Chicago White Sox come in a #7- guess a lot of fans are still upset with Charlie Comiskey & the Black Sox scandal.
Tigers, Tigers burning bright
Slap the Twits around
not once but twice.
Got to make it fun again this year. I hated the results last year. But the 163 rd game was a classic.
Well Yanks won tonight on the strength of Robby Cano’s two homer, a double and a stellar defensive play. AJ Burnett pitched a great game. No runs in 8 innings.
And in moments that make you go “WTF!?” John Buck smacked three homers tonight as the Jays beat Oakland 6-3.
At least it would have been honest…
The Rays thus far are +69 in runs scored this season.
Reds have won four in a row and are in 2nd place. Not buying. OK, dammit, go Reds!
Looking forward to the Jay’s-Athletics game on Saturday, mainly because I’ll be there for the first time since 1997.
Woohoo!
Orioles sweep the Red Sox.
Of course, Baltimore, even after winning three in a row, is still only at 7-18. Still, while i don’t expect the Birds to compete this year, i will take particular satisfaction from every win they can manage against Boston and the Yankees, and a sweep is even sweeter.
Some interesting stat notes…
Alex Gonzalez (the other one) hit his eighth homer today for the Jays. I sure didn’t see that coming. But what blows me away is that Gonzalez is almost keeping pace with the Astros and the Mariners. Yes, the ENTIRE TEAMS. Both the Astros and Mariners have hit just nine homers apeice.
The Astros in particular are quite amazing. As a team they’re hitting .236 with just nine homers. Thy have walked just 44 times - no other team is lower than 69. They’re tied for last in doubles and have stolen just 14 bases (while being caught 9 times.) Consequently they have scored just 72 runs in 24 games.
If they were to keep this up - which is impossible, I am sure - they would score a mere 486 runs in a league where the average team will score about 740. That would make them - very easily - the worst hitting team in the modern history of the major leagues. (Othe teams have scored fewer runs, but none as compared to the league average.) The 1962 Mets weren’t even close to being that bad.
But they cannot REALLY be this bad. Carlos Lee’s hitting a back-something with no homers. He can’t be that bad for real.
I have Jimmy Rollins in my Fantasy league, and since he’s been on the DL, Gonzalez has been filling in very nicely indeed. I hope he can keep it up for a couple more weeks, until Rollins is due back.
Seattle Mariners: 3 runs scored in their last 33 innings. This is getting painful. Friday night’s game, Cliff Lee’s debut with the team, the pitching held the Rangers scoreless for 11 freakin’ innings before coughing up a couple runs in the 12th to lose the game 2-0. The Mariners loaded the bases with 1 out twice in extra innings, and were unable to score either time. Today, our #4 starter, Doug Fister, was unbelievably outstanding once again, no-hitting the Rangers through 5-1/3 and leaving the game after 8 scoreless innings and giving up only 3 hits and no walks, and with a 1-0 lead. Only to have our closer, David Aardsma give up the tying run in the 9th to send it to extra innings, where the M’s lost it, 3-1.
Wakamatsu shoulda left Fister in there to pitch the 9th. Maybe then he’d have something to show for his 1.29 ERA. Geez, look at this kid’s stats:
5 starts, 2-1, 35 IP, 23 hits, 5 walks, 16 K, 1.29 ERA, .187 BAA, 0.80 WHIP
It was a big sweep and what is odder is of their 7 wins, 4 are against Boston. The Red Sox are clearly struggling so far. BTW, this was the first time in 36 years they swept the Red Sox at home. Good for the O’s but of course I now hope they lose the next 3.
The Yanks are playing excellent ball so far and getting great starting pitching from 4 of their 5. The two big trades the Yanks made are not working out so far. Granderson has gone on the DL and possibly for a month. Vasquez looks lost and has been terrible. However, Cano has been probably the best hitter in the AL and Jeter has been off to a great start. Brett Gardner is hitting very well and disrupting pitchers with his speed.
Teixiera has just started hitting and Posada and Cervelli have both been hitting great from the catcher position. In a surprise move, Cervelli even played a little 3rd yesterday. Nick Swisher is also hot right now and hitting fairly well in his streaky way. Nick Johnson still is not hitting but is walking so much that he largely makes up for it. A-Rod is off to a slow start and might have a minor knee issue. Mariano Rivera is off to probably his best start ever as is Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia. The bullpen is in some flux but that is fairly normal for most teams. Robertson is looking a little lost.
On February 19, as pitchers and catchers reported for this season, New York Mets pitcher Johana Santana was asked to name the best pitcher in the National League East, now that Roy Halladay had come to the division. He replied, “Santana.”
On May 2, last night, Santana issued a bases-loaded, two out walk to Jamie Moyer, who is seventy-three years old and has drawn a total of 33 walks in 25 seasons. Moyer’s career batting average is .133.
Shut up, Johan.
Whoa, for some reason I thought Moyer had retired. Cool. I wanna see him pitch until he’s 50, like he said he wanted to do.
I loved this article from Boston.com: This will be my year by Chad Finn
Showing his Yankee despair even as Tampa leads the East.
BTW: I sincerly hope that Rivera also pitches until 50.
Moyer is pretty amazing, he just might make it.
If he (Moyer) can make it to 50, who knows, he might also win 300. He’s 261-197.
He’s also getting into very rarified company – there are just 5 pitchers who have 24 seasons in the majors (Carlton, Clemens, Eckersley, Phil Niekro & Jesse Orosco) and just 4 with more than that: Jim Kaat and Charlie Hough with 25, Tommy John with 26, and Nolan Ryan with 27.
It’s looks like Niekro was the oldest guy who was a regular starter, he was 48 in his last season. I didn’t see anyone else who made it past 46. I have a funny feeling the guy in Moyer’s sights might be Satchel Paige.