Posts Tagged ‘Cleveland Indians’

6/24/12: Chris Johnson And JD Martinez Homer To Back Happ In Taking The Series From Cleveland

Sunday, June 24th, 2012

1st – 3 up, 3 down for both teams. So far, HP ump is not calling the knee high strike for either team. I disremember this ump, must be new or a callup – name of Jordan Baker. Actually, I think that last night’s HP ump, Manny Gonzalez, is a rookie/callup, too – and I think he also did a very good job behind home.

2nd: Jose Lopez leads off with a double. Brownie and JD are asking how can the team send Dallas Keuchel back to AAA. Lopez grounded to 3rd and comes home on a ball that Castro doesn’t block. Believe it or not, JD actually SAYS that Castro isn’t blocking balls well and that failure to block balls should be a catcher statistic.

Um, yeah.

Tribe 1 Stros 0

Shelley Duncan (yes, Chris Duncan’s brother) walks – can’t hit real too much, but like Shelley, he sure can walk. Casey Kotchman (who we know from the Braves) singles to left, men on first and second. Flyout to CF, men on first and third. Groundout, 3 out. 39 pitches.

Astros up – 3 groundouts. Unfortunately, that sinker is working. JD mentioned that CJ’s bunt attempt yesterday (after Bogu’s double) was CJ’s own idea. 25 pitches.

3rd – Choo Ks swinging (ump misses one strike) Asdrubal walks (pitch calling is right) then Happ gets out of it with a 4-6-3. He’s not throwing enough strikes and is at 58 pitches: 35 strikes 23 balls.

Astros up: Julio Daniel goes to 1-2, fouls off 3, then sends a ball to straightaway CF warning track. If he had pulled it a bit, it woulda been out. But at least he looked better than the usual K or groundout to short/third. Schafer grounds out on the first pitch. Happ works it to 6 pitches before striking out looking. 39 pitches. Here we go again.

4th: Lopez flies out to CF first pitch. Brantley grounds out to Happ. Brantley, by the way, is the guy who was the PTBNL in the CC Sabathia trade to the Brewers. Duncan Ks looking. 68 pitches.

Altuve grounds out to short, hits the bag wrong, comes off the field limping. Oh great. Lowrie grounds out to short. This grounding out to short for rightys and grounding out to first for leftys – this is getting tiresome.

Carlos singles to left!!!! Well, there goes the no hitter. I hate it when they wait so many innings. Bogu singles to right thru the infield that the 2B can’t get. It’s where the first baseman usually stands, so Carlos being on first was helpful there. And CJ singles on 3-2 to tie the game, Carlos trots in. Castro up, men on first and third. Time to break that ofer, boy. But no, grounder to second. 65 pitches.

Astros 1 Tribe 1 – at least we won’t get shut out.

5th: Oh JEEZ, Altuve is out – strained right hamstring. Wonderful. At least it’s Bixler and not Downs who gets put in. I’m sure it is great to just keep him on the bench. You know that Maxwell’s ankle is injured. He had a “procedure” last night. Much better to keep an injured player on the 25 man than call up someone who isn’t. Makes sense to me. This way, he can get hurt even WORSE and not come back at all. Now we have TWO injured players on the bench, and we were ALREADY short. Makes sense there boys. 26 pitches for this inning. Happ now at 93 pitches. Peachy.

Julio Daniel grounds out to short. Schafer hits a ball to the LF bullpen, tries to stretch it into a triple and is out by 10 feet. Happ grounds out.

Happ back to the mound. 3 straight groundouts. 103 pitches. Not bad – 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, 5 K, 1 ER. He apparently doesn’t want to be the one to go to AAA when Bud is ready to come back.

NOT

And Justin Ruggiano, who we let go in favor of Fernando Martinez, is hitting over .359/.444/.744 over 47 PA for the Marlins and he’s one of the few guys on that team who actually IS hitting. Martinez is now rehabbing. Can’t wait to watch him getting Bogu benched and striking out.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

And Kotchman singles up the middle to Bixler, who has a weakass arm and Kotchman beats the throw. Marson the catcher is up – 2 good pitches get called balls, but he Ks anyway. Lowe bunts down the 1B line, Happ tries to let it go foul, but he waits way too long and it’s a bunt hit. For goodness sakes, GET THE OUT. Now it’s Choo with 2 on 1 out instead of 2 out 1 on. Fortunately, he gets himself out. It SHOULD be 3 outs, but now Happ has to get an extra guy out. 6 extra pitches for a flyout to the scoreboard – for a second, I thought it might be OFF the scoreboard, but no. 93 pitches.

