Kuzul

Apparently the Detroit Tigers think it is a good idea to send down an impressive part-time player in his rookie season and call up a career .234 hitter to replace him. I awoke this morning and to my horror found out the Tigers had sent Andy Dirks to the Toledo Mud-Hens only to call up Brandon Inge.

Before Inge was sent down earlier this year, he was hitting .177 in 70 games played. Meanwhile in 61 games played Andy Dirks has hit .257.  The Tigers management must not be able to do simple baseball mathematics. .257 is eighty points higher than .177 for all you stat geeks out there.

Wilson Betemit was traded to the Tigers to replace Inge. Since then Betemit has hit an even .300. In fact Betemit has two home runs in 19 games; in fifty-seven games with the Royals he hit three home runs. He has also come through in clutch situations, providing a much-needed bat in the lineup.

Meanwhile Inge would have struck out in these situations. I’m not bashing Inge by any means, I’m just stating the obvious. It should also be noted that Wilson Betemit makes an even $1 million and Brandon Inge is making $5.5 million for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Don Kelly has been the Tigers’ secret weapon over the past couple years. He has played every position (even pitcher) for the Tigers. He has been splitting time with Betemit at third since Inge’s departure.  When Kelly hasn’t been manning third base, he’s found himself being used as a defensive replacement or playing in the outfield. Overall Kelly has carved an excellent niche for himself and has done what has been expected of him.

The Tigers are doomed if Inge is going to be playing every day again. Wilson Betemit and Andy Dirks provided consistent bats for the Tigers this year. Unfortunately Dirks will now be toiling around in the minors until September and Betemit will be used as a pinch-hitter. Instead of seeing Betemit coming through with clutch hits, Tigers fans will be forced to watch Brandon Inge strikeout with two on and two out.       

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Did ESPN analyst and Stamford, Conn. current Director of Public Safety and Public Health, Bobby Valentine, leave a piece of his heart in impressive old St. Louis? 

Known for cow towing at Mike Shannon’s with the likes of controversial umpire “Country” Joe West and praising the wonderful fans of St. Louis via KMOX, it appears he wants in and is smart enough to know how to discreetly go about it.

Since 2009, he’s reportedly been either a quiet candidate or interviewed for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays managerial positions.

Sounding like general manager John Mozeliak’s and Jon Jay’s biggest fan, Valentine’s praise of the 2011 trade deadline moves by the Cardinals was unwavering.  Bobby and Peter Gammons were the most ardent supporters of the trade.

Well, since then, the Redbirds have fallen seven games out of first place—shades of last year after the Ryan Ludwick deal.

In fact, as Bernie Miklasz pointed out in a St. Louis Post Dispatch column last Sunday, the Cardinals have been collapsing late in the season almost every years since they won World Series championship No. 10 (2006).

As an analyst, Valentine, 61, obviously realizes this.  He’s LaRussa’s contemporary and has managed against him in the Majors.

Valentine’s Mets bloodied LaRussa and the Cardinals, 4-1, in the 2001 NLCS on the way to the Subway Series against the Yankees.  Like a shark, he could be smelling blood rolling along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River near Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. 

Even if the bloodied but unbowed Tony LaRussa is still the skipper in 2012, he can’t manage forever.  TLR will have to depart someday hopefully very soon in the eyes of a lot of fans.

I personally can’t see third base coach Jose “The Secret Weapon” Oquendo getting a fair shake for consideration as manager of the Redbirds after LaRussa leaves.  I’d love to see Jose’s former superior on the depth chart—the great Ozzie Smith—as the manager next season. 

This probably won’t be the case.  If LaRussa gets wind of Ozzie being considered, then TLR will want to stay for as long as possible.  There haven’t been any heartfelt feelings between Tony and Ozzie for the last 15-16 years and counting.

“Count” Valentine came into the Majors as a utility player with the L.A. Dodgers in 1969.  He still reveres Tommy LaSorda and evidently Groucho Marx. 

Valentine is the manager remembered for donning a fake mustache and coming back into the dugout to oversee his team after being ejected while with the Mets in 1999.  MLB summarily fined him $5,000 and suspended him for three games. 

Here’s a summary of his managerial record in the Majors:

Starting in 1985 with the Texas Rangers, he’s managed 2,169 games in 15 seasons.  LaRussa had about 2,680 wins at the time of this writing in some 30 years a manager in the Majors. 

