Could This Be The End For Kris Benson?
Doug Mathis pulled in the middle of the third inning of his start tonight, and apparently wasn't injured.
8 months ago
Adam J. Morris
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If that's the case
I hope they actually use Mathis. It’s about time they replace a pitcher they will only use in conjunction with rare celestial events with one they might actually use. Seems a wasted of a roster spot to have a guy in the pen you don’t use for over 2 weeks.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on May 25, 2009 10:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It appears that...
…Washington’s solution to having a lack of good options in the bullpen is to just simply quit using the bullpen, other than the 3 or 4 guys he actually trusts.
Which, I guess, isn’t necessarily a bad idea…
by Adam J. Morris on May 25, 2009 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right,
but while not necessarily a bad idea, there will obviously be times when you have to use those guys. And not using them for two weeks means they may not really be ready to go when you do need them. But, of course, if I’m Washington I’m not using guys just to use them. If they’re not going to use Benson then dump him and get someone Washington trusts more is my point.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on May 25, 2009 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
pretty obvious result if you think about it
Wash only trusts 3 guys, Nolan tells him to leave the starters in longer.
Should have seen this coming.
"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)
by ab03 on May 25, 2009 11:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well the team hasn't been blowing people out as much
We haven’t had many of those 12-5 games lately where the starter gets knocked out early but the team is far enough ahead (or behind) that you bring in guys like Benson and Madrigal who need work. Today was the first one in a good while, it seems.
Seems like the games have generally all been close lately or really dominant games by the starters. And in both those cases, I think Wash’s handling of the bullpen has been quite effective. I could care less if the 12th guy in the bullpen gets work
PhD
by JBImaknee on May 26, 2009 12:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
especially if you can get your starters to go that long
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 26, 2009 1:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Annoyed
I drove down for the the third Houston game. I was rather annoyed he didn’t pinch hit for McCarthy with runners on 2nd and 3rd with two Texas innings to picth left in the game at that point.
It wasn’t egregious, but I thought it was less than optimal use of the bench and bullpen.
FWIW, I thought 2006 was the appropriate end for Benson, not that that makes me particularly unusual. I just didn’t see how we were to expect him to help us compete. And if it’s a move that won’t help us compete it better be a move for the future. Benson was obvious to me to be neither.
by gr7070 on May 26, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Clarify
>>>Washington’s solution to having a lack of good options in the bullpen is to just simply quit using the bullpen<<<
In case it’s not clear I was using game 3 of the Houston series to provide examples of this statement being true.
by gr7070 on May 26, 2009 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So who gets DFAd when Nippert comes off the DL?
If its Mathis he can choose FA which I guess isn’t that bad of a thing but I had thought all along it would be Benson
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
by bigsteve on May 25, 2009 10:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
If we DFA Nippert in favor of Benson or Doug Mathis, I'd be kinda pissed.
Disappointed at least.
"Hi, I’m a fucking horsefaced moron." - John Lackey to Ian Kinsler, 5/16/09
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph on Matt Harrison
by lonestarJon on May 25, 2009 10:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
well benson would already be DFA'd
so it’d just be in favor of mathis. nippert, mathis – meh. I can’t tell a large enough difference between guys like these. I know Nippert has the stuff and I was on the bandwagon last year but meh. If it doesn’t come together, it doesn’t come together
"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)
by ab03 on May 25, 2009 11:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
yea i agree with this 100%
id take nippart’s upside >>> mathis
you still have anothe rpitcher, much like mathis, at AAA in mendoza
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.
-
Scout to KG: On Sandoval: "Man, that fat [expletive]-er can hit."
by knockoutking on May 25, 2009 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
gross.
Mathis is NOTHING like Mendoza…take that back, I say!
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 26, 2009 1:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yah, Mendoza is about a million times better.
Or, well, actually they’re probably about the same.
Except Mendoza is bad but has the potential to actually be good, whereas Asian Kid is bad with the potential to lick my grundle.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 2:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mendoza doesn't have the make-up to be good
by oc on May 26, 2009 3:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree.
But, okay.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 4:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think Mendoza has the stuff to be successful
but so far he certainly has not shown he has the confidence to do it.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on May 26, 2009 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, calling him up for one appearance and then demoting him faster than Superman on laundry day probably wasn't the best way to build that confidence.
Talk about SSS.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think making him wait 12 days between appearances isn't exactly a recipe for success either
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
by bigsteve on May 26, 2009 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do you have any evidence to suggest the guy can take a licking and keep on ticking?
Would love to see it
by oc on May 26, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
So you want me to give you tangible evidence of an intangible?
