2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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Wouldn't be surprised if Theo moved Garza for prospects while his stock is high. Never saw him as a #1 guy even in Tampa, definitely a solid #2 though.
My honest thoughts on Yu's first start: Nerves. First inning was shaky but he worked through it. I love that Yu has such a vast array of different pitches, but Mike Maddux needs/will help Darvish narrow down his repertoire for further effectiveness. Velocity was very good as advertised, however, movement and location must get better if he wants to be a 15+ game winner. Yu was predictable in the first inning and the Seattle batters jumped all over his high fastball.
My honest thoughts on Yu's first start: Nerves. First inning was shaky but he worked through it. I love that Yu has such a vast array of different pitches, but Mike Maddux needs/will help Darvish narrow down his repertoire for further effectiveness. Velocity was very good as advertised, however, movement and location must get better if he wants to be a 15+ game winner. Yu was predictable in the first inning and the Seattle batters jumped all over his high fastball.
- 28,043
- 10,466
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Wouldn't be surprised if Theo moved Garza for prospects while his stock is high. Never saw him as a #1 guy even in Tampa, definitely a solid #2 though.
My honest thoughts on Yu's first start: Nerves. First inning was shaky but he worked through it. I love that Yu has such a vast array of different pitches, but Mike Maddux needs/will help Darvish narrow down his repertoire for further effectiveness. Velocity was very good as advertised, however, movement and location must get better if he wants to be a 15+ game winner. Yu was predictable in the first inning and the Seattle batters jumped all over his high fastball.
My honest thoughts on Yu's first start: Nerves. First inning was shaky but he worked through it. I love that Yu has such a vast array of different pitches, but Mike Maddux needs/will help Darvish narrow down his repertoire for further effectiveness. Velocity was very good as advertised, however, movement and location must get better if he wants to be a 15+ game winner. Yu was predictable in the first inning and the Seattle batters jumped all over his high fastball.
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Originally Posted by Proshares
Originally Posted by Naija Nitemare
Damn, Angels.
What is wrong with you right now. Can't do anything right.
Don't worry, their bats will get right this weekend.
I hope the Yankess kick the *$## out of them.
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Originally Posted by Proshares
Originally Posted by Naija Nitemare
Damn, Angels.
What is wrong with you right now. Can't do anything right.
Don't worry, their bats will get right this weekend.
I hope the Yankess kick the *$## out of them.
mr marcus
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You mad
mr marcus
Banned
- 26,572
- 5,415
- Joined
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You mad
Buxton shows tools worthy of No. 1 pick.
McCann's looming contract negotiations.
FanGraphs Prospect Stock Market.
Spoiler [+]
Center fielder Byron Buxton of Appling County High School in Baxley, Ga., seems to be on top of most scouts' personal "pref" lists at the moment because of his explosive tools, an incredibly athletic body and the frame to put on more muscle and end up with plus tools in all five categories. He's got some risk attached, but all things considered, he's the best prospect in this draft class.
If you want raw tools, this is about as good as it gets. Buxton is an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale with a 70 arm and a chance to be a 70 defender in center. He's not just fast, he runs easily and effortlessly and is even faster underway than he is in short spurts like home to first. Buxton threw three innings in Tuesday's game and hit 93 mph several times with a decent curveball, so while he's not a top prospect as a pitcher, he did show arm strength and even more evidence of his athleticism.
He's earned physical comparisons to all manner of players; the one that came to my mind when I first saw him was a young Eric Davis, who had that speed/power combination that should lie in Buxton's future.
Buxton has quick wrists and gets good rotation in his right-handed swing and also squared up several balls in the game I saw, although I also saw his swing get long on balls he probably should have taken. He starts with his hands set up by his back shoulder almost fully loaded at the start, and then takes a long stride forward in the box before he gets his hands started.
He rotates his hips well and should hit for at least above-average power down the road, especially once he fills out physically. One odd note in his swing: His back foot actually comes off the ground briefly as he rotates, which isn't good for balance or for power (unless you're built like Frank Thomas).
His at-bats during Monday's game -- an important game against rival Pierce County High School -- were generally very good, save one at-bat where he chased the first pitch with two outs and the tying run on second. He fouled off several pitches but didn't swing and miss, and he put four balls in play -- two singles (one a ground ball), a double and a hard fly ball to right. The double was the most impressive, as it was well struck and he seemed to reach second before the ping of the bat reached our ears.
The concerns on Buxton are pretty straightforward. He hasn't homered this year, so despite homers earlier in his high school career, there are questions about his present power level. He'll be 18½ at the draft, which is old for a high school prospect. He hasn't faced a lot of advanced pitching in his life, since he didn't do much on the showcase circuit and has split time between baseball and football. And his swing can get long.
On the other hand, this kind of tools package doesn't come along very often, and if you believe he'll hit -- meaning he can adjust to better pitching and make some small mechanical tweaks -- he could be an offensive and defensive force in the middle of the diamond, a faster Andrew McCutchen with more value on defense. That's worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, but the team drafting there, the Houston Astros, would have to be sold on his bat first.
[h3]Notes[/h3]
• Parkview High School, the alma mater of Jeff Francoeur, has a solid prospect for each of the next two drafts. For this year, first baseman Matt Olson is attracting some interest from clubs who like his bat enough to ignore (for now) his commitment to Vanderbilt, with a lot of buzz around the Boston Red Sox having strong interest in him. When he puts a good swing on the ball, it's a really good swing, a smooth left-handed stroke with lots of rotation and great follow-through. But his swing can get very long because he loads his hands deep, and his bat control isn't great. He has an above-average arm, but his lack of speed limits him to first base.
• Center fielder Josh Hart is a junior right now but is already on the radar for next year's draft thanks to a live body and good bat speed. He's very linear at the plate, slapping the ball but not really driving it, and I had him as an average to above-average runner based on his run times in this game. He met a few balls out in front of the plate when he was fooled by an off-speed pitch. He's worth remembering for next year as a potential center fielder who should make a lot of contact if he recognizes secondary stuff better.
If you want raw tools, this is about as good as it gets. Buxton is an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale with a 70 arm and a chance to be a 70 defender in center. He's not just fast, he runs easily and effortlessly and is even faster underway than he is in short spurts like home to first. Buxton threw three innings in Tuesday's game and hit 93 mph several times with a decent curveball, so while he's not a top prospect as a pitcher, he did show arm strength and even more evidence of his athleticism.
He's earned physical comparisons to all manner of players; the one that came to my mind when I first saw him was a young Eric Davis, who had that speed/power combination that should lie in Buxton's future.
Buxton has quick wrists and gets good rotation in his right-handed swing and also squared up several balls in the game I saw, although I also saw his swing get long on balls he probably should have taken. He starts with his hands set up by his back shoulder almost fully loaded at the start, and then takes a long stride forward in the box before he gets his hands started.
He rotates his hips well and should hit for at least above-average power down the road, especially once he fills out physically. One odd note in his swing: His back foot actually comes off the ground briefly as he rotates, which isn't good for balance or for power (unless you're built like Frank Thomas).
His at-bats during Monday's game -- an important game against rival Pierce County High School -- were generally very good, save one at-bat where he chased the first pitch with two outs and the tying run on second. He fouled off several pitches but didn't swing and miss, and he put four balls in play -- two singles (one a ground ball), a double and a hard fly ball to right. The double was the most impressive, as it was well struck and he seemed to reach second before the ping of the bat reached our ears.