With a .510 winning percentage (1,117-1,072) in MLB, Valentine also trails LaRussa in this category (.535).  Valentine’s winning percentage was .534 with the Mets from 1996-2002—his last stint in the Majors.

He played during the good old baseball days of outfield chain link fences.  Valentine probably wishes those days never were; he suffered a horrible leg injury after his spikes got stuck while chasing a fly ball in Anaheim.  Largely due to the fence accident, Bobby V. retired as a player at 29 years old.

An interesting tidbit is Valentine’s relationship with former Mets general manager turned ESPN analyst, Steve Phillips.  The latter fired Bobby in 2002, but in 2009 Valentine was hired after Phillips was terminated in a scandal involving a female employee at the cable giant.

Valentine is somewhat revered as a giant in Japanese baseball lore.  He managed the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League to the Japanese Series championship in 2005.  Later that year, he led the Marines to the championship over Korea in the first Asia Series.

He was reportedly fired after conflicts with the general manager of Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League.  Conflicts of interest aside, I believe Valentine would love to manage the Cardinals if LaRussa doesn’t return in 2012.

Do you, my beloved readers, believe he’d do a good job?

Comment or contact Lake Cruise at rjspann@swbell.net.

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I think people are starting to get the idea. If you don’t get the idea yet, then you are either an exceptionally optimistic fan, or delusional.

The San Francisco Giants are not a good baseball team.

Perhaps they were at one point in the season. Perhaps they were until the acquisition of Carlos Beltran. But they certainly aren’t now.

Granted, they have extraordinary pitching. Ryan Vogelsong threw seven innings of two earned-run ball, and remains second in the league in ERA.

The key word in the previous sentence is earned. Errors by Mark DeRosa and Nate Schierholtz enabled the Houston Astros to score three unearned runs off of Vogelsong. Guillermo Mota’s bogus home run to Bogusevic extended the lead to 6-0, which turned out to be the final score of the ballgame.

Realistically, though, it wouldn’t have mattered if Vogelsong had pitched a shutout—he still would have received a no decision at best.

The San Francisco Giants were completely baffled by left hander Wandy Rodriguez, who, like so many pitchers, had his finest outing of the season against the Giants’ hapless offense.

While the Giants are still only 2.5 games out of first place behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, the deficit seems nigh insurmountable.

In fact, a more realistic goal for the Giants this season than the playoffs is to finish the season above .500. At 67-59, the Giants would need to go 14-22 to finish the season at .500. Given the way this team has been playing recently, even that goal seems lofty.

The excellent Bleacher Report sportswriter Manny Randhawa will have to search deep into his bag of tricks to justify the Giants’ “excellence” in losing 6-0 to a team that was 44 games under .500 coming into the ballgame.

“It’s only just one game.” But is it? Is it really? Or is this game just an accurate representation of a disturbing trend?

One thing is certain: People should be fired after tonight’s travesty. Or at least demoted. Or, if Bruce Bochy prefers, they should come up with a mysterious foot strain. Mark DeRosa and Aaron Rowand are two examples of this type of person who does not belong on a Major League baseball field, contract or no. It’s already a “sunk cost.”

Am I overreacting? Is this a knee jerk reaction? I don’t think so. These are calculated statements backed up by on-field performances and statistics.

The Giants need to dramatically overhaul their lineup to put a competitive team on the field, or risk seeing their attendance and reputation plummet.

Not to mention, the Giants should be interested in keeping the sole bright spot on the team (pitching) intact. With free agency looming in the not too distant future for Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, do you think either starter would be willing to play for a team wherein they get no offensive support?

Regardless of the pitchers’ unflappable coolness in the clubhouse in the face of losing and shouldering of responsibility for each loss, you know that these pitchers want to win. Not only do they want to win, they want to win championships.

And no team ranked last in the league in offense has ever made the playoffs, let alone won a championship.

In conclusion, if the Giants come out and score seven runs tomorrow, please save your “I Told You So’s.” After scoring seven runs against the Braves in game three of their series, they have been shut out twice consecutively.

For those keeping track, that is an average of 2.33 runs per game.

Even the lowly Giants are capable of scoring seven runs once in a while. A playoff caliber professional baseball club, however, will perform on a regular basis and demonstrate at least a modicum of consistency.

