Hat tip to Sternfan for bringing this to my attention. Another former Astro under Gerry Hunsicker is now in the Rays minor league system. First it was Hector Gimenez who is attempting to find his once promising days sidelined by injuries and now….Carlos Hernandez. You may recall Hernandez season with the Astros in 2001 when he made 21 starts and threw over 100 innings. Well apparently the southpaw has had some shoulder issues, and after missing 2007 signed with the Rays. He’s thrown  20 dominating innings for Vero Beach and as a 28 year old may find himself with Montgomery or Durham to begin next season. I’m not going to expect him to ever reach the majors with us, but I found it interesting none the less.

Read the original:
Remember This Guy?

Paul Byrd will face Sidney Ponson in the battle of FIPs of the 5.34 and 4.63 variety this week. Which got me to thinking; since 1990 what are the ten worst starting pitcher match-ups in the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry? Here’s what I came up with. May 8, 1994: Joe Hesketh (BOS) v. Terry Mulholland (NYY) Hesketh was a 35 year old pitching in his last professional season while Mulholland was only 31 and would amazingly pitch through 2006. That really didn’t stop this from being a pretty bad bout on paper, although to Hesketh’s credit his 1994 FIP would end up just shy of 4, Mulholland’s wound up at 5.51. Hesketh would last two and a third innings before being yanked after five hits, two walks, and two earned runs on only 45 pitches. Mulholland went seven and allowed four hits and four earned runs in a game that mercifully lasted only two hours and twenty four minutes. May 27, 2000: Brian Rose (BOS) v. Jason Grimsley (NYY) This was before Grimsley became famous while still being awful and before Brian Rose became uh…a 2001 Devil Rays pitcher. Disappointingly neither stunk up the joint too bad with Rose going four, six hits, three earned runs, and Grimsley going five with three hits and three earned runs against. Sadly neither factored into the decision as Mike Stanton and John Wasdin took credit for the win and loss. June 21, 2000: Pete Schourek (BOS) v. David Cone (NYY) Cone was in the midst of his worst season as a professional going up against a guy who was only in the majors because of the arm in which he threw with. The game lasted three and a half hours and neither was awful yet the final score involved 16 runs scored. September 11, 1999: Mike Portugal (BOS) v. Hideki Irabu (NYY) Let me just post the lines from that faithful day in the Bronx: Portugal 4 IP 7 H 4 ER 3 BB 3 SO Irabu 2 IP 3 H 4 ER 3 BB 1 SO June 27, 1991: Tim Bolton (BOS) v. Wade Taylor (NYY) In Taylor’s only season he’d pitch a pretty decent game against the Red Sox. Seven innings, three hits, five(!) walks, and four strikeouts. Bolton on the other hand would last three and two-thirds, give up 10 hits, three homeruns, two walks, and eight earned runs. The suck pitches were flying that day. May 20, 2003: Bruce Chen (BOS) v. Jeff Weaver (NYY) Combined the starters went nine innings and allowed seven earned runs, that’s not awful, but they gave up 16 baseunners and two homeruns as well. This game featured a Sterling Hitchcock mention and is therefore very worthy of a spot on this list. April 14, 2005: Bronson Arroyo (BOS) v. Randy Johnson (NYY) I know, I know, I feel dirty for including Johnson too, but this was not a great game. Sure, Johnson went seven and allowed only five hits, but he gave up three homeruns and five earned runs. Combine that with Arroyo’s nine hits, five earned runs, and four walks over five and two-thirds and this is just a nasty match-up. July 15, 2005: David Wells (BOS) v. Tim Redding (NYY) The final score was 17-1 Red Sox, here are some of the pitchers for New York that day: Redding (six earned in one inning), Darrell May (six earned in two and two-thirds), and Jason Anderson (four earned in two). June 5, 1990: John Dopson (BOS) v. Andy Hawkins (NYY) Dopson gets unfairly lumped despite being solid for the Red Sox that season (albeit in a small sample) but on this day his 5.2 innings of four earned run ball was far better than Hawkins performance. Hawkins took the mound with a 1-0 lead and promptly walked Wade Boggs, allowed two straight singles, two more walks, and then finally got Tony Pena to line out to center. He would promptly give up another single and leave with the bases loaded. Five earned runs and one out, ouch. September 1, 1990: Mike Boddicker (BOS) v. Andy Hawkins (NYY) Yes, Hawkins did it again a few weeks later. He would retire the second batter of the game, Carlos Quintana, after allowing a leadoff single, and then would allow another single, then an Ellis Burks homerun, then a double, then another homerun by Tom Brunansky. One out, five earned runs, two homeruns against, Andy was not a fan of the Red Sox.

