Weekend Preview: The Pre All-Star Edition

It's Thursday.....which means it's time for my post previewing the games on tap for this weekend...the last weekend before the all-star exhibition game.... As always the games are rated from 1(yawn inducing) to 5 (must-see) and with that said.....let the games begin

Saturday FOX Regional Action

Yankees (Pettite) vs. Angels (J.Weaver) = 3

Potential playoff preview that got knocked down a point solely because I dislike the Yankees and they're on TV too much. With that said, this should be a good match up. The Yankees are making my prediction of their 3rd place finish looking worse by the day and are creeping up on the Red Sox (which will inevitably lead to ESPN slobbering over the next Yankees-Red Sox match-up more than usual...if that's even possible)......the Angels are in a tight race with the Rangers in the AL West....Angels will probably be playing with a chip on their shoulder since they're coming off being schooled by Andruw Jones and the Rangers.....Angels win this in a close one

Cardinals (Carpenter) vs. Cubs (Lilly) =3

Another compelling game that I don't have interest in since I do not like either team (not to the game....I just don't like them)....the Cards are coming off winning 2 out of 3 in Milwaukee(grrrrr.......) and they have Chris Carpenter who has returned to form since returning from injury.....the Cubs are lurking at 3 1/2 games out of first and 101 years since their last title....they have All-Star Ted Lilly going to the hill....should be a low scoring affair and a good pitching match-up........if there was a way for these teams to lose to each other....that would be awesome but since someone has to win it will probably be the Cards (writing those words makes me nauseous)

Saturday night MLB (The most awesome channel ever) Network Game


Braves (Jurrgens) vs. Rockies (Marquis) = 3.5

Not the most compelling match up at first sight but it gets more interesting when looking at it at a closer level. The Braves have been hovering at or a couple games below .500 all season but are only sitting four games back. Playing in an underachieving NLeast if they get hot for a few weeks they could get themselves into first place. With a rotation headed by Jurrgens and Vasquez, that's not out of the question.

Speaking of teams who struggled for a couple months than got it together, they are facing the Rockies. Six good weeks and a managerial change has transformed the Rockies from NL West bottom feeders to fighting the Giants for second place and the wild card. The Rockies have an over-supported and decent (but not 1o-wins great)(wins and win-loss records are such over-ratted stats btw) Jason Marquis going for them Saturday.

Sunday TBS Game

Dodgers (Kershaw) vs. Brewers (Gallardo) =4

Another possible play-off match up (well if the Brewers ever start winning more than one game per series). The Dodgers have young pitcher Clayton Kershaw pitching for LA on Sunday. He pitched against the Brew Crew in a sunday afternoon game last year....don't remember the exact statistics but I do remember he pitched impressively..he was in line to get the win but the Brewers tied in it the ninth on a Braun homer only for Carlos Villaneuva to give up a game-losing home run in the bottom of the 9th....

Speaking of pitchers pitching well but not getting the wins to show for it, the Brewers have Yovanni Gallardo (who ironically is the one Brewers starter who's pitched well all-season) going for them......this dude has cy-young award potential, should been an all-star and has gotten zero run support in his last two starts (including an electrifying 12-K performance against the Mets)...my call is that the Dodgers will be lookin ahead...the Brewers offense will show up for Gallardo's start (for once) and the Brewers grad some momentum going in to the break.


Sunday Night Game

Cardinals (TBD) vs. Cubs (Zambrano) =2

While ESPN does get well-deserved flak for showing too many Sox-Yankees game.....they do find time to over-do the Cards-Cubs as well (this I can at least tolerate since as an off-shoot they've shown more Brewers games when they play either team)....hard to get excited for this end-of weekend match-up. Zambrano pitched seven strong innings the last time I watched him pitch (last Friday vs. the Brew Crew)....despite his struggles he'll probably show up and pitch another strong game against another division rival...... I really wish these teams could lose to each but since someone has to win...... it will probably be the Cubs win this one (it makes me naseous to type that statement)

The Wednesday Five: My thoughts on Ryan Braun's comments

The other day, a some controversy erupted as Brewers GM Doug Melvin was unhappy about some comments Ryan Braun made about the Brewers starting pitching and management.

