It's this guy, up front and on the right. It's his fault.
The Marlins drop a game they should have won in the 9th inning. It’s just disheartening.
15 June
NPB Still finishing up interleague make-ups.
MLB Washington Nationals (4) at Detroit Tigers (7). John Lannan just does not have a great outing. Can’t do much about that. Washington drops to 31-34 in last.
Texas Rangers (3) at Florida Marlins (2). It’s tough being a closer, I get that, but Leo Nuñez blows this game in the 9th by walking batters and screwing the Marlins over. Matt Treanor, former Marlins catcher, gets the game-winning hit with a triple and I just get mad. 31-33 in fourth. Pull it together, Florida!
Tampa Bay Rays (10) at Atlanta Braves (4). David Price saddles Kenshin Kawakami with yet another loss. David Price is easily one of the Rays best starters and this win ties him for most in the AL with 10. A Yankees win keeps them tied for first with their 41-23 record.
Baltimore Orioles (4) at San Francisco Giants (1). Jake Arrieta is finally doing what the Orioles youngsters are supposed to do: winning with good pitching. 18-47 in last.
Each year there’s maybe a team or two who has got a rock solid bullpen. The Rays had one in 2008, but struggled in 2009. The Marlins have had closer troubles for as long as I can remember. It’s just frustrating. Is there a way to improve bullpens? Most clubs look at the bullpen as a place to put pitchers who aren’t quite good enough to be starters. What if this is the wrong idea?
Washington drafted Drew Storen last year in the first round. I’m not part of the organizational brass, so I don’t know if it was their plan all along, but it sure seems to me that the kid was picked to be a reliever from the getgo. From day 1 of his callup, Storen has been in the Nats bullpen and it seems like specializing him this way is paying dividends.
His 11.2 innings are on the low side for conclusive evidence, but, still, he’s pitching with a 1.54 ERA this year in a bullpen that, outside its setup man and closer, has had its struggles.
Who’s to say that other teams aren’t really doing this, I know, but it just seems like, with Florida, at least, that the bullpen is composed of guys who aren’t making it as starters. You need good people to get you to your closer, so why not develop them that way, Florida?
Longo is bored because he had a day off yesterday.
Only one game (that I care about (and barely)) on the docket yesterday.
14 June
NPB Nothing
MLB Baltimore Orioles (2) at San Francisco Giants (10). Much touted prospect Chris Tillman does not deliver salvation for the Orange Birds as they continue to plummet into the vast depths of baseball with their 30-game deficit from 0.500 (17-47)
Strasburg pitched again and it wasn’t quite as magical, but part of that was due to a bad mound. He still has a sub 3.00 ERA (2.19) and struck out another eight. Rock on Strasburg.
11 June
NPB Nada.
MLB New York Mets (5) at Baltimore Orioles (1). Back-to-back series against the two New York teams can’t be good for Baltimore. R.A. Dickey brings the knuckleball back to confound the Orioles hitters.
Washington Nationals (2) at Cleveland Indians (7). Throwback jersey night does not go well for Luis Atilano. I bet that Atilano gets optioned soon (or goes when Chien-Ming Wang comes back up).
Florida Marlins (14) at Tampa Bay Rays (9). I hate it when the Rays lose, yet I love it when the Marlins win. I can tell that I’m a huge Marlins fan, because I was ecstatic to see them crushing the Rays. Tampa definitely has a potent offense to catch up, but the Fish proved to be too much. I think it’s great that Florida seems to have Tampa’s number a good portion of the time. I think this could develop into a real rivalry.
12 June
NPB Hiroshima Carp (6) at Saitama Seibu Lions (2). There’s nothing better than having your team beat one of the best in the Pacific League. Kan Otake notches his first win for the season and the Carp actually see some power without Kurihara.
Yakult Swallows (4) at Rakuten Eagles (1). My two least favorite teams are the Swallows and the Lions. Hirohima did its part and beat Saitama, but Rakuten falls on an uncharacteristically bad night for Iwakuma, who gives up two earned runs.
MLB Mets (3) at Orioles (1). I’m really starting to get fond of Hisanori Takahashi, even if he was a Giant back in Japan. He hurls seven innings and only gives up one. Nice work.
Nationals (1) at Indians (7). Fausto Carmona is having a real resurgence this year. He completely blanks the potent Washington offense while enjoying another seven-run game.