Yah… good luck with that.
I tend to think the whole “He can’t take a licking and keep on ticking” thing is horribly overrated when it comes to pro athletes. We as fans tend to overanalyze things to a luaghable degree.
There are very few guys at this level of pro sports who truly lack the mental makeup to be succesful.
It comes down to ability.
If he can control his sinker, he’ll be fine.
If not, he’ll be out of baseball pretty soon.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It annoys the hell out of me too.
The road to get to the upper echelon, especially in baseball, is so very difficult. To think that these guys finally reach a very long held goal only to think “I can’t hack it” is freaking ludicrous…the beginnings in the back lots, giving up other facets of their lives, working their way through the minors on McD’s money…only to falter at the pinnacle?
It’s 99% talent, pure and simple.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on May 26, 2009 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I really don't believe that
I played golf in HS and my coach was a former badass of the Hogan/Nike Tours (whatever the minor league PGA tour is…)
He lead 4 or 5 tournaments in a row by 5 strokes or more going into the final round and he lost all of them. Win any of them and he would’ve had his tour card exempted. He had played in some PGA events on sponsor’s exemptions and made the cut and finished well (meaning he had the talent). But, when he had his entire career in his hands by leading those tournaments he choked completely. He had some kind of mental block that kept him from winning.
Some guys just don’t have it up there….
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 26, 2009 6:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right, the 1%.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
by Rodney on May 26, 2009 6:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think it's more than that
but OK, not worth arguing.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 26, 2009 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking as a professional musician
I agree with the diggler. It’s the baseball equivalent of stage fright and it’s a very real factor for some. I know that I have played terribly when nervous, and magnificently when confident, despite being equally well prepared technically and musically. Confidence matters enormously.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on May 26, 2009 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
man I've usually been able to follow all of your arguments
and agreed with most. Lately, not so much.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 26, 2009 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
whats the biggest differenct between mathis and mendoza?
while mendoza has had some success at some levels, what has he done at th ML level — mendoza isnt a guy like juan cruz or juan morillio who teams will keep giving chances to based on their stuff….either his sinker is working, or it isnt
mathis and mendoza are the same kind of pitchers, yes. (mendoza dies has the potential to be much better than mathis)
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
-
Scout to KG: On Sandoval: "Man, that fat [expletive]-er can hit."
by knockoutking on May 26, 2009 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think they're both likely to be bad pitchers at the major league.
But I think that while Doug Mathis has no potential to be a plus pitcher at this level, Mendoza actually does.
That sinker can be an out pitch.
I don’t see any hope for a soft-tossing meat baller like Do-Math.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
but we know Mendoza sucks at the major league level.
we don’t know that about Mathis yet…not for sure.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 27, 2009 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmm
thinking about it more, it does seem like a weird time to do this. Is Benson that bad (or even used that much) that this move needs to be made now as opposed to later when Benson leaves and Nippert comes back? Or are we worried that there are more blowups to follow this series and the bullpen is going to get taxed?
Or is it just that nobody will claim Nippert coming off the DL?
"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)
by ab03 on May 25, 2009 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The first question
meant to say that this move could just be made when Nippert comes off the DL
"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)
by ab03 on May 25, 2009 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Losing Kris Benson makes this team better
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
by Josey Wales on May 25, 2009 10:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Well...
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/5/18/878904/minors-5-18#15858153
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on May 25, 2009 10:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yay, the Asian Kid.
I’m so not excited at all!
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 25, 2009 11:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I forget
How was that nic coined again?
"Hi, I’m a fucking horsefaced moron." - John Lackey to Ian Kinsler, 5/16/09
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph on Matt Harrison
by lonestarJon on May 25, 2009 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ha
Doug Mathis = Do-Math (like A-Rod)
Asian kids are good at math…
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on May 25, 2009 11:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah, yeah...
I remember that now. Awesome.
"Hi, I’m a fucking horsefaced moron." - John Lackey to Ian Kinsler, 5/16/09
"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph on Matt Harrison
by lonestarJon on May 25, 2009 11:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
that's a pretty decent nickname
still doesn’t have the long story Brian Thomas wanted but its definitely not as obvious
"I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the [MLB] for guys to fall in love with [the Rangers’s] sloppy seconds." (thanks cstorm)
by ab03 on May 25, 2009 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mathis
No, not that exciting but I’d much prefer him on the roster to Benson.
Mathis is pretty meh, but at least with him, you figure there’s probably a 50/50 shot he’ll pitch into the 6th inning and keep you in the game. (which is, in fact, exactly what happened in his 4 starts last year – 2 of which he pitched decently, lasted into the 6th, and the Rangers won 3-1 and 6-3, the other 2 he got shelled and the Rangers lost blowouts)
As a starter, Benson at this point probably has <10% chance of making it into the 6th. That guy is a gas can.