The concerns on Buxton are pretty straightforward. He hasn't homered this year, so despite homers earlier in his high school career, there are questions about his present power level. He'll be 18½ at the draft, which is old for a high school prospect. He hasn't faced a lot of advanced pitching in his life, since he didn't do much on the showcase circuit and has split time between baseball and football. And his swing can get long.
On the other hand, this kind of tools package doesn't come along very often, and if you believe he'll hit -- meaning he can adjust to better pitching and make some small mechanical tweaks -- he could be an offensive and defensive force in the middle of the diamond, a faster Andrew McCutchen with more value on defense. That's worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, but the team drafting there, the Houston Astros, would have to be sold on his bat first.
[h3]Notes[/h3]
• Parkview High School, the alma mater of Jeff Francoeur, has a solid prospect for each of the next two drafts. For this year, first baseman Matt Olson is attracting some interest from clubs who like his bat enough to ignore (for now) his commitment to Vanderbilt, with a lot of buzz around the Boston Red Sox having strong interest in him. When he puts a good swing on the ball, it's a really good swing, a smooth left-handed stroke with lots of rotation and great follow-through. But his swing can get very long because he loads his hands deep, and his bat control isn't great. He has an above-average arm, but his lack of speed limits him to first base.
• Center fielder Josh Hart is a junior right now but is already on the radar for next year's draft thanks to a live body and good bat speed. He's very linear at the plate, slapping the ball but not really driving it, and I had him as an average to above-average runner based on his run times in this game. He met a few balls out in front of the plate when he was fooled by an off-speed pitch. He's worth remembering for next year as a potential center fielder who should make a lot of contact if he recognizes secondary stuff better.
McCann's looming contract negotiations.
Spoiler [+]
The ripples from the Cardinals' signing of Yadier Molina have already been felt in the market, in the negotiations of Mike Napoli, Miguel Montero and Russell Martin. Molina's five-year, $75 million deal has allowed the agents for the other catchers to compare their clients to Molina and ask for more money.
Soon, another All-Star catcher will be helped by the shifting dynamics in the market: Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves. McCann is making $8.5 million this season, in the last year of his current contract, and the Braves hold a $12 million option on the slugger for 2013.
McCann is just 28 years old and is one of the premier catchers in the majors. And while Molina is generally regarded as peerless defensively, McCann is among the pre-eminent offensive catchers, having posted an OPS between .817 and .896 in each of the last four seasons. He has an excellent reputation as a teammate, and like Joey Votto, he's the type of personality a club would want to build around.
But the Molina deal will probably place stress on McCann's negotiations with the Braves. He is in position to ask for maybe even a little more than Molina got -- at a time when the Braves' budget has been stagnant, holding in the $80-90 million range. Atlanta would have to devote about 20 percent of its payroll to McCann to retain the player who has been the most likely to replace Chipper Jones as the face of the franchise.
To this point, there has been little traction in these contract talks. The confluence of circumstances makes this a negotiation worth watching. The Braves really don't have to hit this head on until later this season or in the winter.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Speaking of catchers (or at least someone who played catcher in the past): Victor Martinez could be back to the Detroit Tigers late in the season.
Imagine what Detroit's lineup would look like:
CF: Austin Jackson
RF: Brennan Boesch
3B: Miguel Cabrera
1B: Prince Fielder
DH: Victor Martinez
LF: Delmon Young
C: Alex Avila
SS: Jhonny Peralta
2B: Ryan Raburn
• Vin Scully is still out with a bad cold.
• Torii Hunter is realistic about his future, writes Bill Plunkett.
Look, Hunter is not going to be looking to max out on dollars with his next contract. He'll be looking for a situation to win, and I'd bet there are a lot of teams that would like to have him around on a short-term, relatively low-cost deal as a third or fourth outfielder. Last year, he had an .886 OPS against left-handed pitching.
• With some depth in their rotation, the New York Yankees would be open to dealing a starter, and the most obvious candidate would be Freddy Garcia, because of his age and because he's signed for just one year. But to this point, there have not been any trade talks regarding Garcia.
• Marlon Byrd is not helping his trade value: He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats.
• You want bizarre? How about the way Oakland Athletics won their game against the Kansas City Royals?
From Elias: "It was the first major-league game since the summer of 1966 to end with the last two batters each being hit with pitches. Back on Sept. 2, 1966, Baltimore junkballer Stu Miller lost a game in the 11th inning at Chicago by hitting the last two batters -- a pair of future Mets World Series heroes -- Al Weis and Tommie Agee. (But here's a good omen for the Royals: the Orioles rebounded from that moment of ignominy and wound up winning that year's World Series!)"
Broxton was a good low-cost signing for the Royals. But when they installed him as the replacement for Joakim Soria right away, you had to wonder if this was the right move, because Broxton seemingly was still in the process of rebuilding his confidence. Maybe it would be best now, before the Royals return home, to install Greg Holland as the closer and shift Broxton into a setup role.
From Bob Dutton's story about the loss:
From Elias: Verlander is the first pitcher in nearly 23 years to do the following:
• Enter the ninth inning with his team leading
• Start and pitch at least eight full innings
• Allow no runs and either no hits or one hit through those eight innings
• Get the loss in the game
The last pitcher to meet all four of these criteria was Mark Langston of the 1989 Mariners. Langston took a 2-0 lead and a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Blue Jays on May 10 of that season. The Blue Jays scored three runs on four hits off Langston and Mike Schooler in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners (and Langston, who got the loss), 3-2.
The Tampa Bay Rays staged a magical rally against the Tigers, writes Roger Mooney.
This was Verlander's 44th consecutive start in which he completed at least six innings.
From Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information, the longest streaks of six or more innings since 1990:
Mark Buehrle: 2004-05 (49 starts)
Jack McDowell: 1992-93 (48 starts)
Pat Hentgen: 1996-97 (47 starts)
Justin Verlander: 2010-present (44 starts)
Curt Schilling: 1998-99 (43 starts)
A groundball that got past Miguel Cabrera in this game could start the discussion about his defense, writes Lynn Henning.
• From ESPN Stats & Information, By The Numbers:
14: starts between losses for Verlander
17: runs the Colorado Rockies scored without a home run, the most runs scored at Coors Field by any team without a home run
53.7: fastball strike percentage for Tim Lincecum this season, his worst in the last four seasons
372: feet of Peter Bourjos' inside-the-park home run, which would have been out of 10 ballparks
• The Orioles' Dylan Bundy was dominant again in the minors.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. After holding his first meeting just before the outset of the season, Ozzie Guillen said he didn't want to hold another meeting the rest of the year. But there was another Wednesday, as he turned over the managerial responsibilities to Joey Cora. Cora says Guillen will make amends, as Craig Davis writes.
2. Ron Roenicke posted a different-looking lineup.
3. Jeanmar Gomez will get the ball Saturday for the Cleveland Indians.
4. Sergio Santos is flying today for the birth of his third child.
5. The Orioles signed pitcher Joel Pineiro.
6. Jorge Posada is going to be honored.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Giancarlo Stanton's knee trouble may last all year, writes Joe Capozzi.
