The baseline has been set for contracts for the remaining veteran free-agent pitchers. If I were a general manager, that baseline would frighten me.
$50 million for four seasons for RHP Matt Garza? What did he do last season to earn that kind of money? He also has $4 million in incentives, and a $15 option for 2018 that would be vested by a number of innings pitched.
Prediction (and please come back in four years to taunt me or tell me I was right): Garza not only would be with a new team by 2017, but also would not see that option vested.
The other weekend news concerned veterans who might retire. The Dodgers reported have made an offer to 3B+ Michael Young, who is contemplating retirement. And the Pirates are waiting to hear whether RHP A.J. Burnett would retire.
Another prediction: Garza's contract could tell Burnett that he can make a lot of money in 2014. He'll sign a contract with provisions for his family to travel with him at times. That family time seems to be a sticking point.
* * *
Hockey. I had just three players active Sunday, but still gained a point to 67, moving me within eight points of second place. The half-point I gained was in goalie wins, with Tim Thomas pulling it out in overtime even though he didn't play very well and allowed four goals. The other two goalie categories took additional hits from his performance.
I made some moves to try to improve, picking up essentially backup goalies from good teams. Their decimal categories of goals against average and save percentage should be helped by the defense in front of them. And their teams should score enough goals when they play to give them wins. So Jonas Gustavsson and Frederik Andersen are in, and Antti Raanta (who hardly ever plays) and Steve Mason are out. Mason hasn't seemed to recover from that rapid-fire three-goal barrage I saw in Dallas a month or so ago.
I also picked up Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa to replace the minus-14 Keith Yandle. In addition to being plus-4, Bieksa could help in shots and penalty minutes, and marginally in power-play points and ATOI.
Important key: In addition, I finally addressed my league's games limits. With roughly nine weeks remaining (a couple slightly truncated by the Olympics break), I can fall within the limits with games from 26 forwards, 14 defenseman, two either/or utility skaters and eight goalies. So I scheduled a plan for this week that knocked off a total of seven games from what I would have used with no limit. The tricky part is the days when almost every team plays. There are just four spots for skaters on the bench, so I have either to play more skaters than I want or to waive some to add players who aren't actually playing. Let's see how my method goes; I'll keep you posted.
With this plan, I wouldn't come up to the last week or two with no games remaining. But if I had implemented something like it at the beginning of the season, I could have gotten by with maybe one or two players per week sitting out.
* * *
Basketball. I might have outsmarted myself on this one. Playing my strongest (field-goal) shooting percentage lineup may have carried me to a narrow win in FG% by .0012, but could have cost me a point in free throw percentage.
I benched Victor Oladipo, who was 6 for 12 from the field and 6 for 6 at the foul line. The thinking was that bigger men closer to the basket would have higher percentages than outside shooters such as Oladipo.
The thinking was partially correct. Inconsistent G Joe Johnson was 2 for 7 from the field and missed 1 of 2 free throws. But Anderson Varejao was 1 for 9 from the field, and Jared Sullinger went 1 for 7. Carmelo Anthony's 35 points didn't help because he was 14 for 31 from the field. Can't really complain, though, because his 23 for 35 in Friday's 62-point effort was the biggest difference for me in FG%.
Even more damaging, big man Varejao also was 0 for 3 at the foul line. His knee could have been bothering him after he fell to the floor hard in a collision with Markieff Morris, but still ...
I can't find the team totals for the week, but substituting Oladipo's perfect free throw shooting for Varejao's perfectly awful night could have made up the difference in my .7664-.7582 loss. On Sunday, my team was 17 for 23 (just .7391) with Varejao, and would have been 23 for 26 (.8846). My opponent's players were on fire at 20 for 23 (.870).
The 7-1 week still increased my lead over two teams tied for second place to 8 1/2 games. I'm surprised, after it took so many weeks to make up the last few games to get into first place that I have built such a big lead in just two weeks. Can't let up, though.
Also made a player move at guard, with the Lakers' Jodie Meeks replacing Mo Williams.
Showing posts with label Matt Garza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Garza. Show all posts
Monday, January 27, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Consider the Rays' latest moves as positives
The Rays are having a good week.
They signed RHP Grant Balfour for $12 million to be their closer for the next two years.
That might sound familiar, because he has pitched for Tampa Bay before, but in a setup role. For the last three years, he was a closer -- with the Athletics.
Balfour almost had a contract this year with the Orioles, but he failed his physical. That fact and his age (36) could make the Rays' move a bit iffy. However, if you read these posts, you'll quickly learn how much respect I have for the Tampa Bay and Oakland organizations and their decision-making ability. Even more than I have for the Rangers' and ascending Pirates' organizations.
