Isringhausen to Close Again

With Monday’s announcement that Jason Isringhausen is going back to closing games for the St. Louis Cardinals it is now safe to say the will not be going to the postseason this year.  Knowing that Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter were on their way back from injury I was not yet ready to write the Cardinals off, but with Monday’s revelation it is apparent the Cardinals are not going to make an effort to acquire a closer before the deadline.

I just do not get this move at all.  Granted Ryan Frankline is clearly not the answer any more and it would be one thing if Isringhausen had rediscovered his groove of, but he has not.  In his last six appearances Isringhausen has allowed 6 runs, 2 homers, and 10 base runners in just 5.2 innings.  What has LaRussa seen to convince him that Isringhausen is the answer and is ready to go back to closing out games?  I don’t understand it.  This team is this close to having all of the pieces necessary to make a run and the key piece they are missing is a closer who can get the job done and they are not even going to make an attempt to go get one.

Brewers Upgrade the Infield

The Brewers once again dipped into their deep farm system trading away a pair of minor leaguers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Ray Durham.  I like the move for the Brewers whose regular second basemen, RIckie Weeks, is struggling mightily this year hitting a paltry .218 with a .689 OPS.  Durham, who looked as though his career was all but over after hitting just .218 last season, has rebounded from the worst season of his career to post a .293 average with a .385 OBP this season.

Durham does not have as much pop in his bat, nor does he steal as many bases as Weeks does, but he strikes out significantly less and is more reliable defensively.  The Brewers now have someone in Durham who they plug into the leadoff spot and set the table for guys like J. J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun.

In other baseball news Sunday the Rays activated closer Troy Percival from the disabled list.  The Rays are going to need a healthy Percival for the stretch run as they do not have any other seasoned closer who have pitched in meaningful postseason games.  Remember Percival saved 7 games and posted a 2.79 ERA in the postseason for the Anaheim Angels squad that won the World Series back in 2002.

Alfonso Soriano begins a rehab assignment this week with hopes of coming off the disabled list for the Cubs series against the Marlins on Thursday.

MLB: Joe Blanton to the Phils and Other Random Tidbits

In an effort to sure up the backend of its rotation the Philadelphia Phillies shipped off 3 little known prospects in exchange for Joe Blanton yesterday.  The Phillies felt they needed to do something with the Mets having caught them in the standings on the strength of winning their last ten games and guys like Adam Eaton and Brett Myers having horrendous seasons.  Is Joe Blanton really the answer though? 

Even though Blanton has floundered this year in Oakland he has been a reliable arm at the back end of Oakland’s rotation.  He had won 42 contests and posted a 4.09 ERA in the 3 previous seasons leading up to this one.  However, the caveat here is that he has always pitched markedly better in the pitcher friendly confines in Oakland and has been pretty bad when pitching on the road.  Over the past 3 seasons he has averaged 6.7 innings per start while posting a 3.48 ERA while averaging just under 6 innings on the road and posting a 4.70 ERA.  He is going from a pitcher friendly park in McAfee Coliseum to an overwhelmingly hitter’s friendly park in Philadelphia.  This move just seems like the Phillies feel the need to do something and they are just grasping at straws here.  The only thing Blanton may give the Phils is an extra inning a game that Adam Eaton was not.

Don’t look now but Kyle Lohse is inching closer and closer to being a legit Cy Young candidate.  After last night’s 7-inning outing Lohse is now 12-2 with a 3.35 ERA.  Lohse may not have the sexy strikeout numbers or the dominating ERA but he has won his 9 decisions last not lost since May 13 and the Cards have won 11 of his last 12 starts.  With Chris Carpenter currently on the shelf and Adam Wainwright right next to him for the past few weeks Lohse has stepped up and filled the role of staff ace quite ably and is a big reason the Cards are still in the postseason hunt.

In addition to Lohse’s hot streak Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus seem to have both re-discovered their swings at the right time.  Glaus is hitting .360 and Ankiel .354 for the month of July and each has launched 6 home runs in their 13 appearances during the month of July.  In concert with that Ryan Ludwick seems to have re-found his groove since Albert Pujols returned from his 2-week stint on the disabled list.

