2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions

proshares · May 9, 2011

I think people just expected him to regress to the mean for a pitcher that had a year like he did last year. Couldn't have seen this coming TBH. The offspeed stuff has been filthy. Matter fact, I thought CJ Wilson would struggle as well.

jdcurt2 · May 9, 2011

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

That was not a cheap three-run homer for Travis Wood.

He crushed that ball then did the Sosa hop out of the box.

jdcurt2 · May 9, 2011

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

That was not a cheap three-run homer for Travis Wood.

He crushed that ball then did the Sosa hop out of the box.

proshares · May 10, 2011

First base problems.

Spoiler [+]

Sabermetrician Bill James introduced the concept of a defensive spectrum in his seminal "Baseball Abstract" books. The spectrum ranks the most difficult to least difficult positions to fill based on how tough each one is defensively. The easiest position (other than designated hitter, which requires no defensive value) is first base. Teams can put their biggest sluggers at the position knowing that defense is a secondary concern.

So why are so many first basemen hitting like pitchers so far this season? Dave Cameron addressed the issue of light-hitting left fielders last week, but at least clubs can claim they're putting speed in lieu of offense in left. No one can make that claim at first base. So for those teams currently afflicted with a light hitter at first, here are some fixes.

Let's start with teams that are least likely to contend because they have it easiest.
[h3]San Diego Padres[/h3]

San Diego's platoon of Brad Hawpe and Jorge Cantu has combined to hit below the Mendoza Line with a sub-.250 on-base percentage. That's typical of the team with the worst offense in the NL, and the Padres won't contend this season.

The good news is that lots of help is waiting on the farm. First baseman Anthony Rizzo, 21, acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, has destroyed Triple-A pitching (.397/.466/.759 batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage through Saturday) and would seem to be the obvious choice to take over first base at Petco. Kyle Blanks, a 24-year-old behemoth playing first at Double-A, could temporarily leapfrog Rizzo, though. With Blanks back from Tommy John surgery and the Padres not wanting to burn Rizzo's major league service time just yet, Blanks could be first up, with Rizzo eventually taking over by season's end or on Opening Day 2012.
[h3]Pittsburgh Pirates[/h3]

The Pirates sit just 2½ games out of first place, while stopgap veteran Lyle Overbay predictably ranks among the worst first basemen in the league (.228/.307/.333). Unlike the Royals, who addressed their first-base hole by inserting Eric Hosmer (a hitter so beastly that Royals blogger Rany Jazayerli dubbed his call-up day "Hosmas"), the Pirates have no good alternatives on the major league roster or anywhere in the high minors.

In the short term, the Pirates probably would be better off moving defensively challenged right fielder Garrett Jones (.864 OPS) back to first base and giving someone like Xavier Paul more time in right. At the very least, it would improve the defense. Barring an unlikely run by Pittsburgh throughout the season, the next move could come during the winter, when the Pirates will have far more options. And should the Pirates draft Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon with the No. 1 overall pick this June, the Bucs' long-term solution at first could be Pedro Alvarez, although he needs to prove that he can hit well enough to warrant such a switch.
[h3]Los Angeles Dodgers[/h3]

ESPN Insider writer Matt Meyers recently noted the Dodgers' need to expel James Loney from the lineup. Trouble is, the Dodgers are ostensibly a two-man lineup, and Loney is just one of far too many players struggling mightily behind leading men Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. L.A. has experimented with a first-base platoon, slotting in power-hitting prospect Jerry Sands versus a few lefties.

Sands has struggled in his first few big league games, but his minor league track record (career .974 OPS) suggests upside. And Loney, who has just two extra-base hits this year, has been helpless. Other than Sands, the Dodgers' next hope is to scour the free-agent market in the winter, but the only way they'll be bidding for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder is if MLB can extricate the Dodgers from the McCourt McBacle and find a deep-pocketed owner.
[h3]Chicago Cubs[/h3]

The Cubs also might struggle to contend this season, and Carlos Pena is not making it any easier to get there. Pena's on a little hot streak lately, one that has him all the way up to .195/.330/.317. Striking out in more one-third of your at-bats isn't necessarily a fatal flaw, not if you're flashing the kind of power Pena showed four years ago, when he socked 46 homers. He's on pace for about one-third that many this year.

Like most of the other players on this list, Pena has suffered from some bad luck (.250 batting average on balls in play versus .279 for his career), but not nearly enough to explain away his awful start or last year's nose dive in Tampa Bay. About to hit his 33rd birthday, Pena might simply be on the downside of his career and no longer a championship-caliber player. Like most of the other first-base-challenged teams, the Cubs might wait 'til year's end to address their deficiency. Unlike the Dodgers (with potential ownership issues) and Pirates/Padres (who aren't likely to spend big bucks), the Cubs would seem to have one of the clearest paths to reeling in a star like Pujols or Fielder to fill the void.

That leaves two teams with more realistic playoff hopes and question marks at the position.
[h3]Tampa Bay Rays[/h3]

Three years ago, Dan Johnson hit arguably the biggest home run in Rays history. But there's a reason Johnson bounced from team to team and spent so much time in the minors: He's probably not suited to be a starting first baseman in the majors. Casey Kotchman probably isn't, either. Kotchman can thank a sky-high BABIP (.396, with league average around .300) and spectacular luck on ground balls (.276 batting average on ground balls versus a career .183) for his impressive batting line (.373/.448/.475). There are a few things to like, including a tendency to put the ball in play, and a good glove. Still, Kotchman may have less power than any other MLB first baseman this side of Loney; when those five-hoppers stop finding holes in the infield, the Rays will have a problem on their hands, one compounded by the team also getting no offense from shortstop and spotty hitting at catcher.

Tampa Bay can thank a cakewalk early schedule and some good fortune in one-run games (6-2 record in those games) for its unlikely foray into first place. The good times won't last if the Rays don't upgrade their offense. Because manager Joe Maddon almost surely won't bench Kotchman before the almost inevitable regression happens, we might be a few weeks away from seeing moves happen. If and when they do, they could call up Brandon Guyer, a power-hitting right-handed bat who homered in his first MLB AB then got sent to the minors because the Rays like to trot out a 12-man pitching staff despite rarely using their 12th man. Guyer could at the very least play against lefties and provide some much-needed power. If the Rays need more help, the Arizona Diamondbacks would seem to have little use for Russell Branyan (.721 OPS this year but .819 lifetime, with lots of pop). Better yet, Arizona has Brandon Allen buried at Triple-A, where he continues to hit (.291/.380/.455 after a .261/.405/.528 line last year). Kevin Towers has a reputation as a GM who loves to trade. Andrew Friedman might consider giving him a call at some point. Free Brandon Allen.
[h3]San Francisco Giants[/h3]

The defending world champs might have the trickiest situation of all. Aubrey Huff has struggled mightily as the Giants' first baseman after a brief stint as one of the worst corner outfielders in the history of Western civilization. Although the damage he can do defensively is more limited at first, Huff is still hitting just .207/.261/.339. He's striking out more than ever before and hitting for less power, with fewer walks, than he has in a decade. Compounding matters is that the Giants overreacted to Huff's late-career spike last year and gifted him with a two-year, $22 million deal.

