Posts Tagged ‘New York Mets’
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BoSox Need To Catch Some RaysJuly 9th, 2008
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Maybe the American League East won’t be much of a race, after all.
Doing their best Boston Celtics impersonation, the Tampa Bay Rays, in just a calendar year, have gone from worst to first. And while Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett don’t quite equate to the big ticket acquisition of Kevin Garnett from Minnesota, the two cogs have chipped in and helped change the dynamic of the once hapless Rays—a club that previously seemed destined forever to finish well-below .500 every season, continuing a long-standing tradition of being the butt end of countless jokes and jabs.
With a 55-32 record and .632 winning percentage heading into Monday’s afternoon contest against the Kansas City Royals, the Rays have upgraded from basement dweller status to baseball’s penthouse suite. And with a recent sweep of the second place Boston Red Sox, the red-hot Rays, winners of seven in a row and 11 of their last 12 games, sit atop the AL East with a didn’t-see-that-coming seven game lead in the loss column. Read more
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Dodgers need more offensive star powerJuly 6th, 2008
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The Dodgers season thus far has been a train wreck offensively. Sometimes the boys in blue can turns lemons into lemonade like they did the other day beating the Angels without getting a hit.Most of the time however, the Dodgers offense hangs their pitchers out to dry with little to no run support. Needless to say, the team has not lived up to its potential at the plate. Half way through the season the Dodgers are within striking distance of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. The Dodgers have as good a chance as anybody of winning the division. Injuries are one reason the Dodgers offense has stalled. Ever since Rafael Furcal first felt a twinge in his gimpy back. Furcal recently underwent back surgery and will be out for the next 8 weeks if not for the rest of the season. As if that weren’t bad enough, Juan Pierre is out with a knee injury. Meaning the Dodgers have lost their top two lead off hitters. It is time for Joe Torre to get outside of the box with his line up. Torre could go with either Matt Kemp or Russell Martin as the table setter for his Dodger line up. Currently he has been going with Kemp who has performed decently. Read more
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What a Deal!June 21st, 2008
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There are a lot of good deals going around baseball right now; in fact, MLB.com has been writing articles about them all week.
But I have to, of course, highlight my team’s stadium. The deals for players – i.e. Jon Garland which I still don’t completely trust, and the deal over Torii Hunter which I now fully support – are not the only good deals going on at Angels Stadium.
Ha! I bet you totally thought I was going to talk about players’ deals.
I was sitting in class (teaching) about a week ago, and the kids were all watching a movie (I hate block schedule). Being the resourceful woman that I am, I brought my laptop with me. Perusing about the sports websites bookmarked on my internet browser, I came across an article on the Angels’ team site talking about “bargains.” On the article was a link to their special ticketing information, and the first one on there was something about the series against the Mets. By typing in the password “mets,” you could get selected seating for $3 for upper view, $5 for lower view, and $20 for some of the good ground level seats. So I said “why the hell not?” whipped out my credit card and bought a pair on the spot. Oh the benefits of wi-fi!
Wednesday night’s game was the game of choice, and I’d bought two tickets in section 425, row F. FIVE BUCKS! That’s it! On our way to the park we hit up the ever-so-close Del Taco and got ourselves a couple Del’s Deals, paid our $8 for parking, walked ourselves up to our seats, and parked ourselves for the rest of the game.
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K is for KershawMay 30th, 2008
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The Dodgers believe they have the next big time pitcher. The next Dwight Gooden, the next Roger Clemens, the next Sandy Koufax. His name is Clayton Kershaw. Even though he has pitched just six innings on the year, Dodgers fans are over the moon for this young pitching project. Since Kershaw is just 20 years old, the Dodgers plan on limiting him to about 170 innings on the season. However, that should be more than enough time to get a feel for what the young phenom can do.
Standing in at six feet three inches, the lanky left hander is the kind of pitcher front office personal dream about. Hailing from Texas, Dodgers faithful are hoping that he proves to be more Nolan Ryan than Roger Clemens. Joe Torre had wanted to bring Kershaw along slowly, but at the end of the day, the Dodgers pitching has not performed as well as hoped. Kershaw is one of the few southpaw’s that the Dodgers have.
This Friday will be a big test for Kershaw as he will be pitching under the bright lights of New York City when the Dodgers play the Mets. Wearing number 54, Kershaw is trying to bring life to a Dodger team that has been underachieving for most of the season. Joe Torre plans on using Kershaw the way he used Joba Chamberlain last season with the Yankees, which is to say he will be used sparingly.