My five thoughts on this matter are as follows.

1) In law, truth is an absolute to speaking bad about someone (slander).......while baseball is not law, this concept applies in this situation

The main comments he made about starting pitching were

"No matter who is in there, we have to find a way to throw the ball better for us to have success,"

 

                             and

"I think when you're constantly behind in games, it's not easy and it's not fun."

While the Brewers starting rotation is short-handed, (they have had to go to the bullpen (McClung) and AAA (Burns) to fill in their starting rotation, these pitchers still have the responsibility to NOT give up 7 runs in 4 or innings or less. Also, even if the comments weren't tactful or hurt some feelings, Braun's just calling them like he sees them.

2) If nothing else, it shows he wants to win.

This isn't a TO/Favre type situation where he wants to hold a team hostage because he has nothing better to do. He was frustrated that the Brewers struggled in a key series, spoke honestly and straight to the point about what was on his mind.....he just happened to make these comments to the media.

To my main point, the fact that he's addressing his frustrations shows that he cares and that he's willing to say things people don't like.....if he thinks it will motivate the Brewers to win some more games.....which brings me to my next point

3) The other times this has happened the Brewers started playing better.

This isn't the first time Braun has vented his frustration about the team after a bad series. This isn't the second time. The current count is at 3. Honestly, i'm glad he did this. Why? Because the last couple of times the Brewers started playing much better in the immediate aftermath.

Last year, he vented his frustration after a bad series in Boston. At the time the Brewers had fallen to 20-24 and last place. Afterwards, the Brewers well enough to get into contention which led to getting CC Sabathia which led to making the playoffs.

In April, he made some comments after a bad weekend series. Within a month and a half they played well enough to stay in first place for a month...With the way the Brewers have played in the last month, it was a matter of when and not if that Braun would vent his frustrations.

4) This might have been the start of an event chain that lands Roy Halladay (maybe....hopefully.....please)

So i'm not sure how far along Doug Melvin was in the process of acquiring a much needed starting pitcher before Sunday, but rumors have seemed to speed up since (due to unrelated events...but it's still happening). The timing has coincided with the Blue Jays telling teams that ace pitcher Roy Halladay can be had at the right price.

Whether or not the Brewers get him it's too early to tell, if nothing else i'm glad they're amongst the teams that have expressed an interest to acquire him. They're not necessarily the front-runners but at least Melvin is doing what he can. It may not look likely (but then again I never would of thought the Brewers would have ever been able to pull off a CC Sabathia caliber trade.)

5) This makes me glad the Brewers have a strong bullpen

If not for their bullpen, the starting pitching the Brewers would be more than 2 games out of first. Obviously, having Trevor Hoffman at 6/10 the price of a washed out Gagne. However, he is not the only Brewers reliever having a strong year as the Brewers have gotten strong efforts out of pitchers such as Todd Coffey, Mark DiFelice and Mitch Stetter.

Handicapping the 33rd Man Competition: NL Version

So, pretty much this is the second part of yesterday's posting where I break down the fan vote candidate for the all-star game.....today, the national league


From least to most deserving is as follows:

Cristian Guzman- .318/.333/.429 OPS 101+

Just like the team he plays for, Guzman is far and away the least worthy of the candidates. Singles hitter, no power, does nothing particularly well....the only way I could see Guzman as an all star is through the rule mandating representation from all 30 teams....as bad as the team formerly known as the expos have been, ryan zimmerman was good enough to make the all-star team. Guzman isn't even the most deserving non all-star on his own team (that distinction goes to Adam Dunn)....next PLEASE!