Madison Bumgarner (7-11, 3.49ERA) pitches next against Jordan Lyles (1-7, 5.31ERA). The ingredients are in place for a 5-3 Giants victory, if each pitcher pitches to their potential. Something tells me, however, that Bumgarner will lower his ERA once again, and loss number twelve will materialize as he is out-dueled by Roger Clemens…er…Jordan Lyles. 

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Sam Fuld lost his tooth in the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners Friday night.  Although the win helps in their battle for the playoffs with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, all the buzz is about the little outfielder that looks more like he plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning than the Rays.

Fuld entered the game in the eighth inning to pinch hit for Sean Rodriguez with the Rays trailing by a run. He hit a single through the hole at shortstop.

That’s when the mystery of the missing tooth began.

The television broadcast showed Fuld without his smile that fans have come to love. Social media was full of inquiries about the location of his missing tooth.

“I wish I had a good story like I was out skating this morning. It all comes back to May or whatever when I banged my head into J.J. Hardy. It chipped my crown, and I’m trying to get a permanent one going but it’s been a while. I’ve had this temporary thing in there and it keeps popping out.”

After a request from the media for him to say, “Super Sam Fuld,” the story got better.

“Today I decided to chew some gum—real bright idea—and the next thing I know it’s in my gum and the gum became really crunchy. The crown just broke into a bunch of pieces, and that was that. The problem is I got a hit tonight so I’m thinking of leaving it out.”

Even some of Fuld’s teammates weren’t fully aware of the fake tooth.

“I just found out that he had a fake tooth our last homestand, I had no idea,” said Evan Longoria. “This clubhouse has a bunch of characters, it’s really what keeps it light around here. For him to be walking around without a tooth and to think it’s the funniest thing is the world is awesome.”

After the saga of the missing tooth, Fuld would go on to score on an Evan Longoria single starting the Rays eighth inning rally.

Johnny Damon would score the game-winning run on a Ben Zobrist single to center field.

Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained first-hand.

You can follow him on Twitter @JWilburg



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Is it possible for a player to be one of the consensus top five players in his league and still be underrated?

If that player is Matt Kemp, then the answer is an unequivocal Yes.

Last season I took Matt Kemp to task not once, but twice, for being one of the worst regular everyday players in baseball.  

You see, Kemp was in the middle of a bad season; he was getting caught stealing way to much (15 times in 34 attempts), his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage were all on the decline, and he was not scoring, driving in or creating as many runs as he had in the most recent previous seasons.

And, for the most part, I will stand behind those assertions.

The mistake I made, though, was assuming that these aspects of Kemp’s season reflected who he was as a player rather than simply reflecting a bad season.  And on that note, I was wildly incorrect.

Because in 2011, Matt Kemp is back, with a vengeance.

So far in 2011, through 111 games, Kemp is setting full-season career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, which necessarily means OPS and OPS+ as well.  After hitting 25 doubles in each of the last two seasons, Kemp already has 23 doubles this year. He has already topped last season’s total of 19 stolen bases by stealing 28, and he has only been caught four times.

Kemp also has 26 home runs. Let’s put that in perspective: last season, he had 28 dongs in 162 games, and the year before he had 26 dongs in 159 games.  This year’s pace, so far, is well ahead his career best pace, and him on course to top 40 for the first time in his career; not bad for a guy who has never hit 30.

Kemp also leads the NL in total bases, with 235, and (for those who care), he is going to run away with the league lead in WAR, which measures a player’s overall value.

He is, truly, having an amazing season, and at only 26, there is no reason not to believe that Kemp’s prime may just be getting going.

So . . . .

How can Matt Kemp be underrated even as he establishes himself as one of the dominant players in the National League?

The answer is a simple, two word answer: Dodger Stadium.

There are certain stadiums in Major League Baseball which suffer from a presumption of skepticism, stadiums which are so decidedly pitcher-friendly or hitter-friendly that we must look at a player’s home/road splits to verify the validity of their performance.

For example, if a player enjoys a monster offensive season playing at Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Coors Field or Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, chances are there is a home-field explanation.

By the same token, if a hitter has a down season at Petco Park, Safeco Field, Citi Field or Dodger Stadium, chances are he was swimming upstream and walking in mud for most of the season.

Knowing that Matt Kemp plays his home games at Dodger Stadium we must naturally suspect that his numbers are being suppressed, even despite the amazing year he is having.

So, let’s take a look at Kemp’s home/road splits so far this year (care of baseballreference.com):

The evidence, as they say, speaks for itself.

