Baseball By The Bay

2003-06-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

USC - Giants Connection

As a University of South Carolina alum, I have seen quite a bit of Coutlangus and Buscher. Coutlangus was a dreadful draft pick, IMHO, and if he ever even has a cup o' coffee in the majors, it will be a remarkable achievement. He's a nice defensive CF, but as has absolutely no power and not the kind of eye you want in a leadoff hitter. Just abysmal ...

Brian Buscher, however, is a completely different story and quite frankly another example of GM Brian Sabean's split-personalities. Drafting Coutlangus is like signing Neifi and drafting Buscher is like signing Cruz. Buscher has tremendous power and a decent enough eye that he won't need much time in the minors. IMHO, he's the kind of guy that with a little refinement of his pitch selection could absolutely explode. By all reports (and with my own eyes), he's fine at 3B, but he could move to the OF because of his powerful arm and the presence of Fonzie. An excellent pick, one that will pay immediate dividends, as Buscher becomes arguably the 3rd best hitting prospect in the system already (behind Linden and Lewis).

2003-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Some Red Meat

Not than anyone reading this blog needs to get fired up for tonight's game, but Jerome Williams had a great quote in today's Mercury News:

Williams said he couldn't help but notice the us-against-them mentality as he progressed through the minor leagues.

``Every time we played against them, I always wanted to play my best, always wanted to pitch well,'' he said.

``It's a totally different environment, a totally different feeling. It's like hatred. Every time we'd go out there, we just wanted to kill them.''

Oh, how I loathe the Dodgers. I don't know if anyone out there can really relate, but a lot of my relatives on my mother's side of the family live in/were born in the Los Angeles area and are Dodger fans. One of my cousins in particular loves to wear his Dodgers cap every time he's around me. It's actually kind of fun in a very antagonistic way, but let's just say that '93 wasn't so pleasant.

Deep down, both sides need to realize we need each other, like Liberals need John Ashcroft and Conservatives need Hillary Clinton.

2003-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Torrealba Situation

Schulman also notes the following in his Durham column:

The Giants have gotten permission to place catcher Yorvit Torrealba on family-emergency leave for three to seven days, starting today. They are expected to recall catcher Trey Lunsford from Triple-A Fresno to take Torrealba's place, while Benito Santiago is expected to return to the lineup tonight. To- rrealba's wife undergoes surgery in Venezuela today.

Torrealba is hitting .288/.324/.455 (.778 OPS) in his second season as Santiago's backup. Lunsford is hitting .283/.328/.383 (.711 OPS) in his first full season at AAA Fresno.

2003-06-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Durham's Defense

There's a great article in today's Chronicle about Durham proving his critics wrong about his defense.

When the Giants signed Ray Durham, he arrived with a reputation as a poor second baseman. One scout even suggested the Giants would have been better off moving him to center field. However, since joining the Giants, Durham has demonstrated good range, a flair for making tough plays and steadiness on balls hit right to him.

[Snip]

When asked about his bad reputation, Durham said it probably stems from a high error count -- he had 17 last season -- because of some bad throws.

"I get to a lot of balls up the middle and in the hole," he said. "Me, I'm a kind of player, if I get to a ball and catch it, I feel I should be able to throw the guy out. Sometimes I catch the ball behind second base and I come out firing, and I short-hop the first baseman and get an error.

I completely agree with Durham's self-evaulation and I think that most Jamesian baseball fans would feel the same way. James and the BP guys would argue that error totals are essentially useless when measuring defensive ability and can even result from great range (as Durham notes with this "short-hop" story).

2003-06-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Been A While

Hey, it's been a while since I last rapped at ya (with apologies to Jim Anchower). Chalk that up to my job (mainly), my low self esteem, and my recent vacuousness. Starting tomorrow, I will discuss:

1) Bonds' defense in LF
2) Foppert's performance tonight
3) WTF is Grissom doing batting leadoff
4) WTF is Cruz doing batting eigth
5) Grissom's mistake in the OF tonight
6) Walks in key situations
7) What's going on down on the farm

I look forward to getting back in the swing of things. As far as the A's go ...

1) What to do about Byrnes
2) Harden
3) Moneyball
4) What to do about Long
5) Bellhorn and how we should reacquire him
6) How the west will be won

See you here tomorrow ...

2003-05-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Update [5/17/03]

Giants

Low A
Josh Habel (SP) -- 4.0 2 1 0 1 3
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 2-6, 4th double
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-6
Derin McMains (3B) -- 3-6

High A
Brion Treadway (SP) -- 5.0 3 3 0 5 5, 2-2, 3.38
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 1-5
Branden Florence (LF) -- 1-3, 11th double, walk, HBP
Angel Chavez (SS) -- 2-4, walk
Daniel Ortmeier (RF) -- 3-5, 2 doubles (11)

AA
Vance Cozier (SP) -- 5.0 5 4 2 2 3
Alejandro Friere (1B) -- 2-5, 8th homer, 10th double
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 2-4, 2nd triple, walk
Pat Hallmark (CF) -- 2-5, 6th double, 2 steals (16)
Chris Curry (C) -- 2-3, 4th double, HBP, .809 OPS

AAA
Brian Powell (SP) -- 4.0 11 8 7 2 2, 1-6, 3.86
Todd Linden (CF) -- 0-4
Trey Lunsford (C) -- 1-4, 4th double
Tony Torcato (LF) -- 1-4
Lance Niekro (3B) -- 1-4

Athletics

Low A
Drew Dickenson (SP) -- 7.0 6 3 3 2 1, 5-2, 3.06
John McCurdy (SS) -- 3-4, walk
John Baker (C) -- 2-5, walk
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 1-2, 2 walks, SF, CS
Marcus McBeth (CF) -- 1-3, 2 walks, CS

High A
Brad Weis (SP) -- 3.1 10 9 9 2 2, 3-2, 4.93
Mark Kiger (2B) -- 1-5, 11th double
J.T. Stotts (SS) -- 3-5
Nick Swisher (1B) -- 0-2, 3 walks (32)
Mark Teahen (3B) -- 0-5

AA
[Doubleheader]
Mike Ziegler (SP) -- 6.0 9 5 4 0 1, 3-3, 5.36
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 1-3, 11th homer & 1-3, .590 SLG
Steve Stanley (CF) -- 0-3, walk, CS & 1-4
Freddie Bynum (2B) -- 1-4 & 1-3
Brian Sellier (LF) -- 2-4 & 1-3, 5th double
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 0-2, walk