That respect is a reason why I also like the trade the Rays made with the Padres. Tampa Bay sent a couple of viable relievers, LHP Alex Torres and RHP Jesse Hahn, to San Diego for five players who haven't yet or haven't had a chance to prove their major league readiness.
The key player going to the Rays is 3B/2B Logan Forsythe. I saw him play at the University of Arkansas and in the Texas League. You may wonder why, with 3B Evan Longoria already on Tampa Bay's roster, the team would need Forsythe. But have you noticed Longoria's amount of time on the disabled list? And even if he could play every game this year, Forsythe would be around to play some second base, freeing 2B/OF Ben Zobrist (for whom I also have a ridiculous amount of respect) to spend more time in the outfield. That would add even more versatility to a pretty versatile team.
There also could be strength in the numbers of trading two players for five. Four of the five new players going to the Rays organization can be considered at best prospects. We know that not every prospect actually becomes successful in the majors. But what if two of the four among RHPs Brad Boxberger, Matt Lollis and Matt Andriese and 2B Maxx Tissenbaum turn out to be serviceable major leaguers? Or if even one becomes a contributor?
The only player among those four that I have seen much is Lollis, and he wasn't really impressive out of Double-A San Antonio's bullpen. Tissenbaum appears to be on a career track similar to ... Logan Forsythe's.
Which reminds me that the Giants avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year deal with 3B/SS Joaquin Arias. I'd rather have Logan Forsythe.
Another former Rays right-hander, Matt Garza, reportedly is close to a four-year, $52-million contract with the Brewers, who apparently didn't observe his work down the stretch with the 2013 Rangers.
The big signing, of course, was RHP Masahiro Tanaka's seven-year, $155-million contract with the Yankees. Again, if you've been reading this blog, you'll know this surprises me only in that he'll be making more than $20 million per season.
If you're really Jonesing for signings, you might even be interested in the fact that two righties found lacking as closers have new minor-league contracts, Jon Rauch with the Royals and David Aardsma with the Indians.
* * *
Basketball. Thursday night, I got 31 points but just six rebounds from Chris Bosh, and very little from Mo Williams. I'm still ahead 7-1 this week, trailing only in field goal percentage.
* * *
Hockey. In the Stars' 7-1 win over the Maple Leafs, even Brenden Dillon from my team picked up one of those good stats that I no longer talk about. I dropped half a point when the next-lowest team in goalie wins moved into a tie. Antti Raanta played in goal for me for the first time, but lost 2-1 to Minnesota. The worst part was that his save percentage was below .900. That's one stat where I could pick up a point or two in the standings by improving by a .001 or .002.
They signed RHP Grant Balfour for $12 million to be their closer for the next two years.
That might sound familiar, because he has pitched for Tampa Bay before, but in a setup role. For the last three years, he was a closer -- with the Athletics.
Balfour almost had a contract this year with the Orioles, but he failed his physical. That fact and his age (36) could make the Rays' move a bit iffy. However, if you read these posts, you'll quickly learn how much respect I have for the Tampa Bay and Oakland organizations and their decision-making ability. Even more than I have for the Rangers' and ascending Pirates' organizations.
That respect is a reason why I also like the trade the Rays made with the Padres. Tampa Bay sent a couple of viable relievers, LHP Alex Torres and RHP Jesse Hahn, to San Diego for five players who haven't yet or haven't had a chance to prove their major league readiness.
The key player going to the Rays is 3B/2B Logan Forsythe. I saw him play at the University of Arkansas and in the Texas League. You may wonder why, with 3B Evan Longoria already on Tampa Bay's roster, the team would need Forsythe. But have you noticed Longoria's amount of time on the disabled list? And even if he could play every game this year, Forsythe would be around to play some second base, freeing 2B/OF Ben Zobrist (for whom I also have a ridiculous amount of respect) to spend more time in the outfield. That would add even more versatility to a pretty versatile team.
There also could be strength in the numbers of trading two players for five. Four of the five new players going to the Rays organization can be considered at best prospects. We know that not every prospect actually becomes successful in the majors. But what if two of the four among RHPs Brad Boxberger, Matt Lollis and Matt Andriese and 2B Maxx Tissenbaum turn out to be serviceable major leaguers? Or if even one becomes a contributor?
The only player among those four that I have seen much is Lollis, and he wasn't really impressive out of Double-A San Antonio's bullpen. Tissenbaum appears to be on a career track similar to ... Logan Forsythe's.
Which reminds me that the Giants avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year deal with 3B/SS Joaquin Arias. I'd rather have Logan Forsythe.