Bixler flies out. Lowrie up, almost hits 2 out, doubles into the RF corner on the 11th pitch. Carlos up – cmon boy, smell the RBI. AND HE DOES!!! singles up the middle off the end of the bat and Lowrie scores. Bogu takes 2 balls, then the Indians’ pitching coach goes to the mound, buy some time for the lefty in the bullpen. But he fouls one off then GIDP.

Astros 2 Tribe 1

Question is now, can the bullpen pitch 3 scoreless?

Wilton Lopez, by the way, has a, um, sore UCL – you know, the Tommy John tendon, but he just needs rehab. You know, like Brandon Backe did. How many times has a sprained elbow been successfully “rehabbed” and not needed to be surgically modified after at least 1 more DL stint?

7th: Well, Happ is back out, until he gets someone on, I guess. Duncan flies out. Kotchman grounds out. Marson grounds out to Happ. 7 pitches total. Geez boy, you had to wait  until the 7th to pitch like that?

7 IP, 4 H, 2 W, 5 K, 1 ER. He really REALLY doesn’t want to get sent down and Bud Norris, who gave up 2 runs (solo homers) oer 5 IP last night at AAA is insisting he feels fine and wants to come back.  So SOMEbody has got to go.

Lowe back out. CJ singles up the middle. Then it’s the hit n run and Castro FINALLY breaks the ofer and hits a fly ball to left that Shelley Duncan doesn’t get to and it’s men on first and third. If Duncan had caught that ball, I doubt CJ would have made it back to first and it woulda been a DP. And then speaking of DP, Julio Daniel immediately hits into a 4-6-3, and CJ trots home.

Astros 3 Tribe 1

Schafer walks after fouling like 3 pitches off his foot and Lowe comes out. The Astros have exactly 2 available pinch hitters – Downsie-doo and Chris Snyder. Lowe is getting pulled for one of THEM? Are you kidding me? Well, whatever.

In comes Joe Smith, RHP, ERA 3.56, to face Downsie-doo, who manages to up his pinch hits this year to 2 fer 16 with a single to left. Men on first and second. Bixler grounds out.

Now comes the nervous time – relievers gonna come in and, well, you know…

8th: Wesley Wright in. Carlos Santana in to pinch hit and he singles off the scoreboard. 2 ‘ higher it woulda been over the wall. Choo Ks.

Wesley out, Brandon Lyon in to face righty Asdrubal Cabrera. Here we go with revolving pitchers again. Cabrera flies out. But Millsie-poo doesn’t trust brandon Lyon to get a lefty out and no I am not kidding, so he’s gone and it’s gonna be a lefty again.

Let me say that again – the manager does not think that Brandon Lyon can get leftys out. Man, this is gonna make him easier to trade, isn’t it? I hate this change relievers every hitter stuff. Yes, I know it’s the modern game. Yes, this is a lot of the reason why there are so few complete games – something that keeps all The Old Guys who are the baseball media grousing happily about how These Modern Players Ain’t Real Men (Tm) and it’s All The Fault Of Those Stupid Moneyball Stat Geeks.

In comes Xavier Cedeno, who gets a groundout from Jason Kipnis, lefty.

Astros up – LHP Nick Hagedone in to face Lowrie, Lee and Bogu. Lowrie goes to 3-2 then walks. Carlos flies out. Bogu up and Lowrie takes second on a PB, which was fortunate because after missing a double by thismuch, he Ks. CJ drives a FB down the middle opposite field just over the RF wall – not long, but long enough!!!

Astros 5 Tribe 1

Jason Castro doubles into the gap OFFN A LEFTY to the LF bullpen – looked good with that swing, too. You throw every pitch outside, same pitch, eventually even a lefty gonna catch up. Time to change pitchers to a righty to face Julio Daniel.

It’s Esmil Rogers and his 6.89 ERA – the Indians picked him up after Colorado released him. Julio Daniel fouls off 3 high FB, takes 2 balls, then hits a hanging slider into the Crawford Boxes for his second homer in 2 days. Schafer Ks.