San Francisco has an easy solution to the problem: Brandon Belt. Although he hit just .192 with the Giants earlier this year, that line came in just 60 plate appearances; if Belt had a $22 million deal and Huff had minor league options, the situation surely would be reversed. Belt is demolishing Triple-A pitching as we speak, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy says he wants to see the 23-year-old slugger show "sustained success" in the minors before coming back up. Hopefully he won't need to sustain it for too long. Between Huff struggling to hit and Pat Burrell's comedy routine in left, Belt can't help but be an upgrade somewhere. With the Rockies playing at a high level and the wild-card chase likely to be a spirited affair, the Giants can't afford to waste much time before making the obvious move. Not if they want a chance to defend their crown.

Inside scouting departments.

Spoiler [+]

Some scattered thoughts on three notable rookies making headlines in the last week...

• I was accused by a follower on Twitter of being bearish on Brandon Beachy -- my specific point was that he was peaking now, or would be hard pressed to improve on his performance to date -- because "scouts missed on the guy coming out." Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that I wasn't one of those scouts, there's a fundamental misunderstanding here of how scouting departments are organized. Here's a primer:

Getty ImagesBeachy is off to a good start. Maybe too good.

The typical organization has two separate scouting staffs, and while there's some cross-over, by and large a scout in the U.S. belongs to one staff or the other. The first and larger staff is composed of "free agent" scouts, who scout amateur players in advance of the annual Rule 4 draft. A team divides up the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico into territories, on average around 14 or 15, and assigns an "area scout" to each one. An area scout is responsible for seeing and writing up every player in his area that he believes is worth drafting in a particular year, as few as 35-40 in a cold-weather area in a bad year to 60-70 or more in, say, SoCal in a banner year. That area scout is also responsible for ascertaining each player's signability, evaluating makeup, and notifying his front office early enough in the spring when a player should be cross-checked or seen by the scouting director. It's a grueling job, typically requiring a ton of driving, and like many jobs inside the game it doesn't pay enough.

The other scouting staff is comprised of pro scouts, who only see professional players from March to August, and usually just full-season leagues. (A few teams do scout short-season ball.) Some pro scouts shift to seeing potential major league free agents or trade targets in September; many cover fall instructional leagues; some will see the Arizona Fall League or head to winter leagues in Latin America. These jobs pay somewhat better, but again, not really enough, and still require huge amounts of travel. Free agent scouts are also assigned some minor league teams for after the draft -- "pro coverage" -- but by and large, the scouts who "missed" on Beachy (not my term, but the reader's) are different from the scouts who saw Beachy last year and this year and fed my opinion that he's more back-end starter than front-end, even as he pitches like the latter.

• Julio Teheran's debut on Saturday night was ... well, it just was. It wasn't great, it wasn't awful, and it didn't tell us much we didn't already know about Teheran: He has a tremendous arm, and he isn't ready for a big league rotation, but probably isn't that far away. Teheran's velocity was good all night, mostly 91-95 on the TV gun, and his changeup was above-average with good late fading action. But he didn't command either pitch at all, and his slow mid-70s curveball isn't an average pitch for him yet. He was hurt by fastball location, by the curveball's ineffectiveness, and by the fact that Dan Uggla can't play second base. He's also just 20 years old, with plenty of time to work this out.

It's worth mentioning, however, that the call-up for Atlanta was a bit bizarre for non-baseball reasons. Atlanta had to add Teheran to the 40-man roster, gave him a day of service, used an option by sending him down, and set May 7th, 2014, as the date after which Teheran can't be returned to the minors without clearing optional (revocable) waivers. But more importantly, had Teheran gotten hurt during that outing, Atlanta would have had to place him on their major-league disabled list, during which he earns days of service and a major league salary, raising his salary for future years (since you can't pay a player on your 40-man roster less than 80 percent of what he earned the year prior) and pushing him a little closer to arbitration and free agency. The one day he spent in the big leagues won't matter that much, but the risk involved in such a move makes it more sensible to call up a lesser prospect to make a spot start.

• Eric Hosmer's debut went better. He provides some much-needed plate discipline to a Royals lineup that usually swings first and asks questions later. I was surprised to see Hosmer up so soon, but he did lay waste to Triple-A, including a 16-for-32 performance against left-handed pitching (hitting .500/.568/.813 against southpaws). And while this could cost the Royals a few million dollars if the current super-two arbitration system remains in place, I've always argued in favor of promoting prospects when their development demands it. If the Royals felt that Hosmer wouldn't have continued to grow as a hitter by staying in Triple-A, then there's a good reason to push those financial concerns on the back burner. Besides, the risk of injury and DL-induced service time is a lot lower with a corner position player than it is with a pitcher.

Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay.

Spoiler [+]

A lot of folks will watch the best pitching matchup of 2011 (so far) tonight, when Josh Johnson pitches against Roy Halladay, and Johnson can understand. Because he likes to watch Halladay, too.

Getty ImagesJohnson marvels at how well Halladay repeats his delivery.

One day last summer, Johnson threw his standard bullpen session between starts, and as he finished his work, he noticed that in the home bullpen in Philadelphia, Halladay was about to start a bullpen session of his own. Johnson asked Rich Dubee, the Phillies' pitching coach, if Halladay would mind if he watched -- and after checking with the Philadelphia ace, Dubee said that would be fine.

So like a kid in the stands, Johnson took a seat and watched Halladay go through his work, and he was struck by how consistent Halladay's delivery is, regardless of what pitch he was throwing. "Exactly the same with every single pitch," Johnson recalled, in a phone conversation on Monday evening.

Both pitchers were named to the National League All-Star team, and Johnson naturally gravitated toward Halladay -- feeling that he shouldn't pass up an opportunity to be around someone so good at his craft -- and took a seat next to him during one of the All-Stars' bus rides.

Coming into this season, what Johnson thought most about was trying to give himself a chance to pitch deeper into games, by getting more groundballs with a curveball and changeup, by being more efficient in his pitch count.

"The guy who I'm facing tomorrow," Johnson said, "is the ultimate in doing that."
[h3]Around the league[/h3]
• Brett Anderson, who starts for Oakland today, has one of the best breaking balls in the majors -- three, in fact.

Anderson explained the other day that he actually uses the same grip to throw three different breaking balls, at three distinct speeds. Anderson has small hands, and he just spreads his fingers differently over the ball to alter the speeds, off the same spiked-finger grip. "I think I'm the only guy who throws a spike slider," said Anderson, who grew up as something of a baseball field rat, as the son of Oklahoma State baseball coach Frank Anderson.

The slowest of Anderson's three breaking balls is a curveball, which spins in the 78-81 mph range; the next is what Anderson referred to as a slurve, with a little more velocity. And the hardest breaking ball that Anderson throws is what he calls his slider, at about 83-85 mph. He changes speeds with the different breaking balls constantly.

