Results tagged ‘ Cole Hamels ’

The 2010 National League East 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 Atlanta Braves

Projected Rotation:
Jair Jurrjens – RHP
Tommy Hanson – RHP
Derek Lowe – RHP
Tim Hudson – RHP
Kenshin Kawakami – RHP

If Tim Hudson can make a healthy return to form, then National League beware.  This rotation reminds me slightly of the White Sox rotation, in that the top four pitchers are all proven, or proven enough, major league pitchers.  Don’t look past Kawakami either, a 3.86 ERA in your first year in the MLB is nothing to sneeze at.  Tommy Hanson is the guy to really keep an eye on though.  I caught him a few times last year and he is for real, I would wish him well, but I think it would be tongue-in-cheek.

Projected Bullpen:
Billy Wagner – Closer – LHP
Peter Moylan – RHP
Eric O’Flaherty – LHP
Takashi Saito – RHP
Kris Medlen – RHP
Manny Acosta – RHP
Jesse Chavez – RHP

Even with the addition of Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner, I don’t think they can easily replace Mikey Gonzalez and Rafa Soriano.  Both of the new guys are veterans to the game and products of the Red Sox bullpen last season.  They were surprisingly good too, it’ll be interesting to see how they do in Atlanta, with another year under their belts.  The rest of the bullpen looks alright, I’m a fan of Peter Moylan and I hear a lot of good things about Kris Medlen.

Projected Starters:
C – Brian McCann – L
1B – Troy Glaus – R
2B – Martin Prado – R
3B – Chipper Jones – S
SS – Yunel Escobar – R
LF - Matt Diaz - R
CF – Nate McLouth – L
RF - Melky Cabrera - S

In comparison to the rotation, I’d say the lineup looks suspect.  Don’t get me wrong, McCann and Jones and Escobar are legitimately good hitters, but you have to wonder about some of the othey guys.  One person you wonder about is Troy Glaus.  5 hits in 29 AB’s last season doesn’t look too good and he won’t ever hit .300; if the Braves get 25 homers and a .260 average, be happy.  Matt Diaz will finally get his chance to shine.  While his career average is .310, he has never had over 400 AB’s in a season, let us see if he can keep it up for the entire year.

Projected Bench:
C David Ross – R
UTIL Omar Infante – R
LF/RF/3B/1B Eric Hinske – L
OF Gregor Blanco – L
RF Jason Heyward – L
Other Options:
OF Jordan Schafer – L
SS Diory Hernandez – R

Can he do it?  Can the great Jason Heyward make the team out of Spring Training?  I really couldn’t tell you to be honest.  If he puts up the numbers, the Braves won’t be able to say no.  However, do you want him to sit on the bench?  I don’t think he’ll take right field away from Diaz, so I almost think the Minors would be better for him.

The Florida Marlins

Projected Rotation:
Josh Johnson – RHP
Ricky Nolasco – RHP
Anibal Sanchez – RHP
Chris Volstad – RHP
Sean West – LHP
Other Options:
Rick VandenHurk – RHP
Andrew Miller – LHP

Well a big offseason contract extension will keep J.J. around for a while, which is really good for the Marlins.  Johnson was fantastic for Florida last season and while I don’t expect him to be that good, he will easily be the best pitcher on that staff.  Ricky Nolasco didn’t come close to his ’08 numbers, but his final start still has me reeling (16 K’s, including 9 in a row at one point).  Chris Volstad is a guy to keep an eye on, he’s a big kid with a nice assortment of pitchers, I look for him to have a good bounce back year.

Projected Bullpen:
Leo Nunez – Closer – RHP
Dan Meyer – LHP
Brian Sanches – RHP
Renyel Pinto – LHP
Burke Badenhop – RHP
Tim Wood – RHP
Derrick Turnbow* – RHP

*Non-roster invitee*

It seems that five spots are locked up, but those last two were just guesses for me.  Leo Nunez came out of nowhere to take the closer role from fireballing Matt Lindstrom, and it is still his job today.  Speaking of coming out of nowhere, who saw Brian Sanches coming?  I didn’t even realize he played for the Phils in ’06 and ’07; well, he wasn’t exactly good.  I really do hope that Derrick Turnbow makes this team, I’ve been rooting for him to get back on track.

Projected Starters:
C – John Baker – L
1B – Gaby Sanchez – R / Logan Morrisson – L (LHP/RHP)
2B – Dan Uggla – R
3B – Jorge Cantu – R
SS – Hanley Ramirez – R
LF – Chris Coghlan – L
CF – Cameron Maybin – R
RF – Cody Ross – R

This is the second straight year that Gaby Sanchez has been the pre-Spring favorite to be the starting 1st basemen; last season, he finished with 21 At Bats.  This time around, Logan Morrisson (LoMo!) seems to be penciled in to platoon with Gaby, but who can tell?  Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan is going to be one of a number of players looking to avoid the second season drought.