Marlins (5) at Rays (6). A real close one that came down to the wire, but Carlos Peña’s offense the past week has been red hot. Tough loss for Florida.
13 June
NPB Carp (4) at Lions (2). Giancarlo Alvorado does his job over six to earn yet another win. Justin Huber, Kurihara’s DL replacement, even goes yard in Kenta’s honor. The Carp end the weekend at 25-34-2, good enough for fourth by 3.5.
Swallows (3) at Eagles (1). Tanaka gives up two in another uncharacteristically bad game to a team whose new manager is paying dividends. Rakuten’s record drops to 29-33-1, good enough for fifth.
MLB Nationals (9) at Indians (4). If the Nationals bats awaken every time Strasburg comes out to toss, his record is going to balloon. He tosses 5.1 innings and ends up walking five, but I put part of the blame there on his super-shaky mound. The Nats record improves to 31-33, which is only good enough for last in the competitive NL East.
Mets (11) at Orioles (4). The Orioles get brutalized by the Mets, giving up four home runs, two of which went to David Wright. Their record is a miserable 17-46.
Marlins (6) at Rays (1). Chris Volstad and the Marlins serve up Jeff Niemann’s first loss of the season and I love it. Mike Stanton still hasn’t hit any home runs, but since he came up last week he’s been hitting a solid 0.368 with an OPS of 0.981. Not too bad. The power is definitely coming. Florida’s record improves to 31-32, barely edging out the Nats for fourth, while the Rays drop into a tie with the Yankees with their 40-23 record.
Last night's attendance was less than half. I guess that's what happens when Strasburg's not pitching.
Pittsburgh debuted some rookies last night too. The Nationals crowd of about 18,000 was not impressed.
10 June
NPB Chunichi Dragons (7) at Rakuten Eagles (2). Wei-Yin Chen Tossed six scoreless with five strikeouts as the Dragons got revenge. Rakuten’s record slides to 29-31-1 in fifth.
Hiroshima Carp (12) at Chiba Lotte Marines (7). Eric Stults goes 5.1, but how strange is it to see such a high-scoring game go into the 12th? Wanting desperately to avoid the tie, Hiroshima burst out in a big way, scoring 5 in the 12th. The Carp are now 23-34-2, in sole possession of fourth.
MLB New York Yankees (3) at Baltimore Orioles (4). Jake Arrieta makes his first MLB start in a trial by fire, but comes out only singed by the Yankee heat. Wow, that was quite the bit of sportswriting there. Their record rose to 16-43. Wake me up when their win rate rises above 0.333
Florida Marlins (2) at Philadelphia Phillies (0). The rematch of Josh Johnson and Roy Halladay gets delayed until today and it does not disappoint. The Marlins plate one in the first, which was all they need, while JJ went 8 innings, striking out five. The Fish are now 28-31, making a comeback in the East.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2) at Washington Nationals (4). Liván Hernández does it again. This guy has really reemerged as a great pitcher. The Nats are in fourth with a 29-31 record.
Toronto Blue Jays (3) at Tampa Bay Rays (2). More hard luck for Wade Davis who just can’t keep the Jays down and takes another loss. Thanks to the Yankees loss, the Rays retain their two-game lead with their 39-20 record.
"Honest" Abe and I fist bumping
For some reason Abe has become my favorite of the racing presidents. Maybe it’s his arrogant stride or maybe it’s the way he’s a sore loser when he doesn’t win, but I just love everything about the persona they’ve crafted for #16.
09 June
NPB Chunichi Dragons (1) at Rakuten Eagles (4). Satoshi Nagai hurls eight innings of eight hit ball, miraculously only giving up one run. Nice work, Nagai. Rakuten’s record improves to 29-30-1, tied for fourth.
Hiroshima Carp (2) at Chiba Lotte Marines (2). Kenta Maeda battled the Marines to a tie over nine and his bullpen held on for him to secure Hiroshima’s second tie in like a week. The tie allows Hiroshima to edge forward to 22-34-2 in fourth.
MLB New York Yankees (4) at Baltimore Orioles (2). I watched the Orioles blow a bases-loaded opportunity against Sabathia in the 7th (I believe). Such a disappointing team. 16-43.
Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies. The much vaunted Johnson vs Halladay rematch was postponed due to rain.
Pittsburgh Pirates (5) at Washington Nationals (7). Washington proves that it can win without Strasburg. Can they sweep the Bucs? Their record improves to 29-31, putting them in fourth.
