MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[Clapp]

Luis Vizcaino saw one batter tonight, BJ Upton. Home run to win the game, Upton's 1st of the year.
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

Oh, and the Indians blew a 7-0 lead. What a disappointment they are.

[ruby23]

<!--quoteo(post=38247:date=May 15 2009, 10:14 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ May 15 2009, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=38246:date=May 15 2009, 09:10 PM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ May 15 2009, 09:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=38243:date=May 15 2009, 10:06 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ May 15 2009, 10:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=38239:date=May 15 2009, 09:00 PM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ May 15 2009, 09:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=38238:date=May 15 2009, 09:57 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ May 15 2009, 09:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=38235:date=May 15 2009, 08:45 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ May 15 2009, 08:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'm not sure who to root for in that series.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Brewers. They finished 7.5 games behind us with CC having one of the best few months runs in the history of pitching, and Ben Sheets pitching great ball, winning 13 games. Yes Rickie Weeks is finally hitting like everybody thought he would and Hoffman's an upgrade at closer, but I still don't see how they can really be a legitimate threat to us with their rotation being Gallardo, Bush, Looper, Parra, and Suppan.
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Look at the Cards rotation though, it's worse, with a worse bullpen, and a worse lineup. I think the Brewers are way more of a threat than the Cards.
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I don't think the Cardinals rotation is worse and neither is their lineup. They scored more runs than the Brewers last year and are doing the same this year.
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The rotation may be a push, but on paper, the Brewer's lineup is way better. Also, I will fart in your mouth.
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I know you will.

Carpenter's rehabbing well and is expected back very soon. Odds are he'll just continue to get hurt, but he showed he's still plenty good enough if he can stay out there. He would make the Cardinals much more of a threat, but again, certainly can't count on him to stay healthy.

I'm not worried about either team at all. If they finish ahead of us, that just means we really fucked up or had a shitload of injuries.
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Yes, I agree . . . and my dog just french onion queefed in your direction.

[Fella]

Carpenter is now likely going to start against us on Wednesday.

[alpha]

Rich Hill is making his first start today.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=38398:date=May 16 2009, 05:29 PM:name=alpha)-->QUOTE (alpha @ May 16 2009, 05:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Rich Hill is making his first start today.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
He had much better control than I was expecting for sure, but he wasn't nearly as good as his line would indicate. The Royals had him in trouble in the first two innings and hit into double plays on 2-0 and 3-1 counts. I have no idea how they've won so many games if they're putting the lineup they had tonight out there, it was awful.

His fastball was 85-89 and he wasn't hitting his spots with it. Had his old curveball though, that looked very good. He looks REALLY thin.

Overall though, he's just happy to not throw any at the backstop and get back on an MLB mound. If he doesn't get more velocity on his fastball and is struggling with his command still though, the AL East is going to hit him really hard.

[Ace]

So the Cubs get a wicked awesome PTBNL for him now, right? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

[Fly]

<!--quoteo(post=38406:date=May 16 2009, 10:10 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ May 16 2009, 10:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->So the Cubs get a wicked awesome PTBNL for him now, right? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I think it's Wieters.

[rok]

Yeah, I don't really care what Hill does in the short-term, unless it nets us a nicer PTBNL He could go 20-0 this season, and odds are he'd be back in the minors again within a year. He has the brain of a gerbil.

[Clapp]

Rickie Weeks off to Phoenix to get his left wrist looked at, getting an MRI.

[kbwsb]

I know some of you disagree, but it seems as if Greinke is the real deal:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->...Greinke now is 7-1 with a 0.60 ERA through his first eight starts this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one other pitcher over the past 90 years has posted at least seven wins with an ERA as low as Greinke's through his first eight starts of a season: Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 (8-0 with a 0.50 ERA).

Consecutive starts with five or more strikeouts and two or fewer earned runs to begin the season in the past 50 years:

2000 Randy Johnson 9*
2009 Zack Greinke 8
2000 Pedro Martinez 8*
1981 Fernando Valenzuela 8*
2005 Johan Santana 7*
*Won Cy Young<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Baron]

According to Sportscenter, Weeks is out for the season with a tear in his wrist.

[Clapp]

Yep. Huge loss for them, I think he's been the key to their season so far. I'd think there will be talk of bringing Durham back now.

[Butcher]

How. It's crazy how many injuries there have been this season already -- and not just the Cubs.

[Clapp]

And Carlos Delgado is out 2 months.

[Brock]

<!--quoteo(post=38554:date=May 18 2009, 05:15 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ May 18 2009, 05:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Yep. Huge loss for them, I think he's been the key to their season so far. I'd think there will be talk of bringing Durham back now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Should be interesting to see what they do. I can't imagine they will stick with Counsell as an everyday guy. They do have some other options - calling up either Escobar or Gamel and seeing what they can do. Escobar is a SS but I'm sure he could play 2B, Gamel on the other hand is supposedly horrible at 3B, but I'm sure they will consider trying him there and moving Hall to 2B.