Archive for June, 2005

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NFL Offseason Roundup

Thursday, June 30th, 2005

The preseason begins officially on Saturday 8 August 2005 with the American Bowl in Tokyo, Japan.

Therefore, with the start of training camp less than a month away, here’s a ten minute version of what the last four months of the NFL offseason has looked like:

• Jarrett Payton capped a very impressive NFL Europe season by helping the Amsterdam Admirals to the World Bowl Championship. Payton gained 54 rushing yards in his team’s 27-21 victory in the championship game. He’s a property of the Titans and with Chris Brown still dealing with injuries, Payton will problably get a lot of opportunities during the preseason.


• The Titans do think Tyrone Calico will be healthy and ready to start the season on time.


• David Boston is back with the Dolphins, and he’s playing for just $540,000- which is the league minimum for a player with his experience. Chances are, he’ll be on a mission to prove his worth this season.


• With Julius Jones, Anthony Thomas, and Marion Barber, the Cowboys’ backfield is as good as it’s been in a very long time. Also, Jones says (subsc) he’s stonger now after fully recovering from his shoulder injury.


• When you hear people talking about Randy Moss saying Collins is better than Culpepper, make sure you know the entirety of the point that Moss was actually saying (subsc):

  “When it comes to athleticism, Daunte has Kerry beat by a large margin,” the controversial wide receiver said. “But Kerry has pocket presence and knows how to read defenses. So Kerry has a slight step over Daunte.”

• Duece McAllister, coming off a disappointing 2004 season, has looked good in early camps.


• Rookie WR Chris Henry fell to the third round of this year’s draft, but he’s got first round talent. So far, his attitude in Cincinnati has been good but the Bengals are very deep at wide receiver. Nonetheless, Henry is a playmaker to watch out for.


• Carson Palmer has taken charge of the Bengals offense.


• Mike Martz had some interesting words to say about the 2005 roles of Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson.

  I think it’s important for Marshall more than for Steven to have Steven take over. Marshall’s role will be very significant. It’s not limited. It’s what he wants it to be. But it’s important for Marshall to get Steven in this role so that he can mentor him and they can kind of feed off each other.

• Entering his third year in the NFL, Eagles’ TE L.J. Smith believes he’s ready to break out.


• The Bears’ new offensive coordinator feels that he’ll be able to keep Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson involved in the offense.


• David Carr and Andre Johnson are showing good chemistry this offseason. Johnson is entering his third year in the NFL- the magic year for WRs (*edit: or so it’s said…). The Texans have added “an array of quick throws, timing routes and new pass-blocking schemes” to their offense and they intend to max protect more when throwing downfield.


• After being arrested on DUI charges Koren Robinson was released by the Seahawks. There is still only speculation on where he will end up.


• Bobby Engram has a lead on a starting WR job until someone beats him to it. He should keep his eye on Jerome Pathon.


• Priest Holmes is said to be fully recovered and ready for 2005.


• Bill Parcells still has high hopes for Quincy Morgan, but the former Brown is still struggling to stay healthy.


• Miami’s offensive line is coming into the season with a lot to prove and a good teacher to lead them to a successful season.


• Ike Hilliard is getting a chance to succeed in Tampa Bay.


• Denver’s three starting linebackers are as good as any trio in the NFL.


• Daunte Culpepper likes the new Vikings’ defense. The additions of Pat Williams, Fred Smoot, and Darren Sharper are just a few reasons for all Vikings’ fans to be excited.


• The Titans defense, on the other hand, looks like a mess.


• Dennis Green really likes J.J. Arrington. I do to, and I think he’ll be the Cardinals starting RB for most of 2005.


• Michael Bennett has looked good in non-contact drills. He’s in his contract year and, reportedly, he has been working on his receiving skills. There’s also this report (subsc) on how Bennett was clocked at 9.91 and 10.0 in the 100 meters.


• Stephen Davis’ comeback is going slowly.


• Steve McNair will be allowed to give more input into the offense this season.


• J.P. Losman has impressed his teammates this offseason.


• Chris Perry is hoping to be 100% by camp, but he isn’t sure if that’s going to happen. Good thing the Bengals finally signed Rudi Johnson to a long term deal.


• Chad Pennington will be ready and 100% for training camp.


• The changes to Washington’s offense are detailed here. The Redskins plan to use plays designed more around the strengths of Clinton Portis and Patrick Ramsey. Portis has also added 10 pounds.


• Since Carnell Williams figures to get a good share of the carries in Tampa Bay, the Bucs have been working in Michael Pittman more as a receiver.


• The Saints’ offense this season will feature a smaller playbook and new ways to get to the line of scrimmage earlier, in order to help out QB Aaron Brooks.


• Sammy Parker may end up the #2 WR in KC. After Az Hakim left the Chiefs looking silly when he decided to sign with New Orleans.


• Kyle Boller has gotten a ton of press this offseason. This Fox Sports story has a lot to say about Boller and the Ravens’ outlook on the 2005 season.


• It was nice to see this note from Len Pasquarelli about undrafted TE Adam Bergen. Len writes that Bergen, who was a tightend at Div I-AA Lehigh, has been getting snaps with the Cardinals’ first-team offense. I first saw Bergen at the Scouting Combine, were he was my favorite TE of the group that worked out. I hope he does well with the Cardinals.


• Tatum Bell added 10 pounds during the off-season and he committed himself to learning the playbook. Also, in that same link is news that the Bears view WR Mark Bradley as a long-term project.


• Jeff Garcia says the Lions’ QB job is Harrington’s to lose.


• Two interesting articles from Fox Sports about assistant coaches under pressure to succeed.
  NFC - AFC.