So far in 2011, Kemp is hitting 34 points higher on the road than he is at home. His on-base percentage is over .400 on the road, and his slugging percentage is over 600 on the road. His OPS is nearly 200 points higher on the road (1.070) than it is at home (.892), which is quite literally almost unheard of.

And, of course, Kemp has three more doubles and four more home runs away from Dodger Stadium, in seven fewer games and 16 fewer plate appearances.

Put quite simply, in 2011 Matt Kemp has been one of the best players in the National League despite playing his home games in Dodger Stadium.

In all likelihood, Matt Kemp is a far better player than his 2011 stats, as good as they are, make him out to be.

And oh by the way, Kemp’s current contract is up after this season, but he has one more year of arbitration eligibility left before hitting free agency in 2013. This means that, with Kemp’s true value being under-represented and with him being captive for another season, this would be an excellent time for the Dodgers to ink him to a comparatively cheap, comparatively short-term deal.

If Matt Kemp would re-sign, right now, for something in the three years, $30-40 million range, it would be an absolute steal.

And if some other team, perhaps one in a hitter-neutral or hitter-friendly park, could trade for him and get him to sign a similar deal, well, the windfall would be unbelievable.

You heard it hear first.

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Brett Lawrie, 2B Toronto Blue Jays (23 percent owned in Yahoo, 22.7 percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: 2/4, 1 RBI

Brett Lawrie has finally arrived! He tore up AAA pitching this season going .353/64/18/61/13. In my opinion, the call-up should have happened much earlier—but it didn’t. Then Lawrie suffered a hand injury on May 31st which kept him out of the game for a while. Now that it is completely healed, expect him to rake for the Blue jays.

Projection (rest of season): .280 AVG / 23 R / 6 HR / 26 RBI / 4 SB

Hideki Matsui, OF Oakland Athletics (32 percent owned in Yahoo, 70.6 percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: .268 AVG / 39 R / 10 HR / 54 RBI / 1 SB

I try not to mention players two weeks in a row, but I need to make an exception here. It seems like ESPN has caught on to Matsui but Yahoo leaguers haven’t. In the past six games he has gone .524/4/1/3. In Yahoo, some of the players owned ahead of him are Alex Rios, Jason Kubel, Juan Pierre and Delmon Young.

Projection (rest of season): .279 AVG / 22 R / 6 HR / 23 RBI / 0 SB

Josh Willingham, OF Oakland Athletics (23 percent owned in Yahoo, 39.1 percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: .245 AVG / 41 R / 16 HR / 61 RBI / 4 SB

Willingham has been a streaky hitter all season, but he had a monster month of July, going .324/.429/.618. His HR/RBI numbers are actually pretty impressive considering he only has registered 314 AB. If you extrapolate his power numbers over 600 AB you get 30/116. He is batting cleanup for the Athletics so the RBI opportunities should continue.

Projection (rest of season): .240 AVG / 21 R / 7 HR / 29 RBI / 2 SB

Rick Porcello, SP Detroit Tigers (21 percent owned in Yahoo, 29.6 percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: 11 W / 6 L / 73 K / 4.49 ERA / 1.36 WHIP

Now that August is upon us, it’s time to start looking at matchups for fantasy baseball playoffs. From September fifth through the 25th the Tigers face: @CLE, MIN, @CHI, @OAK, @KC and BAL. They have a pretty good schedule leading up to September fifth, too: @CLE, @BAL, MIN, CLE, @TB, @MIN, KC and CHI. Porcello’s BB/9 of 2.21 and 49.1 percent of groundballs will keep him out of serious trouble going forward.

Projection (rest of season): 4 W / 3 L / 34 K / 3.65 ERA / 1.24 WHIP

Doug Fister, SP Detroit Tigers (15 percent owned in Yahoo, five percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: 4 W / 12 L / 89 K / 3.29 ERA / 1.17 WHIP

I know it’s a bit unorthodox to suggest two starting pitchers from the Tigers on the same waiver wire article, but you can’t argue with the schedule and I actually like Fister more. Fister’s K/9 is only slightly worse at 5.24 and he is a control freak (1.88 BB/9, 64.3 first pitch strike percentage). For what it’s worth, I picked him up in our league.

Projection (rest of season): 4 W / 4 L / 32 K / 3.40 ERA / 1.10 WHIP

For other entries in our waiver-wire gems series, click here!