Whatever Kershaw can bring to the table will be an improvement as not one member of the Dodgers rotation has a winning record. Kershaw will be the Dodgers fifth starter for the foreseeable future. Right now, Kershaw is in line to see a number of starts in the coming weeks, then management will evaluate where there young phenom is at. One thing is for sure, the Dodgers hope that Kershaw can be their best left hander since Sandy Koufax. But, they would be happy if Kershaw turns out as good as Orel Hershiser. Either way, if Kershaw is lucky he will end up like Brad Penny and get to date both Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku.
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Nats fall to Brewers in Extras on Memorial DayMay 30th, 2008
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The Memorial Day masses exited Nationals Park while listening to a Jamaican Rastafarian crooning about how ‘every little thing gonna’ be all right’ after the Nationals blew a lead in the top of the seventh inning, closed a deficit in the bottom of the 8th, then gave up the winning run in the top of the 11th.
Starting pitcher Jason Bergmann departed after throwing 5.2 innings of shutout, four-hit ball, enough to make him eligible for the win when leaving the mound with the Nats leading 2-0 overe the Milwaukee Brewers. The next three relievers proceeded to give up a run apiece before first baseman Dmitri Young smacked a deep drive to centerfield in the bottom of the 8th, pulling into third with what initially was a stand-up triple.
The umpires then convened, discussed whether Young’s shot had cleared the fence, decided that it had, and the 298 pounder casually strolled home with his first homer of the season as the Nats pulled even.
Closer Jon Rauch, the Nats’ fifth pitcher of the afternoon, pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Saul Rivera came on in the 10th, struck out the first batter, gave up a single to the next hitter, and induced the next two batters to fly and line out, respectively. Read more
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Message for the Nats’ Three Young BirdsMay 22nd, 2008
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Singin’ don’t worry
‘bout a thing
‘cause every little thing
gonna’ be all right …
- Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
As more than 28,000 hardball enthusiasts filed out of Nationals Park on Tuesday night, the late Jamaican Rastafarian’s catchy tune permeated the ears of witnesses to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1-0 victory, a grinder of a game that went scoreless for eight full innings before the Phils broke the seal in the top of the ninth then blunted a threat in the inning’s bottom.
But the question that begs an answer: Should the implicit message of that uplifting song be taken seriously?
One: The Nats lost.
Two: They were shutout.
Three: They stranded a man on second with one out then third with two outs in the fourth inning. They stranded a man on second with two outs in the seventh inning. And, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the potential tying run walked, then stole second, then stole third before being stranded on a game-ending groundout.
Four: Their outfielders went 1-10 Tuesday night with a seventh inning double being this notable trio’s sole hit.
Five: Their make-shift closer, equipped with six saves under his belt, pitched the whole ninth inning and gave up one run to get the loss Tuesday night.
Six: They occupy the NL East cellar, looking immediately up at the New York Mets. In other words, while the Mets have sunk and the Atlanta Braves have scaled, the Nats have occupied the bottom for no one other than themselves.
Seven: Only three NL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, all coming out of the NL West (Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres).
Eight: Two AL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
Wednesday night marks the Nats’ 16th–straight game in 16 straight days, their second-longest consecutive streak of this season. They head into the series finale against the Phillies at 6-9. Four of those nine losses were one-run games, for two of the nine they were shutout. In late July through mid-August, the Nats have 20-straight games scheduled, representing their longest streak this season.
Jon Rauch, who was converted from set-up man to closer when Chad Cordero went down with a tear in his muscle earlier this season, started the ninth by giving up a double to third baseman Pedro Feliz, who was sacrificed to third then scored on pinch hitter Greg Dobbs’ single. Rauch, who gave up three hits and the decisive run, was tagged with the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season,
Wily Mo Peña doubled to left in the seventh, going 1-4 on the night. The leftfielder is yet to homer this season, one of the primary reasons the Nats brought him in when the Boston Red Sox released him last season. He was not improving while platooning in the Fenway outfield and was supposed to benefit from daily action and at-bats so that he would surmount his strike-out proclivity. One of those four at-bats was a swinging strike-out, which came in the ninth inning. He lunged and missed at first pitches in at least three of his at-bats, perhaps a sign of anxiousness. His batting average presently is .216.