2. Jeremy Hellickson is OK after being hit in the head during batting practice.
3. Stephen Drew continues to make progress.
4. Buster Posey was scratched from the lineup.
5. A San Diego Padres pitcher could be headed to surgery, writes Bill Center.
6. Scott Baker's season is over.
7. Within this David O'Brien notebook, there is word that Tim Hudson will make his next rehab start tonight.
8. Mike Napoli got a day off.
9. Drew Storen had surgery and will be back sometime around midseason.
10. Lance Berkman is doubtful for the upcoming series.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. Watched a lot of the matchup between Stephen Strasburg and Johan Santana, and Strasburg's pure stuff was about as overwhelming as you will ever see. Oh sure, he threw really hard, with his fastball reaching as high as 98 mph. But his best pitches were his curveball and changeup; his change seemed to veer away from left-handed hitters at a right angle, at 90-91 mph consistently.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how Strasburg beat the Mets:
A) Strasburg had a career-low swing percentage of 31 percent Wednesday, more than 10 percentage points lower than his previous career low of 42 percent.
B) Five of Strasburg's strikeouts came on strikes looking, which eclipses his previous career high of four.
C) Strasburg's average pitch velocity was 91.1 mph Wednesday. This was his slowest average velocity in a game since July 16, 2010, when his average velocity was also 91.1 mph.
This season, Strasburg has averaged 88.3 mph on his changeup and 79.7 mph on his curveball.
2. Ricky Romero shut down the Red Sox, as Brendan Kennedy writes.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how he won:
A) Romero threw his changeup and curveball 37 times Wednesday, including ending eight at-bats with either of the pitches. Of those eight at-bats, four ended with a strikeout and only one ended with a hit.
B) Wednesday was just the third time since the start of 2011 that Romero did not give up an extra-base hit. His three total bases allowed was the fewest he's given up in that span.
C) Romero has slowed his velocity so far this season. Romero's average pitch velocity has been 87.1 mph in both of his 2012 starts -- lower than any of his 2011 starts.
3. Josh Johnson had another bad outing.
4. The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered their first loss, as Nick Piecoro writes.
5. The Rockies crushed Tim Lincecum.
6. Michael Saunders sparked a Seattle rally, as Geoff Baker writes.
7. Lincecum has some stuff to settle, writes Henry Schulman.
8. The Padres got to frolic.
9. Juan Rivera drove in a couple of runs. Dee Gordon picked up his fifth steal, and in all six of his stolen-base attempts, he's run on the first or second pitch.
10. The Angels' bullpen got knocked around, as Bill Plunkett writes.
11. The Minnesota Twins won with help from Jamey Carroll.
12. Yovani Gallardo was The Man for the Milwaukee Brewers.
13. The Phillies' offense finally broke out.
14. The Indians' defense had a bad day, as Dennis Manoloff writes.
15. Chris Heisey did something good and got his head pounded in response.
16. John Danks got a lot of run support.
17. The Chicago Cubs continue to lose.
18. David Ross stepped out and helped the Braves win.
19. The Houston Astros piled up the errors, writes Steve Campbell.
20. Joe Nathan had a rough inning and blew a lead.
21. The Red Sox have limped home after losing again. One scout says Boston's intimidation factor is gone.
This start feels different than Boston's start in 2011, says Adrian Gonzalez.
22. The Orioles were swept.
23. Nick Swisher got a big hit for the Yankees.
24. The Mets walked a bunch of guys. Jason Bay almost never says a word to umpires, but he did on Wednesday.
Soon, another All-Star catcher will be helped by the shifting dynamics in the market: Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves. McCann is making $8.5 million this season, in the last year of his current contract, and the Braves hold a $12 million option on the slugger for 2013.
McCann is just 28 years old and is one of the premier catchers in the majors. And while Molina is generally regarded as peerless defensively, McCann is among the pre-eminent offensive catchers, having posted an OPS between .817 and .896 in each of the last four seasons. He has an excellent reputation as a teammate, and like Joey Votto, he's the type of personality a club would want to build around.
But the Molina deal will probably place stress on McCann's negotiations with the Braves. He is in position to ask for maybe even a little more than Molina got -- at a time when the Braves' budget has been stagnant, holding in the $80-90 million range. Atlanta would have to devote about 20 percent of its payroll to McCann to retain the player who has been the most likely to replace Chipper Jones as the face of the franchise.
To this point, there has been little traction in these contract talks. The confluence of circumstances makes this a negotiation worth watching. The Braves really don't have to hit this head on until later this season or in the winter.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Speaking of catchers (or at least someone who played catcher in the past): Victor Martinez could be back to the Detroit Tigers late in the season.
Imagine what Detroit's lineup would look like:
CF: Austin Jackson
RF: Brennan Boesch
3B: Miguel Cabrera
1B: Prince Fielder
DH: Victor Martinez
LF: Delmon Young
C: Alex Avila
SS: Jhonny Peralta
2B: Ryan Raburn
• Vin Scully is still out with a bad cold.
• Torii Hunter is realistic about his future, writes Bill Plunkett.
Look, Hunter is not going to be looking to max out on dollars with his next contract. He'll be looking for a situation to win, and I'd bet there are a lot of teams that would like to have him around on a short-term, relatively low-cost deal as a third or fourth outfielder. Last year, he had an .886 OPS against left-handed pitching.
• With some depth in their rotation, the New York Yankees would be open to dealing a starter, and the most obvious candidate would be Freddy Garcia, because of his age and because he's signed for just one year. But to this point, there have not been any trade talks regarding Garcia.
• Marlon Byrd is not helping his trade value: He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats.
• You want bizarre? How about the way Oakland Athletics won their game against the Kansas City Royals?
From Elias: "It was the first major-league game since the summer of 1966 to end with the last two batters each being hit with pitches. Back on Sept. 2, 1966, Baltimore junkballer Stu Miller lost a game in the 11th inning at Chicago by hitting the last two batters -- a pair of future Mets World Series heroes -- Al Weis and Tommie Agee. (But here's a good omen for the Royals: the Orioles rebounded from that moment of ignominy and wound up winning that year's World Series!)"
Broxton was a good low-cost signing for the Royals. But when they installed him as the replacement for Joakim Soria right away, you had to wonder if this was the right move, because Broxton seemingly was still in the process of rebuilding his confidence. Maybe it would be best now, before the Royals return home, to install Greg Holland as the closer and shift Broxton into a setup role.
From Bob Dutton's story about the loss:
- "How many times is Broxton going to blow a save?" first baseman Eric Hosmer asked. "And how many times is Esky [Alcides Escobar] going to make an error in the same inning? You can put my word on it. You won't see this again." …
- "I wasn't very good today," Broxton said. "I was just wild today. I didn't throw too many strikes. I started out well, but then I walked two guys and hit two guys. I just didn't have it."
From Elias: Verlander is the first pitcher in nearly 23 years to do the following:
• Enter the ninth inning with his team leading
• Start and pitch at least eight full innings
• Allow no runs and either no hits or one hit through those eight innings
• Get the loss in the game
The last pitcher to meet all four of these criteria was Mark Langston of the 1989 Mariners. Langston took a 2-0 lead and a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Blue Jays on May 10 of that season. The Blue Jays scored three runs on four hits off Langston and Mike Schooler in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners (and Langston, who got the loss), 3-2.
The Tampa Bay Rays staged a magical rally against the Tigers, writes Roger Mooney.
