Monday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris on Apr 27, 2009 9:30 AM CDT
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PrintYeah, I'm still irritated by yesterday's game.
Evan Grant laments the Rangers letting a winnable game slip away, and goes down the list of self-inflicted damage the team did to itself in blowing a 5-1 lead.
In Jeff Wilson's game story, Brandon McCarthy accepts blame for the loss, saying that he should have been able to shut down the Orioles in the 5th, rather than allowing three runs to score to let them back in the game.
One of the bright spots from yesterday's game was David Murphy, who broke out of a season-long 0'fer with a home run.
Wilson also has some notes up, including some discussion of Ranger positional players who are going to get a day off in the near future, and Josh Hamilton's status (he's apparently good to go for today).
T.R. Sullivan says that Matt Harrison is looking to get back on track today, after a poor start to the season.
And Richard Durrett shares some of his Rangers thoughts after this weekend's games.
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Can someone please point me to a box score
that still lists inherited runners scored. And why is this not included in the standard box score anymore?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
I'm glad
I’m not the only one missing that. I also hate how most stat pages don’t list that on pitchers’ pages. It’s much harder to find than it should be.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I agree.
We are in the midst of a seeming stat-revolution, and a key factor of a box score that has been there for 20 years suddenly goes AWOL…baffling.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
So is this a make or break start for Harrison?
Do he get sent back to AAA tomorrow if he keeps walking guys again after getting ahead 0-2?
I’m a fan of Harrison, and may even be in the drivers seat of his bandwagon, but with that comes the responsibility of knowing when he needs to go to OKC. Something isn’t working for him right now, and hopefully the right adjustment can be made. He’s young and seems to me that he could develop into a very good pitcher (solid #3 lefty type), but he can’t be walking people.
What about Harrison still makes you hopeful, long term?
Not saying you’re wrong, I’d just love to hear your reasoning.
Make me believe.
Cause right now I got nothing.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah,
the only thing I see that he’s got going for him is that he is a lefty. If he was a righty, he’d have no redeeming values.
Put it this way, when Benson gets off the DL, I’d rather option Harrison to AAA than release Benson, and I’m not all that wild about Benson.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
I think lefthandedness is the sinlge most overrated trait in the game.
Right above speed and switch hitting.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
which is all behind "clutch-ness"
right? lol
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Apr 27, 2009 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, at least it's been proven that lefties and switch-hitters actually exist.
And I once saw Joey Gathright hit a triple on what should’ve been a rather routine double live and in person, so I know fast people exist, too.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
I still don't understand this theory.
Are there not plenty of players out there who can’t hit a lefty better than a righty?
That's some awkward phrasing... but, So what?
Isn’t the opposite true as well?
Aren’t there plenty of hitters who hit lefties much better than righties?
In certain situations being a lefty is a great advantage, but by the time they reach the bigs and get some innings under their belt, shouldn’t those advantages show themselves in the stats? If the stats say he’s not good, and those stats were accumulated throwing with that hand, then why does the fact that he throws with hand a theoretical advantage going forward?
Like I said, in certain situation handedness does matter (as does speed and switch-hitting, etc.), but on the whole it’s extremely overrated.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Well if it serves a purpose in certain situations then I guess I fail to see how it's usefulness could be overrated.
It certainly isn’t as overrated as pitch counts
If you don't see how something could be useful in certain narrow situations but still be overrated then I don't know what to say.
That’s some pretty simple logic.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
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by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Plus
overrated doesn’t mean bad. Plenty of players are highly overrated, but are still good
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Yah, I think to OC overrated means either "Bad" or "Totally useless" or some amalgam of the two.
Which of course it doesn’t.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I think other things are more overrated
Ballparks are not symmetrical – the Rangers happen to play in a park that heavily favors left handed hitters. And righty/lefty splits do exist, with the worst matchup for a hitter tending to be the left handed batter versus the left handed pitcher (since its fundamentally harder and there is typically less experience)
I’d be curious to know an all time (or past 5 year) splits between LHP and RHPs in the RBiA.