Toronto Blue Jays (1) at Tampa Bay Rays (10). David Price has just been unbelievable of late. Very nice work. Tampa retains its two game lead with its 39-20 record.
I’ll have a more detailed analysis about Strasburg’s start, but 14 strikeouts is not bad at all. Seven of those came in a row from the 5th to 7th innings. An impressive young pitcher.
08 June
NPB Neither of my teams played.
MLB New York Yankees (12) at Baltimore Orioles (7). My friends asked me to go to this game with them, but I couldn’t pass up seeing Strasburg. I’m surprised the Os scored so many, but it wasn’t enough for the Yankee juggernauts. Their record falls to 16-42.
Florida Marlins (8) at Philadelphia Phillies (10). Mike Stanton went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, but the Marlins continually gave up lead after lead and lost it with bases loaded in the 9th. A disappointing loss that takes them down to 28-31, tied for fourth with the Nats.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2) at Washington Nationals (5). Home runs by Willingham, Dunn, and Zimmerman helped Strasburg put his first curly ‘W’ in the record books. More on this game tonight. Their record, as stated two lines earlier, is now 28-31.
Toronto Blue Jays (0) at Tampa Bay Rays (9). Jeff Niemann continues to be perfect as he blanks the Jays and pushes the Rays up to 38-20 on the season.
This is what I think happens to Min after reading these baseball posts.
Only the NPB had games (as far as teams I care about) yesterday, leaving me with little to do but think about how excited I am to see Strasburg pitch today and hear about Stanton’s performance in Philadelphia. Can’t wait until tonight. Until then…
7 June
NPB Orix Buffaloes (21) at Hiroshima Carp (10). What in god’s name happened here? Only two of the seven pitchers Hiroshima sent out to the mound managed to not give up a run. This game was UGLY, featuring five home runs by Orix and two by Hiroshima catcher Yoshiyuki Ishihara. The Carp record is 22-34-1, which, remarkably, puts them in fourth, somehow.
Rakuten Eagles (0) at Yomiuri Giants (1). Darrel Rasner is really starting to pitch like he wants to keep his job. Nice work, Darrel, but the Rakuten record falls to 28-30-1 in fifth.
MLB No games (from anyone I care about)
Sayonara!
The old Shea home run apple. I hate this thing.
My friend Lee has somehow got his girlfriend into baseball, probably by pure force of will. This would be great, except she’s a Mets fan now and she loves to trash talk each time the Mets beat the Marlins. Thanks, Lee.
4 June
NPB Softbank Hawks (4) at Hiroshima Carp (5). A huge fourth inning, including two RBIs by Eric Stults, puts Hiroshima just far enough ahead to win the game.
Rakuten Eagles (12) at Yokohama BayStars (0). Rakuten’s bats awoke in a BIG way, with four home runs, three of which were solo shots, off of Yokohama.
MLB Boston Red Sox (11) at Baltimore Orioles (0). Didn’t I already recap this game? Oh yeah, this is an MLB game. Juan Samuel’s managerial debut didn’t seem to go very well at all.
Cincinnati Reds (2) at Washington Nationals (4). Liván Hernández pitches what should have been a win, but the offense doesn’t pick up the pace until the 7th.
Florida Marlins (3) at New York Mets (4). Anibal gives up one too many and that was all the Mets needed.
Tampa Bay Rays (6) at Texas Rangers (9). Seems like every time Wade Davis gets above 0.500 with his record, he’s gotta lose one to make up for it. It’s not all that bad, though. Longo homered.
5 June
NPB Hawks (9) at Carp (3). Takahiro Aoki had a tough day, giving up five in 3.2, dooming the Carp.
Eagles (5) at BayStars (4). A much more respectable effort by Yokohama. Also a surprisingly weak start by Iwakuma that is won thanks to a Randy Ruiz blast in the 9th.
MLB Marlins (1) at Mets (6). The less said about this start the better. I wish Nate Robertson could only pitch against the Phillies.
Rays (1) at Rangers (6). The Rays slide continues. Lucky them that New York is having some difficulties too, but Boston is playing Baltimore. They need to step it up.
Red Sox (8) at Orioles (2). I’m only upset about this because it helps the Sox look respectable against the Rays.
Reds (5) at Nationals (1). Man, everyone had trouble today, didn’t they. It’s just a guess, but I think Atilano isn’t long for this rotation starting Tuesday when Strasburg comes up.