Nippert would seem to be a wild card. I’d certainly rather have him on the roster than Benson in any case but I’m not sure I’d rather see him take a start fresh off the DL over Mathis right now during this season where we have a real chance of making the playoffs, even though I agree there’s probably more upside with Nippert.
by brianphayes on May 26, 2009 12:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Que?
The 40 Trumps All!!!
Chris Davis will be fine. Relax.
by thedirkatron on May 26, 2009 2:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Brian was a mainstay back in the ESPN days
and he hasn’t been around here much.
by Brett Perryman on May 26, 2009 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Mathis is being called up
it seems like it almost has to be Benson. Someone has to be kicked off of the 40, etc.
by Brett Perryman on May 25, 2009 11:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
OT: Jesse Chavez
a former Rangers’ 42nd round pick in 2002 might become an interim closer for the pirates as Capps left with an injury in the 9th inning. He got hit squarely in the elbow with a line drive.
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. ~Dave Barry
by NothinG on May 25, 2009 11:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I remember watching Chavez
and wondering why he wasn’t a little more highly regarded. He has a good fastball.
by Brett Perryman on May 26, 2009 12:02 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
One other possibility
Trade!
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
by RangerMad on May 26, 2009 8:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Also, there's a doubleheader on Friday
Might be preparing for that
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
by kentbenfer on May 26, 2009 8:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I was thinking about this too
but wouldn’t it still be the same rest? No need to pull him early from a start just to have him start Friday, five days later.
"You got a guy coming up there who can’t hit water if he fell out of a boat." - Tom Grieve on Richie Sexson, 5.8.2008
"I’ve been a Rangers fan all my life and I can tell you there’s been plenty of fucking crying in baseball…" - WhipSmart, 6.3.08
"When it comes to Jeff Mathis, the story ends with us putting one in his earhole." - AJM, 7.7.08
by lisa w on May 26, 2009 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
With off days on Thursday and
next Monday there is no problem starting our regular SPs for the DH. As EG speculates, he could be a mid-DH call up. That probably depends on the bullpen workload the next few days. Another possibilty is a trade of either Benson or Mathis. Or depending on how many options Mathis has, they may just want to jettison Benson for Mathis so they have additional bullpen flexibility going forward.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
by RangerMad on May 26, 2009 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I can't imagine
you can get anything in return for Benson. You pretty much have to release him.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
by DJCahill on May 26, 2009 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
you never know
Maybe a hot dog.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
by RangerMad on May 26, 2009 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Benson Was A Stop Gap Anyway
You’ve gotta wish him the best – he went to the ’pen without a complaint – but we have some very good pitchers in AAA that need to come up and get a shot. Thanks Benson, and all the best to you on your next career.
by GhostofGaryHogeboom on May 26, 2009 8:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep
he was just here for injury protection / failed starter protection. He was just supposed to be the easy guy to remove when Holland was ready.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
by DJCahill on May 26, 2009 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another theory
When Padilla comes off the DL someone is going to have to be optioned to OKC. Maybe the Rangers want to keep Madrigal (the guy who would have gone down if Benson was here) so they release Benson for Mathis right now and simply option Mathis back down once Padilla is ready.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
by bigsteve on May 26, 2009 9:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I think you may be right about Madrigal
but they don’t need to involve Mathis to keep Madrigal up.
by Brett Perryman on May 26, 2009 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is how I see it playing out.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
by slc ranger on May 26, 2009 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
how so...
purely on talent at this point in their careers? I don’t remember Mathis being taken in the top of the first round of a draft, or ever being hyped that much…?
I don’t think Mathis is the key to our bullpen or anything, but I’d much rather give him a chance than wheel Benson, Mandoza, etc. out there anymore…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on May 26, 2009 1:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why is this even an issue?
Leave Benson in the pen for now for all I care. He’ll be gone in a month or two when Nippert/Eyre are ready anyway.
No matter who we replace him with, that guy isn’t getting used. Wash is essentially sticking with a CJ/ODay/FF pen with Holland(when he goes back) and Jennings sprinkled in. Eddie and especially Benson are only blowout inning eaters.
by behindthebag on May 26, 2009 3:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yep
I think Adam actually made a good point earlier about subbing a position player for Benson.
Although, as little as Wash uses the Bench to PH, the bench player probably wouldn’t get much PT either.
"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com
by DJCahill on May 26, 2009 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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