Casey Blake of the Cleveland Indians is having a good double header. He was two for three in the first game with a grand slam and five RBI. So far in the night cap, he’s two for two with a 2 run HR. Seven RBI is a pretty good day’s work.
Posted by David Pinto at 10:12 pm | Players | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Double Shutout
Coors field is not yielding much offense tonight. Darren Oliver has allowed two hits through four innings, while DBack Elmer Dessens has sent the Rockies down without a hit for four straight innings. Of course, this game isn’t on the MLB Extra Innings package tonight
Posted by David Pinto at 10:00 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Bonds vs. Pujols
The Giants and Bonds are getting the best of this matchup tonight. Bonds is 1 for 4 with a single and an RBI, Pujos is 0 for 3, and the Cardinals are getting shutout 5-0 in the seventh. Schmidt is throwing strikes, and has allowed 4 hits while striking out 4 through six [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:51 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Thome Homey
Jim Thome hit his 21st HR tonight, and it was a big one. With 2 out and 1 on in the 7th, Thome’s HR gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:48 pm | Sluggers | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Greg’s Gross
Greg Maddux was throwing strikes tonight. Forty six of his 62 pitches went for strikes. Unfortunately, those strikes were not fooling anyone. In four innings he gave up 6 hits, 2 HR and 7 earned runs. Maddux’s ERA is now a very un-Maddux like 4.84. Maddux has now given up 14 [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:40 pm | Pitchers | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
P vs. P
Pettitte and Ponson have thrown very strange games tonight. Both have given up 10 hits in six innings. Both had given up 3 earned runs and both had thrown a lot of pitches. Baltimore was 0 for 7 vs. Pettitte with runners in scoring position; the Yankees were 1 for 7 vs. [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:27 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Sox on the Move
The White Sox made quick work on Joe Mays tonight. They tagges him for 8 runs in 2 1/3 innings and lead 8-0 in the fourth. With the Royals losing the first of a twin bill, the White Sox have a chance to gain on both division leaders. Jon Garland has only [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:18 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Quality Start
Mike Maroth of the Detroit Tigers has shut down the powerful Jays lineup through seven innings. Eight hits, one walk, four strike outs and only two runs. With a 108 pitches thrown, and a 6-2 lead, will he be back out, or will the bullpen get a chance to blow the game?
Update: Mears relieves [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:13 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Calloway Arm
While watching the Expos-Mets, I just saw Ron Calloway almost make a terrific play. Burnitz smoked one into deep right field. Calloway ran back and to his left to try to make the play, but the ball was just beyond his glove. The ball bounced off the wall, and Calloway barehanded it [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:51 pm | Defense | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Blog News
Richard Lederer has a new blog, Rich’s Weekend Baseball BEAT. Check out his article on Rico Baldelli.
Also, the Cub Reporter is back from vacation. Stop by and say hello.
Posted by David Pinto at 7:02 pm | Blogs | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Why Don’t They Call Bill Lee?
NASA is looking for help with a cork problem.
Posted by David Pinto at 4:44 pm | Other | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Games of the Day
The White Sox get another chance to gain in the division as they host the Minnesota Twins tonight. The White Sox have been playing better lately, going 8-5 over their last 13, and taking 2 out of 3 from the Twins last week and four out of six from the Cubs.
On the West Coast, [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 3:56 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 30, 2003
Toronto White Jays?
Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion comments on an article that appear in the Toronto Star that focused on the racial makeup of the Toronto Blue Jays. You can find the original article here. I think Eric does a very good job of taking down the article, so I won’t add any criticism [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 1:37 pm | Management | Permalink | 1 Comment
June 30, 2003
IL Wrapup
SI.com has a nice wrap-up of interleague play. (Yes, I know there is one game to be played.)
Posted by David Pinto at 9:28 am | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
The Other Way
I just saw Jason Giambi take Al Leiter deep to the opposite field. This is the second time in recent weeks where I saw Giambi homer into the monuments. Last year, Giambi hit five of his 41 HR to the left of second base. This year, he’s hit 7 of 22 there. [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:06 pm | Sluggers | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Bay-Cycle
Eric Byrnes hit for the cycle today. He’s made the most of his opportunity. He now had a .401 OBA and a .577 slugging percentage. It’s going to be very hard to take him out of the lineup. He had good OBA numbers in the minors; it’s not quite clear to [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:59 pm | Players | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Weaver’s Woes
Last year, when Jeff Weaver was traded to the Yankees, I wrote the following:
The other thing that doesn’t make me like this deal from the Yankees point of view is that Weaver gets pounded by lefties for power, and now he’s going to pitch half his games in a stadium that favors lefties.