But shouldn't that advanatage already be evident in the stats?
The stats he’s accumulated were done so using that “advantage” and so I don’t know how saying that he has said advantage makes him better than another pitcher with similar stats but who throws with the other hand.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Lefty pitchers are harder to hit for lefty batters, on average
- lefty batter hit better than right batters, on average (there was a study done on this some time ago where the average OPS of left-handed hitters over the last 50 years was higher than that of right handed hitters)
- There are more right handed hitters than left handed hitters, on average
- So lefty pitchers gain an advantage “tougher” hitters, but there are more righty hitters. Therefore, lefty pitchers enjoy greater advantage, but get to enjoy the advantage on fewer number of batters face than a righty pitcher, on average
- Not sure how the two effects balance themselves out, on average
- on average
But don't lefty hitters hit "better" than righty hitters because there are more right handed pitchers?
I don’t think those numbers mean lefty hitters are truly “better”, I think it shows that they get to face advantageous pitching situations more often.
But I’ve never done the research, that’s just what I’d figure.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions
There is a case of selection bias in here
and I’m not sure how big an effect it is.
Basically, since most batters are “selected” based on their overall ability to hit, they are being selected based primarily on their ability to hit right handed pitching.
A left handed batter with strong platoon splits can make it a long way, simply because there aren’t that many lefties. The ability to hit LHP isn’t a strong factor in rising above the competition – in this case the other players at your level (though by the time guys hit the majors, even mild advantages are significant).
Right handed batters, meanwhile, won’t get very far if they can only hit left handed pitching. They’d better have some other skills (great fielding, exceptional offense against lefties) to move up as a platoon guy, and not many guys are. Really, they are selected for their overall skills as hitters, regardless of handedness of the pitcher. Most of the righties who kill lefties are old guys who have lots of power but have lost a bit of their skill (e.g., Sammy Sosa in 2007)
So basically, the advantage to a left-handed pitcher is that few, if any, of the opposing hitters have been “selected” for their ability to hit pitches from that direction. I think overall this is a non-trivial advantage to left-handed pitchers throughout the league.
Now, the flip side, as Dirkatron may point out, is that these factors will help guys like Harrison (and lesser lefties like Koronka and Gabbard) rise through the minors fast, because their stats look better than they should relative to their competition (other pitchers). And once they hit the big leagues, this lefty advantage is probably the smallest of any level by far, so they get exposed.
I don't know
First, he’s a lefty and 23 years old. Both are very good features to have in a young starting pitcher.
He has solid minor league numbers, he never walked tons of guys until he got to the bigs. He’s not ever going to be a strike out pitcher, but lefties don’t have to be strike out pitchers in RBiA. It doesn’t look like he’s been prone to the home run – just the type of guy who goes out there, pitches to contact, gives up some soft hits but nothing major. If that guy could come out while in a Rangers uniform (and we saw games last year where he did), he could be an effective, league-average lefty, maybe even a bit better. And a league average lefty in Arlington is better than a league average righty.
I can understand why people don’t like Harrison – we’ve seen enough soft-tossing lefties fail miserably here (Koronka, Gabbard). But Harrison has a better track record than those guys, he’s younger, and I think he has better stuff in general. Sure, the Holland model is better – blow the ball past guys, because the one thing about a K is that our crappy defense doesn’t have a chance to screw it up. But I see Harrison as a younger, lefty version of Feldman.
He does look psychologically overmatched out there though. Which is my biggest worry about the guy.
Harrison as a younger, lefty version of Feldman?
I keep saying this, and nobody ever really agrees, but Feldman really has very good stuff at times. When he has both the tailing and the riding fastballs with late downer action and moving in opposite directions, that is pretty impressive to watch.