It must be working for him, because Anderson will take a 2.77 ERA into his start tonight. Here's more on Anderson's breaking pitches, from Lee Singer of ESPN Stats & Information:

[h4]Curvey Pitcher[/h4]
Brett Anderson's curveball usage rate:


2011	9.0	39.9
2010	29.0	11.9
2009	27.0	11.4

[th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Slider[/th][th=""]Curveball[/th]

"Any way you slice it, Anderson is throwing his breaking balls more often this year. If we combine sliders and curveballs, his 65 breaking balls last night would still rank as the second-most by any starter this season and the 10th-most in the last three seasons. Here's a few different looks at how he's adjusted this season: He throws it 48.9 percent of the time in 2011, after throwing it 39.8 percent of the time in the previous two seasons. That has decreased both his fastball rate -- 45.5 percent vs. 52.7 percent in 2009-10 -- and his changeup rate. He throws the change just 5.5 percent of the time now.

"Over the last three seasons, Anderson's sliders (per Inside Edge classification) have averaged 83.6 MPH, including just 80.7 MPH this season. Anderson's curveball, on the other hand, has averaged 79.3, with the velocity remaining very consistent each season. If we combine the breaking balls and look at velocity, we can get a better idea how often he's throwing each one. After throwing curves with a velocity of 82 mph and up 66.7 percent of the time in 2009-10, that number has fallen to just 13 percent in 2011. Instead, he's throwing more at 78-81.9 mph, a whopping 64.8 percent of his offerings. He's actually slowed down."

By the way: Anderson felt he didn't have his usual velocity at the outset of this season, but in his last start, he touched 95 mph, so there are signs he is rebuilding his usual fastball.

• The Mariners cut Milton Bradley -- as well as Ryan Langerhans -- as they try to find a way to jump-start their offense, which ranks 25th in runs and 29th in homers. Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik explained over the phone on Monday that Mike Wilson and Carlos Peguero, the two players who will be given more opportunity now that Bradley and Langerhans are out, are both power hitters. You get the sense that if Wilson and/or Peguero hit, then they'll continue to play, and if they don't hit, then the Mariners will keep searching.

But Zduriencik says that within the organization, there is a strong sense that the team is getting closer to getting where it needs to get to. Justin Smoak is off to a good start, Dustin Ackley continues to develop in the minors, and Seattle has the second pick in this year's draft. And, of course, the Mariners have Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda anchoring the rotation, probably for years to come.

There are a lot of good things happening for the Mariners, Zduriencik said, "and it all starts with those two young pitchers."

• In the aftermath of the Mariners' decision to cut Bradley, I got a bunch of tweets from folks asking if another team would give the veteran an opportunity. Look, any club that considers signing Bradley will certainly weigh his past blow-ups as a factor, but of much greater concern will be his production, which has been in decline awhile.

Jerry Brewer thinks Bradley's career is over. Cutting Bradley was the right move, writes Larry Stone.

• Trevor Cahill had an excellent 2010 season, posting a 2.97 ERA and an 18-8 record. But because he allowed an unusually low batting average on balls put in play -- .224, the lowest the majors last year -- there was some debate over whether his performance was sustainable, and whether he was really as good as his basic numbers indicated.

He is going a long way toward putting that conversation to rest this year. In stifling the Rangers on Monday night, Cahill lowered his ERA to 1.72 and improved his record to 6-0, and he has surrendered just 16 walks in 52.1 innings. His batting average on balls put in play ranks among the lowest third in the majors, at .258, but it's probably worth considering the possibility that Cahill will always fare well in this statistic because of the imperfect contact he tends to generate with his Brandon Webb-like sinker. "For the hitters," one scout said, "there's really nothing to swing at other than the top of the ball."

Webb ranked 23rd in BABIP in 2006, among 83 pitchers; in 2007, he ranked 27th among 80. And in 2008, when Webb went 22-10, he ranked 35th among 88 pitchers. For pitchers with great sinkers -- like Webb, and like Cahill -- then perhaps the BABIP numbers don't necessarily apply. Because not all contact is created equal.

• I wrote yesterday about how Chipper Jones feels like more pitchers are using cut fastballs. Daniel Braunstein of ESPN Stats & Information has this on the best cut fastballs in the majors:

Jon Lester: Opponents are hitting .173 in at-bats ending with a Lester cutter over the last two seasons. That's lowest among the 42 pitchers who have thrown 250 cutters since 2010, lower even than Mariano Rivera's .187, which ranks second. Lester has 92 strikeouts in at-bats ending with a cutter since 2010, 26 more than any other pitcher. He's given up just two home runs on the 887 cutters he's thrown over the last two seasons.

Roy Halladay: Halladay throws his cutter for a strike just over 75 percent of the time, most among pitchers who have thrown more than 250 cutters in the last two years. He's thrown 998 cutters, most since 2010. Almost 45 percent of the cutters that opponents have not swung at have been called strikes, most among pitchers with 250 cutters.

Chad Billingsley: Billingsley's thrown 554 cutters since 2010 and has not allowed a home run on one. Opponents are hitting .211 in at-bats ending with his cutter over the last two seasons, fourth-lowest among pitchers who have thrown at least 500 cutters in that span.

This one was random and surprising, but ...

Francisco Rodriguez (LAA, not K-Rod): Opponents have missed at 39.1 percent of the swings they've taken against his cutter; no other pitcher who's thrown at least 250 cutters in the last two seasons is even over 30 percent. When they do put it in play, it's on the ground 54.8 percent of the time, sixth-best among the 42 pitchers with at least 250 cutters. His .200 opponent batting average in at-bats ending in his cutter ranks fourth.

• Bankruptcy could help Frank McCourt maintain control of the Dodgers, writes Bill Shaikin.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Diamondbacks may move Josh Collmenter into the rotation this week.
2. Brilliant bargain shopping has paid off for the Rays.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Josh Hamilton aims to start taking batting practice Friday, writes Evan Grant.
2. Tommy Hunter suffered a setback in his rehab. A tough break.

3. Vernon Wells got hurt in the Angels' loss to the White Sox and was put on the disabled list.

4. It was a really bad day for the Mets, who learned that Chris Young has a significant shoulder injury, as David Waldstein writes.

5. Luke Scott intends to play hurt, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.

6. Joe Mauer won't be brought back until he can catch again -- and he's not catching at all now.

7. Stephen Drew hopes to play today.

8. Some of the injured Phillies have made progress, as Marcus Hayes writes.

9. Jake Peavy will make his first start Wednesday.
[h3]Monday's games[/h3]
1. The Pirates climbed over .500, as Colin Dunlap writes.
2. Zack Greinke got it done just like the Brewers envisioned, as Todd Rosiak writes. Maybe this victory will be a spark for the Brewers, writes Michael Hunt. From Jacob Nitzberg of ESPN Stats & Information, how Greinke won:

• Offspeed success: Padres hitters were 0-for-9 in at-bats ending with offspeed pitches Monday, including 0-for-6 with three strikeouts against the slider. Greinke threw 19 sliders out of 89 pitches Monday (21.3 percent), well above his 2010 average of 14.1 percent.