Lastings Milledge went 0-4 with one strike out. The centerfielder’s positive contribution at the plate was a no-out sacrifice fly to right field, which moved Ryan Zimmerman to third. Milledge, who helped gun down what would have been a second Phils run in the ninth, left four on base and presently is hitting .235.
Elijah Dukes went 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. One of those walks came in the bottom of the ninth, when he was 90 feet from tying the game after stealing second and third bases. He presently is hitting .038 in 11 games thus far this season.
This trio that patrols the Nats outfield is expected to grow into those positions and sustain them for the Nats for years to come. Peña is 26, Milledge is 23 and Dukes turns 24 late next month, and all have plenty of room to improve their game.
‘Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin this is my message to you.’
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Streaking player probably won’t play; winner of none, loser of three will!May 12th, 2008
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Raise your hand and speak up if you have no clue in the world what is happening with DC’s baseball team.
But, please: not everyone at once.
The Washington Nationals is the same team that earlier this season owned MLB’s worst record and had lost 15 of 17 games then turned it around to play .750 ball by winning nine of 12 games to climb to within striking distance of the team ahead of them in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves.
That surge also prompted the Nats to rise above five other MLB teams, pull into a tie with a sixth and – more importantly – demonstrate the team can play ball, win games and continue soaring upward.
Or so we thought.
Through Monday morning, as they approach this season’s quarter mark, the Nats are tied with the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies for third-worst in MLB, ahead of the penultimate Seattle Mariners and the last-place San Diego Padres.
What more to expect from a team that markets itself on its own Web site with the following sub-headline to its top story: ‘Aaron Boone has been on a tear for the Nationals, but will likely not start as Odalis Perez throws against the Mets at 7:10 p.m. ET tonight.’
The Nationals are reduced to pitching the exploits of a back-up third baseman.
One who might not even find his way into the game.
Naming him alongside the name of the pitcher whose record is 0-3.
Is the message from the Nats: Viewers should watch the game not to watch the streaking infielder but to watch the pitcher who has won no games but lost three in the eight he has started?
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Congrats, D-Backs. You have your first challenge.May 5th, 2008
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Sunday’s was another marquee pitching match-up for the Diamondbacks. But this one didn’t pan out in their favor.
And it wasn’t through any fault of Dan Haren. He matched Mets ace Johan Santana on Sunday, and left the game down 2-1 on a mere 3 hits. That became 2-2 in the seventh, but in the last two innings, the wheels fell off for Arizona.
First, after capitalizing on a throwing error to first, Chris Burke turned a bunt into two bases. But when he tried to stretch it to three, Ryan Church nailed him at third to take the runner out of scoring position and off the basepaths.
Then, in the ninth, with the typically steady Chad Qualls on the mound, Conor Jackson committed a throwing error that allowed Mets centefielder Carlos Beltran to score the go-ahead run. Qualls gave up three hits in the inning, three runs, and in the process surrendered his first unearned run of the season.
And the Mets left the desert with a 2-1 series lead, the Diamondbacks first real hiccup of the season.
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Keys to the Nats’ RisingMay 5th, 2008
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Will this team break out? We know they can and it just might be on the brink of doing so.
In less than two weeks, the Washington Nationals have climbed out of MLB’s basement by playing .727 ball. Their record through Saturday afternoon has them looking down on five teams and tied with a sixth. They are only five games below .500.
The Nats are 8-3 in their past 11 games, during which they captured series against three solid teams, and they’ll try to clinch another series Sunday afternoon.
Through Saturday afternoon, they have won two of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right handed pitcher Tim Redding leads the charge Sunday in game four at Nationals Park against Ian Snell, also a righthander. Should the Nats lose, they’ll at least emerge with a series tie.
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Nats fall to Mets, SantanaApril 24th, 2008
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Just when the Washington Nationals showed a glimmer of straightening out …
One day after beating the Atlanta Braves and legendary pitcher John Smoltz in Atlanta on the historic night he recorded his 3000th strikeout, the Nats fell to another formidable pitcher at Nationals Park.
Johan Santana threw seven innings, gave up two earned runs and hit two doubles, helping the New York Mets defeat the Nats 7-2 on Wednesday night. His record improves to 3-2.
Nats pitcher Tim Redding threw five innings and was pulled in the top of the sixth for Ray King after giving up a single to centerfielder Carlos Beltran. Rightfielder Ryan Church reached safely on an infield hit to third, where he ultimately ended up after Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman’s errant throw also allowed Beltran to score what proved to be the deciding run. Redding falls to 3-2 on the season. Read more
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