Another Webb-Gem (and Other Friday Night Baseball Happenings)
First of all, R.I.P. to the great Jim McKay. In case anybody who knows him reads this blog. He really was great at what he did, though and had a memorable persona. As Dr. Evil once said, he has what the French call a sort of "I don't know what". I know what Opie and Anthony are thinking: Heaven needed a sportscaster. Or maybe they're doing a Wider World of Sports up there, who knows? But he'll be missed by many, that's for sure.
So the Diamondbacks won again, but they are doing it in unimpressive and stress-inducing style lately. This lineup cannot continue to be frighteningly dormant for much longer. It's just insane. I thought that the bats would be so much better this year that the pitching was just going to be gravy. The pitching has saved them on certain nights, that's for sure, but we're going to need a group effort if they want to be one of the best teams in baseball, which I honestly believe they are. (Easily top 5 right now, if you ask me, if not top 3.)
Last night was a typical Brandon Webb night. He was lights out. He had no-hit stuff for sure. Definitely not perfect game stuff as was showcased with a couple of hit batsmen, but certainly no-hit stuff. Unfortunately, for the D-Backs, it was also a typical Ian Snell night. He's having an awful season, but against the D-Backs he usually does well. Even with his track record, though, you can't justify striking out 11 times against Snell. (11! Seriously!) He was dominating them so much that he had to leave the game before the 6th inning started because he had thrown so many pitches. Then Tyler Yates comes in and the Diamondbacks make him look like Heath Linebrink. (That's right. I combined Heath Bell & Scott Linebrink. Skills.) Luckily, Webb could not be beat and the bullpen didn't crumble.
The bats will come around. I truly believe it. But the bullpen worries me because I expected so much more out of Tony Pena and Chad (DJ) Qualls. I think Brandon Lyon is going to be fine. He's getting a lot better with pressure. But those other two guys have been hit or miss all season. So much so that Juan Cruz is looking like a good choice as new setup guy on certain nights.
I'm still very excited about this team. I picked them to win the World Series before the season started and I still feel good about that prediction. When you consider that Randy Johnson is suddenly lights out again and looking 5 years younger and that Dan Haren still hasn't caught fire like you know he will at some point and that Justin Upton hasn't gotten his second wind yet, the NL West should be very scared, because Arizona already has a relatively comfortable lead at this point of the season. I don't expect this to be a repeat of 2007, which will help out the Diamondbacks even more. I think it's going to be a two team race between the Dodgers and the D-Backs and I'm pretty confident that the Diamondbacks will win by much more than a nose.
I'd like to see Augie Ojeda get more playing time and Chris Snyder play on more of a regular basis. (I love Montero, but Snyder seems to thrive when he plays everyday.) Beyond that, I don't have any major complaints. Just a few minor worries that have me nibbling on my cuticles more often than fantasy baseball owners of Armando Benitez and/or Joe Borowski. (Pick your favorite disappointment, kiddies!) I'm also one of those few people who seemed to expect more out of Chris Burke. It's just tough for some of these guys because they're not playing everyday and that's often the only way to tell if someone has what it takes to contribute to a champion. Nonetheless, I think all the individual parts are substantially strong and will lead to an NL pennant and hopefully a World Championship when it's all said and done. We'll just have to wait and see...
One more note on the Arizona front-- Aren't the Diamondbacks broadcasts on Fox Sports Arizona some of the most entertaining television programs of any kind you've seen recently? Sut and Gracie just know how to connect. They know what to say at the perfect time and know when gimmicks are still strong or ready for retirement. I loved seeing some of the fans on the road with "Car!" signs. That was one of the most innovative things I've heard of in a long time, by the way. I believe it was Mark Grace who came up with it. During down times of D-Backs' games, fans will hold up signs that say "CAR" as a nod to the days when you would be playing on the street and would have to stop when a car drove by. This was also parodied in Wayne's World when Wayne and Garth were playing street hockey and would say "Car" and "Game On" when cars would drive by. Simply classic. Like the Diamondbacks themselves.
Now on to baseball news from around the rest of the country from yesterday's action:
Cleveland beat Detroit in the underachiever olympics.
-I keep thinking Ben Francisco is going to be one of those breakout players and a future fantasy stud, but he's been too inconsistent lately. 0 for 5 with 3 k's is enough for me to give up on him for a while. But I guarantee you he will now go 4 for 4 with a homer, two doubles and 3 RBI's. What a jerk.