• He stayed ahead and finished hitters off: Greinke went to three-ball counts on just two Padres hitters, walking neither, and never went to a 3-0 count. When he got ahead of hitters, they went 1-for-15, including 1-of-13 in at-bats ending with two strikes. This includes all six of the at-bats ending with the slider.

3. The slumping Rangers were no match for Trevor Cahill.

4. The White Sox won again: that's three straight wins, and counting. Edwin Jackson threw well.

5. The Rockies stopped the bleeding, as Jim Armstrong writes.

6. Juan Uribe was ejected in the Dodgers' loss.

7. Mat Latos was pinned with a loss and described it with a word that Don Norcross couldn't write. I was trying to guess what it could have been and thinking it starts with an 'h.'

[h4]Scher-ing the Competition[/h4]
Max Scherzer, through eight starts, this year and last:


W-L	1-4	6-0
ERA	7.29	3.20
Opp BA	.323	.250

[th=""]Stat[/th][th=""]2010[/th][th=""]2011[/th]

8. Victor Martinez had a really good day. The Tigers are back to .500, as Tom Gage writes. Max Scherzer was good again (see chart at right).

9. The Toronto Blue Jays had a really bad day.

10.The Philly bats stepped up, as Matt Gelb writes.

11. Travis Wood was The Man for the Reds.

12.Javier Vazquez struggled again, as Clark Spencer writes. Vazquez has a 6.88 ERA.

13. The Twins battled for 11 innings, but couldn't close it out, as Joe Christensen writes.

14. Carl Crawford walked off into a sea of happy teammates, again.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]Who Spiked the Wait-erade?[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Monday:


Conor Jackson	4	26	6.5
Michael Napoli	4	26	6.5
John Buck	4	24	6.0
Alexi Amarista	3	17	5.7
Eric Patterson	3	17	5.7
Drew Stubbs	5	28	5.6
Casey McGehee	4	22	5.5
Josh Thole	4	22	5.5

[th=""]Hitter[/th][th=""]PA[/th][th=""]Pitches[/th][th=""]P/PA[/th]

Rumors.

Spoiler [+]

http://[h3]Finding a closer in Houston[/h3]
11:01AM ET

[h5]Houston Astros [/h5]

Once Brandon Lyon could not retire any of the five batters he faced Wednesday, the Houston Astros decided to place their closer on the disabled list and hope for the best.

Manager Brad Mills said Monday he expects Lyon, who has tendinitis in his biceps and a partial tear in his rotator cuff, will be out longer than the 15-day DL stint. Mills has been reluctant to anoint a temporary closer, but said righthander Mark Melancon would have closed on Monday. The need never arose as the Astros fell to the Reds, 6-1.

The Astros had converted only five of 14 save chances for a league-low save percentage of 35.7. Melancon is the only Astros on the active roster with a career save and that came Friday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Hamilton could take BP by Friday[/h3]
10:42AM ET

[h5]Josh Hamilton | Rangers [/h5]

It has been almost a month since Josh Hamilton made his ill-advised headfirst slide into home plate at Detroit.

The American League MVP ended up with a broken arm and a ticket to the Texas Rangers' disabled list. The original plan had Hamilton being out for six to eight weeks, but he could begin taking batting practice with his teammates as early as Friday, reports Evan Grant of the Morning News.

Hamilton has targeted a six-week timetable, which would leave him out until about May 25. The Rangers have been less optimistic, at least publicly, and are holding to a timetable of six to eight weeks, which could keep him out until early June.

Julio Borbon has received the bulk of the playing time in center field in Hamilton's absence.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Collmenter could start Saturday[/h3]
10:27AM ET

[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]

With Barry Enright shipped back to the minors, the Arizona Diamondbacks will next need a fifth starter Saturday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic said Monday reliever Josh Collmenter seems to be a leading candidate. Collmenter, who has allowed two runs in 14 innings of relief, came through the minor leagues as a starting pitcher.

In an updated story, Collmenter, who throws with a funky overhand motion, tells Piecoro he would welcome the chance to start.

Manager Kirk Gibson said the team would decide Tuesday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]End of the line for Bradley?[/h3]
10:17AM ET

[h5]Seattle Mariners [/h5]

The Seattle Mariners finally reached the end of the line with Milton Bradley, designating the enigmatic outfielder for assignment as part of a series of roster moves.

The M's also recalled Carlos Peguero to fill out the roster. Both Mike Wilson and Peguero are likely to get some time, at least until Franklin Gutierrez returns, which could be within the next few weeks.

Bradley's two recent ejections and a subsequent suspension, poor defense and inconsistent production at the plate could have made it easy for the M's to finally cut ties, but one of the reasons Wilson was the call-up is the fact that he's right-handed. Bradley is a switch hitter, which helps offer the club some help from the right side.

Is this the end of the line for Bradley? Our Buster Olney gives his take:

- Jason A. Churchill

[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Bradley's future

"In the aftermath of the Mariners' decision to cut Milton Bradley, I got a bunch of tweets from folks asking if another team would give the veteran an opportunity. Look, any club that considers signing Bradley will certainly weigh his past blow-ups as a factor, but of much greater concern will be his production, which has been in decline for awhile."

http://[h3]Cabrera playing with pain[/h3]
10:01AM ET

[h5]Miguel Cabrera | Tigers [/h5]

Miguel Cabrera is playing at less than 100 percent, but a sore back and a bruised leg is not enough to keep the Tigers first baseman out of the lineup.

"Miggy's fine," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said via MLive.com. "He's the least of my worries."

Cabrera, the only Tiger to start all 36 games, has one hit in his last 18-at-bats, but is still hitting a healthy .310.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Setback for Hunter[/h3]
9:49AM ET

[h5]Tommy Hunter | Rangers [/h5]

Tommy Hunter appeared to be closing in on a return to the Rangers' roster, but that was before the righthander tweaked his groin during a rehab outing for Triple-A Round Rock.

Hunter, who has yet to pitch this season due to the groin problem, will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.

Rangers TV analyst Tom Grieve recently told the Dallas Morning News that a spot will not be waiting for Hunter when he returns.

There was some good news for the Rangers on the injury front. Righthander Scott Feldman may make his first rehab outing of the season before the end of the week after getting through an extended spring training game with no issues Monday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]White stays in Tribe rotation[/h3]
9:33AM ET

[h5]Cleveland Indians [/h5]

The Cleveland Indians plan on keeping rookie righthander Alex White in their rotation for the time being. That is a sign that the Tribe is more concerned about winning now rather than saving some cash, reports Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.

The Indians optioned Jeanmar Gomez to Triple-A Columbus on Monday to make room for Carlos Carrasco, who is expected to come off the disabled list Wednesday. Hoynes notes that the first-place Indians could have kept Gomez and optioned White to Columbus and not run the risk of having him become a super two player in regards to the arbitration process. With a 22-11 record, the Tribe feels it is worth the risk.