• Complete list of the free agent signings: AFC - NFC.


• Rookie CB Carlos Rogers has a serious foot injury that is probably going to put an even bigger question mark on the Redskins secondary this season.


• Finally, Todd McShay, of ESPN’s Scouts, Inc., has a look ahead to next year’s NFL draft.

Baseball Daily

Thursday, June 30th, 2005

• Kelly Johnson has had 51 ABs in the #2 spot in the lineup. He’s hitting .314 with 2 of his 3 homeruns coming from there. With Chipper Jones on th DL, the Braves have been successful having the top of their order start with Furcal, Johnson, and then Marcus Giles setting up Andruw Jones. Giles is hitting .028 points less in the three spot versus #2, but he’s got the same number of RBI in 66 AB when batting third (12) than he does in 190 AB batting second. Furcal is finally starting to hit too.


• Brad Lidge has a “mild strain in the lower bicep area of his right arm” but the Astros feel he’ll be ready to pitch tonight. Keep an eye on it.


• Brandon Lyon may get a bullpen session this weekend.


• Jose Vidro will start a rehab assignment tonight in Class A.


• Dave Studeman of the Hardball Times has an excellent write up about the mythos behind one run games.


• As for Kenny Rogers, David Pinto thinks that Rogers “just threw away his career for no good reason.” I wonder if it’ll go that far, but it’s pretty certain that this ordeal will keep him out longer than his banged up non-pitching hand. Everyone has been waiting for Rogers to blow up, but I think it was figured it would be his ERA that went, and not his mind.


• Esteban Loiaza this season at home:
  2-1, 48.0, 2.06, 1.06, .219
  The Nats look for the home sweep of the Pirates this afternoon.


• Jon Lieber career at day:
  55-32, 799.1, 3.39, 1.17, .257
  And career at shea:
  0-2, 23.0, 4.30, 1.52, .309
  Carlos Beltran, who by the way has just been horrible this year, is 4/8 lifetime off Lieber.
  Cliff Floyd is 15/45, 1HR and Mike Piazza is 11/29.
  Lieber has given up 22 HR in 100.1 innings this season.


• Pedro Martinez is 3-1 at home this season, raising his career numbers at Shea Stadium to:
  8-2, 5CG, 104.0, 1.99, 0.81, .169
  Pedro’s career numbers versus active Phillies:
  Abreu- 2/16
  Bell- 3/23
  Burrell- 0/10
  Lieberthal- 1/12
  Lofton- 13/41
  Rollins- 1/12
  Thome- 6/32
  Utley- 2/6


• Chris Capuano career at Wrigley:
  1-1, 12.2, 7.82, 1.74, .300
  Derrek Lee is 6/13 with 2 HR lifetime off him.


• Greg Maddux has made three starts against MIL this season.
  He’s 1-0 in 17.0 innings against them, with a 5.29 ERA, a 1,82 WHIP, and a .358 OppBA.
  Last season, Maddux was 3-0 in four starts against MIL. His averages were 1.80, 0.77, .196


• Brandon Backe is still struggling on the road, but in one career start at Great American:
  1-0, 7.1, 7H, 3ER, 3BB, 4K


• Eric Milton has given up 27 HR in 87.2 innings this season.
  At home, his ERA is 5.71 but on the road it’s 10.60.


• Jeff Francis career:
  HOME: 7-1, 3.29
  DAY: 6-1, 3.25
  
  AWAY: 2-6, 6.88
  NIGHT: 3-6, 7.46
  
  The Rockies open a four game series in St. Louis tonight.


• Jeff Suppan this season:
  HOME: 5-2, 49.1, 3.47, 1.42, .284
  AWAY: 2-4, 42.0, 4.93, 1.43, .286


• Freddy Garcia this season:
  AWAY: 5-1, 57.1, 2.83, 0.92, .212
  DAY: 3-1, 48.0, 2.81, 1.08, .225
  Career at Comerica:
  2-2, 40.1, 4.02, 1.41, .240
  Last year vs Detroit:
  4-1, 41.0, 3.51, 1.24, .233


• Mike Maroth this season:
  HOME: 2-5, 53.2, 5.53, 1.55, .318
  AWAY: 3-3, 45.1, 2.38, 1.10, .232
  But his career numbers at Comerica don’t reflect that difference:
  16-24, 330.0, 4.15, 1.30, .275
  The Tigers are trying to avoid being swept at home this afternoon against the White Sox.


• Chris Young at home this season:
  4-2, 45.0, 2.60, 0.98, .215
  But against the Angels this year:
  0-2, 12.1, 8.76, 2.43, .400


• Because of Wednesday’s rain out, the Orioles will move Bruce Chen back to Monday and start Hayden Penn tonight against Cleveland.


• One final note, of the eleven games today, there’s a decent possibility that every home team will win.

Baseball Daily

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005

• Hideo Nomo pitched seven strong innings Monday night to lead the Devil Rays to a 4-3 victory over Toronto. After the game, tbo.com reporter Carter Gaddis wrote the following about Nomo’s impressive home statistics this year:

  Even if he won’t admit it, Hideo Nomo is a different pitcher at Tropicana Field.
  
  The Devil Rays’ 36-year-old right-hander went seven good innings Monday in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 victory against the Blue Jays, improving his record at home to 4-1.
  
  Couple that with a respectable 3.56 ERA in his seven starts at the Trop, and his road numbers - 1-5, 8.87 ERA in nine starts - are even more puzzling.
  
  “He pitches much better here, doesn’t he?,” said Rays manager Lou Piniella, who collected the 1,479th victory of his managerial career, pulling within one of No. 19 overall Earl Weaver. “I don’t know if it’s the air-conditioned dome, less humidity … I don’t know. But we’ve noticed at home he’s had more success.”