Original post:
The Pinnacle of Rivalry

Webster gets the first shot at MLB The Broncos made some decisions yesterday regarding some of the positional battles that have been going on all summer.  Based on what I saw when I was in Denver, combined with what we have seen on the field, I have to say I am a bit surprised at some of the decisions the Broncos’ Brass made. I will create a separate post for each one, starting with…. Nate Webster over Niko Koutouvides at MLB — There is little doubting the energy Webster brings to the football field.  There is also little chance an entire game or practice can go by without Nate losing his helmet.  The energy and flying head-gear have become synonomous with Webster, who has gone from a player looking to resurrect an injury plagued career to the starting Middle Linebacker of the Denver Broncos in the span of a few seasons. His competition was brought in this off-season for the express reason of becoming the starting MLB, signed as a free agent from the Seattle Seahawks.  Niko doesn’t play with the pure emotion that Webster does, but he showed during the pre-season that he could be exactly what the Broncos thought he would be - a fundamentally sound, intelligent player, who may not make the big play, but won’t give up the big play either.  The competition seemed to go back and forth, with both players alternating with the first team during workouts and games.  It was my opinion that Niko had actually performed better than Webster, both individually and as a team defense.  The defense seemed to play with a steady consistency with Niko in the middle, while Webster’s bunch seemed to be up and down, making the big play, then missing a tackle.  In the end, the coaches took the latter option, perhaps preferring the big risk/reward that Webster provides over the “slow and steady wins the race” brought by K-Tou. Regardless of who starts opening night, I still feel the MLB situation is a fluid one for the Broncos.  Should Webster struggle the Broncos would waste no time bringing K-Tou in to steady the ship.  In my younger days, Webster would definitely have been the more attractive option, but with parenthood came the slow and steady preference.  I feel the Broncos are more in need of fundamentals then flash, but it will be Webster that gets the first crack at helping Broncos fans forget Al Wilson. True, we never will forget Al, but lets hope Webster or K-Tou sees to it that we don’t wish for Big Al’s return. Poll Who Would You Rather Have As The Starting MLB? Nate Webster Niko Koutouvides   91 votes | Results

Continue here:
Nate Webster Vs. Niko Koutouvides - My Impressions

I’ve been late to the party today because of that pesky real-life work stuff that tends to get in the way. By now you’ve heard the story. ESPN reports that the Bengals are shopping Rudi Johnson for a starting wide receiver. The truth is, the Bengals are diluting themselves regarding Johnson’s value on the market, and actually thinking they’ll get a good starting receiver in return — and actually expecting that they can trade Rudi’s untradeable $3.2 million ? Furthermore, with the publicity of this report, Rudi Johnson now feels out of the loop — or even disrespected. There’s going to be more to this story, but the two things that popped in my mind when I heard this were the team’s delusion of Rudi’s value, and the likelihood that Rudi Johnson now feels unwanted and could be yet another distraction — though, in truth, that would be against the persona we know of him. Rudi Johnson for Anquan Boldin, Ludwig ponders . Actually getting that trade to go, straight up, would be impressive. However, Boldin’s demand for a trade is his contract, and it’s unlikely the Bengals would hand him an extension — unless they see Boldin as Houshmandzadeh’s replacement. I’ve also heard that Marvin Lewis wasn’t aware of this.  