-Wow. Ryan Garko homered. Wasn't this guy supposed to be the next Hafner or Sexson? Even Hafner isn't Hafner anymore. Garko is good for 2 homers every 3 weeks or so. That's big time.
-Perhaps the Indians problems can be stemmed from the fact that David Dellucci is still in their lineup from time to time. They clearly should have kept Jason Michaels, but the Pirates are the benefit of that faux pas right now. Of course the Bucs will find a way to screw that up eventually, but that's another story.
-What happened to Curtis Granderson?
-And Carlos Guillen, and Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria and....
-Magpipes Ordonez had a rare o-fer, but he is still the class of that organization. And Ozzie Guillen is still a moron for ruining that relationship. (Among other things)
-Pudge is officially done. Mark my words.
The BoSox got shutout by the lowly M's! That's like getting no-hit by Sidney Ponson. By the way, I heard Ponson was released because he was being a meanie pants or something like that. What a loser the King of Aruba has become.
-Explain to me why Ichiro isn't playing for a contender right now?
-You know you're not a very good team when Jeremy Reed is batting sixth for you.
-Felix Hernandez is heating up! Look out! The M's might get to .500 if he keeps this up!
-I know it's a little early for this, but I think the Red Sox are in trouble. That brawl the other night was a debacle. You basically got punked out by the Rays who used to be a laughing stock but are now looking like champions in the making. (It's early) Coco Crisp went way over the line. Johnny Gomes looked the worst out of anybody on either team, but that confrontation in the dugout between Manny and Youkilis is no coincidence. I refuse to believe that.
There is some kind of inner-turmoil going on that I can't put my finger on, but they better figure it out. Their pitching is still shaky. Matsuzaka is on the DL and Beckett has been above average at best. Even Okajima got rocked a few days ago. If not for Papelbon, this team would be in a world of trouble. Jon Lester is too inconsistent to contribute that greatly. The lineup is still strong, but oh oh! now Ortiz is on the DL, too. These guys better watch out. If the Rays stay hot and the Yankees go on their inevitable run and the Sox start to crumble, it's going to be less fun than a clam bake at Bill Belichik's house.
The Yanks go below .500 again by dropping one to the Royals
-Miguel Olivo is out of his mind right now. The John Buck era is so over.
-If you can't get more than one run off of Kyle Davies in 2008, you might be the worst team per dollar spent in baseball. You think the Steinbrenner's have ever read Moneyball? (Or any other book about doing good business?)
-Even with all their troubles, it's amazing to think that Jeter, A-Rod, Cano and Melky have all not gone on hot streaks yet. If they all catch fire at once, it's going to be ugly for the rest of the East. Then again their Double A pitching staff might make that a moot point.
Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5
-Nick Markakis went 4 for 4. This kid's about to catch fire big time. Trust me. Too bad the rest of the O's stink. How they are 30-30 is beyond me.
-Am I the only one with George Sherrill fever? Oh, you must not play fantasy baseball.
-The Blue Jays are about to tank it. I can see it coming. Their lineup is beyond weak. Their pitching can only save them for so long. And if Rod Barajas can put up MVP-like numbers for more than two weeks, then my name is Jim Walewander.
Reds 11, Marlins 3
-Don't tell anybody, but I'm also a huge Reds' fan. And Jay Bruce is the best thing to happen to them since Marge Schott stopped hanging around the dugout. No one will ever be able to replace Eric Davis in my heart, but the Bat Man has a good chance to come awfully close. And he came along at the perfect time. The Reds have a pulse now and look out-they're only a game below .500.
-It's going to be exciting watching Bruce, Votto, Cueto and Volquez over the next decade or so. The Cubs better hurry up and win one before it's too late.
-Jorge Cantu hit 2 jacks last night. Maybe he is the second coming of Babe Ruth after all.
Phillies 4, Braves 3
-Oh oh. Brad Lidge gave up 3 hits and a run last night. Let's hope this is just a temporary glitch. I don't care for the Phillies, but I'd like to see Lidge have a true comeback season and keep the magic going.
-It's June 7th and Chipper Jones is batting .421. Wow. Just wow. He's got nothing left to do in his career except get his Hall of Fame induction speech ready.
In the battle of the Irrelevant's, the Giants beat the Nationals (disgrace) 10-1
-The Giants haven't won any games in which Tim Lincecum has not started. Okay, that's a lie, but it does seem that way, doesn't it?