Projected Bench:
Logan Morrisson/Gaby Sanchez
INF Emilio Bonifacio – S
C Ronny Paulino – R
1B/3B Wes Helms – R
OF Brett Carroll – R

Very solid bench for the Marlins, although the lack of a true lefty bat, besides LoMo on days he’s not starting, may hurt them.  Emilio Bonifacio was off to a smoking hot start last year, but soon came back to Earth, the bench is a good place for him.

The New York Mets

Projected Rotation:
Johan Santana – LHP
Mike Pelfrey – RHP
John Maine – RHP
Jon Niese – LHP
Oliver Perez – LHP
Other Options:
Fernando Nieve – RHP

This is a Met rotation that really didn’t look like this last season.  Between struggles and injuries, as well as a combination of both, helped leave this rotation in shambles.  It’s going to be a big bounce back year for this team and it has started with Johan Santana being kind enough to open his mouth, saying he’s the best.  Well that is a wonderful thing to say, but it’s a lot easier to be the best when you play all the games.

Projected Bullpen:
Francisco Rodriguez – Closer – RHP
Kelvim Escobar – RHP
Sean Green – RHP
Pedro Feliciano – LHP
Pat Misch – LHP
Ryota Igarashi – RHP
Bobby Parnell – RHP
Other Options:
Eddie Kunz – RHP

The bullpen is projected to look alright, it includes a new Japanese import as well as a former reliever turned starter turned reliever.  Kelvim Escobar has enjoyed success as both, and now he’s back to the bullpen, mainly for injuries sake.  He’ll be reuinted with former teammate K-Rod, whom he has made the playoffs with before.

Projected Starters:
C - Rod Barajas - R
1B – David Murphy – L
2B – Luis Castillo – S
3B – David Wright – R
SS – Jose Reyes – S
LF – Jason Bay – R
CF – Gary Matthews Jr. – S
RF – Jeff Francoeur – R

An underrated trade may be the one for Gary Matthews, whom the Mets acquired after finding out about Carlos Beltran and his mystery injury.  Although, the real important deal is the one that Jason Bay signed.  The Mets had an offseason filled will nothingness, but at least they can say they got their man in Bay.  Rod Barajas was just inked as well and he will likely take the place of starting catcher.

Projected Bench:
OF Angel Pagan – S
1B/2B/LF/RF Fernando Tatis – R
INF Anderson Hernandez – S
C Omir Santos - R
OF Fernando Martinez – L
Other Options:
LF/1B Nick Evans – R
C Henry Blanco - R

With the Barajas signing, Omir Santos is pushed to the bench and the real odd-man out is Henry Blanco.  Blanco was a guy I wanted the Phillies to sign as their backup catcher, and now he may not even make the 25-man roster.  Personally, I don’t know if Fernando Martinez will make the roster, but I figure he might as well get a shot at it.

The Philadelphia Phillies

Projected Rotation:
Roy Halladay – RHP
Cole Hamels – LHP
Joe Blanton – RHP
J.A. Happ – LHP
Jamie Moyer – LHP
Other Options:
Kyle Kendrick – RHP

Words cannot possibly explain how excited I am to see Roy Halladay take the mound on Opening Day for my Philadelphia Phillies.  Roy Halladay has been my favorite pitcher to watch ever since I really got into baseball three years ago, and now, he’s on my team.  It was really hard to sacrifice Cliff Lee, but I’m hoping it’s worth it in the end.  I’ve heard that Cole Hamels has looked phenominal so far, and boy do I hope that’s the truth.  I’ll put my faith in Cole to return to form, no way I’ll give up on him this easily.  J.A. Happ did nothing but produce when he finally got his shot to start, I’m really excited to watch him too.  As much as I respect Jamie Moyer and all that he’s done for us, if he struggles at all, and if Kyle Kendrick looks great, then maybe he shouldn’t be starting.  I’m hoping that’s not the case though.

Projected Bullpen:
Brad Lidge – Closer – RHP
Ryan Madson – RHP
J.C. Romero – LHP
Danys Baez – RHP
Chad Durbin – RHP
Jose Contreras – RHP
Sergio Escalona – LHP
Other Options:
Antonio Bastardo: LHP

Losing Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre may come back to bite this team.  How much can I really trust a guy like Danys Baez or Jose Contreras?  I knew that Chan Ho was a shutdown bullpen arm and that Scotty Eyre was the lefty specialist I wanted.  The one plus to Baez is that he is another closer option in case Bradley Lidge decides to implode again.  The one thing this team really needs is a healthy J.C. Romero.  If J.C. is feeling good, then there isn’t a doubt in my mind that he’ll put up the numbers to get the job done well.

Projected Starters:
C – Carlos Ruiz – R
1B – Ryan Howard – L
2B – Chase Utley – L
3B – Placido Polanco – R
SS – Jimmy Rollins – S
LF – Raul Ibanez – L
CF – Shane Victorino – S
RF – Jayson Werth – R

I love this lineup.  It is last year all over again with the addition of a 3rd basemen who can hit for average.  I really will miss Pedro Feliz’s defense though, he was great for us and I hope he does Houston well.  What can you say about this team though?  They just look so good and so strong.  Chase Utley’s time has come, this is the year he wins an MVP Award.  I don’t like bold predictions, because I think they’re bad luck, but I want to test the waters this time.