Brian “Killboy” Kilpatrick is a Senior Writer for 4thandHome.com, where this, and other work, can be found. Additionally, he is co-host of The 4th and Home Show on Blog Talk Radio.

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Where does Albert Pujols rank on the all-time Cardinals list of best players in franchise history?  Keep reading, and I’ll tell you what I think. You tell me how you took it.

Pujols took another leap forward for man and womankind, St. Louis Cardinals fans. In the new Busch Stadium, he came, saw and conquered another milestone last Friday night before the disgruntled faces of beleaguered Chicago Cubs and their faithful.

By a 9-2 score, the long-suffering lovable losers from the North Side of “The Chi (shy)” took it on the chin again, courtesy of the popping bats of Pujols and the Redbirds. The crushing victory was the icing on the cake for the current baseball king of the city.

According to the Redbirds’ broadcasters, Pujols became the latest Saint Louis Cardinal to reach 2,000 hits—while wearing the historically significant St. Louis Cardinals uniform. Only certain individuals get to wear the birds on the bat, and Pujols knows it.

Hall of Fame ballers Rogers Hornsby, Stan “The Man” Musial, Rogers Hornsby and Lou Brock all wore it for most—if not all—of their MLB careers. They have their own statuettes outside of the new stadium, and Pujols knows it.

He sports the classic uniform—one of the most recognizable in all of the world’s sports—with the pride and class it deserves, and once again proved to be a much better hitter than his current batting coach.

Ouch. 

Pujols could someday be—without question—the best St. Louis Cardinals player ever.  If he isn’t already, that is. He’s not done, yet, though, most folks in the STL hope. There could be another World Series, or hopefully more, under his helmet.

It seems to me like Albert just added about as much pressure as can be to the Cardinals’ front office to keep him. They almost have to re-sign him now, right?  We’ll see. Judging by moves in the last two years, there is no telling what the brass is planning to pull off.

Stay tuned to the Laker, and I’ll let you all know, my beloved readers, what’s really going on after the season in terms of Pujols—the former baseball prince of the city. He’s quickly becoming one of the eight wonders of MLB history.

For his 2,000th career smash off against pitching in the Majors, on Friday night of the eighth inning with two outs, Albert smashed a peppery steak (RBI) double down the third base line—making the scoreboard bling for the Redbirds against the lowly Cubs. 

What was most impressive was the way Pujols sped around the bases as if it was the bottom of the ninth inning in the seventh game of the World Series—like he was carrying the championship-winning run. It’s called hustling in the Gashouse Gang tradition.

You Cubs fans wouldn’t know anything about that, I don’t imagine. Imagine this, though, as much as the Redbirds and Cardinals face one another, Pujols could end up getting his hit No. 3,000 against Chicago…this season…double ouch.

After No 2,000, I felt like the Cardinals had the painful for the traveling pack of fanatics from Illinois game in hand, and Pujols could’ve been taken out of the game. While the fans showered him with blessings, he looked like he wanted to shed tears of thanksgiving. Take him out for a pinch-runner, why didn’t the manager? 

Who knows?

The classy Cardinal he is, Pujols twice tipped his helmet, while standing at second base. It looked like LaRussa pulled a classy move, though, and ordered the next batter to step out of the batter’s box, so the fans could salute Albert even more.

How do you like it in Saint Louis? You all love it. We (MLB fans) love it. Pujols the great Redbird grinder did it with his left wrist in what looks like a cast. Ouch.

The leading man in this cast of Redbirds characters, he’s starring in an almost Hollywood career full of flavor. Lights, cameras and action to the tune of 3,000 hits could be the next feature film Pujols produces in a Cardinals uniform. 

What a shame it would be if this doesn’t happen. First Ryan Ludwick gets traded and the team’s title hopes head south for the winter 2010. Then Colby Rasmus gets run in 2011 and the Redbirds immediately loose two demoralizing games at home to lowly Houston. 

Albert’s milestone could be the spark the Redbirds need to get them going. Then Albert is allowed to walk after the season? No way, right? You tell me, I’m not a participating party.

I’m telling the world that it’s probably a party in Saint Louis for right now. I have a feeling Albert’s teammates know this could very well be his last go around in the circle of St. Louis as a Redbird. 

What a crying Cardinal shame it would truly be.

Enjoy the ride, though, with about two full months left in the season, Albert could have close to 100 more hits left in him in 2011. If that happens, then it could mean a deep playoff run for the Redbirds. Lou Brock and the rest of the living Cardinals greats will be watching.