Astros 7 Tribe 1

9th – Brett Myers, I’m sure, started warming after the top of the 8th when the score was 3-1. You know that the last time he was sent into a Not A Close Situation, he freaked out and gave up 5 runs because he doesn’t know how to pitch unless he has fewer than 3 runs to work with, right?

Can he manage to overcome the onerous burden of a 6 run lead?

Lopez flies out. Brantley fouls off a bunch, then grounds out to Carlos. Duncan walks – that low strike ain’t being called, even a down the middle at the knees strike. Kotchman Ks on 3 pitches.

Gee, I guess closers actually CAN come into a non-save situation and pitch effectively. Who knew?

So this closes out interyeccch for this year. Good.

Astros didn’t do so bad this year – swept the first place White Sox, took 2 of 3 from the first place Indians, got smushed and managed to win only 1 of 6 to the first place Rangers.

Tomorrow, the Padres come in and it’s Wandy Rodriguez vs Ross Ohlendorf, RHP, ex-Pirate who doesn’t have a history of doing well against the Astros or at the Box. Ohlendorf is a Texan, he’s from Austin, went to Princeton and was drafted in the 4th round of the 04 draft by the Dbax, who traded him and a bunch of nobodies to the Yankees to get Randy Johnson back in 07. 6 months later, the Yankees traded him to the Pirates for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady – one of the trade that started the Pirates rolling on their – trade away every single major leaguer we’ve got who is older than second year – thingy.

He had a 106 ERA+ in 09, a 99 ERA+ in 2010, even though his W/L was 1-11 (your teammates don’t hit, you ain’t winnin) and was really REALLY bad in 2011 and was not offered arb at the end of the year. He signed with Boston’s AAA club, threw 10 games with a 4.61 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in 10 games over 52.2 innings before being released. The Padres picked him up – he’s relieved 2 games and started one, going 4.2 innings and has a 4.50 ERA over 10 innings.

He’s 0-3 in 5 GS and 2 in relief at The Box with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over 31 IP.

Tuesday, it’s Jordan Lyles (unless it’s him who gets sent down) vs Sam Dude – Pads a lil short on starters.

Wednesday, it’s Lucas Harrell vs Clayton Richard, LHP

Thursday, it’s Jason Marquis (Cubs, Rockies, Nats, Dbax) who started the year with the Twins and was released after massive suckage seen in his 3 games with the Dbax to end last year continued into this year. When he was released, he had an ERA of 8.47. With San Diego, he’s thrown 4 games over 26 innings and has a 2.05 ERA which is very deceptive because he’s given up 11 runs total, but only 6 have been earned.

vs

Well, that’s a very good question. Will it be Bud Norris or Dallas Keuchel? Stay tuned.

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Posted in Chris Johnson, J.A. Happ, JD Martinez, Jose Altuve | 4 Comments »

6/23/12: Dallas Keuchel Throws Complete Game To Beat Indians For His First ML Win

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

He pitched great his first time, but unfortunately, the Astros batters looked like little leaguers facing a college pitcher.

And sure enough, the Astros started off looking like 10 year old kids AGAIN this game going 3 up 3 down for the first 4 innings – and Gomez threw only 40 pitches. So I started writing an entry about how I was gonna be cursed to watch two no hitters against the Astros in one month. Keuchel is pitching absolutely great except for one hanging pitch that Asdrubal Cabrera hammered to the Conoco Pump.

Tribe 1 Stros nono

And then, a miracle occured. Bogu lined the first pitch of the 5th inning for a double to the RF bullpen. AW RIGHT!!! We’re not getting no hit, but this means I have gotta re-write the entry.

I did, by the way, almost go to this game, my resolve is weakening, my footing on the wagon slipping. I was given a ticket – so free game – but what actually helped me was not a sponsor leading me from temptation, but the realization that it is over 100 degrees out and finding parking on a Saturday afternoon downtown and then walking in the 100+ degree heat would be beyond unpleasant. Yes I know that the official temp (at the airport) is not 100 but trust me on this, downtown with all that concrete is well over 100.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Bog u sev ic CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP

Then Chris Johnson goes to lay down a bunt – no, I am NOT kidding – I don’t think the guy has bunted since he was a little kid, if then – and he fouls it off. Yes, this team has sunk SO bad we are having Chris Johnson sac bunt. And I don’t know whether or not it was his idea or Millsie-pooo’s. But anyway, next pitch is a VERY inside fastball and CJ pulls it into the LF corner for a double and Bogu trots home.