AAA
Frank Castillo (SP) -- 5.0 4 3 3 4 6, 0-3, 5.70
Esteban German (2B) -- 1-1, 3 walks
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 1-3, 14th double, HBP
Graham Koonce (DH) -- 0-4
Billy McMillon (RF) -- 0-4

2003-05-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Update [5/16/03]

Giants

Low A
Brian Stirm (SP) -- 6.0 1 0 0 1 4, 2-0, 1.69
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 0-5, 3 K
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 2-4, 2nd SB
Derin McMains (3B) -- 0-2, 3 steals (10), 3 walks

High A
Anthony Pannone (SP) -- 6.0 7 3 3 3 6
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 1-3, 5th SB, walk
Branden Florence (LF) -- 2-3, 10th double, walk
Daniel Ortmeier (RF) -- 1-3, walk

AA
Boof Bonser SF 5.1 5 5 5 6 4
Alejandro Friere (1B) -- 2-3, 7th homer, 9th double, 2 walks
Carlos Valderrama (RF) -- 0-4, walk
Pat Hallmark (CF) -- 3-5, 15th SB
Jaime Athas (SS) -- 2-5, 5th double

AAA
Jeff Urban (SP) -- 4.1 10 6 5 3 2
Lorenzo Barcelo (RP) -- 2.0 1 0 0 1 2
Todd Linden (CF) -- 2-5
Francisco Santos (RF) -- 2-4, 2nd double
Tony Torcato (LF) -- 2-4, 3rd double, 1st SB

Athletics

Low A
Christian Gonzalez (SP) -- 5.0 8 5 5 2 4
John McCurdy (SS) -- 1-3, walk
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 1-4
John Baker (C) -- 1-3

High A
Jeffrey Bruksch (SP) -- 7.0 5 3 3 4 7
Mark Kiger (2B) -- 2-4, walk
Mark Teahen (DH) -- 3-4, 7th double, walk
Nick Swisher (1) -- 1-4, walk

AA
John Rheinecker (SP) -- 6.2 14 5 2 0 4
Steve Jackson (1B) -- 4-5, 2 homers (3), 1st triple, 2nd double
Dan Johnson (DH) -- 3-5, 2 doubles (10)
Steve Stanley (CF) -- 3-5, 3rd double, walk
Freddie Bynum (2B) -- 2-4, 2nd homer
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 0-3, 2 walks
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 2-4, walk

AAA
Rich Harden (SP) -- 5.0 2 0 0 2 7
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-4, walk
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 2-2, 12th homer, 13th double, HBP
Adam Melhuse (C) -- 1-3, 3rd homer, walk
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 0-3

2003-05-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Update [5/15/03]

Giants

Low A
Glenn Woolard (SP) -- 6.0 6 0 0 4 7, 3-1, 2.52 ERA
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 1-5
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-4
Derin McMains (3B) -- 1-4

High A
Greg Bruso (SP) -- 5.0 1 0 0 2 6
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 0-5
Branden Florence (LF) -- 0-4, HBP
Angel Chavez (SS) -- 2-5, 6th SB
Daniel Ortmeier (RF) -- 0-3, walk, HBP

AA
Mitch Walk (SP) -- 4.2 10 4 4 3 4
Erick Threets (RP) -- 1.1 4 5 5 3 2, 15.88 ERA
Alejandro Friere (1B) -- 2-4, 2 homers (6), walk
Carlos Valderrama (RF) -- 0-4, walk
Pat Hallmark (CF) -- 2-4, 14th SB, walk
Adam Shabala (LF) -- 2-4, 2 doubles (7), 5th SB, walk

AAA
[16 Inning Game]
Kevin Pickford (SP) -- 6.0 8 3 3 1 2
Lorenzo Barcelo (RP) -- 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
Todd Linden (CF) -- 3-8, 5th SB
Tony Torcato (RF) -- 5-7, 2 doubles (2)
Trey Lunsford (C) -- 0-6
Damon Minor (1B) -- 1-8, 3 K

Athletics

Low A
Bill Murphy (SP) -- 7.0 2 1 1 3 5
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 1-4, 11th homer, .577 SLG
John McCurdy (SS) -- 2-3, 5th double, walk
John Baker (C) -- 2-5, 12th double
Brian Stavisky (DH) -- 1-3, walk

High A
Ben Fritz (SP) -- 6.0 2 1 1 3 6
Mark Kiger (2B) -- 1-6, 10th double
Mark Teahen (3B) -- 0-6
J.T. Stotts (SS) -- 1-5

AA
Dave Hooten (SP) -- 5.0 6 5 4 0 4
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 0-3, 2 walks
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 1-3, walk
Freddie Bynum (2B) -- 1-5, 9th SB
Steve Stanley (CF) -- 2-4, walk
Brian Sellier (LF) -- 2-4, 2 steals (5), walk

AAA
Aaron Harang (SP) -- 6.0 5 0 0 0 3, 7-1, 2.28
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-4
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 0-3
Graham Koonce (DH) -- 1-4, 10th homer
Billy McMillon (RF) -- 0-2, walks
Adam Melhuse (C) -- 2-4, 2nd homer

2003-05-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Update [5/13/03]

Giants

Low A
Matt Cain (SP) -- 7.0 3 1 1 3 3
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 0-3, 3 walks
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-4, 2 walks
Derin McMains (3B) -- 3-6, 7th double

High A
[vs Modesto (the A's A+ affiliate)]
Elliot Brown (SP) -- 4.0 6 6 6 3 3
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 1-5
Branden Florence (LF) -- 1-6, 3rd SB
Daniel Ortmeier (DH) -- 1-5, 4th SB

AA
[doubleheader]
Noah Lowry (SP) -- 6 5 2 2 2 5
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 1-3 & 1-3, double
Alejandro Friere (1B) -- 1-3 & 1-3
Joe Jester (2B) -- 0-3 & 0-3

AAA
Matt Blank (SP) -- 6.0 6 1 1 2 5
Todd Linden (CF) -- 2-4
Trey Lunsford (C) -- 2-4
Damon Minor (1B) -- 2-4
Tony Torcato (LF) -- 0-3, walk (only 2 in 101 AB)