This was Verlander's 44th consecutive start in which he completed at least six innings.
From Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information, the longest streaks of six or more innings since 1990:
Mark Buehrle: 2004-05 (49 starts)
Jack McDowell: 1992-93 (48 starts)
Pat Hentgen: 1996-97 (47 starts)
Justin Verlander: 2010-present (44 starts)
Curt Schilling: 1998-99 (43 starts)
A groundball that got past Miguel Cabrera in this game could start the discussion about his defense, writes Lynn Henning.
• From ESPN Stats & Information, By The Numbers:
14: starts between losses for Verlander
17: runs the Colorado Rockies scored without a home run, the most runs scored at Coors Field by any team without a home run
53.7: fastball strike percentage for Tim Lincecum this season, his worst in the last four seasons
372: feet of Peter Bourjos' inside-the-park home run, which would have been out of 10 ballparks
• The Orioles' Dylan Bundy was dominant again in the minors.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. After holding his first meeting just before the outset of the season, Ozzie Guillen said he didn't want to hold another meeting the rest of the year. But there was another Wednesday, as he turned over the managerial responsibilities to Joey Cora. Cora says Guillen will make amends, as Craig Davis writes.
2. Ron Roenicke posted a different-looking lineup.
3. Jeanmar Gomez will get the ball Saturday for the Cleveland Indians.
4. Sergio Santos is flying today for the birth of his third child.
5. The Orioles signed pitcher Joel Pineiro.
6. Jorge Posada is going to be honored.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Giancarlo Stanton's knee trouble may last all year, writes Joe Capozzi.
2. Jeremy Hellickson is OK after being hit in the head during batting practice.
3. Stephen Drew continues to make progress.
4. Buster Posey was scratched from the lineup.
5. A San Diego Padres pitcher could be headed to surgery, writes Bill Center.
6. Scott Baker's season is over.
7. Within this David O'Brien notebook, there is word that Tim Hudson will make his next rehab start tonight.
8. Mike Napoli got a day off.
9. Drew Storen had surgery and will be back sometime around midseason.
10. Lance Berkman is doubtful for the upcoming series.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. Watched a lot of the matchup between Stephen Strasburg and Johan Santana, and Strasburg's pure stuff was about as overwhelming as you will ever see. Oh sure, he threw really hard, with his fastball reaching as high as 98 mph. But his best pitches were his curveball and changeup; his change seemed to veer away from left-handed hitters at a right angle, at 90-91 mph consistently.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how Strasburg beat the Mets:
A) Strasburg had a career-low swing percentage of 31 percent Wednesday, more than 10 percentage points lower than his previous career low of 42 percent.
B) Five of Strasburg's strikeouts came on strikes looking, which eclipses his previous career high of four.
C) Strasburg's average pitch velocity was 91.1 mph Wednesday. This was his slowest average velocity in a game since July 16, 2010, when his average velocity was also 91.1 mph.
This season, Strasburg has averaged 88.3 mph on his changeup and 79.7 mph on his curveball.
2. Ricky Romero shut down the Red Sox, as Brendan Kennedy writes.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how he won:
A) Romero threw his changeup and curveball 37 times Wednesday, including ending eight at-bats with either of the pitches. Of those eight at-bats, four ended with a strikeout and only one ended with a hit.
B) Wednesday was just the third time since the start of 2011 that Romero did not give up an extra-base hit. His three total bases allowed was the fewest he's given up in that span.
C) Romero has slowed his velocity so far this season. Romero's average pitch velocity has been 87.1 mph in both of his 2012 starts -- lower than any of his 2011 starts.
3. Josh Johnson had another bad outing.
4. The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered their first loss, as Nick Piecoro writes.
5. The Rockies crushed Tim Lincecum.
6. Michael Saunders sparked a Seattle rally, as Geoff Baker writes.
7. Lincecum has some stuff to settle, writes Henry Schulman.
8. The Padres got to frolic.
9. Juan Rivera drove in a couple of runs. Dee Gordon picked up his fifth steal, and in all six of his stolen-base attempts, he's run on the first or second pitch.
10. The Angels' bullpen got knocked around, as Bill Plunkett writes.
11. The Minnesota Twins won with help from Jamey Carroll.
12. Yovani Gallardo was The Man for the Milwaukee Brewers.
13. The Phillies' offense finally broke out.
14. The Indians' defense had a bad day, as Dennis Manoloff writes.
15. Chris Heisey did something good and got his head pounded in response.
16. John Danks got a lot of run support.
17. The Chicago Cubs continue to lose.
18. David Ross stepped out and helped the Braves win.
19. The Houston Astros piled up the errors, writes Steve Campbell.
20. Joe Nathan had a rough inning and blew a lead.
21. The Red Sox have limped home after losing again. One scout says Boston's intimidation factor is gone.
This start feels different than Boston's start in 2011, says Adrian Gonzalez.
22. The Orioles were swept.
23. Nick Swisher got a big hit for the Yankees.
24. The Mets walked a bunch of guys. Jason Bay almost never says a word to umpires, but he did on Wednesday.
FanGraphs Prospect Stock Market.
Spoiler [+]
Pitching is quite often ahead of hitting early on in the season but as you’ll see below there are still quite a few position prospects who are off to strong starts to the year.
C.J. Cron, 1B, Los Angeles Angels
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 3rd
Current Value: Holding Steady
Despite having his pro debut in 2011 cut short due to injury, Cron has come out swinging in 2012, taking full advantage of the friendly confines of the California League. The right-handed hitter currently has a 1.022 OPS in seven games, including a .556 batting average against left-handed pitchers. Perhaps because he’s seeing the ball so well he has yet to take a walk. Although his stats will no doubt be inflated by the league, Cron could very well hit his way to double-A by mid-year.
Alen Hanson, IF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: A-
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: Sleeper Pick
Current Value: Looking Up
Hanson was my sleeper prospect in the Pirates system entering 2012 and he’s enjoying his first taste of full-season ball. The middle infielder is hitting for power (home run, triple on Thursday night) and average while also getting on base and taking full advantage of his speed (He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in steals). The switch-hitter has done all his damage from the left side of the plate and has tallied just four at-bats against southpaws. The Pirates system does not have a ton of up-the-middle talent so Hanson’s continued development would be a boon for the organization.
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Current Level: AAA
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 11th
Current Value: Holding Steady
Hechavarria is one person who hopes that “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.
C.J. Cron, 1B, Los Angeles Angels
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 3rd
Current Value: Holding Steady
Despite having his pro debut in 2011 cut short due to injury, Cron has come out swinging in 2012, taking full advantage of the friendly confines of the California League. The right-handed hitter currently has a 1.022 OPS in seven games, including a .556 batting average against left-handed pitchers. Perhaps because he’s seeing the ball so well he has yet to take a walk. Although his stats will no doubt be inflated by the league, Cron could very well hit his way to double-A by mid-year.
Alen Hanson, IF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: A-
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: Sleeper Pick
Current Value: Looking Up
Hanson was my sleeper prospect in the Pirates system entering 2012 and he’s enjoying his first taste of full-season ball. The middle infielder is hitting for power (home run, triple on Thursday night) and average while also getting on base and taking full advantage of his speed (He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in steals). The switch-hitter has done all his damage from the left side of the plate and has tallied just four at-bats against southpaws. The Pirates system does not have a ton of up-the-middle talent so Hanson’s continued development would be a boon for the organization.