Another former Rays right-hander, Matt Garza, reportedly is close to a four-year, $52-million contract with the Brewers, who apparently didn't observe his work down the stretch with the 2013 Rangers.
The big signing, of course, was RHP Masahiro Tanaka's seven-year, $155-million contract with the Yankees. Again, if you've been reading this blog, you'll know this surprises me only in that he'll be making more than $20 million per season.
If you're really Jonesing for signings, you might even be interested in the fact that two righties found lacking as closers have new minor-league contracts, Jon Rauch with the Royals and David Aardsma with the Indians.
* * *
Basketball. Thursday night, I got 31 points but just six rebounds from Chris Bosh, and very little from Mo Williams. I'm still ahead 7-1 this week, trailing only in field goal percentage.
* * *
Hockey. In the Stars' 7-1 win over the Maple Leafs, even Brenden Dillon from my team picked up one of those good stats that I no longer talk about. I dropped half a point when the next-lowest team in goalie wins moved into a tie. Antti Raanta played in goal for me for the first time, but lost 2-1 to Minnesota. The worst part was that his save percentage was below .900. That's one stat where I could pick up a point or two in the standings by improving by a .001 or .002.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Rakuten reportedly is posting Tanaka; let the bidding begin
Finished wrapping the last present. Waiting for everyone else to get up to open presents. Funny how much later you could sleep in when the youngest person in the house is 15 as opposed to, say, 7.
Christmas is probably just another Wednesday in Japan, but it's a big day for Japanese ballplayers here in North America.
The big news is a report that the Rakuten Golden Eagles have agreed to post RHP Masahiro Tanaka. He'll draw the new, discounted maximum posting fee from a number of major league teams.
You'll see the list of the usual big-spending teams, primarily the Yankees and Dodgers, along with the Diamondbacks and most of the American League West -- Angels, Mariners, Rangers -- as the leading candidates to sign Tanaka. He's listed as 25 years old, and I think I short-changed him on his 2013 ERA in an earlier post. It was 1.27, not 1.37.
Also, in an earlier post I indicated that the AL West as a group seems to be downplaying mobility in their outfield defense. That could make it even more desirable for them to sign one of the best pitching prospects from the Eastern Hemisphere before their opponents do. Actually, I'd expect a number of teams to put up the relatively cheap posting fee -- less than 40% of what the Rangers paid for the right to negotiate exclusively with Yu Darvish. What would it hurt for an aspiring team of limited means such as the Pirates or Royals -- or the D-backs, for that matter -- to make a splash by coming hard in the open competition for Tanaka's services. They wouldn't have to pay the fee or the contract amount with Tanaka until he signs.
And when the other available pitching is headed by RHPs Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana and Bronson Arroyo, Tanaka will come at a higher premium than Darvish's 6 years and $60 million.
Tanaka isn't the only Japanese player in the spotlight. Over there on the edge of the stage is infielder Munenori Kawasaki, who re-signed with the Blue Jays. Kawasaki made a name for himself with his oddball, flaky antics captured on social-media video than with his .229 batting average. Seems like a good guy to have around a clubhouse, though.
Merry Christmas/happy holidays. Like Munenori-san, I know how to cover my bases.
Christmas is probably just another Wednesday in Japan, but it's a big day for Japanese ballplayers here in North America.
The big news is a report that the Rakuten Golden Eagles have agreed to post RHP Masahiro Tanaka. He'll draw the new, discounted maximum posting fee from a number of major league teams.
You'll see the list of the usual big-spending teams, primarily the Yankees and Dodgers, along with the Diamondbacks and most of the American League West -- Angels, Mariners, Rangers -- as the leading candidates to sign Tanaka. He's listed as 25 years old, and I think I short-changed him on his 2013 ERA in an earlier post. It was 1.27, not 1.37.
Also, in an earlier post I indicated that the AL West as a group seems to be downplaying mobility in their outfield defense. That could make it even more desirable for them to sign one of the best pitching prospects from the Eastern Hemisphere before their opponents do. Actually, I'd expect a number of teams to put up the relatively cheap posting fee -- less than 40% of what the Rangers paid for the right to negotiate exclusively with Yu Darvish. What would it hurt for an aspiring team of limited means such as the Pirates or Royals -- or the D-backs, for that matter -- to make a splash by coming hard in the open competition for Tanaka's services. They wouldn't have to pay the fee or the contract amount with Tanaka until he signs.
And when the other available pitching is headed by RHPs Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana and Bronson Arroyo, Tanaka will come at a higher premium than Darvish's 6 years and $60 million.
Tanaka isn't the only Japanese player in the spotlight. Over there on the edge of the stage is infielder Munenori Kawasaki, who re-signed with the Blue Jays. Kawasaki made a name for himself with his oddball, flaky antics captured on social-media video than with his .229 batting average. Seems like a good guy to have around a clubhouse, though.