Projected Bench:
C Brian Schneider – L
1B Ross Gload – L
3B/LF/1B Greg Dobbs – L
OF Ben Francisco – R
INF Juan Castro – R
Other Options:
OF John Mayberry Jr. – R

The bench looks even better than it did last year.  Ross Gload is a really solid hitter, and Juan Castro should add more offense that Eric Bruntlett.  I don’t really like the Brian Schneider choice, but what can I do?  Just live with it and hope he does a good backup job.

The Washington Nationals

Projected Rotation:
John Lannan – LHP
Jason Marquis – RHP
Scott Olsen – LHP
J.D. Martin – RHP
Garrett Mock – RHP
Other Options:
Craig Stammen – RHP

First of all, I really liked the Jason Marquis signing.  A lot of credit has to be given to Jason because I’m sure Washington wasn’t first on his list of teams, but here he is, I hope it finds you well.  John Lannan is a guy that people should keep an eye on if they aren’t already doing so.  He’ll be around for a while because he already has the making of a veteran crafty lefty.  Oh and by the way, Stephen Strasburg is coming.  We don’t know when he’s coming, but he’s coming, so stay tuned,

Projected Bullpen:
Matt Capps – Closer – RHP
Sean Burnett – LHP
Brian Bruney – RHP
Jason Bergmann – RHP
Tyler Clippard – RHP
Tyler Walker – RHP
Eddie Guardado* – LHP
Other Options:
Colin Balester – RHP

*Non-roster invitee*

This bullpen should be an interesting one, and odds are it will be the clubs main downfall.  Many of these components are guys that weren’t really wanted by any other team, but they found a home here in D.C. and I hope they can make something out of it.  On a personal note, I know Tyler Walker was really good for the Phillies last season, good enough for me to want him to take over the closer’s spot.  Sean Burnett is a guy I like too, a real good late inning lefty who is now going to bridge the gap to once-again teammate Matt Capps.

Projected Starters:
C – Ivan Rodriguez – R
1B – Adam Dunn – L
2B – Adam Kennedy – L
3B – Ryan Zimmerman – R
SS – Christian Guzman – S
LF – Josh Willingham – R
CF – Nyjer Morgan – L
RF – Elijah Dukes – R

The first name that jumps out to me is Nyjer Morgan.  He was pushed out of Pittsburgh by Andrew McCutchen, I wonder why, and has found a new home here.  I really think of him as a great defender in center because of all that speed, but he’s such a catalyst at the top of the order.  This catalyst will do a lot of good to Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, because we all know the damage those guys can do.

Projected Bench:
C Jesus Flores – R
UTIL Ian Desmond – R
OF/2B/3B Willie Harris – L
1B/RF Mike Morse – R
INF Alberto Gonzalez – R

Really not much to speak of here for this bench.  Jesus Flores time to take over the starting catcher position was once again delayed, this time by a Hall of Famer in Pudge Rodriguez.  Ian Desmond is a guy who the Nationals are very high on, and he may even be the reason for a potential Christian Guzman trade, but only time will tell.

The 2009 Playoffs – Day 1 of the LCS

Even though I am 100% offended with the Phillies starting Pedro Martinez in Game 2, instead of a much better righty Joe Blanton, I will continue to type onwards and support my team through the playoffs, which might be a lot shorter now that Pedro is taking the mound.

Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 1

8:07 ET: Cole Hamels v. Clayton Kershaw

Cole Hamels’ Record: 10-11, 4.32 ERA
Postseason Record: 4-2, 2.70 ERA (7 starts, 0 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 0-1, 7.20 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)

Clayton Kershaw’s Record: 8-8, 2.79 ERA
Postseason Record: 0-0, 3.12 ERA (1 start, 2 relief)
2009 Postseason Record: 0-0, 2.70 ERA (1 start, 0 relief)

 

Cole Hamels has had a horrible season, there is no way around it.  He’s had injuries, bad luck, and just some bad pitching.  However, Cole has pitched very well against the Dodgers everytime he’s faced them, maybe that can change his luck.  Also, maybe the birth of his first son, Caleb, will vault him to complete dominance over all hitters.  Who knows anymore, all us Phillies fans have is that Cole Hamels was great last season in the playoffs and usually he brings his A game against Los Angeles.  If he can do this today, then the Phillies will jump out to a lead in a crucial series.  If he doesn’t, then kiss tomorrow goodbye as well, for Pedro won’t produce.