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Current Level: AAA
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 11th
Current Value: Holding Steady
Hechavarria is one person who hopes that “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.
Buxton shows tools worthy of No. 1 pick.
McCann's looming contract negotiations.
FanGraphs Prospect Stock Market.
Spoiler [+]
Center fielder Byron Buxton of Appling County High School in Baxley, Ga., seems to be on top of most scouts' personal "pref" lists at the moment because of his explosive tools, an incredibly athletic body and the frame to put on more muscle and end up with plus tools in all five categories. He's got some risk attached, but all things considered, he's the best prospect in this draft class.
If you want raw tools, this is about as good as it gets. Buxton is an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale with a 70 arm and a chance to be a 70 defender in center. He's not just fast, he runs easily and effortlessly and is even faster underway than he is in short spurts like home to first. Buxton threw three innings in Tuesday's game and hit 93 mph several times with a decent curveball, so while he's not a top prospect as a pitcher, he did show arm strength and even more evidence of his athleticism.
He's earned physical comparisons to all manner of players; the one that came to my mind when I first saw him was a young Eric Davis, who had that speed/power combination that should lie in Buxton's future.
Buxton has quick wrists and gets good rotation in his right-handed swing and also squared up several balls in the game I saw, although I also saw his swing get long on balls he probably should have taken. He starts with his hands set up by his back shoulder almost fully loaded at the start, and then takes a long stride forward in the box before he gets his hands started.
He rotates his hips well and should hit for at least above-average power down the road, especially once he fills out physically. One odd note in his swing: His back foot actually comes off the ground briefly as he rotates, which isn't good for balance or for power (unless you're built like Frank Thomas).
His at-bats during Monday's game -- an important game against rival Pierce County High School -- were generally very good, save one at-bat where he chased the first pitch with two outs and the tying run on second. He fouled off several pitches but didn't swing and miss, and he put four balls in play -- two singles (one a ground ball), a double and a hard fly ball to right. The double was the most impressive, as it was well struck and he seemed to reach second before the ping of the bat reached our ears.
The concerns on Buxton are pretty straightforward. He hasn't homered this year, so despite homers earlier in his high school career, there are questions about his present power level. He'll be 18½ at the draft, which is old for a high school prospect. He hasn't faced a lot of advanced pitching in his life, since he didn't do much on the showcase circuit and has split time between baseball and football. And his swing can get long.
On the other hand, this kind of tools package doesn't come along very often, and if you believe he'll hit -- meaning he can adjust to better pitching and make some small mechanical tweaks -- he could be an offensive and defensive force in the middle of the diamond, a faster Andrew McCutchen with more value on defense. That's worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, but the team drafting there, the Houston Astros, would have to be sold on his bat first.
[h3]Notes[/h3]
• Parkview High School, the alma mater of Jeff Francoeur, has a solid prospect for each of the next two drafts. For this year, first baseman Matt Olson is attracting some interest from clubs who like his bat enough to ignore (for now) his commitment to Vanderbilt, with a lot of buzz around the Boston Red Sox having strong interest in him. When he puts a good swing on the ball, it's a really good swing, a smooth left-handed stroke with lots of rotation and great follow-through. But his swing can get very long because he loads his hands deep, and his bat control isn't great. He has an above-average arm, but his lack of speed limits him to first base.
• Center fielder Josh Hart is a junior right now but is already on the radar for next year's draft thanks to a live body and good bat speed. He's very linear at the plate, slapping the ball but not really driving it, and I had him as an average to above-average runner based on his run times in this game. He met a few balls out in front of the plate when he was fooled by an off-speed pitch. He's worth remembering for next year as a potential center fielder who should make a lot of contact if he recognizes secondary stuff better.
If you want raw tools, this is about as good as it gets. Buxton is an 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale with a 70 arm and a chance to be a 70 defender in center. He's not just fast, he runs easily and effortlessly and is even faster underway than he is in short spurts like home to first. Buxton threw three innings in Tuesday's game and hit 93 mph several times with a decent curveball, so while he's not a top prospect as a pitcher, he did show arm strength and even more evidence of his athleticism.
He's earned physical comparisons to all manner of players; the one that came to my mind when I first saw him was a young Eric Davis, who had that speed/power combination that should lie in Buxton's future.
Buxton has quick wrists and gets good rotation in his right-handed swing and also squared up several balls in the game I saw, although I also saw his swing get long on balls he probably should have taken. He starts with his hands set up by his back shoulder almost fully loaded at the start, and then takes a long stride forward in the box before he gets his hands started.
He rotates his hips well and should hit for at least above-average power down the road, especially once he fills out physically. One odd note in his swing: His back foot actually comes off the ground briefly as he rotates, which isn't good for balance or for power (unless you're built like Frank Thomas).
His at-bats during Monday's game -- an important game against rival Pierce County High School -- were generally very good, save one at-bat where he chased the first pitch with two outs and the tying run on second. He fouled off several pitches but didn't swing and miss, and he put four balls in play -- two singles (one a ground ball), a double and a hard fly ball to right. The double was the most impressive, as it was well struck and he seemed to reach second before the ping of the bat reached our ears.
The concerns on Buxton are pretty straightforward. He hasn't homered this year, so despite homers earlier in his high school career, there are questions about his present power level. He'll be 18½ at the draft, which is old for a high school prospect. He hasn't faced a lot of advanced pitching in his life, since he didn't do much on the showcase circuit and has split time between baseball and football. And his swing can get long.
On the other hand, this kind of tools package doesn't come along very often, and if you believe he'll hit -- meaning he can adjust to better pitching and make some small mechanical tweaks -- he could be an offensive and defensive force in the middle of the diamond, a faster Andrew McCutchen with more value on defense. That's worthy of the No. 1 overall pick, but the team drafting there, the Houston Astros, would have to be sold on his bat first.
[h3]Notes[/h3]
• Parkview High School, the alma mater of Jeff Francoeur, has a solid prospect for each of the next two drafts. For this year, first baseman Matt Olson is attracting some interest from clubs who like his bat enough to ignore (for now) his commitment to Vanderbilt, with a lot of buzz around the Boston Red Sox having strong interest in him. When he puts a good swing on the ball, it's a really good swing, a smooth left-handed stroke with lots of rotation and great follow-through. But his swing can get very long because he loads his hands deep, and his bat control isn't great. He has an above-average arm, but his lack of speed limits him to first base.
• Center fielder Josh Hart is a junior right now but is already on the radar for next year's draft thanks to a live body and good bat speed. He's very linear at the plate, slapping the ball but not really driving it, and I had him as an average to above-average runner based on his run times in this game. He met a few balls out in front of the plate when he was fooled by an off-speed pitch. He's worth remembering for next year as a potential center fielder who should make a lot of contact if he recognizes secondary stuff better.
McCann's looming contract negotiations.
Spoiler [+]
The ripples from the Cardinals' signing of Yadier Molina have already been felt in the market, in the negotiations of Mike Napoli, Miguel Montero and Russell Martin. Molina's five-year, $75 million deal has allowed the agents for the other catchers to compare their clients to Molina and ask for more money.
Soon, another All-Star catcher will be helped by the shifting dynamics in the market: Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves. McCann is making $8.5 million this season, in the last year of his current contract, and the Braves hold a $12 million option on the slugger for 2013.