  Is there something to this? On 06.14.05 as I wrote that Tomo Ohka was making his Brewers’ debut at Tropicana Field, I also commented that:

  I think a lot of Japanese pitchers perform better in parks like Tropicana Field because of the similarities they share with the domes in Japan.

  I’ve never been to the island nation of Japan, yet in the past I have just assumed that most if not all of their professional baseball venues were domed stadiums. And while I still don’t have an exact figure on how many of the 12 Japanese teams play indoors, here are a couple of links to back up the idea that domes there are in the majority.

  Bob Bavasi’s JapanBall.com- features a write up of every team and where they play
  Baseballguru.com- dimensions, surface, and capacity for each park
  About.com

  All that being said, of the 29 MLB players who were born in Japan, I count three active MLB starters. Below is a table of their career MLB stats, split for indoors and outdoors:
  

  Kaz Ishii
  INDOORS	5-0	32.2	1.38	1.04	.209
  OUTDOORS	33-31	500.1	4.60	1.55	.245

  Hideo Nomo
  INDOORS	15-8	194.2	3.56	1.35	.226
  OUTDOORS	108-99	1765.1	4.22	1.34	.239

  Tomo Ohka
  INDOORS	18-12	300.1	3.30	1.26	.276
  OUTDOORS	20-36	440.0	4.28	1.45	.285

  Of that above list of 29, I count three current MLB relief pitchers: Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Shingo Takatsu, and Akinori Otsuka. Both Takatsu and Otsuka have less than 10 career MLB innings indoors, so their numbers are too incomplete to compare. Hasegawa has 72.1 career innings indoors and his ERA, WHIP, and OppBA there are all higher than they are outdoors.
  
  Still, the numbers on Ishii, Nomo, and Ohka are pretty convincing.
  
  The combined indoors W-L record for those three is 38-20 (76%).
  The combined indoors ERA for those three is 3.27
  The combined indoors WHIP for those three is 1.17
  
  Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and even Toronto should take note.


• Leo Mazzone was profiled in The State. Via Baseball musings, check it out.


• Although it’s not yet official, Josh Beckett is ready to start for the Marlins on Thursday.


• A.J. Burnett to the Orioles is looking more and more likely.


• Ryan Drese had a 15-5 groundball/flyball ratio in his RFK debut last night. He threw 71 strikes out of 117 pitches and I think he’s really going to like pitching in that ballpark. RFK is giving up an average of 0.569 HR per game this season, which is by far the lowest in the majors. Also, Baseball Musings has news about how the Rangers’ pitching has fallen since they released Drese.


• Ben Sheets career at Wrigley:
  3-4, 52.0, 4.85, 1.33, .279
  Last year, at Wrigley:
  0-2, 13.0, 5.54, 1.38, .302
  But career at day:
  19-20, 341.1, 3.74, 1.20, .253
  Also, Derrek Lee is 10/31 with 5 HR against Sheets.
  Mark Prior makes his return today.


• Roy Oswalt has thrown one career game at Coors:
  1-0, 7.0, 10H, 3ER, 2HR, 0BB, 6K
  Also, his career numbers at day are slightly worse than at night.
  The Astros face B.K. Kim today.


• Jeff Weaver has pitched very well over the last month:
  1-3, 34.0, 2.91, 0.82, .180
  And three of those five starts have been on the road.
  One other interesting note, is that four of those five starts were against AL teams.
  Perhaps he just misses them.
  The Dodgers host San Diego later this afternoon.


• Tim Wakefield has given up only 1 run in his last three outings.
  The Red Sox are looking to avoid being swept by Cleveland today against Scott Elarton.


• Mike Mussina since joining the Yankees, at Camden Yards:
  5-1, 57.2, 3.59, 1.18


• Jason Johnson this season at home:
  3-1, 54.1, 1.49, 1.16, .231


• John Lackey career at Arlington:
  2-4, 37.1, 7.23, 1.85, .313

Baseball Daily

Tuesday, June 28th, 2005

• The Angels are dealing with injuries to Orlando Cabrera, Steve Finley, Dallas McPherson, Bengie Molina, and Kelvin Escobar. And as Mike Scarr from mlb.com points out, they will play 14 straight games without a break:

  “Every team in baseball is banged up,” Scioscia said as his team heads toward the All-Star break. “This challenge is about depth in your roster. But we feel we have enough depth to do what we need to do.”

• Xavier Nady is getting praised for his production and versatility. Padres GM Kevin Towers thinks that Nady could find an everyday spot at third base. Xavier is hitting .301 away from PETCO Park this season.


• In the latter of the two above links is mention that Mark Loretta is looking at July 19th for his return.


• The Boston Herald is reporting that Bronson Arroyo may end up in the bullpen once Curt Schilling is activated.


• The Nats are dealing with injuries to both Nick Johnson and Jose Guillen. At least they’ll get their impressive left fielder Ryan Church back on Tuesday.


• A note for future reference from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via Ben Maller:
  Jeff Suppan is 12-1 since 2004 when pitching after a Cardinals’ loss.


• With 2765.1 innings of experience, Kenny Rogers knows enough to use his non-pitching hand when punching a water cooler.


• Kerry Wood:

  “I feel great. My body feels good, my shoulder feels great, I’ve been throwing the ball the way I want to the last couple times,” said Wood, who will make his comeback start Wednesday for the Chicago Cubs against Milwaukee.