Clayton Kershaw is kind of interesting, to me at least.  He pitched in 31 games this season, and has a phenominal ERA of 2.79, but he only has 8 wins.  How did that happen?  Well, out of those 31 games, only seven of them saw him pitching 7 or more innings.  If you leave games after the 6th inning too often, you might not win that many games.  Now i’m not sure if the Dodgers were holding him back a little or if it was because his pitch count was too high.  It might be the pitch count though, 10 times this year he walked 4 or more batters and he never even had a game where he didn’t walk somebody.  He also likes the strikeout, which could be perfect for this time of year.  In the playoffs, you can just let loose, and I think he might, and if he does, he can dominate the strikeout-prone Phillies hitters.

Duel of the Day – Monday, September 28, 2009

Way to go Ryan Madson, you looked good yesterday.

Pitchers that went 7 innings: Ryan Rowland-Smith (L, 7 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 3 K’s), Brian Tallet (ND, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 6 K’s), Johnny Cueto (L, 7.1 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks, 5 K’s), Edwin Jackson (L, 7 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 3 K’s), Zack Greinke (W, 7 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 8 K’s), Brandon McCarthy (ND, 7.2 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs – 0 earned, 1 walk, 3 K’s), Billy Buckner (W, 3 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 7 K’s)

Pitchers that went 8 innings: David Huff (W, 5 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 K’s), Matt Cain (W, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 K’s)

Pitchers that went 9 innings: Pat Misch (W, 8 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 2 K’s)

The Performance of Yesterday: Zack Greinke assuring that the American League Cy Young Award is undoubtedly his.  I hope all the doubters are finally happy, they can’t complain about him going only 5 or 6 innings.  He got to 7 yesterday, and he was great again, way to go Zack, you so deserve it.

The Matchups:

12:35: Los Angeles Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 8-6, 3.65) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Zach Duke (10-15, 4.06)

7:00: Florida Marlins (Anibal Sanchez, 3-7, 4.01) at Atlanta Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 13-10, 2.70)

7:05: Chicago White Sox (John Danks, 12-10, 3.82) at Cleveland Indians (Aaron Laffey, 7-7, 3.93)

7:05: Kansas City Royals (Luke Hochevar, 7-11, 5.98) at New York Yankees (Chad Gaudin, 5-10, 4.78)

7:05: Minnesota Twins (Nick Blackburn, 11-11, 4.18) at Detroit Tigers (Rick Porcello, 14-9, 4.14)

7:05: Houston Astros (Yorman Bazardo, 0-2, 9.55) at Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 10-9, 4.11)

7:05: New York Mets (Nelson Figueroa, 2-7, 4.88) at Washington Nationals (Ross Detwiler, 0-6, 5.71)

7:08: Baltimore Orioles (Mark Hendrickson, 5-5, 4.37) at Tampa Bay Rays (Jeff Niemann, 12-6, 3.81)

7:10: Toronto Blue Jays (Scott Richmond, 7-10, 5.32) at Boston Red Sox (Michael Bowden, 0-0, 7.84)

10:05: Texas Rangers (Tommy Hunter, 9-4, 3.67) at Los Angeles Angels (Ervin Santana, 7-8, 5.46)

I’m definetly looking forward to watching Cole Hamels pitch tonight.  I think it’s coming together for Cole, and if so, it’s at the right time for sure.  If the Phillies even have a dream of winning the Series again, they need Cole Hamels.  Not only do they need him topitch well, but he needs to go as deep as possible into the games.  If he’s pitching a gem through 7, keep him in, the same goes for the 8th, basically because this bullpen is so hard to trust.

Duel of the Day – Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Congratulations to the New York Yankees who have now secured their spot in the postseason.  One is so used to them being in the playoffs you almost forget that they werent there last season.  I think the Yankees have the offense, but their pitching is a little suspect.  After CC Sabathia, who is left to hold down the fort?  In other news, big ups to Zack Greinke for throwing 6 scoreless against Boston yersterday, I really think the Cy Young is all his, how do you deny a 2.08 ERA?

Pitchers that went 7 innings: Joe Blanton (W, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 K’s), Jamie Moyer (L, 9 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 K’s), Edwin Jackson (W, 7 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 2 K’s), Jair Jurrjens (W, 5 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 2 K’s), Nelson Figueroa (L, 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 5 K’s), Joel Pineiro (W, 5 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 K’s), Doug Davis (W, 7.1 innings, 10 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 2 K’s)

Pitchers that went 8 innings: Anibal Sanchez (W, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 K’s)

The Duel of Yesterday: Jamie Moyer v. Anibal Sanchez

3:35: New York Yankees (A.J. Burnett, 11-9, 4.22) at Los Angeles Angels (Scott Kazmir, 9-8, 5.08)

7:05: Cincinnati Reds (Homer Bailey, 5-5, 5.15) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Kevin Hart, 4-7, 4.71)

7:05: Detroit Tigers (Rick Porcello, 13-9, 4.22) at Cleveland Indians (Justin Masterson, 4-8, 4.49)

7:05: Los Angeles Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 12-10, 4.05) at Washington Nationals (Ross Detwiler, 0-6, 5.80)

7:07: Baltimore Orioles (Jeremy Guthrie, 10-15, 5.15) at Toronto Blue Jays (Scott Richmond, 6-10, 5.31)