McCann is just 28 years old and is one of the premier catchers in the majors. And while Molina is generally regarded as peerless defensively, McCann is among the pre-eminent offensive catchers, having posted an OPS between .817 and .896 in each of the last four seasons. He has an excellent reputation as a teammate, and like Joey Votto, he's the type of personality a club would want to build around.
But the Molina deal will probably place stress on McCann's negotiations with the Braves. He is in position to ask for maybe even a little more than Molina got -- at a time when the Braves' budget has been stagnant, holding in the $80-90 million range. Atlanta would have to devote about 20 percent of its payroll to McCann to retain the player who has been the most likely to replace Chipper Jones as the face of the franchise.
To this point, there has been little traction in these contract talks. The confluence of circumstances makes this a negotiation worth watching. The Braves really don't have to hit this head on until later this season or in the winter.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Speaking of catchers (or at least someone who played catcher in the past): Victor Martinez could be back to the Detroit Tigers late in the season.
Imagine what Detroit's lineup would look like:
CF: Austin Jackson
RF: Brennan Boesch
3B: Miguel Cabrera
1B: Prince Fielder
DH: Victor Martinez
LF: Delmon Young
C: Alex Avila
SS: Jhonny Peralta
2B: Ryan Raburn
• Vin Scully is still out with a bad cold.
• Torii Hunter is realistic about his future, writes Bill Plunkett.
Look, Hunter is not going to be looking to max out on dollars with his next contract. He'll be looking for a situation to win, and I'd bet there are a lot of teams that would like to have him around on a short-term, relatively low-cost deal as a third or fourth outfielder. Last year, he had an .886 OPS against left-handed pitching.
• With some depth in their rotation, the New York Yankees would be open to dealing a starter, and the most obvious candidate would be Freddy Garcia, because of his age and because he's signed for just one year. But to this point, there have not been any trade talks regarding Garcia.
• Marlon Byrd is not helping his trade value: He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats.
• You want bizarre? How about the way Oakland Athletics won their game against the Kansas City Royals?
From Elias: "It was the first major-league game since the summer of 1966 to end with the last two batters each being hit with pitches. Back on Sept. 2, 1966, Baltimore junkballer Stu Miller lost a game in the 11th inning at Chicago by hitting the last two batters -- a pair of future Mets World Series heroes -- Al Weis and Tommie Agee. (But here's a good omen for the Royals: the Orioles rebounded from that moment of ignominy and wound up winning that year's World Series!)"
Broxton was a good low-cost signing for the Royals. But when they installed him as the replacement for Joakim Soria right away, you had to wonder if this was the right move, because Broxton seemingly was still in the process of rebuilding his confidence. Maybe it would be best now, before the Royals return home, to install Greg Holland as the closer and shift Broxton into a setup role.
From Bob Dutton's story about the loss:
From Elias: Verlander is the first pitcher in nearly 23 years to do the following:
• Enter the ninth inning with his team leading
• Start and pitch at least eight full innings
• Allow no runs and either no hits or one hit through those eight innings
• Get the loss in the game
The last pitcher to meet all four of these criteria was Mark Langston of the 1989 Mariners. Langston took a 2-0 lead and a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Blue Jays on May 10 of that season. The Blue Jays scored three runs on four hits off Langston and Mike Schooler in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners (and Langston, who got the loss), 3-2.
The Tampa Bay Rays staged a magical rally against the Tigers, writes Roger Mooney.
This was Verlander's 44th consecutive start in which he completed at least six innings.
From Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information, the longest streaks of six or more innings since 1990:
Mark Buehrle: 2004-05 (49 starts)
Jack McDowell: 1992-93 (48 starts)
Pat Hentgen: 1996-97 (47 starts)
Justin Verlander: 2010-present (44 starts)
Curt Schilling: 1998-99 (43 starts)
A groundball that got past Miguel Cabrera in this game could start the discussion about his defense, writes Lynn Henning.
• From ESPN Stats & Information, By The Numbers:
14: starts between losses for Verlander
17: runs the Colorado Rockies scored without a home run, the most runs scored at Coors Field by any team without a home run
53.7: fastball strike percentage for Tim Lincecum this season, his worst in the last four seasons
372: feet of Peter Bourjos' inside-the-park home run, which would have been out of 10 ballparks
• The Orioles' Dylan Bundy was dominant again in the minors.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. After holding his first meeting just before the outset of the season, Ozzie Guillen said he didn't want to hold another meeting the rest of the year. But there was another Wednesday, as he turned over the managerial responsibilities to Joey Cora. Cora says Guillen will make amends, as Craig Davis writes.
2. Ron Roenicke posted a different-looking lineup.
3. Jeanmar Gomez will get the ball Saturday for the Cleveland Indians.
4. Sergio Santos is flying today for the birth of his third child.
5. The Orioles signed pitcher Joel Pineiro.
6. Jorge Posada is going to be honored.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Giancarlo Stanton's knee trouble may last all year, writes Joe Capozzi.
2. Jeremy Hellickson is OK after being hit in the head during batting practice.
3. Stephen Drew continues to make progress.
4. Buster Posey was scratched from the lineup.
5. A San Diego Padres pitcher could be headed to surgery, writes Bill Center.
6. Scott Baker's season is over.
7. Within this David O'Brien notebook, there is word that Tim Hudson will make his next rehab start tonight.
8. Mike Napoli got a day off.
9. Drew Storen had surgery and will be back sometime around midseason.
10. Lance Berkman is doubtful for the upcoming series.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. Watched a lot of the matchup between Stephen Strasburg and Johan Santana, and Strasburg's pure stuff was about as overwhelming as you will ever see. Oh sure, he threw really hard, with his fastball reaching as high as 98 mph. But his best pitches were his curveball and changeup; his change seemed to veer away from left-handed hitters at a right angle, at 90-91 mph consistently.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how Strasburg beat the Mets:
A) Strasburg had a career-low swing percentage of 31 percent Wednesday, more than 10 percentage points lower than his previous career low of 42 percent.
B) Five of Strasburg's strikeouts came on strikes looking, which eclipses his previous career high of four.
C) Strasburg's average pitch velocity was 91.1 mph Wednesday. This was his slowest average velocity in a game since July 16, 2010, when his average velocity was also 91.1 mph.
This season, Strasburg has averaged 88.3 mph on his changeup and 79.7 mph on his curveball.
2. Ricky Romero shut down the Red Sox, as Brendan Kennedy writes.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how he won:
A) Romero threw his changeup and curveball 37 times Wednesday, including ending eight at-bats with either of the pitches. Of those eight at-bats, four ended with a strikeout and only one ended with a hit.
B) Wednesday was just the third time since the start of 2011 that Romero did not give up an extra-base hit. His three total bases allowed was the fewest he's given up in that span.
C) Romero has slowed his velocity so far this season. Romero's average pitch velocity has been 87.1 mph in both of his 2012 starts -- lower than any of his 2011 starts.
3. Josh Johnson had another bad outing.
4. The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered their first loss, as Nick Piecoro writes.
5. The Rockies crushed Tim Lincecum.
6. Michael Saunders sparked a Seattle rally, as Geoff Baker writes.
7. Lincecum has some stuff to settle, writes Henry Schulman.
8. The Padres got to frolic.
9. Juan Rivera drove in a couple of runs. Dee Gordon picked up his fifth steal, and in all six of his stolen-base attempts, he's run on the first or second pitch.
