Kuzul

The Mariners sent Michael Pineda, their rookie right-hander, to the mound and got all they had hoped for from the young horse.

Unfortunately, as has become all too common, they didn’t get what they wanted from their offense.

Pineda looked sharp early, sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball, occasionally reaching 97.

In the first inning, it almost looked too easy for Pineda as he retired Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton in order with Kinsler and Hamilton going down via strikeout.

Things got a little dicey in the second as the Rangers got on the board with Nelson Cruz scoring on a Mitch Moreland triple that center fielder Michael Saunders misjudged. Saunders scaled the wall preparing to snare a home run ball back, only to see the ball ping off the wall as he twisted and turned.

The damage was limited to that one run, though, as Pineda kept the Mariners stagnant offense in the game as he cruised through the fifth inning with his pitch count only reaching 59 pitches.

In the sixth inning, Pineda started to run out of gas despite the low pitch count. He began to miss spots by wide margins, leaving balls up with catcher Miguel Olivo spotting his glove low.

In that frame, Kinsler lead off with a single to left that grazed the top of a jumping Jack Wilson’s glove. After Elvis Andrus moved Kinsler over to second with a sacrifice bunt, Hamilton drove him in with a double. Two batters later, Michael Young drove a double of his own to score Hamilton to push the score to 3-0.

The bleeding finally stopped after a Nelson Cruz flyout that would end up being Pineda’s final pitch of the night.

Rangers starter Alexi Ogando also exited the game after six innings due to a blister on his pitching hand, which opened the door for a potential Mariners comeback.

With former Mariner Mark Lowe on the mound for Texas, the Mariners were finally able to get something going offensively in the seventh inning. Miguel Olivo and Adam Kennedy reached base, followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Jack Wilson and Michael Saunders that put the Mariners in position to get Pineda off the hook.

Ichiro reached base on an error by Kinsler at second base, loading the bases with one out. However, a sharp lineout by Chone Figgins and a flyout by Milton Bradley ended the rally.

The final six batters of the game for the Mariners were retired in order, securing a tough loss for Pineda in his big league debut.

Pineda did face a heavily right-handed Rangers lineup he could succeed against. However, when the Texas bats struck, they struck for extra base hits with men on base.

If you’re the Mariners, you have to be pleased with this performance, though.

While there are many out there who thought Pineda’s secondary stuff needed more seasoning in the minors, the rookie looked like a grizzled veteran fighting for six mostly strong innings.

Michael Pineda clearly belongs.

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The New York Yankees bullpen has received limitless hype and praise early in the season, and they are already being dubbed as the best in MLB—as well as the best in NY since 1996.

While the group has accomplished nothing to this point, this does not mean that a proper nickname should not be added to the front of the hype machine.

It took mere hours for “Miami Thrice” to be created, and “The Fab Five” represents a team that never won a championship in its short time together.

The Philadelphia Phillies already had “the best rotation in MLB history” on April 5th—so there is plenty of precedent to this trend.

I would normally ignore the desire to overreact and create catchy names for the Yankees trio, but then “Jo-So-Mo” suddenly jumped out of Michael Kay’s mouth and into my disappointed ear drums.

While my list is certainly no Mona Lisa, something had to be done in order to find a better option than the Yankees broadcast team could come up with on their own.

Here is a list of 10 possibilities I’m throwing onto the table, and it’s up to all of you to pick your favorites—or add others into the discussion.

Let’s have some fun with this Yankee fans!

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I have never been a fan of platooning players in baseball. I always liked having a set lineup while giving the starter an occasional day of rest. Dusty Baker has a different idea when it comes to the Reds catching situation, and it has worked like a charm.

The combination of Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez has been more than productive both offensively and defensively. Hanigan catches Bronson Arroyo while Hernandez handles Edinson Volquez. The rest of the time, it usually depends on matchups and health.

Through the first three games of the 2011 season, the dynamic duo has put up some incredible offensive numbers. Here are the statistics (at least five at-bats), along with where they rank against the rest of Major League Baseball.

Are you in Reds Country?

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Few experiences can top Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio. The parade, sold-out stadium and increased number of media members are just a few things that cause the first baseball game of the year to sometimes take a backseat to the pageantry that surrounds it.

Not this time.

We met up with a group of friends, affectionately known as the Power Stack Pack, on Fountain Square and found a place to watch the parade before heading down to the stadium. The walk to Great American Ball Park is always filled with excitement and anticipation, but Opening Day raises those feelings to a new level.

After the pregame ceremonies, it was time to get down to business. Edinson Volquez tested the patience of every Reds fan by surrendering back-to-back home runs to start the game. Dusty Baker stuck with his starter for six innings despite allowing five runs on seven hits. Volquez turned it over to the bullpen with the Brewers holding a 5-2 lead.