Athletics

Low A
Joe Blanton (SP) -- 5.2 8 6 3 2 7
John McCurdy (SS) -- 2-5
John Baker (C) -- 2-5
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 2-4, 8th double, walk
Marcus McBeth (CF) -- 1-3, walk

High A
[vs San Jose (Giants' A+ affiliate)]
Luke Robertson (SP) -- 6.0 8 7 2 2 2
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 1-3, walk
Mark Teahen (3B) -- 3-5
J.T. Stotts (SS) -- 1-5, 1st homer
Mark Kiger (2B) -- 1-3, 8th double, 2 walks

AA
Sonny Garcia (SP) -- 4.2 8 4 3 3 2
Steve Stanley (CF) -- 1-3, 2 walks, 2nd SB
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 0-3, walk
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 1-3, walk
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 0-3, walk

AAA
Justin Duchscherer (SP) -- 5.2 7 3 3 0 4 (no walks in last 19.2 IP)
Joe Valentine (RP) -- 2.1 1 0 0 0 4
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-4, 1st triple, 5th SB, walk
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 1-3, 5th SB, walk
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 1-5, 12th double
Graham Koonce (DH) -- 0-2, 2 walks
Mike Edwards (LF) -- 2-3, 7th double, walk

2003-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Feedback

Matthew Durham of the excellent Southpaw blog sent me a nice reply to my inquiry on fantasy owner vs fan dilemma:

Charlie, this HAS to be the biggest dilemma as a sports fan. Nowhere is it worse then in Football (where you can root for an opposing RB to run wild over your team as long as his team still loses, for example), but it's especially rough in baseball when 2 pitchers go Head-2-Head. I had this happen to me with the Zito-Clemens match-up, but it could be worse then having Zito & Clemens . . . especially when they dueled to a 1-0 conclusion.

I must admit, it was scared when I first received the e-mail, because it was titled Fantasy Owner vs Actual Fan and I thought it might be negative -- you know, like my behavior was antithetical to that of a real fan (a perfectly legit view) -- but I was relieved to see that's not at all what he thought. Whew!

That said, I completely agree with Matthew. I remember a couple of years ago when I had Shaun Alexander and he went absolutely nuts against the Raiders. I was sitting in a bar with a bunch of dispassionate drunks, but they all took notice of my strange behavior.

I thought you were pulling for the Raiders?

I am.

You sure looked thrilled when Alexander had that 88-yard TD

Well, I have him on my fantasy team. I want him to score a couple of TDs and rack up some yardage, but I want the Raiders to win by a healthy margin.

You ain't right, boy.

The two pitchers facing off example is the worst for me, since I'm in a league that counts losses (unfortunately), so even if one pitcher gets a win, the other usually offsets it with the damaging loss. The best you can hope for is a win and a no decision. That's tough to pull off, though, because it requires one pitcher to leave the game before he relinquishes the lead and the other to stay in and then attain the lead.

The other terrible scenario is when you have one of your batters facing one of your pitchers. I usually root for the pitcher, since he only pitches once every 5 days and a crappy start is much more brutal on your stats than an 0-4 day from a batter.

Anyway, thanks Matthew for the feedback and everyone else out there should feel free to let me know how you feel!

2003-05-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Apologies

Sorry for the lack of activity lately. Let me explain -- My sister calls me up Saturday afternoon, informing me that she is having a Mother's Day get together at her house on Sunday, which I apparently must attend. Now, she only lives about an hour and a half away, but it was still pretty crappy to just call me up the day before and ask me to come down that night (especially so when you consider my parents live here and we were going to meet up at their place). It's not like you can turn it down, either. I mean, what kind of message would that send your mom? Sorry mom, I love you, but not enough to drive down an hour and a half to see you on Mother's Day. Yeah, that would look great.

In my sister's defense, though, she claimed she had told me about it the week before, but c'mon -- I'm the most absent-minded person of all time. [imitating Dana Carvey imitating Ross Perot] I know it, she knows it, the American people know it. So, I contend that even if she told me, she's still at fault for not calling me twice a day every day last week because there's no way I can remember something like that [even if you guys think I'm wrong here, I know you've still got my back].

Anyway, I didn't get back until early Monday morning (2 AM) and spent all day catching up on work and sleeping. So, I apologize for the absence, hopefully in the future I will be able to make a post if I'm going to be out of town. Thanks for the continued support, guys!

2003-05-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Report [5/9/03]

Giants

Low A
Glenn Woolard (SP) -- 6.0 5 2 2 2 6
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 0-7, 2 K
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-6, 2 K
Jason Columbus (DH) -- 2-5

High A
Ryan Hannaman (SP) -- 5.0 6 3 1 4 5
James Garcia (RP) -- 4.0 3 2 0 1 10
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 1-3, 3rd double, 2 SH
Branden Florence (LF) -- 2-5
Dan Ortmeier (DH) -- 2-5, 8th double

AA
Kevin Correia (SP) -- 5.0 7 6 6 2 6
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 1-4
Alejandro Friere (DH) -- 0-4
Joe Jester (2B) -- 1-3, walk

AAA
[Cancelled]

Athletics

Low A
Shane Komine (SP) -- 6.1 8 3 2 0 7
John McCurdy (SS) -- 0-4
John Baker (C) -- 1-4
Marcus McBeth (CF) -- 0-2, 2 walks
Kory Wayment (3B) -- 1-5, 3rd homer
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 1-3, 10th homer, walk

High A
Derell McCall (SP) -- 7.0 6 1 1 1 5
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 1-4, 5th homer, walk
Jed Morris (C) -- 1-4
Matt Bowser (1B) -- 1-3, HBP

AA
Darvin Withers (SP) -- 1.1 7 8 6 0 1
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 2-2, 4 walks
Freddie Bynum (2B) -- 3-5, HBP, 2 errors
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 1-4, 2 walks
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 2-4, 2 walks

AAA
[Doubleheader]
Rich Harden (SP) -- 4.0 1 0 0 1 3
Aaron Harang (SP) -- 6.2 7 2 2 1 9
Esteban German (2B) -- 1-2, 3rd SB, 2 walks & 1-3, walk
Graham Koonce (DH) -- 1-2, 8th homer, 2 walks & 0-3, walk
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 0-3 & 1-3
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 0-4 & 1-4, 10th homer
Billy McMillon (RF) -- 1-4, 6th double & 2-3, walk

2003-05-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Longball

What happens when one terrible defensive CF hits the ball at another terrible defensive CF? Tonight it meant a 2-run homer for the A's, as Bernie Williams turned Terrence Long's liner into an inside-the-park round tripper. Long's blast broke the game wide open, helping the A's beat the Yankees 7-2. Coincidentally, the last time the A's hit an inside-the-parker was 8/8/00 (the day after my 21st birthday), when Eric Chavez achieved the feat against Roger Clemens and the Yankees.

