 walks, 9 K’s), Bronson Arroyo (W, 6 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 6 K’s), Jeff Suppan (L, 3 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, 2 K’s), Jeremy Sowers (ND, 6 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 2 K’s), Tim Lincecum (W, 6 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, 11 K’s)
Pitchers who went 8 innings: Ryan Dempster (W, 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 4 K’s)
Pitchers who went 9 innings: Brett Tomko (W, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 3 K’s)
The Duel of Yesterday: Jeff Suppan v. Ryan Dempster
The Matchups:
New York Mets (Pat Misch, 1-2, 3.86) at Atlanta Braves (Tommy Hanson, 9-3, 2.83)
Kansas City Royals (Robinson Tejeda, 2-1, 3.21) at Detroit Tigers (Jarrod Washburn, 9-8, 3.60 – 1-2, 6.64)
Tampa Bay Rays (Jeff Niemann, 12-5, 3.57) at Baltimore Orioles (Jason Berken, 4-11, 6.02)
Washington Nationals (Garrett Mock, 3-7, 5.75) at Philadelphia Phillies (Cliff Lee, 13-11, 3.13 – 6-2, 3.11)
Toronto Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 14-9, 3.03) at New York Yankees (Sergio Mitre, 3-2, 7.02)
Houston Astros (Roy Oswalt, 8-6, 4.03) at Cincinnati Reds (Kip Wells, 1-4, 5.21)
Los Angeles Angels (John Lackey, 10-7, 3.53) at Boston Red Sox (Daisuke Matsuzaka, 1-6, 8.23)
Milwaukee Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 12-11, 3.59) at Chicago Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 8-6, 3.77)
Oakland Athletics (Edgar Gonzalez, 0-2, 4.92) at Texas Rangers (Brandon McCarthy, 7-2, 4.81)
Cleveland Indians (Fausto Carmona, 3-10, 6.48) at Minnesota Twins (Scott Baker, 13-8, 4.33)
Florida Marlins (Sean West, 6-5, 4.81) at St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 18-7, 3.59)
Arizona Diamondbacks (Dan Haren, 13-8, 2.82) at San Diego Padres (Wade LeBlanc, 2-1, 5.01)
Pittsburgh Pirates (Zach Duke, 10-14, 4.02) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 10-6, 3.22)
Chicago White Sox (Freddy Garcia, 1-2, 4.40) at Seattle Mariners (Ian Snell, 6-10, 5.28 – 4-2, 5.13)
Colorado Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez, 13-10, 3.32) at San Francisco Giants (Barry Zito, 9-12, 3.99)
The Duel:
No duels on the horizon for this lovely Tuesday, a good matchup to watch will definetly be the Rockies/Giants game, with yesterday’s win by San Fran they are now just 3.5 games out of the Wild Card. It’s a shame that the NL Wild Card is really the only interesting race. Everything else is a fairly comfortable lead. Also, Adam Wainwright will be going for win #19 on his incredible season. Daisuke Matsuzaka returns to the rotation tonight against the Angels. I know i’ll also be interested in what Brandon McCarthy does tonight, and most certainly, what Cliff Lee does tonight.
Duel of the Day – Wednesday, September 9, 2008
Pitchers who went 7 innings: Clay Buchholz (W, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 5 K’s), Javier Vazquez (W, 3 hits, 0 runs, 4 walks, 9 K’s), Jason Marquis (W, 7.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 7 K’s), Billy Buckner (ND, 5 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 4 K’s), Felix Hernandez (ND, 3 hits, 2 runs – 1 earned, 4 walks, 3 K’s), Scott Kazmir (ND, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 K’s)
The Duel of Yesterday: Felix Hernandez v. Scott Kazmir
The Matchups:
Texas Rangers (Scott Feldman, 15-4, 3.62) at Cleveland Indians (Fausto Carmona, 3-9, 6.08)
Chicago Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 7-6, 3.80) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Kevin Hart, 4-5, 4.67 – 1-4, 6.35)
St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 17-7, 2.68) at Milwaukee Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 6-8, 4.97)
San Diego Padres (Wade LeBlanc, 1-1, 6.06) at San Francisco Giants (Barry Zito, 9-11, 3.95)
Tampa Bay Rays (Jeff Niemann, 12-5, 3.67) at New York Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, 8-5, 4.41)
Philadelphia Phillies (Cliff Lee, 12-11, 3.06 – 5-2, 2.81) at Washington Nationals (Garrett Mock, 3-7, 5.63)
Minnesota Twins (Carl Pavano, 11-11, 5.09 – 2-3, 4.14) at Toronto Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 14-8, 2.98)
Baltimore Orioles (Jason Berken, 4-11, 6.07) at Boston Red Sox (Paul Byrd, 1-1, 7.56)
Florida Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 10-8, 5.27) at New York Mets (Pat Misch, 1-1, 3.25)
Atlanta Braves (Tommy Hanson, 9-3, 3.07) at Houston Astros (Wandy Rodriguez, 13-9, 2.82)
Detroit Tigers (Justin Verlander, 16-7, 3.29) at Kansas City Royals (Robinson Tejeda, 1-1, 3.61)
Oakland Athletics (Trevor Cahill, 8-12, 4.66) at Chicago White Sox (Freddy Garcia, 1-2, 4.76)
Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 12-12, 4.23) at Colorado Rockies (Jason Hammel, 8-7, 4.41)
Seattle Mariners (Ian Snell, 6-9, 5.21 – 4-1, 4.89) at Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver, 14-5, 3.79)
Los Angeles Dodgers (Jon Garland, 9-11, 4.23 – 1-0, 2.57) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Dan Haren, 13-8, 2.78)
The Duel:
I feel like I right about Wandy Rodriguez every time he pitches, oh right, because basically I do. This guy has been having a great season, and recently he’s been in some great matchups. He is coming off a very good start against the Phillies where he allowed 7 hits and 0 runs in 7 innings, while striking out 7. In that game, he also beat Cliff Lee, but he was bad that day. In 4 starts since allowing 10 earned runs, his ERA is a fantastic 1.61. On to Tommy Hanson, who now might be in the lead for the Rookie of the Year title, seeing as how J.A. Happ just got scratched yesterday and will now miss his next start as well. Hanson is 4-1 in his last 6 and hasn’t allowed more than 4 runs or more since July 31st. Also, his ERA is 2.79 since that day, so Hanson really has been throwing the ball well and it would be nice to see him finish strong (but not that nice, I would like my guy to win the ROY).
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