10. The Angels' bullpen got knocked around, as Bill Plunkett writes.
11. The Minnesota Twins won with help from Jamey Carroll.
12. Yovani Gallardo was The Man for the Milwaukee Brewers.
13. The Phillies' offense finally broke out.
14. The Indians' defense had a bad day, as Dennis Manoloff writes.
15. Chris Heisey did something good and got his head pounded in response.
16. John Danks got a lot of run support.
17. The Chicago Cubs continue to lose.
18. David Ross stepped out and helped the Braves win.
19. The Houston Astros piled up the errors, writes Steve Campbell.
20. Joe Nathan had a rough inning and blew a lead.
21. The Red Sox have limped home after losing again. One scout says Boston's intimidation factor is gone.
This start feels different than Boston's start in 2011, says Adrian Gonzalez.
22. The Orioles were swept.
23. Nick Swisher got a big hit for the Yankees.
24. The Mets walked a bunch of guys. Jason Bay almost never says a word to umpires, but he did on Wednesday.
Soon, another All-Star catcher will be helped by the shifting dynamics in the market: Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves. McCann is making $8.5 million this season, in the last year of his current contract, and the Braves hold a $12 million option on the slugger for 2013.
McCann is just 28 years old and is one of the premier catchers in the majors. And while Molina is generally regarded as peerless defensively, McCann is among the pre-eminent offensive catchers, having posted an OPS between .817 and .896 in each of the last four seasons. He has an excellent reputation as a teammate, and like Joey Votto, he's the type of personality a club would want to build around.
But the Molina deal will probably place stress on McCann's negotiations with the Braves. He is in position to ask for maybe even a little more than Molina got -- at a time when the Braves' budget has been stagnant, holding in the $80-90 million range. Atlanta would have to devote about 20 percent of its payroll to McCann to retain the player who has been the most likely to replace Chipper Jones as the face of the franchise.
To this point, there has been little traction in these contract talks. The confluence of circumstances makes this a negotiation worth watching. The Braves really don't have to hit this head on until later this season or in the winter.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Speaking of catchers (or at least someone who played catcher in the past): Victor Martinez could be back to the Detroit Tigers late in the season.
Imagine what Detroit's lineup would look like:
CF: Austin Jackson
RF: Brennan Boesch
3B: Miguel Cabrera
1B: Prince Fielder
DH: Victor Martinez
LF: Delmon Young
C: Alex Avila
SS: Jhonny Peralta
2B: Ryan Raburn
• Vin Scully is still out with a bad cold.
• Torii Hunter is realistic about his future, writes Bill Plunkett.
Look, Hunter is not going to be looking to max out on dollars with his next contract. He'll be looking for a situation to win, and I'd bet there are a lot of teams that would like to have him around on a short-term, relatively low-cost deal as a third or fourth outfielder. Last year, he had an .886 OPS against left-handed pitching.
• With some depth in their rotation, the New York Yankees would be open to dealing a starter, and the most obvious candidate would be Freddy Garcia, because of his age and because he's signed for just one year. But to this point, there have not been any trade talks regarding Garcia.
• Marlon Byrd is not helping his trade value: He's hitless in his last 19 at-bats.
• You want bizarre? How about the way Oakland Athletics won their game against the Kansas City Royals?
From Elias: "It was the first major-league game since the summer of 1966 to end with the last two batters each being hit with pitches. Back on Sept. 2, 1966, Baltimore junkballer Stu Miller lost a game in the 11th inning at Chicago by hitting the last two batters -- a pair of future Mets World Series heroes -- Al Weis and Tommie Agee. (But here's a good omen for the Royals: the Orioles rebounded from that moment of ignominy and wound up winning that year's World Series!)"
Broxton was a good low-cost signing for the Royals. But when they installed him as the replacement for Joakim Soria right away, you had to wonder if this was the right move, because Broxton seemingly was still in the process of rebuilding his confidence. Maybe it would be best now, before the Royals return home, to install Greg Holland as the closer and shift Broxton into a setup role.
From Bob Dutton's story about the loss:
- "How many times is Broxton going to blow a save?" first baseman Eric Hosmer asked. "And how many times is Esky [Alcides Escobar] going to make an error in the same inning? You can put my word on it. You won't see this again." …
- "I wasn't very good today," Broxton said. "I was just wild today. I didn't throw too many strikes. I started out well, but then I walked two guys and hit two guys. I just didn't have it."
From Elias: Verlander is the first pitcher in nearly 23 years to do the following:
• Enter the ninth inning with his team leading
• Start and pitch at least eight full innings
• Allow no runs and either no hits or one hit through those eight innings
• Get the loss in the game
The last pitcher to meet all four of these criteria was Mark Langston of the 1989 Mariners. Langston took a 2-0 lead and a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Blue Jays on May 10 of that season. The Blue Jays scored three runs on four hits off Langston and Mike Schooler in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners (and Langston, who got the loss), 3-2.
The Tampa Bay Rays staged a magical rally against the Tigers, writes Roger Mooney.
This was Verlander's 44th consecutive start in which he completed at least six innings.
From Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information, the longest streaks of six or more innings since 1990:
Mark Buehrle: 2004-05 (49 starts)
Jack McDowell: 1992-93 (48 starts)
Pat Hentgen: 1996-97 (47 starts)
Justin Verlander: 2010-present (44 starts)
Curt Schilling: 1998-99 (43 starts)
A groundball that got past Miguel Cabrera in this game could start the discussion about his defense, writes Lynn Henning.
• From ESPN Stats & Information, By The Numbers:
14: starts between losses for Verlander
17: runs the Colorado Rockies scored without a home run, the most runs scored at Coors Field by any team without a home run
53.7: fastball strike percentage for Tim Lincecum this season, his worst in the last four seasons
372: feet of Peter Bourjos' inside-the-park home run, which would have been out of 10 ballparks
• The Orioles' Dylan Bundy was dominant again in the minors.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. After holding his first meeting just before the outset of the season, Ozzie Guillen said he didn't want to hold another meeting the rest of the year. But there was another Wednesday, as he turned over the managerial responsibilities to Joey Cora. Cora says Guillen will make amends, as Craig Davis writes.
2. Ron Roenicke posted a different-looking lineup.
3. Jeanmar Gomez will get the ball Saturday for the Cleveland Indians.
4. Sergio Santos is flying today for the birth of his third child.
5. The Orioles signed pitcher Joel Pineiro.
6. Jorge Posada is going to be honored.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Giancarlo Stanton's knee trouble may last all year, writes Joe Capozzi.
2. Jeremy Hellickson is OK after being hit in the head during batting practice.
3. Stephen Drew continues to make progress.
4. Buster Posey was scratched from the lineup.
5. A San Diego Padres pitcher could be headed to surgery, writes Bill Center.
6. Scott Baker's season is over.
7. Within this David O'Brien notebook, there is word that Tim Hudson will make his next rehab start tonight.
8. Mike Napoli got a day off.
9. Drew Storen had surgery and will be back sometime around midseason.
10. Lance Berkman is doubtful for the upcoming series.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. Watched a lot of the matchup between Stephen Strasburg and Johan Santana, and Strasburg's pure stuff was about as overwhelming as you will ever see. Oh sure, he threw really hard, with his fastball reaching as high as 98 mph. But his best pitches were his curveball and changeup; his change seemed to veer away from left-handed hitters at a right angle, at 90-91 mph consistently.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how Strasburg beat the Mets:
A) Strasburg had a career-low swing percentage of 31 percent Wednesday, more than 10 percentage points lower than his previous career low of 42 percent.
