We just know some team, or maybe lots of teams, wore green hats for St. Patrick’s Day. We just didn’t care to look to see which ones they were. Nor did we go to Ebay to buy any pieces of “alternative” green uniforms.
The Braves beat the Marlins and LHP Andrew Miller 4-2. All four Atlanta runs were unearned – but don’t fret about more defense, Florida fans, whoever you are. The Marlins’ three errors were all by guys who might not play anywhere in Florida this season. Their hitters suffered at the arm of Braves RHP Tommy Hanson, whose pitching line was 561104. We thought he was the real deal last year; we’re sure of that now.
Not to be outdone, at least not by much, by a namesake to whom he has become inextricably linked, RHP Russ Ortiz made an audition for a spot in the Dodgers’ rotation but lost to the White Sox 5-1. Ortiz’s line was 462223, but his ERA still is just 2.00. For Chicago, RHP Jake Peavy pitched the way the Sox have hoped he would, with a line of 531126 (and ERA of 1.13).
Making his 2010 debut and pitching like a relief version of Athletics RHP Ben Sheets, Yankees LHP Damaso Marte entered their game against the Phillies in the bottom of the fifth inning with the score tied 2-2. Four batters later, the score was 5-2. Phillies OF Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer against Marte, whose line was 043301. In fairness to Marte, in a regular-season game he probably wouldn’t be facing the righthanded-batting Werth with two runners on base. But, come on! Isn’t his job to get someone out?
In the Mets’ 4-2 win over the suddenly slumping Red Sox, red-hot New York OF Fernando Martinez hit his third homer this spring. The three-run shot came against RHP Ramon S. Ramirez – the Ramon Ramirez who was with Boston last year and not his namesake/new teammate who pitched for the Reds in 2009. For the Mets, overly hyped RHP prospect Jenrry Mejia lowered his ERA to 1.08 with a line of 100000.
The Blue Jays may not be able to get LHP Brian Tallet out of their rotation. That’s good for him, but maybe not so for Toronto. Anyway, his line was 410003 in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles.
In the Rockies’ 6-3 win over the Indians, Speier – that’s RHP Justin Speier, most recently with the Angels – had a line of 100001. OF Jay Payton’s comeback attempt with Colorado seems ill-fated. He’s batting just .185 and he was both thrown out stealing and picked off first base, the kind of rookie mistakes a grizzled veteran shouldn’t make. The flukiest line of the day was the 400013 by Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco. We defy him to do that well even once during the regular season.
In the aftermath of manager Ron Washington’s admission that he used cocaine during last season, the Rangers’ 8-1 victory over the Mariners was an anticlimax. Texas pounded the ball as if its big hitters were auditioning for the All-Arizona team. RF Nelson Cruz was 3-for-3 with three RBI to raise his average to .448, with homers against RHPs Ian Snell and David Aardsma. 1B Chris Davis improved to .500 with a homer against RHP Brandon League, and LF Josh Hamilton (.429) returned to the lineup with a four-bagger against Snell. Closer Aardsma was hit particularly hard, with a line of 2/3 34410.
Sample Scouting Report:
Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Mets
Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 165 T: R Age: Inj. Risk: 10 Alt. Pos.: SP, RP
{2010} Mejia has generated a lot of buzz with some early success in exhibition games. He throws a mid-90s fastball with sinking action that allows him to get plenty of ground-ball outs. That helped him strike out 91 in 94 2/3 innings last year. Mejia started the season 4-1 with a 1.97 ERA in nine starts at high Class A Port St. Lucie, and finished it 0-5 at Double-A Binghamton, where his ERA more than doubled and he averaged just 4 1/3 innings per start. That resulted in part from a strained middle finger that kept Mejia out seven weeks. He needs to develop his low-80s changeup and possibly another breaking ball to complement the cut fastball he throws at times. It seems likely that he would return to Binghamton to begin the season, but with the New York media machine having little good to say about the Mets, they might be tempted to rush him. Don’t bite on Mejia – not this year, at least. Born: Oct. 11, 1989, Dominican Republic.
Projection
IP: 15 W: 1 ERA: 4.80 WHIP: 1.53 S: 1 SO: 11 Value: $0
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