• The Brewers face Carlos Zambrano tonight.
  Lifetime versus MIL, Zambrano is:
  5-5, 63.2, 3.96, 1.24, .211
  This year:
  1-2, 16.0, 6.19, 1.38, .259
  I don’t know if there’s something wrong with Zambrano, but he’s been bad in his last three starts:
  0-1, 13.0, 12.46, 2.38
  Also, “Milwaukee is 4-26 when scoring three runs or fewer” this season.


• Doug Davis career at Wrigley:
  1-1, 20.2, 1.74, 1.02, .227


• Mark Mulder faces the Reds again tonight, after pitching his worst game of the season on 06.21.05 in Cincinnati.


• Roger Clemens career at Coors:
  1-0, 9.2, 5.59, 2.07, .341
  He enters tonight’s game with a 32-inning road scoreless streak.


• Speaking of scoreless streaks, Jason Schmidt hasn’t given up a run in his last two starts (16.0 innings).
  He faces the DBacks again tonight, five days after he K’d 10 in eight innings of five-hit baseball.
  Career at Bank One:
  7-4, 86.1, 3.23, 1.33, .240


• Chein-Ming Wang this season:
  HOME: 3-1, 39.1, 3.43, 1.12, .228
  AWAY: 1-2, 23.1, 5.79, 1.46, .280
  The Yanks are in Baltimore tonight.


• Sidney Ponson this season:
  HOME: 4-2, 50.0, 3.78, 1.38, .286
  AWAY: 3-3, 43.0, 7.33, 1.95, .359
  ARod is hitting just .194 in 62 career AB against Ponson.
  But Jeter (.371, 70 AB) and Giambi (.432, 37 AB) both have had success against him.


• Cliff Lee on the road this season:
  6-1, 53.1, 2.70, 1.16, .240


• Wade Miller at home this season:
  2-0, 30.2, 3.23, 1.21, .212


• Jarrod Washburn, who usually pitches well away from Edison Field, career at Arlington:
  2-3, 39.0, 7.85, 1.87, .323


• Kansas City:

  The Royals are 0-7 on their nine-game road trip, during which they have scored just 23 runs.

• Tonight will be the third time Jamie Moyer has faced the A’s this season. He’s 0-0 in his previous two starts, but with a 6.55 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, and a .367 OppBA.


• Tonight will be the fourth time Barry Zito has faced the Mariners this season. He’s 1-0 in his previous three starts, with a 3.10 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a .230 OppBA.

Baseball Daily

Monday, June 27th, 2005

• With a light schedule of games tonight, and since June is soon coming to a close, here are a few names that you may not have realized have performed well over the last month:

  Adam Kennedy- The Angels’ second baseman is 31/70 (.443) so far in June and he’s got seven steals on the year to go with his .340 overall BA. Kennedy started the season on the DL and after missing all of April, he was hitting just .250 on 05.31.05. Adam is a career .281 batter, so his average is probably going to come down a bit, but he’s not yet hit a homerun this season and it’s likely that now with two months of regular play behind him, the power will come back very soon.
  
  Emil Brown- This Royals outfielder leads his team in BA, R, and RBI. In June, Brown is hitting .358 with 3HR and he has 2SB. Perhaps even more shocking is that prior to this season, Brown hadn’t played an inning at the MLB level since 2001. The comparisons to Raul Ibanez’s resurrection seem merited.
  
  Danny Haren and Joel Blanton- With Rich Harden lost for over a month, these two youngsters have led Oakland to a 16-7 June record through 06.27.05. Blanton has gone 4-1, 2.02, 0.90, in June and Haren is 4-0, 3.11, 0.88 in his last five starts.
  
  Scott Elarton- The Indians have seemed to have suceeded in the reclamation of Elarton. The six foot eight inch righthander is 7-7 in 34 starts with Cleveland over the last season and a half. His overall ERA with the Indians is 4.62 and over this past month, Elarton has gone 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a .227 OppBA.

• An interesting note in regards to Milton Bradley’s comeback:

  Swinging left-handed causes the switch-hitting outfielder pain, and Dodger trainers say he could come back sooner by batting right-handed. Tracy said a minor league rehabilitation assignment for Bradley “more than likely will be discussed.”

• The Tigers are now looking at next weekend for the return of Magglio Ordonez.


• Add another name to the Arizona closer watch list. Shawn McEvoy of Rotoworld writes:

  Triple-A Tucson closer Brandon Medders (2-1, 7 Saves, 1.80 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 37/11 K/BB in 30 IP) has joined the D’Backs. Brian Bruney is still holding on to the job with his fingernails, but for the next month this could be close to a committee situation with Greg Aquino and Medders getting a few chances.

• Dewon Brazelton made his official return to baseball on Saturday night, and DRays Bay had plenty to say about it- including this:

  Anyone still clinging to Brazelton’s draft position, hype, money invested in him, or scouting reports raving about his changeup and believing that he is suddenly going to do well is kidding themselves. They were kidding themselves before the season even started if they thought he’d stay in the rotation all year long.

  Check out the comments sections too. A couple of interesting notes are made there; one quick disclaimer note: poster ‘from the beach’ is not from this beach.


• Two pitching rematches tonight in the National League.
  Ramirez vs Moehler in Miami (Ramirez and the Braves won 8-0 at home on 06.22.05 and Wandy vs Jamey in Colorado (Houston beat the Rockies 6-5 at home on 06.21.05.


• After going 2 for 2 with 2 doubles off of Jamey Wright last week, Lance Berkman is now 12 for 21 lifetime off of the Rockies’ starter.


• Carl Pavano this year:
  HOME: 1-3, 47.0, 6.89, 1.79, .354
  AWAY: 3-3, 47.0, 2.49, 1.13, .260
  The Yankees are 7-3 in series openers following a win.
  They play in Baltimore tonight.


