Kuzul

Everyone likes a good ole-fashioned baseball brawl.

Fighting in baseball dates back to the ’30s, when Bill Dickey broke Carl Reynolds’ jaw after Reynolds collided with Dickey at home plate.

Since then we have seen some classic brawls, such as the one between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose in 1973. The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres beat the snot out of each other in 1984, and Eric Davis and Ray Knight duked it out at third base in 1986.

On Wednesday night we had another version of basebrawl. The fight started when Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad threw behind Washington Nationals OF Nyjer Morgan. Morgan charged the mound, and the rest was history.

Here is a breakdown of what led to the fight and the fight itself.

Why did Volstad throw at Morgan?

The Marlins were upset that the night before Morgan destroyed catcher Brett Hayes on a play at the plate. Morgan barreled into home plate, which resulted in Hayes separating his shoulder.

This was the second time that Morgan was involved in a controversial play at home plate. He was involved in a similar play versus the St. Louis Cardinals last week with Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson.

Was Morgan justified in charging the mound?

Yes. I thought Morgan had every right to charge the mound. Volstad made his point in the fourth inning when he pegged Morgan in the back. At that point, everything was over.

I have to think that when Volstad threw behind Morgan, he knew there was going to be a fight, and I think that is what Volstad wanted.

Where does this fight rank?

The beginning was solid, but it didn’t have much staying power. The 6’0″ (that’s being generous) Morgan charged the 6’8″ Volstad and tried to throw a left punch but clearly didn’t have the reach.

As Morgan tried to latch on to Volstad, out of nowhere 1B Gaby Sanchez hit Morgan with what I thought was the “Flying Jalapeno,” which was Tito Santana’s (or what Bobby Heenan used to call it) finishing move. Upon further review, it appeared that Sanchez hit Morgan with a running lariat that would have made Stan “The Lariat” Hansen very proud.

Once the three players went to the ground, there was a big pile-up in the center of the diamond, and not much happened after that. Overall, I would give the brawl a six out of 10.

The one thing that did annoy me about this incident was how Morgan tried to play to the crowd and almost try to egg them on as he was leaving the field. When did Morgan turn into a punk?

When he was on Pittsburgh, we didn’t hear anything about him having a bad attitude or doing anything that would embarrass the organization. If he did indeed do something, I must have missed it.

Now Morgan is starting fights with fans, catchers, and other players. It’s really bizarre to me.

Major League Baseball will decide on Morgan’s fate on Friday. A five- to 10-game suspension on top of the seven-game suspension he is already appealing is likely.

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For the second year in a row, the Arizona Diamondbacks have endured a miserable season. The Diamondbacks sit in last place in the NL West, 24 games behind the first place San Diego Padres.

Due to their poor season, it’s very rare they get any love here at The Ghost of Moonlight Graham. Well today, I am going to give them some love.

Did anyone take note of the week SS Stephen Drew had last week?

Drew absolutely tore the cover off the ball last week to the tune of a .500/.517/1.179 hitting line. That’s not a misprint. Drew really had a 1.179 slugging percentage.

Out of his 14 total hits, Drew hit five doubles, four HRs, and one triple. He also scored 10 runs and drove in nine for those of you who are into those types of numbers. Drew raised his average almost 20 points last week from .259 to .274.

That is one hell of a week.

And while Drew might have had an off-the-charts week, he very quietly is having a very solid season in Arizona. He is second among all MLB shortstops with an .806 OPS and currently is leader amongst all shortstops with a 4.0 WAR.

Drew is much like his brother in that it never seems like he has a good year because he is so talented and expectations are so high that nothing will ever be good enough. But when the season comes to an end and you look at the stats, Drew is always at the top of the charts among shortstops.

Based on offensive and defensive metrics, Drew has been the most valuable shortstop in baseball. Not bad for a guy that nobody has talked about much in 2010.

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The last time a pitching phenom was called up to the major leagues, he blew out his elbow three months later. The Cincinnati Reds are hoping that their pitching phenom doesn’t suffer the same fate.

The Reds have called up LHP Aroldis Chapman from Triple-A Louisville and he will be available to pitch in tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. By calling up Chapman on the 31st, he will eligible for postseason play.

Chapman and his legit 100 mph fastball should pay immediate dividends for the Reds. He could have the same impact for the Reds out of the bullpen that Francisco Rodriguez had for the Los Angeles Angels back in 2002.

He has a 2.40 earned run average as a reliever in the minor leagues. Chapman has allowed 17 hits, 12 walks, and struck out 49 in 30 innings, since moving to bullpen. That is all kinds of nasty.