How long White stays in The Show will depend on how quickly Mitch Talbot recovers from a strained elbow. White, a 2009 first-round pick, won his first game in the majors on Saturday./p>

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mauer will return as full-time catcher[/h3]
9:03AM ET

[h5]Joe Mauer | Twins [/h5]

The Minnesota Twins will withstand the temptation to go halfway with Joe Mauer. When the franchise player returns to the lineup, it will be as a full-time catcher, reports Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.

Mauer, who is recovering from bilateral leg weakness and a viral infection, last played April 12, and the Twins have given no official timetable for his return. GM Bill Smith at least dropped a hint Monday, saying the goal would be to get Mauer ready to catch the final "four-plus" months of the season, which would indicate a return sometime around June 1.

With Delmon Young and Jim Thome also on the DL, the Twins have gaping holes in their lienup. They could be tempted to use Mauer as a DH and put Jason Kubel in left field, but that would lessen the playing time for rookies Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni.

In the meantime, that means more time behind the plate for Drew Butera.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Back discomfort for Wright?[/h3]
8:34AM ET

[h5]David Wright | Mets [/h5]

Could a minor back injury be contributing to a recent slump by David Wright? The New York Mets' third baseman says no, even if his manager is not so sure.

Wright was just 3-for-16 on the recent home stand and admitted to feeling some "discomfort" in his back. He refused to use the discomfort as an excuse, telling Andy Martino of the Ndew York Daily News that there is a difference "between being banged up and being hurt."

Terry Collins defended his star player, claiming the back issue might have something to do with the slow start by Wright, who is hitting just .241 with 16 RBI. If Wright does have any back problems, it is not enough to keep him out of the lineup.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Peavy to start Wednesday[/h3]
8:12AM ET

[h5]Jake Peavy | White Sox [/h5]

The long-awaited return of Jake Peavy to the White Sox will take place Wednesday, leaving Ozzie Guillen with a six-man rotation, at least temporarily.

Peavy threw 71 of 100 pitches for strikes Thursday night in a rehab start for Triple-A Charlotte against Toledo. Guillen made it official Monday, confirming that Peavy, who has been recovering from surgery to reattach the latissimus dorsi muscle behind his right shoulder, will work the finale of a series against the Angels.

Philip Humber, who has pitched well in place of Peavy (2.97 ERA), will remain in the rotation this week and start Friday's game in Oakland. Humber's immediate future could depend on how effective and healthy Peavy looks on Wednesday.

At the very least, Humber will be a valuable insurance policy over the next few weeks.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mujica hopes to avoid DL[/h3]
7:50AM ET

[h5]Edward Mujica | Marlins [/h5]

A knee injury suffered by Marlins righthander Edward Mujica may not be as serious as it first appeared.

In the seventh inning of Monday's 6-4 loss to the Phillies, Mujica suffered a strained left knee, and he had to be carted off the field. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, however, reports Mujica was confident he would miss only a few days and could avoid a trip to the disabled list.

Mujica is a key member of a Marlins bullpen that sports a 2.47 ERA, second best in the majors.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Gee to fill in for Young[/h3]
7:29AM ET

[h5]New York Mets [/h5]

UPDATE: Dillon Gee's spot in the rotation was solidified with the news that Chris Young has a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder that will likely sideline him for the season. Gee's next start will be Friday against Houston.

--

The New York Mets thought they had found a bargain when they landed Chris Young for the relatively modest price of $1.1 million. Now we know why.

Young may be an effective pitcher, but he landed on the disabled list for the second time this season and seventh time in his career on Sunday, this time with tightness in the back of his right shoulder.

Dillon Gee, who made an emergency start in place of Young on Saturday night, temporarily could step into Young's spot in the rotation -- though Young's next turn in the rotation is Thursday, which is an off day between road series in Colorado and Houston.

Manager Terry Collins hinted that Young's trip to the disabled list may be more than a two-week stay, so Gee will get another start at some point. The Mets like Gee because he generally throws strikes (nine walks in 21 1/3) innings, although he did give three free passes on Saturday.

Pat Misch was called up from Triple-A Saturday and could end up as an amergency option for Collins.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Getting by without Wells[/h3]
7:09AM ET

[h5]Vernon Wells | Angels [/h5]

The Los Angeles Angels are stretched for outfielders after placing Vernon Wells on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin suffered in Monday's loss to the White Sox.

Wells may be off to a slow start, but his absence is significant since the Angels essentially are without a reserve outfielder on their 25-man roster other than 37-year-old designated hitter Bobby Abreu.

Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that 19-year old Mike Trout, the team's top prospect, will not be called up from Double-A and that manager Mike Scioscia will replace Wells with a combination of players, including Abreu. Infielders Alexi Amarista and Mark Trumbo have played some outfield in recent games.

Saxon adds that it's easy to envision Wells being sidelined for about a month.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Who is next for the Royals?[/h3]
6:55AM ET

[h5]Kansas City Royals [/h5]

The Kansas City Royals pulled the trigger on Eric Hosmer, promoting the first baseman to the big leagues last week and inserting him into the starting lineup at first base. But the club has tons of high-impact talent still down in the minors, and a few of those are one step from the majors at Triple-A Omaha. Could any of them get the call to rejoin Hosmer soon?

Mike Moustakas, who hit 36 homers and struck out just 67 times last season, is off to a slow start, hitting .250 with five home runs and 24 strikeouts in 28 games, so it doesn't appears he's due for a call-up anytime soon.

Left-hander Mike Montgomery boasts an impressive 2.84 ERA through seven starts, but he's struggling with his control having issued 21 walks in 38 frames.

Moustakas is still likely to see the majors in 2011, and it could still be long before rosters expand in September. A hot month of May could get him there, which could mean the end of the third base platoon in KC with Mike Aviles and Wilson Betemit.

proshares · May 10, 2011

First base problems.

Spoiler [+]

Sabermetrician Bill James introduced the concept of a defensive spectrum in his seminal "Baseball Abstract" books. The spectrum ranks the most difficult to least difficult positions to fill based on how tough each one is defensively. The easiest position (other than designated hitter, which requires no defensive value) is first base. Teams can put their biggest sluggers at the position knowing that defense is a secondary concern.

So why are so many first basemen hitting like pitchers so far this season? Dave Cameron addressed the issue of light-hitting left fielders last week, but at least clubs can claim they're putting speed in lieu of offense in left. No one can make that claim at first base. So for those teams currently afflicted with a light hitter at first, here are some fixes.

Let's start with teams that are least likely to contend because they have it easiest.
[h3]San Diego Padres[/h3]

San Diego's platoon of Brad Hawpe and Jorge Cantu has combined to hit below the Mendoza Line with a sub-.250 on-base percentage. That's typical of the team with the worst offense in the NL, and the Padres won't contend this season.