Stros 1 Tribe 1

So I’m re-typing the entry – Hey, Dallas will at least get a ND instead of a loss as long as he manages to keep em offn home plate.

Jason Castro flies out to center, then JD Martinez hammers a hanging slider almost to the tracks over the CBoxes for a 2 run homer. He’s still struggling with almost anything that isn’t mid plate, but hey, a hit like that is HUGE.

Stros 3 Tribe 1

So I’m chatting with a baseball buddy about the suckage that is Jordan Schafer and the guy must have read my thoughts because he hammers the very next pitch for an opposite field shot into the CBoxes. No, not kidding. Jordan Schafer hits an opposite field homer. Really. Honest.

Stros 4 Tribe 1

Keuchel grounds out, then Jose Altuve breaks a string of ofer with an infield single to short – the SS bobbled the ball, but it would have been a tough beyond belief play that you would need Adam Everett to make. Then Jose steals second, only the ump calls him out – replay clearly showed he got his foot in before the tag. Oh well, we’re still winning.

Top of the 6th, Gomez the pitcher leads off – Jim Deshaeis is intrigued, thinks the manager figures – hey, he got slammed in 1 inning, but maybe he’ll recover and do fine the next. So anyway, he hits a ball to right center. The OF were clearly startled, neither expected him to hit the ball at all (he CLEARLY doesn’t know how to bunt – his attempt in the second inning was beyond pathetic) so Schafer got a late jump but managed to put on a burst of speed and catch it at the last second. Then Dallas gets the next 2 outs no probs.

Bottom of the 6th, Lowrie, who had hit 2 flyouts about 30′ short of the right bullpen fence, drew a walk. Next pitch is a FB right down the exact middle and Carlos Lee hammers a line drive to the left bullpen and Lowrie scores standing up. Bogu and CJ fly out to right center. Then the Indians manager, Manny Acta (remember, he’s one of the guys that The Old Regime wanted for a manager, but Cleveland offered a better contract) pulls Gomez and sends in a lefty to face Castro. Interesting that he didn’t send him in to face Bogu, but I guess that would have meant that he’d have to face CJ, who eats leftys. Castro Ks

Stros 5 Tribe 1

Top of the 7th, Keuchel gives up a leadoff single, then strands the runner. Stros go 1,2,3.

8th, Keuchel gets 1,2,3 out on 9 pitches. JD mentions that only Wandy has managed to go 8 innings this year, and only once. Some of that isn’t the pitchers’ fault – some of that is Millsie-poo playing matchups with relievers in the 8th and 9th for whatever reason.

Jeremy Accardo, RHP, in for the Tribe. I didn’t realize he was still in baseball – I remember him pitching for the Giants back when Barry Lamar was still playing. Checking bbref, I see he was traded to the Jays in 06 for Shea Hillenbrand – you talk about a controversial guy, not sure why, but the fans hated him along with his clubs’ management.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Altuve leads off (I like this by the way – him leading off, Lowrie batting second and Schafer batting 8th) takes a ball, then hammers the next one into the Crawford Boxes. So much for you have to be a Josh Hamilton looking guy to hit home runs.  Accardo has this shocked look on his face – something like – how’d the ballboy get in the lineup and what is he doing hitting a home run?

Stros 6 Tribe 1

Then Jed Lowrie doubles off the scoreboard almost didn’t make it because he didn’t slide, Bogu grounds him to third. Carlos slams a pitch off the LF bullpen fence and Lowrie trots home. CJ doubles to the RF bullpen fence – 5″ higher and it would have been a homer. Carlos trots home. Castro and Julio Daniel ground out.

Stros 6 Tribe 1

9th inning – Millsie-poo is letting Keuchel finish up. Hard to believe, but then again, not so hard to believe, seeing as how the pen isn’t that good and the guys there are pretty tired from overuse and Millsie-poo’s leftyrighty fetishes.

Shin Soo Choo doubles to left – I’ve noticed that he’s a lefty who likes to go the other way. Cabrera grounds back to Keuchel and Choo stays put. Kipnis singles to shallow left and Choo can’t go past 3rd. Jose Lopez flies out to Bogu on the RF line and Bogu throws a bullet to Castro – Choo stayed put. Just as well, he would have been dead meat. Brantley flies out to right and there’s the ballgame.