Around the seventh inning, many “fans” began filing out of Great American Ball Park. Most of these people attend Opening Day and won’t be back until the playoffs, if the Reds are fortunate enough to make it.

A friend of mine commented about the people leaving early, to which I replied, “Apparently, they forgot that this team came from behind to win so many times last year.”

Trailing 6-3 and heading to the bottom of the ninth, the Reds went to work.

Brandon Phillips led off with a single. After Joey Votto walked, Scott Rolen reached on a fielder’s choice when Phillips displayed some fancy footwork to avoid a tag on his way to third base. Jay Bruce struck out before Phillips scored on a sacrifice fly by Jonny Gomes.

That brings me to my question of the day. The Reds now had Rolen on first, Votto on second, trailed by two and were down to their final out. Ramon Hernandez was coming to the plate. What happens if Hernandez hits a ball in the gap? My guess is Rolen, the tying run, either gets held at third or takes the risk of being thrown out at the plate. The point is I would have liked to see someone run for Rolen.

None of that mattered thanks to Hernandez. He launched a ball into the Milwaukee bullpen for a three-run, walk-off funkblast!

Yes, it was one game…but it was a great game.

Baseball is back.

Are you in Reds Country?

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The Philadelphia Phillies opened the season today with an awe-inspiring bottom of the ninth, come-from-behind 5-4 victory, after a less than inspiring first eight innings of the season against their old nemesis, the Houston Astros.  

To make matters worse, the Phillies got shut down for most of the day, which was lost to one of their own: former Phillies pitcher Brett Myers.

Add to that the fact that former Phillie Michael Bourn drove in two runs and scored another, and it was looking like a down day for the old hometown team—until the Phillies reminded us all that this is still a pretty awesome team.

And who was that driving in the tying run?  Mr. Double Play himself: Wilson Valdez.

Not that this all means anything, because it is only opening day, and, as we have all learned, anything can happen during the course of a baseball season (just ask Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes).

Nevertheless, after the special sting that comes from debuting your once-in-a-lifetime rotation and getting shut down by a guy you got rid of to make way for that rotation, it was certainly a nice way to end the first game of the year.  Though, know this:

If the Phillies are going to play like this all season, we will all be dead by August!

Putting the exciting victory aside for a moment, something interesting and incredibly novel happened during today’s game, back when the Phillies looked like the 1962 Mets.

On his way to shutting down the Phils for most of the day, Brett Myers pitched 7.0 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and one earned run.  But Myers did not strike out a single batter.

And so here is today’s Philadelphia Phillies Daily Fun Fact:

In all of 2010, only 10 pitchers managed to pitch seven or more innings without striking out a single batter.

Of those ten pitchers, only one managed to pitch seven or more innings without striking out a single batter and while allowing only a single run.

It was Johnny Cueto, of the Cincinnati Reds, on June 28, 2010.

And it happened against the Phillies.

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Everybody has their list.

They get a ton of attention and for this group, unwarranted. They’re overrated.

Which stats are the best indicators of being overrated?

OPS? WAR? Should an eye test be taken?

Potential sometimes cannot be judged on stats.

Let’s take a look at the 10 most overrated players in baseball.

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It was no secret that Zack Greinke wanted out of Kansas City. Speculation arose of where he’d be traded to, if traded at all.

Would it be the New York Yankees?

Would it be the Philadelphia Phillies?

Or would he just be forced to stay put in Kansas City?

In the end he ended up in Milwaukee and is now a Brewer.

The Kansas City Royals went 67-95 last season. Greinke went 10-14 and at 4.17, he had his third highest ERA in his seven years in the big leagues.

Greinke was outstanding 2008 and 2009 season, winning the AL Cy Young in 2009. 

Of course, you can’t judge Greinke by his Win/Loss statistics. Getting run support from the Kansas City Royals is not something that comes often for any pitcher. 

We’ve seen flashes of greatness from some of the Royals this spring training.

It is clear to see that the Royals and Manager Ned Yost have already moved on from Greinke and are focusing on an aggressive style of play and a team mentality.

Without Greinke, the Royals don’t have one of those players that stands out from the rest.

They don’t really have a face for their organization anymore.

One could argue that any veteran presence on the team will ultimately become the face of the franchise, such as Jeff Franceour. 

The Royals may not have their face anymore with the departure of Greinke, but in the long run, the Royals will be better off.

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In 2008, the Baltimore Orioles banked on the University of San Diego’s stand out pitcher Brian Matusz becoming the future ace of their starting rotation and in 2011 there’s a very good chance that future is now.

Baltimore would select Matusz with their first round pick of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. This lead to extensive and exhausting contract negotiations that would ultimately end with Matusz and his agent finally agreeing to terms with the O’s on the last possible day for MLB teams to sign their drafted rookies.