Merry Christmas/happy holidays. Like Munenori-san, I know how to cover my bases.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Napoli getting higher salary than Beltran or Granderson
Lots going on, but this will be short-form because I don't have much time. Have to chip the ice off the car and hope I can make it to see the Stars and Flyers (featuring goalie Steve Mason) on the ice.
The biggest new news is the reported 3-year, $45-million contract between the Yankees and OF Carlos Beltran. Looks as if another aging outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki, could be looking for a new employer.
For an even bigger average annual salary, 1B Mike Napoli reportedly will be back with the Red Sox for 2 years and $32 million.
OF Curtis Granderson's new 4-year contract with the Mets is being reported at $60 million, also 15 per year.
In a minor Yankees move, they signed IF/OF/DH Kelly Johnson to a 1-year contract.
RHP Scott Feldman appears to be the Astros' ace by default, with a 3-year, $30-million contract. It will be nice to see him in Arlington more frequently, and not just because the Rangers might light him up.
Speaking of the Rangers, they reportedly are close to signing C J.P. Arencibia. Some home runs, but is Texas any better off with him than they could have been by re-signing much older C A.J. Pierzynski?
Another question: Will the Rangers re-sign OF Nelson Cruz, go for free-agent OF Shin-soo Choo or plan on unproven OF Michael Choice in left field this season. I'd expect anything short of Cruz or Choo (or possibly just Choo) to be considered in the Metroplex as another wasted off-season.
The position-player free-agent list beyond Choo and Cruz is very thin, and the list of available pitchers isn't a lot better: RHPs A.J. Burnett, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bronson Arroyo and the tarnished star of Matt Garza.
Another report has OF Nate McLouth moving a bit south to play for the Nationals for 2 years at $10.75 million.
The Marlins continue to make near-the-back-page news. Their new acquisition reportedly is 1B/OF Garrett Jones for 2 years. They're losing RHP Ryan Webb to the Orioles for 2 years and $4.5 million. I know! I had to look to see what more than $2 million a year can buy for your bullpen. Well, Webb was 2-6 with a 2.91 ERA with 3 blown saves this year. That extended his save-less streak in the majors to five seasons, during which he was mostly hidden from view by the Padres and Marlins. He did have 3 saves in a minor league career that included a 5.06 ERA.
* * *
Hockey/basketball. Not a lot to report. My hockey team picked up half a point in ATOI, but fell six games behind the second-place team. My replacement for Jason Spezza is Tampa Bay's Valtteri Filppula. He's in today's lineup as the utility player. It's still 5-3 in my basketball-league series with 2 days remaining this week. I have the best chance to pick up a game in 3-point FGs or possibly FG percentage.
The biggest new news is the reported 3-year, $45-million contract between the Yankees and OF Carlos Beltran. Looks as if another aging outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki, could be looking for a new employer.
For an even bigger average annual salary, 1B Mike Napoli reportedly will be back with the Red Sox for 2 years and $32 million.
OF Curtis Granderson's new 4-year contract with the Mets is being reported at $60 million, also 15 per year.
In a minor Yankees move, they signed IF/OF/DH Kelly Johnson to a 1-year contract.
RHP Scott Feldman appears to be the Astros' ace by default, with a 3-year, $30-million contract. It will be nice to see him in Arlington more frequently, and not just because the Rangers might light him up.
Speaking of the Rangers, they reportedly are close to signing C J.P. Arencibia. Some home runs, but is Texas any better off with him than they could have been by re-signing much older C A.J. Pierzynski?
Another question: Will the Rangers re-sign OF Nelson Cruz, go for free-agent OF Shin-soo Choo or plan on unproven OF Michael Choice in left field this season. I'd expect anything short of Cruz or Choo (or possibly just Choo) to be considered in the Metroplex as another wasted off-season.
The position-player free-agent list beyond Choo and Cruz is very thin, and the list of available pitchers isn't a lot better: RHPs A.J. Burnett, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bronson Arroyo and the tarnished star of Matt Garza.
Another report has OF Nate McLouth moving a bit south to play for the Nationals for 2 years at $10.75 million.
The Marlins continue to make near-the-back-page news. Their new acquisition reportedly is 1B/OF Garrett Jones for 2 years. They're losing RHP Ryan Webb to the Orioles for 2 years and $4.5 million. I know! I had to look to see what more than $2 million a year can buy for your bullpen. Well, Webb was 2-6 with a 2.91 ERA with 3 blown saves this year. That extended his save-less streak in the majors to five seasons, during which he was mostly hidden from view by the Padres and Marlins. He did have 3 saves in a minor league career that included a 5.06 ERA.