Dallas Keuchel pitches the Astros first complete game of 2012. As Jim Deshaeis reminds us, first time a rookie has thrown a complete game since Taylor Buchholz shut out the Rangers with a 5 hitter in 06. Too bad he hurt his shoulder. And too bad that either he didn’t tell them because he didn’t want to be considered a wuss like that no good Luke Scott, or that he DID tell them and they told him to pitch through it.

Speaking of hurt and playing through it – apparently Justin Maxwell has a bad ankle with bone chips floating or something, but he’s not getting it fixed or even going on the DL, but he’s gonna play through it. What a great idea.

9 IP, 4 singles, 1 double, 1 HR, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 K.

Wonder if Bud Norris is worrying he’s going to be Wally Pipped. Me, I think that if anyone should go back down, it’s

Houston hitters had 1 walk, 10 hits. Every position player in the lineup had a hit except Castro. Of the 10 hits, 6 were doubles, 3 homers, 1 single.

Tomorrow, it’s J Happ vs Derek Lowe, groundballer – over his last 5 games he’s given up 8, 1 7, 1 ,7 ER. And he won the last game, too – Mat Latos gave up 7 runs too.

Bad news for Husby-doo. Alyson Footer is leaving the employ of the Astros and going back to write for mlb.com, only she isn’t going to be the Astros reporter any more, so no more Alyson on TV. She’s going to be covering all the teams, but not a columnist like Justice. Not surprised, she’s not a Selig apologist.

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Posted in Bogusevic, Carlos Lee, Dallas Keuchel, JD Martinez, Jed Lowrie, Jose Valdez | 10 Comments »

6/22/12: Harrell Pitches Great But Astros Hit Lousy And Lose

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Lucas lost the game in the first inning – gave up a triple and an RBI groundout and that was it. He gave up 2 hits, 3 walks and 1 run over 7 innings. Trouble is that the Astros have stopped hitting and stopped scoring runs. Since getting no hit, the Stros have scored 6 (Wandy gave up 3 and won),2 (Lyles gave up 3 and lost),3 (Harrell gave up 5 and lost), 3 (Keuchel gave up 1 and got a ND),9 (Happ gave up 2 and won),0 (Wandy gave up 2 and lost), 1 (Lyles gave up 2 and lost) and 0 runs.

This is sorry.

For June:

Bixler has a .852 OPS
Bogu has a .775 OPS
Castro has a .727 OPS
Downs has a .500 OPS (hey, it’s up from last month’s .383)
Chris Johnson has a .582 OPS (down from .831 last month)
Lowrie has an .892 OPS (unchanged, but the BA is down 80 points and he has a lot of solo homers)
Julio Daniel has a .644 OPS (and that’s an improvement from last month)
Maxwell has an .884 OPS – has 49 K over 120 AB and a low BA of .228, but he has 5 HR in June
Schafer has a ..405 OPS (and this year 70 K over 230 PA – really)
Snyder has a .590 OPS (down from .852 in May – and the BA was low but the SLG was high)

Can we just put Bogu in CF and keep him there and put Justin Maxwell in RF and keep him there? I’m tired of Schafer. I’m also tired of Downs.

And I’m tired of all this losing. Time to shake it up.

This afternoon, it’s Dallas Keuchel vs 24 year old RHP Jeanmar Gomez and his 4.95 ERA/1.40 WHIP. The Astros track record of hitting crappy pitchers lately has been, well, crappy.

sigh

And, by the way, heard that Felipe Paulino has hurt his elbow and is having TJ surgery. It’s what happens when you pitch when your shoulder is hurting and you don’t let it get better before going back.

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Posted in Lucas Harrell | 4 Comments »

Opening Day 2009 – Well, The Kids Thought It Was

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

Last year, I came up with the brilliant idea of telling my kids that the last exhibition game was the Astros first game (avoiding the words Opening Day) so that I could sneak away with my mother to go to the real thing. So this year, I have listened to almost 2 months of

can we go to the baseball game???
- no, there is no baseball game
can we go to the Astros ballpark?
- no, the Astros aren’t there
can we go to the game?
- no, there is no game right now
is it time NOW?????
- no, pretty soon
can we go NOW??
- no, there’s no game
how come we hafta wait??????
- because the Astros aren’t here
but there they are on tv playing how come we can’t go
- because they are not here
when will they be here
- pretty soon
can we go to the base ball game???????

