Hope all yall had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Sorry that posts have been so sporadic, but we’ve been having cable problems and that means no TV/internet because getting someone to fix the cable on a holiday weekend is like not possible (yes I AM writing from my Mama’s – how did you EVAH guess) . And I absolutely REFUSE to listen to Milo, who I swear is getting worse and worse every time I am stupid enough to turn on the radio broadcast. I never can figure out what inning it is, what the score is, who is at bat, the count, or any other such insignificant details – although the Clounzz are always happy to talk ALL about their golf game and the out of town scoreboard or some commercial or the new scoreboard.
I don’t have any reliable new news about the sale of the Astros, but I DO know that a supposedly very intelligent and VERY rich man has bought 49% of the Mets for 200 mill CASH. And that Frank McCourt has scrounged $$$ from SOMEwhere to make the Dodgers payroll as his ex-wife is demanding that the team be sold and the proceeds divided. And Bud is even CONSIDERING letting someone who had only 75 mill to buy the Astros franchise go ahead?
sigh
Back to games – Wandy went on the DL with some sort of elbow problem – I know teams always lie about this stuff – I didn’t notice anything wrong with his last start, but then again, teams always lie about this stuff. It’s possible something happened during his bullpen session. Fast Eddie must be cussin, as there goes one of his best trade chips – the ol WB has resumed his career pattern of uck-age, and really has no appeal to other teams, especially at his 10 mill a year salary.
And speaking of bullpen, ours again resumed its path of suckage during the Dbax series. After Wilton Lopez forgot how to throw home, Fulchino forgot how to not throw strikes over the middle of the plate, as J Happ finally pitched a very good game and came away with nothing to show for it.
Today, Aneury Rodriguez faced the Cubs, managed to go 4 innings, giving up 6 R/4 ER on 3 singles, 2 triples, a 2 run homer, 2 BB, 4 SB and 2 errors. He got lucky because the Cubs pitchers/fielders were even worse – Rodrigo Lopez, who killed us last year when he was with the Diamondbacks (that team always kills us, I SWEAR, no matter who is playing/pitching) gave up 6 runs before he hit the end of the 5th, and the rest of the Cubs pitchers donated another 6 runs. OUR bullpen guys, Escalona, Del Rosario and Lopez threw scoreless innings and Melancon gave up only 1 meaningless run.
I would like to point out – smirking – that Jeff Keppinger, who Fast Eddie did his absolute darndest to get rid of last winter, who thought that Bill Hall/Clint Barmes would be SOOOOOO much better – has kicked some SERIOUS Fast Eddie butt. Since returning, he’s played 3 games and has gone
2 fer 5 with a 2 out RBI and none left in scoring position
1 fer 3 with a double, a walk and a run scored
3 fer 5 with a double, a 3 run homer, 4 RBI and a run scored
In 7 PA, he ALREADY has more RBI than Clint Barmes does in 105 PA.
Angel Sanchez (.643 OPS) has 18 RBI in 143 PA. Bill Hall (.616 OPS) has 13 RBI over 154 PA. Hall has been catching a lot of heck for his suckage – but Barmes should be catching just as much – he’s costing about as much as Hall and not providing any more value.
Will be interesting to see what happens when Bourgeois is ready to come back – I am eagerly anticipating Fast Eddie having to, uh, ahem – make, um, adjustments in the roster. For some reason, I bet he is having some trouble finding any trade partners for either Hall or Barmes.
Tomorrow marks the major league debut of The Much Hyped Jordan Lyles. He gets the fun of facing Carlos Zambrano, who beat the Astros earlier this year in spite of giving up 5 runs/5 innings because Nelson Figueroa/bullpen was worse. Jordan better not throw him no pitches down the middle…
The Cubs have a LOT of guys on the DL – Marlos Byrd, Jeff Baker, Reed Johnson, plus Sori hurt his leg and will be out. They still have Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney, who ran circles around pitchers/catchers last series, and a new OF, Tony Campana, a Wesley Wright/Jason Bourgeois sized guy, who stole FOUR bases today. I don’t have any idea how good Jordan Lyles is at dealing with base stealers, but if he can’t hold guys, we’re in trouble if he lets those 3 guys get on base.
I wonder if Robinson Cancel (called up when Q got hurt) is gonna catch him – he’d know him from AAA. Cancel is a 35 year old AAA lifer with 43 major league games played over his 15 year career – last played for the Mets 2 years ago – in 29 games/44 AB, he hit .245/.288/.347/.635.