-Both Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand are hitting around .330. Could you imagine what these guys would be doing with some more protection in the lineup?
-Is there anything that can be said about the Nats that hasn't already been said about Vanilla Ice and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Rays Keep Rolling; Crush Rangers
-Hats off to James Shields for the other night. Did you see him throw his hat off before throwing that haymaker at Crisp? He didn't connect, but I admired his moxie. If only he could have accidentally clocked Johnny Gomes.
-Scott Kazmir is the Jimmy Page of the Rays' pitching staff.
-Why isn't Jarrod Saltalamacchia getting regular playing time? It's hard to gauge his talent when he's only playing every other day.
Astros 6, Cards 1
-Ryan Ludwick is starting to go the way of Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes. It will be interesting to see if he recovers from this recent slump or if he falls completely off the radar screen again.
-It must be 2008. Sports has come a long way. Some chick named Loretta went 4 for 4 last night for the Astros.
White Sox 10, Twins 6
-This game interested me because two of my hot fantasy pickups of the week--Alexi Casilla and Alexei Ramirez would be facing each other. Ramirez had a decent game but Casilla stole the show. Get 'em before he's universally a goner.
-Carlos Quentin keeps raking. I wish we had found a way to hold on to that guy.
Rock Show 6, Brew Crew 4
-Brad Hawpe hit a homer. Hmmmm.. Hit like 3 more soon and I'll consider picking you up off the waiver wire, buddy boy. Right now Spilborghs seems like the safer bet. Scary.
Padres 2, Mets 1
-Does anyone else find it nearly impossible to sit through a Padres game? Especially at Petco. Their games are almost always boring. Even when they beat Johan Santana, they find a way to not be very good at it.
-Pick up Heath Bell. Trust me. It's only a matter of time before Hoffman puts on an Ishtar-esque performance and gets replaced with a younger actor. I mean pitcher.
Angels 3, A's 1
-Cust hit another Jack. I can't figure out if he's an automatic fantasy pickup or the Plague at this point.
-I'll tell you another interesting part of this ga.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Dodgers 3, Cubs 0
-This game was all about Hiroki power! He put the K in Kuroda. I'm sorry, that was horrible. It beats the alternative though. I almost spelled Kuroda with 11 K's, which is how many he had last night to beat the "best team in baseball". Ha. Nice going, sChlubs.
On that note, it's time to get some sleep. If there was a fantasy draft for sleeping, I'd be the sleeper pick, but that would be kind of redundant.
So the Diamondbacks won again, but they are doing it in unimpressive and stress-inducing style lately. This lineup cannot continue to be frighteningly dormant for much longer. It's just insane. I thought that the bats would be so much better this year that the pitching was just going to be gravy. The pitching has saved them on certain nights, that's for sure, but we're going to need a group effort if they want to be one of the best teams in baseball, which I honestly believe they are. (Easily top 5 right now, if you ask me, if not top 3.)
Last night was a typical Brandon Webb night. He was lights out. He had no-hit stuff for sure. Definitely not perfect game stuff as was showcased with a couple of hit batsmen, but certainly no-hit stuff. Unfortunately, for the D-Backs, it was also a typical Ian Snell night. He's having an awful season, but against the D-Backs he usually does well. Even with his track record, though, you can't justify striking out 11 times against Snell. (11! Seriously!) He was dominating them so much that he had to leave the game before the 6th inning started because he had thrown so many pitches. Then Tyler Yates comes in and the Diamondbacks make him look like Heath Linebrink. (That's right. I combined Heath Bell & Scott Linebrink. Skills.) Luckily, Webb could not be beat and the bullpen didn't crumble.
The bats will come around. I truly believe it. But the bullpen worries me because I expected so much more out of Tony Pena and Chad (DJ) Qualls. I think Brandon Lyon is going to be fine. He's getting a lot better with pressure. But those other two guys have been hit or miss all season. So much so that Juan Cruz is looking like a good choice as new setup guy on certain nights.
I'm still very excited about this team. I picked them to win the World Series before the season started and I still feel good about that prediction. When you consider that Randy Johnson is suddenly lights out again and looking 5 years younger and that Dan Haren still hasn't caught fire like you know he will at some point and that Justin Upton hasn't gotten his second wind yet, the NL West should be very scared, because Arizona already has a relatively comfortable lead at this point of the season. I don't expect this to be a repeat of 2007, which will help out the Diamondbacks even more. I think it's going to be a two team race between the Dodgers and the D-Backs and I'm pretty confident that the Diamondbacks will win by much more than a nose.