* * *
Hockey/basketball. Not a lot to report. My hockey team picked up half a point in ATOI, but fell six games behind the second-place team. My replacement for Jason Spezza is Tampa Bay's Valtteri Filppula. He's in today's lineup as the utility player. It's still 5-3 in my basketball-league series with 2 days remaining this week. I have the best chance to pick up a game in 3-point FGs or possibly FG percentage.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Jeter, Podsednik, Garza, Jimenez stay hot
The Monday morning updates review what happened over the weekend and indicates which batters and pitchers are hot – and which are not.
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Hot
The weekly Hot and Not for batters is based on 20 at-bats for batting average, and at least a .280 BA for the other categories.
Pos. Player, Team H-AB BA HR-RBI SB
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees 11-22 .500 3-7 0
C Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals 10-21 .476 0-7 1
2B Dan Uggla, Marlins 13-28 .464 2-7 0
OF Jose Guillen, Royals 12-26 .462 3-5 1
SS Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals 11-24 .458 1-3 0
1B James Loney, Dodgers 11-24 .458 0-0 1
3B/2B Casey McGehee, Brewers 10-22 .455 2-6 0
OF Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals 11-25 .440 1-3 0
OF Andre Ethier, Dodgers 11-26 .423 3-9 0
OF Ryan Braun, Brewers 11-26 .423 2-8 1
The two .458 batters present a contrast. Betancourt isn’t likely to be on this list often. Loney is a high-average threat, but LA no doubt would want more run production from its first baseman.
Home runs – Phillies 2B Chase Utley 5; Dodgers OF Matt Kemp and Orioles 3B/1B Ty Wigginton 4; Ethier, Guillen, Jeter, Indians OF Shin-soo Choo, White Sox OF/1B Andruw Jones and Rays 1B Carlos Pena 1.
RBI – Choo 11; Wigginton 10; Ethier, Pena and Twins OF/1B Michael Cuddyer 9; Braun, Kemp, Utley and Royals 3B/2B Alberto Callaspo 8.
Stolen bases – Yankees OF Brett Gardner, White Sox OF Juan Pierre, Cubs SS Ryan Theriot and Reds 1B Joey Votto 4; Podsednik, Rays OF Carl Crawford, White Sox OF Alex Rios and Twins OF Denard Span 3.
Runs – Kemp, Span and Utley 8; Guillen, Rodriguez, Uggla, Giants 1B/3B Aubrey Huff, Rays 3B Evan Longoria and Nationals OF Josh Willingham 7.
Gardner, Jeter and Podsednik were on a Hot list for the second consecutive week.
Requirements for pitchers to make these lists are 7 innings pitched for ERA and WHIP, 10 strikeouts in K:W ratio and an ERA under 4.00 for the other categories.
Hand Pitcher, Team IP W-L ERA WHIP K:W
RHP Justin Duchscherer, Athletics 13.0 1-0 0.00 1.00 9:4
RHP Livan Hernandez, Nationals 9.0 1-0 0.00 0.67 3:2
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies 9.0 1-0 0.00 0.67 7:6
RHP Doug Fister, Mariners 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.38 4:0
LHP Jonathan Sanchez, Giants 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.75 11:3
LHP Joe Saunders, Angels 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.75 2:1
RHP Mike Pelfrey, Mets 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.88 6:1
RHP Brad Penny, Cardinals 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.43 4:0
RHP Roy Oswalt, Astros 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.71 6:0
RHP Carlos Silva, Cubs 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.71 5:0
Of the 121 pitchers with an 0.00 ERA for the week, 16 threw at least seven innings. Pelfrey also earned a save for pitching a scoreless 20th inning in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Cardinals
Wins – Rays RHPs Lance Cormier and Matt Garza, Padres RHP Kevin Correia, Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte and Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright.
Saves – Mariners RHP David Aardsma, Yankees RHP Mariano Rivera, Angels RHP Fernando Rodney and Rays RHP Rafael Soriano 3-for-3.
WHIP – Fister 0.38; Penny and Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia 0.43; Yankees LHP C.C. Sabathia 0.50; Indians LHP David Huff 0.56.
K:W ratio – Phillies LHP Cole Hamels 14:1; Marlins RHP Josh Johnson 10:1; Wainwright 16:3; Blue Jays LHP Davis Romero 18:4; Sanchez 11:3; Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter 10:3; Angels RHP Ervin Santana 13:5; Rangers RHP Colby Lewis 10:4/
Pitchers repeating n a Hot list were Aardsma; Garza; Jimenez, who pitched a no-hitter Saturday, and Oswalt. Saunders jumped from the Not list to Hot in a week’s time.