The good news is that lots of help is waiting on the farm. First baseman Anthony Rizzo, 21, acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, has destroyed Triple-A pitching (.397/.466/.759 batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage through Saturday) and would seem to be the obvious choice to take over first base at Petco. Kyle Blanks, a 24-year-old behemoth playing first at Double-A, could temporarily leapfrog Rizzo, though. With Blanks back from Tommy John surgery and the Padres not wanting to burn Rizzo's major league service time just yet, Blanks could be first up, with Rizzo eventually taking over by season's end or on Opening Day 2012.
[h3]Pittsburgh Pirates[/h3]

The Pirates sit just 2½ games out of first place, while stopgap veteran Lyle Overbay predictably ranks among the worst first basemen in the league (.228/.307/.333). Unlike the Royals, who addressed their first-base hole by inserting Eric Hosmer (a hitter so beastly that Royals blogger Rany Jazayerli dubbed his call-up day "Hosmas"), the Pirates have no good alternatives on the major league roster or anywhere in the high minors.

In the short term, the Pirates probably would be better off moving defensively challenged right fielder Garrett Jones (.864 OPS) back to first base and giving someone like Xavier Paul more time in right. At the very least, it would improve the defense. Barring an unlikely run by Pittsburgh throughout the season, the next move could come during the winter, when the Pirates will have far more options. And should the Pirates draft Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon with the No. 1 overall pick this June, the Bucs' long-term solution at first could be Pedro Alvarez, although he needs to prove that he can hit well enough to warrant such a switch.
[h3]Los Angeles Dodgers[/h3]

ESPN Insider writer Matt Meyers recently noted the Dodgers' need to expel James Loney from the lineup. Trouble is, the Dodgers are ostensibly a two-man lineup, and Loney is just one of far too many players struggling mightily behind leading men Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. L.A. has experimented with a first-base platoon, slotting in power-hitting prospect Jerry Sands versus a few lefties.

Sands has struggled in his first few big league games, but his minor league track record (career .974 OPS) suggests upside. And Loney, who has just two extra-base hits this year, has been helpless. Other than Sands, the Dodgers' next hope is to scour the free-agent market in the winter, but the only way they'll be bidding for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder is if MLB can extricate the Dodgers from the McCourt McBacle and find a deep-pocketed owner.
[h3]Chicago Cubs[/h3]

The Cubs also might struggle to contend this season, and Carlos Pena is not making it any easier to get there. Pena's on a little hot streak lately, one that has him all the way up to .195/.330/.317. Striking out in more one-third of your at-bats isn't necessarily a fatal flaw, not if you're flashing the kind of power Pena showed four years ago, when he socked 46 homers. He's on pace for about one-third that many this year.

Like most of the other players on this list, Pena has suffered from some bad luck (.250 batting average on balls in play versus .279 for his career), but not nearly enough to explain away his awful start or last year's nose dive in Tampa Bay. About to hit his 33rd birthday, Pena might simply be on the downside of his career and no longer a championship-caliber player. Like most of the other first-base-challenged teams, the Cubs might wait 'til year's end to address their deficiency. Unlike the Dodgers (with potential ownership issues) and Pirates/Padres (who aren't likely to spend big bucks), the Cubs would seem to have one of the clearest paths to reeling in a star like Pujols or Fielder to fill the void.

That leaves two teams with more realistic playoff hopes and question marks at the position.
[h3]Tampa Bay Rays[/h3]

Three years ago, Dan Johnson hit arguably the biggest home run in Rays history. But there's a reason Johnson bounced from team to team and spent so much time in the minors: He's probably not suited to be a starting first baseman in the majors. Casey Kotchman probably isn't, either. Kotchman can thank a sky-high BABIP (.396, with league average around .300) and spectacular luck on ground balls (.276 batting average on ground balls versus a career .183) for his impressive batting line (.373/.448/.475). There are a few things to like, including a tendency to put the ball in play, and a good glove. Still, Kotchman may have less power than any other MLB first baseman this side of Loney; when those five-hoppers stop finding holes in the infield, the Rays will have a problem on their hands, one compounded by the team also getting no offense from shortstop and spotty hitting at catcher.

Tampa Bay can thank a cakewalk early schedule and some good fortune in one-run games (6-2 record in those games) for its unlikely foray into first place. The good times won't last if the Rays don't upgrade their offense. Because manager Joe Maddon almost surely won't bench Kotchman before the almost inevitable regression happens, we might be a few weeks away from seeing moves happen. If and when they do, they could call up Brandon Guyer, a power-hitting right-handed bat who homered in his first MLB AB then got sent to the minors because the Rays like to trot out a 12-man pitching staff despite rarely using their 12th man. Guyer could at the very least play against lefties and provide some much-needed power. If the Rays need more help, the Arizona Diamondbacks would seem to have little use for Russell Branyan (.721 OPS this year but .819 lifetime, with lots of pop). Better yet, Arizona has Brandon Allen buried at Triple-A, where he continues to hit (.291/.380/.455 after a .261/.405/.528 line last year). Kevin Towers has a reputation as a GM who loves to trade. Andrew Friedman might consider giving him a call at some point. Free Brandon Allen.
[h3]San Francisco Giants[/h3]

The defending world champs might have the trickiest situation of all. Aubrey Huff has struggled mightily as the Giants' first baseman after a brief stint as one of the worst corner outfielders in the history of Western civilization. Although the damage he can do defensively is more limited at first, Huff is still hitting just .207/.261/.339. He's striking out more than ever before and hitting for less power, with fewer walks, than he has in a decade. Compounding matters is that the Giants overreacted to Huff's late-career spike last year and gifted him with a two-year, $22 million deal.

San Francisco has an easy solution to the problem: Brandon Belt. Although he hit just .192 with the Giants earlier this year, that line came in just 60 plate appearances; if Belt had a $22 million deal and Huff had minor league options, the situation surely would be reversed. Belt is demolishing Triple-A pitching as we speak, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy says he wants to see the 23-year-old slugger show "sustained success" in the minors before coming back up. Hopefully he won't need to sustain it for too long. Between Huff struggling to hit and Pat Burrell's comedy routine in left, Belt can't help but be an upgrade somewhere. With the Rockies playing at a high level and the wild-card chase likely to be a spirited affair, the Giants can't afford to waste much time before making the obvious move. Not if they want a chance to defend their crown.

Inside scouting departments.

Spoiler [+]

Some scattered thoughts on three notable rookies making headlines in the last week...

• I was accused by a follower on Twitter of being bearish on Brandon Beachy -- my specific point was that he was peaking now, or would be hard pressed to improve on his performance to date -- because "scouts missed on the guy coming out." Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that I wasn't one of those scouts, there's a fundamental misunderstanding here of how scouting departments are organized. Here's a primer:

Getty ImagesBeachy is off to a good start. Maybe too good.

The typical organization has two separate scouting staffs, and while there's some cross-over, by and large a scout in the U.S. belongs to one staff or the other. The first and larger staff is composed of "free agent" scouts, who scout amateur players in advance of the annual Rule 4 draft. A team divides up the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico into territories, on average around 14 or 15, and assigns an "area scout" to each one. An area scout is responsible for seeing and writing up every player in his area that he believes is worth drafting in a particular year, as few as 35-40 in a cold-weather area in a bad year to 60-70 or more in, say, SoCal in a banner year. That area scout is also responsible for ascertaining each player's signability, evaluating makeup, and notifying his front office early enough in the spring when a player should be cross-checked or seen by the scouting director. It's a grueling job, typically requiring a ton of driving, and like many jobs inside the game it doesn't pay enough.