• Daniel Cabrera at home this season:
  3-4, 43.1, 3.95, 1.22, .233
  The Orioles are 8-3 this season in series openers following a loss.


• Kevin Millwood on the road this season:
  1-1, 30.1, 2.08, 1.22, .256
  Career at Fenway:
  2-1, 24.2, 4.38, 1.14, .247


• Bartolo Colon career at Arlington:
  5-3, 68.1, 4.21, 1.07, .220


• Hideo Nomo at home this season:
  3-1, 36.0, 3.75, 1.17, .220

Beach Re-Opened

Sunday, June 26th, 2005

Redesign complete. Regular duties will resume on Monday.

UPDATE: This is the pre-fix error described below.

2005 NFL Combine Index

Saturday, June 25th, 2005

OFFICIAL TIMES

QB, RB, WR

TE, DL

LB, DB

PLAYER NOTES

OL, RB, K

QB, RB, WR

TE, DL

Various Pro Day notes

Dear Blogger (scroll down…)

Saturday, June 25th, 2005

If you get the help request I sent, you can obviously see the problem here.

Sometime in between Thursday afternoon and Friday, you’ve added something that includes :

(div style=”clear:both;”)(/div) tags before every post on the index page.

If you click on the archives, you’ll see these tags do not exist.

This additional div tag seems to be pushing content on any blog who uses this type of style sheet (while the posts layered on top of the body, after the sidebar)

I suppose I could just redesign, but it’s Saturday and I’d rather be outside.

Please let me know if there’s anything you’re doing to look into this situation.

Thank you.

Baseball Daily (broken, yes… see below)

Friday, June 24th, 2005

Another light news day on the fantasy side, and this seems to be the time of year that trends start to even themselves out (see last night’s Cardinals game). So other then noting that Jim Thome has hit homeruns in two consecutive nights after he said he had fixed his swing, the Beach is closed today, due to Red Tide.

UPDATE: Something seems to be broken. Will be fixed later. Sorry for the silly look of it all.

Baseball Daily

Thursday, June 23rd, 2005

• The Devil Rays announced on Tuesday that Doug Waechter was being moved to the setup role to help the team’s fading bullpen. Obviously on the heels of the legendary 11-20 collapse on Tuesday, Piniella noted that this move was more of a compliment to Waechter than it was a demotion:

  “It’s not Doug’s fault,” Piniella said. “Doug has basically done a very representative job. It has nothing to do with Doug. We’re trying to shore up where we need it the most.”

  This brings me to an interesting point. Since Danys Baez is rumored to be one of the most likely members of this team to be traded before the deadline, some may ask why any other team would want a closer who’s blown 6 out of his 17 save chances. Let’s take a look.
  
  The biggest problem Tampa Bay has had this season in trying to win close game has been their middle relief. When Lance Carter was suspended for three games earlier this month, the Rays’ were using Trever Miller, Travis Harper, Lee Gardner, and rookie Chad Orvella to set up games. There just is not another reliable arm in the Rays’ bullpen besides Baez.
  
  So how good has Baez been considering that he’s been acting as his own setup man for most of the season?
  
  Baez has converted six out of 10 saves in games he’s enterted before the ninth inning. And when you look at the AL leaders in holding inherited runners from scoring, Baez ranks 11th with a 22% (4/18) rate. That doesn’t sound too impressive until you see the other names around him on that list: David Riske, Scott Sauerbeck, Cliff Politte, Jesse Crain, Ricardo Rincon, Steve Klein, Mike Stanton… In fact, there are only two other closers in top 20 (minimum .2 IR/Game) and one of them used to be a setup man (Huston Street and Francisco Cordero).
  
  A particularly good stat to look at when judging closers is First Batter Efficiency. Only four AL pitchers have a lower opposing BA against first batters than Baez: Steve Reed (1/20), Mariano Rivera (2/24), Sauerbeck (2/23), and then Baez (2/22).
  
  In save opportunities where Baez has come in to start the ninth inning, he’s converted five out of six. In that one blown save, on 05.30.05 in Oakland, I remember specifically that Baez was just as much the victim of some poor defense played behind him, as he was at fault for his own pitching.
  
  Still a blown save is a blown save, and so far I’ve accounted for all but one of his six. In the other save he blew, Baez came into the eighth inning on 06.04.05 in Seattle, with one out and runners on first and second. Baez walked Bret Boone to load the bases and then struck out Jeremy Reed. With two outs, pinch hitter Dave Hansen singled to center and advanced all the way to third base when Alex Sanchez over ran the ball in the outfield. Baez then got catcher Rene Rivera to stike out swinging to end the ninth.
  
  As a Rays fan, if Baez is traded, I hope Tampa Bay gets good value for him and I hope he ends up with a good team. This is a closer who’s stats this season don’t describe how difficult of a job he’s had to do for this team.


• Huston Street threw before batting practice yesterday and he may be available as early as this weekend.


• J.D. Drew has chondromalacia in his left knee, but as the LA Times points out (link above), “It’s a big word for a relatively minor injury.”


• Corey Patterson has realized that he can best serve the Cubs by hitting leadoff for them. Expect a barrage of SBs.


• Josh Beckett is on track to return June 30th.


• Now that it looks like Jonny Gomes is finally getting a chance to play everyday, he’s worth a pick up in fantasy leagues. Gomes is 11 for 27 (.407) with 3 HR so far in June.


• Corey Lidle has done a good job at keeping the ball in the park this year at home (just 2 HR in 32.2 innings) but his other splits there have not been good:
  HOME: 3-2, 32.2, 6.06, 1.65, .326
  AWAY: 3-3, 54.2, 2.80, 1.08, .230


• Glendon Rusch, a Brewer for two seasons, career at Miller Park:
  6-11, 158.0, 5.58, 1.58, .294


• Ben Sheets at home this season:
  1-2, 19.1, 1.40, 0.88, .134
  But he’s given up 4 unearned runs as well.