So of course, yesterday, I told them that tomorrow afternoon, they would Get To go to te Very First Base Ball Game of the year. IF they were good kids and went to bed nice and early and I didn’t hear a single IDA WANNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. And we were NOT gonna buy anything to eat in the ball park and I didn’t wanna hear ONE word about it.

OK Mami, yes Mami, no problem Mami blahblahblah

uh hunh

So of course, when they got up, they immediately put on their Astros baseball shirts and their Astros baseball caps and got their t-ball gloves and wiffle balls out and proceded to play and ask – is it time NOWWWWW????????

Around 11, I collected a few other kids belonging to gf and cousins (who owe me BIG time now) and absolutely STUFFED them with food, LOTS of food. So we set off for the ballpark a little after noon, me and 2 stupidbrothers and  kids. Stupidbrothers are not exactly baseball fans, mind, but they sure nuff are Baby Sister’s cooking fans and it is absolutely AMAZING what you can get a grown man to do for good food.

So I told every single kid BEFORE we left for the ballpark that we were NOT going to buy one single thing to eat or drink.

- yeahyeah, OK, I’m not hungry anyhow, idawanna eat nothing, ok, ok, ok

(yeah, surrrrrrrrrre)

And I did NOT want to hear nothing about how they were hungry and they forgottttttttt.

- oh, no. not me, no maam, not me, nuh hunh. nope. we all good. uh hunh.

(yeah, surrrrrrrrre)

So we get to the Box, go on inside – they have repainted the upper levels, by the way – try to keep all the kidz around us and naturally, they see some guy carrying a box full of hot dogs and sodas. So naturally, one of the kids says – IWANNAHOTDOGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. And naturally, the other kids immediately chime in IWANNAHOTDOGGGGGGGGGGGGG. So I remind them that I already TOLD THEM that we were absolutely NOT gonna get one single thing to eat or drink and I didn’t want to hear ONE MORE WORD!!!

And that woulda done it except for the sulking/pouting if stupidbrother hadn’t said – well, if you kids are good then after the game we will go to McDonalds. Let me tell you that if brother-a-cide wasn’t against the law there would be 2 guys lying on the floor looking like Beetle Bailey after Sarge gets through with him. So of course, we immediately hear – oh yesssssssss I wanna go to McDonalds lets go to McDonalds I wanna go to McDonalds cn we go now???????

So I said – QUIET!!! If you are good kids and behave yourselves, we will go AFTER the game but if I hear ONE single word about McDonalds, then we will NOT go all all you get is a spanking.

Sulk/pout/cry.

And that was just my stupidbrothers.

Anyway, we got kids upstairs (which is a good place to be seated because the only vendors who bother to come around are the beer guys) and settled just after first pitch. It wasn’t possible to keep proper score, and the radar guy scoreboard wasn’t working, so I don’t know the pitches and speeds of pitches thrown, but here are a few things I managed to write down in between telling kids to sit DOWN and taking them to the bathroom and telling them NO you can NOT have something to eat/drink/go to McDonalds (oooooooh stupidbrother gonna owe me for a long LONG time.)

Grady Sizemore looks positively blah on his picture. How is it possible to make a smoking hot luscious brotha look so non-look worthy? I mean, he is the second hottest baseball player and

where was I?

Mike Hampton didn’t have particularly good stuff. He threw 75 pitches over 4 innings, walked 1 and struck out 3, gave up 6 hits and 1 unearned run (with 2 outs, Keppinger threw a fielded ball toward first – a play that only Brooks Robinson or Scott Rolen would have made on a good day instead of throwing it home to try to catch the runner in a rundown. More on Keppinger later.) Hampton got only 7 swinging strikes of 50 strike pitches, and the Indians were fouling a lot of borderline pitches.

Russ Ortiz, however, was a revelation. I didn’t even recognise the guy. I remember him clearly from his years with the Giants and his mechanics are completely different from the windup to his stride to his throwing motion. Plus, he’s lost at LEAST 30 lbs of lard.  A few weeks back, I remember reading that Lance Berkman was talking to reporters as if Ortiz had already made the team, and I guess that after Lance saw how Ortiz pitched, he figured that he was good enough to pitch in the ML again.

Ortiz pitched 2 innings of 3 up 3 down with 2 Ks, needing only 23 pitches. If he looks that good all year long, Ed Wade indeed found us a bargain.

