D-backs have the Giants this weekend. D-backs have to go against Lincecum tonight, but I’d still like to see the D-backs take 2 out 3. D-backs have so many games at home in April and they’re not taking advantage of it. Still, Dan Haren had a great game on Wednesday and Webb should be ready soon.
I’m also going to be watching the Marlins/Phillies this weekend. The Marlins didn’t look good this week against the Pirates, but they did play in horrible weather.
A.J. Burnett has never thrown a pitch in a playoff game in his life.
Correct, of course. I got him confused with Brad Penny.
Tigers lost 2 out of 3 to the Angels. The Angel field is weird. There had to be 15 groundball infield hits in the series.
I honestly think that when a player is not well-liked by the fans because he’s not doing well, he is quick to go on the DL with whatever injury he can sum up. I was pretty sure that was the case last year with a coupla Tribe players (Travis Hafner comes to mind) - they should just be honest and put them on the DL for “sore ego.”
Still… wouldn’t you rather play?
I think Ryan legitimately IS hurt. He’s been hurt before and his pitching motion is about as smooth as a school bus wreck. He lost 5 miles an hour off his fastball this spring and the official team line was “Oh, he’s not hurt. Nope. Total mystery why he can’t thrown hard.” Come on, guys, who are you kidding?
I think a lot of times it’s because players try to play through an injury, then when they realize they can’t and are hurting the team, they go on the DL for that injury.
Do you think Hafner faked the shoulder surgery as well?
I was about to ask the same question.
I seriously doubt that any of them fake injuries to go on the DL, and when they’re in a slump most of them are keen to stay out there and play themselves back into form. I think this is especially true for someone who’s not an All-Star caliber player. Alex Rodriguez might be able to have 2 months off, knowing he can walk straight back onto the team when he’s ready, but for plenty of other players there’s always the risk of losing your spot if the guy who replaces you manages to hit .300/.420/.550 while you’re recovering from your injury.
Mariners take 2 of 3 from the Rays 
Ichiro led the game off with a home run, and then King Felix, David Aardsma, and Brandon Morrow made it hold up the rest of the game. Dang, that’s two 1-0 wins already. I’m really like the M’s pitching so far this year. Though I’m not sure Chris Jakubauskas is cut out to be a starter. He was lights out in the bullpen, but he’s been extremely shaky in his two starts since Rowland-Smith went on the DL.
I guess not.
Toronto beats up the Chisox 14-0. 13 wins against just 5 losses…
… At least two more days in first place! Enjoying it while I can!
And the Mariners keep it going! Russell “The Muscle” Branyan homered in his first AB after missing the previous five games with back pain. Bedard continues to look good. The M’s have now won the opening game of all six series so far.
Interesting combination of stats: fewest runs scored in the AL & fewest runs allowed in the AL. I guess if you have the first one, the second one is really good to have 
And the Cards pull off another win! They now lead the NL in runs, BA, and SLG, and are second in OBP. They also lead the league in errors with 17. The mighty Nationals are second with 15. Their team fielding percentage is next-to-last at .975, one point better than the Nats. Can they win with offense alone all year?
How about Pujols getting his third steal last night to move the go-ahead run into scoring position? I think he’s stolen a base in three straight games. He had seven steals all of last year. Maybe this year he’ll beat his career-best 16 from 2005.
Toronto and the Dodgers look legit. They should contend for the rest of the season. The Mariners, Royals and Pirates are better than expected, but probably not as good as they are currently playing. With the Angels so injury riddled, along with the Adenhart tragedy, the M’s might still win the division though.
We shall see. The Jays already have 4 of their top 7 starting pitchers injured, and their number 2 and 3 guys aren’t expected to pitch at all this season. Also, they’ve played 5 of 6 series against the AL Central, a division they did very well against last season. It’s how they play against the AL East that will really tell us if they’re legit or not.
McGowan is expected back this year and always was, and they’re now saying Marcum will start throwing soon and may well be back after the All-Star break. Litsch’s injury does not appear serious, nor does Romero’s, so whomever you’re referring to, they’ll be back in 2009. (Marcum, well, I’ll believe when it happens, but his prognosis has improved dramatically.)
I still think the coach is going to turn back into a pumpkin because the hitting so far has been 85% fluke, but they’re expecting the starting rotation to be healthy around July-August.
I finally have a nice Saturday afternoon free of home repairs. So I check the Post-Dispatch online to see who is starting for the Cards. The article mentions the game is “nationally televised”. It’s on Fox. Hey, I get Fox. What channel is it in Cincy? I look it up. Channel 19. Good, good. Games starts in a few minutes. This is gonna be great…
Oh. Fox in Cincinnati is playing Yankees-Red Sox. Because, I guess, Cincinnati Reds fans would have absolutely no interest in watching their two division rivals bloody each other. Yankees-Sox makes much more sense. About time those two teams got the attention they deserve.
Fuckers.
[Emily Litella] Never mind[/EL]
They are playing Cards-Cubs. Their online schedule was wrong.
Sorry about that “Fuckers”
A “Best in the bigs” team ERA of 2.95. :eek:
ETA: Which I guess is fortunate considering we’re third from last in the AL in runs scored.
Bedard is healthy and acting like the ace the M’s traded Sherill and Adam Jones for. Felix is usually a first half pitcher, but I don’t think he’s ever started 3-0. Also, Washburn is pitching like he’s still in Anaheim.