Shane Victorino .300/.363/.447 112 OPS+

Alright so he had a well-timed good game against the Reds today. He does lots of things well but doesn't do anything particularly great. I'd rather choose him than Guzman....but there are better options

Mark Reynolds .269/.354/.568 OPS 134+

The NL-equivalent and slightly more deserving version of Carlos Pena. If this vote was for home run derby inclusion, he would be at least second. However, since the league that wins the all-star game gets home-field for the world series I would rather have more players from elite teams (or at least those who are at least in contention).. unfortunately for him Arizona is one of 3 teams that has no semblance of contention hope......NEXT

Matt Kemp .305/.369/.474 OPS 123+

So Kemp barely beat out Reynolds.....he's a good player on a team with very strong world series hopes.....thus giving him more incentive to play well if he were to be selected.....

Granted, these are solid players. However, they were stacked against a player who I believe more people will become aware of as the stretch run continues....a player in the midst of a break out season on a team that is unexpectedly contending

Pablo Sandoval .333/.388/.566 158 OPS+

If this was a couple weeks ago I would most likely be unaware of Pablo Sandoval is. However, the Giants played the Brewers a couple of weekends ago and I came away very impressed with Sandoval (even though they lost 2 out of 3).....this dude is a BEAAAASSSTTTT!!!!

When this guy hits the game can pretty much turn at a moments notice....he's young (only 22!), hitting for a good average, capable of going yard on any pitch/any at bat, and he's the one hitter the giants have that is worth fearing.....

Dude is built like Prince has a Vlad-Guerrero like ability to go yard on any pitch (even if it's not even close to the strike zone) and he's only going to get better......If the Giants are able to score enough runs to stay in contention, this guy will be the reason...I could easily see Sandoval carrying the Giants for the stretch run....

The question for me is not whether Sandoval is better than the other 33rd-man candidates, but why didn't he already get voted in.

Handicapping the 33rd Man Competition: AL Version

Today was the day where all-star rosters were announced for both the american and national leagues. Also, the voting on MLB.com was opened up for who gets the last spot on each all star team. It is a nice gesture to add another deserving player to the all-star exhibition game.

Tonight I am handicapping the AL Vote going from who is least deserving to who is most deserving....

Chone Figgins .316/.392/.410 110 OPS+

Alright so he can steal some bases and he is a gritty player. He strikes me more as an intangibles guy but not a player that screams superstar. He's always struck me as a slightly more talented version of David Eckstein. Point being gritty (i.e. non-superstar) players may be good as a teammate but not what I would immediately associate an all-star label with.

Carlos Pena .233/.365/.540 131 OPS+

Another good player but just not good enough to be an all-star. This guy is the american league version of Adam Dunn in that he is one of the better 3TO (three true outcomes types player) while a Pena selection would mean possibly seeing him in the home run derby.....I would prefer an all-star selection to not have a part of their game stick out like a sore-eye. The batting average is the offending area. While I generally place more emphasis on money-ball type stats (i.e. OPS,OBS, OPS+, etc.) than batting average, when your 86th out of 95 qualified players in a certain statistic and are doing worse than players such as gerald laird, chris getz and david dejesus..........you are definitely not an all-star

Ian Kinsler .256/.333/.50o OPS+ 116

I will concede that he is one of the better power hitting second baseman in the bigs. But then again, isn't that almost a prerequisite for playing for the Texas Rangers? He's on pace to obliberate his career-high in homers. However, in his peripherals (especially batting average and ops) he seems to have regressed from last season. Being an all-star....I would rather see players recognized who have maintained or improved from prior years.

Brandon Inge .269/.363/.505 OPS +124

On the subject of improved players, Brandon Inge has seemed to put things together this year. He's had a fairly pedestrian career, endured a few position changes and for all intensive purposes is in the middle of a breakout year. Has career prior to this year has been so non-star that amongst his 10 similar players hitting wise are players such as joe oliver, greg myers and gregg zaun.

All i've got to say is ouuuch. However, this involves what these players have done this year and just like the Tigers, he has played much better than expected.....I actually did struggle between making him the most worthy 33-rd man but he got overshadowed (albeit barely) by the most-worthy 33rd man..........