Sampson pitched a good inning, giving up a single to right and getting an excellent 3-6 1 GIDP (with Erstad playing first.) Byrdak also pitched a scoreless inning, although he allowed a bunt single down the first base line. He’s been playing baseball too darn long to not know that he should go to first when the first baseman charges in to field the bunt – Byrdak should NOT have tried to play the bunt then tag the runner. Andy Marte then GIDP, a nice 6-4-3.

Andy Marte. Amazing – I remember when he was a Braves prospect and Everyone Who Knows said that the Braves were absolutely crazy to trade him to get some guy – Cox/Schuerholz were right, as usual. Marte looked absolutely lost at the plate.

Brocail gave up the 3 losing runs, but it was hardly all his own fault. With one easy out, he gave up a single to right. He then gave up a hard hit ball to third, at which  ChrisJohnson made a great diving stop, but then he dropped the ball on what should have been an easy 5-4 or even a 5-4-3. Brocail hits the next batter and it is bases loaded, only 1 out. Then Crowe hits a clean single to center and Bourn fires it to the cutoff man, who fires it home and the runner should have been a dead duck, but Lou Santangelo screwed up the tag and the runner was safe, tie score. Then the next batter hits a tough GB which Johnson manages to get to, but unfortunately, Quintero is playing first and is unable to scoop the ball out of the dirt and there went the losing run.

Defense matters.

Which reminds me. Keppinger is NOT a good defender at third. Reminds me of Lamb, only not as nimble. He also lacks Lamb’s strong and accurate (oh, yes it was) throwing arm. Jason Smith is incredibly slow on the pivot at second and has very slow reflexes as well.

Chris Johnson needs to work a LOT on his fielding, especially on what to do after he has the ball. He has great instincts about getting TO it.

Of course you want to know how McDonald’s was. Well, stupidbrothers were instructed by me to take the kids after the end of the 6th inning – not that they minded. Da Bull, of all people, chose to stay with me until the end of the game, intelligently not once mentioning McDonalds, saying only that the guys can’t throw real too good. After the game, I said – so I guess you want a Happy Meal, and he said no, I want a double fish with double cheese.

A kid after his Daddy’s own stomach.

And on Monday, it’s Roy vs Zambrano. And the Astros NEED to absolutely roll OVAH that dude, teach him a lil respect, you know what I’m sayin…

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Posted in Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz, spring training | 4 Comments »

3/24/07: Roy Oswalt Pitched Great

Saturday, March 24th, 2007

Three hits (a double), 2 walks and 5 Ks in 6 IP – and he looked like he could finish the game too.

I am gonna hafta think up some titles for all the entries I’m gonna be writing this year cuz I can’t just keep saying Roy ROOLZ!!!!!

And speaking of ROOLZ, yall see Luke Scott throw out Jason Michaels at the plate?

OK, now to sucks – Brad Lidge had another lousy night. And no, it does not make me feel better to say the Indians’ closer had an even worse night. I just don’t know what we gonna do with that boy. And for all yall tellin me we should ship him off to Boston, they gonna use Papelbon again, so forget that…

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Posted in Roy Oswalt, spring training | No Comments »

3/9/05 – Blow-out Loss To Indians

Wednesday, March 9th, 2005

Well yall, how shall I put this? Yesterday, the wind was blowing out and the Indians made us look like, well, let’s just say, bad. 21 – 4 type bad. The Chronicle says, and I SWEAR I am not making this up, that Dave Burba is competing for the fifth spot.

Dear God in heaven. Is it possible that he is better than Munro, Hernandez, Redding, Estacio, Buchholz or even Duckworthless? (Well, maybe not the latter…) If it IS possible, well all I can say is that the Pirates will NOT be in last place fer SHER. Let’s just say that he and Franco and Wendell are not pitching real too well, and, to put it mildly, NONE, not one, of those three gentlemen has pitched real too well for at LEAST several years.

So, let me ask this – if the Indians can manage 21 runs “because the wind was blowing at 24 MPH,” now why were they able to hold us to 4 runs? Excuses, excuses, excuses and all of them lame as lame can be. Phil Garner has managed to find something, well, not bad, to say about the piss-poor performance of the pitchers. As we say in Texas, that is called blowing smoke out a place that is NOT his lips. I personally, would prefer to see the aforementioned smoke coming from the pitched balls instead…

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