Yankees Sign Sexson; D-Backs Bring Clark Back

There were two minor baseball moves made today.  The higher profile of these moves consisted of the Yankees signing Richie Sexson after he cleared waivers.  The acquisition of Sexson who was murdering left-handed pitching (.344 Avg./.623 Slg.) means that Jason Giambi (.229 Avg v LHP) will no longer be a full-time player and will sit against left handed pitchers.  Unless Sexson gets his act together at the plate I doubt we will see much of him against right-handed pitchers.  With Hideki Matsui possibly out for the year and Johnny Damon currently on the shelf the Yanks were looking for someone who could bolster the offense in some fashion for the time being.

Ultimately, this is just a drop in the bucket in getting the Yankees closer to the playoff race.  Yes, they needed some help at the plate but with Chien-Mien Wang still on the disabled list Andy Pettite is the only starting pitcher Joe Girardi can count on to consistently give him at least six innings every night he toes the rubber.  Joba Chamberlain is still finding his way and Mike Mussina rarely gets through six innings these days and with a bullpen that has basically been a mess this season outside of Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera the Yankees need some arms who can go deep into ballgames if they want to have any chance of competing with Tampa and Boston down the stretch.

The other move consisted of the Arizona Diamondbacks bringing Tony Clark back into the fold.  Tony Clark had always enjoyed a certain level of success in Arizona but given that current first baseman Conor Jackson is one of the few Arizona players having a good season at the plate Clark, who was not playing particularly well in San Diego to begin with, is going to do little more than be a pinch hitter.  But, it is not as thought the D-Backs gave up anything of significance to get him.

MLB: Huh? These Guys Are All Stars? Really?

It is that time of year again where everyone moans and complains about how got snuffed from the All Star Game.  Now, I am not one who normally complains about who the fans pick unless, of course, they just totally miss the mark.  Arguments can always be made for against half of the players who are voted in but it generally does not bother me as long as the player has numbers comparable to the best at the position at that time.  For example the selection of Dustin Pedroia over someone like Ian Kinsler at second base in the American League does not bother me as Pedroia is hitting .312 and is in the top 3 or 4 statistically amongst second basemen in the key offensive categories.  However, I do take exception to a few of this year’s selections for the starting lineup.

The most egregious selection has to be the Cubs Kosuke Fukudome.  Fukudome has to be the most overrated player going right now.  I can remember back to the beginning of the year when announcers were trying to make the inevitable comparison to Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki.  But, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how a guy who is hitting .287 with 7 homers and 35 RBIs is slated to be in the Bronx next Tuesday.  We are talking about a guy who is on pace to hit 13 dingers and drive in 65 runs for the year, someone who is not even in the top ten amongs outfielders in hitting, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, slugging, or OPS.  The only compelling argument is he ranks 4th in runs, 10th in hits and 4th in On-Base Percentage.  It is an utter joke that this guy is starting when you have a player like Philadelphia’s Pat Burrell who ranks in the top ten amongst all hitters in the National League in home runs, OBP, and slugging.  Then there is Matt Holliday who is 4th in the league in hitting and OBP and 8th in slugging.

Next on the list is another Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.  My biggest beef with his selection is that he has missed upwards of 40 games this year.  Had he not gotten hurt he would probably have 20 homers and upwards of 60 RBIs, I just feel like the nod should go to someone who has been getting it done all season long like a Pat Burrell or Carlos Lee who has been amongst the league leaders in extra base hits and RBIs all year long.

The only major transgression on the American League team is the inclusion of Suzuki.  Ichiro has been in a funk all season long and just got his average to the .300 mark over the weekend.  Since he hits for little to no power and does not drive in runs Ichiro really needs to be hitting .350 to warrant inclusion on the All Star Team.  As it is he is only amongst league leaders in runs and stolen bases which hardly is a compelling enough argument for selecting him over the likes of J. D. Drew, who is one of the few reasons Boston is still in the hunt sans Big Papi, and Jermaine Dye, who has been the only consistent bat in the White Sox lineup all year long.  Drew has driven in 30 more runs and has an OPS some .240 points higher than Suzuki while Dye has 3 more homers, one more RBI, and his hitting nine points higher in comparison to Drew.