The other scouting staff is comprised of pro scouts, who only see professional players from March to August, and usually just full-season leagues. (A few teams do scout short-season ball.) Some pro scouts shift to seeing potential major league free agents or trade targets in September; many cover fall instructional leagues; some will see the Arizona Fall League or head to winter leagues in Latin America. These jobs pay somewhat better, but again, not really enough, and still require huge amounts of travel. Free agent scouts are also assigned some minor league teams for after the draft -- "pro coverage" -- but by and large, the scouts who "missed" on Beachy (not my term, but the reader's) are different from the scouts who saw Beachy last year and this year and fed my opinion that he's more back-end starter than front-end, even as he pitches like the latter.

• Julio Teheran's debut on Saturday night was ... well, it just was. It wasn't great, it wasn't awful, and it didn't tell us much we didn't already know about Teheran: He has a tremendous arm, and he isn't ready for a big league rotation, but probably isn't that far away. Teheran's velocity was good all night, mostly 91-95 on the TV gun, and his changeup was above-average with good late fading action. But he didn't command either pitch at all, and his slow mid-70s curveball isn't an average pitch for him yet. He was hurt by fastball location, by the curveball's ineffectiveness, and by the fact that Dan Uggla can't play second base. He's also just 20 years old, with plenty of time to work this out.

It's worth mentioning, however, that the call-up for Atlanta was a bit bizarre for non-baseball reasons. Atlanta had to add Teheran to the 40-man roster, gave him a day of service, used an option by sending him down, and set May 7th, 2014, as the date after which Teheran can't be returned to the minors without clearing optional (revocable) waivers. But more importantly, had Teheran gotten hurt during that outing, Atlanta would have had to place him on their major-league disabled list, during which he earns days of service and a major league salary, raising his salary for future years (since you can't pay a player on your 40-man roster less than 80 percent of what he earned the year prior) and pushing him a little closer to arbitration and free agency. The one day he spent in the big leagues won't matter that much, but the risk involved in such a move makes it more sensible to call up a lesser prospect to make a spot start.

• Eric Hosmer's debut went better. He provides some much-needed plate discipline to a Royals lineup that usually swings first and asks questions later. I was surprised to see Hosmer up so soon, but he did lay waste to Triple-A, including a 16-for-32 performance against left-handed pitching (hitting .500/.568/.813 against southpaws). And while this could cost the Royals a few million dollars if the current super-two arbitration system remains in place, I've always argued in favor of promoting prospects when their development demands it. If the Royals felt that Hosmer wouldn't have continued to grow as a hitter by staying in Triple-A, then there's a good reason to push those financial concerns on the back burner. Besides, the risk of injury and DL-induced service time is a lot lower with a corner position player than it is with a pitcher.

Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay.

Spoiler [+]

A lot of folks will watch the best pitching matchup of 2011 (so far) tonight, when Josh Johnson pitches against Roy Halladay, and Johnson can understand. Because he likes to watch Halladay, too.

Getty ImagesJohnson marvels at how well Halladay repeats his delivery.

One day last summer, Johnson threw his standard bullpen session between starts, and as he finished his work, he noticed that in the home bullpen in Philadelphia, Halladay was about to start a bullpen session of his own. Johnson asked Rich Dubee, the Phillies' pitching coach, if Halladay would mind if he watched -- and after checking with the Philadelphia ace, Dubee said that would be fine.

So like a kid in the stands, Johnson took a seat and watched Halladay go through his work, and he was struck by how consistent Halladay's delivery is, regardless of what pitch he was throwing. "Exactly the same with every single pitch," Johnson recalled, in a phone conversation on Monday evening.

Both pitchers were named to the National League All-Star team, and Johnson naturally gravitated toward Halladay -- feeling that he shouldn't pass up an opportunity to be around someone so good at his craft -- and took a seat next to him during one of the All-Stars' bus rides.

Coming into this season, what Johnson thought most about was trying to give himself a chance to pitch deeper into games, by getting more groundballs with a curveball and changeup, by being more efficient in his pitch count.

"The guy who I'm facing tomorrow," Johnson said, "is the ultimate in doing that."
[h3]Around the league[/h3]
• Brett Anderson, who starts for Oakland today, has one of the best breaking balls in the majors -- three, in fact.

Anderson explained the other day that he actually uses the same grip to throw three different breaking balls, at three distinct speeds. Anderson has small hands, and he just spreads his fingers differently over the ball to alter the speeds, off the same spiked-finger grip. "I think I'm the only guy who throws a spike slider," said Anderson, who grew up as something of a baseball field rat, as the son of Oklahoma State baseball coach Frank Anderson.

The slowest of Anderson's three breaking balls is a curveball, which spins in the 78-81 mph range; the next is what Anderson referred to as a slurve, with a little more velocity. And the hardest breaking ball that Anderson throws is what he calls his slider, at about 83-85 mph. He changes speeds with the different breaking balls constantly.

It must be working for him, because Anderson will take a 2.77 ERA into his start tonight. Here's more on Anderson's breaking pitches, from Lee Singer of ESPN Stats & Information:

[h4]Curvey Pitcher[/h4]
Brett Anderson's curveball usage rate:


2011	9.0	39.9
2010	29.0	11.9
2009	27.0	11.4

[th=""]Year[/th][th=""]Slider[/th][th=""]Curveball[/th]

"Any way you slice it, Anderson is throwing his breaking balls more often this year. If we combine sliders and curveballs, his 65 breaking balls last night would still rank as the second-most by any starter this season and the 10th-most in the last three seasons. Here's a few different looks at how he's adjusted this season: He throws it 48.9 percent of the time in 2011, after throwing it 39.8 percent of the time in the previous two seasons. That has decreased both his fastball rate -- 45.5 percent vs. 52.7 percent in 2009-10 -- and his changeup rate. He throws the change just 5.5 percent of the time now.

"Over the last three seasons, Anderson's sliders (per Inside Edge classification) have averaged 83.6 MPH, including just 80.7 MPH this season. Anderson's curveball, on the other hand, has averaged 79.3, with the velocity remaining very consistent each season. If we combine the breaking balls and look at velocity, we can get a better idea how often he's throwing each one. After throwing curves with a velocity of 82 mph and up 66.7 percent of the time in 2009-10, that number has fallen to just 13 percent in 2011. Instead, he's throwing more at 78-81.9 mph, a whopping 64.8 percent of his offerings. He's actually slowed down."

By the way: Anderson felt he didn't have his usual velocity at the outset of this season, but in his last start, he touched 95 mph, so there are signs he is rebuilding his usual fastball.

• The Mariners cut Milton Bradley -- as well as Ryan Langerhans -- as they try to find a way to jump-start their offense, which ranks 25th in runs and 29th in homers. Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik explained over the phone on Monday that Mike Wilson and Carlos Peguero, the two players who will be given more opportunity now that Bradley and Langerhans are out, are both power hitters. You get the sense that if Wilson and/or Peguero hit, then they'll continue to play, and if they don't hit, then the Mariners will keep searching.