Tonight was strange for me, as I have both Weaver and Hudson on my fantasy team and they faced each other again for the second straight Saturday. Of course, I pulled for the A's both times, but I didn't want Weaver to get obliterated. Is this wrong? I mean, I wasn't actively pulling for the A's to make outs against Weaver, but I wasn't upset when they weren't pounding him. The fantasy owner vs fan dilemma is one of the most intriguing philosophical gray areas in a man's life, IMHO. If any of you guys out there have some thoughts on this, please let me know.

At any rate, Weaver and Hudson had a great duel going until the 8th, when Weaver fell apart. Hudson ended up with a nice line -- 8.0 5 2 2 1 5 (68 Game Score) -- and the win.

Eric Byrnes stayed hot, going 1-2 with a triple and 2 walks. His OPS is up to .845, and he's been a very capable substitute for Dye.

Saturday: Clemens (4-2, 2.49, 45/13 K/BB) vs Zito (5-2, 2.20, 26/20 K/BB) @ 4:05 E/1:05 P

2003-05-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

A Team Effort

The Giants got a little help from just about everyone tonight, friends, in their 9-2 thumping of the Braves. Durham and Snow are the only two starters that didn't have a hit, but both made slick plays in the field. Santiago broke the game open in the 8th with a 3-run homer and Cruz followed in the 9th with another 3-run blast.

I'm going to assume Rich's eyes are fine, since he saw the ball well enough to draw two walks tonight. Heck, I wish Grissom's eyes were as problematic.

In other good news, Alfonzo went 1-2 with 2 walks and double, keeping his hot May going. His OPS, while not good at .632, has gone up .112 points in May. And no, not all of that is due to an increase in BA, as he's only raised his batting average .049 points over that span.

In maybe the biggest news of the night, Jesse "The Future" Foppert beat Greg Maddux. Foppert ended up with a 6.0 5 2 2 3 2 line and a 53 Game Score. As usual, he alternated between brilliance and mediocrity. He made a really poor pitch to Chipper Jones, who crushed the ball, and gave up another solo shot to Marcus Giles later in the game. He missed the plate often, but then would come back with nasty breaking pitches to retire batters. I am a little concerned about the velocity on his fastball, which sat between 89-91 most of the night, but I don't injured or overworked. I'm always worried when I see a loss in velocity, but I think he may have just been fatigued because he clearly wasn't ready for the Atlanta humidity, as suggested by the fact that he was already sweating profusely in the first inning. Fortunately, Alou pulled Foppert after 84 pitches, which was very nice to see.

One last thing -- Bonds whipped out an Ichiroesque swing in the 8th, which he used to go opposite field to foil the shift. Will we see more of this in the future?

Saturday: Rueter (3-1, 3.07, 10/14 K/BB) vs Ramirez (2-2, 3.96, 20/11 K/BB) @ 7:05 E/4:05 P

2003-05-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Cruz Incident

A very helpful reader informed me that Cruz's CS at home plate yesterday was the result of a botched squeeze in which Torrealba could not handle a Brad Penny curveball. While that's a better scenario for getting "caught stealing" at home than getting caught while attempting a straight steal, it's still a bad idea, IMHO.

The Giants led 2-1 in the 6th inning, when Cruz hit a leadoff double. Snow grounded out, advancing Cruz to third with one out. Now, there's one out and a speedy guy at third and Torrealba, who's already doubled in the game and has a .579 SLG on the year, comes to the plate. Do you ask Yorvit, who does not have a sacrifice bunt this year, to lay down the bunt or do you let him swing away, knowing that any non-popout/non-infield lineout will score Cruz?

The worst that can realistically go wrong if Alou lets Torrealba hit is that he makes an out that doesn't score Cruz (but you have at least one more shot to knock him in). The worst that can go wrong if you try to squeeze Cruz home is ... well, the worst that could happen happened -- Yorvit missed the pitch and Cruz was thrown out at home. I don't think the squeeze is necessarily more certain to score the run in that situation and it comes with a much worse penalty if it's botched. I think this was a bad decision by Alou, but if there were any mitigating circumstances I failed to mention, please let me know.

2003-05-09T01:58:00.000-07:00

I Believe I'll Dust My Broom

With the help of a run in the top of the 9th, the Giants beat the Marlins 3-2 today and swept the series. Personal favorite Yorvit Torrealba went 2-4, doubling and scoring the winning run. Yorvit now has a .904 OPS and is showing glimpses of being the catcher of the future for the Giants (with apologies to Trey Lunsford). I'm very impressed with the way Alou has handled the two catchers this season and as I've noted before, perhaps this method can keep Santiago fresh and give Torrealba the chance to get the steady stream of plate appearances he needs to develop as a hitter.

Another day, another two walks for Barry. He now leads the league in walks, OBP, OPS, and Secondary Average.

I wasn't able to see the game, so I was horrified to learn that Jose Cruz was caught stealing home in the 6th inning. I'm going to assume this was a botched sacrifice bunt, but if it's not, I'm going to throw a tantrum.

Ainsworth had a nice game, 7.0 5 1 1 3 5 (65 Game Score), only to have Nathan blow it in the 8th. Nathan finally gave up a run, but ended up getting the win anyway, upping his record to 4-0. Apparently, the plan was to allow Nathan or Felix to finish the game in order to give Worrell a day off, but he still came out and closed the door for his 11th save. Of course, the idiotic punditocracy will still clamor for Sabean to get a proven closer.

2003-05-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

In The News

A couple of interesting stories you might enjoy ...