Zito Demoted to the ‘Pen

Giants “ace” Barry Zito, currently on pace to lose 37 games, has been demoted to the bullpen a day after getting shelled by the Cincinnatti Reds.  Zito is quickly becoming the biggest free agent bust in the history of the game.  In his six starts this year Zito has:

• Given up fewer than 3 earned runs just once.
• Given up at least 5 earned runs 3 times.
• Made it through 6 innings just twice.
• Struck out more than 2 batters just once.

For the year Zito is 0-6 with a 7.53 ERA and opponents are tattooing him at a .336 clip.  In his 40 appearances with the Giants he is 11-19 with a 4.91 ERA.

Don’t Look Now: Baseball Quick Hits

Don’t Look Now But…

-Jake Peavy (1.20), Justin Germano (1.35), and Randy Wolf (1.42) rank 3rd through 5th respectively in the National League in ERA.  The significance there is that they are all members of the Padres starting rotation.   Oh, and Greg Maddux ranks 9th in the league with a 2.00 ERA.  What has to be disconcerting for the Pads is that while their rotation sports a 2.02 ERA and a .195 batting average against the bullpen has a 5.13 ERA, a .268 BAA and has already lost more games (6) than it has saved (4).

-The Yankees will not make the postseason with the starting rotation they are currently deploying.  Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang have been solid but after that it has been a disaster for manger Joe Girardi.  The threesome of Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy have given the Yanks just 3 quality starts out of the ten they have made.  Hughes has made through the sixth just once this season and has given up 12 runs over his last two starts.  Mussina has given up 5 homers in just 20 innings and currently sports a 5.75 ERA while Kennedy is checking in with a 8.74 ERA.  I cannot help but wonder how long the Yanks are going to wait before moving Joba Chamberlain in the rotation.

-The White Sox and Royals continue to sit atop the AL Central while the Tigers and Indians struggle to get out of the cellar.  The main reason for this has been pitching.  Chicago’s Gavin Floyd and Javier Vazquez are showing some of the reasons why they were so heralded coming up through the minors while Zack Greinke and Brian Bannister have come from nowhere to be two of the best pitchers of the league thus far.  On the flip side of that C. C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd cannot seem to get anyone out for the Indians while their bullpen seems to have imploded this year while nobody for the Tigers seems to be able to get anyone out.  Jeremy Bonderman has the best ERA in the rotation with a 4.58 mark.  What was supposed to be a strength for the Tigers has turned into a weakness and unfortunately for them they traded away some of their top pitching prospects in the Renteria and Cabrera/Willis deal.  To make matters worse for the Tigers is the injury of Dontrelle Willis and Justin Verlander is struggling to get out of the low 90s with his fastball.

Some Early MLB Thoughts

Some early thoughts on the young MLB season:

-The Tigers are now 0-7 and in trouble resting 5 games behind the first place Royals and White Sox. Everyone knew the bullpen was a bit shaky but this was supposed to be a potent offense and it has managed to post just 15 runs in their first seven games.

-Who would have thought the Orioles would have the best record at this point with a 6-1 record after dumping ace Erik Bedard. What makes it more amazing is the staring rotation has won just one of those games while posting a 6.34 ERA and just one quality start. The bullpen has been lights out for the O’s with little known George Sherrill saving four games.

-Over in the NL the Cardinals have been the biggest surprise thus far getting out to a 5-2 start resting just a game behind the Brewers. The Cards were expected to finish in the bottom half of the division behind the Brewers, Cubs, and Reds. However they have been done it behind strong outings from guys like Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellmeyer and I would not count on that lasting the entire season. The offense should be good enough to keep them in most games and if they can get Cris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, or Matt Clement back and giving them quality innings they could be a team to contend with come September. The key is to stay in it until then.