But Zduriencik says that within the organization, there is a strong sense that the team is getting closer to getting where it needs to get to. Justin Smoak is off to a good start, Dustin Ackley continues to develop in the minors, and Seattle has the second pick in this year's draft. And, of course, the Mariners have Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda anchoring the rotation, probably for years to come.

There are a lot of good things happening for the Mariners, Zduriencik said, "and it all starts with those two young pitchers."

• In the aftermath of the Mariners' decision to cut Bradley, I got a bunch of tweets from folks asking if another team would give the veteran an opportunity. Look, any club that considers signing Bradley will certainly weigh his past blow-ups as a factor, but of much greater concern will be his production, which has been in decline awhile.

Jerry Brewer thinks Bradley's career is over. Cutting Bradley was the right move, writes Larry Stone.

• Trevor Cahill had an excellent 2010 season, posting a 2.97 ERA and an 18-8 record. But because he allowed an unusually low batting average on balls put in play -- .224, the lowest the majors last year -- there was some debate over whether his performance was sustainable, and whether he was really as good as his basic numbers indicated.

He is going a long way toward putting that conversation to rest this year. In stifling the Rangers on Monday night, Cahill lowered his ERA to 1.72 and improved his record to 6-0, and he has surrendered just 16 walks in 52.1 innings. His batting average on balls put in play ranks among the lowest third in the majors, at .258, but it's probably worth considering the possibility that Cahill will always fare well in this statistic because of the imperfect contact he tends to generate with his Brandon Webb-like sinker. "For the hitters," one scout said, "there's really nothing to swing at other than the top of the ball."

Webb ranked 23rd in BABIP in 2006, among 83 pitchers; in 2007, he ranked 27th among 80. And in 2008, when Webb went 22-10, he ranked 35th among 88 pitchers. For pitchers with great sinkers -- like Webb, and like Cahill -- then perhaps the BABIP numbers don't necessarily apply. Because not all contact is created equal.

• I wrote yesterday about how Chipper Jones feels like more pitchers are using cut fastballs. Daniel Braunstein of ESPN Stats & Information has this on the best cut fastballs in the majors:

Jon Lester: Opponents are hitting .173 in at-bats ending with a Lester cutter over the last two seasons. That's lowest among the 42 pitchers who have thrown 250 cutters since 2010, lower even than Mariano Rivera's .187, which ranks second. Lester has 92 strikeouts in at-bats ending with a cutter since 2010, 26 more than any other pitcher. He's given up just two home runs on the 887 cutters he's thrown over the last two seasons.

Roy Halladay: Halladay throws his cutter for a strike just over 75 percent of the time, most among pitchers who have thrown more than 250 cutters in the last two years. He's thrown 998 cutters, most since 2010. Almost 45 percent of the cutters that opponents have not swung at have been called strikes, most among pitchers with 250 cutters.

Chad Billingsley: Billingsley's thrown 554 cutters since 2010 and has not allowed a home run on one. Opponents are hitting .211 in at-bats ending with his cutter over the last two seasons, fourth-lowest among pitchers who have thrown at least 500 cutters in that span.

This one was random and surprising, but ...

Francisco Rodriguez (LAA, not K-Rod): Opponents have missed at 39.1 percent of the swings they've taken against his cutter; no other pitcher who's thrown at least 250 cutters in the last two seasons is even over 30 percent. When they do put it in play, it's on the ground 54.8 percent of the time, sixth-best among the 42 pitchers with at least 250 cutters. His .200 opponent batting average in at-bats ending in his cutter ranks fourth.

• Bankruptcy could help Frank McCourt maintain control of the Dodgers, writes Bill Shaikin.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Diamondbacks may move Josh Collmenter into the rotation this week.
2. Brilliant bargain shopping has paid off for the Rays.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Josh Hamilton aims to start taking batting practice Friday, writes Evan Grant.
2. Tommy Hunter suffered a setback in his rehab. A tough break.

3. Vernon Wells got hurt in the Angels' loss to the White Sox and was put on the disabled list.

4. It was a really bad day for the Mets, who learned that Chris Young has a significant shoulder injury, as David Waldstein writes.

5. Luke Scott intends to play hurt, as Jeff Zrebiec writes.

6. Joe Mauer won't be brought back until he can catch again -- and he's not catching at all now.

7. Stephen Drew hopes to play today.

8. Some of the injured Phillies have made progress, as Marcus Hayes writes.

9. Jake Peavy will make his first start Wednesday.
[h3]Monday's games[/h3]
1. The Pirates climbed over .500, as Colin Dunlap writes.
2. Zack Greinke got it done just like the Brewers envisioned, as Todd Rosiak writes. Maybe this victory will be a spark for the Brewers, writes Michael Hunt. From Jacob Nitzberg of ESPN Stats & Information, how Greinke won:

• Offspeed success: Padres hitters were 0-for-9 in at-bats ending with offspeed pitches Monday, including 0-for-6 with three strikeouts against the slider. Greinke threw 19 sliders out of 89 pitches Monday (21.3 percent), well above his 2010 average of 14.1 percent.

• He stayed ahead and finished hitters off: Greinke went to three-ball counts on just two Padres hitters, walking neither, and never went to a 3-0 count. When he got ahead of hitters, they went 1-for-15, including 1-of-13 in at-bats ending with two strikes. This includes all six of the at-bats ending with the slider.

3. The slumping Rangers were no match for Trevor Cahill.

4. The White Sox won again: that's three straight wins, and counting. Edwin Jackson threw well.

5. The Rockies stopped the bleeding, as Jim Armstrong writes.

6. Juan Uribe was ejected in the Dodgers' loss.

7. Mat Latos was pinned with a loss and described it with a word that Don Norcross couldn't write. I was trying to guess what it could have been and thinking it starts with an 'h.'

[h4]Scher-ing the Competition[/h4]
Max Scherzer, through eight starts, this year and last:


W-L	1-4	6-0
ERA	7.29	3.20
Opp BA	.323	.250

[th=""]Stat[/th][th=""]2010[/th][th=""]2011[/th]

8. Victor Martinez had a really good day. The Tigers are back to .500, as Tom Gage writes. Max Scherzer was good again (see chart at right).

9. The Toronto Blue Jays had a really bad day.

10.The Philly bats stepped up, as Matt Gelb writes.

11. Travis Wood was The Man for the Reds.

12.Javier Vazquez struggled again, as Clark Spencer writes. Vazquez has a 6.88 ERA.

13. The Twins battled for 11 innings, but couldn't close it out, as Joe Christensen writes.

14. Carl Crawford walked off into a sea of happy teammates, again.
[h3]The Patience Index[/h3]
[h4]Who Spiked the Wait-erade?[/h4]
These hitters saw the most pitches per plate appearance on Monday:


Conor Jackson	4	26	6.5
Michael Napoli	4	26	6.5
John Buck	4	24	6.0
Alexi Amarista	3	17	5.7
Eric Patterson	3	17	5.7
Drew Stubbs	5	28	5.6
Casey McGehee	4	22	5.5
Josh Thole	4	22	5.5