Adam Lind .309/.384/.553 OPS +144

Lind is one of those players having a break-out season even if nobody is really even noticing. It's tough to notice any of the flaws that undermine the chances of others.......he's not a "scrappy" player that just isn't overly exciting, he doesn't rank near the bottom of any commonly-used statistical category. He's definitely improved more than any of the other aforementioned players (even Inge who deserves recognition for his break-out). Breaking it down, he's simply having the best season out of the five candidates and will most likely be the best of the bunch several years down the road. When it comes down to it he's hitting for good average, good power and considering his 26th birthday isn't for another couple of weeks this guy has the potential to get even better and become a perennial all-star.....in other words, the type of player that the All-Star Game recognizes......all he has to worry about is getting recognition playing in Toronto

Gone Too Soon

Today, tragedy struck the sports world as Steve McNair died from a fatal gunshot wound.

My reaction to this is one word: shock. This I did not see coming. One moment i'm casually channel-surfing and the next-moment I see his face posted on one of the cable news channels....my general reaction to seeing a retired athlete's face on a non-sports channel during the off-season in the sport they play is that whatever happened is never a good thing. Sadly, this is confirmed as they mention about half a second later that Steve McNair was found dead.

Events such as this are stark reminders that life can end even when it is least expected. Tragic athlete endings such as this one are transcendent amongst society whether or not your a sports fan or whether or not you were a fan of either of the teams he played for. In other words, he died way too young.

Can't really think of too much to write on this subject beyond my initial gut reaction.

Weekend games on tap

So, the 4th of July weekend is upon us and with it the second weekly weekend TV sports preview.

The games will be rated from 1-5 based on watchability:

1= nap time

2= back ground noise

3= ok if you have nothing better to do

4= pretty compelling game

5= must see

And now.....let's play some ball.....

Saturday FOX Regional Coverage

Mets (Nieve) vs. Phillies (Moyer)= 3.5

While neither of these teams are great, this NL East match-up should still be good. The defending World Series Champion Phils are hanging on to the divison lead by the skin of their teeth and the two-time defending champion choke artist Mets are sitting at third place, a game and a half out of first. The Mets have Nieve, who has pitched suprisingly well since being picked up from Houston. The Phillies are countering with the oldest active MLB player Jamie Moyer. 

A good matchup of contrasts in a fairly meaningful (for an early July game) 

Pick: Phils over Mets

Tigers (Jackson) vs. Twins (Liriano)= 3

Another compelling divisional matchup. Currently, the Tigers lead both the Sox and Twins by 3 games. Both the Tigers and Jackson have been playing surprisingly well this season while being largely ignored. The Twins have Liriano going. This would have been a must-see match up if it was 2006. However, Liriano has struggled with injuries and on field performance in the last couple years. He has pitched better lately winning his last couple starts. I see Liriano's winning streak continuing and the Twins pulling out the victory

Dodgers (Wolf) vs. Padres (Geer)= 4

If this was any other weekend, this game would be fairly meaningless and gotten either a 1 or 2. However, this is not any other weekend. This will be the second game after Manny Ramirez returns from his 50-game suspension. The only reason to really watch this game is to see if Manny plays well even after his long layoff. Also, anytime there is a possibility of a Manny being Manny moment makes for interesting television. The Dodgers have proven the ability to play well either way.....the Dodgers win this one in a laugher.

Saturday Night MLB game:

Rays (Price) vs. Rangers (Holland)= 2.5

Both of these teams have legitimate post-season hopes as at least wild-cards. If this was a September game, this game would get a higher rating.

The only really compelling aspect of this game is David Price pitching. He's still young and finding his way but he has proven (so-far) to be worth the hype and high draft pick. Otherwise, not too much of a reason to watch this game. Rays over Rangers

Sunday TBS Game:

Brewers (Burns) vs. Cubs (Lilly)= 5(fans of either team) 3.5 for everyone else

This rivalry has escalated in intensity in the last few years. As it stands right now, the Cubs are 2.5 back of the Brewers. The Brewers have Burns starting. He's in the rotation due to the rash of injuries and ineffectiveness that has plagued the Brewers rotation. He's probably only in the rotation for the short term but if he pitches as well as he did on Tuesday on a consistent basis he could around longer than expected.