I'd like to see Augie Ojeda get more playing time and Chris Snyder play on more of a regular basis. (I love Montero, but Snyder seems to thrive when he plays everyday.) Beyond that, I don't have any major complaints. Just a few minor worries that have me nibbling on my cuticles more often than fantasy baseball owners of Armando Benitez and/or Joe Borowski. (Pick your favorite disappointment, kiddies!) I'm also one of those few people who seemed to expect more out of Chris Burke. It's just tough for some of these guys because they're not playing everyday and that's often the only way to tell if someone has what it takes to contribute to a champion. Nonetheless, I think all the individual parts are substantially strong and will lead to an NL pennant and hopefully a World Championship when it's all said and done. We'll just have to wait and see...
One more note on the Arizona front-- Aren't the Diamondbacks broadcasts on Fox Sports Arizona some of the most entertaining television programs of any kind you've seen recently? Sut and Gracie just know how to connect. They know what to say at the perfect time and know when gimmicks are still strong or ready for retirement. I loved seeing some of the fans on the road with "Car!" signs. That was one of the most innovative things I've heard of in a long time, by the way. I believe it was Mark Grace who came up with it. During down times of D-Backs' games, fans will hold up signs that say "CAR" as a nod to the days when you would be playing on the street and would have to stop when a car drove by. This was also parodied in Wayne's World when Wayne and Garth were playing street hockey and would say "Car" and "Game On" when cars would drive by. Simply classic. Like the Diamondbacks themselves.
Now on to baseball news from around the rest of the country from yesterday's action:
Cleveland beat Detroit in the underachiever olympics.
-I keep thinking Ben Francisco is going to be one of those breakout players and a future fantasy stud, but he's been too inconsistent lately. 0 for 5 with 3 k's is enough for me to give up on him for a while. But I guarantee you he will now go 4 for 4 with a homer, two doubles and 3 RBI's. What a jerk.
-Wow. Ryan Garko homered. Wasn't this guy supposed to be the next Hafner or Sexson? Even Hafner isn't Hafner anymore. Garko is good for 2 homers every 3 weeks or so. That's big time.
-Perhaps the Indians problems can be stemmed from the fact that David Dellucci is still in their lineup from time to time. They clearly should have kept Jason Michaels, but the Pirates are the benefit of that faux pas right now. Of course the Bucs will find a way to screw that up eventually, but that's another story.
-What happened to Curtis Granderson?
-And Carlos Guillen, and Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria and....
-Magpipes Ordonez had a rare o-fer, but he is still the class of that organization. And Ozzie Guillen is still a moron for ruining that relationship. (Among other things)
-Pudge is officially done. Mark my words.
The BoSox got shutout by the lowly M's! That's like getting no-hit by Sidney Ponson. By the way, I heard Ponson was released because he was being a meanie pants or something like that. What a loser the King of Aruba has become.
-Explain to me why Ichiro isn't playing for a contender right now?
-You know you're not a very good team when Jeremy Reed is batting sixth for you.
-Felix Hernandez is heating up! Look out! The M's might get to .500 if he keeps this up!
-I know it's a little early for this, but I think the Red Sox are in trouble. That brawl the other night was a debacle. You basically got punked out by the Rays who used to be a laughing stock but are now looking like champions in the making. (It's early) Coco Crisp went way over the line. Johnny Gomes looked the worst out of anybody on either team, but that confrontation in the dugout between Manny and Youkilis is no coincidence. I refuse to believe that.
There is some kind of inner-turmoil going on that I can't put my finger on, but they better figure it out. Their pitching is still shaky. Matsuzaka is on the DL and Beckett has been above average at best. Even Okajima got rocked a few days ago. If not for Papelbon, this team would be in a world of trouble. Jon Lester is too inconsistent to contribute that greatly. The lineup is still strong, but oh oh! now Ortiz is on the DL, too. These guys better watch out. If the Rays stay hot and the Yankees go on their inevitable run and the Sox start to crumble, it's going to be less fun than a clam bake at Bill Belichik's house.
The Yanks go below .500 again by dropping one to the Royals
-Miguel Olivo is out of his mind right now. The John Buck era is so over.
-If you can't get more than one run off of Kyle Davies in 2008, you might be the worst team per dollar spent in baseball. You think the Steinbrenner's have ever read Moneyball? (Or any other book about doing good business?)