Not
Pos. Player, Team H-AB BA HR-RBI SB
1B Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays 2-27 .074 0-2 0
OF Carlos Lee, Astros 2-25 .080 0-0 0
OF Dexter Fowler, Rockies 2-25 .080 0-0 1
SS Jason Bartlett, Rays 2-23 .087 0-0 0
C Dioner Navarro, Rays 2-21 .095 0-0 0
1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees 2-20 .100 1-3 0
OF Carlos Quentin, White Sox 3-27 .111 1-8 0
SS Edgar Renteria, Giants 3-24 .125 0-1 0
OF Rajai Davis, Athletics 4-31 .129 0-1 3
SS Jose Reyes, Mets 4-31 .129 0-2 1
This week’s (dis)honorable mention goes to Marlins OF/2B Chris Coghlan 0-for-19, Pirates 1B Jeff Clement 0-15, Astros 2B Kazuo Matsui 0-11, and Tigers SS Ramon Santiago 0-10. Receiving a special dishonorable mention is Rangers C Taylor Teagarden. He was just 0-for-6 for the week, but all six at-bats were strikeouts, giving him a season total of 0-for-18 with 13 Ks.
W:K ratio – Rangers OF Nelson Cruz and Diamondbacks OF Justin Upton 1:10; Mets OF Jason Bay 2:11; Marlins OF Cameron Maybin 3:10; Mets 3B David Wright 9:10.
Caught stealing – Dodgers OF Matt Kemp 1-for-3.
Teagarden has been on a Not list three consecutive weeks (including spring training), and Overbay has been cold two weeks in a row. Cruz, Davis, Quentin and Renteria all were on a Hot list the previous week. Quentin wasn’t a total washout during the last week; he managed to drive in eight runs with just three hits.
Hand Pitcher, Team IP W-L ERA WHIP K:W
RHP Jason Marquis, Nationals 4.1 0-2 27.00 3.00 1:3
RHP Gavin Floyd, White Sox 7.0 0-2 14.14 3.00 7:6
LHP Doug Davis, Brewers 8.0 0-1 12.38 2.63 9:3
RHP John Maine, Mets 8.0 0-1 12.38 2.50 8:7
LHP Jon Lester, Red Sox 11.0 0-2 9.00 2.00 10:6
RHP Jair Jurrjens, Braves 11.1 0-1 8.74 1.59 10:5
LHP Brian Tallet, Blue Jays 11.0 0-1 8.18 1.45 6:3
RHP Joel Pineiro, Angels 9.1 1-1 7.71 1.71 6:1
RHP Bronson Arroyo, Reds 12.0 0-1 7.50 1.25 10:4
RHP Johnny Cueto, Reds 10.0 0-0 6.30 1.90 6:5
The pitchers eligible for this list all started twice during the week
Losses – Floyd, Lester, Marquis and Brewers RHP LaTroy Hawkins 2.
Blown saves – Hawkins, Diamondbacks RHPs Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls, and Rockies LHP Franklin Morales 0-for-2; Orioles RHP Jim Johnson 1-3.
In closing
This is a regular feature of our Emails and blog posts. It lets you know who’s getting saves. Equally important is telling you who’s blowing saves or putting his job in jeopardy by getting shaky saves. There’s also a FREE Article on the old fantasybaseballscout.com web site letting you know which pitcher or pitchers each team is using to close games. It will be updated whenever there’s a change or speculation about a change in a team’s closer.
There were some sloppy and unorthodox saves Sunday.
Indians RHP Chris Perez relieved LHP Tony Sipp with one out in the top of the ninth inning against the White Sox with Cleveland ahead 7-3. Perez allowed one inherited runner to score but retired two batters for his fourth save. Pirates RHP Octavio Dotel’s third save came even though he allowed Reds OF Jay Bruce’s second home run of the game and season. Pittsburgh won at home 5-3. Padres RHP Heath Bell had his third save despite a pitching line of 121102 in a 5-3 victory at Arizona.
Royals RHP Joakim Soria entered their game at Minnesota with two out and a runner on base with KC leading 7-5 in the eighth inning. The Royals finished with a 10-5 win, and Soria received his third save with a line of 1 1/3 00002. Orioles RHP had a 6-3 lead when RHP Jim Johnson entered the game to start the bottom of the eighth inning at Oakland. Baltimore scored twice to win 8-3, and Johnson earned his first save of 2010 with a line of 210002.