With Arthur Rhodes obviously hurting (can someone explain to me why Dusty Baker left him out to dry in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs?), Chapman can be the left-handed bridge to closer Francisco Cordero.

Here are some other facts about Aroldis Chapman…

Age: 22

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

College: None

Drafted: None. Signed as a free agent out of Holguin, Cuba. Signed a six-year, $30.25 million contract in Jan. of 2010.

Minor League Stats:

2010 Triple-A: 9-6 with a 3.57 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and 11.9 K/9 in 95.2 IP.

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis:

Ranking: No. 16 out of 100 best prospects in baseball in 2010

Analysis: “Chapman’s surprise decision to sign with Cincinnati gives the Reds an impressive stable of young arms who could form a contender’s rotation by 2012 or 2013, with Chapman possibly at the head.

“He projects comfortably as an ace with a fastball that sits in the upper 90s and has legitimately hit 101 with good life, and he will flash a plus slider with good tilt. He has a changeup but seldom had to use it because he could get hitters out with velocity and fastball movement.

“He’s also a good athlete whose velocity comes easily from a loose arm, and, with age and physical maturity, should be able to handle workloads of 180 to 200 innings.

“As well as Chapman projects in pro ball, that projection is based entirely on a small number of scouting looks that MLB evaluators have had, as he has pitched a handful of times in international competitions and threw once for scouts in Houston not long before signing with the Reds.

It’s not clear how much he’ll be able to throw in 2010 or what kind of command he’ll have when facing high-quality lineups in the United States. He’s very likely to become a No. 1 starter, but there’s enough risk here—including the possibility he’ll end up in relief—to keep him out of the top 10.”

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For the past week, the Chicago White Sox made no secret that they wanted Manny Ramirez to be their DH for the remainder of the season.

After some waiver formalities and some back and forth, yesterday they finally made it happen.

The White Sox acquired Ramirez yesterday on a straight waiver claim from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox will pay the remaining $3.8 million left on Manny’s contract.

I absolutely love this move by the White Sox. Do I think it’s too little, too late? Yes, I do, but getting Manny for the final 25 or so games is absolutely worth the risk.

White Sox DHs were hitting a combined .241/.310/.405 with 16 HRs this season. Mark Kotsay was good in college, but that’s about it, Andruw Jones isn’t a spring chicken anymore, and Carlos Quentin is hitting just .202 as a DH this season. Let’s just say Kotsay, Jones, and Quentin don’t represent the Three Faces of Fear.

Ramirez might be a buffoon at times and is clearly past his prime, but he can outproduce those three with his eyes closed. While Ramirez is having a down year by his standards, he still had a .311/.405/.510 hitting line in 66 games with the Dodgers.

Ramirez was so great in his prime that even when he has a .915 OPS, he is considered to be having a down year.

The question with Ramirez is will he be motivated to play? I really believe that answer to be yes. I think that Dodger love affair ended last year and he was tired of LA. I think Ramirez comes to Chicago motivated by a pennant race and is ready to rake for a month to get one last shot at a payday.

Ramirez will join the White Sox in Cleveland tonight as they take on the Indians.

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Update: I thought the Marlins would be smart enough to shut down Ricky Nolasco for the season, but apparently I was wrong.

With a torn meniscus in his right knee, Nolasco took the mound on Saturday and got torched for seven hits and six runs in two innings by the Atlanta Braves.

I understand Nolasco wanted pitch, but the Marlins have to be smart and realize that Nolasco on the mound can’t yield positive result. The Marlins aren’t going to the playoffs and continuously pitching Nolasco with a torn meniscus in his knee could not only do further damage to that knee; it could damage his arm as well.

It’s quite possible that Nolasco could change his motion or arm angle to compensate for his knee, a common cause of injury to pitchers. I credit Nolasco for wanting to take the ball, but sitting out the remainder of the season is.

Original Post

Last week I wrote about Jair Jurrjens, the home warrior. I thought it would be fitting to write this week about a guy who has truly been a road warrior this season.

With no disrespect to Animal or the late Hawk, Florida Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco was a true road warrior this season. Despite his season ending prematurely (he wants to pitch, but that would be a dumb idea) because of a torn meniscus in his right knee, Nolasco really was a stud on the road this season.

Overall on the season, Nolasco is 14-8 with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and averages 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. It has been a solid season for Nolasco considering he was sent down to the minors last season.

On the road, however Nolasco really shined. In 14 starts, Nolasco was 10-2 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and averaged 8.3 K/9.

The biggest difference for Nolasco on the road versus at home is that he kept the ball in the ballpark.