1) Apparently, Beane and White Sox GM Kenny Williams had a little chat about the purportedly offensive comments Beane made toward Williams that have been detailed in Michael Lewis' new book, Moneyball. What prompted the conversation was Williams' remarks earlier in the week:

"I've heard of those (kind of) people. It's called ego-itis. When the ego weighs more than the brain and swells, it affects your powers of memory and recall. If I would have written that book, I would have started out by giving thanks to my directors of scouts and that staff for drafting people like Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada.

I obviously haven't read the book and I wasn't there to know what actually went on, but the deal in question (Durham-for-Adkins) was really bad for the White Sox. I don't know exactly what Beane may have said, but it couldn't have been worse than what Williams' own local sportswriters were saying about the deal.

2) The consistently excellent Alan Schwartz has an interview with Eric Chavez over at ESPN. Some of the highlights:

Question: Runs batted in are big for you, but you have only 14 so far in Oakland's first 31 games. What do you think is the cause of that?

Chavez: There could be a lot of things. The first month of the season, there's no way I'm gonna pressure myself saying I should be here or there. The greatest thing I've gotten from my first three or four years of playing, my slow starts, is that in my second half, no matter what I've done in the first half, I'm capable of putting up big numbers. So I'm not pressured into saying, "Oh God, I only have 14 RBIs." I'm not worried about it. Two years ago, I had like 11 homers and 38 RBIs at the break. And I finished up with like 32 and 114. That's almost like a blessing -- if I struggle again in the first half I'm not going to hit the panic button.

Question: You've described yourself to me as a "Dominican-type hitter." But this year you have 18 walks and 22 strikeouts, which is much more even than you're used to. Are you trying to get deeper into counts or is it just happenstance?

Chavez: This stuff is just happening. I know that this is what Billy (Beane) says he wants from players, but I don't take any of that stuff into consideration. I don't say, "Damn, this is what Billy wants me to do." I might swing at the first pitch three times tonight. I'm trying to stay aggressive and swing at pitches in the zone.

Question: I've seen some detailed data about your performance this year vs. last, and it's very striking -- when you went down 0-1 in the count last year, you hit just as well as usual, .285 with your regular power. This year, in 51 at-bats in that situation, you're hitting .118 with almost all singles and just one RBI. Strike one is important for a pitcher, but why has it hurt you so much?

Chavez: I've seen these kind of numbers before. Last year they showed me something where I was hitting like .300 on pitches out of the zone. And in the zone I was hitting .240. Am I gonna start telling myself to swing at pitches out of the zone?

Question: But let's look at it not so much as numbers. Could your approach have changed at all when a pitcher gets the first strike on you? Have you gotten more defensive for some reason? Something does seem to be happening, at least from the outside.

Chavez: I have to be honest with you -- I don't want to say nothing. Nobody in this league wants to go 0-2. You can ask anybody. They don't want to go 0-2. When you look at the numbers, I don't want to go down 0-2. That's what it's telling you -- I'm looking to put a pitch in play way too early in the count.

Question: You're one Achilles' heel seems to still be lefties -- you're hitting .120 against them, rather than .325 against righties. What is the status of that adjustment?

Chavez: The more I see them, the better. The one year I hit lefties best, I think we led the league in facing left-handed starters. By like 15 or 20 games. It's just about feeling comfortable and seeing them.

Question: Given that you hate all the expectations surrounding you, all the talk about possible MVPs and 40-homer seasons, without using numbers, what are your own expectations for yourself?

Chavez: I want to feel like when I come to the field every day that there's something positive that I do for my team. That I can say, "Even if I'm 0-for-4, I'm happy with what I did." A walk, a 12-pitch at-bat, a good play. I'm just not there yet. I haven't done it this month, so I'm not there yet. I don't think I've reached my peak.

2003-05-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

Tayada, Tayada, Tayada

Tejada was the story of the game, folks, going 3-4 with his 7th bomb and 3rd double. He's smacked the ball to the tune of a .273/.360/.545 line over the past week, which is hopefully a sign that the AL MVP is returning to form. A deeper look at Tejada's stats shows he's not too far off from his typical numbers in two important categories -- he has a walk rate of 1 BB every 13.8 AB (career rate = 1 BB every 12.6 AB) and an Isolated Power of .174 (career = .188). The real problem comes with the .196 BA, which is .068 points lower than his career average, and it stands to reason that he'll get back up in that range by the second half of the season.

Assuming Tejada starts hitting like Tejada soon, the question for A's fans becomes do you want to spend a boatload (for these owners) of money on a career .779 OPS hitter? Yes, that's good for position and park, but would that money be better allocated in locking up Eric Chavez when his contract runs out? These are the tough decisions Billy Beane and his excellent staff face on a daily basis and yet they never complain about their financial handicaps. They do their job like professionals and put a playoff-caliber team out there every year. I think that the bitter A's fans need to realize Beane and his assistants are worth more to the organization than 10 Miguel Tejadas and as long as they are calling the shots, the A's will be in great shape. Jason Giambi was a much more valuable player than Tejada was, and the team didn't skip a beat last year in his absence.

Moving on, Chavez went deep again, going 2-4 with his 8th homer. He has an excellent .255 Isolated Power and an .889 OPS. Singleton and Byrnes both went 2-4 and are hitting .307 and .308, respectively. Singleton is still not walking (5 in 88 AB), but if he can continue to hit .300, he won't kill the offense like I feared he would.

Finally, I think Terrence Long is quietly having a good year. Please put the guns down, folks -- I'll explain. He's walking at a good rate (1 every 10.9 AB) and has a .192 Isolated Power (sorry for repeating these stats again; I think they help us look beyond merely a poor BA to see if a player is truly struggling or not). I don't know if it will last or not, but he's at a .781 OPS right now and if he could just raise his .258 BA a little bit, he'd might be able to crack the aesthetically pleasing .800 OPS barrier. While that isn't the production you'd want from the ideal LF, it's the kind of performance a winning team needs from its non-stars.