-Even with all their troubles, it's amazing to think that Jeter, A-Rod, Cano and Melky have all not gone on hot streaks yet. If they all catch fire at once, it's going to be ugly for the rest of the East. Then again their Double A pitching staff might make that a moot point.
Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5
-Nick Markakis went 4 for 4. This kid's about to catch fire big time. Trust me. Too bad the rest of the O's stink. How they are 30-30 is beyond me.
-Am I the only one with George Sherrill fever? Oh, you must not play fantasy baseball.
-The Blue Jays are about to tank it. I can see it coming. Their lineup is beyond weak. Their pitching can only save them for so long. And if Rod Barajas can put up MVP-like numbers for more than two weeks, then my name is Jim Walewander.
Reds 11, Marlins 3
-Don't tell anybody, but I'm also a huge Reds' fan. And Jay Bruce is the best thing to happen to them since Marge Schott stopped hanging around the dugout. No one will ever be able to replace Eric Davis in my heart, but the Bat Man has a good chance to come awfully close. And he came along at the perfect time. The Reds have a pulse now and look out-they're only a game below .500.
-It's going to be exciting watching Bruce, Votto, Cueto and Volquez over the next decade or so. The Cubs better hurry up and win one before it's too late.
-Jorge Cantu hit 2 jacks last night. Maybe he is the second coming of Babe Ruth after all.
Phillies 4, Braves 3
-Oh oh. Brad Lidge gave up 3 hits and a run last night. Let's hope this is just a temporary glitch. I don't care for the Phillies, but I'd like to see Lidge have a true comeback season and keep the magic going.
-It's June 7th and Chipper Jones is batting .421. Wow. Just wow. He's got nothing left to do in his career except get his Hall of Fame induction speech ready.
In the battle of the Irrelevant's, the Giants beat the Nationals (disgrace) 10-1
-The Giants haven't won any games in which Tim Lincecum has not started. Okay, that's a lie, but it does seem that way, doesn't it?
-Both Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand are hitting around .330. Could you imagine what these guys would be doing with some more protection in the lineup?
-Is there anything that can be said about the Nats that hasn't already been said about Vanilla Ice and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Rays Keep Rolling; Crush Rangers
-Hats off to James Shields for the other night. Did you see him throw his hat off before throwing that haymaker at Crisp? He didn't connect, but I admired his moxie. If only he could have accidentally clocked Johnny Gomes.
-Scott Kazmir is the Jimmy Page of the Rays' pitching staff.
-Why isn't Jarrod Saltalamacchia getting regular playing time? It's hard to gauge his talent when he's only playing every other day.
Astros 6, Cards 1
-Ryan Ludwick is starting to go the way of Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes. It will be interesting to see if he recovers from this recent slump or if he falls completely off the radar screen again.
-It must be 2008. Sports has come a long way. Some chick named Loretta went 4 for 4 last night for the Astros.
White Sox 10, Twins 6
-This game interested me because two of my hot fantasy pickups of the week--Alexi Casilla and Alexei Ramirez would be facing each other. Ramirez had a decent game but Casilla stole the show. Get 'em before he's universally a goner.
-Carlos Quentin keeps raking. I wish we had found a way to hold on to that guy.
Rock Show 6, Brew Crew 4
-Brad Hawpe hit a homer. Hmmmm.. Hit like 3 more soon and I'll consider picking you up off the waiver wire, buddy boy. Right now Spilborghs seems like the safer bet. Scary.
Padres 2, Mets 1
-Does anyone else find it nearly impossible to sit through a Padres game? Especially at Petco. Their games are almost always boring. Even when they beat Johan Santana, they find a way to not be very good at it.
-Pick up Heath Bell. Trust me. It's only a matter of time before Hoffman puts on an Ishtar-esque performance and gets replaced with a younger actor. I mean pitcher.
Angels 3, A's 1
-Cust hit another Jack. I can't figure out if he's an automatic fantasy pickup or the Plague at this point.
-I'll tell you another interesting part of this ga.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Dodgers 3, Cubs 0
-This game was all about Hiroki power! He put the K in Kuroda. I'm sorry, that was horrible. It beats the alternative though. I almost spelled Kuroda with 11 K's, which is how many he had last night to beat the "best team in baseball". Ha. Nice going, sChlubs.
On that note, it's time to get some sleep. If there was a fantasy draft for sleeping, I'd be the sleeper pick, but that would be kind of redundant.
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