His lifetime minor league OPS over 3167 AB is .691. This year at AAA, he had an .815 OPS over 102 AB. I’m not holding my breath – he had a .916 OPS the year he had those few games at backup for the Mets. I would be extremely happy, however, if he is great at throwing out basestealers, because unless Jordan keeps em off base, they’re gonna be small ballin us to death…
Tags: Cubs, Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, MLB
WOW!!!!!! What a game they had today! I’m MORE than alittle impressed with
that little center fielder! The guy is F A S T !!!!!! You’re exactly right, this years
Cubs can, and WILL hurt you……..even with all the injuries they have had!
I’m gonna DVR Lyles start, because I’m sure I’ll want to watch it again! Becky:)
And no, I doubt ANY team is gonna want Barmes and Hall
“uck-age”…Lisa, you so funny!
Milo was off today, since Chicago doesn’t have a brand new field, but Brett and Dave were just fine, save for occasionally referring to Scott Maine as John Maine, and briefly misreporting the score. No pronunciation of across as “acrost” today. But I really have no problems with those guys, who said nothing about golf. I’ve heard some of the announcers for other teams, and I think Astros radio is all right for now. (I’m just glad KVET airs them when they feel like it.) It would be awesome if JD and Brownie could simulcast, but at least these fellers don’t put me to sleep.
And it’s ALWAYS fun to rout the CUBS!
BTW, which guy do you think Wade will trade, Bourgeois or Bourn?
Lisa – The latest news reports are that David Einhorn is getting 33% of the Mets for the $200 million rather than the previously rumored 49%, but the point is still valid. Einhorn, alone, is investing more cash — perhaps DOUBLE the cash — for a MINORITY interest in the Mets than Jim Crane is investing for control of the Astros. I know being a Friend of Bud is all important in MLB, but hopefully that won’t be enough to carry this Crane bid across the finish line.
becky,
i’m crossing my fingers for lyles. good thing is he isn’t under any pressure – won’t nobody throw him in the garbage if he doesn’t do well. and there’s no pennant race neither. he’ll have a nice small home crowd. good way to start off his ML career.
wags,
clounzzz very VERY often can’t be bothered to know the players on the opposing teams. or remember what inning it is. or how many outs. and i have listened to every team on XM and of all the teams, only hawk harrelson (white sox) and the marlins guys are worse.
a LOT of guys sound like the clounzzz – don’t know baseball, don’t know anything except for what the team PR dept tells them to say (which team guys to criticize, which ones to pimp) don’t NEVAH shut up, talk about stuff that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the game – or even the sponsor/commercial etc.
i really don’t think it is asking too much for the announcers to make sure the listener knows the inning, the score, how many outs, who the opposing team is, who the opposing pitcher/batter is, what pitches are thrown, what the count is, etc.
trouble is i been spoilt by brownie and deshaeis – and larry dierker when i was a kid. i dread next year – don’t know who the new RSN is gonna have broadcasting the games
i would guess that wade would trade bourn – costs a lot, in demand, has a track record – bourgeois doesn’t have much of a ML track record and bourn is an all-star.
i also wouldn’t be real too surprised if pence is traded – once the espn type guys start writing about how he HAS to be traded to some big money team, you KNOW that something been leaked accidentally on purpose
I’m waiting to see how many games Keppinger gets to play before he has to take a day off.
I expect Bourn to be traded at some point. I don’t blame the Astros for dumping any Boras client.
Agree that it’s hilarious how Keppinger and Sanchez are better than Barmes and Hall (many called that, including this guy, to the chagrin of so many Astros fans). But, I will give Barmes some leeway because wrist injuries are incredibly difficult to overcome. I’ve heard a lot of former players talk about how long it takes for your normal swing and your power to return. It’s tough. At least he has an excuse.
Hall has none, except for the fact that he’s playing EXACTLY like he did before to those who were actually paying attention. Ooooh, 18 homers and he’s suddenly the second coming of Roberto Alomar, no need to look at his defense, batting average or on-base percentage. Even IF he performed like he did last year, the move STILL would have been dumb. Justice wrote a nice piece about the whole Hall/Keppinger thing today saying that Crane needs to stop the kind of logic that says it’s worth while to pay another player for what you’ve already got. The SweetSpot blog also ripped Eddie/Drayton for not trading Myers when he might have actually been worth something. Like they did with Valverde. Lindstrom. Berkman. And so, so, so many others.
austin
that is assuming that crane is allowed to buy the team – and i’m hoping he is nixed.
fast eddie won’t trade/release his little petsy-poos. GMs seldom trade someone worth trading while they’re worth trading. or else they are compulsive treaders like billy beane
If they trade Pence and Bourn i am out of here. Those two are just about the only 2 worth watching from this very crummy team.
sceptor……..we need to keep in mind, we can NOT do anything to stop the
trade of ANY GUY on this team.:(
But you’re right, I’d be VERY upset if Ed Wade traded those two guys. Maybe
we could go to MM and throw rotten eggs at him!! Don’t worry, I doubt that will
happen. Becky:)