6 June
NPB Eagles (10) at Yomiuri Giants (4). I always take great pleasure in seeing the Giants stomped, even if Ma-kun gave up an unprecedented three runs. This win streak is also great for a team that needs to start winning if it doesn’t want the NPB to fire all of its American coaches. Their record improves to 25-29-1. I can almost smell 0.500!
Orix Buffaloes (6) at Carp (1). So much for capitalizing on opportunities when the Giants lose. This disappointing loss puts their record at 21-31-1. 0.500 baseball is a long way off.
MLB Marlins (6) at Mets (7). The Fish manage to screw up yet another Ricky Nolasco start and give the Mets a sweep and Yin something to goad about to me. Nice work, Marlins. You are now 28-30 in fourth.
Red Sox (3) at Orioles (4). Nick Markakis gets the walk-off win to salvage this series for Baltimore whose abysmal record improves to 16-41.
Reds (5) at Nationals (4). An extra innings loss. The Nats normally get much better relief work from Capps, but he’s been human the past few starts. They are in last with a 27-31 record.
Rays (9) at Rangers (5). Not Garza’s best stuff, but it gets the job done. Their record improves to 37-20, but New York and Boston are knocking on their door if they can’t hold it together.
Ken Griffey, Jr.’s retirement was overshadowed by the perfect game controversy of the same day. I just wanted to take a few moments to state that he had an amazing career that should be honored. It’s a shame to see him out of the game, but I’m so glad he played.
03 June
NPB No games.
MLB Baltimore Orioles (3) at New York Yankees (6). When you put David against the Goliath that is C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees, you should expect this, not the Biblical outcome. The Orioles record is now 15-39.
Washington Nationals (4) at Houston Astros (6). Capps gives up a walk-off home run partly thanks to a blown catch by Guzman. A tough loss for the 26-29 Nationals to swallow.
Milwaukee Brewers (2) at Florida Marlins (3). Josh Johnson pitches yet another gem to keep the Marlins in third place with their 28-27 record.
The biggest story in baseball today is the blown call by Jim Joyce in the Tigers game last night. Umpires make mistakes, it’s a fact of baseball, but it’s rarely a mistake this huge that costs a man history. Armando Gallaraga, for his part, is taking it in stride. He says he knows he did it, so he doesn’t care, but I’m more concerned with the fact that: 1. The history books will say he didn’t, and 2. Something needs to change. Bad umpiring has been a story in baseball since last year’s World Series and it’s not getting any better. I think that MLB needs to do something to increase the accountability of its umpires. I kind of understand why it is that they try and keep umpire disciplining on the down low (votes of confidence and all that), but that needs to change. In this case, it doesn’t really matter anyway. Diehards will remember Jim Joyce long after this game is done. He will probably be booed every time he shows his face in Detroit. I would feel worse for the guy if he hadn’t made such a terrible call, but I just can’t feel sympathy for him yet. Not this close to botched history.
2 June
NPB Hiroshima Carp (2) at Nippon-Ham Fighters (2). With Maeda on the mound, you know you’re getting something good and he didn’t disappoint. He gave up only two over the 8 innings that he pitched and neither pitcher (or the subsequent relievers) yielded, keeping the score deadlocked into the 12th for a tie. Hiroshima’s record is now 21-31-1 in fifth.
Hanshin Tigers (7) at Rakuten Eagles (3). The Tigers win it in the 9th thanks to a bullpen implosion by Tsuyoshi Kawagishi, who gave up five in the ninth. Their record falls to 25-29-1, dropping them back into fifth.
MLB Baltimore Orioles (1) at New York Yankees (9). Why do I even bother with Orioles scores? Dave Trembley is going to lose his job soon. It’s sad. 15-38.
Tampa Bay Rays (7) at Toronto Blue Jays (3). Price gives up two unearned over eight for yet another dominant win. This was the pitcher Tampa Bay signed up for. The Rays are up to 36-18.
Miwaukee Brewers (7) at Florida Marlins (4). Volstad only gave up one this game, but, in Marlins fashion, the team imploded on his night and the bullpen blew game wide open. The Fish are now in third with a 27-27 record.
Washington Nationals (1) at Houston Astros (5). An anemic offensive effort by Washington saddles them with the ‘L’ against one of the worst teams in baseball. The Nats are now two games under 0.500 with their 26-28 record.