Cavs Legit?; Papelbon Back to Closing; Schaub on the Move

Don’t look now but…

Are the Cavs really a legit threat to win the NBA crown this year?  I really don’t see it.  The Cavs are LeBron and little else.  They have beaten the Spurs this year, but that was also prior to the Spurs waking up and getting things together here of late.  But, the Suns ran them off the floor both times they played them and the Mavs won both meetings as well.  Also, the Cavaliers have struggled to beat the Pistons this year going 1-2 with the lone win coming in OT.  The Pistons hammered them twice on their own floor.  Lastly, the Cavs are a mere 15-18 on the road this year and generally speaking you need to be able to win on the road to get deep into the playoffs.  Let us not forget that LeBron has yet to show that he can carry a team deep into the playoffs.

John Papelbon is going back to the bullpen for the Red Sox.  I cannot say as I am surprised after reading that Mike Timlin, expected to be the closer this year, was going to start the year on the Disabled List.  This is the smart move for the Sox as teams typically are not willing to part with established closers until it looks as though they have no real chance at the post season.   Papelbon was slated to be the #4 guy behind Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, and Daisuke Matsuzaka so this will not hurt them too terribly much as they can easily slide Matt Clement back into the rotation who is not a bad to put in there.

North Carolina’s Tywon Lawson may be playing his way into the NBA’s draft lottery.  I am seeing more and more ratings that have him as the top point guard going in the 10-15 range if he comes out.  After struggling a bit with consistency early in the year Lawson’s game has really come together nicely starting with the last Duke game and continuing on into the tournament season.  He has strung together 6 straight games scoring in double figures averaging 13.5 points per game shooting 51.8% from the field.  The big stat, however, is his 40 assist to 8 turnover ratio during that stretch and he has hit 20 of his 24 free throws which is encouraging for a guy only hitting 69.4% of his throws on the season.

The Falcons finally pulled the trigger and dealt Matt Schaub to the Texans, who promptly signed him to a 6-year deal, for draft picks.  This means David Carr will be playing elsewhere next year.  While Carr struggled in Houston I still cannot help but think the Texans will soon figure out that the offensive problems did not lie in David Carr’s lap.  The Texans did not do a good enough job surrounding their young QB with enough talent to be consistently successful.

Another Thought on the Madness; Sorry Knicks Fans; And More

Don’t look now but…

Sorry Syracuse fans but your team did not deserve a bid to the tournament.  I am so tired of hearing how Syracuse got jobbed out of a bid this year.  Note to Jim Boeheim: You need to win out of the conference to get a bid as well if you do not intend on winning your conference.  Just beating Georgetown does not a bid make.  You cannot lose three home games to NIT teams and then complain about not getting a bid.  You also need to beat someone better than Holy Cross and Penn outside of the Big East to garner a bid, especially considering that the Big East was down a bit this season.

It amazes me how quick the media can turn on a guy.  Just a day after Daisuke Matsuzaka got lit up by a couple of non-roster Orioles it is being suggested that maybe he should start the season in the minors.  Come on guys the Sox ponied up too much dough for him to spend time at Pawtucket.  Besides, who would you rather see out there Daisuke or Matt Clement if you were a Red Sox fan?  I thought so, we already know Matt Clement is nothing special and Matsuzaka is going to put butts in the seats anyway.

So the Knicks have made enough of an improvement for Isiah Thomas to get a multi-year extension.  I am sorry Knicks fans that you have to endure Thomas for several more years.  Now I’ll be the first to admit that the team has shown enough of an improvement for Thomas to get another year as the coach, but a multi-year extension.  Is James Dolan still forgetting that his team is already capped out for at least the next two years?  Quite honestly is a 38-40 win season and a 7th/8th playoff seed in the East really anything to be that excited over?  Is it not just a bit early to be locking up Isiah long-term given that the Knicks are still mired in mediocrity?

Remember the name Brandon Costner.  The NC State freshman was the best player in Tampa this weekend.  The fact that Brandan Wright was the MVP of the ACC Tournament just because Carolina won the tournament is such a cop out by the folks voting for the award.  Costner did just set a tournament record scoring 90 points and he did carry them to the win against Duke and kept them in the game in the final against Carolina.