2003-05-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Farmhand Report [05/08/03]

[Note: Listed positions are ones they played in said game, not what they usually play]

Giants

Low A
Clay Hensley (SP) -- 5.2 4 2 1 3 7, 2-1, 2.63, 45/13 K/BB, 10.75 K/9
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 1-4, 1st double, 2 walks, 4 runs
Jason Columbus (DH) -- 1-4, walk, HBP
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 1-5, walk

High A
Elliot Brown (SP) 2.1 6 8 4 2 1
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 0-4
Branden Florence (DH) -- 0-4
Daniel Ortmeier (RF) -- 1-4, 7th double
Angel Chavez (SS) -- 0-4

AA
[No Game Scheduled]

AAA
[Rain Shortened]
Kevin Pickford (SP) -- 3.0 9 7 5 3 3
Francisco Santos (1B) -- 1-3
Damon Minor (DH) -- 1-3
Todd Linden (CF) -- 1-2

Athletics

Low A
Joe Blanton (SP) -- 6.0 5 2 1 2 5
John McCurdy (SS) -- 0-4
John Baker (C) -- 0-4
Marcus McBeth (CF) -- 1-3, 1st SB [Just demoted, had 2 steals at San Jose]
Nelson Cruz (RF) -- 0-3

High A
Luke Robertson (SP) -- 6.0 7 5 5 1 5
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 1-3, 9th double, 2 walks
Matt Bowser (1B) -- 2-4, HBP
Jed Morris (C) -- 0-3, walk

AA
Sonny Garcia (SP) -- 6.1 2 3 3 3 3
Freddie Bynum (2B) -- 2-3, 7th SB
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 0-3
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 1-3, walk
Brian Sellier (LF) -- 2-3, 2nd homer, walk
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 2-4

AAA
Justin Duchscherer (SP) -- 6.0 7 4 3 0 6
Joe Valentine (RP) -- 1.0 1 0 0 0 1
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 1-4, 5th double
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-3, 2 walks, 2nd SB
Billy McMillon (RF) -- 0-2, 2 walks
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 2-5

2003-05-07T00:19:00.000-07:00

The More Things Change ...

For all the offseason talk of Alou remaking the team into a latter-day version of the Go Go Sox, the Giants have continued to rely heavily on the home run. Tonight was no different, as 3 of the team's 4 runs came off the long ball. Bonds crushed a Carl Pavano pitch in the 6th inning for his 10th homer of the season, which leaves him one back of the NL leaders, Jeff Bagwell and Richie Sexson.

Benito, who apparently got an even sweeter deal than Robert Johnson, had a double and the game-winning 2-run homer. Santiago now sits at .291/.358/.477, with 8 BB in 86 AB, which is amazing. I doubt Benito can keep it up for a full season, but Torrealba should swing a nice stick and help keep Santiago fresher throughout the season. The two of those guys together (when adjusted for park) should be an above average duo at the end of the season, IMHO.

Thank God Fonzie is hitting again! In May, Alfonzo is 9-for-21, rasing his average .049 points. I know, I know -- This is just a couple of games and even the worst player ever can replicate such a feat in so few AB. However, Alfonzo is a career .290 hitter, even though he played his entire career for a team whose park is miserable for hitters. Since he has established himself as a .290 hitter, it is reasonable to assume he'll hit close to that mark this year and that his current hot streak is a sign that he's regressing toward the mean.

Jason pitched brilliantly, going 6 innings and giving up 3 hits, 2 runs and a walk, while striking out 8. He also only threw 82 pitches, which is great news for those of us that fret over pitch counts. Not getting the win hurt Schmidt's game score, but he still got a 65 for tonight's effort and his AGS (Average Game Score) is now a sparkling 66, which puts him second in the league behind Mark Prior.

Now for the bad news -- the AP is reporting that Robb Nen is going to have season-ending surgery to repair a tear tn his right rotator cuff. Trainer Stan Conte said the injury is career-threatening, so we may never see Robb in a Giants uniform again. Let's hope Sabean doesn't panic and do something stupid like trading for Benitez or Escobar, since it's clear the team is fine without a proven closer.

Wed: Moss (4-0, 2.21, 21/20 K/BB) vs Beckett (2-2, 3.63, 44/19 K/BB) @ 7:05 E/4:05 P

2003-05-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Minors Update

Giants

Low A
[doubleheader]
Brian Stirm (SP) -- 5.0 2 1 1 1 6, nice debut
Josh Habel (SP) -- 4.0 0 2 1 1 5, loses the game without giving up a hit
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 1-4 & 0-3
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 2-4, 3rd double & 1-3
Jason Columbus (DH) -- 2-4 & 0-3
Kevin Alexander (3B) -- 1-3, 1st triple, walk & 1-2, walk

High A
No Game Scheduled

AA
Boof Bonser (SP) -- 5.2 6 2 1 4 4
Erick Threets (RP) -- 1.0 1 0 0 2 3
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 0-4
Douglas Clark (DH) -- 1-4
Alejandro Freire (1B) -- 1-3, walk
Joe Jester (2B) -- 1-3, 5th SB

AAA
Brian Powell (SP) -- 6.0 8 3 1 1 2
Todd Linden (RF) -- 0-3, 14th walk
Trey Lunsford (C) -- 1-3, 2nd homer
Damon Minor (1B) -- 1-4
Francisco Santos (LF) -- 1-3, 1st double, walk
Jason Ellison (CF) -- 0-3, walk

Athletics

Low A
Chris Mowday (SP) -- 0.1 4 6 6 3 0
John Baker (C) -- 1-5
John McCurdy (SS) -- 2-4, 1st homer, walk
Nelson Cruz (CF) -- 2-5, 2 doubles (7)
Kory Wayment (3B) -- 2-4, 2nd homer

High A
Ben Fritz (SP) -- 6.0 10 4 4 2 5
Matt Bowser (RF) -- 3-4, 11th double, walk
Jed Morris (C) -- 2-4, 5th homer, 5th double, walk
Mark Teahen (3B) -- 2-5, 5th double

AA
Eric Thompson (SP) -- 3.0 9 8 8 4 3
Adam Morrissey (3B) -- 0-4
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 0-4
Freddie Bynum (SS) -- 0-3, walk
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 1-4

AAA
Frank Castillo (SP) -- 5.0 9 4 4 2 5, might not have much more in the tank
Joe Valentine (RP) -- 2.0 1 0 0 0 1
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 1-3
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-4
Mike Edwards (CF) -- 1-5
Dave McCarty (1B) -- 2-5
Billy McMillon (RF) -- 1-4, walk

2003-05-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Transactions

A quick note--Should I call these "trannies?" Didn't think so ...