7:08: Seattle Mariners (Brandon Morrow, 1-4, 5.08) at Tampa Bay Rays (Wade Davis, 1-1, 4.34)

7:10: Atlanta Braves (Tim Hudson, 1-1, 3.70) at New York Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 10-11, 5.11)

7:10: Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 10-9, 4.07) at Florida Marlins (Rick VandenHurk, 2-2, 4.24)

8:05: Chicago Cubs (Jeff Samardzija, 1-2, 7.89) at Milwaukee Brewers (Chris Narveson, 1-0, 4.22)

8:05: St. Louis Cardinals (John Smoltz, 3-6, 6.22) at Houston Astros (Bud Norris, 5-3, 5.07)

8:10: Boston Red Sox (Josh Beckett, 15-6, 3.80),at Kansas City Royals (Luke Hochevar, 7-10, 5.79)

8:11: Minnesota Twins (Brian Duensing, 4-1, 3.22) at Chicago White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 12-9, 3.84)

8:40: San Diego Padres (Tim Stauffer, 4-7, 3.56) at Colorado Rockies (Jason Marquis, 15-11, 3.84)

10:05: Texas Rangers (Tommy Hunter, 8-4, 3.25) at Oakland Athletics (Clay Mortensen, 2-2, 6.12)

10:10: San Francisco Giants (Jonathan Sanchez, 6-12, 4.29) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Kevin Mulvey, 0-1, 10.95)

I can only sit here and hope that Cole Hamels has figured it out.  This season has been hellacious for Cole, but now is when the Phillies will really need him.  His performance in last year’s playoffs was nothing short of incredible.  He dominated everyone in his path, and he enjoyed himself every step of the way.  Let’s go Cole, let’s finish strong and charge into the postseason on a tear.

Duel of the Day – Saturday, August 9, 2009

Looks like I got one right.

Pitchers who went 7 innings: Josh Beckett (ND, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 K’s), A.J. Burnett (ND, 7.2 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 walks, 6 K’s), Paul Maholm (ND, 9 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 4 K’s), Ricky Nolasco (W, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 7 K’s), Jeremy Sowers (W, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 3 K’s), Mark Buehrle (L, 7.2 innings, 11 hits, 6 runs – 5 earned, 2 walks, 2 K’s), Tim Lincecum (ND, 6 hits, 3 runs – 2 earned, 1 walk, 7 K’s)

Pitchers who went 8 innings: Chris Carpenter (W, 9 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 4 K’s)

The Duel of Yesterday: Josh Beckett v. A.J. Burnett

The matchups:

Baltimore Orioles (Chris Tillman, 0-0, 6.75) at Toronto Blue Jays (Brett Cecil, 5-1, 4.36)

Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 10-10, 5.10) at San Francisco Giants (Barry Zito, 7-10, 4.47)

Boston Red Sox (Clay Buchholz, 1-1. 6.05) at New York Yankees (CC Sabathia, 11-7, 3.95)

Texas Rangers (Kevin Millwood, 9-7, 3.39) at Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver, 11-3, 3.79)

Arizona Diamondbacks (Dan Haren, 11-6, 2.38) at Washington Nationals (Garrett Mock, 0-4, 6.75)

Florida Marlins (Sean West, 3-4, 4.91) at Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 7-6, 4.68)

Cleveland Indians (Justin Masterson, 3-3, 4.32) at Chicagp White Sox (Carlos Torres, 0-0, 4.50)

Milwaukee Brewers (Manny Parra, 6-8, 6.33) at Houston Astros (Mike Hampton, 7-8, 5.14)

Minnesota Twins (Carl Pavano, 9-8, 5.37) at Detroit Tigers (Justin Verlander, 12-5, 3.29)

St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 12-7, 2.79) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Charlie Morton, 2-4, 4.03)

Oakland Athletics (Clayton Mortensen, 0-0, 6.00) at Kansas City Royals (Zack Greinke, 10-7, 2.36)

Chicago Cubs (Ryan Dempster, 5-5, 4.09) at Colorado Rockies (Jason Marquis, 12-7, 3.49)

New York Mets (Bobby Parnell, 2-3, 3.74) at San Diego Padres (Mat Latos, 3-1, 2.66)

Tampa Bay Rays (James Shields, 6-8, 3.75) at Seattle Mariners (Ian Snell, 2-8, 5.19)

Atlanta Braves (Kenshin Kawakami, 5-9, 4.38) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 8-6, 2.89)

The rundown:

A potential pitchers duel with big implications in the AL West.  The Rangers are 3.5 games behind the Angels and they won last night.  Today, it’s Kevin Millwood against Jered Weaver.  Millwood, overall, is having a good season, his last start against the Angels, not so good.  5 innings, 9 runs.  Against the Angels this season he is 1-1 with 1 no decision.  Jered Weaver is putting together a very good season as well.  With a record of 11-3 and a not so dominating ERA of 3.79, Weaver has pitched good enough to win, he does have tendency to give up the long ball, surrendering 19 in 142.1 innings.  Last time he faced the Rangers, he struck out 9 in 7 innings, and picked up the win.  This season against Texas he is 1-1 with 1 no decision.