• Brandon Webb career at Pac Bell:
  1-1, 21.1, 2.11, 1.27, .200
  His opponent Kirk Reuter is just 1-5 in 8 home starts this year.


• Dontrelle Willis career at Turner:
  0-1, 10.1, 8.71, 1.94, .356
  Both starts came last season, where Chipper Jones (out till the AS Break) went 5/8 with 5 RBI off Willis.


• Jorge Sosa seems to enjoy starting for the Braves:

  Cox was more than pleased with what Sosa provided him on short rest. In his two starts, the 28-year-old hurler has completed 9 1/3 innings, issued three walks and allowed three earned runs.

• Dave Williams this season:
  HOME: 1-3, 26.2, 5.74, 1.65, .321
  AWAY: 4-2, 43.2, 2.47, 1.08, .188
  And career at Busch:
  0-2, 13.0, 3.46, 0.69, .159


• The Cardinals are now 12-0 in series openers when coming off a loss and they will start 8-0 Matt Morris tonight against the Pirates.

Baseball Daily

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005

• Jim Thome, on why he thinks he’s ready to break out:

  “I don’t want to say it, but it was something mechanical,” he said. “Some things were out of whack, and it’s up to the player to make adjustments. It’s going to improve. It’s got to improve. I feel disappointed that I’m letting people down and haven’t produced.”

• Mark Prior could start for Chicago as early as Sunday.


• Robert Fick has now played five games as a catcher. He’s currently hitting .373 and he’s winning games for the Padres.


• Steve Finley has been bothered by a sore shoulder since the beginning of the season, but he’s just begun to talk about it now. Finley missed last night’s game but hopes to return Friday. Even if he does return this week or next, it’s unlikely he’ll be near 100% for a while.


• Melvin Mora is probably headed to the DL.


• The Phillies will have Robinson Tejada on the mound tonight in place of Vicente Padilla.


• John Patterson this season:
  HOME: 3-0, 50.1, 1.97, 1.15, .213
  AWAY: 0-2, 15.0, 6.00, 1.53, .305
  But he may not even start for the Nats tonight. Patterson is bothered by a sore back, and Esteban Loiaza still has a sore neck and back. If Patterson can’t go, Sunny Kim will gett the start.


• Carlos Zambrano career at Miller Park:
  2-3, 34.2, 2.60, 1.15, .220


• Doug Davis over the last two seasons:
  HOME: 11-6, 155.0, 2.90, 1.21
  AWAY: 9-12, 145.0, 4.59, 1.46


• Carl Pavano this season:
  HOME: 1-2, 40.1, 6.92, 1.91, .368
  AWAY: 3-3, 47.0, 2.49, 1.13, .260


• Not only is Mark Buerhle undefeated at home this season (6-0), but he has two complete games in eight starts there and an ERA of 1.97. The White Sox are looking for a home sweep of the Royals this afternoon.


• Wade Miller continues to his strong run at Fenway, and his struggles on the road:
  HOME: 2-0, 30.2, 3.23, 1.21, .212
  AWAY: 0-2, 14.2, 9.20, 1.77, .333


• Cliff Lee, in two career starts against Boston:
  1-1, 13.0, 2.77, 1.08, .191


• Daniel Cabrera career at Skydome:
  0-0, 9.1, 11.57, 2.36, .325


• Kenny Rogers on the road this season:
  4-1, 48.2, 1.85, 0.95, .205
  Career at Edison Field
  7-8, 134.0, 4.03, 1.40, .267


• Jarrod Washburn this season:
  HOME: 0-2, 26.0, 6.23, 1.77, .360
  AWAY: 3-1, 61.0, 2.51, 1.39, .273

Baseball Daily

Tuesday, June 21st, 2005

• It’s looking and sounding more and more like Delmon Young will be an everyday major leaguer before B.J. Upton will.


• Black Betsy has a nice roundup of the White Sox after 68 games, for this year and years past.


• Armando Benitez is working ahead of schedule. It’s not entirely certain when he could return because of his improved progress.


• Eric Gagne is facing ‘his moment of truth’ today as he visits with Dr. Frank Jobe to determine if the Dodgers’ closer will need surgery.


• Rich Harden will indeed start for the A’s in Seattle tonight.


• Ryan Drese will make his second start for the Nationals tonight in Pittsburgh. Now’s a good time to again refer to Baseball Musings’ post on Drese from last week.


• Oliver Perez has pitched better at home this season:
  HOME: 4-2, 48.2, 4.81, 1.29, .230
  AWAY: 1-3, 23.2, 9.13, 2.28, .340


• A.J. Burnett career at Turner Field:
  1-5, 38.2, 5.59, 1.66, .298


• John Smoltz has a 10-4 career record against the Marlins. He also has a 2.63 ERA and 20 saves against Florida. But note that Carlos Delgado is 4 for 8 with 2 HR lifetime against Smoltz.


• Jerome Williams will make his Cubs’ debut tonight in Milwaukee. He may not want to pitch to Carlos Lee. The Brewers’ slugger is 4 for 4 with 2 HR off of Williams.


• Victor Santos this season at home:
  1-1, 29.1, 2.15, 0.95, .202


• Jamey Wright career at Minute Maid Park:
  0-4, 23.1, 9.26, 1.97, .296


• Derek Lowe has made one career start at PETCO, on 04.20.05:
  0-0, 8.0, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 4BB, 3K


• Brett Tomko this season:
  3-2, 36.1, 3.22, 1.16, .244
  2-6, 54.2, 5.43, 1.45, .278


• Even though tonight’s TB/NYY game is a rematch from 04.19.05, I wouldn’t expect Hideo Nomo to get the better of Randy Johnson this time. Nomo is coming off is 200th career victory and Johnson has put together two excellent starts in a row.