At home, Nolasco is giving up 1.8 HR’s per nine innings, and on the road he is only giving up 0.9 HR’s/9. What’s interesting about Nolasco’s splits is that A—his fly-ball percentage is about the same (41 percent) on the road versus at home— and B—he is the complete opposite of the Marlins’ pitching staff as a whole.

The Marlins’ pitching staff has a lower ERA at home than on the road (3.77 to 4.13) and gives up less HR’s/9 at home (0.67) as on the road (0.89). Perhaps Ricky should do the opposite and go from tuna on toast, coleslaw, and a cup of coffee to chicken salad on rye, untoasted, and a cup of tea in order to fit in with the rest of his staff.

Why Nolasco struggled at home this year while the other Marlin pitchers enjoyed success is beyond me. But what I do know is that Nolasco really had one heck of a season on the road and was a true road warrior.

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There was a serious fantasy fallout with Brian Fuentes being traded to the Minnesota Twins on Friday. One player’s stock soared for the final month of the season and one player’s stock went down.

Let’s take a look at the Fuentes trade from a fantasy perspective.

Brian Fuentes—Stock Down. Despite recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, Fuentes should be seeing the eighth inning more than the ninth inning.

Unless current closer Matt Capps goes down or starts to really struggle, then Fuentes has very little fantasy value moving forward.

Matt Capps—Stock Even. Despite NOT recording the save in yesterday’s 1-0 over the Mariners, Capps should get the majority of the save opportunities moving forward. The only reason Fuentes got the save yesterday was because left-handed batter Russell Branyan came to the plate, and Fuentes was a better match up against the lefty.

I could see Capps losing saves like this every now and then, but his stock should remain unaffected moving forward.

Fernando Rodney—Stock Up. With Fuentes being shipped out of town, someone needs to close games in Anaheim. That guy will be Rodney.

Rodney is having a typical Rodney season with an ERA of 3.83, a WHIP of around 1.40, and a very mediocre BB/K ratio. He will be a decent fill-in choice if you need a No. 2 closer for the day or week.

Rodney could benefit from the Angels’ easy schedule in September. The Angels play the Mariners and Cleveland Indians a total of 10 times in September. Easy games means wins, and wins potentially could equal saves for Rodney.

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Update: The results of Strasburg’s MRI were not good. Strasburg was diagnosed with a tear in his ulner collateral ligament in his right elbow. Strasburg will most likely need Tommy John surgery and miss the 2011 season.

A couple of thoughts about this:

1. The Nationals are in no way, shape, or form to blame for this. They did everything they possibly could to protect Strasburg. Once again, this injury proves that pitching injuries have very little to do with pitch counts or innings pitched, but more to do with mechanics.

There is a reason why guys like Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, or Tom Glavine never got hurt.

2. Strasburg’s career isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination. Tommy John surgery is so common these days and the results of the procedure have been so successful, that a lot of the time a pitcher will come back from the surgery better than ever.

The pitcher Strasburg can relate to in his case should be Josh Johnson. Johnson had Tommy John surgery at the age of 23 and is now better than ever and a legit Cy Young candidate.

Strasburg will go see Dr. Louis Yokum for a second opinion this week.

Original Post

I sat down to watch the Washington Nationals – Philadelphia Phillies game early Saturday night and once again, I was impressed with what I saw out of phenom Stephen Strasburg for the first 4.1 innings.

Strasburg was rolling through the Phillies’ lineup, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out six. His fastball was touching the high-90′s and he was mixing in his curve and later his change to really dominate the Philly lineup.

Then the fifth inning happened.

One a 1-1 pitch to fellow rookie Domonic Brown, Strasburg threw a ball that tailed low and away to Brown, but Strasburg appeared to be hurt on the pitch. He kept flexing his arm and immediately the trainer came out to see what the issue was.

Strasburg left the game with what later was diagnosed as a strained tendon in his right forearm. Strasburg underwent an MRI on Sunday, but the results of that test are still not known.

I don’t know what the MRI will show, but if a trained tendon in his forearm is all that happened, then the Nationals are darn lucky. With Strasburg’s reaction, I thought he had blown out is elbow.

Regardless of what the MRI shows, Strasburg’s 2010 season should be over. The Nationals are going nowhere the rest of the season and there is no point in pushing Strasburg.

The Nationals have too much invested in Strasburg and they can’t be that desperate for a gate that they would threaten his career by sending him back out there.

For those who want to already want to compare him to Mark Prior — pump the breaks. Prior suffered injuries and had surgeries that prematurely ended his career. I am not going to come even close to putting Strasburg in the Prior category just yet.

As soon as the results of Strasburg’s MRI are announced, I will have an update on this post.