The notables:

CC Sabathia faces Boston today and he’ll be looking for innings, Cy Young candidate Danny Haren takes on the Washington Nationals, Cole Hamels looks to beat the Marlins and turn his season around, Justin Verlander faces the Twins, Adam Wainwright takes on the Pirates, Zack Greinke had a sub-par outing last time, tonight he takes on the A’s, Jason Marquis will continue his great season against the Cubs, James Shields will face the Mariners and Clayton Kershaw rounds out the evening by facing the Braves.

Duel of the Day – Sunday, August 2, 2009

Oh how good it feels to be back.  I didn’t realize how much I truly loved baseball until I was unable to watch it for a week, I was dying on the inside.  I did go to two live games, which were a lot of fun.  Free baseball in both games as Padres/Nationals went to the 10th and Royals/Orioles went to the 11th.  That Cliff Lee trade blew my mind, i’m still rather disappointed they gave up Lou Marson, because I think he can be a much better backup that Paul Bako (I wonder why?).  Regardless, an amazing start by Lee and i’m hoping for many many more.

Pitchers who went 7 innings: Josh Beckett (W, 6 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 K’s), Felix Hernandez (W, 6 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, 2 K’s), Joe Blanton (L, 7 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 5 K’s), Brett Cecil (W, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 3 K’s) 

Pitchers who went 8 innings: Jeff Niemann (W, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 7 K’s), Rick Porcello (ND, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 K’s), Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 5 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 8 K’s), Tim Lincecum (W, 7 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 8 K’s)

Pitchers who went 9 innings: Chris Carpenter (W, 8 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 5 K’s)

The matchups:

Detroit Tigers (Armando Galarraga, 5-9, 4.84) at Cleveland Indians (Carl Pavano, 8-8, 5.66)

Arizona Diamondbacks (Jon Garland, 5-10, 4.42) at New York Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 8-6, 4.72)

Colorado Rockies (Jason Marquis, 12-7, 3.47) at Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 10-10, 5.17)

Boston Red Sox (Clay Buchholz, 1-1, 3.52) at Baltimore Orioles (Jason Berken, 1-8, 6.21)

Washington Nationals (Collin Balester, 1-1, 4.00) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Paul Maholm, 6-5, 4.70)

Kansas City Royals (Brian Bannister, 6-7, 3.80) at Tampa Bay Rays (James Shields, 6-7, 3.87)

New York Yankees (CC Sabathia, 10-7, 3.83) at Chicago White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 11-4, 3.45)

Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver, 10-3, 3.71) at Minnesota Twins (Glen Perkins, 6-6, 5.42)

Houston Astros (Bud Norris, 0-0, 3.00) at St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 12-6, 2.80)

Milwaukee Brewers (Carlos Villanueva, 2-8, 6.61) at San Diego Padres (Kevin Correia, 7-8, 4.75)

Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 7-5, 4.42) at San Francisco Giants (Barry Zito, 6-10, 4.54)

Toronto Blue Jays (Ricky Romero, 9-4, 3.59) at Oakland Athletics (Vin Mazzaro, 2-7, 5.16)

Chicago Cubs (Ryan Dempster, 5-5, 4.31) at Florida Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 7-7, 5.24)

Los Angeles Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 10-6, 3.96) at Atlanta Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 9-7, 2.69)

Seattle Mariners (Ian Snell, 2-8, 5.36) at Texas Rangers (Scott Feldman, 9-4, 3.99)

The rundown:

I still like the Bannister v. Shields matchup, I think both of these guys can be even better than they are now.  I actually saw Bannister pitch when I was in Camden Yards last week, he got a no deciscion and pitched alright.  For some reason I can see this being a fairly good duel.  Shields is a well known workhorse, which is a great quality to have.  Bannister can be just as good, he just has the tendancy to leave his curveball very high.

CC Sabathia and Mark Buehrle, this one will be good.  CC hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was last season, but he is still CC Sabathia.  Mark Buehrle can’t really be any better than he has been as of late.  I’m going to make a bold prediction right now, both of these guys are pitching into the 8th inning, I just have a feeling.  What better way to spend a Sunday?

I’m not a huge fan of Billingsley, but he is the ace of the Dodgers pitching staff, and he knows what he’s doing.  Jair Jurrjens, on the other hand, is someone i’m a big fan of, with his ERA, his record deserves to be better.  I’m not sure if this is the ESPN game or if it’s Mariners/Rangers (usually there aren’t two 8:00 games on Sunday), but I think this is the one to watch.

The notables:

Jason Marquis looks to continue his incredible season against the Reds, one of my favorite’s Jered Weaver takes on the Twins, Adam Wainwright has been incredible; he’ll take on the Astros, Cole Hamels will face Barry Zito in a potential pitchers duel, Ricky Romero takes on the A’s, and Scott Feldman, who has been pretty good, will face the Mariners.