The Giants traded 1B Joe Vitiello to Montreal for SP Ben Washburn, who was assigned to Low A Hagerstown.

Washburn [Age 23]
2003 -- 15 IP, 2.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 16 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, 2/1 K/BB, 3.6 K/9 IP
Career -- 300.2 IP, 3.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 301 H, 174 R, 132 ER, 210 K, 67 BB, 3.13 K/BB, 6.29 K/9

Vitiello [Age 33]
2003 -- 75 AB, 16 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 8 BB, 9 K, .213/.289/.280
Career [Minors] -- 3014 AB, 903 H, 184 2B, 11 3B, 125 HR, 370 BB, 611 K, .300/.377/.492
Career [Majors] -- 617 AB, 146 H, 29 2B, 1 3B, 23 HR, 73 BB, 151 K, .237/.326/.399

This seems like an organizational depth trade, with the Giants unloading one of the many 1B/DH options they had at Fresno for a starter that's a little old for his league and who has been used lately as a reliever. I think Sabean made a wonderful move this offseason in signing Vitiello to a minor league deal, since he was a cheap platoon option for J.T. Snow. The Big Cat ended up filling the role, however, and Vitiello was sent to Fresno, where he really wasn't needed. To get anything for him, then, is a bonus, IMHO. Washburn is the kind of pitcher with a high K/BB rate and a decent K/9 IP mark that could end up being an effective reliever down the road. Kudos to Sabean for turning an essentially free commodity into a potentially useful player.

2003-05-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

Minors Update

Giants

Low A
Glenn Woolard (SP) -- 7.0 5 2 1 3 3
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 0-4, 2 walks
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-2, walk

High A
Greg Bruso (SP) -- 7.0 1 0 0 0 3
Ramon Soler (2B) -- 2-3, 2nd double & 1-2, walk
Branden Florence (LF) -- 0-3 & 1-3
Angel Chavez (SS) -- 1-3, 4th SB & 1-3, 7th double

AA
Mitch Walk (SP) -- 7.0 7 5 2 1 3
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 3-5, 4th double
Alejandro Friere (1B) -- 1-4, walk

AAA
Ryan Jensen (SP) -- 2.0 0 0 0 1 1
Todd Linden (LF) -- 0-2, walk
Jason Ellison (CF) -- 2-3, 10th steal

Athletics

Low A
Bill Murphy (SP) -- 5.0 4 3 3 6 5
John McCurdy (SS) -- 3-5, 4th double
Nelson Cruz (CF) -- 2-5, 8th homer, 2nd triple

High A
Derrell McCall (SP) -- 7.0 6 3 1 2 1
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 0-2, 2 walks
Matt Bowser (1B) -- 2-4, 10th double

AA
Darvin Withers (SP) -- 5.1 5 5 4 2 5
Dan Johnson (1B) -- 4-5, 3 doubles (6)
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 3-5, 3rd double
Freddie Bynum (SS) -- 2-3, walk, 6th SB
Adam Morrissey (2B) -- 1-3, 2 walks, 2nd SB

AAA
Jose Silva (SP) -- 5.0 7 3 1 1 4
Joe Valentine (RP) -- 1 0 0 0 0 1
Graham Koonce (1B) -- 2-4, 6th homer, 5th double, walk
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 2-3, 2 walks, 3rd SB
Mike Edwards (LF) -- 2-5, 2nd homer, 1st triple
Esteban German (2B) -- 2-5, 1st double
Dave McCarty (DH) 2-5, 10th double

2003-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

A's Recap

Was my post two days ago about Eric Chavez breaking his long homer drought good luck? He's now hit 3 bombs in his past 4 games. More likely, Eric's a streaky hitter, but just let me pretend that I somehow have influence over the athletic abilities of others, okay?

Chavez's 10th inning homer was a thing of beauty. I'm obviously biased, since Eric is my favorite athlete, but does anyone hit prettier home runs? Thanks to a 3-5 effort, including his 7th homer and 7th double, Chavez now sits at .278/.376/.537.

Only one day after the team announced that Miguel Tejada would be moved from the third spot in the lineup to the fifth, Miguel batted cleanup yesterday, going 1-4 with a walk. Tejada is clearly struggling at the plate and now openly wonders if he's going to be traded before the end of the season. I'm not one for rash decisions, but management clearly needs to do something about this situation. Miguel's problems are obviously mental and the team needs to take the appropriate action necessary to get him straigthened out. This may require a simple vote of confidence from management or it may involve professional help--I don't know what's going on in Miguel's head--but they can't just leave him out there to rot.

I'll finish with a final thought on Keith Foulke. IMHO, Keith just made a couple of bad pitches to one of the best hitters in the game--nothing to be worried about. Of course, the clowns on Baseball Tonight all had their thoughts on the situation, including the king of insufferable dunces, Harold Reynolds. Reynolds believes that Foulke was just "setting up" Nick Johnson at the end of the game and that Keith punched his glove and screamed because he was happy that his strategy worked. My job here isn't to assign ascription of motive, but I think it was clear that Keith was pissed because he thought he made a bad pitch and got away with it. Unless Foulke's "happy face" is an ugly scowl, I'm going to assume I'm correct.

Today: Zito (4-2, 2.63, 22/17 K/BB) vs Clemens (4-1, 2.70, 39/11 K/BB) @ 1:05 E/10:05 P

2003-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Giants Recap

Another typical rookie pitching performance for Jesse--flashes of brilliance, flashes of wildness, but mostly average. I'm not a pitch count freak and I trust the Felipe/Righetti/Conte troika to take care of the pitchers, but there have to be some fans out there worried about Foppert's three straight 100+ pitch counts. I don't think I'd be going out on a limb by suggesting that for the majority of the season, Foppert will alternate between greatness and Limatime, and will likely finish with only marginally better stats than Ryan Jensen. If Jensen can come back soon, I'd prefer to see him starting, with Jesse coming out of the bullpen in the Earl Weaver mold of breaking in a young pitcher. Keeping Foppert in the bullpen will keep him fresher (and presumably healthier) by not overworking him, but will still expose him to difficult situations and allow him to work through them without the fatigue factor interfering.

In other news, Yorvit Torrealba contines to prove he's a major league hitter. Yeah, I know it's just 34 AB, but I am confident enough in Yorvit's bat (and glove) that I feel the Giants will be fine if Santiago is a) injured or b) the devil reneges on the deal he signed with Benito.