I’ve watched Feldman and thought to myself, this guy could really be a force if he gets it figured out. I’ve never had that same thought about Harrison. He needs pinpoint command and he doesn’t have anything close to that yet. Hopefully it will come.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
I should clarify that point
I don’t think that Harrison’s stuff, if thrown from the right side, would equal Feldman’s. They have different styles obviously, but my perspective is that their results are similar (their peripherals were very similar last year). Neither will overpower or K many people. Both require their control to be on to be effective. They’re going to give up hits, and hopefully not too many home runs.
I think to be better, Harrison has to be far more in control than he is now, whereas Feldman seems closer to being effective. So maybe that makes Feldman more valuable right now. But Harrison is younger, and has shown that he could be in control in the past, and its not obvious that Feldman is going to keep improving at this point (hopefully he does).
Lots of people agree with you there, actually.
Feldman’s pitches move. Some move a lot.
It’s just a matter of consistency with him, cause it seems like every once in a while he’ll just lose that movement, whether that’s a long term concern, or simply fatigue and/or lack of reps with his current mechanics has yet to be determined, imo.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Feldman needs command of his pitches
If he gets it, he should be okay
If he doesn’t get it, he is Doug Mathis
He's already a million times better than Asian Kid.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Harrison
I think he’s worth defending. But, he should be in AAA.
Harrison: Solid 90’s Fastball. Tall, LHP. That’s a rare breed.
I admit he’s frustrating to watch, but he’s a solid prospect. And if he displaces the Benson’s of the world, are we really that much worse off? He may be a solid Bull Pen guy for our World Series Run in 2011. So, if he losses some games in 2009, I’m not going to lose my mind over it.
If Harrison falls on his face tonight
(which I think he will), why not let him work out of the bullpen for a while?
There’s something there but what we’re seeing are the typical struggles young pitchers have when they’re breaking into The Show. I don’t think sending him down to AAA is the answer. The kid needs to learn how to get big league hitters out and splashing around the bully for a while might not be a bad idea.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 27, 2009 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd be open to that
It’d mean releasing Eddie though (which I’m all for).
Put Harrison in the bullpen and tell him that his #1 job is to not walk anyone. $500 fine for every walk.
I'd go for realeasing or trading Eddie G
His time is definitely passed. Unfortunately, I don’t think fining pitchers for walks is allowed. And if you put Harrison in the pen, who do you put in the rotation. I don’t think Dutch is ready just yet.
i think you give him 3 more starts (about 2 weeks) - this one +2
then re-evaluate both he and holland
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Apr 27, 2009 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions
Don't sell yourself short...
I have it on good authority that serious talks are underway to trade you to the Mets board, and that the return is a young guy with a gift for limericks. :-)
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
dammit, we don't need limericks
what this board needs is more haikus… I wish we had a GM that understood this!
Grieve: The Yanks have struggled so far. - Lewin: Yeah, cry me a bag of money.
Dykstra has all the money!
ElectricOkra.com
Johnny Donuts sucks
Nolan Ryan Saves the Day
Ron Washington Sucks
/Josey Wales
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
Don't forget
73-89
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Meh...
I would rather see Harrison stay in the rotation. Harrison > Benson.
The Rangers need to cut ties with both Benson and Guardado anyway.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Actually,
I’ve seen nothing that makes me believe that Harrison>Benson. Which is fairly sad. Since Harrison can still be optioned, thats what I’d do.
Harrison can work on throwing strikes in AAA.
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
As for the frisbee tosser?
No need to keep him around.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 27, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions
Age and velocity...
would be why I think Harrison is better than Benson. Don’t get me wrong, Harrison has certainly looked bad thus far. However his age gives me some hope that he will learn how to pitch better and get control of his pitches. Harrison could have a future on this team. Either as a starter or a reliever. Benson has no future here.
