R.I.P. Nick Adenhart

 

It is hard to write anything after hearing this stunning news.  What a sad and tragic thing – 22 years old and with a world of potential.   I believe two other people were killed in the car Adenhart was a passenger in.  My condolences to all.

Hug your family …

Sox v. Rays – 4.7.09

Opening day finally arrives!

Beckett faced off against James Shields and, but for the third inning, Beckett was dominant.  In 7 IP he allowed only one run, struck out ten, scattered two hits, and walked three.  His fastball was consistently 93-95. For example, his last batter faced, Gabe Gross, faced this cheese:

Not bad for pitches 91, 92 and 93.

I saw something on MLB Tonight that said Beckett was only the 4th opening day pitcher to allow 2 hits or less and strike out more then 10. Impressive.

On the Rays side, Shields looked pretty good but not as sharp as Rays fans have come to expect. One thing that has bugged me about Shields is his nickname – Big Game James. I mean, come on. He got this name before he’d even pitched one playoff game. That just isn’t right.

. . . . . . .

Other things I noticed from yesterday’s games:

• As I suggested in a previous post, Trevor Cahill needs some time in AAA. His line was 5 IP, 5 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ERs, 5 BB (!), 1 SO. He was all over the place and could not seem to get into any kind of groove. Maybe it was just 21 year old jitters and a big league debut, but if he keeps this up against more patient clubs he will get shellacked.
• Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus nailed my thoughts on the Royals game yesterday – poor Gil Meche.

Two on, two out, one-run lead, eighth inning.

Jim Thome batting.

You have Joakim Soria.

You use Kyle Farnsworth.

Gone.

I know it happens all the time, but it’s really freaking stupid every single time. This is what the creation of the closer position has wrought: teams losing games, frequently, without using their best reliever, for no reason other than the misguided notion that getting three outs is their role, and getting four isn’t.

(For that matter, you also have Ron Mahay. Why did you acquire him if not to have him face Jim Thome in the eighth inning of a one-run game? Ron Gardenhire lost the division last year for want of a similar clue and Jose Mijares.)

Some people deserve to lose.

• Will Brandon Morrow’s move from starter to reliever be short lived? Morrow got two quick outs to start the ninth and looked okay doing it – Delmon Young did line a shot to center for a loud out. Then … Morrow suddenly lost his control, issuing three straight walks which started the Twins comeback victory. Nasty ending for the Mariners.
• Matt Clement retired.  As a Sox fan, we saw a so-so 2005 from Clement. He had a decent run from 2002-2005, going 48-42, but overall he was a pretty average to mediocre pitcher. He didn’t seem, however, to be a bad guy. I recall the day back in 2005 when he was hit by a liner in the head. A scary sight.  Here is to wishing Clement a comfy retirement. And, it is interesting to note that he was once traded for Dontrelle Willis. What does that say?

Today’s Sox game – Lester v. Kazmir, the battle of the lefties.

Major League Debut – Trevor Cahill

Trevor Cahill makes his major league debut tonight for the Oakland A’s against the Angels and Dustin Moseley.  The other pitcher most often discussed with Cahill is Brett Anderson who makes his debut (skipping AAA as well) on Thursday.

The A’s five man rotation (now that Duchscherer is on the DL) is made up of pitchers who are all 26 or younger. That has not happened since the 1978 Brewers and the last team before that was the 1968 A’s (with a rotation of Hunter, Dobson, Nash, Odom and Krausse).

Cahill has had an impressive two seasons in the minors and made the starting rotation this spring.  I find it a lot of fun to watch the young guys work their way into a big league rotation and will no doubt watch some of Cahill’s start tonight.

This is what he did in the minors:

2008 Statistics – Age 20

Level    W    L    ERA     IP       K    BB    WHIP

A+       5     4      2.78   87.1   103  31    0.95

AA        6     1     2.19   37.0    33    19    1.16  

2007 Statistics – Age 19

A          11    4     2.73   105.1  117  40   1.18  

He is definitely one worth watching.  He was the A’s Organization Pitcher of the Year for the last two years and has a world of potential.  The question, though, is whether he is ready to face major league hitters with no AAA experience and only seven games at the AA level.   I like Cahill a lot but you have to wonder if it’s a good idea to let him face major league hitters at such a young age.  Cahill’s spring was less then stellar so there is some concern that he may be in over his head.

Ah, to be 21 and taking the mound in a major league game.  That’s gotta be a thrill.

10 Random Predictions …

1. Both Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton will vie for the triple crown in their respective leagues.  Hamilton will be all by himself, but Pujols will have to fend of Manny who will challenge in both homers and RBIs.
2. The Yankees will miss the playoffs.
3. Josh Beckett will win 22 games but lose out on the Cy Young Award to Felix Hernandez.
4. Francisco Liriano will lead the AL in strikeouts.
5. The Royals will win more than 80 games for only the second time since 1994 (hard to believe they’ve stunk for so long).
6. Matt Wieters will be the AL Rookie of the Year.
7. Jake Peavy will be traded to the Cubs.
8. Rich Harden will spend most of the season on the DL.
9. Oil Can Boyd will pitch again in the major leagues and there will be about 1,000 stories written on the Cans similarity to Satchel Page.
10. The Red Sox will win the World Series.

Opening Day 2009

Rain, rain and more rain.  Whose idea was it for the Sox to open in Boston?  The last time was 2002 and before that was 1996.  I would suggest that the Sox should never open at home.  My son’s little league season the past three years has been plagued with rain cancellations.  You get all ready for opening day and then … nothing.