Jose Cruz is now 2nd in the league in walks, 3rd in runs, 6th in OBP and OPS, and 9th in SLG. I'm going to have a little more on him and his breakout season later.

Today: Rueter (2-1, 3.34, 6/14 K/BB ) vs Dempster (1-1, 7.02, 15/28 K/BB) @ 5:00 EDT/2:00 PDT

2003-05-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Minors Update

Giants

Low A
Clay Hensley (SP) -- 7.0 0 0 0 0 10, perfect game (7 inning games in SAL doubleheaders)
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 0-5, 2 K
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 0-1, walk

High A
Postponed

AA
Kevin Correia (SP) -- 7.0 6 1 1 2 4
Carlos Valderrama (LF) -- 1-2, 2 walks
Joe Jester (2B) -- 0-2, 2 walks, 4th SB

AAA
Postponed

Athletics

Low A
Shane Komine (SP) -- 7.2 8 2 2 1 5
John McCurdy (SS) -- 2-3, 4th SB
John Baker (LF) -- 2-3, 5th double

High A
Luke Robertson (SP) -- 7.0 6 2 2 1 4
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 1-3, walk
Matt Bowser (1B/RF) -- 1-4

AA
Sonny Garcia (SP) -- 6.2 7 3 2 2 3
Freddie Bynum (SS) -- 0-3, 2 walks
Jeremy Brown (C) -- 2-5, 2nd double
Adam Morrissey (2B) -- 3-5

AAA
Aaron Harang (SP) -- 6.0 5 2 2 1 7
Mike Edwards (CF) -- 4-5
Graham Koonce (1B) --- 2-4, 5th homer
Bobby Crosby (SS) -- 2-5, 2 doubles (4)

2003-05-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Minors Update

Giants

Low A
Freddie Lewis (CF) -- 3-5
Travis Ishikawa (1B) -- 3-3, 1st homer, walk

High A
Branden Florence (LF) -- 2-4, 2 homers (6) & 0-3 (Game 2)
Angel Chavez (SS) -- 3-3, walk, 2 steals (3)

AA
Boof Bonser (SP) -- 4.1 8 4 2 1 2
Alejandro Freire (DH/1B) -- 1-4, double, walk
Joe Jester (2B) -- 3-5, double

AAA
Brian Powell (SP) -- 7.0 3 1 0 1 3
Todd Linden (LF) -- 1-3
Damon Minor (1B) -- 2-4, 2nd homer

Athletics

Low A
Nelson Cruz (CF) -- 0-3
Brian Stavisky (LF) -- 1-3
John Baker (C) -- 1-3, 9th double

High A
Ben Fritz (SP) 5.0 3 1 0 4 2
Nick Swisher (CF) -- 1-3, 7th double, walk

AA
No Game

AAA
Joe Valentine (RP) 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
Bobby Crosby (SS) 1-4
Billy McMillon (RF) 2-4

2003-05-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Gone Glimmering

Eric Chavez broke out of a homer drought (for him) with his 5th bomb of the year. The most promising development here is that Eric's homer came off of Mark Buehrle, one of the toughest lefties in the AL. IMHO, Eric could really put it all together this season and have an MVP-caliber year. He's walking at a great rate and if he can push his average into the .310-.325 range, he could have a monster .310/.400/.530 season with 40 homers and a ton of RBI. Of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

It's hard enough to hit Mulder under ideal conditions, but last night the White Sox faced Mulder in an extremely foggy U.S. Cellular Field. The results were spectacular ... if you're an A's fan. Mark finished with a nice line of 9 4 1 1 0 6, with an excellent game score of 81.

Tonight: Halama (1-1, 2.95, 10/12 K/BB) vs Garland (1-2, 6.39, 15/11 K/BB) @ 8:05 EDT/5:05 PDT

2003-05-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

Holy Schmidt!

That was an unbelievable performance last night from Jason Schmidt. Fortunately, I've never had to go through an experience like Jason has gone through with his mother's illness and I am in awe of the way he was able to completely block out all of his personal problems and focus on last night's start. Terms like warrior don't do justice to Schmidt on a day like this. His final line looks eerily similar to the line I predicted Wood would have in Tuesday's game:

9 3 0 0 2 12

Schmidt's game score was an incredible 91, which is just 3 points lower than the score Millwood received from his no-hitter. Just a dominant, dominant start from Jason.

Any further proof of Schmidt's dominance can be gleaned from the fact that it completely overshadowed Bonds' explosion. Barry just muscled one to left-center like only Barry can (seriously). The shot into the cove was just a classic Barry shot--the kind where everybody in the bar just turns around to look as soon as they hear the sound of the ball hitting his bat. Not to turn into a preteen at a Backstreet Boys concert, but I had goosebumps when Bonds came up in the 8th and everyone was chanting "Barry." It was one of those moments in time that you know you had better savor because you're likely never to witness anything like it again. Bonds now sits at the clasic Barry line of .290/.440/.650.

2003-04-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hello. I've slowly been trying to get this blog off the ground and tonight I'll make my first real posts. I finished the majority of the design Saturday, as planned, but I was too disgusted by the no-hitter to post on Sunday or yesterday. I have Wood on a fantasy team, which puts me in a difficult situation. I'm not going to pull for the Giant hitters to make outs--don't worry--but I want Wood to have a good game. How about he beans a bunch of Giant hitters with a 40 mph "fastball" in their rear ends? That way, they get on base, it doesn't count against Wood's stats, and the pitch doesn't hurt them. He can strike out Grissom, Nefi, and the pitcher as much as he wants, though, since it's for the best. The sooner Grissom is in a platoon, the better off the team is. The more Neifi is humiliated and Alou has to think twice about putting him in the lineup--good thing. The pitchers' stats don't mean anything. I would normally wish for a bunch of errors and unearned runs, but we count all runs allowed and also reaching on errors will hurt the team OBP. Of course, this is will never happen and Wood will put up something in this neighborhood:

7.0 4 1 1 3 11

I'm sure the bullpen will blow any lead Wood helps them build, though.

2003-04-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

Work In Progress -- The Construction Will Be Finished Saturday Night, 4/26. Thanks For Your Patience!