Read the rest of the post here:
Bengals are shopping Rudi Johnson for Starting WR

The New York Giants end their exhibition season Thursday night by facing the New England Patriots in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. So, of course, I reached out to the folks over at our Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit , for a ‘5 Questions’ segment. ‘Pulpit’ has a new lead blogger this season, so this is the first chance I have had to deal directly with ‘MaPatsFan.’ I enjoyed his answers, and I think you will, too. BBV: Is there any hangover from last season’s Super Bowl loss to the Giants? I know the season didn’t end the way the Patriots and their fans thought it was supposed to. Pats Pulpit: I will not skirt around this one: that was a devastating loss.  The Patriots were to place the crown on top of their incredible achievement, the 2007 season.  It was pre-ordained; who didn’t think they should eat their cake, too?  That is exactly why they lost.  Philisophically, they were claiming their prize while the G-men came to play a football game - big difference.  I know how this feels.  We did the same to the “Greatest Show on Turf”, the LA Rams.  Now I know how their fans felt in 2001.  The players claim there is no hangover, but I think they feel there’s unfinished business, a chip on their shoulder if you will. BBV: Are you worried at all about Tom Brady’s injury? It doesn’t seem like that big a deal, but I’m curious. Pats Pulpit: From everything I’ve read, Brady and the Patriots claim this is a different injury than the one that plagued him before and, it seems, during the Super Bowl.  I believe the Pats’ front office is making the right move by resting Brady during the preseason and letting the backups take some lumps and get experience.  It does worry me, however, that Brady has ALWAYS been there, a fixture on the team that we can count on.  Like Colts fans with Peyton, it’s an uncomfortable feeling. BBV: The Patriots are obviously still a very good, very talented team. Is there anything that concerns you about this team, any weaknesses that you don’t see a clear answer to? Pats Pulpit: During 2007, I’d forgotten who the heroes of the offense truly are - the offensive line.  I was so caught up in the Mosses and Welkers of the world, I abandoned the pigpile.  A PatsPulpit co-writer, JohnHannahRules, has a PhD in O-Line and reminds every so often it’s the foundation that the offense stands on, literally standing on the shoulders of giants.  It’s what plagued us during the Super Bowl and it’s plaguing us now.  The O-line is having its share of ups and downs with a rotating cast of FAs and injured vets coming back.  Ultimately, I’d like to see a younger cast of 300 pounders standing in front of Brady.  That, I believe, is the next place for Belichick to concentrate. BBV: Aside from Brady, what player could the Patriots least afford to lose for a long period of time? Pats Pulpit: This will be no surprise to the PatsPulpit readers.  While Moss was running down the sidelines like a gazelle and scoring touchdowns, WR Wes Welker was getting it down underneath.  Wes ended up being Brady’s safety valve when Moss wasn’t open.  He became our chain mover, the one cabable of finding the soft spots and working the CBs.  If Welker were injured, we’d lose that and have a difficult time making those 5-8 yard gains so critical on medium yard situations.  His recent rib injury during the Eagles game sent shivers. BBV: Now the question that I love to ask. If you could have one player off the Giants’ roster, who would it be and why? Pats Pulpit: Osi Umenyiora.  As much as I hated seeing him in the backfield in February, I can appreciate the guy’s ferocity and talent.  He’s a top notch pass rusher, physical and smart, too.  My wish, as an opposing fan, is that we had a chance to face him again.  That the Patriots had a chance to come up with an answer for Osi and prove that he isn’t unstoppable.  Or, at the very least, slow him down. I find it incredibly interesting that ‘MaPatsFan’ chose Umenyiora as the Giant he would most like to have, despite Osi currently being out for the season. It tells you a little about what other people feel the Giants have lost. I also appreciated ‘Ma’s’ honesty in answering the Super Bowl question. Be sure to check out Pats Pulpit for my answers to his questions.