Weaver gave up [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:38 pm | Pitchers | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Grand Ninth
The Padres came into the ninth inning trailing the Mariners 6-2. Rondell White came up with the bases loaded and hit his 2nd grand slam of the season vs. the Mariners to tie the game. The Padres proceeded to load the bases again, and Lockhart singled in two more runs to give the [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 7:31 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
I-70
The Cardinals offense exploded in KC for the last two games of the series, putting up consecutive 13 run scores. The KC starting pitchers allowed 18 runs in 8.1 innings the last two days. Ouch.
Posted by David Pinto at 7:17 pm | Games | Permalink | 1 Comment
June 29, 2003
Ohka Dohka
Tomo Ohka was masterful today, throwing over 70% of this pitches for strikes as he shut down the Blue Jays on 2 hits and 2 unearned runs. The bottom of the Expos order (Calloway, Barrett and Carroll, from the land of the double-lettered people) were 6 for 16 with five RBI and 3 runs [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 6:06 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
This One Goes to Eleven
The Arizona Diamondbacks won their 11th straight game today. Jose Valverde picked up his 6th save of the streak; he’s not pitched 9 consecutive scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.38. And of course, the DBacks have done this without the aid of Johnson or Schilling. It’s going to be a [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 6:01 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Better Baez
One of the few bright spots for the Cleveland Indians this year is closer Danny Baez. He picked up his 18th save today, and has improved every month this year. He had a 6.55 ERA in April, a 3.46 in May and so far in June, 1.93.
Posted by David Pinto at 5:53 pm | Pitchers | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Right Game, Wrong Pitcher
Jeff Suppan, not Shawn Chacon, had the great pitching performance today. Suppan pitched a complete game shutout of the Rockies, striking out 6 and throwing 88 or his 129 pitches for strikes. Jason Kendall went 4 for 5, raising his OBA to .384. After two sub-par years, Kendall seems to have [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 5:47 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
Games of the Day
My favorite Rockies pitcher of all time, Shawn Chacon goes for this 12th win today against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. He’s 0-2 in his career against the Pirates, but has not faced them this year. I still believe that if he can keep his ERA under 4.00, he’ll be a legitimate Cy Young [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 11:43 am | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 29, 2003
The Old Guard
My local paper is the Springfield Republican. Their senior sports writer is a man named Garry Brown. I don’t read Garry much, but today’s headline caught my eye, Scout’s instinct must count. It’s a direct challenge to the ideas in Moneyball.
Has the evaluation of young players become too sophisticated?
Veteran baseball scouts say [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 11:12 am | Management | Permalink | 1 Comment
June 29, 2003
Attendance Report
Attendance, through same period
2003
2002
Games
1176
1180
Attendance
26786
27702
Posted by David Pinto at 8:55 am | Attendance | Permalink | No Comments
June 28, 2003
Claussen Pickled
A great debut by Brandon Claussen tonight. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed only 1 earned run, while striking out 5. And, on top of it all, he got his first hit and rbi! Rivera is on with the bases loaded and a four run lead in the eighth to try [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 10:59 pm | Pitchers | Permalink | No Comments
June 28, 2003
Wearing Down
Sabathia has gone five good innings, allowing 2 runs, but my guess is that he’s near the bottom of his gas tank. He’s already used 89 pitches; he went 120 in his last outing, in 6 innings. He seldom goes over 110 pitches, so I don’t expect to get past the 6th in [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 2:46 pm | Games | Permalink | No Comments
June 28, 2003
25 Runs
Yesterday, the Red Sox were 2nd in the majors in runs per game, trailing Toronto 6.24 to 6.07. Today, they lead Toronto 6.31 to 6.24.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:49 am | Offense | Permalink | No Comments
June 28, 2003
Games of the Day
A couple of good pitching matchups today. The Windy City series pits Carlos Zambrano vs. Bartolo Colon. Each has pitched better than his record. Neither has gotten very good run support this year. Colon has the 11th lowest run support in the majors, and 7th lowest in the AL (3.78). [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:46 am | Games | Permalink | No Comments
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