Others credited with saves were Yankees RHP Mariano Rivera, fifth, 5-2 over the Rangers; the third saves for Marlins RHP Leo Nunez (1-0 at Philadelphia) and Tigers RHP Jose Valverde (4-2 at Seattle); Astros RHP Matt Lindstrom’s second, 3-2 at Wrigley Field in 10 innings, and Dodgers RHP Jonathan Broxton’s first, 2-1 against the Giants.
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Hot
The weekly Hot and Not for batters is based on 20 at-bats for batting average, and at least a .280 BA for the other categories.
Pos. Player, Team H-AB BA HR-RBI SB
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees 11-22 .500 3-7 0
C Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals 10-21 .476 0-7 1
2B Dan Uggla, Marlins 13-28 .464 2-7 0
OF Jose Guillen, Royals 12-26 .462 3-5 1
SS Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals 11-24 .458 1-3 0
1B James Loney, Dodgers 11-24 .458 0-0 1
3B/2B Casey McGehee, Brewers 10-22 .455 2-6 0
OF Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals 11-25 .440 1-3 0
OF Andre Ethier, Dodgers 11-26 .423 3-9 0
OF Ryan Braun, Brewers 11-26 .423 2-8 1
The two .458 batters present a contrast. Betancourt isn’t likely to be on this list often. Loney is a high-average threat, but LA no doubt would want more run production from its first baseman.
Home runs – Phillies 2B Chase Utley 5; Dodgers OF Matt Kemp and Orioles 3B/1B Ty Wigginton 4; Ethier, Guillen, Jeter, Indians OF Shin-soo Choo, White Sox OF/1B Andruw Jones and Rays 1B Carlos Pena 1.
RBI – Choo 11; Wigginton 10; Ethier, Pena and Twins OF/1B Michael Cuddyer 9; Braun, Kemp, Utley and Royals 3B/2B Alberto Callaspo 8.
Stolen bases – Yankees OF Brett Gardner, White Sox OF Juan Pierre, Cubs SS Ryan Theriot and Reds 1B Joey Votto 4; Podsednik, Rays OF Carl Crawford, White Sox OF Alex Rios and Twins OF Denard Span 3.
Runs – Kemp, Span and Utley 8; Guillen, Rodriguez, Uggla, Giants 1B/3B Aubrey Huff, Rays 3B Evan Longoria and Nationals OF Josh Willingham 7.
Gardner, Jeter and Podsednik were on a Hot list for the second consecutive week.
Requirements for pitchers to make these lists are 7 innings pitched for ERA and WHIP, 10 strikeouts in K:W ratio and an ERA under 4.00 for the other categories.
Hand Pitcher, Team IP W-L ERA WHIP K:W
RHP Justin Duchscherer, Athletics 13.0 1-0 0.00 1.00 9:4
RHP Livan Hernandez, Nationals 9.0 1-0 0.00 0.67 3:2
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies 9.0 1-0 0.00 0.67 7:6
RHP Doug Fister, Mariners 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.38 4:0
LHP Jonathan Sanchez, Giants 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.75 11:3
LHP Joe Saunders, Angels 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.75 2:1
RHP Mike Pelfrey, Mets 8.0 1-0 0.00 0.88 6:1
RHP Brad Penny, Cardinals 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.43 4:0
RHP Roy Oswalt, Astros 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.71 6:0
RHP Carlos Silva, Cubs 7.0 1-0 0.00 0.71 5:0
Of the 121 pitchers with an 0.00 ERA for the week, 16 threw at least seven innings. Pelfrey also earned a save for pitching a scoreless 20th inning in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the Cardinals
Wins – Rays RHPs Lance Cormier and Matt Garza, Padres RHP Kevin Correia, Yankees LHP Andy Pettitte and Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright.
Saves – Mariners RHP David Aardsma, Yankees RHP Mariano Rivera, Angels RHP Fernando Rodney and Rays RHP Rafael Soriano 3-for-3.
WHIP – Fister 0.38; Penny and Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia 0.43; Yankees LHP C.C. Sabathia 0.50; Indians LHP David Huff 0.56.
K:W ratio – Phillies LHP Cole Hamels 14:1; Marlins RHP Josh Johnson 10:1; Wainwright 16:3; Blue Jays LHP Davis Romero 18:4; Sanchez 11:3; Cardinals RHP Chris Carpenter 10:3; Angels RHP Ervin Santana 13:5; Rangers RHP Colby Lewis 10:4/
Pitchers repeating n a Hot list were Aardsma; Garza; Jimenez, who pitched a no-hitter Saturday, and Oswalt. Saunders jumped from the Not list to Hot in a week’s time.