I’d have no problem with Harrison going to AAA to work on things, but not while this rotation still has Benson in it. He needs to be the first to go imo.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Long term I agree
But I think that Harrison is over-thinking things out there while he pitches. And the Rangers need to nip that in the bud, lest he become a CJ type headcase. Maybe a trip to AAA to let him regain confidence in going after hitters. I don’t know.
I do think Harrison is more important to this organization than Benson, but if Harrison continues to be ineffective, he has options so let him work through those problems without being scarred permanently.
I definitely prefer AAA to “the bully,” but I can see the logic of sending him to the bullpen for a while if they think that may help his focus.
Harrison is more important than Benson
but is rolling Harrison out in the MLB every fifth day to get shelled really the best thing to do with him?
4/10/09 - Josh Hamilton's last walk.
by DJCahill on Apr 27, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
No
which is why I started this discussion about sending him to AAA.
There is a reason guys have multiple options – there are guys like Harrison who have to go up and down a bit. I don’t think that is fundamentally bad. Use the option. He’s spent time in “The Show,” he should have an idea on what works and what doesn’t by now. Let him go to AAA, fix the things that are broken, learn to emphasize what works, and gain confidence.
I think you give Harrison a couple of more starts
and then reevaluate.
He’s probably going to suck but we’re developing young pitchers and this is what young pitchers do so get used to it. Most of them do not have Holland’s ability (gawd, I love to watch that kid pitch!!).
After he sucks you send him to the bully and let him splash around there for a while.
If he sucks in the bully and is ineffective, then you send him to OKC.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 27, 2009 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
I think you only send Harrison to the bullpen
if you have good reason to believe he’ll be effective there. Teams have lots of control over their use of the bullpen – you have to make sure that he’s used properly and in situations that will allow him to fix whatever his problem is (confidence, approach, focus, who knows)
I think if they know he needs to work on several things in particular (and it isn’t just focus or the like), then you just go straight to AAA with him. Sending him to the bullpen, only to fail there, would be disastrous managing.
JB
Harrison showed an inconsistent ability to get major league hitters out last year so the kid is close, he’s just not there right now.
Having him take the ball every 5th day and not only getting shelled but taking away any chance the team has to win is lose-lose for everybody.
If Harrison pitches long relief and comes into games that Benson or McCarthy has f’d up, at least he gets to come into games that are lost causes.
Taking the burden of having to go to the mound every 5th day may be the route to take with Harrison. If he is still having problems pitching effectively, then you send him to OKC.
It’s a great way to break in major league pitchers and a lot of big name leftys have done it recently and long ago.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 27, 2009 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions
How many innings would you expect him to get
per bullpen outing? I know McCarthy bruises like a peach, but he has still made it through 5 innings in each of his starts so far. I don’t see how Benson goes back into the rotation unless Feldman screws up horribly in his next start or two. And I like Feldman’s chances to go at least 5 innings out there too. As I said above, I think Harrison’s biggest problem right now is poor pitch selection which he has acknowledged himself. If he’s going to fix that, pitching only a few innings per outing won’t do anything.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Poor pitch selection
Confuses me a bit (admittedly, not hard to accomplish). Is he calling his own pitches? Shaking off? If his (main) problem is pitch selection, can that not be solved by a “just nod and throw the pitch called” edict?
someone (Goyogringo?) brought up a great point the other day
Harrison is exactly the type of pitcher that would benefit the most by pairing up with an accomplished game caller like Teagarden. TT should be behind the plate for every Harrison outing.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
I would like to see that
I wonder if that’s why Teagarden didn’t start yesterday?
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
TeaBag is starting tonight.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
lose-lose?