So, instead of the Sox I watched some of the Mets v. Reds game.  Santana looked pretty good – wild in the first inning but then pretty good after that.  Not his best, but acceptable.  I am not a Mets fan but I have Santana on two of my fantasy teams and I love the guy.  I hope to read that he felt no lingering tightness in his elbow or whatever his issue was this spring.  I imagine Mets fans must have breathed a sigh of relief.

The Reds should be pretty excited about their offense.  Jay Bruce was fooled by a Santana offering and still managed to flick it off the wall in deep left center.  He looks impressive.

. . . . . 

Now, I don’t want to get too giddy about CC’s poor outing against the O’s (he looked out of sync) but, I am a Sox fan.  As the info on the TV indicated, he had a bad April last year and then went wild so there really should be no cause for concern; it is just nice when the season starts off not as the Yankee’s expected.  

In terms of the O’s, I liked what I saw from Adam Jones.  He looked more selective and really in control of himself (a four pitch walk in his first at bat).  He may be headed to a big year and really make the Mariners regret their trade.

Last on my viewing radar tonight is the Liriano/King Felix matchup.  I have them both on one of my fantasy teams.  They are the kind of pitchers you stop everything to watch.  Here’s to hoping we see a pitching duel tonight.

Down on the farm …

Bartolo Colon – AAA Pawtucket

Well, the not so svelte Colon seems to be throwing well. He went 5 innings, threw 74 pitches and allegedly touched 94 on the radar gun (unfortunately, the Gameday on the minor league site does not have the detailed pitch info of the major league Gameday). This is a good sign for Colon, but you have to wonder if he can maintain this; after all he is 34 and is “rotund.”

Justin Masterson – AA Portland

Masterson had a nice outing as well. He went 4 innings, gave up 3 hits, no walks, 3 ks and no runs. Not bad. I think we may see him by the end of the year if he keeps this up.

Chris Province – A Greenville

Seen as a reliever in the majors, Province is expected to get some starts this season and he had one last night. His 2008 debut was very nice – 5 IP, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 3 Ks, and 1 unearned run. Province was followed by Daniel Bard who went 1 inning. A first round pick in 2007 out of North Carolina, Bard has been converted to a reliever for 2008. Keep an eye on him as well, his 1.55 million dollar signing bonus puts some pressure on the Sox to advance him.

4.1.08 – Sox vs A’s

No April’s Fools joke today by the Sox, just a well played 2-1 victory over the A’s. Not much to complain about here (except for Varitek being robbed of a home run). A solid outing by Dice-K (despite still not throwing enough first pitch strikes) followed by the usual brilliant relief stint by Okajima and the hammer that is Papelbon.

Comments

• I love Youkilis. He just plays the game like it is supposed to be played. His defense is fantastic, he works pitchers hard, and he just gets on base. There is not much more you can ask for – okay, maybe a bit more power from your first sacker. I hope Tito keeps him fresh so that he does not wear down at the end of the season like he has the past two years.
• Youk tied the consecutive errorless game streak of 193 set by Steve Garvey in 1985 when he was with San Diego. One more Youk!
• It looked to me like Varitek smoked the same pitch from Blanton for a single and a “double” (which was really a home run). I don’t know why pitchers give him low balls to hit – he loves to golf!
• Is Big Papi’s knee okay? Not a great start 0-11 so far.

By the way, I love all the info you get from MLB’s gameday. It is fantastic.

Game 4 – Interesting Stat

Lester v. Harden – rematch

The last Sox lefty to win in the Coliseum (starter or reliever) was Zane Smith on May 29, 1995.

Thoughts on Dice-K

Let’s take a quick look at Dice-K’s last outing and continue the thread of my concern about his, and Lester’s, inability to throw first pitch strikes. I think this puts them in a bad spot for lasting deep into games. Dice-K’s last outing:

•  5 IP, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks, 2 ER; on the surface, this looks good. But

• 95 pitches in 5 innings is not what the Sox need from Dice-K

• First inning, Dice-K was fortunate that Buck swung at the first pitch and grounded out. However, Dice-K then threw a first pitch ball to the next five batters. He escaped with “only” 2 runs crossing the plate. He needed 30 pitches to get through the first.

• Second inning, Suzuki singled on the first pitch, then Dice-K threw a first pitch strike to four of the next five batters and escaped unscathed. He needed another 30 pitches to get through the second. 60 pitches through 2. Ouch.

• Third inning, was a quicker on for Dice-K with a first pitch out by Emil Brown. Dice-K then threw a first pitch ball to the next three batters he faced, but only walked one and ended the inning “only” having thrown 15 pitches. 75 total through 3.

• Fourth inning, a quick 1-2-3 inning with first pitch strikes to two of the three batters. Only 8 pitches this inning. 85 pitches through 4.

• Fifth inning (and what would be Dice-K’s last), another 1-2-3 inning but only one batter received a first pitch strike. 12 pitches for his total of 95.

Batters faced – 23

First pitch strikes – 11

While this outing turned out okay for Dice-K, it was an A’s lineup that is much inferior to say New York or Cleveland or Detroit’s. If Dice-K continues with his penchant for avoiding the plate on the first pitch, he will not last long against the good teams. He needs to turn that around.

And, while we are on the topic of first pitch strikes, Lester is just as maddening. In his outing, he went 4 innings and threw 83 pitches. He faced 20 batters and threw a first pitch strike to just 8 of them. That is not good.