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The Minnesota Twins, not satisfied with having the best bullpen ERA in the American League, went out last night and got themselves another bullpen arm.

Fuentes is a solid addition for the Twins

The Twins acquired LHP Brian Fuentes from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a player to be named later. Fuentes had a 3.52 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, struck out 9.2/9, and 23 saves in 39 games for the Angels this year.

Fuentes is having a much better year than last year when he was mediocre at best for the Angels. Despite leading the American League in saves with 48, Fuentes wasn’t that effective for the Angels. He had an ERA around 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.40. Not good at all.

As I mentioned earlier, Fuentes has been much better in his second season of the two-year deal he signed with the Angels in the winter of 2009. He has been especially tough on lefties this year. Lefties are only hitting .132 versus Fuentes in 2010.

The Twins will use Fuentes as an eighth inning setup man and that is why I really like this acquisition by the Twins. As I have said many times before about Fuentes, he is much better suited to be a setup man on a good team rather than a closer for a World Series team. Fuentes is moving into that role, which I think suits him best.

The Twins have done a very good job patching together the back end of their bullpen after All Star Joe Nathan went down in spring training. Jon Rauch was solid filling in for Nathan as the closer for the first half of the season. Matt Capps and his 2.08 ERA and six saves have been good (he is bending, but not breaking ) since coming over from the Washington Nationals, and now Fuentes should provide a nice bridge to Capps.

Fuentes will be available tonight for the Twins when they face the Seattle Mariners.

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It didn’t take long for RF Brad Hawpe to find some work.  Hawpe, who cleared waivers on Thursday after being designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies last week, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

I will call this signing Hank Blalock Part 2.

The Rays signed Blalock off the scrap heap in the offseason in the hopes of him becoming a left-handed power hitter off the bench or becoming the a left-handed bat in the lineup at DH against righties.  Neither of those scenarios happened, as Blalock hit .254 with one HR and was released in June.

Now the Rays are hoping Hawpe has something left in the tank and could provide offense from the left side of the plate.  The 31-year-old was an All-Star as late as last year and from 2006-2009 averaged 25 HR’s a season with .902 OPS; but Hawpe really struggled in 2010 hitting just .255 with seven HR’s in 88 games. Hawpe, as usual, struggled away from Coors Field. He was hitting just .211 on the road this year.

With Hawpe having a down season and with the Rockies having an overabundance of OF’s, Colorado had no more use for Hawpe. He had his suitors like the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, but ultimately chose the Rays.

Signing with the Rays over the Rangers must have been a tough choice. The Rangers offer a chance at the World Series, but also more of a chance for Hawpe to regain some value. Hitting in Arlington is a lot more favorable than hitting in Tampa.

However, Tampa offers Hawpe a chance for more AB’s. Dan Johnson is currently batting .140 out of the DH spot and Matt Joyce isn’t lighting the world on fire either with his .230 average.

If Hawpe does well in the minors, he could push Johnson for some ABs.  He will begin his Rays’ career in Single-A Charlotte.

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It’s time to size up the National League MVP race. Or what what I like to call the “Albert Pujols’ to lose” award. This year, Pujols is getting a run for his money by a couple of young studs.

Here is how I see the NL MVP race shaping up…

Best of the Rest

Adrian Gonzalez, Aubrey Huff, Scott Rolen

The Contenders

Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies: .320/.354/.569 with 26 HRs and 20 SBs. Very quietly, “CarGo” is sneaking up on the NL MVP race.

The 24-year-old is headed for a 30-30 season, and if the Rockies make a late run here, the support for CarGo will only grow amongst voters.

CarGo ranks in the top-five in five different offensive categories. CarGo has been certainly helped by playing his home games at Coors Field. Gonzalez is batting a Dante Bichette-like .377 at home.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals: .319/.411/.597 with 33 HRs and 12 SBs. Hard not to give a guy who might win the Triple Crown this award. But Pujols is going to get edged out by a guy in his own division.

Pujols has reached a level in his career where expectations are so high that even a great year isn’t great enough. Pujols might win the Triple Crown and there are some out there who will say he is having a “down year.”

The Winner

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: .326/.423/.603 with 31 HRs and 11 SBs. Votto gets my vote because the Reds are leading the NL Central and have really been one of biggest surprises in baseball. The best player on that surprise has been Votto.

Like Pujols, Votto could potentially win the Triple Crown award this year. Votto is also first in the NL in OBP and SLG.

Not only is Votto hitting the snot of out of the baseball, he also has 11 stolen bases this year. Who saw that coming before the season started? Not me.

Votto will win this award in a very, very close vote over Pujols.

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