The winner:

Sabathia/Buehrle looks to be pretty good and I did make that bold prediction, i’m just looking forward to watching baseball again.

Duel of the Day – Thursday, July 23, 2009

Pitchers who went 7 innings: A.J. Burnett (6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 6 K’s), Jon Garland (5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 K’s), Trevor Cahill (6 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 K’s), Jair Jurrjens (7.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 9 K’s), Mike Pelfrey (6 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 2 K’s), Craig Stammen (7.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 5 K’s), Felix Hernandez (6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 K’s), Armando Galarraga (7.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 4 walks, 3 K’s), Roy Oswalt (7 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 4 K’s).

Pitchers who went 8 innings: Chris Carpenter (8 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 5 K’s).

The matchups:

Cleveland Indians (David Huff, 4-4, 6.60) at Toronto Blue Jays (Mark Rzepczynski, 1-1, 2.50)

San Francisco Giants (Barry Zito, 5-10, 4.89) at Atlanta Braves (Kenshin Kawakami, 5-7, 4.15)

Seattle Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 7-6, 2.87) at Detroit Tigers (Lucas French, 1-0, 1.89)

Tampa Bay Rays (Scott Kazmir, 4-5, 6.62) at Chicago White Sox (Mark Buehrle, 10-3, 3.52)

San Diego Padres (Kevin Correia, 6-7, 4.34) at Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 5-5, 4.72)

St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 10-6, 3.01) at Washington Nationals (Colin Balester – First Start)

Oakland Athletics (Vin Mazzaro, 2-6, 4.09) at New York Yankees (CC Sabathia, 9-6, 3.66)

Pittsburgh Pirates (Charlie Morton, 2-2, 3.21) at Arizona Diamondbacks (Danny Haren, 10-5, 1.96)

Minnesota Twins (Scott Baker, 8-7, 5.10) at Los Angeles Angels (Jered Weaver, 10-3, 3.48)

The rundown:

Again, you see Kazmir’s numbers and wonder what i’m doing, but this guy still has incredible stuff and I have faith that he’ll turn it around.  After the Rays loss yesterday they need a good start from him.  Mark Buehrle goes for the Sox and he has been having himself a very nice season, quietly I might add.  This one will be a good afternoon lefty throwdown, I hope Kazmir can get it together and I hope Buehrle can keep it up.

Charlie Morton is coming off a very good start against the San Francisco Giants and maybe he’ll repeat against another NL West team.  The Diamondbacks are having a terrible season, but the bright spot is Dan Haren, he is making it look so easy and he very well could be having the best season of any pitcher in the MLB.  Seeing as how the Pirates don’t really have a team anymore after selling everybody, hopefully Haren can lower that already minescule ERA even more.

The notables:

I’m still a Zito fan, he’ll be pitching at 1:00 against the Braves.  Jarrod Washburn will go for the Mariners and he’s having himself a season.  My man, Cole Hamels is pitching for the Phillies, please voodoo gods, take your curse off of Cole.  Adam Wainwright will face the lowly Nationals, CC Sabathia takes on the A’s, and Jered Weaver rounds out the night against the Twins.

The winner:

For me, it has to be Kazmir/Buerhle, mainly because Pittsburgh’s games are blacked out for me, but either way you go, there should be some good pitching, so enjoy it!

Duel of the Day – Friday, July 17, 2009

I’d like to thank the Washington Nationals for allowing Rich Harden to have a good start.  Vintage Harden, 6 innings, 7 K’s, 0 earned runs (1 run).  Another good performance was put up by Cliff Lee, who pitched a complete game against the Mariners.  Wandy Rodriguez pitched 6 solid innings and Ervin Santana went 8 against Oakland.  Yesterday’s star for me was Jamie Moyer, Moyer turns it on against the Fish and yesterday was no exception,  7 shutout innings in a 4-0 win.

The matchups:

Detroit Tigers (Lucas French, 1-0, 1.93) at New York Yankees (A.J. Burnett, 8-4, 3.77)

Chicago Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 5-4, 3.53) at Washington Nationals (Craig Stammen, 2-4, 4.45)

Seattle Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 9-3, 2.53) at Cleveland Indians (Tomo Ohka, 0-3, 6.40)

San Francisco Giants (Tim Lincecum, 10-2, 2.33) at Pittsburgh Pirates (Paul Maholm, 6-4, 4.60)

Boston Red Sox (Clay Buchholz – First Start) at Toronto Blue Jays (Ricky Romero, 7-3, 3.00)

Milwaukee Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 5-6, 4.70) at Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 9-8, 5.38)

Philadelphia Phillies (Cole Hamels, 5-5, 4.87) at Florida Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 6-7, 5.76)

New York Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 7-4, 4.47) at Atlanta Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 7-7, 2.91)

Minnesota Twins (Glen Perkins, 4-5, 4.71) at Texas Rangers (Vincente Padilla, 7-4, 4.53)