• Jon Garland is still undefeated at home this season:
  6-0, 43.2, 3.30, 1.01, .218


• Jeremy Bonderman career at the Metrodome:
  0-3, 11.2, 11.57, 2.83, .500


• Bartolo Colon career against Texas:
  13-5, 140.2, 3.52, 1.09, .215

Baseball Daily

Monday, June 20th, 2005

• Baseball Musings is tracking the interleague records this year:

  The American League is dominating interleague play this season. The AL recorded 118 wins so far to just 92 for the National League. The only AL team that has a poor record against the NL is the Devil Rays at 3-12; Tononto, Minnesota and Oakland are just under .500 at 7-8. In the NL, interleague play helped cement the Nationals and Cardinals in first place, each pacing the NL with a 10-5 record.

  There appears to be no other reason behind a team’s strong interleague record than the most basic: playing good baseball.
  
  Last year, the Devil Rays had a MLB best 15-3 record during interleague play- a direct result of them getting hot at the right time (Tampa Bay had an amazing 12 game winning streak over that stretch).
  
  As noted above, the Rays are dead last in interleague play this season. Cleveland, meanwhile, has won nine in a row and 12 out of their last 13. All but one of those victories have come against the NL. The Indians were 10-8 last year during interleague play.


• There is speculation in Oakland that Huston Street may be out for a while. The A’s closer hurt his left hamstring during a pregame jog on Saturday.


• Also in the above link is news that Rich Harden could pitch for the A’s as early as Tuesday of this week.


• Travis Hafner hit .360 in July of last year and it looks like he’s warming to approach those numbers against this season. Hafner is 9 for his last 26 (.346), with four doubles and two homeruns over that stretch.


• Chris Reitsma looks to be settled in as Atlanta’s closer.


• Magglio Ordonez could be back with the Tigers before the All-Star break.


• Mike Sweeney is back in familiar territory, hovering around the DL.


• Mark Redman at home this season:
  3-2, 49.2, 2.17, 0.93, .207
  The Pirates host Livan Hernandez and the Nats tonight.


• Chris Carpenter this year:
  HOME: 4-4, 54.0, 4.17, 1.41, .282
  AWAY: 5-0, 42.2, 1.90, 0.96, .203
  The Cards are in Cincinnati tonight.


• Aaron Harang this year:
  HOME: 2-2, 41.2, 2.16, 0.86, .168
  AWAY: 2-3, 42.1, 5.53, 1.56, .304


• Tomo Ohka makes his second start of the year for the Brewers tonight. He faces Greg Maddux and the Cubs. Ohka has never pitched in his new home, Miller Park.


• Jake Peavy in his last three starts:
  0-2, 15.0, 6.60, 1.33
  The Padres host the Dodgers tonight.
  Peavy is 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA in nine career starts against LA.
  At home, lifetime against LA:
  2-0, 34.2, 1.82, 0.95


• Javier Vazquez on the road this season:
  5-3, 58.0, 3.26, 1.07, .255


• Noah Lowry at home this season:
  1-4, 50.1, 3.75, 1.21, .230
  The Giants host the DBacks tonight.


• Brandon McCarthy starts tonight for El Duque as the White Sox host Jose Lima and the Royals. After tonight, McCarthy may be able to stick around permanently with the South Side club.

Baseball Daily

Saturday, June 18th, 2005

• Mark Prior threw a simulated game on Friday. Things reportedly went well.


• Scott Rolen is expected to be activated and start for the Cardinals. But Jim Edmonds should still be out.


• Great post from Baseball Musings about Ryan Drese’s move to Washington. Check it out.


• Dontrelle Willis lost his first game of the season on 05.17.05 against the Dodgers. Prior to that game, I wrote about Willis’ history pitching in the state of California:

  One other interesting note about Willis:
  An Oakland native, Dontrelle has made 4 career starts in California:
  @ Qualcomm: 1-0, 5.0, 5H, 3R, 4BB, 7K
  @ Pac Bell: 0-1, 6.0, 11H, 11R, 10ER, 3HR, 7BB, 1K
  @ PETCO: 0-1, 7.0, 9H, 6R, 2HR, 2BB, 5K
  Combined, his numbers in the state of California are:
  1-2, 18.0, 25H, 20R, 19ER, 5HR, 13BB, 13K

  That night, Willis gave up 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings as the Marlins lost 5-14.
  So his combined line in California is now:
  1-3, 24.0, 32H, 24R, 22ER, 5HR, 14BB, 19K
  The Marlins are at Edison Field tonight against the Angels.


• John Lackey career:
  HOME: 20-13, 276.0, 3.55, 1.30, .257
  AWAY: 18-22, 313.2, 5.11, 1.50, .292


• Chien-Ming Wang this season at Yankee Stadium:
  2-0, 25.1, 3.20, 1.07, .219


• Corey Lidle this season:
  HOME: 3-2, 32.2, 6.06, 1.65, .326
  AWAY: 3-2, 47.0, 2.87, 1.11, .236


• Brandon Webb this season:
  HOME: 3-1, 49.0, 2.57, 1.24, .254
  AWAY: 4-1, 40.0, 4.05, 1.48, .288
  Career versus AL:
  3-4, 62.2, 2.15, 1.13
  The DBacks are in Cleveland tonight.