This has been the almost great Lake Cruise reporting live from the banks of the Mississippi River close to Pierre Laclede’s Landing. Right now, as I write, Pujols is landing at about A-1 on the list of all-time best Cardinals. But that’s just me. 

 What do you think, my beloved? Meanwhile, catch me next time on the latest edition of Lake’s Pujols Papers. I’m out.

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Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers leads the way in our group of award winner from the first half of the 2011 Major League Baseball Season.

Baseball has suddenly become dominated by pitching as there are only seven players in the entire league with at least 20 home runs.  

It’s a fascinating statistic when you think just 10 years ago, Alex Rodriguez hit 52, Luis Gonzalez hit 57, Sammy Sosa hit 64, and Barry Bonds hit 73—the most home runs for a season in the history of baseball.

Now that we’ve officially reached the half-way point of the season, let’s take a look at the MVP’s and Cy Young Award winners of the first half.

Begin Slideshow

It’s a tough time right now in New York for the Mets. Low attendance, financial problems and injured players have hurt this team for a couple of years and it hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. One more thing. The one bright spot for this team could be gone in a few months.

Jose Reyes has had a good career so far. His play has made him a fan favorite in New York. He brings energy to the team and the fans when he is playing. There is no doubt that he is one of the most exciting players in the game.

But all of this could leave New York and move somewhere else in a matter of weeks. Reyes’s contract will expire at the end of the year. If he is not traded, it is almost certain that he will leave New York. It is being said that he wants “Carl Crawford-type money” and this doesn’t fit the Mets situation. With Reyes’s injury, one would think his value would go down. But with his amazing play this year, his value has gone up from what it was.

Reyes could be one of the biggest free agents in the upcoming offseason. Many teams would be interested in an All-Star player that is entering the prime of his career. Reyes is the type of player that can make a team go from a good team to a great team.

One problem with Reyes leaving New York is it could have a devastating impact. Reyes has been a fan favorite ever since he was brought to the organization in 2003. Trading him or letting him walk could ruin this team for years. An already low attendance begins to drop even more.

Wins start to become rarer and losses become an almost everyday occurrence. More and more fans stop supporting the team. Less and less money to spend. If this sounds like an apocalyptic scenario, it is. This could be a decision that could make or break the franchise. That’s the type of impact that Reyes has to this team. It has been shown that when Reyes is in the lineup for the Mets, they win many more games then when he is out.

Now let’s flip the coin and look at what could happen if he were to stay.

If Reyes stayed with this team, it would give the Mets a cornerstone player to build around. Financial problems would most likely still be there, but if the team wins, they will draw more fans. Fan support improves and fans are excited that the Mets kept the fan-favorite Reyes.

Put that together with good drafts and possible free agent signings and you have yourself a possible contender. Right now, the Mets need something exciting for their team. Reyes brings excitement every time he is on the field. It would only make sense for them to resign him. The Mets will at least offer him an extension, but will it be enough?

Every team in baseball would have interest in Reyes. He is a player that draws fans to games and can carry a team on his back for a good length of time. But honestly, I don’t think it will or even could be done. I hope I am wrong. So what will happen with Reyes? We will all find out in the upcoming months.

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Yet again, the Philadelphia Phillies’ hitting does not show up, only this time, it resulted in a 12th inning 2-1 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night.

Throwing eight innings, allowing only one run and one hit, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels continued to show why he is a reliable starter for the team.

But although Hamels pitched a terrific game, he, along with other Phillies pitchers this season, didn’t receive the run support needed to capture the win.

Jimmy Rollins acquired two of the Phillies’ minuscule six hits, and he obtained the only Phillies run of the night.

The Phillies have averaged four runs per game so far this season, which seems pretty favorable when you consider that the Phillies have four aces in their starting pitching rotation who, when healthy, shouldn’t need more than four runs in support to win.

However, if the Phillies’ season up to this point is dissected, it is evident that if the Phillies could have compiled at least four RBI a game, they could have an additional 10 wins instead of losses.

The team has had unfortunate run-ins in the past with hitting slumps and cold streaks, so the team not generating run support isn’t anything new.

The Phillies have not scored more than two runs in three straight games, including this game.

If the Phillies’ hitters and pitchers don’t get on the same page and become a formidable cohesive unit, then the Phillies could see another team hoist the championship trophy for the second consecutive year.

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