On Tuesday, he outpitched Johan Santana and only gave up 2 runs in 6 1/3. The Cubs have Ted Lilly going for them. He's quietly put up a solid season with a 131 ERA+. This should be a pretty close match-up coming down to the bullpen......Brewers win 

Sunday night ESPN

Rays (Niemann) vs. Rangers (Feldman)=2

Tough to get too excited over this match-up. The teams aren't that bad but aren't that exciting either.....Rangers win this one.

 Thursday pick of the day: Angels over Orioles

The Wednesday Five: The Last Place All-Stars

So last Wednesday I did a list of top 5 baseball records that I feel will never be broken. I was thinking about the direction I wanted to take the blog and I have decided to do a top 5 list on Wednesdays....(p.s. i've decided to also make the weekend sports tv preview a regular post and moved it to thursdays)....anyways with the all-star break and pennant races heating up, i've come up with the idea of giving recognition to the players stuck on last place teams that are going nowhere fast....for this list's considerations the teams included are Baltimore, Cleveland, Oakland, Washington, Pittsburgh and Arizona

1) Danny Haren- Diamonbacks 7-5 2.19 era 208 era+

If Haren was playing for a team that was even somewhat good and/or played defense above a little league level, he would be getting a lot more Cy Young award talk. He's having his best year by far which is impressive considering he's already a two-time All Star. When you have an ERA that is less than half the league average--something special is going on....too bad it's just happening for a team that's happens to not be very good this year.

2) Adam Dunn-Nationals .260/.396./.528 142 OPS+

Adam Dunn is doing what he's always done. Hit for a pedestrian average, draw lots of walks, strike out a lot and hit lots of homers. Dunn is iconic in his own way for being one of the greatest 3TO (Three True Outcomes) players of all time.....a little over half of his plate appearances have ended with either a walk, strikeout or home run this year. 

The only difference this year is instead of doing this for a 75-win Reds team, he's doing it for a historically bad Nationals team. 

3) Cliff Lee- Indians  4-7 3.39 132 OPS+

Last year's reigning Cy Young Award winner is definitely not winning 20+ games again. Unlike most pitchers who go 4-7, it's not because Cliff Lee is not a good pitcher. He's still putting up staff ace numbers, he's just not getting offensive help behind him.  

It looks as though Cleveland's run of bad luck in sports has spread to their ace pitcher....(well at least until they trade him).

4) George Sherill Orioles 0-1 1.99 era 229 ERA+

Amongst the multitude of players Baltimore got for Eric Bedard. He was an all-star last year but struggled towards the end. 

This year, he is putting up a largely unnoticed monster season as Baltimore's closer. While there ain't many leads to finish off these days...years....decades in Baltimore, when the opportunity has come up this year he has definitely stepped up.

5) Ryan Zimmerman- Nationals- .301/.371.500 128 OPS +

In a weird twist of irony, the team that's far and away the worst (even by last-place team standards) is the one that got two representatives on this list.

While Dunn is putting up a better season, Zimmerman is more or less the face of an otherwise atrocious Nationals team. His highlight of 08/09 was a 30-game hitting streak is the longest seen in baseball since '06. While there were those left off that had an edge statistically, this is more of a lifetime achievement award for Zimmerman's ability to still play well even when surrounded by the Double A caliber "talent" that is pervasive throughout the Nationals roster.

Also receiving consideration: Adam Jones, Luke Scott, Brad Bergesen, Victor Martinez, Shin Choo-Choo, Matt Holiday, Dallas Braden, Andrew Bailey, John Lannan, Adam LaRoche, Zach Duke, Justin Upton, Doug Davis