• Scott Elarton in his last five starts:
  3-0, 30.0, 2.70, 1.17


• Brian Lawrence career indoors:
  3-8, 67.1, 5.88, 1.54, .316
  The Padres play in Minnesota tonight:


• Brad Radke this season at home:
  5-2, 48.2, 2.77, 0.92, .228


• Roy Oswalt this season:
  HOME: 6-1, 51.0, 2.12, 0.92, .201
  AWAY: 1-6, 47.0, 3.64, 1.30, .270


• D.J. Carrasco in his last four starts:
  2-0, 27.0, 1.00, 0.85


• Tony Armas over the last two years:
  HOME: 5-1, 68.1, 2.63, 1.32
  AWAY: 0-6, 45.1, 7.74, 1.76
  Even though his home last year was Olympic Stadium, and this year it’s RFK, Armas seems to have a problem pitching out of a suitcase.


• Pedro Martinez career at SAFECO:
  6-0, 47.0, 0.77, 0.77, .125
  On the road this season, Pedro is 4-0 in 5 starts.

Baseball Daily

Friday, June 17th, 2005

• Between all the trade talks for Joe Kennedy, for Sean Casey, for Jay Payton, Barry Zito, and/or Sean Burroughs; and with also the garbage going on in Tampa Bay, there isn’t much useful news today. So let’s just follow up a couple of stories from yesterday:

  Adam Eaton should be fine.
  Mike Sweeney’s injury also is not serious.
  Kevin Millwood went 5 scoreless innings in his return.
  Tim Hudson landed on the DL.
  And four of the six teams completed their home sweep over their interleague opponent.

• Jason Giambi thinks he’s beginning to turn the corner.


• Randy Johnson rolled last night with his second great start in a row.


• In Peter Gammons’ latest column, he points out that while Danny Haren and Mark Mulder have almost identical numbers, the Cardinals’ lefty is 7-4 and Haren is just 4-7.
  Gammons also provides this note about a future South Sider:

  One reason the Cubs haven’t gone out and tried to make a major move for a much-needed leadoff hitter is that they think Felix Pie, who who has a .353 OBP, .914 OPS and 32 extra-base hits in 56 games at Double-A, may get his toes in the water in September and possibly be ready to play next year. “He is still a little raw, but he has great athletic talent,” says one Cubs official. “The fact that he’s played a lot of winter ball has sped up his development.”

• A couple of lefties go tonight in Cleveland. Brad Halsey faces an Indians’ team that is hitting .223 against LHP and Cliff Lee is just 1-2 at home this season (6-1 on the road).


• Ken Rosenthal on Jason Schmidt:

  The scoreboard at SBC Park showed that Giants righthander Jason Schmidt was throwing 93 to 94 mph Saturday night, but a scout who had a radar gun on Schmidt says he was throwing only 90 to 91.
  
  “He’s pitching like a guy that is hurt, though I can’t definitively say that,” says another scout who was in attendance. “It’s one thing to have a velocity drop. But why are your mechanics affected? Why can’t you throw strikes? Unless you’re afraid. And he doesn’t seem like a guy who would be afraid.”

I’ve watched Schimdt’s last two starts and it looks to me that he struggles in the first inning while he’s feeling out what pitches he has working. And once he figures out that he doesn’t have his fastball (he hasn’t all year), Schmidt goes primarily to offspeed stuff to get to about the fifth or six inning- and that’s when the lineup turns over of the third time and he gets shelled. Just speculation, of course.
The Giants are in Detroit tonight.


• Nate Robertson at home this season:
  0-1, 29.2, 2.43, 1.45, .261
  The reason he’s only 0-1 with an ERA that low is because he’s given up 8 unearned runs at Comerica this season.


• Lefties are hitting .336 off Josh Fogg this season. The Pirates are in Boston tonight.


• Wade Miller has had a a rocky return to the mound this season, but in four starts at Fenway, he’s been stellar:
  2-0, 24.2, 2.55, 1.18, .220


• Carl Pavano this season:
  HOME: 1-2, 35.0, 6.43, 1.89, .363
  AWAY: 3-3, 47.0, 2.49, 1.13, .260
  And career against Chicago (NL):
  2-4, 37.2, 3.82, 1.43, .269
  The Yankees host Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs tonight.


• Doug Davis spent half a season in Toronto before he joined the Brewers.
  He’s made eight starts at SKydome:
  3-4, 40.2, 6.42, 1.75, .343
  But, obviously, he didn’t find success until working with Mike Maddux.
  Career indoors, Davis is:
  11-6, 150.0, 3.60, 1.41, .264
  The weather in Ontario looks clear tonight, so the roof may be open. This is a tough one to call since Davis has cooled off a bit since pitching 20 straight scoreless innings.
  Toronto is batting .254 against LHP this season.


• Gustavo Chacin career:
  HOME: 2-2, 25.2, 3.86, 1.44, .302
  AWAY: 5-3, 68.1, 2.63, 1.20, .235
  He’s had only four starts at home this year, and nine on the road.


• Mark Mulder career at Tropicana Field:
  3-0, 22.0, 1.64, 0.91, .195
  But the Rays have made an effort to be better against LHP this season. They are currently hitting .277 against lefties.


• Scott Kazmir has faced the A’s twice already this season:
  1-0, 13.0, 1.38, 1.23, .217
  And at home this year, Scott is: 1-2, 36.0, 3.00, 1.39, .261


• Jarrod Washburn this season:
  HOME: 0-2, 20.0, 7.20, 1.75, .372
  AWAY: 3-1, 61.0, 2.51, 1.39, .273


• Barry Zito this season:
  HOME: 2-2, 33.2, 3.21, 1.04, .202
  AWAY: 1-5, 53.0, 5.26, 1.51, .256

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