B) Five of Strasburg's strikeouts came on strikes looking, which eclipses his previous career high of four.
C) Strasburg's average pitch velocity was 91.1 mph Wednesday. This was his slowest average velocity in a game since July 16, 2010, when his average velocity was also 91.1 mph.
This season, Strasburg has averaged 88.3 mph on his changeup and 79.7 mph on his curveball.
2. Ricky Romero shut down the Red Sox, as Brendan Kennedy writes.
From ESPN Stats & Info, how he won:
A) Romero threw his changeup and curveball 37 times Wednesday, including ending eight at-bats with either of the pitches. Of those eight at-bats, four ended with a strikeout and only one ended with a hit.
B) Wednesday was just the third time since the start of 2011 that Romero did not give up an extra-base hit. His three total bases allowed was the fewest he's given up in that span.
C) Romero has slowed his velocity so far this season. Romero's average pitch velocity has been 87.1 mph in both of his 2012 starts -- lower than any of his 2011 starts.
3. Josh Johnson had another bad outing.
4. The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered their first loss, as Nick Piecoro writes.
5. The Rockies crushed Tim Lincecum.
6. Michael Saunders sparked a Seattle rally, as Geoff Baker writes.
7. Lincecum has some stuff to settle, writes Henry Schulman.
8. The Padres got to frolic.
9. Juan Rivera drove in a couple of runs. Dee Gordon picked up his fifth steal, and in all six of his stolen-base attempts, he's run on the first or second pitch.
10. The Angels' bullpen got knocked around, as Bill Plunkett writes.
11. The Minnesota Twins won with help from Jamey Carroll.
12. Yovani Gallardo was The Man for the Milwaukee Brewers.
13. The Phillies' offense finally broke out.
14. The Indians' defense had a bad day, as Dennis Manoloff writes.
15. Chris Heisey did something good and got his head pounded in response.
16. John Danks got a lot of run support.
17. The Chicago Cubs continue to lose.
18. David Ross stepped out and helped the Braves win.
19. The Houston Astros piled up the errors, writes Steve Campbell.
20. Joe Nathan had a rough inning and blew a lead.
21. The Red Sox have limped home after losing again. One scout says Boston's intimidation factor is gone.
This start feels different than Boston's start in 2011, says Adrian Gonzalez.
22. The Orioles were swept.
23. Nick Swisher got a big hit for the Yankees.
24. The Mets walked a bunch of guys. Jason Bay almost never says a word to umpires, but he did on Wednesday.
FanGraphs Prospect Stock Market.
Spoiler [+]
Pitching is quite often ahead of hitting early on in the season but as you’ll see below there are still quite a few position prospects who are off to strong starts to the year.
C.J. Cron, 1B, Los Angeles Angels
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 3rd
Current Value: Holding Steady
Despite having his pro debut in 2011 cut short due to injury, Cron has come out swinging in 2012, taking full advantage of the friendly confines of the California League. The right-handed hitter currently has a 1.022 OPS in seven games, including a .556 batting average against left-handed pitchers. Perhaps because he’s seeing the ball so well he has yet to take a walk. Although his stats will no doubt be inflated by the league, Cron could very well hit his way to double-A by mid-year.
Alen Hanson, IF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: A-
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: Sleeper Pick
Current Value: Looking Up
Hanson was my sleeper prospect in the Pirates system entering 2012 and he’s enjoying his first taste of full-season ball. The middle infielder is hitting for power (home run, triple on Thursday night) and average while also getting on base and taking full advantage of his speed (He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in steals). The switch-hitter has done all his damage from the left side of the plate and has tallied just four at-bats against southpaws. The Pirates system does not have a ton of up-the-middle talent so Hanson’s continued development would be a boon for the organization.
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Current Level: AAA
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 11th
Current Value: Holding Steady
Hechavarria is one person who hopes that “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.
C.J. Cron, 1B, Los Angeles Angels
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 3rd
Current Value: Holding Steady
Despite having his pro debut in 2011 cut short due to injury, Cron has come out swinging in 2012, taking full advantage of the friendly confines of the California League. The right-handed hitter currently has a 1.022 OPS in seven games, including a .556 batting average against left-handed pitchers. Perhaps because he’s seeing the ball so well he has yet to take a walk. Although his stats will no doubt be inflated by the league, Cron could very well hit his way to double-A by mid-year.
Alen Hanson, IF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: A-
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: Sleeper Pick
Current Value: Looking Up
Hanson was my sleeper prospect in the Pirates system entering 2012 and he’s enjoying his first taste of full-season ball. The middle infielder is hitting for power (home run, triple on Thursday night) and average while also getting on base and taking full advantage of his speed (He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in steals). The switch-hitter has done all his damage from the left side of the plate and has tallied just four at-bats against southpaws. The Pirates system does not have a ton of up-the-middle talent so Hanson’s continued development would be a boon for the organization.
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Current Level: AAA
2012 Top 15 Prospect Ranking: 11th
Current Value: Holding Steady
Hechavarria is one person who hopes that “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
I'm looking for a Jerome Williams perfect game on Sunday Night BaseballOriginally Posted by FIRST B0RN
Originally Posted by Proshares
Originally Posted by Naija Nitemare
Damn, Angels.
What is wrong with you right now. Can't do anything right.
Don't worry, their bats will get right this weekend.
I hope the Yankess kick the *$## out of them.
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
I'm looking for a Jerome Williams perfect game on Sunday Night BaseballOriginally Posted by FIRST B0RN
Originally Posted by Proshares
Originally Posted by Naija Nitemare
Damn, Angels.
What is wrong with you right now. Can't do anything right.
Don't worry, their bats will get right this weekend.
I hope the Yankess kick the *$## out of them.
do work son
Banned
- 17,118
- 5,186
- Joined
- May 22, 2010
full slate of games today. god i love mlb tv.
do work son
Banned
- 17,118
- 5,186
- Joined
- May 22, 2010
full slate of games today. god i love mlb tv.
- 28,043
- 10,466
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Don't hold your breath.Already tired of all the "hip hip, Jorge" FB statuses.
- 28,043
- 10,466
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Don't hold your breath.Already tired of all the "hip hip, Jorge" FB statuses.
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
Vernon Wells, such garbage
makes me sick.
I'm going to the gym.
makes me sick.
I'm going to the gym.
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
Vernon Wells, such garbage
makes me sick.
I'm going to the gym.
makes me sick.
I'm going to the gym.
- 9,530
- 91
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2003
?
- 9,530
- 91
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2003
?
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
Somehow, I blame Bobby Abreu for all of this
- 3,309
- 266
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
Somehow, I blame Bobby Abreu for all of this
- 28,043
- 10,466
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Told you Yanks fans, Kuroda was a great signing. Far under the radar compared to Pineda, but an innings eater like Jackson for Washington.
- 28,043
- 10,466
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
Told you Yanks fans, Kuroda was a great signing. Far under the radar compared to Pineda, but an innings eater like Jackson for Washington.
- Status