View post:
5 Questions with ‘Pats Pulpit’

I feel like this news came out a few weeks ago (and that I whiffed on writing about it then), but since it’s in today’s paper , maybe not: The Phillies will send eight players to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Mesa Solar Sox: righthanders Joe Bisenius, Andrew Carpenter and Pat Overholt; lefthander Sergio Escalona; catcher Lou Marson; infielder Jason Donald; and outfielders Quintin Berry and Jeremy Slayden. It’s an interesting group. Marson and Donald you probably know about: they’re generally regarded as the top two position prospects in the system, and just played pivotal roles in the U.S. Olympic baseball team’s bronze medal win. Bisenius , who turns 26 next month, has gotten off-track in the last two years after looking like a possible closer-to-be through 2006, but the team still seems to believe he has a big-league future. Carpenter’s season got off to a dismal start; he showed up at camp overweight and was pounded at Reading for two months before being sent back to Clearwater. Successful again there, he’s been much better since a return promotion to AA. Escalona I know very little about, but his strikeout numbers are intriguing. Berry , a speedster without any power, and Slayden , a Greg Dobbs-type hitter with perhaps a little more pop, are both on the old side for prospects and project as extra outfielders in the majors. It’s possible that the Phillies are thinking that one or both might gain some trade value with strong showings in the desert.

Continue here: Phils will send eight to AzFL

Patrick Sullivan at Baseball Analysts ran the numbers on the remaining schedule for American League contenders. What he found was that the Rays average opponent winning percentage is higher than the Red Sox, but not by too much. Tampa Bay W-L: 79-50, 1st in the AL East Games Remaining: 33 Home: 16 Away: 17 WAOWP: .524 Home Record: 47-18 Road Record: 32-32 Boston W-L: 75-55, 2nd in the AL East, 1st in AL Wild Card Games Remaining: 32 Home: 20 Away: 12 WAOWP: .532 Home Record: 43-18 Road Record: 32-37 A quick and dirty napkin calculation based on the season long performances at home and on the road have this unfolding like this: Team TB BOS Home 12 14 Away 9 6 Total 99* 95 Obviously I rounded up on _.5 numbers for both sides (like the 99/100 total wins issue…), so there’s some room for error like with anything else. I decided to also run the numbers based on BaseRuns to see if either team was projected to be overly lucky or unlucky over 162 games, leaving some room for progression and regression over these last ~30 games. Here are the results: Baseruns Real RAYS 87 99 SOX 102 93 Basically we’re on pace to win 12 more than our BR pythag suggests, and the Sox are on pace to lose 9 more. Naturally there’s nothing that guarantees our regression will come this season, but as long as things don’t completely even out over these next few weeks we should still be in the picture. Also for those wondering, over 32 and 33 games the Rays are expected to win 18 and the Sox 20, not quite enough to make up that 4.5 games gap.

View original post here:
BaseRuns, Luck, Ect.

“Do you know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball.” — Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) in The Rookie (2002)

Continue here:
Overflow Thread 3: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 8/25, 6:05 CT

Eddie Guardado : Coach, you wanted to see me? Ron Washington : Eddie, we’ve had a pretty good run this season, and without you I don’t think we make it quite this far, but… Eddie Guardado: But? Ron Washington : You’ve been traded to Minnesota kid, you’re back in the playoff race. Eddie Guardado: Wow, I don’t know what to say. I’m happy, I like Minnesota, but I have so many friends here…do you know what they dealt me for? Ron Washington: Hamburger. Eddie Guardado:  … Ron Washington: What? Eddie Guardado: What did they deal me for? Ron Washington: I told you, Hamburger. Eddie Guardado: Eddie Guardado: I thought you were above this kind of potshot man, I respected you, but you cut deep man. Ron Washington: No, no Eddie, Mark Hamburger. Eddie Guardado: Like “Mark’s hamburger” right? Ha-ha! Real funny guy. Ron Washington: He’s a minor league pitcher, here, here’s his Baseball-Reference page. Eddie Guardado: Oh…so you weren’t making a fat joke? Ron Washington : Absolutely not. Eddie Guardado:  Is that really all they got for me? Ron Washington: Yes. Well, and the Twins agreed to eat the rest of your small fry of a deal. Eddie Guardado: Ron Washington: That was a fat joke. I am sorry.

Continue here: Gotta Eat

“No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball.” — Connie Mack

More:
First Pitch Thread: Cubs vs. Pirates, Monday 8/25, 6:05 CT