Despite a less than smooth transition into the Orioles organization, Matusz would impress during his first season in the minors, so much so that Baseball America would name him the ninth best pitching prospect in the middle of the 2009 season. Though his 2009 season in the majors would prove to be nothing flashy, posting an ERA above 4.0 and earning a WHIP of 1.48, he was able to win five of his eight starts during his short time in the majors.

The lefty from Grand Junction, Colorado, would earn himself a considerable amount of hype from the Baltimore fan base during the following off-season, with many believing that the 2010 season would be the breakout season for Matusz, considering he’d have a full season in the MLB.

In the early goings of the 2010 season, the Orioles lefty would fall short of his hype, struggling out of the gate in the months of April and May. One could very well make the argument that Matusz was a victim of his team’s lack of offensive support, but the O’s number 17 had considerable difficulty keeping his ERA below 4.50 despite racking up a respectable amount of strikeouts in each many outings.

The struggles would only continue for Matusz as the calendar turned to June and July, winning just one of his 12 starts during the two month stretch. The only redeeming parts of the Colorado native’s season came at the end of the summer when Matusz would showcase all the talents that made him the most highly regarded pitching prospect in the Baltimore organization.

The young hurler posted a 2.18 ERA over his last 11 starts and record seven wins over the last two months of the season. Not only did he record seven wins, he recorded them over the likes of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Texas Rangers and the entire American League East.

With Matusz already cemented into the second rotation spot in new manager Buck Showalter’s rotation, the Orioles and their fan base are hoping to see their pitcher continue his late 2010 stretch into the new season and take his rightful place as the true ace of the Baltimore rotation. Matusz has the raw stuff to achieve this goal and respectable off-season acquisitions by the O’s front office has given the organizations’ prized lefty an offense to support him on the mound.

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Colorado Rockies (2010 record: 83-79)

Notable additions: RHP Matt Lindstrom, INF Jose Lopez, C Jose Morales, INF/OF Ty Wiggington

Notable subtractions: 2B Clint Barmes, RHP Octavio Dotel, SP Jeff Francis, 3B Melvin Mora, C Miguel Olivo

The offense:

Catcher: Chris Iannetta
Infield: Todd Helton (1B), Eric Young Jr (2B), Troy Tulowitzki (SS) and Ian Stewart (3B)
Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez (LF), Dexter Fowler (CF) and Seth Smith (RF)

The Rox finished in third place in the NL West last year, but they could challenge for the division title this year. The key to the Rockies’ fate in 2011 is whether they learn to bring their bats to the ballpark when they are on the road, where they were a dismal 31-50 last year (largely because they hit 72 points less in road games).

Gonzalez and Tulowitzki are the heart of the Rockies offensive attack. This will be a big year for both players in terms of solidifying themselves among the elite offensive players in the game. Gonzalez had a breakout campaign in 2010, but needs to prove he isn’t a one-year wonder. Tulowitzki was relatively pedestrian throughout the majority of the year, but then had an extraordinary month (.303, 15 HR and 40 rbi over his last thirty games) to salvage the season.

The team needs Chris Iannetta, Todd Helton and Dexter Fowler to improve markedly if it is to make a run at the division title. I could throw Smith and Stewart on the list as well, but at least they provided a little bit of power last season, whereas the others provided little in the way of anything.

Iannetta was brutal last year no matter where he played. Helton performed well below expectations whether at home or on the road. Fowler was okay at home but was a non-factor in road games (he hit just .211 and compiled a .297 OBP away from Coors).

The organization is hoping that new hitting coach Carney Lansford will be able to make a significant impact on the offense in his first year in Denver.

On the bench, I like the acquisition of Wiggington, as he will provide some right-handed pop at the corners and enable Helton to rest periodically. I don’t believe Jose Lopez will contribute much to the team and expect he will eventually just serve as a backup for EY, though even that role could fall to Wiggington if Lopez struggles.

The pitching staff:

Rotation: Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge de la Rose, Aaron Cook, Jhoulys Chacin and Jason Hammel

Bullpen: Huston Street, Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Lindstrom, Matt Reynolds and Franklin Morales

Back in the day, you could count on Rockies pitchers to struggle at home while posting a pretty solid set of numbers on the road. Those days are in the past. Last season the club posted a better ERA at home (3.86) than on the road (4.04).

Jimenez had a brilliant start to the 2010 season, going 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA in the first half. He came back to earth in the second half, but still finished the year at 19-8, with a 2.88 ERA and 1.155 WHIP. De la Rosa likewise got off to a nice start, but injuries derailed him and he was largely ineffective when he returned.

The club must hope Aaron Cook’s performance last year was nothing more than a blip in his career progression, as his 5.08 ERA was more than a run higher than his average for the previous five years.