But at some point, if you believe he has the ability to be a starter, he has to start consistently and be allowed to grow into the role. The Rangers have a long history of pulling guys out of the rotation too quickly in situations like this. And, especially if you think the Rangers don’t really have much of a chance at the playoffs this year anyway, they might as well leave him in there a while longer and see if he improves. I say give him a couple of months unless he just spirals downward.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Harrison to the pen
Not sure how I feel about that. If you don’t trust him than he’d have to be used only in low leverage situations — the very kind of situations you might be inclined to use Holland right now as he gets his first taste of the big leagues. Harrison almost seems like Mendoza to me at times. A guy with talent to pitch, but often not much confidence to get it done.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
There are different types of flailing pitchers
and I’m not sure which Harrison is. Some guys need more focus to be effective, and the bullpen provides that. Other guys need more confidence, at which point, AAA is better to build that up. I would hope Maddux & co. would have an idea which is best.
In Harrison’s last start, Nadel was making comments suggesting that Harrison was not as intense when facing the bottom of Toronto’s lineup, which caused most of the problems (he then backed off the comments pretty quick, but the message was clear). If that is the case, then putting him in the bullpen where he knows he is going to pass or fail based on his allotment of 3 batters is the way to do it. But I’m really going off of just an aside.
The bullpen isn't the right place for Harrison
It looks like one of his biggest problem this season is pitch selection. Throwing 2 innings at a time won’t help him solve that problem.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Andrus
could def bring some of that speedy excitement to our team
by kevinkinsler on Apr 27, 2009 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't think Andrus is anywhere near as fast as Ellsbury.
That kind can straight up fly.
But the idea of having Andrus and Borbon in our everyday lineup starting next year does seem pretty fun.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions
wait
didn’t you say above that speed is overrated?
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 27, 2009 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Um, yes.
But what has that got to do with a discussion regarding a comparison of two players’ speed?
Nothing, I’d say.
And speed is overrated in most cases, but can also be very beneficial in certain cases. The thing that makes it overrated is that most people can’t differentiate between the two. Also, it’s fun to watch fast people run so people confuse “Enjoyable to watch” with “Helps the team win”, much like with guys who throw 100mph but can’t control it. There’s that “Ooh!” effect that messes with the rational side of the brain.
I mean, I love watching Joey Gathright stretch a double into a triple, but I don’t want him within 100 feet of the Ranger CF job.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
ok
these two statements confused me:
I think lefthandedness is the sinlge most overrated trait in the game.
Right above speed and switch hitting.
I took that to mean because they have speed…But the idea of having Andrus and Borbon in our everyday lineup starting next year does seem pretty fun.
I don’t really care — not trying to nitpick your words or anything.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 27, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions
bah
I screwed up that quoting
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 27, 2009 11:17 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes, "fun" and "important to wins and losses" are different animals.
Joey Gathright is fun.
Kevin Youkilis is not.
Etc…
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Words wouldn't describe that.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 27, 2009 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
No, this is much more theatrical than that.
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 27, 2009 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions
He is painful to watch
but Boston generally is my least favorite team to watch (other than the A’s), since they make every game they play in last 4 hours
that was sweet
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Apr 27, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions
The radio call was the best
Haven’t heard a radio announcer get that excited since Harry Kalas’ WS victory call in the 80’s
speaking of Ellsbury
how does Borbon compare? Does Julio project as a similar ML player to Jacoby?
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
i still think
Borbon will be just as productive (and possibly more productive) in his ML career than Ellsbury. He has a very similar background and skill set and their numbers to date are very similar
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
can we talk about how little sense that john mayberry pick makes now?
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam - Cahill the Elder
Has it not been brought up before or something?
We may as well talk about how Donald Harris over Frank Thomas and how we shouldn’t have run Armando Galarraga through waivers while we’re at it.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Sigh...
then we would be seeing German Duran everyday at 2B.
I really don’t want to talk about that.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I wouldn't be here! :-)
Go Rangers...don't suck...
by Kinslerhomer on Apr 27, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
You would just be a Cardinals fan
Imagine how good the Cards’ lineup would be with Pujols and Kinsler…
Mmm... Rockies.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions
oh yeah...
I’m just assuming that after Kinsler won the Triple Crown in Colorado, they’d have traded him to the Cardinals.