Not
Pos. Player, Team H-AB BA HR-RBI SB
1B Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays 2-27 .074 0-2 0
OF Carlos Lee, Astros 2-25 .080 0-0 0
OF Dexter Fowler, Rockies 2-25 .080 0-0 1
SS Jason Bartlett, Rays 2-23 .087 0-0 0
C Dioner Navarro, Rays 2-21 .095 0-0 0
1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees 2-20 .100 1-3 0
OF Carlos Quentin, White Sox 3-27 .111 1-8 0
SS Edgar Renteria, Giants 3-24 .125 0-1 0
OF Rajai Davis, Athletics 4-31 .129 0-1 3
SS Jose Reyes, Mets 4-31 .129 0-2 1
This week’s (dis)honorable mention goes to Marlins OF/2B Chris Coghlan 0-for-19, Pirates 1B Jeff Clement 0-15, Astros 2B Kazuo Matsui 0-11, and Tigers SS Ramon Santiago 0-10. Receiving a special dishonorable mention is Rangers C Taylor Teagarden. He was just 0-for-6 for the week, but all six at-bats were strikeouts, giving him a season total of 0-for-18 with 13 Ks.
W:K ratio – Rangers OF Nelson Cruz and Diamondbacks OF Justin Upton 1:10; Mets OF Jason Bay 2:11; Marlins OF Cameron Maybin 3:10; Mets 3B David Wright 9:10.
Caught stealing – Dodgers OF Matt Kemp 1-for-3.
Teagarden has been on a Not list three consecutive weeks (including spring training), and Overbay has been cold two weeks in a row. Cruz, Davis, Quentin and Renteria all were on a Hot list the previous week. Quentin wasn’t a total washout during the last week; he managed to drive in eight runs with just three hits.
Hand Pitcher, Team IP W-L ERA WHIP K:W
RHP Jason Marquis, Nationals 4.1 0-2 27.00 3.00 1:3
RHP Gavin Floyd, White Sox 7.0 0-2 14.14 3.00 7:6
LHP Doug Davis, Brewers 8.0 0-1 12.38 2.63 9:3
RHP John Maine, Mets 8.0 0-1 12.38 2.50 8:7
LHP Jon Lester, Red Sox 11.0 0-2 9.00 2.00 10:6
RHP Jair Jurrjens, Braves 11.1 0-1 8.74 1.59 10:5
LHP Brian Tallet, Blue Jays 11.0 0-1 8.18 1.45 6:3
RHP Joel Pineiro, Angels 9.1 1-1 7.71 1.71 6:1
RHP Bronson Arroyo, Reds 12.0 0-1 7.50 1.25 10:4
RHP Johnny Cueto, Reds 10.0 0-0 6.30 1.90 6:5
The pitchers eligible for this list all started twice during the week
Losses – Floyd, Lester, Marquis and Brewers RHP LaTroy Hawkins 2.
Blown saves – Hawkins, Diamondbacks RHPs Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls, and Rockies LHP Franklin Morales 0-for-2; Orioles RHP Jim Johnson 1-3.
In closing
This is a regular feature of our Emails and blog posts. It lets you know who’s getting saves. Equally important is telling you who’s blowing saves or putting his job in jeopardy by getting shaky saves. There’s also a FREE Article on the old fantasybaseballscout.com web site letting you know which pitcher or pitchers each team is using to close games. It will be updated whenever there’s a change or speculation about a change in a team’s closer.
There were some sloppy and unorthodox saves Sunday.
Indians RHP Chris Perez relieved LHP Tony Sipp with one out in the top of the ninth inning against the White Sox with Cleveland ahead 7-3. Perez allowed one inherited runner to score but retired two batters for his fourth save. Pirates RHP Octavio Dotel’s third save came even though he allowed Reds OF Jay Bruce’s second home run of the game and season. Pittsburgh won at home 5-3. Padres RHP Heath Bell had his third save despite a pitching line of 121102 in a 5-3 victory at Arizona.
Royals RHP Joakim Soria entered their game at Minnesota with two out and a runner on base with KC leading 7-5 in the eighth inning. The Royals finished with a 10-5 win, and Soria received his third save with a line of 1 1/3 00002. Orioles RHP had a 6-3 lead when RHP Jim Johnson entered the game to start the bottom of the eighth inning at Oakland. Baltimore scored twice to win 8-3, and Johnson earned his first save of 2010 with a line of 210002.
Others credited with saves were Yankees RHP Mariano Rivera, fifth, 5-2 over the Rangers; the third saves for Marlins RHP Leo Nunez (1-0 at Philadelphia) and Tigers RHP Jose Valverde (4-2 at Seattle); Astros RHP Matt Lindstrom’s second, 3-2 at Wrigley Field in 10 innings, and Dodgers RHP Jonathan Broxton’s first, 2-1 against the Giants.
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