Tampa Bay Rays (James Shields, 6-6, 3.42) at Kansas City Royals (Brian Bannister, 6-7, 3.66)

Baltimore Orioles (Jason Berken, 1-6, 5.87) at Chicago White Sox (John Danks, 7-6, 3.91)

Arizona Diamondbacks (Jon Garland, 5-8, 4.53) at St. Louis Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 7-3, 2.47)

Colorado Rockies (Ubaldo Jimenez, 6-9, 3.81) at San Diego Padres (Josh Geer, 1-4, 5.79)

Los Angeles Angels (Joe Saunders, 8-5, 4.65) at Oakland Athletics (Trevor Cahill, 5-8, 4.67)

Houston Astros (Roy Oswalt, 5-4, 3.85) at Los Angeles Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 9-4, 3.38)

The rundown:

Clay Buchholz has been tearing up Triple-A, but hasn’t seen the big leagues this season.  He has stuggled in the past in the majors, but we’ll see if it’s different this time around.  Ricky Romero has been very good this year, in his first MLB season.  This one should be a good AL East battle with some youngsters on the mound.

James Shields has been solid again this season and so has Brian Bannister.  It’s hard to so anything more or anything less because you know these guys can pitch, somedays they go out and get smashed and the next time they’ll throw a gem.  I’d like to see a couple of gems right here.  James Shields has a good opportunity for a complete game I believe.

Oswalt/Billingsley is the ace vs ace matchup with should be really good.  Oswalts season isn’t anything too outstanding, but you know he’s good.  Billingsley has been the pitcher for the Dodgers this season and he’s always ready to go out there and blow that fastball by you.  Dodgers were shutout yesterday so maybe Oswalt can do it again.

The notables:

Felix Hernandez is on the mound facing the Cleveland Indians, Tim Lincecum makes his way to Pittsburgh, my man Cole Hamels takes on the Florido Marlins, hopefully his second half will be better than his first.  Jair Jurrjens takes on the Mets and you know I hope he runs them down.  Chris Carpenter is also pitching today as he faces the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The winner:

I’d probably be most interested in Buchholz/Romero, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.  Enjoy the pitching!

The Phillies Rundown

I know its not the official halfway mark of the season, but I just take the All-Star Game as just that.  It’s a shame really, it seems like just yesterday I was counting down to spring training.  And it seems like 2 days ago I was making my season predictions, which have been, to this point, alright I guess.  That’s alright, this has been my first season with MLB Extra Innings and I have never loved anything more in my life.  Living in the lovely city of Buffalo, New York (oh the sarcasm!) all I would get was the Yankees and the Mets, which doesn’t help me.  I knew I wanted to see my Phillies, and every other game i’ve ever wanted to watch, so this year has been incredible.

As for those Phillies, they have been pretty impressive thus far, for the most part at least.  We got a nice lead in the division and the offense has been incredible.  My fanhood has always been based on pitching, which the Phillies do not have much of.  Brad Lidge has been nothing short of terrible, Cole Hamels has not been Cole Hamels, and Brett Myers was atrocious, and then got injured (who knows how many home runs he would have given up by now).

Team MVP: Chase Utley (.313 BA, 20 HR, 61 RBI, OBP .430) Not to mention, he had hip surgery in the offseason and wasnt sure he’d be ready for opening day.  Well, he was, and he has been fantastic.  I’ve never seen such a pure baseball player.  I’ll watch Chase Utley and certain times i’ll see something he does and i’ll just say “He’s a man.”  Chase Utley is a man, and a damn fine, tough baseball player.

Team Cy Young: J.A. Happ (6-0, 2.90 ERA, 87 IP, 70 H) Many of you are surprised, but think about it.  While Park was doing a terrible job in the rotation, Happ was in the bullpen looking pretty good.  When Park lost his job, Happ was the guy who came in and took it, and still pitched great.  The guy has had an all over the place season but we all know he never should have been in the bullpen, Park is doing a pretty good job there now.  This award could even go to Ryan Madson, who has been great in the 8th inning (not so much the 9th), but i’m going to stick with Happ.

First off, how about Raul Ibanez?  I knew he could hit, but I never expected this. He is absolutly smashing the ball this season and now that he’s back from the DL lets hope he can keep it up, not just the home runs but his overall production.  Victorino has been great this year picking up the slack left by Rollins.  Jayson Werth has shown some great power.  Ryan Howard has been Ryan Howard, nothjng wrong with that.  Pedro Feliz has shown a pretty nice stick this year too.

If the Phillies want to win this thing again the pitching needs to come around.  Blanton is already looking much better and Cole Hamels has shown slight signs of past greatness, but it’s not enough, he’s the guy we need, we need him to go out every 5th day and know he’s going to give you a great outing.  Another guy we really need, is Brad Lidge, the 2008 Brad Lidge, the guy who would never make it look easy but would always get it done.  Here’s to hoping Lidge comes around.

And here’s to hoping the Phillies go deep in October.

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