We'd've probably made the playoffs that year.
But be in much worse shape now.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
You want the mustache on or off? ... ... ... Too bad.
by thedirkatron on Apr 27, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions
I think we gave away Jeff Burroughs...
…for way too little in return.
Will there ever be a rainbow?
by Chad Crudup on Apr 27, 2009 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions
btw
stealing home with the bases loaded and 2 outs with JD Drew up? And JD Drew hits a double anyway?
I mean, it’s cool and all but this is a lot like a double steal. If it doesn’t work, could really take you out of the game.
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam - Cahill the Elder
*JD Drew
i guess it’s not like he’d be great against a lefty
Ceterum censeo Cat esse delendam - Cahill the Elder
Dont think he had a hit before that double
But I see what you are saying. Still fun to watch. Petitte was def asleep.
Rocky Mountain Ranger
geez
i leave for the weekend and by the time I come back Salty and Smoak are suddenly hitting the ball. That is a pleasant turn of events. I think this offense might just turn out okay.
As far as Harrison, I was pretty adament after his last start that he deserves the chance to work on his stuff more in AAA. It is a disservice to him to have him up here when he clearly isn’t ready. That said, I still believe he has the stuff to be a quality major league pitcher.
The problem is that he is a pitchability guy who will rely more on smarts/variety/pitch selection than raw stuff throughout his career, and those guys often need more time in the minors to hone their craft. Having Harrison essentially skip AAA was a necessary disaster last year, but he needs to be there now. If we rolled with a rotation of Millwood, Padilla, McCarthy, Feldman and Holland/Mendoza for a while (with Harrison working in AAA), I could get behind that.
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
I could dust off my
kazoo. Plus, I’m close.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Cool
my students can have kazoo lessons instead of piano. Some of them would probably be better off playing kazoo, anyway
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Harrison Wins Tonight
Prediction: Harrison goes 7 tonight, gives up 1 run, walks 3, stikes out 4, 5 hits allowed.
Even if he does fall flat on his face, he will get at least three more starts. If he, at that point, is 0-6 and has lost confidence, then they will probably either switch him and Holland, or send Harrison to AAA and bring up Diamond or another longer arm for the bullpen. I bet they do the first one.
Eddie wont be cut unless he is completely horrible the rest of the way, the team values his entangables enough to keep him around… I disagree, but this is how they think.
This is our year.
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/1/29/739765/the-socket-joint-rotator-c
by FormerLSBUser on Apr 27, 2009 11:32 AM CDT reply actions
Mendoza
Harrison will have the same line, but with 5 R, 4 ER.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Don't bogart that
joint my friend…
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
That was last week!
…
¡Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!
by inactive lsb user on Apr 27, 2009 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Cautious Optimist
is my middle name
This is our year.
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/1/29/739765/the-socket-joint-rotator-c
by FormerLSBUser on Apr 27, 2009 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll second this prediction on Harrison
And if Harrison fails tonight, I think 3-4 more starts is a good time to re-evaluate if he should go back to AAA. Don’t pull young pitchers you’re trying to develop out of the rotation because of a poor month.
Eddie on the other hand has been completely horrible up to now. I don’t have much faith in him being able to pitch much better from here on out.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
"A poor month" ??
Harrison has been mostly poor as a major league pitcher unless he was facing the Oakland A’s.
Speaking of which….wonder if the Rangers thought about scheduling their rotation so Harrison would face them this week?
Probably a little too much thinking for Wash.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 27, 2009 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Aren't those the same Oakland A's
That you said finished much stronger than the Rangers.
And FWIW, Harrison had a GS of at least 50 against LAA, NY, TB, KCR (another one of your favorite teams), and then the two Oakland starts in September.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Yes, but those Oakland A's were
hardly an offensive juggernaut.
That A’s team did play better than the Rangers towards the end of the season but that’s hardly an accomplishment to brag about.