If the club is to improve away from home, better efforts from Cook and Hammel would go a long way towards achieving that goal: they posted 5.85 and 5.71 ERAs, respectively, in road games last year.

Felipe Paulino, acquired from Houston in the deal that sent infielder Clint Barmes to the Astros, is a dark horse to join the rotation this spring if any of the other starters should struggle or get injured.

The back end of the bullpen is very strong. Huston Street enters the season as the closer after posting 20 saves in 25 opportunities last year. The bullpen in front of him is deep and includes a solid veteran trio in Belisle, Betancourt and Lindstrom, who would be a tremendous addition if he can harness his stuff and remain healthy. The Rox potentially have one of the top bullpens in the league if everyone can stay healthy.

Prediction for 2011: 2nd place (87-75)

The Rockies spent a lot of money this winter, but it wasn’t in free agency. They opted to lock up Tulowitzki (6 years, $119 M) and Carlos Gonzalez (7 years, $80 M) to long-term deals. Those two guys, along with SP Ubaldo Jimenez, provide the core for a team that could compete for a division title this season.

As stated in the body of the article, the club’s ability to compete for a title will be predicated on its ability to compete tougher and win ballgames on the road. I expect some improvement in that regard in 2011, but not to the point where they will be able to overtake the defending world champions.

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Top Five Prospects:

1. Tyler Matzek, LHP
2. Wilin Rosario, C
3. Christian Freidrich, LHP
4. Kyle Parker, OF
5. Rex Brothers, LHP

Matzek was the Rockies’ first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, when he was the top high school pitcher in the country. Some pundits believe he fell out of the top ten in the draft due to his pre-draft declaration that he was “looking for unprecedented money” to forego college. The Rockies opened up the vault and gave Matzek $3.9 million late in the signing period to join the organization.

He pitched for Asheville (South Atlantic League) last year and posted a 5-1 record with a 2.92 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. He was named the league’s No. 3 prospect (No. 1 pitching prospect) at the end of the year despite having suffered with a bout of biceps tendinitis.

He has four good pitches, but his low-90s fastball is clearly the strongest pitch in his repertoire (rating a “70″ on the scout’s 20-80 scale). His fastball sometimes hit 96 during his rookie campaign, but it would often touch the upper-90s when he was in high school. Scouts believe he has the potential to increase his velocity as he matures.

His secondary pitches are still a work in progress, with the slider being the most well-developed among them (rating a “60″ on the scouting scale). His curve ball is pretty good but needs some work. His changeup is furthest away, as the scouts say he slows his arm speed noticeably when throwing it.

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From 2008 to 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East three times and appeared in the World Series twice, winning once in 2008. 

During that span, outfielder Jayson Werth hit 87 home runs, drove in 251 runs and batted .279.

In a roster loaded with All-Stars like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, Werth was often batting fifth in the lineup, protecting Howard who was the cleanup hitter.

To “protect” in baseball terms means that the hitter afterwards posses such a threat that the pitcher cannot afford to walk or put on base the hitter before.

For example, in Philadelphia, a Chase Utley double late in the game leaves an open base at first. Typically, when a power hitting All-Star like Ryan Howard steps to the plate, and with first base open, Howard would expect to see four straight balls before ending up on first.

The idea behind this is that by taking the bat away from their best hitter, the pitching team now has the advantage. However, with a strong hitter “protecting” the power hitter, the advantage remains to the hitting team since the last thing they want is to put two men on base with a solid power hitter up at the plate.

Jason Werth did just that with the Phillies. Batting fifth overall behind Howard, Werth ranked 10th overall among right-handed hitters the past three seasons with an .889 on-base-slugging percentage, which records how many times a player gets on base, minus errors, fielders choice or interference. The on-base percentage is then added to the slugging percentage (total bases divided by total at-bats) to get the on-base slugging percentage.

Werth’s 87 home runs from 2008-2010 ranked second overall among right-handed outfielders, trailing only Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun with 94.

After signing a seven-year deal worth $126 million, Werth is now being asked to protect third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in the Washington Nationals lineup that could someday very soon include 18-year-old phenom Bryce Harper.

Zimmerman, who in 2009 had a 30-game hitting streak, has won back-to-back Silver Slugger awards, and is one year removed from a 33-home run, 106-RBI campaign.

In the end, the signing of Jayson Werth, who was being sought after by both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, was as gutsy as it was risky. If the Nationals idea of a future that includes Zimmerman hitting three, Werth at four and Harper at five pans out, then what many writers first believed to be a risky signing will have paid off.

If however Werth cannot do what he did in Philadelphia, then his signing may be looked at as nothing more than a team seeking to become contenders quick, even if it meant reaching for a player who played more of a supporting role than a $100 million contract.

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