Without looking and just because I know crap like this, I wanna say Harrison had Game Scores of 50+ in 6 of his 15 starts.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on Apr 27, 2009 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions
The A's
I could probably pitch a 50 game score against the A’s last year, and my fastball would be lucky to touch 80. And that is kilometers per hour…
So, you're saying
your pitches wouldn’t even get a ticket in the school zone?
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Oakland
Dave Pinto mentioned today that the Oakland bullpen is averaging 4 innings per game, so their success to date might not last. That will be a good point to watch later in the season, and is a downside of having a rotation so full of youngsters learning to pitch.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
He has to be able to locate
down in the zone, and thrown strikes at the same time… he got into a ok groove last year and was able to ride out the year with his stuff, and he could get into a similar groove this year, but if he doesnt get it together fast then he will just sit out there, will be used in 3 run deficit games in the 7-8th inning, and provide some leadership and what not for the boys.
I found last year that Harrison would be bad for 3-4 starts, then would have a start where he missed some bats, got some soft contact, and did ok. I think we will see that tonight, he just has to throw strikes.
But, like I said, he gets 3-4 more starts regardless. If he fails in all, then demotion to pen or AAA will happen, with Holland into the rotation as the lefty(I think they want at least one lefty in their at all times) and then a good righty arm will be called up, probably either Diamond or Stroop.
This is our year.
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/1/29/739765/the-socket-joint-rotator-c
by FormerLSBUser on Apr 27, 2009 12:48 PM CDT up reply actions
He Better
start off good, I have a feeling if he gets into ANY trouble they will throw Mendoza in there quick
by blueballlefty on Apr 27, 2009 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions
good stuff
thanks
Rock Flag & Eagle Radio: Thursdays 10 PM - 1 AM on FM 88.7 The Choice
"Computers can’t measure the size of a man’s heart."
- Hawk Harrelson, MLB Guru/Analyst
two questions
i have not heard any updates about Boscon’s injury since Jamey’s email last week, and I haven’t heard if Rupe made it through waivers and joined OKC.
Has any more information come out on either of these two things?
Thanks!
What is this, Horseville? Because I'm surrounded by naysayers.
nothing on either
that I’m aware of anyway.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
well, I don't know if Jamey's email mentioned
that Boscan’s injury is apparently a mild strain of the abdomen or oblique. I think our source on that is the team photographer. Jason Cole said it was a minor shoulder thing. Both reports seemed to indicate that the DL move was mostly precautionary.
If you take the worst pitching staff in baseball, then add Kris Benson and Jason Jennings, what do you have???
surprise!!! You have the worst pitching staff in baseball, that's what.
Ok a questiion
although ronwash has made no noticeably “bad” moves lately, there are probably 4 games we should have won this year that we lost, and 2-3 more games that we could have won. I know it is hard to blame games like yesterday on him, and I’m not really doing that, but when a team keeps losing games it shouldn’t who do you blame? this is a pro sport so we cant just go around saying its nobody’s fault, we played hard, it just didn’t fall our way, we having doing that for two years now
Really?
By your supposition, this team should be 14-4? Really?
With a staff ERA around 6? Really?
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Every season has games we lost yet should have won...
but how many games this year did we win that we had no business winning?
The Texas Rangers have been synonymous with explosive firepower ever since they emptied 130 rounds into Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934. - Alyssa Milano
3, fer sure.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
no not 14-4
but would 11-8 be too outrageous? with this team performing the way it is 11-8 isn’t unreasonable, I can think of three players that have really underperformed (Padilla, Hamilton, Murphy) the bullpen isn’t really a surprise, and Murphy has really been more of a 5th OF all year anyway I dont think his play has really hurt this team. just a thought, with some really good managing this team I believe could be at least 11-8 but I guess what do you expect when your manager is the third highest payed coach on the staff.
by blueballlefty on Apr 27, 2009 10:15 PM CDT up reply actions
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